2005 VIDEOGAME PREVIEW FEATURE ELECTRONIC GAMING The #1 Videogame M agazine] To DE ig 2] c 4,/5 4 ve ~ | ™~ ("| a 4 a =} Er _ ~ . GGESTGAMES Mee mE YOU'VE PLAYED THEM—NOW GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON THE BI ve LUSIVE INTERVIEWS, NEW SECRETS REVEALED, AND MORE z ‘ OF THE YEAR! EXC anada January 2005 nee 187 $6.99 U.S. / $8.99 C: ww.1uP.com | DG \ = KILLZONE’ WwW. RILIZOHE. playstabion.com ) md *(fjeyeredas pos yore) (Z uoneIShe|d 10)) (QING) PED lowe, pur (¢ One YSAeig “OU BOLALWYy JUBWUIELIAjUZ 49}NdWOD AuOS JO YAeWAPe,} E SI YOO! AUI|UG “OU| JUBWIUTEYAJUZ 4ajNdWOD AuoOs Jo syseWApesy PasaysiGas are OHO} Aye Sd, OU} PUB,,UOREISARid,, “OU) BLEU *SANO Uy Aid “PHOM JNO, U| BAIT, ‘PaAlesei S}YBu jry “BIILUENd Aq padojenag “adouny yUaWUTEyE]UJ 4ajNdWOD Auog ~00ZO “edosny juewUYeE}U JeyndwOD Auog jo YIBWIEPE} © S} BUOZI}}4 410}) 10\depy Y1oMeN ‘oNDeUOD yauLO\U| se1INbaJ ALId a quawurepia}uy JayndwoyD Auos jo yrewepes paisjsi6ei & si ‘SunD NI AWId : a°uonesAeid 1TYRIM YUNOA NI ZAIT ele = 3 f duog in wo} Sapou auyue Due Jakerdy nu AN eLOge[ {99 40 BANA -gnow Aagka UNOA 0} J9BId Jey) Slauodda jy PSsUeAPY Oss “siodeam Guijeysenap 2% 2S. ~~ -giyguusiAua-@J2}J2M e1j1uand poe Wequn “Y2Uad) ayynega He "pakouisap aq J0 JapusssN§ “ssajadoy SI \sisau Of - *fsdaul ou J8jf0 ay “A9Nd} OW Haas aM - ‘Suessadde ano ‘nak Gursuayls vada) pue Maisos wnOA Guyesayigo ‘sara unex Guyjdwmesy ‘nod istebe SaysJeW AWue |SeUGjay afqeywopul uno AeNO} ynfiag Sey-jaued UNDA JO WOISEAG! BY] “suaheld Ot ay wade ot “A shooter unlike any you’ve seen before!” — Electronic Gaming Monthly “One of our most anticipated titles of 2005.” — Official XBOX Magazine You've got no past. This here’s a diffrent kinda shooter. Switch back ‘n forth ‘tween first n’ third person dependin’ on if yer gunnin’ or brawlin’. Shoot livin’ ammo like Fuzzles, Boombats and Sting Bees at yer enemies, each with a pow’rful world of hurt: Visit www.esrb.org E © 2004 Oddworld Inhabitants, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath and the Oddworld Logo are trademarks or for updated rating registered trademarks of Oddworld Inhabitants in the US and/or other countries. Electronic Arts, EA, EA GAMES, the EA GAMES logo, inf ti and “Challenge Everything” are trademarks orregistereditrademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Microsoft, information. Xbox and the Xbox Logos are either reaista (Or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. i acts. EA GAMES™ is an Electronic Arts™ brand Welcome, friend. Heard yer that bounty hunter with the mysterious past. Ya hit town ta collect bounties, make moolah and free the land from tyranny. Better keep that double-barrel’d creature erossbow loaded ‘cug ya gotta blast yer way through 4 pack of outlaws ‘n filthy minions if yer gonna clean up around here. Hitch up yer boots, Stranger, it’s time ta make a name fer yer'selZ. Git on over ta eagames.com. Yer hunt begins January 26th. Challenge Everything” GUNS DON'T KILi PEOPLE. THREE-QUARTER INCH HOLES IN THE HEAD KILL PEOPLE. «TIGHT CONTROLS, SLICK GRAPHICS... AND MORE SCRIPTED VIOLENCE THAN EVEN WE THOUGHT POSSIBLE.” - IGN ee tit ec «,..DISHING OUT PUNISHMENT HAS NEVER BEEN MORE FUN.” - GAMEDAILY OVER 100 UNIQUE WAYS TO PUNISH CRIME. “, .THE WAY YOU CAN INTERROGATE YOUR ENEMIES 1S JUST AMAZING.” - THEPUNISHER.COM THE PUNISHER ORIGINAL STORY BY GARTH ENNIS AND JIMMY PALMIOTTI www.thq.com/punisher MARVEL 77727 www.thg.com Visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information. inc. and are used with permission. fe} . 190 afe trademarks an served. “PS” Family logo are registered Tee ‘of Sony Computer Ener States and/or other countries and are used under license from Mic es Think you know ee up? Mea Te ea fe i 1H sin H, Hi i . Hi He ie ea Nil fie HR Mi 2Suj\V1d a? 2-uoeIsAeid ELUPCELE) “"WI09'ZJOOAISU JE JJO Saye} UOSAS |/2q}00} ,UIAIJ YSIY OY AUD 90} UME, oy ysanb sno uo siakeld 3 1991 PUL SI|I4S INOA BUIPIING a}IYM je — JaLWeD oy} Ys JO aye jeg dune Aejd Aay, soyjyaym spenbs poowoqysieu sayjo Xe} pue Ay9 Aeg punose awes INOK aye} Ud “SOAIP QUOZ PUa PUe seynf —‘sayoyeo aay dn wou quo Aw deed ued |, ‘||eM-al}-jJo Jaysey “uJ ay} U! UOM $,}! Ing ‘sjeajs au} Ul pake|d 'S,awes oy : $¢@ i; 2. F. 3 te ip ‘ =. 228 : ' “£) (3Ee : j & E56 = & Ss os i y Se 7 =. se : if zi & rol = ° > ca) a 5 a ® x © = Extreme Edition. Otherwise, it just isn’t fair. To get a free download to optimiz Earner NEW, LINE CINEMA 3B es 3 Pe, (oe — . 4 Wee EXTREME EDITION powered by the Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology your motherboard for faster game play, visit intel.com/go/gaming. Within" or = G = Get back! He’s got extreme Intel iv-Ter slave) (ele \"A Prince of Persia® B Si yosiqn, UD sBISI8q JO fe1uj pooc@ \ ‘S@lUNOD J8Y}O JO/PUR Gin ay} ul juewuUIeWe}]UR yosdaio ul ‘siayjo4o Auedoid a4) Se pawie|o eq AeW SpUBIA PUR SeLRL 1841 JUELUUELIEIU YOSIaN Aq asusd\) ;epuN pasn “eUYoaY VEPIOr jo SHeubepeN ak LIEAIAL JOWIENA :2IS/8q JO BOUL PUR BISI2g Jo BouLdy PAMLASA) S1YB BOUL UO paseg TWSWUIEHAIUZ YOSIGN FOZ ‘Pariases s}YBu jy “SeLUNOD JBYIO PUR SB}EIS PSyUA ayy UI SBLUeIPISQNS $}! JO UONELOdIOD [aN No suewapen pauajsibas Jo syewapey ae WNUsg pUue ii SpISUf [a}uy ay; “aprsu jaju} ‘2 N yt i \e\- eee contents issue 187 + sanuary 2005 LETTERS 20 = Irrationally angry? Send all diatribes to EGM@ziffdavis.com PRESS START The latest news, previews, features, and gaming gossip 30 SONY DROPS THE BOMB PSP news and details, including the extremely surprising price point 32 SECOND HOME GameCube owners start crying, RE4 is headed to the PS2 34 FIGHT NIGHT 2005 Bash in faces and watch them bleed in this realistic boxing sim 36 EGM INTERNATIONAL Handheld insanity from the land of giant robots 38 TEKKEN 5 We go a few rounds with the once and future king of 3D fighters 40 CHIC MAGNET The game store that’s so cool 90% of our readers wouldn't be allowed in 41 FIRST LOOK: STAR WARS EPISODE II! Dabble in the dark side in the game based on Revenge of the Sith 44 SHOW AND TELL: SCRAPLAND Scrapland’s lead designer guides us through the lighter side of robot theft 46 ONLINE THIS MONTH Do you love bees? Find out about the hip new advertising craze 48 TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT GAMES We list the titles that have made videogames what they are today 50 MECHASSAULT 2: LONE WOLF Will online robot-on-robot violence ever stop? We hope not 51 EXTRA LIFE Carpal tunnel got you down? Tips on how to play and stay healthy 52 CHILD'S PLAY Il Kids say the darndest things about games you used to love 64 HOT 10 Despite last month’s flood, there are Still cool games coming out 2005 PREVIEWS 72 Tons of big titles are coming in early 2005, but can they contend with the likes of Halo and GTA? TRICKS OF THE TRADE 150 Game counseling, codes, and cheats GAME OVER Funny reviews and funny pages 154 REST OF THE CRAP 155 CROSSWORD 156 FINAL WORD 157 NEXT MONTH 158 HSU & CHAN COVER STORY: AFTE By now you’ve probably beaten Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Metroid Prime 2, or Metal Gear Solid 3, but that doesn’t mean you’re done. We’ve got developer interviews, — stuff to try, and things you may have missed 4 to keep you playing long after the credits roll 98 Halo2 104 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 110 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes 116 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater REVIEW CREW Reviews for you Multiplatform 124 Call of Duty: Finest Hour 126 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within 128 ESPN College Hoops 2K5 128 NCAA March Madness 2005 130 GoldenEye: Rogue Agent 132 The Incredibles PlayStation 2 132 Rumble Roses 134 ATV Offroad Fury 3 134 Mega Man x8 135 Sega Superstars Xbox, 135 Tron 2.0: Killer App 136 Ghost Recon 2 137 Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space 137 Dead or Alive: Ultimate Nintendo DS 138 Super Mario 64 DS 140 Ridge Racer DS 140 Sprung 141 Madden NFL 2005 141 Mr. Driller: Driller Spirits 142 Feel the Magic: XY/XX 142 Spider-Man 2 143 Ping Pals Game Boy Advance 143 Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories editorial Finally, after many civilization’s first practical use for that algebra business. Put on your thinkin’ caps and analyze this: True or false? If Game A’s review score > Game B's review score, then Game A > Game'B. Is Game A is always better than Game B in this equation? Normally, we'd encourage you to figure out the answer millennia, Electronic Gaming Monthly has by yourself, but not this time. The answer is no. The reason I’m bringing this up is because we get this question all the time, especially from the game companies whose products we're reviewing: “Hey, if this game is better than that game last year, why didn’t it score higher?” John Madden can help clear this up. Except for a brief time in the late ’90s, almost every Madden NFL game has improved from year to year, right? So technically, each year’s edition is better than the last, but if we were forced to score each improved version higher, then Madden would’ve capped out at 10 out of 10a long time ago. Obviously, we can’t review games like that. ef As time goes on, bars are raised, so review standards change. An amazing, innovative game that reviewed really well a couple of years ago may see an improved sequel that’s technically better, but scored lower because we've now seen those innovations and the sequel doesn't wow us like the last game did. | So when you're comparing anyone’s | (not just ours) review scores from game | to game, especially when they’re not | from the same genre or platform, keep this stuff in mind! | —Dan “Shoe”Hsu, Editor-in-Chief All content copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. Reproduction, modification, or transmission, in whole or in part, by any means, without written permission from Ziff Davis Media Inc is strictly prohibited, All rights reserved. 14 ¢ ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com OOS FRONTIER ) FF-ROAC Build your own. SWAWANa [st Ob-yWetel Aidit licigelili(-lg The all-new midsize Nissan Frontier. With 265 hp, it's the most powerful midsize truck. But what would y as, © NISSAN, you add? Go online and choose different paint jobs, aftermarket parts and accessories to create your ultimate Frontier. ay 7 agline Get the most out of 1UP.com! It's where gamers who live to play get what they need to suc- ceed: The best news, reviews, previews, screen shots and cheats. Plus, on 1UP you can build your own community of gamers to share tips, tactics and even success stories. >THE BEST GAME COVERAGE MORE CONTENT ERS ERIS APT TE "WOME PLATFORMS MAGAZINES GENRES SOCIALIZE GAHES CHEATS INUITE seancn } 901 eee i k atcoriiro tie eae fh 1up RANKINGS: From your favorite editors. ollection MORE OPTIONS Than any other Expert Dan Hew ‘Screenshots 7/15/2004 PEOPLE WHO OWN Halo, nice to meet you THIS GAME i game site. Slideshow Cheats and Btrtegte Media MORE SCREENS Than we have place * Downloads ILED INFO FOR for-in print, | Btn MORE ROOM | SS For longer, in-depth i “< stories. san MORE OPINION From gamers just full hype > like you. See All Urer Hype BI 1UP Partners: WORLD CYBER GAMES menage er Win prizes at 1UP Games, rigs, and more! >contests.1UP.com Enter 1UP’s Mobile Game Tournament! Text ONEUP T8 to 66236 or visit >lup.mo2do.com PINTERACT WITH OTHER GAMERS — ' youn pace With your own unique 1UP URL. YOUR FACE Or other image, if you're shy. YOUR FRIENDS Who share common interests. YOUR BLOG To talk about games and more. © Ultima VIII: Pagan (Ac: YOUR GAMES To show off that huge collection. Ultima VII: The Biack -6 he >Find gamers just like you @ 1UP.com B not sust a vague phallic reference anymore Esoutne dor Mak MacDonald Managing Editor Jennifer Tsao Soret Elie Cis Bayer, Prov Eoot Shane Btennausen Feat Centan Gn feve Eater yon Rar Iman Jost Zan ‘Tricks Editor David Hodgson DESIGN ‘At Director Monique Convertito, ‘Associate Art Director Stefan Belavy ConTRBUTORS {Bin Bann, Ge he, Kevin Comer Jonathan Out Dig i und, chu Emst Joshua Fruminger. on M Gibson, Kevin Gilford, Guest Reviewers Garth Glazier, Dana Jongewaara, Nic Maragos, Andrew Mendoza, Thierry “Scooter” Nguyen, Christian Nutt, Greg Orlando, Andrew Prister, John Ricciardi, Jon Rogers, Kathleen “Colonel” Sanders, Norm Scott, Seanbaby, Rey Serrano, Evan Shamoon, Carrie Shepherd, Dave DAN “SHOE” HSU, Editor-in-Chief ROBERT ASHLEY ‘Smith, Justin Speer Shoe used to go to bed by 1:00 a.m. After Halo 2’s release, Robert got funky Founder Steve Harris hat time’ d 4:00 But he still hi t up fi with an EyeToy that time's moved up to 4:00 a.m. But he still has to get up for game, bai eaves omar sie é ; Soot Moc work at 8:00 a.m. If you do the math, that means Shoe should certainly no Panett eae Oa be dead by age 35. Can he Sue MicroSoft for thi$? Antigrav. Cr Dree 1 Simon ox rector Bil Daniher ‘JUP.com Blog: egmshoe.1UP.com ape aga ing: : ic ; Copy Chiet Tom Edward Now Playing: Halo 2, GTA: San Andreas, Super Mario 64 DS JOSHUA CAIN oe Ears eg ine’ Susie Ochs, Kelsey Adams Fave Genres: Just about everything Josh decided to PRODUCTION drow out his eee ee Ma hebro this Assistant Production Manager Teresa Newson MARK MACDONALD, Executive Editor =} CT CIRCULATION Consumer Group Circulation Director Tracy Schultz To make himself a more effective overlord of EGM's new Halo 2 : WY shiksas love it. Single Copy Sales Director Bob Kerekes clan, Mark traveled back in time to gather the DNA of history's [Ble inemet are greatest leaders: Napoleon, Wan the Terrible, Montezuma, Sgt. J GREG FORD CRN SES testis Slaughter, and Ghengis Khan, with just a hint of Bret Michaels. i‘ f | Ford’s to-do list: Advertising Director Marei Yamaguchi 1UP.com Blog: Blogging is against Mark's religion h\~ | bata x wn fig airing Marsa ane Acer Execs. ing: 7 ic all: check. Solve Now Playing: Halo 2, MGS3: Snake Eater, WarioWare DS Whe San ARioe Pay ATES es arate Nay Gio Fave Genres: Action, Adventure, Shooters a not even close. Account Executive Brent Martyn Southern California and Arizona Regional Sales Manager Julie Steelman ‘Account Executive Rita Kline JENNIFER TSAO, Managing Editor KEVIN GIFFORD East and Midwest , a 7 AL, AR, CO, CT. DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY LA, MA, ME, Mi, MN. MO, MS, On her recent vacation, Jennifer had the opportunity to visit Wint . hen (Mi, NC, ND. NE. NH, NU, NM, NV. NY. OH, OK. OR, PA. R.’SC, TN, TX, UT, VA young Kevins VI, WA, Wi, WY WY. Eastern Canada, Northwestern Canada Mexico City. There weren’t as many beggars and street 1 f- Regional Sales Manager lan Sinclair i hibernate in Account Executive ita Kine urchins as she expected, but she did encounter Seanbaby and their stacks of a bunch of Mexican pro wrestlers. unplayed games. earaer cot ‘UReom Bog: egmennitertup.com bret i lemeshegte a Now Playing: Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, GTA: San Andreas DAN LEAHY Consumer Eat a Matthew E. Pank Faye Genres: RPG, Adventure, Action Sports, Rhythm-Action This month’s Account Execute Candace Droz basketball ogre Sales Manager Ken Stublefiels ae ae = games had Dan i CRISPIN BOYER, Senior Editor Sie seeing nothing {orgeneral Manager Tom Jessiman The most even-tempered guy you'd ever meet, Crispin would ? - but net. Barnet Seis count Manager Bill Young never blow a gasket over an incredibly frustrating game—ike, P Senior Advertising Coordinator Tpler Ubbelohde say, the nearly impossible second Zero mission in GTA: San . \ NICH MARAGOS Aovartsog Coordinate Monet Whitaker Andreas. Er, scratch that. Time to get a new Crispin. % Nich spent time Sales Asastant mone Deocares Lengyel {UP.com Blog: egmerispin.1UP.com /R pondering Tron’s Soles Hssitantessieg Retin inc i jas Warrie i \ ‘ i MARKETING Now Playing: Halo 2, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Es aiding the shart Mtg acre Actit esearch Director Fave Genres: Action, Adventure, RPG bus to work. Marketing Coordinator Jason Freidentelds To contact Sales and Advertsing, please call 415-547-8000 SHANE BETTENHAUSEN, Previews Editor PATRICK MAURO Chairman & CEO After overdosing on the saccharine dating horror show Sprung Now simply el reed and Bratz-in-Purgatory boredom of Ping Pals, Shane had the known as that BatW.calalane urge to read up on the Lindsay Lohan-Hilary Duff feud. Luckily, ey with 8 beet Derek ian ; Feel the Magic taught him that the Nintendo DS isn’t pure evil. radio show. Pere emer resent UP.corn Blog: egmshane.1UP.com Excetive Vico President & Now Playing: Feel the Magic, Halo 2, Lumines, WarioWare DS Fahoral Bier : ture, RPG, Fighting, Karaoke EVAN SHAMOON Executive Vice President, Fate Genes: Action, Adventize, BRS. : Evan hunts wild Geral ancl Sertay regory Barton vegetables. He See, para DEMIAN LINN, Reviews Editor = about both stuff Presidents: i i i Scott McCarthy (Game G Now that the holiday rush is almost over, Demian finally has and things. Seah Sopra (exis Pech Grou) some time for the important stuff—making the fattest CJ pos- — Jason Young (Consumer Tech Group and Ziff Davis Internet) sible in GTA: San Andreas. Oh, and Halo 2. Lots of that. Senior Vice Presidents jasmine Alexander (Technology & Sales Operation UPcom Blog: egmdemian.1UP.com Fis UST SPeEh Tincasen PC Masao gee) Now Playing: Halo 2, GTA: San Andreas, City of Heroes (PC) \S.. . Chis Dobbrow (Corporate Sales & Publisher, eWEEK) low Playing: 2, GTA: 5, City (PC), j . ’ y huge anime fan, Larry Green (Business Development & Worldwide Licensing) electric zither but he-still digs Charles Mast (Circulation) Fave Genres: Action, Hockey, Racing, Fighting “ity ‘ making icons of Vice Presidents himself. Ken Beach (Corporate Sales) Sara DeCarlo (Database Mark Faron Goldberg (Market Exper (Event Marketing Group) 3 (Event Marketing Group) (Market Experts) (integrated Media) (Editor-in-Chief, internet) (Edtor-n-Chie, eWEEK) BRYAN INTIHAR, News Editor @ GMR's Christian Nutt, Andrew Pfister More than a few things shocked Bryan this month while trying and Carrie Shepherd lent us their infinite out DS: his severely sore fingers from playing, that most of the wisdom on some Nintendo DS games. games at launch are pretty awful, some of the messages The OFFICIAL U.S. PLAYSTATION “s Shane sent him via Ping Pals, and Ping Pals itself. MAGAZINE was kind enough to allow Paul O'Reilly Event arena Sop Bete per SY ap ss Melinda Maginn rated Media & Corporate Sa editors Dana Jongewaard and Thierry Bei Rapala unan Reaooces) Martha Schwartz (Custom/Conference Group) Nguyen to play some games for us on Pam Spectr (Business Development and ternational Licensing) Tom Steinert-Threkeld (Edtor-in-Chie, Baseline) 4UP.com Blog: egmbryan.1UP.com Now Playing: Halo 2, GTA: San Andreas, MGS3: Snake Eater Fave Genres: Action, Adventure, Sports their console of choice. Stephen Suton tert Audience Development - a Vale Research & Market ineligence Hi We saddled XBOX NATION editors Che Stephen Veth (Publisher, GO Insight) Chou and Grea Orlando with ! Monica Via (Event Marketing Group) hou and Greg Orlando with sequels ‘Senior Director, Manufacturing Carlos Lugo The Contributors involving manly military men, fine femme rates aa IW.JON M. GIBSON went shopping and stargazing at Hollywood's Acme Game Store, America’s fatales, and time tabbies. Tectmlca Spocalst Nek kaiser hippest electronics boutique. ‘ B-AURGOM saitar Dave Sith was (Contact anyone on his masthead va e-mail @ Freelancer JOSHUA FRUHLINGER wants you to play games until you're 80, so he's put toget! more than happy to share his opinions using firstname_lastname@ziffdavis.com) er our doctor-prescribed guide to preserving your hands, eyes, and mind. with us on Ridge Racer DS and Dead or I The always gullible technology writer JOHN BRANDON got taken in by the recent flood of hoax Alive Ultimate. Erber ee tae sites so you don’t have to be. 18 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com McGRADY 62004 AMERICA'S DAIRY FARMERS! AND MILK PROCESSORS. ©2004 NBA PROPERTIES, INC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TRACY IA Waliai ale tmx) (e| me, “T-Mac, you’re i felalat-Mel—aelise-xelail—e lo ham Must’ve been the milk. About 15% of your lal (stuauodiio> ters 12490) BWES SAnOw fail 1uaBy. bnBoY aAquapION “SauunoD JeuID JO/pUEs'N aX 21uon9819 19 5197.10 sysewlapen aie O60) S3yvW9 V3 Stil DUE SIWY9 V3 ‘StIY 210019013 Ou) SLIy aIN0.9973 HOOT &) (AluO SIuAUOdWIOD jensiADIpRe UN Wodulion aeMyos 1oUff0 je “apov eamMos 118) WAS) @ANIeIMU| Waby anboy ahguapjag __“heyd ounjuo jwwionayd yooug {hjawwiedas pos yava) (2 uonershejd 40}) (aie) peg Atowiay pue (z uonerghejd 10}) 1oWepy yoMayy ‘vonooUUOD auIaWUI sarINbas AEjd aUNIUO.Z UORIgAL]g “Ae{d aus{UO 40) pasinbas NOLLDINNOD. LaNtGLunT stein sited anpon joy be _ esc jou Apd auyug Challenge Everything” KINGDOM HEARTS” CHAIN OF MEMORIES delivers an entirely new adventure and sets the stage for KINGDOM HEARTS IL. Sora, Donald and Goofy travel through many vast and colorful worlds in search of their missing companions. ¢ Encounter over 100 of your favorite Disney and FINAL FANTASY° friends and foes. * Collect mysterious cards that open doors to new adventures, unlock powerful abilities, and call familiar friends to your side. ¢ Experience big, bold graphics and high-quality animation. i I =30) PNAS ADVENTURE IS IN THE CARDS SQUARE ENIX. Www. square-enix.com Published by Square Enix, Inc. Fantasy Violence ‘© Disnéyerim Burton's The Niglitmare Before Christmas © Touchstone Pictures. Developed by Mild Language SQUARE ENIX: Characters from FINAL FANTASY video game series: © 1990, 1997, 1999, 2001 ‘Square Enix Co., Ltd, All Rights Reserved. SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are trademarks of Square Enix Go., Ltd. TM, @and the Game Boy Advance logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo, The ratings icon isa trademark of the Entertainment Software Association, ¥ / da PlayStation.e Ratchet and Clankis a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Developed by Insomniac Games. ©2004 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 Internet connection, Network Adaptor (for PlayStation:2) and Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation=2) (each sold separately). The “Online” logo is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Crude Humor Fantasy Violence LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN DURS? Take on fellow destructophiles from across the nation. Upgrade weapons to ridiculous tevels of firepower. Nuke enemies and friends alike in the single-player and split-screen multiplayer modes. Blast, whip, electrocute or melt your way through amazing new galaxies. So lock, load and gather the troops. You’ve got some destroying to do. "| PlayStation. ress start gaming news, previews, Rids saying the darndest things, and other stuff SOM ARO A BOMB WH ay Mexey tse) (- (-¥-e(-)geeer-lave mare) handheld contender—shocks everyone with a PlayStation ith its beautiful screen, Portable price tag of under $200 w today’s console games, and multimedia capabilities, Sony’s PlayStation Portable is launching an all-out attack on the handheld market. And the company just dropped the big one: the machine’s price. Last month when Sony announced that its slick-looking handheld would launch in Japan on December 12, it also revealed that PSP would cost 19,800 yen, which is roughly $185. The news was quite unexpected since most in the financial community had for months been predicting a price of $300. “I was very surprised by the cost of PSP,” admits analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities. “Sony surprised us all.” And if history has taught us any- thing, you can expect an even better bargain when PSP heads to the United States. “If you look at any consumer electronics launch, the price of the product in Japan has always been the highest,” says Pachter. “It'll retail for something lower than $185 over here.” A Sony spokesperson tells us that all details concerning the U.S. launch— including price and on-shelf date—will be revealed some time after PSP’s Japanese debut (though she says that the handheld is still on track to release by the end of March 2005). So what's the likelihood that the price could dip all the way down to $150 and go head-to-head with the new Nintendo DS? “I don’t think $150 is very likely for PSP,” says another analyst. “I just don’t see how Sony could justify its business model at that price.” Yeah, and not too long ago peo- ple also said that PSP couldn't possibly cost less than $300... —Bryan Intihar Even with PlayStation Portable ringing up at under $200, analyst Michael Pachter isn’t wor- tied about Nintendo’s newly released dual- screen handheld and its chances for success. “Sure, [PSP] is now in a much better position to compete with DS, but | believe Sony and Nintendo are targeting different consumers with their products. PSP will attract the 17 and older crowd, while DS will skew younger.” Read our reviews of the DS launch titles, starting on page 138. ATTENTION ALL IMPORTERS: ACCORDING TO A SONY SPOKESPERSON, PLAYSTATION PORTABLE (LIKE GAME BOY ADVANCE) DOES NOT FEATURE A REGION LOCKOUT FOR GAMES, 30 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.iUP.com Wi Titles like Ridge Racer PSP, which require greater processing power, will drain the handheld’s battery faster than, Say, a less-taxing puzzle game. The Battery: li’s a Matter of Life and Death Aside from PlayStation Portable’s price and launch date, the other big question surrounding the handheld has been its battery life. Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Ken Kutaragi con- firmed that a fully charged battery will, on average, last four to six hours when @ Check back next issue for our exclusivg look at Advent Shadow (pigtured here) and PSP—ike its big brother, PlayStation 2—continues to attract a ton of third- party support. Electronic Arts CEO Larry Probst recently revealed that the pub- lishing powerhouse has added two more games (making the grand total six) to its PSP launch lineup, MVP Baseball and playing games and four to five hours when watching movies. But there’s a catch: He later admitted that those stats will fluctuate depending on the type of game being played. “A puzzle game will last longer [than six hours],” said Kutaragi. “But [a game like] Ridge Racer will probably be shorter than [four hours}.” Eventually, Kutaragi hopes that Sony can produce a battery for the machine that will last the length of a flight from Japan to New York City (which usually clocks in at 13 to 14 hours). dedis, and Other PSP Developments FIFA Soccer. LucasArts is teaming up with Ubisoft's Montreal development house (Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia) to create a PSP title based on next May’s highly anticipated flick, Star Wars Episode Ill: Revenge of the Sith (the game is heading to Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance as well). Dark Cloud and Dragon Warrior Vill developer Level 5 plans to make an all-new role-playing game for the handheld, and finally, Majesco will bring author Orson Scott Card's sci-fi universe to PSP with the actioner Advent Shadow. #4 Them’s Fightin’ Words After hearing the news about PSP’s surprisingly low price, Yasuhiro Minagawa, head of public relations for Nintendo, told Bloomberg Japan, “That's not a game machine. They showed [PSP] at the Tokyo Game Show without any fundamental game soft- ware, and you can tell that it’s not complete.” So what was Sony’s reac- tion to those rather critical remarks? “People who want to play with Pikachu will need Nintendo’s new- style DS machine,” said Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Ken Kutaragi. “But those who want to play our racing game Gran Turismo 4 will need a PSP, right?” We take it Kutaragi is one of those pas- sive-aggressive types.... Fulfilling Another The Final Fantasy Vil fanboys must be in their glory. Not only will Square Enix release spin-offs in the form of a CG-ani- ~ mated movie (Advent Children) and a PlayStation 2 shooter starring antihero Vincent Valentine (Dirge of Cerberus) by the end of 2005, the company also just announced a FFVil-based action-RPG for PSP. Unfortunately, all we know is that the game is titled Crisis Core and it will arrive on Sony’s handheld in 2006. Wonder if by that time Square will produce the one thing fans really desire: a true sequel to this PS1 role-playing classic. MEANING YOU CAN PLAY U.S.-MANUFACTURED PSP TITLES ON A JAPANESE SYSTEM AND VICE VERSA. MOVIES, ON THE OTHER HAND, WILL BE REGIONALLY ENCODEI ELECTRONIC GAMIN' Si we Www.1UP.com* 31 © Colored contacts are all the rage in Resident Evil 4. SECOND HOME brings its brand of survival-horror to PlayStation 2 mid a barrage of rumors over the last three years, Capcom has continued to vehemently deny that the visually jaw-dropping and GameCube-exclusive Resident Evil 4 would find its way to other consoles. Even series creator Shinji Mikami was supremely confident that day would never come. “Resident Evil 4 will definitely release only on GameCube,” professed Mikami back in 2002. “If it [comes to land on store shelves some time next winter. According to a company state- ment, the decision was made “to satisfy the demands of our fans and our desire to introduce the series to new gamers.” We're sure it also had a little something to do with satisfying the demands of their piggy banks, as 72 million PS2 units have shipped worldwide (compared to only 14.5 million for GameCube). No specifics about the PS2 edition were revealed. ee ” —Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil series another console], | will cut my head off.” Time to sharpen the axe. Capcom has announced that in addi- tion to the game's release on GameCube this January, a PlayStation 2 version is currently in the works and expected to GOSH, BATMAN, As for all of you with an Xbox, a Capcom spokesperson tells us that the possibility of this third-person survival- horrorfest (starring Leon Kennedy of RE2 fame) arriving on Microsoft's system “has yet to be determined.” YOU'RE FINALLY BACK After an eight-year hiatus from the silver screen (which should be enough time for everyone to suppress all bad memories of Batman & Robin), the Dark Knight will return this coming summer in Batman Begins. Electronic Arts has announced that it will copublish with Warner Bros. Interactive an action game based on the upcoming flick, which recounts the tale of billionaire Bruce Wayne and his even- tual transformation into Gotham City’s protector, Batman. Expect to see Batman Begins on store shelves for all major con- soles, PlayStation Portable, and Game Boy Advance around the same time as the theatrical release. HE ALONE IN THE DARK MOVIE WILL HIT THEATERS ON JANUARY 28. IT CAN'T BE ANY WORSE THAN DIRECTOR UWE BO! 32 ¢ ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com GRUDGE MATCH Coldhearted snakes eo ee MGS3'S COBRAS GI JOE’S COBRAS Metal Gear Solid 3’s stealthy Snake is a real American hero, but he ain’t the first to defend human freedom against a bunch of baddies who are all part of an elite Cobra unit—Gl Joe’s done it time and time again. Let’s see which serpentine sect packs the more vicious venom in this month’s Grudge Match. BIGGER FLAMER Torch: Fire-obsessed mercenary with Cosmonaut with a jetpack, ejaculates *-™™ flames from a hose classic biker looks % Advantage: MGS3 and values BEASTMASTER The Pain: Commands a swarm of angry bees to both serve and protect...himself | weapon that brain- Advantage: MGS3_ | washed some locusts BETTER WHACK-JOB The Sorrow: Makes Dr. Mindbender: Robert Smith look Self-experimentation cheerful, as he cries left him a deranged blood and makes it but powerful freak rain a lot Advantage: GI Joe BETTER NINJA The Fear: Stealthy dart chucker with ninjalike agility but not actually a ninja BETTER WHEELMAN The End: Ancient, Copperhead: Chronic narcoleptic gambler who drives marksman who high-tech vehicles spends most of his through the swamp time in a wheelchair Advantage: Gl Joe Cobra Commander: Once commissioned a high-frequency Storm Shadow: Totally a ninja Advantage: G1 Joe © Need a sign that the new Batman movie won't suck? They've finally removed those rubber nipples from his suit. Hey, it’s a start... FILM, HOUSE OF THE DEAD, PlayStation2 | X@OX | Call 1-800-800-5166 for the store nearest you or visit us at www.ebgames.com GAMES We take games seriously ™ " puis (>) press start The bodily fluids flow like wine in the Fight Night ring. ou know what the problem is with ty boxing right now?” wonders Kudo Tsunoda, producer of last year’s Fight Night 2004. “The best fighters don’t fight the best fighters anymore. You have these fights between the champion and some guy nobody's ever heard of, and where’s the fun in that?” His team’s product did far more than let you stage Ali/Marciano to your heart's content, though—it was a new chapter in boxing sims, a game that rewarded players for honest-to-God boxing instead of bashing the buttons until some- one fell down. Powerful hits create a festive spray of blood and saliva. 34 ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com _Stand-up’and fight As Tsunoda puts it, Fight Night 2005 (due out for all three consoles this spring) is part- ly “about refining and polishing the game we came up with last year.” Subtle analog- stick spinning lets you unleash “haymaker” blows that guarantee concussions aplenty but are telegraphed from Mars, and quick left-right combos make it easier for an ana- log player to deal with button-mashers online. The whole game's a step closer to boxing, in fact—you can clinch your oppo- nent now, and that hip-hop announcer guy's been replaced with real commentary from ESPN's Joe Tessitore. Platforms: PS2/XB/GC Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Canada Release Date: March 2005 ALR REST ST The most obvious difference, though, lies in the visuals, which Tsunoda modestly calls next-gen on current console: jot only are the models twice as detailed as before (you can even see Roy Jones Jr.’s pecs bounce), but they can also become virtual Butterbeans if you wimp out on the training, similar to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. And once they get into the ring, the realism can be brutal—sensitive individuals may want to skip the between-round bits, when you play cutman and try to fix your fighter’s swollen eyes and bloody nose. Eeesh. —Kevin Gifford 'VOUR UA | uvUn Prt Usher & Alicia Keys - My Boo Nelly - My Place - Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved Ciara feat. Petey Pablo - Goodies - Yellowcard - Only One - The Killers - Somebody Told Me - Avril Lavigne - My Happy Ending 49 - Mase - Breathe Stretch Shake LATEST RINGTONI 2Pac - California Love Akon - Locked Up 1010 - Alicia Keys - Diary Alicia Keys - If | Ain't Got You Alicia Keys - Karma 7 - Avril Lavigne - Don't Tell Me ~ Beastie Boys - Ch-Check It Out Beastie Boys - Sabotage - Beenie Man - King Of The Dancehall ~ Beyonce - Naughty Girl 1751 - Beyonce & Sean Paul - Baby Boy 03 - Beyonce feat Jay-Z - Crazy In Love ~ Big Punisher - 100% - Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mama Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get It Started Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love? Britney Spears - Outrageous ~ Britney Spears - Toxic (Chorus) - Chistina Aguilera feat. Lil Kim - Can’t Hold Us. Christina Aguilera - Dirrty Coldplay - Clocks - D12 - D12 World DMX - Party Up - DMX - Ruff Ryder's Anthem 17 - Dr. Dre - Next Episode Dr. Dre - Still D.R.E. Eminem - Guilty Conscience Eminem - I'll Sh** on You Eminem - My Name Is 18 - Eminem - The Real Slim Shady - Stan ~ Still Don't Give A F*** - The Way | Am . Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind Fabolous - Young'N (Holla Back) Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand - This Fire Game Theme - Super Mario Bros Green Day - American Idiot G-Unit - Stunt 101 ‘Unit - Poppin’ Them Thangs Hilary Duff - Come Clean Hilary Duff - So Yesterday Hoobastank - The Reason - Incubus - Talk Shows On Mute Incubus - Drive Inner Circle - Cops J. Lo feat. LL Cool J - All | Have 9 - Jay-Z - Can't Knock The Hustle Jay-Z - Change Clothes Jay-Z - Dirt Off Your Shoulder Jay-Z - Big Pimpin Jessica Simpson - Angels 34 - Jessica Simpson - With You ON - Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl ~ Jet - Rollover DJ - Jet - Cold Hard B**** ~ Jimmy Eat World - Pain |-Kwon - Tipsy |-Kwon - Hood Hop - JoJo - Leave (Get Out) - Joss Stone - Super Duper Love ~ Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body - Kanye West - All Falls Down ~ Kevin Lyttle - Turn Me On - Lil Flip - Game Over 8 - Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz - Get Low 9 - Lil Kim - Magic Stick + Linkin Park - Breaking The Habit inkin Park - Lying From You - LL Cool J - Headsprung ~ Ludacris - Diamond in the Back - Ludacris - Splash Waterfalls - Maroon 5 - This Love - Mase - Breathe Stretch Shake - Michael Jackson - Beat It ~ Michael Jackson - Billie Jean - Michael Jackson - Rock With You - Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On ~ Missy Elliott - Gossip Folks - Mis-Teeq - Scandalous - Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Part. II - Nelly - Flap Your Wings ~ Nelly - Air Force Ones ~ Nelly - Hot in Herre Nelly - Shake Ya Tailfeather ~ New Found Glory - All Downhill from Here - New Found Glory - Failure’s Not Flattering - Nickelback - Feeling Way Too Damn Good - Nickelback - Someday - No Doubt - Hella Good - No Doubt - It's My Life - No Doubt - Underneath It All - Oukast - The Way You Move - OutKast - ATLiens - Outkast - Hey Ya! - OutKast - Miss Jackson - OutKast - The Whole World - Outkast - Prototype - OutKast - Roses ~ Petey Pablo - Freek-A-Leek Pharell feat. Jay-Z - Frontin‘ - R. Kelly - Ignition ~ R. Kelly - Snake ~ R. Kelly - Step in the Name of Love - R. Kelly - Thoia Thong - R. Kelly - U Saved Me - Rick James - Super Freak + Sean Paul - Get Busy - Sean Paul - Like Glue - Simple Plan - Don't Wanna Think About You - Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back + Slipknot - Duality - Snoop Dogg - Beautiful - Snoop Dogg - Nuthin But A G Thang ~ Story of the Year - Anthem of Our Dying Day - Switchfoot - Dare You To Move - Switchfoot - Meant To Live .1. - Let's Get Away - Terror Squad - Lean Back - The Calling - Our Lives - The Darkness - | Believe In A Thing Called Love - Three Days Grace - Just Like You - Three Days Grace - | Hate Everything About You - Trapt - Headstrong - Twista - Overnight Celebrity - Twista feat. Kanye West - Slow Jamz ~ Twista feat. R. Kelly - So Sexy - Usher - Burn - Usher - Yeah! - Usher - Confessions Part 2 ~ Vanessa Carlton - White Houses + Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue - Ying Yang Twins - Salt Shaker ~ Young Buck - Let Me In Vist Hou WALLPAPERS AND GAMES! 1) VG 1A! ORE 77) GY. COM FOR ML T ZIM TOP wpa tics 505207 PARENTAL ADVISORY Ee 504476 505307 IMWITH | STUPID | MOBILE Atari's D Text the download code to 946: You will receive a link to download your ringtone or wallpaper. AT&T Wireless - Cingular - T-Mobile USA Nextel - Boost Mobile EGM INTERNATIONAL Ancient history made wacky Nintendo DS Are there a lot of Japan-exclusive DS titles? Not really. Other than a couple of mahjong games and slot-machine simulators, the best DS title that we aren’t getting is the latest in Konami's Goemon series. If you missed the two Nintendo 64 Goemon titles, here's the basic idea: a stocky ninja dude goes on wacky adventures across medieval Japan, bashing enemies Zelda style and exploring vast mazes. And what's a ninja game without giant samurai robots you control with the DS touch pad during boss battles? Sounds superb. It’s a shame Ganbare Goemon ain't coming here. Well, you should be able to play Japanese DS games on a U.S. system, so it should be safe to import this trippy, bouncy quest. PS2 Hero who? As anyone who's had the misfor- tune to take history class at a Japanese high school knows, Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a 12th-century general and one of the chief characters in the Tale of the Heike. This game version of his exploits looks suspiciously like Dynasty Warriors from the screens, but it's more strategy than arcade action—as Yoshitsune, you run around the battlefield and issue commands in a series of encounters. Why would gamers care about this? The Japanese audience can’t get enough of “his- torical fiction” gaming—while Koei’s Warriors games are sleeper hits over here, they routine- ly sell over a million copies each in Japan. WHAT'S PLAYING IN THE COMPUTER WORLD Oh, how | had hoped to have Half- Life 2 by now. But alas, the game has not quite come out as | write this, and | am forced to fritter away my existence on other games. Luckily for me, Pve got options, now and in the future. The Political Machine Elated/devastated by the recent presi- dential election? Want to relive/rewrite the glorious/horrific result? This unas- suming little strategy game brings all the magic...er, heartbreak...uh, unre- lenting nausea of big-time politics to terrifying life. You can guide a real-life politician (or one you create) on a year-long campaign for president, rais- ing money, debating, and getting endorsements. The Political Machine can be incredibly dispiriting in a way with its spot-on re-creation of the ugly nuts and bolts of campaigning, but it’s still chocolate-covered coconut crack if you have any interest in both politics and strategy games. Battlefield 2 EA’s huge multiplayer shooter takes the franchise out of the past and into the present, with all the goodies of modern warfare set in a series of sprawling maps. This time the design- ers are adding a heavy dose of persis- tence, tracking every player’s stats, medals, etc., all the better for you to secure international bragging rights. I’m happiest about the emphasis on team play that rewards squads with bonuses for working together—is an end to rampant jackassery finally in sight? We'll know soon enough. —Robert Coffey, Computer Gaming World »» ARE YOU READY FOR EVEN MORE FOOTBALL? EA SURE HOPES SO, AS THE COMPANY WILL RELEASE MADDEN NFL 2005 FOR TAPWAVE'S ZODIAC HANDHELD BY THE END OF '04.... >> 36 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com | PlayStation2 JR xBOx GH Eaveclee NTSC $10 EB Games mail-in gift voucher when you purchase Call of Duty: Finest Hour for PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube Name Address City State Zip Mail this completed form along with your original sales receipt to: EB Games Rebate Center ¢ 770 Pilot Road, Suite F * Las Vegas, NV 89119 mes gift voucher. No cash v GAMES , We take games seriously ™ Ya l y ISION Kazuya and Asuka’s moonlit dream date takes a turn for the worse. TEKKEN 5 The once and future king of fighting 002's Tekken 4 took a critical drubbing in the wake of Sega’s excellent Virtua Fighter 4. Pretty visuals simply could not compensate for a serious lack of innovation. In fact, the few gameplay tweaks Tekken 4 introduced— unbreakable combos, overpowered new moves, and the ability to move around before rounds begin—got the boot in the upcoming Tekken 5. Some might call it backpedaling, but series fans will welcome the return to the New Faces Namco’s keeping the full roster of playable characters under wraps, but expect well in excess of 20 combat- ants, including at least three new ones—Asuka, Raven, and Feng Wei. Asuka busts out a flurry of speedy strikes (including several combos lifted from Tekken 2’s fan favorite Jun), Raven pulls some wacky ninja moves like teleportation, and Feng Wei over- powers with brutal kenpo tactics. classic Tekken 3-era feel. And the game isn’t devoid of progress: Namco has wisely lifted a page from VF4’s character cus- tomization system. Now, you can outfit your pugilist with crazy costumes and accessories earned in both single-player and versus matches (think: sexpot Nina wearing a red leather ninja suit or grappler King sporting a goofy cartoon panther mask), This PS2 port lands only a few months after the arcade version, yet it appears to be Platform: PlayStation 2 Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Release Date: February 2005 a remarkably accurate translation. Bouts amid gorgeous backdrops like a burning building or penguin-covered iceberg look quite close to their coin-op counterparts. Plus, Namco’s home Tekken conversions tra- ditionally offer cool exclusives, like Tekken Tag Tournament’s bowling minigame or the side-scrolling force mode from Tekken 3 and Tekken 4. Online play isn’t going to happen, but hopefully some wacky new mode will fill its void, —Shane Bettenhausen Swiftness offsets ’s low defense. pulls off some zany ninja moves. ’'s style hinges on heavy hits. => NINTENDO RECENTLY FILED A PATENT FOR A NEW GAME CONSOLE THAT ALLOWS PLAYERS TO SURF THE INTERNET, WATCH TELEVISION, AND PLAY GAMES—ALL AT THE SAME TIME.... >> 38 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com > CHOICE. 'U WILL'E Your companions will follow you Wield over 60 new feats and Travel among 7 worlds and to the dark or light side of the Force Force powers as you and your party explore new environments on based on your choices. struggle to defeat the evil Sith. your mission to save the galaxy. THIS TIME, YOUR CHOICES AFFECT EVERYONE AROUND YOU. WWW.KOTOR2.COM LucasArts and the LucasArts fogo are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2004 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. & @ or TM as indicated. All rights reserved. ee, Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are eith id trams or trademarks of Merosot Corporation nthe US. OBSIDIAN Violence and/or in other countries and are used under SeeeeeeTaeene 5 Microsoft. The ratings icon is a registered Entertainment Software Association All other trademarks and SOFTWARE x> _X MARKS A SEQUEL—ACTIVISION HAS ANNOUNCED THAT A FOLLOW-UP TO THE MUTANT-FILLED ACTION ROLE-PLAYING GAME X-MEN LEGENDS |S NOW IN THE WORKS... >> 40 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com Photographs by Jon M. Gibson Photograph by Robert Bertoia/Getty Images Platforms; PS2/XB Publisher: LucasArts Developer: The Collective Release Date: May 2005. FIRST LOOK: STAR WARS EPISODE Il: REVENGE OF THE SITH End, these Star Wars will acked with corny dialogue, a wholly unbelievable romance, and a character named Elan Sleazebaggano, Star Wars: Episode I is a film that only Episode / apologists could love. But hey, maybe the next one, May 2005's thank-God-it’s-finally- over Revenge of the Sith, will actually be awesome, right? Hope springs eter- nal, and so do licensed games: LucasArts’ first Episode /i/ title casts you as either Obi-Wan Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker in lightsaber-swingin’ action that follows the flick’s plot. You'll brandish your trusty lightsaber Obi-Wan, all hopp up on deathsticks. [You'll] wield impressive dark-side powers like Force lightning... and Jedi Force powers to plow through droids, giant robots, and—once a cer- tain cocky Padawan joins the bad guys—one another. Anakin’s fall to the dark side means he'll be able to wield impressive dark-side powers like Force lightning, while that goody two-shoes Kenobi will be able to persuade foes in classic “these are not the droids you're “| told you that I don'tlike’sand!” looking for” fashion. Offering players a taste of both the dark and light sides worked wonders for Xbox RPG hit Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, so maybe the same range of morality- based moves can set this apart from recent movie-derived flops like Obi-Wan and Bounty Hunter... —doshua Cain FAMED FINAL FANTASY COMPOSER NOBUO UEMATSU HAS RECENTLY LEFT SQUARE ENIX TO START HIS OWN STUDIO. (hae SPLINTER CEL ae ee LOD. 4 ie ee eo) is =o) SS = ee | ee = {i ae oo) Your body is the controller as you become one of eight hoverboarders in EyeToy: AntiGrav« Blitz, grind Dodge airborne cars, pull off motion-sickness-inducing trick combos, and shred the laws of gravity in the on-screen 3-D character. Jump on board today at www.eyetoy-antigrav.com. EVERYONE AMNAUEN Leh Zarelifol Recoli EyeToy: AntiGrav’ Game ©2004 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Developed by Harmonix Music Systems. EyeToy: AntiGrav is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. EyeToy is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Requires PlayStation 2 computer entertainment conTENT! system (sold separately). “PlayStation” and the “PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “Live In Your World. Play In ESRB Ours.” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. EyeToy USB Camera a> = EyeToy: AntiGrav™ (for PlayStation»2) BA Game Disc a LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN QURS" (©) press start hen asked what they'd like to Ww see in Grand Theft Auto-inspired action games, over half of all respondents exclaimed, “Sassy robots.” Well, OK, not really, but that didn’t stop Spanish developer MercurySteam from melding the free- roaming carjacking gameplay of Rockstar’s blockbuster series with a whimsical, futuristic setting to create Scrapland. Here, you play as D-Tritus, F*** the Police Grand Theft Robo a young drifter droid embroiled in a complex murder investigation. To solve the mystery, you'll have to jack into other robots (taking control of their bodies), hijack all sorts of high-tech spacecraft, and chuckle your way . f through tons of off-kilter dialogue. e es ae oe We recruited Lead Designer Enric , Alvarez to give us a quick guid- j ed tour of the mayhem.,,.— AAG é ; , = —Shane Bettenhausen = i P Platform: Xbox: al Publisher: Enlight Developer: MercurySteam Release Date:January 2005 People Lack the Power Now This Is Podracing Enric Alvarez: It’s impossible for D-Tritus to take down EA: The world of Scrapland is none too kind to EA: Racing around the city isn’t always a low-stakes a full squad of cops, so it’s better to run like hell. You humans—they'll generally be attacked on sight by the affair—here, D-Tritus has to destroy a gunship before it could try a braver solution, though: Jack into a more mechanized mob. Here, D-Tritus must protect a space- reaches its deadly destination. Different ships have combat-effective bot, morph into it, then waste the fuzz. suited fleshling from the robotic horde. unique engines, weapon arrays, and chassis weights. Bright Lights, Big City EA: Midair dogfights can break out anywhere, even in commercial districts like EA: As you progress through the game, D-Tritus amasses an array of cool powers. Here, Chimera, pictured here. Luckily, D-Tritus should be up to the task of fending off the he escapes from an awkward situation using an advanced technique that renders him cops, thanks to his newly acquired custom gunship. more or less invincible. He can destroy enemies by simply touching them. 4 You’ve Got the Touch >> WARREN SPECTOR, CREATOR OF EIDOS' 44 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com JTURISTIC DEUS EX FRANCHISE, HAS LEFT DEVELOPER ION STORM. ACCORDING TO EIDOS, SPECTOR WILL STILL SERVE AS A CONSULTANT... >> visit us on the web at www.pelicanperformance.com Pelican and its logo are registered trademarks of Pelican Accessories. Gamecube" is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America. Xbox. is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. PiayStalior#2is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment. All products featured are ‘manulactured by Pelican Accessories and are not endorsed by Nintendo of America, Microsoft Corporation, or Sony Computer Entertainment ALL YOUR BEES ARE BELONG TO US. NEVER SEND A MAN TO DO A WOMAN'S JOB. ONLINE THIS MONTH Hoax sites: everybody plays the fool V and magazine ads? That’s so last century. Game compa- nies today are hyping their wares with underground campaigns WHAT'S UP AT Fearsome Foursome Sorry, but we just couldn’t fit every- thing we wanted into this issue. Hold back those tears, please—check out egmextras.1UP.com for even more in-depth coverage on the four biggest TRANSMITTING nda : rendecvou: games of 2004: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Halo 2, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and the always controversial Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. and phony websites that get the wired crowd buzzing. We round up the latest from Microsoft and Nintendo, who are in no way adverse to some tomfoolery and wink-wink shenanigans. Did you take the bait? —John Brandon 1UP.com Club in the Spotlight: Halo @ Halo 2 F I Love Bees 5 J (www.ilovebees.com) The game: Halo 2 The hoax: Kind of obvious (a site devoted to bee husbandry), but still weird. The URL appeared at the end of a Halo 2 trailer and turned into an alternate-reality game in which people traveled across the country just to answer a call at a pay phone, If you can't make it to the training events, check out my blog. -Dana Love Bees URL first appeared at the very end of the Halo 2 theatrical trail salute each other, or play Halo 2 multiplayer in four movie theatres around the country. The payoff: “This kind of viral guerrilla marketing worked,” says Billy Pidgeon, a game analyst at Zelos Group. “Everyone started instant messaging about it and checking out the site.” Orbis Labs (www.orbislabs.com) The game: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes The hoax: Particularly realistic, with a subtle game tie-in. Orbis Labs is some kind of futuristic (and fake) weapons '® Could that be morph-ball technology? manufacturer that produces one piece that rolls up into a ball for wartime engagements. So, yup—it’s Nintendo's way of pumping up sales for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. No one has figured out how to get into the “government official” back door. At least, not yet. The payoff: “A cheap but effective mar- keting strategy—it was fun and mysteri- ous,” Pidgeon says. I Love Knees (www.iloveknees.com) The game: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes The hoax: Think of any site that rhymes with “ilovebees” and you'll find another hoax site for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, this time with a not-so-subtle reference to the “all your base” Flash flick from a few years back. This one also pokes some fun at Microsoft's Halo 2 hero Master Chief (see image at top of page). The payoff: “The site had a lot of people talking because it spoofed on another game's spoof site,” Pidgeon says. 46 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com Channel 51 (www.channel51.org) The game: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes The hoax: Another amazingly well-crafted ploy site that even links to blogs and other content on the Internet, even though the whole point is to get people thinking about Metroid Prime 2 again. It also links to another hoax site for Athena Astronautics (www.athenaastronautics.com), which is equally odd. The payoff: “Generated some good buzz since it linked to so many other places on the Internet,” Pidgeon says { Channel 51 links to other hoax sites. if Need some help finishing Halo 2on Legendary difficulty? Looking for some friendly (or not-so-friendly) multiplayer competition? Can’t stop chanting like those monks? Then you should head to Officialhalonews-club.1UP.com and meet up with other fans of this first- person shooter franchise. Must-Hit Blog At only 25 years old, 1UP.com Editor- in-Chief Sam Kennedy is already an industry vet. He’s worked for several gaming mags (including ours) and is now responsible for running this ever- growing website. And any questions regarding 1UP.com can probably be answered by reading Sam’s online journal (capnsmak.1UP.com). He’s good like that. >> ATARI WILL RELEASE FOUR DRAGON BALL GAMES IN ‘05, INCLUDING THE ACTIONERS DRAGON BALL Z: SAGAS (PS2/XB/GC) AND DRAGON BALL GT: TRANSFORMATION (GBA).... => lVidge Ivacer J ches from opponents ¢ a hairpin turn, YOU appreciate that breathing IS All involuntary impuise. i * ring: The classic racing game is now on Nintendo DS* featuring Innovative touch-screen steering ¢ 20 challenging racetracks Wireless multiplayer support for up to ie EVERYONE NINTENDO, Mild Suggestive Themes Licensed by NAMCO, LTD. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2004 NAMCO LTD., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Converted by Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, New Game Elements © 2004 Nintendo. TM, ® and the Nintendo DS logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2004 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All ESRB CONTENT RATING wwwesth.org ‘other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. “Note: Wireless multiplayer gameplay requires each player to have their own Nintendo DS system and a copy of this game. www.namco.com my, Tax, ‘. Otis [aff we? or 3 AG aval Wy, Bam je wi Cas S X, COUNTDOW fae TO 0 kick off EGM’s run up to its 200th issue, we picked 10 games that helped redefine the industry since our premiere issue in 1989. We'll be compiling lists like this until No. 200 (up next: top 10 systems), so feel free to argue about our choices on the 1UP.com EGM message board. Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis ° 1991 The speedy blue guy did more than give the elderly headaches—his game changed the 16-bit landscape, propelled Sega's Genesis into stardom, and established the first real competition Nintendo ever had. Without it: Sega would have given up on making hardware even sooner. Street Fighter Il E} Arcade/Super NES * 1991/1992 No game did more to prop up arcades than SF2's deep fighting system and addictive multiplayer matches. The home version, despite its $70 list price, was also the first buy-a-console-for-it game on the Super Nintendo, assuming you weren't already into Super Mario World. Without it: Arcades would have dried up...yes, even sooner. Pokémon Red/Blue Versions Game Boy ¢ 1997 The game's childlike sense of adventure and monster collecting/raising turned the world into Pokemaniacs and kept up Nintendo's dominance of the handheld market. Without it: The phrase “Gotta catch ‘em all” would be meaningless Tomb Raider Multi ¢ 1996 Lara Croft, the game's improbably proportioned heroine, was the first main- stream videogame icon since Pac-Man, making Tomb Raider the first step toward the Hollywood-like industry of today. Without it: We would never know what a “nude code” was ee) Final Fantasy VIl PlayStation * 1997 Before FFVI/, PlayStation was actually in close competition with Sega’s 32-bit Saturn console. And thanks to beautiful cut-scenes and a deep, introspective narrative, Square’s game was also the first RPG to surpass, instead of copy, movielike storytelling. Without it: Aerith wouldn't have died, and gamers wouldn't have learned how to cry. WHOSE ©." IS IT ANYWAY? Match the title to its story line. C’mon, you can do it... Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (PS2) B Blood Will Tell (PS2) Cc Ninja Gaiden (XB) Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors (XB) * THE10 MOST John Madden Football Genesis * 1990 With its 11-man teams and copi- ous playbook, Madden proved that sports sims could be realistic and still get your adrenaline pumping. Without it: Tecmo would be known for sports (remember Tecmo Bow!?), not girls. ie as Halo Xbox * 2001 Forget that Halo has been the best multi- player console game for years now. Just concentrate on this: With one game, the world’s largest software company has become a legitimate console contender. Without it: Xbox would've tanked faster than the 3D0 system. Tetris Game Boy * 1989 From Russia with love (and a legal battle that lasted for years) came a game that virtually guaranteed the Game Boy's explosive success. More than that, though, it was one of those rare games that anyone—even Grandma—could enjoy. Without it: Programming students would have nothing to code for their final project. Sword-wielding badass slices his way through hordes of demons with help from a ridiculously hot blonde chick. Sword-wielding badass slices his way through hordes of demons with help from a whip-toting French dude. Sword-wielding badass slices his way through hordes of demons with help from assorted demon hunters. Sword-wielding badass slices his way through hordes of demons with help from his hollowed-out rocket-launcher leg. 48 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY © www.1UP.com Grand Theft Auto Ill PlayStation 2 ¢ 2001 In many ways, GTA3 was the first title to introduce “adult themes” to gaming...not with its violence, mind you, but with its smart dialogue, its satire-laden plot, and yes, its strutting hookers. Without it: Campaigning politicians would have far less to be angry about. M4 OxE KXG 1 M4y 71) Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64 ¢ 1996 There were lots of 3D games before Super Mario 64, but Nintendo's was the first to get the control scheme right. The N64’s analog stick made guiding Mario seem perfectly natural—you weren't fighting him every step of the way. Without it: You'd never want to collect another star again. tration by Garth Glazier/AA Reps => DRIVER'S ED STARTS EARLY: LY PHONY DIGITAL IS NOW WORKING ON GRAN TURISMO FOR BOYS, A VERSION OF ITS DRIVING SIMULATOR FOR KIDS AGES 8 AND YOUNGER... >> Experience the fateful twists of a dynamic, evolving storyline. Take the battle online with up to 4 players and USB headset support. “while lies last at participating retailers. Coming February 2005 Gare poneiaialaaanaye mance Prove your might as a Champion in head-to-head arena combat. Arm yourself for the must-have sequel to the fiercest WU AMDIANL action RPG of 2004, Champions of Norrath’. AG PATO we Champions: Return to Arms delivers the ultimate : 4 <3 in action-packed, hack ‘n’ slash adventure! RETURN TO ARMS” : develoy ‘iy SONY ONLINE ES ate) hing... ENTERTAINMENT ESRB CONTENT RATING _ www. <= PlayStation.c ‘© The new human-piloted tanks and aircraft provide tricky targets for the large, lumbering mechs. HY he only thing better than piloting a 40-ton robot with laser pincers and 40,000-degree heat rays is using it to destroy an 80-ton robot with dual infanto beams and mysterious X-Radar doomsday cannons. That's the allure of the MechAssault series—it takes the old-timey BattleTech strategy games, revs them up to arcade-level intensity, and lets you concen- trate on laying waste instead of poring over boring statistics. The philosophy hasn’t changed immensely for Lone Wolf, sequel to one of Xbox Live’s most successful games: “There are more fun things to do and new vehicles to master,” says Danny Thorley, president of developer Day 1 Studios, “but that warm >> MAD CATZ RESCUES THE DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION-DEPRIVED GAMECUBE WITH MC GROOVZ DANCE CR, 50 ¢ ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com gratification of successfully blowing up an enemy mech comes early and often.” The main enhancements are chiefly reserved for online players—in addition to Xbox Live clans and tournaments, there’s a new con- quest mode that lets you join one of five “houses” and participate in a vast planetary war across multiple battlefields. Every plan- et in conquest is tied to a specific set of maps and gameplay modes, and if your house is victorious over a series of online matches, you'll take control of the world you're fighting on—something you'll be able to keep tabs on through Microsoft's official Lone Wolf website. Even with the killer online support, the easy-as-pie controls are still MechAssault er” 2's best feature. Pretend you're playing Halo and you'll have no problem piloting any mechanical monster you run across...and we do mean “run across”—your hero's new battle armor lets him latch onto nearly any enemy mech, hacking into its neural net- work and taking it for his own. This Grand Tanks but No Tanks One addition to MechAssault 2 sure to send old hands into fits is an all-new tank unit. Tanks? In a game about giant robots? What is this sacrilege? This isn’t as heretical as you might think, though—pilot a tank, and your shots have a chance of knocking an enemy mech off its feet, incapacitat- ing it for a short while and letting your teammates run in and bash away with abandon. Add a tank- exclusive cloaking device, and you’ve got a remarkably useful unit for long Xbox Live campaigns. Platform: Xbox. Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Day 1 Studios Release Date: December 2004 Theft Auto—inspired gameplay adds some seat-of-your-pants urgency to the single- player game, but online it'll be key: “The real fun begins when you've hacked the enemy's only assault class mech and now your team has them all,” says Thorley. “Time to dominate!” ©—Kevin Gifford = City streets aren’t too safe when giant robots are afoot. vWiud JA9UVIL LV SAGIND ADIIWULS VWId YOd HOOT q “Aeaypaye euop aya WO4} J8A0224 0} ejqissodunt jsouyo “yjno4yIp Ajqipaxou pun Buoy -spaap st anbimpay siyj “dutns tpunny ‘AU 4J0 J02juO> yo yno GurAly ways pues pun ways 41y “4D 24) O4UL YpUND] 04 jnogo s} yuauoddo snoA wayyy “si4y Op 0} puloras ysoj ayy jun yi, “dun ies. ayy Burygiy 40jaq 4yB1s nok yo uoay Ut 40) aij} 0} afipaw D uy Aorys “41D ypyD> 0} pnayp anid p si esayy pun diys ayy Mop spell pup »peui Bunny asp 4p Jatyoun pun nok 4) “dun! p a0jeq ssn] anbupa} yno ysnd ayy Ad © ee safoin6 ayy 0} 06 04 Gurany pun jyo 4) Gurag axojaq sarna aeayy 404 41 asn up) nox “apo! 49010) jo Buuuibaq ayy uy 40> s,jaupoy jo afinjunapn ayn] © *sapnafidn jonsia pup syind anupuuopied yp apy anoA Burzosdun uo pads 0} azou anny nok ‘ADM siqy “yung 4noA asna.nuy 0} sjuare enfina] s,100Dy punoaBsepup, a4) pun square pezosuods ayy Bur jSMouue ayy wol afewep aye} JJM s9ayja daajg 0} aunwiu! ale OM Salwiaua Uang *soqwod jsaiuo.s s,aweb ayy JO U0 SI |}!¥§ anlssed Aaljon daais ayy ym smouy S,jsoba|3 6 z = 2a jabewep jO Sjunowe auagsgo no ysip 0} syoepe }1y-1[nwW asn pue Ajea asayy wes “|)nj Si 4eg wnjuawo 4noA sanauayM spy jeoni49 noA aajuesen6 smojg AulwjayMsang S,uaMoW, pue saxy Gurmjaymiang S,POUPEH S¥!] SIS © jsuodeam jsaq S,uaMo|) Buowe ale saxe asay| ‘sexe uapjob jo salas @ noA wea [IM S,UaMJo Buisy © S3193LVULS IWOSIMV XOEX\SSd\38NIIWVO. 08 Guin JL “GONG FHL 10 G01 ‘salossa00 pup sauinb jsayjoy ays {j0 uo doors ay) 46 ‘lay a, nok aly (p40 siyj uo awnB Auo ggo §¢ 40} uodnor v poojumop 0} uos°aUBBayzosUlZo6-MMM 10 991) *S]AN 404 4524] ays 10} sapo> a1ou! $No ypay pun aay UMOYs auinb Aun yo ¢¢ 104 uodno» p poojumop 04 wor'auunBayjoyujag’ MMM jno yay “awnb ayy oyu! ya6 Ajjoas uo» nod os aso» auinb ayy wy ways YsD4s pun ‘spn ayy 4no 4N> “sypLay pun sd ‘sypay J9aMS aSys YLIM SPHOM Mau puly puD suodnam sno apnsBda ‘saapnsny uapply »xpojup Unlock hidden characters, upgrade your weapons and find new worlds with these sweet cheats, tips and tricks. Cut out the cards, and stash them in the game case so you can really get into the game. Check out www.Getintothegame.com to download a coupon for $5 off any game shown here and check out more codes for the latest hot titles. GET INTO THE GAME.COM ©2005 Target Stores. The Bullseye Design is a registered trademark of Target Brands, Inc. All rights reserved. STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT —@) i PS2\XBOX _ TAKE IT TO THE MAT SURVIVAL SKILLS © In night vision mode, watch out for muzzle flash- es or grenade explosions. They © Finishing moves are the keys to victory. Build up your adrenaline meter by attacking and taunting : your opponent. When you're in can temporarily blind you, and the right position and one of your ‘ that's all the time the enemy WWE slots is full, press [L] to 7 is needs to drop you permanently. execute your finishing move ‘against a groggy opponent. If you have two finishing moves, [L]+D-pad will perform your secondary finisher. © This is not a racing game. Speed through Ghost Recon 2 and you'll alert every enemy unit and have a gunfight on your hands that'll make Vietnam look like the War of 1812. On most missions, you need to move slowly, using your long-range scopes to note every enemy location and scout out the hest spots to move concealed. © You can also steal your oppo- nent's finishing move if you have two full WWE slots. When you're in the proper position and your opponent is groggy, press [L+l] fo use his own finishing move against him! This never fails to get the crowd on their feet! No matter what you're up to on a mission, a face-to-face tank always becomes your top priori- ty. The huge armored monsters can rip apart your whole squad with their machine gun turret or high-powered cannon. Immediately switch to your M3A2—or call down an air strike, if you have your M29— and give them a taste of an anti- armor missile. © Don't get greedy, though— your opponent can counter your special move by pressing [l+r]. If he counters your finishing move, you lose the WWE slot and wind up in a very vulnerable position! EXTRA LIFE Play until you're old and gray with our doctor-prescribed guide... 00 much of a good thing can iT he bad: Just look at Taco Bell’s carb-free menu. Gaming in excess, unfortunately, is no excep- tion, So to keep you playing until Final Fantasy XXX comes home, we asked doctors and physical therapists to put together a plan for healthy gaming. Follow along and you'll stay spry until medical science finally finds a cure for Nintendo Thumb. —Joshua Fruhlinger SAVE YOUR BOD’ General practitioner Dr. Greg Taylor says that sitting with bent legs for more than two hours ups your risk of forming blood clots. He recom- mends getting up every 45 minutes to prevent blood from pooling in the leg veins. We asked physical therapist Jennifer Monreal for a few stretches to try while you're up and about. These target the body parts that get the most abuse from long hours in front of the boob tube. Perform four of these stretches twice a day; hold each stretch for 20 seconds. You'll thank us when you hit 40 and are still playing GTA. Yoga Flame Begin with a straight elbow. With your other hand, grasp at thumb side of hand and bend wrist downward. Return your hand to a straight position. Pull back hand gently, as shown. press start (©) The Bionic Thumbando © Use thumb of one hand to bend just the end joint of the thumb of other hand. ¢ Let go of thumb and hold this position. Next, straighten thumb and stretch using the thumb of your other hand. © Let go of thumb and hold in this position. rr The Double Dragon * Begin with fingers and thumb as shown. Place other hand over fingers and thumb. © Gently stretch fingers and thumb together. Wave of the Warrior © Place your thumb and index finger between two fingers of your other hand. Gently spread finger apart, as shown. © Repeat with all pairs of fingers. EASY ON THE EYES MIND POWER-UPS Development and author of The Eye Care Book for Computer Users. Follow his rules to preserve your peepers.... Stretch your eyes—no, really. “Rotate them as if following a large circle,” says Dr. Miller, “then roll them to the side, far down and back up, then reverse.” Eye strain, headaches, Limit your gaming times. Play for more blurry vision—all than three hours and you'll need a break. are problems Take 10 minutes to focus on distant associated with objects, or just close your eyes for a bit. frequent gaming, says Dr. Stephen © Don't sit closer than three times the Miller, executive diagonal! size of your screen. So if you director of St. Louis’ have a 27-inch tube, stay 7 feet away. College of Optometrists in Vision * Unless you're playing a game that demands darkness (such as any Silent Hill} title, below), switch on a light. Dim sur- roundings make pupils gape, which Jets in too much eye-damaging TV- screen light. Games—well, some © Ginkgo anyway—require Biloba—This logic in addition ancient tree’s to lickety-split leaves boost cir- reflexes. To culation to the pra supercharge that brain and extremities. That means more gray lump you call oxygen up there—and slicker reflexes. a brain, nutritionists suggest you ingest these supple- ° Kava Kava—This Polynesian super ments, shrub melts stress. A bit might chill you available at your local drugstore. ° Omega-3s— These fatty acids )- oe , t £ are an important ” » x brain food. Find them in fish such as tuna, flaxseed oil, or in a bottle. out for your next online firefight. © Caffeine—Too relaxed? A cup of Joe or soda will get you wired for a big game. Find milder doses in green tea, which also packs antioxidants that improve brain-cell communication. 4% >> PLANNING AHEAD: PUBLISHER MAJESCO HAS SIGNED ON CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK DEVELOPER STARBREEZE STUDIOS TO CREATE A GAME FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF CONSLE:! ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com ¢ 51 Mustrations by Jon Rogers (C) press start: child’s play 2 D MIKETYSON'S Bobby: Anthony: Dillon: Garret: Anthony: Garret: Parker: Garret: Garret: >> IF YOU'RE IN THE MARKET FOR AN XBOX OR GAMECUBE, YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT THESE NEW BUNDLES: FOR $150, YOU GET AN XBOX CONSOLE, NCAA FOOTBALL 2005, AND Atari 2600 * 1978 he first action role-playing game, Adventure sent its dot- size hero—armed with an arrow- shaped sword—into dungeons inhab- ited by dragons that even the game’s creator admits look like water fowl. Bobbys Ve EGM: A what ate you? Parkers). 3)ih) tits EGM: What do you think this charac- ter’s name is? >)» Dot. Or Adventure? That's what this game is, isn’t it? Go up, go up, go up. _.- Stupid duck. | hate the duck, The duck is evil. > Go left, go left. Grab the arrow. That’s the only way you can kill the duck. You have to run that into the duck. - It's a spear or something. |... [Enters castle] I’m just going to store all my keys and useless stuff in here. I’m going to store my duck in there. EGM: Do you identify with this dot? “No. The dot is small. | am not. -) Yeah, My best friend, he looks just like this dot: small, handsome, and adventurous. EGM: How long would you put up with this game? => Five more minutes. -. | could put up with this game for hours, but I’m so easily amused. How about we just pretend this is the new Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater game. ©.» You go ahead and do that, Bobby. EGM: What if we told you the ducks were supposed to be dragons? Everyones) |F111:))'5| -\\> [This game is] addictive. - Ah—you’re trapped. You'll be eaten by the duck. EGM: Addictive? Why? -.) You want to beat the level and find out what this nonsense means. ~~ But you can’t do anything because you're stuck behind the duck, or the dragon. EGM: What is this game missing? -)© © Like, action. But it’s for the Atari, so it’s boring. > Hike the whole dot idea, but it should be a 3D dot with laser arms that can do Matrix moves. Pachoo! Pachoo! Pachoo! =.» How do you have a 3D dot? Parkers) 8)°-5-Vot):1-¥) EGM: Would you want your parents to buy this for you? Everyone: o\- Ifit was 25 cents and came out of a gumball machine, yeah, I’d buy it. «And do you think people actually paid to do this and it was a big deal? Parkers |) 0s iv-ss “> This is like Pong. Everybody thought it was amazing and good, but now we're just thinking, “Oh, it’s only a good loading screen for Test Drive.” > And to think 20 years from now, people are going to think, “Oh, you’re playing [GameCube Zelda game] Wind Waker? That's boring.” EGM: What will you say when your kids say Wind Waker looks boring? “\-~ Get out of my house. You're out of my will, better hero than the dot? -<'. Yeah, Link is a lot better because he has his catchphrase: “Yeeaaah!” EGM: Wait, Adventure’s dot has a catchphrase. [Turns up TV volume. Game makes bleeping noise] Everyones (©11)('5) It should be a 3D dot with laser arms that can do Matrix moves. — secs .oin EGM: Can’t you imagine you're a war- rior running around? -\))» He gets eaten by evil ducks—or “dragons.” How could you think he’s a warrior? (Its hard to make a comparison between a little dot and then jumping to Zelda and the new and improved games. EGM: So you think [Zelda’s] Link is a THE LEGEND OF ZELDA NES © 1987 classic action-RPG, Zelda intro- duced players to fan-fave elf boy Link and his lost princess, Zelda. Garret SN EGM: What does retro mean to you? _.- > Like, old and outdated. Garret)! F000) =) © | played this when | was little. =) Oh, Hove this so much. ott sounds like my alarm clock. + Did this game do really well? EGM: Would it surprise you if it did? Not really, because it was Atari and was state of the-art back then. +. And because people were stupid and liked addictive games. People were like, “Wow—such good graphics! | mean, they got a dot with a key. Woooo!” =~ This will be much easier than the little dot. . Because | can throw my sword in an enemy's direction... .,,,and he explodes... |.) ,..and you can use it again. “\\. That’s an awesome sword. | mean, | like katanas and stuff, but this sword is just...wow! -/\\-- This game makes more sense than the other one. Dillons N93 (SSE tell what the main character is. EGM: What would you say if we said we like this more than Wind Waker? Parkers -'((-:) Bobbys F0((-9) 7 this game. EGM: You would really rather play this than Wind Waker? Parkers) (--.\)¢S0)'5 school. It’s classic. EGM: So if you're going to a desert island and could bring only one game, you'd take this over Wind Waker? - No, I'd take Wind Waker because this is so slow. EGM: Now you’re changing your mind. But that’s a different scenario. You want to get the most out of it. You want the longer game. EGM: How do you like the graphics? =. 5"; Those bushes look like petrified snails. «Better than the other game. © These graphics were actually cutting edge. “+ If could go back in time, I'd get a copy of Pong and this. If could go back in time, I'd get one of the best games of today and sell | like katanas and stuff, but this sword is just...wow! | —10-year-old Bobby John Why do all the girls think that Link is a hunk? )\) Ethink just you think that. EGM: So girls don’t think he’s a hunk? Rachel: | WTI Gosh no, v1.) Tike actual humans better than videogame characters. it off to the highest bidder. EGM: Knowing this is a Ze/da game, what do you think the goal is? > Save the fairy, or save Zelda. It has something to do with the Tri-Force. Dillons | FEN Ses =" Ifyou get the Tri-Force, you get the girl. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com « 53 Z STAR WARS Arcade * 1983 his blockbuster coin-op used glowy-line vector graphics and voice samples to re-create the X-wing attack on the Death Star. EGM: Do you feel like you're really fly- ing an X-wing here? Parker: Rachel: Anthonys foe esis Everybody: > It feels like we're in some barely 3D universe. -\) Maybe it feels like we're in the Star Wars universe where you can’t see that well. | Go up, go down, go up, go down. [The X-wing blows up.] oft 5 And be dead. EGM: What do those lasers look like? /)« Psychedelic snowflakes. 1) it's snowing up. | This looks like a game out of Willy Wonka or something. sts like, “lm Willy Wonka. I’ve created a new Star Wars.” EGM: Are the TIE fighters scary? 1) No, It feels like they're trying to give me flowers. /\. But flowers that you're allergic to, _ game, they It looks like midway through [making] the game, they just Gave Up. —1/eacou atersnes |). Shoot the word “200.” Shoot those towers! EGM: Do you feel like you're in the middle of the Star Wars universe? So you're trying to blow them up. |) If they made a game like this now, someone would definitely get fired. + It looks like midway through the just gave up. They're like, whatever, and just stopped. Bobbys vir: afraid of these, because | could just stick my hand through one and chop it in half. “1... There’s no depth perception to this game. EGM: Isn’t that satisfying to destroy the Death Star? =) 4, Oh, wow—a little explosion. EGM: Now are you ready to do it all over again? “n+ You have to do it again? “That's what I'm doing right now, Parker. Don't you see the Death Star in the background? /..- After you beat the Death Star level, there should be a snow level, then a small speeder bike level. They should make a Matrix game in the theme of Star Wars. So then you take out your sword and run up to a guy and go, “Chiiing!” And after you saw through his head, you fly inside your X-wing. Arcade ¢ 1980 ith its five buttons and save- : the-humans mission, Defender — was one of the most complex games in arcade history. 1). Pve played this on my cell phone. EGM: [Pointing to the humans on the ground] What do they look like? © They look like those little char- acters in the game Life, the little people you have to stick in your car. 54 ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com EGM: Before this came out in compila- tions, we used to put quarters in arcade machines. + You wasted quarters on this? EGM: Yeah. Parkers (iF e307 06 -\" Like it, It's one of those games you can play and play and play, just like Madden Football. “>If knew what any of these but- tons meant, | might push them. EGM: That’s how we felt. Garret rw a ui 5) T want to use all three of my smart bombs at once, before | die. | You're supposed to pick the people up. <« Oh, those are people. No. | think you're supposed to shoot them. Those are aliens, | think. 1 You have to protect them from the aliens, which are these things [points to creatures in the sky]. ) They look like jellyfish from SpongeBob. Oh, so the aliens pick them up, and if they’re carrying them, you have to kill the aliens and catch the people. [The player starts shooting people.] Parkers (90% “) \\- If you shoot them, then the aliens can't get them. EGM: If you shoot all the people, the planet gets destroyed. Then the aliens take over. Garret: {7-5 - oo) If was in it, P'd be like, “OK, aliens, if you give me 500 dollars you can destroy this planet.” \ Whoa! What just happened? The Earth blew up. Remember? oi) Hts like everything just shat- tered. Oh, run. Run! o6\) Uh-oh, you don’t have any smart bombs. EGM: Do you know that in these types of games, people spend hours and hours trying to break world records. oo) c\- Like that guy who beat Pac- Mar? With the long beard? 7101+ Billy Mitchell. EGM: What do you think of him? If | knew what any of these buttons meant, | might push them. —11-year-old Rachel Olivares (55 Only 500 dollars? EGM: Do you feel bad about shooting the humans? J. No, that’s my only amusement in this game. If they were, like, more detailed, maybe I'd feel something. But it looks like I’m shooting a popsicle. EGM: Would you ever play this game again? | would if | had a lot more time and could figure out the controls. | o) | would if | had absolutely nothing else to do. [The screen erupts in flashes.] He’s a complete loser. Doesn’t he have a mullet? Garret (iF iS E )\/[S)s What a freak; “ouj JUBWUIe}IA}UZ 4ajndwWoD Auos jo syreWape.} paiejsiBa: axe O60) Awe .Sd,, OU} PUB ,UOEISAB|d,, OU) BOVeWY JUaWUIEYA}Ug 4e;NdWOD Auos jo syueweper pasojsi6ai are ,,’SNQ Uj AeIg *PUOM JNA Uj aAI7,, Pue OBO} sods |6g6 ‘sods 6g6 ‘OUI BOLVEWY jUsLUUTEYAIUy Ja;ndwWOD AUOS p00ZO “dUI ‘SesUdie]UZ NAM Pue Ayjz\19 aukeAy Aq PAU/AO ale SyseWApe. PUL oWeU A7Z195 ALY UI SJYBU IIy ‘UOREIDOSSY ,s1OKeId anBea7 Aax0H [2UOHeN aU} JO JONPOld PASU!T AIIIDINO “YE THNG ‘OU| BOVaWY JUaWUIeLAIUZ Je;NdWOD AUog kq asUed!] JOPUN pasn ale PUR WdTHN aU} JO SHWAPER O12 O60] WATIHN 24} PUE VATIHN ‘UONeIOOssy ,SieKe|g enBeay fayOoH jeuoNeN ‘anbesy AayDoH PISO “IHN ~00ZO 1 ‘Sesiudia}Uz HN JO JESUS YAU JOd Ay} jNOYYWM Peonposdea, aq you Aew pue swea} aAoadsaJ ay} PUL THN Ay} Jo Auadosd au} aze Ulaiay payoidap sysewW pue SoHo] Wes} HN pue sysew pue SOBO] JHN IV NeISAe|g 104) Ja\depy OMIEN ‘UODaUUOD JaUIaIU] SauINbaL Aejd BUI|UD JEUOHeN Ay} JO yONpoid pesuadi) anBea7 Aay490H JBuONeN oy} Jo SyseWApPed} Pase}siBas ase dnO Aajue}S 84} PUe PJ>IYS THN OU} ‘enBeey Aeyo0H |BUONeN “HN ‘(Ajayesedas pjos yoea) (Zz uoNeISAeIq 404) (Gg) PA2D Aioweyy pue (z ausa ‘x8 21¥e DGLNDO “hos axa Sung NI Avid ‘G14axXM ANGA NI SAINI ‘JJasanoA se }jasinoA aas uana ued NOA ‘eiawed gS .s,Ao,aAq YM puYy ‘apoyy Adjenly ul JO auljUO siayjo Aejd yjasunoA aag ‘abuayjeyg Ayz}919 YM Sps0dai Siy yeag JJassNOA dag ‘SWea} JUaTEyIP JNO} WO ‘aUQ 18819 AYY Se yjassnoA aag “00} UeD NOA ‘GOdZ THN ..AxZI819 UY “I]e UW Mes BH "s) Mi auonelsaeid = = ‘ Arcade ° 1986 efore Tony Hawk showed us how to pull a Christ Air in a skate- boarding game, we filled this coin-op with quarters. Skate or die? The kids would rather just gripe. -\.. This is the “skate or die” game! EGM: So how does this compare to the Tony Hawk games? «It's no comparison at all. Tony Hawk’s the best. EGM: Would you pay a quarter to play this game in the arcade? Everyone: | Anthony: °° Garret: Parketes (125-001 trols are hecka hard. 1: [Reaches a closed course] Closed? That’s ghetto. EGM: So why isn’t this as good as Tony Hawk? It looks like it has the same moves... “\. The controls in Tony Hawk are about 200 times better. EGM: Does the character look like a skateboarder? “0 Like one from the '80s. 1+ Yeah, from the ’80s, like from that movie Gleaming the Cube. “0 [After dying] Aww... EGM: Now imagine you just paid a quarter for that. 5 Oh, that’s lame. EGM: And you’re going to pay another quarter to do this again. 10h, that’s weak. EGM: How many quarters would you spend? 0) One, and then I'd be so bored. Rachels J03)-1)\eulce-y EGM: [After someone dies again] You just spent another quarter. “1,0. This is when | start hitting the machine. “ls. No, | would've started hitting it a long time ago. (0 Lactually think this game is kinda cool. 0) You die so many times and you spend so many quarters, why don’t you pio Genesis * 1993 Id-school gamers gush over this hyperactive side-scroller. EGM: Hardcore gamers love this. \..- Really? I’ve played this game a million times on different systems. Like, these kinds of games. Oh, | just threw an there an unlimited number of enemies? jo) You're already at a boss? It looks like a giant asparagus. |... This is why you don’t do drugs. You make screwed up videogames, EGM: Why do you think this game is considered a hardcore favorite? + Because it’s so intense and there’s like a million things going on. 0) And because football players are trying to kill you. [A boss made of cubes appears.] Whoa, it’s in 3D. |)" Maybe they wanted to impress everyone when they made this game. Eh Ce This game makes. me mad. The graphics of the characters are horrible, but the graphics of the boss battles just buy the whole arcade game? EGM: What’s your biggest combo in Tony Hawk? “1+ Something like 956,000, | think. EGM: What’s your highest combo in 720°? Parkers 8) es icc “1: Two hundred, maybe? EGM: Sweet. GRAND THEFT AUTO PlayStation * 1998 iW) ait, we thought kids weren’t supposed to be playing the GTA games. Well, that never stopped these youngsters, so it won’t stop us from making them try the very first one. |) Hey, this is rated “M.” Garrets :/5 a /-\insey? Anthonys (ies (ete iy ry (ee + Oh, Hove these graphics. EGM: Are you serious? 0+ No..y-yeah, Actually, | hate this game. Well, it’s not that | hate it, | just like GTA3 better. o> [After some frustration with the controls] | don’t think | will do very well on my driver's license test. 0.) Oh, there’s the Viper! Sweet. EGM: If no one told you what this game was, would you be able to tell what series it’s from? “1”. Maybe, from the stealing of cars. (0) 0)) like this game because | can do all these things that are so against what I'd ever do in reality. "That's the whole ur games used to be 0) simple and fun, and dammit—we liked it that way. Kids these days? Not so much, Just look at how they treat this timeless shooter... “)0 0 What are we playing now? EGM: It’s called Galaga. (SUT Oh, is this that game where the spaceship moves left and right and shoots? Oh, good. | used to play this. It was a demo for Tekken on PlayStation 1. EGM: No, it’s Galaga. We just told you. Anthonys (eco) This game’s been done like a million times. “-.. Space Invaders is better than this. \\.(. Space Invaders...all these games are exactly the same—there’s no real difference. EGM: What does this game need to make it as good as Space Invaders? ©. Worse graphics. (10). All this game needs is better graphics, and it should let you move wherever you want. enemy. This game is hecka awesome. Is __ are cool. L Parker: ©"). point of videogames. * GAL AGA (0); [Upon seeing Galaga on- ||") [With a tone of gen- et x i % Arcade * 1981 screen] Oh, is this Tekken 1? uine disgust] And maybe they shouldn’t make the enemies bugs... |) And they shouldn’t make the lit- tle star thingies in the back all twinkly colors. It looks like confetti. EGM: Now imagine you've reached the 10th stage, and you're on your last life. Once you die and you put another quarter in, you don’t just continue from there—you start all over. (> Are you serious? EGM: Yep. When you lose all your lives, you have to start over. You don’t keep going. oo). And you guys back then were 0K with this? 56 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com AP RIE SHELIA EN TOMO YHEF.COM iT GET THE GAME AT: WSeeGAMES oT PLAYBOYSTORE.COM ¥ — (electeonice]boutiques 2 SOUNDTRACK ALSO AVAILABLE! Use of Alcohol 4. Strong Sexual Content em oe = a 7 is ee SOFTWAR PlayStation. arush xe “GAMES How to get the games from Verizon Wireless 1. Get a Get It Now® enabled phone 2. Select the “Get it now” icon 3. Select the “Shopping Cart’ and browse 4, Select the “Get Games” category 5. Download and start playing! red, Gameloft, the Gameloft logo ‘© 2004 Gameloft. All Rights Reserved. Gameloft and the Gameloft ogo are trademarks of Gameloft in the US and/or other countries. @ 2004 Gameloft. All Rit ‘anid Asphalt: Urban GT ae trademarks of Gameloft in the US and/or other countries. Ubisoft, Ubisoft ogo, Might and Magic, Splint ind Sam Fisher are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Based on Prince of Persia created by Jordan Mechner. All Rights Reserved. Prince of Persia The Sands of Time is 2 femark of Jorden Mechner used under license by Gameloft. Rainbow Six is @ trademare of Red Storm Entertainment Inc. in the US and/or other countries, Red Storm Entertainment Inc. is # Ubisoft Entertainment company. Trademarks, design patents end copyrights are used with the approval of the ovner Audi AG. Ford Oval and nameplates are registered trademarks owned and licensed by Ford Mutor Company. General Motors Trademarks used under license to Gameloft. The trademarks, copyrights and design rights in and assuciated with Lamborghini, Murciélago R-GT, and Gallardy are used under licence from Lamborghini Artiltarca S.p.A, italy. Lotus Exige and associated logos, emblems and body designs are trade marks and/or other intellectual property of “Group Lotus plc” and are us nse by Gameloft Official Nissan Product. Nissan, Nissan Skyline GT-R and associated symbols, emblems and designs are trademarks of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and used under license to Gameloft Saleen” and Saleen’ S7(m), its vehicle model names and their proprietary designs are registered trademarks of Salven, Inc. used under livense to Gameloft. TVR, Sagaris and body designs are registered trade and/orintellectual property of TVR Engineering Limited and are used under license to Gameloft. MOTOROLA, and the Stylized IM Logo are registered trademarks. @Moturola, Inc. 2004 verizonwireless gameloft www.gameloft.com GOO Platforms: PS2/XB Publisher: Midway Developer: Paradox Release Date: Fall 2005 MORTAL KOMBAT: SHAOLIN MONKS Increased sptrituality through decapitation MK fanatic (the kind who writes hot 'n’ fetid Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero heavy Stryker/Millena fan fiction), you'll be (PS1/N64) and then again in 2000's equal- mented the series’ established pleased that Monks promises to fill in ly awful Mortal Kombat: Special Forces 1-on-1 fighting gameplay with a smatter- some of the lingering story-line gaps (PS1). Hopefully, everyone has learned ing of additional gameplay types, including — between MK2 and MK3. from past mistakes, as the over-the-top a Tetris-inspired puzzler, a quick-and- If this whole enterprise imparts a nau- action and unique visual style of MK bloody take on chess, and even a scaled- seous sense of déja vu, you're not alone: should theoretically translate well to a down role-playing game. These miniature Midway tried a similar thing with 1997's straight-on action title. Here’s hoping... genre experiments offered a glimpse of the franchise’s future—starting in 2005, Midway plans to ship a new MK game every year...and not all of them fighters. First up on the blood-soaked conveyer belt: Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, a 3D brawler that pits heroic pugilists Lui Kang and Kung Lao against the denizens of Outworld, Gameplay unfolds in the traditional hack-n-slash mold (think EA's Lord of the Rings action titles), but with all the memo- rable characters and gory fatalities fans expect from MK. Look for appearances by oodles of returning combatants (palette- swapped ninjas aplenty) and voluminous unlockable goodies (including secret playable characters). If you're a serious idway's recent Mortal Kombat: Deception successfully aug- Z ES ats. SM GI BS, Spice up this screen by Googling an mp3 of the MK song “Sub-Zero (Chinese Ninja Warrior)”. BY THE NUMBERS The gory details 1 The Mortal Kombat logo: the tattoo of choice for gamers during the mid-’90s. >> DEVELOPER RARE HAS ANNOUNCED THATIT IS PUSHING BACK THE RELEASE OF THE XBOX PLATFORMER KAMEO: ELEMENTS OF POWER INDEFINITELY. CAN YOU SAY XBOX 2' 60 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY © www.1UP.com DESERT ISLAND GAMES: MICHAEL PHELPS Pasay Every so often, we ship a celebrity off to a desert island and ask what three console games he’d want to wash up on the beach. This month, we strand gold-medal-grabbing Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, who should probably spend more time driving balls in Tiger Woods PGA Tour than drinkin’ and drivin’ in real life... —Mare Saltzman Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (multi) “| would definitely have to choose Splinter Cell first because it gives you the ability to be really, really sneaky; like in swimming, you always have the chance to surprise your opponent.” Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 (muiti) “This game is great because, well, who doesn’t like to play the best athlete in the game?” LY > Madden NFL 2005 (muiti) “It’s like being in high school and learning about the sport from the guy who knows—John Madden! It’s like taking an additional class to really learn all about football.” Better dress up. The game’s on. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Il, to be precise. Pick it up at Best Buy” beginning December 8'. You can get a jump on it and other new releases in our video game pre-order section in store and on www.bestbuy.com/VGpreorder. At Best Buy, gamers rule. © 2004 Bes Buy }Release date subject to change. er] Go to www.ESRB.org for video game & computer software game rating information. THE RUMOR MILL Gossip that’s tastier than Grandma’s eggnog don’t know how the jolly ol’ fella up in the North Pole does it. I, too, have been making my list, checking it twice, and trying to find out exactly who's been naughty and nice. But damn, there’s just too many of you. So the heck with it—all of you will receive my wonder- ful, beautifully wrapped gifts of gam- ing gossip. And if you're also feeling in the giving mood, you can always send me some scuttlebutt at quartermann@ziffdavis.com. So until next time, please have a safe and happy holiday. —The Q Def Jam artists get knocked the f*** out Man, oh man, the hip-hop-studded brawler Def Jam Fight for NY packed one helluva punch when it came out this past Could EA be kickin’ Snoop and co, to the curb? September. And | was totally hyped for another go-around in Electronic Arts’ underground fight club until | heard this lit- tle piece of gossip: The company is think- ing about ditching the expensive Def Jam license and using all fictional pugilists in its next game. No Redman, no Method Man—. hope that doesn’t equal “no fun.” The fable continues OK, so Fable isn’t the “greatest role-play- ing game ever” like its creator once boasted. Still, several Xbox owners (including this one) have picked it up and transformed a young lad into a legendary hero or the ultimate evildoer. Apparently, sales across the globe have been strong enough to warrant a sequel...and all signs point to Fable 2 showing up on Microsoft's Xbox successor. Big DS news ahead Now that Nintendo's dual-screen handheld is available for all to enjoy, the big question on everyone's mind is, “What's next?” Unfortunately, | can’t get into specifics right now, but word around Mario's pad is that the company will make some huge (and very surprising) DS announcements near the time of the PlayStation Portable launch (which is still on target for March '05). Control issues Microsoft made a rather large boo-boo back at the Xbox launch when it released the console with a controller made for wrestler Andre the Giant's mon- strous mitts. Luckily, it ain't gonna make the same mistake twice. | have it on good authority that Xbox 2 (or Xenon or “Now us Christians must go into damage control and try to sheild [sic] ourselves from this digitized form of Satan.” —From BigJesus' review of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the website Christ Centered Game Reviews. “1 was just trying to kiss my girlfriend and | shot a cop.” —EGM senior editor Crispin Boyer discovers the many uses of the L1 button in GTA: SA. Maybe BigJesus is right? 62 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com Fable gets another chapter on Xbox 2. whatever you like to call it) will sport a gamepad that's extremely similar to the trimmed-down model (dubbed Controller S) that the majority of people use today with their Xbox. A triple-crown prince Ubisoft's resurrection of the Prince of Persia franchise has landed the company not one, but two stellar hits the last two years (check out our review of Warrior Within on page 126). And if what I’m hear- ing is correct (which it usually is), Ubisoft will attempt to go three for three. Look for the Prince running along the walls of your console next holiday, featuring a similar gritty backdrop as the last one, but with a greater emphasis on puzzle solving. Heads will roll when POP returns in ’05. “PlayStation and PS2 are like sons. PSP iS a daughter with a different mother.” —Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Ken Kutaragi CHARTS TOP 10 BEST-SELLING GAMES FOR SEPTEMBER 2004 ~Pokémon FireRed= GBA, Nintendo Fable XB ¢ Microsoft Pokémon LeafGreen GBA ¢ Nintendo Madden NFL 2005 PS2 ¢ EA Sports Star Wars Battlefront XB ¢ LucasArts ‘Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service. Call (516) 625-6190 for questions regarding this Star Wars Battlefront PS2 ¢ LucasArts Star Ocean: Till the End of Time PS2 © Square Enix NBA Live 2005 PS2 ¢ EA Sports ESPN NFL 2K5 PS2 ¢ ESPN Videogames Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 PS2 ¢ EA Sports TOP 10 GAME RENTALS FOR THE WEEK ENDING 10/31/04 Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 PS2 Activision Star Wars Battlefront PS2 © LucasArts Ace Combat 5 PS2 ¢ Namco Men of Valor XB ¢ VU Games Conflict: Vietnam PS2 ¢ Global Star Star Wars Battlefront Xbox ¢ LucasArts Mortal Kombat: Deception PS2 ¢ Midway Madden NFL 2005 PS2 ¢ EA Sports Fable XB rosoft mrrifulyOceaccom crore. Vie ja Ie a Cartoon Violence yey {/MBRADYGAMIS ; e h aaniraee «@AAMEELSE PlayStation.2 a FOLOVER Capcom (APCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO. LTO. VIEWTIFUL J THE TEN Begin a whole new year of constant craving Disagree with the list? You’re the ones who created it. Choose and/or lose at The Legend of Zelda GC ¢ Fall 2005 XB ¢ March 2005 Resident Evil 4 PS2/GC Fall/Jan 2005 Final Fantasy XII PS2 * Summer 2005 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII PS2 ¢ Fall 2005 ea I Kingdom Hearts II PS2 ¢ Fall 2005 Devil May Cry 3 PS2 ® March 2005 Metroid Prime: Hunters DS ¢ March 2005 Splinter Cell Chaos Theory PS2/XB/GC ¢ March 2005 Dragon Quest Vill PS2 ¢ November 2005 64 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com RE4’s Luis doing his best Johnny Depp impersonation. and Luis, ments before their , musical number, k fi et! RESIDENT EVIL 4 PS2 ¢ Fall 2005 / GC * January 2005 — Fans who guided Leon S. Kennedy through Resident Evil 2's hellish scenario may be in for a non-zombie-related shock, judging from a recent teaser image. Scope that top-left screenshot: short black hair, a sleeve- less red dress, and a gun pointed straight at you—either the infa- F mous Ada Wong has returned or Capcom is seriously screwing with us. And what's with this mystery man at the bottom right? Our current best guess is nefarious series villain Wesker... PS2 ¢ Summer 2005 — Small news regarding a small species—moogles. Along with being talented machinists and capable mages, they’re apparently more proficient in combat than one might expect. Two words: mog knights. Like they once did in Final Fantasy VI and Tactics Advance, the bat-winged bunnies will once again take up shield and sword and start hacking on some kneecaps. Be afraid...be moderately afraid. ALO a clin 7 PS2 © November 2005 — Square Enix’s newest entry in this legendary Japanese RPG series (previously known as Dragon Warrior on these shores) makes a surprise leap onto the charts. Although the game is currently devastating Japanese sales charts, we'll have to wait for a holiday 2005 release here. Luckily, it'll be worth the wait—series creator Yuji Horii plans on adding loads of exclusive content for the U.S. version. “Me alert level has | i raised to * ~~ i aor * 7 i ‘ -GameSpy‘com “a q™ f a : - XZ. ‘ Me ve Na a ly 2 “S Out Of oN ee ve a "10 Out Of 10" _& s & 2s -Official PlayStation WUEY-x-¥ Ab ol) PlayStation Magazine 4 & f s +4 Be Om, A - . i> The Finest Installment In Konami's Previews feature: AMS the contenders : 74 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY « wi le Vi J.Y.) Vi \ el aR | Vy El sag Ba a | | PS2/XB ¢ LucasArts « January 2005 | j t's a paranoid, ripped-from-the-head- lines setup: The shadowy General Song has taken over North Korea’s commu- nist government, turning the peninsula into a war zone and opening the possibility of real-life nuclear Armageddon across east- ern Asia. The free world wants Song dead, and you—a freelance soldier working for a large private military firm—are only too happy to oblige, assuming there's money involved, of course. This is Mercenaries in a nutshell, and from this description you may expect it’s a stealthy action game in the Splinter Cell vein. But it's not: In the words of Producer Shara Miller, it's a “playground of destruc- tion.” In this virtual Pyongyang, metal flies, explosions sound off everywhere, and sol- diers from all sides of the conflict bounce off the Humvee you're racing at 70 mph ¥ through back alleys. If you want to play ’ the good guy and help the “allies” capture Song, that’s fine, but it's more fun to ally with the Russians and call air strikes on hapless office buildings. In fact, AY Mercenaries is really a logical extension of the Grand Theft Auto series—if GTA took an everyday city and turned it into a war zone, then Mercenaries cuts out the middleman and lets you get your real war on. Of course, your character (chosen from three hardbody candidates) doesn’t have complete free reign here. Ostensibly, you're supposed to be helping people out—all four factions will offer you missions, and there are 52 war-criminals running around just waiting to be caught and brought back alive for reward cash: Catching these guys helps you get closer to the despotic gener- al, and going through the missions helps you learn about what each faction is really up to. “All the missions relate to Gen. Song,” explains Miller, “but every side has their own motivations, and in the beginning they're all hiding something from you.” How does all of this play out? Like GTA mixed with a healthy dose of Rambo. As long as you’ve got the dough, you can call out an amazing variety of firepower, includ- ing laser-guided missiles, artillery bom- bardments, and crateloads of portable weaponry airlifted to your position at a moment's notice. If you're i\ broke, youcan | always hijacka = \ passing car, tank, helicopter, or personnel carri- er—if troops from a friendly faction are nearby, they'll even hop in and man the gun turrets for you. The world is your oyster, and it’s just waiting to be pockmarked with impact craters. Mercenaries’ real charm lies in all the little details behind the game's war-torn world. Nearly everything is destructible, and blowing up things like North Korean listen- ing posts and statues of General Song earn you extra money from the allies. You y can also easily lose yourself in the city infighting. “One way to get back on good terms with a faction is to kill some of their enemies in their pres- f we ence,” Miller says. “If the Chinese aren’t giving you new missions, you can join them in a firefight against some Korean forces, and they'll grudg- ingly start talking to you again.” ee y previews feature: w the contenders <= Will it make you want to put Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the shelf? Mercenaries may share some of GTA’s faults (i.e., occasionally choppy graph- ics on the PS2), but it holds the edge on pure destructive energy. Besides, how many other games let you hijack — a helicopter from the ground while it’s beeen EEE een . . : hovering 30 feet in the air? > f ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com * 75 XB » Microsoft » March 2005 This long-delayed Xbox platformer, a remake of Nintendo 64 problem child Conker’s Bad Fur Day, finally seems to be coming together. A flop when first shown in 2003 (“We shouldn't have shown itso early,” admits designer Chris Seavor), the game now looks like a laugh and a half, thanks to an extensive multiplayer mode packed with down 'n’ dirty humor, Each side in Conker's conflict (which pits everyone's favorite pervo squirrel against an army of evil teddy bears) has - PS2 + Konami * January 2005 Wouldn't it be nice if Final Fantasy wasn’t si know, uptight all the time? The Suikoden series’ laid- back fairy-tale-like approach to roleplaying has gone virtually unduplicated for over eight years, and the fourth game continues the tradition with fast-paced fighting, strategic ship battles, and 108 party members to gather up and keep in your secret fortress. The pre- sentation this time around has taken a cautious step toward FF-style cinematics—there’s actually voiced dialogue this time, and the characters don't look like stocky Lego knights anymore—but the ocean-based plot and heavy characterization make this seem like a traditional-RPG version of Zelda: The Wind Waker. ? Suikoden IV loses in looks, but its simpler difficulty and deeper, brighter story line it’s not about Satan) make it a.much safer choice. different weapons, vehicles, and abilities, running the gamut from cloaking devices and infrared sight to Jenminatorstyle hov- erplanes with halla dozen gun turrets. This makes for a surprisingly deep online expe- rent 5 well as some of the cutest massacres ever witnessed in a videogame. “We've tried to make [Conker] appeal to the casual pick-up-and-play gamer,” explains Seavor, “but also to the more hard- core player who likes to play every class and every level and every strategy to death.” Itremains to be seen if developer Rare can balance all the characters and abilities, but this Conker may have more going for it than it seems at first glance. It’s just as violent, in its own sort of cutesy way—and the single-player game has more scatological jokes—but Conker (and just about every other game) could have trouble competing with Halo 2's instantly addictive online gameplay. XB © Midway ¢ February 2005 Unreal Championship 2 may not have a sweeping story line or cool alien vehicles, but you can bet it’s going to have death- matching depth. Rather than generic-but- equal soldiers, you'll select from a group of individualized combatants, including a fast and light neo-Egyptian chick (clothes would just slow her down) and a slow and.power- ful robo-tank bruiser. Classic Unreal weaponry like the flak cannon coexists not- so-peacefully with melee action in which a third-person perspective lets you pounce, combo, air dash, and even deflect incoming rockets—if you have the skill. The fighting- game feel is pushed even further by a cadre of Mortal Kombat guest stars. f? We seriously doubt it could compete with Halo 2's epic single-player game, but Championship 2 has a good shot at dishing up killer deathmatches. > 79” each ey GAME BOY ADVANCE SP z : F he KYA Ue. FEEL THE MAGIC: 29” XY XX DS ae NINTENDODYS At KINGDOM HEARTS: LEGEND OF ZELDA: 29” CHAIN OF MEMORiS 29” tHemmnisucar can 39°” ted CRs _ #) FRidge laces SEEZL, ws! m er M Q oa 0) Q ia} oO ia] 9 B z Zz UNS. Zz ae Z bee LSS 2 Ss \e hays) (2 29°" sPIDER-MAN2DS 3999 MADDEN NFL 29°? MR. DRILLER Ds 29% PING PALS DS 29° RIDGE RACER DS Call 1-800-800-5166 for the store nearest you or visit us at www.ebgames.com GAMES We take games seriously ™ Nintendo Kg Previews feature: ww ihe contenders MIDNIGHT CLUB 3: DUB EDITION PS2/XB ¢ Rockstar * January 2005 You'll have to wait a little longer for ciation with DUB magazine figures into high-end cars, street bikes, luxury rides, hydraulics, or...doing pretty much any- Midnight Club 3's brand of open-city rac- the game's new-found focus on high-end custom choppers, and mo thing you can imagine. But then those ing and spinner-rim Escalade-porn. We vehi and serious customization. With everything from pick-ups to cosmetic tweaks also have an effect on don’t expect that there are any problems “There is a whole spectrum of car and Lamborghinis in MC3, you shouldn't have — downforce and handling, so maybe that under the hood, though—word is publish- bike culture out there, and we are captur- —_ any trouble finding a dream car—and monster truckified Saleen Mustang isn’t er Rockstar opted (quite sensibly) for a ing all of it,” says Mark Garone, the then jacking it up and slapping ultra- such a great idea. “Midnight Club 3 has late January re @ to avoid the nasty game's producer. “We are going way high-profile drag-racing tires on the the deepest customization component of pileup of big-name holiday games. beyond tuners... Midnight Club 3 will have back, or chopping the top, or going the any racing game,” says Garone. We'll see In case you hadn’t heard, MC3's asso- concept cars, muscle cars, SUVs, trucks, lowrider route and installing crazy for ourselves in about a month. a na 3 eS a TERRE a8 ta S808) obey ® Tela ser Will it make you want to put Need for Speed Underground 2 on the shelf? Both games cover awfully similar territory, dueling for tricked-out street- racer supremacy. MC3 seems poised to best WFSU2 in terms of serious realism and style—working closely with car-cul- ture mag DUB imparts some serious street cred. > apie: 78» ELECTRONIC canine MONTHLY * www.1UPcom rights reserved, ©8003 [FINITEDES TRUCTION, _— WAN MANY WEAPONS): the choice is yours. MechAssault 2. The biggest battle just got bigger. xbox.com/mechassault2 ) NEQHASSAULT <7 = eS ianeWor 2 Kg Previews feature: Sd fhe contenders et Xi PS2/XB Eidos ¢ February 2005 Nathan Frost, neurally-enhanced lieutenant in the international Liberty Coalition force, could be the most powerful hero in the history of first-person shooters. A cursory inspection of his arsenal reveals everything from standard-issue sniper rifles and machine guns to 007-like electrical proximity mines and flechette guns that fire swarms of flesh-eating organic particles. If that somehow doesn’t manage the job, Nate's also got a brain full of cybernetic enhancements, including invincibility, X-ray vision, and a sort of bullet time that lets him actually dodge bullets as they whiz toward him. You wouldn't like Nate when he’s angry, but his repertoire of attacks opens up some surprisingly 7 takes a futuristic detour with this postapocalyptic es slashathon starring a heroic cyborg on a mission to stop e an army of vile nanomachines. Gameplay unfolds much 2 like that of the previous PS2 Castlevania title, Lament of sf Innocence, but with the combat frequency and intensity 2: turned up to 11. As you swing your shape-shifting plasma blade through the legions of foes, gallons of “oil” pour from your foes’ corpses...and the game actually keeps track of just how much of the red stuff you spill. Classy. Will it make you want to put Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on the shelf? The Prince’s recent adventure offers up a lot of the same thrills, but you'll get more blood for your buck here. > 80 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com PROJECT: SNOWBLIND - original gameplay—indeed, most of Snowblind’s missions are set up to reward creative problem solving. Any idiot could try storming into an enemy outpost, guns a-blazing, but there are far more elegant options available if you’ve got the hardware—sticking a land mine on a drone robot and guiding it in by remote control, for example, or picking enemies off from behind a portable “riot wall” you can place anywhere you like. Will it make you want to put Halo 2 on the shelf? What Snowblind lacks in name value, it could make up for with its original weapon designs and varied missions. The only concern: Will players actually use all this stuff online? Namco’s mission statement for the first Dead to Rights was sim- ple—take a cop, give him a dog, and have them kick ass in as hard-boiled a way as possible. This led to some unmanly scenes (such as beating up jailbirds for cigarettes), but it succeeded more often than it missed the mark, and the sequel—originally an early fall release—will take the film noir atmosphere to an even deeper DEAD TO RIGHT HELL TO PAY PS2/XB ¢ Namco ¢ February 2005 level. Expect more environmental Cy interaction (i.e., stuff will blow up P| real good), a more useful canine partner, and a fighting system that'll make it easier to deal with multiple thugs at once. Will it make you want to put Metal Gear Solid 3 on the shelf? , It takes itself just as seriously, but _ the arcadey action could make => DTR2's story a little less powerful. Sweepstakes — Weekly Prize Packs & Grand Prize Weekly Prize Packages Grand Prize — Play Wireless SCRABBLE With Your Friends! 1 Deluxe SCRABBLE® Board Game —*4 Sprint PCS VisionSM Picture Phones — PM-8200 by Sanyo ¢ 1 SCRABBLE® Electronic Dictionary *4 JABRA headsets #4 Copies of the book “Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive SCRABBLE Players” ‘ os t i Feelaly pile In © JAMDAT NTeractive. Ine- ‘tari Inter http://games.jamdat.con/scrabble/ Sprinto MY GAMES You have 4 open games. (*) = Your Tum. [3Brooke (*) | (2 Wi 2L) CACADA GAA DAES PenquinOne | (0 W/ 1L) n4- >< EMERUND O-# ENTIRE) Michigan | (3 W/4L) aCe (UTE IN IC[F [S| elles a MAVEN (*) D of Jom- >< Giltyerd UND O- #8 ZT.) ‘Start New Game om ->¢< (TM UND O- #2 [TIE] < Ps MAIN MENU sURUEEE * Play real-time or off-line ¢ Challenge your opponent's via mobile messaging * Easy to place tiles illegal words with the * Clear view of board online dictionary ¢ User friendly navigation Licensed by: ATARI A) Vi faim motile) Properties ‘ Group www.jamdat.com (0 name and logo DAT, JAMDAT fer, All other t sion. SCRABBLE is a trademark of HASBRO in the US and CANADA a k S sible for this SE WILL NOT INCREASE es valid 11/1/04 through 1/31/05. 82 « ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTH! PS2 © Sony CEA * January 2005 Sony’s cinematic action/driving hybrid The Getaway hit only a few months after Rockstar dropped Grand Theft Auto: Vice City yet still managed to carve out a respectable place on the sales charts. History seems primed to repeat itself with The Getaway: Black Monday, another thoroughly British cops 'n’ robbers romp. “| think the genre has gotten so much bigger,” explains Monday producer Naresh Hirani. “The idea that you’re just making another GTA clone has gone out the window: Everyone's doing different things, and it’s not about competing but rather coexisting.” It’s true—although Monday, like GTA, offers plenty of car thievery, gunplay, underworld dealings, and wacky side missions, its underlying narrative feels entirely different. Black Monday's plot unfolds in a twisty, overlapping order as three differ- L ent playable characters’ scenarios inter- sect to reveal what went down on a par- ticularly depressing Monday. These three characters—Eddie, a surly boxer swept up in the criminal underworld; Mitch, a headstrong police officer; and Sam, a piss and vinegar female thief—each offer unique gameplay styles in the on-foot sections, lending the game a far more diverse feel than its predecessor has. Careening around London’s crooked streets hasn’t changed terribly much, but returning drivers will spot a few key changes. “We've added motorcycles, drive-bys, revamped camera angles, mid- mission waypoints, and a lot more variety in terms of types of driving missions,” explains Hirani. “For example, we now have missions where you shoot out the. passenger-side window while another character drives.” Entertainment company. ” Adaptor (for PlayStation 2) Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live logo, and the license from Microsoft box Logos are eith Tom n Claney’ Ss ori ie. BROADBAND ONLY Soldier Icon, Ubisoft, ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisol : of Red Storm ainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Red Storm Entertainment, Inc, 8a U ered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Ine. Online play requires internet connectior Sold separately). The Online icon is attademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Ings registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Gofparation in the U.S, and/or in ather countries and ar Resident Evil reinvents itself as the series moves in a terrifying new direction. EVIL HAS EVOLVED U.S. agent Leon Kennedy has been tasked to look into the abduction of the President’s daughter and his investigation has led him to a mysterious location in Europe. As Leon encounters unimaginable horrors, he must find out what is behind the terror. AND IS NOW UNLEASHED Fast paced, edge of your seat action. + Fantastic 3D graphics and effects — never has Resident Evil looked so good...or so terrifying. * New behind the back camera view allows for intuitive movement. * Cunning enemies use their abilities to team up and attack the player en mass. ¢ Commandeer vehicles...but don’t expect a safe ride. al {NBRADYGANES ; ntense Violence Ov 2 Disc SE DVD oy AVAILABLE WIWIW.RESIDENTEVIL.COM RESIE ENT EVIL ioe ALYPSE AVAILABLE 12.28.04 @CAPCOM CO., LTD. 2005, @CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 2005 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. RESIDENT EVIL, CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO.. LTD. TM and ®, Nintendo GameCube are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. ease it bee £ as eceees, Sa SSS WRN eetesece: €&S t ics Se Ky Previews feature: Vv ihe contenders ‘ “DEVIL MAY CRY 3: DANTE’S AWAKENING _ PS2 * Capcom « March 2005 _ Even after.a Sean sequel, half- mon badass Dante still has reason to be ~ cocky. For one, ladies love his rock-star good looks. But truth be told, the influential first PS2 Devil May Cry hit so hard with its self-described “stylish hard action” that it took years for anything else in the genre to even come close. Unlike DMC2, this one feels like another contender, and it's not just stylish—it’s crazy. : We're talking hopping on an ¢ and surfing down the pavement jing PS2 ¢ Namco ¢ February 2005 It must have been a particularly raucous staff meet- ing where Namco’s developers came up with the idea for Death by Degrees: Take the frigid blonde ¥ Chick from Tekken, dress her in a wardrobe made entirely out of skintight synthetics, and plunk her on a cruise boat kicking the crap out of armed terror- ists. Nina may be a secret agent in this game, but her methods—martial arts with a dash of sniper gunfire—aren’t really the sort of thing Solid Snake would approve of. Of course, when you’ve got a bod like this lady, it'd be a sin not to show it, right, lads? Will it make you want to put Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on the shelf? You can expect much of the same acrobatic fighting action here, although it seems unlikely that Death by Degrees has the same, erm, degree of variety in its gameplay. ~~ bullets and shouting “Woo!” crazy. And that’s actual gameplay. “Usually, you shoot an enemy and they just die. Not Dante” says Director Tsuyoshi Tanaka. Dante gets all creative with his killing, juggling hapless beasts with massive, triple-digit-hit com- bos. Expert players will learn to go with the flow, smacking foes up with dual swords, pummeling ’em with ice nunchaku, and fin- ishing up with a guitar-smash to the skull. Plus, different selectable fighting styles let “defense, or evasion. Sometim hough, the only style you need is “pure evil,” cour- tesy of Dante’s wildly powerful (not to men- tion dapper) new demonic transformation. Will it make you want to put Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on the shelf? > We're willing to look past the sophomore slump of DMC2 and say that yep, this will - be the action-packed sequel the first game_ always deserved. Clear your schedule for you focus on either gunplay, slashing, PS2/XB ¢ Midway ¢ Spring 2005 If you like shooting aliens with high-pow- ered weaponry, you’re probably already knee-deep in Halo 2. However, should you like some tongue-in-cheek humor involv- ing a secret desert Air Force base where Uncle Sam faked the moon landing, bred supersoldiers with parasitic mutant pow- ers, and stashed away a tiny’alien rebel voiced by shock rocker Marilyn Manson, you might want to.check out Area 57. The shooter definitely eclipses its iffy source material—a fun but cheese-laden arcade some rock-steady demon dueling. * gun game from 1995. Unlike cheap plas- tic light blasters, armaments like the Desert Eagle pistol, sniper rifle, and the eternally popular shotgun feel like they pack a real wallop, which is one area this Area does justice. Will it make you want to put Hafo 2.0n the shelf? Area 51, like Halo 2, pits you against swarming aliens alongside valiant squadmates. It might be the closest fac- simile PS2 players can get.... > qty ‘ e : : You got high before shop class. You tho u could handle the saw. You were wrong. ae d can make you do stupid things like that. Office of National Drug Control Policy/Partnership for a Drug-Free America® freevibe.com w previews Feature: the contenders | = XB ¢ Microsoft * March 2005 When it comes to making role-playing games, BioWare’s kung fu is strong indeed. Having honed its skills with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the team abandoned that galaxy far, far away in favor of mystical ancient China. Their efforts seem to be paying off: Jade Empire looks so sweet, that it will surely grant enlightenment to anyone who plays it. Or at least absorb prodigious amounts of your free time in exchange for great happiness. In Jade Empire, you embark on a jour- ney of personal discovery and martial arts mastery, slamming your legendary fists into the unfortunate faces of foes both human and supernatural. Its real-time, combo-based combat means that you won't fall asleep during these RPG bat- tles—you'll need timing and skill to suc- ceed. But don’t mistake Empire for a brawler: You'll also tackle tricky moral decisions, recruit followers, and explore lush locales. f? Wait, Fable isn’t already on your shelf? The game's only like 12 hours long. Oh, and you'll also want to kick Knights of the Old Republic II to the curb to make way for BioWare's Oriental epic. Trust us. 88 ELECTRONIC GAMING M rs © www.1UP6 Like your games a bit on the weird side? This one’s for you: Killer 7 blends schizo- phrenia, film noir visuals, and, uh...some —— S sort of gameplay intoa heady, bloody cock- —s 4 tail. This high-concept title uses a uniquely eo stylized, high-contrast animation style to — ya tell the story of an elderly assassin named en 3 Harman Smith. Confined to a wheelchair, Harman uses the ability to physically mani- fest himself in seven killer personalities to solve a plague of indiscriminate violence called Heaven Smile—strange humanoid creatures whose sole means of attack is y & self-detonation. Gameplay isn’t yet com- 9 1d * j : ( Fe } f > gm, GC ¢ Nintendo * March 2005 Cube owners bored to tears by the endless item fetching in 2002’s Star Fox Adventures should really give the world’s meanest cartoon vulpine another shot— the emphasis on the heavily delayed Star Fox sequel is squarely on combat, not unlike the old Nintendo 64 cartridge. The single-player campaign will take Fox and crew through both outer-space and on- foot missions, climbing into both tanks and the trusty Arwing fighter ships to pletely clear, as Capcom hasn't allowed anyone to actually get their hands on it. “If we gave people 10 minutes to play Killer 7, there's no way they'd be able to understand it,” explains Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi. We consider that a challenge. Metroid Prime 2, Killer 7 is aimed at a crowd that craves atmospheric, mentally stimulating adventure. It could stand completely apart if it delivers on its highbrow promises. defeat a new menace to the cosmos. All the vehicles and spaceships are also available in Star Fox’s splitscreen mode, pitting fuzzy against fuzzy in a series of four-player deathmatches. more alike than you think, since the same folks were involved with both titles. Expect a greater variety of action here, though. > Fight evil forces in The Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey. Try it on your N-Gage™ game deck with special features. Immerse yourself in the action-packed RPG gameplay. Play the classic Elder Scrolls nine character classes and eight character races. Shadowkey features over 25 magic spells, more than 60 NPCs, over 100 weapons and items, and:an N-Gage exclusive Bluetooth connection. N e (| —T— rf ) I ) anyone Wireless multiplayer gaming on the pocket-size N-Gage game decks. anywhere we oe n-gage.com ©2GAMES Games{on Buy.com Frys €LecTRonIcs 2 per Wireless cingular ‘|: « Mobile: c "Bethesda "Viral. TKO> software ZeniVax? te Copyright © 2004 Nokia. All rights reserved. Nokia, N-Gage and N-Gage QD are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nokia Corporation. © 2004 Vir2l Studios LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. The Elder Scrolls, The Elder Scrolls Travels, Shadowkey, Vir2L, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and their respective logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. All rights reserved. © 2004 TKO Software, Inc. The TKO Software logo, and TKO are trademarks and are used under license from TKO Software, Inc. Bluetooth is a trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. PS2/XB/GC ¢ Ubisoft * March 2005 Us: “Why was Splinter Cell Chaos Theory delayed to March 2005?” Them: “In order to have simultaneous release on all plat- forms,” says Ubisoft Producer Mathieu Ferland. “In addition, this delay guarantees that we will deliver the superior quality that gamers have come to expect from the Splinter Cell franchise.” Us: “Now tell us the real reason. It's because you don't want to release your game too close to Halo 2, right?” Them: “Actually, we're a lit- tle worried about competition from [portable dating game] Sprung, one of our first Nintendo DS titles.” Ha ha. OK, so we've learned the devel- oper’s got a sense of humor, but we haven't learned what exactly we're getting for Chaos Theory’s four-month delay other than a lot of fine-tuning of what's in place now (hopefully, the multiplayer mode for PS2 and Xbox will be a lot less bug ridden NIC GAMING MONTHLY © www.1U) this time around). And what's in place now sounds mighty sah-weet on paper: A full single-player campaign, a two-player cooperative mode, and a four-player ver- sus mode in which mercenaries take on spies a la the last Splinter Cell game, Pandora Tomorrow. That's a lot of gaming for one package, and that’s not counting all the new stuff being crammed into each style of play. Solo gamers will find new gadgets and moves for protagonist gov- ernment agent Sam Fisher. Cooperative players will get a whole new set of aetions available to them only when playing with a buddy. And when you get four players together for versus play, you may see the most improvements yet, from destructible environments (which change the level lay- outs as you play). to more.choices-in weaponry (mercenaries can now pick dif- ferent primary guns) and more. Will it make you want to put Metal Gear Solid 3 on the shelf? Yes, because by March, you had better be finished with MGS3’s single-player cam- paign, and that game doesn’t have any multiplayer to add to its longevity. But MGS fans used to crazy personalities, boss fights, and more action may find Splinter Cell’s more realistic approach to be a bit slow paced or difficult. > THE|BESTHPARTIS:.. OU/DON{TWHAVES TO) SHARE\THE|MIC YO eT et “bet-] ters” -dojg what EVERVONE BENOAN you HARMO@NEX Mild Lyrics ESRB CONTENT RATING _ www.stb.oy PlayStation.2 GBA ¢ Nintendo ¢ January 2005 This latest handheld Zelda adventure strikes us as a bit weird. First, it's odd that Minish Cap is the first original Zelda game for Nintendo’s omnipresent Game Boy Advance. Sure, 2002's Link to the Past remake dished up the fresh Four Swords minigame, but the quest proper wasn’t new to Super Nintendo vets. Second, it’s a little weird that Capcom, not Nintendo, handled the development duties here. (They collabo- rated on the two Game Boy Color Zelda Oracles titles...but hell, that was odd to begin with.) And finally, it’s totally bizarre to XB ¢ LucasArts * March 2005 With the exception of neutered Wookiee butlers, nobody takes orders like a squad of well-disciplined clone troopers. They're yours to command in this impressive Star Wars=themed tactical shooter, a futuristic take on the Rainbow Six brand of strate- gic’gunplay. You can quickly instruct your team to breach doors, set up sniper posi- tions, takeover gun emplacements, or secure an area witha simple button press. Most impressive, as you can reap ‘ } 92 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY © www. TYP.com: see series hero Link parading around.with a sass-talkin’ (not to mention unfashion- able) magical hat. On the surface, it’s the same princess- rescuing, dungeon-spelunking stuff you’ve been doing for the last 17 years, but Cap’s titular cap tosses in some nifty twists. He can shrink Link down to micromini size, allowing you to access hidden areas, talk to itsy-bitsy creatures, and solve puzzles invisible to the naked eye. He also acts as a parachute and offers snarky (but occasion- ally useful) advice with a simple button the benefits of leading your squad with- out sorting through any menus—your context-sensitive command array only Offers tactics appropriate to the situation. Without too much dark influence from Sith Lord George Lucas, Republic Commando isn't excessively dependent on the plot of the recent movies, though it will feature a few locations and charac- ters from Episodes II and ili, and it feels solid enough to even appeal to non-Star press. A host of new items, like the vacu- um-powered Gust Jar and double-jump- endowing Roc’s Cape, deepen the tradition- al top-down action, and a cadre of return- ing fan-favorite enemies mix with some impressively huge new bosses to deliver surprisingly challenging gameplay. With 100 percent certainty. This is the best handheld Zelda in years. Plus, you'll probably be tired of chasing down sunbeams in order to play Boktai anyway. Wars fans. thanks to its quick gameplay pacing and immersive, Metroid Prime-style helmet display. Maybe if you're a-die-hard Star Wars nut, your pre-Episode iil jitters will lure you over to this game's dark side. It’s certainly looking sharp, but we're not fully convinced that it has what it takes to hang with Halo 2. > “KKKKK” — MAXIM “Top 10 Games of 2004” — PC GAMER _ most realistic military game: <~ GAME INFORMER nt fe sfining b both the war and strategy geprel JOIAUXBOXIMAGRZINE _ Command two fire ‘squad-bas MATURE 17+ Blood Strong Language Violence | @ and Full aspect ‘War 2 served. Micre rae Hane to: ibe Played Log ae en ‘the Entertainment Sotvare soul why Feviews featur the contenders ~ THEPUNISHER PS2/XB ¢ THQ « January 2005 Frank Castle does not screw around when it comes to law enforcement. His ideal suspect takedown involves sneaking up behind a perp and burying a hunting knife in his head. An effective interrogation isn’t truly effective if it doesn't involve a wood chipper, a deep fryer, Or an aquarium full of piranhas to hold your subject's head over. The Punisher game, a shooter in the Max Payne vein, has all this and a heaping helping of dark, comic book-style visuals—Frank’s even voiced by Tom Jane, . ¥ who played the lead role in last spring’s Punisher film. Will it make you want to put Halo 2 on the shelf? What The Punisher loses in visuals and i xf cinematic grandeur, it'll try to make up for with its comic book story and semicomical violence level. Tye Wii UP.com Shadow of Rome is a very Western game from a very Japanese developer, from its Roman Empire backdrop to the markedly brutal way:it depicts violence. Forget finesse—you hold buttons to flex the mighty muscles of centurion-turned-gladi- ator Agrippa, and releasing those buttons delivers a painfully premeditated blow that can crack a man’s skull like a piece of ripe fruit. Parallel to the deliberate and bloody. combat, stealthy Octavianus (later to become Augustus Caesar) gathers informa- tion by way of subterfuge and a sturdy > << length of rope that fits quite nicely around fei a senator's neck. Will it make you want to put Prince of Persia: Warrior Within on the shelf? You won't find the Prince’s unique brand of platforming here, but you will snag dee} (and even gorier) combat, plus the adi bonus of puzzle-packed stealth missions. PS2/XB ¢ Majesco ¢ March 2005 Originally slated as an Xbox exclusive, Psychonauts now plans on unleashing its unique blend of platforming, humor, and insanity on the PS2 as well. Although its gameplay doesn't stray too far from that of other-hop ‘n’ bop rom; s concept (you enter the nightmarish minds of seriously troubled individuals), quirky characters (telekinetically gifted summer-camp kids), and surreal stages (step inside immacu- lately rendered black-velvet paintings, blueprints, and, uh...meat Circuses) set this squarely in a class of its own. Will it make you want to put Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal on the shelf? It'll be tough to top the diversity and quality of Ratchet's last outing, but Psyehonauts’ sheer weirdness factor should be reason enough to give it a shot. a CAPCOM Re i 49% MK DECEPTION NINTENDO GAMECUBE 99” Also available in Indigo & Jet 49” RESIDENT EVIL 4 "2099 THEINCREDIBLES = 99 PAPER MARIO: — - 49 THE THOUSAND FHI, wee a ee ee ” Wy Mig snr: 49” PIKMIN 2 ‘the store nearest you or visit us at www.ebgames.com GAMES ously We take games seriously Nintendo © cover story You love these games. Now get to know them a little better ou’re sitting there with a big- YY | ass smile on your face, maybe smoking a cigarette*, fondly recounting the events that just tran- spired and basking in that telltale afterglow... It’s not quite what you think (unless you're a real loser—then it’s exactly what you think). You just beat one of these blockbuster games you’ve been waiting an eternity for. But just because you're done with a game doesn’t mean you're ready to move on, so we're going to delve a little deeper into these killer titles. We have exclu- sive post-release interviews with the developers, things to try that you might've missed the first time around, and plenty more. After all, you’re not a love-em-and-leave-em type of person, tight? > —Mark MacDonald, Crispin Boyer, Bryan Intihar, and Shane Bettenhausen *Oh stop. We're not endorsing cigarettes here. We all know they kill more life-forms than Master Chief on a good day. @ This fall on UPN: What happens when two soldiers from the future, an inner-city youth, and a special forces agent all have to share one apartment? % TAGE A iY id 3 Eee nity ny r ( (@) cover_story: f) falo2 “10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT HALO 2 Now that you've finished the game, what would you have your Arbiter do? We'd have him check out these cool secrets and fun experiments Secret Weapons Forget the missing explosives in Iraq; there are enough weapons hidden away all over New Mombasa and the rest of Halo 2 to give Hans Blix a two-foot boner. For example: Get up to the rooftops in Outskirts—see our handy how-to pic for details—to find a sniper rifle and a bunch of ammo. (As for the two mysterious numbers up there, 1 and 7, any significance to them? “There is,” says Mission Designer Tyson Green. “It's some- thing that’s obvious once you know what it is, but I’m not going to say...it’s just a hint that tells you the nature of something.”) True explorers can even find an energy sword early on in that same map (at right, with stones spelling out Green’s nickname, “Rex”). “[There’s something hidden] on 8 (Top) Jump on that purple thing, the | almost every mission,” he says. roof to the left, the awning, and across. | Unlock the Secret Multiplayer Level If you can’t logon to Xbox Live to open Foundation (a remake of a level from the Bungie classic Marathon), there is another way. Beat Halo 2 and start a co-op game on the last level with a new profile for the second player. Make sure that player does a barrel roll in a Banshee, then finish the game again. Now go to multiplayer and Foundation is unlocked! Show Tartarus Who’s Boss While the final battle boss battle is a joke on Normal difficulty, in Heroic or especially Legendary, it’s another story. Try this trick: Wait on the top platform, at the lip of the gravity lift. Peek over until you can just barely see Tartarus (see pic below). For some reason he will often freeze at the base of the beam of light. Wait until Johnson lowers his shield and then blast him in the head with whatever weapons you got. If he comes upstairs, fall back down to the lower level and immediately take the gravity lift back up top to lose him. And don’t even try to take on the honor guard brutes that show up; stay on the top level and wait for your own reinforcements (they will come eventually) to handle them. Be patient and you'll win the day! 98 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MON’ License to Drive Ever try driving the Warthog over the barriers and out of the tunnel in Metropolis? Or later in that same level, running down and moving the tank before it gets fried by the Covenant Scarab? How about getting out and jacking that Banshee that flies in when you cross the bridge into New Mombasa? “People think that multiplayer is where you can fool around and experiment,” says Bungie Content Manager Frank O’Connor, “but there’s plenty to try in single player, too. It's a big playground.” Legendary Differences “There are all kinds of tweaks and differences in Legendary [difficulty},” says Bungie Studio Manager Pete Parsons. Give the game's toughest setting a try; not only will you gain a new appreciation for Halo 2’s A.l. and level design, you’ll also find new encounters, altered bosses, and different cut-scenes. The key to sur- viving this supertough mode? Charged plasma pistol shots to take down Elite Shields, followed by a bullet to the head. Free the Hunters Don't dirty your paws with the blood of those savage brutes—let the hunters do it for you. When you come upon the prison section of the Great Journey, free your giant brothers first by grenading the shield generator in front of their cell. They'll take care of those big apes, then free the rest of the prisoners. What's with the Brutes’ Red Plasma Rifle? Yes, there is a difference beyond just the color. “It fires a bit faster,” says Mission Designer Green, “makes it over- heat faster—a bit more of a finesse weapon.” So why have a different ver- sion of the gun in the first place? “We want the brutes to have [their own] dis- tinct weapon,” says Green. “We have the brute shot, but you can’t give that to every brute because it’s very potent. If every brute had a brute shot, you'd be in a lot of trouble.” Outfit Your Marines The ability to exchange guns with your fellow marines can be much more than a selfish exercise in getting the best weapon. Especially after a supply drop, take a minute to walk around and give your backup troops the best weapons for the upcoming section. (Note: They won't trade you a weapon you already have, or accept the energy sword or brute shot.) “On the level Regret,” says Studio Manager Parsons, “I'll go in and outfit them with the sniper rifles. As the towers come in, they're actually tagging guys so | can run around and [do clean-up] with the shotgun, or use the battle rifle at more midrange.” While you're swapping weapons, try grabbing the big guns from your comrades and sticking them with pea-shooters like the human pistol for some hilarious one-liners. = Take the Road Less Traveled Try climbing up on top of levels— it's kind of like hiking, only you don’t have to go outside or exercise! Two good ways to get where you're not supposed to: Maneuver and/or pile up vehicles then jump up them, or play co-op and use your partner’s head as a step up to wherever you want to go. You might even find a couple easter eggs (or maybe a giant soccer ball) for your efforts. Skull and Bones Scattered throughout Ha/o 2 are mysterious skulls that can grant you special powers. The easiest to get is in Outskirts: Go through the flashing door at the very start and perform two crouch jumps (press crouch at the top of the jump) to get on top of the light and then the roof. It's down the hall to the left; pick it up as you would any weapon. Other skulls can be found in the Banshee section of Arbiter, and in Regret, Delta Halo, and others, sometimes only in Legendary difficulty. Happy hunting! > WN hy CTRONIC @BMINGMONTHLY #w 7 y \ cover _story: halo e " AFTERTHOUGHTS: HALO 2 Downloadable content, cut features, the Library, and that ending—Bungie talks about the past, present, and future of its supersequel 0 you know where we are?” Bungie HQ in Redmond, WA, the holy birthplace of Halo 2. “Quite so. Were it not for the efforts of the brave men and women here, the Xbox would have failed long ago.” Even on our knees, we do not belong in their presence. EGM: in the beginning, it seemed like Halo 2 was going to be more focused on the Earth being under attack. [No] New Mombasa was always going to be the one place [the Covenant] show up, and [the question is] why is that? happened to the playable version of the level you demoed at the 2002 E3 trade show? It was completely different from the one in the final game. DESIGHES Tyson oi) At the ean) we looked at [the level we made for £3] and said this is probably too much...this [game] engine doesn’t handle this specific sort of space very well. If you want to build a level using this geometry, you're only going to be able to use, say, two vehicles, five guys [on screen at ‘once]—and that was just unacceptable. We thought, “It’s a really cool-looking level, and we'll retain our art assets, but we need to rethink this mission.” it from the very beginning, since the moment Halo 2 was announced: “Halo 2is going to be like Halo 1, except at 130 miles per hour.” That was the design principle: Tell this new great story, and do it in a way where you immediately pick up that con- troller and feel like—boom—I am the Chief, I'm back in the Halo universe. We wanted the story to do the heavy lifting. EGM: Did you ever consider giving the Arbiter unique powers, besides the stealth camoflage? There was stuff like jumping higher, or commanding grunts in some interesting way. There was certainly the speed of the “| think developers have made the mistake in the past of trying to reinvent their game [in a sequel].” ——Bungie Studio Manager Pete Parsons EGM: Really? Because in the original trailer, it looks like the Earth is just get- ting blown to hell... Well, New Mombasa was always going to be the primary point of incursion. However dramatic you make that opening scene, and ultimately how dramatic we made it, that’s just how the refinements of the story bear out, what works. EGM: Speaking of New Mombasa, what EGM: Playing as the Covenant was a great twist, but some were surprised the Arbiter plays just like the Chief. |‘ We wanted to make two characters that are both cool but that are peers. You never have to play the gimp. | think developers have made the mis- take in the past of trying to reinvent their game in some interesting and clever way that ultimately ends up frustrating the gamer. | think that’s a mistake. We've said 1 Earth getting smoked (left) in the original trailer, and the tranquil scene from the final game. attacks, all kinds of tweaking stuff. That was early on. Later everyone was saying [the two characters] should be the same configuration, play exactly the same way. EGM: Let’s talk about Halo 2’s A.\. Pete, I know you were on a crusade to tweak the friendly AI. vehicle piloting; how do you think it turned out? | think it turned out pretty well, and | think it can get a lot better. We’ve learned a lot about A.|., much in the same way we've learned about a lot of things. EGM: Will the other marines ever drive the tank? No. The main thing {with that] is, we want you to [be the guy] driving the tank. EGM: As with any game this size, a lot of ideas end up on the cutting-room floor for various reasons. Let’s go over some of them—what happened to plans for the ability to lower your weapon and run? We didn't want to turn Ha/o into some- thing that was really fast. A lot of PC first- person shooters right now are very fast, and a lot of that has to do with the player’s movement speed. | think on our big multi- player maps, the speed at which you move on foot allows some zone control, allows our vehicles to be important, not just because they have guns on them, but because they move around quickly. EGM: Good point. Melee combos? Melee combos were something | thought about for a really long time. We tried making these combos, and they looked pretty cool sometimes, but some- thing like that requires a lot of resources, animation time, tweaking, making sure they all worked well in all situations, et cetera. And there just came this point in the project where we said, “Y’know, we can have dual-wield weapons and the ani- mations that go with those, or we can have melee combos.” EGM: In an early version of Halo 2, we saw something called “Saved Films” in a menu, Was the idea to let the player record movies of Halo 2game- . play to the Xbox harddrive? nt Manager erat w y _- Yeah, | mean, people saw that and talked about it, and it would have been cool. We had a thing in [previous Bungie PC game] Myth where the terminology came from, where you could save gameplay as a movie and just watch it at your leisure. It would have been nice to have something like that in Halo, but it was not to be. MIDNIGHT MADNESS It’s the night of November 8, = 2004, and fans are lined up ens. in front of game stores wn across the country, a ‘<, eagerly awaiting the os oo ; {2 stroke of midnight Mohammed Jackson Joel Ismael when Halo 2 official- | 20; U.S. Air Force 23, Civil engineer, 18, Student, 26, Macy’s employ- 23, Technician, |: <% ly goes on sale. We combat controller, San Francisco, CA San Francisco, CA ee, Oakland, CA Royal Oak, MI : a know why they’re doing San Francisco, CA “By god, it better “Pm going to go i “Where else would | “This game is sorta [| ¥ this, but we wanted to “The ultimate mili- live up to the hype. home and play it till be tonight? | offered like the future of get their thoughts any- tary game. All the 1 know where they the next morning, go someone in the store warfare. It’s how | — f- aay Speci ake to military guys play live.” to class, and then go $100 to let me get a think things will be ee EB G it-it kills a lot of home and play it copy earlier, she was in the future.” Le 1 a, ‘Sa Ficnncieess +d , time when we're out some more, working like ‘Nah, man, you f y pathy and Royal Oak. there in the desert. on zero sleep. gotta wait? | 100+ eveCrRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com ?, 4%) EGM: Was there ever any discussion about multiplayer bots? Not really. I’m not going to name games, but I’ve found bots [are usually] either stupid or they're cheating. It’s either head shot and you're dead or they’re just retarded. You know how you have bots in Bomberman? \t’s totally s*** playing against the bots in Bomberman. You don’t feel any satisfaction at all when you kill one; there’s no tension. You die and you think, “That was bulls***.” EGM: The DVD that comes with the spe- cial edition shows a lot of the ATV. We really wanted the ATV. We certainly had a good fit for how it would work in multiplayer—just a speedy counter to the Ghost, highly maneuverable. It went through differ- ent permutations where there’s a weapon i Bungie briefly considered giving the Arbiter different powers but ulti- mately decided to make him play very close to the Chief. on it, can the player fire while he’s driving, all those different kinds of things, but ulti- mately there wasn’t a great place for it in single player. Whenever we would place it in, we'd be like, “Well, yeah, but the Warthog would be so much cooler in this area, it gives you more of a sense of cama- raderie, being with your posse.” EGM: Any chance that'll be a download- able extra in the future? Who knows? We're excited about tak- ing a look at downloadable content and seeing what the future might hold, but the only two things that get in the way of [the ATV) is one, if we still can’t make it work in any real interesting way. [And two], we That’s a possibility...but [sometimes] you're much better served sticking with stuff you know well. At the end of the day, people get excited about the new little widget, but if it doesn’t enhance gameplay, it becomes like a sugar rush. “The Flood were always intended to be fairly intelligent.” —Mission Designer Tyson Green have other things we want to do. It reminds me of the Halo 1.5 rumor [that the original Halo would be rereleased with added online play]; do you want us work- ing on Halo 1.5 or do you want us working on Halo 2? It really comes down to that. While we have a lot of people here, we're still a small team, and we're a team that throws every bit of its heart and soul into the next project that we have. So who knows what'll happen on the download- able content front. EGM: What about downloading new weapons? woo Karl Ryan Mike Davis Jimmy/Beau My wife thinks I’m crazy.” 27/31, Pastor/Art director, Royal Oak, MI “We're mostly here for the brotherhood, to connect with other dorks around the world.” EGM: What about the graphical hiccups, like how stuff sometimes pops in dur- ing cut-scenes? Ever thought about fix- ing it with a patch over Xbox Live? We won't be changing any of that over Xbox Live. We put together this huge ambi- tious game and also packed some of these scenes with a lot of stuff...ultimately that was a choice that we had to make: to give people a lot of this visual fidelity, or to actually continue to cache the next level so there's no loading screen in the game. EGM: How about online co-op? It was never promised, but | know you were hoping to include it.... You've played Halo > 19, Student, 22, Guitarist, 27, Student, Royal Oak, MI Oak Park, MI Alameda, CA tech engineer, “Halo is essentially “Ever since | beat “I've been sleeping Royal Oak, MI Christmas with the first one, | need- all day so | can play “I'm quite loyal to guns.” ed the second one.” it all night tonight. Halo. | have three Xbox Live accounts so all my boys will play” really don’t have any other sort of life.” in this world, who we can count on.” we can call: these guys right here.” “We have a special bond, because we “It's good to know if hell breaks loose “If aliens ever do attack, we know who CTRONIC IN (@) cover_story: oy) Re ets / Nato AFTERTHOUGHTS: HALO 2 con) > 2multiplayer now, and it’s really f'ing awe- some—we spent our time doing that right. If something’s not in there, it means we couldn't do it justice, and we're not gonna put it in there. We understand how it works in our engine and our technology, but we couldn’t bring it up to a level of quality that people ultimately expect from us. another Library after everyone com- plained how repetitive it was in the first game...! think one of the mission names even pokes fun at it? “Yeah, “That Old Familiar Feeling.” The idea is that we're sort of paying homage and also being a little self-conscious. We recognize that [the Library in Halo] wasn’t pletely. [But] we have a big story to tell, [and Hato 2 isn't big enough for that story. So we're going to try to bring it to the cli- max of a certain arc of the story, which | think we do, but we're going to leave it at that and wait for the next generation. Were we to do it all again, | don’t think we'd do it any differently. Time is finite, resources are “| wouldn't expect to see [online co-op] anytime soon, but you never know about the future.” —Bungie Studio Manager Pete Parsons EGM: Any chance online co-op could be a downloadable extra down the line? | wouldn’t expect to see it anytime soon, but you never know about the future. EGM: Pete, | read that you delete voice- mails from Hollywood without listening to them—no chance of a Halo movie? That was a misquote! [Laughs] | can’t imagine that | ever said [something in such an] arrogant, asinine way. It’s not some- thing that anybody here is spending time on. Which is not to say there aren't people helping us out. For people in the movie industry, they should know that any mail they send me will not get deleted; it will be forwarded to the right person. EGM: Tyson, you’re the one guy here who was around for the original Halo. What levels did you do for it? [Cringes and hides his face] The Library. [Laughs] But the thing that keeps me sane at night is that the Library was mostly designed when | got here, so | don't blame myself for that. EGM: It was a gutsy move to have the best level ever; we're conscious of the mistake that we made. EGM: The Flood seem smarter in Halo 2. They’re driving vehicles... The Flood were always intended to be fairly intelligent. In Halo 7, there were a lot of story references dropped about how they were preparing to get off the ring. That's a story that we tried to get across, but we didn’t really have a good vehicle for doing that. Halo 2 had more opportunity for doing that...saying to everyone, “Hey, look, ‘the Flood wasn't just this mindless race of zombies, there’s actually some depth and complexity to them.” EGM: One thing a lot of people are talk- ing about is the ending, | have to say, 1 thought the game was loading the final level, and all of a sudden the credits started rolling. The ending was... think if we have a regret about the game, and it’s not a regret that came unexpectedly, it’s [the ending]. It's something where we said, “We know people aren't going to like that.” Nobody likes it when something doesn’t end com- 102 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com finite, and our story is a pretty grand one. It is designed to be a cliffhanger. People will have to speculate as far as what we're going to do in the future. EGM: OK, let’s do that. What’s next for Halo? [Laughs] | can’t do that! EGM: Well, has Halo 2 been announced for the Mac and PC? ‘: Nope, It’s just a possibility. There are no discussions going on as far as | know. EGM: Pete, you’ve said the next thing Bungie will do is something different, but surely you’re also working on the next Halo? The thing I'll tell you is that we are bigger and aS \ ain ms a Co-op play will have to remain a strictly splitscreen affair. For now, anyway. more capable than we've ever been, and so the ability to entertain more than one [project] is a possibility. But we are going to do something different. EGM: Is that the Phoenix project we've heard rumors of in the past? Phoenix [also known as Breach], was one of those things that we decided shouldn't be carried out, but there’s a ton of learning and a ton of experience people gained from it. EGM: Can you at least say if the next Halo will be Halo 3, or Halo 2: Part Two? The only thing I’ll say is that we really love the Halo universe, we're excited to tell new stories, continue to tell the tale of Master Chief, but | can’t say any more. For more of our huge Halo 2 interview, head to egmextras.1UPcom. > 1UPCOM READER POLL: Pll still be playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (15%) Skipping work/school to play Halo 2 multiplayer (20%) WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING ON NOV. 9, HALO 2’S RELEASE DAY? whenever | find time * ~_ (28%) I Halo 2 later, THE EPIC JAK TEEN "CONTENT RATED BY ESRB Comic Mischief Language Mild Violence Suggestive Themes PlayStation.2 TRILOGY IS COMING 10 ITS DRAN REST ASSURED, IT WONT END LIKE Tits. NAUGHT Ya3 0c] cover story: gta: sa “10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT GRANDTHEFTAUTO: |. Take a time-out from the turf wars to hunt ghost cars, Easter eggs, and...Bigfoot? 4 e ie EL QUEBRADOS VALLE io fhe Launch Pad the biggest jump in G7A his- \ ; ) Trick out a fast car with nitrous, Ba BAYSIDE fien head to the wooden ramp atop j 0 del Oeste (_). Kick on the turbo peL OESTE id you should clear the Sherman A, Sherman Res Sar GANT BRIDGE thing to See up Here That Damn Supply Lines Mission: Worth the Grief? Buy Zero’s hobby shop in San Fierro ‘) and you'll reach the most frus- ting optional level in the game: ipply Lines, Flying a remote-control plane, you're expected to blast five couriers scattered around town, then return home before running out of gas. Yeah, right. But you can actually beat the mission if you coast as much as possible and shoot each courier from close range (except the first guy—waste him from afar). Use the map to plot fuel-efficient inter- cepts and fly carefully. Hit a tree? Start over. But the payoff for all this hair-pulling frustration is actually worth it: The next mission—an all- out RC-vehicle war on a mini-battle- You'll need luck, too: Couriers sometimes drive farther away, which makes the mission impossible, | 104 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY » www.1UP.com je skyscraping top of the Gant Bridge’s southern support rut (_) seems an obvious place for an Easter egg. Alas, the game is wise to us (below left). Speaking of the bridge, ever check out the fun facts on its information sign? () ist a Gigolo plete all 10 pimping mis- ions—which you activate by’ itting the R3 button when- er you steal a Broadway— nd San Andreas’ prostitutes ill’ start paying you for...ser- vices rendered. Yeah, it’s a dirty job but...you know, _AASTER BASIN or her to meet another one. Then watch your date go so hor- ‘ibly right. Yet another GTA feat to never try in real life. id Pick up one of your pte ere \ | BPE ois. girlfriends and take e we j g The Internet is atwitter with tales of the paranormal in San Andreas, CJ's mom's ghost stalks his house at night (untrue, says Rockstar), A suicidal jotographer near the Flint Intersection leaps into the ocean (true—we've en her). A sea serpent frolics far out at sea (Rockstar: false), WWII ines crash for no reason (true). We even have photographic proof of je oft-repeated tale. Drive to the horseshoe-shaped hills in the appro- priately named Back o’ Beyond (() when the'sun sets (for added fear effect, wait until a foggy evening). At 2 a.m., you'll see beat-up cars roll down nearby hills. Go check the vehicles. Where are the drivers? Creepy! ‘YELLOW BELL SRS Doesn't Mean Anything pRCKE PINE A Message-board mavens elalm they found @ — the toad to. an Easter Egg motherlode after Sasquatch Watch Spying this map (below) in the back of Lil’ some say he roams Mt, Chiliad, Others Probe Inn (=), After all, its southernmost E have heard a beastly roar at the San marker falls on the ghost-car patking lot '@ Fierro airport: Hundreds of players insist “* BAST ‘Of Back 0’ Beyond. Surely the other mark- : . that Bigtont lives in San Andreas, and an érs point to equally mysterious locales? bog they're flooding the Net with grainy RUJAS Nope, says Rockstar. So you ean stop this Sta 8 photos that'd make real-life Sasquatch wild-goose chase and start a new one... or Stalkers proud, “There is no Bigfoot, just = like in real life” says Rockstar CEO Terry as) ie Donovan—but we desperately want to . 8 believe. In fact, we'll give a free game REGULAR. norl Y o f = yi to anyone with real evidence (a screen, soM iy ~@.9: Oo) ii exe polygonal pelt, etc.) that Biafoot stalks nS AS Bes } Roval the state, Send it to EGM@ziffdavis.com. pesyomuers | L fagsrams OS with the subject line “Bigfoot lives!” a woe it * * [ILL PROBE } a] at THE , ow) INN a PINK @ SWAN GREENGLASS |) A THE FOUR @ : COLLEGE bent me DEPOT i ow ACKRED i ui “ a ia J HUNTER J AueRSECTION, = ={yUUS THRE MAY SO 5 © Fon cw y QUARRY RACKRIELD RANOOL?H | 4S7'DINE WA real (fake) San Andreas Blatoot, 7 ; = CHAPEL arte | rot phonled up by prankster James Clifton, Cc ‘San Andreas Crash Course New in town? You can-actually try most of the game’s fresh tricks in your first 10 minutes, Head to the bar (-) ‘around the corner from Gu’s to play arcade games or shoot some pool. Go to Idlewood (. ) to try a two-player game, Then jack a car and head downtown to Los Santos’ tallest building (\), Run around it until you find the entrance, which will take you straight to the roof, Grab the waiting parachute and holler “Geronimo”—you're base jumping! When the adrenaline wears off, drive to point at the Los Santos airport, where you'll find-a stretch of wall low enough to seale if you stand on a car, Run around the airport until you find a private jet, swipe it, and fly due north, Now, the game doesn’t like you exploring unauthorized territory—it sends out the Air Force and gives you a four-star rating. Shake off the enemy missiles and put the plane down at point. Be prepared to dodge cops’ bullets and zip into the Four SpuuEBERRY / ACRES Cees “Tanner, you suck ass!” And the dissing war between G7A developer Rockstar North and Driverseries creator Reflections continues (the two developers have taken potshots at each other in their fast few driving games), You'll find Rockstar’s most recent retaliation early in San Andreas, when: you're asked to steal a rhyme book from rapper Madd F % f 5 ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY » www.iURcom « 105 HH This sucks. | mean, how could Refractlons mess up so bad? a P| “AFTERTHOUGHTS: | GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS Find out about the little things in Rockstar’s larger-than-life masterpiece f San Andreas—the faux- writer] DJ Pooh to draw on their know!- EGM: Some of those California setting for the latest edge and experience of the West Coast at -—sccross-country missions Grand Theft Auto—had a state _ that time helped to really put as much get pretty long. Were you motto, it would be “Vincio tuus foris, detail and feeling for the era into the game, worried that so much Stultus,* But here’s a close second: trekking from point A to: “Land of opportunity.” And that’s not EGM: So if we looked in your develop- B would turn gamers off? just because you take star thug Carl ment offices, would we see a lot of Not really. The cross- “CJ” Johnson from the ghetto to the empty 40s and half-smoked joints? country trips are there by good life. The state also packs anearly —- Maybe, but that's not research! design, and J think Rockstar limitless number of diversions, from North did an incredible job bal- high-stakes gambling to small-busi- EGM: What's the one thing you're most —_ancing the game, The trips are. ness ownership. One tour through the proud of in a game this huge? there to help players learn their way territory justisn’t enoughtoseeevery- = I think the stuff that we around the very large state of San’ thing, so we asked Rockstar Games. worked the hardest on was the stuff that Andreas, Any time they didn’t want a CEO Terry Donovan, President Sam you don’t necessarily notice. It’s not just player to have to repeat a long trip, Houser, and Creative Director Dan the size of the world. It's not just that it they implemented a Trip Skip [a Houser what you might have missed. takes solongto get from one side tothe feature that lets you skip long road trips in later attempts at ae. failed missions). “The versatility of the parachute never ” EGM: Anything you discov- ceases to amaze Us. —Fockstar CEO Terry Donovan ®fed by acefdent you could do, a tester did, or that hap- pened in the world that you EGM:So how did abunch of guys from other. It's also that youcanwalkuptoa didn’t plan for? Scotland research all of San Andreas’ soda machine and get adrink out of it;no Let's just say the versatility of the inner-city content? matter where you see one, We worked parachute never ceases to amaze Us, i Research isa really really hard on things like the pedestrians important part of development. Itis vitalto speaking to one another. In the previous EGM: Why the jump to three cities get the style and feel of the time and the games, you could run around and there instead of a larger version of the place right. The team from Rockstar North would be all these people around, but kind of thing you'd done betore? went on a long research trip to the West there wasn't much going on, This time you We love L.A., and the. Coast and traveled around photographing can just sit back and watch all the freaks © whole gangbanging vibe, and the street everything and absorbing everything. We interact with each other. Occasionally, culture, That time [early 90s] in L.A. is also have a really meticulous team of you'll see that they just don’t like each: So important and we knew a long time researchers based in New York who other and they'll even start to fight. We're ago that the franchise needed to end obsess over every detail, and this com- Still scratching the surface of every pedes- —_up there. We'd done the East Coast bined with working closely with people trian having a life ina virtual world, rather —_in G7A3, and then ’80s Miami with like [tattoo artist] Mister Cartoon, [rap than just having them cruise around a. Vice City, so going to L.A. in the photographer] Estevan Oriol, and [screen- gameplay environment. early ‘90s just > fr eer i —— = iT " ata - ia id A. UU : oe me ! N ‘ hg Bie q i ry i. COMING Hh S 0 Nt] N | xbox o PS? GAMES We take games seriously ™ ‘in DVD you'll amed like an obvious place for us to\ go. explored lots of po: 5 for the, franchise, and we've looke going p id playing withthe "30s, “40s, GTA, y know? That's not to say that we won't explore something like that in future, but for now this isiit EGM: So why the other two cities? ~ | We were drawn to doing: based ici 1USE Of hills and he beautiful) ery with the bridges) on San Francisco b watched someone els and) the Victorian arc Once we'd decided to.do that, i 30, YOu very, diff who} id the gambling and: the bright lights. Onct put together the three, ited to naturally, evolve, We: Wwe needed) wilderness with the fatms and desert, etc. cities, thing EGM: Was there anything the team want- ed to do with the. ut couldn't? | SNot really: If had my way, we'd/ have 1,000 missions and 100 different story lines, but the tea ; | don't really want to have to: € it any bigger, We've achieved a sort of natural) on a ga luxury of sorting out alot of our problems prequel U's why we were as much as we did for San Andreas, me e the intro? Buy the San Andre 11a 23-minute cinemat k (out now), and, Introduction,» EGM: We've st Andres npelleis a huge G7A fan. Ever aproach him to voice the main guy? that [up-and-coming rapper) Young Maylay was right for the role; he: blew us away with his audition and his performance, He did areally great job of J 7, b | yy L P A TA] tend to have A AY it )) Iu D ay A, o% Terry Donovan, r nd to us tt impor ng—much mor than, hing a big name to tt EGM: You\ guys didn’t back down on the s’ controversial aspects, Not only back, but you can be pimp, Once again you have ethnic ings. Did you back off anywi We don’t really think in those We genuinely, belie an\inc id where gaming belongs in the spheres of media and art, Due to the enormity of world and) tory lin h nd will continu strongly encourage anyone critical of the game to play through the entire before maki 2 game. 103'* ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.iUPcom hasn't actually experienced it is the equivalent of a\person judging a piece of literature by ng a page of it watching movie and basing their opinion of the entire pro: duction off of a tiny portion of the entire work, It always 3ms that the people criti: cizing the game tend) to have watched someone) y can you top lll if we didn’t have to top it, what would be ty of working in game you're not held back by a fixed) medium: If you look at TV, or: movies, that ¢, but with game 2 the medium) A) hy give us new, nd we get to. ain: With that in mind'though, we don't want to) abuse the franchise, and we only want: to make stuff when there's a rez it, This.is the trilogy for now, we get to evolve, Every fil e degree for it's very exciting, > 3, Well... IUPCOM READER POLL: IN SAN ANDREAS, YOUR MAIN MAN CJIS... wnflabby (97)) .tattooed to oblivion (9%) (46%) totally fly (37%) EE r| 4 44.B.€. ROMAN EMPIRE WELCOME TO THE MOST BRUTAL TIME IN HISTORY. NO TIME FOR REMORSE, NO COMPASSION IN BATTLE, NO WEAKNESS IN THE ENEMY. CAESAR HAS BEEN EXECUTED AND FAMILY HONOR HAS BEEN SHATTERED. YOUR GREATEST FIGHT WILL BE FOR THE TRUTH. SHINGO} oi KOI us INTENSE GLADIATOR FAST PACED CHARIOT RACES CHARACTER SWITCHING FOR ARENA FIGHTING AND BATTLES INFO GATHERING AND PUZZLE SOLVING MISSIONS MATURE 17+ Blood and Gore Intense Violence A : —— CAPCOM PlayStation.c MOK ay ation. SHADOWOFROME.COM l ® © CAPCOM CO. LTD. 2005, © CAPCOM U.S.A INC. 2005 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. SHADOW OF ROME is a trademark 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 Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners, ve cover story: mpe 5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW A ME2: ECHOES METROID Pa Multiple pets endings, hearing » lj | aids, and things that =a go boom Percentage Points Just as in the original Metroid Prime, Echoes includes three different endings depending on the percentage of in-game items (like missiles and energy tanks) you collect. Tally 74 percent or lower and you'll see the nor- mal ending, 75 to 99 percent earns you a slightly better ending, and for reaching 100 percent, well, let’s just say a familiar foe returns. Hmm...wonder who that could be... Listen Up If you’re struggling to find extra missiles and energy tanks, you should try switching on the echo visor. “All the pickups make a dis- tinct sound,” says Game Director Mark Pacini. “If you use the echo visor, [the sound] is a lot louder, so it’s a lot easier to hear them.” You can also forgo the visor and turn down the in-game music to better hear a pickup’s ambient sound. Multiplayer Mayhem You'll notice that two of the six multi- player maps are locked when you first turn on the game. So how do you access them? Surprisingly, it doesn’t require collecting a certain percentage of items or scanning creatures. Simply progress through the single-player adventure and the Pipeline map will eventually become playable. Then fin- ish the game to unlock Spires. > 110 ° ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.iUP.com { Scanning in Progress The scan visor does more | than provide you with little Snippets of story and nec- essary hints during boss battles. It also opens up image galleries, which include early concept art, storyboards, and even some Andy Warhol-inspired shots of Samus. Obviously, the more items you scan, the more galleries that open up. But if you want to check out | the final set of images, you must finish Echoes on the Hard difficulty setting (which is unlocked only. after completing the game ‘on Normal). | Don’t bother using this key (from one of Echoes’ unlockable galleries) to translate a secret Luminoth message. There ain’t one. Sorry, Street Fighter brawler Guile doesn’t make an appear- ance in Echoes. Sonic boom is the name of the annihilator beam upgrade, located in the Phazon Site room at Dark Agon. Each beam has an upgrade, but according to Pacini, “Beating the last boss is much easier with this one. We designed [the boss] around the sonic boom, but it’s still balanced.” Pacini says the sonic boom upgrade “distorts time and space.” The battle’s on. And the turtles must work together to survive. Leo’s swords. Raph’s strength. Don's computer skills. Mikey’s jumping. You'll need it all. Switch between each character in single player mode or play with friends and have the whole team on screen at once. Pick your turtle. It’s go time. Mild Violence ) a iG PG OY GAMECUBE ROM www.konami.com/usa ESRB CONTENT RATING _ www.esth.org © 2004 Mirage Studios, Inc. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles @ and related logos, names, characters and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Mirage Studios, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved."KONAMIG” is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 2004 KONAMI & Konami Computer Entertainment Studios. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ame Boy Advance and the Nintendo Game Cube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association, _ "AFTERTHOUGHTS: © METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES Shedding some light on Nintendo's first-person adventure light and dark world. Head- scratching puzzles. Big, bad bosses that'll make even the hardcore whimper. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is easily one of the most demanding GameCube titles to date. But it’s also one of the finest. We recently sat down with some of the peeps responsible for female bounty hunter Samus Aran’s second mission in 3D—Retro Studios Game Director Mark Pacini, President and CEO Michael around. Our main focus [with Echoes] was to expand upon what we’ve done already, what people liked, and what we could improve upon. EGM: We heard you actually finished Echoes early. __. Hal Let's just say it was done on time. EGM: All of our reviewers agreed that Prime 2—from the minor enemies to the major bosses—was considerably “Ideally, if Samus speaks, it’ll be really cool, but who knows when that’s going to happen.” —Retro Studios Game Director Mark Pacini Kelbaugh, and Engineering Director Frank Lafuente—to chat about the game’s challenging difficulty, slowing down the speed freaks, and the severe lack of metroids. ° EGM: In the original Prime, you proved _ that the Metroid franchise could work in 3D. With that game under your belt, did you have an easier time developing this sequel? Yeah, it’s always difficult working on a new game because you're creating the development tools while try- ing to work out the gameplay. We didn’t have that stumbling block this time 112 ¢ ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com. tougher than the last game. Was that done on purpose? __-- Inthe first Prime, we made a con- scious effort to be a first-person genre game that was accessible to everyone. With Echoes, we felt we could throw play- ers into the mix and give them a chal- lenge. So yes, it was intentionally more difficult, but hopefully to the point of being challenging to players who have played the last game. EGM: So would it be fair to say you made it for people who had experience with the first game? | can’t imagine someone jumping into Echoes if he or she had never played the original. __-- That's an interesting point. We designed the first Prime around that phi- losophy of “these are new gamers, these may be gamers who really enjoy the Metroid franchise yet have never played a first-person game before, but cater to first-person fans as well.” Since so many people played and enjoyed that one, we felt that with the second game we had the ability or freedom to start challenging them right away. EGM: That also seems to hold true for the game’s puzzle aspect. _.»- Definitely. The main goal for creating a light and dark world in Echoes was to add that next tier, that next layer of com- plexity to puzzles that we had already established in the first game. So not only do you have to worry about puzzles that might have you traversing through several rooms to solve, but you now have to con- tend with another world. EGM: Are you concerned that people will think the puzzle-solving is too complex? __~ Not really. You'll notice that [at the beginning of the game], you're exposed to a very limited section of the dark world. There’s only a certain amount of memo- tization. It’s fairly linear, too, so that play- ers can start to be introduced to this sort of gameplay, and it’s more or less how we introduced ourselves to how we were going to design the game. EGM: Speaking of design, did you create the levels with the “speed freaks” in mind—those gamers who finished the original Prime in record time and found ways to skip areas? __- We were obviously conscious of it. One of the things that astonished us [about the first game] was that we thought people were going to be so intent on find- ing all the pickups and finishing the game with 100 percent. But the big thing became who could get the smallest per-- centage. We definitely did address many of those issues [in Echoes], so it’s far less possible [to skip areas] this time. EGM: Well, we hope they discover how to bypass those 10 Sky Palace keys you need to find. All that collecting seemed a bit excessive. __~ That [part of the game] was a big point of contention amongst the develop- ment team. You're at the very end of the game and have just gotten this really cool light suit, so how can we let players feel empowered with this new suit and give them things to do when all that’s left is fighting the final boss? That was the rea- soning behind [finding the 10 keys]. EGM: Moving on, Echoes is easily one of the best-looking games we've seen for the console.... _ We broke the GameCube. We broke it. EGM: It’s definitely a beautiful game. But more of today’s Nintendo titles, like Pikmin 2, are finally using CG cut- scenes. Why not Echoes? There’s nothing wrong with CG cut- scenes. They're great, they're beautiful, and they're getting better all the time. But our artists and engi- neers work so hard to make the game look as great as possible, so there may not be a need for CG. That’s one part of it. The other part is, as a gamer, | don’t want the character’s hair that I’m watching [in the cut-scene] to be silky smooth in one frame and when | go to play, it’s all chunky. | want to know that the weapon | have in my hand is the same weapon that | was just using, so it really gives continuity to the experience. Games are getting so technologically advanced that CG is becoming outdated. EGM: Will we ever hear Samus speak? ‘If there’s a good enough reason for it, we'll do it. We try not to make decisions based on “well, just do it.” Ideally, if Samus speaks, it'll be really cool, but who knows when that's going to happen. the videogames, and we've always liked that because it never played a role in the series. It’s more of a surprise than any- thing else. Demi Moore kind of personifies that “it doesn’t matter what’s underneath the helmet” way of thinking. She’s always been my preference to play Samus. EGM: Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto was very involved with Metroid Prime’s development. Was that the case with this game? For Echoes, Kensuke Tanabe was our main game director from Japan. There was an incredible wealth of game knowl- edge coming from him. To let you know just how old-school this guy is, Tanabe wrote the script and story for The Legend “[Demi Moore] has always been my preference to play Samus.” —Retro Studios President and CEO Michael Kelbaugh EGM: On a related note, who do you think director John Woo should cast as Samus in the upcoming Metroid movie? lich We address this ques- tion a lot. The sex of Samus is irrelevant in of Zelda: A Link to the Past {for the Super Nintendo]. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about bosses, creatures, and game flow. We worked together extensively on this Metroid project. EGM: Some of us felt that, as in the first Prime, the story took a backseat. Is that a fair assessment? It comes down to priorities on a pro- ject, and the main priority on this one was the gameplay, not the story. There actually is a lot of story in there. Most people are lazy and aren’t going to scan. One of my concerns was that some games put so much story in your face that you don’t get to play. My belief is that if | want to watch a movie, I'll Spend eight bucks to go to a theater. If | want to play a game, | want to actu- ally play. We do have a pretty in-depth story, and we have a mechanic that people who want the story can use. EGM: Can someone explain why there are hardly any metroids in Echoes? it’s still the name of the game, after all... That’s a funny question because it’s something we questioned ourselves as a design staff. With the experience we were try- ing to give and the story we were trying to > BEAT THAT For all you speed demons out there, Game Director Mark Pacini tells us that the fastest anyone at Retro Studios has finished Echoes is roughly seven hours. And if you’re really up for a challenge, pop in that old copy of Metroid Prime and try completing it with only one energy tank and five missiles—that’s what one tester at the Austin-based devel- opment studio miraculously executed a few years back. Believe it. Weg GAMING MONTHLY ¢ www.1UP.com e 113 cover s mp2 AFTERTHOUGHTS: METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES A sare convey, metroids really didn’t fit into that. Some people were like, “We need more metroids in there,” while some were like, “Nah, we don’t need as many metroids.” It kept going back and forth, but in the type of game we were making, they weren’t essential, kind of like the Space pirates. EGM: Are you happy with how the splitscreen multiplayer battle mode turned out? Really happy. It’s a fairly small com- ponent of the game, but it’s tacked onto a long single-player experience. If you pick it up and just start playing, you might be like, “Well, maybe | don’t know what it’s all about.” But after a couple times [trying out the multiplayer), | like to think it has its own little corner. EGM: It just felt very limited, especially if you compare it to Halo 2, which has deep single- and multiplayer modes. a= = “We made multiplayer for the Metroid fan, not the Halo fan.” —Retro Studios Engineering Director Frank Lafuente ‘s But they’ve been in development for over three years. | don’t want to say it’s an unfair comparison, but they had goals and they met those goals. We had goals and we met them, too. Another thing is that we made multi- player for the Metroid fan, not the Halo fan. We worked really hard to incorporate all the fun Metroid-related items into a fun multiplayer situation. EGM: Fair enough. Have you had a chance to play the Nintendo DS game Metroid Prime: Hunters? Yeah, | think it’s a fun multiplayer experience and really takes advantage of the hardware. There’s a single-player aspect to it, but it was never intended to be as in-depth as the GameCube titles. EGM: Would you like to create a full- scale single-player Metroid Prime @ According to Pacini, a short development cycle meant adding system link multiplayer was ‘simply “not practical.” 114» ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY » www.1UPcom adventure for Nintendo’s new dual- screen handheld? Well, certainly. It’s a very cool piece of hardware. EGM: Any interest in working on a franchise other than Metroid? As the studio grows, of course. We'd obviously like to keep working on the [Metroid] franchise, as you're not going to find more hardcore Metroid fans than us. But I'd like to see us grow and head in different directions as well. EGM: Now that you’re all finished with Echoes, what's next for Se "ee, 1UPCOM READER POLL: WHO SHOULD PLAY SAMUS ARAN IN THE UPCOMING METROID MOVIE? answer that very question. > Paris Hilton (5%) Kristanna Eee Loken (Terminatrix from — Terminator 3) | (21%) / (60%) y MATURE 17+ Blood Violence Strong Language oy THINGS ME TAL GE Things to make you go “! Pi MIG * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY » www.1UPRcom > y mium hit up online importers o1 damned fun... » YOU D DIDN'T KN § | OLID3 N METAL GEAR SOLIDS 4 ‘through the <5 y Tune you Code y Player-designed Camouflage ‘in spring 2004, Konami d ers all over the ACU to et with a bunch of | 1S OF piles Of poo... ‘where Sna @ horror 0 load your « just woken up a “nightmare,” after your e beat the snot out E er Votan id ofS je him for dead in a cell. Now, turn the nd reloa fil reloading until you enter nightmare mode. The End is Not the Lat A few hours into MGSS3, kill him direc ‘We don’ todo th VN Oo Gamin — ye |] The Ul¢inwate over 520,002 nv prizes: Baindramage, Inc. “We Make You Think...” g Rig!! = amet &. You have the POWER. In this contest you don't rely on the luck-of-the draw. You determine if you win or not. You win by outscoring others in a game of skill. Can you solve the puzzle below? It looks simple, but it's only the start. Each of five more puzzles will get harder. But this time it’s all up to you. Stay in to the end with the highest score and the gear is yours. With whatever options you want. Do you have what it takes? Try your hand and play to win! Computer Contest. Win a tricked out gaming computer with 4.0 Ghz Pentium 4, 1 Gig. RAM, 100 Gig. HD, DVD, Windows XP, Nvidia card and more! Video Game Contest. Play on the hi-tech cutting ote with this le Microsoft XBox, Nintendo Gamecube and Sony Playstation 3! Get all three or trade the ones you don’t want for CASH! Bonus options include: 33” monitor, $1,000 in games you choose, Gameboy Advance, cash, accessories and more! O70 <~7m-HAction >Racing >Adventure >RPG >Fighting >Shooter >Hardware >Sports/ >Innovation Extreme >Online/ Sports Multiplayer »>Strategy 2004 1UP AWARDS Peewee YOUR GAMES. YOUR VOTE. Pick from these hot games, or declare your independence and vote for your favorites! [x] >Burnout 3 [x] >GTA San Andreas [EA >Halo 2 [Eq >Half-Life 2 [Eq] >Metroid Prime 2 VOTE NOW! ohttp://bestof2004.1up.com Voting ends 12/31/2004. Winners to be awarded January in Las Vegas at CES 2005 Discuss your favorite games with other gamers in the \CES) Official 1UP Awards Club at dbestof2004-club.iup.com y4|5 5 Oy. DAVIS prockBusTER Unlimited ip game rentals for only $4929 a month. Rated] PlayStation.2 cy - sai CL Make the most of this holiday season with the Blockbuster? Game Pass.” Rent as many games as you want. Play them as long as you want. Return them whenever you want. All for one low monthly price. And with so many new games, now's the perfect time to get or ask for the pass. So come on in, get your Blockbuster Game Pass, and choose from our huge selection of games. Deals so hot you'll hibernate. PlayStation ra PlayStation.2 mu The latest sports games at the lowest prices. Game Controllers for GameCube; PS2, and XBox. PlayStation.c ATEST HI The Destination for PS2 Games. PlayStation. ine FF iahlel Ne ec} | \ al Kombat and Wer WOR Street Fighter © 2005 Capcom Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Mortal Kombat: Deception © 2005 Midway Amusement Games, L.L.C All Rights Reserved. Mortal Kombat: Deception, the dragon logo, Midway, the Midway logos and all character names are trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, L.L.C. Used by permission. Nuby Technology © 2005 Nubytech Inc. All rights reserved, BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Inc. © 2005 Blockbuster Inc. All rights reserved. E] Content suitable for persons age 6 and older. [TT] Content suitable for persons age 13 and older. [Ml] Content suitable for persons age 17 and older. revieW Crew another month, another mega man DIRECTORY MULTIPLATFORM 124 Call of Duty: Finest Hour PLAYSTATION 2 NCAA March 132 Rumble Roses Madness 2005 134 ATV Offroad Fury 3 XBOX 135° Tron 2.0: Killer App 136 Ghost Recon 2 126 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within 128 ESPN College Hoops 2K5 wi - CALLOF DUTY: OUR saa Finest Hour, like the single- player game, isn’t very original— you've got the basic death- match and capture-the-flag modes. How- ever, the stage design is top- notch, and the background shouting and gunfire re-creates 1942 in a way you’d rather not experience yourself. GoldenEye: Rogue Agent The Incredibles S (me a | mPs2/xB/cc FINEST H Above and beyond “Do not count days; do not count miles; count only the number of Germans you have killed!” So goes the opening speech of Commissar Viktor Durasov, who shouts over the crashing waves of the Volga River as you row towards a Stalingrad that looks straight out of a movie poster for The Day After Tomorrow. Like a lot of Call of Duty’s scripted set pieces, it made me want to stand up and stake my life for my motherland—and I’ve never even been to Russia. Finest Hour (a different game from the PC Call of Duty, but one that covers the same territory) does nothing particularly new for the World War II shooter genre if you’ve played any or all of the Medal of Honor series. Finest Hour just does it better. Where other games have enemy soldiers 124 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com 134 Mega Man X8 135 Sega Superstars (PS2/XB en 137 Blinx 2: Masters of Time & Space 137 Dead or Alive Ultimate Finest Hour finely tunes the ‘shooter-as- roller coaster’ design motif... lining up to be shot, Finest Hour has opposition that’s intelligent without being cheap. Where other games give you strings of boring filler missions, Finest Hour hands you massive firefights filled with infantry from both sides running around and shooting at each other. | can’t think of another console game that re-creates the visceral feel of war—the “that guy could’ve been me if | hadn’t found cover first” feeling—so eloquently. It’s linear, yes, and the challenge can get aggravating later on, but the whole package goes above and beyond, both online and off. Any game that has “Tear down the Nazi flag” as an objective is OK in my book. Finest Hour plays on your patriotism but includes the Russian and British contribution to the war rather 1 Oddjob and Xenia Onatopp (complete with bullet-proof bra) are in the new GoldenEye (see page 130)—but Bond's AWOL. Super Mario 64 DS Ridge Racer DS Sprung Madden NFL 2005 Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits Feel the Magic: XY/XX 142 Spider-Man 2 143 Ping Pals GBA 143 Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories Who's gonna tell that one guy that he’s wearing a — dress? How embarrassing. A. SECURE B. SECURE than the traditional America-centric perspective. The best parts actually happen in Russia, as the Enemy at the Gates-inspired Stalingrad missions are, to put it simply, awesome. The inclusion of A.I. allies also gives a great sense of being part of a larger fight, but the game loses realism points when pals sometimes exhibit shockingly poor military judgment. Clunky tank missions, the occasional irritating objective, and a steep increase in difficulty toward the end combined Good: Lovingly polished WWII atmosphere Bad: Linear to the extreme Beats the Pants Off: Medal of Honor: Rising Sun a, | fen Killed 3Tom285 JTom285 Has Dropped the Allied Flag with infrequent checkpoints, however, may cause some gamers to miss this call. Finest Hour finely tunes the “shooter-as-roller coaster” design motif, which is both its best and worst asset. While games like Halo 2 focus on pure, flexible, and unrelenting firefights driven entirely by A.l., Finest Hour prefers to deliver scripted thrills. The developers also realized that if you’re going to have At EGM, we evaluate only games that have been deemed final and reviewable by their publishers. Three editors rate each game independently, and we use the whole scale, 5.0 IS AVERAGE. THE RATING SYSTEM 5.0-6.5 FAIR 70-10 GooD AWAR' x GAME OF THe MONTH The highest- scoring game each month gets a star, a SHAME OF THe MONTH The lowest- rated game with unani- mously bad scores. Platinum — straight 10s. For games that are life- changing. Gold — for games with an average score of 9.0 or higher. Silver — for games with a mean score of 8.0 or higher. ESRB KEY (Also check out www.esrb.com) Saccharine fun for the whole family: dancing elves, rampant sharing, and possibly Smurfs, Like PG-13 movies, Teen ‘games often feature fisticuffs, mild violence, and madcap antics. For the 18-and-over crowd. Intense violence, gore, pixilated sex, drugs; parents no likey. alii a fuk Tanks but No Tanks You'll despise them by the end of the game, but tanks are both Finest Hour’s preferred mode of transportation and its most fearsome weapon. Why the hatred? Well, you try maneuvering a huge, lumbering Sherman while simultaneously aiming its main gun turret—it’s a lot to process at once, and the ropy controls aren’t quite up to the task, a lot of scripted moments that somewhat restrict the player’s freedom, they should be damn good. So while | occasionally felt strapped into my seat, seeing the massive explosions, waves of patriots attacking each other, and the sky filling with ash and flame usually made up for it. Even though gameplay is pretty much the opposite of innovation (with the exception of the multiple characters, and more chances to drive a tank compared to the PC version), the presentation is second to none. s& THE VERDICTS (OUTOF10 KEVIN Publisher: Activision Developer: Spark Unlimited Players: 1 (PS2, XB 2-16 online) ESRB: Teen JOSH SCOOTER www.callofduty.com ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com © 125 reVIeEWW Creu: multiplatform Nothing’s more satisfying than launching enemies into traps. Unfortunately, such opportunities are rare. @ PS2/XB/GC Goodnight, sweet prince CRISPIN: Looks like someone’s got a case of the Mondays. Warrior Within's scruffy, scowling titular hero just isn’t the same happy-go-wall-hopping guy you remember from EGM’s 2003 Game of the Year, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. And his gloomy mood is just one of several new direc- tions for this solid sequel, %s which ramps up the combat, opens up the world, and intro- duces a mammoth single-minded pursuer who busts through walls like Resident Evil's Nemesis meets the Kool-Aid Man, with a dash of Lord of the Rings’ Balrog. Called the Dahaka, this unstoppable force of fate is the best—and most terrifying—thing the sequel has going for it (see sidebar). But fans of the last game will be glad to know that the lev- els, traps, and puzzles are once again master- pieces of design. As before, the real thrill here comes from scoping out the environments, then reckoning how to get from A to B using the spry Prince's greatest-of-ease acrobatics. And the environments themselves are absolutely lush and atmospheric. That's a good thing, because you'll be revisiting them a lot. Warrior Within features magic portals that zip you betwixt past and present (a time-trip- ping mechanic that fuels a head-spinning story packed with scenarios right out of Back to the Future). \t makes for much backtracking through already visited levels. Even worse, the overworld When Dahakas Attack Think the Resident Evil and Silent Hill creep-a- thons have desensitized you to fear in videogames? Wait’ll you face Warrior Within’s Dahaka, a towering, tendrilled monstrosity who’s out to squash the Prince for futzing with the time- line in the last game. When the Dahaka bursts onto the screen, it’s time to move! You must scamper along walls, past traps, and over chasms as fast as you can without the usual luxury of eyeballing the way ahead. Suddenly, you're rely- ing on instinct and twitch reflexes—an intensely fun new way to play Prince of Persia. When the graphics turn monochrome, you know the Dahaka’s on your tail. Now run before he devours you! Good: Great puzzles, terrifying Dahaka! Bad: Too much backtracking, weak bosses, cheesy music Prince of...Pittsburgh? Your accent often slips into American CRISPIN G. FORD ie) ¢ ELECTRONIC Gy .1UP.com PRINCE OF PERSIA: WARRIOR WITHIN + map is hard to read—it’s like using an oil painting to navigate an alien city—so it’s easy to wander in the wrong direction. My other quibbles are more a matter of taste. If you were OK with the combat in the last game, you'll appreciate Warrior Within’s finessed, free- form swordplay. Otherwise, the frequent encoun- ters will turn you off. Oh, and about the Prince’s dismal mood—it permeates every polygon of this sequel, to the point where | was like, “All right, | get it already.” You'll battle slutty dominatrices who look like Mortal Kombat rejects while the soundtrack cycles cheesy garage-band guitar riffs at max distortion. It saps some of the series’ elegance—but I'll still be first in line for the next sequel. G. FORD: After gleefully running up walls like a certified madman in last year’s Sands, | under- 1 Few women can wear skin-tight platemail, but on miniboss Shahdee here, it works. Rapid-tap attack to gain the advantage when you lock blades with her. Players: 1 ESRB: Mature Developer: Ubisoft JENNIFER www.princeofpersiagame.com eae i Delay of Game Once again, the Prince can use his time powers to redo unsightly missteps, but he’s also mastered several new clock- blocking moves. The most useful two: Slowing Time CB The enemies slow to a crawl but— unlike in the last game—the Prince Moves at normal speed. The power’s ‘superhandy when you face traps too Zippy to avoid in real time. Hack and dash: The Prince can now attack while running along walls—but success takes perfect timing. Going Hyper The Prince launches into a frenetic dance of blurring blades that purees foes and turns the screen red. It’s most useful at the end of the game, when you're tired of combat and have nearly limitless use of your time powers. standably had high expectations for Warri excellent game, and you should buy it with the nice and sharp. These little design changes freed Good Times: Within. And though it’s a spectacular game, it’s expectation that you are getting one of the year’s me up to soak in the gorgeous scenery and really Only on Xbox missing some of the magic and balance of last best action games. The level design is once again _enjoy just playing. The Xbox ver- year’s instant classic. exemplary, and the environmental puzzles would In my book, seamlessly controlling the gymnas- The first culprit is the beefed-up combat—the make even ol’ Indiana Jones blush. Those tic Prince through elaborate puzzles constitutes Within offers an overabundance of combos and tough enemies expecting something that tops Sands’ perfectly platforming at its best: The challenge is in discov- exclusive online makes fighting almost too involved and seems balanced gameplay and solid story, however, may ering what the correct jump is, not in actually mode in the like an overreaction to minor complaints from last be underwhelmed. making the jump. For me, that’s infinitely more form of combat year, Whereas Sands’ combat was like an elegant satisfying. (And if you like exploring Prince's envi- and obstacle yet deadly dance that offered players an enter- JENNIFER: | didn’t review last year’s Prince, so ronments and puzzles more than beating down the course time tri- taining breather after they ran a gamut of envi- lemme lay it out right now—I thought it was a bit many bad guys, you'll probably have more fun on ronmental puzzles, now it feels like you're repeat- overrated. The prohibitively frustrating and repeti- the Easy difficulty setting.) So why isn’t my score edly being thrown into a brutal boot camp, which tive combat and poorly spaced save points really higher, even though—unlike Crispin and G. Ford— goes against the series’ puzzle-based nature and turned me off, but Warrior Within fixes both prob- | like this Prince better than the last? Sometimes often proves frustrating. Also, as interesting as the —_ lems. Almost every time | swung, wall-ran, or that discovery process can be way too circuitous. game’s time-jumping aspect is, it’s hurt by the shimmied past a difficult section, | found life-giv- Take the wrong turn and you'll wander and wan- convoluted story and the sometimes confusing ing water and handy saves right where | wanted der, completely unaware that you're totally barking sion of Warrior als. In Arena Combat, you whale on three waves of ene- mies, then see how your com- pletion time progression and backtracking. them. Plus, the much-needed addition of acombo _up the wrong tree, ledge, or seemingly smooth ranks on the Make no mistake, though. Warrior Within is an list definitely helped me keep my combat skills wall. Still, this is one worth solving. #& leaderboard. In the time trial, you zip through a section of the game’s hardest level, trying for a record run (using your time-rewind powers to undo mistakes actu- ally penalizes you). Both modes are fun, but you only get one level for each, with just two addi- tional maps planned as a later download. Now how do | get up there? It’s not as easy as it looks—and therein lies the fun. Some of the Prince’s most powerul time attacks take too long to pull off. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com © 127 review crew: multiplatform PS2/XB On the bubble Bad: Audio is all jacked BRYAN: Last season’s game had two big problems: It neither played nor felt like college basketball (big problems indeed) Now, after a year of practice, ESPN College Hoops 2K5 displays flashes of greatness but still comes up short. 2K5 has its ups and downs in several areas. On the hardwood, squads finally apply pressure and double-team realisti- cally, but cross half-court and players tend to stand around and watch the man with the rock (college basketball is all about fostering teamwork, not 1-on-1 play). The developers tried to inject a livelier campus atmosphere via the audio, yet the result is out-of-sync cheers that sound like a handful of coeds screaming in an empty gymnasium—not good. And forget about the commentary; these guys lack Dick Vitale-esque enthusiasm and keep yapping long after the play. Thankfully, legacy mode has improved, as its innovative recruiting system returns with a streamlined inter- face, and now you're treated to video highlights through a virtual ESPN.com. Too bad much of 2K5’s on-court action isn’t as appealing as this fleshed-out game mode.... THE VERDICTS (OUT OF. BRYAN PATRICK ESPN COLLEGE HOOPS 2K5 Good: 2K5’s graphics dominate the competition Sleeping Aid: Listening to the commentary 6.0 7.5 8.0 @nNune (PS2/XB) PATRICK: Using the same game engine as its NBA counterpart, 2K5 plays better than it did a year ago, in part because the A.l. is way smarter. Computer-controlled coaches will substi- tute to ensure you have no matchup advantages; players dish to the open perimeter shooter on the break and switch between man and zone D. Impressive. The revamped legacy mode now lasts 40 years (if you want it to) and focuses on daily and weekly tasks in preparation for games. That oughta keep you busy until the Final Four. DAN L: College Hoops 2K5 may not have the cool, polished menu icons and slick bonus areas that March Madness has, but there is definitely enough gameplay here to satisfy most basketball fans (with the possible exception of Bryan). 2K5 has too many recruiting, coaching, scheduling, and training options to men- tion, but if you like your plate full this’Il keep you busy. Gameplay-wise, new con- trol tweaks make special moves a bit more realistic, and teams play according to their style. Wisconsin’s plodding and suffocating D? It’s there. Developer: ESPN Videogames Players: PS2 1-2 (3-10 w/Multitap, 2-10 online), XB 1-4 (2-8 online) ESRB: Everyone www.espnvideogames.com Publisher: ESPN Videogames: DAN L. 128 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com PS2/XB NCAAMARCH ™ MADNESS 2005 A bona fide blue-chipper s Utilize a'team’s playbook '* ar and you’ll surely make it to the big dance—sorry, we lapsed into sporto talk again. Good: Effective play-calling system Bad: Graphics still need work Try: Re-creating college basketball history Few sporting events are more exciting (or spawn more office betting pools) than the three weeks in the spring when 65 universities battle for the college roundball crown. It’s called March Madness, and NCAA March Madness 2005 lives up to the name with its spot-on por- trayal—from gameplay to atmosphere— of the intercollegiate hardwood. The quick-thinking A.. forces you to contend with full-court presses and traps, plus you'll really feel in command of the court thanks to the all-new and surprisingly simple play-calling system. The game’s ambience is also scholar- ship worthy; players slap the floor Duke Style to pump up the crowd, the student body chants so loud that the screen actu- ally shakes when visiting squads step up to the free-throw line, and in his own words, Dick Vitale’s commentary is “awe- some, baby.” EA has also tossed in one very sweet extra: the ability to re-create some of the finest moments in college basketball, like Villanova’s miracle win over G-town in the 1985 title game. Now next season, how ‘bout taking the much- needed step of prettying up those visuals? From arena ambience (think the Dean Dome or Phog Allen Fieldhouse) to deciphering whether or not the opposition has thrown a different defensive set your way, March Madness just feels like college ball. Play-calling on the fly is easy to pick up, and the overhauled recruiting system adds boosters and family members to deal with, so look out for violations. Time-outs are kind of funky now, as you only have 30 seconds to sub and call a play, making those stressful situations down the stretch even more nail-biting. The Cameron Crazies at Duke. The Pit. The Carrier Dome. All legendary venues in college basketball, and thanks to EA Sports, some of the more entertain- ing places to visit when playing Madness. Grafting the Arena Pulse feature from NCAA Football was one solid move by the EA hoops team. Installing an all-new “floor general” feature that lets you direct plays with an intuitive HUD during gameplay was another. From the songs done by college marching bands to the robust recruiting system, the game bleeds college feel and delivers solid gameplay. THE VERDICTS (OUTOF 10) o on o BRYAN PATRICK DAN L. Developer: EA Canada Players: PS2 1-2 (3-8 w/Multitap, 2-10 online), XB 1-4 (2 online) ESRB: Everyone | Publisher: EA Sports www.easports.com VIDEO: YES. GAME: NO. \7 @ <39 U.S. AIR FORCE CROSS INTO THE BLUE Phantom opponents are one thing, but being matched against a real adversary brings new meaning to the term game over.” Andittakes a completely new set of skills to play for real. In the United States Air Force, you re not just a player but a relevant, contributing part of the most highly advanced military on the planet. Which is why we seek those with the talent to win and the intelligence to win under pressure. Call 1-800-423-USAF or log on to AIRFORCE.COM and find out what we can do to help your game. And what you can do to help ours. guards gush a font “of blue sparks when perforated by a hail of bullets. That's Teen rating for ya. Eira GC | know why Electronic Arts decided to resurrect the GoldenEye name—that's . easy: great stacks of cash, certainly more than enough to bathe in, But how can a new GoldenEye, not even starring James Bond, possibly live up to GoldenEye 007, the Rare-developed Nintendo 64 insta-classic that was one of the very best games of its time? Well, obviously it can’t, but Rogue Agent does a good enough job re-creating the gameplay feel of the original that GoldenEye fanboys can now officially stop resenting its existence. This time you are GoldenEye, a turn- coat MI6 agent who's joined up with the bad guys (Scaramanga, Goldfinger, etc.), who waste so much energy fighting amongst themselves it’s a wonder RIEL ECTRO! 7 INTHLY © www.1UP.com . GOLDENEYE: ROGUE AGENT This agent works alone @Nune {PS2KB ONLY) they have a spare moment to build weather-con- trol machines and laser torture devices. The sparse story isn’t even worth recapping—the important thing is that there are eight increasingly long and difficult missions, and only a whole lot of bullets are going to make things right. Forget about puzzles. Rogue Agent is all about taking on a room packed with enemies, ducking from cover to cover, and constantly picking up new weaponry (although the amount of ordnance you happen upon does get a bit ridiculous—peo- ple really shouldn’t leave so many rocket launch- ers lying around). The constant running, gunning, and weapon juggling really does feel a lot like GoldenEye 007...but in trying so hard to capture the first game’s aesthetic, Rogue Agent also ends up seeming a little dated. It’s just lame when knee-high rubble blocks a possible path because you, a near-invincible secret agent, don’t even have the ability to jump—an even more glaring omission in multiplayer. Rogue Agent's new GoldenEye powers (see sidebar) do add some much-needed depth and strategy, however, and your A.I. enemies are crafty enough to keep you on your toes; they'll wait for you to reload before breaking cover and trying to rush you. Even with off- and online mul- tiplayer, though, Rogue Agent isn’t quite the killer app that GoldenEye 007 was. Driving a tank in a videogame is cool— except when that tank’s a human character in a first-person shooter. Rogue Agent puts you in the shoes of the stiffest, least nimble spy in town. In single player, it’s tolerable because you can’t be Rambo-charging into hostile areas all the time anyway. But multiplayer is more frantic and not conducive to rigid, robotic movements. Rogue THE VERDICTS (QUTOF 10) DEMIAN SHOE Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA Los Angeles Players: PS2 1-2 (3-4 w/Multitap, 2-8 online), XB 1-4 (2-8 online), GC 1-4 ESRB: Teen www.ea.com Agent will bring back some of the multiplayer glory that was GoldenEye 007 for GameCubers, but if you’re digging on Halo 2 right now, this game won't feel right physicswise. Online, multiplayer takes more hits. Only eight players? You can’t pick which team you’re on? The hosting server has to quit and dump everyone to start a new mode? Wha-? What is this, the 1990s? Zing! Rogue Agent does do a lot of things extremely well, though. The enemies are realistic, ducking in and out of cover, constantly moving, even updating each other on what you're doing (“He's behind the bar!”—brilliant). The GoldenEye pow- ers add a great twist, too, though in multiplayer, you'll probably just stick with the shield ability most of the time until you become an advanced ass kicker. I'd still recommend Rogue Agent—it has lots of flaws but offers plenty new. MARK: With so many of the same enemies pack- ing its long levels, not to mention a lackluster story and so-so graphics, this new GoldenEye could have easily ended up as forgettable as George Lazenby. (He played Bond in 1969’s On Her Majesty's Secret Service...get my point?) But with single player, at least, Rogue Agent delivers: bad guys smart enough to duck for cover, charge, and retreat; traps worked into the levels that you can spring upon unsuspecting victims; satisfying weapons (with only a couple duds); and most of all, the interesting powers you eventually possess in your golden eye. Using them to activate switch- es remotely, see through walls, or toss guys around like Darth Vader on a bad day gives Rogue Agent a unique twist that stays interesting through the whole game. Of course, the most memorable aspect of the N64’s GoldenEye was its robust multiplayer What's the Diff? Aside from online multiplayer support (including voice chat) for the PS2 and Xbox Rogue Agents, there’s little differ- ence between the three versions. The graphics are only very slightly better on GameCube and Xbox, and though the Xbox’s default control layout is awful, switch to the “Precision V2” setting and it’s perfectly fine. game, which is ironically the low point of Rogue Agent. An eight-play- er limit, bad maps mostly repurposed from the cam- paign mode, and an inexcusable lack of options (the inability to pi which team you're on is particularly baffling) ensures that this new game will not be looked back upon except as a disappointment. A pity too, since the tug of war mode, level traps, and rock-paper-scissors balance between the different eye powers definitely held some promise. # The Man With the Golden Eye No, you didn’t lose your eye in an unfortunate rubber-band shooting accident in superspy = ~~ elementary school—Dr. Pal No plucked it out, that so-and-so. But then your pal Scaramanga installed a golden mechanical eye, which turns out to be really quite handy. Scaramanga upgrades your eye with special powers as you progress through the game. He’s such a dear! Your first GoldenEye ability lets you see through walls and spot lurking enemies. Good for planning your next barrage of bullets, but even better when you get the mag-rail gun, which can blast through walls and one- shot the bad guys. Enemies with shields will be invisible, though—something to keep in mind for multiplayer battles. Vi Hacks Use the hack to acti- vate switches from afar and reprogram turrets to shoot everyone but you. Or get an enemy in your crosshairs and hack him—his weapons will malfunction temporarily. In mul- tiplayer, use the hack when your foe has serious firepower, like a rocket launcher or Predator minigun. Won't work if he’s shielded, though. Magi ty Shield: The third power you get is a life- saver. Activate the shield and you won't take damage, although it drains more quickly as you take hits. Melee-attack a foe with your shield up and you'll focus the rest of your GoldenEye energy into the blow for an easy kill. In multi, you can't trigger the shield unless your energy stores are full. ulse: In single player, this energy-hogging power will allow you to knock an enemy back- ward or throw him to the side with the control stick, usually killing him outright. In multi, you get the EMP pulse instead, which will briefly freeze your foe in place—and it’s the only power that will still work against a shielded opponent. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY ¢ www.1UP.com ¢ 131 reVIeELW Crew: \/ps2 Good: Gets its looks and soundtrack from the movie Bad: Levels drag, fighting is repetitive—it just isn’t fun This Is a Job For: Captain Generic and Elasti-Pup Early in the game, you play as Mr. Incredible in his young, fit, pre-Cialis days. ™ PS2/XB/GC. THE INCREDIBLES Superheroes down on their L ™ As mud cakes on the gals’ bodies in Mad Mud mode (right), they start to look kinda...naked. @ PlayStation 2 RUMBLE ROSES Battle, my sluts! 01:22] Reiko Hinomot( bates 4 () = E4 - a JUSTIN: It must be demoralizing for super- heroes fresh from starring in a blockbuster movie to be forced into a role like this. Most of the script is just running around boring levels and beating up dozens of brain-dead bad guys. Flipping switches, swinging from poles, running trial-and-error obstacle courses...couldn’t they get some kind of furry mammal to do this crap? The Incredibles game had some great material to work with, but the energy and humor that really made the movie great just isn’t there—out-of-context voice clips and poorly connected cut-scenes certainly don’t add anything. Each family member does get to do different things, but they’re about as fun as they are super. Mr. Incredible’s super strength and Mrs. Incredible’s stretchy limbs work against bad guys, but they're powerless when sluggish controls team up with annoying, timed puzzles. At least young Dash does OK with his racing missions, but tween sister’s inviso-sneaking is more awkward than puberty. Forget incredible—even big fans of the movie will find this game underwhelming (well, except Dana). 5.56.5 JUSTIN JOSH THE VERDICTS Good: Damn, these girls look fine Bad: Limited options, few stages 70 JOSH: | was expecting a slapped together cash-in, but /ncredibles shines with surprising polish. The graphics and animation are smooth and closely replicate the style of the film. The game manages to be reasonably entertaining, and multiple characters provide welcome variety from the bad-guy punching and switch flipping that comprises the majority of the game. The steep difficulty and cheap deaths, how- ever, mean that kids are going to be crying to mama when the unforgiving platforming and infuriating boss (who you have to fight twice!) tans their hides. OFFICIAL PS MAG—DANA: It’s tough to compete with a film as good looking as The Incredibles, but this game puts up a valiant effort. The four playable characters provide a good range of gameplay, and their differ- ent styles lend themselves well to the var- ied missions. Game mechanics could be better (I died more often from a clumsy jump maneuver than | did from enemies), and some sections get tedious. However, the game still provides all-around fun for the whole family—never mind the haters. Hy Publisher: THQ Developer: Heavy Iron Players: 1 ESRB: Teen DANA www.thg.com Ugly: Aigle’s totally unsexy caveman voice SHANE: If you're old enough to remember the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (aka GLOW), you understand the appeal of lovely females pulling one another’s hair, wrap- ping their bodies into contorted pretzel shapes, and acting out amazingly campy scenarios. The modern-day WWE divas come off as dull in comparison. Sure, they're cute, but their tepid catfighting and plain Jane story lines just don’t go far enough into the realm of the absurd. Enter Rumble Roses, an all-female wrassler with some of the sexiest, craziest grapplers the world has ever seen. From a stern school- marm hot on the trail of truant students to a diabolical, drug-dealing lesbian nurse harvesting body parts from opponents to complete her ultimate wrestling robot, these characters do not disappoint. Roses’ gameplay doesn’t differ too much from that of the PS2 WWE titles, so expect a similar set of branching grapples, over- powered supermoves, and submission techniques. You won't find quite as many options, here, though—story mode, exhibi- tion fights, and down ’n’ dirty mud matches are all you have to choose from. Still, (QUTOF 10) THE VERDICTS SHANE BRYAN Rumble Roses’ visual assets and creativity make it endearing. BRYAN: Playing Rumble Roses is a lot like going to a strip club (or...uh, so I've been told)—there are many pretty women to ogle and their moves dazzle, but you may leave wishing you had seen more. This grappler just doesn’t offer enough match types or the robust story mode that wrestling fans have come to expect. And it’s a shame because the action inside the ring is on par with SmackDown!, not to mention these gorgeous gals would wipe the mat with the WWE divas. : Finally, a game that embraces the inherent homoeroticism of pro wrestling. Scantily clad women entwine in exotic sub- mission holds while standard grappling moves come with some extra spice. The game looks good and the animation is as smooth as each wrestler’s flawless skin, but once the novelty of chicks whaling on each other wears off, there’s not much else to do. With so many erotic fantasies being fulfilled, why no triple-threat bouts? Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Tokyo/Yuke’s Players: 1-2 ESRB: Mature JOSH www.konami.com MATURE 17+ lo Blood Violence Strong Language V4) reVIeEW CreLU: playstation 2 “Wise DAVIS 1 BAKER? ® # 6 RUTTER. SS F RAO PlayStation 2 Playing in the dirt Good: Fun online experience Bad: Superfluous customizations PATRICK: Warning: ATV Offroad Fury 3 may cause motion sickness...but | mean that in the best possible way. The series matures with ATV3, thanks in part to improved physics, and you can really feel a sense of speed as you whip around a corner and launch off a huge jump. While the gameplay hasn’t changed drastically, you can now hold R1 ina sharp bend and your ATV will settle into a nice drift—I’m sure it’s not terribly real- istic, but hey, it is fun. And you'll find realism elsewhere, like in your garage, where you'll have a ton of customization options—almost too many. The game's tracks are much more diverse too, rang- ing from sprawling countryside areas and canyon tracks to more conventional courses. There’s even a free ride mode in case you just want to mess around and explore. Online play expands to a max of six players (up from four in ATV2) and offers all six race types available in the single-player game, which is nice. SHANE: Like its two predecessors, ATV3 expertly captures the crucial body-weight physics of the sport, but this installment THE VERDICTS (OUTOF 10) PATRICK SHANE P-Funk All-Star Bootsy Collins wrote an original song for ATV3. Hey, work is work. Thanks: Not as many instant deaths as in previous ATV's 8.5 75 6.5 ATV OFFROAD FURY 3 breaks from tradition with arcadey powersliding and more fanciful level design. Diehards may call foul, but the looser grip on reality really ups the fun quotient. Likewise, the online play receives some successful TLC, with more simultaneous racers, race modes, and goofball minigames (like hockey and bas- ketball) than A7V2. More attention should have gone to the graphics, though: Muddy visuals and questionable rag-doll rider physics don’t impress. ROBERT: Red state or blue, jumping vehi- cles off dirt piles appeals universally. ATV3 does it with four wheels, a little finesse, and a lot of patience. Winning isn’t easy, and you'll be desperate for part upgrades before you can afford them. I’m not a fan of the trick system, which (besides featuring the goofiest moves ever) doesn’t allow you to load a trick while another is being performed, making combos difficult. If you get frustrated, laugh at Bootsy Collins’ ATV3 theme song: “{ come with my own independent rear suspension. My wheels in the back don’t even relate to each other.” Funky. ESRB: Everyone ROBERT www.us.playstation.com 134 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY © www.1UP.com MEGA MAN X8 Times they aren't a-changin’ Good: Classic Mega Man X gameplay Bad: Any movement that involves more than two dimensions Better Boss Than X7’s Tornado Tonion: Bamboo Pandamonium It's official, there are now as many Mega Man X games as there are titles in the original Mega Man series. Axl and Zero have joined the fight, and you can switch characters at will, but the same Classic gameplay from 15 games ago remains intact. Some may complain that Mega Man needs to evolve—these people are tired of the jumping and shooting, the Brady Bunch boss selection, and of course, the crushing difficulty. Well, | say screw them. I've always loved the Mega Man formula, and like my stuck-in-his-ways granpappy always says—change is bad. | can stom- ach the new 3D graphics because most of the levels play exactly like they’re 2D, but the game suffers when it tries to take advantage of the superfluous dimension, much like it did in X7. The 3D-shooter por- tions are boring, frustrating, and flat-out ugly. Thankfully, the remaining areas have degrees in kicking-your-ass from straight out of the old school, though some sec- tions require more memorization than skill. X8’s fun, but X needs to stick with straight 2D in the inevitable ninth iteration. For some reason, Capcom decided we needed to see another Mega Man X game even after the mess that was 7. Fortunately, it’s given us something a little more enjoyable this time. The last game’s horrible 3D stages are now less frequent, and the bosses have graduated from embarrassing to forgettable. It's the solid side-scrolling stages that really give the game its legs, though, thanks to a few standout levels. X8 may not be the series’ high point, but it’s good to see it crawl back up to respectability. This is the first Mega Man X game worth buying in years. I’m happy to report that the developers have thrown out just about every rotten idea that made X7 so awful. X8 hews much Closer to the original formula, but still has a few new touches and clever ideas. The three characters are nice and different, too. Although it’s quite short, X8 encour- ages replay—| even got that old-tyme action game Zen going. Hell, X8 is even good enough to appeal to people who don't write naughty X/Zero fan fiction. The double-team move results in flashy effects and massive damage. (OUT OF 10) JOSH G. FORD | THE VERDICTS CHRISTIAN Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Players: 1 ESRB: Everyone www.capcom.com pse/xb Good: Easy to pick up, several fun games Bad: Incredibly shallow, many games unresponsive Tiffany punches a zombie...they hate that! PlayStation 2 SEGA SUPERSTARS Warning: This game forces you to move 2s a Fun Tron fact: The film’s score was written by Moog maestro Wendy (formerly Walter) Carlos. Cy «= TRON 2.0: KILLER APP Information technology can be fun! Stupidly Fun: Pimp-slapping Virtua Fighter’s Akira to death JOSH: No matter how | control it, | just can’t get behind a collection of lame minigames. Superstars features 12 games based loosely on Sega classics like Sonic and NiGHTS. Some games accurately mimic the titles on which they're based, but others—like the Crazy Taxi minigame, in which you flail around and scream in order to hail a cab—don't even come close. Regardless of its faithfulness to the source material, Superstars would be only moderately entertaining if it controlled per- fectly. It doesn’t. While minigame versions of Puyo Puyo and Virtua Striker were responsive and fun, others had me cursing a blue streak at my TV and making many an obscene gesture (although | did manage to hail five cabs as a result). Superstars is single player only, but it’s obviously meant to be played with people not otherwise inclined to game. It’s the kind of title you'd make your mom play to show her that not all videogames involve stabbing hookers. JENNIFER: If you hate silly games, physical activity, or...fun (as Josh and Robert seem to), just stop reading here. |, however, THE VERDICTS JOSH JENNIFER Good: Looks like no game before it Bad: Otherwise it’s just another shooter It’s Not a Door Key; It’s a “permission” Just like the original PC game, Tron 2.0: Killer App lives and dies by its inge- nious world view. The visuals, which copy the 1982 film’s black-light disco inferno look to a tee, are surreally compelling— everything’s in glowworm primary colors, and the game never fails to throw some more visual dazzle at you just when you’re getting bored. The rest of Killer App, unfortunately, isn’t quite up to the same standard. Get past all the computer jargon (your sniper rifle is amusingly called the “LOL” gun), and you have a pretty typical first-person shooter. It'does have a good story (pretty rare for an FPS), but, alas, it’s still marred by choppy graphics and frequent breaks for loading. Things take a turn for the worse with multiplayer—the lightcycle combat gets boring quick, and the death- match levels are mostly wide open, trans- forming every Xbox Live match into a huge shootout in the center of the map. If you’re into the subject matter, though (and who isn’t into ’80s sci-fi films, really?), the visuals and story elements still make Killer App worth a purchase. 5.0 75 aS enjoyed these Sega clas- sics—they represent the continuing trend of EyeToy games from “harmlessly goofy” to “possibly legit.” Virtua Fighter, for exam- ple, offers up enemies that hit you back and counterattack. Monkey Ball requires not just the typical (and ever-amusing) arm flailing, but also a definite understanding of the physics of things. You'll need a variety of skills to succeed, and some stuff is really hard. But you ain’t gonna burn all those holiday calories playing Metal Gear... ROBERT: If these games were played ina mix instead of divided into separate menus with separate options (and most annoying- ly, separate camera positions), Sega Superstars would have been a lot more fun. Unfortunately, you'll play half the games once and never touch them again—assum- ing you manage to last through a single round of Crazy Taxi’s yell-fest or Billy Hatcher's painful yoga torture. The Space Channel 5 game is ace, though, and | think a full version of EyeToy Monkey Ball could be really great if Sega worked out more precise control. Eh, maybe next time. Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team Players: 1 ESRB: Teen ROBERT www.segasuperstars.com A key is a key. No Z| matter what kind of engineering textbook terms Tron throws at you, it’s a game mostly about finding keys, finding key- holes, and killing bad guys. Along the way, you do some mostly annoying platforming, a little mostly fun (though maybe I’m the only one who thought so) lightcycle racing, and lots of mostly boring wandering around. | admire the bold art direction— all neon tubes on velvet walls—glow-stick hallucination effects, and sounds copped from Space Invaders, but why are the lev- els so short and the loads so long? Despite losing a little bit of graphi- cal detail, this Xbox reimagining of the PC Tron 2.0 is pretty well done. It puts an interesting spin on typical first-person shooter combat; your primary disc weapon is essentially a single-shot gun that allows for very precise control once you get used to it. But the game isn’t without its weak- nesses—lightcycles, in particular, aren't much more tolerable here than they were in the PC version. Definitely worth a look if you never played the original. Publisher: Buena Vista B. Developer: Climax 3 Players: 1 (2-16 online or § system link) we e bed bd ESRB: Teen i KEVIN ROBERT NICH www.tronkillerapp.com ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com ¢ 135 © One area where your teatfi- mates really come in hangly is) taking out enemy vehicles. _/ a "Enemies usually pour out of the same spot all at once, like ants. Stupid ants. GHOST Standard issue With an entire battalion of military-themed shooters in stores these days, it’s hard to find any- thing about Ghost Recon 2 that really stands out. Of course, as far as Recon fans are concerned, the sequel will seem radically different, especially the shift from first-person to an over-the-shoulder view. The new camera (you can still switch to first- person if you like) and de-emphasis on tactics are good moves for the series. They give Recon 2a look and feel more like the PS2’s SOCOM—fast action, but with a slight strategic twist as you issue simple orders to your troops (take out enemy armor, flank left or right, man a gun placement, etc.) on the fly. And yet, despite a variety of mis- sion objectives, the game begins to feel repetitive near the middle of the relatively short single- player campaign. The fact that enemies spring forth in packs doesn’t help, and the inconsistent A.l. and save-anywhere system have you wasting far too much time saving and loading. But the first Recon earned its stripes online, and ECON the sequel definitely holds its own there. Packed with game types and maps, it includes an array of co-op modes and territory-control variations. But again, there’s nothing in particular that demands to be played or can’t be found elsewhere. | might’ve had a better time with this game if my Ghost squadmates were actually ghosts. These stupid soldiers love walking in front of my sights. Bang! Oops, sorry about that, buddy. Let me reload my last save. The bad guys aren’t any brainier. They'll sit out in the wide open, or they'll just rush me head on, happy to be mowed down one by one. But they overcompensate for that air- headedness with unfair, uncanny perception—the kind of perception that can see me through things I'd normally consider opaque (like walls) or from a mile away, through thick foliage. Bang! | don’t know how that shot got to me, but the damn cheatin’ A.I. has gone and killed me again. At least multiplayer is fun, the levels are well Recon on Recon designed, and you can save anytime, anywhere you want, which is a real lifesaver. When the original Recon was released, Xbox Live was still a fledgling service with almost nothing you could consider a “killer app.” But it was Recon that showed us the poten- tial by letting us slither (and snipe) through the great outdoors with fellow gamers online. Now, two years later, Recon’s sequel is disap- pointingly more of the same—never mind the over- the-shoulder view. Gorgeous graphics and detailed character models do nothing to offset the fact that the game lacks decent A.I. for both friendlies and enemies. As it is, your tour of duty in North Korea is more like a stroll through a communist shooting gallery full of paper tigers. Unsurprisingly, it’s the multiplayer that carries Recon 2. Unlike most of the online shooters on Xbox Live, this game is slower and more deliberately paced—a rhythm favored by snipers and campers alike, #& We couldn’t get copies of the PS2 or Cube versions of Recon 2 in time for review, but don’t assume that this review will apply to the other consoles. Ubisoft is making a second version of the game for Sony and Nintendo's sys- tems, set four years before the Xbox game, with all new cut-scenes and levels. PS2 Recon 2 should be out now, with the Cube version due in February. Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Red Storm Players: 1-4 (2-16 online, 2-8 system link) ESRB: Teen THE VERDICTS (OUTOF 10) www.ghostrecon-2.com 136 » ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY © www.1UP.com TS 2 OO 3 See BLINX 2: MASTERS OF TIME & SPACE Household animals cooperate for the greater good Good: Fun platforming gimmicks Bad: Pretty boring in spots False Advertising: Blinx himself only has a walk-on role KEVIN: Ever since my torrid love affair with Whiplash (PS2/XB) in 2003, I've had arep around the EGM offices as a sucker for cutesy platformers starring furry ani- mals. Still, Blinx 2 deserves some truly honest praise. The original was an infa- mous flop, but the sequel is unexpectedly well crafted, nicely executed, and fun. Although the idea’s the same—time- traveling cats meddle with the fabric of the universe to solve switch-and-lever puzzles—it’s much less stressful on your mind. There’s no arbitrary time limit, and you're free to mess around with your slow-motion and fast-forward powers virtually uninhibited. The stages them- selves are much better designed, and the puzzles, while never tricky (you get tons of hints), are still surprisingly engaging. Blinx 2 only falters when it wanders away from time control. Half the stages have you playing as the pigs of the evil Tom Tom Gang, whose missions (mostly involving poorly thought-out stealth) aren’t nearly as interesting as the cats’. Still, even at its worst, Blinx 2is more than playable enough to satisfy the Halo squadron’s secret fuzzy-wuzzy desires. THE VERDICTS (QUTOF 10) Way JOSH JOSH: After creating Blinx, it seems the developers decided it would just be better to let someone else design their lead protagonist. You create your own cat (and pig) character and tackle frequently generic challenges; although Blinx 2 does occasionally have clever puzzles, they're repeated so frequently that you forget why you thought they were cool. The other half of the game has you playing as pigs, with their frustrating Stealth missions instead of fun time- control powers. Maybe next time, Blinx. And Kevin, your lover reputation endures. XBN—GREG: Blinx the time-sweeping cat narrowly escaped the pound after his first tedious go-round on Xbox. But he returns with some new tricks, and the feline’s sophomore effort almost soars. Players unravel a grand plot one chunk at a time, with varied platforming, stealth, combat, and puzzles serving as fine distractions. Yet the game's gimmicks only hold up for so long; after the fifth or so collapsed structure that needs rebuilding by rewind- ing the clock, it’s about time to consider starting a nice stamp collection. Players: 1-4 ESRB: Everyone www.xbox.com DEAD OR ALIVE ULTIMATE May the breast man Live _——,, a ek Good: Superb environments, online play is fun when it works Bad: Lag rears its ugly head, where are the new online modes? Bouncy: Those angular DOA jugs still look as ridiculous as ever While fighting games seem perfect for online competition, they rely so heavily upon millisecond timing that any lag whatsoever can prove disastrous. DOA series creator Tomonobu Itagaki is clearly a gambling man, but no amount of audaci- ty can overcome a random hiccup on the Internet just as you begin a combo. It's no deal-breaker, but DOA suffers from an intermittent case of the laggies. Ultimate repackages a graphically enhanced version of DOA2 with the (untouched) original DOA, launching them both onto Xbox Live. The revamped DOA2 sports even crisper graphics than DOA3 and a bevy of new stages. These provide what is arguably the most compelling part of the experience, offering up huge arenas and loads of environmental objects to smash your bikini-clad opponents into. Sadly, combat itself hasn’t changed sig- nificantly, meaning that DOA’s gameplay still sits notches below the genre’s heavy- weights—Sou! Calibur, Virtua Fighter, and Street Fighter. Battles lack the finesse of these counterparts, and online play cannot make up for the fact that button-mashing trumps skill more often than it should. Ina perfect world, all of our fighting games would feature hot chicks, deep yet accessible gameplay, plenty of unlockable items, and—most important of all—a comprehensive online mode that emulates the abusive ebb and flow of playing in an arcade. Luckily for Xbox owners, Ultimate delivers admirably on all of the above, save for one: the depth. The series excels in flashy, brutal melee that’s easy to pull off, but you never get the sense that the roster of characters is very balanced. Which is why, although it’s spectacular to look at and fun to play for short bursts of time, | never felt the urge to devote much time to mastering a game that rewards spastic button- mashing. Fun and very polished, but just not hardcore enough (for me). Developer Team Ninja’s built the perfect system for play- ing fighting games online—a versatile matchmaking interface, great spectator features, a tougher reversal system, and network performance that doesn’t get in the way of a competitive match. As for the fighting games you play with it, though—it's been a long wait for some- thing we first tried five years ago. At full price, this is a good buy for longtime fans who want online competition, but it’s not as exciting as an all-new game would be. = —" (OUTOF 10) THE VERDICTS Publisher: Tecmo Developer: Team Ninja Players: 1-2 (2 online) 8 ry . } ESRB: Mature www.tecmogames.com ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY ¢ www.1UP.com ¢ 137 Yoshi: egg-throwing menace to society. It’s-a hard to control! While playing Super Mario 64 DS, | realized it's still one of the best 3D action/platform games around. It's been so long since | played it on the Nintendo 64, I’d forgotten about its simple design, creative worlds, and amazingly addictive game- play that has you hunting for a seemingly infinite number of stars. All right, so a Nintendo game that’s stood the test of time...not a big revelation, | know, but it’s still enough to warrant a great review score today, even though Mario Ds disap- points on so many levels. First off, why not make this a completely brand-new game? | would’ve sold Mark’s firstborn for that. As Mario DS stands, it’s 90 percent the same game we played in ancient times, with brief flashes of fresh content, like the occasional new level or the stuff mentioned in the sidebar below. It’s hard to complain because we’ve seen Super Mario rereleases with even less added, but still, it’s my party and | can complain if | want to. Second, the analog control (with which you have What’s New in Mario’s World FRIENDS: You begin the game as so- cute-you-want squish-him Yoshi, then open up friends Wario, Mario, and Luigi, pictured here. Each has dif- ferent characteristics that help you get past different obstacles in the stages. 138 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com many degrees of precise control versus the on- off-ness of digital pads) was literally made for this game. The DS doesn’t have that stick, so you'll have little Marios, Yoshis, Luigis, and Warios falling off skinny platforms, jumping to their dooms, and missing crucial ledges all the time. But man, the game underneath the frustrating controls is still so damn good. Respect. The old guy’s still got it. Mario 64’s mix of ingenious puzzles, wildly differing levels, and straight-out platforming action holds up, even if the graphics and nonexistent plot seem dated. Unlike Shoe, | see this glass as half full: The alter- ations and additions provide the perfect excuse to replay this classic, However, | must agree that Mario 64’s biggest asset has become Mario DS’ biggest liability: This game has control issues. None of the different control options on the DS come close to providing the effortless precision the analog stick delivers. POWERS: The gang gets unique abilities when powered up, too. The same power- up block that lets Yoshi breathe fire will pump and plump up Mario so he floats through the air. This makes revisiting levels much more interesting. By the time you get to big Bowser here, you'll be used to the awkward controls. But then the game gets tougher, too. So you're still screwed. SUPER MARIO 64 DS - Asking to Get Beat Up You can play with the normal D-pad controls and look like any other gamer in the world. Or you can forgo them and wear the wrist strap that comes with the DS. It has a thumb pad that you fas- ten to your Fonzie finger for more precise move- ment on the touch screen. But then you look like a complete f'n knob. Also, outside of the occasionally entertaining Wario Ware-style micro minigames, Mario DS doesn’t make good use of the hardware’s unique features (the multiplayer mode is entirely forget- table, though it is cool you need only one cart to play). A must-have for any DS owner, but not the killer app you'd hope for from a Mario launch title. Over the years, every time | played Mario 64, it got better. In 1996 it was good. A year later it was better, and right after Mario Sunshine it was the perfect comedown. But it’s starting to show its age: The levels sometimes seem basic, and many tiny flaws remain. Sadly, Shoe and Mark are right about the control, which also hurts this version slightly. Fortunately, the new characters and areas are very cool, the touch-screen minigames are addic- tive time killers, and the multiplayer is...bearable. It’s also nice and long, making it a must-buy for travelers. Still a classic. (\VWINIGAMES: You start off with eight simple minigames right off the bat, then find tons more by using the different characters to catch elusive rabbits running around the castle. These won't make you burn your copies of Mario Party, but they do show off the DS’ touch screen rather well—except for one | ridiculous “game” where you pluck petals off a || flower in a “loves me/loves me not” fashion. THE VERDICTS (UTOF 10) SHOE Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Players: 1 (2-4 wireless LAN) ESRB: Everyone CHRISTIAN www.nintendo.com DANTE’S AWAKENING March 2005 devilmaycry.com RATING PENDING Visit www.esrb.org x ar) for updated rating a PlayStation Pd information. wa : ‘CONTENT RATED BY ESRB V4) reVIEW Crew: ds Stop it! As your friend, I demand you get out there and hook up with as many, boys as possible. Apocalypse in 3, 2, 1... feos SPRUNG Don't get too excited ms RIDGE RACER DS Keep your finger on the wheel Good: Six-way wireless multiplayer! . Bad: Blah graphics, typical Ridge Racer fantasyland handling Good: Smooth animation, some funny dialogue Bad: Trial-and-error gameplay No Reiko? AR’s signature race babe replaced by random hussy DEMIAN: Ridge Racer DS can do two very special things, one of which is awe- some and the other of which isn’t. The great bit is the six-player wireless races—only one person needs to have a Ridge Racer cart for everyone to play! That's so damn cool. And then the other, not-so-good thing is the (thankfully optional) touch screen steering control, where you use the sty- lus to rotate your steering wheel. It’s a perfectly good idea, but in practice it just doesn’t work too well, especially consid- ering the nature of Ridge Racer, with its physics- and logic-defying powerslides that demand quick and deft steering input. I'm sure you could get pretty good at it with hours and hours of practice, but the D-pad works just as well. Neither control option can best an analog stick, though, which is sorely missed. Otherwise, there isn’t much to get excited about. Ridge Racer doesn’t look too hot in the graphics department (Asphalt Urban GT is much nicer from what I’ve seen so far), and its arcadey- but-dated handling only appeals to a cer- tain few. You know who you are. SHANE: Although soon to be eclipsed by its gorgeous PSP Ridge Racer cousin, RR DS impresses with plenty of tracks (culled from Racers past), unlockable rides, and smooth wireless multiplayer. It’s basically the same solid, arcadey drifting and passing you’ve known for a decade, ported to a handheld with a modicum of finesse, Just don’t expect it to make use of the DS’ dual screens or mane men touch panel in any meaningful way—it’s tough to drive with the stylus, and when you glance down to see multiplayer standings you'll crash half the time. 1UP.COM—DAVE: Just look at screen- shots of Ridge Racer for the PSP to get an idea of Namco’s priority as far as the next generation of handhelds—it ain’t DS. None of the control schemes here offer the snappy drifting required for a good AR game. The D-pad isn’t responsive enough, while the touch-screen controls, bereft of tactile feedback, are so slippery that a quick drift frequently turns into a race- killing bootlegger 180. When the reward for mastering a busted control scheme is mainly cars and tracks recycled from RR64, it's hardly worth the bother. Publisher: Namco Developer: NST Players: 1 (2-6 wireless LAN) ESRB: Everyone DAVE www.namco.com 140 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY © www.1UP.com Intended Audience: 13-year-old girls SHANE: Credit must be given to Ubisoft for wading into the untested waters of the “dating game” genre. Japanese players have been chasing potential sweethearts, flirting with waitresses, and wooing their friends’ little sisters for years now, so it’s high time for Western gamers to tap into the realm of virtual ass-tapping. Sprung’s premise is simple: As mild-mannered everyteens Brad or Becky, you spend a week at a ski resort hanging out with friends, hooking up, and causing social drama. Essentially, it’s just a game of con- versation—you choose from among three snappy retorts, making friends or breaking hearts as you see fit. Some of the writing’s actually quite funny, and scenarios like “Get back at your ex-boyfriend by hooking up with your boss in the hot tub” are certainly saucy, but the execution falls flat. In most levels, there’s only one dialogue path that doesn’t end in Game Over, so Sprung quickly turns into repetitive guesswork. It’s an interesting experiment for the Teen People crowd, but one that begs for improvement. JENNIFER: About an hour into Sprung, | started to get that drowsy feeling, like when you're in a boring lecture and des- perately want to nod off for a few secs— not a good sign. The dating-sim-meets- text-adventure concept is fun at first, and the dialogue options are consistently amusing. But gameplay boils down to trial-and-error memorization of one really long dialogue tree. And the things they say! Lusty innuendo, manipulation, lying, cheating, using sex as a weapon...kids, THE VERDICTS (OUT OF 10) SHANE JENNIFER really, don’t try this at home. Interesting effort, but something’s missing. CRISPIN: Let’s hope future anthropolo- gists never dig up Sprung, lest they deduce that 21st century dating involved put-down contests, rote memorization of conversations, and the exchanging of dead fish and lint brushes. Worse, they'll get the impression that we bought any awful game that launched alongside a new system. Seriously, who is this game made for? The dirty language and innu- endo rules out kids. Grown-ups will despise its complete lack of gameplay (at least Japanese dating sims offer minigames). That just leaves inmates. But forcing them to play this crap would be cruel and unusual punishment. Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Guillemot Players: 1 ESRB: Teen CRISPIN www.ubisoft.com Take our word for it—the game definitely looks better in motion... fans MADDEN NFL 2005 Rumblin’, stumblin’, and sometimes fumblin’ Good: Using the touch screen to call an audible Bad: A.|. likes to call fake punts...a lot On Next Season's Wish List: A save-at-anytime feature BRYAN: They say there are only two guarantees in life: death and taxes. Well, make that three: a new Madden title at the launch of a major game system. But unlike its last couple debuts, this edition of EA’s gridiron phenomenon doesn’t fully live up to our expectations. On the field, Madden suffers from some uncharacteristic mishaps: A.I.-con- trolled teams call fake punts and fake field goals way too often, and at the end of the game when ahead, they don’t try to run out the clock—that’s not very simmy. As for special DS functions, you can pick plays and kick the ball via the touch screen, but unfortunately, the only one that really enhances gameplay is calling an audible with a quick tap on that screen. Oh, and for some strange reason, these features aren't available when you hook up with a buddy for some smooth-running wireless multiplayer. Despite these flaws, Madden is the best handheld football game I’ve ever played, thanks in part to its 3D visuals. But when you look back at the sport’s rocky history on handhelds, that ain’t saying much. G. FORD: If publisher EA is intent on developing a stranglehold on the portable sports market as well as on consoles, it's off to a good start. While a pee-wee- sized version of Madden can’t hope to compete with its big brothers, I'm amazed at all it does pack in, including solid gameplay, a decent season mode, instant replays, and PS1-level graphics. Plus, picking plays with the stylus is handy. Some fine-tuning is needed for HE VERDICTS BRYAN G. FORD GO ALE the spotty A.I., sometimes hard-to-follow ball, iffy player switching, and other ran- dom weirdness, but otherwise, this one’s ideal for the long trip to training camp. PATRICK: What a paradox. I’m embracing technology with the brand-new Nintendo handheld, but then embarking on an old- school gaming experience that looks almost exactly like Madden on the N64. The game could stand a tad more time in development—I’d like to see player mod- els with a bit more spit and polish, com- puter-controlled teams that don’t try to fake punt half the time, and better ball physics, but to finally play Madden on the go rocks in true 3D. It’s a game of Xs and Os: Use the bottom ‘screen to check out the other guy’s formation. Developer: Exient Players: 1 (2 wireless LAN) Publisher: EA Sports ESRB: Everyone PATRICK www.easports.com Good: Fast, fun, addictive Bad: Iffy stylus control jas y MR. DRILLER: © DRILL SPIRITS Coolest Character: Hori’s dad, aka the dude from Dig Dug Namco’s cuddly miner makes a comeback in this enjoyable action-puzzler. Once again, your goal lies hundreds of feet beneath the surface, as you frantically dig through candy-colored strata before your air runs out. Like any good puzzler, Spirits is simple to pick up, yet difficult to master—questing after air canisters while skirting falling blocks provides a nice rush of risk/reward thrills. Bright, clean visuals, catchy tunes, and tight control (provided you're not fiddling with the crappy stylus mode) make it a launch-lineup winner. Jackhammering downward can lose its luster after a few hours, so Spirits wisely includes some new features to keep it fresh. The traditional one-player game benefits from unlockable characters (with unique abilities) and a shop stocked with helpful power-ups. Even better, the DS- exclusive Pressure Drill mode has you shooting at a giant drill (in the top screen) while burrowing ever deeper on the bot- tom one. And the multiplayer Drill Race erupts into pure chaos with five players screwing each other over with wacky special attacks...expect the losers to instantly demand rematches. Blocks. It’s all about the beau- tiful simplicity of blocks. They were proba- bly among your first toys; now, years later, you're still playing with blocks—and it’s as fun and exciting as ever. Though the single player is fairly addictive, multi is where Driller really digs in. Wirelessly rac- ing your friends in a drilling frenzy to the center of the earth will have you clutching your DS long after other toys have gone stale. I’m just bummed that playing alone is so repetitive—too much running out of air or lives and starting over. There are few things in a game | find more satisfying than making blocks disappear. Then again, | also enjoy alpha- betizing (records, books, bathroom sol- vents). Mr. Driller makes you think you can reason your way down its rainbow mine Shafts, but time limitations relegate the puzzle work to your intuition. It’s more about tuning out than Zenning out. Dual screens don’t really do much for the origi- nal game, but Pressure mode makes you constantly switch focus between screens, ratcheting up the intensity and confusion. ® Pressure Drill mode pits poor Mr. Driller against a deadly (albeit cute) drill monster. 13 75 SHANE JENNIFER THE VERDICTS (QUT OF 10) Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Players: 1 (2-5 wireless LAN) ESRB: Everyone A} ROBERT www.namco.com ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com e 141 review Crew: Os FEEL THE MAGIC: XY/XX Rubs us the PUDETHE DETONATOR OUT. OF THE \ BomB! 0:13:03 wen) ble’ 0:41:78 convicts: 01 ae Dion [aiars Use the DS’ touch screen to swap special powers or solve a handful of minigames (middle). [mos SPIDER-MAN 2 Not so super Good: Excellent use of the DS’ unique hardware Bad: It’s all over rather quickly Best Minigame: Unbuttoning your lady friend’s shirt SHANE: What would you do for love? Would you ride a rickety unicycle across a narrow, twisty beam over a pool of bloodthirsty sharks? How about face off against 100 rampaging bulls? Or flick scorpions off your gal pal’s back? Sega’s obscenely weird Feel the Magic charges you with all of these wacky, creative tasks (and 26 more just as bizarre) in order to win the love of a mysterious young girl. For what's ostensibly a collection of minigames, Feel the Magic seems amaz- ingly cohesive. Chalk it up to the nifty, styl- ized visuals; cute, wordless cinemas that introduce each event; and a unique musi- cal score: These elements elevate a ran- dom assortment of time-wasters into a hip, crazy adventure in which you actually want your faceless loser to live happily ever after with his equally faceless paramour. Each level uses the DS’ newfangled hardware options in cool, creative ways. You'll be rubbing feverishly, blowing gently, and screaming bloody murder at your DS in order to pass these tests. Problem is, you'll probably plow through the whole thing in a sitting or two. THE VERDICTS (QUTOF 10) SHANE JENNIFER Good: Webslinging like an old pro 8.0 9.0 70 JENNIFER: Even though its “cop a feel” Maniac mode, in which you stroke your girlfriend in...special...places just for kicks, sorta creeped me out, | loved this game. The wide variety of minigames really utilize the bizarro potential of the DS’ touch screen. Meaning you'll be hot and bothered, literal- ly, in the tragically too-short story mode— what with all the rubbing and huffing and puffing and probing with the stylus.... Add in stylish graphics and a soundtrack that tivals Katamari Damacy's smooth tunes, and I'm feelin’ it, for real. Sequel, please. DEMIAN: This is a toughie. On the one hand, Feel the Magic has a really distinctive art style and it’s the first DS game that puts the touch pad to great and truly innovative use...I never expected I’d be performing vir- tual CPR by blowing on the DS. But on the other hand, too many minigames are based solely around frantic screen rubbing, and before you know, it’s over. GBA’s WarioWare manages to feel much more varied, even though it uses the suddenly old-as-dirt D- pad and button combo. Definitely worth checking out, but mainly for the novelty. | Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team Players: 1 ESRB: Teen DEMIAN www.sega.com Bad: Looking for that last hard-to-find baddie The Vulture: Isn’t this guy dead yet? With each new system comes the inevitable flood of licensed games; the first for the DS is Spider-Man 2, And while in many ways it’s just another competent beat-em-up that generally follows the movie’s story, it does do a couple things well. Most notably, stunning graphics: The side-scrolling gameplay takes place in front of impressive 3D backdrops, and there’s even some decent full-motion video crammed in here. Just as important, the game really nails the Spider-Man feel. Webslinging and walking on walls is a cinch and, in many cases, more fun than most of the generally average “kill X ene- mies or save Y hostages” action. But it gets frustrating when you're trying to find the last of 30 or so foes to destroy in the huge levels—damn you, tedious backtracking. The touch-screen element mostly con- sists.of a few minigames—such as tap- ping debris Doc Ock throws at you— which provide a nice break from the action but are nothing too revolutionary and certainly not necessary to the game. For a launch title, Spider-Man 2 is decent, but we expect more from our heroes. BRYAN ANDREW [have to agree with my friendly neighborhood reviewer G. Ford—Spider- Man 2 sure looks pretty and you can swing through the city like a champ, but man, does the action get old quick, After about the third level of beating up 20-plus baddies (and, mind you, struggling to locate these perps), | was more than ready to toss my red and blue leotard in the trash. Hopefully, the next Spidey DS adventure will spice up the gameplay and include more of those entertaining touch- screen minichallenges. If there’s one good thing that can be said about Spider-Man DS, it’s that, once again, it’s a lot of fun to swing around and stick to walls. If there are bad things to be said, well, there’s not enough space on this page. Combat is sloppy, with poor hit detection and enemies that score cheap shots; all of the fun special moves have to be unlocked, which requires meet- ing unreasonably difficult time and health goals; and most of the levels devolve into tiresome thug/robot hunts. It’s like wasting your life, 15 minutes at a time. Publisher: Activision Developer: Vicarious Visions Players: 1 ESRB: Everyone www.activision.com @tiPrsaserexa,o = 'aWeERTYUTOP— enter abc AS DFGHUKL — #end ZX CVBNM.,. space a Congrats, Ping Pals, you've tied with Bedrock Bowling (GBA) as EGM’s lowest-scoring game! Ca & Pre i ING fi ALS THE Maye, How to lose friends and alienate people J&B Ribbon Top... @ SOLD OUT! I SOLD ouTt face KINGDOM HEARTS: CHAIN OF MEMORIES Plays the right cards xe {3 ® Sora versus the tentacle and cleavage monster. The DS just launched in November, and yet someone’s already produced The Worst DS Game Ever Made. And it’s not just a bad game, either—it’s a “game” with so little purpose that | can’t help but wonder how it managed to reach store shelves. Basically, Ping Pals is a chat program with a cute exterior—you have a virtual avatar, and the money you earn messaging pals can buy you new clothes, background music, and other stuff. There are some throwaway minigames, including timeless classic Guess the Number, and you can upload the game to friends so they can chat without the cartridge. None of the extra content is particularly exciting, how- ever (your character’s just a tiny 2D por- trait), and so what you essentially have here is a fancy version of PictoChat, the application stored in every DS. Funny thing is, PictoChat is way, way better than Ping Pals—the text window's bigger, the keys are easier to press, and you can tap out messages with the control pad, a feature strangely missing in pub- lisher THQ’s game. End result: the most pointless DS title yet...and hopefully ever. What’s next on THQ’s DS agenda...Clock? Seriously, Ping Pals attempts to replace Nintendo’s own packed-in-for-free PictoChat but fails to offer any incentive for users to choose it over what they already have. In fact, its core chat interface looks positively ama- teurish and offers fewer options (only one pencil width, no full-screen erase) than the DS's factory-standard setup. Pals does con- tain content beyond just chatting, but cus- tomizing the hideous, Bratz-style character avatars feels pointless, and the multiplayer “games” could easily be duplicated by cre- ative PictoChatters. An abysmal failure. Apparently, the developers never got the memo about PictoChat coming pre- installed on every DS. But even if Nintendo’s chat program weren't a freebie, | wouldn’t consider picking up a copy of Ping Pals: The interface is inferior, the minigames are worthless, and what’s the fun in messaging A.I. friends? Do yourself a favor and put your cash toward any other DS game...or send it to the developers so they can get their fax machine fixed. THE VERDICTS (QUTOF 10) ay Sal BRYAN: Who woulda thunk it—a Disney- meets-Final Fantasy action-RPG being such a global success. But that was the case when Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts (PS2) a few years back. And while Chain of Memories ain't exactly the follow- up fans have been waiting for (that arrives in ’05), it’s still worth a playthrough. The biggest departure from the console original is combat—a card-based system is grafted to button-mashing battles, but sur- prisingly, the action never hits the brakes. It is very tactical, though, and requires some brainpower to customize decks and learn the most effective card combinations. Problem is, fans of the first Hearts will feel a little déja vu. Yeah, | know the premise is that Sora and friends are trying to regain their memories, but it’s a little disappointing that for almost the entire game you're visiting the same Disney- themed worlds and fighting the same boss- es as the last game, so there's almost no story development until the very end. SHANE: Although billed as the bridge between the first and second PS2 Kingdom THE VERDICTS (OUTOF 10) BRYAN SHANE CHRISTIAN Publisher: THQ Developer: WayForward Players: 1 (2-8 wireless LAN) ESRB: Everyone www.thg.com Hearts adventures, Memories feels more like a Golden Girls Clips episode—lots of reminiscing and recapping in lieu of new hijinks. If you’ve played through the original game, don’t expect much in the way of plot here. (In fact, Hearts newbies will likely dig it more than the vets.) At least the battle system is interesting, melding action with clever card tactics. At first, it’s a bit baffling, but the game slowly eases you in, toughening the combat at a good pace. GVIR—CHRISTIAN: Pm a big fan of a good collectible-card game—did | just admit that out loud?—and there’s plenty to like about this one. For once, there’s more to the strategy than just using stronger cards. Despite this, fans of the original's endless button-mashing should have no fear; if you aren’t an RPGenius, you won’t get bogged down. Grown-up gamers with honed role-playing game skills will absolutely destroy Memories, though. One battle after the next can get pretty repeti- tive—but addictive, too. More cards to col- lect would have made it killer. Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix/Jupiter Players: 1 ESRB: Everyone www.kingdomhearts.com ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com ¢ 143 Vy) review crew OF THE FITTEST The contest is on! e finally got through every but we’re still pissed about having to egmsurvivor.1UP.com after December 2 _ even more reviews. Dreams will be Ww single submission to the EGM _slog through so much crap that we're and give the boot to whoever you think crushed and only one person will come Review Crew Survivor contest, —_ going to take it out on them. That’s sucks the hardest. Make sure to keep away with the grand prize—a guest Culling out the lame writing and cheesy —_ why we're going to let them get torn to —_ checking in, because as contestants spot on our legendary Review Crew. videos to bring you these 15 diamonds _ pieces by the most inhuman animals get eliminated, those who qualify for After all the work they made us do, in the rough. They’ve made it this far, known to man—our readers. Just goto —_ the next round will be forced to write they owe us some free labor. REVIEW CREW SURVIVOR FINALISTS Aaron Johnson Aaron Koehn Ali Jamaizadeh Beau Derque Benjamin Reeves Capitola, CA Lincoln, NE Santa Barbara, CA Jefferson City, MO Denver, CO Student Park Mower Student Wall Ponderer Student/Game Advisor Brandt R. A. Miles Bryan Danek Christopher Short Iris A. Cahill Jeremy Hawkins Newark, OH Gilberts, IL Monterey, CA Kaneohe, HI Longmont, CO Olive Garden Busboy IT Help Desk Manager Console Operator Artist & Graphic Designer Sales Associate at EB Games Kris Pigna Kris Randazzo Matt Tuthill Nicholas Parker William Dorado Coconut Creek, FL Smithville, NJ Riverhead, NY Chapel Hill, NC Woodside, NY Secretary Asst. Mgr. at Game Crazy Caddy, Freelance Reporter Student Mortgage Sales 144 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY © www.1UP.com REVIEWS iP The after-dinner mint oftH@Reviews section fter last month’s barrage of triple-A games, we thought things might slow down for this issue—so we could spend some quality time fragging each other in Halo 2 and combing the backwoods of San Andreas for yeti spores (see page 105)—but then we got a big ol pile of Nintendo DS games in to review. Not that we're complaining. Dragon Ball 2: Budokal 2 ¢ PS2 ¢ Atari e ESRB: T This most cartoony of Dragon Ball fighters sports the series’ best selection of trademark pointy-nosed fighters and flashy battle moves. And developing your character with RPG-ish stat tweaking lets you add a welcome twist of fighting flavor to the bratty- looking horde. But it’s no Soul Calibur 2... QUICK HITS EA Sports wouldn’t let us get our hands on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 (DS) before it’s on sale—a bad sign. We also couldn't get Rayman DS before we went to print. Beware... Urban Asphalt GT—an N-Gage to DS port—showed up too late to make the issue... The first Ghost Recon, Splinter < Cell, and Rainbow Six 3 have been bun- dled together in Tom Clancy’s Classic Trilogy (XB) for $39.99.... Delay of game: Conker: Live & Reloaded (XB) has been pushed to March, while ghostly GameCube shooter Geist is now due out in Q2 (or summer, in nonaccountant lingo). an) Battle Assault 3 Featuring Gundam Seed ¢ PS2 Bandai ¢ ESRB: T — Psyched about a game featuring giant robots from the popular Gundam anime series fighting each other? Don’t be. Gundam is a shallow and repetitive brawler consisting of an endless stream of 2-on-1 battles. It’s occasionally stupid fun, though, so series diehards may want to rent. Shari Tale ¢ PS2/XB/GC « Activision ¢ ESRB: E Like an Incredible Mr. Limpet for the 21st century, Shark Tale has you doing all manner of animated shenanigans underwater that’ll make you wish to be a fish. From sleek high-speed swim chases to less- appealing dance numbers, Shark Tale’s variety means the kids are bound to find something they like. Grand Theft Auto ¢ GBA ¢ Rockstar ¢ ESRB: M To its maker's credit, this littlest gangster tries to make good with all the free-form gameplay of its top-down PlayStation 1 godfathers (you even get bonus taxi, ambulance, and vigilante missions). But the tricky controls, lame missions, and cluttered graphics make it the family black sheep. Metal Slug Adeanite ¢ GBA ° SNK Playmore ESRB: T — Metal Slug is all about gunning and knifing your way through countless enemies, hopping into hopping tanks, and hearing an offscreen voice yell “Heavy machine gun!” This small-caliber Siug delivers the rapid-fire arcade action SNK fans will expect, but it won’t have much stopping power for normal gamers. Tron 2.0: Killer App ¢ GBA © Buena Vista ¢ ESRB: E As the legendary (among nerds, anyway) Tron or his nearly identical female counterpart, you'll battle com- puter programs in an isometric retro-future environ- ment—and play a whole lot of minigames, too. It’s not altogether bad, but the real value lies in nostalgia- triggering ports of the old Tron arcade games. st 2:A MONTH CAND A BIT MORE) LATER A few things we want to address now them, just keep on killin’. Also, don’t (use the free two-month trial if you have that Halo 2 is being played by 200 bil- lion people online... ag: Not a problem in general, but lots of people will run into it from time to time, especially in custom games. Try joining a different match. Sometimes the gameplay runs fine but messages (like “You killed EGM Shoe”) show up late—don’t wait for worry about who the party leader is in custom games; Halo 2 will figure out who has the fastest connection and use that player as the server. Screen cut- off: Those of you running the game in progressive-scan mode (480p) may have noticed your view is cut off a bit on the sides—if you're connected to Xbox Live to), you will get an auto-update that fixes this. Errors: If you get a map load- ing error, it's mostly likely a problem with your DVD drive or a dirty/scratched game disc. Bungie is working on a solu- tion where at least you won't have to turn your system off and on again every time this happens. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com » 145 What if everything came with a free trial? RENT THE HOTTEST GAMES * OVER 2,000 TITLES NO DUE DATES * NO LATE FEES * FREE DELIVERY xE0X ] GamecuBe /AONANCE PlayStation.2 >< Cs) PANY, | = a | =] GAME BOY « GameFly does. GO TO gamefly.com/egm FOR YOUR FREE TRIAL ie) PN a (4 od gamefly.com EVIEWS ARCHIVE _ ....s to terrify the fellow- ship of the ring with Half as long, but twice as powerfu his cotlece helmet GAME ‘SYSTEM Gas Ace Combat 5 PS2 @ Soar in supersonic fighters so real, they could fool Uncle Sam. But why no online? 8.0 8.0 8.0 Advance Guardian Heroes GBA BB Old-school bash-em-up brawling from fan-favorite cult developer Treasure 6.0 7.0 7.5 Alien Hominid PS2/6C The 20 sidescrolling cartoon action thrills; the cheap one-hit kills..not so much 8.0 8.5 7.0 Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed PS2 1 This party game is only slightly less fun than hurling feces at friends 55 65 55 - The Bard's Tale PS2/XB This action-RPG's satirical humor and repetitive gameplay'll make you laugh andcry 6.5 6.0 9.0 Baten Kaitos cc An RPG with totaly innovative card-based fighting and a totaly crappy story 8.0 7.5 65 Blood Will Tell Ps2 i Handi-capable hero quests for lymph nodes, an esophagus...and justice 8.0 6.5 6.0 BloodRayne 2 PS2/XB i Be a busty vampire beating on baddies in this hyperkinetic action game 75 75 40 Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django GBA Stock up on SPF 45 before going outside with this solar-sensor equipped action-RPG 8.0 7.0 7.5 Burnout 3: Takedown PS2/XB Bi Insurance (and heart) rates skyrocket with each spectacular crash 9.0 9.5 9.0 Capcom Fighting Evolution Ps2 1 Capcom Fighting Evolution? More like Grap-com Fighting Evolution! Zing! 4.0 55 50 Conflict: Vietnam PS2/xB 1 Conflict: Reviews. Some like this ‘Nam-based squad shooter, Others...don’t 75 55 45 Def Jam Fight for NY PS2/XB/GC 1 There's only one rule in this hip-hop-studded fight club: Buy it, foo" 85 85 9.0 Donkey Konga 6c Hi (Mostly) great songs and a quality bongo controller make for a lively party game 8.0 7.0 7.5 EyeToy: AntiGrav Ps2 i Wave your hands like you care in this body-controlled hoverboarding game 85 6.0 7.0 Fable XB Bi Hack-n-slash action-RPG with Sims-style dolihouse elements 75 8.0 9.0 EE FIFA Soccer 2005 PS2/XB/GC i Controls better than last year's, but FIFA’ stil a close second behind Winning Eleven 8.5 7.5 9.0 Fight Club PS2/XB 1 Browsing the IKEA catalog is more fun than this crappy cash-in fighter 25 3.0 2.0 . Final Fantasy | & Il: Dawn of Souls GBA WW Spectacular remakes of the first two Final Fantasys shoved into one tiny cartridge 9.0 8.5 8.0 Godzilla: Save the Earth PS2/XB i Then save us from having to play another Godzilla brawler 60 45 55 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ps2 W Three massive cities and hundreds of diversions make this sequel larger than life 10 10 10 rowlanser: Generations ps2 Sure, the visuals are cutesy, but this RPG will test the hardest of the hardcore 7.0 7.0 8.0 &é Guilty Gear Isuka Ps2 I Fighting-game insanity for four players, but it's still old news for PS2 GG players 7.0 7.0 4.0 Guilty Gear X2 #Reload XB HH We're not sure how to pronounce it, but this online fighting game rocks 9.0 85 9.0 The Guy Game PS2/XB The game part sucks, and the naked chicks, well, that's what the Internet's for 1.5 1.0 0.0 Halo 2 xB IH The second coming of the Xbox’s savior lives up to the hype, both online and off 10 10 10 Jak 3 PS2 The jack-of-al-trades gameplay keeps this duo among the platforming elite «8.0 8.0 85 Katamari Damacy PS2 Be the ball—or, in this case, be the rolling sticky blob. Quirky and awesome «8.5 8.5 8.5 Killzone PS2 WA good (if a bit choppy) attempt at a Halo-style shooter for Sony's system 75 8.0 7.0 Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders XB I Dynasty Warriors combat meets Full Spectrum Warrior's troop tactics 75 8.0 80 Kuon PS2 @ Two spooky sisters toss fireballs at ghastly ghouls with slightly mediocre results 6.5 4.0 5.5 Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude = PS2/XB You won't find penis jokes this unfunny outside of Spencer Gifts’ naughty aisle 3.5 25 1.5 The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age PS2/XB/GC @ High production values don't make this RPG the greatest show on Middle-earth 7.0 7.0 5.0 Mario Power Tennis 6c IW Mario packs so much fan service, you won't want to return this ace of agame 9.0 7.5 8.0 Men of Valor xB 1 Decent multiplayer saves the day in this otherwise blah Vietnam-era shooter 60 7.5 6.0 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater PS2 @ Venture back to the idealistic '60s for Snake's most ambitious stealth-action epic yet 9.0 9.5 10 iC{g-F- 14-115 hit Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Gc i Samus looks smokin’ hot even in the dark...world, that is 9.0 9.0 10 or miss? Monster Hunter ps2 IW The hunt for a Phantasy Star Online-ke experience on PS2 is over 8.0 8.0 80 Mortal Kombat: Deception PS2/XB @ Deception has online and adventure modes, but kombat's as messy as it is bloody 6.5 5.5 8.0 Need for Speed Underground 2 PS2/XB/GC ‘Brooke Burke as a street-slangin’ race queen? Eh, the game's good, so whatever 8.0 9.0 8.0 Neo Contra Ps2 Konami finally has a decent Contra sequel in this short (but sweet) blast-em-up 8.0 7.0 7.0 Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors xB @ Everybody was kung fu fighting in a beautiful world steeped in Japanese mythology 9.0 8.0 9.0 OutRun 2 XB @ The graphics say 2004, but the arcade handling still says 1986 65 6.0 8.0 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door GC I Nintendo's much-needed GC role-playing game is flat-out fantastic 9.0 9.0 9.0 Pikmin 2 GC @ Just when you think it's over, this flower-powered game grows a new adventure 8.5 9.0 9.0 Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen GBA § Catch ‘em all again for the first time in this greedy (yet great) remake 7.0 8.0 8.0 Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow XB @ This squad-based shooter pseudo-sequel is worth it for its extra online features 7.5 8.0 8.0 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Ps2 1 PS2s best mascot-platforming game...with guns, Lots of guns 9.0 9.0 10 Robotech: Invasion PS2/XB @ Body armor that turns into a motorcycle. Convenient for road trips? Yes. Fun? Kinda 4.0 7.0 6.0 Second Sight PS2/XB/GC ‘ml Earn mind powers that'd make Kreskin jealous, then use 'em to,.flip switches 5.5 7.5 6.5 ‘Shadow Hearts: Covenant PS2 @ Delightfully weird WWI-era RPG with oddball characters and action-packed battles 7.5 8.5 7.0 ShellShock: Nam '67 PS2/XB- 1 Boom-boom with the ladies after boom-booming the enemy in this grim shooter 7.0 6.0 4.0 Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne PS2 WA dark RPG that's as archaic as it is excellent 8.0 9.0 8.5 FANTASY X2 Sly 2: Band of Thieves ps2 Ww Sony’ slick, cartoony fox retums for madcap heists with his two partners in cme 9.0 85 90 SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom XB 1 SNK and Capcom go at it again, this time with spotty online and mediocre gameplay 6.0 6.0 3.0 @ PlayStation 2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 PS2/XB/GC i With four-player brain’ the haif-shell heroes are half-baked, -hearted, and -assed 3.0 4.0 2.0 @ Released: November 2003 @ Original Scores: 8.5, 9.5, 9.5 Terminator 3: The Redemption PS2/XB/GC 1 Hasta la vista, quality gameplay. Hola, mondo explosions and so-so vehicle levels 4.0 2.5 5.0 Test Drive: Eve of Destruction PS2/XB 1H Siow, floaty, down-home dit-track racing with aside of grits 75 45 80 The first Final Fantasy to continue the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 PS2/XB/GC 1 Par for the course just isn't good enough for this excellent golf simulator 85 8.0 95 previous game’s story was a resound- Tony Hawk's Underground 2 PS2/XB/GC ‘I Nota revolution, but Tony Hawk fans won't mind, and it's newbie friendly, to boot 9.0 9.0 8.5 ing success. Great graphics, garment Under the Skin PS2 IW This little multiplayer hors d’oeuvre needs more substance to stand onitsown 5.5 4.0 4.0 grids, and girls with guns were the The Urbz: Sims in the City PS2/XB/GG ‘Ml The Sims’ suburban theme gets kicked uptown and outside, but loses something 7.5 5.0 7.0 hallmarks of this Charlie's Viewtiful Joe 2 Ps2icc HE More of what you (hopefully) know and (should) love from Joe's first outing 8.0 80 85 Angels—esque take on the world of WWE Day of Reckoning cc H¥ We reckon wrestling fans should skip that day 55 5.0 65 Spira. Those who missed out on all the WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw ps2 I SmackDown! goes online and adds voice acting. The rest is basically the same 75 85 7.0 girl power should pick it up for $20. X-Men Legends PS2/XB/GC ml Four mutants take on a sea of baddies in this x-cellent action-RPG 148 © ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com EVERYONE Comic Mischief Mild Lyrics ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.estb.org Entertainment Software Rating Board WWW.ESRB.ORG D trickster The wait is over. Reviewers everywhere are dipping into their pun dictionaries and surfacing with phrases like “Halo-elujah!” and “Halo to the Chief.” We'd never stoop so low. Wait...we would? In that case, “Halo, | love you, let me jump in your game.” Thankfully, there’s more than simple leaping to attempt as EGM top man Shoe reveals in his deluge of beginners’ tips to help solve potential online slaughtering embarrassments. Also, we scare upstanding members of the virtual community with our Need for Speed Underground 2 pimp-my-ride preamble. GAME DIRECTORY Armored Core: Nexus (Evolution) . .153 BloodRayne 2 .........00000+.153 Def Jam Fight for NY Halo 2......00ees Katamari Damacy .. Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude .. ee neeee ee ASS Midway Arcade Treasures 2 ..... Need for Speed Underground 2 . OutRun2 . Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door ........153 ShellShock: Nam ’67 ... Star Wars Battlefront .. Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 . X-Men Legends ..........5 (7 HALO 2 Everybody’s got skills—so why is nerdlinger2546 always kicking your ass in Halo 2’s Rumble Pit, even though your aim’s as true as his? Any good player will tell you that besides having skillz, you need to know the levels inside and out, too. So we're here to get you up to speed on where to find the power weapons, overshields, and active camo pickups tricRs of the trade refuse to lose! bust up your opponents in no time flat on each stage on its default settings. Yeah, we know you can find these things on your own, but trust us—it helps when you can visualize and “landmark” the locations like we're doing here. Use this guide and find these areas on empty maps (via one- player splitscreen), then later, you'll automatically be caught up with the better players and have a leg up on any newbies. You'll also want to learn the best places to snipe from. Hint: It’s usually not the spot where you find the sniper rifle—that’s too obvious. When you can, fly banshees to normally inaccessible areas for perfect sniping positions, like atop the giant “tuning fork” in Ascension. Now go kick that nerd’s ass. LOCKOUT Energy sword: From the rooftop (with the glass floor), go through the doorway that’s across from the gravity lift, then drop through the hole in the floor on your right side. The all- powerful sword is right there. You can reach it from the more-obvious lower walkways, too, but you’re more open to attack that way. Rocket launcher: N/A Shotgun: Across from the base of the gravity lift is the “green room.” Look for the shotgun at the long end. You can jump down a hole from above to get to it more quickly. Overshield: N/A Active camo: N/A IVORY TOWER Energy sword: Downstairs, below the atrium, under a waterfall. Rocket launcher: In the large, open atrium area, look for the rocket launcher at the base of the small waterfall. Extra ammo is in that main atrium. Shotgun: In the atrium, from the rocket launcher/waterfall, walk forward to the middle area, then take the path to the left, then turn left again when you can. You'll see two air lifts that’ll boost you to a small platform with the shotgun. Overshield: Directly across the atrium from the shotgun is a long ramp behind glass walls. Halfway up is the overshield. Active camo: N/A ASCENSION Energy sword: N/A Rocket launcher: This one’s a bit tricky. From the large open area in the middle of the stage, look at the platform on which the banshee is parked. Head toward it, but then take the down ramp to your left. See the out-of-the-way circular platform down below? Get closer, then jump over the edge to fall on it to score the rocket launcher. Before you take that lift back up, though... Shotgun: ...turn around and take the teleporter instead. Once you come out, take the up ramp to find a shotgun on the first landing. You can also remember this spot as the down walkway directly across from the banshee parking spot. Overshield: Right next to the banshee is a down ramp to a long walkway. See that yellow cube? Grab it, quick. You can also jump to this from the main, middle area or enter the walkway from the other end. Active camo: N/A MIDSHIP Energy sword: Look on the floating platform at the top. Rocket launcher: N/A Shotgun: On the ground in the very middle of the map, in between the lifts keeping the giant platform afloat. Overshield: N/A Active camo: N/A HEADLONG Energy sword: Look for a pile of crates on the top floor of the building with the “evacuation alert” sign. A sword is resting in between a couple of boxes at the top of the stairs. Rocket launcher: One rocket launcher (we call ’em “RL”) is on the upper, outside walkway of building 27. The other is under the overpass near the oceanfront. Shotgun: The building that houses the teleport pad and turrets holds two shotguns. One’s near the downstairs turret, between the steps. The other is inside, on the main ramp. Overshield: See that ringed statue pictured here? It’s next to the beach. Look below it on the side away from the water, and you'll see an overshield. Active camo: Upstairs, in a plain, open-air hallway connecting the building with the pink entry lights and the “turret and teleport pad building” lies the invisibility power- up. You can also remember it by looking at the dangling teeter-totter beam hanging in the middle of the level outside: One end of that beam points to building 27, the other points to the invisibility hallway (you can jump to this hallway from the outside, too). {ONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com TRICKS OF THE TRADE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PRIMA GAMES Those wishing to pimp their virtual rides need travel no further than their local gaming emporium, where Prima’s official Need for Speed Underground 2 strategy guide is ready to offer upgrades, tweaking, and city maps aplenty. aE BURIAL MOUNDS | ~ Energy sword: There are two elongated caves on this rocky map. Look for the one that’s right next to what looks like the leftover remains of a dead robotic whale’s rib cage. The energy sword is inside that cave. Rocket launcher: This RL is in plain sight. It’s on an outdoor stone bridge in between the warthog jeep and the two purple mini-nuclear-reactor-looking thingies. Shotgun: Between those purple mini-nuclear- reactor-looking thingies is a shotgun. Overshield: N/A Active camo: N/A x COLOSSUS wy Energy sword: N/A eee | > Ae i Rocket launcher: WA | ~ | 4% Shotgun: Run into the e giant gravity lift in the ® same direction as the conveyor belt leading straight into it. Keep pushing forward so the lift boosts you all the way up to the back wall and a platform with four grenades. Drop to the level right below that platform to find a shotgun leaning against the wall. There’s another one outside the lower “red room” and another outside the lower “blue room” near the large-window end of the building (opposite the lift). Overshield: On the very bottom level, below the giant window, between the conveyor belts. Active camo: N/A ZANZIBAR Energy sword: Look at the giant wheel and look for the platform with the yellow warning stripes. Find your way up there and look for the black, shimmering lever on the walkway in front of you. Blow it up, and it'll drop a path to the wheel’s hub. Wait for the notch to come around then drop in. You can reach this from the rocket launcher walkway, too—with no need to blow up the lever. Rocket launcher: On the high, center walkway between the wheel's hub and the fortress’ top level. Shotgun: One’s on the upper stony wall between the beach and the wheel, under a double archway (on the right side, if you’re facing the wheel). The other is between the pillars right outside the fortress. Overshield: N/A Active camo: Run upstairs to the second floor of the building on the right side of the middle of the map (when looking from the beach to the fortress). BEAVER CREEK Energy sword: N/A Rocket launcher: Same place it was in the last game: on top of the rocky arch in the middle of the stage. Shotgun: Go to the end of the creek that’s splitting the level in half (the end without the overshield), walk into the tiny alcove, and you'll find a shotgun hidden in the shallow water. Overshield: The overshield is in the alcove at the other end of the creek. Active camo: N/A COAGULATION Energy sword: N/A Rocket launcher: In a dry creek bed right in the middle of the map, between the two bases and the two teleport exit points, is the rocket launcher. You can find extra rocket ammo in a group of rocks farther down that creek bed, toward the cave. Shotgun: Right outside each of the bases is a group of three large rocks. They house a shotgun (as well as sniper rifle ammo). Overshield/Active camo: These two appear randomly at two different spots. The first is inside the cave near the red base’s teleport exit point. The other is across the map in the rocky area, near the blue base’s teleport exit point. WATERWORKS Energy sword: The large water-pumping (or is it processing?) structure in the middle of the map has an energy sword downstairs. Just go straight out to this building from either base, take the low bridge in the middle, then climb up the ladder in the hallway. If you’re already inside the structure, just take the ramps all the way down to the basement. Rocket launcher: The easiest way to get to either of the two rocket launchers is to teleport out of a base (the pad is at the very top, where the banshee is parked), then head in the direction away from the base you just came from. You'll see a RL a few feet away from you. Shotgun: Look for a group of stalagmites in between each base and the center structure (before you get to the aforementioned low bridge) to find a shotgun in the middle. Overshield: N/A Active camo: N/A TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR PC GAMING LIFE... FValo mV cole] could win a $300 American Express® Gift Card!" IT’S SIMPLE. Just log on to: www. surveymonkey.com/ egmgamesurvey2 Enter your unique 1.D. code: EGMSUBS2 Vato Mere) gale) (= <=) a brief survey. It’s that easy!” DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES OF Winninc! Be one of the first to} OL OM of =e) e) (em Ke) complete the survey. Survey closes : JANUARY 10, 2005. ane MOMT HEY: * “AMERICAN EXPRESS" is a registered trademark of American Express Company. American Express doesnot endorse or sponsor this sweepstakes. ™* Go to www.surveymonkey.com/egmgamesurvey2 for complete sweepstakes rules. Only one entry per household, No purchase necessary. Tas 1 Maga Cove ompl Nag: ‘over tage 4 3 wins Elaborat Wrong way. Go back. Wins in NFSU2 are likely the only way E22 ee at hing you'll ever get on a magazine cover. Whtmaeg: ° 152 ¢ ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com Bank: 10,723 TOP 5 TRICKS @ PS2/XB/GC X-Men Legends Xtreme Costumes At the Main menu, press Up, Up, Right, Left, Down, Down. During gameplay, make it to an Xtraction point and go into team selection, where you will see the option for Skins. @Ps2 OutRun 2 Classic OutRun Get back in the driver’s seat of Sega's arcade classic and enjoy the drive back to 1986. Enter “NINETEEN86” in the Password menu and you'll be driving the classic in no time. PS2/XB Star Wars Battlefront Unlock All Planets To enter this code for PS2, choose the historical campaign. Then, at the Planet Selection screen, enter Square, Circle, Square, Circle. For Xbox, choose the historical campaign mode and select either the Clone Wars or Galactic Civil War era, then enter X, Y, X, Y. @ PS2/xXB ShellShock: Nam ’67 Infinite Ammo At the Title screen, press R2, R1, Triangle, L2, L1, Up, R2, R1, Triangle, L2, L1, Up on PS2 or Black, R, Y, White, L, Up, Black, R, Y, White, L, Up on Xbox. @ PS2/XB/GC Def Jam Fight For NY 100 Reward Points Go to the Cheats menu and enter “GETSTUFF" as the password. Paper Mario: The Thousand- Year Door (M) Must Be On P135-VOPR-QURJ8. Q3QX-C1DQ-RG4RO Mario: Max/Inf, Health 6C7F-8QAG-7PJ6K WF7Z-ZCC1-AXV7R YUDW-CT03-5PC7R H3U3-GEJV-RYEFF 4C55-64R9-WF6F8 CA3T-WZDN-HMMKQ Goombella: Max/Infinite Health 30Q9W-MB@6-QAB57 NOXT-3P1P-GONJD XNGG-H2MP-704AB 751H-FHZN-3UK6J Max/Infinite Money TZNF-JADE-DXT4A ORZZ-J4Y9-TBE33 HoldL +A for Superjump TM66-AQ7A-ZYZZ4 1FXE-CN6D-52D87 EZAR-0D1K-CQRC4 Quick Level Up 3DVU-JX70-RYEG7 RQRQ-ACHM-6Q593 2R7Q-RP8W-GBGN1 Infinite Star Pieces QVCO-J1PU-JOTJJ 1KV5-KKTW-MZEOR Infinite Shine Sprites FQKY-@71D-H6R3H RZ93-MQDX-1EDM2 Max/Infinite Flower Points H540-TEZF-ND8Y4 1MN4-A9DH-UPYOC ROFJ-27AD-U1KCM HDCX-QV8Q-ZVC34 UN29-KPZG-63NBG Max/Infinite Badge Points @N9D-2TT4-4JAF1 H47P-WPMU-YX468 Have All Badges ZUQH-FBS5E-SDVHE V4JC-JBOK-ZKQW9 U4MJ-85B2-DFGAT mPs2 Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude (M) Must Be On 6D22-W32R-V6TRX HGTC-GCG5-263CD Max Cash 5PH8-QA7H-WHMVA 5035-T1EA-4ERON Max Secret Tokens VXGY-K6KO-6W4VU 5QT1-KG50-AYNKF Always Confident NV9Z-ZDR8-QBE7M NO19-CNZM-PUV9H Bonus Option Codes J37M-CJ8P-HWA8P. m PS2 Katamari Damacy (M) Must Be On MEZF-MMV4-EQ7WY 7A2G-NYYB-A67VR Massive Collection (A) TH6U-PO22-NCMHC KH7J-QQQK-P1BET W6BA-PH28-8HMVQ Massive Collection (B) 7Y0Q-71X4-D4UG6 UGZ4-Q90J-Z85U8 OXS5C-BM31-9ADF1 Armored Core: Nexus (Evolution) (M) Must Be On 983F6473 78A7CC54 Infinite AP 2833BAB1 OCASSDFE Infinite Energy Gauge 2833BAE6 OCASOD83 Infinite Inside Ammo 1833FEF9 OCA52COE Infinite L Arm Ammo 183063A1 @CA52COE Infinite Credits 28520E7C B46AC23E mm Ps2 BloodRayne 2 (M) Must Be On 985EO6DE 78226954 Infinite Health 283DA@6D DB71040C Unlock All Extras 284F4ADO 948C883E mPS2 Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (M) Must Be On Q8QAA9F7 78388E55 28160665 A148B26C 2836CBD6 7842696F Infinite Special 28300B68 F715C665 28300BD6 84F17A3A 28300B1E F7157A56 28300BD4 84F17A7C Infinite Run (Midcombo) 282B563A @CAS7A65 Infinite Time D8AE72E8 OCASB1D5 283185AF @CAS7A65 D8AE72E8 OCAS9AD5 283185AF @CAC14F8 Press SELECT+L1 to Stop, SELECT+R1 to Restart Have All Level Gaps 2816ED40 6F157A4F 2816EDD8 F8AA7AF1 2816EDED 6D1B7AAE 283719E9 A1426965 Exclusive f mi PS2 Midway Arcade Treasures 2 Narc Codes: (M) Must Be On 94911DA8 1F6619D6 Narc Codes: Infinite Health 14503568 3C70470E Nare Codes: Infinite Lives 14D0356A 3470478E Narc Codes: Infinite Bullets 14403568 3C70478E Narc Codes: Infinite Rockets 14403569 3070470E Narc Codes: Max Drugs 14403568 3C70471E Narc Codes: Max Money 14403569 3C70471E Narc Codes: Max Busts 14403568 3C70473E Assgciate of Science & Bachelor of Science Nes Real World Education [tei alele] mols Computer Animation Digital Media Entertainment Business Film Game Design & Development Ls {-Terelaeliale Mata e3 Show Production & Touring 800.226.7625 3300 University Boulevard Winter Park, FL 32792 Financial aid avail Job placem Accredite: Ful S Game over SEANBABY’S REST OF ' THE The crap that sick have been [= = GM en Espaiiol, our Spanish-language 1) 9 version, recently flew me down to Mexico City for EGS, the Mexican equiva- lent of our annual Electronics Entertainment Expo. Their staff told me that my writing style, which I'd like to think is a totally awesome mix of Jean Claude Van Damme from Bloodsport and Jean Claude Van Damme from Timecop, is a pain in the ass to translate. The basic message gets across since bad games are universal, and no amount of culture gap is going to get two people to feel dif- ferently about a That’s So Raven game. Unfortunately, my Spanish teacher lied to me with that B she gave me, and I found that the end of my discussions with the Mexican fans was invariably, “That chittering you're doing is Spanish, right?” | might as well have taken awkward pantomiming as my language requirement in school. Also, 1 apologize to all the Mexican EGM readers whose autograph says “Para Pirgnblip— Seanbaby.” That’s because | honestly couldn’t even understand what you were saying when you were spelling your name. Anyway, to celebrate our countries’ new videogame brotherhood, ’m looking at crappy games with a happy twist this month—they were never actually released. —Seanhaby '@ You picked the wrong chemist to @#$% with, Seagal! Steven Seagal Is the Final Option Super NES ¢ TekMagik ¢ 1994 Steven Seagal is the greatest martial artist in the histo- ry of anything. He stars in movies based on the tough- est possible combos of words like Half Past Dead, Hard to Kill, Point Blank Chainsaw Crush, and All the Way Holy Crap You're Dead. He runs like a girl covered in insects, and he still has running scenes in every movie, because if you say something about it, he can kill you over the phone by looking at you. He just released an album in France called Songs From the Crystal Caves. It's about all the people he’s killed in crystal caves, which is like a million. My favorite track is “I just tore your lips off; listen to your own screams! (Sha-Na-Na).” Man, | don’t even care that this game is bad because it’s so awesome. The lab technician enemies are very busy and don’t even put down their clipboards—they just jab Steven Seagal with their free hand, then die, because digitized Steven Seagal has both hands free. And his block has such karate power that it detonates every head in the room, or at least | assume it would have in the final version when they made it more like Steven Seagal’s real-life blocking. Post Mortem: Final Option was moved to Nintendo 64 and PS1 and renamed Deadly Honor, which was set to receive a nomination for the Sweet Ass Name Award by the Action Name Academy before it was finally can- celled due to Steven Seagal killing everyone. @ With all the evil in the world, it seems strange this didn’t make it to store shelves. Cc nic ins: The Gi NES e Capcom ¢ 1990 This game, despite never being released, was Game Players’ game of the month, and Game Players Encyclopedia of Nintendo Games put together a six-page Strategy guide for it. This may lead you to believe it’s some lost Capcom classic, and if so, | hope you're hav- ing a nice time prancing through that meadow of blind optimism. | went in knowing full well that it was based on an ad campaign of singing dried fruit, and | was still surprised at its blatant disregard for my entertainment. To Game Players’ credit, maybe the only other game invented that month was Standing in Front of Steven Seagal’s Karate With a Light Bulb in Your Mouth. Don’t get me wrong, raisins are fine. They're nature’s candy, and | like the idea of singing snacks. But it’s NES; you can make games about star monsters, or...or, check this out: ninjas that are like half-motorcycle! Maybe they realized this at the last minute. Or maybe they simply forgot about it because they were so excited about their Sega Master System title, Calgon Take Me Away: Tahitian Orchard Body Wash for $4.99 The Game. The Plot: You're sent by three raisin judges in pow- der wigs to rescue your fellow raisins and their sheet music from evil record producers. Sorry, | know pass- ing that on to you is like throwing up directly into your brain, but the burden of that knowledge was not some- thing | could bear alone. Thrill Kill PS ¢ EA/Virgin Interactive * 1998 Thrill Kill was a fighting game built on the overarching concept of a man carrying 20 gallons of blood ina garbage bag getting hit by a train. The art direction was a combination of a 12-year-old metalhead’s ‘Trapper Keeper doodles and a crime scene, and when EA got the rights to Kili, it pulled the plug. Eventually, Kill was toned down to a level just below Senseless Murder, and its engine was used for Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style. So yes, the game went from exploiting con- sumer demand for spurting wounds to exploiting our love of nonkarate celebrities doing karate. That's the kind of thinking you can’t teach in schools. Well, you could, but you'd have to take a kid out of reg- ular classes and force him into classes where clowns laugh as bunnies are made into juice. And that’s a tough permission slip to get parents to sign. Traffic Safety Rating: B-. Whenever there’s an accident on the highway, rubbernecking causes mas- Sive traffic jams. Thrill Kill, however, could change all that. You see, by attaching a screenshot to your steer- ing wheel, you can speed by any accident. Because if you ever get the urge to see a mangled orgy of horror, you can keep your eyes forward and just take a quick glance down at Thrill Kill’s stilted midget jamming a two-by-four through a monkey. America’s highways thank you, Thrill Kill! Photograph by Robert Mora/Getty Images 154 * ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com LEGENDS OF THE FALL (Solution on page 157) ACROSS 3. Ballz! developer _ Magic 5. Street Fighter Charlie’s Japanese alias 6. Need for Speed blingin’ SUV 11. MGS3’s evil crybaby 13. Act like Mario in Yoshi's Island 15. 2 DOWN wears one 16. Double Dragon brute 18. GT4 Mitsubishi pocket rocket 19. Like Solid Snake and Halo’s Marines 21. Metroid Prime 2 developer 23. Hwoarang’s Tekken mentor 24. Little Nicky (GBC) real-life actor's initials 25. Mario 2 earthshaker 26. San Andreas air pollution 28. Ninja Turtles’ evil brain 32. A Namco katamari’s girth divided by its height 33. Currency, to Jacques Blanc of Onimusha 3? 35. Legends of Wrestling’s Albano 36. SiugFest slugger 38. Early GBA shooter 41. NEC’s 16-bitter, for short 42. Raiden’s state, near the end of MGS2 43. Jill’s headgear in 45 ACROSS 44. Like the Dodo in GTA3 45. Seminal survival-horror title, for short 46. San Andreas, in GTA: San Andreas Metroid Prime 2 planet AKA Shalashaska in MGS Story line Customers in GTA taxi missions -Geo or Super Magnetic Burnout 3 signature takedown Tunnel of _ Like Shrek’s Donkey Sonic’s nemesis 11 ACROSS in MGS3, for one GBA boxer Hixton Frenzied Rockstar brawler, for short Snake’s MGS3 assassination objective Like Mitch in GTA: Vice City Most things in GTA are against it Spider-Man hangouts? Claire, to Chris Redfield Badass Phantasy Star Online spell Halo 2 enemies Silent Hill 2 puzzle pullable Tools of the trade for Solid Snake and Master Chief Sneaked, as in Splinter Cell? Tekken 3 boss GT4 engine speed Solid and Liquid Snake commonality AMENDED United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation 7 Poblaaton Te Te: Bubicalon Number] Fing ba Electronic Gaming Mont lo| [ol ¢| i I: [5] al al 10/1/04 “Teas Freer ar eis Fie Aaly Ro Saipan Pk bly 12 | $24.97 7. Complete Malling Address of Known Office of Publication (Not priner) (Street, Gly, county, and ZiP+a) ~ | eniatPasen Ct 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016 '. Complete Maling Address of Headquarters or General Business Offco of Publisher (Nol printer) 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016 3. FullNames and Compote Malin Addresses of Publaher, Edi, ond Managing Editor (00 not leave blank) Publisher (Nome and complete mailing address) Lee Uniacke, 101 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Ector (Name and complate mailing adaross) ¥ = os “= Dan Hsu, 101 Secon: Wianaging Editor (Name and coms Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 ie maiing address) Jennifer Tsao, 101 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 10. Owner (00, lave blank. tha publication is owned by a corporation, give the namo and address of th corporation inmmeditely (lowed by tho ‘amas and aadrosses ofa 3 own or hot terse t'more of tho fia! amount stack. a owned by a orperaion OMe fe 5 of he nivcual enna’. owned bya parinarship or other unincorpaated rm, pve ls ama and adarese a3 wellss coe of ons planed bya honor orn give ks ame ond odes) 28th Street, New York, NY 10016 |_28 East 28th Street, New York, 10016 | | | | 11 Known Bondholders, Morigagoos, and Olhor Socurly Howere Owning or Holding 1 Porcont or Moro of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages. or __ Other Secures. 72. Tax Status (For compotion by nonprolt orpanizavons ‘The purpose, function, and nonprofit status ofthis gar 1D Has Not Changed During Precading 12 Months {0d fo mal al nonprot rales) (Check one) and the exernpl status for federal income tx purposes: 1D Has Changed Ouring Preceding 12 Months (Publisher must submit explanation of change with ths statement) PS Form 3526, October 1999 (See instuctions on Revers) 14 sue Date fr Creanton Data Blow September 2004 SEE aE ees piieiebeWe spe Bach Wace" | Rac Copan at SRG eo E abst During Peeceding 12 Months | Published Nearest 1o Filing Oate | | T 794,919. = 791,859 _ Tin] Paiteqvened |0] Form 3st feces 402,521 428,171 ». Pad anor | Requested — ~ + - cere 119,016 |___ 128,000 a) | ~ Total Paid andlo Reg in | = Total Paid ond Requosied Grculaion F ESumot 18 (9. @.ahand pl 521,537 556,171 eae eee act Sella 4 S Eten |()] Ouse Comey as Sard on Feo 64 66,551 25,130 bya f] = “= SS SSeS amples, |(2] in-couny 2 Stated on Form 3541 compliment = : at SS Sheree) {| ober cases aad Meh bo uses ©. Free Distibution Outside the (Carriers o othor moans) i ‘Total Free Distribution (Sum of 184. and 15e,) > > ® Total Distibuion (Sum of 15. and 152 ry Copies not Distibuiod vetat (Sum of tg. and h) > T Percent Paid andor Requosiod Grea (150. divided by 15g. tines 100) TE. Pubication of Siaterant of Ownaraip G Pubscation required. Wil be printed inthe January 2005 ___ issue of this pubfeation © Pubtication not requied. 17. Signature ond Tide of Ecior, Publshor, Business Manager. Owner Date Charles Hast, Sr. Vice President, Consumer Mktg. 10/19/04 cary thal ail information forished on tis form Is rue end complete. T understand that an}dne who furnishes false or misleading information on this form ‘or who omits material or eformation requested on the form may be cubjoct to criminal eanctions (ncuding fines and imprisonment) andioe chi sanctions Gecluding cil penatios) Instructions to Publishers 1 ‘Complete and file one copy ofthis form with your postmaster annually on or bofore October 1. Keep a copy of the completed form. for your records. 2 In cases whore the stockholder or security holdor Is a trustee, include in items 10 and 11 the name of the person or corporation for ‘whom the trustee is acting. Also include the names and addresses of indviduats who are stockholders who own or hold 1 percent ‘of bonds, mortgages, or other securities of the publishing corporation. In item lank sheets if more space is required. 1, ifnone, check the @ to furnish all circu information called for in ite 6d, ©, and f buted, 1d to the publishes, sue in which this Statement of Ow will be published 7 tom 17 must be sigh Failure to file or publish a ont of ownership may lead to suspension of Perio s authorization PS Form 3526, Ocober 199 Let’ s Rea it for petty bickering @ Alien Hominid offers 2D cartoon action that’s fast, furious, and sure ‘to be ignored this holiday season. : ou’d never guess from his Ae cheeky in-magazine persona é that EGM Reviews Editor Demian Linn is actually a rather quiet, unassuming guy,around the office. Managing Editor Jennifer Tsao, on the other hand, is just generally bossy and impatient—in the office and in the mag- azine. Sounds like the perfect matchup for this month’s edition of Final Word... lian: Ace Combat 5 is a good one, and Mario Power Tennis probably won't get the recognition it deserves. But | have to say to all the game companies putting out solid-to-excellent but low-profile games right now: Are you high on crack cocaine? Push your good stuff until early next year or spring! If you can’t compete against Halo 2, GTA, etc., don’t! Jennifer: How weird is it that a high-pro- file, EGM-gold-medal-winnin’ game like MONTHLY Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is the season's biggest underdog? Everyone loves it, but nobody’s playing it—there just aren’t enough hours in the day. And since that’s so true (who,are we kidding?), lll recommend Alien Hominid and Karaoke Revolution Vol. 3—at least you can play those in quick, easy sittings between turf wars in San Andreas. See, Alien Hominid, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. It came out a week after Halo 2, and the day,after Metroid Prime 2 and,Half-Life 2 (PC). Smart move, smarty, Did we already establish that we can’t pick San Andreas? That'd be my pick for sure, for its incredible variety and depth. Whoever thought you’d be playing RHYTHM-ACTION minigames in a GTA game? | love it. New question: What if all my crap was stolen and | was on a desert island? I’d have to go with a Dreamcast and Seaman. Nothing like being psychoan- alyzed by a talking man/fish hybrid to accelerate the going-insane process. Or BMX XXX, purely for the stripper, quotient. Does the desert island happen to,be littered with dead batteries, pop tops, and rotting fruit? Cause then | defi- nitely want a GameCube and Pikmin 2. My life just isn’t complete without micro- management of minions—and these little guys recycle! Firefighter FD. 18, which | loved all over (6.0 out of 10) and Jen hate hate hated (4.0). It had evil, firefighter-fighting robots that were impervious to water— what more do you want from the fire- fighting genre? Also, | think Jen way overrated Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo (4.5), though | haven’t played it. Nor have | seen the box. Hey, game companies—if you can't compete against Halo or GTA, don't. Hear that LucasArts? As in, what the heck are you thinking, moving up the Knights of the Old Republic sequel?! I'm begging you—delay, for the love of Yoda! Hey, Project Zoo had mine carts, lava caves, and jungle jumping puzzles— most of which were at least partially func- tional. There’s three points, easily, right there. Add a pernicious penguin villain and it should all start to make sense. I don’t even want go there with Firefighter, but, naturally, | will anyway. The firestorms that held a gfidge—literal- ly? Your character’d say stuff like, “This fire...it seeMs so...angry!” | mean, come on, how could you love it, Demian? How? Well, | loved it in the “technically above average” sense, not the “outta my way, | want to play this game right now!” sense. Plus, that fire totally was angry. We're not sure whether oF Wallace here helped his, game's score or hurt it. @ In the battle of the wits between man and fish, our money's on fish. In a word, yes. That doesn’t meanviit’s not still supersolid as a game, but’the extreme sports chic that Tony Hawk pioneered is tired. Give me the same gameplay dressed up as Tony Hawk N the Hood or Vice Skater—with a new * aesthetic look and soundtrack, I'll be glad to keep playing. Kind of. | still love playing horse and trick,attack games with friends, but it’s time for another radical change. Jen’s Grand Theft Auto-ification of Hawk could work, but hold the thugs, eh? Or maybe it’s time for Tony Hawk 2075, with futuris- tic hoverboards. | dunno, I’m just blue skyin“it here. , | \@ Whatever, another Gg f Hawk before PS3 or Xbox 2 is way too,soon, NEXT MONTH: FEBRUARY 2005 - ISSUE 188 ON SALE JANUARY 11 PREVIEWS i @ Doom 3 (XB) 4 @ Xenosaga II (PS2) : Rise of Kasai (PS2) 1 Medal of Honor: 1 4 ee PORTABA-LO We may have gotten our hands on the Nintendo DS this month, but we've still got plenty of love for the other handheld consoles. We have exclusive first-looks at previously unannounced games for the DS and PSP, plus even more info on the hot new titles we're all waiting for. We won't forget the little guys, though, as we look at upstart contenders Gizmondo, N-Gage, and Tapwave. For those of you who love top 10 lists, we'll be continuing our countdown to our monstrous 200th anniversary issue. Tempers will really flare when we count off the top systems of our time (especially our controversial choice to put Atari Jaguar at #1). We all know transferring 2D classics Metroid, Prince of Persia, and Zelda into 3D wasn’t easy. Now some old- school enthusiasts tackle this problem in reverse, creating fan-made games that collapse your favorite 3D titles into two dimensions. If this month’s Child’s Play I! wasn’t enough for you, we've got a slightly more mature version for next issue. We make a group of parents—screened to ensure they know nothing about videogames—try out the games their kids are playing today. It isn’t a pretty sight. aay 1 Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) 4 @ Star War Knights of the Old Republic Il: The Sith Lords (XB) NFL Street 2 (PS2/XB/GC) @ MechAssault 2 (XB) 1B The Getaway 2: Black Monday (PS2) Mario Party 6 (GC) (All planned editorial content is subject to change.) Activision GameFly Nyko Technologies Inc www.activision.com ...... ssla-td,23— www.gamefly.com ..... 6.6. 0ee eee 146-147 WWWANYKO.COM «see sees eee ee eee eed 119 (0) J THE FALL on page 155 Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Ubisoft Entertainment Office of National Drug Control Policy www.penguinputnam.com ..... at www.gameloftcom . «+. 58-59, 68-69 © www.whatsyourantidrug.com .... - 87 Best Buy Co., Inc. Corporate Headquarter Intel Corp. Rattlebrain, Inc. v7 www.bestbuy.com ......+.0+0+ frre a www.intel.com ... 10-11,12-13 SCEA....... 28-29, 42-43, 55, Blockbuster Entertainment Inc. JAMDAT Mobile Inc. www.scea.com . 67, 103, 115, 133 www.blockbuster.com ......6+ +4200 122,123 wwwJjamdatmobile.com ........+++ wee BT Sony Online Entertainment Capcom USA Inc. Konami Digital Ent WWW.SONYOMIING.COM ... +. +e eeeee eee eed 49 www.capcom.com 163, 84-85, 109,139 www.konami.com .........65,91,111,demo Sony Pictures Entertainment Eidos Interactive, Inc LucasArts Entertainment www,sonypictures.com ......+.+ arent www.eidos.com ..... Dees oeeemeavinsa demo wwwalucasarts.com ......+4++0+5 :39,demo Square Enix, Inc. Electronic Arts Microsoft Corporation www.square-enix-usa.com ...... +++ 26-27 www.ea.com . . 4-5, 8-9, 24-25, demo www.microsoft.com .. . +++.79 TARGET STORES Electronics Boutique/EB Catalog Midway Games, Inc. www.getintothegame.com . www.ebgames.com . . 33, 37,77, 95,107,159 www.midway.com .........5 seseeeedlemo THQ Inc. Electro Source Milk Processors www.thg.com www.electro4@ix.netcom.com ...........45 www.gotmilk.com .... Ubisoft Entertainment Ford Motor Company Namco Hometek Wwwwubisoftcom ......seeeeeeeee wwwfordvehicles.com ....+..+4++4 ++e:160 www.namco.com . US Air Force Full Sail Real World Education NISSAN MOTOR CORPORAI www.airforce.com .. www fullsail.com ......+ eee e eee 153,demo www.nissanusa.com .... World Entertainment Board. (Arush Ent.) | al x] el | N| E Ss Funimation Productions Ltd. Intel Corp. www.arushgames.com ......6+.0+8 Soh wnvituiation.com seco. «demo wwuintalcom Zingy ie. B BEER Pel fs a Hollywood Entertainment Nokia Telecommunications WWW.ZINGY.COM . 6. eee cece eee saneneas eae www.gamecrazy.com .... www.n-gage.com . . LETC Can HOMILY (SH 159-9100 pice monty 2 Ds ean 28a 280 Shel. Ne Yer 101. Fda Cas Pest Pie Yo 1016 tne mang tis Fe acie er a Ss ace aso spepagcon sry Pare OS a Grats 175114) G08 tebe (1) GO 8 POSTMASTER aston a ony, FBS SoCo eee rows YP wh nerd a ents seat fe ats (2000-0 das 0) COE al oe ype orl tad ba ses aw ou sera na epg om Sere We aon ne S24 Gren an Hoty ie hy, mi as lee (868 Er a NPE dare someanes an eth ave Oude NUS sod se per Ya fx Saace mal US ans oy. 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Fo ae REPS ard EPRINTS, contac Fosters te (errs et cen an ener pr en zo Caron ny nC we abr o DH Ose ara ooh od on hare a oe beeen beak '® ee ei eee ee hoes Se ae etl Printed in the U.S.A. cre ean sSusses PO eS PO West Benet Cec: hon ON CAB 6 erase ny ene, now ear hang around my mana ease sae et. ae service questions, address changes, orto order, please contact us at Web: ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com ¢ 157 geme over HELLO, VIDEO GAMERS! IM HSL TANAKA, THATS MY BROTHER CHAN, AND WE. SID YoU LOOK THE 1 HECK AROUNP! Eeoee 15 ON THE TREES, HOUSES ARE AGtow, AND THE MAGICAL FEELING OF COMMERCE 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.) HAVE WE Got A LOAD OF GREAT GAMES FoR You THis YEAR, VIDEO GAMERS ! GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS / METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake EATER! HALO 2: THE CASH cow! AND MANY MORE, ENOUGH TO KEEP You GAMING UNTIL You FINALLY START WORKING OFF ALL THAT CHEESECAKE, Bot- \T ONLY WORKS, (F You ACTUALLY GET THE GAMES! PICKING TWHESE UP. \F THERES ONE FACT WE'VE GLEANED FROM OUR COLLECTIVE 50% YEARS OF CHRISTMAS MEMORIES, IT'S THAT ONE'S HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS SHOULD NEVER DEPEND ON THE KINDNESS OF RELATIVES OR LOVED ONES! PERMEATES THE AIR! AAAIGH! MY House ISAGLOW! WITH So MANY HIGH-PROFILE TITLES Now AVAILABLE, GAMERS ARE BEING FORCED To MAKE SOME HARD, FINANCIAL DECISIONS - FOR INSTANCE, SHOULD You TAKE A JoB AY A FAST- FooD PLACE AND TELL PEOPLE You WORK AT AN OFFice, OR ATA RESEARCH LABORATORY? SHOULD You STEAL THE MONEY FROM A STRANGER, oR FROM SOMEONE You KNow? = ANSWER -- STEAL FROM BoTH! THEY GO LIGHT. Hf IF \T LOOKS, Like A NEUROSIS! ude i SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY! SINCE WE AT TANAKA BROS. GAME DEVELO DO Not ADWCATE THE CRIME OF Theres ereepe in THOSE RARE INSTANCES WHEN IT BENEFITS US PERSONALLY -- WE'RE GoInKs To DEMONSTRATE A VARIETY OF ALTERNATE METHODS IN WHICH You, Too, CAN TURN WARM, HOLIDAY SENTIMENT INTO A FAST BUCK! DISCLAIMER. THESE METHODs MIGHT BE ILLEGAL, IN WHicH CASE WE REALLY Don't ADNOCATE THEM. “We BEALTY OF “THE HOLIDAY SEASON (5 THAT PEOPLE ARE TOSSING SO MUCH CASH IN SO MANG DIFFERENT DiREcTIONS, EVEN THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT5 ALL GOING! CASE IN POINT, OUR ASSISTANT, ARNIE! ARNIE 1S STANDING ON A RANDOM STREET CORNER, DRESSED AS SANTA CLAUS, HOLDING AN UNMARKED cUP AND RINGING A BELL! OUR CITIZENS LIVING OUT THEIR TWILIGHT GEARS ARE ALWAYS GLAD TO FEEL WANTED BY MEMBERS OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION, WHICH MEANS THEY'RE A CINCH To SQUEEZE FoR FREE LABOR, WITHOUT ASKING You A BUNCH oF NOSY QUESTIONS | WHICH CHARITY 15 THIS FoR, AN ARMY OF NEGLECTED GRANDMOTHERS WILL DO THE GRUNT WORK FoR You, AND A NOTICE THAT GOUR GOODS WERE CRAFTED BY THE SWEAT AND TOIL OF SENIOR CENTER PATRONS WILL GUARANTEE YoU MASOR SELLING POWER! IT TURNS Out, PEOPLE PAY Good MONEY FoR GouR PLASMA! ANOID THOSE PESKY BETWEEN-DONATION WAITING PERIODS BY DOING SOME Fast, INTER-CIT? DRIVING! WELL... THATS GLA MOBSTER... AND HES... WELL, HES MUGGING A G4, AND THATS IT! We HOPE You FOUND SOME OF CUR HOLIDAY FUND-RAISING IDEAS HELPFUL, UNLESS DOING $0 CAUSES: Ho BE ARRESTED ANDIOR ,, HE'S NoT REALLY IN WHICH CAGE NE NEVER Ni STARING ON SAD THAT iN athe ASSIGNMENT, \F You'Re NOT HUNGRY TAKE We COOKIES AND Juice THEY Give [OU AFTERWARD! “Rust ME ON THIS! WHOA, ‘DAISY, 158 ¢ ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com PLUS, EVERY $0 OFTEN ONE OF ‘EM'LL JUST UP AND HAND YOU OVER THEIR POWER OF ATTORNEY! (TS HAPPENED BEFORE! CHEERY AND We Ee RINce STATEMENTS, IE WISH You ALL VERR Wareg HOLIDANS / ESBGAMES electronics boutique’ PLAYROY THE MANSION FREE 2005 PLAYBOY CALENDAR WHEN YOU PRE-ORDER THE GAME. © COMING SOON! While supplies last. See sales associate for details. $49.99 GAMES electronics boutique: We take games seriously ™ WE CAPTURED THE SPIRIT, BUT DIDN’T. TRY TO TAME IT. ee MIUSEPANCe Built for the road ahead. fordvehicles.com Our goal is to preserve classic video game magazines they are not lost permanently. People interested in helping out in any « please visit us af www.retromags o— available from the publishers themselves. {f you come across anyone selling releases from this site, please do not support them and do let us know. Thank you!