HANDS-ON WITH “THE LEGEND OF 7418 THE WORLD'S MOST CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SERIES ( GROWS UP AND МЕ МЕ GOT THE з © ZIFF DAVIS MEDA 06>8 E Е 3 14024 069601" а MARVEL NEMESIS 50 CENT: BULLETPROOF WWW.1UP.COM | 54.99 U.S. / $6.50 Canada June 2005 issue 192 ч т т 2 Violenc Language BATMAN BEGINS Software countrie in the U. DC BULLET LOGO, BATMAN and ай related char 22005 Electronic Arts Inc. and V All Rights Reserved. “PlayStation” and the "PS. ‘S. and/or other countries. TM, ® rner Bros, Entertainment Inc, Electronic Arts, EA, EA GAMES and the EA GAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or o nily logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox Logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft С and Nintendo GameCube are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. АП other trademarks are the property of their respective overs. EA GAMESTM is an Electronic ArtsTM brand, Game Boy Advant s and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. WBIE LOGO: TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (505) BATMAN BEGINS IN THEATRES SUMMER 2005 BE THE REASON PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF THE DARK. B ATMA N ВЕБ NS. i — e i ж í THE VIDEOGAME THE PATH TO JUSTICE BEGINS AT BATMANBEGINS.EA.COM ж IN STORES JUNE I7TH Fear becomes your weapon when you strike Tear through Gotham streets in the Batmobile, Use your ninja combat skills to take-an your terror in the hearts of your adversaries. using advanced weapons and technology to enemies and extract vital information. threaten those who stand in the way of justice. г х Ф » ф PlayStation.e Blood and Gore Intense Violence Nudity Sexual Themes God oat задата Say CinputrErtertanmensmeria Іпс/(02005 Sony Computer Entemtalnmhent Strong Language Anenca Ine: PlayStation” andthe “PS” Family loga are rabistered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment ine. “Live In.Your World; Penns, iss registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc; LIVE INSYOUR WXRLD. РЕДУТ ШИН 9: | NMA and the Pandemic 100049) аге trademarks and/or registered All Humans and their respective logos are trademarks and/or ire registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft Corporation in the U.S, and/or in other countries ire the property of their respective owners. Text CRYPTO to 69847 (МҮТН0) for info on the Destroy All Humans! console and wireless games. 42277 www.thq.com contents issue 192 · June 2005 LETTERS 14 Реп pals forever! Right? E-mail EGM@ziffdavis.com PRESS START The latest news, previews, features, and gaming gossip 20 SECOND CHANCES We let a few franchises give it another try because we’re such sweethearts 30 HEAD TO HEAD A heated debate about violence in videogames 34 IMPENDING DOOM We think The Rock will finally win that Oscar with his role in the Doom movie 40 AFTERTHOUGHTS: GOD OF WAR Two of our editors decided to have an interview threesome with GOW's director 42 ONLINE New maps?! Halo 2 junkies will never make that first step to recovery 44 NEXT-GEN CONSOLE REPORT Will you have to give up your firstborn for a copy of a PS3 game? 46 NINTENDO: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE Instead of giving you some lame timeline, we chat with a Nintendo VP 50 PERIPHERALS Gaming accessories designed so you'll never have to leave your chair again 52 AFTERTHOUGHTS: DOOM 3 Doom 3's lead designer explains to us how Satan got to outer space 53 FLATOUT Br 2 e COVER THE LEGEND OF ZELDA RY: —or whatever the hell it ends up being called—is coming soon. A grown-up Link is going to take a defibrillator to the GameCube to bring it back to life and get you back to rescuing princesses. Go check it out. REVIEW CREW More accurate than an Olympic judge 54 55 Xbox 102 Jade Empire 104 Pariah 106 Close Combat: First to Fight 106 WWE Wrestlemania 21 Multiplatform 96 Area 51 98 Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition 99 Dead to Rights Il: Hell to Pay 108 Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix 109 Twisted Metal: Head-On 109 Spider-Man 2 A game that promotes car crashes that's not sponsored by Geico TOUGH CUSTOMER Are game-store employees completely worthless? ON THE AUCTION BLOCK We almost feel sorry for the chumps who bought this stuff SONS OF THE GLITCH “Baby, it's not like that...” We let Extra Stuff 110 Reviews Wrap-up 112 Reviews Archive PlayStation 2 100 Haunting Ground 100 Enthusia: Professional Racing 101 Cold Winter Nintendo DS 107 Pac-Pix PSP 108 Wipeout Pure cheaters explain themselves 58 EGM 200 A top 10 list of cult-classic games 60 RUMOR MILL We hear the princess has been getting it on with Luigi behind Mario’s back 62 HOTTEN “Survey says...” Play some Family Feud to guess the hottest games 66 PREVIEW UPDATE 2005 It's like Christmas again and again with all these great games in '05 GAME OVER Funny reviews and funny pages 120 REST OF THE CRAP 122 FINAL WORD 123 CROSSWORD/GRUDGE MATCH 124 NEXT MONTH 126 HSU & CHAN editorial The people in the audience watch in anticipation as three videogame cars race around in а prerendered movie on the big screen. A yellow car, blue car, and black car all zig here, zag there, jockeying for position, then at the very end, the yellow car pulls ahead and crosses the finish line. One-third of the crowd—the lucky ones wearing a yellow badge given to them earlier at random—goes wild. They just won a free HDTV from Microsoft during its keynote speech at the Game Developers Conference this past March. The blue- and black-badge guys give the winners the ol’ stink eye. I was in attendance that day, and | was one of the yellow-badge guys. Am | allowed to accept this expensive television as a journalist? It’s a gray area, since Microsoft didn’t offer me the television specifically—it was a random contest in a room mostly full of industry folk. But in the world of journalistic integrity, gray is bad. How I view it: If it’s not something Га be happy to announce to my readers, then it's not something | should do. For example, another game company once offered me a $400 gift certificate for helping it out on a charity event that had nothing to do with EGM or any coverage we were doing. | turned it down. So | gave up my HDTV, even though I don't have one at home and have been saving for one for what seems like years. While | was glad to see some of my fellow journalists turn theirs down as well, | know of many others who didn't. | won't judge them (like I said, it's a gray area), but my peers should understand that if we're to be taken seriously as journalists, we have to start acting like journalists. And for our readers: As long as you put your trust in us, you can read comfortably knowing we'll respect and honor that trust. —Dan “Shoe” Hsu, Editor-in-Chief ‘All content copyright © 2005 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. 8» ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com WARNING THE MAKERS OF NEW TAG BODY SPRAY WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE SHOULD ANY GIRL-ON-GIRL-ON- GIRL-ON-GIRL-ON-GIRL-ON-GIRL-ON-GUY ACTION OCCUR. PLEASE CARRY CARD BELOW AT ALL TIMES. EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION. Introducing TAG™ Body Spray for Men. Uniquely designed to-ättract the ladies. YOU DRIVE OVER 200 CARS FROM MORE THAN PERFECT THE RHYTHM AND TIMING OF YOUR ODDS SYSTEM EVENS THE FIELD AND 50 MANUFACTURERS. DRIVING SKILLS IN DRIVING REVOLUTION MODE. ELIMINATES THE TRADITIONAL MONEY SYSTEM. IT’S NOT ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPEND UNDER THE HOOD. IT’S ALL ABOUT YOUR SKILLS BEHIND THE WHEEL. EXPERIENCE HUNDREDS OF MODERN AND CLASSIC VEHICLES FROM THE WORLD’S TOP MANUFACTURERS AS YOU WORK YOUR WAY UP FROM AMATEUR TO THE TOP PROFESSIONAL DRIVER. EVERYONE БЕ Visit www.esrb.org f dated rati Kis cud WWW.KONAMI.COM/ENTHUSIA information. © 2004 KONAMI “Enthusia Professional Racing” is a trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. All manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game are trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners. "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. you ORIVE Opel. FrischesDenken À für bessere Autos. Tor ОКТ VISUAL GRAVITY SYSTEM (VGS) OFFERS TRUE-TO-LIFE PHYSICS FOR EACH VEHICLE BUILD YOUR SKILLS FROM AMATEUR DETAILED REAL-TIME INFORMATION ABOUT RECREATED FROM OVER 300 PARAMETERS. TO THE TOP PROFESSIONAL IN CAR HANDLING AND TIRE TRACTION. ENTHUSIA LIFE MODE. | «^ ENTHUSIA PROFESSIONAL RACING AVAILABLE MAY 2005 PlayStation.e » KONAMI 5 / Dan "Shoe" Hsu please don't steal our Lunch money En dior Crispin Boyer s Editor Shane Bettenhausen is Editor Demian Linn Editor Bryan Intihar jonal Editor John Ricciardi James Lee DESIGN Art Director Monique Convertito Associate Art Director Stefan Belavy CONTRIBUTORS David Chapman, Che Chou, Karen Chu, Robert Cottey, Kevin R Convertito, Jon Dudlak, Geoff Keighley, Matt Leone, Nich Maragos, Guest Reviewers Thierry "Scooter" Nguyen, Joe Rybicki, Seanbaby, епу Serrano, Shamoon, Shawn Smith, Justin Speer, Giancarlo Varanini, Cameron Wittig DAN “SHOE” HSU, Editor-in-Chief Steve Harris Shoe's broken wrist (see last issue) is on the road to full recovery. He learned that playing videogames actually speeds up the healing process. Nothing like a little Halo 2 death- matching to get ol’ righty back on track. 1UP.com Blog: egmshoe.1UP.com Now Playing: Jade Empire, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Meteos ROBERT ASHLEY Robert has been busy doing some {ice Pes of operan: and Business Development ВИ Daher facial. hair experi- Director ‚John Davison menting. A mus- tache is more COPY DESK | Copy Chief Tom Edwards than a killer fash- у Editors Greg Ford, Susie Ochs ion statement; it's PRODUCT OM case Mine Mane MGE 4 Senior Production Manager Anne Marie Miguel a lifestyle. jon Manager Monica Brent Production Manager Teresa Newson MARK MACDONALD, Executive Editor Heer ON fing Director of Aka Sales Кат Michalopouos Mark would like to address the suicidal enemies in both of his ‘SHAWN ELLIOT SALES review games this month: Please stop. All life, even that of Shawn ve "d Seri or bro d Nen Sues Marci Yamaguchi nameless, faceless foot soldiers, is precious. 'Sides, killing you to print his web- жина Consunp ак Soles меле гараа is part of Mark’s job, so it’s like taking food out of his mouth. езү Territory Managers and Acct. Execs. 102 сот Blog: mark.1UP.com GRAND OPENING APRIL 25! subscriptio Vil. Renan Account Now Playing: Dracula X, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap get po Par е ио Ау Мелта Fave Genres: Action, Adventure, Shooters faster than that TV {иймен рты Белла show Cop Rock. Regional Sales Director Leslie C. Gettand Account Executive Rita Kline East А. АВ, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, IMT, NG, ND, NE, NH, NU, NM, NV NY, OH. OK, OR, РА RI SC, TN, ТУ, UT VA, JENNIFER TSAO, Managing Editor The recent spate of portable puzzlers has Jennifer's physical- rt 5 GREG FORD VE WA Im ИЛ WY Canada activity level at an all-time low. The gym just can’t compete Ford thinks he has Regional Salo Director kn Sinclair with Lumines and Meteos! So she pulled out her dancepad artistic talent now ee and vowed to get dancin’—right after she beats this one level. that he’s spent FONTE MANU 1UP.com Blog: egmjennifer.1UP.com hours on Pac-Pix. EEE ИУ Now Playing: Meteos, Lumines, DDR Extreme (soon!) The Louvre Regional Sales Director Matthew Е. Panken Fave Genres: RPG, Adventure, Rhythm-Action, Puzzle Museum waits жоғал esau C aeo рпа patiently for his Regional Sales Manager Ken Stubblefield next masterpiece. AUPcom Editor-in-Chief Sam Kennedy Executive Director of Sales Paul Fusco District Sales Manager Whitney Tipton JAMES LEE Account Executive Jessica Reinert James loved Senior Advertising Coordinator Tipler Ubbelohde seeing himself in Advertising Coordinator Jessica Reback CRISPIN BOYER, Senior Editor A chill wind blew through this month's reviews, leaving Cris with just one good game to play (Area 57). He had to enjoy ancient Chinese epic Jade Empire vicariously because he was slow to cry shotgun when Demian doled out review duties. ‘Administrative Assistant Lynn Fortunato 1URcom Blog: egmerispin.1UP.com THUG 2 Remix and Assistants Kimberley Nicerio, Tiffany Ort Now Playing: Jade Empire, Area 51, Wipeout Pure even made a MARKETING esa Faye Genres: Action, Adventure, RPG Samed in Jade, Research Director May Tong трпе. The Torso farketing Coordinator Jason Freidenfelds Empire. The Т M " Т Tiger works. Thank To contact Sales and Advertising. please cal 415-547-8000 гїп Ш MM you, Chuck Norris! SHANE BETTENHAUSEN, Previews Editor Multiplayer gaming gets a bit...competitive at EGM. Over the Chairman & CEO á obert F Callahan years, Shane's lost a few bucks to Shoe on Soul Calibur, Tetris onc PESTER President à C00 Attack, and various Street Fighters. Finally, he's found his gold- For those who: RU E Осе mine—Nintendo's rad new DS puzzler Meteos. Pay up, Shoe! i Derek Iwin p y un care, you might Senior Executive Vice President, 1UPcom Blog: egmshane.1UP.com remember him Publishing Operations Тот McGrade Now Playing: Haunting Ground, Kirby: Canvas Curse, Meteos from such maga- осле MM Fave Genres: Action, Adventure, RPG, Fighting, Karaoke zines such as FN EE MON а GMR, Ladies Ше А à Home Journal, and Scott C McCarthy (ame Group) DEMIAN LINN, Reviews Editor This Is Sioux City! Sloan Seymour Enterprise Group) Jason Young (Consumer Tech Group & Ziff Davis Internet) At first, Demian was afraid that the Р5Р 5 media capabilities would make our nation illiterate (OK, maybe just the few Senior Vice Presidents hundred thousand people who own one). But then inspiration JOHN RICCIARDI e MT (9210000 & Seles Operation) struck, and LeVar Burton saved the day once again. Japan welcomed 1UPcom Blog: egmdemian.1UR.com John into their Kenne esc Coport Sales) Now Playing: Enthusia, Wipeout Pure, World of WarCraft (PC) culture. He even Ira Becker (ntemet) А on rakes beads Bill Daniher (Ops and Business Development, Game Group) Fave Genres: Action, Hockey, Racing, Fighting pi John Davison (Editorial Director, Game Group) igns like a Japan- Sara DeCarlo (Consumer Marketing and Database Management) е тараран Baron Goldberg (Market Experts ese girl for photos, Barry Harrigan (Internet) R il Kristin Holmes (Intemational Licensing) BRYAN INTIHAR, News Editor but he does it a Michael Krieger (Market pers) Two so-so movie sequels and one very crummy game couldn't bit differently. иеа едва ПРВИТЕ stop Bryan from being the biggest Matrix lover. So who better ЕЕ ыд (ELE 39 to check out the new game...and meet the creator's lovable Melinda Maginn Reily (ntegrated Media & Corporate Sales) koala? GREG SEWART Angelo Mandarano (тете) pet koala? fter a year spent Sot McDaniel (Game Gro) | 2 ul O'Reilly (Event Marketing Group) An Bio Eon - in the sweatshops Elen Peariman (Editor-in-Chief, CIO sch) ‘ow Playing: Jade Empire, Wipeout Pure й eth Repeta (Human Resources) Ма о А of game develop Martha Schwartz (Qustom/Conference Group) Fave Genres: Action, Adventure, Sports ment, Sewart ‘Tom Steinert-Threlkeld (Editor-in-Chief, Baseline) Stephen Sutton (teret Audience Development) returned to what Sa Vale esearch & Market тела - Stephen Veith (Enterprise Group Publishing Director he does best Monica Vila (Event Marketing Group) bribing Shoe to let ‘Senior Director, Manufacturing Carlos Lugo. The Contributors him write for EGM. Director of Corporate Communications Randy Zane IT West Coast Senior Technical Analyst Bill Schmelzer Technical Specialist Nick Kalister W As always, we share our videogames (Contact anyone on this masthead via e-mail with our little sister publications OFFI- каер енп) CIAL 0.5. PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE and 1UP.COM to help us with the reviews. Е] БЕЗГЕ Ы ЕДЫ IB MARC SALTZMAN grilled the main guys on both sides of the violence-in-videogames debate—and he only got one black eye. W Former EGM editor SHAWN SMITH played around with a bunch of luxurious game peripherals. Check out which one saved him a trip to the little boy's room. Wi Do game-store clerks help clueless customers shop smart? We sent CARRIE SHEPHERD into four stores to play dumb. 12 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com are ights reserved. Microsoft, the Microsoft Game Studios logo, Xbox, and jade Empire and the Jade Empire logo, and the Jade Empire Engi United States ai icrosoft Corporat ts reserved. BioWare her registered trademarks Jade Empire Engine © & ® 2002-2005 BioWare Corp. either registered trademarks or trademarks of Bi the Xbox logos are ө: Only the hands of a true master hold the fate of the Jade Empire. alis o your skills with over 20 fighting styles. Battle jour way through a mystical world where the boundaries alow: natural and supernatural are broken. The final test of your skill is passed when your journey becomes legend. JadeEmpire.xbox.com Microsoft ' BiOWARE' game studios: Violence Blood and Gore . proves himself te Бе immortal. rantıng, ravıng, and some а 771 dodge van Old man Balthazar Guinness of Analog Boutique, photographed in 1898. When consumer-rights activist Giunta Core complained about corporate game stores pushing “presales, warranties, magazine subs, and discount cards,” (see the letters section in EGM #191), clerks took notice. working | work for a certain retail chain (although | won't say which), and it isn't just the customers who’re sick of all the add-on between then and now, the environment changed. As annoying as it is for you to have to sit through a sales pitch, imagine how degrading it is for those of us who have to give it with managers breathing down our necks. Some of the add-ons make sense— discount cards for pre-owned games, warranties on the games themselves (you should see the way some people treat their discs), and so on and so forth. It's the corporate “sell ‘em or else" attitude that makes it such a burden. And trust me, the so-called commission we get isn't exactly inspiring. Unfortunately, that's the price we pay for life in a capitalist society. Even the national specialty shops are hard-pressed to compete with superstores that undercut prices simply because they can make up for the difference elsewhere. Just understand that we hate the add-on attitude as much as you do. Game store clerks are avid gamers just like all of you “ » —Seth Longland sales. When I first started with the company a few years back, making people happy was our priority, along with pushing pre- owned products (since we make so much more money on 'em). At some point POST OFFICE out there, and we have no problem talking shop (assuming we're not too busy). Don't let the crappy business part at the end of the transaction dissuade you. —C-Dawg of the month Working I've worked with a major retailer for three years now. When | was hired, | made $6.25 an hour. Now new hires start at a measly $5.15. Used to be, | was en- couraged to sell magazine subs, presales, and the like. Now, should we fail to sell enough subs and reserves, we simply get fired. No “on commission” stuff here—just our jobs on the line. Still, I'm sick of people complaining about the state of game sales. It's because | enjoy working in the industry so much that | make the sales pitches. As a matter of fact, subscriptions and preorders help you, the gamer. The subscriptions get you discounts, and prepurchasing a game is Rambling and ranting from our message boards, boards.IUP.com (look for Electronic Gaming Monthly's forums) 4 i W Unlucky number: Sony now promises to repair PSPs with 13 or more dead pixels. PSPlay date Dead-pixel woes? Wipeout: Pure bliss? Second thoughts when the register rang up $300? Posters at boards.1UP.com rate PSP’s launch. SlickKilla: | sat home and played PS2— basically the same thing, but better. Evil_DuDe: I've learned not to be Sony's tester. [I avoid] the first wave of hardware, MaleficentOgre: Dude, you can’t fit DVDs in this bulls***! 14% ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com Rudiger: The clerk at the counter looked like Richard Simmons and showed me how to insert the Memory Stick. KillerZombie: Had you bought a DS, he сош ме showed you how to touch Yoshi. Xavvi: | like my portables like | like my men: black and lasts three hours. LiquidusSnakus: | don’t buy first-genera- tion Sony hardware, so | sat at home and made fun of the people who were bidding on PSPs for $900-plus on eBay. Frightwolf: EB Games said PSP sales were preorder only, so when they asked for my name | said, “Smith.” Mr Glub Glub: The PSP is a pixel serial killer. Seriously, though, | just can’t afford it right now; I’m saving up for surgery. Erdricks Boxers: Don’t tell me you’re finally having your lips removed from [Mario creator] Miyamato’s joystick. Ninjimbo: When was the PSP released? Maximum Х: Mine was plagued with 13 dead pixels. | was, however, able to trade it in. Ultraman J: It's been a huge hit among my older coworkers. When | used to bring my GBA SP to work, it didn’t even elicit a single “Let me see that thing.” NoFXcKy: I'll be getting one as soon as | can find someone to buy one of my kidneys. Kusai: Do you accept Visa? Roboman2: | was broke, so other than an employee asking me to please remove my tongue from the Plexiglas display, nothing. Congrats (and condolences), Justin. Sometimes humor is all it takes to make our Letter of the Month and score a free game of our choosing. like putting it on layaway and paying it off at your leisure. Listen, | hate the “buy this, buy that” business as much as anybody, but the times they are a-changin’. So next time that clerk makes the pitch, keep in mind that he’s probably earning minimum wage and wants to keep it. Refuse the offer if you want—that's your choice as a customer—but at least understand where we're coming from. —Seth Longland hero Giunta Core, | totally agree. | work at an EB Games, and what my man speaks is truth. My district manager, for example, CONTACT EGM E-mail us at EGM@ziffdavis.com—if your subject line doesn’t mention renegotiating home mortgages, we'll read it! Or write to: EGM Letters 101 2nd Street, 8th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 СОТ BEEF? If there’s a problem with your subscription, or if you'd just like to say, “Gosh darn, your partnership with the U.S. Postal Service sure is bearing delicious fruit,” here’s how to do it: E-mail: subhelp@egmmag.com Website: http://service.egmmag.com Phone toll-free: (800) 779-1174 Old-fashioned way: P.0. Box 55722 Boulder, CO 80322-5722 BACK ISSUES? E-mail back_issues@ziffdavis.com to order old issues. Action RPG Combat Wireless Multiplayer Gameplay Original Fantasy Adventure Wield your blade and cast powerful spells Connect directly to other PSP handheld Battle powerful creatures and save the city of Aven in this action-packed, hack ‘n’ slash RPG. systems and play with your friends. to unravel the mysteries of an ancient planet. Untold Legends": Brotherhood of the Blade" is classic RPG action available at launch for the PSP™ handheld entertainment system. Choose from among four unique character classes and journey to the fantasy world of Aven to battle powerful creatures and unravel the mysteries of an ancient planet. Experience on-the-go hack ‘n’ slash combat or join cooperative multiplayer battles via wireless gameplay as you venture through beautiful 3D environments and discover rich treasures in this completely original fantasy adventure. EOJ 4 — Г, WWW.UNTOLDLEGENDS.COM Fantasy Violence SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org © 2005 Sony Online Entertainment Inc. SOE and the SOE log PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are п trademarks and Untold marks of Sony Computer BONUS GALLERY Going the extra mile for love of the game Stand-up gamer I built a custom arcade cabinet specifi- cally for console games. It stands 62" tall, and is 30 inches wide and 36 inches deep. It features dual universal arcade controls, a 27-inch S-Video display, a 2.1 speaker system embedded in the machine, and a hinged cabinet door to house PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. I built the cabinet from scratch using store- told me that we needed X number of Doom 3 preorders by the end of the weekend. Now, | can’t speak for others, but | don’t dig persuading people into buying crap that they don’t want or need. ІЛІ still pitch the preorder since | have to, but could care less whether or not someone’s actually down. Another thing: Our store has to hit a certain dollar amount in trade-ins for the дау, which means | have to tell everyone who stops in the store to head home and bring back some ghetto-ass games. Basically, it's a bunch of BS. Gamers know what they want, and when they come into a specialty store, they know exactly why they're there. Hell, I'll pass on these filthy store secrets so long as the bigwigs aren't around. Why? Because I’m a gamer, too. | don’t want to beg you to buy a one-year replacement warranty on a game you'll play for three days only to trade in for the newest title two weeks later. 1 also enjoy chitchatting with customers, but woe if the boss should see that the customer has been having a nice, fun bought materials and plans from the Internet, tweaked to my taste. Including all the electronics and hardware, | spent less than $500. To put that into perspective, prefab cabinets go for as much as four grand. The funny thing is that even though it can play anything, all people ever want is Pac-Man. —John Gerblick conversation with me, because | should've spent the time shilling that replacement warranty, two months of free magazines (that automatically get charged to your credit card if you don’t cancel by phone), a discount card, and a strategy guide for the game that even your fingerless granny could figure out. — Јатез Juden speaks When Editor- in-Chief Dan Hsu wrote that > Sony's overpriced PSP is a better designed machine than Nintendo’s indestructible DS (Editorial, EGM #191), | had to wonder whether he was talking about the same machine that [Sony CEA] President Kaz Hirai claimed gamers were playing wrong because it continually broke in their hands. TN --Вгапаоп Sawmiller GAME DESIGN-O-RAMA Got proof that game design is best left to the pros? Send your concept (with art) to EGM@ziffdavis.com, subje PlayStation.2 design-o-rama ASHLEE SIMPSON KARAOKE Learn to dance, sing, and rake in the dough just like your favorite talentless teen pop stars! Who says you need a pseudopretty face or passable voice for fame, fortune, and a Hollywood career? All it really takes is.a rich pappy, sexy sister, some lip-synching, and a catchy song. But don't miss a be; the audience finds out you're a phony, ratings drop and your career collapses! ‚Available on PlayStation 2 this September. Microphone accessory not needed. —Dave Healy Perform at 1.5 locations. including Saturday Night. 16 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com Red ink Old-school gaming graffitied onto my arm: This Galaga tat is still a. work in progress. It'll be a half Sleeve soon enough (it all depends on whether or not | can sell my '71 waterbed-in-the-back, mural-of- your-mom-and-a-dragon-on-the- side Dodge van). —Aaron Stoddard intervention 1 attend church only on Christmas and recently pointed this out to a buddy of mine, explaining that it gives me more time to play my guitar and games. Well, it appears that God got back at me, but l'Il let you make the call. When three new strings broke on my guitar the minute | played them, | figured the guy must have put them on wrong, and | went to play Final Fantasy. When | went to do that, | discovered my data was corrupted. "OK, odd, but no biggie," | say to myself, and start up Grand Theft Auto, only to have my PS2 freeze every time | entered а building. Finally, | decided that Halo 2 was my last hope, when bwoooot—the power goes out. So here | am sitting in the dark staring at a lantern. Looks like ||| be making Sunday mass regularly now. PSP: Handle with care (i.e., no Kool- Aid and crayons). — Josh Wright You had us up to the whole scribbling- by-firelight-and-somehow-sending-it- via-email bit. Nice try, Father O’Callahan. See you next Christmas. Republican | wanted to point out an error in May's Grudge Match (Arnold Schwarzenegger as Commando versus Star Wars Republic Commando). As a resident of California and an avid Arnold fan, | feel it й What’s that spell? We whipped this up in game, if only to show some love. The Novemberist put most of it together, and Psyho Case tweaked the angles. Some of the objects began to disappear, so that’s why one of us is in the 6. We’re happy with how it came out, and are both glad to be a part of EGM's Halo 2 clan. —Psyho Case and The Novemberist is my duty to correct you. You quoted the one-man army as having said, “I eat Green Berets for breakfast, and I'm very hungry right now!" when in actuality, the mountain of muscle said, “I eat Green Berets for breakfast, and right now I'm very hungry!” An honest mistake, but 1 could not let it stand. —Derek Matthies Midnight Club: I'm offended by freelancer Кемп Gifford's use of the term “ricemobiles” in his story on Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (EGM #190). Call me overly brittle, but the term has clear racial undertones and its inclusion was wholly inappropriate. I’m a longtime subscriber so | won't even hazard an empty threat, but let's keep the racial slurs out of my previews and play nice. —Mike Lew Now that you mention it, Mike, nobody says much about mayomobiles, curry cruisers, blubber burners, tea toboggans, or sorghum sleds.... doubts I'm confused. An article in your April issue (EGM #190) claimed that Nintendo is offering a visually made-over version of The Wind Waker as part of a preorder bonus. Then, your May issue featured letters from mad readers, but no explanation as to whether or not the offer was a gag. To complicate matters, a clerk at my local GameStop insists it's true. Which is it? —dJosh Pittenger Yes, Josh, you are confused. NEVERSOFT ma www.thug2online.com ACTIVISION. © 2005 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark and THUG is a trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved, Tony Hawk is а trademark of Tony Hawk, Inc. PSP version developed by Neversoft Entertainment, Inc. and Shaba, "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks and PSP is a trademark of SCEI. Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately). All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. activision.com је == ја қ рооја AINO anvSavous een? g'uoneicAeld "ESL UP Cac e2ue|oIA 7 % ‹ әбепбиеу биол 1192 Jaqul|ds e әле под ЕЕЕ Wes ase под ’ajgeddojsun ѕәшо2әд soey9 јо ША əy} аојед jios 11Ə4} 0} 3! Bulg - AWaua ay} 0} лезојо әрдед ay) ung 3502 Aue је ШЦ риу ‘paysiuen зец шузџобје siy} оз Лә eui sey oym лешшелбола euo au "Кијева si SIYL 4002 S! 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NOKIA IS DROPPING THE PRICE OF ITS 20 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY * www.1UP.com Bluetooth headsets have never been sexier. TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND Before the makeover She didn’t get fat. She didn’t turn into a psycho witch. She didn't erase last night's SportsCenter off TiVo. Yet Lara Croft still got dumped by millions of gamers who saw their relationship with the teeny- shorts tomb raider start with a bang and fizzle into disappointment. The series, which has had six installments since it launched on Saturn and PlayStation in 1996, peaked critically and commercially with the second game. By the third, near- ly one in four PlayStation gamers owned a Tomb Raider title. “It was the only game in town,” says Chip Blundell, VP of brand marketing for publisher Unwrapping the New Lara >: Legend's artists gave Lara а much more emotive mug with, they promise, proper lip-synching this time. All of Lara’s gear, guns, and grenades are now visible on her cos- tume rather than stuffed away ina magic backpack with infinite space. r: Gizmos include а shoulder- mounted flashlight, binoculars, and a magnetic grappler (we're hoping that means she can zip to distant ledges). You want a wet, dirty Lara, | you got her. Take her swimming or tumble in the tomb dirt and her char- s do Publisher: Eidos acter model will get damp and grimy. \ 2 Developer: Crystal an Ы E ———Q 4 Release Date: 2006 that weren’t changing with the times. “Tomb Raider as a brand sold 30 million copies,” says Blundell, “so | understand why they used a formulaic approach to the design... But during that period, we had incrementally declining review scores because the competitive land- scape was changing and we were still riding the Tomb Raider wave.” Angel of Darkness, 2003's PS2 debut of the series, was Core’s big chance to revitalize Lara’s game. Instead, it suf- fered from archaic control and ill-con- | ceived tweaks such as weak role-playing and stealth elements. “Angel of Darkness was the lowest-reviewed game of the series,” Blundell says. “That’s where we hit rock bottom." > 4 i new bodyi is twice as | detailed as this Angel Қ of Darkness model's. C) press start: makeover “Block-and-switch puzzles are not what gamers want today.” -suo c sua » After the makeover And that’s when Eidos decided to start over. The publisher fired developer Core, demolished all the groundwork laid for the next two planned sequels, and hand- ed the franchise to Crystal Dynamics, makers of the Legacy of Kain games. Eidos looked at everything that was wrong with the series and gave Crystal a breakdown of everything players thought was right or needed fixing. Lara Croft creator Toby Gard—who left Core after the first game—joined the team to help rebuild the series. “I’ve certainly been given the opportunity to push Lara back in the direction | think she needed to go,” Gard says. That direction, we are promised, involves a long-overdue control over- haul (Prince of Persia's elegant scheme was mentioned several times) and а heavier emphasis on action “with a side portion of mayhem,” Gard says. That doesn’t mean Crystal is turning the series into a mindless shooter; puzzles will still be a big part of Lara’s land- scape. But “classic block-and-switch puzzles are not what gamers want today,” says Blundell. “They want dynamic problem-solving using the environment and the gadgets and tools at your disposal. It’s much less linear.” Imagine, for instance, using a grenade to set off a chain reaction that changes the environment. Above all, Eidos and Crystal are trying to make Lara a character that jilted lovers will embrace again. “1 get the feeling that throughout the games, films, and comics, many people have invested Lara with many, sometimes conflicting, qualities,” Gard says. “I really came here with the goal of sorting that out and defining Lara as a clear, concise charac- ter. While we are trying to keep as much consistency with the past as we can, it’s Legend has only been announced for PS2 and Xbox, but PSP and Xbox 2 ver- sions are a safe bet. more important that we clear the way for Lara’s future.” Chances of recovery Eidos is still keeping much of this future secret until May’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. We know Lara will raid tombs, hunt for moldy doodads, and battle a new nemesis. We know that stealth gameplay is out and her signa- ture leaping gunplay is back in. And we like what we’re hearing from Eidos, which has spent the last two years researching how to fix the franchise (they even solicited ideas from EGM and other gaming media). Of course, gamers have heard these kinds of promises before. Tomb Raider: Legend will not sell on hype alone when it launches sometime in 2006, and Eidos knows this. “The game itself is going to have to convince people to purchase it,” Blundell says. “Nothing else.” “The vistas that || Lara will explore in | this game аге going to take your breath away,” says Croft cre- ator Toby Gard. What do you hope Lara’s new makers do with her? 13% Take her hack to her roots with puzzles and gameplay out of the first Tomb Raider. 36% Who cares? She’s dead Source: 1UP.com poll l REMAKING LARA'S GAME: THREE FAMOUS DEVELOPERS GIVE IT А GO... 2% David Jaffe, director of God of War “Forget long gameplay. Go with a five- to 10-hour experience that feels like a blockbuster summer movie. Hire a badass writer—maybe Dan Brown of Da Vinci Code fame—and do everything special case so it feels like a movie. | would so freaking love to make that game! It really could usher in a new kind of game for a new kind of audience! Oh, and for the love of God, put controllability at the top of the things to fix list. And do not simply rip off Prince of Persia and stick Lara in the place of the Prince!” Ted Price, founder and CEO of Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac Games “Please, please change the pacing. Sure, staring at Lara’s ass is fun, but after many consecutive years of wandering around and experiencing the same slow exploration and puzzle-based gameplay...| want a stupendous kill ratio! To accomplish [that], please replace the control scheme with something that actually works for a third-person action game. How about giv- ing Lara herself an extreme makeover? Chop the ponytail, give her a breast reduction, and clothe her in something other than the short shorts and tank top.” Yannis Mallat, executive producer of the Prince of Persia series “Look back at what made the whole thing thrive in the first place. This is what we've done with Prince of Persia. She should have the freedom to really explore the entire world, not just specific confined maps. Getting contextual may be the key.... We want her to surprise us by touching...some nice materials during the game. Contextual sensuousness. Erotic titillation. We don’t want to think any- more but to please and be pleased.” [Uh, OK—Ed.] > INE FOR THE DAYS OF SPOTTY SKIN AND ATARI TAPES? PUSH YOUR WALKER TO THE CLASSIC GAMING EXPO. (WWW.CGEXPO.COM), COMING ТО SAN FRANCISCO AUGUST 20... D, 22 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com о “THE MATRIX: PATH OF NEO press start: makeover В PS2/XB Before the makeover It’s not the fact that Atari sold nearly 6 million copies of Enter the Matrix—the first game based on the Wachowski brothers’ hit-or-miss sci-fi movie trilo- gy—that makes us say “whoa.” What's stunning is that the publisher achieved such eye-popping sales figures with a game that most critics panned (one of our reviewers described it as a “polished turd”). Harsh words indeed, but it’s hard to disagree: ETM’s copious crash bugs, wildly inconsistent visuals, and boring level designs had most gamers wishing they had swallowed the blue pill instead. Even Shiny President Dave Perry, whose studio handled the project, wasn’t 100 on the game, and faced a firm launch date in order to coincide with the May 2003 theatrical release of The Matrix Reloaded. And he also learned one very valuable lesson: Never make a Matrix game in which you don’t play as the char- acter everyone wants (and expects) to be. After the makeover “If you buy a Batman game, you expect to be Batman,” says Perry. “If | convince you that you shouldn't be Batman, then you expect to be Robin. But we didn't even have that [in Enter the Matrix)?” Instead, the game stars Niobe and Ghost, two sup- porting characters from the second and third films that fans knew and cared little “| would’ve scored [ETM] somewhere in the 60 percent range.” —Shiny President Dave Perry satisfied with the end result. “1 would've scored it somewhere in the 60 percent range,” Perry admits. Yet he’s quick to point out that ЕТМ didn’t have the smoothest development process, as Shiny was sold to another publisher, got evicted from its offices with only two months left about (especially Ghost). But that ain’t the case here. As the subtitle says, you'll finally don the sunglasses of main-man Neo and relive his finest moments on the way to becoming “The One.” The game has got ’em all: the original flick’s lobby scene, Reloaded's big burly Publisher: Atari Developer: Shiny Release Date: Winter 2005 brawl that finds Neo duking it out with hundreds of Agent Smiths in a park, Revolution’s final battle in which Neo and Smith do their Superman thing, plus sev- eral more. And before each major event, you'll be treated to recut footage of the films and side stories from The Animatrix to better illustrate Neo's perspective on the given situation. Also, the game’s con- Clusion should surprise some folks. “The Matrix trilogy ends with Neo letting him- self die, but that’s a bad game ending,” says Perry. “The Wachowskis knew that, so they came up with a plan for a better ending [in Path of Neo]. But there’s more to this franchise makeover than letting you play as Neo and re-creating those classic Matrix moments. “The goal of the game is that you are actually ‘The One,” says Perry. “This means that if you choose not to do something Neo would do, that’s OK.” This idea of a customizable hero will be expressed mainly through the totally revamped combat system, which now resembles the hot-dogging slickness of a Devil May Cry rather than ETM’s snooze- inducing fisticuffs. As you progress from computer hacker Thomas Anderson to the savior of Zion, you'll learn some abilities automatically (such as sword fighting and flying), while others you'll pick and choose—much like in an RPG—to upgrade. So eventually, it won't be uncommon to rattle off five lightning-fast punches to an enemy's grill, then knock him up in the air, slam him into a wall а la Mortal Kombat's Raiden, pull out your guns, and proceed to fill the knocked-out foe full of lead as he slowly falls back to Mother Earth. And it should be easier to master these moves this time around, as the game will include training programs. Aside from stepping into the dojo for the now-famous showdown with Morpheus, you'll practice in all-new backdrops inspired by the Wachowski brothers" favorite kung-fu movies. Chances of recovery Now this is the Matrix game that Shiny should’ve made from the beginning (and released in conjunction with the third movie). The premise is right on, the com- bat seems deeper, the visuals are much prettier, and, more important, Shiny has no pressure to get this one out the door. But will the fans still care? The third Matrix flick, Revolutions, grossed only half of what Reloaded did...have half of the potential Path of Neo fans already been burned by Enter the Matrix? Бы THIS MAY? IF SO, YOU SHOULD SWI P ; | ж Ше 5 i 2 2x © ING BY ROCKEFELLER CENTER AND VISIT THE NINTENDO WORLD STORE. A‘ A. Everything looks cooler when wearing shades. Well, maybe except for that first Matrix game... GLITCHES IN THE MATRIX Characters getting stuck in walls, missing sound effects, game-ending bugs—Enter the Matrix was anything but “The One” we hoped for. So why all the problems? Shiny President Dave Perry says that unexpect- ed complications (changing publishers, moving offices) and having to have the game on store shelves the same day the second Matrix film hit theaters left Shiny with only 24 hours to go from alpha to beta, which in the world of game development is when all the polishing and bug fixing takes place. For Path of Neo, he’s scheduling six months for that same process. Good decision. Неге, уои”! have to save Morpheus before Agent Smith talks him to death. Makin’ Some Changes IN Neo Riding in a helicopter Training programs Protecting Trinity > Serious bug testing OUT Niobe and Ghost Driving and hovercraft missions Button-mashing Protecting a bunch of no-names Game crashes (we hope!) е p Shiny says that it’s looking into making a PSP ver- sion of Path of Neo. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • ууулу. Рот ж 25 13, vane КГ pm. E. d “ИЕ ЕП ЕИ, УМ ЕЕ айза в қ. | “UONRIDOSSY олелуов шәшшенәиз әц JO Yırwapesy e sı uoor ѕбицез ay "ou јизшитџајиз 1ә}пйшог) Äuog jo Syewapeı) рәзә]5!бә› әле обо| Ájtuue4 Sd» au} pue „иопејолеја, `5әципоә Jayjo 10/pue "m әш ш иоцелод ос) 080101 JO 5жешарел 10 $знрРшәред релајзбол 1әциә әле 060] ходу ay} pue xoqy YOSOY Kuedwog шәшшенәшз ooseleyy Aq payquisip рие рацецдпа "Parasa зууби jy Du) 'suononpoug аи ANOA 5002 c» "Du "SUONONPOLg әш. әдпод Aq padojanaq е aD xO8x g'uoneisÁeld за >» abenbue] Jowny әрпі? 82uaJoIA посе "адгцизлро ANOA 11045 04 ТІКЕНЕК модом "uswppw PUD sJ9jsuouu '5ијиш jo ѕ=ршш рајиошер Аупјупоад əy; ҷбполці елпшшелро poaJsIA D ш рјецејноа әошцјп eu UIDIG eu se»pui synDUOYyDASG MON "аодром гроша ays шол Əy; JPU ѕ1ѕәшола рио DUDOI) '5159итјајој ІТ Buung NOE. “7215 spp Jupjsun upe... n иоцом Xoqx- sawu SH JO о”, io OL JO LNO 5'6 „°5П\ӘБ si и sp Бирјоелариполб во”, БЕТЕ ГЫ ПЕК ТИЧУ ДЕТ JHL di 58 EGM INTERNATIONAL Where people still get excited about the arcade TES А? LT ER мег UNDER | THE RADAR As the stream of worthwhile GBA software slows to a depressing trickle, this upcoming RPG from Atlus could be reason enough for the post-preschool set to bust out their anti- quated handhelds. You play the role of a holy avenging angel called down to cleanse the world of evil. Along the way, you'll explore dungeons, beat down legions of beasts in turn-based combat, uncover ancient relics, and, best of all, make time with a cadre of God-fearing hotties who join your quest. What’s wrong with.a little dating in the name of salvation? Platform: Game Boy Advance Publisher: Atlus Developer: Sting Release Date: June 2005 WHAT'S PLAYING IN TH COMPUTER GAMING WORLD World Wars, Beethoven flicks, Billy Joel rehab stints—some things just seem to demand sequels. Games are no exception, but the follow-up path is fraught with peril. Will it triumph or drunkenly brag that it was once married to an uptown girl? SWAT 4 Arcade MARIO KART: ARCADE GP Mario? In arcades? Why not? After the pudgy red guy's preposterous turn in МВА Street V3, we're not even batting an eye anymore. Arcade GP, set to debut in Japanese game centers this fall, differs slightly from the GameCube chestnut Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Although the two-man teams are gone, the Nintendo-themed courses, crazy items, and rubber-band A.l. are in full force across the game’s 24 courses. Why would I want to play this over Double Dash? A few reasons: First, this Namco- developed racer (which, yes, features Pac-Man as a selectable driver) lets you use a rewritable “player info” card to unlock new tracks and save any items you earned during a play session. In other words, you can pick up nothing but red shells in a single-player grand prix, then use them later to piss off all your friends in four-play- er matches. Cute, huh? Every station also has a Namcam2, a small camera that snaps your pic- ture before the race and displays your face on top of your kart during the competition. This is the first Mario arcade game since forever, isn’t it? Yep—the first since the origi- nal Super Mario Bros. in 1985, actually. No word on a U.S. release of Arcade GP yet, but consider- ing the number of Mario Kart freaks across America, it could be just a matter of time. The Rainbow Six titles tend to grab all the squad-based shooting glory, but I'd rather spend my money on Sierra’s recent SWAT entry. This one sure looks pretty, but what makes it good is the gameplay, and what makes that so gripping is the fact that nothing is scripted. Every time a mission is loaded, enemies are randomly yet intel- ligently placed throughout the level. Couple that with great real-world loca- tions and the added challenge of having to obey actual police guidelines, and you've got a highly replayable thriller. Age of Empires Ill The 500-gazillion-ton gorilla of histori- cal real-time strategy gaming, develop- er Ensemble could ship a box full of cedar chips and mouse skulls, call it Age of Empires: The Habitrail Years, and still make billions. Luckily, it isn’t. The studio is promising a late '05 release for this one, which takes place between 1500 and 1850. A big focus will be colonization; you'll start with a home city back in Europe that will sup- port your efforts to conquer the New World. While there will be numerous gameplay tweaks (no more drop-off centers for resources!), the most obvi- ous change is in the updated graphics. —Robert Coffey, Computer Gaming World >> VU GAMES HAS ACQUIRED DEVELOPER RADICAL ENTERTAINMENT, WHICH IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON BOTH SCARFACE AND THE NEW HULK GAME FOR THE PUBLISHER.... >> 28 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com Æ PlayStation.2 GAME THE VIDEO Receive so trade-in credit - toward Lego 1Star Wars. | for PlayStation 2. Xbox, Game Boy Advance or PC. when you trade.in:a qualifying, Ps2 or AB game. VEVERYUNE Trade offer not valid aj EBganies.öom. Customer may be responsible fr salés tax in some slates. Some gämes аге excluded trom „irade. Gaines require boxes and instructions. Canriot be combined with any other offer or promotion. Not valid on previous purchases: “No substittions can be made, No rain checks will бе jssued. Some exclusions may apply. See Sales Associate for complete details. - | ‘Typographical errors are not the responsibility of EB Games. Offer valid now through 5/31/2005. 5 Чај ‚Lego Star Wars: PS2 (sku: 246369-3), XB (sku: 246962-8), PC (sky: 2558047), OR VISIT US АТ www.EBgamescom - : ZGAMES We take games seriously ™ е Taler) < (>) press start We grill the guys on both sides of the violence-in-videogames THE ANTI-VIOLENCE CRUSADER: JACK THOMPSON He’s the man coming after the videogame industry with a holy vengeance. And chances are you've seen infamously outspoken trial lawyer Jack Thompson on Oprah, 60 Minutes, or Nightline, or at least heard some of his sound bites. Thompson, who repre- sents the families of two Alabama cops shot to death by a teenager who played the Grand Theft Auto series, believes violent games can encourage and train players to murder. ЕСМ: Videogames with mature content are clearly labeled on the box. Isn't а voluntary ratings system a responsible move by the videogame industry? The ESRB [Entertainment Software Rating Board] doesn’t work because, as the [Federal Trade Commission] and various private individuals and organizations have found, retailers are not abiding by [the ratings]. They're selling these games to kids under 17 despite the rating label. In fact, it’s a counterproductive sales tool because millions of kids want the Mature-rated games. Rating labels that have no practi- cal impact are ineffectual and counterpro- ductive. That’s why another attorney and | sued Best Buy in November of 2004, so they agreed now to ID anyone who pre- sents a game to a cashier and appears to be 21 years of age and under. We moved the bar four years forward, so it is less likely kids under 17 can buy these things. EGM: But how often do M-rated games end up in the hands of kids in stores? 30 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com Many stings have found that up to 50 percent of kids under 17 were sold M- rated games. And with 14-year-olds, between 70 to 80 percent of them were able to buy titles like [Grand Theft Auto:] San Andreas. Some videogame companies don’t want retailers to abide by these rat- ings. It’s а charade—they say to parents and Congress, "Don't sell M-rated games to anyone under 17,” but they do. The videogame industry says one thing and does another. While kids do manage to buy M-rated titles, the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association says it’s been working with stores to reduce such sales 10 percent a year. EGM: Who are you referring to, exactly? Game publishers, console manufactur- ers, and retailers. They’re all in cahoots with one another to have a rating system that doesn’t work. The ESRB system is not bought “copycat liability” insurance to protect them. If they don’t think this is going to happen, then why are they buying it? This third solution is to scare the dick- ens out of the videogame industry to stop “ ” —Anti-violence crusader Jack Thompson а warning label—it’s a rating label. It should say “Do not sell this game to any- опе under 17.” EGM: What are you proposing to fix this? We need a three-legged stool: educa- tion, legislation, and my approach, which is to do the right thing. This includes rep- resenting bereaved third parties so they can sue those responsible for actions that have resulted in death. Family members who miss their loved ones—this is where the breakthrough will occur. The industry fears this, so they've all run out and marketing and selling inappropriate games to children. My goal is to save lives. EGM: Your attempts to compensate vic- tims of alleged game-related deaths have been unsuccessful so far. Why do you think this is? Lawyers tend to be to the left of nor- mal people, and judges tend to be the left of the lawyers. Federal judges tend to be the left of them. So you have a bunch of First Amendment absolutists who block these kinds of lawsuits. (Thompson continued on pg. 32) >> EVEN LY, EVERYONE NEEDS TO TAKE A BREAK—ACCORDING TO COMPANY PRESIDENT LORNE LANNING, DEVELOPER ODDWORLD INHABITANTS (ODDWORLD: 5ТКАМСЕК 5 WRATH) debate. You decide who to believe GAMING'S CHAMPION: HENRY JENKINS Director of comparative media studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author or editor of 12 books (including From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games), Henry Jenkins has spent much of his career promoting videogames’ educational value. Along with his many TV appearances, includ- ing a guest spot on Donahue, Jenkins has testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on violent entertainment and youth culture, and helped overturn a federal court deci- sion that videogames were not pro- tected under the First Amendment. EGM: Let's get right to it. Is there апу evidence that playing violent games causes aggressive behavior? If you read what the media researchers have found, none of them believes games can turn a normal kid into an antisocial menace, someone who can be involved in a school shooting. None of the reports are asserting that level of transformation. A lot of time and effort has been spent on that old “monkey contributing factors are mental illness, kids going off mood-altering meds, domestic violence, broken families, poverty—these are much bigger factors that can cause school shootings. EGM: This is not what others have said. Crusading lawyers such as Jack Thompson cite reports of a correlation between playing violent videogames and acting out violently. + » —MIT Director of Comparative Media Studies Henry Jenkins see, monkey do" hypothesis—that the more media you consume the more violent you become. But it doesn't play out. The surgeon general found games were not an essential factor in school shootings. Criminologists say the same thing. The WILL TAKE A LONG-NEEDED VACATION. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS MEANS THAT THE STUDIO'S NEWLY ANNOUNCED PROJECT, FANGUS (XB), WILL BE PUT ON INDEFINITE HOLD. I don't think any serious researcher is claiming a correlation, no. Trial lawyers and activists bunch all these studies together, even if they're contradictory, and take anything from them that remotely looks to any causation or correlation to ideogames are educational.” “Oh, they're educational all right—they teach our kids to kill." *Games improve players’ problem-solving skills." “Nope, they just make them more aggressive.” “Games help kids socialize.” “Forget it. They turn kids into loners.” Oh, sweet irony—the pundits who debate videogame violence often seem on the verge of fisticuffs themselves. We've heard the arguments everywhere from Law & Order to 60 Minutes, and we figure it’s time for a fresh perspective. So we’ve granted equal time to the front men on each side of the debate. We’ll let you decide who ‚support their cause. Also keep in mind these studies can be methodologically dubious; in order to produce а study that is scientific you need to strip away all other media, the social context, and the background of the person, so it’s virtually impossible. EGM: Do you think the Entertainment Software Rating Board is doing a good job rating games? The ESRB provides a lot of informa- tion, but one of the problems is that a game may be more violent depending on who is playing it. You can play Grand Theft Auto for 100 hours and not club anyone with baseball bat [in the game], right? It’s not like a movie where the experience is the same for everyone. Yes, the ESRB is fair and accurate to tell you about [mature] elements, but a bigger problem is getting parents to pay attention to that. [UI ET I јео got the bloody nose... — Marc Saltzman EGM: Why do you think that is? There is a misperception among par- ents about what games are. Parents still assume they’re for kids, and they buy them for their kids. The reality is that [games] appeal just as much to adults at the present time and much of the con- tent is inappropriate for kids. But still, par- ents are buying something called Grand Theft Auto for their kids, with gangsters and prostitutes on the box, so maybe this isn’t the best thing for your 9-year-old? Parents need to bear some responsibility. It’s a challenge. ЕСМ: And if parents don’t bear the responsibility, should the government step in with enforceable ratings? Where's the harm in that? No. Education is the key, not legisla- tion. If you heavily regulate the industry it will narrow what games are in the market, and retailers will only carry content that is suitable for the youngest of players. Retailers won't carry a Maturé-rated game (Jenkins continued on pg. 33) ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 31 © press start (Thompson continued from pg. 30). State courts, however, are far more responsive to parents. | suppose federal judges by and large don’t have a problem with mental molestation of children with murder simulators. EGM: You once compared Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, to Saddam Hussein. If 1 did, | want to apologize to Saddam Hussein. Doug is a propagandist to whom the facts don’t matter. He’s paid to lie and he does it very well. Doug is paid a hand- some salary, probably seven figures, to say there are no studies that indicate [vio- lent games have] an effect on anyone. If this is true, why is the military using them to create killing simulators? EGM: Let’s talk about this. Isn’t there a difference between training and acting out? А cyberterrorism expert has found that games such as [THQ’s] Full Spectrum Warrior, or Full Spectrum Command as it's known in the military, is being used by al Qaeda to train their troops. These games don't just teach skills—they break down the inhibition to kill. We've been trained by society and our parents not to kill another Publisher THQ insists that Full Spectrum Warrior “does not contain any content that could potentially be used against U.S. forces.” >> APPARENTLY, ALL THE COMPANIES GOT GAME—THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION HAS SIGNED DEALS WITH SO! 32 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com ||| | ШИШ | ч person, so the way you break that down is to put a soldier in a VR setting, which will be far more effective in the long run. EGM: MIT’s Henry Jenkins says many researchers don’t buy the “monkey see, monkey do” hypothesis. If Henry doesn’t think education has an effect on anyone he should stop being a professor. You can modify behavior. The very same people like Doug [Lowenstein] who say games can’t encourage anyone to do anything are the same people who tend to get upset about tobacco ads because they encourage kids to smoke. So why are [mature] game advertisements shown on TV when X percentage of kids are in the audience? This is because ads for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas may persuade them to buy games. And how is it that 10 hours of being immersed in violent behav- ior doesn’t have an effect? It's nonsense to think otherwise... EGM: But tens of millions of these GTA games are sold and there are very, very few reports of actual violence associ- ated with them. Aren’t the criminals just blaming a game as a scapegoat? Aren’t other factors at play here? First of all, we don’t know how many people have acted out violently because of these games, but after | appeared on Good Morning America, a Gallop poll found 71 percent of all U.S teenage boys who played Vice City were twice as likely to have been engaged in an act of violence. Also, aggressive behavior may be expressed verbally—not everyone goes “postal” or “Columbine.” There have been dozens of studies that show even short- term exposure of these games to teens has an effect on violence, aggressiveness, and bad behavior that goes from bad speech to killing people. It's a wide spec- UR i ШІ trum. Videogames can be the final causal link in a chain of factors that can result in a Columbine. EGM: Shouldn’t parents—not govern- ment or game publishers—bear the responsibility to prevent that? Both government and home have shared responsibilities here. Parents are negligent in letting kids play these games for hours at a time, but even if we do everything right to keep a kid away from these games, his classmates are playing them. He could just play somewhere else. We have an aggressive industry taking advantage of derelict parents. The whole youth culture is immersed in this stuff. EGM: Does your 12-year-old son play videogames? Not anything above an E [suitable for everyone] rating. Many Teen [-rated] games should be Mature because our society is more desensitized to violence. GTA3, which was released five years ago, now helps other games push the envelope in violence. The bar has been raised. EGM: But most games aren’t violent. Yes, | know Doug [Lowenstein] says most games aren’t violent, but an incredi- ble percentage of games that are sold are M-rated. There may be 41 Euchre games and опе GTA, but what do you think the sales are like for each? This is how Doug uses statistics. EGM: Do you play games? | play them to the extent that | need to make DVD copies of the killing scenes for presentations or court. Have | played San Andreas? Yes. EGM: Jenkins claims youth violence has fallen as games rise in popularity. How do you see a correlation between virtual violence and real violence? Well, let's look at deaths in and around schools. In 2004, there were 48 in number. In 2003, there were 16. In 2002, there were 17. Yes, the death rate in which murderous actions have taken place has gone down, but there are other factors such as the shortening of ambulance response time, better medical techniques, and so forth. EGM: So, what’s next on the agenda for you? [A lawsuit regarding] a multiple loss of life by a teenager who played Vice City. We are going to sue videogame manufac- turers, platform manufacturers, and retail- ers like Wal-Mart, Circuit City, and Amazon who continue to sell adult-rated materials to children. We're going to sue the indus- try for its recklessness, for being so short- sighted. Eventually there is going to be a Columbine to the factor of 10, a slaughter in a school by a crazed gamer. And when that happens, when America figures out these kids were filled up with virtual vio- lence, Congress may ban the games alto- gether. You wise guys who think you’re so clever about saying what kids ought to play and then putting [Mature] games in the hands of those kids, you will wish you listened to me. Are game companies buying “copycat insurance” to protect them? All the major publishers we spoke with said it doesn’t exist. КЕ-ТУ/О, AND EA SPORTS TO MAKE SIMULATION-STYLE > (Jenkins continued from pg. 31) if you move to an enforceable system. We saw this with the comic industry in the ’50s. The other way to approach this prob- lem is to put the burden on the consumer. We have to educate. EGM: But what if a 16-year-old sales clerk at a game store sells a copy of Manhunt to a 10-year-old? It happens. HJ: lm sure it does, but I'd like to first point out that roughly 85 percent of game purchases for those under 18 are by adults. It doesn’t mean they’re informed, mind you. Adults have to act more respon- sibly. How many $50 or $60 purchases would you make without doing research? It boggles my mind. Are parents monitor- ing what their kids are doing? Unlike the previous generation, at least many young parents today have grown up playing games, so they will Know that not all games are appropriate for young kids. It's getting better. But this is why parents often make better judgments about TV, because they grew up with it and know what can be seen on it. EGM: Did you let your son play violent videogames? HJ: When he was younger I monitored what he was playing, yes. Anything | let my son play | regarded as appropriate. | made decisions by looking closely at what it is he's playing. Now that my son is 25, he buys his own games. EGM: Do you like games like GTA? HJ: GTA is not my taste, but the technolo- gy is groundbreaking. | like the open-end- edness of it and making choices—that's exciting to me, but the fact you can kill Haitians or prostitutes doesn’t seem nec- essary. Rockstar laughs all the way to the bank, though. EGM: Do you think they play up the controversy to sell more copies? HJ: Rockstar is creating а lot of buzz, and when Jack Thompson and the public attacks the game, it sells even more copies. I’m sure Rockstar is aware these kinds of games make parents frustrated and angry, so ultimately it is making more money for Rockstar. EGM: Speaking of Jack, why haven’t the courts ruled in favor of him? HJ: Most of the court battles have gone the other way—that games are protected by the First Amendment. Jack is trying very hard to get the courts to rule his way. He created a lot of heat but the courts are not going with him. Periodically we see an investigation, as we did after Columbine, but our society says free expression is of important value. EGM: And as you mentioned at the beginning of our discussion, researchers aren’t proving that “monkey see, monkey do....” HJ: Yes. Clearly, people try things out in games they won't do in real life. Games let you explore in a fantasy environment, but their behavior doesn’t map out onto the real world. Shooting an actual gun is very different [from shooting in a game]. Kids are very good at knowing the difference between fantasy and reality. Actually, all animals are very good at that—monkeys can make a clear distinction between play-fighting and real fighting as they have signals that make this basic distinc- tion. It’s a basic mechanism. It takes an enormous effort to bring fantasy into reali- ty, but that said, a kid who is at risk because he is mentally disturbed is anoth- er thing. Does a game turn normal kids into violent criminals? No. How many vio- lent criminals cite the Bible in their crimi- nal action? So should we ban the Bible? No, because we see it as culturally valu- able, and games are not. EGM: You said there is a big difference in shooting a real gun and doing it ina game, but doesn’t the military use sim- ulators to train the Army? HJ: Training is not the same as causing them to do it. This is separate from influ- ence; games can be a resource, a tool that could be used in hundreds of legitimate ways. But we don’t get rid of every tool out there. You don’t ban flight simulators after 9/11. What about maps? Paper and pencils? Where do we draw the line? EGM: But isn’t just one school shooting one too many? HJ: Рт not making light of these losses, of course, but we would expect violent crime to be on the rise if games were a causal factor. That’s not true. Violent crime is actually down. EGM: You said that broken homes and other dire social situations can breed violent tendencies in people. What about critics who claim that repetitive exposure to violent games can be the last thing that pushes these individuals over the edge? HJ: The key word here may be “individu- als.” Let us suppose for the sake of argu- ment that they are right—that a game may in some individual case be the final straw that pushes someone over the edge when experienced alongside a range of other social, cultural, psycholog- ical, and economic factors. That is a question best judged by the people clos- est to that child—their parents, their teachers, others responsible for their welfare. Where that protection breaks down, the problem lies in the social sup- port structure around the child. In a free society, there is always a bal- ancing act between the need to protect us from social harm and the need to pro- tect our rights to free expression. And this becomes a statement of our values. [Moral reformers] see games as having no cultural value whatsoever and thus see no harm caused by banning everyone from accessing them in order to protect the individual. |, on the other hand, see games as an emerging medium of expression, one which already is culturally valuable on its own terms and one whose full potential has not yet been realized. I see something in games and game culture which is worth defending, even if | am often disappointed with indi- vidual titles. èh Playing with Your Head thus teens are more susceptible to pickin Recent brain studies at the National Institutes of Health seem to spell trouble for Jenkins’ cause. They propose that teenage brains are still not fully developed, and from playing violent games. “Many people are making big interpretive leaps based on very limited and provisional evidence,” Jenkins says, “and they are doing so for the most part in ways that are clouded by prejudices and bad idea to dump such research into a courtroom in the hopes of confusing and intimidating jury members.” g up violent tendencies BASKETBALL GAMES USING THE NBA PLAYERS AND TEAMS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. AS FOR THE ARCADEY TITLES, NBA STREET (| ID NBA BALLERS (MIDWAY) WILL ALTERNATE YEARS.... >> ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 33 IMPENDI DOOM After years in Hollywood purgatory, the first-person death simulator is finally hitting the silver screen | or nearly four cold winter months, Prague was hell on Earth as shooting took place for the cinematic rendition of Id Software’s acclaimed first-person shooter franchise, Doom. The film, which comes to theaters on August 5, stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Karl Urban (best known for his role as Rohan warrior Eomer in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), and Rosamund Pike (one of 007’s love interests in Die Another Day). And of course, it wouldn’t be Doom without a whole lot of nasty-looking demons, which meet up with these pretty faces for a little old-fashioned inter- dimensional warfare. Stay tuned for much more on our trip to the film’s monstrously creepy set—including additional pics and interviews with the cast—in our 1 August issue. 4 \ —Evan Shamoon M Universal has put Director Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die)—along with producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Constantine) and John Wells (ER)—in charge of the demonic shooter's big-screen debut. MORE PSP MOVIES COMING—THIS SPRING, BUENA VISTA WILL RELEASE FIVE FI т FOR SONY'S NEW HANDHELD, INCLUDING PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN AND KILL BILL: VOL. 1. 34 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com CORP, . 62005 TACO ВЕЦ BAJA BLAST and A nm at ho! ay Wwe t aste Mountain Dew Baja Blast; only at Taco Већ. Made exclusively for Taco Bell. to go with the spicy, crunchy, melty, grilled and marinated food you crave. THINK (OS OUTSIDE fe THE BUN вена: [ron brembo In Forza Motorsport", it’s all about you and your car. Over 200 of the sickest racing machines to tune them to perfection. The power to take on the world on Xbox Live™ And the chance to show Because in this world, YOU ARE WHAT YOU RACE. imaginable. Infinite ways to customize them. The tools the competition what the back of your car looks like. www.forzamotorsport.net > EVERYONE X хеожх CONTENT RATED BY Ferrari ы ESRB 0 0] it's good to play together XOX AVE © The Mario exosuit, five seconds before ‘malfunction and tragedy. GET FLOORED New “Walk of Game” exhibit gives your heroes the star treatment 've-a been chasing after stars my whole-a life, and now someone is actually giving me a-one,” said the face of videogames himself, Mario, at the grand unveiling of a new San Francisco installation honoring Nintendo's plumber and five other videogame icons. Called the Walk of Game and housed at the Metreon entertainment complex (sort of a mall from the Day-Glo future), the exhibit sets in Stone—or, rather, the facility's floor—star- shaped tiles immortalizing industry vision- aries, games, and characters picked by the public at www.walkofgame.com In addition to Mario, this year's winners “[The PSP is] going to be [an iPod killer]. Sony desperately wants to own the music download business...SO When Sony puts a hard drive into the PSP—not ‘if’ but ‘when’ —the ipod is going to include Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and Nintendo design god Shigeru Miyamoto; characters Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, and Link; and the game Halo. (In case you're wondering, Halo's award was accepted by its audio director, Marty O'Donnell, and not by the actual planet-size galaxy-destroying space ring from the game). Keep an eye on Walk of Game's site to vote for next year's inductees. Meanwhile. Nintendo is petitioning the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to create a videogame section on its famous Walk of Fame. You can can support the cause at petitionspot.com/petitions/walkoffame. Cock of the Walk: Industry icon Nolan Bushnell personally guards his star 24/7. “One approach [to designing game systems] is, ‘Hey it’s all about the hardware. Take a supercustomized approach with a lot of Ph.D.s and YOU can design your hardware to win at science fairs. tots of blue ribbons. Forget the fact that it’s hard to program HE HOT SEAT: A SUPREME BEING David Jaffe—he ain't just a good ol’ boy from Alabama with a thing for Metal Gear and Zelda. He also directed God of War, which already has folks mentioning it and “Game of the Year” in the same breath. But can he handle the Herculean challenge of our Hot Seat? Truly Favorite Franchise Metal ЕЕ egend Gear of Zelda David Jaffe: “I'd rather be Solid Snake than а little guy running around іп tights. But I love Link.” Greek Hero ў? Dee DJ: “I think he takes it seriously. | like my Greek mythology straight-up serious, not funny and campy.” Harry Hamlin as Perseus Proper Course of Action Т m Ninja Devil May Gaiden Cry series “The world is more appealing; it's more fun and cooler. Ninja Gaiden Seems more repressed." Bigger Greek Tragedy m see some serious competition." [for]—this is cool!" —Microsoft bigwig J Allard makes a thinly veiled swipe at the Sony codeveloped Cell technology that will power the PS3 Му Big Fat (у | (шаш, DJ: “Troy, because | don't want to see Brad Pitt in a skirt.” —Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter, Forbes magazine's top software earnings estimator in 2004, makes a bold prediction to The Hollywood Reporter WITH HIS COMMENTARY ON THE GAME... >> >> CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF GOD OF WAR'S DAVID JAFFE? (WE CAN'L—HE'S ALL OVER THIS ISSUE.) PRIMA'S $20 STRATEGY GUIDE PACKS. 38 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com ON A HELLBOUND VE EVERYONE 15 KEEP YOUR BEARINGS BATTLE AGAINST INCREASINGLY MUTATED ENEMIES IN TREACHEROUS, UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENTS. j PlayStationG2 screenshot shown Blood and Gore Intense Violence Language S5EL, " DEAD WEIGHT, HE ATMOSPHERE 15 INCRED ND.THE VISUALS ARE IMPRES CAME INFORMER m = HYPERDETAILED GRAPHICS AND | UNIQUE CAMERA ANGLE ELECTRONIC CAINE MONTHLY BRAVE DANGEROUS WATERS ROCKED BY HUGE BREAKERS, YOU MUST STEADY YOUR NERVES - AND AIM – TO EVADE А WATERY GRAVE UNLEASH А TORRENT OF WEAPONS = : : 3 CREATE FATAL TRAPS AND USE SHOTGUNS, 2% Dany na FLAME THROWERS, OR ANY OBJECT YOU САМ FIND TO SURVIVE c RR KiioxOscreensnot{stiown| i xeox Y > UBISOFT Md trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment 2 YOUR FIST AND NOT YOUR MOUTH" Бу езу of Interscope Records, under license trom Universal the US. and/or in other countries and are used unde Music, All rights for SONGS OF GOLGOTHA controlle (>) press start AFTERTHOUGH TS: Revisiting the adventure that has everyone going Greek God of War Director David і Jaffe gets a visit from Mr. Reaper anytime soon, you won't find him complaining. “This is the game that was born with me as a 10- year-old kid watching Raiders of the Lost Ark in Alabama,” he says. “Now Рт like, 4 have nothing else on the plate. Pve had a great life.” But before Death comes a-knockin’, we learned a little more about how Jaffe created this soon-to-be PS2 classic. —Bryan Intihar and Crispin Boyer Why make a videogame set in mythical Greece? Speaking of sex, what’s the deal with God of War’s much-talked-about threesome minigame? From a creative standpoint, | wanted to show Kratos as a character who is very base, very animalistic, and that doesn’t just apply to things on the battlefield—it applies to the bedroom as well. He’s almost like the Hulk in a lot of ways; he has a very simple code of ethics and it's all about satisfying his urges. | also thought of the idea from a mechanical standpoint. Kratos is a tortured soul, and if you read his journal in his bedcap, he talks about the women he picked up in Crete and which one kinda reminds him of his Some of the reviewers felt that the game could’ve used a couple more boss battles. Do you think that’s a legitimate gripe? It's a valid comment. But for what it's worth, we really didn’t look at them as bosses. We looked at the whole thing as if we were writing a movie or story. So we put these events in where we felt they made sense. To me, it was like “I would rather have fewer of those encounters if they are unique and interesting” versus “OK, just to say we have more bosses, here's a giant Cyclops and he’s the same as the normal one but with two extra attacks and 1000 hit points.” So it sounds like there are plans for a sequel? I'd love to see Sony continue the franchise. Ра love to see Sony support it, assuming players support it and like it. And if they do make more God of Wars, PII be involved. What about creating an action- adventure game for PSP? | want to work on PSP so bad. | can’t wait. | don’t have the final design worked out yet. | can’t even tell you what genre it's in, but whether it happens or not depends on a lot of schedules falling into place. We have to agree on a design. “ ” —Director David Jaffe The desire to do an action- adventure game came first, but I've always loved Greek mythology. My wife calls the subject “little boy’s dreams,” with its big monsters, fantasies, and sex. | also enjoy the adult stuff, like the politics and violence. {РЗ Die-hard God of War players should try calling 1-800-613-8840. Why? Oh, you'll see. >> AND IN ANOTHER DELAY OF GAME, UBISOFT HAS PUSHED BACK THE RELEASE ОР ITS TACTICAL SHOOTER RAINBOW SIX: LOCKDOWN (PS2/XB) UNTI! 40 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com [dead] wife. And one of the inspirations for the game was Heavy Metal Magazine, and | love how they mix great fantasy epics with over-the-top sex and violence. You'll also do a lot of pounding outside the bedroom—what's the biggest combo you’ve heard of? We did a contest and one guy claimed to pull off a 1300-hit combo. We never expected that. Any suggestions for racking up some killer combos? Basically, the combo meter has a half- second window. If you don’t make any contact, your hit count will return to zero. But if you roll, you can keep the combo going. In the game’s extras, there’s early footage of a boss that was supposed to guard Pandora’s box, but it didn’t make it into the final product. What else got axed? The elevator [also featured in the extras portion] was one. There was a scene with the Titan chasing Kratos, but we had to cut it. We also lost a particular Greek character that 1 loved, and hopefully, мете fortunate enough to go back to this world and include the character. Is it an enemy? It's something in Greek mythology that’s pretty cool. Kevin Sorbo? Right, right. That’s it, sure. What’s Next for Ol’ Whitey? If you’re not one for spoilers, you may want to finish God of War before reading what's s ahead. Still with us? —— f OK, here we go: ғ, m VS According to M Director David Jaffe, с {һе game contains “seeds to three more stories,” many of which are revealed only when you’ve beaten it in god mode (the hardest difficulty). You'll learn the fate of the Titan in the desert, and more importantly, that Zeus is Kratos' pop (and he ain't too happy about the thunder god abandoning him). Јане adds, “1 do have the very final level of the whole series in my head. It's awesome. It's very cool.” жй ТЕК THIS YEA! IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE MILLIONS OF DIFFERENT WAYS. EVEN BETTER, DO ІТ WITH PARTS YOU;VE ACTUALLY HEARD ПЕ. v POWERED BY lyrics Mild Language Simulated Gambling PlayStation. 0898 >с б © 2005 THQ Inc. All manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game are trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective. ‘owners. All rights reserved. Developed by Juice Games Lid. Juice Games and its logo are trademarks of Juice Games Ltd. All rights reserved. Juiced and its respective logos and THQ and its respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THO Inc. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Liveand the Live logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Online play requires internet connection, Network Adaptor (for PlayStation 2) and Memory Card(8MB)(for PlayStation 2)(each sold separately). The Online icon is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. GameSpy and the “Powered by GameSpy” design are trademarks of GameSpy Industries, Inc. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. www.thg.com ONLINE - THIS MONT Nine new Halo2 maps prepare to assault your Xbox Lots of the new maps were made with specific . modes in mind. Territories fans, you’ll see some stages made just for you. ust when you thought you were out, they throw you back in with a couple of shotgun blasts to the chest. New content for Halo 2 is finally coming, and you don't even need to be on Xbox Live to nab it. On June 28, the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack will be available in stores for $19.99 and will contain nine new levels, gameplay tweaks and fixes, and two videos: an animated side story and a docu- mentary with interviews, strategies, and map fly-throughs. If you're on Live, you'll => TIME ТО DUST OFF THAT XBOX COPY ОҒ TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECON 2, AS UBISOFT HAS UPLOADED ONTO XBOX LIVE A SLEW OF NEW CONTENT FOR ITS 51 \SED MILITARY 42 ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com get to download the gameplay tweaks and two maps (Containment, Warlock) for free, and you'll have the option to buy two more (Sanctuary, Turf) for $5.99—all available in late April. The five remaining maps will be downloadable on June 28 for $11.99 By Xbox standards, this is quite an impressive package—no one’s ever offered nine maps in one shot before. But similar PC map packs offer way more levels for far less dough. So to combat the critics, devel- oper Bungie will eventually be giving away all the maps (but not the movies) for free download sometime in late summer. The maps You'll see some remakes of Halo 1 maps (sorry, по Hang “Ет High—“It just wasn’t fun with the Halo 2 physics, gravity, and weapons,” says Bungie Studio Manager Pete Parsons), but mostly new locales like run-down cities, active train stations, and foggy swamps. Most have interactive bits, like switches that open gates to bases. The tweaks Hardcore Halo 2 fans, listen up—with the new patch comes some big changes. Bungie wiped out all major glitches and bugs (including through-the-wall flag cap- tures—even the suspend-modem cheat won't work well anymore). Your virtual mur- derin’ ways will have to change, too—brute shots, grenades, and melee attacks all do more damage, for example. Need more specifics? Go to www.bungie.net. —Dan “Shoe” Hsu Nine maps and some bonus movies for $20? PC gamers will be laughing their heads off. Say Halo to the New Maps Here’s a quick rundown of five of the nine new multiplayer stages. — TURF: How about a little Black Hawk Down-style urban warfare? Tight alleys, rooftop firefights, and more. WARLOCK: The small, circular Wizard stage from Halo 1 gets a Swan-like makeover, only without the sobbing. ELONGATION: Another blast from the past...this Longest Yard redux gets a gr@nhical update and moving crates. CONTAINMENT: This is one of the largest Halo maps ever, with two bases, ‘several vehicles, and lots of cold. ‘SANCTUARY: A small, picturesque stage with trees and waterfalls—per- fect for that fragtacular vacation. h WHAT'S UP AT FEATURE HANDS-ON REVIEW The Electronic Entertainment Expo—it’s where all companies come under one roof and offer industry folk like us a sneak peek at their upcoming games. So on May 16-20, set your browser to 1UP.com, as our online cohorts will be reporting from the show floor with hands-on impressions, game footage, developer interviews, and interactive booth tours. EGMEXTRAS.1UP.COM Sometimes, precious words get cut because they won’t fit into our maga- zine, but thankfully they find a home here. This month, check out our com- plete conversation with God of War Director David Jaffe, who explains how the game’s cyclops almost sported a giant wang. CHEATS.1UP.COM What?! Have you been cheating on Xbox Live? “No, baby, it’s not like that!” Read how these bastards are exploiting bugs in Halo 2, along with the usual laundry list of tips, tricks, and strategies. Featured Club: Metrosexual Gamers You’re going to wear that while playing Splinter Cell Chaos Theory? Visit metrosexualgamers-club.1UP.com to discuss games or how to correctly apply hair gel. (Start from the back and work your way forward. Trust ’em, you'll look fabulous.) Featured Blog: Thierry Nguyen Linguists have declared his name unpronounceable, so at the office we just call him “Scooter.” Visit scooter.1UP.com to read what's on the mind of this Official PlayStation Magazine editor and EGM contributor. SHOOTER. YOU'LL FIND FOUR BRAND-NEW MAPS, THREE NEW MODES, AND THREE NEW SKINS. HOW MUCH DOES THE CONTENT COST? THAT'S THE BEST PART—IT'S ALL FREE... ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com e 43 (>) press start NEXT-GEN _ CONSOLE REPC The rise of the $70 game? n extra Abe Lincoln for that lim- N ited-edition copy of Halo 2. Another $10 for the 15th anniversary collector's edition of Madden NFL 2005. Five bucks more for the col- lectible Splinter Cell Chaos Theory... You may not realize it, but purchasing these “special” packages did more than reward you with bonuses like making-of DVDs and ver- sions of older games—you also participat- ed in a grand experiment to see if con- sumers would be willing to pay more than $50 for a red-hot console title. And the results thus far? “EA sold something like 800,000 of the special Madden and couldn’t make enough of them to satisfy demand,” says analyst PJ McNealy of American Technology Research. In other words, gamers voted with their dollars and told publishers that they were willing to pay a premium price for a premium game package. So leave it to the publishers to take that idea to the next logical step: charging a premi- um for Xbox 2, PlayStation 3, and “л | i n Other Next-Gen News.... During his keynote speech at this year's Game Developers Conference, Microsoft executive J Allard revealed that Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron, best known for blockbusters like Titanic and the first two Terminator flicks, is getting into game development. He added that Cameron plans to release a next-generation title (presumably for Xbox 2) alongside one of his upcoming movies. So what’s the game all about? Early word is that it'll be based on his live-action adaptation of the Battle Angel graphic novels (due to hit movie screens in 2007). Revolution titles. Next-gen games may not include bonus DVDs or pack-in fig- urines, but publishers argue that they will feature something even better: incredible visuals and huge amounts of con- tent that will cause production costs to sky- rocket. Those are costs that publishers hope to pass on to consumers, much as rising oil prices lead to increases in the price of gas. Activision has already gone on record saying that it will charge at least another $10 for next- gen software. Bobby Kotick, the company's CEO, recently told investors that gamers shouldn't com- plain—they’ve been paying $50 for games for over a decade. Movie ticket prices, meanwhile, have steadily risen during the same time frame. Does this mean you won't be able to. find games for less than $60 or $70 for the next-gen systems? Hardly. Publishers may try to sell launch titles at such a price because they know early adopters will pay it, but down the road, a higher price isn’t going to work for every game. “The big blockbusters in our busi- ness today—the Halos, Grand Theft Autos, Maddens, and Dooms—can command a wave of high-end pricing because the fanaticism around the launch of these games is an event,” says Steve Allison, Midway’s chief marketing officer. Indeed, one analyst, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, believes Rockstar left money on the table last fall when it shipped Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for $49 instead of $59. But for all those non-G7A games, Allison believes publishers are kidding themselves if they think consumers won't have sticker shock over $60 games. “A publisher who has a good to average game will still be lucky to get 58% $70 for one game?! Now that's crazy talk 14% more for the Chief 28% Yeah, but I expect some ‚serious extras 549 in the next generation,” he predicts. Some enterprising publishers may come up with entirely new business models for next-gen games. With the introduction of services like the upcom- ing Xbox Marketplace, which will allow users to buy new game levels and items online for a small fee, publishers could conceivably charge less up front but make additional revenue through micro- transactions. As in, you pay $40 for Halo Зіп the box but then ante up another $20 for a flamethrower and bonus maps. “There’s going to be a lot of experimen- tation in the next gen with publishers trying to upsell consumers,” says McNealy. “The result may be that con- sumers will spend hundreds of dollars inside one game.” That might make sense for additional content, but let’s just hope that Microsoft doesn’t start charging per machine gun bullet in Halo 3. д \ a к 44% ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com COMING TO XBOX® JUNE 7TH WWW.ROCKSTARGAMES.COM/SANANDREAS SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON INTERSCOPE RECORDS (>) press start NINTENDO: ШІ PRESENT Talkin’ shop with a butt-kicking executive from the house that Mario built eggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo’s К executive vice president of sales and marketing, is any- thing but your stereotypical corporate suit. Just look at how һе introduced himself to the gaming industry one year ago: “My пате is Reggie, and Рт about kicking ass; I’m about taking names.” And even though his job requires him to play the part of evan- gelist, Reggie ain’t afraid to say when Nintendo has made a boo-boo. We recently sat down with him to discuss the new portable war, the company’s next-gen outlook, and...oh yeah, what about Nintendo kicks ass. —EGM and 1UP.com staff EGM/1UP: You’ve sold a lot of DS units since last November’s launch, but we DS— pretty damn strong. Look at the sales of WarioWare: Touched!—exceptionally strong after only three weeks. Personally, | think Need for Speed is quite provocative. Essentially, you use the touch screen to trick out your car, which is pretty damn cool. You can't do that on a PSP. And for the hardcore fans, we've got Advance Wars and Mario Kart—the games are coming. EGM/1UP: OK, the games are coming, but do you feel you missed out on а great window of opportunity before the PSP launched? ВЕ: l'll frame it this way: Would | love to be sitting here on a pile of 100 great DS games and meting them out once per month? I'd love to do that. Unfortunately, that's not the way the business works. But what | can tell the owner of a nice, shiny “Look at Resident Evil 4: If we could have shown that game the day we launched GameCube, it could have been a different story.” —Nintendo Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Reggie Fils-Aime really haven't seen that killer app yet or a steady flow of software. Where are all the DS games? Reggie Fils-Aime: It's interesting, you look at the sales we've had for Super Mario 64 46 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com DS is that there are a number of great games across a range of tastes. And we've got more games coming that are going to get that purchaser to say, “A worthwhile $150 spent.” EGM/1UP: Several DS titles look like flashy 2D games or beefed-up GBA games. In terms of visuals, when will we see something on DS that competes with the PSP? RF: The hardware is hugely capable of more than what we've seen. Any time a new piece of hardware comes out, it takes a while for developers to realize its full potential. Look at Resident Evil 4: f we could have shown that game the day we launched GameCube, it could have been a different story. So there's а lot more capability in the DS, and Nintendogs is an example of that. EGM/1UP: Could Nintendogs be the left-field hit that puts Nintendo back on top? RF: [Laughs] | think that's a tall order for that game. But Metroid Prime: Hunters kicks ass. Eight-person Mario Kart kicks ass. Advance Wars, based on what I've seen, kicks ass. We have a number of games that will get the core gamer hugely excited. But we also have great games for my 9-year-old little girl. EGM/1UP: What you said earlier about Resident Evil 4 was interesting. Looking forward, are you planning on having games of that caliber at the launch of your next console, code- named Revolution? RF: That's the goal. That's why we're going to be working hard with third-party develop- ers. That's why we're going to spend a lot of time on both pre-development kits as well THIS FALL, THQ JUMPS BACK INTO THE SQUARED CIRCLE WITH WWE DAY OF RECKONING 2 (GC). BRANCHING STORY LINES SHOULD HELP-SPICE UP THE ORIGINAUS LACKLUSTER CAREER |, FUTURE as final development kits. You know it's criti- cal, whether it be first- or third-party [games], that the launch lineup is strong. EGM/1UP: In a recent interview, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said that Revolution’s unique make-up could keep third parties from supporting the system. Why alienate them? RF: | wasn't there when he made that com- ment, but | know Mr. Iwata well enough and | know that he’s got a very strong relation- ship with third-party publishers. The fact is that our systems by definition are always pushing the envelope on innovation. And if you've been around the industry, you know that creating games for systems that are Inside the Revolution While the look of Nintendo’s next-gen console (code-named Revolution) remains shrouded in secrecy, the com- pany has recently provided some details on the guts of this anticipated machine. The power of the Revolution will come from two sources: a pro- cessing chip (code-named Broadway) from IBM and an ATI-produced graph- ics chip (called Hollywood). The new console will also feature built-in Wi-Fi and be backward compatible with the GameCube—the latter being a first for any Nintendo home system. mute Nintendogs: A virtual pet for your DS. pushing the envelope on innovation [is] always tougher than strictly making some- thing that looks beautiful or is based on a really cool processor. certainly works and I'll give you an example: Apple Computer. Five years ago people were writing them off. Then iPod came [out], and now everyone is saying how damn smart these people are. EGM/1UP: A lot of that has to do with how sexy iPods аге.... 1 don’t disagree. And you know what? We're pushing the envelope in making sure all of our products look sexy. [GBA] SP is a sexy device. DS is a sexy device. | will grant you that GameCube is not a sexy device [/aughs], but we're smart people and we learn from our mistakes. | will bet you a drink at the bar of your choice that Revolution will be a very sexy device. EGM/1UP: Is there a limit to how far you can take the current Nintendo fran- chises? For example, a new Kirby game might not be just what Joe Stock Exchange is looking forward to playing after a hard day’s work—or even teens "| will bet you a drink at the bar of your choice that Revolution will be a very sexy device." EGM/1UP: But why distance yourselves so much from the competition? Why not go in the direction of, say, Sony and design a system that acknowledges today's trends and technology? This is something that probably doesn't interest the gamer all that much, but it cer- tainly interests the financial community, and our strategy has been hugely profitable. It's a sound business strategy. Differentiation is а key to success. There's a reason why Microsoft loses a s***load of money on every system they sell today. They've gone down a path with no differentiation, so they had to outpower what was already in the marketplace. You can't do that forever. In the long run, an innovation strategy weaned on Grand Theft Auto. I'll tell you this, when we launch Revolution, we will have great franchise games: Mario, Zelda, Metroid. We will also launch new franchises, DS Goes Online Enough PictoChat-ing—what we really want to do with Nintendo's dual-screen handheld is race against our out-of-state friends in Mario Kart and visit their Animal Crossing villages. Lucky for us (and you), both of those will soon become a reality, as later this year Nintendo will launch a free service that enables you to play online-compati- ble DS titles via Wi-Fi hot spots. Aside from the above-mentioned titles, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said during his keynote speech at the Game Developers Conference that at least one more online game is in works, and he promised that it would be “groundbreaking.” Wouldn’t that be nice? п titles, Will Revolution ме more of them? It better, 7 қ У id because what you are saying is true. | think any consumer is looking for something new, and for as great as Mario is, when it's the 100th Mario game, it could be perceived as old—even if it's highly innovative. So yes, we're hard at work on new franchises and things that will excite the current gamer. EGM/1UP: It's not a big secret that Microsoft will be first out of the next- gen gates and launch Xbox 2 later this year. Any thoughts? From a profitability standpoint, we know. Samus will join the Revolution. that Xbox is hemorrhaging in terms of hardware, so from that standpoint it makes sense to move early into the next system. They are also thinking through how they get a competitive advantage versus us, ver- sus Sony, and they think going first gives them just that. | think it remains to be seen what their concept is, and when it's all said and done, if in fact, it gives not only the core consumer but the casual consumer a reason to spend money on a whole new system. That's the million-dollar question. EGM/1UP: So what do you gain by waiting until 2006 to release Revolution, if that is indeed what you’re doing? [Laughs] | was just going to say “you're making an assumption,” and | just want to clarify that you've made one, so | will respond іп kind against your assumption. But really for us, the way we look at hardware—hand- held or console—is that the inherent power of the software is but a small part of the entire proposition. What do | mean by that? Look at Nintendo DS: It’s certainly more powerful than GBA, but what makes it dif- ferent? It's the two screens, touch screen, wireless [play], and voice activation. It's that bundle of benefits that’s motivating the consumer. EGM/1UP: Before we go, any update on the next Game Boy? You know, there's this massive rumor floating around on the Internet... EGM/1UP: But Nintendo has always said that the DS is a separate line from Game Boy. It is a separate line. We are always working on new innovations, always. Right now, it is just rumor and speculation that we're working on the new Game Boy. But we've got things up our sleeve. Wait for E3 [the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry's annual trade show in May]. 4 MODE, WHICH WAS WORSE THAN WATCHING AN EPISODE OF SUNDAY NIGHT HEAT. DOR2 WILL ALSO HAVE NEW WWE LEGENDS, INCLUDING THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR AND HULK HOGAN.... >> ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 47 “10Р HAS THE FRIENDLIEST POSTERS I'VE EVER MET, HANDS DOWN. I'VE MET A TON OF GREAT NEW FRIENDS AND HAVE EVEN RUN INTO A FEW OLD ONES!” [AMANDA] Games.Blogs.Clubs.Home. ITEMS Sit down, plug in, and chill out with these comfort-boosting game peripherals t's the lifelong dream of any way of marathon gaming sessions. But get in the way. We're here to help with serious gamer to hunker down alas, that ratty couch, tangle of cables this roundup of accessories built with for days without sleep, eats, behind your A/V receiver, and nagging your comfort and convenience in mind. or other daily necessities getting in the — pain in your bladder always seem to —8Shawn Smith * ThinkGeek • thinkgeek.com • $5 If you're hell-bent on maximizing your game time, full bladder be damned, then sit back and relax—no, we mean really relax—with the Internet Urinal. Created with extended Net surfing in mind, this 32-ounce plastic jug will meet апу gamer's biological needs. • Pyramat е pyramat.com • $850 This posh leather rocking chair is made specifically for gamers and will cause envy amongst your peers—plus show your girlfriend that gaming accessories can, in fact, be cool. The built-in wireless speakers and bumpin’ sub round out the package, but for a rather steep price. Sit and game like a celebrity, Just wash your hands and or be gen- joypads before inviting us over for tly rumbled some multiplayer. to sleep. • Logitech • logitech.com • $99 No need to mess with network cables ог other dorky things with this wire- less access point for your Xbox or PlayStation 2. According to Logitech, there are just two steps to installation: Plug one transmitter into your broad- Gamester • gamesterusa.com • 525 band modem or router, then jack the other directly into your console's Ethernet port. Bingo—your console is connected wirelessly, without any additional software fuss. Like different pads for different reasons? The Phoenix gives you a one- stop shop for a variety of custom PS2 pad types. Move the D-pad to the far right, the buttons to the middle, or any other zany do-it-yourself com- Nyko • nyko.com • $79 As much as the PSP is a portable con- sole, it’s also an on-the-go audio and video wonder station. The PSP media lover will dig this handy package, which includes a protective metal case, viewing stand, speakers, and an bination that'll keep your gaming experience cus- tomized and hassle-free. extra battery pack. It’s perfect for enhancing your favorite flicks...or your prize collection of Jacko concert clips. • Zvox • | zvoxaudio.com • $199 If you're tired of fishing behind the entertainment У | center for the right plug, maybe it's time to down- size your A/V setup and nab something easier to maintain. The 315’s sound quality easily rivals that found in many expensive 5.1 bundles, yet the unit costs under $200 and is a snap to get up and run- ning (you only have two plugs to worry about). >> SHOOT YOU IN THE SUMMER—NINTENDO HAS YET AGAIN PUSHED BACK THE RELEASE OF ITS POSSESSIVE FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER GE/ST(GC) FROM МАУ TO JUNE 27... >> 50 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com Cold Comfort While the other products shown here are supposed to make it easier for you to game, this 14k gold, jewel- encrusted PSP case by Simmons Jewelry Co. (as in Russell “Def Jam” Simmons) is the antithesis of that idea. Complicated beyond excess, it’s made for those who have a hearty hankering for bling. Call 212-397- 0981 if you think your bankroll can afford such a pricey hit. Cost: 140 times the cost of the PSP itself ($35,000). ж Blood Mild Language ~ gg] Vere < БЫН cec $ шиша OS MAJESER The Advent Rising logo, characters ond artwork are trademarks of Majesco Entertainment бу г Developed by GlyphX Games. Published da distributed by Majesco Entertainment Company. © 2005 Majesco Entertainment Company, All Rights Reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Уже Association. Microsoft Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live Logo, and the Xbox EN i denis or rad M Liberation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license ШАЙ МЕС AFTERTHOUGHTS Ф + Talking through our fear of a pitch-black planet oom 3, developer Id Software’s razzle-dazzle reworking of the Satan-in- space shooter that started it all, captures hell with more head-banging brio than most ’80s heavy metal album covers. But if the game were a band, who would it be? “Man, that’s tough,” admits not-so-longhaired Lead Designer Tim Willits. “Ozzy is crazy, funny, and talented, but...” —Shawn Elliott EGM: 166 try this instead: What movies and books inspired Doom 3? Tim Willits: Some of our artists are big into anime; others love bad, bad horror movies. But | can't say that one thing ог another inspired us [besides the original Doom] because we have so many people here, and one of the great things about Id is that everyone has the chance to con- tribute to and participate in the design and creation of the game. EGM: Can you pinpoint bits and pieces? TW: The transport shuttle is all anime; even some of our weapons have an anime feel to them because our modeler is big into anime. And then we're all serious fans of the Aliens series. EGM: Speaking of extraterrestrials, wasn’t Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor supposed to do Doom 3's music and sound effects? TW: Things just didn’t work out. He would- n't have had time to wait for us if we had a technical problem—he’s got stuff to do, we've got stuff to do. ЕСМ: How closely did you work with Vicarious Visions, the codeveloper of Doom 3 for ( Xbox? TW: Very closely. More so than other titles because the levels had ( to be shorter and we need- ed more of them. It gave us the opportunity to carefully look over the single-player campaign and cut out some of the dead parts. As a result, it’s a little tighter, kind of like a director’s cut. And we collaborated on the cooperative stuff, too. EGM: Co-op supports system link and online only. Why no splitscreen? TW: We did all we could to get Doom 3 to run well on Microsoft's console. Can you just imagine getting it to run twice on a single screen? ЕСМ: How were you able to make a game that looks so much better than most Xbox games? What do you know that other developers don’t? TW: [Laughs] John Carmack [Id’s master programmer]. When John started work on the Doom 3 engine a while back, he had Xbox in mind. He can look into the future and predict where hardware will be at any given time. But it definitely took many years to do—you can’t just take the latest, greatest PC engine and stick it in Xbox; that’s just not gonna work. EGM: What do you say to all the people who wonder why the future has droid and teleportation tech, but no duct tape for attaching a light to your gun? TW: You know, we actually had the light mounted on the pistol at one point, but it wasn’t as much fun. = The Swan has found its next contestant. EGM: What about critics of all the closets that open to release creepy crawlies only after players pass them? TW: Рт not worried about monster closets. If they wanna complain about monster closets, they can complain about monster closets. EGM: Any chance we'll see the still PC- only Resurrection of Evil expansion pack on Xbox? TW: We're always considering which con- EGM: We suppose John soles and platforms we'll put our products Carmack would crap if it had оп, and have looked at Resurrection of shady special effects. “I'm not worried about monster closets. If they wanna complain about monster closets, they can complain about monster closets.” —4d Software Lead Designer Tim Willits Evil, but currently have nothing to announce. Well, we do have some down- loadable content that we’re working on in the form of multiplayer maps. TW: John’s so funny—we went to see The Incredibles and he complained about some of the rendering. We’re like, “Dude!” But yeah, Stan Winston Studios is handling effects for the Doom film, and they are the group that did Aliens and the original Star Wars, 50... EGM: You've also got the Doom movie out this year.... ‘TW: Yeah, we helped introduce the game to the writer. There are some Doom rules that Universal [the film’s studio] had to fol- low, so we've been very happy with that. Plus, the production staff is top-notch. EGM: So back to Doom being a band... TW: Led Zeppelin, because the franchise has survived for so long and has such a hardcore fan base. 9% MAJESCO GAMBLES ОМ DS, AS THE PUBLISHER RECENTLY ANNOUNCED TEXAS HOLD "ЕМ POKER FOR NINTENDO'S UNIQUE-LOOKING HANDHELD. THE САМЕ IS DUE OUT IN LATE "05. 52 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com B PS2/XB SHOW AND TELL: Publisher: VU Games Developer: Bugbear Release Date: June 2005 Wanted: crash test dummies he Burnout series reminded Т us that racing games don’t have to be complex lessons in adjusting gear ratios and tweaking suspensions, and FlatOut takes that concept a step further. Here, you’re encouraged to knock rival racers off the road, through the windshield, and into trees for extra points. FlatOut Producer Jussi Laakkonen explains the finer points of his sadomasochis- tic racer. 75 E ы 21 У 4 ï PRESS RESET 0104223 + RER wv 0011928 ve 010423 1 00' I9" 28: How to Get Ahead | Jussi Laakkonen: Time to fly, buddy! To effectively | overtake your opponents, don't try to skillfully steer around them—go through them instead. Ram them with full throttle and a nitro boost, then watch as they're brutally tossed off the track. Find a Crosswalk JL: Nasty crashes send your driver flying out of his car and into grave danger. In a best-case scenario, you'll get some nasty road rash...with a bit of bad luck, you might hug a pine tree...and if you're really unfortunate, you end up like this. Fun With Physics JL: FlatOut offers 12 insane multiplayer minigames, all designed around using the game’s complex crash physics, For example, you can unwind after a hard race by crashing at top speed and vaulting your driver into the mouth of a massive clown, down a lane of bowling pins, or even toward a colossal dartboard. It’s not just for fun, either: The credits you earn here can be used to upgrade your | ride in the normal game. NEWS TIDBITS THAT ARE FULL OF DRAMA (QUT. OF; TRACK 0143" 67 00'33''67 | The Majesty of Flight JL: FlatOut’s tracks offer plenty of wild shortcuts. This, however, is not one of them. Instead, this is what happens when you attempt to drive through a tricky shortcut but end up slamming into a post and launch- ing yourself skyward. One Day at a Time PS2s No Longer for Sale? Time is crucial when you take on the role of Kiefer Sutherland’s tough-as- nails counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer in Sony CEA’s 24: The Game (due out on PS2 this fall). Blending stealth, shooting, driving, and puzzle solving, this one tells an all-new story (set in 24 hours of real time) between the second and third seasons of the hit Fox series. Well, it could’ve happened. In March, a federal court ordered Sony to stop all U.S. sales of its console and pay Immersion Corp. almost $91 million for patent infringement (which involved the vibration technology found in the PS2 controller). But since Sony is appealing the case, the injunction has been put on hold. “Even if Sony loses [the appeal], they'll pay up,” says analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan. “If they win, the injunction is void. In either case, they won't stop selling PS2s.” MAJESCO IS TEAMING UP WITH STARBREEZE STUDIOS (CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK) TO CREATE A NEXT-GEN GAME BASED ОМ ТОР COW'S COMIC BOOK SERIES THE DARKNESS... ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 53 We play dumb with s he average EGM reader scoffs at the thought of asking game-store counter jockeys for advice; you know-it-alls don’t need GameStop Spy: Which gaming system is the best to buy for my boyfriend? Clerk: PS2 and Xbox, depending on what type of games he likes to play. [Launches into enthusiastic speech on the merits of each system.] Spy: And for online gaming? Clerk: Xbox. Spy: Which is the most powerful? Clerk: Xbox. Spy: What about the GameCube? Clerk: The GameCube is more geared toward younger kids. Spy: Does it play movies? Clerk: No, but both the PS2 and Xbox will play DVDs. Spy: My boyfriend said something about progressive scan? Whazzat? Clerk: They all have that, but PlayStation was probably the one he | was thinking of because they've been talking about that recently. Spy: What about the handhelds? Would you recommend buying а DS or waiting for the PSP?* Clerk: The PSP is really good, but it’s gonna be really hard to find and really expensive. It’s gonna have everything: movie player, MP3s—you can even | make your own movies for it! | Customer appreciation: This guy knew his stuff—he even made the right call on which systems support graphics-boosting progressive scan. Will the sales associate at a giant toy- store chain be as tech savvy? “Interviews conducted before the PSP's release. UBISOFT HITS THE HARDWOOD—THE PUBLISHER IS PARTNERING WITH FOOTWEAR AND APPAREL COMPANY А! TO CREATE BASKETBALL TITLES FOR ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS..... 54 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UR.com their help. But what about your non- gaming friends, your grandma, your significant other—anyone who relies on over-the-counter know-how? We ‘Dp Toys ‘R’ Us Spy: My boyfriend says more poly- gons are better. What are those? Cleric Let me ask about that. [Asks a coworker, who also doesn’t know. Calls “Mike” on intercom. D’oh. Mike doesn't know, either] I don't know what that is. | know megabytes! | know the PS2 has more. Spy: Do any of these hook to a PC? Clerk: | don’t know that, either. [Asks coworker.] Oh yeah, both do. Spy: All of them? Clerk: No, PS2 and Xbox do. The GameCube doesn’t. Spy: What about sports games? Which is the best for them? Clerk: The PS2 is the best for sports; it has better graphics, like Madden 2005, MVP 2005. There’s also NBA Street, which is basketball. Spy: And for portable games, should I get a DS or wait for PSP?* Clerk: [The PSP] has music; it’s like an organizer. It’s a Palm reader—you play your PS2 games on there, you can download from the Internet. | would recommend waiting for it. Everyone’s waiting for it. | Customer appreciation: Palm read- ings? Since when did the PSP become a hotline to Ms. Cleo? Oh, and for the record, the Xbox has more megabytes in its memory and can pump out more polygons—and it’s the only console that can hook up to a PC (through the Xbox Media Center). sent our spy, posing as a clueless girl- friend shopping for her gamer beau, on a quest for flimflam advice at four major game retailers. An unscientific Best Buy Spy: Do I need anything besides the system and a couple of games? Clerk: They come with the cables and one controller. Spy: When are the new systems coming out? Clerk: Sony just came out with а new version of the PlayStation. It’s smaller, more compact, that’s about it. Xbox— they haven’t mentioned anything about something new coming out. Spy: So are the prices of these sys- tems ever going to come down? Clerk: No. When the PS2 came out, the price of the old one didn’t go down. Spy: Is the GameCube just for kids? Clerk: It's more for toddlers and а lit- tle bit above that. For an adult, | would recommend the others. The graphics [on the GameCube] aren't as good as ап adult would be into. And they have more kids’ games than they do adult games. Spy: Does Nintendo make games for the other systems? _ Clerk: The old Nintendo games some- times come out for Xbox and Р52. | don’t know which games, specifically, but a lot of them do. Customer appreciation: So, forget the boyfriend. m gonna pick up this GameCube for my toddler, along with this copy of Resident Evil 4—which clearly has graphics only a baby could love. Might as well grab a few Mario games for Xbox or PS2 while I’m at it. tore clerks to see who helps us shop smart survey? Surely. But some of these clerks’ comments are good for a laugh, too. —Carrie Shepherd. EB Games Spy: Can you surf the Web on any of these systems? Clerk: No [clearly disgusted]. Spy: How about movies? Can | watch movies on any of them? Clerk: [Deep, horrified sigh] Yes, but you'll need to buy an extra remote for the Xbox. Spy: How about sports games? What's the best sports game? Clerk: Madden. [Looks away, desper- ate to wait on someone else.] Spy: Is that that football hockey game? Clerk: What? It’s football. Hockey is a different sport. [Looks down and starts writing, hoping lII go away.] Spy: [Picks up Manhunt.] Is this game good? Clerk: Um, it’s different. [Backs away.] Spy: Should | get a DS or wait for the PSP?* Clerk: Wait for the PSP [i.e., get the hell out of my store]. Customer appreciation: A veritable videogame expert, but this guy was clearly hoping to wait on someone who knew as much about games as him. Unlike the friendly, upbeat GameStop employee, he couldn’t wait for me to leave—even though it was the only store in town with Xboxes and PS2s in stock. At least he sold me a magazine (probably hoping that I would bone up on the subject matter before my next visit). 4%. dliustration Terry Wong/agoodson.com g © Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service. Cal THE SALES CHARTS TOP 10 BEST-SELLING GAMES Lap Gran Turismo 4 • PS2 • Sony CEA Ў езбе LastiLap. Nt Resident Evil 4 е GC • Capcom Madden NFL 2005 е Р52 • EA Sports ТОР 10 GAMECUBE Star Fox: Assault NBA Street V3 Super Mario Sunshine Mario Party 6 Super Smash Bros. Melee Sonic Mega Collection Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Need for Speed Underground Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour TOP 10 PORTABLES 2 Super Mario 64 DS • 05 3 WarioWare: Touched! е DS 4 Kingdom Hearts: COM • GBA 5 Pokémon FireRed • GBA 6 The Incredibles е GBA 7 SpongeBob: The Movie е GBA 8 Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament 2005 е GBA 5 Pokémon LeafGreen • GBA 10 Namco Museum • GBA FOR TOP 10 PS2 1 Gran Turismo 4 2 МВА Street V3 3 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas A МИР Baseball 2005 5 Mercenaries 6 Champions: Return to Arms 7 Madden NFL 2005 8 Xenosaga: Episode Il 5 NBA Live 2005 10 World Championship Poker ~ 25 1 NBA Street V3 2 Mercenaries 3 MVP Baseball 2005 4 Наі 2 5 Need for Speed Underground 2 5 The Punisher 7 World Championship Poker 8 Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath 9 Major League Baseball 2K5 10 Madden NFL 2005 TOP 10 RENTALS FOR THE WEEK ENDING 3/20/05 Ii IIS NNI 2 GTA: San Andreas • Р52 3 Star Wars: Rep. Commando • ХВ 4 Fight Night Round 2 • PS2 5 MX vs. ATV Unleashed • PS2 6 NBA Street V3 е Р52 7 Mercenaries • PS2 8 Robots е Р52 9 Mercenaries • ХВ 10 NFS Underground 2 • PS2 ON THE AUCTION We take another look at online auctions...and laugh at the suck- ers who bought this crap. Item: The “crystal” version of Crystal Pepsi: The Game for PS1. It even came with a map of Crystal Pepsi Land! Idiot. Winning Bid: $15 Item: We know the cosplayers love their Final Fantasy, but spending this much cash on a rare FFIX art book is pushing it. Winning Bid: $75 med Item: А haunted NES? It sounds to us like an excuse for stinking at Nintendo games: “I can't res- cue Zelda; my NES is haunted.” ing Bid: $225 Item: A woman sold her son’s PS2 as punishment for drinking her $150 bottle of champagne. Is it a BS story to attract attention? Either way, someone bought it. Winning Bid: $122 Source: Blockbuster Video >> ATTENTION ALL PIGSKIN FANS: IF YOU USE VERIZON WIRELESS AS YOUR MOBILE PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER, YOU CAN NOW PLAY TECMO BOWL WHILE ON THE GO.... >> ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 55 SONS OFTHEC TCH Meet the rotten cheaters ruining your online neighborhood aloGuy343 can’t move. For 30 seconds now he’s been immo- bile and unresponsive to simple commands. His friends can’t help him—in fact, they're suffering from the same syn- drome. But the problem's not physical; it's their Halo 2 online game. Some new guy joined in and everything just froze up. A few seconds later the clog comes unclogged, but there’s a new problem: Everybody’s dead. Well, everybody except the new guy. He not only survived the ordeal but also walked away with а handful of kills. Sound familiar? If you’re playing Halo 2 online, it just might make your blood boil to hear us talk about it. Our newcomer friend is using a trick that folks can play Е Self-proclaimed glitcher and “creative player” Joe32 says to stop whining. 56 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com with certain types of broadband modems, and it’s as easy as pressing a button. The modem glitch is one of several sore spots among Net gamers that can be attributed to a burgeoning breed of online players: the cheaters. Excuses, excuses Fussing with the network, exploiting pro- gramming loopholes, and taking advan- tage of the honor system are a few ways these jokesters get their online jollies. But with Microsoft, Sony, and a glut of angry developers cracking down on online cheaters (Xbox owners can even get their Gamertags revoked for violating the Xbox Live code of conduct), why take the risk? Surprisingly, it’s not always about just being a dick. "It's frustrating,” says Duncan Ariey, whose cheating ways date back to 16-bit Game Genie hacks. “To lose consistently to people who got better than you by playing six to eight hours a day while уоште at school or work—some people cheat just to even the playing field.” Latecomers are especially disad- vantaged, says Ariey: “Nobody wants to turn on their new game and be killed 50 times in a row by people who have had the game longer. | know many people who cheat not to boost their win column, but to keep it from being ruined in their first few days of having a game.” While the fragologically challenged are looking for a leg up on the professionals, there’s another world of subversive ranker-uppers thriving behind the scenes, away from the public games. You won't find hardcore glitch junkies like Joe32 in Halo 2'5 Rumble Pit, the online equivalent of a high-school bike rack, where players match up for quick brawls. “We used to use rank-up glitches in Halo 2 so we could get our wings," he says. “But in my clan, we don’t cheat in [public] rank-up games. | have been in other clans where all we do is cheat, though.” Glitchin’ for a fight Turns out cheating is common ground for lots of gamers like Joe32. The social aspect of sharing glitches in live chat or in online forums is what keeps some cheaters going. The TeamKill and Cheat Community (www.tkc-community.net) is one hardcore band of glitching gamers dedicated to developing new ways to mess with the online medium. Their moti- vation ranges from a flat-out "just wanting to annoy" to a more altruistic "prolonging the game experience,” but—just as in any social club—their communal attitude is fueled by a common interest: cheating. Cheaters banding together to exploit rank-driven games really irks developers like Zipper (SOCOM II) cofounder Brian i к Н 5 HERE'S A LITTLE "DID YOU KNO) ОК ALL THE SPORTOS: ACCORDING ТО EA TIBURON VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING TODD SITRIN, SEVERAL COMPANIES THAT HAVE NEVER MADE G Soderberg. "That's the worst thing about cheating,” he says. “Even if you have the ability to vote out cheaters [from open matches] like we do in SOCOM Il, they can still set up their own games to move up in rank through exploits or glitches.” Since the game went live, it's been Soderberg’s business to identify glitches and cheats and come up with fixes. But Joe32 says it’s not just about hack- ing the software and gaining status in the rankings. He and his friends spend most of their time finding off-limits areas and exploiting programming bugs—trying stuff just to see if it can be done within the existing limits of the game. He and Ariey both say the line that separates cheating from regular gameplay isn’t exactly clear- cut, so not all gamers who exhibit cheater tendencies know they're doing it; normal game features sometimes just make it too easy to bend the rules. “It’s very common to see cheating in games that allow spec- tators,” Ariey says. “One person will play the game while the ‘spectator’ informs his El See that guy over yonder? If you're out of ammo, a handy Halo 2 glitch lets you dash across the level and settle his hash with a plasma sword. partner of enemy positions and weapon locations." Other gamers give themselves an edge by using a mouse and/or key- board with today’s USB-friendly consoles, which increases accuracy and cuts response time—it can be an insurmount- able advantage. But, as one anonymous cheater explains, “It’s not illegal—it's just using the best equipment available. Anyone can do it.” Above the law Since most online games rely on some type of honor system to limit cheating, Soderberg believes game creators will never be able to eliminate hacks through programming alone. "It's impossible to anticipate all of the cheats that will be used in an online game,” he says. “Players will continue to find ways to exploit some newfound glitch. You just can’t test enough prior to releasing a game to catch everything.” He says their best current recourse is tackling glitches one at a time. “Improvements in ‘self-policing’ features,” PEN he argues, “client patching and server- side detection and fixes will continue to make cheating less prevalent.” It's true—just ask Halo series maker Bungie, which is already attacking our little modem glitch mentioned above: "Can't say how, but we’ve implemented several fixes to help alleviate this problem,” says a rep for the developer. “We can’t stop people from pressing ‘suspend modem,’ but we can make it less worthwhile.” Good thing, because cheaters are coming up with new tricks as fast as gamemakers can address the old ones. And while the intentions of guys like Ariey and Joe32 aren’t to hurt the online community, there are certainly plen- ty of guys out there with more malicious aims in mind. "There's a hardware cheat device built specifically for SOCOM II called the Warp Cord," Soderberg says. "This device provides the player with a foot pedal that causes opponents to freeze momentarily, providing an easy kill. We're working on a patch.” at — Jon Dudlak SPORTS GAMES—INCLUDING THE FOLKS AT DISNEY—BID ON THE SOUGHT-AFTER (YET EXTREMELY PRICEY) NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE AND PLAYERS ASSOCIATION LICENSES. ^ Using grenades and jumping on friends’ shoulders can help you get ridiculously high and reach far-off boundaries in Halo 2. Players like Joe32 call it creative thinking. Victims of sniper fire that seems to come from another world call it cheating. Cheaters Sometimes Win More than half of the gamers polled on 1UP.com said they know several cheats. With role models like these, it’s no wonder kids go looking for trouble. Cheat: Penance: A Pulled a Milli second season Vanilli on SNL on MTV Cheat: Penance: Two Packing some paychecks, a cork trip to Baltimore Cheat: | Penance: Monica Emancipation, a Lewinsky phatty book deal ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 57 COUNTDOWN TO 9 ТОР 10 CULT CLASSICS е continue the march toward EGM’s 200th issue, conquering all enemies in our path and placing them in num- ddworld In | bered lists for all to ее. This month, burst onto the scene with this quirky, quasi- we look at cult classics—games Political game that took a different approach that have overachieved in the critics’ that refreshed the stale eyes but underperformed in the platformer genre. mainstream. As always, feel free to What's next: Sadly, the tell us just how very wrong we are studio is calling it on 1UP.com’s EGM boards. quits for a while. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee % PS1 • 1997 Developer Oddworld Inhabitants Samurai Shodown | ° Arcade • 1994 While Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were slugging it out for your hard-earned quarters, the weapon- based SS2 quietly made a name for itself while tucked away in the dimly lit corner of the arcade. What's next: Samurai Shodown V (XB) is slated for release later this year. R-Type Delta е Р51 • 1999 The lack of fanfare that accompanied this challenging yet Dragon Force • Saturn • 1996 Strategy-RPG fans have an unspoken bond, as if they and they alone understand Gunstar Heroes • Genesis • 1993 Developer Treasure has built its reputation on adrenaline- rewarding game’s arrival served as a depressing signal that the good ol’ days of 2D shooters were coming to an end. What's next: The last game in the series was called R-Type Final. Draw your own conclusions. Tetris Attack • Super NES • 1996 Its frantic pace and addictive nature made Tetris Attack (arguably) the greatest puzzle game of all time. The game has also appeared as Pokémon Puzzle League for Nintendo 64 and in the Japan- only Nintendo Puzzle Collection for GameCube. What's next: Nintendo still has no plans to release its Puzzle Collection in the U.S. Boo! packed 2D games like Heroes that feature untraditional gameplay con- cepts, off-the-wall stories, and epic boss battles. What's next: The Internet tells of a and appreciate the genre’s nuances. This game helped solidify that camaraderie. What's next: А graphically updated version comes to mysterious new Gunstar Heroes game for a portable system. Stay tuned. PlayStation 2 this fall. Phantasy Star • Sega Master System • 1988 Sure, Nintendo’s first console had Mario and about a gazillion other block- busters, but it didn't have Phantasy Star, a role-playing game for Sega’s 8-bit system that spanned the solar system and featured dungeons so difficult you had to draw your own maps. What's next: The offline mode in Phantasy Star Universe (coming to PS2 this fall) will have to serve as an unofficial Phantasy Star V. NIGHTS + Saturn • 1996 No, we aren’t suffering from short-term memory loss. Last issue we included NiGHTS on our Top Ten Most Overrated Games list, and we stand by that call. But just because it’s overrated doesn’t mean it can’t be a cult classic, and this is a great game with wonderful visuals (for the time) and an interesting take on burgeoning 3D game ideas. What’s next: Pleas for a sequel remain unfulfilled. Keep hope alive. Ico е PS2 • 2001 Likewise, despite the hyperbole, /co is one of those remarkable experiences that are W Phantasy sadly in short supply these days. Critics adore /со and Star Online its ardent fan base cites it as an example of how series е gaming has the potential to be truly artistic. DC/GC/XB • (6? What's next: /co’s makers bring us the just-as-pecu- 2001/2002 | ћаг Wanda and the Colossus (PS2) this holiday season. 12003 2 Panzer Dragoon Saga • Saturn • 1998 Only a few thousand copies of this superlative RPG were made available to U.S. Saturn owners. And nowadays, the only way to get a hold of it is by selling some blood and then hitting up eBay. But it’s totally worth it. What’s next: We’re hoping a follow-up to Panzer Dragoon Saga will come to the next-gen consoles. >> RESIDENT EVIL REACHES NO. 1—THE SURVIVAL-HORROR SERIES IS NOW CAPCOM'S BEST-SELLING FRANCHISE, WITH MORE THAN 26 MILLION UNITS SOLD WORLDWIDE... >> 58 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www. 1UP.com Get more action this weekend. Yoda Wireless Controller , «ГАН. PS2 and Xbox Wireless Controllers TV Game: TV Games: Mortal Kombat Ster Wars and Batman X ^ E с и? pes mane "= =-- „а Buy З Booster Card Game EN ey 2 Packs, Get 1 Free AO Exc a M 100 6 The Wayans Bros. presents OBIN- $3: d € The Dozens Collectible Card Game (>) press start THE RUMOR MILL Gossip you can trust s a professional rumormonger, А | I pride myself on having the inside scoop. But i'm sure there are some folks reading this mag who believe I’m so full of it. Well, PII let the evidence speak for itself: Recently, developer Silicon Knights (Eternal Darkness) announced that it is creat- ing next-gen software for Sega, while Nintendo revealed that its upcoming console would also play GameCube software—both of which yours truly reported nearly one year ago (peep Issue #181). Now, Рт not one to brag...0K, maybe | am, but rest assured Рт doing my best to keep the BS to a minimum. And if you think Рт slack- ing, tell me about it—send an e-mail to quartermann@ziffdavis.com. —The Q With the touch of a button... This past March, Microsoft gave us a glimpse at the future of its Xbox Live ser- vice: all-new gamer stats, a virtual marketplace, the ability to sell in-game content that you've created, and much more (see next issue for the full scoop). Well, | betcha a shiny quarter that the Xbox 2 controller will sport an Xbox Live button that gives you instant access to all these features—even during the middle of playing a game or watching a movie. ш How does The People's Champ feel about some new competition? Just bring it! pugilists rather than going after WWE- retirees or those jabronis who consider themselves “extreme” and battle in their parents’ backyards. It’s good to play together Aside from Final Fantasy ХІ, massively multiplayer online role-playing games haven't had much success on consoles. Actually, there hasn’t been a whole lot to choose from (those EverQuest games— uhh, no thanks). That should change soon, as a little birdie told me that a handful of companies are eyeing PS3 and Xbox 2 for MMORPGs. The winged one even men- tioned that Blizzard, the new genre darling, has something in the works. A console ver- sion of World of WarCraft, perhaps? ш Solid Snake—tired of his dear ol’ dad getting all the glory. Metal Gear Solid 4 happenings Not too long ago, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed that the next game in the MGS4 may be officially announced as early as this May, presumably for PS3. Change of plans While mums the word on software for Nintendo's next-gen machine (code- named Revolution), folks won't stop yap- ріп” about what they've got in store for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 2. But listen to this juicy piece of scuttlebutt: | heard that as soon as several big-time gamemakers actually saw the capabilities of Sony's upcoming system, they decided to move their Xbox 2 projects to PS3. Sorry, Xbots. Watch out, WWE Even though professional wrestling doesn't garner the kind of TV ratings it did back in the late '90s, the games based on this fake sport—whether good or downright dread- ful—keep selling like crazy. It appears that two big-time publishers (cough, EA and Rockstar, cough) also want a piece of this profitable man-pretzel and will each unveil brand-new wrestling franchises in the near future. Both games will also use fictitious DEVELOPERS BACKBONE ENTERTAINMENT (DEATH, JR.) AND THE COLLECTIVE (INDIANA JONES) ARE FORMING A NEW COMPANY CALLED Fí 60 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com stealth-espionage series would star Solid Snake (instead of his papa, as in MGS3) and that he wouldn't direct it. Well, here's some more info: MGS4 may be officially announced as early as this May, presum- ably for PS3. And something else to think about: If Kojima is playing only an advisory role, then what's keeping him so busy these days? Very interesting... Believe It or Not 0: Does Microsoft plan to release Halo 3 on Xbox 2 around the same time the PS3 lands on store shelves? A: It certainly ain't a bad idea. Think about low do you combat the launch of your main competitor's new (and reportedly more powerful) console? You give gamers the one Xbox-exclusive franchise that Sony hasn't been able to match. Maybe the real question is, can developer Bungie push out another Halo that quickly? Remember, it took the studio three years to follow up on the original; this time, it would have only two years—all while learning the ins and outs of new hardware. а (TION 9 ENTERTAINMENT... е 2:0 Олм anc you're for the 1 dith ti me tonight I TURN TO PRIMA EGUIDES | З МЕ ARE NEVER CLOSED * HIDDEN GUNS & AMMO • COMPLETE BOSS BATTLE SOLUTIONS • FULL MAPS e DETAILED STRATEGY е OVER 250 EGUIDES FOR YOUR FAVORITE GAMES THE TEN You can't wait to play these games...but you'll still have to Disagree with the list? You’re the ones who created it. Choose and/or lose at The Legend of Zelda GC • Fall 2005 Final Fantasy ХИ PS2 Fall 2005 DS • Fall 2005 | Kingdom Hearts 11 PS2 • Fall 2005 Perfect Dark Zero XB2 • Fall 2005 Animal Crossing DS е Summer 2005 Conker: Live & Reloaded XB е June 2005 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy МІ PS2 ° Fall 2005 Mario Kart DS DS • Fall 2005 Grand Theft Auto PSP PSP • June 2005 FFXIPs Ashe tires of waiting for a release date and, uh, picks her nose. FINAL FANTASY XII PS2 • Fall 2005 — With Final Fantasy XIl’s release date pushed well into fiscal year 2006 (which began April 1), publisher Square Enix will have its hands full with top-tier PlayStation 2 releases this fall. If FFXII, Kingdom Hearts Il, and Dirge of If FFXII doesn't hurry up and come out, its cutting- edge fashions will feel totally passé. Cerberus: FFVII all ship close together, plan to spend most of the holiday season holed up with your PS2. Also, we're aware that updates have been rather infrequent for these titles, and we hope to offer some sweet new info on all three next month... көш 2 E sou J DS • Summer 2005 — You may have noticed that the denizens of Animal Crossing are all about accessorizing. In fact, hats seem to be all the rage: We’ve seen a pirate hat, sombrero, proper Mario-style cap, and even a dashing custom-created hat. If we know anything about gamers and customizable logos, AC police dog Copper might need to enforce a few obscenity laws when the game goes wireless. XB • June 2005 — The developers at Rare working on Conker love their fans: They answer questions (on www.rareware.com) other guys wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. One fan asked why Conker couldn’t come out on GameCube. Rare provided a very good reason: “It begins with an M and ends with an Icrosoft Game Studios Owns Rare.” They also offer some hints about a possible Conker sequel. >> 2K GAMES HITS AN ACE—THE SPORTS DEVELOPER WILL BRING AN UPDATED VERSION OF ТОР SPIN, THE ОМЕТІМЕ XBOX-EXCLUSIVE TENNIS GAME, TO PS2, PSP, AND DS THIS FALL.... >> 62 ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com COMING SOON School’s out and so are these games Armored Core: Formula Front Agetec PSP — Too busy to command your own robots? Front’s automated mecha battles fit your on-the-go lifestyle. Call of Cthuthu: Dark Comers of the Earth 2K Games • XB — Fighting unspeakable evil with 1920s weaponry ain’t easy—at least in this grisly horror-adventure. Delta Force: Black Hawk Down NovaLogic • PS2/XB — Play with 32 (PS2) or even over 50 (XB) online soldiers in this ambitious shooter. Conker: Live and Reloaded Microsoft • XB — Looks like Conker decided to use broadband for something besides squirrel porn—this Nintendo 64 remake delivers violent multiplayer Xbox Live fun. Antisocial players can still enjoy the perverted cartoon rodent’s solo romp, as well. dd г чт Medal of Honor: European Assault EA • PS2/XB/GC — This return to the European front features an “in the zone” bullet-time mode and squad control. Mega Man Battle Network 5 Capcom • GBA — So far, 2005 has been nearly bereft of Mega Man releases. Pick up the slack, Capcom! One a month! m Yoshi’s been hit- ting the bottle again in Yoshi Topsy Turvy. Batman Begins EA • PS2/XB/GC — Holy release date, Batman! The Dark Knight's stealthy adven- ture drops alongside the new flick. Ubisoft е DS — Bombing your way across two screens with seven other wireless players could quickly ruin friendships. Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life Natsume • GC — People call this animal husbandry series “girly,” but really, they’re just jealous of your prize sow. Fantastic Four Activision е PS2/XB/GC — Suit up and fight evil in this brawler that li'l kids will say “totally rips off The Incredibles.” Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Rockstar • XB — If you were one of the many who picked up the GTA double pack (GTA3 and Vice City), you won't feel complete without this gigantic sequel. Try to complete San Andreas and watch it suck out every waking hour from your life. қ FT} v0: Ба Yoshi Topsy Turvy Nintendo • GBA — Mario's loyal dino returns to his platforming roots in this odd tilt-sensor-controlled outing. Rainbow Six: Lockdowt Ubisoft е PS2/XB — Similar to when your squad raided terrorist-filled embassies in the past, but with a slew of new options. >> DS BECOMES A BIT MORE PUZZLING...BUT ІМ A GOOD WAY, AS NINTENDO WILL BRING METEOS, THE PLANETARY PUZZLE GAME FROM THE LUMINES CREW, TO THE U.S. ON JUNE 27. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 63 EUR: WARRIORS = Available Now New Musou Mode with a unique story for every character! More powerful attacks! Enhanced tactical gameplay! PlayStation. ЕҢ Use of Alcohol Violence à Dyni KOEI logo are ri arks or trademarks of KOEI Co., Ltd. ©2005 KOEI Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" Produced by РОБ01вУ)] |ң re registered tra Computer Entertainment ne. The ratings icon is à trademark ofthe Entertainment Software | (5 ЕоОгсе moea Ass Logic" and the до то! are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratori Tides of men will face the tides of war. Available Now PlayStation.e : uz ~ у Awesome action! With the improved "Crowd Engine" you have direct control of your troops. “ «à Defeat mighty armies! More than 30 killer attacks! Use the "Deathwheel" or "Spearwall" along with Regular, Break, and Charge attacks. Choose your own battle techniques. Coordinate attacks with your Mild Language support units or target an enemy unit with each of your nearby troops! Sexual Themes | and the KOEI logo are re logo are registered trad, ed trademarks or tra Sony Computer of KOEI Co., Ltd. ©2004-2005 ment Inc. The ratings ic Violence KOEI Ce гапа the "PS" Association. Ltd. All rights rese emark of the Entert: 200: review feature: 2005 update UPDATE ЛИЧКИ A “ТТ |А fresh look at the hottest games - headed уси way this year By Shane Bettenhausen, Shawn Elliott, = & the EGM Dream Team 0 far, 2005 has been an abnormally,robust year for gaming. If we were forced to pick a Game of the Year right now, it'd be a perilous choice between Resident Evil 4, God of War, and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, and the year isn’t even. half over yet. To think that most of the year’s killer games will ship during the fall...the mind boggles. To bring order to the = chaos, we offer a sampling of the year's | most promising titles, and we've asked each game's developer to explain why you 4“ should care about their game. > = т. 1 2005 preview feature: /| 2005 update | УМ • 2005 PREVIEW: ACTION > 2005 PREVIEW: ACTION • 2 un а. eat re PS2/XB • VU Games • Fall 200 Y: We’ve worn the costume a who had spent research time on the road hustler involved in gang activities, doing. 72 walked the dogs (G-Unit clothes and with 50 during his ’03 Rock the Mic whatever it takes to get by, and then get- shoes), drunk the beverage (Formula 50), à music tour, was а shoo-in when the time ting shot nine times.” This alternate-reali- and watched the adults-only DVD Т сате to choose Bulletproof’s storyteller. ty take on 50's life—had he not chosen to (Groupie Love). Now, ће ти i “50 really wanted us to work with Terry,” give up dealing dope for a rap career— MC-cum-multimedia то 15 his operation that grew to gross over $5,000 explains Emerson. “This is a guy who had takes the player to the heart of L.A’s we'll become the man. a day] was a perfectly natural fit for a insight into his life. And from a pedigree seedy underworld. "As things unfold, larger-than-life, louder- ‹ shooter. Plus, it's another outlet he want- standpoint, you can’t go wrong with an what on the surface seems like a acter in 50 Cent: Bulle ed to explore.” And while the impresario Emmy-winning head writer and producer straightforward revenge story becomes тау want you to dress sharp, drink from [НВО hit] The Sopranos. bigger and deeper," says Emerson. ‘smart, and play what he's calling “the “Terry’s two stories are complemen- _ hottest game for the next two years," he tary,” Emerson continues. “The film _ not once, but nine times, - wants more: namely tracks the dramatic rags-to-riches seriously complain: further than the tentati ife, whereas the game’ h forthcoming film, Get ing. à e Grand Theft Auto formula?). dst mus [ | has it, the freedoi in how Fiddy han- > ме аты ы “While Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's story and characters are well known, the creativity of the universe is something that gamers are going || to love exploring.” —Producer Melissa Miller Ре * 2K Games + July 2005 | WE SAY: To go along with the release of Tim Burton’s | trippy film update, 2K Games readies the hottest à candy-themed adventure since Skittles RPG Darkened Skye (GC). You'll play as Charlie, the lone virtuous | golden ticket holder, in an attempt to stop the | other four warped contestants from destroying Wonka’s chocolate factory during the guided tour. The game sports a neat style, but we doubt it'll be able to match the trippy creativity of Psychonauts (XB).... 68 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com PREVIEW: “2005 PREVIEW: “2005 PREVIEW: • 2005 PREVIEW: ACTION • 2005 Р an 38 4 " tave us killed, 50.) A Hood to Call Home Between brawls, 50 hitches the subway to his hood sanctuary, а ghetto getaway with every amenity a hustler could ask for, provided he’s flush with scratch. A .| crooked doctor peddles painkillers and power-ups on one corner, a music bootleg- ger sells mix tapes and MTV videos on another. Interscope labelmates Dr. Dre and Eminem cameo as Grizz—an arms broker offering bigger clip capacity, better fire rates, accuracy, and ammo—and McVicar—a corrupt cop with inside intel, respec- tively. Once Fiddy’s finished wheelin’ and dealin’, he can chill in his crib, mixing made-for-the-game freestyles over equally exclusive beats. SAMURAI WESTERN Ёз2 NR 20389 2008 “We thought that having the sword go against the gun—an unimaginable matchup—would be a great way to express superhuman actions in order to create a fun game.” —Producer Yoshinori Terasawa ү Atlus delivers an Old West-themed take оп samurai slash-em-ups like Bujingai and Devil May Cry, and fortuna! for a swordsman in a world of six guns, he has some fancy moves up his oversized sleeves. A simple one-button dodge j will project your man Gojiro from the cross fire, though if you « feel like showing off, you can bat speeding bullets and flying knives right out of the air with your katana. Copious gore, a wacky story line, and tight control could make this the spiritual successor to PS1 cult fave Rising Zan: Samurai Gunman. | Only а cowboy samurai could parry bullets with а swort at point blank range. | > AMING MONTHLY ww. TOPCOM е 69 = oe ^ || 2005 PREVIEW: 2 “2005 PREVIEW: N - 2005 PREVIEW: "50 CENT: BU LLETPROOF (CONT) dles the here and now: “When he takes a human shield, [the hostage's] health diminishes over time, and they'll also absorh all frontal attacks. From this posi- tion, 50 can pistol-whip ‘em, hold their faces on hot stoves and engine blocks, shove their heads through glass, or hurl "em off of high-rises...we’re trying to keep the pace flowing so it’s not as framed as in The Punisher.” However, like that other vengeful vigilante, 50 leans on hooligans for information. Asking ques- tions first and shooting later saves time but isn’t vital. “If you don’t want to inter- rogate enemies, you don’t have to,” Emerson explains, “but if you want tips on where a high-level foe may be hiding, you can beat it out of his henchmen.” Bulletproof's hard-boiled bang relies less on shock-of-the-new firsts than on subtle refinements to the tried and true. “Counter kills,” coup de graces that send the camera circling around the seriously screwed-up scene—50 jockeying a mob- Ster's shotgun into his teeth, 50 shoving a merc from behind and shooting him as he stumbles away—in cinematic slow-mo, are dead ringers for those in Namco’s STUBBS THE ZOMBIE XB • Aspyr • Fall 2005 ДҮ: Alex Seropian, one of the guys behind тти Dead to Rights. “Our art director, our ani- à mation director, our lead level designer, ЕЗ y and our world artist are all from Namco," ЕЗ says Emerson. Here, the feature isn’t all =. = flash: “Not only do you get an enemy’s weapon, but it also affects his allies’ morale. They see you do this to one of their own, it puts ’em on their heels, changes how they approach you. They’re making decisions based on who 50 kills, what weapon he’s holding, and how much health he has.” Plus, ballsier play produces better rewards. When the usual underbelly scum drops dead, they drop bling, too—chains, wallets, watches, and cash—and the more outlandish your moves, the more loot they leave. The more loot they leave, the more moves, music, and movies Fiddy can collect in his cash-rules-everything borough. Not that Bulletproof, despite its posi- tion in a larger multimedia marketing ploy, is motivated by money alone...at least not for Emerson, who gravely cites fear as the fire in his pants: “I’m con- cerned that 50 will actually kill me if the game isn’t amazing.” He might take out some life insurance, just in case.... EF umm PN оху | ШЕРТЕР Same name, ‘nother game: Bulletproof's handheld A brother, also arriving this fall, offers on-the-go © gangbanging of another sort: “Think [PSP hack-n- slasher] Untold Legends with 50 and his G-Unit х rather than fairies and goblins,” says Executive Producer Andre Emerson. The game's got wireless / play for a posse of four (Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, / and Tony Yayo join fellow G-Unit soldier 50 Cent), / plus a fresh story in which Fiddy is falsely accused 5 of assassinating the host of an NYC hip-hop summit. "It's a game that revels in chaotic action without being a sim- ple run-and-gun affair. Plus, you get to eat people's brains. Gamers, gorehounds, and gourmands have been waiting for this since time immemorial.” —Producer Alex Seropian Microsoft's flagship Halo franchise, chose to do some- і thing different with his new studio, Wideload Games... Stubbs the Zombie. Stubbs, a small-time salesman brutal- ly murdered in the ’30s, rises from his grave in the middle EN of futuristic Punchbowl City. From here, he'll recruit... ? humans into his zombie army by eating their brains, and possess their minds with his detachable hand. A creative reversal of the zombie genre? We're intrigued. 70 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com. > PREVIEW: “2005 PREVIEW: • 2005 PREVIEW: E • 2005 PREVIEW: EGM: Tell me what you thought the first time you saw yourself as a videogame character. її: The first time | saw myself in the videogame, | was really excited about it because it looks so much like me—it blew me away. The graphics they had in the trailer were so much more cutting edge than what I've seen before. | actually called my son to talk d to him about it. EGM: What are some of your favorite. ~ features of the videogame? 1 haven't seen а videogame with as much detail to it before. They've cre- ated something that I’m really proud to be a part of. | feel like it'll be the most exciting game this year—maybe for а few 1 The videogame definitely captures the essence of who | am. | get a chance to use my imagination. This is not the reality of what I actually do in the street—it's just a game, but it has so much detail that it feels real. EGM; Talk about your relationship with Terty Winter. Terry Winter is a great screen- = writer. | was blessed with the opportu nity to work with him on my new film tentatively called Get Rich or Die Trying. He won an Emmy for writing [on] The Sopranos. 1 have a great director, too: Jim Sheridan. The film is being pro- duced by Paramount/MTV. I'll be shoot- ing for 14 days [in] exteriors in New York City, and then [for] two months in Toronto, Canada. Terry was with me fo about two = This is what happens when you ask 50 if he heard the new Ja Rule track. | BEAT DOWN: FISTS OF VENGEANCE и PS2/XB • Capcom • Fall 2005 т Fav i Death By Degrees’ : Just when you were sure old-school brawlers -starlet Nina has were history, Capcom attempts a revival with Beat Down 95 c eskank of the As Raven, former enforcer for a powerful crime family, Year" sewn up. you'll pummel your way through your ex-employer's. empire. The fisticuffs seem pretty standard, but at least и the game's “negotiation system” offers a new twist оп ~ ~ the genre. After beating an opponent senseless, players сап choose to take him out of the picture permanently, sway him to your side, or swipe his cash and move on. “Most brawlers feel either unrealistically slow or overly fast—few really seem to hit the sweet spot, which is just the right balance of game and realism. Our punches feel real.” 50 CENT: THE INTERVIEW The MC speaks out (through an eloquent PR filter) took the behaviors from, so it's-a little more exciting for me. The filmis almost the exact story; it's a collage—it's diffi- cult for you to into two hours of v E Terry was th one to, put the actual theme to the videogame. I'm as excited about is going to enhance the possibilities—people are going to believe there’s no limit to what I can do when they see the game. EGM: Will other members of G-Unit be in the videogame? 5: Actually, Banks and Buck are both in the game. | need to get Yayo and Olivia in there! Actually, I got a phone call today from Banks about going to graphs and shots so they character really looking like е details іп the videogame are so incredible—t think the general pub- lic is going to be blown away by it. EGM: What connection do you see between music and videogames? I think music, particularly hip-hop music, is the closest music to the youth. It changes more rapidly because ‘some kids have low attention spans— one thing’s ‚hot, then the next thing's —Producer Hironobu Takeshita LEC ING MONTHLY « wi TUPcom + 71 • 2005 P preview feature: 2005 update 1 simple thinking. A simple man thinks: “Two good women!" “Menage à trois!" You see what I'm saying? It's simple | thinking to have a great videogame match up with great hip-hop music. It's perfect! We can sit there and enjoy the music while you play the game, and it's а whole new experience. ll you he recording new music eogame? Absolutely. There will be 15 new freestyles that [players] haven't heard before in the videogame to add a little. excitement to it, 1 have so many ideas that I’ve already started working on it. | team. | always love to participate with them on any project. They're perfec- tionists. They understand that I don't want to put anything together that isn't 100 percent the best possible product to release to the general public. What you hear when you hear 50 Cent records is 50 Cent up to Dr, Dre and Eminem standards. nk the game 2005 PREVIEW: 50 CENT: THE INTERVIEW ccont) "What's better than one good woman?" | “2005 PREVIEW: • 2005 PREVIEW: :2 I think the game is going to be huge! It's definitely going to be the biggest game that you'll see in the next two to three years, then someone else will copy everything we've done and say, “This is the answer to Bulletproof.” lo you like the title 50 Cent: roof? Absolutely. It feels like an action film, and that's what it is—everything that you would see in an action film is in the videogame. You get a chance to control it and go through it. That's more entertaining than just watching it hap- pen, because every time you play it, it has a different outcome. I'm as excited about the videogame. as | am about my album, and that’s a big statement for me because music has always been my priority, and I've always been anxious to see how the general public will embrace my music. What's the theme of the game? The videogame itself is Terry ‚Winter, writer of the game's script] using his imagination with the facts that he received when he was with me on the Rock the Mic tour and imagining what things would be like if | was in a different setting. It’s almost like a new screenplay to my life, away from the actual screenplay he wrote for the film. C THEY SAVE “We've got 50 Cent, G-Unit, Eminem, Dr. Dre, action, girls, guns, freesyles, music, and videos. If this doesn't sound good to уош...5””, keep your money then.” THE SUFFERING: TIES THAT BIND Р52/ХВ • Midway + Fall 2005 Ties That Bind hopes to outgross its forerunner (both literally and figuratively) with even more gruesome horror action. This time, ex-con Torque will be roaming the mean streets of Baltimore as opposed to being cooped up inside Abbot State Penitentiary, and the new demonic creatures he'll face per- sonify urban social problems such. as poverty and street riots. The first game’s hyped-up “morality system” didn’t actually affect much, but now, whether you're nasty or nice actually alters both the narrative and Torque's available attacks. T2 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com —Producer Andre Emerson _ Why does 50 have the French flag on his shoes? Traitor! _ Witness: Horrorshow at the Smucker’s jam factory. "It's a uniquely American and action-oriented take on the horror genre: We want to give players control over how they play the game while still featuring really frightening and disturbing horror moments." —Producer Noah Heller CHOOSE YOUR PATH TO VICTORY THROUGH THE RACE AND CRUISE WITH THE HOTTEST REAL LIFE CUSTOMIZE YOUR RIDE AND TAKE IT ONLINE TO LIVING, OPEN CITY STREETS OF ATLANTA, SUV'S, TUNERS, MUSCLE CARS, CHOPPERS, STREET CHALLENGE UP TO 7 OPPONENTS IN A RANGE OF SAN DIEGO, AND DETROIT. BIKES, CONCEPT CARS AND LUXURY RIDES. NEW AND CLASSIC ONLINE MODES. Mild Language Mild Violence y onuine. BROADBAND ONLY © 2005 Rockstar Games, Inc. Rockstar Games, the В, logo, Midnight Club and the Midnight Club logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. DUB® and the Dub Edition" logos are trademarks of Dub Publishing, Inc. PSP is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately). PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Online play requires internet connection, Network Adaptor (ог PlayStation@2) and Memory Card (8MB) (оғ PlayStation) (each sold separately): The Online icon is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live logo and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and/or in other countries and under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertaiment Software Association. All automobile, motorcycle, customization and other parts manufacturers, and other names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game are trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners. All rights reserved. 200 * preview feature: ; 2005 update | 2005 PREVIEW: • 2005 PREVIEW: • 2005 PREVIEW: А 2 7) , а Ж A 5-3 г “ % s F е” ГЕ. $ NE Р ‚ Ғе, 4 M LAS € wi P^ ONIMUSHA 4 ` 5 PS2 • Capcom + Winter 2005 1 ‘ ћ BOR а Onimusha creator Keiji Inafune is Ф a liar, plain and simple, During the devel- Es opment of Onimusha 3, the man behind Ё Capconrs soul-sucking action series pro- pem ское т м — — fessed that the game would be the fran- surfer-dude запита! E chise finale. And although he left the mesa, Eee 3 ж team, the demon-hunting continues. "We're going back to what Onimusha is all about,” says Producer Yoshinori Qno. “But at the same time, we need to evolve [the franchise].” Like the original, No. 4 is set completely in feudal Japan and will You Got sport a much darker, creepier backdrop My Back? than the last game’s—so you can forget When we asked about time traveling to present-day Paris Onimusha 4 for fine wine and cheeses. Here, warlord Producer Yoshinori Hideyoshi Toyotomi assumes Oda Ono about the pos- Nobunaga's role as the resident bad boy, and five different warriors (all with unique $ sat abilities and weapons) take on this new leader of the undead Genma army. | Эм. % sibility of a two- player co-op mode, | = he replied with a slight grin on his face, “You'll learn more about the a Gameplay is going through some changes as well. For starters, you’re no longer hacking and slashing solo, as one game this October, other character will always accompany 4 but that’s a very Onimusha 4’s blond-haired leading man " A ~ = "s smart question; S Hideyasu Yuki into battle. You'll be able to Je Sounds like a give this A.l.-controlled ally specific com- “yes” to us. mands (attack, protect, etc.), team up for terrifyingly bloodtastic attacks, or better yet, take complete control of your fellow demon slayer while the computer assumes the role of Hideyasu. This one will also offer a more open-ended experi- ence than previous installments. “Up until ^ now, the game map was almost like а ІШЕСІЗ straight line where you Кері pushing on "| “іп our attempt to reset and redo the game, we did forward,” says Ono. “This time around, the. want to go back to the basics and create this сгееру, player is able to decide where they want | weird, dark, and gloomy Japanese scene to create * this horror atmosphere.” —Producer Yoshinori Or to go from the very start. You can look р! tr Yoshinori Ono Ser around on the map and see what [items] might be hidden here and there.” Other alterations to the series include an RPG- esque level-up system, the ability to con- trol the camera via the right analog stick, > and "tests of valor"—minigames that reward you with rare weapon upgrades, ** Frankly, we think the series is back on f track: With its traditional Japanese set- ting, gripping gameplay, and a total lack of French time-travellers, Onimusha 4 should lure lost fans back to the fold. “We're pushing the boundaries of what gamers expect. P Trane isn't packing a 9 mm—he's using his street - smarts, his athletic prowess, and his artistic abilities to d bring about a revolution.” —Lead Designer John Manley МАКС ECKO'S GETTING UP: _ CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE: PS2 • Atari е September 2005 5 E. In Getting Up, players take on the role of Trane, a p | bie graffiti artist trying to make his mark in a city where: tree- 7! dom of expression is just a myth. The game seems to be the love child of Grand Theft Auto and Jet Grind Radio (DC), as. Trane runs, jumps, and fights his way through 20 levels and 17 N distinct environments, tagging everything in sight in his efforts ||| 4 to fight the power. We hope that the combat, exploration, ani E evasion excel, because JGR without skates sounds a bit dull. 74» ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com 5 PREVIEW: Sue PS2/XB/GC • EA Games • Fall 2005 \Y: Unlike Austin Powers, James Bond was never one for time travel. Then | again, never say never. With Pierce Brosnan stepping down from the film role, the developers at EA looked into Bond’s past for its digital leading man—Sir Sean Connery, the original Bond. 2 This third-person action game will | fans and has all the elements to make a great videogame. include plenty of signature moments from Ў You'll definitely feel like you are playing the original and the 1963 film: a remarkable sniper scene, > wah classic Sean Connery Bond.” —Executive Producer Glen Schofield а high-speed boat chase, and the movie's | ; 7 famous hand-to-hand duel in a cramped = train compartment onboard the Orient | NEL Express. "The overall fighting and shoot- | > , guest star: ‘ing styles are really tailored to Sean ~ жә 2 а Connery's Bond,” says Producer Glen Schofield. “We've studied Connery as Bond extensively and found his style to be more physical, so we've added that style of gameplay to the game.” That gameplay — "және better he thrilling—to younger gamers, Connery is more codger than hero. “Тһе movie is one of the most popular Bond films among KILLER 7 PS2/GC • Capcom • June 2005 WE SAY: It’s seven assassins named Smith > Bete versus an army of specters, but none of it \ : Just as int is quite real...the seven killers are all splin- £ » Resident Evil 4, м | tered alter egos that а wheelchair-bound 4 combat’s all И protagonist projects into the world while . kl А waiting їп а room somewhere safe. A 1 E Capcom’s postmodern action- adventure—all “blood, swearing, and crazi- ness," says Producer Hiroyuki Koba- yashi—looks positively trippy, yet sports weird, almost too-basic gameplay. Your HEY SAY killers walk the straight and narrow, travel-Ml "I image that Killer 7 will be somewhat intimidating for ‘ing preset paths until hitting a fork at players at first: You can't really comprehend what is up $ 4 E from down in the game, but that 'unknown' aspect of the be es en or right. game is part of its charm.” —Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi "P X SR 3 This red warrior GAUNTLET: 2 needs fashion EEE 5 m % “When's the last time you saw а bad guy in golden full- plate armor with a big sun-skull icon on the belt and a (0) 5 advice...badly. SEVEN SORROW: big lizard helmet? Oh, never? Bam! Hell yeah, let's hear PS2/XB + Midway + Fall 2005 it for the Incas, wooo!” —Lead Designer Josh Sawyer fresh ity (you fight the Incan empire) and reworked action-RPGs gameplay. You’re not just hunting for keys anymore—deep character development, plentiful weaponry, and magic combos bring the dusty series u т The Valkyrie ‘summons a swarm to date. You can also expect four-player online acti have to wonder, though, if the world truly needs a repetitive Champions of Norrath-style hack-n-; PS2/XB/GC • EA Games • June 2005 | “Batman is like Santa Claus or Abe Lincoln,” says JT Petty, the writer behind the Batman Begins game. “He’s become an American myth. | \ don’t think disliking Batman is even an option.” However, there can be good Batman games and bad =) * Batman games. And people certainly don’t like the — 4 numerous bad ones. Here, EA’s certainly hoping to 1 craft something worthwhile with the caped crusader. ^ Of course you'll have the Batmobile (with its own =, separate levels) and the utility belt, but expect more + V e sr Stealth than brawling. In fact, fear will be Batman’s а Ж greatest weapon. By stalking enemies from the hs; shadows and causing some "unexplained" environ- а. * mental phenomena, Batman can shake enemies ир so much that they can hardly aim straight. If you play your bat-cards right, you can even turn ene- mies against each other. At that point, roughing them up with Bruce Wayne's brutal martial arts should be cake. Splinter Cell vets will feel right at home here, and for good reason—some key Begins team members worked on Ubi's stealth hit. We're still not sure how well Sam Fisher's genre will work for Bats: slow- paced spying, simple combat (assuming you freak your foes out first), and a total lack of bosses will shock fans looking for a Bat-brawl. А Іп Batman Begins ме аге challenging the player to become the hunter. This game is completely based around the соп- сері of using fear as a weapoı —Producer Reid Schneider | CASTLEVANIA: - CURSE OF DARKNESS PS2 • Konami • Fall 2005 WE SAY: Castlevania fans will finally get their 3D successor to revered PS1 hit Symphony of the Night. With tons of unique weapons, a complex world to explore, and nonlinear gameplay, Darkness will feel quite different than the straight-up action of 2003’s Lament of Innocence. т"! А reworked combo system (vaguely Ж» reminiscent of Dynasty Warriors) and new чар, > 2 me In previous Castlevania games, it's always been "innocent devil" summons—monsters that Be Ж Л TER Е опе character battling to ће end—here, you must ou tell to fight, protect, or assist you— 7». М ч x % fight alongside the innocent devils іп order to get y ght, p * BIS t yo Ж through the game.” —Producer Koji Igarashi further deepen the gameplay. И 7% 2 ж ы” Ve “Set over a period of 12 hours, the game takes you through the stories of six different people during a ter- 2 0 rorist assault. This really draws the player into realistic, Y: Terrorists have taken over a chemical research ‚| emotionally charged situations." — —Director Adrian Smith plant, and the fate of millions now lies in the hands of six people trapped inside. Taking place over the course of a 12-hour period, Without Warning has players switching between six different characters who experience the battle across the same timeline but from their own distinct view- О points. Тһе game's got a neat hook: Every action per- S formed as one character affects the progress of the others, | ina clever bit of Pulp Fiction-meets-24 head-trip editing. ш The fashion 2 police euthanize an Ы $ =. acid-wash victim. t 76 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com *PURCHASE РФФШ 3 FOR XBOX AND RECEIVE A 519 ЕВ GAMES MAIL-IN GIFT VOUCHER "Mails completed form along with your original sales receipt to: NAME: ЕВ Games Rebate Center, 770 Pilot Road, Sul F, Las Vegas, NV 88119 = Savings wil be sent in the form ol an EB Games gilt voucher. No cash wil be Issued. Gift voucher cannot be redeemed for cash, except where prohibited by law. Gift vouchers are good foward future purchases at eny EB Games, Electronics Boutique or EBX in the U.S. or Puerto Rico. All incomplete forms will be discarded. EB Games. is not responsible for lost andor stolen maitin andor gift vouchers. Limit one рег customer. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion. Not valid on previous лр оа ~ ==: 3 purchases. Not valid on pre-played games, While supplies fast. Selection may vary. by store. No substitutions can be made. No rain checks willbe issued. Some exclusions ‘ADDRESS: тау ару. See Sales Associate for complete details. Typographical errors are mol мА feresponsiil f EB Games, Doom 58 (sku 2522422. fer vald now through Р н 7 531/2005, Must be postmarked by 6140005 Allow 4-6 week for delay. Enter your email address to receive voucher status updates, news and special offers. ўар асының (c) 2005 Id Software, Inc. All rights reserved. DOOM and ID are registered trademarks of Id Software, Inc. CALL 1-800-800-5166 FOR THE STORE NEAREST YOU OR VISIT US AT www.EBgames.com "GAMES У electronics boutique’ We take games seriously ™ теш) Due, 5 update |: 2005 REVIEW : арз PREVIEW: | + 2005 PREVIEW: @ THE INCREDIBLE HULK ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION: a _ PS2/XB/GC • VU Games • Fall 2005 | 49 prey => 800 Er Picture the Hulk, Marvel’s freakishly strong, solid green mass of muscle, in a sandbox. Not a kiddie sandbox with playtime buckets and shovels—the guy needs a little more room. More like a few square miles of badlands and urban landscapes to run and leap across. Radical Entertainment created these open “sandbox” environments for The Incredible Hulk: | " Ultimate Destruction so you, as the Hulk, could do | your own thing. So what's possible in these huge | ` areas? “Hulk smash!” immediately comes to mind, » but how will Hulk smash? The development team claims to have a hulking 150 moves, many of E dd у which turn your environment into weapons. You Ж ^ Why steal a car can, for instance, commit grand Hulk auto by 4 when you сап play slamming your fists into a car and snapping itin | “а N catch with it? _half—instant steel boxing gloves! Sure, sticking a character іп a Grand Theft Aut style adventure is hardly original, but bustin’ stuff up as the Hulk is a fantastic stress reliever. Plus, amidst the destruction—and a familiar mission- based structure—you weave the Hulk through an | THEY SAY: original story. Paul Jenkins, a guy good enough at "Destroy anything—that is our core concept. || hien з (ај ар dul лме dio ah ш ic m TEN ишле imagine it would be" —Producer P Ceraldi en When did Hulk start fighting MechAssaulfwohots? < ар ЛАҚ 2, - PS2/XB/GC • Sega е September 2005 PC vets know all about Rome: 4 _ Total War, а robust strategy title that 5 t А 2 ay И à Ши. 34 ЖЕ players tactical control over the vast. | AP E > = » у en AS Ж Roman empire. Spartan: Total Warrior | 1 ms ша > brings the series to consoles, but refocuses ;' Г Қ : - y X пе chaos to a more personal scale—you +. К a А ‚control one lone warrior fighting alongside а рез = \ > his countrymen against legions of enemy 9». E Ч = Є: ‘soldiers and mythical creatures. It's а bit => wig JA «Өс ý h = like Dynasty Warriors, Roman edition. у y 16. t 4 А AES. ? Y ж It's a pure-action affair: You'll pummel к 2 ' undead armies, blow up siege engines, and “The sheer scale of the epic battles in which the play- even face off against a massive Hydra. So 2 ег сап take а pivotal role is amazing: You'll see thou- far, we're impressed, but. how on Earth сап 7 2 sands of detailed A.I. combatants fighting it out, with i Р over 150 onscreen at any time.” —Producer lan Roxburgh it compete with God of War? ddl Ts т STARGATE 56-1: THE ALLIANCE Т i - Wacóper (hos in | “First, we're making a good game irrespective of М i PS2/XB + TBA • Fall 2005 the license. Second, we're staying true to spirit of ЈАН Бе со б ) | 1 | the show. Having 60-some Stargate freaks work- р Alongside a squad of soldier-explorers (broughtto — '' у ing on the game helps, too.” —Producer Radek Majder hold objects, but life by the hit Sci-Fi Channel show's actors and self-suffi- ] T EHI TUR IUS IMS e cient A.l.), you'll trade bullets with the Haaken, “überbad- dies the Ancients bottled up thousands of years ago—it's a story line that fans of the show will love," admits Producer Radek Majder. We're not quite convinced that non-fans will bother investigating this licensed shooter, but perhaps the four-player co-op action (each character class has unique weapons and abilities) will lure them over. 78 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com an Play! Rent These Hot New Games With Game Pass PlayStation. , ARERS1 PlayStation.2 STAR. WARS EPISODE III, 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. (plus tax) ae first month THE E $19.99 per month after that. NEW . pLOCKEU Offer good through 5/23/05. For a limited time, the one (1) out at a time BLOCKBUSTER Game Pass ("Game Pass’) is $14.99 plus tax for the first month for new Game Pass members. Requires payment of applicable monthly membership fee. Automatic renewal after the first month at $19.99 unless canceled. Check or credit card required. Game Pass rentals must be retumed on or before the expiration of the Pass membership term or charges applicable to non-Game Pass rentals will begin accruing. Game Pass only valid at the participating BLOCKBUSTER store location where purchased, Offer available al participating stores only. See store for complete terms and conditions. Membership rules apply to rentals at BLOCKBUSTER. Check cards may not be accepted in all stores. Ratings provided by Entertainment Sortware Rating Board. For more information visit www. esrb.org. BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Inc. © 2005 Blockbuster Inc. All rights reserved. [el Content suitable for persons age 6 and older. [@] Content suitable for persons age 10 and older. [| | Content suitable for persons age 13 and older. [ва] Content suitable for persons age 17 and older. 2005 PREVIEW: Р52/ХВ • EA Games + Fall 2005 | ‚Burnout 3wooed racing fanatics | and casual reckless drivers alike with its | blinding sense of speed and mesmerizing crashes, but polishing that gem took а few years of development. Is this speedy | à sequel more of an update than an over- | haul? According to Executive Producer: N Matt Webster, Burnout Revenge won't fall = victim to the quick-sequel trap: "People | ғ e : 5 ч | | аге expecting an incremental upgrade, т * pe З а ф but we're not in the business of change 5 | for change’s sake.” | | . On the surface, Revenge aims fora a іі more realistic look than its predecessors. Back-alley grit and.grime under overcast RER ‘Skies help lend credibility to the series’ Раша Abdul's first real-world locations. But under the ! hood, the developer hopes to ratchetup | {һе aggression with more paint trading, more explosions, and more takedowns. Expect changes to the traditional Burnout course design formula. Claustrophobic, traffic-choked obstacle courses replace the wide-open race daring commute to the American Idol taping. THEY SAY: 2 : “Its all about high-speed driving, hitting traf- tracks of previous games. This might fic, causing carnage, and giving the player an bring on bad memories of Burnout 3 N experience similar to the car chase sequence in races lost to busy intersection traffic, but Bad Boys II" — Executive Producer Matt Webster this time around (though the details haven't been finalized) you'll be able to hit bystander cars without crashing. In fact, you'll take down noncompeting cars Z Revenge’s real-life ‚and use them as weapons against your locales offer a far grittier foes, When you do crash, though, you'll auto-carnage backdrop. be able to control your burning wreckage (as seen previously in crash mode), using it to exact revenge on your opponents. Besides narrowing the tracks and adding more obstacles in your path, Burnout 4 emphasizes more vertical elements. Ramps and overpasses allow astute drivers to soar over the competi- tion or land directly on them for death- from-above takedowns. No matter how radical the makeover, Burnout 3 will.certainly be a tough act to follow. “Тһе greatest challenge will.be in beating the success that we had with Burnout 3,” ау Webster. "That's our benchmark. That's our goal. We have to beat it.” We don't doubt that һе can...but — we also have to wonder if he'll be able to _ do it on such short notice. уз ee > = i \ LA.RUSH 88 Р52/ХВ + Midway + Fall 2005 “We have the cool shortcuts, huge jumps, the over-the-top cars, the forgiving physics, and the race course exploration that made the Rush games so popular in the arcades and on previous consoles ^ —Midway Sen. Vice President Steve Allison This new Rush drives into SoCal offering a much more open-ended experience than the arcade Rushi classics. It takes а page from mission-based games such as Driver, task- ing you with recovering stolen cars or taking out a rival's con- . That's one way struction site; And you should look damn good doing it. "We're to break into the best-looking open-city vehicle game to date," boasts | show business. Midway Senior Vice President Steve Allison. “We’ve also got an incredible slow-motion crash cam that gives Burnout a real run for its money.” OK...look up. Draw your own conclusion. 80» ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com CLANSERVERS,COM GAMES WE SUPPORT: 10% OFF ANY ORDER! N | PS2/XB/GC • Activision • Fall 2005 Fresh off its victory in the '04 - military shooter marketplace, Call of Duty 7% regroups for a second strike against EA’s 1 аке мерата „ патоп gum nor а mysterious red soda, but rather an allusion to the game's new focus: It's the nickname given to the 1st Infantry Division, the oldest continuously serving division in the U.S. Army and the most decorated unit of World War II. According to Thaine Lyman, executive producer at Activision, "The 1st Infantry. Division went just about everywhere and 7 did just about everything. This allows us | to really tell the story of this one squad." Previous Duty games have always ous countries. In Big Red One, gamers «d play as one member in the 1st Infantry Division, experiencing the horrors and tri- umphs of WWII through his eyes from beginning to end. Over the course of the ~ game, players will experience a variety of crucial battles. The Fighting First will face _ off against Vichy forces and German Afrika Korps in North Africa during “Operation Torch,” push on into Sicily as part of “Operation Husky,” and battle their way ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day. Big Red One won't skimp on the epic, over-the-top scripted battle scenes fans 7 expect, yet the developers still hope to ` shape a more open-ended, unpredictable war experience that relies on scripting only for dramatic flair. First off, the АЈ, for 7 both enemies and friendlies has been = _ completely overhauled (adapted from the excellent Call of Duty: United Offensive for ^ PC), allowing for speedier, less predictable actions in the heat of combat. Also, you'll find that vehicles are now integral to mis- Sions—you'll be hopping in and out of all - sorts of jeeps, tanks, and half-tracks іп order to complete objectives. Activision is ~ also putting a lot of extra work into Big 2 z Red: One's multiplayer capabilities, with DELTA FORCE: BLACK HAWK DOWN Р52/ХВ • NovaLogic Summer 2005 WE SAY: Sick of all the WWII and Vietnam shooters? Us too. Try this: Delta Force delivers team-based raids against Somali warlords in and around Mogadishu in 1993, Forget single-player, it's all about online play: On the PS2, the game supports up to 32 players, while Xbox players will be able to fight with or against a whopping 50 players over Xbox Live. С ОВОИ 2005 PREVIEW: 5 TOOTING - 2005 PREVIEW: SHC 001 ING - 2005 Buhl SH How Real Can It Get? Activision has pulled out all the stops to make Call of Duty: Big Red One as realistic an experience as possible, Individual motion capture actors were used for characters, giving each one not only a unique voice, but unique body language as well. And listen closely to the gunfire: As in most hyper-realistic shooters, actual weapon recordings bring a sense of authenticity to the game. Activision even sent the develop- ers out to the desert to get plenty of hands- on time with real WWII weapons. “Big Red One gives gamers is the most exciting, most com- prehensive, most immersive Call of Duty experience with a great, new twist of getting to play in one of the most historic and legendary divisions ever" —Creative Director Christian Busic “We're bringing the console first-person shooting genre kicking and screaming into areas only PCs have been able to go to so far, and a lot of gamers are going to be shocked with how much fun itis.” —NovaLogic spokesman Marcus Beer “2005 PREVIEW: MEDAL OF HONOR: uns PEAN ASSAULT PS2/XB/GC • EA Games • June 2005 Don't call it bullet time. The supersoldiering you'll perform in WWII shooter Medal of Honor: European Assault is based on bona fide accounts from actu- al vets. Or so says Executive Producer Dan: Winters: “Our military advisor, retired USMC Capt. Dale Dye, told us of a time in Vietnam when he and his squad ran across a machine gun nest. They took cover and returned fire. Suddenly, he saw his point person go down, and went into what he calls ‘gut check’—a zone where all he could focus on was getting to the point person and bringing him back to safety. He ran about 10 yards through fly- ing bullets, picked up the man—who weighed more than Dale himself—and carried him back to cover where he could be treated. The odds were totally against him, but he didn't think twice.” Assault's all-adrenaline rally mode simulates that do-or-die determination. Skillful shooting and fearless behavior fill a meter, similar to building courage and confidence. Once it maxes out, you're a one-man army— 1 invincible, with unlimited ammo and unre- • 2005 PREVIEW: “2005 PREVIEW: THEY SAY: • 2005 PREVIEW % lenting accuracy. “Essentially, we wanted to capture the moment when a soldier calls up something phenomenal within. himself and suddenly is capable of doing the seemingly impossible.” Hero William Holt and his squad will need all the firepower they can muster as they fight on fronts from France to Soviet Stalingrad, often facing over 50 onscreen foes at a time. Sometimes, however, the ^ best strategy might be to stay well away and take an altogether different path to \ glory. European Assault is “less of a linear roller-coaster ride,” Winters explains. “It’s an entire theme park to explore.” While European Assault’s gameplay is certainly inventive, we're concerned about the game's drab, lackluster visuals. If EA wants to compete with Activision's simi- Ф larly ambitious new Call of Duty (look left), it had better craft some more impressive looking graphics. N 5 STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II PS2/XB » LucasArts + Fall 2005 This follow-up to last fall’s multiplayer shoot- ing hit takes the combat in a new direction—skyward. You'll fly over 30 craft in massive interstellar battles, including the classic Rebel fleet-versus-Death Star fight. It’s not all retro thrills, though: A third of the ships (including the new V-wing) hail from Revenge of the Sith, Battlefront’s force is still strongest online, with up to 16 players communicating tactics via headset (and crying when their Star Destroyer goes belly-up). | "If you think about it, most of the games we have seen in the 7% x WWil shooter genre are very linear, basically on rails— * x Е including previous МОН titles. Medal of Honor: European e. У Assault changes that.” —Executive Producer Dan Winters 5 % Who's That Girl? Bringing the series back to the European theater allows for the return of one of the franchise’s best- | loved characters: Medal of Honor: Underground's (PS1) spunky female heroine, Manon. This sexy French freedom fighter joins William Holt as an invaluable squadmate through several of the game’s missions, | Nothing’s hotter than chicks mow: down Nazis with machine guns. ith Star Wars Battlefront Il, we're giving the player the opportunity to take the battle into space—it's a big addition [| to this sequel. You'll be able to fight amongst the stars and dogfight other starfighters.” —Producer Dan Pettit Remember, Li = when Star ы Wars movies меге good? | | SOUL АД. LT PS2 + Namco • Fall 2005 | | Fighting-game faithfuls who still can’t stomach Namco's decision to T make Soul Calibur Il} a PlayStation 2 exclusive will have to come to terms with this bracing reality: Sony specifi- | cally í engineered the deal (Sony's even Y "publishing the game itself in Europe), so | chances of an Xbox or GameCube. release are nonexistent. And even | though Nintendo’s beloved elf Link | won't be prancing around the arena, Calibur Ill should still be one hell of a : fighting game. Three new warriors join the fray: Setsuka, a demure geisha wielding a © parasol; Tira, а wild lass with а razor- · sharp hula hoop; and Zasalamel, a mys- terious knight equipped with a deadly scythe. In addition, all the previous Calibur contestants return (even Hwang and Rock), several sporting new looks and moves—prissy fencer Raphael is now an undead vampire, while Nightmare has been reduced to merely. “ап animated suit of armor. This series has always offered a meaty single-player experience, but this — update aims even deeper with several new options. Scope the new character creation mode, where you choose the gender, occupation, look, weapon, and fighting style of your own homegrown | pugilist. You can also choose to follow ‚the unique story line of each preset character through tales of the soul mode, а expanded take on the classic Soul Calibur weapon master experience. Here, you'll journey across the land, col- lecting new weapons, outfits, and hid- | den bonuses by overcoming various duels and challenges. There's even a bizarre (and probably lame) new mode called chronicles of the sword that casts you as a manager of sorts, coach- . - а Хы ing your customized character through " qt m \ a series of A.l.-controlled bouts. 2 " Still, we expect the true draw here to. | be the good old-fashioned versus mode, and a bevy of new moves and stages © (some of which feature breakable floors ” _ and multiple tiers) should satisfy fans awaiting their next Calibur fix. “It’s definitely nothing like any other fighting game you've seen. The dramatic battles between new and classic сһагас- ters feel as if you're watching the story of Soul Calibur 4 unfold right before your eyes.” —Producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama | | “ E me + PLAYING - 2005 PREVIEW: R En “Unlike previous tactical RPGs, Makai Kingdom will fea- ture inclusions of vehicles, facilities, randomly generated |” extra maps, and a kingdom creation system that will add {pe пем strategic dimensions.” —Director Yoshitsuna Kobayashi MAKAI KINGDOM PS2 • NIS America • July 2005 WE SAY: Similar in tone to NIS’ cult-hit tactical RPG Disgaea, though not directly related, Kingdom puts уои” in control of Lord Zetta, the king of the netherworld who's accidentally destroyed his kingdom and seeks to reestablish it on another planet. This time around, all the battle maps will be randomly generated, and your forces can pilot vehicles. Our most requested feature: A hellishly funny script like that of Disgaea. 84 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com 2005 PREVIEW: FIGH u A " giir `e ime ; Ayoub explains. ІРІ! definitely be a tough sell, but who knows, perhaps in time we ; even...love him? у objects—will aid уоџ тоге here than {А (Polterguy? James Pond? Uh, John = Marvel to design an all-new roster of “2005 PREVIEW: | " MARVEL NEMESIS: RISE s OF THE IMPERFECTS) ы. PS2/XB/GC/PSP • EA Games • Fall 2005 Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom series proved that the classic comic- book crossover concept works just as well in game form: Having X-Men’s Storm catfight with Resident Evil 2's Jill Valentine settled plenty of long-standing fanboy arguments: (If only they'd make a Star Wars' Star Destroyer versus Star Trek's Starship Enterprise sim, we could Funny Pages Your first hands-on finally end that decades-old war.) But experience with those 2D fireball fests aren't exactly {his ener p modern anymore: Perhaps it's a good ect wil come m time for EA to collide worlds in a modern May, мые ч 30 fighting contest—Marvel Nemesis. ИМ Don’t expect Virtua Fighter meets The эра pilo Fantastic Four, however, Developer. i ne book, s Nihilistic is likely taking the ADD-friendly like Spidey, the. approach to combat exemplified by Thing, on Man games like:Power Stone and Super. face off against the Smash Bros. Melee. "A big part of what original EA charac- makes the game so exciting is the unique ters, one of whom superhero abilities and how they just пр “I think that. sists games have been waiting for the same will be revealed apart their environments in battle,” says transformation from the ordinary to the spectacular. We each month, worked hard to deliver a true superhero fighting experience, юше Dam АШ ТОЗО ООС ОЕ: | ake the chatacters Teal right” —Producer Dan Ayoub even better, tossing opponents through memorizing strings of complex combos. Spidey 2 Also, don't expect a Capcom-esque smacks down = 4 Ohm, the first stable of well-loved franchise characters taking on-Marvel’s finest. Rather than unearth some moldy EA-created faces original charac- ter revealed for Rise of the Imperfects. Madden?), the developers teamed with а heroes. Obviously, these newcomers lack the same attachment and nostalgia fac- tor as, say, Peter Parker or Wolverine, but at least you can get to know them in a new comic series before the game ships {see sidebar). “People don’t realize how difficult it can be to bring a character to life; and we didn't have just one, but a whole family we wanted to create,” pa S EN] АА а >”. will accept Electrical Socket Man (real пате: Ohm) into our lives. And maybe 3" 2005 PREVIEW: КО! DRAGON QUEST Vill PS2 • Square Enix • Fall 2005 “We are finally able to announce the North American version of Dragon Quest УП! There's still time before the release, but please do look forward to this game. The world of Dragon Quest awaits you.” ‘Scenario and Game Designer Yuji Horii a WE SAY: This legendary Japanese role-playing series, not seen on these shores since part И/ (PS1) four years ago, returns to America in high style with this epic eighth installment. With whimsical, anime-inspired visuals (con® tributed by Dark Cloud developer Level 5), character designs by Dragon Ball 2 creator Akira Toriyama, and a sweeping orchestral soundtrack, Dragon Quest should | (| finally be snazzy enough to appeal toimage-conscious | | U.S. RPG fans weaned on Final Fantasy Vil. Based on what we played of the import, we're officially stoked. cover story: | м ee zelda Я Қара Ба 24 4 psy = i " | a ГЕ т iia f 4 ES S а hl 4 U, Есі 1 i ЕЗ | . Ж j з É : mh, к 1 | || шш) Ш [5 ; | ДИ, ; li F 2 Di м 4 } Ж | 5 | Бе | 1 Rm LE Із ] | Es „86 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY EH | TE тар E езі БО a. 2 И ЕР d ay 4 ses f TO EVERYBODY. By Mark MacDonald Not quite everything you wanted to know about the new Legend of Zelda (but we weren't afraid to ask) iji Aonuma is an expert at keeping secrets. And he’s very sorry about that. First the Nintendo pro- ducer kept his lips zipped about the look of his upcoming GameCube project. After insisting to EGM only months earlier that the next Zelda would retain the same fluid, cartoony look as 20025 The Wind Waker, he suddenly revealed the game last summer in all its radically revamped, shockingly realistic glory. “Oh, I’m very sorry about that,” he said with a chuckle when we called him out on it after- wards. We told him we could think of one way he could make it up to us. And a year later, he has. For the first time in our 16-year history, EGM was invit- ed to Nintendo's world headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, for an exclusive peek at the new Zelda and an extended chat with Aonuma. Finally, we thought, he's ready to come clean, to spill the beans, to answer the long list of questions that still remain about his mysterious new game before its release this fall. We could almost hear the trademark chimes that sound whenever a secret is finally revealed in Zelda, “dee- doo-doo-do—l'm very sorry.” Wait. That's not how it's supposed to go. “I'm sorry, but that’s confidential.” All right, so the game's basic theme must remain a secret. How about the proper title? “Sorry, but I can’t elaborate on that.” That wolf in the video trailer and on our cover? "| apologize.” The goron boxing? “Hmm...sorry.” In retrospect, it's not much of a surprise. Zelda as a franchise and Nintendo as a company are both famous for, and to some degree because of, their well-hidden secrets. In fact, the Nintendo spokesman in charge of handling the Japanese gaming press stopped in midway through our visit, and it wasn't a social call; he wanted to learn anything he could through our inter- view. Even he knows almost nothing about the game, and it’s his job to know. So although the larger questions must remain unanswered for now, for a game we know so little about, the various bits of info we were able to worm out of Mr. Aonuma represent a veritable treasure trove to Zelda fans: plot details, a possible two-player mode, new character sketches and screenshots, a fishing minigame, and, most importantly, our own hands-on impressions. Aonuma still has his secrets, but from what we've seen of the next Zelda, he has nothing to be sorry about. > reve Zelda w everyone who Eiji Aonuma: Actually, as soon as | arrived at my hotel in L.A., Nintendo people were congratulating me, saying “Nice job!” and patting me on the back. | was like, “What? What did 1 do?” Then | learned that the Zelda video [had already been shown] with- out my knowledge. So | found [Zelda cre- ator and Nintendo honcho Shigeru] Miyamoto and asked him, “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you schedule it so | could be there?” He just said, “Oh, sorry, | forgot.” Just like that. [Laughs] Later on | saw a video of the unveiling, though—saw people standing, clapping their hands, even crying. | was very impressed. EGM: Why do you think such a stron е EA: Well, [it might not be the answer you're looking for], but actually, that kind of reac- tion was partially expected. | worked on editing that trailer myself, and | specifically wanted people not to realize it was a Zelda game at the very beginning. What we showed was simply a horse, gradually building to the close-up, and then people finally realize it’s Link, it’s a Zelda game. If people didn’t get excited then, | was in trouble. [Laughs] | knew that there was demand for a photo-realistic Zelda—that we couldn’t deny. festival, but this year, the chief orders this young man [Link] to go instead. On the way to the festival, Link is going to encounter some kind of acci- dent, which eventually leads him to the main adventure. EA: We really don’t know about what we're going to do with the title at this point. [It could work the other way around] —maybe there will be some kind of mystery about the title, and somewhere in the course of the gameplay, you'll realize its meaning. “| knew that t that we could was demand for a phot )-realistic Zelda: zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma EGM: On to the game it you tell us about t Ze EA: At the very beginning, Link is this cowboy living in [a small rural community called] Toaru Village—not in [the usual Zelda kingdom of] Hyrule. Hyrule does exist, but it’s a long way away. Actually, they raise cows in Toaru to sell to the kingdom of Hyrule. The two places have a friendly relationship with one another. There are several other villages, and every year the kingdom of Hyrule gathers them all together for a kind of festival where all the villages can communicate with each other. Each year, the chief of the village is supposed to attend the ne la? Up y chan first glimps will look lil amount of de Triforce on her equipped for join the fight at some point? чес S c Sb 88 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com il, right down rring. She looks > will © Cosplay fans, take notes. EGM: Will thi. the prince EA: Yes, the story will involve Zelda, and the story will involve Ganon, but of course the plot won’t be identical to [those in] past Legend of Zeldas. bout rescuing EGM: Where does this Zelda fall in the overall timeline? EA: | can’t really go into that, partially because І want to keep it a secret, but also because we haven’t decided yet. There are some kinds of...unstable, uncertain ideas we're working on. Depending on what course we choose in terms of development, the final ending ‚ may change. ЕСМ: Is it major know about, like the Wai that will just before the g il don’t ailboat in Wind until EA: You're right. [Laughs] i, the com- п Wind п still smash с. Do you s planne EA: [Remember how] in Wind Waker, if the enemy comes within a certain range of Link and you press the A button [at the right (interview continued on pg.90) W Secretive asian man: After working on dungeons in the Nintendo 64’s Ocarina of Time, Eiji Aonuma took over as director on Majora's Mask and GameCube's Wind Waker. P Parts of Toaru Village had к small gardens of pumpkin- like plants, some filled with rupees or hearts. HANDS-ON REPORT PART ONE: TOARU VILLAGE Ah, the tranquil hamlet that kicks off nearly every Zelda game, The one thing that stands out about Toaru Village (Japanese for *unspecified"— the English name is to be determined) is, like everything in this new Zelda, the sense of realism. And we aren’t just talking about the graphics: townspeople go about their business, cats and chickens wander here and there (one attacking the other if they get too close), birds scatter out of the tall grass as Link approaches. The sense of scale is impressive; maybe it’s just a reaction to Wind Waker’s squat characters, but everything seemed taller, bigger, more spread out. As in the last game, Link starts without a weapon or his trademark green outfit. “If someone happened to see this scene without knowing what game it is,” says Aonuma, “they prob- ably wouldn’t even guess it was Link in The Legend of Zelda.” Upon closer inspection, however, one detail is a dead giveaway: On the back of Link’s left hand are three dark triangles— Zelda's Triforce symbol. | Stick It to Ет | Eventually Link gets a wooden sword and learns com- | bat in a familiar scarecrow-bashing tutorial. As before, | | the L trigger locks on targets and B performs different | | attacks, depending on the direction of the analog | Stick. But if you don't lock on you can now swipe your | sword as you move around, without stopping (handy | for clearing tall grass, no doubt), and Link has a spe- | cial new coup de grace: Press A for a jumping down- | ward thrust to finish off enemies you've knocked over. | At Home on the Range | Another early minigame teaches the player how to. | ride horseback. As in previous games, you can simply | push in the direction you want to go fora slow trotor | | hitA to apply the whip for a burst of speed. You can | also see where “Cowboy Link” (Aonuma's name for | our hero before he earns his green duds) gets his | name—the goal here is to round up and force all of | out. It’s a little tougher than you might think. | the grazing animals into the barn before time runs | Flying the Coop | Good news: Chicken-gliding is back! Just grab one of | your fine-feathered friends, find a tall building or cliff, and jump off—Link floats slowly down, which enables | | him to reach areas he couldn't otherwise. This tech- | nique came in handy during our demo: A pregnant woman asked Link to retrieve a baby basket on the other side of an otherwise unscalable fence. After get- ting it, he s/owly (move too fast and you'll be scolded) | escorts her back to her home with it. What a guy! ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 89 Reminds you of _| Lord of the what? Never heard of it. Horseback Attack | Horseb k é (continued from p. 88) time], sometimes Link will do a special attack? We think that worked very well, so we're thinking about intensifying that aspect with this game. We've already added some things, like a jumping down- ward stab. We’re going to incorporate more е of the larger environments. The ene we played proved his a full-speed boss fight; Link chased down this big-horned baddie Steeple Chase As in the earlier cattle-driving minigame, you can make Link’s steed trot in any in also whip his horse with utton for a boost (an action again limited to six times, witha correspor 16 „EA: About the setting, in Wind Waker it was the ocean. | really cannot tell you what kind ‘of setting we're going to adapt for this new Ida, but | can say we are really trying to ‘expand the sense of scale. Before, whenev- er we made 3D games, we shied away from using too many big objects. If they ople are going is pretty differen to see that this game t from Wind Waker.” of those cool-looking performances [and a few other changes]. People are going to see that this game is pretty different from Wind Waker. EGM: Besides combat and the graphics, how else will this game will be different from Wind Waker? aren't necessary for specific gameplay ideas, they become a kind of obstacle. But in this game, we are trying to be more real- istic. [In] this horse-riding battle, you сап see it [takes place on] a huge land, even if [it's mostly empty landscape]. That's why we need the horse from the very beginning of the game. We want people to feel that 90 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com this is a huge land they’re playing in, and without a horse, it’s impossible for you to explore. Also, sometimes уоште going to see something that’s just vast, even though it’s not [involved іп gameplay]—something huge or something very tall. We want to realize [that sense of awe] by presenting things realistically. t so many questions r Wind Waker and da—do you get ti EA: No. After all, І have a designer's back- ground myself, so | know how important the visuals are. A change in graphics can give a perfectly different impression to game users—I know all about this. But I should say it’s not very easy for me to explain why [we] use this visual style here, why [we use] that graphic style in other games. I’m kind of forced to make some person and aim manual arrows with X (or th reasonable, rational background explana- tion in order to persuade people to under- stand why this is better than the others. It’s not very easy. In my mind it’s the emotions you get from one visual that are different from another [style]. Whenever we work on а game, we have [lots of] internal discus- sions about what kind of graphical style we need to adapt. Graphics are very important. EGM: Looking about the reaction to Wind Vak cartoon-style graphics? EA: | know that before the game shipped, there were many debates and arguments about the graphic style. But as soon as we launched Wind Waker and people started to play with it, they said: “We understand now. This is the reason why you used this graph- ic style this time.” Likewise, we’re very hopeful that when we launch this new Zelda game, people are going to appreciate 1 thir it without any further questions [and] think, “OK, that makes sense.” EGM: True, once most people actually play Wind Wak 5 don’t both- er th but do you think a lot of people пе picked it up just hecause of how it looked? EA: Well, yes, that’s unfortunate, but it’s true that [with] graphics...people like cer- tain graphics, and people don't like certain graphics. It's very clear for each different ’s move on to things меме п in the two video trailers you’ve released so far [check Zelda.com if you What’s with all the cats, for exa е? EA: We're thinking about incorporating some ideas where Link can communicate with animals, опе way or another. | can't. elaborate on specifically how. [But] the rea- son you can pick up cats early in the game in Toaru Village, for example, is [because] we wanted people to understand you can EA: You may be right—it’s one of those [mechanics] where, after solving riddles, what's invisible can become visible. But once again, | can’t elaborate on how that works in that specific case. Please look for- ward to the actual game. [Smiles] EGM: And that shadowy figure on our cover with his or her hack to Link? EA: Very sorry, but we'd like to keep it secret. People can take your cover as a big mystery. We're not sure when we want to e ІП graf ession (0 сат iphics are ve individual. So we're sorry for that, but what I can tell you is, we are pretty confident that we were right about the [cartoon] approach for Wind Waker. Without that approach, we couldn't tell enough about the story. So whenever people һауе some doubts, all | can say is—this is a very Japanese expression—“You may think it's a trick, but try itand see.” touch the cats, you can play with them. After leaving that impression, it'll become easier for us as developers to have com- plex ideas afterward, where the players are willing to approach the animals, EGM: What about where all the gh ink using th invisible stuff? break that information—maybe [at the next E3 show] in May or maybe not. As a hint, you can also see a kind of castle in the background scenery.... EGM: Wind Waker had a fan- tastic connectivity feature where:a second player could play on a Game Boy Advance hooked up to the GameCube to help Link. Are you planning anything similar for this Zelda? EA: Well, | liked the connectivity in Wind Waker very much, and I’m hopeful that we can create that kind of play experience for other games. What's cool about Wind Waker’s connectivity is that you can get some additional information on a real-time basis. Even though it may not be “real” real time, somehow we may be able to repro- duce a similar game experience. Maybe a second character [in this new Zelda] can get access to certain information and help the main player. As far as the character the other player controls—Tingle— found out some American people didn’t like him very much. So, we need to think about what kind of character we're going to use. [Laughs] 5 of Lin emotions: You don't need to. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 91 4 cover story: w zeld Although angling has a proud history in the franchise, the team at Nintendo couldn’t find a good fit for fishing in Wind Waker (despite the ocean setting), and it wasn’t originally planned as a part of this new Zelda. But unknown to Aonuma, one of the programmers was work- ing on it on the side as a pet project. “It’s the same pro- grammer that made the fishing event in Ocarina of Tim says Aonuma, “He loves fishing in his private time.” EGM: So would this new system use the same GBA-GC Link cable setup? EA: No, we really want everything to be realized with a GameCube and a disc, nothing else. [With connectivity], the down- side is you need the Link cable and you would need to incorporate voice acting. Having said that, however, I’m [still] thinking about [it]...some kind of voice reaction, even a simple опе—ке “yeah” or “oh,” just like that. Maybe we сап expand it from there. Which is probably why, at this point, the gameplay feels much like it does in the N64 classic: Tap B to wheel back and fling out your lure, then press Left and Right on the analog stick to jerk it back and forth or tap B to slow- ly reel it in. One welcome change is with the camera con- trols—pressing the C stick Up or Down zooms in on the lure so you can spot fish silhouettes in the water. Once you have a bite, you need to reel the line back in the dungeons. Other than that, we’re think- ing about incorporating some other ele- ments in terms of the game system itself. But once again...that’s one of the most important and crucial elements [мете not talking about yet]. as the fish thrashes and tugs on the line in the opposite direction, all while the controller vibrates like mad. As for how fishing will be integrated into the larger game, it's still under consideration. "[It might just be] a minigame, like in Ocarina of Time,” says Aonuma. “But I'm thinking about the possibility of making it related to the overall scenario [as well]. One of the wildest ideas is you could fish for a boss, then fight against him.” that kind of stealth action. Maybe it’s because | liked it when | was a child...the feeling of walking around and doing something secretly. Since most of the time in Legend of Zelda, players have to engage in sword “[With connectivity], the downside is you need the Link cable and GBA...we really want everything to be realized with a GameCube and a disc, nothing else.” need the GBA. For those who don’t have everything, the idea of creating something through connectivity, even if it's very good, is [pointless]. So what I’m thinking is, maybe we can reproduce a similar gaming experience without the cable or GBA. EGM: In the movie trailer and on our cover, we see a wolf howling—can you tell us anything about that? There’s some speculation maybe Link is а werewolf... EA: Hmm...sorry, confidential. EGM: In the early version we played, we didn’t notice any voice work—just the usual yelps and grunts and so on. Is that the plan for the final game? EA: Last year, | was asked that same ques- tion by the press, “Will Zelda have voices?” My answer was, “Let me think about it.” But as soon as those articles were printed, Mr. Miyamoto immediately rejected the possibility. Seriously, as far as this new Legend of Zelda game is concerned, we really cannot see the whole reason why we 92 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com EGM: Why not just give everyone real voices? More and more games are doing it these days, and it would seem to fit in nicely with Zelda’s new “realis- tic” motif. EA: Well, for example, if every single char- acter talks with each other with actual voices, it may be interesting at the very beginning, but maybe not so interesting when the game is in progress [and you grow accustomed to it]. But, for example, if all the communications are [via] text, and then someone suddenly speaks in voice, and all throughout the game there's only one or two characters who use voice to communicate instead of text, that should [stay] interesting. EGM: Will the overall game still follow the familiar Zelda mold? You have a town or towns, then a dungeon, find an item, fight a boss, and so on? EA: Well, the basic structure is just like that, yes. As with any adventure game, the area you can explore gradually expands. So, we have the [overworld], [and] we have EGM: Wind Waker has some stealth elements early on—any plans for more of that in this game? ЕА: | really don’t know why, but I love fights; it's very active and looks cool, but once again, in terms of making a good con- trast, | think working in some quiet, silent, and stealthy moves is a very good idea. So, I'm willing to incorporate some of those stealth-game ideas. EGM: The very first time we saw a real- istic Legend of Zelda for the GameCube was way back in 2000 when the system was first unveiled. Is any part of that early demo, any assets or any ideas, being put to use? EA: | believe there's nothing that they're working with [from that demo]. As a matter of fact, the staff members who did that video have moved [on] and are working at [Nintendo in] Tokyo. EA: Whenever | think of a very photo-realis- tic Link—for example, if a live actor is going to do Link—1 wonder if he can actually look cool. Link in that attire, especially with the green cap and all that—can anyone look cool in that? Or maybe everyone would look like Tingle? [Laughs] | EGM: Funny you should mention Tingle.... [We show him this pic- lj ture of a Zelda fan dressed as Tingle, right] EA: [Laughs] How old is he? again. Even though we aren't going to гергодисе the same thing in the next 26/04 game, I’m thinking about incorporating something like it. EGM: After Wind Waker, you joked that maybe you wouldn’t work on the next game. But here you are. | ЕА: In fact, when we finished Wind . Waker, | asked Mr. Miyamoto, “Please give me some other assignment.” He said, “Let me think about it.” [Finally] he told me, “OK, you'll be the producer on the next Zelda.” | said, “What? | want- “Mr. Miyamoto immediately rejected the possibility [of full voice work for the next Zelda]." EGM: Speaking of realistic Zelda, | don’t know if you'll recognize this. [Shows screenshot below] EA: No...is that really Zelda? [Laughing] EGM: Yup. It’s from the CD-i game Zelda’s Adventure. Very realistic, though, don’t you think? [Everybody laughs] 18 Zelda for the CD-i: a little too realistic. EGM: Hard to say, could be anywhere from his early 20s to 30 ог so.... EA: I'm pretty sure men over 30 shouldn't do this. [Laughs] EGM: OK, so maybe not the CD-i games, but is there anything from other Zelda titles, such as Four Swords or The Minish Cap, you've enjoyed and want to bring to this new title? EA: The kinstone idea in The Minish Cap was proposed by Capcom, and that was great. [Kinstones are medallionlike items you find one half of and match with halves carried by other characters to uncover chests, caves, or other secrets.] Even though you've passed through the world before, [by matching kinstones] you find there are still unsolved mysteries here and there, so you explore the same areas once ed [something else].” But he told me, “Rather than working on the details, you can coordinate and supervise and concen- trate on making it a better game.” [So] | was interested in taking the assignment. EGM: Nine years of nothing but Zelda. You must be always thinking about it, at lunch, in your dreams.... EA: I'm really not tired of making Legend of Zelda, even after all these years. But do | dream about games? | don’t think so. Then again, when I’m taking a shower, my mind is often occupied with Zelda. Without realiz- ing it, I'll just keep the shower running. My wife winds up very upset—but that’s a kind of routine | need to have. [Laughs] That's nothing new. What ме been doing in the past, МІ probably be doing the same in the future, а ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1URcom • 93 EVERYONE [Epp ———Á—— най POKEHOLIC? gama нен We understand. we Let the battles begin! Get to Game Crazy and grab Pokemon Emerald today. Leave Squirtle at home. LARGEST SELECTION OF NEW, USED AND CLASSIC GAMES AND CONSOLES BEST DEAL ON TRADES IT'S A GUARANTEE TRY BEFORE YOU BUY ONLY GAME CRAZY LETS YOU PLAY BEFORE YOU PAY Hit jenen for а store near you. DIRECTORY MULTIPLATFORM 96 Агеа51 98 Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition 99 Dead to Rights || Meet the BBG: This rifle is almost too effective—once you find it, you won't need to switch to any other weapon. Scan This If you're the kind of gamer who likes to know who you're shooting and why, keep an eye open for scannable objects hidden in Area 51's warren of labs and caverns. Scrutinizing these items with your portable scanner doohickey unlocks secret files and videos that do a lot to explain the game’s tough- to-follow plot. revieW Crew shootin’ from the hip since 1989 52/ХВ 4 АКЕА 51 Puts the guns back in E.T. Don’t come to Area 57 expecting one giant leap for shooterkind. You've blasted run- amok mutants like these before. You've believed in little gray aliens for years. You've heard David Duchovny's one-pitch voice drone on about secret labs and government conspiracies. (Get this man some caffeine!) Area 51 just sucks all these sci-fi staples together into some kind of cliché black hole that also happens to look killer and deliver serious scares and thrills. The single-player mode is at its best early on, after а smart setup that even pokes fun at the animatronic animation of the light-gun arcade game on which Area 57 is based. You're sent fumbling in the dark with a squad of buddy grunts who get gobbled up one by one. Glowy-eyed 96 е ELECTRONIC:GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com PLAYSTATION 2 100 Enthusia: Professional Racing 100 Haunting Ground 101 Cold Winter 102 104 106 106 > == maker for the ‚Aliens and (Р52/ХВ) monsters [оре out of shadows you can barely pierce with your flashlight (fans of Doom 3 on Xbox know the drill). Eventually, the game settles into by-the-numbers gun battles set in increasingly fantastical environments that look spectacular in both console versions. You never pilot any vehicles or spend much time in turrets. Instead, you get one nifty power that saves Area 51's world from becoming too me-too: The ability to quick-change into a brutish mutant who can suck health from enemies. Careful management of your mutant side is crucial in later levels, when the little gray aliens pour on the minions. That's when the combat gets so intense, we swear Duchovny's voice almost raises an octave. Stan Winston Studios, monster ич Predator flicks, designed Area 515 critters. XBOX Jade Empire Pariah Close Combat: First to Fight WWE Wrestlemania 21 Space cadet Marilyn Manson phones in his lines, and near-comatose David Duchovny has seen way too much paranormal poppycock on TV's X-Files to be jazzed by more. Whatever, it's Area 51’s physics that make you believe in its make-believe. What should happen will—water coolers sprinkle and vending machines spit soda when shot; little gray men get acquainted with Earth gravity as grenades send ’em sailing. Its truth-is-out-there atmosphere will make you believe, too—these otherworldly environments are Star Wars to Halo 2% Sci-Fi Channel-series set design. And if its rapid-fire action doesn’t sell you 100 percent, it should at least make you suspend your disbelief with a jolt-laden mix of through-the-scope exchanges, midrange rat-a-tat, PSP 108 Топу Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix 108 Wipeout Pure 109 Spider-Man 2 109 Twisted Metal: Head-On Alien Nation Just like the solo campaign, Area 51's ample multiplayer options are solid but nothing revolutionary—just what you'd expect from modes created by a couple of old-school Doom series designers. Sixteen-player death- matches and capture-the-flag battles unfold at a lightning pace (change into a mutant and you really zip around). Like the Xbox version, the PS2 game supports voice chat—a must for the strategy-intensive hill-capture variation. The standout mode here, however, is Infection, which has a lone mutant trying to contaminate all the humans, converting them to his side. So, just as in single-player, it’s the mutants that make multiplayer special. and up-close mano a mano. Yup, Area 57 makes do without the vehicles and vast battlefields of today’s shooter status quo just fine. The story of Area 51 is a bit too convoluted for its own good. If the effort that went into the technology— the amazing graphics, smooth animation, and nifty visual effects of both console Good: Great visuals, creepy atmosphere Bad: Clichéd story, run-of-the-mill gameplay Someone Wake Up: Voiceover star David Duchovny I Jade Empire's THE RAUNG S STEM At EGM, we evaluate only games that have been deemed final and reviewable by their publishers. ГА] Three editors rate each game (99780 independently, and we use the whole scale. 5.0 15 AVERAGE. AWARD Henpecked Hou: likes him some liquor. NINTENDO DS 107 Pac-Pix EXTRA STUFF 110 Reviews Wrap-up 112 Reviews Archive versions (they're identical) —had been applied toward the plot, this could have been one of i the great story-based first- Е person shooters of the current = generation. As it is, we’re left with a lot of conspiracy- theory blather and inside jokes sprinkled throughout a х « == БНАМЕ ОР THE MONTH Platinum — | Gold — for Silver — The highest- Тһе lowest- straight 10s. | games with for games scoring rated game For games an average with a mean дате each with unani- that are life- | scoreof9.0 | score of 8.0 month gets mously bad changing. or higher. or higher. a star. scores. ESRB KEY (Also check out www.esrb.com) Saccharine fun forthe Like PG-13 movies, Teen For the 18-and-over whole family: dancing games often feature crowd. Intense violence, elves, rampant sharing, fisticuffs, mild violence, оге, pixilated sex, and possibly Smurfs, and madeap antics. drugs; parents no likey. Independence Day’s producers must have had a fire sale. a nicely paced, occasionally innovative, and ultimately satisfying shooter. I’m not sure it’ll have legs online, though; the insane, race-for- the-best-weapon school of multiplayer design seems to have gone out of fashion. The unusual Infection mode (where one mutant player gradually infects everyone else) is certainly worth checking out, though—and even the ridiculously fast deathmatches are a nice change of pace from plodding WWII shooters. жаб g о a © 5 = ш == = CRISPIN SHAWN Developer: Midway Players: 1-2 (2-16 online) Publisher: Midway ESRB: Mature www.area51-game.com ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 97 38 Obligatory title explanation: The “DUB” in DUB Edition refers to DUB Magazine. Duh. | пр52в £ MIDNIGHT CLUB DUB EDITION Gentlemen, start spinning your rims DEMIAN: If you played the last Midnight Club, | bet you came across at least one street race that was so damn hard, your controller went airborne. DUB's not like that. You won't win many races оп your first try (there’s always a tricky part four- fifths of the way through any track made to mess you up), but the progression is mostly steady. The driving itself is more forgiving, too: Hit a tree while breaking triple-digit speeds on a sports bike and poof! A shower of splinters swirls in your wake. And though the racing may be all high-speed blurs and impossible rooftop jumps, the cars and motorcycles themselves are obsessively true to life—and tuner culture. You can tweak everything from mud flaps to exhaust tips, and though you can chop the top and put wheelie bars on a ’57 Bel Air, you can’t mangle a Lotus Elise in the same way. Pulsing neon on the undercarriage, though— no one will deny you that. DUB's open-city checkpoint races are full of alternate routes and shortcuts, but even so, more variation in race types would be nice in career mode (this isn't a problem in multiplayer, which includes tag, capture the flag, and other game types). Burnout 3 is still my favorite arcade racer— its drive-dangerously-to-earn-turbo mechanic puts it above the rest—but DUB is right up there with Need for Speed Underground as the choice for those who live to tune and tweak to live. SHAWN: DUB's big-city venues are both lead-foot- ed fantasy and navigational nightmare. When checkpoints mesh like gears in a Teflon-coated transmission, downtown, with all its alleyways and expressways, trumps Daytona. Where no clear lines connect the dots through gridlock and cloverleaves, it's a trial-and-error rat race. Once a collision shunts you down a side street, don’t bother dou- bling back—if you're not in first, you're a failure. It isn't all thumbing through the Thomas Bros. (map book, that is) at 200 mph, missing the last off-ramp on an empty tank and full bladder. DUB's [2] automotive makeovers are ballin' bliss. The com- petition does fast and flashy, but squeezing between cars in slow-mo and then reentering traf- fic (and time) at full tilt? NFSU2 can't catch that. JAMES: | love tricked-out cars so much, some- times | think maybe | was conceived in the back- seat of a souped-up Honda Civic. Unsurprisingly, | was a big-time Midnight Club Il fan, and with DUB, the days of itchy nitrous trigger fingers and high- beaming drivers to race are back. DUB redlines on the gorgeous meter. Everything blurs and tunnels to help convey a giddy feeling of speed—and then you hit the nitrous. The new zone feature helps keep it all in check, though, slowing down time so you can slice through traffic or just have a second to blink. And the online multiplayin’ is like Mario Kart with grown-up cars: You race around and collect power-ups, then zap your oppo- nent with reverse steering or encase him in a block of ice and laugh across the finish line. 4% New Upgrades Available! DUB adds three special car-class-specific moves to the Club formula What’s it do? Slows down time for a few moments so you can take that sharp right at 150 mph. What's it do? Oncoming traf- fic bounces off you like billiard balls off а run- away 18- wheeler. ЖІ What’s it do? Sends out a shock wave that'll clear the road ahead of Sunday-driver traffic and com- petitors alike. 98 + ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com THE VERDICTS DEMIAN Publisher: Rockstar Developer: Rockstar San Diego Players: 1-2 (2-8 via system link or online) ESRB: Everyone 10+ SHAWN www.rockstargames.com PS2/XB LA А 8 Russian AMG TT DEAD TO RIGHTS Dead on arrival Dead to Rights ІІ gets the expected sequel tweaks (improved graphics, no more so-so minigames), but when a game built on nonstop action—as in, you don't even have to stop and reload your guns—turns out to be an 11-plus- hour experience in tedium and boredom, well...that's just a shame. What we have here is a title that tries hard to impress with its flash, yet stumbles over funda- mentally busted gameplay. This third-person action-brawler once again puts you in the shoes of cop Jack Slate, who's armed with a standard array of weapons and his loyal mutt. But while the arcadey setup and action may inspire you to run around guns a-blazing, turns out that strategy leads to almost inevitable death (unless you play on Easy difficulty...which is too easy). So the action becomes a war of attrition as you lean around cor- ners and pop out from behind cover, taking pot- shots at the seemingly endless waves of mindless and generic enemies. And that gets old, no matter how many slick-looking slow-mo bullet-time jumps or disarm moves you pull off along the way. Throw in a slow camera, poor targeting system, lack of midstage checkpoints, plenty of backtrack- ing, and bad load times, and you have a game that's almost continuously no fun to play. Pass. Dead to Rights Il is the videogame equiva- lent of a late-'80s action movie: mindless and cre- atively bankrupt, filled with sex, profanity, cheesy one-liners, and over-the-top violence. And, if you've got the right mindset, a fairly good time. | can't argue with any of G. Ford's gameplay beefs—it's repetitive as hell, the backtracking is annoying, and the targeting сап be screwy—except for one: | never got tired of all the different ways you can take guys out. Use the dog, explosives, pieces of the environment, bullet time, various guns, or your fists in the surprisingly solid bare-knuckle beat- em-up sequences. Nothing polished or original, but a decent rental if you can enjoy a big, dumb ride. A Dog-Eat-Man World Hey, you with the $50! You love this crap, right? Square-jawed badass kicking down doors and blowing s*** up. "I'm Jack Slate, bitch!" This game ain't for kiddies, no sir! Strip clubs and shotguns. Grit. This is f***ing edgy—if you're a giggling 12-year-old boy. Otherwise, Dead to Rights ІІ comes off as а straight-to-video action flick—Mark called it— sans gratuitous T&A (why that was left out, | have no idea). If this game were any more theatrically macho, it'd join the Village People. In between ridiculous one-liners, Jack shoots dudes, lots and lots of dudes. It’s kinda like Galaga with balls, except people still play Galaga after 24 years, and Dead to Rights I will be forgot- ten by the end of next week. The game works, but it’s so lifeless and cold it gives me the creeps. ж Probably Dead to Rights Il's coolest feature is your ability to easily control Shadow, Slate's К-9 companion. Not only сап you have him fetch guns for you when you’re running low on ammo, but you can sic him on enemies. Granted, they don’t bother moving when they see him coming, but it’s always amusing when he mauls them When Animals Attack style. Oddly enough, Shadow drains your adrena- line meter (which also fuels your slow-mo jumps) when attacking enemies, which only adds to the frustrating wait-behind-cover-while-the-meter-recharges game. Manual Shotgun іші. Publisher: Namco e SS Developer: Namco өт Players: 1 £s ESRB: Mature 25 ша = Б MARK ROBERT www.namco.com ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 99 review crew: playstation 2 ı MM PlayStation 2 Award: Bounciest Boobs Ever SHOE: Tamagotchi... Titanic...Olsen twins with reasonable amounts of makeup on their faces.... Sorry—I'm just having one helluva 1990s flashback from playing Haunting Ground. Running away from tire- less creeps while wandering about a terri- fying castle, finding clue A to get to key B, which leads to door C to find clue D (etc.) harkens back to the decade-old days of playing Resident Evil and Clock Tower on the PS1. Shouldn’t | be on a more evolved adventure on my space-age PS2? But | can’t complain about the art direction. You truly feel the young protag- onist's horror when she looks hopelessly at the screen or shakes and cringes when frightened. And as she gets more panicked, the screen starts to blur and the controls go mushy—pretty cool the first few times you experience this (it's like playing а game inside а nightmare) but incredibly frustrating later on with tougher opponents you're constantly run- ning away from when all you want to do is solve the puzzles to finish the game. SHANE: Haunting Ground pares down the survival-horror experience to its most THE VERDICTS (QUT OF 10) SHOE SHANE Your pup Неме is there to serve, protect...and annoy when he wanders off. HAUNTING GROUND More Resident Evil 1 than Resident Evil 4 Good: A horrifying nightmare brought into game form Bad: Constantly backtracking to escape enemies 7.0 6.55.0 basic, frightening form— running for your life. When one of the game's persistent killers is hot on the trail of defenseless protagonist Fiona, the game descends into madness: Impressive “panic effects” distort time, corrupt the visuals, and muddle your control, making your untimely death, dis- memberment, consumption, or implicit rape all the more disturbing. Just how scary is Haunting Ground? Scary enough to give Shoe nightmares. Really. Unfortunately, none of the game’s other aspects can match the striking quality of these chase sequences, but a few creative puzzles (namely those utiliz- ing your trusty mutt Hewie) help to break up all that running and hiding. Resident Evil 4 has nothing to worry about, but scary-movie nuts should definitely spend an evening or two heri OFFICIAL PS MAG—GIANCARLO: There isn't any real reason why this game should exist with the progress the sur- vival-horror genre has made. It basically uses old design concepts from the Resident Evil games but tries to make them feel fresh by throwing in an almost totally useless pet dog and a panic attack, which succeeds more as a comic device than as some kind of innovative gameplay feature. Plus, Haunting Ground just puts too much emphasis on random- ly walking around to find and solve puz- 2165 instead of really funneling you in any particular direction. But if you like old- School survival-horror action, then go ahead, be afraid. Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Players: 1 ESRB: Mature GIANCARLO www.capcom.com 100 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com layStation 2 ENTHUSIA: • PROFESSIONAL RACING Happiness is a warm engine Good: Great graphics and an impressive physics engine Bad: Low tolerance for novice racers Guitar-acular: The cheesy McCheese soundtrack ANDREW: There's a stark difference between a racing game and a driving game. Enthusia is the latter—a game focused on precision and technical skill, where "realistic" is a more marketable way of saying “unforgiving.” But if you know what you’re getting into, Enthusia delivers. While not quite as exhaustive as Gran Turismo 4, Enthusia offers a large garage of winnable, tunable, and upgradeable cars, and the weekly for- mat of ranked races keeps progress mov- ing at a steady rate. Cars are won (via postrace raffle) frequently but take some time to “level up,” and switching cars makes you skip a week of racing, which can have an adverse effect on your rank. The courses are designed to challenge your reaction time and are littered with hairpin, uphill, and S-turns. Starting out with the incredibly demanding driving revolution mode quickly sharpens your skills and makes sure that drivers are up for the challenge. Once you “get it,” the game is rewarding. But true to its name, Enthusia is only for the true car enthusiasts. Anyone else will be giving Konami $40 just to tell them that they're an awful driver. DEMIA ight as well get the obligatory Gran Turismo 4 comparisons out of the way: On the track, Enthusia feels about as accurate a sim as the big boss, and that’s saying а hell of a lot. It doesn't look quite as nice or have nearly as many Cars or tracks as 674, but it’s still an excellent, excellent driving game. But in this case there actually is a дате that goes along with the driving; that’s what sets Enthusia арап. Its complex points and ranking system (briefly: winning with a lower- powered car earns more points, more points means access to higher race classes—but you have to keep winning to stay at the top) is the part you'll likely either love or hate. It took some getting used to, but | dug it. The concentration required to go six or so laps without hitting walls or АЛ. cars is incredible but also really rewarding. | just wish the stupid CPU-controlled cars were a little better at not running into me. 1UF.COM—GHE: You'd figure that with Gran Turismo 4 still burning daily rubber on my PS2, Enthusia—with its hardcore driving-simulation physics, oppressive no-frills locales, and huge selection of Japanese imports—would be the last game I'd want to play, much less cham- pion. But finally, here’s a racing sim that lets me focus an entire racing career on just one car. Now you can spend 10 hours pimping out your Toyota “Hachi- Roku” Trueno to godly levels without hav- ing to worry about switching cars to meet that FF challenge or eating dirt on the rally tracks. In the game's Enthusia Life mode, you don’t worry so much about selling cars, buying parts, and rac- ing for dollars; rather, you win races for points that level up both driver and vehi- cle. Hence, the pacing of your game’s progress is more deliberate and satisfy- ing. It's addictive and...yes, brings out the enthusiast within. THE VERDICTS (OUT OF 10) DEMIAN 8.08.58. ANDREW Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Players: 1-2 ESRB: Everyone www.konami.com PlayStation 2 COLD WINTER February fashion must: full metal jacket Good: Blood-boiling shoot-outs Bad: Warmed-over multiplayer SHAWN: Never mind Cold Winter's purport- edly true-to-life take on “dirty espionage” (as opposed to 007’s suit-tie-and-martini suave); it too ends in a chromed-out, black- science bunker beneath the earth. What the game does that shoot-em-ups with the same combustible-barrel-blasting conven- tions don’t is blow up a mile-high with Hollywood brio. Good times with gunpow- der or wet-fuse folly—it all depends on the Fourth of Јију place in your holiday top 10. So yeah, it's more of the same shoot-or- be-shot stuff, but hey, those signboards swing, chicken coops splatter, and burning debris sets other flammables on fire. Cold Winter scores with the cause-and- effect physics of a PC game but seldom capitalizes on the unscripted chaos. (I once pushed a propane tank downhill, then plugged it as it nudged the ne'er-do-wells below, but that's about it as far as destruc- tive Rube Goldberg devices go.) Overturning tables to create cover is a nice touch, but with so many safe spots already available (and a bottomless tin of Band-Aids), | never needed to. Still, thumbs up to the baddies er for similarly playing smart. Developer: Swordfish Players: 1-2 (3-4 w/Multitap, 2- 8 online) ESRB: Mature 6. FORD: Cold winters—a common оссиг- rence for native New Englanders like myself—start to blend together after you SHAWN get past the snow-day-hoping elementary- G. FORD JAMES www.coldwinter.com A) ACADEMY of ART UNIVERSITY FOUNDED IN SAN FRANCISCO 1929 + i CHARACTER DESIG || 4 sDIGITAL IMAGING | FILM p A NEW MEDIA | VISUA е ч \ x à a N ER 80% OVERALL ANIMATION DEOMPUTER ARTS 1.800.544.ARTS Ugly: Fragged foes look like crushed tomato crates school age. And after playing 196 through this Cold Winter, | can't help but think it will suffer a similar fate, namely getting lost among other competent but forgettable shooters. It's not a bad game—it has nice graphics, a solid physics engine, and enemies that go down in over-the-top bloody fashion. Problem is, it lacks the wow moments, steady intensi- ty, and gripping story that make the best games stand out. Multiplayer runs fine but offers nothing noteworthy (besides a clunky interface), delivering the typical collection of deathmatch, CTF, and domi- nation matches. Cold Winter is a fine diversion, but better options exist, notably the recent TimeSplitters: Future Perfect and Project: Snowblind. JAMES: After sitting through F-bomb-laden torture scenes (fingers being broken, peo- ple getting stabbed in the eye with pencils, etc.), taking out bad guys by shooting off their appendages is less shocking than it sounds—though it never stops being dis- turbing. But life's a breeze if you can live through a rocket to the face and have unlimited health packs. Smart enemies love to take cover, but when gunfights turn into aerobics class (| stand, shoot, squat behind cover, repeat—and my foe follows suit), it gets to be a little too much of a workout. REGISTER NOW FOR SUMMER & FALL SEMESTERS COURSES OFFERED IN: 2D & 3D ANIMATION | 3D MODELING [COMPUTER GRAPHICS MAKING | GAME DESIGN EFFECTS | WEB DESIGN AA | BFA | MFA DEGREES | PERSONAL ENRICHMENT ONLINE COURSES | STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES |OB PLACEMENT UPON GRADUATION WWW.ACADEMYART.EDU 79 NEW MONTGOMERY ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105 NATIONALLY ACCREDITED BY ACICS, NASAD & FIDER (BFA-IAD) (2 review crew: xbox “JADE EMPIRE The Empire strikes back JENNIFER: BioWare has done it again. These mas- ters of the role-playing genre wowed us with the brilliant Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. | wasn't convinced they could do it again, especially without an established franchise to sustain the sto- ries for which the company's games аге so renowned. And changing up the combat? Inventing a fast-paced real-time system instead of relying on the tried-and-true turn-based battles of KOTOR and Baldur's Gate (PC) was risky, to say the least. But big risks reap big rewards, and I’m now a believer. Let's start with the graphics, KOTOR's biggest weakness. Jade Empire envelops you in its visual splendor. Each environment lusher than the last, the game never gets lazy. Right through to the last cut- Scene, you're rewarded with creatively designed, gorgeous levels—eye candy in the truest, best sense. It made me question my curmudgeonly belief that good graphics don't make good games. Stop and Smell the Lotus Blossoms Luckily, Jade Empire has much more than good graphics. Impressive, emotional, moving, with all the twists and turns BioWare plots have become famous for, the story rewards those gamers who enjoy involved cut-scenes and cunning dialogue trees. It's in the story and character development that the choices in your character's alignment— the Way of the Open Palm versus the Way of the Closed Fist—really hit home. | thought playing a selfish, egotistical, heartless Closed Fist master would be a fun sort of lark; | didn’t realize some of my crueler decisions would stick me with a very real sense of guilt. | even replayed the ending, changing choices to redeem myself slightly (but | must say, the evil ending was better). But the graphics and story aren’t actually this game's deepest point. It’s the combat and charac- ter development that will please all comers. When you start the game, your character clearly has a lot Jade's characters look great—it'd be пісе if your main guy (or gal) actually had a voice, though. of potential, but you're still a chump student with something to prove. Slowly, steadily, and with an astonishing amount of potential for individualiza- tion, your character becomes a martial arts master. The intuitive system enables all players to develop unique fighting tactics. As you gain awareness of the complexities of the system, your character obtains additional fighting styles and upgrades existing ones. Both learning curves arc perfectly through the game. On top of that, it's fun simply to watch yourself fight; the combat animations evoke the best martial arts movies. The length (I powered through in 17 action- packed hours) might be a weakness, or a refresh- ing liberation. Occasionally, too, | was frustrated that | couldn’t save after a long cut-scene plopped me into a death-wish battle. Then there's all that loading.... But | can’t fault the game for not being perfect. Being profoundly brilliant is quite enough. Impatient gamers might not get to all the copious optional quests. But many of them are really worth the effort—and the rewards. Here are just a few of our favorites: The Outlander Requires logic—and maybe a bit of luck. Reward: Mirabelle, the Outlander’s gun, а weapon style that’s slow but very effec- tive against creatures immune to magic Found in: Chapter 3 An Ancient Game Prove to the old masters that you understand their ancient philosophies. Reward: Open Palm goody-goodies earn Stone Immortal style. Closed Fist baddies get Tempest. Found in: Chapter 2 Meditation Wheels Not an actual quest, but worth completing thoroughly (find both cogs to fully 7 repair the wheels). | Reward: Communion | | F of the Dragon, a +5 bonus to health and E Y +15 bonus to chi \ Found in: Chapter 6 | = Good: Glorious graphics, fast-paced fighting Bad: Reading is fundamental. Perhaps a bit too fundamental Simpsons Fans: Pay attention when you’re in the tavern JENNIFER 102 • ELECTRONIG GAMING MONTHLY • www. URcom Rating: Mature BRYAN jade.bioware.com SHOE Strength of Character It doesn’t really matter which character you choose, as you can upgrade the skills and stats that'll let you play how you want to. Here's how we ended up customizing three of the predesigned starting characters. Character: Scholar Ling Starting Type: Magic Played By: Jennifer Thoughts: | purposely bumped up Scholar Ling’s chi so she’d have plenty of magical energy. What | did- n't realize was I'd need all that energy to heal ћег— she couldn’t take too many hits. Magic was sure useful, but I found myself relying more on the fast martial styles. Character: Tiger Shen Starting Type: Strong Played By: Bryan Thoughts: Sure, this big oaf packs one helluva ”). punch, but at first, he was way too slow for me (I almost changed characters a few hours into the game). But once | was able to upgrade the speed of his martial styles, | had the best of both worlds—a fighter who was fast and oh-so deadly. Character: Wu the Lotus Blossom Starting Type: Balanced Played By: Shoe Thoughts: | started off with lots of focus because | wanted 10 be a weapons fighter, cracking skulls with a bamboo staff. Then | realized | almost always had enough focus for each battle, so | upped my chi instead. Like Jen, | needed it to heal often (especially during boss battles), but | loved transforming into the Jade golem and going “Hulk smash!” on everyone. While Jen chose the wicked route through Jade Empire, | went the way of a kung fu fighting Goody Two-shoes. Yet it doesn’t matter which moral path you follow here. The result will be the same: an innovative, emotional, and visually arrest- ing gaming experience that shouldn't be missed. What really makes this trek through mythologi- cal ancient China stand out from the rest of the RPG pack is indeed the combat. BioWare has freed itself from the shackles of turn-based battles to produce an ingenious real-time fighting system that involves as much strategy as it does quick reflexes. Sure, the idea of dodging and blocking may initially seem as foreign as the game’s setting, but you'll soon be leaping over foes while mixing up your karate chops, weapon strikes, and magical attacks like a true master. And you'll be able to learn and upgrade a great number of fighting styles throughout, which makes enemy encounters rarely feel stale and repetitive. Also, just when | thought BioWare couldn’t top KOTOR's “holy s***" narrative, | found myself delightfully cursing once again. The story is full of surprises and, even playing as an all-around good guy, | struggled with the plot-altering choices along the way. Jen is right on about Jade's length, too. You can jet through this one fairly quickly, but if you demand 40-plus hours from an RPG, there are plenty of side quests to keep you and obsessive- compulsive types (I’m looking at you, Shoe) satisfy- ingly busy. And l'Il put up with frequent load times for a game this damn pretty—and so should you. Uh-oh, that déja vu is hitting me upside the head again (see my Haunting Ground review, pg. 100), but this time, it leaves a bigger bruise. | was hoping for so much more than a Chinese Knights of the Old Republic, but for 70 percent of Jade Empire, that’s what | got—same style menus, dia- logue trees, clunky animations, good/evil charac- ter development... It's not at all bad (well, except for those clunky animations), but Jade really deserves to have its own distinct personality sep- arate from anything we know from KOTOR. At least the new combat system is fresh and puts you in total control—you'll rarely tire of even the most minor of skirmishes. You have to chat to a lot of people in Jade, so if you got tired of all that talky-talky in KOTOR, it'll get on your nerves really quickly here, especially with all the Confuciusizing thrown in. (This may not be so bad for you, however, as | made sure to play out every single optional subquest available to me.) But once you get to the last third of the game, things really pick up as the story line goes into overdrive and you learn a certain transforma- tion power that really proves bigger is better. 4%. ER 4 © Pariah’s replenishable med pack works a bit like Halo’s overshield, — forcing you to find cover in the heat of battle, PARIAH The next first-person fix? SHAWN: ІР not the postcard-from-another-planet panorama—badlands, towering forests, and indus- trial inventions—fog-free as far as the eye can see. It's not even how the glass faceplate on the first guy | shoot shatters like a fishbowl hitting the floor. It's when two of the surviving goons in his squad split up and spit suppressing fire from cover as the third beelines into a bull rush. It's the juking and hide-and-seek games, the closing in as | reload and relocating when | let up, that makes Pariah compulsively playable offline, even if the otherwise astute A.l. gets stupid around snipers. That, and the weapons. Each of bad-medicine man Jack Mason's boomsticks is upgradeable in three stages. Save up for the heat-seeking salvo or splurge on the Star Trek-style healing tool, power up a few favorites or spread points evenly across the entire arsenal—it adds some forward-thinking strategy to the deal and deepens tactics, too. The same system carries over online. Pariah isn’t as hassle-free or fun as Halo 2, but its have- 104 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • ШАП”) at-it-your-way philosophy is impressive. TiVo still gives me trouble, but here | am in the game’s easy- going mapmaker mode, building a battlefield where one team's vehicles balance out against the other's fortified bunker. And as you read on, remember: Mark and Che wear Master Chief Underoos. MARK: What the? Are we talking about the same game, Shawn? In the Pariah | played enemies walk off cliffs, don’t react when shot in the head (though their helmets go flying), and launch rockets into walls three feet in front of their faces, even on the highest difficulty setting—sometimes dying in the process. l'Il grant you the cool weapon upgrades and an interesting health regen system, but the short-bus A.l., half-ass story, and so-so graphics banish this Pariah off my must-play list. Online the game fares better, with a high max- player count (on dedicated servers only, though) and huge indoor/outdoor levels that work well for team games. The vehicles, two-weapon limit, and sci-fi setting beg unfavorable comparisons to Halo 2, but at least the level-building utility offers some- thing cool you can’t get (almost) anywhere else. TUP.GON CHE: If you've played one sci-fi shoot- er, you've played 'em all. Nothing echoes this sen- timent quite like Pariah, a story-driven shooter that never really comes together as a satisfying pack- age. Sure, it's got an interesting story—the main character's a combat medic who has to escort and rescue a woman infected with a new strain of a virus—but stilted dialogue and confusing cut- scenes get in the way. And while there’s plenty of run-and-gun action, it's nothing you haven't already experienced elsewhere. On its harder diffi- Culty levels (you'll breeze through anything less), Pariah's АЛ. soldiers do offer plenty of challenge but will just as often stand there as fodder for your heroics. Pariah is at its best online, where its team- game modes and incredibly cool map editor redeem its lackluster single-player game. ж. rem da Violent Cartographer Prepare for a new pastime. Pariah’s easy-as-pie mapmaker mode lets you push, pull, lift, lower, and otherwise sculpt environments like so much Silly Putty; drop in prefab bases and bridges; adjust lighting, weather effects, and ter- rain type; position turrets, land mines, and drones for base defense. Sharing your creations the world over is as simple as logging onto Live. 5 5 г THE VERDICTS SHAWN Publisher: Groove Games Developer: Digital Extremes Players: 1-2 (2-16 via system link and online) ESRB: Mature MARK www.pariahgame.com ТГ DELTA FORCE /д 0 pable of handling the pu intense modern warfäre етене ат Live!“ has ever seen. Remember, in this game, there are always 49 people wanting to take you down at any one time. GRAND PRIZE: 2ND PLACE PRIZES A32” LCD TV An Xhox An Xbox An Xhox Live! Starter Set Xbox Live! Starter Set 3 Intec Wireless Xbox Controllers Pioneer SE-DIR8003 Sound System An Intec Game Sound System 3 Intec Pro mini Wireless Xbox Controllers An Intec 5.4" Game Screen Copy of Delta Force - Copy of Delta Force - Black Hawk Down on Xbox Black Hawk Down on Xbox NOVALOGIC. W b wi | X ai хеох 10 copies of the Delta Force - Black Hawk Down novel by Mark Bowden 10 Delta Force - Black Hawk Down Travel Mugs 10 Delta Force - Black Hawk Down T-Shirts 20 А portion of the proceeds will he ҮЙҮП donated to the Warrior Foundation © 2005 Novalogic, Inc. NovaLogic, the NovaLogic logo, Delta Force, the Delta Force logo, Black Hawk Down and the Delta Force - Black Hawk Down logo are registered trademarks of NovaLogic, Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xhox Live, the Live logo, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and logos are property of their respective owners. % review Crew: xbox Апа behind door no. 2 we have—a terrorist! CLOSE COMBAT: FIRST TO FIGHT Situation normal somewhat fudged up Good: Great graphics, OK online options Bad: Brain-dead evildoers We Won Some, Lost Some Online Against: A real Marine squad CRISPIN: First to Fight technically packs everything you need to play soldier (in this case, a U.S. Marine). It has decent- looking urban war zones, an easy-to-use squad interface, and lots of intense fire- fights. Thing is, the game is such a generic experience, | wouldn’t be sur- prised if it came in a plain yellow box labeled “Video War Game.” Like Shawn says, the action here feels canned, with bad guys often glued to their positions like they're made from shooting-gallery cardboard. Wing "ет and they get all goofy, walking in circles as if they're sulking. It actually makes the online cooperative mode more fun—you and your three squadmates will find lots to laugh at. Nothing funny about the deathmatches, though. They're so slug- gish that it's like battling underwater. SHAWN: It says it on the box, "Based on a Marine Corps training tool." And despite my laugh-out-loud time on a dri- ver's ed trainer—the one where hip- high dogs and tricyclists insisted on crossing my predetermined path at metronomic intervals—that seems like THE VERDICTS (out oF = кї а sure enough shot. Fire it up, though, and | start hearing that patented grin-and-berate-it gallows humor of the proud few in the back of my head: “Watch that alley. Here comes ‘back to business’ Ahkmed, sure as the daily express, but don't worry—he’ll sling his АК and walk in circles while you cripple him." And then there's my mentally AWOL fire team, alleged to offer 360-degree security around, behind, and above our sector, but who light me up when | order "em to put sup- pressing fire on our flank, then let Fedayeen blast me from behind. But damn if it don't look good. If the USMC is getting its dollar’s worth anywhere in this one, it's online. In co-op, even friendly fraggers Crispin and Che shot me fewer times than my CPU squad. CHE: Why does this game exist? No, real- ly, | wanna know. With all the squad- based tactical shooters on Xbox (there are literally more of these than | have fin- gers to count), what makes Close Combat think it has a chance in hell of competing this late in the game? Sure, Combat looks sharp; its graphics are impressively detailed, down to the rough-hewn cob- blestone streets. But where’s the beef? There's practically zero enemy A.I. in the game; you and your brain-dead Marines basically line up tangos and drop ‘em one after the next like so much target practice. To make matters worse, the twitchy controls in the “authentic” iron- sights aim view ruin what could have been a decent online shooter. Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Destineer Studios Players: 1-4 (2-8 online) ESRB: Teen wwwfirsttofight.com 106 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com Cy == WWE WRESTLEMANIA 21 Flailing against the ropes Sweet chin music: hurts Shawn Michaels as much as it hurts you. > Good: Decent graphics, voice acting added to career mode Bad: Plays just like the last one, crappy A.l., linear career mode Greatest Wrestler Name: Half Man, Half Amazing Pro wrestling games have become much like the WWE itself—bor- ing and predictable. No matter how many different developers take a shot at the WWE license, the games come out feel- ing like the same sluggish button mash- ers we've been playing for 10 years. Same control scheme, same awkward animation, same slow, boring matches— a decent create-a-wrestler mode and actual voice acting are the only real high- lights of this year’s Xbox experience. Alas, career mode takes a step back. Early on, you'll be forced to play tag-team matches, which is a very bad thing because the game’s A.l. is complete crap. Two CPU opponents will take turns throw- ing each other out of the ring or your loose-cannon A.I. partner will go and get himself disqualified. Don’t count on any help when you're in a jam, either. The online mode may add replay value, but the Net games | played were plagued with major lag. Even if publisher THQ manages to fix that, the game just isn’t fun enough to be worth your online time. For presentation, 27 can’t be beat. The WWE superstars look authentic, the cut-scenes play out in true soap-opera fashion (no awkward dialogue pauses like in the PS2. SmackDown! series), and the commentators dish out sound bites and even reference prior bouts. But pick up the controller and this one hits the mat hard...and I mean very hard. The Al. should've signed up for MTV's Tough Enough, as these guys need some serious schooling. They act like complete Р g Ба gS 55 ше # = GREGS. BRYAN KAREN jobbers in singles action, and during tag-team matches, your computer- controlled partner will cause head- scratching 005. And when you consider the game’s sluggish pacing, robotic ani- mations, and overall lack of in-ring excite- ment, 27 becomes a questionable pur- chase even for the devoted WWE follower. The fellas at Studio Gigante definitely studied their thuga- nomics—John Cena’s muscles have never pulsated this realistically in past WWE games. The new voiceovers really help nail the spectacle, and the cut-scenes are adorably cheesy—just like on television, But 27’s gameplay doesn't match its looks, although this PPV installment is an improvement. The АЛ. is less asinine (it’s not great, but | don’t hate it as much as Greg 5. does), the control response time is shorter, and the new reversal system works well—almost every move has a unique counter, though you'll only use a fraction of ’em against the CPU (that’s what Xbox Live is for). For a fighting game, 27 is mediocre, but as a WWE fan, I'm definitely serviced. Publisher: THQ Developer: Studio Gigante Players: 1-4 (2-4 online) ESRB: Teen www.wrestlemania21thegame.com их Д РАС-РІХ Drawing power SCORE 0001600 2-2 Ignore the perfect Pac-Man (left)—strangely, most people's hand-drawn Men have big overbites. Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Players: 1 ESRB: Everyone THE VERDICTS. (OUT OF 10) G. FORD SHANE JOHNR. www.namco.com all the way through level design, modeli Now this is more like it. Pac-Pix is a genuinely fun game that makes clever use of the DS’ touch screen. In order to clear each level of ghosts in this action- puzzler, you have to put your doodling skills to use as you quickly try to sketch something that resembles Pac-Man...and the misshapen blobs | ended up with are testament to the fact that it ain't easy. Once completed, your creation springs to life and begins waka-waka-ing across the screen, eating any ghosts in his path, changing direction only when you put a wall in his way. There’s even a little strate- gy: The bigger you make your ’Man, the slower he moves. It’s simple and fun. Just when things start to get stale, you get some creative bosses to tackle and new techniques to learn. Eventually, you’re bouncing crudely drawn arrows off of mir- rors to hit targets in the top screen and drawing fuses from oddly sketched bombs to nearby candles. Still, the game could have used more variety and levels—but it’s addicting while it lasts. Just like the gimmicky-but-fun Pac- Man Vs.—and even the original Pac-Man— Pac-Pix is best enjoyed in short doses. It's not too surprising that the intrinsically weird DS hardware plays host to some downright abnormal games. >> Between WarioWare Touched!, Yoshi Touch & Go, and now Pac-Pix, there’s more odd- ball esoterica than normal titles on this system. And like Wario and Yoshi, this bizarre Pac-Man drawing exercise becomes weirdly addictive despite its simplicity. And although it seems more like a gimmicky minigame than a full-fledged title, you'll find a few hours of fun here. Sketching Pac-Men retains its charm for only a few minutes, but the other game- play elements—the aforementioned arrows, bombs, and mirrors—and some creative, tricky bosses help keep players guessing. The varied levels can’t quite make up for the samey visuals and lack of options (why no multiplayer?), but overall, Pac-Pix provides an enjoyable distraction. Pac-Pix starts off a bit on the easy side, but once you gain the ability to shoot arrows and plant bombs, the stages get a lot more challenging and interesting. But sadly, the adventure is over before it ever really begins—those two abilities are all you get, which is a shame, because with a bit more depth, this other- wise good game could’ve been great. Hardcore players will finish both quests (“books”) in a day or two, but everyone else should be able to get a couple of weeks out of this, at least. Add o пеш Olmension to YOUF life. Your education can take you from game research and planning to content development, character development and storytelling – CALL NOW FOR INFORMATION Moin Campus - Tempe, AZ >> West Campus - Phoenix, AZ Collins College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Financial Aid is available for those who qualify. Career services assistance. Collins College West is a branch of Collins College. Not all programs available at all locations. programming and project manageme by Rick O'Connor TONY HAWK'S UNDERGROUND 2 REMIX A clean landing (+1,000 points) onto PSP 1 survived the World Destruction Tour on the Xbox, but | was willing to relive the pigeons dumping on bikini girls, gurney races, and Ben Franklin doing a Natas spin all over again on PSP. And I'm glad | did, because Remix spit- shines THUG2 enough that | can see my reflection in it. Literally—1 uploaded a picture onto the PSP and used the game's face-mapping feature to put my mug on the main character. And let me tell you, seeing your digitized face in a game is way cooler than any unlockable dude, including founding fathers. But Remix's supercombo doesn't end there—the slightly tweaked controls hard- ly take any getting used to, and this portable version of THUG2 actually has more levels than the original. The game's periodic shift to nighttime doesn't bother me nearly as much, either; at least | can Still see what the hell I’m grinding on in this version. The new levels (including my ol’ college town, Santa Cruz) and fun Wi-Fi play kept my return visit from going stale. Grizzled fans like me might initially doubt it, but this game proves that the tough-as-steel-beams Hawk infrastructure can withstand the weight of quite a few rehashes before it buck- les. (Though some of us are wearin" hard hats, if you get my drift...) This remix's new levels are essential for those who already played through the console THUG2. It's too bad they didn't blow my mind—an amusement-park level (Santa Cruz) with only one measly ride to grind, and, um, some office building in Atlanta? I didn't really love exploring them, and | found myself wanting simpler goals that rewarded me for just skating well. But hey, those steel beams still deliver a smooth ride, with slick graphics and controls that rival their console counterparts. It's fairly shocking that a game this fast works this well on a handheld system. If you've played any of the recent Tony Hawk games, you will have exactly zero learn- ing curve; Remix controls, plays, and looks virtually identical to THUG2. Unfortunately, that means the on-foot stuff still feels somewhat stiff and out of place. You'll be forced to do a fair bit of running around, too, as hunting down hidden items is a common theme in the game's mercilessly wacky story mode. Beyond that, it's every bit as addictive as its big brothers, with the addition of four new levels and a couple new multiplayer games (capture the flag and goal attack)—though the levels are a bit too big for certain game modes in the four- player-maximum Wi-Fi play. THE VERDICTS (OUT OF 10) JAMES JENNIFER Publisher: Activision Developer: Shaba Players: 1 (2-4 via Wi-Fi) ESRB: Mature www.activision.com 108 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com WIPEOUT PURE Speed kills The unlockable Zone team ship (shown) is almost required -) to beat the later race classes. SHAWN: The twisted-ribbon tracks, the roller-coaster altitude changes, the design-college cool—that | get, that I've done before. Riding one of Wipeout’s shark-nosed rockets through an eye-tick- ling technopolis took me back to the series’ PS1 glory days. At full steam (especially in the professional Rapier and Phantom classes), it’s racing as protract- ed suicide, even with the high-perfor- mance handling—that trademark air- brake cornering that makes zipping for- ward by sliding sideways second nature. The thing | don’t get is, how the hell is this happening on a handheld? While | can’t argue with console-quali- ty death racing on the way to work (Wipeout’s weapons blaze even if | wish | could disable them after being blasted from gold to bronze), І can complain (at least a little) when the critic laps the technophile in me. A handful of champi- onship cups that leap from fail-safe Sunday spin straight to sheer lunacy, no tuning and tweaking, just a few unlock- ables (not counting concept art)—l see the stick but want the carrot, too. Sony says more tracks and ships are in the making, but I'd rather earn them now than download them later. DEMIAN: Every few minutes, І have to remind myself: Relax the death grip. Unclench the jaw. Wipeout is that intense, whether you're in a Zone race (a solo run in an increasingly faster ship that always ends in a fiery death after one too many wall bumps), one of the incredibly chal- lenging Rapier- or Phantom-class race SHAWN DEMIAN SHANE series, or best of all, an ordnance-heavy Wi-Fi battle with friends. Glad as | am that Sony is planning to offer downloadable tracks and ships, I’m with Shawn in that | wish they were in the game now. I'd much rather spend my time unlocking new stuff than trying to beat Rapier Beta tournament again. (Hot tip: It's cake with the Zone ship.) SHANE: Has it really been nine years since Wipeout XL? When you start feeling pangs of nostalgia for PS1 games, the truth is unavoidable—you're old. Luckily, Sony's hovercraft racer isn't quite ready for the scrap heap: Wipeout gets another shot at success with this impressive PSP offering. Pure revives the speed, style, and grace of XL while cherry-picking the worthwhile features—hyperfast Zone mode, a wide assortment of creative weapons, and looping, twisting tracks— from XL’s diminishing-returns sequels. This is the prettiest, most visceral racing experience on the PSP to date. Sure, the difficulty curve’s a bit on the arsh side, but at least you won't breeze through the game in an evening. Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: Sony CEE Players: 1 (2-8 via Wi-Fi) ESRB: Everyone www.wipeoutpure.com INN с TWISTED META HEAD-ON More of a fender bender Who will win? Red Knight Rider on ste or wheels-for-arms THE VERDICTS (QUT OF 10) ROBERT SHAWN | LINE SPIDER-MAN 2 Not actually that amazing 75 6.56.0 BRYAN =A- us 5 г THE VERDICTS JAMES MATT SCOOTER Publisher: Sony CEA Developer: Incog Players: 1 (2-8 via Wi-Fi and online) ESRB: Teen www.playstation.com Publisher: Activision Developer: Vicarious Visions Players: 1 ESRB: Teen www.activision.com Good: Expansive, destructible levels; explosions ringing in your ears Bad: D-pad combos, monotonous attack patterns Making a Case for Cheapest Boss Ever: Tower Tooth ROBERT: You know that kid, the one who always played by himself at recess, crash- ing Hot Wheels cars into each other? Well, this game is what he imagined, a demoli- tion derby clattering with the sounds of machine-gun fire and industrial demoli- tion, a strange place where cops, army men, and evil clowns seek to murder each other for no particular reason. Twisted Metal has circled the block a few times, and it shows. | resisted its archaic control scheme (the Mortal Kombat-style D-pad combos for special moves). | scoffed at the charmless charac- ters and simple jousting patterns. But as the later, larger levels opened up and I Started getting a feel for the combat, Head- On grew on me. | really love the Monaco level, a racetrack (full of race cars) wrap- ping around the tiny Mediterranean city/country. Despite some early networking problems at release, the game's online play has since become more reliable—Head-On is a great café game. SHAWN: Moscow, Paris, Cairo, Monaco—l like the gigantic go-anywhere-you-should- and-everywhere-you-shouldn't settings. The Eiffel Tower as take-off ramp, the Acropolis as NRA assembly and crash derby in one— like smashing world monu- ments like so many mailboxes. (Is my PSP wearing a mullet wig or is that Twisted Metal?) | like the combo moves, the specials, and the whole fight- ing-game-on-wheels feature set that made те a fan when the series first rolled off the line. But | don’t like how car combat is too pell-mell, too haphazard, with its lock-on missile showers and spastic speed, to get you into that fighting-game groove in which know-how trumps accidents. I’ve changed, but Twisted Metal hasn't; maybe that's why this time I like it without loving it. BRYAN: Huge interactive environments, spectacular means of destruction, a hot- headed clown—yep, this is Twisted Metal. So why am I—a longtime fan of the series—not feelin’ very homicidal behind the wheel? Aside from the new minigames (which are either lame or damn near impossible), Head-On hardly advances the demented demolition derby form. | mean, how about introducing some new weapons or an original cast of born-to-be-bad dri- vers, or better yet, tweaking the controls? And why have backdrops that resemble the "Around the World" putt-putt course from the 1987 Goldie Hawn flick Overboard rather than Twisted Metal Black's grittier scenery? This one may mildly entertain those who've never been Twisted before, but series vets should simply drive away. Good: New boss battles, great-looking cut-scenes Bad: Camera problems, doesn't take very long to beat Strange Minigame: Play a game of Simon to defuse bombs I'm gonna have to roll out the old “with great power comes great responsi- bility” cliché here and say that while the developers at Vicarious Visions used the PSP's great power to make some amazing cut-scenes, they kind of shirked their responsibility to include great gameplay. Gone is the home console version's best feature—the free-range, open-city web- swinging—instead, Spidey simultaneously fights crime and a bad camera, usually indoors in environments reminiscent of Spider-Man 15. I'm underwhelmed by new additions like the semi-2D side-scrolling level, and a little disappointed to see that you still pimp out your Spider-Man with new com- bos and enhanced abilities bought from some silly store. | like that the boss fights are challenging, but when tips pop up pre- battle (“Jump on Rhino: Press 1”) it’s like the tutorial mode never quite ended. With extremely short missions and a simplified combo list, Spider-Man 2 is designed to be played in quick bursts; if you don't take the hint and go for it in one Sitting, you'll finish in about six so-so hours. Nevermind James, һе hates everything. This Spider-Man feels like a highlight reel of some of the best moments from the console games. You get boss battles with villains like Rhino and Shocker, fights with random thugs on rooftops and in warehouses, and the occasional save-the-hostages mis- sion—but like any good highlight film, each mission is extremely short, usually taking five to 10 minutes to complete. The levels look great and can be pretty fun, though, and they certainly have a lot more variety than those in Spider-Man 2 for DS, so with the exception of the short length, occasionally funky camera, and lack of the cool swing-anywhere-you-want movement from the console Spider-Man 2 games, the PSP version holds up admirably. Yeah, so this Spider-Man is oddly more like 7 than 2. But then, | like the straightforward, mis- sion-based Spider-Man games, so | don’t mind that change. My main issues with this version are its lack of depth and horrible camera. The missions are short and some- what varied, but overall combat and your upgradeable skills are pretty simplistic, and the camera makes any aerial level (like chasing a helicopter, fighting Vulture, etc.) pretty much suck. Besides that, it’s a solid action game that does what it sets out to do and looks good while doing it. | also give Spider-Man kudos for managing to make the simultaneous boss fights against Shocker and Rhino pretty cool, even though I'm sick of fighting Shocker yet again. ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 109 емеш Crew: % шгар-ор REVIEWS UNDER THE RADAR: s ROLEPLAYERS The games that were too little or too late Niche RPGs for the serious swashbuckler vem TET OUR FOR $20: ATTACK OF THE BUDGET TITLES А pair of war games, some old-time urvival-horror, and drug abuse on the cheap A • PS2 • Hot-B • ESRB: E Remember Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color (EGM #167), the crazy coloring RPG that had EGM editors drawing disgusting phallic sym- bols with unsurprising zeal? This sequel of sorts still enables plenty of artistry, but the more robust còloring system is almost too complex—it actually requires creative effort (gasp!). The story mode’s changed, too: You now guide your creations through a cutesy platformer-type adventure. It’s simple, strange, and definitely not for everyone. • XB • Groove • ESRB: М Flat graphics, few effects, routine missions, and АЛ. recruited in Mayberry—not much elite about Task Force. (Then again, we once saw a backwoods travel brochure that claimed the local tavern was where e GBA е Atlas е ESRB: T — While we can’t say you'll get more enjoyment out of Super Army War than the lotto ticket, pencil toppers, travel- size baby powder, and Taco Bell bean burritos you could pick up for the same price, you probably won’t get less, either. In short, it’s arcade classic Choplifter “the elite meet,” so what do we know?) Online play M with simplistic strategy tacked on. Swell idea, but the passes the physical (barely), provided you can find back and forth flying still gets boring fast. some competition. • PS2 • Atlus • ESRB: Т Beautiful Stella might've been the next great strategy-RPG, but while the basic game system is enjoyable, dubious battle rules and limitations make for an awkward fit between the gameplay and the story. Plus, “training” in unpleasantly repetitive catacombs is heavily encouraged, and item-combining busywork stands between you and the most interesting abilities. Stunning looks put Stella above average, but easily daunted recruits and war weary genre veterans alike may end up breaking the engagement. • XB е Dreamcatcher е ESRB: М — Play Resident Evil but as the cool kids in high school, with characters like lock-picking Stan, a three-time senior. These wimpy teenagers die off too easily, and trying to get people to join in on two-player co-op action is a bigger ordeal than finding a date for prom. Obscure pays homage to all those teen slasher movies, which means lots of diarrhea dialogue and a brain-dead plot. But sadly, no shower scenes. а 58 DIE • PS2/XB • Midway • ESRB: M — In Narc, Class A drugs give you advantages against the bad guys: Slow down time by lighting up a joint (bullet- dodging while stoned? That’s a good idea, Einstein) or watch as civilians grow gigantic clown heads and baddies turn into devils when you’re on LSD. With its tedious missions, small maps, and blah graphics, Narc is a quick and dirty high. But for 20 bucks, what did you expect? WIN THE CONTEST | We’ve hidden at least one movie quote in Movie Quote: EGM #192. Include your | this issue—spot one and you may have full name and mailing address (по РО already won our Game of the Month. All boxes!) in the e-mail. We'll pick three that’s left to do is e-mail the quote, the winners at random and send each of movie it's from, and the page you found them a copy of our GOTM. This issue’s it on to EGM@ziffdavis.com, subject: prize: Jade Empire. TIO • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com N Splinter Gell Chaos Theory • PS2/GC • Ubisoft • ESRB: M — For PS2 owners, stealth-action has an official name, and that name is...still Metal Gear Solid. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is a fantastic one-player game, with its intense, almost scary mix of hide-in-the-dark sneakery and Tom Clancy зру- ss fiction intrigue. And series fans can even appreciate the technical improve- у ments over predecessor Pandora Tomorrow, like sharper graphics and a “ы ! less frustrating detection system for when you're caught with your hands in the terrorists’ cookie jars. But it's the multiplayer versus play (intro- duced in Pandora) that has propelled Splinter Cell to all-time levels of „ж 2 greatness, and for Chaos Theory, this mode’s been severely castrated from what its Xbox cousin offers. It's pretty much exactly the same as what you got in the PS2 Pandora, with four new maps. That's it. No new gadgets, no new weapons, no new modes within this mode. We’re calling Р a big BS on this lazy travesty. i RD Ve & We don't have anything consoling to say to GameCube owners, бейге ИА. either—they’re even worse off in the multiplayer department. But at least the lack of online fun isn’t news to them.... 4 — —— ГІН all ONLINE FIGHT CLUB When you wanna | 5 4 си LL JI s reach out and touch Real World Education someone...with a ; kick to the jewels school of > Computer Animation > Digital Media > Game Design & Development Recording Arts Show Production & Touring 800.226.7625 iron Phoenix • XB • Sega • ESRB: T — А 16-player fulisail.com online fighting game sounds cool—imagine wall running, magic attacks, and sword fighting blended like a Jamba Juice—but when 1-on-1 combat is clumsy, 1-on-15 fights are a mess. The online options are nice, but since the story mode was cut from the final game, offline play is limited to arena battles. Lame. Spikeout: Battle Street e ХВ e Sega • ESRB: Т So old school you can feel the quarters slipping out of your pocket, Spikeout is a straightforward 3D brawler, dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century only because of its built-in online play. There’s not much depth here, and the CPU АЛ. is bor- dering on brain-dead, but it's worth a quick spin online, provided you can find a copy. ж 3300 University Boulevard Winter Park, FL 32792 Financial aid available to those who qualify Job placement assistance Accredited College, ACCSCT REVIEWS ARCHIVE oe All organized like a good game of Tetris ч; the омеп on. SCORES GAME SYSTEM VERDICT * (out of 10) AWARD American McGee Presents Scrapland XB W The broken-record gameplay forces you to play through repetitive missions 6.5 Asphalt Urban GT 08 ші you're looking for a great racing game for the DS... keep lookin’ 65 Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 PS2/XB W We salute B/A's brainy АЛ. and squad tactics—it's the best WWII shooter yet 8.5 Champions: Return to Arms Ps2 Wi Hack and/or slash to find cooler stuff that lets you hack and/or slash some more 7.5 Cold Fear PS2/XB W A lukewarm zombie game, but the exploding headshots never get old 6.0 Dead or Alive Ultimate xB Im The bouncing boobs of DOAS 7 and 2 look way nicer revamped for Xbox 70 Death by Degrees PS2 W We're grateful to have Nina on board—too bad decent gameplay didn't come with 5.0 Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening E The sequel gives us a new fighting-style system and some crazy combos 80 © SUPE zm 8 Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat вс W Why work when you can bang on the drum all day in this unconventional platformer? 8.0 м е Donkey Копда вс іш (Mostly) great songs and а quality bongo controller make for a lively party game 80 AR LOK. A RT | Шот: XB W We promise you'll Jump when things go bump in the night in this beautiful shooter 90 wean n. il Dynasty Warriors 5 Ps2 E They ve improved upon the series’ “hack-n-slash as a Chinese Rambo” gameplay 80 EA Sports Fight Night Round 2 PS2/XB/GC W We pity the fool who doesn't climb into the ring with this boxing champ 85 НҒА Street PS2/XB/GC W Soccer has been Street-ified, and it's decent but not great 6.5 Gran Turismo 4 PS2 т Still the best driving sim, but not a lot has changed since A-Spec 90 GunGriffon: Allied Strike хв W One of the Dreamcast's finest-looking robot shooters. Wait, this is an Xbox дате? 35 Kessen ІІ PS2 Wi Though cinematic and ambitious, it never manages any serious action or strategy 7.5 Lego Star Wars PS2/XB Wi Some fun disassembly is required when you use the Force to take apart battle droids 7.0 Mario Party 6 sc т Stil satisfying, but the rehashed board-game antics linger like an uninvited guest 6.0 MLB 2006 PS2 W The series tries to go for a hit, but it's still just a bunt compared to the competition 7.0 MLB 2K5 PS2/XB 18 Cranks one outta the park thanks to its innovative pitching system and spiffy visuals 8.0 Mortal Kombat: Deception GC W This bloated sequel has so many extra game modes that there's even MKchess 6.0 Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits 05 W Simple, addictive puzzle action that truly shines in its wireless multiplayer mode 7.5 Musashi Samurai Legend PS2 E This swordsman swings a mean blade, but repetitive levels hamper the fun 65 MVP Baseball 2005 PS2/XB/GC Ш Slick minigames make it the best hardball sim version yet 85 MX vs. ATV Unleashed РЅ2/ХВ ША worthy game that appeals to more than gearheads with its countless unlockables 8.0 Nanobreaker PS2 18 Go on a one-man blood drive in this wildly gory hack-n-slash adventure 75 МВА Street V3 PS2/XB/GC 18 Only His Airness soars higher than NBA Street's new arcade-rich roundballer 9.0 Phantom Dust хв W Amass more psychic powers than Miss Cleo in a slick arena-combat game 85 Ping Pals 05 W Be a pal and tell others not to waste an Andrew Jackson on this poor text messenger 1.5 Playboy: The Mansion W its a third-rate Sims clone, but with giant cartoon boobies 5.0 Pocket Kingdom: Own the World NG W The N-Gage's first online RPG, not that you can tell while playing 5.0 Pokémon Dash 05 Ші this mediocre Poké spin-off for tykes, rubbin' really is racing 5.0 bargain bin Project: Snowblind PS2/XB I The NRA has its poster game in this weapons-crammed futuristic blaster 8.0 bounty Psychonauts XB E Travel through minds to cure more crazies than shock therapy in this great game 8.0 The Punisher PS2/XB W The Punisher's spewed-out one-liners get more cringes than its violent gameplay 6.5 Red Ninja: End of Honor PS2/XB W Gameplay so horrible that it actually ruins a videogame with hot ninjas in panties 45 Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 Ps2 Wi Koko the gorilla has an easier time communicating than gamers in REO's online play 5.0 Ridge Racer DS 05 W Six-player wireless LAN races (on one cart): good; bad graphics and bad control: һай 6.5 Rise of the Kasai PS2 WW The stealth killin's easy when your numskull AJ partner's not getting in your way 60 Sega Classics Collection PS2 W Awesome Sega coin-ops are "updated" into monstrosities while Sega fans weep 45 Shadow of Rome PS2 Wi Blood spills, skulls spit, and meat falls off the bone in this fun gladiator adventure 6.5 Shining Tears PS2 W Dumb-as-dirt АЛ. muddles this otherwise likable action-RPG 65 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga W its Final Fantasy X plus Hinduism, plus Mad Max, but with a cliffhanger ending! 8.0 aM. Spider-Man 2 05 If your spider sense is on the fritz, let us warn you to avoid this ho-hum adventure 6.0 FULL SPECTRU Star Fox: Assault GC W “Dogs of war" takes on new meaning in this Nintendo comeback shooter series 8.0 Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Il W The satisfying sequel continues the trend of Star Wars games that don't suck | 85 WARRIOR Star Wars Republic Commando xB W Guide a squad of three smart stormtroopers that actually shoot the bad guys! 70 Street Fighter Anniversary Collection ХВ W Street Fighter | + Street Fighter ЇЇ = Street Fighter Awesome. But where's Alpha? 8.0 Super Mario 64 DS 05 W It's-a remake of one of the best platformers ever! Only its-a much harder to control 8.0 Tekken 5 Ps2 W The Iron Fist tournament may be getting a little rusty, but it comes with great extras 8.0 Tenchu: Fatal Shadows PS2 т Slick-looking stealth kills can't make up for a catastrophic camera 45 TimeSplitters: Future Perfect PS2/XB/GC W The ultimate twitch first-person shooter with a killer sense of humor 75 Tork: Prehistoric Punk XB W The platforming clichés in this punkosaurus have been around since the Stone Age 7.0 Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflicts XB 1а Fast-paced deathmatching that's ideal for gamers bored with Halo 2 85 Viewtiful Joe 2 PS2/GC W More of what you (hopefully) know and (should) love from Joe's first outing 80 m Xbox m Released: June 2004 т Original Scores: 8.0, 7.0, 8.0 If shooting at explodable barrels is the extent of your third-person strategy- shooter know-how, you obviously haven't played Full Spectrum Warrior yet. FSW's innovative new gameplay, however, did come with some flaws (sometimes your men won't follow orders), but we'll excuse a few trips WarioWare: Touched! 08 W lis wacky minigames keep you—and those watching you play—entertained | 90 WarioWare: Twisted! GBA W Spin your GBA like a nutcase in this collection of new three-second microgames 9.0 World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 PS2/XB Im Sorry, John Madden, but this із the new poster boy for sports-gaming realism | 95 Worms Forts: Under Siege PS2IXB W Weird fort building and stupid АЛ. make Worms gross again 65 while breaking new ground. For only Xenosaga Episode Il PS2 Wi Not Xenosaga Episode Il, but more like Xenosaga Episode |: The Deleted Scenes 7.5 $20, what are you waiting for? "Alpha Yoshi Touch & Go 05 W Draw clouds with the stylus and control the environment for Mario's green steed 7.5 Team, go! Go!” Ys МІ: The Ark of Napishtim PS2 ША solid, challenging action-RPG the way they used to make ‘em 75 *Games іп red denote previous Game of the Month winners. 112 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com AILS CC ae = А 5 z e = 5, en ourlmonthiy/plan } pa шшш ЫЫ 2 жене DR 2) Drop It Lik IRS Hot See eee 2 poly2811| Ў | = = шт ы > a Mc ) Numb/Encore © poly2812 | NU itine Favorites (ШЕР J J Ј ја 7 more 4) Milkshake poly2813 39 Red Balloons poly2820 ® (“ (“ (“ pore 7 5) Bad Boys [Cops Theme) waa Another Brick In The Wall poly2821 За m) ad Boys (Cops Theme poly. 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Monthly Plans Polyphonic Ringtones | Color Wallpapers Sound FX Jamster! Tones | Animated Wallpapers Realsounds In Your Monthly In Your Monthly In Your Monthly In Your Monthly In Your Monthly In Your Monthly Giga Plan Pic Plan Sound Plan Maxi Plan Move Plan Silver Plan 3 Polyphonic Tones 6 Color Wallpapers é Sound FX 8 Jamster! Tones. 6 Animated Wallpapers 3 Realtones + 6 Mega-Wallpapers + 6 Mega-Funsounds +6 Mega-Wallpapers + 8 Mega-Wallpapers + 6 Mega-Funsounds + 2 Mega-Wallpapers + 6 Standard Software + 6 Standard Software + 6 Standard Software + 8 Standard Software +6 Standard Software & Musicnews & Gossipnews & Gossipnews & Musicnews &Gossipnews & Musicnews | Polyphonic Ringtones: 664015, 64011; MOTOROLAV180, V220, V300, V400, V600; NOKIA 3100, 3200, 3595, 6010; SAMSUNG X426, X427; | SIEMENS CF62T; SONYERICSSON T226 Wallpapers: C1300, LG 64015; MOTOROLA V180, V220, V300, V400, V600; NOKIA 3100, 3200, 3595, 6010; SAMSUNG X426, X427; SIEMENS CF62T; SONYERICSSON 7226 Sound FX: LG C1300, 64015, 64020; MOTOROLA V180, V220, V300, V400, V600; NOKIA 3200, 3300; SAMSUNG E105, E316, E715, X426, X427 Animated Wallpapers: MOTOROLA V220, V300, V400, V505, V600; NOKIA 3100, 3650, 6600, 6620, N-Gage QD; SIEMENS 61, M56; SONYERICSSON T610, 1616, 7637 Realsounds: LG 64015, C1300, 64020, 11150, 11400, MOTOROLA V300, V220, V551, V400, V600, V180, V505; SAMSUNG X426, X427 27M, D415; NOKIA 6600, 6230, 3650, N-Gage QD, 320 mmm m m m md ЫСЫ в шш шй ICD ананас ссп ышпыл а umm 3m plans are subject to the terms & conditions available at www.jamster.com and are each $5.99/month. Plans are automatically renewed П. 3 not cancelled. Credits redeemable only on www.jamster.com. You must be at least 13 years of age and have your parents and/or bill payer's | permission. Normal carrier charges (WAP, GPRS, SMS) apply. Do not resend your order if you do not receive the product. To cancel your plan send a text message “stop” to 75555. In case of questions please contact customer services at infoldjamster.com or call 1-866-856-JAMS. A bonus supplement to Electronic Gaming Monthly AHEAD ОҒ THE GAME Sam Fisher’s latest is just as much fun on the go. Cloud returns to the slopes. Layeth the smack- down, wirelessly. Pistons Lakers * Power meter charges up special playsılike alley- • All 30 NBA teams and fully updated rosters . Full-court two-on-two - | У. d| • Update d graphics T ürt kon slams and real-time М ction, qi m d gameplay and... “. p Play a,single game or a S 2 Зе. full season - Я "usc — N м M а ym — ж —- calf Ж verivonwireless JAMDAT Mobile Inc ©2005. All Rights Reserved. JAMDAT, JAMDAT Mobile and the bubbles logo are registered trademarks of JAMDAT Mobile Inc, All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used with permission. NBA identifications are the intellectual property of NBA Properties, Inc. © 2005 NBA Properties, Inc. Get It Now is a service mark of Verizon Wireless. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2004 Verizon Wireless. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used with permission Chaos Theory is the latest installment in Ubisoft’s popular espionage series and the second Splinter Cell title to be featured on N-Gage. This time around, developer Gameloft didn’t place Sam Fisher in a 2D sprite- based environment; rather it’s managed to port Chaos Theory to the mobile phone in all its 3D glory—minus the power of a home console, of course. The result is a game that remains true to the look and feel of Splinter Cell, cap- turing the heart-pounding thrills in a portable format, but it’s not quite perfect. To date, Chaos Theory is the finest display of the N-Gage's overall gaming abilities, yet there are a few areas of inconsistency that, on top of the challenging gameplay, make the game a bit more frustrating than it needs to be. The NSA black-ops agent Sam Fisher of Third Echelon is back at it again, traveling the world ona mission to stop any threat to the safety of America. The order in which missions are played is con- sistent with the console releases, but modifications have been made to work within the limita- tions of the N-Gage hardware. Gameloft has redesigned each map, making the levels smaller and easier to navigate within the confines of a cell phone screen. This hasn't altered the gameplay in any major sense, but because Splinter Cell is a 3D game, certain camera issues become problem- atic. The manual camera rotation and the inability to zoom your point of view away from the char- acter onscreen make it difficult to see surrounding obstacles, especially in confined spaces WIRELESS GUIDE А bonus supplement to Electronic Gaming Monthlu such as elevator shafts. Aside from the single-player mode, players have access to the N-Gage Arena to upload scores from each mission, as well as a multiplayer mode which uses Bluetooth wireless for coopera- tive play. The manual camera system is controlled via the keypad and takes some getting used to. However, when mastered, the camera offers tight control, use- ful in situations where finely tweaking accuracy is important. It comes in handy when sneaking toward unsuspecting enemies, almost making up for the lack of an analog stick. All of the play mechanics of Splinter Cell titles remain—you can switch the lights on and off, pick locks, climb poles, and slit an oppo- nent's throat—but it's the sen- Sitivity of stealth maneuvering that poses a problem for this N-Gage game. Graphically, the 3D models and variations in lighting and texturing are impressive feats for the N-Gage. There's such depth in level design and atten- tion to detail that you'd be hard- pressed to find an N-Gage title that comes close to the quality of Chaos Theory. Amon Tobin's incredibly composed soundtrack from the console versions is also nicely represented here, adding to the already rich atmosphere. Stealth games are a sophisti- cated genre for the sophisticated gamer, and not all players have the patience or the attention span for the slow, finicky maneu- vers of black ops. You either love it or you despise it, and very rarely are you somewhere in between. For those looking for an alternative to fast-moving genres overloaded with visual stimuli, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is a brilliant change of pace. UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS TO YOUR CELL... Join The Mob TODAY for unlimited ringtones, wallpapers and games to your cell. Now there’s an offer you can't refuse. Latest Ringtones Title SATISFACTION GUARANTEED 47! m таи The Mob promises to Numb/Encore Remix 25608 give you the best Lovers & Friends 22602 service and the latest Disco Inferno 22806 downloads to your cell. 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Developer Exient has done a fine job animating the impacts of the brutal wrestling moves—stomps, falls, runs, kicks, and punches truly look and feel painfully realistic (all the more so with the aide of N-Gage’s vibration feature). Aftershock sports some of today’s biggest WWE superstars, including Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Booker T, Ray Mysterio, Triple H, Edge, Ric Flair, Undertaker, and Big Show. But unlike WWE Smackdown, which lacks many game features because of Java software limitations, Aftershock fea- tures character that look dis- tinct and can perform their famed signature moves. WWE Aftershock also features multi- player gameplay via Bluetooth and should be available by the time your read this. Square Enix delivers a treat for mobile gamers Squenix fans, your prayers have There are two modes in the БЕНЕН been heard! That's right—Cloud reprises his role in the snowboard- ing minigame from Final Fantasy Vil on your mobile phone. 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To me, the words “Perfect Strangers” might as Massacred kids sold separately. well be “Tingle Dingle Banana Man” because | don’t know what you’re talk- ing about. That’s how smart I am. For the purposes of this article, however, | put down my science calcu- lator and researched television— specifically, games based on what are commonly called “shows” or “TV W Biker, alien, child predator. Knight Rider е NES The TV Show: Michael Knight and his talking car drive the hell through what- ever they want. The Game: It's like a cross between Rad Racer (NES) and something сара- ble of deleting the word “rad” out of things you cross it with. The only thing that saves this garbage is that they didn’t bother to program a system that disapproves of you massacring inno- cents. Just hold down KITT’s machine- gun button, because if a school bus is caught in the cross fire, so be it. The game understands that those exploded Corpses shouldn’t have been driving so Close to your knight riding. You can turbo jump over innocent cars if you don’t feel like shooting them, but this only kills them with awesome instead. TURBO JUMP! ALF • Sega Master System The TV Show: A family loves it as their alien houseguest comically wants to eat cats. The Game: You're on a grand quest to get off this planet of delicious cats, and your only companions are the five repeating beeps of the theme song. You'll soon learn to hate them. No matter what kind of underwater sala- mi-using adventures you find ALF involved in, the theme music will make it feel as though you’re living the same three seconds again and again and again. The theme music sounds like it was taken straight from a recording of a robot trying to annoy his older robot brother on a really long car trip. And this raises more ques- tions than it answers. It's not very much like the show at all, but as luck would have it, that fact could not It may suck, but it’s still about driving the hell through whatever you want, possibly be important to any living thing. shows.” Or, sometimes, Hee Haw. | rated the 10 worst ones of all time. (The first five are featured here. Part two comes next month.) Each game got an Accuracy rating. This score is out of 10; a score of 1 would be the equivalent of a game about Frasier that isn’t about making out with your own brother, and a score of 10 would be for a game based on Jean-Claude Van Damme which uses only two but- tons—one to do the splits and another to punch someone in the dong. This same game would also score an Accuracy rating of 10 if it were based on Frasier. —Seanbaby The TV Show: Zap, Laser, and Turbo team up with the culmination of all of mankind’s tennis-ball-launching technol- ogy to gladiate like real Americans. The Game: They did their best to make the events similar to the ones on the show, like Running Into Idiot Holding Pad and Pectoral Lube Face-off. Each lasts only a few seconds, so once you figure out what you're looking at is a tiny bikini girl in a hamster ball and you're supposed to steer her into a steam-squirting ball dock while other girls’ balls smash American Gladiators А NES Nerf Crossbow versus Tennis Ball Gun: The eternal conflict rages on. against you, your crotch is still trying to figure out how to react when it ends. This quick “end it before they notice it’s bad” feature is great for reviewers having to play a bunch of old TV videogames, because an entire game takes only a few minutes. And it’s nice to finally be able to say authoritatively, “I hate every single thing that will ever happen in this game.” It's as faithful a translation of the show as you can hope for, except that it’s missing one key component: | can't masturbate to this. 120 • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com * Disqualified, but Worthy, Contestants As a courtesy to me, these deservedly bad TV games were left off the list since | already reviewed them once, and the editors know just enough about savage murder to not ask me to write an entirely new That's So Raven review: That's So Raven (GBA), Monster Garage (XB), Dora the Explorer (GBA), Gilligan’s Island (NES), and Fear Factor (GBA). MARTHA TIME 16 VALUE | NO LETTER 025 % 200 Wheel of Fortune Starring Vanna White е NES The TV Show: A motorcycle pilot battles sharks along the bottom of the ocean on a quest to cure his amnesia. Right? The Game: It's really her—TV's Vanna White! I'm not sure how they pulled it off, but they actually got Vanna White, star of both Wheel of Fortune the TV show and the cover of Wheel of Fortune, the Home Version to star in the game! And not only does a swamp-creaturey digitized picture of her appear each time you start, a tiny graphic fitting her vague description slowly turns letters as you play! Wow! So in summation: Vanna White is a swamp creature and has to be stopped. Vanna White but no Pat Sajak? €» What, did the eight pixels that sort of look like Pat Sajak want too much money? W Warning: actually a racing game. American Chopper е XB The TV Show: Quick! Make a sweet motorcycle! The Game: The game focuses more on racing motorcycles than on building | them—which would normally be a | smart way to go since motorcycle repair and maintenance, traditionally, | hasn't translated well to videogames. | Well in this case, neither does motor- cycle racing. A court order won't allow me close enough to test this 100-per- cent true theory, but this game is so boring that if you put it in front of Robin Williams, it would turn him into a normal human. Sometimes it's hard to write funny lines about videogames when they're this boring. So this line is about what would happen if a fat person sat on a chair made out of banana peels: ha ha ha. $h (to be continued...) ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY e www.tUP.com • 121 game over FINALWORD What до Zelda апа Топу Hawk have in common?* round the offices, Previews А Editor Shane Bettenhausen and 1UP.com Managing Editor (and EGM alum) Che Chou are con- stantly arguing about videogames like two frustrated (and possibly sexually repressed) nerds, so we invited them to put their thoughts down on paper in this month’s Final Word.... Your God says you can have only one offline and one online game for the rest of 2005. What would you pick? Shane: I'd have to choose the new Legend of Zelda for my offline option—I've been а devoted fan of the series for goin’ on 20 years, and this one looks to be the best yet. And in the online arena, I'd choose Phantasy Star Universe: Рт sure to get my money's worth with a few hundred hours of gorgeous online RPG action. Che: Zelda’s a pretty safe choice, but like most of Link’s adventures, it’s fun only on the virgin run. For my gaming penitentiary, I'm gonna have to go with something with 122» ELECTRONIC, ING MONTHLY infinite replayability—like Lumines on PSP. Talk about puzzle-gaming nirvana. It's one of those games that keeps on giving long after you've hit that high-score goal you initially set for yourself. Online? I'd choose Phantom Dust on Xbox, a highly competi- tive and addictive action/card-battle game with a growing community out there. Shane: Picking games that аге already out for the rest of 20057 How lame is that? And I've been playing Lumines for two months and the thrill has long since worn off...who wants to play a puzzle game for an hour to unlock new stuff? Che: When will you young pups learn that newer doesn’t always mean better? And if unlocking stuff is the only reason you're playing Lumines, I'm afraid you've missed the point entirely. Have fun playing Zelda for the fifth time. Why is Electronic Arts bad for the industry? Shane: | don't actually think that EA Sports is bad. If sports fans are willing to pay $50 for updated stats and a few tweaks, let "ет. | do feel that EA's non- sports games tend to be disappointing, ө • www 1UPcom however: Most are licensed properties, and all but a scant few offer slickly produced yet highly derivative experiences that are all too predictable. Slogging through a game like The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age was pure pain for me-—no spark of inspiration, no innova- tion, no reason for it to exist other than to cash in on a demographic. EA's games seem to be born in marketing meetings. Che: EA's design-by-committee games often lack soul and spark. It's a multibil- lion-dollar company, but would it ever invest a few million into unproven projects like Namco's Katamari Damacy? Sadly, not in our lifetimes. With great power comes great responsibility. | feel that as a major development force in the industry, EA has a responsibility to push the envelope of game design. It’s in a position to flex its marketing muscles and promote truly cre- ative games for the gaming masses. W Can we just go one Final Word without someone mentioning Lumines? Guess not. development cycles, so gamers receive similar (yet good) games over and over and over again... “Tony Hawk needs to give it a damn rest.” Why is Electronic Arts good for the industry? Shane: Well, let's see here...recently, it has picked up smaller, high-quality fran- chises like Burnout, TimeSplitters, and Oddworld. This goes a long way toward making EA seem like a company that actually cares about putting out creative, cool games. Che: Well, as an industry insider, one rea- son | like EA is that because they do design-by-committee, they’re always good about asking editors what they didn’t like about a particular title, especially if it's gotten bad reviews (*cough* Medal of Honor: Rising Sun *cough*). Although I don’t always see its games on the path of improvement, 1 do like the sentiment. Hey, it makes me feel less worthless! What gaming franchise has got m to 90? Or at least take an extended vacation... Shane: I'd actually nomi- nate three good franchis- es: Ratchet & Clank, Splinter А Cell, and Prince of Persia. The games are consistent, but | really don’t want to be playing one every year. It's nearly impossible for the develop- ment teams to really push the envelope with short Che: | agree with Splinter Cell. Ubisoft's pretty much perfected the stealth game- play formula, so what's the point of another sequel? It’s not like the series has an especially compelling story and ultra- fleshed-out characters. With Prince of Persia, | want the developers to bring back the magic from Sands of Time and ditch the ridiculous angst from the sequel. And a special request from [EGM Managing Editor] Jen Tsao that | agree with: Tony Hawk needs to give it a damn rest. You’re retired in real life—let that reflect your gaming persona as well. Thanks! ris LEA ғ HYRULE HIJINK GRUDGE MATCH 6 | Рагкзтакегз ог Оіскепѕ? (Solution on раде 124) ACROSS 1. Nintendo 64’s Zelda mask 6. Use Link’s sword 12. Bloody Roar's bunny rabbit 13. Game opener 14. What Link’s iron boots help him do in water 15. Competition for the DS? 18. Resident Evil quote: “You _ the F. Aid Spray” 19. Atari 2600 fiscal-themed game, _ Avoiders 20. Zelda currency 21. “Bouncy” King of Fighters gal 22. Evolution Soccer's (arcade) obvious acronym 23. PS2 karaoke title, for short 24. Ocarina of Time wall-crawler 27. N64 Zelda bad guy 31. 8-bit Nintendo’s _! Noid 33. Like a Sky Odyssey double-winged plane 34, Bad guy of 17 down 36. Return of the King beast 38. Object of Get on da Mic 39, Like a preplayed game 41. Shoot Zelda's Gohma in this to defeat him 42. Like PSP’s Wipeout 43. Final Fantasy power move, _ Break to keep from overheating Benjamin Lots and lots of 45. Street Fighter Rolento’s weapon 37. Chrono Cross kid's favorite Heckendorn’s pictures 46. Magical subjects of | exclamation alternative 47. Chubby, smiley race introduced in 38. Ocarina of Time’s Zora princess E а a Ocarina of Time DOWN 1. Link’s baddest-ass sword 2. Jennifer Garner’s videogame debut 3. Kooky, European Р51 jester game 4. Spider-Man 25 Doc 5. Like Code: Veronica or Survivor (abbrv.) 7. Obscure ’80s home computer/game system -99 8. Thrown by some zombies in Resident Evil 4 9. X-Men are the children of this, on PS1 10. Die like Chrono Trigger's Frog? 11. Zelda’s Deku Tree lives in this forest 15. Link can do it to move some blocks in Zelda dungeons 16. Nintendo Game Boy Advance _ 17. NES extermination game _-erminator 25. How Halo 2 hooks up locally 26. Zelda’s kingdom 28. Tactics or Battle 29. One half of NES’s Rescue Rangers 30. What fruit does in Baten Kaitos 32. Saturn RPG Legend of _ 33. Like Praxis of Jak II 35. What you must watch in Excitebike 40. Lose all your hearts in most any Zelda game 42. Average, in Mario Golf 44. Lara Croft’s series, for short 45. Donatello’s Ninja Turtles staff PSP —— do READING Now that folks can finally buy the handheld that puts most home A/V systems to shame, what’s the point in reading anything besides the PSP instruction manual? Will commuters truly trade their Tom Clancy novel for Sony’s potent portable? Let’s look at the odds.... BIGGEST SUPPORTERS ЕЯ Н Sony executive Kaz Hirai Reading Rainbow’s ? LeVar Burton T AD CAMPAIGN Swingin' TV spots and a giant PSP billboard Posters featuring people who probably can't PERSONAL BENEFITS Improves hand-eye coordination Improves brain-mouth coordination COST EFFECTIVENESS Some bundles fetch more than a PS2, Xbox, and GameCube combined Free, at least until Barnes & Noble closes CROSSOVER Can teach you the letters X, L, 0, and Rwhile playing Death, Jr. You'll learn 22 more letters, but without Death, Jr, what's the point? ABCDEFGHII KLMNOPQRS TUVWXYZ LIFE WITHOUT IT Handheld maker PEOPLE WHO SEE YOU DOING IT THINK “Friggin’ geek” “Friggin’ geek” game over NEXT MONTH: JULY • ISSUE "193 ON SALE MAY 31 XBOX 2 & PERFECT DARK ZERO We're going to unveil the Xbox 2 then offer our thoughts on this next-gen console. Also, we’re going to give you previews of all the Xbox 2 launch games—just to collect as much drool as possible on our pages. Plus, we got an exclusive on Perfect Dark Zero: the biggest Xbox 2 launch game. Supposedly, this game will do for Xbox 2 what Halo did for the first Xbox. Well-made sequels starring spy hotties like Joanna Dark are fine, but we think some videogame characters are really pushing their expiration dates. We get developers to really open up about their phobia of making original games. The developers may be reluctant when | comes to new franchises, but not as much as some of us are on the upcoming Star Wars movie. We look at past Star Wars games and give you our take on the ultimate Star Wars videogame. Our daydreaming about the perfect Star Wars game may get in the way of our videogame reviewing, but they have robots for that now. We found a robot that plays t it PREVIEWS / 18 Xbox 2 launch lineup. Wi Black (PS2/XB) Wi Battlefield: Modern Combat (PS2/XB/GC) 2 Ш Kingdom Hearts ІІ (PS2) | W Midnight Club 3: DUB Edit Destroy All Humans! (PS2/XI Ші Rainbow Six: Lockdown GC) 4 I Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA) Super Mario Bros. and more examples of E She won't be sid ue nis (GBA) weird gaming science as we continue to looking like this look into the future of gaming. anymore. (All planned editorial content is subject to change.) ADVERTISER INDEX HYRULE Academy of Art University Gillette Company (The) Sony Online Entertainment www.academyart.edu ................ „101 www.gillette.com . . HIJINKS on page 123 ACTIVISION JAMDAT Mobile Inc. www.activision.com . www.jamdatmobile.com . Blockbuster, Inc. Koei Corporation Take 2 Interactive www.blockbuster.com www.koei.com ... www.take2games.com Capcom USA Inc. Konami America The Mob www.capcom.com www.konami.com . www.mob.tv .. Collins College Majesco Games ‘THQ Inc. www.collinscollege.edu .. www.majescogames.com . www.thg.com ....... Dirty Hippo Microsoft Ubisoft Entertainment wwwadirtyhippo.com ................. 119 wwwmicrosofLcom ..... www.ubisoft.com .. 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TT Bl HAWK DI [j ж 7 те IT] 2) ү Пет) ПШ NOVALOGIC NOVALOGIC AVAILABLE IN JUNE! 5/18/2005! RECEIVE $10 TRADE-IN CREDIT i ı TOWARD DELTA FORCE: BLACK HAWK DOWN FOR XBOX OR PLAYSTATION 2 | WHEN YOU TRADE IN A QUALIFYING XBOX OR PLAYSTATION 2 GAME. | Trade-in offer not valid at ЕВдатез сот. Limit 5 trade-in games per customer. Customer may be responsible for sales tax in some states. | Some games are excluded from trade. Games require boxes and instructions. Cannot be combined with any other ofer or promotion. Not valid on previous purchases. No substitutions can be made. No rain checks will be issued. Some exclusions may apply, See Sales Associate | for complete details. Typographical errors are not the responsibilty of EB Games. Offer valid now through 5/31/2005. EBC3 Delta Force: Black Hawk Down PS2 (sku: 256211-4) XB (sku: 255230-5) 30 CALL 1-800-800-5166 FOR THE STORE — YOU OR VISIT US AT www.EBgames.com 120032005 Напао, ве. 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No profitis таае Тот езе ѕсапѕ, погао ме опегапу па аманабе от е publishers themselves: І уошсоте асгоз5 апуопе SAI inte) ге!еаве5 от 115 51е, ріеаѕеа пов 50ррог (пет апа (90) [е (ЛЕ NZ Thank you!