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SERIOUS SAM FACTION 2 3 > 20150185029 Ills * RESIDENT EVIL ZERO H e” MECHASSAULT LA SUIKODEN 3 Е DECEMBER 2002 жест" ЖЧ à * HE: ~ — та ANULANME ssues) #116 Dee PG.51 | LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN OURS? DEVASTATOR COME ON, IT'S CALLED THE DEVASTATOR. IT STANDS FOR RIP YOU A NEW ONE. GET IT? | ESIC. SETS GUST SAY THE RESULTS NOT PRETTY. OU AITENNON TO NOSE РАТ 1 “NO TRESPASSING” SIGNS. Пи à н TAUNTER WALLOPER MORPH-0-RAY DID SOMEBODY ORDER CHICKEN? є HIDRO | °, ПОРШЕ | PYROCITOR © WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR ENEMIES MEDIUM OR WELL-DONE? VISIBUTITH REMOTE CONTROLLED MISSILE WITH A MOUNTED CAMERA THAT GUIDES IT STRAIGHT INTO YOUR ENEMY-SAY CHEESE. scam grip THE KLAR A NEV ONE. S vou BECIDE HOW. Mild Violence PlayStation. FOR MANKIND SOUNDTRACK ALBUMS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON EPIC RECORDS WWW.VICECITYRADIO.COM Violence ER МУ к= a Strong Language = БЕРІС = Blood and Gore Еш] Strong Sexual Context ESRB PlayStation. NS WWW.ROCKSTARGAMES.COM/VICECITY “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © 2002 Rockstar Games, Inc. Rockstar Games, the Rockstar Games logo,Rockstar North and the Rockstar North logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Rockstar Games and Rockstar North are subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All other marks and trademarks are properties of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved. Note: Rockstar will be following IDSA quidelines for M rated games in the marketing of this game, This game contains violent language and behavior and may nol be appropriate for persons under the age of 17. 1 з à comic interpretation of gangster activity and the story, names and incidents portrayed herein are fictitious, No identification or similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is intended or should be inferred. Any resemblance 5 coincidental. The makers and publishers of this videogame do not in any way endorse, condone or encourage this kind of behavior. ER FÊ Fight zombies, vampires and ghouls on your own as Attack 20 types of creatures in swarms of up to 30 Slay in brutal single- and multi-player action one of 4 unique Hunters, or battle evil cooperatively at once using 20 melee, ranged and spell weapons— through 23 huge environments, including a prison, with up to 4 players on a single screen. from swords to axes and flamethrowers. gothic church, cemetery and torture chamber. DIS тй & » à Blood and Gore y Nz Violence MAYHEM Hunter: The Reckoning © 2002 Interplay Entertainment Corp. All rights reserved. AtlasTech Game Engine trademark 2000 High Voltage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed for Interplay Entertainment Corp. by High Voltage Software, Inc., under license from White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Hunter The Reckoning is a registered trademark of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Interplay, the Interplay logo, Digital Mayhem and the Digital Mayhem logo are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other copyrights and trademarks are property of their respective owners. TM, ®, and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. SIR THE RECKONING DELIVER US FROM EVIL. www.interplay.com/hunter TECMO 100% GAMES JOIN RYGAR ON AN EPIC JOURNEY THROUGH MYTHOLOGICAL WORLDS AND ENVIRONMENTS WHERE HUNDREDS OF LURKING MONSTERS, SAVAGE BEASTS AND TITANS AWAIT TO DENY YOU PASSAGE. YOUR WEAPON OF CHOICE...THE ALMIGHTY DISKARMOR. IT BECOMES THE ESSENTIAL TOOL IN YOUR QUEST FOR VICTORY. SWING. SLASH AND DESTROY THE ENEMY TO SAVE YOUR ONE TRUE LOVE, PRINCESS HARMONIA, BRINGING THE ISLAND OF ARGUS BACK ТО A STATE OF PEACE. ` BECOME THE HERO. BECOME THE LEGEND. BECOME RYGAR. RATING PENDING E Visit www.esrb.org | R койа | $ f ог more info. PlayStation. D, dz Тесто, Inc. PMB #5553 21213-B Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503 p (310) 944 trademarks of Tecmo LTD, The ratings icon 15 a trademark of the Interactive J 1 (310) 944-3344 f [Л у Adventure” Software Association. "PlayStati Family logo are XOX CONTENT RATED BY © 2002 Free Radical Desi in Limited. TimeSplitters 2, Fi interactivo, ine © 2002 Eidos пишаа: еар ан % тео Radical Design and associated logos are vadomarks о Free Наш са) Design Limited. А пум reserved. Published tion” an. d the "PS: Family GameCube and are used under license trom Microsoft. TM, @ and the Nintendo. their respective owners. All rights reserved, ` т ; 3 „ 4.75 out of 5 - “A Brilliant Game Nintendo Power Editor's Choice Award - “Awesome - IGN Silver AwarÛ™ Editor's Choice “Heir Apparent to GoldenEye” - Electronic Gaming Monthly “First Halo, Now This” - Xbox Nation OUT NOW EIDOS и by Eidos Interactive Inc Eidos, Eidos Interactive, and tho Eidos interactive logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are eilher registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Со logo are trademarks of Nintendo. ©2082 Ninfende E dos fo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital itware Association, All other titles, trademarks, characters. i COVER STORY 38 ENTER THE MATRIX Unfortunately, Morpheus was wrong when he said that, "No one can be told what the Matrix is." Follow the white rabbit into a world not based on a movie – but a world that explains and expands on a movie. FEATURE FEATURE HOLIDAY SURVIVAL RARE JUMPS FROM GUIDE THE CUBE TO THE BOX Holiday Sam shows up again to usher the merchandizing Questions keep pouring in about $ rush of late December into the living rooms of America. what Microsoft's purchase of ý 3 Survive with Game Informer's help, wisdom, experience, Rare means to the p We A? and shameless admittance of the traps that truly matter — us gamers. Calm we've succumbed to in the past. Don't repeat our mistakes! your fears and 1 breed new ones about Microsoft's adopted child. "| FEATURE | DUDE OR DWEEB DN Freud would have a field day with us. Tap into the inner you! Own up to your dysfunc- tion! Revel in generalizations of gamers — they became stereotypes for a reason. 10 GAME INFORMER GAMEPRO, 5.0 score GAMEZONE, Editors’ Chóice: GAMEOVER, Gamer's Choice award XBox EVOLVED, Gold Medal THE ARMCHAIR EMPIRE, 10/10 UGO, A- score GAME VORTEX, 9 of 10 ANOTHER LIFE. Play any character you can ша he heroic warrior to fs Secret. assassin?” OWN THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED RPG FOR XBOX" IGN, itis Choice ADRENALINE VAULT, Seal of Excellence GAME INDUSTRY NEWS, 5 gems ^ GAMESPOT, Game-of-the-month GDXBox, GD Drool award XBOX MANIACS, Editors’ Choice GAME CHRONICLES, Editors’ Choice GAMES DOMAIN, Top Game award | TEAM XBOX, ШК о nates INVISIBLE DREAM, 99% rating = + GAME RANKINGS, 96% score к 7 NEXT LEVEL GAMING, 5 of 6 ~ GAMINGWORLDX, 9.0 score GAMING TARGET, 9.0 score - Violence pi "к EDITOR’S FORUM Let's face it, the editors who work at this magazine are crazier than a craphouse rat. Take a look at Chet's blurb – that wasn't written by a sane person, pal! GI SPY The Game Informer paparazzi stalks the video game industry, bringing you candid photos of all the action. DEAR GI We like subtitles in games, too. Is single- player going the way of the dodo? Flash Monkey tries to state the obvious. What about the devil of Microsoft and the angel of Rare? NCAA rules are flaky. NEWS BMX ХХХ faces retail resistance. Sega brings the old-school to PS2. Tolkien goes online with Sierra. Think that you could’ve pulled off Titanic for $15? GBA and PS2 upgrades rumored. More Myst! PREVIEWS Beach babes that used to kick booty, but now show theirs off in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Final Fantasy after the online venture gets some coverage, Primal shows what it’s got so far, and Dragon’s Lair 3D looks good and makes us feel old. 12 GAME INFORMER REVIEWS The best part of Christmas – new games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Contra: Shattered Solider on PS2. GameCube ups the ante with Resident Evil О and Mario Party 4. Baldur's Gate, TimeSplitters 2, Dr. Muto, and Serious Sam hold court for Xbox. PC comes up with Unreal Tournament 2003 and Earth & Beyond. GBA lets Spyro play with Contra, Sega Smash Pack, and Aggressive Inline. CHARTS What's hot? What's not? What's up? What's down? It's not NASDAQ, it's the Retail Sales Data and the Gl editors’ Top 10 Games. PLAY TO PERFECTION Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is here in full force. Get back on the good side of the bad guys by executing missions with expert Skill, determination, and precision. We'll help you less...colorful...types get there quickly with a full Miami — we mean Vice City – walkthrough and tips. SECRET ACCCESS No lumps of coal for the loyal GI readers. Santa Secret Access lets the codes out for your holiday vacation. CLASSIC GI Play Yoshi's Island with exceptional skill on the new GBA port or the original SNES. Wanna bring back the Sega CD? Some peo- ple are – and making new content for myri- ad "retired" systems. ETC What do Madonna action figures, an Alone in the Dark comic book, a wireless PS2 controller, and the Animatrix all have in common? Nothing, but they're all in ETC this month. x GAM GAME Aggressive Inline Airforce Delta Storm. Antz Extreme Racing Aquaman. . ATV: Quad Power Racing. Baulder's Gate: Dark Allian BloodRayne (GC). BloodRayne (Xbox) . Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter . Colin McRae Rally3....... Command & Conquer Generals Contra Advance: The Alien Wars EX INDEX Def Jam Vendetta. Divine Divinity. Doom |... Dr. Muto (PS2) Dr. Muto (Xbox) Dragon's Lair 3D . Earth & Beyond Evolution Skateboarding Evolution Worlds . FIFA 2003 . Final Fantasy X-2. 5a Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension . Ghost Recon . A Grand Theft Auto: Vice City . Hitman 2 .. HyperSonic Xtreme . Legend of Zelda, The. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (ОВА)... Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (PS2) . . . Monopoly Party Monsters, Inc. Ser NBA Starting Five. ae ‚123 NHL 2K3 .. . 142 No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way .. Outlaw Golf Primal .. Rally Fusion: Race of Champions . Ratchet & Clank Red Faction II. Reign of Fire Resident Evil 0. Ripping Friends: The World's Most Manly Men, The . . . . Robotech: Battlecry ....... Robotic Alchemic Drive. Rocky... RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 . . Rygar: The Legendary Adve! Sega Smash Pack Serious Sam .. Shinobi. . Silent Hill Simpsons Skateboarding . Skies of Arcadia Legends . Sonic Mega Collection . Spyro 2: Season of Flame SSX Tricky Star Wars: Star Wars: The Clone Wars . Steel Battalion ....... Stronghold: Crusader Suikoden III ..... Super Bust-A-Move 2 TimeSplitters 2 (GC). TimeSplitters 2 (PS2) TimeSplitters 2 (Xbox) . Tony Hawk's Pro Skater б Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (PS2). Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 (Xbox) Unreal Tournament 2003 . Virtual-On Marz ...... WWE SmackDown: Shut Your Mouth . X-Men Next Dimension. Zapper: One Wicked Cri “THIS GAME IS BRUTAL FUN. PLAY IT, LOVE IT, LIVEIT an INSANE game сом ^ - Gamespy t cum t 18 У EA IET M UNDERGROUND TEAM COMBAT Win Killer prizes in the Serve Up the Punishment Sweepstakes’ at * http://deathrou.ubi.com - О0О [ову : SU TAE Ubi Soft Strong Language Use of Drugs A POO GSE PT www.ubi.¢om Violence inre! logo ore registered trademarks of U by Lobo served, Ubi Soft and the Ubi Soft 999-2001 Dolby Lobs. Al rights reserved. Bolby is o roc RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION NOW! Without a monthly fix of Game Informer, you start to get cold sweats, your hands start shaking, and you hallucinate that bugs are crawling under your skin. So why suffer? Be safe and check the address label on your current issue. It tells you how many issues you have left. B48 P24 FEEEREX d EAA SERN 2: E 60156 ШИР ABER РА РРА РМ РАРА ГИ 1001 JOHN Q GAMER ISSUE 123 MAIN STREET ANYTOWN US 12345-1234 10 OF 12 Don’t delay! Send in the subscription card inside or, for faster service, order with credit card by calling (612) 486-6100. 14 GAMEINFORMER AMEINFORM DECEMBER 2002 Volume ХИ * Number 12 • Issue 116 Cathy Preston EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrew McNamara EDITORS Executive Editor Andrew Reiner Senior Associate Editor Matt Helgeson Associate Editors Kristian Brogger • Justin Leeper • Matthew Kato • Chet Barber Copy Editor/Contributing Writer Lisa Mason Contributing Writer Steve Kent Mascot Arthur PRODUCTION Art Director Thomas Blustin Production Director Curtis Fung Production Assistant Rachel Nimerfroh Photographer Michael Gitler ADVERTISING SALES Rob Borm Doug Faust (612) 486-6155 • Fax (612) 486-6101 (650) 728-5647 * Fax (650) 728-5648 rob@gameinformer.com doug@gameinformer.com Advertising Account Executive Amy Arnold • (612) 486-6154 amy@gameinformer.com CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT For change of address or subscription inquiry only: phone: (612) 486-6100 Fax: (612) 486-6101 email: customerservice@gameinformer.com or send correspondence to: 724 North First St., 4th Floor * Minneapolis, MN 55401 • Attn: CIS Dept Circulation Manager Paul Anderson (612) 486-6104 paul@gameinformer.com SUNRISE PUBLICATIONS, INC President John Woodson Manufactured and printed in the United States of America The Editor welcomes company product information for all video games. Such materials should be addressed to: Editor, Game Informer? Magazine, 724 North First St., 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned or acknowledged. Entire contents copyright 2002. Game Informer& Magazine. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer is a trademark of GameStop, Inc. Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies. PUBLISHER LIABILITY FOR ERROR The publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited to republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser and/or Advertising Agency agrees to defend and indemnify the publisher against any and all liability, loss, or expense arising from claims of libel, unfair competition, unfair trade practices, infringement of trademarks, copyrights, trade names, patents, or proprietary rights or Violation of rights of privacy, resulting from the publication of the Advertiser's statement. ^4 Member Audit Bureau of Circulations — time party-based combat where you control a variety of characters, from spellcasters to assassins | PU Transform yourself into ^ | 12 powerful summons, from the lood Juggernaut to the Blade of $ n WWW.SUMMONER2.COM volition Violence PlayStation. \7 www.thq.com ® © 2002 THO Inc. Summoner, Volition, THQ and their respective logos are trademarks and/o gistered trademarks of THO Inc. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertain THE NUMBER ONE RULE THAT TRUMPS THEM ALL While strolling around the office one day, | walked in on the conversation where an editor, who shall remain nameless, felt ashamed of the fact that he was currently more addicted to his PC than his console. This, of course, kicked off the age-old PC vs. console debate that leads you in circles and makes you dizzy. The fact of the matter is, the whole argument is moot because any self- respecting, hardcore gamer knows that you must have both (including any and all console systems, obviously) if you really want to play the latest and the greatest. You must have it all. So following that simple rule, you never have to debate with friends or enemies as to which console is more powerful. Or hear about why this or this version is better than the other, or why my RAM kicks your RAM’s...dad’s...behind...or however that goes...because you have it all. There really is no better feeling than winning the toy war, and this month Game Informer is going to help you get there. Not only do we have the return of the infamous Dude or Dweeb Quiz, where you can find out how hardcore you truly are; we also have a huge holiday buying guide that features all the high tech toys and games you need. You may never have to leave your mom’s basement again. E i Andy McNamara Enjoy the issue. Editor andy@gameinformer.com „АМР | WANT A PLAYSTATION 2 WITH GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY AND A BOSE SPEAKER SYSTEM WITH DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 SURROUND SOUND AND OOH, ALSO j A FABIO ACTION FIGURE AND A REALLY POWERFUL VACUUM CLEANER AND A DREAMCAST VCD WITH МРЗ PLAYER AND... . Elves: (left to right ) Lisa, Matt, Chet Santa: Andy On Santa's lap: Reiner Waiting: (left to right) Kristian, Justin, Kato. 16 GAME INFORMER REINER, THE RAGING GAMER reiner@gameinformer.com Have you ever noticed that video games get a bad rap on TV? | may be reading into this a little much, but whenever | see a game being played on a sitcom or in a movie, the actors look completely uninterested, they flail away on the buttons in a completely unrealistic manor, and for some strange reason, even when they are holding Dual Shock controllers, the sound effects that emit from the TV are usually from Pac-Man for the Atari 2600. Gaming is a sophisticated entertainment medium, not something that the funny gay people from Will and Grace can pass off as a stupid little prop. Hollywood is holding the gamer down and it has to stop! MATT, THE ORIGINAL GAMER matt@gameinformer.com For a few days this month, I thought | had some kind of tumor in my throat, but after much freaking out on my part, a trip to the doctor confirmed that it was just some food debris that had collected in my tonsils. Who wants to make out? Yuck! Anyway, this imaginary brush with death made me realize how precious life really is. Since | usually waste most of my time in these gaming salt mines, | decided to take a break from work, and hired some ghost writers to complete my assignments for me. So, thanks to Cormac McCarthy (All The Pretty Horses) and Toni Morrisson (Beloved) for scribbling out my reviews for me! Your cases of Schlitz are on the way. Heck, I'm not even writing this blurb — it's courtesy of the Today Show's Katie Couric! KRISTIAN, THE VIDEO VIKING kristian@gameinformer.com You know that old saying that goes something like, “You don't know how good you've got it until it's taken away?" Well, this month I've come to realize that | didn't know how crappy | had it until it was taken away. While you flip through this magazine, you might notice an exquisite Alienware PC with a whole lot of bells and whistles in the Holiday buyer's guide section. Guess what? That bad boy is sitting on my desk as we speak! I've sit*?canned that old lawn-boy Dell | had, and got something that can run more computations per second than three nerds at a Magic card trading convention. Let gaming nirvana commence - I'm not afraid of what awaits me in the dark recesses of my beautiful green machine. Now where did | put my dinner... JUSTIN, THE DIGITAL DEVIANT justin@gameinformer.com What the hell do you want? You're cutting into my GTA: Vice City time! This game doesn't just beat itself, y'know. Yeah, you can watch, just shut up. No, I'm not going to pick up another prostitute in the game. No! Look, | picked up eight prostitutes already for you. Besides, don't you see the four military transports tailing me? They aren't just trying to read my bumper sticker — especially since my bumper blew off two miles back. No, | won't see if Lazlow's on. Hey, didn't | tell you to keep your pie-hole closed? No, I'm not getting violent because the game is a bad influence on me. Now piss off! KATO, THE GAME KATANA kato@gameinformer.com 1 like Reiner – he's a funny kid. So when he started ribbing me about the Vikings’ bad beginning (there's still plenty of football left, dammit), | had to chuckle to myself. | can take a joke — and you can expect nothing less from Reiner – but when a man who likes the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Cubs starts making fun of my team, that's when | draw the line. I'm sorry, but those two teams are the definition of toiling in futility. What about football? Reiner likes Brett Favre. He's talented, no doubt, but Reiner chose him because Brett let him sniff his jock once. Nice. | know some of you kids look up to him and all, but he's just another big loser like the rest of us. CHET, THE JOYSTICK JOCKEY chet@gameinformer.com You may have noticed that | changed my tag already! It's not because | dislike Chronic Gamer – it fits me well. However; the government says that it suggests that | take drugs, and drug use, as we know, is one of the worst crimes in the US. Apparently, it's even worse than declaring war on а dilapidated nation where thousands of civilians will certainly die over oil. Go figure! Besides, mastering the art of the joystick with Street Fighter made me a hardcore gamer. In fact, | was so intent on understanding the joystick's intricate functionality that | use to fiddle with it until | got blisters ‘on my fingers! When that happened, | would poke at them until they burst, wrap them in a Band-Aid, and keep playing. So, the new tag is actually a memento to the activity that made me the person | am today. Fireballs forever! LISA, LA GAME NIKITA lisa@gameinformer.com Ahh, my second major addiction is kicking into gear with its season of new goodies. Television, people. | love Alias, and 24, and The Simpsons, and Good Eats (on FoodTV), and Scrubs – even Friends. | know that it's not cool to say that | love something so mainstream, but I'm standing by it. The show makes me laugh and I'm not apologizing for it. So there...I've come clean. Mock me if you will, but | feel comfortable enough with myself to admit what | really enjoy in the miniscule free time afforded to me, cool or no. Also, by special request, hello to my great home state – North Dakota! PARTAR IEDFOUTGASI- JEDI KNIGHT" IE Jedi. Outcast. Rebel. Mercenary. You have one lightsaber and eight Jedi Force powers, including Jedi Mind Tricks, Force-eightening and Force Grip. With a devastating arsenal of weapons like disruptor rifles, thermal detonators, trip mines and a Wookiee bowcaster you must battle a hoard of new enemies. Fight in single mode or go lightsaber against lightsaber in split-screen multiplayer Jedi arena or die trying. Learn more at jedioutcast.com LL -2 kills ашы (pM TELA X ACTIVISION. хеох ч STORES мом CANDID PHOTOS FROM THE з SEAMY UNDERBELLY OF THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY 1 Kristian is so gangsta, even his cat, Emma, fantasizes about a life of crime! 2 Andy and Reiner cheer as Rob "Pickle King" Fleischer pulls off his crowd-pleasing "Dump ketchup on Rockstar's Jeff Casteneda's head" trick. 3 Koei director Seinosuke Fukui, president Kiyoshi Komatsu, and vice president of sales Amos Ip are looking good. Cue "Sharp Dressed Man!" 4 A few Game Informer employees and other assorted hooligans accost Evil Dead legend Bruce Campbell at a St. Paul bookstore. 5 We think that leg- endary Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi has next month's Envelope Art contest all wrapped up. 6 Killer rabbit statues are so cool they don't need funny captions! 7 In hopes of jump-starting his wrestling career, Justin sucks up to Jimmy "The Mouth of the South" Hart. 8 Capcom's Melinda Mongelluzzo reenacts Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds in Kyoto. JUSTICE б ЕНЕНЕ CONES TO THE GAME BAY ANVANCE When global catastrophe strikes and the world is in peril, the call goes out for the Justice. League, the great- - est super heroes of all time. Fighting for truth, justice and freedom, Superman, Batman, Wonder Womah, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter have banded together to fight for the common ` good against the /njustice League in an all-new action adventure title for the Game Boy’ Advance. Featuring 12 levels of non-stop action, gamers will overcome dangerous obstacles, an onslaught of villains and dis- cover power-ups on the path to victory! .. n WWW.JUSTICELEAGUE.MIDWAY.COM GAME BOY ADVANCE У E Р » Justice League: Injustice For All video game © 2002 DC Comics and Midwày Home Entertainment Inc. MIDWAY and the MIDWAY LOGO are registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved. Distributed under license by Midway Home Entertainment. Inc. TM. © and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. + DC Bullet Logo, JUSTICE LEAGUE and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. WBIE LOGO: ™ & © Warner Bros. ' ji (s02) ч... VN whole. That's where the bet- Dear Gl, | am 13 years old and fairly new to college football. When | rented NCCA Football 2003 for the PS2 something surprised me – all the frickin’ names were things like WR #18 and QB #5. | wondered what the problem was and later found out that it's a rule in NCCA that no names can be put on merchan- dise etc. But when | created a school, all of my players had names that the announcer clear- ly said. So obviously player names were recorded. | don't mind filling in all the names for every team, but would you know where | could get a list of all the names? Thanks for your help. Isaiah Kendrick via email Since you're starting your own school, there's no law binding the use of fictitious names in a game, which is why you heard what you did. Real names, as you found out, is a different matter entirely. The big question is how to get them in your game. If you want to get names quick, and you don't mind spending a little money, we recommend you go to www.ncaarosters.com. They give you the option of either sending in your memory card to have the roster file downloaded (it will then be sent back, of course), or downloading the file yourself, and using a Sharkport to transmit the file onto your card. If all you're looking for is one big list, and you don't mind a lot of data entry, we highly recommend www.sportplanet.com/ncaa/ros- terpedia. The teams and conferences are clearly orga- nized, and each roster is easy to get to. Happy naming! I'm deaf (not D-E-F as in da bomb). I'd like to know why companies don't close-caption all games? Metal Gear and Final Fantasy X were captioned throughout (CG movies and all). Yet games like the Resident Evil, Tomb Raider series and Jak & Daxter are not. Is this a time or money thing? Or do developers work under the assumption that everyone has five senses? I'd really enjoy games more if | could understand everything that went on, and | want to encourage other deaf people to voice their opinions on this. Thanks. Ralph Via Email That is an excellent question, Ralph. After contacting representatives from Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, we have good news and better news. The good news is, each of these companies is definitely aware of the deaf population in terms of a demographic they're concerned about including, but the implementation of subtitles and things of that nature takes time and planning. That being said, because of the concern of people like yourself, all gamers with hearing difficul- ties are receiving more attention by the industry as a ter news comes in. Game Informer was recently in England seeing a new Peter Molyneux game. During the conversation about the title's ins and outs, a developer made a special point of talk- ing about all of the cutscenes featuring subtitles so mem- bers of the deaf culture could enjoy the game as much as hearing folk. As more and more developers and publish- ers take this kind of initiative, we hope to see a day when all games have the option to engage subtitles whenever you want them. In the meantime, rest assured that this is an issue which is being addressed by each of the Big Three, and will continue to gain momentum throughout video games as more people become aware of it. You guys are weird. # Flash Monkey Via email | am writing this in response to your article about online console gaming. | have been a console gamer for as long as | can remember, and I've never really been into playing games online. After reading your article | got a little scared that solo play on game consoles, especially GameCube and PlayStation 2, is endangered. | mostly play solo games, and have few multiplayer titles; so you might be able to see where I'm coming from on this issue. Now, | find out that one of my favorite single-player franchises, Final Fantasy, is going exclusively online with FFXI. Does this mean that | will never be able to play Final Fantasy again, or will they continue to make one-player FF games? If online console gaming grows too popular, where will it leave solo gamers like me? | know I'm not the only gamer out there that sticks to single-player games, and I'm sure that all of us are scared of our gaming prefer- ence shrinking. Will online gaming be the downfall of solo gaming? Kyle Callahan Via email To answer the first part of your question Kyle, you have nothing to worry about. We contacted Square directly, and were assured that there are many single-player Final Fantasy titles coming soon for multiple systems. L GameCube is scheduled to enjoy Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, which will have connectivity with the Game Boy Advance. The GBA itself will have an updated ver- sion of Final Fantasy Tactics, and the PlayStation 2 will host Final Fantasy X-2 - a FF X spin-off. Plus, you know that FFXII is going to come out at some point, it's just a matter of when. Secondly, have no fear that your beloved single-player experience will go the way of toaster-ovens and Care Bears. Take solace in the fact that the PC market went through this exact situation with the advent of the Internet and its inherent online gaming capabilities. Today, PC games are bigger, better, and more diverse than ever before. True, a majority of PC titles released today feature an online component, but the single-play- er experience is no less important. The console world will likely follow suit, and offer gamers the opportunity to go online, but still make their product entertaining to all comers, not just those who have access to high- speed Internet connections. As an avid video game collector who has over 20 sys- tems and hundreds of games for systems ranging from the Atari XE to GameCube, | can say that Classic Gl is my favorite part of your magazine. In it, | will occasionally find a gem | may have missed as well as reading about really crappy games that I'm glad | never touched. If noth- ing else, it provides me with a nice dose of nostalgia each month. What | was wondering is if you guys would consider expanding this section, or even making a sepa- rate publication called Classic GI? John Nieman Via email We would love to start a new magazine on classic gam- ing. Unfortunately, putting out the magazine you hold in your hands today is more than a full-time job for those of us who produce its content. In a dream world where bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft- boiled eggs, we'd put out multiple publications on multi- ple subjects, but Old Man Money has a way of keeping dreams from becoming reality. We will do this for you, though: We promise we'll continue to churn out the classic strategy guides, features, and reviews you like as long as you keep reading them. To tell you the truth we'd do it anyway, just because we think classic gaming is bloody cool. As far as expanding the clas- Sic section, who knows what the future holds? HEY BABY, WHAT'S YOUR MAYBE WAKKA WASN'T 50 BAD Й I’m really bored waiting for Vice City. What the hell do | do in the meantime?!!? Josh Via email After a long and confronta- tional conversation with Sony representatives, the Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: Game Informer Magazine * Attn: Dear Gl • 724 North First St., 4th Floor * Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com 20 GAME INFORMER You do now. MY 4 Ü у 4 АД Tt's disturbed characters dropped into the sketchiest place Blood Ke on earth where two at a time, they take part in a ritualistic Suggestive Themes pummel fest. There are no rules, no weapons and no lame magical WWW.xbox.com powers. And with the most realistic graphics ever seen — it Violence пау very well be the video game your mother was warned about. www.kakutochojin.com ©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, the Xbox logos, and Kakuto Chojin are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. company has confirmed that there are, and will be other games available to play for the PlayStation 2. If that doesn't interest you, we've recently discovered that Charles in Charge runs Saturday mornings on Fox – at least it does in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. If different games and Scott Baio can't sate your hunger for entertainment, take some Ritalin and read a book. Microsoft's acquisition of Rare represents the only trick left up Bill Gate's sleeve for getting some Xbox exclusive titles. The fact is, very few companies are willing to develop solely for a console that has 1/10th the installed customer base of its biggest competitor. Look, I'm sure Perfect Dark Zero will be good on Xbox. But that's not the point. Don't you see? Bill Gates is trying to force you to buy an Xbox by buying all your favorite games! Let's face it, it's exactly the reason Xbox has Halo in the first place - Microsoft bought Bungie Software. So what's next? Square Soft? EA? The more Microsoft resorts to these tactics, the less inclined | am to buy an Xbox. J. Forrester Via aol.com | Just heard Nintendo is dropping Rare! Donkey Kong is my favorite game, and now it's gone! Make it change back please! | need ОК, it's my source of life! Help me! Benny Kong Via email Okay, people — settle! First of all, faulting Microsoft for making a sound business decision is ridiculous. Look at companies like Vivendi, Ubi Soft, or Infogrames. They've all been absorbing development houses for years – you just haven't heard about it. Secondly, if you had the money, wouldn't you buy Rare? They're one of the best developers in the world, and they were looking for something new. Microsoft is in dire need of exclu- sive third party content, so Rare was a perfect fit. Thirdly, previous Rare games won't disappear. Titles like the Donkey Kong series will stay under Nintendo's rule, while Rare originals such as Perfect Dark or Conker's have been retained by the company. Adding some new blood to a next-gen console should be exciting for all gamers – change is a good thing, remember? This is especially true in the world of video games, where companies that are sedentary wilt and perish in only a few month's time. Everything's going to be okay – you'll still be able to play your favorite games from Rare, they're just under new ownership. Okay? For the inside scoop on the Rare/Microsoft deal, check out Steve Kent’s feature on page 68. 22 GAMEINFORMER ENVELOPE ART TIE 2) Ale MT. A de wy ILE Ea ТИЯ a Lat Mario A. Kocher L. Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Ball Z battle it out for the last Eggo waffle Enter the Game Informer Envelope Art Contest. All you need to do is draw, paint, scratch, spit, or carve the best darn envelope art you can think of and send it to us. Please include your name, phone number, and return address on the back of the envelope. If you're the monthly winner, we'll feature your work in GI and you'll receive a video game prize from the Game Informer vault. Send to: Game Informer * Envelope Art Contest 724 North First 56, 4th Floor • Mpls, MN 55401 Jason Rodriguez At long last, Conker reveals exactly where he stores his nuts Charles Atkins After helping Captain Olimar fix his spaceship, those mis- chievous Pikmin ditch him, steal his ride, and make for White Castle! DECEMBER WINNER! - Robby Burgess Being the good friend that he is, Mario checks Toad for earwax Salinee Goldenberg “You're not leaving the house dressed like that, young lady!" Derick T. Morales Say hello to mother green and her killing machine! оолу шо аѕџәо 1әрип рап are pue sarijunoo зао 10/pue "$ т эш ш YOREIOGJON 10s0JOI Jo орешарел Jo syreuspe] ралә}!бау 13413 әле $0бо| xoqy а pue xoqy "озогу "ош ueuureuu3 1гпйшод fuos jo syseWapEN pasa! әле обој AjwweY Sd, 2U} pue ,uoneisfeid, Орои Jo ѕуешаред 318 обој agngaweg ориаш au} pue гоџелру Aog aues @ ‘WJ "ou jueuureurequs ашон ќемрцу Ад asuaan зәрип рәпдщ$! "ош 183M Saweg Aempiyy 10 YLWAPEN} e st OLNW "НА "00155100 Aq раз "911 ‘saweg puawasnwy femp Jo $улешәред parersiba әле 0507 empty аш pue AYMGIW ‘P3112801 SIYBU 1y "ОШ 158) saweg AEMPIN 2002 © OMN 20 ® ausa sawayy əansəfng ТКЫ SONVACVZ Og ЕТТУ) `запозиуа а"џоцеј SAP Id = 25 әзшәјоіл PIN абепбиет pw JOSIN anuo) N31 uoog Suro’) 100$ BUTON TOOT 1104 шша " ттт ” ” = те" 28L1 9980 А петина == - swooped уд S eee әшедоәріл uoneiouad jxou 420 fo uau F а зафт pup ў У ^ 10 ѕәѕвәјәл Ueo ҹард), утла а я = 3 z : 5 = эй MW q, WM ‘sjoon à Р џ 2 Een É (yang ада [IY Smp jpsmoÁ 20у әри әми puza сшешреш лороше jsní 10 ‘urasurg $Алшәг) 35] 7 IP MW за 5] зоштц PASY pue sanisosuou USD %әомәр Surpuoq-pumu ‘sayzznd Surpyeq jo әвәли s ойр o3 разолар әдәм t st | опш os Surana st ASojouyoa $o TIP ЖЖЖ uo рә[еәләл «PO Áejd оз auta asní т VEU uen qe д! = с я «OW за, 'pepn Аш ошебоәрл | 'овшешоједаш e ure [aet 10U 2], MIUI од Simpou зе бо quas $ошрү 3noqe voneuoyuy :А8ојошуоә | yore, smaN ppom aarsnjoxa ЕЕ ENDE und 22100 злу pue әр] шодди pue әшелд | ue ur poronnur Хүреш sy uo paseq әшеЗоәріл ammuaapejuonse | omyy ,‘auovaq 0) ij ааа Ut jo aseafar oq 20у 100p ay Чим | əə үәлцеәлә лофо Aue 10 [кәр әмәпррхә ue ош paua sey Авмртуү | ешо ‘rapids ‘asnour e out Jogsrqnd әшеЗоәрл 8шрғәр ‘osy | уфош ү “Nya, рие ума "uou 3xou | әшоѕ ә[йшєз Аүйш ү, 'рром s[ero12urojur 21 о) sidwane sm ur ex AL ysnomp mg Á qe ho suns) zzjdg әр Sus p ‘omy 0) 3urpioooy шәф [r^ oq aem "ouo[e oaarqe p[noo ueuuny үе рашојофио бәлә pue чопџоде ou SJS цецішооов [n] юрюш wsrues10 | sey [шт aane) = 0 I NE 1 V ip! mu 9 и nup "| Ww л 105593014 Sung Aue pm udiou pue эрш о à sks Jejos aeg sadug aqi wy Sa[qeua unr 22406 $ошрү "K&ojoutpoa 1 S E syenue) әр jo ри» тооң 13930% и quaut pynor 451443195 5 у | ашдубтш Айәшә sy potu v = == ® © o c ao 2 © = = 2 = TT 350+ VR MISSIONS 150+ ALTERNATIVE MISSIONS 5 SNAKE TALES EUROPEAN EXTREME MODE CASTING THEATER BOSS SURVIVAL MODE HIDDEN PLAYABLE CHARACTERS ENTIRE SONS OF LIBERTY™ GAME! MERYL RETURNS! KONAMI METAL GEAR®, METAL GEAR SOLIDG, SONS OF LIBERTY™ and SUBSTANCE™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, INC. © 1987 2002 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN. KONAMIG is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Game Informer's research and devel- opment operatives search the globe, seeking out the untapped licenses that will become tomorrow's killer games of the future, be sure to drop us a line. Maybe we'll use our godlike power over the video game industry to turn you into a millionaire — or just steal your idea. RASCAL XTREME RACING * Many video game publishers focus on the younger demographic with their extreme sports games. Things like scoot- f€ ers and inline skates are of no interest to the more mature gamer, however. These elderly members of soci- ety crave a game that really reach- es out to them, and Entertain- ment Mobility is happy to oblige with Rascal Xtreme Racing. The Rascal has long been the mobility vehicle of choice for the old and old at heart. This game features all mod- els, from the economic 245, to the powerful, low-rid- ing 305 — capable of speeds up to 15 mph! Eight courses are here for you to burn rubber on, including the bingo parlor, Silver Steed Retirement Community, and Jo-Ann Fabrics. There's even a treacherous down- town street, complete with suspicious-looking young- sters playing that damn rock and roll music. Pick up prune power-ups for extra speed, or seek out Social Security checks to upgrade your Rascal with a cupholder, seat lift, or AM radio for enjoying Lawrence Welk ditties to your heart's content! No extreme game is complete without tricks, and RXR knows it. Show off by climbing a ramp, or going in reverse! If you have a real wild side, try driving off the sidewalk curb! Just don't let your blood pressure rise too much, or it's game over – permanently. NAME THAT GAME Before the crap- tacular Great Mighty Poo and Diddy Kong Racing, develop- er Rare helped make its name with this SNES arcade port. This title was notable for being the first to include outrageous combo hits (which are a fighting game staple to this day), combo breakers, and combo finishers. Can we get an "Ultra" shout-out? 054950 ок (Answer on page 36) 30 GAME INFORMER ™ games. If you have any great ideas for \KAZUMI TOMOIKE — | PRODUCER, DYNASTY WARRIORS | _ (Tomoike-san is currently work- | ing on Dynasty Warriors 4) 1 Dragon | Conquer: Red Alert – PC 4 The Legend of Zelda – NES 5 Street Fighter II — Arcade 1 ToeJam & Earl – Genesis ON PS2 Sega has inked a deal with Japanese devel- oper D3 in order to form a label called 3D Ages. This subsidiary will put out classic, reduced-price Sega titles on the PlayStation 2 starting in spring 2003 over in Japan. Game Informer contacted Sega of America, but it couldn't comment on the chances of these old Mega Drive, Saturn, and Dreamcast titles appearing in the US. These games are going to be "re-devel- oped," although it is unclear if this actually means overhauls and upgrades for this series, which will kick off with Monaco GP and Fantasy Zone. The company 3D Ages will be majority owned by Sega. SIERRA BRINGS TOLKIEN ONLINE Sierra is tapping into its license with Tolkien Enterprises to bring you more video games based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy of books. Most intriguing is the development of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (The + g Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Online) and a real-time strat- egy offering (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring). Both of these titles are for unspecified platforms and will be followed by vids based on the Two Towers and Return of the King novels. As with its Fellowship of the Ring game out now, Sierra will be expand- ing Tolkien's beloved story in order to further flesh out the world, and offer additional quests to players of Middle-Earth Online and War of the Ring. MOTO MADNESS EVERYWHERE / Fantasy Zone Thank God helmets are mandatory... Namco's MotoGP 3 has just sur- faced in Japan for the PlayStation 2, and Game Informer has learned that, of course, Namco of America is eyeing a US release in the second half of 2003. As if taking chicanes over 30 courses wasn't hard enough, MotoGP 3 will offer a Simulation Mode that gives you the reigns of a realistically replicated ride. Namco's title isn't to be confused with THQ's bike rider MotoGP for the Xbox. For those that already own this game, the title can now be played online with Xbox Live. The service's Starter Kit comes with the MotoGP Online Demo included to give the rest of you a taste of hot asphalt. Namco's MotoGP 3 z "I WAS A 99 LB. BARBARIAN" ;-. -Gothar of Gundria А BEFORE UPGRADE AFTER UPGRADE" " | used to get molten lava kicked in my face. 4 "The 4-player mode is wicked. Now if | | was a little girly man, better suited to playing with could just find 4 opponents | haven't already sissy baby dolls than with battle axes. But then | j М a аа mastered the UPGRADE FEATURE in BARBARIAN. f Г @ ~ Now nobody messes with me... NE M $ n N NOBODY!!!” "Here | am getting Medieval on Keela. My weapon of choice is usually a tree, or a pillar, or my opponent... but you know me, everytime i I can grab onto something and show off..." BARBARIAN is a revolutionary new game engineered to increase - and maintain — character power and ferociousness, fast! In recent head to head field tests, even mildly upgraded barbarians E 2 crushed their friends and foes without mercy. The MASSIVE 1- п е” PLAYER QUEST mode — with 10 characters to choose from and |: =} literally hundreds of adventures to play — is the perfect training | ground for customizing your barbarian, increasing strength апа | magic, and winning friends and influencing people with pure | { | | | | SILVER MEDAL brute force. But wait! There’s more: BARBARIAN also features ; z = azine an insane MULTIPLAYER MODE for up to 8 playable characters PSE2 Мар on screen at once, plus totally interactive environments, and best of all an exclusive ass-kicking “save-your-customized-barbarian- 4 : ЖЖЖЖ лы and-take-him-anywhere-with-you” formula! Qa – Maxim DON’T SETTLE FOR LESSER GAMES. T * Your actual results may vary, DEMAND BARBARIAN TODAY. Mr. Saggy Breasts. Jis Developed By ES - А PN ^s 4 Suggestive Themes Pi G С _\ «> Violence E я 4 ===> XBOX БАМЕБИВЕ. SarFine Barbarian: © 2002 Titus, Developed by Saffire Studios. Barbarian, Titus and the Titus logo are trademarks of Titus Software Corporation. All rights reserved, "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ™, ®, and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are elther registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system screen shots shown. GI NEWS MAKING MOVIE MAGIC Peter Molyneux's Lionhead Studios is letting you engineer a century of cinematic history in the 2003 PC title The Movies. As a studio head, you'll . be responsible for everything from the content of your films to Е guiding your company through the evolution of movie- making itself. Start out by giving the cen- sors heart attacks with the world's ing movies with budgets whose size is rivaled only by your stars’ egos. Create your own movie genres, pick your director, and maybe even win some awards when it's all said and done. Do you go with unknowns or blow your wad on big-name stars? Do you run a tight ship or go for broke with a cast of thousands and crane shots galore? If nothing else, you can find out exactly what the hell a gaffer is. first onscreen kiss, and end by mak- UGLY – A 24-year-old man in South Korea died from a marathon 86+ hour video game session in an Internet café. Witnesses say that he never ate or slept during this time. BAD – For Tomb Raider fans, this isn't good. Eidos is delaying Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness till next year, signaling a probable spring release. The game bombed at E3 and it may take more than a few extra months to salvage this title. GOOD – 3DO CEO Trip Hawkins has loaned his company $3 million to keep it afloat. In an age where most CEOs are robbing employees' retirement funds to pay for furniture in their summer homes, this is some honest good news. GOOD – Sony's Kaz Hirai is number four among executives on Entertainment Weekly's yearly Power List. In your face, Herb Scannell (#14) of Nickelodeon! UGLY – Our put- down of D&D players in the October preview of Dungeons & Dragons Heroes has geeks seething. Some have come up with comics poking fun at us. Funny. Using our | likeness without our permission At The Game Informer ming Table... untlet for Geeks." at was а good опе! ба p Duh! We call other folks geeks so people will think WE must be cool. ı It's а strategy thing! It's right here has our lawyers in my shorts. laughing as я well. GI: 2, D&D Geeks: 0. Whenever there's a juicy rumor in the industry, Game Informer experts are on it like a fly on stink. If loose lips are spraying hot gossip, we're sucking up the secret saliva and drooling it all over this section. These leads may turn out to be 100% untrue, but then again, they could also be dead honest, and you've just learned about them months before anyone else! In the industry and need to get back at the boss who fired you by spilling some secrets? Email us at loosetalk@gameinformer.com and we'll be your shoulder to cry on. "Warriors come out and play." Rockstar Games is bringing B-movie gang master- piece The Warriors to next-gen consoles. Rival gangs, radio personalities, and '805 fashion all fall right under Rockstar's mantra. "Can you dig it!?" Word out of Japan is that publisher/developer Konami is looking to pull its support from the Xbox. Proof? Formerly Xbox-exclusive Silent Hill 3 is now only on the PS2. America may be next. Loose Talk has heard that EA is not only planning a Return of the King video game to follow up The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, but is also looking to expand into other genres with the license. Finally, a title encompassing all three movies is also being discussed. According to the British magazine Edge, Nintendo is planning to release a new and improved Game Boy Advance, complete with a flip up, backlit screen, two extra face buttons, and utilizing smaller, longer-lasting batteries. Also rumored to be included with this new GBA (said to go on sale in the US by the end of the year) is a more pow- erful processor and onboard RAM. The new handheld would play old GBA titles. As attractive as this all sounds, it seems contrary to Nintendo's age-old policy of milk- ing successful platforms as long as it can. pe Its pig fat satellites that will fill your world with = Its а massively efficient supwoofer that will E 5 & | Off yout: Walls withont distortion. | SonicXS | | z E. vm Its scientifically tuned MÎ == a aa эу жуы 1] tweeters that let you hear the Em [ Sonic XS (J ERIS of уп f cd | | imperfect fidelity ы ET | — 57 48 Sonic? niXS | 89 Е evi SonicXS E p les i YON aE ai that takes no prisoners. | ' у > ۱ 8 Е х E COMPUTER AUDIO PRODUCTS СІ NEWS Es „ VIDEO GAME TRIVIA Santa has always been a cute idol that children all over have come to love and adore. However, people have experienced and created numerous different kinds of Santas, some of which are evil! Your knowledge of game trivia this month will determine which kind of Santa will visit you on Christmas Eve. Good luck! QUESTION 1: What is Mario and Luigi's last name? A. Mario B. Luigi C. Soprano D. Corleone QUESTION 2: This is a CGI demo of a Final Fantasy game that was presumably com- ing to N64 before Square announced its plans for PlayStation. Can you name these characters in this demo that were taken from a previous FF title? A. Kane, Cecil, Rosa B. Cid, Cloud, Aeres C. Shadow, Locke, Terra D. Steiner, Zidane, Garnet Who are these characters? QUESTION 3: What was the first-ever third- party software company, which was formed by four disgruntled Atari program- mers? A. Parker Brothers B. Activision C. Williams D. CBS Electronics QUESTION 4: What was the last Street Fighter title to appear on Super Nintendo? A. Super Street Fighter || B. Pocket Fighter C. Street Fighter Alpha D. Street Fighter Alpha 2 QUESTION 5: This was one of the Jaguar's last games. To compete with Tekken and Virtua Fighter, Atari devised this piece of crap. Can you name it? A. Way of the Warrior B. Kasumi Ninja C. Ultra Vortex D. Fight for Life upposedly, Atari mirac- ulously snagged the jan- itor that worked in Yu Suzuki's office to work on this product. Wohoo! QUESTION 6: The name Nintendo is com- posed of three Japanese characters that roughly translates to "Heaven Blesses Hard Work," or "Leave Luck to Heaven." A. True B. False QUESTION 7: Back in the NES days, Microsoft teamed up with Atari to devel- op a powerful game system for the Japanese market only. However, do to pro- duction costs, it was ultimately canned. What was the name of this system? A. Microsoft X B. XPC C. Atari Voyager D. MES (Microsoft Entertainment System) QUESTION 8: Who was the voice talent for the 3DO game, Gex? A. Dom Irrera B. Wayne Bradey C. Dana Carvey D. Dana Gould QUESTION 9: If Pikachu were a child, what would his name be? A. Richu B. Pichu C. Pika D. Chu Chu QUESTION 10: Atari had a portable sys- tem back in the day. It had no screen and no cartridge slot, but it contained 100 titles and allowed gamers to use batteries. Do you remember the name of the "first" portable gaming system? What is the name of this obscure system? A. Mini-2600 B. Video-Go C. TV Boy D. Atari Express Score & Rank 2-4 Smokey Santa: He brings toys, but Evil Santa: You defi- nitely don't want Coca Cola Santa: No presents! Coke's this duplicitous Santa forces con- also a pipe to blow Santa іп your house ѕитегіѕт down your smoke in your face at night! throat with too many soft drinks! Video Game Trivia Answers: 34 GAMEINFORMER 57 Fake Santa: Your Lovable Santa: He Cute Santa: A parents scar you for only brings pre- damn fine Santa to life with a fake sents visit late at night. Santa, but you still and bring presents get presents DOT 8'60'8 V4 V'9 O'S Ot 8'E OE VT CHAOS CALLS FROM CAPCOM With Capcom's Onimusha 2 already released, and a sequel for Devil May Cry just around the corner, the company has yet another ass-kicking PlayStation 2 title already up its sleeve in the spring of 2003 in Japan. Chaos Legion is being described as an action/RPG game that incorpo- rates the frantic, stylized, and destructive spirit of the famous Capcom games above. Chaos Legion will follow the tracks of a legendary swords- man named Sieg Wahrheit (who is a member of an organi- zation known as the Dark Seal Knights) and his former friend and current foe Victor Delacroix. Apart from the game's obvious Capcom action pedi- gree, the title will apparently try to dis- tinguish itself in the visual department by using various effects for the myriad weapons at your dis- posal. One of these is your trainable Legions, which are summons brought forth by your Dark Emblem. Should it prove popular in Japan, Capcom has said that Chaos Legion is expected to appear in the States. 20% The amount by which Nintendo has lowered its shipment projection for the GameCube outside of the US 40% more profanities were heard around the office while editors played Contra for the PS2 and Game Boy Advance 3% of readers think that we're biased towards the Bandai WonderSwan 96% of the DVDs in Matt's collection stink. He owns such gems as The Playaz Court, Surviving Gilligan's Island, and Johnson County War (starring Luke Perry) D 83% of Holiday Sam's appearance fee consisted of alcoholic beverages and cheese sandwiches (no crusts) pror Hordes of D&D® creatures | кы MEE COD G Ж GAMECUBE хеох Blood Violence Use of Alcohol CONTENT RATED BY ESRB Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance ©2002 Interplay Entertainment Corp. All rights reserved. Baldur's Gate, Dark Alliance, Forgotten Realms, the Forgotten Realms logo, D&D, the Dungeons & Dragons logo, and the Wizards of the Coasts logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and аге used by Interplay under license from Infogrames Interactive, Inc. Black Isle Studios, the Black Isle Studios logo and the Interplay logo are trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. Snowblind Studios and the Snowblind Studios logo are trademarks of Snowblind Studios. High Voltage Software and the High Voltage Software logo are trademarks of High Voltage Software, Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. TM, © and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Screen shots are from the Xbox™ video game system. СІ NEWS TURN YOUR PS2 DATA FILE INTO A VCR > Sor games that have been swallowed up by the delay monster: The Sims for PS2 (Jan.), SimCity 4 (Jan.), Auto Modellista (March), and Malice (first quarter). GO ONLINE WITH YOUR NEW XBOX Now that the Network Adaptor is out, Sony already has plans in motion to expand the uses of the PlayStation 2. In an interview with the Japanese press, a spokesperson for Sony said that the company is working on a way nteronststudlos Slo BEG to enable the video game console to receive broadcast signals and record RenderWare middleware technology them onto hard disks. Not only are these tuner kits being contemplated, but ЩО PS2s with these functions builtin are also being considered. uuu Padre "The game market and the audiovisual market are different, but this product could cover both," said Kenichi Fukunaga, Sony spokesperson. 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"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 1 прим не 38 GAME INFORMER. NOTHING PREPARE You “Why didn’t we do the first Matrix film?” voices cava Perry, Shiny Entertainment’s president, who, for the better portion of the last three years, has seemingly vanished from the face of the Earth. “I was actually asked to do it. | met with the Wachowski brothers (Andy and Larry) and they showed me the original storyboards for the first Matrix movie. Joel Silver did his little pitch, yet | sat there in their office and said no. It was the worst mistake | ever made in my career. When | watched the movie in the theater, | was so blown away by it that | thought, "What the hell have | done?’ I thought it was going to be another hacker movie!” Although they weren't able to create a game that coincided with the timing of the first film, the Wachowskis remained deeply rooted within the video game industry and sought out other partnerships for their upcoming plans. Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind Konami's acclaimed Metal Gear series, was asked to apply his unique fingerprint to the Matrix universe. Although not quite the development powerhouse it is today, the Wachowskis also pursued Bungie, the studio that delivered the Xbox juggernaut Halo. As interesting as these reports are, nothing ever came to fruition, and a dame based on the first movie exists only in the imagination of its fans. Shortly after the theatrical release, negotiations resumed with their number one draft pick. David Perry recalls, "When the movie came out, they called me right away and asked, 'Did you see the film?’ | replied, ‘[expletive deleted] yeah. It’s awesome!’ So they said, 'Come on up here and we'll talk about the next movie.’ | jumped into my car and we inked the deal as quickly as possible. The deal was signed February 2001, and we were secretly working with the Wachowski brothers on it for six to eight months before that. That's when we were getting all of the plans laid out. The day it got signed, we really got started. We dove right into the technology to make it possible." As avid gamers (who have reportedly destroyed an Xbox unit during a fevered Halo match), the Wachowskis didn't want to make a derivative game that followed the story arc of the second film. They wanted to try something different. Something that speaks volumes to gamers. Something that Matrix fans can embrace. Something that seamlessly blends the efforts of developer and studio. Something that will redefine the way that moviegoers view games and gamers view movies. That something is Enter The Matrix. Ш FORMAT PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX, GAMECUBE, PC li STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION Bl PUBLISHER INFOGRAMES/ATARI Ш DEVELOPER SHINY ENTERTAINMENT Ш RELEASE MAY 15, 2003 GAMEINFORMER 39 PIN ia The speed at which Shiny was able to erect 3D environments allowed the what they would look like well before the sets were made for filming been up to,” interjects David. "We're not doing what you are expecting. What you think we're doing, we're not doing. What you think the Wachowski brothers are doing, they're not doing. They are not making Matrix 1.1. It doesn't just follow along from where the last movie left off. So don't go into theaters expect- ing to get the same experience again. They took the story and showed us how deep the rabbit hole really goes." £ expect to surprise a lot of people with what we've GAME INFORMER The first film made us question our existence. Are we real? The continuation of this story will surely expand upon this message, but will also be accompanied by a new mystique – a different kind of uncertainty. If you reeled over the twists and turns that the first film so masterfully deliv- ered, and can hardly wait for more, you're in for quite the treat. The Wachowski brothers are just getting started, and have actually created an entire universe that spans across all forms of multimedia. The af £T HIS is МОВЕ THAN ш, A LICENSING * Н ОБА. IT’S % | : AN ARTISTIC r PARTNERSHIP.” movies will of course be the cornerstone that everything is built on. But as time goes on, it will eventually branch out and grow in different ways. Rather than sitting on an idea for 20 years like George Lucas stubbornly does with Star Wars, the Wachowskis move quickly. Come next year, The Matrix will literally be everywhere. In theaters, fans of the series will be treated to not one, but two sequels: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, which were filmed in unison; much like New Line’s The | Lord of the Rings trilogy. As of now, the exact date when Reloaded will hit theaters hasn't | been set in stone, but all signs point toward May 15, 2003. On the day that the film makes its debut, | the Wachowski brothers, Shiny IE Entertainment, and publishing | partner Infogrames will usher in Enter ; The Matrix for PlayStation 2, ri - THE WACHOWSKI BROTHËRS » Xbox, GameCube, and PC. As a whole, movie-to-game translations rarely fare well, but just recently, there's been resurgence – a rebirth of m sorts. Rather than creating a i &eneric action game with a hot movie license plastered on top, Activision and Electronic Arts have been blazing new trails with bankable talent signing on for voice work and likeness usage for their respective Spider-Man (Activi- sion), Lord of the Rings (EA), and James Bond titles (EA). As you can see, the collaboration between video games and Hollywood is definitely moving in the right direction, yet none of these notable efforts even come close to touching the partner- ship that Shiny Entertainment and the Wachowski brothers have forged for Enter The Matrix. David explains Shiny's involvement, "[The Wachowski brothers] knew exactly what we needed. They had access to everything, being the direc- tors. They trusted us and gave us their scripts right away. They let our staff work on their sets. | had some of the Shiny staff in Australia for 16 weeks working on the movie _ sets with the people making the film. They let us use all of their equipment. They are also taking a key part in directing the game.” The Wachowskis’ involve- ment actually goes much deeper than this. Rather than handing over the script to the second film and nervously requesting Shiny to make a game out of the material on the pages, the brothers took it upon themselves to ensure that the video game experience is just as rewarding as the motion pictures. The brothers actually wrote a new story specifically for the game. While details are scarce at this point, the plot f does tie into the second film, but none of the material is repeated. You may find yourself in a familiar environment from the movie, but you won't relive the scene. In the game, you may enter a room, have a con- versation with a character, then leave just moments before Neo and a handful of Agents tear the place apart in the film. The x We never thought we'd find ourselves saying this, but the loading screens are actually cool video game script complements the movie perfectly. As the Wachowskis illustrated, “This is more than a licensing deal. It’s an artistic partnership.” David Perry adds, “There are things that you're going to see in the video game that will basically open up Reloaded and Revolutions for you. You'll expe- rience more from this game as a gamer than someone sitting in the movie theater watching the movie. That was basically the conversation that | had with the Wachowski brothers. We went back and forth. How can we make it so if I'm in the movie theater watching The Matrix Reloaded and there's a guy sitting right next to me who's a gamer, they get completely different experi- ences? The answer is...we find ways to do it. It meant that the brothers had to go and scratch their heads a bit, which they did, but they came up with the solutions. So ultimately, this guy here, the gamer, knows why — Y к= In the movies, you'll only see the grand hall, but in the game, you'll actually see the adjoining ballroom and whatever else lies beyond things are happening the way they are happening. Usually, when you watch | а томе, you just accept the way that | things happen. As a | gamer, though, you'll say, ‘Holy [expletive deleted]! | delivered that to here!’ Or, ‘I caused that to happen! You wouldn't believe the war that happened to make this situation occur!’ While someone in the movie theater is just going to go, ‘I guess this is what happens.’ By playing the game, you'll have a broader sense of what is going on. At one point, the video game actually screws up the movie. We come in. We come out. We change what is going on inside the movie. You end up screwing up the movie, but the guy next to you just accepts it as it is going.” In total, the story will amount to over 200 minutes of in-game cinematics, which Shiny calls “cineratives.” To authenticate the experience, all of the actors from the film, including Keanu Reeves, have recorded dialogue for the game. Shiny also spent three weeks motion-capturing the actors for these scenes, and for the gameplay. Always the pioneers in camera work, the Wachowskis actually set up 32 motion-capture cameras for higher-quality captures. David comments, “These poor actors really didn’t know what a they were signing on to when they signed up for this game. When they do their movie, they 5 have to learn their lines for the movie. But when you come to the video game, we handed them small books as far as scripts go. They’re like, ‘Oh my God! This is for the game! TI weren't expecting it, so they had to learn tons of new mate- rial for this video game so they © could act it out on stage; and that’s exactly what they did.” As a whole, this Titantic-sized | | project easily surpasses any movie-to-game translation to date, but it gets better — or so we hear. A rumor has leaked out of Hollywood stating that the Wachowskis actually filmed new live-action footage exclusively for the game. When we asked David about this, he smiled and said, "That's a great rumor, but | cannot confirm or deny that right now. It's a really great rumor and ! certainly wouldn't crush it right now. [laughs]" How exciting would that be? If true, this isn't just a game, it's a whole new movie as well — an extensio that fans, gamers or not, will absolutely have to experienc GAMEINFORMER 41 "ENTER THE MATRIX IS NOT THE MATRIX RELOADED, THE те, а = | VIDEO GAME. WE ARE NOT IVIAKING A VIDEO s for the direction the game went in, David Perry and his team wouldn't agree to a deal unless they had full support from the Wachowskis and Warner Brothers. "In my past, Гуе actually dealt with licensed stuff before," David recalls. "But Гуе always had to bend for the license. So when we did the Terminator game for example, | wanted to be the Terminator, but they said, 'No you can't be the Terminator.’ | said, ‘Well, that sucks. Okay, | want to be Sarah Connor then: They said you can’t be her because we don’t have the rights to Linda Hamilton. Can we have Arnold Schwarzenegger in the game at all? You can’t have him, either. So | can’t be Sarah Connor, and | can’t be the Terminator, who am | going to be? They said Kyle Reese...the guy who dies in the movie. So here | am trying to make a game that can only have one Termina- All of the character models look exactly like their real-life counterparts and feature unprecedented articulation within the joints эйе: tor that you can’t kill because you wouldn’t have the Terminator left. It was awful. It was an awful experience. With [Enter the Matrix], when | got started with the brothers, | said, ‘Before we start this, | don’t want to be involved unless we have the rights to everything we want to use. They said, ‘Of course. This is absolutely the way it has to be.’ Ultimately, they did exactly that and backed it up and gave us access to everything we asked for.” Surely, when you envision' a game based on the Matrix universe, you envision assuming the identity of Neo or Trinity, and flipping off of walls in slow-motion, while unloading count- less rounds of ammo. Due in part to the new story, and the stasis of the characters within GAIVIE BASED ON THIS NEXT MOVIE.” Niobe's expertise is piloting hovercraft the next two films, you will not step into the shoes of Neo or Trinity. This comes as a shock, but if you remember how the first movie ended, it would be impos- sible to develop a game as seen through the eyes of Neo. He can stop bullets by raising his hand, jump into Agent bodies, soar through the air, and peer through fabricated constructs to the digital coding beneath. Attempt- ing to construct a game around that kind of messiah-like ability set would be nearly impossible, and would probably yield boring results. In light of this, Shiny and the brothers Wachowski have come to a strategic compromise that meshes with the film's architecture as well as allow- ing variety and mystery in the game's play. You will see all of the familiar characters from the first film, and will even have a chance aras етказа врзал renner eee The characters will be able to interact with every inch of the environments | and can even duck below clearings and hide behind boxes - DAVID PERRY, PRESIDENT SHINY ENTERTAINMENT to fight alongside them for certain scenes. You'll see Neo completely devastate Agents with little effort and look on as Mor- pheus' skills within the Matrix grow. So who will you control? Much like Resident Evil, at the beginning of the game you will be asked to choose between two characters. There’s Niobe, who is brought to life by actress Jada Pinkett Smith. She once had romantic ties with Morpheus, is the fastest pilot in the hovercraft fleet, and is the best driver. Conversely, you can also play as the mysterious character named Ghost. He’s the weapons expert, fights with a Zen-like focus, and has a relationship with Trinity that you'll get to explore. David jokes, "When the Wachowski brothers first called me up, they said that Ghost was an Apache Zen-Buddhist assassin." Both of these characters play a large MPS Ammo: 12 Clips: 6 role in the films, and of course, they will be the key players in the developments and outcome of the game as well. You won't be able to switch characters mid-game, but it will be in the player's interest to play through the game twice as it unfolds differently for both characters. Shiny spent a significant amount of time modeling the characters after their real- life counterparts. Since the Wachowskis bring with them Hollywood-caliber cinematics, every little detail has been meticulously crafted to be authentic as possible. David comments, "This is part of what this relationship is all about. For filming, the brothers wanted to see a particular room, but to do that they had to draw everything in autoCAD, have guys come in with tools, and start sawing wood to build this thing. That takes a long time. Whereas we were given the blueprints and were able to put this thing gether so they could see what Shiny recorded over 4,000 motion-captures the room was going to look like before they had the set built. That's where the relationship starts to become quite helpful. They realized that they could pre- see things through us because we can get it in fast. Whereas with the film they have to wait for some carpenter to finish it." Since the video game world is quite different from Hol- lywood, the Wachowski brothers and Shiny continually ran into roadblocks, but pressed forward to find a happy medium between the two. For instance, cinematography has been, for the most part, an afterthought in most games. We're just now entering the age where characters speak and interact with one another realistically. Andy and Larry didn't want to cut back on the story or delete Shots. So, if a character was hacking into the Matrix, the Wachowski brothers wanted to express this action as they would in a film. You may see the camera zoom in onto the MPS Ammo; 29 Clips: § Ghost is the weapons specialist Ammo 733 ты Clips 5 - more than anyone has ever attempted fingers on the keyboard, then pan out to a different angle. The solution that we, as gamers, have become accustomed to are panoramic shots that are used solely to hide the fact that the characters' hands are actually unarticulated mittens that never make contact with the keyboard. The Wachowskis didn't want this, so, as we said, detail has been applied everywhere. You'll see articulated fingers, realistic shadows, proper collision, and genuine human emotion expressed within the real-time cutscenes. It should look eerily realistic, much like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. David broke down exactly how big of a deal this really is. “The video game industry has a lot to learn from Hollywood. They really beat us into shape very quickly. When | first started the project, they would call me up and ask for a list of things for the motion-capture stage. So we would make a list out for them, and they would go, ‘That’s not COVER STORY Much like the movies, the special effects will be explosive and up close and personal a list!’ They would start typing it themselves, and they go right down to every single bag of sand you set on something or every single tripod you use. You have to have everything extremely organized. So basically in getting, the project going, it's been a hell of a learning curve for us, but it'S been really fun." In total, Shiny collected over 4,000 different motion-capture moves — more than anyone has ever done. David put this into per- spective for us. "All of that data got collected, and we recently worked out how many discs it’s going to take to ship this game on PC, and the current count without doing compression is 14 CDs. We're currently solving the: compression problem right now. It's really going to be a monster of a game. It's the same story for GameCube. How are we ever going to get this game to fit onto those little discs? The answer is multiple discs. That's what we're going to have to do." To ensure that development moved smoothly for all four versions of the game, Shiny created a new cross-platform engine that allows the team to simultane- ously work on all four versions of the game. If a bug were to appear on one platform, the very same bug will pop up in the others. This system streamlines the development process and ensures that all four editions ai identical at development's en E mii When you hit the Focus meter, you'll be able to perform amazing feats. For instance, you'll be able to run along any wall о what type of game is Enter The Matrix? This is actually a difficult question to answer. We will say this, though: As the quest unfolds, you'll find yourself leaning against walls and peering around a corner, i flipping through the air in slow- motion, wielding a sniper rifle, driving in a car across crowded city streets, soaring in a hovercraft beneath the Earth’s surface, and hacking into the Matrix itself. There’s a lot to this project, but as you probably hoped, the main bulk of game- play centers around combat. When you see this portion of the game in action, there's little doubt that Max Payne will cross your mind. Enter The Matrix looks a lot like it, which is fairly ironic since Max Payne was more or less inspired by The Matrix to begin with. For starters, you'll see your character onscreen at all times, which, as you can imagine, leads to eye-popping visuals and extremely organic moves. All of the standard actions that you've come to expect from |. games of this ilk are included in Ше: The Matrix. You can 44 SANE INFORMER climb ladders, hang from ledges, duck beneath clearings, hand-over-hand swing, shimmy along walls, and leap into the air. Of course, the characters are trained to free their minds, which in turn can transform the most simplistic of move- ments into an extraordinary feat. For example, all of the moves are pressure sensitive. So, if you climb a ladder, you have the choice of ascending nonchalantly, or if you apply the pressure, zooming like the Flash up to the next level. It's quite amusing to see a character move this fast, but as the movie taught us, anything, even altering the flow of time, is possible. Conversely, you can also slow things down, simulating the popular and innovative camerawork from the movie. To alter reality like this, you'll have to tap into your Focus meter. By holding down one of the shoulder buttons, the speed will slow down dramati- cally, a familiar sound effect will ring through your ears, and your assortment of moves will transform to include acrobatic impossibilities. At this point, you'll have a distinct advantage over your adversaries. Dodging bullets, corkscrewing through the air, and running on walls are effort- lessly performed. There are also a number of circumstantial moves that stem from Focus. With two enemies at your side and one directly ahead, if you were to hop into the air, you'd do the splits and simultane ously kick the foes to your right and left, then dispo: f the adversary directly ahead, all before your feet hit the ground. The Focus meter produces new moves, augments existing tech- niques, and looks absolutely bitchin' when activate If you exhaust your Foc meter, there's a chance that you will still have the advan- tage over your opponent. In total, you'll be able to wi 24 different fi All, м might add, are authenti the weapons expert from the film. "This gu injects David. “He do many movies that he gets access to guns befo come out. So heh weapons that gun comp are planning to releas nies . He let 90005 Ammo: 11 Clips: 0 us use those in the games as well. We actually have some next-generation weapons in the game that are real and will come out.” If Shiny can hit the desired gameplay pitch, you'll empty clips in a heartbeat, toss guns aside, pick up others, and rattle off thousands of rounds within minutes. Whether you're running and gunning, leaning around corners and snapping a few quick shots, tossing a grenade, or hanging upside down from a beam with a sniper rifle, Shiny has covered every base — ensuring that all of the weapons fire realistically and sound appropriate. We have yet to see choreo- hed kung-fu sequences, much like the subway fight in the first film, but Shiny has included a comprehen combat system that is brimming h dozens of combos. As it stands now, this tem is terri- bly complex, true to the license, and a step ahead of the market. Presently, the battles that ensue are more than enough to make Matrix fans weak at the knees, but in the grand schem! of things, these sequences аге just the tip of the iceberg. Ghost hones his skills in the Zen garden 3 i > | There will be several different ways to reaching new areas. Here, Niobe can either shimmy along this pipe, or hit the ealihi 54% à Focus meter and launch from the edge of the platform much like the building jumping from the first film | | "Colt M16 Ammo, 30 “Clips; 6 uietly and leaning around corners ———Ó X Á'(—— b GAME INFORMER ә Kai Р ы „4 INFORMER a Ў Џ < When you approach this gate, your character will automatically duck under it, even during a gunfight L s Beretto АЈ о: МР5 = Ammo, 30 Clips: 6 1 Thanks to a complex combo system and some of the most devastating moves known to man, it will be possible to take down a swarm of enemies in one motion The game will feature a wide variety of firearms, including a handful of prototype weapons &X S we mentioned earlier, the charac- ters will be thrust into varied gameplay segments. At some point in the quest, you'll find yourself outside of the Matrix flying through the Earth's mantle in a hovercraft called the Logos. “It’s a three person hovercraft and is the fastest one in the fleet," David adds. "In the movie, whenever they get into a tight bind, and they need to go save someone, get something, or get somewhere really fast, it's the Logos they choose to do it in." The character you choose from the outset will determine what role you have in the flying segments. Since Niobe is the fastest pilot, she's the one who will control the movement of the vessel. Ghost, on the other hand, is the weapons guru, so he'll man the turrets. Niobe will race through the treacherous mechanical tunnels and past the Sentinel scourge, while Ghost will blow them away and keep them off of the ship. If they latch on, they'll try to drill their way in, just as you witnessed in the first film. Of course, you'll get to use your EMP too. All of the flying takes place within a first-person perspective and is accompanied by incredibly responsive controls. David assures us, “When you thread the needle, it feels fantastic.” The same gameplay setup applies for the driving stages, where we find our heroes racing down a highly trafficked highway. “This is not a driving game,” says David. “I have to keep saying that to the programmers. ‘Stop trying to make it be like Driver. It shouldn't be like Test Drive. It shouldn't be like Gran Turismo. None of those things." It’s basically a roller coaster ride of getting to the hard line [the telephone that transports characters into and out of the Matrix] and everybody is trying to stop you. All you want to do is get to the hard line. So we've designed our cities so that you can drive through the cities averaging 90 mph as you're crossing the streets." The Agents and police will throw everything they can at you, and you'll find yourself performing outstanding stunts as you dodge their attacks. Once again, Niobe is at the wheel and Ghost com- mands the firepower. The one aspect from the films that we never expected to see integrated into the game is hacking. You'll actually be able to dial into the Matrix coding and hack. What can you do with this perplexing gameplay mechanic? How does the ability а | to download new types of kung- fu sound? You'll also be able to connect to the real world, write messages to characters, and uncover secrets and cheats. You can actually enter cheat codes directly into the hacking system. Shiny didn't want to comment too much on this element as of press time, so we're not entirely sure what gameplay functionality it will provide, but it definitely sounds interesting. You'll even have the ability to hack into your player profile for various undisclosed reasons. If you want to take a break from the quest, Shiny has also included a dojo that can be used for sparring against a friend. May 15 is still a long way away, but the game is already looking fantastic and we can't wait to see how it fares upon completion. We knew Shiny was working on a Matrix game, but we had no idea how big of a project it truly was. With a team of roughly 80 people, full support from the Wachowskis and one of the most highly revered gaming figures conduct- ing this operation, it seems likely that Enter The Matrix will eclipse the success of the motion picture universe that it extends from. ~ M. SCL I 7covtR stor 31318 M W i When you hit the Focus button, the game slows down significantly, and all of your ЕН actions (and enemy reactions) are exaggerated — ——BáÓÀ —— —————— : г 4 $ Niobe’s roundhouse kick will shatter jaws and spin enemies like tops MPS Атто: 30 Clips: 6 You'll actually have the al to disarm enemies, and as you fire away with their gun, throw them over your back and use them as a human shield to protect yourself from snipers pee eee iene P E! While on the wall, you'll actually be able to run around the corner and drop onto this enemy bw Dus — = У d Bs Ld i ^ К s 8 You'll be emptying rounds and dropping weapons left and right coe If you run straight toward a wall while Focusing, you can run up it a good 10 feet, then flip backwards ero ee, Dynamic camera positioning accompanies every inch of gameplay y. si NIE ERTS ATES TSP ROIS TE cnn GAME INFORMER x P + WE ARE i THE NATION'S CHOSEN FEW. WE ARE SWIFT, SILENT, AND INVISIBLE. WE WILLI-NQUSNHAIL OUR COUNTRY ., WE WILL NOT BAIL EACH. OTHER: SQUAD-BASIED BA ПОЉЕ ГЕФ р СОМВАТ Command the Ghosts, ап elite andiul of specially-trained Green Berets, in a deadly, realistic campaign waged on the war-torn battlefields of tomorrow's headlines. Use cutting-edge gear and guns to lay waste to the enemy, or your multiplayer opponents. A total battlefield experience that only Tom Clancy and the makers of Rainbow Six can deliver. MATURE MM отав www.ubi.com Red Blood and Gore Violence PlayStation.2 + Kk Tom Clancy's СНО NOW РОВ NEXT-GENERaTION CONSOLES www. ghostrecon.com | FREE ADMISSION "ent MN i ~ | ! B | | | | | |) - | || ГЕ: | | | | | 1 L | | | playrallbthercoolestgames НАМА Sponsors: S E КҮШ: Thou sth її Dec. Sih. ~ | Hew Јегзеу/ еш York + Baltimore + Philadelphia > tas vegas Endents зап Jose/San Francisco + San Diego * Houston A Datas go to www. gameliveevents com for venues, dates and times NT Logos and Trademarks are the registered property of each respective Sponsor. HOLIDAY SAMS "That's right, fools, Holiday Sam is back up in this for the two- double-oh-two! Whooptie whoop! It's been awhile since I hipped you slimy-toed tree monkeys to the Xmas game, but these boys at Game Informer begged me to come back and help you hopeless saps out of a pickle. | know many of you were wondering what ol" Holiday Sam has been up to since we last spoke. Well, suffice it to say that I’ve been in Honduras on business. | also spent some time in the Wisconsin Dells working as part of a water ski show, but my lawyers have advised me not to speak about that until the case is settled. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I'm going to show you the best stuff to put on your Christmas list. Why, by the time we're done, you and | are going to be tighter than a thong in Louie Anderson's butt crack!" GAME INFORMER |з, [DM APBEEELARuBIM)IS 1 "Holiday Sam loves Grand Theft Auto Ill, Playstation e - =2 35 Sony, the big kid on the video game block, is the only Е console maker not offering a bundle package this | 4 oM NEUE season. Then again, when you're number one, and m 2! In fact, I've actually have the all-powerful Grand Theft Auto franchise on San your system, you don't have to try too hard to move ee done time for grand theft units. auto, but I ain't talkin’ У so you know he's E about some sissy video &ame!! Anyway, just to get these fancy- ass Game Informer dorks to quit calling me at all hours of the night, I'm gonna give you some of the best deals out there for PS2 this Xmas. Heck, these are almost as big of a bargain as smokes at an Indian casino.” Software Forecast Spots (он ^ With EA and Sega slugging it out, this might be the best year for sports ever Hot picks: Madden NFL 2003, NBA 2K3, NHL 2K3 RPGs — NE т No system comes close to PS2 for hardcore RPG fans Hot picks: Final Fantasy X, Suikoden Ill, Summoner 2 Action TEES ы Sony's platformers are getting better A and better, but GTA: Vice City is still S number one Mad Catz 900MHz Wireless Hot Picks: Sly Cooper, GTA: Vice City, con tr oler n S34.99 А : У : Red Faction || Sick of your Nintendo friends bragging about their WaveBird? Get a piece of the wireless action straight from Mad Catz, one of the most respected third-party controller manufacturers _ x in the business. Features a rechargable battery good for eight hours of continuous use. Fighting i; With exclusives like Tekken and Virtua Fighter, PS2 is the place to be for É fighters Greatest Hits Games - Hot Picks: Virtua Fighter 4, Tekken 4 $19.99 2 Sony's Greatest Hits series is probably the best deal л = in all of gaming, letting latecomers get а host of Racing Cold ЫП" classic PS2 titles, like Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Gran Turismo 3 is still the champ, but Onimusha, and Jak and Daxter for the paltry sum of Pro Race Driver is the first new blood $19.99. It really doesn't get any better than this in the genre for a while people, so go get 'em! Hot Picks: GT 3, Pro Race Driver, NASCAR Thunder 2003 ation. GREATEST MITS ation. GREATEST HIS Рјаузе PlaySt 52 GAME INFORMER FEATURE Linksys EtherFast Cable/DSL router -= $59.99 www.linksys.com If you've just got your PS2 online, and want to manage both your computer and console on the same DSL or cable line, this Linksys router is a simple solution. PSone — $49.99 www.playstation.com If you're gaming budget is tight, don’t forget that you can still get one of the best systems of all time, the PSone, for next to nothing. There are also a ton of great games available at cut- rate prices. SOCOM: US Navy SEALs — $59.99 www.playstetion.com If there is one game that is going to make you love console gaming online, this is it. SOCOM’s amazing squad- based action, and the surprisingly cool functionality of the packed-in headset microphone should put this at the top of your list for Santa. Э THEFT AUTO VICE CITY O.S.T - VOLUME 7 : RADIO ESPANTOSO Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Soundtracks — $13.99 (single CD), $49.99 (box sel) www.rockstargames.com Vice City’s soundtrack is probably the best, most diverse collection of ‘80s music ever assembled, and Rockstar is releasing an unprecedented seven soundtrack CDs for your listening pleasure. The discs are divided by genre, and feature both tracks and assorted DJ chatter from the in-game radio stations. PS2 Network Adaptor – $39.99 www.playstation.com With the first batch of Network Adaptors selling out in a matter of days, expect Sony’s modem/broadband unit to be a hot ticket this holiday season. Panasonic Triple Play TV/DVD/VCR Combo - $738 website: www.panasonic.com Sick of that tangle of cords behind your TV? This slick 27-incher has your DVD and VCR built right in. Just plug in your gaming rig, and you're ready to go. GAMEINFORMER 53 “It’s like the old saying says: You can lead a naked midget to water, but you can't make him wash your socks. What that means to me is that there is a hell of a lot of cool stuff to buy for Xbox this year, so you better give me some damn money!! Heh, heh, Holiday Sam is just kiddin’, but he certainly wouldn't turn down your kind generosity. After all, you never look a gift horse in the butt, or let him give you a foot massage. Toothbrush!! Now, if you look at these pretty pictures, Га be much obliged.” Software Forecast ШЕЙ 4g Sports Medium Hot Everything that PS2 has, except it looks better Hot Picks: Madden NFL 2003, NBA 2K3, NHL 2K3 RPGs Medium Hot Very slim pickings until Fable comes out Hot Picks: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Elder Scrolls Ill: Morrowind Action Medium Getting better, with some hot exclusives this season Hot Picks: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid: Substance Fighting 1 Medium Hot Forget Bruce Lee ever happened, and hope that MK is the bomb Hot Picks: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Racing Medium Hot All of them look great, but still missing that Gran Turismo-sized super hit Hot Picks: Project Gotham Racing, NASCAR Thunder 2003, Sega GT 2003, Colin McRae Rally 3 54 GAME INFORMER Phonex NeverWire 14 Powerline Ethernet Bridge – 5249 www.phonex.com This ingenious device allows you to use your home’s power wires as broadband connections. Just plug one into your DSL/cable port, and the other into a power jack near your Xbox, and you're ready to roll. game on page 132. Shiatsu Lounger – 52595 www.panasonic.com The ultimate video game chair? Perhaps. Combining contemporary styling and high-tech shiatsu wizardry, this Panasonic lounger will make your every dream come true. Yet another reason to invest in a colostomy bag. I LIKES IT FOR WATCHIN’ NEKID MOVIES! Steel Battalion - => Do you see this controller? See how big it is? If you love games, this should give you a boner (or a metaphorial boner, if you're a girl). It's very expensive, but Steel Battalion rocks and will make you the coolest person in the world if you own it. There aren't going to be many of these released, so buy it now or pay $500 on eBay later. If you're not convinced, check out our review of the Xbox Live Starter Kit — $49.99 www.xboxlive.com Game companies have been promising а сопзоје online revolution since the ‘80s, but Xbox Live might really make it a reality. If you don't want to be left out of the action, get wired for broadband, and pick up your Xbox Live Starter Kit. RCA VPORT Televisions - =5=53419- <51 419797 Designed for the Xbox, these TVs feature HDTV compatibility and a component video in for optimum clarity. They even have a cool Xbox logo on them! xbox Sega/Controller = Bundle - $193 The already affordable Xbox just got even more appealing with the announcement of this wonderful bundle pack. Featuring not one, but two excellent Sega titles (Jet Set Radio Future and Sega GT 2002), plus the sleek Controller S — all for $199, the normal cost of the console itself! А good deal for consumers, and a great way to make the plunge into the world of Xbox. GAMEINFORMER 55 MATURE Violence mmm Lad X хеох 2 4 bam4fun.com/reignoffire d logos are trademarks of ВАМ! Ente! 2001 Nintendo. Licensed for play on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment syst rks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either reg от Microsoft: The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Inter Reign of Fire © 2002 Copynght B&B Company, Copyright © 2002 BAM! Entertainment, Inc. BAM! Entertainment, ВАМ! and the assot Entertainment Group. LP. TM, (9, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube logo. € only. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered tradema Corporation in the U.S, and/or other countries and names are the prop ainment, Inc. © ass is with the NTSC U/C designation lemarks or trademarks of Microsoft. sociation, All other trademarks and trade е used under lice red е Digital Software А: s of their respective ow Redeem Gam Through only at 01/31/03 Reign of Fire for PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, or the Xbox™ video game system or the Nintendo GameCube™ Babbageszza= FuncolTand One coupon per household. This offer may not be combined with any other coupon or promotion. GameStop Associate: Use Discount Key “Reign of Fire $10 discount.” ^^ RAVAGE EARTH AS A DRAGON, SWOOPING FROM ABOVE TO HURL FIREBALLS AND NATURAL NAPALM WITH EVERY BREATH. UNLEASH FAST-PACED FIREPOWER AS A DRAGONFIGHTER IN 16 MISSIONS LOADED WITH CHAOTIC ACTION, DESTRUCTION AND EXPLOSIONS. ы” BATTLE DRAGONS IN THE SKY AND BEASTS ON THE GROUND { WITH HIGH-TECH WEAPONRY AND MILITARY-STYLE VEHICLES. “Hell, this little GameCube is smaller than some kidney stones I've passed, but that don't mean it won't tickle your fancy like a dime store floozy. If'n you want my advise, Га stay away from that Mario fella — he looks like one o' them perverts to me with that funny mustache and the way he's always giggling like a schoolgirl. Then again, I've been a little off since | drank that bottle of nail polish remover. In fact, | think I'm going to have a seizure right now. See you around!” Super Mario sunshine Bunche Pack - 51853.99 eee epe Nintendo is giving gamers a nice gift this Sports Medium Hot Christmas in the form of the Super After years in the crapper, Nintendo is 4 E Mario Bundle Pack, which gives you a finally getting its share VERUS GameCube, one copy of SMS, and a t Memory Card 59 all for $189.99. That's a savings of $25!! If you act now, Nintendo will throw in a free juicer! Software Forecast Hot Picks: Sega Soccer Slam, All-Star Baseball 2003, Madden NFL 2003 ПН a 5 7 RPGs Medium Hot Not many, but they all kick Aidyn Chronicles’ ass Hot Picks: Evolution Worlds, Lost Kingdoms о —Кї GEGA Link Cable - $53.99 Action Medium Hot The GBA Link has been out for some time now, but Nintendo’s Where Nintendo’s big hitters come out cult hit Animal Crossing has made it a suddenly in-demand to play item, as fans use it to download four e-Reader exclusive NES ES н 5 games. With more GBA/GC cross-overs planned Тог upcoming А Uc releases, this will be mustbuy in coming months. Eternal Darkness Fighting Medium Hot The controller’s not the greatest for combos, but there are a few standouts Hot Picks: Bloody Roar: Primal Fury, Super Smash Bros. Melee ren А ESS Racing: Medium Hot We're still waiting for a big splash in this genre Hot Picks: Burnout 2, Rally Fusion: Race of Champions, NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona 58 GAME INFORMER GameCube Mobile Monitor – 599 www.interact.com The GameCube’s small size makes it the perfect choice for taking it on the road with you, and now you can, thanks to Interact and its 5.4” LCD screen attachment. For the price, it’s a nice little addition to your GC collection. Nintendo v30 Modem Adaptor, Broadband Adaptor – $34.99 www.nintendo.com Although Phantasy Star Online Version 2 is the only title that supports network play, you will be able to step up to the next big thing in gaming with either one of these GameCube modem units. WwaveBird controller - $3499 Mobile Power GC — $49.99 www.interact.com Couple this with the Mobile Monitor, and you've got yourself the world's most powerful portable. This rechargable battery can run a GameCube and LCD screen for over 90 minutes of continuous play. We haven't quit raving about this controller since we got ours a few months ago, which is probably why none of our friends talk to us anymore. It's their loss, because the WaveBird is simply the greatest aftermarket controller ever made. Using radio waves to transmit to the GameCube, the responsiveness and reliability is every bit the equal of the stock GameCube controller. We've literally played games from over a hundred feet away and had no problems, except for the fact that we were in another room and couldn't see the screen. CO Animal Crossing e-Cards – $2.99 www.nintendo.com Animal Crossing addicts will be scooping up these cards like mad to unlock a host of secret in-game goodies. You'll need a GBA eReader to do it, but trust us, it will all be worth it. GAMEINFORMER 59 і EN МУ О áki Ser У SEGA is а registered trademark of SEGA CORPORATION: SEGA and Shinobi are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Corporation and its affiliates. ©2002 SEGA CORPORATION. Original Game ©OVERWORKS/SEGA, 2002. All Rights Reserved. www.sega.com "PlayStation" Blood and Gore Violence CHART and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Son) “Hey, peckerwoods! | \ don't waste ту ۱ precious time hunting unicorns with a bunch since frozen gi this page has everything you need to > the cock о' the PC walk. Once you get up and running, | might come over and use your compu! a minute, if'n you don't mind. I’ve got to order some more herbal medicine for my cataracts. It's a terrible condition, | tell ya. Now gimme five ya stork-porkin’ tidalywink!!!" Software Forecast ary Strategy 7 Meli PC is the place where intellectual gaming reigns Hot Picks: WarCraft Ill, Me War, Stronghold: Crusadi RPGs Medium Get your RPG on in number of dif worlds Hot Picks: EverQuest: Pla Power, Icewind Dale ||, The Elder Morrowind и Medium bout first-person ed a PC Hot Picks: Unr No One Lives F Honor: Allied Ass Simulation Eg The Sims Online will change everything you thought about gaming Hot Picks: The Sims Online, Sim City 4, RollerC ycoon 2 62 GAMEINFORMER Alienware PE - 51160-2951 For many of you, the PC isn’t used for balancing your checkbook or ordering groceries online – it’s just a really expensive gaming rig. So, why get bogged down with all that crap that Dell and Gateway pack into their computers? Alienware, a long-time favorite of hardcore gamers, will outfit you with a custom system built to spec. Of course, you'll want to fork over the cash for the latest Pentium 4 2.8GHz processor and the GeForce 4 while you're at it. Thankfully, the cool futuristic look comes standard. FEATURE The Sims Deluxe — $39.95 www.thesims.com If you've never played the Sims before, this is a great way to start. Features the original game, the Livin' Large expansion, exclusive items and clothing, and a character editor. Nostromo SpeedPad — $34.95 www.belkin.com Looking to ditch your clunky keyboard? The Nostromo SpeedPad features 10 programmable keys, a d-pad, and throttle wheel. Perfect for FPS fans everywhere. SonicXS 2.1 Speakers – $188 www.elecltovaice.com Electro-Voice has been making PA gear for years, and their PC systems pump out decibel levels worthy of the Scorpions themselves. Plus, they are big, black, and toughtooking. Multisync FE 1250+ — $599 www.necmitsubishi.com LCD flat-screens have been the hot ticket over the past few years, but unless you're willing to shell out upwards of two grand on one, most people would still be better off investing in a high-quality CRT monitor like NEC's Multisync FE 1250+, which, at $599, is one of the best values in the world of monitors. Age of Mythology Collector's Ed. = $69.99 www.ageofmytholagy.com This oversized package will include a soundtrack CD, six posters featuring the game's most important Gods, a "Making Of" DVD, and a minotaur figurine! Woo-hoo! GeForce4 Ti 4600 – $291 www.nvidia.com The NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4600 is the most powerful card yet in the famous series. Screw the tech specs; let’s put it this way: It can do a lot of everything you want really f^&*ing fast! High Performance Mice — $49.95- 578.95 www.logitech.com Super-accurate, these babies will i change the way you point and click | @- forever. Feature two thumb switches, Logitech as well as a programable toggle button. Comes in both standard and cordless models. GAMEINFORMER 63 “This cute ‘lil bugger is near and dear to old Holiday Sam's heart. Why, if you want to take my Game Boy Advance, you're going to have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands. Did І mention that the moon landing was faked? [cough] Aaanyway, this pint-sized contraption is perfect for my on-the-go lifestyle, especially since | am currently not, shall we say, in a 'permanent housing situation.' Unless you count the trunk of that Cadillac Eldorado on Lincoln Street. If you ask me, size don't matter à bit, and the GBA is the proof in that puddin’. This is the end of the road for Holiday Sam, so until next year, remember to keep both feet on the ground and shut the hell up. Noel!" Software Forecast SS C Puzzle Medium Hot Handhelds, and long flights, are made for puzzle games Hot Picks: ZooCube, Egg Mania, Tetris Worlds RPGs: Medium There aren't a lot, but the overall quality is very high Hot Picks: Breath of Fire Il, Golden Sun, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis > n ig Action Medium Hot Classic ports and some great new titles make this the GBA’s strong suit Hot Picks: Doom ||, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance 2 ^ Los Racing Medium Hot The GBA isn’t ideal for racing, but there are a few gems Hot Picks: Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Spy Hunter, Driver 2 Advance, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity 64 GAME INFORMER Game Boy Advance Power Station — $19.99 NES e-Card Games – $4.99 www.madcalz.com www.nintendo.com The GBA does have improved battery life over its Nintendo is to be commended for turning their old games predecessor, but it’s still not a cheap proposition to keep into gold through endless rereleasing and repackaging, but buying new ones. For a mere 20 spot, you can have the the company's new line of NES e-Cards has to be its best Mad Catz Power Station, which features two rechargable idea yet. Just slide ‘em through the e-Reader, and you'll be battery packs and a charging base that keeps your GBA at playing a classic 8-bit title. Even better, the low cost of full power 24-7. production means that the cards are only fived bucks a рор! Nintendo e-Reader - $414.95 Š | While we initially believed that this peripheral would go the way of г А such ill-fated products as the Game Boy Color Printer, the GBA f eReader is fast becoming a staple of our gaming life. We already told you it can help you get new Animal Crossing goodies, but we're also hearing rumors that many more upcoming Nintendo titles, like Pokémon Sapphire and Ruby will use e-Card 3i compatibility. Given how creative Nintendo can be, the $ sky's the limit for the uses of this bad boy. 2 i mlM SORRY тт MISS JACKSON - WOO! ТАМ FOR REAL... Па IT BEGINS AS A DREAM.. FREEFORMER” GAMEPLAY MOVES SEAMLESSLY RETWEEN RACING, SHOOTING, FLYING, GLIDING, BOATING AND DOG-FIGHTING GAMEPLAY IN A SEEMINGLY &OUNDLESS UNIVERSE! HAVEN! CALL OF THE KING DELIVERS AN EPIC EXPERIENCE OF MULTIPLE GAMEPLAY STYLES SEAMLESSLY BLENDED TOGETHER IN A MASSIVE UNIVERSE: YOU MUST FIGHT TO SAVE YOUR PEOPLE FROM AN ANCIENT EVIL AND DRAW UPON EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER LEARNED TO FIND THE HERO WITHIN AND ANSWER THE CALL OF THE KING TO FREE YOUR PEOPLE FROM THE TYRANNY OF ENSLAVEMENT.: Coming 2003 Fall 2002 Mild Violence AX GAME BOY ADVANCE PlayStation.2 a NINTEND GAMECUBE. хеох THEN IT GETS REAL. tg HAVEN.MIDWAY.COM ping out of the Rolling Stones. GameCube to Xbox, big changes are bound to follow. created more than 60 games for the NES, but the Rare/Nintendo partnership was destined for bigger things. Between 1992 and 1993, Chris Stamper dissected the Super NES and discovered that it could run rendered graphics. Armed with this innovative new technique, Tim (Rare’s creative visionary) asked Nintendo for permission to revive a classic arcade character; and in 1994, Rare delivered Donkey Kong Country. Donkey Kong Country's groundbreaking visuals brought players back to Nintendo, giving Super NES an edge over Genesis and permanently slamming the door on the Atari Jaguar and ЗОО Interactive Multiplayer. Nintendo sold 8 million copies of Donkey Kong Country, making it the third best-selling Super NES game of all time, behind Super Mario World and Mario All-Stars — both pack-in games. It was also the best-selling foreign-made adventure game ever released in Japan. For this success, Nintendo rewarded Rare by purchasing a small stake in the company. Rare’s next big bang was the genre-defining first-person shooter GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64. Like Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007 was the third best-selling game of its generation—this time behind Super Mario 64 and Mario f Microsoft announced that it had acquired a British game developer called 'also known as Rareware). In gaming circles, this wasn't just big news; it was is wasn't just Britney leaving Justin who then left N-SYNC, this was more like Mick Rare wasn't just any development house, it was Nintendo's chief second-party velopment house. Rare was the company that enabled Nintendo to ultimately triumph Ver Sega in the 16-bit wars. Microsoft didn't just buy Rare; it bought Rare from Nintendo. еп the company that made Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye 007 jumps from [A RARE BREED OF DEVELOPER Founded by Chris and Tim Stamper, of Warwickshire, England, and a Miami businessman named Joel Hochberg, Rare, Ltd. first cozied up to Nintendo in the mid-eighties, even before the Famicom was introduced in the United States as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). A former child prodigy with an uncanny knack for technology, Chris Stamper reverse- engineered the Famicom and discovered that it could run split screen games, an ability Nintendo had not purposely built into the system. Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa was so impressed that he commissioned Rare to develop games for his company. Rare's first NES game, and the first NES game to feature a split screen mode, was Slalom. Nintendo was not the only company to hire Rare's services during the days of the NES. The up-and-coming developer made Iron Sword and WrestleMania for Acclaim, Marble Madness for Milton Bradley, and John Elway Football for Tradewest. The Battletoads franchise Rare licensed to Tradewest was such a hit that Electronic Arts commissioned Rare to make an arcade game based on it. Battletoads was EA's first arcade game. In all, the company Kart 64. Nintendo responded by upping its investment in Rare tot 4 | їп 1997. Ву 1999, Nintendo eld а 49 percent stake in Rare. But the Nintendo relationship was bound to go the way of Lucy and Desi, Sonny and Cher, and Е len and Anne. THE GREAT DIVORCE “We came to a point at whicl to do what they wanted us to do," says Joel Hochberg. we felt that we needed Nintendo to buy us out in order for us And what point was that? Rare had long stopped making games for systems other than Nintendo consoles in 1986, Nintendo in 1994. Having re and stopped making games for any publisher other than leased Diddy Kong Racing, Blast Corps, Killer Instinct Gold, GoldenEye 007, Jet Force Gemini, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, Rare played a huge role throughout the Nintendo 64 period. However, by last winter, rumors started surfacing that a split was in the works between Rare and Nintendo. “Nintendo had the opportunity to purchase Rare," says Hochberg. “At the time when the transaction could have taken place, they came to us with a restructured deal that we rejected." “It [the decision not to buy Rare] came out of the perception of price versus value," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America senior vice president of marketing and communications. “Rare has done some of the greatest games that we have seen on our systems, but the value wasn't there in the view of NCL (Nintendo's Japanese headquarters). They believed that they could take that money and do development deals elsewhere." At one time or another, Sony, Activision, THQ, and several other publishers were said to be eyeing Rare. hoto courtesy of RePlay Magazine || pee The final suitor turned out to be Microsoft, purchasing Rare for $375 million. At a price like that, Rare was probably too expensive for anyone but Sony or Microsoft. By comparison, Microsoft is rumored to have paid only $25 million for Bungie, the creators of the massive hit Halo. On September 23, at an event held in Seville, Spain, the Stamper brothers and Microsoft executives announced that Microsoft had acquired Rare. Even before the deal was officially announced, however, Nintendo sought to position itself as better off without Rare. In a press release, Nintendo claimed that sales of Rare- developed games only accounted for 9.5 percent of its overall sales in 2000 and 1.5 percent of its sales in 2001. "That in itself is very telling," says Harrison. "If you look at Rare sales from the TRST data for 2001, it's a fairly small number." That number is true, but a bit misleading. What this statistic does not reflect was that Rare had yet to release a game for any current Nintendo hardware system. That 1.5 percent of Nintendo sales was based on games for N64 (which had not been a viable platform for some time) and Game Boy Color. Star Fox Adventures, Rare's first foray on 68 GAME INFORMER GameCube, was released shortly after the Microsoft announcement. Another point of conflict between the two companies came over Rare’s propensity towards missing developmental deadlines, which has frequently resulted in its games being delayed. “There have been gaps in the development stream as well,” explains Harrison. Nobody is arguing the point, as Rare has a terrible reputation for missing deadlines, but Joel Hochberg simply feels that any delays can household name until pe at buted те " the mid ‘80s, but had company’s perfectionism already established and commitment to itself as a powerful quality. КАГУЫ ‘Maybe we haven't been look at Rare's first the most punctual,” says game, Jetpac, for the Hochberg, “but our games КШДШ were certainly the best the same year, Rare also released Atic Atac, when we got them to the PSSST, and Tranz Am marketplace.” This is a good point, and with his company averaging an astronomical 1.4 million copies sold for every game released, its sales record, and the overall quality of its products, Rare is almost unparalleled. But punctuality may still be a question. In the press release issued to announce the Rare acquisition, Microsoft stated that Rare would release five games in the next two years. When asked about this in an exclusive telephone interview with Game Informer, however, the Stampers seemed at a loss for words. “| don't think they saw that part of the press release,” joked Ed Fries, Microsoft vice president of Xbox game content. “Kameo will be out next year,” Chris Stamper told Game Informer. “Obviously we have some things to learn about the Xbox. We are at an early stage. Kameo will be our first game. We're not exactly sure what game will follow that, but we do have five games that are at various stages of development.” Can Rare meet the high expectations of its new corporate leadership? Microsoft's ambitious plans will likely present a challenge to the Stampers and their staff, but one should never bet against a development house with such a storied tradition and strong internal talent. If Rare can put out games on a more regular basis, there is every indication that this new partnership. will be tremendously beneficial for both parties. THE RARE FIT Rare excels in making action/adventure games and those for family audiences. Appropriately, Microsoft, which has focused on older audiences in its Xbox marketing efforts, has thus far been weak in these very same market sectors. Microsoft did publish the disappointing Azurik: Rise of Peratha in 2001; but, not surprisingly, company spokespeople do not like to speak about that particular title. “It's all about great games,” says Tim Stamper. “If you want to compete in the marketplace, you have to expand the appeal of the types of games you're producing. | think that is where Rare comes in." If this is in fact Microsoft's goal, Rare is a perfect fit. Still, Microsoft contends that its acquisition of Rare is not motivated by a need to reach any particular demographic, but rather a desire to work with the best and brightest in world of gaming. "| think that [Rare filling the family gap] is one of the benefits, but it's not why we set out to do this [buy Rare]," says Fries. "That is not why | am excited about it. I’m excited about it because Rare is one of the best game developers in the world. The chance to team up with them and bring their games to the platform is just a huge opportunity." One would be hard-pressed to disagree with Fries. Along with 200 employees and a winning track record, Rare owns the rights to o 3 SE I 5, N х m $ 8 £ d 2'i 2 = Ei m о! е 5 © Ж 2 р =: шпдәәас XZ ИВР 10 91 104 Rare didn't become a Article by Steven 1. Kent, a veteran game journalist, columnist for msnbc.com, and the author of FEATURE several successful game franchises. While Nintendo will retain Star Fox and Donkey Kong, as well as Rare-created sidekicks such as Diddy Kong, Rare will leave with the rights to a good stable of franchises and characters. “We kept [the rights to] Killer Instinct, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, and a number of other character sets that were not a part of Nintendo,” says Hochberg. “That includes Battletoads, Blast Corps, and Perfect Dark.” “If you look at the history of Rare over the last few years, it has been a big thrust with Rare to develop unique character franchises that they could own,” says Nintendo’s Harrison. “Microsoft is acting the way that they need to. They do not have a big internal development group. From the start, they recognized that they needed to go out and secure an outside development force.” Buying Rare is a good step in that direction for the Seattle software giant. After all, Banjo and Kazooie may not be the world’s most popular game characters, but they have more fans than Azurik. With new ownership, a new console to develop for, and a new outlook on life, things are changing at Rare. This is true in the front office as well. After nearly 20 years with Rare, Joel Hochberg plans to take a less-active role in the company. One thing isn’t changing, however. Rare is still making games for Game Boy Advance. Microsoft does not view Game Boy Advance as a rival system, and Rare has great expertise developing games for Nintendo's handheld systems – including Diddy Kong Pilot and Coconut Crackers which were already underway before the Microsoft deal went down. In the meantime, Chris Stamper and other Rare engineers have begun dissecting Xbox in an effort to find the kinds of technical secrets that gave them such an advantage with NES and Super NES. “It's very early yet,” says Chris Stamper. "We've had the Xbox development kits for about two-and-a-half weeks; but yes, | believe that we can [discover new abilities]. Our initial experience has been fantastic. The whole level of support is far greater than on any platform that we have ever worked on, and the capability of the machine is just amazing.” “The Xbox is the easiest platform to develop for, for a number of reasons,” adds Rare software director Mark Betteridge. “The hardware is easy to program. The main reason is the completeness of all of the tools that we received from Microsoft and the level of support that we've had from Microsoft.” If nothing else, the Rare/Microsoft deal answers the questions many had regarding two interesting events that occurred last May at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. First, in an effort to demonstrate its commitment to Xbox, Microsoft announced plans to spend $2 billion over the next two years developing its console business. At the same time, Nintendo, which had announced several Rare projects for GameCube, only showed Star Fox Adventure at its booth, causing many industry insiders to wonder what had become of highly-anticipated properties like Kameo: Elements of Power and Perfect Dark Zero. In one watershed move, both questions have been answered. Now the industry knows where the missing GameCube games have gone, and what Microsoft intended to do with its money. In the coming months, all eyes will be on Microsoft and Rare, hoping to see what further history the two companies will make together. (left to right): Chris Stamper, Ed Fries, Tim Stamper, and Sandy Duncan at Xo2, in Seville, Spain So you think you’re pretty hot stuff, do ya? You think you’ve got what it takes to trade in that geek uniform? If you’re holding this magazine, chances are you’re probably doomed already – YO! GOT А 2-BOLT MAIN CHEVY X but we've got faith in you, kid. Give this bad-boy a once over, | 350 BORED .030 OVER, WITH A GM and see how you do. You might come out on the other end BLOWER AND DUAL CARBS MAN! with more studly swagger than Tom Jones, but then again, your AND MY CHICK IS SO HOT, TOO! nerdliest fears may be realized. Don’t be shy – take the test; it’s not like anyone’s looking. Or maybe we are! You can forget about that date to Sadie Hawkins, bub! Hee-hee-heeee!! A2 + В2 = C2 THE SQUARE OF THE HYPOTENUSE OF A RIGHT \ oie} TRIANGLE IS EQUAL TO THE SUM ын “OF THE SQUARES OF THE TWO 1 (COOLUS y OTHER SIDES! mene pupus) ARE You STILL A NERD? РЕЈА (DWEEBUS PORKUS MALORKUS) AKA: NERD GAME INFORMER Have you ever taken a picture of your TV screen to prove that you got a certain score, or beat a boss іп a game? | pray FOR A TRUE PEACE IN EX. What is the longest you've played a game in one sitting? * 0-4 hours * 11-15 hours * 5-10 hours * 16 and over What games are these quotes from? * "Our princess is in another castle!" “Rise from you grave" PA RTL €TT'S “The meatlocker Йел RN is infested with Y BOOK OR = gerbils” лрео GAMe "Don't open ОПО -= that door!” QUOTATI ONS “Boom! He’s on his back!” Has video game Have you music inspired you {> ever to... imported a * Hum a song unconsciously game from • Purchase a game’s sound- Japan? track • Hire a band you heard to $ play at your wedding j y AP * Form a cover band oad j that tours the nation and rocks out nonstop, # bay-beeee! Who do you idolize? * A popular video game personality e A celebrity (actor, musician, etc.) a * A relative * A political leader • Joseph of Arimathea The PlayStation 3 is about to hit the streets. What preparations do you make Which of to ensure that this powerful new the е machine is in your hands оп day one? following Р • Camp out overnight in front of the store best * Reserve it in advance and head to the store at your leisure describes a typical * Take your chances on day one evening hanging out • Order it over the Internet and hope that it arrives on time and in with your friends? Ой Дэ g Ў : * You wouldn't make any preparations because you are loyal to * Ordering pizza and huddling only Nintendo or Microsoft and would never taint your gaming around the TV as you play vids experience with a stupid PlayStation 3 all night long • Throwing back a few brewskies as you work on your Camaro • Sitting around the kitchen table creating new Dungeons & Dragons characters * Going to a club and partying it up Is the love of your life a hardcore gamer? If so, would you consid- er them good looking? —— GAMEINFORMER 71 HUNT FOR THE THRILL Strong Sexual Content Epp] _ Violence ep PlayStation.c ©2002 IO Interactive. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. Eidos, Eidos Interactive, and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. IO Interactive and the IO Interactive logo are trademarks of IO Interactive. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox Logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. PAID FOR THE KILL “a, SILENT ASSASSIN HITMAN2.COM Where do А Which one of these you live? f î situations would make you * In your very own ШЕ Е! quit playing video games? house • Someone offers you eternal wealth on the * In an apartment condition you give up video games forever * In a dorm * Research reveals that gaming causes brain : ^ : * In your parent's basement cancer in 9996 of the population * To alleviate the weight problem of the nation, the government man- dates that you cannot _ PlayStation.2 play games until you REFES complete a marathon How do • The only games | س‎ you openly released are based on Йй the Army Men license express your love for a video game? PlayStation, 2 • Talk about its brilliance, and recommend it to everyone • Create a fan site • Dress like your favorite character haw с PlayStation e = i for Halloween TT = М Who is this? * Include it in your prayer at [277 НЕМ Thanksgivi ROGUE [€ anksgiving ў Эш шїп. ална цу, • Get a tattoo to immortalize А : : it forever You run into Shigeru Miyamoto at ? 2 ‘AHHH, .LUMM.. a юса! restaurant What do you do iioi * Shake his hand, praise his work, and offer a IWAS Имза ТОУ ER sincere thank you THE GUY DOES THAT тиме WITH THE THNG.. * Express your displeasure for the new Zelda art style, and angrily tell him to get his head out of his garden and make good games again If you At some point, every • Become strangely aroused could ask a gamer aspires to create their e Tell him that Sonic is the best game ever!!! Game m. very own game. What actions * Do nothing informer E have you taken in pursing editor one у this dream? а | uestion, what would • Thought about it but didn’t do anything more | | ۹ z • Jotted down some notes and designed a cou- | it be? ple of characters on a piece of paper | * Penned an entire script, created an entire uni- | verse, and mapped out how the gameplay | would work on a controller | • Created a simplistic game on your computer | How many + e Actually went to school for programming, and | hours have sought out a video game position within the | ои invest- dusty | у E : * Wrote an angry letter to a | ed into a developer proclaiming that | massively multiplayer its en sucks and yours А 0 e so online RPG? A | much better | • Never played one [ * Between 1 and 50 = * Between 51 and 900 • Over 8,760 (one full year) 74 GAME INFORMER If you logged onto eBay, what would you be shopping for? • Marky Mark’s unreleased bootleg club single “Dude, Man. Dude!” • A Scarlett O'Hara collector's plate * A DeLorean • Rare video games • Characters, items, and weapons for your favorite massively multiplayer online role-play- ing game • Something else On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most, which of these scenarios do you find the most exciting? • Becoming a video game producer ? Enjoying а nice café latte at Starbucks • Hearing some- one that you find incredibly attractive say “I want you ” now • Not having to take your ear medicine when you go to bed at night • Stumbling across an authentic Chewbacca cos- B tume at a garage sale for just 10 dollars Have you ever simu- lated a sports game for gambling purposes? Lr. Do you buy gifts for your signif- : .icant other “= to cover up for the . fact that you're not going to spend time with them, but rather play vids by your ~ . lonesome? What is your great- est athletic accomplish- ment? • Playing tee-ball • Participating in high school sports • Winning the Super Bowl in Madden * Getting out of bed How many games do you cur- => rently own? ۰0 • 11020 • 2110 40 • 4110 80 • 81 and higher What do you see? Who are these video game personalities? FEATURE SCORING NER DOME TER! 76 Garth, Wyatt, and Max/Weird Science 201 - 900 Chet: 8251111 Andy: 818 101 - 200 Reiner: 712 591 - 100 Lisa: 625 — Chunk/The Goonies HN >01- 600 Justin: 505 201 - 400 Matt: 378 Kato: 375 Kristian: 336 GAME INFORMER Don't look at this page...unless you've already finished the quiz. How does this scoring sys- tem work? It's simple really, just tally up all of the points on this scoring meter to see how high you rate on the Nerdometer. This scale shows how big of a dork...er...gamer you really are. If you always felt that the GI staff wasn't nearly as studly as you are, we forced every. editor to take the quiz as well so that you can compare and contrast numbers. Enjoy! Question 1. If you answered Yes: 25 points. Give yourself an extra 10 if you actually send them to the developer of the game, and another 30 if you do it for every game that you play. * No, but wish you had: 10 points * No: 0 points Question 2 * 0-4 hours: 5 points * 5-10 hours: 15 points * 11-15 hours: 30 points * 16 and over: 50 points * Give yourself an extra 10 points if you went without food or drink during this time, another 10 if didn't use the bathroom, and 50 if you went to the bathroom, but never left your chair. Question 3 Score the following for each correct answer. * Super Mario Bros.: 10 points * Altered Beast: 5 points * You realized this quote is made up: 20 points. Give yourself an extra 30 points if you spent more than five minutes figuring this out. * Resident Evil: 25 points • Madden NFL Football: 30 points Question 4 * No, but if | knew how | would: 10 points e No way! Kanji scares me... English or bust!: 2 points • Of course! 40 points. Give yourself another 50 if you imported a horseracing RPG, and an addtional 75 if you learned Japanese for the soul purpose of gaming. Question 5 * If you said Peter Molyneux or Will Wright: 25 points. If you said Steven Spielberg subtract 10. If you said anyone else: 20 points * A celebrity: 10 points: Give yourself another 20 if you said Jesse Camp. Remove 10 for Carson Daly. • Someone of relation: 15 points * A political leader: 5 points • Joseph of Arimathea: 5 points. Go ahead and give yourself another 20 if you actually know who he is. * If you chose Alf: 100 points. Question 6 * Games and pizza: 30 points • Fixin’ the car: 1 point. Add 5 more if you do so in a wife-beater. • Role-playing fest: 50 points * If you chose this you are a liar! Add 70 points for being an even bigger geek who would lie about something like this! Question 7 * | don't have a significant other – That's what lotion’s for!: 60 points • If they are a hardcore gamer, and you've faced the truth: 10 points e If they аге a hardcore gamer, and you're still telling yourself that you can stomach their presence: 30 points • If they're not a hardcore gamer, and they're hot: O points * If they're not a hardcore game, and they're downright ugly (what are you doing?): 5 points Question 8 * For humming: 5 points * Spending money on beats: 30 points * Prelude to an annulment: 45 points * Big time tour: 65 points Question 9 e If you would camp out: 40 points Reserve it in advance: 20 points Take your chances: 5 points • Order it over the Internet: 1 point There can be only one: 30 points Question 10 The correct answer is Richard Garriott, a.k.a. Lord British. Score 40 points if you knew this. Give yourself 20 if you thought it was one of the Monty Python cast from the Holy Grail. Give yourself 70 more if you dress like this every day. Question 11. * Being respectful: 15 points e сенда sucks!: 10 points (it shows you care!) • Schwing!: 25 points • Sonic is a Yuji Naka game you meathead!: Subtract 20 points and slap yourself for being stupid: • Shigeru who? Subtract 10 points Question 12 Your very own digs: 1 point * In an apartment: 5 points * |n a dorm: 7 points * In your parents’ basement: 70 points Question 13 • If you would talk about it until you were blue in the face: 5 points • Create а fan site: 25 points * Cross-dress, using Halloween as a convenient excuse: 20 points Ruin Thanksgiving: 30 points • Scar your body: 100 points Question 14 * Why did you score [insert game here] so low? It should have gotten .25 better than that!: 50 points • Are you hiring?: 30 points Why are you so biased against [insert favorite system here]? You guys suck!: 60 points * It's my birthday, will you send me a free game?: 40 points. And no, we won't. Question 15 * If you never played one: О points * Between 1 and 50: 10 points * Between 51 and 900: 30 points • Over a year: 100 points (You deserve it...nerd!) Question 16 e l'Il take the money and run, baby!: 5 points * | treat my body like a temple: 10 points * Slim and gaming is better than fat and bored: 20 points * Screw those little green, people!!!: 30 points • |f none of these would make you quit, you truly are hardcore, give yourself 80 points. If you wanted to choose more than one, sub- tract 20 points. Question 17 * Thought about it: 5 points * Jotted down notes: 25 points * You went to the extreme and mapped out everything: 50 points • Created a game on your computer: 60 points * |f you actually went to school: 100 points * Made an ass out of yourself for the develop- er's amusement: 15 points Question 18 * Marky Mark's bootleg single "Dude, Man. Dude!": 5 points * A Scarlett O'Hara collector's plate: 2 points * A DeLorean: 10 points * Rare video £ames: 25 points * Characters, items, and weapons for your favorite massively multiplayer online role-play- ing £ame: 40 points * | march to my own drummer!: 5 points Question 19 Add up the ratings you gave everything and that's your score for this question. That is, unless you rated the "I want you now" choice less than a 10. If this is the case, give yourself an extra 100 points. Question 20 * If you answered Yes: 35 points. If you actual- ly made money off of it, give yourself another 10 points. * |f you answered No: 0 points for having com- mon sense. * If this question gave you a great idea for next Sunday's football games: 10 points Question 21 * |f your answer is Yes: 75 points. However, let it be noted that we don't really condone this kind of behavior, but if it works...booyah!!! * If your answer is No, but have other tech- niques for getting rid of your loved one for game time: 50 points • If you would never do such a callous and mean-spirited thing, but have thought about it: 5 points * Never in a lifetime, bub!: O points Question 22 * Tee-ball: 1 point * Participating in high school sports: 5 points. Give yourself 10 more if it was just to fulfill your athletic requirement. • Winning the Super Bowl in Madden: 25 points * Getting out of bed: 50 points Question 23 * 0: 0 points • 1 to 20: 5 points * 21 to 40: 20 points * 41 to 80: 35 points * 81 and higher: 50 points Question 24 • Someone with a Game Boy Advance in his pocket: 20 points * A gentleman sporting a pair of denim slacks: 5 points * You're too embarrassed to say and are cur- rently questioning your sexuality: 10 points * A small mustard stain near the zipper region: 5 points Question 25 Score the following for each correct answer. * E) Master Chief from Halo: 5 points * D) Dirk the Daring from Dragon's Lair: 10 points * C) Haunter from Pokémon: 15 points * B) Dixie from Donkey Kong Country 2: 30 points * F) Barret from Final Fantasy VII: 40 points * A) Zool from Zool: 65 points, he's the ninja of the "nth" dimension, man!!! Bonus Points * If you looked ahead to the scoring section to adjust your final score: 15 points e If you truly believe that adjusting your score will make you look cooler: 20 points * If you had to use a calculator to add up your points: Subtract 10 points * |f you're related to any of the people on the Nerdometer: 45 points * |f you found the quiz offensive at any time: 20 points * If your significant other scores higher than you do and he or she is not a gamer: 50 points GET READY TO RUBBLE B LU. There's а new fight in town and this HME JUS huge, Take command of 12071: tall, fully armored, folly 10aded Meganites and stop the apocalyptic Volgara invasion from rampaging тту оит Сее: ИТ Hal means you have to knock down а few buildings and СГ SOME РЕШЕ Рату WENN, SUC iSite price Of victory. We didit Say jt womi ВЕ EASY ЇЇ SAVE ne World) Hut HEY nothing ever [57 Ж E ye dl ja МИА: BAM e d аф ) + "ul PlayStation. Blood Violence At times, you'll have to do everything in your power to avoid being spotted by guards Sailing is just one of the elements that ties into the wind aspect 78 GAME INFORMER PREVIEWS ( GAMECUBE d THE LEGEND NINTENDO'S SYSTEM LINK You never really think about it, but ever since A Link to the Past, all of the Zelda games have been gimmick driven. For instance, The Ocarina of Time’s most important gameplay aspect revolved solely around Link's ability to play an осаппа. The same can be said about Majora's Mask. The moon wouldn't crash into the ground if the devious villain didn’t wear the mask. For a change, it seemed as though the GC Zelda would break tradition and emerge without any ties to a specific item or plot twist. Just when we thought Shigeru Miyamoto had turned over a new leaf, details have begun trickling out of Japan tying Link's adventure to a specific hook. This time around, it sounds like everything will tie into wind. It'll be a powerful weapon, but also your greatest adversary. To reflect this, the Japanese title of the game has recently been revealed to be The Legend of Zelda: Kaze no Takuto, which translates roughly to "The Wind of Takuto." Nintendo will likely create a similar name for the US version, but nothing has been finalized as of press time. From what we understand, select puzzles in the game will behave in a certain manner depending on which way the wind is blowing. Seeing how tricky the puzzles have been in the previous installments, we can't wait to see what Nintendo has in store for us with this new gameplay twist. If you thought that this Zelda was going to be the same thing all over again, just with a drastically different look, you'll be in for quite the shock when it hits retail shelves! next Februa we Characters will hand over items... из aH, "d | || } i у at | | j em 1r | | га | а " ; e yu | е am POT a s A | OF ZELDA Already we've seen Link outperforming Solid Snake in the stealth department as he ducks behind objects, peeks around corners, and drops to the ground to crawl beneath objects. The combat system, which will rely on the same lock-on technology, now enables players to pick up weapons dropped by enemies – even armaments that are way too big for Link's scrawny frame. If you own a Game Boy Advance, you'll be rewarded with an interesting gameplay addition. By connecting your GBA to the second controller slot on the GameCube, your onscreen character will actually wield an item that just happens to be the Game Boy Advance. By acti- vating this gadget, Link will be asked if he wants to summon Tingle —who just happens to be the map salesman from Majora's Mask. In a flash, a map of the area you inhibit in the GameCube version will appear on the GBA screen. The graphics are nothing special, but you can clearly see Link's position, and where the enemies reside as well. You'll actually control Tingle on the GBA. The extent of his y= use is unknown at this time, but we do know that he can drop bombs on the enemies and blow open hidden areas as well. Wouldn't it be great if you continued exploring as Link on the GameCube and your friend assumed Tingle on the GBA? We can't wait to find out exactly how this gadget works, and what else Miyamoto and his team have in store for us. They haven't failed yet. to control Tingle within dungeons ...that Link can use to discover clues or hidden goodies W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG Ш PUBLISHER NINTENDO lii DEVELOPER NINTENDO Ш RELEASE FEBRUARY 1, 2003 © 088 For the first time, Link will express a wide range of emotions, including the “Did somebody fart in here” look pictured here ль <... Il leave their weapon behind... After disposing of an enemy, they ...yet no matter how large it may be, Link can wield it ү ! я S | у с \ | $ | | tak | 4 h As you can see, Link has a GBA designated as his Y item Link’s eyes will actually pan back and forth to the objects that you highlight A | | 024 сава 1064 GAME INFORMER 79 итеч – seg V эг Suns Aysoung у er] эко — "uone1gÁe . ховх 3€ с Id әоиәјоІл 9405 pue рооја auniviw woouleyjoAreay wmm injdna se ons s proas pu [ PLAYSTATION 2 ] FINAL FANTASY. X-2 A TRUE SEQUEL TO A FINAL FANTASY GAME? Square's bread and butter has aways been its acclaimed Final Fantasy series. Since the prospect of FF XI actually making a serious financial impact continues to dwindle, we are not surprised to discover that Square plans on releasing a side story to the most recent installment. Although Square, as usual, will hardly dish out any succulent details about Final Fantasy X-2, we do know that the plot will focus on everyone's favorite summoner, Yuna. While the СІ staff certainly won't argue with this choice, we hope that certain favorites will make an appearance; Auron's bad-ass sword skills and Tidus’ tear-jerking, romantic advances would be sorely missed. But even if none of the previous team show up in large capacity, we'll be satisfied with at least a cameo. Besides, we have complete faith in Square's ability to create new and engaging characters set in a compelling story. Since the adventure begins two years after Yuna's epic battle with Sin, and the environments and people look very similar, we suspect that the plot will involve the same world (and dimension) under similar circumstances. Perhaps Sin has returned earlier than expected; or, maybe an element of Sin didn't completely perish? Ideally, however, we would like to see Square evolve this into a love Story that places Yuna in a quest to seek out Tidus in the dream world. Besides offering a mysterious plot twist, the two year gap will also affect Yuna's abilities, and her play mechanics in general. Along with her summoning capabilities, Yana now wields two deadly handguns, which certainly suggests a more eclectic arsenal. This, the presence of "Active mode" during battle sequences, and Yuna's ability to platform also seem to be indicative of a more action-oriented combat system. Since the game looks to display only Yuna's Hit and Magic Points, while FF X's HUD featured an elaborate menu of commands that's normally associated with turn-based RPGs, we're assuming that once you engage an enemy, you can move around the playfield as in Kingdom Hearts. Then again, Active mode could reference something else, or arise only during certain scripted events. Technically, FF X-2 has received an upgrade, even if it's slight. The environments certainly look more lush, and Yuna's character model sports more detail. Plus, Square will seemingly cram in better special effects, hinted at by the vibrant lighting in the village area, and the green particles that surround Yuna. Unfortunately, we have absolutely nothing else for you FF fanatics to drool over. Just scrutinize these pictures like we did, and see if you can decipher anything else until our next preview. STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME IN PUBLISHER SQUARE Ш DEVELOPER SQUARE Ш RELEASE ТВА 82 GAME INFORMER The villages appear to be slightly larger and certainly more lush and detailed ive gameplay Check out the detail, as well as Yuna's new get-up ЕТ БЕП PITT REE T This looks like a very overweight jester. We're uncertain as to what his role is, but we're certain he's an NPC в“ In addition to excelling in the long jump, Yuna is an experienced rock climber GAMEINFORMER 83 “bestcarcrashes onthe та т ve er era HS ОП planet... hig; vi : А ree] 90 Editor's Choice Award- IGN.com & olentanddamaying | HEART RACING. POLICE SIRENS FLASHING BEHIND YOU. HANDS CLENCHING THE WHEEL AS YOU MANEUVER THROUGH THE MOST REALISTIC TRAFFIC SCENARIOS EVER DEVELOPED. EYES WATERING AS YOU WITNESS THE MOST REALISTIC AND HORRIFIC CRASHES EVER SEEN IN A GAME. MUSCLES TENSING AS YOU TRY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL THROUGH 30 OPEN ROAD STAGES. YOU’VE PICKED YOUR CAR FROM AN AUTOMOTIVE ARSENAL OF 14 ALL-NEW VEHICLES. HOPEFULLY, CAR AND DRIVER WILL SURVIVE THE POINT OF IMPACT. OR THE LAST THING TO GO THROUGH YOUR MIND WILL BE YOUR ASS. EVERYONE Mild Violence ~ PlayStationse АФ laim www.acclaim.com Criterion f BA PREVIEWS ni | pss а =. || , DEAD OR ALIVE Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball a couple months back may have gotten a few parents ticked, but what do they know about vids anyway? Okay, to prove that we weren't just interested in women in swimsuits, Game Informer is going to make your pants feel tight over all those things that make video games great — plot lines, technology, and gameplay. Like any good late-night flick starring buxom, scantily clad women, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball's got one hell of a story behind it. Zack (using his Dead or Alive 3 earnings to buy his own island) invites all the females into a Dead or Alive 4 tournament. But before you can yell "cat fight!" he tricks them all. There was no tourney planned to begin with — just an attempt by Zack to corral all the gorgeous DOA babes for himself. You can't blame a guy for trying – we доп" W STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS W PUBLISHER TECMO Ш DEVELOPER TEAM NINJA ¥ RELEASE DECEMBER 3 GAME INFORMER —n9 Dogs aren't the only ones who bury bones (in the sand) XTREME BEACH VOLLEYBALL ALL THE RIGHT MOVES Our issue featuring Tecmo's Dead or This plot isn't as flimsy as a stuffed string bikini, though. Tecmo has actually set up an island where you live – and play – to win. Making money is your main role, and 2-on-2 volleyball is just one of the ways to earn it. To be successful on the court, your ladies have to get along. This even applies to liking particular volleyball courts. Individually, each charac- ter will have to be comfortable with the accessories (sunglasses, flowers, hats, etc.) you've given them. “Does my butt look big in this swimsuit?” No way, baby. What's the secret in keeping characters happy? Check out their bio sheet and get to know them for a start (great personalities and greater bodies!). Maybe gifts will help smooth things over (this interaction can be done in the island's hotel). At the end of the day, winning always helps smooth over any bad feelings — and it can even start new friendships. Zack Island's casino is another place where Tom Hanks' Castaway friend, Wilson, ditches fortunes are made and lost. Bristling at the lab “minigame”, Tecmo told us that the casino is a integrated aspect of Volleyball. Poker, blackjack, lette, and slot machines are just some of the ga you can play. Tecmo is so serious about the casini that all the rules and odds of winning are accurate modeled. Finally, the island's radio station and mt theater are also there to amuse you. There's even a exercise to help you calibrate the analog sensitivity of your controller's buttons (and make some cash) that has your character skipping and bouncing acros: some pool cushions – a perfect test of the game’s rumored “Breast Physics Engine”. What about nudity? Tecmo wouldn't say anything definite, but assured us that Xtreme Volleyball's playful sexuality would not disappoint fans one bit: No matter what angle you look at it, this baby’s got where it counts. that loser for better company VIRTUAL-ON MARZ LIFE ON MARZ Sega’s Virtual-On Series pays homage to the company's arcade roots. Although the franchise has appeared on home platforms like the Dreamcast and Saturn, Sega has always supported it with a twin-stick peripheral to help simulate that arcade feel. While plans were being laid to do so for Marz, that isn’t necessary. Developer Hitmaker has promised fans that it will do everything in its power to make PlayStation 2’s Dual Analog controller feel like the real thing. Game Informer recently had a chance to play Marz at Tokyo Game Show, and we weren’t disappointed. For those not initiated, the Virtual-On series is all about non-stop mech combat. Not slow, lumbering buckets of bolts, but hyper-responsive robots with lightning- fast moves. As such, the title plays more like a fighter than it does an Armored Core, for example. The game was sporting a simplified control scheme at the show, but we have faith in Hitmaker that it will deliver on the gameplay. One change that we know is in store is something called Dramatic Mode. Here the fights will be supplied with backstories to help flesh them out. Mech titles appeal to select fans in America, but hopefully Sega will bring Virtua-On Marz our way and help change common thinking for the better. HEIGHT/WEIGHT —~ 59' 117 Ib. BODY SIZE Background textures are a little bland, but the visual effects aren't Vox the control fans are used to "БР A Hopefully the Dual Analog can replicate aa TE Мэ Wata 200 ТҮ! Of YER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPE HITMAKER DER Vlll STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION I " R HITMA x "E HIST m ME T RELEASE SPRING 2003 (JAPAN) 4 OTECMG,LTD: TeamNINJA 20 : GAMEINFORMER 87 LEGENDS FROM THE LAND OF MISFIT GAMES The Dreamcast didn't stick around tong, but in the short time that it warmed our hearts and snuggled with us under the covers, its software library housed a number of noteworthy titles. Since only a small fraction of the gaming populace actually owned this machine (for shame!), hardly anyone had the chance to experience these amazing games. They basically went to waste. Although Sega has wisely buried anything related to this console, it is dusting off one of the Dreamcast's finest games and reformatted it for the GameCube. The game of mention is Skies of Arcadia, a title that not only earns the rank of the best RPG on the Dreamcast, but one of the best console RPGs period. Rather than following the standard RPG formula that seems to weasel its way into 90% of the games within this genre, Skies of Arcadia is as original as a game comes. With a plot that revolves around the lifestyle of pirates, a world constructed solely on floating islands, and a uniquely crafted combat system, you can clearly see where our fascination and praise stems from. Rather than just porting this material over without alterations, Overworks has created up to 10 hours of new material for the game. The majority of this content is actually с» с» SKIES OF ARCADIA © н 1838/2439) - a used for character back-stories. So, if you have always wondered why the main character Vyse has a scar on his face, you'll now learn the answer firsthand. Overworks has also listened closely to the comments that people made about the Dreamcast version and has tweaked the gameplay to make it less tedious. The most notable change revolves around the random monster encounters. They occurred way too often during the original quest, so Overworks has reduced the encounter rate and upped the experience gained for each creature. If you felt that the boat battles were slow and tedious as well, you should be quite pleased by the revamped pace that they now feature. The graphics may be a tad dated and the cinematics may not have a dynamic punch to them, but even today, it still looks quite good. Naturally though, Overworks has implemented new effects and graphical touches that take advantage of the GameCube's abilities. Skies of Arcadia was a great game to begin with, and the bevy of new material should make it all the more explosive...even if it already had its day in the sun. You'll need to combat walking giants to learn of the mysteries surrounding the world below W STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME Ш PUBLISHER SEGA Ш DEVELOPER OVERWORKS lf RELEASE JANUARY 2003 88 GAME INFORMER Kp13/14 Hp 1171/2086 © MB The random encounter rate is much lower than before z= Boats are cool...but boats that fly are even better!!! 'Il leam much more about your party members in the newly created back-stories Better reload — Swarms of demons and powerful bosses. ГА emg! +" == ЖА Three intense modes of play % E » to keep those guns blazing. Ф +". " СА z Ca "mtu: insanely fast Guncon’ "2 blasting action. 906552) You're part of the action with the fast and accurate Guncon"2 Ninja? with guns: BAD RIS Lures a little more pop. So ditch the sword. Dump the stars. And grab hold of the Guncon™2 — official Demon-Slayer of bad ass Ninjas everywhere. Blood PlayStation.2 => XN Violence Мија Assault" аване 2000. 2002 МСО Lid., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Guncon™ 2& 2000 Namco Lid., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "РІауб опала the; amil ya are registered ty of Sony Computer, Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is а registered trademark of the Interactive Digital во аге Association: PREVIEWS ADVENTURES IN METAMORPHOSIS We first caught wind of Primal earlier this year, on a trip to the Cambridge-based SCEE development team. For those of you who were lucky enough to experience the PlayStation sleeper hits MediEvil and MediEvil Il, you'll be pleased to know that the Primal posse are the same blokes that created the infamous Sir Dan. While Primal does exhibit the same highly crafted gameplay, complex puzzle solving, and carefully drawn characters that made MediEvil such an overlooked gem, the game does represent a sharp turn away from the dry British humor that has marked the team’s past works. Like many recent action/adventures, Primal is a grim, gothic affair, one that takes its protagonist Jen through five huge fantasy realms on her quest to rescue her would-be rock star boyfriend, Lewis, from the clutches of the dark lord Abaddon and restore order to the universe. In each realm (Solum, Aquis, Aetha, and Volca), Jen will Fighting involves a fluid combo system undergo shape-shifting transformations in which she takes on both the physical look and superhuman powers of the races that inhabit the region. The Ferai race, who rule Solum, are vicious tribal warriors with tremendous strength and a physical appearance that could be best described as a mix of feline and Klingon. The Aguis realm is populated by the Undine, an aquatic race marked by their gills, fins, a tentacles. In Aetha, the vampiric Wraiths reign supreme, mostly due to their ability to suck power from their foes, much like Kain in the Blood Omen series. Finally, the fiery Volca is the home to the Djinn, the most brutal and powerful race in the game, who fight with fearsome flaming swords. Luckily for Jen, she will not have to face the daunting task of conquering these strange foes alone. Throughout the game, she is accompanied by Scree, а diminutive gargolyle who functions as her sidekick and a source of comic relief. At times, you will take control of Scree to scout out unexplored areas or to solve various puzzles. This character- switching dynamic is similar in style to the puzzle elements of games like Munch's Oddysee. Even for all its rich storyline and gorgeous visuals, a good portion of Primal's impact will come from its fighting system, which seeks to give gamers a deeper experience than the average third-person hack n’ slasher. During combat, Jen will lock onto an assailant, and then deliver one of the 20 odd combos at her disposal. Of course, given the fact that Jen's physical body is constantly changing, so will her battle tactics. You will be able to switch in and out of whatever demon form Jen posesses at the time, provided that your enemy doesn't sap your strength. W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/ADVENTURE ШЕ PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA Ii DEVELOPER SONY CAMBRIDGE STUDIOS W RELEASE JANUARY 15 90 GAME INFORMER ( p у Ln fh Dr Jen is accompianed by her gargoyle companion, Scree T Maybe it's us, but we're not that crazy about the Gap's winter line JA ge TN 15%- 15% 47 NOT IN MY HOUSE `2, PLAYBOOK DESIGN (owe A А uat. 1 : f 1j disi on, n аты SQ: Т тало ы C 6.5 У ТЕ Last | i MINUTES I wah) T к | 112% МВА Anyone can give 110%. NBA Inside Drive 2003 is now loaded with a 25-season dynasty mode that includes player management, timely trades, intense drafts, play design and stars that improve with age. Will purple reign? Will the windy city rise again? It’s your team, kid. {Бе More basketball than basketball www. nbainsidedrive2003.com х | XBOX || XO OX EVERYONE www.xbox.com CONTENT RATED BY ESRB www.nba.com ©2002 Microsoft Corporation. АП rights reserved, Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries. Other products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their тез їз. The NBA and Individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this product are trademarks. copyrighted designs and other forms of intellectual property of А Prope ities, Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the expressed written consent of NBA Properties, Inc. ©2002 NBA Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. PREVIEWS [ PLAYSTATION 2 ] | BREATH O * DRAGON Q! ж J A REDESIGNED DRAGON Serious followers of the Breath of Fire games might easily mistake this latest edition as something entirely different. Dubbed Dragon Quarter, Capcom certainly retains | elements that tie it to the universe, such as Dragon themes; and || the cel-shaded characters help maintain the series’ traditional 2D look, despite the fact that everything is now three-dimensional. The story and game structure perhaps represent the most significant changes. Since Earth has suffered a huge ecological disaster, humans are forced to live underground in an ancient city (known as Shelter) for many generations. You play as Ryu, a Ranger who experiences an awakening of some sort. This strange revelation motivates him and his friends to make their way to the surface — your eventual goal. Since almost the entire game takes place inside of this facility, players won't visit outside environments and travel to myriad lands and kingdoms. Instead, players will ^dungeon crawl," ascending the numerous levels of the city. Although the game's Scope seems more concentrated, it will still take about 50 hours to finish, which is most likely due to DQ's unique design. Capcom actually intends on players dying a lot. When you perish, you'll have to restart from the beginning, but you'll retain all of the items, magic, and experience you've earned. Furthermore, any puzzles you've completed and bosses you've killed will remain that way. Based on these accomplishments, the dungeons will actually change, presenting new objectives and Players can surprise enemies as well as avoid them : E c ud = incentives. Although the specifics of this design are still being developed, Capcom promises that returning to the point of death shouldn't require an exorbitant amount of time. The combat system also deviates from established prec- edents. Players now have the ability to initiate a surprise hit before the battle actually begins. Once the fight ensues, actions are carried out in the typical turned-based fashion, but with a few refreshing twists. First, all of the characters possess a Dragon meter to regulate the number of special attacks they can perform. Since the game's over once this meter reaches 100, players must consider when these abilities are required most. Second, it's now possible to perform combo attacks, and set traps and decoys. You can perform combos simply by linking various weapon skills of same attack level. If done correctly, y inflict bonus damage upon the enemy. The traps and decoys mostly aid in keeping monsters in strategically weak positions, which helps since characters can move freely around the play- field. For example, if you're up against an enemy who's weak against fire, you can create a wall of fire to maintain distance while you nip away at his HP with long-range techniques. Many of these alterations may result in a BoF title too distinct to appeal to some extremely hardcore fans, but to us, these adi tions and innovations are more than worth the risk. Hopefully, it will all culminate into one of the freshest and most exciting RPG experiences around. W STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME Ш PUBLISHER CAPCOM ш DEVELOPER CAPCOM Ш RELEASE MARCH Get in an early shot before the battle begins You'll be able to set your players up in strategic positions during fights 92 GAME INFORMER This artist rendition of a boss battle pits Ryu against a dragon! COMMAND 2. CONQUER GENERALS MOVE OVER, YURI Although the developer may look foreign to anyone who is familiar with the Command & Conquer series, not to fear! Westwood has its hands all over this release. “We've reinvented the Command & Conquer franchise with Generals, with a brand new storyline, units and tactics that have all been inspired by the technologies and ideologies of today's tumultu- ous world," said one EA Pacific representative when asked about this game. It seems that the C&C universe is about to take a turn toward reality — a notion as interesting as it is exciting. Taking place 20 years in the future, Generals is being described as a metaphor for today's global military possibilities. To this end, three distinctive sides are fighting for supremacy in the game, each with its own unique advantages, features, and drawbacks. The first (and in our opinion the best) superpower wing for dominance is the mighty US of A. Because of the USA's high opinion of human life, its infantry is comprised of a small but highly trained and terrifyingly capable ground force. China, because they could give a rip about the individual, sends swarms of foot soldiers that choke the opposition with their sheer numbers. As an added bonus, China likes to use fire in a lot of their weapons, so you can be sure we'll be seeing some incredible explosion effects. The last and most enigmatic super- power in the game is the Global Liberation Army, which relies on stealth tactics and hit-and-run capabilities. One of the most intriguing aspects of this C&C iteration is the player's ability to choose a unique General before each mission. These characters will open up a virtual armada of play ® R к possibilities depending on which persona you choose. Each indi- à Et £ КЕ vidual unit unlocks specialized upgrades, troops, economic Dogfights will be a common occurrence above many a battlefi bonuses, and abilities. From this facet of gameplay comes a Gy 1 whole new set of strategic implications. Do you take General b | | А because he'll give you a better infantry, or do you select General B because he'll help you get more money faster? cay ГА What a delicious problem that will be to puzzle out. x 5% We expect C&C Generals to present a benchmark in RTS gaming, but it has a lot to compete against. Blizzard has shown it can talk the talk and walk the walk with Warcraft Ill, and Westwood/EA Pacific hasn’t made waves since its masterpiece, Red Alert 2. From the looks of it, Generals has \ x the chops, and come the first of December, we'll see if the hype is just that. i W STYLE | ТО 8-PLAYER STRATEGY 2A Е E PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS Ш DEVELOPER EA Aol У гә Let's hope that puppy isn't nuclear GAME INFORMER This Chinese structure is being threatened by a squad of American armor PACIFIC Ш RELEASE DECEMBER 1 | ——' PREVIEWS m PLAYS’ N 2/GAMECUBE DEF JAM VENDETTA TIME TO RAMMA JAMMA The wrestling уои see on television isn’t the whole story. Those well-paid behemoths all started with much more modest roots. It’s in the smoky nightclubs and seedy bars where stars begin their journey. All of them had to pay their dues in front of rowdy, unforgiving crowds to get to the top. EA Big combines this spirit of independent wrestling with the equally gritty hip hop culture for Def Jam Vendetta. Yes, there are real rappers that you wrestle with or as, but we'll talk about that later – especially since that fact probably worries grappling purists. First, let's talk about the engine, which is done by AKI. Who’s AKI, you ask? Do the names WCW Revenge and WWF No Mercy ring any bells? Yes, this is the same Japanese development house that produced those N64 classics, along with Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 in Japan – widely regarded as the best wrestling game ever (sorry, NES Pro Wrestling fans). This means that the action will be extremely authentic, and the gameplay will be insanely deep. am recordings _ “Hey, Shaka Zulu! Get your hands off my jun! Ш STYLE 1 ТО 4-PLAYER FIGHTING lI PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS Ш DEVELOPER EA CANADA, AKI Ш RELEASE MARCH 2003 94 GAME INFORMER It's apparent this is a wrestling game first, and a rap music vehicle second. AKI's games have shown versatility by giving you a variety of moves for every angle and situation; and from our short time playing Def Jam Vendetta, this tradition is upheld. The game boasts 1,500 animations, and two finishers and taunts for each of the 45 characters. There's also a storyline to all the brawling and grappling. Former champs are trying to recapture lost glory. Up-and-comers are hungry for recognition. EA promises a ton of drama along with the bumps and bruises. Matches take place as single, tag-team, handicap, or free-for-all affairs. Okay, now about the rappers. There are a dozen well- known Def Jam artists who appear as characters in the game. Ludacris, DMX, Ghostface Killa, Scarface, and all the others obviously have the ability to talk a good game. Now, we'll get to see if they can back it up. Each one contributed input on his character and move set, including the taunts and signature moves. Also, expect to hear new songs from these guys blaring out of your speakers as you play. See, wrestling game purists? There’s nothing to worry about! Everything is going to be all right. With Legends of Wrestling appealing to hardcore fans and THQ's WWE games expanding the genre but not scoring many pinfalls, the market is wide open for Def Jam Vendetta to come in and make a killing. Yeah, it’s got rap, but it also has the expertise of the best wrestling game developer the world has ever seen. So there. Do those Breathe Right nasal strips really help you breathe better? i Де To be a good wrestler, you have to be good at pointing www.konami.com EVERYONE Mild Lyrics ba BEMANI DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION", DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION КОМАМРСУ, DDRMAX DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION?" and ВЕМАМГУ are trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION. КОМАМІ is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©1998 2002 KONAMI & KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Product covered under one or more of the following U.S. Patents: Des. 433.717; Des. 431,267: Des. 435.604 (Patents pending in U.S.). PlayStation’ and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. oe SY Oe aen Tm i am 000048 km 01:46:55 PREVIEWS УХА С 5 STATION 2 _ SILENT HILL 3 TERROR TRIFECTA НҮРЕ RSONIC If nothing else, this series always manages to excel in its presentation, forming a horrific symphony of psychologically damaging sounds, creepy music, and downright eerie graphics. Fortunately, the latest edition in THE RACING GAME, NOT THE ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH the gallows of Silent Hill follows this tradition, and actually Seems to surpass its predecessors’ horror element in Let’s pour OU а little liquor for the once+thriving futuristic racing genre, a style of game that has suffered а many ways, precipitous decline in popularity in recent years. Back in the early days of the PlayStation, Wipeout was the toast of the Players will encounter an even stranger array of video game town, racking up sales and even spawning successful soundtrack albums that featured the cream of the mid- mutations and visit perhaps some of the sickest 90s techno crop (Prodigy, anyone?). Sadly, these salad days didn't last. Recent racers of the ilk; like Sony's Kinetica, environments possibly imaginable — but sick not simply in Acclaim's Extreme G3, and the much-hyped return of Wipeout itself, were met by the gaming community with little more the sense that you'll encounter a room that pulsates with than a few shrugged shoulders and nervous coughs. blood. One area displays a merry-go-round, a seemingly Here's hoping that HyperSonic Xtreme, Majesco's promising new entry into the “postmodern rocket thingies speeding innocent childhood amusement. However, by interspersing down twisty tracks” sweepstakes, will revive the futuristic racer. Sure, the name is silly enough to be cribbed from a fake this sequence with frightening images, the freaks at Saturday Night Live commercial, but the game itself is looking quite nice. It's certainly no graphical masterpiece, but that's Konami warp this innocence and break down those notions only because the developers have put the PS2's hardware to work where it counts — in the speed department. It's as fast of trust, safety, and joy. and furious as Vin Diesel with a wedgie, and made even more compelling by the awesome track create mode, which allows The gameplay will remain similar, which means that you easily to construct a mind-blowing course by twisting and turning track segments in realtime. Neat, neat, neat! players will encounter a fair number of enemies and solve . myriad puzzles. While this formula is tried and true, SH's extremely derivative nature has always hindered it. — Hopefully, Konami will offer a few surprises that at least elevate its gameplay beyond the mundane and typical. M | 4 7 $ \ The monsters this time appeat larger, but the protagonist now has a machine gun to combat them a ! NM. 5425 M STYLE | -PLAYER ACTION/ADVENTURE HSX is filled with terror-inducing jumps like this Nice raindrop effects on the camera lens – where's Solid Snake? E PUBLISHER KONAMI IM DEVELOPER KONAMI LEIS LOR EC CTT SES ET TE FSET PR TSE FFT EPEYAM ET W RELEASE APRIL 15 W STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER RACING Ш PUBLISHER MAJESCO Ш DEVELOPER BLADE INTERACTIVE STUDIOS li RELEASE WINTER 2003 96 GAMEINFORMER E as ûs шоу; asua зарџп posn ae pue ващипоэ защо 10/pue "S'N ац, Т ausa Sj0-Slewepen 10 sysewapen рај ‘yosi "обор ARES d, au оне UONVSÁLId,OpUaJUIN JO е%зешәред әле обој әдпдаше орџај pue әзйелрү fog weg ‘© п веон-Кемрил Áq-esueot japun рәп 5 T adoja, TU AT PTT ITT SED jUieuesntuy-AeMpIA JO:SpIeUlepeJ] on E Кемрідец. рие Хума H3ON3430 “peniasey 5] Ў ot from Xbox™ system vi Screenshot deo game | | PlayStation®2 t system Ameni 3HL ЗНУ NOA “ayeunysiu 10M ТЕЛА ue aq oj paufisap dius e pu А "кејаашев 21бәједѕ чедшоз aseds dojs-uou шім ‘AE . “ѕштәл әшеббәріл под ssajauim Ə} MON "UOISEAUI U2! ue jo уубпејзио ES Я е. ayy шоу әзе йршпц әш ae o} samod au} noÁ sani | jopuajag pe " NV О . " 4 : Р Е å | 'SHIIHL SIVWNINYALXS | i bea | | T ? E | : T. 5319395 JNO алув А 2 " = 4 ^ d P z . : . AVMQIMWC 77 u n E era ec т^ - ra 0 d Уа а Р t У ~ in Sx PREVIEWS PLAYSTATION 2/XBOX/GAMECUBE | AQUAMAN: BATTLE FOR ATLANTIS PROVING THAT FISH REALLY CAN TALK Holy Mackerel, comic book fans! we never thought that DC Comics would find a company stupid enough to create a game based on this worthless license, especially after canceling the comic book series and killing Aquaman, but TDK Mediactive sunk its teeth into it...hook, line and sinker. With the development talents of Lucky Chicken Games onboard, we're sure that this is going to be a high quality project. This is, in fact, the same studio that warmed our hearts with The Land Before Time: Dinosaur Arcade and Casper: Spirit Dimensions. So, what kind of action can you expect from a game of this caliber? To tell you the truth, we're not quite sure; but we're more than certain that it'll leave you speechless. You'll find yourself exchanging fisticuffs with Black Manta, exploring ancient ruins, controlling a submarine, and most importantly, communicating with fish. For instance, you'll actually be able to summon sharks to help you during a fight. As of press time, TDK wouldn't comment on the possibility of Lagoon Boy or Aqua Lad being in the game, but come on folks — it really wouldn't be Aquaman without them, would it? If this game just happens to be a success, perhaps TDK will pick up the rights for Elongated Man, Thor, and Superboy. “Hey, Aquaman! Why don’t you go talk to some fish!” W STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION I PUBLISHER TDK MEDIACTIVE E DEVELOPER LUCKY CHICKEN GAMES Ш RELEASE FIRST QUARTER 2003 98 GAME INFORMER f * ————' a RE ави in ү”. IS DIRK STILL DARING? Do you feel ola? No? wet try this on for size. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of Dragon's Lair. How does that sit? Does it make you feel old? It should. This fact may be hard to fathom, but it's true. Rick Dyer's revolutionary arcade classic has been around for two decades. It's almost old enough to buy alcohol! To celebrate this event, Dirk the Daring is returning to the video game scene in a souped-up sequel for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC. Now that cel-shaded graphics are the latest craze, it only seems natural that Dragon's Lair would return. True to form, Dirk's latest escapade taps into this technology and comes close to mimicking the look of the original arcade game. Of course, this time around, you'll have complete control over Dirk's movements that include such actions as rolling, climbing, swinging, and somersaulting. As Dirk quests to save Daphne from the evil clutches of Mordroc once again, he will encounter 30 different enemies which consist of roughly a dozen new designs by Don Bluth. He will also trek through 15 levels chopped up into 43 areas and over 250 rooms. Dragon's Lair 3D is a departure from the traditional gameplay formula, but many of the signature elements, sounds, and puzzles are still in place. We've kept a close eye on this game from day one and can't wait to see how it turns out. Hopefully, it won't rain on Dirk's 20-year parade. The Xbox and PC versions will lead on November 18, with the PlayStation 2 and GameCube incarnations just before the end of the year on December 31. уу " Я ý pus Legendary artist Don Bluth designed over a dozen new Dirk will wield different weapons and can even pick up and move objects creatures for this long overdue sequel W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER ENCORE SOFTWARE/UBI SOFT li DEVELOPER DRAGONSTONE W RELEASE NOVEMBER 18 (XBOX, PC), DECEMBER 31 (PS2, GC) Use of Alcohol Gambling سے‎ а 9 А ONLY OK, Violence OX www.xbox.com/shenmue2 з B EGA Shenm THE SCORING SYSTEM CONCEPT Game Informer's rating system ranges from 0 to 10, and is similar to school What new ideas the game brings to grading. 7 is average, 9 and above is exemplary work, 5 and below is a failure. _ the table and how well old ideas аге Aside from concept, entertainment, graphics, playability, sound, and replay value Presented. (all explained to the right), other factors that influence a game's final score are GRAPHICS how much game you get for your money and how all the game's elements come How good a game looks, taking together. into account any flaws such as bad 10 - Perfection. One of the best games of all time, if not THE best game of all Collision or pop-up. time. This game has no flaws, and thus this rating is rarely given out. SOUND 9 - Worth owning. Fans of the genre should definitely enjoy this game, but even Does the game's music and sound those who don't normally like this type of game may find themselves getting effects get you involved or do they REPLAY VALUE The longevity of the title. High — You'll still be popping this game in five years from now. • Moderately High – Good for a long while, but the thrills won’t last forever. Our crack (or crackhead, we can never decide which) review team rates games in a number of categories to help you sort out the great from the stuff you hate. Each game is reviewed by at least two staff members, and you will find both their opinions on each review. To make things a little • Moderate – Good for a few months or a few times through. • Moderately Low — After finishing it, easier we have put together some hooked. definitions of what the numbers mean, what the reviewers are like (so you can find the reviewer most like yourself), what we look for in a game, and also a cheat sheet so the newbies can understand some time. weekend. 8 - Worth playing. Still a great game, but arguably so. It may not be the best ever, but there’s enough to keep your fingers wrapped around the controller for 7 - Worth renting. Unless you're a fledgling gamer, you've probably seen every- thing this game has to offer before. Still, just checking it out won't ruin your 6 - Limited appeal. There are always a few people who will fall in love with a game of this caliber, but for the most part, those playing it will be yearning for 5 & BELOW - Garbage. From this point down, it's just a matter of how much of a failure the game is. The lower the score, the more you're hating life our advanced video game jargon. i Read on and soon you will be something more. talking FPS and FMV with the best of them. for playing it. ANDY Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First- Person Shooters Interests: Bugging Chet, Looking For New Tech Gadgets To Buy, Butterfingers, Bulldogs Dislikes: Rally Monkey, Losing To Chet In Dude Or Dweeb Because | Used A Calculator Current Favorite Games: Steel Battalion, The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City MATT Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Puzzle, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: Spoon's Kill The Moonlight, John Henry Days By Colson Whitehead, Nicorette Gum, The Vikes Finally Winning One Dislikes: The Anaheim Angels, Hypochondria, Budgetary Constraints, Madonna Current Favorite Games: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Ratchet & Clank, Dr. Muto, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 JUSTIN Handle: The Digital Deviant Expertise: Action/Sports, Action/Adventure, Fighting, RPG Interests: Playing Vice City, Japanese Sports Drinks, Music Game Sountracks, Akihabara, 3х1-1 Dislikes: Putting Life On Hold To Play Vice City, Divorce Court Replacing People’s Court For My Morning TV Viewing, Putting Poisons In Your Body, Dead Crowds Current Favorite Games: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Suikoden Ill, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, Animal Crossing CHET Handle: The Joystick Jockey Expertise: Fighting, Action, RPG, FPS, Shooter, Platform, RTS Interests: Japanese, UT Clans, Veggies, Ап Маг Demonstrations Dislikes: War, George W. Bush, WTO Current Favorite Games: Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Unreal Tournament 2003, No One Lives Forever 2, Resident Evil 0, Suikoden || 100 GAME INFORMER When Andy's not yelling at a game for “rippin’ him off,” he plays drums in Minneapolis indie rock band, Unbelievable Jolly Machine. A longtime fan of Metroid, Andy has been reviewing video games professionally since the days of the &bit NES. While a big sports fan in real life, Andy isn't the first to line up for sports titles, but is always willing to put in the extra hours to play a good RPG or strategy game. While record collecting, watching reality television, and playing video games might sound like a state of retarded adolescence, Matt manages to scrap together an almost meaningful existence out of these activities. His encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture is either amazing or annoying, depending on how close your desk is to his. Less esoteric than his colleagues, Matt prefers traditional action and platform games. Unlike most gaming jabronis, Justin knows there's life outside video vegetation. He's a former GWAR slave and moonlights as wrestler Justin Lee in the Minnesota independent scene, where he violently bonds with other sweaty males — a practice that just gets blank stares when attempted on other GI reviewers. Justin's gaming tastes are highly old-school, and he plays 16-bit classics as often as he plugs into the latest titles. Chet considers gaming to be a lifestyle, which means that he spends a ridiculous amount of time with his games. When he's not in an intense session with his UT 4 clan, or relaxing with one of his consoles, he's hopelessly seeking out arcades where fighting games still rule. Although he places all other activities at a distant second, he realizes the importance of society. Unfortunately, mimicking the motions for Dragon Punches and Fireballs only confuses and scares most people. make you resolve to always play with the volume down? PLAYABILITY Basically, the controller to human interface. The less you think about the hunk of plastic in your hands, the better the playability. ENTERTAINMENT Flat out, just how fun the game is to play. The most important factor in rating a game. REINER Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Fighting, Action/Platform, Strategy, Sports Interests: The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Pizza Hut/Taco Bell Hybrids, Brett Favre Dislikes: Ben Affleck (My Left Toenail Is More Talented), Not Being Able To Play Vice City While | Sleep Current Favorite Games: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Animal Crossing, Contra: Shattered Soldier, Suikoden Ill KRISTIAN Handle: The Video Viking Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, Sports Interests: New Alienware PCs, Grilling, "80s Music, Matt's Leather Coat, The Minnesota Twins Dislikes: Bad Television Reception, Not Having Cable, Cell Phones In Movie Theaters, Bud “I'm A Horse's Ass" Selig Current Favorite Games: NASCAR Thunder 2003 (Xbox), Animal Crossing, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City KATO Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/Platform Interests: Randy Moss, The Turnbull A.Cs, The Twinenigmatics, IKEA Dislikes: Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired, The Highhats, Adam Kennedy Current Favorite Games: The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, Contra: Shattered Soldier, Colin McRae Rally 3, Rygar: The Legendary Adventure, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City LISA Handle: La Game Nikita Expertise: Puzzle, RPGs, Action/Platform, Horror Interests: Myst Novels, Geocaching, Guitar Tabs, Red Tea, Dredlocks, Cheap Parking, Vegetarian Birthday Cards Dislikes: Orange Clean Wipes (They Just Suck), Fargodome Audiences, Gas Station Bathrooms Current Favorite Games: Resident Evil 0, Animal Crossing, Tekken 4, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City there’s not much reason to give it a second go. * Low – You'll quit playing before you complete the game. EA Content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. ‘ontent suitable for persons ages 3 and older. Content suitable Content suitable for persons ages only for adults. 6 and older. Content suitable Product is for persons ages | awaiting final 13 and older. ПИ | rating. Reiner considers himself the biggest Star Wars fan in the world. Along with his impressive collection of Star Wars action figures, he has seen the trilogy 608 times. A fan of all game types, role-playing games are his strong suit. In his six years as a professional gamer, Reiner has achieved the impossible. Penetrating the pixel boundary, he not only plays games, he's in one, and can be shot daily in the epic N64 release, Perfect Dark. Kristian enjoys opening a can of whoop-ass on his buddies at the ping pong table, then running off to the driving range for a lesson in humility and anger management. The original text-driven Zork started Kristian on the gaming road; Ultima 6, NES Baseball, and Zelda made sure he stayed. Still an avid RPG fan, he can always find time to pound out a good sports game. When not buying copious amounts of records, Kato can be found exercising &ood taste, feeding the goats, and trying in vain to update his wardrobe into the 21st century. Like other young men of his generation, he quickly found out that the one true real world application of good grades was the free arcade tokens that were given out as a reward. With allegiance to none, he takes on every game with an equal eye. Barring a brief and ill advised "I want to be popular, so I'll stop playing games” phase in late junior high, Lisa has been subjecting her friends to drawn out boss battles since she was 8. She has been known to wax philosophically about why Jiggly Puff is desperately under-appreciated and wish that some "big" games were more fun, even if that means less pretty. NEWBIE CHEAT SHEET For our newer readers, here is a glossary of terms and acronyms that commonly appear in the magazine. Video game veterans should move along (these aren't the droids you are looking for). action — A term we use for games like Zone of the Enders and Gauntlet adventure — A term we use for games like Myst and Escape From Monkey Island Al — Artificial Intelligence, Usually used to refer to how well the computer reacts to a human opponent board - A term we use for games like Jeopardy! and Mario Party bump-mapping – A technique where varying light effects simulate depth on textures cel shading- A technique used to create 3D rendered objects that resemble hand-drawn, animation cels CG – Computer-Generated graphics ЕЗ - Electronic Entertainment Expo. The world's largest convention for video games: fighting – A term we use for games like Street Fighter and Dead or Alive. FMV - Full Motion Video. Usually refers to an animated CG cutscene FPS - Frames Per Second. How many animation frames happen in one second. Also used to denote FirstPerson Shooters like Doom, GoldenEye, & Unreal Tournament framerate – The frames of animation used to create the illusion of movement frontend – A game's menus and options GBA – Game Boy Advance GBC – Game Boy Color GC - GameCube isometric – Three-quarters top down view, like StarCraft or Red Alert 2 ISP – Internet Service Provider. The company that provides you with access to the Internet Jaggies – Graphical lines that are jagged when ‘they should be straight LAN – Local Area Network. Connecting computers or consoles together within a small space to allow communication between them. Provides fast, simultaneous gameplay minigame — A small, simple game within a larger one motion-capture – Using human models and infrared cameras to record movement for game animation. Also mo-cap motion blur – Phantom frames follow an object to give the impression of realistic speed N64 – Nintendo 64 NES - Nintendo Entertainment System МРС - NonPPlayer Character. Those people and creatures you see wandering around in games that are not being controlled by actual humans platform — A term we use for games like Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot Pop-up – When onscreen objects, usually distant, suddenly appear PS2 — Sony PlayStation 2 PSX - Sony PlayStation particle effects — Things like smoke or sparks. createtin real-time PKer – Player Killer. This is a person who thrives on killing newbie or vulnerable characters in MMORPGs or shooting their teammates in games like Counter-Strike puzzle — A term we use for games like Tetris and Chu Chu Rocket. racing – A term we use for games like Gran Turismo and Mario Kart RPG ~ Role-Playing Game. A game that involves character improvement through collecting and Spending points. A term we use for games. like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior ‘shooter – А term we use for games like Mars Matrix and Gradius SNES - Super Nintendo Entertainment System ‘Sports – A term we use for games like Madden NFL strategy – A term we use for games like Command & Conquer and Fallout Tactics third-party – Something made for a console by a company other than the console manufacturer Yamahama! – An exclamation akin to “Oh my God!” or “Holy cow!” GAME OF THE MONTH GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY Grand Theft Auto III was the most successful game of last year, and certainly the most influential as well. In its wake, we've seen M-rated gaming become standard practice for the industry, and companies like Acclaim try to push society's buttons even further with controversial works like BMX XXX. Still, GTA Ill's success wasn't due only to violence and rough language – it offered up some amazing gameplay and genre-defying design. Fortunately for us, and the 8 million other people that have become : converts to the GTA cult in recent months, Vice City is even bigger and better than its predecessor. The '805 аге officially k in what Might well be the best game of о our review on page 104. GANE INFORMER 10 d “TOP 5 PS2 GAMES” БИ 18-00 Hit Rate Н Hit Rate D шк Animated Blood md c GAME BOY ADVANCE PlayStation.e 4 ADVANCE THE ALIEN WARS EX™ are trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION. КОМАМ!® is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 1987 2002 KONAMI & KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO [Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM, ®, and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. К е CONTRA SHATTERED SOLDIER™ and CONTR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "PlayStation" * PlayStation.2 d TU In this mission, you have to use a rifle за, itas. You can either buy food at restaurants, or hold them up- it's your call ТОД GAME INFORMER AY STATION » 2 a GRAND THEFT À AUTO: VICE CITY THE WINNER, AND STILL CHAMPI | f every other publisher in the country has been waiting for various pieces of property around the city, which then become Rockstar and Grand Theft Auto’s reign of chart dominance to пем save points – a nice time-saving feature that gamers will come to an end, or wishing that GTA III would prove to be a definitely appreciate. fluke hit -- they better be ready to wait another year. Grand Theft There are so many new facets to Vice City that | don’t have Auto: Vice City doesn't just match the magic of GTA Ill; it bests it те to hit them all, so I'll just lay out the two things that | really in every way possible. There’s a lot to say about this game, but believe make this a much better game than GTA III. One, the gun let's put it this way: Vice City is a lot more than some new ОТА III targeting, which is now set on а fixed overthe-shoulder perspec- missions cobbled together. tive, is improved to the point where combat can actually be fun, No doubt you've already heard a lot of hype regarding the early- not a chore. Two, the missions are much, much more complex '80s vibe of Vice City. Usually, it's risky to change a successful and varied in nature. You'll do everything from destroying an game's setting and time frame this dramatically but you'll soon office complex with the aid of a remote-controlled helicopter, to see that the skinny-tie era gimmick works exactly as Rockstar attacking an enemy compound with the real thing. Vice City is North intended it. For those of us who spent our childhood in definitely not a "pizza delivery" game (although that minigame is the decade of Reagan, the nostalgic kick received from seeing included as well). a pastel Miami Vice suit, or hearing a long-forgotten Animotion Oh yeah, it’s still packed with all the “mature” content that song gives Vice City an extra dimension of entertainment value fans love, and critics loathe. Hopefully, this time around, both that other games just can't capture. The same goes for the parties will begin to ignore the controversy and recognize Grand amazing cast, which includes Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, and Theft Auto: Vice City for what it really is: a brilliant video game. Miss Cleo (among others) assembled for the voice-overs. It's — MATT a blast to play "spot the superstar" while watching cutscenes. Yes, the presentation is just window dressing, but it's the first time that I've felt that a video game was really part of pop culture in the way a movie, TV show, or music video is. Sure, the high-profile voice actors and over 100 vintage songs are the things that selling over 8 million copies of GTA III can buy. Thankfully, the improvements aren't just found in the production values; the nuts and bolts of the gameplay have also received some Significant alterations. For one, the selection of vehicles is flat-out awesome, and the motor- cycles and helicopter are sure to become fast fan favorites. Popping wheelies and cutting razor-sharp corners on a bike with a hot babe on your back is awesome, and the helicopter allows you to explore areas of the city you might never find on foot; including rooftops that are inaccessible from the ground. You can also become a real estate magnate by buying W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RACING lil PUBLISHER ROCKSTAR GAMES I DEVELOPER ROCKSTAR NORTH E RELEASE OCTOBER 29 The targeting system has been completely revamped, and is much more accurate than GTA III's This “erotic” film director's voice-overs are performed by the legendary Dennis Hopper THE BOTTOM LINE The most important game of the last five years takes a trip back to the 1980s W Graphics: i 1 & The new character models are 7 | \ much improved, as are the doesn Џ 1951 ) v \ Е [ textures, but people still have 4 deformed claws for hands е Š А шә. match the magic ЈУ | aturing nearly 100 tracks а Y of '80s classics and guilty E С # 3 pleasures, this is probably the > га 1 Е most ambitious soundtrack of GTA Ш; 7 j 2 4 ? ever released, video game or А j = otherwise 15:25 п Playability: H / 4 = They fixed the weapon it bests 500028100 targeting - PRAISE GOD! | * iun. just wish that water vehicles | 1 E controlled as well as the cars ene : © т „2 п Entertainment: it in every = " An already amazing franchise builds on its strengths, T: $ gui 4 and gives gamers another way 3 А ш y s j f; i unforgettable experience 5 ies A W Replay Value: | ) High ible.” T Sem М i > каан possible. ; С ; ; б | SECOND OPINION : , 7 7 Vice City rekindles all the amaze- ment | felt from GTA Ill. Where its precursor blew you away with innovations and size, Vice City Ај heaps on familiarity and kitsch. oat ‘You'll rock out to Loverboy and uuu a Boats are much easier to get in and out of in Vice City | new features in such a short time, My favorites include smashing into guys on motorcycles, evading cops on four flat tires, buying | property, and scanning rooftops in a helicopter – but there's so much more! The targeting problem is | fixed, too. Suspect wall collision | and minor camera Issues can't | stop the fact that Vice City Б OE / e Vai : 2 — / = / } s > \ á "А Vie mits eongto take ahellofa = - lot to top this. International waters mean nothing to an attack chopper During your stay in Vice City, you'll join a motorcycle gang ч JUSTIN - 10 GAME INFORMER 105 Double Kickflip ~ "|t just takes a few hours for the game to show its true colors.” Why would you want to skate when you can downhill slalom. E sd ..or play baseball?!?! 106 GAME INFORMER PLAYS ON 2 TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 4 NOT JUST ABOUT SKATING ANYMORE overpowering as the previous entries in the series, but rather than sticking with the tried and true formula in its entirety, Neversoft revamped the Career mode and sought out new means to keep gamers on the edge of their seats. The outcome of these efforts showcases fine craftsmanship and an unyielding desire to take the series to new heights. While commendable in execution, the changes that have been implemented may in fact alienate a good portion of the fan base. For much of the game, rather than pushing players skills to the limit and forcing them to concoct massive combos lines, the challenges you are faced with seem more appropriate for Jackass: The Video Game than the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series. As you skitch on the back of a runaway car, play tennis, and dodge monkey feces, you quickly realize that a significant chunk of the goals don't tap into the complex gameplay you've grown to love. Most of the missions revolve around a single trick, one little run, scavenging items or something completely unrelated to skating altogether. As if this wasn't enough of a deterrent, the game spoon-feeds you the goals, which in turn completely eliminates the need to explore the levels and become familiar with the lay of the land. Just talk to someone, complete the goal that they manifest, then move on to the next person. It's an uninspired daisy chain that rarely taps into a player's skill or inventiveness. Everything is scripted and T ony Hawk 4's gameplay is just as seductive and handed to you on a silver platter. To make matters worse, when a scoring challenge does inch out of the woodwork, the game cuts you off after you reach the desired score. It doesn't even let you finish your run! Nor does it tally your score! There are a few challenges that give hardcore fans something to sink their teeth into, but are few and far between. For instance, after completing a certain number of goals, the difficulty escalates with the arrival of the Pro Challenges. At this point, beads of sweat will roll down your face as you feverishly try to topple difficult feats, like scoring one million points within two minutes. If you’re a fervent Tony Hawk fan, these are the moments you've been eagerly awaiting. Unfortunately, it just happens that they're buried beneath elements that really don’t have a place in this game. While | appreciate the creativity that some of the new goals bring, the Tony Hawk series didn't accumulate fans through its goofy antics. It’s all about the gameplay and ability for players to continually improve upon their best scores. This still holds true for multiplayer sessions, especially the online competitions, but the Career mode wavers dangerously close to having no value. For the next installment, | hope Neversoft offers Pro Challenges from the outset and does away with the adventure aspect in favor of honing in on the basics. Like | said, this game does retain its glory, but you actually have to work, and work hard, to find it. - REINER W STYLE 1 TO 8-PLAYER ACTION/SPORTS Ш PUBLISHER ACTIVISION W DEVELOPER NEVERSOFT Ш RELEASE OCTOBER 23 Star Wars: Episode II's Jango Fett joins Iron Maiden's Eddie as a secret character whom you can purchase if you earn enough cash 1000 Ў -— This guy has the right idea. Is there anyway that we can combine our game playing and pizza eating without having to drop one or the other? ey THE BOTTOM LINE m Concept: Bigger in every conceivable way, but the new design focuses more on goofy missions than it does the skating W Graphics: Neversoft's artists are at the peak of their game, sparing no detail within the environments and animations W Sound: Dynamic effects and a questionable mix of beats и Playability: The skating is better than ever, yet due to the variety in missions, you rarely tap into it fully п Entertainment: Infinite depth and online play п Replay Value: High SECOND OPINION | Let me start off by saying I'm a huge Tony Hawk fan, and this. Installment, like the ones before it, is very addictive. However, 1 | am disappointed by a number of | the game’s elements (or lack thereof). For one, | don't like the Free Skate addition to career mode. Sure, you can get challenges from the various. Buys in the level, but many of them are way too easy, or just stupid hard. | like the rush that the timer brings to the game, plus it forces you to learn high- scoring lines. As it stands, | often found myself just blasting through the challenges and not really learning the levels, because it's not needed to progress. | love some of the new | games (like COMBO), and online. multiplayer is a blast, but the single-player experience is too much Tony RPG and not enough Tony in your face. It's a shame too, because this really is a fantastic game, but the deslgn and difficulty curve are just all wrong. Steal more ideas from | Aggressive Inline, and less from Grand Theft Auto. ______-_ "Don't attract attention. . Just act naturally and " walk slowly." “Suikoden Ill is probably the first game to actually teach me something.” Jacques takes to the air for a rune attack waa These two gals are fighters, not lovers a Where does the Lizard Clan fit into all this? PLAYSTATION 2 SUIKODEN Ill AN EPIC WITH A MORAL very RPG invariably gets compared to the Final Fantasy E franchise. The Suikoden series, however, has always been different enough to avoid this. Its 2D artistry and ally finding put it in a class all its own. This third installment strays quite far from the path the first two had laid, but darned if it isn’t still one of the best role-playing games that I've ever played. Suikoden III is probably the first game to actually teach me something. It weaves a tale of discrimination, judgement, and assumption – and shows how inaccurate they can be. At the game's start, three distinct characters have a tale to tell: a knight captain dealing with politics, a young boy on a peace-bringing mission, and a mercenary leader. Each person's quest goes on for hours, during the same span of time as the others. You'll see the same events take place, but in a different perspective. People you thought were trustworthy prove to be the opposite. Unexplainable occurrences suddenly make more sense. Eventually, these three figures converge and join together. Here, you'll form one society, filled with the dozens of inhabitants (108, to be exact) that make the series so addictive. The gameplay in Suikoden III switches things up a little. Your party has three pairs of two fighters, and each group acts together. Since battles take place on a 3D plane, characters move around freely, and don't always take the one-at-a-time approach that most RPG combat consists of. Along with experience, skill points are earned. They can be cashed in at a fighting center to improve accuracy, defense, and even spells. These magic attacks happen through runes, and most require charging for one turn. Blasts elicit dazzling lighting and more effects than Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Other varying fighting forms of old are here too, including large-scale warfare and mano-a-mano duels. - The visual flair of Suikoden Ill did something to me. It's not really about the character models or the environments. Instead it's the cinematography that is really stunning. Unparalleled attention went into the camera's placement during cutscenes, making sure it's always in the right place, and constantly showing new angles. It truly makes all the difference. | must point out the few bummers in this game. First, it's a little hard to traverse the 3D environments. The map, while normally helpful, actually impedes some navigation. Also, some of Suikoden Ill’s toughest battles can be 15 minutes worth of cutscenes away from a save, forcing you to view them again if you die. Overall, | was truly captivated by what Suikoden Ill showed and taught me. | wanted to continue playing the lengthy quest to find the truth in every scenario, and enlist more people into my ranks. This game does what all RPGs (and good books) set out to do: harness your emotions. | couldn’t recommend it more. — JUSTIN W STYLE | -PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME I PUBLISHER KONAMI Ш DEVELOPER KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO W RELEASE OCTOBER 29 Why is the noble knight Borus... them all! Don't let those savages get away!" „ћакећшу setting this town ablaze? THE BOTTOM LINE EVERYONE 9.5 = m Concept: Take you on ап RPG ride that even teaches you a few societal lessons m Graphics: The angles on real-time cutscenes are more cinematic than I’ve ever seen in a game W Sound: No voice-overs, but the music is compelling m Playability: Combat has enough interesting aspects to keep you fighting. | had slight trouble roaming around, though п Entertainment: Suikoden || had me spellbound and totally hooked. What more can | say? п Replay Value: Moderate | SECOND OPINION | 1 initially felt apprehensive about the changes Konami planned for this third installment. However, I'm happy to report that Suikoden III Is indeed a worthy ‘sequel! Like its predecessors, 5 Ш sports a comprehensive and in-depth story, a huge cast of characters, a town to bulld, and an exciting combat system. The story, in particular, is. Suikoden Ш'в strong point. Even | with the numerous characters | | 1 | situation, Unfortunately the — | game isn't without some minor | problems. First, the character | | animations look stiff. Second, | the set camera (which I like for | the most part) limits visibility | | | | | | | during battles, sometimes resulting in unnecessary damage. Finally, the story follows a fairly linear path, which | limits exploration. Still, overall, Suikoden Ш is a captivating | RPG that will certainly please | fans and casual gamers alike. GAMEINFORMER 107 (ERICANS PLEDGE ALLEGIA You're one of the most highly-trained U.S. warfare experts on the planet. Put your skills to the test as you battle your way through fifteen levels of realistic tactical combat. When the brass wants a target secured, they send in a platoon. When they want a target erased, they send in your squad of four U.S. special forces. This is the part of the war that the media didn't cover. Welcome to Desert Storm. WWW.GOTHAMGAMES.COM/CONFLICT МО DIPLOMATS. NO NEGOTIATION. NO SURRENDER. SS CONELICT М. DESERT. CONTENT RATED BY “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Nintendo GameCube( and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Gotham Games and the Gotham Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Conflict: Desert Storm and the Conflict: Desert Storm logo are trademarks of SCi Games Ltd. E&OE © 2002 Take-Two Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. "Geo-Mod is a beautiful, beautiful The main gun on this tank is absolutely lethal 110 GAME INFORMER PLAYSTATION 2 RED FACTION | THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE COMBAT Heck, we put it on our cover lo these many months ago — it had to be good! It had all the important ingredients necessary for а first-person shooter blockbuster: plot, action, graphics, and a gimmick. The gimmick, of course, was and still is the Geo-Mod engine. Gamers have never been able to decimate an environment like they have in these two releases, and anyone who tells you it isn’t fun as hell is either lying to you, or wants money. The action and the graphics are still up to snuff with the first RF, but the plot is seriously lacking this time around. There was something novel about your situation at the beginning of the last game. Fighting your way out of a mine complex as you put foot to ass for your oppressed brethren was interesting, and kept you tied into what was going to happen next. Red Faction II is neither interesting, nor is it novel, in my opinion. You're thrown into the first mission with very little exposition, and there isn’t a semblance of plot until a twist limps into play about a third of the way through the game. Because of this, | was left feeling a little cheated at the end of my experience – | wanted to care about what was going to happen next, but sadly, | didn't. Fortunately for everyone involved in the production of this game, the action is second to none. T he first Red Faction was nothing short of mind-blowing. Geo-Mod is a beautiful, beautiful thing. For some strange reason, blowing away an entire wall to get to an enemy cowering in the corner of a storeroom just feels good. It's a shame that every wall isn't destructible, but doing so would make level design nearly impossible, so it's understandable. In any event, there are a lot of destructible objects to...well...destroy, so you won't feel cheated by any means. The firefights are intense and appropriately bloody, and the vehicles you're able to pilot are interesting — especially the dual machine gun-wielding, incendiary grenade-launching, rocket-hurling Battle Armor unit. It’s the kind of unit that makes you say, “Oh, you're going to shoot at me? Okay, have a little of this (rocket then splatters quarry in every conceivable direction)!" Speaking of things that go “blammo,” your weapon load-out is much improved this time around, and RF |! makes use of every square centimeter of the Dual Shock's real estate. Believe me, you'll need it. The off-hand grenade deployment ability (á la Halo) is a welcome addition, and the secondary features on your weapons complement their primary abilities perfectly. So here it is, kiddies: Don't go into Red Faction || expecting to be swept off your feet by the incredible story line. Instead, get into knowing that balls-to-the-wall action will be around every corner. – KRISTIAN Any job well done deserves a trip through the sewers Vehicles are vulnerable to damage just like everything else m Concept: Continue the revolution while blowing through walls and other such insanity W Graphics: | didn't see anything in this title that | liked more or less from the first и Sound: What you'd expect from a FPS nowadays - a lot of voice acting, ambient effects, and the “pop” of bullets flying through the air W Playability: After you get your controller configured comfortably, you'll be good to go W Entertainment: It's definitely fun, but the plot is about as interesting as a house plant п Replay Value: Moderately High SECOND OPINION Man, is Volition on a roll. Last month It released the much- improved Summoner 2, and now Red Faction 11 - a worthy sequel to last year's surprise FPS. The main highlights include relentless action, a versatile | | arsenal, an interesting story, and oodles of gameplay variety. Players will encounter ап assortment of enemies, a multifarious set of missions, and | | some highly destructive vehicles, | | the coolest of which is a mech! | Furthermore, RF |! offers mouse "...the fighting you «an feel the fate of Middle Earth weighing down on you...with each blow." The game's blend of movie moments and cutscenes will have you riveted * " Ring Wraiths cry like sissies when they catch on fire Some missions add a timed component to the already- intense situations PLAYSTATION 2 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: =e THE TWO TOWERS ...AND IN THE DARKNESS BIND THEM and richness of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels on the big screen was enough to keep it from being made into a film for years. You might think that EA would have it easy – just sign the license and make the game. Not so. The films’ director, Peter Jackson, did such a masterful job in bringing the many facets of the trilogy to life that | wondered whether this video game's pure hack n' slash theme would come off as shallow in comparison. It doesn't. Two Towers expands wonderfully on the film's visual brilliance with finely tuned strikes of hard steel. This title couldn't start more perfectly. Interspersing footage from the movie with in-game cutscenes, you take control of Isildur at the foot of Mount Doom – when the strength of Men failed. Throughout the Two Towers, you will be treated to many such scenes using moments from both films. This isn't a gimmick – it's effective because the game itself so closely mimics the movie in look and feel. Drive arrows into orc skulls in quick succession at Balin's Tomb with Legolas, or shudder while you hear the Horn of Gondor calling as waves of highly detailed Uruk-Hai charge. Two Towers lets you buy combos as you level up Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli (son of Gloin). Anyone in this trio can be chosen before a level, and each will have their own combos T he challenges of conveying the sheer scope, depth, W STYLE | -PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARI NI CU E | i be i = 5 v Eu Legolas' stylized strikes are unlockable combos DEVELOPER STORMFRONT to be earned. Far from being merely fancy flourishes, these strikes must be coordinated. Linked Attacks, for example, must be performed after a block. Stronger enemies have shields that can only be broken by a successful combo. Furthermore, combat is enriched with the parry - a move that must be seamlessly incorporated into your attacks in order to survive. The gameplay here is every bit as fast and furious as Mark of Kri's, without some of the thinking involved. More than once I had to parry a blow, quickly counter-attack, deflect an incoming arrow from a distant archer, then pull out my bow to respond without missing a beat. Sometimes the fighting gets so intense, you can feel the fate of Middle Earth weighing down on you more and more with each blow. | found few shortcomings in this game. The camera is often in a fixed position like in Resident Evil, and can occasionally confuse. Quick strikes with your bow are a necessity, but sometimes | would trip myself up. Cooperative multiplayer would have been nice, but there is little to desire with this title that isn't already in there (but where's the Balrog?!). Electronic Arts has forged a triumphant game that enriches the two films and breathes life of its own into the already rich Tolkien legacy. - KATO DIOS Ш RELEASE OCTOBER 21 Fierce Апай Isildur, moments before he keeps the Ring like a total jackass REVIEWS THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN m Concept: "You have my sword." "You have my bow." "And my axe." Now go kick some orc ass m Graphics: Orcs' movements, combo finishers, and the in-game cutscenes are perfect m Sound: To hear the real actor's shouts and cries during the Balin's Tomb scene is simply awesome W Playability: The combos fly, although | had trouble every once and a while with the bow W Entertainment: Not just a movie license, Two Towers shines brilliantly within the circle of excellence W Replay Value: Moderately High SECOND OPINION The Two Towers kicks into high gear from the moment you get to play as Isiidur during the introduction movie - and the intensity doesn't let up. The battle is chaotic, and it pays to not just flail on the buttons, though 1 found myself doing just that many times when the hordes converged on ту. position. Many of the battle sequences are fairly short, but the rush they deliver will make any Lord of the Rings fan cackle Just can’t help but be sucked in. For some, this game will be just another brawler. For fans of the movie this is your chance to fight side by side with the Fellowship, and the experience couldn't be much better. This game could score lower, but I’m a big enough Tolkien fan to bump it up a notch just because І can. ANDY - 9 GAMEINFORMER 111 ча om | EIS ne MY BULLET we y Go + t dt д y ELIGPMESBZOTICAL A CST TOF Your mission: execute Jack Вуап 5 orders as you rescue hostages, plant surveillance, defuse bombs, and uncover the deadliest threat to peace the world has ever known. Based on Paramount's hit movie and Tom Clancy's best-selling novel, this is your chance to create your own ending to The Sum of All Fears saga. Violence TM, &, Game Boy Аду are trademarks of Ми X Tóm Clancy's mS iMr FEARS www.sumotalliears.ubi.com “The detail that went into the worlds and fluidity of the character move- ments are tow- ering achieve- ments that have no rival.” Some of the gadgets, such as this water device, are used to alter the landscape and open new paths Some of the stages feature gameplay variants such as this mountable turret ај You'll need to concoct strategies, which are based on your arsenal, to take down the bosses 114 GAME INFORMER PLAYSTATION 2 RATCHET & CLANK A SLOW STARTER n this day and age, a game that sets a new standard for | gameplay and graphics could very well be considered a complete and utter failure. How is this possible, you ask? As developers continue to aggrandize the size of the quests that we embark on, if the play is unbalanced, or the adventure has vast lulls in its pacing, it doesn’t really matter how visually dynamic or innovative the gameplay is. People will become disenchanted with the game and will move on to bigger and better things. | never thought I'd find myself saying this about a title developed by the very team that brought to life the 32-bit Spyro adventures, but sadly, this just happens to be the case. With Ratchet & Clank, developer Insomniac Games has forged a platformer of a different ilk. While the design seems like a radical new venture for the team, most of the material in the game either sticks to the platforming basics or is directly influenced by the Spyro series. Altogether, the game has a nice feel to it. The assortment of weapons is extravagant and clever in use, the character movements are precise and smooth, and the cutscenes, while void of action, convey an amusing story. There’s no denying Insomniac’s craftsmanship. The detail that went into the worlds and fluidity of the character movements are towering achievements that have no rival. As stupendous as it may sound, | actually walked away from the game with mixed emotions, and felt that | didn't get the chance to see what this game was truly capable of. In the end, it really does feel like Insomniac held back on the difficulty. The first eight stages, which equate to the first half of the game, are yawn inducing. You'll basically find yourself running around collecting cash to buy weapons that will be used in a very linear fashion for the most simplistic of challenges. At this point, all of Insomniac's hard work and inventiveness don't create an enthralling experience. As the game progresses, however, caution is thrown to the wind and the quest pounds you with hyperactive and incredibly challenging combat sequences. It kicks into high gear and finally transforms into the game that you were craving from the first seconds of play. So, that begs the question: If a game is eventually going to kick the living tar out of you, why not do so from minute one? Do we really need a tutorial? In my opinion, no; we haven't since the first 3D platformer hit the market. People will experiment and figure it out on their own. Insomniac wanted to create a game for everyone, and walked on glass to hit this mark. But in the end, this is where the game comes up short. If the action would have been relentless from the get-go, it would have been, without the slightest hint of doubt, one of the best games on the market. As it stands now, it's another decent platformer with a lackluster first act and a rip-roaring finale. - REINER Ш STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM Ш PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA E DEVELOPER INSOMNIAC GAMES Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 5 In total, players will amass 35 different weapons and gadgets The detail that went into the worlds will take your breath away THE BOTTOM LINE m Concept: The Inspector Gadget of platformers offers gameplay variety, but comes up short in its execution m Graphics: Enormous levels crammed to capacity with detailed constructs, ambient life, and gorgeous effects и Sound: The soundtrack is as catchy as ever, and for a change, the character voiceovers are actually tolerable п Playability: The controls are solid, but most of the challenges could be completed by a newborn W Entertainment: It gets better as it unfolds, but early on it's a real snooze-fest п Replay Value: Moderately High | SECOND OPINION | As | played through Ratchet & Clank, my view of the game | tt et oa | tum. During the first few worlds, | Iwas flat-out bored, quickly | growing tired of wandering | about the landscape breaking | boxes and collecting screws. Then, as if the developers could tell my interest was flagging, the intensity level picked up (on the Rilgar stage) and it became clear that this is a platformer of | the highest order. Опсе you get | past the lackluster start, you'll be hooked on taking out the game's myriad of enemies with Rachet's wicked arsenal of arm | weapons. While it may be a bit too reliant on simple exploration, the world you're much higher. As it stands, it's | great, although | do slightly prefer the more focused and inventive Sly Cooper. MATT - 8.75 CJD MIDWAY THE ONLY THING LEFT STANDING [5 FREEDOM. me | or es ا EDAM nd Inthe cockpit of Fireblade there is one goal: use whatever means available to annihilate the terrorist cells Flaming up around the "m Battle through 18 Missions in 4 campaigns at the helm of the carrier chopper or the Vendetta attach copter and unleash a barrage of hi-tech deadly weapons. Go turbo, or remain undetected from enemies in stealth mode. To win the war, youve got to end the war. Attach and destroy! Blood and Gore € Witness the explosive action of Fire Blade firsthand at: PlayStations fireblade.midway.com Violence XBOX GAMECUBE. Fireblade © 2002 Midway Home Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. MIDWAY and the Midway Logo are registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. Used by permission. Fireblade is a trademark of Midway Home Entertainment Inc. Midway claims no copyright to the U.S. government footage of heli- Copters. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM, © and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft." L Hit Kate | Й im x) REVIEWS "Gameplay- wise, Shattered Soldier is a near perfect recreation of its predecessors’ non-stop action formula.” Players must use all three weapons effectively to survive Hinata ] Players receive a rating at the end of each level based on deaths and the percentage of killed enemies 116 GAMEINFORMER % | ( PLAYSTATION 2 j 2 SHATTERED BACK TO ITS ROOTS is old-school Contra executed just the way fans have Т been dreaming of ever since Konami released Legacy of War – the turd in the series. Gameplay-wise, Shattered Soldier is a near-perfect recreation of its predecessors’ non- stop action formula. Each stage comes packed with hordes of enemies and bosses to destroy, which forces players to memorize challenging attack patterns with exact precision. Furthermore, Contra's presentation is absolutely awesome. The graphics consist of 3D polygonal characters set in two- dimensional environments. The animation presents itself as some of the finest ever seen in a 2D style game, and the artistic direction is creative to say the least. The first level boss looks especially cool, and reminds me of Tetsuo's disgusting transformation at the end of Akira. Shattered Soldier's look is complemented by its fast-paced heavy metal tunes. Although I'm not a huge fan of the genre, | found that the music suits the game's run-down industrial appearance and constant action well enough to create an even more engrossing experience. Much to my disappointment, however, other aspects left Му underwhelmed. Foremost, Shattered Solider is way too short, and the levels lack variety overall. Players will CONTRA: SOLDIER proceed through five basic missions, which present enemies and scenarios akin to or exactly like previous Contra titles. Fortunately, completing it on the Normal difficulty will take time, and all of the bosses are well thought out and challenging. Second, | sorely miss the old weapons that Konami decided to remove. Gone are the spray gun, missile launchers, laser cannon, and super bomb. Instead, players begin each stage with all of the game’s three weapons (Machine Gun, Flamethrower, and Grenade Launcher), and have the ability to charge them for a special attack. Granted, these weapons are well implemented, with each being advantageous in specific situations. Furthermore, it’s a welcome convenience to have them at your disposal at all times, even if you die. Finally, although fans of the series will certainly appreciate the game's difficulty and required precision, people unfamiliar with Contra, and those who started gaming during the PSX era, will probably find the challenge too high and overly frustrating. Nevertheless, fans will be happy to know that Contra has finally returned to its roots. Let's just hope that Konami's next attempt is a little more ambitious. - CHET Ш STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER KONAMI Ш DEVELOPER KONAMI Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 5 The first boss looks cool and different, but is much like the first boss in Contra III This is another standard scene from previous Contra titles ; pU „ОМ ‘ t snra heath 3 It's freakin’ old-school Contra done the way it should've been done on PSX m Graphics: Perhaps the coolest 2D graphics with 3D characters around W Sound: The sound effects rock, and even though I’m not into heavy metal, | liked the music и Playability: The control is nearly perfect, but shooting diagonally sometimes presented problems W Entertainment: This game is a blast with one or two players. | liked the old-school feel, and the difficulty seemed spot-on, but there aren't enough levels W Replay Value: Moderate SECOND OPINION | This game is going to be something of an anomaly this holiday season, and 1 couldn't be happier. The question it asks is simply this: How good do you think you are? In a universe of extensive feature sets, cel shading, and large, persistent worlds, Contra merely cuts to the gameplay chase and lets you test your mettle. On the other hand, it does offer sights to see. Large, colorful bosses will take your breath away shortly before taking your life, and your adversaries are as interesting to look at as they are to dispatch. Old schoolers will instantly recognize this game (and some encounters lifted from past Contras) and the frustration and fun that comes with it. However, as mad as | got at some of the cheap deaths and bad re- spawns, | never wanted to stop playing it. Contra is a testament | to what makes games great in INFORM 4 MAGAZINE Ci Yes! | want to take advantage of this amazing offer from Game Informer Magazine! 1 Year (12 Issues) for $19.98 [0 2 Years (24 Issues) for $24.98 [0 GameStop Value Card for $2.00 Please Print Clearly in Block Letters Name Address City/State/Zip Phone Select Payment Method: Check or money order enclosed. О Bill my Credit Card Credit Card # Exp. Date To order with Credit Card by phone call (612) 4866100 M – F дат to Арт Central Time. All International & Canadian orders must add $20/yr. additional postage. Please allow up to 8 weeks for first mailed issue. Value Card good for 1096 off Used Merchandise. 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It tells you how many NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL issues you have left. FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. 30041 MINNEAPOLIS, MN POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE GAMEINFORMER MAGAZINE 724 N 1ST ST 4TH FL MINNEAPOLIS MN 55401-9022 B48 P24 а ГУА 60156 ШШЕ ДЕК | РРА КЕК ЕЕЕ 1001 JOHN О GAMER ISSUE 123 MAIN STREET 10 ОР 12 ANYTOWN US 12345-1234 Don’t Delay! Fill out the attached card. МА “Shinobi has some of the best arcade action I’ve seen from a next- gen game.” = i P Sy A magical burst takes out a horde of punks Nobody runs along a wall like Hotsuma These are dogs with swords in their mouths. They suck PLAYSTATION 2 SHINOB REDEFINING ACTION This holiday season is wrought with updates to classic series: Contra, Defender, ToeJam and Earl, etc. Many of them try too hard to go in new directions. Others just update the graphics and duplicate the old-school gameplay. I'd wager to say Shinobi is near the top of the classic gaming redux heap, because it keeps the arcade spirit alive, while giving you tons of new ways to kick ass. | was never a huge Shinobi fan back in the day, preferring Ninja Gaiden or Ninja Spirit. Thus, | don’t mind the new main character and art style. Hotsuma breaks away from the pajama-wearing ninja stereotype of the '805 and '90s. His flowing cape and bloodthirsty blade separate him from the flock – thanks in part to Tsuchibayashi Makoto, who was also the main artist behind Devil May Cry's Dante. Like Musashi, the series’ previous hero, Hotsuma is a master at jumping, shuriken tossing, and sword swinging. However, he has new abilities in all three categories, which really open up the gameplay. The first sweet maneuver is the stealth dash. With it, you become a blue blur to evade enemies, or get behind them for an unguarded strike. Combine it with the double jump, and you can cover lots of space. Hotsuma can run along walls too, which isn’t terribly useful – but fun to do. On the attack front, you have a sweet multi-shuriken attack that tosses eight T: remakes are coming! The remakes are coming! THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN m Concept: Shinobi.brings'action tonight. Oh, and satisfaction ан right! m Graphics: Nicely designed enemies get bloody in so-so environments. The cape's movement is a trip W Sound: Only the whoosh of the sword is euphonious, so toss in a CD m Playability: More new moves than | would've thought possible, and very cool ones at that W Entertainment: Arcade action is not dead; it's just been sleeping. Shinobi has awoken, kiddies. Sharpen your blade W Replay Value: Moderately High hr zh ~ 2 | throwing stars to stun a group of baddies; screendlluminating ninja magic; a charged burst move; and simple-but-effective sword combos. kill a posse of four or more enemies in short order, and you'll witness a cutscene of them literally falling to pieces. This also increases the power your sword receives. Bringing a 2D series to 3D has always been a hit-or-miss proposition, but Shinobi does so with much success. Combat is simple, thanks to an effective targeting system which allows you to keep a bead on your enemy, while still retaining mobility. The camera is never a nuisance, and only requires a re-centering click or two every so often. This game goes for straight action, rather than slowing things down with adventure elements or sneaking. If something's on the screen, you'd best kill it. In fact, Akujiki, the mystical sword, requires that you keep on slaying. The enemies are pretty smart, and make you use Hotsuma's array of skills to stay alive. Of course, if you bite it, there's always the option to continue. Shinobi has some of the best arcade action I've seen from a next-gen game. It scores a little lower than Devil May Cry on the coolness scale, so | suggest picking that up first (especially since it's a Greatest Hit now). However, if you want nonstop action with the right amount of difficulty and ingenuity, toss back a few shuriken with Shinobi. — JUSTIN W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER SEGA Ш DEVELOPER OVERWORKS Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 Wc It's best to get behind guys like this GAME INFORMER 117 у оса це ___ ex REVIEWS UGGERNAUT IIT —] TLIE 4 N2 ) X-M EN NEXT DIMENSION X-MEN NEXT DISASTER? ctivision has brought this title a long way Since its first incarnation, refining Next Dimension to the point of being a fighter that holds its own. The combat system makes the most significant leap forward. It now feels much less random and hectic, and is fairly precise. Performing air combos, regular combos, chains, and super moves is easy with a little training. Although the combat. is relatively more open-ended, ND still cannot touch the depth and precision of Capcom's Marvel titles. Two areas that ND does excel in, however, are the stage designs and story. Each level is 3D, so players can move anywhere and dodge ` attacks with a flick of the analog stick. Furthermore, like DOA, you can launch to reveal new areas. The story is decent, but only. or a fighting game. Players will proceed through a set plot, where you're forced to choose rom a few characters depending on the situation. This means that you'll sometimes play an X-Men, and in other situations, you can choose a character from Magneto's pack. Although ND isn't great, Activision's persistence with this series is paying off. Hopefully, the next version will result in a finely tweaked title with some innovation. — CHET opponents into the background THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN! m Concept: A fighter not unlike the Capcom Marvel games, but done in 3D m Graphics: A little lackluster compared to Tekken and VF4, but they get the job done m Sound: Nothing special here. The music isn't noteworthy and the sounds are typical. Patrick Stewart's voice as Xavier is the highlight п Playability: Performing moves, for the most part, and executing combos presents hardly any trouble п Entertainment: Next Dimension is a fairly well-executed fighter. While the combat system is interesting, it's not quite as deep as the competition B Replay Value: Moderate | SECOND OPINION | | As has been the case since this. | series’ inception, Next Dimension Is as average of a ighter as they come. The gameplay has a nice balance to | it, but is also fairly shallow. 1 | appreciate the unique twist | made to Story mode, and love | | the bevy of secrets that you can | | unlock, but it still needs a more | satisfying gameplay package. REINER - 7 | Ш STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER FIGHTING I PUBLISHER ACTIVISION ШЕ DEVELOPER PARADOX Ш RELEASE OCTOBER 15 118 GAME INFORMER PLAYSTATION 2 RYGAR: THE LEGENDARY ADVENTURE THE RISE OF A HERO atoshi Kanematsu, Rygar’s executive producer, told us that this game was abot 6 “ultimate destruction.” What ће may or may not know, however, is that his creation arcs across such a brute description into a great video game journey that is matched only by our hero’s own quest. Rygar's environments will amaze you from the beginning. Better yet, they are organic. What do | mean? Not only can you bust up much of the scenery to get items, but you will be able to uncover new areas within old stages as your skills progress. This isn’t boring backtracking, it's exploration and discovery that elevates the game above track-action titles like Onimusha. Your Diskarmor grows as the worlds do. You eventually get three of them (each with different characteristics), and they can be outfitted with a multitude of stones to change their characteristics. Add an expanded roster of combo attacks, special moves, and magical Summons, and you will smile every time your Diskarmor unfurls and sends heads rolling. Unfortunately, the weapon’s collision and the title’s camera could have been better. Gamers remember the original Rygar for being an epic quest in an 8-bit world, and this title will elevate the series once again. The Legendary Adventure is just as its name implies. It’s a title that will go down in your gaming memory for its blend of action and love of the quest. – KATO The Diskarmor's many abilities match ONE the game's twists and turns Mee Icol Summons can save your butt Chain Reaction Hits 7 Teta! Kil 1 Shits -a A^ < Rygar's worlds are absolutely beautiful, full of surprises, and superbly designed “Round and round it goes, where she stops nobody knows.” Rack up the hits by swinging foes wildly W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/ADVENTURE ШЕ PUBLISHER TECMO Ш DEVELOPER ТЕСМО B RELEASE NOVEMBER 14 THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN m Concept: Rygar possesses a good balance of action and exploration that sets it apart from other titles in the genre m Graphics: Some of the landscapes will simply take your breath away и Sound: The orchestral score for the game is amazing и Playability: There's no end to what your Diskarmor(s) can do п Entertainment: Like the original, this Rygar gives you more than just action. It's a stunning journey filled with excitement and wonder m Replay Vall Moderately High SECOND OPINION | Coming into this issue, | had my own agenda: figure out which of the classic remakes – Contra, | | Shinobi, or Rygar – was going to | | make the biggest return to past | | glories. While it's a tough call, | | since all three turned out tobe | | quite outstanding games in their | own right, Rygar Is the king of | the hill in my book. Definitely Owing some thanks to Capcom's Devil May Cry, Rygar is a tour de force of action, exploration, and | Just plain ass kicking. While you | | could easily argue that other | games are better looking, Rygar | has its own style, and it works. | Plus, Tecmo did a great job with | the sound effects. Especially | with the voice-overs, which are 80 cheesy that they are actually good. Purists may have a problem with Rygar's evolution, but you would have to be pretty hardcore to be disappointed with what Tecmo has created. It's that well done. It's not perfect, but you should definitely give it ack do Brock Lesnar — PLAYSTATION 2 WWE SMACKDOWN: SHUT YOUR MOUTH THE NEXT BIG THING? hut Your Mouth easily bests all the other next-gen wrestling games released so far. Is that saying much? No, but better is better. The new SmackDown looks great. From a presentation standpoint, it’s tough to find a flaw. The crowd is much improved, the wrestlers — especially facially — are tremendously modeled, and the referee finally does more than count. Season mode easily surpasses Just Bring It by being longer and more captivating. There’s enough drama to keep you interested, and the commentary from Just Bring It is replaced with sporadic dialogue, which 1 also prefer. If you take your mom to the prom, it doesn’t matter how good she looks. It’s still your mom. Likewise, regardless of the polish THQ and Yuke's put on this series’ graphics and modes, the engine is still outdated and weak. It was obviously made for ease of use, but depth is horribly sacrificed. Things like the tree of woe and jumping off guardrails are just band-aids on a gunshot wound. First-person exploration is still too slow and uneventful. If you consider yourself a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment, I'm sure you'll get your money's worth here. |, as а jaded critic of both games and wrestling, still see a mountain of untapped potential with this genre. Still, I'll probably be playing and enjoying SmackDown right along with you. Just don’t expect me to keep my mouth shut all ti time. – JUSTIN JR Oh’ my" goodne тп Tonight. we willlwitness the firs World Wrestling Entertainment dra 3 total di Linda McMahon opens up the brand extension draft Reiner's created self desecrates the trophy W STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER FIGHTING Ш PUBLISHER THQ Ш DEVELOPER YUKE'S W RELEASE NOVEMBER 11 him anythin а m Concept: Get as close to a bang-up wrestling game as possible, without replacing the engine m Graphi So realistic, | bet you can fool old people and pets into thinking they're watching the TV show W Sound: More Marilyn Manson than | ever wanted to hear. Real wrestler voice-overs are desperately needed п Playability: Anyone can pick this up and compete. A few new moves to fool with п Entertainment: Detailed creator, fun multiplayer, and a substancial Season mode mean good times п Replay Value: Moderately High СУНСА SECOND OPINION | | Smoke and mirrors are used to | hide the fact that this is still | the same hyperactive wrestling | | game that it's always been. The | new character models hamess | the true essence of realism, the | camerawork pinpoints the best | | angles for specific moves, and | the Season mode now offers a | deep and fulfilling experience. | At the heart of the matter, | however, the gameplay hasn’t | changed a bit. Sure, the referee | | can now hold back wrestlers | who try to interfere with a | match, and you can't help but | chuckle when someone pulls | the padding off of a tumbuckle | and rams the opponent's head | Into the steal pipe, but these | are just frivolous additions that | | ever-so-briefly make you think | you're experiencing something | new. It's still a fun game, but it should have evolved by now. Better control is an absolute | must for next year's game. | REINER - 7.25 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | PLAYSTATION 2 REVIEWS RALLY FUSION: RACE OF CHAMPIONS WHO'S THE CHAMP? ally Fusion starts off as perhaps one of the most annoying rally titles | have ever played. Mostly because your choice of vehicles is just pathetic (a Rav 4), and the racing is rather difficult. However, this bad news turns to good news as you get deeper in the game, because it forces you to be a better driver and the cars you unlock down the road really haul. After this progression, Rally Fusion ultimately leads to some truly heart-pounding races, especially on the Race of Champions track in Gran Canaria. This course is hands down the best in the game, and it's a shame that the rest of Fusion's circuits aren't as fun. This leads me to some of the title's drawbacks. For one, to move up in racing class, you must trudge your way through some rather annoying modes. The worst being the Driving Challenges that force you to race to various points on a track and park, or navigate a tedious slalom course. My second problem is the lack of a r quick restart command. This is | SECOND OPINION 1 really loved Rally Fusion’s one- | on-one racing circuits, and the especially annoying since almost every course or race requires perfect driving to win. I've played better racing games, but Fusion ain't bad. There are a number of great modes to keep you busy. Plus, the multiplayer on the RoC track is incredibly intense, and will have you racing with a buddy late into the night. - ANDY THE BOTTOM LINE EVERYONE m Concept: Lots of different modes that challenge your driving abilities Г Graphics: The car models look great, and deform depending on the amount of punishment: you apply W Sound: All summed up with the co- driver's line, "You'll wreck the #%l&ing car!” W Playability: Solid play mechanics that require finesse to keep the cars on the track п Entertainment: Some annoying hiccups in production detract from this one, but overall it works п Replay Value: Moderate driving mechanics strike a nice | balance between Colin McRae’s demanding realism and arcade fun. The difficulty level, especially on some of the | skill trials, can become | frustrating at times, especially | because you can’t restart a | race from the pause menu. MATT - 8 Ш STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER RACING ШЕ PUBLISHER ACTIVISION W DEVELOPER CLIMAX II RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 GAMEINFORMER 119 REVIEWS PLAYSTATION 2 JET X20 EXTREMELY AVERAGE et X20 is a difficult game to review. On the one hand, it doesn't really add anything remotely new or interesting to its genre. It also doesn't come close to the quality of Splashdown or WaveRace: Blue Storm — two recent games that did a lot to bring Waverunner racing back into the spotlight. By that reasoning, | should be dishing out a poison-pen ass- whuppin’ to Jet X20. I'm not going to do that, however, and here's why: There's also really nothing wrong with the game. It works. You race some fairly elaborate, large tracks that are strewn with ramps and hidden shortcuts. You can bust out some nice tricks using a shoulder-button system that has become standard for games of this type since SSX came out. I was disappointed with the water effects and physics. There are some wave swells, but they don't really affect your craft's handling to the point where you really have to be conscious of your body positioning. Also, the splash effects are just not up to par. Overall, the game just doesn't force you to use much Skill. It's really a matter of hitting tricks to get turbos and making sure you catch every single shortcut. Overall, Jet X20 is an uneventful, but not altogether unenjoyable racing game that fails to distinguish itself from the pack. - MATT. EVERYONE | THE BOTTOM LINE E Concept: SSX for the personal watercraft set m Graphics: Nice environments, but the water effects pale in comparison to much of its competition W Sound: Features "funny" repartee between the riders and – get this – techno music! m Playability: The loose control doesn't match the ultrarealistic physics of Splashdown m Entertainment: If you are absolutely bananas about SSX, Freekstyle, and the like, you may want to check this out и Replay Value: Moderate SECOND OPINION There 15 little doubt this hybrid of SSX and Splashdown offers ‘some adrenaline pumping action. Like most of the extreme racing games of the day, Jet X20 has plenty of shortcuts and tricks to keep your fingers busy. Sadly, this also means that the key to win- ning Is finding and using these of title as the two games it is derived from, JetX20 definitely has its moments. ANDY - 8 Ш STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER RACING Ш PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA I DEVELOPER KILLER GAME Ш RELEASE OCTOBER 30 120 GAME INFORMER PLAYSTATION 2 ROBOTIC ALCHEMIC DRIVE Forord ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN...ONE GIANT LEAP FOR ROBOTS! human character, who can freely move about a sprawling city environment, to a gigantic T hrough synchronal gameplay, you'll be able to switch control from an average-sized 75-ton robot that towers above the city. Since the human commands this mechanized behemoth via remote control, you'll watch the action unfold from the character's eyes, rather than from the robot. This is a strange sensation indeed — much like an ant looking up at a human — but it does capture the true sense of scale and produces a gameplay experience unlike anything we've ever seen before. Although it seems unlikely, you control all of the robot's movements manually. For instance, to take a step with the left leg, you must hold L: leg will rise into the air. As the gears grind, it will slowly outstretch, lean forward, and crash to the ground with a thundering roar that shakes the screen and sends debris flying. It's quite the spectacle, but in many ways, this obscure gameplay dynamic is the only aspect that isn’t flawed in some way. When a battle erupts, which is usually against another robot, the game basically falls apart. Much like the walking functionality, all of the robot's combat maneuvers key in on user partici- pation. The problem that players will run into deals with the positioning of the human character. Since the robots are so large, they can move across several city blocks within seconds. When this happens, various objects such as buildings or trees often block the human's point of view. At this point in time, you'll be forced to switch control to the slow-moving human, which leaves your robot vulnerable, to find a better vantagepoint. This is a unique way to present the action, but as innovative of a concept as it may be, it really couldn’t be much more aggravating. In a way, this system puts to shame any of the camera problems I’ve experienced in other games. Even with this glaring gameplay discrepancy, | strongly recommend that you take a look at RAD. There hasn't been anything quite like it before, and | don't think there ever will be again. When this action is initiated, the robot's It's by no means a blockbuster, but rather а gimmick-driven oddity that just happens to be fascinating and enjoyable. – REINER The sense of scale is accurately portrayed and intricately detailed. Buildings will crumble and people will get stomped on Select a Meganite Choose from three different characters and three different robots W STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER ENIX Ш DEVELOPER SAND! E RELEASE NOVEMBER 5 W Concept: Godzilla meets Battlebots in this extraordinary and amusing spin on traditional robot games B Graphics: The depiction of scale truly is something to behold. Dust clouds form when the robots crash to the ground and buildings collapse realistically under their weight W Sound: The next best thing to “all your base are belong to us” m Playability: User-friendly controls with a horrific camera system п Entertainment: An experience unlike anything that you've ever seen before. It’s a must see if there ever was one п Replay Value: Moderately Low SECOND OPINION - When | first saw this game, It reminded me of the Beastie Boys video for “Intergalactic.” But instead of hitting us over the head with B-movie antics, the title’s story comes off as something more akin to Zone of the Enders. In other words, RAD has a decidedly Japanese flavor that makes it a niche title all the way. Reinforcing this is the gameplay, which Is original, but just doesn't execute well. Ironically, this game ends up blaming YOU for camera prob- Jems rather than the other way around. In the end, coordinating your robot, the camera, and your hero on the ground makes RAD more puzzleike than filled with over-the-top action. The manual controls are nifty, but can't solve the fact that you are still in control of a lumbering robot. On the flip side, the destructible environments are a big plus, and the game’s sense of scale is perfect. RAD's deliberate action | will appeal to some, but not all. KATO - 7 | Cris tas sworn to protest her people, Chris, the silver maiden, needs to conclude a peace agreement with the grassland barbarians of the six clans. But is there something she doesn’t Know about the treaty? %J CRS | үа - Unleash the power of tfiree on a quest for peace - The fates of three opposing heroes are forever altered in a battle that will determine the destiny of the entire land. Uncover the 108 Stars of Destiny, create a homeland castle town, discover the secrets of the 27 True Runes, and save the world from destruction. Mild Violence Suggestive Themes PlayStation.e Р SUIKODENG is a registered trademark of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO, inc. ©1995, 2002 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. в REVIEWS a | в „ Whoa! Steady M fellows! Where be you a-going to, huh, puffing likea bellows? What's the matter, then! a PLAYSTATION 2 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING WE CAN HEAR TOLKIEN TURNING IN HIS GRAVE ome would accuse Tolkien's trilogy of being tedious and long-winded, and normally | would have a long diatribe to counteract this blasphemous statement. But in the case of this game, it’s all true. Where to begin? There are so many things wrong with this one, it’s hard to decide. For one, the story 15 delivered with all the emotion of a grade school play. This wouldn't be such a bad thing, if the gameplay weren't absolutely abysmal. Not only is the combat annoying, but for most levels the best strategy is just to run through the stage. | did enjoy that this title was based on the books and touched on some of the areas missed in the movie, but the execution is just so horrible it's not even worth your time for these small nuggets of goodness. My advice for this game is best summed up in the words of Gandalf: "Run, you fools! Run!!!” – ANDY THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN m Concept: Make a game based on a book, but make it so horrible that people would rather read W Graphics: If you can ignore the models and animations, it looks halfway decent W Sound: Other than having to endure Frodo singing, it's about the best thing this game has going for it w Playability: You don't so much play, as run п Entertainment: | would rather burn in the fires of Mount Doom than play this atrocity W Replay Value: Low ЕА CHIOTS E SECOND OPINION | As the ring-bearer, your job is {| to...pick weeds for Tom | Bombadil?! From the mindless | chores to the bad camera, Fellowship reduces Tolkien's | great story to a poor video game that you wouldn't even consider | buying if it weren't Lord of the Rings. | enjoyed the layout of | the Mines of Moria, but In the end, it was laughable due to the suspect collision and crudeness | | of the combat. Cast this one | into the fire. KATO - 5.5 W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/ADVENTURE W PUBLISHER VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES W DEVELOPER SURREAL SOFTWARE II RELEASE OCTOBER 22 122 GAME INFORMER a ۲ Wole Kickflip Stalefish 1 | [ө] EVOLUTION SKATEBOARI FLASHBACK TO 1997 nami's last attempt at cornering the skateboarding | SECOND OPINION market didn’t fare well. In fact, if my memory | Your skater handles slightly serves me correctly, ESPN X Games: Skateboarding | better than а robot that fell in wet cement. The tricks just blow. Pitting this ironically had about as much play value as a piece of gum stuck beneath Tony Hawk's sneaker. Although Evolution Skateboarding is essentially a direct follow-up, it also bears | "amed game against Tony 4 Is = like flicking a booger at ап a resemblance to the first Tony Hawk game. While | found (abgames tank. Ме so T Tu not myself howling in disgust at the obscure control schematic, | 100% negative, the radar and lack of moves, and bare bones combo system, | at least boss battles are mildly cool. found slight solace in the nostalgic vibe. JUSTIN - 4.75 | It's three generations behind the current benchmark, yet ا‎ — even with the odds stacked heavily against it, this game finds a way to entertain. With its variety, unique boss battles, and interesting secrets (like Metal Gear's Solid Snake), Evolution Skateboarding is actually somewhat amusing. ..but only, and | stress this, if you've already consumed every little morsel within Tony 4. — REINER E STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION/SPORTS Ш PUBLISHER KONAMI ШЕ DEVELOPER KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT OSAKA Iii RELEASE OCTOBER 8 | | | 93449 130' 7 d OD) Wiis SECOND OPINION | | The shopping, characters, and | eye candy of this game are | astounding. Unfortunately, the | combat is too button-mashy, | and I honestly don't know how | | | pulled off half of my moves. Still | great, and seemingly identical | to the Dreamcast version. frantic pace of executing a chain combo to an aerial combo to a special move to a super move to a team assist super combo is just as fun and insane as it sounds. Get a few friends dedicated to mastering MVC2's 100, 200, and 300 hit combos and you'll be playing for a while! The transition from Dreamcast to PS2 is flawless, which means that every ounce of detail and animation, all of the 40 characters, and the numerous secrets are included. Actually, since the PS2 controller is certainly more conducive to executing the various moves and combos than the standard DC pad, | actually like this version a tad more. Unfortunately, nothing else has been refined or improved in this two-year-old game. Although | enjoy the fighting system, as it is fairly balanced considering how many characters are present, the inability to escape from devastating combos still adds a cheap factor. Granted, they take some time and effort to learn, but once you manage to execute one successfully, your opponent is essentially finished. Nevertheless, if you happened to miss this in arcades or for DC, MVC 2 is a sweet 2D fighter worthy of purchase. – CHET E STYLE 1 TO 2-PLAYER FIGHTING Ш PUBLISHER CAPCOM Ш DEVELOPER CAPCOM E RELEASE NOVEMBER 5 Т his is the epitome of fast-twitch fighting action. The m Concept: Not the disaster that ESPN X Games: Skateboarding was, but nowhere near the success that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is W Graphics: Colorful and detailed as a whole, but some transitions between animations are a tad funky п Sound: Another compilation of no- name bands that is piercing to the ears W Playability: Simplistic gameplay with a few amusing missions and outrageous boss battles п Entertainment: A Tony Hawk derivative that actually has some legs п Replay Value: Moderate У eet m Concept: A three-on-three 2D fighter with more combos than should be legal W Graphics: The graphics are smooth and fast, and the backgrounds are all 3D! W Sound: The music is fast and appropriate, but there are some that just annoy me W Playability: The four-button design suits the controller perfectly п Entertainment: With secrets to unlock and a deep fighting engine, you'll play for some time. Too bad there's no World Tour mode W Replay Value: High SUPER BUST-A-MOVE 2 STYLE 1 TO 2-PLAYER PUZZLE E PUBLISHER UBI SOFT W RELEASE SEPTEMBER 24 : BustA-Move remains а pretty fun puzzle game after ‚ all these years, and to its ‚ credit, Ubi has devised a | few minor gameplay | changes which help set | Super Bust 2 slightly apart Д) from the previous installment. However, in the end, you basically have more of the same thing. If you happen to be a huge fan of the series, I'm certain you'll appreciate the small additio and changes, but for everyone else, you t need it. - CHET DDR MAX I STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION PUBLISHER KONAMI = DDR is overdue for a PS2 edition, to be sure. However, the series doesn't have the same sparkle it once did. DDR Max is far from revolutionary: high-res graphics and one new move — | the freeze, which makes you hold one step while executing others. | liked unlocking new songs and reading an overview on each one. The gameplay formula is still addictive, but I'm ready to move on. How many times do you really need to impress bystanders at the mall arcade? Please, Konami, bring over [E75 some other Bemani games. — JUSTIN WRECKLESS W STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER RACING Ш PUBLISHER ACTIVISION W RELEASE NOVEMBER 13 The PS2 couldn't handle the awe-inspiring look of the Xbox version, so the developers actually had to perform a massive overhaul on the game to bring it to Sony fans. This proves to be a good thing, because it £ave the team time to rework the original's problematic and dull gameplay. It's not as pretty, but the addition of car-mounted missiles, some slick two-player modes, and a greater sensation of speed more than makes up for the lack of graphical flash. Much improved, [ 775 and it’s still only okay. – MATT DR. MUTO STYLE 1-PLAYER ADVENTURE PUBLISHER MIDWAY E RELEASE NOVEMBER 11 Solid platforming with a sense of humor is the biggest drawing point for Dr. Muto. After blowing up a planet like he was trying to get information from Princess Leia, Dr. Muto must transform into a menagerie of creatures, collect pieces of junk to form a greater gadget whole, and execute the master plan. Our mad scientist lives in a world that looks mighty pretty and sounds even better, but lacks major [ 7.75 innovation in its platforming. - LISA NBA STARTING FIVE E STYLE 1 TO 8-PLAYER SPORTS Ш PUBLISHER KONAMI E RELEASE OCTOBER 8 Sometimes fun just isn't enough. While | enjoyed Starting Five, there are far too many flaws for it to compete. The MI music is horrendous. 1 WW Models only look good when their hands are down. The rebounding is way behind other games. There's no fantasy draft. Charging is called so often and inaccurately that | threw down the controller in disgust. It's still playable, but with the other options out there, why bother? I hate to say it, but it's time for basketball game retraction, and (816.25 ил REIGN OF FIRE ТҮШЕ 1-PLAYER ACTION/SHOOTER PUBLISHER BAM ENTERTAINMENT W RELEASE OCTOBER 31 | wasn’t expecting a lot out of this licensed product since the movie it’s based on turned out so poorly, but | was pleasantly surprised to find some entertainment in this game’s simple premise. Sporting play controls similar to Halo’s driving portions, the player cruises around in a 4x4 blasting targets as they converge on you from all sides. You also get a chance to play as the dragons. The title does a good job of conveying a sense of urgency and being in the field of combat, but the overall design is just average. Not bad, but not good either. – ANDY IMESPLITTERS 2 STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION PUBLISHER EIDOS E RELEASE OCTOBER 8 TimeSplitters 2 is going to please fans of the first, but | am a little disappointed that Free Radical (which includes several members of the original GoldenEye team) didn't do more to push the FPS forward with this one. The Story mode is decent, but | actually had more fun in the Arcade and Challenge sections of the game. Also, the aiming is not finely tuned (especially since there are no crosshairs in normal mode), and not nearly as many checkpoints as there should be. This is a solid, great- looking game, just not the masterpiece [8.25 it | was hoping for. – MATT ^i To Оше » To 50-50 Combo 3 PLAYSTATION 2 REVIEWS m« Um ж Ё К 4 uf SIMPSONS SKATEBOARDING WORST GAME EVER! ever before have | seen a developer put forth such an effort to secure the Worst Game of the Year award. |!| even go as far to say that this may very well be the worst PlayStation 2 game on the market. After spending a significant amount of time with this product, something that | wouldn't even unleash on my worst enemies, | came to the realization that Simpsons Skateboarding manages to do everything, even the simplest of things, completely wrong. For this. aspect, and this aspect alone, | was actually somewhat amused. It's like watching someone trip over his or her shoelaces and smack the concrete face first. Deep down inside, you're freaking out and wondering if the person's okay, but for some strange reason, you just happen to drop to your knees in laughter. So how downright awful could this game really be, you ask? Well, at one point, | actually found myself contemplating whether or not the developer took it upon itself to create gameplay, or if the action that | was controlling was a strange glitch or bug. Was the testing department on strike? Did EA accidentally ship the early Alpha build? | don't know what happened exactly, but the outcome is nothing short of a resounding d'oh! – REINER THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN m Concept: Proof that a popular license can outweigh the need for gameplay W Graphics: Why does it look like someone slit Homer's throat? Also, is there any texturing or is everything plain shaded? W Sound: Tons of spoken dialogue from the television series, and what could quite possibly be the worst announcing to date @ Playability: "Hey, kid. You don't need gameplay to enjoy a Simpsons game. Trust me. You like the show so buy the game!” п Entertainment: Approximately 10 seconds of it...all occurring as you wait for the game to load for the very first time ш Replay Value: Low | SECOND OPINION Games this bad only come around a few times In a lifetime, so let's all cherish Simpsons Skateboarding for being a | shoddy, painfully unfunny, totally inept example of an extreme sports title gone horribly, horribly wrong. By “cherish” | mean “point and laugh at,” not “purchase.” W STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION/SPORTS W PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS/FOX INTERACTIVE W DEVELOPER THE CODE MONKEYS Ш RELEASE OCTOBER 29 GAMEINFORMER 123 405 REVIEWS | exhausted by how much con- tent you’ve absorbed...” The detail in the cinematics is simply breathtaking You'll be able to switch characters on the fly... ...or control both of them at once (one with the analog stick, the other with the C-stick) 124 GAMEINFORMER м»: EVERY STO like a David Lynch film, the storytelling in M ће Resident Evil series tiptoes around the truth, interjects false leads, and constantly references a past that you know nothing about. While the idea of creating a prequel seems rather absurd, or just another way for Capcom to milk this license for all of its worth, this flashback episode had to happen. Leaving players in wonderment is part of Resident Evil’s mystique, there’s no arguing that, but leaving players hanging with countless questions in their heads for seven years is a tad cruel. At long last Capcom is delivering the answers we've anxiously awaited. Since there are a number of explanations that Capcom has to include, | was a little concerned that these revelations would Stick out like a soar thumb or greatly outweigh the amount of new content. There are a few segments where the explanations are a little convoluted or long winded in their delivery, but as a whole, the plot is actually quite good and never once does it seem that Capcom was trying to force answers down players" throats. If anything, this tale brings about a greater sense of uncertainty, as you'll find yourself asking, "Why wasn't Billy in any of the other games? Does he die? Turn into a Tyrant? Where is he later in the series?" Unlike the other chapters in the series, Capcom doesn't hold back in progressing the story or explaining what is truly afoot. Everything ties together in a whirlwind of twists, turns, and surprises. By the end of the &ame, you'll feel physically exhausted by how much content you've absorbed, yet relieved that it doesn't leave anything open to the imagination. Along with the solid scripting, the visuals soar above any other entry in the series as well, and while this may be hard to believe, completely eclipse the GameCube remake of the original. It's running on the same engine, and the look is definitely similar. However, a higher degree of detail is emphasized within the environ- ments, which now boast countless animated objects, and the character models made me contemplate whether they were real. Atthis point, it truly does sound like a perfect game, but it's actually anything but. The gameplay is as clunky as ever. Sure, you can now drop items anywhere, which is nice, and switching between your two characters on the fly does produce interesting Scenarios and exploration techniques, but it still struggles with the basics. The preset camera views are as aggravating as always, blinding players even during the most intense of firefights, and the controls don't allow for precise targeting or smoothness of movement. To make matters worse, the defensive items from the remake are missing. It's essentially a step back in some regards, which is fairly disappointing, but if you've stuck with the series up until this point, this was probably expected. – REINER Ш STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/ADVENTURE Ш PUBLISHER CAPCOM Ш DEVELOPER CAPCOM Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 m You'll eventually enter the mansion, but this time around, it's nothing like you remember The Tyrants are back and joined by even deadlier accomplices THE BOTTOM LINE МАТОВЕ Есе W Concept: Learn of the events that lead up to the mansion incident in this finely sculpted prequel B Graphics: Frighteningly realistic environment modeling, authentic lighting effects, plus some of the most disturbing CG cinematics this side of George Romero W Sound: Brilliant ambiance, believable voice acting, and a chilling score m Playability: The dual character action is pretty amazing, but the controls are as clunky as always W Entertainment: Two discs of heart-pounding excitement that will mess with your head until the surprise ending W Replay Value: Moderate SECOND OPINION | Ifthe devil's in the details, then | REO should register for duty in | hell. The graphics are beyond | gorgeous and it's hard to pick — | | out which parts of the scene you | can manipulate, as everything | (including the characters) blends completely. The coopera- | tive gameplay lets the game feel | fresher, even though it has | familiar characters (Rebecca) in | | familiar environments (the man- | | sion again) with familiar puzzles | | (find the oddly shaped crank | | again!). | did find that having | the ability to chuck items is a | double-edged sword - meager | on-person carrying space and | lots of items I may need later | don't marry happily. Having | to gripe a little, the hot spots | are still hit and miss – you'll | wander around a box of ammo | hitting A five or ten times before | | Rebecca finds it in her heart to | pick it up. That said, RE O won't | revolutionize the world; butitis | | scary, pretty, and most of all, a | true Resident Evil game. minutes of play, it can make grown men cry...” You'll be dropkicked into unfair 3- on-1 matches. Я cee ap ...forced against your will into 2-on- 2 minigames. „апа continually asked to try to make heads or tales of horrible controls | ie aa TURN OUT THE wouldn't necessarily consider myself a religious man by Й any stretch of the imagination, but when | see games like Mario Party 4 hit the market, | begin to question my spirituality, wondering if Satan is actually working at Nintendo on this godforsaken series. I've seen the evil at work firsthand. Within just minutes of play, it can make grown men cry, turn friends against one another, and mess with your head so much that you begin conjuring up devious thoughts. Should | dropkick my friend’s GameCube? Should | lock myself in the bathroom and try to chisel through the wall with a curling iron? From a conceptual basis, there really is nothing wrong with this game. The idea of interlacing a traditional board game with minigames is as sound as can be. For the fourth consecutive time, however, this particular board game is as unorthodox as it is tedious. As far as | can tell, Hudson Soft is guilty of substance abuse. Rather than using a simplistic square game board much like Monopoly, Mario Party 4's playing surface is crammed to capacity with twists and turns, item shops, lotteries, secret squares, bonus games, and even roller coasters. It sounds like an absolute riot, but when you add it all up, it creates confusion, stalls the game, and throws out any semblance of strategy that it might have had. To be quite frank, it really doesn't make much sense. Picture Mouse Trap to the nth degree. LIGHTS...THIS PARTY IS OVER! Early on, | thought that the minigames would be redeeming enough to stomach the nauseating board game aspect. How wrong | was. If a particular minigame isn’t downright atrocious in its design, then it's more than likely flawed in control or execution. There were a few button-mashing games that rekindled fond memories of Track & Field; but as a whole, | dreaded the arrival of the next game and prayed that it would end quickly. Sadly, with a total of only 50 minigames, you'll even be forced to replay some in one sitting.. Once again, Mario Party is more about testing one’s sanity and threshold of pain than it is an enjoyable time spent with friends. If anything, the game did show me how much torment 1 can put up with before breaking down, sobbing, and pleading to make it stop. As wretched and demonic as | find this game, | will admit that | have seen children play Mario Party and love every second of it. From what I could tell, these preschoolers really liked pressing the buttons on the controller as quickly as they could, and to much astonishment, this technique worked all the way up until the end of the game. Mario Party 4 really is for the tykes out there, and while one could argue that my score doesn't accurately convey this, | think it hits the mark. After all, | seriously contemplated taking up video game celibacy to avoid this game. – REINER Ш STYLE | ТО 4PLAYER BOARD Ш PUBLISHER NINTENDO Ш DE YOU ARBTHES Congratulations! You actually made it through an entire game without turning it off! iVELOPER HUDSON SOFT Ш RELEASE OCTOBER 2 The board game aspect is bor waste of time in your lifetime. THE BOTTOM LINE EVERYONE m Concept: A poorly designed board game with the Mario gang and over 50 minigames m Graphics: Still 64-bit at heart, but the resolution is much sharper and some of the effects are quite impressive m Sound: Familiar Mario voices that are usually drowned out by blood curdling screams. of agony by you and your friends m Playability: The board game defies logic and many of the minigames control atrociously W Entertainment: Only for bedwetters and adults who openly admit that they are as dumb as rocks W Replay Value: Moderate | SECOND OPINIO We've been on the warpath against the Mario Party series since day one, so I’m sure that а lot of you just write our wrath off as the bitter musings of a bunch of jaded buttholes. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a jaded butthole, but that doesn’t mean that Mario Party 4 (or | any Mario Party game) is a | well-made piece of software. It's sad, because it doesn't have to be this way. There's nothing. | inherently wrong with the board game/simple minigame format. It should be possible to | merge the addictive quality of | old-school arcade classics like Breakout or Ms. Pac-Man with the strategy of a board game masterpiece like Monopoly. Too bad Mario Party has none of the things that make those two and the minigames are simplis- tic exercises in button-mashing tedium. At least Crash Bash for PS-X had the good sense to rip off some decent early ‘80s "= мап -4 GAMEINFORMER 125 REVIEWS А 4 GAMECUBE MEDAL OF HONOR: FRONTLINE STORMING THE CUBE © matter what system you own, you're guaranteed an excellent World War II first- person shooter, courtesy of Electronic Arts. Pound for pound, Frontline is one of the best there is on the console FPS market. You've got a good story, great graphics, solid gameplay, an interesting assortment of weapons, and cinema-quality music. ..what’s not to like? Let’s face it, the GameCube is not what you want to buy if you're looking for FPS titles. | don't think I'm breaking any hearts by pointing that out, but EA has managed to inject a lot of bang into that wafer of a disc. Frontline fires on all cylinders on the ‘Cube, and the controller actually lends itself very well to translating your reactions onscreen. | thought the bulky button layout would be a hindrance, but not so. | was able to maneuver my character around the beautiful environments just as deftly as did with the Dual Shock or the Controller S. From going behind enemy ines, to smuggling yourself aboard a German U-Boat, this is a title that will keep you glued to your seat from start to finish. It's not the tour-de- orce that Allied Assault was, but it sticks to its guns, and turns out one of the best console FPS experiences available. Enjoy. – KRISTIAN THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN esas W Concept: Medal of Honor's Nazi extermination comes to GameCube и Graphics: As with many GameCube games, things look good at a distance, but muddy quickly as you approach them W Sound: How they get all of that audio on one little disc is beyond me п Playability: The controller didn't hold me back as much as | thought it would п Entertainment: Frontline works on many levels, and GameCube owners will spend hours exploring all of them п Replay Value: Moderate | SECOND OPINION | As this is Medal of Honor's first | appearance on the GameCube, | what better way to indoctrinate new recruits than by letting them storm the beaches of | Normandy? Despite the game's | | lackluster AI and uneven hit | detection, it soundly delivers on | its promise and is a title that | should not be missed – | especially as this edition has | multiplayer. KATO - 9 W STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER ACTION I PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS IM DEVELOPER DREAMWORKS INTERACTIVE W RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 126 GAME INFORMER PLANES, TRAINS, AND DEATH STARS Th ough a mélange of varied gameplay styles, The Clone Wars emerges as one of LucasArts’ most meritorious of releases. Although the presentation and mission structure cling tightly to the framework of Rogue Leader and the Starfighter games, the variety in terms of vehicles produces a unique twist. As the action unfolds, you never know what to expect next. You'll find yourself gliding across the terrain in a fully loaded hovertank, stomping through a heavily fortified enemy camp in an assault walker, speeding through a junkyard on a speeder bike, taking to the skies in a Republic gunship, and hacking away at swarms of battle droids with a lightsaber as you infiltrate a Trade Federation complex on foot. As expected, the assortment of playable craft and varying gameplay styles for each produces mixed results. Much like the old Nintendo 64 game, Shadows of the Empire, some of the gameplay components work well, while others leave much to be desired, or seem completely rushed off of the design floor. | loved the tank levels, appreciated the gunship, maru, and walker missions, but couldn't wait for the speeder bike and foot stages to come to a close. Thanks in part to a host of checkpoints, the difficulty level is not nearly as taxing as it was in Rogue Leader, but you will run into challenging bosses, timed sequences, and bonus missions. To give the game some legs, a number of secrets can be unlocked by finding hidden items and excelling in specific areas. Even though it comes up short on several fronts, The Clone Wars does excel where needed, proving that its strengths greatly dwarf its shortcomings. The combat hits you at a fevered pitch, the visual presentation rocks your senses, and before long, you'll find yourself locked, loaded, and completely hooked by the momentous battles that are unfolding before your very eyes. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you are a Star Wars fan, it's a no-brainer. - REINER "Which lightsaber is mine? The one that says bad ass mother [expletive deleted] on itl" EL || ...and slashing through hundreds of robotic troops on foot You'll find yourself blowing away spiders in a TX-130S Fighter Tank... W STYLE 1 ТО 4-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER LUCASARTS Ii DEVELOPER PANDEMIC E RELEASE OCTOBER 28 THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN m Concept: Another Star Wars game that fires direct hits, yet also manages to miss the target completely W Graphics: Picture Rogue Leader with less emphasis on vehicular detailing and more on the size of the battles and dynamics of effects и Sound: Authentic Star Wars sounds, and some of the worst voice impersonations known to Man и Playal Varied play styles with mixed results that span from brilliant to downright awful W Entertainment: A lengthy game with engaging gameplay, interesting missions, and tons of secrets п Replay Value: Modertate | SECOND OPINION | | | The usage of Episode II material | | is golden, as the epic battle on | | Geonosis won't let you down. | | You can see units of clone | | troopers on the ground, while | | rich, earth-shattering explosions | | quake before you. Who said not | | to let your emotions take control | of the Force? They obviously | | have never been dropped in some of these hyperintense levels. The game goes wrong in the targeting department, | however. There is no permanent | | lock-on, and due to the high | number of targets, it’s way too | easy for your reticule to slip off | one foe and onto another. The | only way to ensure a hit is to | always keep your enemy dead | ahead of you – a dangerous strategy. Even this doesn’t | always work, because low flying | | craft have a hard time targeting | | high objects like turrets. Clone ie о cn | | foot, but it fails to be аз well- | rounded, or as fundamentally TEEN ‘CONTENT RATED BY ESRB Violence Evil must be exterminated. But first it must be found. © 2002 Nintendo. ™, ® and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2002 Nintendo. www.metroid.com THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN ROBOTECH: BATTLECRY THE VERSATILE VERITECH Give the GameCube a big T his is the third time I’ve strapped into this video game bag о” action with 50+ Veritech, and Battlecry has lost none of its luster. In SECOND OPINION stages fact, it’s gotten better, because once you master Does justice to the license with Graphics: changing in and out of your ship's forms, things that you gorgeous celshadded graphics, | ™ This title leaps бе once thought impossible are now pieces of cake. Developer | а riveting score, and a well- screen, grabs you, and Vicious Cycle should feel good that that gameplay holds up are gameplay package drags you into the fight HAS n as just as versatile as it that well. This time around | used more of the special a У) 917 4 ` SONIC MEGA COLLECTION capabilities of each form. | went into sniper mode (Battloid mode) and dropped missile-diverting flares with the Fighter in areas | hadn't previously. is action packed. The only area that doesn't really hit home is the vague and uneventful storytelling. REINER - 8.25 W Sound: In all departments, Battlecry more than fits the bill W Playability: Unfortunately, the game's overall speed still strikes me as a little slow during the mid-air dogfights, but it certainly doesn't hamper the action on the ground. There's a £ood range of movements available NINTENDO GETS EVERY 16-BIT СА ALMOST ith 12 classic THE BOTTOM LINE Џ Genesis games EVERYONE Changing your Veritech’s forms will soon become second nature between the Battloid and Guardian modes, and your booster rockets. This helped me cleanly ш Entertainment: navigate around the unhelpful camera and avoid careening into the sometimes-close quarters ^ Robotech's gameplay depth of the city. This is the best fighter-combat title since Rogue Leader. – KATO helps to keep things going > Replay Value: E STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER TDK MEDIACTIVE II DEVELOPER VICIOUS CYCLE Moderately High ESRB W RELEASE OCTOBER 10 m Concept: i RARE It's 12 classic Genesis 00.116 games - with nine of them being Sonic games m Graphics: They look exactly like their predecessors. | wish they were improved though Ist five ive remaining titles: н W Sound: Knuckles in Sonic 2 апа 3, The effects and music are Flicky, Ristar, and Blue exactly like the older games Sphere. Flicky isa fun puzzle m Playability: game where players control The controller presents no a bird who must collect her problems infants before the cat п Entertainment: Playing these games again was a blast. Although | wish Sonic CD and Sonic R were included, the secret games istar is fine rmer featuring a star јего. Finally, Blue is a minigame from {GAMECUBE ad and Knuckles. - Sonic during and bonuses nearly _ compensate m Replay Value: Moderately High | SECOND OPINION | | Most compilation titles wimp out and don't include enough | games to be worth the price tag, but Sonic Mega Collection | || delivers the goods. With 12 | | games of Sonic goodness, fans || can relive the glory days for ee | weeks on end. I’m disappointed | | that Sonic CD Is missing from | this monster, but otherwise | Sonic zealots have much to | rejoice about. If any gamers out | | there missed these classics, | now is the perfect time to snag | TIMESPLITTERS 2 LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN Е ew people were as excited about TimeSplitters 2 as | m Concept: Travel through time and kill | SECOND OPINION ots o peopie was. A GoldenEye-esque Story mode mixed with the speed and style of the original ‘Splitters? Damn! 1 was waiting for the story to и Graphics: Unfortunately, the end result is much closer to good than grab a hold of me, but І never Some of the best textures great. Arcade mode (which is basically what all of the original | felt so much as a tickle. Also, | а ix with wacky £ame was) is fast, fun deathmatching. Challenge mode is ps a ui dor i charactor models cool, too — dishing out a grocery list of tasks like finding while, That being sald, this is и Sound: bananas, breaking windows, and beheading dead folk. definitely a robust title, but it Music fits the ее, апа Unfortunately, Story mode – which | had the highest falls squarely in the middle of the Каана теше hopes for – let me down. Sure, each environment has its heap in terms of overall quality. own enemies and weapons, and the variety of gameplay is KRISTIAN - 8 | ® Playability: noble. Three things really bugged me, though: the difficulty ub hed Ши Enn (either too hard or too easy), the inability to save at any time (each level has one ч И 5 А : Т ? Р layout and responsiveness checkpoint), and the fact that nothing ties the stages together. | just couldn't get into it. are perfect TS2 deserves many props: It looks stupendous, multiplayer is a trailer-load of fun, the и Entertainment: ` should definitely d | ет on one dise. physics engine works well, and the controller is definitely optimized. With the sad Story Tots сюйсе for ol? copy. — = ANDY - 8.75 | mode, you're left having slightly more meat than the original, but that isn't enough to moolah, though Story mode ш ‘STYLE Т OR 2-PLAYER ER ACT ION M PUBLISHER SEGA E DEVELOPER SONIC TEAM Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 128 GAME INFORMER make this an out and out must-have. — JUSTI STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER EIDOS Ш DEVELOPER FREE RADICAL E RELEASE OCTOBER 15 is a disappointment W Replay Value: Moderately High у og eweg '@ аповшес) ориәш әш pue Y " SI 351 u3H10 НО 8410 үу `оршәшу JO ушар ЕЛЕЕ 115: (оиуновноо ЗНУ: 10} WOIWAINY INSANIVLESIN3 B3LNdNOO ANOS Aq pesuson "'NOLIYH93INI ТУШОО Aq padot 3 É у ELTJUETEI оамэі мім ә шәдѕАѕ ооџелру @Aog owes 991 0} uoos бшшод әоиелрү шлојзол4 - UND doy iLASNNS LU 3WOH алмоз 1538 AHL АЛМО 151002 ШЯИ02 ~ REVIEWS GAMECUBE EVOLUTION WORLDS NOT-SO-EVOLVED ike most RPGs, you L form a party, look for a lot of items, develop some strategy, and take turns fighting a string of random battles. Evolution Worlds (an updated port of Evolution: The World of Sacred Device and Evolution 2: Far Off Promise) does admirably in the basic tasks of the RPG genre. Graphics, on the other hand, show their age with dismal, painfully tiled texture maps and small environ- ments. Thankfully, Evolution Worlds does truly shine in one technical area: voice acting. The script is funny and voiced well. Even the mouths match! | find it easy to say that my biggest gripe is the lack of camera control. Running through dungeons, it stays stationary while you scurry through channels on the screen. Controlling every movement with the shoulder buttons doesn’t sound all that bad, but you’re cruising through dungeons! They're twisty, and turny, and it makes finding things unspeakably painful. The good news is that the gameplay is simple to learn and really would be a good choice for newbies who don’t know any better. - LISA | and stay into. It’s too bad the | Fantasy, but that’s what cutsie THE BOTTOM LINE ры esas m Concept: Bring back the prestige of the Launcher family as its only surviving son m Graphics: Purportedly improved from the Dreamcast versions, but seriously lackluster W Sound: Voice acting is actually done by reasonably trained actors – the best part of the game W Playability: Turn-based and really, really dull п Entertainment: Scrolling through lots of text isn't usually my idea of a good time, but this isn't all bad и Replay Value: Moderate SECOND OPINION | This Is an easy game to get into, whole thing came off as a five year-old's version of Final art direction will get you. I liked the battle animations, and the magic/Item system, however. This is probably a great game to give someone who isn't really familiar with the genre. KRISTIAN - Ш STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME W PUBLISHER UB! SOFT Ш DEVELOPER UBI SOFT/STING W RELEASE NOVEMBER 18 130 GAME INFORMER tS, INC. SCREAM ARENA W STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER THQ W RELEASE SEPTEMBER 18 This game is balls. Big ones, Soft ones, bouncy ones, it's all about getting them in your hands. Unfortunately, E there is little else to it other than chucking balls at opponents in various settings. Scream Arena replicates the movie's charm wonderfully, but its lack of variety hardly qualifies it even as a party game. This is the kind of title that your mom would buy for you by mistake, because she thinks you'd enjoy anything related to the film. Warn her now before you open up your Es present and find this lump of coal. – KATO DARKENED SI W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/ADVENTURE E PUBLISHER SIMON & SCHUSTER INTERACTIVE E RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 You probably haven't heard of this game, and frankly, it does little to help its cause. While Skye is painfully average in looks and combat, and the platforming can be uneven, it simply has a way of keeping you going. | liked the magic system, and was surprised that the irreverent story started to grow on me rather than the reverse. Should | tell you to buy it? | don’t know, but | do suggest you save often. Skye’s laundry list of quests is strangely solid in both its simplicity and repetitive lenge. – KATO TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 4 STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION/SPORTS PUBLISHER ACTIVISION E RELEASE OCTOBER 23 Gum | Neversoft tried to drastically change the Tony Hawk franchise with this fourth ~ installment, but | think it tried a little too hard in the — wrong areas. Мапу missions — while fun – take : Е — away from the skating, which i is why we play he game. The vast amount of goals, buying secrets, and some memorable tasks make THPS 4 another stupendous action/sports title. However, Aggressive Inline's humor, RPG elements, and constantly changing levels give it an ever-so-slight advantage. – JUSTIN : ONE WIC T STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER PUZZLE W PUBLISHER INFOGRAMES E RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 | love a game with the word "Wicked " in the title (except А Wicked 18 and Wicked 3) Surfing), and | have to love || a game with great graphics, a) good sound, creative level I} design, tons of extra У n features, and a perfectly ресе ramp-up of difficulty. Like Frogger before it, Zapper has the same hurry-up-and-plan puzzle formula. My only complaint is universal to the genre: Angled camera shots can make for excessive deaths due to [ 8.75 operator confusion. - LISA BLOODRAYNE W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION E PUBLISHER MAJESCO W RELEASE OCTOBER 16 Andy and Kristian loved this one; I must be missing something. It's just another average third- person hack n' slasher, augmented with N some cool blo sucking animations and a ton of gore. If you love this of thing, it might be worth your $50, but | couldn't get over the amateurish production values, camera bugs, and shallow combat control. It's not a horrible way to kill a few hours, but | think your time is more valuable than this. - MATT FI W STYLE | TO 8-PLAYER SPORTS W PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS W RELEASE NOVEMBER 5 The FIFA series continues to be a mixed bag. This isn't just this year's World Cup title with club teams. The new manual dekes are very impressive, the game's smoother, and the dead ball set pieces are fabulous. Unfortunately, some of Cup's animations (including the juggling moves) are absent, the Al needs work, and the passing can be anemic. EA keeps tinkering with things, but remains unable to capture perfection. At some point, being “the best soccer game in America" shouldn't Es be enough. – КАТО 1 TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS PUBLISHER SIMON AND SCHUSTER E RELEASE OCTOBER 29 As far as golf games go, the GameCube is pretty much starved — until now. Outlaw Golf is just as good on this system as it is on the Xbox, and the segmented analog orbit that ‘Cube controllers sport make for straighter shots more often. The announcing is still hilarious, and the ball physics are decent. The camera, however, sucks the big one from time to time, and the replay feature is basically useless. Plus, there are only three courses...what's the deal with that? | liked the unlockable stuff though, and the multiplayer modes are a lot of fun. Give it a whirl if you’re a dimple-hitt KRISTIAN THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP THE RACF IS GOOD WEATHER 2084 Experience the thrills, spills and sub-arctic chills of authentic snowmobile action. Careen along snow-packed trails in blinding blizzards. Bust big, frosty air with over 30 different tricks. And pray for endless winter storm fronts. It’s Whiteout. And it's got racing down cold. TEEN | PG Fl ^ E PlayStation.e cD PET d ROM "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox Wc are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. KONAMI® is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 2002 KONAMI CORPORATION. All rights reserved. KONAMI ® “Every level explodes with the sights and sounds of war.” You can outfit your mech with a variety of weapons Terrain can make for difficult combat It's like a carry all...for mechs! 132 GAME INFORMER LOVK VIEW SHELL SHOCK! t's been a long time since a game has made my heart | race quite like Steel Battalion. Sure, you could joke that the price point alone of 200 dollars is enough to get any gamers heart racing (and wallet crying), but the fact of the matter is that Steel Battalion without its monster joystick just wouldn't be the same game. The gargantuan control array features 38 buttons, 2 joysticks, a throttle, a communication dial, a joypad on the left stick for upper torso movement, plus three foot pedals. As you would imagine with all these gadgets, even firing up your mech is a treat. The start-up sequence has you flipping toggles to bring systems online, and ultimately hitting the start button when all systems are go. From there, you just put it in gear and use the foot pedals to give it some gas. Movement is fairly simple: The throttle combined with the accelerator and brake pedals moves your mech forwards or backwards, with the left joystick controlling lateral movement. On top of the left stick is also a joypad that moves the upper torso around so you can move in one direction and fire in another. To make this patyour-head-while-rubbing-your-belly movement scheme easier to use, the bottom monitor on your Heads Up Display (HUD) gives you a forward view at all times. Battle is also fairly easy once you get the hang of it. The right joypad controls targeting, with a trigger button to fire your sub weapons, and a main weapon and lock-on button at your thumb position. The center panel houses the controls to Switch weapons as well as wash your view screen, extinguish fires, and fire chaff. Those are pretty much the basic STEEL BATTALION controls, but there are advanced buttons as well as techniques. For example, you can use your comm channels to call for supplies or reinforcements. Or, if you find yourself looking down the path of a bullet, you can use the left stick combined with the strafe pedal to evade left or right. Obviously, the controller is quite a feat of engineering, but the game is awe-inspiring as well. Every level explodes with the sights and sounds of war. The detail in the environments is just amazing with trees and landscape obstacles, as well as all the tools of war unleashing a fireworks show of death and destruction that had me fearing for my well-being. Those feelings are real too, since if your mech gets destroyed in battle without you pressing the eject button (complete with flip cover) it's game over, man. Don't be surprised if you have to repeat levels often, but it really makes the game what it is – the ultimate mech war simulator. If you have the means, | highly advise the experience. Steel Battalion is a one-of-a-kind game that will thrill you like no other. Plus, if Capcom manages to sell enough of these babies here in the States, we can expect to see a sequel with full Xbox Live capabilities and that, my friends, will be utter bliss. – ANDY Bi STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER CAPCOM Ш DEVELOPER CAPCOM Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 15 - The level of detail in the explosions is fantastic m Concept: Use a big complex controller to make for the most intense mech simulator of all time m Graphics: A lot of the screen is covered by your HUD, but the realism is still there W Sound: Every sound effect in this game is so perfect it literally puts you in the cockpit W Playability: It's complex, but once you get the control down you will never understand how you lived without it п Entertainment: Simulated mech combat doesn't sound like the coolest thing ever, but it is W Replay Value: High SECOND OPINION Is this game worth the money? If you're a mech fan, then the answer is absolutely. Looking past the controller, this title has gameplay depth. Managing your secondary weapons, ammo, and even weight distribution (you can actually tip over) makes each mech different. At first | didn't like the game's blurriness, but it's all part of the gritty war experience that will have you In awe once your cannons lay their first enemy flat on its butt, or you see the moming mist roll through the battlefield, Also, you can complain about the lack of game saves, but that's all part of Battallon's realism. If you can't afford spare mechs, then you're just another corpse - too bad, time to start all over. This title is no gimmick, It’s still a mech game, but one that'll give you an experience like то other. If you're not a fan of the genre, bite the bullet and pay for it IF you can. KATO — 8.75 UI === SERIOUS S enough time to either shake that turd out of your shorts or to start firing - but not both” Enemies beset you on all sides - even out of thin air U* e SP ДЕР +: lat burrito's been in microwave a little too long" ^H thi Oversized enemies still have a way of creeping up on you | хвох Jj A-GORE-APHOBICS ANONYMOUS pursuit of dismembering aliens in the goriest possible manner, there is surprisingly a lot going on with Serious Sam. For starters, Xbox owners should feel very fortunate that it encompasses both PC editions of Serious Sam – giving you multiplayer. Not only that, but extra work has been done to spruce up textures and character models. Serious Sam is not a relentless shoot ‘em up. While it will pour legions of enemies on the screen at one time (leaving you just enough time to either shake that turd out of your shorts or to start firing – but not both), it paces such intense sequences perfectly. For example, you'll come across an open area. While your first inclination is to rush forward and grab those much-needed shotgun shells or health packs, don’t be fooled. This game likes to lure you out into the open or lull you to sleep with a few easy kills before it ambushes you to death (and gives you agoraphobics out there a heart attack). Sometimes it will downright scare you with enemies that spawn in your face or right behind you. This latter fact is one that | feel is a mark against the game. It can produce some cheap hits that you can’t avoid. Plus, it negates one of Sam's finer points – sound. One of your defenses (besides a powerful, bullet-studded offense) is detecting noises from enemies. You can hear almost every foe (those right behind you strike before you Е: а game that, at its core, champions the no-nonsense can react — which is the rub outlined above) before you see it. This produces almost Aliens-like freak-outs, where you feverishly whirl around, trying to get a bead on your target. Another helping hand comes from the fact that despite the hairy situations you'll have to blast your way out of, Serious Sam does an excellent job in giving you ammo, armor, and health. It seemed that whenever | was just about to kick the bucket, | knew that if | persevered a little further, I'd get my reward. This tactic kept me pushing on, despite some incredible odds. Finally, the game’s button mapping and gameplay ease make it easy to cozy up to. Frequent weapon scrolling is demanded and mastering the multi-kill is a must. Non-keyboard and mouse first-person shooters like this have to rely on a generous hit detection, but that’s fine. The game can move at a blurring speed. In one spectacular situation, | was attacked by a multitude of spiders. My only way out was to lay on the trigger and literally spin in circles until every one of the eight-legged freaks was dust. This kind of frantic pace is normal, and at that moment gave Serious Sam more of an old-school shooter feel. You've heard Xbox owners talk your ear off about Halo, but Serious Sam represents the console and the genre well by packing a tremendous punch and some heavy heat. – KATO W STYLE | TO 16-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER GOTHAM GAMES Ш DEVELOPER CROTEAM Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 “My work here is done’ REVIEWS у ё dh Ф que — 14 THE BOTTOM LINE MATURE m Concept: Serious Sam is an orgy of mayhem made better by the importance it places on level design, sound, and other fundamentals m Graphics: This Xbox edition features better models and permits more enemies onscreen и Sound: Sam revolves around detecting foes’ noises. | never want to hear horse’s hooves again m Playability: You'll be asked to weapon change frequently, and you won't be let down п Entertainment: The green glow of your Xbox goes very well with splatterings of green entrails п Replay Value: High SECOND OPINION Г can't believe how much this game still rocks! Absolutely, every section of this Serious Sam presents non-stop violent action. Players will get a host of different weapons to destroy a huge variety of monsters. At times, nearly 100 enemies crowd the screen - all hoping to tear a chunk out of our hero, GAMEINFORMER 133 жж » I ALONE HAVE THE FIFTH FREEDOM. THE RIGHT TO SPY, STEAL, DESTROY AND ASSASSINATE, TO ENSURE THAT AMERICAN FREEDOMS ARE PROTECTED. IF CAPTURED, MY GOVERNMENT WILL DISAVOW ANY KNOWLEDGE OF MY EXISTENCE. I AM SAM FISHER. I AM A SPLINTER CELL. Cx STENT i T A D У WTD Л BAC Н n то KR EOD ЕРТЕ You make the rules in the high stakes game oi covert espionage. Work alone, outside the boundaries ої the law, to thwart cyberterrorist attacks With thermal goggles, fiber optic camer against the United States. S, prototype guns and other dirty tricks, you redeiine justice and punishment. Rappel, split jump, glide along ziplines, iorce iniormation trom your enemies, even use them as human shields. and remember - a dead witness is not really a witness. a Blood and Gore Ubi Soft. CD X www UBT Tom ROM چ‎ Violence \ x1 X Tom Clancy's SPLINTER r iw.splinterocell.com REVIEWS „ће damage modeling in this game is second to Charging a PPC 4. — This direct hit is one of many = Bigger machines mean heavier weaponry “~ Gauss rifle time, МОРО! 136 GAME INFORMER MECHA BLOWING AWAY. Ё H 've been following p many, many months 1 now, and it's looked good from the first time | saw it. Thankfully, the actual item does not disappoint in the least. | was afraid that this title would be all explosions, and no substance - | wasn't totally wrong with that assumption, but 1 was less wrong than | thought | would be...Does that make any sense? Xbox owners are in for a treat with MechAssault, there's no denying that. The real question will be whether a mainstream gaming audience will get onboard with a mech- based action title. | think it has an excellent chance. First and foremost, the damage modeling in this game is second to none. When you're in a huge city filled with skyscrapers, not only can you send said buildings tumbling to the ground in a deluge of debris and dust, but as you're firing at this thing to bring it down, your shots will produce shattering &lass, hanging insulation, and all manner of collateral damage to individual places on the structure. That means you see the effect of each and every round you fire. Not too shabby. On a similar note, the explosion technology is terrific, especially when enemy mechs succumb to your onslaught and their nuclear reactors go critical. Additionally, small ground craft are not only destructible, they're also puntable. If you have a head of steam going, and you run into a truck, you'll punt it the W STYLE | TO 8-PLAYER ACTIOI t "1 say shoot, you say boom - SHOOT!" PUBLISHER MICROSOFT Ш DEVELOPER DAY 1 T Г "S (в f lly, enemy ground units such as le. vehicles aren't puntable. Why? | don't get that. You should be able to crush those things like ants with your towering mountain of armor, but instead you just run into them like you were hitting a boundary in the environment. Speaking of the environment, | love the scale conveyed throughout the game. It really feels like | am a 20foot tall killing machine walking around various planet-side locations during my missions, and the missions themselves don't hinder the experience on the other hand, they don't really add to it either. | guess there's only so much you can do to spice up a “go here and blast everything" kind of game, but what there is isn't bad. The Al logic is terribly bad on occasion, but it normally works in your favor. In one instance, an enemy Puma tried to get at me by walking through a concrete barrier. Since he was unable to do that, | perched myself on the ledge above him, and teed off with salvo after salvo of point-blank PPC fire until he gave up the ghost. Of course multiplayer action is where the real challenge lies if you're looking for hot mech-on-mech action, so you know you've got more game to explore if you sail through the single-player experience. Definitely a good addition to your holiday wish list. - KRISTIAN DIOS I RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 ч Some structures offer а better destruction display than others m Concept: А mech game without all of the pesky simulation aspects, and plenty of explosions W Graphics: Excellent destruction effects, great particle effects, and intricately modeled units и Sound: Explosion noises are interesting, but the music is terrible W Playability: The controls are basic enough that most of you will be able to hit the ground running п Entertainment: Mech fans and newcomers alike will get into this one W Replay Value: Moderately High SECOND OPINION Without the ability to customize payloads, toggle the most minis- cule of system functions, or any of the high-tech tweaking from the PC version, this Is basically MechWarrior for dummies. This. Isn't a bad thing, however. While. it lacks the bells and whistles that you've come to expect, developer Day One Studios did a phenomenal job creating a dif- ferent kind of gameplay package that is just as savvy, but faster, sleeker, and more explosive than ever before. The level of destruc- tion that unfolds onscreen Is in a league of its own. When rockets hit a building, you'll see windows shattering, water pipes bursting, and debris sailing through the air. It’s quite the show. The storytelling could use a little work, and more variety within the missions would be nice, but the gameplay Is right on the money and its multiplayer options are quite extravagant as well. STAR WARS: JEDI OUTCAST WHO SAYS THERE'S NO MATCH FOR A GOOD BLASTER? | f you ever run into а jaded Star Wars fan, chances are they are that way simply because they care. They think that the series has been going downhill since Return of the Jedi, and want something to rescue it from the mire of George Lucas’ flawed genius. While Jedi Outcast can't erase the damage done by Jar Jar Binks, it can fill your mind with some of the sweetest combat you've ever had the pleasure of playing. Firstperson shooters are usually simply just that, but Outcast throws in third-person ligt saber duels and barely skips a beat. Best of all, it makes both indispensable. In later levels | found great joy in quickly switching from sniping in the first-person to lightsaber-throwing devastation. Some have criticized the game’s pace, but | found the beginning puzzles only made using the Force later that much more sweet. It also highlighted the game's remarkable recreation of Star Wars' unique style in the level design. The third-person perspective not only offered some fantastic battles, but it enabled intuitive, Zendike Jedi duels despite occasional blind spots. Throw in Force powers (without the Dark Side consequences) like Lightning and Grip, and you'll soon be making Luke Skywalker look like some talentless stiff from the sticks. – KATO Now you can Force Push wi A slight weapons malfunction ends an otherwise boring The lightsaber controls are fluid and intuitive 8 conversation W STYLE | ТО 4PLAYER ACTION/, PUBLISHER LUCASARTS Ш DEVELOPER VICARIOUS VISIONS/RAVEN SOFTWARE Iii RELEASE NOVEMBER 19 THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN m Concept: Deliver the most complete Star Wars experience to date m Graphics: Cutscenes could use some work, and there are occasional hiccups to hamper smoothness W Sound: Do not underestimate the value of blaster kick or bits of garbled Probe Droid speak и Playability: The third-person lightsaber controls are almost flawless m Entertainment: The best Star Wars game yet, and it doesn’t even use the movies. The Xbox is without online multiplayer, however п Replay Value: Moderately High SECOND OPINION With darkly seductive gameplay and a powerful visual presenta- tion, Jedi Outcast quickly makes every Star Wars game before it obsolete. As you'll soon realize, this is the first game truly to capture the essence of the Jedi art. With the utmost of precision, you'll tap into the Force to catapult yourself 30 feet Into the air, mentally disarm Stormtroopers, and propel elec- trical blasts from your fingertips. These actions, and the entire gameplay package for that matter, are flawlessly executed, well balanced, and as smooth as can be. The visual presentation is equally as impressive with effects that mimic the films and towering level designs. It would have been nice to see the highly addictive online presence from the PC version running on Xbox Live, but while not nearly аз magnificent, the four-player deathmatch still manages to deliver a fair share of thrills. IKUE RAI pice iUm po s sb XBOX ane XM amu Ke ома па! ке Mand Stand REVIEWS Kick lip « Reemo TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 4 VIRTUAL CRACK NUMBER 2 ony Hawk 4 is addicting as hell. Seriously, | could hardly put the controller to rest so that | could write this review. If you've played the series at all, you know what to expect. You'll progress through 10 levels, unlock a few secrets, and complete various challenges. Some of the new chal lenges, like COMBO, force players to learn trick lines, which | like. However, there are an equal number, such as Ollie the Bum, that just annoy and simply seem like filler. Fortunately, after completing each level once (a ten-hour ordeal), you'll unlock the Pro. Challenges, where veteran players can finally test their virtual skating skills. The levels remain similar to past incarnations, but are significantly larger. Furthermore, Neversoft removed the time limit, which is both good and bad. On one hand, it's convenient to remain in the level and complete challenges at your own pace, giving you time to find new trick lines. However, in this mode, everything is set up їп а linear fashion, so there's hardly anything hidden to discover. Plus, your score eventually resets, which kind of negates the purpose. Although THPS 4 is less evolved compared to its prede- cessors, casual and hardcore fans alike will certainly dig Tony's fourth adventure, -CHET THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN g ш Concept: The same as before; just add bigger levels, a Spine Transfer, and some new challenges m Graphics: The graphics are a step up from previous games, especially in terms of animation и Sound: The sound effects are great, and there are more music tracks than any other title in the series m Playability: The control is precise and tight, although the Xbox d-pad is a little stiff и Entertainment: | enjoyed playing the regular game and the multiplayer Stuff, despite some disappointments and по online play [ Replay Value: Moderately High SECOND OPINION This is the first game in the Tony Hawk series that doesn't completely blow its predecessor away. The enormous levels are amazing, but the mission structure doesn't lend the game the sense of urgency that previous Pro Skaters had. Also, as gameplay innovations go, the Spine Transfer is no Revert. It's a testament to how great this series is that I’m slightly disap- pointed by a game that earns every bit of this high score. MAIT - 9.25 E DEVELOPER NEVERSOFT I RELEASE OCTOBER 23 GAMEINFORMER 137 lip NOS Monat О. © 164 0,0) ae ју zi GET SERIOUS. Monsters spawned from another dimension are trying to make the Milky Way galaxy their personal trashcan. As attempts to defend the solar system fail, the fate of the Earth (that's US people!) and even the universe rests with one man. YOU are Sam 'Serious' Stone, a legend in our time. Sam is our only hope against these mischievous miscreants and their evil leader, the one we call 'MENTAL'. The only way to get Mental and save us all, is to use an ancient artifact called the 'Time Lock’, to teleport back in time. Don't ask us how or why this is happening. All we can tell you is, this is serious... "Serious Sam... is only about one thing: insane action, which many of us simply describe as f@#$ing nuts!" - Game Informer Magazine Bow 455050 Serious Sam, the Serious Sam logo, Croteam and the Croteam logo are trademarks of Croteam, Ltd. Gotham Games and the Gotham Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive, Inc. All trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2002 Take-Two Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. А-у ә - REVIEWS XBOX DR. MUTO IT'S MUTORIFIC idway hasn't had much success in the action/platform genre in the past, so | didn't have high expectations for Dr. Muto. | couldn't be happier about being wrong. Far from the usual 3D-platforming fare, Muto is based more on action than exploration, and is the better for it. You do have to collect the usual trinkets, but nearly everything you acquire. is used to clone new mutant forms for your character, or outfit him with a new weapon or gadget. This means that you'll actually want to discover everything the game has to. offer. uto isn't perfect by any means, and suffers from the usual camera problems and graphical hitches that plague most second-tier platformers. Also, the control is annoying, particularly when you're swing ing from bars. Thankfully, the game's shape-shifting shtick lifts it above the average, by allowing the good doctor to transform himself into a spider, gorilla, and several other types of crea- " tures. It's a unique M concept done very » well. Dr. Muto is good = fun, and certainly a СА welcome addition to the Xbox's slim portfolio of platformers. а ~ MATT К, 111% M STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM I PUBLISHER MIDWAY THE BOTTOM LINE TEEN g m Concept: Save the universe as a shape-shifting mad scientist m Graphics: Nothing special, to be sure, but the transformation effects are pretty cool W Sound: Techno tunes interspersed with the usual platforming chatter m Playability: It's not extremely deep, but some levels do some tricky form-changing W Entertainment: A surprising à company that's on a roll m Replay Value: Moderate | SECOND OPINION | The wacky scientist bit went old about a decade ago, but Dr. Muto is surprisingly solid as an | action/platformer. While not as gorgeous or inventive as Blinx, | | really feel this is the premiere action/platformer for the Xbox | this year. It certainly took me a while to get over the character, and he still bugged me even as 1 | got deeper in the game, but there | certainly is a lot of entertainment here. The morphs and gadgets keep it interesting, even though | Dr. Muto himself is not. | ANDY - 7.75 W DEVELOPER MIDWAY @ RELEASE NOVEMBER 12 140 GAME INFORMER : XE | , HITTIN’ IT n the realm of action/strategy titles out there nowadays, there are definite frontrunners. Metal Gear Solid 2 and Splinter Cell come to mind for many people, but Eidos is looking to change all of that. Hitman 2 offers an intense experience in varied environments that are filled to the brim with beautiful spectacles, and a churning undercurrent of ambient life. Because of this depth, and the gameplay structure, Silent Assassin is able to serve up a think- ing person's shooter – but that could be either good or bad depending on how you like to play your gun-wielding executioner characters. This game is basically one huge lesson in trial and error. You're given a limited number of saves to implement at any time in a level, which is nice, but | would be shocked if you didn’t load those saves 10 to 20 times throughout the area. The enemy Al is very astute when it comes to sniffing out your stealthy activities, and once you blunder into a bad situation, your cover is either blown or you're engaging in a close-quarters firefight with severely lopsided odds. | loved the multiple-solution facet of the game, but | wish there was less of a need to load and reload your saves during every single mission. In any event, Hitman 2 is a solid buy, and worth holding on to if you find it under the Preowned Playstation and controller = пил | including controller *| “ and Madden 2001 Game with FREE 3 Controllers * Multi-Tap Offers good online or call-in only. Not valid in stores. May not be combined with any other offers. Offers end December 31st, 2002 or while supplies last. GameStop.com reserves the right to limit quantities or orders. No substitutions. $1 shipping is 3-Day Standard Ground. Shipping offers good within continental United States only, excluding PO Box or APO/FPO addresses Not responsible for misprints or typos.. Exclusive Offers For ФС GAMEINFGRIER Readers Order by Phone (8am - 9pm CST) - : 7 Days a Week Order online at: 1-800-865-3310 ‘OR www.gamaintarmer.com Metroid Bundle \ Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion | “2 with FREES = for GC and GBA Soundtrack (7) ith It Guide, ^W Price: Only $49.99! Shipping: Only $1 Link Cable | and FREE i E T-SHIRT Jur Price: Only $97.96! Shipping: Only$1 Price: Only $49.99! mE Only $1 $1 GROUND SHIPPING ON Preowned Guarantee ALL GAMEINFORMER ORDERS Played, tested, and approved by gamers. Satisfaction guaranteed. s 10 Preowned SNES and Controller* 2 X-Men Game with === FREE Mario Katt * Controllers may vary by manufacturer and design Price: Only $49.99! Shipping: Only $1 Price: Only $49.99! Shipping: Only 51 Offers good online or call-in only. Not valid in stores. May not be combined with any other offers. Offers end December 31st, 2002 or while supplies last. GameStop.com reserves the right to limit quantities or orders. No substitutions. Credit card orders only. We do not accept cash, checks or money orders. $1 shipping is 3-Day Standard Ground Shipping offers good within continental United States only, excluding PO Box or APO/FPO addresses. Not responsible for misprints or typos Exclusive Offers For аше GAMEINFORMER Readers Order by Phone (8am - 9pm CST) 7 Days a Week Order online at: ) Dark Age of Camelot tor pc «7 11е Sims Online Charter and Expansion Pack «аб with 90 Days ' —— with FREE Gameplay FREE Strategy Guide and Atlas by mail ) Preowned Xbox and Controller* with 2nd Controller. and FREE Dead or Alive 3 Offers good online or call-in only. Not valid in stores. May not be combined with any other offers. Offers end December 31st, 2002 or while supplies last. GameStop.com reserves the right to limit quantities or orders. No substitutions $1 shipping is 3-Day Standard Ground Shipping offers good within continental United States only, excluding PO Box or APO/FPO addresses. Not responsible for misprints or tyoos | ry Y | | | | Order by Phone (Ват - 9pm CST) 7 Days a Week юли Dreamcast and Controller =| with FREE Sonic Adventure 9" апа VMU FREE Dead or Alive With) FREE 2nd Controller. p ЈЕ World Series Baseball 05 GENESIS Price: On Offers good о ле or call-in only 5 . May not be combined with any other offers. Offers end December 31st, 2002 meStop.com reserves the right to limit quantities or orders. No substitutions $1 shipping is 3-Day Standard Ground Shipping offers good within continental United States only, excluding PO Box or APO/FPO addresses. Not responsible for misprints or typos In association with the NPD TRSTS Video Games Service, Charts presents an in-depth listing of the best- selling software on a month-to-month basis. Are the games you spend your hard-earned dollars on top sellers? Take a look below to find out. We’ve also compiled a listing of the top-selling Japanese software, and, of course, we included a Top 10 list of the games the Gl staff is currently enjoying. NPD TOP 20 : LMO GAME SYSTEM SCORE RELEASE PRICE DATE POINT 1 Madden NFL 2003 PS2 9.5 Aug-02 $49 Madden continues to sell well for EA Sports, and we couldn't be happier for them. Unfortunately, the Vikings continuing woes have resulted in a ban on football talk at GI, so Ў we can't say anything more about this game. So...ah...how have you been? Good. [cough] Oh, about the same...yeah. No, we haven't talked to him for awhile...Yes, the weather has been nice. Fall is so pretty...yeah, well...um...we should probably be going. Take it easy. 2 N/A Kingdom Hearts PS2 9.5 Sep02 $50 == When Square and Disney decided to transform like Voltron and form a monolithic part- nership, we knew that video game gold was sure to follow. It appears we were right. Kingdom Hearts has made mad bank in Japan, and this strong number two debut sug- gests that it will have a bright future on this side of the Pacific as well, especially when || it begins to show ир in the stockings of gamers this holiday season. |_3 2 Super Mario Sunshine GC 9.75 Aug-02 $50 Being that PlayStation 2s outnumber GameCubes by a million or ten, Super Mario Sunshine has been selling extremely well. Still, not being able to hit the number one = spot with his big comeback vehicle must be a bit of a blow to the ego of the Italian Stallion. Cheer up, Mario! We still love you! In fact, to show you how much we care, the Game Informer staff got together and knitted you a scarf. Hope you like pink! 4 3 SOCOM: US Navy SEALs PSA 49:5 Aug-02 $60 Proving that people are raring to get online with their PS2s, SOCOM stayed in the top five = this month. Unfortunately, all of the PlayStation 2 Network Adaptors sold out in a matter of hours, so we don’t expect that this one will stay on the charts for long, although this cer- tainly must be an encouraging sign for Sony. 5 N/A Tekken 4 PS2 9 Зер-02 $50 Okay, write five Tekken puns in 30 seconds. GO! Hey ladies, don't start Tekken your clothes off all at once! (One!) Our favorite Doobie Brothers song is "Tekken It To the Streets." (Two!) We're not Tekken this anymore! (Three!) Game Informer: We're Tekken video game journal- ism to the extreme! (Four!) Justin was quite Tekken with Rosie O'Donnell, but she didn't seem interested in him. (Five!) Yay! We win!!! JAPAN TOP 10 POS. L. MO GAME SYSTEM 1 N/A StarFox Adventures GC 2 N/A Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island GBA 3 N/A Tennis Princes PSX 4 N/A Energy Force PS2 551 Dynasty Warriors 2: Adventures PS2 6 N/A Culdcept Il PS2 7 N/A Yamasa DigiWorld SP PS2 8 N/A .hack Vol. 2 PS2 9 N/A Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes PS2 10 МА Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien DC POS. L. MO GAME SYSTEM 1 N/A Grand Theft Auto: Vice City PS2 2 2 Animal Crossing GC 3 N/A Steel Battalion Xbox 4 N/A Suikoden Ill PS2 5 N/A Unreal Toumament 2003 PC 6 N/A Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 PS2 7 N/A The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers PS2 8 N/A Rygar: The Legendary Adventure PS2 9 М/А Red Faction Il PS2 ~ о о Kingdom Hearts PS2 6 N/A Star Fox Adventures GC 8.75 Sep-02 $50 7 7 Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories GBC 5.5 Mar-02 $29 POS. |.МО GAME MONTH PRICE 8 N/A Animal Crossing GC 95 Sep02 $50 £ МА TheSims:Unleashed _________ SepO2 $29 9 6 Grand Theft Auto Ill PS2 95 Oct01 $50 SE: N/A iüealitonmament 2008 Jun 02 157 10 _ 16 YuGkOh! Forbidden Memories PSX 55 Mar02 $30 2_4 Battlefield 1942 маго2 sat 4 N/A The Sims Deluxe May02 $42 11 12 Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny PS2 8.75 AugO2 $50 5 2 WarCraft Ш: Reign Of Chaos Feb00 $50 12 4 NCAA Football 2003 PS2 N/A Jul-02 $50 6 1 The Sims: Vacation Jan-02 $28 13 N/A Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 PS2 9.75 Oct-01 $18 7 10 Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault Jun-02 $46 14 N/A Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island GBA 8.75 SepO2 $28 : 1 - Ме ell ar anez E ims: аг- 15 9 Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec PS2 9 Jul-01 $20 1б = E == TT Мауо2 $42 16 8 Dead to Rights Xbox 9.25 Aug-02 $50 = 17 11 Super Mario Advance 2 GBA 9.5 Feb-02 $29 18 19 МВА Street PS2 9.25 Jun-01 $20 19 10 Medal of Honor: Frontline PS2 9 May-02 $49 20 15 Street Hoops BSA: 5:5 Aug-02 $51 Source: NPD Interactive Entertainment Service • Kristin Barnett Von-Korff (516) 625-2481 GAMEINFORMER 157 REVIEWS ARCHIVE DECEMBER 2002 Twisted Metal: Small Brawl 3 dan-02 Barbarian 725 Nov-02 Triple Play 2002 4 Apr02 Desert Strike Advance 75 02 THE MARK OF KRI МІР, 1 Jan-02 Batman: Vengeance 7 Feb-02 Turok: Evolution HE MM Mp Blade Il 6 Мо Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 65 Nov-02 imestone Pirates тч E FORMAT PLAYSTATION 2 Ш STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION | САМЕСИВЕ — — Bi Time Sweeper 175 Nor UFC Tapout ” 825 Mar02 Disney's Lilo & Stitch 8 Aug-02 E PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA A Blood Omen 2 825 Mayoz Мод Series Baseball 8 М Dokapon: Monster Hunter — 7 — Feb42 REVIEWED AUG-02 ‘American Pro Trucker 6 Apr02 Blood Wake 5 Feb-02 Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions 7 Арг-02 ти ааш 75 муш оо ссии Зе 1 e Mm о шшш without their charms. If there'S All-Star Baseball 2002 575 Ређо Buffy the Vampire Slayer 9 002 piene Aure 15 = ness All-Star Baseball 2003 9 Ар-02 Burnout. 775 Jun-02 А ۾‎ a weak A to The Mark 0 f Kri, Animal Crossing 95 Oct-02 Chase: Hollywood Stunt Driver H Oct-02 Ae Wearde Thone 85 Aug-02 инн t р б it’s that your freedom isn’t fully gaiman: Vengeance 675 еро Circus Maximus АН? jens Versus Predalr 2 925 Јам Foots The ионы 55 nie extended. How about Beach Spikers 5 Sep-02 Commandos 2: Aliens Versus Predator 2: Golden Sı 85 Jano? Men of Courage 6 Now? 8 T olden Sun 5 Jand Я Big Air Freestyle 6 Nov-02 л Primal Hunt Oc? е sidequests? | know the Bloody Roar: Primal Fury в apog Сопіс: Desert Storm 6 — Nov02 Austeritz: CA Gee Абаке Edition 8 Aug-02 ) 5 Crash Bandicoot: Napol Mey 725 Sepo ligh Heat Major developers wanted to focus on Semmeüeeser 8 ш RARR as ae penecavon 7 pen шышы та дна melee combat, which they've Cel Damage 5 Maro Су Tan 3: High Roler 85 АДЕ Ваа White: Creature Isle 66 ми jin ade К Mam mastered, but | sometimes Gwen Wes Mino уш ова > BÆ Seo GRE mapa 215 Made Moran Adventures 75 Novd2 razy Taxi 5 Ја и : wanted to feel that there was a world outside of the path set 7 75 Noo Оуану Мато 7.25 OUO Comanche 4 65 М abbaia 175 улс before me. The Mark of Кїї is a visceral celebration of action Bak Simi uns id Maya вес то 25 Ani coun Conquer: ыз дно Меда Man Zero 825 Aug-02 1 " Ө јаме Mirra Freestyle z el k di and all that is good about hacking the bejesus out of someone Danai Duck: Goin Quacters 7 Junge ESPN атан, з argo CE ebd 9 Mage Lin: Р à i Egg Mani 778 Nov-02 ark Age of Camelot н Я in style. | suggest you get this game and og Mania ime 2002 11. Og ESPNNFL PrimeTime 2002 6 MarO2 раң Planet: Balle for Милов 25 May-02 Momm Destruction 6 Ар? enjoy it. But whatever you do, don't surround Й Etema Darkness: Е ESPN Winter XGames дод Оена Nakatomi Plaza 8 Му кысым. Tea. eae the man with the axe in his hand. – KATO E na $6 Aow piar * 77 Feo 00700015008 925 Jun oral Kombat Advance 575 Ми? uw ee ЖЕ 25 РР? Germa Onimusha Ет А a umop Motocross Maniacs Advance 825 Apr? PLAYSTATION 2 NASCAR Thunder 2003 эз оар FAS аб, 8902 бшмш 6 ОМ? | слао MotoGP 5 Jun-02 Aggressive Inline 925 мн МВА2К2 am Меш Ee Gun Valkyrie 525 Май? Rise ofthe Middle Kingdom 925 Sep-02 NASCAR Heat 2002 75. an AirBlade 8 Май; NBAZKG из мыр Destroy All Monsters Melee 8 о Моро; Нове of the Dead Ill, The 65 №02 EmpireEarh 625 Jange МВАЈәт 2002 125 May-02 All-Star Baseball 2003 9 Арда МВАШме 2003 875 №02 qu nfi Dark Legacy 725 May-02 Hunter: The Reckoning 8 — JuM EverQuest: Shadows Of Lucin 925 — Feb-02 eler Pan: : ARR Cora $ в 5с NBA Shootout 2003 675 Nov-02 James Bond 007 In. Return To Never Land з May.02 b Home Run King 5 May02 Freedom Force 8/5 ман à Amy Men: RTS 6 Mayoz МСАА Маг Madness 202 475 Маса Home Run Kg Agent Under Fire 925 Мад сто кыр Phalanx 5 Jand2 Blade II 6 Nov-02 5 Knockout Kings 2003 75 Nov-02 ly i ч Bn Tg ЖЫ па Twa ан i we HEROES: OF MIGHT AND Blood Omen 2 в Mayo? бн Lost Kingdoms 8 йд Legends of Wesling 7 м2 МАСІС IV Britney's Dance Beat 735 и _ МЕ. 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Monsters, Inc. & А TE eval nese am 2 most playable portable fighter around. Overall, GGX НИ GAME BOY COLOR Meis oii e Dance Dance в uo Offers the deepest combat system among the competition, стз Bandicoot н Mega Nan veme 2 7 Маш lution Ke D 8. 0; " p " те .5 02 i il 7: 4 Mx Superly LE отат взт 728 кеш; Making it the best fighting game on GBA for two players. But, стене тепе 62 О ИВ e S MOD Namen Mason 8 Fo Mod i т A dueto the shoa AS Ony атаа 0076 Bes pe Freestyle BMX 2 2 о aon poral Stories E a NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona 875 Nov-02 да single player experience. – CHET ave Mira уведу У ‚з , ч 158 GAME INFORMER NEW RELEASES ди DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CALL YOUR LOCAL RETAILER FOR MORE DETAILS Release Date Title PLAYSTATION 2 shack . Barbie: Treasures in Time Batman: Dark Tomorrow Battle Engine Aquila. 2/11/03... . . Cabela's Big Game Hunter. . . Cabela's ОН Road Adventure Choplifter: Search and Rescue. <- Dark Cloud 2 + Xicat Interactive. + Sony . Dead to Rights . ‚ Namco Devil May Cry 2 . Capcom . Disaster Report . Tommo 12/11/02. . Dragon Ball Z: Budokai . Infogrames 12/31/02. . Dragon's Lair 3D . . . Encore Software E FORMAT PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX, GAMECUBE, PC Ш STYLE 1 TO 4- PLAYER ACTION (CONSOLE), 1 TO 32-PLAYER ACTION (PC) E PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS Ш RELEASE NOVEMBER 18 Electronic Arts is once again tapping their precious James Bond license to bring you some of the most exciting OO-action you've seen yet. Mr. Shaken- not-stirred will finally graduate from innuendo to in-yo-end-o with a certain sultry secretary. Yahoo! Okay, we're kidding, but now that we've brought your highest hopes crashing to the ground, we're going to build them right back up again. James will be battling to save the world from the nefarious criminal mastermind Rafael Drake. Of course, Bond wouldn't be Bond without crazy weaponry, high-tech Qlab gadgets, and sexy ladies. 11/18/02. . Drome Racers .. . ee . . Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes . Elder Scrolls Adventures .. Everblue 2........ EverQuest Online Adventures Evolution Snowboarding. . . . Fear Effect 3 .. Fighter Maker . . Fisherman's Chal .. Freaky Flyers .. Frogger Beyond, . . Getaway, The .‚. Electronic Arts Infogrames Bethesda Softworks Capcom Sony Konami Eidos Interactive. Tommo Konami Midway Konami Sony ... Gladius ... Lucas Arts .. Haven: Call of the King . Midway .. . Island Xtreme Stunts. Electronic Arts. .. . James Bond 007: NightFire Electronic Arts .. . James Cameron's Dark Angel. Vivendi Universal. . Jeopardy JoJo's Bizarre Adventure . . Jungle Book: Rhythm n' Groove Legends of Wrestling II . Lost, The. Malice. . Vivendi Universal 11/25/02. . March Madness 2003 Electronic Arts Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Capcom 11/89/02... .... Micromachines. . . Mission Impossible 2 „. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance . 1. My Street .. Sony . . Mystic Heroes . Koei . . NCAA College Basketball 2K3. Sega Nickelodeon Party Blast. Infogrames Powerpuff Girls: Relish Ri Bam Entertainment Pride FC THQ Primal Sony 12/10/02. . Pro Race Infogrames 2/11/03. . . Return to Castle Activision 1/28/03. . . Risk .. Infogrames 11/19/02. . Rocky . Ubi Soft 11/19/02. . Shrek: Super Party TDK Mediactive 1/14/03. . . Sims, The . . Electronic Arts 12/16/02. . Smash Cars. . . Metro3D 11/20/02. . Sponge Bob Square Pants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman -THQ 12/3/02. . . Star Wars: The Clone Wars .. Lucas Arts 12/3/02. . . Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Ubi Soft 2/17/03. . . Toon Shade Racing . Capcom 2/11/08. .. Меку ........ Acclaim 1/14/03. . . War of the Monsters . Sony 2/3/03. . . . Wheel of Fortune . . . 1/14/03. . . World Tour Soccer 2003 Sony 11/18/02. . WWE SmackDown: Shut Your Mouth 2/47/03... Хепоѕада ................ 2/18/03. . . YuGiOh! The Duelist of the Roses . PLAYSTATION 11/25/02. . Bear In The Big Blue House * 2/18/03. . . Big Strike Bowling. 12/17/02. . Bratz GAMECUBE 11/19/02. . 11/26/02 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. . Barbie Treasures in Time. . . Batman: Dark Tomorrow . . Vivendi Universal Vivendi Universal Kemco BattleBots . . THQ Black & Bruised Majesco BMX XXX... Acclaim . . Butt Ugly Martians: Zoom & Doom . Vivendi Universal 2/18/03. . . Conflict: Desert Storm. -Take 2 Release Title Publisher/ Date Distributor 12/3/02. . . Dead to Rights. . . lamco 11/19/02. . Die Hard Vendetta. Vivendi Universal 1/14/03. . . Disney Sports Basketball Konami 12/17/02. . Disney Sports Football . Konami 12/31/02. . Dragon's Lair 3D .. . Encore Software 2/4/03. . . . Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes 2/25/03. . . Evolution Snowboarding. 11/18/02. . Evolution Worlds Fireblade . . . Lucas Arts Vivendi Universal Electronic Arts ^ Hunter: The Reckoning . "James Bond 007: NightFire Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius. Legend of Zelda, The. Legends of Wrestling | Metroid Prime . Nintendo . Micromachines.. Infogrames Mike Tyson Boxing . . Monopoly Party . . . . Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction . . . Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance . . . NCAA College Basketball 2K3. . « Nickelodeon Party Blast. Pro Race Driver . Resident Evil 2. Resident Evil 3. Risk Infogrames Infogrames Ubi Soft Midway Sega Infogrames Infogrames Capcom Capcom .. Infogrames 12/2/02. . . Sponge Bob Square Pants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman . ..THQ 11/25/02. . Star Wars Bounty Hunter. . Lucas Arts 11/19/02. . Star Wars: Jedi Outcast . Super Bust a Move II . . ‚ . Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. . . Tom Clancy's Sum of All Fears Lucas Arts Ubi Soft. Ubi Soft. Ubi Soft Acclaim Nintendo .. . Anarchy Online: The № . . Aquanox 2: Revelation. 1/31/08. . .. Castles & Catapults . ..Catzz5... + Cold Zero. .. Counter-Strike: Condition Zero . . . Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isle Expansion. . . Delta Force 2.00825. 8 2. Dragon's Lair 3D . Title Publisher/ Distributor 1914: The Great War Airport Tycoon Il... . JoWood Productions. Global Star Software Funcom JoWood Productions JoWood Productions Fishtank Interactive Infogrames Ubi Soft JoWood Productions. Vivendi Universal Vivendi Universal Electronic Arts. Archangel >. Call of Cthulu lack Hawk Down Dragon's Lair Il: Time Warp Fire Department Gothic Il ... igital Leisure aos JoWood Productions E FORMAT PC Ш STYLE MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAME Ш PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS lii RELEASE OCTOBER 21 Imagine living out a simulated existence on a distant server. A $ life complete with friends, enemies, gossip, intrigue, triumph, failure, love, hate.. starts taking on the look of SimReality if you sit down and think about it for a while. Will t (ABONE ER E NEE DS Te EE ЕСА ЗСТ АРА РСЯ certain layers forsake their normal lives in favor of a simulated one? Perhaps, but from the look of this title, it may be hard for all of us to tear ourselves away and plunge into our real lives. Whether it’s getting roommates, starting a business, getting married, divorced, or what have you – the Sims Online will cause people to rethink what a massively multiplayer game is capable of. Кетсо Infogrames Xicat Interactive Batman: Dark Tomorrow Battle Engine Aquila . . . . . Black Stone: Magic and Steel. . » BMX ХХХ. Brute Force . Crimson Sea . . David Beckham Soccer . Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball Dino Crisis 3 .... . . Dragon's Lair 3D . Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes . . Fila Tennis Champions . . . Fireblade . . . Freaky Flyers . . Frogger Beyond, Gladius... г Grand Prix 4. . Indiana Jones an lames Bond 007: Nightfire lames Cameron's Dark Ang . Jane's Attack Squadron. . Legends of Wrestling II . . Lost,The . Malice. . ‚ Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - . Mercedes Benz World Racing . . . Metal Dungeon. - Micromachines . - Mission Impossible 2 Metro3D Infogrames Capcom Midway Midway Konami Lucas Arts Infogrames. Lucas Arts Electronic Arts Vivendi Universal Capcom Acclaim Crave Vivendi Universal Capcom TDK Mediactive Capcom Infogrames Infogrames FORMAT XBOX Ш STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION Ш PUBLISHER KOEI W RELEASE WINTER Koei used its Romance of the Three Kingdoms as the basis for Kessen Il, and then Dynasty Warriors 3. Now it seems the brawler is expanding its horizons into interplanetary space. So here's the question: Will Crimson Sea merely be another ENS to use its impressive Group Control Engine or will the company really give something new to the Xbox? This year's E3 told us little, other than that Crimson Sea will — at a minimum — be stunning to behold. Koei promises the game will have RPG elements in order to build your character Sho, but as far as other similarities to the genre go, all we know is that you have a "clouded past" and an unrealized destiny. 11/18/02. . Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance . 12/26/02. . Motor Trend Lotus Challenge . 12/10/02. . NCAA College Basketball 2K3. . Panzer Dragoon Orta. . Pro Race Driver . .. . Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc. : Return to Castle Wolfenstein . 2. Midway Capcom Sega Sega Infogrames Ubi Soft Activision ES Infogrames . . Shrek: Super Party . TDK Mediactive . . Star Wars: Jedi Outcast . Lucas Arts tar Wars: Knights of Old Lucas Arts . . Steel Battalion (w/controller) . Capcom . . Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Ubi Soft . . Тот Clancy's Splinter Cell . Ubi Soft Мех... Acclaim Whiteout Konami КТИ ... Ubi Soft 12/23/02. . 12/10/02. 11/19/02. 11/19/0: . . Lego Drome Racers . . . Lego Island Extreme St 2. Medal of Honor Allied Assault: Spearhead . . . O.RB. ..Praetorians . .. . Project 1612: Covert Strike . . . Riddle of the Sphinx Il Data Becker Microsoft LucasArts Electronic Arts Vivendi Universal Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Vivendi Universal Beverly Electronic Arts Ubi Soft. Vivendi Universal Strategy First Infogrames Eidos Interactive Codemasters Ubi Soft Dreameatcher Microsoft Gathering of Developers Ubi Soft Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Activision Digital Leisure Highland Warriors . Impossible Creatures indiana Jones & the Emperor's Tomb James Bond 007: NightFire Jurassic Park: Operation бег Lords of the Realm Ill Master of Orion III. Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction NASCAR Racing 2003 Season Operation Steel Tide : Rainbow Six Raven Shield . Rise of Nations Serious Sam: Gold ‘Shadowbane Online . Soldier Of Fortune Space Ace... . Star Trek Elite Force 2 . Star Wars Galaxies Online . Test Drive . · Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell . Tomb Raider: The Angel of D: Digital Leisure Xicat Interactive GAME BOY ADVANCE TU 1/2/03. . 1/14/08. . 11/19/02. . .. Creatures 11/19/02. . 12/2/02. . 11/18/02. . 12/5/02. .. 2/11/03... 11/18/02. . 4/2/03. . . . Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance . .. Moto Racer < Mummy, The . . . Phantasy Star Collection . . Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Ti .. Sim City . ‚ Street Fighter Alpha 3 . Super Puzzle Fighter Il. . Super-Stoo-Pendus. World of Dr. Seuss, The . ‚ Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. . Ultimate Brain Games . . . . . . Wizardry: The Summoning . 11/19/02. . 2/18/03... ‚ Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms . Baldur's б: . Bratz. . Cabela's Big Game Hunter. THQ Electro Source Ubi Soft Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3 Ed, Edd & Eddy .... Gauntlet Dark Legacy Hardcore Pinball Jungle Book. Justice League of America THQ Woody Woodpecker: Crazy Castle 5 Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters . . GAMEINFORMER 159 | These must be unlocked: _ Street Clothes – Most regular save points | Overalls – In hardware stores Fancy Suit — Rafael’s near Ocean Point Hotel Golf Duds – Pro shop by the country club Casual Outfit — The Gash in North Point Mall Track suit — Laundromat by the Cubans, and at Jock Sport, south of Love Fist studio Mr. Versetti suit – Collar and Cuff west of the Ocean Point Hotel Cop Outfit – In the locker room of the police station in Washington Beach Hockey Mask – Outside of the Malibu _PLAY TO PERFECTION Hon and experimentation те of the greatest things _ in this game. Using this guide may | diminish these aspects. Only use it for moments of frustration or confusion, you dirty cheat! . t AR EE х Miscellaneous Cool Stuff iscellaneous Cool Stu • Buying food at the mall food court will refresh your health • Picking up a scantily clad lady and taking her to a secluded area will regain your health – even past 100! * If you really need cash, knock over parking meters downtown. They will dump money all over the street * Go to the west end of the shipyard, and find a garage with an eight-ball above it. Drive a car into it, and it will get wired with a bomb * If you jack a car with a passenger in it, and take off before they get out, your unwilling accessory will scream bloody murder until you give them a chance to flee * Once you buy Pole Position, go into the back rooms. One is open. Sit down and enjoy a lap dance * Once you complete all the taxi company missions, the Zebra Cab will be parked in that garage e if you manage to beat the game, then keep playing, you'll get several hilarious cell phone calls from a drunken Kent Paul, a worried Cortez, and others • On the beach and in some pools, you'll find a beach ball. Shoot it or kick it around for a cheap thrill * |n pizza parlors, there are two arcade games. One is the Degenetron, a classic game knock-off, and the other is Pogo The Monkey – referenced in GTA III radio commercials! Unfortunately, neither is playable * Use a sniper scope, and look in the ocean's water. You may see schools of fish, a Portuguese man-of-war, and even a shark * Check out the bartender at The Malibu. Trust us Golf Duds Track Suit » _ There аге 35 R: in this » Rampages game. We've done 2 leg work to find the first 23 for you 1.- In front of Vinyl Countdown, inside North Point Mall 2- At the pool, on the highest diving board behind Standing Vice Point З - In front of North Point Mall's east entrance 4 – Atop parking ramp, south of 1102 Washington property 5 – Behind the building next to your house at 3321 Vice Point 6 — East of military training base 7 – North side of stadium, near the heliport E24 8 - Square alley behind pizza parlor, south of Love Fist 9 - Behind hospital near shore 10 - On the way to the lighthouse 11 - On dock 12 - Middle-eastern end of golf course, by water 13 - Corner opposite the entrance inside airport the leg work to find the first 50 for you 1. Behind hospital near shore 2. Inside pizza parlor 19. East side of street, ramped greenish house 35. In second floor office inside police headquarters 3. In North Point Mall, at the catwalk over The Gash's escalator 4. Slightly north of hospital, under motel balcony, behind stairs 5. Club Malibu, corner of fenced-in parking lot 6. Near north exit of North Point Mall 7. West end of Diaz property, seaside trench 8. Back of house with Rockstar logo- shaped pool 9. Behind Vice Point Langer beachside 10. Near alley by Hyman Condo 11. Behind ambulance at hospital by Love Fist 12. West side around stadium 13. In barn on northeast end of Phil's Place 14. Upstairs in Sunshine Autos 15. In fireworks store, south of ice cream factory 16. In lighthouse 17. Behind concrete wall across from Cubans 18. Basement stairs in back of building jorth of Hatian hideout O GAME INFORI 20. In jacuzzi across the street from mansion 21. Backyard of jagged-shaped pool across from lowest island-connecting bridge 22. In Gate 1-8 of airport 23. Main deck of east end boat with multi- colored crates 24. Canal on southeast side of golf course island 25. Around the deck of 1102 Washington St. 26. On bridge to southern island in golf course 27. Under highway bridge southeast of golf course entrance 28. Last driving range stall, north end of golf course 29. In building north of Shack property, up stairs and into office 30. Alley on Prawn Island 31. Porch of leftmost rundown house on Prawn Island 32. On top of diving board of huge hotel 33. In weird statue east of Hyman apartments 34. Slightly northwest of paint shop 36. End of red beam on third floor, unfinished building 37. Behind Life’s A Beach billboard 38. On rooftop penthouse of apartment north of the Malibu 39. Under wing of huge covered passenger plane 40. Between two trailers in parking lot 41. On top of corner building (two sets of stairs) 42. On helipad of hanger 43. On top of closed garage. Jump from yellow pinstriped ramp 44. In corner of underground parking lot by dock 45. Behind a wooden sign near RC car track 46. Middle of the airport roof. Use surfer billboard as jump 47. Behind fence and row of billboards on northeast end of airport 48. Next to communication tower on building (use helicopter or jump crates) 49. Back corner of penthouse atop green and tan building 50. Dimple of office building, water side 14 – Main deck of boat with multicolored crates 15 – Ву odd statue, near the Degenetron billboard 16 – Top of airport building (helicopter necessary) 17 – In basketball court of Little Havana 18 - Behind the bank | 19 – On top of corner building (two sets of stairs) © 20-On rooftop near southwest corner of three-floor parking garage. Just jump off of ramp onto roof E 21 – Edge of beach, near save point 22 - Take staircase up, on the same side of the street, but east of the downtown Ammu-Nation E _ 23 - The roof two buildings up from the Ice Cream Factory These will be at the mansion Find 10 Packages – Body Armor Find 20 Packages – Chainsaw Find 30 Packages – Python Handgun Find 40 Packages — Flamethrower Find 50 Packages – Laser Scope PLAY TO PERFECTION ай 5 Spray Shop аге 3| Pole Position Strip Club || The Malibu Club "T 8 i+ #20 е "AD - ^gMEINFORMER 161 PLAY TO PERFECTION Regular mdi ОП ПД\МЛМЕРВ The Party – Following the initial intro, you'll finally reach your first mission. First, get your party duds at 1 Rafael's. Next, gank the chopper, and head to the boat at Pier 2. Once aboard, you'll be introduced to many of the personalities you'll meet later on. Toss the lady on your hog and boogie to the Pole Position | am ` Back Alley Brawl – Be-bop to the Malibu for your first — visit with Kent Paul, a fasttalking Brit. He'll send you to see a chef on Ocean Drive. Take your vehicle, run him over, then snatch his cell phone. Book to Lance's car. He'll direct you to the gun shop, then back to your hotel. cars to coerce them into a not-guilty verdict. Don't .. Stop the onslaught until they speak. _ Riot — Avery Carrington (Burt Reynolds) is at the - lawyer's. Get another change of clothes (overalls), and go to the protest scene. Use your hammer to beat enough workers to incite a full-blown riot. Now, go inside the fenced area, target the red drums, and blow up the three trucks. Use your hammer on leftovers. Pick up the cash off the corpses on your way out — they won't need it. 162 GAME INFORMER Treacherous Swine – Cortez wants Gonzales dead, = and he wants you to do it. He also wants you to use ^ _ achainsaw. Alrighty! When you get to his place, takes _ out the goons first. Switch to your gun to increase your footspeed (you're slow when carrying the saw). _ Now chase him down and take him out. Use the ‚ chainsaw when he's down for a fountain of fun! _ Shake the cops and you're home free. “Mall Shootout – You're heading to an ’80s staple – the mall. The French government interrupts your transaction, and you're forced to chase. Your target's on a bike, so take а car and ram him. He's tough, so - keep running him over. Grab the package and head to the dock. Guardian Angels – Jam to the parking lot and get some firepower. Lance shows up, and accompanies you to the drop off. Make sure you know how to use - the new gun, because you'll have to mow down any ~ bad-wishers from your vantage point. Keep Diaz alive, and you'll have to chase a dirt bike-driving punk. Shoot him while on a bike for best results. Grab the package he drops, and return it to Diaz. 5001002783 vim МУ 18047 diaz’s hearth: тше Lance's heath: жашы _ 27 gem Xe “These Haitians think they (con toke RICARDO РА = ici. ‘Sir, Yes Sir! — This is a toughie. You're going to have to move quick. Park a vehicle in front of the convoy to buy time. Create some distance, then snipe the tank driver, followed by as many vehicles as possible. Find some wheels and lead them on a chase to divert the other troops. Run to the tank, and get in. Now, drive toward the pink marker. You need to park the tank in - a garage and escape before its self-destruct system _ detonates. y Ail Hands On Deck – Stock up on first-person-aiming "weapons at Ammu-Nation. Just blast the boats to bits from the deck. When the French attempt a 3 blockade, shoot the watercraft in the same fashion, | but keep an eye out for those who board you. Fire — | away at the helicopter when it comes, but the trio _ that jumps out takes top priority. Do the same to the | attack chopper. Four Iron — A country club-worthy outfit is necessary. You'll need to check firearms at security, but you should still have the chainsaw. Take out the bodyguards, then go after your target. He'll take off on a golf cart. Chase after him. If he's still not dead, | he'll get in a car to flee. Follow suit. - Demolition Man – Hop in the nearby van, where you'll. — - pilot the RC helicopter. Grab a bomb, and place it on ~ - one of four targets. Once the first bomb is grabbed, _ you've got seven minutes to do it, so make sure | you practice before taking any. You'll need to go up - the stairs to the building interior. The bombs on the second, third, and fourth floors are all on the right - side of the stairways. You don't need to worry about | escaping, though. The chopper is expendable. Two Bit Hit — Time for yet another costume change, holmes. Disrupt the funeral, and take out the guy < with the ominous pink arrow. Escaping won't be that ` easy, though. Just try to get out as fast as possible. | н, ED Now get out of Little Нойй The Chase – A simple spy operation goes bad when ^ you get spotted. A rooftop chase ensues. Make sure to take the boards or jump across the roof gaps, | then quickly grab a set of wheels to tail the culprit. ~ The scooter is your only option straight out. He's goi - some heavy-duty ammo, so keep your distance until _ he reaches the hideout. Your work is done. Phnom Penh '86 - This is a sniping mission, but from - a moving helicopter. Let the chopper do some of the | -. work, instead of fighting it. Also, take out things like _ vehicles and barrels to wipe out multiple villains in _ one blow. Once you're on the ground, switch to an - auto-targeting gun, rather than the assault rifle. Blast | your way to the roof, and Lance will return to whisk - you away. The Fastest Boat — You may not be very popular on your way to the fastest boat. The switch to lower it is in the garage by the launch site. There will be a lot of © guys to kill, including the innocent looking dudes in the garage. Just cap them all, get in, and boat your butt to Diaz’s mansion. "Supply and Demand – Race your boat to the ship faster than the competition. To do this, take the left path on the first fork. It's infinitely easier. Just outrun _ these two, hugging the left side of the course. Then, _ use the same strategy from Phnom Penh ‘86 to take out the boats, chopper, and gunman following you. Rub Out — Use your car to run down the men in the _ front yard. Snipe the others from afar. Follow Lance _ through the maze, letting him go ahead of you. - Once inside, keep a firm grip on the lock-on, then work your way to the big boss. Watch out for Lance - walking in your line of fire, and take out the bad guy. Ё 15:05 EI ces hearth: ier | < Eat this, you murdering bastards! Shakedown – Make sure your automatic weapons | have plenty of ammo, and head to the North Point _ Mall. Take out all the windows at the marked _ storefronts (the owners will yell when completed), - and dodge as much security as possible. It's helpful - _to use the car on display inside of the mall, both 3 ash or the hardware store will get the heat off, if it’s not too hot. Keep in mind the Gash has two oors you need to mess up. урау, through the oss for protection! Ov” bas SN . , 1 "Ме , Bar Brawl - Snipe the guards outside. If one flees, ги _ him down. When you get to the hideout, just drive on in and run them over, too. Chase down the guys on - bikes and guess what? Yup, run ‘em down. Easy. р Land – Getting a cop car to follow you isn’t tough. If you don't know how to do that by now, you must've been staring at sea life this whole time. A cutscene follows the closing of the garage (north side of _ block). There's a cop car on the side of the garage for you. Plant the bomb then leave the mall ASAP. There is a star icon below the exit, and another one ` inthe alley by the garage. They should make getting | home a little easier. LOVEIFIST) | ove Juice – Take а fast car to the dealer. Chase him, | - and run him over when possible (don’t lose him). _ Now, follow the pink mark to Mercedes. You have - avery limited time to deliver her, so the faster the better. If you're confident, a motorcycle hauls. Psycho Killer – Chase the cross-dressing crazy with — the limo. The trick is to pour it on fast, nail the first - left turn, and crush him into the semi that will always cross your path. Next, pull him out of his car and kill - him, or just blow it up. If you don't do this, it will be - a difficult game of cat and mouse as you try to ram him into submission without losing him. F PLAY TO PERFECTION P ublicity Tour — It's Speed: The Game! Keep things | fast, and head for the straightaways. The east | side of the island has a long stretch of highway, but se recommend that you go to the stadium (far | northwest), and ride around it. There's no traffic, _ and the turns are gradual. Eventually, the bomb will ~ _ be diffused. Then, just drive a short distance to the | Love Fist gig. BIKERICLUB Alloy Wheels of Steel — Find a bike worthy of the competition (no dirt bikes or un-American jobs). If you can’t locate one, some respawn near the race start. While racing, feel free to be aggressive, but don't kill any opponents – you'll fail automatically. It won't be too tough to win, though. It should take no more than 2:30. Messing with the Man – Causing carnage is the пате | of the game. The best way to do that is to use а few molotov cocktails. In lieu of that, though, do drive-bys to blow up cars. Don’t go after people; they don’t help fill the meter, and attract a lot of cops. Look ou for ticked off drivers and stay out of the blast radi - Hog Tied – You need a bike to save a bike. Grab a motorcycle and head to the marker. Use the staircase by the marker to launch across the street. | _ The further you go, the more likely you won't draw attention. Try to keep from being spotted, grab the Ё bike, and speed back to the club. Their vans will be hot on your tail too, so look out. 08:18 Quy 500014859 є ә иш ҸӘ EES GAMEINFORMER 163 PLAY TO PERFECTION luju Scramble — Grab a bike for the first package, so than the other boat(s) you’ve driven, and there is 3 you can drive up the ramp, then jump off the buildi a lot of open water here. Just get your aim on the — | without getting hurt. The second one is just on a Ж Distribute = Park the truck, click the left analog, and jumps, look out for the U-turn section, and everyone =) corner. The third is in the open, too. Each one you let your yellow dot customers buy your treats. Be will admire the size of your cojones. T grab increases the police attention, but you're nevel careful not to stay too long, though. Cops and gangs Cannon Fodder – It’s gang warfare, with you in the _ far from the next one, or home. wy won't be pleased with you if you stay in one place middle. Do NOT shoot any Cubans. Blow up the car т ваза SB ла кт А и и аи he B d 4 RA це ры ale ара Bernd, Шер vu mne прег . Батл __ there are plenty of Spaces to duck behind. Deliver a There’s a heart by the left-hand staircase. Pick off Д таа А cane шш if Fig " 4 | of ER " 3 the leftovers, and go in the trenches. The Haitians 3 E j ~ T E реа Mage о АЕ onpe шо will respawn, so don't try to kill ‘em all. Get іп the | complete the mission. van, making sure nobody will pull you out. Do a i big circle to get yourself in the right direction, then make it back to the Cuban headquarters in this van. ` Be very careful, since your tires are likely all shot and cops will be after you. There's a wanted level decreaser to the east, on the way to the spray shop _ (if necessary). | them count. Get high into the air, then dip down, and | repeat. Bomb the dock to cause a panic. Chase after soouiszzi є 055 100 BOATYARD . Checkpoint Charlie – Take the boat on your right. -. Other than U-turns and jumps, it's easy. Of course, — = " d за Я there are a bunch of U-turns and jumps at the start. Naval Engagement – You'll definitely need body armor и р From there, it’s a piece of cake. and ammo. Just keep locking onto targets on the 5 : ^ === . 4 boats. Once on land, duck behind the cement wall 01:49 on the left side. Take out the guys in sight, then play _ Dirty Lickins – The snipe point is on the building 3 Sinn v iUd з peek-a-boo with those closer to the house. There аге | north of the battlefield. Take the stairs behind it to mm 2 пе ^ three briefcases to collect. When you get up to the - get up, but take the pill first to slow things down. house, hug a corner and wait for the gunfire to die Reinforcements keep coming, but focus on the areas | Ee AE. down. When the boat blows, grab the vehicle on the around the Haitians; you lose if they all die. other side of the building (left side), and jet overto — - ~ m EET the mansion (nearby). There should be body armor — | E 500017221 FA there (provided you've found at least 10 packages), 4 we У 053 У 100 х2 юз and a fast car for the rest of the way. Use any of these for a quick save. Some have garages, boats, or heliports. The businesses start " ———— — -— earning money when you complete their missions. Trojan Voodoo – Find a Voodoo car, then join the Cubans. Drive through Haitian turf, then go inside. Skumole Shack $1,000 – Atop stairs between the Ice Cream Factory $20,000 – On west island, 5 х : i il 1 19; ing to Starfish |: There are three bomb plant stations; one is upstairs. порно island-connecting bridges on the west south oton ge going о rfish Island Now, get the hell out of there. If you're not far d lj T Pole Position Strip Club $30,000 – Two blocks M 3 К DA ۵ E 3324 Vice Point $2,500 - On the northern tip of east of the southernmost Ammu-Nation enough come go-time, the mission will abort, and { the east island, near the mall Kaufman Taxi $40,000 – By second island- _ you'll fail. To get far away, take a right when facing _ 1102 Washington St. $3,000 – Near the lowest connecting bridge from top on the west island _ the gate, go upstairs, and run the rooftops. à island-connecting bridge on the east island Sunshine Autos $50,000 – On diagonal street " ди s 3 Links View Apartment $6,000 - On the east island, south of the west island's southernmost across from the golf course hardware store El Swanko Casa $8,000 - Fancy house three- Film Studio $60,000 - At the main corner of Prawn quarters up the main strip on the east island Island — =. Ocean Heights Apartment $7,000 – One block Print Works $70,000 – Between the middle two rane 29 east of the southernmost Ammu-Nation island-connecting bridges, slightly inland арай m Boatyard $10,000 – Southeast tip of the west The Malibu Club $120,000 – Halfway up on the pum HIE, island east island, at the bend in the main strip Hyman Condo $14,000 – Go north past Love Fist studio. Take the right down the alley after the street with Ammu-Nation IP — Take out rival cabs to get your VIP to the destination. Use your drive-by tactic to waste the competition. riendly Rivalry — Take out three cabs. Drive-by yet again. ‘Cabmageddon – Keep running circles, pausing momentarily before your cuts. These guys are easy to out-maneuver. The tiger-striped guy can be killed with some good drive-by action, using the other cars . to hide behind, or just overpowering him — even into the water! That'll teach them for taking Mercedes" - name in vain. Vice Street Racer - Buying this property is your ticket to street racing. There are six courses in total. Go to the paint area, and check the map on the wall. Here, you can race any course, provided you have the entry fee. If you win, you get four times what you paid to enter. These drivers are crazy, so just wait for them to make mistakes, and scoot ahead. Keep an eye on ` ` your map for surprise turns. time: 00:18 a al troi C a th a a tbi M o El Swanko Casa nll “лы Row — This mission happens before you buy the place, after beating Supply and Demand. Bring а! quick but durable car to the Malibu, because you’re ing to need it to save Lance. Before reaching the construction yard, snipe the car in front to kill the first three guards. Now, drive on in. Try to avoid ` having it get blown up or getting pulled out on your — | way. Snipe the guy on the crane if possible. Motor into where Lance is held. Take the vacant garbage _ truck, and flee to the hospital. The truck is heavy ‘duty enough to withstand the damage tailing gang ‘cars try to inflict upon you. — which you should point north. Change clothes, and go upstairs for the keycard (and Package #35). You'll have a four-star rating when you get out of the cop shop, and will be surrounded. Getting in a car is tricky; waiting for Cam to get in is trickier still. Find a vehicle, then creep up a bit. He'll follow. Make sure he gets in before a cop pulls you out. There's a — star reducer south in the alley, one near the Malibu, | another in an alley across from the golf course, and - one more in the North Point Mall parking lot. That should get you down to one. Now, just don't mess up, and let that last star disappear. pamibiOoo PLAY TO PERFECTION You have three rounds to beat 60 points. It should be no problem. For round one, - shoot all but the head of the one-point target, so it’s | not in the way. After the first round, make sure you || don't accidentally leave. For the next two rounds, you) hould have figured out that using the d-pad is best | ог aiming, rather than the analog stick. У 100 $3 5810 01:25 scone: 8 SCORE GO beat: __БО ~ The Driver – Hilary is far better than the psychos in Vice Street Racer. His car is better than yours, and you can't really push him around. Plus, you're given two stars from the start. How do you beat him? | Don't let him get too far ahead of you. He will mess | up a few corners and may get turned around, which _ you can use to take the lead. He won’t be down for long, though. There are a few places where, depending on whether you're winning or not, two cops will try to sandwich you from opposite ends: the: right turn where the bridge to the mansion is on your left, and the right onto the bridge after the destroyed | building. 500 » 081 У 100 жж = Race тте: 01 The Job – Follow the markers іп the bank, always ready to cap any security. Don’t shoot any of the downstairs guys or the manager, though. When the SWAT team shows up, shoot them. Find the armor and heart if they're needed. Outside, clear an area around the cab to make your break. There are cops everywhere. Worry about yourself, and get out of there. When you can, double back and pick up who's © left. A last resort is to book to the mansion to get ` a faster car and body armor. There's a spray shop down the street where you can get repaired, and | once you have your posse, it'll get rid of the heat. - When the stars are gone, go to Cam's. GAMEINFORMER 165 PLAY TO PERFECTION 4 Recruitment Drive – Who better for your films than Candy Suxxx? Shoot the four guys that attack you, then chase after the pimp. This must be a clown car, because even more goons may come out. Chase him down (is everyone in Vice City a stunt driver?), and go back to Candy. If your car’s too small for both girls, there's a four-door across the street. Dildo Dodo – The Dodo is very hard to fly, as you'll find out. Play the wind, and bob and weave to stay in the air. Locate a blue spot, then hit circle when you reach it. Now, fly to the reddish orb. Repeat until done. We suggest saving the northernmost blue until last, because its red orb is the trickiest to hit. 00:16 w 052 9 100 R 500-30 SKEMER FUEL: mo 1 , 1 1 а & Martha’s Mug Shot – All's funny and nice, up until the five-star cop rating. D'oh! Make sure you can access your car (i.e. not near the hotel side door), and it’s facing the road. Grab the star reducer straight ahead, then head north. The spray shop is your target, but there are plenty of star icons in lieu of that. You may want to take a test run before actually accepting the mission to get your route down. You still must blast through the cop brigade in front of the studio, but that’s easy. G-Spotlight — You could use a chopper to get to the spotlight, but the game won't let you. Fortunately, this mission is loads of fun. Get a good start for each jump, but brake quickly when you get across. There's a bridge that comes down about halfway. You may want to take that opportunity to get a new bike, as you'll probably be billowing smoke. Gun Runner – Get yourself a pretty tough vehicle — you'll need it. Hit the trucks, and grab the booty. Kill the guy in back just for fun. After a few times, things get tougher with lots of thugs on scooters. The good news is you get bonus bucks if you blast them. Mop up the rest of the trucks for some good cash. NU eet she: ~ The ‘arms dealer dropped Ж соз Smash "л crate, and.pick ub cea Y Шудо ш” Boomshine Saigon — WARNING: This could cause real- life nausea! Phil needs you to lend him a hand, but you're a little messed up. Just keep weaving with the dizziness (which wears off as you go), and don't 3 sweat little smacks — you're in a Patriot, after all. Between the hospital and the "alternative," the cops will chase you for drunk driving. You're almost home though, so no worries. Phil's Place now becomes a firearm depot. Spilling The Beans – Take the cab to the Malibu, then drive to the mansion. Here, grab your helicopter. Fly to the tanker and land on the roof. The chopper will probably blow, but it's served its purpose. Go down the stairs and into the highlighted space. Now, shoot your way to land. There's more armor across the street. Gank a car and Spray-paint it, then get back to the Print Works. an = Hit The Courier – Get to the pink marker (docks) when the yellow marker (helicopter) is near. It is hostile territory, so be strapped. Take out the courier — preferably before she gets on the open road. It shouldn’t be too tough. We actually killed her on foot by blowing up the car. Nobody even chases you back to the Print Works. The courier has died and dropped the plates, get to them before anyone else. (AETER/ALLTREGULAR 4 MISSIONS/ARE COREL TED) over, and squash any remains. Waste The Wife — Mrs. Dawson’s Comet hauls, so pick a vehicle that can keep up. Keep rai and trying to force her into other cars or immov: objects. When she starts flaming, exit stage wherever. i SEGhmeiennna blow! Gat atf af tharat Autocide - Take the sniper rifle provided, and the bike nearby. Cap the first guy — look up on the billboard, from the ground. Take the stairs in the alley across from the second one so he won't spot you, and snipe him through the windshield. Number three and four are together in a truck. Go slightly northwest of their location, and snipe them from some motel stairs. The next is on a boat, easily shot from the shore. The final is a motorcycle rider. He's tough to catch, but you should have plenty of time to drive-by him. Check Out At The Check In – The key to this is patience. When the target starts moving, just anticipate his movement. Grab the case and head out. You'll have both cops and punks on your tail, and a long way to go. Spray-paint the car to get the cops off of you, at least. Loose Ends - Find the sniper rifle and use it. Often. When there are no more heads to take off, use an Uzi and blast barrels for maximum effectiveness. There's body armor in a corner. You want to get to the ledge that a guard was on. From here, snipe some more, then get on the roof. Watch out for the guy atop the billboard. Now zoom to the airport. in the van b the gen island desert track. This is atwolap race with RC cars in a. desert setting. Hit the checkpoint, ] keep your finger on the gas, and you should win with ease. RC Raider Pickup — This is near the south entrance of the hangar. Don’t even bother with it, unless you're a completist. The 15 minutes it takes is not worth the $100 reward. Ocean Beach Chopper - This takes some time to reach. First off, go to the spray shop on the south end of the east island. There's an odd building on the corner north of it. Find the bike tucked away there. Now, use the alley for speed (about halfway down should do it), and take off up the stairway. With luck, you'll land on a rooftop with a helicopter. Once in the chopper, hit all the pink points as fast as possible. This is a weak whirly, so look out for power lines and buildings. L. ad те RC Baron Race – Find this fe in the van on the top floor of the North Point Mall parking lot. Dipping is key. Try to stay as high as possible, then duck down and touch the checkpoint. Your map shows the next two points. The race is about 2:15 long. ] Vice Point Chopper - This one is much easier than Ocean Beach. It's in a grassy area surrounded by plain buildings with fenced alleys between them, east of the &olf course. The course itself is a bit tougher though, so take it easy. Little Haiti Chopper – To get here, grab a fast car (or bike). You'll find a south-facing jump in an alley north of the Haitian | headquarters. Jump on the roof, hitting the billboard to stop you. Get in the chopper. This is the easiest of the four chopper missions. Downtown Chopper – Slightly north of the biker club, there is a set of stairs on the west side of the street. They're also used in G-Spotlight | studio mission. Take them to the chopper. Watch out for the Off-Roadin' – Go to the northeast section of the west map. You'll find a truck, along with a dirtbike. Jump in the truck and do a few laps. Don't tip over, and you'll get a cash reward for completing it, as well as each time you beat your old score. Dirt Bikin’ – Take the bike and tool around. The same Pizza Boy – After the first phone mission, pizza delivery: Scooters will show up at the pizzaria near the Love Fist area. Use these like cabs, ambulances, etc. You have to deliver an insane amount to complete the mission. Plot the best course with the map before you take off. If there are more than six spots, break them up so you can easily get back and refill your pies. 77] Hold Up Stores – Go into an open store. Aim at the clerk, and he will drop some money. on the counter. He will also hit the alarm if you don't kill him; &iving you a two-star wanted level. There are 15 of these stores. You may have to wait until later in the game to do this. j| Insane Taxi – Steal a cab and hit the analog stick. Find a passenger and take them where they want to go. Repeat. If your car gets too damaged, the customer will run away. Save Lives Instead Of Taking 24 Them - Steal an ambulance, j| and click the analog stick. Deliver injured folk to the hospital. Of course, you'll probably hurt more people on the way there, but at least your heart's in the right place. We Didn't Start The Fire — Borrow a firetruck, and click the analog stick. Use circle and the left analog to put out fires. Burning passengers often flee from charred vehicles, so don’t forget about them. PCJ PlayGround – Get on the bike in the corner of the | Standing Vice building on the east island's main drag. This is a matter of finding the right run. Go straight at first, using the stairs to get the first out- there piece. Now, take the stairs in the alley to get the high goal, and the one along the building. When you whip around, don't worry about the goal on the house: Instead, go right and follow to more stairs, rooftops, and the last two checkpoints. Vigil Vigilante — Get in a cop car or FBI vehicle, and click the analog. Now, chase after criminals and kill. . them. Being on the good side of the law ain't so bad after all... гг T PLAYSTATION 2 ARMORED Conr 3 Here’s a list of techniques to obliterate the competition within Arena mode. Follow the steps listed and you'll be king of the hill in no time. Parking Lot – Boost backwards into the corner. Sometimes the opponent will get caught on the wall, and you'll have a little time to score a few free shots. Parking Lot – Equip the heavy tank legs, and the heavy EO Core. Now attach the Flame-thrower for the left arm the Grenade Rifle for the right arm. At the start, boost backwards into the corner. When the enemy gets close, turn on the flames while shooting it with the Grenade Rifle and EO weapon. Reservoir – At the start, boost backwards to the out-of bounds line. Since the enemy will most likely try to attack from behind, it will head out of bounds and forfeit the match. However, not all opponents will fall for this trick. "The Rhino" Toledo, OH TEKKEN 4 Although they're nothing too special. These are a few cool nooks that will certainly make Tekken 4 even more exciting! Alternate Victory Pose - After winning a match, hold |_| X, or O during the replay to see a different pose. Paul's Secret Taunt – Crouch and don't move; wait three seconds for a surprise! Fredrick Johnson Venice Beach, GA 168 GAMEINFORMER SELECT Canny (Il Gr) Viae Ease ene ш {- LARSON ЕТ WE cmo _ Biape ЇЇ Enter these super codes to make your time with Blade || much more manageable. Escorted NPCs Invincible — During gameplay, pause, then hold L1 and press ЦО A, X, ЦО A, X Level Select - At the Main Menu, hold L1 and press Down, Up, Left (x2), Q, Right, Down, Unlimited Health - During gameplay, pause, then hold L1 and press A, П A, ЦАО Д, О. Unlimited Rage - During gameplay, pause, then hold L1 and press Left, Down, Left, Down, Right, Up, Right, Up. Greg Norman Hopkins, MN SUMMONER 2 Easy Money - Head to Mas Ora's district in Munari City and enter the House of Soleil; it's the first on the left once you enter this district. You'll encounter a human right in front of you; loan him a 1,000 gold pieces and he'll give you a Bodril. Hold it until later when he asks to return the loan. Now tell him you wish to purchase the Bodril for 5,000 gold pieces, but answer "No" when asks if you actually want to do that. You'll gain some gold and experiences. After this he will ask if you actually want to buy it. Instead of leaving, continue to speak with him, and he'll keep asking the same question. Just keep replying “No,” and you'll get gold each time. "The Game Molester" Washington, DC SUPERMAN: SHADOW OF APOKOLIPS Head to the Cheats screen and enter the following codes to unlock their secrets. Not only will they help you out during gameplay, but you can unlock all of the movies and biographies! All Movies – LANA LANG Biographies – LARA Hard Mode – JOR EL Infinite Health & Super Power – SMALLVILLE Pedro Martinez Boston, MA CODE OF THE MONTH Lamborghini IItewfp[ex FMT NEED For Speep: Hor Pursuit 2 You cannot save cars you unlocked using a code. You must enter the codes each time you play. Note that all codes must be entered at the Main Menu, and a mes- sage will indicate a correct code entry. Aston Martin V12 Vanquish – Press R2, Right, R2, Right, A, Left, A, Left BMW 28 - Press L] Right, L] Right, R2, A, R2, A Chevrolet Corvette 206 – Press Left, R2, Left, R2, 11, R1, 11, R1 ; Ferrari 360 Spider – Press R2, [Д R2, Г] A, L2, A, L2 Ferrari F50 - Press L1, A, L1, A, Right, L2, Right, L2 Ferrari F550 – Press L1, C] L1, L], Right, R1, Right, R1 Ford Pursuit Mustang Cobra В = Press Left, [| Left, Г] R2, R1, R2, R1 д Ford TS50 – Press Right, Left, Right, Left, R2, [ 1 R2, [0 HSV Coupe GTS - Press L1, L2, L1, L2, R1, A, R1, A Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 VT – Press Right, R2, Right, R2, R1, L1, R1, L1 e Lotus Elise – Press A, R2, A, R2, Left, Г] Left, Г] McLaren F1 – Press A, L1, A, L1, R1, Left, R1, Left McLaren F1 LM - Press L] L1, L] L1, A, Right, A, Right Mercedes CLK GTR - Press R2, R1, R2, R1, Left, A, Left, A Porsche Carrera GT - Press Left, Right, Left, Right, R1, R2, R1, R2 Tim Bale Chicago, IL [PLAYSTATION 2 ~ XBOX ША CHEAT: HITMAN AL ON HITMAN 2 These cheats really are just for fun. Inputting them may cause glitches, and present problems with level comple- tion. Input all of the codes during gameplay, except for the Level Menu cheat. You must do that one on the Main Menu. All Weapons – R2, L2, Up, Down, Х, L3, Up, Х Bomb – R2, L2, Up, Down, XX, L3, Up, L1 Complete Level - R2, L2, Up, Down, XX, L3,O, Х,О, God Mode - R2, L2, Up, Down, XX, L3, R2, L2, R1, L1 Gravity – R2, L2, Up, Down, XX, L3, L2, L2 Hitmanali - R2, L2, Up, Down, Ж, L3, Up (x2) Hitman Full Life – R2, L2, Up, Down, ><, L3, Up, Down Lethal Charge – R2, L2, Up, Down, Х, L3, R1, R1 Level Menu - At the Main Menu, press R2, L2, Up, Down, X, 13, X, ДО MegaForce - R2, L2, Up, Down, XX, L3, R2, R2 Nailgun – R2, L2, Up, Down, >, L3, L1, L1 Slomo - R2, L2, Up, Down, X, L3, Up, L2 Irene Ireland Molasses Creek, ІА Marve. Vs. Capcom 2 These little tips will make your gaming experience more fun, and more importantly, a whole lot less costly. Disgrace – After beating an opponent, press Start and you'll be able to move your character. Go over to the fall- en foe and begin beating him some more. Hidden Characters and Cheaper Prices – To get hidden characters and cheaper prices, simply enter and leave the shop over and over again. You'll eventually encounter the character you wish to purchase, and probably at a lower price. "GI Droid" (location unknown – last seen undercover with your sister...and mom!!!) хеох SECRET ACCESS Bane ЇЇ Blade || sucks – yes, it is true. But if you happened to purchase or rent this product, inputting these codes should make it a little better. Escorted NPCs are Invincible – Pause during a game, hold L and press X, B, Y, A, X, B, Y, A. This code only works when you're escorting NPCs. Level Select - At the Main Menu, hold L and press Down, Up, Left (x2), B, Right, Down, X. Unlimited Health - During a game, pause, hold L and press Y, X, Y, X, Y, B, Y, B. Unlimited Hage - During a game, pause, hold L and press Left, Down, Left, Down, Right, Up, Right, Up. Melanie Hardaway Memphis, TN THE LORD or THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF T Quickly input all of the following codes during gameplay. We promise, Frodo won't get at all angry if you cheat, but only a little bit. Infinite Ammo - X, B, Y, A, X, B Infinite Health — Y, A, X, B, A, Y Infinite Ring Use - Y, B, A, B, Y, X "The Gaming God" Philadelphia, PA Boomerangs are abundant with these codes. If you're having a tough time with any of the enemies, just enter these during gameplay to relieve all your troubles. All Technorangs – White, Black, White, Black, Y (x3), X, Y,X Elemental Rangs, Aquarang, Swim & Dive – White, Black, White, Black, Y (x2), X (x2), Y, X Billy Ripken Baltimore, MD il | | || | HITMAN 2 Some of these might cause glitches and mess with the level completion. All of them need to be inputted during gameplay, except for the Level Menu cheat, which should be entered at the Main Menu. All Weapons - Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, Up, A Bomb - Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, Up, White Complete Level – Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, B, A, B, A God Mode – Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, Right Button, Left Button, Black, White Hitman Ali - Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, Up, Up Hitman Full Life — Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, Up, Down Lethal Charge - Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, Black, Black Level Menu - At the Main Menu, press Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, X, Y, B. Mega Force - Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, Right Button, Right Button Nailgun – Right Button, Left Button, Up, Down, A, Left, White (x2) Mr. Poopy Pants Stinkybuttcheeks, HI Y THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Enter all of these kick-ass codes at the Extras screen. A wonderfully horrific scream will indicate a correct code entry. Slayer Power - Press Y (x3), Black (x3), Y, White, Black (x2), White, Y Unlimited Health – Press Y, White, Black (x2), White, Y Black (x3), Y (x3). Note: Falls are still harmful. “The Vidman" Uptown, MN N Live 2003 At the Create Player menu, enter these codes as the players last name. A message will appear, indicating that the code worked. The new player will appear in the free agent pool. Sign them to your team. Play as Busta Rhymes - FLIPMODE Play as DJ Clue - MIXTAPES Play as Ghetto Fabulous - GHETTOFAB Play as Hot Karl - CALIFORNIA Play as Just Blaze - GOODBEATS Randle Fenton Hanover, ME GAMEINFORMER 169 Gus GAMECUBE ANIMAL CROSSING NES Games You can purchase certain games from Redd, all of which cost a hefty 12,000 Bells. Also, you can purchase some from Tom Nook, which will only set you back a minor 3,000 Bells. The ones that don't have a name next to them, indicating the place of purchase, you must obtain through Feng Shui. Feng Shui is Se: the preferred manner in which you decorate Balloon Fight – Redd, Nook, Feng Shui Yellow Baseball - Feng Shui Red Clu Clu Land - Redd, Nook Clu Clu Land D - Feng Shui Red Donkey Kong - Nook, Feng Shui Red Donkey Kong 3 - Feng Shui Red Donkey Kong Jr - Feng Shui Red Donkey Kong Jr Math – Nook, Feng Shui Green Excitebike – Nook, Feng Shui Red Golf – Redd, Nook, Feng Shui Red Pinball - Redd, Nook Punch Out - Feng Shui Red Soccer - Feng Shui Red Tennis – Nook, Feng Shui Yellow Wario’s Woods – Feng Shui Red Fish your house. The proper Feng Shui is as follows: the north part of your house should be covered with orange items; the west side should be cov- ered with yellow; the south should be covered with green; | and the east should be cov- ered with red. So, for instance, to get Punch Out, the east side of your house should be decorated with red items. The more red there is, the better chance you'll come across Punch Out. Certain types of fish only appear in specific bodies of water and at certain times of the year. Here is a list of all the fish, where to get them, and when you'll find them in the greatest of abundance. As you've probably experienced by now, some fish appear ran- domly in different places, and you may luck out and catch one out of season. Fish Angelfish Arapaima Arowana Price 3,000 10,000 10,000 Location River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond Barbel Steed Barred Knifejaw River, Pond Ocean Bass Bitterling Bluegill Brook Trout Carp Catfish Cherry Salmon River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond Pond River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond Coelacanth Ocean During Rain Holding Pond Crucian Carp River, Pond Dace River, Pond Eel River, Pond Freshwater Goby River, Pond Frog Holding Pond Giant Catfish Pond Giant Snakehead Pond Goldfish River, Pond Crawfish 170 GAME INFORMER Peak Time May to Oct., 4 P.M. to 10 A.M. July to Middle Sept., 4 P.M. to 9 A.M. June to Sept., 4 A.M. to 10 A.M. & 4 P.M. to 9 P.M. All Year, All Day Mar. to Nov., 4 A.M. to 9 A.M. & 4 P.M. to 9 P.M. All Year, All Day Dec. to Feb., All Day All Year, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. All Year, All Day All Year, All Day May to Oct., 4 P.M. to 9 A.M. Mar. to June & Sept. to Nov., 4 A.M. to 9 A.M. & 4 P.M. to 10 P.M. All Year, 4 P.M. to 9 A.M. Apr. to Middle Sept., All Day All Year, All Day All Year, 4 P.M. to 9 A.M. June to Sept., 5 P.M. to 9 A.M. All Year, All Day May to Aug., All Day June to Aug., 4 P.M. to 10 A.M. June to Aug., 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. All Year, All Day Guppy Jellyfish Killifish Koi Large Bass Large Char Loach Pale Chub Piranha Pond Smelt Popeyed Goldfish Rainbow Trout Red Snapper Salmon Sea Bass Small Bass Stringfish Sweetfish Insects River, Pond Ocean Holding Pond River, Pond River, Pond Waterfall River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond Ocean River, Ocean, Pond Ocean River, Pond River, Pond River, Pond Apr. to Nov., 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. 2nd half of Aug., All Day Apr. to Aug., All Day All Year, All Day All Year, All Day Mar. to June & Sept. to Nov., 4 A.M. to 9 A.M. & 4 P.M. to 9 P.M. Mar, to May, All Day All Year, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. June to Sept., 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. & 9 P.M. to 4 A.M. Dec. to Feb., All Day All Year, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. Mar. to June & Sept. to Nov., 4 A.M. to 9 A.M. & 4 P.M. to 9 P.M. All Year, 4 P.M. to 9 A.M. Sept., All Day 2nd Half Aug. to Middle Sept., All Day All Year, All Day Dec. to Feb., 4 P.M. to 9 A.M. July to Sept., All Day There are also a number of insects to collect, so always keep a net with you just in case you come across one of those rare ones. Like the fish, these bugs are only found in cer- tain places at specifics times of the year. Insect Ant Bagworm Banded Dragonfly Bee Bell Cricket Brown Cicada Cockroach Common Butterfly Common Dragonfly Cricket Darner Dragonfly Drone Beetle Dynastid Beetle Evening Cicada Firefly Flat Stag Beetle Giant Beetle Grasshopper Jewel Beetle Ladybug Longhorn Beetle Long Locust Mantis Migratory Locust Mole Cricket Mosquito Mountain Beetle Pill Bug Pine Cricket Pondskater Purple Butterfly Red Dragonfly Robust Cicada Saw Stag Beetle Snail Spider Spotted Ladybug Tiger Butterfly Walker Cicada Yellow Butterfly 4,500 4,500 430 200 5 80 130 130 200 80 1,350 Location Dead Turnips, Candy In Trees Anywhere In Trees In Grass On Trees Trees, Flowers Anywhere Anywhere In Grass Anywhere On Trees On Trees On Trees Near Water On Trees On Trees In Grass On Trees On Flowers Anywhere In Grass On Flowers In Grass Underground Anywhere On Trees Under Rocks In Grass Holding Ponds Anywhere Anywhere On Trees On Trees On Flowers In Trees On Flowers Anywhere On Trees Anywhere Peak Time All Year, All Day Oct. to Mar., All Day July to Aug., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. All Year, All Day Sept. to Oct., 5 P.M. to 9 A.M. July to Aug., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Mar. to Nov., All Day Mar. to Oct., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. May to July, 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Sept. to Nov., 5 P.M. to 8 A.M. June to Aug., 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. July to Aug., All Day July to Aug., 7 P.M. to 8 A.M. July to Aug., 4 to 8 A.M. & 4 to 7 P.M. June, 7 P.M. to 4 A.M. June to Aug., 7 P.M. to 8 A.M. July to Aug., 11 P.M. to 8 A.M. Aug. to Sept., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. July to Aug. 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Mar. to July & Oct., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. June to Aug., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Aug. to Nov., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Aug. to Oct., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Sept. to Nov., 9 A.M. to 7 P.M. Nov. to May, All Day May to Sept., 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. July to Aug., 7 P.M. to 8 A.M. All Year, All Day Sept. to Oct., 5 P.M. to ВАМ. June to Sept., 8 A.M. to 7 P.M. June to Aug., 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Sept. to Oct., 8 A.M. to 7 P.M. July to Aug., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. July to Aug., 8 P.M. to 8 A.M. Apr. to Sept., All Day Apr. to Sept., All Day Mar. to July & Oct., ВАМ. to 5 РМ. Apr. to Sept., 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. July to Sept., 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. Маг. to Oct., 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. “The GI Staff" Minneapolis, MN. Since. GAMECUBE SCORE TIME 0: RINGS 400 We've discovered all of these wonderful Sonic codes, which you can enjoy your second (or first) time through these games. Just sit back, and have a blast tinkering with everyone's favorite blue mascot. Sonic Spinball Level Select - Go to the options screen and press B, Down, A, Down, X, Down, B, A, Up, B, X, Up, A, X, Up. If done correctly you'll hear a sound. Return to the title screen. Press B and Start for level two, A and Start for level three, or X and Start for level four. Sonic 3D Blast Level Select - Head to the Press Start screen and press A, B, Right, B, X, Up, Down, B. Now start a game and the Level Select screen will appear. Once you've done this, you can skip levels simply by pausing and pressing B. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Debug Mode - In the Level Select screen, play music tracks 1, 9, 9, 2, 1, 1, 2, 4. While holding B, select a stage, until the level appears. The controls are as fol- lows: B turns debug on and off, A switches objects, X places objects. Level Select – Go to the options menu and play the fol- lowing songs in order: 19, 65, 9, 17. You'll hear a ring if entered correctly. Press X and then Start to return to the title screen. Now hold the B button and start a game. You'll be taken to the Level Select Screen. Super Sonic - In the Level Select screen, play music tracks 4, 1, 2, 6 in order. Start a game and collect 50 coins. Jump in the air with B and you'll transform! Sonic the Hedgehog Control Mode - At the title screen, press Up, X, Down, X, Left, X, Right. A ring will confirm a correct entry. Start a game and pause it. B will reset the game; A will play the game in slow motion; and X will advance the game one frame at a time. Debug Mode - Enter the same code as before, but hold B as you press Start to begin a game. The controls are exactly the same as in the Debug mode for Sonic 2. Level Select - At the title screen, press Up, Down, Left, Right. A ring will indicate a correct entry. Now press B and Start. This will take you to the Level Select menu. Larry Sanders New York, NY GODZILLA: Destroy ALL Monsters MELEE In order to input these codes, you must first access the Cheat mode. At the Main Menu press and hold L Button, B, R Button, (in that order) then release B, R Button, L Button (in that order). This will display the code entry screen. Now enter the following codes at this screen. If entered correctly, you'll hear a roar. 11 Lives - 760611 Almost All Monsters - 696924 Black & White Mode - 567980 Disable Life & Energy Display - 443253 Indestructible Buildings - 112122 Invisible Player Two – 459113 No Energy Gain For Player One – 650867 Small Player One - 986875 Small Player Two - 971934 Technicolor Mode - 661334 View Credits – 176542 View Version Number - 097401 Kenji Otaku Shinjuku, Japan Mario Party 4 Weird Sounds – During the game, press the Left Button to make your character blurt some sounds. If you push the C- Stick in various directions, you can manipulate the pitch of these sounds. This trick is especially effective when you desire to annoy other players! Adam Eurlaker Orlando, FL ТҮ THE TASMANIAN TIGER All Technorangs – Left Button, Right Button, Left Button, Right Button, Y (x3), B, Y, B Elemental Rangs, Aquarang, Swim & Dive – Left Button, Right Button, Left Button, Right Button, Y (x2), B (x2), Y, B “Daddy Fat Sacks” Memphis, TN entry as Code of the Month you'll win a wonderful prize from the Game Informer Vault! All other entries printed within these hallowed pages will receive a Secret Access t-shirt. SECRET ACCESS = rı PLAYSTATION 2/ ouuu: XBOX/GAMECUBE СОВЕ. невзхтоз LOGBOOK TONY HAWK ч оймо KELLY SLATER’S PRO SURFER To enter cheats in Kelly Slater, go to the Extras menu and select the Cheats option. A cellphone will appear, where you must input these various numbers. This will activate the following cheats. All Beaches – 7145558092 All Levels – 3285554497 All Suits - 7025552918 All Surfers - 9495556799 All Tricks - 6265556043 First-Person View – 8775553825 Higher Jumps – 2175550217 Max Stats - 2125551776 Perfect Balance - 2135555721 Surfer Freak - 3105556217 Surfer Tiki God - 8885554506 Surfer Tony Hawk - 3235559787 Surfer Travis Pastrana - 8005556292 Trippy Graphics - 8185551447 Clyde Hendricks Green Bay, WI ROBOTECH: BArrLECRY Invincibility — Select training mode. Enter jet fighter train- ing, destroy only the first two targets, then exit. Enter story mode and you will be invincible. Steven Wright Atlanta, GA NASCAR THUNDER 2003 Enter the first two codes at the Create-A-Car screen. The first word in these codes goes in the First Name slot, and the second word goes in the Last Name slot. For the last one, you simply require a memory card. Dale Earnhardt – Dale Earnhardt Fantasy Drivers – Extra Drivers Tiburon Speedway Track - Use a memory card with a saved file from an EA Sports 2003 game. “The Armchair Quarterback" Canton, OH ENTER TO WIN Send in your codes and pass- words, and if we choose your Send To: Secret Access Game Informer Magazine 724 North First Street, 4th Floor Minneapolis, MN 55401. secretaccess@gameinformer.com GAMEINFORMER 171 he very concept of Classic Gl is based on the assumption that the consoles of old are his- tory; that their stories have ended, and thus can be dissected and retold in these pages. However, assump- tions are frequently wrong — none more so than the one that suggests that the systems of yesterday are dead. In fact, for the last few years, there has been a steady stream of new and previously unreleased titles published for consoles, ranging from the legendary Atari 2600 to the all-but-forgotten Philips CD-i. While industry giants like Electronic Arts and Square Soft labor to pull off ever more graphically complex feats on the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube, a devoted and growing subculture of "homebrew" developers are spearheading a revival in old-school gaming. The retrogaming movement (as it is called by many of its enthusiasts) is gaining momentum, as evi- denced by the 20 new titles that made their debut at the recently held Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. Like many grass-roots pop culture phenomena, it is a subculture based not on the profit motive that fuels the mainstream game industry, but a genuine love of the art and craft of video games. In many ways, it is a throwback to the early days of gaming, when all it took to create a groundbreaking title was a lit- tle ingenuity, a little imagination, and a lot of Wî hard work. This "Do-It-Yourself" ethic is really T a return to the era when a few California hackers turned the world on its ear. As you might expect, publishing a game without the benefit of millions of dollars and the aid of a huge staff is a mammoth under- taking. R.W. Bivens, co-founder of OlderGames - a company that has published a slate of previously unreleased Philips CD-i games like Jack Sprite vs. The Crimson Ghost and Plunderball — com- ments that securing the rights to long-lost titles requires some ace detective work to track down the copyright holder. "A lot of the stuff we do doesn't rely as much on our business skills as our investigative skills. When you're talking about stuff this old, it's like finding a needle in a haystack." Still, companies like OlderGames (and their partner Good Deal Games) have been successful in rescuing many PHILIPS 172 GAMEINFORMER PHILIPS forgotten prototypes from the dustbin of history. For homebrew enthusiasts intent on creating their own original titles, the challenges are even greater. Some systems, like the Atari 2600, are supported by relatively stable PC emulators. Other more obscure systems, like the Sega CD, require the home develop- er to track down an original development kit. Even more daunting is the task of overcoming the myriad vagaries and bugs imbedded in the hardware of the systems themselves. With no technical support from the original console manufacturers, problems must be solved with a combination of ingenuity and advice from fellow amateur developers. Carl Forhan, the owner of Songbird Productions who has programmed several Atari Lynx and Jaguar games commented, "The Jaguar had some very well-known bugs in its architecture. So, sometimes we run into things that | don't understand, and there are very few people to go and ask anymore, when you don't know what the answer is. R.W. Bivens concurs, Not only is it next to impossible to find a Sega CD original dev kit, but, even worse than that, you try to find some really in-depth documentation and it's almost non-existent. It's not just the tools, it's the knowledge." Once completed, getting the game into a playable form is another laborious step in the process, especially for cartridge-based systems like the Lynx or Atari 2600. "It's fairly easy, it's just time-consuming," observes Joe Grand, head of Pixels Past and programmer of the homebrew classic SCSlcide. "If you use old car- tridges, you can strip the old labels using a heat gun and paint stripper. Then, you put on a new label." Modifications must also be made to the original cir- cuit boards. In hopes of making things easier for fel- low home developers, Grand is now marketing his own line of 2600 circuit boards which are available online at www.atariage.com, and plans to debut a line of custom colored cartridge casings in the next year. This laundry list of developmental hurdles begs the question: Why are so many people willing to sacrifice so much of their time and personal resources to cre- ate titles for systems that most Americans have long since filed away in some dusty corner of their clos- ets? For most of the homebrew developers we talked to, this hobby is simply an outgrowth of a lifelong love of games and programming. "| came from a back- ground where | was a huge fan of games, but at the same time | could turn around and do something that | really enjoy," reminisces R.W. Bivens. "Plus, | get to be a part of that whole process of creating and putting them out. That's priceless to me; it's really a dream job." Joe Grand, an electrical engineer by trade, attribut- es his love of classic development to the challenge inherent in overcoming the technical constraints of these now-primitive systems. "The constraints are what makes the Atari so great, and it's what makes the games and programming the games a challenge. It's a puzzle...If you're given the latest and greatest hardware with the best hardware accelerators, a gig of RAM, and unlimited ROM size, where's the fun?" Talking to the leading lights of the retrogaming scene, it's also obvious that the movement is tied together by a very real sense of community, inspired by a mutual love and admiration for the aca early days of video games. Blasters "The classic gaming com- ^ are а few of munity seems to be areal Good Deal genuine group of individu- Games’ als," said Michael Sega CD titles Thomasson of Good Deal Games. "We are a fairly close group and our love of the hobby makes us pretty aware of what is hap- pening in the retro scene...Over the years, | have met some absolutely fantastic individuals, all with unique stories to tell. Just walk around with an Atari shirt on for a single day, and you'll be surprised how many individuals approach you and tell you of their fond times with their VCS just like it was yesterday." Interest in homebrew development, and classic gaming in general, is growing with each successive year. It’s tempting to wonder if this garage industry might soon grow into a money-making enterprise in its own right. On this issue, the people we talked to were somewhat divided. "It would be nice to make a little bit of money, but I'm not really expecting to," said Joe Grand. "I think that this community is fairly small, as far as classic games go. There are a lot of collectors, but even that number is fairly small. The amount of develop- ers is even smaller. If that's my target audience, then there are only so many people that are going to buy my circuit board or buy my car- tridge casings." R.W. Bivens is more optimistic, and feels that the retrogaming scene will one day rival even the current systems in popularity. "I definitely guaran- tee that it's going home developers THIS MONTH to be both [profitable and a labor of love], because of the way our business has become. It started off as fun, but we've received a million page views our first month, so there is definitely a lot of con- sumer interest out there. One thing to think about is this: How many 8-bit FÊ Î Nintendos, how many Super Nintendos, how many Sega Genesis units are out there? How many units of those systems were sold worldwide? When you think about it, we, in all actuality, have the largest market share in the game industry; it's just that people don't know about it yet." Even if retrogaming never becomes a force in the mar- ketplace, it is already a suc- cess, if for only the fact that it shows that there is still a place for the dedicated hobbyist who wants to bring his vision to life. "I think that's the appeal here: You can take a system and pretty much do it start to fin- ish yourself, or maybe just you and an artist. It's not at all like a PlayStation 2 or GameCube budget where you need all the fullmotion video, thousands of hours of gameplay, or a massive fantasy world," observes Carl Forhan. For Joe Grand, the reward is in process itself, and the appreciation of the devoted video game collec- tors out there. "It's rewarding to release a game, to sell a game to people – to have people actually play your piece of work. So, | think [retrogaming is] partly nostalgia, and partly just wanting to provide some- thing new to people and your fellow collectors." This simple urge to cre- ate, to conceive unique and fun gameplay experiences, is cer- tainly the most admirable part of the homebrew movement, and something that today's market- driven video game industry would be wise to learn from. Joe Grand, the creator of SCSIcide for the Atari 2600, is also marketing custom 2600 cartridge boards and casings in hopes of aiding fellow This month in 1993, Nintendo announced plans for the SNES ND Drive, a CD-ROM attachment for the company's 16-bit Super Nintendo system. The unit was to plug into the console's cartridge port, much like the similar Sega CD system for Genesis. The IN САМ! NG ND Drive would support new Nintendo-creat- ed software, and also play Philips CD-i discs. fortunately, the company would later aban- H ISTO R Y don the product, and sever its relationship with Sony, who was helping to create the disc drive, in favor of the Nintendo 64. Sony, for its part, would take the knowl- edge it gained on the ND Drive project and launch the hugely successful Sony PlayStation, ending Nintendo's reign of dominance in video games. Pictured here is one of the three surviving ND Drive prototypes ever created. By Chad Reker Every month one of Game Informer's readers picks his or her personal choice for Greatest Game Of All Time. CONKER’S BAD FUR DAY Ш FORMAT 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM E PUBLISHER RARE As anyone who's played it and has a sense of humor knows, Conker's Bad Fur Day is the funniest game of all time. Period. Although much of its humor is decidedly raunchy, it also has an underlying wit along with many clever movie parodies, from the opening stolen straight from A Clockwork Orange to the dead-on The Matrix stage. Plus, everybody loves the Great Mighty Poo. The whole premise of the game is a jab at the traditional cutesy platformer. The complete lack of any kind of coher- ent plot and frequent in-game references to being in a video game (such as Conker exclaiming, "Man, | was sure the windmill was the final stage!") show just how little this game takes itself seriously, which makes it that much more refreshing. Half of the fun of Conker is waiting to see what's going to happen next. Even without the humor, Conker is still a very solid plat- former. The game utilizes the original "context sensitive" pads, giving Conker different abilities for each objective. Sometimes he wields a shotgun against the undead, while other times he must get piss-drunk (quite literally) in order to put out some fiery demons. The context sensitive sys- tem makes sure the action doesn't get stale, which I've found is a problem even in such classics as Grand Theft Auto Ill. The graphics are as good as I've ever seen on the N64, and the voice acting is great by any standards, espe- cially a video game. I've heard some people gripe about the camera, but I've never had any significant problems with it. Conker's single-player is more than good enough to stand on its own, but the game also has an extremely entertaining multiplayer mode, which increases the replay value immeasurably. Instead of merely throwing in a few multiplayer features, Conker's rivals that of games which are primarily known for their multiplayer, such as the Bomberman series. The modes are far too numerous for me to name in this tiny space, but almost all of them are very well done. My favorite is the War mode; nothing is more fun than leading a Tediz (teddy bear versions of Nazis) charge into a squirrel base and hewing away with a chainsaw. But maybe that's just me. GAME INFORMER 173 CLASSIC REVIEWS SUPER NINTENDO WHIZZ 5.5 uper Nintendo doesn't have as many ES as Genesis or NES, but it does have its & share of rarities. Whizz is definitely one of them. Released late in the system's life, Whizz is somewhere between the old school Crystal Castle and Sonic 3D Blast. It features a magical, top hat-sporting rabbit that runs through multi-level, isometric mazes, trying to reach his hot air balloon before time runs out. Many enemies stand in Whizz's way. Once they make contact, baddies just seem to stick to you, sucking away valuable energy. Unfortunately, Whizz can't pee on them, as the title may suggest. As a rabbit, your main character is a strong jumper. However, the isometric layout makes hitting your mark more difficult than it should be. Racing against time brings about a thrill or two, but really hinders exploration and leads to frustration. Whizz was lame in its day, and is no better now. Some games are rare for a reason. Only hardcore collectors need apply. W STYLE !-PLAYER ACTION @ PUBLISHER TITUS E DEVELOPER FLAIR Ш YEAR RELEASED 1996 NIGHTS INTO an anything be more trippy than Nights? We. highly doubt it. In one of Sega's best attempts to inject life into its failing Saturn platform, Sonic Team came up with a new twist on flying and character-based titles. Though really a 2D game, Nights had you embarking on a somewhat trackbased, shifting perspective flight. Along the way, there are loops to go through, items to collect, and enemies to destroy. If the timer runs out, your jester-dressed character turns back into a human and has to run around the rocky terrain, trying to find a launch pad again. You're very vulnerable in the jester form as swift, floating things chase after you. The flying C portions are fast and stylish — loaded with some of Saturn's best graphical eye candy. Sadly, it pales in comparison to what was out on the PlayStation or N64 at the time. The 3D controller that came in a bundle with the game is leagues better than the standard Saturn pad. While a little thin on replay, Nights is definitely one of the better Saturn games released in the US. NINTENDO 64 ROCKET: ROBOT ON WHEELS f you owned an N64, chances are you played your share of 3D platformers like Mario 64 | and Banjo-Kazooie. What you probably didn't play, though, was Rocket. Called Sprocket basically up until its release, Rocket: Robot On Wheels was the first effort from Sucker Punch – the developer behind Sly Cooper, aka last month's Game of the Month. Instead of a raccoon being the hero in this tale, he is the villain. As Rocket, a little unicycle robot, you must stop him from ruining an amusement park. Rocket has several unique moves, many of which involve his tractor beam. He can throw boxes and swing from bars, but he'll also drive а саг and design a roller coaster. Collecting various coin-like objects is, of course, mandatory. Rocket's physics are very smooth, but it suffers from the universal 3D problem of its day: a bad camera. Unlike most games of this ilk, there isn't even a centering button for it. D'oh! But, that flaw shouldn't keep you from picking up Rocket, the lost gem in the N64 platformer library. W STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM I PUBLISHER UBI SOFT Ш DEVELOPER SUCKER PUNCH W YEAR RELEASED 1999 LITTLE NINJA BROTHERS these techniques to the RPG realm. As brothers Jack and Ryu (yes, it's two-player), you're charged with saving Chinaland from a dastardly dictator. This entails the acquiring of bells of various colors. Blah, blah — story means little. In most ways, Little Ninja Brothers is a typical role-playing game, with equipment upgrades, healing items, and random battles. What is different, though, is the combat. Taking place in real-time, the brothers (or just Jack, in single-player mode) take on a slew of adversaries in a 3D environment. Train for new moves or punch rocks to obtain power-ups. It's a nice alternative to the ho-hum turn-based battles. With average graphics and blippy sound, there isn't much reason to dust off the NES for this game; unless you and a friend are extremely bored, and none of the more recent multiplayer RPGs (Secret of Mana, Legend of Mana, etc.) are available. K icking and punching are commonplace in action games, but Little Ninja Brothers brings W STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION @ PUBLISHER SEGA Ш DEVELOPER SONIC TEAM W YEAR RELEASED 1996 174 GAME INFORMER W STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION/RPG Ш PUBLISHER CULTURE BRAIN DEVELOPER CULTURE BRAIN @ YEAR RELEASED 1991 CLASSIC STRATEGY Boss 1-4 Be careful of the boss on the fifth hit. He will jump towards you, so make sure that you're ducking in the little indentation in the ground. This will prevent you from losing any stars. Boss 1-8 If you get hit, and you have extra lives, just fall in the lava on the right. You'll start over with 30 Stars. + + you a bit until the lava rock emerges and then submerges. Proceed slowly. Boss 2-4 This boss is too easy. If he gets close, use the platforms to jump over it and get to the other side. To cause damage, hit it by bouncing your shots off the walls. SUPER NINTENDO YOSHI'S ISLAND This strategy guide will help you defeat every boss, offers step by step instructions to complete the Extra stages with 100 points, and provides hints and codes to give you a little advantage. Our guide applies to the classic SNES version as well as the release for the Game Boy Advance, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island. Extra 1 - Steps to 100% ٤ 5 В E. Wait for the mutt to come here. The direction that you face will dic- tate the direction that he moves. Make sure you get some eggs before you do anything. It never hurts to have extra. Plus, if you stay here and let the bats come to you, the screen won't scroll. You must jump forward and float a little ahead to get him to come through. Once he does, jump on his back and get the Flower. When your mutt jumps over the ledge, quickly turn left, which will allow you to fall to the pit and get the Flower safely. Get the Red coins next by jumping from your dog's back, and floating to the plat- form. Use the brown wooden platform to better judge your dog's "2 position. From here, dismount and jump at an arch trying to float and col- lect as many coins as possible. Be careful of staying to the right too much, or you could fall in lava. To get past these enemies, just ride your dog all the way to the pit with coins. Don't forget to use your +20 Star icon before you jump through the loop! Boss 2-8 bunch All you need to do is push with two eggs. the pot that he emerges from over the ledge! When it jets forward to push you back, simply duck. When you encounter the walls of exclamation marks, duck. Don’t forget to miss the Flowers and Red coins it to obtain Red coins, jumping off only at the last minute to the next platform with the "!" switch. Hit it quickly, very quickly! Get the Flowers, which should not be a problem, using the arrow spheres to get over each wall. • ° Boss 3-4 @ You must launch the large eggs at his uvula while trying to avoid the ө drops of acid. If you simply stand e directly under the uvula and eat the enemies as they fall, you won't be © touched. Immediately go left at the begin- Get off as the moving platform Use the arrow to jump up and @ none И means of attack. ning and take the pipe down for a is going up and quickly hit the "I" hit the "I" switch. Quickly shoot the For the first one, he'll charge you : of stars. Make sure you leave switch. Get back on quickly. You'll Flower with an egg and get on the e going completely acrdss the screen be tempted to jump off when it platform. You should have the tar- @ Just jump over him to the other side. launches into the air, but stay on get aimed down and locked so that For the second, he'll do a similar У to get the Red coins. you can shoot the egg quickly Ф action, but he'll stop halfway, and go before you reach it: back. Just jump and hover for a You'll From ө moment, then return to your previous get to here, you e position. For the third, the boss uses another should his tentacles. They follow Yoshi under platform have more @ the bridge, and then pop up. Just get that than out of their way, but if you get caught launches enough @ under one, simply jump out of the you. X Y time to way. To damage the boss, reflect an Again, JN ARN x get e egg off the wall so it goes under the remain on through. e bridge. e GAMEINFORMER 175 CLASSIC STRATEGY WORLD THREE (CONT. € to the spinning plat- form that is blocked off by a wall. Fall to the platform that is at the bottom of the rotation and make a $ small jump forward to get to the next platform. From there, jump and shoot a seed at the monkey. Now stand on a platform, and when you reach the top, jump to access a secret area. 1. Get the Red coin held by the flying enemy at the beginning, as well as the "2" clouds. Also, the second pole contains a Red coin. 5. When you get to the pole with a spiked enemy on it, use your tongue to knock it off. Buttslam this pole to free the rotating plat- form. Ride it over to the stable rotating platform. Quickly knock the spiked creature off and snag the flying enemy with a Red coin. 4. The next few parts should be okay; just hit those mon- keys with seeds. Try to take care of them one at a time, always watching to see where they are spitting first! form. o o o o Oo © © ө ө ( DÞ © © © © © gaza s 2. Collect the eggs and get 47 the Flower. When you emerge, follow the arrow 6. Get on the platform mov- ing vertically under the plant- spitting eggs. Eat the monkey and shoot eggs to get the coins and to knock off the green enemies on the plat- 3. You'll fall to another rotating platform. Knock the monkey off the tree to the right. Launch an egg at the spiked enemy to the left. Buttslam the pole where the spiked enemy was. Jump to the rotating platform to the right. 7. Before you go through the loop, get the two Red coins held by flying enemies, and shoot the Flower on the other side of the loop. WORLD FOUR Boss 4-4 Simply buttslam the enemy, and it'll divide. Keep doing this until the boss splits into edible pieces. Eat them, and you're finished! Boss 4-8 Bounce on its head to make it spit out eggs. Get the eggs and fire them at his face. Keep doing this in Succession at a slight dis- tance until the mutated tur- tle falls. Now, buttslam its stomach. Repeat until you've done it three times. Most of its attacks can be avoided by jumps, but after you hit it, it will bounce at you. Just run away, but if you're in a corner, you must go under it. 5, Transform, get the four coins, and get the glowing 1. When you emerge from the first sewer, go down. Follow the arrow to the right. Go down to the left and get the Red eggs. Enter the sewer. You'll make your way and encounter a box. Forget it and jump the gap. Go down the area to the left, oppo- Site the arrow. Enter the first sewer you see. - down and get the next Flower you see. Follow the next arrow down to the left. Fall, since you can't enter the sewer indicated by the eight arrows. Go back to the beginning and smash the box now. 3. Get back to the box part and push it over; don't smash it this time. Push it to the right until you get to i the section with an arrow pointing up to some white platforms. eggs in the next area. Be sure to use these eggs on enemies, as they will reveal Red coins! Follow the box down to the sewer with all of the arrows pointing at it. Also be aware that boxes will disappear if you don't keep up with them, which means you'll have to start over. 4. Transform and get all of the coins. Bust the box in the next area. Now return to the previous sewer, and then go back to this box. Push the box to the left, down the hole. Move it underneath the sewer, get on the box, and enter the sewer. 6. Enter the sewer, get the final Flower, and jump to the platform before you plummet to your death. WORLD FIVE Exira 5 - Steps to 100% Boss 5-4 2. When 3. Load The ghost is easy, but you must act quickly. With you get to up on at least five eggs, keep pushing in its exterior the boul- eggs and until you reach the heart. Once you're close to 0 der, jump set your the heart, launch another egg to cause damage. 3 ges $ а е o “TE target to ads aim high the ene- for Boss 5-8 | 8 mies SN. This giant crow isn't too bad, since it only has throwing the "I" two attacks. When it runs at you, head in the 1. Obviously you have to watch for Kamek throughout the entire round. Whenever you hear the sound of Kamek flying towards you, jump! eggs at you to eliminate the nuisance; kill them in the order presented. Now go back to the rock, and stand on the edge of it to cause it to fall. Get the key, and don't forget all of the coins. Switch. Hit the Flower, and then hit the two flying enemies holding the Red coin. Screw the clouds; they only have Stars anyway. Just be sure that you have a +20 Star icon. opposite direction. When it spits fire, jump over it. To damage the crow, wait for it to walk over a pole that's already nailed in. Now, buttslam the pole opposite of the crow. 176 GAME INFORMER WORLD FIVE (CONT. = 5. In the second screen (you should have 10 Red coins and two Flowers), when you get to the last descending platform and you can see the platforms ahead which hold coins and a Flower, jump. When you get on the cloud, leap about two inches from the edge and you'll obtain the set of Red coins. 4. Enter the locked door in the next area. When you see the first Flower, don't jump immediately, but hold back and tap jump about two inches before you meet the ledge. To get the next set of coins, jump as soon as you see the red arrow before the gap. 6. For the third section (you should have 15 Red coins and three Flowers), when you're launched off, don't jump. Let the slope propel you and you'll hit a helicopter morph. There are five coins and a Flower here, so once you get them, snag another helicopter morph and leave, heading right! To do this efficiently, we suggest getting the Flower in the middle last, as there's a morph next to it. 7. You'll С encounter the last Flower behind a white wall emerging from the А А ceiling. First, stay high, then go low when you see the single red arrow. Now you're forced high; once over the wall, head down and then up to snag the Flower. From here, start descending while you move forward and you'll hit the Yoshi morph. © WORLD SIX Boss 6-4 You must get the big spiked freak into the lava, which means you must use eggs to break away the blocks. Draw the enemy to one side and quickly hop over to the other. Now begin break- ing away the blocks. When the enemy gets too close, jump on the platforms to replenish your eggs. On the highest platform, the enemy can barely touch you. When you know the enemy is under you, jump to avoid getting hit. Once a hole is made, just stand in front of it, and the spiked freak will fall in. Boss 6-8 For baby Bowser, let him come at you, making sure that he doesn't hit you. As soon as his shockwave passes by, you must buttslam to send your own shockwave at him. When he lands, you should already be in the air, starting the buttslam while his shockwave is directly under you. Also, you must be pretty close to him when you do it; otherwise, it won't reach him in time. For big Bowser, run back and forth across the screen to avoid fireballs. When you receive a large Red egg, your target will move up and down. You have to launch these eggs at his head. Your aim has to be precise, or the eggs will fly right over or under him. If you wait until he gets somewhat close, it will be easier to hit him, but if he gets too close the platforms fall and your game is over. Good luck! a Extra 6 - Steps to 100% „М... Ye Ye. УЛУ; УЛ ОУ ДУЛУ УЛ Ж» air ro 3. The yellow platforms are the ones you have to worry about. You can 2. When er Aad Loc УЛ; TP; Y j you get to 2 Ye. the first А моодеп wheel, shoot eggs at the coins rather than trying to snag them. Do the same thing at the next wood- avoid death on the first yellow one if you en wheel, and don't forget to shoot the clouds. duck, but the second one will kill you no mat- You'll encounter a third wheel. To be safe, shoot ter what. So to get all of the coins, quickly the coins that are under the spikes; then fall, jump to the second yellow platform, and then 1. Get some eggs and shoot them at the ghost to push it back. Get the Flower and coins. Do the same thing at the next two ghosts. floating down and to the left to get the coins leap back to the previous one if you miss any under the stairs. Get back up and fall to the coins. 4. When right this time to get you jump, gb the other coins and a just tap the Flower. button and 5. When you hover to ascend, use the gain as lifts on the left, as much con- there's a ghost on trol as pos- the right. There's sible. When also one you need you take to look out for just the second Lo ae ee ee Дыр after this. He's in lift up next Ў the middle of the screen. Don't worry about the coins, since none are red. / to the egg dispenser, jump off before you hit the spikes at the end. 8. The part CODES in the water is easy Bonus Stages enough. Just stay on SNES , At the map screen, hold select the plat- T and press X, X, Y, B, A. form and it will take 6. Don't worry too much about the coins in this part. When enemies throw eggs at you, just try to jump and get out of the way. When you reach the top, be careful – the lift is about an inch from the platforms. Do a small jump to the left to get the Flower. Enter the sewer. 7. Fall down the middle to get the coins, but do a buttslam so that you don't get hit by any eggs. In the next area, just do another buttslam as you fall, but it's not necessary. you to the coins. If you mess up, proceed all the way to the end and make sure you're in the water. There's a platform that will jet you back to the beginning. The only danger you need to be aware of is the spikes. Duck under them as the platforms move you along. e GBA At the map screen, hold select and press L, L, B, A, R. GAMEINFORMER 177 THE ANIMATRIX DVD Manufacturer: Various • Website: www.whatisthematrix.com • List Price: NA With the near-limitless possibilities of CG and anime, the Animatrix looks to be the coolest thing this side of a party on the roof of the Standard in downtown LA. Featuring nine different stories by seven different creators, (Square USA, Mahiro Maeda, and Peter Chung will be among them) the Wachowski brothers are going to have their wildest Matrix- related dreams realized some- time next year. By the looks of the trailer, this DVD has the potential to be one of the hottest releases since Monsters, Inc. When exact- ly it will release next year is anyone’s guess, but we're hoping it'll be in the first half. DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN Manufacturer: Vital Toys * Website: www.vitaltoys.com List Price: $19.99 It’s not worth hiding it any longer — we know you have a Madonna shrine hidden behind that loose piece of drywall in your closet. Come out and admit it! Now that you've got all of that extra space on your mantle and a clear conscience, we've got the perfect thing for you: Madonna action figures! The Material Girl has never looked better than she did in the 1985 comedy, Desperately Seeking Susan. Feel free to pose and prod your figures from this breakout film any way you want; why should you miss out on what half the world has already enjoyed with the real thing? Just make sure your parents don’t find out — you'll be cut out of the will, you sick bastard. | ZONE OF THE ENDERS: IDOLO DVD ©) Manufacturer: ADV Films • Website: www.advfilms.com | List Price: $21.50 : Exploding robots! Anime! More exploding robots! How could any video game dork worth his weight in salt not want to see this thing? Look, Earth is about to be blown away by the Martians, and it's up to Lieutenant Radium Lavans to save billions of lives. Don't think that you can watch this | DVD and feel safe after you turn it off, though. Take notes, for crissakes! We might come under a massive attack Í from Mars any second now, and you would be a virtual ©) Stormin’ Norman with your voluminous ZOE knowledge. Do Earth a favor and check this one out. ALONE IN THE DARK COMIC BOOK Manufacturer: Image Comics Website: www.imagecomics.com List Price: $5.95 Remember the Alone in the Dark games? Good for you. Now you've got a comic book to drool over. It breaks down a little some- thing like this: An ancient artifact of enor- mous power known as the Crown of Ghengis is in the middle of a hidden temple somewhere in the mountainous region of Nepal. People try to find it, scary things jump out at them, and firearms are acti- vated at things you wouldn't like to see under your bed. Are you man (or woman) enough to finish this comic? Maybe...maybe not. LOGITECH CORDLESS CONTROLLER FOR PLAYSTATION Manufacturer: Logitech • Wesite: www.logitech.com List Price: $59.95 Nintendo is no longer the only company with a cordless gaming option for its newest console. A number of peripheral companies are jump- in£ on the cordless bandwagon, and Logitech is leading the way with this 2.4 GHz behemoth. Featuring compatibility with both PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles, this con- troller has a rumble feature, 20 feet worth of range, and 50 hours of battery life. If you're going to take it into the bathroom, please keep it away from the toilet – we've heard some terrible poop-laden horror stories from those who weren't careful. Ick! GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY PILLOW f Manufacturer: Rockstar ‚ A Website: www.rockstargames.com/warehouse/ à List Price: $25.00 What better way to enjoy a refreshing nap than nestled in the loving arms of Rockstar games' pink Vice ' City pillow with the picture of a razor blade on j the back? What does the razor mean? We're not | sure, and we don't know why we keep getting mir- 2 rors emblazoned with the Vice City logo in the | mail, but we think it has something to do with | that five o'clock shadow fad that was all the rage | in the ‘80s. Maybe not, but in any event, the = | eighties-ness of the whole thing is just too fun to |, pass up. Imagine your drab little pad with а cou- А قت‎ # ple of these babies lying on a couch. Finally you ا‎ have throw pillows that you care about! Don’t pay atten- tion to your girlfriend when she starts droning on and on about how hot pink doesn’t match anything — Vice City forever! Tubular! Game Informer Magazine" (ISSN 1067-6392) is published monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 per year, ог twenty four issues for $24.98 by Sunrise Publications", 724 North First Street, áth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. (612) 486-6100 or FAX (612) 486-6101. For subscriptions, back issues, or customer service inquiries (612) 486-6100. Periodicals postage paid at Minneapolis, MN, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIBERS/POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Game Informer Magazine”, 724 North First Street, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars and must include $20/year additional postage per year. Game Infermer* does not claim any copyright in the screenshots herein. Copyright in all screenshots contained within this publication are owned by their respective companies. Entire contents copyright 2002. Game Informer Magazine", All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer* is a trademark of GameStop. Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies. 178 GAME INFORMER d, Microsoft, Xbox: Xbox Ё es and/or olber соті All else has failed. The lines between good and evil have been drawn: There's you and there's everybody else. Your weapon is a 40-foot-tall walking death machine. Your mission is destruction. Tanks, helicopters, buildings, the planet itself. Welcome to war in the 31st century, where peace is one of those things you read about. тм SALT | [88 [—- «- нас NE ale. Download new 'Mechs, new missions, even enemies. For added destruction play online with 7 This is epic devastation taken to a whole ne Violence à соня ( J Tasa studio) WV Е ONLINE ENABLED TT ИЕ TS ACCESSoORI www.pelicanac mistress! sometimes ya gotta cheat. Available for : PSone,GameBoy Advance and GameBoy Color. Coming soon for : XBox and GameCube Į BEFORE THE MANSION. nd . ВЕРОВЕ ТНЕ DISASTER. тач Fight for survival in this action-packed thriller with an all-new story line! 1 REN Use more strategy as you switch between Кебасса and Billy for collaborative gameplay. ‘introducing a new playable character, nightmarish beasts and non-stop terror. a а qa Resident) Even |: | РУМЕ 5 Da. | ozez [JAY ju9piseg MY . The brand-new Zero chapter-only on Nintendo GameCube Blood and Gore NINTENDO Violence GAMECUBE... © CAPCOM CO.. LTD. 2002 © CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. 2002. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. RESIDENT EVIL is a registered trademark of CAPCOM CO.. LTD. The ratings icon is a registered Н trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. LICENSED BY NINTENDO: Nintendo, Nintendo GameCube and the Official Seal are trademarks of Nintendo: © 2001 Nintendo. Made with) love’ by, Our goal is to preserve elassie video дате magazines So that they аге not lost/permanently: People Interested in helping ош п any capacity; please visit us at retromags.com: No profit is made от these scans nor do we offer anything available from the publishers themselves: Ifyou come across anyone selling releases from this Site please do not support them апа do let Us know: Thank you!