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12

FEATURES e 1Y G El

It's halftime, boys and girls, and your good friends at Game Informer have been compiling a list and checking it twice — a list of games from this console generation that will be revered, referenced, and remem- bered. We're digging 'ет, and you should too!

GAME INFORMER

INFORM

COVER STORY DEAD TO RIGHTS II: HELL TO PAY

Jack Slate has more ways to kill you than a butcher's got meat: His disarming style, his willingness to take a dive, and his sharp wit/sword come to mind. He's also a dog lover. See what Namco has in store for the sequel to the Platinum Hit, Dead to Rights. Here's a hint: bigger, better, more.

78 SQUA EN

The revered RPG masterminds have more than a few surprises up their sleeves. We got the skinny early and share the wealth instead of acting all superior and keeping the dish to ourselves. We'll be looking for the "Thank You" cards in the mail shortly.

YONE FINDS SOMETHIN

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EDITOR'S FORUM This is the one place that those of us who write this monthly ditty get to have some personal time for a cleansing diatribe. See what we're talking about this month.

GI SPY The Game Informer paparazzi stalk the video game industry, bringing you candid photos of all the action.

DEAR GI First, multiple readers want to know what's on our party cheese plates, and now it's Smurfs? What's with you people? Others round out the collection of the obscure, insightful, and insipid.

NEWS With an industry that's growing as quickly as this video game world we're a part of, the ballyhoo that's fit to print just gets more and more interesting. See what's moving and shaking in this all- important pre-holiday season.

14 GAMEINFORMER

PREVIEWS Time to start the wish lists, kids and adults alike. We've got the skinny on more than a few titles to whet the whistle and lust after. Every taste is covered, and there's tons of new information on highly- anticipated games.

REVIEWS You may be holding out for an appropriate gift- giving occasion, but every- one should make sure that their list is chock full of winners. This plump batch of reviews exposes what may be the biggest disappoint- ment this year and a few surprisingly excellent picks. Your gaming systems will thank you.

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 С! editors' Top 10 Games.

CLASSIC GI

We talk long and hard with the creator of Marble Madness. See what it is that makes everyone in this office feel like the most inadequate failures in history. You will too, unless you were revolutionizing an indus- try and making mad dough

as a teenager.

ETC Looking for some holi- | day ideas you can take [i advantage of, and still offer a cheap excuse

to get into a video game or toy emporium? Check out our selection that covers almost any gift need.

GAME INDEX

GAME Alias .. All-Star

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (PS2) Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (Xbox) . . Castlevania: Lament of Innocence . . Conflict: Desert Storm ||

Back to Baghdad (PS2) ............ 153 Conflict: Desert Storm ||

Back to Baghdad (Xbox) Counter-Strike . Crimson Tears . Culdcept . Cy Girls Dinotopia: Disney's Party . Drift Racer: Kaldo Dungeons & Dragons Heroes ESPN NBA Basketball (PS2) . . ESPN МВА Basketball (Xbox) , Fatal Frame 2: NOD Buttery : FIFA 2004 (GC) . FIFA 2004 (PS2) Ghost Master Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance (PS2) . Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance (Xbox) Grand Theft Auto Ill/Vice City . Gundum: Encounters in Space. Harry Potter: Quidditch World Ci Homeworld 2 Horizons Onlin

Nl wats rn Kameo: Elements of Power . Y Kya: Dark Lineage .145 Legacy of Kain: Defiance Lethal Skies || Lifeline .... Links 2004 . Lord of the Rings:

War of the Ring, The Magatama . . Magic: The Gat Manhunt . Mario Kart: Medal of Honor: Infiltrator Mega Man X: Command Mission Mega Man Х7 Metal Arms:

Glitch in the System (GC) . 156 Metal Arms:

Glitch in the System (PS2) .......... 152 Metal Arms:

Glitch in the System (Xbox) Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Middle Earth Online Monster Hunter . Munch's Oddysee . NBA Jam 2004 (PS2) . NBA Jam 2004 (Xbox) NBA Live 2004 (PS2) . NBA Live 2004 (Xbox) Nightmare Before Christmas, The .

Nightshade Nosferatu; The Wrath of Malachi Phantom Dust.

R: Racing Evolution

Railroad Tycoon 3 . Rogue Ops (GC) .. . Rogue Ops (PS2) Rogue Ops (Xbox) Runaway . Sabre Wolf Savage: The Simpsons: Hit & Вип...

SOCOM Il: U.S. Navy SEALs Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy SpongeBob SquarePants:

Battle for Bikini Bottom SSX 3 (GC) . SSX 3 (PS2) SSX 3 (Xbox) ...

Star Wars Rogue ‘Squadron Ш

Rebel Strike Star Wars: Jedi Academy .. Steel Battalion: Line of Contact Super Mario Advance 4:

Super Mario Bros. 3. ‘SWAT: Global Strike Tear Tak & the Power of Juju . Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Temple of Elemental Evil...... 174 Terminator 3: War of the Machines 107 Tony Hawk's Underground . . Vx JOP SD aches ее

Unreal Tournament 2004

XGRA (PS2) XGRA (Xbox) . .

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LISTS: THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

ANDY McNAMARA andy@gameinformer.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With the rumors of new systems and

their release dates flying in the air (PS3 and Next-box have been talked about

for 2005/2006, and the scuttlebutt on Nintendo is that it will launch its new con- sole next year - all unconfirmed obviously), we thought it would be a great time to look at the highlights of this generation of machines. Enter our huge feature on the Top 50 Games of This Current Generation.

Now, before people start crying that their favorite game didn’t make the list, or that our list sucks because we included a game you hate, | want to lay down some ground rules on lists.

First rule: no whiners. As the Rolling Stones so eloquently said, ^You can't always get what you want," and the same holds true even here at Game Informer. Every editor on staff had games that they wanted on the list that didn't make it, and ones that they despise made it. Such are the pitfalls of a list. They always cause controversy, which is easily one of the rea- sons why I love them so.

Second rule: no whiners. Since the list will continue to evolve as new games come out, please consider the Top 50 a “snapshot” of a time and place. Some games didn't get to us in time for this issue and others come out after its cre- ation. Such is life.

If people enjoy the feature | will most certainly look at creating an updated list next year so make sure to let me know what you think, or hit our forums at www.gameinformer.com.

“REVIEWS

=

REINER | гепег@батет!огтег.сот

Not only am 1 Game Informer's resident dork and biggest Star Wars fan, having reviewed every sports game this year, l'm now the biggest jock as well. This throws a huge kink in my wardrobe — the Brett Favre jersey simply clashes with my Jedi cloak – and makes me wonder if | have too much time on my hands. Maybe | should spend time with my girlfriend (what was her name again?), or go visit my family (but first I'll have to figure out which ones are still alive). Now that | think of it, though, that sounds like way too much work. Seeing that | haven't changed my undies in the last month (maybe two), I'm better off just sitting оп the couch hanging with my best friends (people | just met online in NHL 2004).

MATT | matt@gameinformer.com This year has been pretty strong so far, and this month sees the highly anticipated holiday titles start to roll out. However, what I'm still missing is that game that gives me that “Oh- my-God-think-+just-dropped-aoad-in-my-pants!!!” feeling like Halo or Grand Theft Auto Ill did a few years ago. That's not to say there's a shortage of good games to play — with KOTOR, Jak Il, SSX 3 and many others recently released, my plate is definitely full; it's just that none of them seem to really blow my mind or redefine gaming for me. For this reason, 1 may be building up unrealistically high hopes for Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden, the one title | think has the potential to be this year's defining gaming experience. Seriously, to say that this game has good graphics and cool gameplay is kind of like saying Randy Moss is an “okay” JUSTIN | justin@gameinformer.com

am fascinated by the soap opera of sports game development. Companies have such

a short time to put out something markedly different from the year before. EA has the advantage of a larger customer base, so it just has to keep its fans from going astray. Sega has shown its seriousness by implementing huge new features into its NFL and

NBA games — Cribs and 24/7 mode, respectively. However, the curse of time strikes both companies, as their titles have new elements that couldn't be fully realized by ship date. While there's always next year's edition, it's still an unfortunate situation for both the hard- working developers and the demanding consumer.

КАТО | katoGgameinformer.com

Although you can read my rantings on Rogue Squadron III in my review on page 155, | just don't get that game. I'm just talking out loud here, but c'mon, Factor 5 and LucasArts must have known that the gameplay was painful. That title's an interesting study in video game sequel psychology. It gives us something new (cool), drops the ball on gameplay (bad), and by failing in its new frontiers, makes us yeam for more of the original — a clear contradiction of our desire for sequels to break the mold. Moreover, the game features a wealth of peripheral features (like the unlockable arcade titles), which is a popular thing to do these days. However, we must not let them obscure the bigger picture.

LISA | \isa@gameinformer.com

Everyone in the office knows that | am a puzzle dork. As such, | am also something of

a puzzle snob. Those of us who feel the same can concur on one point: Puzzles may

be hard, but the solutions must be found through logic. Personally, I'm sick of games that babysit me through a challenge; or, even worse, require what seems to be random combining of objects to reach a resolution. I’m insistent that poor puzzles are just caused by lazy development, and | don’t want to have to deal with it anymore. Personally, | get more satisfaction from coming to a rational solution than blowing the brains out of an evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet.

JEREMY | jeremy@gameinformer.com

I've seen a lot of familiar ideas in games lately, which makes me believe we're in dire need of a new game genre. My suggestion is the survival horror/platformer with stealth elements. Here's my idea: The setting is a haunted space station (the walls never stop bleeding) that's been damaged by alien invasion. The attack caused all kinds of jumpy parts to open up, and you must use the platforms and shadows to avoid all the alien monsters and ghosts. Of course, you could shoot them, but ammo is scarce. If done properly, it'd be completely different, which is something that's desperately needed. Oh, game developers — if you like my idea, you'd best cut me a check tomorrow.

~ GAME INFORMER UNLIMITED When you see this logo on a game preview, review,

or feature; you can learn more about it by heading to www.gameinformer.com and clicking on the Unlimited logo. There are tons of other bonuses there (including

movies, interviews, and screenshots) exclusively for Game Informer subscribers, so even if a game you like doesn’t have the logo in the magazine, there is a good chance you can still learn more online.

NOVEMBER 2003

Volume XIII • Number 14 • Issue 127 PUBLISHER

Cathy Preston

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andrew McNamara

EDITORS

Executive Editor Andrew Reiner Senior Associate Editor Matt Helgeson Associate Editors Justin Leeper * Matthew Kato * Lisa Mason Jeremy 2055 • Adam Biessener Mascot Arthur

PRODUCTION

Art Director Thomas Blustin Production Director Curtis Fung Production Assistant Rachel Nimerfroh

GAME INFORMER ONLINE

Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Associate Online Editor Chris Cook

ADVERTISING SALES

MINNEAPOLIS Rob Borm Director of Marketing and Midwest/East Coast Sales Manager (612) 4866155 Fax: (612) 4866101 rob@gameinformer.com

Ату Arnold Advertising Coordinator (612) 4866154 Fax: (612) 4866101 amy@gameinformer.com

SAN FRANCISCO Doug Faust Vice President Advertising Sales (650) 728.5647 Fax: (650) 7285648 doug@gameinformer.com

LOS ANGELES Marc Minasian Southwest Regional Sales Manager (818) 991.9923 Fax: (818) 991-9923 marc@gameinformer.com

CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT

For change of address ог subscription inquiry ONLY: Toll Free: 1 (866) 844-GAME (4263)

Fax: (612) 486-6101. Email: customerserviced 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

Information Systems Manager Paul Hedgpeth paulhedgpeth@gameinformer.com

Manufactured and printed in the United States of America The Editor welcomes company product information for ай 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 ог acknowledged. Entire contents copyright 2003. Game Informer® Magazine. АП 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 ог 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.

Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

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* rity photo-op master, poses with Jenna

CANDID PHOTOS FROM THE SEAMY UNDERBELLY OF THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

1 SCI Games' Emily Britt and Bender/ Helper's Eric Duncan, seen here outside of the ultra-exclusive Monte Carlo restau- rant in Minneapolis 2 Andy, Highwater Group's Tara Blanco, Atari's Matt Frary, and Dave Brown go for a group snuggle in Cabo San Lucas, a.k.a. “Тће Land of Hagar" 3 Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski, video games’ most accomplished celeb-

Jameson, a highly respected film actress 4 Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan relaxes

with her GBA after giving birth to her new baby girl, Princess Peach Kaplan

5 Activision’s Ryh-Ming Poon lives out her fantasy of strangling Andy... harder. harder!!! 6 Game Informer's Amy Arnold celebrates selling her first ad the only way she knows how: by getting all crunk up in da club! Holla! 7 Visual Concepts’ Matt Atwood (center) gets ready to put up the rock for a jump ball between fellow VC homies Rob Jones (left) and Derrick Aynaga (right) 8 Insomniac's Ted Price and Sony's Tina Casalino audition for Mannequin 3: The Legend of Curly's Gold

5 4

— MIDWAY

N A THERUNTBEGINSAGAIN. = + ~ EE |

S —

Prepare to be Hunted November 2003

wwwspyhuntere.midwaycom 2. playstation о X €

x8OX бАМЕСИВЕ

"WE'RE NOT NERDS"

Warhammer 40,000 is not a *pen and paper" game, nor is it in any way an RPG! Do your freaking homework people! It is a miniatures-based war game.

Jeff Via cox.net

I'm writing this email in response to your preview of Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior in issue 125. Overall, there is nothing wrong with the article: It does a good

job informing gamers about the title while keeping the story hush-hush. But, the way that the writer described Warhammer 40,000 is as far off the target as one can be.

The preview said, "Widely considered to be the sci- ence-fiction Dungeons & Dragons, Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 is a unit-based pen and paper role- playing game....” Whoever wrote this article obviously has no idea what Warhammer 40,000 really is. There is noth- ing even remotely D&D-like about it, and to be compared to that is like a slap directly to my face.

I've been playing the game for about eight years now, and I'd like to explain what Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 really are. The object of the game is to smash the opposing player's army to oblivion while keeping yours somewhat intact. The only thing that involves pen and paper is when you form your army and write their stats down. The very core of the game is not pen and paper, but the physical army. Go to any Games Workshop store and they will sell small plastic Warhammer models that you must assemble and paint yourself. The amount of time needed to build an army can range from weeks to years — depending on how much detail you want. After all the hours of assembling and painting are over, you have a great sense of achievement, as your army is now ready to wreak havoc on the battlefield. The game itself is turn-based and can last for a couple hours.

Dungeons & Dragons is a nerdy little game where you build a character and go around on various quests doing things. There is no visual representation, no skill at all involved in playing the game, and no overall sense of achievement other than slaying the Teresk at level 21 or whatever. I’m not saying that Warhammer isn't nerdy, but for Pete's sake, it's far from Dungeons & Dragons. Warhammer requires smart people to play it, and you have to have a sense of tactics to win. You can't just assemble an army and go to it with any expectation of doing well.

| don't mean to sound like a ranting, pissed off, little closet nerd, but not very many people know what Warhammer is or do their best to understand it. But, as journalists, at least have an understanding of what it is that you're writing about before printing horrible compari- sons like this.

Kevin [Email address withheld to stave the flow of D&D players' hatred pointed at his inbox]

And now we stoke the fires.... Did you see that, D&D fans? You're all stupid nerds with no concept of strategy or appreciation for the visual representation of your gam- ing passion of choice! We didn't say it, Kevin did.

For those who aren't blinded by rage and rereading that last letter, the sentence above is a diversionary tactic. We're displacing blame from ourselves to Kevin. That's what we call journalism! GI does apologize to those who felt, like Kevin, that they were physically assaulted by our description of Warhammer 40,000 as a pen and paper game. In our meager defense, the word- ing we offered was only as a way to quickly get across the very broad concept of WH40K; which, apparently, requires neither pen nor paper.

20 GAME INFORMER

ce about GI on

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San Franc

As САТУ illustrated, even at the madcap offices of this magazine, a sensitive work environment must be maintained. We were strongly advised to stop the hazing and general Animal House-like debauchery that could be submitted as evidence at a later date. And yes, as many noticed from their coverage, the vault really does rock.

GRUDGINGLY ADMIT

Гуе been a subscriber to GI for only a couple of months now, and | would've been the first to tell you that | was not impressed with your magazine at all. But then | had to decide what my football gaming fate would be for the rest of the year.

Well, let me be the first to say that your August 2003 issue simply astonished me with the great depth and detail you put into the Redzone Offenses feature. It means a lot to a serious player like myself when | can refer to this wealth of information in selecting my $50 dollar product. | mean, seriously, chances are that I'll be playing this thing for the next year; and after what | went through this with last year's NFL Fever, having those facts and figures avail- able now is helping me make a wiser decision this year. Thanks for the help, and I'll certainly be renewing my sub- scriptions in the future.

Bryan McKeller Via email

We don't necessarily appreciate your early trepidation to our monthly tome, but do heartily appreciate your change of heart. The sports features, as a yearly tradi- tion here at 61, are something we take great pride in and offer them in flavors of baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. We're glad to hear that they're helpful and thanks for the compliments.

ANGEL OF CRAPNESS

Let me start off by saying that | have been waiting for Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness to come out for quite some time. After it was delayed for the sixth or seventh time, | was certain that when it was released, the game would be nothing short of awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, | have come to find out that | was completely wrong.

Using the word awkward to describe this game's con- trols is generous, and I'm using it only because | can't find the right word off the top of my head to truly describe how terrible it is. The character models, as a highlight, are only adequate; and | am very disappointed in nearly every aspect of this game. It appears that Core Design spent more time developing the physics for Lara's tush than working on the rest of the game. As a fan, I'm pissed.

Shaun Horine Via email

HURRY UP, KID. YOU ONLY HAVE SECURITY CLEARANCE > FOR FIVE MINUTES d

Why, oh why didn’t | listen to you guys? Why didn’t | believe your oh-so-brilliant review of Angel of Darkness? But, no, | had to go out and see for myself, and | wasted my money on that stupid piece of crap. | was expecting an action-packed adventure like the good old days of Tomb Raider, but crap was | disappointed. Trey Via yahoo.com

The firestorm of accusation around this title, coupled with resoundingly harsh reviews, has tainted Core Design’s previously “good” reputation. Movie studios are blaming the game for the film’s stateside performance, publisher Eidos has moved development from Core to Crystal Dynamics, execs are stepping down, and fans are enraged.

But what does this mean for Lara’s empire and her (as Justin so aptly put it) pair of gigantic...movies? Well, they will probably continue to spawn – except in China, where The Cradle of Life was banned for its portrayal of the country. Game development is supposed to continue, and fans who bought the game...well, they should just read our reviews more often.

NINTENDO SAVES A LIFE

I'd like to let all the readers know why everyone should own a Game Boy Advance SP. Even if you're not a fan of handhelds, this system could one day save your life.

| live in NYC, and during the recent blackout, it was my first week at a new job as a file clerk at a hospital. Most of my workday is spent in the basement, in a tiny room, filled with a maze of boxes piled up to the ceiling, pulling out files, sorting through them, and scanning them. This is exactly what | was doing when the power went out. So here | am, in the basement of an unfamiliar building, sur- rounded by a maze of boxes. What was | to do? | wasn't familiar enough with my surroundings to navigate through the catacombs by memory alone, and | didn't want to risk blindly stumbling through the dark and possibly have a stack of boxes collapse on me.

But 1 didn't panic. Instead, | was hit by a quick flash- back of yelling at my friend for playing Game Boy next to me while | was trying to sleep. That was it - the Game Boy Advance SP is a really powerful light source! So, ! pulled

Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: Game Informer Magazine • Attn: Dear GI * 724 North First St., 4th Floor « Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: деагді@ gameinformer.com

defeated the relentless Nemesis of Resident Evil 3, now play the blood-chilling sequel Code:Veronica X. Seeking clues in

search of her missing brother, Claire Redfield discovers the insidious Umbrella Corporation's horrific conspiracy is not

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ENVELOPE АКТ

out my trusty Game Boy, turned it on, and successfully navigated out of the treacherous maze and up the stairs to safety. “Goresaw” Greg Draudt Via email

Greg deserves to be applauded on a handful of levels. He, in а MacGyverlike stroke of ingenuity, took advan- tage of the tools available, however bizarre. In addition, the young filer has found a job that allows him to play games on the clock! Nice work!

MYTH VS. FABLE

Do you believe in Smurfs, or do you think they're just a myth? Dfairdealdan Via email

Because of the peaceful resolution of all problems with- in a half-hour timeframe, their clearly demonstrated ability to speak, the obvious categorization of said creatures as "animals," and their inexplicable ability to create abodes from mushrooms; we herald the Smurf population as fully believable.

SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE

Gentlemen, though it is nice to see you put an honest effort into explaining the rank structure and breakdown of the Army, it would have been better if you had fully researched your info.

It is true that most of the Army does not use “regi- ments" anymore. However, there is one active Army regi- ment left to this day. You may have heard of the 75 Ranger Regiment. It is composed of three line battalions and a headquarters element. As one of the soldiers in the 3rd battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, | would appreciate that our unit gets the respect it deserves as stand- ing alone as the last official active regi- ment in the Army.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Rangers Lead the Way!

SSG. Hunt Charlie Company 3/15

We really were wrong to prematurely add regiments to the extinction list. But, we noticed that you prefaced your letter with “Gentlemen.” There are more than a few issues with that salutation (i.e. calling any male member of this staff a gentleman could be a bit of a stretch, and there are more than a few people of the female persua- sion here), so how about we call it even? Deal? Good.

HYDROPONICS FOR GAMERS

| read the review of Boktai. To get around the sunlight issue, try a plant light (the blue-ish ones that put out UV rays). | play the game under a plant light bulb and my solar meter is always around 3/4 full. It makes the game much easier and more enjoyable. Take that, Hideo Kojima! Jason Eversole Via email

We've heard a handful of different suggestions to get past the light sensor, but the universally accepted work- around seems to be the plant bulbs. We haven't tested the theory, but have been wondering what it is that all of these peeps are growing in their closets. Hmmm? African Violets?

22 GAME INFORMER

Is this a tribute to Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind?

NOVEMBER WINNER! Nicholas Hinojosa Where are the seven dwarves?

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