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EENIE, MEENIE, MINEY BOOM.

They're back. And they're itching for action. With tons of planets to conquer т a whole new gigantic galaxy, you better believe Ratchet & Clank are gonna sink their teeth into some destruction. Ummm, destruction. With weapon upgrades, mods, armor and the ability for Ratchet to get stronger and smarter as the game goes оп, this could get uglier than The Grandmas In Bikinis Calendar after- party. Speaking of parties, there's also hoverbike racing, space combat and gladiator arenas. As far as weapons and gadgets go, Ratchet & Clankare stacked with over 50 newones, along with unlockable upgrades, so by the end of the journey, you'll go through more weapons and gadgets than а hungry fat man will go through chicken wings at lunch. Lock and load, baby, lock and load. www.us.playstation.com

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underground liars.

challenging new quests.

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— ONLINE —— ADVENTURES

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Experience the vibrant fantasy world of Norrath where action and adventure come to life in an exciting online > world filled with friends and foes.

© Become a Hero in epic battles with fierce new monsters, fire-breathing dragons and brutal warriors.

€ Forge your destiny in a land of Legends as you team up with friendly people from around the world. \

© Experience all-new action and adventure with graphically redesigned characters, vicious monsters and environments that come to life.

© Explore uncharted territories and conquer spectacular new frontiers packed with bustling cities, perilous dungeons and

© Create, build and customize unique characters with distinctive appearances, skills, spells and abilities as you undertake

© An innovative in-game tutorial system gets you in the action and killing monsters in no time.

Entertainment America.

4 Conquer New frontiers Sipe!

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killswitch” & © 2003 Namco Hometek lic: 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. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

ON THIS BATTLEFIELD, EVERYONE FINES SOMETHING.

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“some mad 3-on-3 basketball that could prove ü = to put the кий eee ball back i in JAM's wi d Ж”

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‘America Inc. Jak I is a uter Entertainment developed by Naughty Dog, Inc. ©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

THIS WORLD IS BETTER LEFT TO JAK.

It aint no namby pamby fairyland, pal. It's a whole new kind of evil. Crawling with ruthless dictators, backstabbing allies and blood thirsty freaks with an appetite for extra rare meat. All pansies kindly tippy toe on.out of here. This requires someone with serious ass-kicking savvy. And that someone, my friend, is Jak. This time he’s pissed off and battle ready, with a frighteningly large gun, get-the-hell-outta-my-way hoverboard and a nasty case of mutant powers. So please, save yourself the detached appendages and let him handle it.

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Counter-Strike’ and Xbox Live. А match made

Counter-Strike" the world's #1 online action game, is even better on Xbox Live!" With graphically superior action, 7 exclusive maps, up to 16 player game play and a vast arsenal of weapons, this is the best Counter-Strike yet. You may want to practice offline before you enter the merciless online arena.

Here, you can go it alone or you can assemble an elite team of gamers and talk strategy over the Live Blood Intense Violence

Communicator on how to defuse bombs, rescue hostages and take on terrorists from all over the

licrosoft

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world. The competition will be tough, so you'd better come prepared.

in “holy-*#!%-did-you-see-that" heaven.

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СОМЕК 5ТОКҮ CALL OF DUTY: FINEST HOUR - FOR LOVE AND HONOR

We are gushing over the PC edition of Call of Duty in this issue’s Reviews section and blowing the doors off of its console cohort. See what we learned in a recent

visit to the team behind this promising historical FPS — now coming to a console near you.

54 HOLID

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ЭН We're just going to knock your socks off

41) ША А new апа improved strain of mutated

In the world of stealth games and plots with this year's epic buying guide. We've Larry Laffer is one hell of a lovable monsters is out to make trouble with

of intrigue, Splinter Cell is in the upper rounded up hundreds of items in every loser made famous in the late ‘80s, Alice in this sequel to the 2002 flick.

echelons of greatness. Ubisoft's upcom- price range for nearly anyone on your but now his nephew is coming to the We provide the primer course on cast, ing edition is the first stealth/action shopping list (including yourself). See forefront in the long-awaited update crew, and plot.

game that goes online, and we were on what we're lusting after this year. to the series. Crass? Certainly. Lewd?

hand to check out how it's coming. More than likely. Loveable? Definitely.

12 GAMEINFORMER

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Unreal? || -- The Awakening © 2003 Epic Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unreal is a registered trademark of Epic Games Inc. Unreal” Il - The Awak- ening was created by Legend Entertainment, ап Atari studio, in collaboration with Tantalus Interactive. All other trademarks аге the property of their respective owners» Manufactured and marketed by Atari, Inc, New York, NY. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live logo and the Xbox Logos аге either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft.

16 EDITOR’S FORUM Things can get really strange when working on our big holiday issue. See what the staff is tripping the light fantastic over and welcome our newest partner in crime, Adam the PC man.

18 GI SPY

The Game Informer paparazzi stalk the video game industry, bring-

ing you candid photos of all the action.

20 DEAR GI

You like us. You really, really like us and we've got the letters to prove it. From website feedback to a continuing discussion of gamers’ age brackets, there are some thought-provoking insights in there.

24 NEWS

Release dates are slipping, code is leaking, and new system launch- es are going in interesting direc- tions. Let бі keep you up-to-date on the latest industry hubbub and shenanigans.

80 PREVIEWS With the unfortunate present of any less-than-good holiday title,

14 GAMEINFORMER

there will be a poor gamer wanting 191 SECRET ACCCESS

to make an exchange. We're going Our crack team of code junkies to get you all hot and bothered has been working day and night about some great upcoming titles 10 deliver these nuggets of game- that you can swap out your less tweaking goodness.

exciting gifts for. 198 CLASSIC GI 114 REVIEWS Game Informer wrangled Plump with the holiday some free time from the release lineup, our review very busy Rand Miller section can help you of Cyan (who's putting craft the ultimate the finishing touches on wish list. See the latest Myst entry, what's hyped, what falls Uru) to help us fill in the behind, and the sleepers blanks of what making we're really excited about \ the first Myst game was for all of the major systems. like. Couple this with our We wish good gaming pres- usual roundup of Classic ents upon everyone, and Reviews, This Month In publishers deliver for Gaming History, and nearly any taste, reader-written Greatest preference, and desire. Game Of All Time.

188 CHARTS 202 ETC

What's hot? What's This month, ETC plays not? What's up? supplement to our What's down? It's not staggeringly huge NASDAQ, it's the Retail Sales Data and the О! editors’

A Top 10 Games. } |

See a few more selections for your wish list.

132

Holiday Buying Guide.

GAME

Age of Mythology: The Titans . ... 181 Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home (Р52)............ 148

Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home (Xbox) Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu . Beyond Good & Evil (GC) Beyond Good & Evil (Р52)

Beyond Good & Evil HOON Blackthorne ......

Blood Will Tell . Bloody Roar g Bomberman Јене Breakdown

Call of Duty

CIMA: The Enemy , Command & Conquer General Crash Nitro Kart .

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge....... 160 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 14,185 Culdcept 149 Dead ог Alive Online ‚ 108 Deus Ex: Invisible Wi ‚ 80 6 Disney's Hide & Sneak 159 КЕ: Donkey Konga 4 ‚ 108 Dragon Ball 2: Budokai . . . . 159 Dragon Ball 2: Taiketsu . n ‚ 186 Dynasty Warrlors 4 Xtreme | Legends х s.. 150 Empires: Dawn of the Modern World . 182 ESPN NCAA College (жз . . .. abe Final Fantasy x2 Fire Emblem

Gallop Racer 7.

Go! бо! Hypergrind . - Grabbed by the Ghoulies. Gran Turismo 4 ., « Growlancer Generations Gungrave Overdose . Halo: Combat Evolved б Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town ...... 187 Hyper Street Fighter ll l. бића. Justice League: Chronicles . Kill Switch (PS2)

Kill Switch (Xbox)... . King of Fighters 2000/00 Kirby Air Ride . .

Legends of Wrestling: Showd

| Lord of the Rings:

The Return of the King, The (GBA) . 186 Lord of the Rings:

The Return of the King, The (GC) ......... 156 Lord of the Rings:

The Return of the King, The (Р52)......... 13 Lord of the Rings:

The Return of the King, The (Xbox) . . Magic the Gathering: Battlegrounds . . . Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Mario Kart: Double Dash . Mario Party 5 Max Payne 2 2: The Fall of Max Payne Maximo vs. Amy of Zin Medal of Honor: Breakthrough Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (GC; Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (PS: Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (Xbox) . Metal Gear Solid 3; Snake Eater .......... Midway Arcade Treasures .. Monster Rancher 4 . NBA Inside Drive 2004 NBA Live 2004 ..,.. NBA ShootOut 2004 , Need for Speed: Under; Need for Speed: Underground (PS2) Need for Speed: Underground (Xbox) .

NHL Rivals 2004 Onimusha Blade Warriors Phantasy Star Online Vol. C.A.R.D. Revolution Plague of Darkness Prince of Persia: The Sands о! Prince of Persia; The Sands of Time (PS2) Project Gotham Racing 2 Ratchet & Clank; Going Commando Red Ninja ..... Republi: The Revolution | Rise to Honor .......... Robin Hood: Defender of the Secret Weapons Over Normand Sega GT Online ......... Sim City 4: Rush Hour Sims: Bustin’ Out, The .. Sims: Makin’ Magic, The SOCOM ||: U.S. Navy SEALs. Space Channel 5: Special Edition Space Colony Spirits & Spell Spy Fiction 553...

Super Trucks Racing SWAT; Global Strike Team Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain . Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . Time Crisis 3 ..... . nee Tony Hawk's Underground (GBA) Tony Hawk's Underground (PS2) . Tony Hawk's Underground (Xbox) E Transformers Armada: Prelude to Energon .... 111 True Crime: Streets of LA .... >.

UFO: Aftermath ..... Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. Virtual On Marz WWE SmackDo XII (PS2) . ХИ (Xbox)

“SPECTACULAR

THE Be> 1 АСДОШ A^ OF THE YEAR”

-Paul Clinton, CNN

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:

БРЕ FEATURES DISC |: Commentaries with Б DISC 2: Introduction by Arnold "on рана Sts апа Director Jonathan Mostow Arnold се E Revealing New Footage Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack for Maximum Home On-Set Gag Reel * Create Your Own Special Effects

Theatre Impact Skynet Personnel/Weapons Database

MARIO F KASSAR ха ANDREW G. MMA жет a JONATHAN МАСОН reas aa NTERMEDUA / ВАЕ PRODUCTION линии С PICTURES о MOSTON/UEBERMAN PRODUCTIONS ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER TERMINATUR. AISE OF THE MACHINES” M STAHL CLARE DANES se KISTANNA LIKEN 8506. SILL MARCO BELTRAM БЕЛІ FERRY ше INDUSTRIAL LIGHT B MAGIC 825 STAN WINSTON STUDIO “ENGL TRAVES, ACE "TE ЕШШ. DON BURGESS, АЗС. 2220100012: BORMAN ШҮН] ШЕН ШАЙ GALE ANNE HURD wee enen NE шиш" ЗА мыш VARA JOEL B. MICHAELS "^ JONATHAN MOSTOW E: E WARNER BROS PICTURES

INTERMEDIA IMF’ C p D =| \ "AVAILABLE AT

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R| RESTRICTED |«», MEE ese т" " BONUS MATERIAL . ® used under license. TM & © 2003 IMF 3. (ON BET Veri iin щш | — ©2003 IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 3 Produktions KG. Artwork and Design © 2003 Warmer Bros. Entertainment Inc.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

ANDY McNAMARA

andy@gameinformer.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

"not nearly

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GIA, but

This month brings about an interesting twist

to the cover story. Not only are we reviewing the PC version of Call of Duty this month, but we have the world-exclusive first look at the console game follow-up in the franchise. To the extent of my knowledge, that's the first time а magazine has had the opportunity to talk about two titles this closely related in the same month.

The story behind Call of Duty on both the console and PC sides is an intriguing tale, so make sure you read the piece, as it does bring up some interesting issues to think about in today’s age of game development. While pub- lishers certainly make everything possible, this tale shows that sometimes the unknown faces behind the products, either as an individual or a group, are the engine that keeps this industry running.

Of course, that’s not to say that the publish- ers aren't working their own magic. We all know that Electronic Arts is perhaps the most powerful company in video games today. | would even go so far as to say that it is bigger (at least in the video game industry) than Sony or Microsoft. Its size, flexibility, and deep pock- et-book give it the ability to finesse or pound out (depending on how you look at it) a wide variety of successful and entertaining products.

With or without a particular team or indi- vidual, EA will continue in its leadership role in the industry. But that doesn't mean we can't root for the underdog. In the case of Spark Unlimited, it is most certainly filling that role. Whether it's EA taking developers from Ubisoft's Montreal office or Activision pounc- ing on Spark and Infinity Ward's availability, the players that make the industry work - the magic-makers behind the curtain – are a great asset to publisher and game player alike.

І hope you enjoy the issue as much as we f = enjoyed making it. You just can’t help but love all the fabulous games coming out at this time of year. | know we did.

|

REINER | reiner@gameinformer.com

Over the last couple of years, I've made predictions as to how the forthcoming year would shape up for the video game industry, I've actually hit the пай on the head quite a bit, so this year, | thought I'd share my visions of the future with everyone. | foresee the next Grand Theft Auto being set in a city similar to Las Vegas. The title of the game will be СТА; Sin City. Peering deeper into 2004, Microsoft will re-issue the Xbox with а sleek new design (but it will still feature the color green). Finally, Nintendo will delay the release of Metroid Prime 2 at least twice. Now, let's just sit back and see if | truly am clairvoyant or just a tool with too much time on his hands.

MATT | matt&gameinformer.com

Another crazy month in the life of Gl made even crazier by the growing community of insane. gamers that are congregating at www.gameinformer.com's boards. It's been cool to see so much interest in the magazine out there in cyberspace, unfortunately it seems that video game fans can't have conversations without devolving into the same old tired system arguments. Yawn. Gee, you think GTA is overrated and PS2 sucks and Xbox rocks? My, how interesting! Especially since you're not, like, the 1,280,563th person to say that or anything. GameCube is a “kiddie system” and Wind М/акег 5 graphics look like a "stupid cartoon?” Hey, get out of town! You're hilarious! What I’m saying is that | see no reason why we can't all just play the system of our choice and leave everybody else alone. There's a lot going on in games these days that's worth discussing.

JUSTIN | justin@gameinformer.com

GAMEINFORMER,

DECEMBER 200: Volume ХИ * Number 12 • Issue 128

PUBLISHER

Cathy Preston

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andrew McNamara

EDITORS

Executive Editor Andrew Reiner Senlor Associate Editor Matt Helgeson Associate Editors.

Justin Leeper • Matthew Kato • Lisa Mason Jeremy Zoss • Adam Blessener Mascot Arthur

PRODUCTION

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

GAME INFORMER ONLINE

Ah, the irony of adulthood. When | was а kid, a game like Final Fantasy Ill or Secret of Mana would last me for months. I'd play them dozens of hours to completion, then I'd play again. Now that | have the money to buy any game that strikes my fancy, | rarely put more than 20 hours into any given title – some | don't play, period. One of these days, | have to put my foot down and tell myself, “That's it. No more games until you get through that fat stack you swore you were gonna play!" Who am | kidding? I'd probably just take myself out for a fancy dinner to get me to drop my defenses, then go back to my old, game buying ways. I'm such a jerk.

КАТО | kato@gameinformer.com

Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Associate Online Editor Chris Cook

ADVERTISING SALES.

It's been really cool to see a lot of the editors hanging out after work, just kicking back and enjoying each other's company. Except for me, of course. It seems that whenever people go out, I've always got some crap to do, and I can't go. Or maybe it's not my fault. Perhaps people are meeting to dump dead leaves on my lawn as a secret message that | need more deodorant. Come to think of it, there are dead leaves on my lawn! It's all true! | knew something was up when Lisa said to me the other day, *How are you doing?" Well what did she mean by that?!

LISA | lisa&gameinformer.com

Games like Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and the upcoming Leisure Suit Larry get me thinking, It's nice and nostalgic and all to see franchises that | grew up with getting some next- gen love, but, for crap’s sake, it needs to be done right. Sands of Time certainly has and it looks like Leisure Suit Larry will accomplish the same goals. Maybe going from an old-school game to next-gen action is as hard as making books into movies. If that's the case, these titles could be the exception and not the rule. | hope that more developers with the passion for their franchises follow in these teams' steps.

JEREMY | jeremy@gameinformer.com

The general public seems to have a hard time viewing video games as a legitimate art form. While TV and film are easily accepted, people seem comfortable dismissing games as mere

kids’ stuff, even though they require as much hard work and talent to produce, But do we actually want games to be embraced by the public at large? Think about it — if they were as accepted as movies, we would probably be seeing multiple releases, like movies on DVD, in order to cash in on their popularity. Do you really want to buy both the standard edition of Viewtiful Joe and the special edition with deleted scenes, director's commentary, and still galleries? Оп second though,

maybe | do. ADAM | adam@gameinformer.com

Hi, my name is Adam, and | have a video game problem. As those of you on the forums may know, | am the new guy here and my deal is primarily PC gaming, This goes back to my past. Back in the day, | did all of my gaming on an old Macintosh 512K (that’s RAM), and later on

a Macintosh Classic. As you might guess, I've been spending the majority of my teenage and adult life making up for this tragic state of affairs by logging a stupid number of hours on various consoles and my (somewhat) new PC. Coming in here is the ultimate justification for my lifestyle, so thanks to all of you for making this magazine possible.

PLAYSTATION 2

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

т 1МЕ UE CR! ОЕ ' р СОР OR BAD СОР?

АВЕ YOU А Goo!

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.

MINNEAPOLIS Rob Borm Director of Marketing and Midwest/East Coast Sales Manager (612) 486-6155 Fax; (612) 486-6101 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) 728-5648 doug@gameinformer.com

LOS ANGELES Marc Minasian Southwest Regional Sales Manager (818) 991.9923 Fax; (818) 991.9923 mare@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: customerservice@gameinformer.com Or send correspondence to: 724 North First St, 4th Floor Minneapolis, MN 55401 * Attn: CIS Dept

Circulation Manager Paul Anderson • (612) 4866104 paul@gameinformer.com

Information Systems Manager Paul Hedgpeth paulhedgpeth@gameintormer.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. 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, ог proprietary rights or violation of rights of privacy, resulting from the publication of the Advertiser's

statement.

Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

у 4

ы И ‹ ач, . ^ Like a blast of nitro, Group S Chal ushés high

performance street racing to the limit. State uli art polygonal cars. Massive racing environments. Unbelievable speed! Choose from over 50 of the world's finest;-turbo-charged street machines and get ready to dominate the circuits

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CONTENT RATED BY ESRB

ay © CAPCOM CO,, LTD. 2003 © CAPCOM D e 2003 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO.. LTD. GROUP S CHALLENGE is a trademark of CAPCOM || CO, LTD. ALL MANUFACTURERS, CARS, CAR PARTS. NAMES, BRANDS AND ASSOCIATED IMAGERY FEATURED IN THIS GAME ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS INCLUDING TRADEMARKS AND/OR COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The ratings icon із а registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Microsolt, Xbox and the Xbox Logos are

either registered trademarks or trademarks о! Microsoft; Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries,

|| CANDID PHOTOS FROM THE | SEAMY UNDERBELLY OF THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

1 Hmm...how could a nice, clean-cut young man like id Software's Marty Stratton get him- self mixed up in all this nasty Doom business? 2 2 N-Gage: Now You're Playing With Power!!! Lisa and Nokia's PR powerhouses big-up the newest taco-shaped-cell-phone-gaming-thingy on the market 3 Gameinformer.com’s Billy Berghammer gets mustache-growing tips from Neversoft's head honcho Joel Jewett. Also pictured: Neversoft's head dog Logan, the second-most pictured canine in Game Informer history 4 Andre Emerson, Mike Kennedy, and Robert Zalot from Namco's Dead to Rights |І team give Game Informer a friendly reminder that we should try to be as “fair and honest" as possible іп our review of the game 5 X-Play's Morgan Webb, Acclaim's Matt Schlosberg, and Lisa get jiggy at the Alias party 6 GI webmeister Chris “Good Guys Don't Always Wear White" Cook and Capcom's Atsushi “I Wear Black On The Outside Because Black Is How | Feel On The Inside" | Inaba, seen here chilling in Tokyo 7 The funny guys (and gal) behind Leisure Suit Larry show off their nearly-completed mural

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Aoccdrnig to rsct

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the olny iprmo: frist and

е do

Timothius juno.com Interesting, indeed. Another language study attempted to prove the theory that a bevy of monkeys in front of key-

boards, given enough time, can produce the entire works of

Shakespeare. The University of Michigan put 24 monkeys into computer labs for upwards of two years, While the primates did spout off some gibberish, they also produced the phrases “When next we meet,” “Written troubles of the brain,” and “They speak no English.” They also produced

a whole lotta monkey droppings. Why share this tidbit of research discovery? So that you have something work- appropriate (except for the feces part) to talk about at the office holiday party, of course. We're just here to help.

I NEED YOU TODAY. OH, MANDY!

Do you know the phone number to that girl in issue 126 who said that she loved hardcore gamers? Could | have it? Joe Via yahoo.com

| was reading last month's mag, and was wondering, could | get AMANDA's phone number.

Some Dude

Via Cingular Wireless

Do you guys think that you can hook me up with Amanda from issue 126? | am into video games like you don't even know. Please help this lonely sap! Jesse The Lonely Gamer

| wanted to comment on that Amanda chick that sent you the letter in the October issue. She is hot! If you could somehow get my email address to her, | would be most appreciative. Keep up the good work, and O'Doyle does rule! Steve Kress Via aol.com

Reign it in there, boys! We don't have Amanda's home phone number, current address, social security number, alphabetized list of preferred floral selections, favorite movie, astrological sign, blood type, or further descrip- tion of what she's looking for in a mate. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we haven't a clue how to get in touch with the damsel. So, we accept these letters on her behalf. We're sure she's flattered and extends her thanks to the Academy, her parents, and everyone who worked on the letter with her.

MATURITY REPLIES

| just had to write a reply to Brian M, who thought 24 was “way beyond gaming prime." Trust me Grasshopper, at 24 (unless you live in a world where it is counted in dog years) you have a long way to go.

This is going to be a mind blower – | am а 41 year “young” mommy who still hasn't reached her gaming prime. My oldest is 21, but | still spend countless hours

wrod are at! mses and

not rae wrod as a

playing Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry, Quake, Doom, Zelda, and Pokémon. | remember when Pong and Tank where “phat” and when everyone thought that Missile Command and Frogger had the most kick-butt graphics around! When | buy a new game or system, | buy one for me and one for my kids. Beyond the mid-way point? Honey, to us serious gamers *pulls on her Peter Pan outfit* there ain't no such animal. Annabele Via earthlink.net The Total Gamer Mom

As a regular бі reader, | feel compelled to respond to Brian M's letter in the October issue regarding age, attention span, and gaming. | have more than a decade over Brian M. in the crucial area of age; and speaking as someone

in his mid-thirties, | say that adults can definitely still play video games.

Now that I'm older, video games are actually interesting to me, since they provide a nice escape from the thrilling things that we adults get to do, such as paying bills and sucking up to the boss at work. There's nothing better than a little quality time with Halo or Eternal Darkness after a day of yelling at customers on the phone and stabbing co- workers in the back (not that | ever do anything like that, but you know how some folks are).

Thanks a lot, Jeff Hall Blacksburg, Virginia

ANATOMY >>>

Swissvale, PA

Here's what the scantily clad, recently-stripped, pseudo-skater girl's stomach actually read: ^$2 «belly button» 99." See, that wasn't a decimal point you were looking at, but her belly button. The N-Gage has a suggested retail price of $299.00.

| am a 27-year-old married mother of a 4-year-old. | have PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Gaming is my life. | am currently beta testing a certain Sony online title and have logged more than 250 hours since mid-August (yes, | do know that that's way too much time put into a game). | don't understand how someone can just lose interest. My attention span seems to increase as | get older.

Kara Via bellsouth.net

Sometimes, you readers surprise us. Based on the bounty of mail we received concerning this topic, the gaming industry has grown up from its perceived living- in-the-basement-never-dating-excessive-role-playing-tape- on-the-glasses reputation. Does that mean we have to upgrade our bodily function jokes to meet the maturity of our 30-something readers? Nah, scratch that idea – you guys come up with more naughty humor than we could ever think up on our own.

WEBSITE

| recently headed to www.gameinformer.com, and | must say, no matter how many delays have gone by, it's all worth it. The new Gl.com kicks serious amounts of ass. Not only can we download movies, view up-to-date bios, and check what our favorite games got in the review sec- tion (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 got а 10! You guys kick ass!), but there are also the forums. This section of the site is by far the best; you can chat about the mag, chat with people who love the mag, chat with the editors of the mag, chat with the editors of the mag about people who love the mag, and everything else sandwiched in-between. Mainly, what | want to say about the new site is that you guys (serious props to Billy here) have put hard labor into the site, and it all pays off.

Your slave-um, | mean, loyal follower,

Zach

| think GI online is freaking awesome! What an overhaul! Keep up the stellar work. A Devoted Fan, Shinobi Via Hotmail

1 love the new web site! You guys really did a good job. Tucker Via juno.com

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

20 GAME INFORMER

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TRAGIC DESTING

IS BORN.

At the dawn of the second millennium, the first Belmont makes the ultimate sacrifice. And the destiny of a bloodline is decided. From the creators of Castlevania® Symphony of the Night™ and completely reinvented for its 3D debut on PlayStation®2, Castlevania? Lament of Innocence" reveals the true origins of the vampire-hunting Belmonts and their tireless quest for Vlad Dracula. A thousand years ago, a legend was indeed born. And the dying hasn't stopped since.

“Konami's classic adventure series looks drop dead

gorgeous in 3D and plays brilliantly.” - PSM

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CASTLEVANIA®, Lament of Innocence™ and Symphony of the Night™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI CORPORATION. © 1986 2003 KONAMI & Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. "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. КОМАМК® is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. Ali rights reserved.

= Thanks everyone who wrote іп and to all the (good) people populating the forums. We like the site too, and are working on the few kinks still left from the launch. Also, if you're a subscriber, make sure to check out the Unlimited section each month. We put stuff like extra screenshots, full interviews (so you can get all the skinny that we couldn't fit in the magazine), movies, and a bunch of other goodies that are “too big to print." Billy and Chris put a lot of time into it each month, so make sure it's part of your visit.

MOBILE GAMING >>>

There seems to be a renewed vigor in pursuing the ulti- mate handheld portable gaming experience. With products like the Nokia N-Gage, the Tapwave Zodiac, and next year's PSP from Sony, coupled with the redesigned Game Boy Advance SP, it seems the industry is focusing on producing legitimate quality portable systems capable of running blockbuster games. Forget the watered-down, no frills ports of console titles we used to get – those days are over. If you want proof of how far portable gaming has come along, look no further than Metroid Fusion. Most critics thought it was even better than its GameCube coun- terpart, which is certainly no small feat.

But, unfortunately, the gaming industry has not learned from its history. Those who are old enough to remember the Atari Lynx, the Game Gear, and more recently the Neo Geo Pocket (Metal Slug rules!), remember that those systems were technologically vastly superior to the Game Boy. Yet, they were all considered failures and none of the aforementioned systems had any staying power. More colors, bigger screens, better graphics, increased speed, and back lighting were all top of the line, but didn't help. It's going to be tough to steal Game Boy's thunder. These newcomers are up against a nearly 15-year legacy of qual- ity portable gaming, the Nintendo name, hundreds of good games, and lots of third party support. These are certainly not small obstacles. | am all for competition in the indus- try, it creates better games and lower prices, | just hope these rookies know what they're doing.