ED held Gamin с

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; DARK AND це ТАА ST#UGGLE FOR E us 7 UNCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND SAMUS’ RETURN

Б ЕЕЕ DAPEN,

‘Gamespy > PlayStation.?

re nins s

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Load your game with an explosive mix of non-stop, over-the-top action! Take it online with chat and headset support to fuel the competition. Grab the line-up card with all-new Franchise Mode and experience a whole new level of depth to the adrenaline-style gameplay.

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YOU ARE FRANK HAYDEN, AN ELITE

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And we've seen them all.”

Official Xbox Magazine

MATURE 17+ Blood and Gore

Mature Sexual Themes (Ол:

Strong Language Violence

esas

"The Chronicles af Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay” interactive game © 2004 Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved. “The Chronicles of Riddick” 7“ & © Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All Rights Reserved. Vivendi Universal Games and the Vivendi Universal Games lago are trademarks of Vivendi Universal

Games, lac. The Starbreeze Engine gy © 2002-2004 Starbreeze AB. All rights reserved. The Starbreeze Logo is a trademark of Starbreeze AB. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live logo, and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation із the United State untries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Parental advisory: A note ts parents: Please consult www filmratings.com for information regarding movie ratings in making viewing choices for children

|

You are Riddick, the most wanted man in the universe, in an original story set before the events in Universal Pictures' The Chronicles of Riddick" (starring Vin Diesel), and the breakout hit Pitch Black, which first introduced the enigmatic anti-hero Riddick. Make a dramatic escape from Butcher Bay, the galaxy's deadliest prison, in this intense fusion of first-person shooter, fighter, and stealth adventure.

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TEE СН Ow Cres OF

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cover story

62

METROID PRIME 2:

ECHOES

Retro Studios proved to the world that an American company could turn Metroid into an FPS and make it great. Now the developer has returned with an all-new adventure for Samus that pits her against a foe more devious than any she’s faced. Plus, Game Informer has the behind the scenes look at how

Retro works its magic.

The “Everything About ЕЗ” Issue

CONNECT FEATURE | CONNECT FEATURE CONNECT FEATURE CONNECT FEATURE SONY PSP NINTENDO DS NOTABLE AND GI'S ТОР TEN E3 2004 was all about one Nintendo isn't taking Sony's QUOTABLE GAMES OF E3 thing: the future of handheld | handheld challenge lying down. | This year’s ЕЗ certainly got a What really stood out at this gaming. Behold the lowdown | Is the DS the next GBA or the lot of people talking. Find out year’s E3 convention? Discover оп Sony's sexy new portable | next Virtual Boy? Read all about | who had what to say about all | which games rocked our world system. it here. the biggest announcements, ‘on each system, and which title surprises, and disappointments | earned our coveted “Best in of this year's expo. Show" award.

departments

10 STAFF Read the team's latest favorites

12 GI SPY Silly pictures of our life and times

14 DEAR 61 Your chance to fire back at us!

18 CONNECT Where news, talk, and technology collide

52 INTERVIEW

Epic Game's Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski chats with us about the future of Unreal, mod culture, and gaming in general

56 GEAR Geeky gadget stuff for the masses - from robots to TVs

58 OPINION

EA's Greg Rizzer talks about why big budget games are actually good for the industry

60 CALENDAR to this month's happenings

72 PREVIEWS

The Legend of Zelda returns! But if you think you know Link, this new title may shock you

108 REVIEWS

Game of the Month: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

124 CHARTS

| Retail Sales Data and the GI edi-

tors' Top 10 Games

| 128 SECRET ACCESS

Codes, strategies, and passwords

132 CLASSIC GI | Reliving gaming's greatest moments

136 GAME OVER The end...or is

GAME

25 to Life

Advance Wars: Under Fire

Altered Beast

Amazing Island

Armored Core: Nexus

Ashen

ATV Offroad Fury 3

Battlefield 2

Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django

Bujingai: The Forsaken City

Call of Duty: Finest Hour

Capcom Fighting Jam.

Chronicles of Riddick Escape From Butcher Bay, The

Citizen Zero

City of Heroes

City of Villains

Cowboy Bebop

Dead or Alive Ultimate

Devil May Cry 3

DK: King of Swing

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Dungeon Siege Il

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

EyeToy: AntiGrav

F-Zero GP Legend

Fable

Farenheit

Forza Motorsport

Full Spectrum Warrior

Galactic Wrestling Featuring Ultimate Muscle

Geist

Ghost in the Shell; Stand Alone Complex

Ghost Recon 2

God of War

Goldeneye: Rogue Agent

Gran Turismo 4

Halo 2 i

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Multi)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (GBA)

King of Fighters Maximum Impact, The

Kingdom Hearts 2

Kirby and The Amazing Mirror

Legend of Zelda, The

Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The

Lineage Il: The Chaotic Chronicle

Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The

Mario Pinball

Mega Man Anniversary Collection

Mega Man X8

Mercenaries

Metal Slug 3; DUB Edition

Midnight Club 3

MLB Slugfest 2004

NCAA Football 2004

Odama

Otogi 2

Outlaw Golf 2

Perimeter

Phantom Crash 2050

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

Resident Evil 4 а

Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots

Second Sight

Shield, The

Shrek 2

Sims: Bustin’ Out, The

Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2

Snowblind

Sonic Advance 3

Spikeout: Battle Street

Splinter Cell 3 ES

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords

State of Emergency 2

Strike Force Bowling

Tales of Symphonia

Tekken 5

Thief: Deadly Shadows

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004

UEFA Euro 2004 Portugal

UFC Sudden Impact

Under the Skin

Van Helsing ..

Way of the Samurai 2

Wild Arms Alter Code: F

Witcher, The

:%, Miracle maker.

they call me Miracle Boy. Not for my gold medals, but because I’ve survived double back flips, getting hit by a car, and the mega ramp. What makes me so indestructible? Milk. It helps prevent broken bones. So you can concentrate on breaking records.

Ў 2 got milk?

У ~ DAVE MIRRA ©2004 AMERICA'S DAIRY FARMERS* AND MILK PROCESSORS. Waco cii

ЕЗ: THE GREATEST SPECTACLE ON EARTH ` (OR IS IT?)

' | ANDY McNAMARA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I've just arrived home from video games’ biggest and most important show of the year, and | can tell you with some certainty that things need to change. Now don't get me wrong, | do indeed love going to ЕЗ. There are always some fantastic surprises, the parties are great, and getting to see all the industry folks from around the world (and sit and talk shop) is perhaps one of my greatest joys.

However, the show itself is flawed. | hate to ruin the illusion, but the time we get to spend with the games at the show is limited. So in many ways, the impressions that we (or any other media outlet) bring back from a show such as this are oftentimes based largely on experience and gut reaction. For example,

1 spent over an hour playing with the DS and its vari- ous games/tech demos. Was | impressed? | think so. Do | feel that | have a full grasp of its impact or how successful it will be? Not really. In fact, | left with more questions than answers. The same goes for the PSP. It is sexy to look at, but without playing a single game or knowing its battery life, do | really know how great it is?

The true test of how good a game or product is will always be when we get to test the product in our offices or spend a day with the developer.

1 would like to see ЕЗ become a place where fewer games are showcased, giving the press and the attendees of E3 a better opportunity to analyze what truly stands out. | propose something more akin to a film festival, where companies bring only their best products.

All my complaints about E3 aside, the staff and | worked very hard to make sure that we brought back the best information possible from the show. In this issue of Game Informer we offer up a very special edition of Connect that will in fact do everything that 1 want E3 to do. We cut out all the crap and bring what we feel is the cream of the crop from the world’s big- gest video game spectacle.

Sure, some may call us crazy for giving a game that was only shown in movie form (like The Legend of Zelda for GameCube) one of our Games of The Show slots. But when 1 look back at this show years from now, | know that video will still be one of my highlights.

1 hope you Nintendo fans enjoy the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes cover. It's a big step forward for us, as it marks the first time in the history of Nintendo that they let the American media in to see a developer before a product is finished. | know I’m quite proud of the fact that Game Informer was the first press to ever walk through Retro's hallowed doors.

Enjoy the issue.

Andy >> andy@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: E3 Parties, Reliving Gran Turismo On The Streets Of Minnesota, Interns Dislikes: The Zoo Of Misinformation And Pageantry That Is E3 (I Just Want To Play The Games, Not Sit In Lines Or Listen To Presentations), Anthony Peeler, Online Sites That Blatantly Rip Off Our Stories Current Favorite Games: Mercenaries, Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry 3, God Of War, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Halo 2, Mortal Kombat: Deception, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, City Of Heroes

10 GAME INFORMER

Reiner >> reiner@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Fighting, Action/Platform, Strategy, ® Sports Interests: /nvader Zim (It's Almost As Funny As Me!), Ninjas, Sony's Super Sexy PSP, The Jesus Lizard's Liar, Plotting To Take Over The World, Scott Bakula (a.k.a. God) Dislikes: Being Afraid Of Nintendo's Reggie (See Page 35), The Fact That | Squealed Loudly When Nintendo Showed The New Zelda Current Favorite Games: Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy ХІІ, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat

^ Matt >> matt@gameinformer.com Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ A, Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: Franz Ferdinand, The PSP, Bass Cabinets, “I'm Coming Out (Chic Mix)" By Diana Ross, Recording, Hassle The Hoff: David Hasslehoff's Rap Career! (We Are Living In An Important Era In Human History) Dislikes: Sleeveless T-Shirts (On Men), LA Cab Drivers Who've Apparently Never Driven In LA Before, Board Trolls Current Favorite Games: God Of War, Red Dead Revolver, Full Spectrum д Warrior, Halo 2, Jade Empire

Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/Platform Interests: Up At The Lake By The Charlatans, The Paring Down Of Football Titles, Vagrant Story And Final Fantasy XII Artist Akihiko Yoshida, The Death Of Phish Dislikes: Wal-Mart, California, Loud Talkers, Fanboys, Faulty Logic, Old T-Shirts As Ironic Fashion, Hipsters Current Favorite Games: Full Spectrum Warrior, God Of War, ESPN NFL 2005, NCAA Football 2005, X-Men Legends, Jade Empire, Final Fantasy ХІІ, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat

Lisa >> Jisa@gameinformer.com

Handle: La Game Nikita Expertise: Survival Horror, Adventure, RPGs, Action/Platform, Racing Interests: Hero (The Awesomest Movie, Even Though Chinese Subtitles Didn't Let Me Know Exactly How It Ends), /nvader Zim, Evil Reptilian Kitten Eaters From Another Planet, Crop Circles, Iced Mata Hari Dislikes: Styluses (Styli? More Than One

4 Stylus? Whatever), Spam (The Tinned Meat And The Unwanted Emails), Buffets, Bad Cab Music Current Favorite Games: Jade Empire, Prince Of Persia 2, Final Fantasy ХІ, Halo 2, Resident Evil 4, Myst IV, Gran Turismo 4, Final Fantasy XII, Odama

Jeremy >> jeremy@gameinformercom

Handle: Gamezilla Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Survival Horror, Action/Platform, Fighting, Strategy/RPGs Interests: The Mighty Armies Of Zosstrailia, Coupling (Тһе Original British Version, Not the Stinktacular Remake), Qees, Bubba Ho-Tep On DVD, Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge, My New MP3 Player (a.k.a, "The Best Thing Ever") Dislikes: E3 Fatigue, The Curse Of Low Sales Which Afflicts Games | Love, Van Helsing Current Favorite Games: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Snowblind, God Of War, Halo 2, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, The Punisher

Adam >> adam@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: Cleaning My Desk Off, Finally Having Headphones For My GBA SP, Large Amounts Of Post-E3 Sleeping Dislikes: Hit And Runs, Off Days In Soul Calibur Il, Getting One-Hit-Killed By Witch Doctor Endugu's Minions, My Huge Backlog Of Unplayed Games Current Favorite Games: Forgotten Realms, Demon Stone, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Halo 2, Pariah, Rise Of Nations, Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth

JOG >> joe@gameintormer.com

Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Strategy, Platform, Puzzle Interests: Final Fantasy Concerts, Cucumbers (The Poor Man's Steak), How

= Everything Always Comes Back To Tacos With Me, Gas Station Sages Dislikes: The Word "Socket," Zosstrailia's Despotic Regime (Though | Do Respect Its Universal Health Care), The Way Los Angeles Feeds On The Souls Of The Hopeful Current Favorite Games: Xenosaga Il, Myst IV, God Of War, Final Fantasy ХІ, Second Sight, Devil May Cry 3, Mega Man Anniversary Collection, Tales Of Symphonia

Miller >> mileregameintormer.com Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Fighting, Platform, First-Person Shooters Interests: Univers Zero, The Big Cheese, Optimus Prime (Go Find The 20th Anniversary Figure Now!), Ocremix.org (Thanks, Adam), X-Men 3 & 4 (They Might Film Back To Back!), The Square Concert, Spelunking Dislikes: Prescription Drug Commercials, Packing Up My Apartment, Talking On The Phone, Trailers That Give Away the Whole Movie, Dark Closets Current Favorite Games: Halo 2, City Of Heroes, Prince of Persia 2, Final Fantasy XII, Jade Empire

INLIMITED ENABLED

GAME INFORMER UNLIMIT

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.

JULY 2004 Volume XIV * Number 7 * Issue 135

PUBLISHER.

Cathy Preston

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

‘Andrew McNamara

EDITORS

Executive Editor Andrew Reiner Senlor Associate Editor Matt Helgeson Associate Editors Matthew Kato • Lisa Mason • Jeremy Zoss Adam Biessener * Joe Juba • Matt Miller Intem Brian Vore Mascot Arthur

PRODUCTION

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

CONTRIBUTORS. Photography Bryan Regan * Mike Gitler

GAME INFORMER ONLINE

Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Assoclate Online Editor Chris Cook

ADVERTISING SALES MINNEAPOLIS Rob Borm Director of Marketing and Midwest/East Coast Sales Manager (612) 486-6155 Fax: (612) 4866101. rob@gameinformer.com

Ату Атой ‘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 marcó gameinformer.com

CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT

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

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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 paulhedgoeth@gameinformer,com

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 retumed or acknowledged. Entire contents copyright 2004. Game Informer? Magazine. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer is а 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 10 republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the adverisement. INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser andor 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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Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry

1 Spider-Man creator Stan Lee has truly lived life in a way that you never will. Just wanted to let you know. Sorry 2 Andy spreads the СІ love with SOCOM mastermind Seth Luisi and Sony PR director Molly Smith 3 “Damn, check out the gams on that guy! Hey honey, do fries come with that shake?” Billy shows off his legs for members of the Metroid Prime team 4 At Sega’s E3 ESPN soiree, Reiner hangs with Capcom's Carrie Root and Masayuki Fukumoto 5 Matt (who still thinks doing that sign with his hand makes him cool), reunites with the Digital Deviant, Justin Leeper, and his better half, Activision's Kate Mitchum 6 GI Spy pulls a fast one on professional trickster Jaime Kennedy by tell- ing him he was posing for a picture for US Weekly. Sucka! 7 Remember all those letters you wrote about how Game Informer need- ed more pictures of mimes being molested at Sony E3 parties? Well, don’t say we never did anything for you 8 Jenny McCarthy was on hand at the Xbox press conference to bring a little hope to the life of game dorks everywhere. Thanks, Jen! Blackberry us soon, ‘kay? 9 Kato and Reiner chill with Tecmo's Melody Ann Pfeiffer, who loves her job and has the t-shirt to prove it

X -

12 GAME INFORMER

2

© әціәібері

8 Е А E 2 3

e >

НЫН Е Е f

Ё | The Readers Strike Back

LIKE A SOUTHERN DEBUTANTE

The changes to the magazine look good, but | can't believe you got rid of two necessary things. First, the New Releases page is gone. Secondly, | can't believe the section where editors tell their thoughts on random stuff is gone. Now the only person | get to hear from is smelly Andy.

Noah Cook Michigan

WOW! That's all | can say after receiving the latest issue. No other mag has this great of a design - so sim- plistic, modern, and smart. | love it!

Tristan Powell

Via email

What were you thinking, editor people? The new format in issue 133 is weird and confusing, It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. The reviews look bad and the order of sections is all mixed up. It's insane! The only cool new thing is that Calendar — it is very helpful and informative.

Sean Dempsey Medina, OH

| just got your May Issue. | was at first appalled that you had gone and changed the entire look and layout of my beloved СІ. However, as | began to read through the magazine, | began to grow into the new look. After realiz- ing nothing had actually changed, | started to like it. It now really looks like a game magazine is supposed to look. Keep up the good work. Sentinel 17 Via msn.com

<Expletive deleted? you guys. The new version of СІ sucks. Nick Castillo Via email

| just want to commend you on a great new look. The old Сі was like that little annoying kid who runs into walls, but is still tolerable when he isn't having his ADHD moments. The new СІ is like the suave, sophisticated Yale grad ready for the new modern world. Juan Sebastian Via yahoo.com

s Reader response to Game Informer's recent make- over has been positive overall, and at bare mini- mum, enthusiastic. Thanks, we really appreciate the feedback. That being said, we're still messing around with it and, in our opinion, the issues after the redesign's launch have been huge improvements on a new layout we all liked in the first place.

It seems that readers have been collectively mourning the loss of one thing though, and that is the editor's diatribes in the front of the magazine.

At least in part because of space, we took them out and moved our likes/dislikes lists into that position. To let the staff expand on ideas more thoroughly than those little blocks of text allowed us, the review

editors you all know and love will be stating their cases in the Opinion column when they've got some- thing really deep to share.

And, in regards to the Calendar, it is much more accurate than the old release list ever could be and offers us the ability to clue you into stuff like DVD releases and gaming events.

EXPANDING THE DEV. SQUAD

In your last issue [133, May 2004] you had a great article on creating your own video game. It was good, and it gave all the uninformed a little bit more knowledge on the subject.

One slight problem though... You explained Blender as a game engine capable of doing just about anything and great for beginners. Well, it's a wee bit more programmer-oriented than most beginners are comfortable with.

There is a solution though.

Its called Game Maker (www.gamemaker.nl). It's free and astonishingly easy to use, with no programming involved. Though primarily 2D, you can get old school Doom-like games made with it.

Owen D. Lake Elmo, Minnesota

TOUCHÉ

It is my sad duty to hand you the dubious Dennis Miller Award. Why? Let's look at those captions in Issue 1 nese aren't the droids you're looking for," Star Wars, okay. "Same as it ever — a little Talking Head

quip, | can deal with that. Let's see, “Must...crush.. capitalism..."a Simpsons reference, always good. "Manos: hands of fate”

Screeeeeech!

Manos: hands of fate? Granted, the worlds of video game nerddom and Mystery Science Theatre 3000 nerd- dom are only a quick shuttlecraft ride apart, but seriously, every reader who actually GOT that caption, raise your hands of fate.

| thought so.

Just so you know that I'm here to help, | thought of a couple of alternate suggestions: “Way too much appetite suppressant” “Who rocked the party that lost his body?”

Manos: Hands of Fate

Inset: The picture in ques- tion from the Pool Paradise review [issue 133].

“Thing 1 and Thing 2” (Two references for the price of one,

! Good suggestion from Owen and a handful of oth- ers giving props to Game Maker. Give it a shot and see if it fits for your next development project.

EXPOSING THE RIFT

Steve Kent's article in issue 133 [A Shift in the Game," Мау 2004] was a voice not unlike my own. If you could, just tell him “Well said”

Will Via email

| wanted to comment on the Opinion section of issue 133 (which by the way, is an amazing addition). Steve Kent suc- cinctly put into words all of the frustration and confusion | have been experiencing the past few years as pertaining to the changing climate of video games and their culture. | may sound like an old school fanatic but there is a reason why people went berserk over the re-release of classic NES titles this past year: There is a lot to be said for simplicity in gaming. Over the top violence and ultra-realistic graphics are, to me at least, no match for solid gameplay and a title with character.

Brandon Campbell

Via hotmail.com

The good Mr. Kent certainly started out our new monthly feature with a bang, and we're really excited about what the section offers readers and industry insiders - a forum for expressing anything and every- thing that people may feel about this gaming world we like to call home.

0

unu 6%

Addams Family and Dr. Seuss). Like | said, I'm a big fan, but | humbly suggest you take care how far afield your captions get — we all remember how quickly Dennis Miller disappeared from Monday Night Football...

Will Robin Via juno.com

: We used the giant wheel of pop culture references and witty quotable retorts that our editors go to for most of our captions for this response. Since you are clearly wily like a fox, we know that in France you would

be called la renarde and hunted with only your cunning to protect you. And in case you're wondering, we learned everything we know from college...and the Police Academy movies.

Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: Game Informer Magazine • Attn: Dear Gl e 724 North First St., 4th Floor е Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com

14 GAME INFORMER

STREETS OF

The streets of Los Angeles are being terrorized by vicious gangs and it's going to take a renegade ex-cop | like you to clean them up. Drive, fight and shoot your way through 240 square miles of recreated LA. And пом, Я

the deepest console game ever just got deeper on PC. Battle friends in PC-exclusive multiplayer modes.

Draw from an arsenal of new weapons like rocket launchers and crossbows. This is True Crime for the PC.

Visit truecrimela.com for exclusive game clips and soundtrack samples.

Blood and Gore

«EE» р | Praystation2| X | € | ттл ( cie ACTIVISION. | | x ا‎ tm

activision.com 2003-2004 Activision, Inc. and its affiiates. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark and True Crime and Streets of LA are trademarks of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved. Developed by Luxollux. Microsoft. Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US. and/or other countries and аге used under license from Microsoft. ТМ, & and the Nintendo GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. Al rights reserved “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc, The NVIDIA logo and the "The way it's meant to be played" logo are registered trademarks ог trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. РС CD-ROM logo TM and © IEMA 2003. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. Screenshots taken from PC gameplay.

ATSUSHI INABA HEAD OF CLOVER STUDIOS AND CREATOR OF VIEWTIFUL JOE

Is there anything that you're looking forward to seeing here at ЕЗ?

| always look forward to ЕЗ, but this year, there hasn't really been that much that I've been impressed with or that's out of the ordinary. We always come to ЕЗ to look for stuff that looks good. But our imagination is soon spent. There’s not much that stands out.

You took a huge risk with Steel Battalion. Is that something that more companies should be doing?

You've got to take risks like that. | think more companies should take risks like that, because all the games get to be the same and the market shrinks.

What does the next year look like for video games? Really what is catching my interest is Xbox 2. [I'm really excited to hear about that] and Nintendo DS, those | find really interesting. The Xbox and its network is very popular in North America, and the DS is a game developer's dream. Isn't it about time that we got away from that GTA-style trend that has been around for the last couple years and did something else?

INSANE CLOWN POSSE

RAPPERS/SPREADERS OF CLOWN LOVE

Do you play video games a lot? VIOLENT J: Well, he does more than | do.

SHAGGY 2 DOPE: Yeah, І got like four PlayStations at my house. | don't know why, because I'll leave them on the bus or whatever. | play mostly like Tony Hawk. You know, just like games like that. But | don't play that many video games because they get too addictive, man. You know what I'm saying?

How do you think Eidos did with translating the whole juggalo, ICP vibe into Backyard Wrestling?

VJ: I think they did a good job because of those juggalos behind it. It was juggalos that did all that. The people at Eidos are real juggalos. Therefore, they knew exactly how to make it. That's why they called us. Because they knew it was a good combination. We probably wouldn't have made sense іп any other wrestling game, but Backyard Wrestling: There Goes the Neighborhood? [We're] perfect for that.

In real life in a wrestling match between Shaggy and Violent J, who would win? №: Shaggy, because he's way better conditioned. Look at how f——-in' thick he is. Look at that cut they gave me. They put me in a shirt because they know how flabby | am.

SHAGGY: See, the whole thing is they make you big and thick like that, all fit, because at one point in my wresting career, which was about six months ago, | was like that. But | got off my training now so you can see the four inch pythons going on right now.

Are any other rappers that you wish were in this game so that you could kick their ass in the game? VJ: Well, you know, there's a couple of rappers we wish were in the game, you know what | mean?

Anybody else from Detroit [Eminem]?

VJ: Naw, it’s pretty much old school. Like as far as us and a beef with him and everything, that’s just kind of old. Besides if we were going to

do any beatin’ when it came to him, it

wouldn't be in a video game.

Views From The Floor Neils Garlick

We got in to see the DS, and that was pretty amaz- ing. That was really revolutionary. The touch screen thing was great. | think if they do it cor- rectly the potential is just sky high. | mean there are so many new ways you can implement it in game design. It's amazing.

Nate Rathbun

l'm a little disappointed with Doom 3. | don't think it's got the coverage that it's been building up to, and | actually got to run through it on the Xbox, and | wasn't overly impressed.

On the PSP's potential price: Depending on ће graphics power, I've heard it's comparable to PS2. I'd say I'd pay, depending upon the line up of games and what developers they have, $150 or so, Not

much more than that. 1 \

Remington Noss

What looks probably the best is Guild Wars. I'm

a big PvP fan and that's finally bringing back the original PvP. You start at level one. You can PvP no matter what level you're at. And it has a little bit for everybody, Another game that really piqued my interest was Jade Empire. | was sitting there with one of the game designers and he was kind of giv- ing me some tips while | was playing, and just the different amount of combos and attacks you can use took my breath

away. That game was ІШ | awesome.

On the PSP: Honestly | would prefer to just use the standard console. | think it's a really nice frilly thing, but it doesn't apply for

most gamers. 1 | Sam McMullen

| think [the PSP] is amazing; | definitely think that

it might blow the DS out of the water. I'm really impressed with the fact that it's going to have mov- ies on it and that it's going to have all of the other functionality of a good Sony product. | also think that the graphics are going to be phenomenal. The concept behind [һе —

DS] is really, really solid. | like having a stylus-based game system, as well

as the two backlit screens. | also like the wireless idea.

GAME INFORMER 45

connect E3 2004

Bethany Blue

| liked Final Fantasy ХІІ and all of the Square Enix stuff. Some of the SNK fighters were really good. Oh, and Mortal Kombat [Deception] was awesome. Actually, l'm not really into fighting games. I'm actually just starting 3

to play them. [MK: 4 Deception] had dif- ferent things you could do other than just being a fighter. It had chess mode and kind of a Tetris game added to it, too.

Greg Gibson

| really liked the PSP. The screen was awesome. Unbelievable graphics. Good size, too. You're able to fit it in your pocket and everything. [Nintendo] DS looks a little bit larger, kind of a little bit less portable. Seeing that [PSP's] a portable DVD device and everything, | think

I'd pay a maximum probably $350, maybe $400. Just because portable DVD players can eas- ily be $299.

John Jones

Leisure Suit Larry looked absolutely terrific. | haven't played the previous games in the series, but I'm

a fan of the adventure genre, and they seem to

be taking it in a really interesting direction with the streaming conversational options.

I've seen a picture of the DS, and | think if they're going to be going in the direction that they were with the GameCube and Game Boy Advance connectivity it could be really interesting, because I've played some games with that. I've heard that the DS has a touch sensi- tive screen. You can move things around and such. That sounds awesome. I'd love to see Nintendo really take advantage of that.

Kathleen Foley

Gameplay is something that | really think gets lost compared to graphics. | think they concentrate so much on the artwork that the gameplay and the controls aren't given as much thought

as they should. Especially with the 3D games where you're running around and the cam- era ends up behind a wall, it's very annoying.

44 GAME INFORMER

DAVID DOAK DIRECTOR OF FREE RADICAL DESIGN

With companies focusing on smaller lineups of games and many turning to licenses, is this the way of the future or just a cycle for the industry? We love doing original stuff, but there's no point in doing the best thing ever if it doesn't reach the mass market anymore, because the costs of producing it are becoming so high. Everyone loves successful originality, but they only love it after it's successful. | hate to think that we'd become more restrictive in what we do.

Have you started working on any next-generation titles?

If you are an independent developer, even of our pedigree, it can be difficult to get access to the [dev] kit. The first-parties are always trying to place it with sure-fire products. | think they need to be more indusive of all developers, otherwise they are going to make it difficult to compete. If you look at the really good games at this point in the lifespan of the current generation, they are all games that are built on second generations of engines, and all have had two or three years to develop. Where are the games coming for launch? They need to be making them now or a year ago.

Any comment on Microsoft's acquisition of Rare [Doak's old employer] and specifically their product so far for

the Xbox?

| think they paid a lot of money for it [laughs]. It seems а bit strange that they ended up buying a company where the first fruits of that [Grabbed by the Ghoulies] was the kind of game that wasn't really an Xbox game. | guess in the timescale of the whole thing happening and being executed, the industry kind of moved on. Still, Rare has an enormous talent for high production values. I'm sure you'll see some really good stuff come out of [the acquisition].

EIJI AONUMA DIRECTOR OF THE NEW LEGEND OF ZELDA FOR GAMECUBE

More and more you are being identified as the man that's guiding the Zelda franchise for Nintendo. Do you feel a lot of pressure to deliver up to the heritage of what has been created before?

Well, you know, of course | do feel pressure from time to time, but I'm a gamer that always enjoyed playing Mr. Miyamoto's games. If you follow the timeline, [I went from] a gamer enjoying

„ his games to being someone that worked underneath him on games, and now being able to work side-by-side with him on the Zelda franchise is very exciting and thrilling. Being able to sit down with him and think of new things for the Zelda series is a great honor and a lot of fun. Right now, rather than feeling a lot of pressure, l'm excited about where we're going to take Zelda next.