8. 25 ThéfElder Scrolls IV, ‘OBLIVION First Le pA ІШІ А. beautiful as the game is, even Major League Baseball’ has its ugly side. For every perfect game and 6-4-3 double play, there is a Don Mossi. An Andy Etchebarren. A Bill Skowron. But MLB" 2005 and EyeToy’ change all that as they take you into the ballgame, letting baseball buffs put their mug onto customized players. The boys of summer have never looked better as fans change the face of baseball forever. mwa а: a EVERYONE CONTENT RATED BY ESRB ЕР Соя мы! KEN SKIN TONE) КЕЙ CAPTURED PHOTOS LIB ЕЛІ HEAD ТҮРЕ LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD. PLAY IN DURS: Blood Violence atari.com/demonstone PlayStation.2 E Q Tw FROM THE DEVELOPERS OF THE BESTSELLING GAME, THE LORD OF THE RINGS THE TWO TOWERS" COMES THE NEXT GREAT SAGA BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL @ Л reason Д A Me flesh л Are the slicing continues PFA TING PENDING Visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information. PlayStation. хвох ©2004 Electronic Arts Inc. Electronic Arts, "Challenge Everything,” EA, ҒА GAMES and the ҒА GAMES lo LLC and Simcoh, LLC. Phat Farm™ is used under license from Phat Fashions, LLC, Def Jam artists appe registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries CALL 5 BRAWL WIT! VED оп, tn 20 ANYTHI { Af i 1 T OVER 40 HiP-HüP STARS AND TAKE THEM Qi dis JFFERENT FIGHTING ini" UNE LEET сз STANDING? IN OVER 90 STREETELGHT С КУ ABs DANN NNER yTREO DAVID 9^ p) ENUFF 0) FELL’ FE ERI Ё FREEWAY GHOSTFACE KIM STICKY ННСА WAR WAR ELEPHANT MAN CK SERMON FAM-LAY ATJOE FLAVA FLAY E KILLAH AVOC HENRY ROLLINS ORA ЕЕ LIL FL UU KIM МОЛЕ OMAR EP? PRODIGY REDMAN ‹ SHAWNNA SLICK аск SNOOP DOGG ENG ALRIGHT, FELLAS, LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS. HiT THE LIGHTS, MURRAY. SO WE STILL NEED ONE MORE MEMBER TO PULL OFF OUR BIGGEST )ОВ YET. WE NEED A FAST LEARNER... Comic Violence SOMEONE FEARLESS... WHO CAN THiNK ON THEIR FEET... AND SOMEONE WITH А 7; PLAYSTATION 2. COME ON. ARE YOU WiTH US? PlayStation.e ч LIVE IN YOUR WXRLD PLAY IN DURS cover story THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION Is there anything we need to say beyond “next-gen game" to create interest in this? Game Informer gets the scoop on not only the future of one of the hottest RPG series around, but the technology behind the future of console gaming as well. Oh, and there are some screenshots you may want to see, too. Seeing as they're more drool-worthy than Princess Leia in a brass bikini and all. Get the full story on page 50. BASKETBALL BLOWOUT Shaq's in Miami. Kobe's on trial. The good news {5 that KG is still MVP and the next season is dead ahead. That, of course, means that the next round of basketball games is just around the corner, and we take a look at who's going to rule the paint this year. departments STAFF Read the team's latest favorites GI SPY Silly pictures of our life and times DEAR GI Your chance to fire back at us! CONNECT Where news, talk, and technology collide INTERVIEW Relic Entertainment founder Alex Garden talks about his studio’s recent acquisition by THQ and what may be in store for both companies on the horizon 8 GAME INFORMER THE 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL GAMES EVER MADE Fear not, loyal readers! GI once again comes to the rescue with a list to argue over. The Staff takes a long, hard look at the history of the best hobby ever, and marks the most Computer Space to СТА ІШ, get your slice of history on page 64. GEAR Geeky gadget stuff for the masses - from robots to TVs OPINION Raph Koster, chief creative officer at Sony Online Entertainment, muses on the massively multiplayer genre and what the future holds for it CALENDAR Get hip to this month's happenings PREVIEWS We spent some hands-on time with GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, and fill you in on what's up. New Resident Evil 4 info and screens | MERCENARIES What's better than rolling around in sto- len cars and wasting unsuspecting fools? Doing it in helicopters and tanks equipped with the best firepower known to modern ries, of course. This new LucasArts title impressed at ЕЗ, and we get the inside scoop on just why it looks so awesome. and Dead or Alive Ultimate details also await! REVIEWS Game of the Month: Fable for Xbox CHARTS Retail Sales Data and the СІ edi- tors' Top 10 Games SECRET ACCESS Codes, strategies, and passwords CLASSIC GI Reliving gaming’s greatest moments GAME OVER The end...or is it? GAME Alien Hominid . . 4 spa Ape Escape: Pumped andi Primed.. vd Army Men: Sarge's War . Bard's Tale, Тһе . Blinx 2: Masters of Space and Time Burnout 3: Takedown 2 Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 Season .. Call of Duty: United Offensive . ChoroQ Я Colin McRae Rally 2005 Sus EE Dance Dance Revolution: Extreme . Dead or Alive Ultimate . Def Jam: Fight for NY Doom 3 Dragon Ball Z: Buu s s Fury Dragonshard . . ^ Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee, The $ Dungeons & Dragons Online Fables ses Forgotten Realms Demon Stone Funkmaster Flex Digital Hitz Factory Galleon 4 d Gallop Racer 2004 eis Getaway: Black Monday, The . GoldenEye: Rogue Agent . Gradius V . M Grand Theft Auto: San And eas Guy Game, The Headhunter: Redemption Juiced Katamari Dama Kessen Ill Killzone : ү Kirby and the Amazing Mirror . . Kohan II: Kings of War Mario Pinball Land ..... Mega Man X Command M Mega Man Zero 3 .. Midway Arcade Treasures 2 Mortal Kombat: Deception . Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors .. . Outlaw Golf 2 Pokémon Fire Red/Leaf Green Pure Pinball . . . . Rapala Pro Fishi Red Star, The .. Resident Evil 4 . Robotech: Invasion Rome: Total War Covenant Sly 2: Band of Thieves . Spy Fiction . . . Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Star Wars: Republic Commando .... Е Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force ..... Street Racing Syndicate . Terminator 3: Redemption . . . Test Drive: Eve of Destruction Thunderbirds .................. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 Ж Tony Hawk's Underground 2: World Destruction Tour . Under the Skin Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War WWE: Day of Reckoning ... Yager ... ENSE hts reserved: VIDEO: YES. GAME: NO. v, e 43» U.S. AIR FORCE CROSS INTO THE BLUE Phantom opponents are one thing, but being matched against a real adversary brings new meaning to the term "game over." And it takes a completely new set of skills to play for real. In the United States Air Force, you're not just a player but a relevant, contributing part of the most highly advanced military on the planet. Which is why we seek those with the talent to win and the intelligence to win under pressure. Call 1-800-423-USAF or log on to AIRFORCE.COM and find out what we can do to help your game. And what you can do to help ours. People Who Actually Get Paid To Play Video Games THE SMALL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Xbox 2, or whatever codename you like — Xbox Next or Xenon - is the worst-kept secret in the history of hardware. While Microsoft won't comment officially on its next-genera- tion plans, the amount of leaked and confirmed information is almost staggering. From the white paper we reported on in the August issue to the bevy of new information you will find in this issue, Xbox 2 is very real. I've seen it. However, it is important to note that all this information is a snapshot of a place and time. The specs and capabili- ties that we talk about concerning the next-gen systems, be it Xbox 2 or PS3, are all subject to change. | ANDY McNAMARA Reiner >> reiner@gameinformercom Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Fighting, Action/Platform, Strategy, Next Year To Play Them, Lucas’ Continued Tweaking Of The Original Trilogy Current Favorite Games: Fable, Burnout 3: Takedown, Mortal Kombat: Deception, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Matt >> matt@gameinformer.com Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: Thunder In The Valley (www.thunderinthevalleyb and.com), The Stunning (http;//www.falserumor.com/thestunning), Kill Bill Vol. 2, The Triple Rock Social Club (| Was Wrong About That Place, It Rocks), Next-Gen System Rumors Dislikes: The Olympic Hype, Bob Costas Current Favorite Games: Sly 2: Band Of Thieves, Def Jam: Fight for NY, Burnout 3: Takedown, Pac-Man Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/ AMEN FORMER, OCTOBER 2004 TEXT Sports Interests: How Beautiful The Next Generation Of Gaming Looks, Angel, 1.618, Volume XIV * Number 10 + Issue 138 À Star Wars: Shatterpoint, Disaster Movies, My Newfound Love For Cooking (Call Me PUBLISHER The Gamer Gourmet!) Dislikes: Seeing Next-Gen Games And Having To Wait Until 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/Contributing Writer Bryan Vore Mascot Arthur PRODUCTION Art Director Thomas Blustin Production Director Curtis Fung Production Assistant Rachel Nimerfroh. ! CONTRIBUTORS Our cd story, Bethesda's newest game The Elder Platform Interests: Chicken Country USA, Frozen Turkey Hand Puppets, Star Wars тер Scrolls IV: Oblivion, on the other hand, is not subject to Trilogy DVD, Bail Bondsman Correspondence Courses, Finger Bowls Dislikes: Тһе Ed Carreón change - this is how the game will appear on Xbox 2, PC, and presumably PS3. We also doubt that there will be many changes to the Xbox 2 technology or its planned launch in 2005. Microsoft Olympics, Star Wars: The TV Show (Prepare To Have All Your Dreams Destroyed), Some Games’ Misunderstanding Of Vietnam Current Favorite Games: Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, Colin McRae Rally 2005, Test Drive: Driven To Destruction, Tempest, Kessen Ill, Fable GAME INFORMER ONLINE ‘Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Associate Online Editor Chris Cook is gearing up for a battle of epic proportions, and this time ADVERTISING SALES it knows that hardware isn't the key to victory (not that Lisa >> lisa&gameinformer.com SAN FRANCISCO Doug Faust Xbox 2 is lacking in any sense), the war is won or lost on the software front. It seems Microsoft has done its homework. The list of developers that have approached Game Informer with infor- mation is remarkable. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have yet to find any developers with any solid informa- tion on PS3 or Nintendo's Revolution. It seems Microsoft is that far ahead of the game. So, with many of pieces in play, it makes me wonder whether Xbox 2 is “pulling a Dreamcast" or making a mas- terful move that could very well put Nintendo and Sony at a disadvantage. Nine months ago ! would have said Microsoft was committing too early in the cycle, and would leave itself open to a Sony barrage of marketing that would make it an immediate failure. Handle: La Game Nikita Expertise: Survival Horror, Adventure, RPGs, Action/Platform, Racing Interests: DVD Box Sets (Alias Season Three, Star Wars, And Invader Zim Special Edition Are All Tops), Knitting A Poncho Before They're Terribly Uncool, The Olympics, Medulla Dislikes: Bob Costas, Poor Tae Kwon Do Coverage, Realizing 4 That! Worry About A Kitten Too Much Current Favorite Games: Fable, Burnout 3: Takedown, Pokémon Fire Red, Katamari Damacy, The Elder Scrolls IV: “The Awesome,” Gran Turismo 4 Jeremy >> jeremy@gameintormer.com Handle: Gamezilla Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Survival Horror, Action/Platform, Fighting, Strategy/RPGs Interests: Next Generation Coolness, Shaun Of The Dead, Bill Maher, Bushwhacked By Molly Ivins And Lou Dubose, Ted Rall, The Boondocks Dislikes: Hearing About Great Games That Are Yet To Be Made, Technical Difficulties During Movies, Owning A Non-Sexy Cell Phone Current Favorite Games: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Burnout 3: Takedown, Mortal Kombat: Deception, Terminator 3: Vice President Advertising Sales (650) 728-5647 Fax: (650) 728-5648 doug@gameinformer.com MINNEAPOLIS Rob Borm Director of Marketing and Midwest/East Coast Sales Manager (612) 4866155 Fax: (612) 4866101. rob@gameinformer.com LOS ANGELES Marc Minasian Southwest Regional Sales Manager (818) 991-9923 Fax; (818) 991:9923 ‘marc@gameinformer.com ^ IN NUM. do. ы : MINNEAPOLIS Now, after months of investigation, I'm singing a different Redemption, WWE: Day Of Reckoning ‘Amy Атой tune. I'm starting to believe in the strategy. Of course, there ‘Advertising Coordinator and Online Sales (612) 4866154 are many unanswered questions that could change the landscape in a heartbeat, but it does seem Microsoft is on the right track for the moment. But you can’t help but wonder: Are developers and publishers willing to spend the massive dollars it takes to support Xbox 2, when PlayStation 2 has so many units out there, which in turn equals more sales and profits? Or, at the other end of the spectrum, can the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution offer up consoles that are enough of a forward leap in technology and innovation that they can cancel Microsoft's head start? No one knows the answers to these questions, and I'm not willing to guess...yet. There are far too many variables still in play. Sony's PlayStation is a behemoth in this busi- ness and supplanting it will be incredibly difficult. And you can never count out Nintendo, with its amazing stable of licenses and countless innovations. Still, you can't help but think that Microsoft is doing everything right. No matter what happens, the gamers of the world win. Plus, nothing is more fun to watch than multi-billion dollar companies battling it out for our entertainment dollars. / Andy >> andy@gameintormer.com 4 Adam >> adam@gameinformer.com Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: The Westin Regina In Los Cabos, Orange Juice, Hello Kitty Flashlights, Andre 3000, Minnesota's Three Seasons That Don't Suck, Drizzt Do'Urden (The Consummate Badass) Dislikes: Download Queues, When People Have A Billion Icons On Their Desktops, Motion Blur, Spawn Campers Current Favorite Games: Doom 3, Kohan Il: Kings Of War, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, Mario Kart: Double Dash JOE >> joe@gameinformer.com Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Strategy, Platform, Puzzle Interests: Hank Scorpio (Best Character Ever), Blind Swordsman Zatoichi, Smoothies, Chest Puffing And Bravado, Sebastian Shaw At The End Of Return Of The Jedi Dislikes: Elle Driver, Homoeroticism In Top Gun (Goose Is Not The High School Sweetheart!), Hayden Christensen At The End Of Return Of The Jedi Current Favorite Games: Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, Gradius V, Pokémon Leaf Green (I Knowl), Final Fantasy ХІ, Peasant's Quest Miller >> miter@gameinformercom Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Fighting, Platform, First-Person Shooters Interests: The King Of All Cosmos On A Tangent, Frisbee, Seattle When It’s Sunny, Tearing The Plastic Off A New Game, Supreme Power #12 Dislikes: McDonald's Commercials On The Olympics, Daily Beatings From Lisa, Piranha, Flight Delays, Running Out Of Cookies Current Favorite Games: Fable, Halo 2, Mario And Luigi Superstar Saga, City Of Heroes Fax: (612) 4866101. amy@gameinformer.com CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT For change of address or 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) 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 all video games. Such materials should be addressed 1o: Editor, Game Informer? Magazine, 724 North First St, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be retuned 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 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 Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: The Auction At Classic Gaming Expo (Best Show Ever!), The Bourne Supremacy, War Of The Spider Queen, The Plastic Constellations, Next-Generation Platforms Dislikes: The Fact That Broadband Isn't Cheaper And Faster *Shakes Fist At Telcoms And Cable Companies* Current Favorite Games: Rapala Pro Fishing, City Of Heroes, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, Katamari Damacy, Burnout 3: Takedown, Fable See ee Subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for he advertisement. INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser andlor GAME INFORMER UNLIMITED Advertsing Agency agrees to defend and indemnity the н publisher against any and all liability, loss, or expense When you see this logo on a game preview, review, or feature, you can learn more rte ng көп mof tat untai compen, na 3 B T trade practices, infringement of trademarks, copyrights, about it by heading to www.gameinformer.com and clicking on the Unlimited logo. trade names, patents, or proprietary rights or violation of rights of privacy, resulting from the publication of the Advertiser's statement. 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. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations 10 САМЕ INFORMER X MORTAL KOMBAT f D EC БРТ О" “BEST FIGHTING GAME OF ЕЗ” “BEST FIGHTING GAME OF ЕЗ” ет — IT WILL KONSUME YOU. = 3 5 Be wy — OCTOBER 2004 MATURE 17+ Ф MIDWAY PlayStation e ж LIVE =. POWERED BY Blood and Gore Intense Violence Kombat Deception™ ©2004 Midway Amusement Games, LLC, All rights reserved. MORTAL KOMBAT, the dré MIDWAY, and the Mid т names are trademarks Of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. GameSpy and the “Powered by GameSpy" design rks of G Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Midway Amusement Games, LLC and its affiliates do not monitor, endorse sponsibility for the content of any non-Midway website. Distributed under license by Midway Home: атаи б. 0 i Xbox Live, the Live logo, and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Cor poi п in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family. 1900 аге егей J npuler Entertainment Inc... The Online icon (5 a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Online play requires internet Sepa 50 d Way logo are registered trademarks of Midway Amusement Games, LLC. MORTAL KOMBAT DECEPTION, the M in a circle logo апа ection, Network Айар 'or PlayStation 2) and Memory Card (8М8) (for PlayStation 2) (each sol 3 Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry Фут 12 GAMEINFORMER YOU CAN CLICK I ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING Inappropriate for АП Ages мош If you think you can get away with illegally swapping movies, you're wrong. ШедаПу trafficking in movies is not just a dirty little secret between you and your computer. The message is simple: if you are downloading copyrighted movies without proper authorization, you are breaking the law. You face serious consequences if you illegally swap movies. The only way not to get caught is to stop. Pursuant to the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. Section 504(c)), statutory damages can be as much as $30,000 per motion picture, and up to $150,000 per motion picture if the infringement is willful. € 2004 Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. G і The Readers Strike Back TOO FAR FOR US? | am a 23-year-old African American student who has enjoyed your magazine for over a year now. Though 1 admit to not being an ardent gamer, 1 do love video games. 1 write today to respond to a letter from one of your readers, Elak Swindell, who argued that maybe Rockstar had gone too far [with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]. Your magazine once brought up commentary on race and video games [Race and Video Games: An Unequal Face, issue #130], and | fully agree with that article. The problem is evident in games like Bushido Blade 2, Tekken 3 and quite a few others that have many stereotypical black characters. However, | would ask that reader, Elak Swindell, if the issue of race didn't bother him in this latest endeavor by Rockstar, then why would one state “African American gangster” or point out the fact that the Bloods and Crips faced "Asian and Latino" rivals? If race doesn't matter, then why point it out? Isn't it hypocrisy to disagree with one brand of criminal activity, but then to accept another form? Saying the Mafia formula is tried and true is to say “organized crime” is much more acceptable. Do the glamour, glitz, and suits make it a more lovely crime, thus it is perfectly fine to present it to the public? Crime is crime and criminals are criminals. If someone believes something else, then they aren't only small- minded, they are also ignorant. |, for one, thought Rockstar was aiming for a feel more like movies such as Boys ‘N the Hood, Menace II Society, or Juice. The race of the characters never crossed my mind, because it was still just a game about crime, not race Walter Mwasi Williams 111 Via hotmail.com First off, | would like you guys to know that your mag is one of the better ones out there. But, | would also like you to know that a letter written by one of your readers that you guys decided to print was very offensive. | am black and love the СТА series, and the fact that they are using a main character that is black is great beyond words could say. | have been waiting for the day that а game company would step up and do something other video game companies (besides EA Sports) would not do. The writer contradicted himself when saying that we should not be idolizing street gangs, but the Mafia. Why not? What has the Mafia done to make America so great? Nothing. They were no better people than the Enron crooks or the LA street gangs. Enbeezy Via email The response to Elak's letter in issue #136 was almost as strong as the initial opinions on the game in question - Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The controversial franchise is taking on an era that hits closer to home than the styl- ized '80s Miami in Vice City or generic organized crime of GTA III did. The first round of letters was interesting because most people were defending the Mafia mentality while decrying the street gang theme, while this second wave focuses mostly on how an honest portrayal of the culture and times is something to look forward to. We're still in wait- and-see mode and hoping that San Andreas lives up to the responsibility, and just as importantly, the shameless fun of the series. YER LOOKIN’ REAL PURTY, BARTENDER, ANOTHER MARTOONI PLEASE, TRUE ROMANCE Video games have given me some of the best laughs, most joyful tears, and happiest memories of my life. 1 remember a day when sitting down and playing Excitebike, Kung Fu, Super Adventure Island, Wizards and Warriors, and RC Pro Am were the reason to get my homework done. The reason for doing my chores. And all the while | was learning, | was becoming greater than | was, and | didn’t even know it. It saddens me to see where video games are going. Connectivity with Hollywood is great, but the more mainstream video games become, the more junk will be pushed on us. The console market is one of the only markets in which money is spent on potential. We as gamers shell out the cash because some great game might be released on a certain console. Does a person buy a car because some new floor mat might be produced in the future? Does a person buy a house because someday there might be a new type of garage door? | don't think so. The fact that Nintendo and Sony are so secretive about their new games is, in a way, upsetting to те Just let us in. We are investors and we need to know as much as possible 1 love video games, and ! consider myself to be a hardcore gamer. 1 have a top-loading Nintendo. | had the Sega Nomad, Sega CD, and 1 even was the proud owner of a Virtual Boy...and the licensed Virtual Boy Barf Bag (just kidding). 1 was, and most of me still is, in love with Princess Zelda from the Saturday morning cartoon show. The point I'm making here is that | care about the video game world because in life I'm just Ryan Telles, 21-year old bartender. But in my games | am Link, | am Spider-Man, | am Master Chief, | am a hero, savior of the world. Nothing else besides video games gives me the ability to be loved by everyone, to be a protector of life. Video games are an alternate universe that not everyone understands, and ! would be very sad to see that universe be ripped to shreds by the want for money. Love creates games, love keeps them alive, and hopefully someday everyone can a hero. But until then we must rely on games to give the people that feeling of joy. Ryan Telles Via email п ...Sorry, one second...just need a tissue. That was beautiful, man. Yours is a flavor of optimism and idealism that we haven't seen since, well, probably that first time we saw Braveheart. That freedom speech still gives us goosebumps. FOGGY PATH BACK IN THE DAY 1 really enjoyed the Final Fantasy Chronology article in issue #136. However, | recently picked up Final Fantasy Legend 1, Il, and Ill for Game Boy and | noticed that they weren't even mentioned in the article. So my question is, are these true Final Fantasy games, or was it an oversight not to include them? | would just like to know, because I'd like to experience all the Final Fantasy games. If not, | will keep them sealed for collection purposes. Thanks for another classic СІ article, the best part of the magazine! Rodney Gonzalez Palatine, IL It's true that there are more games in the Final Fantasy lineage than we listed in the FF Chronology piece. Besides the three Legend titles (which are close to traditional FF games) on GBA there is the Tactics line to consider (Final Fantasy Tactics on PSone and Tactics Advance on GBA) and a handful of tenuously connected games like Kingdom Hearts and Ehrgeiz. Being a Final Fantasy fan has never been cheap, and it never will be - break open that college fund because learnin' is for suckers, but FF is forever. Since arcades had some of the best games around, and we have seen many of those great titles come to life on our home consoles, wouldn't it be nice to finally get a col- lection of the missing arcade rarities? Some arcade games like The Simpsons, X-Men, Dungeons and Dragons, and Aliens vs. Predator have never had a console conversion. | would love to sit down and play some of these classic arcade games in the com- fort of my own home. Companies such as Namco and Atari have already come out with classics on one disc, but they should consider other arcade greats. | have searched online for hours (I know it's wrong, but I'm a desperate man) looking for these classics as ROMs on the Super Nintendo emulator, since their graphics are about equal. | found none, and | searched all the big- gest sites. | have thought about trying through an arcade emulator, but 1 have dial-up and it would take me years to download the file. You all know "people," so maybe they would listen to you and not some ranting, raving, whining guy wanting good old classics in his home. | am sure there are many others who want to see this happen as well. Please, help gamers that don't want to stand upright for the hours it Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: Game Informer Magazine е Attn: Dear GI • 724 North First St., 4th Floor е Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com 14 GAME INFORMER —— «ww RIPTHROUGHAN ONSLAUGHT OF SKYNET MACHINES AS THE T850 n> Language ^ Partial Nudity C2 PICTURES" A RETE талым ent Violence INTERMEDIA |р: т SEIZE CONTROL: OF 20+ VEHICLES IN THE BATTLE TO SAVEIHIUMANITY. INATOR 3 E. REDEMPTION PlayStation. Е 0000 2371 1505 00А0 E 3 2347 1505 takes to beat the game! Try to get these on home consoles 50 everyone can have some fun. Chris Owens and Phillip Fannin Via email в Dudes, gaming used to involve sacrifice and for- titude, now it's all people that want to sit on their couches and lounge in the comfort of their own media nooks. Well, back in the old days, we had to stand up to play games! And, we had to go some- where else to enjoy them - away from our pets, our phones, our personally stocked refrigerators featur- ing favorite munchies (mmm...red velvet cake)! We even had to deal with people that we didn't like; honestly, we don't like most people, but still... Wait! Actually, this "playing at home on our own terms with the comfort of a seat" thing doesn't sound so bad. Chris and Philip, we salute you for a good idea well stated. IT HURTS INSIDE Normally | would protest about games you guys have either underrated or overrated. However, based on the loony e- mails you guys get, | decided to try to fit in with everyone else, so here goes my impression of a video game extrem- ist who is completely horrified of the rating you gave Mario Party 5. WHY DID YOU GIVE A CHILD'S GAME SUCH A CRAZY LOW RATING? | MEAN 1 HAVE A CHILD! AND NOW HE'S NOT [expletive deleted] PLAYING HIS [expletive deleted] GAME! 1 [expletive deleted] PAYED FOR THAT PIECE OF [expletive deleted]! Andrew Doe Via gmail.com s You аге painfully correct. Seriously, it hurt a little when we read your letter, although that could have been the Taco Pocket we ate an hour earlier. Sometimes it's hard to tell with these things. WEEPING FOR THE PRETTY ONES I'll be the first to say that | don't think | am the most hand- some person on the planet, but | am a decent looking guy. But whenever | tell someone how obsessed | am with video games, they never believe me. | think people are too focused on their preconceived ideas of what a hardcore gamer looks like. No one takes me seriously when it comes to gaming — and it's just because of my looks. Why should | have to school everyone in the room before | am believed? Luke Avichouser Via hotmail.com п Wow Luke, it's really sad that you've been exposed to such derogatory and unsavory conduct because of the way you appear. We get a lot of email from hot people just struggling to be taken seriously as gamers - some- thing that current society doesn't readily accept. There's a long road ahead of you; but keep fighting the good fight for yourself, and more importantly, for the next genera- tion who will follow in your footsteps. Charge on, brave attractive one, and godspeed. 16 GAME INFORMER KATIE HOLTKAMP Once Pikachu went from Pokéballs to Goofballs, things went downhill Enter the Game Informer Envelope Art Contest. All you need to do is draw, paint, scratch, spit, or carve the best darn envelope art you can think of and send it to us. Please include your name, phone number, and return address on the back of the envelope. If you're the monthly winner, we'll feature your work in Сі and you'll receive a video game prize from the Game Informer vault. Send to: Game informer Envelope Art Contest 724 Ist St. N, 4th Floor Mpls, MN 55401 VIRI BALDERAS Who's out? Angelina Jolie. Who's in? Rosanne Barr CASEY ROBINSON Sure do! Got pants? ALEXANDER JORGE “Seriously, feel this! | am so buff!" CORRECTIONS In last month's issue, Gran Turismo 4 was mistakenly listed as a PS2, Xbox, and GC release. This title is exclusive to PS2. Conversely, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is not a PS2 game. It's only available for GBA. DIDIER SAINT LOUIS Smurf-cenaries: Blue assassins-for-hire “We have SOLID oroof of their of mass | uction.” - October 16, 1962 AON! WWW.METALGEARSOLID.COM RATING PENDING ЕЕЕ Visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information. CONTENT RATED BY ESRB METAL GEAR®, METAL GEAR SOLID® and SNAKE EATER™ are either best trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, INC. ©1987 2004 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN. KONAMK is FORMAT PLAYSTATION 2, ХВОХ > STYLE 1 TO 10-PLAYER SPORTS (Р52), 1 TO 4-PLAYER (XBOX (UP TO 10-PLAYER VIA PS2 ONLINE OR UP TO 8-І А XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER SEGA; GLOBAL STAR SOFTWARE > DEVELOPER VISUAL CONCEPTS > RELEASE OCTOBER 5 é і | 52 САМЕ INFORMER NBA LIVE 2004 reestyle control is nothing new to NBA Live, but the control you get in the Slam Dunk F Contest is unreal. Giving it a Tony Hawk-like feel, everything from your toss to your celebration is user controlled though button combos and the right analog. More user control also exists for offensive rebounds, where separate face buttons dictate whether you pull the ball down or go for a tip in or dunk, with varying chances of success. Right away, gamers will also notice some new changes for this year's Live. Players are noticeably more detailed, and even feature rim lighting. On the court, EA Canada has toned down the effectiveness of the pro hop, forcing you to pass the ball in mid-jump to avoid the foul or loss of possession. EA won't talk about Live's franchise mode yet, but it promises its depth will be similar to Madden's. As the series continues to stiffen its defense, we eagerly await to see if it has enough offense in its other areas to take on ESPN. > FORMAT PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX, GAMECUBE, PC > STYLE 1 TO 5-PLAYER SPORTS (PS2), 1 OR 2-PLAYER (XBOX), 1 TO 4-PLAYER (СО), (UP TO 10-PLAYER VIA PS2 ONLINE, UP TO 2-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER EA SPORTS isn't the only new thing to peep. > DEVELOPER EA CANADA > RELEASE OCTOBER 5 Live's freestyle All-Star dunks will make your head explode NBA STREET V3 C onstruct your very own court, customize your apparel, build up your reputation, and show off your ability to fly in the all-new dunk contest. As you can see, this year's NBA Street is all about self-expression and bringing the player closer to the action than ever before. Boasting online functionality (presumably for Xbox and PlayStation 2) and the same killer three-on-three gameplay, EA is also moving away from the graffiti-influenced look toward photorealism. Jerseys sway realistically as the player moves and the backgrounds are buzzing with life. Along with the NBA's most promising stars, Street will once again pay tribute to the legends, this time focusing more on their individual histories. If EA can deliver on the content that it has laid out, V3 should be another slam dunk release for the series. > FORMAT PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX, GAMECUBE > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS (ONLINE TBA) > PUBLISHER EA SPORTS BIG > DEVELOPER EA CANADA > RELEASE EARLY 2005 Ш When he's not playing hoops, King James works as a volunteer for the Cleveland fire department. His specialty? Leaping and grabbing kittens out of trees | | | | А, ad | | | NI 1 È | Ҹу | TT | Join the Next Movement All players are not created equal. Some big men look for the open 19-footer, others crash the boards like a wrecking ball with an afro. That's what Next Movement with IsoMotion? technology is all about. Every player performs with the same skills and style as he does in real life, which makes ESPN NBA 2K5 the most complete, most authentic NBA video game you can buy. Check out ESPN NBA 2K5... and let the Next Movement begin. [ “the most complete hoops game on the market.” -ІСМ.сот EVERYONE 4 PlayStation. Sega is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Sega and the Sega logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Corporation © SEGA CORPORATION, 2004. АП Rights Reserved. The NBA and individual NBA member team identifications used on or in this intellectual property of NBA Properties. Inc. and the respective NBA member teams and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of NBA Properties. Inc. © 2004 NBA Properties, Inc. MI rights reserved. ESPN is a trademark of ESPN, Inc. "PlayStation" andl Entertainment Inc. Online play requires internet connection, Network Adaptor (for PlayStation 2) and Memory Card (BMB) (for PlayStation 2) (each sold separately). The Online icon is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, Xbox Live logi marks of Microsoft Corporation in the 05. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. ESPN is a trademark of ESPN, Inc. ESPN Branded Elements ©2004 ESPN, Inc. $13. 9 ТЕЕ сот = J ( 2K5 c NBA. Сом connect CREATURE KEEPER GI LOOKS AT THE CREATION OF NEMESIS FOR RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE at it and thought that the zombies had been done, the dogs had been done, the licker had been done. ..but not Nemesis. | want to do just the Nemesis,” says special-effects maestro Paul Jones, whose work includes the Hellraiser sequels, FX: The Series, The Bride of Chucky, and G inger Snaps. He is the man responsible for bri nging one of the most iconic villains in video games to the big screen. In Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Nemesis, in all of his hulk- ing, sraarling glory, trades blows with Milla Jovovi ch's Alice, who returns from the first movie. It should be no surprise to anyon e that Nemesis plays a big part in Apocalypse - his appea rance was foreshad- owed at the end of 2002's franch ise opener, and a tough er Alice needs some- опе to spar with. We were on set last October and got to see Nemesis' headpiece first-hand, and finally realized that scomeone who had been such аа terror during so many hours of game time was going to be pla yed by an actual human. The man хл/һо falls those shoes and fits into Jones' cos- tume is Matthew Taylor. A giant block of a man at abo ut 250 lbs. and well over six feet tall, the fir al costume gets him to just under seven feet, making him believably huge enough that the tell escoping rocket launcher looks just right wvhen perched on his shoulder. Just as he had planned after reading the script, Jones was hired to work exclusively on the Nemesis costume. "Everyone is going to go to this movie expecting [specific things] of the Nemesis. All that they're going to get is a real, tFiree-dimensional interpretation of the character.’ To start the process, Jones went to the concept art, screenshots, and even fan-produced paintings of the games and this character. As it turns out, the first sculpt that they did was a keeper - something that almost never happens when translating a character between mediums. This approval started a 10-week break- meck Construction process to build the seven Ieathe ғ outfits, three heads (one "hero" héad- piece wwith animatronics and the others which were visually identical, but lacking machinery, hey offered me the whole movie, they told me to bid on the whole job. І looked 36 GAME INFORMER Nemesis as seen in the upcoming Resident Evil: Apocalypse...and really close to what he looks like in our worst nightmares for stunt work and distance shots), and three muscle suits. The big problems were twofold: Nemesis would need to move fast and do a lot of stunt-heavy action sequences, and the character would be filmed close-up on mul- tiple occasions. A hybrid suit of silicone and rubber was designed along with a handful of black, buckled leather outfits to put on top. Three machinists were brought in to make the leather costumes, and the end of filming saw every single one of them destroyed. One particularly abused outfit was strapped with 400 squibs (small charges used to make the effect of bullets hitting something) - at the end, it was totally shredded. After Jovovich asked in rehearsals if she could hit the costume, another copy of the suit was created entirely in rubber. Why? So that she could safely beat the crap А Раш Jones, out of it. shown below A single studio focusing on sculpting Nemesis' head- piece, opted to work exclusively on the iconic villian. The full costume, at right, weighs more than а small sofa and was totally destroyed by the end of filming one character isn't necessarily a groundbreaking decision, but the result is immediately apparent - Nemesis looks badass in the flick. With critical video game fans on the hunt for anything out of place, it appears as though Paul Jones has pulled it off and made the Nemesis an actual lead character, life-like and intimidating as hell. IN STORES SEPTEMBER The only beauty you'll find in the new Test Drive series is in the crashes. Huge, gorgeous, stunning crashes. The kind you only dream about. Choose from 33 different vehicles, including a school bus and a hearse and 25 different disaster-inviting courses. Reckless driving. Tons of crashes. It's a beautiful thing. DRIVE IRRESPONSIBLY AT WWW.ATARI.COM/TESTDRIVE PlayStation.? MONSTER © 2004 Atari Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Manufactured and marketed by Atari, Inc., New York, NY. Developed by Monster Games, Inc. “PlayStation"and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. connect CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 1994 v 1997 Y Ei ii Ё Ei g 1997 Y 2004 v A New Beginning In May of 1997, along with Luke Molony, Garden co-founds Relic Bringing back the franchise that put it on the map, Relic releases 38 GAME INFORMER interview ALEXGARDEN CO-FOUNDER, RELIC ENTERTAINMENT/DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, THQ >> Although still young in comparison to many of his contemporaries, Relic Entertainment co-founder Alex Garden has already had a career that many would envy. Game Informer sat down with Garden to get his take on Relic’s recent acquisition by THQ, and what the future holds for both companies. << Homeworld - the game that you're most associated with - was a really huge suc- cess, and received a lot of critical acclaim. Following that, you became the public face for Homeworld. People started saying, "Alex Garden is the next Sid Meier" and things like that. Was that a lot of pressure to deal with? Sure. 1 definitely felt a tremendous amount of pressure to repeat the success that we had with Homeworld. And that product came from personal interest and not from some sage-like vision of where the industry was going. So, 1 went back to my personal interest and built Impossible Creatures. And, the truth is, 1 don't think that was the right product at the right time. That was very difficult, but on the other hand, it taught me an incredibly valu- able lesson. That is: "Don't believe your own press, but | can tell you this. Relic was started with a goal, and we stayed very focused on the goal of becom- ing the number one RTS company in the world on every platform. Partnering with THQ is a move that is definitely going to help us reach our goals faster. [So far], it's been such a positive experience that | really don't think that there's been any regret ог emotional downside whatsoever. Are you staying on at the Relic offices in Canada, or are you relocating to THQ's head- quarters in California? What is your position going to be after the merger? Relic is probably up around a little over 100 people now, and that studio has really grown creatively and professionally beyond anything 1 could have hoped for. Ron Morovek, who was our chief operating offi- systems, and that is something in which we plan to continue. | can tell you that some of the stuff we have planned for the DS and the PSP is going to be pretty revolutionary. What excites you about those systems and their capabilities? | think that you have to look at the platforms sepa- rately, because they really talk to different demo- graphics and different markets. With the DS, | think that having the touch screen is going to bring a tremendous amount of control that wasn't possible before to that console. With the PSP, you know, it's just a very, very powerful piece of hardware. I've had a chance to finally take a look at it now and it has an incredibly robust feature set. Something that's exciting about both the DS and the PSP is Warhammer's going to be a big wake-up call to a lot of our competitors. remember your roots, and stay true to those no matter what happens around you” The big news recently for you and Relic is being purchased by THQ. Could you talk a lit- tle bit about some of the motivations for the deal and why you felt it was the right move for Relic at this time? When it came time for us to start thinking about our next big RTS, we worked with a group of consultants at Price-Waterhouse who helped us understand where each of the publishers were stra- tegically. They identified THQ as a rising star. And so we went and looked at the portfolio of licensed products that THQ had available, and we saw that the Warhammer 40,000 license was really appeal- ing to us. We felt like it would do a lot to bring depth and richness to the world that we were going to create. We started working on a deal around Warhammer, and it was actually, without sounding like too much of a lackey, the easiest deal we've ever done. We had so much success working with THQ that we decided to do our next [two] products with them. At that point, we started to think, “Well, we're doing so much work with this one company. Wouldn't it be great to remove all of the overhead associated with working on business development and focus all of that same effort on making our games even better?" Was it hard emotionally to sell your "baby," the company that you helped build? Well, a lot of people have asked me that question, cer at Relic, has had a tremendous amount to do with that success. As part of the acquisition, | pro- moted him to the general manager of that studio. He took over my job. And THQ asked me to come down and work actually in the office as director of product development. So, you're basically going to aid THQ in evalu- ating and picking titles to publish. That's a pretty good summary. There are three areas of focus that 1 have right now. The first is working on helping shape the portfolio goals for our next generation handheld plan — with a special focus on Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. And the second is start- ing to think about what THQ's goals are going to be for the next generation of the consoles, for Xbox 2 and PS3. And third is that THQ has a deepening focus on the triple-A, high-end market. That's show- ing with some bets they're making in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and S.TA.LK ER. But we remain focused on our core business, and that's the licensed stuff. We're growing our business and deepening our relationship with companies like Nickelodeon and Pixar. We're really starting to double-down on that space and increase the quality of the work that we're doing. A big part of the focus that | have right now is evaluating those licenses and helping match them to the right developers. What are your plans in terms of supporting the PSP and the Nintendo DS? THQ has a clear reputation as being the number one third party publisher of products for handheld their Wi-Fi connectivity. It's just great to see that we're going to be able to play together on those platforms now. Are people going to really take advantage of the dual- and touch-screen features of the DS, and do enough developers have good ideas about how to use the DS to its full capabilities? Well, when they put Neil Armstrong on the moon, they started off by sending a small satellite into orbit first. | mean, everybody has to take small steps towards the eventual goal. | think that expecting people to turn their full creative genius on like a tap sometimes is unrealistic. The goal | think now is to provide consumers with an experience which is demonstrably more fun than they could have had on a single screen system, one that didn’t have the touch screen interface. Once we learn more about the DS and start to understand what it's really capable of with that interface, | think you're going to see a lot of creativity flourish as a result of that. What else can we expect from Relic? We're making much bigger bets, and we're investing more in the character and the quality and the depth of our products than we've ever invested in the past. [We're] competing at a level that | think people would be surprised by. Know that Warhammer's going to be a big wake-up call to a lot of our com- petitors. But what we're doing next is a significant leap forward in what's been seen in the RTS space. And people are going to be very surprised by it. HOMEWORLD CREATOR SUITS UP FOR THQ 9 Relic founder Alex Garden is ESE now helping THQ plot the course \ ( of its next-gen games publishing M Ne Photo: Ed Carreón GAMBINFORMER 39 A LIGHT TRAVELS АТ A s —— PlayStation.? The: year is SD 712. Fayt's vacation on the peaceful world of Hyda is shattered when an unknown military force attacks. Separated from all he knows and loves, Fayt must brave the galaxy to recover what he has lost. > y ons TEEN SQUARE ENIX. Ппвогву) www.square-enix-usa.com Published by Square Enix U.S.A., Inc. твое SQUARE ENIX (MOBILE WWW.SQEXM.COM Blood Violence 7» connect gear Home Theater ome theater in a box sys- tems, like most technology bundled together for the sake of the masses, gets a bum rap sometimes. Usually it's because sub-par components are grouped together or the system won't allow for upgrades later in the product's lifecycle. So, how does a home theater bundle "designed for gamers" play out in real life? We got our hands on a Kenwood HTB- S715DV (not the catchiest name, is it?) and set the sucker up in our office for a test drive. First off, it's is put together so that anyone who isn't colorblind can set it up. It's a 6.1 channel system (meaning that there are front center, front left, front right, rear left, rear right, and rear center speakers along with a separate, powered subwoofer) where each end of the supplied speaker wire is color-coded to a specific speaker and to the receiver. The instructions let you know which speaker should go in which position within the room. People will have more prob- lems finding the shrimp-flavored ramen noodles in a supermarket Manufacturer: Kenwood Website: www.kenwoodusa.com List Price: 51,000 than they will have setting this unit up. In addition to the normal bells and whistles of a complete theater setup (progressive-scan DVD player, the whole suite of Dolby technolo- gies, and multiple supported for- mats for playback like MP3, JPEG, DVD, and CD), the system has a few that are geared towards gaming enthusiasts. Audio and video inputs on the front of the unit automatical- ly detect when a gaming system is turned on, and change the receiver settings accordingly. The other two "gamer features" revolve around headphone use. The system will simulate a surround sound environ- ment, even with standard stereo headphones - something that you can get with expensive headsets, but don't need — with this unit. The other is what Kenwood calls Dual- Source/Single Zone operation, which lets the headphones and the speakers output different audio sources, like gaming sounds through the headphones and a CD through the speakers. The gaming features are a mixed bag of usefulness for those with multiple systems, but overall the unit is a really nice option for those who don't want to (or don't care enough) | to pick out their own individual components for a home the- ater. It's a good choice for a living room system, and the added goodies are a nice touch. 42 GAME INFORMER [import] $23.99 GAME TUNES ON THE GO OM etc | Video game music has always stuck in our heads long after playtime is done, but some titles deserve to have their great- est musical moments captured on CD. Gaming tunes are becoming more readily available every month, and all of these are available from a variety of both brick- and-mortar and online retailers (we found great listings on Amazon.com). Voodoo Miner $12.98 | [import] $39.99 FABLE FOR EVERY CHOICE, A CONSEQUENCE. What if the choices you made had everlasting repercussions? Your every action would immediately affect your appearance and change the way people perceive you. Would you wield a sword in the name of virtue, create a path of evil with spells and treachery, or become something in between? Before you create your destiny, know this: no two Fables are the same. What will yours be? xbox.com/fable MATURE 17+ Blood Sexual Themes Strong Language X Xeo»x Iu Microsoft 5тио105 gamexstudios итш Violence ESRB it's good to play together еіс | THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition Manufacturer: Harmony Books Website: www.42words.com List Price: 555.00 Everyone has read Hitchhiker, right? What, you haven't? It'll be okay. Don't tell anyone! Just go to the store, grab a copy from the shelf (try to find it yourself, you really don't r т want anyone to know that you're gn" x» without), and walk calmly to the checkout. On your way there, take че ТНЕ a look at the illustrated Anniversary Edition — we've gotten to check the book out and can safely assert that it kicks total butt. Quotes and anec- dotes from Douglas Adams' friends and colleagues share space with "interesting" Hitchhiker memorabilia жа; and history. Oh, and read the freakin’ Ж E OUGLAS book or you have no right to call \ АПА MS yourself a human. Seriously. IrcHHIKER'S| Ў GUIDE TO THE GALAXY Manufacturer: |deazon Website: www.ideazon.com List Price: (Zboard) $49.99, (Doom 5 Keyset) $19.99 Ideazon's Zboard is an interesting product — the base unit accepts different modules designed for wildly varying applications. The gaming ones (like their limited edition Doom 3 keyset) feature licensed graphics and labeled keys for common commands. Each set is different (the Age of Empires set, for example, doesn't have a "Throw grenade into mouth of hellspawn" key) and they also offer more work-related sets for programs like Excel and Photoshop. The modules are hot swappable, and all have a bucketload of programmable hotkeys for further customization. UNLIMITED ENABLED SAMPLE CHAPTER EH THE MAKING OF DOOM 3 Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Osborne Website: www.mcgraw-hill.com List Price: $19.99 Steve Kent (who astute readers will remember from our first Opinion piece, “A Shift in the Game,” issue 133) got unprecedented access to id Software while the company worked on creating a game that would live up to the world's epic expectations. We make lots of "when it's done" jokes about the developer, but Kent lays it all out (in a far more mature manner) in this book, due out near the end of September. 44 САМЕ INFORMER The San Diego Comic Con, along with a few other collectable-related events, has brought announcements of some nice gaming-related toys. HeroClix is putting out a City of Heroes-themed figure, the first series in the World of Warcraft line is due out with the game's launch, and the Star Ocean figures should show up by the end of the year. Star Ocean Manufacturer: Kotobukiya/Diamond Select == mm Website: wwwartfx-kotobukiya.com List Price: $15.99 - $16.99 City of Heroes HeroClix — The Statesman Manufacturer: WizKids Website: www.wizkidsgames.com List Price: $6.95 World of Warcraft Manufacturer: SOTA Toys Website: wwwsotatoys.com List Price: $38.99 for set THE ULTIMATE PLAYER. -e The Mobile Entertainment System. DVD, CD, МРЗ, SD, MPEG4, JPEG....you name it. We'll play it. Available February/March 2004 Learn more about a special offer at panasonic.com/mobiledvd д " ;; connect opinion WHAT’S KEEPING MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER GAMING FROM i REACHING ITS FULL POTENTIAL? 1, ^" туе nyone remember what cyberspace looked like a decade ago? There we were, all fresh arrivals in the Metaverse, dreaming of Snow Crash's virtual bars and William Gibson's skies like televi- sions on dead channels. We wondered if the Holodeck would require one of those new- fangled 3D hardware video cards or not. If we were really old-school sci-fi fans, maybe we thought about Bradbury's Veldt or Vernor Vinge's “True Names” Back then, we dreamed about dynamic worlds that we could morph on the fly with a thought (or a twitch of the mouse). We had a lot of grand visions about really realistic NPCs that would move about the world like the ones in Ultima VII did. We thought maybe the orcs would be invading virtual towns because they wanted to, not because there were spawn points set up by the city gates. These days, after suffering through Lawnmower Man and Disclosure, maybe our dreams are a bit less lofty. Heck, these days, a lot of kids don't even know what static on a dead channel looks like. As gamers, we're all a bit more familiar with how online worlds and virtual realities work. We know about NPC schedules, and we've sunk enough hours into the games to see exactly where Maid Marian walks every day on her predefined path, until we wish she'd trip and fall head-first into her milk bucket. We know how spawn points work, and (thanks to strategy websites) exactly how often the watery floozy will raise her hand and offer us Excalibur. Even worse, we're all starting to wonder where exactly the stories are. After all, there was a plot in those novels and on those TV shows. Yes, even in VR.5 (if a plot falls іп the forest and nobody is there to watch it, does it make a sound? What about if it makes no sense?). These stories were full of a sense of purpose, and we look around our adventures in Norrath, Vana'diel, Dereth, Rubi-Ka, Britannia, and BY RAPH KOSTER, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT Paragon City, and sometimes wonder if "phat lewt” is really what it's all about. MMO fans will, of course, tell:you in a heartbeat that it's the friendships they make online that make the difference, that they have experienced epic sagas and incredible gripping stories; But even they will probably admit that we're not quite at the dream of cyberspace yet. Online worlds offer us more than just a game — they offer a virtual space into which many games can be placed. The problem, really, is that it's a bit too broad a canvas for us game developers. The issues facing the genre today are mostly still a mat- ter of leaming curve on the part of game creators. The curious thing about online worlds is that the first ones — text MUDs [multi-user dungeons — Ed] got going in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, but we still have a lot to leam. Let me tell you where | think we're going. | think we're heading for a time and place where Maid Marian sometimes does trip. She might even cuss a bit sometimes. Where the orcs invade the town because there's something there they want, and where players fight them off because the town is too important to lose. | think that the grass will die where players trample it too much, and enterprising players might divert a river to grow their crops. | think we're heading for a game where purpose arises organically out of the game, because Evil Overlords dwelling in the Misty Mountains who try to bring about the Worldending Winter are just part of how the game world works. These aren't unsolvable problems. They're hard, don't get me wrong, but they can be dealt with. It's more a matter of having the will than not being able to find a way. And, of course, it needs to make com- mercial sense, and it needs to be fun in the end. Too often, the simulations built into games make them less fun, rather than more so. But that, too, is some- | think we're heading for a game where purpose arises organically out of the game. thing we can solve, | think. A bigger question is whether the game industry will be willing to be patient while we work on licking these problems. There's going to be a lot of false starts and mistakes made along the way. We're already seeing a lot of announced MMORPGs fail to make it to market because publishers are seeing the costs skyrocket and the development challenges rise. But there's encouraging signs all over the world — the rate of growth of MMORPGs as a whole is exceed- ing the rate of growth of the Intemet, and in some countries, it's the accepted normal way of gaming. Try picking up a console in China. Xbox? What's that? We're also seeing the single-player gaming world start to converge towards a lot of the basic premises of online worlds — shared profiles, online items, regularly updated content. | think we're going to see more of this in the coming years. Right now a lot of folks get hung up on the business model — paying subscription fees — but business models change in response to the market. The way the money flows may change over time, but I'm betting that online gaming is not only here to stay, but that it is going to absorb a pretty large portion of the games market as a whole. Just a few years ago, that last sentence would have seemed not radical, but loopy crazy. And in the end, that's why I have faith that online worlds will eventu- ally reach that wacky impossible cyberspace dream. We've come a long way from “> North. You see an orc here" So I'll meet ya in the virtual bar, and maybe we can take a whack at stopping the Worldending Winter. I'll introduce ya to Marian. Heck, even the invading orcs are kinda nice guys once you get to know them. B Ili 8E The views and opinions expressed on this page are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Game Informer Magazine or its staff. If you work in the industry and would like to share your opinion, contact senior associate editor Matt Helgeson at matt@gameinformer.com. 46 GAME INFORMER Five great new ways to take on your rivals on the new N-Gage QD. Pathway to Glory Gena Game exclusive to N-Gage game deck: * historically accurate strategic missions * take on players from around the world via N-Gage Arena Crash Nitro Kart Ge Ghost Recon Exclusive N-Gage Arena features: Features exclusive to N-Gage game deck: * time trial shadow racing * play up to 8 players via Bluetooth * one unlockable secret character * all maps, missions and modes are original for N-Gage N-GAGE --- CTN on ERI 2. Spider-Man 2 The Game CARENA Operation Shadow CARENA Swing through the skyline to Game exclusive to N-Gage game deck: defeat Doc Ock: * up to 4 players in a variety of * exclusive N-Gage Arena features death-match modes via Bluetooth * multiple 2D and 3D environments * post your high scores on the N-Gage Arena 5 new games for your pocket with the N-Gage" QD game deck Wireless multiplay via GPRS and Bluetooth Exclusive N-Gage games and top publisher titles Pocket-sized Quick and easy game changing Mobile phone n-gage.com N- С 38 Е EIE anyone ere GameSion NOKIA ай Copyright © 2004 Nokia, All rights reserved. Nokia, N-Gage, N-Gage QD, Pathway to Glory and Operation Shadow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nokia Corporation. Crash Nitro Kart interactive game © 2004 Universal Interactive, Inc. Crash Bandicoot and related characters are ® and © of Universal Interactive, Inc. All rights reset vendi Universal Games and the Vivendi Universal Games logo are trademarks of Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. ©2004 Gameloft. All Rights Reserved. Gameloft and the Gameloft logo are trademarks of Gameloft in the U.S, and/or other countries. Under license by Ubisoft Entertainment. Ghost Recon, Jungle Storm, the Soldier Icon, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Spider-Man and all related characters, TM & © 2004 Marvel Characters, Inc, Spider-Man 2, the mo 2004 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. Published by Activision Publishing, Inc. Game code ©2004 Activision, Inc. Activision is а fered trademark of Activision, Inc. АЙ rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. SEGA is registered in the U.S, Patent and Trademark Office. Ай rights reserved, www.segamobile.com. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Some features and services are dependent on the network connect octob Killzone releases on October 26th NEW RELEASES * Colin McRae Rally 2005 - Xbox * Dead or Alive Ultimate — Xbox * ESPN NBA 2K5 - PS2, Xbox * Fatal Frame ІІ: Crimson Butterfly - Xbox * Robotech: Invasion — PS2, Xbox MAGFEST M3 (OCTOBER 1-3) Held in Willamsburg, VA, MagFest is an event run for fans by fans. In addition to a rockin’ concert with video game cover bands, 24-hour game and LAN rooms, MagFest hosts tons of tourna- ments from Halo to Puzzle Fighter. This is the place to be. if you're a hardcore gamer. 03 The creepy serial killer movie Saw opens in theaters on October 1. World declares this the finest Danny Glover film since Predator 2. 04 NEW RELEASES * Mario Pinball Land – GBA * Metal Slug Advance - GBA * Mortal Kombat: Deception - PS2, Xbox “Теп Pin Alley Il — PS2 05 NEW RELEASES * Conflict: Vietnam — PS2, Xbox * Get on Da Міс- PS2, Xbox * Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude - Р52, Xbox, РС * NBA Live 2005 - PS2, Xbox, GC * Tony Hawk's Underground 2: World Destruction Tour – PS2, Xbox, СС * Tribes: Vengeance - РС MADDEN CHALLENGE 10/3 Jacksonville The Avenues 10/9 Miami Bayside Market 10/10 Tampa Raymond James Stadium 10/16 Nashville Opry Mills 10/17 St. Louis Union Station 10/23 New Orleans Riverwalk Marketplace 10/24 Houston Galleria 10/30 Dallas Valley View Center 10/31 San Antonio River Wal COMIC, ANIME & HORROR FEST (OCTOBER 9-10) There's nothing we'd like to see more than an axe-wield- ing Jason chasing a pasty, fat comic dork around a conven- tion center as people dressed up as Goku look on in horror. Celebrity guests include Troma's Lloyd Kauffman, director Jeff Burr, and Jackson Bostwick (a.k.a. Shazam). 27% Scott Bakula turns 50 today... also, the 50th person watches Lord of Illusions. 10 XTREME GAME DEVELOPERS XPO (OCTOBER 9-10) Aptly held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA, the Xtreme Xpo is a place where game developers can mingle and explore the future of the industry.. to the Xtreme! Keynote speakers -include Shiny's David Perry and Nvidia's Sim Dietrich. 11 NEW RELEASES * Midway Arcade Treasures 2 - PS2, Xbox, GC * Paper Mario: The Thousand- Year Door - GC * Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams – PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA 12 NEW RELEASES * + Bloodrayne 2 - PS2, Xbox 4% * FIFA Soccer 2005 — PS2, Xbox, GC * King of Fighters 2002 & 2005 - Xbox * Outrun 2 - Xbox * Street Fighter Anniversary Collection - Xbox * Under the Skin - Р52 * Worms Forts: Under Seige - PS2 Bloodrayne 2 | | PROJECT BAR-B-Q (OCTOBER 14-17) Celebrating its ninth year, many of video games top sound professionals will attend Project Bar-B-Q, a conference that focuses on influencing music hardware and software over the next five years. Of course, you'll have to bring your own wieners! 15 Team America; World Police opens in theaters, Matt Parker and Trey Stone sud- denly favored for Presidential election, 17 NECRONOMICON '04 if you fancy science fiction or fantasy, then you'll probably feel right at home at this year’s Necronomicon. Shop till you drop, drool on Timothy Zahn, or join in the Create-a- Character Origami session. 18 SERIOUS GAMES SUMMIT (OCTOBER 18-19) The focus of this conference is using interactive gaming tech- nology in non-entertainment sectors. Just imagine what would happen if rumble tech- nology was combined with ice cream, or better yet, memory cards wath brain implants. Serious Games will be held at Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in 19 NEW RELEASES * Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django - GBA * Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - PS2 * Kirby and the Amazing Mirror - GBA * Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors — Xbox * Outlaw Golf 2 — PS2, Xbox * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2- PS2, Xbox СС “Тол 20: Killer App - Xbox Snoop Dogg turns 32...has birthday dinner at 5 a.m. at White Castle. CLASSIC COMPUTER AND GAMING SHOW (OCTOBER 23) Deep within the halls of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Mentor, OH, gamers will be shopping, swapping, and get- ting their geek on. If you're in the market for dassic gaming merchandise, this might be a good place to look. Also, be sure to give a shout out to the Lord while you are there. Peter Jackson celebrates 43rd birthday at a fancy restaurant and is thrown out when mis- taken for a hobo. Washington О.С. 25 NEW RELEASES “Асе Combat 5 - Р52 * Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - PS2 * The Incredibles - PS2, Xbox, GC 26 NEW RELEASES * Close Combat: First to Fight - Xbox + Godzilla: Save the Earth - PS2, Xbox * Killzone - PS2 * Kuon - PS2 * Neo Contra - PS2 + Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed - РС * Vampire — The Masquerade: Bloodlines - РС г 27 NEW RELEASES * Men of Valor - PC * SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie - PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA * Taiko Drum Master - PS2 28 Bill Gates celebrates 49th birthday by buying a dia- mond-studded thong. | Gran rele Auto: San Andreas on October 19th OCTOBER бтн www.thug2online.com Use of Alcohol Violence ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org © 2004 Activision, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark and THUG is a trademark of Activision, Inc. All rights reserved Tony Hawk is a trademark of Tony Hawk. PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox versions developed by Neversoft Entertainment Inc. Game Boy Advance version developed by Vicarious Visions. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Online play requires internet connection, Network Adaptor (for PlayStation 2) and Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation 2) (each sold separately). The Online icon is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ТМ, ® and Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks ortrademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. GameSpy and the "Powered by GameSpy design are trademarks of GameSpy Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. activision.com E The Sider Scrolls ТҮ OBLIVION ethesda Softworks is a company well known to fans of the role-playing genre. Its long-running The Elder Scrolls series won IS. legions of followers on PC, garnering critical acclaim and winning scores of awards. With The Elder Scrolls ІІ: Morrowind, Bethesda introduced the series to the Xbox, resulting in the first hit role-playing game on the console. Now, the independent- minded company is taking the series into bold new territory. Another Elder Scrolls game for the Xbox would be a sure-fire moneymaker, but Bethesda has far loftier goals. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is on its way, and it's being developed for next-generation consoles. Once the gaming world sees what it has in store, Bethesda will be the developer everyone, not just the RPG fans, will be talking about. The next generation, as most gaming fans know, refers to the upcoming consoles currently known as Microsoft's Xbox 2 (also referred to by the codename Xenon), Sony's PlayStation 3, and the Nintendo Revolution. Officially, Oblivion is scheduled for PC and unspecified next-genera- tion consoles. Bethesda is unable to formally confirm which platforms the game will be released on. There is enough evidence out there to support an educated guess about which consoles it will come to — but we don't need it. We can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is coming to Xbox 2. Barring any sort of exclusivity deal that may рор up between now and the game's release, it's also coming to PlayStation 5. We can guarantee here and now that this is the real deal — the start of next-generation gaming. While many of the details about the actual consoles remained secret, Bethesda's executive producer Todd Howard was surprisingly forthcoming about the new Elder Scrolls project. He walked us through Bethesda's goals for the title and the technology used to create it, and revealed to us the game's absolutely stunning visuals. One look at Oblivion will shatter your conceptions about what is possible in a video game. Every shot on these pages is real — nothing has been retouched or altered. This is what games on the Xbox 2 will look like. As the PS3 development tools have yet to make it into the U.S, it is still unknown what exactly that system will be capable of. If and when Oblivion comes to PS3, there's no telling how it will look. We visited Bethesda's headquarters in Rockville, Maryland to get the world's first glimpse at a next-generation game in development. CONTINUED ON PAGE 53 6 гал СУМ UNLIMITED ENABLED. XBOX 2 | PLAYSTATION 3 | PC > STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER BETHESDA SOFTWORKS > DEVELOPER BETHESDA SOFTWORKS Ў, > RELEASE WINTER 2005 se cover story 4 GAME INFORMER 51 Everything in this shot is a real part of the world. You can ride your horse through the forests and up to the very top of the mountains in the distance 52 GAME INFO! x “ During our visit, we spied on the desks of several programmers a PC-sized object draped in black cloth. Could these mysterious objects be the vaunted Xenon development kits? We weren't permitted a look, but one thing is for certain: what Bethesda is doing = : older games in the series, a > third-person option is available, > but it is inherently designed for £ the first-person view. While by no £ means а twitch-based game, the £ action element has been ramped : up: Combat will be bloody and with Oblivion is far beyond the capabilities of current-generation machines. "Right after Morrowind, our motto was ‘go big, go early,’ and be ready for whatever Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo do next," Howard energetically exclaims. Work on Oblivion began almost immediately after the completion of Morrowind. If the title is any- thing, it's big. Oblivion will actually be a smaller game than the massive Morrowind, but Howard expects that it will still be much larger than most early next-gen- eration titles. He predicts that the average length of a next-gen game £ will shrink for two primary reasons: = : opponent's armor, and the attack £ you unleash. Your opponents £ will block and dodge, so taking * down an enemy is entirely on the First, budgets and schedules for games will not change much, while the enhanced graphics will require more development time. Secondly, it's a fact that, statisti- cally, gamers prefer shorter games, and often do not finish more involved titles. Creating one of the most expansive titles for the early days of the next generation is one of Bethesda's key goals. Another of its goals with Oblivion is to produce the definitive role-playing game of the generation. Bethesda's strategy, states Howard, is to make the game as appealing as possible to mainstream gamers without alienating the hardcore players who prefer more complex RPGs. This is no small task, and Bethesda plans to accomplish it by making sure that every basic activity is entertaining. Success in activities like picking locks, mixing potions, and forging armor will no longer be determined by an off-screen dice roll; each of these activities will be a separate mini- game which can be completed through skill and luck. Of course, > will function as a “fantasy world } these games will be harder when * your skill level in these areas is low, and become easier as you increase your proficiencies. The first-person perspective of : the game is another technique used to increase Oblivion's appeal to the average gamer. Like the visceral, and is designed to recall the intense swordplay seen in movies like Braveheart and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. According = to Howard, the combat will be every bit as exciting as it is in : a first-person shooter. Contrary to the RPG convention, the outcome of combat will not be : decided by virtual “dice rolls" The damage that you dole out will be determined by your strength, your player's shoulders. Engaging combat is certainly > a huge part of a successful game, but Bethesda's final goal is something even bigger. Oblivion > Y This is a room in the prison simulator" It should feel every you will escape from at the bit as vibrant as the Middle-earth Beginning of your quest : seen onscreen in Peter Jackson's > version of Tolkien's trilogy. Thanks to the amazing technolo- gies fueling the future of game development, this goal is entirely feasible. Oblivion, like the other > Elder Scrolls games before it, takes lace in the world of Tamriel, spe- cifically in the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil. The world of Tamriel is a beautiful place; these are, without a doubt, the most amazing £ graphics that the console gaming = world has ever seen. Dungeon : walls look rough, uneven, and £ glisten with vague, indefinable : dampness. Light plays off of all > objects realistically, = from human faces 2% cover story At the beginning of your quest, you can tweak your appearance to your liking GAME INFORMER 55 to armor. Creatures display a savage menace that is both intimidating and captivating, like a lion in a cage. But most impressive of all is something that would seem like a mere backdrop in many games: the forests. While Morrowind's quest took players primarily through dark interior locations, Howard and the rest of the team at Bethesda see exteriors as integral parts of a convincing fantasy world. "Fantasy, for us, is a knight on horseback running around and killing things," says Howard excitedly. In Oblivion, you will do just that. Either on foot or on horseback, players can explore a huge exterior world that looks shockingly real. The trees in Oblivion look like photos of the woods not far from Bethesda's headquarters. Light shines realistically through the branches, and wind causes the leaves and underbrush to sway naturally. This truly is a virtual fantasy world, and it is all thanks to the powerful new development tools that make next- generation games possible. There is a trick to creating a world as huge and lifelike as this — the development tools used to make the game can be taught to do much of the work. In Morrowind, every single object in the game was built by hand. Artists modeled every rock, sword, barrel, and building individually. Handcrafting objects is still a huge part of Oblivion's creation — it will always be necessary in game development — but much of the environments can be generated automatically by Oblivion's powerful Elder Scrolls Construction Set program. With this tool, artists can pick an area of the map, set parameters for what should be there, and the program will randomly populate the area according to the input. For example, an area can be designated as a forest, and the artist can select the types of trees and bushes that grow there. Intricate details such as the soil type can also be set — as many or as few param- eters can be used as the creator sees fit. The Construction Set will then build the area, place trees, adjust the land- scape based on how the soil erodes, and cover it with vegetation. The areas can be (and are) tweaked by hand by the artists, moving or placing certain objects, or simply adjusting the Construction Set's results. In essence, the program helps create a world that looks more real than any game to date, while making the process faster and easier so time can be devoted to other areas. Of course, the Construction Set has other applications as j well. It can also be used E This shot demonstrates the incredible forests that can be generated by the Xbox 2 u without a doubt, the most amazing graphics the console gaming world has ever seen, 77 These two women are actually the same character. Her age has been tweaked in the Elder Scrolls Construction Set program to demonstrate the power of the tool ...these are, 2° cover story These two shots illustrate how ап МРС can display how һе feels about your character to generate more complex creations, like characters. The world of Oblivion will be populated Бу 1,000 non-play characters. Each of these denizens will £ 2 tool the company is using to create 2 the vast world of Cyrodiil. However, 5 the lush look of the virtual realm be completely unique — just like the foliage, the Construction Set can be given a set of parameters to generate a random individual. The generated model can then be tweaked by hand. With a series of sliders, artists can lighten or darken a character's skin, alter his or her hairstyle, or instantly change the character's age by decades. The program dictates not only how the NPC looks, but how they : : The basic shape is modeled out of = polygons — the walls, floor, and ceiling £ are created, including any major behave. The character's aggression, energy level, confidence, and social responsibility can all be set, dictating how he or she will act in certain situa- = tions and react to various stimuli. Not only does the Construction Set program make things simpler for the artists at Bethesda, it will also help players make the world their own. The program is slated to be included with the PC version, so gamers will be £ able to utilize the powerful technol- ogy to create their own characters and mods. Whether or not the tool will be included in the Xbox 2 or PlayStation 3 versions is up in the air, as user-created content is inherently more difficult on a console. However, Bethesda hopes to provide download: : able content for all versions. The Construction Set, which is responsible for what Bethesda calls “procedural” world building, is one is thanks to several other impres- : sive technologies. Many steps are : required to make the visually stunning > dungeons, vistas, and castles, and : the terminology can be confusing. = In simple terms, an area is created with polygons - let's say for this example that the area is a dungeon. changes in shape, like a pillar sticking d out of a wall. Then, a series of tools : called pixel shaders are used to add : layers of detail. The layers they create = аге called maps, and each map is : responsible for adding an effect to 2 increase the realism of the finished ‘dungeon. A diffuse map sets the color £ ofthe dungeon, while a parallax map > adds a grayscale textured surface that 2 creates the illusion of depth, although it is actually flat. In the dungeon, that texture would be a brick wall, and the parallax map creates the look of volume without actually rendering the individual GAME INFORMER. 55 bricks. The color set by the diffuse map is moved by the parallax map to coincide with the textured surface. Several more layers are added before the dungeon is finished. A normal map sets lighting info — it dictates how light reflects off of the dungeon wall from every angle. Specular highlighting determines how shiny a surface looks — the wet look of the dungeon walls is a result of this technique. The lighting is further augmented by a rendering process called high dynamic range shading, which creates the most realistic light- ing ever. High dynamic range shading simulates how the human eye adjusts to let certain amounts of light in. This causes the brightness of objects or Spaces to increase or decrease, based on the overall light level of the scene. The best example is how bright an outside area looks after walking out of a dimly-lit cavern. These technologies are representative of the capabilities of the Xenon and DirectX 9.0's Shader Model 3.0. There are obviously many more techniques used to create the astonishing look of this game, much É of which is too complex for those of us who aren't programmers. But there 2 isso much more to Oblivion than its £ look. As Todd Howard says, “You don't : need a pixel shader to make good gameplay" The technology power- t ing this next generation title is doing 2 so much more than simply making : everything look great, it's also chang = ing the rules of how virtual game 2 worlds function. As mentioned before, : the area of Tamriel that is the setting £ for Oblivion is populated with 1,000 Í NPCs. Unlike current games, these * characters don't simply disappear once : : the player leaves the area, they exist : 24 hours a day, seven days a week. : Every character has its own virtual life і and its own schedule to follow. Each of the 1,000 characters in the game is given a basic schedule of events to follow throughout each + virtual day. They will shop, explore, eat, : = report for work, and more. However, : = while the characters are told what : goals they need to accomplish, they £ are not told how to complete t $ For example, a peasant who wants : food may acquire it in several different : > ways. If the character has money, һе will probably buy food; but if he is broke, he will try to obtain it some other way. He may go out into the forest to hunt, but hunting in the wrong place may get the guards on his : : player freedom, you can attack NPCs { without provocation if you so choose. ? An assaulted townsperson may stand case for poaching. So, the character may opt to steal food — he may even try to steal from you. Interaction between the player and the virtual characters that populate the game is yet another area in which Oblivion is pointing towards the future of gaming. Characters will converse with one another in free-flowing, non-scripted discussions. Every NPC t features unique spoken dialogue. ; Listening to the characters may reveal * hints about a quest, or it could simply t bea random conversation about * shopping habits. When a player joins into a conversation with an NPC, you 2 will actually be able to tell how they feel about you and how willing they 2 are to cooperate with you. A character t that dislikes you will scowl and furrow t his brow, while someone who likes : you will greet you with a smile. The t facial animations of every character are £ generated on the fly, so their expres- 2 sions can change fluidly and instantly, st like a real person. The way characters respond to your £ actions adds another level of realism : to the world of Oblivion. As The Elder Scrolls games have always encouraged and fight, he may run, or he may 2 simply cower and wait for the finishing ; blow. Players can stroll through town : killing everyone in sight, but guards * can and will be summoned to pursue £ you. The province of Cyrodiil is the £ capital of Tamriel, so a full law enforce- * ment system is in place to protect 2 the people. Guards will certainly Бе 2 sent out after you if you scoff at the { law, but you may also witness them : hunting down an NPC who has com- ; mitted a crime. Crime and punishment is not only a crucial piece of the gameplay mechan- ics, but also the story of Oblivion. As is traditional with The Elder Scrolls ‘games, it begins with the central char- = acter in prison. Unbeknownst to you, an assassin has entered the Imperial CONTINUED ON PAGE 59 oe тн هت هک نهک کیت هده مه وکن نمی هکان‎ i NES A айыл tN AS ———Н 4 Each of these weapons "a is real and can be picked up and tested on the combat dummy in the background ыы LJ -% cover stc % ш Goblins are only ойе of the many kinds of monsters you will басе. TEL These shots demonstrate the effects that are used to create Oblivion's lush look. The diffuse map sets the base color of each pixel, then normal mapping sets the lighting, and parallax mapping makes the bricks pop out. Specular highlighting is added, and then all the effects are combined to make the final product. — ЕБ M The same cell with — п Here is Oblivion's р : ‹ jail сей with just а T 3 t “normal mapping and 18 An example of diffuse map applied parallax mapping — £ Specular highlighting. GAME INFORMER 5 4 lAs graphics get more powerful, the artistic nature of things 77 increases. — — Todd Howard, executive producer 2° cover sti Every item on this table is fully modeled and interactive. Each piece will move realisti- cally when manipulated, thanks to the Havok physics used by the game city on a mission to kill the Emperor of : Tamriel. The Emperor's guards decide £ : who can close the gates to Oblivion 2 and save Tamriel from destruction. to evacuate him through a secret tunnel that leads through the prison. More specifically, it runs straight through your cell. As the guards appear in your cell with the Emperor, they warn you to stay back and not to follow as they open your steel door. However, the pursuing assassin kills a guard, so you pick up his gear and make your escape. Running along the guards until you are the last man standing with him. While you help him escape the prison, he is mortally wounded by the assassin. Before dying, he hands you an item called the Amulet of Kings and instructs you to “find him and close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion" Oblivion, in simple terms, is Hell. The death of the Emperor weakens the magic that prevented the foul beasts of Oblivion from entering the world of Tamriel. But with his death, portals from Oblivion begin to open, allowing demons to enter the world. Your task, as appointed by the Emperor, is to find the one person While the central quest in this : game is clearly defined, there is much more to it than its basic premise. “Ме wanted to do a 'save the world' + thing that is also a character drama," i explains Howard. Much of the game { focuses on how your character : grows as a person, as well as your with the Emperor, the assassin kills off £ t tasked to find. The central character + can be as heroic or evil as the player relationship with the person you are sees fit — the main quest, as well as the countless side missions, can be completed in any number of possible ways. The Elder Scrolls games are about freedom, and Oblivion takes that freedom to a whole new level. "Compared to Morrowind, it's night and day," says Howard. "Not just in terms of visuals, but how it plays" First of all, the combat is a much bigger focus than in the earlier CONTINUED ON PAGE 61 de Mi These candles demonstrate high dynamic range shading, a technique that results in the most realistic lighting ever i t GAME INFORMER 44 Oblivion, in 60 simple terms, is Hell. The death of the Emperor weakens the magic that prevented the foul beasts of Oblivion from entering the world of 1.77 Та rie This creature is a Daedrorth, one of the monsters from Qblivion that invades Tamriel GAME INFORMER games. Attacks will be mapped to the right trigger and blocking to the left on the Xbox 2 controller. Hitting the trigger activates basic swipes, while holding it down and pushing a direction on the analog stick results in a power swing. Each direction performs a different power swing (which will improve as the character increases his combat skills), so the combat system offers a wide range of attacks in as simple of a way pos- sible. A weapon selection that includes Swords, axes, maces, and daggers adds to the combat variety. Of course, any fantasy game worth its salt has to include magic as well, and Oblivion features six different mystic schools: Destruction, Restoration, Alteration, Illusion, Conjuration, and Mysticism. Each school focuses on a different type of magic, and players can mix magic effects to create their own custom spells. Not only can you create your own magic, you can join one (or all) of the different factions that exist in Cyrodiil. The factions include the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, the Thieves Guild, The Dark Brotherhood, The Nine Divines, and the Arena Guild. The Fighters and Mages Guilds are noble factions, while the Thieves Guild and The Dark Brotherhood are much more sinister. The Nine Divines are a religious order that the player can join if he or she wishes to become a monk, and the Arena Guild logically focuses on gladiato- rial combat. Players can advance through the ranks of the various guilds to the point where they become the leader. Each faction has its own unique missions associated with it, which players can tackle at their discretion. While a player could conceiv- ably join (and become the head of) every faction all during the course of one game, the multiple guilds are designed to keep the replay value high. Should you join a different sect each time you play, you will have a completely different experience. You will take on different missions, your skills will grow in different ways, and you will discover new ways to tackle familiar situations. “The experience of our game,” says Howard, “is seeing all the choices that pass you by" Choices are something that Todd Howard and the rest of the team at Bethesda see as a huge part of the next generation of gaming. Not only will massive, open-ended games like Oblivion let the player experience a greater scope of choices, but the Possibilities in game development will increase as well. Howard vehemently disagrees with the notion that the increased emphasis the next genera- tion will place on graphics could have an unintentionally detrimental effect. While graphics will be closer than ever to being truly photorealistic, we will never see games that look exactly like the real world — that would be boring. While obviously highly detailed, Oblivion is intended to look “like a fantasy painting — realistic, but just a tinge off,” says Howard. If anything, he adds, the ability to create realistic graphics will only increase the imaginative and fantastic things we see in games. “As graphics get more powerful,” Howard explains, “the artistic nature of things increases" More powerful technology means the artists have fewer limitations, and are capable of bigger and wilder things. The crea- tures that populate the world of Tamriel are evidence of that. We witnessed a minotaur strolling through the lush forest, and our first reaction was how natural and at home it looked. While the forest looks completely real, the imaginary creature was rendered in such detail that it too looked like it could have come from the real world. Over 40 types of creatures will populate Tamriel, includ- ing mythical beasts like goblins and animate skeletons, real-world animals like deer and horses (which you can ride to speed your travel through the massive world), and demons from Oblivion. You'll also face huge boss monsters, treacherous humans, and devious deathtraps. You will slog through dimly lit subterranean dungeons, explore ancient tuins, and travel through cities and towns teeming with people going about their daily lives. You will experience a truly living, breathing world brought to life through cutting edge technology that will power the games of tomorrow. With The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda Softworks is pioneering the future of gaming. As an indicator of what the Xbox 2 and PlayStation 3 are capable of, Oblivion proves that the future is bright indeed. MIN IN Se cover Story Last month it was announced that Bethesda had acquired the Fallout license from Interplay, and the company has confirmed that Fallout 3 will follow The Elder Scrolls IV as a new next- generation title. While only in preproduction stages at the moment, the game will use the same technology as Oblivion, and is planned as another open-ended role-playing game. This game however, will be decidedly darker. Imagine a survival horror-esque version of the Fallout world, with all the things you expect out of the series still intact, but with deeper, more immersive gamplay. The post-apocalyptic theme (and tongue-in-cheek humor) of the series is still present, with your character having spent the first 20 years of his life living underground. Because of this, his eyes are unaccustomed to the light of day, thus players will have to train their eyes away from light sensitivity by using a special pair of goggles. Todd Howard claims that Fallout 3 will be one of the most original and violent titles ever, and will be set in a familiar U.S. city. STAR WARS AZATILEFWNNN. FIGHT THE GREATEST WARS IN THE GALAXY ANY WAY YOU WANT. in three single player modes or in multiplayer battles with up to 16 people. from one of four different armies and experience open-ended play — where you'll never fight the same battle twice. the classic Star Wars vehicles - including X-wings, TIE fighters, and AT-ATs. www.starwarsbattlefront.com all LIUM ame 3 EN LIVE THE BATTLES. | POWERED BY _ D © 2004 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or ilm Lid i is pia: the ks of Сотриё Entertain Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live logo, and the Xbox loo registered trade fig iade * In GameSp Powered by Gam am GAME INFORMER D n aes INFLUENG gaming is a natural one. However, most of the time, lists in magazines seek only to rank games by their commercial success or overall quality. This month, Game Informer presents a list with a subtler goal in mind: to present the titles that we feel have made the largest impact on the art and science of game creation. To that end, we've created the 25 Most Influential Games of All Time, a chronological listing of the products that have changed the way games are played, made, and experienced. Some of the entries might be controversial - one isn't even a video game at all — but all have made an impact on the industry in one way or another. Hopefully, this list will help spark a dialogue about how we got to where we are, and where we might be headed in the future. T he urge to list and quantify the titles that create our obsession with ШИТТІ? nacade Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil oso йй Though not actually a video game, it can certainly be argued that this paper-and-pencil i a RPG has had more impact on the industry than any other entry on this list. Created by You'll often see a game called phrase has never been more accurately used than when being applied to Computer Space, the very first video game ever commercially released. Yes, kids, the first game wasn't Pong or Pac-Man, but future Atari founder Nolan Bushnell's Computer Space, released back before most of our readers were born, in 1971. Based on MIT student Steve Russell's Spacewar program (which had only been circulated in the academic commu- nity), Bushnell was the first to attempt to bring gaming to the mass audience. We say "attempt" because Computer Space's complex space shooter gameplay was too difficult for most to grasp, and only 1,500 were ever produced. Still, if you had to identify one point at which the video game industry began, this would be it. Every game released hence owes a debt of grati- tude to Computer Space. Also, this is basically the prototype for any game that ever featured a spaceship shooting things, from Asteroids to Star Wars: Rogue Leader. ZORK - 085-80 << Pac-Man - пасайе Adventure gaming of today, with its alarmingly realistic environments, complex puz- Дес, and player motivation provided solely by well-to stories, has a more low- tech ancestor that made the entire genre what it a DUNGEONS В опадцопѕ - саб. 21:0ғ Roles for Fantastic Medieval Wargames epic-level nerds Gary Gygax and David Ameson, the game was published by Tactical Studies Rules and became the world's first commercially available role-playing game. Thankfully, the influence of Dungeons and Dragons is seen far beyond just the games soaked in its mythology, like Baldur's Gate and Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone. Expanding on the ruleset of other popular wargames of its era (like Chainmail), its guide- lines governing combat, character growth, and interactions cleared the way for the modern story-driven RPG, and still serves as the foundation for even the most basic hack n' slash games. Wherever you see a list of statistics induding Strength and Dexterity, when you gain new abilities as you level up, and every time you create and customize a character, you are witness- ing the impact that D&D continues to have on the world of gaming. "ahead of its time," but that FSI FLIght SimULaGOR - APPLE Il Widely recognized as the first entertainment flight simulator, FS1 had a far-reaching impact on how games were perceived and what they could do. With every last basic function present, from altitude and heading to airspeed and fuel indicator, it showed that games could be more than an abstract concept — they could emulate reality. Originally playable only on an Apple II with a black/white display and a whopping 16K of memory, it was a daunting programming task that was accom- plished by Sub Logic's Bruce Artwick. With FS1, he not only established himself as the father of modern flight simula- tors, but also laid the groundwork for games like SimCity and Full Spectrum Warrior, which use reality as the basis for compelling gameplay. In addition, Gran Turismos of the world, which seek to accurately mimic the physics of real cars, must also tip their hat to FS 1. While other titles sought to be become more and more fanciful, Ғ51 made itself unique by going the other way. With his early flight sim, Artwick created a world where the player's actions and goals were tied to real-life situations, and the success of the game was based on the authenticity of the experience. FS1 Creator Bruce Artwick Created when programmer Toru Iwatani saw a pizza with one slice missing, Pac-Man was undoubtedly the first true blockbuster title ever released. To this day, it remains one of the most popular games of all time and has reportedly sucked up more than a billion dollars in quarters. But more importantly — and a huge reason why the game was so successful — was that it was the first one ever with a real central character. Before Pac-Man added a name, a face, and a personality to video games, they were populated by generic cars, BEST OF HOUSE is. Zork is a text-based аа АНЕ кі Нн spaceships, and even featureless cubes. The Pac-Man character was so adventure, and although [== popular that he spawned toys, a TV show, lunch boxes, cereal, and even a Pac-Man lunchbox it wasn't the first, it was — ye hit song. He was conceived by Iwatani as a non-violent protagonist who would and phone the first to become Бета ыны ҒАРЫ اع‎ appeal to women as well as men. But Pac-Man wasn't alone in bringing а popular. Started on the ум face to video games — his enemies the ghosts each had their own names, internet-precursor called and even nicknames. These days, practically every single video game ARPANET, the students |" giers battle cont released features a protagonist with a personality, and it's all due to A quer who would become »drinc Infocom's founders had |7 nave to be notaing the glass өше first. made one of the first ы games to require player interaction with environ- ments, creative use of items, character development, and "hands-on" problem solv- ing. Current survival horror, stealth, and RPG games each have something dif- ferent to thank their forefather Zork for. tity of water a little yellow maze runner inspired by an Italian meal. water А.) Рас-Мап5 maze-based gameplay was $0 addictive that it spawned a pop culture phenomenon that endures to this day є _ / NFORMER 65 n 3— أ‎ RÜVEnGURE Few games can claim a title that is now a literally a genre in and of itself. Adventure did just that, putting you in the role of an enterprising square pixel that wandered labyrinths, searched out keys to castles, and slew dragons with a sword. Incredibly complex to program, it was a graphical recreation of a text йе game of the same name by Willie m Adventure creator Crowther and Don Woods. One of the Warren Robinett richest gameplay experiences available on the 2600, Adventure makes this list for an entirely differ- ent reason: the first Easter egg. Due to Atari's tendency at the time to not give programmers credit for their creations, cre- ator Warren Robinett placed a secret room in the game that revealed his name illuminated in flashing lights. This estab- lished a precedent for hidden secrets, codes, and unlockables that are an integral aspect of today's gaming culture. From Contra's famous extra lives code to unlockable Dead or Alive characters, it all started with a little game called Adventure that let us know sometimes that what you see is not all you get. RS i: i REE GEGRIS The story of Tetris isn't just about a game that spawned a pop culture phenomenon in the eighties. It's one of those titles that impacted the public's perception of video games the world over. First of all, it's synony- mous with the term “puzzle game,” and its influence is so strong that it has not only spawned countless imitations and direct copies (even the new Mortal Kombat includes a Tetris-like minigame), but the title hasn't even bettered itself. Secondly, Tetris has changed the landscape of who plays video games. Like Ms. Pac-Man, Tetris brought many casual and Bi Tengen's superior version featured female players two-player, but wasn't widely released into the fold, due to a lawsuit from Nintendo and by being packed in with 3 Nintendo's FEXXFFXXYXFXEXXFEXEXFEFKEKEEE, S|LINES 1 OLEVEL O И 4 ci -ТҮТҮТҮТҮТҮҮҮТТТҮТҮҮ 66 GAME INFORMER > Game Boy, one could make a strong argument that the 3 handheld — and the company's dominance in the hand- 3 held market — is owed to the universal appeal of Tetris. Ў Two decades later, the gameplay of Tetris is still instantly Ñ addictive. Created by Russian mathematician Alexey У Pajitnov, Tetris is based on the game pentominoes, and > its staying power is an everlasting testament to the pure Ñ power of gameplay above all else. Gauntlet For a game released almost 20 years ago, Gauntlet holds a very special posi- tion — it's still an entirely relevant title to compare today's games to. One of the first four-player cooperative hack 'n slash dungeon crawlers, direct imitations of the classic are produced in staggering numbers every year. While their specific tales may differ, the idea of grouping with friends, coordinating your efforts, and escaping the perilous mazes as a group is constantly begged for by gamers of all ages. What Gauntlet brought to the table could arguably be called the greatest gameplay convention known to this indus- try — cutting foes to bits with your friends will always be a good time. Super Mario Bros. is arguably the most important title in the history of video games. Everyone can remember the time and place that they first saw this game in action. It changed the industry and the way that we look at the games we play. As the grandfather of the platforming genre, its significance stretches far and wide. Building off the work of pioneering titles of Pitfall! and Moon Patrol, its side-scrolling gameplay sounded the death knell for the single-screen games of the past, and started [AM с а us down the path towards the lush 3D adventures ме | enjoy now. Super Mario Bros. also brought about an age | Ew of gameplay finesse, where complexity of control and — 3 user skill blended seamlessly. Whether you were simply jumping on a goomba's head or running and leaping to the flag at the end of a level, the level of control at your fingertips was unprecedented at the time, and again, its effect on the industry can be seen in virtually every game you play. As if it could be any more influential, Super Mario Bros. also ushered in the age of unpredictability with its array of mind-boggling secrets — whether it be hidden warp pipes, extra life loops, or invisible blocks. To this very day, there has yet to be a platformer that even comes close to touching its brilliance. | | | | Gamers have been racing since the very beginning of video games, but 1986's OutRun from Sega (developed by the legendary Yu Suzuki) brought together many of the elements now commonplace in racing games. Although Pole Position was wildly popular, it took OutRun for the genre to break out of racing that involved a fixed point in the middle of the screen. More importantly, however, it really brought a feeling of freedom to players. You could choose from one of three songs on the radio, there were branching Eon paths for your adventure, and the eye candy in the Suzuki seat next to you was a nice cherry on top. An added dose of realism was thrown in with road traffic and letting you get behind the [TIME ІШ ЩЫ wheel of a Ferrari — a licensing leap from the generic Formula One cars of cabinets like Pole Position. Speaking of cabinets, OutRun also came in a sit-down version, and both had force feedback wheels. All of this proved that driving was more than just steering a car, it was an immersive experience — something that all video games strive to do, regardless of genre. ROCKSTAR GAMES PRESENTS A ROCKSTAR NORTH PRODUCTION COMING SOON TO PLAYSTATION®2 Visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information. © 2004 Roda logo, Grand Theft trademarks ore prope Note: Rockstar will be g ESA is go intended to represent any oc m between опу character, i person, business or o Se feature Atari's trackball, tabletop football game intro- duced the masses to a literal representation of the Xs and Os of America's real favorite pastime, but Tecmo Bowl brought something much more lasting and important: the passion. When EA Sports' Madden toumament rolls into town and plays host to hundreds of gamers, or when sports athletes spend copious amounts of their free time throwing down with video game football, Tecmo Bowl is largely to thank. Although introduced to arcades іп 1987 (with four players and two screens), it's the NES edition that was the first to give us the all-important staple of real players, and it helped spawn a ravenous sports video game culture fueled by intense multiplayer and the all-important bragging rights. Sure, it may have also introduced the phrase, “money play,” but everyone loved kicking ass with Lawrence Taylor and Walter Payton. In this day and age where the nuances of realism make most football games almost unplay- able to those without years of experience, Tecmo Bowl taught us that making someone your biatch with an 80-yard run is what's fun about football, not salary caps. The Sims is a phenom- enon matched only by the hugest of the huge in the world of video games. Eleven years before Sim-speak charmed the nation, however, the simulation genre was popularized by Maxis first masterpiece: SimCity. While its contemporary and rival Populous (also released in 1989) had its own innovations built on а similar concept of influencing a working system in real-time (rather than directly controlling a character, empire, or whatever), SimCity opened people's eyes to the fun of non-competetive sandbox gaming. Like building a big castle out of Legos, it challenged players to make some- thing cool bound only by the rules of the system — no worries about "winning," just trying to create. Indeed, a well-designed SimCity was a work of art to a fan. Not only that, but prior to this, who would have thought that planning a city and dealing with tomadoes and the like could be entertaining? Even better, the interactions within a SimCity and the strategies they created were deep and intricate without being brain-crampingly complex. Because it was based on real life, it made sense immediately even to non-gamers; no longer was gaming accessible only to those with a BA in Dorkology. 68 GAME INFORMER т 2003's SimCity 4 she jegend оғ zelda - From the looping forest maze and ingenious dungeon designs to the lake of Fairies and almighty Magical (Master) Sword, The Legend | of Zelda will forever be remembered for its rev- ~ olutionary non-linear approach to adventure gaming. From the first second that gamers were dropped into the world of Hyrule, no guidance was provided and no clues were given. It was up to the player to figure out where to go and 7 what to do next. The complexity of puzzles, incredible boss battles, and robust inventory system were unprecedented atthe time, and set the stage for all adventure games to follow. With a tiny battery tucked inside its golden chrome case, The Legend of Zelda also became the first NES game to feature back-up save capabilities. Thanks to this historic release, gone are the days of scribbling down lengthy, time-consuming passwords. When the gameplay is powerful enough to make young boys wearing tight green spandex seem heroic and badass, you know you've got a hit on your hands. 131 & Zelda slashes and Mario jumps; but be honest here, real people don't move like that. Prince of Persia's rotoscoped animations (an early version of motion capture) created the first popular char- acter that moved like a real person. He'd pull himself up from ledges and leap across pits, all with the illusion of weight, physics, and an actual human anatomy. Prince of Persia's longstand- ing resonance is largely because of the game's realistic movement — something that we still are impressed by when it shows up in current games. Motion capture and hand-drawn animations are often mixed to produce a staggering amount of realistic movements for each modem character. Still, the Prince was the first to really pull it off. Sid MEIER’ 5 CiViLizatiün - РС Everyone wants to take over the world. Admit it — you know that all those international crises wouldn't be an issue if you were crowned Dictator-for-Life. Sid Meier's Civilization allowed gamers to test their mettle in the school of hard knocks, as the player was responsible for mold- ing their tribe of hunter-gatherers into an empire to put Rome's to shame. Its incredibly layered strategy was leagues beyond any of its contemporaries. You were tasked with a delicate balanc- ing act in several arenas: keeping your people both happy and productive, supporting both the cost of government and funding research, and building a healthy economy while waging wars of conquest or discouraging aggressors. Also, you had to contend with rival Al leaders, each of whom had distinct personality traits. Civilization also included a random map generator with mutable parameters like continent size, providing nearly infinite replayability. In many ways, the gameplay of Civilization is still the bar that strategy games must measure up to — even Sid Meier's own later titles < have been unfavorably compared at times. > m. e Т. pises FROM = е? ж Sc, 44 TM 4 The world can be a devastating place to a gaming disc. One scratch and it’s game З 3 Р А ^ - over permanently. So protect your corner of the gaming landscape with d, skin" disc е YON ©, dskin sme € *: SNAP ON LEAVE ON PLAY ON!" e = protectors - the guard that never needs to come down even when you’re playing. Available at major gaming retailers nationwide. d-skin.com SGREEG гіпсе и. спе wonLd WaRRiOR - 722212 if there's one thing you can count on when you pick up a fighting game, it's that quarter circle forward+punch will do something. You have Street Fighter | to thank for that. Just one simple motion introduced “Hadouken” into the national vocabulary, and changed the face of gaming forever. In the months after its release, arcades replaced schoolyards as proving grounds, and feuds were resolved in just a few rounds for the low arbitration fee of 25 cents. As the number after its name implies, SF Il did have a predecessor, but the original Street Fighter didn't have an array of quirky characters or myriad spe- cial moves that would appear in its sequel — and subsequently every other 2D fighter that fol- lowed. However, not only do franchises like Mortal Kombat and Dead or Alive owe a debt to SF Il; extreme sports games that focus on complet- ing complicated button sequences to > j string together combos, like 2 ( Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, also have roots in this historic game's mechanics. ашай aul - ann Before you start posting "Road Rash - OMG WTF LOI" on our forums, hear us out. No one is suggesting that Road Rash's automotive combat — although admittedly cool — was a visionary glimpse of things to come. Rather than the gameplay itself, this title's real influence is felt today in its soundtrack, which used 2 Soundgarden the 3DO's then state-of-the-art CD-ROM drive to deliver tracks by a host of the early-'90's hottest up-and-coming alt-rockers, including Soundgarden, Monster Magnet, Swervedriver (remember them?), and Paw. In the coming years, mining the sounds of the Billboard charts became a common practice in video gaming, sounding a death knell for the catchy MIDI tunes of our NES youth. Today, a slot on a best-selling title like Tony Hawk's Underground or Madden NFL is as cov- eted by record companies as heavy rotation on MTV. More importantly, Road Rash showed that the future of video games would be won by com- panies that embraced the larger world of popular culture, setting the stage for everything from Def Jam Vendetta to Grand Theft Auto. 70 САМЕ INFORMER ALone in the Dank -PE Although Resident Evil is typically credited with popularizing horror games, its major inspira- tion was Interplay's Alone in the Dark. Not only was it one of the first games to draw upon the works of classic horror writers like H.P. Lovecraft, it also established many of the genre conventions later utilized by Resident Evil. It featured a spooky supernatural story along with two play- able characters, one of each gender. It discarded the traditional video game camera system in exchange for cinematic camera angles that set the mood and highlighted the tension. Audio was also used to great effect, with both an atmospheric score and genuinely creepy monster sounds. But perhaps its greatest contribu- tion to the horror genre was its gameplay, which established the even mix of action and puzzles that is still used in nearly every horror game. The combat engine was robust, but it was always better to avoid fighting if possible. Nearly every aspect of Alone in the Dark's gameplay was replicated in Resident ЕМІ, which in turn influenced countless scary games. Resident Evil may have spread fear, but Alone in the Dark created it. Yes, we hear the cries already: "Heresy! Wolfenstein 3D is clearly the godfather of the first-person shooter genre!" And yes, we agree. However, Doom’s place on this list is assured by far more than its contribution to a single gaming genre. While it did take the FPS seeds that Wolfenstein planted and spread them to an even wider audi- ence, Doom's biggest contribution to the 4 world of gaming happened in bedrooms and basements, not the development studio. The mod community that swelled up around Doom is truly amazing, and it popularized the practice of taking an already great game and tweaking it to your liking. Whether it was merely creating an original arsenal of weapons or replacing the hellspawn with presiden- tial candidates, the possible variants of this game seemed endless. It is true that many prior titles included level editor and creation tools, but Doom was the first to introduce global modifications and have them widely distributed, used, and evaluated among an enthusiastically receptive fanbase. Anyone who has dabbled in PC gaming in the last decade knows about real-time strategy, either by reputation or experience. At this point, it's no longer just popular — it's ubiquitous. While many people credit Dune: The Battle For Arrakis (1995, also by Westwood) with being the first RTS, and others point to WarCraft: Orcs & Humans (1994, by a little studio called Blizzard Entertainment) as bringing the genre into the limelight, Westwood Studios' C&C really pushed it forward into what we know and love today. For one thing, the two factions are very different, with unique strengths and weaknesses which have a huge impact on tactics and strategy. For another, the interface put other games to shame with the smooth way it put the action right at your fingertips — something any RTS veteran will call out as absolutely critical to a title's worth. Finally, it was simply a hell of a good time in a way that no other RTS had managed until that point. C&C paved the way for the genre to become one of the major factors in PC gaming — after gamers got their hands on this, it was abundantly dear that RTS was here to stay. © C&C Generals, the latest C&C installment STUDYING ROCKET SCIENCE IS MORE ~ FUR WHEN YOU ACTUALLY HAVE ROCKETS. ` There’s only one place you can get hands-on training with the most advanced technology in the world and that's the U.S. Navy. If you're up to the challenge, log on the Life Accelerator at navy.com or call 1.800.USA.NAVY. © 2004. Paid for by the U.S. Navy. All rights reserved SUPER MARIO 64 - Nintendo GY Launching with the Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 was a true system seller — a game so popular and well received that it inspired people to buy the N64 con- sole specifically to play it. The game moved Nintendo's mascot from the world of side-scrolling action to a fully three-dimensional realm. Everything about Mario's first 3D adventure — such as the move set, level design, objectives, and the camera controls — seemed so well-executed at the time that Super Mario 64 has become the template for all 3D platformers to follow. In addition, this was the first title to tap into the power of the analog stick — now an industry standard for controllers. No matter what current generation action games try to differentiate themselves from the other titles on the market, all owe a debt to Super Mario 64 and its brilliant establishment of how a virtual 3D world should look and feel. Unfortunately, some of the conventions established by the game have become lazy developer shortcuts — item collection is all too common in platformers these days. But as a whole, Super Mario 64's contributions to the gaming world remain largely positive, and many claim it is still the best title to ever emerge from the 3D platformer subgenre. e Final Fantasy vil - PS опе Many call it the greatest RPG of all time. They could be right. Final Fantasy VII ushered in a new era for RPGs, assuring their place in the gaming main- stream and changing the way people thought about storytelling and scope in a game. With an epic and emotional story spanning an impossibly large three discs, FF VII had an enormous budget and was three years in development, both of which were unheard of at the time. But perhaps its greatest legacy for the future was its incredible use of cinematics to tell the story. Full motion computer graphic cutscenes served not only as a storytelling tool, but as one of the primary reward systems for progressing through the world-spanning tale. Consider the integral nature of cut scenes in Ninja Gaiden, Warcraft III, ог Metal Gear Solid — all games where the cinematic weaves seamlessly together with the story and gameplay. It's now unusual for a game to not have staff members devoted exclusively to the production of the in-game movies. The seventh volume of Final Fantasy pioneered the strategy with its innovative use of CG — giving birth to a whole new aspect of the industry. As much as the hardcore PC gamers may complain that they've only got a couple of genres left to them, there's a reason those few are popular to the exclusion of everything else. Prior to UO, there were ways to get your geek on 3 over a modem, notably through text- only Multi-User Dungeons. Unless you're Zork, though, it's hard to build much of a following without graphics. Ultima Online more or less single- handedly spawned the massively Metal свав SOLid - PSone While many make the claim that Thief is the originator of gameplay related to shadows and darkness, any game that claims to have stealth elements should probably be paying royalty checks to Hideo Kojima and Konami. With the utmost silence, Metal Gear Solid came out of nowhere and created the stealth genre. Clinging to walls, crawling through ventilation shafts, hiding under boxes, sneaking up behind guards and silently disposing of them, and tapping into an array of high- Grand theru AUGO Ш - PLagstatinrn 2 tech spy gadgetry proved to be a sexy alternative to the popular running and gunning of the time. Metal Gear Solid is also one of the first action games to focus heavily on character develop- ment and plot. Solid Snake actually has depth of character; and the supporting cast, whether it be Revolver Ocelot or Psycho Mantis, instantly became as famous as Batman's rogue gallery. Along with games like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid is one of the first to fea- ture motion picture-quality cinematics and voice acting — showing that games are not only fun to play, they are fun to watch. multiplayer online phenomenon, bringing thousands of dorks the world РА around together іп a virtual fantasy ! Richard Garriot, aka Lord Playground for the first time. It was Eire crestor of Utm graphical, easy to use, and gamered the critical mass of players for a functioning community. The concept of building entire societies, economies, and relationships within the game world | proved so compelling that the march of imi- tators, everything from EverQuest ÎÎ to City of Heroes, } continues to this day — and PC gamers con- tinue to line up to buy the MMO du jour. Other genres are even starting to incorporate elements pioneered by UO, whether it's something like PlanetSide transplanting first-person shooting into a massively multiplayer context or the forthcoming Mechassault 2: Lone Wolfs Live-only Conquest mode. 72 САМЕ INFORMER Every generation of consoles has its "defining" game, and we expect that Grand Theft Auto III will be associated with gaming in the early 2000s as much as Super Mario Bros. is with the NES era. GTA III's genius isn't necessarily in coming up with new forms of gameplay like the greats of the past did, but rather combining existing genres in a framework that creates the illusion that you're taking part in a living, breathing world, From the minute it was released, GTA quickly became a pop cultural phenomenon, gamering mil- lions in sales and even becoming a hip touchstone for celebrity gamers like Dave Chappelle. However, GTA is important for much more than just its popular- ity. Even in the three years since it's been released, we've seen scores of companies trying to emulate the GTA formula, and even more titles from very dif- ferent genres (like SSX 3 or Jak II) incorporating its “open world” level designs. They Fought For Fre a reeaom... They Fought For E ЫШ \/ C PC CD-ROM [SOFTWARE © 2004 2015, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed by 2015, Inc. Men of Valor, 2015 and their respective logos are > 4 205, MATURE 17+ Blood Drug Ref ence Strong Language Violence ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org lemarks of 2015, Inc, Vivendi Universal Games and the Vivendi Universal Games logo are trademarks of Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. Unreal and the Unreal logo are registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live logo, and the Xbox logos are either rogistored trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 1998-2004, 0C3 Entertainment, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. All ther trademarks are property of their respective owners. PlayStation.e moment Visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information. UR COMMANDS MUST BE TAKEN EVEN FA < = z ш = LT ім са = = о іш = ل‎ се Ə > = ім = = Control your elite fighter squadron moment-by- using Wingman Command to turn the tides of war. RATING PENDING YO! Pilot 50 licensed, authentically detailed Dogfight and dive-bomb in air, sea and land assaults across more than 30 missions. planes and choose your aircraft colors. Engage in an epic story with multiple game modes and unlockable extras. issue orders and coordinate squadron attacks with split-second precision. A 5 I "Q109VN y0Qz. © 9 Jew би INO 39V л. OFFICIAL GUIDE AVAILABLE FROM PRE-ORDER FROM EBGAMES.COM • HTTP://ACECOMBATS.NAMCO.COM to defend its nation's interests at home and abroad. However, sometimes an army simply isn't enough, and specialists need to be brought in for some of the dirtier assignments. A mercenary is a warrior of desperation. They may come with a high price tag, and they may . | Lin Switch loyalty at the drop of a hat, but despite their questionable moral fiber, they have the skills, the weapons, and the training to get the job done. „а Эш 76 GAME INFORMER а to mind is Star Wars - and rightly so. Many of recognizable works have been release, Star Wars: Battlefront. However, with recent critically acclaimed games under its | belt like Gladius and Armed and Dangerous, LucasArts is beginning to flex its muscles in other areas. Ironically, one of the games that will draw atten- tion to the fact that LucasArts is capable of more than just Skywalker-centric games is coming out of Star Wars: this developer/publisher's most affiliated with that galaxy far, far away, including its most current Battlefront developer Pandemic Studios. That title, about the exploits of highly trained sol- diers-for-hire, is Mercenaries. in its genre: "One of the major things is the sheer interactiv- ity of the environment. Pretty much anything you encounter Thanks to the smashing suc- can be destroyed, stolen, or cess of Grand Theft Auto III in used somehow. In a lot of 2001, there have since been games, buildings and other many games trying to duplicate structures are pretty much its free exploration and mis- treated as terrain, but іп sion-based structure. However, Mercenaries you can - and sometimes have to - level ? cities. It's cool!" While it borrows familiar соп- ing th cepts from similar titles, it also improving it. LucasArts and takes them in different direc- Pandemic hope to change that with Mercenaries. Pandemic Director Cameron Brown explains one of the things that he believes sets Mercenaries apart from other games 3 feature. By observing the player's rela- tionships with various clients, multiple (and equally viable) solutions to nearly every prob- lem, and an array of weaponry that feels more like Battlefield 1942 than Driv3r, it is clear that Mercenaries is more than a mere clone. Get ready to take on the role of highly qualified warrior in a politically unstable environment, where it is up to you to mollify the hostilities or fan the flames of conflict. GAME INFORMER. 77 PICK YOUR POISON Though you are working with several armies (sometimes simultaneously), the job of the mercenary is ultimately a lonely one. Choose your character wisely, because you won't be able to switch among them between missions. After all, you're in this for yourself. If you need teammates to babysit you, then you're in the wrong profession. MATTIAS NILSSON One crazy Swede. A natural athlete and very agile, Mattias is surly and built like a brick y its very nature, war involves two or \ more groups of people who want different things. It is no different with Mercenaries. Once you assume the identity of one of the three available characters, it becomes your job to not only suppress the threat of dozens of key terrorists dubbed the "Deck of 52," but also negotiate the favor of feuding factions in the area. And, try as you might, it's nearly impossible to keep everybody happy. To set the stage, Brown described the game's basic story, which serves as the reason your character is in North Korea to begin with: "The overall goal is to apprehend terrorists all the way up the ladder until you get the Ace of Spades. An international coali- tion has invaded North Korea in response to a nuclear situation. You work your way through the Deck of 52's high-value targets, collecting bounties all the way, to get to the Ace, a man named General Song, who's JENNIFER Mul A former member of British Intelligence. Jennifer's strengths are striking from afar with a sniper rifle, and sneaking up close to wipe out = From tanks to emplaced guns, all weapons have limited ammo, forcing you to vary your assaults : CHRIS JACOBS An American soldier. With custom-built body armor, Chris can take more punishment than the other operatives, making him an ideal candidate for wading into gunfights. staged a violent military coup and is generally an unpleasant gentleman? Among all of the conflict, there are five active groups in the North Korean Theater of Operations, each one with its own goals and objectives. The Allied Forces are always friendly to you, the North Koreans always hostile, and the Russian Mafia, South Koreans, and Chinese are all vying for power — and their opinions of you vary depending on how often you help them out...or how much you tick them off. "Each faction has a specialty," Brown informs us. "The South Koreans have a lot of stealth tech; the Chinese a lot of armor; the Russians are all about cheap, plentiful muni- tions; [and] the Allies have all the kick-ass air strikes — and by working with a faction you define the kind of support you'll be using” The game progresses on a contract-by- contract basis, which are assigned to you personally when you visit a faction's HQ and talk to the head honcho. Sometimes these jobs will just be simple protection or delivery missions, but usually they revolve around nabbing one of the cards in the infamous deck, typically involving some blazing fire- fights and heavy artillery. Successful comple- tion of these objectives not only makes the world a little bit safer, but it also makes you exorbitant sums of money. After all, as a soldier for hire, your main goal (in addition to causing enough political unrest to ensure your job) is to accumulate vast wealth. Sure, it's great that you are ridding the world of 52 dangerous militants, but what good is having a peaceful world if you don't have the funding to enjoy it? IMPLEMENTS oF WAR MADE EASY As a mercenary, could there be anything more embarrassing than barging onto the battlefield with last year's model of an assault rifle? Of course not, which is why you need ae е = Tc " ت‎ е Some factions will generously $9 feature provide you with vehicles and free air strikes if the sit Thanks to awesome particle effects, all of the carnage is incredibly vivid Hijack the friendly skies Whether it's.a military installment or a civilian building, all structures can feel your wrath to dish out some cash to keep up with the drops delivered right to your location, rang: latest and greatest in carnage-causing con- ing from basic health and rifles to weapons traptions. As usual, you can nab guns off of only good for destroying small chunks of fallen foes, which is good in a pinch, but if the planet. The Merchant of Menace has an you have the bankroll, you can constantly alarmingly wide (and illegal) selection, offer- make sure you have the optimum equip- ing you other such quality wares as rocket ment for any job. launchers, surface-to-air missiles, and sniper All told, players will have access to 30 rifles, The Mafia has also got its hands in hot weapons and 70 vehicles, all of which are wheels, allowing you to order vario surprisingly similar to their real life coun- Jeeps, and cargo vans all from the terparts, "They're all based on real life with your bunker. some tweaks and adjustments where neces: When the situation arises where yo sary," Brown says. "Let's just say that we have someplace to be, but are running too low on some serious, hardcore military geeks on cash to utilize your black market connections, the team, and they keep us pretty honest in you won't need to settle for traipsing around terms of realism. It's not exact — Mercenaries оп foot. In addition to "borrowing" any of the is not a simulator — but you'll definitely rec- empty vehicles you run across, you can also ognize [the vehicles and weapons]" hijack just about anything that moves. In one The game features a unique system for case, we had angered South Korean troops getting the gear that you want. At first, you'll to the point that they called in a helicopter to just need to take what you can find, but as cut us down. However, as it flew overhead, ў you progress, you'll be able to use your pay- ме managed to jump ир and grab a hold on j checks (as a freelance warrior, no one covers the low-flying bird, do a gymnast-like flip up your expenses) to acquire all sorts of weap- to the cockpit, and chuck the stunned pilot ons, vehicles, and special attacks to make to the ground below. After that, the air was whom we owed allegiance. deciding to play for the other team. This you a more efficient killer-for-hire. By getting ours, with easy controls that made flying the means that if your contract is to help the in the Mafia's good graces, you gain access friendly skies as pleasant (and explosion- FLEXIBLE LOYALTIES South Korean troops maintain moi to their underground, black-market website, riddled) as driving a tank on land. Naturally, Nothing is certain when fealty i is up for sale, fighting back the advancing North | the Merchant of Menace (www.menace.ru) the Chinese were happy we had cheesed off Though itis in your и can beat via your handy-dandy PDA's Wi-Fi connec- the South Koreans, the South Koreans меге. tion. From he site you can upset that we stole their equip (е (espe: A STRIKE ron ALL OCCASIONS ii While many of the weapons you acquire are staples of the action genre, such as assault rifles and grenades, you also have a set of special tacti- cal strikes that can be accessed for a price. Order up an air strike and reduce an enemy encampment to cinders. Call in a laser-guided missile to hit your targets with unerring preci- sion. Once the world around you is smoking in ruin and you've subdued your target, throw a signal grenade to call for aerial extraction to get the scum out of your sight. Each of these tricks comes at a cost, but you've got to spend money to make money, and the price on some of those bounty heads is pretty sweet. cially since we had just completed a contract ^ (you do get paid for completing them, after fa for them), and no one was quite sure to all), there is nothing that prevents you fro GAME INFORMER 79 Mattias practices amateur phrenology to make some extra dough LT recoilless rifle turret on the unsuspecting and weakened SK army. You will lose your con- tract, as well as pay for your betrayal in both blood and cash, but you're pretty hardy, and another army in need is never far away. Plus, ou'll be surprised how much you can sabo- е a faction before it categorically refuses o deal with you. : піке games like GTA Ill, in which gangs turn on you as soon as you move against „them, the relationships in Mercenaries are Just imagine: You could get paid for doing this 80 GAME INFORMER Oops! One of the key aspects of being a warrior-for-hire is making sure that there are actually people alive who can request your services. Nearly every building in Mercenaries is destructible, which also includes the head quarters for the five major factions. So, if by some freak accident (or an overly itchy trig- ger finger) you find that you've annihilated all of your employ ers' strongholds, you'll either have to load a previously saved game or roam the expansive environment creating mayhem without purpose. more nuanced. Each faction has a bar that displays its current affinity (or lack thereof) for you at any moment, and every time you successfully complete a contract for a group, your relation with it improves. However, whenever you destroy a vehicle, shoot a soldier, or otherwise act like a pain in the ass, your relationship worsens. At first, this doesn't sound too challenging to manage; you could just try to play the consummate soldier who only shoots the Look closely. That's a Jeep, not a missile bad guys. Unfortunately, who exactly the "bad guys" are is ambiguous, and most of your contracts for the factions necessitate gaining prestige with one at the expense of your trust with another. In one example, we accepted a contract from the Chinese involving the destruction of South Korean gun emplacements. When we succeeded, China rewarded us for our effort, but the South Koreans were (with good cause) a bit miffed at our aggression. Thus, as you progress, you are playing a constant game of push and pull, trying to keep as many people satisfied as possible. Eventually, you might just be better off to choose one faction to neglect while building on the others. You'll have to carefully con- Sider which faction you can risk offending, though. For instance, you'd want to think twice before double-crossing the Mafia. Not only is it their garage a source of some bonus challenges (like stealing vehicles and returning them to a chop shop), but the number and type of items available from the Merchant of Menace website is directly dependant on whether or not you're on the mob's good side. Even with the sliding scale, it doesn’t mean that you need to plunge into the negatives before a faction will attack you. You may be able to “accidentally” shoot someone's reinforcement-bearing helicop- Vehicle-mounted weaponry can turn the tide in your favor ter out of the sky once or twice, but you'll only get the benefit of the doubt for so long. The troops in the game aren't stupid, and they will meet repeated aggression with appropriate force, regardless of your standing with their leaders. In other words, we hope you enjoyed shooting down that chopper, because won't get another freebie for a while. ANY Way You WANT IT Offering multiple paths to a goal isn't new to gaming. There are many titles that claim to offer several viable solutions to their prob- lems, but there usually ends up being a dis- tinct right way and wrong way. If you're given a choice of walking, swimming, or driving to a destination, and the only difference among them is travel time — that isn't variety. When you can drive to a warehouse іп 50 seconds, why would you want to spend five minutes swimming there? Fortunately, Mercenaries provides a great deal of genuine flexibility in the ways you can approach your objectives, as well as reasons to vary your technique. For instance, when you accept a contract to destroy a museum (take that, culture!) doubling as a North Korean communica- tions base, you have multiple options avail- able. You can steal a North Korean Jeep and drive undetected right into the battle zone (providing you don't honk your horn The North Korean HQ looks more like the Black Gate into Mordor 1 draw attention to yourself) and then k behind the museum to plant some . Alternately, you can call in for a sniper ply crate (your Mafia hook-ups can help with this) and pick off all of the opposi- as they scramble around trying to find source of the attack. Lastly, if you prefer ng stompy to being stealthy, you can hop › one of the many heavy artillery vehicles ow down your foes — just hope they t have rocket launchers. еп as you are apprehending your high- | bounty targets, you will be faced with осе on how to confront them. One ion is to get up close and use a takedown euver, which involves an animation of character beating the daylights out of an my before slapping on the cuffs. While it is sible to use this technique against anyone en friendly soldiers and civilians), you'll nly want to bring it out only when dealing members of the Deck of 52. "You want ake them alive,” clarifies Brown. "You get verely reduced bounty for bringing them er...not alive, so taking them down and sing them up before throwing them into extraction 'copter is good for business. ourse, the downside is that you have to y get up close and personal, and that can заа for your health” be had in between jobs, too. After all, the ultimate goal of Mercenaries is for players to enjoy themselves and find their own way. Engaging in this philosophy to the fullest, at one point we were able to hijack an Apache helicopter, fire off anti-ground missiles in the middle of city, and then lower a winch cable to pick up a Jeep loaded with passengers. Now, we could have set them down gently, but it was much more entertaining to repeat- edly ram them in into buildings before hurl- ing the poor saps off into a canyon. Was it a contract? Nope. Was it good for any of our faction relations? No way. Was it entertaining Takedown moves allow you to capture your target alive p. as all get-out? Hell yes. Even with all of freedom that Mercenaries offers, the world needs to be carefully assembled so that everything can fall into place. For instance, you'll notice some amaz- ing explosions and mesmerizing particle effects thanks to the implementation of the Havok physics engine. "It's been so much fun developing with a robust phys- ics engine like Havok,” explains Brown. "It's really allowed us to do some crazy stuff. Mind you, | think people get the impression that you just drop something like Havok in and everything magically works. It's not quite like that — it takes talented peo get the best Out of any technology, a Mercenaries team is brimming with dedicated people” Underneath all of the gorgeous gra intricate relations, and tenuous аага its core Mercenaries will deliver pure a way that is a refreshing twist on farri territory. As Brown puts it, "We have Havok physics, and a bunch of vehi weapons, and air strikes, all with diff: strengths and weaknesses. When you it all together, you can get very creative: your destruction.” EN NH BH “You know, Hal, 1 feel pretty Ts tough - but am | menacing?” GAME INFORMER ЖЗА Blood Language Lyrics Sexual Themes К Р Violence GAMECUBE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. A Glimpse Into The Future Of Gaming The First Noble Truth is the harshest lesson PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX | GAMECUBE GoldenEye: Rogue Agent > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE OR PS2 ONLINE) > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS > DEVELOPER EALA > RELEASE NOVEMBER A LICENSE TO KILL EVERYBOD he Bond franchise has officially been shaken, stirred, and blown up in an entirely new direction, and just wait until you see the explosive results. In Rogue Agent, you play as an exiled member of Ml6. Think Bond, but way meaner. Your tactics were apparently so brutal and unconscionable as to warrant being thrown out of Her Majesty's Secret Service. With your leash taken off, you'll waste no time becoming embroiled in a turf war between archvillains Auric Goldfinger and Dr. No. — and that's where the fun starts. The new GoldenEye is all about being bad. Real bad. And from what we've seen, that's a really good thing. After losing your natural eye to Dr. No, Goldfinger equips you with a new "golden eye" that outfits you with some cool powers. There's a magnetic polarity shield to block bullets, and the magnetic induction field picks up enemies and sends them flying acrosss the room or through a window. MRI Vision lets you see through walls, and the EM Hack allows for the manipulation of electron- ics — including enemy weapons. The Rogue Scoring System rewards sinister and villainous acts, like taking a human hostage/shield or flinging enemies to their deaths. You'll spend much of the rest of your time dual wielding weapons like the handheld rail gun, setting off death traps on hapless enemy min- ions, or sliding down zip lines at your foes. As you're killing, you'll be accompanied by a fully realized musical score by mixmaster Paul Oakenfold. Senior Producer Chris Plummer filled us in on the creative process between EA's game developers and the world famous DJ. "It's a fully interactive, context sensitive music system that's like Paul spinning in your living room. When the action is hot, it totally kicks in, and when building anticipation it gets quiet, and Paul has created all of it. Every level has its own score which is fully dynamic" Apparently, much of the music was created with developers playing the 84 GAME INFORMER game in front of Oakenfold while he would mix and create music in response to onscreen action. These mixes were then refined for use in the game. Sweet? Indeed. The original GoldenEye game is most fondly remembered for its multiplayer mayhem, and this new version should be no different. “We focused completely on two-and four-player split-screen first, before anything else, and then we also have up to eight-player online," Plummer informed us. "Our duel maps are made for one-on-one - they're not huge giant maps. These are maps pulled right out of the movie — where Bond and Trevelyan had a showdown at the end of GoldenEye on the satellite uplink. Or Golden Gate Bridge, from A View To A Kill" We got a chance to play this last level and see exactly what Plummer was talking at least 15 that will show up in the final Ж. version, and it's perfect for some quick one-on-one. High atop one of the spires of the world's most well-known bridge, you can frag a buddy to your heart's con- tent, dropping him with a rocket launcher, or sending him tumbling off into space by deploying a pit death trap. We also played one of the brand new single-player levels, where we got a sneak peek at the invasion of Dr. No's secret base near the end of the game. With the archvillain's minions swarming every- where, we can happily report that the original GoldenEye's blistering difficulty has happily remained intact in this villain- ous sequel. Expect to get down with your bad self when Rogue Agent releases to stores in November. 5 Ah, the relaxing Hong about. The Golden Gate map is one of Kong nightlife EVIL AI Your enemies in GoldenEye are as lifelike as they are deadly. EA created its own system for describ: ing the approach to enemy intelligence, which we've detailed below: motion: All your foes have behaviors motivated by emotions that you can influence. Intimidate your foes and they will respond with fear. Mes moments: Many in-level events are unscripted. Instead, the Al will trigger unique actions to match the situation, thereby creating a more involving experience. In some instances, baddies will trigger a trap on you — other times they'll take a hostage. Қа Fully aware of their environment, they'll aggressively use cover, peek around cor- ners, and shoot while running between safe areas. earning. Enemies will observe your actions and Eo in kind. They'll watch what weapons you're utilizing, and then move into an area to best react. And if you destroy their cover, they'll realize it and move somewhere else. 3: preview: в Eat your heart out, 007 Wi The neon sign translates: We Humbly Suggest You Shoot This Man 5 ...and sometimes you ән take them GAMEINFORMER 85 There is nothing ! can't do | No truth ! can't find No evil ! can't stop PlayStation.e GENIUS AT PLAY With one well- placed shot, Leon takes out Emperor Palpatine before he can rise to power named Luis. All we know about him is that he's sexy and loves long walks on 4 seriously doubt we'll get our damage deposit back now.” GAMECUBE Resident Evil 4 > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER CAPCOM > DEVELOPER PRODUCTION STUDIO 4 > RELEASE JANUARY 11 E KING OF THE DEAD SPEAKS apcom’s Resident Evil 4 is undoubt- edly one of the hottest titles coming to the GameCube in the next few months. While the game is set to hit in January, Capcom has maintained an air of mystery around the title, which has led to much speculation about we can expect to see In the latest chapter of the esteemed horror franchise. Fortunately, Resident Evil 4's Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi was good enough to speak with us about what he considers a fresh start for the series, and set the record straight on several issues. One point Kobayashi made sure to drive home is the emphasis this entry places on action versus problem solving. While puzzles — a Resident Evil standard — will still be present, they will take on a noticeably different tack. "There's more action in this one for sure,” says Kobayashi. "You will see fewer puzzles in this game than you have in other RE games, but that is because they have been replaced by ‘action puzzles,’ which will require more hand- eye coordination and timing than just straight thinking” How these puzzles fit into the plot is still unknown, as Kobayashi is reluctant to share any more information on the still mys- terious plot. We know that much of the quest requires Leon to protect a young girl named Ashley, but Kobayashi revealed that she is only with you for about half the game. “Leon gets sloppy and will get captured at one point and have to escape before he can rescue Ashley,” he says. He also revealed that there will be other playable characters, but declined to comment on who they would be or how they figured into the plot. Whatever the plot turns out to be (which, judging by the new screens released, seems to involve a strange type of cult), Kobayashi assured us that it would scare our pants off; like all Resident Evil games, the fourth title will be quite scary, but this one will create a new kind of fear. Unlike the previous titles, the open level design won't stress the close-quarters horror the series is known for. “You can still create fear without being claustrophobic,” says Kobayashi. “With the large amount of enemies, and the fact that they will try to sneak around behind you and throw a sickle in your back, you can be sure that the tension is still all there. However, the later Castle levels in the game are pretty enclosed, so basically you are getting the best of both worlds.’ The Resident Evil series, while certainly beloved, isn’t exactly known for making huge leaps from one entry to the next. Resident Evil 4 represents the biggest evolution the series has yet undertaken, and we have no doubt that its departure from the formula will please both fans and neophytes. Kobayashi even hinted that fans should prepare for change to become the rule for the series rather than the exception. When asked where he saw the series going, he simply said “I'd imagine this story arc we have created will be coming to an end and a new one will be starti Е off” шшш $ preview: B "Hey guys, who wants to go visit Frankenstein?" i Leon takes a time out from fighting evil to throw firecrackers at frogs M This guy is affectionately b м m known as "El Gigante," and best game ever k 1 SN there will be more than one of 1 à " ! these enemies іп the game ¢ 7, I “By placing this webcam, | should be able to find out who's been stealing my Teddy Grahams” ® This creepy cult will soon be creepy chunklets Boe j у Á ү! ® Leon takes саге P “This is for that ишк... o [а] } of Racoon City's awful Gregorian , " с x homeless problem Monks album!" ‘ ko б = —Ж — (аот) SED] RIESE JE GIU PES OD PUY APIS E CAEP RS) OY 1 н a) TETE e PT IEEE SHIMON oun лл» чэ т идиәшиерешзі40510 бңешәре ДЕ100100,0502214 19 GUAM, {тт PU nem espe NS NOTE 538 TTS toys pst AH purs [691 aojpueksipfeufurueunuremew 3 (Б dps TOC WES DENGE] MORE ELITE THAN EVER - FIGHT ENHANCED AI TERRORISTS IN 10 NEW AND STUNNING SINGLE-PLAYER MISSIONS. T 3 оз GREEN TEAM пес TEAM EVEN BETTER WITH NEW OBJECTIVE-BASED MULTIPLAYER AND XBOX LIVE 3.0 ONLINE FEATURES. (| THE BEST XBOX LIVE™ GAME OF ALL TIME GETS | ТТТ ПИЯ Mesi, а STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER TECMO > DEVELOPER TECMO/TEAM NINJA > RELEASE OCTOBER 15 HOT ONLINE CATFIGHTING! id you know that if you go online, you can meet some really hot girls? Lots of them aren't even wearing many clothes. We're talking about Dead or Alive Ultimate, the new online fight- ing game from Team Ninja, of course. What did you think we were talking about? The Dead or Alive series has always been known for its great-looking female charac- ters, and Dead or Alive Ultimate will show- case just how far the series has come. It's a deluxe two-disc set, the first of which is an exact port of the original Dead or Alive with added online play. The second disc features a tricked-out port of Dead or Alive 2, which has been rebuilt with the graphics tech- nology from Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Ninja Gaiden. If you thou; Dead or Alive 5 looked good, wait until you see DOA Ultimate in action. Characters are even more lifelike and move more fluidly; which means, of course, that the girls are even hotter. You'll even be able to dress them in some of the outfits fom DOA Beach Volleyball (you dirty dog!) — every character has a huge collection of costumes, some as many as 20. Of course, dressing up your character in Sexy outfits isn't the main draw of this col- lection (although it is a nice bonus). The 92 GAME INFORMER main attraction is the online play. We've had a chance to take it for a spin on Xbox Live, and will attest that it runs silky smooth, with nary a framerate hiccup to be seen and no discernable lag. Online play features several different game types, including one-on-one, team battle, survival, kumite, loser stays, and tournament. Thanks to the "virtual arcade" technology used for online play, you can set up game rooms for up to eight players and define your rule set. One option allows players to vote on which type of game to play, and those not actively playing can watch a match and talk smack about the players with full voicechat support. There are several other online good- ies as well, including a quirky naming system that allows you to add fun things like bunnies and pandas to your name, US/Japanese compat- ibility, and more. These bells and whistles are nice, but they wouldn't make up for a sub-par fighting engine. Fortunately, DOA Ultimate plays as well as the previous entries, and fea- tures a tweaked countering system for an extra layer of strategy. The game is just as sweet offline for those poor souls living without Xbox Live. Story IS PREORDER IN ORDER? Preorder bonuses for big games are more and more common these days, and gamers in Japan have been receiving a pretty nice gift for reserving this one. The "Digital Venus" disc is a CD-ROM that includes DOA wallpapers, icons, and sound clips for your PC. It's fairly likely that the Digital Venus disc will make it stateside. However, there's little chance that we'll see the DOA Ultimate Xbox bundle, a special blue console that comes with a life-size Kasumi "love pillow.” Yikes. mode is back and has been fleshed out with new cutscenes that explain the origins and motivations of some of the characters more fully. ООА5 story mode has always been fun, but the real draw of this release is the online play. Judging by what we've seen so far, we have no doubt that this fully stacked collection will be the hottest thing online since that celebrity video you heard so much about. шш 5 preview 18 This beach will look familiar to those who have played Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Did you know you could play volleyball in that game? We spent all of our time tanning m “This is what you get for wearing the same ” outfit as me, skank!” E Ten new levels are m “Yeah, I'm sweet. You included, along with ten know what's sweeter? classic stages Kicking your sorry ass im = w u GAME INFORMER 93 ENGEANCE REIGNS FEI ABOVE, 2 ol hogs te ie Sales зе йелі Gnd 7 i $ E | i Б | 1 www.tribesvengeance.coaom Coming October 2004 Blood рс Mild Language POWERED BY Violence CD-ROM CF ESRB CONTENT RATING wwwesrh.org SOFTWARE} Spy. ата a E AA нанова уь... «ирт S- a "Sparinto Battle — Jetpack, ski and pilot your way through the most savage battles on land and in the air. Tribes” i5 back with a vengeance. The ultimate high-flying. Multiplayer FPS battle experience returns with deadly new weapons, faster and mare versatile flight. in-depth strategic team action, and the first-ever Tribes single-layer campaign. yen жм $ Ё AN © Е Destruction. Chaos. Retribution. PLAYSTATION 2 The Getaway: Black Monday PUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA > DEVELOPER TEAM SOHO > RELEASE FEBRUARY > STYLE i-PLAYER ACTION/RACING > PUBLISHER SONY ENGLAND SWINGS iting during the first wave of GTA III mania, The Getaway's rough-hewn English gangland saga was a mas- Sive sales hit. Despite this success, critical reception was mixed, with some praising (Game Informer among them) its hard-boiled storytelling and ambitious struc- FORMER ture, while others decried its often erratic control. In order to make its upcoming sequel, The Getaway: Black Monday, a title that appeals to both camps, Team Soho has been hard at work on improving the nuts-and-bolts issues while at the same time continuing to innovate in the realm of video game story- telling. If these efforts are successful, Black Monday could indeed be a new benchmark in cinematic game development. If not, well, the path that leads to Driv3r is a hard road. Black Monday begins two years after the conclusion of The Getaway, and focuses on a trio of all-new characters. Central to the events is Ben Mitchell, a police officer who is back on the force after a long suspen- sion. Sadly, his reemergence is going to be marked by a series of shocking and dra- matic events, most of which are related to the plight of another main character, ama- teur boxer and hoodlum Eddie O'Conner. O'Conner has taken part in a bank robbery that went tragically awry, and is now fighting for his life and for revenge on those who did him wrong. Luckily, Eddie will have the help of a beautiful hacker and sometimes Motorcycles have been added to the already potent driving portion of The Getaway criminal named Sam. Each of these three characters will be playable during your adventure, and you'll often make choices that influence the outcome of the story, as Team Soho has revealed that there are mul- tiple endings to this crime saga. The Getaway won praise for its storytell- ing, and Team Soho has even more ambi- tious plans for Black Monday. Much like Quentin Tarantino's epochal Pulp Fiction, the tale will be told in a fractured manner, with events unfolding in a nonlinear fashion, at different times and from the perspective of different characters. Of course, the conclu- Sion you end up with will finally unveil what Team Soho promises will be a stunning finale that ties all the stray threads together in a shocking ending. Just as much effort is going in to the gameplay and environmental side of the project. Although the game still takes place in roughly the same area of London, the city has been modified to incorporate much more depth. You can now traverse rooftops or head into the grim sewers. Underground will also hold a new mode of transport: a fully operational subway system (or "tube" as they say in the U.K.). On the streets, you'll notice a whole new level of graphical detail, including many shortcuts, some of which are so narrow you'll only be able to use them on motorcycles, which have been added to the game's stable of vehicle types. Although it remains to be seen whether the original's sometimes sticky camera has been righted, targeting and hand-to-hand combat has been greatly improved. You can now grapple an enemy, then administer head butts, knees, punches, kicks, throws, and even a few cool finishing moves. The targeting also seems to be heading in the right direction, and now allows you to strafe more easily if you don't have a ready target. The already excellent driving engine has been revamped as well, actually making the physics less realistic to better implement some of the team's more outrageous new vehicle sequences. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Team Soho's grand designs come to reality, because we honestly can't get enough of this franchise's profane Cockney jive and tough-guy theatrics. B IM IN. The "caveman" style of court- ship is still alive and well! „° previews 8 Computer hacker Sam*is one of three playable characters, and relies on brains more than brawn = Expect bloody gunfights to be the order of the day W In your adventures, you'll spend a lot of time high above the streets on the rooftops of London 9 On some missions, you'll work with an Al-controlled squad m Mom says: “А little ginger M Who knew the sewers of >” ale will get that blood stain London were so clean? 1 right out!” GAME INFORMER 97 [UNLIMITED ENABLED 1 ENABLED PLAYSTATION 2 Kessen lll > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/STRATEGY > PUBLISHER KOEI > DEVELOPER KOEI > RELEASE JANUARY NOBUNAGA'S AMBITION oei has been travelling a long road in search of a series that can rival its blockbuster Dynasty Warriors franchise. It's tried an anime-inspired title (Mystic Heroes) similar to Dynasty Warriors. It's tried to give the DW series an RPG bent (Crimson Sea), but that also failed to distinguish itself. Koei even did a kick-ass music game (Gitaroo Man) that has left fans screaming for more — but it didn't sell enough to garner a sequel. By the way Koei, if you're listening, we promise Adam's first child and second finger for another Gitaroo Man (What?! No deal? What the hell are we sup- posed to do with this bloody finger, then?!). Anyway, the company is bringing back an old favorite — Kessen — to try and rouse gamers. Ironically, the last Kessen worked Kessen's Cluster engine has been reworked for even more spectacular results well because it attempted to sprinkle in some strategy to bolster its Dynasty Warriors- esque hack 'n slash element which has since grown stale. Hopefully Kessen III will more fully realize this promise, and give gamers a meaty mix of shrewd decisions and decisive Sword strokes. The first Kessen introduced the Cluster Engine, which Koei used to great effect not only in presenting large numbers of units onscreen, but to imbue them with Al to help determine the outcomes of its large scale battles. For Kessen Ill, the Cluster Engine has been revamped to fully render everything in 3D, and also give players real-time control over troops' movements and actions, This should help bridge the gap between being a commander and a battlefield warrior by let- |” „° previews as OS ۴ 2 =A v - = 5 More RPG-esque elements will help you shape both officers (above) and soldiers (below) Hopefully castle sieges (below) will be more interactive than in the last Kessen 17 ЧҮЙ "I dry - Р А ее " ym %9 ig ting you make decisions on the fly, merging The game takes place in Japan's war- the series, Koei is trying to answer some of been looking for? Seeing that the company the planning and combat stages of the ga ring states period, setting the stage for the fans’ criticisms from the last Kessen. This tile has a chance to spectacularly marry action into one fluid segment, This new Cluster infamous Oda Nobunaga to rise to power contains a non-linear story path, and it also with strategy, we think that the answer lies in Engine also lets allied units join your forces in the squabbling and shifting alliances of adds more RPG elements - including growth just how many strategy and RPG elements to unleash combo attacks. Unfortunately the land (Yes, that's уош). In the course of for both your officers and troops. Hopefully Kessen III contains (and how well they for fans of Kessen 1/5 breathtaking spells, this conquest, you'll face real life historical this means you'll be able to shape your are implemented) to augment its familiar it's unclear whether that Chinese magic will figures such as Kenshin Uesugi and the forces more to your liking than in the previ- Dynasty Warriors fighting formula. The results return in this new title due to this game's cavalry units of Shingen Takeda. Although ous games. could even outmuscle Koei's most famous Japanese history storyline. Nobunaga's inclusion is old hat to fans of Is this the step forward for Koei that we've | franchise in the end. ШШШ ae Р 4 Begin Your Journey Enter the amazing world of Vana diel* Join an ever-growing population F of adventurers in exploring the only қ ee online FINAL FANTASY game, the PINAL PANTASLIL: award-winning FINAL FANTASY XI! | ,, 2 "d FINAL ИҢ INCLUDES BONUS. Rise of toe агі EXPANSION PACK Available for Windows' Or specially packaged with the Hard Disc Drive for your PlayStation'2 computer entertainment system The world of Vana'diel gets even bigger with this FINAL FANTASY XI R 2 expansion pack, featuring massive ” Б a, ‚тёр ` қ т AM л XQ А new regions to explore, frightening т $ ғ new enemies to engage, and an и / unfolding mystery to confront. Er at è | „ 1 x 1 " Animated Blood CD-ROM 5 Mild Language ISSFTWARE| Violence A " Exp for гї? Game Experience May Chango During Online Play Windows* SQUARE ENIX. www. playonline.com ш The trolley system is available for transport, but we'll take the hot sports Саг every time "ж = ke چچ Li B Why sit in traffic when you can ride a chopper? 9 Here's a look at some of the modifications you can make to stock vehicle types in San Andreas 4 B No water wings for СІ, dawg can swim with the » best of them Іш UNLIMITED ENABLED ЕСІ goes hard to the hole! PLAYSTATION 2 Grand Theft Auto: oan Andreas > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RACING > PUBLISHER ROCKSTAR GAMES > DEVELOPER ROCKSTAR NORTH > RELEASE OCTOBER 19 THE STREETS OF SAN FIERRO ith each passing week bringing us closer to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ release, and Rockstar steadily revealing new gameplay details and screenshots regarding this blockbuster project, it's becoming increasingly apparent that October 19th will likely be a day for the video game sales chart record books. By now, it's obvious that San Andreas is going to simply blow any and all of the GTA copycats out of the water, and that — in terms of size and scope — this title is in a league all of its own. This impression is only strengthened by a recent batch of informa- tion we received regarding the game's second city, San Fierro, and a host of new gameplay mechanics. As you probably know by now, San Fierro is the game's doppelganger for San Francisco, one of the world's most beautiful and culturally rich urban areas. Fittingly, many of the Bay Area's iconic land- marks have been recreated in adapted form, includ- ing the Bay Bridge (Garver Bridge), Golden Gate (Gant Bridge), Chinatown, and the Haight-Asbury District (know here as Hashbury, home of the Hashbury & Garcia “Joint Festival”). In addition, you'll be able to ride the city's legendary trolley car system or motor around in the classic hippie “Camper” (based on the VW minibus). Rockstar also hinted that San Fierro will see the return of the feared Triads, in the form of longtime friend of CJ's, gang leader Wu Zi Mu. Even more exciting are revelations regarding some completely new types of gameplay and character development being implemented in San Andreas. For example, keeping in the spirit of the urban culture that has inspired the game, CJ can now take part in fully playable street basketball games (another good way of keeping the fat off). Also, in Chinatown you'll be able to hit the Cobra Martial Arts dojo to learn new hand- to-hand combat moves like the roundhouse kick, drop heel kick, running front kick, and CJ's own unique "street fighting" style. In addition, despite the jabs that Driv3r took at GTA's non-swimming character, CJ (and other characters in the game) will be able to swim. There are three basic styles of swimming: the default dog paddle (for treading water), the breaststroke (done by simply pressing forward on the analog stick), and the faster freestyle swim (performed by timed press- ing of the X button). This should make for some killer getaway scenes. For example, you can now drive off the Santa Maria (née Santa Monica) Pier in Los Santos, get out of the car, start swimming out to sea, and then jack a motorboat for a quick escape. Rockstar North is also implementing elements from some of the company's other successful titles, additions that will make the GTA experience even more immersive and complex. In a nod to Midnight Club, you can now take your stolen rides to various part and chop shops and outfit them with custom paint jobs, bumpers, exhausts, spoilers, rims, and even nitrous boost systems. The influ- ence of Rockstar North's own Manhunt is felt in the new “silent kill" abilities, which allow CJ to sneak up on an unsuspecting enemy, raise his hand as he approaches, and deal a sudden and quick death. What more can we say? All that's left now is to break up with your significant other in time for October 19th, because we expect gamers the world over will be occupied for months after San Andreas hits the streets. I I Il “Mercy is for the weak!" "P MEGAMAN IS BRINGING A NEW STYLE TO THE WORLD OF RPG Play the hero in Mega Man X’s latest adventure with a brand new three-person battle option — fight the enemy simultaneously! Your mission is to infiltrate Gigantis Island and thwart General Epsilon and his evil Liberion Army with the help of teammates Ах! and Zero. Customize any of five new characters, build up your experience points, then go in for the attack! SOM ad trademarks of CAPCOM CO. L any ind NINTENDO GAMECUBE LOGC ета lemarks are owned by their respective owners. EVERYONE m EESE Y A " E eee | | ^ NINT N ©) GAMECUBE PlayStation. Se previews "Don't cross the streams! es UNLIMITED ENABLED XBOX | PC Multiplayer will support up to 16 players, and includes popular game types like Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Assault The Trandoshans are one of the races you'll be gunning down en masse G у These death machines are the pefsonal guards of General Grievous Because of their realistically intelligent AI, your squadimates are capable of handling threats'by themselves. Each of your team- mates has his own skills and personality Star Wars: Republic Commando > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE OR ONLINE) > PUBLISHER LUCASARTS > DEVELOPER LUCASARTS > RELEASE FEBRUARY BEGUN THIS CLONE WAR HAS ucasArts has some exciting news for Star Wars fans. "Republic Commando is the bridge between Episode II and Episode III. The game ends as Episode III begins," say Steve Matulac and Tim Longo, the producer and director of the game respectively. "Your team of Republic Commandos, Delta Squad, are an elite branch of the Star Wars military. They are the best of the best, and as such, are visibly beef- ier and stronger than the clone troopers seen in Episode Il. They have special equipment, Wookiees will play a larger role in Republic Commando, and we mean large. Some Wookiees will appear noticeably bigger than they ever have before 104 GAME INFORYER ] ich allows them to stay in the field longer than a clone trooper.” If you are a Star Wars fan, Matulac and Longo's claims are probably enough to sell you on Star Wars: Republic Commando. The duo was more than happy to talk with us about the game, and what they had to say will make Star Wars fans foam at the mouth in anticipation. “The game begins at the Battle of Geonosis,” Matulac and Longo continue. “Amidst the chaos of the infantry battle, the elite Republic Commandos are deployed to nn hunt down the Separatist leader Sun Fac — a job only they сап handle. The squad is then tumed loose on a mysterious Republic ghost ship. Little do they know fierce Trandoshan mercenaries, intent on tuming the ship over to the Separatists, have captured it. But why are these two strange factions allied? All becomes clear when the commandos take a covert mission to the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk, where they uncover a Separatist plot, conceived by none other than General Grievous, the new villain from the upcoming Episode IIl. The commandos fight alongside brutal Wookiee warriors against Trandoshan slavers and the mechanized droid armies, in a battle to take back a city balanced high in the trees” The story alone should be enough to get fans of the movie series on board, and the squad-based gameplay should appeal to action fans who aren't necessarily Star Wars experts. According to Matulac and Longo, the squad mechanic is "completely flexible and dynamic. The player can be just as effective if he either chooses to run ahead of the squad and eliminate all the threats himself, or just Sits back and orchestrates squad positions and assignments, or a combination of both approaches. Each of the three squadmates have their own unique characteristics. One squadmate is the team's paranoid psycho- path, but also happens to be a sharpshooter. Another is the explosives expert and anti- armor wise guy. He's very sarcastic, but pro- fessional. The third is the foundation of the group. His 'by-the-book attitude is the base of his authority. He is the squad's second in command, he's military through and throi He salutes his breakfast in the morning” “The central character is our clean slate,” they continue. “We want the player to relate to him in the way they wish to. He is voiced by Temuera Morrison, who played Jango Fett in Episode II, but he is more militaristic and official about his actions. He is the leader of the squad, and is really who holds the whole thing together. The central character is also the jack-of-all-trades. He is able to use each weapon and perform each squad maneuver just like all the others, but by doing so he sets an example of perfection for the rest of his squad” With a story that blends seamlessly with the Star Wars universe, frenetic squad-based gameplay, and, of course, online play, Star Wars: Republic Commando is easily one of this winter's most exciting Xbox/PC titles. We have a feeling that the Force is truly strong with this one. B IN IM 19 missions in the single player Command an elite squad of Special Utilize any means necessary to gain Xbox version supports В players campaign - 17 of the best from the PC Forces troops for maximum control of key enemy territory - online in 9 multiplayer levels! version and 2 new missions exclusive tactical strategy. gather intelligence, call in air strikes. Download new maps and missions! for the console! Lv = Stroi ESRB CONTENT RATING ng Language Violence www.esrb.org PlayStation.@ тол = m © 2002-2004 Illusion Softworks a.s. Vietcong, Illusion Softworks and the Illusion Softworks logo are trademarks of Illusion Softworks a.s. Pterodon and the Pterodon logo are trademarks of Pterodon a s Gathering of Developers, the Gathering of Developers logo, Take-Two Interactive Software and the Take-Two logo are all trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc Coyote Console, Coyote Developments and the Coyote Logos are trademarks of Coyote Developments Ltd. Developed by Coyote Console in association with Illusion Softworks and Pterodon. Published by Gathering of Developers. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, the Live Logos and the Xbox logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Uses Bink Video. & 1997-2004 by RAD Game Tools, Inc. Render Ware is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved ® Se previews PLAYSTATION 2 Killzone Somehow, no one cowered in fear at the sight of the happy sunshine cannon > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER (UP TO 16-PLAYER VIA ONLINE) > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA > DEVELOPER GUERRILLA/SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE/SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA SANTA MONICA STUDIOS » RELEASE OCTOBER 26 HISTORICAL FUTURE fter a long wait, Killzone is nearly upon us, and we're more than ready for the challenge. Promising a blistering level of realism within the context of а sci-fi military shooter, Killzone looks to raise the bar for the PS2 FPS. The setup has you pick among four playable characters that make up your squad, each with unique abilities and strengths to exploit as you move through the game. Though you won't be commanding your team, they will react intelligently to your actions by pursuing objectives utilizing their own indi- vidual strengths. The Rockford, Illinois of the future is even more of a dive than it is now سسس Perhaps the coolest aspect of Killzone is its attempt to meld historical warfare authen- ticity with a futuristic setting. All of the 27 distinct weapon designs are based on past or modem instruments of war, so you won't be seeing any laser guns here. Instead, as with all aspects of the game, the goal has been to craft a predictive version of the not-so-distant future, with all of the technology seeming familiar but out of reach at the same time. This strategy has extended to the design of the world called Vecta, a colony planet being attacked by the antagonistic Helghast. As elite „ military members of || the Earth-loyal ISA, it's your job to halt the blitzkrieg of the Separatists. Many of the levels are designed to emulate famous battlefields of the past. Areas outside Vecta City are reminiscent of the killing fields of WW I, with gouged out trenches and a dev- astated countryside. City areas are mod- eled after the tattered remains of Stalingrad Finally, a game with a Peeping Tom Mode during the Second World War. Even the jungle fighting of Vietnam has been tapped and reimagined for this eerie sci-fi future. Enemy Al should be similarly sweet — foes will provide cover fire for their comrades and peek around corners to check for a dear field before moving out as coordi- nated teams. All these elements should combine to create an intense vision of the future of war. While the single-player experience should be stellar, it might be the multiplayer features that end up truly impressing the crowd. Killzone will be available for play by up to 16 players online, and will include USB headset support for voice- chat. Alternately, you can play offline with 4-player split-screen and the other 12 slots filled by Al bots. Killzone seems poised to wrest its own spot in the crowded shooter genre. If everything comes together as promised, we can chalk this one up on our grow- ing list of holiday must- haves. IN INI Twenty-seven distinct weapons make an appearance Holy Crap! How big is this gopher? 974 zanga WITCH EDAL PIS. Cissrar 0 / 850 в5 180 360 UNLIMITED ENABLED PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX | GAMECUBE і D a Flip + Nose Manual + BS S050 2% 7790 pt БП Нагарір + Tony Hawk's Underground; World Destruction Tour > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION/SPORTS (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA PS2 ONLINE) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER NEVERSOFT > RELEASE OCTOBER 5 HIT THE STREETS ast year's skateboarding title from Neversoft, Tony Hawk's Underground, was undoubt- edly a departure for the series. Featuring a story mode in which the player is the central character, THUG changed the series drastically by revamping your goals, changing the look, and placing a new emphasis on plot. While THUG was certainly well received, some players longed for the classic Tony Hawk gameplay as seen in the earlier titles. Fortunately for every- one, THUG 2 will feature both the Story mode and Classic mode. Each will have its own set of levels. In many ways, it's two skating games for the price of one. We had a chance to get our grubby little hands on THUG 2 recently, and spent some time checking out 0 . 25 / 1000 GOAL PTS. one of the new levels in Classic mode — Barcelona. Not only does this Spanish city feature plenty of great lines and choice ramps, it also features a level-changing event, much like the earthquake in the popular Los Angeles level in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5. This event is triggered when you throw an apple at a bull, causing him to freak out and chase a mime. Obviously, chaos ensues. Throwing objects is one of the new moves added this year, which has all kinds of fun applications, most that involve causing mischief. Other new moves include a 360-degree flatland spin, the sticker slap (which can be used to push off against walls and change your direction), graffiti tagging, and a new special mode that slows You'll unlock a lot of hidden characters in Story mode, but they all pale in com- parison to this guy Best tag ever. Officially MODIFY TEXT ERASE LAYER " time and zooms in on your skater. All of these new moves can be used in Classic mode as well as Story, and some of the series' best stages from the past will show up again, so you can test out your new moves in your old favorite runs. Classic mode is only one part of the huge amount of new content added to this year's title. Unlockable characters populate every stage in Story mode, including new pros, strange characters, and a few celebrity guests like Jesse James from the show Monster Garage. With all of this new content, as well as a gameplay mode for every type of virtual skater, we have no doubt that this will be the finest Tony Hawk title yet. ишш E RR CANVAS TRANSHIRM LAYER SWAP BACKWARD SWAP FORWARD COPY Т0 OPEN LAYER INFORMER - ^ т v $ previews m The bigger units are downright impressive W We're gonna have to bet on the Space Marines over the Jawas 108 GAME INFORMER Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of Wa > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER THQ > DEVELOPER RELIC ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE SEPTEMBER THE NEW STANDARD? hat is it with licensed games these days? Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, from everything we've seen so far, looks to be another one that not only doesn't suck — in all honesty, we can't wait for this thing to release so that we can play the full version. The obvious care and passion that veteran real-time strategy developer Relic Entertainment has put into the title, along with the rich background fiction of the Warhammer universe, is shaping up into one of the best RTS titles we've had the plea- sure of playing in a long time. For one, the graphics are top-notch. Models are detailed and very well-animated, lending much more personality to typically faceless troops. Even the structures reflect the charac- teristics of their builders, from the immacu- late Space Marines' Chapel-Barracks to tl ramshackle, thrown-together Orkish Pile о” Gunz. The sound design is likewise brilliant, with explosions rocking the house and profes- sional voice actors giving life to the cutscenes. From a presentation standpoint, Dawn of War definitely has nothing to worry about. In terms of gameplay, Relic is aiming to make one of the widest and deepest RTS titles ever created. Each faction has dozens of units, from anti-tank squads to stealthy snipers and gigantic war machines of every description. Furthermore, the number of upgrades available is staggering. Sure, you can do the normal things like increase the armor of your infantry, but there are also specific weapons to outfit your grunts with, special abilities for various troops, and differ- ent types of ordnance for tanks. That's just the beginning, too — when you consider that no two factions progress up the tech tree the same way, much less share units or tech, it's clear that there's a whole lot of meat to the strategy in Dawn of War. Finally, some interesting concepts are integrated into the RTS framework. Resource- gathering takes place largely through control- ling strategic nodes on the map, which makes being aggressive and holding territory the name of the game. Infantry is commanded on the squad level, and can have heroes, cap- tains, or support units like medics attached to increase their effectiveness in battle. And finally, most every unit in the game has both a melee and ranged attack that you can tell them to favor — Space Marines with their high-tech weaponry will want to keep their distance from hulking Ork Slugga Boyz. Should enough of their comrades bite it, however, or if they catch sight of something intimidating like an avatar of the Eldar gods, they'll break and run. All in all, there are enough new ideas, excel- lent technology, and veteran polish in Dawn of War to have any RTS gamer frothing at the mouth in anticipation. Fortunately, we don't have long to wait for its (as of press time) late September release. LI PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX | PC The Bard's Tale > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG > PUBLISHER INXILE ENTERTAINMENT/VIVENDI UNIVERSAL > DEVELOPER INXILE ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE OCTOBER WE PROMISE, HE’S NOT SPOONY few of you old-school PC RPG gamers may remember the Bard's Tale franchise from way back in the day — 1985, to be exact. However, the original producer, Brian Fargo (who also had a hand in founding Interplay), and several other refugees of that sink- ing company have come together to form new studio inXile Entertainment for the express pur- pose of retelling the original Bard's Tale. Powered by a version of Snowblind Studios' engine (which showed up first in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance), The Bard's Tale is obviously an action/RPG. More than capable of taking care of himself in а fight with a variety of weapons, the Bard can also summon magical creatures to help him out of tight spots. Though you start with only ТТЫ the capability to call a measly rat, behemoths keep track of your q allies’ health as well and elementals will eventually fight by your as your own Side. Between the summoning spicing things up and the certified hack ‘n slash pedigree of the simply as the Bard, is a charming rogue, selfish and mer- Snowblind engine, it's hard to foresee any problems with ће cenary by nature. Cary Elwes (The Man in Black from The action in The Bard's Tale. Princess Bride) voices the Bard, and the narrator is played by What's unique about this title, however, is the flavor that Tony Jay, known as the Elder God from the Legacy of Kain permeates the entire game. The main character, know! games among many other roles. This level of voice talent is really only the tip of the iceberg, though. What we've seen of the script is clever, funny, and saucier than just about any other game we've seen. Having "snarky" and "nice" dialogue options doesn't sound that cool, but when you choose to snap back at someone who ticked you off and the Bard cuts them down with a scathingly witty rejoinder, it's all worth it. Developer inXile assures us that the choices you make determine how the story progresses as well, which you can't help but love. E The bouncing Бай Those who may be looking for a slightly more lets you sing along pui у with the drunks? intelligent action game ought to keep an eye on The Bard's Tale. If it all comes together like we Яопе [от ыз ћез LCT ык ыр эа сһеєғ/ Чот UCT hope, it could very well deliver one of the best Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer ШШ Л.Л 5 previews Dragonshard Ф `m > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER LIQUID ” ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE SPRING 2005 DUNGEONS TOO, BELIEVE IT OR NO Dungeons & Dragons Online 2,7 > STYLE MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER TURBINE > RELEASE 2005 NOT WHAT YOU THINK - ts a good thing that veteran online developer Turbine knows what they're doing. If ever there was a title that looked ripe for a generic, uninspired knock-off, Dungeons & Dragons Online is it. This, however, is anything but. Turbine is gladly jet- tisoning MMORPG conventions by the truckload and making a game more akin to tabletop D&D than any existing video game on the market. One surprising design decision is to stick very closely to D&D character progression. As anyone who has played D&D knows, that means an incredible amount of room for customizing your hero — two human Fighters of the same level can easily have radically differ- ent abilities. Another departure from MMORPG canon is the fact that play- ers don't get experience or loot from killing monsters. However, the world of D&D Online will teem with quests and missions, all of which take place in instanced (private to you and your group) settings and reward players handsomely with goods and experi- ence. The quest areas will also change depending on which ones you've 110: САМЕ INFORMER te ab P *; undertaken; for instance, if the king hasn't asked you to save his daughter from the trolls, that entire encounter won't even spawn. For another thing, combat is more Maximo than EverQuest. A mouse click will swing your weapon, while missile targeting takes place in a first- person view. If you acquire the Dodge feat, you'll even be able to perform an evasive roll. Also, as characters level up and gain more martial skill, attack combos become available. The battle system looks a bit more involved and interactive than is usually found in the genre — no pressing the attack key, making a sandwich, and coming back to your PC to find the monster dead. Between the true-to-the-books hero creation, the lack of grinding rats to death for fifteen hours to level up, and the more action-oriented fight- ing, D&D Online could very well be the MMORPG that shows us all what the genre has been missing these last seven years. Here's hoping it lives up to its potential between now and its 2005 release. ШШШ rankly, when first we heard that Atari had a Dungeons & Dragons real-time strategy game planned, we were far from excited. After get- ting a chance to see Dragonshard in action, however, it looks as though it wasn't a bad idea after all. You see, this is anything but another WarCraft wannabe. For one thing, your army isn't structured in the normal way. Troops are all organized into squads; you can't command individual ones or focus fire more specifically than on the squad level. Your captains, which are heroes in the D&D sense — Clerics, Wizards, Rogues, and such — are tough in their own right, but can also lead troops to give them bonuses. A Cleric in charge of knights might make them tougher to kill through healing, while a Rogue with a group of archers could allow them to sneak past enemy lines. Also, the game world is segmented into surface and underground levels. Yes, it's been done before, but here's the catch — most of your troops can't go below ground; only the captains (and champions, who are the true badas- ses of the game) are allowed. Down in the darkness, they band together 10 slay the monsters and grab the loot in classic D&D style. The other innovative element of Dragonshard we saw was the city construc- tion. Unlike other RTSs, your towns are laid out on a grid where you place your buildings. What's cool about it is that each structure has an effect on whatever's next to it, so if you want enchanted weapons you'll have to put a wizard tower next to the blacksmith. Also, settlements are very well defended right away, so players are encouraged to get their butts downstairs and beat up some monsters. Given the loving that Atari has been showing the D&D license lately, and from what we've seen of Liquid's efforts to make this a unique and entertaining title, Dragonshard is one worth tracking even if you've never seen the inside of the Player's Handbook. a PLAYSTATION 2 Ape Escape: Pumped and Primed > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER UBISOFT > DEVELOPER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE OCTOBER 1 APE ON APE ACTION hether they're wearing a diaper with a goofy, good- humored grin or viciously attacking each other in underground kickboxing tournaments, no one can seem to get enough of monkeys. Well, Ubisoft is giving the people what they want in Ape Escape: Pumped and Primed by offering play- ers a chance to pit these pink-rumped primates against each other in a variety of minigames. In a deviation from its platforming roots, Pumped and Primed will be more of a party game, with two distinct modes of play. In Versus mode, up to four people compete in 21 pre-made tournaments, with events such as races and melee battles. Even though the format is different, you can still count on using a wide array of gadgets to gain the edge, such as the stunclub, slingshot, and RC car. The other way to play Pumped and Primed is Story mode. The plot is some nonsense about Jake and the Professor being trapped in a computer- generated world fighting off the bad guy from Ape Escape 2, Specter. Sure, it won't win any Pulitzers, but it does give you an excuse to go through 44 levels and eight boss battles either solo or in competitive two-player. Additionally, you can use the levels from Story mode to customize your own tournaments in Versus mode! Expect a return of your favorite heroes, like Natalie and Spike, as well as the introduction of some new faces, like Pipotron. Plus, with over 400 unlockables like new gadgets and clothes, Pumped and Primed promises to turn a whole new crop of respect- able citizens into a mob of depraved monkey-lovers. Ш Somehow, Calvin Klein's "Monkey Rage” line of underwear wasn't successful x % £ ; 2 >, NM аа.» Jan LEGENDS ARE BORN. 9.24.04 MEN L E G E РЧ ID = x-men-legends.c om ACTIVISION ve like [E | Ta NOKIA Se previews Call of Duty: United Offensive > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACT > DEVELOPER UP TO 32-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION INTERACTIVE STUDIOS > RELEASE FALL OFFENSIVE IN A GOOD WAY ast year's Call of Duty accomplished a feat against all odds: established itself as a brand-new World War 11 franchise in a market glut- ted by well-known titles. A year later, the spectacular shooter is getting this expansion, aimed at remedying the two big flaws in the original as well as refining and growing the multiplayer portion of the game. Twelve huge new single-player missions – they're all significantly larger than the ones in the original — should please fans that didn't get enough cinematic action last time around, while the addition of vehicles will help open up the gameplay of the three new multiplayer modes. Plenty of content is being added besides new missions. Bazookas and Panzerfausts can now be uti- теа to crack those nasty panzers, smoke grenades can buy valuable time, and flamethrowers will lay down some serious short-range hurt. Soldiers can also sprint for a limited time, and while you can't shoot while doing so, it's great for crossing killzones. Some portable The rendering of. Sicily is gorgeous machine guns have deployable legs for extra stability, and cooking off grenades will add a bit to their usefulness On the multiplayer side of things, the new modes all look cool: Capture the Flag, a Battlefield- esque Domination, and something new called Base Assault. The interesting part about multiplayer, though, is the ranking system. As you capture objectives (depending on the gametype) and rack up kills, your carrying capacity increases and you'll gain access to sweet abilities like calling in airstrikes Controllable tanks and Jeeps are also present in all modes, so between the additional weapons, 11 fresh maps, and everything else, there should be no shortage whatsoever of mayhem to be had online. The Call of Duty franchise is one of the better ones to come out of 2003, and with the upcoming console title Finest Hour and this expansion pushing the PC game forward, the future is pretty bright for World War II enthusiasts. I IE e XBOX Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM > PUBLISHER MICROSOFT > DEVELOPER ARTOON, CO. LTD. > RELEASE NOVEMBER 16 NEW TITLE, NEW ATTITUDE o longer content with the dubious janitorial designation of "Time Sweeper," Blinx has upgraded significantly to the lofty title of a Master of Time and Space. After playing through several levels of the time travel- ling cat's new adventure, we can assure you that's not all that's been improved. Blinx 2 is faster, sleeker, and more varied than its first incarnation, with some cool new options that should make it more than worth a look in this crowded holiday season. For one, you'll be playing for both the cats and their enemies — the nefarious pigs. Half of the single-player campaign has you adopting the role of one of the Make that eight lives... time-travelling felines again. However, the other half of the game you'll control the space- warping pigs in a stealth oriented attempt to avoid the clever Sweeper cats. We got to talk with direc- tor Naoto Oshima about the changes, and he filled us in. “First, the entire game is much faster — Blinx moves quicker, ammunition can be swept as you move, and the crystal collec- tion has been automated. The game is now mission-based — there are no time limits and the worlds are much larger and non-linear to promote explora- tion" We also learned about the plan to include an extensive multiplayer component (no Xbox Live) enabling both two player co-op and a four player battle mode. "As a result of the new features the volume of the game has become quite large. The worlds are about twice as large as [the first Blinx] and the length of play for each round is much longer" In our time with the game, we got to try out some sweet actions, like dodging projectiles (à la The Matrix) by slowing down time, or playing as a pig and tossing a portable black hole on some unsuspecting cats. With its surprising new features and impressive array of play modes, Blinx 2 looks primed to steal time from a lot of gamers when it hits this November. Wi I IN Á Айбы. AN WARLORD! Í COMMAND THE АКК ОЕ MANK IND AND BATTLE INTO ІНЕ HEART ОҒ EVIL. j^. жэ iae = a ES ж A > INC (4 M. үз: 4 RECRUIT YOUR ARMY FROM SIX WARRING RACES HANDPICK YOUR HEROES, WARRIORS, AND KOHAN'S REVOLUTIONARY COMMAND SYSTEM AND FIVE RIVAL POLITICAL ALLIANCES, BEASTS TO DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS, SPELLS AND STREAMLINES EMPIRE MANAGEMENT, STRATEGIES AS YOU WAGE WAR AGAINST THE TO FOCUS ON CONQUEST. ARMIES OF THE SHADOW. THE SEQUEL TO THE 2001 STRATEGY GAME OF THE YEAR. РС GAMER, COMPUTER GAMES MAGAZINE, COMPUTER GAMING WORLD HETA PC TIMEGATE GS GLOBAL STAR SOFTWARE Re SOFTWA ESRB CONTENT RATING wwwestb.org ©2004 TimeGate Studios, Inc. Kohan Il: Kings of War, TimeGate Studios and the TimeGate Studios logo are trademarks of TimeGate Studios, Inc, The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective ‘owners, Developed by TimeGate Studios. Published by Global Star Software, ©2004 Global Star Software. Global Star Software, the Global Star Software logo, and Take-Two Interactive Software are all trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved. PLAYSTATION 2 | GAMECUBE Alien Hominid > STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER 0-5 ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER THE BEHEMOTH > RELEASE FALL eware, Earth people. Aliens from a strange world are planning an invasion of your homes. These creatures come from an odd and frightening place called the World Wide Web, and their goal is to infiltrate and take over your video game consoles. Judging by the results of their trial mission, they just might succeed. The aliens are coming your way thanks to Alien Hominid, the new title from rookie publisher 0-3 Entertainment. Many gamers are probably already familiar with this title; it began life as a Flash game on the popular site newgrounds.com. Over six million people downloaded the early version of Alien Hominid, and now a more polished version is coming to PlayStation 2 and GameCube. It's a fairly simple game, and by that we mean it simply rocks. It may be a basic side-scrolling shooter, but its intense action, bizarre sensibilities, and colorful visuals make Alien Hominid stand out as one of the most unique titles of the fall. (IGE Ж 2362 IT CAME FROM THE INTERNET While the hand-drawn graphics may look kiddie, the frantic gameplay recalls hardcore series like Metal Slug and Contra. Like those games, the action is so fast and manic that you will die a lot, but a bountiful amount of lives will keep you in the game. Co-op play only adds another level to the madness, and the variety of humorous stages keep the action fresh. In the first part of the game alone, you'll jump from car to car fighting a giant robot bee in traffic, battle an animate mound of butter- scotch, take to the skies in a UFO, get a lift from a Yeti, and battle hordes of identical ЕВ! agents. With its engagingly old school gameplay, creative graphics, and indie sensibility, it's hard not to root for Alien Hominid. Like the titular protagonist, this game is the little guy, going up against the overwhelmingly powerful forces. Everyone likes to root for the underdog, and this time the underdog is packing one hell of a PRESS START E Bosses are huge and bizarre, like Kirstie Alley UNLIMITED ENABLED Rome: Total War > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER CREATIVE ASSEMBLY > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 22 ALL ROADS LEAD TO WAR eveloper Creative Assembly has strategy cred coming out of its collective behind. With its first two Total War titles, Shogun and Medieval, Creative Assembly opened previously unimagined vistas of strategic joy for PC dorks around the world. To nobody's surprise, Rome: Total War looks to be the best one yet, and the kind of franchise install- ment that satisfies the fan base as well as bringing newbies into the Total War fold. For those unfamiliar with how Total War works, the basic structure breaks down like this: You control your faction (in this case, a noble Roman family) on a complex, Civilization-like overworld map where you move your armies around, develop cities, and make empire-wide i Discipline is an important attribute policy decisions. Once your forces clash with an enemy's, though, you take real-time com- mand over the battle — complete with a contextual speech from your general to pump the troops up. Having seen the combat engine in action, we've got to say that it simulates enormous conflicts with authority. How huge, you ask? Up to 10,000 soldiers, all of whom are imbued with their own morale model, attributes, and abilities. Even the terrain you'll be fighting on is determined wholly on where the action takes place, since the entire span of Rome's empire at its zenith is mapped out for the combat engine. Like any good strategy title, Rome: Total War looks to deliver some serious replay value. Besides the fact that you can replay the roughly 20-hour cam- paign from any of 11 different factions' viewpoints (which all have their own tech trees and troopsets), you can play through ten historical scenarios. Then, once you've gotten your fix there, Rome allows you to take the action online and slug it out with up to seven other players using fully customizable armies. Sadly, the overworld map can't make the transition to the 'Net, but given the scale of the conflicts that this engine is capable of, there's still plenty of multiplayer goodness to be had. Rome: Total War impressed us at E3, and our recent hands- on was even more tantalizing. Keep your eyes on this one; it has definitely earned its place as one of the premier PC titles of 2004. a am Clearing out monsters and racking up experience points started with the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS? roleplaying game. And with an endless number of spells, skills, and special abilities to choose from, it’s still the best way to level up and take on whatever comes next. We did it first. We still do it best. playdnd.com EXPERIENCE COUNTS 3 Е 3 к E E f = Ө EJ = = E £ 2 H E E 5 E Sly 2: Band of Thieves WWE: Day of Reckoning Our crack (or crackhead, we can never decide which) review team rates games in a number of cat- egories to help you sort out the great from the stuff you'll hate. Most games are reviewed by two staff members, and you will find both their opinions on each review. To make things a little easier we have put together some definitions of what the numbers mean, what we look for in a game, and also a cheat sheet so the newbies can understand our advanced video game jargon. It is important to note that the Game of the Month is determined only by the main review score, not an average of the two opinions. 116 GAME INFORMER THE SCORING SYSTEM = о Outstanding. A truly elite title that is nearly perfect in every way. This score is given out rarely and indicates a game that cannot be missed. Superb. Just shy of gaming nirvana, this score is a high recommendation because the game reviewed is head-and-shoulders above its competition. Very Good. Innovative, but perhaps not the right choice for everyone. This score indicates that there are many good things to be had, but arguably so. Average. The game's features may work, but are nothing that even casual players haven't seen before. A decent game from beginning to end. Limited Appeal. Although there may be fans of games receiving this score, many will be left yeaming for a more rewarding game experience. Passable. It may be obvious that the game has lots of potential, but its most engaging features could be undeniably flawed or not integrated into the experience. Bad. While some things may work as planned, the majority of this title either malfunctions to varying degrees or it is so dull that the game falls short as a whole. Painful. tf there is anything that's redeeming in a game of this caliber, it's buried beneath agonizing gameplay and uneven execution in its features or theme. Fable Years of anticipation finally pay off, and trust us when we say the wait was more than worth it. Weaving together vivid visuals, an artful story, and the ability to do anything and everything you could want to do in а living fantasy world, Fable is an experience not to be missed. Truly become a hero, or probe the depths of human depravity. The choice is entirely yours, as you live through childhood, adulthood, and into your elder years, all the while wielding sword, bow, and spell against your foes. Find your own moral to the story on page 138. > Concept: What new ideas the game brings to the table and how well old ideas are presented. > Graphics: How good a game looks, taking into account any flaws such as bad collision or pop-up. > Sound: Does the game's music and sound effects get you involved or do they make you resolve to always play with the vol- ume down? > Playability: Basically, the controller to human interface. The less you think about the hunk of plastic in your hands, the better the playability. > Entertainment: Flat out, just how fun the game is to play. The most important factor in rating a game. > Replay Value High – You'll still be popping this game in five years from now. Moderately High - Good for a long while, but the thrills won't last forever. Moderate - Good for a few months or a few times through. Broken. Basically unplayable. This game is so insufficient in execution that any value would be derived in extremely small quantities, if at all. = د۸‎ O دب‎ - | SI | Co | Lamentable. A foresaken title so bad it causes the strongest gamers to weep and tremble like bereaved widows. Moderately Low - After finishing it, there's not much reason to give it a second go. Low - You'll quit playing before you complete the game. REVIEWS INDEX Mortal Kombat: Deception .120 Star Wars: Battlefront. ‚121 Burnout 3: Takedown. .122 Street Racing Syndicat ‚123 Test Drive: Eve of Destructio .123 Red Star, The. .124 Outlaw Golf 2 „125 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 „125 Def Jam: Fight for NY... „126 Terminator 3: Redemption Arri Robotech: Invasioi „128 Mega Man X Command Mission .128 Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee, The. .129 Guy Game, Тһе. .129 Juiced .129 Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 Season. .129 Midway Arcade Treasures 2 .129 ShellShock: Мат ‘67. .129 Conflict: Vietnam. .129 Sly 2: Band of Thieves. .130 Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone .131 Shadow Hearts: Covenant .132 Spy Fiction .132 Katamari Damacy.. 134 Gallop Racer 2004 ‚134 Gradius .136 Under the Skin .136 Headhunter: Redemption... ‚136 Funkmaster Flex Digital Hitz Factory.. 136 Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 136 Rapala Pro Fishing .136 ChoroQ.. 136 WWE: Day of Reckoning 137 Fabl .138 Colin McRae Rally 2005. .139 Yagei 1139 Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors. ‚140 Pure Pinball. .140 Galleon . .140 Doom 3 | s „142 ELI Ebr pr. It's finally here, and it was worth the wait. The atmosphere is one Чыр : ds: of the best ever created bar none, and the action comes fast and ірі ar et REBIN as, 148 furious as the legions of Hell overrun you at every turn. Oh, and hee d pide Us remember those screenshots you've been seeing? Doom 3 looks anb ыша op С bout а ho-jillion times better when it's actually running. Head on Eo ESL ИЛ В y 8 Mega Man Zero 3 147 over to page 142 to meet your doom. Thunderbird 147 Mario Pinball Land. ‚147 For our newer readers, here is a glossary of terms and acronyms that commonly appear in the magazine. Video game veterans should move along (these aren't the droids you are looking for). cel shading ~ A technique used to create 3D * ISP - Intemet Service Provider, The company that rendered objects that resemble hand-drawn, provides you with access to the Internet animation cels jaggies ~ Graphical lines that are jagged when CG ~ Computer-Generated graphics they should be straight dorkgasm - The shuddering moaning sound that 2 LAN — Local Area Network. Connecting computers comes out of gamers’ mouths when they first ог consoles together within a small space to see the Oblivion screenshots allow communication between them, Provides offers higher picture resolution and eliminates Es > Gectonic Emenuinment Epo, The words eto bog d А largest а - а è within а virtually all motion artifacts in а 640x480 piel largest convention for video games minigame ~ A small, simple game within a 10801 - A resolution specification used for HDTV. : resolution setting {fighting — A term we use for games like Street larger one. 1080i stands for resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. This is where GI breaks down multi-plat The i" means that the video is being interlaced form games, So whenever you see this 480p ~ Progressive scanning, this option (“p"= logo, there is important multi-system infor progressive), creates a picture signal with double mation regarding that product the scan lines of a conventional interlaced picture, 480i (i = interlaced), to create a Noticeably sharper image. The 480p image = Alem we use for games like Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot pop-up — When onscreen objects, usually distant, suddenly appear PS2 - Sony PlayStation 2 PSone - Sony PlayStation puzzle — A term we use for games like Tetris and Chu Chu Rocket racing - A term we use for games like Gran Turismo and Mario Kart RPG - Role-Playing Game. A game that involves character improvement through collecting and spending points. A term we use for games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior shooter — A term we use for games like Mars Matrix and Gradius SNES - Super Nintendo Entertainment System sports - A term we use for games like MaddenNFL Strategy — A term we use for games like "m У Fighter and Dead or Alive motion-capture - Using human models and jus Bussi dli ате or Ran FMV — Full Motion Video. Usually refers to an infrared carens t record movement for me The “p” means that the video is in progressive animated CG cutscene E PE КООН format m, Frames Per Second. s Де шг жоюп DAE: Phantom funes еар object ;ontent suitable d T mes happen in one second. Also use to give the impression of realistic spe Шыл | ANA AUN ee егете We ario e SS ED N64 — Nintendo 64 ages and older. | adventure A term we use for games like Myst GoldenEye, and Unreal Toumament NES — Nintendo Entertainment System and Escape From Monkey Island framerate - The frames of animation used to NPC – Non-Player Character, Those people Content suitable AI — Artifical Inteligence. Usually used to refer create the illusion of movement and creatures you see wandering around Rp RU Content suitable | ic how well the Computer react to a human frontend — A game's menus and options in games that are not being controled by actual Content suitable for persons ages 3 and older, Gand older, М ony for ets opponent GBA - Game Boy Advance humans Command & Conquer and Fallout Tactics board - A term we use for games like Jeopardy! GBC - Game Boy Color lisse me = Things like smoke or sparks third-party — Something made for a console by а Content suitable FS and Mario Party GC - GameCube ooo data company other than the console manufacturer PKer — Player Killer This is a person who thrives оп killing newbie or vulnerable characters in MMORPGs or shooting their teammates in games like Counter-Stnke bump mapping — A technique where varying light HDTV — High Definition Television effects simulate depth on textures isometric - Three-quarter top down view, ike StarCraft or Red Alert 2 for persons ages 13 and older, САМЕ INFORMER 117 ое ds. he NINTENDO GAMECUBE. PlayStation. FROM DEVIL MAY CRY "** Cartoon Violence Suggestive Themes IIIBRADYGANIES RUN Ce нео А Strategy Guide Pl St [ AVAILABLE J GAMECUBE а ation. ©Сарсот Co., Ltd. 2003, 2004, ӘСарсот U.S.A., Inc. 2003, 2004, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Developed by CloverStudio Co., Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM logo are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. DEVIL MAY CRY and VIEWTIFUL JOE are trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo, Nintendo GameCube and the Official Seal are trademarks of Nintendo. ©2001 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. "PlayStation 2 Game Suggested Retail Price. **Only in the PlayStation 2 Game. 5 muni “ ^ p p m 1 EIL —DLLILIIJIIIILILILILI LIFE IS TIFUL AN AVERAGE JOE CAUGHT UP IN A CRAZY STUNT-FILLED ACTION MOVIE WORLD. WITH THE AID OF HIS HERO, CAPTAIN BLUE, JOE IS GRANTED & ` Dı 77 CAPCOM POWERS WHICH TURN HIM INTO VIEWTIELIL JOE, THE MOST STYLISH SUPER- ancom'com/v:joe HERO TO GRACE THE SILVER SCREEN. ш Noob's appearance may be familiar, but just wait until you see what he can do on the battlefield E Blood never looked so beautiful > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER FIGHTING/PUZZLE/BOARD (UP TO 2-PLAYER VIA PS2 ONLINE OR XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER MIDWAY > DEVELOPER MIDWAY > RELEASE OCTOBER 4 > ESRB M FLAWLESS VICTORY rumping its predecessor with a barbaric decapitation and sending a clear-cut mes- sage to other developers that the bar of excellence for fighting games has officially been raised, Mortal Kombat: Deception emerges as the consummate fighter and one of the most ambitious releases of the year. The gameplay has evolved to a frightening degree, and exacting pain- ful death upon your opponent is only the tip of the bloody iceberg. Ed Boon and his Midway team have fine-tuned the fray, implemented a legion of amazing new characters, and even turned their gaze to other genres to expand upon the experi- ence even futher. Building upon the combat formula in Deadly Alliance, the focus of this year's release is to apply balance. If you played a fair bit of the previous entry, you know that success usually revolved around your ability to chain together combo strings. If an opponent was well-versed in these techniques, there really was little you could do to stop his or her assault other than praying that your blocking was on that day. In Deception, when a combo sequence is initiated, the player on the receiving end can now perform a Breaker to stop the chain. This little addition completely changes the fighting dynamic and opens the window for new strategies to be applied. One technique, which | quickly fell in love with, is to use the envi- ronment as a weapon. Not only can you knock your adversary through walls, off of ledges, and through the floor, you can quickly dispose of them by launching the enemy into a vat of molten lava, onto a bed of spikes, and even into the mouth of а mechanized monstrosity. Watching your opponent get diced into tiny bits through a laser grid is a fitting death, but you may 120 GAME INFORMER feel that it's a bit impersonal. To ensure that your foe truly suffers, each character in the game can now tap into two different Fatalities. In a twist, the character on the losing end can input a Hara-Kiri suicide to avoid getting annihilated by their foe. Whoever enters their finisher sequences first gets the satisfaction of either killing their opponent or saving face by offing themselves. Brilliant. While this is more than enough material to keep rabid fans of the series content, Midway is expanding upon the experience with a wildly addictive puzzle game, a variation of the thinking man's game of chess, and a highly-competitive online component that allows players to compete in all three of these modes. Puzzle Kombat draws obvious inspiration from Dr. Mario. By dropping detonating blocks on same colored blocks, you will in tum send unwanted blocks to your oppo- nent. By doing this enough, you will build up a special move to unleash upon your adversary. For instance, Scorpion can jumble his foe's pieces. The chess game plays as you would expect, but you'll have to fight to occupy squares, traps can be set, and you can tap into spells ranging from resurrect to imprison. Kicking it up another notch, Konquest mode now features an extensive story and a sprawl- ing open world with people to interact with and secrets to unearth. At its core, however, this is still a glorified training mode that teaches you how to fight with each of the characters. The Krypt is also loaded to the hilt with new material. Through its razor-sharp fighting, array of playing options, and unyielding desire to please fans of the series, Deception is easily the most-accom- plished fighter to date. Mortal Kombat is once again the game to beat. —REINER 8i Along with a host of new arenas (this one suddenly changes from tropical paradise to violent monsoon), players can battle on several classic stages like the forest E Konquest mode tells the tale of Shujinko. As the plot unfolds, you'll watch Shujinko age and transform into a powerful warrior (a CHAOSREALM Bi After you defeat your opponent in Puzzle Kombat, you'll be treated to one of the many mode-specific Fatalities Taking a tip from the motion picture industry, Midway is offering two different versions of Deception. There's a standard edition release (retailing for $49.95), and a limited Kollector's Edition. This version features an arcade- perfect port of the original Mortal Kombat, 40 minutes of DVD bonuses, plus a serialized embossed collector's card of the character on the cover. Speaking of which, the PS2 version of the Kollector's Edition (called the Premium Pack) has SubZero on the front of the box, whereas the Xbox version is releasing with four different cover options. ? Concept: Tighten up the com- bat; bring the battle online; and keep players engrossed with new puzzle and chess modes and a bewy of secrets ? Graphics: An artislic master- piece that continually impresses with its fluid animations, gor- geous effects, and striking details > Sound: Classic MK goodness, Toasty! > Playability: The Breaker opens up a world of possibilities. The new assortment of death maneuvers are also welcome additions. ? Entertainment: Everything but the kitchen sink. This is the complete fighting package ? Replay Value: High Second Opinion 9 WA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the saying "crapping your pants" was officially coined UNLIMITED ENABLED PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX Star Wars: Battlefront > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-PLAYER VIA PS2 BROADBAND OR 24-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER LUCASARTS > DEVELOPER PANDEMIC > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 21 > ESRB T SEIZING CONTROL OF THE GALAXY ONE PLANET AT A TIME tone point in your life, you've had a Star Wars fantasy. Some people daydream about saving the scantily clad Princess Leia from the clutches of the detestable crime lord Jabba the Hutt. Others long to be as virtuous as Luke Skywalker, as rugged as Han Solo, or as drop dead sexy as Lando Calrissian. |, on the other hand, dream of sitting in the pilot's chair of a lumbering AT-AT, cackling nefariously as | rain death down from above upon hapless rebel soldiers. Afterwards, | cel- ebrate my victory with a juicy Ewok burger. Call me sick and twisted if you wish, but it would appear that Battlefront's premise was created specifically to fulfill my sick reverie. Pandemic has developed a title that hones in on the intensity and sheer size of the battles from both motion picture trilogies. War is waged on 10 different planets, including Hoth, Geonosis, Endor, and Revenge of the Sith's Kashyyyk. Players have the freedom to choose who they'll align themselves with in each of these conflicts. Naturally, vehicular units and person- nel types vary by map. Players can pilot any vehicle, and upon death, can respawn as any trooper that they wish. In some cases, you may want a sniper. Other times you may need to fortify a base with someone wielding a rocket launcher. You really have to watch the battle unfold to determine the strategy that should be applied. Tossing thermal detonators into a squad of unsuspecting soldiers, unloading countless blasts into a Tusken Raider camp with an AAT, running side-by-side with Darth Vader in the streets of Mos Espa: | can’t stress enough just how entertaining Battlefront's gameplay is. All of the maps are won- derfully diverse and feature great advantage points for each of the teams. The controls are perfectly fashioned for the action at hand, and variety in the character types allows players to change things ир on the fly. Given the enormity of some of the maps, | do feel that several of the class types move way too slowly. This is a minor quibble, but it did drive me slightly nuts when | had significant ground to cover. | guess you could make the argument that this is just part of strategizing your attack. As you can imagine, vehicle controls can be a bit frustrating as well. Vessels like the TIE fighter and X-Wing are limited in movement, and the controls are a bit chaotic. Units like the AT-AT, AT-TE, and homing spider droid deal great damage, which is always fun, but move as slow as molasses. Although three single player modes are available, Battlefront's true calling is online play. This game thrives off of a fragfest mentality and the coordina- tion of attacks via headset. Customization for online is limited, but you can adjust the intelligence and number of bots, and determine if NPC heroes like Darth Vader and Mace Windu will join your ranks. At match end, statistics like headshots, favorite class, longest living streak, narrow escapes, and who was your main nemesis are tracked. Unfortunately, no leaderboards or persistent stats are accumulated within the game. You'll have to log onto a computer and head to wwwlucasarts.com to see the player standings. This is one of those games that is successful in the delivering of instant action, but doesn't offer up much in terms of depth. If you thrive off of the online deathmatch scene, you'll fall head over heels in love with Battlefront. Otherwise, it'll likely only hold your interest for a few hours tops.—REINER = = ш The wookiee bowcaster is mighty powerful п The destroyer droid can transform and roll quickly, and is also equipped with a shield. It just doesn't move very quickly from this position Bi in addition to AT-STs, there are plenty of ewoks to befriend m Most of the battles are taken straight from the films п On Naboo, you'll have to take down the Gungan shield ш Almost every noteworthy Star Wars vehicle is playable >. > Concept: An epic frag-a-thon that allows players to experience the legendary Star Wars battles firsthand > Graphics: Given how much action is on screen at once, this game is surprisingly gorgeous > Sound: The soundtrack and battle sounds are phenomenal (of course). This is also one of the best games for voice chat > Playability: Fast-paced and explosive. Controlling vehides can be a bit frustrating, however > Entertainment: This is the experience that Star Wars fans have been damoring for > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 7.75 GAME INFORMER 121 u'll кетеді | need to be driving on the wrong side of the road to gain boost ONCOMING ш As you progress through the game's 173 events, your garage will grow with fast rides and wrecking machines Шш In Crash Junction, smash into as many cars as you can, then hit the Crashbreaker to detonate your ride and send the pile of vehicles flying ш At the end of Crash Junction, your chaos is tallied by vehicular damage PUAYERJMSIIUB, 060 E The slow-motion crash replays never get old PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX Burnout 3: Takedown > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER RACING (UP TO 6-PLAYER VIA PS2 ONLINE OR XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS > DEVELOPER CRITERION GAMES > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 8 > ESRB E THE ART OF WRECKING eep down inside, even the most humble of personalities have pondered the ques- tion “What would happen if I slammed the pedal to the metal and launched my car into that fuel tanker?” Of course, that little thing called a “conscience” flares into effect and you find yourself re-adjusting your seat- belt and feathering the brakes rather than speeding forth into an explosive infemo of smoldering death. As it tums out, Bumout 3 is a celebration of these reckless driving dreams. It rewards players for swerving through oncoming traffic, applauds knocking opponents off of cliffs, and ultimately begs the question, "Just how much damage can one vehicle inflict upon a crowded highway or a busy city street?” While the previous entries in the series have embraced the same destructive qualities, developer Criterion Games has overhauled the engine, applied a new coat of paint, and tuned Burnout 3 to the point that it roars with excitement and makes its predecessors feel like dreary driver's education tutorials. Criterion has expanded upon the series’ gameplay significantly to create one of the most addictive racing games of all time. With incredibly realistic damage modelling transforming every crash into a work of art fit to be framed and hung on the walls of Paris’ Louvre museum, Bumout 3 is a visual dynamo that will floor players with its speed and gorgeous vistas. Criterion has even gone to great lengths to recompense gamers for the damage that they inflict upon their opponents. When you wallop another driver with enough force or railroad them into a no-win situation, the game will pan away from your car to show your opponent's ride breaking apart, catching fire, and getting totaled with brilliant Matrix-like slow-motion effects. In a stroke of brilliance, Criterion has also implemented gameplay into wrecking. When your ride gets banged up, players have the choice to enter Impact Time — a segment presented in slow-motion which allows players to maneuver their demolished car until it comes to a stop. Wíth this, a flam- ing wreck that was destined to rest on a rail can be moved to the center of the road in hopes of dipping the competition. In a similar vein to EA's other big racing franchise, Need for Speed: Underground, the action in Bumout 3 unfolds in numerous ways. In total, players will be asked to achieve a gold medal іп a staggering 175 events spread throughout the U.S., Europe, and the Far East. Achieving gold will unlock new vehicles, tracks, and differ- ent racing series. Players will also be rewarded with newspaper headlines, signature crash photographs, videos, and trophies for achieving certain things during races. From elimination heats and time trials to circuits and knockout competitions, you'll find yourself competing in just about every event that the racing genre can bring to the table. Of course, the popular Crash Mode makes a triumphant return and has been reworked to offer bigger pile-ups and magnificent blinding explosions. In my opinion, this is the heart and soul of this game. | couldn't stop playing these events. | just kept plowing my car into vehicles to try and create larger chain reactions and higher damage totals. Watching your car slam into a fuel tanker, which in tum sends a dozen vehicles and debris hurling into the air, is one of gaming's finest spectacles. A celebration of breakneck speeds and pile-ups, Burnout 5 achieves racing omnipotence, giving the indus- try's most pimped-out racers a serious run for their money.—REINER + Soft Landi 9.25 > Concept: The ideal racer and master of vehicular carnage BOTTOM LINE > Graphics: Explosions and twisted metal reign supreme, giving you reason to look foolish as you jump up and down and dap with glee > Sound: You can't go wrong with the Ramones. Overall, the soundtrack is decent, but the car sounds are a bit too generic > Playability: The array of vehicles control admirably and the unique turbo system is inte- grated perfectly > Entertainment: There are few games out there that are this fun to play > Replay Value: High E From the warping metal to the shower of debris, Burnout 3/5 crashes are unmatched E Banging into opponents is rewarded with a turbo boost 122 САМЕ INFORMER PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX | GAMECUBE Street Racing Syndicate > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER RACING (UP TO 4-PLAYER VIA SYSTEM LINK, LAN, XBOX LIVE, OR PS2 ONLINE) > PUBLISHER NAMCO > DEVELOPER EUTECHNYX > RELEASE AUGUST 31 > ESRB T HACK 'N SLASH fter playing Street Racing Syndicate, I'm left with two overrid- ing feelings: the racing itself is pretty good, and the rest of the game feels like a total hackjob. The title offers free-roaming cities, which it delivers on with versions of Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Miami. The wide-open feel is really there, and each gameplay option is available from this mode — you just ride up to people and start burning rubber. From a racing physics stand- point, SRS is pretty solid. Each car feels different, and the upgrades available tangibly change your experience. These are very good things, and the high point of the game. The rest of the required pieces are generally cobbled together and left me thinking that this game was supposed to come out years ago...many years ago. The interface for nearly every action is convoluted and hard to follow — you'll go into upwards of four menus before seeing exactly how a particular turbo kit changes your car (if you can remember the ride's base stats before you go in). Also, the free-roaming city is a great idea (one that other racers are introducing in the near future), but 1 almost always warped to places because | just didn't feel like cruising. It's not really much fun. Also, | don't like the reward System. Here's where it comes down to a little personal pref- erence - the biggest and easi- est to find rewards are low-res videos of models dancing. Me? Not interested. Other offerings for good performances are things like cars, parts, and new events. The showroom doesn't readily tell you which cars are newly available, the tuning options are aggravating to implement, and the races are exceptionally short. SRS could have been a contender; instead it feels like an unpolished, exploitative dud that falls short in the mar- gins.—LISA BOTTOM LINE > Concept: Open-city environ- ments, street racing, and hot chicks > Graphics: Very NFS: Underground-ooking at night and interesting lens flare effects during the day – cars look a little flat ? Sound: The girls videos feature some of the worst techno I've ever heard, and no, I'm not exag- gerating > Playability: Fairly solid car physics overall, and each car and customization changes the experience > Entertainment: Certainly а more successful amalgamation than Juiced (see page 129), but Still not something I'd be excited to play more of > Replay Value: Low Second Opinion 6.75 PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX Test Drive: Eve of Destructi > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER RACING > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER MONSTER GAMES > RELEASE AUGUST 24 > ESRB T on eaving the bright lights of NASCAR (the other No Fun League), Monster Games has headed to the Friday night lights of the local racetrack. Only instead of just kicking up. dirt as the drivers go round- and-round, junked cars are bursting into flames and the winner isn't necessarily the best driver, he's just the crazi- est mother$#@%&* still left standing. Eve of Destruction's got a styrofoam cooler full of cans of whoop-ass, and one of them's got your name on it. They say that half the jour- ney is getting there, and this title proves that racing and wanting to smash someone into pieces while doing so aren't mutually exclusive gameplay elements. Whether it's the guaranteed mayhem of a suicide race (where half the field races in the opposite direction) or the high-flying thrills of a figure-eight jump track, this game's numerous events will make daredevils of everyone. A large part of the fun is due to the randomness Damage can be repaired between races, although sustained permanent damage will force you to get a new ride a REDNECK RAMPAGE of the Al drivers, who cause all sorts of trouble on their own (as do the myriad persistent objects littered around the track). One of my favorite moments was when my car was broadsided in mid-air by another car on the last lap of a figure-eight jump race. | didn’t care in the least, as long as my car flipped end over end across the finish line in first. 1 appreciate that the career mode gives you some races to pick up for extra cash for new cars and upgrades. Although your progression through the career mode is smooth because there's always some- thing to do, 1 didn't feel that the tracks themselves gave me enough surprises once I mastered the different types of races. | guess it's at times like this that one should turn to the game's multiplayer — which regretfully has no online. The racing genre has been looking for a new hook for a while now, and | think that Monster has started its own fun method of mayhem.—KATO BOTTOM 1.19 LINE > Concept: It's like crushing a beer can on your head. Only with cars > Graphics: Car models crum- ple beautifully and the persistent objects are impressive > Sound: The announcer gives good play-by-play and calls out monikers. They call me Mr. Fist > Playability: Although your damaged car won't drive dif- ferently, everything feels like it should > Entertainment: Ultimately it's a limiting game, but | think we can all relate to the twisted metal > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion that there were more “char- acters” to deal with - these people could be freakin’ hilarious. Instead, they are a little flat and the racing is _slower-paced than others in the genre, Of course, that’s because your сагіѕ only — worth $20, but still, the thrills | are for a specific typeof ~ “Facing fan—LISA | GAME INFORMER 123 | PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX The Red Star > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ACCLAIM > DEVELOPER ACCLAIM STUDIOS AUSTIN > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 6 > ЕЅЕВ Т LESS THAN STELLAR MAGNITUDE he Red Star has a lot of things going for it. Based on the award-winning comic of the same name, this title combines Gradius and Gauntlet in a mixture of combo-laden weapon wielding and frantic bullet dodging. In theory, this sounds like a sure-fire hit. However, though it does have fun moments, the game suffers from the “10-year-old building an indestructible snow fort" syndrome: A lot of excitement is poured into the planning and concept, but all enthusiasm peters out when the time comes to actually execute it. There will be plenty of people who appreciate Red Star for what it does best — unabated action. You start the campaign as either Kyuzo (a beefy dude with a giant sword) or Makita (complete with fuzzy hat and a sickle), and use a combination of gunplay and melee attacks to combat an oppressive army. Eventually you can also gain control of another character from the comic, Maya, but she needs to be unlocked first. Each character has several unique moves, and they face an abundant supply of ene- 124 GAME INFORMER mies to soak up your aggression. Of course, while you're unleashing your Russian fury, you'll also need to maneuver through a hail of bullets and energy beams to keep the ass-kicking apace. The situation gets even more hectic when you add a second player for some co-op mayhem. Because of the mix between brawler and shooter, the perspective alter- nates between standard side-scrolling and a more Ikaruga-esque top-down view, but the level of action onscreen always stays consistently high. However, just because there is a lot of action doesn't necessarily mean that it is well done. The targeting system is ridiculous and counter-intuitive. Every time you want to lock on to enemies, you need to face them directly and hold the lock-on button. Once your selected foe is defeated, con- tinuing to hold the button doesn't automatically cycle to the next logical target; you need to release the button and press it again, making sure you're staring your new prey directly in the eye. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but when you are Some segments play like a brawler. The most advanced pumpkin seed shooter: ES built Pot. . ۰ “Just because there is a lot of action doesn't necessarily mean that it is well done." surrounded by foes and shimmying in all directions trying to duck bullets, locking on to an appropriate target is a laborious chore that results in enough time for the opposition to score some cheap hits. On another note, | also found it disappointing that, for a game based on a comic with such an involved story, the plot is surprisingly weak and relayed solely though boring text screens between missions. If there is one lesson to be learned from The Red Star, it is this: No matter how acclaimed the source material, a cool setting isn't worth anything if you can't take advantage of it. If l'm in the land of punt- able puppies, but my legs have been sewn together, it doesn't do me any good, does it? Likewise, if I'm in the world of The Red Star, but | can't make my characters shoot or slice straight, I'm just not going to be too excited —JOE BOTT LINE > Concept: Transform a complex graphic novel into а twitchy, simplistic action game > Graphics: The environments are a drab, colorless mix of spaceships and Eastern Bloc, but the main character models are pretty sweet > Sound: The grunts and screams your character makes while executing a combo are strangely satisfying, and the score appropriately dismal > Playability: Just mash but- tons. It will save you the frustra- tion of dealing with the lack of precision > Entertainment: If you like shooting and stabbing, but not going to jail for it, this is your chance > Replay Value: Moderate rd strongly pu Union. үү ae N шк game is ..others Sie Se reviews PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX | GAMECUBE Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS (1 OR 2-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE AND PS2 ONLINE) > PUBLISHER EA SPORTS > DEVELOPER ҒА REDWOOD SHORES > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 20 > ESRB E PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX Outlaw Golf 2 > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS (UP TO 4-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE OR PS2 ONLINE) > PUBLISHER GLOBAL STAR > DEVELOPER HYPNOTIX > RELEASE OCTOBER 19 > ESRB M MORE ACCOUTREMENT THAN ACCURACY ypnotixs Outlaw Golf 2 is a dividing force in the golf game wonderland — some will think that its creativity and humor make up for the questionable gameplay, while others will be so aggravated that no amount of humorously poor taste will redeem the experience. | fall somewhere in-between the two, leaning like a poorly propped shanty towards the “humor overrides the aggravation” camp. Personally, and | know that I'm in the minority here, | think that real golf is stodgy. | don't like playing actual golf — it's hot, slow, and requires certain feats of accuracy that I'm just not capable of. | do, on the other hand, like golf simula- tions that don't make me scream, "Aw! Come on! Physics my butt!" This, friends, is prob- ably why I liked the first Outlaw Golf (and, in turn, am more accepting with this entry). It's got the quirk that | need with a reasonable approximation of the realism that | want. So then what's the deal with Outlaw Golf 2? Well, the added features are really good. But the ball physics, camera, and composure meter could use some tuning. The weather, a first for the series, is a constant problem. Rain and wind have unpredictable and unbeliev- able results. The camera is unwieldy when trying to see the entire hole or even just the pin in relation to, and | know it's weird to ask for this, the ball. The composure meter, one of my favorite features from the last game, is back and still unpredictable. What determines if a shot was good or not is totally inystifying to me, and it almost appears to be random. Outlaw Golf 2 still tries hard, though, to make people laugh. Dave Attell from Comedy Central's Insomniac is hysteri- cal, instantly recognizable, and money well spent. There aren't many people who could say things after a poor shot along the lines of, “Like a priest at a Boy Scout convention, that's a bad lie," and have it still be funny. Did 1 mention before that this is a game for adults? Well, it is. Another big addition is the cart racing. Like the earlier game, you earn tokens for a birdie or better which can be used (as in the first game) to beat up your caddie and restore composure, or to race a golf cart and earn a perfect shot. Not to overstate, but the idea is awesome. Cart racing is genius, but the actual mechanics could use some work, so 1 rarely did it during tournaments. What the game really boils down to is this: The humor is certainly there, but Hypnotix really needs to get the polish onto this simulation before people will revere its hilarity. Well, most people that is. I'm still going to hit these links, but it won't be my only weapon of golfing choice.—LISA ? Concept: Pump up the popu- lar first game in every possible direction - courses, modes, cus- tomization, graphics, and style > Graphics: Despite the subject matter, it is fair to say that every- thing looks nice and dean > Sound: Dave Attell's voice work is genius, and the tunes are serviceable > Playability: I've got some quibbles with the finer points, but a decent golf sim overall > Entertainment: Definitely for adults and those that like a little arcade mentality in their sim > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 6.75 here's a nasty rumor going around that EA Sports’ development teams are preoccupied with developing for the next- generation consoles, leaving less time for the giant leaps of innovation that defined games like last year's Madden and Tiger. Of course, there's no way to substantiate this gossip, but there's as much smoke as there is fire with this game. ІН told you you'd get to play against legends like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, and Ben Hogan, that would probably get your atten- tion, wouldn't it? EA is hoping so, because the game's career mode is the same as last year's mix of versus matches and scenarios, only they end in you facing off with these legends. But unless you're dripping with anticipation to get your wood out and com- pare shafts with Palmer, the average player probably won't find these old guys that excit- ing. Elsewhere, the title hasn't really changed. Of course, more GameFace options and stuff to buy are here, but I wasn't impressed with the Tour difficulty, new е) chip shot (it's more limiting than anything else), and Create A Swing. Tigerproofing isn't the true course creator that fans are FROM BIRDIE TO BOGEY И He's single, la һе won't protest giving you bunion rubs looking for, but it's cool that you can get the legends to come play you there. And like buying stuff in the pro shop, you get addicted to collecting Tigerproofing options like a diamond sand trap raking pat- tern (Wow!). By the way, tum off Tiger Vision, because it's a cheat that serves little purpose other than telling you Tiger is so great he can see the green with x-ray-like vision. Tiger Woods? Never heard of him! I'll bet he's no Nancy Lopez. Don't get me wrong — this is a good game. But when I haven't even fully digested last year's weighty offering, 1 can't get myself to shell out the cash to get this game just so | can change my stance in relation to the ball and make myself look even older and uglier than | am in real life with the new GameFace options. Of course, if legends are your thing, then you'll be over the moon. But after last year's revolutionary success, this game — like Madden — is slow- ing down with age.—KATO с» ,and| BOTTOM 8.5 > Concept: Put Tiger in his his- torical place with other golf leg- ends. Who knows, maybe there's а place for your ugly mug, too > Graphics: Virtually unchanged from last year > Sound: The announcers are great. ..when they aren't talking in the middle of your backswing > Playability: Inaccuraces іп reconaling the caddy tips with the actual lay of the green still exist - particularly when aiming left or right > Entertainment: Tigerproofing is an attempt at a course creator, but despite a face lift, the game 6 ally > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8.75 LINE GAME INFORMER 125 o reviews UNLIMITED ENABLED PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX | GAMECUBE Def Jam: Fight for NY > STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER EA BIG > DEVELOPER AKI CORPORATION > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 20 > ESRB M OPERATION: MASH OUT! ef Jam Vendetta, although it didn’t bear the WWE license, was one of the best wrestling games to come down the pike in a while. Apparently, EA Big and Def Jam wanted to distance it a bit from the genre, as Def Jam: Fight for NY is going farther away from its roots, and has been crafted as more of a comprehensive Fight Club- inspired street brawler. The biggest changes have taken place in the game's Story mode and frontend features, which now rival almost any fighting or wrestling game on the market. You start by creating a character in a “police sketch," filling in details like head shape, hair- cut, eyes, facial hair, and so on. You can then outfit him with a wide variety of the flyest gear, at retailers like New York's legendary Jacob & Co. (home of Jacob the Jeweler) and Syndicate Urban Streetwear, which stocks many popular urban clothing brands. To be honest, these “dress-up” features were prob- ably the most compelling part of the game to me. More importantly, you can also use eamed points to upgrade your fighter's stats, buy new moves, and even leam new fighting styles. The career mode has been greatly expanded, now encompassing a large number of venues and even adding in gimmick events, like cage matches and a bout where you "So, The Meth & Red Show's scripts were hack- neyed drivel?! J Take that Tom, Shales!” 126 САМЕ INFORMER must smash your opponent's car into scrap metal. е game's also got a host of hip-hop star power, induding Snoop, Method Man, Slick Rick, and Ghostface, as well as actors Omar Epps and Danny Trejo. There are over 70 characters both fictional and real to unlock, and | think most people will be thank- ful for the long and eventful story mode that's been implemented here. As for the action itself, this is some very fast-paced and brutal — very brutal — action. Although the control scheme is relatively simple, you'll quickly learn that there is an exact science to administering grapples and harsh envi- ronmental moves at just the right moment. You'll learn this lesson the hard way: by getting your brains bashed in like overripe squash by the challenging computer Al. Though difficult, it never feels unfair or that the computer is "cheating," with the excep- tion of counters, which the А! seems to Бе able to do more often than you can. Hang in there, though, because soon you'll be pulling off some amazing Blazing moves and the especially cool maneuvers where you work against your opponent with members of the audience. Droppin' them Fifth Ward B's on 'em -[ * dz -« Pulling off a crushing Blazing move is a great feel- ing, even as | felt a bit conflicted at enjoying a game that portrays hip-hop culture as little more than beating up people and buying expensive jewelry. Where have you gone, Chuck D? To the rest home, probably, and no one seems to mind anyway. Rap music used to mean more than this, but all art ends up getting turned into product, and as products go, this is a good one.— MATT Henry Rollins serves as your personal trainer, teaching you new fight- ing styles and improving your stats Быр ins ل = } BOTTOM LINE 8 7 5 > Concept: Take this hip-hop inspired brawler far beyond the squared circle > Graphics: Excellent character models and effects, although these rappers would kill to be this cock diesel in real life > Sound: Aside from a few selections that are probably the work of Def Jam's PR depart- ment, there's a ton of bangers for your listening pleasure > Playability: Easy to learn, difficult to master — expect to get your ass handed to you a lot! > Entertainment: Fans are going to love it, despite its wicked learning curve > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 9 As hard-hitting as the origi- nal Def Jam's gameplay _ was, there wasn't mud terms of depth. Story mode proved to be highly amus- i also incredibly short. k matches, create- | — REINER PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX | GAMECUBE Terminator 3: Redemption > STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER PARADIGM > RELEASE AUGUST 24 > ESRB T YOUR CLOTHES, YOUR BOOTS, AND YOUR MOTORCYCLE omeday, my dream of owning games based on Raw Deal and Junior will come true, but until then Terminator 3: Redemption will tide me over. Not only is it the best Arnold or Terminator-themed game ever (which isn't saying all that much), but it's also one of the best licensed games around. The craptacular first T5 game, Rise of the Machines, may make some a bit skittish about picking up Redemption, but this new entry is actually a solid action title that should please those look- ing for a simple, hardcore experience. The participation of Schwarzenegger himself was touted as one of the big draws for this title. He lends his voice and the character model is eerily perfect, but this is no simple star vehicle. This game, at its core, is about shootin' stuff. As the Terminator, you'll spend most of the game spewing out enough ammo to take over Rhode Island. The story plays out like a director's cut of Terminator 3. It follows the plot of the film and includes all the major action scenes, flashing out the story with additional sequences, many in the war-ravaged future. Not only does it reveal how Terminators travel back in time, but it also gives us a glimpse at the desolate postJudgement Day world. As Ri After losing the role that made him famous, Edward Furlong appeared in Weekend at Bernie’s 3; Gold Diggin' Grave Robbers a whole, Redemption is a visually stunning game - your character model is awesome, especially when damaged. Energy blasts look great, and environments are huge. On all three systems, Redemption looks fantastic. Of course, graphics are nothing without gameplay. It's a little on the simple side: The auto-targeting system is a bit wonky, and some vehicles control better than others, but overall the gameplay works as it should, and offers up a good action experience. The Terminator can utilize hand-to-hand combat, dual wield ridiculously huge guns, and steal vehicles with the touch of a button. You will find yourself driving Jeeps, a hearse, trucks, and all kinds of robotic war machines. Several levels also feature on-rails segments, which require you to serve as a gunner while on board a vehicle driving a set path. In one level you must gun down Terminators from a helicopter, while in another you must shoot at the evil T-X as she attempts to ram you with her huge crane truck. Over the course of a single stage, you may find yourself playing up to four different varia- tions on the action. While this does keep the action fresh, it also keeps things difficult. Die in the final leg of a level, and you'll have to do the entire stage over. At first, this game feels tough but fair. By the final three stages, you'll be throwing your controller in disgust and inventing new swear words. It's a pretty hard game, one which will require you to replay the same areas time and again to get things right. But the campaign is compelling enough that Terminator fans will need to play through it, and action fans looking for a challenge will be plenty satisfied. Much like looks fantastic, and doesn't require much from your brain.—JEREMY TERMINATION TIMES TWO a summer movie, it delivers explosive action, BOTTOM ? Concept: As the T-101, play through an extended version of the third Terminator story ? Graphics: Good environ- ments, great character models, and nice lighting effects make for one good-looking game > Sound: It’s got Arnold saying "Talk to the hand." What more do you need? > Playability: Targeting could use a little work and gameplay is fairly basic, but overall everything is as solid as Arnold himself > Entertainment: Who would have thought that the worst Terminator movie would be adapted into the best game? > Replay Value: Moderate As a nice little bonus, emptio op mode, which places gamers in the humans who gun down evil robots fro JEn fly th the web's most ATUN shoe ». See www.zappos.com/cs.zhtml for details on all policies. е reviews Robotech: > STYLE SOFTV TO 2-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE > DEVELOPER VICIOUS CYCLE > RELEASE OCTOBER 5 > ESRB T OR PS2 ONLINE) > PUBLISHER GLOBAL STAR LONELY SOLDIER BOY eing an avid follower of the Robotech anime series, | was excited to get my hands on its most recent game version. Like most fans, 1 was pleasantly surprised with the quality treatment that Robotech received with 2002's Battlecry. Invasion dramatically departs from the formula established with that game, opting instead for a darker, grittier tone that seems somehow at odds with the source material In fact, much of the iconic music, sounds, and emotive Quality of the classic cartoon are absent here, making the game a fairly standard sci-fi romp with little of the magic it might have had. With that said, | actually had some genuine fun with Invasion. Occasionally, fire- fights with the Invid invad- ers can reach a fever pitch, and juggling your different combat options becomes a real challenge. Controlling a transformable Cyclone motorcycle/mech is quite sweet, even if the bike phys- ics are flawed at best. | was impressed by the capable use of both first- and third- person perspectives, both of which control well enough. 128 E INF 1 also thought several of the levels were cool to look at, accurately relaying a sense of the ruin and desolation wrought by the years of war- fare that Earth has faced by this point in the story. Unfortunately, the level design is linear and drab, including significant portions of backtracking and wide expanses of empty space. Also, your transformable power armor is rendered impotent anytime you go indoors, as the suit will refuse to transform unless outside in the open. This slows down the action considerably. There are also a few poorly balanced sec- tions of difficulty scattered throughout the game, where after long periods of simplis- tic shooting, you are sud- denly thrown up against a nearly insurmountable army of foes. Some clever cameos by Scott Bernard and his crew should please those with the know-how to recognize them. And, a worthwhile multiplayer component adds some value. But without very much of the authentic magic of the series, Invasion never really takes off.— MILLER BOTTOM 6 5 LINE . > Concept: The lesser-known New Generation Robotech era receives its first game treat. ment with this sci-fi shooter > Graphics: Too many dark- ened backgrounds and ques- tionable texturing, but some original backgrounds create а believable version of Earth rav- aged by years of war > Sound: Decent original music is mixed with smidgens of familiar Robotech themes. While the music repeats frequently, the voice work is excellent ? Playability: Both first- and third-person views work well and the controls feel natural and unstrained > Entertainment: Straddling the complicated line between pleasing the fans and appealing to the mainstream, it ends up being mediocre on both sides > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 6.75 The last Robotech had a no-nonsense approach to action, but this game strips away even more, which doesn't leave you with much. | wanted the series to incorporate more touches from the anime show, but without the cel shading, it now uses even fewer, But perhaps the most damning aspect of the game is that it barely manages to hold your attention through its linear mission structure, trouble- some targeting (which doesn't scroll through tar- gets easily), and wonky bike physics. | also would have liked a dodge maneuver besides the jump button. Rick, Max, and Miriya - you are sorely missed —KATO ТОМ 2 | GAMECUBE Mega Man X Command Mission > STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER CAPCOM > DEVELOPER CAPCOM PR( > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14 > ESRB E NOT A MEGA MAN, NOT YET AN RPG ega Man has never been a thinking man's game. Honestly, if | had an X-Buster grafted onto my arm, | wouldn't spend my time reasoning things out, either. With all of his experience in the action genre, it's no sur- prise that the battle system is the best part of Command Mission, Mega Man's most recent foray into the RPG realm. Every character you recruit has multiple weapons, a super move, and a hyper mode that makes them extra- awesome for a few rounds. Though not exactly innovative, it is incredibly fun to use these powers to bust up legions of robotic ne'er-do-wells. However, for all of the cool special moves and boss fights, the heart of any RPG is the story. Sadly, Command Mission doesn't just fail in this area; it is a discotheque fire disaster with no survivors. This game's plot isn't merely bad — it's embarrassing and painful. Whereas most RPGs present cinematics and cutscenes as incentives, Command Mission uses them (along with shameful voice acting) as deterrents in its unrelenting effort to make you put down the controller. It punishes you for your progress, seeming to say, “Congratulations, you beat the mission! Here is our digital equivalent of a throat jab: exposition!" Though the story may be more palatable to a younger audience, the difficulty levels are so uneven that any player young enough to stomach the weak plot is probably not up to the frustration some of the boss fights provide. These challenging battles were a highlight for me, but it takes inhuman endurance to slog through all of the garbage to get to them. Despite its stylish cel shading and cool combat, much of the game just feels derivative, providing fun only for the extremely patient or extremely deaf. —JOE BOTTOM LINE > Concept: Make a Mega Man RPG with as much story as a Mega Man action game > Graphics: The blue bomber was simply meant to be cel shaded. The character models are awesome, but the environ- s all look like the inside of a > Sound: Gone are the days of Mega Man's catchy, classic NES Generic cyber-tunes and will crush your familiar, borrowing heavily from Xenosaga in terms of both mechanics and difficulty > Entertainment: All of the excitement of your everyday chores. Feed cat. Do dishes. Play Command Mission > Replay Value: Moderately Low Second О Given the dubious track record of Mega Man RPGs, 1 had serious doubts on this one. l'm happy to report that those concerns were mostly unfounded, and Command Mission emerges as a solid but basically garden-variety RPG experience. Some vivid cel shading makes the char- acter models a particular strong point. And while the combat system is familiar, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The big disappoint- ment came with the story, | which was rife with predict- ability and clichés. Also, the environments all looked mechanical and drab - designed with the same robotic single-mindedness with which X vanquishes his. foes. Still, all in all, | walked - away pleasantly surprised. —MILLER The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the BOTTOM General Lee LINE > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER RACING > PUBLISHER UBISOFT > DEVELOPER RATBAG GAMES > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 28 > ESRB E ULTI-PLATFORM QUICKIES PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX The Guy Game BOTTOM LINE > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER BOARD > PUBLISHER GATHERING > DEVELOPER TOPHEAVY STUDIOS > RELEASE AUGUST 31 > ESRB M If Driver married its cousin, there’s a good chance the spawn of said union would look a lot like The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee. Sure as shootin’, this new licensed racer based on the beloved TV show takes the PSone-era mission-based racing formula into the backwoods of the deep South, to little effect. While fans of the series will like all the Dukes minutia on display (including voiceovers from Tom Wopat, John Schneider, and Catherine Bach), everyone else will get little more than a few headaches and a bad case of déjà vu. The basic racing is decent, but the dull missions and lack of polish (there's some really bad collision going on in parts of Hazzard County) make this little more than a "me- too" product designed to sell solely on the appeal of the franchise.— MATT 3 PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX and if you get it right, your points nudity. Here's the problem: If you skin flicks, all of which offer more seriously interested in this "game, and way too chicken to actually ta k to a real girl. ——JEREMY Juiced BOTTOM LINE Now, | like nudity as much as the next guy, but this is just sad. The point is to slog through some basic trivia in order to earn a glimpse at some topless sorority sisters. Both the player and the girls are asked a trivia question. If they get it wrong, they must flash their breasts, ill up a meter that unlocks an uncensored view of the re old enough (and desperate enough) to buy this game, you're old enough to buy Girls Gone Wild, subscribe to Cinemax, or just rent some soft-core nudity with less effort. The Guy Game is touted as a fun time for a bunch of dudes to sit around and ogle some boobies, but it's just not. If you're you're probably a loser who's embarrassed to buy pom, 5 > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER RACING (UP TO 6-PLAYER VIA ONLINE) > PUBLISHER ACCLAIM > DEVELOPER JUICE GAMES > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 7 > ESRB T LAYSTATION 2 | XBOX Wi of those concepts were executed h all of the racing games I've рі Midway Arcade Treasures 2 > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION (DEPENDING ON GAME) > PUBLISHER MIDWAY > DEVELOPER MIDWAY > RELEASE OCTOBER 11 > ESRB E BOTTOM LINE layed, even just the ones this month, Juiced falls to the { lower end of the goodness scale. It's not that it doesn't have some nice ideas, or even that all poorly; it's more that Juiced is an amalgamation of the best racing titles’ worst parts. The graphics аге good, but the soundtrack is terrible. The showoff functionality is a unique diversion, but it makes the racing physics very spin-happy. The car E customization is flush with licensed parts, but the budgetary constraints take away from some of the over-the-top fun shown in other titles. Depending on what 1 am doing, | yearn for any of the more-polished (and more playable) racing titles that it tries to emulate. Juiced's par- ticular mix of sim and arcade racing is best summed up as a failed experiment. —LISA BOX | GAMECUBE х ex Ф а. Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 BOTTOM LINE > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER FUN LABS > RELEASE AUGUST 26 > ESRB T | think I'm going to cry. With arcade-perfect ports of Mortal Kombat Il and 3, МАКС, Rampage World Tour, Total Carnage, and Gauntlet Il, classic compilations really don't get much better { than this. Not to sound too much like a sleazy infomercial salesman, but this amazing col- lection offers so much more! You сап also play А.Р.В., Arch Rivals, Championship Sprint, Cyberball 2072, Hard Drivin, Kozmik Krooz'r, Primal Rage, Spy Hunter 2, Timber Wacko, Wizard of Wor, Xenophobe, and Xybots. Oh yeah, that miserable quarter-stealer Pit Fighter is included as well. That game always sucked. Several of the titles, such as MK 3, feature behind-the-scenes videos and histories. As if | need to say it, Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is a nostalgic dream come true —REINER 4 PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX ShellShock: Nam ’67 BOTTOM LINE > STYLE i-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER EIDOS > DEVELOPER GUERILLA GAMES > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14 > ESRB M Іме leamed something about deer hunting from playing these games: it's boring. We're talk- ing like Weather Channel boring here. Guinness World Record boring. Deer Hunt 2005 sim- ulates that boredom like you wouldn't believe, so | guess | have to give it points for being accurate. If you're into that sort of thing, then you'll appreciate this game's wide equipment options, big environments, and all that jazz. In all honestly, it's а pretty solid simulation. It just so happens that it's simulating something most gamers wouldn't do in a million years. We fear natural light. You deer hunters can have this title. The rest of us have more fun things to do, like regrouting bathroom tile.— JEREMY E S в х сч = = E = о 5 a If telling the shocking truth of Vietnam is this title's trump card, then it doesn't have a whole lot to cling to. There are gruesome scenes, but that's nothing new to gamers. The shocking truth of Vietnam is more subtly embedded in the American mind than someone getting his head blown off. The poor treatment of returning vets, the protests at home, the bombing of Laos, etc. — these are the things that have scarred the country — but they don't translate into gameplay. Thus, the most the title can conjure up as shocking is hookers on duty behind base camp. The enemy Al is weak, and fog blankets backgrounds like a tarp of ugly. Unlike the war itself, Shellshock is nothing to write home about. — KATO PLAYSTATION 2 | XBOX Conflict: Vietnam > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER GATHERING > DEVELOPER SCI > RELEASE OCTOBER 5 > ESRB М CONFLICTED BOTTOM LINE ust like Britney Spears confessed that she is not a girl, not yet a woman, Conflict: Vietnam finds ies сше уне i rategy title ships off to Vietnam itself between genres as it only Wah ceed ake gives average results with its mix of regular ol’ war action and squad strategy. > Graphics: Pretty good looking with some dense foliage to show for it, too There are plenty of benefits to Conflicts squad structure, Ter сате particularly being able to cus- a blood cullecion foc kc tomize the skill set of each one Richards to get the rights to of your four soldiers through "Paint it Black" points. | also liked being able > Playability: Movement for your character and targeting гейде is sluggish. You'll unfortu- nately have to switch to auto-aim > Entertainment: Conflict doesn't work brilliantly as either a pure action or strategy game, but has its charms > Replay Value: Moderate. Second Opinion 6.25 to fully share supplies at any time. The problem this brings, however, is that you then must often micromanage your ammo or medical kits so you aren't leaving your guys high and dry. So although your squad Al is proficient enough to keep things exciting and moving along nicely by covering its flanks and lob- bing grenades, it's not smart enough to heal itself. Thus, | played this game like | was half soldier from hell and half com- munist medic — making sure that everyone got the same allotment of medical kits. | never knew when I'd have to switch to a guy mid-battle because he didn't have enough of a survival instinct to heal himself. However, the game does have split-screen co-op for those who find them- selves frustrated. Overall, squad commands are easily dispensed, but | wish | could tell my soldiers to scatter and find cover (instead of just lying prone). On the other side of the genre coin, many will find the combat not up to snuff with what you'd expect from an FPS or even a third-person title — specifically if you don't like the auto-target. The target reticle is slow and gets hung up too often, and your soldiers movements are clunky. It's at times like this when | wish the game was more restrictive like Full Spectrum Warrior, but | appreciate Conflicts attempt at trying to please everyone. All in all, the action does get intense, and if anything else, having to keep your eye on your com- rades in a way highlights the grim fight for survival and tight- knit nature that all soldiers need in battle —KATO GAME INFORMER 129 UNLIMITED ENABLED PLAYSTATION 2 > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 15 > ESRB E Sly 2: Band of Thieves > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA > DEVELOPER SUCKER PUNCH HE STOLE OUR HEARTS AWAY hile Jak and Ratchet are Sony's commer- cial stars, the company’s lesser known mascot, Sly Cooper, has proven to be one of this generation's most endearing cuddly console heroes. Now, the Cooper gang is back for more in a finely crafted sequel that nearly achieves immortality. | think the real triumph of Sly Cooper's developer Sucker Punch is the way it has managed to make 3D platforming as fluid and effortless as the 8-bit 2D classics we cut our teeth on. By allowing Sly to instantly land on tightropes and small peaks by pressing the circle button, the game goes a long way towards taking away the frustration and camera problems that can often be the result of platform- ing in a fully rendered environment. This mechanic works just as well as it did in the first game, and allows Sly 2 to maintain an effortless feel that most action titles would kill for. Sly 2 sees our hero and his companions Bentley (the technologically adept turtle) and Murray (the dimwitted but strong hippo) taking on the nefari- ous Klaww Gang, which is involved in all manner of illegal hi-jinks. The brilliant cutscenes tell the story between levels in artfully illustrated, animated Often, you'll get keys by pickpocketing guards or other characters 130 GAME INFORMER comic book sequences which rival many popular animated kid's television series in both writing and artistry. Per usual, the bulk of the gameplay revolves around 51У5 unique, user-friendly brand of stealth, as you infiltrate palaces, prisons, and the like by avoiding guards and discovering precarious hidden entrances. By pickpocketing guards, you can gather money and items, which can then be sold between missions to purchase new super- spy moves like the smoke bomb or quick-dodge combat move. The levels are expertly designed, allowing Sly huge areas of rooftops and power lines to explore verti- cally, as well as some fairly aware enemies to avoid or eradicate on the ground. In addition, minigames (like destroying a dam with a mounted gun turret or guarding the gang's van from above with an R/C helicopter) are interspersed to add a little variety to the proceedings. While it is much appreciated, this desire to add diversity also leads to Sly 2's biggest downfall. Unlike the first game, where Murray and Bentley were used primarily in the smaller, minigame-style sequences, this time they are playable in proper @ levels, and more often than in the past. While this does add interest at times, | was sometimes frustrated by the fact that the fighting-oriented Murray and the frail and uncoordinated Bentley just weren't as fun to play as Sly. While it's cool to check out some of their unique abilities (like Bentley's sleep darts and bombs), neither one can pull off the tightrope walks or precise platforming that Sly performs with ease. About halfway through, | began to wish that Sly's posse had been given a lesser role in the proceedings. However, that's about the only thing I didn't like about Band of Thieves, as nearly every other aspect of this title is done with aplomb and style to spare. Adding stealth-style gameplay to the platformer genre is a great hook, and Sucker Punch has a real knack for implementing new and unique types of playstyles at just the right time in the adventure. What's more, the story is actually fairly engrossing and does a great job of playfully tweaking spy movie Gliches.—MATT BOTTOM LINE T9 ? Concept: Continuing the adventures of platforming's furry Sam Fisher > Graphics: Really captures the look and feel of a well-done cartoon, probably the most appropriate use of cel shading in gaming history > Sound: Simply amazing, evok- ing the cool, jazzy feel of a 1960s Henry Mancini score > Playability: Sly's still a silky smooth spy, | just wish his cohorts could match his acro- batic flair > Entertainment: 1:5 not the most groundbreaking sequel, but | won't sniff at another go at Sly's slick and inventive platforming > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8. п This Shield Guardian make Sauron and his mace look like a chef with a rolling pin п The cavalry is here: Team Supers will save your butt E The depth in the game's camera work is brilliant m Co-op play would have been nice, but it's absent | Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER STORMFRONT STUDIOS > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14 > ESRB T THE BLOODTHIRSTY REALM he challenge before Stormfront Studios couldn't be any higher. The company's name probably isn't synonymous with its creation The Two Towers to your average kid due to the overpowering recognition level of that title's publisher: Electronic Arts. Therefore, Stormfront (with Atari) is in the difficult position of convincing gamers that Demon Stone isn't just a retread of an action for- mula that, ironically, Stormfront itself mastered in the first place. The simple reason the company and this title succeeds is because it cleanly cleaves through any questions before it with blistering action that cuts like a mighty axe through a neck. Initially | thought that this game had to have a great story, because simply killing large numbers of ene- mies is old. But, even though RA. Salvatore penned the tale, it quickly becomes a non-factor — in fact, it's not even great. You'll soon forget everything as you adjust to switching characters on the fly and creating bloody havoc. Salvatore and D&D fans can still take comfort in the fact that the game is rife with refer- ences to the Dungeons & Dragons universe. These : DEATH BY DRIZZT : Yes, controlling the legendary 1 drow Drizzt Do'Urden is everything 2 you would hope and so much : more. Let's put it this way: Demon 1 Stone's Drizzt makes Lord of the : Rings’ Legolas look like a pranc- 1 ing ninny in green. Gamers will 1 meet up with Drizzt at Mithral Hall, ; and then proceed to wrack up a : body count of epic proportions. 4 1 Although there аге many reasons to get this game, I'd say : 2 that Drizzt definitely seals the deal. : 8 illius" Ass Probe works its magic aren't forced, but are instead comforting in their famil- iarity. They also allow a greater variety of enemies from the staid orcs and cave trolls of Two Towers. Using your trio of characters is more than a gim- mick. Everything from resource management (who gets the health potion in the midst of battle?) to the ferocity of conflict is influenced by it. Your typical fight swells into giant proportions because you have the help of your two other characters. For its part, the Al is serviceable, if uneven, and it'll usually work as a team. The other characters will even unleash combos so everyone can perform a Super attack. The Al doesn't always do the right thing, but it isn't stupid, either. Better yet, having the extra heroes makes battles replete with possibilities. It's not like Zhai's stealth kills are only highlighted in all-stealth levels. No, the action in Demon Stone is more robust than that, with everyone fluidly using their skills during confrontations, Each character can grow as they choose. For example, | made sorcerer Illius more of a melee man with the hand attack Ghoul Touch. You'll spend a lot of time upgrading and outfitting everyone between levels. To understand how Demon Stone beats the odds, all you have to do is play through the first level, with its epic battle and brilliant camera work. You'll feel the incredible power this game surges through your veins, and there's no turning back. Although work is still needed on the Al, in-game cameras (a little control would be nice), and ranged attacks, Demon Stone is better than any of the Lord of the Rings action games, and it doesn't take long to figure out why.—KATO > Concept: Do what Two Towers did for Lord of the Rings on the action/D&D front and much more > Graphics: Stormfront brings the world of D&D alive with great richness > Sound: Funniest moment in Demon Stone: Hearing Patrick Stewart announce each chapter in his rich baritone > Playability: Stormfront needs to work on the projectile target- ing that's been a problem since Two Towers. > Entertainment: This game is more fun than both Two Towers and Return of the King, and is a must-have for all » Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8,75 ks & Dragons ti Dungeons & Dragons tie- ins than you can shake a +1 Bastard at, Demon Stone has just about every- thing you could want. The only thing missing (besides a co-op mode) is a more pre- cise targeting system; "Power Word: Kill” isn’t exactly а spell you want flying off in the wrong direction. Stil, this game focuses on mowing down monsters with over- whelming force and brutal. combos, and with each char- acter's wide atray of differ- ent abilities, | never got tired of discovering new ways to. make my foes bleed, You'll ith a pretty hefty DC to suc- cessfully put down the con- troller for this опе —JOE GAME INFORMER 131 PLAYSTATION 2 Shadow Hearts: Covenant > STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER MIDWAY > DEVELOPER NAUTILUS > RELEASE SEPTEMBER | > ESRB T HEARTS OF DARKNESS guess that World War | was different than | had thought. If Shadow Hearts: Covenant is to be taken as a truthful approximation of the times and places it shows, people said things like “Bite me,” and wore stuff like metal codpieces and shoulder-pads fashioned with steel spikes. Dude, 1915 sounds so bitchin’, Okay, Shadow Hearts doesn't make any actual claims to being an authentic representation of WW 1 era Europe — the crazy plot brings back demonic Yuri from the first game. Yuri can physi- cally transform and use new abilities with each iteration, the problem is that a secret society of madcap characters has cursed the lovelom man and taken away his powers. Through the game, Yuri will earn back his abilities and stop the evildoers from taking over the world. While this is a pretty tra- ditional RPG (players talk to many NPCs, do a lot of wandering through various lab- yrinths, and participate in tum- based random encounters), Covenant revives and reforms the franchise's trademark Judgement Ring. For every action, a ring with colored segments pops and players must stop the spinning arm in each section to be success- ful. Throughout the game, upgrades to change the size of segments or speed of the dial are offered and allow 132 GAME INFORMER players to customize each character's usability. Magic and item use also requires a suc- cessful spin of the Judgement Ring, which determines the item or spell's strength. The game's combo system is deep enough to make up for its relatively slow skill upgrade system. It takes a lot of time to get characters to badass status, but most of it will be spent leaming and tweaking Judgement Rings and mastering two to four-person combos, which are (like 1915) so bitchin’, Shadow Hearts; Covenant is one of those games where the teal delight comes out in the details. Things like NPC names (like Sue, Who Likes Younger Men) and cutscenes are nice rewards for advancing, but the overall pace of the game is so pokey that a decent number of players will be tumed off before it gets really good. The time required is certainly worth it, because Covenant is such an interesting mix of old-world immersion, nice plot twists, layered (and super-quirky) characters, and rewarding combat.—LISA BOTTO! LINE 8 > Concept: Bring back Yuri from the first game and up the com- plexity of the Judgement Ring > Graphics: Jaggy, but really nicely detailed environments, characters, and enemies > Sound: Apparently, German soldiers get bad butt-metal riffs to accompany their crusading > Playability: The action sec- tion of this RPG is addictive and deep enough to almost make it a strategy title > Entertainment: Fans of the first will be happy, and the game is dever enough that anyone curious should check it out > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8.25 I'm not generally a fan of engaging жоош UNLIMITED ENABLED PLAYSTATION 2 Spy Fiction > STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SAMMY STUDIOS > DEVELOPER ACCESS GAMES > RELEASE AUGUST 51 > ЕЅЕВ М AN ALMOST-BRILLIANT DISGUISE py Fiction, a Japanese stealth hit being put out on American shores by Sammy Studios, is a worthy contender in the stealth sweepstakes. It must be noted that you can detect the influ- ence of Konami's Metal Gear Solid in nearly every second of this game, right down to the fonts on the menu screens. However, I'm not one that believes every new title has to reinvent the wheel. Thankfully, Spy Fiction does bring enough new things to the table to make this a tasty snack for stealth/ action fans. The game's primary innova- tion is the 3DA camera, a gadget that allows whichever of the game's two playable covert operatives you've chosen to capture the likeness (and sometime voice) of an NPC and disguise yourself as that character. It's a neat gim- mick, and one that you'll use often to complete puzzles and mission objectives. That's not the only cool trick you have up your sleeve, either, as you're equipped with deadly playing cards, cigarette flares, retinal scanners, and a host of other sweet spy devices. You are also able to wait out tense situations by crouching against a wall, where your super- scientific spy suit will turn you invisible. The levels and gameplay are a bit of a mixed bag. Too often, the level objectives are heavily centered around mechanics like "Get Keycard X so you can enter Room Y to get Item Z,” and similar tedious tasks. In addi- tion, the enemy Al is very erratic and somewhat dim. For example, don't you think that when | run into the person whose identity I've stolen, they should react with a little more than the game's stock, “Wait, you're not a guest! Well, maybe you are! Sorry!" line? Also, because bodies disappear as soon as you shoot them, it's often pretty easy to just blast through an area, and hide until the high alert status goes away. Despite its flaws, Spy Fiction does deliver enough “wow moments" and inventive set pieces to make up for the too-frequent bouts of tedium or spotty Al. In addition, | really like the fact that your choice of characters at the beginning actually affects how certain levels play out, as well as what kinds of disguises you can wear. While | can't say this is the most original game Іме played — one of the its best sequences is highjacked wholesale from Mission: Impossible — it's definitely a fair entry in the genre.— MATT a The rappelling kit is key | ^ р! to some! most grî һе game's g Sequences 00700 5 > Concept: Expand on the Metal Gear Solid formula with cool skills and the ability to disguise yourself as any character in the game > Graphics: Very nice character models, but you can see Solid Snake's fingerprints all over the visual presentation > Sound: Solid on all fronts, but I found the voice actors to be a little pretentious > Playability: Everything works as it should, but it's not nearly as dynamic or versatile as Splinter Cell > Entertainment: A little cheesy, a little derivative, but overall | think stealth fans will find enough in this to make it a solid buy > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 7 1п many respects, Spy Fiction has a lot of the necessary |, good | ae quii ay real wantin a stealth game is realism, and that is the one area that really felt lacking in ушык the guards if you bump into. them or walk into the wrong. bathroom, bodies disap- | лз. T ig alarms. are decent, but not .... Fighters J change | T=] Suggestive Themes T Violence PlayStation. ЕЗ SNIK SNK PLAYMORE. THE KING OF FIGHTERS is a registered trademark of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION. “SNK” & “NEOGEO” are registereditrademarks of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION. "PlayStation" айй the FS Family 1000 аге registered trademarks of Sony Computer ntertaimment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. reviews PLAYSTATION 2 Katamari Damacy > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER NAMCO > DEVELOPER NAMCO > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 21 > ESRB E -— | FEEL THE COSMOS hile it's not explicitly spelled out in the American release of Katamari Damacy, it is implied that the whole reason you need a katamari is to restore the stars that your father bashed from the sky during an Animal House-styled bender, You play through this If-The- Monty-Python-Guys-Made-A-Game game by collecting enough Earth junk on a ball to please your overbearing, mentally abusive, egotistical father. But it's funny. honest! Here's how my time with the game went. | start it up, watch the open- ing cinema, and laugh my butt off. There are singing ducks and rainbow pandas. | watch it again and then start a short training mode showing how to use the forklift-like controls (both analog sticks are used to maneuver the katamari (іе. the ball] around). I'd like to say that they're intuitive, but for myself at least, they weren't exactly second nature. Still, the scheme is workable and gets more comfortable as you go. | start playing levels by flying to Earth and picking from a selection of challenges (either making a star or a specific constellation covers most of the mis- sion base). The King of All Cosmos pontificates on the best intentions he had about getting you a gift, how it was accidentally tossed to Earth, and how the King of All Cosmos can only be expected to believe in you for a X minutes. Therefore, you must make a katamari of X size in X Earth minutes. If you find a present, Sometimes you get to wear it later (I found a crown, it's the bomb). The point of the game is to collect random Earth crap — but it's not the number of items col- 154 GAME INFORMER lected that's important, it's their size. Objects can be picked up if they are a certain size relative to the katamari; therefore, with a 5 centimeter ball you can get screws, tacks, hazelnuts, and the like. Once the ball gets to a meter, people, bikes, fences, and vending machines are just a short roll away. Specific items make noises when they're picked up — phones ring, children giggle, adults scream in agony, and chickens squawk. The sick giggles of sadistic glee? Those are coming from you, not the game. Katamari Damacy is honestly one of the weirdest games, style-wise, that I've played in years. It beats Cubivore, Vib Ribbon, and even Mister Mosquito in sheer quirk factor — and this fact makes up for a lot of the game's faults. The action and goals are truly repetitive, and the graphics are horrifically awful. Then again, good Japanese quirk only shows up once in a while, and the characters are more memorable than any new stars in recent memory. Between levels, a small cubix family is traveling to see their father in a rocketship. The little girl says things like, "I feel it. | can feel the cosmos" What's unclear, though, is if she's feeling the celestial wonderland or a few too many pink cocktails.—LISA Multiplayer is оНеге but it's not the game's strongest point > Concept: Save your dad's butt by restoring the heavens smote during his last drinking bender ~ no really, that's the truth ? Graphics: Honestly, the worst- looking game I've seen in the last three years > Sound: Each location gets its ‘own pop ditty and they are all catchy without being too grating. > Playability: You push a ball around with controls like a fork- lift, but it's weirdly satisfying > Entertainment: Extremely quirky and a must-have for prac- tically anyone > Replay Value: High Second 75 -Ihave played some i insane | -and odd Japanese games before, but Katamari Damacy takes the cake for being the | | weirdest of the weird, and | at the same time, one of the most charming games -Ihave ever had the plea- sure to play. Sure, the game has its fair share of camera problems with graphics that аге, al best, average, but you can't help. nis ud ` sucked into its wacky world. | Driving the Katamari ble | more unwieldy as it grows іп size, which is surprisingly | "fun, Plus, the whole world “plays: off this odd theme, | with a story that will make | < your head spin and music B reminded me of b PLAYSTATION 2 Gallop Racer 2004 > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER RACING > PUBLISHER TECMO > DEVELOPER TECMO > RELEASE AUGUST 30 > ESRB E THE BEST HORSERACING GAME YOU'LL PLAY THIS YEAR 8.25 > Concept: Builds upon the franchise with tighter gameplay and a deeper season mode rom Smarty Jones' near Triple Crown win to Seabiscuit's box office success, America is once again embracing the Sport of Kings. Hopefully, horseracing enthusiasts and those swept up in today's resurgence will acknowl- edge Tecmo's brilliant Gallop Racer series. I'm sure many of you are wondering how a horseracing title could deliver an engaging gameplay experience. I was a non-believer myself, but after investing many ours with last year's game, | found myself com- pletely transfixed and in utter awe of the sophisti- cated racing and interlaced role-playing elements. Does your thoroughbred like racing on dirt or turf? Does it like the middle of the pack or the ront? Is it a late sprinter? Can it handle a 15-fur- ong race? How much heart and stamina does it ave? Is it ill tempered? Does it have a southpaw ability or a bear's latent ability? Every little detail is factored in, and it's up to you to find that winning formula and stride for each horse. Tecmo has had a firm grasp on the gameplay reins for many years now, but this year's installment is easily the most polished and true to the sport. Success no longer rests so heavily on player tendencies, as your horse's attributes are the true determinant. Tecmo has also reworked Season mode. In addition to running your own horses, players can reelance for other trainers by accepting a request or testing to see if they are qualified to run a spe- Gific horse. The freelance work seems goofy at first, but it does allow players to race higher-classed orses earlier in the game, and it's also a good way to earn additional cash and experience points. Additionally, players can breed up to eight horses at a time for personal use, or in a twist, for your rivals. It may be horseracing, but Gallop Racer once again proves to be a surprisingly irresistible and incredibly deep play. —REINER BOTTOM LINE ? Graphics: The detail in the horses is amazing, but the super- deformed humans are still scary. > Sound: Annoying melodies not fit for elevator music and a noticeable silence on the track > Playability: Incredibly complex racing, Variely stems from the horse abilities and tech- niques it takes to ride them > Entertainment: It's horserac- ing. . and it's addictive and fun... .nuff said > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 8 "Smarty Jones? ! lapped that pony porker in the Kentucky Derby!" the series, lm sorry оле of them.—MATT The road 10 Tation and the path to hell are : both paved in blood. : | WHICH WILL ` YOU WALK? o э Atlus “Vishnu Scan ` a Оуег 50 hours of НЕР “ы alternate endings! Customize "el terwith | Magatama, living parasites | th 5 grant the host demonic powers! wer. “Call it the RPG for the GTA generation. No console RPG to date offérs this many choices, this much customizatióff, or so much dark and gritty’ style. And if anyone pays attention to its content, it might create à little controversy, as well." — GATechTV — "A deep and twisted post-apocalyptic RPG with stunning visuals and a lory -- something quite unlike ve seen before.” - GameSpy. demons to join your party. Evolve or fuse them to form even more powerful ones. pass » ; ا ر F caturing Dante (гой‏ ct 4.) Capcom's‏ Devil May Cry 2" RATING PENDING IN Visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information. PlayStation.c © ATLUS 2004 Nocturne is a trademark of Terminal Reality, Inc. and is used with permission. DANTE from Devil May Cry 2: © CAPCOM CO. LTD. 2003 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PlayStation’ and the "PS* Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved ® WWW.ATLUS.COM Se reviews PLAYSTATION 2 Gradius V > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER SHOOTER > PUBLISHER KONAMI > DEVELOPER KONAMI > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14 > ESRB T EXPERIENCE VIC VIPER’S COCKPIT like good Al as much as the next guy. enjoy the challenge "ПІ" 8.25 that comes from having to outwit my opponents and > Concept: One of ua deal with their realistic responses. Juggemauts illustrates why it However, no matter how cunning de Lb а : Al becomes, there will always be а : special place in my heart reserved epe e 1 fora game that is difficult simply huge spaceships all ive up to because there are too many damn | expedations things flying at you at once. This, > Sound: You could make little friends, is why І like Gradius V lasery "pssshew" noises yourself Whether you're squeezing and it would have the same through a barrage of lasers or aural impact avoiding the walls in a cramped > Playability: Pretty straightfor- passageway, Gradius goes after you магі, with the famous Konami like it has a centuries-old blood feud — code present and accounted for against you and your ancestors. > Entertainment: For shooter Even the two-player co-op mode, fans this will be unfiltered | which typically makes things a bit easier, is no picnic. Both players share continues, and your compan- ion's shots are more distracting than helpful. However, though the dif- ficulty level is steep, it isn't the type that sends you home with a gauzy head and a fractured spine. It's more of a glove slap to the face — a challenge from a worthy foe that keeps you coming back for more. Of course, difficulty alone isn't enough to keep a game interesting. Gradius features increased control over your multiples, allowing you to alter their spacing or rotate them around your ship, which adds a new level of strategy to a previously simple mechanic. Plus, the levels are some of the best designed that I've seen in a shooter, keeping the gameplay from getting stale in the face of repeated button-mash- ing. Though it has a disappointing dearth of unlockables and replay, as well as inconsistent hit detection, | must have a little bit of masochist in me, because 1 loved the old-school pain that Gradius V was dishing out. Still, don't go sending me any Showgirls special edition DVDs — I'm not that hungry for punish- ment. —]JOE 136 GAME INFORMER PL ON 2 QUICKIES Funkmaster Flex Digital Hitz Factory > STYLE 1-PLAYER SIMULATION > PUBLISHER XS GAMES > DEVELOPER JESTER INTERACTIVE > RELEASE AUGUST 2 > ESRB E Damn. | feel like somebody took a dump in my soup. I've been a huge fan of MI Jester's work in the music creation field with MTV Music Generator and Music 3000. Unfortunately, they have screwed up the once-intuitive interface, replacing it with this monstrosity, which makes everything dependent on using the right analog stick and the clumsy R3 button. It's console, not PC, guys — | want to steer with my left hand! The overly complex menu system is impossible to memorize, and the thin manual offers no help, forcing you to save your song and go back to the tutorial every time you have a question. Yuck. In addition, the samples themselves are surprisingly behind-the-times.— MATT 5 BOTTOM LINE Under the Skin > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER CAPCOM > DEVELOPER CAPCOM > RELEASE OCTOBER 12 > ESRB E gw This just in, from the Department of All Style and No Substance: Under the Skin, a “wacky” and "inventive" new cel-shaded title from Capcom. While there are probably a few whimsy fanatics that are going to convince themselves that this is more than a simple minigame stretched over a bunch of levels, | really couldn't be bothered. The core concept (you play as a shape-shifting alien who scares Earthlings with a variety of strange gadgets) is sound, but the dreary level designs and overly repetitive gameplay sours the overall experience. Also, for the love of God, please stop with the coin collect- ing. It's over.— MATT BOTTOM LINE Rapala Pro Fishing 8.25 > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER SAND GRAIN STUDIOS > RELEASE SEPTEMBER > ESRB E Rapala Pro Fishing is easily the best fishing game 1 have played in a long, long time, and instantly climbs to the top of my list of all-time fishing titles. It's that good. From Lake Minnetonka to the Sacramento River, there are a wide variety of fishing venues, and an even wider variety of fish to catch, including trout, pike, and bass. There is just so much to like about this title. The casting interface actually requires some skill, your guide's help- ful hints and smart-apple remarks are genius, and the pacing of the game is just about perfect so that catching a fish means something, but you don't get too bored waiting for the bite to hit. If you like fishing you don't just want this title, you need it. —ANDY Headhunter: Redemption 6.75 > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER AMUZE > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 21 > ESRB M Redemption takes place 20 years after the first Headhunter title, and offers two playable characters and a choice between stealth and run-and-gun action. The stealthy approach is generally more successful with Leeza, but the mechanics leave a lot to be desired. Enemy Al is as dumb as a crumbling brick wall and there are no shadow or cover effects. Couple this minimalism with floaty character movement and sluggish camera controls, and there are more headaches than necessary. Our Headhunter's gun-heavy action is a little more palatable, but still has the same control issues. Even though the game's general execution is basic at best, there are nice ideas here and great production values (especially with regard to dialogue and the opening cutscene).—LISA 8.25 Dance Dance Revolution Extreme > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER KONAMI > DEVELOPER KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 21 > ESRB E BOTTOM LINE BOTTOM LINE E] Dozens of unlockables and a whopping 70 song playlist truly make DDR Extreme the % > crème de la crème of party games. Not content to rest on its laurels from previous installments, this version wisely incorporates the EyeToy — significantly enhancing both the enjoyability and inherent humor of watching yourself flail wildly about on the screen. Several new minigames are incorporated specifically for use with the USB camera, while popular styles from earlier versions including workout and edit modes retum. Though much of the music sounds similar, all the tracks are uniformly excellent both in their mixing and in their suitability for the game. If you have the required peripherals, you owe ChoroQ it to yourself to check out the best version of DDR yet released.—MILLER 6.25 > STYLE i-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ATLUS > DEVELOPER TAKARA > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 20 > ESRB Т Jokingly referred to as a CARPG, ChoroQ seamlessly blends racing with traditional RPG elements. In such, you'll be asked to cruise around town, chat with other cars, enter vari- ous shops and locales, and even do a little fishing. There's also a story that unfolds as you progress through the quest. Of course, competitive racing is also a part of the game. By winning various cups and events, you'll earn cash that can be used to purchase parts. You can even install a CD player to listen to music as you race. To be quite frank, | absolutely love this off-the-wall concept. The tracks, while graphically challenged, are equally as wacky. The only thing that truly holds this title back is the racing. It's just way too slow and clunky. Regardless, this is still a novelty title for the ages. Collectors take note—REINER BOTTOM LINE UNDERTAKER - = аи ИЕ UNLIMITED ENABLED GAMECUBE WWE: Day of Reckoning > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER FIGHTING > PUBLISHER THQ > DEVELOPER YUKE'S > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 7 > ESRB T READY FOR YOUR TITLE SHOT? ow | finally have an answer to a question that has plagued me for years: If | wrestled The Rock and Kurt Angle with a woman dressed like a hooker for my tag partner, who would win? Turns out that | would. Thanks to an amazingly deep character creation mode, I was able to make a wrestler who looked a lot like me (although with much bigger pecs and a much smaller gut), and fight my way from the WWE training camps to a bona fide star on RAW. Now honestly | don't dream of being a famous wrestler, but WWE: Day of Reckoning showed me how addictive it could be to step into that role for a while. The main mode in Day of Reckoning charges you with the task of creating a wrestler and starting his career at the bottom. Right off the bat, the Create A Superstar mode impressed me. Everything about your fighter can be completely customized, including body shape, facial features, costume, move sets, and gear. You can even set the camera angles in your character's entrance f video. Of course, { if you want to get started more quickly, you can use templates based on existing WWE Superstars. Winning matches earns you money and skill points, which can be used to buy new goodies and bulk up your wrestler respectively. You can even go back and switch up your appearance between matches, if you want to have a WWE-style change of character. In the ring, Day of Reckoning performs nearly as well. The control scheme is intuitive, offers a pretty huge amount of moves, and will feel familiar to gamers weaned on the classic WCW wrestling titles for the N64. The only area that 8 Playing through Story mode unlocks classic wréstlers, like that huge dude who was in The Princess Bride W "See? Just think happy thoughts and you can fly!” m "Dude! Do you ever wash your tights?" “...the definitive wrestling title for eciate the lovel dels the GameCube." тоу disappoints me a bit is the counter mechanic. The two separate counter buttons (for throws and strikes) make it a little hard to hit the right one in the nanosecond you have to block a potentially deadly move. Still, this is a minor quibble about an other- wise tight control scheme. One other area that seems a bit lacking is sound — where are the wrestler voices and ring announc- ers? In this day and age, it's odd to watch dialogue cutscenes with just text. Again, it's not a huge detri- ment, and where Day of Reckoning fails in the audio department, it excels in the visual arena. The character models are awesome, and are far and away the most accurate WWE wrestler representations to hit the GameCube. Some fans will truly Bra and Panties matches. These matches, as with several other types, are available in the Exhibition mode, in which gamers can choose their favorite WWE stars and match types and go at it, with no effect on Story mode (although playing Story mode does unlock more characters). This mode is every bit as fun as the career path, although the Bra and Panties matches aren't as fun as you're hoping they are. Only a hand- ful of WWE Divas are playable, and the gimmicky gameplay grows tired fast. Still, it's nice that these matches are avail- able on the GameCube for the first time for those who are into that kind of thing. \ It's this kind of catering to % the desires of all kinds of wrestling fans that X makes this the definitive wres- tling title for the GameCube. —— JEREMY BOTTOM 8 25 LINE LI ? Concept: Create your own wrestler, then fight your мау up the ladder to become WWE champion > Graphics: Character models are dead on, except for the merciful omission of Ric Flair's manboobs ? Sound: Licensed music but no voiceovers? How very odd > Playability: The control scheme is simple, but still offers a freakishly huge roster of moves ? Entertainment: This is one solid wrestling title, and non-fans will get sucked in as well > Replay Value: High 1 honestly don't understand why THQ tries to reinvent the wheel with each wres- tling game that it releases, Once again, | find myself liking bits and pieces, but also longing for material from THQ's other wrestling titles, While the gameplay is far superior to that in either Raw or SmackDown, the shallowness of Story mode is a real turnoff. With each match featuring a goal, it feels more like you are working your way through levels instead of being an integral part of the WWE. Never once will you see what else is happening in the league, To make mat- ters worse, the soundtrack only features a handful of songs. Your CPU opponents also have difficulty landing sunning attacks, and can often counter everything. The only truly redeemable aspect of this game is multi- player. Gimmick matches are great (TLC rules), the list of "moves is insanely deep, and (һе controls are beautifully designed, THQ simply needs to combine the standout features of each of its games ‘to create a truly remarkable МЕ. XBOX Fable > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG > PUBLISHER MICROSOFT > DEVELOPER LIONHEAD/BIG BLUE BOX > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14 > ESRB М ago. Now the рео emerge into a unique and intense depth and beauty. worn buildings immediatel fantasy setting. Incredible you walk beneath a street fall realistically across your While moving through Al THE WILL TO POWER nce, | had another name. But that was long ple simply whisper my epithet as | pass — Pilgrim. | have tales to tell of trust and revenge, love and betrayal. | have walked the dark and twisted paths of Albion, and | have basked in its warm, sun-dappled forests. I've fought unspeakable horrors and come back, scarred but triumphant. | am what they say | am — a hero. You'll have to excuse the self-reverential foolish- ness. As it turns out, I'm not even remotely as cool as my character. This game just has that effect on you. When you step into the world of Fable, you'll evocative artistic style of Ancient trees and time- ly establish a storybook lighting means that when lamp, your skin exhibits a bright sheen. Wander a forested path, and shadows body. The palette is vivid and colorful. The world seems vibrantly alive. bion, you'll be accompa- nied by a spirited orchestral score that defines the mood of every place you visit. A single expressive motif weaves in and out of the music, and you'll find yourself whistling that memorable theme as you walk away from the game. Sound design elsewhere is equally arresting, with thousands of lines of spoken dialogue from the NPCs that inhabit the world. What makes it even more incredible is how much of that speech is reactive to your situation. | wasn't kidding before. | paid the local town crier to change my title to "Pilgrim," and afterwards people literally whispered my hero's name in hushed awe as | passed. Belch in front of a flirtatious lady, and she will happily voice her disgust. Kill all of a merchant's companions, and he will fall to his knees and beg for mercy. Combat is a relatively simple affair that is nonethe- less highly satisfying. You can swing and block with your melee weapon, or lock on to circle your foe or launch an arrow. The magic system has gorgeous spell effects and an ingenious system of casting that allows you to switch between your library of incanta- tions in real time. Monsters look phenomenal, and their Al allows them to switch tactics in response to your actions. But the greatest triumph Fable can claim is its main character. From childhood onward, every action changes the appearance, morality, attractive- ness, and abilities of the lead. Intricate tattoos, battle scars, clothing combinations and even different hair and beard choices all define a distinct look. The food he eats and the actions he takes will change his physique and how people will react to him. You'll watch time have its way with him as he ages. Drink beer and get drunk. Fall in love and marry the woman (or man) of your dreams. Cold-bloodedly murder townspeople in the dark of night or learn to wield incredible forces of magic to defend the city. Its more than just clear-cut options of good and evil — you are creating a person. The choices and consequences available allow not only for incredible gameplay, but also for a compelling thematic musing on the nature o Given the chance for great wealth, would you betray a friend? With the might to destroy all, would you spare the meek? Fable gives you the power to do great and terrible deeds, and leaves the rest up to you. And, in the end, it leaves you with one final irrevocable choice that, either way, will haunt you for a long time. With its moving story and deft execution, Fable is quite literally the adventure of a lifetime MILLER power. ША wide vista-filled world sets the tone 138 GAME INFORMER Bi Tolkien's oft-maligned work Gandalf Jr, may never see the big screen treatment it deserves > Concept: Live the life of a hero in one of the deepest and Most absorbing role-playing experiences ever > Graphics: The stunning art style is both unique and detailed ~ simply breathtaking > Sound: The stirring orchestral score weaves seamlessly through the story, while thousands of lines of spoken dialogue create a living, breathing world > Playability: So many choices and options make it hard not to become totally immersed in the life of your character. Only the frequent load screens mar the experience > Entertainment: Moving and engaging, humorous and at times bittersweet and sad, Fable is an experience like no other > Replay Value: High XBOX Colin McRae Rally 2005 > STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER RACING (UP TO 8-PLAYER МА XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER CODEMASTERS > DEVELOPER CODEMASTERS > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 28 > ESRB E MCRAE’S GOT BIG MCNUGGETS hile nobody would argue with you if you said that all Scotsmen talk like Sean Connery and are skirt-wearing nancy boys, I'm going to have to take exception with you if you said that all Colin McRae games are the same. Saying they are rather simi- lar isn't far from the truth, but that's thankfully not entirely the case with this new Rally title. Just when | thought that the series didn't have to do anything with the gameplay, | was proven wrong by the subtle differences in feel that 2005 ushers in. The offroad collision has been firmed up (the sides of the stages are littered with things to run into), and you'll really pay the price for driving out of control. Not only will going off the road slow you down, but all the different terrain types will keep you guessing. You'll also have to really watch your acceleration so you don't spin out in areas with bad traction (depending on your car and the gearbox setting). As the stages Switched from gravel to dirt, for ^^... Big Bottoms, Talk about mud flap: my girl's got ‘em instance, | really had to concentrate on changing my driving style to suit the terrain. The way | approached and executed a slide was different for each. Particularly hard is the increase in the number of hairpin tums and switchbacks, which will test your instincts in a flash and literally have you so confused you don't know which way you are going. Visually, the game is pumping on all cylinders, and | particularly like the daze effect that washes over the screen when you smack a tree nice and hard. While | was hoping that this installment would give more meat to the career mode (and there are some changes here, along with a more fleshed-out Xbox Live experi- ence), once | got the whiff of dirt and exhaust, | left my worries about the game in the dust. For the long term, І think the series needs to take a year off and concentrate on this mode, but for now, Colin once again man- ages to strap you in tight and take you to the edge in back in one thrill- ing ride. —KATO "me" 8.25 ? Concept: Convince gamers why they've got to get yet another rendition of Colin McRae Rally > Graphics: The best yet in the series, even with some minor pop-up here and there > Sound: Maybe it's just me, but it seemed like my co-pilot was getting ahead of himself at times > Playability: There's a subtle camera change that makes a big difference in your perception of the car > Entertainment: It's ten dol lars more than last year, but trust me when | say it's worth it > Replay Value: High Second Opinion 8.5 my the by daring just a litte тоге speed, to hairpin insanity requiring a lifetime's train- ing to get right. | didn’t think it could be done, but the feel of the road conditions ¿s reviews XBOX Yager > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER KEMCO > DEVELOPER YAGER DEVELOPMENT > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14 > ESRB T A GAME ON THE ROCKS n my history of playing video games, I've had the opportunity to do some pretty sweet things with a starfighter, from blast- ing through a hail of pixellated asteroids to being Darth Vader's wingman. Sadly, nothing | did in Yager came close to matching the glee | felt in any of these moments. This isn't to say that it is a bad game — it is just unremarkable. It fails to build on any of the foundations laid by the titles that came before it, and hits that “totally mediocre" target right on the nose. By modern standards, Magnus Tide's ride, the Sagittarius, is a Fisher Price “My First Spaceship." It has two modes, and each is about as difficult to understand as a spoon, In hover mode, you either stand still or move slowly. In flight mode, you move at a con- stant, slightly faster speed. Unfortunately, any operation of the ship beyond making it move forward gets to be frustrating due to sluggish controls and sub-par targeting. When you finally do get the hang of it, all you end up using your ship for is laborious dogfights and aggravating protect missions. Not everything about the title is so familiar, though. The ships look surprisingly good, and there are some interesting ways to use the hover vs. flight dynamic. Sometimes you need to remain stationary to use your sniper cannon (sniper cannon...| like the sound of that), while other times you need to weave back and forth at top speed to avoid homing mis- siles. Still, when my time with Yager was done, rather than think about all of the sinister space pirates | had obliterated, | just wanted to go play some TIE Fighter.—JOE BOTTOM LINE 7 > Concept: Fly a laser- equipped fighter over a lot of familiar ground > Graphics: The ships look pretty sleek, but the characters are all hideous approximations of humanity > Sound: The voicework on Magnus attempts to be rogu- ish and debonair. instead, it sounds like a guy who might try to make friends by accost- ing people as they enter and exit public bathrooms > Playability: The controls aren't very complicated, just unresponsive > Entertainment: It isn't the worst of its kind, but an unoriginal concept and lack of polish mean that you should check out other options first > Replay Value: Low Second Opinion 7.5 Ifyou can get past the ludi | crously dorky antics of mai character Magnus Tide, you'll find that Yager does a. good job of delivering some | meat-and-potatoes shooter action for Xbox fans. It’s not | amazing, but | like the fact that you can easily toggle - between two different con- trol mechanics (one for a “hovercraft” style of control and a more traditional jel style scheme). If you haven't. played the sadly overlooked | reviews XBOX Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER FROMSOFTWARE > RELEASE OCTOBER 19 > ESRB T x ke POETIC DESTRUCTION rom the moment you turn it on, the second installment of the Otogi series is daz- zling. Heavily shrouded in the myths and sensations of Japan, the visual presentation is top notch. I don't think I've ever enjoyed sitting through loading screens and scroll- ing through menus as much as 1 did here. Lotus blossoms float gently down the screen while native Japanese instruments pluck out meditative strains. Everything looks fantastic. Then | started to play the game, and that's where the trouble began. ІІ start with the most egregious offender: the camera. 1 define a good gaming camera by how much I have to think about it. If it does what 1 want and moves where | like it, then it doesn't take me out of the action. That's a good thing. Let's just say that | found myself thinking about this camera an awful lot. | won't share most of those thoughts, as they are gener- ally unfit to print. Suffice it to say, the camera ticked me off. Zeroing in far too close to the character, | never seemed to be facing the right way to make attacks, and | was constantly blindsided by enemies | wasn't even aware of. This leads me to the combat. Though by no means bad, much of the action here was about destroying absolutely everything | 140 GAME INFORMER “ A | 7 “ came across by pressing random buttons as quickly as possible. The most hilarious situations involved areas where I was trying to protect a shrine or some such holy site from demons, and the only way to destroy the hellspawn was by completely decimating the building myself. There's very little skill con- nected to the combat scheme, and not even the mind-boggling par- ticle effects and blinding explosive flashes can hide it. The most significant addition from this sequel's predecessor is the inclusion of multiple playable characters — each with their own weapon and combat style. While 1 really liked trying them all out, | didn't enjoy the wild guessing that went into figuring out which one to use on any given stage. Also, while there are power-ups to be purchased between levels, getting enough money to do so almost certainly involves replaying levels you've already beaten. The stages themselves maintain the unrelenting beauty of the rest of the game, filled with dojo-style buildings and graceful oriental arches. Of course, these architec- tural wonders are doomed to an early grave as you blithely destroy all in your path. In addition, the level objectives are often frustrat- ing, and many of them will take more than a few attempts before satisfactory completion. No one can argue the deep visual and aural allure of this title. But personally, | found myself fre- quently resisting the urge to throw down my controller in frustration. This wasn't my cup of tea, but I can't help but admire its dramatic artistic sheen. — MILLER " dan Es Ws, BOTTOM LINE 7 > Concept: Return from the dead yet again to fight off the demonic spawn that threaten a world steeped in Asian folklore > Graphics: The exquisite use of particle effects amid wildly flashing splashes of color and light is phenomenal > Sound: Haunting ambient Japanese music perfectly accompanies the austere beau- ty of the game > Playability: Frustrating objectives and a sadly inad- equate camera ruin the fun > Entertainment: Much like а rose ~ delicate and beauti- ful, but painful and difficult to handle once you get your hands on it Second Opinion 7.25 XBOX QUICKIES XBOX ЕЗ A rmy Men: Sarge’s W > STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER GLOBAL STAR > DEVELOPER 3D0 > RELEASE AUGUST 3 > ESRB T he Army Men series is a lot like herpes. You see, a long ti ago, | wrote a scath- ing review of an Army Men game. | thought | was pretty funny, and it was fun ripping into its horrid gameplay and graphics. Because Reiner was. so tickled by that review, he now assigns me to review every single Army Men game that comes down the pike. So, for that one moment of pleasure, | must deal with a lifetime of burning, stinging gameplay sensations. This was the last game the now-defunct 300 made in the series, and | thought it was left for dead on PS2, but Satan apparently paid Global Star to bring it to Xbox. I'm sure Microsoft fans are thankful for the chance to experi- ence the painfully simple level designs, erratic targeting, inane storyline, and hid- eous graphics of Sarge's War for themselves. This game makes me want to die = and it's actually one of the better titles in the Army Men series| —MATT XBOX BOTTOM Pure Pinball ше 5.15 > STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER XS GAMES > DEVELOPER IRIDON INTERACTIVE > RELEASE JULY 26 > ESRB E nothing else, Pure Pinball is aptly named; it's a bare- bones title that delivers nothing more than realistic ball physics on a small assort- ment of four pinball machines. | can't imagine the conversations that led someone to decide that this sparse (though accurate) game would be a good idea, so instead I'll imagine conversations in the laboratory where pure pinball is refined. First Scientist: “Gentlemen, using the wondrous miracles of science, we have managed to isolate and contain pure pinball” Second Scientist: “Astonishing! Does it have any unlockables, replay value, or sense of achievement?” First Scientist: “Heavens, no! In order to retain purity, we've successfully filtered out anything of that nature, though there do appear to be trace elements of fun remaining” Second Scientist: “Unfortunate. Hey, are those Hot Pockets in your cryogenic freezer?" First Scientist: "Um...no. Those are Science Pockets.’ —JOE "е" 4.25 XBOX Galleon > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/ADVENTURE > PUBLISHER ATLUS SOFTWARE > DEVELOPER CONFOUNDING FACTOR > RELEASE AUGUST 3 > ESRB T ith the numerous pit- falls that Galleon faced throughout the many years of its conception, it's something of a miracle that it has finally crawled out to see the light of day. Alas, the final result has emerged as an antiquated relic, and Galleon sails headlong into the murky waters of dangerously broken games. A schizophrenic control scheme has you effortlessly execut- ing deft maneuvers one moment, and mistakenly climbing a bookcase like a retarded monkey the next. Meanwhile, combat is severely flawed — enemies will often pop into existence directly in front of you, only to mindlessly charge off a diff or foolishly tumble into a nearby lava pit. These issues, along with the hor- ribly rough-textured graphics, hopelessly mar what might otherwise have been a worthwhile excursion. In the end, I can either pity this title, or | can tell you the truth — Galleon just isn't worth your time.— MILLER IT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK! зә: ләш jo Ayadoid әш әле syietuepen зәщо jiy "setqunoo 1810 ao/pue Жа RPM Б. ТКУ LA YE Y Y EI TT. ыў ур Тш ым Outrageous trivia questions to Over 1,000 videos of stunts and Unlock pictures, girls, videos keep you guessing! challenges with uninhibited Hotties and more! Г D EUR ЕЗ PlayStation. CASO mew duc ы AVAILABLE AT: Game Doom 3 > STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 4-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER ID SOFTWARE > RELEASE AUGUST 3 > ESRB M ON DARKEST MARS ohn Carmack, the man behind Doom, has long been heralded as a genius and the godfather of first-person shooters. After a long absence from the scene, his triumphant return to prominence is finally at hand with Doom 3. To be sure, this title is in many waysas 66 much of a landmark in gaming as its ancestor; however, the FPS landscape is no longer the clean slate it was back in the day, and there are definite cracks that show through Doom 3's design. The thing you'll notice first when playing Doom 5 is that it's no Painkiller-esque run- and-gun through hordes of enemies. The emphasis here is on mood — and by mood | mean making the player so on-edge at all times that nearly every encounter is pulse-poundingly intense. Everything about every area that you explore screams terror, and the lighting engine is absolutely brilliant. Enemies are disturbing to the point that to look upon one is to know fear, especially when they slither out from complete darkness into sickly light- ing with your death on their minds. Frequently while playing you'll have to stop and marvel at how well technology and design have melded to create an Тін room is actually about average on the creepiness scale 142 GAME INFORMER ...пеагіу every encounter is pulse-poundingly intense." atmosphere that will likely be held up as the stan- dard for years to come. In Doom 3, you're constantly faced with the dilemma of keeping your flashlight out to try and pierce the omnipresent dark- ness, or having your weapon ready for when you inevitably get jumped. Fortunately, the flashlight effect is the best to be done to date and, together with the general ambience of the game, it's very easy to feel that you really are a stranded space marine on a Mars that's being slowly corrupted by Satan. I'm not afraid to say that more than once | jumped and cursed in fear to the amusement of my fellow editors. Though there are some cool sequences sprinkled throughout your quest to fight back the legions of Hell, like piloting a freight lift through an area infested by evil, gameplay does fall into a bit of a formulaic rut at times. “Kill some demons, get some power-ups, more demons spawn behind you, kil them, repeat" is the order of the day more often than not. The weapons, too, are nothing you haven't seen before, and they lack any sort of scope or more precise aiming mechanism. Also, while 1 do B Keeping this guy alive it - the most means more li like the way the story is told through the PDAs of fallen personnel, it is kind of hammy and predict- able. The screams of dying allies through your radio and audio logs of people now dead do give the world more of a personal feel, though. As much as | may nitpick and call out some minor flaws here and there, at the end of the day Doom 5 is one hell of a play. Even if you get bored with the somewhat repetitive single-player after a few hours, that time will be one of the most intense, visceral gaming experiences you'll probably ever have. And it's no secret that there's a gigantic mod community already starting to find its groove (see Mod World on page 153), so it's a pretty good bet that a few months from now we'll start seeing some crazy things done with this amazing technology.— ADAM MULTIPLAYER MIA? As great as the single-player mode is, one of the main attractions of any FPS is online multiplayer. Unfortunately, in Doom 3's case it just isn't much fun. At press time, the server browser was broken, which made finding a tolerable server an exercise in utter frustration, Id has promised a patch to fix the browser, but even with that working I'd stick to UT, Battlefield, or Joint Ops for your online fragging fix. E This look familiar? BOTTOM LINE 9 > Concept: You're a space marine, Hell is literally breaking loose. You know what to do > Graphics: What you see on this page is hardly representative, The ambience id has created is truly terrifying > Sound: This wouldn't be half so suspenseful without the mas: terful audio design > Playability: Par for the course, though the interaction with computers and other objects is a new standard for the genre > Entertainment: Barring а slight problem with repetition, this is hands-down one of the best single-player experiences to date > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 9 1 have been waiting for this title for so long that once it arrived and | started play- ing through it, the game was both just as sweet as | thought it was going to be, and disappointing at the same time. On the plus side, the game is gorgeous and even ran well on my less- than-cutting-edge computer at home. The horror ele- ments ~ like the dark cor- ridors and surprise attacks from the shadows ~ had me shaking in my boots and screaming expletives at the screen on a fairly constant basis, but the game itself is rather basic in design. ‘Add to that the fact that the ‘multiplayer elements are rather limited, and Doom 3 ends up being a solid game, but not the life-chang- ing event | had so hoped it would be. Definitely worth. playing, but Far Cry is still the best shooter I've played so - far this year. —ANDY [| рү, TIMEGATE А oO Violence ©2004 Atari Interactive, lnc. All Rights Reserved. AXIS & ALLIES is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc. Used with permission. GameSpy and the "Powered by GameSpy” design are trademarks of GameSpy Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the properly of their respective owners ©2004, ATI Technologies Inc. ATI and the ATI Togo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. Kohan ІІ: Kings of War > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER GATHERING > DEVELOPER TIMEGATE STUDIOS > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 7 > ESRB T MICROMANAGE THIS Sovereigns, the short and sweet is that it was a breath of fresh air in a then-stagnant genre. By smoothly incorporating traditionally board- game concepts into a real-time strategy framework, it garnered several awards and a healthy fanbase. Strangely enough, those same fans are likely going to be the ones who are the most upset with Kohan 11. For better or worse, much of the innovation of the first title has been boiled down to its core concepts, a more standard RTS framework. The upshot of this, though, is that Kohan II is an extremely accessible game to veterans and newbies alike. The most distinguishing feature of Kohan II is that you don't control your units much at all. Beyond choosing their formation and telling them where to move and when to run for their lives, you don't have much hands-on control. All on their own, they'll choose targets, fire off special abilities, and manage buffs/debuffs. Whether or not that sounds like a good idea to you should indicate if you'll like this game. However, keep in mind that it does free up your attention to deal with managing multiple Creatures mysterious and magical populate Kohan‘ 5 world | 144 GAME INFORMER f you're unfamiliar with 2001's Kohan: Immortal and the majority of the gameplay is shoehomed into armies, building up your towns, and keeping your economy rolling. The rest of Kohan II's structure is very well done. The ability to create custom companies of troops is really the foundation of everything — what resources you have will determine what sort of units you'll be able to afford and supply, and your opponents’ army composi- tion may be open to stomping by a certain combination of your own forces. Additionally, you'll need different units for various tasks. Smashing their city's walls with your Bone Golems or cata- pults and marching in with your infantry while outflanking their reinforcements with your cavalry will net much better results than futilely trying to shoot over the ramparts with vulnerable archers. Unfortunately, while Kohan II really nails most of the elements of gameplay and strategy, the single-player campaign is a bit of a joke. The story is cliched and uninteresting, cutscenes are good for Battles have a tendency to get rather large “ ..ап extremely accessible game to veterans and newbies alike." Companies will break and flee if their morale drops too far n nothing but being fast-forwarded, and the heroes are so far from balanced it makes me cranky. Plus, even RTS newbies might want to pump up the dif- ficulty once they get over the initial learning curve — normal mode is a total pushover for anyone with any understanding of basic strategy. Multiplayer can, as always, really extend your time with Kohan II, though. As unfair as the campaign heroes may be, | didn’t notice any glaring imbal- ances in skirmish games. All in all, Kohan II is a good solid RTS slugfest with some interesting elements. Veterans of the genre should enjoy the variations on strategy that it brings, while the Al-controlled combat keeps gameplay accessible to newcom- ers to the genre. It may not be the revolution that fans of the original might have wanted, but you can't argue with the fact that it's a hell of a good time.—ADAM ? Concept: Keep the core ideas of Kohan intact while moving the. series more into line with RTS conventions > Graphics: More or less aver- age. Environments are often bland, but models are nicely detailed > Sound: Other than the wretched cutscene voiceovers, you won't notice it one way or the other > Playability: There's less to micromanage here than in most RTSs, letting you concentrate more on overall strategy - which is a good thing > Entertainment: Ain't nothing wrong with mixing up the RTS genre a bit, so long as it's done well. Fortunately, this is > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 8 25, a -PEN LX a 9% 4- 20 MOST COMPETITION AGIC INE | ONE ; [ 01282424; ~H BEST REWARDS : 22 p A УУ Sa P 7 Р a QUA ҮЗ . A ^ ` ін ме 3 thering, the 4t « * 2# Ф symbols and the Wizards of це loast оо ай ‘Of the Coast, юс 2004, м GAME BOY ADVANCE Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (2-PLAYER VIA LINK CABLE) > PUBLISHER UBISOFT/LUCASARTS > DEVELOPER UBISOFT MONTREAL > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 21 > ESRB E THESE AREN'T THE GAMES YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ou might be under the impression that there is something new to be found and enjoyed by partaking of Apprentice. I'll save you the trouble and tell you that there isn't. You could fit the amount of innovation this game has into Yoda's shoe. What's that you say? Yoda doesn't wear shoes? Exactly. Apprentice of the Force can't help but draw comparisons to the memorable Super Star Wars series of the SNES days. In fact, some aspects of the game are nearly identical, down to the moves available to Luke with his lightsaber. As | started playing, | was pretty excited to rejoin my childhood heroes in the tale | know so well. But it only takes a few minutes to realize that the boring level design and end- lessly repetitive combat is going to kill that buzz before you know it. Let me tell you what lies in store: Expect to spend most of your time jamming the B button again and again to mow down stormtroopers (who knew Luke was so violent?). Then you'll play a derivative version of Asteroids as you approach the Death Star. No, I'm not kidding. You'll also have some frustrating platform jump- ing to navigate. Finally, expect to have beaten and be done with the game within a few hours. That about sums it up. While this new entry into the Star Wars canon certainly looks good, it somehow loses the magic of the movies and feels flat and lifeless. But, if you don’t mind the lack of innovation, this new Star Wars game might keep you entertained for an after- noon.— MILLER 146 GAME INFORMER BOTTOM LINE 6 > Concept: The original tril- ogy is rehashed yet again in a Side-scroller you'll swear you've played before > Graphics: Excellent animation and familiar backgrounds look great on the GBA > Sound: You've heard these tunes so many times your unborn children will come out humming them > Playability: This simplistic fighting system leads you down that well-trodden path to the dark side - button mashing > Entertainment: Lacking the charm of its namesake, this plays like a million other games you've already beaten > Replay Value: Low Second Opinion 6 GAME BOY ADVANCE Kirby and the Amazing Mirror > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 4-PLAYER VIA LINK) > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER HAL LABORATORY/FLAGSHIP > RELEASE OCTOBER 18 > ESRB Е KIRBY YOUR ENTHUSIASM ere's the gist: It's Kirby, and as you would expect, it's fun. There's more to get into, but the series has basically boiled down to an expected level of consistently solid entries with a few upgrades to differentiate one from another. The Amazing Mirror falls squarely into this pattern. The new game's big selling Point is its four-player mode. In the beginning of the adventure, Kirby is quartered by Meta Knight and four differently-col- ored marshmallows set off on their journey to (shock!) save the world. When playing solo, gamers can call the other Kirby colors (on a cell phone, natch) to come help out — usually they'll have been off exploring and will have absorbed different copy abilities that could be useful. You have a limited number of times to get in touch with the peeps, so | used mine mostly for boss fights and the occasional puzzle where 1 needed a different skill. What this plot device does facili- tate though, is a builtin way to do four-player gameplay. Each player who wants in on the story mode needs a cartridge, but it isn't that way with all of the game's multi- player options. Three four-player minigames, which are bizarre at > Concept: Kirby four-play (get 10 There are four Kirby guys) with the franchise's signature bells and whistles > Graphics: As delightful and colorful as one would expect from a Nintendo handheld title > Sound: Nice little sound effects and subtle enough ditties that you won't immediately be turning the volume down > Playability: Like Othello ~ а minute to learn, and a lifetime to master > Entertainment: {t's Kirby; it's fun > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 7.75 best, are available with just one cart. A good time for sure, but nothing to rock the average person's socks right off their stinky little feet. — LISA GAME BOY ADVANCE Pokémon Fire Red/ Leaf Green > STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME (2 OR 4-PLAYER VIA WIRELESS ADAPTER) > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER GAME FREAK > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 7 > ESRB E DIFFERENT SHADES OF THE SAME COLOR nall honesty, | had a lot of fun with this game. The immature child in me loved giving nicknames like "Dumpface" to my captured companions, and the collector in me became absorbed in level- ing the little guys up. However, these features are nothing new or innovative; they were all intact when Pokémon Red and Blue released six years ago, and this game is really more of a direc- tor's cut than a new installment. However, the new bells and whistles streamline gameplay and make this title much more fun than | was expecting. There are some strides in new directions with the addition of the wireless adapter (included with the game), which allows up to 40 trainers to hang out in the Union Room where they can organize battles or just chat with each other. Though the adapter is pretty slick, and much more portable than a link cable, it doesn't feel like a tool to strengthen gameplay as much as it seems like a gimmick to mask the fact that this is a mar- ginally enhanced re-release of a Game Boy game. Yes, the graphics and anima- tions are improved, along with some updated moves and the option to select a female trainer. Still, like mortuary cosmetics, these things just serve to gussy up a corpse to make it more appealing. Now, | like a good round of kick-the-cadaver as much as the next guy, but only diehard Pokémon fans will notice the new features. Though they do ease up the gameplay considerably, it'll still look like the same old Pokémon to everyone else.—JOE TT ? Concept: Remake Pokémon Red and Blue, the Romulus and Remus of the Pokémon empire > Graphics: Compared to other handheld Pokémon titles, this is tops. Compared to other hand- held games in general, utterly unremarkable > Sound: On par with the best internal speakers of 1987 > Playability: The new interface is nice, but at its core the game is still just a bunch of menus > Entertainment: |! you enjoy obsessive collecting, this is your holy grail. Otherwise, it can be a toilet bowl of tedium > Replay Value: High Second Opinion 8.25 NDHELD QUICKIES GAME BOY ADVANCE Mega Man Zero 3 > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER CAPCOM > DEVELOPER CAPCOM > RELEASE OCTOBER 18 > ESRB E f you always wondered how Zero got so much more awesome than X, here's your answer: While X was brought up largely on forgiving, well- planned stages, Zero was weaned on merciless and poorly-designed levels packed with treacherous ter- rain and one-hit kills around every corner. Growing up in a neighborhood like that is liable to toughen a robot up a bit. Sadly, even his thick skin isn't enough to save Zero from the frustrations that plague his third solo outing. It follows the same familiar Mega Man pattern, though few improve- character, this game is just too much of the same, and virtually inaccessible to anyone who doesn't want to memorize every inch of i. —JOE GAME BOY ADVANCE Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (2-PLAYER VIA LINK CABLE OR WIRELESS ADAPTER) > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER WEBFOOT TECHNOLOGIES > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14 > ESRB E ments have been made from the previous two entries. While Zero is still a sweet BOTTOM LINE hen | was in first grade, | wrote a story about flying sentient deodorant invading earth, and it was up to a young hero to stop them. The storyline was incoherent, the illustrations were appalling, and the charac- 11 ters were devoid of personality or nuance. Still, my story was better than Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury. The scope of this title covers the final third of the Legacy of Goku storyline, but it does so in splotchy, episodic segments relying on the most generic "walk around, talk to people, and fight things" formula. If you're not a DBZ fan, this game will remind you why. If you are, it will fill you with an urge to plug in your VHS recordings of the real show and leave this rub- GAME BOY ADVANCE bish alone. Buu-urns.—JOE BOTTOM М LINE Thunderbirds > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER VIVENDI UNIVERSAL > DEVELOPER VIVENDI UNIVERSAL > RELEASE AUGUST 4 > ESRB E ұ шашы 9 111 еу kids, why don't you go get the keycard to open the hangar? It's in the basement, right past the columns of fire” Thunderbirds takes flame avoidance and box pushing to new levels. The supposed draw of this title is that you can control three characters at once, but the reality is that you just have more to worry about as you progress through various puzzle rooms. After each box-shoving, flame-dodging, pit-jumping fiesta you're rewarded with an isomet- ric flying stage that would have been really cool by 1984 standards, in which you try to avoid such incredible hazards as birds and weather balloons. Both styles of play work perfectly, but you'd be hard pressed to find a title with more sheer, concentrated boringosity. Like the movie, expect this one to fly way below everyone's radar. — JEREMY |22 reviews GAME BOY ADVANCE Mario Pinball Land > STYLE 1-РГАҮЕК ACTION > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER NINTENDO > RELEASE OCTOBER 4 > ESRB E ario Pinball Land's greatest strength — the developers' ability to transform pinball to take on design elements of platforming and adventure games — is also its greatest weakness. For this reason, | suspect your opinion of Mario Pinbal Land will depend on which part of its title you most crave — "Mario" or "Pinball" One thing is sure - this is a fascinating experiment. Instead of traditional pinball table designs, each level is more akin to that of an iso- metric action title. They are usually fairly sparse, populated by goombas, ghosts, and other familiar Mario оез that roam the expanse, Instead of really mastering one board, the еу is to advance past a series of gates (which oftentimes are opened by hitting switches or performing other feats of pinball skill) to further areas of each world. Usually, these journeys will take you to a "boss battle" of sorts, which can often open up something in another stage. You can also drop your bal into cannons, which can be used to "warp" THE PLUMBER'S SILVER BALLS to other worlds. All in all, it's a fairly impressive bit of level design. In addition, there are shops where you can buy power-ups and a few minigames. However, I think this desire to innovate in the genre comes at the expense of what's ultimately good about pinball itself. Many of the things that 1 consider necessary for a good pinball table — like cool ramps, good bumper layouts, and "traps" - are missing from Mario Pinball Land. After awhile, you'll have seen every cool trick and hidden area that the game throws at you, but you won't keep coming back because there's not one individual stage that has that incredibly addictive "I could play this until | die" feeling that you get from a well-made traditional pinball machine.— MATT 7 Concept: A novel melding of platformer level design and das- sic pinball action 7 Graphics: As always, Nintendo delivers top quality on the GBA > Sound: Catchy tunes in the tradition of Mario's 8- and 16-bit games 7 Playability: The flipper action is dead-on, and the ball physics seem fairly accurate > Entertainment: It's good, but | can't help but thinking this could have been so much better > Replay Value: Moderately High TOP 20 Listings Based Upon NPD Data For July 2004 Based On Units Sold Welcome to a very special "Thoug accidentally went to a football following are all actual reactions that v an advanced mind-reading technolc beyond your comprehen: 2 ESPN NFL 2K5 (PS2) rom a nerd who tion of charts. The ecorded with at is, quite frankly, ck Tales VHS tap It's no goyles, bu to bed and | can dip into m ll pass the tim p All N m, Lc lled Bisma: саї-еаг ой оп Dr. Spock. М 5 NCAA FOOTBALL 2005 (ХВ0Х) me! | thought this v onder | couldn't see a money back! On the ott entirely unaroused. Tight end, indeed! 148 GAME INFORMER Rank Title L. Mo. | System | Score Release] Price NCAA Football 2005 МА | PS2 | 9:25 [07/04] $49 ESPN NFL 2K5 N/A | Ps2 | 95 |07/04| $19 Spider-Man 2 1 | ps2] 8 |07/04| $49 ESPN NFL 2K5 N/A |XBOX| 95 |07/04| $19 NCAA Football 2005 МА |XBOX| 9.25 [06/04 | $49 Spider-Man 2 5 |хвох| в |06/04| $49 Spider-Man 2 МА | GBA | 7 |05/04| $28 Spider-Man 2 N/A | GC | в |06/04| $48 Driv3r 4 | ps2} 6 |06/04| $49 Tales of Symphonia N/A | GC | 8.75 |07/04| $50 -Gi-Oh! Yu-Gi-Oh! д МА | GBA | 45 |06/04| $30 Reshef of Destruction Halo 12 |XBOX| 95 |11/01 $28 Mario vs. Donkey Kong 10 | GBA | 75 |05/04| $31 Super Mario Bros. 9 |GBA| 9 |06/04| $19 Dragon Ball 5 А N/A | GBA | 55 |05/04| $29 Supersonic Warriors Pokémon Ruby N/A | GBA | 7.25 |03/03| $33 MVP Baseball 2004 18 | Ps2 | 925 |03/04| $48 Driv3r 14 |XBOX| 6 |06/04| $49 Mega Man Anniversary e Collection Mega Man Anniversary ||! (о! ео Collection Source: The NPD Group/NPD Funworld ®/TRSTS* + David Riley 516-625-2277 OP 10 JAPAN Rank Title L. Mo. System Final Fantasy І & 11 Advance МА GBA Hi Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door N/A (00 ІН Guilty Gear Isuka N/A PS2 ГТ one Piece Land Land MA PS2 (ED) Boxtai 2 NA GBA Û Power Pro Baseball 11 NA PS2 А Full Metal Alchemist МА | GBA е | Power Pro Compact 1 & 2 N/A GBA GBA PS2 Legends N/A Mega Man X Command Mission N/A Source: Game Japan Based On Monthly Units Sold P 10 GI Rank Title L. Mo. System Fable N/A Xbox Doom 3 NA PC Mortal Kombat: Deception N/A Multi EX Burnout 3: Takedown N/A Multi ГІ sty 2: Band of Thieves ША PS2 6 | Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone NA PS2 ESPN NFL 2k5 1 Multi Colin McRae Rally 2005 N/A Xbox [ГЇ Kohan Il: Kings of War NA PC Katamari Damacy NA PS2 Rank Title L.Mo. Price ІШІ City of Heroes 1 $48 [2] Rise of Nations 3 $36 [3] The Sims Deluxe 10 $20 Far Cry 5b. $38 The Sims: Superstar NA $21 Û The Sims Mega Deluxe МА $36 ÛU | Age of Mythology NA $33 7 Battlefield Vietnam 4 $38 С Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight М/А $32 [Î | Halo: Combat Evolved T 1822 Based On Monthly Units Sold 7 FEMP WIRELESS. The NFL's biggest playmakers come together on the world's smallest playing field. 32 NFL teams. Modeled to perform as they do in real life. Play an entire season. The playoffs and the big game. Grab NFL Football 2005, player ringtones and more at THOsports.com. › 69847 (MYTHO). ENOUGH TALK. LET'S PLAY. i | Download the game direct to your phone now. Text NFL PLAYSTATION 2 Airforce Delta Strike Alias All-Star Baseball 2005 American Idol Armored Core; Nexus Asterix & Obelix XXL Astro Boy Athens 2004 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Il Battlestar Galactica Bujingai: The Forsaken City 725 Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 475 Carmen Sandiego; Тһе Secret of the Stolen Drums 6 Catwoman 475 Celebrity Deathmatch 235 Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest. 875 Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers 5,5 Corvette 5 Crimson Sea 2 7 Crimson Tears 5 Cy Girls 4 Destruction Derby Arenas 675 Dog's Ше 7 Dot Hack Vol. 4: Quarantine 25 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 75 Drakengard 75 Driv3r 6 Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires 7 Echo Night: Beyond 6 ESPN Major League Baseball 75 ESPN NFL 2K5 95 ESPN NHL 2K5 8 EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers 75 EyeToy: Groove 6 Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 8 Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly 9 Fight Night 2004 9 Final Fantasy XI 775 Firefighter FD. 18 5 Front Mission 4 725 Fugitve Hunter. 55 Future Tactics: The Uprising 525 Galactic Wrestling Featuring Ultimate Muscle 425 Ghosthunter 65 Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm. 75 Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde 8 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 65 Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone 5 Hitman: Contracts 725 Hot Shots Golf Fore! 9 Hot Wheels World Race 6 HNinja 75 Intellivision Lives 5 James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing 85 Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 825 La Pucelle: Tactics 8 Legacy of Kain: Defiance. 8 Lifeline 875 Looney Tunes: Back in Action 5 Lowrider 5 Lupin the 3rd: Treasure of the Sorceror King 535 Madden NFL 2005 875 Mafia 775 Manhunt 9.25 Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne 8 Maximo VS. Army of Zin 25 McFarlane's Evil Prophecy 4 Mega Man Anniversary Collection — 9 Mission Impossible Operation Surma 775 MLB 2005 85 MLB Slugfest Loaded 625 Monster 4X4: Masters of Metal 65 MTV Music Generator 5 8 MTX: Mototrax 75 МУР Basebell 2004: 925 MX Unleashed 8 NASCAR 2005: Chase for ће Сир 8.75 Naval Ops: Commander 6 NBA Ballers 8 NCAA Football 2005 925 NCAA March Madness 2004 825 NFL Street 775 NHL 2005 85 Nightshade 65 Onimusha Blade Warriors 8 Onimusha 3: Demon Siege 9 Phantom Brave 8 Pitfall Harry 6 Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy 9 150 GAME INFORMER ARCHIVE Puyo Pop Fever 725 R: Racing Evolution 7 Rainbow Six 3 7 Red Dead Revolver 8 Resident Evil: Outbreak 75 Ribbit King 7 Rise to Honor 7 Romance of the Three Kingdoms Х 7 RPG Maker Il 55 Relype Final 675 Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku — 6 Samurai Warriors 75 Scooby Dool: Mystery Mayhem — 4 Second Sight 85 Serious Sam: The Next Encounter 775 Seven Samurai 20ХХ 5 Showdown: Legends of Wrestling 6 Shrek 2 7 Silent Hill 4: The Room 85 Sims: Bustin’ Out, The 925 Siren 625 Smash Court Pro Toumament2 5 Sonic Heroes 775 Spawn: Armageddon 65 Spider-Man 2 8 Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow 8.75 Spy Hunter 2 6 Star Ocean: Till the End of Time 825 Street Fighter Anniversary Collection 8 Strike Force Bowling Suffering, The 825 Syphon Filter: The Omega Stein 85 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 5.75 Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 675 Transformers 7 Trivial Pursuit Unhinged 5 UEFA Euro 2004 Portugal 725 UFC Sudden impact 65 Van Helsing 7 Virtual-On Marz 5 Viewtiful Joe 95 Way of the Samurai 2 325 Whiplash 4 Winning Eleven 7 925 World Tour Soccer 2005 65 Worms 3D 8 Wrath Unleashed 6 WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain 85 xi 7 X-Files: Resist Or Serve 65 GAMECUBE 625 1080* Avalanche Amazing Island Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu Beyond Good And Evil Bionicle Bomberman Jetters Catwoman 475 Custom Robo 535 Disney's Hide and Sneak 35 Dragon Ball 7: Budokai 725 Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles 7 Future Tactics: The Uprising 525 Go! Gol Hypergrind! 775 Goblin Commander. Unleash the Horde 8 Gotcha Force 7 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 65 Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life 8 Hobbit, The 625 James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing 85 Kirby Air Ride 7 Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, The 8 Lord of the Ring The Return d fe King, The Madden NFL 2005 875 Mario Kart: Double Dash 925 Mario Party 5 2 Medal of Honor: Rising Sun 75 Mega Man Anniversary Collection 9 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Monster 4X4: Masters of Metal MVP Baseball 2004 NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Сир NBA Live 2004 NCAA Football 2005 Need For Speed: Underground NFL Street NHL 2005 Pac-Man Vs. Phantasy Star Online Episode IIl Pitfall Harry Pokémon Channel Pokémon Colosseum Pool Paradise. R: Racing Evolution 7 Rainbow Six 3 575 Ribbit King 7 Samurai Jack The Shadow of Aku 6 Scooby Dool: Mystery Mayhem 4 Second Sight 85 Sims: Bustin’ Out, The 9 Serious Sam: The Next Encounter 7.75 Shrek 2 7 Sonic Heroes 775 Spider-Man 2 8 Spirits and Spells 2 Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow 875 Tales of Symphonia 875 Tony Hawk's Underground 875 True Crime: Streets of LA 8 WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games 7 Worms 3D Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom e: 5 Alias 75 All-Star Baseball 2005 7 Armed and Dangerous 8 Arx Fatalis 75 Auto Modellista 75 Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home 55 Battlestar Galactica 65 Beyond Good and Evil 8 Blowout 65 Breakdown 75 Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon в Cane Catwoman К e Celebrity MAL 275 Chronides of Escape. fom Buche Butcher Bay, The сг Colin McRae Rally 4 Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers 5 5 сн = 75 Ci Rond i Revenge E Curse: The Eye of Isis 6.75 Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 8 Dead Man's Hand 775 Deus Ес Invisible War 9 Dinosaur Hunting Drake of the 99 Dragons 125 Driv3r 6 Elder Scrolls ІІ: Morrowind GOTY Edition, The 775 ESPN Major League Baseball 75 ESPN NFL 2K5 95 ESPN NHL 2K5 8 Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 8 Fight Night 2004 3 Freestyle Street Soccer 4 Full Spectrum Warrior 825 Future Tactics: The Uprising 525 Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde 8 Grabbed Бу the Ghoulies 45 Grand Theft Auto lil/Vice City 10 Guilty Gear X2 Reload 825 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 65 Haunted Mansion, The 7 Hitman: Contracts 725 IndyCar Series 2005 65 James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing 85 Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death 675 Kill Switch 75 Legacy of Kain: Defiance 8 Lord of the Ri The Retum of the King The 825 Madden NFL 2005 8. 75 Mafia Magic: The Gathering Battlegrounds е Маке Manhunt % Мах 2: The Fall of Max Payne 875 Maximum Chase 7 Medal of Honor: Rising Sun 775 Metal Slug 5 8 Mission Impossible: Operation Suma 775 MLB Slugfest Loaded 625 MTV Music Generator 3 8 MIX: Mototrax 75 MVP Baseball 2004 925 MX Unleashed 8 NASCAR 2005: Chase forthe Сир 875 NBA Ballers 8 NBA Inside Drive 2004 65 NCAA Football 2005 925 Need For Speed: Underground 925 NFL Street 775 The Really Ugly Page Where You Can See Lots Of Old Review Scores NHL 2005 85 NHL Rivals 2004 575 Ninja Gaiden 95 Pikmin 2 8 р Pitfall Harry Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time эз Pro Fishin ETE 425 Mindgate Conspiracy - Rainbow Six 3 Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow i RalliSport Challenge 2 725 Red Dead Revolver 8 Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown 675 Samurai Warriors. 775 Scooby Dool: Mystery Mayhem 4 Second Sight 85 Secret Weapons Over Normandy 75 Sega GT Online 775 Shadow Ops: Red Mercury Showdown: Legends of Wrestling 6 Shrek 2 7 Silent Hill 4: The Room 85 Silent Scope Complete 8 Spawn: Armageddon 65 Spider-Man 2 8 Splinter Сей: Pandora Tomorrow 9.5 Spy Hunter 2 6 Star Trek: Shattered Universe 55 ‘Star Wars: Jedi Academy 8 Steel Battalion: Line of Contact 75 Strike Force Bowling 5 Sudeki 775 Suffering The 8.25 Tenchu: Retum From Darkness 725 Thief: Deadly Shadows 725 TOCA Race Driver 2 25 Tony Hawk's Underground 875 Trivial Pursuit Unhinged 5 True Crime: Streets of LA 85 Unreal Il: The Awakening 8 UEFA Euro 2004 Portugal 725 Van Helsing 7 Whiplash 4 World Championship Pool 2004 6.75 Worms 3D 8 Wrath Unleashed 75 XI 7 Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny — 6 Age of Mythology: The Titans Aura: Fate of the Ages Battlefield Vietnam Besieger Black Mirror, The Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour Commandos 3: Destination Berlin 6 Contract JACK. 55 Counter-Strike: Condition Zero 775 Dark Age of Camelot: Trials of Atlantis 8 Delta Force — Black Hawk Down: Team Sabre 8 Desert Rats vs. Afrika Korps 6 Deus Ex: Invisible War 95 Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna 75 Empires: Dawn of the Modem World 8.25 Far Gy 925 Final Fantasy ХІ 8 Gangland 65 Ground Control Il: Operation Exodus 8.5 Halo: Combat Evolved 875 Hidden & Dangerous 2 6 Horizons: Empire of Istaria 2j Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising 85 Korea: Fogotten Conflict 5 Lineage Il: The Chaotic Chronide 725 Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring, The 675 Lords of EverQuest 75 2: The Fall of Max Payne. 925 Medal of Honor Allied. Assault: Breakthrough 9 Missing: Since January 65 Nemesis of the Roman Empire 7.75 Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark 85 Northland 8 Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi 3 One Must Fall: Battlegrounds 8 Painkiller 85 Patrician Ш 7 Perimeter 775 шо4 Pirate Hunter: Seize and Destroy 6 — Jan-04 PlanetSide: Core Combat 5 Jan-04 Republic: The Revolution Dec-03 Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots 8 Juk04 Sacred 775 Jun-04 Silent Storm 775 Feb-04 SimCity 4: Rush Hour 75 Dec-03 Sims: Makin’ Magic, The 775 бес05 Singles: Flirt Up Your Ше 7 Aug-04 Soldiers: Heroes of World War II 5 Ацо Space Colony 7 Decos SpellForce: The Order of Dawn 775 Mar04 Star Wars; Knights of the Old Republic 95 Feb04 Syberia Il 675 Арг-04 Thief: Deadly Shadows 725 М4 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword 725 Мау04 UFO; Aftermath 825 бес05 Unreal Tournament 2004 95 Uru: Ages Beyond Myst 825 Dec-03 Uru: The Path of the Shell 825 бер04 Warlords Battlecry ІІ 775 Аи 04 Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc 75 Арг04 Worms 3D 8 Маго! X2: The Threat 7 ьо GAME BOY ADVANCE Astro Boy: Omega Factor 85 Аш04 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. 825 Feb04 Batman: The Rise of Sin Tzu 7 Mar-04 Blackthorne Catwoman Cima: The Enemy Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rage Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Donkey Kong Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors Dragon Ball Z Taiketsu Duel Masters: Sempai Legends Fire Emblem Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town ке Nine James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing Justice League Chronicles King of Fighters ЕХ2: Howling Blood, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Madden NFL 2005 Mario Golf: Advance Tour 8 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 95 Mario vs. Donkey Kong 75 Max Payne 775 Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge 6 Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun/Blue Moon 7 Metroid Zero Mission as Mighty Beanz Pocket Puzzles 6 Mission Impossible: Operation Surma 625 Pitfall: The Lost Expedition. 6 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 8.25 River City Ransom EX 8 R-Type Ill: The Third Lightning 625 Sabrewulf 65 Scooby Doo! Mystery Mayhem 6 Shining For Resurrection of the Dark Dragon 75 Shining Soul Il 75 Sims: Bustin' Out, The 85 Sonic Advance 3 675 Sonic Battle 6 Sound of Thunder, A 45 Spider-Man 2 7 Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow 8 Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs 55 Spyro Orange: е Cortex Conspiracy 575 55Х 3 4 Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon 225 Super Duper Sumos 6 Super Mario Bros. 9 Sword of Mana 775 Tak and the Power of Juju 5 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 75 Tony Hawk's Underground 75 Top Gear Rally 8 Ultimate Card Games 7 Wade Hixton's Counter Punch 75 Yu-Gi-Oh!: Reshef of Destruction 4.5 Yu-Gi-Oh: The Sacred Cards 75 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2004 65 Exclusive Offers For GAMEINFORMER Readers Preowned PlayStation 2 Preowned GameCube and controller with ^ and controller with Preowned ; х ЁРЕ Preowned Legend of Psi-Ops Game 5 ГААР. Zelda: Wind Waker X-Men Legends station 2 Shadow Hearts: НЫШ Tony Hawk + Terminator 3 Жмем Order now and receive 7 à Covenant my. Underground 2 suse Order now and receive У i INS : à с | a Bonus DVD FREE! a FREE X-Men Comic È Order now and receive A Order now and receive : _ the original Shadow Ы F a FREE Tony Hawk / Hearts game FREE! i» DVD! FREE BONUS рур Code: B281066A Code: B220444A Expected October 2004 ad by Phone: 15409-05 45 19- GET CASH Trad eSto p (8:00am -7:00pm CST Saturday - Sunday) For your games, $999 TRADE IN - CASH OUT Order Online: МАТА DVDs, and music CDs www tradestop.com and Controller with us E FREE ss саев» Ж ез FREE DVD CODE: B909063BF Ұ y ^ = _ CODE: В645795А Preowned Xbox к Leisure Suit Larry : = Dead or Alive EverQuest 2 DVD ome: Total War ҒА Order now and receive Ultimate Collector's Edition Order now and receive a FREE X-Men Comic T Expected November 2004 Order now and a FREE Bonus DVD! Book! Vor ERE prd iri ТА, ve receive an EQ2 a ae ote. Character Creator Figure! FREE! | | 2 М Expected November 2004 May not be combined with any other offers. Offers end October 31st, 2004 or while supplies last. GameStop.com reserves the right to limit quantities or orders. No substitutions Shipping offers good within continental United States only, excluding PO Box or APO/FPO addresses. Listed prices do not include shipping and handling. Prices are subject to change at any time. Not responsible for misprints or typos UNLIMITED ENABLED Mortal Kombat: Deception AC Bloody Finishers Straight From The Creators Ed Boon and the good people at Midway are unveiling five of Deception’s bloody finishers right here in the pages of Game Informer. These sequences must be entered at the end of the match. э Jade's Spear Fatality - Away, Towards, Up, Towards, Attack 1 LES i 228 = Kobra's Heart Rip Fatality – Down, Away, Towards, Down, Attack 4 SubZero’s Head Rip Fatality - Towards, Away, Down, Towards, Attack 2 152 GAME INFORMER kenstt ums: i Lower Mines Death Traps t Pictured here аге the three locations of the + Death Traps in the lower mines level. You'll 1 need to knock your opponent into these areas i to finish them off. Attention All Cheaters! Cheat codes, by their very nature, are in many cases buggier than Virginia in August. So, unless you don't mind re-doing those 70 hours you put into the latest game, do yourself a favor and back up your save before using any codes. On a lighter note, you can send your codes to secretaccess@gameinformer.com for a chance to be featured here and win a very special prize! PLAYSTATION 2 Funkmaster Fl i i Enter these at the main menu. A message will confirm correct entry. Unlock Hidden Skin 1 - Select, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Ri Unlock Hidden Skin 2 - Select, Left (x2), Right (x2), Left (x2), Right (x2), Left (x2), Right (x2) Unlock Hidden Skin 3 - Select, Left (x3), Right (x3), Left (x3), Right (x3) Unlock Hidden Skin 4 - Select, Left (x4), Right (x4), Left (x4) Unlock Hidden Track ~ Select, Up, Down, Left, Right, Up, Down, Left, Right, Up, Down, Left, Ri Enter these during gameplay, except for the Level Skip code which should be entered at the Story Mode game select menu. A sound will confirm correct entry. Big Heads - Up, Left, Down, Left, Down, Up (х2), Left Blur Effect - L1, Left, L1, Left, КІ, Right, КІ, Right Low-Grav - Up (x6), Down, Right, Up. Enter these codes at the main menu or while paused during gameplay. Your controller will vibrate to confirm entry. Extra Pitch Break - Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Up (2) Extra Pitch Speed - Up (x5), Left (x4), Right Extra Pitches - Down, Up, Down, Right (x4), Left Huge Ball - Up (x2), Right, Left, Up (x2), Right, Left Huge Heads - Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Down, Up, Down Noxious Sound Effects - Right (x6), Left, Down Run Faster - Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Up 02) Run Slower - Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Down (2) Tiny Heads - Up, Down, Up (x2), Right (x3), Left Unlock Players - Left, Up, Left, Right, Down, Right, Left, Up Unlock Stadiums - Down, Up, Left, Right, Up, Up, Down Unlock Teams - Left, Right (x2), Down (x2), Left, Up (0) Unlock Uniforms - Right, Down, Up wn, Right, Left, Down, "Gl Droid” (location unknown — last seen peeing in the Olympic swimming pool. How do you like your gold now, Michael Phelps?) Code of the Month Doom 3 Hordes of Hell proving a bit much for you? Just really want to blow some stuff up? These are for you. During gameplay hold Ctrl+Alt+tilde [~] to drop the command console, then enter these codes to hook it up. CHEATS All Keys - give keys All Weapons, Ammo, Health, and Armor - give all Freeze Everything Onscreen - freeze God Mode - god Most Enemies Won't Attack — notarget Pass Through Objects - noclip LEVELS Type "devmap game/[map name]" in the console to teleport yourself to the beginning of whichever map you want. The levels are listed in order. marscity l.map mcunderground.map marscity2.map admin.map alphal.map alpha2.map alpha3.map alpha4.map enpro.map commout.map communications.map recycling 1.map recycling2.map monorail.map deltal.map delta2a.map delta2b.map delta3.map delta4.map hell.map delta5.map cpul.map cpuboss.map site3.map caverns].map caverns2.map hellhole.map MONSTERS Type "spawn monster [name]" to spawn the monster right in front of you. The type of monster spawned should be fairly obvious. Note that Hellknights and Archviles are bad for your health — consider using the notarget or god codes so you're not quite as doomed. boss cyberdemon boss guardian boss guardian seeker boss sabaoth boss vagary demon archvile demon cherub demon hellknight demon imp demon maggot demon mancubus demon pinky demon revenant demon tick demon trite demon wraith zombie bernie zombie commando zombie commando cgun zombie fat2 zombie fat wrench zombie jumpsuit zombie jumpsuit eating zombie labcoat zombie limb zombie maint bald zombie maint nojaw zombie maint skinny zombie maint wrench zombie maint zombie maint2 zombie maint flashlight zombie pipe zombie sawyer zombie skinny Zombie suit neckstump zombie suit bloodymouth zombie suit skinny zombie tshirt bald zombie tshirt blown zombie zsec machinegun zombie zsec pistol zombie zsec shield zombie zsec shotgun POWERUPS Adrenaline - spawn powerup adrenaline Berserk - give berserk Megahealth — spawn powerup megahealth Invisibility - spawn powerup_ invisibility Robert Yorbling Wichita, KS secret access Mod World Doom 3 Was there any doubt that the mod community at large would kick it into high gear the instant they got their hands on id's latest masterpiece? Well, they did, but at the moment there aren't too many around, and most of them are minor tweaks - everything from the well-publicized Duct Tape mod (which adds a flashlight effect to certain weapons) to other things like weapon sound packs, а mod that chariges grenades to flares, and one that allows you to crank multiplayer games up to 32 players. Here are some of our favorites so far. Hello Kitty When Hell is encroaching, even the stoutest Marine can find the icy tendrils of fear clutching at his heart. What better way to increase morale than to distribute Hello Kitty- brand flashlights to the grunts? Put a smile on that crucified, disemboweled corpse! Wake the caring in a demon's soul with the incarnation of joy and cuteness shining on their several eyes! Just stop by www.download.com for this and more. You can even pick up the Bat- signal ог the Thundercats logo as alternate flashlights. VariLight Similar to and based on the Duct Tape mod, VariLight effectively glues a flashlight to your weapons. The differences between the two are minor, but we like this one better - the light projected is based on the weapon, so the shotgun will illuminate a wide area while the assault rifle will throw off a tight, focused beam. As an added bonus, the pistol gets a laser sight. You can find this several places on the Web; we got ours from doom3.filefront.com. CelShader Yep, this does about what you would assume, goofy as it is. Doom 3 becomes cel-shaded. You've really got to see it to believe it, but it actually does work. The only caveat is that it boosts the system requirements even higher than they already are — don’t bother trying this unless you've got a fairly high-end card. This is likewise available all over the Web, but doom3.filefront.com had the shortest queues for us. GAME INFORMER 153 secret access Demon Stone 6969 Exclusive Tips From Alyssa Finley, Producer at Stormfront Studios Demon Stone is an intense action game that is equal parts cinematic experience and frenzied gameplay. The game immerses the audience in a story written by best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, bringing some of the classic Forgotten Realms locations and D&D enemies to life. We designed the game to appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers, meaning there’s a lot of depth beneath the simple button mash. Here are a few tips and tricks to maximize your playing experience: SWITCH ON THE FLY: PLAY THE PARTY The crux of the Demon Stone experience is the interaction of the party – they travel together, they fight together, and ultimately, they work as a team. You can switch characters any time you want to during most of the action, which is important because each of our characters has strengths and weaknesses. The most rewarding way to play is to take advantage of all three Characters, choosing the right one to take on the current challenge. RANNEK, THE FIGHTER Rannek can dish out the most punishment and can also withstand it the best. This gives him an advantage fighting large groups of enemies. His history as a fighter includes devastating losses as well as glorious success, and he brings the rage of those losses to bear in every fight he takes on. Rannek can cause grievous damage to multiple enemies with a single combo. ZHAI, THE ROGUE A half-drow raised among Wood Elves, Zhai learned to take care of herself in an often cruel world. Stealth, jumping, and agility are her strengths. She can effectively dodge attacks, making her a powerful asset against enemies with the strength to break through a normal parry. Zhai also has the ability to hide in shadows and ruthlessly backstab enemies who foolishly turn their backs on her, killing them in a single stealthy blow. ILLIUS, THE SORCERER What's a sorcerer's best weapon? Ranged attacks, 154 GAME INFORMER of course, and Illius has a powerful set of ranged spells that he can upgrade as the game unfolds. He also possesses the most powerful shield available in the game. Of course, magic is not all he's got going for him - he had some significant combat training in his past, and can hold his own in hand to hand combat. BLOCKING: A PLAYER'S BEST FRIEND You may be able to survive for a while in Demon Stone without using Block/Evade/Shield, but your game will really improve once you start using it. It's especially critical against enemies with ranged attacks. Rannek can block continually against enemies, even if multiple enemies are attacking him. Zhai doesn't block, but instead evades, ducking out of the way of hits and out of the clutches of enemies. lilius's shield is magical, growing more powerful throughout the game, eventually acting as a weapon as well as a defense. Beware - when you block for too long, clever enemies may use it as an opportunity to pull off a special move on you. COMBOS: VARY THE CARNAGE Combos are a key part of the gameplay experience - so we made them easy to use and remember. Combos are the same for all characters, so it's fluid and seamless to switch characters and keep playing. It's important to note that using combos will charge up your Hero Meter quickly – allowing you to access some über- powerful special attacks. There are three combos to buy for each player: Bull Rush - Sends an enemy reeling backwards Knock-Down - Knocks an enemy to the ground Power Critical - Does maximum damage Different enemies have different weaknesses - so while you may be able to quickly dispatch a Yuan-ti Mutation by knocking him off a cliff, а Troll may not be so vulnerable to this technique. Experimenting with the different combos on the different enemies will help you find the most effective killing path. USING THE HERO METER: TEAM ATTACK, SUPER ATTACK, AND THE TEAM SUPER As you connect with combos and attack with ranged attacks, your "Hero Meter" (the meter in the middle of the HUD) will charge up. There are several different ways to use this power: the Team Attack, the Super Attack, and the Team Super. The team attack button allows you to call one of the other party members over to give you a hand when you really need it. When your "Hero Meter" is at least 1/3 ІШІ, you can call the team attack. This makes the game go into a special "team attack mode," giving your allies the chance to come to your aid and wreak major havoc on the enemy who is currently attacking you. It is important to note that your teammates cannot be summoned unless they are within a certain distance. The Fighter's Whirlwind Attack, the Rogue's Manyshot, and the Sorcerer's Mystra's Might are all "Super" attacks that have a powerful effect on all enemies in the area around the player. In order to use these attacks, you must build up your Hero Meter by attacking enemies until the character's Hero Meter Gem lights up. Once it is lit, you can jump into the middle of the fray and unleash some serious killing power. The most powerful attack in the game is the Team Super - a combination of all three individual Super attacks. If all three characters’ Hero Meters are charged, you can use the Team Super to attack with massive damage, and in most cases kill almost every enemy on screen. As an added incentive to charge up and use this über-powerful attack, every time you use a Team Super you will get bonus experience points awarded at the end of the level - allowing you to. upgrade your characters even more for the next set of challenges. UPGRADES: SOME "DON'T MISS" ITEMS Demon Stone offers a lot of skill and item upgrades, and there are some that the players really won't want to miss. All characters - Knock Down Combo and Coup de Grace. The Knock Down combo combined with the Coup de Grace is one of the most effective ways to dispatch enemies quickly — minimizing the damage to you and maximizing the damage to the baddies. Rannek - Riposte Attack. This attack allows Rannek to attack after a block, and can be a VERY effective strategic addition to the fighter's abilities. This attack also stuns most enemies and is worth saving up for! Zhai - Skill Focus: Hide and Skill Focus: Move Silently. Zhai's stealth abilities are critical in some of the later levels of the game. Give yourself every advantage by snagging her Stealth upgrades. Illius - Pearls of Power. Pearls of Power add additional punch to Illius's spells, making them even more effective and powerful, especially early in the game. USING YOUR TEAM: STRATEGIC PLACEMENT Although the Al handles the characters you're not playing to make sure they're helping out in fights, advanced Demon Stone players can employ certain team based tactics and eliminate enemies even more efficiently. If you switch between the characters at the start of the fight and place them strategically, they will generally stay in the areas you put them as long as they have someone to fight. For instance, the clever player might place Illius behind the party - thereby maximizing the use of his ranged spells. Try positioning Zhai in a patch of shadow; this allows her to use her stealth abilities. Rannek’s place is in the middle of the fray where he can take advantage of his multi-character damaging attacks. You can also switch characters when the one you're playing gets caught in an enemy's "linked" special attack - let the AI take the hit of being disabled for a short period, while you proceed with payback. And last, but not least, when you see a health pickup or a super pickup appear, make sure to get the most out of them. The Al won't grab a pickup with a player who needs it, so when you see a health pickup appear, switch to the character who really needs health and go get it! THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE: BEATING THE BOSSES The best way to beat the bosses in Demon Stone is to use the power of the entire team against them. Try attacking, then switching to another character and attacking again - for example, use the Fighter to draw the boss's attention, then get in some ranged hits from the Sorcerer or a quick attack from the Rogue. Make every hit count for maximum damage to the boss by using Power Critical combos and Team Attacks. When a boss is doing a lot of damage to your character, make sure to switch to the teammate with the most health before doing an attack pass - spreading the damage out between heroes lets you fight longer! We hope these tips and tricks help you enjoy Demon Stone! A message will confirm correct entry for the gameplay codes, while the Hall of Fame code sends you into the Hall of Fame where you can walk around Hall of Fame - At the main menu, enter 15 (x2), R3 (x2), X, Y, B, ABA Laser Trails - During gameplay, enter Up, Down, Up, Down, R3 (x2) Toggle Invincibility - During gameplay, enter Up Down (x2), Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A GAME BOY ADVANCE Batman: Rise of Sin TZ Enter these codes at the continue screen to jump to the indicated level Boss 1 - HLNZXJ Boss 2 - NGHR4R Boss 3 - PD4LQD Final Boss - ZQFY81 Level 1-1 - MG7L4R Level 1-2 - RZHLXM Level 1-3 - WGRLN_ Level 1-4 - 367147 Level 2-1 - 7ZHLX3 Level 2-2 - BBBCBG Level 2-3 - GVLOB Level 2-4 - LBVCVQ Silent Hill 4 Level 3-1 - QV2CLL Level 3-2 - VBBCBZ Level 3-3 - ZVLC2B Level 3-4 - 2BVCV6 Level 4-1 - RLAXGS Level 4-2 – _LNXZO Level 4-3 - 714Х08 Level 4-4 - C2DX64 Level 4-5 - VGWPN_ Level 5-1 - Z73PDW Level 5-2 - 65МРХЕ Level 5-3 - PBZGQV Level 5-4 - TV6GLL Level 5-5 - 1VQG2V Level 5-6 - 9V6GL2 Level 6-1 - 0D7RDW Level 6-2 - DG АМН Level 6-3 - JZ7RDC Level 6-4 - RB2JVQ Level 6-5 - WVBJLL Level 6-6 - BLJBZ Level 6-7 - 5///2/ Level 6-8 - 782)B6 Level 7-1 - CVBJ2L Level 7-2 - HBLJBG Level 7-5 - MVVJ2B Level 7-4 - QQT9ST Level 7-5 - V619)P Level 7-6 - 209981 Level 7-7 - 26K90Y Level 7-8 - Y2NL6N Level 7-9 - 52410Х Level 7-10 - F2NL64 Level 8-1 - XG3CN_ Level 8-2 - 4GMC47 Level 8-3 - 82WOG Level 8-4 - DG3CNH Level 8-5 - J/CCDC Level 8-6 - NGMC4R Level 8-7 - BO48Z Level 9-1 – 5/742/ Level 9-2 - 7В64В6 Level 9-3 - CVG4L2 Level 9-4 - HBQ4BG Level 9-5 - MVZ42B How The Creators Control The Fear Insider tips from Suguru Murakoshi, Team Director of Silent Hill 4 THE RECOMMENDED GAMEPLAY ENVIRONMENT | would like to recommend that gamers turn off the lights and turn up the TV volume when they're playing the game. By doing this, there will be a link between your own room and room #302 (the room in the game). This will let you have the best experience to fully capture the survival-horror gameplay. SWORD OF OBEDIENCE Ghosts are a new enemy that appear for the first time in the series Since it’s a ghost, it will not die However, by using the Sword of Obedience, you can stop them from moving. If you manage to exert normal damage to ghosts and knock them down, you can use the Sword of Obedience to pin them to the ground. Unless you remove the sword, the ghosts cannot move any longer There are two warnings about using the Sword of Obedience, though 1. Knock down the ghosts completely. By exerting damage when jabbing at the ghosts, the damage amount can be accumulated over time to knock them down. If you knock them down without accumulating lots of damage, the ghost can stand up quickly and you will not be able to use the Sword of Obedience to keep him in place. 2. There are only five Sword of Obedience weapons available. You need to be careful where and when to use it, (You can remove the stabbed sword to re-use it. One idea is to pin the ghost in place and once you are done exploring, you can take the sword out.) C208 SILVER BULLETS With a pistol, you can cause an infinite amount of damage to any ghosts. No matter how strong the ghost is, it will be knocked down for a while after using Silver Bullets. By combining this with the Sword of Obedience, your attack ability against ghosts is perfect. However, since there are only two bullets available, you need to be careful about when to use them. GROUPED ENEMIES In confronting groups of enemies, shooting-type weapons (such as a pistol) are very effective because they penetrate multiple enemies, From your viewpoint, focus on which enemies you want to attack and shoot! STAMINA RECOVERY Whenever you go back to your room (#302), your stamina recovers. Try to go back to your room as often as possible if you're having trouble staying alive MELEE WEAPONS Silent Hill 4 gives players a variety of melee weapons to use (such as a metal bat, golf club, shovel, etc). Since each weapon has its own characteristics, the best way to use these weapons is to differentiate them according to specific enemies you will be confronting. For example, for quick moving enemies, you may not want to use a pick axe since it takes much more time to execute. The axe does more damage, and is more effective against slower and larger enemies Also, the weapons have different ways of making final blows on enemies. The more you try different weapons, the more variety you will see. Please check it out! We hope this game doesn't keep you up all night. Remember, it's only a game. ..or is it? YOUR DAILY LJLJSE OE AMEINEORMER IS ONE CLICK AWAY: h DAILY NEWS PREVIEWS & REVIEWS “UNLIMITED” EXPANDED GI MAGAZINE CONTENT READER FORUMS GAME DEMOS & MOVIES CODES & SECRETS MAGAZINE ARCHIVE SHOPPING Where The Past Comes Alive A LOOK AT 00775 ADVENTU IN VIDEO GAMES Indiana Jones, or Aragorn became action stars, James Bond wrote the rules of the genre. Starting with 1962's Dr. No, Sean Connery established the British super-spy as an icon of unflappable cool. Throughout the years, the Bond torch was passed to Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan (as well as the less successful agents George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton). More recently, rumors have been circulating that Clive Owen (Gosford Park, Croupier) is next in line to sip the shaken-not-stirred martini and grab the keys to the Aston Martin. While Bond, with a few exceptions, has been box office gold, his career in video games is a little more checkered, as 007 has been involved in games ranging from all-time classics to out-and-out duds. Here we present James Bond's history in games, highlighting most of the major titles from his digital resume. For space considerations, a few games have been cut, most notably some early computer text adventures writ- ten by Bond author Raymond Benson and the latest edition in the series, Everything or Nothing. ү before Neo, Luke Skywalker, 156 GAME INFORMER | James Bond | 007 — 1983 (Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Colecovision) Bond is old-school, but his eye for high-tech gadgets meant that he jumped on the video game train at the start in James Bond 007, a title that was released in slightly modified forms for the Atari 2600, 5200, and Colecovision. Like many titles from the early era of the industry, the gameplay and graphics are pretty simplistic, but the level design was quite ambitious, incorporating sequences inspired by not one, but four Bond films: Diamonds are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, and For Your Eyes Only. A View to A Kill - 1985 74 (Commodore 64) nos A quirky title that has been all but forgotten by history, this Commodore 64 adap- tation of the film A View to A Kill was an ambitious attempt at a Bond action game, one that can be seen as a precursor of sorts to some of the more current 007 proj- ects. One particularly unique level has you driving through the streets of Paris as you attempt to catch a parachuting comrade. Sadly, this title is pretty hard to track down these days. Like many early Bond games, it was published by Domark, which was later absorbed by Eidos. AMES BOND 00? ШИША ТД] иш. ул. The Living Daylights — 1987 (Commodore 64) Based on the film of the same name (which served as dour Timothy Dalton's coming-out as 007), this 2D action game scales back the ambitions of A View to A Kill, which while not as admirable, produced a simple platform/shooter hybrid that ended up being a playable and fun title for Commodore 64 fans. Graphically, it's no masterpiece, even for its day, but the game is remembered as a worthy addition to the Bond legacy - something many Bond fans wouldn't say of the movie that inspired it. CRISE] from the consoles, he 22.4 made frequent appearances on the home computer, here taking a break from his escapades on the Commodore 64 to star in this PC title. There isn't much information out there regarding this rare game, other than the odd screenshot and the very briefest of summaries. License to 2 Kill was a top-down, free- roaming shooter, anda good one at that. | 007: License to Lr Ao Kill — 1989 | (PO P | In Bond's period of exile SH (sorry Relic Hunter's Tia Carrerre!), so it's only natural that 007 got busy in the once-ubiquitous PC adventure game genre. The Stealth Affair featured graphics that were very nifty for their day, and a cool interface that harked back to the days of text titles like Zork: You actu- & ally typed out commands using a limited vocabulary. Seeking to track down a stealth fighter plane that had gone missing and was now in the hands of an organization seeking pretty to destroy the world, James had to solve puzzles and navigate his way through a long series of static scenes. James Bond: The Stealth Affair — 1990 (РС) Bond is ће world's sexiest adventurer The Spy Who Loved Me — 1990 | (Commodore 64) Coming out extremely late in the Commodore 64's lifecycle, this title not only starred МІ-65 most famous spy — it took a clear inspiration from Spy Hunter, a famous arcade classic from years earlier. Like Spy Hunter, this was a top-down driving game, and it featured Bond's Lotus Esprit, a hot tide that was able to drive underwater and came equipped with weapons and gadgets or state of the art even for its time period, but it is a fun little Ё curio of l Bond his- tory. James Bond Jr. — 1992 (NES, SNES) James Bond comes back to the console world as...um...some punk little kid! Rip-off! Actually, James Bond Jr. (a tie-in with a short-lived animated TV show of the same name) was a fairly competent little action/ platformer that at least attempted to do some unique things with the various puzzles that would appear between levels. Sadly, it also suf- fered from the usual inconsisten- cies of 8-bit platformers: annoying control that had the propensity to $ throw your wee little 007 falling off of ledges and platforms to his death. However, in these "dark days" of the Bond video game fran- chise, this was as good as it got. James Bond 007: The Duel — 1993 (Genesis) A side-scrolling action/shooter heavily inspired by the popular Namco series Rolling Thunder, James Bond 007: The Duel rep- resented none of the quality gameplay of that well-loved franchise, just a hodge-podge of interesting ideas that went absolutely nowhere. Featuring the mug of Timothy Dalton on the cover and some classic Bond villains like Oddjob and Jaws, The Duel seemed to have everything a 007 fan = 1 could want — everything T except good gameplay, that is. Had James Bond finally reached a low? To be certain, but the mid- '90s would bring about a Bond renais- sance — both in film and in the digital realm. 007: GoldenEye — 1997 (Nintendo 64) Î Now we come to the game that truly established Bond as a video game power player. In a happy case of kismet, it also happened to be based on the film that ushered in Pierce Brosnan as Bond, an actor who many feel is the greatest 007 since Sean Connery. 007: GoldenEye wasn't the beginning of the first-person shooter, but it did almost single-handedly make the genre a staple for console players. Featuring sweet weapons, very good graphics for its time, and the hallowed four-player deathmatching that is still revered to this day, GoldenEye represented a high point for Bond video games, developer Rare, and the Nintendo 64 NY as a console. Other titles would follow, but none would have f the earth-shak- | ing impact of | GoldenEye. Real World Education Game Design & Development achelor of S 2 Program of rc » Entertainment Business T Recording Arts | | = Show Production & Tourin 800.226.7625 fullsail.com 3300 University Bo Winter Park, FL 32792 e Classic gi feature James Bond 007 — 1998 (Game Boy) \ Oddly enough, Rare didn't jump on the chance to bring about a Bond sequel on the heels of the white-hot GoldenEye. Instead, Bond went into video game hibernation, rearing his immaculately coifed head in a low-key fashion in this largely forgotten Game Boy title. Is it a worthy part of the Bond legacy? Well, let's just say that top-down handheld action games of this era haven't exactly proven to be a particu- larly enduring part of game history. However, one amusing feature does allow you to play casino games like blackjack, one of 007's favorite pastimes. T a ET ES HIT [Erano] acr $1000 | мому $1000 QUIT а fruitful one, it was not lasting. Smelling the dollars, super-publisher Electronic Arts scooped up the Bond license (which it retains to this day). This new publishing agreement brought a shift away from the FPS gameplay of GoldenEye in a third-person action title that incorporated stealth, gunplay, and even ski- ing sequences. Despite the bold concept, Tomorrow Never Dies' unsightly mish-mash of half- baked gameplay was a huge disappointment to gamers eager for anoth- er 007 masterpiece. 22772 007 Racing — 2000 rus (PSone) 007 Racing is certainly a unique part of Bond game lore; however, it's not a very important one. That's a bit of an exag- geration, as this title was a passable action/racing game. However, it sure didn't make anyone forget titles like Twisted Metal or Driver. Perhaps its biggest failing is the fact that it just doesn't make the most of the Bond license. Yes, it did feature some iconic 007 rides, but at the end of the day, simple racing just isn't a substitute for high-flying spy hijinks. The World Is Not Enough — 2000 (PSone, N64, Game Boy Advance) Fans, gamers, and the press made it pretty dear how they felt about Tomorrow Never Dies (subtle gagging motions can really drive a point home!). In the spirit of making peace with its fanbase, EA wisely decided to give people what they wanted in the first place: more exacting FPS action. The World is Not Enough isn't remem- bered as fondly as its GoldenEye, but that doesn't mean that this title isn't worth checking out. Last-gen enthusiasts will find a win- ning combina- tion of turn-of- the-century FPS conventions. Groundbreaking? Мо, but it's cer- tainly one of Bond's better video adven- tures. James Bond 007 in... Agent Under Fire — 2001 (PS2, Xbox, GC) EA decided that it didn't want to wait around for another Bond film to put out a new game, so it went the way of constructing Agent Under Fire as a standalone title, one with a "generic" James that was not based on the likeness of current Bond star Pierce Brosnan, whose image they were unable to secure for the project. The title expanded the now-traditional FPS Bond gameplay with sequences of track-shooting and racing action, resulting in a game that was very popu- lar with fans and generally well-received by critics (although there were those who felt that it was too short and too shallow). 158 САМЕ INFORMER 007: NightFire — 2002 (PS2, Xbox, GC, PC, Game Boy Advance) Perhaps after realizing that, hey, a lot of people actually buy E these dam video games, Hollywood got hip to playing a larger role in Bond's virtual adventures. So, after some gentle prodding (and a truckful of cash), Pierce Brosnan signed off on the rights to his likeness being used in NightFire. While this definitely helped the game recapture the Bond mojo, some fans felt that NightFire didn't do enough to distinguish itself from Agent Under Fire, as it did stick to the latter's FPS/track shooting/racing formula. Perhaps sensing that mediocrity was creeping into it the Bond franchise, EA decided to take the series in a third-person direction with the next Bond title, the recently released Everything or Nothing. FÎ MUTANT LEAGUE HOCKEY > FORMAT SEGA GENESIS. > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS The Sega Genesis was my first video game system, so it obvi- ously holds a very special place in my heart. | played Sonic, Vectorman, and Golden Axe, but none of these have kept me coming back for more. Once I beat them, they were quickly shelved as | bought another game. But there is one game that as always made me come back for more, even to this day. hat game is Mutant League Hockey for the Sega Genesis. 1 was only seven when | first discovered this game. | was immediately drawn to it because of two reasons: It had my favorite sport, hockey, and evil mutants to play with. МІН had you not only trying to score, but it also had you avoiding haz- ards such as shark fins and holes in the ice. In between plays, your coaches will yell at you from the bench in an alien-like language. | got lost in the nearly endless supply of teams, and although they all play essentially the same, the characters have personality. Even better is the multiplayer, letting your friend/family mem- er share іп the humor and fun. MLH's multiplayer rivals апу- thing that has been released on any other console thus far. It's the only game that can make me giggle like a twelve-year-old schoolgirl when my opponent falls into the ice. Fighting is also. more fun in multiplayer than it is in single-player mode. Unlike other "normal" hockey games, MLH puts your two players into a boxing ring and lets them duke it out. While it is button-mash- ing, it still presents itself as a fun minigame. While there were other games that were set in the Mutant franchise (including a football game), in my opinion, none mea- sured up to the greatness of Mutant League Hockey. There's an endless amount of replayibility here, and your fun will never end, especially as long as you still have friends. There were a few rumors of a sequel a few years ago, but no one bought the rights. | would love to see this game get a sequel down the road by EA, but it is unlikely. But until that day occurs, we have the next best thing. So, if you want an amazing game for both single-player and multiplayer, you really can't go wrong with Mutant League Hockey. | highly recommend it to anyone who is either starting videogames or is just looking — | for another good ` | game to play. IS MONTH IN GAMING HIST This month in 1996, Nintendo launched the Nintendo 64, a groundbreaking system that would ultimately fail to maintain the company's position as the dominant corporation in the video game industry. Although it definitely had some classic titles, most notably Super Mario 64 and two Zelda titles (The Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask), it couldn't make a dent in the breakneck success of Sony's PlayStation. Third-party software support was lackluster, mostly due to the cost associ- ated with the system's game cartridges. This will likely stand as the last cartridge-based home console. Another of the system's innovative features, the analog stick, made a more lasting impression in the gaming world. fe e D М T IMEL SNES X-MEN: MUTANT APOCALYPSE > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER CAPCOM > DEVELOPER CAPCOM USA > RELEASE 1995 ong before they stormed the multiplexes, the X-Men were going strong with their comic books and several solid video games. One of the best was X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse for Super Nintendo. The gameplay of this side-scroller was simple, but it was greatly enhanced by Street Fighter-esque spe- cial moves, a solid story, and characters that looked exactly like their comic book counterparts. Wolverine, Cyclops, Beast, Gambit, and Psylocke are all playable; and several familiar X-Men baddies make appearances. Each X-Man has unique moves, and playing through the stages with different characters yields profoundly different results. For example, Beast can walk on ceilings and Wolverine can climb walls with his claws, which can lead to secret areas. Unfortunately, the game is so tough that many play- ers may not see all of the various levels and colorful characters. Gameplay is unrelenting and requires precision playing to make it through even the early levels. But those who have the patience to work their way through this challenging quest will be rewarded with one of the best comic book games out there. PSONE FANTASTIC FOUR > STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ACCLAIM > DEVELOPER PROBO ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE 1997 et's face it: the Fantastic Four has never been the cool- est superteam around. Perhaps it's the dorky blue cos- tumes or lame names like "Mr. Fantastic" that have kept them down. But even a somewhat weaksauce team like them deserves a better game than this. Fantastic Four was filled with the same problems that mar most substandard side- scrolling brawlers: limited move sets, a dearth of enemy types, and simplistic button-mashing combat. If you like punishment, the entire quest can be cruised through in one sitting, and the five playable characters don't offer enough dif- ferentiation to make it worth picking up again. While some backgrounds look nice, ch ar- acter models are shabby and the animation is incredibly stiff, even by PSone standard s. The Hulk looks like he's carrying a load in his pants! Wrap the whole package up with an enormously grating smooth jazz soundtrack, and you have a superhero game that even The Power Pack wouldn't put its name on. If you're not familiar with that sub-par super- hero team, we recommend you dig up some of their comics in a 25-cent bin rather than play this piece of pulpy trash. ЕРІ SEE PlayStation] = > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SONY ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING COMPANY > DEVELOPER ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE 1995 pawn may have been the hottest thing in comics for a while in the mid-nineties, but it didn’t help him get a great video game. Like many side-scroll- ing superhero games for the Super Nintendo, Spawn wasn't bad, but was far from great, too. Much like the comic, the visuals are pretty nice - characters are large and colorful, and resemble their printed counterparts. Spawn also has a nice selection of magic powers, just like in the comic. Faithfulness to its source material is definitely not the issue for this game. The real problem is the gameplay, which can at best be described as lacking. The control is so sluggish that it feels like Spawn's entire adventure takes place underwater. The delayed reaction of your onscreen character is where th 15 title derives most of its challenge, but it's still easy — most players can burn through it in a few hours. Add to the mix some inane level design and some poor hit detection, a md you have a game that handles poorly with low replay value. But, like the comics that inspired it, it looks nice while lacking substance. GAME INFORMER 159 *Score given to the game when it first appeared in Game Informer. X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (Gl #21 01/95), Spawn (СІ #32 12/95) VIDEO GAME TRIVIA BREAKDOWN The holiday season is nearly upon us, and that means blockbuster games will 38% of the reader mail received in the Game Informer office has been classified as "Suspicious Packages" Please stop sending us start to line the shelves. But it also means that smaller companies will be com- anthrax people peting for your holiday dollar by releasing titles of their own. You might over- 100% of upcoming titles based on Pixar studio's wholly-owned look a lot of these smaller games, so take our trivia challenge to see which COND Wi Be puB en eH unknown game you should pick up this winter. 60% The amount that Electronic Arts’ revenue from in-game advertising is expected to increase this year, according to The Wall Street Journal C. Aerosmith D. Guns 'N Roses The memorable theme song for the game Spy Hunter was actually taken from which detective/spy TV show? A. Dragnet B. Naked City C. Peter Gunn D. The Hogan Family What was the name of the escaped prisoner who was a playable character in Resident Evil 0? A. Billy Coen B. Leon Kennedy C. Ethan Coen D. Billy Corgan 44% of the СІ editors are cat owners. Every Wednesday is Cat Day, where cats are pitted against each other in tests of strength and speed 100% of unwanted swag is dumped on Miller's desk. He now has the largest collection of Rogue Ops promotional material in the known world x Trivia Score & Rank Who invented the “Poltergust 3000,” the vacuum- like weapon used by Luigi in his starring role in Luigi's Mansion? A. Dr. E. Gadd uu й і B. Waluigi ў ich famous video game : с Professor G.D. Zooks 2. which NES game stars haracter appeared in a "Got : р, Luigi did — he's much more a character with the same Milk?" print ad? : than a pretty face, you know! name as an Aquaman A. Lara Croft Villain? B. Mario C. Pac-Man D. Sonic the Hedgehog In Gladius, what character ; class can only be unlocked by : beating the Historian's League What was the name of : challenge in the Cro Beska he new alien character who : arena? ebuted in ToeJam and Earl 3: A. Satyr Mission to Earth? } В. Minotaur A. Funkobulous i C. Balladeer B. Earlene Mae ;OD Pastry Chef C. Latisha d D. Georgia Clinton How many different game types were included in Combat for the Atari 2600? А. 2 В. 27 С. 99 Celebrity Poker The Little House on the Prairie Showdown: The Game First-Person Shooter D. 666 Besides spawning one of the : worst video game movies ever, : the House of the Dead ѕегіеѕ : was also adapted into an action : game. What was it called? A. Typing of the Dead B. Zombie Revenge C. Zombie Holocaust D. Rise of the Undead : f. The boss robots in Mega : Man X5 are all named after : members of which nifty rock : and roll ensemble? : A. The Beatles : David Hasselhoff's Hip Cabela's Man Hunt B. Bon Jovi H Hop Music Mixer 2005 Season Game Informer Magazine* (ISSN 1067-6392) is published monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 per year, or twenty four issues for $24.98 by Sunrise Publications®, 724 North First Street, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. (612) 486-6100 or FAX (612) 486-6101. For subscriptions, back issues, or customer service inquiries Toll Free (866) 844-4263. Periodicals postage paid at Minneapolis, MN, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIBERS/POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Game Informer Magazine", 724 North First Street, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars and must include $20/year additional postage per year. Game Informer? does not claim any copyright in the screenshots herein. Copyright in all screenshots contained within this publication are owned by their respective companies. Entire contents copyright 2004. Game Informer Magazine®. Al rights reserved; reproduction іп whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer? is a trademark of GameStop. Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, oftheir respective companies. 160 GAME INFORMER Video Game Trivia Answers: 1А 2D 38 4C 5B 6C 7D 8A 98108 Cod) 17 BUILD AND DEFEND YOUR EMPIRE! www.koei.com "d 4 ^ Р 29 D ж Жж” “Же Mmasrítanguns d | Е Cn ccce ecce eremo „© р | | Introducing the next phase іп the Dynasty Warriors^4 saga. The warriors return with more epic battles and scenarios, devastating Musou attacks, and new modes of play. Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires will rewrite the rules of Tactical Action! This time, the empire you build will be your own! % Powerful new Charge attacks and abilities XT UN ТЕ! September $29.99 «Мем Challenge Mode and Tactics system % Bonus Archives with rare Dynasty Warriors artwork Dynasty Warriors aed he КОЕ logo ara trades or registered trademarks of KOEI Со. Lu. 6000 KOE Co, Lu ' registered trademarks of Sony Cor Software Association. Dolby, Pro L "ipe license by Dolby Laborat Three times the Character Edit motels: Mild Language Violence cpu are | 5 ў Й Gov PlayStation. е BOSDHXELBA июл киш: www.koei.co.jp/html/joboffer €c mau KNOW “СЕТ READY TO TEAM UP FOR ONLINE PLAY ip са E OPT... pap j @ + Е PlayStation.2 4 ONLINE AND OFFLINE GAMEPLAY OPTIONS - UP TO FOUR FULL CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION - CREATE AND FRIENDS CAN PLAY ONLINE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY MODIFY YOUR CHARACTER INCLUDING NAME, GENDER. HUNT DOWN MONSTERS AND COMPLETE CHALLENGING HAIRSTYLE, FACIAL FEATURES, OUTFIT AND MORE! MISSION OBJECTIVES. DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS - EXPLORE BREATHTAKING, BUILD YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT - CREATE WEAPONS AND RICHLY DETAILED LANDSCAPES. ARMOR FROM MONSTERS PARTS AFTER A KILL. 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