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Blood Crude Humor Language

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2004 Activision Tony Hawk. PlayS

Activision is а registered trademark and THUG 15 a trademark of Activision, Inc. All rights reserved. Tony Hawk is a registered trademark of tion 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 (ВМВ) (for PlayStation 2) (each sold separately). The Online icon is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. TM, Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo GameCube are trademarks of Nintendo. (02001 Nintendo. 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. PC CD-ROM logo ТМ & (02003 IEMA. GameSpy and the "Powered by GameSpy" design are trademarks of GameSpy Industries, Inc. АП rights reserved. The ratings icon is а registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. Ali other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Screenshots taken from PlayStation ® 2 platform.

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Welcome, friend. Heard yer that bounty hunter with the mysterious past. Ya hit town ta collect "bounties, make moolah and free the land from tyranny. Better keep that. füoub1e-barrel' d creature crossbow loaded “cug ya gotta blast yer. B s & pack of outlaws 'n filthy minions if yer gonna“ ıp around here. Hitch up» yer boots, Stranger, it's time ta | name fer yer'self.

Git on over ta eagames.com. Yer hunt begins January 26th.

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АПУЕКТОКЕ IS IN THE CARDS

KINGDOM HEARTS" CHAIN OF MEMORIES delivers an entirely new adventure and sets the stage for KINGDOM HEARTS П. Sora, Donald and Goofy travel through many vast and colorful worlds in search of their missing companions.

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MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf departments Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault Mega Man X8 . PEU STAFF GEAR REVIEWS Metal Gear Soli nake Eater . Read the team's latest rants Geeky gadget stuff for the masses Game of the Month: Metal Gear Metroid Prime 2: Echoes . Solid 3: Snake Eater for PS2 Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits .. GI SPY OPINION NFL Street 2 Silly pictures of our life and times Donald Mustard (lead designer CHARTS Painkiller: Ваше Out of Hel -

В В ' А Prince of Persia: Warrior Within and director of Majesco's Advent | Retail Sales Data and the GI Ridge Racer DS

Rising) weighs in on the pros and editors' Top 10 Games Rumble Roses . . cons of working with cinematic Samurai Warriors Xtreme Legends. ; elements in game design SECRET ACCESS Shaman King: Power of Spirit

CONNECT | Codes, strategies, and passwords Sid Meier's Pirates! . . Where news, talk, and technology CALENDAR Spider-Man 2

collide | Ё : : CLASSIC GI Sprung А Get hip to this month’s happenings Reliving gaming's greatest Star Wars Episode m Revenge | of the Sith .. INTERVIEW | PREVIEWS банды 858 Star Wars Galaxies: Jump To Lightspeed Sam H ith | а Stubbs the Zombie іп “Rebel Without a Pulse" . . . am Houser graces our pages wit From the bizarre (Stubbs the Super Mario 64 DS discussion of the company he Zombie) to the historic (Tekken GAME OVER Tekken 5 ; heads - Rockstar Games. Violence, 5) to the bloodcurdling (Doom 3: The end...or is it? TimeSplitters Future Perfect

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{ ] ANDY McNAMARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Hollywood is an amazing entity. Though according to the always outspoken Cliff Bleszinski, the video game industry should never give credence to the Hollywood model by referencing it or even recogniz- ing it. | tend to agree with him, but you can't ignore its influence on video games, and that the marriage of the two industries is inevitable.

Hollywood has a big interest in video games. | come across it all the time, and | don't just mean games based on movies. Most of the major motion picture companies now have executives in place whose sole job is to work with our industry. Even the talent is interested.

In some cases, like with Vin Diesel, the interest is genuine. This is a guy that really likes video games and wants to be a part of them (much like our cover boy this month, Snoop Dogg). But there are far too many people and companies that are only here because they can smell the money like sharks in blood-infested waters. There are Hollywood agents out there right now working their tails off trying to squeeze as much cash as they possibly can out of the video game industry, simply because they know the money is out there.

The good news is, gamers are a hardy lot and have an amazingly keen sense for smelling and pick- ing out those that are, for lack of a better term, full of bull.

Actors and movie companies that are just going through the motions to rake in a little more cash will find that gamers aren't as easily fooled as many would have you think.

Those that learn and adapt will take the good from both industries and propel video games and Hollywood forward, and take us all along with them for the ride. This month, our cover story is about one of these rare instances where the combination offers gamers and movie fans something you can't always get. A game - in all its interactive glory - combined with the storytelling know-how of Oscar-nominated director John Singleton.

Let's just make sure we don't forget the unsung heroes of this industry in the process. In case you aren't making the connection, those heroes are the overworked and under-appreciated game develop- ers who are the lifeblood that makes gaming pos- sible in the first place.

fi

Andy >> andy@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: Owning Punks On Halo 2 Multiplayer, Freaks & Geeks, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King Special Extended DVD Edition Dislikes: Punks On Halo 2 Multiplayer, The Vikings’ Defense (Or Lack Thereof), Colds That Never Seem To Go Away Current Favorite Games: Halo 2, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf

10 GAME INFORMER

"St S | А! і People Who Actually Get Paid То Play Video Games

Reiner >> reiner@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Fighting, Action/Platform, Strategy, Sports Interests: Substituting Halo 2 For Sleep (Shut-Eye Is For Suckas!), Star Wars; Revenge Of The Sith (My Pants Feel Funny), House Of Flying Daggers, The Return Of Underoos (Horray! | Never Have To Be An Adult!), Orion Pax Dislikes: Snipers In Halo 2 (Shoot Me Again And... Well... You'll Be Sorry!), The Gaming Lull After The Holidays (Where's My Halo 3?!) Current Favorite Games: Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Call Of Duty: Finest Hour

Matt >> matt@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: Comets On Fire's Blue Cathedral, “What's Love

Got To Do With It?” By Tina Turner (Middle-Aged Mercenary Sex Anthem Ahoy!), The Reopening Of First Avenue, Dr. Pepper Dislikes: Putting My Video Game Hook-Ups And Controllers In A “Safe Place” Then Forgetting Where That Is, Mice, The Closing Of First Avenue Current Favorite Games: Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Super Mario 64 DS, It's Mr. Pants

7 Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com

/ Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/ Platform Interests: Suedeheads And The Style Council, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Casino, That All My Limbs And Digits Are Where They Are Supposed To Be, Ron Artest's Brand Of Vigilante Justice Dislikes: That I Don't Have The Balls For A Life Of Crime, Wanting To Clean My Entire House At 3:00 AM Like A Manic Depressive Current Favorite Games: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, God Of War, The Lord Of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth

Lisa >> Jisa@gameinformer.com

Handle: La Game Nikita Expertise: Survival Horror, Adventure, RPGs, Action/Platform, Racing Interests: The /ncredibles, Timing How Long It Takes For Someone To Draw Something Crass On The DS Chat (About 3.7 Seconds, On Average), Sourdough Bread Dislikes: Puke On TV, Some Features Of Knockoff DVRs (HDTV Is Rocking My World, Though), Eminem's Encore Current Favorite Games: Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within, Halo 2, Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Jeremy >> jeremy&gameinformer.com

Handle: Gamezilla Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Survival Horror, Action/Platform, Fighting, Strategy/RPGs Interests; Games That Let Me Eat The Brains Of My Foes (Finally!), Coupling Season Four On DVD, Seed Of Chucky (A Family Drama With Killer Dolls!!) Dislikes: The Fact That All Movies Aren't As Good As The Incredibles, Dreaming About Playing Halo 2 (Please, Let Me Out Of Your Grasp!), The Amount Of Money | Spend On Comics, DVD Overload Current Favorite Games: Halo 2, Def Jam: Fight For NY, WWE Wrestlemania 21, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Astro Boy: The Omega Factor

Adam >> adam@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: Red vs. Blue (Why Didn't | Know About This Sooner?), Long-Awaited Games Being Released, Halloween In Madison, Meat & Cheese Fest 2004 (Turns Out Some Good Stuff Does Come From Wisconsin) Dislikes: Hockey Withdrawal, Trying To Put Together A Baseball Team On $54 Million, Fans Who Think They're Entitled To Abuse Players Current Favorite Games: Halo 2, The Lord Of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth, Medal Of Honor: Pacific Assault, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars

Joe >> joe@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Strategy, Platform, Puzzle Interests: The Incredibles, Becoming A Demon Barber In London, Thunderwear, Spiced Apple Brew (Pour That Down Your Holiday Hole!), Punchin’ Lumberjacks For Fun Dislikes: Movies That Are Not Entitled “The Incredibles", Games That Are Entitled “The Incredibles,” Saw (Use Your Shirt To Reach The Phone, Dummy!), All Nogs (Egg And Otherwise) Current Favorite Games: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Devil May Cry 3, God of War, Kingdom Hearts, It's Mr. Pants

Miller >> miler@gameinformercom

Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Fighting,

Platform, First-Person Shooters Interests: Halo 2 As A Near Religious Experience, Caramel

Apple Empanadas, The /ncredibles Movie, Snowmobiling Season Dislikes: Getting Kicked A In The Face, Watching My Coworkers Eat Scorpions, Reality TV Taking Over The World (1

Will Fight You To My Last Breath, Villain!), My Time Away From Halo 2 Current Favorite

i Games: Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Immortal Cities:

Children Of The Nile, The Incredible Hulk, World Of Warcraft, Dead Or Alive Ultimate

UNLIMITED ENABLED

GAME INFORMER UNLIMITED

When you see this logo on a game preview, review, or feature, you can learn more about it by heading to www.gameinformer.com and clicking on the Unlimited logo.

Th 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.

JANUARY 2005 Volume XV * Number 4 * Issue 141.

PUBLISHER

Cathy Preston

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andrew McNamara

EDITORS

Executive Editor Andrew Reiner Senior Associato Editor Matt Helgeson Associate Editors Matthew Kato • Lisa Mason * Jeremy Zoss Adam Blessener • Joe Juba • Matt Miller Mascot Arthur

PRODUCTION Art Director Thomas Blustin

Production Director Curtis Fung Production Assistant Rachel Nimerfroh

CONTRIBUTORS

Photography Bryce Pincham

GAME INFORMER ONLINE

Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Associate Online Editor Chris Cook

ADVERTISING SALES

SAN FRANCISCO Doug Faust 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) 486-6155 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 rob@gameinformer.com LOS ANGELES Marc Minasian Southwest Regional Sales Manager (818) 991.9923 » Fax: (818) 991-9923 mare@gameinformer.com EAST COAST Suzanne Lang East Coast Consumer Sales Director (718) 8325575 • Fax: (718) 832.5569 suzanne@gameinformer.com

MINNEAPOLIS ‘Amy Amold Advertising Coordinator and Online Sales (612) 486-6154 Fax: (612) 486-6101 amy@gameinformer.com

Bryan Vore Advertising Assistant (612) 4866152 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 bryan@gameinformer.com

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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 paulhedgneth@gameinformer.com

Manufactured and printed in the United States of America The Editor welcomes company product information for all video games. Such materials should be addressed to: Editor, Game Informer® Magazine, 724 North First St., 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be retumed or acknowledged. Entire contents copyright 2004. Game Informer Magazine. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer is 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 ог typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's liability for other errors ог ‘omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited lo republication ol the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser and/or Advertising Agency agrees to defend and indemnify the publisher against any and ай liability, loss, or expense arising from claims of libel unfair competition, unfair trade practices, infringement of trademarks, copyrights, trade names, patents, or proprietary rights or violation of rights of privacy, resulting from the publication of the Advertiser's statement.

4

Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

t E E z Е í

»

BEFORE AFTER

Become a swashbuckling buccaneer with Sid let loose thundering barrages of cannon fire.

Meier's Pirates! The Hall of Fame PC game But remember, the rest of your life depends

sails into the 21st century with loads of new on your every decision. You might retire a

features and eye-scorching 3D graphics. wealthy privateer. Then again, you might end

Raid enemy ships, pillage colonial outposts, up in Davey Jones' locker. Shiver me timbers.

Violence Suggestive Themes Alcohol References

Pirates!" is a U.S. registered trademark. Firaxis Games is a trademark of Firaxis Games, Inc. ©2004, ATI Technologies Inc. AT! and the ATI logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc.

Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry

1 Sammy's Anna Pacheco, Richard Iggo, and Meelad Sadat brace themselves

for the Minnesota winter 2 GI's Jeremy Zoss shows off his Minnesota Magazine Publishers Association gold medal award for “Best Feature Story”! Take that, Cabin Life and Lake Superior Magazine! 3 Capcom's Alicia Kim hangs with Game Informer's Adam! Hi Adam! We miss you! We'll leave some supper in the fridge

for you to reheat when you get home 4 Tecmo's Melody Pfeiffer shows GI Spy the joys of fresh-ground wasabi 5 Koei's Jarik Sicat pow-wows with Ubi Soft's Jocelyn Portacio 6 Vampire vixen BloodRayne stopped by MTV's Headbanger's Ball, along with Majesco founder Morris Sutton and new company CEO Carl Yankowski 7 Matt "keeps it real" with famed director John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood), and by "keeping in real" we mean "acting like a tool" 8 NovaLogic's Marcus Beer, Sony Online's Tamara Sanderson, and Digital Extremes' Meredith Braun put aside the frenzied competition of the video game world and share a tender moment! See, world peace is possible!

12 GAME INFORMER

Suggestive Themes

Use of Alcohol

Violence ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrh.org

бате Experience May е During Online Play

AVAILADLE ОП:

The way it's

pentium 4 PROCESSOR WITH

HT теснпогосу BRIIIgS єоп to LIFE.

SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT

Е | The Readers Strike Back

PRIMAL INK

WHEN PHILIPS ATTACKS!

One of my favorite video games is Primal for PS2, and

| have decided to adorn myself with the same tattoo as

the game's heroine Jen. Now, a friend of mine insists that

SCEE Cambridge could sue me for copyright infringement.

| say no way. Could you help us to settle this dispute?

Lindsay Cook Orlando, FL

я Since you're

_ contemplating | transforming yourself into a walking adver- * tisement for its product, Sony probably won't be too upset. Just don't get all entrepre- neurial and start a small business in which you charge people admission

to gaze at the (admittedly cool) symbol embla- zoned onto your back. Then you might have some trouble - especially if you also set up the obliga- tory gift shop selling "I Saw Lindsay's Copyright Infringement" and "Cram it, Sony!" t-shirts. Otherwise, you should be okay.

TALKIN' PURTY

l've been a subscriber to Game Informer for quite a while now, and as a reader I've disagreed with some reviews and agreed with others. To disagree with your opinion is one thing, but | rarely take issue with the words you use to express that opinion. However, in your Rome: Total War review, | saw a classic example of what | like to call ^pretentious word use," and that would be the usage of verisimilitude.

I've studied Latin (which is where the word comes from), and | have a robust vocabulary, so | perfectly understood what you were trying to say. | can estimate, though, that only a small percentage of your readership even knows what verisimilitude means; it is an obscure word that has an easy substitute — truthfulness. It struck me as odd that you would use a word of this caliber; this isn't an intellectual magazine, it is a magazine that reviews video games.

John Levine via e-mail

= You might be on to something, John! АП of these years of having faith in our readers' intelligence feel like such a waste. It makes so much more sense

to assume that all gamers are all intellectually vacant dullards fit only for single-syllable fare like "good," "ugh," and "lint" However, for you lucky readers who, like John, have a robust vocabulary and perfectly understand those big, scary words, we have a real treat this month. We managed to obtain special permission from the Federal Department

of Pretentious Words to use both "moribund" and “puerile” іп the same issue! Read on, you fortunate few literati, and turn your mind into an erudite cudgel with which to bash the overripe heads of linguistic plebeians.

In your November issue of GI [#159] you mentioned something about Nintendo losing a court case to Philips over the Legend of Zelda franchise. Please explain this, and be serious. Lance Howard via msn.com

= When it comes to Zelda, we're always serious – except for the odd "boy in green tights" crack. In all honesty, the story behind the CD-i titles featuring Nintendo icons isn't as simple as a single court case. Nintendo and Philips had been working together to create compact disc-driven hardware that would be compatible with the SNES (a partnership that later drove Nintendo's former ally, Sony, to release a little machine we now call PlayStation). While their col- laboration was underway, Nintendo granted Philips permission to use Mario and Link in a limited num- ber of titles. However, when Nintendo abandoned the SNES disc-based project (and its partnership), Philips still retained the legal right to make those games. Of course, it lacked Nintendo's development prowess, and as a result Hotel Mario, Link: Faces

of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure will forever be remembered as stains on Mario and Link's respective overalls and uncannily fashionable hosiery.

TALES ОЕ OVERSIGHT

In your article about the Tokyo Game Show 2004 [#139] you wrote that Tales of Eternia is a new RPG coming out for the PSP. Isn't it just a remake of the PlayStation's Tales of Destiny II? It sure looks like it from the screenshot. Nicolle via e-mail

я You have indeed caught us in the throes of a filthy, detestable lie. Tales of Eternia is essentially the same game that American gamers got in Tales of

BLIZZARD'S COLD SHOULDER |

Blizzard has always been my favorite developer, but 1 was shocked to hear that a subscription to World of Warcraft would cost at least $12.99 per month. That is the highest I've ever seen for an MMORPG,

and it is simply unacceptable. 1 understand that most online games have fees, but this means | would be paying over $200 for one game and the right to play it for a year! It's just outrageous. Kyle Donovan via e-mail

= Welcome to the online gaming business strategy. Before you go crying foul play, let's do a little research. EverQuest, Final Fantasy ХІ, and Star Wars Galaxies, three of the most popular MMORPGs, are all currently in the $13-$15 per month range. It shouldn’t be too sur- prising that World of Warcraft and EverQuest 11, the two most anticipated additions to the genre, will fall into the higher range of that spectrum. Gaming isn't like surgery - you can't just roam the shadowy streets hop- ing to find someone who'll do it for cheap. If you want quality, you've gotta pay.

Destiny П, not a new entry in the series. However, remember that the PSP version is a remake, not a direct port. With enhanced gameplay and graphics, fans should still find something new to enjoy this time around. No U.S. plans for the title have been officially announced, but given the success of Tales of Symphonia on GameCube last year, the time is certainly ripe for Namco to start cashing in on the Tales series once again.

DEALING WITH LOSS

As a hardcore fan of the Tony Hawk series, | had planned on obliterating THUG 2 by completing absolutely every goal on every difficulty setting, plus finding all of the gaps. It took hours upon hours of constant playing, but eventually | got everything done except a few little things. | decided to take a break, but when | went to save my game, the PS2 froze on the overwriting screen. | sat there for about 20 minutes, but eventually | gave up and shut off the system.

1 came back later, anticipating that | would attain my goal and earn my bragging rights, but when | tried to load my game, | only see the word "damaged" by the save file. АП my hard work, down the toilet! Only a gamer knows true anger, hatred, and regret.

David Bierhaus via e-mail

| recently came home from a hard day at work, looking forward to sitting on my couch and playing some games, when | realized that someone broke into my house and stole my PS2, controllers, and memory cards! The funny thing is the thief took it all across the street and sold it at a pawn shop (1 went there first to ask if anyone had traded in my things). | called the police and filed a report, ask- ing if | could get my gear returned to me. | was told that the detectives might need it for evidence, so it could be a while before | get anything back. | would go buy it all again, but without my memory cards, what's the point? I'm just screwed, | guess. В. Hall via yahoo.com

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

14 GAME INFORMER

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Your companions will follow you to the dark or light side of the Force based on your choices.

LucasArts and the LucasArts logo aro registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2004 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd or Lucasfilm Ltd. & @ or TM as indicated. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countrios and are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

ONE WILL M E CHOICE.

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|^ ih 24 АВ. WILL MAKE THE JOURNEY.

OU WILL FACE THE OUTCOMI.

Wield over 60 new feats and Force powers as you and your party struggle to defeat the evil Sith

WWW.KOTOR2.COM

Travel among 7 worlds and explore new environments on your mission to save the galaxy.

THIS TIME, YOUR CHOICES AFFECT EVERYONE AROUND YOU

ж OBSIDIAN

|

= No matter who you are, there are certain things in this life that will form a bond between you and other people who have suffered the same tragedy. It might be the death of a pet, an emotionally harrowing experience, or the sudden loss of hours of your video gaming career. Gentlemen, we speak for all gamers when we say that you have our deepest sympathies, and you need only look as far as your fellow gamers for hope, support, and memory cards with saves to copy. Anything to help ease the pain.

GETTING COZY WITH CJ

| just wanted to say that you guys were right on in declaring Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas one of your favorite games. | recently picked it up, and it is absolutely unbelievable. It has more content than | could have ever asked for. | declare it the video game of the century.

Jeff Fitzpatrick via yahoo.com

| think that | am going to have to cancel my subscription to СІ. | don't have time to read or take showers or sleep now that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is in my PS2 disc tray. | hope it's comfortable, because it isn't going anywhere soon. Kyle via e-mail

я The world of San Andreas is so vast, it might even seem alive at times. And, like anything else alive

in your home (like animals and plants), it requires proper care. To keep your game from getting hungry, be sure to leave several plates of lunchmeats lying on tables and under radiators (it especially likes the variety with little embedded pimentos). It might get tired and sore as well, so it's probably a good idea to buy an old Castle Grayskull playset and stuff it full of Kleenex and cotton balls. That way, GTA: SA has

a comfy (and totally awesome) place to rest when it isn't ardently spinning in your disc try, tirelessly danc- ing for your affection.

THE CORRELATION

| am a proud subscriber to your magazine, and it is the best sleazy (with all due respect) one out there. Why sleazy, you ask? Lately you seem to just be printing articles and ads about naked video game girls. What happened to all of those random elements you used to include? Please stop with all the nekkid hooey and bring back the unexpected laughs. Aaron Johan via yahoo.com

п In the interest of academics, we decided to get

to the bottom of this "increased nudity, decreased randomness" relationship. We asked our resident statistician, Professor Science, to analyze the trend and offer his professional opinion. What follows is a transcript of our discussion:

Professor e: It seems obvious to me your humor-secreting glands mysteriously shut down in the presence of nudity.

Game How do we funny ourselves back up? Classes? Drugs? Watching Johnny Dangerously?

PS: The problem: I'm itchy, and too lazy to

tch myself. The solution: killer bees.

GI: [Backing away slowly] Of course. Thank you for your tíme and expertise.

[Waltzing by himself] I have a Ph.D. in ipstick!

So, despite inconclusive results, we've decided try to refrain from "nekkid hooey" in the future, though we make no similar promises regarding horsefeath- ers, poppycock, or balderdash. We're only so strong, after all.

16 GAME INFORMER

RUO LIN LI "Okay, first we kick ass, then we go to Claire's for more fabulous accessories"

Enter the Game Informer Send to:

Envelope Art Contest. All you Game Informer need to do is draw, paint, scratch, Envelope Art Contest spit, or carve the best dam 724 1st St. М, 4th Floor envelope art you can think of Mpls, MN 55401 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 Gl and you'll receive a video

game prize from the Game

Informer vault.

| MARTIN SANCHEZ

| When Kato

_ drives into

E the parking lot, we all

| feel a little bit | smaller

; TIM KELLY | “Of course you can trust | me. Now just close your eyes and you'll get a big г. _ surprise!”

DAVID SMITH The way this guy's striking a pose, you'd think he was humanity's savior

or something —H" DAVID PENA

Sora's a sucker for those old-timey black and white glamour shots

v

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You're racing against time.

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The addictive action-puzzle game is now on Nintendo DS; with wireless multiplayer support for up to 5 players:

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CONNECT

AT WHAT COST?

EA, INDUSTRY COMES UNDER FIRE FOR LABOR PRACTICES

lectronic Arts employees are

Planning a class-action lawsuit

in a Santa Monica court against

the most prosperous third-party

publisher in the industry. The issue at hand relates to the alleged non- compensation by EA to employees for working overtime. As of the time of this writing, lawyers were still trying to obtain “class action” status from the court (a type of suit which covers a large group of individuals).

Game Informer talked with Miranda Colby, who spoke on behalf of the plain- tiffs law firm, Schubert & Reed, who told us that should they be granted class sta- tus, the lawsuit would ask for settlement of unpaid overtime, plus statutory penalties and punitive damages. According to Colby, EA has already unsuccessfully tried to have the punitive damages and the class certifi- cation in the case dismissed.

This may just be the tip of the ice- berg. According to a white paper survey from the International Game Developers Association criticizing the “immaturity of current business and production practices” that are “severely crippling the industry,” 46 percent of overtime is under-com- pensated by employers (such as giving “comp time” — days off as compensation). Furthermore, the non-profit professional association claims that studios’ “crunch time” (the period before a deadline) is omnipresent during development 35 percent of the time, not just during certain periods,

AME INFORMER

causing employees to work 65 to 80 you will be hours routinely. blacklisted, EA would not comment on the litigation апа at the specifically, but did send us a statement very least, that in part read, “As the industry leader, get fd EA generates a lot of attention on issues over come common to all game developers. Everyone raise time. who works in a game studio knows that Even with the hard work that comes with finaling all this [sic] games isn't unique to EA EA remains though, there's still nothing else I'd rather committed to our customers and our be doing"

employees, and will continue to do all we can to ensure EA is a great place to work" The statement also cited that the company has an anonymous bi-annual employee survey that is used to make changes in policy.

This potential lawsuit comes on the heels of a spate of tell-all accounts from a variety of sources. Game Informer contact- ed one current EA employee who reiter- ated the unique position many developers in the industry face: It's undeniably hard work, but it's worth it. “We're all sick of the working conditions and hope something happens to fix the situation — but we also like our jobs, and no one wants to lose them or hurt their career by talking about it in the open. And believe me, if you do raise a fuss about overtime or ‘slave labor’

According to our source at EA, a crunch time schedule of 10 a.m. until past mid- night, six days a week for three months from alpha to final wasn't out of the ordi- nary. Sometimes these hours extended to seven days a week towards the end of development. Our source said that comp time of a week or two off was “usually” awarded.

According to one blog from an anonymous spouse of an EA employee at www.livejoumal.com, comp time may be a thing of the past from the publisher. "EA recently announced that, although in the past they have offered essentially a type of comp time in the form of a few weeks off at the end of a proj- ect, they no longer wish to do this, and