%

7 $ 7 p d S 27” от. WORLD EXCLUSIVE "- һы É

Woo

The Next Big Game From Rockstar

MATURE 17 ч * Мј Blood and Gore 2 5 " эе m "rd -

* ; d prr hoa : + TT

Sexual Themes | God'ofWaris atrademarkof SonyComputer Entertainment America Inc. ©2005 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. “PlayStation” Strong Language | and the "PS" Familylogo are registeréd trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "Live In Your World, Play In Ours’ isaregistered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

д с. Ч [2

ГЕТЕ IN YOUR WXRLD. < М”

PLAYIN OURS?

? очу oe" 2 А r 5 M “ТЕР ке ix $ ۵ AEA

do you have what it takes to escape death? $

Т |

ee ---------

ТЕЕМ

Blood ERE language х Sexual Themes L TV €

Xeox GIGANTE

programming. talent names, images, likenesses. slogans and wrestling moves and ali World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks which are the exclusive property of World | Rights Reserved. ©2005 ТНОМАККО Pacific, LLC. Used under exclusive license by THO/JAKKS Pacific, LLC. JAKKS Pacific and the JAKKS Pacific logo are trademarks of

af THO inc. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Xbox. Xbox Live, the Live logo, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft se from Microsoft. Ай other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.

Violence

are you willing to take a leap of faith? you һауе the

‘aIGree о:

im 7 | | j A itis will you Create and train your own Superstar. Develop his persona. Earn the

chance to take on the biggest names at WrestleMania 21. Then, when

оите ready to prove yourself to the world, create be remembered? / RE

your own championship and defend it online against

anyone, anywhere to determine how history will remember you.

www.thg.com

т Marr AKER

3

MATURE 17+ Blood and Gore Intense Violence Strong Language

e» 2005 Gearbox Software, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Published and distributed by Ubisoft Entertainment under license from Gearbox Software, LLC. BrothersiInArm: bisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Gearbox Software and the Gearbox logo are ‘registered*trademarks*of.( ‘Gearbox 5 айегпагк<. Au trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft ‘PlayStation: andthe: PS” Family. logo are. registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc*Onlinesplay- requires interne ео Adaptor (for Pay Stat 2) and Memory Card (8MB)(for PlayStation. 2) (each sold separately): The Online icon 1574 trademark-of- Sony, omputers Entertainment America Inc.. ATI. Technologies Inc. ATI-and; RADEON are: trader as and/or registered ^ 103.

War is hell - violent and bloody. xperien the uncensored story of the Normandy inv

Command 3-man AI squads in a battle of wits and skill in split-screen or online multiplayer.

| pe

wW

= Play It On z - ubi com: йт

_ CONTROL IS THE KEY TO CONQUEST.

aii npa 5000 hc 3500 C 1206 ЭС 400 AD 800 Ар е COP GE BRONZE [RON А DARK AG МОЦ AGE RENAISSANCE

Barer

From the series that reinvented historical real-time strategy comes an evolution of epic proportions — a powerful new interface puts you in control as never before. Relive the complete span of human history as you lead your civilization through 12,000 years of conquest.

www.empireearth2.com Т CÎ

Real-time Picture-in-Picture creates a whole new level of command.

RULE AS NEVER BEFORE WITH INTEL TECHNOLOGY,

Games for 4 = [games ву е — ; [SOFTWARE]

ЯА SOFTWARE

CONTROP THE ‘BATTLEFIELD,

ESRB CONTENT RATING wwwesrb.org

Game Experience May Change During Online Play

cover story |

THE WARRIORS

After revolutionizing the action genre with the Grand Theft Auto series, Rockstar Games has decided to take a crack at the classic brawler. By opening up the world, adding team mechanics, cinematic style, and the trademark Rockstar attitude, the company is taking street fighting to the next level. With so many new additions to an intrinsically enjoyable framework, plus the benefit of a cult-classic film license, The Warriors could very well be Rockstar's grand finale for this round of consoles. Check it out on page 44.

‘departments:

STAFF | GEAR Read the team’s latest favorites Geeky gadget stuff for the mass

GI SPY 3 OPINION Silly pictures of our life and times Ara Shirinian shares his experi- ences about getting hired in our

DEAR б! beloved gaming industry

Your chance to fire back at us! CALENDAR

8 CONNECT Get hip to this month's happenings

Where news, talk, and technology collide | 74 PREVIEWS

This month is packed with both new and returning franchises, including a new look at a certain | hotly-anticipated GameCube title | with a buttkicker who looks good in green

INTERVIEW Clothing impresario Marc Ecko dis- cusses the perils of breaking into games with a completely new type of game

8 GAME INFORMER

CALL OF DUTY: BIG RED ONE Developer Treyarch hopes to bring even more emotionally involving action to the acclaimed Call of Duty franchise.

GEORGE A. ROMERO PRESENTS CITY OF THE DEAD City of the Dead places horror fans into

the bleak world crafted by Night of the Living Dead's George A. Romero.

X-MEN LEGENDS 11: RISE OF APOCALYPSE

With new playable characters and an even deadlier adversary, Activision is uniting former foes to battle a new threat.

104 REVIEWS Game of the Month: Jade Empire for Xbox

10 CHARTS Retail Sales Data and the GI editors’ Top 10 Games

| SECRET ACCESS Codes, strategies, and passwords

CLASSIC GI Reliving gaming's greatest moments

|52 GAME OVER The end...or is it?

GAME

America's Army: Rise of a Soldier . Area 51

Arthur Maclean's Mercury Atari Retro Classics AutoAssault .

Battlefield 2 .

Black & White 2 .

Brothers in Arm:

Call of Duty 2 .

Close Combat: First to Fi

Cold Fear 1 Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Drive to Survive .

Dynasty Warriors

Dynasty Warriors 5 .

Empire Earth Il. . .

Evil Dead: Regeneration

FIFA Soccer

Gretzky NHL

Haunting Ground

Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, The Indigo Prophecy .

Jade Empire ..

Legend of Zelda, The .

LEGO Star Wars. .

Lumines .

Madden NFL

Marvel: Nemesis .

Metal Gear Acid .

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Nanostray .

NAR

NBA

NCAA Football 2006

Need For Speed: Underground Rivals . NFL Street 2: Unleashed Nintendogs

Okami ..

Pac-Man Pinball Advance

Pokémon Dash Psychonauts . Rayman 05 Raze's Hell . Ridge Racer . . Rise of the Kasai . Riviera Samurai Western Shadow the Hedgehog . Soul Calibur Ill .... Spartan: Total Warrior Spider-Man 2 Splinter Cell: SSX 4. Stacked . ) Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III Rage of the Wookiees . Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity .

Tiger Woods PGA Tour

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix Twisted Metal: Head-On

Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade WarioWare Twisted

Wipeout Pure ..

World Tour Soccer

Yoshi Touch & Go .

THE PERFECT ALONE-IN--FHE-DARK NIGH+MARE”

"ROLLING S+@®NE

"GONE ӨЕ “НЕ SCARIES+ GAMES EVER MADE”

-THE ASS®CIA+ED PRESS

WWW .D@SM3.cem

“D@®OM 3 Leeks

KKKKK PIXEL-PERFEC+

“FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS” өм +HE XBOX”

-MAXIM -GAMEPR®

"ONE ӨЕ HE ПӨ5-- FRIGH+ENING AND "IO GUT OF Io" VISCERAL EXPERIENCES"

-XBOX NA+IƏN -ELEC+R@NIC GAMING ITIGN--HLY

Developed By

хвож Distributed By Xbox Development‏ ب АИА Wve‏

xeox ACTIVISION. QD ш

©2005 Id Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Activision Publishing. Inc. under license. DOOM and ID are registered trademarks of Id Software. Inc. in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and/or some other countries. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. Microsoft, Xbox. Xbox Live, the Live Logos and the Xbox Logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

PSP REDEFINED HANDHELD GAMING

3 {| ANDY McNAMARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It's been a long grind this last month, as we spent most of our time knee deep in PSP games. In fact, we have over seven pages of reviews to give you the ins and outs of the launch titles. But if you are anything like me, you already know you love Sony's sexy little machine.

The Nintendo DS is certainly a crafty little piece of hardware, but Nintendo could learn a thing or two from Sony in how to launch a system. Tons of great games — some old, some new — that cross all genres and showcase what the system is capable of doing.

While | was excited to hear that Nintendo finally announced that it would have Wi-Fi online gaming with the DS, trickling out the information is not the way to go about doing things, especially when Sony is already out there doing it.

Regardless of how enamored | am with the PSP personally, eventually the consumer will determine which handheld comes out on top. Rumors have surfaced lately that Nintendo may make the choice even more difficult by intro- ducing a high-tech follow-up to the Game Boy at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in May.

However it plays out, | am certain of one thing: The PSP has changed the way we view handheld entertainment. The bar has been raised. The days of handhelds sporting graphics ten years behind the current console genera- tion are long gone. Gamers are more sophisti- cated and we now can expect the same kind of innovation in our handheld devices as we find in our home entertainment.

Enjoy the issue, and make sure to check out our killer contest on page 129 where you get a chance to win a custom Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition motorcycle from Aprilia.

Cheers,

Andy >> andy@gameintormer.com

Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: Game Developers Conference, My PSP, The NFL Draft Dislikes: Fingerprints On My PSP, The T-Wolves' Disastrous Season Current Favorite Games: Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix, Need For Speed: Underground Rivals, God Of War, World Of Warcraft, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

10 GAME INFORMER

Reiner >> reineregameinformer.com

Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Fighting, Action/Platform, Strategy,

Sports Interests: My PSP (Never Will We Part), Star Wars Episode IIl: Revenge Of The Sith (Further Proof That Good Is Dumb), Sin City, Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper Dislikes: Spending Over Three Hundred Dollars In One Day On Star Wars Toys, Spending Over Three Hundred Dollars In One Day On PSP Games, Not Being Able To Afford My House Payments Current Favorite Games: Lumines, Jade Empire, Midnight Club 3: DUB. Edition, X-Men Legends II: Rise Of Apocalypse, TimeSplitters Future Perfect, God Of War

Matt >> matt@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: / Heart Huckabees, Matt Sweeney And Bonnie Prince Billy - Superwolf, The A Frames, PSP, Philip Roth (Best... Writer. Ever), New York Dislikes: Paris Hilton, Gas Prices (The 70s Are Back!), Air Travel, Los Angeles Current Favorite Games: God Of War, Psychonauts, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/ Platform Interests: Naturally By Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings, Some Cities By Doves, The Minnesota Connection, Ow! 8 The Pussycat By Lois Maffeo, PSP, Smoot Smack Dislikes: TV Shows About Lawyers, Mysteries, Cops, Doctors, Spies, Families, Or Reality, People Dissing Reviews Before They've Played The Game, The Upcoming Tucan Invasion Current Favorite Games: Madden NFL 2006, Jade Empire, Psychonauts, Need For Speed: Underground Rivals

Lisa >> jisa@gameinformer.com

Handle: La Game Nikita Expertise: Survival Horror, Adventure, RPGs, Action/Platform, Racing Interests: My PSP, Earl Grey Cupcakes, Nausicaä, Episode III Trailers, Sin City, Awesome Typos Like “Wonton Brutality,” Invader Zim Toys Dislikes: New “Cheesier” Doritos Not Being Cheesier (I Want More From My Chips!), Running Out Of Thin Mints, The National Adoption Of St. Patrick’s Day (Let Us Irish Have Our Day!) Current Favorite Games: God Of War, Jade Empire, Need For Speed Underground Rivals, Splinter Cell. Chaos Theory, Lumines

Jeremy >> jeremy&gameinformer.com

Handle: Gamezilla Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Survival Horror, Action/Platform, Fighting, Strategy/RPGs Interests: London, “The Next Level” By 857, The PSP And Its High Levels Of Awesomeness, Sin City, The Books Of Douglas Preston And Lincoln Child, Movie Night Dislikes: Long Lines At Torture Museums, Jet Lag, Mysterious British "Meat" Pies, Revenge Of The Sith (Well, Not Really, But | Like Picking Fights With My Fellow Nerds) Current Favorite Games: George A. Romero Presents City Of The Dead, Fight Night Round 2, Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, Lumines, God Of War

Adam >> adam@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: Hockey Chants, Nanaca-Crash!, Long-Awaited Patches, Al Franken, Finding New Authors To Enjoy, Weekend WoW Power Sessions, Smoot Smack Dislikes: Car Trouble, NCAA Men's Basketball, The Twins’ Shortstop Situation, Disintegrating Shoes, KOTOR II Crashing Every 30 Minutes On My PC, Pants Current Favorite Games: World Of Warcraft, SWAT 4, Call Of Duty: Big Red One, Alien Hominid

JOE >> joe@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Strategy, Platform, Puzzle Interests: Sabotaging Weddings, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Dialoguing Hardbodies, Au Gratin Potatoes (That's A Quality Side), Sin City Dislikes: Waiting For The Sith To Get Revenge, Awesome Special Features (The Incredibles Strikes Again), PSP RPGs MIA Current Favorite Games: God Of War, Metal Gear Acid, Black & White 2, Jade Empire, Shadow Of The Colossus, Lumines

Miller >> miler@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Fighting, Platform, First-Person Shooters Interests: The PSP In All Its Resplendent Glory, The New “Clone Wars" Season, Watching Kato's Measured Skepticism Battle His Star Wars Fandom, Two Floor Homes Dislikes: Uninformed Online Forum Posting In All Its Forms, US Weekly, How It Gets Harder Each Month To Find Good TV, Spyware Current Favorite Games: Psychonauts, Lumines, Gran Turismo 4, Resident Evil 4, World of Warcraft, Technic Beat, Jade Empire, Wipeout Pure

GAME INFORMER UNLIMITED

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

There are tons of other bonuses there (including movies, interviews, and screenshots) exclusively for Game Informer subscribers, so even if a game you like doesn't have the logo in the magazine, there is a good chance you can still learn more online.

GAMEINFERMER,

Volume XV * Number 5 * Issue 145 PUBLISHER Cathy Preston

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrew McNamara

EDITORS

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

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

CONTRIBUTORS Photography Art Cantu

GAME INFORMER ONLINE

Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Associate Online Editor Chris Cook

ADVERTISING SALES

SAN FRANCISCO Doug Faust Vice President Advertising Sales (650) 7285647 * Fax: (650) 7285648 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) 991.99 Fax: (818) 991.9923 marc@gameinformer.com EAST COAST Suzanne Lang East Coast Consumer Sales Director (718) 832-5575 * Fax: (718) 832-5569 suzanne@gameinformer,com MINNEAPOLIS Amy Arnold Advertising Coordinator and Online Sales (612) 4866154 * Fax: (612) 4866101 amy@gameinformer.com

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

Manufactured and printed in the United States of America The Editor welcomes company product information for all video games. Such materials should be addressed to: Editor, Game Informer? Magazine, 724 North First St, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be 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 ог typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited to republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue ог the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser and/or Advertising Agency agrees to defend and indemnity the publisher against any and ай iabilty, 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 trom the publication of the Advertiser's statement

4

Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

GAMING MUSIC MOVIES MESSAGING GPS CAMERA

400MHz Processor

C О М | М е 128 Bit 3D Graphics Accelerator

3D Games Capability

SOO N Bluetooth 2 (Multiplayer Gaming) Windows Media Player 9

Mpeg 4 Playback

MP3 Playback

Stereo Headset Socket

GPRS Class 10

Tri-Band GSM

Removable SIM card

WAP 2.0

SMS/MMS Send and Receive

Polyphonic Ringtones

Vibrate Mode

Jpeg Camera

320x240 Pixel TFT Screen

SD Card/MMC card

Mini USB Port

SiRF GPS

GPS Tracking Application

Satellite Navigation

Flight Mode

Removable Battery

| CAN DO ANYTHING

VWW.GIZMONDO.COM cizmorapc

Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry

1 Ubisoft's Loic Gounon and Tyrone

Miller attempt to save the Prince of

Persia from Kato and Miller's wan-

dering hands — he's not a piece of

meat, guys! 2 Supermodel Alex

Wek struts her stuff with a gold-

plated Baby Phat special edition

PSP. Honestly, we've never seen

anything so sexy...the PSP, we

mean 3 Sega COO Simon Jeffery

and Sega Studio USA game direc-

tor Yakashi lizuka are on hand

to watch Sonic the Hedgehog get

inducted into the Metreon Walk of Game

in San Francisco 4 Journalist Gregg Off

and freelancer/CNN reporter Marc Salzman hang at a recent Sony event in Santa Monica 5 Billy and Charlie Martinet (the voice of Mario) show us their Fonzie thumbs at GDC 6 Adam represents with his Call of Duty brothers in arms: (left to right) Thaine Lyman, Christian Busic, Mike Mantarro, and Robb Alvey 7 Backbone Entertainment's Mike Mika, Chris Charla, and Planet Moon's Aaron Loeb: thoughtfully pondering the future of interac- tive entertainment 8 To celebrate the launch of its Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, Rockstar commissioned Aprilia to make this one-of- a-kind sport bike (Which you can win on pg. 129). Warning: do not drive this while playing your gold-plated PSP

12 GAME INFORMER

VTAIN DEW BAJA BLAST and A TROPICAL LIME

MOUN

ui a e © = =

at participatin

available only

BLAST

JNTAIN-DEW BAJA

Mountain Dew Baja Blast; only at Taco Bell..

Made exclusively for Taco Bell. to go with the spicy, crunchy, melty, grilled and marinated food you crave.

THINIC OUTSIDE ! THE BUN

The Readers Strike Back

PSYCHO SEMANTIC

| was reading issue 144 and noticed something not right. In the Classic СІ entitled "A Link to Link's Past," you said that the ocarina first appeared in the Game Boy game Link's Awakening. Wrong! It actually first appears in A Link to the Past on SNES — you'd use it to call the bird to move around the map faster. Jeff Watson via mail.com

: Hold on - just give us a second to fasten our nerd- hats. [squish] There we go. Now, about the ocarina: Tracing the evolution of wind instruments in the Zelda franchise can get a bit tricky. In the original NES entry, there was the whistle. In Zelda Il, it was called the flute. Now, both of these items looked like those recorders they made you play in fourth grade, but that changed in A Link to the Past. You are correct in saying the game had an item that would summon a feathered friend; how- ever, despite looking like an ocarina and sounding like an ocarina, it was actually referred to as a flute in-game. Link's Awakening on Game Boy marked the first time the ocarina appeared both in form and in name.

THE WUSSIE'S PLIGHT

| think | have a problem. Whenever games involve a choice between light and dark, | can never take the evil path.

If I'm playing Knights of the Old Republic, | just can't let some kids pick on a poor, defenseless alien. If I'm play- ing an FPS, my fingers absolutely refuse to pull the trigger when the reticle is green. In RPGs, my party often consists of the most useless characters so they don't feel left out. Can anyone relate to this?

Micah Coleman Campbell via email

s Aww, aren't ethics just precious? Don't worry,

you aren't alone in your sympathetic tendencies; some gamers simply aren't interested in exploring content that involves needless brutality or cruelty. In fact, there are several people in the СІ offices who still cannot bring themselves to play a Dark Side character in KOTOR. It appears that the recent emphasis certain titles have placed on the player's choice between good and evil has split the gaming populace neatly into two factions. Some, like you, embrace the decision to remain heroic, and through rejecting the darker temptations become even nobler. Then there is the other group, which basi- cally just makes fun of those wieners while slaugh- tering townspeople. From a design standpoint, the reason developers provide these multiple paths is so that gamers can tailor the gameplay experience to their personal tastes. If you don't want to bathe in the blood of the feeble and helpless, you don't have to. On the other hand, if you're having a rough day, there's nothing quite as satisfying as killing the

first poor merchant who tries to send you on a fetch quest. Let's see you deliver your Lingonberries now, chump!

"YOU'RE GONNA DIE, CLOWN!”

I've been wondering why no one has developed a mini-golf game. Putt-putt is way more fun than regular golf, but pub- lishers just keep churning out yearly versions of the same boring stuff. Will we ever see a title that captures the unique mini-golf style? Will Brann via hotmail.com

Will, you win this month's “Hey, somebody listen to this guy!" award. We had a great time back in the day with Kirby's Dream Course and EA's long-forgotten Zany Golf. Plus, considering niche hobby titles out there such as American Chopper and World Championship Poker, we agree that this clas- sic vacation pasttime and rite-of-passage deserves a decent digital treatment this generation. Hot Shots Golf Fore did include a mini-golf mode, and Mario Golf has long tried to capture the lighter side of the sport, but we have yet to see a title dedicated to the total putt-putt experience - complete with windmills, dinosaurs, and other animatronic hazards. It's possi- ble that developers are just taking time to hone their methods, lest we end up with a disappointing and joyless mockery of this venerable psuedo-sport, like Gould City's Michihistrigan (the history of Michigan as told through 18 holes of mini-golf).

XENOPHILE

The reviews in your magazine sometimes tick me off, but this sets a new record. | am referring, of course, to your

UNDEAD REVIVAL

Since everyone has been bringing back old franchises, | thought

I'd go ahead and suggest one that has been overlooked. Konami should bring back Zombies Ate My Neighbors. That game was

hilarious.

does have telekinesis and anal probe jokes. Classy.

Ben Harvitt via Yahoo.com

‚ Given our fondness for both zombies and eating, no one would like to see this happen more than us. Unfortunately, you'd have a better chance of spotting a unicycle at the No-Unicycles Jamboroo than seeing a new version of ZAMN. LucasArts (who developed the title, though Konami published it) seems to have turned its back on the zany, tongue-in-cheek humor that set its games apart a decade ago. Last year's cancellation of the new Sam & Max: Freelance Police would appear to be the final nail in the quirky coffin. However, if you're looking for another game that takes a similar ‘50s B-movie approach to gaming, keep an eye on THQ's upcoming Destroy All Humans. It doesn’t have brain-eating or shuffling corpses, but it

asinine review (if you can even call it that) of Xenosaga Episode Il. Your commentary was devoid of any merit. The battle system requires you to optimize each character's skills, the voice acting is a necessary improvement, and what you call a “repeated dungeon” was far more cre- ative — one iteration took place in the summer, the other in the winter. While I'm writing this fury-induced letter, | may as well say this: Jin Uzuki is awesome. Long hair, a calm demeanor, and to top it all off — he wields a sword! Namco pretty much summed up everything | like about effeminate male characters with him.

Megan Beck

via snail mail

We can understand your affection for the fictional Mr. Uzuki, but you might be taking this a little too personally. All we did is give his game a decent score; it isn't like we went to your brother's school play and booed him off the stage (unless your brother was in the Duluth Elementary production of “Brigadoon.” If so, Reiner sincerely apologizes). Plus, you should really ask yourself whether Jin is worth such steadfast loyalty. Heck, on the last episode of “Effeminate Male Challenge: Swords and Long Hair Edition,” he didn’t even place in the top five. After getting schooled by characters like Sephiroth and Vampire Hunter D, the only person ranked lower than Jin was Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 2. A laughable showing, indeed. Oh, and for the record, we only watch “Effeminate Male Challenge” because it comes on right after “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

INTERNET, EH?

Why, in this age of great online play, are we unable to explore the Internet on the consoles? | remember the time when you could surf the web on the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast in addition to playing online games. Why did video game console companies quit doing this? Will this feature return in upcoming consoles?

Jesus Martinez via excite.com

There was a period in the ‘90s when the general

perception of the internet was as a multi-tentacled, insidious, inaccessible creature. While computers

cen ROY ALL

Ап NS?

ner EFT "WI TH ГҮ

y-a

(Continued on page 17)

Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: 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

TWISTED METAL: HEAD ON

; Tooth and company are back, so take

мег

et behind the wheel of one of 14 fully armed

ehicles. Upgrade your weapons, battle across

deadly arenas, discover bonus levels and go head

ad with wireless connectivity for up to 6 With Twisted Metal: Head Оп; а path of uction follows you wherever ус

Violence | p | 5 Drug Reference | 1 i in i

(Continued from page 14)

were the most effective way to tame the beast, many were reluctant to pay for such expensive machines. The solution was to web-enable certain cheaper and more welcoming home fixtures, like game consoles and televisions (the ill-fated WebTV was another product of this mindset). This was a valiant effort, but customers soon found that con- ventional TVs weren’t (and for the most part, still aren't) designed for the resolution needed to prop- erly display the text of webpages, which led to a lot of squinting and some awkward work-arounds. Plus, once computers became more widespread and peo- ple realized the Internet was just a big teddy bear, these simplified approaches to the web fizzled out. So, though we can't definitively say what the distant future will hold for console capabilities, it's probably best that companies aren't asking themselves "How can we be more like the Saturn and Dreamcast?"

SIMPLY PERPLEXING

The name "Game Boy Advance SP" normally brings smiles to gamers’ faces. Not mine. Even though | enjoy the hours | spend playing GBA games, | lay awake at night as | tire- lessly try to figure out what the "SP" stands for. Please enlighten me so | can sleep peacefully again. Seth Bowers Virginia Beach, Va

= Your days of fabricating contrived meanings are over! No longer do you need to burn the midnight oil mulling over the significance of “Soiled Pastry” and “Sneaky Pantaloons.’ Surprisingly, the mysteri- ous letter designation doesn't even break down into two separate words; it stands for “Special” Go forth with this new knowledge and sleep in peace. Even knowing the true meaning, we still like to imagine more colorful epithets for the handheld. For instance, we've convinced ourselves SP also stands for “Substandard Pillow.’ Have you ever tried falling asleep on a GBA during a long flight? Uncomfortable.

HOLIDAY SNEER

Michael Pachter, the research analyst in your "Christmas Clash" article in issue 143, is the most outrageous analyst I've ever seen. Pachter is clearly a PS2 fan who uses his profession as a way to get a cheap bash against Microsoft. Whether or not a company makes money off a system isn't the point. The object of the hardware game is simply to get as many consoles into as many homes as possible. That way, more profits can be made from the sale of games. That's the true indication of success.

Tim Lewis via gmail.com

Despite what is undoubtedly an appealing theory for Xbox fanatics, Sony fanboys are not covertly infiltrating the nation's top financial analysis firms. As a research analyst, one's job is to examine and interpret concrete data, and while a certain level of personal bias plays a role, it is difficult to make claims that the numbers don't support. So, when Pachter claims that Sony is still ahead (at least for this generation), he does so with the support of an array of statistics, not unswerving devotion to a single company. As you acknowledge, Tim, the main goal is to get as many users buying software as possible, and while Xbox did outsell the PS2 over the holidays, it doesn't change the fact that Sony still has an installed user base several times larger than Microsoft's. That's not a malicious bash against Xbox - it's a fact.

19

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 retum address on the back of the envelope. If you're the monthly winner, we'll feature your work in GI and you'll receive a video game prize from the Game Informer vault.

Send to:

Game Informer Envelope Art Contest 724 Ist St №, 4th Floor Mpls, MN 55401

GUS SMITH ІІ Despite all of the armor and flame jets, she just wants to be loved

ALFONSO ELIAS This would be a perfect Guy Ritchie movie. We hope Madonna's in it; we loved Swept Away!

CHARLES ATKINS The Prince crashes ЕЗ, with hilarious results

ALEX MERCHANT Nice jammies, dork

STEVE NYTKAS “Іп all my life I Shall see /naught finer than than

a daisy/stained with blood from сос”

GAME INFORMER 17

%

Breaking News, Views, And Technology From The Cutting Edge Of Gaming

NINTENDO: DECLARES REVOLUTION

WI-FI AND BACKWARDS

COMPATIBILITY SET

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata

66 0 п my business card, | ат а сог-

porate president. In my mind,

| am a game developer. But in my heart, | am a gamer" Nintendo presi- dent Satoru Iwata may have been speaking at the Game Developer's Conference, but he spoke to game creators and players alike during his keynote speech, talking about the direction the company was going in — including details on the Revolution, its next-gen console.

Iwata started out by chronicling his pas- sage through the industry, from being one of the founding members of Kirby devel- oper HAL (“...when | told my father this, you can imagine, it was not the happiest moment in the history of my family”) to taking over for the iconic former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi. He also wowed the crowd with footage of the new Legend of Zelda game for the GameCube (turn to page 76 for more) and set the stage for the coming of the Revolution. Iwata reaffirmed the company's direction, which seeks to create a balance between capturing casual gamers and maintaining its hardcore audi- ence. “Core gamers have a huge appetite for challenge and casual gamers want

18 GAME INFORMER

less difficulty" he explained. "At Nintendo, we believe it is our responsibility to make games for all skill levels. And that includes people who are not playing our games now. [But] if we were not interested in core gamers, GameCube would not be home

to the first big hit of 2005 here in America, Capcom's Resident Evil 4. It's a sign that not only do we care about core gamers, but core gamers care about Nintendo?

In an attempt to please both crowds, Iwata announced that both the Nintendo DS and The Revolution (which executive vice president of sales and marketing, Reggie Fils-Aime told us would not come out in 2005) would aggressively utilize Wi-Fi. Iwata stressed that wireless play would occur without having to use security protocols and would be free, although he did not offer any specifics. Without the need for security keys, can you only play your Nintendo DS in unsecured, open hot spots such as coffee shops? Is Nintendo creating a back end to give gamers a lobby and a way to hook up with other players? Despite these moves in Wi-Fi, it is doubtful that Nintendo is building its own dedicated worldwide network.

Iwata and members of the crowd race each other via Mario Kart DS's Wi-Fi feature

After demonstrating wireless play with Mario Kart, Nintendogs, and Electroplankton for the DS and mentioning that a new Wi- Fi-enabled Animal Crossing is coming for the system, Iwata shed some more light on the Revolution. IBM is creating the core processor, which is codenamed Broadway (‘because Broadway is the capital of live entertainment," explained Iwata), and ATI is designing the graphics chipset named Hollywood. Development has already begun on Revolution games, although Iwata didn't elaborate on its touch screen con- troller (see last issue, page 22 for more). Still, he was confident that third-parties would find developing for the system to be easy. "Even though the game experience enjoyed by players will be far different on Revolution, developing for it will be familiar. It will not require a steep new learning curve. In this way, just like Nintendo DS, it's a place where the best ideas — not the

biggest budgets — will win" Finally, Iwata announced that the system will be back- wards compatible with GameCube software. In an interview with Game Informer Online, Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed Nintendo's focus on strengthening its rela- tionships, whether that was with developers or with third-party publishers. “We're push- ing the envelope with all of our conversa- tions with third parties. We did that with the DS and we're doing that with Revolution.” Fils-Aime also acknowledged that the com- pany's virtually non-existent online presence with the GameCube wouldn't hamper Nintendo's efforts with Wi-Fi. “What | think is driving this is the recognition that we've always been about having a sense of com- munity and we didn't deliver that with the GameCube. And | think there's an acknowl- edgement that that was a mistake”

MICROSOFT TALKS

NEXT XBOX

FIRST OFFICIAL DETAILS SPILLED

(which is the official name as of press time) have been

flying around for months, but at the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, J. Allard, corporate vice president, set the record straight on the platform — at least some of it. Allard did not elaborate any of the console's rumored specs other than mentioning it would “deliver over a teraflop of targeted computing performance.’ He did, how- ever, go into some detail for the attending developers about Microsoft's expanded online gaming focus and what Allard dubbed the "HD Era”

Microsoft is pushing developers to include a host of features across all the titles to appear on Xbox 360 includ- ing high-definition (HD) resolution (480p, 720p, 10801), digital surround sound, and 16:9 widescreen dimensions Of course, to view any of these Xbox 360 games in high-def resolution for Microsoft's self-proclaimed HD Era, you'd first need an HDTV. Besides that, if reports that the Xbox 360 will contain a DVD-9 optical drive are true, the system won't support the next generation of high-def retail movies set to hit the marketplace within the next five years. Whether or not these HD Era features are absolutely mandatory is not known, but Microsoft certainly is providing companies with uniform tools (such as XNA Studio) to implement them with- out extraordinary effort. Allard also alluded to the system's use of wireless controllers. "We're going to get rid of the wires!’

Apart from the visual quality of titles in high-definition, Allard characterizes the future as one where the rest of the digital media in your home — whether it be music, photos, or television — is swappable through different devices in your abode. Turning your Xbox 360 into a media center is con- sistent with what we've heard about the system, as rumors heavily suggest the presence of a removable hard drive.

Despite these teases, Allard did make clear some concrete

B umors about Microsoft's next-gen system, Xbox 360,

Your Xbox Live Gamer Profile on Xbox 360 shows the world info such as your Gamer Score (earned by racking up good performances in games), motto, Review Rating (a starred evaluation of you similar to

Doomster