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48 STAR WARS: ^
THE FORCE UNLEASHED
We've got the world-exclusive first look at LucasArts' lat-
est endeavor into geekdom's holiest of universes. The Force Unleashed puts you in the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, and tasks you with assisting the Dark Lord in his crusade to purge the Jedi from the galaxy. Join us, and learn how the innovative technology in this game brings the Force alive in this in-depth
The "Food Is The New World War II” Issue
24
YEAR OF THE GAMECOCK
Mike Wilson & Harry Miller, the masterminds behind GodGames, have returned older and wiser to the video game scene. Their new company, Gamecock, is ready to make waves with a unique publishing model. Find out why that matters to the average gamer inside.
Aragorn? Wussy. Drizzt? Effeminate. Not even Kratos can compare to the original man's man: Conan the Barbarian. He's getting his very own action/adven- ture title in which to satisfy his larger-than-life urges with his superhuman abilities. Check out the first look that you won't find anywhere else right here in Game Informer.
look at LucasArts’ PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 blockbuster.
departments
STAFF Read the team’s latest favorites
GI SPY Silly pictures of our life and times
DEAR 61 Your chance to fire back at us!
CONNECT Where news, talk, and technology collide
INTERVIEW Alex Rigopulos, president and CEO of Harmonix, talks about the phenomenon of Guitar Hero and the state of interactive musical entertainment
6 GAME INFORMER
GEAR Geeky gadget stuff for the masses
OPINION Andy Reiner, GI's executive editor, explains why Achievements are an integral part of next-gen gaming
CALENDAR Get hip to this month's happenings
PREVIEWS Updates on Mercenaries 2, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, and Heavenly Sword are waiting for your loving gaze this month
REVIEWS Game of the Month: NBA Street Homecourt for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
CHARTS Retail Sales Data and the СІ editors’ Top 10 Games
SECRET ACCESS Codes, strategies, and passwords
CLASSIC GI Reliving gaming's greatest moments
ONLINE See what's happening at Game Informer Online
GAME OVER The end...or is it?
| game index
GAME Arthur and the Invisibles... . . .
Battlestations: Midway. . . ....
Bullet Witch . . .
Cake Mania ....
Cookie & Cream.
Cooking Mama: Cook Off . .
Crackdown
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars.
Dawn of Mana
Def Jam: Icon
Diddy Kong Racing . . .
Escape from Bug Island.
Far Cry Vengeance
Formula One Championship Edition . . . . . .
Frontlines: Fuel of War
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 .
Ghost Rider ....
God of War II. . .
Guitar Него ІІ.
Harker.
Heavenly Sword
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 ........... 106
Legend of Heroes Ill: Song of the Ocean, The .. 106
Legend of the Dragon... . . .92 95
Maelstrom . .
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Мале
Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner. . .
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia. .
MVP 07 NCAA Baseball
NBA Street Homecourt ............
Rainbow Six Vegas: Players’ Pack
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters............
Rayman Raving Rabbids...........
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
Shield, The
ОЕ
Valhalla Knights . . . .
Virtua Fighter 5
Virtua Tennis 3
WarioWare: Smooth Moves . . . . : 102
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007..... 99
THIS IS SIMPLY A PICTURE OF A WOMAN EATING A VANILLA ICE CREAM CONE.
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BODY WASH
5. S | ЛІ | People Who Actually Get Paid To Play Video Games
WHY ISN'T THERE ANYTHING | LIKE?
ANDY McNAMARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
| know ! work at a video game magazine, and | realize that | am supposed to know anything and everything about video games that there is to know. But there is one thing that has always escaped me, my personal video game Achilles’ heel if you will. And that elusive monster is the video game peripheral.
Every time | head to my local game shop to get a new keyboard, mouse, joypad, or headset there is always something wrong with them. These are the tools of the trade, yet all too often — at least in my opinion — you either use the pack-in control pad or you use nothing at all. There is obviously something wrong if a video gamer can't get the tools they need to play. Would a golfer put up with less-than-perfect clubs? 1 think not.
So here and now | am going to lay it all out. | hereby begin my journey to find the greatest keyboard, mouse, wireless joypad, or whatever over the next six months. And if there isn't one...well, | don't know what I'm going to do, but it will most likely involve a glue gun, fire crackers, some duct tape, and a six story building.
So anyone out there in the great wide open, the gauntlet has been thrown down. | want to know what you think are the best peripherals out there that money can buy. My email inbox is yours to assault. Either we work together and solve this thing, or I'm going to have to create a Game Informer line of game products. | simply don't have the time to write this column and create game products, and | know that is something you simply can't live without.
Enjoy the issue.
Cheers,
Andy >> andy@gameinformercom
Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: Behind The Mark On Guitar Hero, 30 Rock, My New Dell 24-Inch Widescreen Monitor (I Love Gaming in 1900x1200) Dislikes: When The Cable Company Changes All Your Channels The Second You Finally Learn Them, That Movie Companies Are Charging Way Too Much For Blu-Ray And HD-DVD Movies (1 Want To Watch It In HD But The Price Gouging Has To Stop) Current Favorite Games: World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, Guitar Hero | And II, Virtua Fighter 5, Final Fantasy ХІІ, Crackdown
8 GAME INFORMER
Reiner >> reineragameinformercom
Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action, First-Person Shooters, Strategy, Sports, Fighting Interests: Finally Getting Around To Watching Six Feet Under And Reading Wheel Of Time, Xbox 360's IPTV (My Precious), Ninjatology, Atlus Dusk Dislikes: George RR. Martin Dragging His Feet On The Release Of A Dance With Dragons, Neighbors That Complain That My Surround Sound Sounds Like a Space Shuttle Launch, Buying A New House Current Favorite Games: Crackdown, MotorStorm, Blue Dragon, NBA Street Homecourt, Def Jam: Icon, Metal Gear Solid: Portal Ops, MLB 2K7
Matt >> matt&gameinformer.com
Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: The New Season Of 24, Children Of Men, The Devil's Horn: The Story Of The Saxophone By Michael Segell, Practicing Qigong Dislikes: RIP James Brown, Weird Warm-Then-Freezing Weather (Pick One!), Not Eating Right As Much As | Should, “Surges” Current Favorite Games: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Guitar Hero 11, NBA Street Homecourt, Gears Of War
Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com
Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/Platform Interests: 7he Code - Ross Bernstein's Book About Enforcers And Fighting In The NHL, The End Of The Glen Mason Era, Nine Black Alps ~ Everything Is, Driving Billy Slowly Insane Dislikes: The Japanese Blue Dragon's Awful Music (There's Only One Iron Maiden), Bobby Knight, Nick Saban, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Spaz Rock Like Mars Volta And Mike Patton, Shawne Merriman's Lights Out Dance (See Spaz) Current Favorite Games: The Pit, Kuuduk, Mumbly Peg, Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
Adam >> adam@gameintormer.com
Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: Replacing My Crap Gear With Fat Loot From Outland, Photek – Form & Function, Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works, Playing On A Server With Neither Lag Nor Queues, My New Kitty (He's Adorable, But Smelly) Dislikes: Sharding Gear That | Worked Hard For, Finding New People To Play WoW With, Trying To Fix New Kitty's Health Problems (Turns Out He Doesn't Love Going To The Vet) Current Favorite Games: World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, MLB 2K7, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin
1/06 >> joeagameinformer.com
Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Action, Strategy, Puzzle Interests: Pixel & Sprite (Май Imaginary Webcomic), MI-5, Playing “Co-Op” (i.e. Shooting My Teammate), HBO Making A Song Of Ice And Fire Into A TV Show (Clancy Brown As
The Hound - Make It Happen!) Dislikes: Bryan Making Fun Of Soundwave (He's Not iTunes Compatible), The Mysterious Reappearance Of Reiner 2K5, Naked Blood Elf Dancers, Zombie Nation Current Favorite Games: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, God Of War II, Crackdown, World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Miller >> mileregameintormer.com
Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Fighting, Plat- form, First-Person Shooters Interests: The End Of Mid-Season TV Breaks, The Eberron Campaign Setting (So They're Basically Like Giant Sentient Robots?), The End Of Twilight Princess, Chopin Nocturnes Dislikes: Having To Send In My Xbox 360 For Repairs Twice In One Month, The Exaggerated Price of Heated Bathroom Tile Current Favorite Games: Conan, Excite Truck, The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Gears Of War, Guitar Hero
Bertz >> mattbertz&gameinformer.com
Handle: Lord Gamington Ill Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Sports, Action, RPGs, Strategy Interests: The Return Of Rome, Assy McGee, CES Tech Goodness, Countdown To Crysis, IPTV On Xbox 360, Old Bob Dylan Footage On YouTube Dislikes: Sub-Zero Temperatures, Comcast DVR, Football Offseason, In & Out Burger Hours In Vegas (It's Vegas, Stay Open!), The Destruction Of The Far Cry Franchise Current Favorite Games: Rainbow Six Vegas, GRAW 2, Medieval II: Total War, Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin
Ben >> ben@gameinformer.com
Handle: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamer Expertise: Action/Adventure, Action/RPGs, Platform, Survival Horror, First-Person Shooters Interests: Marvel's Civil War, Hot Chocolate, Not Getting Arrested During My Holiday Trip Back Home, My Fake Marriage To Keira Knightley Dislikes: Being Subject To A Certain Someone's Sandwich Propaganda (i.e. Joe), People Who Think Intellectual Writing Like Tales From The Greyhound Is Pretentious Crap Before Reading It (Le. Joe), Joe (i.e. Joe), Watermelon Seeds Current Favorite Games: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Guitar Hero II, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Dead Rising, Lumines Il
Bryan >> bryan@gameinformer.com
Handle: The Gamer's Advocate Expertise: Action/Adventure, RPGs, Survival Horror, First-Person Shooters, Rhythm Interests: New Guitar Hero Songs, The Good, The Bad And The Queen - Kingdom Of Doom, Corey Haim "Me, Myself, And 1” On YouTube Dislikes: Creating Miis For Female Friends (So How Fat Would You Like To Be?), Having To Buy Another Version Of Guitar Hero |І, Having To Remember People's Birthdays During Mii Creation, Mushroom & Swiss Current Favorite Games: GRAW 2, Resistance: Fall Of Man, Gears Of War, Excite Truck
GAMEINFORMER,
MARCH 2007 Volume XVII * Number 3 * Issue 167
PUBLISHER
Cathy Preston EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Andrew McNamara EDITORS
Executive Editor Andrew Reiner Senior Editor Matt Helgeson Senior Associate Editor Matthew Kato Associate Editors ‘Adam Biessener • Joe Juba * Matt Miller Ben Reeves * Bryan Vore Content Manager Matt Bertz Mascot Arthur
PRODUCTION
Art Director Thomas Blustin Production Director Curtis Fung Production Assistant Rachel Nimerfroh
CONTRIBUTORS
Photographers Jonathan Kannair Sarah Kerver
GAME INFORMER ONLINE
Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Online Production Assistant Nick Ahrens Associate Online Editor Jeff Cork
ADVERTISING SALES SAN FRANCISCO Doug Faust Vice President Advertising Sales (650) 728.5647 * Fax: (650) 728-5648 doug@gameinformer.com
LOS ANGELES Damon Watson Regional Sales Director (925) 287-8837» Fax: (925) 287-1397 damon@gameinformer.com
MINNEAPOLIS Rob Borm Director of Marketing and Midwest/East Coast Sales Manager (612) 486-6155 • Fax: (612) 4866101 robGgameinformer.com EAST COAST Suzanne Lang East Coast Consumer Sales Director (718) 8325575 * Fax: (718) 832-5569 suzanne@gameinformer.com MINNEAPOLIS Ату Атом Advertising Coordinator and Online Sales (612) 4866154 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 amy@gameinformer.com Matt Edgar Advertising Assistant (612) 4866152 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 mattedgar@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 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 to: Editor, Game Informer® Magazine, 724 North First St, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned or acknowledged. Entire contents copyright 2004. Game Informer& Magazine. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in рал without permission is prohibited, Game Informer is а trademark of GameStop, Inc Products named п these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies, PUBLISHER LIABILITY FOR ERROR The publisher shall по be liable for sight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's liabity fr other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited to republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser and/or ‘Advertsing Agency agrees to delend and indemnity the publisher against any and ай lability, loss, or expense arising from claims of ibel, unfair competition, unfair rade practices, infringement of trademarks, copyrights, trade names, patents, or proprietary rights or violation of rights of privacy, resulting from the publication of the
Advertiser's statement.
Member Audit Bureau of Circulations
STRONG! ONE: DAYS ARMY/S STRONG) ТНЕ ТЕХ; |
| ! | |
| ARMYISTRONG.
Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry
1 Reader BJ Russell sent us this photo of his World of Warcraft axe, specially made to smite Horde newbies 2 GI's Matt Bertz proudly accepts his Emmy for his starring role on Heroes, the hit show where he plays a cheerleader pos- sessed of superpowers. He looks a little different without makeup 3 Crytek's Cevat Yerli accepts his payola (a candy bar — we're cheap!) for giving us some inside info on the company's upcom- ing shooter Crysis 4 Adam is blissfully unaware that death is about to strike
in the form of Eidos' Sam Tehrani and Tali Fischer 5 Red Octane's Bryan Lam (right) and the Guitar Hero's resident axe-slinger Marcus Henderson show off their chops on these wicked double- neck SGs at CES. Jimmy Page would be proud 6 LucasArts shows mad love for GI Spy! Here's the crew: Julio Torres, Haden Blackman, Cedrick Collomb, Matt Omernick, and Chris Baker 7 Former
Сі editor Jay Fitzloff treks all the way
to Minneapolis to award Kato with his prize for winning their annual football bet. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Trophy of the Jeweled Frog!
10 GAME INFORMER
G | The Readers Strike Back
Definitely | hadn't played а Zelda title beyond A Link to the Post until Twilight Princess. Irs on excellent reminder of what ме been missing
{I started to doubt what they had left in them after playing Wind Waker. However, Twilight Princess re-confirmed my faith. Both the great story and gameplay definitely earned. ita 10!
Artemis. Саат
Aside from some small changes and slight innovations, Twilight Princess is the same Zelda game we've had around for. yeurs in terms of gameplay and quality. But for me, that's exactly what I want. Does it deserve а 10/10? Yes/Yest
AngelGamer
Of course it does. Some people may say that it’s overrated because it's named Zelda, but the opposite is true. We expect more from it because of its namesake, and once again Nintendo has surpassed those expectations. schmuck
Мо. While | support it being GOTY, 1 don't feel it deserved а 10. The boss battles were too easy, the overworld was a mess, and it was even somewhat buggy. I know the value of a blue rupee, now SHUT UP!
King Süshi
There is no realm of reality in which Twilight Princess deserved а 10. This is one of the most inaccurate scores Гуе seen come from Game Informer, and I'm. honestly a bit disappointed. This game deserved at LEAST а 12. Donttalktochris
Do you want to make your voice
heard? Weigh in with your opinion at www gameinformer.com/forums
12 GAME INFORMER
JAYNE IS A GIRL'S NAME
1 just finished issue 165 and couldn't help but to agree that Firefly is the number one license that deserves to be a game. After | read the article,
| went online and discovered that a MMORPG based on the series was announced to be in development, and scheduled to release in 2008 It seems like a strange coincidence that you guys were just a little ahead of the curve on that — did an inside source tip you off? | can't wait until this game comes out so we can all be "big damn heroes, sir”
Chadd Reed Vancouver, WA
в We do often hear whispers and rumors about what's going on in the industry (see the Loose Talk section on page 32), but this is a situation where we were just as sur- prised and excited as you. We hope things turn out well for this project, but a bunch of nerds wanting something really bad
isn't a guarantee for success. If it were, the Star Wars holiday special would have been released on DVD long ago.
600Е OF THE YEAR?
How did Zelda win game of the year? When | turned to the editors' picks, more than half of you didn't even have the game in your top 10. I'm just curious how it was decided, since so many of you weren't giving it love. Especially when Oblivion seemed to be the biggest hit with every- one. It looks like The Elder Scrolls might have got- ten hosed to me.
Chris Losby Via msn.com
| do have an issue with your choice for Game of the Year in issue 165. It's not that The Legend of Zelda doesn't deserve it, but | am concerned with how you arrived at your choice. Looking at
NO CROSS BREEDING
I've been wondering whether games like Resistance: Fall of Man and Heavenly Sword are ever coming out on the Xbox 360. After
the editors' top 10 picks, it is apparent that Zelda is not the winner. It only topped one person's list, and it only found its way onto four lists total Assigning weights to each spot on the lists (10 points to +1, 9 to +2, etc) shows that a number of games topped Zelda. Oblivion comes out as #1, FF XII as #2, Okami as #3, Gears of War as #4, and Zelda as #5. No matter how you slice it, Zelda was not the Game of the Year. Ryan Pawloski Via msn.com
: Our Game of the Year is decided in a dis- cussion among all editors, not by plugging numbers into an equation. If you prefer to use the mathematical approach, here's the only number that really matters: 10. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' score of 10/10 was higher than any other title's in 2006, not to mention the unparalleled qual- ity that a perfect score implies. This flawless rating - along with the crowds that formed around Andy's and Reiner's desks as they were reviewing Zelda - was enough for us to unanimously select it to receive the Game of the Year award. So, why didn't it appear on more editors' lists? The answer is simple and disappointingly devoid of conspiracy. Issue 165 went to print in November, just days after the Wii released. Since we didn't get advance copies of the game from Nintendo, not all of the editors had a chance to play it before compiling their top 10. In the months since, more of us have had the chance to beat Twilight Princess, and we still stand by our GOTY decision 100 percent.
DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
| recently read a story about how Wii controller straps are breaking and sending the controller fly- ing. That alone is stupid. But then | heard the part of how the controllers are supposedly smashing into TVs and breaking the screen. This is absolute
all, the PS3 sales tanked and the developers need to use other
consoles to pay off expenses, right?
more high-
pictures of how that game might look!
п Whether or not PS3 sales “tanked” is a debatable point, but there is an easy answer to your question. No, Resistance and Heavenly Sword won't come to Xbox 360. They are both Sony-owned properties, and Sony probably isn’t going give its competitors the biggest titles being used to sell PS3s. This is the same reason that you'll never see Halo on Wii, or The Legend of Zelda for Xbox 360. These flagship titles are the property of their respective publishers, and they are the ones used as leverage to influence gamers’ purchasing decisions. It's true that profile games have been making multiplatform moves (like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Assassin's Creed), but you can basi- cally count on a titles published by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo to temain exclusive. Oh, this is also the reason why a four-player co-op shooter starring Samus, Master Chief, Jak, and Mario isn't going hap- pen — just don’t tell Bryan. He draws the most adorable, crude little
Jared Hughes Via Comcast.net
crap. There is no way a plastic controller would break a screen. To prove it, | dare you to take a Wii remote and throw it as hard as you can against your TV, several times. The remote is going to break before the TV. Alex Everhart Via msn.com
Attention readers: Do not do this. Alex here is either trying to trick you into break- ing your television sets, or he owns some kind titanium-infused screen. As a general tule, repeatedly throwing expensive elec- tronics against other expensive electronics only results in sadness...and sparks.
NEW TO YOU
ме been playing my way though Final Fantasy
ХИ, and | have noticed that every Esper you get is new to the series. To be honest, | feel extremely ripped-off by not being able to summon my favor- ites like Bahamut or Ifrit and watch them beat а boss into a bloody pulp.
Beau Bellatty Via hotmail.com
It is sad to see the many classic sum- mons missing, but their replacements aren't actually newcomers to the Final Fantasy franchise. Many of the beasts made previ- ous appearances as enemies and summons in either Final Fantasy Tactics for PSone or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on GBA. Others are actually named after final bosses from the 8- and 16-bit games in the series, like Chaos and Zeromus. It might be tough to play through a whole Final Fantasy game without watching Bahamut perform Megaflare, but on the whole, FF ХІ!" crop of summons beats out losers like Bismarck and the Magus Sisters any day.
Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: Game Informer Magazine е Attn: Dear GI е 724 North First St., 4th Floor Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com
Lucky Luky BA..
Havent you шс sep!
FLAMING THE FLAME-BROILED
Are people actually playing those stupid games from Burger King? Are we really going to put our Xbox 360s through misery just so we can play
a four-dollar piece of garbage publicity? | don't know about you, but | would rather play games like Crackdown and Rainbox Six Vegas. | honestly thought Sneak King was a fake parody game at first. 105 that bad.
Johnny Bruce Shawsville, VA
a Someone must be playing them. According to Burger King, the restaurant sold 2 million copies in the first four weeks. While that fig- ure does lump all three games together, it's still a pretty impressive number. Too bad the games aren't equally impressive. Bare-bones diversions like Sneak King may be usher- ing in a new kind of product into the video game arena - the "so bad it's good" game. In the film industry, movies that fall into that category can amass a huge cult following (like Spider-Man director Sam Raimi's Evil Dead), and up until the BK titles, the video game industry hadn't seen an analog. When you think about it, paying $4 for an hour or two of hilarity is a decent bargain. Plus, if you're really into the "sneak up on people and deliver sandwiches" subgenre, Sneak King is pretty much your only option.
IT'S CALLED “ALTERNATE HISTORY”
In Issue 164, a Resistance: Fall of Man advertise- ment says that the setting of the game is the year 1951. However, when you review the game, you claim that World War Il never happened. Someone over there needs to brush up on their history, because WWII ended in 1945, six years before the game even begins!
Nick Vitale Warren, OH
One of the great things about video games is that they allow us to explore worlds that aren't bound by the cold, ruthless facts of history. In reality, yes, World War И ended in 1945. However, according to the fictional premise of Resistance: Fall of Man, the key events of the war as we know it never hap- pened because humanity has been wrapped up battling the Chimera, not each other. When the game begins in 1951, this conflict has already been going on for decades, which overwrites the time period in which World War 11 would have taken place.
14 GAME INFORMER
Enter the Game Informer Envelope
Art Contest. All you need to do is draw, paint, scratch, spit, ог carve the best dam 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:
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JOHN DODSON Standing in front of a glowing Triforce is guaranteed to make you 78 percent more majestic
м
FERNIE ALMEIDA Unrealistic! We all know that Snake would rather eat a Chocobo than ride one
CHERYL VOGT
They found mushrooms and pills, but they picked him up on an anonymous tip that he was licking Toads
DEVAN REY- SOLDS
Classic strat- egy. Put your expendable, annoying sol- diers in front so they absorb the initial assault. Go for it, Captain Cannon Fodder!
J. CHOULNARD “Must...play... Trauma Center!”
Vau HAVE THE таме. Узи ск Da Аун
AWD you, му THE RIE.
www.TheDarknessGame.com THE DARKNESS IS SPREADING MAY 2007
== us гү PLAYSTATION = ә АЖ ФА; №. Жу)
Ü N N Е C 1 Breaking News, Views, And Technology From The Cutting Edge Of Gaming
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| FESTIVAL
‘A CONTINUING NW. DROPS SUPER ONTROVERSY,;;..... y | MASSACRE RPG = / | i П | E ў fit P. m
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The Game In Question
Super Columbine RPG! puts players in the roles of Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as they shoot up the school via the game's simple graphics created with the game RPG Maker. The game follows the same timeline as the events themselves — including the pair's own suicide, and even uses dialogue between Harris and Klebold as recorded in their journals and video messages.
Some have attacked the game for its lack of compassion regarding the event, angry that such a tragedy has been reduced to a video game adven- ture — particularly when creator Danny Ledonne's use of simple and cute graphics is juxtaposed against grisly reality.
Ironically, whereas Harris and Klebold found а twisted inspiration in Doom — a connection that some believe requires a condemnation of video games themselves, perhaps those playing SCMRPG! will find this particular video game as a vehicle to think about the Columbine massacre. SCMRPG! cre- ator Danny Ledonne says that by forcing players into the roles of the killers and making them live through the events of that day, he is aiming to make people confront Harris and Klebold's horrific actions in a more personal manner.
he Slamdance Film Festival has made its name by showcasing up-and-coming filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan (Memento), and has since extended its patronage to independent video game developers via its Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Contest. But this year's festivities have turned controversial due to the festival's removal of Danny Ledonne's Super Columbine Massacre RPG! — a first for the festival. What started out as a celebration of indepen- dent gaming turned into an examination of video games as art, and offered us a look at the state of our nation almost Ledonne, who described the eight years after the Columbine tragedy. arguments for the game's dis- In early January, news broke that Slamdance had removed missal as “circumspect” the game from its contest amid protest from some of the "Back in October, | explicitly other participants and the gaming community at large. mentioned to Sam [Roberts] Despite this, the organization stood firm and stated that the game would not be re-instated. By this time, several competition finalists — including thatgamecompany's flOw (a title which will also appear for download on the PlayStation Network) — had withdrawn their work in protest just weeks away from the final competition. Game Informer tried to contact festival organizers to speak about this matter several times, but received no response. However,
arise, | could easily have re-programmed the game in time for the festival, and that would be a non-issue” Ledonne also says that he offered to have the game only available to mature audiences.
Interestingly enough, Ledonne's game had not only made it through a panel of Slamdance judges to the finals, but the organi- Zation itself actually contact- ed him to enter the game in the first place, specifically because as Ledonne was told, of “its unique and compelling contribution to gaming” Ledonne says he never had any conversations with Baxter before the game got pulled.
Tracy Fullerton, assistant professor at USC's Interactive Media Division, pulled the school's sponsorship of the com- petition in protest over Slamdance's move and worked to get the game re-instated. As a sponsor, Fullerton told us that she never had an
Baxter, against the wishes of Sam Roberts, Slamdance's game competition manager. In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Baxter insinuates that 5СМЕРС!5 use of licensed music was the legal specter that he feared. However, Game Informer spoke to
the game's creator, Danny
that this game contains many pre-existing sources, because this game is a conglomeration of existing media that's been put together as a social commentary. Sam took two days to look into it, he got back to me, and assured me that it con- stituted fair use for social criticism, and that it would not be a problem. If ever along this path, | was notified that music licensing or any of the other minor copyright issues were to
Slamdance did release a statement that said it feared a lawsuit. "This is not a case of Slamdance lacking courage, sponsor disapproval of showing Danny's game, or wanting to control freedom of expres- sion. Simply and practically, Slamdance can't afford to take on the scope of this potential loss by showing the game to the public"
The decision to pull the game was made by president and co-founder Peter
16 GAME INFORMER
inkling that the organization would make such a move. "There was no discussion of, Well, we're only going to have this kind of game or that kind of game! When we [Fullerton and Slamdance game competi- tion manager Sam Roberts] talked about the Guerilla Gamemaker contest, the idea of it was to be a celebration of indepen- dent media and games in the same way that Slamdance itself is a celebration of independent film. This has never hap-
pened in the film component of the Slamdance festival. Never. And they've screened some pretty provocative work. Kudos to them for that. That's one of the few places you can see that kind of work. To have that kind of double standard between games and film is one of our issues" For instance, within this year's film entries, edgy work can be seen in the satire Murder Party, where artists kill people for grant money.
"Content of the game aside," explains Ledonne, "what Tracy and others have rightly taken issue with, is that this is a game that was first asked to be submitted — but that's less consequential than the fact that it was reviewed by a quali- fied jury to be selected as a finalist in the competition. And one person - later, for reasons that are amorphous to me because they keep changing — decided to pull the game. That can happen, in my opinion, to any film, any kind of media that gets put into this forum. The precedent that it sets is that if someone is pressured to remove something based on its content; whether it's misunderstood or misconstrued, that it will be ejected from this kind of festival, and that's something that's unhealthy"
Despite the fact that the game has been pulled, Ledonne is keeping his eye on the big picture. "| am not viewing Peter Baxter as an adversary, and | know the press really wants to create that dynamic, but | think there are larger issues at hand. Peter and | have spoken about this, and we both recognize that we want to see independent games published and developed that look at these issues"
One of those issues is whether video games as a medium deserve to be protected as art. “It's a fundamental issue of freedom of expression," says Fullerton. "Games really need to be thought of іп the same way as something as film” If that were so, such double standards as those often applied to video games would cease.
Another is a deeper, more important question that deals with the controversy that has surrounded the game itself:
Is this country ready to deal with Columbine yet? Ledonne himself is not sure if we've gotten to the point. He says he's even gotten a letter from one anonymous student who now attends Columbine who told him that the environment at the School in which the tragedy occurred hasn't changed. In a country where we may not have fully faced up to the realities that Columbine forcefully brought to our attention, Ledonne wonders if the introspection that his game encourages will ever occur. “This game, frankly, may be either a bit ahead of its time, or there may be no time for this game, depending on how our culture will view serious games in the next five or ten years”
This game, frankly, may be either a bit ahead of its time, or there may be no time for this game, -
depending on how our culture will view serious
games іп the next five or ten years. 42 4 : assac RPG! creator Danny Ledonne
uper Columbine
T "E More News You Can Use
ROCKSTAR CO-FOUNDER
QUITS BAND
Rockstar co-founder and managing director Terry Donovan has left the company. Donovan was already on leave from the company since the fall of last year, and parent company Take- Two says that Donovan's duties have already been accounted for.
ZUNE GAMING
Increasing talk from Microsoft points to the company offering games on its Zune portable music player. Although it is unknown what kinds of games will be available on the unit, it'll be interesting to see if and how these might interface with your PC and Xbox 360.
NEVERSOFT NEW
GUITAR HEROES Last ЕЗ Activision picked up the Guitar Него license, but MTV signed the franchises’ devel- oper, Harmonix. Now that Activision has the series sans the studio that made it, the publisher is putting its A-team on the job: Neversoft. The Tony Hawk developer has started advertising for employment positions for the franchise, includ- ing a PlayStation 3 graphics engineer. Activision has also applied and received patents for the names “Guitar Villain” and “Drum Villain.”
RARE'S NEW ERA
Rare's Stamper Brothers have left the company after 20 years. The brothers oversaw the company for over 20 years, from Blast Corps and Killer Instinct to Grabbed by the Ghoulies and Viva Piñata. The Stampers say that they are going to pursue “other opportunities”, but what these may be nobody knows yet. For more on Rare, check out Classic GI on page 112.
THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED LucasArts and Kuju were teaming up for a game called Traxion on the PSP. The game would have let you take your own MP3s and use them as the basis for over 20 minigames. Sadly, however, the project has come to an abrupt halt. Kuju has released a statement saying that both it and LucasArts have mutually agreed to end work on the game.
GAME INFORMER 17
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Dell's exclusive two-stage technology:
1. Inside-the-box innovation: Dell's exclusive 4. Fluid passes through the heat exchanger Н.С hybrid technology. and is cooled a second time by the air system.
2. Heat from the air enters the radiator, 5. Any heat dissipated by the CPU is beginning the cooling action. transferred to the fluid system at the cold plate, which is cooled against the CPU.
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air through, further cooling the flow. devices and regulates the speed of the pump.
TOVERCLOCK: Dell does not recommend operating the processor or other system component beyond factory default settings. Overclocking may cause system instability and reduce the operating life of your system components. Dell does not provide technical support for any hardware or software issues arising from any third party application, such as NVIDIA nTune 5.0, used to enable overclocking. Dell provides technical support only for overclocking settings available within the system BIOS.
* PRICING/AVAILABILITY: Prices, specifications, availability and terms of offers may change without notice. Taxes, fees, shipping, handling and any applicable restocking charges are extra and vary. Offers may be combined with other select offers or discounts. Valid for U.S. Dell Home Systems Co. new purchases only. Dell cannot be responsible for pricing or other errors, and reserves the right to cancel orders arising from such errors. 9 DEGREES: Based on testing using a standard maximum power utility benchmark by Dell Labs in October 2006 on a pre-production XPS 710 with Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor, dual channel 0082 533MHz 4x 256 MB memory, Dual NV 7950 GX2 graphics card, 4x 40GB HDD Raid 0. Actual performance will vary based on configuration, usage and manufacturing variability. TRADEMARKS/COPYRIGHT NOTICES: intel, Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Centrino Logo, Intel Core, Core Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. ©2006 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. 2198
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THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
When You Want Your News Categorized With A Sarcastic Editorial Spin
on ре ше Lost Planet?
UGLY
Konami is going forward with seven new titles in development, including a Winning Eleven for the PS3 and four new Wii titles, two sports titles and a "music simulation game."
Not suitable for kids?
BAD
A young boy in Utah (or is he a man now?) recently discovered hardcore pornography on his. Xbox 360 copy of EA's Madden NFL 07, Authorities say that the game appears to have been factory sealed, and they are cur- rently investigating the situation.
Could we see movies based
BAD
Capcom has got Hollywood stars and dollar signs in its eyes. The Japanese company is looking
to secure movie licenses for its games in order to recoup more money off of the rising cost of next-gen development. We hope a company like Capcom - which is known for its support of hardcore gamers - doesn't forget its roots after a night out with Lindsay, Britney, and Paris.
A 28-year-old woman іп California died in a local radio contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii.” The contest called for people to drink large amounts of water with the winner being the one who could hold off going to the bathroom the longest. After competing, the woman was found dead in her home of water intoxication. Okay, maybe we've made some bad puns about the Wii, but at least they never killed anyone. Yet.
[ho enters пу Tair un:
GOOD
Nintendo DS owners will get a chance
to play John Carmack's formerly
cellphone-only title Orcs and Elves. Although no concrete release date has been announced, Carmack has said he's interested in doing a version for
the system.
20 GAME INFORMER
|6000
Just when we thought we couldn't be any more excited for Will Wright's Spore, EA announced that experimental music legend Brian Eno has been signed to do the music for the PC title. Eno, who created the ambient music genre with his album Music for Airports and is famous for his work as a player and producer on albums by David Bowie, U2, Roxy Music, and the Talking Heads, is creating a “generative” score that will morph and change depending on the on-screen action.
Guide
news
THE 360 - LIVING ROOM
MICROSOFT EXPANDS 360 FEATURE SET
t the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft's Bill Gates unveiled a new functionality for the Xbox 360. The company is planning to debut an IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) service before the end of the year. This would allow the plat- form to act as a digital video recorder similar to TiVo, let- ting you record and watch TV programs.
This new functional- ity would work in tandem with your 360 to seamlessly blend the two. For instance, you could play 360 games while you're recording your favorite TV show, or you could watch TV while talking with someone on your 360 friends list. You'd also have access to Xbox Live Marketplace, and the service would enable picture-in-picture channel browsing, movies/TV on demand, and searches for a specific actor or director.
Enabling this functionality through your 360 will require that you already have service with one of Microsoft's telco partners. Currently, AT&T is the only confirmed company onboard, and its compatible U-verse service is only available in five states at the moment. Seeing traditional phone companies such as AT&T offer "triple-play" packages of cable, phone, and internet service are more and more common, and Microsoft's IPTV functionality requires your provider to have a fiber optic network. This allows service to enter your Xbox 360 directly via a T-100 broadband connection and not the usual coaxial cable coming out of the wall. It also does away with long pauses when switching to high-definition channels, as well as simply provid- ing more bandwidth for more HD programming.
This expansion of the Xbox 360 is yet another step Microsoft has made towards making the system an integral part of your living room beyond just gaming. Late last year the company unveiled downloadable movies and TV shows via the Xbox Live Marketplace, and recently Bill Gates — after years of saying the Xbox brand was all about gaming admitted, "We wouldn't have done [the 360] if it was just a gaming device. We wouldn't have gotten into the category at all" In fact, imbuing the 360 with TiVo features is something that Game Informer has heard about since before the launch of the system.
This expansion of the Xbox 360, along with the aforementioned downloads, is surely yet another development that necessitates that Microsoft release a larger hard drive for the sys- tem. For instance, TiVo's digital recorder that records high-definition broadcasts comes with hard drives that are 80GB and 250GB in size, the latter of which delivers 300 hours of low- quality recording.
Another important component to IPTV on the 360 is getting people to switch their service over to AT&T or other service providers that support Microsoft's software platform. With fiber optic service not yet available to a majority of the country, getting the network installed could pose a problem. But, with growing competition ready to deliver consumers lower rates on tri- ple-play packages, there should be little love lost for most people when it comes to switching to a new service provider. It's also likely that Microsoft will offer reduced-rate Xbox 360$ as a part of package deals for those wanting to use the service but who don't already have a unit.
Your 360 Guide blades will be superimposed on your television broadcast, allowing you to chat with your friends while you watch TV
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immersion
connect ten
Although Guitar Hero 1 & Il featured some amazing tracklistings, there are more than a few classics that have failed to appear as yet. Here's a list of our top 10 most wanted Guitar Hero IIl songs, some obvious classics, as well as some underrated gems.
"Stairway to Heaven — Led Zeppelin
Album: IV (1971)
2 “Master of Puppets” - Metallica Album: Master of Puppets (1986)
The raging title track from Metallica's thrash masterpiece,
“Master of Puppets” on expert mode would make your
puny fingers cry. From the breakneck opening through
the last whiplash rhythm lick, we can't think of a song
that seems better suited for Guitar Hero. The dramatic
middle movement even provides lyrical neo-classical
action for good measure. For those of our readers too
young to remember Metallica's glory days, this song will
show you why those therapy-addled d-bags from the Some Kind of Monster documentary used to be the greatest band in the land. Of course, given their money-grubbing ways, the millionaire metal merchants would probably demand part ownership of the Guitar Hero brand just to license the track.
22 GAME INFORMER
Here it is, the grand- daddy of all classic rock anthems. Led Zeppelin, the most epic of all the ^70s rock legends, cre- ated the most epic of songs in "Stairway to Heaven.’ Guitar god Jimmy Page, who is the inspiration for Guitar Hero II's Clive Winston character, is all over the place on this track, which helped cre- ate the template for the modern power ballad. The delicate acoustic work of the intro gradually gives way to Zep's elephantine stomp in the climax, and along the way you'll get to play along to one of the most memorably tuneful solos in his- tory. We still don't know what the heck a “bustle in your hedgerow” is or why the May Queen needs a "spring clean," but "Stairway to Heaven" was made for the Guitar Hero treatment.
асс
BACK IN BLACK
3 "Back in Black" - AC/DC Album: Back in Black (1980)
AC/DC have mined their singularly simple vein of
rock for three decades, their skill in crafting catchy
riffs eded only by their knack for naughty double
entrendre. Since AC/DC's rock is as hard as it comes — еп Harmonix's founder Alex Rigopulos picks them his number one wish for Guitar Hero IIl on page
38 — it would be a sin not to include the band on this
list. "Back in Black," off the album of the same name,
remains their signature song, as the strutting main riff
(one of the best ever) provides the foundation for resi-
dent crazy Angus Young to launch into one of his trademark scrawling solos. Guitar Hero III
NEEDS this song — period. Forget the noose, ‘cuz it never dies.
4 pton (Der ninos) Album Assorted
Love Songs (1970)
The opening lick in "Layla" might be the most instantly identifiable guitar part in history, thanks in part to a famous '80s TV commercial for Freedom Rock, a classic rock CD compilation. Eric Clapton is so well regarded by guitarists his nickname is "God," and he y demonstrates his skills all over this seven-minute track. /А»
As brilliant as Slowhand's searing leads аге, he's nearly i
upstaged on this track by another guitar legend, Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers, whose soaring slide guitar spars with Clapton throughout, and adds a graceful touch to the stately coda. It's a near perfect Guitar Hero song, even if it was written to steal away the wife of his best friend (Patty Boyd, the wife of the Beatles' George Harrison).
6 "Wanted Dead o Bon Jovi Album: Slippery When Wet (1986)
You might not know it now, but Bon Jovi pretty much ruled the Earth for a couple years in the late ‘80s. “Wanted Dead or Alive," off their blockbuster album Slippery When Wet, takes the hoary guitarist-as-gunsling- er metaphor to ridiculously brilliant heights. A live staple for the band to this day, it was a SpaghettiO's western for a generation of pop-metal fans drunk on Bud Light and Aquanet. Throughout the song, guitarist Ritchie Sambora displays the chops that got him in Heather Locklear's pants, dispensing crunching power chords, smokin' solos, and Spanish-flavored acoustic work in proper measure. A cru- cial Guitar Hero track, to be sure.
8 “Cult of Personality" Living Colour Album: Vivid (1988)
An oddity in the world of '80s metal not only for being African-American, but also for their refined chops and soulful songwriting, Living Colour broke into the main- stream with “Cult of Personality,” a scorching rock track built on a monstrous, off-kilter rhythm riff. Lead guitarist Vernon Reid, whose background included work with left- field jazz icons Ronald Shannon Jackson and John Zorn, was a technical powerhouse, and he delivers a brain- bending solo on this track. Reid's mix of metal velocity, strange modal tonalities, and good old-fashioned whammy bar abuse seem ideal for Guitar Hero, and we'd jump at the chance to get to wrap our hands around this scorcher.
Album: Marquee Moon (1977)
still don’t what the
Album: Badmotorfinger (1991)
Though crucial to the early ‘90s grunge scene, Soundgarden's real achievement was flying the flag
of longhaired, bare-chested dinosaur rock in a decade where alternative music favored sulking over guitar solos. While pretty-boy singer Chris Cornell scored all the chicks, bearded caveman guitarist Kim Thayil laid down the heaviest riffs this side of Black Sabbath, drag- ging ‘70s rock kicking and screaming into the modem era. "Outshined" features some of his best rhythm and lead work, as he stomps all over the track like a wooly mammoth. Even now, it sounds like sweat, cheap beer, and flannel. Bonus points for coining the term "feeling Minnesota," an emotion we live with every day. Sigh.
7 “Опе-А
At | Drive
Album: Relationship of
Command (2000)
Led by be-afro'ed frontmen Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez (who later formed Mars Volta), At The Drive- In took lessons learned from early '90s post-hardcore artists like Fugazi and Jawbox, and created a new, Бат- storming breed of emo-punk. Their major label debut, Relationship of Command, was hugely influential on a ton of bands that have 500,000-- Myspace friends, and "One-Armed Scissor" perfectly captures the things that made ATDI great: careening energy, anthemic choruses, and complex timing riffs played with machine-tuned chops. This song has it all, from delicate picking to chuming rhythm work.
9 "12:51" - The Strokes Album: Room on Fire (2003)
New York heroes the Strokes hit the mainstream in the early part of the decade with a sleek, precise take on new wave. Although their instant success and wealthy backgrounds rankled indie kinds (the acidic punk website Buddyhead dubbed them "four-car garage rock"), the band's catchy songs won them legions of converts. Although "Last Night" off their debut album was а bigger hit, “12:51” from the follow-up seems like a perfect match for Guitar Hero, with its infectious mel- ody and flashy, laser-light show guitar lines (yes, that's a guitar, not a keyboard). This coolly hip song rocks without breaking a sweat or a smile.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
“Eruption” – Van Halen “Raining Blood" – Slayer “Foolin” – Def Leppard "Fabricoh" - Archers of Loaf
TELEVISION
(n
heck a "bustle in
your hedgerow" is or why the May
Lead by swanlike dandy Tom Verlaine, Television stood out in the early NYC punk scene like a rose growing in the sewer. Although not commercially suc- cessful, Verlaine and co-lead guitarist Richard Lloyd redefined electric guitar MARQUEE MOON playing for a generation of underground
artists, and their influence can be heard in everything from Sonic Youth to Modest Mouse. "Venus," from their classic debut Marquee Moon, features tightly cascading spirals of lead guitar, as elegant as modem architecture. Television proves some guitar heroes prefer cardigans to spandex.
“Helicopter” — Bloc Party “The One | Love" – REM “We're Not Gonna Take It" — Twisted Sister “Му Sharona” - The Knack "Epic" - Faith No More "Let's Go Crazy" - Prince "Airbag" - Radiohead "Police Truck" - Dead Kennedys “Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins “Mississippi Queen" — Mountain “Aenima” – Tool “White Wedding" — Billy Idol “This Charming Man" – The Smiths “Float On" - Modest Mouse
GAME INFORMER 23
© connect feature
In August 2001, Mike Wilson and Harry Miller left the U.S. gaming industry with the intention of never coming hack. In just over three years they had built, grown, sold, and departed their publishing company, Gathering À of Developers. It had been founded to change x the landscape of indie game publishing with a low overhead, an innovative method for selecting titles, and a “developers first” mentality. The sale of the company to Take- Two Interactive in 2000 felt like a betrayal of core principles in the founders’ eyes. But, due to several mounting pressures, it could not he helped. Working within the inevitable AC uS bureaucratic processes that came with a S ERE | b]
— - ex cll М “Ey = publicly traded company slowly chipped ж с ес x quae ^ б, лат. іе
away at the independent-minded duo that last year. And the sudden and unexpected death i ін of their friend and business partner Doug А Myres shattered whatever was holding the
publisher together. Wilson and Miller asked Ус P 22 ы эк. | , that their Dallas office be dissolved, but = pe Р 4 ші before shipping their last big hit, Max
Payne. Almost six years later, the partners p X,
have reunited to form Gamecock. They re not и" e. 7. = out to change the gaming world this time, , lut they just might have found the key to
do things their way — and make some great
games in the process. у
24 GAME INFORMER Photo: Sarah Kerver
Gamecock founders Harry Miller (left) and Mike Wilson
M... OF
DEVELOPERS FOUNDERS RETURN AS GAMECOCK FOR ONE LAST SHOT AT INDIE TRIUMPH
GAME INFORMER 25
à
Mike Wilson and Harry Miller first met while working at the Dial-up Wide Area Network Gaming Operation, better known as DWANGO, in 1995. The early gaming network based out of Houston was known for its online multiplayer support of Doom. The two became quick friends, but Mike's new job as VP of marketing at id Software complicated things. “Well, it was nice knowing you, but now that you're moving to Dallas | probably won't see you much anymore, so good luck in the future,” Miller remembers. “Wow, was | wrong"
It wasn't long before Miller moved to Dallas as well to become CEO of a new developer named Ritual (then known as Hipnotic Interactive). Around that time, Wilson left id after the company decided that it didn't want to self-publish any- more, and he helped found lon Storm, another Dallas-based developer. The Texan CEOs kept in close contact and shared battle stories that come with shaping up a new development house. During this time, the first thoughts of the Gathering of Developers strategy started to simmer. The original plan for lon Storm, according to Wilson, was to develop and publish their own games. However, the hype built up around the stu- dio was too much to pass up for one major publisher.
"Somewhere in between leaving id and starting at lon Storm | took a four-day vacation and it had tumed into а seven-title deal with Eidos," says Wilson. With the indepen- dent vision he had for the company now out of reach, Wilson started to consider his options. It wasn't long before he started having conversations with Miller about what eventually would become Gathering of Developers. The two wanted to start a publishing company that catered to small developers and avoided all of the red tape of a large corporation. But even the best ideas need a healthy infusion of cash to get off of the ground, Fortunately, they had an open ear with Take- Two founder Ryan Brant.
"[Brant] wrote us a check for $5 million to start our company, and that was bigger than [Take-Two's] whole ІРО at the time,” says Wilson. "They weren't even listed on NASDAQ. He knew that all they needed was some content, and he really bet the farm on us" That kind of móney always has strings attached, however, and Miller and Wilson had to make some conces- sions that would eventually come back to haunt them.
Take-Two got a partial stake in the company, North American distribution rights, and all of the console rights, which meant that GOD would only be releasing games on PC. Additionally, Miller and Wilson offered partial ownership to the five developers who got on board with GOD on the ground floor: Epic, 3D Realms, Terminal Reality, Pop Тор, and Ritual
Members of these studios would serve on GOD's devel- opment board, which would help to find potential leads on up-and-coming developers and the games they were working on. Once GOD decided on a game to publish, they made it а point to trust the developer's instincts and stayed hands-off during production. Developers got to keep the rights to their intellectual property (still a rarity in the industry) and were given healthy royalty rates that increased at certain sales mile- stones. Miller and Wilson also made sure that GOD remained small (around 12 people before selling to Take-Two) to keep overhead low and allow them to pounce on new games with little red tape.
GOD debuted in 1998 and published its first hit, Railroad Tycoon Il, within a matter of several months. Pop Top's train strategy game took off, selling over a million copies and seemingly proving that the concept was golden. But titles were sparse after that and games released throughout the next year failed to have much of an impact. GOD was sign- ing games like Tropico, Stronghold, and Max Payne, but they were running out of money very quickly. In May of 2000, Take-Two bought Gathering of Developers for $30 million.
“it was a pure heartbreak,” recalls Miller. “We did not want to sell. But it was a reality of the times. When it happened it was
26 GAME INFORMER
devastating to us" GOD remained in Texas throughout the transition and changed its name to GodGames officially. The first string of titles released like KISS Psycho Circus and Heavy Metal FA.K.K. 2 didn't do much to strengthen Take-Two's faith in letting Miller and Wilson do things their way.
“When we sold that was right around the time they were becoming a big company and they just kind of couldn't help themselves from putting all of these bureaucratic processes in place and taking the reason Harry and | were there out,” Wilson says. While GodGames' release of Tropico and Serious Sam in the spring of 2001 renewed some faith in the publishing label, the duo was slowly losing the passion that pushed them to start the company in the first place. Then the unthinkable happened. Doug Myres, an original Gathering of Developers founder, died suddenly and unexpectedly in May of 2001 from asthma. Myres was only 36. “You just don't think of asthma as that kind of thing, but we learned unfortunately that it hap- pens to a lot of people when they develop it late," Wilson says. "Doug was our best friend and partner and when he passed away it was just the last straw. We were like, ‘Okay, we're not going to waste any time doing something we don't really care about!”
GodGames shipped their biggest game, Max Payne, in late July along with an announcement of the closure of their Texas offices and the departure of the founding team. Take- Two transitioned the label to New York and brought most of the remaining lineup to market over the next year.
Wilson took part of the GodGames team to Austin to start an entirely DVD-based magazine called SubstanceTV that covered documentaries, music, and video games. Miller went to Hong Kong to work with En-Tranz Entertainment, an MMO-focused game publishing company, and brought some GodGames people along with him as well. He ended up liv- ing in Hong Kong for the next two years. But Miller returned
to the States for a number of reasons entirely unrelated to the gaming business. “Early 2003 SARS hit Hong Kong," Miller says. “My son was due in late July/early August and SARS was in full effect. The whole city was dressed in plastic bags and face masks. So [my wife and || decided it was prob- ably not a good idea to stay there. It was time to come back"
When Miller returned to the U.S. he took some time off to raise his family, and found that his old friend was now back with Take-Two. After seven issues SubstanceTV never really gained a foothold, so Wilson moved on to produce a docu- mentary titled Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock. Around the same time (January 2003), then-CEO of Take-Two Kelly Sumner was appointed president of GodGames (yet again rebranded simply as "Gathering^) and sought out Wilson to help revitalize the PC label.
Upon returning to Take-Two, Wilson soon found out why he was taken back into the fold. It turns out that titles like Max Payne, Mafia, and Stronghold that Wilson and Miller had signed before their departure had made a decent chunk of change. "Kelly told me when | went back, ‘Yeah, you guys did $100 million [that first year] and then it did $250 million [the next year], and now we're shooting for $400 million," Wilson says. "| was like ‘holy s-!"
The surprises didn't end there. When Wilson met with accounting, he found out that almost all of the GOD titles at least turned some profit, "even KISS and Blair Witch, the ones we thought were huge disasters"
From 2003 to 2005 Gathering brought out several games in the Vietcong series, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove, Railroad Tycoon 5, and the infamous Guy Game. But Wilson still had trouble working within a corporate structure. "Unfortunately, | wasn't able to deliver much from the Take-Two side with that new
Hail to the Chimp
» PLATFORM NEXT-GEN CONSOLES » STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION GAME (MULTIPLAYER TBA)
DEVELOPER WIDELOAD GAMES > RELEASE SPRING 2008
PUBLISHER GAMECOCK
Hail to the Chimp is a mix of beat 'em up, party game, and - believe it or not - Halo. The story is based
around the a
а! kingdom's move towards democracy after the lion king is scandalously deposed. What
follows is a series of non- stop brawls with every candidate vying for the powerful clam vote - the most
populous voting segment - via the animal vei
n of CNN. The game features both online and offline
play with several maps and game types like Kind of the Hill and Territories. Ten playable characters are planned including a monkey, hippo, and octopus. Any two of these characters can team up temporarily
to use a super move unique to every di:
inct animal com older gamers shouldn't be thrown off by the kiddie veneer. "For the first time we have a multi
ination. Wideload CEO Alex Seropian says that layer game
that has enough depth for the hardcore gamer while being accessible to anyone," Seropian says. "There's humor on all levels — it may be an E-rated game, but like a good family movie there will be jokes only the
adults will get”
"The idea is that we are in the game business and we're here to have fun — in the games that we're a part of and the style that we do business — so this game is right up our alley,” says Miller.
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse. CEO Alex Seropian founded and lead Bungie, worked on Halo.
Gathering label. They thought they wanted me to come back
‚ and do it, but when it came down to actually signing those deals with the developers...they had gotten accustomed to controlling everything" By early 2005, the Gathering label was phased out and Wilson focused on finishing the Burning Man documentary, which debuted that November at the AFI Film Festival.
THE RISE OF GAMECOCK
; Later that year Miller and Wilson started to get the gaming
‹ bug again. The two began tossing around concepts and the
з idea of forming a new independent publishing outfit slowly gained momentum. "After we left the industry and were able
* to come back and look at the positives and negatives of what
" happened, we realized there were a lot more positives than
| negatives,” said Miller. "That and a new cycle coming with
‚ the [advent of] next-gen consoles, it just felt like this was the
. right time!”
"I'm not doing this because | need a job," Wilson said. "I'm
з doing this because | think it's a really good idea. | miss the industry. | miss the developers. It's a great business. | didn't feel that way when | left. | felt like | never wanted to do it
; again because of what | had just been through. But given
; some retrospect and doing stuff in other entertainment busi-
1 nesses, this one's pretty damn good"
'. Miller and Wilson had leamed from the previous structur-
; ing problems that led to the sale of GOD. This time they would hit the pavement for 18 months searching for funding
with absolutely zero ties to the gaming industry. "We wanted
| enough money to have a good lineup and really do a proper marketing job and be a real publisher and not a little pub- lisher," said Wilson. "Finding money that wasn't from a game
‚ publisher was really hard. Venture capitalists sniff around in
| this industry, but they don't bet on entertainment. So we kept
knocking on doors until we found the right people"
Once they secured enough funding, the duo has been quietly signing games since last August under the new ban- ner of Gamecock. With the newfound freedom to control all business tactics, Miller and Wilson now feel like they can finally deliver on the promise GOD made to developers nine years ago. And several of them have been patiently waiting for this moment.
Gamecock starting lineup includes Fury, Mushroom Men, Hero, Hail to the Chimp, and Insecticide, The genres range from MMO to beat ‘em up to adventure to action to dun- geon crawler. The combined experience of these developers includes team members from such well-known franchises as Halo, Gears of War, and classic LucasArts adventure games like Day of the Tentacle. Miller and Wilson still use a tried and true mix of gut instinct and a network of trusted friends in the gaming industry to decide on their lineup.
"[Developers] know if we do greenlight anybody's game we're going to give them a great deal,” Wilson said. "That hasn't changed. It's still a very developer-friendly, high-royal- ties-with-high-sales type deal. We still are going to brand the developers first. Not just to be nice. We happen to think that's the smart way to go for gamers to be able to figure out who their favorite developers are. Just like you have your favorite band or author or whatever. | don't think most people have a favorite book publishing company or record company. Nobody goes, 'Man, Universal Pictures rock! | cannot wait for the next Universal movie!”
The "developer first" mentality is actually one of the main reasons behind the new company's unusual title. ^We don't even care if anybody knows it's our game, to be honest. That's the basic idea of calling the company something goofy like Gamecock," Wilson said. "One, we [want to] remember that it's not our brand that matters and, two, we want to have fun and lighten up the industry a little bit, because it's just
such a bloody serious business when it's supposed to be about games and fun"
But what do Gamecock's developers think of the publish- - er's philosophy? “We've spoken to all the majors. First of all, unless they can see a game like yours in the marketplace, they can't figure out how to do a sales projection, so it's hard to get a greenlight says Auran CEO Tony Hilliam, developer of Fury. "Next, if you convince them you know what you're doing and they give you the greenlight, then they ask you for the IP ownership and 75 percent of all the revenues. It just doesn't make sense for us as we've taken all the risk to date. Finding Mike and Harry was a godsend. They let us keep the IP and they let us keep the majority of the revenues (because we are doing all the funding and taking most of the risk). On top of that, these guys really know their games, and they can spot when something is new and exciting. So in the end it was a no-brainer to sign up with them”
Both men are confident that Gamecock can fill a niche that larger publishers can't maneuver in simply due to the daunting sales targets they have to hit to feed the corporate machine. ^We take more chances because we're a smaller group,” said Miller. "Dur overhead's very low. We can make very healthy profits off a game that big companies can't because the margins don't fit into their schedule. At the same time, we have titles that are going for a very broad audience. We'll be competing in that regard as well”
Only time will tell if Gamecock's strategy will succeed in the end. As their first titles hit the market this winter, Miller and Wilson will finally get that chance to prove their long-sim- mering ideas in the real world. And gamers will be the final judge. “It's not a crusade this time to change the industry, it's more like taking advantage of the fact that it can't change," said Wilson. "But certainly if we do well we do have a chance to make a real impact" IM ШШ
Кз? AV.
connect
Fury Mix one part FPS and one part MMORPG and you'll have Fury. "We felt that creating 'another MMO' was not и
ОТС going to be the best way to get a million or more customers," says Auran CEO Tony Hilliam. "We decided to 7 find a new niche that we could really dominate, and that was when we revived an old design we had had } > STYLE MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE about an arena-based combat game.” Fury has the fantasy look of an ММО and features auto-target- ROLE-PLAYING GAME ing for spells and attacks, but the PvP has more in common with deathmatch ity
battles than anything you'll see in World of Warcraft. Players rise through the four schools of Life, Death, Growth, and Decay to unlock almost 400 dif-
> DEVELOPER AURAN ferent abilities in this completely class-free progression system. However, instead of "learning" new powers, characters will "remember" lost abilities from previous lives. Trials will take the place of traditional MMO quests,
where players will unlock memories by killing a certain number of enemies. WHERE Do YOU KNOW with a certain spell or something of that nature - almost like Xbox Live — | Achievements. When characters die there will be no penalty or trip to the gt AURAN FROM? yard, they'll simply respawn according to the rules of the match.
The Trainz Railroad Simulator
series and Dark Reign. м
WHY GAMECOCK SIGNED IT: its Miller feels like there is plenty of room
for MMOs that cater specifically to the
competitive player. “When I'm in [an
ММО] I usually just want to do PvP.”
> PUBLISHER GAMECOCK
» RELEASE WINTER 2007
28 GAME INFORMER
Hero
> PLATFORM NEXT-GEN CONSOLE AND PC STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER ТВА) PUBLISHER GAMECOCK
> DEVELOPER FIREFLY STUDIOS
> RELEASE WINTER 2008
CONCEPT:
Hero is a self-described arcade-style dungeon crawler featur- ing drop-in co-op. Players will level up, follow skill trees, and nab plenty of loot, but the game "doesn't have any backpack fiddling or talking to innkeepers.” Plot details are scarce at this point. Apparently, the titular hero is paid to do a simple subter- ranean task that turns into a massive dungeon romp. Firefly
is shooting to make this environment come alive, "[We] give citizens jobs and needs that they attend to, have warring fac- tions, and a good backstory that makes the player feel they are in a real place rather than just an abstract concept," says Hero's lead designer Simon Bradbury. Combat incorporates standard melee, ranged, and magic attacks, but what makes this different from the standard hack and slash is the new "close combat" feature. "This is a kind of street fighting style that the player can make a strategic switch to at any time, should the going get tough and they find themselves surrounded by monsters," Bradbury says. "This not only opens up more skills to choose and master, but the timing of combat mode switching gives the combat a really fresh feel.”
WHERE DO YOU KNOW FIREFLY FROM? The Stronghold PC strategy series.
WHY GAMECOCK SIGNED IT: Miller says he enjoys dungeon crawlers, but always gets bored with them halfway through. When Firefly pitched the game he was shocked. “All the things I don't like were things they were changing or improving upon,” says Miller. “I just kept hearing myself go А "Yeah, yeah, oh yeah.”
27 connect Meature
Insecticide
PLATFORM HANDHELD AND PC
* STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER TBA) PUBLISHER GAMECOCK
> DEVELOPER CRACKPOT ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE WINTER 2007
CONCEPT:
Set in a noir-tinged metropolitan futurescape where anthropomorphic insects rule, Insecticide is a detective story that follows Chrys Liszt and her partner Roachy Caruthers as they investigate a murder at a powerful and mys- terious soda company. The team must use a mix of third-person shooting skills and investigative techniques to work their way through a plot that eventually becomes much deeper than a simple murder. Crackpot president
and co-chief creative officer Michael Levine explains this unique mix of action and classic adventure. “Too many games today run ‘at 11’ the entire game - compelling entertainment needs pacing, great characters, and stories and worlds, along with great gameplay. Just like any great action detective movie, we plan to have intense action moments, but slower-paced investigative modes as well.” At least two players will be able to team up to take down enemies in special co-op missions.
30 GAME INFORMER
WHERE DO YOU KNOW | WHY GAMECOCK SIGNED IT: CRACKPOT FROM? Miller is excited about the world of Some of the team comes from the Insecticide and interested in the way LucasArts adventure era. We're Ше game is laid out (it will he split talking Day of the Tentacle, into two downloadable episodes for the Sam & Max Hit the Road, Full РО version). "[There's] something Throttle, Grim Fandango, and — about the small, quick, story-based Curse of Monkey Island. jump in,” he says.
Mushroom Men
> PLATFORM NEXT-GEN CONSOLE AND HANDHELD STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER TBA) PUBLISHER GAMECOCK DEVELOPER RED FLY STUDIOS RELEASE SPRING 2008
WHERE DO YOU KNOW RED FLY FROM? Team members have worked on titles like Gears of War, Star Wars Galaxies, Thief: Deadly Shadows, and Deus Ex: Invisible War
WHY GAMECOCK SIGNED IT:
Miller enjoys the tone of the world, and likens it to “the idea of Earthworm Jim and Abe's Oddysee.”
CONCEPT:
The game begins when a strange comet passes Earth, depositing some kind of green dust on the planet. Humans notice no effect, but right under their noses mushrooms, cacti, kudzu, and other small organ- isms start running around and causing trouble. Players take on the role of a three-inch-tall Mushroom Man as he makes his way through everyday environments like tool sheds, fire- places, and an old VW bus, that seem fan- tastical through shroom-colored glasses. Choose among a speedy Scout, a slow
but strong Heavy, and a “spore-powered” Sage to take on insects, lizards, and rival shroom factions by combining random
items. “Grab a clothespin, a paperclip, and
a rubber band and see what happens,”
says Red Fly Creative Director/CEO Dan Borth. “Replace the paperclip with a lit fire- cracker and see how things change”
connect
LOOSE TALK
Hot Gaming Gossip
EA NOT READY FOR THE Wii?
Although mega-publisher Electronic Arts was front and center at the Wii launch with two games, Loose Talk has heard that some within the company are angry that the publisher didn't do more
to support the en-vogue platform. There has even been some talk within EA that suggests that the publisher was somewhat blind-sided by the system's success.
PS3 LOSES UNREAL EXCLUSIVE
When Epic showed off Unreal Tournament 2007 at Sony's ЕЗ press conference two years ago, many thought it was a good omen for the PS3. Now, however, Loose Talk has learned that Sony's system does not in fact have the exclusive on the game's release. Unreal Tournament 2007 will also show up day and date for the PC and Xbox 360.
INDIANA JONES’ SABBATICAL
For the first time in his life, Indiana Jones won't be there to save the day. The fedora- wearin’ hero’s latest video game adventure (and his first for the next-gen consoles) is now being pushed out from its original 2007 release. Delays in the movie are
to blame.
360 PRICE DROP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER?
Two industry analysts, Michael Goodman of the Yankee Group and Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets, have speculated recently that the price of the Xbox 360 will drop by $100 before Christmas.
Got some insider info? Email us at loosetalké
NAME THAT GAME
Test Your Sight
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but sometimes a company's lawyers don't always see it that way. This game appeared on the Odyssey 2. However, Atari, who then had the exclusive home-release rights to Pac-Man, sued and
cease production of this title beca
too similar to Pac-Man. This is despite the fact that this month's game differed from Namco's dassic title in that it had things such as a maze creator and random mazes.
(Answer on page 34)
32 GAME INFORMER
NEW 360 ОМ THE WAY?
The Mercury News' Dean Takahashi has claimed that Microsoft is readying a new version of the Xbox 360. This edition, codenamed Zephyr, would feature an НОМ! port and a 120 GB hard drive - although itis not known if the HDD would be sold separately. Loose Talk has heard its own rumors about this new Xbox 360, and we were expecting its announcement during CES, which did not end up happening.
report
ARE YOUR
DOWNLOADED
ow that all three consoles have N embraced downloadable con-
tent, gamers are spending hard- earned cash left and right. But we all know that bad things do indeed happen to good people. Stupid kid brothers will "accidentally" erase the copy of Geometry Wars you bought for 400 points on Xbox Live Arcade. Or perhaps your system goes on the
fritz, and you're waiting for it to come 2 back from the shop. What happens to g а! the goodies you've already bought
XBOX 360
If you're ever unlucky enough to have to send in your Xbox 360 for repair, Microsoft will always tell you to keep your hard drive. This keeps your downloaded games safe, allowing you to just snap your old hard drive onto your fixed console once it is sent back to you.
Should something more sinister befall you, and your hard drive itself is broken and you have to buy an all-new console, getting back what is rightfully yours is simple. After you recover your gamer profile on the new console and you enter Xbox Live Marketplace, the stuff you've previously bought and downloaded will be marked and available for free download.
This latter situation could become routine if Microsoft finally decides to release new, larger 360 hard drives as expected, and people abandon their original hard drives.
PLAYSTATION 3
Getting back your downloads from the PlayStation Store is just as easy as it is on the Xbox 360.
Unlike the Xbox Live Marketplace, you do not recover items by clicking on that item’s listing in the Store. Instead, look up in the upper-right corner of your screen once you are in the Store. Next to your shopping basket you can see a tab labeled Download List. From here you'll see a list of what you've downloaded, and these items will be available to you to reclaim free of charge. During this process you won't actu- ally go into your virtual wallet, so there is no danger of accidentally paying for some- thing a second time.
Items are paired to your PlayStation Store account, so in our test we were also able to call up our downloads on a separate Р53.
Wii Getting the system's Wi-Fi to work may be a pain in the ass, but at least regaining your downloads isn't.
Head into the Virtual Console portion of the Wii Shopping channel. From here, in the lower-right side of the screen there will be an option to look at the titles you've already downloaded. All you have to do is choose to re-download your games for free.
Unfortunately, Nintendo specifically states that neither your account nor downloads can be transferred between two units — something we tested also. So if your Wii gets stolen, you are truly S.O.L.
online? With these and other ques- tions in mind, Game Informer tested each of the next-gen consoles to ensure that once you buy and down- load a game, it remains yours.
RaesTRTIOTI S
What hap- pens if you lose your downloaded content? We checked each next- gen system to find out
р AND SENT YOU DOWN. GUESS WHAT?
SET you U BETTING DUT.
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ESRB CONTENT RATING
Wii www.UBI.com E BISOFT
TOP FIVES
Favorites From Industry Pros And GI Readers
DEVELOPER KEVIN FRANE
Producer, Sega (Shining Force EXA)
1 The Legend of
Zelda - NES
2 Chrono
Trigger - SNES
3 Final Fantasy X - PS2 4 Metroid - NES
5 Final Fantasy VI - SNES
READER
SHARNA WILTZ Chicago, IL
1 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Р$2
2 Shenmue 2 - Xbox
5 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Р52
4 Hunter: the Reckoning - Xbox
5 Jade Empire - Xbox
Send Top Fives and a photo of yourself to.
Game Informer Magazine/Top Five 724 N Ist St 4th Fl Minneapolis, MN 55401-9022 email: topfive@gameinformer.com (attach digital picture)
TOP TEN
Lisi verybody Loves Lists...
Top 10 Yoda Lines That You've Never Heard
10 When 900-years-old you reach, relief, Preparation
H spells
9 Make me look fat, does this blouse?
8 That's what she said
7 A million republic credits, you may have already won
& Applebees. Old Navy Performance Fleece. U2. A Jedi
craves not these things
5 Begin with my pants, you will
4 In the basket, it puts the lotion
3 Begun, this pillow fight has!
2 Fear leads to suffer. . wait. . fear leads to hate. . По,
wrong that is
1 Murder, she wrote
SHROUDED IN SADNESS
Wii'S SURVIVAL HORROR
intendo's Wii console is known for its all- ages appeal, but when a game promises that it has 10 different endings — and they are all sad — you know that things just got a little darker. Sadness is a 2008 Wii title co- developed by Frontline and Nibris in Poland, and it will bring survival horror to gamers like they've never experienced before.
Set in pre-WWI Eastern Europe, Sadness puts you in the shoes of Maria - a woman who has to protect her narcoleptic son Alexander after their train derails in the countryside. Their sub- sequent adventures are based on Slavic legends, and become even more bizarre, especially when Alexander starts acting...odd.
Of course, you'll manipulate objects, fight, and interact with the environment via the Wii remote and nunchuk attachment. Using these controls you'll also have to protect Alexander via commands, as he has been blinded in the train crash. Even though he has lost one of his senses, his state of mind bears watching, as it will give you clues as to what's going around you. Given that Maria won't command a chock- full inventory during the game, utilizing everything you can will be vital.
The developers say that the early game length estimate is around 15 hours, and with 10 different endings there will be plenty of Sadness to go around.
Players will use the Wii remote for a wide range of in-game actions. For instance,
a downward- thrusting motion (upper right)
can be used for attacks (right).
As a woman of limited resources, the game's тат character Maria will have to make good use of mundane objects such as her torch (above)
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2 connect humor
GRAMZON Bringer of Fire
SPRINKLES MERRYWEATHER Plumber
ANDREI VOROBEV Comedian
x
BOBBY BRUCE Painter
RONNY THE FLUFFER uhhh
36 САМЕ INFORMER
CYAN BRODDERICK Author
EMILY WALPOLE Stylist
CAPT'N GRAYBEARD ORANGEBEARD Pirate
A TAMMY
ARMSTRONG 5th Grader
BRODDERICK: They're called accesso- ries, honey. They're supposed to pull an outfit together, not BE the outfit. VOROBEV: Elton John's secret son WALPOLE: Gitaroo’ grandmother boug Christmas and his mother m wear it to school. As a rest cut off his left hand and now he's forced to wear a Power Glove. Gitaroo Man Swears revenge.
THE FLUFFER: F—ing bulls—. l'm not going to rip on Gitaroo Man.
BRUCE: Wait a minute... They made a Captain EO game?
ег
GRAMZON: hose or are | VOROBEV: Two words: Cammy toe. ARNOLD: With those luscious tree trunk thighs | would sugg me loose fitting pants, not clothes that accent your fabu- lous, bootylicious self.
THE FLUFFER: Sergeant Slaughter looks good after the sex change operation.
re those camouflage panty er legs molding?
MERRYWEATHER: The phrase ‘If you've got it, flaunt it’ wasn't referring to plague lesions, honey.
THE FLUFFER: l'm not sure what's worse. That he's wearing a one-piece body suit, or that he put on his under- wear last.
BRODDERICK: You know you're in trouble when you look like this and Santa Claus won't even let you in the door. ARMSTRONG: What is that belt even holding up? Certainly not his dignity. WALPOLE: Link wants his clothes back.
BRUCE: What time is it? Time for you to prance to the gym.
С! asked 100 people at a Salt Lake City Arby's Drive-Thru
58%
(Ryu Hayabusa)
Hayabusa, going sleeveless on the CBS Early Show in NYC. Musashi, keeping it traditional at a Beverly Hills luncheon.
42%
(Joe Musashi)
CAPTAIN FALCON
ARMSTRONG: Captain Falcon may think he's Captain Fabulous, but it would take more than a few Captain Morgans to get the ladies to fall for his shtick. WALPOLE: "Taxi!!! Take me to Planet Fashion immediately!" BRODDERICK:That's an awfully tiny gun at his hip. Good thing most people will be too distracted by the nipple buttons to notice
ORANGEBEARD: Never trust a proctolo- gist who dresses like this. GRAMZON: What's a man compensating
for when his little sports car can hit the finish line in ten seconds flat?
VOLDO
ARNOLD: Madonna did this years ago, END IT!
GRAMZON: Who called Satan's gar- dener?
MERRYWEATHER: That is 5000000 Battle Arena Toshinden ago! ORANGEBEARD: Mike Piazza's nut cup really completes this look.
THE FLUFFER: Actually, | don't see what's wrong with this.
TIDUS
ARMSTRONG: If you're going to start sewing your own clothes, start with something simple — like a cape. Also, be sure you aren't asleep.
GRAMZON: So that's where my basket- ball hoop went.
ORANGEBEARD: l'm not sure about Meg Ryan's new look.
ARNOLD: Kris Kross is coming back! One pant leg up and one down...Jump, Jump!
MERRYWEATHER: It's like twelve bad outfits in one.
1992 Y
connect
Learning The Tune Rigopulos attends graduate school at MIT as a member of the Computer Music Group in the school's prestigious. Media Lab.
19957 і ЕЕЕ ғ d H
> Di e The company releases its first. е
e 5
IH | i
2006 v
2006 v
38 GAME INFORMER
< connect | interview |
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
== ALEXRIGOPULOS
PRESIDENT AND CEO/HARMONIX
>> Harmonix, which made amazing PS2 music titles like Frequency, is enjoying the breakout success of Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 11. We sat down with company founder Alex Rigopulos to learn how the company has evolved over the years, and where it's headed in the future thanks to a new partnership with МТУ. <<
Was Harmonix originally intended to be a game company?
When we started the company, we weren't thinking about video games at all. We considered ourselves an interactive music company. We wanted to solve the problem that we felt needed solving in the world. Making and playing music is this profoundly joyful experience. Tragically, very few people ever get access to that pleasure that comes from music mak- ing. Just about everybody tries at some point in their life, whether that's piano lessons as a kid or guitar as a teen. But almost all those people quit after six months because it's just too damn hard. We felt that we needed to invent new ways to let people who are not musicians have access to that very unique pleasure that comes from music making.
How did you transition into gaming?
We had been doing these interactive music proj- ects for years. We were leaming a lot of interesting lessons, but there was no business there. Then, something huge happened that altered the trajectory of our company. These new music games appeared in Japan — the early games like PaRappa the Rapper, BeatMania, and Dance Dance Revolution. It was
like the light bulb going off. Video games were the
realized this was getting bigger than you imagined?
It was sometime last winter. When we shipped Guitar Hero, we'd been playing it and felt that it was our best game, but we'd been so jaded.... In all our prior experience with games, there'd be a big [sales] spike at Christmas and then the floor falls out. In the case of Guitar Hero, the sales kept growing every month after the holidays, which was very unusual. We started to see things on YouTube, people vid- eotaping themselves playing the game and posting the videos. It was starting to take on that feel of a phenomenon. That was the point when we realized that we had something special.
Do you think that the rock soundtrack helped it be more successful than Amplitude and Frequency, which focused more on techno and dance music?
It was a number of factors coming together. One is that, for the first time, we got to combine the lessons [we learned] from Frequency and Karaoke Revolution. From Karaoke, we learned a way of positioning a concept for a game that was imme- diately understandable and appealing. But, [with Guitar Hero] we were actually able to infuse the
What's the one song or band you'd really love to get in Guitar Hero II that you didn't?
| would say the number one requested band that everyone is always begging for is AC/DC. It's such a natural fit.
You've recently been acquired by MTV. You just had your biggest success as an indepen- dent; why did you decide to become part of a bigger company?
With the success of Guitar Hero, we had gotten to a point where we could start doing the sorts of things we'd been trying to do for years. To do that right was going to require a powerful partner. MTV had been looking for the right opportunity to move into the video game space, but they didn't want to get into fighting games or sports games or other things that didn't really resonate with their brand. | think, with Harmonix, they saw a real opportunity to move into the space and do something important.
Now that Activision and Neversoft are
doing Guitar Hero III, what's the future for Harmonix?
We have a number of new things in the works that are beyond the scope of Guitar Hero that we're
[We] are developing products that allow people to consume their music not just as passive listeners, but as active participants.
media through which we could accomplish what we were trying to do as a company. So, we redirected the company to focus on music games exclusively and started building the first prototype of what was to become Frequency. [We] brought it to Sony and they got excited about it
Frequency and Amplitude got great reviews across the board, but probably weren't the breakout hits that you'd hoped for.
Not at all. Those games won all kinds of awards, got great reviews, and we sort of had this youthful naive- té about it. We thought we had an addictive game and a big publisher, so of course these games are going to be successful. Then, they went out the door and sold quite terribly. That was a humbling experi- ence for us, because we leamed that it's not enough to make a really addictive game. You need to make a game that is superficially attractive to someone that hasn't even tried it yet.... The problem with Frequency and Amplitude was that you look at a screenshot and read a description of the games and you'd still have no idea of what the game was.
Guitar Hero has become a pop culture phe- nomenon. Was there a moment when you
hyper-addictive gameplay that we had created with the earlier games. Furthermore, exactly as you said, Frequency and Amplitude were underground music — it wasn't mass-market music. Adding a rock soundtrack made a huge difference. The final thing is the controller. When you put that controller in your hand, it really adds to the suspension of disbelief you have when you're playing. All those factors together, as well as what | sense as a sort of general widespread resurgence of the popularity of rock in this country, all combined [to make Guitar Hero a hit].
How difficult is it to deal with the licensing of music for these games?
For Guitar Hero, it was tremendously difficult because no one had heard of RedOctane or Harmonix. Getting the record companies and the music publishers to give us the time of day was pretty challenging. Fortunately, we were able to assemble a soundtrack we were proud of. The sec- ond time around, many of the bands that wouldn't retum our phone calls the first time suddenly had an interest.
excited about. [Online] is an area of great interest to us.
Do you see the evolution of music games moving towards people actually creating music as opposed to just mimicking it?
Yes. That is our roots, actual musical creativity as opposed to just performance. Ideas about ways that we might integrate that into gaming are something that's been brewing here for many years and it's definitely somewhere I'd like to take it.
What's the future for Harmonix?
Well, speaking very generally, the direction | see
the world headed in is one where music gaming becomes just a natural extension of what music entertainment is. Five years from now, when a new album comes out by your favorite artist, playing with that music in the context of an interactive experience is going to be a natural way you expect to consume that music. A big part of Harmonix's long-term plan is developing products that allow people to con- sume their music not just as passive listeners but as active participants in the music making. We're trying to implement that idea on a large scale over the next five years.
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п Harmonix's Alex Rigopulos is leading the company's efforts to change the face of music video games m
Photo: Jonathan Kannair
GAME INFORMER 39
Wii REMOTE © № CHARGE STATION ° °
Manufacturer: Nyko Website: www.nyko.com Es: List Price: $29.99
Since Nintendo doesn't seem interested in making rechargeable | Wii remote batteries, we have to look elsewhere. A couple of other | companies have some similar things in the works, but we like these | i Nyko batteries. The base station holds up to two remotes at once,
and the batteries are reported to offer up to 25 hours of gameplay. As NYka an added bonus, the back of the battery is a rubberized grip, so you
can stop listening to your friends whine about how the remote keeps НГ” «аты>
slipping out of their hands when they play tennis.
SUPER MULTI BLUE PLAYER BH100
Manufacturer: LG Website: www.lge.com
List Price: $1,199
HD-DVD? Blu-ray? Who can decide anymore? Certainly the movie industry can't, so why should you have to? The BH100 supports both formats, and it will upscale all your standard DVDs to а 10801 resolution. With all these movies to watch, who has time to make decisions?
GOD OF WAR KRATOS FIGURES
Manufacturer: NECA
Website: www.necaonline.com
List Price: $14.99
Looks like March is going to be a good month for angry people. Not only will Sony be releasing their hotly anticipated God of War ІІ for PS2, but NECA will launch two Kratos figures. Both figures are 7" tall; one comes with sweeping chains of fire, and the other features Kratos in his Golden Fleece Armor from GOW II. These bad boys won't be out until March, but you can preorder them at www.cornerstorecomics.com.
Manufacturer: Logitech Website: www.logitech.com List Price: $79.99
Who actually likes the cellphone-like text entering system on the PS3?
For crying out loud it's ridiculous. Thank goodness for Logitech. With the MediaBoard you can easily communicate with the PlayStation Network. Not only is this board lightweight and cordless, but since it comes with a built-in
touchpad you won't need to buy an extra mouse.
ULTRASHARP 2707WFP
Manufacturer: Dell Website: www.dell.com List Price: $1,399 We've been liking Dell's monitors recently, and the 2707WFP is the hottest one yet. The 27-inch monitor and sweet adjustable stand look almost like a sci-fi sculpture, but you'll be admiring its pixels more. Dell's Tru color technology offers up 92% of the color gamut, meaning HD games and movies look amazing on its 1920 x 1200 screen.
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Manufacturer: Apple
Website: www.apple.com/iphone List Price: $499.99 (4GB) $599.99 (8GB)
An 8GB iPod — $250. A smartphone with GSM technology and Bluetooth — $300. A mobile internet-ready computer that runs OS X = $700. Getting all that on one sleek new device = pricele - well, actually it's $600 and includes a two-year contract with Cingular, but that's still a pretty good deal. Everyone's talking about Apple's new gadget and we understand why. We cannot wait to check out its "revolutionary" new touch screen for our- selves when it launches this June.
2.1 CORDLESS SPEAKER SYSTEM
Manufacturer: Klipsch Website: www.klipsch.com
List Price: $1,200
The CS-700 provides a fantastic 2.1-channel surround sound experience, but that's not what makes it cool. What makes it cool is that it's also wireless. This whole system includes a wireless 200-watt subwoofer, a DVD player, FM tuner, and probably its most exciting feature is the ability to wirelessly transmit to other Klipsch's RoomGroove music streamers to create a wire-free, multi-room speaker system.
GAME INFORMER 41
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THE
ARE XBOX 36059 | THE SECRET TO WIN CONSOLE WAR?
BY ANDY S
(QU Achievement unlocked
EXECUTIVE EDITOR,
GAME INFORMER
he landscape of gaming is chang-
ing. The perception of gamers being
unmotivated, basement-dwelling
introverts really doesn't stick any more.
That's not to say that the couch will no
longer be a gamer's best friend, but the consoles of today are delivering experiences that push these once-titled armchair sloths to be social, competitive, and even physical. It's a differ- ent era. 5 a time where we get our daily exercise from games that utilize motion-based technology. It's a time where we make new friends within a game's online community. And believe it or not, it's a time where a set of numbers could win the console war.
Like a ninja in the brush, Xbox 360° Achieve- ment Points are quickly and ever so quietly having a great effect over where the consumer dollar goes in this next-gen battle. In a nutshell, Achievement Points are marks of excellence that gamers can earn by completing specific tasks in the games they play. For example, in the game Call of Duty 3, players can earn 100 Achievement Points for completing a level without firing a shot. In Rainbow Six Vegas you can earn 60 Points for completing all of the Terrorist Hunt missions in co- op play. As Gears of War's producer Cliffy B puts it, Achievements are “nerd cred”
At first glance, these points would appear to have no value. You can't cash them in. They don't affect the games you play. They would appear to exist simply to measure the size of each gamer's ego. True enough, part of the allure surrounding Achievements has to do with puffing your chest up and showing the gaming community how skilled you are. I've spent many hours looking through the points that other players have racked up. Just by looking at the points, | can separate hardcore gamers from casual, see what genres specific players prefer, and break down skill levels. For instance, one player may have only earned 200-plus points in Gears of War, which
is mostly dedicated to completing the game on the casual difficulty. On the other hand, you may find someone who has close to 1,000 points, and has snagged the highly coveted points for killing 10,000 players online.
The key words that need to be expressed are “highly coveted” When someone on your friend list achieves such a feat, you want to earn it as well. It's very similar to wanting to beat the high score in an arcade game, or more currently, to obtain the rare items in a game like World of Warcraft. | have many friends who have spent weeks of their life questing in WoW for a new sword that, oddly enough, isn't nearly as power- ful as their current weapon. They want it simply because it's rare. Gaming today is very much about status, and how you measure up against other players.
To some people, Achievement Points may seem like a bunch of meaningless numbers, but to the people that truly understand what they are, and what value they actually have, they've become a game in themselves. Players are logging extra time into games just to raise their Gamerscore. A game that someone might have beaten and shelved in a day could conceivably be played for weeks depending on how diverse and difficult its Achievements are to earn. Achievement Points are not just there for status, they add longevity to games
So how exactly could all of this affect the console battle? One key area is software sales. Multi-system releases like Madden and Grand Theft Auto hold more weight on Xbox 360 simply because the Achievement Points add value to them. You get more out of these games on Xbox 360 from the challenges and sense of accom- plishment that these Points add. Rushing for 200 yards in a game on PlayStation 3 does nothing for you. If you do this on Xbox 360, you raise your Gamerscore by 100. If a game is identical on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, there's no reason
| дай. ments have become a large part
of what
next-gen
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all about.
why gamers who own both systems shouldn't choose it for Xbox 360. It's just common sense that you want more bang for your buck.
Questing to unlock new Achievements is an addiction. | spent over five hours in Rainbow Six Vegas just to add the "kill 10 players in online matches without dying" mark to my profile.
I've also found myself compelled to earn the Achievement in Dig Dug for clearing out all of the dirt on a level. Achievements definitely change the way you play your games.
They are also playing a large role in whether or not people invest in other consoles. Would you believe that people would rather play Open Season on Xbox 360 than The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on Wii simply because Open Season gets them points? It's happening more than you would think. Gamers are going out and purchasing games that they normally wouldn't even think of touching.
Achievements have become a large part of what next-gen gaming is all about. Sony and Nintendo need to implement similar systems to make their consoles attractive to the entire gaming nation. There's a chance that Achievements could be a fad that eventually disappears, but as someone who finds himself hopelessly addicted to these digits, and finds himself competing with friends for the most points, | only see them having a larger role in the future of games. What would happen if Microsoft eventually decided to reward players for milestones with free arcade games or coupons for in-store purchases?
Our instinct to show off our skills is a power- ful one, and Achievements perfectly play to this. Sony and Nintendo would be wise to learn from Microsoft's innovations or risk losing the console war. NN
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 editor Matt Helgeson at matt@gameinformer.com.
44 GAME INFORMER
FROM THE CREATORS OF THE LEGENDARY
“Ус”
А NEW CLASSIC 15 BORN.
new adventure.
Over 50 ШЕ 50 hows o of са
THE FATE OF TWO WORLDS RESTS е — ИИ ВЕ IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND! ЕСТІЛДІ
The stand-alone storyline welcomes anyone new to the series. 100 characters.
amy Use of Alcohol
Language Mild Fantasy Violence 4 i | | А Calenrr
PlayStation. Portable Used under cense from Mion Falcom Corporation,
valen Н VAMCO BAND. Under cos bom We Fon Copt. M Rights Reserved. “PlayStation” и Sotware Association, All other trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners
The Logend of Ногоев © Nihon Falcom Corporation. TM&@2006 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. Sony of the Осам і а tademark of NAMCO Leth os America ік. Seal BANDAI Gamo 'PS" Family logo, and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately), The propi registered trademark of the
connect calendar
sun
01
RIVER TRIUMPHANT STATUE
Most people wrote off Firefly asa silly western in space. Those people need to be flogged. As this statue illus- trates, this show was so much more. It was one of TV finest Shows, and also one of 20055 brightest points in cinema. This statue releases today for roughly 100 smackers.
GAME DEVELOPER'S CONFERENCE 07
Given how dull this convention is, we decided to spice things up this year. We're going to debut Gone Wild! Our camera crew will be. on hand to catch the coders of the gaming nation doing the most outrageous things! Тһе craziest programmer will win
а diamond studded necklace that says "100110".
layStation.2
* God of War Il - PS2 * Prince of Persia - Wii * Spectrobes - DS.
* Splinter Cell: Double
God of War II - 03/13
* TMNT - 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS,
* Two Worlds -PC
+ Valhalla Knights - PSP
* Wario: Master of Disguise - 05
Frank Miller's amazing comic book 300 comes to the big screen today. To make sure that you get a seat at the pre- miere, we recommend wear- ing a costume that reflects the designs in the comic. This means a bed sheet, a broom оп your head, and no under- wear. Man, those Spartans sure loved to let 'em dangle.
10
WORLDS OF AMANO Yoshitaka Amano's amazing art is collected at last in this book. We all know his work from Final Fantasy, but he's done 50 much more, This book ‘spans across over 30 years of his work and features many never-before-seen images.
FINAL FANTASY ХИ PLAY ARTS More plastic for the RPG nerd
y
2”
19
NEW RELEASES + After Burner: Black Falcon - PSP
` | * Blazing Angels: Squadrons of
WWI- Wii
J + Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars - PC
+ Custom Robo Arena - DS
+ Virtua Tennis 3 — PS3, 360, PS
^w + Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru
Rainbow Six Vegas -*
*p—
Densetsu - DS
Я * Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai
Another Road - PSP. “Тһе Godfather - PS3
nout Dominator - 03/27
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS COLLECTIBLE EXPLOSION!
This month, gamers are in
IM STILL HOLDING OUT ‘OR THE
SEQUEL,
mutants have crawled out of their sewer and are running amok in theaters today. TMNT has a chance to be cool, but will most certainly fail if it doesn't have Casey Jones init.
Talking dinosaurs, subservient frogs, and time travel await in Disney's latest CG comedy, Meet the Robinsons. And no, this is not the CG remake of The Graduate. Although we're sure that Mrs. Robinson would be all over that T-Rex!
Unleash Your Inner Rockstar.
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THE JEDI АВ ON TÉE/RÜN, AND THE DARK SIDE BECKONS. GAME INFORMER TAKES А WORLD. EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK AT THE EVENTS BETWEEN EPISODES lll AND IV.
GAME INFORMER. 49
"| AM YOUR РАТНЕР."
SPOKEN ON A RICKETY PLATFORM IN THE BOWELS
OF CLOUD CITY, THESE WORDS ARE AMONG THE MOST SURPRISING AND ENDURING IN CINEMATIC HISTORY. IN FACT, THE REVELATION IS SO PROMINENT AND SHOCKING THAT, MANY VIEWERS HAVE OVERLOOKED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT DARTH VADER SAYS TO LUKE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS: "YOU CAN DESTROY THE EMPEROR. HE
HAS FORESEEN THIS. IT IS YOUR DESTINY.” SOME MAY SAY THAT THIS IS AN EMPTY PROMISE MEANT TO SWAY THE YOUNG JEDI, BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE UNDERNEATH THE
SURFACE; DARTH VADER IS NOT THE SUBSERVIENT, © % : LOYAL APPRENTICE HE APPEARS TO ВЕ. ANAKIN ap
SKYWALKER WAS SLYLY MANIPULATED INTO ASSUMING THE MANTLE OF A SITH LORD. НЕ WAS USED LIKE A PAWN, AND HE KNOWS IT. WHAT IF DARTH VADER'S WORDS WERE ACTUALLY
HIS ATTEMPT TO RECRUIT LUKE j
TO ASSIST IN EXACTING HIS REVENGE? IT WOULD MEAN THAT THE APPRENTICE OF DARTH SIDIOUS HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR A WAY TO.—
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FULFILL THE SITH TRADITION AND ТАКЕ HIS MASTER'S PLACE. THAT SCENARIO LEADS TO ANOTHER INTERESTING QUESTION:
“WAS DARTH VADER'S OFFER TO LUKE THE FIRST ATTEMPT
TO OVERTHROW THE EMPEROR? AS GAMERS WILL LEARN
IN LUCASARTS' UPCOMING TITLE STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED, THE ANSWER IS NO. POSITIONED AS THE NEXT TRUE CHAPTER IN THE STAR WARS SAGA, THIS TITLE PUTS PLAYERS IN THE MYSTERIOUS ROLE OF DARTH VADER'S FIRST APPRENTICE AS HE DEVELOPS HIS POWERS AND TRAINS TO ASSASSINATE THE MOST POWERFUL FIGURE IN THE GALAXY.
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER TBA)
> PUBLISHER LUCASARTS 1 > DEVELOPER LUCASARTS ~ > RELEASE NOVEMBER j € m
50 GAME INFORMER
The release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was one of the most important moments in Star Wars history. Most viewers were simply excited to finally witness the legendary fall of Anakin Skywalker, but the film also had a significant impact on the path Star Wars as a whole will follow in the future. With the prequel trilogy concluded and its conflicts resolved, the way is now clear to explore the events of a mysteri- ous and previously off-limits era: the 20 years between Episode ІІІ and Episode IV. It is during this fertile time period that the development team at LucasArts has decided to set the game that will shape Star Wars in the next generation of gaming.
Star Wars games that aren't official companions to the films typically place players in roles of powerful characters, like Kyle Katarn and Wedge Antilles, who are often on the sidelines of the real action. In that respect, The Force Unleashed is a bit different. It is true that players will control an original character, but the missions of Darth Vader's secret apprentice won't be peripheral distractions; they will define this era in the galaxy.
Project lead Haden Blackman explains: "We've told great stories in the past, but a lot of those dealt with time periods or characters that — as cool as they were — are ancillary to the Star Wars core. We're firmly rooted right in the saga. This is the next chapter.”
When Blackman refers to The Force Unleashed as "the next chapter," he isn't just pointing to the fact that this is the next Star Wars game that will hit the market. Because the title will be 50 pivotal in materializing facts about this untapped portion of the timeline, it is being given treatment typically only afforded to the movies. "The marketing and licensing behind this is everything you would expect from one of the films," Blackman reveals. "Hasbro will be making a toy line — there'll even be a comic book and a novel.”
This level of exposure isn't surprising when one considers the vast potential of the game's storyline. The Jedi are on the run, and while Vader was responsible for the destruction of the core of the Order, there are remnants that need to be oblit- erated in all corners of known space. Most of the Apprentice's missions will involve assassinating these characters, though it is clear from the start that Vader has his own hidden plans for his student. Since killing Jedi would be a good thing in the Emperor's eyes, there is only one plausible reason for Vader to keep the Apprentice's existence a secret: revenge
“We really wanted to tell the right story and make the right game for the next generation of LucasArts," Blackman tells us. "We took a lot of time up front honing in on different possibilities, and we were really afforded that opportunity to spend many months exploring many options. Star Wars is very rich, and there were many directions we could have gone" The characters and scenario were even developed in collaboration with George Lucas himself. "We went back and forth with him on our concepts," says Blackman. "He was instrumental in helping us to create specific types of characters for the game that fit within the Star Wars mythos.”
The premise alone is enough to get any Star Wars fan salivating, but it isn't the core of the game. The story only
“THE GAME IS ABOUT KICKING SOMEONE'S ASS WITH THE FORCE" ү;
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МК our look at the N y > next-gen Indiana - > Я Jones in issue 158. In = z me essence, it is a system that allows the developers to avoid using pre-scripted events and animations by instilling all characters with the ability to assess the surroundings and react to them. If a Stormtrooper is sliding off a slanting walkway, he will be able to grab the edge and - depending on his individual strength — pull himself up. If another Stormstrooper falls while the first is hanging, he may grab on to his ally's ankle, only to send them both plummeting.
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serves as a vehicle to drive the action, and it is in that action that this title
will distinguish itself and redefine the way we view the Force. The central philosophy of how the game will feel as you play it is summed up by its name; The Force Unleashed will put the Force in your control like never before. “What it means is the Force over-the-top, amped up, and completely out of control,” Blackman conveys.
Gamers are not strangers to the wide array of powers the Force imparts, having been treated to the abilities in a variety of forms in previous games. Blackman is quick to emphasize that while terms like Force Push may be familiar, the implementation and the aftermath are unique: “We're able to explore different applications for the Force and reinterpret Force powers," he explains. "Force Push in other games might send a Stormtrooper back a few feet. In The Force Unleashed, it will look like he got hit with a cannonball”
The key to producing this sort of visceral impact lies in the convergence of certain innovative technologies that transform the world around the Apprentice into a playground ripe for manipulation through the Force. The first of these is called Euphoria, developed in a partnership between LucasArts and Natural Motion. Because Euphoria is a tool being shared across all of LucasArts’ titles, we already discussed many of its
SECRET IDENTITY
While the protagonist is ambiguously referred to as "the Apprentice" on these pages, he won't be a name-it-yourself entity known only by his title (e.g. the Exile in Knights of the Old Republic II). "He will be established as a distinct character and have a name - it just isn't one we can release at this time," Blackman assures us.
GAME INFORMER. 51
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Force. Imagine using Force Push to knock out the support from a scaffold, then watching a dozen Stromtroopers tumble down, clutching for their lives on the way. Even if they find a grip, you could just use Force Grab to pluck them off and send them careening into their downed compatriots.
Euphoria is not only used to make the death of Imperial clones more humorous - it also enhances enemies' ability to react to the player's actions. In one demonstration, a Stormtrooper pursues the Apprentice, who has an infinite supply of crates to throw for purposes of the demo. As the boxes fly toward the foe, he defends himself realistically depending on the direction of the threat. If it is high, he ducks. If it hits his feet, he stumbles and trips. If the crate is unavoidable, he shields himself with his arms and deflects it. Enemies will struggle to keep their balance, try to correct their orientation while falling, and brace for impact. "It does infuse the characters with life,” muses Blackman. "They have а self-preservation instinct. They have a central nervous system that reacts realistically.”
Once the characters that inhabit the world behave in a believable fashion, the next step is to ensure that the environment itself responds in ways that appear natural. For this purpose, another advance- ment called Digital Molecular Matter (created by Pixelux) is being implemented in The Force Unleashed. In short, this technology allows the developers to simulate the way different materials behave in the real world. DMM was the centerpiece of LucasArts’ presentation at E3 2006, illustrating how properties like durability and friction can be adjusted for objects to define their interactions with other objects.
Picture the Sith protagonist picking up a Gungan and throwing him into a stone pillar. Previously, developers might have used an art-swap to make it appear that the pillar was damaged, or a pre-ani- mated sequence showing it breaking apart. In The Force Unleashed, that stone pillar is infused with realistic attributes that respond to objects accord- ingly. It might slowly wobble and tumble if you throw a Gungan into it, or completely shatter when hit by an AT-ST cockpit. If the pillar is metal, you may only see a dent. If it is made of wood, it will explode into splinters. Regardless of the material, once it's broken, the Apprentice will be able to use the Force
on the broken pieces to use them as he sees fit. B Maris Brood , ^ At first, it may only seem like icing on the cake to have an environment that reacts in this way. Wood breaking naturally versus pre-scripted still results in
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Se cover story
broken wood, and a Stormtrooper with a falling anima- tion still meets the same end as one who hangs on for a few seconds before losing his grip. However, gaming isn’t always about achieving an end; some of the great- est games are memorable not because of their goals, but because of the compelling paths to achieve them. Euphoria and DMM combine to provide the groundwork for simulation-based scenarios in the gameplay, and the Force is the player's key to accessing everything that entails. "The game is about kicking someone's ass with the Force," says Blackman. "From the first time you pick up the controller to when you put it down, you're doing that in constantly more inventive ways.”
Considering players start the game as a Sith appren- tice, from the outset they will be equipped with a stable of Force powers with which to explore various gameplay avenues. Force Push has already been mentioned, as has Force Grip (which is essentially telekinesis). The Apprentice also possesses abilities that seem more in line with his sinister side, like Force Lightning and a new power call Force Repulse, which sends out a destructive shockwave that blasts everything in range.
Each power (along with your standard saber swing) is mapped to a specific face button or trigger on the controller, so there will be no cumbersome menu management interfering with the Apprentice's ability to wreak havoc. This setup (similar to Midway's 2004 title, Psi-Ops) allows all powers to be effortlessly executed and easily linked into ruthless combinations. After all, it's fun to smash a droid into a wall, but it's more fun to follow that up by throwing your lightsaber into its head.
How the various powers can be used in conjunction with each other has played a major role in their imple- mentation, and is key to making the Force feel more raw and unbridled than before. Players can fill a foe with а charge using Force Lightning, then throw him into а group of enemies like an electrical bomb. By using Force Push at the same time as a lightsaber slash, you can send a creature flying like a softball ~ though they might not stay in one piece. All told, the team estimates there will be around two dozen ways to combine powers.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 55 »»
Ld
THE DARTH VADER GAME
At E3 2006, LucasArts showcased much of the technol- ogy to be used in The Force Unleashed, though gamers didn't know the game by that title at the time, In
fact, due to some concept art featuring Darth Vader adorning the booth, many speculated that there
was a game in the works starring the iconic
masked villain himself. We now know that this
isn't the case; the art was made to display the
game's concept for the Force and to highlight the
fact that Vader would have an important part in the story. However, even though he isn't the star of The Force Unleashed, the question of whether Darth Vader would be a playable character in the game was met with
an encouragingly vague response: "There's a pat answer
for this...let me see if | can remember it,” laughs Blackman. "Darth Vader plays
a prominent role in the game, and that's all we can say at this point" To us, that sure sounds like there's a carefully guarded secret about playable Darth Vader that no one's willing to talk about yet
GAME INFORMER 53
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53
"Every step of the way we want players to be reminded that they are Jedi," Blackman insists. "Every time you get into a fight, | want the player to think ‘| know I'm going to destroy these guys, but how am | going to do it?"
This statement raises the question of how the Apprentice's powers are going be regulated. Special abilities are usually the player's trump card, and therefore limited to judicious use. However, because the entire concept behind The Force Unleashed is constantly witnessing the devastating effects of the Force, there are fewer restrictions than one might expect. Specifics are still being finalized, but there will probably be a Force meter that depletes with each power usage. This meter will recharge at such a fast rate that some powers, like Force Push, effectively have unlimited use. More powerful talents, like Repulse, will drain the meter faster and can't be used repeatedly.
Not all Force powers will be things the player needs to actively initiate.
For instance, the Apprentice will have
a passive ability that allows him to deflect blaster shots. It isn't foolproof, since some shots will get through, but a certain percentage will be auto- matically deflected with the lightsaber. Throughout the course of the game, this power can be upgraded to the point that a percentage of deflected shots will actually be reflected back on an enemy. “We don't want players to have to think about doing things that Jedi seem to
do innately,” Blackman admits. “Like deflecting blaster fire and even opening doors. A Jedi doesn't walk up to a door and press a button; he waves his hand and it opens!"
As the Apprentice's affinity with the Force increases, players will be able to upgrade almost any other ability, active or passive. For instance, Force Push can eventually be charged for greater power, and Force Lightning will become stron- ger and chain to more foes. Players will start out as a skilled Sith, but by the end of the game you'll need to have powers that can rival your master's — and ultimately even his master's.
“Ме are looking at the Apprentice like a Jedi superhero," Blackman tells us. Even so, he's not immortal, and the team has been concentrating on creating foes that would be believ- able challenges for players. A couple of Stormtroopers may be great fodder for your powers, but they aren't likely to take down a Sith. “I'd believe that a Rancor could mess up a Jedi," Blackman reveals. "Or sheer numbers, like in the arena on Geonosis from Episode II." After all, Jedi (and their darker Sith counterparts) are among the most powerful beings in the galaxy — it would be lame if a few shocks from an R2 unit could take one out.
Of course, the most intimidating foes the Apprentice will encounter are the rogue Jedi hiding throughout the galaxy. Performing his master's bidding, the Apprentice will travel to locations drawn from the entire Star Wars galaxy, includ- ing Expanded Universe texts, previous games, and new ones made specifically for The Force Unleashed. The junk planet Raxus Prime appears, and is rife with opportunity to fling salvage around with the Force. The crystal moon called Haroon is a new area that will be the backdrop for a pivotal plot point, and the plant world of Felucia (where the blue Twi'lek Aayla Secura met her fate)
se cover story
provides a Dagobah-like atmosphere teeming with life.
The Apprentice will not be ventur- ing to these planets by himself. As is customary for any Star Wars story, the hero is accompanied in his adventures by a handful of loyal companions. One is a protocol droid, and another is an Imperial pilot/love interest named Juno Eclipse. "Going to story meetings with George, we learned that it's important to have the range of characters one sees in a Star Wars movie," elaborates Blackman. “А love interest is one of them. Rather than use existing charac- ters to fill that role, we wanted to create a new опе”
Many of the Apprentice's Jedi foes will also be original characters. Not many previously established Jedi survived the purge, but that doesn't mean players aren't in for a challenge. One of the new faces is General Kota, a hard-boiled, militaristic Jedi. Another is Maris Brood, who wields two short lightsabers that appear to be modeled after tonfa. Exactly how these encounters will play out is still unknown, but we were given an idea of the basic philosophy behind them. “A Jedi isn’t going to follow the old boss pattern of being invulner- able until he does a special move that leaves him exhausted for four seconds, Blackman emphasizes. “We're not build- ing the game like that.”
This point is illustrated well in the one boss fight we do know about, which pits players against Clone War hero Shaak Ti. This character was originally going to be killed in Episode III (as can be seen in a deleted scene), but she ends up escap- ing the execution of Order 66. When the Apprentice encounters her, she is surrounded by Rancors that have been
AND THEN THERE WERE МОМЕ
Some of the Jedi that the Apprentice will hunt down during the game are recognizable movie characters, like Shaak Ti, while others were created specifically for this project, like General Kota. Who else is still around for the Apprentice to kill? There are a handful of Force-using characters (many from Expanded Universe content) that are still alive
at the end of Episode III, and therefore potential targets. Some of the coolest are Quinlan Vos, Ferus Olin, The Dark Woman, and Asajj Ventress.
GAME INFORMER 55
lulled by her power. In cases like this, it is impossible to use conventional tactics, so you will need to improvise. The Rancors will pick up scrap in the environment and hurl it at you; the trick is to get to the objects before they can. If you can use Force Grip to hit a Rancor with large rocks and debris, the beast will be dazed long enough for you to gain some ground. The idea isn't to get close enough to hack away with a lightsaber, but rather to make the monster change tactics. At close range, the Rancor is left with no option but to grab you, then stuff you into its maw and swallow. Thankfully, Rancors don't chew well, and once you are in its stomach triggering Force Repulse will send a shockwave through the hulking creature's body, tearing it apart from the inside and leaving Shaak Ti without her support - and the Apprentice ready to strike. Here fighting becomes a battle of wills as the two warriors duel and use the Force to win. Jedi-versus-Jedi combat in The Force Unleashed is handled differently than when the Apprentice is taking on regular foes, since trained Jedi would not be as susceptible to the powers of the Force. "We don't want Jedi characters to be able to be defeated by constantly spamming Force Push," says Blackman. "We have mechanics in place that allows you to take
THE SPREAD
OF. ТНЕ SMH
All of the features described on these pages refer specifically to the Р55 and Xbox 560 versions of The Force Unleashed. Games of the same name will also
be released on the PS2, PSP, and DS. They will follow the same story, but utilize different mechanics geared toward each of the specific consoles. The PS2 and PSP entries are being done by Krome Studios (makers of Ty the Tasmanian Tiger), while the one for DS will be done by n-Space (which developed Geist for GameCube). When asked about the game on the Wii, a representa- tive for LucasArts said that the possibility isn't being ruled out. Even if that version does happen, it probably wouldn't be "the lightsaber game" that gamers have been eagerly awaiting since the Wii was first announced.
56 САМЕ INFORMER
advantage of force powers at a time when they are tactically significant”
Force resistance for Jedi characters is rep- resented as a Force shield that can minimize effects for a limited time. In other words, Force Lightning won't do as much damage, and Force Push won't have the same impact if used while the shield is up. The trick is that the only way to deplete the shield is by strategically using your powers so you wear your opponent down while keeping your Force meter high enough that once the shield is down, you can take full advantage of the vulnerability.
With the framework and mechanics already in place for two Jedi clashing, does that mean that we'll be able to unleash the Force in multiplayer? "There is a multiplayer component," Blackman confirms. "We love the idea of Jedi-versus-Jedi combat, and all of the simulation-based things like destructible environments will carry over to the multiplayer" We were informed that the core components of the multiplayer are already up and running, but at the moment the focus is on tuning the Force powers and making sure the single-player experience lives up to its potential.
Contrary to what it may seem so far, the single-player campaign isn't solely about carving up Jedi until you're strong enough to take out the Emperor. Not only will the story twist and turn, but the choices the player makes will also affect the direction the
action takes. The internal battle between good and evil is an ever-present theme
in the Star Wars universe, and The Force Unleased will use that conflict to require the Apprentice to make certain moral choices about his tasks. "The notion of morality, and the struggle of Light side versus Dark side is prevalent and constant throughout the entire game," says Blackman. While no one would provide any specific details on how these choices would manifest themselves, we do know that they will be significant enough to alter the course of the game; depending on the Apprentice's actions, players will see one of several endings.
This approach could present some prob- lems from a canonical perspective. If this is the next official chapter in the Star Wars saga, how can there be multiple outcomes? Or even further sequels? "Ideally, we'd love for all of the endings to make sense and feed into a sequel," Blackman clarifies. "But because there is going to be a novel and a comic, there will be an ending selected as the ‘right’ one for the sake of the continu- ity" Even if the Apprentice may not officially succeed in his attempt to kill Palpatine, that doesn't mean it isn't one of the possible outcomes of the game.
No matter the choices you make, some things about The Force Unleashed will remain unchanged. When you finish the game, you will have a deeper understand- ing of Darth Vader and how these events impact his behavior in the original trilogy. But even more than the story elements, you will have a unique experience with the Force that puts its full power on display. In Blackman's words: "You're going to see the Force bigger and badder and cooler than ever before” Wi № m
se cover story
ARMED TO THE TEETH. WIRED TO THE EYES. ADVANCED TO THE CORE.
DOMINATE THE BATTLEFIELD OF 2014 WITH FUTURISTIC FIREPOWER.
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anced Warfighter, the Soldier Icon, Ubi: Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other cot — group of companies. Mobile version © 2087 Gameloft. All Rights Reserved. Gameloft and the Gameloft logo are registered trademarks of Gamel =~ AP =>
«ІМ STORES MARCH 2007. "P
и.
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АМО, A THIEF, А REAVER,
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MELANCHOLIES AND ~~
; TO TREAD
GIGANTIC МІКТЕ
THE JEWELED THRONES OF THE EARTH UNDER HIS
SANDALED FEET.”
— THE PHOENIX ON THE SWORD,
ROBERT E. HOWARD
SS del UNLIMITED ENABLED . PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER THQ р > DEVELOPER NIHILISTIC ipai > RELEASE Q1 2008 "
- х = “ >
a
A BRUTALJUSTIGCE,.
60 GAME INFORMER :
Se feature
VER TWENTY YEARS BEFORE TOLKIEN'S LORD OF THE RINGS
BEGAN TO ENTRANCE READERS AROUND THE WORLD, A YOUNG
TEXAN AUTHOR HAD A DIFFERENT STORY TO TELL — A TALE OF
BLOODY WARS, ANCIENT MAGIC, LIBIDINOUS FEMALES, AND A DARK HERO if
WHO CONQUERED THEM ALL. IF TOLKIEN BIRTHED HIGH FANTASY WITH HIS 7
HOBBITS AND MAGIC RINGS, THEN ROBERT Е. HOWARD MUST ВЕ CREDITED WITH ITS BLACK SHEEP OF A BROTHER — THE PULP ADVENTURES OF THE SWORD AND SORCERY GENRE GREW FROM HOWARD'S IMAGINATION, AND HIS MOST FAMOUS CHARACTER WOULD BE ITS STANDARD-BEARER. CONAN THE BARBARIAN BECAME IN HIS NUMEROUS STORIES A THIEF, A KING, A PIRATE, AND A LOVER. BUT THROUGH IT ALL HE WAS A SAVAGE AND ғ TERRIFYING BEAST ОҒ А WARRIOR, AND ІТ IS IN THAT ROLE ABOVE
ALL THE OTHERS THAT CONAN WILL BE CHARGING INTO THE LATEST
"TT OF GAMING.
Я jantes = “GAME INFORMER 61
ГА FAIR COMPARISON?
asked project director Robert Huebner about the almost unavoidable comparisons to Sony's
КБш
ay: "God
ple are trying to prevent him from fully enjoy- ing life as he sees fit. In Conan's eyes, | think carnage and violence is rea victims just got between him and his women, gold, dom...take your pick’
62 САМЕ INFORMER
Surprisingly, there's not one but two games currently in development with the Conan name attached to them. Not to be confused, this latest title by developer Nihilistic and its publishing partner THQ is a totally separate project from Funcom's upcoming MMO. Unlike that online title, this new title is premiering for the first time in these pages - a single-player,
story-driven adventure where players adopt the !
role of Conan himself. This most recently revealed Conan game delves deep into the character and mythology
that make Howard's original stories so engross- ;
ing. The Hyborian world was half fantasy and half reality — a fictional history of an Earth before our own histories took up the pen. This conceit allowed Howard to craft nations and places with strange names that still had an air
of familiarity to them — many of the peoples of Hyboria drew striking resemblances to the Greeks, Egyptians, Norse, and other ancient people that his readers were already familiar With. Conan was a character that emerged out of the northern lands — а hulking fighter with little patience for polite society and quibbling legal systems. The game of Conan is set some years after his descent into the south, when he is at the height of his fury and power, but before the period of his reign over the kingdom of Aquilonia that occurred in later tales. While details of the story remain a tightly guarded secret by Nihilistic, they budged enough to reveal that this would be a classic Conan tale of retribution — someone's ticked him off, and Conan will pile up heaps of bodies to pursue his own brutal justice on the matter.
Thankfully, Nihilistic was far more forthcom- .
ing on the focus of the game, а deepand ~~ complex new combat system that is. Чери, He
to shred the line that separates traditional: ы
- ut
third-person action games from the more
_complex and interesting move-sets of a one-
оп-опе martial arts game. Lead gameplay programmer Mark Cooke explains: ^We really feel like Conan's combo set is more comparable to a single character from a fighting game like Tekken or Virtua Fighter than it is to action games in this genre" Over 100 unique fighting moves will become accessible to gamers through the course of the adventure, each unlocking in response to players who take the time to do more than simply button mash.
Conan will begin the game with a single sword as his constant companion. While the weapon he uses will change throughout the game, he will always have one central weapon that can't be lost — in many cases a
titles, however, the permanent weapon he
blades, cudgels, spears, and staves that he comes across in the game. In total there are over 20 unique instruments of war at a play- er's disposal. This not only includes weapons left on racks or on the ground, but every
wieldable as well. “Аз opposed to switching between the many different weapons that are available to Conan ма menu systems, he executes combos that literally rip the
ч
i weapons from his enemy's hands, switching
him from one weapon style to the other," combat animation designer David Gardner tells us. By playing through the game, it is apparent right away that Conan splits his fighting style into three main sets. The first is the sweeping strikes of a two-handed approach. In this mode, Conan might cleave a whole crew of attackers in one wide swipe of a giant axe or clear the space around him by spinning a heavy pole-arm spear. Conan's second weapon set allows for dual wielding with a blade in each hand, Conan shifts
into a more agile and quick stance, striking
і out with fast stabs and slashes. Finally, а
: one-handed style encourages heavy strikes
: and lots of hand-to-hand grappling, while a i variation on the one-handed style allows for huge one-handed broadsword. Unlike similar. : 2 the three major weapon sets has their own carries is only one option among all the other :
the use of a stolen shield or torch. Each of
full tree of attacks. Defeated enemies reward
purchase, meaning that players will have to
: choose how to specialize their character to і reach the highest tier of a given set.
This focus on encouraging variety in the
: player's attacks and movements is mirrored
AS СУ "pu
= in Nihilistic’s approach to Al. Designed
= originally as а one-versus-one fighting
t mechanic, all the characters that players
+ fight, whether alone or in a group, will study
: your repetition of certain attacks and adjust
© both their blocking and attacking behavior
: in response. Consequently, that particular
* behind-the-back lopping off of heads move
: you like so much will work great the first
$ few times it's tried, but will quickly fail as
£ enemies respond by protecting up high and
2 slashing low at your legs. In practice, what
£ we saw of this system seemed to show itself : off best in single combat with an enemy
і captain, where calculated attacks on both
і sides made for some intense combat. Larger
1 crowds of enemies still had that annoying
і habit of milling around in a lazy circle while
2 Conan stood at its center, taking apart the
: fighters one by one ~ a potential dilemma
1 that the team still has plenty of time to rectify : a form of experience points, and these points : i in turn сап be used to buy that next combat
і move in your favorite weapon style. However, : : only by mastering an early move in a given i weapon set will the next even open up for weapon utilized by any enemy in the game is :
before the game enters public consumption. Regardless, take apart those fighters you will. Fully embracing the harsh brutality of
: Howard's original tales, Conan definitely
: doesn't pull his punches. Included іп the
* combat system is a complex limb-specific
: mechanic, one in which players can target
1 individual attacks to take off legs, arms, and
* heads. On the 360, the control scheme to
і enact these vicious attacks should be familiar
қ
GAME INFORMER 63
% X and Y perform light 77 and heavy attacks, и respectively. В per- S + forms some variation & ona grab or grappling i£ move, and the A button y jumps. What sets Conan жұ de. apart from other games * with that same familiar control layout is the depth of combos and context sensitive interactions that are available to players. Mark Cooke showed us one example combo that will be
dual-wielding weapon sets. "Conan approaches a Stygian Footman with a one-handed sword. He delivers a quick slash followed by ramming the Stygian brutally with his shoulder. He then rips the weapon out of the stunned Stygian's hand, which instantly switches the player into
№ Not to disappoint fans of the
movies, but this new game 15 f 4 much based on the original fiction. & by Robert E. Howard rather than the | M Schwarzenegger vehicles of the 19805. +. 2 % % & de
ў
to most action gamers. į i by delivering another quick slash. Finally, Conan : throws the sword he just stole from the Stygian t and impales his victim through the chest, sending. : i him flying to his death off of a cliff" i
dual wield weapon mode, continuing his combo
In addition to rapid button-pressing combos,
: Conan will take another cue from fighting games i by having certain attacks altered by holding down : } the button instead of quick-pressing, as well as
being able to steer the direction of an attack
; with the left stick and dodge with a quick twitch i ofthe right. "Some recent action games lock
players to their targets once they start an attack
: combo against them," Cooke tells us. "In Conan, useful as a transfer between the one-handed and :
if a player wants to turn around in the middle of
і a combo and punch the enemy in the face who i is sneaking up from behind, һе or she сап” To i round out the barbarian's arsenal, the bumpers : will control some mysterious special powers - a i feature that the team at Nihilistic was hesitant 1 to detail. However, they were too excited about
18 Conan will collect
і the still unfinished magic-like powers to not hint 1 at their functionality. As anyone who has read i the original Conan adventures is well aware, the
character was perhaps the first in popular fiction
} to popularize the idea of a “berserk rage" To 1 reflect this trait, one of the bumpers will trigger а i fury mode, where Conan will strike harder, move
faster, jump higher, and kill with greater ease, It doesn't take more than a glance at the
| screens in these pages to recognize that Conan
i will be fully embracing his right to a Mature
і rating. It's an approach to the subject that the
: team thinks is a given if they want to be true to
1 the character's roots. Unlike the bleached-clean
1 fantasy that would follow in its footsteps in later і years, Howard's Conan stories had no lack of
i gore and brutality. As a character, Conan would
і frequently mutilate the objects of his ire іп
i shocking bursts of anger, and Nihilistic feels that i communicating that savagery is key to getting
CONTINUED ON PAGE 66 >>
magic runes of green, red, and blue, whi each %
64 GAME INFORMER
“$e feature
№ Players can expect Е =} plenty of epic boss fights — | fitto challenge Conan's +)
а= - ти: г frenzied rages
E ны ы НВ хит
%
PN ppl OAL ST
TS GAME INFORMER” 65
UL Master
1
,
66 GAME INFORMER
T x et Ii The art style of the game is heavily, V influenced by the ой-рай book / covers that Frank Frazetta jet ^ for the Conan reprints of the 1960у/ ^ |
DO ADT ape Ай” сай
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 64 3 Е original lusty stories. While the submissive and £ mission opens as Kushites storm Conan's ship 1 helpless females of Howard's mythology might апа kidnap his female companion. Unwilling to seem out of date to more modern sensibilities, H leave her behind, Conan strikes back and invades
across the feel of the world, even if the degree of
violence might seem too much for some players. : there's no doubt in the mind of the developer £ their village. As he makes his way up a bluff, giant Ns бу; ж "The М rating is largely due to the brutality that that those same characters are central to telling a 2 tigers stalk him, and he torches the buildings of id we knew the game would need to faithfully new tale within that politically incorrect world. : the savage inhabitants as he goes. Later in the —
execute a Conan action-adventure, fighting-style During our day at Nihilistic, we were lucky t game, we were shown a level in the Egyption-fla-
game,” design director Steve Thoms tells us. enough to see much of the gameplay thatthe : vored country of Stygia, where Conan scales the
"Conan is ruthless, aggressive and powerful. АП : team had described to us up and running in і walls of an ancient keep in pursuit of vengeance
of those elements will come out in the game" : several locations throughout the game world. : against the sorceress who dwells within.
Their willingness to include adult-oriented There are 24 missions in the game, split up i Our favorite level showed off one of the m nit content also extends beyond the realms of between six major locations spread across the massive boss fights іп the game. While traveling а BH blood and violence. While Nihilistic is carefully breadth of Hyboria. One of the earliest in the i between two of his destinations, Conan's ship e! avoiding any overt sexual encounters, nudity will : game involves Conan cutting a swath of death : is attacked by a giant squid. During the course “Жу. БАЙ be as common іп the new game as it was іп ће : through the African-like savannah of Kush. The : ofthe battle, Conan's shipmates are grabbed by
№ Conan will feature multiple difficulties for fans that truly wish to master the combat system
„в қ T = Жк: AY.
2% жыла, ° 22,
М РЕ
mu
REY
W Not only will using particular moves ~ open up later ones on the purchasing tree, — m familiarizing Conan with the use of a
the huge kraken and spewed with a madness- inducing ink. When they fall back to the deck, í their insanity sends them charging against Conan, even while the barbarian tries to strike off the tentacled limbs that are trying to pull down the mast and capsize the entire vessel.
~ Later, the squid heaves its heavy form onto the ship’s deck. We're not sure how the whole thing ends, but if our years of gaming tell us
* anything it's that you don't put a giant central eye on a boss monster for nothing.
While Conan's first solo adventure on this next generation of gaming hardware takes a great deal of inspiration from other popular action titles of the last few years, it's hard to . fault it for being true to the pulp action and ` fighting that is the root of so much of fantasy gaming. With some remarkable animation work melding with the unique approach to Conan's engrossing combat system, there's tremendous potential for the barbarian to become a star again. Simultaneously, the danger of blending in with the dozens of other action games coming in 2007 looms high. By early next year, when the game releases, we should be able to find out whether Conan can emerge from his own ancient mythos and prove why he deserves the title of the first and greatest hero s ~ - of the genre һе helped invent. ШШШ -
XBOX 360
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION (ONLINE MULTIPLAYER ТВА) > PUBLISHER TBD > DEVELOPER PANDEMIC
> RELEASE SUMMER
SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE
ercenaries 2 was a standout sur- prise at last year's ЕЗ. Taking the already fun ideas of its first game, Pandemic is advancing the scope and style of the Mercenaries brand with some massive upgrades to the existing formula. This time, Venezuela has erupted into a war zone, and everyone wants in on the action. You, as the unscrupulous hired gun, get to try and turn the tide in the direction of the highest bidder. The new cooperative mode is perhaps the most exciting addition to the formula, allowing either split-screen or online friends to partner up and cause the most damage possible. Not unlike the newly releasing Crackdown, Mercenaries 2 will reward Чемег cooperative problem solving. One player might airlift the other into a trouble spot by helicopter, or both players might sneak in on opposite sides of a secure area so that one
68 САМЕ INFORMER
can distract the enemy while the other completes an objective
Beyond exciting options for playing with a buddy, we've gleaned a few other new details about this hotly anticipated follow-up. A wide range of cool vehicles are all use- able wherever you find them in the world. The multiple tank types lead the way with their explosive firepower; the Mantis Battle Tank has the full spread of weaponry from a 105mm rifled cannon to a .50 cal machine gun, while the La Rana Tank sports a 20mm rotary cannon to mow down enemy infantry. For those more interested in an attack from above, the Endriago helicopter with its mini- gun and rocket pods shouldn't disappoint. Even the seas aren't safe from enterprising mercenaries, since the Omen speedboat is equipped with both forward and rear- mounted machine gun turrets. Tack on army jeeps, motorcycles, and a weaponized
dune buggy, and the vehicle portion of World in Flames shouldn't disappoint.
We've also heard that in addition to the guerilla fighters and oil company clients that have already been revealed, the game will include a take on modem pirates, presum- ably as another group to join up with. Whoever your employer, the game has also added the ability to capture and/or rescue people from dangerous situ- ations. On the technical side, Pandemic has taken full advantage of next-gen graphical options to make the entire game world view- able from any location — no fog effects will create an artificial draw distance as you drive and fly around the wartorn battle zone.
Embracing its role as a no-holds-barred
One of the coolest features of ТЭЭ World In Flames is the cooperative г» See component, which will allow for
== unified vehicle assaults like this
73m t
"Come on men! Let's, charge that tank head on! We can't fail!
catharsis of explosions and freedom, Mercenaries 2 is on track to provide an escapist thrill to surmount even its most ambitious competitors. It shouldn't be too long until we can get our hands on an early version of the game so we can let you know if the game plays as fun as it looks. Bl № mi
Se previews
~ 4 “6 E | | = 8i The newly announced # № It's а little known fact that pirate group should add > mercenaries, like 5-year old m some cool flavor to the boys, really like tree houses ә в game.
E The game deals with the issue of private military organizations fighting in an oil rich nation over legal rights to the resource, thereby totally divorcing it from any real world problems the world is currently facing
m "You Wanna see where I put my Tweety Bird tattoo?"
т “ff you strike me down, my mohawk shall become more powerful then you could possibly imagine”
GAME МЕ
*
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 1 PC
Ghost Recon Y Advanced Warfightef 2
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-Р ША PLAYSTATION NETWORK AND XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER UBISOFT " 2 > DEVELOPER RED STORM ENTERTAINIMEN Ey WBISOFT PARIS > RELEASE MARCH no NI kt sib Е 148 NY
GRAW! SEEPS STILL FUN TO SAY
aptain Scott Mitchell is tuming into some kind of extreme quasi-futuristic ver- sion of Jack Bauer — except if he had a show it would be called 72 instead of 24. The Ghost Squad leader is thrust into another three-day conflict almost immediately after the end of the first game. We got the chance to play both single and multi- player elements since our cover story last December, and are happy to say that things are coming along nicely. GRAW 2 begins with a kiss-ass jeep driver lauding Scott's achieve- ments from the first game to catch players up on the story. A brief series of VR missions refamiliarizes the GRAW control scheme and intro- duces a few new concepts. Here the developers show off the new time- lapse mechanic. Near the beginning The MULE is tough, but it of the first mission the instructor can't take damage forever. 2 Mp tweaks a few settings, causing the Ed. nid sun to dart to a new point in the sky and light and shadow to dance and
stretch beautifully across the environ- ment. This is likely the only time we'll see such a drastic change in lighting, but the normal gradual movement of the sun will only help sell the realism in the rest of the game.
The new full command view is surprisingly more than a cosmetic upgrade when put into practice. Holding down the right bumper on the Xbox 360 will bring up the blue-tinged view from one of your squadmates. You can't move the character directly, but you can look around and click on a destination for the squad. We used this tactic to sandwich a group of enemies in between Scott and the Ghost Squad, and proceeded to tear them apart with great efficiency.
This hands-on approach works great for flying drones and the new MULE as well. Instead of only being able to select destinations on the overworld map when moving the drone, players can now enjoy a
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70. GAME INFORMER
Squadmates are actually 4 quite useful now.
REGROUP
full-screen top-down view. Here it's easy to swoop down, scan for some trademark red diamond enemy targets, and fly out of firing range. The MULE works smoothly as well, serving as a controllable form of mobile cover that's also a full-scale armory. This allows players to switch freely back and forth between assault rifles, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and the like with ease. No more scrounging for lame enemy guns when you're done blowing up tanks with the rocket launcher.
Weapon selection is now handled with a quick press of the A button combined with the d-pad instead
of the dumsy menu scrolling of the first game. One new weapon at your disposal, the satchel charge, provides a nice stealthy alternative to blowing up armored vehicles. Rather than blasting tanks with ets from afar, players can sneak up to them, toss a charge under the chassis, run off, and detonate it at will. Magnificent explosions ensue. Multiplayer returns with new maps and six new co-op stages. You'll be able to fight in such locations as a train station, a rocky nature area, warehouses, a flooded village, and even the Panama Canal. Classic team and solo outings return, including
Elimination, Territ
and Battle. Just like before, a
of achievements will lure players
into marathon f /һейһег 500 kills or win
о track towards completing ievements via an in-
GRAW 2 all their progre: multiplayer game menu.
Despite a few bugs present in our preview disc, GRAW 2's new gameplay elements and exceptional graphical polish has us pretty darn excited. Luckily for gamers, Scott Mitchell will be coming off R&R very soon. № I №
Se previews
When free running goes horribly wrong
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See how fat your ass looks in those pants using full command view?
Beautiful explosions are fast becoming a GRAW trademark
The new full drone controls are a huge improvement
ax INFORMERS TE
UNLIMITED ENABLED PLAYSTATION 2
God of War Il
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SANTA MONICA ж > RELEASE MARCH 13
COLOSSAL COMBAT
efore the release of the original God of War, many gamers got their first taste of the battle system with a one-level demo that stopped just short of a fight with a giant Hydra. Now that God of War II is only weeks away, this sequel will also have a demo to give | players a sense of the bone-crunching action — but this time, there won't be any skipping out on the boss fight. These screens show the opening moments of God of War II, culminating in the battle against one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Colossus of Rhodes. Judging from the visible physical damage on the giant golem's limbs and face, it is clear that Kratos will have to break this foe apart piece by piece. How and why Kratos gets sucked into this fight is still a mystery, but we'll have all of the details for you next month in our full review. While you're waiting to play the game, you can get yourself psyched up with this little piece of info: Sony has revealed that, like the first God of War, GoW II will be packed with DVD-caliber special features. The extras on the second bonus disc include (but aren't limited to) behind-the-scenes featurettes, concept art, and a rundown of | levels that didn't make it into the final — version of the game. Here's hoping vd that buried somewhere in those goodies is another 800-number with Kratos on the other end of the line. His voice sounds so...bestial. All conversations with fictional characters aside, we can't wait to get our hands on this mythical bloodbath to see what dark purpose is driving Kratos forward in his newest adventure. If the pictures of the Colossus of Rhodes are any indication, the boss bat- tles are bound to be bigger and more intense than ever. If the team is able to up the ante on the over-the-top combat, we might just chain the PS2 controller to our wrists so we never have to let go.
72 GAME INFORMER
Se previews
№ This move looks like it The plot details of God of War И have remained might be part of a new timed a closely guarded secret, but we got some early button-press sequence teasers in the form of a track listing for the official GoW II soundtrack.
Songs with names like “The Death of Kratos,” “An Audience with Cronos,” and “The Battle for Olympus” demonstrate that there are definitely going to be some twists and turns along the way.
Mi А! Uy TNCS №: “//”;
God of War II-Main Titles The Glory of Sparta
The Way of the Gods Colossus of Rhodes
The Bathhouse
Death of Kratos
The End Begins
Typhon Mountain
Waking the Sleeping Giant 10. Battle for the Skies
11. Exploring the Isle
12. The Isle of Creation
13. The Summit of Sacrifice 14. Ап Audience with Cronos 15. The Barbarian King Returns 16. Bog of Lost Souls
17. Battle in the Bog
18. Crossing the Lowlands 19. Atlas
20. Palace of the Fates
21. Phoenix Rising
22. Ashen Spire
23. Athena
24. The Battle for Olympus 25. Blood of Destiny
26. Junkie XL Colossus Remix
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GAMEINFORMER 73
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC
Check out what the four roles are capable of, direct from Kaos' Votypka:
Frontlines: Fuel of War
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER TBA) > PUBLISHER THQ > DEVELOPER KAOS STUDIOS > RELEASE FALL * GROUND SUPPORT:
KNOW YOUR ROLE
hough we just took an inside
look at Frontlines in last month's
issue, some new info has sur-
faced that warrants a second glance. Most notably, publisher THQ announced that the title is coming to PlayStation 3 along with the Xbox 560 and PC. Beyond that, developer Kaos decided to let us in on some new multi- player details that make Frontlines sound better than ever.
The core of Frontlines' signature multiplayer is in utilizing teamwork to achieve objectives and move the front- line forward. From what Kaos tells us about its internal multiplayer testing, that design is already working beautifully. “Inherent teamwork’ is an extremely noticeable change to people's playstyle that emerges from the Frontlines game
INFORMER.
mechanic," observes Dave Votypka, design director at Kaos. “Because it takes a coordinated effort of offense and defense in order to control several objectives at once — which is required to move the front forward and push the enemy back — players quickly realize this and begin to make conscious choices to coordinate efforts between teammates" In other words, it doesn't matter how "1531 your skills with a sniper rifle are; you're going to lose to the team with stronger strategy and teamwork. Frontlines multiplayer also has gamers choosing Roles and Loadouts that determine what equipment and abili- ties they'll have access to on the battlefield. These will evolve during the course of a single match. "Character growth is more about specializing and achieving new military equipment rather than core stats," explains Votypka. "Each time you spawn, you have the choice of which Loadout (col- lection of weapons) to use, and
which Role (weapon or technology spe- cializations) to pair with your Loadout. It is within the Roles that the upgrading takes place" This way, you'll be able to choose what's needed at that particu- lar time — like spawning with a rocket launcher when enemy vehicles threaten your base — as well as evolve your skills according to your preferred playstyle. With at least 52 players in a match (Kaos wouldn't confirm more than that, but kept teasing us with hints at “52+ players”), Frontlines is poised to step up to the level of Rainbow Six Vegas and Gears of War on the next-gen stage. Kaos’ pedigree (Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat, Battlefield 2) has us bouncing in anticipation of seeing how it stacks up. I IB №
Specializes in armor support & base defense. Includes repair abilities (both passive and active), as well as deployable stationary guns such as mini-guns, sentry guns, and even a rail gun type weapon that's deadly against enemy armor.
* AIR SUPPORT: As you might guess, specializes in calling in communicating with mission command to call in air strikes from above. Precision strikes, clus- ter bombs, and the rank three abilities of con- trollable gunships and a "Mother of All Bombs"
(MOAB) type ordinance.
* DRONE TECH: Specializes in remote-controlled drones that provide both reconnaissance and offensive capabilities as this role ranks up. This includes Net-centric data sharing about enemy posi- tions, as well as the incognito power of being able to attack or defend an area without put- ting yourself in the line of fire.
* COUNTERMEASURES/ ELECTRONIC WARFARE: With strong abilities in both defense and offense, this role can bring enemy technology to its knees. Because of its powering down drones, vehicles, deployable weaponry, and even preventing air strikes in a targeted area at top rank, this Role player is often a team's best friend.
Sometimes vehicles are most useful as cover
PS3 AHOY!
What does a $600 console get you in terms of gameplay? Kaos has the answers. “Тһе PS3's Sixaxis controller allows us to try some very cool things in areas like heli- copter controls, player movement, aiming, and even with object interaction," reveals Votypka. "On the PS3 side, we have the technology to hit the same intense level of combat and teamwork as on our other platforms, including the VOIP communi- cation and high 32-plus player counts," adds managing director Frank DeLise. So that $600 machine basically gets you the same game plus some motion-sensing stuff — here's hoping that it's implemented better than we've seen so far on PS3.
Surely nobody would fight a bloody war over ой!
The character models look as good as anything we've seen to date
Multi-occupancy vehicles? But of course!
2 previews
Heavenly Sword
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER NINJA THEORY
> RELEASE JUNE 2007
SICK AS HELL
t's probably a good thing that God of
War Il is coming out on PS2; it wouldn't
want the competition from this game
on the PS3. Okay, so you're tired of hearing Heavenly Sword compared to God of War, and that's fair because Heavenly
Sword is really its own game. Its story is stan-
dard fantasy fare: It's up to the main charac- ter, Nariko, to take up the Heavenly Sword and avenge the deaths of her clan.
Visually, Nariko might be hot enough to cook bacon. Her hair twirls around her as she spins like a tomado of death, and her dothing flaps along in the breeze. The envi- ronments are built to match. Tables, chairs, and pottery will shatter and splinter as enemies are thrown into them. Unlike most games, all the little pieces remain to clutter the battlefield, leaving a general sense that war just happened.
Nariko has an extensive list of combos
and reversals at her disposal. She breaks legs and kicks enemies across the battle- field. She jumps on enemies' heads and snaps their necks with her legs before sending them into the air and slicing them apart with her sword. The game isn't gory, and that's fine because it has it own brand of brutality. In one move, Nariko grabs an enemy with her chained hook blades (one of her weapon's many forms) and then whips them at a group of enemies or twirls them around in a spin attack. Nariko can also pick up the enemies' weapons and use them as deadly projectiles, but weapons aren't the only things she can throw. Nariko can pick up several items lying around
the environment and take out chains of enemies with one carefully aimed shot. You will actually have some limited control over whatever you throw, and the camera switches to a behind-the-projectile view and
even follows its path.
There is some strategy to which weapon you choose to use. Some enemies are easier to take out with the sword, but there are some pretty cool combos and nifty ways to kill guys with the chained hooks too. A meter measures your successful combos and attacks, and when it is full Nariko can unleash a powerful and very artsy special attack. And speaking of artsy, the camera angles are cinematic and add to the game's visual flare.
Any explosion that sends dudes flying hundreds of feet in the air is immediately labeled cool by official standards
Nariko complained when she had to fight an entire army. She's such a whiner
The enemies can be pretty vicious, especially as wave after wave of troops con- tinue to increase in number. Your foes seem to attack better in groups, and will provide a formidable challenge. The one boss battle we've seen ended in a timed button press- ing minigame, and we suspect that this will be a standard feature throughout the game.
So will Heavenly Sword make us forget about that other game? Well, probably not, but at least we'll have another exciting action game to look forward to this year. Bi № Ii
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Carry the scales of justice in one hand, and a tuo-ton sedan in the other.
You're a genetically enhanced agent of justice authorized to do whatever it takes to sweep the criminal scum out of Pacific City. From the streets to the rooftops, use anything you can get your hands on to show the thugs that crime doesn't pay.
And for the ultimate payback, combine forces in co-op play for twice the destruction
and double the retribution. All Justice. No Restraints.
WWW.CRACKDOWNONCRIME.COM
INCLUDES INVITATION TO HALO'3 MULTIPLAYER BETA ШШШ Blood and Gore Limited time offer—look for specially marked boxes? (ине урта
= Strong Language Microsoft Mri, Курулуу Use of Drugs
2 gamexXStudios
XBOX 360
Guitar Hero Il
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER MUSIC > PUBLISHER RED!
NEW SONGS IN LESS THAN A
ee that list over there. That's all
the new songs available on this
version of Guitar Hero II. All
Now that we have the most important information out of the way, let's continue. The above songs will be sprinkled throughout the normal setlist or the store to bring the total tally to 74 tracks. But what does this mean for every- one who couldn't resist the PlayStatior version this holiday season? “We до! some plans that will keep all of the PS owners very happy," assures associate producer Ted Lange.
In addition to the new batch of included songs, Harmonix has also opened the door for downloadable tracks. These will be located in the actual in- game store for maximum impulse buying potential. We downloaded a sample track called "Rodgort" (Trogdor spelled backwards) and barely had to wait before we were playing Strong Bad's ode to dragons. RedOctane says it will probably do a mix of single song downloads and bundles of tracks, but won't confirm pack- ages or prices specifically. Themes and picture packs will also be available.
EAR
As reported previously, the new Gibson X-plorer controller is disappointingly wired. It turns out this is more due to red tape than anything else. "Yeah, Microsoft is holding tight to their wireless compo- nents. We are currently talking to them about letting us make a wireless guitar controller,” confirms Lange.
Even though the new controller includes a headset jack, Guitar Hero II will not support online multiplayer. But online leaderboards (separated by difficulty) will determine the real god of all guitar
Wow, you don't come across
too many lions in the city.
At least not this far from bhlth Street.
I made a daring escape from the zoo this morning.
NEW SONGS
"Possum Kingdom" — Toadies (original track)
"Salvation" — Rancid
"Life Wasted" — Pearl Jam "Billion Dollar Babies" — Alice Cooper
"Hush" — Deep Purple
“КосК алд Roll Hoochie Koo" — Rick Derringer
"Dead" — My Chemical Romance (original track)
"The Trooper" — Iron Maideh
(Bonus Unlockables)
“Drink Up" Ounce of Self
“Kicked to the Cufb" — Noble Rot rmm
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You're a lion on the lamb.
I'm going to ignore that...I need someone to help me learn the ropes of city life.
The game's targeting works well on the PSP
Size нете features. g some new, space 1 shooter gameplay
I'm an SC — a new kind of Element, designed for the concrete jungle. I know the city inside and out.
I'm your guy.
| ë ë ë Hum Ratchet & Clank:
Size Matters
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM (UP TO 4-PLAYER МА AD HOC OR INFRASTRUCTURE) > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER HIGH IMPACT GAMES
> RELEASE FEBRUARY 15
SONY'S DYNAMIC DUO GET SMALL
or our money, Sony's Ratchet &
Clank series is one of the finest
platforming franchises ever. For
this reason, we've been very excited about the duo's first appear- ance on the PSP, which is releasing very soon. While not all console games can make the transition to a handheld platform, the high quality of Sony's Daxter gives us reason to hope.
Based on our experience with a fairly polished build of the game, this hope is well placed. Developer High Impact Games, which includes many veterans from Insomniac, has done a great job of recreating the colorful visuals and refined gameplay of the console games. While the lack of a second analog means no FPS-style control option, the traditional R&C mechanics work just fine without it.
The single-player saga follows our heroes through creatively designed
levels on a quest to save a young girl named Luna from some evil robots. New twists include some space- shooter style solo Clank levels and new weapons that can swarm bees at enemies or make plants grow into bomb spawns or platforms.
In keeping with Deadlocked, the last game in the series, Size Matters puts a big emphasis on multiplayer. Up to four players can duke it out in tradi- tional modes like deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag. A more interesting new mode is the Iron Lombox Challenge, which has level specific goals like loading cows into a giant meat truck or collecting power cells for your team. Of course, even the good old deathmatch isn't exactly "traditional" when you add this game's over-the-top weapons to the mix, so expect this to be one of the multiplayer highlights of 2007 on PSP. I № INI
elementandfriends.com
Great.
The first thing we need to do is find a drugstore. I need some conditioner or my mane is going to get all frizzy.
SC model shown. ©2006 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
5 previews
This creepy Ferris wheel is also part of the real-life Chernobyl disaster zone
It's just not a radioactive waste- land without deadly mutants
Armed forces, corporate mercenaries, and scientific research groups all have interests іп the zone,
S.T. A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 32-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER THQ > DEVELOPER GS
? RELEASE MARCH
FOR REAL THIS TIME
t says something about S.T.A.LK.E.R's vast poten- tial that we're still excited about it after four years of unfulfilled promises and numerous delays. Publisher THQ recently sent us a playable copy of the game, and it's definitely in the home stretch of development. We're ready to take THQ at its word that S.TA.LKER. will be spinning in your drives on or around the announced March release date.
The game's main selling point (and reportedly the reason for its amazingly long development time) is the A-Life system. This feature is touted as giving S.TA.LK.E.R's enormous 300 square kilometer world a truly functional economy and structure of NPC interactions. If THQ's promises pan out, the Chernobyl area depicted here could put The Elder Scrolls to shame in terms of emergent gameplay possibilities and meaningful player freedom. Unfortunately, crash bugs and limited implementation in our build prevented us from seeing A-Life in action, but that's why this software hasn't been released yet.
Aside from A-Life, the element that has us most excited is the tactical freedom in any given situ- ation. Stealthy, diplomatic, Rambo- style, or more creative approaches will pay off bigtime during your playtime with S.TA.LK.ER.. Тһе availability of interesting powers via radiation-born artifacts only adds more options. Forty to sixty hours of gameplay (according to THQ)
and seven possible endings mean that you'll have plenty of opportunity to try out different tacks. Graphically, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is no longer the belle of the ball. 175 certainly not ugly, but three years of delays and new releases by the rest of the gaming industry have robbed this title of its cutting-edge status. And, frankly, the nuts-and-bolts action gameplay isn’t anything special beyond the obvious entertainment value of a well-executed first-person shooter. Likewise, what we know of the multiplayer side of the game isn't very interesting — a small twist on capture-the-flag and some deathmatching aren't going to convince anyone of a purchase. However, if the single-player quest delivers on its many prom- ises, this will be a unique and immersive adventure that we'll gladly sink our teeth into. № mi №
DOWNLOAD THE DEMO
wwwW.conmpairyofneroesgpanme.com
Blood and Gore Intense Violence Strong Language
ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrh.org
w ns Windows
SOLDIERS FIGHT FOR YOU. HEROES DIE FOR YOU.
From award-winning Relic Entertainment comes the next generation in real time strategy gaming. From the brutal landing at Omaha Beach to the heroic push inland, lead your men against the German war machine through some of the most crucial battles of WWII
Command your Company of Heroes with Intel Core" 2
Extreme Processor
Technology!
НИР /
the offensive
Se previews
XBOX 360
Rainbow Six Vegas:
Players’ Pack
> STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER UBISOFT > DEVELOPER UBISOFT MONTREAL
> RELEASE MARCH
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS... HAPPENS IN VEGAS AGAIN
heir МР5 barrels may still be smoking
from gunning down noobs on Xbox Live,
but rabid Rainbow Sixers can already
look forward to new Vegas-based gun- fights with a downloadable multiplayer expan- sion pack due in March.
This second helping of RSV ammo offers two new multiplayer game modes. In Assassination mode, a team of attackers must move in and eliminate a VIP while the defenders coordinate a protection scheme as they move the target to an extraction zone. The other new mode, Total Conquest, also stresses teamwork, as you must secure and control the three mobile radar installations scattered across the map for more time than your opponents. These new modes are playable via all of the traditional RSV maps
Bravo Team must not have found the safeties / on their guns ‚
чы.
The night managers from Wendy's goes on
82 .GAMEINFORMER 5$
15-212)
as well as the new ones.
Speaking of new maps, the download fea- tures 10 more hot zones, each compatible with every multiplayer mode. Many of these locales, like the Red Lotus casino and Neon Graveyard, tie into the Vegas experience. One blast from the past is also included: the Presidio map from Rainbow Six 3.
Ubisoft said no plans were in place to add new weapons, gadgets, or armor accessories to the expansion pack, but we wouldn't be surprised to see some new toys on the horizon in the future. We've also got our fingers crossed for Ubisoft to add some new achievable ranks to its Elite Character Creation system. Keep your eyes wide open and prepare to fire some short, controlled bursts sometime in March. M № №
ALPHA TEAM ;: 455 (1) BRAVO TEAM = G T0]
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PLAYSTATION 2
Dawn of Mana
AYER ACTION/RPG » PUBLISHER SQUARE ENIX
> STYLE |
> DEVELOPER SQUARE ENIX > RELEASE MAY N
A NEW DAWN
he Mana games may not
be runaway successes
like Square Enix's flagship
franchises, but they still hold many happy memories for RPG fans stretching back to the 16-bit era. Now that the series is being revived through the World of Mana project, those dedicated old-school fans will be surprised at the changes in store for the newest entry, Dawn of Mana.
Coming this spring exclusively to PS2, Dawn of Mana appears to be more action-oriented than its predecessors. Taking place in a fully 3D environment, the story puts players in control of a boy named Eldy and his childhood friend Faye as they fight against an army that has invaded their homeland. The centerpiece of the gameplay is Eldy's weapon — a whip. This tool.is: not only used for attacks, but also to grab onto objects and manipulate the environment to wipe out your enemies. To facilitate this kind of action, the game will be using a physics engine that allows for items and monsters to be flung around and crashed into each other. This approach will have better rewards than just jumping into the fray and mashing buttons, like more Бепей- cial medals dropping after kills. This new style is a far cry from the
more traditional action/RPG format
associated with the Mana series, but the unique mixture of story and combat could prove to be an inter- esting new direction. After all, when it comes to resurrecting respected games, no one does it better (or more frequently) than Square
Eldy's whip allows him to attack foes above and below him
Bu now he must protect others from experiencing his hell on earth.
Ani bring the demon fires of hell to villains like Blackheart, Vengeance and Scarecrow.
PLAY THE EXCLUSIVE ` j ALL-NEW STORY | * All-new story from comic masterminds, Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti * Deadly combat—on-foot or on the Hell-Cycle * Loads of unlockables including classic Ghost Rider comics,
"making of" footage and more.
* Wireless multiplayer motorcycle deathmatch for up to four players on PSP*(PlayStation*Portable) system. Alcohol Reference See the movie in theaters now
Blood and Gore Mild Si estive Themes rate p GAMEBOYADvaNcE | SOR
This title is intended for both the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PSP@(PlayStation@Portable) system.
Ghost Rider and related characters: ТМ & © 2006 Marvel Characters, Inc. АН rights reserved. Licensed by Marvel Characters, Inc. © 2006 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. Al rights reserved. 2K trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. “PlayStation”, “PS” Family Logo and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold зер: The ESRB ratings icon is а registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. © 2006 Climax. Climax and the Climax logo are trademarks of Climax Ltd. Ali rights reserved
CONTENT RATED BY ESRB
WWW.GHOSTRIDERGAME.COM
the 2K logo, and Take-Two Interactive Software are all tra jarately). TM. ©, and Game Boy Advance are Trademarks of
previews |
Te
№ The game has a good lineup of pros, including
Andy Roddick
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360
Virtua Tennis 3
> STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS (UP TO 4-PLAYER МА XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER AM3
(PLAYSTATION 3), SUMO (XBOX 360) » RELEASE MARCH 20
CHARGING THE NET
Ithough it's lost some ground to the
excellent Top Spin series in recent
years, Sega's Virtua Tennis is still con-
sidered the premier tennis game of all time by many fans of the sport. Now, the franchise is moving onto the powerful next- gen systems and hopes to recapture its world title. We've been lucky enough to get our hands on a very polished, playable build of the game, and have been running it through its paces ever since.
Based on what we've seen, your opinion about Virtua Tennis as a whole will be a strong indicator of how you feel about this third entry. Simply put, it doesn't really seem like much has changed. From the menus to
№ Only the 360 version res online multiplayer
84 GAMEI
the on-court action, nearly every aspect of the game is reminiscent of the past versions of the game.
Your career, which can be played as a custom-created male or female, works off a large global map and calendar system. As a pro, you rise through the ranks by taking part in training at the tennis academy, enter- ing tournaments, or improving your stats via Virtua Tennis's trademark minigames. Although some are repeated, like Pin Bowling, it seems that a good deal of the development effort on Virtua Tennis 3 has gone into creating new contests. Many are adaptations of past contests, like Prize Defender, in which you must protect vari-
ЕЕ т
ous items from the ball machines instead of breaking them. That said, there's definitely some creativity at play, especially in strange events like Feeding Time, where you hit the ball at large spools to keep hungry alligators from consuming the meat on the court, or Avalanche, which has you dodging gigantic tennis balls while catching as many apples falling down an indine as possible.
Otherwise, it's the same
X9 highly competent racket UR -
action you expect. The control scheme is the same, with a two-click serve and face buttons
for flat, slice, and top spin retums. Despite the lack of innovation, Virtua Tennis's gameplay has always been its strongest aspect, and we're happy that the control is as tight and responsive as we expect. While it won't blow you away visually, the character models transition between animations very fluidly, which adds to the responsive feel. Both ver-
“preplay
CITIZEN
E sree | 155 аһ
sions of the game play similarly, but only the Xbox 360 edition will feature online play. The PS3 Virtua Tennis hopes to overcome this deficit by including special Sixaxis control.
The roster of pros is also very impressive, featuring some of the best-known players in the world. Most important is the inclu- sion of the game's two most dominant and compelling players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Unfortunately, the structure of the career mode somewhat diminishes the impact of the pros, as they are unceremoni- ously dumped into low-level tournaments early in your progression, rather than being something that you build your way up to. Also, your world ranking doesn’t seem to take into account the quality of your opponents. For example, even after being undefeated through four individual tourna- ments, defeating Federer, Nadal, and Andy Roddick, and a doubles title with Federer as my partner, | was still only ranked 246 in the world. Strange.
We'll have to see if Virtua Tennis can win back some of the fans that enjoyed Top Spin's more realistic vision of pro tennis. The gameplay is definitely there — now Sega just needs to fine-tune the overall experience. № I №
PLAYSTATION 3
Formula One Championship Edition
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER RACING (UP TO 11-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK) > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER STUDIO LIVERPOOL > RELEASE LATE FEBRUARY
A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS?
t's certainly not unusual for a system to
appear with a clutch of racing titles by
its side. It's also not out of the ordinary
for a Formula One game to come and go without leaving so much as a skid mark on the video game landscape in the U.S.. PlayStation 5's Formula One Championship Edition won't change the world, but racing fans should be heartened by the fact that for once, this isn't the bare bones racer that usually comes and goes in the early life of a new console.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of
this game — for both hardcore and casual racers — is the optional evaluation process that happens before races. This consists of a series of laps you'll run before qualifying that will help tune the car to the way you race. This evaluation covers areas like your car's suspension, downforce, balance, and camber. These are adjusted to your liking after you race a few trial laps. In this evalua- tion you'll also get to test out what your car's going to feel like with worn tires and a half
tank of gas (which results in a lighter, more skittish car). Formula One's career mode spans five seasons, and starts out with your created character participating in racing trials to gamer a contract as either a first or second racer for various teams. From here you can Participate in a full slate of timed practice,
_ qualifying and evaluation ses- sions before the race actu- ally begins. Formula One titles are usually known for being fairly unforgiving, but we found that this title seems to straddle the
E Sony says that it has not decided on which Formula One items will be available via the PlayStation Network
№ Screw team orders. Pulling over is for losers
Office of National Drug Control Policy/Partnership for a Drug-Free America®
Se previews
line between being too easy and too difficult. One thing the game offers that helps in navi- gating those hairpin tums at high speeds is a real-time tum indicator. Instead of inform- ing you of an approaching sharp turn like in most racing games, Championship Edition's tum indicators will change colors depend- ing on how you're handling the tum as you drive. If you've got a good grip on everything, it'll stay green. Go in too fast, and it'll tell you you're in trouble by quickly tuming from green to yellow to red as you get more and more out of control.
Maybe casual PlayStation 5 fans will take notice of this Formula One title because of the graphics, sense of speed, or the 11- player online multiplayer. But perhaps they'll keep playing because this game seems to be a well-rounded title balanced for racers of all stripes. № Ш
above the in лем сое. сом
25 previews
Harker's gauntlet defends against attacks and can also reflect deadly sunlight at vampires
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360
Harker
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTIO TI
AYER ТВА) > PUBLISHER ТВА > DEVELOPER THE COLI
DRACULA FOR THE BUFFY GENERATION
he story of Dracula never gets old. Fortunately for
developer The Collective, the licensing rights did.
The Collective is free to pillage Bram Stoker's gothic
tale from the public domain, but that doesn't mean gamers will see a strict retelling in game form. Senior рго- ducer Nigel Cook says that Harker is more "inspired" by the novel than anything else.
"We are still keeping the key characters and the same era, while introducing new storylines and plots," Cook reveals. "The biggest change is Jonathan Harker. In the book Harker is a timid solicitor who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our version of Harker is a man fueled with vengeance who is driven to punish and execute vampires to purge the bloodlines”
Harker is very much focused on visceral melee combat, but don't expect to take down waves of enemies at a time.
Transylvania Vineyards had one off year
"Vampires in our game are
not simply fodder types that
can be killed with a single
shot or blow," assures Cook.
"Alone, or in small groups
of two to five, vampires are
intelligent creatures that adapt
their behaviors using group
Al. They are resilient and will
do all they can to survive as
Harker inflicts a series of what we call 'punisher' moves that essentially break down and weaken the vampires, eventu- ally incapacitating them enough to go in for an ‘execution’ move to finish them off" Stronger vampires even have the ability to transform into a demonic "feral" state as they get low on health to perform more damaging attacks.
Players will have many classic vampire killing tools at their disposal aside from fisticuffs: wooden stakes, cross- bows, crosses, holy water, swords, knives, and guns. Environmental hazards like sunlight, Spikes, and even an old wine press serve as handy methods of dis- patching bloodsuckers.
The reason Harker has such a vendetta against vampires is that one of them (cough, Dracula, cough) put his wife, Mina, in a coma. The only way to break the curse is to take to
"My wife happens to like big sideburns!”
the streets of Victorian Europe and kill the one that did it. But Jonathan isn't alone on his quest. Just like in the book, Mina's friend Lucy is bitten and transformed into a vampire that must be defeated — much to the chagrin of her three suitors. At least one of them, cowboy Quincey Morris, will be playable in parts of the game, while Dr. John Seward and (assumedly) Arthur Holmwood will assist in the quest somehow. Van Helsing hasn't been confirmed yet, but Renfield will be reimagined as a scientist that succumbs to vampirism over time rather than an insane asylum inmate.
Harker will use an upgraded version of The Collective's Slayer engine, which was coincidentally first implemented on their Buffy the Vampire Slayer game. The 2002 Xbox title gained a reputation for being a surprisingly good licensed title, and serves as an inspiration for the team this time around. “For Harker, we are building upon this foundation in a way that still provides a unique set of combat features and challenges, some of which weren't technically possible for us to offer players before, and makes the whole experi- ence far more intense and scary,” says Cook.
While Harker is being developed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, The Collective isn't counting Nintendo out just yet. “We are also exploring the possibility of developing it on the Wii console, with the Wii controllers becoming the player's personal vampire killing tools,” teases Cook. п
XBOX 360
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia
> STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER SOUTHPEAK INTERACTIVE > DEVELOPER ARTIFICIAL STUDIOS/IMMERSION SOFTWARE & GRAPHICS > RELEASE SPRING 2007
STUPID FUN
ack likes Carrie and he is going
to tell her during their study time,
but their friends keep interrupt-
ing. Boring. Then zombies attack. Yay! Look, if you want silly game features like "plot development" look elsewhere. Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia is all about absurdities, and it can be pretty funny when it tries. Come on — you fight an undead Indian chief in Zach's backyard in the first level!
Monster Madness harkens back to the arcade games of old when all that you and your buddies wanted to do was fight off lots and lots of enemies. To that end, up to three friends can jump in and play with you at any time. The game has an isometric, top-down perspective, and almost any object from the environment can be grabbed and used as a weapon. Each character has their own specialties and is better at using certain weapons, but you can also buy and create new weapons or items by collecting crystals and other
%>
eo
junk that the monsters drop. There are also vehicles that the characters can pilot such as hovercrafts, mechs, and UFOs.
If you don't like playing with your bud- dies, you can always play against them. Aside from the offline four-player death- match, if you connect to Xbox Live you can jump into 16-player deathmatch, capture the flag, or king of the hill games. The multiplayer is very fast and can get pretty frantic, but watch out for deathtraps.
The biggest problem we faced when playing the early version was the camera. Even in the single-player game, you can't move the camera around manually. The game has obviously been designed with multiplayer in mind, but it would be nice if the camera were tweaked a little more before the game launches sometime later this year. Still, any game that lets you use missile launchers, shotguns, and chainsaws to kill werewolves, mummies, vampires, and zombies can't be too bad. Right? MB M
Office of National Drug Control Policy/Partnership for a Drug-Free America*
№ No! Not the soda machine! Don't damage the soda!
abovetheimfiuence.com
PLAY
Turok
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE OR PLAYSTATION NETWORK) > PUBLISHER BUENA VISTA GAMES > DEVELOPER PROPAGANDA GAMES > RELEASE-FALL
HUNTER OR HUNTED?
t's been several years since we last had a visit from the a dangerous former comrade and the prehistoric threats that creatures and an array of gritty futuristic weaponry, Turok is famed dinosaur hunter, but that wait is nearing an end are native to the landscape. Аз a central aspect of gameplay, offered a chance to survive the otherwise impossible odds with the looming arrival of Propaganda's reinvention of Propaganda is integrating a complex luring mechanic into stacked against him.
Turok. A lot has happened with the title since we visited е mix, whereby players can attract the life-threatening While giant guns, explosions, and roaring T-Rexes certainly the development studio last year, so we pulled studio general ^ attentions of a dinosaur and send it headlong into a group form a big part of the action, the team is also spending a lot manager Josh Holmes away from his game long enough this — of human foes. With the combination of these dangerous of time trying to give players some options for those who month to ask him a little bit about how the prefer subtlety. Holmes explains that every level is title is progressing. being built with the idea of including small stealth
“What we've really been focusing on is pockets — areas where players can best utilize tuning and polishing the core experience, their knife or bow and arrow combo to silently and making sure we're really paying off drop the enemy. “With the quiet kill system, we the combat and shooting experience with want to make sure you've got those strategic dinosaurs and humans — being able to use choices in gameplay," Holmes continues. "There's the dinosaurs as weapons and all the luring a lot of work that's gone into the stealth system
that we had put out there as our big key features," Holmes tells us. This new, darker Turok plays as a first-person action title with strong ties to everything from survival/horror to stealth games. As Joseph Turok, you'll
be in unfamiliar territory on an alien plan-
et — forced to juggle the assaulting armies of
The game will include a vehicle component, but it's still undecided how much Turok will actually be driving them himself
88 GAME INFORMER
on the Al side, making sure the Al has dynamic and intelligent responses to all the things you're doing in the world. "
In addition to stealth actions, the game makers at Propaganda want to assure that when the bullets are gone and the fight is down to hand versus claw, the player still has options. "One of
the things we're really trying to do is make it so that not only can the dinos initiate mauling and melee attacks with you, but that you're actually able to engage them in a similar fashion to finish them off" This newly announced approach seems to imply some up close and personal final kills, no doubt involving cool techniques like mounting dinosaurs to get near enough for a killing strike.
The multiplayer component also continues to progress, with the announcement that the game will include at the very least 16 player matches. Unlike a standard deathmatch, the online competitions in Turok will include a new element — that of the furious dinosaurs that will randomly move through multiplayer stages. Like in single-player, gamers will be able to draw those giant reptiles out to tear their opponents to pieces. "You get these fundamental choices — you might have an area that you can move through quickly on the ground, but it's infested with dinosaurs, but then you've got these raised ledges that are elevated from the ground and therefore safe from the dinosaurs, but of course they're exposing you to enemy fire," Holmes explains. It's innovative approaches to gameplay like this that may elevate Тигок from the standard fare of shooters coming our way in the u g Of course, only time will tell if the dino hunter is ready for the big leagues once again. № №
Large explosions and sounds can be used to lure prehistoric beasts towards enemies, or away from you
The bloodthirsty dinosaurs of Turok will maul you in up-close melee attacks that feel as much part of a zombie movie as a dinosaur flick
25 previews
Turok games have always been well known for their interesting weapons, and this one will be no exception
GAMNINFORMER 89
‘SPACE IS INFINITE.: e _`
Man the laser cannons;. batten down the hatches and prepare to set sail on the ultimate space pirate adventure. Scour the galaxy, explore new worlds and unlock
clues to life’s greatest treasure.
+
“One of the biggest and most vibrant
games ever for the PS2” HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE.
*
A E А “Rogue Galaxy is а deep, well-crafted adventure у that will keep you playing until the епа” GAME INFORMER.
Crude Humor
Mild Language WWW-ROGUE GATES
Mild Suggestive Themes Use of Alcohol and Tobacco Violence
Rogue Galaxy is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainm: PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trade
22006 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. -
World. Play In Ours.” is a registered tertainment Software Association.
MO 2 iis / | ^ Snares: PACE IS INFINITE.
B H ызу? б
mm Ш ШІ mm mm ІШІ) и \ Luo TOMOR
.
PlayStation.e
т 3 =
— eS Sek жы Si ка TAs TE
E
XBOX 360 Rayman Raving Rabbids
Rayman's adventure on the Wii was our second favorite Wii launch title, and now Ubisoft's insane minigame compilation is heading to the 360. The Rabbids have invaded and, in gladiatorial style, Rayman must fight back and foil the plans of
his rodent captors. The Wii version seemed to have been built specifically with Nintendo's controller in mind, so we're curious to know how Rayman will be slamming outhouse doors with plungers, hammer throwing cows, and squeezing carrot juice into the face of an oncoming army of Rabbids with the 360's more traditional control scheme. Guess we'll all find out when the game ships this March.
: WE шаа. Я
Legend of the Dragon
You're probably not familiar with this cartoon series yet, but you will be soon. Later this year, Legend of the Dragon will follow in the footsteps of franchises like Dragon Ball Z and Naruto by climbing into the cel-shaded fighting arena. Developed by Danish company The Game Factory, Legend of the Dragon will feature 19 playable characters from the childrens’ TV show, many of which can transform into animals from the zodiac. How (or if) the game will utilize the Wii's motion-sensing abilities is still unknown, so younger gamers should stay on the lookout for more details in the coming months.
92 GAME INFORMER
ward fr Press the when t 6 meter & È ‚ part to open ү M
Cooking Mama: Cook Off
Cooking Mama made a stir on the DS with its unique gameplay mechanic and concept. The brand new Wii sequel turns up the heat by adding in two-player cook-offs and a whole new control style designed to utilize the Wii remote. To mash up potatoes, you'll hold the remote vertically and smash down; to fry something you'll hold the remote like the handle of the pan. The 250 ingredients can be used to make 55 different meals, which will alter in appearance as you cook them - leave something on the store too long and it will burn. Majesco should have this strange addition to the Wii library on your table by the middle
. of the year.
Se photophile
Wii Escape from Bug Island
If you didn't figure it out from the name, publisher Eidos is going for a campy, Evil Dead sort of vibe for this Wii title. Players will wield a variety of common implements like baseball bats and hatchets in a hack n’ slash quest to get away from the bugs. Unfortunately, tank controls for movement (think original Resident Evil) and decidedly last-gen graphics make Escape from Bug Island less than a sure thing. The recent Japanese release wasn't very well-received, either, but Eidos is hoping that some minor fixes and improvements will save it from the bargain bin when it releases stateside this spring.
БОЛАЛЛА ИЗ ош »
M.A.C.H.
While we're a little confused why this game needs to be an acronym (Modified Air Combat Heroes? What does that mean?), we're willing to give it the benefit of the doubt since it's going to deliver some arcade style jet racing and fighting on our PSPs. Once the world's militaries adopt the unmanned jet approach to warfare in 2049,
all those scarf-wearing pilots find themselves out of a job. In response, they form a league to blow each other up fos sport. Good thinking, guys! There will be plenty of unlockable planes and upgrades. Players can also take on their friends in eight-person multiplayer matches. Vivendi should be bringing M.A.C.H. in for a landing in a matter of weeks.
PSP
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Sega is resurrecting its beloved Crazy Taxi franchise on Sony's PSP in a game subtitled Fare Wars, set to be released in the third quarter of 2007. Essentially, it's an enhanced compilation of the first two games in the series, one of which (Crazy Taxi 2) was only released on the ill-fated Dreamcast. The single-player component of both games
will remain largely the same, save for some new tunes and visual enhancements. Thankfully, new multiplayer features will allow you to play with or against friends via an ad-hoc connection, and even steal a rival's fare through a new passenger-stealing mechanic. Although an all-new title would have been preferable, these are two great games that will be a welcome addition to the PSP library.
БИТЕ!
] E LJ
LJ
LJ
NINTENDO DS
Cookie & Cream
When this From-developed game first appeared on the PlayStation 2, its dual-analog play was a breath of fresh air. And guess what? Now that Agetec is bringing it over
to the Nintendo DS, it strangely still is. Cookie & Cream has players controlling two Characters at once. On one screen you'll move and platform your way though eight worlds and many stages, while the touch screen is used simultaneously to clear obstades, solve puzzles, and defeat the bosses that get in your way. Just like the original, you can play with a friend on the same unit or via Wi-Fi/wireless. Scheduled to hit shelves in the spring, Cookie & Cream will also include nine minigames. There's no "cookie" in teamwork, but there should be, because they're tasty.
Cake Mania
We see a lot of interesting press releases from game companies in this line of work, but this is the first time anybody has promised us "over 80 fast-paced levels of baking" We're not sure what that means, but Majesco's Cake Mania promises to show us when it comes out sometime іп the next — —3— М | couple of months. As newly graduated chef, Jill, you must revive your grandparents' failed bakery by UU catering to ever more complicated cake orders from demanding customers. You'll actually decorate the confections yourself with the stylus and purchase upgrades like frosting machines. Have we ever
told you how much we like frosting? No? Oh, man. Where to begin?
Puce 8600
Add another Frost-O-Metic to the assembly line and get more cakes
on the go ef олсо!
GAME INFORMER 93
Def Jam: Icon
Virtua Fighter 5
WarioWare: Smooth Moves A
Crackdown
Never, ever forget where you from. The care
serving up vicious jams in the face of said heroes is also important in this first next-gen treatment in the over- the-top basketball franchise. B-ball
players may not know how to brawl or throw a punch, but this game will
show you that smooth ankle-breaking
moves, refined Gamebreakers, and nasty dunks will always be a sight
to see.
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.
94 САМЕ INFORMER
THE SCORING SYSTEM
10
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 yearning 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. If 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.
Broken. Basically unplayable. This game is so insufficient in execution that any value would be derived in extremely small quantities, if at all.
ч N CO | & сл со м СО со
Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes. Sucks even worse than Matchbox 20.
> 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 а long while, but the thrills won't last forever.
Moderate - Good for a few months or a few times through.
Moderately Low — After finishing it, there's not much reason to give ita second go.
Low - You'll quit playing before you complete the game.
Battlestations: Midway.
Bullet Witch..
Crackdown ..
Def Jam: Icoi
Diddy Kong Racing Far Cry Vengeance...
Ghost Ride:
Hotel Dusk: Room 215.
Legend of Heroes ІІІ: Song of the Ocean, Тһе.
Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner..
NO BURNING CRUSADE?
In order to have a chance at fully experiencing the game's content, we elected to hold our World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade review until next month. Also, the lack
of worthy contenders for PC and Handheld Game of the Month led us to not give out those awards this month.
MVP 07 NCAA Baseball NBA Street Homecourt. Shield, The.
Valhalla Knights .
Virtua Fighter 5... WarioWare: Smooth Moves ..
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 .. “з,
For our newer readers, here is a glossary of terms and acronyms that commonly appear іп the magazine. Video game veterans should move along (these aren't the droids you are looking for).
1080i — A resolution specification used for HDTV. 10801 stands for resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. € The “i” means that the video is being interlaced =:
480p - Progressive scanning this option (р/- — : progressive), creates a picture signal with double £ the scan lines of a conventional interlaced picture, 4801 (i = interlaced), to create a noticeably sharper image. The 480p image offers higher picture resolution and eliminates virtually all motion artifacts in а 640x480 pixel resolution setting
720p - A resolution specification used for HDTV. 720p stands for resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The “p” means that the video is in progressive
in games that are not being controlled by actual humans
particle effects — Things like smoke or sparks created in real-time
platform — A term we use for games like Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot
pop-up - When objects onscreen suddenly appear, typically due to poor draw distance
PS2 - Sony PlayStation 2
puzzle - A term we use for games like Tetris and Puyo Pop.
2 racing - A term we use for games like Gran
Turismo and Mario Kart
2 board - А term we use for games like Jeopardy! : and Mario Party :
cel shading — A technique used to create 3D rendered objects that resemble hand-drawn animation cels
Chad/Brad/Evan - Terms we use for Ben when we аге too lazy to remember his real name...or just to be jerks
E3 — Electronic Entertainment Expo. The world's
i largest convention for video games
i fighting - А term we use for games like Mortal
: Kombat and Dead or Alive
first-party — A game made by a console
HDTV — High Definition Television
infrastructure — A type of wireless connection that uses the Internet to connect with other players over long distances
isometric — Three-quarters top down view, like StarCraft or Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
ISP — intemet Service Provider. The company that provides you with access to the Intemet
jaggies — Graphical lines that are jagged when they should be straight
LAN - Local Area Network, Connecting computers ог consoles together within a small space to allow communication between them. Provides
Aren't
reated Equi
This is where GI breaks down multi-plat- form games. So whenever you see this logo, there is important multi-system infor- mation regarding that product.
| Content suitable
for persons ages
ng 3 and older.
Content suitable. for persons 17 axd ages and older.
ай hoc - A type of wireless connection that. like EverQuest and World of Warcraft
motion blur — Phantom frames follow an object 10 give the impression of realistic speed
: FPS — Frames Per Second. How many animation connects you with other players in your frames happen in one second. Also used to
immediate vicinity : : i denote First-Person She li lo, Doom, adventure — A term we use for games like Myst. € and cl of Duy раве аар Doon
shooter — A term we use for games like Ikaruga and Gradius
sports - A term we use for games like Madden NFL
WEN 1. manufacturer's intemal development teams fast, simultaneous gameplay 1 RPG - Role-Playing Game. A game that involves
Content suitable 2 on 3 + exdusively for its own system ММО - Massively Multiplayer Online. Usually 5 character improvement through collecting and
for persons ages | Қ | Contentsuitable | action =A terrm we use for games ike Devil May : FMW — Full Motion Video, Usually refers to ап applied to role-playing titles, we use this term for = spending points. A term we use for games like only for adults. ү i animated CG cutscene games with persistent, multi-user online worlds Final Fantasy and Xenosaga
1 Content suitable
y for persons ages Ep] 10 and older.
TEEN
Content suitable for persons ages 13 and older.
and Escape From Monkey Island
Al – Artificial Intelligence. Usually used to refer to how well the computer reacts to а human ‘opponent
bloom — An effect that simulates the soft, blurred glow of bright light reflecting off of surfaces
1 framerate — The frames of animation used to
create the illusion of movement frontend — A game's menus and options GBA — Game Boy Advance GC - GameCube
normal mapping — A graphical technique in which a hi-res skin containing 3D information, revealed by light reflecting off the surface, is wrapped around a low-res model
NPC - Non-Player Character. Those people and creatures you see wandering around
— A term we use for games like La Pucelle and Front Mission È third-party - Something made for a console by а company other than the console manufacturer
GAME INFORMER 95
m The environments are very detailed
f Not all of the combat Wechanics work as well 23 they should
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360
Def Jam: Icon
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER FIGHTING (2-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK OR XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS
> DEVELOPER EA CHICAGO > RELEASE MARCH 6 > ESRB M
OH YOU MAD 'CAUSE I'M STYLIN' ON YOU
‘Il say this about Def Jam Icon: it's definitely a
game of rap's present. While the first titles in
the series gave some dap to old school leg-
ends like Slick Rick, Flavor Flav, and Ice-T, Icon steps to the plate with a roster of current heroes like Young Jeezy, Mike Jones, and Dipset capo Jim Jones. The game's new, revamped career mode also reflects the fundamental truth about hip-hop in 2007: this is a business, and you've got to balance street credibility and good music while managing your assets in an intelligent manner. Throw your hands in the air and wave ‘em like you just don't care? Sorry, dude, l'm too busy setting royalty rates and marketing budgets.
Icon puts you in the shoes of a young, up-and- coming record company executive trying to make a name for yourself in the industry. In past games, Def Jam's career mode felt more like window dressing than a real experience, and EA Chicago has gone a long way to adding depth to the “Build a Label” mode. With your home computer and mobile device, you'll have to balance relationships between artists, lawyers, finicky females, and even a few shady politicians as you look to mine plati- num and gold on the sales charts. As you advance,
4. E This is the rare fighting % game that has a strong oA 4 story element
96 GAME INFORMER
you'll get updates on your progress through actual BET News updates, and see your label's bottom line finances on you computer. It's quite addic- tive, although the larger cutscenes and story seem to advance the same no matter what decisions you make.
The improved career mode goes hand-in-hand with the game's amazing presentation. The graph- ics — especially in the detailed environments — are some of the best I've seen in a fighting game to date. The levels also feature a high degree of interactivity, allowing you to trash the arena until it's a flaming pile of rubble. The great soundtrack is also incorporated into gameplay by allowing you to “mix” the soundtrack in real-time, scratching the track until you cause explosions and other pre- scripted events. Learning to use the environment to your advantage is key, as you can easily turn the tide of a match by throwing your opponent into an explosive point, then using your “air DJ" skills to send him flying through the air. | appreciate the fact that EA Chicago tried to do something unique with the music, as it's such a large draw of this franchise.
Unfortunately, the least accomplished part of the Icon is the most important: the gameplay itself. The
you the during gameplay, The environments will actually sync to your songs.
developers attempted to incorporate Fight Night- style analog moves into the usual button mashing, to mixed results. While normal attacks are done with the face buttons, grapples, special moves, blocks, and music mixing are all done with the ana- logs, resulting in a control scheme that sometimes feels muddled and confusing. While it's awesome when you throw your opponent into a wall of speakers, to explode the PA, too often the control feels sluggish and unresponsive — especially the evades, which work approximately half the time. As the difficulty increases, these frustrations mount considerably, making me wonder if there were too many functions assigned to the analog sticks.
In addition, after awhile the recycled environ- ments and repetitive battles start to feel like a chore rather than a reward. While | applaud the risks that were taken with this game, and can see the great potential in this new direction, Def Jam still needs a great deal of polish before it can be one of the premier fighters on the next-gen con- soles. Icon will definitely provide you with some exhilarating moments, but there's a lot of unreal- ized promise here that will hopefully be fulfilled in the next game.— MATT
m Using the level атаб ==
to your advantage is key to success
> Concept: A reinvention of the popular hip-hop brawler, with a totally new approach to the career mode, music, and gameplay
> Graphics: Simply unbeliev. able, The detailed backgrounds and explosive effects dazzle the eye
> Sound: 1/5 certified live street bangers all around. Even better, the music actually figures into the gameplay
> Playability: Icon tries to incorporate analog control ele ments of Fight Night into the brawler, with mixed results.
? Entertainment: Amazing pre- sentation and flawed gameplay make for a title that shows much promise
> Replay Маше: Moderately High
Second Ор
Def Jam: Icon could just as easily be titled Suge Knight. Simulator 2007. Players sign and promote artists during the day and beat down suckas at night. Character models look exactly like
the real life rappers they're based on, and their move- ments are incredibly lifelike (albeit exaggerated). Stages and the hazards contained therein show off a unique look as they bounce around to the beat, and are fun
10 destroy throughout the course of the fight. | also isfying to perform some mid-fight DJ scratching to ae the ing over to my
track. Despite how prs this fighting system is to explore at first, it even- tually becomes "the thing you do to see what hap- pens next in the story.” EA's attempt to inject Fight Night into Def Jam doesn't really work in the end. The analog control scheme is slow and unresponsive against more challenging foes, and you really can't get away with not using the HUD. | really liked is unique record label епі mechanic, butal ot of that cash roll- ing in made it way too easy to buy even the most pimpin’ bling —BRYAN
ЕХРЕКТЕМО РКІКСЕОЕ PERSIA’
Mice JOA RIVAL SWORDS
TWO BRAND-NEW WAYS TO
3 \ Wii il ел АТ
ЦА
hs 2
Ж / ұғ; £f А Use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ Fend off your foes in pulse-quickening Head-to-head multiplayer races demand new chariot races. reflexes and ruthlessness.
Use the Nunchuk™ to control the Daggertail and annihilate your enemies from afar.
to perform stealthy Speed Kills and dual-weapon attacks.
INCE 5 FON
КУА SWORDS
AVAILABL E (QQ Seas у;
УУУУУУ.РКІМСИ eters)
ii pm | UBISOFT
ША shot that is easily worth $136 million
PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360
Major League Baseball 2K7
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER SPORTS (2-PLAYER МА XBOX LIVE OR PLAYSTATION NETWORK) > PUBLISHER 2K SPORTS
> DEVELOPER KUSH GAMES > RELEASE MARCH 5 > ESRB Е
LIFE OF THE GAME
ith the winds of change sweeping across the entire league, the upcoming season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever. The identities of most of the teams have changed, and thanks to the power- ful scent of money, everyone is a likely contender. The San Francisco Giants paid a king's ransom to add Barry Zito to their rotation. The Chicago Cubs are hoping that Alfonso Soriano can earn the team a new nickname other than "Doormat of the National League" The Boston Red Sox forked out an unprec- edented $51.1 million for the exclusive negotiating rights with Seibu Lions star Daisuke Matsuzaka. We even saw the lowly Kansas City Royals open its pock- etbook to overpriced free agents. The new face of the league can also be seen in MLB 2K7, thanks to drastically improved graph- ics. I've always been of the mind that visuals don't really make a game, but in this case they really do. A baseball game has never looked this good, and
98 GAME INFORMER
you really do gain something by seeing such a high level of visual authenticity. In last year's game, Ichiro appeared to be Caucasian. In this year's game, you'd swear that you were seeing him through a live HD video stream. Developer Kush Games has captured the exact likeness of almost every key player that either steps up to the plate or takes to the mound.
Having a player look exactly right is only the start; most of their motions have been captured as well. When Nomar Garciaparra steps out of the box, he goes through his routine of adjusting both bat- ting gloves. You can't help but feel intimidated by Dontrelle Willis’ wild wind up and delivery. You'll also see signature home run celebrations, waggles, and mannerisms. Zoom cams cut in to show the remark- able details on the faces, and replays constantly show off the amazing animations.
The gameplay is built on the same engine as last year. Rather than going back to the drawing board to rework the pitching or batting mechanics, Kush has simply smoothed out the rough edges. This has led to a better playing, yet largely familiar game. Fielders no longer move like drunken bums, the batting motion is less choppy, and the pitch velocity now has some heat behind it. It plays quite well, but it's still a ways away from perfect. Tracking down fly balls feels just right, but 1 still can't seem to wrap my glove around ground balls. The transition between the pitching view and fielding still leads to disorienta- tion and a pause that would help you get to hard hit grounders. You mostly have to rely on position- ing and CPU assistance to get to a screamer. There
№ The detail is so fine that you can see that Sabathia's hat is tilted slightly
really is nothing to timing hops, either.
On another note, even if you are throwing a gem of a game, your pitcher tires far too quickly. Breaking balls quit falling off of tables mid-game, and you usually are forced to turn to the bullpen — even in low pitch shutouts — around the seventh or eighth inning.
The front end of the game would appear to be excavated from an archeological dig. The Crib is the same from years past, and Franchise mode offers little new other than ticket prices. Online is largely unchanged as well, but this game still boasts one of the best online leagues out there.
MLB 2К7 is certainly a better game, but most of the new content is of the visual variety. | can't stress enough how impressive this aspect of the game is. It captures the look, sound, and feel of the game better than anything that you've seen before.—REINER
evements, the Р55
2. This mechanic is de can make true swings sitivity, Both versions c e e Edge a toss up.
> Concept: Realism is еуегу- thing. This year's game hones in оп this aspect and hammers it over the fence
> Graphics: So lifelike that people will think you are watch- ing a real game. The wind on the jerseys, player details, and animations are some of the best in the biz
> Sound: You'll hear fans mak- ing comments about players, and the ambient noise is great. Joe Morgan has nothing of inter- est to say, however
> Playability: The same respectable play as last year, with slight changes to batting and fielding
> Entertainment: Its a little sloppy in key areas, but it's still an immensely enjoyable play
> Replay Value: High
next-gen present
for the 2K7 edition. In most cases, player models are - ‘impressively dose to the ath- letes real-life appearances, putting the visuals on par with the best sports games to date. This is the title we've been waiting for to satisfy our digital baseball needs for the current crop of machines. It's not without some flaws — Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are somehow even more painful to listen to than in the real world, mediocre pitchers like Gil Meche are entirely too able to paint the corners, and starters tire far too quickly. However, the franchise is definitely headed in the tight direction —ADAM
PLAYSTATION 3 | ХВОХ 360
МВА Street Homecourt
> STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION/SPORTS (2-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE OR PLAYSTATION NETWORK) > PUBLISHER EA BIG > DEVELOPER EA CANADA > RELEASE FEBRUARY 19 (XBOX 360), MARCH 6 (PS3) > ESRB E
GAMEINFORMER
GIMME THE ROCK!
A has taken some criticism recently for the declining quality of its sports franchises. However, when the company devotes itself to getting something right, like it has with the Fight Night franchise, it can still deliver some very impressive work. The truth in this statement is evident in NBA Street Homecourt, a dramatic reinvention of the company's popular street ball series.
While the basic control will be familiar to fans, the formula has been overhauled into something more intuitive and complex. Ball handling tricks are now timing sensitive, This allows you to speed up your dribble for a killer crossover, or do a slick hesitation move. You can also string together combos that lead to some ankle-snapping breaks to the basket. Dunking has also been reinvigorated; you can quickly snap the ball off to a teammate, then jump to the basket for a sweet alley oop opportunity. Alternately, you can launch off a teammate's shoulders for impressive jump-off dunks. By letting go of the button at the last possible second, you'll perform an amazing “double dunk’, which scores two baskets in succession. Of course, hold it down
too long and you'll get nothing but rim and give up possession.
This sort of risk/reward dynamic has been carried over to the Gamebreakers, which can now turn the tide for either squad. Basically, whoever initiates the sequence docks the opposing team one point. Then, by pulling off tricks, you can build up your meter for a three-point score. However, if they steal the ball, they'll not only win back the point they lost, but score themselves.
This gameplay package is wrapped around a stellar career mode that lets your created player recruit real pros to your team as you travel to a number of real-world courts, many of which are from the hometowns of actual pros. There's a number of different contests, like tournaments, shots-only, and dunks-only games.
While all these features give Homecourt the depth it needs, the real revelation here is something that's hard to describe in words: it just feels right. Although it's certainly challenging, after a few hours of practice you'll be putting Lebron
to shame. For a pasty shut-in like myself, that's a fantasy every bit as powerful as anything in Oblivion or Zelda. —MATT
№ Using teamwork and alley oops is the key to victory
BOTTOM
LINE 8.75
> Concept: The first next-gen appearance of one of the best non-traditional sports series ever
> Graphics: |'d give the nod to the 360 in terms of visuals, but either way this game features great texturing, character models, and jaw-droppingly smooth animations
? Sound: A great soundtrack fea- turing some under-the-radar, old- school R&B influenced hip-hop.
> Playability: The new dribbling mechanics are superb and the entire gameplay package is tuned to perfection
? Entertainment: With a better career mode, new gameplay depth, and a stellar roster of stars, this street baller outshines its more serious counterparts
> Replay Value: High
Second Opinion 8
EAS Live franchise has been so down in the dumps recently, I'm not joking when | say that this is the best basketball game in the publisher's lineup. And who could argue with that when Homecourt is a fun, fluid, and fast-paced b-ball game that makes you chuckle with its alley oop Honey Jar dunks? One thing that makes
sete ub hang-up | is | that when I wanted to dunk,
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
> STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS (360), 1 TO 8-PLAYER (PS2) (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA PS2 ONLINE OR 2-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER KONAMI > DEVELOPER KONAMI > RELEASE FEBRUARY 6 > ESRBE
WHAT EVOLUTION? or this first next-gen installment in the famed ии soccer series, Konami has taken a page from LINE 8
developer Visual Concepts’ book — keep last
generation's engine in place and don't make > Concept: With soccer balls stil
being round, there is little here
any sudden moves. Xbox 360 owners can be happy аре diferent
that what they are getting is no watered-down ver- % A br
sion of Winning Eleven, but they are also stuck with а > Graphics: There's
E TR that separates either version
franchise that has changed little in recent years. graphically
_ One welcome difference in this year from last Иа қатасы
is that refs call far fewer fouls for contact, instead British commentators go when
letting players play through a little bump and run. they get too “uppity” to com-
This is a small change, but a very welcome one, mentate golf
since there are less stoppages in play. A quick start ^ > playability: The reduction
after fouls has also been added to keep things of fouls, thankfully, means that
flowing. Beyond that, | found little new, with the there are fewer stoppages
Master League career simulator still as deep and dry »> Entertainment: Still funda-
mentally sound, but in dire need As solid as the 360 edition is, as a longtime player — of some new ideas
| still prefer the PS2 version. Even on а rain-soaked > Replay Value: Moderately
pitch, it feels faster, and the d-pad controls feel High
tighter. Of course, if you're new to the franchise or
only an occasional player, | don’t think you'll have
too many complaints while playing on the 360.
It even feels comfortable when playing with the
as ever.
analog stick, which is a nod to Konami's work on : ы player animations and physics. Unfortunately, the Winning Eleven has rarely feature sets between the versions aren't the same. looked as good as FIFA, with The 360 version does not have all the training Lucian cid options of the PS2 one, which is too bad consider- Nd graduation to the ing that some might be getting their first taste of the next generation maintains franchise on their 360. that status quo. Italso main. l'm usually not much of a graphics snob, but | tains its dominance on the think it's an area that Konami needs to invest in (not — field with better gameplay that the 360 version looks bad). With the soccer and more realisticteeling itself generating few complaints from me, it's these poem its competi- sort of amenities that the company is going to have 5 сорар to shore up. Because when EA and its FIFA series peer ies gets its act together, there will be little room for the same as last year in Winning Eleven unless it learns to wow people from many regards, so this may year to year—KATO be a purchase more for those who want a 360 ver- № Thankfully, little bumps sion of their favorite soccer like this won't stop play every two Seconds Р zi тер Mud as well stick with last year's. effort. In addition, l'm pretty sure it's time for Konami to. graduate to some decent licensed music - generic thumpin’ beats just don't cut it anymore.—MILLER.
GAME INFORMER 99
* reviews
Promotion if you wir
PLAYSTATION 3
Virtua Fighter 5
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER FIGHTING > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER AM2 > RELEASE FEBRU
FAN SERVICE WITHOUT ONLINE SERVICE
t has always been my opinion that the Virtua Fighter series is the most intense and balanced of all the 3D fighters on the market. Its control scheme is intuitive, its pacing perfect, and its depth unmatched. This entry even introduces two characters in El Blaze and Eileen, who are fine additions to the always growing character list. That said, | am extremely disappointed with this by-the-numbers port of the fantastic arcade game. It's on PlayStation 3, so having great looking graphics isn't so much of a feat as an expectation. Outside of delivering on what is expected, VF 5 doesn't do much. 4 While | would be upset if this gam didn't have Vs or the Quest mode, the
100 GAME INFORMER
indusion of these modes doesn't really put this game over Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution in terms of options.
Even worse, this game doesn't offer an online component. Now generally, | am not one to take a title to the woodshed simply because it lacks the ability to go online, but in the world of fighting games this is abso- lutely necessary, especially on Sony's new hardware. Now whether Sega or Sony is to blame for the lack of an online component is unknown, but when a game offers a very basic single-player experience like VF 5 does, the online portion is required to let people
play this game the way it is intended — against
a human opponent either on your couch or online. Complaints aside, Virtua Fighter 5 is an
The graphics аге №
This look really needs to catch on with the kids
outstanding fighting game. Customizing your characters is fun, playing against your friends is a blast, and the Quest mode will most certainly pass a lot of hours if you enjoy the Virtua Fighter franchise. While | would love to give this a higher score, its lack of online play and dearth of innovation hurts its entertain- ment value. Fans will enjoy it, but there isn't much else here.—ANDY
Improve on the
est 3D fighting game ever made (at least in this reviewer's humble opinion)
> Graphics: The character faces look funny at lr
without a doubt the graphics аге outstanding
> Sound: It's that perfect mix of bad rock anthems that | so enjoy from my fighting games
> Playabili
arcade perfect
Even better if you use а nice јоу stick to complete the experience
> Entertainment: For fans of Virtua Fighter, this sequel deliv ers, but the lack of online play hurts its long term value
> Replay Value: Moderate
Second Opinion 8.5
‘The first next-gen install- ment of the Virtua Fighter franchise has a lot to live
up to, and it both does and doesn't meet all the expec- tations laid on this storied series. The good news is that VF 5 is as tight, pol- ished, and balanced of a release as even the most rabid of fans could ask for. Combat is smooth and fast, and the single-player Quest. mode (though admittedly very similar to that of VF 4) is the best single-player experience in the genre. If an iteration on the classic style of fighting games is all you ask, Virtua Fighter 5 will take good care of you. On the other hand, the lack of online play is a sad omission for a PlayStation 3 title, and the basic gameplay formula hasn't changed a bit. Even so, | wouldn't hesitate to rec- ommend to any fighter fan or PS3 owner - it’s not often that you see core mechan- ics as well-implemented as they are here, and that itself makes for a very entertain- ing game.—ADAM
simply stunning
The character cus- tomization options are surprisingly deep
PLAYSTATION 2
MVP 07 NCAA
Baseball
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER SPORTS (2-PLAYER МА PLAYSTATION 2 ONLINE) > PUBLISHER EA SPORTS > DEVELOPER EA CANADA
> RELEASE FEBRUARY 6 > ESRB Е
AS EXCITING AS AN EXAM
fter setting the stage last year with a game that turned many non-believ- ers into college baseball fans, Electronic Arts really did nothing to entice players to come back for a second season. There just isn't any depth or liveliness to the experience. It's much like living in lowa. The tiny morsels that have been implemented do lead to a better game as a whole, but it's not too far from what was offered last season. The new Rock and Fire pitching mechanic is a nice addition. To hurl a ball toward the plate you must now pull the right analog stick back and then slinging it forward to release the ball. It has a nice feel to it, and demands great con- centration from the player. This new system does a better job of mimicking the skill required to paint the corners, and also allows players to guard against stealing by shortening their delivery. Outside of this, the reminder of the new content is sprinkled to the side. There are more school teams and conferences, some authentic stadiums (but still not enough), and customizable content such as jerseys, teams, and stadiums. The customizable content isn't particularly deep, but | do like how EA imple- mented all of the Major League fence dimensions into the stadium creation. The majority of the game remains largely unchanged. It's a solid game, but unlike EA's successful college football game, it doesn't deliver content that draws you into the experi- ence. It's great for multiplayer games, but the barebones season does little to keep play- ers glued.— REINER
BOTTO LINE
> Concept: EA's sophomore release shows slight improve- ments on the field, but the franchise options haven't grown in any way
> Graphics: The new stadiums definitely help in giving the visu-
als some variety. While showcas-
ing fluid animations, the bland texturing is painful on the eyes. The crowds are also eyesores
> Sound: Mike Patrick and Kyle Peterson are back and once again quite entertaining. The front-end fight music is festive, but wears on you after a few minutes
> Playability: Batting and pitching are handled excep- tionally well. Fielding is still a bit rough
> Entertainment: Great for online or versus matches, but the fantasy content needs legs
> Replay Value: Moderately Low
Second Opi 7
When EA canned the Tri Play franchise and lau
МУР, it was a high point for baseball simulation. Analog control and the depth that gamers associate with an EA
PS2
Arthur And The Invisibles
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER ETRANGES LIBELLULES > RELEASE JANUARY 9 > ESRB E10+
воттом име | wes pleasantly sur- prised with Arthur and 6.75 the Invisibles. It steals
acrobatic fighting and platforming elements from Price of Persia and contextual button pressing finishers from God of War. Players will also notice decent production values and a good bit of gameplay variety — but Arthur's got a few problems to deal with. Copious amounts of mundane block pushing, light beam aiming, and slashing through weeds really kill the pacing of the game to the point that it feels artifi- cially inflated. And the constant barrage of high-pitched voice work couldn't be more annoying —BRYAN
PS2
The Shield
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ASPYR > DEVELOPER POINT OF VIEW > RELEASE JANUARY 16 > ESRB М
воттом име | find it easy to list off my problems with The 4 Shield. The story — while
it might have made
a decent TV drama — is poorly paced and too action-deprived for a game. During the shooting sections, Vic's head obscures a third of the screen, making this tiresome element even more irk- some, Unclear mission objectives leave little leeway for error. Worst of all, the game is glitchy; | phased through a few walls and got gunned down after get- ting stuck behind some invisible cover. There is even live-action "pom" playing on TVs throughout the game. Wait, actu- ally maybe that last one wasn't so bad. Sadly, even a couple pixilated g-strings can't save this bad TV cash-in. —BEN
PLAYSTATION 2
Ghost Rider
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER 2K GAMES > DEVELOPER CLIMAX > RELEASE FEBRUARY 13
»ESRBT
E Some of GI attacks seem directly lifted from Kratos
DUDE OF WAR
cannot stress enough how nakedly Ghost Rider rips
off God of War. The controls are exactly the same
(with the exception of the slightly different special
moves). The upgrade system is nearly identical. The combat feels incredibly similar, except that it's somewhat laggier and less responsive. None of the exceedingly minor variances from the God of War formula make an appreciable difference. Only the Hellbike levels differ in any meaningful way, and those are leagues worse than the shockingly derivative main game anyway.
Ghost Rider's vastly lower stable of enemy types and environments, along with the overall clunkiness and lack of execution present in the combat, make a surprisingly large difference in the game's entertainment value. Slashing my way through hundreds of identical enemies using brawler mechanics that l've seen done better just didn't grab me. Still, | did wreck a whole lot of dudes with some over-the-top attacks, and that's worth something.
Ancillary elements like the terrible bike levels and comic book-styled cutscenes don't factor much into Ghost Rider's entertainment value. It's a decent brawler that doesn't do anything new or interesting, and it stars a skeleton on fire. l'Il gladly take it over yet another col- lect-a-thon platformer. —ADAM
E Prepare for all-out Hellbike boredom
> Concept: Like God of War, but with a flaming skeleton on a motorcyde
> Graphics: Like God of War, but uglier and less varied
> Sound: Like God of War, but with а теге few repetitive back- ground songs
> Playability: Like God of War, but less responsive
> Entertainment: Unlike God of War, this is totally derivative and dunky in spots, but manages to be passable nonetheless
> Replay Value: Low
that is about as much fun as setting your own head on fire.—REINER
GAME INFORMER 101
„о reviews
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
> STYLE | TO 12-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
> RELEASE JANUARY 16 > ESRB Е10+
M Hula
^ r + ~~
2222 т»...
ies
PLACE TIRED PHALLUS RELATED JOKE HERE
as the Wii created for WarioWare, orthe other way around? The world may never know, but it doesn't take more than a couple minutes to realize how perfect the fit is. The endless waving of the Wii remote that accom- panies every part of Smooth Moves makes you feel excited, surprised, and more than a little stupid. It also happens to make you and your friends laugh pretty much non-stop for an hour or two, and that may very well be worth the price of admission.
Let me get my gripes out of the way so | don't have to end on a bad note. This game's short — | mean really short. To "peat" it, we're talking about a couple hours tops. In addition, the little character plotlines take that step beyond ridiculous to be flat out inane. Neither of these complaints, however, should stop you from playing this game.
Like its earlier cousins, this latest WarioWare game tasks
102 САМЕ INFORMER
players with a constant string of tiny games, often as simple as one button press or swing of the remote. It's their rapid-fire Switch-up that makes the game enjoyable. This time, the Wii allows for a new dynamic — dif- ferent ways of holding the remote called forms that play- ers switch between for each microgame. Each of these forms is introduced with an amusing Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy-style anecdote,
and offers even more variety to a game that is already all about the change-up.
While it's fun to trade off tums with a friend, Nintendo has also been kind enough to include some fun multiplayer options. Like Wii Sports, you get to use your Mii in the game as well. Most importantly, Smooth Moves offers perhaps the only opportunity you might have to see your dad/girlfriend/uppity roommate act like they have an elephant trunk and do gyrat- ing hula-hoop routines. You have fun with that —MILLER
> Concept: Make yourself look like an idiot - there's more, but that's the general gist
> Graphics: Simple animations and blocky characters serve their purpose, but don't impress
> Sound: Frantic music is as constant and non-stop as the microgames themselves
> Playability: It's a testament to good design that almost every microgame is so intuitive
> Entertainment: Incredibly funny and exciting - for about an hour
> Replay Value: Moderately High
Second Op
Move this game's outra- geous spectades and enjoy- able bite-size gameplay, but 1 can't shake the feeling that it was created solely for the purpose of making me look like a fool. Case in point, the game asked me to hold the remote next to my nose to. mimic an elephant. Why not just put an flashing sign over my head that reads “loser”? My time with the game was short (you can complete every stage in an hour or two), but | did find myself laughing hysterically over the inventive usages for the remote. The uninspired boss
battles hold this Wario back from being one of the best, but the comedic motion- sensing gameplay is worth a look —REINER
Far Cry Vengeance
> STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER UBISOFT > DEVELOPER UBISOFT MONTREAL
> RELEASE DECEMBER 12 > ESRB M
Кл -
CRYING ITSELF TO SLEEP |
know the Nintendo party
line stresses gameplay
over graphics, but taking
a majestic title like Far Cry and giving it the Wii treatment is like getting your Ferrari tuned up by a guy who normally works on Chevy Impalas. It doesn't make much sense to port a franchise known for its amazing visuals, open-ended action, and dynamic enemy Al to a system lacking the power to achieve any of the above on the scale accomplished by the original game.
In Far Cry Vengeance, we find hero Jack Carver in a familiar situation — chasing the kind of ladies who put him in sticky situations involving guns, mercenaries, and the occa- sional supernatural bloodbath. This time the culprit is Kade,
a saucy minx who sweet-talks Carver into helping her on
a heist. The story should be familiar to anyone who played Far Cry Instincts Evolution for Xbox, as Vengeance borrows heavily from this title.
Graphically, Ubisoft may have been aiming for a hazy tropical aes- = thetic with Vengeance, but it comes off looking more like a blurry vacation picture taken with a dispos- able camera. Outside of an occasional
Toucan Sam appear- ance, the jungles feel lifeless, with the only motion being the horrible pop-up foliage that's a prod- uct of the laughable draw distance.
The gameplay also betrays the sensibilities of the original game. Far Cry was all about open-ended gameplay — navi- gating the islands any way you please and trying to outsmart the sawy mercenaries just waiting to lodge a bullet into your skull. With Vengeance, we get a linear game designed around walking down dirt paths and shooting the mind- less enemies largely unaware of your existence.
To make the bastardization complete, Vengeance also trades Far Cry's online multi- player for a sad split-screen offering. We hope Ubisoft Montreal uses this game as a lesson in rushed development, because Far Cry Vengeance is in no way indicative of the stu- dio's talent or the franchise's worth.—-BERTZ
Don't blow up this plane, it’s your only ticket off this crappy island
rÁ La d RN
> Concept: Take the Far Cry franchise, strangle it to death, and release its lifeless corpse on the Wii
> Graphics: Stevie Wonder isn't missing much with this game
> Sound: A plane full of scream- ing babies sounds better than this playback loop of archived sound effects
> Playability: Controls stand ир well on the Wii - easily the best part of the game
> Entertainment: Feels like going to the Treasure Island Resort after returning from the Bahamas.
> Replay Value: Low
Second Op 4.75
If Far Cry is good for one thing, it makes me want a good FPS for the Wii. | can see how the Wii controls make for a great shooter. It just hasn't been pulled off yet. Far Cry's biggest problem isn't its minor control issues, its terrible draw distance, or linear gameplay, The thing really that killed Far Cry for me was the Al, Enemies wander off, ignore fallen comrades, and even stare into corners. It makes me sad because | know what could have been.—BEN
XBOX 360
Crackdown
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (2-PLAYER МА XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER MICROSOFT > DEVELOPER REAL TIME WORLDS > RELEASE FEBRUARY 20 > ESRB M
seen. Your weapons also
Graphical pop-up is rarely
Leveling up your powers moves at an incredibly quick pace. Within a matter of hours, you can тах out any skill
connect from amazing distances
EXPANDING THE OPEN WORLD GENRE
rackdown begins with a glorious bang, and continues to produce praiseworthy bedlam until the final bullet is fired. The sound of automatic weaponry is constant, a city block isn't complete without a car smoldering in ruin, and if you are truly lucky, you may see a flaming corpse soaring through the air like a comet twinkling in the night sky. These sights and sounds are fairly common to the open world genre, but Crackdown's adrena- line-charged gameplay paints them in a light that you haven't seen before. It's these larger-than-life thrills that make this game an explosive play. It starts out with the chaos that you would only see by obtaining a five-star rating in Grand Theft Auto. The game doesn't peacefully begin like most open world games. It's pure insanity. And it's wicked fun. With martial law sweeping across the city, the government has been forced to unveil its top-secret super soldier program. Part Robocop, part Incredible Hulk, you are a genetically enhanced crime fighter designed to take a beating, dish out punishment, and more importantly, evolve to meet the challenge
at hand. Evolution is the key to the thrills that Crackdown deliv- ers. Every bullet that you fire, every car that you lift and throw, and every thug that you splatter on the windshield of your truck has a purpose, as every action rewards the player with experience. From the outset of the game, you are already the strongest person walking the streets of Pacific City. You only become more of a dominating force as the game unfolds. At the beginning, your jumping skill is impressive for a basketball player. After your agility levels rise a few times, you'll be leaping over buildings with a single bound. This system affects everything. Your firearms will become more precise, you'll be able to lift more weight, and certain vehicles will even transform to become more efficient.
The game allows players to assassinate with style. Why would you just fire a rocket launcher blast at a car when you can pick up the vehicle, hurl it high
into the sky, then fire rocket
launcher blasts at it to
Rus. keep it airborne for seven seconds? Why would you enter a complex from the front door when you can scale the side of the build- ing, then rain hell upon a gang lord from a safe distance? Crackdown's gameplay is over-the-top and crafted remarkably well. You never have to fuss with the controls, and you always feel like you are in
complete control of any situation.
The goal of the game —and yes, there is only one goal to complete — is to eliminate all of the major players within each of the gangs. This is an area where Crackdown both excels and fails. 15 a great feeling knowing that you have complete freedom to run amok in a vast city, but at the same time, you really don't feel like you are a part of something. The lack of structure definitely hurts the game, but it's not nearly enough to kill it. The excitement that it delivers is far too great to deny. This is a sandbox experience that has an incredibly strong gameplay pulse. If you enjoy spending time with open world games just to see how much insanity you can create, you'll love Crackdown.
This game is great fun for one player, but it also scores high marks for its entertaining co-op play. With a super-powered friend at your side, you can team up and tackle gangs together, or as Joe and | experienced, blow each other away for hours on end. Nothing says friendship like a car to the face. Crackdown isn't a slouch in the Achievement depart- ment, either. In fact, I'll go as far to reward this game with the best list of Achievements since Dead Rising. Juggling corpses, vehicular acrobatics, and rampag- ing are factored in. My favorite is to shoot and kill five gang members in a single jump while airborne.
The experience basically boils down to the Incredible Hulk thrashing about in a kiddy pool. You have so much power and potential, but it's set in a shallow frame.—REINER
8.5
> Concept: Move over, Robocop! Take a seat, Captain America! Crackdown's super hero-powered crime fighting is addictive and packed with amaz- ing feats
BOTTOM LINE
> Graphics: The comic book visual style isn't as striking as you would hope. It's bland, but backed up by some great explosions
> Sound: The soundtrack, which boasts over 100 tracks, isn't as mainstream as СТА, but it fits well with the action. Also, hats off to the Foley artists for the thump- ing surround sound effects
> Playability: The gameplay fits like a glove, and allows players to perform mighty actions with ease
> Entertainment: It doesn't offer a story or much of a mis- sion structure, but its remarkable gameplay outweighs these shortcomings
> Replay Value: Moderately High
Second Opinion 8.5
its unique identity; every- £ thing you do has a purpose, and no destructive impulse
develop your
and the fact that you can play the whole game co-op. over Xbox Live only adds to your options. My big- ешш ad
dane Crackdown suffers from its lack of structure, A greater selection of side tasks would have helped,
personality, The world may be visually distinctive, but the three gangs are populated solely by ethnic stereotypes, and there's по biting humor like one might find in GTA. It needs more
depth to really make waves, but Crackdown's massive destruction and over-the- top heroics are perfect for pure entertainment —JOE
GAME INFORMER 103
XBOX 360
Bullet Witch
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER САМА > RELEASE FEBRUARY 27 > ESRB M
STRANGE BREW
contingent of disfigured gun-toting ghouls is shooting at me, a giant floating brain is telekinetically whipping cars, and two tanks block any forward progress. Just when my defeat seems unavoidable, a flock of ravens swoops in and tries to tear my enemies apart. While they are distracted, | motion to the sky, which suddenly grows dark and rumbles with electricity. Seconds later, a flash of lightning reduces everything to smoking rubble, leaving me free to resume my unholy hunt.
If you pick out a few isolated moments, it is possible to make Bullet Witch sound cool. Scenarios like the one just described do happen during the course of the game, but they aren't representative of the whole experience. A more realistic account of how the game actually proceeds would read something like this: | see some enemies, and | shoot them with my gun. Then | hit a barrier. | run around searching for enemies to shoot so the barrier disappears. Sometimes | fight a boss.
The combination of gunplay and magic has potential, but the way Bullet Witch melds them is extremely uneven. The spell interface is so clunky that it pre- vents any of your cool powers from naturally flowing into the action, so the gameplay basically
т This is Maxwell Cougar. Take a good look, because you won't see him again until our Top 10. V Dorks of 2007 roundup
104 САМЕ INFORMER
becomes a repetitive gunfest with too few enemy types. When situations arise that let you take advantage of your supemaural abilities, they just seem staged. The aftermath of a lightning strike or meteor shower may look awesome, but these powers are really only practical under specific Circumstances.
Occasional spikes of excitement in the otherwise average missions keep Bullet Witch from being a complete waste of time. It's always cool to hurl a piece of wreckage into a group of baddies, and upgrading your gun to indude different firing modes adds a little bit of depth to the combat. | can't deny that the enemies look pretty cool, but the levels they inhabit are poorly designed and boring.
With a better magic system and more intuitive combat interface, this game could have delivered a lot of thrills. As it is, there is so much mind- less shooting and wandering in Bullet Witch that when you actually are having fun, it feels accidental —JOE
> Concept: String together a handful of cool moments with a bunch of unremarkable shooting
> Graphics: Decent character models and enemy designs, but they seem out of place in the ugly environment
> Sound: Alicia's ally, Maxwell Cougar, sounds just as dumb
as he looks. Maybe even dumber > Playability: Using magic, the game's big draw, is awkward and unreliable. The gun controls are fairly standard, but work fine
> Entertainment: Just barely crosses the threshold of being fun enough to keep playing
> Replay Value: Moderately Low
Second Opinion 6
Suffice it to say, this witch is a real bitch—REINER
XBOX 360 | PC
Battlestations: Midway
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/STRATEGY (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER EIDOS
> DEVELOPER EIDOS > RELEASE JANUARY 30 > ESRB Т
YOU SANK MY BATTLESHIP
icture this fantasy scenario. You buy Battlestations: Midway, bring it home, throw the disc in, and expect to blow the crap out of some battleships. The game's first three missions start out simply enough with a nice mix of PT boat, destroyer, and fighter plane sections. Then you're suddenly in control of an aircraft carrier with absolutely no clue how to dispatch units, restock planes once they drop their one bomb, or decipher a host of other logistical problems. After fumbling around with the buttons for a while, you gain a slight grasp of what's going on. But by that time, the enemy fleet has taken a huge hole out of your hull and it's game over. In the post-mission stats, the game points out that you just wasted 40 minutes of your life. So you quit to the main menu and decide to give the tutorial a shot. After over an hour of listening to a salty southern commander tell you how to control and direct every vehicle in your fleet, you can then head back into battle. My guess is that most people will be ready for a snack break at this point. With some further practice, devoted gamers will eventually be call- ing the shots RTS-style via an overhead map, hot swapping direct control among ships, subma- rines, and planes, and assigning crew members to repair the engine or put out a fire. It's a mix of exciting and overwhelming as you try to maintain what feels like 50 pots boiling over at different times. ls all of the effort worth it? Not for the cheesy and prevalent cutscenes (will protagonist Henry Walker ever pay his buddy Donald that ten bucks he owes?). But if you like large-scale, lengthy, tension-filled multiplayer matches that will ignite the strategy lobe of your mind, Battlestations: Midway be could right up your alley. It's much more enjoyable to manage a smaller section of the fleet while your friends control the rest. And it's twice as intense to sink a ship when you know a real person was at the helm. The single player campaign and vehicle-specific bonus missions will get you prepared for this element, | just wish it could stand on its own rather than serve as a glorified boot camp for multplayer.—BRYAN
BOTTOM
LINE 6.5
? Concept: Fight your way through WWll-era South Pacific from Pearl Harbor to the battle at Midway
? Graphics: Ship detail and water effects are impressive. Character models could use some work
> Sound: It's no Call of Duty 2 > Playability: The steep leaming curve will turn many gamers off
> Entertainment: Multiplayer
is the strongest element here if that's what you're looking for
> Replay Value: Moderate
Second Opinion 5
sinks to the bottom of the. Pacific, the game you're play- ing probably isn't offering а
> Concept: Make an RTS around crazy ideas like ter- raforming and temperature, but forget to make the basic RTS functions work
> Graphics: This is pretty enough, but you won't need new shorts or anything
> Sound: Why do | only hear the battle when I'm zoomed way in?
> Playability: The controls are surprisingly awkward for camera movement and unit-ability usage > Entertainment: Dealing with all the bugs and broken ele- ments sucks any fun out of this
> Replay Value: Low
Б Infantry move slower than in any game you „сеп thi nk of
Second Opinion 4.25
Maelstrom
> STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (UP TO 6-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER CODEMASTERS > DEVELOPER KD VISION
> RELEASE FEBRUARY 20 > ESRB T
GOTTA WALK BEFORE YOU CAN RUN
hy do game developers keep doing this to me? They show off cool ideas that could bust open a stale genre, and then fail utterly to create a fun game around them. Maelstrom is infuriating in this way. Weather, temperature, and terraforming are all painstakingly modeled to have actual game effects. You can drown the enemy, take advantage of storms or clear skies in different ways, and set things on fire with incendiary weapons. What you can't do is con- trol your units, build a base, or capture resources without dealing with a truly horrific number of bugs and broken implementations. The most basic command in just about any RTS is the attack-move. This tells your units to move to a location and attack any hostiles they see en route. Sounds simple, right? In pretty much every RTS for the last 10 years, it is — but not in Maelstrom. Groups will often split up and take wildly divergent paths to reach their objectives, which opens your forces up to being picked off piecemeal. Frequently, | watched three out of a dozen or more units engage the enemy while my remaining troops milled about doing nothing de- spite repeated attack orders. The only way | was able to get any measure of obedience out of my troops was to break them into tiny squads — three or four units apiece — and give each of them new specific attack orders every time their target dropped. As you can probably imag- ine, this is an incredibly irri- tating way to play an RTS. Just to be very clear, I'm not talking about my units being stymied by
blocked paths or weird sight lines. I've logged more hours than | care to think about playing real-time strategy titles; | know very well how to deal with those common problems. These issues go far beyond anything that players could be reasonably expected to compensate for. At times, Maelstrom borders on unplayable.
Maelstrom has other problems beyond the impossibility of controlling your armies (an admit- tedly insurmountable problem in an RTS). The tules for placing buildings during base construction are inconsistent, and make planning a base layout incredibly difficult. Stealth abilities are horribly implemented; since there's no feedback on units’ detec- tion radiuses or your visibility, you can't stay hidden with any degree of reliability. The list of Maelstrom's annoy- ances, large and small, goes on and on.
The ideas present here — physics modeling of nearly everything onscreen, the use of heat and cold to affect the
world, even possessing heroes in a third-person action style — are great. | would love to play a com- petent game that encompasses these creative and unusual concepts. Unfortunately, Maelstrom is not that RTS. There's absolutely no reason to put up with the frustration of doing the simplest of tasks in order to check out the futuristic abilities that you'll eventually command here.— ADAM
№ Static defense is great because you don't have to
1 worry about its pathfinding —
GAME INFORMER 105
NINTENDO DS
Diddy Kong Racing
> STYLE 1-РІАҮЕК RACING (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA WIRELESS OR SINGLE CARD DOWNLOAD) > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER RARE > RELEASE FEBRUARY 5 > ESRB Е
BEEN THERE, RACED THAT
his is not just a remake of a forgettable N64
game; it feels like a remake of every kart
racing game | can recall. That's not to say
that Diddy is incapable of showing you a good time; the little monkey does succeed at deliv- ering a good bit of variety. Unfortunately, none of it has the magic supplied by the much better Mario Kart, and the game starts feeling less like a drive to the finish and more like a time waster.
The best part of Diddy Kong Racing comes in the first hour, when there are consistently new things to see. During this time you're introduced to the three vehicle types you'll be driving: The car does nothing you wouldn't expect, the plane (the most fun of the three) can steer up and down in addition to side to side, and the awkward hovercraft floats around on land or water. In those early minutes you're also get- ting to explore the island and winning pretty much every race you encounter. The balloon popping game also shows up pretty early — a sort of track-shooter where your magic carpet floats along a prescribed course as you break balloons with your stylus.
The rinse-and-repeat approach that follows is what pulls Diddy Kong Racing down. The races never get more inter- esting, but they do get pretty hard, and the poorly structured vehicle upgrade system doesn't help matters any. It doesn't become genuinely fast or frantic, and the "adventure" game promise turns out to be a sham that hides a pretty linear progression. Add on the fact that this is a title that very definitely shows its roots as a game from the '90s in terms of visuals and audio, and the whole show comes out as a mediocre pastime for newly minted racing gamers, and not much more.—MILLER
# even if you only have one cartridge, and an unlockable track creator can be amusing
106 САМЕ INFORMER
п There's multiplayer available
BOTTOM LINE
> Concept: Race in big lazy circles in this update to the N64 title of the same name
> Graphics: You did read N64 in the last line, didn’t you?
> Sound: Did | mention N64 anywhere recently?
> Playability: The simplistic controls usually work okay for the car and plane levels, but that hov- ercraft could sure use some work
> Entertainment: Slow and simplistic, it's hard to imagine spending too much time with a game that's not even close to as fun as the DS Kart racer already on the market
> Replay Value: Low
PSP
The Legend of Heroes Ill: Song of the Ocean
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER NAMCO BANDAI
> DEVELOPER NAMCO BANDAI
> RELEASE JANUARY 23 > ESRB E10+
ріш
воттом име 155 the third game in this series I've 6 played in a little over a year, so it's not terribly
surprising that The Legend of Heroes IIl is nearly identical to the other recent entries. The story may be new, but the boring battle system and frus- trating quests are all too familiar. Its simplicity is charming at points (espe- cially in the dialogue), but ultimately isn't enough to salvage the whole game. Legend of Heroes Ill might be worth a look if you liked the last two, but here's the problem: If you played those, you probably don't need your hand held through yet another intro- ductory RPG.—IJOE
PSP
Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER ATLUS > DEVELOPER GAIA > RELEASE FEBRUARY 15 > ESRB Т
воттом име | couldn't come up with a more generic 6 name for an anime-
styled video game than “Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner” if | tried. Unfortunately, there isn’t much here that's any more interesting or novel than the title. The characters, dialogue, and plot are all about as engrossing as run-of-the-mill fanfic, and the battle system is as boring a turn-based snoozefest as I've seen in years. On the plus side, nothing's really broken or horrible in this RPG, and each of the major heroes has some kind of glaring aesthetic blunder to make fun of. From the biggest faux- hawk in history to tan lines that Itagaki would be ashamed to put on one of his characters, there's at least some shal- low amusement to be had by mocking these hapless digital rejects —ADAM
NINTENDO DS
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ADVENTURE > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER CING > RELEASE JANUARY 22 > ESRB Т
PRETTY VACANT
he same people who
brought us Trace Memory
developed Hotel Dusk,
and although similarly charming at times, this game stumbles in the same way that most adventure titles do.
Oftentimes, it doesn't feel like you are playing the game so much as you are participating in a trial and error laboratory experiment. While solving some of the game's puzzles can pro- vide some warming “eureka!” moments, most of the time the path is so linear that the game isn't as much about challenging your wits as it is about checking basic, low-level brain functions. Getting through it is a lot like walking: Once you put one foot forward the rest sorts itself out without much thought.
Despite its linearity, Hotel Dusk at least advances the genre in
its own ways. The touch screen is handy for taking notes, and gamers will enjoy how well
the excellent script has been localized. Ней, it's got more personality than 90 percent of games, period. However, two things in particular bug me about Hotel Dusk's design. Some of its game-ending scenarios are too arbitrary to avoid. Also, when you go back in to replay your surprise faux pas, the game ignores
your saves and sends you back to a further checkpoint, which
is annoying, unnecessary, and time consuming.
This game has a hotel full of strangers with secrets, which might just be enough to get you to stick around to hear them all. But perhaps you'll want to skip the ambiance and go somewhere with fresher towels.—KATO
BOTTOM LINE
> Concept: A hotel full of dirty little secrets? At least the sheets are dean
> Graphics: The art style per- mits emotive character sketches that stop short of Phoenix Wright-esque exaggeration
> Sound: It’s а hotel. Of course the music is bad and never- ending
> Playability: Can fall into the repetitive trap that plagues most adventure games
> Entertainment: The fun wears off, but sometimes you just gotta find out what's going to happen
> Replay Value: Low
but what really bugged me а n game five pue ; ike the idea that your con- versations have real con- sequences, but sometimes you don't know you're get- ting into trouble. Starved | adventure game fans might dig this, but it certainly isn’t for everyone —BEN —
Valhalla Knights
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME (2-PLAYER VIA AD HOC) > PUBLISHER XSEED GAMES > DEVELOPER MARVELOUS INTERACTIVE
> RELEASE MARCH 6 > ESRB Е10+
Select Tem
Support | Ralgo has defeated Lizard Spear Carrier
A FAILING GRADE
hen you think about it, tradi- tional multiple choice tests offer a certain degree of freedom. Technically, you are free to choose any of the answers presented. Of course, only one is actually correct. Valhalla Knights is constructed in a similar way; it gives players the illusion of choice, but all the while it is smugly checking their actions against some invisible answer key and penal- izing them for every misstep. The game opens with the hero waking up in a small inn with (groan) no memory of the past. The story goes downhill from there. There are quests that comprise the critical path, but the gameplay is really about embarking on various peripheral errands that you take from guilds. Unfortunately, these quests are uniformly stupid; they send you slogging through repetitive areas that you've already seen. Sometimes you'll have to go through the same dungeon three times to complete all the tasks, since you can only do one at a time. They're not really even optional, since you need the rewards like gold and new party members to keep progressing. The general structure is annoy- ing, but it's really the obtuse design that ensures that every second you
№ You create some allies yourself, and others you get from completing quests
m Any of the characters can be controlled directly, so you can
experience poor combat from
many angles
Shella has defi
play Valhalla Knights is irritating. If you don't immediately spend your first 500 dollars on a new party member instead of items, you'll run into problems on the very first quest. If you don't level up a certain way (by increas- ing subclasses as well your main job), you'll never get strong enough to proceed. These are things that are never explained — the player is just left to try and try until they get it right. It's like a grueling 50-hour game of 20 questions. Any praise I can give Valhalla Knights seems pretty futile in light of its fundamen- tal failings, but | will say that the option to customize your party members is cool, and | like the system for tweaking their combat behaviors. The game also has multiplayer functionality (co-op and versus), but that would require more than one person to think "Hey, | should play some Valhalla Knights," and I'm too much of an optimist to believe that | live in a world like that.——JOE
> Concept: Mash a bunch of boring quests together, but not with much effort
? Graphics: Some character designs are neat, but the environments are indistinct and repetitive
? Sound: Generic epic fantasy. Actually, that's kind of a cool band name. Their music couldn't be much worse than this. Woo! Generic Epic Fantasy Tour '07!
> Playability: Apart from гат- pant camera issues, the simple controls function well
> Entertainment: || isn't involv: ing, it isn't clever, and it certainly isn't fun
? Replay Value: Low
Second Opinion 5.5
Am | swimming too hard against the tide to be so ticked off at the endless flow of tired story and gameplay concepts that make up this forgettable adventure? We're going to keep seeing amnesiac heroes fighting endless experience-grind battles in lifeless fantasy worlds no matter what | say here, But Іт still going to do my part. and tell you that this is not. worth your time, There are 50 many great role-playing titles out there these days, this terrible one should never have seen the light of day. The game's moder- ately interesting рапу and character upgrade system is not enough to justify
the mindless level design and feeble storytelling
at its core. If you eat that nasty sludge the cafeteria is serving today, don't be surprised when you get
the same doe The | same is true with games.
I get it. > | You're hanging upside-down because you're demonstrating
a visual metaphor.
—y
Рр” Your inverted position articulates how your utilitarian, ultra-stylish design is going to turn the automobile world on its head.
But I'm not upside down. You are.
That would explain N
the splitting headache.
elementandfriends.com
©2006 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. SC model shown.
TOP 20
Listings Based Upon NPD Data For December 2006 Based On Units Sold
1 GEARS OF WAR (360)
on top
Gears used t a fact that Ge ticke
all, and ne it could dc
LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS (GC)
—
Since Zelda i it be nice if
elda blurb. it a m
108 САМЕ INFORMER
for a while now. It might be time to inst it. We've heard that in college,
hoot up with peanut butter. Also we kni a criminal record: se
ral unpaid parking od authority that
that Guitar Hero is in the but if it had to dance with hottie like Zelda
7 V
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ouldn't
T System
Rank Title 1. Mo. Score [Release| Price Gears of War 1 | 360 | 95 |11-06| $61 Madden NFL 07 7 | PS2 | 8.25 |08-06| $55 Guitar Hero Il w/Guitar 4 |PS2| 9 [1-06 $79 The Legend of Zelda: N/A | GC | 10 |11-06| $49 Twilight Princess The Legend of Zelda: ран Twilight Princess
E Smackdown Vs. 5 |PS2 | 875 |11-06| $59 RAW 2007 New Super Mario Bros. 16 | DS | 9.25 |05-06| $39 Call of Duty 3 МА | зво | 85 |11-06| $40 Yoshi's Island DS 18 | DS | 825 |11-06| $30 Call of Duty 3 МА | PS3 | 875 |11-06] $31 Final Fantasy XII 2 |PS2 | 9.25 |11-06| $39 Nintendogs: А 9 | DS | N/A |10-06| $40 Dalmation & Friends
cca
Tom Clancy's Rainbow КИЕ ДИН Six Vegas Brain Age: Train Your МЕ loss hans [ito su Brain In Minutes a Day Need for Speed: Carbon | 8 |252 | 55 /11-06) 539 Thrillville N/A | PS2 | 7:75 |11-06| $39 Tony Hawk's Project 8 МА | Ps2 | 9 |tt-06| $43 Madden NFL 07 МА | 360 | 825 |08-06| $57 МВА Live 07 МА | Ps2 | 75 109-06 | $30 Mario Kart DS МА | DS | 85 [11-05] $35
d" TRSTS * + David Riley 516-625-2277
Rank Tille E Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
ПР wii sports
ГТ Hajimete No wii BH New Super Mario Bros. Adult Common Sense Training Ге | DS Training for Adults: Work Your Brain 2 Е Animal Crossing: Wild World ЕШ Pokémon Diamond
(ГТ Hoshi No Kirby EI Pokémon Pearl
Rank Title World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
S Rainbow Six Vegas
N/A 360
ПІ Virtua Fighter 5 N/A. PS3 [Г Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops 3 РР ПЕ Guitar Hero И 4 Pg (ГТ Lost Planet: Extreme Condition 6 300 о | Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin 8 05 KJ Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 10 Multi
4
The Staff's Favorite Picks
P 10 PC
Rank Title |. Мо. Price ЕЕ the sims 2: Pets 2 $28 ПР Мона of Warcraft QUU ПЕ the sims 2 8 $39
ТІ Medieval и: Total War 4 57 ПЕ The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff NA $18 ПО Flight Simulator X Deluxe 7 $66
Ж The Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff | WA 96 Battlefield 2142 5 $4
| ог No Deal МА $17
ІСІ cars: Radiator Springs Adventures МА $18
PLAYSTATION 3
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII — 7 Feb-07 Call of Duty 3 875 Јат07 Fight Night Round 3 9 Jan-07 Full Auto 2: Battlelines 75 Jan-07 Genji: Days of the Blade 6 Dec-06 Madden NFL 07 775 Jan07 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 925 Dec06 Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire 375 Dec-06 NBA 07 7 Dec-06 МВА 2K7 8 Jan-07 Need for Speed: Carbon 85 Dec06 NHL 2K7 825 Jan07 Resistance: Fall of Man 95 Dec06 Ridge Racer 7 8 Dec06 Sonic the Hedgehog 675 Jan-07 Tony Hawk's Project 8 875 — Jan07 Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom 8.25 Jan-07
XBOX 360
Call of Duty 3 Dec-06
College Hoops 2K7 8 Feb-07 Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 75 Jan-07 Enchanted Arms 6 Oct-06 Eragon 625 Feb-07 FEAR. 85 Dec06 FIFA Soccer 07 725 Пес06 Gears of War 95 Dec-06 Godfather, The 775 Oct-06 Just Cause 725 Оа%6 LEGO Star Wars Il
The Original Trilogy 8 Oct-06 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition 825 Feb07 Madden NFL 07 775 Oa06 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 925 Пес06 МВА 2К7 825 Моу06 МВА Live 07 525 Пес06 МСАА 07 March Madness 775 Feb-O7 Need for Speed: Carbon 85 Пес06 NHL 07 725 0006 NHL 2K7 825 0906 Phantasy Star Universe. 6 Jan-07 Samurai Warriors 2 6 Моу06 Sonic the Hedgehog. 675 Jan07 Splinter Cell: Double Agent 9 0ес06 Star Trek Legacy 775 Jan-O7 Superman Returns 6 Jan-07 Test Drive Unlimited 825 Nov06 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 8 Мо06 Тот Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 95 Jan07 Tony Hawk's Project & 9 Dec-06 Viva Piñata 8 Jan-07
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 875 Оес-06
Ant Bully, The 65 Feb- Call of Duty 3 725 Jan-07 Chicken Little: Ace in Action 725 Jan-07 Dragonball 2 Budokai Tenkaichi 2 6 Feb-07 Elebits 7 Jan-07 Excite Truck 775 Jan-07 Legend of Zelda:
"Twilight Princess, The 10 — Jan97 Madden NFL 07 775 Jan-07 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 825 Јат07 Metal Slug Anthology 75 Jav07 Rayman Raving Rabbids 85 Jan-07 Red Steel 75 Jan-07 SpongeBob SquarePants:
Creature from the Krusty Krab 675 Feb-07 Super Monkey Ball; Banana Blitz 675 Jan-07 Super Swing Golf 8 Feb-07 Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam 5 Jan-07 Trauma Center: Second Opinion 85 Jan07 Wii Sports 65 ізп07 Ant Bully, The 65 Feb-07 Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia 675 Feb07 АТУ Offroad Fury 4 75 Jan-07 Bully 85 Пес06 Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2. 7 Dec-06 Destroy All Humans 2 85 Nov-06 dothack//G.U. Vol. 1//Rebirth 575 Dec06 Eragon 625 Feb07 Fureka Seven Vol 1
The New Wave. 525 Оа06 Family Guy 55 Jan-07 Fast and the Furious, The 6 Моб FIFA 07 775 0906 Final Fantasy ХІ 925 Nov-06 God Hand 6 Мом06 Guitar Hero II 9 Deco6 Just Cause 725 Оа Justice League Heroes 725 Dec-06 Legend of Spyro:
А New Beginning, The 7 № -06
LEGO Star Wars Il; The Original Tilogy 8 Oc-06
Madden NFL 07 825 0006 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 925 Dec06 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon 825 Пес06 NASCAR 07 775 Oct-06 NBA 07 75 Nov06 МВА 2K7 8 №06 МВА Live 07 75 №06 Need for Speed: Carbon 85 Dec06 NFL Street 3 7 Feb-07 NHL 07 775 Ой NHL 2K7. 6.75 Oct-06 Okami 95 0496 Phantasy Star Universe 6 Jan-07 Reservoir Dogs. 575 Jan-07 Rogue Galaxy 9 Jan-07 Rule of Rose 6.25 Oct-06 Samurai Warriors 2 6 Nov-06 Scarface: The World is Yours 85 Nov06 Sega Genesis Collection 85 Jan-07 Shin Megami Tensei:
Devil Summoner 775 Пес06 Sims 2: Pets, The 6 О0ес06 SOCOM: US. Navy SEALs
Combined Assault 6.5 Jan-07 Sopranos: Road to Respect, The 6 Feb-07 Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run 3 Nov06 Star Trek Encounters 725 Jan-07 Tales of the Abyss 725 Моу06 Те 775 Пес06 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 В Nov06 Tokobot Plus
Mysteries of the Karakuri 725 Пес0в Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria 8 Oct-06
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Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 7
Destroy All Humans 2 85 Eragon 625 Family Guy 55 АРА 07 775 FlatOut 2 75 Just Cause 725 Justice League Heroes 725 Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, The 7 LEGO Star Wars Il: The Original Trilogy 8 Madden NFL 07 825 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. 925 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon 825 NASCAR 07 775 МВА 2K7 8 МВА Live 07 75 Need for Speed: Carbon 85 NHL 07 775 NHL 2K7 675 0006 Painkiller: Hell Wars 775 Od-06 Reservoir Dogs 575 Јат07 Scarface: The World is Yours 85 Nov-06 Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run 5 Nov-06 Thrillille 775 Dec-06 Tiger Woods РСА Tour 07 8 Моб РС sae Pn rere чаа Age of Empires Ill 7 Dec-06 Ant Bully, The 65 Feb-07 Battlefield 2142 85 Nov-06 CivCity: Rome 8 Sep-06 Company of Heroes 9 Oct-06 Dark Messiah of Might & Magic 925 Пес06 Dungeon Siege Il: Broken World 75 0006 FEAR: Extraction Point 8 Dec-06 Gothic 3 5 Feb-07 Just Cause 725 Oct-06 Heroes of Annihilated Empires 6 Feb-07 Heroes of Might & Magic V: * Hammers of Fate 8 Feb-07 Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth 1I - Rise of the Witch-King, The 8 Feb-07
Mage Knight Apocalypse 6 Dec 06 Medieval 1: Total War 925 Jan-07 Neverwinter Nights 2 в О0ес06 ParaWorld 7 Dec06 Phantasy Star Unive 6 Jan-07 Reservoir Dogs 575 Јат07
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Experience Challenge
EXPERIENCE. EVERY GAMER HAS SOME. OLD SPICE CAN HELP YOU GET MORE. TAKE THE OLD SPICE
To learn more go to
and while you're there, enter for
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AC C Е SS Codes, Strategies, Hints, Droids, And Tips
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition ©)
Hitting the Target
LOCATING EVERY TARGET
MARK IN THE GAME
One of the biggest challenges in the game
(and the route to a heap of the Achievement points) involves tracking down and shooting the scattered target marks that fill each level. In a given chapter, these collectible letters together spell a word, anywhere between 5 and 8 characters long. We've listed the locations of the target marks on normal difficulty (what you need for the Achievements) and in the order it makes the most sense to gather them in.
CHAPTER 1: EARTH
T: The first target mark is early in the level, set behind some storage tanks near the archway. After destroying the tanks, you'll see the coin spinning in place.
A: Not long after that you'll come across three fuel tanks. Behind the middle set of tanks you'll find the next mark across from the fence opening. R: Once you get into the warehouse, go up both stairways and you'll find the mark on the right of the catwalk in the southwestern portion of the warehouse.
E: Later you'll enter a cave. There you can drop down into a hole very close to where there is melting water pouring down. In the hole, it may be hard to see without using the light, but the E mark can be found in the eastern corner.
H: While still in the cave, you'll cross a large stone bridge. You'll want to hop down to a ledge you can see on the right. From there you should be able to spy the H mark underneath the bridge.
CHAPTER 2: STORM
S: Just beyond a stone archway early in the
level you can turn left and head slightly RN north, where a mark can be found on a >. № window ledge.
О: A ruined building partway through "2!
this level holds your next goal. When you're almost to the top of that
building, you'll find an “О” mark in the opening of the farthest right window of the east side of the building on the second floor from the top.
T: On the main bridge in the level, you'll need to drop down into the first hole you encounter and then head back the way you were coming. Behind some metal bars near the end of the trench you can shoot your next mark.
M: This out of the way mark is at the far end of the train tunnel, up high and to the left.
R: Late in the level, not long before the boss fight, you'll find the last mark in the northwestern building that is just before the final main gate. The mark is behind some crates right by the stairs.
CHAPTER 3: MIRAGE I: The dome-shaped object with the Trilid spawn crater early in the level is
110 GAME INFORMER
where to anchor up to for your first mark.
R: Right near the Undeep fight, head to the western edge of the barricades on the north side for this mark.
A: Once you get out onto the northern snow plain, follow the western cliff edge until you reach the distant mark.
E: From the eastern Data Post in the plains, the next mark is Бу the next data post to the north. M: On the eastern edge of the plains is a big wall with stairs, and the next mark is underneath those stairs.
G: This tricky mark is on top of the tilted thermal plant smokestack.
CHAPTER 4: METEOR E: In the canyon shaped like а big U, go past the hole into the base and find the mark at the end of the canyon. О: Once you drop into the dome room of the base, head through the corridor to the south and find the mark on the left. R: In the crane room, look on the south side behind the crates. M: Look for the next mark on the diff edge
7?) by the sliding platform - you'll have to T: Just after you get the GTB-22 you can use it to reach the top of the multi-floor
< 2 look over the edge to find it.
" - building. From there, the mark is in a ex ; niche near the top of the tower.
%<;
SAOR E After you leave the tower, look
over the edge to the northwest % j} beyond the Data Post to snag that last mark. 10 CHAPTER 5: AURORA
R: Just after you start the level, А find the first mark to the north
along the base of mountain on the left.
R: About halfway up the mountain is a mark in the back of room with a bunch of Genessa.
A: Anchor up to the area above where you find the laser rifle and look on the ledge just beyond the room entrance.
A: Once inside the mountain, rappel to the bottom of the cave and look behind the central rock stairs.
V: Right near the top of the spiraling cave
you can enter a small tunnel and destroy a Raibee. Look on the right side of the tunnel for aUmark.
0: You'll come across a cave room with a big white shaft of light — look in the northeastern corner for your mark.
CHAPTER 6: THUNDER
T: On the first street of the level, get up on the balcony with the data post and shoot the mark on the ledge to the north.
U: Go past the VS on the balcony, and ће “U” mark will be found at the first corner on the left side.
N: Just past the stone bridge on the first street you can shoot a target mark on the building to your west.
H: You'll find the "H" mark underneath the second bridge in the area, on the ground and to the left, although you'll want to take out surrounding enemies first.
D: Right after you enter the factory, jump up onto the blue dumpster and look behind it for the "D" mark.
E: Once you get into the PTX-40A VS, head through the door at the end of that long corridor. Turn around to find the "E" mark above the door.
R: Just beyond a room filled with VS weaponry, before you head in to fight the Green Eye, you can find the "R" mark up around the ceiling of the corridor.
That should get you plenty of achievements, as well as a good idea of how to look for the marks
in the last few levels. Still having trouble? We've printed the locations of the last five chapters" target marks in this month's Unlimited section. Log in and complete your collection.
Mod World
THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION Quest Mods & Texture Packs http://devnull.devakm.googlepages.com
T
Any title as successful and moddable as Oblivion is pretty much guaranteed to have a huge com- munity dedicated to creating new content and upgrading the existing game. The page listed above is a great starting place to get new mod users up and running with what's available out there. The two major portions of this site - The Oblivion Texture Overhaul and The Oblivion Quest List - directly link to several top-quality add-ons, as well as provide the addresses of sev- eral other sites that will help you in your quest to extend your Oblivion's lifespan.
TEXTURES & GRAPHICS As good as Oblivion looks, there are ways to make it look even better. In particular, Qarl's Texture Pack upgrades tons of textures in the world. The difference is clear, especially when you get up close to the surface of an object. There are other texture packs for various parts of Oblivion, but Qarl's is unusually comprehen- sive and effective. Otfier mods are available that range from tweaking the lighting to look more realistic to scaling the vegetation differently to aid immersion.
QUESTS The Oblivion Quest List will keep you busy for a long, long time. Feral Instinct: Danger Sense by Addiktive features a fully voice-acted storyline and will grant you the new "Danger Sense" ability. The Legacy by Simyaz includes branching dialogue trees, different endings, and an NPC cohort to help you out. These are just two of the dozens of quest mods readily available for your adventuring needs. You can even rebuild Kvatch into a fully operational quest hub!
Code of the Month Ф) Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
So you're flying down the mountain, wildly shaking the Wii remote in every direction you can think of, pressing buttons without stop, and somehow
you still win the race. What's that you say? You'd like a little help for when the game finally starts to get slightly harder? Sure, buddy. We got your back. Downhill Jam may not have been our favorite skateboarding game from last year, but there sure are a lot of cheat codes to help you get to the bottom of the hill in record time. Go into Options, then the Cheat Entry page to put in the following. Once you enter the codes once, you should be able to toggle them off and on whenever you like. Enjoy!
Always Special - POINTHOGGER Chipmunk Voices - HELLOHELIUM Demon Skater - EVILCHIMNEYSWEEP Display Coordinates - DISPLAYCOORDINATES Especially Large Birds - BIRDBIRDBIRDBIRDBIRD Extreme Car Crashes - WATCHFORDOORS First-Person Skater - FIRSTPERSONJAM Free Boost - OOTBAGHFOREVER Giganto Skater - IWANNABETALLTALL Invisible Skater - NOWYOUSEEME large Birds - BIRDBIRDBIRDBIRD Mini Skater - DOWNTHERABBITHOLE Perfect Manual - TIGHTROPEWALKER Perfect Rail - LIKETILTINGAPLATE Perfect Stats - IAMBOB Power of the Fish! - TONYFISHDOWNHILLJAM Shadow Skater - CHIMNEYSWEEP Skate as a Work of Art - FOURLIGHTS Tiny People - SHRINKTHEPEOPLE Unlock All Boards and Outfits - RAIDTHEWOODSHED Unlock All Events - ADVENTURESOFKWANG Unlock All Movies - FREEBOZZLER Unlock All Skaters - IMINTERFACING Unlock Manuals - IMISSMANUALS Gary Santino San Francisco, CA
Attention АП 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 а 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 prize!
MULTI-SYSTEM Marvel Ultimate Alliance - Last month we delivered the cheat codes for this massive Marvel team-up. This month, we thought we'd share the cool combination teams you can play for an extra stat boost. When there are more than four characters, you can use whichever four you like.
Agents of Shield/+5 to all Resistances - Captain America, Nick Fury, Spider-Woman, Wolverine
Agile Warriors/10% Reduced Energy Cost - Black Panther, Daredevil, Deadpool, Elektra, Spider-Man
Air Force: +15% Max Health - Human Torch, Ms. Marvel, Storm, and Thor
Alternate Identities/+5% Criticals - Ghost Rider (Western), Iron Man (War Machine), Ms. Marvel (Ventura), Spider-Woman (Secret Wars), Thor (Beta Ray Bill)
Assassins/+60% Credit Drop - Blade, Deadpool, Elektra, Wolverine
Avengers /+5% Damage - Captain America, Thor, Iton Man, Spider-Woman, Ms. Marvel Bad to the Вопе/5% Damage Inflicted Goes to Health - Blade, Ghost Rider, Luke Cage, Wolverine
Bruisers /+15 Striking - Thing, Captain America, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel
Classic Avengers/+15% Damage - Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor Dark Past/+5% XP - Blade, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Spider-Woman
Defenders/5% Damage inflicted goes to Health - Dr. Strange, Iceman, Luke Cage, Silver Surfer
Double Date/+5 Health Regeneration - Black Panther, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Storm
Fantastic Four/+20 Health Per Knockout –
Thing, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and
Mr. Fantastic
Femme Fatale/+5% Damage - Ms. Marvel, Storm, Invisible Woman, Elektra, Spider-Woman Flashback/+15% Max Health - Captain America (WWII), Daredevil (Original), Ghost Rider (Original), Iceman (Original), IronMan (Classic), Ms. Marvel (Original), Wolverine (Classic)
Martial Artists/+15 Striking - Black Panther, Captain America, Daredevil, Nick Fury
Marvel Knights/+6 Body, Strike, and Focus - Dr. Strange, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Spiderman, Black Panther
Marvel КоуаКу/+60% Credits Dropped - Black Panther, Dr. Strange, Storm, Thor Natural Forces/5% Damage inflicted as Health Gain - Thor, Storm, Human Torch, се Man Natural Leaders/+5% XP - Captain America, Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Nick Fury, Storm New Avengers/+5% All Resistances - Captain America, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Spider Man, Spider-Woman, Iron Man New Fantastic Four/15% Max Energy - Ghostrider, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine Power Platoon/20% Energy per KO - Silver Surfer, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Thor Raven Ultimates/+6% To Alll Stats - Silver Surfer, Deadpool, Thing, Invisible Woman, Iceman Scorchers/+10% Reduced Power Cost - Ghost Rider Human Torch, Storm, Thor Supernatural/+5 Health Regen - Blade, Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, Thor Think Tanks/+15% to Max Health - Iron Man, Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic, Dr. Strange Weapon Specialists/+5% Criticals - Blade, Captain America, Deadpool, Elektra, Nick Fury Х-Меп/+15% Maximum Energy - Colossus, Iceman, Storm, Wolverine “Gl Droid" (location unkown — last seen blo a giant hair dryer at the polar ic
Xbox Live Arcade Spotlight — _
Ninja Bee already has two successful Live Arcade games under its belt, so we have high hopes for its latest effort, a tactics/strategy game humorously dubbed Bugs of War. Set to release this spring, the grid-based combat system pits some colorful-looking mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and any number of other creepy-crawlies against each other in a battle royale for supremacy of the bug world. The game includes a story-driven campaign or an alternate single-mission structure, both designed for those lonely solo players out there. If you actually have some friends, you can challenge them in either online or local multiplayer matches, where, in addition to pre-made scenarios, you'll be able to test out newly minted levels you design with the level editor that is included with the game. Plus, if Ninja Bee's previous efforts аге any indication, there should be
some laughs thrown in for good measure.
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S i C G [ Where The Past Comes Alive
Before the Beginning
Rare actually grew out of another company founded by the Stampers. It was the late '70s and Chris Stamper was going to college at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, UK. While studying for a degree in physics and electronics, Chris decided to build a computer, because back then if you wanted a computer you had to do it yourself. The computer he built was an RCA CDP1802; at the time it was one of the fastest available. Chris' project was а success, and this experience pushed him to pursue a career working with computers. Chris dropped out of college at the age of 21 and started working for a game manufac- turing company, converting old arcade boards into the newest games. At the time the hot game was Galaxian. After two years, Chris got sick of not being in charge, and convinced his younger brother Tim to leave his technical design course. With the help of a few other friends they started Ultimate — Play The Game: a company devoted to making coin-op conversion kits. These kits were used to power up old arcade machines. For example, a kit might make the enemies in a game move faster. Itimate also started making a few computer games for systems like the Sinclair Spectrum, and it had some moderate success (such as Jetpack, which sold 330,000 units). But Ultimate was not to last. As the computer gaming market began to wane in the '80s, the Stampers realized that the future of videogames lay in a different breed of computers: machines called home videogame consoles.
е
112 GAME INFORMER
Change happens. Even when it's a rare thing, it's still inevitable. Recently, Rare co-founders and brothers Тит and Chris Stamper left the company they started over 20 years ago. Rare was sad to see them go, but the com- pany is now looking to its future under the umbrella of Microsoft Game Studios. Therefore, we thought this would be a good time to look back at the com- pany and what it has given the gaming community these last two decades.
Rising Star
Ultimate could have been termed a success, but the Stampers weren't content to rest on their laurels. The Stampers began developing for the brand new Nintendo Entertainment System. Because of this big change in direction, they thought it best to change their company's image as well. They wanted a name that would show the world how great of a developer they were; they wanted people to know just how special — how rare — their company was. Thus Rareware was born.
Rare produced about 60 games for the NES and Game Boy, from Slalom to Marble Madness, RC Pro-Am to Battletoads. After Rare's success with Donkey Kong Country on the SNES in 1994, Nintendo finally took notice and began investing in the company, allowing Rare to expand. Rare hit its stride during the N64's lifecycle when it produced beloved hits Blast Corps, GoldenEye, the Banjo-Kazooie games, Jet Force Gemini, and Conker's Bad Fur Day. It was also during this period that the company started developing under the simpli- fied name Rare.
The rest is history. Of course, that isn't to say there hasn't been change. Rare is now owned by Microsoft and the Stamper brothers left in late 2006. But the company plows on
қ into its future. What does that future hold? Read our Unlimited / interview with production director Simon Farmer for a few hints.
RARE DIGS
This has been Rare's HQ since 1999. Located near Twycross, Leicestershire (a county in central England), this multi-million pound facility took five years to design and build in order to preserve the charm of the local landscape. Previously located in a converted farmhouse, Rare's new grounds are fully landscaped, and the building has a state-of-the art climate. management system and plenty of room for the continually expanding company.
M Rare Founders Tim and Chris Stamper
Rare Gems
* R.C. PRO-AM (NES)
U.S. Release Date: February 1988
Unlike other racers of its day, В.С. Рго-Ат actually made good use of its isometric top-down view: you were racing remote- controlled vehicles. The game might also be notable for being the first car combat game. Players could not only upgrade their R.C.s with sticky tires and better engines, but they could also acquire missiles and bombs to disable their competition on the track.
* DONKEY KONG COUNTRY (SNES)
U.S. Release Date: November 25, 1994
Rare's games have always tried to use the latest in graphics technology, and this was no exception. Not only was this the game that launched Rare into superstardom, it also received critical acclaim due to its use of pre-framed 3D graphics in a 2D world. This was one of the best-looking SNES games of its day.
* KILLER INSTINCT (ARCADE)
U.S. Release Date: Late 1994
First released in the arcade, this was another Rare game known for its looks. The animated backgrounds were created sing state-of-the-art 3D modeling tools. While this wasn't real-time rendering, for the time it gave an unparalleled 3D illusion. The characters in the game were all sprite- based, but it wasn't uncommon at the time for people to believe they were 3D renders.
c
* BLAST CORPS (N64)
U.S. Release Date: March 26, 1997
With nearly a dozen destructive vehicles and trucks, two out-of-control advanced nuclear warheads, and an entire world's population in need of saving, there's just something manly about Rare's first truly good N64 game. Blast Corps was filled with loads of destruction and many great puz- zles, but Rare's greatest accomplishment with this game might have been keeping each of the 50+ levels unique.
* BANJO-KAZOOIE & BANJO-TOOIE (N64) U.S. Release Date: May 31, 1998 & November 19, 2000
Banjo-Kazooie was originally marketed as the Donkey Kong Country for the N64, and received a fair amount of hype before its release. Both it and its sequel Banjo-Tooie are some of the best platformers for the system. Sure they play exactly like Super Mario 64, but is that really a problem?
* CONKER'S BAD FUR DAY (N64)
U.S. Release Date: March 5, 2001
Not only was Conker a solid platformer at a time when the N64 was going into ana- phylactic shock for lack of good games, but it also had some pretty fun television com- mercials. Actually, mature humor was the game's main selling point. Tired of appear- ing in tame games like Diddy Kong Racing and his own kiddy GBC title, Conker let it all hang out. For example, to defeat some fire enemies he gets drunk and pees on them. Did we mention the mature humor?
1987 * Slalom - NES * Wizards & Warriors — NES
1988 + Anticipation - NES
< Jeopardy! - NES
+ RC Pro-Am - NES
* Wheel of Fortune - NES
1989
* California Games – NES
* Cobra Triangle – NES
* Hollywood Squares - NES
* Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors ll - NES.
= Jeopardy! Junior Edition - NES
* John Емау$ Quarterback - NES
* Jordan Vs. Bird: One on One - NES
+ Marble Madness - NES
= Sesame Street 123 - NES
+ Sesame Street ABC – NES
* Silent Service — NES
* Taboo - NES
* Wheel of Fortune Junior Edition - NES
* Who Framed Roger Rabbit - NES
+ Wizards & Warriors - NES
+ World Games - NES
* WWF Wrestlemania — NES
1990
= The Amazing Spider-Man - Game Boy
* Arch Rivals – NES.
* Cabal - NES
= Captain Skyhawk - NES
+ Double Dare – NES
* Wizards & Warriors X: Fortress of Fear - Game Boy
* һап Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road – NES
* Jeopardy! 25th Anniversary Edition - NES.
* Narc - NES
* A Nightmare on Elm Street - NES
* Pin Bot - NES
* Snake Rattle 'N Roll - NES.
* Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship - NES
* Super Glove Ball - NES
* Time Lord - NES
* Wheel of Fortune: Family Edition - NES
= WWF WrestleMania Challenge - NES
1991
= Battletoads – NES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy
+ Beetlejuice - NES
* Digger T. Rock: The Legend of the Lost Giy- NES
* High Speed - NES
+ Pirates! - NES
< Sesame Street ABC & 123 - NES
+ Sneaky Snakes - Game Boy
* Super RC. Pro-Am - Сате Boy
* WWF Superstars - Game Boy
1992
+ Beetlejuice - Game Boy
* Championship Pro-Am - Sega Genesis
* Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat - NES
“КС Pro-Am 1 – NES
* Wizards & Warriors Ill - NES
1993
* Battletoads - Sega Game Gear
+ Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team — NES, Sega Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy
* Battletoads іп Battlemaniacs - Super NES
* Battletoads in Ragnarok's World - Game Boy
AMEOGRAPHY
1994 * Battletoads - Arcade * Donkey Kong Country - Super NES = Killer Instinct — Arcade “ Monster Max – Game Boy
1995
* Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest - Super NES
+ Donkey Kong Land – Game Boy
= Killer Instinct Super NES, Game Boy
1996 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble - Super NES + Donkey Kong Land 2 - Game Boy = Ken Griffey Jr's Winning Run - Super NES + Killer Instinct 2 - Arcade * Killer Instinct Gold — Nintendo 64
1997 * Blast Corps - Nintendo 64
* Diddy Kong Racing - Nintendo 64 * Donkey Kong Land Ill - Game Boy = GoldenEye 007 - Nintendo 64
1998 * Banjo-Kazooie - Nintendo 64
1999 + Conker's Pocket Tales - Game Boy Color + Donkey Kong 64 - Nintendo 64 * Jet Force Gemini – Nintendo 64 + Mickey's Racing Adventure - Game Boy Color.
2000
+ Banjo-Tooie - Nintendo 64
* Donkey Kong Country ~ Game Boy Color
+ Mickey's Speedway USA - Nintendo 64
+ Perfect Dark - Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color
2001
* Conker's Bad Fur Day - Nintendo 64
* Mickey s Speedway USA – Game Boy Color
2002 * Star Fox Adventures - Nintendo GameCube
2005
+ Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge - Game Boy Advance
* Donkey Kong Country - Game Boy Advance.
+ Grabbed by the Ghoulies - Xbox
2004
* Donkey Kong Country 2 - Game Boy Advance
* It’s Mr. Pants - Game Boy Advance
+ Sabre Wulf - Game Boy Advance
2005 * Banjo Pilot - Game Boy Advance * Conker: Live and Reloaded - Xbox * Donkey Kong Country 3 - Game Boy Advance = Катео: Elements of Power - Xbox 360 * Perfect Dark Zero - Xbox 360
2006 * Viva Piñata - Xbox 360
UM, YOU FORGOT SOMETHING BIG! Wondering why a certain double-O agent isn't covered here? Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about Rare's biggest hit. Check back next month when we look back on one of consoles’ best FPSs: GoldenEye.
GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME
e oeeman
SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 > FORMAT NES > PUBLISHER NINTENDO
It's official; | am in love with this game. Many play- ers were disappointed with its revamped veggie throwing gameplay, but 1 prefer this installment. This may very well have been the third game | ever played, and even now I'll pop it in the о! NES from time to time. The music is wonderful, even on the 1980's TV in my bedroom. For those of you who don't know, it's kind of ragtime-esque, and it's very memorable. The graphics were wonderful for the time, and it was basi- cally the first game to separate Mario and Luigi as their own people (Luigi is taller and can jump higher). It introduced Toad and the Princess as playable charaders for the first time, and they prove to be good platformers themselves. If you ask me, it had the most realistic graphics in the series’ NES lifespan. There are only seven worlds, as opposed to the traditional eight, and only 20 individual,
yet expansive, levels. World warping was more easily executed, and the ability to charge jump was added, too. The actual gameplay made huge changes from the original, but this was due to
the fact that it was originally "Doki Doki Panic", a Japanese title. The Mario characters were added for the U.S. release. The "real Super Mario Bros. 2" was called "The Lost Levels" in the U.S., when it released on the SNES compilation Super Mario All Stars. The classic enemies such as goombas, koopas, and piranha plants are gone, but they've added a couple of welcome additions (namely, the shyguy, POW block, and bob-omb). You uproot turnips and peppers from the earth and throw them at enemies to kill them, or you could pick up the enemies themselves, and throw them at others. The boss fights are great, but are repeated a few times, with the exception of Birdo at the end of every level. Wart's Castle is larger than Bowser's in the original, and the final battle with Wart (who should totally be in Super Smash Bros. Brawl) proved to be the coolest battle in NES history.
The fun level is extremely high, and it's just as fun now as it was the first time | played it. Super Mario Bros. 2 is the Greatest Game of All Time.
On March 16, 1999 Sony Online Entertainment released EverQuest with modest expectations.
By the end of the year, it had surpassed Ultima Online - the leading competitor - in number of subscriptions. The number of social lives ruined continued to rise until mid-2004. At its peak EverQuest achieved a subscription base of over 500,000, monu- mental for its time and still a milestone for online games.
GAME INFORMER 113
$$$ classic. gi
PSONE
THE SIMPSONS WRESTLING
> STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER FIGHTING > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER BIG APE PRODUCTIONS > RELEASE 2001
aturday morning cartoons aren't the only ones that get crappy video game treatments. The spectrum of titles related to The Simpsons ranges from pretty fun to absolutely terrible, and The Simpsons Wrestling
helps to weigh down the dumpiest side of the scale. It lets you choose from a handful of characters from the show (the highlights being Kodos and Kang), then has you mashing your way to victory through a series of slow, unbalanced bouts. To call this a “wrestling” game is overly generous; the fights utilize non-standard rules where dogs, interstellar weapons, and divine wrath are all permissible ways to wear your opponent down. The outlandish combat might not be so ridiculous if all characters were equal, but they aren't. If Ned Flanders has enough time to say his prayer (which is practically guaranteed at the beginning of a match), you've basically lost. Over all of the action is Kent Brockman’s insufferable commentary, which is enough to make you thankful for the mindless chatter of real sports announc- ers. Just like combining cloves and Tom Collins mix in a frozen piecrust, The Simpsons Wrestling is a recipe for disaster that even the most devoted fan will despise.
PSONE
SPIDER-MAN
> STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER NEVERSOFT > RELEASE 2000 hat may arguably have been the best comic-based P МЕ videogame when it launched still remains fun $ К ) AN today. Given that the Spider-Man games have =
been evolved and processed to almost the same level as a sports franchise, it is surprising how well the original formula still works. There are no open-world environments here and no street-level brawls, but on the rooftops and swinging between buildings is where
Spider-Man belongs and there is plenty of that. The fighting system is fairly limited; it's
almost odd that combat mechanics were ever this simple and still fun. However, the
camera is a major villain in this game; it’s a pain in tight corridors. But the fun stuff is the fan service. The game is a who's who list of Spider-Man villains such as Scorpion, Rhino,
Venom, Mysterio, Carnage, and Doctor Octopus. Add to that all the high-profile support
characters like Human Torch, The Punisher, and Captain America (hey, when is he going
to get his own game?), narration by Stan “The Man” Lee, and unlockable costumes and comic gallery and its no wonder why fans went nuts over this game half a decade ago.
Everyone else can ignore the extras and just have fun with a decent game.
з = 5 2 в & В
GAME INFORMER
114
SUPER NINTENDO
F-ZERO
> STYLE 1-PLAYER RACING > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER NINTENDO > RELEASE 1991
ne of only a few early racing games that
continues to provide some degree of fun
and excitement, F-Zero was one of the
finest racers to grace Nintendo's sophomore console. Thanks to some Mode 7 graphical effects, this arcade-style futuristic racer laid the groundwork for later similar titles like Wipeout, while the focus on insane jumps and action over realism or simulation helped pave the way for the exaggerated speed and crashes of Burnout and Midnight Club. Four distinct vehicles allow for four matching driving styles, and later tracks offer a challenge for even the most devoted racing fanatic. A memorable high-speed soundtrack keeps the momentum at fever pitch, even if the low-detail track visuals don't amaze the way they once did. If only they'd figured out a way to squeeze in multiplayer, this fan favorite might be even better remembered than it already is.
нА
ГИТ
*Score given to the game when it first appeared in Game Informer. The Simpsons Wrestling (СІ #98, 06/01) Spider-Man (Сі #90, 10/00)
2 H 0 N | | N F Extra Content You Can Find At H www.gameinformer.com
UNLIMITED LAUNCH: FEB. 19
The Force is strong with you, young Padawan, but you are no Jedi yet. Read the full transcript of our Q&A with project lead Haden Blackman and check out how LucasArts creates new game technology with our pre-visualization video if you wish to gain
entrance to the Jedi Academy.
Star Wars Deathmatch
Is Boba Fett more badass than Darth Maul? Could ІС-88 take on Chewbacca and win? Does Lando’ ustache make him the automatic winner in any competition? Vote on your favorite Star Wars characters to see which stud from a galaxy far, far away rules them all
Rare and Priceless
GI reminisces with Rare production director Simon Farmer about the glory days of GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, and Battletoads.
Barbarian At The Gate
Conan is back, and this time not rocking an Austrian
accent. СЇ out more shots of Conan and read our interview with the game's developers.
0 ONLINE THIS MONTH: GI Online slips into Solid Snake mode and issues stealth
GEEKED AT BIRTH.
You can talk the talk. Can you walk the walk? Here's a chance to prove it. Please geek responsibly.
LEARN: DIGITAL ANIMATION DIGITAL ART AND DESIGN
GAME PROGRAMMING NETWORK ENGINEERING
DIGITAL VIDEO NETWORK SECURITY GAME DESIGN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ARTIFICIAL LIFE PROGRAMMING. WEB ARCHITECTURE COMPUTER FORENSICS ROBOTICS
reports live from the Konami press event.
Guitar fever is sweeping the industry! Guitar Hero 11 was one of the best-selling games during the holidays, and with the Xbox 360 version on the way it won't be slowing down soon. The idea for the game didn't just happen overnight, though - many other instruments must һауе been rejected before the developer settled on using a guitar. Answer these trivia questions to discover what lame kind of "hero" you could have become instead.
1 Electronic Arts' Superman Returns has the Man of Steel fighting a variety of dastardly foes, but whom do you con- front in the final conflict of the game?
A. Lex Luthor
B. Brainiac C. Metallo D. A bunch of tomadoes
а million
3 This is a screen from an off- road racing game featuring the
ing personality? A. Colin McRae B. Cole Trickle C. Dale Earnhardt Jr. D. Ivan Stewart
name and likeness of what driv- =
4 Final Fantasy Chronicles for PSone had a slightly mislead- ing name, since one of the two games included wasn’t from the Final Fantasy series. What was it?
A. Chrono Trigger
B. Secret of Mana
C. Dragon Warrior VI
D. Breath of Fire
5 Do you remember the dorks of yesteryear? This dingus is Tom Hansen, and he was the star of the first blatant Resident Evil 4 rip-off. What was that game called?
A. Cold Fear
B. Cold Winter
C. Cold Blood
D. Zombies!
: 6 тие or False: Anyone who
tries to convince you that Sony,
: Microsoft, or Nintendo are : doomed is an idiot.
A. True
B. False
C. What if the person in question is a future version of myself?
7 т Excite Truck, the Diamond
: cup in Super Excite mode is : set т a unique location. Where і does this гасе take place?
A. The Mushroom Kingdom B. Space
C. 8-bit Land
D. Atlantis
8 Some games are only memo- rable for their soundtracks. The mediocre side-scroller X-Kaliber 2097 for SNES prominently fea- tured music by which of these techno groups?
A. Information Society
B. Coldcut
C. 808 State D. Psykosonik
9 The phrase "Wise fwom your gwave" was made popular among gamers by a digitized voice in what Sega arcade title?
A. Golden Axe
B. Alien Syndrome
C. Altered Beast
D. Regulus
: 10 spacewar is considered by : many as the first video game, : but it is often overshadowed
by its commercially released descendants. What popular arcade title does Spacewar
: most resemble?
A. Space Invaders B. Asteroids
C. Arkanoid
D. Pong
116 GAME INFORMER
Game Informer* does not claim ar
right in the scr
four issues for $24.98 by Sunrise Publications *, 724 North First Street, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, (866) 844-4263. Periodicals postage paid at Minneapolis, MN, and additional mailing inneapolis, MN 55401. Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars , Copyright in ай screenshots contained within this publication are owned by their Game Informer Magazine *. Ай rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer * is a trademark of GameStop. ог trademarks, of their respective companies.
REAKDOW
1.8 Million copies of Madden 2007 for PS2 were sold in 2006 according the NPD, which makes it the best-selling game of the year
0% of gamers should be surprised by the above fact
1,000 GamerPoints = one inch. Assuming that equation is cor rect, how long is your “GamerScore"?
2 Million copies of the three Burger King Xbox/Xbox 560 games have been sold, according to a Microsoft statement. Somewhere, а real game developer is crying
24% of Game Informer editors hum off-key, as we discovered while compiling our Connect Top 10 (see page 22)
0-1 -
Asparagus Hero
2-3:
Lite Jazz Hero
6-7:
Didgeridoo Hero
4-5:
Pan Flute Hero
10:
One Man Band Hero
ODB Hero
Video Game Trivia Answers: |. D 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. A 6. A or C 7. B 8. D 9. C 10.8
[4 5 5 5 8 Е N Е $ & & 5 5 É 5 5 2 >
eating right and drinking 3 glasses a day of lowfat or fat free miik helps | you look great and stay in shape. So grab a glass and go crazy.
got milk?
www.bodybymilk.com
"...it simply rocks." -Game Informer
“...р!ауз like a dream..." -Games Radar
"...has been making us jump in all -GamePro
the right places..." -GameSpot
“action packed..." -IGN
Animated Blood
Mild Language Violence ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org
"Capcom has another winner on its hands." -Hardcore Gamer
"...an action game on full throttle..." -Play
"Gorgeous graphics..."
"It's an absolute stunner from start to finish...” - TeamXbox
“One lean, mean, addictive futuristic shootin’ machine." -Official Xbox Magazine
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Character Wayne Бу ©! ее Byung Hun/FANTOM CO., LTD., ОСАРСОМ CO., LTD. 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CAPCOM and the CAPCOM LOGO are registered trademarks of CAPCOM CO., LTD. LOST PLANET is а trademark of CAPCOM CO., LTD.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, the Xbox logos, and the Xbox Live logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software
Association. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners.
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