BA Now RPG From Bm Enie:

MUST- ш EXCLUSIVES! ^

THE WORLD'S r1 COMPUTER & VIDEO GAME MAGAZINE.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE

CALL OF DUTY 4

MODERN WARFARE

The Most INTENSE First-Person Shooter WE HAVE EVER SEEN!

Move over, mullet! You are no longer the undisputed king of stylish tail technology! Mullet, it's time to pass the torch to the all-new Fit Sport with sleek body design and aerodynamic rear roofline spoiler!

Super style meets super substance! Fit is loaded with enjoyable driving technology! Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters"! 6-speaker audio with iPod" integration’! Blue illuminated gauges! Mullet loses again!

Fit is all business when it comes to safety! Standard front, side and side curtain airbags are your driving companions!

Standard anti-lock brakes accompany you everywhere! Mullet has no answer!

The Fit is Go!

EFE

New from Honda ignition time! Thrust onto the rolling blacktop! Feel the quiet roar of the vigorous 1.5-liter VTEC® engine! Swift, stylish mover with satisfying efficiency! 38 mpg’ on the freeway...Super Pump Beater! Cargo time? The roomy 5-door, 5-passenger Fit with 60/40 split 2nd-row Magic Seat® brings the versatility! Hatchback attack!

Fit.honda.com

“Fit Sport with SAT only. tAvailable accessory. Apple and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. **Fit with MT. Based on 2007 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Actual mileage may vary. 1-800-33-Honda © 2006 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Las Vegas, Nevada. It used to be America's playground. Now it's a battleground. 4

Use tactical planning to compete іп split-screen or online multiplayer matches.

9.57710

GAME INFORMER

YAHOO! GAMES * SCORES PERTAIN TO XBOX 360™ VERSION

WWW.RAINBOWSIXGAME.COM

| PRODUCTS RANGE FROM | AÑ PC

Available for the PSP® (PlayStati XBOX ‘system and coming soon for the LIVE => computer entertainment system

jes. Rainbow Six, Red Storm, and the Red Storm logo are — Red Storm istered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Mem Duo™ may

Uproot the Forces of Evil.

DAWN BREAKS ON THE BATTLE AGAINST DARKNESS.

A baneful wind howls through the paradise of Illusia. The seeds of evil have been sown, and a malevolent force has blossomed on the once beautiful isle. Armed with a magical sword and the help of some powerful elemental spirits, Keldy must weed out the darkness, purify the land and restore the light of hope.

To dig deeper, visit na.square-enix.com/dawnofmana

+ Fantasy Violence

up.

PlayStation. SQUARE ENIX.

ights Reserved. DAWN of MANA, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. fware Association

> ` \ IN STORES 5.22.07 а 4 | \\ > "MCN М ) | | TATA T2. 25 N m “ \ j 4 \ f \ N | 44 АХ | AWIN { t4 > ]

[ AY

4

Gy . б

ES J <

= \

PANI У, i e a { ve

МУ AS f

NP Bf

Ф a “шине MEN PaGukePuube l GAMES www.sega.com

OSEGA. SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA, the SEGA logo and Alien Syndrome are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. Ай rights reserved. “PlayStation”, “PS” Family logo and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately). TM and the Wii fogo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.

Ж, 22 2 > t entm

Intense four-person co-op multiplayer plus Use hundreds of weapons, armor types, and special RPG depth and customization with ground-breaking Wii-specific mini-games and “finishing moves”. abilities against more than 80 ferocious alien species. Wii controls in a lightning-fast, run-and-gun shooter.

See the new game trailer at www.sega.com/aliensyndrome

cover story

CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE

The original studio behind Call of Duty and Call of Duty 2, Infinity Ward, is returning to the series with this enormous title. Video game warfare will never be the same; once you get a look at Modern Warfare you may find that your current gaming library isn't cutting it any more. Dive into 10 pages of our in- depth world-exclusive report on the game that could challenge

Halo 3 this holiday season, right here.

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 Sarah Chudley of Bizarre Creations speaks about the company’s history and the future of the company, as well as the Project Gotham series

8 GAME INFORMER

GEAR Geeky gadget stuff for the masses

OPINION The author behind Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Eric Nylund, lends his voice to the debate surrounding storytell- ing in games as opposed to more traditional media

CALENDAR Get hip to this month's happenings

PREVIEWS His Dark Materials goes digital with The Golden Compass. Learn the latest on the long-awaited Nights sequel, Spore, and much more this month

THE BIG QUESTIONS We talked to sources in every part of the video game industry to find

out the answers to the most burning questions facing our favorite hobby right now.

THE LAST REMNANT Anyone interested in the first look at a new RPG series from Square Enix? Yeah, we thought so. Come on in and we'll take good care of you.

SPLINTER CELL

CONVICTION Everything changes, and Splinter Cell is no differ- ent. We travel to Montreal

Е to check out Sam Fisher's surprising new look and gameplay.

RISE OF THE

ARGONAUTS

We have the world-exclu- sive reveal of this massive RPG set in the rich world of Greek mythology that aims to reinvent a lot of the tired clichés that hold back the genre.

REVIEWS Game of the Month: Super Paper Mario for Wii

CHARTS Retail Sales Data and the GI 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 Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation

Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos . . . Atelier Iris 3; Grand Phantasm . Brooktown High Club, The

mmand & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Cube. Darkness, The ... Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom Diner Dash. . . Empire Earth Ill

Etrian Odyssey

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer........

Golden Compass, The.

Grim Grimoire

Heatseeker

Infernal

Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. . NASCAR 08 .....

Nights: Journey of Dreams .

Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Odin Sphere. . .

Pokémon Diamond/Pearl

Ratchet & Clank 3 Future: Tools of Destruction. .

Raw Danger

Rayman Raving Rabbids . .

Super Paper Мапо............ à Tenchu Z.......

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

Time Ace

TimeShift

Touch the Dead

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

Zendoku......

DX | AANR Е Visit www.esrb.org

for updated rating

information.

THE FATE OF TWO CIVILIZATIONS IS IN YOUR HANDS.

L- A-I- R

SUMMER 2007

WWW.LAIRTHEGAME.cOM PLAYSTATION. Ə E LJ

: S | Al f People Who Actually Get Paid To Play Video Games

DEVELOPERS MATTER

ANDY McNAMARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I have never been one to care much about name brands. Sure, | know of a fashion designer or two, but when | put my pants on in the morning, they are called jeans, and they go on one leg at a time.

But ask me about video game designers, and l'Il talk your ear off for an hour. Developers and the work they do are far too underappreciated by many gamers today (and a few publishers for that matter, but I'll save that subject for another letter).

This is a shame, since knowing the developer is one of the most important pieces of information you can get on an upcoming game. Take this month's cover story, for example. Another Call of Duty from anyone other than Infinity Ward simply wouldn't have made it on our cover. To me, this developer makes the series.

Not to say that | don't mind a nice installment from one of the other developers to fill my time until the next Call of Duty from Infinity Ward graces my favorite console, but those games are more about going through the motions, not about pushing the series forward like Infinity Ward has done with Modern Warfare. (On a side note, the new game is simply stunning and is for sure one of the biggest first-person shooters of the year — a serious competitor to Halo 3 without a doubt.)

Infinity Ward isn't the only developer out there setting a standard of excellence that shouldn't be ignored. Learn the names of developers that define the envelope and commit them to memory. Companies like Epic, Bungie, and Blizzard are ones that everyone seems to know, but there are plenty of companies out there who are consistently doing work a cut above the rest. Knowing these companies doesn't just make you more interesting at social gatherings (and yes, І think talking video games at a party is the “in” thing to do), it will also help you hone your video game tastes so you play more of the great ones and less of the crap.

| like lists, so | made of list of my favorites for you to enjoy over and above the obvious ones | mentioned above. Success at these companies isn’t an accident. These devel- opers are good because they want to be.

My big list:

Insomniac, Big Blue Box, Ubisoft Montreal, Criterion, Starbreeze, Valve, id, Raven, Naughty Dog, Factor 5, Rockstar North, Gearbox Studios, Neversoft, Kojima Productions, Whatever Project Kobayashi is working on at Capcom, Bethesda, Bioware, Polyphony Digital, Bizarre Creations, Monolith, Retro, Irrational, Ensemble, Intelligent Systems, Crytek, Firaxis, Harmonix, and many more to come

Cheers,

Andy >> andy@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: Modest Mouse, Nine Inch Nails, Alice Russell, Entourage Dislikes: | Hate To Say It, But | Need More Games For My Wii And PlayStation 3 – Get On It As This Drought Has To End, The Stupid Insanity That Has Spawned In Void Of The

Old E3 Current Favorite Games: World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, Guitar Hero 1l, God Of War Il, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

10 GAME INFORMER

Reiner >> reiner@gameinformercom

Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action, First-Person Shooters, Strategy, Sports, Fighting Interests: My New Home Theater (You Can See & Hear It From Space), Xbox

360$ Spring Update, Grindhouse (Kurt Russell Better Win An Oscar), Planet Earth Blu-Ray (Jumping Sharks For The Win!) Dislikes: The Media Claiming The Chicago Cubs’ Season Is Over Whenever A Player So Much As Farts, Ben's Recent Pokémon Obsession (If He Talks Like A Squirtle Again, Prank Calls For Life) Current Favorite Games: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Grand Theft Auto IV, Guitar Hero II, Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords

Matt >> matt@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: Blonde Redhead ~ 23, Seventies Aerosmith, Jonestown The Life And Death Of People’s Temple, Tacos Dislikes: High Cholesterol, Snow In April, The War At Home (Might Be The Worst Fox Sitcom Ever, And That's Saying Something), Sub-par New Season Of 24 Current Favorite Games: Super Paper Mario, God Of War II, Kororinpa: Marble Mania, Monster Madness

Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/Platform Interests: “Detroit” By Defunct Glasgow Rockers Whiteout, The Bawdies (The Hard- est Working Band In Tokyo), That The U.S. The Office Keeps Getting Better And Better, Catch 22 (The Book And The Movie) Dislikes: Ordering Meat Dishes For Vegetarian Friends In Tokyo By Accident Because Of My Unfortunate Japanese Current Favorite Games: NASCAR 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Spore, Rise Of The Argonauts

Adam >> adam@gameintormercom

Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: Getting Out And Walking, Working On My Baseball Swing, Crushing The Damage Meters (Warlocks Be Damned), Couches That A Man Can Actually Stretch Out On, Fly

Girls Singing “Slap Slap” Dislikes: Hitting One Soft Grounder After Another Right At The Shortstop (6-4-3 For The Lose), LA. Traffic, Running Out Of DS Battery Power On The Bus Current Favorite Games: Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords

Ј0е >> joe@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Action, Strategy, Puzzle Interests: The Montages In Brooktown High, The Brief And Frightening Reign Of Phil By George Saunders, Theon Greyjoy (I'm Sure He's Doing Fine), A Princess Of Roumania By Paul Park, Deathproof Dislikes: Launchpad McQuack, Bean (He's Like A Store-Brand Ender), How Season Four Of 24 Stacks Up To The First Three (Hint: Poorly) Current Favorite Games: The Last Remnant, Spore, Mass Effect, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night, God Of War Il, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All, Odin Sphere

Miller >> miler@gameintormercom

Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Fighting, Platform, First-Person Shooters Interests: Bert's Irressistible Charm With Women (Who Are Over 75), The Impending Arrival Of World War Hulk (Let The Insanity Begin), The New Daily Show Set, The Way My Dog Has Eliminated The Need For An Alarm Clock Dislikes: When Netflix Stalls (Due To My Own Inability To Keep Pace), Arguing Court Cases Before A Judge (Not As Fun As You'd Think) Current Favorite Games: Rise Of The Argonauts, The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

Bertz >> mattbertz@gameinformercom

Handle: Lord Gamington Ill Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Sports, Action, RPGs, Strategy Interests: New Season Of Entourage, Playoff Hockey, Blades Of Glory, Killing Pablo By Mark Bowden, Spring Fever, Planet Earth (Sigourney's Voice Is Hypnotic) Dislikes: Being Groped By Senior Citizens (True Story), No Franchise Mode In All-Pro Football 2K8, No Checkpoints In GRAW 2 Co-Op Campaign Current Favorite Games: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, Rainbow Six Vegas, S.TALKER:: Shadow Of Chernobyl

Ben >> ben@gameintormer.com

Handle: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamer Expertise: Action/Adventure, Action/RPGs, Platform, Survival Horror, First-Person Shooters Interests: Deadpool (| Could Do It), Hellboy, Arrested Development, My New Metal Gear Ray Head (Thanks Joe, All Is Forgiven For Now), Planet Earth Dislikes: Dreaming About Pokémon (Not A Good Sign), Whoever Keeps Calling And Hanging Up On Me (Stop It), Trying To Write With Fish Pens, Helping My Brother Move Twice In The Same Month Current Favorite Games: Splinter Cell Conviction, God Of War II, The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, Pokémon Diamond, Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords

Bryan >> bryan@gameinformer.com

Handle: The Gamer's Advocate Expertise: Action/Adventure, RPGs, Survival Horror, First- Person Shooters, Rhythm Interests: New Home Theater Systems, When Reinerflix Goes Wrong, eBay (A Little Late To The Game On This One), Acceptable.tv Dislikes: Setting Up New Home Theater Systems, Being Tempted To Have Both Blu-ray And HD-DVD Players, Having Too Many TV Shows To Keep Up With Current Favorite Games: Super Paper Mario, Pokémon Pearl, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Phoenix Wright: Trials And Tribulations

GAMEINFORMER,

JUNE 2007 Volume XVII + Number 6 * Issue 170

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

Photographer Mike Frisbee GAME INFORMER ONLINE

Managing Online Editor Billy Berghammer Online Production Assistant Nick Ahrens. Associate Online Editor Jeff Cork

ADVERTISING SALES.

MINNEAPOLIS Rob Вот Associate Publisher (612) 4866155 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 rob@gameinformer.com WEST COAST Damon Watson West Coast Advertising Director (310) 450-3260 * Fax: (310) 450-3571 damon@gameinformer.com

EAST COAST Suzanne Lang East Coast Advertising Sales Director (718) 832-5575 * Fax: (718) 832.5569 suzanne@gameinformer.com MINNEAPOLIS Ату Amold.

Advertising Coordinator and Online Sales (612) 4866154 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 ‘amy@gameinformer.com Matt Edgar Advertising Assistant (612) 486-6152 * Fax: (612) 4866101 mattedgar@gameinformer.com

CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT

For change of address ог subscription inquiry ONLY: Toll Free: 1 (866) 844-6АМЕ (4263)

Fax: (612) 486-6101 Email: customerservice@gameinformer.com Or send correspondence to:

724 North First St., 4th Floor Minneapolis, MN 55401 Attn: CIS Dept

Circulation Manager Paul Anderson • (612) 4866104 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 ай 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 ог in part without permission is prohibited. Game informer is a trademark of GameStop, Inc. Products named in these pages аге rade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies. PUBLISHER LIABILITY FOR ERROR The publisher shall not be able for sight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's Варку for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited to repubication ot the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement, INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser andlor ‘Advertsing Agency agrees to défend and indemnity the publisher against any and ай кару, oss, or expense arising from claims of libel, unfair competition, unfair rade practices, intingement of trademarks, copyrights, rade names, patents, or proprietary rights or violation of rights ol privacy, resulting from he publication of ће

Adveriser's statement.

Member Audit Bureau of Circulations

Mild Suggestive Themes

Violence

Ж eidos»> Ly

mawies

Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry

cam

1 Jeff of GI Online is the proud father of the newest member of the Game Informer family — young Henry Cork! We were going to call Henry the "new- est AND cutest member of the Game Informer family," but Joe threw a i Ё ; big hissy fit about it. Not worth it 2 2 FYAYER® 5 & | Vivendi's Erik Reynolds works on his E modeling poses with Adam and Dan F McClure of Mad Doc Software. Do “Blue Steel” next, Erik! 3 Miller puts on his happy face for Kohnke’s Eddiemae Jukes and EA Mythic’s John Drescher and Steve Perkins. Aw...we just want to pinch Miller's cheeks! (both sets!) 4 Jason West of Infinity Ward shows off one of the perks of his job — a full set of limited edition Call of Duty figures. At Game Informer, we call these “retire- ment plans,” but don’t worry, our health care coverage is great — all the free cop- ies of Trauma Center we want! 5 Nick hangs with one of his gaming heroes, Frank DeLise of Kaos Studios 6 Square Enix's Sonia Im and Charlie Sinhaseni hang out with a bunch of morons 7 Billy "Double Barrel" Berghammer goes 'huntin' for big game with Teresa Tyndorf of Fortyseven Communications. Raccoon stew for everyone tonight!

12 GAME INFORMER

MATURE

1

Blood Intense Violence

7+

Microsoft i? JT fasastudia

ESRB CONTENT RATING wwwesbog| gamexStudios

o

for Windows

IN ANY OTHER GAME, THIS MIBHT ACTUALLY HELP YOU.

When death can come from anywhere it can make even the most unflappable near-future warrior a little jumpy. In Shadowrun, good brains matter as much as good aim as you ditch the usual run п gun to outwit and üutgun your enemies. You're a deadly combination of firepower

and mystic powers as you tele- port. see through walls, and even turn ta smoke to put the bad guys

in a state of permanent relaxation

The bad news? Your enemies can,

too. Better keep your eyes open

SHADOWRUN 1 |

THE QUESTION: Are you going to buy an Xbox 360 Elite?

No. This is a product that tries to take a step in the right direction by offering a bigger HDD to solve space issues some current 360 owners have, but trips and falls backwards due to the ridiculous pricing strategy. Shatterediamonds

1 think the purpose for the Elite is to appeal to people who haven't bought a 360 yet. I've bought one myself, and I find the upgrades to be a tad too meek for the extra money.

Resident. Sonic

I bought an Elite 360 last month It had a bigger hard drive, was black, and had НОМІ It was called a PlayStation 3.

ZakMiller

Since | don't already own one, why not get the Elte? 1 need something to play Blue Dragon оп.

GCNMatt

3

B Blue Dragon Asa current 360 owner, | see no reason to buy the Elite even with its upgraded features. Although the new HDMI output is nice, it's not enough to sway me to buy another 360 night now. Splitfire101

Yes, Гуе been holding off on buying a 360 so they could release one that isn't as buggy and is worth the money. The 120 GB hard drive is worth the extra $70 compared to the $399 bundle.

shibbydashang!

I would've paid the extra money for an Xbox 360 Elite a year and a half ago if it was released in place of the original Premium bundle. Too late now, Microsoft. neobluebat

Do you want to make your voice heard? Weigh in with your opinion at aww gameinformer.com/forums

14 GAME INFORMER

CHILDREN AR THE FUTURE

| just got the April issue

and read both Elder

Scrolls articles (the PS3

version of Oblivion and

the 360's Shivering

Isles). Then | started

to remember my own

Oblivion adventures.

Out of all the characters

| interacted with in my

many hours with game, |

just realized that none of

them were children! Why

are the only characters

adults? Are people in

Tamriel not reproducing?

Chris Sartin

Via hotmail.com

= Even though it seems strange, Oblivion doesn't take place in some Children of Men-style world where no new kids are being born. It's true that there are no chil- dren in the game, but the team did consider including them at one point. Pete Hines, Bethesda's vice president of public rela- tions and marketing, explains: "We felt they caused more problems than they solved, even though the world would feel more realistic. We're looking into that issue again with Fallout 3, so we'll see how it turns out" So, even if you can't run kiddies down with Shadowmere, maybe you'll be able to abandon them in a radioactive wasteland. That certainly won't upset anyone.

IGNORANCE OVERWHELMING

E No one under 18 admitted in Cyrodiil

There's one thing about video games that I just can't figure out. Why is it so hard for most women to understand video game controls? My girlfriend complains that the games | buy are too hard and complicated. Now, is that our fault as men? I tried to explain to her that it was because a portion of her brain was smaller than mine. The number of women gamers is growing, but there are so many women who can't experience great games like Okami, God of War, or even Legend of Zelda because their brains can't handle more than three face buttons. | think developers should create a specific difficulty mode for women: “Girlie” Don't get me wrong, | love ladies. | just hate having to turn off my game because my girlfriend can't figure it out.

Anthony Jacobs Jr.

Via yahoo.com

= The movie Billy Madison said it best: "Mr. Jacobs, what you've just wrote is one of the most insanely idiotic things we have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoher- ent letter were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone here is now dumber for having read it. We award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul”

Send your comm

mer Magazi

THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER

In a fight, who would win: Master Chief or Kratos? Chris Hall Via email

s This letter actually triggered a some- what lengthy debate in the СІ office, most of which was arguing the specific rules of the proposed bout. Would Kratos be allowed his blades or magic? Could Master Chief wear his armor or use grenades? Eventually it was decided that both Kratos and the Chief could use only their fists as weapons, though the latter would also be afforded the luxury of his Mjolnir battle armor. Then we started talking about battle armor in general, which naturally led to a discussion of Robocop before a victor could be decided. So, as always, Robocop wins.

CASUAL COMPLAINTS

| usually agree with what your writers say about the state of the gaming industry, but | had some huge issues with the article "Space Invaders" by Kato in issue 168. The casual gamer is not neces- sarily a new gamer. Quite often it is someone who enjoys gaming, but doesn't have the time to spend two hours playing just to get to the next save station. So what if a handful of games offer short bursts of entertainment? The industry isn't going to spit in the face of its core support.

Elaine Burkett

via msn.com

| MASSIVELY MISTAKEN

| Online R Playing Game. | get kind of e it makes gamers look 't understand what I

ively” in the dictionary. -

rb, not an adjective. It should Multiplayer Online Role Playing this been changed by

a You're right, a game can't just be referred to as “massively” However, in this phrase, the word is actually meant to describe the multiplayer, not the game in general. In short, because MMOs supports hundreds of players simultaneously, they are considered “mas- sively multiplayer" See, gamers aren't so stupid after all!

ne e Attn: Dear GI © 724 North First St., 4th Floor • Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com

Whoa, am | missing something? In his opinion

piece, Kato laments that publishers are catering

to casual gamers at the expense of the more

hardcore among us. Trying to please everyone

at once is a fool's errand. Isn't that what the dif-

ficulty settings are for? Give me options. Let me

choose my path instead of outright insulting my

intelligence with coddling or punishing me with

unforgiving challenges. Then, maybe, you might

just find you've pleased everyone without even

really trying.

Kyle Wadsworth Via mail.com

Is CliffyB going to stop working on Unreal and Gears of War to make a canasta game? Is Microsoft pulling money from Halo 3's budget to make Crossword Puzzle Challenge? Have gamers forsaken Rainbow Six to play blackjack online? The answer to all of these questions is, of course, no. But you wouldn't know that after reading Matthew "the sky is falling" Kato's article about casual gaming ruining video games. What a whin- er. After being a niche hobby for so long, gaming has finally reached the mainstream, and you're just circling up your elitist nerd wagons (with +1 enhanced durability) to keep everyone out. Let Grandpa have his poker game. Your hardcore games are in no danger.

Wade Knapik

Via email

= No, not everyone hates Kato. Tons of read- ers wrote to voice their agreement as well, but the dissenting opinions are actually more illuminating. Gamers pay attention to what interests them. For the hardcore, this could include the hottest new FPS to the most obscure Japanese import. But there are thousands of gamers who might not

be drawn to the most challenging or time- intensive experiences on the market. That's totally fine, and publishers and developers need to consider these consumers as well. However, if those considerations start to

8i Gruul: massive, not massively

om/gaming

YOUR ADRENALINE WILL GIVE OUT BEFORE THE SYSTEM DOES.

DELL IS YOUR ONE-STOP. SHOP FOR THE HOTTEST GAMES, GEAR AND SYSTEMS.

XPS 710°

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Starting at 52678

мэм

Call 1-877-718-3355

*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. U.S. Dell Home Systems Co. new purchases only. Dell cannot be responsible for pricing or Tors, and reserves the right to cancel огде!

arising from such errors. SOFTWARE DIFFERENCES: Software, documentation or packaging may differ from retail versions. TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT NOTIC icrosoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. ©2007 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

come at the expense of compelling and high-quality games, the gamers who have supported the industry over the years will have every right to feel betrayed.

FOOL'D

| work in a game store, and | just wanted to thank you for the hilarious Wii Balls segment in Game Infarcer. | thought you might like to know that a woman carne into my store the other day and actually asked to reserve a set. Of course, | did the only thing | could do; | asked if she wanted the flesh-colored sack or the blue one

Jon Wilbum Via email

A friend of mine just called me with some urgent news: "Dude, did you hear that Microsoft is start- ing a Life Achievements program!? You can, like, buy a Zune, and you get points! It's gonna be sweet!" | was literally speechless. Eric Dawson Omaha, NE

In your article in the April Issue, “Air Not Included", you state that it is planned that people will have to spend real money to download things such as helmets, mascots, and air for the ball. This is ridic- ulous. | have no problem with companies offering content that you pay to download. However, this content should include new logos for the helmets, updated rosters, and new draft classes. When it comes to charging for the air in the ball, | find this totally unacceptable. It is disturbing that companies are beginning to think that they can put anything online and then make you pay extra for things that should be included to begin with. At that point, they're just releasing an incomplete game.

James Balderson

Via email

AIR NOT INCLUDED GAME PUBLIS

NEW DOWNLOADS FOR MADDEN 08

= We received lots of letters like these from people who either fell for the jokes in Game Infarcer or had friends who fell for them. Maybe it's a little sadistic, but we find these tales highly entertaining. Here's a tip for the future: If a page in our April issue con- tains a highly unlikely article, has the word "parody" at the bottom of the page, and is a part of a feature entitled Game Infarcer, it probably isn't true. At any rate, thanks for sending i in your stories!

| CORRECTIONS

| In our May issue (169), we incorrectly stated that Maserati is the Italian division of Lamborghini. Maserati is actually owned by Fiat. We apologize for the mistake.

16 GAME INFORMER

Enter the Game Informer Reader Art Contest. All you need to do is draw, paint, scratch, spit, or carve the best dam art you can think of and send it to us. Please include your name, phone number, and return address. If you're the monthly winner, we'll feature your work in СІ and you'll receive a video game prize from the Game Informer vault. All entries become the property of Game Informer and can't be retumed

Send to:

Game Informer Reader Art Contest 724 Ist St N, 4th Floor

Mpls, MN 55401

DAVID REID Can you really rock the soul patch if you don't have a soul?

STEVE McDONALD

Kratos gets ready to eviscerate the next moron who says “This...is... SPARTA!”

D A

NUAGE BIEN

BeFont AP AFTER

BAILEY ANDERSON Trust us, these work way better than those offers constantly showing up in your inbox.

d

SETH DEMING Leonardo's thoughts drift gently to Casey Jones, and how best to murder him.

KENDAL PHILLIPS “Hey, pal. Keep your filthy vines to yourself.”

LARIS LEMESEVSKI

| This piece of art is bet- ter than every Uwe Boll movie combined. By the way, is BloodRayne 2

| ever coming out?

MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE BASKETBALL.

FreeStyleStreetBasketball.com

Play against real people!

Make amazing alley oops and dunks! Improve skills with new gear!

EVERYO \ t € org f IERRA Је

ач rating Copyright © 2004-2007 JC Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. FreeStyle and the FreeStyle logo are trademarks of JC Entertainment, Inc. Published by Sierra Online, a ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org division of Vivendi Games, Inc. Sierra and the Sierra logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sierra Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under | license. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Game Experience May Change. During Online Pla

COUP, Jb ol A acp BM ES se

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

| e E : №, IT’S STILL'MOVING! CAPCOM i RESIDENT EVIL TO Wii

c

18 GAME INFORMER Ü 3

t Capcom's spring gamers' day, there were two games that had everybody talking. You'll have to wait until next month to get all the details on one of them (Devil May Cry 4), but we've got the full scoop on the upcoming Wii version of the modern classic, Resident Evil 4.

In terms of content, players won't find any major differences between this version and the PS2 entry. It has all of the extra costumes, Ada mis- sions, and high-definition options that were added to the PS2 port. Unsurprisingly, Capcom hopes the Wii controls will distinguish this one from previous incarnations.

Using both the nunchuk and remote, the set-up feels strange at first. Players move with the thumb- stick, and enter fire mode by hold- ing the B button. At this point, you move the remote to aim the reticle on-screen (which replaces the laser sight), and press A to shoot. If you want to use your knife, you can just slash the remote (outside of fire mode), and Leon will instantly take out his knife and swing it at the nearest foe. This makes using the knife far easier than before, but purists can still use the old knife controls instead.

The interactive cutscenes will also use the motion-sensing controls, making players shake the remote back and forth to outrun a boulder, or swing it to attack Krauser dur- ing the knife fight. These events required a great degree of precision before, so we'll have to wait and see how that translates to the flailing of the remote.

Resident Evil 4 and Devil May Cry 4 may have been the biggest topics of conversation at the event, but Capcom had an array of other games available in some form or another. Project Treasure Island Z for Wii, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for PSP, two new DS MegaMan games, and Moto GP 07 on PS2 (Capcom acquired the PlayStation rights from Namco) all made appearances, as did some interesting Xbox Live Arcade fare like "HD Remix" versions of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Super Street Fighter I! Turbo. Despite the lack of new info on Resident Evil 5 or no announcement of Dead Rising 2, it looks like Capcom has a solid year ahead.

Ж All of the PS2 content, like Ada's missions, will be included

m When you run out of ammo, you may have to rely on the new knife controls

P

E The Wii remote will be used to handle many interactive cutscenes

E The reticle replaces the stylish laser sight

Wi Leon's fatal mistake here is aiming at the woman, not the guy with the chainsaw

^

B Aiming feels quite natural once you adapt to the new ON control scheme

55 connect

NO OBJECTIONS HERE!

The fourth game in this series just released in Japan (and is selling like crazy), but we still have some catching up to do. Phoenix Wright 3: Trials and Tribulations is hitting our shores in September. There won't be any major overhauls to the for- mula, but the story will feature two timelines, one in the present with Phoenix and the other in the past starring Mia Fey as a rookie defense attorney. Players will also face a formidable new foe in

the form of a coffee-swilling prosecuting attorney named Godot.

SHOOTING GALLERY

Another Resident Evil game, entitled Resident

Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, was also playable

at Capcom's event. Capturing the feeling of old arcade light-gun games, this rail-shooter has players using the Wii remote to stem a never-ending tide of zombies. The gameplay isn’t exactly innova-

tive, but since it has returning characters like Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Wesker, Resident Evil fans will definitely be playing through to get the whole story behind the collapse of Umbrella.

While it’s certainly easy to make a bad game based on a good license, there are

some games that have no business existing in the first place. This month’s GI Ten gathers the best of the worst licenses in gaming history, plumbing the depths to find the ultimate in “What were they thinking?” marketing deals.

Leading up our charge of horrendous video game licenses are the Trolls gang, a line of cheap plastic toys with Don King hair that were popular with weird aunts and cat ladies throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The ugly, naked “dolls” were bad enough in non-virtual form, but for some reason American Video Entertainment decided to make a spectacularly bad NES game based on the license in 1992. We hope they bought the

rights at a Dollar Store.

2 Sinago Gliog

TAN

For a person whose sole tal- | ^ ent seems to be a knack for ) appearing in every picture with ү

the exact same dead-eyed, T >