GAMEINFORMER) Е ОО WORLD EXCLUSIVE A Modern-Day Espionage Thriller That Will Change The Way You _ Think About Role-Playing Games Dell recommends Windows Vista" Home Premium. purchases only. Free shipping and handling offer available in Continental (except Alaska) s of Microsoft Corporation. “PRICING AVAILABILITY: Otfers subject to change: not combinable wi logo. intei Core, Core inside, Pentium, and Pentium inside are trademe all other offers. Taxes, shipping. handling, and other fees apply. U.S. Dell Home and Home Office new c Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered tradem WORLD CHANGING. LITERALLY. Introducing the XPS 630. Whether you're traveling through the real world or Middle-earth, this beauty will bring the gamer out of anyone. With your choice of Intel's Core and Quad Core processors, and the option of NVIDIA® SLI® or ATI Crossfire" dual graphic solutions, you can watch videos or battle the Dark Lord with equal ease. Get more machine than meets the eye, and live the game while others merely play. Yours is here. New Dell" XPS" 630 Starting at ONLNE | Shaun Agran (turbine) ecocoooe DOLL YOURS IS HER E= TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT NOTICES: Intel, Intel logo я 22 "i p 2 : e " E Po [ Feturn to Sin City in the sequel to the 2006 shooter of year.” With massiv nded.multipl mew seamless co-op, and customizable character creation, you afegnow fully et ed to put to the terrorist threat. This time the stakes are raised. = yy MATURE 17+ ] - E: ё * Blood | PC IN " WE х - i Intense Violence [| ж.) XBOX 360 gr^ C— ч = Т E Strong Language DVD-ROM P ® amc CONTENT RATED SY s = SREB [SOFTWARE] = me © 2008 Ubisoft E red. Шс 990, Ubi. the Soldier Icon а Jemarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Rainbow Six, Red Storm, and Red Storm logo are trademarks of Red Stor 5 е : Xb зох LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and are used under license from Microsoft. "Pla TM and ©) EMA 2006. * Best First-Person Shooter, IGN.com, 2006 IN BronEBAARCH 20 WWW.RAINBOWSIXGAME.COM UBISOFT Aya Lue Ф ARKNESS. IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS D зц juoujueuau3 anduon fuos jo seagen рәғәдвібә әле „48а, PU ig Об 4.54. 0 i Ves feld, “оц eaueuy jueuute. диз 1ejnduo?) Áuog jo wei Intense Violence Blood and Gore Nudity Sexual Content ГЕМЕ ВӘ, e si 1em Jo poo ощ еоџәшу шәшшенәиз anduon fuos 80029 GOD CIWAR Long before his battle with Ares, Kratos waz a servant to the Gods. Ordered deep into the underworld, the Ghost of Sparta faced an impossible choice: Redeermea himself or save the ancient world from eternal da -mrkness. “9 out of 10. Reaches legendary heights.” — Game Informer posae. WWW.GODO[FWAR.COM PlayStation.Portable GUITAR HERO: AEROSMITH Developer Neverscom ft is partnering up with legend- ary rockers Aerosng—mith for the next Guitar Hero release, and we're — bringing you the exclusive first look at the project. Chroniding the band's rise to fame, this title give—=s gamers a behind-the-scenes look at the history sand music of one of America's most popular acts uf the last few decades. cover story GAME INFARC ER Our annual spoof gg—»okes fun at the last year of per- sonalities, events, == nd stories in video gaming. Join us for a five pages —- of satire, snarks, and parodies directed at everyth—3 ng related to our favorite hobby. And, as usual, we'r— «e not above making a few cheap jokes at the industm=—y’s expense. departments STAFF OPINION Read the team’ = latest favorites Fallout 3’s lead designer, Emil Pagliarulo of Bethesda Softworks, GI SPY z Э 2 А talks about the challenges and Silly pictures oF our life and times ен dE opportunities in creating video DEAR Gi game characters Your chance to fire back at us! CALENDAR CONNECT Get hip to this month’s happenings Where news, t==alk, and PREVIEWS technology coll mde INTERVIEW Peter Moore, Іса їе of Microsoft and current preside— mt of EA Sports, shares his plan—s for continued dominance іп tlhe sports sector GEAR Geeky gadget s= “tuff for the masses All the latest on 2008's hottest upcoming titles is here, from Saints Row 2 to Prototype and Will Wright's elusive Spore REVIEWS Game of the Month: Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Nintendo Wii 6 GAME INFORMER— ALPHA PROTOCOL | Longtime RPG purveyor Obsidian Entertainment, developer of such projects as Neverwinter Nights 2 and Knights of the Old Republic II, is striking out on its own with an original idea and we have the world exclusive first look for your reading plea- sure. This modern-day espionage-focused action/RPG takes players on a suspenseful ride in the vein of James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne. Take a wet-behind-the- ears greenhorn agent up through the ranks to become a bona fide super-spy in this exciting new thriller. Army of Two. . Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles......... Battle of the Bands . Bomberman Land............ BOOM BIOK Sh tigate era oes НЕ, о. Bourne Conspiracy, The Bully: Scholarship Edition Chronicles of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian ......... Condemned 2: Bloodshot . . Conflict: Denied Ops. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements . Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts . Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates . . . . . . Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift Frontlines: Fuel of War G Theft Auto IV .. House of the Dead 2 & 5 Return Incredible Hulk, The Jumper: Griffin's Story. . Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore . Lost Odyssey Lost: Via Domus . . MLB 2K8 ... Opoona Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection. Professor Layton and the Curious Village CHARTS Retail Sales Data and the GI editors’ Top 10 Games Prototype Rainbow Six Vegas 2......... Saints ROW 2..7 so coo EF, SECRET ACCESS Sega Bass Fishing Codes, strategies, and passwords Sins of a Solar Empire 3 CLASSIC 8l Spiderwick Chronicles, The...................... Reliving gaming's greatest s moments POLE а tarte Words УТА Л Л ЛЫ ъа S ONLINE p h Bros. Brawl....... ; See what's happening at gee ores) os Barly Game Informer Online GAME OVER The end...or is it? This Is Vegas. . . Turning Point: Fall of Liberty............. Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition. Wipeout Pulse . . . World Ends With You, The ...................... E e - ' 2 FA | | Ever tried 5 Gum? 51" FLARE™ COBALT RAIN" and STIMULATE YOUR SENSES™ are trademarks of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. ©2007 Wm. Wrigley Jt. Company. Stimulate Your Senses "Vw S | Al f People Who Actually Get Paid To Play Video Games BIG MONEY, BIG PRIZES ANDY McNAMARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF First it was the giant merger of Vivendi Games and Activision to form what, on paper, would be the big- gest game publisher in the business. Next, it was the talks of Electronic Arts moving in to purchase Take-Two Interactive for a measly two billion dollars (which would easily make it the biggest publisher). Consolidation in the video game industry isn’t just a fad. It is the future of gaming. This year, video games eclipsed the music industry in revenues. In the future, many research companies have the industry reaching as high as 60 billion dollars glob- ally by 2011. With that kind of money flying around, video games aren't just a hobby anymore. They are a giant entertainment medium that's still in its infancy, but most likely will turn into one of the most influential media of the 22nd century. Of course, to the gamer, all this business talk is just fodder. Gamers just want to play games. On one side, the consolidation of companies is a good thing. For example, if one of the other major players is picked up, like a Sega or Square Enix, perhaps the added publishing fire-power from joining with another com- pany would enable gamers to get Final Fantasy games on a yearly basis, or perhaps a big-budget version of Phantasy Star. Giant companies have more dollars to invest in a lot of product and could very well give gamers more variety. There is the other side of the coin, however, that warns that once the business gets bigger, the stakes become too high, and games that we all know and love might not have the draw (or sales) of another Madden or one of our industry's classic "licensed games that suck" Ultimately, the growth of the music and movie indus- tries led to more variety in my opinion, so | have high hopes for the future of video games. But don't think those industries got to where they are now without some bumps in the road. And after years of success and fantastic products, we just might be due a few lumps. Here's to hoping that while publishers have to care about money, they ultimately don't forget about who makes them that green: gamers. All we want is good games, and we don't care where they come from. Cheers, Andy >> andy@gameinformer.com Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: Meat, Cheese, Cereal, Burritos, Burgers, Tacos, Spaghetti, Guacamole (Hungry Yet?), Radiohead Dislikes: Watching The Combine Because | Miss NFL Football So Much, The "Two Ps" Myth, Army Of Two's Dialogue Current Favorite Games: World Of Warcraft, The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Rock Band, Guitar Hero Ill: Legends Of Rock, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 | 8 САМЕ INFORMER Reiner >> reiner@gameinformer.com Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action, First-Person Shooters, Strategy, Sports, Fighting Interests: A New Star Wars Movie Coming To Theaters (And It’s Not Penned By George Lucas!), The Flying Soufflé (My Champions Online Character), The LEGO Millennium Falcon (My Precious!), The Luna Brothers’ Girls Dislikes: The Death Of HD DVD (I Loved It Like A Son), Waiting For Spore, The Star Trek Trailer (We Don't Have Better Welding Torches In The Future?) Current Favorite Games: Army Of Two, Culdcept Saga, Lost Odyssey, Alpha Protocol, Grand Theft Auto IV, Frontlines: Fuel Of War, Spore, Saints Row 2 Matt >> matt@gameinformer.com Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: The Vandermark 5, Burial – Untrue, Twister (A Modern Classic Of Cinema), Generally Being Acknickulous Dislikes: People That Have Only Heard “Baby Got Back” Not Understanding How Awesome Sir Mix-A-Lot Was, Old Man Winter, Blinding Neck Pain, Day Trips By Plane Current Favorite Games: Mass Effect, Pinball Hall Of Fame: The Williams Collection, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Grand Theft Auto IV Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/Platform Interests: Ryan Newman & Kurt Busch Getting "The Captain" Roger Penske His First Dayto- na 500 Win, This Is England, Suedeheads, Making My Own Sushi Dislikes: Peter Forsberg's Fake Gimpy Foot, Superdelegates, The Lack Of Fighting Minutes For Matt Cooke (Payback's Gonna Be A —), Roger Clemens' Ego Getting In The Way Of His Brain Current Favorite Games: Sins Of A Solar Empire, Spore, Alpha Protocol, Downstream Panic! Adam >> adam@gameinformer.com Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: Doctor Who, Select Episodes Of Torchwood, The RNG In WoW Finally Deciding It Doesn't Hate Me Any More, Vacuums That Can Handle The Massive Amounts Of Cat Fur In My Apartment Dislikes: Most Episodes Of Torchwood (Note To The BBC: Captain Jack Sucks As A Troubled Brooding Hero), The Massive Amounts Of Cat Fur In My Apartment, Crappy Country Music Trying To Pass Itself Off As "Folk" Current Favorite Games: World Of Warcraft, Diablo Il: Lord Of Destruction, Dark Messiah Of Might & Magic: Elements, Sins Of A Solar Empire JOG >> joe@gameinformer.com Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Action, Strategy, Puzzle Interests: The Improvements Made To WoW In My Absence, Duchesse De Bourgogne, Unwittingly Siding With The Winner Of The HD War, Tales Of The Dying Earth By Jack Vance Dislikes: A Capella Performances, Apologizing To Bryan For Badmouthing Veronica Mars (So | Won't), Cheap Packaging (Real Classy, Lost Odyssey), Waiting Until Fall For More Pushing Daisies Current Favorite Games: Alpha Protocol, Lost Odyssey, Devil May Cry 4, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy МІ, Spore Miller >> miller@gameinformer.com Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Platform, First- Person Shooters, Music, Puzzle Interests: Large-Scale Writing Projects That | Will Never Publish Or Make Money From, Conquering Expert Drums (Run To The Hills, No Longer Will You Haunt My Dreams), 3:10 To Yuma (Man, That's A Good Movie) Dislikes: Joe's Inspirational Calendar Gifts, Great TV Shows That Won't Return Now Until Next Year Current Favorite Games: Rock Band, Undertow, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, N+ Bertz >> mattbertz@gameinformer.com Handle: Lord Gamington Ill Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Sports, Action, RPGs, Strategy Interests: Roger Clemens Throwing His Wife Under The Bus, The End Of The Writers’ Strike, Trailer Park Boys, Balvenie Scotch Dislikes: Crappy ‘80s Music Played In Serene Beach Locations, The Senate Wasting So Much Time On Sports (Um... Isn't There A War Going On?), The Sense Of Emptiness You Feel After The Super Bowl (Thank God For The NFL Network) Current Favorite Games: NHL 08, Contra 4, Frontlines: Fuel Of War, Rock Band, Guitar Hero Ill: Legends Of Rock, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Ben >> ben@gameinformer.com Handle: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamer Expertise: Action/Adventure, Action/RPGs, Platform, Survival Horror, First-Person Shooters Interests: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows (l'm Not That Slow, Just A Late Starter), The New Spider-Man Comics (He's Better Than He's Been In A Decade) Dislikes: Being Banned From Talking To Certain People In Authority, My Car Current Favorite Games: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Rez HD, Professor Layton And The Curious Village Bryan >>_bryan@gameinformer.com Handle: The Gamer's Advocate Expertise: Action/Adventure, RPGs, Survival Horror, First-Person Shooters, Music Interests: Getting A Mostly Full Season Of Lost, More Weezer And Stone Temple Pilots On Rock Band, HD DVD's Glorious Crash And Burn Dislikes: Trying To Dodge Cold And Flu Threats, Empty Rock Band DLC Promises (Just Release An Album Already!), Waiting For All Of The HD DVD Exclusives To Make Their Way Over To Blu-ray Current Favorite Games: Mass Effect, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Professor Layton And The Curious Village, Rock Band AMEINFORMER. APRIL 2008 Volume XVIII + Number 4 * Issue 180 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 CONTRIBUTORS Photographer Steve Skoll Wustration Big Time Attic GAME INFORMER ONLINE Online Production Assistant Nick Ahrens. Associate Online Editor Jeff Cork ADVERTISING SALES MINNEAPOLIS Rob Borm Associate Publisher (612) 4866155 + Fax: (612) 486-6101 fob@gameinformer.com WEST COAST Damon Watson West Coast Advertising Director (310) 450-3260 * Fax: (310) 450.3571 damon@gameinformer.com Janey Stringer West Coast Advertising Associate (612) 4866104 • Fax: (612) 4866101 janey@gameinformer.com EAST COAST Suzanne Lang East Coast Advertising Sales Director (718) 8325575 * Fax: (718) 832.5569 suzanne@gameinformer.com MINNEAPOLIS Ату Amold Advertising Coordinator and Online Sales (612) 4866154 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 ‘amy@gameinformer.com Rachel Nimerfroh Marketing Coordinator (612) 486.6059 * Fax: (612) 486-6101 rachel@gameinformer.com CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT For renewal, address change and Edge card details: Visit: www.gameinformer.com Email: customerservice@gameinformer.com Or send correspondence to: 724 North First St., 3rd Floor Minneapolis, MN 55401 * Attn: CIS Dept For subscription inquiry ONLY: 1 (866) 844-GAME (4263) Circulation Services. Ted Katzung • (612) 4866107 ted@gameinformer.com Information Systems Manager Paul Hedgpeth paulhedgpeth@gameinformer.com In memory of Paul Anderson Manufactured and printed in the United States of America The Editor welcomes company product information for all video games. Such materials should be addressed о: Editor, Game Informer® Magazine, 724 North Fist St, 4th Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Unsolicited cannol be returned or acknowledged. Entire contents copyright 2008. Game Informer& Magazine. А! rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer is a trademark of GameStop, Inc. Products named in these pages are trade names, or yademarks, of their respective ‘companies, PUBLISHER LIABILITY FOR ERROR The publisher shall not be fable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’ ару for other ‘errors or omissions in connection wih an advertisement is ited to republication ofthe advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for ће advertisement. INDEMNIFICATION The advertiser andlor Advertising Agency agrees to defend and indemnity the publisher against any and ай abit loss, or expense arising from clams of libel, untair competition, unfair trade practices, infringement of trademarks, copyrights, rade names, patents, or proprietary rights or violation of rights of privacy, esuling from the publication of the Advertisers statement. 4 Member Audit Bureau of Circulations These four top hats are all the same height, but the length of the brim is different. In other words, the hats are equally tall but vary in width. One of these four hats has a brim and height that are the same length. Which hat is it? HINTS | т Text keyword “Mystery” to 49737 for the answer and a free wallpaper, or visit ProfessorLaytonDS.com to explore this unique Nintendo DS adventure filled with riddles, puzzles and hidden treasure. Solve your way in. Standard text message rates apply. 2007 LEVEL-5 Inc. TM, ®, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection logo and the Nintendo DS logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2008 Nintendo. S PY Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry 1 Future Game Informer read- er Vincent Colozza discov- ers that it is hard to be Kratos when you are absolutely ador- able 2 Planet Moon's Aaron Loeb and THQ's Vanessa Vanasin introduce Reiner, Ben, and Bryan to the won- derful world of musical mash- ups 3 Sean Kauppinen and Eddiemae Jukes of TriplePoint PR party down with The New York Times’ Seth Schiesel 4 Joe and Andy hang with some video game heavy- weights: [Left to right] Scarface/Riddick produc- er Pete Wanat, Spike TV's Geoff Keighley, MTV's Stephen Totillo, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, and Remi Sklar of Warner Bros. Interactive 5 Miller smiles after finishing a session of mayhem with the Saints Row 2 crew: Volition's Greg Donovan and James Tsai and THQ's Craig Mitchell 6 Vince Zampella and Jason West of Infinity Ward are all smiles at DICE. You would be too if you'd made Call of Duty 4! 7 Nick plays Colonial Marine with a real-life warrior, Colonel John Antal, who helps Gearbox get the realism for their Brothers in Arms series 8 Ubisoft's Kjell Vistad, Carol Quito, Prince of Persia produc- er Ben Mattes, and Miller pay tribute to the Prince himself Reality. Ends a Th ts Sort "gi TU € A Aftermath All is not right at Fallcreek University. m students and faculty have po sud ae ; $ \ ~ m ч begun experimenting with mysterious black flowers that have Mae” ^ f à inexplicably sprung up on campus, and a dangerous, hallucinogenic Ж. ae substance is discovered within them. A handful of students soon 4 е learn there is much more to the flowers than once thought, and the © ^x bad trips suddenly turn into a horrifying reality... 3 = ws 5 ` WOIGNITION hydravision кї л+л осс entertainm aUWenterprise www.Obscureaftermath,com Blood and Gore Drug Reference Mild Sexual Themes | | ы 2 - PlayStation2 ` Wil Obscure 20 and Obscure: The Aftermathio 2007 Playlogic Intemational МҮ. Entertainment. lgniton Ай rights reserved. Developed by Hydravision Published: Entertainment and Playlogic Intemational МУ. Playlogic is a registered trademark of Playlogic Intemational trademarks property of their respective owners. The sequel of Obscure 2004 x д 2 ws MC2-Hydravision. "PlayStation" and the "PS" (үч "ышт: ini) Mead amr escapees th ac ed Eo 9 and C) EMA fs | The Readers Strike Back Game Informer has a thriving. online community, and this. is where they can sound off about issues facing the gaming industry today THE QUESTION: Do you buy special editions? Why or why not? I tend to avoid special editions because, to be honest, | could give a crap about how a game was made or a booklet of game artwork If I'm going to shell out for the speaal edition, it needs to include something that can be added to the game, like a secret 1 bought two special editions last year, Halo 3 and BioShock. For me to shell out the extra bucks, a special edition has to offer something more than just. some bonus DVD and a special case. | like it when they go all ош and offer cool things like the Big Daddy figurine and Master Chief helmet. ‘TheMaskedMarauder © 1 buy them, but don't know exactly why. Damn that shiny tin! SuperPatBalls It seems pointless. Unless it's additional playable content, there's really no use for it 1 know that if it contains extra videos or information, but | can probably easily find it somewhere on the internet a week or two after the game releases. Games are already so expensive, why spend ‘extra money? erkenbrand m a sucker for things like “making of" features and concept art, so if a special edition is available, ГЇЇ usually pick it over the bare-bones game. Having said that, І can’t think of the last special edition I actually bought where another version wos available. Halbred Look at the Game of the Year Edition for Oblivion. That's the only thing that Im going to spend extra money on. You get all the extras that have been released since the game came ощ, all in one package (and cheaper than if you bought them ай separately). That's the way special editions should be done. aubradley84 7A e ü FA ү v 3 Do you want to make your voice heard? Weigh in with your opinion at www gameinformer.conyforums 12 GAME INFORMER GI COMMUNITY MORE LIKE "RESIDENT EVIL: BORE!” | have noticed that while video games are becom- ing increasingly appealing to the senses, it also seems that they are also becoming more linear and full of mindless action. For example, Resident Evil 4 was just that — a bor- ing mistake of an action game. It took everything that made the Resident Evil series great (non-linear, adventure- based gameplay) and threw it in the trash. To my dismay, reviewers (including yourselves) rejoiced! Now I hear that Resident Evil 5 will adhere to this horrible new game structure. Am | destined to watch all my favorite games turn into mindless shooters? Is the golden age of games over, only to be replaced by beautiful-but-empty games designed to cater to gamers who demand noth- ing more than zombies sporting rocket launchers? Max Otworth via yahoo.com We hate to break it to you, but you'll have a hard time rallying gamers against Resident Evil 4, one of the best games of the last generation. We all have attachments to certain franchises, and it can be tough to see them change and evolve, but it's better than seeing outdated gameplay recycled time and time again. As for the charge of all games becoming focused on "mindless action," that's just plain false. Contrary to claims that first-person shooters are the only titles on the market, we are currently enjoying a time when there are more types of games for more types of gamers than ever before; thankfully, your perceived decline of one series is not representative of the industry as a whole. WAPARADOX | just want to comment on your consistently unfair treatment of Waluigi. Particularly in the recent months I've heard nothing but utter dis- dain for my favorite character. Your barrage of underhanded cheap shots has not gone unno- ticed by the Waluigi fans out there. By slandering Waluigi, you risk alienating all of us! Stop hating on Waluigi! Come on guys, please be nice to him. Jason Krug Toms River, NJ What? Sorry, you lost us at "Waluigi fans" HELPLESS | have been playing games for as long as | can remember, and have never used a guide or walk- through for help on any puzzles, boss battles, or M Resident Evil 4. if only companies made "mistakes" like this pre often { anything else. | get stuck just like everyone else, but | take the necessary time to figure things out. My friends ask, “Why don't you just look online for some help?" Because, in my opinion, a walk- through takes the fun and challenging parts out of a game. | don't find any joy in knowing how to beat a game before | even play it, or powering through it as quickly as possible with little to no effort at all Matthew Bertovich via yahoo.com ! You portray strategy guides as the gam- ing equivalent of CliffsNotes - something lazy gamers use to avoid actually playing a game. Games aren't assignments. They're about having fun. If using a guide contrib- utes to someone's enjoyment of a title, then what's the problem? Most gamers take a measured approach to walkthroughs, using WHY PLAY? Why is Wii Play still on your top 20 games list? Let's be honest, it is only a game in the technical sense. | work in a video game store, and the reality of the situation is this: No one wants Wii play. They want the extra Wii remote, and that's basically all Wii Play is. The games included with it are mediocre at best, and | consider it an insult to other deserving games that are bumped off your list. Andre Dennis via hotmail.com : Look, we don't like Wii Play either. But we don't compile the top 20 list in our charts section; it's based solely on sales data from the NPD. Admittedly, Wii Play has dubious qualifications as a game, but it is telling about the state of Wii gaming that this gussied-up peripheral is consistently the best-selling title for the system. People seem to want extra remotes for old games more than they want to buy new titles like Metroid and Mario. It just underscores Nintendo's chronic difficulties in secur- ing quality third-party support. Of course, Wii owners are probably too busy playing Brawl right now to worry about that. them as a last resort or under special cir- cumstances. For instance, many games have secrets so obscure that it would be practi- cally impossible to uncover them without assistance - like the Zodiac Spear in Final Fantasy XII that requires you to not open four random treasure chests throughout the course of the game. If you turn to a guide in those situations, are you really sacrificing any fun or challenge? Or are you just get- ting the most out of your game? If guides hamper your sense of accomplishment, then it makes perfect sense not to use them. But ultimately, it's all about personal preference, not taking the moral high ground. SMART GAMES I'm writing you simply to thank you, something I've never done to a magazine before. I've been collecting Game Informers since 2001, and never have | read an article that was as compelling as Matt Miller's "Rated Mature: The Rising Tide of Games With Something to Say" BioShock was my first taste of a game that blended my love of literature, philosophy, and morality, with my all-time favorite hobby, and it was an experience that will forever hold a place in my memory. To answer the question Miller poses, "They know we want fun. But do we want more?", yes. It is exactly what | want, what we want, and if | can spend days locked away in my room, running the juice out of my batteries while enjoying my escapist tendencies and exploring phenomenal intellectual games, I'll be more than happy to pay whatever the sticker price. Jason Douglass via email Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: Game Informer Magazine • Attn: Dear GI 724 North First St., 4th Floor • Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com | just wanted to take the time to applaud Matt Miller's opinion piece in issue 178. | agree wholeheartedly about the place of thematic issues and ideas in the interactive medium. The very reason I've played video games into my adult life is that they have purpose beyond pure enjoyment and entertainment value. Sure, when | was a kid, | completely enjoyed stomp- ing Koopa shells and shooting wave after wave of vicious space bugs like any other boy of my era. However, as | am at a point in my life where social issues take up more space in my mind, the premise of thematically weighted interactive games is more exciting and relevant. | read nov- els and explore philosophy for the exact reason | spend hours in front of a glowing screen late at night, and | praise the developers in the game industry who understand this. Jason Martin via mac.com Thanks for your thoughts, Jasons. Surprisingly, no one (except Joe) sent in a “Miller is a stupid egghead” letter, which leads us to think that there is a significant segment of the gaming population that agrees with you. Several of the titles that Miller cited as examples, like BioShock and Portal, achieved widespread recogni- tion and impressive sales, proving that gamers are hungry for more than just your standard save-the-world scenario. If this trend continues, these types of games could develop into an independent genre, or even better, we may see more thematic maturity injected into a variety of titles spanning all genres. Either way, we're excited to see what happens. BIG SHAKESPEAREAN CHICKENS Recently | wrote this sonnet for a class assign- ment, and | now feel that it is my duty to share it with you and my fellow gamers: They gallop gracefully over the plain Their yellow feathers shine under the sun. Under their golden flanks, their muscles strain To bear their riders proudly as they run. These noble steeds, whose work is never done, Unlock steep paths o'er mountains, seas and snow, Protecting riders from foes they outrun Where airships dare not land, they bravely go What name is theirs, what title, dost thou know? What noble word can encompass their might? її tell thee straight, that name is “chocobo” That princely bird, so favored in God's sight O, tremble at their coming, O, and hark To hear them sweetly sound their stately "wark" Rachel Kohler via email = We'll be honest...our knee-jerk reaction to video game-themed compositions usually isn't positive. Maybe we've become jaded by reading too many odes to Sonic and strange romance fantasies involving Master Chief (will he ever find the right woman/comput- er?). Regardless, Rachel's poem gets points for A) actually being readable and funny, B) conforming to the proper English sonnet rhyme scheme, and C) using "wark" as the chocobo call, rather than the inferior “kweh” Choco Billy would be so proud. 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 retum address. 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. All entries become the property of Game Informer and can't be retumed. Send to: Game Informer Reader Art Contest 724 Ist St №, 4th Floor This month's winner receives a copy of Mpls, MN 55401 Konami Digital Entertainment's Karaoke Revolution" Presents: American Idol Encore. Release date – Feb 5th on Wii. Karaoke Revolution’ Presents. American Idol" Encore delivers the most realistic recreation of the American Idol Experience. Grab a mic and challenge your friends! KIM PARKER “Boy, | sure hope none of my JAMES RAFAEL descendants end Fake Robocop up being wieners." defends Old "LOL," says Fate Detroit from the Covenant ALEX PENA Good luck finding an obvious, glowing weak spot on this one, pajama boy DYLAN CHENEY In addition to painting, it appears Amaterasu is also familiar with burnt wood as an art form CARLA OVER If incessant 1-UP dinging noises would keep you awake at night, maybe you shouldn't sleep on this pillow GAME INFORMER 13 old onto your hats, because Electronic Arts is going after the biggest enchilada in video games. The company has proposed an acquisition of Take-Two Interactive — owners of Rockstar Games and Grand Theft Auto IV — for roughly $2 billion. EA CEO John Riccitiello says EA considered a deal for Take-Two last spring, but axed it at the last minute. This news was revealed in a letter sent in mid- February by Riccitiello to Take-Two Interactive's chair- man, Strauss Zelnick. The cash deal was declined by Take-Two's board of directors. This won't deter EA, however. In the letter, EA states that it would pursue a hostile takeover if Take-Two's board of directors didn't approve the move. "Our strong preference is to conduct a private negotiation," states the letter. "If you are unwilling to proceed on that basis, however, we may pursue other means, including the public disclosure of this letter, to bring our offer and the compelling value it represents to the attention of Take-Two's shareholders" In effect, EA's public disclosure of the deal is an end-around move whereby it is directly appealing to Take-Two shareholders, saying that this deal is in their best interest and should be approved by them, regardless of what Take- Two's board of directors thinks. EA's thinking has some weight behind it: The estimated $2 billion 14 GAME INFORMER Breaking News, Views, And Technology From The Cutting Edge Of Gaming "" deal works out to $26 a share. Since Take-Two's share price before EA's letter was $17, shareholders will have to gauge whether this is adequate compensation. Take-Two released a statement explaining its own reasons behind rejecting the offer. "In addition to undervaluing key elements of our business, EA's proposal fails to recognize the value we are building through our ongoing turnaround efforts, which will fur- ther revitalize Take-Two.” Take-Two feels that the offer undervalues its creative talent — including BioShock creators Ken Levine and Irrational Games (now called 2K Boston) and Civilization king Sid Meier – franchises, and the public value of the brand. Regardless of Take-Two's initial rebuff, the company does not rule out further conversations on a deal with EA. Take-Two has offered to discuss the matter after Grand Theft Auto IV releases on April 29, since Take-Two does not want EA to swoop in before the game comes out and before Take-Two's overall worth is bolstered by GTA IV's sales and hype. “We believe this offer demonstrated our commitment to pursu- EA’ GRAND THEFT AUTO? EA MAKES OFFER FOR TAKE-TWO ing all avenues to maximize stockholder value, while we believe that EA's refusal to entertain this path is evidence of their desire to acquire Take-Two at a sig- nificant discount” EA's proposed takeover of Take-Two is assuredly in response to the blockbuster merger between Activision and Vivendi, which saw EA's rival Activision acquire the World of Warcraft franchise among oth- ers. Not only would EA be getting Grand Theft Auto IV, but the move would once and for all squash the company's main competition in the sports genre – 2K Sports, which includes NBA 2K/All-Pro Football devel- oper Visual Concepts. Currently 2K Sports holds the exclusive third-party rights to Major League Baseball, and EA has not released an MLB title since 2005. Although EA says that the offer may be withdrawn, the company's open appeal to Take-Two sharehold- ers, as well as what EA stands to gain, make this deal a likely one. Riccitiello and EA believe that what shareholders would get in increased sales under the EA banner should be more than enough motivation. “We believe we can take games from Take-Two and sell more of them” Gaming is about games, but to the companies that make them - and their shareholders – sales is the bottom line. news WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE? PUBLISHERS SEEKING SOLUTIONS Companies like Electronic Arts and Acti n are making headlines with their mergers and acquisitions. While the big get bigger, however, no company's destiny is set in stone. In fact, as this is happening we're find- ing that companies of all sizes are working to adjust their own strategies for the future. The Haves And '- The Have-Mores With Electronic Arts and Activision firmly entrenched as the two largest third-party publishers in the industry, this leaves a gap until you hit companies such as THQ or Sega — publishers with internal studios and strong properties in their portfolios, but aren't big enough to challenge the likes of EA in terms of sheer size and capital. Billy Pidgeon, program manager for analyst IDC, says that running with the big dogs can be risky. "The high-end video game business — trying to put out triple-A titles and trying to cover all the genres — is very risky because it requires a huge budget to make these games and market them as well" Companies like THQ, which has a successful wrestling license as well as kid-centric titles based on movies, appear well- Wi Sega's use of external and internal studi: has allowed it to support triple-A titles such as the Monolith-devel- oped Condemned 2: Bloodshot funded to try and develop a few triple-A games such as Saints Row 2 and Frontlines: Fuel of War. Unfortunately, the loss of Pandemic, which was an inde- pendent developer who worked with THQ for the original Full Spectrum Warrior and Destroy All Humans! before it joined with BioWare and later by proxy Electronic Arts, shows some of the dangers of being a big company that might not be big enough to compete with the likes of an EA in all areas. Although THQ has its own stable of internal developers, publishers will always rue the loss of development partners like Pandemic (even though THQ owns the Destroy All Humans property, for exam- ple) when such talented companies catch the eye of another publisher and are acquired. The Road Less Traveled For some companies, pursuing a triple-A strategy is out of reach. Majesco serves as a useful example in this case. More importantly, however, Majesco shows how a company can re- tool its strategy and survive and thrive in a new environment. Since 2000, Majesco has taken its shots at the big time, but the BloodRayne franchise, Advent Rising, and Psychonauts failed to take hold. Other attempts such as Taxi Driver and Black9 were even cancelled. In 2006 Majesco consciously withdrew from the premium games market and has released more casual or younger-orient- ed titles such as Cooking Mama to great success. This kind of Decisions, Decisions Pidgeon believes that Majesco's success story is one that holds a few lessons. While some publishers will inevitably be acquired (for instance, Eidos/SCi was a popular target until recently), others may downsize and focus on one title or technology, and some have the vision to strike out in other directions. Pidgeon believes that realistically coming to grips with your situation is important. Assess your audience and the competition. "If you make a couple of good games, just stick to what you know. Try to differentiate. Unless you can beat or compete with the latest first-person shooter or RPG, then don't do it. Don't put yourself up against unbeat- able competition. Even being number two in a category like sports can be fatal. The thing is: If everyone tries to be on top, then we end up with fewer original and inspir- ing games. If people start to diversify, we're going to have a lot more to choose from. "| love Atlus because the games that they do are perfect for the handheld. | also like Codemasters because they realize that they can't compete on all the platforms, so they are moving towards digital distribution, towards dis- E Eidos’ IP such as Tomb Raider recently madi n attractive target for acquisition re-tooling isn't endemic yet, but it's a smart move for Majesco in particular, as it was clear a change was needed. Game Informer talked to Gui Karyo, executive vice president of operations at Majesco, who told us that the company is quite comfortable where it is, stated that given the high devel- opment and marketing budgets of triple-A titles, the company is better off finding gems like Cooking Mama — a title that appeals to both the casual and hardcore audience. When we asked him if he sees Majesco ever attempting a move back to the big leagues, he confidently replies, "I think it's highly unlikely" tributing a couple quality titles, which is always the thing that companies say when they screw up — ‘We're going to do a couple of things well’ They should be thinking that in the first place. Don't try to cover all the bases, because that's the quick- est way to get knocked out — unless you want to be acquired. And if you want to be acquired, you better have some IP worth a high-ticket price.” This isn't only a problem for the smaller publishers out there: Even Electronic Arts admits it's not protected from a changing industry and marketplace. At DICE 08, CEO John Riccitiello said that EA's sheer size and consolidation strategy can make it hard for innovation to come through if not handled properly. With the likely acquisition of maverick studios such as Rockstar Games and talents such as Sid Meier and BioShock's Ken Levine, this is clearly a juggling act that EA will have to man- age if it wants to properly harness their creativity. This just goes to show that preparing for the future is a problem that each com- pany — no matter its size or strength — has to solve in its own way. GAME INFORMER 15 connect DATA FILE More News You Can Use Wii WANT TO ROCK Aspiring musicians on the Wii will now get to live their rock star dreams. EA has announced that Rock Band is finally coming to Nintendo's console sometime in a 12-month period after April 1. THE Wii'S BUG HUNT MX vs, ATV developer Rainbow Studios is racing off in a totally different direction, Deadly Creatures is an action title based on arachnids, scorpions, and insects exclusively for the Wii. The game comes out sometime this year, and features motion-based combos and "brutal" battles. ACTIVISION'S WHEELS OF STEEL Activision, publishers of the Guitar Hero franchise, can't stop rockin’, The company has filed for a trademark for the name DJ Hero. We can only assume this means that Activision plans to put out a turntable game using a controller ~ similar to Konami's already released Beatmania (shown). FREE QUAKE...AFTER THESE MESSAGES In-game advertising firm IGA is managing all the ads, sponsorships, and branding for id Software's free, web-based Quake Live multiplayer title. STARBREEZE TAKES EA REINS Swedish developer Starbreeze (The Darkness - shown) has signed on with EA for a new game codenamed Project: RedLime. The title will appear on multiple consoles sometime in the future, and will be a reinvention of one of EA's classic franchises, Don't worry, it's not Madden. 16 GAME INFORMER ICROSOFT T GDC: AN PIC ENCORE UNREAL DEVELOPER SHEDS LIGHT ON GEARS OF WAR 2, ENGINE UPDATES ear up for an Epic holiday. During the Microsoft keynote at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco this February, Cliff Bleszinski announced that Gears of War 2 is slated for release this November. Scarcely any game details could be culled from the short trailer shown at the presentation (which you can download now from Xbox Live). The Sin City-style teaser shows Marcus Fenix muttering about the toll of death and the need to take it head on before he charges a Locust Horde soldier with the lancer and shoves the chainsaw bayonet into its back after a brief struggle. Gears of War 2 wasn't the only Epic property shown at the keynote. The multifaceted developer also showed off its technical prowess with a preview of the new features offered in the updated Unreal Engine 3.0. Epic founder and CEO Tim Sweeney demoed several new tools developers can use to bring their games to life, including new dynamic shadowing effects, more realistic fluid surfaces, high density crowds, fully destructible environments that use struc- tural analysis protocol to determine how objects break apart due to stresses and strains, and a soft physics prototype of a gelatinous meat cube that Fenix pushed around and pumped shotgun shells into to demonstrate the object's viscosity and elasticity. Though Epic was quick to point out that these were not demos of Gears of War 2 tech, we wouldn't be surprised to see at least a few of these tools in the game. Xbox | Goes Indie Microsoft Unveils Xbox Live Community Games Indie rock has South by Southwest and indie film has Sundance, but where is the major public platform for indie game development? Microsoft hopes Xbox Live will become this missing hub. At Microsoft's Game Developer's Conference keynote, chief XNA architect Chris Satchell revealed an ambi- tious plan to showcase indie games developed on the XNA platform right on your Xbox 360. Amateurs and pros can submit, rate, download, and play games created on the XNA platform on Xbox Live. Microsoft already gives away the XNA Game Studio 2.0 for free, which means would-be devel- opers simply need some programming know how, free time, and a community games account to begin their careers as fledgling developers. For $49 for four months or $99 a year, community mem- bers can also become a part of XNA Creators Club, the body of peers who reportedly control the entire ecosystem of the indie games on Live. The peer board reviews each game submitted to the team and rates it based on its appropriateness for pub- lic consumption and technical stability before it's cleared for distribution online. Many questions about the program still need to be addressed, such as how much power Microsoft will have in controlling the content uploaded to Live, how much space developers will be allowed to use, pricing, and how users will be able to navi- gate a large library of titles. Many of the logistical issues should be addressed when Microsoft launch- es the beta program this spring. Until then, you can download and play the first batch of indie games submitted to Microsoft right now on Xbox Live. The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai Little Gamers news MADDEN EXTENDS EXCLUSIVITY LARGER STRATEGY TO EXPAND PRESENCE he New England Patriots’ defeat at the hands of the New York Giants may signal the end of the Pats’ dynasty, but another empire is only getting stronger. The NFL and Electronic Arts have announced an extension to EA Sports exclusive rights to the football league and its players’ association. This now means that EA's Madden series will be the only NFL product (including teams, player likeness, official stadiums, etc.) through the 2012-2013 NFL season. Although it may seem that the previous deal, signed through 2010, adequately sealed up the NFL license for NFL and pushed out its competitors, the timing of this could be significant. If one presumes that the next round of gaming consoles come out around 2010 according to a five-year cycle (the Xbox 360 came out in 2005), then it was smart for EA to lock up the exclusive rights to the league beyond what might be the launch period of the upcoming consoles. Under this timing, even if EA does not renew the new contract in the year 2015, the company will still have a year or two head start on making football games for the next round of consoles in the event that the NFL goes non-exclusive. Beyond the strategic and economic con- siderations of this deal, EA claims that the extra breathing room allows it to expand its NFL video game strategy. This includes using more NFL Films and NFL Network content, as well as expanding the accessibility of its products like the Family Play settings did for the Wii version of Madden last year. Similarly, EA wants to extend football's buying season into something that can sell year round. It remains to be seen if offshoots such as NFL Tour and NFL Head Coach can fill this void in their current forms, or if new strategies and titles will arise in their place. It's In The Game In related news, EA has signed a deal with sports and entertainment giant IMG. IMG's expertise is in expanding businesses through event manage- ment, brand growth, sponsorship sales, and more. What does this mean? Although no specific projects have been announced, expect to see EA Sports venture into some different areas that promote EA Sports as a lifestyle brand rather than just a name on a video game box. According to a statement by EA, the deal "could include sports camps, gam- ing lounges, publishing products, perfor- mance apparel, and more.” GI OPINION Loan. EA says that this deal will , allow more NFL integra- tion, but it said that the e first time it signed the exclusivity deal, and we're still waiting for Madden to really make use of the NFL license (or its ESPN one, for that matter). | worry that EA's more interested in getting your grandma to play Madden and selling EA Sports-branded oven mitts. | hope this isn't at the expense of fixing the franchise that you and | have come to love and would like to see returned to its former glory.—KATO THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY When You Want Your News Categorized With A Sarcastic Editorial Spin QUOTE ...in circumstances where we either led with the Xbox 360 or ran parallel production, for the most part, we're still experiencing some delay on the PS3. It's a little bit more of a challenging devel- opment environment for us. UGLY One of Microsoft's own Xbox 360 demo machines at GDC was afflicted with the Red Rings of Death. Go | ahead, laugh. You've | earned it. BAD While you can't argue with how hot Nintendo's Wii is right now, one unfortunate casualty of its success are Japanese arcades, Both Sega and Namco are losing large numbers of their arcades in Japan, where they have remained popular and relevant for longer than here in the U.S. EA claims that its upstart series Skate (shown) has outsold the recent installment of Activision's Tony Hawk at a 2:1 ratio. Although we can't verify the numbers, clearly Skate has shown up the old master. So much so, in fact, that in a recent earnings conference call, Activision CEO Mark Griffiths said the company would be “re-engineering the franchise.” Better late than never. - EA CEO John Riccitiello Dr. Kawashima's heart is bigger than his head. The good doctor of Brain Age fame could have pocketed $6.5 million in royalties from the series, but instead he donated it to the Japanese university that he works at. "My hobby is work," he explained. "Everyone in my family is mad at me, but | tell them that if they want money - go out and earn it." GOOD Fight fans everywhere were dismayed to hear that EA was dosing down its EA Chicago studio, which had given the world the Fight Night franchise. The studio's former head, Kudo Tsunoda has now landed on his feet at Microsoft, where he will reportedly head up the next Gears of War game. Meanwhile, EA is still recovering from the Chicago studio's closure. While the Fight Night franchise has relocated to EA Canada, EA has announced that it has "discontinued development of the Marvel titles under the EA Games label." At the time of its dissolution, Tsunoda and EA Chicago were working ‘on an EA/Marvel fighting game. UGLY Shortly after Wal-Mart and Best Buy declared they were giving up on HD DVD, technology creator Toshiba announced that it was suspending its HD DVD business by the end of March. Microsoft has even declared that it won't be making any more HD DVD peripherals. Next up: Blu-ray vs. HD digital downloads. Spore is finally in sight! EA has confirmed a release date for the PC, DS, and Mac versions of the game – September 7. A Wii edition has been confirmed (but not given a date), and other console Spores are in development according to EA Games president Frank Gibeau for an unspecified future release. GAME INFORMER 17 аларз ask land producer How difficult was the decision to forego including Crash mode? Was that an early cut, or did you struggle over it for the better part of the development cycle? - aubradley84 = It was a decision we made very early on in development. The goal for Burnout Paradise was to create a completely seamless experience, and this had to carry across all aspects of the game including what we've previously known as "Crash" mode. We could have created crash junctions as we have in the past, but this would have broken the dynamic of the whole game. Showtime was created to allow the user to crash anytime, anywhere. This feels truly "next gen" to us, as it doesn't give the user any restrictions, as they are able to do what they want when they want. Also, creating a specific number of junctions means that once you have completed them all, that's it, the experience ends and you would be removed from the seamless nature of Burnout Paradise. With Showtime every time you play it's different, you determine the route you take, you determine what you try to hit, and you can continue to get better and better. The online is awesome, is there any chance you'll have more content or missions available for download? - louie the puppy п We've already announced in our regular podcast on www.Criteriongames.com that we're going to be doing down- loadable content for Burnout Paradise. We can't reveal details just yet, but it's going to be very cool, so look out for more information soon. 1 know you guys abhor loading screens, but don't you think it's just a *little* ridiculous that you have to drive all the way back to where you started? - only to survive = Exploration and discovery is a core part of the experience and we designed everything around that. An open-world game gives designers a real challenge when compared to level-based games — when the player can go anywhere and do anything, how do you deal with issues such as navigation, retry, and so on? We decided to tackle this challenge head on, rather than do what other open-world games have done to date, which is to resort to conventions from level-based games such as chevrons, arrows, and retry options. We wanted players to leam the city as fast as possible, because we wanted to get rid of outdated concepts like chev- rons and big arrows on the screen. If you teleport around the world all the time, you never get to learn it like you do a real place. If you just follow an arrow everywhere, you do not get to recognize a certain road or a certain turning. We spent a long time on this challenge and what we have done absolutely breaks convention — which puts us out there in the firing line. Some will love it, but for them to love it others must loathe it. That's the beauty of entertainment. The Burning Laps are always really close when you do win; how do you balance all the races for difficulty when there are so many? on what the player is doing as they progress through their license. The only things that are manually set up are the Burning Routes, and we do those by playing the game a lot and setting a time that is right for that route and car, plus a couple of crashes. It's really important that we find the sweet spot for those times so the player feels challenged, but at the same time not making the route too hard. How did you get the game to run so fast in an open world and still have so much detail? Does the PS3 or 360 have the best graphics? - arliss п We spent a lot of time pushing both systems as far as we possibly could to make sure the game ran at 60 frames per second, even with the open world and everything else that is happening on screen — to us Burnout wouldn't be Burnout without that feeling of speed you can only get at that frame rate. As for which version is best, we get asked that ques- tion all the time and the answer is simple: Both versions of Burnout Paradise are as identical as they can be. As develop- ers we wouldn't be satisfied with anything less, and certainly never compromise on either machine. How did you come up with the idea of people jumping in the game while you play? Do you plan on using that feature for future Burnout games? - Wii Master п As game creators we purposely set out to make а game where online was as easy to get into as driving down the street, creating a seamless online game that breaks down the old PC paradigms of waiting around in lobbies and looking at lists while you wait for the action to start. In Burnout Paradise you click the d-pad three times while you're driving and then you're online with no loading, no waiting, and no fuss. This is a totally new approach to this problem, but by innovating in this area we believe that we're helping to push games forward. Online shouldn't be hard to access, and when you get online it shouldn't be just competi- tive play. That's why we created Freeburn Challenges in the game. This is another area where we created something new to encourage more social play, co-operative play with friends, which is a first for the genre. As for whether or not we will use this in future games from Criterion, we'll have to wait and see. Why did you abandon the extreme weather effects after making Burnout 2: Point of Impact, along with having races that took place during the night instead of the day? - Nom Anor = Burnout Paradise is an open world game that runs at 60 frames per second, and the feeling of speed and excitement was and is the key part of the gameplay experience. If we had put in extreme weather it would have compromised the frame rate and that is something that we weren't willing to do. If we did racing at night we would want to change the gameplay significantly so it really means something to the player. For Paradise, we chose to focus all our efforts on driving during the day and making that feel really great. Sullivan about the decisions tats fre iain te сево of = All of the events in the game have a dynamically bal- nced difficulty curve that is constantly adjusting itself based eet W1 zardF1 NOSIS. Gamer. Hacker. Boy wonder of : World. He had it all. But his cyber joyride came to a sudden end. Pwned like a nOOb in a first-person-shooter, it was game over. People everywhere began switching to AVG 8.0 because it protects them from online threats without slowing their PC's to a crawl. No longer the sorcerer of the cyber-citadel, W1zardF1ngers is just another bum on ' bus #3. Where can he turn? Visit hugsforhackers.org/w1zard to help him get the magic back into his life. At AVG we're dedicated to the rehabilitation of every hacker defeated by our award winning believe they deserve a chance at a meaningful life in the real world. But we need your help. Vi to help W1zardFingers in his quest for normalcy, and join 68 million others who switched to AVG 8.0 for their network and PC protection. But do it now, because somewhere there's a hacker www.avg.com ww ma | HARRISON | LEAVES SONY GIVES PARTING SHOT ON WAY OUT D hil Harrison, Sony's president of worldwide studios, has announced his resignation after 15 years LOOSE TAL Hot Gaming Gossip XBOX LIVE 2.0? Microsoft's Xbox Live has set the standard for the online console experience, so what does the company do for an encore? According to this program manager job posting, it looks like that. process is already underway. "Want to be involved in the next release of Xbox?" it reads. "Join the server-backed games team, part of the Xbox Live team that's responsible for creating a completely new way for mainstream audiences to enjoy the Xbox and Live. We're building the games, the console interface and logic, and the server support for a totally new Live experience. Both the games and the dashboard experience will be deeply paired with dynamic server support to create a compelling, fresh scenario each time. We are looking for a passionate games producer to help implement ‘our first generation games that will run in this new environment." pe with the company. "| am so proud of everything PlayStation has achieved and will continue to support its future in every way | can," said Harrison. Kaz Hirai, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment International, will take over Harrison's responsibilities. Harrison oversaw Sony's first-party games and its overarching strategy worldwide. He came up through the ranks during both the PlayStation and PS2 eras, and as president of worldwide studios oversaw the launch of the PlayStation 3. Although price and hardware availability blunted the system's initial fortunes, a lack of software also put the console behind the eight ball in the beginning. Harrison, however, has had great success with other casual Sony initiatives such as SingStar and EyeToy. He was also involved in Sony's upcoming social networking hub, Home. In fact, Gamesindustry.biz reports that Harrison will be furthering his interest іп the casual market with a move to Infogrames, although this could not be confirmed as of press time. At GDC, Harrison expressed his frustration with Sony Japan, saying that Sony Europe had casual products such as EyeToy out before Nintendo's Wii, but Sony Japan didn't believe enough in the products. "Our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan — people do not play games on the same sofa together in each other's homes. It will never happen. And then out comes the Wii” BIONIC TERMINATORS Word is that Bionic Commando developer Grin (which also worked on the PC version of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2) is getting started on the next Terminator video game project. Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, the next film, will begin shooting this spring, and is planned for a summer 2009 release. WHAT ELSE IS EA PLANNING? A CONSOLE?! With news that EA is eyeing a purchase of Rockstar parent company Take-Two, we've found out a few other tidbits about what EA's got up its sleeve. Despite some lukewarm reviews, the company is going ahead with another Godfather title. It's unknown, however, if this new title will be based on Godfather Part Il, or a whole other title entirely. Also, as if the possible Take-Two Rockstar deal wasn't big enough, Rockstar hasn't just been plug- ging away at Grand Theft Auto IV. Plenty other proj- ects have been going forward at Rockstar – specifi- cally those for PS3, and they could make a deal with EA even more advantageous. But EA is apparently not stopping there. Loose Talk has even heard that some within EA are considering a move to console manufacturing - the hitch being that EA is waiting to see if the PS3 picks up its sales by 2010. WiiWARE ON ITS WAY NINTENDO ONLINE: PAY TO PLAY N intendo's WiiWare channel is getting off the ground, and it will let gamers play products Got some insider info? Email us at loosetalk@gameinformer.com and we'll be all ears. NAME THAT GAME Test Your Sight Crime doesn't pay, and it can often get you killed — or in this game's case, cancelled. This 2K console and PC title cast you as an out-of-work actor looking to build his fortunes by creating a drug empire cocaine brick by cocaine brick. The strategy title featured a supply-and-demand economic model that requires you to sell and smuggle Narcotics across your territories. from independent developers starting May 12. As many as 100 projects are report- edly already underway for North America alone, although no specific launch games have been announced. WiiWare will not only be home to efforts from smaller developers like Frontier and its platformer LostWinds, but even Square Enix is planning to put games on WiiWare with its Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (shown). As if Nintendo's online experience didn't already have its drawbacks, the company has announced that you'll have to pay an online fee for select games in the future. Those games labeled with a "Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay and Play" on their box will require a pay- ment for online play. Gamers will use Wii Points to pay for their experience, although no fee parameters have been announced. (Answer on page 26) 20 GAME INFORMER “әп enormously promising title, combining the sandbox design of GTA with the battlefield action of Dynasty Warriors, and intensity of God of War.” - IGN | > | 4 iA) Brutalize enemies with fire, Turn the tide of battle with Battle armies of числа ice and lightning attacks. ` mythologicalreatures. ^warriors in an open world. \ » - ae |U mte К ч Y Ф: a) es уд э Li эх ) 360. IN STORES MARCH 27, 2008 MATURE 17+ ` www.Sega.com/viking Blood and Gore Fs 8 IBS noe Violance © SEGA. SEGA, the SEGA logo and Viking: Battle for Asgard are registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. remm S EGA The Creative Assembly is a trademark of The Creative Assembly Limited. All rights reserved. Developed by The Creative Assembly Limited. BEEE Published by SEGA. "PlayStation", “PLAYSTATION” and "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. д ESRB CONTENT RATING ШШ Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. www.sega.com CHRIS COSSEY + Handle: Douja * Age: 22 * Hometown: Sacramento, CA * Favorite Class: Shaman * Favorite Ability: Grounding Totem MASON GROENDAL * Handle: Nitrana * Age: 20 * Hometown: Jenison, MI * Favorite Class: Rogue * Favorite Ability: Distract GREG RISSELADA * Handle: Malice * Age: 21 * Hometown: Jenison, MI * Favorite Class: Mage * Favorite Ability: Ice Lance JOSEPH ROMANO * Handle: NoktyN * Age: 20 * Hometown: Philadelphia, PA * Favorite Class: Warrior * Favorite Ability: Mortal Strike DAVID QUICK * Handle: sck * Age: 24 * Hometown: Kansas City, KS * Favorite Class: Warlock * Favorite Ability: Bloodlust NATHAN QUINN: * Handle: Kintt * Age: 21 * Hometown: Dallas, TX * Favorite Class: Priest. * Favorite Ability: Anything but Mana Burn 22 GAME INFORMER connect gamers pos L? ` Pay to the ` Order of. Jq'orty-d ice Thousand an Accomplishments Team Pandemic (which also has CounterStrike and Guitar Hero branches) was the first profes- sional gaming organization to sign a World of Warcraft team. The team remains undefeated in 3v3 play in tournaments spanning the U.S., Canada, China, and Sweden, and has won approximately $100,000 in prize money. Origin of Skills NOKTYN: | first got into World of Warcraft during the last phase of beta after having played EverQuest for a few years before it.... Our teamwork and combined experi- ence helped us to be very suc- cessful in arena play early on. This success is what brought us into the WoW tournament scene, not to mention how Team Pandemic came to find us, and we are grate- ful for that. Practice Time NITRANA: | remember playing well over 200 games one particular week with Kintt and Malice to prepare for a 3v3 event. MALICE: At peak times we're well over 50 hours a week. Life outside of WoW TEAM PANDEMIC PRESIDENT CHRIS LEMLEY: We go out, watch sports and movies, hang out with friends...you'd never know we were "pro gamers" unless you caught us in the act. Some of us are still in school completing degrees, and others are busy working their way into careers in video gaming or related fields. The Key To Victory KINTT: We won a lot of our matches at tourna- ments because of strategies based on what we thought the other team would be running or doing in matches. People are always trying to figure out how to overcome what's currently dominant, so you always have to be ready for new things to be thrown your way. MALICE: | believe that 1800-2000 rated teams know how to play well, they just don't look at the bigger picture. Great teams (2200+) see everything that is happening in the fight and are able to adapt to what the other team is doing at any given time. A lower-rated team tends to have a set strategy which they stick to no matter what, which eventually leads to their downfall. Improving WoW SCK: [There should be] more spectator friendli- ness, PvP and PvE segregation, class balance, faster game updates, and more tournaments whether they be online or LAN-based. NITRANA: Blizzard never seems to disappoint, I'm sure they'll create another masterpiece, but one thing | wouldn't mind seeing disappear is lying mounts. Flying mounts ruined world PvP. Gamers Team Pandemic World of Warcraft Pwners | Game Informer scours the leaderboards in search of the best of the best, uncovering the person behind the handle, and learning his or her strate- gies. So, if you get a pesky message over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network from GamelnformerMag, please don't delete it. You could be our next featured gamer. Б; iu^ fw. — (Standing L-R) V Chris Lemley, M David Quick, Jared Coulston, Joseph * Romano (Seated L-R) Greg Risselada, Nathan Quinn, Mason Groendal (Standing L-R) David Quick, Nathan Quinn, Jared Coulston A NEW BREED OF COMPETITIVE SCORE-BASED SHOOTER FROM THE MAKERS OF PROJECT GOTHAM RACING WWW.THECLUBGAMECOM —~ ben MATURE 17+ é Blood y "A €» Strong Language È : ¢ S EGA pee XBOX 360 EG i ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org T BIZARRE www.sega -com ме б PLAYSTATION. 3 : х еи E i З INN МЫ... Ja and The Club аге either registered trade marks or trade marks of SEGA Corpération. [Developed by Bizáre Creations Limited] Al rights reserved. “PlayStation”, "PLAYSTATION" aid "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. Online EES requires. | а Wireless access point or LAN. Certain limitations apply to Wi-Fi connectivity. User is responsible for Internet Service fees. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Хбох 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of com g3exacwies, cand the P Windows Vista Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft. е = Nd *X с> onnect [feature Whether it’s spending upwards of $5,000 on a custom-built machine that can run Crysis at full resolution and impress the ladies at the same time, or heading down to the local electronics shop to drop $20 On some LEDs to add a little flavor to your Current machine, owning a PC that nobody Will mistake for your mom's eMachine is its own reward. We talked to Alienware’s Marc Diana about some of the methods the professionals use to craft unique looks, and got some tips for the do-it-yourself- ers out there as well. =Æ САМЕ INFORMER UOTOMIZA| Make your ЕЕ stand 47 im DIY 101: MARC DIANA'S ADVICE FOR ASPIRING MODDERS "PC modders really need to understand electricity to be successful in PC modding. Just about every mod outside of physical chassis mods requires power, and it's absolutely crucial that modders understand how much power they need and how to use a power supply that can support it. If not, you can end up really damaging your РС” a А “The best way to get started is to start small and work your way ир. Get a 550 watt power supply, some lights and maybe a physical chassis mod like a window. Then slowly start to try new things. It's also best to learn on an extra PC that you might have lying around the house. If you don't have an extra one, pick one up at a local second-hand store,or Goodwill. This will save you a lot of time, trouble, and money further down the road. You don’t want to blow your whole gaming rig because of some LED lights on the feet of it” CHASSIS HOW THE PROS DO IT: Professional boutique PC manufacturers have a lot of advantages when it comes to creating unique looks, and nowhere is it more evident than in the area of chassis design. Pros can optimize just about everything, since they're designing it from the ground up. “Professionals also have access to multiple vendor roadmaps and upcom- ing technologies,” says Diana. “These roadmaps are instrumental when designing a new chassis because it allows professionals to make design accommodations and adhere to multiple new technologies before they launch" There's a reason the price tag on boutique PCs is so high. DIY TIPS: Just because people who do it for a living have access far beyond regular Joe Gamer's means doesn't preclude the ability to do some cool stuff on your own. Window mods are far and away the most common. There are a ton of options out there for the intrepid modder, including windows with laser-etched designs and/or fans built into them. If you're going to give people a look inside your chassis, though, do it with pride. "[Windows] are pretty easy to do and offer a view into either an incredibly well-designed chassis or a cable nightmare," notes Diana. Hardcore DIYers can take it way further. "Extreme modders, and incredibly experienced ones, will sometimes redesign their entire chassis using body filler and fiberglass resin. This helps to create an outer casing for the chas- sis that can then be applied to areas of the PC where you want it to have a different shape," states Diana. "Some DIY chassis builders add materials like fiberglass, wood, plastic, or paper to give their chassis a different tex- ture as well. It's very similar to body kits used on cars.” SOFTWARE HOW THE PROS DO IT: Manufacturers like Nvidia and Alienware have a whole host of software applications that can make lights and such respond to the state of nearly any- thing, from heatsinks to power supplies. Of course, they'll only work with proprietary hardware and offer users neat abilities at the cost of hardware flexibility. DIY TIPS: "Implementing software into custom PCs can be the difficult road less trav- eled; however, for the few who decide to pursue this path the rewards can be amaz- ing," says Diana. "Applications like Webguide, a custom developed program that pro- vides a friendly UI for users to interact with Windows Vista Media Center remotely, and ATI Tool, an easy to use overclocking application for ATI video cards, give users «quick freedom from vendor application restrictions" Open-source software is another great resource for gamers; places like http://sourceforge.net offer everything from Windows skins to device drivers and media viewers. For the knowledgeable user, the sky is the limit for running custom applications. NOTEBOONS HOW THE PROS DO IT: Because of the nature of the beast, most aesthetic modifications to notebooks have to happen at the factory. On the plus side, manufacturers have started to offer gamers a lot more choices over the last few years, ranging from custom decals and lighted keyboards to more fully integrated lighting solutions like you'd see in a desktop. DIY TIPS: While most anything that makes you open the case of your notebook will void the warranty, a variety of vendors are happy to paint cus- tom designs onto your 'book for a price or swap out LCDs with something more personal. Diana also suggests: "There on and taken off easily and with little to no mess.” LIGHTING HOW THE PROS DO IT: The big pro advantage here is im access to proprietary software systems that control cosmetic lighting. Cool pulsating effects in standby mode and the like are achieved through this sort of integrated software, and can be very difficult to set up on your own. As with everything else, crafting a light- ing solution hand-in-hand with the chassis itself gives the pros a leg up. DIY TIPS: Three styles of lighting are available to consumers: Cold cathode, LED, and electroluminescent wires. LEDs Consume less power than cold cathodes but aren't as bright, while wires are generally bundled with other wires and cables to make them glow. “Most of the time, you will find yourself using cold cathode for around the chassis window to show off everything inside the chassis and then using LED lighting accessories, such as fans, heat sinks, and power supplies, inside Molex connectors and in the chassis feet," explains Diana. "Both cold catho de and LEDs can take advantage of sound activation modules, or can come from the factory with sound activation capabilities, to have the lights act in accordance with nearby sound waves.” Be aware that you have to power all these goodies, though, so make sure your power supply is up to the task. are also several skin vendors for notebooks that can cre- ate custom vinyl stickers for notebooks that can be put GAME INFORMER 25 TOP FIVES Favorites From Industry Pros And GI Readers DEVELOPER ERIC LINDSTROM Creative Director, Tomb Raider: Underworld 3 Zork - Apple Il 2 Out of This World - PC З Tomb Raider - РС 4 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - PS2 READER AGUSTIN ROJAS Pembroke Pines, Florida T Star Wars Trilogy Arcade - Arcade 2 Aliens: Extermination - Arcade 3 Kung Fu - NES A God of War II - PS2 5 Gears of War - Xbox 360 Send Top Fives and a photo of yourself to: Game Informer Magazine/Top Five 724 N Ist St 4th А Minneapolis, MN 55401-9022 email: topfive@gameinformer.com (attach digital picture) TOP TEN Lists...Everybody Loves Lists... Top 10 Rejected Game Infarcer Ideas TO Garnadan 9 Lair Dev Tips 8 "Real Estate Values in Rapture On The Decline” T Snake Snacks (ask Ben) 6 Final Fantasy Football 5 The Alliance (already a joke) 4& Heavenly Sore З Something abi ockets (again, ask Ben) 2 Bass Effect 1 Tom Hanks Name That Game Answer: Snow 26 GAME INFORMER EA RECONVENES WHITE COUNCIL? LORD OF THE RINGS BACK ON : n half a year, EA's The Lord of the Rings: The White Council went from promising RPG to unfulfilled promise. The game was cancelled in early 2007. However, EA's Lord of the Rings plans are far from over. Company CEO John Riccitiello recently stated that EA is moving forward with a Lord of the Rings project based on Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's creation. Riccitiello says the game is anticipated in EA's 2009 fiscal year that runs from April 2008 to March 2009 Documents from EA show that Pandemic (Mercenaries 2) has been assigned to the project, but it is unknown if it will be a reprisal of The White Council or an entirely new project. The White Council was originally conceived as a game set at the beginning of the Third Age in Middle-earth before The Hobbit or The Fellowship of the Ring. At first, The White Council was indefinitely delayed before it was officially terminated, and at the time, Peter Jackson's royalty lawsuit with New Line Cinema and the studio's possible movie plans were believed to throw the whole project in jeopardy. Fast-forward to today, and the landscape has changed — but all is still not well. While Peter Jackson has cleared up his lawsuit with the studio and the pair have agreed to make two films: one based on The Hobbit and another preceding The Fellowship of the Ring (Jackson will serve as executive director and Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro will be behind the camera), a final snag could remain. A group represent- ing J.R.R. Tolkien's estate is also suing New Line for royalties purportedly not paid by the studio. This latest lawsuit could delay the films. Also, if EA anticipates releasing this newest LOTR game before March of next year — the film itself hasn't even begun filming ~ trying to line up this game with the movie could be next to impossible in EA's stated time frame. SHADOWS OF ANGMAR DEEPEN Publisher/developer Turbine, producer of the successful The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, has extended its licensing agreement with Tolkien Enterprises to create MMORPGs based on Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books through 2014 There is also an addition al option to extend the deal through 2017. DOES HAVING THE FASTEST REFLEXES IN THE WORLD MAKE YOU AN ATHLETE? The incredible multi-threaded Intel® Core"2 Extreme quad-core processor. A NEW KIND OF GEAR FOR A NEW KIND OF ATHLETE. INTELCOM/GO/GAMING educ ©2008, Intel Corg ved. intel, Intel logo and intel Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the and other countrie oration, Alt rights reser = connect ten Common sense has always taught us that if your town is overrun by zombies it's best to reach for a shotgun. Typing of the Dead has a different take. What if zombies exploded every time a word or sentence was typed quickly and accurately? It's probably safe to say this is the most action-packed typing software on the market. Even though the core concept was pretty strange on its own, the random phrases like "pink tofu" and "Why can't you use a toilet?" took things to the next level. 2 an From the moment the sooth- ing voice of Leonard Nimoy welcomes you to the world of Seaman, it's obvious that some- thing's off. Part pet simulator (it was the Tamagotchi era, after all) and part conversational experi- ment, Seaman tasked players with raising creatures from eggs to fish. with faces to land-roaming amphibians. Experimenting with various phrases via the Dreamcast mic yielded talk about religion, politics, and correct pronunciation ("That's Sea-man, skin puppet”). 3 Killer Three years later and people are still trying to figure out what the hell's going on in this game. But there are a few things we know for sure. Fact: You play as a wheelchair-bound old man who has seven distinct assassin personalities. Fact: Travis’ T-shirts are usually inappropriate. Fact: The dialogue is nuts! "Children are pure. They know who's the strongest" "God and the pigeon are one" "Poof. You're f***ed" 28 GAME INFORMER For an audience that easily accepts a plumber who eats mushrooms to grow twice his size and stomp turtles, it can be difficult to find something strange enough to affect gamers. It takes a particular sort of peculiarity, and no one does it like Japan. So take a tour of Game Informer's predominantly Japanese 10 strangest games of all time. After a few sequels, the Katamari series has become more of a gaming staple than an outlier. But the original's mix of strangely catchy music, a star-destroying flamboyant King of all Cosmos, and an odd game mechanic that had players roll up everyday objects into a growing sticky ball, set a new bar for the bizarre. Particularly fun is the first time you roll up a person and listen to their shouts of horror mixed with glee as their legs kick frantically out of the side of your katamari. 5! “Warning. This game contains scenes of explicit itchiness.’ So reads the opening message in this first-ever mosquito sim. Players take on the role of the tit- ular insect and proceed to slowly drive the Yamada family insane with bug bites. You can tum off the TV or make a cell phone ring to distract your victims before going in for the kill. If dis- covered in your quest, the Yamadas will go on a Godzilla-style rampage until you ram into one of their "relax" points. Ware, Inc Mega Microgame$! Just when we thought minigames couldn't get any shorter, WarioWare came along and trimmed them down to mere seconds. With pals like the disco-crazy Jimmy T. and mad scientist Dr. Crygor, Wario sets out to make the best game ever. With challenges like nose picking, toast catching, and Game Boy cart inserting all flashing by in an instant, it's tough to fully digest all of the oddities. But keeping players con- stantly disoriented is what this game's all about. VVINY XY/XX 7 Feel the Magi One of the first of many minigame collections to come on the DS, Feel the Magic stands out with its wacky perspective on romance. An enthusiastic group of rabbit ear-wearing matchmak- ers come up with a multitude of perilous schemes to help you score the girl. Halt charg- ing angry bulls, touch scorpions, ride a unicycle on a plank between two skyscrapers, and wipe mud off your crush all in the name of love. Quick sidenote: the sequel (The Rub Rabbits) is called Where do Babies Come From? in Japan. Dominoes is a relatively relaxing game on its own, so how do you spice it up? Why not bring the dominoes to life and have them prance around a track dodging errant dice, packages of Pocky, and station wagons. Players spend the first lap setting up dominoes, making sure they're set up to trigger various “traps” that will keep the chain going. These payoffs include a spring-loaded boxing glove smashing a dude in the face, a sumo wrestler launching a kid off a see- saw, and even a fallen meteor. 9 Guilty Gear “Heaven or Hell? Let's rock!” So begins every battle in this over-the-top metal-themed fighter. Characters include a girl who can fight with her hair, a blind man who summons giant shadow fists and creatures, and a 9'4" mad scientist who's not averse to throwing you on the operating table and hacking away in the middle of a brawl. Fatalities also played a part, though they could be triggered at any time. Nothing like getting squeezed to death in a chain cocoon by the computer when you were one slash away from winning. 10í Q's Life This game is based on the prob- ably true concept that all dogs think about is crapping, peeing, and smelling foul aromas. In this ridiculous collect-a-thon, you could perform any of these actions at the press of a button. Gameplay consists of fetching things for humans, challenging other dogs to races and piss contests, and farting on butter- flies. Parents beware, the ESRB descriptor makes no mention of the rampant feces tossing contained within. A. = T ә $ Bu ЖЕ: Eu Bs & It can be really tough out there. People try to trip you up. Others want you to smoke weed or do stupid things that aren't you. Be real. You're c not made of metal, but you're strong enough to make your own decisions; So, what are you going to do? abovetheinfluence.com 'ug-Free America® 1982 v 1992 v 1999 v 1999 v 2003 v 2007 У connect CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Starting Lineup Moore begins earning his credentials in the sports. marketing world at the U.S, division of Patrick, a sports apparel company Pump It Up Peter Moore leaves Patrick for Reebok, one of the world's. premier sports apparel and shoe companies ANew Game Moore takes his marketing and management expertise to the U.S. division of Sega, where he eventually becomes president and COO Big Dreams ‘Sega releases the Dreamcast in the US. Although it ultimately falls to the ultra-popular Sony PlayStation, the Dreamcast garners a huge following of hardcore gamers worldwide 5 соппест О = PETERMOORE PRESIDENT, EA SPORTS >> A major player at both Sega and Microsoft, Peter Moore has seen the game industry from many sides. Now returning to his first love — sports — the former Reebok executive looks to lead a revitalized EA Sports << Coming into your new position, what did you see as the biggest strength of EA Sports and what did you see as the biggest weakness? | think they were probably the same thing, which is scale. The company has incredible scale on a global basis. At the same time, the scale of the company was slowing it down. They're the aircraft carrier in the battlegroup; they're not the most nimble of beasts. At the same time, John Riccitiello [was] coming back with a real emphasis on getting the company lean and focused on quality. This was a very different EA to what | had seen even six months prior. What had changed internally at EA in those six months? The way that it was previously organized was that you had Electronic Arts and you had a Worldwide Studios division, which was the real controlling influence here [at EA Sports]. Then, there was the Publishing division, whose job it was to take the games to market. It had worked incredibly well for this company for many years. But, in recent years, anybody here will tell you that we kind of lost our for interactive entertainment. Electronic Arts, as did a number of other companies, bid on that. You recently announced Facebreaker, an over-the-top, cartoonish boxing game. Do you see casual sports titles as being the growth area for EA Sports? | think that there's bigger growth in the more casual market, but | don't think we've maxed out the potential of the hardcore games...but | do think the onus is on us to offer new experiences. The real core element is going to be growing the business to the broader consumer that is currently intimidated by the way that we offer our games. While there's probably 10 million people that call themselves a part of Madden nation, there's 120 million, according to the NFL, football fans that for some reason haven't shown an interest in playing a football video game. You said that EA Sports needs to compete with Nike and ESPN as overall sports brands. How do you do this? | think that there is [huge] potential for the brand look at sports that are appealing there — soccer is huge there and we'll continue to invest in soccer. But fast behind that comes things like cricket. If you think India's going to be important in the next three to five years, you better have a presence in cricket. If you think that you can continue to be only in NASCAR and have a global footprint in competitive racing, | think we all understand you're sadly mistaken. You've also referred to EA Sports expand- ing into a "social news" network. Could you clarify what you meant by that? Is it MySpace for sports? When | look at what we need to do to aggregate our consumer base, | see that we need to give them a place that they can come and meet as EA Sports fans. We're starting to build technology that they can use to share their experiences. If you go to EASportsWorld right now, which is a beta site, you'll see a small portion of those consumers post- ing videos. You know that EASports.com becomes a very important URL for us moving forward — more than just a website for static information and Concepts’ groundbreaking NFL 2K1, one of the first console games to do online play via the new SegaNet service In The Box After the Dreamcast's death, Moore comes to another console manufacturer, Microsoft, where he serves I look forward to having a conversation with [the MLB] when the time is right about how EA Sports can get back in baseball. as corporate vice president of the company’s interactive entertainment business Tattoo You In a move that would make him an Xbox fan favorite, Moore unveils the release date of Halo 2 at E3 2004 with a tattoo on his arm. He would later repeat the move with Grand Theft Auto IV. Debate still rages on whether they were real or not 30 САМЕ INFORMER mojo a little bit — because of our size. What you had was unclear reporting structure, unclear deci- Sion-making structure that was unwieldy and difficult to understand for the different groups. With the new system, we have very clear reporting. It's myself at EA Sports; | run the sports label. Cathy Vrabeck in casual [games]. Nancy Smith runs the Sims label and, of course, Frank Gibeau runs EA Games. You spoke about “mojo” I think, since EA got the exclusive NFL license, there's been per- ception amongst gamers that EA Sports has been resting on its laurels. | think it's a misperception for a number of reasons. First of all, the tallest tree always catches the most wind. It is incredibly difficult to innovate year-in and year-out on the timelines that we have. But in the great majority of cases we do just that. At the same time, | recognize that when we do a deal that we've recently renewed with the NFL that people somehow see that as a crimping of competition or buying our way into marketshare when we can't innovate. I've said this 100 times since I've been here, and it seems to fall on deaf ears: EA did not barge into the NFL offices demanding an exclusive three years ago. The National Football League deter- mined that they would tender an exclusive license that is EA Sports, which | always admired from the outside and wondered why it wasn't being further leveraged. We've announced a deal with IMG...they are the preeminent sports market- ing company in the world for licensing. IMG will represent the EA Sports brand in areas other than our core competency of video games. It corrals a lot of the stuff | saw when І got here with our logo appearing on all kinds of promotional items | didn't feel comfortable with. It also allows us to take EA Sports to places like apparel and sporting equip- ment. There will also be things like sports camps and utilization of our technology to aid broadcast- ing. All of these are ways that we believe we can invest in our brand, and bring more people into the video game industry. You've previously mentioned the possibility of cricket and F1 racing as being examples of huge sports that are essentially ignored in North America. We're looking at whatever sport we think can help us grow our global footprint. We do not do well in Asia; it's a huge opportunity for this brand. But you're not going to go in there with the NFL; you're certainly not going to go in there with the NHL. You've got a chance with the NBA. But you showing you game releases.... Extending it out, social networks are becoming incredibly important, and the “widgetization” of content is very [impor- tant]. We're starting to do that in Facebook with things like Madden, to bring a bite-sized experience to those tens of millions of people that visit their homepage everyday. Are there any plans for exclusive deals with the NBA or NHL? Will you attempt to get back into the MLB market when 2K's exclu- sive expires? Not having baseball as part of our portfolio pains me a little bit. | respect the fact that there is an exclusive arrangement there that precludes us from doing anything there. Having said that, when the time is right, I've got very good relationships with MLB and I've got a lot of people that work there who worked with me at Reebok that are good friends. | look forward to, at the very least, having a conversation with them when the time is right for how EA Sports can get back in baseball. In regards to the other two leagues, there have been no conversations with the NBA or NHL as far as exclusive arrangements. [This interview was conducted prior to EA's attempted buyout of Take- Two and 2K Sports — Ed.) Photo: Steve Skoil 555 ® As part of EA's internal reorganization, Peter Moore will lead EA Sports as an independent studio moving forward GAME INFORMER 31 connect gear peripherals FANATEC PORSCHE 911 RACING WHEEL We finally got to take this wireless 911 Racing Wheel out for a test drive, and we were more than pleased with its smooth performance. Built for both the PC and PS3, the 911 has three force feedback motors and comes with swapable 6+1 manual or Tiptronic style sequential gear sticks. Still, the 911's biggest feature is the hand-stitched leather and inset metal Porsche = logo. This is one case where you really might be paying for the logo. The 911 is a great racing wheel, but unlike a real Porsche, its high performance hardly justifies the price. $350.00 · www.fanatec.com EN BELKIN n52te SPEEDPAD Belkin's updated SpeedPad features three saved profiles, a scroll wheel, and 15 programmable, backlit keys. We liked its keys' short throw, and the unit rests comfortably in your hands, but many of the buttons feel out of place result- ing in some awkward hand contortions. The d-pad comes with a removable joystick, which is nice, but the pad itself feels loose under your thumb. Many gamers may enjoy the SpeedPad's few benefits, but it's certainly not for everyone. $69.99 » www.n52te.com 32 GAME INFORMER peripherals LOGITECH CORDLESS MEDIABOARD PRO өөө Logitech’s newest version of its MediaBoard Pro now includes Bluetooth so there is no need for a USB dongle. We tested the unit and it worked well (to around 30 ft.) and the integrated touch pad with vertical scrolling provides a nice mouse-free solution. Still, this is just a keyboard, and a fairly expensive one at that, therefore probably only of interest to those who do a lot of web browsing or text messag- ing on their PS3. You know who you are. $79.99 - www.logitech.com VN ош RAZER PIRANHA Fans of smaller headsets might want to check out Razer's Piranha. This headset comes with a nice three-meter long cable, produces some clear, full sound, and has an adjust- able mic that requires only a little bit of volume tweaking. The Piranha's biggest fault is only apparent after several hours of use. Due to the headsets small can size, the ear cups don't fit over your ears and can result in some discomfort. If it weren't for that detail and the unit's higher price point, this would be a sure bet. $79.99 » www.razerzone.com BM1 Michael O'Connell, i , MM2 Sergio Rodriguez 3 LT Lewis Baker navy.com/seals om left to right: LCDR Mark Simon, ETCM Eric Olis, BMC Dan Ames EN1 Jason Fetterman, EM2 Mark DiPietro, Pictured fr connect gear BBC NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTION This DVD set includes four of the BBC's award winning documentaries: Planet Earth, The Blue Planet, The Life of Birds, and The Life of Mammals. All told, this is over 33 hours of programming spanning 17 discs. With all that knowledge, who needs to read books anymore? $169.98 · www.bbcamericashop.com 34 GAME INFORMER toys MCFARLANE HALO FIGURES Sure these seem a little late to the party, but who's going to complain when one of the top toy makers, Todd McFarlane, tackles one of the largest video game properties? The first series will be available starting in March and will include Master Chief, Cortana, a Jackal Sniper, a Spartan Soldier, and a Brute Chieftain. McFarlane will also be making a few vehicles to go along with the set, including the Warthog, Ghost, and Brute Chopper. $7.99 - $14.99 : www.spawn.com RETRO DUO CONSOLE [ID Tired of blowing on cartridges and lighting candles to the ancient Nintendo goddess in hopes that your old systems will work? The Retro Duo console might be your solution, since it combines the tech- nologies of the NES and SNES into one slick pack- age. Unfortunately, the Duo doesn't work perfectly with both systems’ full libraries, but it will play a lot of your favorite titles like: Metroid, Castlevania ll: Simon's Quest, Legend of Zelda, Star Tropics, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, F-Zero, and Star Fox, to name a few. $49.99 · www.innexinc.com COMMANDER SHEPARD STATUE If you're like us, you've probably already polished off every- thing there is to do in Mass Effect and are hungrily await- ing more. These officially endorsed 8" statues are for you. Situated on hand-numbered bases and limited to a 2,500 worldwide run, these statues won't start shipping out until a little later this spring, but you can pre-order yours online right now. $89.95 » hyperchildwow.com/blog One Passion, One Game. A. va > Improved and stunning агары M bring the game to dire! More teams and players than ever! Play as your faverite team. Tx, 2. t il - ~ = M. لر تی‎ x N b ¢ - ^ rom Man pom M 7 Improved Master League т Sy, \ with new AI system! “oa ыа Дн „© Available on your favorite systems! R) XBOX зво“ Wi і NINTENDOS, DVD-ROM SOFTWARE] Visit www.esrb.org for rating information 5, connect Opinion EMIL PAGLIARULO, LEAD А , DESIGNER OF FALLOUT 3, hen | was a kid growing up in South Boston, the trashcans in our backyard were dragged to the curb for pickup, every week, by a homeless man named Vinnie Trashski. Yeah, | know. "Trashski" Bitter irony or cruel nickname? It really didn't matter. Here was a disheveled, disenfran- chised alcoholic with a heart of gold, a guy who could have simply sifted through the garbage after it had been brought curbside, but instead chose to bring the barrels himself. Despite his outward appearance and social status, Vinnie was one of the good guys. Deep down, he just wanted to help. Vinnie was just one of dozens of real-life char- acters that populated my world in the mid-1970s. Today, the cast is different, but no less colorful. There's the kid in the park, listening to his iPod while dangling languidly from a swing, too old for a playground, but with nowhere else to go. And the silver-haired teacher directing students and traffic outside my kids’ elementary school, one eye on her charges, the other on my car. Frowning, joyless, obviously burnt out on children and the tedium of structured education. They're amazing, the stories we tell ourselves. All it takes is a single glance, and our imaginations fill in the rest. "Show don't tell" made manifest. That woman there? Soccer mom with a failing marriage and a mountain of debt. That guy? Recent college graduate with a bachelor's degree in marine biol- ogy whose only contact with dolphins was some suspect tuna. Whether or not these perceptions are entirely accurate is beside the point; our imaginations work with the material they're given. But not everyone gets the internal character por- trait, do they? Some people are just too mundane, too plain, too boring to trigger that spark of creation. So we move on, we dismiss the average and seek the exciting or, at the very least, interesting. And that's the real challenge of creating believ- able characters for a computer role-playing game, like those in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or Fallout 3. With a cast of hundreds, sometimes thousands, there's only so much information you can realisti- cally relay about each NPC [non-player character]. Ah, there's that word — NPC. For a role-playing game developer, it's a professional necessity, part of the shared language of our craft. But for a creator of interactive fiction, the term is anathema. So clini- cal; so cold. Because if your game makes its way to players, and those players encounter NPCs and not living, breathing characters — indeed, believable people — then you have failed both yourself and your audience. So what's the trick? How does a game designer turn trite, insensate NPCs into believable, exciting characters? How do we populate our games with people, and not simply voice-acted cardboard cut- outs (a crime most developers have been accused of at one time or another, Bethesda included)? If only there were a silver-bullet solution. Perhaps an “NPC to character” conversion button in our construction set... Truth is, creating believable and entertaining actors is always a challenge, and each designer or writer has his or her own techniques. For me, the process of creating convincing char- acters begins with an understanding of the medium I'm working in. And that's no small thing. In fact, | feel pretty strongly it's one of the single most important aspects of game development. Because no matter how well developed your skills, creating fiction for a video game poses one very distinct challenge — you've got to accept that the whole of your writing — characters, narrative, everything — is simply not as important as the gameplay. Yeah — ouch. As a writer and designer, that's a pretty tough thing to accept. | should know: in Oblivion | ended up cutting more than eight hun- dred lines of specifically-written dialogue because it's what the game needed. It was a painful but necessary decision. It always is. Ironically, when you're creating a role-playing game — arguably, the most fiction-heavy video game genre of them all — the problem intensifies. The temptation to add text is ever present. It is, after all, the easiest type of gameplay to implement. No complicated coding or messy scripting, just...words. In the case of The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, words are typed into our construction set, which then become a permanent part of the game just minutes later. Get careless, and before you know it, you've drowned the player in fiction — books, dialogue, needless background stories, what have you. And none of that guarantees you've told the story you wanted to tell. That's where believable characters come in. With the right character, you tell your story and establish fiction instantly; there's no need for a lot of super- fluous exposition. The fact that Samus is an interga- lactic bounty hunter — and a wornan to boot — is all we need to know to enjoy Metroid. If we accept that all video game characters fall under one of three literary classifications — proto- type, archetype, and stereotype — it's easy to see the appeal of the archetype. This is the established, easily-understandable character model. The badass Space marine or seductive sorceress. The proto- type, while imaginative and interesting, is too easily viewed as "weird," and that means inaccessible. The stereotype? Overused, oversimplified, and more often than naught, offensive. And so, in Fallout 3, we use these strong arche- types to immediately capture the player's imagina- tion. At least, that's the idea. Because when you meet little Timmy Neusbaum, we really have just one hope: that you believe, that you are convinced, he is a real person. Only then will your task have any real meaning, only then will you believe you're making a little boy cry. And if you enjoy this particu- lar act of cruelty? Well, so much the better. ШШШ 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. 36 GAME INFORMER I WANNA MAKE BIG PLAYS. AND REPLAYS. AND REPLAYS. T wn Mes ә UST YOUR FENCES ba: i BAD NEIGHBOR. WITH THE SWEET SOUNDS 1 WANNA SERENADE YOU 7 OF CHIN MUSIC. f ^ IF IT AIN'T OVER TIL IT'S OVER, WANNA MAKE IT OVER.‏ 1 © ج ma (‏ RRS — 7 \ \ {WANNA THROW MY } 3 BREAD AND BUTTER PITCH "ТИ YOU BEG FOR SOUP. Steal like a crooked corporate fatcat with intuitive All-New Baserunning. Bring enough heat to cause NT 3rd degree burns — or use a breaking hook to bait them — with Total Pitch Control, where your right stick BASEBALL .* determines the pitch, its speed and accuracy. And with 2K Cards, you can unlock, collect, trade, and show \ off what you've earned to the entire 2K community. IF YOU WANNA, YOU GOTTA GET MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 208. e| BE wi Qoo $ P ESRB CONTENT RATING www.estb.ory SPÜURTS con © 2005 Tada- Teo race Sar and s cubus Muse ©м 200 ГАВРА 200. "Parton, "RAYSTAYQN E : i t e X Sts, a Tae Two race Sotware a vadens ndi rtr rioris ol Tb Te race Stat, c Mar League Bae eran nd pgs wn wh prin Mar Lge Bnet grs, c i B ci aet x M B cm OM DPA - (нл cones Мур Lene Bnet Payer scat Vet Зе Part Ооке a he wet al www А Payer o logo d “PSF a etr dari o or Conus Ёледи! kc. PPB em = Mamor Sick oj? тау be ри Go чеде, Мело, Jor, or 60 Jor Ll. nd те биз дл кү Yeu d Ва Mort gag d compe. WS ne Da А ык эт Faden d Mens © 206 Nie Te пдр ron 4 1 ote таула o he Extent Son Acton connect calendar краі EFG : autt | tue NEW RELEASES * Devil May Cry 4 - PC * Mr. Slime - DS * NBA Ballers: Chosen One - PS3, 360 * Rock Band Wireless. Controller ~ PS3, 360 NEW RELEASES + Arcana Heart ~ PS2 * Imagine: Animal Doctor - DS * The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff - PC + Supreme Commander — 360 * Storm of War: Battle of Britain - PC 15 NEW RELEASES * Gran Turismo 5: Prologue - PS3 * High School Musical 2: Work. it Out - DS * Predator — Blu-ray + Rondo of Swords - DS * Teenage Zombies - DS * UEFA Euro 2008 - PS3, 360, PS2, PSP NEW RELEASES * Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia - PS3 *Ne-DS * Nérobike - PS2 m NBA Ballers: Chosen One - 04/01 COUNTDOWN £1 DC Comic's yearlong event Countdown to Final Crisis clicks down to it's final conclusion this month. Issue number one comes out today. Get ready to dicover all the mysteries. surrounding Darkseid and Jimmy Olsen and Mary Marvel. The DCU won't be the same after this. T-ELOS STATUE If your desk is covered with Kos-Mos figures (like Joe’s is), and you often talk about Xenosaga at lunch (like Joe used to do before we banned him from lunch), this new T-elos statue has your name all over it At $79.99, it's a bit pricey, but it is a beautiful sculpt of one of gaming's most under-appreciated characters NEW RELEASES * Grand Theft Auto V — м fri 04 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ` Thank the gods because one of television's best shows is finally Баск on the frakkin’ air. 105 been a long dry season due to that WGA strike, but Battlestar. Galactica's fourth season will finally be premiering tonight оп the Sci-Fi channel at 10pm ET/PT. Head over to Miller's for. the party. di We HOW TO PREPARE FOR GTA IV: PART 1 The day you've been waiting for is only weeks away. If it's anything like the previous GTA titles, it will rule your life, So starting today, you had best get ur body and mind prepared г marathon gaming sessions. We recommend starting slow. Have a friend hide 100 pack- ages within a 186-mile radius, then spend the week finding as | many as you can. 19 HOW TO PREPARE FOR GTA IV: PART 2 Did you find all of the pack- ages? Good. Now, let's step things up. Grab your cell phone and contad everyone in your address book. Ask them if they have missions for you. If they say no (or if they act like they don't know what you are talking about), they're in cahoots with the bad guys. Shout “Who are you working for?” until they give you а mission or hang up. < 26 HOW TO PREPARE FOR GTA IV: PART 3 Now, it’s time to get into Niko's head. The best way to accom- plish this is to watch films about good-hearted immigrants trying to make it in America. Fievel Goes West, Coming to America, and Short Circuit 2 are clearly the classics you should be looking for. With this step. out of the way, you are ready. Congratulations! Reward your- self with a hot cup of coffee. REALTONE sin MINE BIG...” Ж ШШШ true9753 M = EI - Р КТ « T lu MEE | КЕ m. j * DO —J HAKKA * E w game3357 game3360 =: М POOT puan и re Tou Saart na $ wall6080 wall6081 wall6073 Ё а maig { 3 jq TM IMBP, c. AI Rights Reserved n , А mid — f isayerritle |) f ў, Ming to. [| zx. B Waste "n wall6082 ^ wall6083 E a ? ES game3362 | умет " game3363 game3364 A M © 2005 Microsoft. All rights reserved GAMES +++ GAMES +++ GAMES +++ GAMES +++ GAMES +++ GAMES +++ GAMES +++ GAMES +++ sai wall6084 мавовѕ wall6075 “ЭА NDA \\ WEN NG 7: ант /——————— кы” \ ҮҮЧҮ ТҮ LY y JJ e+ not available for T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless & Virgin Mobile customers «. t и e^ " 7 ee Seis adactus THEMES à IER were Эй 7 LJ í REALTONES ^ ШО] [ou LJ нши e 4 t \ Р; i & TOR ےر‎ A { E 3 AMM ^ wateose мапбовт waueoss Sensual Seduction - Snoop Dogg true9733 3 BS '@ 6 25 % Suffocate - J. Holiday true9734 V æ £» А 1 ү) \TASTESO Ty Pop Bottles = Birdman true9735 Î : / » wall6078 3 OOD Apologize - Timbaland true9736 A om be e eras Fa N WANT THE Crank That Soulja Boy Tell Em true9737 4; theme4641 theme4642 theme4643 theme4644 СЕТНЕЇ R REC/PE rani + Soulja Boy Tel Я f With You - Chris Brown true9738 А f uj Ls qu © TI NE wall6089 wall6090 wall6091 I'm So Hood - DJ Khaled Feat T Pain ^ true9739 H nell ré = хро =“ Duffle Bag Boy - Playaz Circle true9740 ў _ " AES Kiss Kiss - Chris Brown Feat T-Pain true9741 { LOVE CREAM) Crank Dat Batman - Pop It Off Boyz true9742 у . J L К. 4 x YOU! eM Sweetest Girl - Wyclef Feat Akon #rue9743 f +һете4645 theme4646 theme4647 theme4648 wall6076 wall6092 — wall6093 — wall6094 Girlfriend - Bow Wow & Omarion true9744 Y eder on He Oh a a P tit 4 = Tattoo - Jordin Sparks true9745 Я Who Тһе F Is That? - Dolla Feat T-Pain — true9746 М SCREENSAVERS Falsetto - The Dream true9747 t E I < 3 / ч ШЕШ Kill (Feat Akon) - 50 Cent true9748 à ЧАМ "mac Р ï ^ My Orink n' My 2 Step - Cassidy true9749 / wr > (à Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna true9750 Ў y © We Takin’ Over - DJ Khaled true9751 y i X Long Road To Ruin - Foo Fighters true9752 Z move7787 move7788 move7789 a 7w ^C a. 4 жы MAL e I di "ZEN s TP 4,4% Т d a cellphi " Я WAP or \ IHOWBTOJORDER' / EET EUG ^ gom CIS © Г.А 1 Cos 2 CED 3 4rTEED fj please contact our Customer Care hotline (see below) 5 D NEED HELP? ES z Messages 0 wall6072 8375555 CALL 866-856-JAMS a or email: info@jamster.com ; ^ move7791 move7792 HOWETOIDOWNEOAD! SUPPORTED CARRIERS: " Given, AMT un 5 6 7 AT&T Verizon Wireless S ; RESF : А E RO EC МОШЕ Check out Jamster's voice order line TROLL REBB for all the t Alitel* xe hottest Ringers, Funsounds, Games and Mobile Applications! ‘altel customars: pense downioadi Jamster World Application М call СХ RIEN from your cell now! ee ~~~ MÀ ча tem ү a ж + کت کوت‎ —€—€— —— e * ALL CONTENT ITEMS ARE PART OF THE JAMSTER! MONTHLY XKL PLAN, WHICH IS SUBJECT TO TERMS OF SERVICE AVAILABLE AT JAMSTER.COM. EACH MONTH YOU WILL GET DOWNLOAD CREDITS FOR 6 RINGTONES, 10 GRAPHICS AND 4 GAMES/SOFTWARE (UNAVAILABLE FOR T-MOBILE, VIRGIN MOBILE AND VERIZON WIRELESS CUSTOMERS), ALL FOR JUST $9.99/MONTH. REDEEM YOUR CREDITS AT JAMSTER.COM. THE XXL PLAN AUTOMATICALLY RENEWS IF NOT CANCELLED. MUST BE 18+ OR HAVE PARENT'S PERMISSION TO SIGN UP ON THEIR BEHALF. IF HANDSET DOES NOT SUPPORT CONTENT, NEXT BEST SUPPORTED CONTENT IS DELIVERED. NORMAL MESSAGING & DATA CHARGES APPLY. CARRIER DATA PLAN REQUIRED. TO CANCEL YOUR PLAN TEXT "STOPXXL" ТО 75555. NEED HELP? E-MAIL TO INFOG JAMSTER.COM OR CALL 866-856-JAMS. a + £2 40 GAME INFORMER Se cover story ecret agents are the epitome of cool. In their worlds, they are the last line of defense against corrupt governments and terrorist attacks, single-handedly saving the day. While protecting humanity is the primary goal, their appeal isn't solely tied down in what they do — equally important is how they do il. James Bond trades barbs over a martini, Jack Bauer does whatever he has to, and when the assassins show up for Jason Bourne, he’s already gone. Many video games have tried to capture the essence of these archetypes, but the mystique of espionage is not easily conveyed through high-octane gameplay alone. In addition іо guns and explosions, there needs to be depth, sophistication, and dialogue. How do you create an experience that integrates all of those elements and still provides the excitement and intrigue that we expect from secret agents? According to Alpha Protocol developer Obsidian Entertainment, the solution is surprisingly simple. You make a role-playing game. PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE SPRING 2009 GAME INFORMER 41 For the team members at Obsidian, “make a role-playing ame” is more of a philosophy than a statement, and one for which they have demonstrated an uncommon aptitude. Unless you follow the genre closely, there is a chance you haven't heard of this Santa Ana-based studio. However, if the company itself isn’t immediately familiar, the games it has produced since its founding in 2003 will jog your memory, like Knights of the Old Republic Il: The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights 2. Prior to forming Obsidian, the developer's leadership was a part of Black Isle Studios, sharing development and design credits on legendary role-playing titles like Fallout, Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, and Icewind Dale. When it comes to western RPG developers, the talent at Obsidian stands at the forefront with the like of BioWare and Bethesda. The mere phrase “role-playing game” carries with it the history and traditions of an entire genre. There was a time when gamers couldn't even imagine an RPG without turn-based combat, magic swords, goblins, and sorcerers. Fortunately, as video games continue to evolve, so do the conceptions of how various themes and gameplay mechanics can blend into a single experience. “The RPG genre is changing, observes Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart. “You can't go off and make [the original] Fallout again. But I think, with Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Oblivion, and a lot o! the other RPGs that are coming out, you're starting to see a movement in the RPG genre.” This shift in the landscape means that it is time to move past what RPGs have been and start shaping their future. “We knew we wanted to do something different,” states team lead Chris Parker. “Something Й m Close-quarters fighting can yy be a last resort or primary TA 3 method of combat, depending | on how you spend skill points 47 WAN that didn't involve a d20 system, and with more that did a better job blending player skill with charac- modern day action/RPG espionage thriller. Gamers will take control of CIA field agent Michael Thorton, a fully trained but inexperienced young operative who has his world turned upside down і when a mission goes wrong. Cut off from his contacts, i betrayed by his superiors, and hunted by his country, he is given no choice but to uncover the conspiracy. This is what is known as invoking the Alpha Protocol, they go underground and operate off the radar — often to preserve international security. "Senior agents, which Michael is not, have secret networks of safehouses around the world that they can use in an emergency situation," Parker explains. "Michael sort of steals that from somebody else and goes rogue in the best interest of the country. He's been framed, and he is the only person in the world that knows some bad things are about to happen.” This story set-up seems perfectly suited for an edge-of-your-seat spy movie, and Alpha Protocol will certainly have the defining action components that characterize similar adventures on the silver screen. Much like BioWare's Mass Effect, Alpha Protocol's battle system will revolve around real-time combat — especially gunplay. As a secret agent, Michael won't be using any +2 maces or casting Magic Missile; he relies on advanced weaponry and high-tech gadgets to accomplish his objectives. If fact, in terms of the action. Something faster paced, more compelling, and Р ter skill” These concepts gave rise to Alpha Protocol, а : an action normally reserved for senior agents in which : fighting and shooting mechanics, Alpha Protocol has more in common with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune than with Obsidian's previous titles. At first, this third-person, action-oriented gameplay might seem like a breach of the RPG code. However, anyone who got engrossed in Mass Effect's expan- sive universe knows that there is much more to role-playing than the combat. “There is running and gunning, but | want to make absolutely clear that, first and foremost, it's a role-playing game," Parker clarifies. "That's what we do. We like systems, complex stories, and character interactions. All that stuff. And we're not stepping away from that" You may be aiming a reticle instead of selecting spells, but once you start investing in Michael Thorton's development as an elite agent, Alpha Protocol's RPG elements clearly shine through. At the beginning of the game, Michael is a completely competent CIA operative, but his talents lack the comic book edge that distinguishes other famous special agents. He may be able to defuse bombs and score headshots, but he won't be jumping any motorcycles out of exploding airplanes quite yet. The progression of Michael's abilities throughout the game will signify his transformation from a rookie into a nearly superhuman facsimile of, as the team calls them, "the three J.B.s" (James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer). "Our goal was to take those guys, the J.B.s, and figure out how to blend them and make a game where you pick which of those guys you want to be," m In each location, you have a safe | house where you di change your | || equipment, buy and sell weapons, and tune in (via radio or television) | || to other events around the world | GAME INFORMER AE MES Se cover story Parker informs us. The way players make that choice in Alpha Protocol takes two forms: One is your inter- actions with various contacts and civilians, and the other is how you distribute points across Michael's array of special agent skills. These can range from individual weapon specialization to stealth. “The system is based most closely on Fallout,” reveals in each skill” It sounds straightforward enough, but its simplicity conceals surprising depth. The idea is that your skill points don't just increase damage or accuracy, but actually have a tangible effect on your character build. In other words, you won't just get marginally better at shooting a pistol — you will open up new skills that change your perception of a situation. These are the abilities that help you craft Michael Thorton into the type of action hero you want him to be. For instance, imagine that Michael is in a hallway, and you hear the footsteps of an approaching armed guard. If you are going for the James Bond approach, you can use your skill with gadgets to set off a series of remote-deto- nated explosives to eliminate the threat. If you want to emulate Jack Bauer's tactics, you may fire your pistol (with deadly accuracy) atthe guard from behind cover. Or, if you prefer the personal touch of Jason Bourne, you can remain hidden as the guard approaches, then silently step out and snap his neck as he passes. m Once a conversation happens, it happens. You won't be able to retry by talking to NPCs over and over again Parker. "It's classless; you have 10 skills, and 10 ranks : : the outset, so even without specific training he will In each of those situations, the options presented : are available exclusively to agents who have invested ; sufficient points in the relevant skills. Even though t the three J.B.s are being used here as archetypes, it is t only for illustrative purposes. The player isn't limited * to one of three options for character progression; just Н like in Fallout, you can focus on any combination of : skills that suits your play style. "Whatever you want to : до – if you want to play the stealth guy, the assassin, і the monk, or the run-and-gun guy — we have that,” 1 engineering producer Darren Monahan assures us. Remember that Michael is a skilled CIA agent from be able to perform most tasks to some degree, albeit with few added advantages. Some classic RPG systems make the transition to a modern day framework better than others. Weapon proficiency, combat skill, and even personality can be easily removed from a traditional fantasy context and integrated into a real-world, numbers-based system. Creative lead Chris Avellone jokes, “When we, as role-players, go through our normal workday, we can't help but sort of quantify the people around us and the way normal things would happen in a video game anyway" On the other hand, certain conven- tions of the genre, like magic, don't have a clear modern analogue: “For a long time we struggled with finding our 'spells," admits Parker. "That's where we decided we need special abilities for Michael that make him more superhuman” It stands to reason that if Michael were just a really good shot, he probably couldn't measure up to the larger-than-life image of a true espionage hero. But what if he has an ability to unerringly pop out from cover and take down six assailants? If you place enough points in pistols, he will. That particular : of weapon - the assault rifle, for example, can ability, called Chain Shot, allows Michael to entera : pre-load a critical without a target — but the basic state of heightened awareness to quickly take stock : method is the same, and you still need to spend of his surroundings as events around him slow to a : skill points to learn how to use them. crawl. In this mode, you can mark the positions of — : Chain Shot and critical hits are just two nearby hostiles, and when Michael returns to reality, : examples of powers Michael will acquire. Each he jumps out and fires a precise and lethal shot at : skill discipline will have abilities that players will : be able to utilize on a cooldown (rather than a each target. Not all abilities are actively selected. Some are ; mana-dependant) basis, but there will not be just built into the other systems, like the way the i a large number of them. The intention is to game handles critical hits. Since the team wants = encourage players to focus their efforts, and to blend player skill with character skill, the whole — : reward them appropriately for their commit- ment to a specific style. "We don't want the player to get to the end of the game and have maxed out the character," Parker confesses. "If we do that, then no one has created a unique Michael Thorton; they've created the same one, but the way they got there was different.” The concept of providing every player with a unique Alpha Protocol experience Shooting mechanic doesn't rest solely on you lining up headshots. "We all love RPGs and FPS titles, and wve wanted to create a game that would bridge that gap,” explains Monahan. The result is something а little bit like what gamers saw in Crackdown; when you aim at your target, a circle begins to constrict around the reticle. After a few seconds, when the two circles have lined up, your next shot will be a critical. The specifics vary slightly for each class There is running and gunning, but I want to make absolutely clear that, first and foremost, it's a role-playing game. TW IER E De ho „айы Lg qo ч. ш You will be free to adjust the camera during exploration, but it switches to an over-the-shoulder view for combat 5 ES A? B® А i 5 8 B 3% че чт 44 САМЕ INFORMER 2 КЫР. S A so TAIPEI MOSCOW : 2° cover story SALUD ARABIA. goes far beyond the combat capabilities of Michael Thorton; it pervades nearly every the characters that populate it. Obsidian's dedication to this goal is most apparent in Alpha Protocol's dialogue system, which is shaping up to be a compelling fusion of the conversation styles found in BioWare's Mass Effect and Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy. Currently known as DSS (Dialogue Stance System), the way players communicate with NPCs is a key component in establishing and reinforcing their connection with Michael and determining what kind of agent they want him to be. At the same time, it forces players to make snap decisions, retaining the cinematic flow of the conversation. This is accomplished by scrapping the idea that players need to read and select from a series of dialogue options. response, pressing the face button that corre- sponds to the onscreen option you want. One will sional, and the third will be brash or impatient. "There are going to be comparisons to Mass Effect, so we'll hit that right on the head," acknowl- edges Parker. “Our system has gone a little bit W Michael isn't tied down to any one area. He can have multiple active missions in different countries and travel between them KEEP TALKING ent impression of Michael Thorton, as well as the people he interacts with. The development team is still determining the specific points at which the player will input commands, but here are two ways your initial meeting with photojournalist (and potential love interest) Scarlet Lake can play out, depending on how Michael presents himself. E Scarlet: (Lets out a long sigh) You wouldn't believe the day I've ha Mike: | think I've got you beat Scarlet: You ever been a pushy woman in the heart of Arabia? Mike: No, probably not. Scarlet: You too, huh? Scarlet: (Mildly amused) Cute. Mike: Mike: (s Mike; Once. Lost a bet. Sure. affirmative) Yeah. Scarlet: (Sarcastic) You could keep that up the entire flight | bet. world Mike: Did you already have plans? € you already have plans Mike: What t Scarlet: | was going to invite you to slow down. Mike: You're right – it's a loi hotel room. flight, plenty of time to get your name and 2 Я Lad sd aec bo Ml: Mike: (Sighs) Don't worry about it. Scarlet: Wow. You just come right out and say those kinds of things, huh? : When I'm not putting my foot in my mouth. By the way, I'm Mike. Mike: guess Scarlet: l'm- Oh, you nearly got me th ah... : So, Mike, when you're not getting shot down, what do you do with yourself that would bring you out to this part of the world? interaction players have with the world and : Instead, you will only dictate the tone of Michael's: usually be smooth or suave, another cool or profes- : In Alpha Protocol, what your character says in conversation isn't just a bridge to the same NPC dialogue. It actually affects the course of the conversation, and will leave you with а very differ- Scarlet: Whoa, calm down - | was just- further than theirs. We break responses down into fundamental emotional states. Once you pick one of those stances, you can change it at various points in the conversation, or you can leave it on the same stance.” This means that if you know you want Michael to be a Bourne-like consummate profes- sional, you can select that stance at the outset of the dialogue and put the controller down, watching the conversation like a cutscene. If you do want to change your approach, you will have a limited amount of time to do so when the option arises; a timer bar will deplete as the last line comes to a close, ensuring that conversations actually feel like people talking to each other. For example, we witnessed Michael's first encounter with a photojournalist named Scarlet Lake on a plane. The conversation can go one of several ways, and unlike many RPGs, the responses you choose affect more than just what your character says — they also affect how the other person responds. That may not sound novel at first, but every RPG fan out there has been disappointed to realize that an NPC was going to say the exact same thing regardless of player input. In the case of Scarlet, if you choose to adopt a curt stance, she becomes abrupt and standoffish. On the other hand, if you continued on page 47 >> y Er Scarlet: Fella, don't take this the wrong way, but you look like you just got sucker-punched by the ell's that supposed to mean? Scarlet: It's this country - does that to everybody. Scarlet: If you don't mind me asking, what do you do that would make you want to come out here? $* cover story А з = Platform i The teams current solution to selecting powers and weapons is similar to BioShock's. Hold one shoulder button to . = - bring up the radial menu, and pull the ~*~ ^N Acc ER ш” LEE Sere cem edin — MIL 39m. Ix me 2 continued from page 45 are an unrelenting flirt, Michael comes off as a little Е operations, though you only need to complete а few itself,” Parker tells us. “Instead of solving problems thick – though still charming. Of course, you don't i іп order to advance to the main story arc. That being : independently, they are all tied together, as well as need to commit to one extreme or the other. If you i said, it will be to your advantage to carry out as many : to the big mission at the end of the operation. Within mix it up, the dialogue still feels natural, and you aren't : preparatory missions as possible since each one might : that contained sphere, we want to improve how the penalized for not picking one end of the spectrum. impact another, not to mention giving you a critical game reacts to your choices, how those consequences "If you play the entire game as the flirt, you'll get one: advantage when it comes time to tackle the big one. : play out” kind of reward. If you're aggressive, you'll get another : _, The sub-missions will be far from your standard RPG : When it comes to choice and consequence, most one," Parker promises. “But what if you do а little of : fare. After all, it doesn't really make sense for an elite : gamers expect to be presented with two options: everything? We're making sure you get rewarded for super-spy to go kill rats in the mayor's cellar. They tie : good and evil. That works great for games in the Star that, too.” into the main objective by providing Michael with key : Wars universe, which is based on the opposing sides It is necessary for Alpha Protocol to focus intently intelligence that will impact how the final operation і ofthe Force, but the real world is never so easily on the dialogue system because so much of Michael's in the area plays out. You may find yourself breaking — : categorized. As such, it's difficult to even discuss how success rests on his ability to obtain information. After into an office building to steal a hard drive, or simply morality figures into Alpha Protocol because the game the initial mission-gone-wrong, all you have is a list tracking down someone who wants to stay hidden. In isn't about doing the right thing or the wrong thing. As of names. The people on the list are scattered across one instance, you will run into a contact with crucial i Avellone says, "We present a lot of hard choices, but it's the world in places like Italy, Taipei, and the Middle information. To extract what you need, you can bribe : not light side or dark side. It's about your place in the East. With no standard CIA support network, it's up to him, persuade him, or just kill him. Whichever path world" The team's hope is that this will drive players to Michael to follow the leads, talk to his contacts, and you choose, you go into the next mission with an : consider potential repercussions, and what kind of man find out how to clear his name. The way this plays : edge, but it varies depending on your actions. Bribery : Michael is, before making decisions. out conceptually is reminiscent of Assassin's Creed i grants access to the informant's network and highlights : Often in role-playing titles, one aspect that can cloud (in structure, not mechanics). In each major location £ important tactical locations. Diplomacy yields alittle : the player's judgment is a desire for optimization. If you visit, there is a large operation that ultimately i less info, but also nets you a reward for comporting Peg game provides a reward for one course of action brings Michael closer to resolving the central conflict. i yourself with dignity befitting an agent. Murder gets i (but not another), many gamers will re-load a save until they feel they have achieved the best payoff. This will not be necessary with Alpha Protocol. “One thing However, the cities also have a series of Preparatory : you extra loot that you can use to buy your advantage. missions that feed into the primary objective. In Rome, n "Within the context of the operation, we're trying for instance, there could be as many as eight minor £ to change and improve how the game interacts with continued on page ЧЧ >> 5 A7 B2 ьч АЗ Аа SB E OB 39 3A 47 на 23 2° cover story SAUDI ARABIA : ш Many of your special abilities will be on cooldown. "We had a mana bar for a while," admits Chris Parker. "We decided it was dumb?" continued from page 47 we find frustrating in a lot of RPGs — and in games in general — is when you feel like you missed some bit of content or did something wrong," Parker declares. The team is avoiding this roadblock by making sure players are rewarded for any course of action, not just cleaving tightly to one paradigm. Anyone who got left out by being neutral with the Force (or juggling both Paragon and Renegade in Mass Effect) will definitely appreciate this inclusive approach to decision-making. For all of Alpha Protocol's innovation in terms of world reactivity and player choice, it is still anchored firmly in the systems and traditions of classic role-playing games. "Approaching Alpha Protocol, we really looked at what we are good at. We're good at making role-playing games," states Urquhart candidly. "But what parts of them? It's character, story, and gameplay" It wasn't until recently that a component like third-person gunplay would be considered a viable addition to the RPG genre's list of features, but the team at Obsidian is confident that the action mechanics can be integrated seamlessly with the rest of its repertoire. For the gamers that still might be skeptical of the combination, Avellone emphatically eliminates any lingering doubt. “We can pull off a great game with j the following elements in it: a great character development system, compelling mission objectives, cool storyline, character interactions, and exploration that makes you feel like you're in charge of the plot. By the end of it, your pants will be off. Clothes will be scattered around the room and you will have had a great time" Hmm...that sounds like the James Bond brand of espionage to us. INN Ш Se ee o 41 Po N P amm f , " С i „майт: - > DEVELOPER NEVERSOFT > RELEASE JUNE 50 GAME INFORMER —X.»»» SN Although the series is in its relative infancy (it debuted for the first time on the PlayStation 2 in 2005), it's not too early to call Guitar Hero a legend in the music genre. Created by Harmonix and published by Activision and Red Octane, the franchise is by far the breakout story of the last three years in gaming, creating a sensation along the lines of the early ‘80s outbreak of “Pac-Man fever.” Once confined to а niche market of Japanophiles, music games are now front and center on the pop culture landscape, garnering extensive mainstream media coverage and spawning Guitar Hero-themed nights at bars across the country. Recently, Guitar Hero made history when Activision announced that the franchise's total sales had surpassed the $1 billion mark — a feat it accomplished in only 26 months, an industry record. The continuing success of the franchise is gratifying to Neversoft, the developer that took over the reins from creators Harmonix after it left the Activision stable to create Rock Band with MTV. Although some questioned whether Neversoft (best known for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater) could continue the series' hot streak, Guitar THE MONSTERS Hero III has actually outsold Harmonix's Rock Band and continues to hold down positions in the top five on the sales charts. With so much success, it's not surprising that more Guitar Hero products are coming down the pipe in the near future. What is surprising is the direction that Neversoft has taken with its next follow-up. While it's not a full-on sequel, it's a unique title that's the product of an unprecedented partnership Neversoft has cultivated with some classic rock icons: Boston's hard rock legends Aerosmith. 97V 5.5.5 == эч» tii Back In the Saddle Coming out of the rough and tumble bar scene of early ‘70s Boston, Aerosmith has weathered the ups and downs of the music business for more than 30 years, earning them a rare multi-generational Se feature OF ROCH UNITE! How Neversoft and Aerosmith Joined Forces To Make A Historic Video Game Collaboration appeal enjoyed by only a select few groups in history. Formed in 1970 by guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, the band (fronted by rubber-lipped singer Steven Tyler) quickly became one of the most popular hard rock bands on the east coast. After being signed to Columbia Records (their label to this day), the band vaulted from the local stage to international stardom with such classic albums as Toys in the Attic and Rocks. Perhaps predictably, Aerosmith ended the ‘70s in shambles, wrecked on the rocks of drugs and alcohol - it was not for nothing Perry and Tyler earned the nickname "The Toxic Twins.” After a couple of ill-fated records cut after the departure of Perry and fellow guitarist Brad Whitford, and a failed 1985 record called Done With Mirrors, Aerosmith looked to be yet another casualty of the rock n' roll lifestyle. Then in 1986 something rather unpredictable happened — Run-DMC, then the world’s most dominant rap group, hit the charts and MTV with an Aerosmith- assisted cover of the band's hit "Walk This Way” Suddenly Aerosmith was vaulted back into the spotlight, quickly following the Run-DMC hit with Permanent Vacation, a multi-platinum smash powered by hits like "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Rag Doll" What followed was a string of hit albums and singles, culminated with "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing" from the Armageddon soundtrack in 1998 and an iconic Super Bowl halftime appearance in 2001. Today, the band once considered ‘70s burnouts holds the record for the most gold and platinum sales awards by an American group. Aerosmith's decades-long heritage proved to be the right answer for Neversoft, which was looking for creative ways to do a follow-up to Guitar Hero Ill — something much deeper than Guitar Hero: Rocks the ‘80s, a painfully thin Guitar Hero 2 expansion that Harmonix delivered to fill a remaining contractual obligation with Activision and Red Octane. Comments lead designer Alan Flores, "We didn't want to take Guitar Hero III and re-skin it and throw some new songs in there” After some internal discussion and feedback from some Guitar Hero fans, the idea to focus the project on a single artist emerged. One of the names that kept popping up in these brainstorming sessions was Aerosmith – a group that proved to be high on the list of fans as well. With its years of history and literally dozens of hits, the band seemed an ideal fit for Guitar Hero. Thankfully, the band itself — especially guitarist Joe Perry — had long been admirers of the franchise, and had even lobbied to get Aerosmith songs included in Guitar Hero II and III. “1 was walking through the living room and one of my sons was playing the first Guitar Hero, " recalls Perry. “He had the guitar controller, and the first thing I thought was, ‘I wonder if we're on there? We weren't. From then on, l've been on the warpath, getting hooked up with these guys because it's such a cool thing. It's awesome. The kids are getting to play air guitar with some great rock n' roll and it doesn't have to be Top 40 music. It's just good guitar rock. It all flashed in front of me when he was playing it. Then | called my manager and said, "We've got to get involved with this; this is the future’ As time went on, we built a relationship with the guys at Activision.’ For Tom Hamilton, a longtime fan of older PC flight-sim games like Air Warrior, the game represents a new paradigm for 8 You'll be able to unlock enjoying music. "It's a product of a new where industry legend Clive Davis signed authentic Aerosmith way of listening to and participating in Aerosmith to its first record contract. stage outfits music. More and more, listening to music Although Activision wouldn't officially has the potential to be attached to visuals. confirm, there will also be levels based on Which is really cool, but you also have the the Orpheum Theater in Boston (where factor that people are concentrating on the | the band reformed backstage in 1984) and music, because they have to interact with the “Big Game,” a NFL license-free version it to earn points. It's a much deeper way of | of the 2001 Super Bowl halftime show. interacting with the music you love. You're To add even more appeal to hardcore getting into the rhythm of a song and Aerosmith fans, many of the stage sets are that's such a huge part of it” tributes to classic album covers. The Max's Kansas City set is modeled after the cover art for Toys in the Attic. To add the almost Dream On documentary level of detail, the band also After some extended talks with Neversoft, conducted numerous interviews that will the idea was hit upon to craft the game as help place each level in the context of a virtual trip through Aerosmith's history their career, setting the stage for the next as a band. "We have such a big catalogue set of songs. "That kind of relationship and such a long story as a band, so it was really awesome,” remarks Alan Flores. made sense to do something that was a "Personally, | found it great. | watch VH1 little different than just putting songs up Behind the Music, and | love learning і there. They had already done that with about the history and try to put all that in | three games,” recalls Perry. “So, this whole the game. It's a good way to pay tribute to % chronology of the band started to develop the band" as an idea and a format" Of course the most important part of The result is a title that attempts to sum any Guitar Hero game is the song list, ГЕ ! up the entire 30-plus years of Aerosmith's and the band and Neversoft worked 4 career. The levels are all taken from the together to create the a tracklist that would = ч band's rise to stardom, starting out with encapsulate the band's the very first gig they ever played: Nipmuc career. Here again, a spirit of Regional High School in Massachusetts. cooperation reigned. 1 Another venue is a recreation (done ^We worked pretty close with the help of the original owners) of together on just about Max's Kansas City, a famous hangout everything. We basically of such notables as Andy Warhol and picked the set list of songs > чу м т Steven Tyler did both traditional and facial motion capture the Velvet Underground, and the place we were going to use that Y ® This level is based on the legend- NYC nightclub Max's Kansas City And features a stage set based on ;the cover of Toys іп the Attic made sense for the chronology of the band and as far as having different tempos. They had ideas about certain things and there were certain technical limitations that we weren't aware of,” comments Joe Perry. “Well, | kind of expected ‘Sweet Emotion’ would be in there, which | co-wrote,” said Hamilton. “But the song that 1 was really pleased that it made it through the process was ‘Kings and Queens: When we started doing the list | suggested it and remember thinking, ‘Well, they may not use this song because it's long’ But once we gave them all our input, they sent back their list and it was on there. So, | was pretty psyched about that.” The band was so committed to getting 8 Having five band members onstage meant having to re-do the camera system the proper song selection that, when it was discovered that some of the multi-track masters (which are essential to creating Guitar Hero tracks) to early hits "Movin' Out" and “Make It" were missing, they entered the studio and cut brand new versions. Although we don't know the final tally, the list so far is impressive: "Movin' Out", “Make It", Sweet Emotion", "Draw the Line", "Uncle Salty", "No Surprize", and “Kings and Queens" In addition, the levels are rounded out by a selection of other groups whose careers intersected with Aerosmith's — around a dozen in all. So far, we've seen tracks by Mott the Hoople ("All the Young Dudes"), The Kinks ("All Day and All of the Night"), Joan Jett ("I Hate Myself Wi For the opening acts, you'll Ls play as GH III characters, although there will now be five onstage at once for Loving Yom» u”), and Cheap Trick (“Dream Police"). Here again, it was important not only to have a good song list, but one that resonated wae th the band. "Cheap Trick are a great b -and and really good friends of ours,” stat —-s Perry. "That's where the collaboratiorsae came in, because a lot of the guys [at Neversoft] are gamers and don't know all the minutia about Aerosmith. That's where vve had to come in and help out...we're he ping [players] will learn a little bit abe uit what the band went through to gæt where we are" These comm plementary songs are woven into the gam «> by using the familiar Guitar Hero Ill chareacters as opening bands that perform two — r1on-Aerosmith songs to get the crovve—1 warmed up. Then, after a dramatic entam-a nce, Aerosmith comes into perform two songs and an encore. In this way, the gana е evokes many of the real-life tour lineups #Ehe band experienced as both headliner ane— opener. The Otraer Side Another thin = that was important to both Neversc—»ft and the band was truly capturing the= live Aerosmith experience. To do this, thm e developers quickly realized that the animation and camera systems from Guitar HA ero Ill would have to be dramatically reinvented. "Everything in here — venues, characters, five people оп stage — is mew,” observes producer Chris Parise. ~*WVith new venues and five characters or—31stage you have to re-do all the cameras.” ^ It was clea w that the band's dynamic 54 GAME INFCORMER stage show was going to require some serious animation and collision detection work, especially considering Perry and Tyler's penchant for moves that require their characters onscreen to interact, like their habit of singing “Draw the Line” into the same mic with Tyler's arm around Perry. To make things as realistic as possible, Neversoft did extensive motion capture sessions with each member of the band, a decision that gave them a little more than they bargained for — especially in the case of singer Tyler. While Perry and the rest of the band did their mo-cap in Boston, giving the developers sets of moves and animations to construct performances from, Tyler — a notorious perfectionist — was intent on capturing entire performances, doing motion capture on both his body and facial expressions. “We had Steven Tyler here for what seemed like forever, about four weeks,” recalls Parise. “When we started doing this, we thought it would be a lot more realistic if we had him actually perform the songs. He has a routine he does every night live, so what you see here is him performing all the songs as he would in the concert.” Tyler also insists on singing each take – he apparently never lip-synchs, even during video shoots. This limited the session to about four hours a day before his voice would begin to fade. From demanding more scarves on his virtual microphone stand to suddenly breaking into “Dream On" right in the middle of a discussion, the Steven Tyler experience is definitely everything you would expect from one of rock’s most flamboyant frontmen. "There's some stuff we just can’t tell you,” reveals Neversoft cofounder Joel Jewett. “You know how ш Although Tyler's sessions were the most involved, all the band members did extensive mo-cap work Bi The band will play guitars from their personal collec- tion onstage you walk through life, and if you're like me, you edit out about 97 percent of the s--- you think? Steven Tyler doesn't edit anything — it just comes out of his mouth. And you're like, ‘Woah, you thought that and you said it" Still the singer's unbounded enthusiasm was a huge positive for the project. Or, as Alan Flores puts it, "a good pain in the ass” Chris Parise praises the entire band's work ethic, "They all wanted to make sure we captured the essence of Aerosmith, like 'Let's do it again, | can do it better next time: It was really great to work with all those guys. Some of Steven's input has made this game a lot better.” They've also continued to make real technical improvements. "It was good, because he pushed us,” recalls producer Jody Coglianese. "We didn't have the technology to do all the cameras that way or we didn't have the cameras pointing down at certain angles. But he was like, ‘No, you've got to have this move – we always have this move at every show!’ So we'd go back and figure out how to do it" They are also tweaking Guitar Hero III's most controversial feature — the boss battles. The battles will still be present, but Alan Flores is aware of the existing problems. "I heard all the complaints about the boss battles," he said. "We want to make them perfect, as good as possible. It's hard when you do something new and change something that's a tried-and-true formula. People are going to say, What the hell" E The game delivers on a very lifelike Aerosmith in . concert experience > 1 Se feature Draw The Line Based on what we've seen so far, Guitar | Hero: Aerosmith looks to be just what the doctor ordered: another quick dose of axe- shredding goodness that features a little more depth and sense of rock history than | the haphazard selection of random tunes | that made Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s feel so half-hearted. The team at Neversoft clearly hopes that this kind of artist-centered, in-depth primer can be a new model for the still evolving music genre. "For me, it was an amazing process to bring a whole lot of creative people involved in making video games together with creative people from [the music] industry," comments Joel Jewett. "Both these industries are huge, and to bring them together, it's like ‘This is some heavy s--- – check this out" For Aerosmith's part, they hope the game can help to both summarize where the band has been in the past as well as introduce it to yet another generation of tock fans. “The ironic thing is that there will probably be more people exposed to our music playing this game than listening to the last couple of records we've put out,” predicts Tom Hamilton. As the record industry continues its rapid decline, even established bands like Aerosmith are looking for new ways to teach their audience. Joe Perry, a Guitar Hero supporter since day one, sees a world of possibilities in the world of gaming and downloadable content. "That's one of the things | thought about when | first saw the game being played,” Perry observes. “As I've watched the record business dissolve and eat itself, | wonder how fans are going to get their music. There's no change in the fact that kids want to play rock n' roll; there's plenty of great new bands playing. The fans want to hear this music. Plus, they're getting turned onto the older stuff, the so-called ‘classic’ stuff that in the last five years has really had a comeback, due in great part to video games.... As we've been talking about different ideas about how to get music out there, the possibility of people being able to download more songs for the game is an obvious way for fans to get new music. It makes a lot of sense. It's a new way for the business to rebuild itself. We're talking about it all the time - Activision is becoming опе of the new record companies. I'm sure we'll be putting out new songs for this game as time goes on.” Who knows, maybe this old dog can still teach the music industry a few new tricks? M I IE GAME INFORMER 55 60-80 HOURS OF GAMEPLAY FEATURING CHARACTERS FROM: SHADOW HEARTS, GROWLANSER, SPECTRAL FORCE, SPECTRAL SOULS & MANY MORE! T л N (( bY ا ر کے‎ a p PRE-ORDER NOW! GAMESTOPCOM/CHAOSWARS EXCLUSIVELY AT power to the players Ф.а. Ж / ET Du : G^ WAIT...FOR 2 8 \ v) SOS THEIR LIVES TO BE OVER £ کل f | 7 | 20150 [| А "PRIL" IS NOT A THING 04 | TONY DANZA VS. THE WORLD 2008 ~ THE NEW REGIME If you are a faithful reader of this publication, you are probably expecting me to begin by talking about my overwhelming “awesomeness” or pervasive “radicalocity.’ However, 1 am (thankfully) not Garnadan, and that kind of puerile bravado left when І usurped his position as Editor-in-Chief. Let me tell you something about the new Game Infarcer: We tell it like it is. Other publications, and | won't name names here (just go ahead and assume it's everyone else), hates games and wants to deceive you; they intentionally tell it like it isn’t. Not us! If we think a game sucks, we'll say so – even it doesn't even come out for a year or more. Some companies don't like the fact that we judge their games that far in advance, but like-it-is- telling isn't an easy job. Do you love us for our honesty? | hope you do. Please, please keep buying our magazine. DarthClark, Editor-in-Chief — Dar 4 ack 1005 8679 8302 7139 >> mii@wi.com Handle: The Friend Code Gamer Expertise: Anything % Waggly Interests: Wii Puns (Wii-kly, Wiimote — Hilarious!), Re-Buying Games | Beat 15 Years Ago, Anything With Mario, Substituting The Word “Innovative” For “Fun” Dislikes: Online Multiplayer, Downloading, Convenience, Actual Games Current Favorite Games: Wii Sports (My Only Favorite Game For 15 Straight Months!) gm Milt >> Я “=| staring@thewindow.com CC) Handle: The Golden Gamer Goddang Lawn! Interests: Andy Rooney, Murder, She Hawaiian Shirts, Golf Dislikes: Gas Prices, Damn Hippies, Enlarged Prostates Current Favorite Expertise: Get Off My Ё Wrote, Му Hoveround, Games: Canasta, Bridge, Tiddlywinks, Wii Play Target Male >> currenttrend@populardomain. С com Handle: The Corporate | Construct Gamer Expertise: * Whatever You Prefer Interests: 241 Whether you absolutely adore his games or just love them, you can't deny that Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki is an excellent game designer, and certainly the greatest one alive today. But is he the greatest of all time — past, present, and future? We've asked his most vocal supporters to discuss his place among the elite of game gurus. Your Favorite Show, Your Favorite Band, Your Girlfriend Dislikes: Parents and/ or Bosses, Common Problems Among 18-55 Year Old Males, Conformist Activities Current Favorite IMAGINE THAT YOU WERE to get the best game developers in the world and line them up from best to worst. Would you see Itagaki at the front of that line? No, you would not. Not because he isn't the greatest (he is), but because his skill is so far ahead of his "peers" that, in order to accurately place him, he would have to be standing out of sight beyond the horizon. In fact, he would not even be standing. He would be a shining star on the horizon, burning radiant and alone in the dark- ness of space.—ITAGAKI MY OPPONENT, WHILE COR- RECT, neglects to mention what I consider to be the most remarkable aspects of Itagaki's unparalleled bril- liance. His innovative and cutting- edge strategies, like using sexuality and violence to sell his prod- ucts, are years ahead of their time. Furthermore, as a generous favor to the community, he periodically re-releases these products to give gamers a brief respite from the unplayable tripe that otherwise floods the market. If you believe that these are not the actions of the greatest mind of all time, go play some [chuckle] Tekken. You deserve it. —ІТАСАКІ 58 GAME INFORMER Games: The NPD Top 20, A Few Obscure Japanese Titles For Good Measure Kane & Lynch »» badbadmen@eidos.com Handle: The F-Bombers Expertise: Games Starting With "Kane & Lynch" Interests: Disjointed Game Storylines, Bad Al, Rogaine, Lowered Expectations, Eidos Dislikes: Accurate Reviews, Lynch (Kane Only), Kane (Lynch Only) Current Favorite Games: Kane & Lynch: Dead Men CONNECT tax dollars well spent NASA COMES CLOSER TO RUNNING CRYSIS AT MAXIMUM SETTINGS cientists at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center have revealed that they are extremely close to accomplishing what experts once thought impossible: running EA's PC shooter Crysis at maxi- mum settings. Using a custom built Cray XT3 Opteron supercomputer, NASA engineers, in part- nership with a team of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, claim to have actually run the game at full capacity for more than 10 minutes before a fatal system crash. "It's been hard,” comments NASA project lead James Ferguson, “but challenges like this are why we do what we do. Hearing everyone applaud in the control room when we got the first level up and running was a feeling l'Il never forget. This has been a real journey for the whole team...even a few months ago we weren't able to put the sliders up past half before it crippled the system. Now, we're playing for five, ten minutes at a time at full resolution with no demonstrative frame lag" Although progress has been good, time is of the essence, as recent rumors have speculated that a rival team in China will be attempting a full run-through of the game within the next month. Still, Ferguson remains confident. "| believe in America's know- how, and | guarantee we'll be the first country on Earth to run Crysis. Now if you'll excuse me | have to go sign off on a ship- ment of Red Bull. It's gonna be a late night" | monopoly | EA SIGNS EXCLUSIVITY DEAL FOR ALL SPORTS e bet you've never heard of the United States Equestrian Federation, but you soon will — to the tune of $60. In.a move that dealt a major blow to competing pub- lishers, EA Sports has signed long-term exclu- sivity deals with every major and minor sport in the world. Included in the massive move toward locking down the sports market are the Professional Bowlers Association, the World Curling Federation, the Tri-County Archery League of Southeastern Massachusetts, and even extreme hopscotch. EA also announced that it signed amateur spitball phenom Julian O'Neal to be on the cover of Spitball Live 09. The aggressive move gained momentum when 2K Sports expressed interest in making a Wii minigame collection that included many playground games. Not to be outdone, EA used its considerable financial muscle to outbid 2K for the rights for each sport by millions of dol- lars. “I'd like to see them try and put out that game now," said EA Sports mogul Peter Moore. "The branding power of Julian O'Neal is universally recognized, as his Q rating of 2 clearly indicates. And no one wants to play a generic spitball game” P If You Contract Bean-Fever, Consult A Medical Professional MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS LEAVES MICROSOFT Creations, and BioWare, Microsoft Game Studios has left its parent company Microsoft. In a press release issued this week, studio head Shane Kim said, "We didn't even know this was possible, but we're glad it happened. That division just made some terrible decisions — Vampire Rain? LOL. It's a great time to branch out and make a name for ourselves without being bogged down by crap like Fuzion Frenzy" This leaves Microsoft with one in-house developer, Rare. "We're not too worried about this," said a Microsoft executive who wished to remain anonymous, "this sort of thing happens all the time. There is no way that Rare can make another flop. Third time's a charm, right? Or is it the fourth? And anyone who thinks this was a bad move on our part obviously hasn't seen Blinx 3” Microsoft Game Studios plans to change their name to Free At Last Productions. A R о D Y F ollowing the lead of former Xbox partners Bungie, Bizarre DATA FILE Spiders: Deceptively Undelicious SILICON KNIGHTS SUES SELF Too Human developer Silicon Knights has filed suit against Silicon Knights for breach of contract, fraud, and “delaying the s*** out of all of our games." An anonymous staffer recalls: “We were all debating whether we were going in the right direction with Baldur's belt buckle and Denis just snapped. After ripping out a chunk of his own hair, company president Denis Dyack reportedly shouted, “This is just too big for us to figure out alone! It's time to let the courts decide.” DUDE WILL PROBABLY BE IN PARTY Earlier this month in a small village populated by nearly identi— cal citizens, adventurers encountered the town "s only con- spicuous inhabitant. The man had a distinct appearance and name (Zul'ran Fireheart), which caused other party members to “basically guarantee" that he would join the group in the next few hours - probably in the middle of a pivotal boss fight- When asked to comment, a nearby townsperson repeatedly responded: “The entrance to the Northern Cave is blocked by thick ice. You'll need the FIRE ROD.” L — YOU USING YOUR PS3? Resistance All Other Games de 8% . 006% Talledega Nights 12% L System Update 60% САМЕ INFORMER 59 Folding@Home 20% > STYLE | 10 20 > DEVELOPER F ollowing the massive success of Rock Band, other pub- Enter Boy Band, a game destined to be the hit with the pre-pubescent set. Finally, you'll have the chance to mime your way to stardom with Boy Band's impressive tracklist, which includes everything from current stars Jonas Brothers to classics like N-Sync, Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, and Menudo. The game's patented "RockFace" tech- nology uses the EyeToy 2 to accurately track how accurately you're lip-synching, as well as grade your dancing. The character create mode is huge, allowing you to craft such Boy Band archetypes as "The Young Cute One," "The Dangerous One Who Likes Rap And Wears Baseball Hats At Odd Angles," "The Guy Who's Really 35," "The Dude Who Wears Weird Headbands To Hide His Hairline," and "The One Who Actually Has Some Talent" Once you form your group, you'll take your Boy Band from county fair talent shows to mall tours to basketball arenas, and all the way back down to bankruptcy and rehab. lishers are looking for a piece of the music game action. PLAYSTATION 3 e all know that the Mario W gang has some of the wildest parties in the industry, but Key Party takes the gang into some saucy new terri- tory. Hey, we all know things can get a little boring in a long-term relationship (Toad and Yoshi have been domestic partners since '92), so why not spice things up with some gameplay that puts a new spin on the term "multiplayer" Using the Wii remote to select a key from the fishbowl, you'll find out who you'll be hooking up with for the evening. From there, let's just say things get interesting, and feature Some motion control moves we never thought we'd see. From Princess Peach to Kirby, the whole crew takes it to the next level in this one, and we even find out that some Nintendo heroes we thought we knew had some definite skeletons in their closet. Hey, has anyone seen Link and Wario? Wonder where they went off to... Boyband | > STYLE | TO 5-Р HYSTERIA > PUBLISHER TRL ( > DEVELOPER CREEPY IDE\ > RELEASE PUBERTY MORE KIDS ON THE BLOCK PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | WASHING MACHINE | ANYTHING THAT PLUGS IN Call of Duty 5 > STYLE i-PLAYER REHASH > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER NOT THE AWESOME ONE > RELEASE C.O.D. DAY ODDS AND EVENS C all of Duty 4 was one of the most popular titles of 2007, so it was only a matter of time before Activision decided to leverage that success. The publisher has already hired Treyarch, the go-to studio for fake Call of Duty games, to begin work on Call of Duty 5. “We are extremely excited to have access to the Modern Warfare engine and assets,” says Treyarch’s Michael Allen, barely stifling laughter. “You have no idea how much it will help people believe this is a real Call of Duty game” Activision is adamant in its claims that the next Call of Duty be a true addition to the franchise. “We learned a lot from publishing Big Red One," says producer Craig Jonas. "We might as well have called it ‘Big Red Flag’ for all of the sales it cost us. By slapping a ‘3’ on there, players had to get a couple stages in before they realized something was wrong. By then it was too late, they already paid for it!” Jonas then proceeded to flex his bicep and make a "ka-ching" sound effect. | prota Before we were able to distort the fabric of space, there were des- ignated "rest rooms" set aside to accommodate your biological needs. They seem laughably obsolete with the advent of Aperture Science's por- tal technology. Whether you are at a sporting event or a high-society din- ner, this device means you will never need to suffer the embarrassment of excusing yourself to take a leak. Just be careful where you shoot the exit portal. Remember: Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out. Priceless + www.bendspace.wiz Did you know that, right now, your Xbox 360 game discs could be dangerously uncalibrated? After hours of ceaseless spinning, a disc's internal balance matrix can degrade, adversely affecting per- formance. This revolutionary Xbox 360 peripheral will restore disc equilibrium and optimize your experience. You will defi- nitely notice the difference. Supplies are limited, so buy yours today! $129.99 - www.microsoft.com/hd-dvd 8 Any resemblance to the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player is strictly coincidental 60 GAME INFORMER I'd Buy That For A Dollar! > Concept: What the heck is this contraption? > Graphics: Listen, | don't want no goddang fancy pillow, my old one is just fine! > Sound: What?! What was that? We nap? | ain't nappin’ with you, sicko! > Playability: Where do you plug this thing in? Wireless — what? We used to listen to Ike on the wireless, best damn president we ever had! > Entertainment: Listen, get the hell off my porch before | call the cops! > Replay Value: Sandy Koufax, best damn pitcher | ever saw Second Opinion 1-10 > STYLE 1-PLAYER SLEEPY TIME > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER Research has shown that. UNISOM > RELEASE AROUND 3 IN THE AFTERNOON > ESRB E FOR ELDERLY “games that reach outtoa — casual rari A x substantially growing the — NEW-FANGLED overall market, wil alienate hat?! It looks like a pillow! | already told you | siae pia ы j don't need no pillows......Boy, | remember when “fours of games per week. we used to pick the rhubarb in the summer, my grammy made the most delicious pies. Game? Well, | do play a mean hand of pinochle, if | do say so myself. For this reason, | dislike the _ title in question. Focus tests prove that young men, like Video? What!? This isn’t one of those sex videos you kids myself, prefer at least a 68 Google on your iPods like that Britney Spears girl, is it? | percent saturation index of tell ya, this country's been going downhill since the damn dinosaurs, babes, and light- Beatles started burning their bras all over the damn place. sabers. Make games like Nap? Well, to tell you the truth, | could use a little shut-eye, tali n лк don't have as much pep as | used to...Hey, boy howdy, that graphics.— TARGET MALE is comfortable. ..So l'm supposed to watch that fat guy with the moustache onscreen? Okay.......22222222727.....WHAT? [mumble mumble]....222222222222....pumpernickel...... 222222222227. —MMT PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC Kane & Lynch: Dead Men > STYLE DO NOT PLAY THIS WITH LYNCH > PUBLISHER EIDOS > DEVELOPER IO INTERACTIVE > RELEASE WHILE | WAS ON THE LAM > ESRB E FOR EXCELLENT COMPLETELY FLAWLESS irst off, let me go on record as saying that I'm glad this game only has split-screen co-op, because it puts my frenemy Lynch right within choking distance (see above). Aside from shooting me every chance he got, this HF*$*4F spent the whole game blasting civilians, stealing all the best guns, and ordering our crew to march into suicidal firefights. There are only so many times | can buy the blackout excuse, pal. Also, | know every adaptation has to be edited somewhat, but | was shocked at the amount of stuff left on the cutting room floor. Remember the nightclub level? We totally partied with those hot Japanese chicks before we shot the place up. And what happened to the touching moment where | helped Jenny practice for her driver's license exam on that huge truck that tried to run her over? —KANE BOTT! LINE > Concept: An attempt at capturing how badass we really are > Graphics: Way to focus on the bald spot, guys. Mario's had a hat since | was holding up liquor stores, so | know headwear is possible > Sound: Not enough cussing > Playability: Fine, if your part- ner ever stops shooting you > Entertainment: Wow, | come off like an incredible аен. Where's the Habitat for Humanity mission we talked about? > Replay Value: | already lived it and played it. What more do you want? Second Opinion 10 Not so fast, Kane. Î always ` Tan over and gave you some adrenaline every time t shot you in the ass (which is the best place to shoot a guy, by the way), Don't ‘be such a baby. As long as we're splitting hairs, what's e that part where your iss у 5 v up mi Br га bi. on ig noise) 8 | Whoa, what ed? Whoops, well at least we don't have to pay for the pizza now.—LYNCH TI QUICKIES LIKE, A BUNCH Burnout Paradise > STYLE 1-PLAYER UNFOCUSED/UNMOTIVATED > PUBLISHER MTV GAMES > DEVELOPER STUFF IT, МАКС > RELEASE OR NOT > ESRB B FOR BOGUS t just became a compliment to be called a “burnout” This game deftly tackles the issue of growing social malaise with its protagonist, The Burnout, who is a compelling modern everyman. In a tongue-in-cheek wink to the gamer, the Burnout's world doesn’t.extend beyond his unkempt living room. It's like the hub area of other games, except you can't go anywhere or accomplish anything. The avant-garde mission structure (sitting on the couch and waiting for things to happen) indicates that the developer truly knows its audience and what they want. This gameplay-starved and repetitive experience is an artistic masterpiece. — DARTHCLARK i weird. When | first started using the scalpel, | thought | t was playing Cooking Mama or Trauma Center (which 3 Olympics together instead? This game might have : online — | don't really know, because | couldn't find i against. In conclusion, Wii Sports is 10 times better i than Jak & Dexter—1005 8679 8302 7739 PLAYSTATION 3 Jak & Dexter > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER VENGEANCE/PLATFORMING (ONLINE?) > PUBLISHER SIX FEET UNDER > DEVELOPER DARK PASSENGER > RELEASE SWEET RELEASE > ESRB | FOR INEVITABLE hhh! I'm sorry, but this game is sooo scary and gross, At first | had fun playing with cel- lophane (I'm not allowed to use it in real life. | might choke!), but then it started getting is a little too graphic for me). Then Jak started scream- ing. | don't understand why these two characters are hurting each other...why don't they just go to the anyone else with a random 16-digit code to play От. RE BOTTO LINE Ж 4 Y 4 GAME INFORMER 61 PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 Saints Row 2 — > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (2-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK OR XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER THQ > DEVELOPER VOLITION > RELEASE 2008 ( FOR-THE PEOPLE Tr Physics-based destruction is a specialty of Volition, and that prowess is on full display in Saints Row 2 The satchel charge can be thrown and then detonated remotely. Incidentally, you can attach satchel charges to people and vehicles alk about giving people what they want. This month, we got an extensive hands- on session with Volition's Saints Row 2. While the game is still early, we had an amazing time with the extensive customization options and free-form sandbox gameplay that seems to be the focus for the team as they ramp up into the final months of production. Everything about the title screams out to fans of open world, over-the-top action. It isn't the prettiest game coming out this year — but it's a heck of a lot of fun. The character creator is highly flexible, allow- ing players to craft remarkably similar likenesses to themselves, celebrities, or anyone else. The shape of the nose has over a dozen sliders all by itself. Alternately, it allows for some pretty heinous, misshapen beasts — to each their own. Both male and female main characters will have multiple voice tracks to pick between — no more silent hero. Not only do you craft your hero/heroine's physical appearance, but you'll also set their walking and combat style, along with an array of hilarious taunts and compliment motions, most of which are too explicit for us to discuss in detail here. With your protagonist established, you'll find yourself dropped into the city of Stilwater. Waking from a decade-long coma (check out the original Saints Row'for how you got into that predica- ment), your character is horrified to see what has happened to the Saints and the city during his or her absence. This time, you'll take control of the gang yourself, building it back up as you take on new gangs, the police, and anyone else who stands in the way of your vengeance: Abandoning realism, Saints Row 2 aims to deliver explosive thrills from the get go z T 4 | NM чәй» à A huge number of new vehicles pepper the game world — a number of them have built-in weaponry of one sort or another Along the journey, you'll tackle dozens of missions and activities, using the money you earn to further customize your gameplay. Each of the nine cribs around the city can be pimped out with everything from pool tables to stripper poles — good-looking hideouts and expensive dothes in your wardrobe add to the respect you'll get as you continue through missions. Combat is extremely destructive and action- packed. You can shoot using the well-done third- person free-aiming style of the original game, but Volition has also added a zoomed in over-the-shoul- der camera for more precise aiming. From satchel charges to guided rocket launchers, expect to see a ridiculous amount of explosive firepower. Mission structure is equally bombastic. We saw an objective where the player has to fly an assault helicopter and fire homing missiles at the cops as they wildly chase NEW GAME, NEW TECHNOLOGY Check out the difference between character models in the first game and the new look in Saints Row 2 a P > = J pd Vehicle racing is still a big k part of the game after a criminal associate. Of course, the real treat was getting to play tv player online co-op. This mode has been designed from the ground up to be accessible and fun to play. A second player can drop in and out at any time. Any missions completed by both players register in both of their single-player campaigns. The ability to hurt each other can be tumed on and off. Each player can roam freely anywhere they like in the world without being tethered to their companion. Quite simply, we had a blast as we wreaked havoc across the city, especially once the law had two miscreants to deal with at once. Saints Row 2 is on track to offer pure escapist thrills, and we couldn't be happier with the direction the game is headed. ш IN ш Se pre view J ^ * + The Saints have fallen a lor way since the end of the first game, and you're all about putting them back оп top Taking to the air in an assault helicopter is insane – police helicopters =з will try to bring you down, * n. but you do have homing › & missiles You can pay to update your cribs ~ a better place "y to hang out for your ga m sz 4 « equals greater respect 1 GAME INFORMER 63 k Ф ^ t к 4 1 = ES р mi i = fem + ar ; Ў ! a 1 B P 7 } А > 4% / 4 ELI m we "- =, Ке 42 CAEN PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 3601 PC 7 Prototype | * > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (2-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK OR XBOX LIVE) > $ ч > PUBLISHER SIERRA ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER RADICAL ENTERTAINMENT! > RELEASE FALL =n — d FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT E 3 There really isn't | anywhere that players won't be able to explore New York City won't be the same once Alex Mercer is done with it еме been excited about Radical's newest overwhelms the city and its populace, players will ing arsenal of his superpowers will make a frontal foray into open-world games ever see individual locations begin to change from famil- ^ assault an appealing alternative to many players. If Since we announced the game in our iar backdrops into eerie distortions. the excitement of that mechanic isn't enough for August cover story last year, but we've The storyline will follow an anti-hero whose goals you, then recall that original plans for the game heard very little new information about the game rarely coincide with peace and order. Instead, Alex induded two-player online co-op. While the team since our visit to the studio. The team broke their Mercer is firmly focused on finding out what made hasn't said much about that feature since our visit silence at GDC this year, showing off some footage him the way he is — a shapeshifting beast of mag- last year, we can only hope it makes it through to of the game and speaking more in depth about the nificent power who can absorb living tissue and the final version. extravagant plans they have for Prototype's expansive thought, integrating them into himself. He'll fight The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction was one game world. a two-front war against the sinister military forces of our favorite open world games of the last genera- Set in modem day New York City, the cityscape of the Blackwatch and the growing menace of the tion. Prototype is being crafted by many of that same presented in Prototy ibly busy and dense Infected. What we're most excited about are the team, and the fluidity and quality of the world and in every direction. H of cars and pedestrians options Radical will put in front of players to confront animation work shows. It’s no exaggeration to say act as window dressing while main character Alex objectives. For every dilemma that arises, there that Prototype is one of our top picks for 2008. It у will be a choice between a subtle and deceptive may be a new franchise, but trust us when we say citing component of the city itself is how course and a destructive path. By shapeshifting and that this is one you'll want to watch as the game much it appears to change throughout the course gleaning knowledge from those he absorbs, Alex nears launch later this year. a of the game. As a strange and monstrous infection can bypass overt conflict. Likewise, the ever-grow- 64 GAME INFORMER Se previews Bi The familiar military combatants have enormous resources, while the k r = * monstrous Infected will share many of ro ч Alex’s powers and match him step for — Р ^ & step as he moves through the city ЖАКУ” Г I ine uio M т Lighting and environmental effects will alter throughout the story, subtly changing to match the tone of the story at particular moments M While Alex has many abilities that alter his physical sh; he'll also absorb mental abilities from his victims, like the ability to drive т Players will constantly shift r between a growing arsenal of "m shapeshifting powers GAMEINFORMER PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 Grand Theft Auto IV > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/R > DEVELOPER ROC KS 1» RELEASE APRIL 29 ING (MULTIPLAYER TBA) > PUBLISHER f YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A GTA IV here's an old saying in football that goes: "Games are won and lost in the trenches” Meaning that, while the high-flying antics of the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs usually garner the highlights on SportsCenter, it's the lumbering men of the offensive and defen- sive lines who do the hard, unglamorous work of controlling the line of scrimmage, and thus, the game itself. There's a similar truth in video games. While gamers and press (Game Informer included) often obsess about the flashy specs of upcoming titles, success or failure is still a matter of making sure that the small details of control, collision, and camera are nailed down tight. For a game on the enor- mous scale of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV, this is no easy task, as the team at Rockstar North can attest. With Rockstar, it's never a matter of ambi- tion. The GTA series has always offered a mind-blowing amount of variety, depth, and nonlinear gameplay. What it hasn't always offered is finely tuned third-person action and combat. Last generation, that was enough, given all the other things the series GAME INFORMER was bringing to the table. This time around, the game must not only look better, but also offer a more refined play experience. Game Informer recently got the chance to play the game for over two hours at Rockstar's NYC headquarters. We played mul- tiple missions on both platforms (contrary to the rumors, the PS3 version of GTA IV is very much real and running as well as the 560 version). While the missions weren't par- ticularly unique (producer Jeronimo Barrera called them "meat and potatoes" missions), they did give us a chance to get our hands dirty with the basics of Grand Theft Auto running, gunning, and driving. Our first impressions of the revamped control scheme were overwhelmingly positive. This new targeting system is vastly better than that of previous titles, and should allow fans of everything from Call of Duty to Crackdown to feel instantly at home with the game. It's essentially a variation on the con- sole first-person shooter mechanic, adapted to better suit the GTA universe. Walk with the analog, run by pressing A or X (tapping this button now gives you an extra burst of speed), select a weapon with the d-pad п You're now able to climb up and over ledges and, in this case, bridges to reach higher places in the level and you're ready for action. At this point, the game offers you the choice between free tar- geting and auto lock, or a combination of the two. Depress the left trigger halfway and go into an "aim mode" similar to Gears of War. Click the right analog for a further, fine-target- ing zoom. However, at any point you can pull the left trigger fully and cycle between auto targets by flicking the right stick. However, you do have some flexibility even within the auto-targeting, as you can move your reticle to target various limbs and appendages on the target, allowing you to take out a knee or go for a quick headshot. This new system, coupled with the fact that you now have camera control on the right analog stick, results in the evaporation of many of the frustrations we've had with the GTA series in games past. That's not to say there's still not work to be done. While the cover system is definitely a nice addition, moving around while in cover still feels a bit sticky. Also, having to press the A button to run got a bit stressful during particularly hectic gunfights. Still, what we've seen in recent months gives us every reason to think that the (no doubt difficult) сі the game was the right one. The difference between the build we played and one we saw in late summer of last year is striking, to say the least. Everything else was as we hoped. The driving mechanics are better than ever, and new motion-blur effects and camera angles make the faster rides even more dramatic than before. In the span of two hours, we jumped off a bridge, shot our way out of several tight spots, narrowly avoided a crashing semi spilling logs all over the free- way, sniped mafia thugs from a skyscraper, shot police helicopters down with a rocket launcher, got drunk and tried to drive home, and even took lady friend bowling (in a fully interactive minigame). In other words, it is everything you expect from a GTA title and more. While there's much we still don't know about GTA — none of the missions outside of the bowling we played could be counted as particularly new for the series — it's clear that Rockstar North has kept its eye on what's important. April 29 can't come soon enough. Wi ШШ т Although he looks tough in pictures, Niko is actually a fairly sympathetic character in the cutscenes we've seen "LI cz iie п The cityscape is extremely detailed, but the game seems to be running at full speed regardless of m There аге full weather effects in А how much is on screen at the time the game and day to night cycles П B We've seen some pretty basic 8i The new targeting missions, but this shot hints at some system should silence more elaborate jobs Rockstar is many of GTA's critics keeping secret for the moment Y wv wv VV ON аА 4 4 P" GROUND Win 4:002 / GAME INFORMER . 67 5 previews PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 The Bourne Conspiracy > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER RA > DEVELOPER HIGH М DIOS > RELEASE SUMMER BOURNE TO BE WILD ure, this Jason Bourne may look more like an Abercrombie model than Matt Damon, but that doesn't mean he's lost any of the deadly skills Damon flashed across the big screen as the $30 million malfunctioning weapon. With jump cuts inspired by the directorial style of Paul Greengrass and Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy (who is now nominated for an Oscar for his work on Michael Clayton) making sure the game script stays honest to the films, The Bourne Conspiracy hardly lacks the polish of its film counterparts. Seeing the game in motion helped to alleviate many of the wor- ries we had about the title. The key character trait of Jason Bourne is his ability to constantly outthink his soon-to- be victims in dire situations. Expecting this foresight from the game player is a risky proposition, so developer High Moon Studios Bourne can handle it all, from stealth moves. has chosen to express Bourne's abilities with a “simple input, complex output” gameplay formula. While there may only be two but- tons used during combat, forming different combos to build up the Bourne Instinct meter unleashes Bourne's deadly martial arts skills via a pull y in-engine cutscene where opponents find out just how painful Kali style martial arts are on joints, bones, and egos. The same formula applies to the many evade and escape moments in the game, such as the standoff at the U.S. embassy in Zurich, Switzerland pulled from The Bourne Identity. As we took control of Bourne and the alarm sounded, the gameplay shifted from close-quarters combat to running for our life. As we moved Boume through the stairwells and down the embassy corridors evading fire, a series of God of War-like quick to brawling timed button sequences had to be matched to ensure Bourne's escape. While the game recreates many of the memorable moments from the films, High Moon Studios was also given the green light to explore Bourne's past through the use of flashbacks, which will allow gamers to use the $30 million weapon before he began malfunctioning. During these sequences gamers will wield a gun, something Bourne rarely does in the films. In one sequence, we chased a target through a subway system, finding cover to avoid oncoming trains while picking off enemies as they popped from behind cover. The combat feels reminiscent of many modern shooters, with a button-press cover system and rela- tively responsive controls. We also got a chance to relive the excit- ing Paris car chase scene from the films. to evasive action High Moon Studios employs some devel- opers who cut their teeth on racers like Midnight Club, and the experience shows. While navigating through the crowded Parisian streets in the Mini Cooper, we noticed that the car handles as well as some arcade racers on the market. Crashing through storefronts and using the e-brake to take sharp turns into alleys and lose the cops proved a riveting experience. While the fighting controls may not offer the depth of a true fighting game, and the game often takes the action away from you to display Bourne's startling array of combat moves, High Moon Studios makes you feel like a true Treadstone graduate. Look for The Bourne Conspiracy this summer. Bi ШШ to dirty fighting! F ume ferent usefulness Battle of the Bands The final boss is an orchestra, so expect to hear a few songs get the classical treatment Can you imagine a country version of Def Leppard’s “Photograph”? Wait until you actually hear it! 5° prev ш == ә here are a few musical constants i şa the world. Bon Jovi should no lor ze g— wear leather pants. Country Music is the music of pain. And Michael Jackson's style was better when he had a rma —— «= Otherwise, it's pretty much all up for debat«== _ And debated it is. Even the most laid back crowd can tum riotous when someone's fem xs «— —»9 r— ite band gets insulted. Developer Planet Moon Studios is hopira == to tap into this fervor with its unique music game Battle of the Bands. The game is ра < Ш <=> «— ЖШ with 32 different songs covering titles like Black Eyed Peas’ “Dum Diddly, Cypress Hi = 1 E^ == "Insane in the Brain", and The Soggy Bott ж-ж —1 Boys’ “Man of Constant Sorrow". All the sco Fa s= => are covers, but they are some of the most hilarious covers you'll hear. In fact, unlike mm <> ——1t— music games, listening to musical covers iss Battle of the Bands’ selling point. Each som ze has been re-recorded into one of five diffe ше gt genres ranging from rock, country, hip-hop _ Latin, and marching band. The crux of Battle of the Bands’ garrep Lem vy seems to be a kind of musical tug Of vvar. AAN F E «== 1— Picking one of 11 bands covering the five genres, players enter into band battles agai aa === E either their friends or the computer. Simila r~ to standard music games, gems scroll up from the bottom of the screen and must b e= matched against motions of the Wii remote _ The band with the leading score will Have tı «——— ir- music dominate the audio track. Band powerups and various attacks (thin F< something similar to Guitar Hero 1175 battle mode) help ensure that one band doesn’t dominate for too long. The result is an ofte r~a comical musical mashup. For example, the groovy beat of a Latin tune - complete with the shake of maracas and Spanish lyrics — could be abruptly interrupted by the twang of a county banjo or the deep bass beat of =a marching drum. Players who work their way through sin zz Ш == player will eventually face off against Mr- Hong's Violent Orchestra, but ће best feat ag m— === of the game might be its inviting party ga mm e= temperament. With more than 150 rr1usicc ea EK tracks in the game, the variety for musi- cal mixing is pretty high. Who would Have thought that the Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc” would sound so good when performed by =з marching band? Or that LL Cool J's “Mama Said Knock You Out" done in the Latin style= would be so hilarious? Sure, Battle of the Bands doesn't look like Б. = will overtake the popularity of Guitar Него, E—»* ш-Ш—— there is certainly enough room in the Music scene for a fresh and interesting take such ams this. What are the chances that this will be a fun party game for all ages? We predict it's je s => E- as likely as anyone who played tuba in High school also being a nerd. ва BI II е " =° preview ——— "EC You'll be able to tackle a number of racing events in a bevy of hot rides The funny thing is that what she’s wearing is actually consid- ered "business casual" in Vegas The Only In Vegas Special Edition The game's virtual strip is will come in a scratch n' sniff game insanely detailed and colorful box that smells like Axe Body Spray™ "a e 2 a it wouldn't be Vegas without the gambling, so expect an M rating for this baby PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC This Is Vegas > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER TBA) > PUBLISHER MIDWAY > DEVELOPER SURREAL > RELEASE FALL 2008 TAKING BACK SIN CITY ompeting with New York for the "most appear- ances in video games" award, Vegas returns as the backdrop for a new open world game from Midway (who coincidentally loves throwing events in Sin City). Players take on the role of a young guy with $50 in his pocket looking to make it big in Vegas. After quite the bender during his first night in town, our hero realizes that whitewashing is afoot. Billionare Preston Boyer is trying to give Vegas the Times, Square treatment and make it a family friendly vacation spot. In fact, he's already gotten rid of gambling in “Werner Schwarzenberger's" Super Mega Plex, replacing slots and tábles with shopping and daycare. Obviously, the city's old guard isn't having it. By performing jobs for these powerful casino owners you can gain cash, influence, and maybe even a sweet ride. Although none of these locations around town use real casino names, the parodies are close enou; easily identify. Olympus Casino doubles for Caesar's while the Mayan's pyramid structure emulates the Luxor. Gambling, of course, plays a big role in the game, with simulations of poker, blackjack, and slot machines present in every casino. While slots are simple insert-money-pul-lever tasks (like the real thing), poker and b cheating system to give you an edge. ink that can only be seen through cus backs of the cards will tell you if the c high. While this can result in big payo the shades will eventually get you kick times beaten). Some situations just can't be talke times players will use a mix of Stran mechanics and Bully melee combat gory route, developer Surreal has of with brightly colored damage effects blood. Transportation is handled by monorail, but players can eventual of exotic vehicles to enter into races just to get around. Although strip clubs and scantily cla prominently featured, the decision о! nudity has yet to be made — mostly ESRB says they can get away with. Ар happen in Vegas must stay there. B E VIDEO GAME WATCH LOST он THURSDAYS 9/8c ` abc start here FIND YOUR REDEMPTION. FIND YOUR WAY HOME. & You awake to the blazing sun, the screaming of other passengers, the wreckage of Oceanic flight 815. And no memory T: h of what has happened. Now you must fight for your survival by exploring the island, uncovering its dark secrets, and * piecing together the fragments of your own furtive past. If you're lucky, you may just find a way home ... Experience the never-before-told story of _ Uncover the island's secrets, exploring familiar and a previously unseen flight 815 survivor, — on locations and interacting with other key survivors. SEDE ndi. WWW.LOSTGAME.COM | ) XBOX 860. TEEN ea Alcohol and Tobacco Reference "t Blood Mild Language P It Bp Рел 9-38 тг гт 3 Еши Violence ESRB LOST Video Game © 2008 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights err Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are tradefharks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. LOST © ABC Studios. All Rights Reserved. "PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION" and “PS” Family lago are registered % i ^j trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of- ^ ` р U B [| so FT SS бишей com companies. Mobile version © 2008 Gameloft. All Rights Reserved. Gameloft and the Gameloft logo are registered trademarks of Gameloft S.A. Se previews Where's the procedurally created Death Star? Making vehicles uses the same simple editor as creatures 72_ GAME INFORMER The HUD implies that explicit goals will guide you through the game’s phases a > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER TBD) > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS > DEVELOPER MAXIS > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 7 FROM OUT OF THE OOZE AND UP TO THE STARS hen SimCity and The Sims creator Will Wright says that his upcoming game Spore has turned out to be “kind of ambi- tious,” it's not hard to see through his modesty. A simulation game spanning eons and a pioneering adventure into social networking, Spore is aiming to be his most immense and satisfying game yet, from the primordial ooze to the farthest reaches of space. By now you probably know all about the Cell Phase, which has players taking a tiny microbe and evolving it through eating other microbes to bolster your DNA and ensure your survival. It's when your creation gets onto dry land where things really start to get interesting. The Creature and Tribe Phases have players evolving in more complex ways in order to facilitate communication skills or combat skills. If you pick a mouth geared more towards biting and less towards singing (the main way to communi- cate), your social skills will noticeably suffer. Your learned social skills play directly into the Civilization Phase of the game, where evolution of the species takes a back seat to building the early foundations of your alien society. Allies and enemies are determined by your actions in the previous Phases, so hostile players might find a few more enemies at their gates than if they had played it cool. The communication and combat skill tenden- cies you could choose from give way to militaristic, religious, and economic social doctrines, all of which can be used to take over rival societies and add more strength to your species. All of your efforts, however, are for a worthy cause — space travel. The Space Phase removes nearly all boundaries on movement, opening up an immense galaxy of planets to explore, terraform and colonize. But real estate is a highly coveted com- modity, so you'll need to deal with rival alien species out for the resource-rich planets, as well as working towards exploring the ultimate goal of charting the very center of the galaxy. While racing for the stars is a worthwhile endeavor, Spore has far more to offer. Utilizing an incredibly deep and user-friendly content creation system, players can create creatures, buildings, spaceships, and other objects, all with complete control over color, scale, and shape. Using the Sporepedia, the in- game hub for all content, players can share their cre- ations with the entire world, subscribe to feeds that alert them when buddies have created something new, and even record movies of their adventures and upload them directly to YouTube via a process dubbed Sporecasting. Whether you're out to dominate the galaxy or simply flex your creative muscle and create a universe's worth of aliens, Spore seems ready to deliver on both fronts. While years in the making, we can't wait to get our hands on the final build of the game in the second quarter of 2008. But for a game offering up eons of gameplay, the thought of waiting a few more months seems like an acceptable sacrifice. Ш Bi CREATION IN YOUR HANDS For the younger gamers out there, EA and Maxis are shrink- ing down the Spore experi- ence for the DS, but don't think that means the fun factor is getting any less attention. While the DS version focuses solely on the Creature Phase, players will get to use some of the same creature creation to craft their own unique species from the ground up. To keep evolution simple, defeated enemies will yield new body parts to customize your crea- ture with, although being dip- lomatic will gain you allies that will watch your back during combat. A slew of minigames introduce you to some pretty intuitive DS controls as you explore the visually impressive pseudo-3D world around you. The DS version also includes a Sporepedia, so the creatures you create can be shared with other gamers via a Wi-Fi con- nection or directly through the Nintendo Network. Hubert UNLIMITED ENABLED Stargate is. These guys are dearly boned, but what the heck, throw another grenade if it makes ya die with more dignity! > STYLE MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER MGM INTERACTIVE > DEVELOPER CHEYENNI UNTAIN ENTERTAINMENT > RELEASE TBA TURNING MACGYVER INT! or as long as most of us can remember, there have only been two “Stars” in science fiction. These are, of course, Star Wars and Star Trek. In truth, however, there are three. Stargate, which has been on the air for over 10 years, has etched out just as prominent a sector of the galaxy as the other Star fran- chises. Come later this year, it will attempt to cross over into gaming through the mas- sively multiplayer RPG, Stargate Worlds. Developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment is pulling out all of the stops for fans of the shows (SG-1 and Atlantis) and gamers alike. “We've stated from day one that our goal is to make the player the star of the show," says Stargate Worlds creative director Chris Klung. "It's hard to do that if their characters are acting as water boys while SG-1 are saving the day. By set- ting the game between seasons eight and nine, we have the room we need to tell the stories that Brad Wright and Robert Cooper only alluded to in seasons nine and ten. An example of these stories would be the formation of the Lucian Alliance" Unlike most MMOs, Stargate Worlds is not following a typical World of Warcraft- type combat system. Rather, the gameplay has been designed around the action of the show, which means a P90 needs to be fired every 15 seconds. Exact details A WATER BOY on how combat will unfold have not been revealed yet, but we do know that it is third-person and not in the traditional vein of World of Warcraft. Cheyenne's studio head, Dan Elggren, did disclose one inter- esting tidbit regarding battle. "The player and the AI can use the environment as a buff in combat. By taking up clear advan- tage points you receive a benefit not only in the damage you are dealing but in how much damage you will take. How | am using my position on the battlefield and the abilities that | have in my arsenal help dictate success or failure" Cheyenne hasn't confirmed how many worlds will be available on day one, but if you've watched the show, you'll enter each gate expecting the unexpected. You may cross over to a world with primitive technologies, or you may enter a world where the sights defy classification. That's the beauty of the show, and something that gives Cheyenne Mountain an unbe- lievable amount of freedom for a licensed product. Heck, you may jump into a gate with a dragon waiting on the other side, or maybe even the greatest alien in the universe, Thor. A release date is still up in the air, but with SG-I ending its run and Atlantis on season break, it can't come soon enough. M ШШ If you looked at this shot and said “Lucia!”, congratulations, you are the world's biggest nerd NINTENDO DS The World Ends With You > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG. (UP TO 4-PLAYER VIA WIRI > PUBLISHER SQUAR| > DEVELOPER SQUARE ENIX/JUPITER > RELEASE APRIL 22 FIRST WE BATTLE, THEN MAYBE SOME SHOPPING quare RPGs have introduced us to their fair share of weirdos through the years, but perhaps this game's cast of characters will be the most interesting yet: the denizens of Shibuya. This Tokyo neighborhood is known for being the epicenter of Tokyo's young fashion victims, and The World Ends With You has found the biggest one of them all — your character, teen- ager Neku Sakuraba, who is designed by Final Fantasy artist Tetsuya Nomura. Underneath the bratty attitude and cheap clothes, however, lies an action/RPG with its share of good ideas. As Neku and his friends fight the Noise and Reapers (not those Reapers!) throughout Shibuya, battles simulta- neously happen on both the top and bottom screens of the DS. Neku is repre- sented on the bottom screen and players will perform different attacks (enabled by a slew of pins that are collected in the game) by hitting the touch screen in a variety of ways. Lightning attacks and bullets fly with a simple tap, while walls of fire can be brought up with a sweep of the stylus across the screen. Meanwhile, your partner will be fight- ing the same enemies as you on the top screen (with both of you sharing the same health bar). You can choose to control them or let them do their own thing. Although it's confusing at first to control both characters, the basis is simple and easy to perform with some practice. By guessing which cards will appear next among three choices you can earn Fusion Stars, which unleash Fusion Attacks. You pick which card you want by punching in a sequence of d-pad presses. Don't worry though, it's not like you're playing DDR. You can also time combo attacks between the top and bottom screens for more powerful attacks. Of course, it wouldn't be Shibuya with- out some shopping, and The World Ends With You has populated its virtual city with numerous shops in which you can buy all kinds of items. Not only are the brand names of your pins and their rela- tive popularity among the fickle kids of Shibuya important, but shop clerks will give you new abilities and special items if you're in the know. Yes, being 15 years old ain't going to be easy, but it sounds like it could be fun. I INI Se previews GAME INFORMER. 73 UNLIMITED ENABLED Boom Blox > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER PUZZLE > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS > DEVELOPER EALA > RELEASE MAY STEVEN SPIELBERG? ike a lot of gamers, we were pretty excited when we heard Steven Spielberg would be cooperating with EA on some upcoming titles. So it came as a shock when we heard his first col- laboration would be a game about building up and knocking down a bunch of colorful blocks. Let's just say that it's a long way from Saving Private Ryan. Apparently, the game concept isn't as much of a stretch as it first appears. “Steven is a very dedicated gamer and has been for many years,” explains executive producer Louis Castle. “On top of that, he has been intimately involved in the entire develop- ment of Boom Blox and is often in on a weekly basis. Enchanted by the Wii at E3 when playing with Nintendo's [Shigeru] Miyamoto, he came back to EA with the strong desire to build a kinetic game of light- hearted destruction he could play with his entire family” So, even if it's not what we expected out of the cooperative venture, Spielberg is certainly enthused. That leaves the fairly broad and important question of what the game is all about. Castle explains that gameplay is entirely built around the mechanics of throwing, grab- bing, and blasting. In each level, players will aim to get a gold, silver, or bronze medal by meeting set objectives. On one level it might be to destroy a structure in a certain number of throws. Other levels might focus on timed challenges. Four themed worlds form the backdrop of the whole game, including medieval, tiki, westem, and haunted environ- ments. “Steven Spielberg gave particular attention to directing each world and its characters in order to give emotional con- text to the action-oriented puzzles,” Castle explains. Cooperative and competitive play can be either turn-based or split screen Finally, a robust but accessible Create mode lets players craft their own levels and chal- lenges, which can be played locally or even shared over WiiConnect 24. Castle promises that a big focus in development has been on meeting the divergent demands of casual family-oriented players with the more stringent desires of the hardcore set. It's a tough challenge these days; we're hopeful their focus on very simple but fun mechanics can pay off шшш E The development team has spent a lot of time trying to perfect very few gestures ~ the throwing mechanic has received the most attention to try and get the controls to feel just right 8 o 9 E я Ф ті - 3 Е Н o a o 3 222 seen you all over the place EX model shown. ©2007 American Honda Motor Co., Inc NINTENDO DS Final Fantasy Tactics A2: £8? Grimoire of the Rift > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY/RPG > PUBLISHER SQUARE ENIX > DEVELOPER SQUARE ENIX > RELEASE SUMMER THE NEVERENDING STORY ot on the heels of the successful PSP Final Fantasy Tactics release, Square Enix is gear- ing up to drop Tactics A2 on DS owners this summer. This title shares many concepts with its GBA predecessor, from story to specific game mechanics, but — after our exclusive hands-on time with the U.S. version this month, a few changes have us excited to get our hands on the final version. As expected, tons of lateral options for players to build their heroes up have been added. Seven playable races can adventure as any of over 50 jobs, mixing and matching skills as they are unlocked. A crafting mechanic similar to the Bazaar in Final Fantasy XII offers another path to increasing your combat prowess. And, of course, all of your party members can mix and match their learned skills to become as effective as possible in Phil's lone tree, Lush grasses carpet the hillside, Caravans mark Й the progress of their journey as they pass the whatever role you use them in during battle. One tweak that we found very appealing is in the loosening of the law system. While you'll still have to contend with certain actions being forbidden in each battle, ignoring them doesn't get you the kick in the groin that it did in the first game. Instead of having offending characters deported to jail, breaking the law merely forfeits a few bonus items at the end of combat and removes any KO'd allies for the duration of the battle. “Forbidden: Swords" isn't the death sen- tence it used to be. If you dug Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on GBA, this title will have plenty to offer you. Perhaps too much; from what we've seen, this is about as direct a sequel as exists. The art style, world, combat mechanics, and nearly everything else are all strikingly similar to its predecessor. When the first game is as good as FFTA was, though, you can't complain too much. Bi Bi II In the woods. On tne town. You're so versatile... you must be a figment of my imagination. And that is what we call "irony." Se previews PLAY STATION З 34 Xe Ох 360 | VPE | NINTE mm SPRLAYSTATION Я Тһе Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian A STYLE | OR 2. PIA R ۵c HON > PUBLISHER DISNEY, IN ТЕ RACTIVE § STUDIOS? > ^ DEVELOPER TRAVELUE КА 23 TAL 2 > RELEASE | MAY “FAUN SERVICE he lastest celluloid ode to C.S. Lewis’ epic fantasy exploration-based experience; each level will have one or and rid the countryside of the Telmarine foes. As with The series The Chronicles of Narnia is just around the two main hub areas from which players can explore outward Lion, The Witch, And the Wardrobe, the entire game has comer, which can only mean a game spin-off of the and access other mission areas. been designed with co-op in mind. Unfortunately, Traveller's Hollywood adaptation is chugging faithfully along Players can assume the role of 20 playable characters Tales has neglected to expand this feature to online co-op. as well during their adventure to free Namia, including all four When it comes to action, Prince Caspian offers a less Prince Caspian will follow the film's script very closely, Pevensies and many new Narnian creatures. The characters complex approach to battle than its predecessor. The game with a focus on the major narrative moments (read: epic you can use will vary from mission to mission, and you will still features ranged and melee combat, but less emphasis battles). The rest of the plot will be conveniently breezed have to rely on each of their differing skills to solve puzzles is placed on learning combos. Instead of unleashing killer over using in-game cutscenes and full-motion video. In addition, the game also takes the liberty of exploring Narnian history during the 1,300 years between The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. These brand new levels will detail how Narnia fell into the hands of the Telmarine hordes and how the castle of Cair Paravel was left in ruins. This alone will be worth the price of admission for many diehard C.S. Lewis fans. To bring the world of Narnia to life in its first next-generation game for the series, developer Traveller's Tales has added real world phys- ics, motion captured moves, and ragdoll animations for characters. Prince Caspian also forgoes complete linearity in favor of an iff! ҮР ҮН” Futries are comic gold 76 GAME INFC combos with complex button presses, players can simply chain attacks with their strong and weak melees as long as an enemy is within striking distance. If you're too out of control, the Telmarines will recognize your vulnerability and move in for the kill. You can also use your fellow combatants to trigger team combo attacks on some of the more imposing Namian enemies. While wandering the Narnian count side, you'll also want to collect the shards and keys found throughout the land. Shards are pieces of armor that will make your characters more resilient to enemy attacks. Keys will unlock hidden chests that house treasures like bonus weapons that will deal more damage to your enemies. We're excited to see if the game and the film stand up to the quality of the book when they release in May. Wi Ili IN. > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER SEGA > RELEASE JUNE STILL-SMASHIN’ he Incredible Hulk is a figure ready made for the video game world. What more could a developer ask for than a main character with nigh-unstoppable strength, questionable morals, and a major anger management problem? Unfortunately, no one did full justi to the character's potential until 2005's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, the fantastic open world smashfest gifted to us by Radical Entertainment If these early glimpses of the new movie-licensed game are any indication, Sega must have liked that video game treatment as much as we did. A variation on the open world playground concept seems to be the approach, but it's unclear how much further Sega hopes to emulate the style that Radical presented in their 2005 success. With the game being a licensed adaptation, it's not hard to draw some conclusions. Early photo leaks from the movie set show some positively massive cityscape destruc- tion going on, a perception that is only reinforced by these exclusive screens from the game. Edward Norton is set to play Bruce Banner in the film, star- ring opposite Liv Tyler as star-crossed lover Betty Ross, but there's no word yet on whether they'll be lending their voices to the game adaptation. Early word on the script also indicates Hulk comic mainstays like General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross and the Abomination will also play a major role. The film is being directed by French director Louis Leterrier, probably best known for his work on Transporter 2. The choice clearly signi- fies a shift towards a more action-packed blockbuster than Ang Lee's 2003 film, a change that will undoubtedly be reflected in the video game treatment. The Incredible Hulk represents Sega's second recent partnership with comic powerhouse Marvel, with the first being the It would be easy to mistake these early glimpses of the game as part of a sequel to 2005's Utlimate Destruction, but this new movie-based gamess made by an entirely different company The Hulk had been warned repeatedly to stop looking into Betty's window while she changed. Hulk smashed the people who. gave him that warning $s previews انس ینن ی UI‏ چچ TE‏ а Hulk's waltz technique needed work; that other partners were waiting in line for a dance came as a great shock soon-to-release Iron Man. Games based on Captain America and Thor are also part of the deal, even though the details on those feature film projects remain under wraps. Scuttlebutt on the streets suggests that Marvel is slowly building towards a huge crossover Avengers movie several years down the road, but there's no word yet whether Sega would have any connection with such a project, assuming it exists. In the immediate future, we shouldn't have too long to wait to see if Sega's new deal with Marvel produces some quality work. The visuals alone are enough to get us excited. Here's hoping the gameplay is equally polished. ш m ә a Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Lost Odyssey Our crack (or crackhead, we can never decide which) review team tates 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. 78 GAME INFORMER THE SCORING SYSTEM -— о Outstanding. А truly elite title that is nearly perfect in every way. This score is given out rarely and indicates a game that cannot be missed. Superb. Just shy of gaming nirvana, this score is a high recommendation because the game reviewed is head-and-shoulders above its competition. Very Good. Innovative, but perhaps not the right choice for everyone. This score indicates that there are many good things to be had, but arguably so. Average. The game's features may work, but are nothing that even casual players haven't seen before. A decent game from beginning to end. Limited Appeal. Although there may be fans of games receiving this score, many will be left yeaming for a more rewarding game experience. Passable. It may be obvious that the game has lots of potential, but its most engaging features could be undeniably flawed or not integrated into the experience. Bad. While some things may work as planned, the majority of this title either malfunctions to varying degrees or it is so dull that the game falls short as a whole. Painful. 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. = | NO | CO | A | SI | Co со The Hottie and the Nottie. A convergence of so many things that piss us off we don't know where to start. Super Smash Bros. Brawl Quite possibly the Wii fan's equivalent to Halo 3, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a big game with a lot of hype behind it. Nintendo's aversion to conven- tion has resulted in one of the most unique fighting franchises on the market. Fortunately, it also provides some of the most fun you'll have on the tiny white console. Featuring more than 30 playable characters, a more involved story mode, and an exciting new online feature set, Brawl turns out to be the most well-rounded Smash Bros. to date. Get the full scoop on page 94. > 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 stil be popping this game in five years from now. Moderately High - Good for a long while, but the thrills won't last forever. Moderate - Good for a few months or a few times through. 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. reviews REVIEWS INDEX Army of Two.. Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles. Bomberman Land.. Bully: Scholarship Edition.. Condemned 2: Bloodshot Conflict: Denied Ops. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts.......... Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest 4 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates Frontlines: Fuel of War. 3 House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return ................ Jumper: Griffin's Story . ПИТ n Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore...... Lost Odyssey. bo ~ 3 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Daran A 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 3 and older. Content suitable for persons ages ой 6 and older. F Content suitable for persons ages Content suitable for persons ages I5 and older, Sins of a Solar Empire Strategy buffs, listen up: Sins of a Solar Empire is like nothing you've seen before. This ingenious mix of the RTS and 4X genres is one of the most original and entertaining releases that either genre has seen in years. Plus, just about any machine built in the last three or four years can run it thanks to the highly scalable engine it runs on. You're run- ning out of excuses not to play it, don't you think? Give in — we did, and we're very glad to have done so. The "i means that the video is being interlaced format 480p - Progressive scanning, this option (“p’= "T the scan lines of a conventional interlaced picture, 480i ("i" = interlaced), to create а noticeably sharper image. The 480p image offers higher picture resolution and eliminates Virtually all motion artifacts in a 640x480 pixel resolution setting T20p - A resolution specification used for HDTV. 720p stands for resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The *p" means that the video is in progressive format action - A term we use for games like God of War and Devil May Cry ad hoc - A type of wireless connection that connects you with other players in your immediate vicinity Al - Artifical Intelligence. Usually refers to how well the computer reacts to human opponents or works with human allies adventure ~ A term we use for games like Myst and Escape From Monkey Island ia] Content suitable for persons 17 [рр ages and older, иши RO | Content suitable only for adults. 1080i ~ A resolution specification used for HDTV. 1080! stands for resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. + 1080p - Curently the best resolution for gaming оп an HDTV. In widescreen, 1080p generates ап : image at resolution of 1920x1080 in progressive + i first-party - A game made MLB 2K8 Opoona. glow of bright light reflecting off of surfaces 1 board = A term we use for games like Scene It? and Mario Party cel shading - A technique used to create 3D rendered objects that resemble hand-drawn animation cels È CG - Computer Generated, Usual refers to progressive), creates a picture signal with double : л Y cutscenes that don't use in-game graphics i ЕЗ - Electronic Entertainment Expo. A gaming — : : convention held every year since 1995. Itis one : 1 ММО - Massively Multiplayer Online. Usually of the largest events in the gaming industry a console manufacturer's intemal development teams exclusively for its own system = A term we use for games like Mortal Kombat and Dead or Alive 3 FPS - First-Person Shooter. Describes games like Halo, Doom, and Call of Duty. Also used to denote the phrase “frames per second,” or how i many animation frames happen in one second. + framerate – The frames of animation used to generate the appearance of movement 1 frontend - A game's menus and options 1 HDTV - High Definition Television 1 infrastructure - A type of wireless connection that uses the Intemet to connect with other players over long distances 1 isometric - Three Lost: Via Domus. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collectio Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Sega Bass Fishing Sins of a Solar Empire.. Spiderwick Chronicles, The. Super Smash Bros. Brawl Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition Wipeout Pulse. For our newer readers, here is a glossary of terms and acronyms that commonly appear in the magazine. Video game veterans should move along (these aren't the droids you are isoking for). i bloom ~ An effect that simulates the soft, blurred. : IP - intellectual Property. A single game or franchise encompassing the ideas and characters contained within juarters top down view, like Warcraft 3 or Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance d jaggies = Graphical lines that look jagged when ы еу shot uld be straight or consoles together within a small space to allow communication between them. Provides fast, simultaneous gameplay applied to role-playing titles, we use this term for ames with persistent, multi-user online worlds like EverQuest and World of Warcraft 1 motion blur - Phantom frames follow an object to give the impression of realistic speed : music - A term we use for games like Guitar Hero. > and Rock Band NPC - Non-Player Character. Those people and Creatures you see wandering around 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 Ratchet & Clank + pop-up - When objects onscreen suddenly appear, typically due to poor draw distance 1 racing 1 third-party - Something і PS2 - Sony PlayStation 2 ; PS3 - Sony's PlayStation 3 console ; puzzle - A term we use for games like Tetris and Picross = A term we use for games like Gran Turismo and Mario Kart : ; RPG - Role-Playing Game. A term we use to i LAN - Local Area Network. Connecting computers ; describe games like Final Fantasy and The Elder Scrolls 1 RIS - RealTime Strategy A subgenre of stategy games including titles like StarCraft and Command & Conquer 1 shooter - A term we use for games like Ikaruga and Gradius È “slapping the Grimlock” - You stil arent saying this ultra-hip new phrase, are you? Get with the program! = A term we use for games like Madden NFL and Top Spin = A term we use for games like Dis; and Fire Emblem s хет made for a console by a company other than the console manufacturer GAME INFORMER 79 PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 M Note to bad guys: The facemask thing went out of style about 20 years ago amers love to decry publish- ers pushing out franchise installments on a yearly basis, and there are good prec- edents for that view. With a product as good as Rainbow Six Vegas, though, it's hard to muster up the kind of righ- teous wrath that can only be expressed in pithy comments and animated GIFs on a message board. Without a doubt, this sequel is more of the same; a few additions to the gameplay and frontend do not a new experience make. However, Ubisoft managed not to screw anything up from the amazing original, which pretty much makes this the best tactical shooter out there by default. Three things are all that separate Rainbow Six Vegas 2 from its predecessor. The first, new maps for both single- and multiplayer, should come as a surprise to no one. They're generally well-designed, with a variety of environments on the multiplayer side and enough branching paths to offset the lin- earity on the campaign side. Second, the addition of a sprint function is welcome and makes bound- ing from cover to cover less painful. Finally, the experience system has been expanded with parallel rewards for specific roles (dropping guys from long range nets you Marksman points, for example) and W Story mode features Some amazing setpieces is integrated into single-player as well as online. Even though these few additions are the only things that distinguish the sequel from the original, this is an amazingly fun game to play alone, with friends, or with strangers online. The generic plot (mercenaries, terrorists, WMDs, blah blah blah) won't impress anyone, but playing through the story is an enthralling experience nonetheless. Figuring out how best to assault an entrenched enemy is as much fun as the excellent firefights themselves, and the maps are smartly designed to offer plenty of options. Squad controls and interactions are simplistic, E The ability to call for an airborne thermal scan can be lifesaving 80 САМЕ INFORMER as they always have been since Rainbow Six moved to consoles, but at least the Al is good. Story mode really shines when played cooperatively, though. Nothing else (on consoles, anyway) can forge a few friends on their couches into a squad of brutal military efficiency like the brilliant gameplay here can. After finishing out the campaign, co- op terrorist hunts offer even greater challenges to your tactical acumen. Simply put, there's no better coop- erative FPS experience anywhere. Adversarial multiplayer channels Counter-Strike in all the right ways. Matches are quick, bullets are lethal, and good teamwork defeats twitch reflexes every time. The reward system is genius, and offers plenty of incen- tive to keep playing for a good long time. Here again, map design allows enough creativity in your tactical approaches to engage more than just your trigger finger. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is a hell of a package. It's sort of a shame that so much of it is recycled from the last game, but nobody stops eating their favorite food because it's similar every time — and this is the Kobe beef of tactical FPS.—ADAM > Concept: That most elite of fictional special forces has to save the world from terrorists. . „іп Las Vegas. . again > Graphics: I'll take this title's smooth framerate over a few more polygons every day > Sound: Excellent voiceovers and snappy sound effects play. their part well > Playability: Firing and mov- ing is perfect. Controlling your squad, not so much > Entertainment: Amazing co-op, good single-player, outstanding team-based versus modes - what's not to like? > Replay Value: High Second Opinion 9.5 ‘Dangling upside down on a health club's climbing wall with a pistol burning hot in my hands, | realized that Rainbow Six Vegas 2 was not only a highlight reel of FPS action, it was a disserta- бол in quality level design. Ubisoft Montreal has made an art of transforming mun- snaking through most of . the areas, which is great for co-op tactics, and it's amaz- ing how the cover is always organic to the particular environment. The enemy -Al has also improved, learn- про use night and ther- modes, is worth investing another year or two of your life into.—REINER XBOX 360 Army of Two > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTIONA(UP ТО 4-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK OR XI > DEVELOPER EA MONTREAL > RELEASE MARCH 4 ».£SRB.-M. 360) > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS INTRODUCING НЕ BUDDY GAME ollywood has the buddy flick, and now, as much as it pains me to say this, video games have the buddy game. Believe me, | could hardly bring myself to write that, but it had to be said. Not only does this game tell the story of two characters at the opposite ends of the social spectrum finding common ground on the battlefield, it insists that there is no wrong time for physical humor or airguitaring. It also introduces gamers to an ensemble of char- acters that are just as obnoxious as Chris Tucker. As much as | wanted to place these unlikable personali- ties into a soundproof box, | was also compelled to bow down before their feet. They may be annoying, but they know exactly what it takes to entertain gamers seeking an explosive co-op experience (across online, split-screen, and LAN). As you are probably aware, there are a number of games out there offering enjoyable cooperative components. None of them, however, make it a priority like Army of Two does. Coordinating tactics to flank and suppress is only a fraction of what you can expect. The game and its beautifully built levels wedge players into situations where they can use physical teamwork. For instance, you can rip a car door off of its hinges, and use it as moving cover for your partner, who will follow you with a gun ablaze. You can also hoist your buddy up to the second story of a building (who will verbally tell you to go higher or lower) to sneak a peek, unload a clip, or dimb up. You'll also find yourself counting down to coordinate simultaneous sniper shots. Best of all, however, are the tandem parachute jumps, where one player controls the descent and the other picks off soldiers with a sniper rifle. All of the cooperative moves are mechanically sound, ingenious in their design, and effective in their use. The game also offers great stability in its gunplay. Like Gears of War, it's very much a game of finding cover, popping up to fire off a round, then finding new cover. The smooth targeting system allows for moving targets to be taken down with ease, and also the stability needed for precision aiming. The weapons, which favor the assault class, also pack a wallop, and can be upgraded with funds earned in the field to become even more ridicu- lously overpowered. The overall result is a game that is gritty, intense, and well made. But it does have one design deci- sion that I'll never wrap my brain around. If you provide covering fire for your friend, you will draw the enemies fire. This will turn your friend invisible С. The levels are littered with cover, and are filled З with choke points "te 9 E The enemy Al is fearless, and more than capable of making you look stupid > Concept: Army of Two places cooperative play on a pedestal, and pushes players to work together in ways they never imagined, all while delivering hard-hitting action > Graphics: Imposing charac- ters and a nice variety in the level designs. | especially like the look of the flooded airport > Sound: Unfortunately, the gunshots don't drown out the dialogue > Playability: The co-op mechanics are nicely imple- mented and effective, and the enemy Al always seems to have a vendetta against you > Entertainment: Even after you play through the campaign, replay rests in the ability to gain new firearms and upgrades for your character > Replay Value: Moderately High Ili "Sorry, Hank! Turns out Luke was right about not being able to see with the blast shield down.” exactly like a ghost. 5 can move through the battlefi ine, this really throws a kink Two's plot about the dan- does it feel like you are using a cheat code, you feel gers of private military con- bad for the adversaries that hide behind the same tracts with the serious tone Cover as the invisible player. Outside of this unfor- it deserves, EA created a tunate event, the enemy Al is impressive, showing B-grade buddy flick starring steady aim, an impulsiveness to throw grenades, two goons who trade off and intentionally designed suicide methods. Lube apice isa If your idea of gaming is you, yourself, and no one pba ae че im ay else, you can play the same campaign by yourself, ment as well. The sketchy but trust me, it doesn't have the same cover mechanic, kamikaze bite with an Al-controlled partner, that Al, and questionable tar- rarely does what you want him to. Army geting oftentimes mar the of Two also features an enjoyable versus top-notch graphics and rivet- component that keeps the game's strong ing experience of working cooperative themes in play for four players. henden en Just like the main game, you are tasked to huius ЕЙ complete missions with your partner, such arsenal of epic weaponry. as escorting a hostage or securing intel The multiplayer also falters, CPU adversaries are still present, but your in particular where you must biggest threat is another two-player human work with a friend against a team working to complete the same goals rival group of mercs and a as you. The team that earns the most cash аети a goals and piling up kills is бета i SBI КК like a Spy vs. Spy match of Like dysfunctional characters in a buddy hijinks than a real competi- flick, Army of Two has some annoying боп, While Army of Two may problems, but if you just want a fun coop- satisfy players who love the erative experience, it gets the job done co-op experience, its myriad and delivers sizeable thrills you won't find flaws keep it from reaching anywhere else —REINER its full potential —BERTZ GAME INFORMER 81 E Why do catchers always lineup for a strike when they know you are throwing a beanball? PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 MLB 2K8 > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER SPORTS (2-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK OR XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER 2K SPORTS > DEVELOPER 2K LOS ANGELES > RELEASE MARCH 3 > ESRB E PERSONALITY IN THE PITCH f I told you that Johan Santana's change up is thrown with the exact same motion as Tim Wakefield's knuckleball, | would deserve to be slapped, as this is one of the most erroneous observations ever to be made about baseball. But what if | was talking about video game baseball? If you strip away the names and likenesses for all of the pitchers in the league, would you still be able to differentiate Carlos Zambrano from Daisuke Matsuzaka, or Tom Glavine from Pedro Martinez? The answer is no. In every baseball game released thus far, all pitch types utilizes the same click-the-button to throw the ball mechanics. How potent these pitches are is dictated solely by backend statistics. Outside of placing pitches and gauging their velocity, there really is no skill involved. With MLB 2K8, players finally get to experience the art of pitching. You'll see how a perfectly thrown curveball can make a batter's knees buckle, and you'll also find out what goes through a pitcher's mind when a ball slips out of their fingers, hangs The PlayStation 3 version is not as polished, as evidenced in several stra ielding glitches, but it does offer more сот tent...on the disc. Many of the unlockable jerseys and stadiums didn't fit onto the Xbox 360 disc, and can only be accessed via download. However, even if you don't have an internet connec- tion, | would recommend going with the 360 version's tighter neplay, fun Achievements, and rumble (which aids batting). т Dontrelle Willis would have made a great figute skater in the strike zone, and ends up in Earth's orbit. Developer 2K Los Angeles has done an amazing job of capturing these elements in the retooling of the pitching mechanic. Using the right analog stick to mimic the throwing motion creates a more skillful exercise that adds varying degrees of difficulty to the execution of each pitch type. To throw a curveball, you'll need to pull back on the analog, then rotate it in a forward motion to apply spin. The better you are at mimicking the required motion, the better the pitch and its placement. If you are off slightly, your pitch will break less, and will likely be off target as well. If you are way off, there's a good chance you'll throw a wild pitch, hit the batter, or serve up a meatball. Given how greatly you have to focus on each individual pitch, MLB 2K8's pitching does require some serious skill, unless of course, you neuter the CPU AI by adjusting the batting slid- ers and overall difficulty. On the other hand, batting will seem much easier, and it's not because a new system has been implemented. Rather 2K has improved its technology, meaning a batter, who could only make contact on three frames last year, can now get the bat on the ball on 13 to 16 frames. This subtle tweak allows players to feel more comfortable, as they can foul off pitches and adjust their timing to hit to the opposite field. Similar polish has also been added to fielding. The player's move- ments are more realistic, and the ball itself now has noticeable weight, which transitions into grounders taking erratic hops, and Texas Leaguers dropping in the shallow outfield rather than being caught. All across the diamond, this is an incredibly well-made game that is a true test of player skill. It delivers new experiences with its gameplay, offers rewarding bonus content (playable minor league teams, and collectable baseball cards), and improves upon its already robust online play with an array of sorting options that will allow players to find the appropriate match-ups. The only area that needs work is Franchise mode. It's not bad, but it doesn't offer anything new. Up to this point, this generation's baseball has been about replicating the look of the game. With this release, it's now about replicating the game itself. —REINER BOTTOM LINE 8 5 ? Concept: Last year's focus was on the graphics. This year, 2K worked on the gameplay to cre- ate the most skill-laden baseball game to date > Graphics: Some of the transitional animations jump a bit, and the crowd still consists of humanoid-like aliens, but the detail in the player models is the best in vid sports > Sound: The announcers mostly cite the obvious, and rarely have anything interesting to say. In other words, this is trademark Joe Morgan > Playability: Fundamentally sound, true to the sport, and above all, a blast to play > Entertainment: Franchise mode offers a deep experience, but nothing new. The true excite- ment is on the field > Replay Value: High Second Opinion 8 You've got to take the bad with the good in MLB 2KB, but it's not such a terrible deal. The new pitching mechanic has all the promise of King Felix, but also dials in a rough first outing. It’s difficult to get used to, and even after dozens of games the tuning feels off = at times it feels like the slight- est mistake on an inside pitch results in a HBP. On particularly on defense. The addition of smart WPA graphs makes my inner stat nerd rejoice, However, 2K's failure to improve the irritating menu system, its often-baffling player ratings, and the fact that walks are nearly absent from the game аге all very disappointing. This is definitely a solid sim franchise that keeps making strides in the right direc- tion, and seeing a darn-near photorealistic #57 suit up in a Twins uni again is great, but the series still has a ways to go before being crowned the champ.—ADAM A\ aa ө, Get in touch with your dark side. YourOtherYou.com Cargo and load capacity limited by weight and distribution. Prototype shown with optional equip't, ©2008 Toyota Motor Sales, USAC са E Don't worry, you wipe that “who farted” look off his face eventually PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 = Throughout the game you'll find TVs and radios that give you addi- tional snippets of Bloodshot's story voice of Tony Rhodes Condemned 2: Bloodshot » STYLE PR > RELEASE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE мга! > ESRB undertoot 1 the де factory. A c Shadow across some mechanical dolls cra in the dark. Then sent, the shac you realize, v Bloodshot haven't adr since BioSho ЕК OR XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER MONOLITH only slightly, in a few other places Since we last saw him, the years haven't been kind to our hero Ethan Thomas. The former detec- tive has fallen far from grace, landing heavily on alcohol and painkillers. Disheveled and far from sanitary, a possible lice infestation is the least of his worries. Thomas is haunted by his experiences from the first game, and the demons he's fighting are now are also internal. Some fans are bound to be turned off by this change, while the darker char- acter might resonate better with others. However, as promising as the story may sound, Bloodshot's tale gets a little nonsensical and hard to follow near its conclusion. Combat is a lot more interesting this time around as you have a wide variety of combos and a bigger m Bloodshotis filled with many at screen effects, but some- times they're a little overdone @ Сип» play a bigger part this time around, but still "aren't the starring role selection of weapons to pick out of the environ- ment. These are as diverse as exploding toy dolls, bowling balls, and museum broadswords. Knock an enemy to his knees and you'll get to perform an environmental kill on him as well. End level upgrades give you neat bonuses such as brass knuckles that make your fist attacks more powerful, or a holster that lets you store a pistol. It will take you a while to master all your talents, but it will be worth it. Unfortunately, the crime scene investigations don't play as big a role as in the original. These scenes, where you track down the blood trail using a UV light or take photos of the murder victim, were my favorite part of the first game, so it's sad to see them downplayed. Instead, Bloodshot adds sections where you have to collect the correct information about a murder based on your observations. These sections are also pretty nifty, so it might be a fair trade off, after all. Condemned 2: Bloodshot is probably the best survival horror title we've seen this generation. The online multiplayer modes aren't going to blow your mind, but they are a thoughtful addition. It's got a higher level of action than its predeces- sor, and some gorgeous horror backdrops. | don't want to spoil anything, but there is one moment in particular — where you find yourself alone in a deserted cabin suddenly running for your life — that will probably be one of the most memorable gaming moments of 2008. If you like survival horror, this is a no-brainer.— BEN BOTTOM 8 LINE > Concept: First-person action meets survival horror; can you handle it the second time around? > Graphics: Better than ever, Bloodshot's levels are as gor geous as if they are hideous > Sound: Some haunting music and solid voice work help set the mood > Playability: The combat is even more brutal than the first game, and the level layout is a little less confusing this time around > Entertainment: A viciously fright-filled adventure. You might not understand the story, but you'll understand that you're scared > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8.75 Monolith has improved. its melee horror franchise in almost every way with Condemned 2, You may not be able to spam the stun gun this time around, but fortunately new combos, chain attacks, and environ- mental kills add more than enough depth and satisfy- ing brutality to keep things interesting. Guns play а much larger role this time around. In fact, some stages provide enough weapons and ammo to shoot your way through the whole thing. These high-action sequences are well spaced between tense "what was that noise?" moments, vicious fisticuffs, and smart murder investiga- tions. Here players will clas- sify wounds, determine if the body was moved, and perform blood spatter analy- sis a la TV's Dexter. It's too bad that these sequences just fade away towards the end, Level variety is also a big plus here with scenes span- ning a decrepit bowling alley, a freaky doll factory, and a seemingly BioShock-inspired magician's hall. Refreshing boss battles and pre-scripted events will have gamers talking – one specific chase scene already has my nomi- nation for the moment of the year list. Unfortunately, the storyline moves from scary to silly, the final boss battle is a letdown, and the multiplayer and challenge modes are very mediocre. But don't let these things stop you from enjoying one of 2008's early gems.—BRYAN XBOX 360 | PC Frontlines: Fuel of War > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 50-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE OR 64-PLAYER VIA PC INTERNET ORBAN) > PUBLISHER THQ > DEVELOPER KAOS STUDIOS > RELEASE FEBRUARY 25 > ESRB M A WAR WITHOUT A HERO or Battlefield fans, Kaos Studios needs no introduction. The upstart development team formerly known as Trauma Studios honed its game crafting skills on one of the most well polished and popular Battlefield mods of all time, Desert Combat. Frontlines: Fuel of War is the team’s ambitious first attempt at making its own full- fledged game. The single-player campaign follows a near-future tale of dwindling resources and escalating military tensions. Russia and China have joined as the Red Star Alliance, and the newfound group is in a global struggle with Western Coalition forces over the last remaining black gold on the planet. The story follows an embedded journalist as he tags along with the Stray Dogs infantry group, which is leading the push against the Reds. The short single-player campaign may have a story, but with questionable Al on both sides of the battle and no epic gameplay experiences, the game plays more like a multiplayer mode filled with bots. Just like multiplayer games, missions often center on attacking and securing bases, radio towers, nuclear weapons, etc. The enemies feign smartness by attempting to flank, but will just as often turn tail and run. Your squad mates are equally useless; they will often sit idly in vehicles strapped to the core The weapons feel great with deadly weaponry rather than taking aim at enemies. They also rarely come to your assistance in battle. During the last mission in the game several Red Alliance tanks, helicopters, and soldiers moved toward Moscow's town center for one more retaliatory push, yet my fellow Stray Dogs were nowhere to be found. On th lefield, there is no shortage of ways to grease your enemies — machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, C4, air strikes, tanks, helicopters, armored jeeps, and remote-controlled battlebots all aid you in your quest to smoke Big Red. While the gun combat is sharp, the land vehicles can be a chore to navigate, turning clumsily and often getting hung up on envi- ronmental objects they aren't visually touching. The large, open battlegrounds allow gamers to choose their points of attack, like climbing a tower, finding back entrances, or busting through the front door guns blazing. But these battles are broken up by loading screens between each segment of attack, which hurts the continuity of the action. The multiplayer, on the other hand, is all about fun and fast-paced action. Battlefield 2 veterans will feel at home with the dedicated servers, squad- based action, and varied weapon kits, which feel well balanced and offer players the opportunity to play to their strengths without having to endure a long weapon unlock process, The well-designed maps offer plenty of room for close-quarters skir- mishes and vehicular combat. On the con side, Frontlines lacks a persistent ranking system, player customization, and medals for achievements like those found in the benchmark multiplayer- centric games like Battlefield 2, Call of Duty 4, and Rainbow Six Vegas. In a game so primed for playing online, this is an egregious omission, The game only ships with eight maps, which is also disappointing. In the end, the Frontlines does enough to enter- tain on the multiplayer end to make up for the woeful single-player experience. It's a shame Kaos didn't scrap the single-player altogether to focus completely on honing the online experience. —BERTZ Se reviews BOTTOM LINE 7 25 > Concept: Bring large scale FPS multiplayer to consoles and throw some gadget weaponry into the mix > Graphics: The earth tone, near-future look okay, but no one will mistake this for Gears of War or Call of Duty > Sound: Your standard cacophony of whizzing bullets and exploding vehicles > Playability: Guns feel well balanced, but many land vehicles control like dump trucks > Entertainment: The decent multiplayer counters the forget- table single-player campaign > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 7.75 Whatever you do, don't buy this for the single-player. Its terrible. Online, however, has some decent potential to go along with its frustra- tions. The combination of loadouts (assault, anti-vehi- de, etc.) and roles (ground support, EMP support, etc) lets players tailor their сара- bilities to the situation nicely and provides some fun toys like deployable turrets and special grenades, The maps are massive, and the bread-and-butter Frontlines gametype – which is effec- tively Battlefield's Conquest mode but with only a few active contested points — is relatively deep and interest- ing. Still, some issues keep this from being the new. online hotness. Deployment load times, where after your respawn counter is up sev- eral seconds pass while you load back into the map, are. a constant irritation. Vehicles control poorly, and the lack. of party-based matchmak- ing bites. Even so, Frontlines pulls off its massive online battles well enough to scratch that particular itch, if not much else —ADAM GAME INFORMER 85 se reviews EL S xn | P És. ۹ NUT XBOX 360 | PLAYSTATION З | PC Turning Point: Fall of Liberty > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK, XBOX LIVE, OR PC INTERNET) > PUBLISHER CODEMASTERS > DEVELOPER SPARK UNLIMITED > RELEASE FEBRUARY 26 > ESRB T A STEP BACK IN TIME ry as | might, | can't come up with a single redeeming quality in Turning Point. The subject matter, alternate history or no, is worn wafer-thin. The controls are poorly laid out and the analog stick sensitivity feels off no matter which setting you choose. Level layout is a study in tried-and-true on-rails FPS design. It feels like somebody decided it would be a good idea to combine everything that hasn't worked from the entire Call of Duty franchise and package it together into a game. It's even got the crappy minigames from CoD 3! Normally, any modern FPS is entertaining in a basic sense because the genre's conventions are so set that it's easy to jump in and have a good time shooting bad guys. Not so in Turning Point — the control problems muck up the most ground-level aspects of the genre. The game doesn't even get this elementary concept right, which makes its myriad other failures all the more unforgivable. The only thing worse than suffering through poor controls in unoriginal settings is doing so in objectively bad levels. First-person platform- ing is bad enough, but having to do so on maps saturated with invisible walls and lame climbing sections is salt in the wound. Long load times after a death are irritating; coming back into the game to find you hadn't crossed a checkpoint in the last 20 minutes is maddening. Turning Point has all this and more. With the number of average-to-outstanding FPS titles available on next-gen consoles, there's absolutely no reason to waste your time with this disaster.— ADAM : 86 GAME INFORMER BOTTOM LINE 3 > Concept: It's a WWII shooter. ..or is it?! Nazis invade America in this alternate his- tory FPS > Graphics: Explosions look cool. Other than that, there aren't too many nice things to say > Sound: Firearms sound odd, but the score is fantastic > Playability: Who decided that vertical aiming should go twice as fast as horizontal aiming, and that none of the sensitivity settings should feel decent? > Entertainment: This lame effort has no place in a genre as overpopulated as wartime FPS > Replay Value: Low Second Opinion 3.5 It's tough to pinpoint the worst trait of Turning Point. You could go with its stupid reimagining of World War Il, painfully linear level design, sloppy player movement that finds your character con- stantly hung up on objects while moving through the boring environments, terrible iron sights that tend to block out your target, the broken clipping that has soldiers. falling through walls, or the brain-dead Al that sometimes fails to register your pres- ence. It’s a veritable comu- copia of suckitude only use- able as a torture method by the CIA to extract important information from gamers. In other words, save your money.—BERTZ PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC Conflict: Denied Ops > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-PLAYER VIA PLAYSTATION NETWORK, XBOX LIVE, OR PC INTERNET) > PUBLISHER EIDOS > DEVELOPER PIVOTAL GAMES > RELEASE FEBRUARY 12 > ESRB M PUTS THE ‘SPECIAL’ IN SPECIAL FORCES enied Ops ditches the third- person perspective and squad-based tactics used in previous Conflict titles in favor of the first-person camera and a team of two testosterone junkies. The story is your standard doomsday Clancy clone where some evil foreigners are plotting to unleash destructive weap- ons on the free Western world. Your duty as cookie-cutter Special Forces dude is to stop them before they hatch their dastardly plans to wipe out our Wal-Marts while quipping cheesy one-liners that would make Amold Schwarzenegger choke on his cigar. The lone highlight of Denied Ops is the co-op campaign. The two charac- ters have fixed arsenals — one has a sniper rifle with a shotgun attachment, and the other brandishes a machine gun and rocket launcher. When play- ing alone you can simply switch to the character that has the gun you prefer for that particular scenario, but in co-op you're locked into one of the two weapons classes. The heart of the gameplay in Denied Ops, combat, suffers from poor calibration. It takes way too long to move between your standard vision and your gunsight, the blast damage from explosions laughably lacks impact on enemies, and your foes can take more bullets in the chest than Tony Montana before they go down. The Al also lacks polish; enemies display the intelligence of a common lab rat, running to the meat grinder posing as a cover position where three comrades just got greased. When playing solo, commanding your second squadmate proves to be ineffective; they rarely heed your instructions on where they should find cover, and will often lag behind in a room you cleared out long ago. Also, when you are trying to target objectives you want your Al partner to pursue, like gathering ammo or plant- ing a C4 charge, issuing commands is too finicky. Don't expect anything special from the multiplayer, either. Denied Ops offers the bread and butter of deathmatch, team deathmatch, and conquest, but nothing about this tacked-on feature set stands out. | suppose you could say the same thing about the entire game.—BERTZ BOTTOM LINE 5 L] 7 5 ? Concept: Fight terrorism with a wisecracking Special Forces duo > Graphics: Bland graphics, poor character animations, and unimpressive destructible envi- ronment effects > Sound: If these writers were on strike, they should have stayed there. The dialogue is atrocious > Playability: Slow sights and touchy squad controls combine with lackadaisical Al > Entertainment: Nothing to see here folks; move along > Replay Value: Moderately Low Second Opinion 6 There's really not much to say about Conflict: Denied Ops. Everything from the presentation to the con- trols is more of what we've been exposed to over and over again from the tacti- cal FPS genre for the last several years. | can't hate it any more than | can give much of a crap about the Baltimore Orioles — both are so far from greatness yet motlaughably bad hat its nearly impossible to come up with any strong feelings on the matter. Gamers in need of another run-of- — the-mill terrorist hunt won't curse Conflict for sucking away their money and time, but at the same time | can't. think of a single person l'd recommend this to. Nobody talks about those service- able pancakes they made for breakfast the other day, and nobody will be talking about Conflict either —ADAM XBOX 360 | Wii Bully: Scholarship Edition > STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ROCKSTAR GAMES > DEVELOPER ROCKSTAR VANCOUVER > RELEASE MARCH 3 > ESRB T BACK TO SCHOOL ripping with the trademark satire and biting wit of a true Rockstar classic, Bully is just as fun now as it was more than a year ago on PS2. It's an irreverent and unapologetic snipe at the silliness and foibles of life in secondary Bully's gameplay is remarkably straightfor- ward, rarely veering off the traditional open world formulas. Plenty of missions are fetch quests and protection jobs, but each one is cleverly disguised under a veneer of cunning Se reviews BOTTOM LINE 8 5 > Concept: Retum to Bullworth Academy for an updated version of the schoolyard open world free-for-all > Graphics: Graphics are phe- nomenally improved over the PS2 release, but the 360 version in particular doesn't shine as bright as many games on that system > Sound: A playful and varied soundtrack sets the mood, and bitingly sarcastic voiceovers are great fun > Playability: Excellent pac- ing introduces new gameplay mechanics over time, easing play- ers into the experience > Entertainment: While only extremely enthusiastic fans owe it to themselves to play this again on a new system, new players should definitely indulge in the hijinks > Replay Value: Moderate N | | £j Improved texture work throughout the game really shows ~ the game looks noticeably better than it did on the PS2 school, while it simultaneously embraces the fond Nostalgia most of us have for those days. A few new missions, a bare bones multiplayer mode, and narrative. A few objectives offer more unique challenges, like stealth missions sneaking into the school, bike races, or panty raids on updated graphics are all nice additions, but none of them give Bully the sheen of a true next-gen game. Despite this, Scholarship Edition stands strong on the merits of its clever gameplay, brilliantly realized locale, and a willingness to skewer every schoolyard stereotype imaginable. While the actual game content is the same across both the 360 and Wii versions of Scholarship Edition, there are some notable differences in the controls. On Wii, you'll be handling a lot of actions with various gestures – in particular, some of the melee combat motion controls start to feel frustrating to pull off later in the game. Controlling the camera is also iffy on the Wii. Meanwhile, the 360 version had a couple of sound and frame hiccups in the version we played, but more traditional controls and an edge in graphics might nonetheless make it the preferred choice. W The world of Bully is brilliantly laid out, communicating a broad sense of scale and =; exciting locales while keeping everything accessible and nearby the girl's dorm. Regardless, there's always something to do or a new activity to try. Pacing is perfectly handled — just when a location or situation is starting to feel stale, something new pops up to draw your attention. It's in this element of gameplay that this new Scholarship Edition takes the biggest strides. By adding just a few more dass- room activities and some new missions to periods in the game that previously felt a little barren, it feels like the puzzle is finally complete. It's easy to adopt that "just one more mission" approach while play- ing, and that's a good thing There are some notable frustrations that are more noticeable now on a next-gen console than they were on the PS2. Frequent loading sections as you move in and out of buildings, enter conversations, and other events are a pain. Characters in the world regularly wig out and start walking into walls or glitching as they bump into each other. It feels just a e т While the additions don't profoundly change the game, repeat players will notice everything from new clothes to new missions tad technically unpolished beside a gameplay pack- age that feels so solid. Much will be made of the addition of local multi- Player, but I'm not convinced it adds that much. In one-vs-one tournaments, you get to tackle sets of minigames, from speed photography to who can best dissect an animal in biology. It's a clever and amusing diversion, but you'll be back into the single player pretty quickly, if | have my guess. Bully was a fantastic release late in the life of the PS2, and I'm pumped that the folks | know who've become gamers this generation now have a chance to experience it for themselves. For those of us who've already had our fun the first time, I'm not sure a second run at high school is really in order— MILLER graphics ably dated. It's hard to say that the few new additions picking up for those who already played Buly on PS2, but if you missed it the first time, this is the better package —BEN GAME INFORMER 87 PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 Lost: Via Domus > STYLE i-PLAYER ADVENTURE > PUBLISHER UBISOFT > DEVELOPER UBISOFT MONTREAL > RELEASE FEBRUARY 26 > ESRB Т TI QUICKIES AN EPISODE ost isn't just a television show for me. It's an obses- Sion that could clinically be deemed unhealthy, but until a psychiatrist tells me that | have a serious problem, l'm going to continue viewing it as awesome, If you share a similar appreciation for this show, and often find yourself viewing an episode frame-by-frame to see if anything is hidden in the backgrounds, you absolutely need to play Via Domus. This game expands the show's fiction and reveals a few mind-blowing twists, including one that has completely altered all of my theories about the show. As of the time of this writing, it is one of the biggest reveals yet. The game also does a great job of bringing you into the world of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815. Being able to explore their campsite or micro-analyze every detail in the hatch is something fans will certainly love. The game also follows the show's presenta- tion verbatim, and is broken up into episodes complete with playable flashbacks and "previously on Lost" introductions. Although the character you play isn't actually in the show, his story is nicely penned, and again, adds another layer to the highly debated mythos. In terms of captur- ing the Lost experience, the only area where the game stumbles is in how it handles the existing characters. You'll get the chance to chitchat with most of them, but most of their dialogue is terse and completely void of their personalities. Ubi did a great job of making the world feel alive, but its inhabitants are more like creepy Disneyland animatronics than the finely established characters you know. With Locke sounding like 88 GAME INFORMER W In addition to conversing with the Lost cast, you can trade with them. In my game, | handed Sawyer a few cans of beer. He coughed up a handgun NOT MUCH OF A GAME, BUT ONE HELL OF a drunken Walter Matthau and Jack seemingly suffering from a nasal problem, the voice acting is equally as poor. I'm not sure how Ubisoft managed to pull it off, but this game is mostly void of gameplay. What's odd is it never really seems to be an issue. Most of your time is spent exploring the locations from the show and soaking in mysteries of the island. They even equip you with a camera so, like an annoying super-fan, you can snap photos of iconic things, like the numbers on the hatch. At certain points in the story, you'll play through flashback sequences, which only involve talking and taking photos, and also action sequences, such as running through the jungle to avoid the smoke monster, or...well...run- ning through the jungle to avoid The Others' gunfire. These sequences are handled nicely, but they usu- ally only last for a few seconds, and really don't offer a deeply satisfying experience. There is little gunplay, too. And when | say little, | mean you only have to fire three shots in the entire game. As sparsely used as it is, you have to tip your hat to Ubi for delivering a finely polished targeting system. In total, the game offers five to six uneventful hours of gameplay, yet five to six hours of full-on Lost fan service. It's more of an interactive episode than a game. If you don't know anything about Lost, don't play this game. It'll ruin the show for you, and will likely bore you to death. Conversely, if you love the show and want to know everything, this should be the next game you play. The big reveals are well worth the time you put in.— REINER BOTTOM / LINE > Concept: Ubi seemed more intent to make an interactive episode than a game, It won't bring newcomers into the Lost world, but it has a lot to offer to long-term fans > Graphics: The environments are small, yet remarkably detailed, The jungle is an amaz- ing sight, and little secrets are scattered everywhere for fans to find > Sound: The intense Lost music is ever present. However, only a handful of the show's actors lend their voices > Playability: Outside of walk- ing and running, there really isn't. much gameplay here > Entertainment: It's а nice companion to the show, but not much of a game > Replay Value: Low Second Opinion 7.25 With most license-based games, there's an attempt to make it at least palatable to those without an intimate familiarity with the story and characters at hand. Such is not the case with Via Domus, a game squarely targeted at the hardcore followers, and it pays off. It makes what would otherwise be a pretty iffy design premise into a nar- rative | followed with rising urgency. The revelations to show followers are pretty profound, but the gameplay that gets you there is ques- tionable at best. Between a ing with vibrant island life li- XBOX 360 | Wii | PLAYSTATION 2 Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore > STYLE 1 TO 8-PLAYER MUSIC (2-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER KONAMI > DEVELOPER BLITZ GAMES > RELEASE FEBRUARY 5 > ESRB E his is one of those games where the value to you the consumer should have very little to do with that litle number I've attached. If you love both sing-alongs and American Idol, | think you'll be pleased. A fine selection of songs (all done up as pretty awful cover versions) can keep you singing for hours and hours, and the American Idol content is present in full effect, from Simon's backhanded compliments to Paula's effusive praise. Online play is a great bonus for 360 owners, while PS2 players with an EyeToy can input their own faces. As an overall karaoke gaming mechanic, I'd really like to start seeing word detection and some options for improvisation included. For less-critical gamers who just want to imagine they're auditioning and then going on to Hollywood and a dubious claim to fame, then this should be all you wanted and more.—MILLER XBOX 360 | Wii BOTTOM Wi Jumper: Griffin’s Story - > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER BRASH ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER RED TRIBE > RELEASE FEBRUARY 13 > ESRB T o all the truck drivers out there who are transport- ing copies of Jumper: Griffin's Story to retail, please redirect your shipments to Alamogordo, New Mexico. You'll know you are in the right loca- tion when you see thousands of ЕТ. cartridges moving out of the way to make room for your ship- ment. Jumper fails on all fronts; animation, sound, level design, control, combat, storytelling, balancing, item management...all of it. It can also be completed in approximately two hours. Initially, | had this listed as another one of its problems, but if you make the mistake of playing this game as | have, | think you'll agree its short length is its most praiseworthy aspect. —REINER XBOX 360 TO! The Spiderwick Chronicles > STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SIERRA > DEVELOPER STORMFRONT STUDIOS > RELEASE FEBRUARY 5 > ESRB Е10+ ragon developer Stormfront takes on fantasy once again with decent results. The above-average visuals work well with an excellent soundtrack (taken from the film), hi-def movie clips, and not-so-bad voice work (except for super-rhymer Thimbletack). The basic melee combat could benefit immensely from a lock-on button. Catching and paint- ing new faeries in the Field Guide starts out enjoyably enough, but eventually becomes a necessary hassle. The limited inventory system often forces you to waste items to make room, and multiplayer is a complete waste — unless pranc- ing through the fields collecting faeries with a net is your cup of tea. However, for a children’s movie licensed game you could do a lot worse. —BRYAN PLAYSTATION 2 Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition > STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SONY > DEVELOPER EAT SLEEP PLAY > RELEASE FEBRUARY 5 > ESRB T wisted Metal makes for a hell of a fun idea. Ignore the realities of how it might work, and revel in the glory of cars mounted with missile launch- ers and machine guns. This final PS2 installment doesn't move the franchise forward, but it does take us all along for a ride into its past. With a collection of goodies for fans of the franchise, this budget- priced game offers some thrills but fails to stand particularly well on its own. The meat of the gameplay lies in a port of the PSP game Head-On, minus the ability to play online. Many of the levels are excellently designed, allowing for wide, roaming battles across expansive environments, and then funneling characters into bottlenecks of high- octane action. The second major component of the game is levels built but never released, ostensibly for the Twisted Metal Black sequel. Packaged as the unfinished work of developers who died before completing the project, the fiction feels M The levels evoke memo- ries of Twisted Metal 2, remembered by many as the best entry in the series more than a little in poor taste. Regardless, the included levels are grim and exciting, and make for a fitting return to the Black visual style. Throughout both games, the combat is fast and frantic, and the various imaginative characters remain well balanced against each other — a hallmark of the series. The limited two-player multiplayer could have been aided by some other modes beyond deathmatch and co-op, of which the latter is the more satisfying in these large arenas. An excellent retrospective video on the franchise and some hilarious-because-they’re-so- bad ending videos from the original PlayStation game are the best of the extras. The whole game would have made for perhaps the great- est bonus disc in history if it were packaged in with the inevitable PS3 Twisted Metal sequel. As it is, this edition has some trouble being more than a piece of history —MILLER BOTTOM LINE > Concept: Blowing up cars with vehicle-mounted weaponry is fun, even if the gameplay and graphics are more than a little out of date > Graphics: The graphical qual- ity is not even up to the level of the last PS2 outing of this franchise in 2001 > Sound: Music occasionally drops out and leaves you with nothing more than the sounds of explosions and engines, but the sound effect work is satisfying > Playability: Slippery fast con- trols are like they've always been, throwing physics out the window in favor of agile vehicles > Entertainment: A fun trip down memory lane, but this isn’t the next big step forward in the franchise > Replay Value: Moderate A port of last year's Twisted Metal: Head-On for PSP, Extra Twisted Edition sadly lacks that game's online multiplayer and lags behind Twisted Metal: Black (which came out in 2001) graphi- cally, but there’s a whole lot of fun here for only $20. While the formula definitely needs a next-gen over- haul, the basics here are a reminder of just how much fun this franchise is, Be sure to check out the “lost” levels from Black, which are excel- lent even if the juvenile. Blair Witch Project storyline omer to justify their inclusion is embarrassing. E ing extras, including hilari ous live-action cutscenes from Twisted Metal 1 and an engaging documentary about the series. —MATT Second Opi эм!нпо1 B NOILINGOHd MOHS < SLYV 9NIQUOO3H < IN3Wd013۸30 3WV9 < Wil4 < SS3NISQS LN3ANIVIU3IN3 < NDISIO 9 SLUV 1У11910 < NOILVWINV HILNdWOD :NI S334930 Financial aid available SCHOOL OF 800.226.7625 ONE OF THE TOP FIVE GAME-DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE WORLD to those who quality * Career development assist DREAMERS WANTED ==> 3300 University Boulevard * Winter Park, FL 32792 * Accredite Real World Education ceset XBOX 360 { E Headbutt ш The biggest problem here isn't the dinosaur headbutt. It's the fact that Jansen is in the party. You > Concept: A classically styled and thematically mature RPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi should ditch that Dork of the Year candidate as soon as possible Lost Odyssey > STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS > DEVELOPER MISTWALKER/FEELPLUS > Graphics: The entire world is beautifully conveyed through gorgeous graphics and > RELEASE FEBRUARY 12 > ESRB T vy cinematics IMMORTAL BELOVED > Sound: An exemplary soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu, and the voice acting is solid across the board > Playability: Loading and other technical issues can inter- rupt the immersion, but all of the gameplay systems work well together > Entertainment: As long as you have a tolerance for жа ы n t traditional Japanese RPGs, the Kaim 1 interesting characters and the =» " cool combat will keep you glued Set h ч 1 to your controller Jansen Р o > Replay Value: Moderate Cooke " E 3 Lost Odyssey is Mistwalker's answer to Final г More e» accurately, itis Mistwalker's he RPG genre as a whole is one of the the course of the game, this results in the Kaim is one ofthe coolest answer to Final Fantasy X. most conflicted in gaming today. It is built perfect balance of specialized characters roes in recent Memory Unmistakable similarities on conventions that are over 20 years old, and those with more versatility. can be seen throughout the and as much as role-playing titles thrive on What really takes center stage in LIAE TIE these traditions, developers also struggle against Lost Odyssey (especially in contrast to Push iin them, attempting to find new and innovative ways to — Mistwalker's last title, Blue Dragon) is the Hironobu Sakaguchi may А engage gamers. This is not a battle that Lost Odyssey story. The immortal warrior Kaim is one of have left Square, but his fights. The latest epic from RPG legend Hironobu the most intriguing RPG protagonists I've enthusiasm for making Final. Sakaguchi is not diplomatic, and doesn't attempt to played, and his dispassionate detachment Fantasy is still running hot find a middle ground between convention and inno- is a far cry from the usual gotta-save- through his veins, Whether vation; it sides with convention all the way. The result the-world hero. The universe he and his you view this game as deriva- is a rich experience replete with classic gameplay, companions inhabit is a visually stunning a cdi familiar mechanics, and one of the most compelling ^ fusion of fantasy and steampunk, and it serves as an balance is also a little off, with an unusual emphasis to ignore lis este story tales ever told on the Xbox 360. excellent backdrop for the game's major revelations. on heavy casting — a problem since MP is an expen- its wondrously contempla- From the skill system of Final Fantasy V to the Why Kaim has lived so long, how the immortals sive and finite resource. These annoyances were tive, and backed by strong timing-based attacks of Shadow Hearts, it is easy relate to each other, and how they lost their memo- — frustrating in the moments | had to deal with them, character performances. to feel the influence of the past on Lost Odyssey. ries are just a few of the mysteries that make this but ultimately did very little to disrupt my enjoyment The cinematography is also While the basic battle options aren't too surprising adventure much more surprising than its traditional of the game as a whole. breathtaking, but surprisingly, (attack, magic, defend, etc), Mistwalker has made structure may lead you to believe. As thankful as | am that there are role-playing titles some of the most emotional a few attempts to expand the traditional elements. While the nostalgic gameplay formula serves Lost that strive to innovate, | am also glad that games like ЕП Tm The ring system tests your reflexes during standard Odyssey well, there are several technical elements Lost Odyssey are still being made. It is a testament system Hh БЫШЫ ine attacks, and it opens strategic options based on the that seem like conspicuous oversights in a modem to the philosophy that time-tested concepts, when the dictionary as the defini- weaknesses of your enemies. RPG. The loading times are lengthy and frequent; implemented well, can be just as gratifying as they tion of cookie cutter RPG, 1 Some of the best tactical moments surface when after an encounter begins, it can take as long as 15 were at the genre's inception. —JOE did get some big kicks out of the plot leaves you with an unconventional party, seconds before you get control. "а the composite magic system like four mages and no fighters. In cases like these, Then there's the superfluous W If you time it right, you and reflex-based ring attacks, the clever skill system really shines. Mortal party action queue that appears only can use the ring system to It also offers a nice үа members follow a pre-set progression, and the after you input your commands, — comers а m 4 ИШ immortals learn skills from the mortals, which сап so you can't use it to inform any Fail idi oa then be assigned however you see fit. Throughout combat decisions. The overall be, but the sights are simply. stunning and the interactiv- ity you have with your sur- Ultimate Hit roundings can be quite fun. т Mortals (like Tolten) acquire PME In the end, Lost Odyssey skills automatically, but immortals SER won't change your percep- need to learn them through items тт Sà tion of RPGs, but rather and allies er remind you of why you love Ei ther, —REINER E. EY Dream On At certain points you will trigger Kaim's memories, which unfold as dreams that detail an event from his 1,000 years as a wanderer. These sequences, which are basically just text scrolling over а montage of static background images, are simultaneously highlights and missed opportunities. The sparse presentation is disappointing given the fact that most of the scenarios would have made outstanding cutscenes. On the other hand, the text is wonderfully written, and | love how it develops the characters. Still, the concept could have been much enhanced by showing (in addition to simply telling) these stories. 90 GAME INFORMER XBOX 360 Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG (UP TO 10-PLAYER VIA XBOX LIVE) > PUBLISHER UBISOFT > DEVELOPER ARKANE STUDIOS > RELEASE FEBRUARY 12 > ESRB M but get used to ki lot of the same ene! KEEPING THE FAITH his Might & Magic spinoff has received quite a few tweaks in the year and a half between its initial PC appearance and this Xbox 360 release. Its amus- ing core of brutal first-person melee action is intact and with one exception, the changes for this version enhance and expand the experi- ence enough to make it worth your time. Peripheral fluff like picking up collectibles aside, Dark Messiah's gameplay revolves around finding creative ways to dispatch your enemies. Coming up with and executing a plan of attack tailored to your abilities and the situation stays fresh and entertaining through- out the game. For example, the archer might knock one guy into a fire with a flying barrel, bait a few more into an explosive trap, and finish off the rest with bow and dagger. An Bi Depth-of- field effects lend an immediacy to melee combat assassin could distract the sentries by throw- ing a pot into a dark corner, sneak up and stealth-kill a few baddies while the others are investigating the sound, and then take them out as they come back to check the inert corpses of their allies. The classes play very differently from each other, and exploiting their unique abilities is great fun. Unfortunately, the free-form skill tree of the original game has been scrapped in favor of those classes. While all four classes are well- designed, the freedom to build up a hero however you wished is missed, The other minor changes from the PC version — collect- ible relics, improved inventory management, and a few new levels — are welcome, but not terribly impactful. If you can put up with the game's complete and total linearity and don't mind a largely forgettable multiplayer offering, there is a ton of brutal amusement to be had with Dark Messiah's excellent melee combat. The luster of physics-based gameplay may have worn off a bit over the last year and a half, but setting evildoers on fire is never boring.— ADAM ing move to be put down permanently > Concept: Bring 2006's first-person melee adventure to console > Graphics: Spiffy depth-of-field and HDR lighting effects make the Source-powered visuals shine > Sound: Voice acting is laugh- able, but the atmospheric score makes up for it ? Playability: The gameplay is well suited to gamepads, but intrusive aim assistance is some- times irritating > Entertainment: For all its minor flaws, Dark Messiah's unique brand of physics-pow: ered death is endlessly amusing > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8.25 Dark Messiah rewards the devious player. And by that | mean the game is at its most fun when you are carefully scouting out its environ- ments and using them to your advantage, This could be something as simple as kicking an enemy into a wall of spikes, or it could be a more complicated event that has you sneaking around an enemy campfire, blow- ing out a support pillar, and watching a nearby wall col- lapse on everyone's head. Creative opportunities to take out your foes are hidden throughout the game, but they provide the game's highest thrills. It's unfortunate that in this action/RPG you don't get to control how your character levels up. The voice acting is generally awful, and the load times are a little long, but otherwise there is a lot to enjoy here. —BEN It's the only one I know. Meow, meow... I have an MP3 jack, so you can change it up a little. Or a lot. ©2007 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. EX model shown. В A cinematic camera is available for when your only priority is watching the glorious destruction your fleet is dishing out BOTTOM LINE > Concept: Take the 4X empire- building genre real-time > Graphics: The amazing scalability of the engine allows fast machines to look pretty and older boxes to still run the game well > Sound: The score is decent and voice alerts convey informa- tion effectively > Playability: A host of innova- tions to standard RTS interface make the daunting task of Managing a real-time empire possible > Entertainment: It’s hard to imagine a strategy fan who wouldn't dig this > Replay Value: High Sins of a Solar Empire | > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA INTERNET OR LAN) > PUBLISHER STARDOCK > DEVELOPER IRONCLAD GAMES > RELEASE FEBRUARY 4 > ESRB Т JOIN THE STRATEGY REVOLUTION build and manage enormous fleets of star- ships, research improvements to both the civil and military sides of your empire, and ts not terribly often that a developer attempts to mash two genres together and actually suc- ceeds in creating something that's more than the sum of its parts. Sins of a Solar Empire, ultimately wage interstellar war against rival Second Opinion 9 however, manages this complex task brilliantly. civilizations. It sounds like a daunting under- Developer Ironclad ЖЧ Injecting 4X concepts like a deep tech tree, mas- taking, and it is. Fortunately, the pace of the done a great job at deliver- sive military clashes, diplomacy, and infrastructure game is best described as stately; any given ing depth without sacrificing development into a real-time framework is a great improvement or research item takes minutes playability. It was kind of idea on paper, but | never would have believed that to accomplish and fleets can take a minute Strange playi g this game, it could translate to truly compelling gameplay if | or more just to traverse the gravity well of a because combat wasn't this hadn't seen it working here in Sins. A combination single planet. Along with the clever UI, this nerve-wracking affair filled of smartly streamlined mechanics and a slick inter- gives astute players just the right amount with mad hot key mashing. face to control them with makes this experiment a of time to keep up with every aspect of NE m resounding success. their dominion. diplomatic relations with Al empires can be nearly теа In order to conquer the known galaxy, players Along the left side of the screen, the innovative impossible, as blowing up one of their many itiner- during battles | was off on have a number of concurrent tasks to accomplish. Empire Tree allows instant access to any of your ant scout vessels resets their view of you to “undy- other worlds building struc- You've got to colonize available worlds, develop assets. Once you learn to quickly read its compact ing hatred" Late-game battles can be difficult to tures. But, that's not because them to be economic assets instead of liabilities, icons, a quick glance to thelleft contains both control despite the generally good interface simply combat's not cool; it's. a status report on and a single-click due to their enormous scale — it's not unusual to because this game excels at method of selecting anything you have hundreds of ships engaged in a single system. putting the many facets of its own. For experienced players, it's not The relatively low number of available ship types gameplay easily at your fin- difficult to queue planetary develo and minor differences between the three races offer Eos ene Youre pl SI cue репеар CH UDT ing about using the HUD, ments and ship construction in a a merely acceptable level of breadth to the content. inter-planetary trade, the few seconds while zoomed into an And while the presentation is functional and amaz- bomber fleets of your capi- intense space battle half a galaxy ingly scaleable to lower-end PCs, Sins is average at tal ships, or upgrading the. away. Furthermore, if you must tear best when it comes to visuals. foundations of your dynasty, your attention away from a conflict, Overall, though, Sins is a highly polished, very Sins does enough to keep the ship Al is reasonably competent ^ original, and extremely fun strategy title. In only a your empire's trains running at controlling your forces during few weeks since release, developer Ironclad Games оп time without п 7 4 you feel like a bystander — your absence. has already released a few small patches that fix a or overwhelmed. The only For all of its genius, Sins does have number of minor issues, which bodes well for the thing limiting your empire т The vertical z-axis doesn't affect gameplay; a few rough edges that can annoy game's future. This is one $40 investment that will is your own ambition and the third dimen is just there for show from time to time. Maintaining pay PC gamers dividends for years.— ADAM ruthlessness.—KATO 92 GAME INFORMER No Membership GET THE BENEFITS OF A GYM, RIGHT IN YOUR OWN HOME! E The Bowflex” Home Gym delivers fast and easy total-body results. Compact enough to fit any workout space, it provides gym-quality exercises ü whenever YOU want. Get tight abs, £ b A sis firm legs, scultped arms and a strong chest. Get the Bowflex” body you want. ..in the comfort of your own home! iN All this starting as low as a $20 a month* — less than half ; i the monthly dues of a typical gym membership! T Get a real Bowflex” body. E "OR Get a Bowflex? home gym. CALL (800) 862-1226 TO REQUEST A FREE DVD OR TO PLACE YOUR ORDER TODAY. www.BowflexWeb.com The Bowflex Ultimate” 2 Home Gym Offers Exceptional Standard A i| Features that can Transform Your Body in Just 20 Minutes a Day, | 2 3 Times a Week: * 310 Ibs. of resistance standard * Integrated squat station Lat tower with angled lat bar * Built-in rowing machine Leg extension/leg curl attachment e 12-year limited warranty * No-change cable pulley system * 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! E BO WFL EX Be Strong. Be Fit. Be Bowflex. ` (Oops. Hint Super Smash Bros. Brawl > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 4-PLAYER VIA WIICONNECT24) > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER NINTENDO/GAME ARTS > RELEASE MARCH 9 > ESRB T SMASH IT UP uper Smash Bros. Brawl is unquestionably the most anticipated game to come out on Wii. After all, why play as just one Nintendo hero when you can control almost all of them? Eclipsing the popularity of classic franchises via consolidation, Brawl effectively takes everything that made Melee great and improves upon it in subtle yet effective ways. The combat system is practically identical to the previous iteration. While this will excite hardcore fans, players who never got into Melee will find little here that will change their minds. The nunchuk/ remote control option is completely serviceable, but you're really going to want a GameCube or Classic controller to truly succeed. The sideways remote-only control scheme is a complete mess, and should only be used to put friends at a hilarious disadvantage. Outside of alternate control options, the biggest change to core combat is the Final Smash. These icons randomly float through the air and encourage players to drop what they're doing and go for it. The first to grab it can unleash a satisfying over-the-top, screen-filling attack that may tum the tide of battle. Final Smashes do not, however, guarantee victory and can be turned off in multiplayer for concerned purists. The dozen-plus new characters bring a little some- thing fresh to the fight and are balanced well with a small fraction of Smash’s mind-boggling amount of unlockables 94 GAME INFORMER the rest of the roster. Pikmin tamer Olimar gains stronger attacks as more little friends follow him around, Metal Gear's Solid Snake has a steerable Nikita missile shot, and Sonic utilizes his trademark speed in interesting ways. However, characters like Fire Emblem's Ike, Zero Suit Samus, and Mother's Lucas are slightly tweaked palette swap replace- ments of existing or former characters. It would have been nice to see more reimagined classic characters like Pit, but it's tough to complain when there's already this much variety. New clever stage design is where you'll find most of the innovation in Braw''s battles. My particular favorites include arenas based on the constantly changing environments of WarioWare and Pictochat, and the side scrolling world 1-1 of the original Super Mario Bros. With the constant stream of unlocks, it always feels like you're getting a fresh backdrop to expenment in. While Classic, Event, and Stadium modes return in similar form, the centerpiece this time around is the Subspace Emissary. This seemingly endless barrage of platforming stages and battles joins together the cast for one giant war against a mysterious enemy. An absurd amount of impressive pre-rendered cutscenes ranging from epic to just plain silly tie everything together, and will most likely be the pri- mary incentive for many players to make it through the entire campaign. Essentially a 10-hour Classic wait a moment... ж Wallop a punching bag while you wait for online matches to begin ¥ Create up to four custom messages to communicate in online friend battles ® Bet on other online players in Spectator mode BOTTOM 9.5 > Concept: Cram as much Nintendo into a game as physi- cally possible > Graphics: Range from the best you'll see on Wii to amus- ingly retro > Sound: An incredible amount of original and remixed music from Nintendo's entire library > Playability: Definitely make sure you have a GameCube con- troller or a Wii classic controller > Entertainment: This beast of a game offers enough content to keep players busy for months, maybe years, on end > Replay Value: High LINE dane завь. Second Opin mode, this adventure gradually loses its promising luster through repeated environments, challenges, and enemies. Like most games out there, however, playing co-op style helps keep things fresh. Online play is implemented about as well as it can be within Nintendo's structure. After going through the friend code hassle, Smash buddies can be easily browsed to see who's online. Friend battles include basically all the options of the offline mode, though true voice chat is disappointingly replaced by cus- tomizable phrases mapped to the d-pad. Facing off against strangers, however, is a different ballgame. You can't see anyone's name, communicate with them in any way, or customize your match outside of item toggling. Everyone's so devoid of personal- ity that it's almost like you're fighting bots. The only match type available is a “2 minute KO-fest" No time options. No stock matches. The only thing you can definitively choose is your character. Outside of the need for online improvements and a more concise and engaging campaign, Brawl still hits all the right buttons. With extremely tight controls and finely tuned balance, the core fighting mechanics and local multiplayer are spot on. There's still nothing like learning the intricacies of every char- acter, discovering possibly the most unlockables in any game yet, and using all of that to beat the crap out of your friends late into the night. —BRYAN 8i See that pudgy little kid in the center of the screen? Unfortunately, that’s you Wii | E Opoona > STYLE i-PLAYER RPG > PUBLISHER KOE! > DEVELOPER OMEGA FORCE ARTEPIAZZA > RELEASE MARCH 25 > ESRB E10+ f I'm going to get lost this often why can't it be on some tropical island with Evangeline Lilly? Seriously, your first several hours of Opoona will be spent wandering colorful hallways trying to figure out where you came from and how you should get back. It doesn't help that the game lacks a proper map System for its mazelike environ- ments. Heck, half of Opoona's dia- logue seems to be directions the characters have to give you just so you know how to get where you're going next. Opoona's story is about a young boy, descended from a race o ierce intergalactic warriors, who inds himself crash-landed on the planet Landroll. Separated from his family he must search out his siblings. The game tries to incor- porate some simulation and life- style gameplay into the mix. You build relationships with townsfolk and earn different licenses to take on certain jobs. In theory this sounds pretty cool. In practice, all your tasks are little more exciting then having a career in data entry. Wii Bomberman Land > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER HUDSON > DEVELOPER HUDSON > RELEASE JANUARY 29 > ESRB E STOP FOR DIRECTIONS Combat doesn't fare much better. This game is filled with annoying, tired conventions like having to put items in your pock- ets before you can use them on the battlefield. Opoona's Active Bonbon Battle system has you holding down the analog stick to charge up attacks and then fling- ing the ball above your head in different arcs to hit the monsters around you. Conceptually, | think the idea is passable, but it plays like a failed cell phone game experiment, and the gimmick gets old quick. Stylistically, Opoona is actually kinda cool with some decent character designs, which begs the question: Why do you get stuck playing as a roly-poly little kid with a stupid ball floating over your head? The beautiful music is about the game's only saving grace. Just so you don't get lost yourself, here are some directions: Go to your local game store, hand the clerk your money, and buy something other than Opoona.——BEN "m. | 5.5 > Concept: Make a frustrating and difficult maze game that was intended to be an RPG > Graphics: Bright, beautiful, and detailed. These would be the game's most noteworthy elements except... ? Sound: ...the game's music is the best part. It would be worth buying if it didn't come with such a terrible game > Playability: Boring, easy combat is offset by annoying, difficult-to-find objectives > Entertainment: |'d leave this blank if | could, because sadly the game isn't entertaining > Replay Value: low Second Opinion 5 Wii Wii Wii MIRÊ Hudson, developer of the Mario Party and Fuzion Frenzy franchises, 6 А 5 just can't stop making minigames. This time around, the bite-sized challenges themselves are relatively entertaining. Unfortunately, the packaging is not. The story isn’t even up to fighting game standards, and the tour- nament structure encourages plenty of repetition and pointless running around. Character custom- ization is tied to an advantageous style gauge, so rather than encouraging players to create their own look, Hudson has locked everyone into wear- ing the same high-value items. Fans will appreciate the classic versus bombfests and the multitude of modes and maps, but the lack of online play means many solo players will be stuck competing against lame bots BRYAN House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return > STYLE | OR 2 PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER SEGA > RELEASE MARCH 11 > ESRB M воттом име With all the lightgun shooters making their way to Wii nowadays 7 A 5 a rerelease of the old House of the Dead games seemed like a logical, maybe inevitable, conclusion. Although having a reticle onscreen does take away from some of the fun and “skill” of a lightgun shooter, these games still provide plenty of easy, cheap thrills just like they did so many years ago in the arcade. The abil- ity to reload your gun by shaking the Wii remote is anice touch, and you can also use the Wii Zapper if you're into that sort of thing (not that there is anything wrong with that). Then again, these games look fairly dated and the bonus content here is a little thin. Shooter fans who've already had their fill of Umbrella Chronicles and Ghost Squad might find this worth checking out. ——BEN Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ARCADE > PUBLISHER CRAVE ENTERTAINMENT » DEVELOPER FARSIGHT STUDIOS > RELEASE FEBRUARY 22 > ESRB E Sega Bass Fishing > STYLE i-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER SEGA > RELEASE FEBRUARY 26 > ESRB E воттом име When | was reviewing this game, Adam walked by my desk and com- mented, "Dude, | don't think I've seen you this addicted to a game in a long time" He might be right. There's something addictive about pinball, the way winning is a perfect mix of finely tuned skill and total luck. This museum titles features some of the most famous machines of all time, including the beloved Pin-Bot (although 1 came to prefer the excellent Taxi, a table I'd never played back in the day). This Wii version plays identically to the others (although it allows you to nudge with the motion controls), and that's a good thing. It's a hell of a lot of fun, and hardcore pinball fans will appreciate the special achievements and unlockables like hidden tables and original promo- tional pamphlets. — MATT 8.5 воттом име | like many of you, have fond memories of Sega Bass Fishing. 5 Not only did | enjoy it in the arcades back in the day, it was also an instant must-buy for me on the Dreamcast back in 1999 with its wacky fishing controller. Problem is, like many of the games from that era, the game is extremely basic and time hasn't exactly done it any favors. There are some minor tweaks here and there for this Wii remake, most notably the use of the nunchuk for reeling in the lunkers, but nothing that stops this game from being extremely dated and lacking in content and variety —-ANDY GAME INFORMER 95 E Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis are the elite among SOLDIER's ranks Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG > PUBLISHER SQUARE ENIX > DEVELOPER SQUARE ENIX > RELEASE MARCH 25 > ESRB T PROVE YOUR DEVOTION ow much do you love Final Fantasy VII? If your answer is anything more enthusiastic than "It's okay," then you absolutely need to play Crisis Core. Even more so than Dirge of Cerberus, this addition to the Final Fantasy VII universe expands the fiction and has a signifi- cant impact on how you view the events of the original game. The price you pay for this illumination is about 12 hours of your life spent mashing one button on your PSP. As far as I'm concerned, it was worth it. Throughout the course of the story, SOLDIER 1st dass Zack develops from a bit player into a full- fledged character, and you see the prominent role Sephiroth! Yes, the most popular RPG villain of all time is a big part of the events in Crisis Core. Sephiroth may not be the game's primary antagonist, but Crisis Core gives you a chance to settle old scores by providing two awesome boss fights against ephiroth. In fact, an entire chapter of the game oted to his defection and mental break- down, which ultimately culminate in the incident at Nibelheim. 96 GAME INFORMER he played in setting the stage before FF VII began. The plot also gives off a unique vibe that only pre- quels can provide; like the recent Star Wars movies, there is a constant sense of tragedy looming over the protagonist because we know his eventual fate. Unfortunately, the path you travel to guide Zack to that fate isn't exactly full of excitement. Crisis Core is intriguing from a story perspective, but the mechanics of playing the game are far less engaging. You tromp through various maps, encounter enemies at every node, and slash through them using one-button combos. Magic and other special attacks are accessed by cycling through materia, but you'll usually do just fine with only your sword. There are dozens of side-missions to undertake, but they're all essentially the same task — wander a map, kill a specific monster — over and over. You don't even get experience from this grinding; all of the game's progression, from character level to materia strength, is done through random slot wheels. This arbitrary system also gov- ems when you execute a limit break or a summon, though the specific move you perform is also random. This essentially robs the combat of any B If the pictures on the reel match, you perform a summon or limit break. If the numbers-also-happen to be 777, you level up 32 к Level Up! Bi You'll face off against a couple forms of Bahamut "^ m Zack will probably be fine. At least it isn't Omnislash strategy, but it keeps you barreling headfirst through the action. The sooner you cut down the bad guys, the sooner you get to the next cool plot point. An interesting side effect of playing Crisis Core is a twinge of disappointment at the fact that those FF VII remake rumors haven't amounted to anything. Seeing how Crisis Core breathes new life into the captivating characters and locations from the classic RPG proves that it could be done phenomenally. Sadly, spin-offs that expand the FFVII mythology will have to suffice, but | sure wish they were more fun to play.—JOE E So many happy memories at the Nibelheim Mako reactor > Concept: Learn more about the person Cloud thought he was for most of Final Fantasy VII ? Graphics: The in-game graphics are impressive, but the cutscenes and cinematics are just astounding > Sound: Tons of familiar tracks, some okay new ones, and most of the voice cast from Advent Children reprise their roles > Playability: Very simple, which is good and bad. It isn't very deep, but that just means it's easier to get to the story > Entertainment: The gameplay may be repetitive, but it can still be fun in a mindless action sort of way > Replay Value: Moderate Ne / CS Second Opinion 7 If you were to watch a movie and periodically pause it for five to ten minutes, you would, in essence, be creat- ing an experience similar to the one | had with Crisis Core, This may seem like an odd analogy to make, but this game's combat system is justas uneventful as a mov- ie's pause screen. Most of the battles can be completed without looking at the PSP's screen. With enemies exhibit- ing the liveliness of a stuffed sloth and your character — automatically latching onto perfect companion to Fina Fantasy VII. Once you play. So, if you've done every- thing but make love to your Final Fantasy VII discs, throw ‘on your galoshes, because this story is worth trudg-— ing through the foulest of gameplay for.—REINER WIN >10,000 AND A TRIP TO LIBERTY CITY GUESS WHERE NIKO BELLIC HID HIS LOCK BOX TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO: GSGTA4 TEXT 1 FOR “BROKER” TEXT 2 FOR “DUKES” p. TEXT 3 FOR “BOHAN” sci : TEXT 4 FOR “ALGONQUIN” 2 3 TEXT 5 FOR “ALDERNEY” I FOUR WINNERS WILL FLY TO NEW YORK CITY FOR THE GRAND THEFT AUTO IV LAUNCH EVENT ON APRIL 28TH. THERE, YOU’LL HAVE A CHANCE TO OPEN THE LOCK BOX AND WIN $10,000 FOR COMPLETE PROMOTION DETAILS, VISIT: GAMESTOP.COM/GTAIV PENDING 1 May contain content PLAYS TATION = RP inappropriate for children. Я Visit www.esrb.org for *) LIVE \\ XBOX 360. rating information. Power to the players No.00] OPICARATS — COINS: GO ‘tly village is on а road that leads to no other towns. I look forward to seeing you there." Use your stylus to draw a circle around the Tight village, and then touch Submit. No.CEO &QPICARATS coins: GO Can you get the red ball out of the maze? Slide obstructing blocks out of the way to Clear a path for the ball. This Problem can be solved in as few as Circle the villase ! NINTENDO DS 12 moves. GUIT, RESTART, HINTS oon) GUT Professor Layton and the Curious > STYLE 1-PLAYER PUZZLE > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER LEVEL 5 > RELEASE FEBRUARY 12 > ESRB E A PUZZLE WRAPPED IN AN ENIGMA rofessor Layton's developer, Level 5, has a pretty good track record in fusing exciting gameplay with an engaging story. This usually happens in an action/RPG context, so | was excited to play this game and see how the developer was going to tum its attention to the adventure/ puzzle genre. Unfortunately, Level 5's golden touch doesn't apply here because it didn't bother to use it. Viewed simply as a whop- ping collection of over 130 puzzles, Layton does a good job in its selection and execu- tion of its brain teasers. It's a fun adventure story as well. The problem here is that the two elements are never successfully merged. Sure, you come across puzzles while you're explor- ing the town of St. Mystere that you must solve before Nintendo has promised can advance the story, but the puzzles aren't directly related to what you've deduced from talking to the townspeople or to what's been happening in the plot. Despite Layton's prominent storyline, the puzzles don't service the story as they do in the Ace Attorney series or Hotel Dusk. What's really frustrating about this game is that although the puzzles them- selves are fun to figure out, all the big mysteries presented by the story are solved for you via cutscenes. The fact that you aren't allowed to actually solve the questions that have been on your mind all game long is simply a mistake. It takes all the wind out of your sails and even further renders null all the work you've been putting in. With a sequel already out in Japan, there are many more mysteries for the Professor and his young sidekick Luke to solve, but it's Level 5 that has its own questions to answer.—KATO § weekly puzzle downloads for the game h the first six months. During the game, you'll also col- ct painting pieces, currency, and parts for a robot dog. Of course, it's not like you use your robo-canine in the game. It just 98 GAME INFORMER > Concept: Layton's a little more Brain Age than Ace Attorney, unfortunately > Graphics: The game's clean style and memorable character designs help it come alive > Sound: Major cutscenes con- tain voice actors, and the game's whimsical music is not bad > Playability: For most puzzles the touch screen can be used as scratch paper, which comes in handy > Entertainment: An impres- sive collection of puzzles, but not impressive enough to carry the game like they're supposed to > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8.75 Detective's journal entry #34: Three days past, | happened to chance upon a discov- ery of the most astonishing nature. A game by the title of Professor Layton made its way into my possession. The value to be found in the perplexingly small package is truly astonishing, This gem is filled to the brim with beauti- and an intriguing murder mystery all wrapped around one of the best collections of classic puzzles and riddles | have heretofore come across. The puzzles are the true prizes here, and some are so old they can be traced back for centuries. The only thing that shouldn't be in ques- tion here, my dear reader, is whether or not you should buy this game —ВЕМ NINTENDO DS Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION/RPG (UP TO 4-PLAYER VIA WIRELESS) > PUBLISHER SQUARE ENIX > DEVELOPER SQUARE ENIX > RELEASE MARCH 11 > ESRB Е10+ W In multiplayer, you can use strategy to coor- dinate your assault. Ir single-player, your allies ` will stand around like idiots and eat dama; | & There is no pause button, even in single- player will always m Meeth is опе of the worst party members in remember the history of the Final Fantasy franchise Crystal Chronicles for the GameCube as the Final Fantasy wannabe that made me carry around a stupid bucket. While that ignominious mechanic has been scrapped for this hand- held follow-up, | can’t say that my experience was improved over the disappointing original. Like that title, Ring of Fates is focused on multiplayer (though single-player is at least viable this time), but enjoy- ing the game hinges on the player's willingness to sacrifice gameplay in order to play co- op with friends. The critical mistake is how magic is handled. Spells are consumable items, not learned, and you can only hold a limited number. Normally this would just lead to con- servative casting, except the spells also double as keys to open doors and make moving platforms appear. You can slowly replenish your stock at specific points using the gim- micky alchemy system, but the whole process mainly just M Physical attacks for the win. Magic M doesn't deal enough damage for the time and precision it takes to execute e Dont tell me-- We're in helliel? It cant be} B-but I'm a goodie! There's been a mistakiell! encourages players to ignore magic as an offensive option. Of course, if you ignore the magic, that means you need to focus on straight-up combat — which is another problem. Whoops. Movement and attacks are sloppy, and attempts to integrate DS- specific mechanics have gone terribly awry. The touch screen-based special abilities are useless unless you have competent teammates to run interference. In single-player, your Al companions would just as soon take constant damage by standing in fire than lift a sword to help you out. Ring of Fates does pro- vide the opportunity for you and three others to engage in Gauntlet-style dungeon exploration and lots of mon- ster-killing. Even so, it's a poor excuse to round up the gang. Presumably, the reason why your friends are your friends is because you share some common inter- ests. Do some of those together instead—JOE а BOTTOM LINE 6 > Concept: A reject in the Final Fantasy family tree soldiers on with a sequel > Graphics: This is the only area where Ring of Fates truly excels, The visuals and cutscenes look good, and the action on-screen doesn't get too muddled > Sound: There is a fair bit of voiced dialogue, but given its quality, | wish there weren't. The soundtrack serves its purpose, but isn’t particularly memorable > Playability: With such sim- plisitic controls, it's a wonder that they can't be more accurate and responsive ? Entertainment: You need to sucker a friend into buying a copy with you if you hope to enjoy the game at all. Even then, it's barely worth it > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion This is a moresinpliied and arcadey presentation _of Final Fantasy than we're used to, but | can't say that its all bad. In fact, the hack n’ slash action can be pretty entertaining, particularly for new RPG players looking to enter the genre for the first time. Dungeons are large, but their design sometimes feels а Ше haphazard. Melee combat is satisfying while the magic system is. peppered with problems, Aiming spells takes too long and the damage output is rarely worth the effort. The coming-of-age story feels tried and tired, but at least itis backed up by partial voiceover and a decent. musical score. Meanwhile, four-player action is a kick for short sessions, even with. some notable slowdown. Ring of Fates doesn't look so hot placed beside most other games with Final Fantasy in their titles, but on its own merits it isn't without its own charm. —MILLER HANDHELD QUICKIES NINTENDO DS Eco-Creatures: LINE Save the Forest > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY > PUBLISHER MAJESCO > DEVELOPER LIGHTWEIGHT/HEADLOCK CORPORATION > RELEASE MARCH 4 > ESRB E description of Eco-Creature's controls could easily read like a manual on how not to design an RTS. Instead of commanding all the action from some godlike, combat-immune point of view, you control a dumpy yellow monster who must lead his troops into battle. What makes this a bad design is the fact that you're terrible at combat and tend to die in two or three hits. Your troops, on the other hand, consist of attention deficient squirrels that may be able to hold their own in battle, but begin to wander off-screen when they have nothing to do. Given this game's insipid Fern Gully story and boring mis- Sion structure, the best way to win with Eco-Creatures is to not play.——BEN PSP BOTTOM Wipeout Pulse мн 1.7 > STYLE 1-PLAYER RACING (UP TO 8-PLAYER VIA AD HOC OR INFRASTRUCTURE) > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA > DEVELOPER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE (STUDIO LIVERPOOL) > RELEASE FEBRUARY 12 > ESRB Е10+ adored Wipeout when it released on the PSone in 1995. | mostly enjoyed it in 2002 when the PlayStation 2 got its shot. | could still marshal some enthusiasm in 2005 when the franchise came to the PSP. In 2008, I'm ready for some change, and this isn't the game that is going to give it to me. While tech backdrops of futuristic cities are great, the funda- mental racing mechanic has inched forward at a snail's pace, delivering an experi- ence that is almost identical to every Wipeout game that came before. Thankfully, that core experience is totally solid and extremely invigorating, as it slowly works players up to faster and faster speeds until you feel like you can't possibly be in control. Online play is also a big plus. In summation: flashy beats, pretty streets, and breakneck speeds? Yes. Innovation? Not so much.——MILLER Dungeon Explorer: LINE Warriors of Ancient Arts > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 3-PLAYER VIA AD-HOC) > PUBLISHER HUDSON > DEVELOPER HUDSON > RELEASE FEBRUARY 12 > ESRB | PSP he Dungeon Explorer franchise has its place in video game history, but there are reasons that it has sat dormant since its last appearance on Sega CD 13 years ago. Hudson's new PSP entry in the series (which is different from the DS title of the same name) offers hack n' slash dungeon delving of the simplest order. Without any narrative to speak of, you are just left with the repetition of taking on quests, going into the dungeon, and then retuming to the hub town to take on more quests. The multiplayer option is a nice gesture, but the gameplay itself is far too plain to entice anyone but the most hardcore fans of boring stuff. ——J0E NINTENDO DS Assassin's Creed: Altairs Chronicles > STYLE i-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER UBISOFT > DEVELOPER GAMELOFT > RELEASE FEBRUARY 5 > ESRB Т A POOR SUBSTITUTE Itair is one of my favorite new video game charac- ters, and I'm all for Ubisoft expanding the fiction around their fledgling star. However, a move to the handheld space doesn't mean anyone receives a get out of jail free card on gameplay. While Altai's Chronides makes some ambitious attempts to try something new on the DS, many of the mechanics and moment-to-moment interactions in this prequel game fall woefully short. Altair needs to find a chalice. There's your story. While there are several steps to this process, few are memorable enough to elevate into your conscious thoughts. Sure, you can plan to run across some roof- tops, kill some Templars, and dimb some buildings. However, it all feels like a LEGO set that hasn't been put together into a shape you can recog- nize or care about. The three-dimensional game world is basically linear, but a brave attempt to add verticality adds some Juin the Templars? To dre: myself in strange ga scope. There are a number of stages scattered across the Holy Land, and each one hides unique traps and varied encounters. The later levels of this relatively long game are in particular filled with cool challenges. Unfortunately, the potential of that game world is hamstrung by several major technical and design prob- lems. Blind death drops abound as you leap into offscreen areas that the camera hasn't yet revealed. An overly touchy jump mechanic has you leaping too short or long all the time, with unsurprisingly disastrous results. An auto lock-on during combat often sends you reel- ing towards an enemy you had no intention of attacking. Checkpoints are poorly placed, sometimes even triggering right before a guaranteed death — time for a level restart. Put it all together, and the game is kind of a mess, but at least it's trying to do something more exciting than the glut of me-too DS games on the market — MILLER BOTTOM LINE 6 > Concept: Journey with Altair through a lackluster prequel to last year's console release > Graphics: An impressive attempt at 3D on the DS involves some hefty load times and plenty of jaggies > Sound: Music from the origi- nal console game is repeated a lot, but it is nonetheless of high quality > Playability: Unresponsive controls and a protaganist that seems to have a mind of his own during combat really hurt the experience > Entertainment: An interest- ing diversion, but this doesn't do justice to its parent game > Replay Value: Low Second Opinion 5 "ү ? GAME INFORMER 99 The Best Selling Games Listings Based Upon NPD Data For January 200; Overrated? We think so. More like Call of Doodie if you ask us. Sure, Modern Warfare is great if you want amazing graphics, unparalleled sound, and action so intense that you have to start taking Ritalin so you can fall asleep. But is that really what gaming is all about? No. Hopefully in the sequel they can focus on the important th motion based controls, minigames, and not letting your brother play. 2 Wii PLAY (Wii) You know what made Wii Play such a good game? The fact that it came packaged with a controller. That was awesome! Come on, how often does a game developer have the chutzpah to do something so bold, so original. No wonder this game is selling so well. A controller is inside the game's packaging! Pure genius. 3 GUITAR HERO Ill: LEGENDS OF ROCK (Wii) It just so happens that four out of the five best-selling games this month all come packaged with their own controller. There must be something to this. Is that just a coincidence or might it be a corporately approved fiction, engineered for the masses in order to control the world's information supply at its highest levels. What does that even mean? Stick with us as we tug on the thread of truth and watch this sweater of mystery unravel. 4 ROCK BAND (360) Through archeological finds we can date the history of the guitar back to ancient India and Central Asia. What's chilling to note is that every person instrumental in the early formation of this clas sic instrument is – inexplicably — no longer among the living. Do you really feel safe playing with a plastic controller shaped like an instrument that has been the herald of so much death? 5 GUITAR HERO Ili: LEGENDS OF ROCK (360) Is it paranoia to assume some mysteriously evil technology within these ancient tools has now made its way into mod videogames? Perhaps. Or perhaps human society, as we it, is about to be the destructive force of their own cataclysmic demise as they unwittingly...as they uh...we've sort of lost our train of thought. But, the moral of this story is don't be a slave to society. Buy American! Rank Title System E Î super smash Bros. Brawl Wi Title L Mo. | System | Score |Release| Call of Duty 4: p ee lay Modern Warfare Wii Play 4 | wi | 7 |o2-07 Guitar Hero Ill: ра Legends of Rock Rock Band 13 | 360 | 9.25 |11-07 Guitar Hero 111: AE ES ELSE Legends of Rock Guitar Hero III: Кене ж Legends of Rock Super Mario Galaxy 2 | wi | 9.75 [11-07 Burnout Paradise N/A | зво | 85 [01-08 Call of Duty 4: 11 | PS3 | 10 |11-07 Modern Warfare Mario Party DS 20 | os | 7 y Mario and Sonic at the sda lhe ШЕ Olympic Games Assassin’s Creed 5 | 360 | 95 11-07 Halo 3 6 | 360 | 975 |09-07 Rock Band N/A | PS2 | 925 11-07 Mario and Sonic at the eds Det p Olympic Games Madden NFL 08 в |PS2| 8 |08-07 Carnival Games N/A | Wii | 55 |08-07 Brain Age: Train Your Brain кие in Minutes a Day Assassin’s Creed 16 | psa | 95 |11-07 Burnout Paradise N/A | PS3 | 85 [01-08 Mobile Unit Gundam: Giren's Ambition a - Axis's Menace Ш vii Fit Wii Û Î пем! May Cry 4 PS3 [5| Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games DS [5 wii sports wii L the Prologue to Death Note DS Е Family Ski Wii [ГЇ Tales of Destiny Director's Cut PS2 (EG) Mario Party ns Rank Title L. Mo. System ЕЮ super Smash Bros. Brawl NA Wi КЕ Rainbow Six Vegas 2 NA multi E Sins of a Solar Empire NA. PC Devil May Cry 4 1 multi B God of War: Chains of Olympus 27 PSP Û Î Condemned 2: Bloodshot МА muli Û Lost odyssey NA 360 [ГЇ super Mario Galaxy 5 Wi Û Rock Band 6 mili | 10 | Burnout Paradise 8 multi ffs Favonte Picks Rank Title L. Mo. Price E мона ot Warcraft 2 $0 Ê catt of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 1 MI Ê Î Worta of Warcraft: Battle Chest 4 $39 else Warcraft: The Burning 5 $32 [5| The Sims 2 Deluxe 9 $3 Û Diner Dash 18 $10 2 15000 Games 12 $10 К sim city 4 Deluxe 13 $20 Û Î the Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff 6 $19 Beowulf 575 Jan-08 pre 95 DecO7 E E 1 75 Dec07 in Beowulf PUDE Secret Missions of WWII 75 Nov07 BlackSite: Area 51 DECOR Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 10. Deco7 Bumout Paradise es eos Clive Barkers Jericho 6 Оес07 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 10. Deco? SON Нава Clive Barker's Jericho 6 0ес07 nog Foris 825 Nov07 Club, The 875 Mar-08 crysis 9 Janos College Hoops 2K8 775 EOS Empire Earth Ii 65 Jan-08 Conan 7 Nov-07 Devil May Cry 4 9 Магов Devil May Cry 4 - Xbox 360 - Mar-08 pu [елмен Qualis iets ү ус Et S. NOVOT тыйм: Off the Rails 7 DecO7 Gears of War в — Jan-08 Vosa iind 725 NOOB песна 775 DecO7 Hellgate: London 85 Jan-08 Eye of Judgement Зао? Tomb Raiden Any 825 Deco; Medieval hTotal Wat Kingdoms "9 NóV07. PA SHES TEINS iy Намі: PAIRE Ground 775 Deco; NevenWinter Nights 2- Folklore 725 Deco? тү 7 Mar-08 Mask of the Betrayer 9 Nov-07 Golden Compass, The 325 Feb-08 O as 4 Novo; ӨШ ВТЕ 975 Nov07 Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights 825 монт MEN BASSA Painkiler: Overdose 675 Dec-07 Kane OMNI: CON PS Vga Pata PAS 55 Jan-08 Settlers: Rise of an Empire, The 7 0ес07 LEGO Siar Wirt the Complete Sapa 7515 Dec 7: М гана AMD. na. атда е, E RES 8 — Jan08 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition 8 Магов р reine Conant oe ы Н ; wc; DNEEENENEEEEEES|EQ с 85 Peco! A 08 7 lov- Jan-08 NBA 2K8 825 Мон aE Eee erre Techie 275 Deco) NBA Live 08 75 Nov07 aus oU Fes ivo He. Pam 7 Магов NCAA March Madness 08 725 Febog Cranium Wc сн 725 Novo; Two Worlds 4 — Nov07 Need for Speed ProStreet "5 Dec] pee of the ке, eo NOR Universe at War: Earth Assault 825 Jan-08 NFL Tour 5 ғов Dancing With the Stars 525 Jan-08 LOREM TA 7 осот UhrealToumaments 9 Dec07 Orange Box, The 925 Feb-08 му Witcher, The 8 рес07 Prin itis БИНЕ? Donkey Kong Barrel Blast 5 Dec-07 Toole of DEANN 925 Dec07 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Rock Band 925550508 SEC FERENT M Маа ‘Advance Wars: Days of Ruin 875 Mar-08 Pid Каур i: b 0 oer omn 6 Јапов Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney 8 Маг08 x ea ШЫ 425 Jan-08 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn 7 Deco; Conta4 тилши : Geometry Wars Galaxies 9008088071 Cooking Mama 2: Chet sand 7 Затов Dinner With Friends 7 Deco7 odia ОЕ 4 Deco; Dementium: The Ward 575 DecO7 Golden Compass, The 325 ғов ОК: Jungle Climer ایر‎ tA СШ Ces Accent Core 775 Octo7 Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 8 Dec-07 Guitar Hero Ill: Legends of Rock 875 Octo Draglade 6:7510 Harvey Birdman: Attomey At Law 6 Feb-08 Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings 75 Dec07 dengi 2 Janog Front Mission Ist 7 Nov-07 RCM Sap Jam Sessions 6 0ес07 The Eternal Night, The 625 Novo; left кы кый Brain vei cud LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga 75 — Deco; Lege elda: Link's Crossbow Training 675 Feos | песни - —— ifeSigns: Surgical Uni н Tony Hawk's Proving Ground 775 Dec-07 od СМЕ Авала; eg E Mario Party Ds 7 Feb-08 Turok ҮЙДӨ EE EE Master of Ilusion 8 — Jan08 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. 875 Decor - ae can A. Deco? * Mags Màn 2X Advent 8 №07 Unreal Toumement 3 85 ғов тесу 775 Deco; My Word Coach в — Feb-08 ЕО рне 2008 uo IBI DeC GE ot HORE Qe 2 675 Jan-08 Nanostay2 725 Jan-08 (i t ti Orc & Elves 675 Јап-08 XBOX 360 avem on ruis eR Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation 8.75 Nov-07 Need for Speed Prostreet 7 Dec07 Attorney Trials & Tribulations 825 Nov-07 Assassin's Creed TT ы: Journey of Dreams 65 Febog Prism: Light the Way eer А0507 Beautiful Katamari 725 Deco? — e 425 Магов Rune Factory: Bee Movie Game 6з JOB ЕЛ ты eines 6 Marog Fantasy Harvest Moon 575 00:07 Ed 575 Jarv-08 Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 бт 006 АЕ тее AY BlackSite: Area 51 75 Оес07 Resident Evil Tum It Around 4 Dec-07 Blazing Angels 2: The Umbrella Chronicles 825 Janos World Jong AND rd Secret Missions of WWII 75 Nov07 Samurai Warriors: Katana 6 Mar-08 Worms Open Warfare 2 75 Oct-07 Burnout Paradise ба Ров? sire Ihe 225 e07 Call of Duty 4: Modem Warfare uno UE Et Vos NET Clive Barker's Jericho DN ped iud ied Club, The 875 Maros Soi Riders: Zero Gravity 6 Магов College Hoops 28 E EOS" Sob legends 4 Jan-08 E 7. Noro? SpiderMan: Friend or Foe 45 Nov07 Crash of the Titans 725 Nov07 Star Trek Conquest 5 Feb-08 Si: Hard Evidence 4 Deco? амана 975 Jan-08 Culdcept Saga EOD ear Swing Dol Season? 85 ғов Desi May Су SEM sri Tennis 6 — Deco? D Mamoe 129 Malos Thrilvile: Off the Rails 7 Dec07 EE a 7 Marog Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 7 0007 FlatOut Ultimate Carnage JE Мо. йу eTa Cerner Mew Bood ТЭНов Victorious Boxers: Revolution 6.75 Nov-07 Golden Compass, The 325 Feb-08 Winter Sports: Castlevania Halo 3 975 NovV07 тһе Ultimate Challenge 65 Магов Те Dracula X Chronicles 7 0007 Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights 825 №07 zak & Wiki: Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars 575 Nov07 Kane & Lynch: Dead Men 7 Jan-08 Quest For Barbaros' Treasure 825 Nov07 pjsgaea:Aftemoon of Darkness 9 Nov07 Kengo: Lengend of the 9 2 Deco7 Dragoneers Ard 575 Oct-07 Kingdom Under Fire: Fal Fifty Tales Circle of Doom 525 Feb-O8 Crash of the Titans 725 Nov07 the War of the Lions 95 Nov-07 LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga 75 DecO7 сиу Gear XX Accent Core 775 Oct-07 God of War: Chains of Olympus 9 Магов Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal 175 DecO7 Guitar Hero Ill: Legends of Rock 875 0907 ңор 6 Oct-07 Mass Effect 935 "NOVO7 Legend of Spyro: Jackass: The Game 625 Dec-07 MX vs. ATV Untamed 8 Jan-08 The Eternal Night, The 625 Nov-07 Manhunt 2 775 Dec-07 Naruto: Rise of the Ninja 8 0ес07 Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal 175 Dec-07 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus 7.75 Dec-07 NBA 2K8 825 Nov07 Manhunt 2 775 DeCO7 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 675 Oct-07 NBA Live 08 75 NOV07 Simpsons Game, The 725 0ес07 Patapon 875 Mar-08 NCAA March Madness 08 725 Feb-O8 soul Nomad & The World Eaters. 775 OctO7 Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice 725 Feb-08 Need for Speed ProStreet 75 Dec07 Spider-Man: Friend or Foe 45 №07 silent Hill Origins 775 Dec-07 NFL Tour 5 — Feb-O8 аг Trek Conquest 5 Feb-O8 SOCOM: US. Navy Orange Box, The 975 NOVO7 Stuntman Ignition 85 Oc-07 SEALs Tactical Strike 8 Dec07 Project Gotham Racing 4 875 NovO7 Thilvile: Off the Rails 7 DecO? Star Wars Battlefront Rock Band 925. Jan-08 Warriors Orochi 575 Oct-07 Renegade Squadron 7 Nov-07 Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action 85 Jan-08 Wild Arms 5 65 09407 SWAT: Target Liberty 5 Dec07 Sega Rally Revo 65 DecO7 Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow 875 Nov-07 Simpsons Game, The 725 Dec-07 [o ces SEATS SEN Warhammer 40,000: Soldier of Fortune: Payback 425 Feb-O8 Ages of Empires Ill: Squad Command 8 Jan-08 Spider-Man: Friend or Foe 45 Nov07 The Asian Dynasties 8 Dec-07 od of War: Chains of Olympus C3 Divinity Survival Guide By Mike Birkhead, Designer, Ready at Dawn Combat is an extremely important part of this game, and the God of War franchise as a whole. With the tips below I'm going to let you in on a couple secrets that will hopefully have you turning Kratos into the killing machine that we all know and love. I'll be covering some basics that some of the more hardcore fans may already be aware of, but I'll also be covering the new weapon we've introduced and some of the new enemies that can be tough for anybody - old fans or new. ROLL CANCEL Roll canceling is a key ability in God of War. Kratos has the ability to attack out of his roll evades. In order for these to feel responsive the game buffers any inputs it receives while you are rolling, so if it sees that you have pressed the attack button, it will cancel you out of the roll animation early and go right to the attack. You have, in effect, canceled out part of the "downtime" with the roll. That is only the first step. If you keep inputting the roll (by holding L and R) Kratos will cancel his roll animation and go right into another roll. In essence, if you press the attack button while rolling you can roll faster than you normally would. KEEPING THAT HIT COUNTER GOING There are two really good tricks to keeping your hit counter going in regular fights: rolling, and magic. Using the evade will pause your hit counter from going down during the frames of the animation where Kratos is invulnerable, but the real trick to rolling is using your roll cancel (as described above). Since you spend more time in the invulnerable frames of the roll, and less frames of the animation in the downtime, the counter is paused more often. This lets you get at least three or four rolls in before your hit counter goes away, as opposed to say two or three rolls. The second key is magic, particularly the Light of Dawn. Kratos has the ability to hold the Light of Dawn magic, to both charge it up and to target different enemies. While Kratos is in this animation the hit counter is paused. This is an invaluable tool for when enemies are too far out of range, or more importantly, if you've just finished off a wave of enemies and new ones haven't finished spawning yet. You can hold this attack for as long as you want! You have as much time as you need to find a new victim, while at the same time not worrying about losing your hit counter! 102 GAME INFORMER GAUNTLET The Gauntlet is incredibly powerful in God of War: Chains of Olympus, and it’s my favorite weapon in the entire franchise. What?! I'm unbiased! Make sure to upgrade to level two on the gauntlet as soon as possible to not only get the first invaluable special attack the Olympic Strike, but also to increase its base damage. The Gauntlet is, in some cases, better suited than the Blades to taking out some of the more powerful enemies in the game. There are two key benefits to the Gauntlet: damage output and crush moves (heavy attacks). The Gauntlet has the ability to dish out more damage in a shorter amount of time than the Blades. If used correctly, any of the Gauntlet's moves (once fully charged) can break armor - meaning it makes short work of armored enemies. The basic combo on the Gauntlet is three C] buttons. The first two hits of this combo do decent low-end damage, and the third final hit does much more damage than the other two hits. As you may have discovered, any of the attacks on the Gauntlet can be charged up and released. This causes any attack that has been fully charged to cause 50 percent more damage than it would normally. This is important information for when we're looking at the basic combo of the gauntlet. Fully charging the final hit of the combo deals out a devastating amount of damage to almost any enemy in the game. Combined with a fully upgraded Gauntlet (which increases its base damage a lot) you can even take out the fearsome Minotaur in only a few quick combos. The second invaluable tool of the Gauntlet is the first special move you unlock - The Olympic Strike. | like to call it the Terry Punch! In order to pull off this move you must hold down L and press the 1 button. This move causes Kratos to dash forward with his fist. What makes this move so good is that it goes into its hit frames early, meaning that it does damage almost immediately after you initiate the move. On top of that it has very little downtime (where you can't do any action) after it's done. This means that there is very little danger in getting hit after you perform the move. In addition to all of that, even without fully charging this move it acts like a crush move. This means that it can stagger most enemies in the game and break armor. There are several instances in the game where this can be a lifesaver - like when you see the Gorgon Queen. Coil up for her grab attack, one quick Terry Punch, and she's flat on her back! TOUGH ENEMIES AND THEIR COUNTERS Lastly 111 talk about three enemies that cause lots of problems for people, and some tactics that will have you ripping their heads off in no time. Hoplite: The Hoplite, and to a lesser degree the Shade, are nasty little guys. One of the nastiest things about the Hoplite is that he can “tank” during a lot of his attacks – this means that even though you are hitting him he doesn't play any hit reactions during his attacks. Specifically his dashing forward move can tank, which can cause a lot of frustration for people. However, the Hoplite can be grabbed at any time. So just press the© button to grab him. You can even grab the Hoplite right out of his running charge attack! So don't be afraid, just press the С) button and get right to kicking his face in. Minotaur: The Minotaur is a tough opponent, but the key to him is to make him do what you want. The Minotaur, much like the Hoplite, can tank through a lot of his attacks. But if you hit him with a heavy enough attack (like a fully charged Gauntlet punch) he will stumble (he shakes his head and snorts). Whenever you make the Minotaur stumble he has to follow that up with his charge attack. He will put his head down and snort. This is your chance! Back up slightly and wait for him to charge you; quickly roll to the side. The Minotaur now has a small window during the downtime of his charge where he can't do anything and he's open for attack! Here you should switch to the Gauntlet. What we want to do is hit him with a fully charged 3rd hit from the gauntlet combo. Don't charge the first two hits, just hit him twice then charge that 3rd hit - this will not only do massive damage but will also cause him to stumble. Meaning that he now has to charge at you again, so back up and repeat. Satyr: The first time you'll come across the Satyr is in the courtyard of Helios' Temple, and he can be incredibly annoying, especially on God Mod. The key to the Satyr is that like the Hoplite, he can be grabbed at any time. My favorite trick is to roll in and hold A , Kratos will cancel out of his roll with his heavy overhead attack. If this hits the Satyr they will stumble, and if you keep holding down A Kratos will transition into his launcher, throwing the Satyr into the air. Once in the air, the best thing to do is go for the grab; Kratos will grab the poor Satyr and throw him at the ground This is great because the poor Satyr bounces right back up into the air — right back into your waiting button! You can generally get several air throws off in relative safety. Mod World WARLORDS ONLINE http://www.warlords-online.com Infinite Interactive, developer of the deliciously addictive Puzzle Quest, has debuted its next project. Warlords Online is a free browser-based title that, while currently a bit glitchy and bare-bones, has great potential to be an entertaining distraction down the road. To succeed in Warlords Online, you must first earn gold by playing puzzle-based minigames. The gold you procure allows you to buy troops, which then allow you to assault or defend regions on the persistent communal overworld. For the glory of your race (and your position on the personal leaderboards, of course), you'll engage in simple probability-based combat based on your troop loadout Unfortunately, Warlords Online is more about potential than actual awesomeness as of press time. There's only one minigame available, exploiters have been using a few glitches in the system to pollute the leaderboards with obscene scores, the website is running awfully slo if Infinite Interactive gets its act together Warlords Online has some great ideas at play Attention All Cheaters! Cheat codes, by their very nature, are in many cases buggier than Virginia in August. 5o, unless you don't mind re-doing those 70 hours you put into the latest game, do yourself a favor and back up your save before using any codes. On a lighter note, you can send your codes to secretaccess@gameinformer.com for a chance to be featured here and win a prize! PlayStation 3 To unlock these characters enter these passwords at the Custom Character Screen Alanna (Necris) - phayder Ariel (Iron Clad) - jihan Xbox 360 To be able to enter this password first go to the options menu, then select multiplayer, then select “Model.” Press left once to highlight Krone, then press Y and type in this password to unlock the character. Unlock Krone For Multiplayer - RXYMCPENCJ Xhox Live Arcade Spotlight Winner of the 2006 Independent Games Festival prize for game design, Braid promises to bring something entirely new to the growing community of Live Arcade titles. The main character departs from his house in the city into a number of increasingly complex themed worlds, where platform-puzzle gameplay is tied to differing perceptions of time. In some locations, time runs in rewind, in other places there are independent time streams and parallel realities. By solving Age of Empire Ill: The Asian Dynasti While playing the game hit the enter key then type in the codes below for the desired effect. Each code's case does not matter. Fatten All Animals - a recent study indicated that 100% of herdables are obese Get 10,000 Coin - give me liberty or give me coin Get 10,000 Food - medium rare please Get 10,000 Wood - Get 10,000 XP - nova & orion Instantly Win In Single-player - this is too hard Reveal map - x marks the spot Spawn 20 Muskeeteers at Town Center - Jacquesiscute Spawn 20 Skirmishers at Town Center - Jakeiscute Spawn a George Crushington - where's that axe? Spawn a Tommynator - tuck tuck tuck Spawns the Mediocre Bombard - ya gotta make do with what ya got Speed Up Building, Research, and Shipments – speed always wins (location unknown — last seen kis ssing n TOCks and throwing them at his favorite girls) the puzzles, the story explores issues of interpersonal relationships and how we perceive them over time. This postmodern approach to the familiar platforming genre has us more than a little excited to see the final product. We hear the game includes 65 puzzles in its entirety, and that it's likely to take at least six hours to complete. As usual, Microsoft hasn't hammered down a concrete release time frame as of this writing, but we expect Braid to arrive early in the Spring. Code of the Month Tony Hawk's Proving Ground From the main menu go into the options menu and enter these codes. 100% Branch Completion - FOREVERNAILED Invisible Man - THEMISSING Mini Skater – TINYTATER No Bails - ANDAINTFALLIN No Board - MAGICMAN Perfect Manual - STILLAINTFALLIN Perfect Rail - AINTFALLIN Super Check - BOOYAH Unlimited Focus - MYOPIC Unlimited Slash Grind - SUPERSLASHIN Unlock Air & Space Museum Level - THEINDOORPARK Unlock FDR Level - THEPREZPARK Unlock Lansdowne Level - THELOCALPARK Unlock Skater Boneman - CRAZYBONEMAN Unlock Skater Bosco - MOREMILK Unlock Skater Cam - NOTACAMERA Unlock Skater Cooper - THECOOP Unlock Skater Eddie X - SKETCHY Unlock Skater El Patinador - PILEDRIVER Unlock Skater Eric – FLYAWAY Unlock Skater Judy Nails - LOVEROCKNROLL Unlock Skater Mad Dog - RABBIES Unlock Skater MCA - INTERGALACTIC Unlock Skater Mel - NOTADUDE Unlock Skater Rube - LOOKSSMELLY Unlock Skater Shayne - MOVERS Unlock Skater Spence - DAPPER Unlock Skater TV Producer - SHAKER - I vane), ee мапсіло > КЄ ^, 2 к? $ Ne = о = (UAT) D Q, $. ^B. WS € "Perience Please geek responsibly. You may speak the language, hut are you geeked? Here's a chance to prove it. www.uat.edu > 877.UAT.GEEK 877.828:4335 C С f Where The Past Comes Alive MONOC z МАЅТЕВРІЕСЕЅ | The original Game Boy is remembered by many for bringing Tetris to the masses, but Yokoi Gunpei's landmark system was home to a plethora of deep, complex, and involving (for the time) games as well. Join us now for a fond look back at some of the brilliant black & white spinoffs of major franchises that appeared on the monochromatic handheld. It's surprising just how much innovation took place on the small sys- tem; many mechanics that we now hold dear as integral parts of our favorite series originated in two-tone graph- ics and tinny single-speaker sound. Tracking down these old cartridges pays off with 2D gameplay as fine as many titles today. Super Mario Land 2: } Six Golden Coins Super Mario Land Release: 1989 Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins Release: 1992 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Release: 1994 With Game Boy mastermind Yokoi Gunpei at the top of the developer credits, Mario's adven- tures on the handheld were anything but cash- in knockoffs. Super Mario Land released with the Game Boy launch, and ultimately ended up as the third best-selling Mario title with over 18 million copies sold. Though purists may take issue with Mario's somewhat less-precise control in this series, the franchise's familiar platforming is fully realized. There are plenty of Koopas to jump on (which explode afterwards, oddly), Goombas to stomp, and princesses to rescue. Auto-scrolling submarine and airplane levels even introduced something new to the plumber's adventures. The second game incorporated the SNES Mario art style as well as an overworld very similar to Super Mario World and a new power-up, the carrot. Finally, Wario Land marked the introduction of Wario as a playable character and moved the gameplay toward The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Release: 1993 It turns out that taking Link out of Hyrule and plop- ping him on a mysterious island can be awesome. Link's Awakening charges the young hero with waking the Wind Fish so that he can make it back to his homeland. However, the gameplay is everything a Zelda fan could ask for: eight sprawling dungeons with unique boss battles, an extensive inventory system to expand Link's abilities, and a vast world to explore. There's even a plot twist at the end that M. Night Shyamalan would be proud of. Link's Awakening was also remade for the Game Boy Color as Link's Awakening DX, which is by all accounts the superior version. In addi- tion to imbuing Koholint Island with hues and shades, an entirely new dungeon was created for the release. Wario's less subtle “smash things that are in Wario Land: Super ^ the way" approach. Mario Land 3. 104 GAME INFORMER E Donkey Kong on the Super Game Boy DONKEY KONG Donkey Kong | Release: 1994 Though it shares the same title as the arcade classic, Donkey Kong on Game Boy is a vastly more intricate game. After defeating the origi- nal four levels, players are presented with a grand total of 97 more stages to clear. Mario gains new abilities as he chases the ape, including the debut of his now-signature triple- jump and backflip, in order to confront the ever- increasing challenges. These additions do more than enough to update the single-screen gameplay to something well worth playing to this day. Donkey Kong was also the first game to ben- efit from enhancements when played on the Super Game Boy add-on for the SNES, includ- ing full color and a digitized cry for help from the hapless Pauline. The handheld Mario vs. Donkey Kong series has its roots here as well. FINAL FANTASY Final Fantasy Adventure | Release: 1991 Though it has the Final Fantasy name attached to it, this title has more in common with Square's Mana action/RPG series than the well-known classic RPG franchise. From an overhead view, players hack and slash their way through the hordes of evil that threaten the Mana tree. To keep players from mindlessly mashing buttons, the hero's attack strength depends on an energy bar that emp- ties with each swing of a sword, but refills slowly over time. Final Fantasy Adventure also breaks up its bread-and-butter monster slaying with puzzles here and there, completing the trifecta of Mana series gameplay ; to this day. In addition to spawning the Mana franchise, Final Fantasy Adventure was remade as Sword of Mana for Game Boy Advance in 2003. CONTRA Operation C | Release: 1991 You know the drill: Aliens are invad- ing Earth, and our only defense is two dudes with big guns and superhuman jumping abilities. Operation C plays near- ly identically to its console cousins, and includes top-down levels just like Super C and Contra Ill. And yes, the Konami code works, but instead of 30 lives you get to choose which level to start on. classic gi feature M Castlevania: Шанх The Adventure CASTLEVANIA Castlevania: The Adventure Release: 1989 Castlevania Il: Belmont's Revenge Release: 1991 Castlevania Legends Release: 1996 Though Castlevania: The Adventure gets a place in this list only by virtue of sharing the franchise's title (the sluggish gameplay and poorly designed levels are a low point for the series), Belmont's Revenge and Legends are solid additions to the non-RPG, action/ platforming segment of Castlevania's history. Belmont's Revenge features four levels to be tackled in any order before venturing into Dracula's castle itself, as well as offering simi- larly exciting whip-and-subweapon action to the 8- and 16-bit installments of the series. It also translates the gothic look and feel that we associate with the series quite well onto the handheld. Legends features one of the few female protagonists in the series, with Sonia Belmont taking on Dracula's forces in clas- Sic Castlevania action. Instead of wielding traditional subweapons like the Axe and Cross, she gains magical powers by defeat- ing bosses. Legends also has more of an anime vibe to its presentation, for good or ill. Interestingly, it is one of the few games (along with Legacy of Darkness, Circle of the Moon, and Castlevania 64) that was removed from the official Castlevania canon when Koji Igarashi took the reins of development — and the only one that hasn't been ret-conned to fit back in since. This Month In Gaming History In Apnil of 2000, John Romero's disastrous Daikatana was released and immediately burst its own publiaty bubble. The game's numerous faults have been documented extensively elsewhere, | but its spot in gaming history is owed to the deathblow it dealt to developer lon Storm's overly | ambitious Dallas offices. Years late and drastically over-budget, Daikatana's weak sales despite B an aggressive marketing campaign were too much for the studio, and it closed its doors for good just over a year later. METROID Metroid Il: Return of Samus | Release: 1991 : The original Metroid was one of the most ambitious titles on the : NES, and this sequel fills that same role on the Game Boy. All of Samus's capabilities are fully intact in this adventure to the Metroid homeworld of SR388, and she gains access to a few new toys as well. The Space Jump, Spring Ball, Spazer Beam, and Plasma Beam all originated here and have since become part of Samus’ standard repertoire. However, the open-world exploration concept that is so central to the series takes a different tack here: Samus gains access to new areas by hunting down all of the Metroids in her current location rather than : by gaining mobility : through new powers. f| : In the absence of : the sadly cancelled : Metroid Dread, Metroid Il deserves : to be remembered : and replayed by any- one with a fondness for the lady bounty hunter. Did “E-434 ü-DaD dR-35 GAMEINFORMER 105 PSONE THE ADVENTURES OF LOMAX > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER PSYGNOSIS > DEVELOPER PSYGNOSIS > RELEASE 1996 n an attempt to capitalize on Lemmings, Psygnosis explored a couple of ways to spin off its hit franchise. The less said about Lemmings Paintball the better, but The Adventures of Lomax was another story. The action platformer looks great, with vibrant and imaginative environ- ments and some stellar animation work. A standout musi- cal score is bouncy, cartoony, and well composed all around. Even Lomax himself is a pretty entertaining lead — he's got a helmet that flies back to him like a boomerang, and he spins around in circles to your heart's content to attack his enemies. There's even an array of Lemmings-style abilities you'll tap into to solve environmental obstacles. Unfortunately, the game is too frustrating and difficult by half considering its colorful and childlike visuals. Constant insta-death drops, one-hit kills from enemies, and unfortunate jump timing make it hard to believe too many folks ever got to see all of the many gor- geous levels built for the game. It's too bad. This would have made for a clever franchise. PSONE PATRIOTIC PINBALL > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER GOTHAM GAMES > DEVELOPER WILDFIRE STUDIOS > RELEASE 2003 know what you're thinking. How can a game that's only five years old count as a retro review? After only a few minutes of play, it's obvious that nothing in this late-to- the-party PSone title couldn't have been accomplished on Sega Genesis. The meager selection of two tables based n "the fight for freedom on air, land, and sea" and a cross our RV road trip may swap battleships and tanks for landmarks like the ES Dam and Golden Gate bridge, but the underlying designs are almost identical. The sound includes phrases such as "You're the pride of the fleet, seaman,” a few notes of “Anchors Aweigh,” and a classy rendition of “Taps” whenever you lose a ball. The physics are so awful that you can easily balance the ball on the tip of a raised bumper. Despite the chest-thumping Americanism developer Wildfire shoots for, it's easy to argue that they didn't go far enough. Way to exclude the Marines and Coast Guard, guys! And where's my "Star Spangled Banner? ECE Е = ЕМ 106 САМЕ INFORMER GENESIS JAMES BOND 007 — THE DUEL > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER DOMARK > DEVELOPER DOMARK > RELEASE 1993 imothy Dalton is about as welcome among James Bond fans as a case of the crabs, and this game (which he's on the cover of) doesn't do anything to endear him to the gaming crowd. The game's an action platformer in the vein of Namco's better Rolling Thunder, but The Duel's martini is neither shaken nor stirred — it's spilled. The game's gun controls (which include being able to shoot diagonally) and platforming are inconsistent, and trusting your life to an inconsistent platformer is like going under the knife with a drunk surgeon. The game does feature classic Bond villains such as Odd Job and Jaws through its four levels, but in an age where it was hard to translate license dreams into video game real- ity, The Duel is incapable of being anything more than a sub-par entry in an over-satu- rated genre filled with better products. *Score given to the game when it first appeared in Game Informer. The Adventures of Lomax (СІ # 45 01/97) 0 N 1 | N E Extra Content You Can Find At www.gameinformer.com Watch our video interviews with Obsidian Entertainment founders Feargus Urquhart and Chris Parker to learn more about their ambitious covert action RPG. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Read our full interviews with Aerosmith legends Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton. За бате Infarcer А new batch of news stories, reviews, and previews fr our stud cast of phony game journos. Boom Blox Learn more about Steven Speilberg's first foray into gaming in our exclusive interview with Boom Blox producer Louis Castle. Stargate Online The team behind this highly anticipated MMORPG spills the beans on the Praxis, how the SGU is integrated, and how the balance of good and evil will unfold. Game Informer Online keeps you abreast of the latest breaking news and game announcements. Vicious combo attacks and finishing moves Grab weapons from your environment As renegade special agent Ethan Thomas, you are society’s last defense against the oncomi; darkness. As you pl е into chaos, ng y just keep thinking happy thoughts. condemnedgame . com VIDEO GAME TRIVIA Did you know Ben has secret aspirations to be in movies? Well, you've got to start somewhere, and Ben’s starting with games. To get started on his new career path, Ben has convinced us to run several photos of him starring in his favorite games. We tried to tell him it might be embarrassing, but he was insistent. Complete the following quiz to find out which role Ben should take on first. Never has the video game landscape been so totally reshaped and reimagined as at the release of Redneck Rampage, a piece of art far ahead of its own time. Which of the following was not a target of your rampage? A. Chickens B. Turd Minions C. Skinny Old Coot D. The Liberal Media 2 It’s easy to rattle off the protagonists in every game after Grand Theft Auto III, but who was the main character ма PlayStation So you're a Mario fan, huh? What was that game Mario Clash about? A. In this precursor to Super Smash Bros., characters from different Mario games met in the wrestling ring to do battle B. Bad guys are crawling all over the pipes, and Mario needs to knock them off with Koopa shells C. In an attempt to attract the young female demographic, Nintendo had Mario dress up in different outfits in this game, : for liking The Matrix too much, : so you can be confident that : your enthusiasm for the project : 15 cool with us. Who were the : two main playable characters of : : 2003's Enter the Matrix? and the player must determine if the colors clash D. | call bull. Mario Clash is not a real game. No one in the Game Informer office has ever been ridiculed A. Neo and Trinity B. Neo and Morpheus C. Ghost and Niobe D. The Merovingian and Persephone Who can look back on 1995 and not recall the glory of Ristar? What, you don't remem- : ber that one? Well then, how : are you going to tell us the : name of the main bad guy in that game? A. Greedy B. Meany C. Teeny D. Moe In Super Mario Sunshine, : Mario gained a new friend - а backpack that squirts water. : What was its acronym? A. FL.0.0.D. B. F.L.U.D.D. C. FL.O.D.D. D. EL.U.D.E. In the short life of the fran- і chise, Karaoke Revolution has cluded well over 200 songs on its various iterations. Which one : of these wasn't on the set list : for the first title in the series, i which released on PlayStation 2 : in 2003? A. "Billie Jean" B. "Like a Virgin" C. "Son of a Preacher Man" D. "Love Shack" That whole LEGO vibe in i video games is getting pretty g these days, what with : Indiana Jones and Batman join- : ing the fray. Which of these : earlier LEGO games released on : the N64 in 1999? A. LEGO Racers B. LEGO Loco C. LEGO Rock Raiders D. LEGO My Eggo In one of the Atari 2600's : most original and lauded games, Yar's Revenge, you : maneuver something that looks like a around the screen. A. Spider B. Fly C. Spaceship D. Knight Do you prefer linear games : with a single storyline that : require no skill, or do you get : into complex non-linear games : that include lots of branching paths and options? A. | like straightforward simplistic games that deliver no meaning- ful choices Game Informer Magazine? (ISSN 1067-6392) is published monthly at a subscription price of $19.98 per year, or twenty four issues for $24.98 by Sunrise Publications?) 724 North First Street, 3rd Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. (612) 486-6100 or FAX (612) 486-6101. For subscriptions, back issues, or customer service inquiries Toll Free (866) 844-4263. Periodicals postage paid at Minneapolis, MN, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIBERS/POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Game Informer Magazine? 724 North First Street, 3rd Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Foreign or Canadian orders must be prepaid in U.S. dollars. Canadian Orders: $25/yr additional postage. All other Foreign Orders: $35/yr additional postage. CANADIAN SUBSCRIBERS SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40064408, RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: EXPRESS MESSENGER INTERNATIONAL, РО. BOX 25058 LONDON BRC, ONTARIO, CANADA NC 6A8 Game Informer® does not claim any copy right in the screenshots herein. Copyright in all screenshots contained within this publication are owned by their respective companies. Entire contents copyright 2008, Game Informer Magazine® All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer® is a trademark of GameStop. Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies. 108 GAME INFORMER BREAKDOWN 330,900 is the number of units of Call of Duty 4 that were sold on the Xbox 360 in January, according to NPD data. It was the top-selling game of the month 1 million units of Super Smash Bros. Brawl were sold in its first two weeks on the market in Japan 4 different U.S. retailers are being targeted by a Square Enix lawsuit for selling unlicensed replicas of Final Fantasy weapons. Isn't intellectual property law fun? 2012 is the year EA has extended its NFL contract license. In related news, several football fans just cursed aloud 80085 was a number that made us laugh when we inputted it in our calculator when we were younger. You know, like last week ж Trivia Score & Rank x see we’ Tails Waluigi Video Game Trivia Answers: |. D 2. C 3. В 4. C 5. A 6. B 7. D 8. A 9. B 10. A condemnedgame.com Blood and Gore Intense lence Strong Language PW Use of Drugs and Alcohol n O 360 LIVE ESRB CONTENT RATING www.estb.org ^ aap T T UM, ^K XBOX Д ONDEMNED 2: BLOODSHOT software © 2007 Monolith Productions, Inc. Audio visual © 2007 Hall Digital Films. Published by Sega of America, Inc. under license from Monolith Productions, Inc. SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SE GA and the SEGA logo are registere ‘ademarks of SEGA Corporation. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of ыар “PlayStation”, "PLAYSTATION" and "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Online access requires broadban iternet service and a wireless access point or LAN. Certain limitations apply to Wi-Fi connectivity. User is responsible for Internet service fees. ©2007 by GameStop®. All rights reserved. GameStop is a registered trademark of GameStop, Inc. "Power to the Players” isa trademark of Elbo Inc YOUR DEMONS! \ 4 PN 4 ч IGN.COM 8. TOU OUT OF 10, 4.5 OUT OF 5 ES IGN.COM ij - GAMEPRO 9 OUT OF 10, EAN e N 8.5 ouT oF 10 - GAME INFORMER / / f j - ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY | / | Г „аў \ АУАПАВІЕ МОМ WWW.DEVILMAYCRY.COM PLATS ТРТ 1-1 07 ГТ = (8) XBOX 360.* Made with) love’ by, Our goal is to preserve elassie video game magazines So that they аге not lost/permanently: People Interested in helping ош п any capacity; please visit us at retromags.com: No profit is made from) these scans nor do we offer anything available from the publishers themselves: Ifyou come across anyone selling releases from this Site please do not support them апа do let Us know: Thank you!