ROCK BAND 2 Exclusive Music, Hardware, and Info Revealed MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2: FUSION Ж The Superhero Blockbuster Returns pg.46 መ _ se „ WORLD EXCLUSIVE d ISSUE 184 US $5.99 | CAN $5.99 | UK £3.99 111 0 "71486701864 WWW.GAMEINFORMER.COM Dell recommends Windows Vista® Home Premium. JA : WHEN YOU'RE READY TO LIVE IT. WWW.DELL.COM/INFORM1730 | 1-800-553-6026 Offers subject to change, not combinable with all о new purchases only. Dell reserves the right to can 8. Taxes shipping, handling and other fees apply. U.S. бей arising from pricing or other errors. Newspaper Advertisement TABULA RASA үз т NCSOFT | 9595999999 DOLL YOURS IS HERE cover story features departments WOLFENSTEIN Everyone knows that the Nazis were sinister, but behind-enemy-lines secret agent BJ. Blazkowicz has to confront horrors that would make D-Day look like Sunday school if they were turned loose on the world. Fusing the reality of the Third Reich’s terrifyingly efficient war machine withthe darkest of paranormal SS fantasies, Wolfenstein immers- es players in a war that crosses far beyond any thin red line. RavemSüftware's storied development prowess takes center stage in thisyblindinglylifitense first-person shooter. 38 Rock Band was great, but developer Harmonix is doing anything but rest on its laurels with the sequel. Redesigned instruments meet an all-new interface as well as the ability to battle other bands online, and we know about 17 songs that will be in the initial track list. These details and much more pack eight pages full of info in our early look at the musical giant. Staff Read the team's latest favorites СІ Spy Silly pictures of our life and times Dear Gl Your chance to fire back at us! Connect Where news, talk, and technology collide Gear Geeky gadget stuff for the masses Opinion Steve Schnur, EA's worldwide executive of music and marketing, explores the future of the music industry and how that relates to games 2 GAME INFORMER Calendar Get hip to this month's happenings Previews This month, our previews section gets you up to speed on the next installments in the Call of Duty and Midnight Club franchises, and also pulls the curtain away from new titles like Wanted and Dark Void Reviews Game of the Month: NCAA Football 09 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ЧБ What better way to make sitting оп а couch with three buddies awe- some than to tear up planet-threat- ening evil with explosive superpow- ers? Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 brings awesome superhero co-op brawling back into the spotlight with tandem attacks and an exploration of major strife between Marvel's biggest heroes. Check out the exclu- sive first look right here. Charts Retail Sales Data and the GI editors’ Top 10 Games Secret Access Codes, strategies, and passwords Classic Gl Reliving gaming's greatest moments Online See what's happening at Game Informer Online Game Over The end...or is it? GAME INDEX GAME PAGE # Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures . . . 90 Alone In The Dark ..85 Bionic Commando 66 BioShock 67 Bourne Conspiracy, The 84 Call of Duty: World at War 52 Civilization IV: Colonization. 74 Civilization Revolution 91 Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath 88 Dark Void 56 Don King Presents: Prizefighter 83 EndWar 73 Far Cry 2 2.70 FIFA Soccer 09 74 Final Fantasy IV 91 Fracture 58 Guitar Hero: Aerosmith .. 82 Incredible Hulk, Тһе 83 Kung Fu Panda 84 Last Remnant, The. ገያ. Lock's Quest 77 LOL 9 Madden NFL 09 7 Midnight Club: Los Angeles 64 Monster Madness: Grave Danger. 87 NCAA Football 09.... 80 NHL 09. . ‚>62 Ninjatown. . .. 76 Quantum of Solace ..65 Rayman Raving Rabbits TV Рапу.... IE Resident Evil 5. .. 60 Rock Band . 86 SimCity Creator .............. #77 SingStar ..... 87 Spyborgs ......... .. 76 Street Fighter IV . 76 Тор Spin 3.... ..86 Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 > anay@gameinformer.com Handle: The Game Hombre Expertise: RPGs, Action/Platform, Driving, First-Person Shooters Interests: Six Feet Under (Late To The Party, | Know), Weeds: Season 4, Euro 2008 (If Only The Dutch Had Won) Dislikes: The Passing Of George Carlin (His Comedy Will Indeed Be Missed), E3 In Los Angeles (Can We Hurry Up And Move It To Las Vegas Already?) Current Favorite Games: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, World Of Warcraft, Warcraft IIl, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Rock Band 4 САМЕ INFORMER To Play Video Games Reiner >> reiner@gameinformercom Handle: The Raging Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action, First-Person Shooters, Strategy, Sports, Fighting Interests: Making A Car Purchase Based Solely On Whether It Was In Transformers Or Not (I Now Drive Barricade), Knowing Who The Final Cylon Is And Using This Info To Blackmail People (You Don't Want To Know, Huh? Buy Me Dinner And | Won't Tell You) Dislikes: People Pretending That Metal Gear Solid 4's Story Actually Makes Sense (Yes, It Has Words, But That's As Much As l'm Giving You) Current Favorite Games: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, Grid, Grand Theft Auto IV, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Band 2 Matt >> matt@gameintormercom Handle: The Original Gamer Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Action/Platform, Action/ Adventure, Action/Sports Interests: The Lakers Getting Destroyed In The Finals, KG Winning ATitle, Leaked Tracks From Chinese Democracy, Finally Seeing Last Year's Hot Movies (Juno, No Country For Old Men), Wicked: The Life And Times Of The Wicked Witch Of The West By Gregory Maguire Dislikes: Foot Injuries, Things That Fall Through At The Last Minute, Bo Diddley Dying (R.I.P) Current Favorite Games: Top Spin 3, Kung Fu Panda, Guitar Hero. Aerosmith, Rock Band 2, Portal Kato >> kato@gameinformer.com Handle: The Game Katana Expertise: Sports, Racing, Action/Adventure, Action/RPG Interests: Watching Everyone Try To Play Cliffhanger For The Sega CD – Also Known As Escape From Crap Mountain, Custom Dairy Queen Blizzards, Blaming Jeff Cork For All Kinds Of Stuff (The Guy Likes To Just Take It), “2547” – Grant Hart Dislikes: Getting Hit With Two Slapshots In The Same Spot - The Spot With No Padding Near The Nut Cup, The Inevitable Conversion Of My DVD Collection Into Blu-Ray Current Favorite Games: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, NHL 09, FIFA 09, NCAA Football 09 Adam >> adam@gameinformer.com Handle: The Alpha Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Strategy, First-Person Shooters, Fighting Interests: Glen Cook's Many Works Of Fantasy (Particularly Faded Stee! Heat And The Black Company), Pushing My Rock Band Skills Even Though I'm No Miller, Those Rare Moments When My Cats Aren't Being Bastards Dislikes: The Worst Morning Ever (Broken Bike, Broken Shoes, Glass In Foot - Don't Ask), Finding A Solid Layer Of Dust And Cat Hair Between Му Heatsink And Fan, Mediocre Baseball Current Favorite Games: The New York Times Crosswords, Portal, Half-Life 2, FreeCol, Peggle, Audiosurf, Titan Quest JOE >> joe@gameinformer.com Handle: The Real American Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Adventure, Action, Strategy, Puzzle Interests: The Lies Of Locke Lamora By Scott Lynch, Getting Valkyrie And АЙ Of The Guild Leaders In Radiata Stories, Spore Creature Creation, The Search For The Perfect Pulled Pork Sandwich Dislikes: Eerily Quiet Chinese Buffets (Tum Some Music On Or Something), Battlestar 09, MGS Cutscene Haters, Miller's Spoony Bard Mash Notes Current Favorite Games: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, Radiata Stories, Final Fantasy М, Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2, Castle Crashers, Spore Creative Creator Miller >> miler@gameintormercom Handle: The Once And Future Gamer Expertise: RPGs, Action/Adventure, Platform, First-Person Shooters, Music, Puzzle Interests: Dream Theater In Rock Band 2, Runaways (The Comic), My New Rancor, The Mississippi Headwaters In Itasca Park, The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow Dislikes: No Release Dates For Downloadable Games (See This Month's Impulse), Mouse Traps Where There Are No Mice Current Favorite Games: Rock Band 2, Odin Sphere, Castle Crashers, Final Fantasy IV, Grand Theft Auto IV, Grid, Age Of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Bertz >> mattbertz@gameinformer.com Handle: Lord Gamington || Expertise: First-Person Shooters, Sports, Action, RPGs, Strategy Interests: KG Winning His First NBA Title ( Knew You Had It In You Big Dawg!), Bon Мег- For Emma, Forever Ago, Hell's Angels By Hunter S. Thompson, Club Jager (Best Bar In Minneapolis) Dislikes: KG Not Winning His First NBA Title In Sota (Nice Job McFailf), The Tom Waits Tour Skipping The City | Live In Yet Again (Quit Playing Hard To Сей), Tim Russert and George Carlin RIP. Current Favorite Games: Battlefield: Bad Company, NCAA Football 09, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, NHL 09, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Ben >> ben@gameinformer.com Handle: Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamer Expertise: Action/Adventure, Action/RPGs, Platform, Survival Horror, First-Person Shooters Interests: Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (Still The Best), The Incredible Hulk, Bachelor Parties That Involve Guns (Of Whatever Type), Traveling Dislikes: Traveling Four Times A Month (Tums Out That Makes It Harder To Get All Your Work Done), My Trial Of Metal Gear Abstinence, Not Being Allowed In The Women's Restroom Current Favorite Games: Grand Theft Auto IV, Marvel Ultimate Alliance Il: Fusion, Dark Void, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, World Of Warcraft, Civilization Revolution Bryan >> bryan@gameinformer.com Handle: The Gamer's Advocate Expertise: Action/Adventure, RPGs, Survival Horror, First- Person Shooters, Music Interests: New Journey Singer Amel Pineda (While He Will Never Live Up To The Legacy Of Steve Perry, He Certainly Has “The Voice"), Playing “Any Way You Want I" In Rock Band 2 Dislikes: Not Being Able To Marathon MGS 4 During The First Weekend After Release Due To Circumstances Beyond My Control Current Favorite Games: Rock Band 2, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots, Castle Crashers, Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2, Alone In The Dark AUGUST Volume ХУШ + Number 8 • Issue 184 PUBLISHER Cathy Preston EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrew McNamara Senior Associate Editor Matthew Kato Associate Editors tt Miller CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT For renewal, address change and Edge card details: For subscription inquiry ONLY: 1 (866) 844-GAME (4263) JOHNNY RICO 4867222020 ARMED wire f BUG CRUSHING d FEATURETTES, ማ т iN - 11111. Storming onto ,. Blu-ray High- ENTER THE FLY UNDER THE RADAR SWEEPSTAKES! For a chance to win a trip я Video Games Live or E cd cem ien movi FIRST TIME EVER men son cin es.comy ISSTae sweeps All 3 films available in the Blu-ray" High-Def Trilogy “ Also available as DVD Trilogy < ы ` deta J ሀ] a " N d 24 sonypictures.com/starshiptroopers| STAGES = IR] RESTRICTED | «5» Available at с | | ЦИИ ፻፳ Candid Photos From The Seedy Underbelly Of The Video Game Industry | " m 1 This month's GI Spy Power Player ™ ж m 1 |! Ben 5һом/5 the Fracture posse - Day ^ Wm ТІ | 1 ы | 1 Studios's Dan Нау and LucasArts’ " М> n қ. Chris Norris - his favorite arcade ነ game, Princess Awesome's Amazing Super Pony Battle Plus. (The game only exists in Ben's imagination; we just don't have the heart to tell him, we're afraid he'll start to cry) 2 South Peak's Aubrey Husted and Shawnimals creator Shawn Smith stopped by to show us the upcoming Ninjatown DS game and provide Ben and Meagan with some plush moustache creatures 3 Nick and Black Rock's Jason Avent look the GI Spy camera in the eye, while Kato and Disney's Derek Dutilly practice their "heroically staring off into the distance" looks 4 Two chefs enter, one chef leaves! Or something like that. Alex Brewer of HighWater Group, Mark Dacascos of Iron Chef America, and Lisa Mason and Juan Benito of Destineer hang on the set of the hit TV show, doing some research for Destineer's upcoming Iron Chef DS game 5 Miller and Reiner show Eidos' Stanley Phan and Karl Stewart the GI vault 6 Ben learns the secrets of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 from Vicarious Visions' Jennifer Oneal, Dan Wallace, Dan Tanguay, and Bryan Shutt 7 Neversoft's Scott Pease, Joel Jewett, Alan Flores, Ryh-Ming Poon, and Brian Bright introduce Matt to the Guitar Hero developer's secret weapon, Riley the dog. (Don't laugh, Riley is actually an executive vice president!) 6 GAME INFORMER Animated Blood Crude Humor Fantasy Violence Mild Suggestive Themes Tobacco Reference Holo-Monocle Look at your enemy and become him. Then mess Cuff Link Bombs Every secret agent needs bombs. And linked cuffs. Done and done. Solid Steel Tux Look sharp. Be sharp. / ኻ A ЕГНЕ SECRET AGENT THE GADGET. with his mind. dj в i ' << Chrome Dome m A rust-resistant melon protects ] К fragile wiring and those secret | P agent-type secrets. Tie-A-Rang Danger lurks at every formal shindig. For that, a razor-equipped boomerang bowtie, naturally. Jet Boots The only thing sneakier than sneakers. When the most difficult, secret and dangerous missions in the galaxy need to be solved, there's only one robot to turn to: Secret Agent Clank. Ratchet has been wrongfully jailed and it's up to you to free him and clear his name. Embark on a top secret intergalactic rescue mission, using state-of-the-art gadgets to overcome challenges in stealth, p e-solving and hand-to-hand combat. You'll need to use everything you've got. Literally. Oiling The Machine Why the simpering two-page apology for the Madden series in issue 182? It may be a fixture of the industry, but it is known worldwide for its repetitiveness and lack of innovation. Maybe if EA didn't paint them- selves into a corner every year, they could actually take time between titles and start introducing new features. They haven't really got an excuse, as hard as you've clearly tried to give them one. Jason Phillips Indianapolis, IN We'd love to see the Madden series become everything it could be, just like you. But EA's interests as a publisher aren't always in synch with EA Tiburon's as a developer. It's safe to say that no one ever wants to make a disappointing game. Sometimes a developer wants more time to try new ideas, while a publisher wants to get a game to retail on schedule. For EA, this regimented release is especially important with the Madden series. Why don't they take a year off to experiment and implement new features? Simple: Because from a financial standpoint, there's no point. The franchise is a cash cow, and it will sell in huge numbers either way. Е G The Readers Strike Back The Main Ingredient Come on, guys. Don't be the latest bunch of Rockstar yes-men. Sure, Grand Theft Auto IV is great. In fact, it's awe- some. But let's face the facts here: If you have Samuel L. Jackson and James Woods in San Andreas, then you'd better follow up with someone else that people know. Rockstar cut corners, and it's a shame considering they fly the biggest flagship of them all. TJ Ніскіпдег Knox, IN The Classics | am 17 years old, and all my friends make fun of me for being a retro gamer. | prefer to play Earthbound and Breath of Fire on SNES rather than current RPGs, and | also play Super Mario World instead of Super Mario Galaxy. | find older games simpler and more enjoyable — does this make me weird? Daniel Skinner Cordova, AL Don't let your moron friends get you down, Daniel. There's nothing wrong with appre- ciating the classics, and it never hurts to know your roots. A film buff watches old movies, a bookworm reads old literature, and a true gamer can appreciate the titles of a bygone era. However, those games you're playing are frozen in time; as awe- some as the SNES was, it isn't getting bet- ter anymore. If you want to be where the innovation is happening, you'll have to start migrating over to current releases. Don't worry - the 16-bit era will always be there, perfectly preserved and ready to be enjoyed. It's Not Real It is good to see that Jaime Griesemer has a sense of humor, because there is no way that any intelligent, self-respecting person would describe a version of Zelda like he did without it being a joke. Making a Zelda Hold on! Are you saying that a game's quality and success is best measured by the caliber of celebrity voices it includes? Well, crap. ልዘ this time we've been writing our reviews based on gameplay, entertainment, graphics, and other relevant things. Instead of using a numerical scale, maybe we should rate games on a celebrity spectrum, assigning appropriate names corresponding to quality. Dane Cook is obviously the new 1, but we'll have to get back to you on the rest. In the meantime, we'll just stick with our current system that takes into account the elements producers, design- ers, artists, and programmers spend hundreds of hours to develop and implement. game without the puzzles is like making a Halo game with depth - it сап! happen. The thinkers, we have our Zeldas, and you sub-normals have your Halo trilogy. Let us keep these two concepts forever separated. Vincent Demitri via email When Jaime Griesemer described Link walking into the room with the Darknuts апа the Stalfos in his What If entry, | was kind of excited. But then | hear about simplifying the story and taking away the puzzles. What!? | hope he realizes the vast majority of time in a true Zelda game is spent in dungeons solving puzzles. | enjoyed the What If section in the previous issue, but this was ridiculous. Matthew Dollar via email Zelda's gameplay has always been defined by three main components: story, action, and puzzles. Without the puzzles, it's just a hack п’ slash. Without the epic story, all we have is another generic dungeon crawler clogging store shelves. Don't get me wrong — Jaime Griesemer had some good ideas in his What If. They just wouldn't make for a good Zelda game. TJ. Reilly via email Yikes. Hell hath no fury like a Zelda fan scorned. Here's the thing... What If is purely hypothetical - that's what makes it interesting. It would be a lousy sec- tion if developers just said they would make games exactly like the ones you've already played. We can see it now... Jaime Griesemer's revised Zelda: "Link gets a sword, arrows, and has to press switches to open doors in a bunch of elemental temples.” You've done that already! Questioning the things that are held sacred in a series is the only way to really see it from an entirely new per- spective. Whether you like what you see is clearly a different matter. A Zelda “puzzle” Hint: Push the blocks | ^ They Just Wanna Donna Mei-Ling Park's article in issue 182, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," had me pumping my fists in the air. Males tend to look down on female gamers in contempt. Even females who are not gamers tend to look down upon us, because they view us as immature or boyish. | am sick and tired of it. I'm almost afraid to bring my Game Informer to school to read because some guys in my class will look at me and say, “Why аге you reading that? You're a girl" Just because we wear makeup doesn't mean we don't like blowing people up, too. Kristina Woehlke via email | work at à game store, and | am proud to say | am a female gamer. The article writ- ten by Donna Mei-Ling Park basically put everything | encounter at work into words. Countless times I've been asked that pierc- Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Май: Game Informer Magazine е Attn; Dear GI е 724 North First St., 4th Floor e Minneapolis, MN 55401 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com 8 GAME INFORMER THE QUESTION: What gaming purchase do you regret? Sprung and Ping Pals. | was desperate for new DS games, so I decided to get both of them on day one at full retail price Big mistake! DTIAAAAMISLM 1 regret buying GTA IV. After playing for three straight hours / felt like | didn't do anything. The next day, | played three hours again and still felt the same. | had to get rid of it. littlejoe | bought Devil May Cry 2 instead of GTA: Vice City. twas such a depressing day. Маша inc My biggest regret is paying $60 for Vampire Hunter D for the PSone over Klonoa. It taught me two valuable lessons: always read the reviews, and anime and video games don't mit not a bumblebee Back in the days of the N64 | bought some third-party memory card and lost about four hours of gameplay in Turok 2. At the time | had no idea how suspect the quality of third-party memory cards could be. I've stayed first party ever since and never had another problem. Tanooki А Game Informer subscription. Zing! ganonsbane GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. | thought it would be awesome to play a villain and fight against Bond. Then | realized you actually play a good “bad” guy who fights bad guys, and Bond dies right atthe beginning, Lame. Wii_Master Its definitely the Wii Zapper. When I got the game | was kind of excited because of Link’s Crossbow training, but then І realized that using the Wii Remote was way easier than the Zapper, апа | wasted ту money. unclepj57 Do you want to make your voice heard? Weigh in with your opinion at www.gameinformer.com/forums. 2 af BY 238 { incida™ [ У СА 3 И ED SHEHATA 7 - 1 5 ። ዐ 8 ON Extreme ~ Performance Wem ALIENWARE.COM/ BREED Eo dear gi ing question: "Do you actually play video games?" Customers will even skip over me and ask a male co-worker a question. What am |, the cleaning lady? | work there, too! All l'm saying is: Donna, | feel your pain, and | just hope more girls get into the business and express their love for video games. anonymous via email | remember sneaking around my home after work while my kids were in bed — I couldn't wait to play Zelda, Castlevania, or SimCity. I'm now a 52-year-old serious gamer and grandmother, and | just wanted to say "way to go" to Donna Mei-Ling Park for her article. Girls and grandmas just want to have fun! Nila Halbig Annapolis, MD Not only do girls just want to have fun, some of us just want to have fun without all the fanfare and hype around girl gamers. As much as | can relate to the senti- ments of the article, | still can't help but cringe every time | see a girl gamer article. Bringing unnecessary attention to the issue only fuels the fire. So we play games... big deal! Let's stop talking about it. Tara Dragert via email "Explosive" is a good word to describe the response to Donna Mei-Ling Park's opinion piece. It's kind of telling that such a basic message - women play games and don't deserve to be judged because of it - resonates so strongly with the gaming community. As nice as it would be to just embrace the fact and move on, it seems clear that many male gamers are having trouble coming to terms with their female counterparts. Video games are a form of entertainment to be enjoyed by all, regardless of gender or age. If you think otherwise, it's time to grow up. Accepting Imitations | was excited to read your take on Guitar Hero: World Tour, but | couldn't help but think that you forgot something when you wrote the article. You seem to somewhat conveniently ignore the fact that Harmonix came up with the idea of individual instru- ments, DLC, customizable characters, and a more realistic guitar. Neversoft is hardly "changing music games forever," as your cover claims. Guitar Hero: World Tour is just a rip-off. Bryan Meixner via email We love Rock Band. We have a nice big blowout on Rock Band 2 on page 40, and we appreciate what Harmonix has done for the music game genre. However, just because they made the first full band game doesn't mean that they have exclusive rights to the concept. As Rock Band's only major competitor, did you expect Guitar Hero not to step up to the plate? Even though the general concept is the same, both games have distinguish- ing features that will appeal to different types of gamers. Plus, with two great band games out there packed with awe- some songs, everyone wins. 10 GAME INFORMER e BILLY WILSON Spoiler alert: The smoldering wreckage in the background is Otacon. Wait, he was a robot? You never know when Hideo Kojima's involved © ELLIA HILL Baby Kratos’ teddy bear has several years of make- shift stitching and stuffing replacement ahead of it Send to: Game Informer Art Contest st St №, © ВЕСАМ НАЦ. The best part about this knit Katamari ball (which is now perched on Bryan’s desk) is that it's magnetic, picking ир paper clips and promo- tional pins left and right | ERIC KNEPP | Award yourself a thousand points if you | remember Time Killers. You get a bonus | thousand if you actually played it! CORRECTII |n issue 183, descriptions of Project Origins gameplay were mistakenly attributed to Loz Doyle. They should have attributed to the game's lead designer, John Mulkey. We apologize for the error. een 506906 6555606 “ АТУЫ ኑ | | М Е С 1 Breaking News, Views, And Technology From The Cutting Edge Of Gaming | news | Last month we polled readers about their perceptions of pub- T H Е 0 | Ц М Е lishers and developers, and we had so much success that we went back to gauge your reaction - over 1,400 people strong* 0 ү Ё RVI F М about what some would say is the most important frontier т GI POLLS YOUR OPINION ሽያ line: coo 33.8% ООО WHICH OF THE PlayStation 3 16.0% SENE. FOLLOWING HOME wi 18.6% CONSOLES DO YOU Xbox 560 &PS3 6.7% OWN? Xbox 560 & Wii 19.1% PS3 & Wii 6.4% All three consoles 14.5% aes бі OPINION In an era when music, movies, and = pictures are increasingly download- able, it’s interesting to see nearly three hw quarters of GI readers still prefer a hard copy of their games. It's interesting, but not surprising. The ever-changing (or disappearing) features on services like MSN Music have made the digital user suspicious of those nebulous collections of downloadable items. Better to have something you can hold in your hand - something that can't be snatched away if a user agreement goes sour or a feature stops being supported. On the other hand, it might be because game publishers simply haven't communicated to their consumers that they should care about downloadable releases. As to larger, triple-A releases, we won't have a realistic view of consumer expectations until we see larger broadband penetration, faster download speeds, and larger capacity drives on all the consoles.— MILLER HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU PLAY VIDEO GAMES ONLINE PER WEEK? TNO 3-6 Take a look at the full slate of this month's questions 22.7% 22.5% апа check them against your own opinions in our Unlimited section. *The total number of respondents for the survey was 1,429 Game Informer subscribers, but the number of respondents for each question varies. All questions contain an uncalculated margin of error. 12 GAME INFORMER L.. connect | CHECKING THE X BOX Not surprisingly, the Xbox 360 — with its acclaimed Xbox Live service and deep catalogue - holds the lead in a variety of online categories. More of our respondents had 360s than any other console, pre- ferred Xbox Live as a service, and used the system for their downloads. GETTING CARDED HOW OLD * A vast majority of those polled - 74 percent - own an Xbox 360. * PlayStation 3 owners are most likely to be between 31 and 40 years old, as compared to those who own an Xbox 360, the majority of which are between the ages of 20 to 25. * Even those who owned all three consoles indicated that the Xbox 360 was the system they downloaded content for the most, 67.3 percent of the time. Likewise, PS3 owners rated Xbox Live as the online service with the best feature- set 74.7 percent of the time. ARE YOU? * Respondents who were over 25 indicated that their friends (and the systems they owned) were less likely to influence their buying choices when compared to those 25 and under. Similarly, the percentage of those polled over 25 who said that they never bought a game for its multiplayer content was three 41% 11.3% 10 апа ипаег WHAT SYSTEM DO YOU DOWNLOAD CONTENT * Xbox 360 owners were slightly more likely (59 per- cent) to consider which sys- tem their friends played on 11-15 to use their Wii or PS3 to surf the web. 0, 16-19 22.4% times larger than those who FOR THE MOST? when deciding which console were 25 and under. я to purchase а multi-console о, በበ those wi ree systems. game for when compared to 20-25 22.0 уо * Gamers over 25 were more (Ama d th all three y ) PS3 owners (50 percent). excited by further PSP integra- tion with the PS3, while those 26-30 14.4% 25 and under listed the Home social network as the PS3 feature they were most enthu- ren ooo 8725 ИИ * Gamers 25 and under were Over 40 10.9% more likely - by 10 percent - PS3 21.8% E 3 wi 10.9% ፻፻፲፻ቹ ዝዩ LOWDOWN ON DOWNLOADS IF YOU HAD THE * No matter which console is ° Despite the fact that almost OPTION, WOULD YOU BUY A GAME IN DOWNLOADABLE FORM INSTEAD OF ለ RETAIL COPY? Yes No 26.95 73.1% WHICH DOWN- LOADABLE GAME PLATFORM ARE YOU ТІС ABOUT? owned, the percent of respon- dents that say they occasion- ally download content for one of their consoles is relatively the same, around 40 percent. It was not surprising, then, to find that the majority of people said that the promise of downloadable content only sometimes influenced whether they'd buy a game. a third of Xbox 360 owners say they look forward to the discussed Netflix integration (whereby you'll be able to download movies in your Netflix queue to your 360), 65.5 percent have not bought and downloaded a show or movie to their 360. ose мене 55% ИИ PlayStation Network 28.996 LE ] WiiWare 20.6% GAME INFORMER 13 connect | DATA FILE More News You Can Use iPHONE OPENS FOR GAMES Apple has launched its App Store for third-party i software, and Sega's Super Monkey Ball is available for $9.99, featuring the series’ i imeplay on over 100 levels. EA is promising Spore for the iPhone as well, and other companies are also offering games via the store. CRYSIS ADDS WARHEAD TO ARSENAL Developer Crytek has pulled away the curtain оп Crysis Warhead, the first expansion pack for the PC title. The game follows Sergeant "I " Sykes on the other side of the island in a parallel timeframe of the original game. Crysis Warhead appears on store shelves this fall. LOTR ONLINE FOR CONSOLES? Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine recently received a cash infusion, which CEO Jim Crowley says will be used to expand the currently looking for senior engineers with Xbox 360 or PS3 experience. SPORE'S GOD HAND As if we already weren't anxious for Spore's impending fall release, EA has just released. Spore Creature Creator for $9.99. Get a jump- start on creating your Spore specimen, take pictures and make movies of it, and send them to friends. A free version featuring a pared-down creator is also available. OTHER TAKE-TWO SUITORS? EA's buyout offer for Rockstar parent company Take-Two is still under consideration, but business website Forbes says French publisher Ubisoft and Activision may be also in the running. 14 GAME INFORMER ХВОХ 360 (Results taken from anyone indicating they have а 360) IS THE XBOX LIVE FEATURE SET WORTH THE MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION FEE? Yes 71.4% No 28.6% WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING XBOX LIVE FEATURES — IF AVAILABLE — WOULD YOU BE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT Netflix Integration Web Surfing 27.3% 27.8% Clan/group Exclusive DLC online chat 25.4% 19.5% PLAYSTATION 3 : (Results taken from anyone indicating they have a PS3) HAS PS3'S FREE ONLINE MULTIPLAYER INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO USE YOUR PS3 FOR ONLINE PLAY? Yes 70.8% No 29.2% WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PLAY- STATION NETWORK FEATURES — ІР AVAILABLE — WOULD YOU BE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT? The Home In-game XMB social network Access 24.6% 26.4% Further PSP Trophies Integration 23.8% 25.2% * Sixty-three percent of those that owned : » Over 70 percent of PS3 owners said all three systems -- and thus could play some titles online for free on their PS3 or Wii — still said that Xbox Live was worth the monthly fee. : they'd either probably or definitely E spend some time with Home. | Wii + (Results taken from anyone indicating they have a Wii) DO YOU LIKE NINTENDO'S FRIEND CODE SYSTEM? Yes 35.2% No 64.8% WHICH OF THESE Wii CHANNELS DO YOU USE? Forecast Channel Photo Channel 15.1% 2.0% Everyone Votes Wii Shop Channel Channel 16.3% 42.4% News Channel None 7.1% 17% WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WIICONNECT24 FEATURES — IF AVAILABLE — WOULD YOU BE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT? ል hard drive for Doing away with downloads Friend Codes 39.2% 24.8% Full in-game More Wii online chat Channels 22.8% 13.2% : * Despite the fact that 39.2 percent of Wii : owners polled said they would be most : enthusiastic about getting a Wii hard : drive, only 34.8 percent said the system's : lack of one prevented them from down- : loading content for the console. 1 እ larvel IVA Not all comic book games are super- sized duds. As history has shown, if a motion picture isn't tied to the release of a comic book game, most super heroes fare quite well in their pixel and polygon forms. Hollywood is the real comic game kryptonite. After a week of debating and throwing dull knives at one another, here are the selections we came up with for the best comic book games to date. Excelsior! (PlayStation 3, хы 360, Wii, Xbox. PlayStation 2 PO) Raven Software rewrote the book on action/RPGs with X-Men Legends, and perfected the formula with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. A huge cast of characters battle their way through a massive story that stretches from Atlantis to the far reaches of Asgard. The game features a remarkable single- player campaign, but as a four- player cooperative adventure it soars above all the genre games that came before. (PlayStation ጋ) Xbox) To create this winning formula, THQ took one of the most furi- ous protagonists in comic books and gave him to one of the best open world developers in the industry. The result is Radical Entertainment's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, an explosive smorgasbord of fall- ing buildings, smashed cars, and flying tanks. (PlayStation 2, Xbox, Dreamcast, Arcade) The idea of Iron Man fighting Mega Man is kind of silly, but when you apply Capcom's arcade pedigree to the mix, it becomes an instant clas- sic. New Age of Heroes is the fourth and final installment in the Marvel Versus Capcom series, and it's easily the best. Three-on-three tags, snapbacks, assists, and a hand- ful of well-rounded new characters (including Cable and adamantium-less Wolverine) make it a must-play for comic and fighting fans alike. y (РС) This comic book MMORPG wasn't based on an established comic book series, but it let you create a character that looked exactly like your favorite established comic book hero. The character creation tool is so flexible Marvel sued NCsoft over who would govern char- acter likenesses in video games (the case was eventually settled out of court). City of Heroes also flies high with its gameplay, from its vast array of superpowers to its varied comic book locales. ክር: ‘anne Nintendo) Spidey continues to find suc- cess, but the caped crusader can't seem to catch a break. His last great venture came 14 years ago in Konami's Super Nintendo game, The Adventures of Batman & Robin. Although it's based on the art style and universe created for the cartoon, this game portrays the Dark Knight perfectly by tapping into his martial arts, gadgetry, and brooding person- ality. His famous rogues gallery is also used thematically for the level designs. - connect ten 6 Spider-Man 2 (PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube) Of all the comic book characters in the video game fold, Spider- Man has had the most success. Spider-Man 2 is the first game ፤ that taps into ከ፳ web-swinging potential. Leaping off sky- scrapers and zipping along the city line proved to be the most exhilarating aspect in any Spidey game, and it has become the cornerstone of all Spidey games that have followed. е Ar heA "Ma! cade e (Arcade) ርር play seems like а fairly new term in gaming, but X-Men: The Arcade Game was doing this well before it became 8 popular buzzword. This breakthrough coin-op supports six-players on a gargantuan multi-screen display, and allows players to control Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and, for whatever reason, Dazzler. The mutant may- hem is delivered through a typical brawler context, but stands out for its beautiful animation and amazing special attacks. Why Konami hasn't ported this to a console yet remains one of the world’s greatest mysteries. 8 Turok 2: 5 (Nintendo 64) Turok 2 has еатед its place in the history of games for its violent weapons (most notably the skull-hollowing cerebral bore), but it also deserves to be remembered for its dynamic FPS action and adventurous level designs. The comic made few ripples, but this game definitely put Turok onto the map, mak- ing it a more popular franchise to play than read. And did we mention that it has a weapon that de-brains dinos? (PlayStation 3, “Xbox 360) The Darkness is technically a first-person shooter, but it deliv- ers the unique sensation of remorse when you shoot some- one. It's not that you don't want to harm them; you just want to do it in more creative ways. Why use a gun when you have a twenty-foot tentacle that impales people at your disposal? The Darkness captures the mood and sharp writing of the comic, and delivers devilish action the likes of which FPS has never seen. | r (Arcade) Most people don't know that the conflict between two of Hollywood's most recognizable killers started in a Dark Horse Comics miniseries. This amazing story gave way to a number of memorable video games, even a great one for Jaguar. The best AvP game, however, could only be found in arcades. This Final Fight-like brawler was created by Capcom on the CPS-2 board and released in 1994. It delivers a deep, special-attack heavy combat system, awesome blood-splattering action, and the choice to suit up as two different Predator characters (a hunter and a warrior) or Colonial Marines (Lieutenant Linn and Major Dutch). On top of the chest-bursting fun, it offered an interesting story that expanded upon the AvP mythology. GAME INFORMER 15 2: connect feature 16 САМЕ INFORMER Today's Game Scribes Are Ushering In А New Era Of Interactive Storyte | DAA (ግ) ) ረታ ©) “BIOSHOCK П" < ( An Original Videogame “THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY NINJAS! ARE YOU A BAD ENOUGH DUDE TO SAVE THE PRESIDENT?” To our younger readers, that might read like the text to a nonsensical animated .gif posted оп a message board, but there was a time when that was all the story а game needed (in this case, the arcade classic Bad Dudes). Throughout much of video games’ first two decades, a lack of storage space and technical limitations meant that storytelling and writing took a back seat to the needs of gameplay. While there were notable exceptions, primarily in the RPG and graphic adventure genres, most gamers were content with being given a goal and a set of tools that allowed them to reach it -- or, at the very least, a gun and something to shoot. For a long time, that was enough. While we might never know Pac-Man's true motivations, other than an appetite for dots and a fear of ghosts, the game managed, like so many of the era, to turn a primitive concept into enduring entertainment. ith the advent of CD-ROM as the delivered through computer-gener- іе quality full-motion video. While in recent years the power of con- soles like the Xbox 360 and PS3 is allowing game creators to merge gameplay and storytelling into a more cohesive whole, resulting in dramatic storytelling that responds to the : player's actions іп real and often shocking ways. With so much ink being spilled about recent successes like Mass Effect and BioShock, it's tempting to proclaim a : in-game actions to shape the outcome primary media for games, designers : began writing more involved stories, : : approaches to tackling next-generation ated cutscenes or [shudder] b-mov- : i opers and writers must work more this was a step in the right direction, ፡ ; assure that the story serves the needs i of the gameplay and vice versa. ፡ of the company's other projects, game ፡ writing is a balancing act of maintaining : 8 strong narrative theme while making the myriad changes new golden age of game writing. In fact, some in the media : of events. While there are many valid game storytelling, it's clear that devel- closely than in years past in order to For BioWare's Drew Karpyshyn, who has worked on Mass Effect and many necessary to complement the gameplay. “Our writers work have gone so far as to say that games are quickly surpassing 2 very closely with the artists and technical throughout the Hollywood in terms of pop culture storytelling. However, statements like this ignore the torrent of clichéd drivel that still pours out from our consoles each year. Recently, we spoke with some of the industry's top writers to talk about not only how far the industry has come in terms of storytelling, but also how far it still needs to go. By speaking with talented writers, it quickly becomes apparent that “good writing" for video games is a concept as diverse as games themselves. In addi- tion, the art of crafting a game story is one that's quite different from writing in any other form of media. For most, the interactive nature of games isn't just something that informs the story; it's the very foundation of the process. "Good video game writing enhances and complements gameplay, and vice versa. Reading a book, watch- ing a movie — those are both passive media," observes Bethesda's Emil Pagliarulo, who is currently working on Fallout 3. "With a game, | can alter that story depending on my actions. So the player is always an active participant. Good video game writing needs to recognize that. A strong narrative is important, sure, but equally important is the way the player interacts with that narrative" on BioShock and Gears of War, is more succinct: "Player amplify those game mechanics and give them meaning" Marrying gameplay and story can be accomplished in a number of different ways, as evidenced in recent years by many of the top titles. In BioShock, players are drawn into the world through clues left to the player through bits of dialogue, taped evidence, and the environment itself. In Mass Effect, cutscenes become gameplay through a system that allows players to select responses and guide the con- versation. In Grand Theft Auto IV and Oblivion, traditional cutscenes and dialogue segments coincide with the player's PLAYER ACTION DEFINES THE STORY. WHAT | 00. | AM. GOOD GAME STORIES AMPLIFY THOSE GAME MECHANICS AND GIVE THEM MEANING. Su^an O'Connor BIOSHOCK : into movies. l'm tired of losing ጠሃ HUD, and 1 sitting through 20-minute cutscenes, and play- : ing games that аге little more than interactive } stories,” comments Pagliarulo. “Why should Susan O'Connor, whose past work includes writing credits : : we aren't?" action defines the story. What | do, | am. Good game stories : : “There are a lot of advantages to in- : game narrative. It gives the team more : leeway to iterate on the story — to try : ideas, see if they work, and change : them if they don't. Cutscenes are : labor intensive, so you have to lock : the script early. That can cause prob- : lems, obviously. But cutscenes are still : opportunities to surprise the player. : Player takes action X, expecting result project,” he reveals. “We have full-time [writers] on a project from day one right up until we ship. With any collaborative project there is constant гем- sion from everyone involved. Sometimes there are technical limitations that require changes in art, writing, or design. Other times ideas simply evolve as the project goes on; they are iterated on and refined to more resonance with the gamers. It's an integral part of the process, which is why you need to have writers involved with the project throughout the entire duration” While all the writers we talked to there are differences in how they view years, the trend has been to move away from long CG cutscenes in favor of : player-controlled content or in-game sequences that grant : the player some freedom over how to view the action. “I'm tired of people trying to turn video games we so desperately try to be something Others take a more mixed view. МІПЕП GAME WRITERS ARE JUST NOW STARTING TO BUILD AND DEVELOP -OUR NARRATIVE LANGUAGE. Drew Кагрулһум MASS EFFECT give them more emotional impact and : DOOM)IS A CLASSIC, BUT IT HAD № DISCERNIBLE STORY. YOU CAN'T REALLY GET AWAY WITH DOING THAT TODAY - GAMERS WOULD CRY FOUL. Emil Pagliarulo FALLOUT 3 № Mass Effect Ү, and the cutscene delivers a surprise instead, Surprises are part of the deep pleasures of storytelling," observes O'Connor. Games are also capable of delivering story through experience, even with very little exposition or dialogue - something no other medium can do. "Call of Duty 4, for me, epitomizes great video game storytelling, because the story is told through the medium, through the gameplay. There's very little dialogue, only pre-scripted charac- : ter interaction, but when that story hits a major beat, you ፡ know it,” observes Pagliarulo. "What better way to feel the ፡ impact of a character's death than to be that character ፡ during the moment of execution? And the nuclear bomb ፡ scene? | think for Infinity Ward, it took a lot of guts to give = me a five-minute gameplay segment where | don't actu- ፡ ally do anything except crawl around, view the destructive ፡ power of man, and then die. That was probably the stron- ፡ gest, most memorable story moment for me of all last : year. It was just superb” While it will likely be awhile before games reach a level of writing consistency and quality delivered in other forms ፡ of media, it's clear that we're in an exciting time. Games ; sit at the confluence of a number of encouraging trends - ፡ technology that's better able to express emotion and subtle ፡ forms of storytelling, an increasing number of studios that ፡ actually care about telling quality stories, and an audience ፡ that sees games as a vehicle for experiences greater than seem to agree that more and better col- : laboration is in everyone's best interest, : just mowing down random enemies with a machine gun. ^| think the industry as a whole has always valued qual- : ity writing, but now it's become expected," says Pagliarulo. certain aspects of storytelling. In recent. : "In the early days, good game writing was so rare, it really ፡ stood out in players' minds. Everyone remembers the witty ፡ dialogue in The Curse of Monkey Island, because it was i so unlike anything else at that time. Doom is a classic, but it had no discernible story. You can't really get away with doing that today — gamers would cry foul. Just look at СТА IV. The series has actually become less about crazy sandbox gameplay, and more about explor- ing characters and relationships? For Karpyshyn, we've only begun to see the fruits of what new development technologies will bring to bear in the art form. "In many ways, video games are in the same place movies were in during the 1920s. Technical advances, such as sound and later color, changed the movie experience. It took time for screenwriters to adapt to these advances and develop the ‘language of film! Similarly, video game writers are just now starting to build and develop our narrative language" 88 88 88 GAME INFORMER 17 соппесі THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY When You Want Your News Categorized With A Sarcastic Editorial Spin QUOTE 5 А ፡ We’re working on it. ~ Laurent Fischer, Nintendo Europe senior marketing director in response to fans’ calls for a significant Wii data storage system. Earlier Fischer joked that only “geeks and otaku” wanted a Wii hard drive. The PlayStation 35 exclusive software roster has taken a couple of shots to the face, as Sony has killed Eight Days and The Getaway. There are also rumors that Heavenly Sword 2 is now dead, The company says other first-party games will feed off of their corpses and utilize the resources that would have gone to those games. Cannibalism. ...yum! Activision is planning to release Guitar Hero: Metallica sometime before March 31 of next year — likely after Guitar Hero: World Tour this holiday. We've heard Neversoft is using cutting-edge technology to make sure that the drum tracks for St. ‘Anger songs sound like soggy drumsticks pounding оп wet paper bags. Limbo. of the Lost аш UGLY ‘Two gamers in California have filed a lawsuit against Electronic Arts for its monopolistic, “blatantly anticompetitive conduct" in the way it manages its Madden NFL franchise - the only football game on the market due to its exclusive license with the league. Surprisingly, Bill Belichick was not mentioned anywhere in the lawsuit. Having already portrayed Howard Hughes, Leonardo DiCaprio is ready to step into the shoes of yet another crazy bearded genius - Atari's Nolan Bushnell (shown). The actor has attached his name to a screenplay recently picked up by movie studio Paramount. We're sure DiCaprio has been at parties where people are doing blow in hot tubs, so it sounds like he's already done his research. ፳ Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Adventure game Limbo of the Lost was pulled from retail and online sales channels after its publisher, Tri Synergy, was told that the game's developers stole environmental assets from games as famous as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Thief: Deadly Shadows. That's just the tip of the iceberg, as Limbo of the Lost has also pinched from movies and a slew of other sources. Check out the comparison shots above. 18 GAME INFORMER NOKIA RESETS РОВ GAMING NEW TITLE PANS VIDEO GAME HISTORY he N-Gage is the punch line to any number of gam- T ing jokes, but phone maker Nokia is not giving up on its troubled platform. Starting this summer, Reset Generation will be available for PCs, the N-Gage, and select Nokia phones The characters of R ame characters and arch at Sonic thi game itself is a puz lay down Tetris-like piec is to capture one of across the blocks you've already put down, and penalti | be applied ding on their form Capturing a princess requires power-ups, stringing together utilizing special attacks, bombing out foes' squares, and more. Reset Generation will be offered as a free bro based widget on PCs, and the N-Gag Cross platform play will be availabl such as profile pages on the Reset Generation website, leaderboards, the ability to replay and other amenities round out the е: L4 ITAGAKI QUITS | TECMO Е Í TEAM NINJA REBELLION? utspoken Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive mastermind Tomonobu Itagaki has quit pub- 0 lisher/developer Tecmo and filed suit against the company relating to — in part — a claim of unpaid bonuses. Money, however, apparently isn’t the only issue. Itagaki has singled out Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda in a released statement, saying, “The conduct of Tecmo and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly listed company. | have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibilities of Tecmo and its president... 1 can no longer continue to work with president Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.” Itagaki claims that Yasuda made “demeaning remarks” about Itagaki and his colleagues. Tecmo calls Itagaki's charges of distress as “distortions,” and says that it has paid him bonuses. The company also claims the specific bonuses Itagaki references in the lawsuit were actually the responsibility of the previous management. Beyond his games, Itagaki is known for his high opinion of his work and his rockstar atti- tude - something that has not gone unnoticed by Tecmo. In its response to Itagaki's lawsuit, the company took a shot at his ego, criticizing him for trying to take sole credit for the work of Tecmo's development studio Team Ninja. In the wake of Itagaki's departure, two employees have filed a separate lawsuit against Tecmo for unpaid overtime on behalf of all of the company's employees. At the time of this writing there were also rumors that other Team Ninja members are contemplating resignations and further lawsuits. download connect designer for Halo 2 and Halo 3, Max Hoberman, seems more than ready to be - the scourge of the seas. His new team at | | [ 1 ፪ j t Ез Certain Affinity has crafted an addictive hex- based real-time strategy title where you lead BY MATT MILLER 2 your own swashbuckling ы \ crew into battle. The deceptively simple premise has you sailing a ship : и Castle Gfashers 1 0 2 b ን around the тар, Where are the release dates? x. УНИИ Do console makers really care | _ | ; as An enjoyable about remarkable games like ae | : single-player 7 campaign whets ተጠ г: ር А your appetite, Castle Crashers and Plunder? hae ee. = 3 V takes off in the cutthroat multiplayer ses- Sions. There's a constant ebb and flow to the battle as one team or another holds resources and rules the seas before being overthrown. Four people can play together on a single console, but as many as eight ne of the best games I've played this year is Braid for Xbox Live Arcade, а title that | praised a couple of months ago in this same column. A dozen people have asked me since when the game is coming out, and 1 just shake my head and shrug. Microsoft may let us know about a salty gamers can jump into an online match. release date more than a day ahead of time, but І doubt it. It's not just Live Arcade at fault here. At a recent EE verlie isal Ке ጣር ር © ure ii 2 press event Nintendo suggested that it wasn't particularly interested in pushing Wii Ware titles through mar- try out Siren: Blood ae thie menh. keting - in its opinion, that's the job of the press. All three of the major console download services seem as if While based in the same Japanese village they're wandering aimlessly, trickling out information on the games only days before they release, and assum- а Бақы ды раса E jrely n ul ing word of mouth is all they need. Out here in the real world, it just seems disorganized and disrespectful. CN Mord the strange and terrifying Small developers pour their heart and soul into these titles, and sometimes even they don't know when their disturbances surrounding the town. They games are coming out until it's too late for them to create a buzz or purchase advertising. It's an inexcusable crash their van (gasp) and are separated, ý and players adopt the roles of the seven way of doing business, and all three console makers need to do better. survivors as they strive to survive against the zombie-like shibito infesting the area. | feel strongly about the issue because of points and treasure let you increase abili- form of Plunder. For years it was a badly The game is reminiscent of some of the the amazing work coming out of some of ties and specialize into unique roles, like kept secret joke that Bungie might make old Resident Evil games, and in the level | these smaller development houses in recent the melee strongman or the group magic a pirate game. While the acclaimed studio played, it took a while to get used to the months — exemplified by the work of devel- ^ user. Clever (and hilarious) bosses are still hasn't made the leap, its multiplayer controls. Amid oppressive darkness and opers like The Behemoth. Castle Crashers has been in the works for a long time, but the wait has been worth it. Up to four play- ers can bash their way through this latest release from the makers of Alien Hominid. In response to the orders of a blustering king, you and your buddies head out to save princesses, kill monsters, and leave behind a wake of destruction. The initial vibe of the game calls to mind frantic sessions of Golden Axe, Double Dragon, and Ninja Turtles, but Castle Crashers is more involved than those early arcade classics. Experience peppered throughout the game, but your most skilled enemies are your allies; the game encourages an end- lessly amusing interplay of co-op and competitive play. After a big battle, you'll often have to beat your fellow knights senseless to win the right of a kiss from the grateful rescued maiden. Whenever the game hits Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, it deserves your attention. Those same two platforms will play host to some piratey goodness in the creepy Japenese music, | found myself sneaking my way past some walking dead, inevitably get- ting spotted, and then frantically beating them back with a handy farm implement. The game in its entirety will have 12 episodes, each about one to two hours long. No word yet on pricing or timing, but this brief glimpse left me intrigued. [m] N == = H =ሙ 7 ጋ 5 я в mon Soul Calibur American McGee's Grimm Bionic Commando Rearmed ши The classic and well-loved original is making its way to Xbox Live Arcade. The While not yet confirmed for any console download services, this unusual twist on The remake of this 1988 NES classic should be a blast. Of all the new features, the re-release looks amazing, and still delivers the same perfect timing and varied the fairy tale world will show up soon on ће PC-only Gametap service. As the nasty most exciting is the two-player co-op option, but the number of other additions — = characters that fans remember. 13th dwarf named Grimm, you'll wander through classic stories like Little Red Riding (тот music to new bosses — also make this a must-play when it releases. Hood, spreading your filth and stripping away the Disney-like sanitization of modern. children’s tales. GAME INFORMER 19 LOOSE TALK Hot Gaming Gossip DAWN OF DEAD RISING SEQUEL Mashing zombies with cash registers and tennis rackets is a one-way ticket to fun, so we've been surprised that Capcom hasn't announced a sequel to Dead Rising....until now. Word is that the company is preparing Dead Rising И, and one of the words being used to describe it is “episodic.” Whether that refers to chapters of the game being downloadable or available at a lower price at retail, or if that pertains to the structure of the gameplay is unknown. SONY’S PSP/PS3/ | BLOCK We all wish that Nintendo would allow third-party developers to utilize Miis and other Wii features more freely, but from what we hear, Nintendo isn't the only company with a tight grip on the reins. Loose Talk has heard that Sony is blocking some PS3 games from integrating features with the PSP handheld. One developer we talked to was dismayed that they couldn't have players unlock cards in a PS3 game that could then be downloaded and useable in the PSP iteration. MORE ON PS3’S NEW CONTROLLER A few months ago we told you a rumor we heard about Sony working on a motion-sensing casual gaming controller. Now there's more talk about this new device, which apparently has the ability to separate into two parts, both of which will have motion-sensing capabilities. If this controller is as far along as it seems to be, hopefully we'll officially hear about it soon. "Avatars" are digital personas а LIVE connected members and th owners, "Avatars" will be used in pi have today and give you a much more lifelike, cistomizable persona for you to refl able this holiday for all Xbox pring for all new console of the gamer picture you mated, and fully ou аге online. MICROSOFTS Miis - While we all wait for Sony to finally release Home, its online social network hub allowing players to create their own avatars and even houses, Microsoft isn't sleeping on its own ideas. According to info yanked from a marketing research firm, Microsoft is planning on offering a service this fall called Avatar that will allow gamers to create Nintendo Мі-іке characters that will sit in place of your icon on your GamerCard, be useable in games, and act as your online persona. Also being considered is a Singstar-esque singing game called Lips that features two wireless mics, 30 songs, and an online store. If that’s not enough, you can also use your own CDs and have the game reduce the vocals so you can sing along. Got some insider info? Email us at loosetalk@gameinformer.com and we'll be all ears. Test Your Sight Jack Wade may look like an imitation of a third-rate Baldwin brother, but he's actually worth something As the star of this game, Wade is a bounty hunter who wakes up in the near future with amnesia. He soon gets back to taking cases, and the gameplay is split ир among action, stealth, and motorcycle sequences. The game also includes some nice touches like stealth kills, puzzles, and a good variety of weapons. This title originally came out on Dreamcast (and included some story-driving FMVs), and a port was created for the PS2. Unfortunately its sequel was less well received than the original (Answer on page 21) 20 GAME INFORMER GOING BEYOND GOOD & EVIL UBISOFT FRANCHISE RETURNS FOR SEQUEL UNLIMITED ENABLED A NEWCONMER'S GUIDE TO VIDEO GAME MUSIC In our first two installments, we explored original game soundtracks and the gaming cover bands that riff off of those themes. This month, we delve deeper and take a segment of this ever-growing group of artists. Hundreds of musicians now remix existing game music, and much of their work is available free on the Internet. To get a comprehensive look at this thriving community, we spoke with David Lloyd, better known to many as djpretzel. Lloyd runs one of the most respected and comprehen- sive video game music sites online, OverClocked ReMix (www.ocremix.org). We asked him about some of the specifics of the site, and what's exciting about the remix scene : right now. To read the full text of our interview, check out this month’s Unlimited sec- tion at www.gameinformer.com. What can folks expect to find at your web- site, OverClocked ReMix? First off, everything's free — registering for the forums, downloading the MP3s, and we've also got a free BitTorrent distribution if you want to grab everything all at once. | think most initial visitors will want to see if their favorite game has any mixes. So, for example, if you're into Mega Man X for SNES, you could search for mixes of that game and at the moment you'd get 14 tracks. We've got Zelda jazz, Final Fantasy techno, Castlevania metal — you name it. How do you decide what pieces of music to post on the site? We feel like the best way to honor game com- posers and their work is through interpretation, not just performance. We feel like arranging this music shows how flexible and powerful it truly is. To ensure that this standard is upheld, and to free up some of my time for improving/develop- ing the site, we started a judge's panel of about 10 people, usually ReMixers themselves, to vote on submissions. Are there challenges or concerns about copyright that you ever have to deal with when working on remixes? In over seven years, we've never received any legal threats, cease & desist letters, or anything of that nature. Knock on wood! Seriously, though, we are very careful to never charge for the music itself or make profit through its distribu- tion. Basically, the only money we make is from shirt sales, donations, and advertisements, and that barely covers the cost of hosting the site in the first place, so if anyone ever sued us, they wouldn't get much. Really, it's not much different from fan art or fan fiction, both of which most game companies have realized is really just free advertising for their products. We hear you're doing some cool stuff with the Street Fighter franchise right now. Can you tell us about that? We're making history! A while ago we released an album of ReMixes from Super Street Fighter Il called Blood on the Asphalt — you can check it out at http://sf2.ocremix.org. Anyways, Capcom liked it quite a bit and contacted us about using some of the tracks in their upcoming remake for XBLA and PSN, Super Street Fighter ዘ Turbo HD Remix. So of course we said yes, and actually ended up doing the entire remixed soundtrack for : the game, with some new pieces being created in addition to modified versions of tracks from the Blood on the Asphalt album. As far as we know, this is the first time a major game company has reached out to the game remixing community and used their arrangements in a major game title, and we're proud that OverClocked ReMix was involved. PART 3 OF 3 ፡ What You'll Find On ፡ OverClocked ReMix look at the wider world of video game remixing. Live cover band acts are only a small : ; * Over 1,500 Remixes, all available for free download 1 + 513 ReMix artists : * Information about creating your own remixes : * Interviews with ReMix artists and original com- posers : * Over 150,000 fellow visitors every month : Other Recommended : Sites : + Remix.Kwed.Org (http://remix.kwed.org/) Great remixes of Commodore 64 games Dwelling of Duels (http://dod.vgmix.com/) Game arrangement competition site with an emphasis on live perfor- mances & musicianship, featuring some amazing rock/metal pieces SquareSound (http://www.square- sound.com/) Extensive resource for fans of Square music, with fan arrangements, album info, and frequent competitions VG Frequency (http://www.vgfrequen- cy.com/) Blog covering the VGM fan remixing/arrange- ment scene, with news, links & editorials ‚ААА А ААА ААА ТОР FIVES Favorites From Industry Pros And СІ Readers እ DEVELOPER | BRANDON JAMES | Owner/President Nerve Software (Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Xbox 360) 1 M.U.LE. - Atari 400 2 Doom - PC 3 X-Com: UFO Defense - PC 4 Rez - PS2 5 Ico - PS2 READER RAMON JOHNSON Tuscon, AZ 1 Super Street Fighter II - Genesis 2 Otogi: Myth of Demons - Xbox 3 Super Smash Bros. - N64 4 Resident Evil 4 - PS2 5 Red Dead Revolver - Xbox Send Top Fives and a photo of yourself to: Game Informer Magazine/Top Five 724 N Ist St 4th Fl Minneapolis, MN 55401-9022 email: topfive@gameinformer.com (attach digital picture) TOP TEN Lists...Everybody Loves Lists... Top 10 Things Bryan Shouted Playing Cliffhanger On Sega CD 10 How dare they make me hold a controller like this! 3 You've just got to do tiny jumps... ARG! Even those don't work! 8 Стоп! Dynamite and snow farts!? 7 Aww! | clocked my face on the top of the triangle! 6 The way the graphics are... you can't... you... [trails off] 5 What? Cave?! Health?! I'm only half way? 4 What the f— is this?! You can't even see him. | don't even know what to do. 3 | hit the button! You heard me hit it! 2 The whisker forest is what gets me. | made it through a hundred feet of this s—, and now it's all going down the crapper! 1 It just keeps going! For-ev-er! Name That Game Answer: Headhunter GAME INFORMER 21 connect BLUE IN THE FACE I's been over а year and a half since Sony launched its PS3 and it still hasn't released an official Bluetooth headset. Whats a trash-talking, Internet-ready gamer to do? We round up some of the best third-party Bluetooth headsets and run them through the gauntlet to see which one deserves your hard-earned green. 1: Datel Bluetooth Wireless Headset Pro: The Datel's one-hour charge time got us right into the gaming action, and it sounds good. Plus the price is nice. Con: The short charge comes at the cost of a six-hour bat- tery life. Add in the dysfunctional button layout, poor mic quality, and an earpiece that sits loosely on your head, and you have a set for cheapskates only. $39.99 * www.codejunkies.com 4: Motorola Motopure HI 2 (uue 0000000000] Pro: Motorola's offering comes with two slick rechargeable magnetic bases. The set looks smart, is super small, and has a great noise reduction mic. It's also so comfortable it's almost nonexistent. Con: Considering the H12's price, we expected more from the unit's sometimes-fuzzy audio and six-hour talk time. $119.99 * www.motorola.com 22 GAME INFORMER 2: Logitech Cordless Vantage CHNEIIIIIIITD Pro: The Vantage knows what is most important in a headset: crisp, dear sound and a decent noise-canceling mic. Over twelve hours of game time isn't bad, either. Con: The volume knob could be sturdier, and its odd head- band design not only feels a little flimsy, but sometimes makes the earpiece slide around. Plus the unit's bulk runs counter to the standard "small and sleek" Bluetooth philosophy. $79.99 ° www.logitech.com 5: PDP Melal Gear Headset (u 0000000000] Pro: This set's eight-hour battery life and decent sound repro- duction are nice, but its best feature is hard to beat: It makes you look like the video game industry's oldest badass. Con: Snake's headset would have scored far better if it weren't for the terrible mic pickup that makes you sound like one of the adults from a Charlie Brown cartoon. $59.99 * www.pdp.com 3: Mad Catz Bluetooth Headset lat 0000000000) Pro: Mad Catz's set is basically а good speaker in a small package that fits easily over the ear. It's so lightweight that it's hardly noticeable. Con: This set's biggest fault is the earpiece, which sits a little high on the ear and isn't easily adjustable. Considering the competition, barely more than five hours of game time isn't good. $50.99 - www.madcatz.com Б: Plantronics Voyager 520 ::፲፲፲፲፲፲፲፲ን Pro: The voyager wins with the headset trifecta of comfort, solid noise reduction, and good audio output. The eight-hour talk time is reasonable and it even comes packaged with multiple charge options. Con: On top of being a little large, this unit also isn't very styl- ish. The max volume might be a little low for some people, and its finicky volume nub sometimes slides off your finger. $99.95 * www.plantronics.com дауа ARTFX THEATER INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK STATUE If you are like us, then you likely felt nostalgic after seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Well, what better way is there to assuage nostalgia than by throwing money at the property's creators? Our sugges- tion is this beautiful new ArtFX statue taken from what is likely the most iconic scene from any of the films. $131.99 * www.entertainmentearth.com | etr | Wii FIT BATTERIES Is your Wii Fit board running out of juice before you do? Don't slack off just because you don't want to bike to the store and pick up batteries; a couple of options are out there to help keep your Wii Fit board running. While the Intec unit has a longer battery life, with almost 40 hours of charge time (opposed to Nyko's 30), the Nyko brand has the advantage of a longer power cord and an adjustable AC jack, making it easier to recharge while you play. $19.99 * www.nyko.com $19.99 ° www.inteclink.com ERY PACK ^ BATTE amor memet echar: ега ኑ $ Вос geable Ва 4 የ | Em TS media shelf Spaced: The Complete Series Before Simon Pegg was making cinematic hilar- ity with movies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz he was making small screen hilarity on the BBC. Spaced, a sitcom about two twenty- somethings trying to survive life in a London flat, is available for the first time here in the States. $59.00 * www.bbcamericanshop.com Robot Chicken: STAR WARS Adult Swim's stop-motion show that holds nothing sacred took on Star Wars with a half- hour special, and it's finally coming to DVD. Check out our interview with series creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich in our Unlimited section this month. $14.97 * www.williamsstreet.com ж, “BATMAN ceni s ad Batman: Gotham Knight Animatrix style, Gotham Knight features six ani- mated vignettes about DC's coolest superhero. This collection boasts stunning artwork from some of the industry's top studios and the writ- ing talents of Josh Olson (A History of Violence), David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series), and award- winning comic scribes Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello. Check out our interview with producer Bruce Timm in this month's Unlimited section. $34.99 * www.warnervideo.com/batman- gothamknight GAME INFORMER 23 connect opinion STEVE SCHNUR WORLDWIDE EXECUTIVE OF MUSIC getting a piece of the action, but about music being a piece of the action itself. ር л = Е Е о D ጩ ሠ сл [= ወ о ፎ ረው ፎ e 79 = ጩ a = ሠ Е іл — fo o ርጋ ፦ 24 САМЕ ІМҒОКМЕК CHANGING OUR TUNE, CHANGING THE GAME: MUSIC, MARKETING & THE REALITIES OF THE NEW INDUSTRY PARADIGM n 1926, the General Mills Corporation cre- ated the first commercial jingle, a song called "Have You Tried Wheaties?” sung by four male vocalists live on a Minneapolis radio | station. Within a week, the company's ad E manager realized that 30,000 of the 53,000 cases sold nationwide had been bought in the Minneapolis market. General Mills soon went nation- al with the act that had become known as "The Wheaties Quartet" The move single-handedly saved one of America's most enduring brands, invented direct marketing, and launched the first-ever radio hit to sing about the joys of fiber. In 1971, Coca-Cola premiered their latest global ad campaign built around a brand new jingle. Immediately, listeners began to call radio stations requesting to hear the commercial again and again. Within weeks, “I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" was recorded by two separate pop acts and quickly became a Top 10 hit around the world. The spot itself was recently voted the #1 television commer- cial of all time. If you're over 40, you probably still remember every word. In 2005, Disney began actively promoting a child star named Miley Cyrus - aka. Hannah Montana — across Disney-owned platforms that included The Disney Channel, Radio Disney, Disney theme parks, Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records and a fashion line via Disney Consumer Products. Following her sold-out 70-date live concert tour last year, Walt Disney Pictures released the Disney Digital 3D concert movie Best Of Both Worlds. It grossed 851 million in its first week on just 683 screens. The point is this: Music has always sold product, whether it was war bonds, Elvis movies, Chevy trucks, or presidential candidates. Conversely, product has always sold music, be it gramophones, Top 40 radio, iPods, or a Sims ringtone. But for nearly a century, recorded music had been the proprietary realm of a traditional record business. Today, the bad news is that the traditional record business is dead. The good news is that the traditional record busi- |: ness is dead. And with terrestrial radio and television becoming as marginalized as CD sales, a worldwide consumer base will now turn to the only growth media that matters. When | was a teenager, “interactive music” meant using my Allman Brothers’ Live At The Fillmore East album to clean my weed. But the teens of today are the first generation to have fully grown up with digital technology, That means they've never known a world without computers, Internet, or cell phones. The Digital Generation is now 88 million strong and growing, and they can't imagine their lives without video games. Music video first appeared in 1981, and since then an entire generation has been raised with an expec- tation of visuals attached to audio. When | was work- ing at MTV during its formative years, | remember attending a focus group in which a 15-year-old was asked about videos compared to songs on the radio. His comment back was, “А song only becomes real to me when | see it" | still think about the implica- tions of that kid's statement. You should, too. We are now continuing a trend already in motion for 20-plus years, a trend already indelibly ingrained in future generations. These are generations raised on video games as a major entertainment source in their lives. For these generations, the song may only become real to them when they play it. And if you want to experience the ultimate convergence of music and videogames first-hand, | urge you to play Rock Band with a 12-year-old. This may be the best time in the history of the industry for new music to get mainstream exposure via video games. A recent poll of core gamers ages 13 to 32 revealed that 55 percent of them leamed about a new artist after hearing a song in a video game. Over one third downloaded a song because they heard it in a game. More than 20 percent pur- chased that artist's CD. Now consider that an average of 2.5 people play each game sold. That game is then played an average of 50 hours per player. On the game software, songs rotate and are identified on screen at least twice per hour of play. Our Madden NFL 08 game sold more than 7 million units. That means that any given song in that game was heard and identified more than one billion times. According to a recent Nielsen Soundscan study, for the first time last year nearly half the teenag- ers in America bought no CDs whatsoever. And despite NARAS' sincere but misguided "Just Say No" approach to P2P, consumers overall paid for less than 42 percent of the music they obtained. However, we also live in a world where MySpace delivers new pop stars, Rock Band can single- handedly revitalize the Molly Hatchet catalogue, and iTunes has now surpassed Wal-Mart as the number one music retailer in America. Though the busi- ness has evolved, music itself will always create an emotional connection with the listener. That emo- tional connection will always drive product desire, whether it be a song on Grey's Anatomy, or a track on Madden 09. Today's new paradigm is no longer about music getting a piece of the action, but about music being a piece of the action itself. The re-think surrounding global digital entertain- ment starts now: The video game industry can — and should — assume the responsibility for a new music model that proactively encourages fair use, creative freedom, and financial opportunity for artists, developers, and gamers alike. As the age of music customization fast approaches, our solutions across all platforms should be as innovative as the games themselves. And as the world of iPhone 3G 2, Wii 3, PlayStation 4, and the Xbox 5000 dawns on the horizon, our technology needs to evolve hand-in- hand with integrity. From this point on, music must always enhance the video game experience and vice versa. And though partnership is key, the new para- digm is ours to create. The future of both the music and video game industries depends on it. ፪፪ ፪፪ ፪፪ 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. / DOES BEING IN THE ZONE 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. COM/CO/GaMiNG ፡፡ connect С >. A {то А. АА... 46 п 0444 ፡፡ 4664 -- መ Ц “ዘሪ” E QU ct = ААА NEW RELEASES “Тһе Cheetah Girls 3 - DS * Hanna Montana: Spotlight World Tour - PS2 * Highlander - PS3, 360, PC * Little League World Series - Wii, DS * Monster Madness: Grave Danger - PS3 * Vampire Rain: Altered Species -፻53 WETA DALEK STATUE Ав people debate over who they think the final Cylon is (spoiler: it's the person you least expect), Doctor Who continues to deliver some of the greatest science fic- tion we've ever seen. This statue of the Doctor's oldest foe 5 sculpted by Weta and will be lim- ited to just 900 units worldwide. It will cost you а pretty penny at $330 dollars, but is unquestion- any Who fan's collection. Cr ably the ultimate prize for • | movie tell us a lot about who Today, theatergoers flock in E record numbers to see The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The two leads of this you are. If you dig Jet Li, we won't punch you. However, if Brendan Fraser is more your style, prepare for a beating, loser! Endino Man sucked! The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor — 08/02 NEW RELEASES + Bangai O Spirits - DS * Bratz Ponyz 2 - DS * Brave: A Warrior's Tale - 360, Wii, PSP * Madden NFL 09 — PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, PC * N+- PSP, DS * Rollin’ Rascals - DS * Shaman's Challenge - DS * Smash Court Tennis 3 - 360 * South Park: Season 11 - DVD. * Too Human - 360 + World of Warcraft Atlas 2nd Edition VALKYRIE PROFILE STATUE For roughly the same price as а gallon of gas ($459.99), this amazingly detailed statue can be yours. It stands 17 inches tall (just a few shy of Joe "Hobbit" Juba's actual height), and is made of polystone. it's been available for import for a while, but it should be rolling into your comic shops this month. NEW RELEASES * Brothers in Arms: Double Time - Wii * Commando Steel Disaster -DS * Dexter: Season 2 - DVD * Rebel Raiders — Wii * Samba De Amigo - Wii | + Space Siege - РС * Suzuki Superbikes - DS + Tales of Vesperia - 360 * Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronides - DVD Mercenaries 2: World in Flames — 08/31 NEW RELEASES * Bleach: Dark Souls - DS * Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway - PS3, 360, РС. * Entourage: Season 4 – DVD. + Red Bull BC One - DS * The Sims: Apartment Ше - PC * Tiger Woods 09 - PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PSP Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway — 08/26 If you've seen Adam Sandler, Will Farrell, and Mike Myer's new films, you know that Seth Rogen is the only funny man left in Hollywood. The opening | of his new stoner comedy, Pineapple Express, will likely bring а new smell to theaters today. Bring your own, dudes! The only movie you should actually see this month, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, takes place between Episodes II and Ill. This film apparently delves into the back-story of Jabba 1 ፲ the Hutt. Haven't you always wanted to know how he and Salacious Crumb met? Thank you, George Lucas!!! Do you need something to watch between gaming ses- sions? Here аге our top picks for TV shows on DVD. * Dexter * Battlestar Galactica * Six Feet Under * Freaks & Geeks • It's Always Sunny in MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING МІС Pro Circuit hits the Toronto Convention Center for three days. Seasoned pros will put their skills to the test in Halo 3, Gears of War, and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Over $60,000 in cash prizes will be rewarded to the victors. A number of Philadelphia - Heroes (Season Vor) стал events will be available | * The Wire + Farscape * Buffy the Vampire Slayer * Weeds Remember Vin Diesel? He was the guy who was in Pitch Black, its crappy sequel, and some babysitting movies. He found another job! To much surprise, he stars in the promising action film, Babylon A.D. Wait... Babylon has the word “baby” init Sigh. Here we go again. WE ALL HAVES OUR DEMONS ag” AIS АВЕ JUST > RABIT MORE OBVIOUS Available june 24, 2008 [570701051 Blood and Gore Mild Language Violence ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.estb.org Available for the PLAYSTATION@3 ው computer entertainment system and the ж ) 360 KONAMI PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system ቃ www.konami.com Hellboy™ Software © 2008 Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. KONAMI is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. Motion Picture © 2004 Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Hellboy is a trademark of Revolution Studios Distribution Company. LLC and is used under license by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed by KROME STUDIOS. KROME STUDIOS and the Krome Studios logo are trademarks of Krome Studios Pty Ltd. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation”, "PLAYSTATION", "PS" Family logo and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PSP' system Memory Stick Duo may be required (sold separately). The rating icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. 28 GAME INFORMER ነቀ %-а - 2 cover story PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (MULTIPLAYER TBA) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER RAVEN SOFTWARE/ID SOFTWARE > RELEASE TBA Woile Allied forces nayd | the Nazi war machine less 14 War is at its height. "з Third Reich, the Führer demands nothing (ог SSjeand@its plan The Second Wor а the expansion of Hitler Europe. However, Heinrich Himmisr’s feared Schutzstaffel в tne Black Sun. With this nysterious power Source ne Reich's path. No argy put the бал жоо disposal, no army on Earth could stand in t gram and thwarted the resurrection of res the pîrtir > je-handedly shut down Himmler's Übersoldat pro Heinrich I, tnat 18; Once again, the world requi ዞፍ” stalle | still nas its boot on the throat of mainland than global domination. Enter o master an occult force known only & usient supernuman king nts of special agent B.J. Blazkowicz. ዳ 2. Іп 1992 the begi shooting small feat, id Software's st has endured countless tech FPS paradigm shifts. 2001's franchise, retelling the saga of heroic Army Кап) his exploits foiling sinister Nazi plots. Today, develope! continues the tale under the simple moniker Wolfenstein. 4 With a history of working with id’s technology and franchises - notably in the Hexen series, Jedi Knight ll, and Quake 4 — Raven is a trusted name in FPS circles. Even so, Wolfenstein ranks as опе of. the studio's most ambitious projects to date. The previous two games 9 dabbled in the occult, but Wolfenstein embraces it with relish, BJ. has access to powers far beyond a Panzerfaust ог Tommy gun (though those have their place in combat as well), and faces threats that require ingenious use of both. As id Software executive producer Kevin Cloud puts it, “Мете) taking these dark fantasies the Nazis had and bringing | them to Ме” 2 Wolfenstein finds BJ. working alongside insurgents in the fictional German city of Isenstadt. This Nazi-occupied burg is the game's primary setting and, like a real city, is filled with back alleys, accessible sewers,” and traversable rooftops. Rather than following the linear structure that most action-oriented FPSs cleave to, Wolfenstein allows players to explore the city at their leisure — though the threat of hostile Nazis lurks around every corner. Most areas are accessible via several different routes, and Isenstadt features plenty of hidden treasure and secret areas to find. The meat of the adventure, however, 5 in the missions that BJ. can obtain from the resistance safehouses that pepper the city. Thwarting Nazi schemes takes many forms. Some quests will have players traveling within Isenstadt itself, never seeing а loading screen. Others send you to separate mission-specific areas. As you progress, new sections of the city will open up and grant access to more adven- tures and places to explore. However, Isenstadt itself evolves along with you. Both set-piece and randomly generated Nazi activity will impede tum, which Raven hopes will immerse players in the experience fighter behind enemy lines. “This is 8 Nazi-occupied city, а to send reinforcements. So there's always going to be fighti Raven's creative director Eric Biessman. " do some exploration, and ем This open approach to designing Isenstad practice. In addition to showing 05 а few missions, Raven went Gum f REF ИШ HU ДЫШ. 624 m NET em impassable 30 GAME INFORMER - Se cover story 4 j А >. ከ j ፳ Blast through this Nazi = i N i find another Sel | Е Хы; Played through those Scenarios multiple times, each time taking а different path and encoüntering new challenges. It's Very telling that a title with no Set release date already has its key Concepts implemented and Tunning in-game. Taking down Axis Soldiers wi [For example], if you kill ‘t react as well” ШШІШІШІШІ 7568 / ^5 | GAME INFORMER. 31 ፳ The chaos within the Shroud is palpable This being an alternate-history WWII in which the Reich's obsession with the occult is paying all-too- real dividends, ві. will face challenges far more deadly than mere ten-to-one odds against trained soldiers. Himmler's 55 has found a way to hamess the energy source they call "Black Sun,” and though their understanding of it is still limited, impossibly dangerous application are already in service. "They know it's a superpower, and they know tha they can just use it to its full advantage, they can tum the tide of the war, Biessman notes. Black Sun draws its energy from a dimension dubbed the Shroud, an alte nate reality that overlays our own. "We love the occult and the weird science and what we сап до with that, so we decided to push it even more, and that's how we came up with the Shroud. It's the window into all the occult stuff for BJ," Biessman states. At some point during his quest (Raven wasn't forthcorning with the details), BJ. gains the ability to enter and manipulate this enigmatic realm. ‘As he shifts into the Shroud, the world tak Ci ifferent aspect The light changes to an eldritch greenish hue, and raging chaos surrounds our ` hiero. Shingles fly off of roofs. Loose stones and trash whirl skyward from a flat surface. A howling maelstrom dominates the sky, sucking the detritus up to an unknown fate. Monstrous creatures appear, threatening B-J. with torments beyond mortal comprehension. However, this terrible realm is not without its advantages. Тһе Shroud has many effects beyond its impressive graphical flair. BJ. moves faster, and Raven hinted at other possible differences in the way the world works. More importantly, BJ. has access to several powers while in the Shroud. We were only shown one ~ Mire [see idebar, page 35] — but even this single ability fundamentally changes the gameplay. By slowing time and stunning nearby foes, a single touch of a button turns unavoidable death into certain victory. A recharging meter constrains the use of these powers (though OMEN se cover story The Havok physics- enabled destruction is iN undeniably amusing BJ. can enter and leave the Shtoud at biggest limiting factor, ፦ Cloud notes, “А the game progres More and more disrupted by the Nazi - [increasingly] violent and hosti ity floats around collecting er appear on the ground in the. S but shooting one that has filled torrent that fries any nearby people help than hindrance, you'll enco shadow realm later in the gam Another aspect of the Shroud passable while shifted, Clever a unlock alternate paths to their goals, but of the Shroud aren't used in n game; it's about fighting Nazis s and dis neve, things" Biessman explains, "s explo ion and di Ty, and the Shroud is part of that, What you see in the Shroud is different than what you see in reality, зб ме сап open all these other doors” He 4 mo Weird science also pl Ys a large part in Wolfenstein's the jetpack-riding Nazis wielding chainguns we saw can attest. W didn't get a glimpse of any more bizarre pseudo-science beyond | that, but Raven’s intention intai 1 x l focus on story is hired a whole new Im in order to raise the level of Wolfenstein's | № Raven insists that all three platforms - PS3, 360, and ዞር - will be functionally identical when they release together on the same day storytelling. Every element of the design pushes їп that direction, from the open structure of Isenstadt to the development of B.J's powers and the evolution of the enemies you face. All of these elements come together to create a sense of progression throughout the guest. As you get deeper into the story and closer to the Black Sun project's heart, several things happen. The rank-and-file Nazis will give way to tougher, elite troops. The Shroud will become more dangetous as nastier creatures begin appearing. BJ. will gain New supernatural powers and deadlier weapons. This is all standard fare for а first person shooter, but Wolfenstein will also allow players to upgrade their capabilities via treasure. Raven was unwilling to discuss the details, but the developer did reveal that both Shroud powers and weapons can be improved by giving the stolen Nazi gold you liberate to certain NPCs. Whether this will be for all weapons or just special guns like the particle beam, and if you'll be.able to upgrade basic abilities like health and run speed, is still unknown. Even so, it's an exciting addition that offers a more tangible reward to seeking out hidden rooms and taking on sidequests. 34 GAMEINFORMER т Good luck hitting those shoulder canisters without the help of Mire BEYOND IHE: One storyline mission we вам has B.J. assisting а squad of resistance flghters attempting to reach a massive Shroud-related machine the Nazis have activated. Unfortunately, the bad guys have set up a killing ground іп the courtyard chokepoint, with»two MG-42 emplaced machine guns laying deadly flelds of fire across the only way past. The resistance forces are pinned down and unable to advance, and the situation seems hopeless — but not to B.J. Blazkowicz. As he enters the courtyard, B.J. shifts into the Shroud and activates his Mire power, stunning nearby Nazis and slowing time around nim. Dodging the many streams of enemy fire becomes trivial, and B.J. casually lands a few headshots аз he strolls to a pile of rubble across the way. His Mire power fading, B.J. finds cover against the second-story wall of the church as he involuntarily shifts back into the real world. After nis power recharges, B.J. slides back into the Shroud to find that the glyph-marked wall before nim is nonexistent within the alternate dimension. Quickly dispatching the oblivious Nazis, our hero steps through the now-open wall and beyond the MG-42s' lines of fire. He easily fignts his way to the entrance of the machine gun nests and clears the way for his Kreisau Circle compatriots. ۷ Б EE a № 8.5 resistance allies meet ап astonishing variety of gruesome ends ም d se cover story т 3l መ" With the resistance fighters’ assistance, B.J. opens the door beyond the courtyard. The machine is near; strange sounds make their way through the next set of walls. All of a sudden, one of those barriers crumbles and hardened soldiers start screaming. А larger-than-life juggernaut bearing the symbol of the Reich comes into view, scything through B.J.'s allies with some kind of green beam. The Kreisau fighters stand no chance, melting as the mysterious weapon's fire hits them. Bullets are no use. Grenades are no better; this super-soldier shrugs off every attack thrown at him. B.J. has a few more tricks, though. He shifts into the Shroud, stuns the super-Nazi with a burst of nis Nire power, and shatters the capacitor-like tubes coming off of nis back with a few well-placed shots. The juggernaut futilely clutches at his power-suit's armor source before exploding into dust, leaving only his weapon and a green smear as notes of his existence. Picking up the weapon, B.J. sets off in the sinister machine's direction, encountering Wehrmacht soldiers who fare no better against the particle Ъеаш'з assault than his former Kreisau friends, GAME INFORMER 35 Wolfenstein's events are fictional, but are inspired by the reality of the Nazi regime. Below are a few examples of elements that appear both in the real world and the game. Kreisau Circle REALITY: Centered around the estate of a German nobleman who opposed the Nazis, this resistance group was primarily concerned with dreaming up a peaceful post-Hitler government. Though the Kreisau Circle passed some intelligence to Allied forces, it was never actively involved in trying to overthrow the Nazis from within. GAME: The Circle is an extensive resistance network of paramilitary fighters and informants that aids and abets B.J. in his exploits. Their mortality rate is not to be envied. Thule Society REALITY; A quasi-mystical group, similar to Freemasons, that dabbled in politics and played a part in Hitler's early rise to power. The Thule Society was largely toothless once the Nazi party took control of Germany, and Hitler later formally disavowed them as Fuhrer. GAME; A powerful sect of Nazis who discover the Black Sun and are deeply entangled in the Reich's paranormal research efforts. Black Sun REALITY: A symbol embossed on the floor of the Wewelsburg castle, which Himmler used as a nerve center for the SS. It featured prominently in Himmler's obsession with occultism and symbolized his fantasy of forming the SS in the image of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. GAME; A limitless energy source that the Nazis are hell-bent on manipulating toward their own nefarious ends. 36 GAME INFORMER W Raven wouldn't say much about multiplayer, other than that there won't be co-op and that it'll follow in the footsteps of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory ፈም ላ ፡ cover story ~ ፳ The particle beam di any unfortunate soul it touches Continued from Page 34 There are many questions about the game left Unanswered , but this fist glimpse is more than enough to spark interest in this supernatural thriller. With several departures from FPS tradition layered around 8 solid core combat mechanic, Wolfenstein aims to be anything but another breezy action FPS, and Raven's triple-A pedigree lends credibility to its many claims. However much truth there may or. may not be to the many occult conspiracy theories about Himmler and the SS, exploring this dark fantasy promises to be a gripping adventure. As with any title id'Software is involved in, there is no release date yet set for Wolfenstein — but a wise person wouldn't expect it out this year. ШШШ GAME INFORMER 37 We 5 Rock & Roll ፤ All Night With Few games capture the imagination like Rock Band. For months now we've been banging drums, strumming gui- tars, and screaming into microphones. For some of us, it’s hard to count the parties in the last year that have eventually - devolved into hysterical fits of laughing and sing- ing along as notes stream down the screen. Musical novices have put in end- less hours while evolving into drumming maniacs. Thousands of imaginary bands have formed. Millions of songs have been downloaded. Rock Band is a phenomenon. When we learned of the sequel, which is surpris- | near completion, was only one thing 1 We tracked down the game, grabbed our instruments, and played _ until Harmonix tore the msticks from our tired, hing hands. Joss, Something Old, Something New Rock Band 2 is an evolving game platform as much as it is a sequel to one of last year's biggest hits; this isn't a profound departure from the successes of part one. Harmonix knows what it did right, and those elements are still very much in place. Tracks still scroll down the screen in the same way. Visuals still highlight characters you've built from scratch. A tour mode still sends you roaming across cities to new venues as you build a fan base and rock to the top. Perhaps most exciting, you'll still be downloading and playing an astonishing array of new tracks as each week passes, whether you're only starting with the sequel or you've been building your library since last year. Every song on your hard drive from the first game is immediately available for play in Rock Band 2, and subsequent songs throughout the fall and into next year will be playable on either game. For those keeping score, that's going to be literally hundreds of tracks in an ever-growing catalogue. Harmonix also recognizes what it did wrong in the first game, or at least the places in which there is room to improve. In these areas players are going to see a tide of innovations and changes. As we played, these adjustments were apparent from the moment we started navigating through menus. The front-end screen is clean and quick to respond to flicks of the guitar strummer. Right off the bat, we're surprised to see a simple "World Tour" mode highlighted and ready to play. We hop in and realize that the original straightforward progression of the solo tour has been axed. Instead, whether alone or with all four instruments in play, gamers can always partake of the full World Tour experience, including accruing fans and choosing gigs. From this hub you can play a solo guitar tour, try drums or singing, and for the first time, dive into a solo bass tour. Your band remains consistent, no matter how many players drop in and out. Your characters are also now interchangeable in their band positions. You like that cute goth girl with the glasses who you made to play drums? Now she can just as easily switch to guitar or any other instrument whenever you desire. The World Tour mode includes every one of the old cit- ies and venues from the first game, but now expands to include dozens more. You'll now actively hire new employees to help out with the band. You may wish to shell out for the ini- tial expenditure to get a merch girl for your shows, with the knowl- edge that her presence will eventually deliver way more cash than what you paid to hire her. If the slow crawl through international cities isn't your thing, you can opt for the tour challenges. These events, which involve anything from a particular decade-focused set list to an individual „=. artist challenge, get more challenging as you prog- ress. The coolest aspect of this mode is that it repopulates with new tasks as you download additional DLC - the game automatically rec- ognizes new music and creates challenges around the new content. У XBOX 360 | PLAYSTATION 3 | PLAYSTATION 2 | Wii > STYLE 1 ТО 4-PLAYER MUSIC (UP ТО 4-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER MTV GAMES/ELECTRONIC ARTS > DEVELOPER HARMONIX > RELEASE FALL 2 GAME INFORMER 39 As we tested the expanded character creator (there are new faces, costumes, and acces- sories like facial piercings and bandannas) something amazing happened — we were all logged in and nobody was accidentally backing out to the main menu. We've all heard stories about the horrific menu navigations of inebri- ated partygoers who refuse to stop banging on buttons. Rock Band 2 makes the problem moot by sensibly reorganizing the character selection screen, By setting the Start button as the primary input to progress once everyone has logged in, even the most frantic enthusiasts shouldn't anger their bandmates as they "tune" their instruments. Alternately, in the redesigned Quickplay mode, a number of great-looking pre-fab characters are available to choose as soon as you buy the game. Each one is decked out to the teeth, and gives an option for players to hop into the game without having to spend five minutes boring everyone else as they cre- ate their character. Breezing past the start up menu, we found ourselves in the brand new track choice screen. Between the dozens of new songs № Fail mode can be enabled in the Options menu, assuring you can play through songs with beginners to the very end, without fear of getting booed off stage , BOGE SPA on the disc and the potentially hundreds of downloadable tracks you may have even on launch day, a reorganization was in order. The new song selection cribs a lot of the best ideas from the recently released Music Store for the first game. When you stop on each track, you can see album details, the album artwork, as well as a complete run- down of how difficult each instrument will be on that song. Hold down the yellow but: ton (or the bass drum pedal) and you can scroll through categories to get to where you want. For instance, if you're sorting by band names, you'll be able to jump straight to “J” for Journey, or "D" for Dream Theater. For the first time, you can also create set lists, so you can play straight through without a break. These set lists can be just a couple of songs, or enough to keep you playing for hours. Furthermore, a few button presses enables an auto set list creation, where you play a gig that includes all the songs from one band, every song in the "Impossible" difficulty, or each thrash metal track in your collection. 5 feature Playing It Up — nated solo fines сему Of course, we didn't spend the entire day star- instrument in ing at menus. The cheer-inducing new songs instead of jos on the disc kept us busy for one replay after another. Highlights? Think about that driving acoustic guitar riff at the beginning of The Who's “Pinball Wizard.” Wait until you try Taylor Hawkin's insanely fast drum rolls in the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.” Perhaps you fancy yourself enough of a singer to tackle the soaring vocals of Journey's “Any Way You Want It” Or, for a real laugh, do what we did. Take your best friends and give Dream Theater a try on Expert with a full band. Let us know how that turns out. The new songs deliver where it counts. While dozens more will be announced in the coming months, the initial release reveals a concerted effort to meet demands from fans for heretofore unseen acts in a music т Short Term Exclusive game, like System of a Down and |. , i ж | Elvis Costello. At the same time, пре staples like Foo Fighters and the ነ መጻ. Н Red Hot Chili Peppers show ир 25d о owing ጫ with tracks we've wanted to play ou aslightiy е since the very first Guitar Него. Жу ተም t 5 5 While many of the online fea- እ ድር tures weren't ready for play, that Rock euer. i fe: Sate 2 2 didn’t prevent us from wandering P sively to Xbox through the options to see what oe ር ፍ would eventually populate those has arranged for a fields. It's worth noting right off the bat that we'll all finally be able to play World Tour mode online, letting the band stay together even when everybody is home from college for the summer. We were also intrigued when we came across a feature entitled Battle of the Bands. These unique competitions will change and evolve every few days in real time. Rather than presenting simultane- ous head-to-head competitions between two onstage bands (not the most common of occurrences in the real world) Rock Band 2 offers distinct goals, and all the bands playing the game online will compete for the top spot. You'll start by trying to beat the scores of every- one on your Friends list. Like a local band finally breaking out into the national scene, you'll only ascend into competition against strangers once your band is оп top among your friends, During each challenge, a meter dictates how close you are to surpassing the next band up the list. In one battle we saw listed, bands compete for the highest multiplier over the longest time on a particular song. Listed next to the instructions was a countdown that revealed that only three days and eight hours remained before a winner would be declared. short window of exclu- i GAME INFORMER 41 E Character creation options have been expanded, and there will be all sorts of new clothing and accessories in which to deck out your rocker > The Details Strangely, the seemingly small additions to Rock Band offer the most excitement. The previously limited options in the Tutorials section now include a new selection entitled Drum Trainer. Here, novice percussionists can take what amounts to a full course in drum patterns and fills. A beats-per-minute meter sits on the left side, adjustable with a press up or down on the d-pad. Opposite it is a chart of a given drum pattern — one of 78 that you can switch between by ticking left or right on the pad. Used together, you can learn many of the most fundamental rhythms of rock, slowly easing up in speed and difficulty as you progress. Another section teaches the basics of creating realistic and exciting drum fills — a real godsend for anyone who has played the first game with a beginner. There's even а freestyle mode where you can drum away to your heart's content, just as if you had a real kit sitting there in the basement with you. For all of these modes, four unique drum kits are playable for variety — standard, trashy, roomy, 42 GAME INFORMER and electronic. Each one has its own unique set pieces and timbre. Another seemingly minor addition addresses one of the biggest problems that many users had with the original Rock Band. A much more user-friendly mechanic now awaits players who wish to manually calibrate lag for their complex HDTV and surround sound setups. Even better, the new Rock Band 2 guitars һауе а built in microphone, and a new fea- ture allows you to hold the guitar up to your speakers and let it calibrate lag automatically. There's also a brand new Jukebox mode. Especially for those of us with large libraries of music, sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy the music without playing along. You paid for it, right? This new mode allows you to establish a set list and watch what amounts to in-game music videos (minus the scrolling tracks) of any song in your library. It's not fair or apt to characterize Rock Band 2 85 the next dramatic leap forward for music games. For all its innovations and improve- ments, this is a sequel firmly grounded in the successful gameplay of its predecessor. At the same time, the inevitable critics are wrong to judge this new release as a retread. The Rock Band platform demands a different mindset than almost any other game out there, since all the new content pieces fit in side by side with the old. Your existing library of music isn't going to start over — it's going to continue to grow. Your hardware isn't going to become obsolete, but you'll have the chance to trade up to a better version. For our part, it's hard to argue with the hours in which half of the Game Informer office played Rock Band 2, delving into new songs, set lists, and game modes. Did it change everything we ever thought about Rock Band? No. Will it keep us playing for yet another year? You bet. The new drum pads are velocity sensitive, which should add a little more nuance to your fills Уч Se feature ፡ EC п 4 | 364, 485 ж We were blown away Бу some of the great choices found in this initial track lineup. The following songs will appear on the disc itself; DLC will also continue to release every week going forward. All of the fol lowing are master tracks performed by the original artist. “Асе of Spades” - Motorhead "Almost Easy" — Avenged Sevenfold “Any Way You Want It” — Journey “Bad Reputation” -- Joan Jett “Chop Suey" – System of a Down "Everlong" - Foo Fighters "Give It Away" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers “Hello There" - Cheap Trick "| Was Wrong" - Social Distortion “Kids in America" - The Muffs "Livin' on a Prayer" – Bon Jovi "Panic Attack" - Dream Theater "Pinball Wizard" - The Who "Pump It Up" — Elvis Costello "Rock ‘п Me" - Steve Miller Band "Testify" — Rage Against the Machine “White Wedding Pt I" — Billy Idol Tne New Instruments Whether you're getting into Rock Band for the first time or you're a dedicated player who wants to upgrade to the new Rock Band 2 instruments, the new tweaks are likely to please. The new guitar, which is still a Stratocaster, features an attractive sunburst body with a faux-maple wood finish on the neck. The strummer has been altered to feel less "squishy," and the fret buttons now make less noise. Meanwhile, the new drums have softer pads that should dramatically decrease the noise factor, and the metal-reinforced kick pedal accounts for over-enthusiastic stomp- ing. In addition, several new inputs on the main body drums allow for expansion slots. An additional purchase will get you a cymbal expansion that includes a crash, ride, and high hat, each tied to one of the existing colors. In this version of the game, those same-colored cymbals will just be an alternate input for one of the four pads. In future iterations, the cymbals could have unique functionality. The expansion slots also make the new.drums potentially compatible with sets from other games, presuming the companies allow cross- compatibility. If you're happy with your Rock Band 1 instruments, don't worry. Those will still work for either game. A couple amazing but expensive options will be available for those who really want to step The limited edition lon drum kit will be sold seperately for true aficionados, and it will convert to a real electronic set up. In the same vein as some earlier third-party peripherals, there will now be а first-party option for those who want the heft and size of a real guitar. Several real Fender Strats are being stripped and replaced with Rock Band internal parts, which will be sold in limited release. Even cooler is the partnership estab- lished with lon, a maker of real electronic drum kits. The brand new premium Rock Band drum set is fully adjustable and features amazing pads and cymbals. Even better, by unplugging the gamepad from the unit, we're told you'll be able to plug in a real drum brain and step up to an actual electronic set. 88 88 88 ርሻ ነም: SE ОР) ሥዕ и The photo creator will allow players to set facial expressions and poses, and then upload the image to rockband,com for printing to merchandise An exciting new feature is being imple- 4 / Ее mented for both Rock Band and its sequel ғ ኝ ነ a that will allow players to purchase custom- ж እ е ized, real world merch for their in-game [| / №“ band. Ап in-game photo creator lets you set fy ) C facial expressions and poses for your char- ኣኒ ( ] acter, add visual effects, and then upload to / ^ RockBand.com. From there, you'll be able to ኣ - қ ኛ = order everything from t-shirts and posters to = bumper stickers, all customized to feature “ your band's logo and images. If that's not enough for you, we also learned that you'll а ` soon be able to buy customized figures of Р \ your in-game rockers, not unlike the recent f World of Warcraft statues you may have “ heard about. Expansion slots for separately sold cymbals Velocity ' 1 sensitive pads Soft and bouncy - far less noise ос ат А ч, s c у Metal-reinforced ate qm S^. eet eo pedal ገወ. 9 V ee ts лье, oD ee lesen 44744: "Teen ee ath?” # ወ” የ Redesigned color scheme : 9 935, ^ ካ "d УТА ! М . b “መ. ore . » Less “squishy” Buttons don't strum bar click so loudly GAME INFORMER | MANUEL ያሪ///ያ/// VLLIMILE 1 THEY WIELD UNPRECEDENTED POWER, POS- SESSING THE MIGHT OF ENTIRE ARMIES WITHIN A SINGLE BODY. THAT IS WHY THEY ARE CALLED "SUPER." THEY'RE ALSO ICONS OF MORALITY. CHARACTERS WHO DISPLAY THE BEST TRAITS HUMANIT Y HAS TO OFFER — PERFECT EXAMPLES OF THE GREAT- NESS WE COULD ACHIEVE. IT’S WHY THEY ARE CALLED “HEROES.” BUT THEY DON'T ALWAYS FIGHT ALONE. WHEN THEY TEAM UP IT'S ALWAYS A TITANIC AFFAIR WOR- 46 GAME INFORMER ТНУ OF STANDALONE COMIC BOOK SERIES AND BLOCK- BUSTER FILMS. THE SUPERHERO DREAM TEAMS STILL HAVE PLENTY OF FERTILE GROUND TO COVER ІМ THE VIDEO GAME REALM, AND IT'S A THEME THAT VICARIOUS VISIONS HOPES TO MINE WITH THE NEXT ENTRY IN THE ULTIMATE ALLIANCE SERIES. AFTER ALL, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THESE GOD-LIKE BEINGS FUSED THEIR POW- ERS TOGETHER? WOULD ANY FORCE ON EARTH BE CAPABLE OF STANDING AGAINST THEM? OR WOULD THESE HEROES BECOME THEIR OWN WORST ENEMIES? se feature PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | Wii > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER ACTION/RPG (UP TO 4-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER VICARIOUS VISIONS > RELEASE 2009 In one of the missions we witnessed, Captain America and Iron Man ended up at odds with one another. This begs the question, “Will we be controlling two separate teams at some point?” | ^ Did you know: During the development of the first Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Captain America was one of the least popular characters until his shield throw move was implemented, at which point everyone on staff wanted to play as him The first Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was arguably the best comic book video game ever made (according to us anyway, read our top ten on p.15). It combined several top-tier characters from the pantheon of Marvel Comics with excellent action/RPG gameplay. Not surprisingly, it became one of those rare licensed titles that delivered both critically and commercially. Given its success, a sequel wasn't just inevitable, it was expected. But with series creator Raven busy working on other projects (see our Wolfenstein story on p. 28), who was there to take over the reins? How about the studio that owns the game's engine and was influential in the development of the first Ultimate Alliance? Vicarious Vision's involvement with the series dates back to 2003, when the team was working on a cart racing game using the Alchemy engine. When the company that owned Alchemy, Intrinsic Graphics, began having financial troubles, Vicarious Visions bought the engine outright and continued support- ing the technology on its own. One company that just happened to be using Alchemy at the time was Raven, which was in the middle of developing the very first X-Men Legends title. Over the years, the two companies developed a close working relationship, and when Raven's parent company Activision bought Vicarious Visions in 2005 the two companies became more closely linked than ever. "Now that Raven is in the same studio system with us, we visit each other," says creative director Dan Tanguay. "They have seen all our builds, they give us notes, tell us where they think we could improve things, and we take a look at some of their stuff sometimes. It's a pretty cool relationship" When Raven started working on the next-gen ver- sions for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Vicarious Visions was there, helping fine tune the engine for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 builds while also porting the game over to the PSP and Wii. "The benefit of having the Alchemy engine with us is that we prob- ably wouldn't have been able to innovate as much as we did otherwise," says producer Dan Wallace. "And there is a significant amount of innovation" That innovation begins with the game's story. The first Marvel: Ultimate Alliance may have had a deep roster of heroes and great cooperative gameplay, but it failed to deliver an engaging narrative, a sad oversight for a game tied directly to a rich storytelling medium. Ultimate GAME INFORMER. 47 Alliance II hopes to correct this. “We want to have these RPG elements and a strong story,” says Tanguay. One of the reasons the first game succeeded was its well-paced gameplay, but the game may have been diminished somewhat by a plot that was too easy to dismiss. In response, Vicarious Vision is shaping a tale that won't detract from the overall action experience, but will instead aid the gameplay. “We definitely spent a lot of time making sure it's all coming together as a rollercoaster experience,” Tanguay proclaims. The game's plot is being pulled straight from the pages of Marvel's books. "The story starts with Secret War," Tanguay tells us. This five issue series, written by modern- day comic book legend Brian Michael Bendis, was a siz- able comic crossover that led to some major events in the Marvel universe. When Nick Fury, director of government police agency S.H.LE.LD. comes across a terrorist plot being orchestrated by the Latverian Prime Minister, he becomes angered by the government's inaction. In response, Fury assembles ^ "We've kept a strong eye towards co-op while we were looking at the UI and upgrading," Tanguay says. "What a team of superheroes - including Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Luke Cage, and Daredevil - to covertly overthrow the small country. A year later, the heroes who participated in that attack become targets of an army of high-tech super villains being manipulated by a mysterious third-party benefactor. The team scrambles to unravel the mystery of how these current attacks are tied to the secret war they all partici- pated in a year earlier. “We're using Nick Ригу’ invasion of Latveria as а jump- ing off point — the rest of the story is derived from the consequences of those actions,” Tanguay says in allusion to later events that comic book series fans might be able to surmise on their own. The game's plot won't stop at Secret War, but will branch out from there. Some of the boss battles we witnessed pitted Marvel heroes against one another, which implies that there has been some kind of fracture amongst the ranks and the lines between good and bad have become blurry. A narrative is only as good as its dialogue, and Vicarious Visions hopes to ensure that people don’t = we've done is allow the player to upgrade on the fly. Some guys have to pause every time they level ир and then they spend 15 minutes leveling up every character, but now that won't break up the action for everyone else” just skip past every line. “We want our conversations to feel dramatic,” Tanguay says. To this end, the team has added attitude choices to Ultimate Alliance 115 conversa- tions mechanic. The choices are as simple as picking between aggressive, defensive, or diplomatic lines. How a player acts during these sequences will affect how every mission plays out and will have a dramatic impact on the team dynamic. "It's kind of like your attitude is projected onto the team itself," Tanguay says. “If you decide to be a jerk all the time and treat everyone like crap, then we are going to reward you appropriately for that” These rewards come in the form of medals. Being aggressive will award the team a medal that gives them an attack bonus. If your team takes a more diplomatic approach, it may yield a teamwork bonus instead. These medals can be applied to any team a player creates, so, for example, if the Hulk is swapped out for Spider-Man, the team will keep all its boosts. "The key is to not only encourage players to use the entire roster of characters, but to not punish them for doing it," Wallace says. V Comic artist Steve McNiven's work was a strong influence on the new designs for every character Fusion moves will be upgradeable just like all the other powers /ያ/ያያ/ያያ/ያ/ 48 САМЕ INFORMER ПИ 2 feature ЛЕ MAKING OF Comic book artists generally don’t have the time to draw every visible seam in a pant leg, but this minimalist approach hardly translates well to video games. “One of the big challenges we face every time we start a new character is that we ask ourselves how can we get this char- acter out of the comic book and into the game in a way that is more grounded in reality, more practical and functional?” says Vicarious Visions art director Bryan Shutt. We sat down with Shutt and he explained their process with one of Marvel Ultimate Alliance II's characters, Thor. 1 "For the texture artist, and to an extent the hi-res modeler, it's useful to provide actual photographic reference of any таепаб needed for the character so they can effectively create the desired look. With Thor's leather tunic, we were lucky to find photos of leather armor, which approximated the coarse grain we wanted. The modeler can use this for sculpting details not provided in the drawing and to gener- ate ideas for where to place ‘wear and tear’ details.” “The first thing that jumped out at us when we were work- ing on Thor is we wondered, “What are these disks?” We decided that we wanted these to feel like they were very low-profile metal plates that were worked into this hand- tooled leather. We added a lot of detailing and construction elements, the rivets, and some battle damage. We wanted his materials to have a very óld-school look." "In the classic style costume he's got these - Underoos we call them — the shorts over the tights. We couldn't figure out how to get the metal plates on the Underoo-style costume and have it look believable, so we came up with this idea of running this flap down the front. When we ran it by Marvel they were actually pretty happy with it.” “The one thing that Marvel almost blocked us on was the enhancement of the gauntlets. The wristbands that you see in the comics reminded us too much of the NBA sweatbands that you wear to get the sweat out of your eyes. We wanted something that matched the badassness of Thor's costume, So we beefed up the gauntlets." “We thought that the hammer just looked too small, too sim- ple, like a cinderblock. We wanted to embellish it a little bit. We wanted it to feel legendary or mythic in the same vein as Excalibur. We found photos of ancient tombstones which had the type of stone we desired and included engraved let- ters similar to the runes found on the hammer.” Another aspect of the game that Vicarious Visions feels the need to innovate with is the visuals. “We really want to Push the hardware as far as possible,” Tanguay says. After seeing Ultimate Alliance ІІ in action, it’s clear that the series looks better than ever. Every character model pops with a higher level of detail, and environments now have a less blocky, more organic feel. The goal is to make the levels look more like functional, real-world locales instead of tiled video game dungeons. “We've spent a lot of time focusing оп presentation and believability,” Tanguay says. Superhero games are all about big explosions and super powers, and Vicarious Visions has recognized the need for bigger booms and better destruction by integrating Havok physics into the experience. This allows the studio to amp up the level of onscreen damage and debris. A whole team is specifically dedicated to working on the damage system, making sure that more objects in the environment will be interactive. If the Thing smashes a forklift it will break into smaller pieces. Its fuel tank might roll off and he could pick that up and throw it at his enemies. Other objects in the environment, such as the lights, will react Properly to that explosion. “We've spent a lot of time focus- ing on that sense of destruction and power that superhe- roes are supposed to have,” Tanguay says. To complete the graphical overhaul, Vicarious Visions retooled the camera system to give the game a more cine- matic look in line with Marvel's summer blockbusters. А lot of the time the camera will be to the action, ከ showcase the game's ii | d h models, but i more fluid system now, and the camera won't stay locked to the same spot. "There is one mission that we are work- ing on right now where the camera is way back on the city streets," Wallace says. "Everyone looks kind of small, but the amount of destruction and violence going on down there is so intense that dudes are ragdolling up in the air. It's really great looking from a higher distance" # GAME INFORMER 49 se feature "WE WANTED TO HAVE THINGS THAT FELT MORE VISCERAL, 115 о THINGS THAT FEEL MORE TIED TO THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR POWERS.” > Brian Shutt, art director / i я i ا‎ ^ "We've ripped out the audio engine," Wallace says. "The old one was pretty simple and we've replaced it with a robust audio engine that gives us better 3D spatial control, which also gives us the ability to create 3D sounds off of our physics" Talking with the team at Vicarious Visions, it's easy to see they are most excited about the game's monster roster of Marvel characters and their superhuman powers. “We have a whole team just working on the powers,” says Wallace excitedly. “Every time they take a character and build a new set of powers for them it's awesome" The powers now do a better job of playing off the Havok physics and directly impacting the nearby world. Heroes who indiscriminately use their powers will bowl over cars, destroy walls, and affect the lights around them. The whole effects system has been revamped for greater oomph. “I guess the laymen's version of all that is, ‘they're frickin’ awesome,” says Wallace. | The team has researched which characters fans liked most from the last game and what their most popular pow- ers were. Captain America's shield throw, for example, was extremely popular and will be making a return to the sequel. But the studio isn't resting on those laurels; there's still plenty of room for these characters to expand their move sets. Unfortunately, the team remained hush about any new characters that might appear in the game, but they did tell us about a few new powers for the ር burns things,” Wallace laughs. “Yeah, he's a pre በ Torch fan,” adds Tanguay, “and the Honan Torch has many, many different ways to burn things.’ "We've been trying to think of ways to treat the visual cues in more plausible ways instead of nonsensical sprites spinning around you or flashing trails" Shutt says. "We wanted to have things that felt more visceral, things that 50 САМЕ INFORMER umm. ተ NER 30 enemies on the screen at one time in special encoun feel more tied to the characters and their powers" One example of this is the Hulk's new Fear move, which — like it sounds — is a buff that makes enemies cower in fear. Instead of being represented by a glowing hue, once the wer has been activated, Hulk's veins begin to glow radioactive. It's a scary effect and its subtle visual cues per- fectly convey what's happening. Other powers are more intrinsically tied to characters’ innate abilities. Daredevil is a melee fighter, so most of his powers are used to get him in closer to the action. Spider- Man can ensnare enemies in webs and hang them from V Vicarious Visions is improving the facial mapping for the cutscenes, and it promises that they'll be "way cooler" this time around ters they are calling Mass AI the ceiling. While these enemies are flopping around from the ceiling, any teammate can walk up and beat on them. Vicarious Visions has even made sure to go back to charac- ters like Invisible Woman — who wasn't the best choice in the first game — and rework their skill sets to make them more formidable. “Тһе animators hate Mr. Fantastic because we've made his animation rig much more complicated, but he can do all the stretchy things for real now instead of how we cheated it in the first game. Now all his moves look — well | don't want to say fantastic,” Tanguay shrugs, "but, well." Which leads us back to how the characters fuse together. To defeat these super villains, working together is key, which is only natural in a cooperative game. Vicarious Visions feels teamwork is so important to the game that it's even been integrated into the name. "Fusion is basically the big concept that we arrived at when we were doing our early prototyping," Tanguay says. "We really wanted to find something that stood out, but also felt believable, powerful, and cinematic.” Fans of the franchise will remember the Momentum and Xtreme moves from the first Ultimate Alliance and two X-Men Legends titles, powerful super moves every character possessed. "Team-ups are very, very common in the Marvel universe. They're an important part of the brand," Tanguay says. The new Fusion system replaces these and offers even more opportunities for the heroes to work together. The studio is creating various combat encounters built around the different types of Fusion (see sidebar). The goal is to make players think about how these different Fusion attacks work in hopes of making the gameplay more tactical. Some Fusion attacks act like smart bombs and will be good for clearing a room. Others deal more damage, but are targeted to one enemy. Yet another Fusion mechanic allows characters to revive fallen team- mates, which is something that had been missing from the franchise up to this point. "You don't have to wait for some arbitrary timer to go down then go to a shield se feature spot to resurrect your team,” Wallace explains. “If you have enough fusion power you can revive someone on the spot’ Many of the Fusions are player controlled, which great- ly enhances the cooperative experience. Take the Hulk and Iron Man’s Fusion, for example. The Hulk rips out a large chunk of ground and directs where the projectile goes. Meanwhile, Iron Man jams on the attack button to infuse the rock with extra energy, which will result in a larger explosion once the Hulk launches the impromptu bomb. During single-player mode the player still can take advantage of these contextual events, they just won't be separated into distinct actions. Given all the story, graphical, and gameplay enhance- ments in Ultimate Alliance Il, the game seems to be headed in the right direction. Vicarious Visions has over 120 titles under its belt (nine of them based on comic characters), but it still hasn't attained the level of esteem that peers such as Raven have. With Ultimate Alliance II representing the biggest project the studio has worked on, this might be its chance to show gamers its mettle. “We take this franchise really seriously and we are real- ly excited about this opportunity," Wallace says. "We've done the homework. We've looked into what resonates with the fans and what makes this franchise tick, and we're doing it right. | think that when this title releases it will be received just as well — if not better — than the first вате” HULK + DAREDEVIL Fastball Special, the т teleki roun he H INVISIBLE WOMAN + IRON MAN = | ble Woman cre INVISIBLE WOMAN + HULK 1 GAME INFORMER 51 PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | Wii | PLAYSTATION 2 | PC | NINTENDO DS Call of Duty: World at War. > STYLE | OR 2-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 18-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER TREVARCH > RELEASE FALL TREYARCH TAKES OVER THE FIGHT n the relatively short time since its conception, the Call of Duty has held relationships with multiple developers at once — some fleeting, some long- term. Despite this lack of stability, the Call of Duty name behind Infinity Ward remains tock solid, reaching a pinnacle last year with Modern Warfare. Regardless of this success, doubt has begun to cloud enthusiasm for many Call of Duty fans. Original creator Infinity Ward has shared the franchise with the team at Treyarch, a developer introduced to the series through expansion packs and spin-off titles under the Call of Duty umbrella. This leaves some gamers apprehensive about them taking on the next full-blown Call of Duty. If you are one of those concerned fans, let us assuage your doubts — Call of Duty: World at War looks good. Damn good. And it should. Treyarch is building on the foundation set by the Modern Warfare engine, but the studio has been given an GAME INFORMER unprecedented amount of time to work on the title. The team of Call of Duty veterans believes they are making the best FPS of the year. While we can't verify that claim until we get our hands on it, the value of the technology, extra time, and their familiar- ity with the series is apparent. Unlike Call of Duty 4, World at War sticks with the World War || timeframe, trading Germans for Japanese and dismal trenches for lush jungles in the Pacific Theater. Because of the Bushido code honored Imperial Japanese, the Call of Duty rulebook established in previous games had to be thrown out the window. Japanese forces focused on infiltration and ambush tactics. Banzai charges, ambush attacks, and even kamikaze fighters made the experience incomparable to anything American forces faced in the European Theater. While the major campaigns follow the end of the war in the Pacific, World at War also explores the closing acts of the European Palm trees don’t necessarily equal paradise theater. The European campaign details the struggles of a very angry Russian army that has finally pushed German forces out of their country. The mood is one of revenge and desperation as German forces fight frantically to keep the battle from inching closer to their homeland. The new enemies, locations, and tactics create a much darker and grittier game experience. On the technical side, the game looks fantastic — as impressive as the visuals of Modem Warfare. Everything has been amped up thanks to the CoD 4 engine. Realistic physics, destructible environments, and even small considerations, such as trajectory changes when firing into water, help give the on of an already polished product. weapons such as the flamethrower — which can be used both as a weapon and a tactical tool — will undoubtedly affect how players approach battle. When demonstrated, the flames bumed all foliage in its path, scorched the ground, and spread based on wind pattems and undergrowth. Everything came together seamlessly in two exclusive missions we had a chance to view at Treyarch headquarters. The first — a mission on the Pacific campaign — utilized 50 caliber machine guns on either side of a PBY Catalina boat plane to take out the Japanese merchant fleet below. This segment showcased some of the mas- sive destruction possible in the game. The second level we saw took place on the European front. This time, the endgame was to aid a wounded sniper on a mission to take out a German head honcho, all the while avoiding attention by strategically using airplanes to mask the sound of the rifle picking off guards. Infinity Ward and Treyarch's volleying of the franchise isn't likely to end soon, but if World at War is as good as it appears to be so far, perhaps gamers won't have to fear Call of Duty games that aren't made by Infinity Ward. “We lost PFC Wilkens, sir. His Water Weenie tipped over” ፳ Lt. Colonel Hank Keirsey explained how it would be | | “uncomfortable” to be on the receiving end of this weapon DS ARMY OF ONE? NOT ANYMORE World at War is the first game to bring co-op gameplay to the Call of Duty franchise. Co-op mode includes intelligent Al that adjusts difficulty depending on the number of human players - a nice touch to ensure that the Veteran difficulty stays challenging. On the multiplayer front, Treyarch will be adding vehicles to online play, but with appropriate weapon counter- balances to ensure the core infantry experience is not lost. Squads -- complete with a new spawn-influencer system that keeps you in the center of the action - are also a new key element. .* previews ж № PBY Catalinas were used as convoy escorts, transports, search and rescue aircrafts, and in this case - tools of massive destruction B Dodging rockets harder than it looks f you've been to a showing of Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted in the theater, you might have found yourself confusedly looking down at your hands and wondering where your controller was. From the stylized, gun- focused action to the slick premise, it seems like a prime contender for the video game treatment. Fortunately, this fact hasn't gone unnoticed. Since early last year, Grin's Barcelona studio (under the direction of Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group) has been crafting a game that embraces the film's extreme gunplay. Talking with execu- tive producer Pete Wanat, it's difficult to not get pumped up. "The story of the game begins, literally, right after the movie," reveals Wanat. ^Wesley's stirred up the hornets' nest a bit. He thinks he's put the kibosh on it. Wesley has a moment to breathe at the end of the film, and the game starts off with a bang. Doors are being kicked in, and someone's trying to Kill Wesley" Even though the story will branch off from the film's version of events (rather than Mark Millar's original graphic novel), the team is still intent on integrating concepts from both sources. "The game definitely takes elements from both the movie and the comic book together," Wanat admits. "We're certainly very cognizant of the Mark Millar source material, and we're obviously fans of Timur and what he's done in the film" Therefore, most of the game's visual style is drawn from Bekmambetov's film, but fans of the comic will notice some special nods, like the inclusion of Wesley's leather suit While the story of a flourishing assassin is interesting, the real core of Want gameplay will (unsurprisingly) be found in the shootin; mechanics. Wesley isn’t your typical run-and hero; he has the unique ability to curve his so it appears that his bullets are defying physic as they fly from improbable angles for the kill For the player, this ability will be controlled via an analog stick. When you curve a bullet, the action will slow down momentarily as you guide an on- screen arc representing the path the bullet will follow. You can use these few seconds to aim your shot around corners, behind dumpsters, and past any other obstacles that would otherwise stand between you and your prey. "Shooting becomes a kind of chess gam explains Wanat. "Can | aim it around a post? Can | hit the enemy behind cover? In most games, where you have to time your shot to hit a guy right as he ducks out of cover, in ours you can just wing the bullet right around the thing and — ВАМ! — he's dead" Just because you can blast your enemies wherever they hide doesn't mean that you won't use cover yourself. In Wanted, using the environment is not only important for protection — it enhances your combat senses. Wesley enters te of heightened awareness (similar to Max Payne's bullet time) if he moves quickly between cover. This mechanic, currently called cover chaining, is the dev team's solution to representing an assassin's preternatural ability to catch foes unaware. "Obviously, there's a lot of cover stuff happen- ing, and we wanted to expand on it. Where other games tend to be big hulking steroid guys taking cover, we wanted to be super-fast, quick, bam- bam-bam!" Wanat tells us. “Wesley isn't a behe: moth — his agility is what gets him through things.” This sort of kinetic gunplay is what Wanted is all about, and when you throw in the distinctive visu- als, stylish combat, and the whole bullet-bending mechanic, this game is looking like an incredibly promising shooter — and we don't even feel compelled to throw in the "for a movie-licensed game" addendum. Bi 88 88 54 САМЕ INFORMER PLAYSTATION З | XBOX 360 | PC Wanted > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ТВА > DEVELOPER GRIN BARCELONA > RELEASE HOLIDAY BULLET BENDING | In addition to head-on shooting, Wesley can blindfire from cover To curve bullets, you will guide an arc that shows your shot's trajectory ኤ፡ Соуег chaining (rapidly movifig кот one protected position to Another) will allow you to get the jump on unsuspecting foes Knife kills come into play in melee range, but there won't be too much emphasis on hand-to-hand combat For fans of Mark Millar's Wanted graphic novel, it may be disappointing to see Wesley looking like a regular guy wearing regular clothes. The Killer's sig- nature suit may not have featured prominently in the film, but that doesn't mean it won't play a sig- nificant role in the game. “The suit will be in there. It's something the player doesn't start out with, but is able to unlock,” Wanat reveals. "It doesn't work as well in the fiction of the film - you can't really blend in when you're wearing an all-leather body suit. Even though it diverges from the film slightly, includ- ing the suit in the game makes the player look like 8ዬ--- badass. First and foremost, we're trying to Әу ነ make the best game deci- N sions.” In addition to just looking cool, the suit will increase Wesley's overall performance, but details in that department will have to wait. Wanted's visual style closely mirrors that of the film ORMER 55 PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC Dark Void > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ( t a Capcom event starring Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5, it's hard to walk away thinking about any other game. Dark Void not only managed to impress, it looked like the game of the show. Developed by Airtight Games, a new studio started by the makers of the entertaining Xbox and PC flight combat sim Crimson Skies, Dark Void is a shooter that lets you step outside of the cockpit without sacrificing the flying sensation The story revolves around a pilot named Will, who crash lands inside the Bermuda Triangle and stumbles into a dark plot involving an ancient alien race called the Watchers. Thi aliens trap Will in a mysterious world called the Void. The rest of the game deals with Will's reluctant journey to become а hero, the interesting people he meets, and his quest to escape this strange land. The game uses many traditional third-person shooter ele- ments, but when Will acquires a jetpack, Dark Void's gameplay gets interesting. Airtight has created what it is calling a vertical cover system. Using his jetpack, Will can traverse sheer vertical )\ > DEVELOPER AIRTIGHT GAMES > RELEASE 2009 NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH YO! NOID side of a rock fac crawl down the v dimension tc phenomenal animation and c of height and vertigo as Will makes his in the Void. He won't be stuck һо) through the whole game assistance of an upgraded pack, Will takes to the open like the Ro Will's jetpack gives him th lenges in many different wa ег at every edge, or he could go jacking enemy crafts and us game progre ll continues to upgrade his jetpa: gaining abilities that make him a more adept aerial threat. ከ Dark Void is still at least a year out, Ігеаду have The game does a great job of inducing vertigo. It should be noted that we are looking up in this shot Large explosions make The large patch of ocean located between Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Florida has fascinated paranormal theorists for decades and been a constant setting for modern fiction. The legends surrounding the Devil's Triangle are large inspirations for Dark Void's narrative. Airtight Games hinted that a variety of different crafts lost in these waters could sur- face, in some form, in the game. Will lose his grip; he'll have to act fast if he doesn't want to fall Se previews GET A GRIP Dark Void's grip system, which Will uses to cling to rocky ledges, comes into play during aerial battles as well. Approaching a Watcher UFO, Will bounces around the hull of the ship until he finds an opportunity to rip through the craft's plating, open the cockpit, and toss out the pilot. These won't be scripted events, however. These vehicles fly uncon- trolled until Will takes over, and he might have to abandon ship if the UFO crashes into a mountain or another ship. ፳ The jetpack won't just be ر‎ МА # ጋ useful іп the sky. Will eventually 27 * » learns a variety of uses for it t i / ዶ during ground combat E E > А ማ 2 7 а — GAME INFORMER 57 % ኑ ል = የሻ Өк: c N 2 ታ እኝ Fracture | > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION (UP ТО 12-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER LUCASARTS > DEVELOPER DAY 1 STUDIOS > RELEASE OCTOBER CIVIL SPLIT = m t's 2161, and political turmoil has shaken and reshaped the social structure of the United States. When a presidential decree outlaws the use of genetic engineering on human beings, the social divide splits open and cuts a bloody swath across our nation. For the first time in 300 years, the U.S. is on the brink of civil war. As part of the Atlantic Alliance, we get sent into San Francisco. The mission is to apprehend General Sheridan, leader of the Pacifican Army. We're going in hot, and we're going in fast: These are the first three hours of Fracture. The game throws you right into the terrain-deforming action the title is now known for. Using your guns and a vari- ety of grenades, you learn how to build up or cave in the ground around you. This is useful in battle for confusing your enemies or throwing up a quick mound for cover, and there are loads of practical uses outside of combat. Within the first half-hour we had formed caves in the ground to find hidden tunnels, raised it in other areas to overcome what would have been impassable obstacles, and reshaped the earth in creative ways to solve some puzzles, such as raising a collapsed bridge. While the terrain deformation is the game's most touted feature, our favorite experience came from playing around with its unique arsenal. One of the more amusing guns is the Torpedo. As the name implies, the device fires off powerful rockets that burrow under soft ground, bypassing certain obstacles until they contact with a sturdy struc- ture or you choose to remotely deto- nate them. About halfway through our war on San Francisco we found our favorite weapon: the vortex grenade. We first tested this new toy on a group of enemies gathered near an open field. The grenade imme- diately produced a hurricane force air- funnel that sucked in all nearby enemies along with a few loose boulders from a nearby rock face. Our manmade weather anomaly twirled about debris like a pow- erful blender before suddenly exploding and spitting everything back down into a „= Throughout the game you'll gain new ያ technologies that augment your abili- ties, giving you incresed melee damage or super jumping abilities that send you a couple stories into the air useless heap. It was awesome to behold. We continued our chase after Sheridan, but before we could capture him the ground beneath us began to shake violently. This wasn't your average California quake. Out of the ground a walking metal monstrosity arose like a Grecian titan that could crush one of Halo's Scarabs under the weight of one leg. With one well-timed super jump we soared 30 feet through the air and boarded at the base of the vehicle's foot. The curtain closed on our demo before we could attack the walking skyscraper, but at least we got a good sense for how far the game has come in recent months. If Day 1 Studios con- tinues to polish the game's remaining rough edges in these last few months before the ship date, we'll have plenty of motivation to go back and finish that fight when Fracture hits retail shelves this October. M ፪፪ ዘዘ S $* previews The Black Widow fires off а string of sticky grenades that can be remotely détonated N ራ GAME INFORMER 59 TATION 3 | XBOX 860 Resident EV (| ӨТПЕ 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER CAPCOM > DEVELOPER ' ALL SEE IS DEATH | LN / [ 009፣ Cz 9 > RELEASE? № That's nota knife! Chris' hand- to-hand weapon of choice is a lengthy machete. That means it might actually be useful this time around DESTRUCTION In the playable demo, protagonist Chris Redfield enters a large shantytown, a space four times the size of RE 4's opening area. The demo exhibits the game's new focus on wide-open areas. Capcom plans to open up Resident Evil's gameplay, giving players more options to go where they want and do what they want. As Chris explores the environment, a hulk of a > % тап wielding a battle hammer shows up, the perfect showcase for the game’s new destruc- tible environments. As he chases after Chris, the enemy tears apart the town, smashing fruit stands, cement walls, and even other enemies. Watching the debris fly is both thrilling and ter- rifying, and we can't wait to learn more about how this new element plays into the game's action and puzzles. 60 GAME INFORMER EVIL REVISITED We know what you're think- ing: "Didn't СІ just do a big - preview оп all the Resident Evil 5 speculation and conjec- ture?” We sure did, but it just so happens that we recently saw a playable version of the game and learned a few more 22 exciting tidbits that we couldn't wait to pass on. Resident Evil 5 is one of those titles we hun- grily await with wide eyes and frothy mouths (quite frankly \ it's a little scary). Rest assured we're dedicated to passing on every scrap of information we can about the game until it's released. If creative producer Jun Takeuchi even sneezes | we'll let you know. WHERE IT ALL BEGAN In some ways this newest entry in the famed series will № Don't you just hate it when someone loses their tomato soup all over your head? be going back to the begin- ning. Takeuchi told us that he was excited to take Resident Evil into Africa, because the continent is — in some ways — the origin of humanity. This idea of primal origins is going to be very thematic for RE 5. Not only will the game's story involve the origins of the original virus — the Progenitor virus fans will remember from Code Veronica — but Takeuchi promises many of the myster- ies surrounding Chris Redfield will also be resolved. ¿$ previews MYSTERY GIRL REVEALED: YES, SHE’S MYSTERIOUS Capcom didn't reveal the identity of the dark-haired mystery woman who's appeared in trailers and screens, but it did confirm that she is a brand-new character who will play an important role in the game. Though we don't know her name, we do know that she speaks with what sounds like a South African accent and at some point she will team up with Chris. Capcom has also stated that a large feature of the gameplay has yet to be announced. Does this mean co-op? We'd like to think so. LOCATION IS EVERYTHING Africa has been the big talking point for Capcom up until now, but for the first time it has been suggested that the game could move to other locales at some point. Takeuchi was very cryptic on the subject, but he did promise that RE 5 would have the most diverse and interest- ing environments of any entry in the series. ፳ What would Resident Evil be without dogs? We're just glad there aren't birds in Africa — those things are annoying. There aren't Birds in Africa, right? THE REDFIELDS Now that we know the mys- tery woman is a new char- acter, does this mean Claire Redfield is out of the pic- ture? In one of his interviews talking about Chris, Takeuchi mentioned “the Redfields,” plural. This seems to imply that someone else with Chris’ last name (his little sis, perhaps?) will make an appearance in the game. САМЕ INFORMER 61 ነ т Finally, the Wild add some real firepower to their lineup (this caption was written by Bertz's wildest dreams) pr Upload your remarkable goals online - like Gaborik's amazing one-handed deke - so your friends can marvel at your skills m With the new right analog stick defensemen are no longer helpless against snipers camping for one-timers => х2 a^ 62 Bes m \ | መጥ ке озне. ien Y " " .. መሠ mission à ፳ Xbox 360 users "WU | can create custom å soundtracks for each arena. Joe's team, the Chaska Chodes, exclusively uses Hall & Oates songs, which is why Bertz demanded a trade to the Wild PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 NHL 09 > STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS (UP TO 12-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER EA SPORTS > DEVELOPER ҒА CANADA > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 9 THE QUEST FOR THE CUP HL 08 was the best hockey game since the Genesis glory years when Gretzky and Lemeiux were lighting the lamp. But EA Canada has no intention of NHL being a one-year wonder like the last few Stanley Cup winners. With the laundry list of improvements 09 offers, we may be witnessing the start of a dynasty. The skill stick control is at the center of the NHL renaissance, and this year further improves the revolutionary control scheme. Star players like Sidney Crosby and Alexander "The Great" Ovechkin can now dominate inferior opponents with one- handed dekes. Defensemen can finally counter with their own suite of skill-stick tools like the quick poke or stick lift to prevent one-timers or passes across the goalmouth. The intended result is a more balanced game where well-timed defen- sive parries can offset killer offensive moves. The revamped strategy also lends the game another level of realism with the new dump-and-chase tactic, an NHL staple. EA has gone back to the drawing board to rework the neglected Create-A-Play feature to include breakouts and assignments for every player on the ice. This mode was tough to get the hang of for noobs, so EA has added a video tutorial to teach people the ropes. Each NHL team also comes with its own set of plays that reflect their real world playing style. This year also reintroduces the oft-requested offensive and defensive line changes for the first time on next-gen consoles. One of the few big flaws in NHL O8 was the almost non-existent checking system; hard hitters like Zdeno Chara rarely delivered epic ореп-се hits, and knock- ing a player off the puck seemed to take an act of providence. This year features a drastically improved way for doling out justice; over 100 new checking animations and a new collision system means bruisers like Dion Phaneuf can decapitate unsus- pecting forwards with punishing blows. The new emphasis on hockey's more vio- lent nature carries over to dropping the gloves, as the fighting has been completely rebuilt to deliver more realistic fisticuffs. All of these welcome additions add up to our most anticipated sports game of the year. The NHL may be having a hard time attracting more fans, but with this gargantuan feature set, EA's next hockey title sure shouldn't. ፪፪ ፳፪ ፪፳ Г о | "WU o VAN O 15:42 Since NHL 09 features six-on- six online leagues and the new Be A Pro mode, it only makes sense that they combine the two to create the first quality sports ММО title, right? With the EA Sports Hockey League, this Holy Grail of sports games is about to be achieved. The league allows you and your fellow puckheads to join a team (or “guild” in nerdspeak) of up to 50 people and compete for the world cham- pionship. As with the Be A Pro mode, you will create your player, choose his playing style, and start ፲ The new Be A Pro mode with a basic set of attributes. Then offers positional tips so you can set up a team, choosing you can learn to play your name, jerseys (from the pool Y of NHL, AHL, and euro league options, along with a few custom $ jerseys), and invite friends to the 2 hockey the right way squad. Only six players from a Checking is back, as Phaneuf q TR demonstrates on the now-broken калан comp BUY Ben Oiler, Ales Hemsky game, but if you have another six ሪ ғ players from your team online, f they can start another game rep- resenting your organization. The competition is broken up by skill- based divisions, which you can climb by improving your team’s winning percentage. If your club is struggling, relegation is а possibil- тесік ге ity. After а yet-to-be determined Phaneuf is the deadline, EA will take a snapshot cover athlete for of the league standings and select меке the top teams from the best divi- sion to compete in the playoffs for the cup. The winning teams and star players will receive big prizes from EA, which have yet to be revealed. = үош _ performance “in Be A Pro mode will be determined by your position- ing, teamwork, PERFORM LACE YOUR SKATES, ROOKIE For all of you who missed your shot at the pros, here’s your chance. NHL 09's Be A Pro mode allows you to create a player and work your way up from the minors to the big time. The full-blown career mode allows you to play any position, and the type of player you choose to become will determine your career goals. Snipers must light the lamp for their team, whereas stay-at-home defensemen focus on cleaning up the trash in front of the net. After each shift, your coach evaluates you on three areas of your performance: positioning, team play, and stats. Play well enough and you'll earn a role on the power play or penalty kill. If you're tired of riding the pine, you can play as another skater between shifts. Players track their careers though Upper Deck hockey cards. As you work your 2 With 100 more goalie way from a pond hockey grinder to an NHL legend, you will unlock new Брасс кнн эш cards. Bonus feature: You сап choose the images for your cards by taking те in-game screenshots. GAME INFORMER 63 * previews "—— ፥ መመ в. , * ... Є j = Е » PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360. Midnight Club: _ Los Angeles > STYLE 1-PLAYER RACING ( MULTIPLAYER ТВА) > PUBLISHER ROCKSTAR GAMES > DEVELOPER ROCKSTAR SAN DIEGO > RELEASE SEPTEMBER 9 BURNING UP THE STRIP fter seeing a promising demo some months ago, we were finally given the chance to get our hands on the wheel of Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and came away very impressed. As the title suggests, the three-city structure of Midnight Club 3 has been abandoned in favor of one giant metropolis, in this case an "interpretation" of L.A. that manages to capture the spirit of the sprawling urban center without being geographically accurate. Honestly, it's quite thrilling to see in action. While the level of graphical realism and the speeds at which the game moves will blow you away, the rest of the game wisely builds on the foundation of previous entries. It's not so much a drarnatic reinvention (why fix what isn't broken?) as a summation of 64 САМЕ INFORMER The high-end bikes are insanely fast Midnight Club's considerable strengths, packed with improvements both large and small to please longtime fans. While it's not in the title, DUB magazine is still onboard to provide guidance on car customization features, which exceed even the options in Midnight Club 3. From scissor doors to undercar neon in the color of your choice, you can craft cars that are literally one of a kind with kits, rims, and parts from most of the major manufacturers. Interiors are now fully modeled (for the new cockpit gameplay view), and can be color-matched and altered with a host of gauges, dashboards, seats, and wheels. You'll also be able to custom create vinyl overlays and share (or possibly sell) them online with friends. While we don't have a full list of cars, this build was packed to the gills with classics new and old, includ- ing the Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevy Camaro Concept, Chrysler 300, "70 Challenger, and even the legendary frat boy motorcycle the Kawasaki Ninja. Fans will also be pleased to note that the game's special power-up abilities Zone, Aggro, Roar, and the new EMP (electromagnetic pulse) can be assigned to any vehicle this time around, meaning you won't have to forgo the car of your dreams because you don't like its designated ability. The races are largely what you've come to expect, although longer and more intense than before given the larger amount of real estate at Rockstar San Diego's disposal. п addition to the familiar checkpoint races, there are also new “Landmark” contests where you race between real-life LA. locales The game features a new camera mode that swings the view out to the side of the car when going around turns without the aid of checkpoints. For instance, we tore a 100-mph path between the Santa Monica Pier and the legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel. There's а ton of content here, and the game has been designed so you'll see more of it in the you choose. Since races are unlocked via “rep” points instead of straight wins and losses, players will be able to skip particularly frustrating events and create “playlists” of their favorite events. With a great feature set, insanely fast racing action, and the challenging yet approachable control that has been the hallmark of the series, Midnight Club: Los Angeles is shaping up to be not only the strongest entry in the series thus far, but one of 2008's best racing experiences. ፪፪ ፪፪ Ш ] ы The voice and likeness of Daniel Craig have been confirmed for the game he question on everyone's mind: Can there be a better Bond than GoldenEye? In its first stab at the James Bond license, Activision hopes it can top one of the classic first- person shooters in video game history, and developer Treyarch has been given the license to kill The game follows the story of both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace — since the movies take place only an hour apart. In fact, you can choose to start with either movie, and both will be represented in the game equally. The intense, quick- moving free-running scene at the begin- ning of Casino Royale is in the game, with Bond's moves executed through contextual button presses. The game Quantum of Solace will have a multiplayer component, but Treyarch is not saying anything about it just yet surveys exotic locations and diverse terrain such as London, Bolivia, Miami and Venice -- the site of the final scene in Casino Royale. In the demo, we wit- nessed Bond's struggle to save Vesper Lynd by picking off henchmen while the building slowly sunk. Quantum of Solace — crafted using the Call of Duty 4 engine — has a differ- ent gameplay tone than the hit shooter. While some scenes, notably one witnessed in a upscale European bath house, featured waves of enemies, Bond will also be utilizing stealth and cover in combat to take out smaller batches of rented muscle. Players can sneak up on hired toughs and dish out an elbow to the head or a previews > STYLE i-PLAYER. > RELEASE F (Wii, РС), EUROCOM —— 8 > PUBLISHER к. и > DEVELOPER CH (360, PS3), BE THE a BOND Treyarch was fortunate enough to have an on-set photographer for the filming of Quantum of Solace to take reference photos for the game All screens are takén from the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions silenced bullet to the temple. Similarly to Rainbow Six Vegas, the predominant first-person camera will zoom out to third-person as Bond leans against cover — which degrades with damage. at Treyarch explained that it is approaching the title as a launch of a new fran ith the intention of getting it right the first time. Since it's Activision t shot at one of video games' more up-and-down franchises, e nly hope that this game can mirror the turnaround that Bond has experienced in theaters. m ise- WHAT THE HELL ISA QUANTUM OF SOLACE? The title of the new Bond movie may sound like something only George Lucas could think of, but Bond himself -- Daniel Craig - knows what it's all about. “Ian Fleming [Bond's creator - ed.] had writ- ten about relationships," Craig told ВВС News Online. "When they go wrong, when there's nothing left, when the spark is gone, when the fire’s gone out, there's no quantum of solace. At the end of the last movie, Bond has the love of his life taken away from him and he never got that quantum of solace” GAME INFORMER 65 4 т Maps are accordingly massive for plenty of swinging room PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC Bionic Commando > STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION (UP ТО 10-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER CAPCOM > DEVELOPER GRIN > RELEASE ТВА SWINGERS’ CLUB apcom's been plenty gener- ous with details on the sin- gle-player aspects of Bionic Commando, and now it's finally talking multiplayer. Developer Grin is taking inspiration from Quake || Arena's fast and straightforward gameplay style. Instead of crafting a bunch of wild new match types, the team is sticking with old standards like capture the flag and deathmatch and relying on bionic enhancements to shake things up. Up to 10 players can choose from different brightly colored armor designs, similar to Halo's Spartans, and swing into action. The map we saw was quite large and included plenty of skyscrapers and decrepit raised highway roads. While we didn't get our hands on the multi- player, the demo looked absolutely hectic, with troops swinging every- where and guns firing from every direction. These aerial swing tricks are a great way to get around and dodge gunfire, but they can also make aiming difficult. The develop- ers hope this constant trade off between accuracy and mobility will keep things compelling. Many moves and weapons from the single-player game make their way over to multiplayer as well. Shoot an enemy with your grappling hook and you can pull yourself in for a dropkick or just remain attached as he clumsily attempts to swing around the city with a new passen- ger in tow. If an adversary is below, you can perform a ground slam that knocks him back — preferably off the edge of a building. Group match- making and in-depth stat tracking is promised as well. Capcom still isn't giving up any kind of release window outside of this fiscal year. On the optimistic side this could mean fall, but it also leaves the company breathing room to stretch it out to March 2009. ፪፪ IN IN SOM ANE 7 > ЕЗ | Steel-Tip Bolt PLAYSTATION 3 BioShock > STY LE |-PLAY TION > PUBLISHER 2K GAMES > DEVELOPER 2K BOSTON > RELEASE OCTO! CAN'T STOP SPLICING f you had just escaped a crumbling unc er city filled with netically mutated maniacs, what wo 3ህ do? For anyor who has played BioShock, the ar vious: jump right in. The PlayStation our 2007 Game of th will give some gamers the char experience Rapture for the first time, and give others incentive to descend into the depths yet again. The PS3 translation has all of the features of the Xbox 3 and PC iterations, including their post ር able options like new plasmids and the ability to turn off Vita-chambers. Additionally, the widescreen problems some gamers experienced immediately a BioShock's initial launch won't be an issue on the PS3. The idea is to create the definitive version of the game without negating or overwriting any of the established story elements. In addition, 2K Games says it is planning new content unique to the PS3. No details were available as of press time, but we do know that, contrary to Internet rumors, no new Big Daddies will be added. Shucks. The game will have some functionality tied specifically to the PlayStation 3's unique capabilities, though. If we had to guess, it is probably related to Home's mysteric been tight-lipped about recently. This silence may not last for long: with ЕЗ just around th details out of 2K and Sony regarding the enhanced features of this d g tem, which Sony has you can expect more Dressing up like an Ent is a bad idea when you are surrounded by flames AUR — 4 WW.SOU Ф — NW LCALIBUR.COM XBOX 360 “= B Games PLAYS TATIONS SOULCALIBUR® IV ይ ©1995-2008 NAMCO BANDAI GAMES INC. LUCASARTS, THE LUCASARTS LOGO, AND THE STAR WARS CHARACTERS, NAMES AND ALL RELATED INDICIA ARE TRADEMAKS OF & © LUCASFILM LTD. © 2008 LUCASFILM ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY LTD. OR LUCASFILM LTD. &® OR TM AS ED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED WITH PERMISSION. “PLAYSTATION”, "PLAYSTATION" AND "PS" FAMILY LOGO ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF SONY COMPUTER EN- TERTAINMENT INC. MICROSOFT, XBOX, XBOX 360, XBOX LIVE, AND THE XBOX LOGOS ARE TRADE- Mild Lan Partial N Sexual Themes Violence ESRB CONTENT RATING MARKS OF THE MICROSOFT GROUP OF COMPANIES AND ARE USED UNDER LICENSE FROM guage MICROSOFT. THE RATING ICON udity IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE ENTERTAINMENT SOFT- WARE ASSOCIATION. ALL OTHER TRADEMARKS АМО ТВАЕ NAMES ARE THE PROPERTIES OF ЖКД тне RESPECTIVE OWNERS. XBOX 360 | PC Velvet Assassin > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER GAMECOCK > DEVELOPER REPLAY STUDIOS > RELEASETATE 2008 SUEDE STEALTH orld War Il games аге mostly run-and-gun explo- sion fests, but developer Replay Studios hopes to change things up with stealth and subterfuge. Main character Violette Summer is loosely based on actual war hero Violette Szabo. "She's а woman that lost her husband at age 21, just weeks after having their baby,” says creative director Sascha Jungnickel. “She joined the SOE [Special Operations Executive, the British spy network — Еа] and took part in several missions in France before being captured. To us, Violette bo is an archetype of an unbreak- able spirit" While the real Violette met an untimely end during the war, the fic- tional character narrates the story from a hospital bed through flashbacks. Spanning several missions througho Europe, Violette works behind enemy aken Nazi forces. "The mis- Sions in Velvet Assassin are designed iowcase what an individual is able to do against an omnipresent, overpowering system," Jungnickel says. "For example, Violette's mission in Warsaw is to find three allied and deliver them cyanide to prevent the Nazis from interrogating them. In another mission she tries to prevent a massacre on civilians. There are also classic sabotage missions where she has to blow up a fuel and ammo sí age or take out a Nazi [leader]. The biggest explosions will be seen in the harbor of Hamburg, whei tte marks the targets for British bombers? Since Velvet Assassin is told as a flashback, Violette being killed would contradict the game's prem- ise. So, in a similar vein to Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, players can give her morphine to fix "incorrect" memories. A surrealistic visual filter appears on screen and time slows to a crawl allowing for easy kills and counters. Legal disclaimer: morphine does not fix all of life's problems, kiddies. 8 IN № This “nurse” seems to have misunderstood which type of shot to Violette takes on a purple haze to indicate she’s entirely hidden Dozens of different stealth kill options are promised WHAT’S WITHIN ፲፪ YOUR SOUL? ላ eS CAN М DIN FTAA DTI ANAT іБІЛГІМІ ጊ 4 ኒጋ ግ PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | ዞር AFRICA IS THE NEW NORMANDY ith high profile games like Far Cry 2 and Resident Evil 5 set in fictional African countries, we may be seeing a new trend emerging for this mostly untapped backdrop. “We chose [Africa] because it's really iconic as a visual universe," says art direc- tor Alex Amancio. In the general vein of A Fistful of Dollars, you go about escalating tensions between two rival factions / | in order to get to the arms dealer stoking the flames of civil Full day and night cycles in f 7 war, Тһе Jackal addition to а constantiy changing ን ` Our demo began with a charge from the APR faction to weather system not only add some ። variety to the visuals, but can also / destroy a UFLO radio tower used to transmit propaganda provide tactical cover | and tactical information. On the way over, we got a call x ; " y from fellow merc Frank asking us to stop by his safehouse ፡ n beforehand. Once inside, he asked us if we'd blow up a pipeline run by a section chief illegally selling water to a : geste word is said to be neighboring country. Frank is actually one of eight select- over 30 square miles with up to able avatars at the outset of the game. Each of the seven 50 hours of possible gameplay characters you don't pick will become NPCs in the game пасват: that you can choose to help out, ignore, ог simply kill | Ubisoft hopes this will create drastically varying experiences for players "Let's say one of your friends is playing the game," Amancio says. "You're talking to him about this mission that Frank just gave you to blow up the pipeline. He's like ‘Frank? Who the hell's Frank? | never met him: Or ‘Frank? That guy | killed in the first five minutes? Wait a second. That pipeline? No, | defended that thing’ Amancio decides to help Frank out and drives a Datsun- esque car down a dirt road toward the camp. Just outside, he stops to attach an IED (improvised explosive device) to the car, and drives it straight through the gates. Once inside he runs over a few soldiers and crashes into ammo crates He tosses a few grenades and detonates the car as he runs out of the camp, effectively wiping out several enemies in one fell swoop. But that's just one option. "There are many ways to play the game," Amancio says. "You can play it like Rambo and just run in the camp and kill everybody. You can play it stealth. You can even go lay down and sleep awhile to attack a camp at night" The more strategic player can pull up a tactical map, compass, and binoculars that his in-game avatar's hands will hold up onscreen. With the binoculars you can scope out sniper towers, vehicles, ammo cases, health packs, etc., and they'll automatically show up on your map. There's even a wind direction indicator so you can set a fire in some brush on one side of the camp and let the wind help spread it through an enem ч | Weapons age and degrade After blowing the pipeline, Amancio steals a boat and fol- with time. This will lead to a grimier look and up the chances lows the river to the radio tower. Once there, he tosses an that your weapon will jam " IED into the boat and blows it up. “1 never leave vehicles behind in case the enemy decides to use it against me," he says. Sure enough, after setting the radio tower ablaze with a flamethrower and grenade launcher combination, he's speeding through grasslands with several mercs driving after him. Just another day on the savannah. ፳፪ ፪፪ ፻፪ Not much info is available on the multiplayer modes, though they are said to involve elements of trust and betrayal like the main game. An in-depth level editor will ship with not only the PC edi- tion, but the console versions as well. "We're confident that we're probably going to have the most p ful level editor of this gen- eration," says art director Alex Amancio. "We're basically giving people the tools we have to create this world 10 GAME ANEORMER PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 Madden NFL 09 > STYLE | ТО 4-PLAYER SPORTS (2-PLAYER ONIINEJ PUBLISHER EA SPOR > DEVELOPER EA TIBURON > RELEASEAUG) TRAINING CAMP e all have weaknesses in our Madden ability. Some of us only control defensive linemen because our pass defense is terrible, while others can pass all day, but don’t know how to execute a running play without losing five yards. This year's Madden wants to help players equalize their gameplay deficiencies as well г in new players with a variety of help systems. Worry not, hardcore fans, these systems are optional, and in our hands-on time with the game we found some new things you are going to love as well As soon as you turn on the game you're dropped into the new virtual trainer, complete with an Obi-Wan Kenobi- holographic version of John Madden (he must have given up the ghost the second Favre announced his In pre-designated rivalry games (usually against division foes), the Al will play you tougher. ment). Here you'll go through drills to determine your My time you play the ga st ordingly. g through the training we scored All-Madde е ing department, but only got a lowly Roo for our bad pass All-M was more aggres and our QB had to set his feet to ensu good pass. Conversely, when our defense went up agair п Manning he threw a pass into triple-coverage. My ill compensation? Perhaps. Don't worry, though, in our play-through this new А! system was flexible, but not as hizophrenic as it may s rating will g but you can alwa n is [51 in the гиппі The virtual trai look is strange and | THE SUBSTANCE ርጋዮ YOUR STYLE Apart from Madden's variable difficulty setting, this year's title introduces a new customiza- tion setting called Game Style, which breaks out into beginner, intermediate, advanced, and hardcore levels. Also making its debut are Rewinds, mulligan tokens you can cash in to replay a down should it not go your way. BEGINNER * Plays are chosen for you * Five Rewind opportunities * Play art is permanently shown on field INTERMEDIATE * Choose from a selection of four plays - this can be a problem since there are times the play selection simply isn't good. However, this year's new audible system does offer a way out. After hitting the audible button before the snap on offense or defense, if you push the right analog stick in one of four directions, you can choose a generic long pass, quick run, play-action pass, or short pass play, for instance. * Three Rewind opportunities ADVANCED Full playbooks One Rewind opportunity Player-type icons still shown HARDCORE Full playbooks No Rewind 2 previews PLAYSTATION 3 1 XBOX 360 The Last Remnant. > STYLE 1-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER SQUARE ENIX > DEVELOPER SQUARE ENIX > RELEASE WINTER (XBOX 360), ТВА (PLAYSTATION 3) BRANCHING OUT quare Епіх5 role-playing empire was built on names like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. With th established franchises on the scene, is there still room for a new property to cause a stir? That's the hope with The Last Remnant, Square Enix s upcoming Unreal Engine 5-powered RPG slated for a worldwide release later this year. The Last Remnant is the story of Rush, a young man who lives on a peaceful island until the abduction of his sister, Irina. Her captors serve as recurring villains throughout th game; one of them is a burly guy named Jager, and the other is Wagram, an old mage with mysterious motives. Once Rush sets out to save Irina from these men, players are thrown into a rich world where those with power struggle for control of Remnants - ancient artifacts, weapons, and creatures that vary in shape and size. Some Remnants are colossal structures, like the enormous Valeria Heart — а sword-shaped Remnant in the city of Athlum. Others are actually monsters that Rush must fight. For example, players will encounter a boss fight with twin statues named Namul Sin and Niram Sin, protectors le treasure. Individual characters can also wield Rush has an ally who uses the cannon < commands a Remnant called Lob Omen. How these weapons figure into combat has yet to be revealed, but players can still expect some interesting encounters. Instead of a typical battle system, The Last Remnant uses an innovative army mechanic that allows you to split your forces into unions to accommodate the increased scale of the battlefield. Some fights will feature as 70 units, which the player guides by issuing com- s in a turn-based framework. To gain the upper hand, you will also have to do everything you can to keep your troops’ morale up and your enemies’ in the gutter. Not all of the m fights will pit you against vast num- bers. There will also be plenty of e Bolg, Bouncers appear to forcibly remove Rush after he stumbles into the Final #2ና 2 FER Fantasy VIII intro sequence Tera: Damase 40 тони THO эууаЖ i Enemies Warning: Not all statues are inher- ently evil. In your everyday life, only attack statues that hit you first After you issue a command, you. still = "Aw, I just can't stay mad at you, blue fire" rful foe (who probably ከ xpect to take down beasts like | as a fiery demon with acters against a few friends for su а giant сатім armored skin ts happy nteresting departures from Remnant, we're keeping a close eye contender. ፪፪ ፪፪ ፪፪ yourself commanding groups of characters rather than individuals oo 45 TE 15 Tora: በፈሓመራ need to stay alert for special circum- ግግ? stances.that.arise during attacks መጣጩቄጩጮሯ= 4234 k- T4 EI Ty — = LEAD YOUR MEN THROUGH MORE REALISTIC THAN EVER WITH А THE DARKEST MOMENTS OF WWII DIG-IN COVER SYSTEM AND DESTRUCTIBLE COVER MATURE 17+ Blood and Gore COMING AUGUST 2008 Intense Violence Mild SexualThemes to P6 and Next-Gen Consoles Euri Strong Language BROTHERSINARMSGAME.COM FLLS E HIGHWAY: E ii COMMAND DEVASTATING FIREPOWER WITH MACHINE GUN TEAMS, BAZOOKA SQUADS, AND TANKS gearbox uaısorr 2% previews Mapanaloya Civilization IV: Colonization > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (ONLINE TBA) > PUBLISHER 2K GAMES > DEVELOPER FIRAXIS GAMES > RELEASE FALL BACK TO THE NEW WORLD - id Meier's Colonization was a staple of many strategy gamers' diets in the '90s, as it pandered to a differ ent taste than contemporaries like Civilization or Master of Orion. Its focus on trade, production, and diplomacy made players tread a unique path as they built up colonies into free nations capable of declaring independence from their European sponsors. Now Firaxis is working on a total conver- sion of Civilization IV to update Colonization for the new millen- nium, and we can't wait to dig into it. Not many details are available, other than that Firaxis intends to maintain the spirit of the 1994 clas- sic in this reworking. As the English, Spanish, French, or Dutch you'll 746 САМЕ INFORMER need to overcome native tribes, rival colonists, and meddling kings along the road to independence. Recruiting historical figures like Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry to aid your fledgling nation will confer bonuses, and the improved diplomacy system allows for more complex interactions than threats and peace treaties Colonization will also ship with extensive mod tools. Unfortunately, that's all the info coming out of 2K regarding this exciting project for now. We'll keep you updated on more details as they become available, but until then take solace in the fact that Colonization will not require the base Civilization IV game to play. M ዘ № The Civ IV engine still looks decent, and features one of the best interfaces around PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 FIFA Soccer 09 > STYLE 1 ТО 7-PLAYER SPORTS (PS3), 1 TO 4-PLAYER (XBOX 360) (UP TO 20-PLAYER occer is a great amalgamation of team play and individual feats of skill. A sweet free kick into the box by Beckham can be perfect in and of itself, but it requires the right person to make a run at the far post if it's to be headed in for a goal. FIFA 09 is trying to personify this maxim. With an expanded Be a Pro mode, more team tactical options, and full online sides (minus the keepers) — a first for the series — individual accomplishment and team glory will be yours for the taking. FIFA 09's move into ten-versus-ten online games is a big step forward in a sport where correct Positioning, intelligent attacking runs, and overall team movement can make a huge difference in scoring or being scored upon. EA isn't talking yet about what specific teams or leagues players can choose from, but you will be taking over real-world clubs — although the matches themselves won't be grouped in an overall online league. Getting the nine other players on your squad to not act like ten-year-olds and all crowd around the ball will be hard, but you can utilize team chat to try and get everyone in line. Should you not play with a full side of real players, your team will be filled out with CPU players that you can switch between at any time. For those who would rather go it alone, this year's game greatly expands the already cool Be a Pro mode. Here you can step into the boots of a created or already established star and start a four-year campaign. At the end of the four years hopefully you will be respected enough to play with your national team in the International Cup (don't mention the World Cup - that's a whole other game sold separately!). Although there will be no new controls for Be a Pro mode, you'll hear more chatter from your team- mates in an effort to provide you with more info on how you can impact the game with a perfect pass or run. The mode is also being tuned to offer you Influence points in a fairer manner than before. This game's expanded feature set is nice, but the development team at EA Canada admits it has plenty of work to do — particularly in shoring up some of the long-time complaints of the series, whether that's implementing custom control con- figurations or fixing the wonky keeper А! so they take better positions and react more realistically, EA's saying all the right things, and it's working hard to improve its game. Sounds like it's trying to Бе the ultimate team player. ፪፪ № № When online each player can select the camera mode he or she wants, whether it’s the tighter Ве а Pro style ог classic wide camera Screensavers 2% тоуе1756 Lollipop - Lit Wayne real2093 ” Love In This Club Part | - Usher / Beyonce real2094 e Get Like Me - David Banner / Chris Brown real2095 T и lata is Sexy Can | - Ray-J / Yung Berg real2096 pic2336 pic2337 Take A Bow - Rihanna real2097 n ° ” 5Кіп1709 тоуе1757 ወ= m mm mm кән кән She Got It - 2 Pistols real2098 a J ET Ms rami, ف‎ = Love In This Club - Usher / Young Jeezy real2099 x К. ? ey ፦። 2 Moving Mountains - Usher real2100 Y « The Boss - Rick Ross / T-Pain real2101 pic2338 pic2339 и Touch My Body - Mariah Carey real2102 | ዚ. $ 1 Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry real2103 Even If he — 761758 === = SS = = Forever - Chris Brown real2104 es 4 ы жия» ын move Boyfriend/Girlfriend - C-Side / Keyshia Cole real2105 A ውባ ጂዳ 6 се лр 22 — Zooted - Soulja Boy Tell Em real2106 5 s I taught taught x Ја Ж. Customer - Raheem DeVaughn real2107 pic2340 ріс2341 your your thing game1169 Lolli Lolli - Three 6 Mafia real2108 ጠጠ 5 DON'T girlfriend girlfriend you life :) ር Never Too Late - Three Days Grace real2109 TEASE 2 Finer Things - Суззего / Kanye West / Neyo real2110 ЕЯ ШТЕ? А тоуе1759 "m mm mm ጠ um um к “ Closer - Ne-Yo real2111 PLEASE ጾ "UJ А Umma Do Me - Rocko real2112 pic2342 ріс2343 ы | d Life Of Da Party - Snoop Dogg real2113 АПУ ^ Party People - Nelly / Fergie ТИШ 4 h ነ ረ Who Тһе | That? - Dolla / T-Pain / Tay Dizm real2115 መ E ына | #8 ріс2344 ріс2345 PARENTAL) ለመከ ШИ ч ШШШ CALLS} Waste ^ pic2346 pic2347 skin1714 5Кіп1715 Do በጠ. „7 |] I $ тоуе176і BABY GOT BACK REALTONE real2092 апаға / ]Pinboart skin1716 5Кіп1717 HOW TO ORDER amm -—— = NEED HELP? CALL 877-THE-ISH4 OR 2 { E-MAIL: CARE@THEISH.COM Ё supporTeD CARRIERS: ВЯ AT&T Sprint Verizon T-Mobile virgin mobile To access our services you need а cellphone with correct WAP or GPRS configuration enabled. If you have problems downloading, please contact our Customer Care hotline (see below): Ж ALL CONTENT ITEMS CAN BE REDEEMED WITH THE CHIPS OPBTAINED AS PART OF THE MONTHLY THE ISH VIP CLUB SUBSCRIPTION, WHICH IS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS OF SERVICE AT THEISH. COM. IN THE ISH VIP CLUB YOU WILL GET A STACK OF 800 CHIPS THAT IS REFILLED EVERY MONTH, FOR JUST $7.99/MONTH. REALTONES/VIDEORINGTONES CAN BE REDEEMED FOR 200 CHIPS, GAMES/APPLICATIONS FOR 300 CHIPS (NOT AVAILABLE FOR VERIZON WIRELESS CUSTOMERS), ANY OTHER CONTENT ITEM FOR 100 CHIPS. ADDITIONALLY, YOU WILL RECEIVE A BONUS THEISH TONE OF THE MONTH. YOU WILL BE CHARGED ON YOUR CARRIER BILL. CHIPS CAN BE REDEEMED AT THEISH.COM. THE ISH VIP CLUB MEMBERSHIP AUTOMATICALLY RENEWS UNTIL YOU CANCEL. YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD OR HAVE YOUR PARENT'S PERMISSION TO SIGN UP ON THEIR BEHALF. NORMAL MESSAGING/DATA CHARGES APPLY. DO NOT RESEND YOUR ORDER IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE PRODUCT. A CARRIER DATA PLAN IS REQUIRED. IF YOUR HANDSET DOES NOT SUPPORT CONTENT, NEXT BEST SUPPORTED CONTENT IS BEING DELIVERED. TO TERMINATE YOUR CLUB MEMBERHIP © 2007 ЈМВР ዘር Wii Spyborgs Capcom's newest Wii title follows the whimsical adventures of five bionic-powered spies who fight to save the world from the dastardly schemes of a super villian. This co-op centric action brawler has players switching between team members who all employ a different kind of combat specialty, such as heavy gunpower, martial arts, extreme skateboarding skills, or pure robotic might. The game’s pacing and humor match the speedy, quick cuts of a Saturday morning show. Playable commercials will even be interspersed through the game to break up the action. Featuring exaggerated dialogue and catchy jingles, these minigames make use of the Wii's unique controls. For example, as two fish sing about unclogging a drain, the players strum their Wii remotes like a banjo. Spyborgs is still a year or more out, but its clever premise has us hoping for the best. 76 GAME INFORMER H | | 0 р H | L е Mini Previews With Big Pictures y ARCADE | PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | PC Street Fighter IV While you check out these screens of Street Fighter's new final boss, 1 d Seth, let us fill you in on the new SF IV details that have emerged ኞ since we last covered the game. Dubbed “Тһе Puppet Master,” Seth is the CEO of Shadowloo's weapons division who has modified his body with the latest cutting-edge technology. His story ties into many of Street Fighter's popular characters, but fans ми -һаме 10 wait for the console versions to get the full scoop; Capcom is adding animated segments to the console versions that will help flesh out the game's plot. This near-final version we played is very reminiscent of the classic Street Fighter И we all respect and love. The fighting mechanics feel better than ever, as the game's collision detection system has been entirely reworked. While we still don't have a firm release date, signs point to early 2009. “Touch pie chart to make it stop spinning. NINTENDO DS Ninjatown Shawnimals, the oddly adorable, girl-friendly-yet-still-not-unmasculine plush ninja toys created by former ЕСМ editor Shawn Smith, are coming to the DS this October courtesy of SouthPeak Games and Venan Entertainment. Just as in a tower defense strategy game, Ninjatown requires players to build up their defenses before the battle. Then your army of Wee Ninjas, Sniper Ninjas, and snowball-throwing White Ninjas must defend their homes from the evil forces of Mr. Demon and his army of Feroshi, Zombie Ninjas, and Business Demons by using special attacks like Stealth Hugs and The Long-Winded Story (paralyzing attacks). Ninjatown's clever strategy and absurdist humor make it a game worth keeping your eye on. Se photophile ЗА ፻ T Wii Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party The first Rayman Raving Rabbids earned points for being one of the original clever minigame collections on Wii, but the sequel was swept away in the flood of shovelware copycats. By incorporating the Wii Fit Balance Board, developer Ubisoft _— =< == Paris has а shot at the cutting edge once again, claiming to Бе “the first game you ONLY ARCHINEERS AND KINGDOM FORCE “4 ARE ALLOWED INSIDE THIS HALL. К, NINTENDO 05 can play with your arse" This time around Rabbids have taken over TV for a week, ы parodying MTV, soaps, movies, extreme sports, and ads. А mix of simultaneous co-op, Lock 5 Quest battle, and party multiplayer maxes out at four players, but up to eight people can take on turn- based challenges. Watch for the Rabbid invasion this holiday. The developer of Drawn to Life, 5th Cell, is moving from phallic platforming to Japanese-inspired strategy. Coming this fall from THQ, the game follows Lock, an "Archineer" who must fight off a clockwork army. Gameplay consists of a building phase where players construct walls, traps, and turrets, and then a battle phase where enemies try to raid your camp. Defensive structures will thin out enemy ranks, but Lock will have to engage in melee combat and spell casting to truly win. Online play has yet to be confirmed, but four-player multi-cart battles are in. Wii | NINTENDO DS SimCity Creator Who likes all of the complicated, nuanced aspects of virtual city management? Well, lots of people do. But not everyone! For those who prefer a more relaxed approach to metropolitan prosperity, EA is bringing a more casual city builder to the Wii. Its interface is designed for the Wii remote, and will allow players to zone areas, draw roads and rails, and even choose an architecture style (like European and Asian themes). You'll also be able to share your city with friends ма WiiConnect24. Another SimCity Creator will be coming to the DS, but it looks to follow more in the vein of last year’s SimCity DS, with an emphasis on watching your city evolve through the ages. Be sure to tune up your emergency sirens, because you become mayor again on September 22. ኣኣ (255259 GAME INFORMER 77 Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Rock Band Monster Madness: Grave Danger ШЕ (2 Б Football 09 After some struggles its rookie and sophomore years оп next-gen con- Final Fantasy IV You may be familiar with the story, but you've never played Final Fantasy IV quite like this. Updated 3D graphics, new skills, and soles, NCAA Football finally looks ready for the bright lights, highlight reels, and bowl game pageantry. With refined gameplay, improved graphics, roster sharing, and the new online dynasty mode that lets up to 12 players compete, this is the year to bask in the college football experience. expanded story sequences are just a few of the reasons to play this re-imagined classic. With all the great characters and plot twists, there's plenty of nostalgia for people who know the original inside and out, but enough modern touches to keep first-timers going strong. Final Fantasy IV on DS is what happens when a developer Our crack (or crackhead, we can never decide which) review team rates games in a number of cat- egories to help you sort out the great from the stuff you'll hate. Most games are reviewed by two staff members, and you will find both their opinions on each review. To make things a little easier we have put together some definitions of what the numbers mean, what we look for in a game, and also a cheat sheet so the newbies can understand our advanced video game jargon. It is important to note that the Game of the Month is determined only by the main review score, not an average of the two opinions. 78 GAME INFORMER takes an already-excellent game and improves it. THE SCORING SYSTEM = = Outstanding. A truly elite title that is nearly perfect іп 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 іп а 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. ጨ | N | Co | & | - |S | Co | ف‎ Dane Cook. Not even funny. > 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? 2 Playability: Basically, the controller to human interface. The less you think about the hunk of plastic in your hands, the better the playability. > Entertainment: Fiat out, just how fun the game is to play. The most important factor in rating a game. Replay Value High - You'll still be popping this game in five years from now. Moderately High - Good for 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 it a second go. Low - You'll quit playing before you complete the game. е reviews REVIEWS INDEX Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Alone In The Dark. Bourne Conspiracy, The Civilization Revolution Command 8 Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath... Don King Presents: Prizefighter... " B Unreal Tournament 3 Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2 DIEI Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.. Incredible Hulk, The Kung Fu Panda. LOI Monster Madness: Grave Danger.. NCAA Football 09. Rock Band SingStar. Top Spin Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2. Unreal Tournament 222 Age of Conan: -FU4 Hyborian Adventures Half of the content in Age of Conan isn't printable in this family maga- zine, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. Making emphatic use of its Mature rating by the ESRB, this MMORPG is the most visceral, bloody, intense experience in the genre to date. Spectacular visuals, intriguing storylines, and open-ended player-driven endgame PvP content await adventurers in this Norwegian import. 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 looking for). 10801 - A resolution specification used for HDTV. + bloom - An effect that simulates the soft, blurred 1080 stands for resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. : — glow of bright light reflecting off of surfaces The Т means that the video is being interlaced : board - A term we use for games like Scene I? 1080р - Currently the best resolution for gaming : and Mario Party 2. Ys. A numerical representation of a raining life. Common іп RPGs Jess connection өлесі with other particle effects - Things like smoke or sparks Geated in realtime > A term ме use for games like Super Mario and Ratchet & Clank This is where С! breaks down multi-plat- form games. So whenever you see this logo, there is important multi-system infor- оп ап HDTV. in widescreen, 1080p generates : cel shading - А technique used to ceate 3D : = When objects onscreen sudden! 8 р‹ ys C mation regarding that product. an image areas) of 1920x1080 in ; fendered objects that resemble hand-drawn : ІР- Intellectual Property. А single game or : appear, typically due to poor draw distance ርፈ Progressive format $ i animation cels : franchise encompassing the ideas and characters : PS2 — Sony PlayStation 2 = መረ = э, Е some ts ool “ከዋና : ር6- Гэна сены Usually ree to z- ጠመ M x = 853 - Sony's PlayStation 3 console ме), በር Cutscenes that don't use in-game graphics ; isometric - Three-quarters top down view, like ፡ = f Мет the scan lines of a conventional interlaced ፡ DIE Downloadable content Usualy tak i "Warcraft 3 or Baldur's Gate: Bark Aliance Пн Content suitable Content suitable е а ሰርክ ; the form of inexpensive or free add-ons 1 jaggies - Graphical lines that look jagged when: ее йе Gan for persons ages for persons 17 offers higher peure rese and eim ges 1 Sing games : i Turismo and Mario Кат 3 and older. ages and older. Virtually all motion artifacts іп а 640x480 pixel : و ا‎ AME 3 a кеспе стрес 2 RPG - Role-Playing Game. A term games like Final : ከ i : тай space ї ፡ д ier Scrolls ріске xd fication used for HDTV, : „2f е largest events in the gaming industry : Mhem Provides : Ea qoe of strategy Content suitable саа 222 አ አፉ መ ады 1 first-party — A game made by a console :- fast, simultaneous gameplay а tegy 2 ነ Se : games induding titles like StarCraft and for persons ages Ê cu GE eA men ከ ር አከክ i manufacturer's intemal development teams MMO - Massively Multiplayer Online Usualy : Command & Conquer 3 6 and older. progressive format 2 exclusively for its own system : applied to role-playing titles, we use this term for = Е ВЕ action – A term we use for games like God of А ling - А term we use for games like Mortal : games with persistent, multi-user online worlds — ብር Gradius ፡ Бапи 5 Content suitable Products Wer and Devi Мау Фу: Kombat and Dead or Aive Bee stuns Silas кей 2 Soundwave - Michael Bay had better ተር 1 FPS - First-Person Shooter. Describes games : motion blur ~ Phantom frames follow an obj н ichael Bay ter get разор ee metro fon ad hoc Ауре of wireless connection that : “jg Halo, Doom, and Call of Duy Ako used to 2 to give the impression of realistic speed bis. 10 and older. rating, cones une other players in your denote the phrase “frames per second," or how È music- A term we use for games tke Guitar Hero : SPORTS hee ЕН We Madden м - Artifical inteligence. Usually refers to how ; „ ™Y animation frames happen іп опе second : апд Rock Band wer ME Content suitable wel the computer reacts to human opponents: framerate ~The frames of animation used to 2 NPC = NonPlayer Character. Those people and Е ጀ። Ж for persons ages or works with human allies ; generate the appearance of movement : Geatures you see wandering around in games : thi х р ። አ : ка I humans : third-party - Something made for a console by a 13 and older, adventure A tem we use for gamesike Myst fone d ደር አ а ен. an ре From Monkey Islan > n аем 5 5 САМЕ INFORMER 79 reviews PLAYSTATION'3 1 XBOX 360 NCAA Football > STYLE 1 TO 4-PLAYER SPORTS (2-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER EA SPORTS > DEVELOPER EA TIBURON > RELEASE Шү 5 ESRB E THE ONLINE OFFENSIVE ፎ'ፎ always looking for progress in our video games - especially when [5 a year-to-year series like NCAA. Weird, huh? Less time between iterations means we expect more? Unfair, perhaps, but if you're looking for a reason that separates this year from the rest, then NCAA 09 has it — online franchises. Yes, the one feature we've been waiting for is finally here. As far as dynasties go, however, Rome wasn't built in а day — and neither is yours. The one thing that | enjoyed other than going up against a group of online players was the fact that the game's Online Dynasty feature kept up the mid-week recruiting. Knowing that everyone else in the group was recruiting from the same pool of players made me more careful and vigilant in my recruiting tasks. Since | find the back-and- forth of recruiting (which is the same phone call format from last year) generally tedious, it was nice to find that all the hard work paid off in stealing some unknown three- star juco athlete from my competition. The Online Dynasty mode also includes all the bowl games, red-shirting, and offseason trappings of your regular mmm take a quick o 80 GAME INFORMER * ንቃ! duda ሇዩ ااا س Dynasty. You can even get a friend to step in for the CPU for those weeks you're not playing human opponents. This makes playing in small leagues more interesting. The hum of EA's dynasty servers can only keep you so warm, and the game is a mixed bag of 5:9 boomersooner99 А "m - ITHEAST (NR) ዘ0፡5991፤ 4% Sepeueyaysny Ф 10 Hours 0 Minutes League setup is е for the commish new and old outside of this glitzy new feature. My vote for the most important addition goes to the subtle moves ball carriers can access simply by moving the left analog stick. These new moves aren't as extreme as the right-stick jukes, but they are important for maneuvering though small spaces without losing your stride, such as on kick returns and interior runs. Thankfully the animations for these are relatively compact, so you won't waste movement by putting your hand on the round, for instance. I'm also impressed by the increased attention to atmosphere, with the QB composure ratings and loud stadiums that can wreak havoc on your audibles and hot routes. Such additions are unfortunately over- shadowed by the glaring legacy problems that pop out at you worse than the Oregon Ducks’ uniforms. Magnet catches, floating receivers, catch-up Al (and flat-out poor Al in the Campus Legend mode), and outrageous forward momentum for ball carriers drag down the improved ga tackles, overall tackle variation, and smart pre-play options added in NCAA 09. This game is going places its predecessors never went, but it's also unwilling to ditch a past that is just slowing it down.— KATO sjobnxneo ፪፻ Umopiayuny | BOTTOM LINE 8 . 25 > Concept: Online Dynasty play is the big focus here, which leaves some legacy gameplay problems unattended > Graphics: Gang tackles and shoe-string grabs look cool. Overall the presentation is good > Sound: You can add your own songs to cue up during pre-set situations > Playability: The new running moves on the left analog stick help make moving the ball: carrier pretty smooth > Entertainment: NCAA's Il is fun, but it requires ር еп. sion of your expectations > Replay Value: High Second Opinion 8.5 Now this is a pep rally | can get behind. NCAA 095 gameplay isn't revolution- ary, but its polished anima- tions, tweaked gameplay that reflects the wide-open nature of college football, and new “about damn time” features like location-based passing and formation-specific audi- bles are all steps in the right direction. Many of the legacy problems of years past are diminished, though you'll stil see the occasional stunted animation, magnet pass, or tractor beam tackler. The Dynasty mode is basically the same, with slight modi- fications to the already solid recruiting system. However, now you can take the com- petition online with 11 friends. to compete for titles and recruits — a major plus in my book. The neglected Campus Legend mode, on the other hand, 5 still hindered Бу repetitive playcalling (the draw again?) and a boring off-field regiment. Is NCAA 09 а conference contender? No doubt. A BCS champ? Maybe next year —BERTZ Get in touch with your dark side. YourOtherYou.com Prototype shown with op $ reviews PLAYSTATION®) | XBOX 360 Guitar Hero: AeroSmith > STYLE | OR 2-PEAYER MUSIC (2-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION/RED OCTANE > DEVELOPER NEVERSOFT > RELEASE JUNE 29 >ЖФЕВ T DUDE LOOKS LIKE A GUITAR HERO he move to band-specific content releases is a smart one for Activision. It's an easy incentiv offer big names (like Aerosmith) to gain a: to their back catalogue, and a new retail disc can be released with a unifying concept behind it, eve through very little has changed from the base game. Enthusiasts may wonder why they can't just down- load these songs for their existing copy of Guitar Hero Ill. It's a fair gripe, but it must be balanced against the numerous small features that flesh out Guitar Hero Aerosmith beyond the new songs. New venues and motion-captured versions of the titular band look great, and the video interviews with its members are a blast for music history buffs. The music itself certainly shouldn't garner too many complaints — a lot of Aerosmith's best stuff is playable here, from "Sweet Emotion" to "Love in an Elevator" There's also some fantastic music from bands that played with these Hall of Famers over the years, from Ted Nugent to Run-DMC, even if some of these songs are covers. | feel foolish describing this now ubiquitous gameplay style to the uninformed. Suffice to say, the falling gem gameplay is easy to pick up and play, thanks to some great track layout work from Neversoft. It should come 82 GAME INFORMER as no surpri t th lenging, particularly v Perry's inimitable half of what ing release of Guitar Hero: World out on a limb and guess that d for this Aerosmith release will be Love the band-focused formu Hero: Aerosmith is a herald of things to come. This won't be the last Guitar Hero with an individual for a sub- title. It remains to be seen whether a public that increas- ingly downloads singles and listens to mix CDs still wants a musical experience focused on a single act. Whatever the answer, Guitar Hero Aerosmith delivers where it counts — with great music enhanced by the chance to play along.— MILLER it, Guitar BOTTOM LINE ? Concept: An expansion to Guitar Hero || with Aerosmith Character models and their best songs > Graphics: There's some great motion capture work, but otherwise expect a repeat of the bright colors and caroonish exag- geration of GH III > Sound: Some of the best songs from one of the mi lific bands out there, pl tunes from acts they've with over the у new content for fans of the band - just don't expect a brand new game > Replay Value: Н! Second Opinion 8.25 In a way, consider this Neversoft's counter to Rock Band's myriad download- able songs. However, the ҮНІ documentary style pack- aging succeeds in adding new material to the game while giving players a strong defense of Aerosmith as being a great rock band. If you only know the '905 hi you'll be surprised at just how hard this band hit in their drugged-out "70$ peak. In addition, there's a nicely selected group of songs by bands whose careers intersected with Aerosmith, including Ted Nugent, The Clash, Stone Temple Pilots, and great onscreen cameo by DMC of Run-DMC. While I'm surprised the much- debated guitar battles return, and | still bemoan the lack of a bass career (especially because Tom Hamilton 5 one of the greatest bass- ists in rock history), most of the game provides us with exactly what we want: more great GH ІІ gameplay and awesome tunes, Predictably, Aerosmith fans will be in heaven, and the rest of you may come away with a PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 The Incredible Hulk > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SEGA > DEVELOPER EDGE ОЕ REALITY > RELEASE JUNE 5 > ESRB Т STUPID SMASHING he Incredible Hulk, also known as The Green Vessel of Anger With an IQ Slightly Higher Than Paris Hilton, is back to punch holes in another city. Moreover, he’s returning to show us that he can be a more versatile character than just a moron who throws things. With his friend, Rick Jones, dishing out orders and tagging along to clean up his messes, The Hulk shows us that he could be the next Lassie. “Oh по! Terrorists have planted bombs across the city! Go get ‘em, boy!" This relationship is disturbing, and The Hulk's docile demeanor is more Bill Bixby than Lou Ferrigno. The plot, which could crack the Тор 100 list for mankind's greatest narrative failures, gets more confusing by the second, and somehow man- ages to be far-fetched even for а comic story. Four scientists, dressed head-to-toe in colored Power Rangers-like armor, devise plans within the Citadel of Science to create the ulti- mate killing machine. Edward Norton accentuates this unin- tentional camp by channeling a half-awake zombie through his dialogue. The story and characterizations are so bad that they end up being enjoy- able for all the wrong reasons. The only area where this game hits the green nail on the head is in the destruction. The Hulk can knock down buildings, toss puny humans over skyscrapers, and run right through a bus. His untamed power is backed by a stun- ning fireworks-like display of smoke, debris, and bodies flying through the air. It is such a focus, in fact, that one of the goals requires you to destroy all of the landmarks in New York City. The entire city is open to you from the outset, and is loaded with striking details and objects that you just want to smash. You are tasked with completing annoying mis- sions that often have timers and numbers on them, but you can always veer off of the story path just to raise your wanted level and see how many tanks you can destroy by throwing cars at them. Outside of the clumsy system of having to press two face buttons at the same time to heal or unleash a super attack, the controls feel great, and will seem familiar for anyone who played the brilliant Xbox, GameCube, and PS2 game, Ultimate Destruction The Hulk's move set isn't as dynamic (or large) as it is in the previous game, but the actions available definitely fit the character. As impressive as his moves are, they don't always go off without a hitch Poor collision detection, erratic camera swinging, and laugh- able А! often put an uninten- tional comedic twist on the large scale action. The word "good" should never be used when describing this game, but "entertaining" definitely fits it. Who doesn't love smash- ing stuff? The Hulk does it better than anyone, and it's captured quite well within this game.—REINER BOTTOM LINE ? Concept: A poorly written and poorly constructed game can't hold the green bean back from breaking stuff in amusing ways > Graphics: A showcase of destruction and mayhem > Sound: Kirsten Dunst needs to hand her "Worst Voice Actor" award over to Edward Norton. He may have literally phoned it in > Playability: Cheap death sometimes comes from the game not recognizing that you are hitting two buttons together at once. Other than this, the controls are easy to pick up, and the destruction is brilliant > Entertainment: Terrorzing а ity is fun, but protecting it from terrorists is 8 different story altogether > Replay Value: Moderate It's hard to criticize this new Hulk game for so blatantly copying the formula of 2005's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. From the mission styles down to the jumping mechan- ics, this new adventure with the green goliath mimics that earlier excellent game. Unfortunately, the сору doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Odd collision and А! behav- ior issues are the most pro- found technical mishaps, and wonky controls don't always respond the way you want them to. Hulk's suite of moves is extremely limited, and it only grows margin- ally as the game progresses. Unenthusiastic voice acting and а few ludicrous premises for missions blunt the half- hearted attempts at story. With all that said, there's an XBOX 360 Don King Presents: Prizefighter > STYLE 1-PLAYER SPORTS (2-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER 2K SPORTS > DEVELOPER VENOM GAMES/2K NEWCASTLE > RELEASE JUNE 10 > ESRB Т BATTERED BUT PROUD ith reigning champion Fight Night lost in the wildemess, it was only a matter of time before someone stepped up to chal- lenge the king. Nobody fills a spotlight quite like Don King, and I've got to give the man credit on this one. Prizefighter is far from a perfect specimen, but it's not a sack of pota- toes either. Prizefighter feels as respon- Sive as Fight Night, even though it is a button masher. It's not the way | would have gone, but it's still not the major gripe | have with the game. While this title presents a lot of the boxing fundamentals, like the importance of foot- work, blocking, stamina, and counters, the punch anima- tions don't match up with the correct results. Thus, you'll see punches that miss but still hit their target, and some that just miss...for unknown reasons. The blocking system, which includes a shoulder- button modifier that lets you perform stationary dodges from the torso up, is also E Stars, Penthouse pets, and boxing legends tell your story through well- acted video cutscenes Mario VÉN Peebles unreliable. When combined, these two factors can leave the game open to victory by button mashing when either you or your opponent are landing strings of outrageous combos no matter what the other boxer is doing. Early in the game | got 8 TKO during a round where | threw nothing but uppercuts. Later on this strategy failed, but the anima- tion annoyances persisted. Despite these problems, Prizefighter is not without its charms. The use of video inter- views with luminaries from the boxing world talking about your character's ascension is a cool technique, as are the kinks in the road to superstar- dom. Your career isn't super deep, but it easily tops Fight Night's bare-bones mode. Prizefighter definitely has its frustrating moments, but there was enough fight in it — and out of the ring — to keep me from needing the smell- ing salts. This series has taken some punches, now let's hope it knows how to counter-attack Then we could have a serious battle on our hands.—KATO BOTTOM LINE 5 > Concept: Even though it's а button-masher in an analog world, Don King's not just here to grab the money and run > Graphics: Overall, it doesn't look bad. The body sweat effect is nice, but the spray and brutal- ity is not Fight Night quality > Sound: Survivor's “Eye of the Tiger” fits nicely here. Boston does not belong, however > Playability: The inconsistent blocking system and missed punches frustrate > Entertainment: This game is neither as bad as it seems nor as good as it could be > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 7 ing around the ring 5 a to the face, he went down GAME INFORMER 83 PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 | Wii Kung Fu Panda > STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER ACTION/PLATFORM > PUBLISHER ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER LUXOFLUX > RELEASE JUNE 3 > ESRB E A WORTHY PANDA ‘Il be honest: | look forward to reviewing games based on popular CG-animated chil- dren's movies about as much as doing my. taxes or contracting polio. More often than not, they tend to be a mix of shoddy combat and hollow platforming clichés aimed at doing only one thing well: relieving parents of their hard-earned money. Thankfully, there are the odd surprises, and Kung Fu Panda is most certainly one of these. From beginning to end, it's an entertaining mix of bracing combat, polished platforming, and a good dollop of humor. Kung Fu Panda was made by Luxoflux, which cut its teeth on more adult-oriented titles like Vigilante 8 and the True Crime series. The studio's experience shows. While Kung Fu Panda doesn't exactly innovate, it distinguishes itself from the pack by cleverly swiping bits of gameplay from better titles and its keen knack for knowing just the right moment to give players a bit of variety — be it a chase sequence, timed button pressing a la God of War, a stationary gun turret section, or alternate playable characters. It does the basics well, too; the combat system (which features an astonishing amount of cus- tomization and upgrades) is excellent. In boss battles, you actually have to use (gasp!) strategy and attack in an intelligent manner. While the platforming can be a bit wonky at times (land- ing on some objects in the environment can be tricky), the frequent checkpoints save you from any real frustration. What's more, many of the jokes actually inspire laughs, due in large part to the humorously por- tentous voice work. To top it off, there are a host of solid multiplayer brawling contests and other unlockables to open up during your adventure. While Kung Fu Panda certainly isn't breaking new ground, it's inspiring to know that studios are still capable of doing quality work in the well-worn platforming genre.— MATT 84 САМЕ INFORMER BOTTOM LINE 8 > Concept: Create a licensed platformer that’s actually fun to play. Why didn’t someone think of this before? > Graphics: On the Р55 and 360, this is one nice looking game. On the Wii, not so much... > Sound: A nice score supple- mented by voiceovers from the world’s best Jack Black impersonator > Playability: The slight issues with platforming and camera are more than made up for by a solid and deep combat system > Entertainment: | played all the way to the end, not because 1 Вад to for work, but because | wanted to - something | rarely say about these types of games > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion If there were a concoction used to open up the gates of hell, there's a good chance that it would be composed of talking animals, а Jack Black impersonator, and 8 game based on a computer- generated children's film. This mixture may sound like the devil's work, but it’s actually a winning formula for gamers. Like the film, Kung Fu Panda's combat is mighty fun. Thanks to the fluid movements and excellently crafted controls, unleashing combos upon hapless boars is a blast. The game also provides a nice slice of variety for the sup- porting cast, be it a flying sequence or the chance to see what the master can do. To top it off, its story flows well and is loaded with hilari- ous dialogue and beautifully animated sequences. In a summer filled with wretched movie-based games, this 5 a nice surprise —REINER PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 The Bourne Conspiracy > STYLE |-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SIERRA > DEVELOPER HIGH M № STUDIOS > RELEASE JUNE 3» ESRB М BOURNE DOES BOND ou have to credit the Ludlum estate for treating its star super agent right. Instead of tacking a hastily produced game on the coattails of a film, they hired Sierra and High Moon Studios to craft a standalone Boume game from the ground up. The result is an experience that largely conveys the style of the films. If only the same amount of attention was paid to the troublesome gameplay. The Bourne Conspiracy follows the plotline of The Bourne Identity, but distinguishes itself by including flashbacks that show the $30 mil- lion killing machine in action before he malfunctions. As with the superb films, the hand-to-hand combat and thrilling chase sequences are the centerpieces of the experience. The simple-input, complex-output two- button combat system unleashes a fury of kicks and punches in Bourne's signature Kali martial arts style. Land enough punches and Bourne per- forms an improv takedown move like the famed pen stab. Each fight features Paul Greengrass’ directing style, with quick cuts and ever-shifting camera angles giving you a unique view of the action. The heart-pounding chases take a page out of the God of War play- book, using quick-time button events to simulate the thrill of Bourne's escapes. The game also delivers one car chase, which, whi / the arbitrary city borders, great moments like crashing through comer stores and cruising through tight alleys. Not all of the game preserves the character of the films, however. Though the film-based Boume is often so ahead of the game that he avoids major conflicts or resorting to gunfire, his video game counterpart isn't as sawy. During the flashback sequences, Bourne wields machine guns, fights entire armies, and takes on helicopters and APCs. Plagued with poor cover and sketchy shooting mechanics, these action sequences pale in comparison to the hand- to-hand combat. Worst of all is the battle logic. Bourne cannot disengage or avoid close quarters combat situations, which are automatically triggered if an enemy is within punch- ing distance. When surrounded by snipers in elevated positions, Bourne would never engage in fisticuffs, but the game gives you no choice if an enemy gets too close. Though The Воите Conspiracy is weighed down by broken gunplay mechanics, its thrilling hand-to-hand combat, slick presentation, and rela- tively short time commitment (eight hours) make it a perfect rental for fans of the films.—BERTZ BOTTOM LINE : Ditch Matt Damon е Bourne Identity flashbacks al Engine ywood muscle ely, despite Bourne Ке a mentally vacant bie model е dose quar ting, but the mechanics result р deaths style, but mes feels more Bourne > Replay Value: Moderately Low Second Opinion 7 While | was skeptical that the kinetic energy of the Boume films could be captured in game form, High Moon has managed - at least in the game's tense brawling sec- tions - to emulate the quick- decisions. It's hard to mess up aiming mechanics, but that's just what Bourne does. Coming in and out of cover, the retide is almost never where you expect it to be, a failing that's even worse for the fact that nothing but headshots seem to take down even run-of-the-mill enemies. More importantly, the staid level design robs the game of the sense of invention and ingenuity that Jason Bourne displays in the films. Here, it's nothing more than shoot, fight, open door, repeat. While | loved the quicktime button events during cutscenes and the car chase sequence, the overall lack of variety and polish leaves what should have been а great adventure stuck in mediocrity —MATT XBOX 360 | PC Alone in the Dark > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER ATARI > DEVELOPER EDEN GAMES > RELEASE JUNE 24 > ESRB М BREAKING INNOVATION enerations from now, Resident Evil will likely be remembered as the franchise that popu- larized horror in video games. For those of us who were playing games prior to 1992, we know that the true origin of pixilated scares is Alone in the Dark. Its story was greatly inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft, but its gameplay, which lended survival, horror, exploration, and puzzles, gave birth to a new breed of gaming. A testament to its greatness, many of its signature features are still found in modern day horror games. It's been over a decade since Alone in the Dark unleashed its genre- breaking lightning. Could it do it again? Developer Eden Games, best known for its work оп revolutionary racer Test Drive Unlimited, has channeled an amazing amount of creativity into this Alone in the Dark reboot. Much of the gameplay falls is into “wildly innovative" category. For instance, one of the controller's buttons blinks your charac- ter's eyes. If you hold this button down, he closes is eyes completely. As odd as this function may sound, it is used to deliver some amazing gameplay moments. This off-kilter conceptualizing is present in all of the gameplay, and most of it brought out a surprised "wow" from me. Take an ordinary car for example. When you enter it, you can open up its glove box, turn down its visor, crawl into its back seat, hot-wire it if the key is missing, and should you choose, leap from it while roaring down the road. You can even use it as a rolling bomb by shooting its gas tank. Item man- agement is just as unique. Doing away with static PLASTIC MOLOTOV COCKTAIL біш” 22 ôs в screens, all item management is handled through your character's jacket, which you view from a first-person perspective Eden Games even went to the length of incorporating a DVD chapter selection system that allows you to jump to any point in the game, even if you haven't gotten there yet. Each leap is accompanied by a “previously on Alone in the Dark" clip that brings you up to speed on something that you may have missed. This cool little idea will allow people who either don't have the time or are stuck on a specific part to see the finale. Like the Alone in the Dark games of old, much of the gameplay is comprised of puzzles. Most of them offer inventive solutions, whether it be using fire in newfangled ways or combining items for explosive results. This game has the makings of a certifiable hit, but the entire experience is cor- rupted by myriad problems. For one, the game has no polish. From the graphical glitches to the bothersome collision detection, you are constantly wondering if you are playing a finished copy of the game, or if Eden Games accidentally submitted the alpha code. The game's pacing, which starts out at a breezy clip of a Hollywood disaster movie, slows down to a crawl as players are asked to hunt down specific targets spread across a huge Central Park environment. These stretches are tedious, and are here to artificially lengthen the game. Functionality wise, the first-person targeting № Central Park, a.k.a. 6 pit of gaming hell сот 8)/8 Equip @ Combine/Separate ፳ The inven- tory system is pretty slick оо Ф system works well, especially for the arc-based projectile throwing, but the weapon play, which asks players to do little more than press the analog stick left or right, is a study in how to not do melee in games. To top it off, the story, which piqued my interest early on with its incredibly dark atmosphere and complex characters, ends unexpectedly without any real conclusion. It would have been better if the main character turned toward the screen and said, "Sorry, that's all we have so far. Come back when we actually finish making the game" Alone in the Dark can be applauded for its inno- vation, but it cannot be saved from its dysfunction. Had Eden Games added polish, or dare | say it, play-tested the game, it could have been a wel- come addition for survival horror fans. If you can tolerate the broken experience, you'll be treated to some memorable and original moments. Given the amount of frustration you must endure to get there, it's a lot to ask. But if you are a game aficionado who is interested in seeing all the breakthroughs this industry has to offer, Alone in the Dark breaks new ground just as much as it breaks gameplay.— REINER > Concept: A jack-of-all-trades game that features decent gun- play, swordplay, and driving, plus some amazing disaster-themed moments - all with very little polish or bug testing BOTTOM LINE > Graphics: There are times where you'll say, "That looks great," and others where you'll say, "Where are the textures? Does that even have a texture?” > Sound: A choir pumps out haunting melodies much like Айга. The voice work isn't bad, but the actual dialogue 15 > Playability: A perfect blending of innovation and bugs allows you to experience ‘awesome new concepts in painful ways > Entertainment: The mystery-filled story and inventive gameplay is enough to pull you along through the buggy waters > Replay Value: Moderately Low tive side, it's got some of the most acti scenes Tena Дн. innovation and annoyance. The story teeters between cool and lukewarm, the latter of which is due to overly macho, bomb laden dia- logue and both ho-hum endings. It's cool to climb around inside the cars and — fiddle with the knobs, but by the end you'll just want to get in and go without all of the Options getting in the way. The analog melee attacks offer an interesting hands-on feel, but they don’t always work the way you want. DVD style chapter navigation is great for zipping around the game. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to skip the one thing everyone's going ges Dl f ing. Imagine you're playing Assassin's Creed and right when you're going for the final kil, some guy says you have to collect most of those stupid flags in the game before you can continue. itjarringly kills the flow of gameplay and, for me, is Alone in the Dark's biggest sin of all—BRYAN GAME INFORMER 85 reviews PLAYSTATION 3 | XBOX 360 Top Spin 3 > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER SPORTS (2-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER 2K SPORTS > DEVELOPER PAM DEVELOPMENT > RELEASE JUNE 23 > ESRB Е GAME SET MATCH f you're looking for а pick-up-and-play tennis title, stick to Wii Sports and its "anyone can do it!” philosophy. Top Spin 3 is the tennis game for hardcore players who wear K-Swiss, know the difference between syngut and polylon strings, and think of Prince as a tennis company and not a rock star. Top Spin 3's new gameplay system is based on true tennis timing. Players must select their shots and hold the button down well before the opponent returns the ball to their court. Once the shot arrives and you are properly aligned, release the button and hold the direction you want the ball to travel. This takes getting used to, but it properly reflects the anticipa- tion, timing, and footwork required in real tennis, which aficionados will appreciate. The analog serves also feel more natural than the simple button presses of games past; if only 2K incorporated the analog swing into the forehand and backhand strokes as well. Unfortunately, the gameplay falls apart in tran- sition to and from the net. Your player moves with a grace of an overweight ball boy, incapable of changing directions quickly, and the 86 САМЕ INFORMER hold-and-release formula breaks down completely at the net, where quick reflexes (and button presses) are paramount. The drop ball and lob shot are also inconsistent, which leaves the game feeling like a rec- reation of wood racquet era where net players were the most difficult to defeat — the complete opposite of the modern game. The gameplay may be a mixed bag, but the career mode is the best yet. After you create your player, you must work your way though amateur and junior circuits before taking on the big guns like Federer and Sharapova. As you win matches and tournaments, you're awarded points you can attribute to skills like baseline strokes, service, and return. You cannot max out every skill, so deciding whether you want to buffer your weaknesses or cement your strengths is key to rounding out your game. 2K Sports deserves credit for this bold attempt at rede- signing the tennis interface. With more responsive move- ment controls and a better transition game Top Spin 3 could have been king of the court, but for now it will have to settle for being tagged as a promising but flawed prospect.— BERTZ Once you've dominated your silicon opponents, take your baseline game online and compete in the World Tour BOTTOM we 7.79 > Concept: Knock Roger Federer off his lofty perch as the best tennis player in the world ? Graphics: Impressive courts and realistic animations make this the best-looking tennis game to date > Sound: What does it take to get commentary? Is a little Fred Stolle and Cliff Drysdale action [00 much to ask? > Playability: The new con- trols better mimic real tennis, until you approach or retreat from the net. > Entertainment: Tennis may be floundering on television, but it has a strong pulse, albeit with а few palpitations, on con- soles. The career and online modes are fantastic > Replay Value: High Second Opinion 8.25 Rock Band : > STYLE | TO ЕК MUSIC > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS/MTV GAMES > DEVELOPER HARMONIX/PI STUDIOS > RELEASE JUNE 22 > ESRB T IT’S NOT YOU, 'm going to spend the next few paragraphs detailing feature sets, comparing systems, and praising song selections. Before | do, I'd like to ask a few questions that should tell you whether Rock Band Wii is for you. Do you own a PS3 or a 360? If the answer is yes, then you need read no further. There is no reason | would suggest the Wii version to you. If the answer is no, but you do have a Wii, then the second question is whether rocking out with your buddies in a pretend band sounds like fun. If so, even with its limited options, then this is a pretty sure thing. Rock Band has been dramat- ically stripped to successfully run on the Wii. The character creator has been completely axed — you play with pre- fabs. The Band World Tour mode has also disappeared. The excitement of choosing venues, setlists, and growing a fan base has been replaced by a straightforward song progression. Behind the ever- descending tracks of notes, the background videos are entirely preset, and surprisingly blurry. Finally, you can forget about downloading songs. The game with the best and most comprehensive DLC in history Wii is missing that component on the Wii. All of that stinks. So why 15 it a sure thing for Wii owners? Even ravaged by all these missing features, Rock Band is the best music game on the system. It has a fantastic selec- tion of songs, including a few of the best DLC hits. The audio mix is amazing, the track lay- outs are varied and exciting for all skill levels, and the instru- ments are as good as the ones for any other console, albeit with a shiny white sheen. Rock Band represents exactly what most people who own a Wii are looking for. This 5 cooperative gaming at its best — the perfect party game for friends, family, and new gamers alike. Even with its regrettable omissions, Rock Band has a broad audience of Wii owners just waiting in the wings to get their chance on stage.—MILLER BOTTOM LINE 8.25 > Concept: Bring the music game phenomenon to Wii, minus many of its best features > Graphics: Blurry preset background visuals don't exactly inspire enthusiasm > Sound: The sound mix and the song selection are still fantastic > Playability: Harmonix started a revolution in gaming by appealing to all kinds, and its skill is on display here > Entertainment: || may be missing some of its best content, but Rock Band is still a blast > Replay Value: High PLAYSTATION 3 Monster Madness Grave Danger > STYLE | TO 4-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 16-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER SOUTHPEAK GAMES > DEVELOPER PSYONIX/ARTIFICIAL STUDIOS > RELEASE AUGUST 8 > ESRB T GRAVE ROBBING ike a decaying zombie, last year’s Xbox 360 teen-horror hack and slasher rises from the grave and shambles with a groan onto the PS3. In case you're not familiar with the title, here's the quick and dirty. Four unlikely schoolmates are thrust together in a “no time for explanations” storyline that has them battling hordes of mon- sters ravaging their town. The top-down action lets you use a variety of weapons scattered across the envi- ronment, but you'll quickly abandon melee combat in favor of buying and upgrad- ing new weapons cobbled together from everyday parts. The action is about as fresh as a zombie's breath, but it's fun in the same way as a campy B horror flick. Conversely, the dialogue is so cheesy it should be breaded, fried, and sold at some state fair. Every character grated on my nerves and took away from the overall charm of the game. Grave Danger boasts many improvements over the Xbox 360 version. The ter- rible checkpoint system has been replaced with an instant respawn that makes the game more forgiving. Also, South- Peak added a new challenge mode that lets you take on a variety of Galaga, Pac-Man, апа DDR-like events. These minigames range from cool to frustrating, but at least they offer a nice change of pace from the main story mode. Grave Danger's biggest prob- lems are old bugs that never got exterminated, like the one that leaves your vehicles stuck in walls. The camera can still be an issue, especially with the more friends you try to crowd onto one system. However, given that the game now has online co-op, it's easier to experience fewer of its faults by playing Grave Danger online with a friend.— BEN 18 Vehicles make а nice addition to the game, and add some variety to the game's repetitive combat BOTTOM LINE > Concept: An update to the Smash TV concept that proves why games must continue to evolve > Graphics: The bright comic book levels keep in tone with the game's overall campy feel > Sound: The voice work is terrible and sounds like it might have been recorded in some- one's basement > Playability: This is the perfect buddy button masher; it's easy for casual gamers to pick up and play > Entertainment: With a story that makes you feel like your watching a junior high talent show, you'll be thankful that you can (and will) skip the cutscenes > Replay Value: Moderate few things, add in some bonus content, and hope for the best While online co-op vehicles getting stuck in the environment. The 25 new minigame challenges offer a few decent thrills, but most of them aren't worth playing more than once. Don't get me wrong, fans of Smash TV-style shooters could rent this and have a “not bad” Saturday afternoon with some friends, Just know what you're getting into.—BRYAN PLAYSTATION 3 SingStar > STYLE 1 TO &-PLAYER MUSIC > PUBLISHER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT > DEVELOPER SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE? RELEASE MAY 20 > ESRB T Just wan - na live YEP, MORE KARAOKE ou should really know by now whether you are the target audi- ence for SingStar. If you are, then the question for you is what does this title offer that other similar releases haven't already? То put it suc- cinctly, it doesn't bring much innovation to the table, but it offers a lot more of what you'd expect with some pretty slick packaging. SingStar features around 30 popular hits on the disc, along with their accompanying music videos that play along in the background. Whether playing solo or in a duet, the now familiar side-scrolling bars deliver words and approximate pitch. | was disappointed that the duet mode so frequently fails to take advantage of harmony parts and backup vocals, usually opting for the much more simplistic idea of switching off the lead. Otherwise, the karaoke works just the way you'd hope. This PS3 iteration of the franchise distinguishes itself with a wealth of downloadable content and some fantastic community features. Even music game giants Rock Band and Guitar Hero could leam some lessons from the easy- to-navigate SingStore and the ability to upload and watch user clips, most of which are as ridiculous as you'd expect. SingStar's karaoke action may be somewhat limited in an era that follows the release of Rock Band, where so many other ways of playing are avail- able. However, for enthusiasts who aren't looking for anything that complicated (or expen- sive), SingStar should deliver some amusing Friday nights with friends.— МИШЕЙ E SingStar is compatible with the PlayStation Eye camera, so you can record and save your performances for the dubious distinction of sharing those videos online All those pla - ces | have - - found BOTTOM LINE 8 > Concept: 1/5 ап old-fashioned sing-along, everybody! > Graphics: Crisp menus are sometimes at odds with the SD music videos, but the overall pre- sentation is dean and attractive > Sound: While the initial song list isn't as varied as it should be, there's a wealth of downloadable songs for a price ? Playability: This couldn't be. more straightforward, and the slick interface is easy to navigate ? Entertainment: Your fun will be directly proportional to your willingness to make a fool of yourself singing Britney Spears > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 8.25 GAME INFORMER 87 * reviews XBOX 360 Unreal Tournament 3 > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER ACTION (UP TO 32-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER MIDWAY ? DEVELOPER EPIC GAMES > RELEASE JULY 7 > ESRB M MAKE WAR NOT LOVE оу, it feels like this game just came out - twice! Anyone who's played Unreal Tournament 3 on PC or PS3 knows what to expect here. UT 3 is the best of the best when it comes to fast-twitch FPS action. The graphics are amazing, the maps beg you to explore and find every sniping point, and the vehi- cles and weapon arsenal аге always a blast to use. The 360 version brings a few nice additions to the table, including five additional maps, two new characters, and the split- Screen mode that lets you bring friends in for co-op play. The online action is lag free, and the variety of match types keeps the gameplay fresh. Warfare, in particular, is a blast; this vehicle-heavy, team-based mode has you fighting over sequential nodes. Once you string together the nodes in your favor, you can blast the opposition's core to claim victory. № Vehicles, as always, |) are a blast to play 88 GAME INFORMER Other features don't fare as well. The single-player ехрегі- ence boils down to a string of bot matches. The poorly implemented weapons selec- tion system could have been handled better, and while the movement controls feel good on the 360 gamepad, PC gamers likely won't be leaving behind their mouse and keyboard combos. The biggest tragedy is the lack of an infrastructure to handle user-generated content, which is an important feature for fans of the PC version. Fortunately, all of the Epic- generated DLC from the PC is included on the disc. All these complaints don't add up to much when you're online mowing guys down with the flak cannon while the infamous Unreal announcer screams "Killing Spree!” in your ear. UT 3 still offers fast and furious action like few others, and 360 sci-fi shooter fans finally have a reason to take a break from Halo 3.— BEN ' ጨው = Ф° 3 Fi - up BOTTOM LINE 8 E 5 > Concept: One of the most intense twitch shooters makes its way onto the 360 with few surprises > Graphics: These graphics pop. Another breathtak- ing game that lives up to Epic's pedigree > Sound: Loud and in your face, but would you really want it any other way? > Playability: Faster than ኃ rascally rabbit, UT3's action is smooth enough to appease most action junkies > Entertainment: The game never lets up, online play 5 always fast and intense, and never grows stale ? Replay Value: High Second Opinion 8.25 XBOX 360 Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wr th > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (UP TO 4-PLAYER ONLINE) > PUBLISHER ELECTRONIC ARTS > DEVELOPER EALA > RELEASE JUNE 25 > ESRB T KEEP 'EM COMING 0 help them, Electronic Arts is going to keep on pounding this square peg into a round hole until it goes in through sheer brute force. | applaud the developers' efforts at refining the way players interact with a real-time strategy title via game- pad, but it's going to take а serious break from the genre's PC roots to create a good RTS title on console. Kane's Wrath, with its weak campaign and questionable unit Al, is not that game. Making sure your units are attacking what they're strong against is both essential and incredibly frustrating т. BN መ ፦ This expansion's greatest selling point on Xbox 360 is a reworked control scheme that allows you to pull up Mass Effect-style radial menus via the left trigger. These contex- tual interfaces make it much easier to manage your base building, production queues, and global powers. It's a step in the right direction, to be sure, but Kane's Wrath's underlying design prevents the game from being anything special. While the single-player cam- paign was mediocre on PC, it's downright bad on 360. The constant need to microman- age Saboteurs to complete objectives highlights everything that's wrong with the interface, and the missions never push the player to engage in what C&C 3 does best: crushing enemies under an unstoppable wave of whichever unit(s) you focus on. When you have access to the Precision offered by a mouse/ keyboard setup, babysitting your forces to minimize the impact of their idiotic Al and pathfinding is an annoying chore. On a gamepad fun-killing nightmare. Don't bother creating combined-arms groups of different units; the = faster ones will jump ahead to be slaugh- tered while the slower troops are still put- tering along halfway across the map. The most effective strategy is usu- ally to grab your entire army and baby-step them across the landscape using a series of short attack-move orders — anything else generally results in your units competing to see who can make the least effec- tive use of their abilities. Online play is as good as we've seen out of the genre on console, mostly because of the improved controls, but C&C 55 reliance on hard counters, unit specials, and speedy expansion is a terrible fit for the limita- tions of the gamepad interface. Kane's Wrath executes its mediocre ideas solidly, but that doesn't make it any more fun to play.—ADAM ro The omission of Global Conquest mode in this version is no big loss > Concept: Bring the rec expansion tt > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 7.25 ИМЕ OF DEATH: 13:04:11 TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:12 (ME OF BERTH: 13:04:08 TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:13 IME OF DEATH: 13:04:15 TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:16 ፎ \ TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:14 EN oF TIME OF ОЕЯТН: 13:04:17 ДЕД А > x ATH: 13:04:19... -- zm - ድ м ድ * — 53 a ርብ ኣ TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:27 ‹ р : ы ት ый <=. 74 ፌ.ጦቸሞ OF ПЕ ኣ м. G D ^ IME OF DEATH: 13:04:20 ከክ / $ >= መን Ete ኤዶ. ... ደ 5 =e SST x- D = > кы. 2-- = ы Шеке» s ን ጅ dI Dod ue, Pme E ; ue TH. QUEM À - _ > ПМЕ OF DEATH: 13:0485 72 1--- С Ё КА ። х ነ ር г e = TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:26 | 1. ао o : зїї! m] ያ ag | IME OF DERTE: 13:05:24 - | d P о “+ س‎ NE ኣ “А # > \ | 5” ፌ - ы W እኺ ж = 4 ui S ТЕ а" ~. > ሠም ጣዊ | TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:23 a ж BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU FIGHT THE MONSTERS, LEST YOU BECO RICH № ME ONE. TZSCHE TIME OF DEATH: 13:04:22 TEEN ሠ Blood Language Mild Suggestive Themes Violence ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org | ES ir gamexstudios 2 reviews nfi ер j- GAME: MONTH Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures > STYLE MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER FUNCOM/EIDOS INTERACTIVE > DEVELOPER FUNCOM > RELEASE MAY 20 > ESRB M DARK IS BEAUTIFUL (5 been a long time coming, but Age of Conan has finally arrived to lend some much-needed variety to the MMORPG scene. Taking a vastly different tack than its competitors, this dark, brutal, and often sultry world makes full use of its M rating. A blend of genre traditions and new ideas distinguish Conan from the pack for better and for worse, but to my delight it largely executes on the many promises made by Funcom during its long development. As a solo experience, Conan isn't much different than most other fantasy MMOs. Players can viably solo all the way to the level cap, and the variety of personal goals make it enjoyable. Outside of the fantastic Tortage intro of levels 1-20, the experience isn't as polished as World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online, but the unique combat mechanics make for more engaging battles than the genre standard. Manually activating every swing of your weapon and the addition of player collision also work very well in PvP. The true strength of any MMO is its group content, and here Conan doesn't fare quite as well. Classes don't play off of each other as well as they could in battle, and encounters are often sloppy and hard to keep track of. PvE content is a step behind the genre Itating zone design necessitating frequent backtracking. The solo questing and staid dungeon crawls also fail to deliver the excite- ment of LOTRO's story instances or WoW's interesting encounters. In terms of presenting a shared world and fostering social interaction, Conan is mediocre at best. Public zones are fractured into different instances in the manner of Guild Wars, and it's rare to encounter more than 10 or 20 players 90 GAME INFORMER around you in the world. Crafting — a catalyst for player interaction — is fairly lame, so it's generally only at higher levels that other players mean any- thing to you beyond occasionally fighting them over slowly respawning quest items or mobs. The real meat of Conan's gameplay is in the Borderlands, where high-level guilds large and small vie for control of territory and resources. As of this writing, the Borderlands dynamic is still evolvi with small cadres of power gamers dominating the early goings. It's impossible to evaluate how this system will play out over the coming months and years, but Conan's good underlying PvP mechan- ics and guild-focused endgame design certainly have a lot of potential. Funcom has already significantly tuned up the gameplay post-release, and further adjustments are inevitable. Conan delivers the best action in the genre, presents an “Bloody” only begins to describe Conan's more sinister settings amazingly immersive world, and has a lot of room for emergent PvP gameplay at the level cap in the Borderlands. However, its heavily instanced design and lackluster PvE content offer little of note to more socially inclined players and PvP haters. More than perhaps any other genre, enjoying an MMO is tightly keyed to your individual taste, and Conan is a prime example. Overall, this is a solid, fun, polished title that should entertain just about any MMO fan — at least for a while.—ADAM BOTTOM LINE , but the поп-РУР con- ten feels uninspired > Replay Value: Moderately High Second Opinion 8.5 К easy to forget how monu- mentally huge a project it must be to put out an MMO, much less a good one. That's why Funcom’s Age of Conan is a profound success, even if the game still has some kinks to hammer out. Robert E. Howard's seminal sword and sorcery world is presented here as if it were pulled from the author's imagination – from its pulp dialogue to the wildly buxom, over-sexed women. While the intrigue. and plots are thoroughly grounded in that anachro- nist tye, the gameplay thankfully isn't А portentous combat system delivers interesting options for every dass, the well-structured Ul 5 helpful, and the approach to upgrades and leveling is exciting. It could use more {arly outside of combat, and the action was plagued with noticeable bugs in the early days after release. Even so, this is one of the best MMOs yet released, with a style all its ом. — MILLER NINTENDO DS Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 > STYLE 1-PLAYER SIMULATION > PUBLISHER ATLUS > DEVELOPER ATLUS > RELEASE JULY | > ESRB Т DOCTOR STYLE hile the Wii editions of Trauma Center worked surpris- ingly well, there's just something about the DS's touch screen that brings you deeper into the role of a surgeon. Many of the advance- ments of Second Opinion and New Blood have been brought over for Under the Knife 2 (i.e. the pacemaker, defibrillator, and penlight). This may be old hat to a Wii М.О., but those who haven't dabbled in the series since the last DS entry will find plenty of new surgery types and tools to use. Unlike the original, more real- istic surgeries persist through the entire game instead of going full bore into sci-fi crea- ture infections (thank God). A few strains of the classic GUILT virus make cameos, but they're different enough that they don't feel like complete rehashes. The new virus types are tough without being a complete pain in the ass. If you get stuck on a particularly nasty Surgery, you can now occasion- ally dip down to an easier dif- ficulty instead of snapping your DS in half in frustration. The surprisingly multifaceted story covers everything from political maneuvering to the consequences of hubris and tinkering with the laws of nature. However, the game would benefit from less jibber jabber and a more concise campaign — which could have easily been accomplished if your allies would just remem- ber to wear some freakin’ hazmat suits when going after bioterrorists —BRYAN BOTTOM ше" 8.25 > Concept: Bring Trauma Center back to where it belongs > Graphics: Obviously not as sharp as recent Wii iterations, but character art and opera tions have stepped up since the original > Sound: The small snippets of voice work are a nice touch > Playability: Too! manipula- tion is markedly more precise, but the hunchback you'll get from playing DS on a table limits long play sessions > Entertainment: Possibly the best storyline in the series, and surgery types constantly change with less of a reliance on fantasy ailments > Replay Value: Moderate Second Opinion 8 There aren't many series out there that test your reflexes and precision like Trauma Center. Back on the DS where it belongs, Under the Knife 2 requires a sur- geon's touch as you patch ир your patients in opera- tions that are more inter- esting and varied than any other entry. The controls are much smoother now; you still need to be unerring at times, but | rarely felt like the game was blatantly screwing me over. | also like how it is HANDHELD QUICKIES NINTENDO DS Civilization Revolution > STYLE 1-PLAYER STRATEGY (UP ТО A-PLAYER LOCAL OR ONLINE) > PUBLISHER 2K GAMES > DEVELOPER FIRAXIS > RELEASE JULY 8 > ESRB Е 10+ This title's greatest accomplishment is simply in delivering the full Civilization Revolution experience on Nintendo's handheld. The outstanding turn-based strategy is here in its entirety (see our full review of the console versions last month for details). Some few sacrifices have been made, notably the absence of the in-game Civilopedia, and the control is nowhere near as smooth as itis on a gamepad. However, you won't find a deeper or more replayable portable strategy experience anywhere. Civilization Revolution is a very worth- while investment for any strategically minded DS owner.—ADAM BOTTOM LINE NINTENDO DS LOL > STYLE 2 TO 4-PLAYER BOARD > PUBLISHER AGETEC > DEVELOPER SKIP/ROUTE24 > RELEASE JUNE 2 > ESRB Е 80ቨዐዘ ዘዘ in LOL, one player writes a question or 1 makes a request and up to three other people try to scrawl a clever reply on their own DS (via single-card download play). Everyone gets three votes to pick their favorites, which works fine in four-player. But in smaller games you're forced to either vote for every- one or double up. Or you can just vote for yourself three times! After a few rounds, the game is over and a winner is declared, There is absolutely nothing else to do on the card except watch the credits. Congratulations, you just spent $20 on 10 minutes of gameplay! The game is only available on Agetec's website. ..or for free on every DS. It's called PictoChat — BRYAN NINTENDO DS Final Fantasy IV > STYLE i-PLAYER ROLE-PLAYING GAME > PUBLISHER SQUARE ENIX > DEVELOPER SQUARE ENIX/MATRIX SOFTWARE > RELEASE JULY 22 > ESRB E10 E This is from the CG intro, but most cutscenes use the in-game graphics KAIN IS SO AWESOME ven after so many years, the underlying founda- tion of Final Fantasy IV remains incredibly solid. A rotating cast of party members means your tactics are always changing, and the plot twists keep you on your toes. The gameplay is fun, the musi- cal score is amazing, and Kain still reigns supreme. If you've forgotten any of this, or never knew it to begin with, it's time to set things right. This enhanced remake of Final Fantasy IV does a remarkable job of blending 3D visuals with clas- sic gameplay; it's familiar, yet still drives you to keep playing. | couldn't wait to relive my favorite moments, and most of them are made even cooler with new cutscenes. There's even some extra backstory for cer- tain party members, leaving you with fewer blanks to fill in yourself. Don't be put off if you've never played the original version of this game, since there's more here than pure nostalgia. As opposed to the 2006 remake of Final Fantasy ІІ, Final Fantasy IV makes intuitive use of the DS' capabilities. The game doesn't strain itself trying to work in touch screen controls; the lower screen is used almost exclusively for battle info and area maps — an excellent addition. You can use the stylus to move your character if you want to, but all other commands are entered with the d-pad and buttons, and all the action unfolds on the top screen Even with its streamlined design, it's difficult to escape the fact that the core experience is pretty old. You'll still need to do some level grinding, and the new features (like minigames tied to a summon for Rydia) seem tacked on. But my biggest complaint is that combat feels sluggish; even with the battle speed set high, the process of attacking, especially casting spells, drags on a bit too long. There are always going to be parts of a remake that don't totally live up to the original, but it's rare that one stays so faithful to the source material as Final Fantasy IV DS. The story of Cecil and his companions set the standard for console role-playing games. That fact will never change, and this version gets things right where they count the most. —JOE м Rydia is ten times the party member Edward is чт“ 8.5 > Concept: The best old- School Final Fantasy game gets an update that keeps almost everything you love about the game intact > Graphics: The new character designs are great, and all the monsters and bosses transition well to 3D > Sound: Features a retouched interpretation of one of the best game soundtracks ever. The addition of voice acting is not an improvement, though > Playability: Minimal touch- Screen nonsense retains the das- 5ር feel of the controls, and the map screens are helpful ? Entertainment: Even without the nostalgia factor, it's an enjoyable adventure for anyone with a taste for traditional tum- based RPGs > Replay Value: Moderate GAME INFORMER 91 ТОР 20 Listings Based Upon NPD Data For March 2008 Based On Units Sold 1 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV (360) GTA IV has been on the top of the charts for two months in a row. That's pretty good, though it has a ways to go if it 5 to beat Wii Play's record. That game has been in the top five for well over a year now. Seriously, how many controllers do you people need? We're beginning to hate that game. Mario Kart again, huh? We can live with that. At least we don't have to write another blurb about Wii Play. Seriously, what's that game's probl 8 nts to hang out, and it o like people are just using it to get a free controller. Are we sending an unclear те We threw the game disc away as soon as we brought it hom 3 Wii FIT (Wii) this is Wii Fit. Okay, we can cebar through our left ед, pent up an е. Apparently т. Wii Play is ruining our ከ it's own control got our eye опу This game deserves to be here. o write another contrived blurb ows. A chart ca only one spot | e will have made the top five. Smash on of Guitar Hero? We to God, if have to write another blurb about We quit 92 GAME INFORMER Rank Title System ЕТ Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | PS3 Rank Title L. Mo. [System | Score }Release| E Mario Kart Wii Wii ГТ wii Fit Wii Grand Theft Auto IV 1 | 360 | 10 10408 Ш Power Pro Baseball Portable 3 PSP Û Î Monster Hunter Portable 2nd 6 PSP . - Pachinko Pachislot Kouryaku Series 0$ Mario Kart Wii 2 | Wii | 85 [0408 Vol. 2 i — ` Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit PS3 Wii Fit NA | wii | 8 [оов DS Beautiful Bors Training 360 'ататига Misa Suspense DS | Mysterious Dungeon 3 Wii Grand Theft Auto IV 3 | PS3| 10 (04-08 Wii Play 4 | Wi | 7 102-07 Super Smash Bros. Brawl 5 | Wii | 55 |0348 Rank Title System Iron Man О Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the ንን он Patriots Guitar Hero Ill: Я ለህ of Conan: Hyborian Adventures МА РС 9 | Wii | 875 |10-07 - - Legends of Rock NCAA Football 09 N/A multi 8 | Guitar Hero: Aerosmith МА multi Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: |. |. | lose] са 2 ти Explorer: 5 of Darkness ЕЙ Battlefield: Bad Company 3 multi z М Civilization Revolution 4 multi ae өдісі Dungeon: |, | os | wya losos | Û Î Grand Theft Auto IV 5 muli Xplorers от Time | Û Castle Crashers NA 380 Call of Duty 4: eee | Ipae ፪፪ Ninja Gaiden ıı 7 35 Modern Warfare РА " Iron Man N/A | PSP | N/A |04-08 We Ski МА | Wii | 8 005-08) тушн Mario Kart DS 17 | DS | 85 110455 ዜ Mo. Price ЕЕ Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures N/A $50 А Тһе Sims 2 Double Deluxe 2 $28 16 | DS | 9.25 |05-06 E New Super Mario Bros. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures N/A 865 Collector's Edition ГТ World of Warcraft: Ваше Chest 4 89 God of War ቨ WA cs ЭБЕ The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior , о) Design Stuff ; ፻፲፪ World ot Warcraft 5 $2 Game Party 14 | Wi | NA 11-07 BER world Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade 8 $09 " ЕШ The Sims 2 FreeTime 3 Guitar Hero 111: 15 | ps2 | azs hoor! ርሽ) Sim City 4 Deluxe Legends of Rock СІ 15,000 Games 8328 МА | PS3 | 625 |05-08 Super Mario Galaxy 20 | Мі | 975 [11-07 PLAYSTATION 3 Army of Two 75 Apr-08 Assassin's Creed 95 Пес07 Battlefield: Bad Company 925 Juk08 Beowulf 575 Jan-08 Burnout Paradise 85 Feb-08 Chronicles of Мати: Prince Caspian, The 625 ,+08 Civilization Revolution 9. шов Club, Тһе 875 Маг08 College Hoops 2К8 775 ፻ፎኩ08 Condemned 2: Bloodshot 875 Apr-08 Conflict: Denied Ops 575 Apr-08 Dark Sector 75 May-08 Devil May Cry 4 9 Магов Dynasty Warriors 6 725 Магов Enemy Territory: Quake Wars 8 шов FIFA Street 3 7 Магов Gran Turismo 5: Prologue 775 Jun-08 Grand Theft Auto IV 10. Jun-08 Grid э шов Hail to the Chimp 4 шв Haze 625 1408 Hellboy: The Science of Evil }7 шов Hot Shots Golf: Ош of Bounds 8 May-08 Iron Мап 375 Juk08 Kane & Lynch: Dead Men 7 Jan-08 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures }7 шов Lost Planet: Extreme Condition 8 Магов Lost: Ма Domus 675 Apr-08 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 10 Јов MLB 08: The Show 85 May-08 MLB 288 85 Apr-08 МХ vs. ATV Untamed 8 — Jan08 NASCAR 09 8 мов NBA Ballers: Chosen One 675 ህቡ08 NCAA March Madness 08 725 ፻6ኩ08 NFL Tour 5 ፻6508 Orange Box, The 925 Feb-08 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 775 May-08 Rainbow Six Vegas 2 925 Арг08 Rock Band 925 Jan-08 Sega Superstars Tennis 725 Мау-08 Time Crisis 4 425 Jan-08 Turning Point: Fall of Liberty 35 Apr-08 Turok 7 Mar-08 Unreal Toumement 3 85 Feb-08 Viking: Battle for Asgard 725 May-08 Amy of Two 75 Apr-08 Assassin's Creed 95 06607 Battlefield: Bad Company 925 МВ Вее Моме Сате 65 Jan-08 Beowulf 575 Jan-08 Bully: Scholarship Edition 85 ለህር08 Burnout Paradise 85 Feb-08 Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Тһе 625 ов Civilization Revolution ә шов Club, The 875 Mar-08 College Hoops 2К8 775 ፻ፎኩ08 Condemned 2: Bloodshot 875 Apr08 Conflict: Denied Ops 575 Арг-08 Culdcept Saga 7 የ5508 Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements 8 Apr08 Dark Sector 75 May-08 Devil May Cry 4 Mar-08 Dynasty Warriors 6 725 Маг-08 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars 8 08 FEAR. Files 65 Jan-08 FIFA Street 3 7 Mar-08 Frontlines: Fuel of War 725 AprOB Golden Compass, The 325 Feb-08 Grand Theft Auto IV 10 ,ህቡ08 Grid 9. шов Hail to the Chimp 4 шов Hellboy: The Science of Evil 7 мов Iron Man 375 Jul08 Jumper: Griffin's Story 125 Apr08 Kane & Lynch: Dead Men 7 — lan08 Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 75 Ар-08 Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom 525 Feb-08 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures 7 шов Lost Odyssey 85 Ар-08 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition Jun-08 Lost: Via Domus Apr-08 MLB 2«8 85 Apr08 MX vs. ATV Untamed 8 Jan-08 NASCAR 09 8 Ju-08 NBA Ballers: Chosen One 675 Jun-08 NCAA March Madness 08 725 Feb-08 NFL Tour 5 Feb-08 Ninja Gaiden II 875 ш-08 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 775 May-08 Rainbow Six Vegas 2 925 Арг-08 Rock Band 925 Jan-08 Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action 85 Jan-08 Sega Superstars Tennis 725 Мау-08 Soldier of Fortune: Payback 425 Feb-08 Spiderwick Chronicles, The 65 Apr-08 Turning Point: Fall of Liberty 3 Apr-08 Turok 7 Магов Universe at War: Earth Assault 5 008 Viking: Battle for Asgard 725 May-08 Viva Piñata: Party Animals 55 ቡ08 ፎራ ፦-፦- шана Battalion Wars 2 725 Jan-08 Battle of the Bands Jun-08 Blast Works: Build Trade Destroy 8 Jul-08 Bomberman Land 65 Apr08 Boom Blox 85 1008 Bully: Scholarship Edition 85 Apr08 Castle of Shikigami || 65 May-08 Cranium Kabookii 675 ፻6508 Dancing With the Stars 525 ፀቡ08 Death Jr.: Root of Evil Jul-08 Deca Sports 3 шов Destroy All Humans Big Willy Unleased 5 May-08 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors 775 Mar-08 Emergency Mayhem 55 Jun-08 Endless Ocean 6 Jan-08 Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon 55 шов Ghost Squad 7 Jan-08 Golden Compass, Тһе 3.25 ፻ፎኩ08 Harvey Birdman: Attomey At Law 6 Feb-08 House of the Dead 2 & 3 Retum 75 ለ808 Jenga 2 Jan-08 Jumper: Griffin’s Story 125 Ар-08 Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 75 Apr-08 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Link's Crossbow Training Major League Baseball 208 Mario Kart Wii Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Nights: Journey of Dreams Ninja Reflex Nitrobike No More Heroes Obscure: The Aftermath Okami Opoona Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection 85 Apr-08 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 8 Мау08 Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 775 Jan-08 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles 825 Jan-08 Samurai Warriors: Katana 6 Mar-08 Sega Bass Fishing 5 Арг08 Sega Superstars Tennis 75 May-08 Smarty Pants 75 ፻ቡ08 Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. 6 Mar-08 Soulcalibur Legends 4 Jan-08 Star Trek Conquest 5 Feb-08 Super Mario Galaxy 975 Jan-08 Super Smash Bros. Brawl 95 Apr08 Super Swing Golf Season 2 85 Feb-08 Target: Terror 45 Јов Trama Center: New Blood 75 Jan-08 We Love Golf 6 шов We Ski 625 Јип-08 Wii Fit 8 Jun08 Wild Earth: African Safari 575 Ju08 Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge 65 Mar08 Worms: A Space Oddity 675 Мау-08 PLAYSTATION 2 Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore ndiana Jones: The Original Adventures Mana Khemia: Alchemists of al-Revis Obscure: The Aftermath Persona 3: FES Star Trek Conquest Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition 75 725 Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition Beowulf Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath Conflict: Denied Ops ርካ Empire Earth [| Frontlines: Fuel of War Fury Gears of War Hellgate: London Lost Empire: Immortals Mass Effect Obscure: The Aftermath Seven Kingdoms: Conquest SimCity Societies Sins of a Solar Empire Tabula Rasa Tuming Point: Fall of Liberty Turok Universe at War: Earth Assault Jan-08 Apr-08 Jan-08 Jan-08 Jan-08 May-08 шов May-08 May-08 Jan-08 Apr-08 Jan-08 Арг08 Mar-08 Jan-08 NINTENDO Advance Wars: Days of Ruin Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles Contra 4 Draglade Drone Tactics Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift Insecticide Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles Left Brain, Right Brain LifeSigns: Surgical Unit Lost in Blue 3 Major League Baseball 2К8 Fantasy All-Stars Mario Party 05 Master of Illusion My Word Coach Nanostray 2 Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Orc & Elves Professor Layton and the Curious Village Puchi Puchi Virus Space Invaders Extreme Summon Night: Twin Age Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! World Ends With You, The Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Dungeon Explorer: Warrior of Ancient Arts FlatOut Head On God of War: Chains of Olympus Hot Shots Golf: Open Тее 2 Patapon Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice R-Type Command Secret Agent Clank Space Invaders Extreme Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command Wild Arms ХЕ Wipeout Pulse 8.75 8 6 925 675 7 675 825 775 Mar-08 Mar-08 Apr-08 Затов Feb-08 Jun-08 Apr-08 Apr-08 20-08 May-08 Jun-08 Feb-08 Jan-08 May-08 Jun-08 Feb-08 Jan-08 Feb-08 Jan-08 May-08 Jan-08 Apr-08 May-08 May-08 Apr-08 Apr-08 May-08 Mar-08 4-08 Маг-08 Feb-08 21-08 Ju-08 шов Jan-08 May-08 Apr-08 E 5 3 т 2 Е 2 5 = 5 ፎ S 5 > Е = > > 5 2 = 5 = > > E zi 2 m E ፳ 2 a 2 ሃ = zi E 5 = > = = El E E E a = 2 2 v z 2 > = Е > z = 5 3 = Е 2 z т 5 8 = El E 5 > E - 2 a = 5 = 5 3 8 2 = 5 = = E = - 3 © z = 5 SCHOOL OF 800.226.7625 Financial aid available to those who qualify ፆ Career development assistance * Accredited School, ACCSCT ONE OF THE TOP FIVE GAME-DEGREE PROGRAMS : IN THE WORLD ronic Gaming Month 006 Ful с. All rights reserved. DREAMERS WANTE 3300 University Boulevard * Winter Park, FL 32792 Lineal Real World Education Boom Blox Advice for Leaving No Blox Unturned By Robin Hunicke, Game Designer TIPS FOR EXPLORE MODE Gem - Aim low to score high. Targeting blox near the bottom of towers will help topple the whole thing. Look for weak points or small blox supporting many other blox above. In most cases, you'll want to use power throws for maximum damage. A quick, controlled wrist flick is more consistent than a wild baseball pitch when it comes to executing strong throws. Not sure how your wrist flick measures up? Jump back into the first few levels in training — you'll see exactly which throw strength you're getting. Point ~ Look at the puzzle from all angles. Think about what will happen to each of the blox that you hit. Point blox are made of tough stuff, so the baseball will bounce off with lots of momentum. Take advantage of ricochets to maximize your per- throw earnings. Bomb - Sequence, position, and timing are the key ingredients in earning gold medals here. It's much easier to aim once you know what you're trying to achieve. To target bomb blox that are on the move, play the puzzle without throwing and watch where they fall. Then replay the level to blast them at just the right moment. Vanish - Cause and effect is crucial in these levels. All vanish Мох must be popped, but in what order? If your first strategy doesn't produce gold, try looking atthe problem from a different angle. How many vanish blox can you pop with one throw? Aim for one vanish blox, but pay attention to where your ball ricochets after it hits. You may be able to hit another. Chemical - Chain reactions are the charm of chemical blox; see how many combos you can start. Chemical blox explode upon contact - so even the slightest nudge will lead to chaos. Use your throws and explosions to make the blox work for you. When creating levels within the game's editor, be sure not to stack chemical blox on top of each other — unless you want the level to explode instantly. Grab Tool — It's much easier to pull blox left and right than it is to push them away or pull them toward you. Blox wiggle less when pulled from the side. Rotate the camera so that you can pull blox from the puzzle with a quick pull to the left or right. Pulling blox is like pulling off a bandage. You can grab tightly and rip - but only if your pull won't upset the structure. Be sure that there are few or no other blox touching the one you want before using this approach. For more delicate situations, gradually and slowly pick out the blox you want to move. Do this by quickly pressing and releasing the 94 GAME INFORMER A button as you make a very slight twitching motion with the Wii remote. With this technique, you can carefully nudge the blox a tiny amount each time you pick at it. The picking method is useful also if you want to test how much weight is resting on the blox you want. If you pick at something and the structure starts to wobble, it’s probably a good idea to leave it alone. Use these techniques in multiplayer Dismantle levels. TIPS FOR ADVENTURE MODE Medieval Levels Gem Harvest - Use the knowledge you learned in the explore stacks to figure out these puzzles. There are vanish, bomb, and chemical blox mixed into these puzzles. Remember that vanish blox disappear, bomb blox explode when hit, and you'll have to match two chemical blox together to get an explosion. Sneaky Thieves - Pay attention when а gem block is stolen. The enemy will carry it over their head and it will turn red to let you know it's in danger of being destroyed. Sometimes it’s better to wait until many bears have grouped together before throwing a bomb ball. Warriors - Don't worry about throwing directly at the Monkeys. Aim to knock out the gem blox as quickly as you can. Tiki Levels Escape - Sometimes releasing Gorilda first is the best chance you've got at gold. Remove obstacles in her path starting with the ones that аге closest to her. Crossing - Before hitting the play button, line up your first shot and plan your next. Rescue - Remember, gem blox aren't the only blox you can grab. Sometimes the safest path to gold requires very small, quick pulls with the grab tool. If your gorilla babies are teetering, sometimes using quick pulls on the normal blox to reposition will save them. Frontier Levels Gold Mine - Blast your way into the mine by creating the smallest opening, then fire into it at different angles to rack up the points. Blastin' Site - Bomb blasts can chain together 50 make sure to place them all near enough to ensure maximum blast combos. Bandit Blast - Those pesky monkeys will continue (0 appear as long as there are blox with a star on them. Take those out any way you can. Fire at the structures to bring everything crashing down. Haunted Levels Spooky Woods - Keep an eye out for Devil Monkeys. They're even more deadly than the walking creeps. Zap Dante Babadoos first when you see them; you never know what they'll throw. Clear the way for your Mitten Kittens as they move towards their destination. Zap the vanish blox in their way. Lost Kitten - Move obstacles away from your Kittens and into the path of those creeping creeps. Knock together chemical blox to create an explosion. ..but make sure your Kitten won't be caught in the blast. Some blox are heavier than others. Remember to move vanish blox around so that they weigh down the cloud blox. Grave Battle - Blast! Blast! Blast those creeps! The later levels require quick camera control to win gold. Keep an eye on your Buster Maguffs - especially towards the end. Helping them survive will keep your kittens alive. In the final two levels, the creeps come in waves, and after the initial attack, they'll never come from all sides at once. Keep bomb blox and potential chemical blox matches far away from your kittens. Use the environment to your advantage! Don't detonate bomb blox or match chemical Мох until you see a cluster of lots of creeps around the trap, then set it off. TIPS FOR CREATE MODE Simplified Stacking - Use the camera to help create tall structures. The easiest way to stack items on top of each other is to view your construction from the top. This makes it much easier to build tall towers. Group Select - You can select and manage groups of multiple blox. Rotate the camera for a top-down view of the blox you are working with. Then use the select tool to drag select a box around the ones you wish to manipulate. This will create a set of blox that you can copy, rotate, and place as desired. Height Tool - You can place objects in mid-air. Use the height tool to pull the ground plane up above the default height. Place regular blox to start a level with falling items, and place immobile blox to create shapes that float in space. You can also use the height tool as a mask. Things below the ground plane will not react to the paint, selection, and erase tools. Advanced Tip: To combine the group select and height tool tips, first select a group of blox. Then switch to the height tool to move the ground plane up or down. Switch back to the select tool and grab your group selection - now you can place the group at the desired height. Sets - Copy and paste elements from these pre-assembled pieces to make any level more interesting. The biplane object has payload of bomb blox inside. The small ramp comes with a giant sphere - the only one in the final game. Rules - Editing any puzzle from the main game will let you play with its rules. Not seeing the behavior you'd expect in a level you're editing? Be sure that the rules are turned on. Special blox textures are sometimes available in a particular level or environment. To access colored gems, check out the Castle Attack levels in Multiplayer. This is also true for things like character spawners, pucks and other blox with special behavior. Copy and paste them to be sure they work properly. Mod World FREECOL www.freecol.org With Firaxis just having announced a new Colonization title (see page 74), what better way to get reacquainted with that venerable franchise than with this freeware adaptation? FreeCol has been in the works since 2003, and is still technically in a beta state with version 0.74 having been released June 16. Even so, it's an entirely playable game right now. The goal of the FreeCol team is to make а near-exact replica of Sid Meier’s 1994 classic first, and then add new features once that project is done. With the goal of creating an independent nation in the New World, you'll develop cities, trade with natives and rivals, and recruit a Continental Congress full of historical figures. Unlike many other mods and freeware projects, FreeCol is amazingly well- documented. The manual is easily readable in either HTML or PDF formats, and covers step-by-step instructions to get the game running as well as doing a good job teaching new players the game’s many systems. Oh, and Firaxis’ recently announced Civilization IV: Colonization doesn’t have any bearing - 85 the main webpage proudly declares, “Rest assured that our team will continue working on FreeCol no matter how good or bad the remake tums out.” Attention All Cheaters! Cheat codes, by their very nature, are in many cases buggier than Virginia in August. So, unless you don't mind re-doing those 70 hours you put into the latest game, do yourself 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! MULTI-SYSTEM From the main menu go into Options, then select Bonus Codes, then Enter Code to input these cheats. Unlock All Drift Cars ~ TUN58396 Unlock All Muscle Cars - MUS59279 Unlock Buchbinder 320si ~ F93857372 Unlock Gamestation BMW 320si - 029782655 Unlock Micromania Pagani Zonda К - M38572345 Unlock Play.com Aston Martin DBR9 - P47203845 MULTI-SYSTEM Go into the game's cheat menu and you will be able to enter these codes. 4X Damage Multiplier - Up, Down, Up, Right, Left Big Head Mode For Story Mode - Down, Up, Left, Right, Right Dragon Warrior Outfit For Multiplayer - Left, Down, Right, Left, Up Infinite C Down, Right, Left, Up, Down Invulnerability - Down, Down, Right, Up, Left Unlock All Multiplayer Characters - Left, Down, Left, Right, Down “GI Droid” (location unknown -- last seen dropping out of the ESA) Code of the Month === @ Wii LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Indiana and Short Round aren't enough for you? Enter these codes on the blackboard of the math room in Barnett College to unlock plenty of characters to play with. Barranca - 04EM94 Belloq (Desert) - CHN3YU Belloq (Jungle) - [08197 Belloq (Priest) - VEO29L Boxer - 8246RB British Commander - B73EUA British Officer - VJ5TI9 British Trooper - DJ5I2W Captain Katanga - VJ3TT3 Chatterlal - ENW936 Chucin - 5МК48Т Colonel Dietrich - 2K9RKS Colonel Vogel - 8EAL4H Dancing Girl - C7EJ21 Desert Digger - 12N68W Desert Enemy Officer - 2MK450 Desert Masked Bandit - №485Е0 Desert Monkey Man - 3RF6Y) Desert Soldier - 4NSU7Q Desert Swordsman - 1МКАКТ Donovan - 3NFTU8 Dr. Schneider (Desert) - JSNRT9 Dr. Schneider (Officer) - VMJ5US Enemy Bazookaman - 593Y5R Enemy Butler - VJ48W3 Enemy Communications Officer - IMF94R Enemy Guard - VJ7R51 Enemy Guard (Nepal) - YR47WM Enemy Officer - 572E61 Enemy Pilot - B84ELP Fedora - V75YSP First Mate - 0GIN24 Grail Knight - МЕЄТНІ Hovitos Tribesman ~ HOVISS Indiana Jones (Officer) - VJ850S Indiana Jones (Disguised) - 4)8S4M Jungle Guide - 24PF34 Kaokan - WMO46L Kazim (Desert) - 3M29TJ Kazim (Venice) - NRH23) Laoche - 2NK479 Maharaja - NFK5N2 Major Toht - 15М501 Mola Ram - FJUR31 Pankot Assassin - 2NKT72 Pankot Guard - VN28RH Punjabi Dignitary - KD48TN Punjabi Village Elder - 4682E1 Sherpa Brawler - VJ37W) Sherpa Gunner - ND762W Slave Child - ОЕЗЕММ/ Thuggee - VM683E Thuggee Chatterlal - CNHARY Thuggee Priest - T2R3F9 Thuggee Slavedriver - VBS7GW Willie (DJ) - VK93R7 Willie (Pajamas) - MEN4IP Wuhan - 3NSLT8 For nerds (ov. darks GEEKS BRE EVER cher inste ተ Slacker a (бес urb ро Nerd, Proto-hacker XM кот ABOUT КІСІ TO TEST МУ LIFES % most alive when N ТЇ күү ) 28 em AUS Ис о AT A.C № TTS ALL АИ THE BENJAMINS GABY % № P FILES: ARCHIVE BACKEND № AMMING ONT |55 UES > DUST BUN ] БУТЕ МЕ WE SPEAK G33K Geeks transform into Alpha-Geeks by becoming fluent in LEARN: NIMATION GAME PROGRAMMING www.uat.edu > 877.UAT.GEEK id SOFTWARE FORM MEETS FUNCTION The game industry has many well-known developers, but few have reached the legendary status of id Software. The Texas-based company produced one of the most infamous games of all time, 1994’s Doom, and invented the first- person shooter genre. A company of firsts, id has proven itself time and time again as a driving force of innovation in the video game industry. Begun by a group of Softdisk % employees, including industry icons John Carmack апа John 7 Romero, the company’s history isn’t just a timeline of game releases, but just as often a catalogue of game develop- ment milestones as well. Commander Keen Featuring the first smooth side-scrolling techniques seen in a PC game, Commander Keen was id Software's first game series. Previously, platforming games like Keen were only available on home consoles like the NES. The title also marked the first time a computer game was sold via the shareware concept. Conceived before id was even an official company, the game starred Billy Blaze, a whiz kid that creates his own spaceship and defends the galaxy by donning a football helmet and becoming Commander Keen. The series spawned six epi- sodes over the course of a year. 92:2 8 9529 5529 £3. 0.2 ወ ene шд] Wolfenstein With an established series under their belts, id was ready to move on to some- thing bigger. When Muse Software's copyright on 1981's Castle Wolfenstein expired due to bankruptcy, the boys found themselves a game setting. Carmack once again created a new game engine that allowed people to experience new ways of playing games on the PC. 2 13000 Wolfenstein 3D FLOOR] SCORE | |LIUCS | ER [HEALTH| АММО | | | 3 e$ 88: 75 | Wolfenstein 3D gave birth to the first-person shooter. Carmack and co. later released a pre- quel expansion called The Spear of Destiny. In November of 2001, Wolfenstein made a triumphant comeback in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. While the game was not devel- oped in house by id, the game ran on the id Tech 3 game engine, formerly known as RETURN yu CASTLE the Quake 3 engine. Id handed the develop- ment to Gray Matter. At id's behest, developer Splash Damage later created a free multiplayer spin-off, Enemy Territory. The game set the tone for the recently released Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. * 96 GAME INFORMER Knowing they had created something special with Wolfenstein, the staff at id started working fervently on their next game While Spear of Destiny was still in development, Carmack started developing a new engine that could do much more than their previous tech was capable of, such as full texture mapping and varying light levels. John Romero and fellow id co-founder Tom Hall came up with a sci-fi game based around well-known classic films like Alien. The result was Doom, a fast- paced, bloody FPS that took the industry by storm, The game featured 8 full-length single-player mode as well as co-op and multiplayer, all gameplay mode standards to this day. The game's massive popularity spawned an immediate sequel, Doom 11: Hell on Earth. The game гап on the same engine and contained no major advancements on the technol- ogy side. The popularity was two-faced, however. The violence that the game subjected the players to had never been seen before. It helped spark the now age-old violent video game debates that run from kids arguing with their parents to pro- posed legislative bills to ban or censor them. In 2004, Doom finally returned to the PC in the form of Doom 3. The game also introduced id Tech 4, a huge advancement of game software technology at the time. Using techniques like normal mapping, fully dynamic per-pixel lighting, stencil shad- owing, and multi channel audio, the engine would help define how developers approach game making to this day. The engine has gone on to power games like Quake 4, Prey, and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. This year, id announced that Doom 4 is being developed by an internal id Software team. En ) М ШП? | AMMO) | HEALTH Ee feature ·• classic gi Quake After the release of Doom id had reached rock star sta- tus, selling million of copies. Its next gaming endeavor, Quake, once again changed how the world viewed video games, Carmack's new game engine could produce а true 3D game world. Now players not only explored in three dimensions, but encour enemies and objects in 3D as well. While the first Quake did not have much of a story, it was a technical achievement and even featured sound effects and music tracks by Nine Inch Nails front- man Trent Reznor. The game engine went on to power many other notable games like Half-Life, and id eventually nabbed an Emmy for its work. In 1997, id upped its own ante by releasing Quake II with an all-new game engine. The game featured a sin- gle-player mode with a full storyline, but the real success story was the impact on multiplayer gaming. While play- ing online was nothing new, Quake Il was the epitome of competitive gaming. When released, it was hailed by many critics as one of the greatest games of all time, much like Doom before it Their next release, Quake ІІІ: Arena, changed the gam- ing landscape again — the title was devoted entirely to competitive play. By ditching the single-player story, id's focus shifted to perfecting deathmatch and capture- the-flag matches that pitted players against other human players on the Internet or Al bots. The game also marked the launch of the id Tech 3 game engine, once again opening the doors for other developers to use its technology. Id Tech 3 served as a platform for remarkable titles like Call of Duty, Star Wars Jedi Knight Il: Jedi Outcast, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, and the company earned over $1 billion dollars in industry revenue from the Quake engines alone. For Quake 4, id handed the reigns to long-time partner Raven Software, which ran on Doom 3's id Tech 4. The title was а direct sequel to Quake [5 storyline. Quake 3 Quake 3 QUAKE 4 In 2007, id announced it was hard at work on Rage, its first internally devel- oped title since Doom 3. Using both familiar and new concepts, the game melds elements of the first-person shoot- er and vehicular combat genres. Id also announced the new title would run on an all-new game engine dubbed id Tech 5. It's the first new IP from the developer in over a decade. id Software opens door Commander Keen Wolfenstein 3D Doom Doom ዘ Quake Quake ዘ Quake Ш: Arena Doom 3 Rage, Doom 4 GAME INFORMER 2 classic gi PSONE ECHO NIGHT > STYLE 1-PLAYER ADVENTURE > PUBLISHER AGETEC > DEVELOPER FROM SOFTWARE > RELEASE 1999 f you like the “first-person” more than the “shooter” in an FPS, you might have liked Echo Night when it released nine years ago. Now? Probably not so much. Drawing on the success of adventure games like Myst, Echo Night gives players full maneuverability as they explore the Orpheus, a wayward ghost ship. The atmosphere aboard the Orpheus conveys a sense of hopelessness and dread through eerie con- versations with the ghosts of former passengers. That's the only thing Echo Night really nails. It's basically combat-free, but you still have a life meter and are vulnerable to ghost attacks. Your only recourse is to solve puzzles scattered around the ship, but these chal- lenges alternate between simplistic and arbitrary, leaving you with little sense of accom- plishment. It's also surprisingly short, which isn't bad itself, but it feels like developer From Software had a full game's worth of explaining to do in half the time. It does weird and creepy right, but Echo Night never really gets the whole “fun to play” thing down. PlayStati POKEMON PUZZLE LEAGUE > STYLE 1 OR 2-PLAYER PUZZLE > PUBLISHER NINTENDO > DEVELOPER NINTENDO > RELEASE 2000 ecause of their simplistic premise, puzzle games age better than Heather Locklear. Perhaps that's how Nintendo gets away with releasing the same game in a different dress over and over again: Tetris Attack (SNES), Pokémon Puzzle League (N64), and Planet Puzzle League (DS). Apparently, lining up colored blocks never gets boring. This version is overlaid with a Pokémon skin, which fortunately has no significant impact on the actual gameplay. You'll likely grow tired of hearing the same sounds and phrases every two minutes. When Pikachu isn’t shouting his own name, Ash squeals something like, "I'm gonna win!" Thankfully, the game makes up for that with six different playable modes. Some of the later puzzle challenges give your brain a good workout, and the 3D mode is a fun change of pace. It's hard to go wrong with classics like this. é ь 3 № ያ % 2 98 GAME INFORMER SEGA CD CLIFFHANGER > STYLE 1-PLAYER ACTION > PUBLISHER SONY IMAGESOFT > DEVELOPER MALIBU INTERACTIVE > RELEASE 1995 ylvester Stallone's early ‘90s mountain action flick has а LE RETRO so-bad-it's-good appeal to it, and in that respect the game 2 T. р definitely lives up to the license. Of the many ports of % Cliffhanger released at the time, the Sega CD version reigns supreme with truly awful-looking clips from the movie, a CD-quality soundtrack, and crotch-hammeringly difficult snowboarding sequences on par with the Battletoads hover bike level. The core of the game, however, is Final Fight-lite brawls on top of the flattest mountains on Earth. Surprisingly, there actually is some climbing in Cliffhanger. You'll shimmy up a flat gray wall while dudes throw turkeys at you or John Lithgow repeatedly rams you with his chopper. But perhaps the best moment is when you're chased by a colony of bats and forced into a fast-paced log jumping sequence. By the way, it's pretty much impossible to get past the first snowboard run without codes, so here you go: 99 LIVES: on the title screen, press up, left, C, B, A, on controller 2. LEVEL SKIP: on the title screen, press start, С, В, A, right, left, right, left on controller 2. Once in the game, press pause and hit C to skip stages. ሙዱ *Score given to the game when it first appeared in Game Informer. Echo Night (СІ #76 08/99), Pokémon Puzzle League (СІ #92 12/00) ONLINE Qur Wolfenstein blow- out continues with video interviews starring Raven Software and a “making of the game” documentary. A History Of Violence Learn more about the rock star FPS pioneers in our interview with id co- owner Kevin Cloud. The Write Stuff Read more of our exclusive interviews with Susan O'Connor (Gears of War, BioShock), Drew Karpyshyn (Mass Effect), and Emil Pagliarulo (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3) about the art of game writing. : Playing Chicken Ben sits down with Robot Chicken masterminds Seth Green and Matthew : Senreich to grill them about their Star : Wars special, plead for a job, and learn the ins and outs of a restraining order. ወሠፖመጆወዉሩፋኪመሩናሯ REMI ፡ Check The Remix Want to learn more about the art : of remixing video game sound- tracks? Read our full interview with : OverClocked КеМіх5 webmaster, curator, and remixologist David Lloyd. Extra Content You Can Find At www.gameinformer.com 15 (3960 Crusader Chronicle After his Robot Chicken ordeal, Ben learns to curb his enthusiasm as he interviews Batman: Gotham Knight producer Bruce Timm. No one was harmed in the making of this Q&A. Survey Says Numbers don't lie. Or do they? Find out with our full-fledged survey about : the state of online gaming. | 588 i ALSO ONLINE THIS MONTH: It's that time of year! The Game Informer Online crew heads to Los Angeles to work themselves to the bone covering the E3 extravaganza. Your online source for great t-shirts % UN Sm ሦ L ሪ | a АР у, “great t-SHiFtS FOF tHE id in US ам! С 1-866-80sTees www.80sTees.com/gi20 Solid Snake is a longtime gaming hero - dignified and awesome. Now that the еріс finale of Metal Gear Solid has hit shelves, we thought we'd offer a tribute to our long- time favorite stealth soldier. Complete the following quiz to find out which outfit you'd like to see Snake in, whether he likes it or not. 8 Who was Atrus' father in the Myst series? 1 The company now known as Sony was originally called what? A. Gehn A. Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo B. Sirrus B. Electronico C. Achenar C. Tactical Studies Rules D. Soni Magnetic mo D. Saavedro i 9 What was the name of the | | first game created by Nintendo? A. Donkey Kong B. Hanafuda C. Computer Othello D. Game & Watch 6 Only one Journey song has : been made available for either : Guitar Hero or Rock Band to date. What is it called? : A. "Wheel in the Sky" B. "Separate Ways" C. "Don't Stop Believin" D. "Any Way You Want It" : around this game's name. Do і you remember where it goes? : А. Einhander B. Einhánder C. Einhandér D. Ётһапаёг 3 Who was the protagonist in 2004's Red Dead Revolver? A. Deadeye B. Clint Belton C. Red D. Flying Hawk 27 Which track and field event : was not included in the original | arcade release of Track & Field? A. Hammer Throw B. Long Jump C. Shot Put D. 100 Meter Dash ፡ 10 what is the appropriate i phrase to utter after having : beaten "Through the Fire and : Flames" on Expert and hitting : 100 percent of the notes? A. Eh. That was easy. B. You should see me sober. C. And lo, thou shall kneel before me, and | will be your God among mortals. D. That just %#&@ing happened! азми 4 Which game wasn't made by Harmonix? A. Karaoke Revolution B. Guitar Hero Il C. Eye Toy: AntiGrav D. Harmonix made all of the above games 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 inquires 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. Canada & Mexico 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 ВАС, ONTARIO, CANADA አይር 6A8 Game Informer does not claim any copyright 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. 100 GAME INFORMER 9 There's an umlaut somewhere 21 | We'll Meet Again Someday Soon. BREAKDOWN $23.6 million was the total loss reported by Atari during the last financial year. On the bright side, that's down from the $69.7 million loss the year before. ш. ዙር ሱር ЛЕШ => xe ее] 10 million registered users have signed up for the XFire chat and community service. 28 days of every month, the average PS3 owner aged 27 and up uses their console, according to a recent Nielson Media Research study. в т 0 አዜብን 65 percent is the average rating Xbox Live Arcade games should aim to surpass if they don't want to be put into danger of being delisted from the service. eee ee ንመ... 7 pages of this issue have super secret messages that can be decoded with a special sequence of letters and numbers hid- den within last month's issue. Are you cool enough to find all the secrets? Are we lying? Is it real? Hint: It almost certainly isn't. 0-1: Schoolboy Snake 6-7: Marketing Shill Snake 8-9: Teddy Bear Snake 10: Really Naked Snake Video Game Trivia Answers: С8.А9.810.0 PRE-ORDER MADDEN У! 09 GETA BONUS. GET AN EXCLUSIVE COUPON PLAYBOOK WORTH $50 B Ө чоно GameStop content naren gy A power to the players = OUR: GAME PEACE: ዐ NM d PREPARE FORTHE A — Ó ሥ BIG)LEAGUES! e J PLAY WITH THE PROS. LIVE THE MLB® LIFE. 2% 55 coming this 1 fall 11 for Nintendo DS.™ dc ...:...:: A h eane K Spor he 2K Spor baa, and Gie Ta kiache Sala ae al rademarks andor registered tadema le а [wo Interactive Software, Inc. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with p of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit the official website at MLB.com © МЕВРА - coo И d trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. Ж 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 profitis made от these scans nor do we offer anything available from the publishers themselves: If: you come across anyone selling releases from this Site please do not support them апа do let Us know: Thank you!