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THE DRIVE OF YOUR LIFE

PlayStation.

Gran Turismo is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. All manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game are trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners. All rights reserved. © 2001 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER STORY 18 THE NINTENDO DIFFERENCE

A next-gen console finally comes from Nintendo, and with sexy results! We poked, prodded, and played this Cube in order to give you all the answers you need come November. You'll thank us,

you'll thank Nintendo, and you'll never leave the house again.

FEATURE FEATURE ELECTRONIC GAME BOY ADVANCE

ENTERTAINMENT EXPO 200 1 The king of the handheld realm, Nintendo, is readying the greatest portable

Presenting unrivalled coverage of the annual trip to the world's largest gaming player the world has known to date, and we give you an in-depth look at what convention, Game Informer runs wild in the streets of L.A. and lives to tell about it. Hear the tales we've got to share about who's won, who hasn't, and

to expect on June 11. No need to pre-order or wait in line, feel free to come and get this goodness.

which titles were deemed our Best of Show.

GAME BOY ADVANCE

4 GAME INFORMER

2» чир

EDITORS' FORUM GI endures the cavalcade that 15 ЕЗ, and comes back a little worse, but certainly wiser, for the wear. Unfortunately, the trip had an adverse effect on the GI editor for- merly known as Matt. He no longer responds to his given name, but he'll follow you home if you feed him some peanuts.

GI SPY The Game Informer paparazzi stalk the video game industry, declaring all those who are or are not born to rock (and bring you candid photos of all the action).

DEAR GI The GI backlash begins here! The readers have spoken and we have listened. Sit in on a heated session of anger management as we try to counsel a few hot heads on their litany of complaints against your hum- ble editors.

GI NEWS ЕЗ 2001 was as big an event as ever, but it was the announcements before the show that really rocked the house. The big three laid their gloves on each other as the next- gen console war officially got under way.

PREVIEWS Wow, we're stuffed. Feast your eyes and mind on a long list of exciting games that

CHRIS ^ JERICHO зом EES

you haven't sampled yet. Naughty Dog glori- ously returns with Jak and Daxter, Disney and Square do their own dance with Kingdom Hearts, and we give you the word on Xbox's Project Ego. Yes, you did hear it here first.

PHOTOPHILE Purdy as pigtails and twice as sweet, this month's Photophile is as good as ever. Don't even bother shaking a stick at this bunch, 'cause you simply don't have enough arms to grab hold of all these goodies.

REVIEWS We've hyped it up for some time now, and we've not been proven wrong. Twisted Metal: Black garners Game of the Month status by scar- ing us silly. Meanwhile, GI gives you over a dozen reviews of Game Boy Advance titles for you to take in and love. Finally, we have two words for you: Top Shop.

CHARTS Keep up with the Joneses while they try and keep up with each other. Don't like

what you see? If you were in Japan right now, you could be playing anything from Tottoko Hamster Big Adventure 2 to One Piece Grand Battle! - so consider yourself lucky.

SECRET ACCESS Give Ulala all the right moves with our com- plete code for Dreamcast's Space Channel 5 or have even more fun with Taneo and his family in Incredible Crisis for PS-X. Code of the Month goes to Zone of the Enders for the PS2, but we give plenty of love to all our fans that need a little help.

CLASSIC GI

GI staked out every nook and cranny of PS-X's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and we actually don't know if » we're coming or going! Watch as we

get our rhythm back courtesy of Michael Jackson and the crack of Indy's whip.

ETC.

If you read only one book this year, and see only one band - boy, do ме have the answers for you. A new edition of the gamer's bible (Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames) is coming out, and get on Creepazoid's crazy train before it implodes on the stink of its own preten- tious Jim Morrison-wannabe feces.

GAME INDEX

Batman Vengence . Battle Realms . Breath of Fire . Capcom vs SNK 2 . Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Cel Damage Chu Chu Rocke Civilization Ill . . Command & Conquer: Cool Boarders 2001 . Crazy Taxi 2 Dark Arena . Dark Cloud . Dark Summit Dave Mirra Freestyle ВМХ 2 . Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX: Maximum Remix Dead to Rights Diddy Kong Pilot

Dynasty Warriors 3 Earthworm Jim Echelon... . Extreme G 3 F-Zero: Maximum Velocity . Final Fantasy Chronicles Final Fight One. Fire Pro Wrestling . Fortress . . Frequency Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge. Golden 5ип............ GT Advance Championship Racing . Gun Valkyrie ........... Heroes of Might and Magic СО поп 3D Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Jet Grind Radio Future ... Kameo: Elements of Power Као the Kangaroo . Kinetica . ..... Kingdom Hearts Klonoa: Empire of Dreams . Krazy Racers . Legend of Zel Legend of Zel Luigi's Mansion Mad Dash .. Magical Vacatior Mario Kart Advance. Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 . Max Payne . Maximo . . Metroid Prime . MLB 2002 . . Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo . Monkey Ball .. Monster Rancher 3 Monsters Rancher 2 Go Mummy Returns, The Myst Ill: Exile... .. Namco Museum Arcade

Ages, The . : Oracle of Seasons, Th

Pinobee: Wings of Adventure . РЮШ cue A nues Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure . Project Ego ............ Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear Rayman Advance RaymanM ... Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 Return to Castle Wolfenstein . SabreWulf Rumble in the Jungle Sega Bass Fishing 2 ....... Shadow Man: 2econd Coming Shrek ..... Silent Scope 2 . SimsVille .. . Snoopy Tennis . SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Sonic the Hedgehog Advance Spec Ops: Ranger Elite .... Spider-Man: Mysterio's Menace Splashdown .... Spyro: Season of Ice . SSX Tricky ... Star Fox Adventures: Star Wars Galaxies Stuntman ...... ‘Super Dodge Ball Advance Super Mario Advance... Super Smash Bros. Melee . Super Street Fighter Il Turbo Revival Tarzan ..... Tennis 2K2 . Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 . Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 . TopShop .. Tropico .. Twisted Metal: Black . Unreal Championship Wario Land ..... Wave Race: Blue 5 WWF SmackDown: Just

GAME INFORMER 5

AMEINE ORM ® JULY 2001 Volume ХІ • Number 7 е Issue 99

MONTH?

an aa EDITORS 4 4 Senior Associate Editor Andrew Reiner Associate Editors Jay Fitzloff е Matt Helgeson е Kristian Brogger Justin Leeper е Matthew Kato Copy Editors Gabrielle Dane е Sarah Anderson Mascot Arthur

PUBLISHER Cathy Preston

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andrew McNamara

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

ADVERTISING Rob Borm е (952) 946-8186 е Fax (952) 946-8155 email: robegameinformer.com 10120 W. 76th Street * Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3728

CIRCULATION Circulation Manager Paul Anderson (952) 946-7279 Customer Service Department For change of address or subscription inquiry only: (952) 946-7266 Fax (952) 946-8155 or send correspondence to:

е 2 E i е RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION NOW! 10120 W. 76th Street * Eden Prairie, MN 55344-3728 е Attn: CIS Dept

Without a monthly fix of Game Informer, you start to get cold sweats, your hands start shaking, and you hal- lucinate that bugs are crawling under your skin. So why

о ] E d

SUNRISE PUBLICATIONS, INC President John Woodson

suffer? Be safe and check the address label on your cur- Manufactured and printed in the United States of America ° в The Editor welcomes company product information for all video games. Such materials should be addressed to: Editor, Game Informer® Magazine, rent issue. It tells you how many issues you have left. 10120 W. 76th Street, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned or acknowledged .

Entire contents copyright 2001. Game Informer® Magazine. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Game Informer is a trademark of FUNCO, Inc.

Products named in these pages are trade names, or trademarks, of their respective companies.

B48 P24 ан DIGIT 601 56 PUBLISHER LIABILITY FOR ERROR The publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher's | |! ll И | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is limited to republication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue «еа оца о ва аа озне оова еа а оова

or the refund of апу monies paid for the advertisement.

1001 JOHN Q GAMER INDEMNIFICATION

The advertiser and/or Advertising Agency agrees to defend and indemnify the publisher against any and ай liability, loss, or expense arising from

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©

Member

Don’t Delay! Send in the subscription card inside or, for май Buea of hens faster sevice, order with credit card by calling (952) 946-7266 (M – F 9am to 4pm Central Time).

6 GAME INFORMER

From the creators of Bloody Roar” 1 and 2 comes Bloody Roar^3—the newest in the eritically acclaimed fighting series. Unleash the beast within, transforming into your animal life-form mid-fight for the ultimate showdown. Fighting has

р: КОРЕД ed Battle it out as 14 fighters—each Experience brutal single-player and Tackle 12 gameplay modes in never looke E окоо with an alternate beast life-form multiplayer action, plus amazing 9 immersive 3-D environments, or been this brutal. and special combo moves. special effects and animations (60 fps). featuring destructible walls and floors.

gs i E perm ACTION. =). | Playstation.O | $® КЧ

activision.com © 2001 HUDSON SOFT © EIGHTING 200! All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Activision, Inc. and its affiliates under license. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Licensed for play on the PlayStation’ computer entertainment systems with the NTSC U/C designation only. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

THE BIG QUESTION

It was quite an E3 show. Before we got there, everyone was saying to me how it was Xbox’s show to lose, but | think after it was all said and done, it was Sony's show to take. Certainly the sweetheart of the Show was GameCube, as fanboys everywhere almost wet their pants when they saw it in action, but I’m not convinced Nintendo is a con- tender yet. Yet.

This all makes the console war very interest- ing. Xbox is certainly the most powerful of all the machines, but its developers (other than Molyneux and Big Blue Box) aren't really showing that they know what they're doing, since the software overall is pretty mediocre. Nintendo, on the other hand, has some software, but until | see third-parties seriously backing it up, | have a feeling it will be N64 all over again with games coming few and far between. This leaves Sony

as the monster that rules the video game roost.

| would have to say that, as of today, PlayStation 2 still has a leg up on the competi- tion. Sony's software line-up for the second half of the year has a lot of games | really want to play, with perhaps Halo getting me to play some Xbox, and Rogue Squadron and Wave Rave get- ting me on the Cube. Everything else | want to play, at least for the moment, is on PS2.

Maybe it is indeed the year of PlayStation 2, but | don't know that | would count Xbox out yet, and you can never dismiss Nintendo. Everyone and their dog will buy one, if for no other reason than to play Zelda.

This leaves me with just one simple question. Will Sony be able to slam the door shut on Xbox before its developers get the chance to show some of its power and make a move? Hmmmnm, | guess we will just have to wait and see.

/

Andy McNamara Editor andy@gameinformer.com

FOUND IT! |

53

T

Golfing gamers left to right: Kato, Reiner, Kristian, Jay, Justin, Matt, Arthur, and Andy.

8 GAME INFORMER

\ \

REINER, THE RAGING GAMER reiner@gameinformer.com

| always say, | won't live past 40. Of course, this is a joke. Yet after attending this year’s E3, there may be some truth behind this statement. Every night, | partied until the wee hours of the morning, forgot to sleep, and digested nothing but carbonated beverages. In the five days | was at the show, | probably lost 15 years of my life. Was it worth it? Most definitely. | was blown away by GameCube, completely entranced with Tony Hawk 3, and baffled by how amazing Rogue Leader looks. Naughty Dog's new game, Jak and Daxter, is everything | hoped it would be, and the Xbox...well... like the logo. Microsoft aside, it was a great show. Come this holiday season, there will be great reason for cheer.

MATT, THE ORIGINAL GAMER matt@gameinformer.com

Two years ago, when | was a brighteyed, bushy-tailed new recruit here at Game Informer, my reviewer blurb seemed like an invaluable forum for me to express my thoughts and feelings to the world. Some 26 months on, I've quickly come to realize that | have absolutely nothing that even borders on an original thought left in this withered noggin of mine. Let's see...umm...E3 was...uh...cool. | saw a lot of games that...mmm...rocked! |...had...fun? Sigh. Nice weather we're having. Hey! Remember that show the АТеат? What's up with that crazy Mr. T guy? What a сиўир! In closing, let me say, think before you drink. See you later, alligator! In a while — oh, forget it.

JAY, THE GONZO GAMER jay@gameinformer.com

Some may say this is a dream job, and up until this month, I'd be inclined to agree with that sentiment. For some reason, though, this month my fellow employees have chosen to make working at Game Informer quite torturous. For a week they made me live in an urban land of horrors. While there, | was forced to walk all day in front of flashing lights and blaring noises. At night, | would be taken to large buildings filled with people dancing to horrible bands. | was allowed only three hours of sleep, and upon awaking | would discover that the beverages forced upon me had made me sick. How cruel.

KRISTIAN, THE GAME DAWG kristian@gameinformer.com

I'm convinced that “E3” was an elaborate hoax concocted by Jay and Reiner. | mean, would people really pay $200 a pop just to get in the doors of some huge nerd convention? | think not. | do have to hand it to the entire GI staff for laying the groundwork to this, the king of all practical jokes, for months in advance. | knew as soon as we landed in what was probably Omaha that the whole thing was bogus. Sure | walked around a cavernous “convention center” and saw “games” with thousands of other people, but they were obviously all extras. Nice try, fellas. Next time spend a little more money on the “booths.”

JUSTIN, THE DIGITAL DEVIANT justin@gameinformer.com

Just waking up in the morning, gotta thank God/ | don't know, but this mag seemed kinda odd/ No sequel to Pen Pen. No Army Men/ Jay's mohawk taught us how to laugh again/ E3 is over now, and | survived it/ Even got to hang with Lita in the mosh pit/ Saw more great games than you can shake a stick/ Some of us got drunk, but nobody was really sick/ We had to go ‘cuz we got us a deadline/ And if you check the scores, we dished out a lot of nines/ You want to know what was good? Well, uh/ | liked FF Chronicles and the two Zeldas/ Crazy Taxi 2 kept up the series well/ Mario and Dodge Ball for GBA are fun as hell/ This month | didn't even have to rip on crap games/ | gotta say it was a good mag.

KATO, THE GAME KATANA kato@gameinformer.com

| just got back from my second ЕЗ, and I've got to say I'm surprised. | passed through only ONE fart cloud out on the floor during the three days | was there. Can you believe that!? Geez, given all the bad sleep, junk food, and free booze, | expected more out of myself even. Anyway, standing in line just to play a couple minutes of Rogue Leader was completely worth it. The C-stick camera function will blow your mind. Actually, | take that bit back about the golden fart. GameCube's Nov. 5 launch sure blew a nasty one in the face of Microsoft.

CANDID PHOTOS FROM THE SEAMY UNDERBELLY OF THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

1 Kato has a very serious meeting with Yu . Suzuki about possibly being his long-lost son. 2 "My new game is so cool," says Shinji Mikami, the man behind Devil May Cry. "It's cooler than the Fonz! Want to see my Leather Tuscadero impersonation? Ауууу!" З "Boot camp!?" Snarls { Reiner to Electronic Arts' Steve Grohl. "I thought you said booty camp. Wait, where's your hand?"

4 Andrew Hoolan of Terminal Reality tries to act Sober with Andy, while Chris Charla from Digital Eclipse shows he was born to rock. 5 From left to right, Justin Monast, Erick Pangilinan, Joe

| Labbe, and Adam Marquis of Naughty Dog pose | with Kiera, a character from Jak and Daxter. 6 | It's the battle of the retarded hairdos as Rob "Pickle King" Fleischer faces off with Jay "Punk Poseur" Fitzloff. The match is declared a draw.

7 Microsoft's Shon Damron looks happy. PR goddess Jenn Shannahan looks fearful. Matt and Justin look like they were born to rock.8. President of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser, sees a Wal-Mart executive. Violence ensues. 9 Kjell Vistad and Bryan Davies from Eidos help Dave Dienstbier of Acclaim keep Andy away from the ‘only drink left after last call at the Microsoft party. Anatole Brown from Tips & Tricks shows he was born to rock.

6

What is wrong with you guys? Did Nintendo wrong you in some past life? | can't help but notice most games for non-Nintendo systems receive high ratings in your reviews, while most Nintendo games receive low reviews. | know this can't be, because Nintendo is superior to other systems.

Yes, Nintendo makes games for everyone. Yes, they spend more time on originality and gameplay than on gore and monoto- nous sports games. But that does not make its games somehow unholy.

In summary: Lighten up on the Nintendo cracks! They started the whole busi- ness, and they deserve more respect than a resur- rected hack (Sega) and a monopolizing moocher (Sony).

Є e ©

Amooke | Via AOL.com

Au contraire, mon frére. The Game Informer staff are bona fide Nintendo boosters. From the stuffed Pikachu that Andy cuddles with every night to the tattoo of Shigero Miyamoto on Reiner's rump, the evi- dence of Gl’s love affair with Nintendo is everywhere. Heck, why wouldn’t we love the company that brought us Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda? Sure, the company delays games for eons on end, and keeps putting out those annoy- ing Mario Party games, but that doesn’t negate the fact that the quality of its first-party software is unparalleled in the industry.

Let’s break down the math. Taking a look at the reviews archive in issue #97, 38% (12 out of the 32) of Nintendo 64 games listed received a rating of eight or higher. In the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 sec- tions, only 27% (58 out of 215) of the games listed received a rating of eight or higher. How’s that for love? If that wasn’t enough, just check our cover for an example of how much Nintendo butt we kiss. Smooch!

Гат going to cut straight through the crap and say what | have to say. | think that all of you over there at Gl are nothing but a bunch of pessimistic liars who do nothing but bad-mouth video games. | am sick of your pessimistic ways of reviewing video games. It gets repetitive to read nothing but pure pessimism. You make me want to hate video games. That is why | don't like your magazine.

Take a look around and read a different magazine's review on a game. They never start by pointing out the bad things about a game. They only talk about good things in a game. You guys should take a hint from magazines such as Tips & Tricks, Expert Gamer, Gamers Republic, Nintendo Power, and so on. Those

(NE

magazines are 100 times better than yours. You are never going to be huge, that is why your booth was empty at E3 last year. The only good thing about your magazine is the previews. You might have previews on a game before anyone else does, but everything else in your mag just sucks. If | had the opportunity to say this all to your faces, ! would gladly do it. | am disgust-

ed with everyone that reviews the games and with the editors. If | were the owner, | would fire all of you and get someone else with experience to do your jobs properly. You | Suck. If you have balls like you say, then print this let- ter for everyone to see. Vassil Nenov Via cs.com

Jeez! The accusations are really flying this issue! We'd better get through this Dear GI as quickly as possible, before somebody implicates us in the Kennedy assassination. Given that we've all devoted most of our meaningless exis- tences to writing about video games, it might be safe to assume that we actually do like them a great deal. Unfortunately (for us), there are many "bad" video games that are released each year. As "reviewers," it is our job to try to present our opinion on the relative quality of each game we write about. As such, many of our reviews are "negative" because there are a great many video games that are - how you say? - “not fun to play." It has not generally been our policy to give good reviews to games that are not fun to play. If you would prefer to read a magazine that gives positive reviews to bad games, you might want to look elsewhere. As for our balls, they're just fine, thanks.

I've noticed Reiner in some pictures throwing up a three-finger sign, like in your May issue #97 in the Gl SPY section, and in an older issue behind "white face" Sable. | don't know what you mean by only extending the thumb, pinky and index finger but, you see, I’m from Chicago and here that sign is only thrown up by a well-known street gang. You should let me and everybody else know what you mean by it, because there are rivals out there who don't like people rep- resenting that, especially in a popular magazine like GI. Just lookin’ out. l've also seen the Staff's thug pic- tures, what's all y'all's street names?

Edgar Salvatierra Via hotmail.com

Yo chill, E! Even though we're bling bling, marinatin’ and flamboastin’ like

the Cash Money Millionaires, when it comes to gangs, 6115 str-8 colorblind. Where we're from (most- ly the lily-white suburbs of Minnesota), the hand-sign you're referring to is known as the International Sign for Rock. Whether you're using it to congratulate Tom Morello on a hot guitar solo, or to rejoice the fact that someone's older brother bought you and your friends a two-liter bottle of wine cooler, the International Sign of Rock always fits the moment perfectly. So, to whatever street gang in Chicago that may or may not be using this sign - STEP OFF! If you come to Eden Prairie poppin' that yang, we'll be forced to...pee our pants and run away screaming like little schoolgirls. (Please don't hurt us...we'll be good from now on, we promise.)

Since you asked about our thug names, here's the 411. On the street, the GI posse is known as Baldy Loc (Matt), Dungeon Master Flash (Jay), Suave Calamari (Andy), Ol’ Dorky Bastard (Reiner), Dell Tha Funkee Homecomputer (Kristian), Ayatollah Ninja (Kato), and Trey J Da Eight-Finga Snot Rocka (Justin). Ya heard?

I've been wondering about Donkey Kong for the longest time. Why “Donkey” Kong? He doesn’t look like a donkey. He doesn’t act or smell like a donkey. Nintendo had a purpose for this name. Please hear me out. Donkey means mule or ass; Kong means ape or monkey. That would make him an ASS MONKEY! You see what I’m saying? Is this a possible explanation?

Michael B. Kopp Via snail mail

Sorry Michael, but we’re afraid that there is no Ass Monkey conspiracy. Donkey Kong, Nintendo’s first real hit arcade game, actually marks the legendary Shigero Miyamoto's (The Legend of Zelda, Mario 64) debut as a game designer. Working with Gumpei Yokai (the creator of the Game Boy), Miyamoto envi- sioned the still-classic tale of a carpenter trying to save his girlfriend from the clutches of a nasty gorilla. Miyamoto wanted to name the game “Stubborn Gorilla” after the large simian, and was looking up the two words in a Japanese/English dictionary. “Donkey” was listed as a synonym for stubborn, and “Kong” was listed as a synonym for gorilla. Miyamoto liked how the words sounded together, and the rest is history. By the

way, how do you know what Donkey \ Kong smells like?

| have just received the final

| issue of my subscription to your magazine, and every time | look

7 throughout the preview and reviews | section, | hardly see any PlayStation

games. | do understand that the

PlayStation 2 and Xbox are taking

ни

Send your comments to Game Informer. Snail Mail: Game Informer Magazine • Attn: Dear Gl * 10120 W. 76th Street • Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Email: deargi@gameinformer.com WWW: www.gameinformer.com

10 GAMEINFORMER

over, but why the lack of PlayStation game reviews? | like your magazine, but it disappoints me to barely see any PlayStation game reviews. | know that the game reviews archive is exactly for what | am complaining about, but | like to actually read about the new games coming out for the PlayStation console. In your last issue, you previewed only one PS-X game and reviewed only three PS-X games.

Stephen Czabaranek

Via yahoo.com

There's an easy answer to your question, Steve - the PlayStation has nearly reached the end of its life. Now that most game companies' development dol- lars are tied up in PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube titles, there just aren't many new PlayStation games being released. Of those that are, most of them are not high-quality titles. If you've already bought Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX, the only true triple-A PS-X titles on the horizon are Final Fantasy Chronicles and Syphon Filter 3. After that, we're afraid it's going to be a swift ride into the sun- set for our old friend the PlayStation. We'll miss you, pal.

1 have kidnapped Arthur. Here is a list of my demands:

* 1 Xbox

е 1 PlayStation 2

* 1 Game Boy Advance

* 1 GameCube

* $10,000 video гате shopping spree

* 10-year subscription to Game Informer

Failure to comply results in Arthur being thrown into the pits of doggie doom!

Anonymous Via ransom note

Game Informer does not negotiate with terrorists. Period. We have already dispatched a crack comman- do unit to your home, and they are probably breaking down your door as we speak. If you so much a harm one flea on the hide of Gl's beloved mascot Arthur, rest assured you will be dealt with in the harshest possible terms. As for your demands, we have just mailed out a box containing the following items to your residence: 1 Atari Jaguar, 1 broken Nintendo 64 controller, 17 copies of Shrek for Game Boy Color, and a $3 gift certificate to Sizzler. Also, you've been signed up for lifetime subscriptions to Reader's Digest and Rosie magazines.

ENVELOPE ART JULY WINNER!

Jason Rodriguez

Trish Stratus finally left that loser Mr. McMahon and has brought her lovely

boo...blond hair to our pages.

Enter the Game Informer Envelope Art Contest. All you need to do is draw, paint, scratch, spit, or carve the best darn envelope art you can think of and send it to us. Please include your name, phone number, and return address on the back of the envelope. If you're the monthly winner, we'll feature your work in GI and you'll receive a video game prize from the Game Informer vault.

BREATH. FIRE X O =

|)

Alec Barnes Breath of Fire art is always good since it features a sentient turnip.

Dean Bryant Spawn’s black and red outfit is growing tired, perhaps he should talk to Outkast about a little help with his wardrobe.

ЩЕ „х HAVE то "ri Щ семе Princess i ar MURIEL! ج‎ |

Leonard Griffin

Omigoshi Worriers? Obviously some of our readers don’t know to say no to drugs.

Send to:

Game Informer Envelope Art Contest 10120 W. 76th St. Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Melanie Finch It’s Incredible Crisis - need we say more?

GAMEINFORMER 11

= Li а ДАША!

NLIN

At a press conference the day before E3, Sony of America finally unveiled its online plans for the PlayStation 2. Encompassing everything from corporate partnerships to games and periph- erals, the company plans to start the hoopla this year and have things "fully implemented" by

2002.

Sony's online designs start with a Network Adapter to come out in November for the sug- gested retail price of $39.95. This will provide both a 56K analog modem and enable Ethernet

capabilities for broadband access. Also coming in November will be a 40 Gigabyte

Hard Disc

Drive that is sold separately, although a price has yet to be

Network/Modem Adapter announced.

Online so it can reach multitudes of users (un Dreamcast, which was not compatible with АО bring with it established features such as insta

in that Sony is making the platform ISP neutra so you can keep your current provider. Macromedia's Flash Player, RealPlayer 8 for streaming

media, and Cisco's Ipv4 software have also gotten on the console's band-

wagon to optimize both online gaming and browsing. The latter company is curren developing an Ipv4/Ipv6 dual protocol stack for future use with the broadband era Your online experience will be completed with Sony set to offer an NTSC, PAL, and XGA compatible LCD screen, keyboard, and mouse late this year.

More importantly, in winter you'll get your first taste of PS2 online gaming via such notable games as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Tribes, and the add-on disc Twisted

Metal Online. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs and the techno beats title Frequency

also on course to appear in the system's first wave. All in all there are 30 first-party

vids in development with online gaming being the focus. In other news, Sony has also announced a DVD wireless remote for the PS2 to

released in September, and a Gran Turismo 3 bundle pack that throws in the con-

sole for a price of $329 at GT3's launch on July 10. Meanwhile, PSone will get a

tle help from a first-party LCD screen ($129 for the basic version and $149 for one

with more features) and a new line of color controllers.

Helping to fulfill the PS2's potential to be a significant por- tal into the Internet, Sony has teamed up with America

ike the L). AOL will int messaging,

chat, and e-mail, while a PS2-specific Netscape browser is in the works. Anyone not wanting to join the club can rest easy

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JEDI BATTLES RAGE ON

Baldur's Gate vets BioWare showed what it was up to behind LucasArts' ЕЗ doors - a real-time Star Wars RPG slated for consoles and PC in the fall of 2002 called Knights of the Old Republic. Bristling with six classes, three races, and 100 skills, this gorgeous new story takes place 4,000 years before Episode I. Far from a click-and-point affair, we were witness to Jedi/Sith battles and environments that were very large in scale. You can choose your path similar to the PC Jedi Knight titles. Dark or light Force powers will be accu- mulated according to your actions.

ON XBOX

СІ NEWS

GAMECUBE BEATS XBOX TO STREET

Nintendo has been notorious for delaying con- soles, but if there's one time when it needs to be on the ball, it's November 5 of this year. This is when the video game empire will release GameCube in the US - three whole days before the Xbox comes out. Better yet, Nintendo's sys- tem beats both Sony's and Microsoft's prices by $100, being initially set to retail at only $199.95.

Unfortunately, the console will have the same anemic numbers as the PlayStation 2, with only 500,000 systems planned to be available on its first day at retail. Production will ramp up and pro- vide another 500,000 within the first two weeks, however. An exact roster of launch titles isn't avail- able, although it is believed that Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi's Mansion, Star Wars: Rogue Leader, Wave Race: Blue Storm, and more will be in attendance.

Getting in on the DVD stakes, Matsushita (Panasonic over here) has come up with a hybrid GameCube/DVD player to be available in Japan “аи come their launch day in September. It isn't yet known if this combo will make its way to the States.

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NEW SPIDER-MAN

Following up on GI's coverage of the Spider-Man movie and Activision's great support of the series in general, we come at you this month with a few shots of the work being done on the E) PlayStation 2 video game based on the upcoming May 3, 2002 film. Scheduled to release in

summer of next year, we don't expect a big change in the action/web-slinging format from previous Spider-Man titles. It's interesting to note that The Shocker will be in both this title and PS-X's Spider-Man 2. We eagerly await facing up with the Green Goblin in what could be quite a classic confrontation.

A.l. COMES TO LIFE

Making some elbow room for itself in the content jungle, the Xbox has secured the exclusive console licensing rights for Steven Spielberg's summer film A.l. Both Microsoft's upcoming platform and the PC shall see renditions of the blockbuster, although the genre specifics of the Xbox version are unknown.

Watching a brief clip at ЕЗ, С! saw levels mixing traditional third-person action/adventure with some aerial combat. The movie itself revolves around an android in the 21st century who may be the first of his kind to experience and feel like humans do. A.l. Puzzler will offer PC players 130 game boards from the mind of Tetris creator Alexei Pajinov.

GAMEINFORMER 13

Game Informer's research and devel- opment operatives search the globe, seeking out the untapped licenses that will become tomorrow's killer games. If you have any great ideas for games of the future, be sure to drop us a line. Maybe we'll use our godlike power over the video game industry to turn you into a millionaire — or just steal your idea.

TEDDY BEAR JUNKIE

It’s late on Sunday night. The tattered remnants of used Teddy Bears are scattered all over your bedroom. There's only one thing on your mind: Where your next fix will come from. It doesn't mat- ter who gives it to you, or how much it costs. Your next Teddy must be found, and soon. Withdrawal can be a very unpleasant sight indeed. Those beady eyes, those fuzzy arms...you must have them. A local toy shop will be your first target. A rapid button-pressing sequence, coupled with split- second timing, is your only hope for confusing the addle-brained security enough to gain entrance. You soon find that the three bears they have in stock are simply not enough. After battling numer- ous street toughs for your coveted Teddy Bear cash, you're forced to go to the infamous Teddy dealer, Jimmy "The Threads" Barker. You beg and plead with Jimmy to get you just one bear. One more bear, then you'll be off them forever. Jimmy knows you too well, though. He gives you a Care Bear key chain to satiate your desire, then forces you into single combat with his Teddy Gladiators. If you win, you'll have all the Teddy you can handle. Highly graphic and gory, Teddy Bear Junkie is not a game for the meek.

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* NAME THAT GAME

Developed by Delphine Software for a number of systems (including the Genesis and SNES), this side- scroller boasted a cin- ematic experience with а moody soundtrack to match. Taking the role of a scientist after a nuclear experiment gone wrong, your job is to platform, solve puzzles, avoid traps, and shoot your way to freedom with the occasional help of a reoccurring alien friend. That is, if you don't die in the game's first playable scene.