G'LC World scoop on the games PLUS: WIN EPISODE 2 TOYS! 33 PAGES OF REVIEWS! GC: Luigi's Mansion GC: Rdgue Leader PS2: Virtua Fighter 4 PS2: Jedi Starfighter PC: Jedi Knight 2 PC: Dungeon Siege XB: FIFA World Cup XB: ISS 2 THE WAIT IS OVER! Exclusive in-game * screenshots Every Nintendo launch game reviewed ECU)BE o XBOX o PLAYSTATION 2 o PC o PSONE o GAME BOY ADVANCE I •BATTLEFIELD ACTION with over 20 intense Stages and 40 playable Warriors! •Brand new 2-PLAYER Versus and Cooperative Modes! •Even more bone-crushing moves, and improved MUSOU Attacks! •Control your bodyguards with squad-level commands! jigy' • first in the series — massive ELEPHANT TROOPS! | AVAILABLE MARCH 2002 - DYNASTY WARRIORS 3. KESSEN, G1 JOCKEY. GITAROOMAN and the KOEI logo are trademarks of KOEI Co.. Ltd. C 2002 KOEI Co.. Ltd. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. THQ and the THQ logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All Rights Reserved. e raci ng a ction makes you to the top and into the Winn ©Thrilling races that unfold in real time! © Ride in dynamic steeplechases, a first in 3D Horse Racing! © Race past your rivals in split-screen, 2 player excitement! AVAILABLE MARCH 2002 PlayStation®2 !-* NOW SHOWING Jango Foil covor imago O lucasfilm Lid. & TM All Rights Reserved Photo by Soo Adler Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones Check out our whopping huge feature on the new movie, games and toys! y A & k ^ Jr- . \ s . j fyMf w i Aj Jedi Starfighter 08 EDITORIAL 10 NEWS PLAYSTATION 2 50 Virtua Fighter 4 52 |edi Starfighter 54 Worms Blast 16 EYE CANDY 20 HYPER'S GAMECUBE LAUNCH GUIDE GAMECUBE 56 Star Wars: Rogue Leader 60 Luigi’s Mansion 62 Wave Race Blue Storm 64 Super Monkey Ball 26 HARDWARE 28 IN SIGHT Timesplitters 2 and Knights of the Old Republic. 32 WIN WIN WIN 34 STAR WARS : EPISODE 2 ATTACK OF THE CLONES 44 NET TRAWLIN' 48 REVIEWS 81 ARCADE MODE 82 GAME BOY ADVANCE REVIEWS 65 Bloody Roar Primal Fury XBOX 66 ISS 2 68 FIFA World Cup 70 Ultimate Fighting Championship 71 Blood Omen 2 PC 72 Star Wars: ledi Outcast 74 Freedom Force 76 Dungeon Siege 78 Warrior Kings 80 Heroes of Might 6 Magic IV 80 War Commander 80 Moto Racer 3 84 REVERSE ENGINEERING The good old NES. 86 HYPERVISION 90 SUBSCRIPTIONS Win Dungeon Siege and more! 92 HYPER FORUM 94 MAIL 97 CHARTS 98 NEXT ISSUE GBA 82 Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 83 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 tzmriTEnTS 8 »HYPER ISSUE 104 JUNE 2002 WRITE TO HYPER! 78 Renwick St, Redfern NSW 2016, Austrdio Ph: (02) 9699 0333 Fax: (02) 9310 1315 E-mail: freakscene@next.com.au EDITORIAL Editor: Eliot Fish Deputy Editor: Cam Shea Art Director: Malcolm Campbell ADVERTISING National Sales Director: Sue Ostler E-mail: sue@next.com.au Ph: (02) 9699 0346 Advertising & Creative Co-ordinator: Mariam Dib E-mail: mariam@next.com.au Advertising Manager: Chris C. Davey E-mail: chrisd@next.com.au Ph: (02) 9699 0342 Production Co-ordinator. Monique Layt E-mail: moniquel@next.com.au Ph: (02) 9699 0300 Fax: (02) 93102012 SUBSCRIPTIONS For all enquiries phone: 1300 36 11 46 E-mail: subs@next.com.au Fax: (02) 9699 0334 MANAGEMENT Chief Executive: Phillip Keir Finance Director: Theo Fatseas Operations Manager: Melissa Doyle CONTRIBUTORS David Wildgoose, Dan Toose, Jackson Gothe- Snape, John Dewhurst, Stephen Farrelly, Daniel Wilks, Narayan Pattison, Frank Dry, Tim Levy, March Stepnik, Agata Budinska, Victoria Flanagan, BRUTUS the chosen one, and Northy. Printed CTP by: Argyle Times Distribution by: Gordon & Gotch Customer Service Ph: 1300 65 0666 Fax: 1300 65 0777 All copyrights reserved by Next Publishing Pty Ltd ACN 002 647 645 ISSN 1320-7458 EDITORIAL A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... (cue Console Wars logo). Issue 104: A New Hope. It is a period of interactive war. Nintendo GameCubes, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against two evil corporate empires... well, almost! It's true, the GameCube is upon us and Nintendo fans everywhere are finally getting their hands on the follow-up to the Nintendo 64. We've had to suffer quite a long wait for PAL units, but finally, everyone can now choose between all three next-gen consoles. GCN, PS2 or Xbox. Which do you choose? We've never seen a tougher choice. At least you can go kill some time at the cinemas seeing Star Wars: Attack of the Clones whilst you make up your mind, eh? Eliot Fish » Editor Connecting People <0 □5 2 in -uo^ejodjoQ ej^OM jo s^eiuapej) p9Jd;s;63j 3je 3|do3j 6uipsuuoo eipN P ue e Pt°N 200Z e^ONa . — — — IN THE NEWS: E3 Countdown ■ Big time console price cuts ■ Xbox HDTV probs ■ Tomb Raider 6 screens STOP PRESS! PRICE WARS! Microsoft announce unprecedented price drop and Nintendo hit back I n an astounding move announced just as this issue was heading off to the printers, Microsoft unveiled one of the biggest price drops in the industry’s history. You are now able to stroll down to your local games store and pick up an Xbox for the paltry sum of $399! Yes, that’s a $250 reduction! Gamers in Europe are getting a similar deal, with the price of the machine cut from 479 to 299 Euros. Indeed, there’s little doubt that the machine’s poor performance in Europe is the chief reason for the price drop. The savings won’t be limited to prospective Xbox owners either. If you’ve already bought a unit, you’ll be able to pick up two Microsoft Xbox games of your choice and a spare controller, worth over $250, for free. To take advantage of the offer, go to www.xbox.com.au, fill out the form and send it in before the 31st of May. No matter which way you look at it, this was a ballsy move by Microsoft, and an indication of how determined they are to see the Xbox succeed. As Alan Bowman, Regional Director for Xbox puts it: "Since our launch the market has changed - and will continue to change - and we are now being unashamedly aggressive in changing it ourselves... this will Nintendo simply had to keep the GameCube priced cheaper enable more customers to enjoy Xbox”. Unashamedly aggressive is right. Xbox is now amazing value for money. It was no surprise then to see Nintendo hit back only days later with a price cut of their own. The GameCube dropped from $399 to a mere $329, which is now the official launch price. Seeing as the Xbox is offering DVD playback at $399, Nintendo simply had to keep the GameCube priced as the cheaper, games-only alternative to the other next-gen systems. But what about the PS2? Well, at the time of going to press, it was still sitting at $499, making it the most expensive next-gen console on the shelves. We hope Sony respond with a price cut of their own. Looks like gamers win big time. CHECK OUT: www.hyperactive.com.au for all the latest news on next gen pricing. $399 $399 4-$329 E3'$ COMING RIGHT FOR US! Games galore and so much more... m m m \ m If you thought last year's E3 I m a m m was exciting then just wait — until the starting gun fires this year. i&t** v Now that all the hardware is out in the open, it's all about the games. This year's E3 promises to be a T crucial one for Xbox and . GameCube, with the PS2 happily cruising along on a mound of great l_^__ software already. Whilst it will certainly be interesting to see what's We'll have a full E3 report in Hyper in the pipeline for Sony's next-gen 106... so stay tuned over the next console, the real focus will be on few issues. how Xbox and GameCube plan on Meanwhile, we'll also be taking catching up. Xbox had a strong line- stock of the PC games on show, up at launch, but now the world Just prior to E3, it feels like PC wants to know what's next. gaming has picked up a bit more Nintendo may not have as strong a momentum again after what felt launch line-up, but we know that like a very slow start to the year, they have some huge games Will we get to see any more of queued up in Super Mario Sunshine, Doom 3, Deus Ex 2, Thief 3, Star and Zelda et al. What we'll be Wars: Galaxies, Warcraft III and all seeing at E3 however, is a vague the other PC games that we hope outline of what 2003 will be like for will give the industry a boost? the three consoles. Are developers Consoles are taking over the world, supporting Xbox? What about it seems, with developers pouring GameCube? How many games will more money into console be on show for these systems? How development ahead of PC projects, many exclusive games? What will We're hoping this E3 will show be the big surprises? Exciting isn't it? some balance return to the force. _ We'll have a full E3 report in Hyper 106... so stay tuned over the next few issues. Meanwhile, we'll also be taking stock of the PC games on show. Just prior to E3, it feels like PC gaming has picked up a bit more momentum again after what felt like a very slow start to the year. Will we get to see any more of Doom 3, Deus Ex 2, Thief 3, Star Wars: Galaxies, Warcraft III and all the other PC games that we hope will give the industry a boost? Consoles are taking over the world, it seems, with developers pouring more money into console development ahead of PC projects. We're hoping this E3 will show some balance return to the force. _ Another new game set to bat it out. ' V A BATMAN'S FUTURE LOOKING DARK Kemco bring back the Dark Knight Fans of Batman may have enjoyed £ ::: UbiSoft’s fun Batman Vengeance on PS2, Xbox and GCN, but Kemco have a followup Batman game that takes a far more serious approach to the franchise. Much like comparing the wacky TV show with the Tim Burton movie, just take a look at how this game is looking! The character models are highly detailed, going for realism over comic-book style. This could be the Dark Knight game hardcore Batman fans have been waiting for. Batman Dark Tomorrow will be released for CCN, Xbox and PS2. I APRIL FOOLS! The Booty Call \ m b b b Probably our favourite games industry April Fools joke this year was Bungie’s announcement of the Xbox game, Pimps At Sea. Boasting the unique tooth-powerup system to increase your pimpin’ skills, this game is all about sailing the high seas for boot-ay. It promised that you could import characters from your other games - and pimp them! You can still visit the website and check out the screenshots at www.bungie.com. Big it up for Bungie! SEGA CLASSICS ON THE BOX I I I I \ m Want to continue to play some ■" old MegaDrive, Satum and Dreamcast games well into the next generation? Well, maybe you should buy an Xbox. Confused? Well don’t be! Sega are planning on re- releasing a whole range of their classic games from each console era for the Xbox system. We’re not yet sure whether games will be released as anthology compilations or not, but after the news that Shenmue 2 and Sega CT 2 were on Xbox, to follow with a plan such as this actually makes some kind of sense. The Xbox could be somewhere for all the Sega fans in the world to retreat to. At least we know the Xbox won’t suddenly vanish from the scene. Microsoft are going full boar pushing this system, and they won’t stop until it’s a success... CRPTinn THiBil Hey there faithful readers - think you have the wit to make the Hyper team chuckle? Then think of your best caption for this screenshot and email it to Captionthisa>next.com.au with Caption This Part 31 in the Subject line. 12 »HYPER /V PAL XBOX NO HE __ Gee, what a surprise - we get screwed again The BLAU factor is pretty high in this one. ■V Some very strange news has come ■" light that not only does the PAL Xbox support progressive scan in DVD playback or games, but that there is no actual High Definition TV support at all! Here in Australia, I Microsoft ceased all future shipments of the HD AV Pack after complaints began to surface from users that the PAL Xbox wasn’t actually able to support the HD video modes. One of the features that was most appealing in initial promotions of the Xbox system, was that it was ’’future-proof’ for digital and HD TVs. The NTSC hardware has full HDTV support, so why the feature was removed from the PAL unit is quite mystifying. Upon reading a document on converting NTSC games to PAL for CameCube, we noticed that developers are required to remove Progressive Scan support in PAL games. So there’s a clue. The lack of HDTV support in the PAL Xbox probably has more to do with the PAL format DUKING IT OUT IN MANHATTAN PROJECT \ m V Seeing as Duke Nukem ■■ ■" Forever is literally taking forever to get finished (it’s actually on our release schedule for July, but I wouldn’t hold your breath), Duke Nukem fans have probably been looking for something else to get their cigar-chomping teeth into. Well, why not another cheesy Duke Nukem game? The Manhattan Project is here in all its side¬ scrolling, platforming, gun-toting glory, as Duke battles his way across towering skyscraper rooftops and through gritty subway stations on the hunt for power-hungry villain, Mech Morphix. Mutants of every kind are thrown at Duke as he chases down Morphix through eight huge environments and avoids the green slime called C.L.O.P.P. that is causing all the chaos. But radioactive slime isn’t Duke's only problem - there over 25 uniquely dangerous mutated enemies hell-bent on making a meal of him. Whether it’s Uzi-sporting alligators or ten-foot tall roach the restrictions upon it, than it has to do with Microsoft seemingly altering their product arbitrarily. However, we must admit that it’s very sloppy for Microsoft to not inform PAL gamers on this change before they purchased their consoles... JUST WHAT IS THIS PAL THING? % % America's television standard was developed r r under the guidance of the National Television Standards Committee, thus it is called NTSC. In most of Europe, Asia and Africa the power frequency is 50Hz so they developed 2 television standards which better suit the needs of these countries. One of the 50Hz Standards is PAL (Phase Alternating Lines) and the other is SECAM (SEquential Color Avec Memoire). While PAL is used in most of Europe and former territories of the British Empire such as Australia, SECAM is primarily used in France, Eastern Block and Middle Eastern Countries. beasts - Duke’s in town to blast bad guys and save babes. Sure, pipe bombs, a machine gun, a rocket launcher and a pulse cannon are gonna make a goo-filled mess in the Big Apple, but what’s a hero to do? Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project is out now for PC. WINNERS HYPER »102 RACER REVENGE Chris Nixon, WA Michael Pincott, NSW Tristan Rust, SA Paul Taylor, NSW Peter Rowe, WA HALO Blake Maddick, NSW Alexander Henry, ACT Scott Savage, SA Michael Moonen, NSW Nelson Hua, ACT ^OVERFLOW Nescafe Big Break is back on again. This year there is more prize money with a total of $256,000 across Australia and New Zealand. There are 12 cash prizes of $20,000 and 8 cash prizes of $2,000 to be won. The age range has now been extended to 16-24 years with prize money awarded in 2 age categories. Lots of original ideas are entered every year. The final judging is done by NESCAFE Big Break past winners from Australia and New Zealand. It’s easy to enter, and you can do it www.nescafe.com.au or by mailing in your entry. THQ has signed a worldwide agreement with Marvel Comics to publish videogames based on Captain America, The Punisher, and Nick Fury. THQ will have rights to not only the comics, but any related TV and film versions of those characters for use in games on all systems until the year 2007. It looks like the PC smash hit online RPC, Everquest, is coming to the PlayStation 2 sometime in the near future. No doubt requiring the PS2 broadband adapter, Everquest on the Sony console will certainly be a blow to Sega’s hopes of establishing Phantasy Star Online as the big online console RPC experience. Evercrack is the way to go. Despite some depressing Xbox sales in Europe and Japan, the big black beast is doing extremely well in the United States. Halo recently broke a record for reaching one million units sold faster than any other next generation video game ever. It sold something like six copies per minute to hit its million unit mark. While we’re waiting for Medal of Honor: Frontline for PS2, we can start drooling over the funky information which is surfacing for Medal of Honor: Underground for the Came Boy Advance! Word is that Sony have figured out a way of combining the Emotion Engine and graphics processor into a single microchip. This would cut costs in manufacturing the PS2 and allow further future price drops. However, it would also affect current software development, so plenty of notice would need to be given to developers. FRKE NEVER LOOKED Fantasy has a new reality in Dead or Alive 3, the next instalment in gaming’s most popular “beat’em up” series. Experience multi-tiered fighting environments, a kinetic “tag-battle” feature and some female opponents that’ll knock you for dead. HfS&xj - 2-r xbox.com.au Dead or Alive 3™,DOA2: Hardcoreand Dead or Alive .Tecmo LTD. 1996,1997,1998.1999,2000,2001 Tecmo is a registered trademark ofTecmo LTD.€>& (P)^J2002 Microsoft Corporation. AH rights reserved. Microsoft, XBOX, and the XBOX logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. McCANN XBOX32/DOAJM LARA GETS HER GEAR OFF! V V On April 26th, Eidos ■" r Interactive auctioned off the original Lara Croft costume worn by spunky model Nell McAndrew. With the money going straight to the international charity, UNICEF, we hope lots of rich geeks signed onto Ebay to bid for the costume over the 10 day auction period. The items being auctioned were: • Lara’s 'trademark' circular Sunglasses • Green rubber all-in-one vest • Open-backed leather gloves • Military-style shorts • Backpack • Twin leather holsters with large buckle belt • Twin Colt Delta Elite 10mm replica pistols • Thick woollen calf-length socks Just think, you could dress up as Lara in the privacy of your own bedroom... ahem. Not that we would do that kind of thing. Er... To see what Lara is looking like these days, just take a look at these Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness screenshots. Looks like they’re borrowing some ideas from Metal Gear Solid 2... E.T. NEVER WENT HOME! "■ V E.T. The Extraterrestrial, fresh r tr from a return to the silver screen, has now reappeared on a variety of gaming systems in a whole new range of games. Spanning the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation and PC, E.T. gets up to all the mischief from the movie in an action and adventure game from UbiSoft. Whilst definitely one for the younger gamers in the family, it's nice to see a bunch of E.T. games that have a lot more going for them than previous efforts... which will remain unnamed. FRONTIER ACC0018 X NINTENDO GAMECUBE„ THREE OF THE BE5T HAVE JU5T EOT B ETT ER AS THE ISJEXT CENERATIDN STEFS LJF A LEVEL TO XBOX AND CAMECUBE*. *Cra/y Taxi available on GameCube and PlayStation 2 only Nintendo™ Nintendo 0 and the Nintendo GameCube Logo arc trademarks of Nintendo Microsoft. Xbox and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U S and /or m oilier countries and are used under licence from Microsoft SEGA™ and the SEGA logo is a registered trademark of the SEGA Corporation All games available on PlayStation 2. EME CRnnV III hilst we still don’t know how this | online Final Fantasy game will ^^^Jwork in Australia, considering the pathetic state of broadband in this country, we can at least sit back and drool. If we’re lucky, Sony will set up a cool local server and before you know it we’ll have our very own local Aussie Final Fantasy land to play in. By the time you read this, FF XI will be about to launch in japan. FINAL FANTASY XI: Online P5Z SQUARESOFT Y nfogrames have worked jj closely with the makers of the original Japanese Godzilla movies to bring to life a one to four player smash 'em up that looks like monster fun. There will be 10 real-world locations, from Los Angeles and Seattle to Tokyo, and a bunch of the classic monsters such as Mothra, Ghidora and Mecha-Godzilla. Sweet! GODZILLA: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS MELEE ECll INFOGRAMES EME CHflDM Metal Gear Solid 2 (MAI 5+). ws £* * -i* $ ! '1 '4 01 •il a game. — uWit laiiiiirdiir Ji’/aiaiiL • Plays DVD video and audio CD's Backward compatible with original Playstation games DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 capable PlayStation®2 is built for the future-indudes 2 USB ports / an i-LINK port and expansion bay for connection to other exciting future peripherals. Stand not included. Bundle includes PlayStation®2 console and Metal Gear Solid 2. Stand not included. » Red Faction Platinum PS2 (MA15+). IH090034 Star Wars Starfighter PS2 (G8+). 460944 Rugby 2001 PS2 (G). 460947 NBA Street PS2 (G). 4614310 Quake 3 Arena PS2 (R). 4614295 Soldier Of Fortune 2 (MA15+). 32860 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 XBOX (G8+). 22868 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 GBA (G8+). 22863 Atari Transworld Surf XBOX (G). 10860 Wreckless- The Yakuza Missions XBOX (G8+). 22869 Jet Set Radio Future XBOX (M15+). ;c«c Max Payne XBOX (MAI 5+) 0914X8. Sonic Advance Tekken Advance GBA GBA (G). 10752 (MAI 5+). 10692 Super Mario World GBA (G). 73154 Golden Sun GBA (G8+). 73U8 ■jr j-j = ;s hj jvj j j j s 3 pj = n j hj L j s -jr WWW.fiarveynor9ian.COm.au (Computers only) Harvey Norman stores are operated by independent franchisees. 8488 IZ Alvt £ 12 LI E \zX2 G NJSQ LLZl Introducing The Nintendo GameCube. This next generation console surpasses ALL EXPECTATIONS TO DELIVER THE ULTIMATE GAMING EXPERIENCE. FEATURES AWESOME GRAPHIC CAPABILITIES INCLUDING TRANSPARENCY EFFECTS, SMOKE, REFLECTIONS AND LIGHT SOURCING, REVOLUTIONARY OPTICAL DISC TECHNOLOGY, AMAZING SOUND CAPABILITIES ALLOWING FOR UP TO 64 CHANNELS OF SIMULTANEOUS SOUND, BUILT-IN 4 PLAYER MULTI-PLAYER ACTION, SUPERIOR HAND CONTROLLER WITH BUILT-IN RUMBLE feature, Game Boy Advance CONNECTIVITY OPTION PLUS LOTS MORE! IN Jet Black. 94002 Sonic Adventure 2: Battle GC (G8+). 10877 Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron GC (G8+). 531120 Fifa 2002 World Cup GCB (G). * Game Boy Advance and GameCube Game Boy Advance cable sold seperately. / a IaJ CL O Cl The Unit PRICE: S329 COLOURS: Indigo, Black AVAILABLE: May 17 The Nintendo Difference While the GameCube may not have DVD playback and a hard drive, it has one massive advantage over the competition - its price. Since it was designed to do only one thing - play games, Nintendo have been able to keep the hardware streamlined and the manufacturing costs down. At $70 less than an Xbox, GameCube is still an attractive proposition. inch Guide BUT FIRST SOME HISTORY... It’s been five long years since the launch of the N64, and over that time the industry has changed a great deal. Sony have had immense and ongoing success with the PlayStation, and now have a good head start with the PlayStation 2. Sega have disappeared off the hardware radar after releasing a great new console which inexplicably died... and ironically enough, this ex-arch rival could now potentially become Nintendo’s trump card. Microsoft surprised no one with the announcement of their entry into the console race, then surprised everyone when they nailed it. And then there’s Nintendo. The N64 certainly saw its share of quality, and at times genre defining games, but the releases were too few and far between, and any momentum the machine managed to build has gradually wound down over the last two years. Simply put, Nintendo did not keep up with the times. Their treatment of developers in the 8 and 16 bit eras meant that as soon as another viable option was available, developers jumped ship. Their decision to stick with the cartridge medium for the last generation fought against the flow of technology, annoying developers and resulting in higher game prices. The machine, while certainly a 3D powerhouse for its time, made programming good results a chore, and the many delays before the launch of the N64 gave Sony ample time to get a good foothold in the marketplace. The lack of games even led to a poor performance in the motherland. That said, the system was still popular outside Japan, and their stranglehold on the quality games meant that ultimately the N64 was a very profitable system for Nintendo. As the N64 died and technology marched along, however, Nintendo have been content to ride on the continuing success of the Came Boy and the phenomenal success of Pokemon. But now it’s time for Nintendo to show who’s boss. THE NEXT-GEN FACE Going into this generation, Nintendo is in a very different position to hardware launches past. This is the company that once held the market in the palm of its hand - an unsurpassable juggernaut with almost total market share, that dictated terms to developers, and inspired the most fanatical of fans. For 20 years now, they have held strong in the home console market through great hardware, even greater games and shrewd business moves. That said, Nintendo have been losing ground since the birth of the 16-bit machines, and are entering this generation with less control than ever. In many ways, the CameCube represents the birth of a new era for Nintendo. The company has finally moved away from cartridges, embraced third party support, and is starting this generation without a clear market leadership. Plus, it looks like Nintendo’s president Hiroshi Yamauchi is finally going to retire, which ultimately can only be a good thing for the company. With all that back story out of the way, how is the next gen race shaping up for Nintendo? Well, things have been a little slow overseas, and the lack of a true "killer app’’ at launch was surprising, but the second half of the year promises to be huge. And with the European launch of CameCube, Nintendo are finally back on track worldwide. This year certainly is an exciting one for Nintendo fans. System LSI: Custom ATI/Nintendo "Flipper" (0.18 micron NEC Embedded RAM process) Clock Frequency: 162 MHz Embedded Frome Buffer: Approx. 2 MB Sustainable Latency: 5ns (IT-SRAM) Embedded Texture Cache: Approx. 1 MB Texture Read Bandwidth: 10.4 GB/sec (Peak) Main Memory Bandwidth: 2.6 GB/sec (Peak) Pixel Depth: 24-bit Color, 24-bit Z Buffer Image Processing Functions: Fog, Subpixel Anti-aliasing, 8 Hardware Lights, Alpha Blending, Virtual Texture Design, Multi¬ texturing, Bump Mapping, Environment Mapping, MIP Mapping, Bilinear Filtering, Trilinear Filtering, Ansitropic Filtering, Real-time Hardware Texture Decompression (S3TC) Other Features: Real-time Decompression of Display List, HW Motion Compensation Capability Audio Processing: (Part of the System LSI) Sound Processor: Custom Macronix 16-bit DSP Instruction Memory: 8KB RAM + 8KB ROM Data Memory: 8KB RAM + 4KB ROM Clock Frequency: 81 MHz Performance: 64 simultaneous channels, ADPCM encoding Sampling Frequency: 48KHz PERFORMANCE Floating-point Arithmetic Capability: 10.5 GFLOPS (Peak) (MPU, Geometry Engine, HW Lighting Total) Real-world polygon: 6 to 12 million polygons/second (Peak) (Assuming actual game conditions with complex models, fully textured, fully lit, etc) System Memory: 40MB Main Memory: 24MB MoSys IT-SRAM Less than 10ns Sustainable Latency A-Memory: 16MB 81 MHz DRAM Disc Drive: CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) System Average Access Time: 1 28ms Data Transfer Speed: 16Mbps to 25Mbps Media: 8cm Disc based on Matsushita's Optical Disc Technology Capacity: Approx. 1.5 GB Dimensions: 4.3"(H) x 5.9" (W) x 6.3" (D) ^ Component Video Cable PRICE: TBA AVAILABLE: May 17 Why settle for anything less than the best picture quality? If you have an HDTV or your TV supports component inputs, then this is the cable to have. Don't expect progressive scan, however, as we hear PAL games have this removed. Memory Card 59 PRICE: $59.95 COLOURS: Grey AVAILABLE: May 17 An odd name yes? The 59 refers to the number of blocks of memory on the card. We suspect that Nintendo call it this simply to make the card sound like it has more capacity than it actually does. After all, this card has a meagre 4 megabit capacity, equal to roughly half a MB (512KB to be precise). Not much, especially given the fact that the PS2's cards are 8MB, the Xbox has an 8gig HD and even an old school floppy disc holds 1.4MB! And the number is largely irrelevant because almost all games require more than one block to save! In fact, depending on what games you play your card may not last long at all. For instance, a FIFA 2002 save takes up a whopping 29 blocks, Pikmin takes up 19 and Wave Race takes up 12. Fortunately, Nintendo have announced "Memory Card 251", which should be out soon. The Controller PRICE: S59.95 COLOURS: Indigo, Black, Spice, Indigo/Clear AVAILABLE: May 17 What more can we say about the GameCube controller? It's quite a brilliant piece of design and is so ergonomic that most of the time you'll forget you're holding it. That said, it's not perfect. Some of the comments we've heard around the office include - the triggers feel a little clumsy, the z trigger is oddly positioned, the D pad is too small and although great for some games, the button layout will be an issue for others. This is still the most innovative controller on the market, and just like with the N64's controllers, they come in 4 colours. Nintendo* GAMEBW ADVANCE GBA _ Connector Cable PRICE: $19.95 AVAILABLE: May 1 7 Nintendo are playing very heavily on the interactivity between GBA and GameCube and have a number of titles in development that will bring that feature to market. But in order to link Nintendo junior and Nintendo senior together, you'll need one of these babies. Hardware £ Wavebird wireless controller PRICE: TBA AVAILABLE: TBA (out in USA late June We don't have a firm release date on the Wave Bird yet, but we do know we want one! Say goodbye to tripping over cords, and say hello to playing games the dinner table! Panasonic DVD/ GameCube unit PRICE: N/A AVAILABLE: Possibly on import This funky little unit is made by Matsushita (Panasonic) and incorporates a GameCube with full DVD playback capabilites. At this stage it's only available in Japan, and may remain that ; of tech. funky way piece Hyper's Most Anticipated GameCube Games! As an aside, Square are also working on two other CBA games, including a remixed version of Final Fantasy Tactics (led by Yasumi Matsuno, director of the original FFT and Vagrant Story), and an unannounced game. We should also mention Sony’s position in the Square/Nintendo deal. After all, they recently purchased 21% of Square (spending US $116 in the process), and are its second largest shareholder. Apparently, they’re happy for the company to make GBA games, since they have no direct competitor to GBA, but news that Square will develop GCN games has reportedly made a few Sony suits extremely, extremely "unhappy”. Super Mario Sunshine J'i’This game is teasingly close, yet we still don’t know much about it. There’s a "Super” on the title now, and the basic storyline has been revealed. Nothing all that interesting, mind you. Mario and Peach take a holiday on a beautiful, remote island. However, as soon as they get there, Mario notices graffiti/scribbles messily plastered all over the village. No, he hasn’t stumbled into Jet Set Radio Future, but he is implicated in the affair, as whoever has been leaving the trails is disguised as Mario. So Mario must clear not only the graffiti, but his name. He puts One of the mantras here at Hyper has always been to pick your system based on the games you want to play, not on brand name. Here are some of the titles coming to GameCube that we're most excited about. The Launch Games! The GameCube's launch lineup for Australia is undeniably huge, and a welcome contrast to the N64's launch. However, take a closer look at the actual games, and you'll see a disturbing pattern. Of the 27 launch titles, over 20 have already been released on another console or will be released simultaneously. Let's hope the GameCube exclusive content picks up soon. 18 Wheeler American Pro Trucker Batman Vengeance Bloody Roar: Primal Fury Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader Universal Studios Theme Park Adventures Jeremy McGrath Supercross World Cel Damage Crazy Taxi Spider-man The Movie Burnout Dark Summit Wave Race: Blue Storm Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 Donald Duck Quack Attack Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Driven FIFA 2002 World Cup Legends of Wrestling Luigi's Mansion NHL Hitz 20-02 Red Card Soccer Simpsons Roadrage Sonic Adventure 2 Super Monkey Ball Tarzan Freeride Worms Blast XG3 Extreme G Racing Mario Golf & Mario Tennis The boys over at Camelot are busy at the moment. In addition to a secretive GCN RPG project, they’re also making GameCube sequels for Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. Camelot absolutely nailed both these games on N64, with Mario Tennis, in our opinion, being the best tennis game ever. We have high expectations then for the GameCube sequels, and as you can see, they’re already looking awesome. The cartoony visual style of the N64 games has been carried over beautifully, and running at 6ofps these games will rock! Plus, after the critical and commercial success of Mario Golf and Mario Tennis on Game Boy, we strongly suspect that Camelot will be working on GBA sequels to be released at the same time as the GameCube sequels, with full interactivity between them. MARIO GOLF Final Fantasy GCN >> Nintendo and Square have finally buried the hatchet, and made an agreement that will see Final Fantasy games on GBA and GCN. Hooray! A new square affiliate called Game Designers Studio, led by Akitoshi Kawazu (whose background includes Legend Of Mana), will develop the titles, with funding through Hiroshi Yamauchi’s Q Fund venture. The first title will be released in Japan this Christmas, for both GBA and GCN. The games will be interactive with one another, possibly allowing you to swap between the two at will. This is all we know at the moment, but just the thought of Final Fantasy back on Nintendo is enough to get this game on our most wanted list! EHIT1EEUBE we’re loving every minute of it! This is an unbelievably good looking videogame. It utilises a combination of pre-rendered backgrounds, real¬ time effects, high resolution models and smooth creature animation to produce the most spine tingling horror experience yet. Plus, the gameplay has been significantly tweaked, and the storyline extended. Resident Evil will be out in the USA by the time you read this, and should see a local release later in the year. I Out of the other Resident Evil titles coming soon, Resident Evil o is perhaps the most interesting. You may remember that it was originally planned for N64, then disappeared into development limbo. The good news is that it’s back on track for GameCube. and unlike a remake, the team can let their imaginations run wild. Zero GCN »ln a recently announced partnership, Sega and Nintendo will bring the world the next F-Zero game, for both the arcade and the home respectively. The Triforce based arcade game is tentatively titled F-Zero AC and will be developed by Amusment Vision (Daytona and Super Monkey Ball), and the GameCube version is known as F-Zero GC and will be developed by Nintendo. Consider how fast and awesome F-Zero X was, then factor in a huge leap in hardware and Sega’s arcade expertise and you have a game that is going to be mindblowing! Gamers will even be able to trade data using a standard GCN memory card between the home and arcade! The teams are dubbing it "home and away", which is kind of scary, but the feature will be interesting. We’ll get our first look at the game at E3, and both versions will be out in japan before the end of the year! Another reason to buy a GameCube? You bet! Zelda GCN There’s been little to no new information on this game since its drastic change in visual style was unveiled at Spaceworld last year. It will be playable at E3 and Miyamoto has repeatedly told the doubters to just wait until they see it in action. We’re inclined to side with Shiggy on this one. Metroid Prime » Another wait and see game, but all indications point to a spectacular rebirth for this much acclaimed series. Star Fox Adventures J’J'The return of Star Fox is going to be huge. The game has been delayed until September in the USA to ensure that it meets Rare’s high standards. Although there will be traditional shooter sequences, SFA is mostly an adventure game. The storyline revolves around Fox trying to save a planet inhabited by dinosaurs from an evil overlord called General Scales. What's looking most impressive about SFA is the balance between epic adventuring and solid combat. The control scheme is somewhat similar to Ocarina of Time, which is definitely a good thing. As you can see in the screenshots, SFA gets more detailed every time we see it. In particular, check out Fox’s realistic fur. Amazing! In fact, if nothing else, this game will show just what the GameCube can do visually. on his water pumping backback and sets out to uncover what’s going on. Ho hum. It remains to be seen how well this intruiging gameplay concept works, and whilst the screenshots aren’t all that impressive, Nintendo owns this genre and we’re expecting great things from Super Mario Sunshine. Resident Evil series With exclusive rights to the Resident Evil (RE) series, purchase of a GameCube will be a must for survival horror fans. In an unbelievable move, Capcom are remaking and re- releasing every RE title to date on GameCube. Could there be such a thing as too much RE? We were a little sceptical about playing through the original again, but after seeing what Capcom (and returning director Shinji Mikami) have done with it. Bi' RESIDENT EVIL On the road, in the car, in your pocket, in your tape deck! The only MP3 player with expandable memory that fits inside your tape deck (car, home, or portable) And wait till you hear it... Rome Technology Pty Ltd Phone: (02) 9939 8599 www.rome.com.au Freecall 1800 99 rome 26 »HYPER + + + + + + + HHRniUF iPOD Apple Price: SI095 (lOgig); S895 (5gig) www.opple.com »For all you Mac lovers out there, here’s further proof of Apple’s consistency in staying on the cusp of technology and design. Yes, we know the iPod has been out for a while, but since it has just been relaunched in a logig format, we thought this was the perfect time to take a formal look at this funky, and very expensive bit of kit. ► iPod s Playlists > Rrtists > Songs > Settings > Rbout > Now Playing > .^ VERSATILE On aesthetics alone, the iPod is highly desirable. However, its snow white colouring, tiny size, slick interface and light construction belie a very powerful and versatile system. In addition to letting you carry DUAL PLAY HW-DAH Rome Price: $395 (64MB); S440 (128MB); $649 (256MB) www.rome.com.au ' If you’re not in the market for one of the very pricey HD-based mp3 solutions, then the Dual Play may be just what you’re looking for, as this is a very versatile little unit. around 100 to 200 full CDs (depending on encoding quality), it also doubles as an external Firewire drive, so you can plug it into your Mac and use it as a secondary HD for data storage (and recharge it at the same time we might add). Purely as a music machine, the iPod is definitely worthy of the hype, pumping out excellent sound quality. The entire spectrum is represented well, and those of you who encode your tunes properly will definitely benefit. We should also mention the headphones. While we prefer ours phat and bin-style, the iPod’s are undeniably good quality. They’ve been engineered with "Neodymium transducer magnets” which doesn’t mean a whole lot to us, but it does translate to headphones that sound fantastic. The new iPod also has a comprehensive graphic equaliser, and can store 20 presets, so you can switch between different sound stages for different styles of music. Oh, and it also has a huge 20 minutes of skip protection thanks to 32MB built in solid-state memory cache, so your tunes will never skip a beat. The LCD is crisp too, and although not huge you can easily view enough text to get by. Plus, it has a white LED backlight so you can see what’s going on in low light conditions. In addition to a wealth of music related features, the new iPod also has a Contacts application that allows you to sync your address book from a host of other applications. Oh, and for those of you who don’t have Macs, you’ll still be able to use an iPod thanks to software called XPod, being developed by Mediafour (www.mediafour.com), that STRAIGHTFORWARD For starters, although it’s a fully digital player, it’s shaped like a cassette and can function as an analogue cassette in any cassette deck without the need for any wires or adaptors! This in itself is a big plus, as you have the convenience of transferring files to the system digitally and the sound quality of digital formats, married to the ability to plug it into your car's tape deck. Of course, the Dual Play also functions as a stand alone mp3 portable, with all the features you would expect, like voice recording, a straightforward interface for transferring files from your computer via USB, direct encoding, Windows Media plug-in support etc. There are three models available, representing three sizes of built-in storage. We tested the 128MB variety, and this is probably the most cost-effective model. Plus, you can expand your player’s storage with MultiMediaCard (MMC) flash memory sticks. All up, if you want a small, cost effective portable player, and aren’t too concerned about carrying around hundreds of hours of music, the Dual Play is worth a look. will allow FireWire equipped PCs to read and trade data with an iPod. Check out the site for more details. ARCHOS MULTIMEDIA JUKEBOX Archos Price: TBA www.archos.com »The Archos A Multimedia jukebox is very much the iPod equivalent for PC owners. Although it doesn’t look as slick, what’s exciting about the Multimedia jukebox is what it has the potential to do. Plus, it will definitely be cheaper than the iPod when it comes out here. SONY NET MD MZ-N1 Sony Price: S899 (Also available MZ-N707 for S699 and the MZ-N505 for S599) SNAP HAPPY The basic model has logig of storage, but there’s a Aogig version on the way. In addition to the standard range of music-related features (including recording straight to mp3 in real-time from any audio source — including your CD player), the Archos is hugely expandable to take further advantage of all that space. At a basic level, you can pick up SmartMedia and CompactFlash Photo Module expansion kits, so you can download images from your digital camera into the Jukebox. Now while this may seem to have no real advantage over simply uploading them to your PC, think about it in the context of a long overseas holiday. Instead of blowing lots of money on expensive memory cards, you could just use the one and store your images on the jukebox. Plus, you can view them on the Jukebox’s LCD too. On the other hand, if you don’t have a digital camera, you could pick up the Camera Module expansion which turns your Jukebox into a 1.3 mega-pixel digital camera and MPECa camcorder. While 1.3 mega-pixels is not at all high these days, and the camcorder is only VHS quality, as an all in one solution for music lovers that would like the convenience of digital photography, this is a sweet solution indeed. Perhaps the most exciting add-on for this system, however, is the Video Module, which turns the Jukebox into a self- contained video capture system. Believe it or not, but you can plug the unit into any video source using standard composite cables and record in real-time! Yes, there’s now a straightforward way to jft# digitally back up The Simpsons y • ^ (just don’t tell Fox you’re doing it)! You can only capture at 352x288, but the sheer convenience of then being able q< 2 wj to transfer it to your PC and r — i |L keep your favourite shows I in a digital format is a »To round out our hardware section this month, we thought we’d take a look at Sony’s latest offering in the much-underrated Mini-Disc format. The Net MD MZ-Ni Walkman comes with OpenMG Jukebox music management software for drag and drop transfer functionality, full tracklist editing, fast CD ripping and up to 32X transfer speed via USB. It even comes with MiniDisc Long Play (MDLP) technology (using ATRAC3 compression), so you can store up to 320 minutes of music on a single 80 minute MiniDisc. The system also uses a combination of a rechargeable battery and a single AA Alkaline battery for up to 110 hours playback! Most importantly, the sound quality is fantastic, thanks to Digital Signal Processor (DSP) Type-R, which has twice the signal processing capability of previous MD Walkman models. A great buy for technology fetishists, but ultimately, HD based products are much more versatile. Of course, Sony doesn't condone piracy... QJRREZ »HYPER 27 »■■! | CATEGORY: FPS >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: Eidos >> H yper visited the Manchester offices of Free Radical Design recently to find out about the long awaited sequel to Timesplitters. Managing Director David Doak found the time to not only lead us through a couple of memorable levels but to also wax lyrical about games, guns, fun and monkeys. HYPER: What was your approach to Timesplitters 2? DAVID DOAK: With the first game, we wanted to make a solid multiplayer experience, and create flexibility in the map maker. Our main focus with Timesplitters 2 is the single player. There's a more immersive, cohesive narrative experience and although you're jumping through time, there's a continuous thread in the game to pursue the Timesplitters. Each level has its own unique story as well as set of characters, objectives and Weapons. You play a different figure in each period of history. HYPER: Tell us about some of the levels. DD: The range of levels is from 1850s all the way through to very futuristic stuff and along the way, you’re taken through a number of different themes. There's a very contemporary, militaristic level set in Siberia; there’s a cyberpunk Neo- Tokyo level; a 1930s Chicago gangsters level; and a turn of the 19th Century Notre Dame level amongst others. vHYPER: And the enemies vary as well? DD: There are the usual soldier types but in the lighter hearted levels you’ll fight against little monkeys with pea shooters. They do acrobatics, sound alarms by Just your average evil compound. blowing horns, that sort of thing. In the future you’ll fight robots, some on rails, some bipedal or floating. The idea is to get as many enjoyable characters as possible, which can then be used in the multiplayer, adding to the fun of that experience. HYPER: What about enemies’ reactions to the player? DD: There are more tangible reactions in enemies being hit. You’ll see them flinching, ducking, they'll run around on fire. You'll also see them hiding behind things, jumping out at you and running Watermelon gibs, ala MGS2! Hey baby, how 'bout some BLAU? He ain't no battledroid. away. In the arcade part of the game you’ll also see a range of acrobatic things. So live enemies can jump around and pull certain moves that the bulkier enemies are incapable of. The story game will see a wider range of awareness. It’ll incorporate shooting but also stealth and evasion, tracking people, even interaction with NPCs or protecting them from hostiles. There’s a higher level of immersion than the first game. HYPER: What about interaction with the environment? DD: Well, the flamethrower is a good example. This is a weapon that changes the whole game - everything in the environment that should be flammable is affected by it including enemies. So you can set a lot of the world alight. Even the player can be set alight, so often it’s a matter of finding something so you can put yourself or out: a fire extinguisher, a shower or fountain. The secondary fire mode is laying a trail of gasoline that can be laid down and lit later. ^ This could be used to protect a base in multiplayer. Rather than just a pure graphic effect, it adds a whole layer of interactivity and to the environment. HYPER: What about creating environments with this interaction? DD: Well, the map makei allows the inclusion of windows and doors to create more complicated ^ environments. On the wish list at the moment is to allow people to make a simple single player level, with a start point, an end point, put in some NPCs and put in some simple objectives like finding a key. These could be saved to a memory card, taken to a mate’s house and you could play it in a time trial mode. The enjoyment of creating in the game is an important thing - not leaving players entirely passive. HYPER: The humour? DD: Our big thing is to make a very fun game. It adds a layer of enjoyment to it and helps to make first person shooters more accessible. There is a barrier of entry to enjoyment in FPS games which starts with the controls but also many of them are aimed at a very particular audience. Ideally we want a game that everyone can play on the easiest setting - even your mum! HYPER: What about influences for the game? DD: We’ve always been obsessive about the immediacy and accessibility of the experience. Historically, a number of There are the 7W usual soldier types but in the lighter-hearted levels you'll fight against little monkeys with pea shooters. the founders of the company worked on GoldenEye, which is a badge you can wear with honour but it’s also a bit of an albatross. It’s almost possible to persuade people that things are better than that game. The ethos of GoldenEye in enjoyment, depth, immersion and game story is what we're trying to bring to Timesplitters 2. Also we want to make a game with something for everyone, which is a reason for the humour. We're very strongly motivated by making games that we like to play ourselves. Most of the development hell stories that you hear are from people making a game that they don’t want to play. If you’re doing that then you don’t have the critical faculties to make it a good game. That’s very much our thing: to make games that are fun and represent value to people. Games that have longevity. in5IEHT »HYPER 29 30 » HYPER inSIEHT mrm vv jm mrm category: rpg >> players: i >> WW iHi HE MJM A B™ U PUBLISHER: LucasArts/Bioware >> AVAILABLE: Late 2002 T j his is a very exciting new Star Wars game on the horizon from LucasArts and BioWare. It’s the Star Wars RPC fans have always wanted (besides the Massively Multiplayer Star Wars : Galaxies), and it’s being developed by the folks who brought us Baldur’s Cate no less. THE DARK SIDE Launching on Xbox roughly six months before the PC, the game is set thousands of years before the Prequel Trilogy, when the Jedi and Sith were both in greater numbers and literally at war with each other. The player takes control of, yes you guessed it, a potential Jedi Knight and over the course of the adventure, your character makes friends (and eventually a playable party) with an array of Star Wars creatures, from Wookiees to Droids. Besides the central character, you will be able to take control of any members of your party at any time, with the Al taking care of the other characters. Possibly this will be required to solve various puzzles, as different character will have varying abilities. A limit of three characters in the party has been imposed to allow BioWare to invest more detail and character depth over the course of the adventure. The Ebon Hawk is your ship, and it will exist as the kind of "tavern" of the game where you save your progress, witness certain cutscenes, dump excess gear and interact with other Interestingly, it sounds like there will be some space combat mini games to spice up the break between quests. The Ebon Hawk will take you from planet to planet as you explore strange new planets and get mixed up in a complex story that allows you to cross over to the dark side if you tend to play dirty. Besides a huge array of guns and standard melee weapons, your human character will not start the game with a lightsaber. One of the quests will actually require you to find all the appropriate items and then assemble your own unique lightsaber, just like a true Jedi Knight. At the beginning of the game you can select certain skills, but under the tutelage of a Jedi Master you will have to slowly learn the ways of the Force to become a true Jedi. We have huge hopes for Knights of the Old Republic, and with BioWare at the helm, we’re sure our high expectations will be well met. t Ever shaved your Wookiee? Let's have a picnic! DESTROY MUTANTS ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS Of DUKE DELIVERS NON-STOP MUTANT 9 AWESOME NEW WEAPONS MAKE A STUNNINGLY REALISTIC NEW YORK SKYLINE DESTRUCTION AT DIZZYING HEIGHTS DUKE UNSTOPPABLE "We've played it, "This one will go down as one of the best and it's A BLAST" platform games ever... fast action, lots of - pc Gamer blood and guts, and great visuals... " - GameSpy Incredible 3D Mayhem Starring the King of All Action Games! Duke Nukem battles an all-new menace in Manhattan Project, fighting hordes of mutated monsters intent on taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Duke returns in a platform-style game, but with an immersive 3D environment and cutting-edge 3D engine. You've never seen a PC game like this before. Duke’s on an all-new mission that takes him through eight huge New York-themed areas, including a ride on the subway, a visit to the streets of Chinatown and battles on top of skyscrapers. He’ll use an arsenal of powerful weapons to pile up hordes of mutated monsters, cut off the menace at its source and rescue as many...ahem..."ladies” as he can. Mutant freaks, enjoy your last days. Duke’s on a red-eye to the city that never sleeps. Order Now - In Stores May 2002 Duke Nukem Manhattan Project 9 2002 30 Realms Entertainment, some elements © 2002 Sanslortn Interactive Inc Published exclusively by ARUSH Entertainment, a division ol World Entertainment Broadcasting Corporation. Developed by Sunstorm Interactive Inc. Duke Nukem. Duke Nukem Manhattan Project, and the 30 Realms logo are trademarks of Apogee Software. Ltd. Sunstorm and the Sunstorm logo are trademarks ol Sunstorm Interactive Inc ARUSH. ARUSH Entertainment, the ARUSH Entertainment logo, and Play Outside the Box are trademarks ol World Entertainment Broadcasting Corporation. Manaccom and the Manaccom logo are trademarks ol Manaccom Pty Ltd An Officially Licensed Duke Nukem Product. All rights reserved. MANHATTAN ( (PROJECT www.DukeNukemMP.com YET TO BE CLASSIFIED Produced by: 3D Realms Entertainment www.3drealms.com Published By: - * . ARUSH ' \ ’ Entertainment .* * *" " arush www.arusngames.com - • Distributed in Australia and New Zealand By: Manaccom www.manac.com.au SECOND PRIZE Tyrone Obromski Aberfoyle Park, SA >> Mathew was the only entrant to successfully capture his full trick from beginning to end, proving that he landed it. Good work! >)■ Tyrone seems to be performing a far more deadly kickflip, but we suspect he might have suffered some major internal injuries upon impact. Still, we admire his bravery. Drew Hinge, Holder, ACT J^We wonder if he ended up in a coffin as a result! Wai Hoong Tan, Broadbeach, Qld >> This guy is obviously pretty damn cool. A. Noller, Kuraby, Qld )■> A very amusing piece of work. | I i 1 if rk * 'i g _ •* f V / r / ^ * IK: i# Integral L Monitor Move n’PI Also available: Starter Kit and sets of cables The/ull line of accessories of accessories for use with GameCube™ mv MEgamarT GRACE BROS Harvey Norman T hrustmaster products are distributed by Guillemot Australia Pty. Ltd. Ph: (02) 8303 1818 hap://au.thrustmaster.com ©Target. D II M A Y N E © Guillemot Corporation 2002,Thrustmastcr\!o b a registered trademark of Guillemot Corpora ton S A GameCube '' is a trademark of Nir trademark of Ferrari S pA All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved Photo* not binding Contents, designs and to change without notice! and may vary from one country to another. 34 »HYPER 5 LU:RDTCI THE SAGA CONTINUES i WITH EPISODE II... positive word-of-mouth that Lucasfilm had probably been praying for. A 20-minute preview of Lord of the Rings shown at the Cannes movie festival a few months before the film opened back in 2001 resulted in frenzied word- of-mouth, and eventual box office success in all comers of the globe. The hype surrounding that movie snowballed out of control on a street level. It proved that the internet can be a powerful marketing tool in itself - if you have a quality product to begin with. As Lord of the Rings grows as a serious contender for "best fantasy trilogy of all time”, there was no doubt that repairs were needed to the Star Wars franchise after The Phantom Menace. To an extent, the series had lost its "cool" factor. The smart-talking characters and general retro hip of the Original Trilogy had been replaced with visual slapstick and an over reliance on cartoon-like CGI. It seems it’s been left up to Episode II to return some cred to the Wars- verse. The difference this time around is that Lucasfilm now have that street- level buzz for Attack of the Clones that Peter jackson enjoyed with Lord of the Rings. Those who have seen Attack of the Clones before its release have loved every minute of it. It’s been described as "smart”, "sinister" and "exciting”. So, is this the Star Wars movie we all hoped for when the lights went down back in May, 1999? Well, seeing as the movie opens a week after this issue goes on sale, we can’t give you a definite answer to that question. But what we can do, is give you a look at all the cool things to get excited about this time around in that galaxy far, far away. W hen webmaster Harry Knowles (editor of the movie site Aint It Cool News) was ushered into a dingy hotel room to secretly view a bootleg of Attack of the Clones , he had stumbled across one of the biggest movie scoops of the year. Knowles proceeded to post a review of the movie on his website back in March, before the film was even complete, declaring it "the most entertaining Star Wars movie yet". Whilst Lucasfilm were somewhat disturbed that the film had somehow been leaked into the hands of their greatest enemy - the internet geek elite — they were at least relieved to see that the response to the movie was an overpoweringly positive one. The marketing machine had been running a little quieter this time around after the over hype of Episode I: The Phantom Menace and the critical mauling it received from fans and professional critics alike. The internet buzz that Harry Knowles created as a result of his sneak review was the kind of All images C Lucasfilm ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. Mace Windu photo by Sue Adler »HYPER 35 36 »HYPER 5UJ:nDTC □□nnECTinns Obi-Wan Kenobi becomes Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi The coolest Jedi ever will eventually go into hiding after Episode III, but get forced out of retirement to once again fight the forces of "eeevir in A New Hope. cannECTinns Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader This young Jedi is o little too reckless and a little too * arrogant. Plus he has a bad Padawan haircut. No wonder he becomes a Dark Lord of the Sith and wipes the Jedi out of existence! THE OPENING CRAWL... >> Affectionately known as "the crawl”, here’s what you’ll be reading as soon as the Main Title appears: There is unrest in the Galactic Senate. Several hundred solar systems, under the leadership of the Rebel Leader, Count Dooku, have declared their intentions to secede from the Republic. TUSKEN RAIDERS OF THE LOST STORY ARC This separatist movement has made it difficult for the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order in the galaxy. >>For the first time in a Star Wars movie, we get to see what a female Tusken and Tusken child look like. In fact, we get to see a whole Tusken camp for the first time, as Anakin Skywalker has somewhat of a run-in with these tribal desert warriors. Rumour has it that this scene was longer and more violent than what was cut down for the final film. Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is returning to the Galactic Senate to vote on the critical issue of creating an army of the Republic to assist the overwhelmed Jedi... Pholo by Lisa T< CLONEHEADS how does one go about creating an army of clones? First, find yourself a powerful Bounty Hunter... in this case, Jango Fett. Jango has been enlisted to be the "blueprint” for every solider in the army. Essentially, every Clonetrooper is a younger Jango Fett fitted out in special white Republic armour. Owen Lars becomes Uncle Owen This grumpy young former remains a grumpy old former, although he does go on to look after young Luke Skywalker. Beru Whitesun becomes Aunt Beru Eventually, she'll marry Owen and become a Lars. She mixes up a mean gloss of blue milk. Boba Fett becomes Boba Fett the Bounty Hunter \ After observing his father's i skills in a clunky helmet, Boba will go on to continue his Bounty Hunting legacy. rnaye% BUi:RDTC »HYPER 37 38 »HYPER cannEcmjns AT-TE becomes AT-AT This heovy-duty hordwore will eventually evolve into the dreaded AT-AT seen in the Bottle of Hoth. As Episode II was shot mostly at Fox Studios in Sydney, much of the cast is Australian. Look out for... • Jay Laga'aia (Wafer Rats) as Captain Typho • Rose Byrne (Two Hands) as Dorme, Padme's handmaiden • Joel Edgerton (Secret Life Of Us) as Owen Lars • Bonnie Piesse (Blue Heelers) as Beru Whitesun • Leeanna Walsman (Looking For Alibrandi) as Zam Wesell • Jack Thompson (Breaker Mo rant) as Cliegg Lars • Claudia Karvan (Secret Life Of Us) as Sola Naberrie • Graeme Blundell (Don's Party) as Ruwee Naberrie • David Bowers (Water Rats) as Mas Amedda • Marton Csokas (Lord of the Rings) as the voice of Poggle The Lesser • Matt Doran (Home And Away) as Elan Sleazebaggano • Ronald Falk (Burnt Piano) as the voice of Dexter Jettster • Alethea McGrath (Dead Letter Office) as Jocasta Nu • Trisha Noble (Blonde) as Jobal Naberrie • Anthony Phelan (Babe: Pig in the City) as the voice of Lama Su • Susie Porter (Better Than Sex) as Hermione Bagwa • Matt Rowan (various theatre work) as Senator Orn Free Taa Plus many more Aussie extras! cnmECTinns Jedi Master Yoda becomes Yoda the hermit After teaching Jedi for hundreds of years, Yoda will eventually be forced into hiding on the swamp planet, Dagobah. canriECTinns C3-PO (rusty) becomes C3-PO (Golden) At some stage, this nervous protocol droid will find himself gold plated. PUTANOTHER SITH ON THE BARBIE PUTTINGA LID O NJT-Ht IKKTJXR) W J’J’You either love him or hate him, but Jar jar Binks is back in Episode II if only for a few minutes. Since 10 years have passed. Jar Jar is actually mature enough now to mix it with the politicians in the senate! Who would have thought? After a few small scenes, the rest of Attack of the Clones is a Jar Jar free zone. cnnnECTinns Here come the A-Wings The red wedge-shaped Jedi Starfighter has hints of the Rebels' A-Wing fighter from the classic trilogy. Thanks to Sony Classical, we have 5 copies of the Attack of the Clones Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to give away. Just name the composer! Put your answer on the back of an envelope with your name and address and send it to: Star Wars Sounds, Hyper, 78 Renwick St, Redfern, NSW 2016 Asteroids a-plenty It^AQT^k Qbj-Wan avoids JanacKin on asteroid field cttJ ian Solo hides [■WILLIAMS »HYPER 39 40 »HYPER inSIBHT Now what would a new Star Wars movie be without a sandcrawler full of new videogames? SEND IN THE CLONES! CLONE CAMPAIGNS Expansion Pack Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds on PC was the RTS that fans had been hankering for. Good, solid, Age of Empires style strategy - but with Stormtroopers! Well, any day now you'll be able to pick up the Clone Campaigns expansion pack so you can play out the Geonosis battle amongst other new campaigns, with all-new units and tech trees! BOUNTY HUNTER mmSm jetpack is going to get a workout, as you can use this to get the drop on your opponents. Explore new environments such as Mos Gamos - a strange new location on Tatooine - and face off against enemies such as the slimy Gamorrean Guards and pistol-happy Rodians. There will be six different worlds in total, for a total of 18 missions. Besides your blasters, you’ll also get to grips with a deadly flamethrower! Goody. THE CLONE WARS »P5Z/GCn CATEGORY: Action >> PLAYERS: MBA >> PUBLISHER: LucosArts >> AVAILABLE: June I f there’s one character that will forever remain the anti-hero from Star Wars, it’s the Bounty Hunter - in the case of Episode II, that Bounty Hunter is jango Fett. He’s a bad guy, but he looks so damn cool you just wish you could be him. After seeing Episode II, you may even sympathise with his plight. After all, he’s just a simple man trying to make his way in the universe. This GameCube and PlayStation 2 game puts you in the boots of Jango Fett in a third-person action/adventure that just might turn out to be Tomb Raider with blasters. The most interesting thing about Bounty Hunter, is that it is the first LucasArts game to be developed with help from ILM and Skywalker Sound, the two arms of Lucasfilm that usually leave the production of game elements solely up to LucasArts. ILM are producing the cutscenes, and Skywalker Sound will be designing sound effects for the game, which should result in some truly dazzling results. It’s strange to think this is the first time this has ever happened over at LucasArts! From what we can tell, you play as Jango Fett on a whole new adventure that is set before the events of Episode II. You’ll be going up against your rival, Zam Wesell, to delve into the seedy underworld and no doubt kill lots of scum and villainy with your trusty sidearms in your quest for the mysterious leader of a cult. Jango’s » CATEGORY: Combat/Action >> PLAYER 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: LucasArts/Pandemic Studios >> AVAILABLE: TBA I f the battle of Geonosis doesn’t get your blood pumping, then nothing will! The chaotic land battle from the end of Episode II will be the centrepiece of this new game and the beginning of an exciting action game that explores the unexplained legend that is the Clone Wars. Taking the role of a Jedi Knight you will be engaged in a series of battle scenes that take you from Geonosis at the beginning of the game, to the Kashyyyk moon and beyond. With over 40 combat units including the Republic Gunship, Speeder Bikes, Fighter Tanks, Assault Tanks and Assault Walkers, you’ll experience unique vehicular combat, as well as command squads of troopers. Pandemic created a similar hybrid of combat and action in their PC hit Battlezone, so that might give you a vague idea of just how awesome this game is going to be. Spanning around 20 missions, this game will seriously push the visual capabilities of both the GameCube and PlayStation 2, as well as offer multiplayer modes for up to four players. We simply cannot wait! Begun, this Clone War has... WOW-O-METER ATTACK OF THE CLONES wowo '""" ▼ CATEGORY: Action >> PLAYERS: 1 >> PUBLISHER: LucosArts/THQ > > AVAILABLE: Late May )) G BE H I In all the excitement, you’d almost expect the little handheld to be forgotten... but no, the Game Boy Advance will have its very own Attack of the Clones game. This is a side-scrolling action game that combines fighting game and beat ’em up elements to recreate some of the coolest fight scenes from the movie. Play as Mace Windu in the Geonosis arena, or duke it out with Jango Fett as Obi- Wan Kenobi amongst other slices 0’ action. You’ll also get to fly a swoop bike, the Jedi Starfighter and more in a selection of awesome first- person sequences. inSIBHT »HYPER 41 42 »HYPER inBIEHT _ -STAR. WARS'_ ATTACK OF THE No matter what age you are, if you're a fan of something, there's always that desire to collect, horde and marvel at all the little items of merchandising that accompany a film. The classic action figure has evolved over the years from a piece of plastic that couldn't stand up let alone even resemble the character, to these great new figures from Hasbro that not only stand up, but flip, do tricks and look identical to the cast. Here's some of the cool stuff that will release to coincide with Attack of the Clones... OB I-WAN WITH DROID >>Ten years after losing his master at the hands of the Sith, 1 Obi-Wan Kenobi has become Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi mentor. Given the mission to protect Senator Amidala after an attempt on her life, Obi-Wan finds himself hanging from a fleeing ASN-121 assassin droid as it tries to escape through the maze of Coruscant’s cityscape! > • Awesome Force™ action! Hold 'A. Obi-Wan's right hand over lightsaber and the weapon is attracted to his hand! Place right hand on droid - it attaches! JAN GO FETT’S SLAVE 1 /■^Resourceful and dangerous, Jango Fett is known as the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. His ship, Slave I, is just as dangerous and deadly as its owner, with an arsenal of weapons powerful enough to capture any prey. This highly modified Firespray-class patrol-and-attack ship was originally used in law enforcement, but Jango rebuilt it with hidden weapons systems, sensor masking and tracking systems, and powerful shield generators. When he’s chased by Obi- Wan Kenobi, Jango makes full _ use of the ship's technology ^ and weapons in an attempt to destroy his pursuer. • Secret reveal multi-missile launcher! Press weapons-control knob to reveal rotating concussion missile launcher, then turn knob to launch missiles! Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast join the Alliance CLONE TROOPER ^Trained specifically for military combat, Clone Troopers are virtually identical. They’re created in the cloning facilities of Tipoca City, a luminescent center of industry f emerging from the raging seas ofKamino. BEAST - REEK ^ ^The reek is a massive beast with three deadly horns protruding from his head! Unleashed in the Geonosian arena, I^^B^this ferocious beast is more than a match for the brave pimPHB warriors and innocent captives who are unaware of their horrible fate! • The action comes olive with cool electronic effects! Press button for attack sounds, stomping attack and head-ramming iSHSE^ action! Pull the horn for o mighty battle roar! PADME > 5 * Now a senator from Naboo, Padme Amidala has grown in \ . bravery and wisdom since her term as queen. Courageous and resourceful, she tries to escape after being captured on the planet of Geonosis and sentenced to death! • Quick-draw action! Twist waist to lower her arm, then release - her arm swings up and she's ready to fire the blaster! ■BBHBHBi A HUGE PACK OF STAR WARS TOYS!!! Hasbro and Hyper want to give away a whole bunch of awesome Star Wars toys! One lucky first prize winner will receive an incredible pock including three basic figures, one beast, one vehicle and an electronic lightsaber! Another five runners-up will receive a pack of three basic figures. To enter to win these great prizes, just answer the following question: Who co-wrote Attack of the Clones with George Lucas? Put your answer on the bock of an envelope along with your name and address and send it to: Hyper for Hasbro, Hyper, 78 Renwick Street, Redlern, NSW 2018. Entries close June 4th. ANAKIN’S SPEEDER >> Pursuing the mysterious bounty hunter Zam Wesell, Anakin and Obi- Wan Kenobi "borrow” a civilian airspeeder to chase the assassin across the Coruscant skyline! The frantic chase ends with a crash Pljl^ and a surprising confrontation between the Jedi and their \ V'a quarry! Terms and conditions: - Offer is open to residents of Australia and New Zealand except employees and the immediate families of Next Publishing Pty Ltd ond its agencies associated with the promotion. - Only entries completed with these Terms and Conditions will be eligible. - Competition begins at 9am May 7th ond entries close at 6pm June 4th. - In determining eligibility the judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. - Winner(s) will be drown at Next Publishing at 9am June 5th ond results published in Hyper 106 on July 3rd. - One winner will receive a Hasbro pock RRPS217.80. Five runners-up will receive o Hasbro action figure pack RRPS47.99 iteach. Total prize pool is $457.75. promoter is not responsible for lost or misdirected mail, p The promoter is Next Publishing Pty Ltd ABN 88 002 647 645 of ^78 Renwick Street, Redfern, NSW, 2016. JEDI STARFIGHTER S’S’The Jedi Starfighter is a unique, wedge- shaped craft capable of quick maneuvering. It looks like a standard scout vehicle on the outside, but is outfitted with hidden defense weapons in case of attack, as well as flight stabilisers. But Jedi pilots don’t rely solely on its technological features — they use the Force to take full advantage of the fighter’s capabilities, as we’ve seen in the PS2 game, Jedi Starfighter. • Features include opening canopy, adjustable headrest, retractable front landing gear, firing \ missile launcher and deployable flight stabilizers! M iktVi i 11 II'J 111!'. rETiiTT* wi»i ini nfi| ipT - ■ ' 7jJ7 It • ! IA 1 illvn r« *1 i jT* tfr'K.i HI* i i il • dr.ii rtiv^r^Y'-i i A1 ih\4Vi 11 O inSIEHT »HYPER 43 44 » HYPER DnLiriE WWW.BLIZZRRD.CDM/WHR3 B lizzard is a developer synonymous with quality. In a world where innovative gameplay and bleeding edge technology consume the most column inches, Blizzard has captured the public’s imagination with a series of highly polished and expertly designed, yet conservative, genre titles. Their games are pioneering, not in any gameplay sense, but in bringing the art to the masses. To many, Starcraft is the definitive real-time strategy game and Diablo is the definitive roleplaying game. All of which explains why the recent public beta test of the imminent third iteration of the Warcraft franchise has met with such fevered excitement and intense scrutiny. Warcraft is a formidable institution of PC gaming. It took the RTS template established by Westwood’s Dune 2, tweaked it once (for Warcraft: Ores vs Humans) and then to perfection (for the sequel). The anticipation for Warcraft III is understandable: it’s Blizzard’s first RTS since Starcraft; their first game to use a 3D engine, and a return to their most popular universe. It’s also the first Warcraft game to be released since Battle.net, Blizzard’s online gaming service, was founded (excluding the Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition re-release, that is). Which is where this beta test has been happening for the past couple of months, and why we’re able to bring you this report in Net Trawlin’ this month. BEWARE THE PANDERAS Despite only a few multiplayer modes available for play across a handful of maps, the response thus far has been overwhelmingly favourable, as could be expected. Nonetheless, the test has proved valuable to Blizzard, with one major patch, issued halfway through the beta period, implementing a raft of additions and alterations based on player feedback. The work-in-progress that is Warcraft III at the moment only reinforces the notion of it as the next evolutionary step beyond Starcraft. Blizzard is toiling away within the accepted confines of the RTS genre, tunnelling out new avenues and revealing greater gameplay depth with each excavation. All the talk of "roleplaying strategy” that accompanied the game’s initial announcement nearly three years ago only disguises the developer’s efforts to eke out every conceivable possibility inherent in the RTS formula. Warcraft III isn’t about ultra-efficient base-building, although it is. Warcraft III isn’t about assembly line grunt-rushing tactics, although it is. Warcraft III isn’t about ingenious troop deployment on the battlefield, although it is. Warcraft III isn’t about perfecting the economic model, although it is. Warcraft III isn’t about heroes turning the tide of war with judicious use of a special ability, although it is. Indeed, Warcraft III is all of these things, and yet none of them. Blizzard is hoping to create a real¬ time strategy game where balance is the key, where there’s no single correct strategy and certainly no single correct counter-strategy, where players must constantly adapt their tactics on-the-fly to changing circumstances. They want to put the "strategy” back in the RTS. To do so, the limiting rock-paper- scissors formula has been iced. The four playable races are distinctive and each caters to a variety of playing styles. Crucially, there’s little doubling up of units and fewer obvious counter units amongst the dozens on offer. The Humans are the most traditional race, of at least average ability at everything yet »How long did that take!? It feels like only yesterday I was writing about Telstra Wholesale DSL dropping in price. Well, according to Australian IT, 3 ISPs have signed up for 'Layer 2' ADSL and should start implementing in the very near future. Justine Milne, CEO of OzEmail Internet confirmed that a test run was truly excelling at little; they’re the race players will find most familiar and be most comfortable with at the start. The Ores underwent numerous changes in the major mid-test patch to become the fiercest ground warriors; Ore grunts have been beefed up and their pig farms replaced by defensive burrows in an attempt to further distinguish them from the Humans. With their unique manner of resource collection, emphasis on ranged attacks, and cloaking ability at night, the Night Elves operate almost as a guerilla outfit. Blizzard has also doffed its cap to Tolkien and provided the Night Elves with Ents, walking trees that double as base structures. Finally, the Undead race has a few unusual tricks up its sleeve, too; their bases can only be built on blighted land, while the Meat Wagon unit is a necromancer’s delight. A REFRESHING CHANGE With a scaled-back and simplified base-building aspect, the focus here is clearly on the tactics of battle. Unit supply and upkeep (basically, the larger your army, the greater the strain on your economy) combine to enforce a natural unit cap on proceedings and diminish the returns on rushing strategies. A further consequence of this is to bring the hero units to the fore. Heroes essentially lead your troops into battle, gaining experience and greater power and abilities with each successive victory. This is sure to be a refreshing change for the many jaded generals out there. Away from the game itself, Blizzard has notably updated its matching service on Battle.net to deliver a more streamlined process. Now all you need do is select which race you like to play as, what type of game you prefer, and any particular maps you aren’t so keen on, and the software will automatically log you into a new game. Of course, you can still hunt for games manually, if you prefer. Blizzard is a company that knows what it’s good at and what its audience wants. The evidence thus far suggests Warcraft III is set to deliver on both counts, just don’t expect a revolution when you log on to Battle.net later this year. being carried out with customers, with no ETA as to if, or when, the finished product will be available. As OzEmail is Australia's second largest dial up ISP provider, many people see their entry onto the market as 'real competition for Telstra'. But how much competition will yet to be seen, as they will be buying off the source. To a certain extent, it seems like the excitement of more providers is a way of compensating for the ’classic* April Fools Joke Whirlpool played on the media, posting a convincing article that Optus would start putting caps on their cable and ADSL plans. So effective was the joke, and such a plausible subject matter, that there are still many people out there who think it true. Personally, I - wouldn't want to have been part of the Easter Monday skeleton crew at the Optus call centre when the article was posted. Optus is probably not feeling very threatened by the appearance of OzEmail; iiNet and AAPT - they'll probable continue to be the most sought after broadband ISP, even though their network covers such a small area. I doubt that any of the new runners will be able to afford the possible volume of downloading per account that Optus does. In the meantime, at least we're starting to see a little more choice on the market - something that has been lacking in the broadband market for a very, very long time. happymeah#ithoj@hotmail. com □ riLinE »HYPER 45 46 »hyper nnunE LlflHS LEDHEAD peterhirschberg.com/handheld/ ledhead/index.htm Dedicated to the restoration of classic handheld electronic games, this site is clearly a labour of love for creator Peter Hirschberg. You can download Windows and Pocket PC versions of Autorace, Baseball, Soccer and Space Alert. All the available games were originally released on Mattel handheld systems. GAME CRITICS wvfw.gamecritics.org Since The Gaming Intelligence Agency closed down on April ist this year (and, no, it wasn’t a joke), Game Critics now stands as one of the last bastions of insightful game writing on the web. The news page may be a link farm, but it directs you toward genuine news rather than merely the latest batch of Project Ego screenshots or where to download the Blue Shift patch V 2 . 39745. However, the reviews are the real highlight; knowledgeable, analytical and level-headed - rare commodities indeed. They Fight Crime! He's a one Pegged soccer-playing were*oif who knows the secret of the alien invasion. She's a virginal tempestuous fairy princess who dreams of becoming Elvis. They fight crime* Try again 1 Word*: Andr*v Wh*.Ur. W.bnt. Alafdatr Watron. Th«y right Cfirrv . 1 They Fight Crime! He's an old-fashioned vegetanan cyborg in drag. She’s a cynical foul-mouthed cab driver married to the Mob. They fight crime* Try again' Words: Andtov Wheeler. Website:Aletdeir Watson. They Fi> When seminal PC developer Looking Glass Studios shut its doors in mid 2000, work had begun on a title known as Deep Cover. Although a deal had been agreed with Microsoft, the game had never been officially announced, and died when LGS went under. Recently, some ex-LG designers posted some never-before-seen screenshots of the work-in¬ progress game. An espionage thriller set in the 60s, it was to use the Thief engine and incorporate System Shock 2 style RPG elements. !■■■■■■! Euer played chicken ■ninth a monkeu? Defying grauity, rolling right to the edge, careering from corner to uertigo inducing corner uiithout plunging screaming to the depths. Dne false moue and it's ouer. So uihat's the choice? Play chicken, or you're roasted. • Get addicted to totally intuitiue gameplay Manoeuure through ouer 90 challenging stages • Battle it out with up to H players with - 3 multi-player party games - 3 extra multi-player mini-games ® and DOLE & Sun Design ® are registered trademarks of the Dole Logo are trademarks of Nintendo Co.. Ltd. © 2002 Nintendo. © AMUSEMENT VISION. LTD/SEGA CORPORATION, 2001 Food Company, Inc. Nintendo GameCube IM ,® and the Gan 48 » Review Index PS2 50 Virtua Fighter 4 52 Jedi Starfighter 54 Worms Blast GAMECUBE 56 Star Wars: Rogue Leader 60 Luigi’s Mansion 62 Wave Race Blue Storm •4 Super Monkey Ball 65 Bloody Roar Primal Fury XBOX 66 iss 2 68 2002 FIFA World Cup 70 UFC: Tapout 71 Blood Omen 2 PC 72 Star Wars: Jedi Outcast 74 Freedom Force 76 Dungeon Siege 78 Warrior Kings 80 Heroes of Might £ Magic IV 80 War Commander 80 Moto Racer 3 GAME BOY ADVANCE 82 Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 83 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 HMBERM All console games are tested on the Samsung Plano CS29A200 TV. ELECTRONICS mi jdfefri Q -A _ jLs □RUIO LUILDEDD5E When unveiling the first Gamecube titles at last year's E3, Shigeru Miyamoto highlighted what he called The Nintendo Difference. With the Gamecube now arrived in Australia, let's examine what this phrase really means. What is the Nintendo Difference? Some would argue it's the Japanese giant's vast wealth of instantly recognisable characters. This school of thought is exemplified by a title such as Smash Bros Melee, in which lightweight and short-lived gameplay is carried to success by a stellar cast, including Mario, Luigi, Link, Donkey Kong, Samus, et al. One cannot imagine any other company being able to get away with it. Others might vouch for the immediate and accessible nature of each in-house Nintendo release. The Mario games have always endorsed the pick-up-and-play ethos, right from his 2D debut as Jumpman to the revolutionary 3D expanses of Super Mario 64. The fact that Miyamoto himself oversees the design of each new system's control pad is an important factor here. The symbiotic relationship between hardware and software made apparent in the interface of his games not only explains why Mario 64 perfected the 3D platformer, but why Nintendo's competitors have notably failed to scale the same heights. Meanwhile others, again, would promote the finely-honed reward system at the heart of all Nintendo's best games. They never tell you everything up front; the tutorial, if indeed there is one at all, details the protagonist's most basic actions, no more. Gradually, throughout the course of the game, you gain new abilities and learn how to adapt those same primitive moves to new ends. Mario's Cape or Zora's Flippers don't change the fundamental gameplay, but rather expand its possibilities, allowing you to access areas that were always there but seemingly forever just out of reach. The best reward systems don't simply make the protagonist more powerful, but give the player more power over the game world. Of course, the Nintendo Difference isn't just one of these factors, but all three. Are they present in the Gamecube launch titles? I'll leave that for you to decide... THE HYPER CREW'S TOP 5 Eliot Fish - Editor 1. Final Fantasy III - SNES "A true epic in every sense of the word. Great characters." 2. Metal Gear Solid 2 - PS2 3. The Adventures of Lolo 2 - NES 4. Freedom Force - PC 5. Dungeon Siege - PC Cam Shea - Deputy Editor 1 .Yoshi's Island - SNES "The best 2D platformer of all time!" 2. Virtua Fighter 4 - PS2 3. Resident Evil - GCN 4. Super Metroid - SNES 5. Worms World Party - PC Malcolm Campbell - Art guy 1. Final Fantasy X - PS2 "Besaid Aurochs for Blitzball World Cup 2002!" 2. Virtua Fighter 4 - PS2 3. Yoshi's Island - SNES 4. Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike - DC 5. Tekken 4 - PS2 The Northlander - ICQ guy 1. Metal Gear Solid 2 - PS2 "At least Maximo got to wear boxers... Raiden just gets a box!" 2. Maximo - PS2 3. Final Fantasy VII - PSone 4. Space Paranoids - Arcade 5. Final Fantasy X - PS2 THE HYPER SCORING SYSTEM The Overall Score - what’s it all about? • 90 + Excellent and worthy of a Big Rubber Stamp. Buy it! 80-89 Very good. This is a quality game, but not perfect. 70-79 Good, verging on average. Try before you buy. 60-69 Average, verging on bad. This game is badly flawed. 50-5 9 Bad game design and possibly not even worth renting. 0-4 9 These games simply suck. A total waste of money! »HYPER 49 50 »HYPER Virtua Fighter 4 »P5B CATEGORY: Fighting >> PLAYERS: 1-2 >> PUBLISHER: Sega >> PRICE: $89.95 >> RATING: Ml 5+ >> AVAILABLE: Now >> DAN TOOSE does h is best not to be beaten around the ring. 3 W D llJ K t may be ironic that this game is being released on a system Sega were once competing with, but Virtua Fighter 4 on PS2 delivers what its predecessors failed to. This is a fighting game with enough long term appeal to make it worthwhile not just for multiplayer bouts, but solo gamers as well. Virtua Fighter 4 returns to a style of play more similar to VF2 than VF3, with the "evade” button out, and an eight-way movement system in. Taka-Arashi of VF3 is also out, but two new characters, Vanessa (butch cop from Brazil) and Lei-Fei (Shaolin Monk) are there to add to the ranks of virtua fighters. On top of the new characters come new moves for all the old characters as well, adding extra depth. Despite all this, the real models in the series to date. The arenas have once again been simplified to a standard square, but they reside in much larger 3D environments that feature enough dynamic effects to impress. Bolts of lightning smash statues, tiles break under the weight of fallen combatants, and water, sand and snow make way as feet plough through. None of these effects are step forward for VF4 is in the quality of the arcade-to-console port. BACK TO SQUARE ONE The PlayStation 2 version of Virtua Fighter 4 delivers close to arcade perfect visuals. However, it is not the flashy piece of eye candy that Dead or Alive 3 is on Xbox, nor is this game likely to wind up looking prettier than Soul Calibur 2 once it arrives. Besides the reasonably blatant jaggies, Virtua Fighter 4 is still a very pretty game, with the best character mind-blowing, but they help keep VF4 on par with other 3D fighters. On the audio front, VF4 takes some small steps forward. English speaking characters sound a little less like complete tools now, and most importantly, the sound effects for all the various impacts and collisions sound a bit richer than in the past (which wouldn’t be hard). Unfortunately the music hasn’t taken a discernable step forward from the widdly-widdly 8o’s guitar-rock 8 techno that no one would dance to, but two out of three isn’t bad Where VF4 really breaks away from the standard "Was that all?” single player scenario is its selection of practice modes, and the Kumite tournament. Firstly, there are three types of practice mode, which when put to good use, can teach a The game will actually tell you ■" ■" which specific types of moves you're using too much... complete novice everything they need to know to master not only VF4, but help them understand fighting games in general. FROM MASHER TO MASTER "Command” mode demonstrates each individual move, and lets the player know when they’ve successfully executed it themselves. "Free” mode allows you to spar against a CPU opponent that you can set to perform certain actions. The last mode, "Trial” actually instructs the user on individual aspects of combat, so that the player understands why certain moves do certain things. This ranges from throwing simple attacks, through to learning how to string the most damaging combos together. Of course, training is only really useful if you’re going to apply it, and those playing on their own can do so in the Kumite mode. A simple way to sum up Kumite mode is to think of it as playing in an arcade, where people always challenge you, with the added bonus of having a ranking system and extra goodies. Since VF4 allows you to create a profile, you can use bonus items earned to customise the appearance of your character, since you find all manner of extra bits of clothing and accessories. The real attraction here however is the endless series of challengers that Kumite mode throws at you, and how clear it is that you’re facing suitable Al the whole time. If you can’t figure out how to improve and defeat the opponents you’re facing, the game will actually tell you which specific types of moves you’re using too much or not enough, and more to the point, which ones are landing and which aren’t. Achieving the top ranks will take a serious amount of effort from even the best Virtua Fighter players. So what to do from there? Well if you fancy your tactical prowess, you can create an Al player, which is basically Tamagotchi in a fighting game. Besides sparring with your virtual student, you can do things like show approval when they do something you think they should make a habit of, just like any real instructor would. This mode is definitely a time consuming novelty, but Kudos to AM2 for adding genuinely new features this time around. Virtua Fighter 4 won’t blow your head off with an audio-visual extravaganza, but it will win over anyone who takes a few seconds to appreciate the fantastic gameplay and incredible Al. To be beaten by a computer pulling cheap moves sucks, but to be pitted against an Al suited to your level of play is fighting game heaven... Such is Virtua Fighter 4. I I ■ You con I I unlock • • • crazy stuff in Kumite, from nose rings to hats. T A* O Brilliant Al, superb training modes, single player longevity. MINUS The visuals are let down by lots of jaggie VISUALS SOUND GAMEPLAY 87 82 95 OVERALL UL A I J The best console fighting game since Soul Calibur. a m c m E »HYPER 51 REUIELU Jedi Starfiqhter CATEGORY: Space Combat >> PLAYERS: 1-2 >> PUBLISHER: LucasArts >> PRICE: S89.95 >> RATING: Ml 5+ >> AVAILABLE: Now >> FRANK DRY only uses Force when necessary... CL >- CM lO he clone-packed sequel to Starfighter is attacking PlayStation 2 consoles all over the world... Jedi Starfighter, featuring the similarly named spacecraft from Episode II, is an expansion upon the space combat we enjoyed in the impressive original. This is a worthy sequel, if slightly rough around the edges, but the bonus for fans is getting to play part in some of the action from Episode II- namely, the ground battle on Ceonosis. YOU'RE NOT ALL-POWERFUL, ANI, YOU BRAT! Aside from some small flaws, Jedi Starfighter comes boasting plenty of hard and fast action that will seriously challenge your thumbs. You begin the game as Jedi Knight, Adi Gallia, who is testing the craft for the Jedi Council, but there is still quite a bit of craft swapping as in the original Starfighter. Mission variety is solved by popping you in Nym’s "bomber” craft for some torpedo work and ground attacks, but the Jedi Starfighter is easily the most enjoyable to fly and we would have liked more of the game to revolve around this one craft. The addition of new Force Powers adds quite a bit of zing to your combat capabilities. The powers allow you to slow everything around you for a limited period of time, or use Force lightning to fry a whole group of enemy craft amongst other Jedi tricks. There’s a certain level of timing involved with using the Force, and you have to let go of the button at a very specific moment in order to achieve "Force Clarity” and get the maximum effect out of the power you have selected. Slowing everything around you is easily the most useful power, however it seems strange that you can only pivot and fire, whilst moving your craft is limited. In effect, slowing everything down, even slows down the movement of your own craft, so it’s only your reflexes to target and shoot that really benefit. It becomes essential then, to be sure that your target is not obscured by another object before you "go slow”, otherwise you’re sitting there twiddling your thumbs until everything returns to normal. There’s also a problem in the lack of an "Critical Objective Target” button. You’ll waste too much time during missions cycling through your targets to find the one you’re looking for. At least you can listen to all the relentless radio chatter that peppers every mission whilst you’re fiddling with your targeting. WELL, I SHOULD BE! Starfighter looked great over a year ago, and this is really no huge visual leap from Starfighter. The graphics in both games are pretty much on par, and it’s only in some small details that there have been improvements. The redesign of the way you can flip between weapon selection and communications is a nice tweak, and there’s just enough polish to make this noticeably a sequel. It’ll be interesting to play jedi Starfighter on the Xbox and see how it compares to this PS2 version, as this game suffers from quite a bit of slowdown. It doesn’t impact too much on the gameplay, but it’s certainly bothersome at times. The real difference between the two games lies in the incorporation of a co-operative mode for two- players. Whilst two-player was very much an afterthought in Use Force lightning to Iry a ■" ■" whole group of enemy craft amongst other Jedi tricks. Starfighter, this time around you can play through the single-player missions with a friend in split¬ screen, as the story conveniently has two major characters flying during each mission most of the time. Co-operative play definitely makes some of the missions easier. In single-player, it must be said that certain sections of the game are staggeringly difficult. Mission 11, for instance, feels almost impossible to complete until you fluke out on your twenty- fifth try, even though you know exactly what it is you need to do each time. Was this game playtested enough? We also found a bug in the Ceonosis mission where Battledroids continued to flow from the hangar doors in an endless loop for a good twenty minutes until we decided it was time to restart the mission. The second time through, there was no looping droid erroT. These kinds of problems really should have been caught during Q8A. It would be safe to say that Jedi Starfighter could have done with another month’s worth of testing and polishing. Why LucasArts felt they needed to rush it out, we’re not so sure, as the game itself is a good one and packed with plenty of enjoyable action for fans. If you don’t let the little flaws annoy you too much, and you’re willing to stick through some awfully tough missions, then Jedi Starfighter is very much worth adding to your PlayStation 2 games library. \ I I ■ There ore | | ofew • • • minor AOTC spoilers in this gome - beware! »HYPER 53 54 »HYPER Worms Blast CATEGORY: Puzzle >> PLAYERS: 1-2 >> PUBLISHER: Ubisoft >> PRICE: S99.95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: Now >> CAM SHEA opens up a can of worms... hile fans wait for the next evolution in the Worms series, Team 17 have decided to take the franchise off on a tangent with Worms Blast. As opposed to a new Worms game, Worms Blast is like Super Puzzle Fighter II was to the Street Fighter series... except nowhere near as good. CLEARING BLOCKS a UJ D UJ IE On the surface, Worms Blast is a reasonable idea for a game. Start with Puzzle Bobble’s mechanics, insert the charm and weaponry of the Worms games, then pair that up with a mission-based single player mode and a compelling two player game. Yep, it’s a great idea in theory, but along the way Team 17 somehow forgot that the best puzzle games are often the simplest. Worms Blast is set on water, and you control a character (not necessarily a worm) in a boat at the bottom of the screen. You can maneouvre left and right across the water, and you’re armed with a bazooka that can be fired at any angle and power level to the blocks above. Clearing blocks is a matter of matching the block’s colour with the shell’s colour. Spicing things up are hinge blocks that can’t be destroyed, bouncy blocks, neutral blocks, chain blocks and so on, not to mention bonus weaponry like shotguns, lasers, dynamite and grenades, and bonus items like health boosts, shields, and landmines. There are a number of play modes in Worms Blast. The main single player game is Puzzle Mode, where you progress through a large number of increasingly difficult puzzle screens. Team 17 seem to have stumbled their way through creating this mode, however, as the cleverly constructed challenges are few and far between, with most feeling pointless and gimmicky. Then there's the other single player mode, Tournament, which is comprised of a number of shooting games. Again, not a whole lot of love has gone into this mode. Despite these two modular abortions, however, one would assume that the no mucking around, splitscreen one-on-one variant of Worms Blast would be a whole lot of fun. Well, not exactly. TOO CLUMSY It’s not terrible, but the one-on-one mechanics in Worms Blast are just too clumsy, and come across as nothing more than a bastardised version of Puzzle Bobble, with none of the control or efficiency. Moving your boat about on screen is a pain in the arse, made even more galling when you clear a set of blocks but can’t get out of the way before they fall and hit your character on the head. The different defensive and offensive weapons you can pick up have no real effect on strategy in the game and seem arbitrarily implemented, the opportunities to attack your opponent through the divider are largely pointless, the lack of penalty when your blocks reach the water likewise... and the list goes on. Even small things, like the speed of the pause menu (terribly sluggish) through to the utterly appalling music help Worms Blast gain speed down its slippery path. Although the basic premise is sound, Worms Blast is little more than a mish-mash of poorly reasoned game mechanics. A shame. I I ■ Come on I | Team 17, • • • where's the next-gen Worms game we all want? »P5E L ' ( 3 / Ttz* ***’( O ^ -V °j The cel shading is a nice touch. Cute animation. ■ZnTF^Simply lacks what is necessary for a good puzzler. - Messy and dull. Go back to Worms World Party. ■ 6 HOT NEW PRODUCTS REVIEWED ■ ALL YOUR TECH QUESTIONS ANSWERED ■ HOT AUSSIE SITES 40MB OF THE LATEST MP3S FROM MP3.COM THE LATEST BROWSERS AMD UTILITIES han sites g o n^ u -m-ncqu: CH Sites to keep you informed Angels in oz Angel star Andy Hallet heads down under Flash tutorial Get started designing with Flash Web celebs Online and famous wwiiJMIS™ JUNE 2002 llMS/SI/2000/iE 4 MAC REE internet.au featured Q Netscape 6.2 Tt>e West update to me Neiscapo browser suite with lu# Windows XP support Insane Tools 3D Rash Animator 3.3 Create impressive and easy Bash am mations. games, graphics and movies. rrn internet Turbo Tto shareware ■■•••X program opto- mues youi internet connection m •*** tone and can boatdate transfer rates ty 30OV SScsanVmore with this easy to use watermarking tool. Macromedia Flash MX 6.0 MW ’ : ■ kmo Lom Macromedia lets you govern control over animation and vector 0 > PLAYERS: 1 > PUBLISHER: LucosAHs >> PRICE: $99.95 >> RATING: Ml 5+ >> AVAILABLE: May 17 >> ELIOT FISH shoots womp rats in his T-l 6 back home.. ou may think the by-line to this review is just a fun Star Wars reference that doesn’t have anything to do with this game. But you’d be wrong. Not only does Rogue Leader let you fly a T-i6 Skyhopper and go shooting womp rats, but you’ll race through Beggar’s canyon and fly to Toshi Station too! Not only that, but you’ll go on to take part in all the classic battle scenes from the Original Trilogy, along with some cool original missions. Never have these scenes been recreated as authentically as they are in Rogue Leader. This is one of the coolest Original Trilogy Star Wars games we’ve ever played. ALL WINGS REPORT IN So do you have to be a freaky Star Wars fanboy to really enjoy this game? Is it one of THOSE Star Wars games? Well, I think we can safely declare Rogue Leader a great all¬ round action game, but being a Star Wars fan definitely helps. In fact, being a fan makes Rogue Leader one of the warmest, fuzziest gaming moments you could possibly have. Who hasn’t wanted to tear down the trench of the Death Star, complete with sound bites from the film? Who hasn’t wanted to scream through the maze-like inner structure of the Death Star II pursued by fearless TIE Fighters? And who doesn’t think that the Battle of Endor from Return of the Jedi is the greatest space combat scene from any sci-fi action film — and now — action game? Rogue Leader has simply nailed these scenes like you wouldn’t believe. The spacecraft all look perfect and to scale, the sound effects and radio chatter are straight from the movies, and the invention of the 3D cockpit view simply rocks and is executed so perfectly in this game. In some ways, you could say that Rogue Leader lacks the gameplay variety and control set of a space combat game such as Jedi Starfighter - as this is very much all about pure arcade style action - but it makes up for it with polish, style and general quality. Dogfighting in Rogue Leader V B % You can't order wingmen to attack ■" ■" the Death Star II, because in the movie that simply wasn't possible. really does feel like dogfighting — the TIE Fighters duck and weave, barrel- roll and twist out of your line of fire. If Rogue Leader’s aim is to reproduce the thrills and spills of the action from the original movies, then we have to admit that it’s damn near perfect. MAGENTA 5 STANDING BY Because of the faithfulness to the movies, your actual control over the proceedings is fairly limited. For instance, you can’t order wingmen to attack the Death Star II, because in the movie that simply wasn’t possible. But hey, playing along with the script is half the fun. Some people may prefer the flexibility with the combat in jedi Starfighter, but they would be missing out on Rogue Leader’s pure quality of entertainment. This game has the goods. After taking down your first Star Destroyer, you’ll be hugging your GameCube and swearing your undying devotion. Factor 5 have stuck with the much-loved medal system, and achieving all the gold medals in this game will prove quite a challenge. Luckily, Rogue Leader is immensely repayable. The missions are loaded with some pretty tricky tough spots, and achieving 100% completion will be no cakewalk. If you stick with it though, you’ll unlock some very cool bonus missions-one being the asteroid scene from the Empire Strikes Back, where you must pilot the Falcon to safety, complete with space slug cameo! Casual gamers might get bored of Rogue Leader a little quicker than they may have hoped, simply because maximum enjoyment of this title comes from being a fan of the Original Trilogy Star Wars movies. All the details can only really be appreciated by those of us who know the movies well... maybe too well. However, there’s no doubt that everyone will get off on this action- packed combat game in a very big way. At least once. | | ■ There is | | a cheat • • • to unlock Jango Fett's Slave 1 in the game... One of the coolest launch games ever. »HYPER 57 Hyper magazine and Electronic Arts would like to offer you the chance to be one of the first gamers in the country to own their very own Nintendo GameCube along with a copy of the totally awesome Rogue Leader! All you need to do to enter the competition is... 1) Answer the questions on the coupon, 2) Fill in your details; 3) Cut it out and mail it to us ASAP! Don't miss out on your chance to win this awesome console and awesome game! Question 1 : Who is the creator of Mario? Question 2: Who is the creator of Star Wars? CDH1P5 »HYPER 59 60 »HYPER Luigis Mansion »Ecn CATEGORY: Adventure >> PLAYERS: 1 >> PUBLISHER: Nintendo >> PRICE: $99.95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: May 17 >> CAM SHEA sees whether Luigi has what it takes to be a star... 3 UJ D UJ K Q t's probably a good thing that Nintendo didn’t attempt a full-blown Mario game for launch, given how long it took to perfect Mario 64. Instead, they’ve decided to give the Mario brother that could(n’t) a go, and the result is the off-beat and engaging Luigi’s Mansion. Nintendo have dipped deeply into their bag of tricks to come up with the backstory for Luigi’s Mansion. They’ve ditched old faithful (Peach being kidnapped by Bowser) in favour of a somewhat avante garde post modern experimental approach (Mario kidnapped by Bowser). It’s innovative, we’ll give them that. In any case, the game begins with Luigi winning a mansion in a competition he never entered. After arriving, Mario is nowhere to be found, so it’s up to Luigi to explore the spooky mansion and rescue his bro. Fortunately, he gets some help from the resident mad professor who gives him a ghost busting kit, and this becomes the foundation of the gameplay. FULL OF SURPRISES... Controlling Luigi is relatively intuitive, with one analogue stick for movement and the other to control his vacuum/flashlight. You’re eased into the gameplay with a tutorial that explains that vanilla flavoured ghosts can be caught by simply shocking them with the flashlight, then sucking them up. Of course, it gets more interesting, as different ghosts require different techniques, and as Luigi progresses he also gets extra elemental abilities for his vacuum, so by the game’s end you can refuel the vacuum to spray water, ice and fire. At a basic level, Luigi’s Mansion could be described as a puzzle driven survival horror game. Of course, the typical survival horror game’s main focus is on blowing things apart, and the story is usually thick in the mix, with a range of weak puzzles that serve to draw the game out and provide some structure. Luigi’s Mansion, on the other hand, takes the spooky setting, the fixed camera angles and supernatural action, then strips the gameplay down, leaving the puzzles and action inextricably entwined. There’s no FMV and no gore, but this quintessential^ Nintendo take on the concept fares very well without it. In some ways Luigi’s Mansion could be viewed less as an adventure game and more as a collection of puzzles based around a theme. Each room/area in the mansion essentially represents its own puzzle, almost all of which revolve around finding a way to beat the ghosts in the area, which then rewards you with a key, which then opens another room. In this sense the game is quite linear and simplistic. What makes these relatively simple puzzle scenarios engaging is the personality embedded in the game. Luigi is animated brilliantly, and you’ll crack up watching him shiver, tip toe and occasionally freak out. Luigi proves to be just as charming a character as Mario, and the game shines because of it. Fighting to suck up a ghost looks awesome too, with Luigi valiantly struggling to hold his ground, but usually being dragged all over the place by the enraged spirit. Each location in the house has been imbued with plenty of personality too, whether it be a gym, a bathroom or a dining room, but it’s the ghosts that steal the show. Nintendo have come up with an eclectic range of characters, which makes working out their weaknesses all the more entertaining. THE CHASE IS ON In addition to busting ghosts, you’re also collecting money, and Nintendo have hidden wad-loads of cash, items and hidden rooms to be uncovered by inquisitive gamers. Plus, there are "■^V^The graphics in Luigi's Mansion ■" ■" work well in the context of the musty manor theme... 50 Boos hiding out across the mansion, and it’s quite a challenge to catch them all. To help you do so, the Professor gives Luigi a handy Boo detecting radar a little way into the game. Chasing Boos around is good fun - you can narrow down their hiding spot well with the radar and then knock on objects and walls to flush them out. And unlike other ghosts, the Boos can’t be locked onto with the vacuum - you have to chase and aim at the same time. Often the Boo will manage to escape through to another room, and then the chase is on! The Boo hunt is a good technique to reduce the linear room to room feeling in the game, plus it means if you get stuck there’s usually something to do. The graphics in Luigi’s Mansion work well in the context of the musty manor theme, with some very clever transparencies, real-time lighting and animations of the ghosts in particular, but they’re not all that outstanding otherwise. Similarly, the music works brilliantly in the context of the game-lo-fi and creepy, but there simply aren’t enough variations on the theme to keep it from getting repetitive. Even so, it’s impossible not to dig it when Luigi starts humming the tune when he’s particularly scared. Even though Luigi’s Mansion is a little short and the gameplay doesn’t vary much, the personality in the settings and ghosts are enough to carry this game. Super Mario Sunshine isn’t far off, but those after something a little different from the Mario franchise should check this one out. < \ in Anyone remember • • • the old gome "Mario is Missing"? Hmmm... WaveRace: Blue Storm CATEGORY: Racer >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: Nintendo >> PRICE: $99 95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: Moy 17 >> STEPHEN FARRELLY gets a little seasick... CL >- X CM O ith sports games today there’s really only three ways to approach a project. You can attempt to make something as fantastical as possible, something completely unbound by any rules, or you can go in the complete opposite direction and create the most realistic experience possible. The third is an amalgamation of the aforementioned and is usually the most dominant in the market. WaveRace: Blue Storm is Nintendo’s foray into the world of slightly exaggerated racers for Next-Gen consoles and also follows on from their widely acclaimed and successful Wave Race for N64. Second time around, does the game deliver the same feeling for players as the original? AH-HARRGH, ME MATIES Wave Race has always been about physics. Never mind the fact that you’re racing around on a Jet Ski or anything like that, this franchise is all about working against your environment. With the original Wave Race, this was captured with quite incredible realism. To this end, Nintendo Software Technologies has attempted to not only recapture the feeling EAD did with Wave Race, but surpass it. This time around there’s more of everything in the game. More riders, more tricks, more stunts and more courses, which gives Blue Storm an incredibly strong start to topping its predecessor. However, as stated before, the aim of this game is to fight physics and feel like you’re riding real waves, and this has been captured in Blue Storm with stunning realism. The best aspect though, is that what EAD gave us was really only a teaser of what NST has gone on to do. In Blue Storm, waves, wakes and weather are all random parts of the environment. What this means for you is that every time you re-approach a course, there’s something different to expect. Certain events do happen in real time all the time, but these are overshadowed by the randomness of each race, and with the very tough Al, this is one of the toughest games to beat at GameCube’s launch. If you mess up once in this game, riders are constantly biting at your heels, and if you come off your Jet Ski at any point, be prepared to have to work extremely hard to catch up to an advancing position. The game is split into a series of different options that range from Championship and Time Trial to Free Ride and Trick. More options are available, but essentially the game RANK LAP 2 TIM % v t t t t < 1'1 6 " 13 m i 5 - ' f W- 8 107 km/h "./.Wave Race is a great vehicle ." ." for showing off what the GameCube hardware is capable of is about two things, the championship and performing tricks. This time around, riders have more static tricks they can perform, be it a handstand, riding backwards or doing some fairy-like spin, as well as more aerial tricks. Learning all of these tricks boosts the game’s replay value somewhat. TEEMING WITH LIFE One thing that can’t be overlooked is the great visuals - everything is teeming with life. Wave Race is a great vehicle for showing off what the GameCube hardware is capable of. Incredible water effects make up a large part of the overall viewing experience, but other touches like transparencies, particle effects, bump mapping, mirror mapping and multi-camera reflections really add to what’s on screen. The game never slows down, making it one of the smoothest racers - in any genre - on the market. This makes for great gaming, and only the severe learning curve will turn some people away. Backgrounds are a bit blocky in polygon count, but that’s hardly a gripe, it was done to complete the game in the shortest time possible, and to ensure the focus is on the riders and to make sure the game never slows down. The foreground on the other hand, has some incredible intricacies, with fish swimming beneath the surface of the water you’re racing on, and even huge killer whales swimming and thrashing about in the Antarctic level. The riders themselves are very well designed. The animation is realistic and the reactions to collisions or traffic jams are spot-on. Some familiar faces make an appearance as well, with the likes of Rob Haywood and Ricky Winterborn from 1080 making their Jet Ski debuts. At the end of the day WaveRace: Blue Storm is either your cup of tea or not. If you’Te after a game that offers plenty of options, great realism mixed with over-the-top racing ideas (take that shortcut!) and an extreme challenge, Blue Storm is for you. It really is a lot of fun, and it’s so damn pretty - a great way to show off your GameCube’s power. But it can be too tough, and if you get frustrated with games easily, you might want to try before you buy. The Al in the game is relentless and one mistake can put you from first to last in a matter of seconds. But gaming should be about overcoming the seemingly impossible and as such, WaveRace: Blue Storm stands as an awesome gaming experience. in Now all we need is for • • • 1080 2 to get finished... Slick visuals and stunningly realistic water. Al is tough and the learning curve is fairly steep. The best water physics in any game. Ever. JO m c m E -< m 50 O Of 64 »HYPER Super Monkey Ball CATEGORY: Multiplayer puzzle >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: Sega >> PRICE: $99.95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: May 17 >> NARAYAN PATTISON has the balls for the job. »ECI1 D t doesn’t matter which console launch you look at, there always seems to be a rushed clone of Tetris or Puzzle Bobble just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting early adopters. Super Monkey Ball’s last-generation graphics and Marble Madness- inspired gameplay will lead many to assume this is just another dud best left on the shelf, but those who give these primates a chance will find a gaming experience accessible and rewarding enough to make even the mighty Miyamoto proud. BURSTING YOUR BUBBLE For reasons known only to the japanese developers, somebody has trapped a bunch of monkeys in bubbles and isn’t letting them out until they succeed in rolling safely across every bump, twist and turn of the game’s 90 courses. Getting used to the controls is a breeze because the analogue stick is the only thing on the pad you have to use. The first few levels have walls to stop you falling off and are pretty much danger-free, but before long you’ll be seething with frustration at the game’s tougher challenges. Gaps to jump, winding paths that are ridiculously narrow and some really annoying pinball-style bouncy things are just a few of the hazards trying to send your monkey plummeting to an early grave. It’s possible to be kicking back in front of Monkey Balls’s credit sequence 30 minutes after selecting the Beginner mode but this is only a fraction of what the game has to offer. The much tougher Advanced mode and the merciless Expert mode will take another couple of days to conquer but even this fails to really scratch the game’s surface. To really rack up the points, it’s possible to find spots on most levels where enough momentum will let your monkey jump safely to lower platforms and skip entire sections of the map. Ambitious players can also try to unlock bonus levels by making it through the entire game without slipping off once. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE Monkey Ball’s main mode is a decent enough puzzler but those ballsy Sega programmers have gone and hammered out six different bonus games. Monkey Golf plops our perspex-imprisoned primates onto 18 holes of a bizarre mini golf course and is the best of the three sports-themed bonus games - although Monkey Bowling and Monkey Pool are both solid. As well as the sporting events, the monkeys roll against each other in a Mario Kart-style race with power-ups like banana skins and snow flakes that freeze other balls in blocks of ice. Monkey Fight lets the chimps go at it with boxing gloves as they try to punch each other off small platforms. The last bonus game makes the monkeys cut their balls in half (don’t try this at home kids) and use them as wings in a giant game of darts. Monkey Ball packs a serious challenge, has more gameplay styles than you can shake a banana at and offers the best multiplayer action this side of Super Smash Bros. It may not have the jaw- dropping graphics of Rogue Leader or the instant recognition of Nintendo’s popular characters but this deserves a home on anyone’s GameCube. 3 UJ If 111 Of I I ■ Monkey | I Ball is the • • • first Sega game to appear on a Nintendo console. 1 'Jr § A refreshingly easy game to get into # with plenty of variety. Repetitive graphics that use little of the GCN's pow ■■ Simplistic but addictive puzzling-action. Genius! Bloody Roar: primal fury CATEGORY: Fighting >> PLAYERS: 1-2 >> PUBLISHER: Activision >> PRICE: $99.95 >> RATING: Ml5+ >> AVAILABLE: Moy 17 >> FRANK DRY is going to call the RSPCA... »ECI~I he Bloody Roar series has never really been considered by fighting game fans as a serious contender. The series has always been about big, glitzy graphics and fun character designs, with very little true depth to the fighting mechanics. The last game on PlayStation 2, Bloody Roar 3, was a step closer to being a competent fighting game, and now Bloody Roar: Primal Fury inches the series that much closer to being something more than just a button mash. BANGERS AND... Primal Fury features some great characters that’s for sure. From the sexy kitten to the woolly-jumpered chameleon, this cast of crazy beasts is really entertaining. Character animation is quite fabulous and some of the special moves make for some hilarious gaming. There’s no doubt about it - this is totally a party game. Casuals gamers are still the ones who will get the most laughs and enjoyment out of a fighter such as Primal Fury. Get some friends together, pick some crazy characters and enjoy the good graphics. It’s really as simple as that. Unfortunately, most of us are looking for a fighting game on GameCube that offers the same kind of depth as other brilliant titles in the genre such as Virtua Fighter 4 on the PlayStation 2 and this just isn’t one of them. The main problem with a fighting game on GameCube, is that the controller is inappropriate. The button layout, whilst great for just about every other genre, just doesn’t work well with fighting games in which you generally need four to six buttons which are all equally as easy to access. As you know, the GCN has one big fat button and lots of smaller, fiddly ones, making it quite unintuitive for performing button combos. BESTIALITY AT ITS BEST The beast transformations really add a nice twist to the gameplay. When in beast mode, you have access to some pretty engaging special moves, and it just looks damn cool too. If you’re not careful though, transforming into your beast can waste valuable energy and leave you open to attack, so knowing when to whip out your animal instinct is something you have to learn through extended play. Most moves are executed with the usual double-taps and button combos, and there are quite a handful of moves for each character, but not as many as in Tekken, Virtua Fighter or Dead or Alive. As the GameCube’s only fighting game, it’s almost worth recommending - who knows how many fighting games will come to the GCN! just don’t expect this to be anything other than a fun way to pass the time with friends. Not really a rewarding fighting game. •£•% 111 We recently heard that • • • Capcom Vs SNK 2 is coming to GCN. Rockin'! Wonderful visuals, with fantastic player animation. Lacking in depth. GCN controller issues. An average fighter but a good party game. m c m »HYPER 65 66 »HYPER ISS 2 »XBDX CATEGORY: Soccer >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: Konomi >> PRICE: $99.95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: Now >> JACKSON GOTHE-SNAPE slide tackles his review over deadline... 3 UJ D lit K D he International Superstar Soccer series has a long and unique history, full of love, betrayal and happy times. Back in 1995, the name was first used in a quaint SNES game known simply as ISS. Since then we have had ISS Deluxe, ISS Pro, ISS 64, ISS ’98, ISS Pro ’98, ISS Pro Evolution 1 and 2, and even simply ISS again. These were available for a variety of systems, and came from two different Konami development teams, one based in Osaka - the original ISS designers, and one based in Tokyo - the makers of the more realistic Evolution games that have recently branched off into Pro Evolution Soccer. ISS2 is developed by the Osaka team, which does have its fans, but has never received the critical acclaim of its Tokyo counterparts. LIFELIKE PITCH Konami’s football games have always lacked the presentation of games such as FIFA, but ISS2 bucks the trend with some basic, yet unquestionably sleek, menus. There are no bonus materials or full orchestral soundtracks; ISS2 remains elegantly functional. Unfortunately, the "it's taking so long I think it’s crashed” loading times are a big letdown. Following your cup of tea in the loading age, the stadiums don’t disappoint with intricate architecture, and a blotchy, yet still lifelike pitch. The crowd lack some variety both in their animation and colour, but do help complete quite a scene as the dusk sun shoots through the stadium onto the sets of players. The coin toss makes a comeback, although with no atmospheric effect apart from some dreadful rain, it seems like a bit of a waste of time. Thanks to the FlFPro license, the majority of teams contain real players, while many of the players also have fair likenesses. It’s not quite up to FIFA’s standards in terms of detail, but each player does look far more lifelike-at least when they’re lining up before the match. Out on the pitch it’s a different matter entirely, as everyone runs awfully robotically, while the goalies especially move terribly. Some animations are quite nice, but collision detection, particularly for fouls, looks atrocious. Crowd noise isn’t the best, particularly with regards to timing. They absolutely erupt at full-time of most drab 0-0 draws. The commentary however was very appropriate for the result. Household names Jon Champion and Mark Lawrenson lack both wit and insight, and continue the magnificent tradition of abysmal Konami football commentary. The ball does behave quite nicely, although it has a habit of strangely sticking to players’ feet. Unlike Fresh from his victory in Final Fantasy IX! ■ MEM 27 14 y . A / rix ■‘>1 ii 73 jf y sm MF |ENG 8 1 0 FRA | MF Sc holes ■ j •' — 1 ■■ Zidane % m m m Usually you'll be wondering ■" ■" whether your defenders actually have eyes. previous more action-oriented ISS titles, ISS2 attempts to simulate a game of football more like its cousin Pro Evo. Next to PES on PS2, ISS2 is far easier to get into, and smoother for the part-timer, but the game’s mechanics with regards to player and ball collisions falls short of the mark. The result is a strange hybrid, where the game can be played with either a patient, or FIFA-style approach, but you will probably be let down either way. The default speed setting is three out of ten and borders on unplayable. Bumping the speed up to ten at least warrants having a bash. FRILLS TO EXPLORE The Al isn’t exactly callous either, whether it’s your teammates or the opposition. Off the ball runs appear non-existent, while you will be amazed at the number of inexplicable early crosses, that fly straight out. You may admire how a centre back positions himself perfectly to prevent a striker turning, but usually you’ll be wondering whether your defenders actually have eyes. There is a nice range of game modes and frills to explore to keep time ticking over, but it would have been nice to see more extensive customisation options for the competitions, as well as club teams. There’s a great kit editor however, as well as player creation facility. ISS2 might have been better off to forget about the simulation side of football, as it requires great consistency over every element of the mechanics. If even one facet of the game is out, whether it be player collisions, or ball physics, a soccer- loving gamer will only get frustrated. As it stands, ISS2 doesn’t really nail any, and it’s slow, so it unfortunately gets tedious quickly. It is a decent bash multiplayer, and scoring goals is quite a rewarding experience, but really, it’s one only for the football diehards. For some, the game might be preferable to FIFA World Cup for more options and a title closer resembling the real sport. Yet a wise Xbox owner should probably endure the wait until something a little better arrives. Fingers crossed for Pro Evolution everyone. * : X | | ■ Once ogain, I | we're hanging for • • • Controller $, 'cos the "Potato Pad" still irks. VISUALS SOUND GAMEPLAY o REUIEUJ 68 »HYPER 2002 FIFA World Cup»« CATEGORY: Soccer >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: EA >> PRICE: $99.95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: Now >> JACKSON GOTHE-SNAPE b reaks his nose... 3 UJ =» UJ E Q t’s World Cup time again folks, and of course things wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t have a videogame to go with it. Thankfully EA Sports have come to the rescue of football-lovers by bringing their semi-sequel to FIFA 2002 to Xbox. They have even had the generosity to include Australia, so we can virtually wipe out any memories we ever had of Black November. The game focuses squarely on the World Cup. There are none of the features that the FIFA series usually offers, such as club competitions or international leagues, and gameplay very closely resembles last year’s title. The question on everyone’s lips is whether the magic of the World Cup can make up for these apparent shortfalls. SLIGHTLY OVERSIZED 2002 FIFA World Cup does what it sets out to do very well. It is without doubt the most action-packed, ball- swervinglytastic game of football you will probably play (until FIFA 2003 comes out later this year). The World Cup license has been used effectively, and offers a superbly authentic experience. The whole presentation is exceptional, from the extended bonus features, to nations that include an extra page of players outside the squad, just in case there are some surprise World Cup inclusions and you demand perfection. Heck, there is even an actual Adidas ball used in the game. Jumping into the action you’ll be treated to a swanky, yet pointless, pre-match laser light show. When it’s over and the lights come back on, the first thing you’ll notice are the detailed official stadiums. The crowds that fill them are fairly atmospheric, with limited animation, although they are decked out simply in one of the team’s colours. Zooming down into the action from one of the game’s many customisable cameras, the player models will strike you as being odd in true FIFA style. Heads and hands do look slightly oversized, but on the whole they look better than in FIFA 2002 - especially with regard to player likenesses. The World Cup license has also given the developers use of all the correct kits, so although a bit blurry, all the correct details are included. Animations are a bit of a mixed bag, with some elements, like the wonderful-looking control and volley, being let down by overused stumbling animations and the disappointing way the players run. Many of the non-playing animations like goal celebrations and receiving cards look rather funny, until you see the players’ horrifying faces, with glistening teeth and soulless eyes. David Beckham in particular looks truly frightening. You’ll see a fair bit of the players up close, with 9 -V v S V It features truly arcade ■" ■" elements such as quick players like Michael Owen actually blurring a nifty in-game panning zoom to focus on a striker who just missed (usually Emile Heskey). Although overall things look fairly tight, there are some rare moments of slowdown, and the grass texture leaves a lot to be desired - like grass. HAPPY TIMES The sound however is truly epic, and captures the grand essence of the World Cup perfectly. A full orchestra has been used to record the soundtrack, and when you’ve won the World Cup final, you’ll know it. The only problem is, the booming orchestra even accompanies early phase one goals, which seems slightly excessive. The commentary is terrific, from John ’Motty’ Motson and Andy Cray-Andy’s additions in particular, like when players first made their international debuts, or when a side last won the World Cup, are definitely classy. The crowd noise is also quite effective, with cheers coming at more or less the right time, although some chants and drums wouldn’t have gone astray. Most of the effects are fairly suitable as well, although some, like the slide tackle, are a little cheesy. The gameplay is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. It features truly arcade elements such as quick players like Michael Owen actually blurring when you tap the sprint button, as well as ice hockey-like ball-trails for shots and even passes. The controls are fairly solid and straightforward, although there is a certain lack of freedom in terms of creating play. Because you have less control, the game can get repetitive, especially when playing against the computer. Crabbing a few mates and leading Senegal to the World Cup is certainly where the game is at its best. Unfortunately, the lack of club teams and missing game options are a bit of a letdown. Some variety is offered by unlocking Classic teams etc, but the game is designed with one thing in mind: to replicate the glory that is the World Cup. In this regard, it does succeed and that World Cup spirit largely makes up for what’s missing. This, together with a game engine that offers plenty of action and spectacle, certainly makes 2002 FIFA World Cup a worthy purchase. It is, of course, the best Xbox soccer title out there. I I | This year's I I World Cup • • • has the worst mascots ever. »HYPER 69 UFC: Tapout CATEGORY: Fighting >> PLAYERS: 1-2 >> PUBLISHER: UbiSoft >> PRICE: S89 .95 >> RATING: MAI 5+ >> AVAILABLE: Now >> DANIEL WILKS likes to butt things with his head... »XBDX E ave you ever imagined yourself as a big boofy looking man with a bad hair cut, a bad attitude and shorts tight enough that passers by can tell what religion you are at a glance? Well if you have, then UFC: Tapout is a game designed with you in mind. Taking the role of any of a number of real world fighters ranging from Dan "The Beast" Severn to Frank "Meatball" Shamrock, to Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge or characters you’ve created for yourself, Tapout pits players against some of the best fighters in the world to find out once and for all who is the Ultimate Fighting Champion. □ UJ 5 UJ K CL > SIT ON MY FACE Unlike the vast majority or fighting games available on any console, UFC: Tapout relies on tactics and planning rather than special moves or juggles. Each fighter has defining skills and characteristics making them better punchers, kickers, grapplers or what have you. Fights usually go one of two ways - players stay on their feet and pummel each other into the ground or one player takes the other to the ground and either beats them unconscious or tries to make them tap-out with a joint lock. Although the style may look simple it is deceptively deep and complex with each face button on the Xbox game-pad controlling a limb. Each fighter has a huge number of strike combo’s they can pull off with the right button combinations and an equally staggering number of takedowns. The lack of special moves and the fact that all fighters have a stamina bar means that players are forced to think about their attacks as they can’t keep up a steady barrage without becoming worn out. It takes a bit of getting used to but after a while waiting for an opening and planting a devastating 1-2 punch on the other guy’s kisser is immensely satisfying. Gameplay becomes even more technical once the game goes to the ground. Depending on if the player is on the top or bottom, they can attempt a number of strikes and joint locks - of course your opponent will be trying to do the same thing so you need to be careful about defense. AND TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME A tome could be written on the complexities of the fighting system but suffice to say it is very in depth and becomes even more satisfying the more you play. Players are also given the option of creating their own fighter, mixing and matching skills to suit their personal style. The character builder is very thorough and should keep you occupied for a long time creating a digital Joey Tekken replica. Unfortunately not all is wine and roses, as many varied flaws keep it from being truly great. There is no save option during tournaments or even a replay option so if you lose, it’s back to the start. When you win a tournament there is no reward other than putting your name on the high score screen. It would be nice to get more skills for your character but no such luck. UFC:Tapout manages to be a compelling and fun fighting game and by far the best in the series. \ in Tapout is also a • • • clothing label - check it out! vAvw.inyerface.com Very complex and tactical fighting system. Poor sound, and no real rewards for winning. VISUALS SOUND GAMEPLAY 80 68 79 Not for all fighting fans, but you may be surprised. Blood Omen 2 CATEGORY: Action/Adventure >> PLAYERS: 1 >> PUBLISHER: Eidos >> PRICE: S89.95 >> RATING: MAI 5+ >> AVAILABLE: Now >> DAVID WILDGOOSE lurks In the Q t isn’t often that a game casts the player in the role of villain. Sure, CTA 3 allows us to live a vicarious life of crime, stealing cars and murdering pedestrians with scant regard for the law and its consequences. But in Rockstar’s tale of gang warfare, you’re but a moral vacuum, selling your vigilante stylings to the highest bidder without pausing to consider what constitutes good or evil. In Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2, however, you are the epitome of evil as Kain, eons-old vampire and (literally) bloodthirsty killer. SHORT AND SNAPPY Away from the moral corruption, this is a thoroughly orthodox action/adventure in every way. Kain runs through a series of alarmingly linear levels, solving numerous lever¬ pulling and block-pushing puzzles and devouring anyone who gets in the way, including innocent civilians. In this respect, Blood Omen 2 falls into a familiar trap - the gameplay substance is utterly divorced from the story, instead serving as an abstract obstacle which must be overcome before permission is granted to witness the next revelatory cutscene. Yet it’s also a great lesson in how to pace a story so that the player’s attention is regularly diverted from the glaring inadequacies elsewhere. Short, snappy cutscenes arrive at such frequent intervals to reward you with plot updates that it’s almost forgotten that all you did to get there was open a few locked doors and slay a smattering of generic enemies. If only the gameplay rewards were present in an equal measure. Kain possesses a handful of offensive and defensive manoeuvres, the master of which results in some reasonably satisfying combat exchanges. Blocking is the key, especially since it charges up Kain’s rage meter, which allows him to unleash Fury, one of the seven Dark Gifts in his repertoire. INDUSTRIAL GOTHIC These Gifts are special abilities gained by defeating each of the game’s boss characters. In theory, they’re the best part of the game - with Mist you can shadows... effect silent kills or sneak past enemies, Jump lets you leap terrific distances across rooftops, or you can Charm certain characters to do your bidding. In practice, they’re potential is scarcely exploited. Their use is always prescribed by the demands of the level design — you must Jump here or Charm this person to do this in order to progress. What should be a valuable addition to the player’s tool set is instead just another piece of the puzzle. Couple this constraint with the linear nature of the levels (including countless instances of special case scenarios - you can jump onto this rooftop, but not that identical¬ looking rooftop) and you’ve got a game that proscribes exploration to its ultimate detriment. Yet it stands as testament to the quality of the narrative, the industrial-gothic atmosphere, and the challenging combat mechanics that Blood Omen 2 remains as compulsively entertaining as it is. For all its notable flaws, it’s still worth a weekend of your time. »XBDX Deeply uninspired puzzle-based level design. VISUALS SOUND GAMEPLAY A great adventure hamstrung by weak gameplay. in Whotever you do, • • • don't waste your money on Queen of the Damned... »HYPER 71 Jedi Knight II: jeD) outcast CATEGORY: FPS >> PLAYERS: 1-32 >> PUBLISHER: LucosArts >> PRICE: S89.95 >> RATING: Ml5+ >> AVi| ELIOT FISH is rooting for Palpatine. ABLE: Now >> REQUIRED: Pll 500, 128MB RAM, 3D cord CM he gaming world is still waiting for the next great first person shooter. Post Deus Ex, we’ve all had a taste of the possibilities within the genre and most of us have high hopes for the next generation of games. Sure, Deus Ex 2 and Thief 3 are coming down the pipe in the near future, but Warren Spector and his teams are not the only imaginative developers out there. If anything, Spector’s Deus Ex should have educated other developers in the benefits of striving for non-linear gameplay. Linearity is this particular genre’s greatest weakness. It’s time for something new. Raven software have been given the biggest opportunity to wow gamers in the shape of developing Jedi Outcast for LucasArts, the sequel to two true classics in the genre. If anyone had a good shot at delivering something out of the norm, developing this game was it. The two previous games have set the bar so high, that Raven couldn’t really do anything other than ensure that Jedi Outcast was up to a certain standard in both design and execution. MAY THE GEFORCE BE WITH YOU... Jedi Outcast does most things right. The levels are mostly huge, you can tackle some puzzles in non-linear ways, the Al is challenging, and there’s enough Star Wars cool factor to keep the fans happy. But even so, Jedi Outcast does not impress the same way the original two games did. A big reason for this is that Raven were happy to simply ape the last game and regurgitate ideas and scenarios that we’ve already played. There’s even a level that is reminiscent of the "falling ship” level from Jedi Knight. Most 1 of Jedi Outcast almost feels like treading old ground, even though it’s dressed up in a pretty new Quake 3 engine. But first, the stuff that’s really good... Lightsaber combat in Jedi Outcast is a big improvement over the simple slash attacks in Jedi Knight. With the Forc£ the mix, along with 5 acrobatic Sabeu|^^^H opponentstfl^H^ [S in »PC lightsaber wielding grunts in this game) is cinematic and tense, just how it should be. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun enough to want to prefer the I lightsaber over your other weapons which is a big tick for a game that revolves around being a Jedi. You can even lock sabers during a fight and try to button bash your opponent into getting knocked to the ground. There are lots of little moments in the saber duelling that will have you grinning like the freak you are (ot should be!). Force powers have also had more focus put on them. You’ll need to use your powers r regularly throughout the second half of the game to solve puzzles, I and overcome overwhelming L * GREAT BEARDS IN GAMING PART XVI »There are beards a-plenty in Jedi Outcast. Kyle Katarn sports a fine one, bristling with Jedi potential. But there are more - imprisoned miners, Jedi adepts and even Kyle's dead dad. It seems that everywhere you turn in Jedi Outcast, there's a beard in your face. Or on your face. The new Jedi Boomer-saber! f odds. Using Force Speed (everything slows down) and leaping around the room deftly avoiding blaster fire whilst you decapitate Stormtroopers is quite simply a blast. BANTHA FODDER The level design on the whole is fairly adventurous. Most areas are huge, and there are nice little nooks to discover through exploration and clever thinking. However, there aren’t many levels that really feel that believeable. The design here is lacking the functionality of the levels in Dark Forces and Jedi Knight. Raven have tried hard to make it feel as if you’re inside real locations, but there are quite a few dead-ends and empty areas that spoil the illusion. The level on Nar Shadda tries, but fails to feel like a bustling city of Bounty Hunters. Maybe more Non- Player Characters would have helped. There is plenty to do, however, and it’s nice to have lots of puzzling scenarios to get your head around. Jedi Outcast never devolves into endless corridor shootouts which is a very good thing. u m m Leaping around the room deftly ■ a ■" avoiding blaster tire whilst you decapitate Stormtroopers is quite simply a blast. Unlike the lightsaber combat mentioned earlier, the gunplay in Outcast never really gets the blood pumping. A reason for this, is that you have to be quite methodical in your approach to clearing out sections of the levels, and you never really get into any cool set-piece gun fights. You’re usually either picking enemies off from a distance, or you’re in close with your lightsaber, and rarely are you forced to utilise your weaponry to its full extent. Another weakpoint would have to be the cutscenes and dialogue. This really is below par, hammy b-grade stuff that makes no sense to a Star Wars fan whatsoever. If you can put up with it, then you’ll at least enjoy the appearance of Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian. Jedi Outcast is loaded with entertaining play, and there are definitely some inspired moments. The game is quite well paced, and they way you slowly become more powerful and fluent with your Force Powers over the course of the game works well. It’s just a shame that many of the objectives are re-hashed ideas from earlier games and something about the game seems to lack a truly authentic Star Wars flavour. Overall, this game should please everyone who was hanging out for a sequel to Jedi Knight. Just don’t expect a game that will revolutionise or thrill in the same way the previous two games in the series did. m \ m -. I I ■ There's a I | hack out • • • there to let you use two sabers... m c m E »HYPER 73 74 »HYPER Freedom Force »PC CATEGORY: Tactical RPG >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: EA >> PRICE: $89.95 >> RATING: Ml 5+ >> AVAILABLE: Now >> REQUIRED: PII-300, 96MB RAM, 3D card DAVID WILDGOOSE is always a omic book fans have endured a painfully long wait to see their favourite superheroes make a worthwhile transition from the printed page to the digital age. It’s difficult to judge what’s been worse: the string of average-to- dismal console games based on Superman, Batman, Spiderman and the like or the cancellation of at least three promising PC titles in recent years. Despite the heavy weight of expectation, Freedom Force delivers in style. CERTAIN DOOM Taking its cue from the so-called "Silver Age" of comic from the 1950s and 60s, Freedom Force plants it tongue in its cheek from the opening cinematic and leaves it firmly wedged there for the duration. From the over-the-top narration (think Batman, the 60s television series) and camped-up character voices, to the garish colour schemes and exaggerated animations (each superhero sports a very "heroic" running style), this is a game that never fails to not take itself seriously. Yet it does so in a very serious way, and that’s the key to why it works so well. Far from a postmodern update, full of witty asides drenched in irony and meta-textual subtext, Freedom Force is an earnest declaration of love for superheroes and super-villains of the era. It’s nostalgia, folks, but in a good way — all wide-eyed and awe-inspiring. You’ll feel like a kid again, I promise. The members of Freedom Force begin the game as just average hero on deadline citizens of Patriot City. Then, in classic comic book f they each come i contact with the mysterious Energy X and * are transformed into superhuman beings bent on truth, justice and the American way. Ea member, burdened by a guilty conscience or harbouring a dark secret, sees their newfound power J as a route to redeem their j past. And, of course, save ] Patriot City and its inhabitants from certain doom! At heart, this is a game of tactical combat. Missions j typically place your squad - of four heroes in a small, discrete section of Patriot City and instruct them to defeat the bad guys. The action unfolds in realtime, with time slowed (or paused entirely) when you right-click to issue orders. It’s a system comparable to Interplay’s Infinity engine RPGs, and mostly works well. There are plenty of options for interaction with the game world. y> Meanwhile... most missions climax with a ludicrous diffhanger ending Besides using a hero’s individual superpowers, you can pick up and throw streetlights, traffic poles, trashcans, dumpsters, even cars and huge snowballs. Or you set fire to trees, explode barrels of oil, and demolish whole buildings. Yet as entertaining as all this sounds, there’s little reason to use anything beyond each hero’s innate abilities — lobbing a car onto an enemy’s head will sadly never do as much damage as a Wallop from Man-Bot or El Diablo’s Tongues of Flame. It’s disappointing, and feels like a real missed opportunity. ABSURD TWISTS Elsewhere, however, everything is just about perfect. Initially you take control of just the one hero, Minuteman, who assumes the role of main protagonist. As missions are accomplished, more heroes will join the ranks of Freedom Force, thus allowing you to take a full complement of four into the action. Prestige points are gained for successfully completing objectives (with bonuses gained for defeating enemies and finding secrets, yet lost for letting the innocent be harmed and Patriot City itself to suffer damage), and with these you can recruit new heroes to your cause. Balance, in both your immediate squad and across the force as a whole, is thus crucial. All heroes possess a range of abilities and powers. They can be: fast, strong, tough, or infused with high levels of Energy X; resistant to ice, radiation or acid; specialists in melee, ranged attacks, mind control or harnessing the elements; and many more. The number of possible combinations is extended by an experience system that allows the upgrading of existing powers and the unlocking of new ones for each hero, as well as an editor in which you can customise your own hero (including name, attributes, powers, even what they look like). The pacing of the mission structure is brilliant. Surprising and absurd twists during each mission update the objectives regularly and ensure each task feels fresh. Meanwhile... most missions climax with a ludicrous diffhanger ending that further enhances the Saturday morning cartoon atmosphere. And having the Freedom Force spin out of the screen during each cutscene transition is a touch of pure genius. Freedom Force is about as polished a game the PC has seen in many years; developer Irrational Games seems to have thought of everything. It’s challenging, thoroughly rewarding, and an enormous amount of fun to play. It’ll knock you out. H Combines instant playability with enduring charm. dSOlhe game doesn't make more use of the environments. ■ VISUALS SOUND GAMEPLAY A stylish, uplifting and energising breath,of fresh air. I I ■ There's a | | host of cool • • • "real" hero skins available online. »HYPER 75 76 »HYPER Dungeon Siege »K>E CATEGORY: Action/RPG >> PLAYERS: 1-8 >> PUBLISHER: Microsoft >> PRICE: S99.95 >> RATING: M15+ >> AVAILABLE: Now > > REQUIRED: Pll 500, 128MB RAM, 3D cord 3 W D til E Clever clones besi B et me start off by pointing out that creating a clone is not necessarily a bad thing, so long as it is done well. Keeping that in mind, know that Dungeon Siege is a clone of games such as Diablo, and to a lesser extent, Baldur’s Gate. Diablo provides the basic feel and interface, while Baldur’s Gate inspired a party-based game rather than control of a single hero, plus the ability to pause, assess, decide, and then resume. Dungeon Siege can be easily forgiven for mimicking these RPG greats, because it not only adds new ideas that genuinely improve things, but also does so in stunning 3D. SIMPLY SUPERB Like Diablo, Dungeon Siege has a single player mode, but a stronger ege DAN TOOSE emphasis on its multiplayer mode. The main game is started in the Kingdom of Ehb, where the player guides a simple farmer out on a quest to warn the nearest town of impending doom, and sets the mould for a character development system. Unlike Diablo, the player does not choose a class for their character, but rather they determine which areas of skill they master by their actions. Attacking hand-to-hand increases melee skills, etc. The character’s actions also determine which attributes they develop - strength, dexterity or intelligence. These stats determine whether or not a character may use a certain item, which is once again like in Diablo. Essentially, the skill tree of Diablo II has been replaced by an open-ended skill system, so it’s a trade-off. It’s a slight shame that there wasn’t an open ended skill tree system, combining the best of both worlds, as this would have made character development in Dungeon Siege far more of an in-depth strategy feature. In a roundabout way, it would be fair to describe Dungeon Siege’s visual presentation being akin to having a helicopter camera to follow the Fellowship of the Ring. Much of the player’s time is spent circling a view around a group of up to eight adventurers through medieval fantasy landscapes. In addition to the ability to zoom and tilt the viewpoint, Dungeon Siege becomes yummy eye candy by providing a seamless presentation from one environment to another. Being able to watch the _ characters enter a dungeon and come out the other side rather than stop to load up a completely new area really helps create a sense of progression and journey. An alternate overhead map viewpoint is even there at the touch of a button, making navigating through lush forests much easier. It’s not just the cinematic viewpoints that make Dungeon Siege a looker, but also the sterling textures, Those who hate running out of J* ■" inventory space to hoard items... will love the pack mule. models and effects that make up what the player sees. Even though the top resolution is only 1024x768x32, there’s enough extra detail in the scenery to bring the game fully to life. Trees sway in the breeze, water drips into pools from cavern ceilings, and the lighting is simply superb. Character and monster animation is good in basis, but once the player has a full party, the frame rates can dive a tad, weakening the end result. Dungeon Siege also has a dramatic, yet tastefully subtle soundtrack. More importantly, the combat and spell effects sound awesome, especially with environmental effects in play. Hats off to Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games for saying no to speech acknowledgements for orders received, as it would drive anyone playing Dungeon Siege insane. LOVE THE MULE What helps Dungeon Siege feel like a game in its own right rather than a pretty clone is the way Gas Powered Games have addressed some issues that have been quite annoying in previous games. For example, when a character has an injury of say 100 hit points, but the healing potion they have can heal up to 500 hit points, it feels like a waste to use it. Dungeon Siege uses a system allowing a player to sip as much as they need from each vial automatically. A single hotkey allows the player to have all party members under 50% hit points to go for their potions and heal themselves up. Those that hate running out of inventory space to hoard items to sell in town will love the pack-mule. This beast of burden can carry a whopping load of gear, and tags along behind the party safely for the most part. Dealing with a dead mule could be a drag. As in Baldur’s Gate, the player can choose their formations and set Al instructions for each character in the party. Occasionally the Al seems a tad sleepy, with characters failing to assist their buddies copping a beating beside them. Ironically this is a good thing, as it helps prevent the player from getting too complacent as they watch battles unfold. This is because Al works almost too effectively with a selection of melee fighters, archers and a couple of healers, often leaving the player with only the need to hit a hotkey to get their party to collect all the items. This is a simplistic kind of RPG, more about building up your characters rather than playing through a detailed story. For that reason, think of it as Diablo II in 3D, with a whole party, and some nifty new features... Done about right. < | | | Chris I I Taylor has • • # expressed interest in an Xbox port of the game. Awesome visuals, open- ended character development. ny battles are a tad on the Normal setting. ■ »HYPER 77 Warrior Kings »PC CATEGORY: RTS >> PLAYERS: 1-8 > PUBLISHER: Microids >> PRICE: S89.95 >> RATING: M15+ >> AVAILABLE: Now >> REQUIRED: Pll 500, 128MB RAM, 3D card Sometimes DAN eal time strategy games have been 3D for a while now, with games like Myth and Dark Reign 2 having paved the way. Nowadays having a 3D engine is something we take for granted, but games like Warrior Kings remind us that taking small steps forward really does make a difference. 3 UJ D UJ K OC UJ 0 . AN INTERESTING TWIST Stopping this from swiftly turning into a same-old scenario is a branching development system that sends the player down different paths of research, depending on the choice of religious and industrious buildings built first. It’s possible to end the game as a Pagan King, Holy Crusader, or siege warfare specialist of the Renaissance. This is a great way of diversifying the single- TOOSE is the // • // worrier player game, and also adds an interesting twist in multiplayer. Spotting an enemy doesn't necessarily give away their particular alignment, and thus there’s little way to know what you'll be up against till you see more of the enemy’s forces. Warrior Kings features an engine that lets you look in almost every direction you may care to. What you get to see are panoramic views of rolling hills, rivers, forests, mountains, villages, forts and vast cities. The freedom of viewpoint makes surveying terrain effortless, which is a good thing, since Warrior Kings allows the player to apply tactics such as picking higher ground to increase the range of fire, or forcing an enemy to approach uphill to slow any charges they make. Marching units around in ordered formation over the landscapes looks brilliant, and although not stunningly realistic, their animations are appealing enough to make warfare in Warrior Kings a pleasant way to pass the time. Going down the road of Paganism can lead to summoning demonic forces, while researching military hardware like the trebuchet offers a variety of huge siege engines. The sense of scale in Warrior Kings leaves nothing to be desired, especially with clouds creating shadows on the ground below, making Warrior Kings tasty eye- candy indeed. Resource management can be a fiddly chore in some games, making the whole experience much less fun. Warrior Kings avoids this with a system that is pretty to look at, easy to use, and which actually V "■ a "a a Goals appear dynamically ■" «" within missions, and offer some interesting challenges seems realistic. The player’s manor is their base of operations, with materials and food coming in from out-lying villages. At the villages, peasants build farms, collect lumber, and mine rocks. Seeing the individual peasants go about their jobs in rolling hills and fields on the outskirts of a city just feels right. Carts take resources back to the manor, which not only helps complete the image of a working settlement or people, but also creates strategic targets. Take out the driver and you can even sneak one of your own peasants into the driver’s seat. GRUMBLING PEASANTS Idle peasants are easily rounded up and put to work, and they can be turned into useful defenders by means of a militia training upgrade. There are quite a number of possible upgrades for both military units, and more passive pursuits like trading and researching agricultural advancements. As mentioned before, what buildings the player erects affects the way their kingdom develops. It is quite possible to have combinations of the different alignments, such as Pagan- Renaissance (Unholy Tech), or Imperial-Renaissance (Holy Tech). Warrior Kings is one of those few games that boasts a dramatic score that suits it so well, you’ll never even think to adjust the music volume. Weapon sound effects and other noises all come through loud and clear. Unit acknowledgements are apt, where peasants grumble about their lot in life, warriors proclaim their eagerness for battle, and demonic forces summoned up by Pagan warlords do little to hide their contempt for humanity. Although having numerical advantage always helps, Warrior Kings allows a tactician to use their brains to overcome the odds with its combination of easy-to-use formation controls along with environments that lend themselves to military planning. Troops are mainly made up of heavy infantry (melee), light infantry (archers), heavy cavalry (knights), and light cavalry (mounted archers). Different troops fare better against certain enemies, or in certain situations, and giving the right orders makes all the difference. Warrior Kings offers tons of replay value. Coals appear dynamically within missions, and offer some interesting challenges, such as sneaking supplies into besieged cities, or busting an ally out of jail. About the only thing that would have been welcomed is a skirmish mode to allow a single player to practise multiplayer battles alone. in Check out the website • • • at... warriorkings.com ■ Excellent dynamic kingdom development. VISUALS SOUND GAMEPLAY A serious contender for RTS of the year. a m c m E »HYPER 79 80 »HYPER Heroes of Might & Magic IV CATEGORY: RTS PLAYERS: 1 (patch coming) PUBLISHER: 3DO > PRICE: $89.95 RATING: G AVAILABLE: Now >> REQUIRED: PII-300MHz, 128MB RAM, 4MB 3D Cord 3 UJ 5 UJ E I here are three great turn-based strategy series on PC - Civilization, Masters of ' Orion, and Heroes of Might 6 Magic. New World Computing continue their fantasy conquest legacy with a title that develops in varying degrees of merit. Once again the player guides armies around lands more colourful than a Teletubby convention, with a basic aim to conquer all before them. For the first time, battles feature 3D graphics, and it’s highly questionable as to whether or not this was a good move. There’s nothing wrong with the artwork presented, but the charm of the 2D artwork in previous games in this series is now gone for the sake of catching up with the times. Heroes of Might 8 Magic IV’s greatest area of development is in the classes and skills, now providing a far more balanced army system. Heroes are also present on the field of battle, able to duke it out with creatures alongside their own troops. There’s no multiplayer out of the box, which is a poor effort by 3D0. A patch is coming to remedy this though, so try not to write the game off on this point. While the core game remains almost identical to its predecessors, Heroes IV brings enough new material along with it to make it work for its target audience, its fans. - Dan Toose Moto Racer 3 CATEGORY: Racing PLAYERS: 1 -8 PUBLISHER: Infogrames PRICE: $89.95 RATING: E > AVAILABLE: Late March REQUIRED: P-lll 450, 64MB RAM, 3D card a fter developing the-oh so slick Moto Racer, followed by the oh-so reasonable Moto Racer 2, Delphine are back with the oh-so average Moto Racer 3. Right from install, Hyper’s magic gaming eightball was screaming "all signs point to this game being rushed’’, and unfortunately we’d have to agree. The menu screens are really clumsy, there’s no career mode, and to adjust important settings like graphics, audio and button config you actually have to exit the game and use an external utility! Putting aside these structural deficiencies, what is Moto Racer 3 all about? Delphine have expanded on the previous games and included five different events to compete in. In addition to superbike and motocross, there’s now a traffic mode where you take on one other racer through the streets of Paris. This is reasonably fun, but you’re simply on a narrow, linear course thickly populated by absolutely moronic lane changing traffic. Compared to the heady arcade brew served up in the first Moto Racer, the gameplay is much less consistent (as are the graphics). Indeed, the single best feature in the previous games - the turbo boost - has been ditched, which is a real shame, as taking the perfect line around a corner then unleashing the turbo as you straightened out was positively orgasmic. While we commend Delphine for trying to give gamers so much variety, there are only three courses in each discipline - 15 all up. Compare this to the 32 courses in Moto Racer 2, and you have yet another reason why Moto Racer 3 is lacking.- Cam Shea War Commander CATEGORY: Strategy > > PLAYERS: 1 -8 > > PUBLISHER: CDV PRICE: S89.95 RATING: TBA > AVAILABLE: Now >> REQUIRE: PII-450MHz, 64MB RAM, 8MB 3D Card □ t’s a good time to be a strategy gamer, there’s stuff like Civilization III, Heroes of Might 8 Magic IV, Warrior Kings and other great games about. Thus it’s going to be very hard for a humble WWII point and click strategy game like War Commander to win the war on your attention span. War Commander is a tactical operations game, where the player must click on their respective grunts, and send them forth to take out objectives. There are two single player campaigns, both playing as the US invading forces at Normandy. Besides featuring some nice particle and lighting effects, making artillery impacts look beaut, War Commander is visually dated. There’s next to no ambient animation, so when you’re not firing, things tend to look quite dull. Lacking a tutorial mode, War Commander throws gamers in the deep end, and with troops dying so easily, things can get frustrating fast. The lack of this mode is really just a part of the bigger problem for War Commander, and that’s presentation. There are no cinematic introductions to missions or speech featured for briefings, leaving little with which to charm the player. War Commander may have some cleverly designed maps and a wide variety of troop types, but the bottom line is that it just doesn’t match up to what else is on offer these days. - Dan Toose »Tim LEUV MocarprBoxing KONAMI \ UtF 0 fter receiving some power, you will feel very lacking in staggering blows from the humanoid power if you make it increasingly powerful home throuqh to the 6th opponent. Each 0 fter receiving some staggering blows from the increasingly powerful home console market, the arcade developers are striking back with even more innovative designs that can’t be replicated at home, just look at the Silent Scope home job - what a lamey lame-o! JABS AND HOOKS Arcade Mode did get quite excited 18 months ago with the incorporation of motion sensors in the game EZ2 Dancer by AmuseWorld. We correlated the fact that these motion sensors could be used in fighting games to emulate some bruiseless biffo. Although distribution of Hyper is quite small in japan, Konami RED still obtained and absorbed the Hyper article and went ahead in an attempt to please our fickle tastes by creating an inspired Las Vegas pro¬ level super heavyweight boxing sim. To play, you have to don special * gloves that can determine the timing of your (hopefully) lightning fast punches. Then you have to assume a stance that will enable you to be directly under a motion capture system that relays the position of 4 your body to the computer as you bob and weave against incoming jabs, hooks and uppercuts from your punch loving ’opponent’. As your rival saunters in for what he thinks will be any easy bashing, j he’ll throw punches at you and leave himself open to some rib- ticklers and jaw-jabs from your T gloves. The more shots you connect, the more his health diminishes and the higher your ’punch power gauge’ increases. If you are really accurate, and are not wasting any punches (by hitting the on screen > targets), or not being hit for a considerable time, you can ultimately KO an opponent with just one punch. PUNCHING DUCKING WEAVING The key is definitely speed - and not power in this game. But as for power, you will feel very lacking in humanoid power if you.make it e through to the 6th opponent. Each match lasts up to 3 minutes and in some parts of the game you will be required to make a rapid succession of punches (13- 50) at a rate of about 4 a second to deck your opponent. All this constant punching ducking and weaving IS very tiring if you take this game 5 seriously and throw real punches. >f" Whilst you have to knock down an opponent 3 times in a match, you are- only allowed to be knocked down 3 times in a whole game, unless of course you wish to ’Continue'. At the end of the game you are r awarded not only a point score - which can be entered on a WOTWrff plTfiTion. but also ratings dealing with your / punch hit/miss ratio, your reflexes, cleverness, bWnTpro®^eHooxing j ability and would you believe charisma. Whilst MoCap (sh ort for CAPIurPTTToxmg is a great boxing simulation andfr real pugilists eye view of the real thing, it is still lacking the ^ealisTTUjjpi r a ctualU-^etn^ '^We found a way to combat this lack of realism by having ^ arcade assistants punch you m in the head (or stomach) if I you fail to evade the corresponding computer t, punches. Also, sadly missing is a 'special move’ button (e.g.^te v 1,s) Bift rest assurad tjjjs is only the beginning and it is only a matter'Dftinjeuntil someone comes up wJSa martial arts fight game with kicks and blocks- yes we it can just see it now... a plasma surround screen multiple opponent game (sensors or ’light guns’ on legs and wrists) called 'Shaolin Showdown’ or 'Gang Bash’ or sumpthing... Konami RED - you still reading? He's down for the Dooku! I mean... count. »HYPER 81 HFUIDHELD Big Boo puts his contact lenses in. For Mario, it's all about the money... Super Mario World SUPER MARIO ADVANCE 2 CATEGORY: Platformer >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: Nintendo >> PRICE: $69.95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: Now >> B brand new Mario CBA game may be what we all secretly want, but Nintendo’s latest offering is the next best thing, a port of perhaps the greatest Mario adventure ever - Super Mario World. This is the title that debuted with the Super Nintendo system, so it’s over ten years old, but Super Mario World (SMW) still represents the pinnacle of 2D platform gaming. Hurrah! (instead of only after k° ss battles), and hitting select on the world map brings up information on ^ J each level — how many exits you’ve found and whether you’ve collected all the Yoshi coins. Now you can easily keep tabs on how EXPLORATION IS KEY Super Mario World’s gameplay picks up where Super Mario 3 on NES left off. Mario can pick up powerups that boost his size, gives him fireballs to throw and a cape which he can use to fly. His abilities seem simplistic at first, but along with excellent level design and enemies, combine to create a game that feels remarkably open ended, where exploration is key. Nintendo have always rewarded the player for experimenting, and this is certainly the case in SMW. The cape alone expands the game any level could have secret platforms attempt to find ^ out of sight. Also new in SMW is the all the secrets introduction of Yoshis for Mario to and beat the ride! Plus, different coloured Yoshis extra levels, have different abilities, like flying while and breathing fire. beginners » Unlike previous Mario games, could stick to the v Super Mario World introduced a basic path. Then there >1111111 "x:‘ 1 r p ^ enormously, meaning potentially somewhat non-linear progression system. There was a world map, and as you beat levels new pathways to other levels opened up. In terms of game design, this more sophisticated approach gave Nintendo much greater freedom in designing levels with multiple exits and multiple secrets, not to mention allowing the game as a whole to be enjoyed by players of different skill levels. Advanced players could were extra features like the switch palaces which, when beaten, would solidify coloured blocks that were, until then, merely outlines in levels, opening up further possibilities. VISUALLY PERFECT Super Mario World on GBA brings a few extra features that were lacking in the SNES version. You can now save at any point on the world map much of the game you’ve beaten. An excellent inclusion. You can also play as Luigi! He’s very much like he was in Super Mario Bros 2 — slower than Mario with a much larger jump. We particularly like the way his legs keep running frantically during jumps — very endearing. Super Mario World is a visually perfect rendition of the SNES classic, and stands up well aurally too. The music is some of the catchiest ever heard in a Nintendo game, and you’ve got to love the layers too - just like in the original, whenever you’re riding Yoshi there’s an added percussive bongo drum layer to the music that suits the vibe perfectly. Nintendo have also included extra speech samples for both Luigi and Mario, and they work really well. Whenever Mario picks up a mushroom for instance, he says "Just what I needed” in the most stereotypical Italian accent you could possibly imagine... but it still works. In short, this is a must-have game. The gameplay is tight, refined, inspired, elegant and varied, and with 96 exits to find, there’s a huge amount of gameplay on offer. Now, bring on Yoshi’s Island! - Cam Shea « He's always poking in other people's pipes mip imiTTip rijR Wm ■■Ml 3 8 9 b' l l 8 0 GAMEPLAY OVERALL Illllllllllllllllllllllll Bb BH- BH VISUALS SOUND GAMEPLAY OVERALL Tokyo, The Airport, Rio and LA. Unfortunately Canada wasn’t included in the game which is a shame as it was one of our favourites, eh. Also missing is The Airport and Skater Island. Each course layout has been adjusted to make it more friendly to play from an isometric perspective, but even so there are plenty of sections where it's difficult to see how the various levels, ramps and grinds intersect. TH3 on CBA introduces reverts and flatland tricks to the gameplay, and pretty much every trick you can do on console you can do on GBA, so there’s a huge amount of open ended gameplay to explore. One feature we were looking forward to was fomr-player link-up. Unfortunately, there’s little reason to bother. Two of the multiplayer games revolve around chasing another player, one is simply a high score competition, and the final one (Horse) can be played on a single GBA! Where are the inventive multiplayer games? Even graffiti would have spiced things up considerably. Tony Hawk’s appeal on GBA is wearing thin. - Cam Shea Tony Hawk's Pro CATEGORY: SK8 >> PLAYERS: 1-4 >> PUBLISHER: Activision PRICE: $89.95 >> RATING: G >> AVAILABLE: Now >> hings move quickly in the world of successful franchises, and in today’s videogame market, Tony Hawk is about as successful as a franchise can get. This leads to two things: sequels get pushed out at a rapid rate; and the game finds its way onto every conceivable system. Fortunately, for Tony Hawk’s first outing on GBA, Vicarious Visions were able to come up with an elegant solution that kept almost all the things we loved about the series intact. Indeed, Tony Hawk 2 was an eye opener in terms of clever design and technical know-how. Less than a year later, however, and we’re staring down the barrel of the sequel. SHALL WE EXPLAIN? Tony Hawk 3 will inevitably be evaluated on a slightly different basis to number 2, as it has lost the technical "wow factor”. So what does Tony Hawk 3 have to offer the gaming community? Well, for gamers who only own a GBA — plenty. But for those of us who have played Tony 3 on the next gen systems, very little at all. Although this is a solid game that retains much of the freestyle flow and beauty of the franchise, if you've played the game to death on any other system, why would you want to play the same levels again in a more awkward format? Indeed, this is our main objection with Tony Hawk 3 - that it’s a vanilla flavoured port. Handhelds by their very nature have different strengths to consoles, and that should be reflected in the game design. Now that the technical limitations have been overcome, surely Vicarious Visions should have been given the time to make a game that was entirely optimised for handheld gaming, that everyone would want to play - not just people who only own a GBA. A straight port seems very much like a cop-out, especially since for essentially the same price as a console version, all you’re getting is a trimmed down, less rewarding version of the game. MORE FRIENDLY Levels that have been included in the game are The Foundry, Suburbia, »HYPER 83 machine, pure and simple. You plugged it into yer TV, popped a cart into the slot, hit the power switch and within moments were off in another world. This simplicity no doubt played a part in its incredible adoption rate - especially in the US where the NES at its height of power controlled 90% of the video games market. By today’s standards, there’s nothing terribly exciting under the hood. The NES was a straightforward system with modest capabilities. At the heart of the NES is the 8-bit data path width Motorola 6502 processor, rated at approx. 1.79 MHz. It allows a 256x240 resolution, with a maximum of 64 sprites allowed on screen at any one time (a sprite being either 8x8 or 8x16 pixels). A palette of 256 colours was offered to the game designers, however only 16 different colours can be displayed on screen at any one time. But the most defining characteristic of the NES is its separate 2KB of system RAM and 2K of video RAM. This meant that the NES had more visual grunt, and as a result, on screen action could now scroll quite effortlessly both in a vertical and a horizontal direction. This was quite the revelation, especially if you were watching Super Mario Brothers for the first time. The release of SECA’s Megadrive in 1990 marked the beginning of the end of the NES’ reign as the world’s most popular console. The irony is that the NES was such a success that E intendo’s current elder status in the industry is seen both as Nintendo’s greatest strength and its single greatest flaw - depending, of course, which way you look at it. Whether perceived as complacent and arrogant or wise beyond the years, Nintendo has earned its respect for still being a major player in the industry after all these years. After the arcade-like Atari years of home videogaming, Nintendo’s NES console revitalised console gaming with its innovative first party software, d-pad equipped controller and strong marketing. 8-BIT BEAST The NES was released in the US in 1985 and in Australia in 1986. It was, quite simply, a grey brick. Designed more to resemble the VCRs than the home game systems of the time, Nintendo created a straightforward, unassuming little box with the intent to put a bit of safe distance between the then popular ’’home computers” and their perceived complexity and the NES’ purpose of instant entertainment. A home personal computer this wasn’t. The NES was a games Nintendo »mHRCH STEPniHi Nintendo felt so indomitable in their stranglehold, that they allowed SEGA to get their foot in the door. Indeed, the NES was raking in so much cash for Nintendo that they held off on releasing the SNES, and allowed the Megadrive an 18 month head start in the US market. The 16- bit console war had begun, and there were now two real players. CART MAN While Nintendo received some heat for a lack of cart numbers released (for the N64, the NES was an entirely different matter. Nintendo of America claim that "officially”, about 800 carts released for the NES in the west, while the Japanese Nintendo market trumped that with an official count of around 1200 titles. And then there were the "unofficial" titles that flooded the market, which pump these figures up into the 2000* range. But don’t fret if yoi missed out on some 0; these, because really, most of them were crap. The majority of the dud carts were fro third-party developers who somehow got their designs past Nintendo’s (supposedly) ruthless Seafojf Quality rating system - where only games which pass a set of "entertainment criteria" got the official endorsement and made it on shelves. It was a form of quality control, and it obviously had loopholes. Mostly, this poor quality was simply the lack of design experience of the industry as a whole combined with an army of start-ups wanting to jump on the console bandwagon. There were no easy answers to what was - and still is — a most challenging question: "how can one use a limited technological palette to create something fun?”. Many of the duds were nameplay over gameplay movie tie-ins. Then there were the simplistic Super Mario Brothers clones. One hapless example is Bible Adventures - collect animals for the ark! Help baby Moses get to safety! Protect some sheep before facing Goliath! What the...?! Yet for all the shite in the NES library, Nintendo themselves hit home with a plethora of titles - titles that have stood the test of time as gaming classics, survived as extended franchises (the Mario and Zelda series as examples), or assimilated into the design of today’s most enjoyed titles. That little fat plumber starred in his first side-scrolling venture - Super Mario Brothers back in 1985, and Zelda first appeared on the NES in 1987. Yoshi appeared in puzzle games before joining Mario on the SNES. Samus (gender, unknown!) first graced us in Metroid during this era. Kirby too first appeared on the NES. THE FRIYllCHm >>The Famicom (a contraction of Family Computer) was released in Japan in 1983, and is essentially the Japanese version and precursor of the NES. Design-wise, it was quite different to the NES, with a shell more resembling the SNES. The cartridges were smaller and it wasn't designed to play outside of Japan. The Famicom had its design quirks too - the two control pads were permanently attached to the system, and with little docking bays on the top of the machine for when not in use. _ Mike Tyson’s Punchout proved a knockout. Excite Bike captivated fans. Mega Man confounded us with sequel after sequel. Double Dragon provided addictive two-player gaming, while Tetris and of course Nintendo’s spin Doctor Mario were considered essentials. And it wasn’t all kept in the family, either. Sony’s highest grossing franchises of Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy had their beginnings with the NES. Castlevania also debuted on the grey box. Yup, the NES had more than enough classics, and we’re thankful for it. With Nintendo - bless ’em - it’s always been about the games. Bring on the ’Cube! Solid Snake had humble beginnings ER5E EflEinEERiriE HMPERUISinn DVD is the format of choice for anyone who's serious about their home cinema experience. Every issue we review the latest movies as well as the latest in anime. Kick back and let Hyper help you decide what you should watch! All scores out mauiE: EHTF2H5: hether you love or loathe Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda (and most people should have worked out where they stand by now), it’s difficult to deny the huge impact that Sex and the City has made to the way sex is portrayed on television. The lives of these four girls and their frank, often downright dirty, discussions about their sexual experiences have definitively opened the door to many formerly taboo sexual subjects in a refreshingly honest and often hilariously funny style. Season 4 is currently screening on Australian TV, so any new devotees (in addition to old fans who want to re¬ live earlier episodes) should really check out Season 1 and see where everything began. Enjoyment is guaranteed, as the episodes included on this DVD are a testament to the groundbreaking attitudes and script writing that have given Sex and The City an international cult following. w D avid Cronenberg, the director of Dead Ringers, has a reputation for being both confrontational and controversial. He is probably most infamous for his film Crash, which revolved around people who became sexually aroused at the sight of car accidents, but Dead Ringers (made 8 years earlier, in 1998) is similarly grotesque. Identical twins, Eliot and Beverly Mantle (both played by jeremy Irons), are celebrated gynaecologists whose lives are implicitly entwined - they work together, live together and routinely share the women they bed. When an actress, Claire, enters their lives for fertility treatment, she falls in love with one and threatens the shared existence that has always defined the twins’ lives. Dead Ringers is a disturbing and often gruesome film, yet as with Cronenberg’s other work, it makes for compulsive viewing. Although not to everyone’s taste (and unfortunately presented with no bonus features), Dead Ringers is an eerily interesting film. mnuiE: 16.51 EI-1TRH5: .and we'll call it Hyperactive!" mnuiE EI-ITRRS: as entertaining as it is tragic. Although the only bonus feature is audio commentary from the directors, this film is worth seeing purely for the typed information that appears on screen just prior to the credits, telling us that Tom and Kaleil have now started a new startup company... for distressed startups. Bloody brilliant! AV CHANNEL, RATED I t’s easy to see why Startup.com won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2001. Containing all of the elements essential to good drama - childhood friendships, dreams fuelled by youthful ebullience that are fulfilled and then bleakly shattered, mixed with a good dose of politics and personal heartache - Startup.com is the story of Kaleil and Tom, two young men with a dazzling idea for an internet business. The year is 1999, and the internet economy is just beginning to boom. Despite some initial setbacks, investors are soon pouTing money into the new business venture and the boys seem assured of success. Until, of course, everything starts to unravel in a dramatic fashion. Startup.com is an engrossing documentary about the world of internet businesses that is My Cousin Vinny 20 TH CENTURY FOX, RATED M y incent Gambini is a smooth-talking, wisecracking, leather-clad native of Brooklyn, New York, who also happens to be a lawyer. The only problem is that it took him six attempts to pass his bar exams and in his six- week long career he’s never actually had a case that’s made it to trial. When his young cousin and a friend are wrongfully accused of murder in Alabama, Vinny is called upon to render his legal services as the boys’ defending counsel, and the results prove pretty interesting! Directed by Jonathan Lynn (who also provides audio commentary), My Cousin Vinny is a hilarious tale of murder, mayhem and mishap. Joe Pesci is perfectly cast as the streetsmart Vinny, and Marisa Tomei, who plays Vinny’s big¬ haired girlfriend Mona Lisa, won an Academy Award for her role (somewhat controversially we might add). Funny from start to finish, My Cousin Vinny shouldn’t be missed. mauiE: 7 nsniEm* Sexy Beast 20 TH CENTURY FOX, RATED R 18 + exy Beast isn’t a wholly original film, falling safely into the genre of British gangster flicks that involve bloody violence and thick accents. What sets it apart is its startling performances, particularly that of Ben Kingsley. Kingsley plays Don Logan, a raging cockney gangster full of venomous bile and capable of an almighty savage bite. He has come to Spain in search of Gary ”Gal” Dove, one of his former hitmen who has since retired, in order to recruit him for a last job. Gary (an excellently cast Ray Winstone), however, doesn’t want to come aboard. Ensconced in his Spanish hacienda with his former porn-star wife Deedee, the overweight and suntanned to the colour of leather Gary soon begins to realise that the old cliche about gangsters is true — this really is a family that you can never leave. Although disappointing in its lack of originality, Sexy Beast is nevertheless an eminently watchable film that offers standout performances from both Kingsley and Winstone. 7.5 mauiE: ES-ITRR5: HMPERUISinn H¥FER The Dream & The Ice Dream WARNER VISION, RATED PG pMj s far as we’re concerned, Roy and HC should be classified as two of Australia’s "living national treasures”. As Rampaging Roy Slaven and HC Nelson, john Doyle and Greig Pickhaver have built a huge cult following over the last decade or so, and for good reason. From "This Sporting Life" on jj] and the ABC, to "Club Buggery” and "The Channel 9 Show”, Roy and HC have certainly paid their dues, and along the way honed a style of sporting humour that is hilariously base, yet also incisive and learned. It was about time these two got some serious recognition, and in September 2000 Roy and HC got all that and more. Simply put, the highlight of the entire Olympic games was the two hours we got to spend with these two loveable sports boffins each night. SID, OLLIE AND DICKHEAD As hosts of The Dream, Channel 7’s late-night Olympic chat show that featured interviews with athletes and footage of some of the lesser- known sports sadly left out of the daily broadcasts, Roy and HC charmed and delighted the entire country (and plenty of international guests), and cleverly managed to take the piss out of the holier-than- thou Olympic movement in a manner that was nothing short of sensational in its audacity There are just so many highlights on this double DVD set: Roy and HC’s poetic interpretations of synchronised swimming; their ingenious gymnastics commentary (who could forget "the battered sav” and "the flat bag”?); their affectionate remarks regarding the boys of the Greco-Roman wrestling world; their attacks on Olympic merchandising (especially Sid, Ollie and Dickhead) and the Olympic movement in general ("the IOC can get stuffed”); and of course, the amazing success they had with their own mascot - Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat, aka "The Battler’s Prince”. Above all else, however, what makes Roy and HC such a great pair and such infectious viewing, is that it’s obvious that they’re loving every minute of it. If you missed The Dream during its brief two week stint on air, now is definitely the time to catch up. Considering that there must have been approximately 28 hours of footage to wade through, the editorial team responsible for this DVD have done a fabulous job, skilfully incorporating elements from all the best segments. Bonus features on this 2-disc set include an hour of additional footage, plus extended interviews with a number of athletes. COMEDIC HEIGHTS After their phenomenal success with The Dream, Roy and HC returned with The Ice Dream during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Despite the more limited range of sports and a much narrower scope of interest for the Australian public, they managed to hit the same comedic heights, as well as pushing the limits of what they could get away with even further - such as "the love that dare not speak its name” with the brother/sister ice dancing team, constant references to how fat Americans are, disses of the Church Of Latter Day Saints, commenting to the IOC president that "gifts and the Olympic movement go hand in hand", not to mention their bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Smiggin Holes ("Unleash the Mighty Mongrel Of The Hole”) that eventually inspired 27,000 volunteers and was built on a plan to dump millions of tonnes of rubbish onto Mt. Kosciusko. The Ice Dream is another must-have package, but no love to Channel 7 for shoving their logo in the top right hand corner for the entire three and a half hours. The Dream: ITIOUIE: 9.5 USB 8 The Ice Drea m: 9 mauiE: EI-ITRR 5 : Perfect Blue CATEGORY: DRAMA/SUSPENSE, PRODUCTION COMPANY: REX ENTERTAINMENT hey’ve done it before. Some LOSES HER MIND marketing genius thought it In Perfect Blue, Mima Kirigoe is a really clever to call Ninja small time j-pop singer who Resurrection the sequel to Ninja Scroll when in fact the two had nothing to do with each other, and the negativity surrounding Ninja Resurrection partly destroyed Ninja Scrolf s great reputation. These same braniacs are at it again, this time pitching their new ’animated psychological thriller’, Perfect Blue, by plastering the packaging with quotes and recommendations — the most prominent being from Roger Corman, who says "If Alfred Hitchcock partnered with Walt Disney, they’d make a picture like this”. Nice one. Anyone who’s even familiar with Psycho will be able to guess the ending. redirects the course of her career by acting in a CSI-style TV series. Every step she takes, however, is shadowed by a stalker who posts every detail of her waking movements on a Kirigoe fansite. Eventually she’s convinced that she’s a murderer and nearly loses her mind trying to figure out why. Perfect Blue will attract attention for all the wrong reasons, primarily for a simulated rape scene for the TV camera (ala jodie Foster). The thing is, the male actors are shown 'boning up’ for the scene. How anyone talked this scene through the Classification Board is a mystery. Even so, a seminal piece of anime. RnimRTian 1TB plot: EJ duerrll: 1T1 Sid, Ollie and Dickhead. Hold on. Freak of the Month Knight Hunters CATEGORY: ACTION, PRODUCTION COMPANY: PROJECT W t’s a misshapen male version of Charlie’s Angels. By day, the Knight Hunters are a quartet of effeminate young men who run a small flower shop in the city. By night they’re a crack squad of assassins who hunt down the masterminds behind social evils, and use deadly force to "deny these dark beasts their tomorrow". RECYCLED FOOTAGE There’s Aya, a sword-swinging lori Yagami look-alike and Yoji, a smooth-talking playboy, both of whom dress remarkably similarly to Ky Kiske from Guilty Gear. Then there’s the spritely computer hacker Omi and the former athlete Ken, who both probably shopped at the same boutique as Sion from The Bouncer. Although each episode poses a new mission that predictably leaves all the good action scenes to the end, Knight Hunters escapes the Vo/fron-style formulaic mundanity by interweaving a small revenge sub-plot into each character. Unfortunately it’s paced very sporadically, and a lot of the explanations that are given for plot twists make absolutely no logical sense. An extra month or two of post-production and editing would have benefited this series greatly. Does it work as a male version of Charlie's Angels ? Well, yes and no. There are many conflicting themes in each episode, ranging from extreme violence, a homosexual subtext, and religious and gothic imagery. There was also great potential for a strong visual design, but the noticeable use of recycled footage really lets things down. Without any coherent direction, Knight Hunters is extremely generic. 6 ■ nnimnnan PLOT: □UEFZHLL HMPERUisinn 5UB5CRIPTIDn5 Subscribe to HYPER for your chance to win an awesome Dungeon Siege pack! Including the game, a Microsoft Strategic Commander and more! M/rmcafif Subscribing to Hyper is cheaper than buying the magazine at the shops and you get it delivered straight to your door. Get your 12 issues of Hyper cheaper and maybe even win this fantastic prize! Terms and conditions: Offer is open to residents of Australia and New Zealand except employees and the immediate families of Next Publishing Pty Ltd and its agencies associated with the promotion. Only entries completed with these Terms and Conditions will be eligible. Entry is by subscribing to Hyper from issue 104 from within the magazine only. Competition begins at 9am May 7th and entries close at 6pm June 19th. In determining eligibility the judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner(s) will be drawn at Next Publishing at 9am June 20 and results published in Hyper 107 on- sale Aug 7th. One winner will receive Dungeon Siege (RRP599.95), Microsoft Strategic Commander ($99.95), T-shirt ($40) and toy ($9.95). Runners up will win Dungeon Siege, T-shirt and toy. Total prize pool $1598.50. The promoter is Next Publishing Pty Ltd ABN 88 002 647 645 of 78 Renwick Street, Redfern, NSW, 2016. Subscribe now! If you take a squizz at our Dungeon Siege review this issue, you'll note that we think very highly of this Action RPG. This is one of the most addictive PC releases in a while, and we want everyone to be able to join in the fun. Microsoft and Hyper would like to offer 10 brilliant Dungeon Siege packs. Each pack contains the game, a t-shirt signed by the creator of the game Chris Taylor, as well as a play axe and sword also signed by Chris. The lucky first prize winner will also take home the excellent Microsoft Strategic Commander. Don't miss out on this great game - subscribe today! First Prize: 1 x Dungeon Siege game worth $99.95 1 x Microsoft Strategic Commander worth $99.95 1 x signed T-shirt worth $40 1 x signed toy Axe worth $9.95 9 runners up will win the game, T-shirt and toys. SUBSCRIPTION WINNERS! Hyper 101 (Sunny Garcia Surf Packs) 1st: M. Matheson, Hobart, Tas Runners up: K Briggs, Mascot, NSW; Y Poon, Queenstown, SA; K Longsted, Anstead, Qld; J Gardner, Kambah, ACT. ONLY $50 FOR 12 ISSUES! DO THE MATH! _ SUBSCRIBE ONLINE http://publishing.next.com.au/subs ^^^piease cut along dotted line HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Call us tollfree on 1300 36 1146 Monday to Friday 9am-6pm EST Fax a copy of the completed form, with credit card details, to: 02 9699 0334 Cut or copy the form and post it with a cheque or money order, or your credit card details, to: Hyper Subscriptions Reply Paid 634, 78 Renwick St. Redfern, NSW 2016 check out our website at http://publishing.next. com.au/subs At time of payment your subscription coupon becomes a tax invoice. Please keep a copy of the coupon for tox invoice purposes. Please tick □ rd like to send a gift subscription □ 12 issues @ $50 (incl. GST) Enclosed is a cheque/money order made payable to Next Publishing Pty. Ltd. for S. Or charge my credit card for $. Visa □ Mastercard □ Bankcard [[ Card Number. Expiry Date . Signature. Offer expires 19/6/2002. Overseas pricing available on application. Email: subs@next.com.au Please print My Full Name. My Address. Suburb. Postcode My Telephone Number. My Email Address. HiYRER Please send a Full Name. Address . Suburb. Postcode Telephone. magazine subscription to TAX INVOICE Next Publishing Pty Ltd. 78 Renwick St, Redfern, NSW 2016 ABN 88 002 647 645 mjm » »HY0104 SUB5CHIFTIDn5 92 »HYPER 13 HYPER FORUM: 78 Renwick St. Redfern, NSW 2016 Australia E-mail: freakscene@next.com.au Q. IF CONSOLES WERE CELEBRITIES, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY? It seems that freaky minds think alike. We were surprised to see some of our readers being quite analytical, and ending up with the same responses. No wonder we get so attached to our consoles. It seems they really do have pretty strong personalities after all... I »»»»»» p'drjSjii We all have a different opinion and the Hyper Forum is where you can get your thoughts out of your head and onto the page for all to see. Don't forget that we have a new topic every issue! The next topic of discussion... "If you could make a sequel to jT a game, what would |jj you choose to do?" m □ y| Responses will be printed in Hyper 106. E-mail: FREAKSCENEa>NEXT.COM.AU with Hyper Forum in the subject line, and the topic of discussion at the top of your response. Please note that very long contributions may be edited. RUSTY PLAYSTATION Great question, and due to a severe lack of assignments from Uni, and an extreme lack of games from my hard drive, here is my opinion. Dreamcast: River Phoenix - At a young age there was such great potential, but due to the negligence of their minders they end up in the grave. An unfortunate demise for both (a single tear rolls down my cheek). PlayStation 182: Any Australian actor, but mainly Russell Crowe or Hugh Jackman. A few years ago, not many people had faith in them, but now, everybody wants a piece of the action. Xbox: Arnold Swharzenegger - A powerhouse of a company backing him and it appears very high budget. Good visual effects and excitement will no doubt ensue. But will that be enough? Will the gameplay fall flat on its face like any of Arnie’s movie plots do? Arnie also drives a jeep in a lot of his movies, just like Halo... whatever. Nintendo 64: Any soap star. Smear a tub of vaseline onto your screen to fully realise the beauty of the N64! GameCube: Christopher Walken - While everybody is gearing up for the next Mel Gibson/Hugh jackman/Big Name actor movie, a small cult following of people are eagerly awaiting the next Christopher Walken movie, just like the new console war almost upon us. Indrema: Michael David-Bonson - What? You’ve never heard of him either? I think he’s dead now anyway. No big loss. Lukasaurus Lancera)idx.com.au BIG AND DUMB Great topic. First up I’d have to say our newest console, Xbox, is definitely Arnie. Big and dumb, with brute power and no refinement. He’s in his Terminator 2 stage at the moment, which is fine, but look to the future and we'll see him get boring as we all tire of the sort of roles he’s capable of. PlayStation 1 is a lot like Russell Crowe in his Gladiator days, absolutely on top of the world, the freshest new thing with no previous credibility. PlayStation 2 is like his current situation, really the best known and most wanted, quite a few good roles working well for him, but ego will be his biggest enemy, already too big for his boots he is in danger of losing it all. Game Boy Advance would have to be a little bit like Kylie, she’s petite and sexy and fits nicely in your hand but appeals more to a mature crowd. I’d have to say that Super NES was Bruce Lee to Megadrive’s Chuck Norris but N64 was Brandon Lee, successor to a great father but forced into a format that didn’t suit him, not to mention a dramatic career cut short due to bad management. Hopefully GameCube will be Hugh Jackman, not as muscular as Arnie, not as well known as Crowe, but with more substance and a wider range of future possibilities. Matt Trembath Nicenbouncya>hotmail.com PAMSTATION Well, Nintendo have been around a while and are therefore very reliable, but many people say they lean too much toward children with their games, so a suitable person for this would be say... Archbishop Hollingworth, who has also been around a while and who many people say leans too much toward children. The P$2 however caters for heaps of people, offering its entertainment to all ages, be it kids or grandpas... so I’m thinking someone like Pamela Anderson or some other such supermodel who also lets just about anyone be entertained by them. ENEQNEXT.CnM.RU FRERK5CENEBNEXT.CC3M.RU FRERK5CENEQNEXT CDM.RU FRERK5CENEBNEXT.CCJM.RU FRERK5CENEC Now the Xbox however is something rather new, and although it’s generally acknowledged that it is a pretty good console, it is also general knowledge that everyone hates the guy behind it. So for the Xbox I’m thinking someone like, say George Bush; his country is powerful and pretty good (sic), but the guy’s a dick. And finally, the Dreamcast... Need I say anything more than "Madonna”? Phillip English Phillip_englisha>yahoo.com.au SEX IN A CUBE The Gamecube, small, sexy and smooth would be Kylie Minogue! A little machine that packs a huge punch. Who doesn't enjoy playing around with a GameCube? Or Kylie... Stewy Falconer neo2darka>hotmail.com WOMAN OR MONKEY? Dear Hyper, Let’s start off with the PS2 shall we? It’s known worldwide for its wide range of titles, serious games like Grand Theft Auto 3 (for the adults) and it also has titles like Crash Bandicoot that weren’t really successful with adults but appealed to children. So the PS2 has everything you want, from violence to herding cute little critters, then who better then Bruce Willis?! He starred in lots of films like Die Hard and even family crap like The Kid. Willis also appeared in more PS games than any other celebrity ever did. Now the GCN. Britney Spears! Like the GCN, the ’overprotected’ Britney is trying to look and act like a real mature woman, not a virgin (that’s what they say although I think she must of gotten screwed a couple of times before her big fame!). She wants to get rid of the little innocent curly-girly look, in other words, she wants to have sex with big boys (huh?!). Nintendo are trying to appeal to the more mature side of the market, hence, Resident Evil is now GCN exclusive. Big Bill’s Box? Everybody should at least have taken a guess by now. jocelyne Wildenstein? No... but you’re getting close. Remember, the Xbox is new and Microsoft isn’t, so try to pick someone from the 8o’s that is still popular and that looked good in the beginning but now developed a weird ’ape’ look. Aooh! That’s right. Michael ’the king of pop and plastic surgery’ jackson is our man! Uh, woman! No, urn monkey? Whatever he is, he can be compared to the Xbox. Microsoft tried to make their baby look as cool and futuristic as possible which therefore lead us to having this flashy black case and the weird (uncomfortable) looking controller that looks as if it too went under surgery! But don’t let the looks fool ya, like Mike, the Xbox delivers top A-class entertainment and will always come up with (odd) surprises. just one last thing. The Dreamcast. Surely you didn’t forget the first 128 bit console did you? Simple, Dreamcast s Osama Bin Laden! Logical. Bin was the first person to get two planes and crash them into two big buildings, like him, the DC was the first 128 bit to ’hit’ the market. After the attack, Bin was the most popular person in the universe but slowly lost his popularity because he did not have enough money to send entertaining videos of his threats anymore. Same thing for the DC, 'big bang to nothing’, Sega couldn’t support it anymore and ditched the DC. So there you have it. All four next- gen consoles and their comparisons. Sorry if I offended anyone reading this, blame Eliot! Anthony Palmer Apalmera)vanuatu.com.vu A MAJOR DRAWCARD If consoles were celebrities? Okay starting with the GameCube, that would be Robert De Niro - not a major drawcard for the masses but his work is always guaranteed to be high quality. PlayStation2 would be Brad Pitt — major drawcard for mainstream audiences, looks good, plenty of new titles, the majority of which are a bit below average but once in a while comes up with an absolute gem. The Xbox would be THE ROCK from the WWF. He’s powerful, exciting and when he speaks you sit up and take notice. "The Rock is the great one". Even if Bill Gates sucks. Andrew Aheinleya>optushome. com.au *n m m □ m n n j XT.CDM.BU FRERK5CENEBNEXT.CDM.ru FRERK5CENEBNEXT.CDM.ru FRERK.5CENEBNEXT.CDM.ru FRERK5CENEBN »HYPER 93 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ bigpond.com Dear Some Random Guy, Yes... ahem. We seem to have somehow fumbled past that option. Thanks! NOTHIN' BUT QS To the Hyper guys, I’ve been reading Hyper since issue 48 so I’m a pretty big fan. I’ve got a few questions for ya. 1. Do you think the PS2 will be forgotten when the Xbox and GCN arrive? 2. What score did you give Final Fantasy 9? 3. When will Dino Crisis 3 arrive and what systems will it be on? 4. What did you think of the Lord of the Rings books? I thought they were great. 5. Are you as sick and tired of the Tomb Raider games as I am? Anywayz, thanks for your time and keep up the great work. Mr. P my_big_fat_shlonga>hotmail. com Dear Mr. P, 1. you're kidding right? The PS2 has so far outsold both the Xbox and GCN overseas... so it's Microsoft and Nintendo who have some catching up to do. 2. At the time, 95%. In retrospect, 90%. 3. Apparently, Dino Crisis 3 will be exclusive to the Xbox sometime later this year. 4. We all love them. 5. Yes, but at least the next one seems to be more like Metal Gear Lara. TO HELL WITH A LETTER I was sitting in my chair, controller in my hand thinking I’m going to send a witty, intelligent, inspiring, interesting e-mail to Hyper to get a chance at winning myself a steering wheel for my PS2. I was just about to think of what to write when suddenly the words GTA3 popped on EiFJpJ-rJdrJ T PART 29 WINNER r winner this month is attlawrance87@hotmail.c< □tt, you're on a hat-trick! Matt Lawran o 'Hey Ico, check this out! It says 'For a good time, ring Eliot on...'" FRERK5CENEDNEXT.CDM.nU FRERK5CENEDNEXT.CDM.RU FRERK5CENEDNEXT.CDM.RU FRERK5CENEDNEXT.CDM.RU A _L> J> _L> _L> JLT J> _L>' JL> A' 7' j7‘ 7' 7' 7‘ 7‘ 7' 7‘ f 7 /• /• 7 /• /■ /• / hotmail.com Dear Ssj3gotenks, Just to answer your main question, yes, there will be an RF switch. In fact, you could use the one from your N64 on your CCN. XBOX QUERIES Hi Guys, Great Mag. I’ve got some 3. The Xbox launch here was fairly successful. It did okay. 4. Halo, then Tony Hawk 3, then JSRF. 5. The Jap pads won't be released here, but the Controller S will be, and it's even better than the Jap pad. We don't know when, though. You've won an exclusive 360 Modena Racing Wheel for PC! Replica of the wheel in a Ferrari 360 Modena. Don't forget to include your contact detoils in your letter THRUSTMASTER http://au.lhrustmoster.com Wheel valued at S99.95. CUBE CONTROLLER WOES Dear Hyper, I’ve been an on and off reader of Hyper for the past two years now, and I love that you’re the only good multi-platform game mag here in Australia. I’ve been tempted to subscribe a couple of times now, but the thought of damaging any part of the magazine while I cut out the little subscription form pains me too much. Anyway, I was wondering whether the GameCube is set up to have any other controller other than the one that comes with the console. The buttons are all irregularly sized and all over the place. Nintendo’s controllers are beginning to look like something out of the Fisher and Paykel range of toys. Don’t get me wrong, I can see how the new-look controller is revolutionary for RPGs and adventure games, it’s just that I’ve always been a fan of the fighting genre, you know, the type of games that just works way better with a d-pad. And with the way the controller is designed, it’s starting to look really hard to play something like Soul Calibur 2 or Dead or Alive 3. Well, that’s all I wanted to ask, hope you can answer it for me. Susan gyunikud)hotmail.com Dear Susan, We really like the CameCube controller, but agree that it's awful for fighting games. Actually, it sucks for fighting games. Hopefully, you'll be able to get an arcade stick anyway! ■n m m □ m u n T O cn FREHK5CENEQNEXT.CDM.ru FREHK5CENEQNEXT.CDM.hu FREHK5CENEQNEXT.CDM.hu FREHK5CENEQNEXT.CDM.hu 96 »HYPER ftfll Phillip English finds G.W. Bush to be quite a Payne. VARIOUS QS Dear Hyper, High kudos on an excellent magazine, I have been an avid reader since issue #2 and await each new issue with great eagerness. 1) The Xbox controller... after playing the system at my local EB, I found the controller to be quite comfortable (more so than the PS2 Dual Shock) and had no problems with the button layout. Am I the only one in the world who found it comfortable? 2) Are there plans for local releases of Xenosaga, Grandia Extreme and Suikoden 3? If so when? 3) PS2 hard drive, when and how much? 4) Does the PAL version of Final Fantasy X support the hard drive? Thanks for the years of gaming information goodess. Warloud Warlouda>yahoo.com.au /. Well, we regularly have problems with the button layout ... but the pad is comfortable, yes. 2. No. 3. Sony won't say! 4. No. Neither does the NTSC version! FFX doesn't need HD support for anything. Are you thinking of FFXI? In which case, we don't even know if it will be released in Australia considering the state of broadband here. VIOLENT GAMER Video games make me violent. It’s true, they do and frankly, I’d have it no other way. Let me explain myself. I have been working as a furniture delivery guy for the last 2 months now, and in that time, I have borne witness to the many forms of complete and utter frustration emanating from my main workmate. Seeing as we do the same job, I was intrigued as to why exactly is my co¬ worker getting so much more steamed up over a crises at work than 1.1 know this guy quite well, and generally he’s an easygoing type. Then it came to me - perhaps it has something to do with how we express our frustration. While he gets angry over a difficult delivery, I’ll get the same feelings of rage when I get my butt kicked over and over again in Unreal Tournament. And I don’t mean ”tsk, tsk - why is this so hard?”, it’s like the Incredible Hulk going berko. So yeah - games make me violent. But everyone gets hot under the collar, and frankly I think it better to be done playing something as silly as a game in front of the telly than down the pub after a few schooners, or in the car during peak hour traffic, or anywhere else where someone is going to get hurt. In the end the only thing hurt for me is my ego (and my right leg which I punch for lack of anything else as forgiving on the knuckles), which strengthens my resolve - come hell or high water, I’ll beat that frickin’ game if it’s the last thing I do. Yours, oh-so-serenely Jim lmmol8a>hotma il.com Dear Jim, Are you related to Russell Crowe) Actually, it's probably good if you vent your anger at games, as long as the anger ceases when the machine is switched off. Remember wise Yoda, "Anger leads to Hate, Hate leads to Suffering!" MAC MAN Dear Hyper, A long time ago my family computer was a Macintosh. A slow, softwareless, damn ugly computer which I couldn’t even watch quicktime clips on cause it wasn’t good enough. I hated Macs to death and always begged my parents for an PC of some sort, anything but what we had (l know what PC means, but "those computers” don’t really have name). Fair enough, Macs used to suck, but that was a long time ago. I now own an Indigo iMac, and I will never part with it (unless I buy a new, better Mac). I see no fault with Macs. In my opinion they’re perfect, but the majority of people still claim "Macs suck”. This makes me sad to see people are missing out because they base their beliefs on the past. So lets rule out a few of these claims. They aren’t slow. They are some of the fastest computers on the planet, if not THE fastest. They aren’t for people who don’t know how to use computers. You may as well say "A computer has to be hard to use to be any good". They aren’t too expensive. Their amazing free software more than makes up for this. The only thing that could be picked on is the lack of software. It has no lack of great software, hell no, just not as much software. So how about not knocking Macs, cause I, and many others around the globe, are 100% content with their stylish, compact, user-friendly, fast and powerful Macs. And if you gave it a go, I’m sure you would too. Luke Orrin imighttellyanexttimea>hotmail .com P.S. Did you know GeForce 4s come with the new Power Macs as standard?! I want one!! Dear Luke, Well what do you know. / just bought a new iBook. It's just perfect. We also make Hyper using Macs. Don't worry about what people think, because we know Macs are cool, brother. ADDITIONS 2.- Welcome to a brand new addition to Hyper magazine. Considering the number of gaming systems out there, sometimes we never get to review everything that comes into the office, especially if it's a port or niche title. Late Additions will be your quick reference guide to whether these games are worth getting. This way we hope to be an even more complete guide to what's getting released. Enjoy! FREHK5CENEQNEXT.CaM.RU FRERKSCENEQNEXT.CDM.RU FRERK5CENEQNEXT.CDM.RU FRERK5CENEQNEXT.CDM.RU The Official Australian Games Chart Compiled by Inform in association with AVSDA A io) PlayStation 2 Games Over $50 W/E 7 April 2002 RETAIL SALES TOP IO) PlayStation Games Over $40 r W/E 7 April 2002 RETAIL SALES A 1 ♦ Metal Gear Solid 2 Adventure 2 ♦ Grand Theft Auto 3 Adventure m ♦ Dynasty Warriors 3 Action A ♦ State Of Emergency Adventure m 1 G1 Jockey Sports 6 A Crash Band 5: Wrath/Cortex Adventure 7 O Tony Hawk s Pro Skater 3 Sports 8 ▼ Ace Combat Distant Thunder Simulator 9 o Knockout Kings 2002 Sports 10 o World Rally Championship Racing m ♦ Harry Potter Adventure 2 ♦ Tony Hawk s Pro Skater 3 Sports 3 ♦ Monsters Inc Adventure 4 ♦ Peter Pan Adventure m Spiderman Enter Electro Adventure 6 ♦ Syphon Filter 3 Adventure m ▼ Who Writs 2 Be Millinaire? Family 8 A WWF Smackdown! 2 Sports m ▼ FIFA 2002 Sports 10 ♦ Digimon RPG IO) Game Boy Games Over $40 r W/E 7 April 2002 RETAIL SALES i. m Pokemon Crystal RPG 2 ♦ Harry Potter & Philosopher Adventure am A Pokemon Silver RPG 4 ♦ Pokemon Gold RPG ▼ Monsters Inc Adventure 6 ♦ Zelda: Oracle Of Ages RPG me A Pokemon Yellow GBM RPG 8 A Pokemon Red GBM RPG 4HH Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons RPG 10 O ET The Extra Terrestrial Family TOR IO) Xbox Games Over $40 W/E 7 April 2002 RETAIL SALES IO) PC Games Over $30 1 A The Sims Vacation 2 ▼ Star Wars JK 2: Jedi Outcast 3 A The Sims Hot Date 4 A The Sims 5 ▼ Medal Of Honor Allied Asslt 6 ♦ Harry Potter & Philosopher 7 A The Sims Collectors Edition 8 T C & C Renegade 9 O Diablo II: Lord Of Destrction 10 O The Sims Livin’ Large W/E 7 April 2002 RETAIL SALES Strategy Adventure Strategy Strategy Action Adventure Strategy Action RPG Strategy TOR -in 0 ♦ Halo - Combat Evolved Action 2 ♦ Project Gotham Racing Racing 3 ♦ Dead or Alive 3 Action 4 ♦ RailiSport Challenge Racing 4 | A 1 Action 6 ▼ Max Payne Action 7 O Shrek A dventure 8 A Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 Sports mm ▼ ■Bvs OddvsaflBBl Adventure 10 ▼ Wreckless Racing Game Boy Advance Games Over $40 W/E 7 April 2002 RETAIL SALES TOR ioi V 41 ♦ Super Mario World Advced 2 -1 Adventure 2 ♦ Sonic Advance Adventure 3 1 A Crash Bandicoot Big Adv Adventure 4 ▼ Mario Kart Super Circuit Racing 5 | ♦ Golden Sun RPG 6 ♦ Harry Potter & Philosopher Adventure 41 A Jimmy Neutron Adventure 8 ▼ Super Mario Advance Adventure 41 1 o Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Sports 10 o Street Fighter 2 Action All Full Priced Games W/E 7 April 2002 RETAIL SALES MARKET WATCH All Games by Platform IIvMM 2002 RETAIL SALES 41 A The Sims Vacation PC/MAC 2 ▼ Metal Gear Solid 2 PlayStation m ■4 Grand Tlieft Auto 3 M PlayStation 4 ▼ Star Wars JK 2: Jedi Outcast PC/MAC m ♦ B4F^GiQte EM)i^ I Xbox 6 ♦ Super Mario Wrld Advnced 2 GBA m o The Sims Hot Date PC/MAC 8 o The Sims PC/MAC m A Dynasty Warriors 3 PlayStation 10 O Pokemon Crystal GBC _ 1 6 % GBoy Ms% 19% 5 10 15 25 25 30 35 40 0 New Entry | ♦ Non Mover ▲ Up from last week | 1 ▼ Oown from last week 1 Charts can be viewed at WWW.informbd.COin.au as part of Inform s comprehensive database of online market intelligence, updated weekly inform tracks the weekly safes of business and leisure technology products, and provides detailed reports to subscribers and Reseller & | Retail pane/ members, for subscription or panel membership details phone 02 9264 0095. Copyright c 2001 by Inform. AH rights reserved CHRRT5 We get caught up in a web of Spidey stuff! PLUS: More GameCube, Xbox and PS2 head to head reviews REVOLUTIONARY TDK TREMOR SPEAKER SYSTEM • ULTRA-SLIM PROFILE SATELLITE PANEL SPEAKERS • RADICAL HIGH- POWER FORCE PIPE SUBWOOFER • NXT DIMENSIONAL SOUNDFIELD TECHNOLOGY^ • BIGGEST SONIC SWEETSPOT EVER. WINNER INNOVATIONS 2001 DESIGN & ENGINEERING SHOWCASE AWARD / 2001 INTERNATIONAL CES CD/DVD*MUSIC P C GAMING»MP3 ^mmtagp Ultimate /lacing Tec/ina/agg RAGING HAS IVOIVID WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TECHNOLOGY TO CATCH UP s \ xeox UotaGP”* and «200? Dorna Sports Si UolcGP and relax'd logos c^iKOOc^ name* andAssortcre l*w«5n Ww-eot are me «.-- property ot Dorna Sports S L ando die* respecter* mwt Utrtd under low* At fbqtas. Reserved THQ and Ihc TWO logo Or* trademarks and o> rgy u ynd trademarks id T>« Inc Moosort Xbo* and the Xfcor logos arc cdH«M registered trademarks or trademark -- »*-•— - —