ISSUE 12 


Oo ::. an _ 1st News about PlayStation 2 9 VOLUME 1 





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[THE STEALTH NINJA RIKIMARU, AS SEEN BY THE VOCAL 


CORDS OF A PALACE GUARD. | 


ACTIVISION 


Move without sound. Merge with air. Strike with 
precision and stealth. You are a ninja in sixteenth 
century Japan and your first mission is to 
assassinate the evil merchant Echigo-ya. 


In each of the ten missions assigned, your opponent 
has numbers, but you have something he doesn’t: 
skill, cunning and a closet-full of over twenty 
different fatal weapons and spells 


So, if you're good, the first time anyone sees you, 
will be the last. And your enemy will learn that 
silence isn’t actually golden, but rather, blood red. 


STEALTH ASSASSING 


LIVE BY GON OR. 
MILI Be STEAL Il. 


Tenchu © 1998 Sony Music Entertainment (Jopon) In. Tenchu is 0 trademark of Sony Music Entertoinment 
(opon) Inc. Published ond distributed under license by 

Activision, Inc. Activision is 0 registered trodemark and Stealth 

Assossins is 0 trademark of Activision, Inc. All rights reserved. 

PlayStation ond the PlayStation logos ore registered tr 

of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks ond 


RUAN ® trade names are properties of their respective owners. 











September 1998 





Official U.S. GEWsietaten} Htagazine( ©) 





Offreall US: PlayStation) Magazine (ISSN 1094-6683) is publisned monthly by Zinc), 
4920) Highland Avel) 2nd Eloor Lombard Ili 60948 |Singlesssuelrates:1S7,99. Subscription 
Rates) One Year (d2usctiesyand J2idemoldiscs)|S49197] UISy 565.9 71alll Ottier. countries: Wel 


Words of wisdom from some guy that works here 





hen I get 

misty-eyed 

and start to 

reminisce The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine is the 

about the only Sony Computer Entertainment America-licensed 
early days of the magazine and is published by ZD Inc. through 


an exclusive arrangement. As such, OPM remains 

independent from SCEA, and is a critical, autonomous 

voice that helps readers get more out of their 

PlayStation system by delivering the most current, 
comprehensive and candid coverage of 
PlayStation software and hardware. 


PlayStation, I can’t help 
thinking about the first 
game that really opened 
my eyes to the system. 
Although it was a master- 
piece in its own right, it was 
not Ridge Racer. No, the game 
I speak of is Warhawk. Obviously the graphics were cool, control was good (although 
overly complex) and the music was top-notch, but what really elevated the game was 

the unique levels. One of the most memorable being the third stage which was an air 
battle heavily influenced by the Star Wars movies.You had to fly around these huge 
battleships while fending off smaller fighter drones and not only could you enter and 
explore the big battleships, but you could also shoot them down and watch them 

splash into the ocean. Excellent. 

So what has prompted me to take this trip down memory lane? September marks the 
three-year anniversary of the PlayStation console in North America. Check out the feature 
on page 98 to see the events and software that has made the PlayStation what it is 
today. On a much smaller note, this month marks the 12th issue of OPM. Hurray! Thanks 
again to all the loyal readers out there. Last, but not least, I implore you to dig through 
your collection and bust out that copy of Warhawk. Yeah, the graphics are fairly dated, 
but this type of action has only been rivaled by Colony Wars with no other titles that are 
even in the same league. It’s also available as a Greatest Hits title ($20) for those of you 
who may have skipped it and if you're still skeptical, try at least renting it. Just ignore the 
cheesy live-action cutscenes and you'll be OK. 





Wataru Maruyama 
Editor in Chief 


Official 
U. p 


= oa 
tation 
Magazine 
Publisher 


Jonathan Lane 
Editorial Director 
J.E. Funk @ joe_funkezd.com 
Editor in Chief 
Wataru Maruyama ¢ wataru_maruyamaezd.com 
Managing Editor 
Dan Peluso ® dan_peluso@zd.com 
Assistant Editors 


Dave Malec * Gary Mollohan 
Dindo Perez ¢ Joe Rybicki 


ditor at Large 
Rare eros tro e een 


News Editor 
Chris Johnston 


Creative Director 
Michael Stassus 
Senior Art Director 
Bob Conlon ¢ bob_conlonezd.com 


Art Director 
Donna O'Hara 


Contributing Editors 
Joe Hageman ¢ Mark MacDonald 
James Mielke @ Phil Theobald 

Johnny Masthead ¢ Jeff Gerstm: 


_ _ Tokyo Bureau 
Mixx Entertainment, Inc. 
Stuart Levy, CEO & Bureau Chief 
Matthew Galgani, Producer 
Kiyomi Fukuyama, Editorial Manager 
Yutaka Obuchi, Deputy Editor 
Copy Editors 
Jo-El Damen © Jennifer Whitesides 
Production Director 
Marc Camron 
Prepress Manager 
Dave McCracken 
Associate rine press) Manager 
Paul Ojeda 
Production Assistant 
Chris Melody 
Advertising Coordinator 
Mike Darling 


Circulation Director 
,_,Joan McInerney | 
Associate Circulation Director 
hirley Viel 


Newsstand Sales Manager 
on Galen 


Circulation Coordinator 
Ann-Marie Mrozynski 
Corporate Counsel 
Rob Kabat 


Business Manager 
Cathy Bendo 


Special Thanks to: 
Kuniko & Tadashi Maruyama 


ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: 
Ziff-Davis Video Game Group 
135 Main Street, 14th Floor 
San Francisco, CA 94105 
Telephone: (415) 357-5200 

ax: (415) 357-5288 


Associate Publisher, Sales & Marketi 


Jennie Parker ® jennie_parkerezd.com 
Telephone (415) 357-5200 


Account Executive 
Linda Philapil « linda. philapilezd.com 
Telephone (415) 357-5255 


Regional Sales Manager, Northwest 
Jon Yoffie ¢ jon_yoffieezd.com 
Telephone (415) 357-5320 


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Telephone (415) 357-5320 


District Ad Sales Manager, 
Midwest & East Coast 
Anthony George @ anthony georgeezd.com 
Telephone (930) 916-722), ext. 240 
Marketing Manager 
Lynn Smiley 





iiatenialss Without broang the riGhtc|lUnder copyrights resen/ed herein) io parlor thie 
publication nay belreproduced) stored minor intxcduced| mito alremievall system ortrans= 
mitted) in) anysformy or bylany imeans\ (electronic, mechanical) photocopying, recording, or 


pesely Dike! list=\o oli ieactomers)availableltoimenlece of goods andlcervicco Inyoul oiler Wise) withoutthel prion Written orice of Zine |Copyright Gl9 9s), 2D) IncuAlll 
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owned By the respectiveltrademars) and) copyngbt holders \Alllnmatertals|m)this magazine 
Bie subject £0|chiangeland thel publiher assumes ino responcibileky for such changes. Tne! 
Ganadian|OSm Fegictiation|number 15 1404916720) Rin i: 
Printed inthe USA\) 


Tabels Subscription Service) Quéstions and |Addrece| Changes Writel to! OthiciallUIS, 
Playstation Magazine) PIO) Boxi55362)|Bolllder|\CO§80322°5362"\|Galll Us:|(303)665°8950, 
WIS) or. (303)604-7445 alll other, colintriess Fax luc. (503)604:7455)U)S) or |(G03)604t0540 all 

lothericountnies: Or ViewH our leuBecriphonl Webiertel at bitp:///eubscribelplaysation= 

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tation 


Magazine 





ZD INC. 
CHAIRMAN AND CEO Eric Hippeau 


Formerly EGM2 Chief Financial Officer Timothy O'Brien 
President, ZD Publishing Claude P. Sheer 
President, ZD Market Intelligence Bob Brown 


President, ZD Comdex Jason Chudnofsky 
and Forums 


President, ZD Brand and Market Terri Holbrooke 
Services 


President, ZD Internet Productions Dan Rosensweig 
President, ZD Education William Rosenthal 
President, ZD Television Larry W. Wangberg 


Senior Vice President, Rayna Brown 
Human Resources 


Senior Vice President, Planning Daryl R. Otte 
and Development 


Vice President, Steve Gladyszewski 
Information Services 


td 1,000s of tricks ® ad Fe] ing Tips Vice President, General Counsel J. Malcolm Mortis 


and Secretary 


and codes for all and Strategies Vice Present, Conler Mark Mayer 


Vice President, Tracy Nadi 


console systems! from the experts oe ee 


© High-detailed ® Special Features cece ee eset Hee 
Maps reveal all on Controllers eae ge 
secrets and items! & Peripherals. ome ara iis 


ZD BRAND & Brooke Correll 
MARKET SERVICES 
Vice President, 
ZD Brand Marketing 
Vice President, Client Marketing Michael Perkowski 


Vice President, Elda Vale 
Corporate Research 


Vice President, ZD Brand Herb Stern 
Management 


Vice President, Gregory Jarboe 
Corporate Relations 


ZD Publishing 
President Claude P. Sheer 





Formerly EGM* see Executive Vice President Don Byrnes 
Executive Vice President Chris Dobbrow 
Executive Vice President Jack Dolce 
Executive Vice President Al DiGuido 
Executive Vice President Thomas McGrade 
Executive Vice President Michael J. Miller 
Senior Vice President Nancy Newman 
Vice President Bob Bader 
Vice President John Dodge 
Vice President Kathleen Goodwin 
Vice President Roger Herrmann 
Vice President Jonathan Lane 
Vice President Eric Lundquist 
Vice President Bill Machrone 
Vice President Jim Manning 
) | Vice President Charles Mast 
Cos of All Time!4 ee $ Vice President James F. Ramaley 
es : ‘ 3 eA Vice President Paul Somerson 
ee Vice President Mark Van Name 
Executive Director, Licensing Gertrud Borchardt 
Director, Benchmark Operations Bill Catchings 
Director, ZD Labs Lauren Black 


Ziff-Davis 
A SOFTBANK Company 








The Sequel to Tecmo’s Award-Winning 
3D Trap-Battle Game 




















RATING PERO 
Kagero Deception 2™ ©1998 Tecmo Inc. TECMO® is a registered trademark of Tecmo, Inc. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the 
PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon isc trademark of the 
Interactive Digital Software Association. For additional rating information call 1-800-771-3772, TECMO 19260 S. Van Ness Ave., Torrance, CA 90501 
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po FEB 












Playstation 

















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ered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software As 





PlayStation 














mLontents 


re's ‘ay siyaited 
action-RPG is finished 
and OPM is the first to 
have the exclusive 
‘eview! Find out if it lives 


Believe it or not, the 
| PlayStation is three years 
old, and to celebrate, 
| OPM takes a look at its 
golden (Lara included) 
|) past, present and future. 


Midway 's supercharged 


football arcade game 
has captivated the OPM 


Sy 


E offices for months. See 


The best: selling football " 


game on the PlayStation 

returns with better 3D 

graphics and improved 

artificial intelligence. Can 
|| GameDay stay on top? 


Lots of general strategies 
f and some character- 
specific ones for Kai, 


"1 Raiden, Shinnok, Liu 


| Kang, Reptile, Johnny 


| | Cage and friends. 


poescccccccseceverscces ERE 


46 


104 


Letters. 


We asked about violence in video 
games, and you responded in force! 
Hear what your fellow readers had 
to say on this timely topic. 





PlayStation News 


NTEANES 
Award-winning controllers 
announced and EA taps 
Celtic Star Antoine Walker. 


Top 20 
Find out what the top- 
selling PlayStation games 
are. Some will surprise you. 


Coming Soon 
There’s tons of games 
about to hit, so check out 
this list and budget wisely. 





Previews. 


Oh my, do we have some good ones 
lined up. OPM takes an early look at 
NASCAR 99, DarkStalkers III, 
Tenchu, Wild 9, Devil Dice, NFL 
GameDay 99, and Moto Racer 2. 


Reviews 


We review the first football game 
of the season, NCAA Football ‘99 
in addition to WWF War Zone, 
WarGames, Circuit Breakers, Kartia, 
and of course, Parasite Eve. 


Tricks : 


Gain access to all players in Hot 
Shots Golf, have lighter cars, 
Havularedl od! tis ar-lave Mavrete lam cial(a (cy 

in Vigilante 8 and get a full combo 
gauge for X-Men Vs. Street Fighter. 


g.e.a.r. 


When you really want to feel (and 
look) like you’re aboard the Starship 
Enterprise, then you need to get 
yourself the Intensor sensory gam- 
ing chair from BSG Labs. 


Demo Disc 


To be honest, this month's demo disc 
just kicks ass. Playable versions of 
Spyro the Dragon, WWF War Zone, 
Duke Nukem are in it in addition to 
a new Metal Gear Solid movie! 




















oa 












Shadow : 
of darknedd 
From the creators of Tomb Raider and Fighting Force. 
j 





eR ElDpos 






t 
A ‘ PlayStation § 
ces aR “i * 


idos interactive.com 









debe | a see sea ‘ 
Bice ‘Shadow of darkness, Tomb Raider, Fighting Force ar n and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. 


ca036co 2858 











Remember, practice makes perfect. Especially when it comes to assassinating evil-ass enemies and forging through 10 levels of merciless traps and pitfalls. Lucky for you, Ninjahood comes. 
equipped with an arsenal of weapons, magic and moves capable of inflicting the most unimaginable of horrors. Because in this ancient Japanese quest, the task set before you is mere survival. Be 


Lightning never strikes 





y 











Unless, of course, 


the same place twice. 
YOu work on Your aim. 





A 


A glimpse into the demented minds of our readers 






















ear OPM, 
I played a 
game so 


ferocious yester- 
day that I left the 
arcade in a cold 
sweat. The game is 
called Ehrgeiz, and 
I can only describe 
it as Tekken on 
steroids! When and 
where is this incred- 
ible game hitting 
home, and how do I 
get my hot little 
hands on it? 
name withheld 


July 1998 






We checked in 
with all our contacts 
but were unable to 
verify that Ehrgeiz is 
definitely hitting the 
home systems. 
Arcade authorities 
speculate that due 
to the lukewarm 
response (it is not, 
after all, a Tekken 
or a Street Fighter), 
a port is not guar- 
anteed. But we will 
definitely keep you 
posted as more 
details arise. 



















Official U.S. PlayStation itagzzine( &) 













your input! 





OPM Readers Get 
Serious 





Dear OPM, 

Tam 13 years old, in the eighth 
grade, and I live in Osceola, 
Arkansas. It is a neighbor of 
Jonesboro, where the Arkansas 
shooting occurred. The only thing I 
hear grownups and the news saying 
is that the shooting is because of 
violent video games. This, to me, is 
an outrage. I have over 70 Play- 
Station games, and I play video 
games pretty much all day. If video 
games make a kid do bad things, 
I'm a special case (which isn’t true, 
because most of my friends are the 
same way). I have very good grades 
and do great in school. But some of 
my favorite games have been sin- 
gled out as bad for kids. Just 
because they don’t have a fat little 
plumber going around, jumping up 
and down and shouting like Tickle 
Me Elmo, doesn’t mean they are 
going to make me evil. 

Robert O'Kane 
Osceola, AR 





Dear OPM, 
It saddens me to think that some 
children would resort to such vio- 
lent measures when faced with 
problems that are quite common in 
our society. For example, in one 
shooting, a boy who was teased 
and put down by his classmates, 
when faced with his female friend 
terminating their relationship, 
found refuge in a satanic cult. 
Convinced that the only way to rid 
himself of his built up pain and 
anger was to hurt the people that 
hurt him, he walked into his cafete- 
ria armed with a handgun and 
fired. Now, I may be wrong, but 
isn’t it the job of his parents to 








teach him how to deal with his 
problems, provide him with at least 
a sense of self and security? My 
point is that video games, no mat- 
ter how violent and explicit, can 
only negatively affect someone who 
has not been taught right from 
wrong, real from unreal. Bottom 
line, only bad parents can make 
“bad” children. 

Sal O'Donnell 

Emmitsburg, MD 





Dear OPM, 

Most people in a normal frame of 
mind can determine the difference 
between reality and fiction. Parents 
really need to take responsibility for 
what their children watch and play. 
Now that all games have ratings on 
them, parents can control what 
types of games their kids play. 
People need to quit blaming games 
and movies for why their kids are 
violent. The parent is the one to be 
blamed, not the game! The parent 
ultimately decides whether or not 
their kids can play or watch vio- 
lence. Quit taking the easy way out! 
Look in the mirror. That is where 
the problem starts—and stops. 

DO 
Southfield, MI 





Dear OPM, 
Has anyone bothered to tell those 
who are trying to blame society's 
problems on violent video games 
that people have been killing long 
before video games? If you don’t 
want your child to play certain 
video games then don’t let them! 
You're the adult; talk with your 
child. If you can keep them off the 
freeway pavement or keep nar- 
cotics from their hands, you can 
keep video games with content you 
disagree with out of your own 
house—and if you can’t, then 
you're a lousy parent! But you are 
the parent! Not game designers, 
not the government, not me or my 
neighbor! No one else in the world 
is responsible for your kid but you! 
Steve Hernandez 
Yuba City, CA 








We have to agree that parents 
need to take more responsibility 
for what their children are 
exposed to. But can we say that a 
child not being able to recognize 
violence as being wrong is always 
the fault of the parent? Couldn't 
there be some cases in which a 
parent does everything right and 
the child still turns out wrong? 


Dear OPM, 

Most people agree that exposure 
to violence in any form can cause a 
mentally unstable person to 
become more violent, and perhaps 
push them over the edge. Ask your- 
self this: Is sacrificing our lust for 
gore in video games worth saving 
even one innocent life? 

Jeremy Gault 
Sacramento, CA 





Dear OPM, 

Minors can be easily influenced, 
and lack the cognitive and percep- 
tual maturity to comprehend endur- 
ing consequences for impulsively 
behaving in ways they've learned 
from video games. And most adults 
are unlikely to be available for con- 
sistently supervising 30-300 hours 
of game sequences for their minors. 
“Annie” 

Akron, OH 


This fact that parents are not 
available is without a doubt part 
of the problem here, although 
we're fooling ourselves if we 
think it’s all of the problem. We 
do need to ask ourselves if keep- 
ing video games violent is worth 
any loss of life—but we believe 
there's a less drastic solution: If 
parents take more of an active 
interest in what their kids are 
doing, the influence of violence in 
games (or movies, or music, or 
the nightly news) will be dimin- 
ished. Not eliminated, certainly, 
but diminished. It may involve 
extra effort, but if you're not 
willing to take responsibility for 
your kids you shouldn't be having 
them to begin with. So there. 





How do you like the mag? What about the design? Are we leaving anything out? 


. To ge’ 


Let us know! 


special attention as far as design-and.content issues go, label your letters or e-mails 


with the heading: PlayStation Magazine suggestions c/o the Official U.S. PlayStation 
Magazine at the addresses on the next Letters page. 


We can’t wait to hear from you. 














PlayStation 











My 


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“- ss W .@-N G"EG-AN CE 


COMING. THIS NOVEMBER 
é é 
y i 4 si 


? 
/? 
“..09NE OF THE TOP (THE BEST SPACE “|... SPECTACULAR... 
A@TION’ GAMES OF 798.” COMBAT IN CONSOLE EPIC...GET EXCITED.” 
- GAMEPRO GAMING.” -PSM 
-EGM 
WWW.PSYGNOSIS.COM \ 


Colony Wars: Vengeance, Paygnosis and the Psygnosis logo are or @ and © 1990-8 Psyqnosis Ltd, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of SonyGomputer Entertainment Ine 


A glimpse into the demented minds of our readers 


id you buy a 
copy of our 
magazine 
that did not 
contain a demo 
CD? Simply send 
the receipt in an 
envelope marked 
“OPM Replacement 
Disc” to the address 
below with the 
name and address 
of the store plus 
your phone number 
and address and 
we'll send you the 
disc. Make sure you 
specify which month 
the corresponding 
disc belongs to in 
order to ensure you 
get the right one. 
Also, if you have 
a malfunctioning or 
nonworking demo 
disc, call SCEA at 
1-800-345-SONY. 
They will provide 
instructions to 
obtain repair 
or replacement 
services. For more 
information see 
this month’s demo 
disc section. 





Been There, Done That 


Dear OPM, 

After reading your July issue, I 
noticed that there are a lot of 
games that are nothing more than 
spit on a CD. The GranStream Saga 
has gaudy graphics and a seeming- 
ly pointless story. Pitfall 3D made 
me sick to my stomach. It was an 
insult to the original game. 
Developers today try to take ele- 
ments from other, better games 
and incorporate them into their 
two-bit hack games. The legion of 
Tomb Raider rip-offs are almost 
sickening. They slap the word "3D" 
onto the game and expect to lure 
unsuspecting kids into buying it. 
People need to realize that bigger 
isn't always better. 

Castlevania: SotN and Tomba! 
are great examples of this. They 
didn't try to copy a pre-existing 
top-selling game. The end result is 
a game that pulls you in and sur- 
prises you with its greatness, and 
its simplicity. There are a load of 
games scheduled to come out soon. 
Many of them look great on paper, 
but when you go and buy or rent 
the game you find nothing more 
than "been there, done that." And 
some don't even live up to that. 
Mat Sajban 
North Haledon, NJ 





We can’t agree more that copy- 
cat games are extremely tire- 
some. But don’t forget that both 


‘Castlevania and Tomba! have 


their roots deep in video gaming 

history: Castlevania is based off a 

venerable series originally on 

Nintendo's systems, and mem- 

bers of Tombal’s design team 

were responsible for Capcom's 
1% : 





















classic Ghosts n’ Goblins series. 
You can definitely see these 
games’ histories manifested in 
their gameplay. So using familiar 
themes can't be all bad; game 
developers just need to remem- 
ber to add enough to old ideas 
to make them fresh and new. A 
crappy game, updated to 3D, is 
still crap. 


Shameless 
Self-Promotion 


Dear OPM, 

Ihave some praise to throw at 
you guys in regards to your top- 
notch magazine. As many people 
probably did in the beginning, I 
bought Issue One for the demo 
disc, as well as Issues Two and 
Three. However, when Issue Four 
rolled around, I noticed that, unfor- 
tunately, CART World Series was 
the only game I enjoyed. The differ- 
ence this time was that J didn’t feel 
cheated! I then realized that the 
magazine was just as appealing as 
the disc. It was a great feeling. So I 
have to tell you that you're doing a 
truly great job in making your mag- 
azine more than paper playing up 
an advertising gimmick. 

Cavan Campbell 
Clear Springs, P.E.1., Canada 





Aw, thanks, Cavan, Frequent 
readers will no doubt realize that 
we don’t print a whole lot of 
“praise letters.” We believe that 
the space is most often better 
used to address more important 
issues, However, a number of 
readers have written in recently 
asking if we ever get nice letters! 
Apparently, magazines address- 
ing serious issues and concerns 
are rare. Rest assured, folks, we 
do get (and read) the complimen- 
tary letters you send as much as 
the controversial. But as much as 
we enjoy the compliments, con- 
troversy is a lot more interesting 
reading for the rest of you! 





Umm... Yeah. 


Dear OPM, 

This letter is in regards to the 
letter “In Related News...” in Issue 
10. I'd like to tell you how much I 
hate it when people read between 
the lines to see sexism or racism. 
An example of this is that person 
who says that in The Lion King you 
can see the word “sex” in the cloud 
when Simba is talking to his dad or 
something. I mean I'm sure the 
artist was thinking "Hmmm, now 
where will I put my blatant sexual 
hidden word of the day?" 

Another beef of mine is women 
wanted to be treated as equals. If 
they wanted to be treated as equals 
then why would they file abuse 
suits? I'm not a mean person, I 
always look out for my girl 
“friends.” All I'm saying is that God 
made us the way we are and we 
should embrace it, not defy God's 
will (excluding the fact that I don't 
believe in God). I'm just backing 
those women socialists into a corner 
which they will never get out of. 
Darrell Keating 
darrell_keatingehotmail.com 





Easy, there, buddy; you'll 
throw a red or something, Okay, 
people, this is a good time to 
point out that we're addressing 
issues like racism and violence 
because they relate to the world 
of PlayStation, not to preach a 
single belief to our readers. If 
you're hoping for a soapbox from 
which to deliver an antisocial 
agenda, take warning: You will 
be mocked, And by the way, can 
we put this Vigilante 8 cover 
thing to rest? Please? Sheesh... 








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TING Penn 





ate bad guys by holding 
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But you better get Your jollies 
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WHOA! Wa 


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PlayStation 





SLL LEED WARK OY FA 
CEICTIN KE 




















September 1998 











A monthly wrap-up of all the information for your favorite system 





For up-to-the-minute gaming news, check out videogames.com 


First Details of 
PlayStation 2 


etails on the next incarnation of the PlayStation 
DD: is sketchy at best and Sony remains 

tight-lipped about the machine. But Ken 
Kutaragi, SCEI executive VP and co-COO, recently 
confirmed to EE Times (www.eetimes.com) that the 
console is in fact under development in Tokyo, and 
spoke of Sony's goals for the machine. 

A team of engineers is currently working on develop- 
ing new graphics technologies for use on the console. 
Kutaragi said in the inter- 
view that the company 
places importance on own- 
ing the graphics technology 
that will be used in its next 
system, unlike its competi- 
tors, who have largely 
bought existing technologies 
from other companies. 

“Today's video game 
computer graphics look like 
computer graphics,” he told 
EE Times. “Our goal is a 
film-like graphics quality 
that won't make viewers 
conscious of or annoyed [by the fact] that they are 
indeed looking at computer graphics.” 

It's still unknown as to when the PlayStation 2 or 
PlayStation Next will hit the market, but it would not 
be surprising to see more details on the machine 
emerge in 1998. 

Being very vague, SCEA Executive VP and COO Kaz 
Hirai told us at E3: “I think you can expect from Sony 
an announcement about PlayStation 2 (or PlayStation 
Next or whatever people refer to it as) when we feel 
that it's the appropriate time to make that announce- 
ment.” Hirai says the full potential of the company’s 
PlayStation platform as it stands now remains 
untapped, and that Sony will likely focus on the 
PlayStation for the near future. 






stop by: 


| Musikfest 
# Bethlehem, PA 


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in the following cities: ' 


No Lockouts on 
PlayStation’s Parquet! 


Celtics’ Antoine Walker signs with EA for Live and 
Steeler Kordell Stewart lends Midway a hand 


lectronic Arts recently announced that it has signed Boston Celtic Antoine 
ee to help with the design of NBA Live 99, the latest installment of 

its basketball franchise. Walker joins EA’s star-filled roster, which includes 
the likes of NBA stars Tim Duncan, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond. 

“lam thrilled to join the EA Sports team to work on NBA Live 99,” Walker 
said in a statement. “I continue to be amazed at how 
well EA Sports replicates the game precisely as well 
as captures the NBA lifestyle in one package. The 
NBA Live 98 product was so incredible that I actually 
worked it into my pregame ritual this past season. 
Tam really looking forward to bringing some new 
ideas to the table about how to make the game even 
better next year.” NBA Live 99 will ship 
for the PlayStation later this year. 

Speaking of player endorsements, Kordell Stewart, 
quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers is the 
spokesman for the home conversions of Midway's 
NFL Blitz. Stewart recently shot the commercial for 
the game in Santa Clara, Calif. In it, Stewart is 
“practicing” throwing the football. He turns to his 
coach and says, “Haven't missed one all day.” Then the camera 
reveals that Kordell is using members of the marching band 
for target practice. 




























The Coveted Golden Joystick 
nteract Accessories recently announced that it swept 
the peripheral category at SCEA’s Annual Licensee 
Meeting and Award Ceremony held in Atlanta during 
E3 last May. The company's PiranhaPad ("Best- 
Selling Licensed Peripheral") and V3 Racing Wheel 
(“Consumer's Choice Award”) were the two 
products honored. 


Interact's 
award-winning 
V3 Racing Wheel. 





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H.O.A.R.D.E. Festival 1 998 
Gatorage 


— 


Asbury Park, NY 
August 4 - State Fairgrounds or 
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Skate Arena, Jacksonville, FL 
Fairgrounds, Orlando, FL \ 


Comi-Con Amphitheater, Miami, FL 


’s tour stopped by the annual Taste of chicate 
(June'25-July 5). Steve Kerr and Ron Harper of | 


‘Augu: 
Cleveland, OH 
Detroit, MI 









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rst rnational 


A monthly wrap-up of news happening abroad 
For up-to-the-minute gaming news, check out videogames.com 





Metal Gear Gear, Capcom's Next 
Generations and A Yaroze Casting Call 


etal Gear Solid is one of the most anticipated 
PlayStation games ever made. When the game 
comes out in Japan on Sept. 3, Konami's releasing - 
a special Metal Gear Premium Package, which 4 
will retail for 9,800 yen (around $80 at 
current exchange rates) but contains 
more than just the game. 
It includes a 45-page color art book, 
a Metal Gear T-shirt, soundtrack CD, a 
Fox Hound dog tag with serial number, a metallic sticker for your memory 
card and a gear container. If you'd like this package, reserve one now 
with your local game importer—come September 
they’ll be hard to get a hold of. 
The standard game will also come with two demos: 
One for the sequel to the popular RPG, Suikoden, 
which is expected to be released by year’s end. “2 
The other will be the horror adventure title, P 
Silent Hill. Konami hasn’t announced a oi 
firm release date for Silent Hill yet. a 
















Special thanks to the many readers who have 
responded to Import Game Request! Check 
out our international previews and tell us 
what you want! 


Readers’ Import Request 
1. Final Fantasy VIII Square - RPG 
2. Stolen Song SCEI - Rhythm/Reflex 
3. Guilty Gear Act Systemworks - Fighting 
4. Soul Calibur Namco - Fighting 
5. Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind 
SNK - Fighting 
6. Kitty the Cool Imagineer - Rhythm/Reflex 
7. SolDivide Psikyo - Action 
8. Gran Turismo (Japanese version) SCEI - 
Sports/Racing 
9. Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon Square - 
RPG 
10. Debut 21 NEC - Simulation 


Japan's Top 10-Selling 
PlayStation Games 
July sales rankings courtesy of The 
PlayStation Magazine Weekly, SOFTBANK: 
1. Jikkyo Winning Eleven World Cup 
France 98 Konami - Sports/Racing 
2, XI (sai) SCEI - Puzzle 
3. Combination Pro Soccer - J League 
Accela - Sports/ Racing 
4, Art Truck Battle Human - Sport/ Racing 





5. Double Cast SCEI - Simulation 

6. FIFA: Road to the World Cup EA - 
Sports/Racing 

7. Slayers Royal ESP - RPG 

8. Real Bout Special: Dominated Mind 


he complete contents of Capcom’s five Generation titles have been revealed in Japan. Capcom 

is planning on releasing all of these titles in the United States, but no release dates or official 
announcements have been made about the titles yet. So far, only three are announced for a U.S. 
release — vol. I, 2, and 5 (known as Street Fighter Collection Volume 2 in the United States). 


Capcom Generation vol. 1 — 8/27 first title, Higemaru (arcade), Exedexes (arcade) 


5,800 yen (about $42.50) 

1942 (arcade), 1943 (arcade), 1943 Kai 
(arcade) 5,800 yen 

Gun Smoke (arcade), Senjou no Ookami 
(arcade) - known as Commando in the US 
Senjou no Ookami II (arcade) - known as 
Mercs in the US 


Capcom Generation vol. 2 — September 
5,800 yen 
Makaimura (arcade) - Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts, Dai 
Makaimura (arcade), - Ghosts ‘N’ Ghouls, 
Chou Makaimura (Super Famicom) - Super 
Ghouls ‘N' Ghosts 5,800 yen 

Street Fighter Il (arcade), Street Fighter II 


September 1998 


Capcom Generation vol. 3 — October 


Beod.yen Turbo (arcade) 
Sonson (arcade), Valgas (arcade) - Capcom's 


for its game developer-support program, Game Yaroze ’98. This is a program for game 
developers who think they have great ideas but may not have 
the necessary financial foundation. 

SCEI is looking for teams that are fully staffed with game 
planners, scenario writers, programmers, game graphic 
designers and CG designers. 

Once applicants get SCEI’s approval, they will be fixed up with 
an office, development equipment and support for up to three 
years. Finished titles will then 
be released through SCEI. 

This is the fourth time Sony has made a public plea for 
Yaroze design teams. Currently there are I7 teams with a 





Official U.S GUE Wpyectated) reagazne( 5) 


States) is one of the games to come out of the program. 
Applications will be accepted from July | to Aug. 31. You 





Sony’s Japanese Web site, http://www.scei.co.jp. 


Capcom Generation vol. 4 — November 


Capcom Generation vol. 5 — December 


(arcade) - Champion Edition, Street Fighter II 


n Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) recently announced a general call for entries 





total of 200 people working on games under the program. 
SCEI’s new puzzle game Xi (called “Devil Dice” in the United 


can access the necessary information (in Japanese only) from 


SNK - Action 
9. Shadow Tower From Software - RPG 
10. Pocket Fighter Capcom - Action 


U.K.'s Top 10-Selling 
PlayStation Games 
July sales rankings courtesy of Chart Track, 
@ELSPA 1998: 
1, World Cup 98 EA Sports - Sports/Racing 
2. Gran Turismo SCEE - Sports/Racing 
3. Spice World Virgin - Action 
4. Resident Evil 2 Capcom - Action 
5. Tomb Raider (Platinum) Eidos - Action 
6. Tekken 2 (Platinum) Namco - Fighting 
7. Crash Bandicoot (Platinum) SCEE - 
Platform/Action 
8. Die Hard Trilogy (Platinum) EA - Action, 
Shooting, Racing 
9. Three Lions Take 2 -Sports/Racing 
10, FIA Formula 1 (Platinum) Psygnosis - 
Sports/Racing 


(Note: Platinum is the U.K. equivalent of 
Greatest Hits domestically.) 











September Winner 
Dan Freeland 
Waterloo, Iowa 


Vote for your most-wanted PlayStation import 
games and you can have a chance to win a free 


video from Manga Entertainment (see p.120 for 
contest rules). Send your requests via e-mail, snail 
mail, fax or online to the addresses listed in the 
Letters section. Do it now! 
























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feb ye 











Danger lurks around every corner and from 
every direction in an action-packed 3-D world. 





You'll love 
the new 
3-D graphics, 
deadly weapons 
and 
non-stop action. 
(Unless, of 
course, you're 
a boss). 





Capcom’s famed video game hero jumps into 
3-D in the most incredible Mega Man adventure 
yet! Tackle classic Mega Man shoot-em-up 
action...with even more of the huge bosses you 
expect, a riveting storyline, and all the depth 
of the hottest RPG. Explore a vast 3-D world in 
your quest to find the treasure of all treasures, 
the Mother Lode. It’s Mega Man like you’ve 


never seen him before! 





www.capcom.com 


Hey, MegaMan! Come 
te check uP on me, 
eh? 


AS 


PlayStation 





September 1998 





Official U.s. (EW pyechavey Nagaane( (8 ) 






20 


Tekken 3 


Last MontH: — 
RELease Date: May 1998 


Tekken 3 shows us that it ain’t foolin’ 
around as it makes its debut at the 
number-one spot on the top 20. This 
should come as no surprise to the 
people who've already played it. It 
just happens to be one of the best 
fighting games for the PlayStation. 






PusLisHER: Namco 
GENRE: FIGHTING 
















Gran Turismo 


Pus.isHER: SCEA 
Genre: Sports/RACING 


Last Monto: — 

REvease Date: May 1998 
Like Tekken 3, Gran Turismo makes 
its first appearance on the list an 
impressive one. It came out of 
nowhere to knock last month’s top 
racer, Need For Speed III down a 
notch. Will it run over Tekken 3 and 
climb to number one? Time will tell. 














Need For Speed III 


PUBLISHER: ELECTRONIC ARTS Last Monti: 1 
Genre: Sports/RACING RELEASE Dare: Marcu 1998 
While Need For Speed III may have 
been passed by Gran Turismo, it is 

by no means out of the race. Tons 

of people are still playing this one 

for all the great features that it has. 
You gotta love the Pursuit Mode. 

On the run from Johnny Law! 



























Triple Play 99 


Last MontH: 2 
RELEASE Date: Marco 1998 


PuBLisHER: ELECTRONIC ARTS 
Genre: SPorRTS/BASEBALL 














We Americans love baseball and 
the Triple Play series has been 
popular for quite some time. While 
it may have dropped a couple of 
places, Triple Play 99 is still ranking 
pretty high. Of course, rapidly 
gaining on itis... 



















PuB.isHER: SCEA Last Montu: 8 
Genre: SporTS/BASEBALL RELEASE Date: ApriL 1998 
Wow! SCEA’s baseball game has 
made quite the leap from last 
month. At number eight then, MLB 
99 is now running neck and neck 
with Triple Play 99. Will Triple Play 
| continue to hold out, or will MLB 
q take over the lead? We'll see. 













The best-selling U.S. PlayStation titles as reported by the nation’s top retailers. 


6 | Tomb Raider 


Pus.isHer: Eipos Last MontH: 3 

Genre: ACTION /ADVENTURE RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1996 
Boy, rerelease a game as a greatest hit, and you 
sell a ton more copies. Lara drops down out of her 
top-five position from last month, but she’s still 
right up there. Bring on part three! 











Breath of Fire III 


PusisHer: CAPCOM Last MONTH: — 

Genre: RPG Revease Date: May 1998 
Debuting in the number-seven spot, Breath of Fire 
III proves once again that RPGs are here to stay. 
Of course, being a sequel to some mega-popular 
Super NES games never hurts, either. 





@3 Resident Evil 2 


PUBLISHER: CAPCOM. Last MontH: 4 

Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE RELEASE Date: JAN. 1998 
After spending four months in our top five (three of 
those at number one), Resident Evil 2 gets knocked 
down to eighth. Will it rise again now that 
Halloween’s right around the corner? 








9 | Crash Bandicoot 
PusisHer: SCEA Last MontH: 6 
GENRE: ACTION/ADVENTURE RELEASE Date: SEPT. 1996 
Crash 2 drops off the list from last month, but the 
original sticks around. Players just can’t get enough 
of the cocky mammals antics. Lucky for them, 
Crash Bandicoot: WARPED is on its way. 








@ WCW Nitro 

PusLisHer: THQ. Last Montu: 5 

Genre: SPORTS/RACING RELEASE Date: Nov. 1997 
Oh, yeah! Like Resident Evil 2, WCW Nitro just got 
knocked out of the top five this month. Are gamers 
growing tired of wrestling or just waiting for the 
new WCW and WWF games? 








@ Twisted Metal 


PusLisHer: SCEA. Last Mont: 10 

GENRE: ACTION Retease Date: Nov. 1995 
One of the original PlayStation games is still one of 
the greatest. Soon, we'll be playing Twisted Metal 3 
as well as Rogue Trip, the new game from the 
developers of Twisted Metal, SingleTrac. 








Tetris Plus 

PUBLISHER: JALECO Last Mont: 13 

GENRE: PUZZLE/STRATEGY RELEASE DaTE: Oct. 1996 

One thing about puzzle games is that just about 
everybody loves ‘em. Tetris is the game that started 
the puzzle game craze, so it’s no surprise to see 
this Greatest Hit game climbing the charts. 








Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games, May, 1998. Call them at (516) 625-2345 for questions regarding this list. Note: No games for competing console 
systems (e.g. N64, Sega Saturn, etc.) were included. Overall sales figures may vary. Game descriptions are written by the OPM staff. 


Send your votes for the Readers’ 10 Most Wanted 

games to: Official PlayStation Magazine Attn: Readers’ 10 Most Wanted, 
1920 Highland Ave., Lombard, IL 60148 or e-mail us at: dan_pelusoezd.com 
or visit the OPM section on videogames.com 


@) nea shoot out 98 


Pus.isHer: SCEA Last MONTH: 7 

GeNRE: SPORTS/RACING — RELEASE Dare: MARCH 1998 
The Bulls win again! Was there ever any doubt? 
Still, Shoot Out 98 drops down six notches from last 
| month? What's up? Are people starting to wait for 
next year’s versions already? 











PusLisHER: NAMCO Last Month: 17 P 
GENRE: FIGHTING ReLease Dare: Nov. 1995 
Part three is at number one, and the original is still | 
holding its own at number 14. The fact that it’s still 
a top-notch fighter and the Greatest Hits price tag is 
making sure that it stays in the top 20. 


NASCAR 98 


PusLisHer: EA SPORTS Last MONTH: 9 

Genre: SPORTS/RACING — RELEASE Date: SEPT. 1997 
What can you say? People love them racing games. 
If you're in the market for a solid NASCAR sim, you 
q really can't got wrong with NASCAR 98. This one 
has been here awhile. 








@B nea tive 98 


Pus.isHer: EA SPORTS 
GENRE: SPORTS/RACING 





Last MONTH: 16 
RELEASE Date: Sept. 1997 


People have been hoopin’ it up with Live 98 for 
a few months now. Apparently, EA Sports got 
game. Will it continue to hold this spot now that 
the basketball season is over? 


Blasto 





PusisHer: SCEA Last MontH: — 

Genre: ACTION Reease Date: May 1998 
Tragically, Phil Hartman, the voice of Blasto, was 
murdered just as his game began hitting the charts. 
It's sort of a tribute to a man who brought much 
laughter to this world. Thanks, Phil. 














Namco 


Presents. 


Top 10 Most Wemnitec! 


As compiled by our attractive, intelligent readers 


) Parasite Eve A little bit Final Fantasy VII and a little bit Resident 
Evil 2 mix to make this Square game a winner. 





Metal Gear Solid Check out the demo disc for some footage of 
! this one. Then tell us that it don’t look great. We dare ya. 





Tomb Raider 3 People can’t get enough Lara Croft. Toys, comics, 
J a live-action movie and hopefully a third game soon. 





Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver This one is shaping up to be better 
than the original. Let's hope we see it soon. 





) Messiah David Perry’s latest where you control a tiny cherub. 
Why, it’s just crazy enough to work! 





Final Fantasy VIII Do we have to say anything about this? It’s 
Final Fantasy VIII! Of course we want it! 





Colony Wars: Vengeance The first game was a terrific space 
shooter. Who wouldn't want more of that? 





Tomorrow Never Dies It won't be out for a while, but heavily 
? delayed games based on Bond movies can be good...right? 





) Duke Nukem: Time to Kill It should be here soon. Duke once 
Y again proves that he’s the man. 





Resident Evil 3 Oh, please, please, please, Capcom! Get this one 
to us a quickly as possible! We need more zombies to kill! 


* Congratulations to our September Top 10 winner: Sam Jacir * 





Dan Freeland’s Top 5 
Our monthly contest winner's top-five picks 


1 Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon Hey, people seem to dig those 
chicken things from Final Fantasy. Is Square listening? 





2 | Shadow Tower Dan’s a big-time RPG nut, apparently. This is a 
) hardcore role-player. 





) Final Fantasy IV This game was Final Fantasy II on the Super 
Y NES. Will we see the updated version here in the States? 





@ Frogger 


PUBLISHER: HasBRO INT. 
GENRE: PLATFORM 


Last MonTtH: — 
RELEASE Date: Oct. 1997 


Ribbit, ribbit, I can’t hold it. No, wait...wrong game. 
Regardless, this remake of the classic Frogger makes 
a surprise jump back onto the chart after a one- 
month absence. You go, froggie! 


© 2Xtreme 





PustisHER: SCEA Last Mont: 41 

Genre: SPORTS/RACING RELEASE Date: Nov. 1996 
It's funny that the Extreme games are more 
popular now than when this game was made. 
Perhaps that's the reason why 2Xtreme is still 
hot on the charts. 





2) Hot Shots Golf 


PuBLisHER: SCEA. Last MONTH: — 

GENRE: SPORTS/RACING Revease Date: May 1998 
Would we lie to you? We told you that this game 
was a ton of fun. It seems that you're listening. 
Make sure you try Four-player Mode and unlock all 
the characters of the game in Single-player Mode. 

















7) Ehrgeiz Square and Namco’s killer new fighting game. You can 
) play as Cloud and Tifa in it. How cool is that? 





5 | Bloody Bride A dating sim starring teenage vampires? 
J Why not? It can’t do worse than Ishtar. 


titers’ Too 5 
What we've been playing instead of working 


Parasite Eve We've been hearing a lot of swearing coming from 
Joe’s office when playing this one, so we know it’s good. 





Spyro the Dragon This smooth, cute lil’ 3D game looks like it 
may break some new ground in PlayStation platform games. 





Duke Nukem: Time to Kill Duke is more than just a Tomb Raider 
clone because it’s got a strip club in itl! 





Stolen Song Wat's been playing to sold-out crowds in the 
Naperville area after he perfected his strumming with this game. 





Devil Dice A good way to spend a night if you don’t mind 
not sleeping. 








A concert goes horribly wrong when the Mysteriously, the evening's sole survivor is Now she must hunt the killer down - 
audience suddenly bursts into flame. Lieutenant Aya Brea, N.Y.P.D. or become them. 


LI 





THE CINEMATIC RPG 





A chilling new adventure that could only 
come from the creators of Final Fantasy” VII. 











Xenogears’ (playable) 
Bushido Blade” 2 


Brave Fencer Musashi” 


FINAL FANTASY vill 








RTolILV- Alo) a m 


www.squaresoft.com 
Publised by Square Electronic As LLC. 

















PlayStation 


}® 











ovo sateoey| 
ESHE 





© 1997, 1998 Squore Co, Lid. Al ight reserve. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registred 
trademarks of Sony Computer Entrtinment in. Final Fontosy nd Square Soft re registred trademarks of 
Square Co, id, Parosite Eve, Yenogers and Musashi ore trademarks of Square Co, i, Bosed on the nove: 
Hideo Sena “parasite EVE” (Kadokawa Horror Bunk). Character designed by Tetsuya Nomura, © 1997, 1998 
Square Co, Li. /lightweight Co, Ld. Bushido Blade 2s a trademark of Square Co, Ld. US. Patent No. 
5390937, 5649862 The otings icon isa rodemork of he Interactive Digi Softvare Assoition, 





PlayStation 


Coming Soon 


Compiled by John Stochhaieen as verified by Sannng Masthead 


September 














All release dates are tentative and subject to change. More information on all future releases will be given as it becomes available. 


5 ¢ Over 40 sinister enemies to engage. 
main characters to control. 
¢ 16 spells; four deadly weapons, and, 
. endless fighting combos to master. . . 
*° www. psygnosis.com/odt to see more. ip 


Escape This ‘October. 
Or Dié Trying. 


0.D.T,, Psygnosis and the Payonesie logo are TM or ® and © 1998 & Pojanoels Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The ratings icon is a registered trademark  EESSAEOSIEY 
the Interactive Digital Software Association. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ¢ 7 





RAVELON 
vectaic | M| 
pee 





= 
3 
‘Ss 

















An early look at the games of tomorrow 


NFL Blitz 


Gridiron mayhem hits the PlayStation—hard! 





Is it possible the home version may actually 
improve upon the smash arcade hit? 


September 1998 


The PlayStation version of Blitz is true 
enough to the arcade to include all the 
wacky codes, like Big Head (top) and Big 
Players (bottom). 





Official U.S. GEMS EMiCey vagazne( 8 ) 








idway’s NFL Blitz has fj 
M been tearing up the 
arcades from the day it 


was released. Play the game 
once and it’s not hard to see 
why; like NBA Jam (a game 
designed, not coincidentally, by 
the same team of Mark Turmell 
and Sal Divita) did with basket- 
ball, Blitz manages to distill the 
game of football down to its most intense, 
exciting elements. Although fully licensed by 
the NFL and Players, Inc., the game plays 
havoc with the rules of the NFL; for example, 
teams are limited to seven players, a first 

down takes 30 yards, and pass interference is 
not only legal, it’s heartily 
encouraged—ouch! 

Now, anyone who's 
played the arcade version 
can tell you that the game 
looks every bit as good as 
it plays; and although you 
certainly can't expect the 
clarity of the arcade version 
to come streaming out of 
your PlayStation, we can 
tell you that we were pleasantly surprised by 
how the playable version looks. Specifically, the 
player models didn’t seem to have lost as many 
polygons as was generally expected. Then 
again, the present game runs quite a bit slower 
than the arcade, so the players may lose a poly- 
gon or two as the developers work to get the 
speed back up. Still, we were surprised at what 
little difference the graphics—even the overall 
game speed—seemed to make to the game as 
a whole. The bottom line is that the game still 
includes the bone-crushing tackles, spectacular 
catches and other such mayhem that is still 
making the arcade version such a hit. 

Furthermore, the developers are throwing 
in a load of new options for the home audi- 
ence. For example, PlayStation owners can 





It’s the action that counts, and Blitz will include 
every insane move from the arcade version. 








now play in both Tournament and Season 
Modes, which adds welcome long-term play to 
the familiar Arcade Mode. In addition, the 
game will feature full analog and Dual Shock 
support, allowing players to feel every bone- 
crunching hit. All this, plus loads of new voice- 
overs and a few new animations, make 
PlayStation Blitz more than just a simple port. 
As you can see from these screens, the player 
models are more than adequate. The final 
gameplay remains to be seen, of course; the 
version that we played was running in about 17 
frames per second, and Midway claims they 
will have it up to 30 fps before its release. Still, 
even now the action, if slow, is surprisingly 
acceptable. Let's hope it improves even more. 











u Theme Action/Adventure _ # of Players 1 


% Complete 90% Availability August 
Publisher Working Designs Developer Technosoft 








Classic 2-D shooters aren’t dead. See? 


Thunder Force V 


Old-school, hard-core shooting action at its best 


Besides living up to its legacy in terms of great 
gameplay and reputation for state-of-the-art 
graphics, Thunder Force V comes packed with 
all sorts of extra options and goodies you don’t 
usually expect to find in a shooter. For example, 
in addition to the ability to fully customize your 
button and on-screen window configurations, 
you can also check out information on any of 
the game's Bosses, browse a detailed explana- 
tion of the surprisingly deep story line, even 





Lots of Bosses inhabit TF V's world. 












Sometimes you'll find two per level. W:: it was released in Japan last year for view a selection of original artwork and CG shots 
the Saturn, most gamers only had one from the game's development. 
problem with the latest installment in the By implementing a combination of old-school game- 
Thunder Force saga: slowdown. Not just the occasion- _ play anyone can appreciate and the eye-popping 
al small patch, but major slowdown—like visuals everyone has come to expect, Thunder Force V 


the first batch of Super Nintendo games. is one tight little shooting package that can finally 
The sheer number of enemy ships, gunfire realize its full potential on the PlayStation. 

and insanely huge polygonal Bosses were a 
welcome sight for shooting fans, but proved 
more than Sega’s machine could handle. 
<>, Luckily, the PlayStation seems up to the 
task, and this fall everyone can enjoy 
Thunder Force V, the way it was meant to be played 
when it is brought stateside courtesy of Working 
Designs’ Spaz label. 

Anyone familiar with previous installments of the 
Thunder Force series will quickly notice the similari- 
ties in Technosoft's latest offering. Many of the same 
upgradable weapons (for example the Hunter and 
Twin beam weapons), sound effects, and intense, 
death-from-all-sides enemy onslaughts that made the 
aaesGuan previous games so popular have 
survived the leap into 32-Bit. 

Graphically, however, Thunder 
Force V is all new. Utilizing the 3D 
graphics only possible on the cur- 
rent home systems for most of its 
enemies, Bosses and backgrounds, 
Thunder Force V packs a visual 
punch that none of the earlier 
installments could hope to match. 



















Five Weapons for the Fifth Game 


fui sini Lu. a 


How cute—five weapons in Thunder Force V. Well, each can be powered up three times, and here's the rundown of the ship’s firepower. (Pictures are in 
order of list). You start the game off armed with the Twin Beam, and the weaker rear and forward-firing Rear Beam. The Free Range is great for battling 
Bosses. It scans an area to lock-on and unleash a deadly barrage on an enemy and the Hunter fires blue, enemy-seeking balls of light. And finally, the 
weak, but very broad Wave fires a transparent, but wide beam of brown light. 














FINALLY, A REMOTE CONTROL CAR NOT EVEN YOUR BROTHER CAN BREAK. COMPLETE WITH 16 REMOTE CONTROL CARS AND 15 PULSE-POUNDING 
TRACKS, THIS GAME LETS YOU DODGE, WEAVE, AND SOAR THOUGH RICH TROPICAL JUNGLES, SUN-DRENCHED BEACHES, AND MURKY SWAMPS. EVEN IF 
YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE RACING, THERE ARE DOZENS OF HIDDEN PATHS AND SECRET FEATURES FOR YOU TO EXPLORE. ALONE, WITH A FRIEND, OR AGAINST 


THE COMPUTER, THIS GAME WILL SEND YOU THROUGH DOZENS OF COURSES -- NOT BATTERIES. 


AVAILABLE On WINDOWS®9S5 CD-ROM anop PLAYSTATION® GAME CONSOLE 


©1998 Gremlin Interactive Ltd. Licensed from and developed by Gremlin Interactive Ltd. All Rights Reserved. ©1998 Twentieth Century 
Fox Film Corporation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. “Twentieth Century Fox," "Fox" and their associated logos are the property of Twentieth 
Century Fox Film Corporation. PlayStation and PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 








EVERYONE 























PlayStation 








September 1998 


An early look at the games of tomorrow 


Wild 9 


Shiny gets wild with the platform formula 


ages players to torture their enemies, 

Wild 9 is finally nearing completion after 
three years of development. So, what the heck 
took so long? 

As Shiny Interactive’s David Perry explained dur- 
ing a recent visit, the game was in danger of 
becoming “just another platform game,” filled 
with lots of “butt bouncing” and tired play 
mechanics. “It didn’t do anything for me,” said 
David, “because it had been done to death.” 
Realizing drastic action was required to remedy 
the situation, Perry 
released the entire design 
team at the beginning of 
the year and started over, 
almost from scratch. 

His directive: make a fun, 
easy-to-learn platform 
game with no butt 
bouncing, FMV or other 
extraneous stuff. 

The new design team, Team Scream, began by 
focusing on the main character's primary weapon, 
the Rig—an energy “tendril” that can be used to 
toss enemies around like rag dolls, push inanimate 
objects or swing to new heights. Once the Rig's 
capabilities were defined, level design was a snap. 

Remember the bungee jumping segments and 
asteroid races in Earthworm Jim? Wild 9 also 
includes a number of challenging minigames to 
break up the traditional platform segments. In a 
scene reminiscent of the speederbike chase in 


B illed as the first video game that encour- 














David Perry estimates that roughly 
half of the game consists of levels 

















Any game that takes more than three years to complete 
goes through a significant number of changes. Seen 
here are some screens from a much earlier stage in the 
game's extensive development cycle. 


Wild 9 is also packed with all the warped humor 
one would expect in a Shiny Interactive title. The 
company that gave us flying cows and the World’s 
Smallest Nuclear Explosion has a number of inter- 
esting creatures for you to meet, including human 
bombs, electrified, 500-lb. frogs and— 
most bizarre—chainsaw-wielding, 
psychotic, upright-walking 
black sheep! 

While Shiny Interactive has 
taken an almost inordinate 
amount of time finishing Wild 
9, at this (admittedly still early) 
stage, it appears to be well 
worth the wait. 

















Return of the Jedi, Wex can go for a wild jet- 
bike ride through the swamps of Drench. 
Tn another segment, Wex must do battle 
with a foe while plummeting down a haz- 
ard-filled, 3D air shaft. 


that deviate from the standard plat- 
form format, like the ones seen here. 















Official U.S. PlayStation vagzane( B) 


bie i ? ; 4 
\Srkallerd LIAM LAK BRE Bia 


You'd be surprised how many uses one sick teen can find for something as simple as a glorified grappling hook. Wex's Rig powers up 
as he inflicts more and more pain on his enemies. Some of the choicest methods of torture: The Meat Grinder (far left—before, 
middle left—after), the Spike Stomp (middle right) and the Flaming Fling (far right). Those folks at Shiny are just plain sick! 


ce 





“A sure bet for puzzler fans." —PSM 




















PlayStation 











PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Devil Dice is a trademark of THO Inc. © 1998 SCEI. All rights reserved. 





An early look at the games of tomorrow 





Sports/Racing 








80% 








989 Studios 





NFL GameDay 99 


989 Studios gives their best-selling football game a new look and a better brain 


nother year, another round of football titles. 
A« GameDay 98 was the best-selling 

PlayStation football game last year, but with 
Madden looking impressively 3D in ‘99, the folks at 
989 Sports can’t afford to sit on their rumps. And 
as you might expect, they aren't. 

For starters, GameDay 99 enjoys a new game 
engine that boosts the level of player detail signifi- 
cantly. They no longer look boxy, angular or even 
flat like the players in GameDay 98 due to the 
increase in polygons and better detailed textures. 
In actuality, they look similar to 
NFL Xtreme’s players, only more 
realistically proportioned. There 
are loads of new animations 
(motion-captured from different 
position players) that include 
more variations of wrap-tackles, 
jukes and post-play celebrations. 

Further adding to the new look 
is an all-new “television-style” 
presentation. This enhancement makes use of 
multiple camera views to show the quarterback 
and his offense walk to the line of scrimmage, 
show players react after they've made a play, in 
addition to showing stat boxes during gameplay. 
Also part of the package is a two-man commen- 
tary by Dick Enberg and Phil 
Simms. Clearly, 989 Sports is 
putting a lot of effort into 
making this part of the 
game shine. 

But looks aren't everything, 
so the GameDay 99 develop- 
ment team has finally put 
some extra work into improv- 
ing the game's artificial 





GameDay 99’s players are now comprised 
of 350 polygons, as opposed to last year’s 
now-paltry 150. Does more polygons equal a 
better game? Find out next month. 





September 1998 





One of NFL GameDay 99’s improvements is 
the implementation of a “television-style” 
presentation. 





BROKE 
#30 TERRELL DAVIS 
RUNS FOR 3 YARDS'* 





Weapon reflection effects have been enhanced as 
has the lighting in the various stages. 


intelligence. By using input from various NFL play- 
ers, 989 Studios promises that GameDay will react 
more like the real game. This is seemingly the 
hardest part of football games to perfect, so we're 
looking forward to seeing the final results. 

With such sweeping changes, NFL GameDay 99 
should be much improved over last year’s game. 
That would be an impressive feat given that game’s 
tremendous success. Check the new issue of OPM 
for a complete breakdown between this game and 
Madden NFL 99. It should be quite a battle. 





What Exactly Makes NFL GameDay Smarter? 


According to Kelly Ryan, producer 
of NFL GameDay 99, these are 
some of the key A.I. enhancements. 


Read & React - In the past, a line- 
backer would drop into his zone by 
turning and running to an area while 
not aware of the action that sur- 
rounds him. This year as he turns to 
run, he will maintain visual contact 
by turning his head back to the 
offensive backfield and will 


\ 


q 7; read the backs and receivers 
f) going out into their routes. 


The linebackers will either match-up 
man-to-man if it's man coverage or float 
into their zones and pick up the most 
dangerous man within his zone. 


Man Coverage - Will be disguised 
this year. Teams will show zone and 
walk into soft, tight or loose man. They 
will also show man and walk forward 

or back into zone coverage. The man 
coverage will also be more realistic. 

DBs will backpedal with the receiver and 
then turn and run if the receiver 

is running a deep route. 





Line Blocking - Offensive linemen will 
form a nice pocket and wait for the 
defense to attack; a lineman will not 
commit to a block until the defender 
challenges him, this is referred to as 
“Area Blocking.” 


CPU Offensive Play Calling - The 
CPU will take advantage of the play 
and game clock as well as using time 
outs more efficiently. For example, the 
CPU will run more time off both clocks 
if they are ahead and if trailing will use 
the no huddle offenses to conserve it. 


WORTH 20 FIGHTERS 
EDGE POINTS! 











BEFORE YOU LAY CLAIM TO HAVING THE BEST FIGHTING GAMES, 
YOU'D BETTER HAVE THE BEST FIGHTERS. WE DO. “ 





© CAPCOM CO., LTD. 1998 © CAPCOM U.S.A, INC, 1998 ALL RIGHTS RESERVE 
30 isa registered trademark of GamePro magazine, te oficial magazine sponsor of Capcom's Fighters Edge pro is prohibited, Al Rights Reserved 
PlayStation andthe PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Cor at In 


An early look at the games of tomorrow 





$ 1-2 
September 
r Delphine 













Sports/Racing 
lete 70% 
Electronic Arts 





Moto Racer 2 


A blazing sequel with infinitely more tracks than the original 


hose of you who have been with us 
Te: our first few issues may remem- 

ber the original Moto Racer being 
named in our 1997 Editors’ Awards as the 
best racing game of the year. Its 
great sensation of speed, perfect 
analog control and welcome vari- 
ety of street and dirt bikes made 
it easily the best motorcycle racer 
on the PlayStation. Now, its 
sequel faces a bit more competi- 
tion (albeit not directly; no other 
game has yet delivered both rac- 
ing styles) in the form of Jeremy 
McGrath's Supercross 98 and 
Road Rash 3D. Not willing to give 
any ground, Delphine Software has upped 
the ante a bit with a bunch of new options 
and an always-welcome Track Creator. 

First off, the developers have more 
than tripled the amount of 
tracks available—at least, that’s 
the story they‘re going with; the 
pre-alpha version we played 
seemed to have only eight 
tracks repeated four times 
with no noticeable variations, 
but it’s fair to assume this 
will be changed before 
the final version. 

Other new additions include a 
choice of weather conditions and time 
. of day; as one would expect, racing 

in rain or snow can make a big 
B® difference in handling. Adding 
even more variety is the new 
Simulation Mode. Now play- 
ers can get a feel for what 
motorcycle racing is really 





Tracks are even more detailed 
than in the previous version. 

























cloud of dust. 





You'll leave this sleepy little 
desert town buried under a 


like. You won't find your racer bouncing off 
the wall or other riders here; brush a wall or 
a competitor too hard and you'll definitely 
regret it. 

By far the most intriguing new addition, 
however, is the Track Creator. Players will 
now be able to modify the game's existing 


CAGED cee) 


Moto Racer 2 is not the first 
motorcycle game to feature a 
track editor (above). Acclaim’s 
Jeremy McGrath's Supercross 
98 (middle) includes such an 
option. And who can forget the 
venerable Excitebike (bottom) 
for the original 8-Bit Nintendo? 





tracks, or even design new ones from 
scratch. You'll be able to insert enough 
twists, turns and jumps to make navigating 
the track a living hell, dare your friends to 
go for a spin, and laugh at them as they 
make fools of themselves. 

The version we've been playing has 
apparently been ported straight from the 
PC; as a result, the graphics and textures 
appear much more grainy and low-res than 
the previous game. EA 
assures us that this will be 
tuned before the game's 
final release. Hopefully, this 
sequel, once finished, will 
prove a worthy successor to 
a fantastic game. 















INT ENED 









(ces 














There's never been anything like Intensor, So 


in order to survive it, you need to understand 
a few things. Like to begin with, you need to 
know what a Sensory Gaming Experience is. 


THE INTENSOR SURVIVAL GUIDE 







feedback. It's being able to see, hear and feel 
the game you're playing like never before. All 
you have to do is hook it up to the audio jack 
of any system, play any game and hold on. 













19.35” 


NOM eI 














Fig. 1. A breakdown of what you're up against. 








































































Not everyone will have what it takes to 


It's complete immersion. It’s intense tactile You may also want to say a little prayer. 
#/1TEM = 
1 | Left 2" Mid-range Directional 
2 | Right 2" Mid-range Directional 
3 | 5.25" Center Mid-range 
4 | 5.25" Low Frequency Tactile Driver 
5 | High-range Tweeter 
6 Sound Volume 
d Tactile Intensity 
8 | Electronics Unit 
9 | Heavy Duty Single Cord Connector 
10 | Optional Office Chair Base 
Il | Optional Subwoofer 
12 | Headphone Jack 
loud. So for the neighbors’ sake, you may 





handle Intensor’s patented audio system. 
After all, we're talking 5 high-performance 
built-in speakers with 108dB output. 
Technically speaking, that means it’s really 


want to use the headphone jack — which you 
can do without losing any tactile feedback. 
But keep in mind — if your ears start bleeding, 
you should probably turn the thing down. 
























108 dB 


Fig. 2. At 19 pounds, Intensor is designed 
for quick evacuation in the event things 
get ugly. (Shaky hands will appreciate the 














built-in molded carrying handle:) 






















Be advised. With Intensor, you'll not only 


hear your games like never before, you'll 





You'll feel sensations in places you never 
even knew you had. Which means every 


also feel them. In your back. In your legs. 





engine rev, every explosion, every kick will 
seem more real than you may want it to. So 
it’s important to note that under this type of 
extreme duress, screaming in high-pitched 
tones for one’s mommy is quite common. 








DEFENSIVE PROCEDURES 


deieldemaresecascanenusesean sigue isis 














Fig. 3a. 
The Dodge 


Fig. 3b. 
The Weave 





Fig. 4. Artist s conception of Sensory 
Gaming 's effect on the human heart. 
Those with heart conditions should 

J proceed at their own risk. 


From movies and CDs to all your favorite 


games, Intensor isn’t just compatible with 
your current system, it actually transforms 
it. It may also do the same to you. Once 


Fig. 3c. 
The Duck 




















you take a seat, there’s a new awareness. 





Fig. 6. Intensor has been known to induce shock. In 
such cases, place victim flat on back, elevate legs 8 to 12 
inches and call for help. (If victim begins vomiting, 
place him or her on one side to allow fluid drainage.) 





Sensory 


Gaming 


Experience 











= 
Fig. 5. Note: Players attempting to 
negotiate Intensor on anything 
less than a good, stiff spine may be 
reduced to a vegetative state. 


And there’s no going back. It’s the gaming 
version of the thousand-yard stare. You'll 
recognize it in others who've “been there? 
Seekthem out. Talk to them. This therapeutic 
approach can help preserve your sanity. 


In the event of nervous 
breakdown, seek help at 


Assuming you’ ye read 
this carefully, proceed to your 
favorite gaming retailer. 


A product of 


BSG Labs, Inc. 








— -_ 


An early look at the games of tomorrow 


DarkStalkers III 








Fighting 1:2) 














November 











er Capcom r Capcom 


Capcom's classic nocturnal brawler returns to the PlayStation at last 













September 1998 













came out on the PlayStation, the sequel 
never did. At least we got the third one. 





Official U.S. PlayStation Hagzzine( $3) 


ing game voted #1 in Japan is coming to 

the PlayStation courtesy of Capcom. The 
third installment in the popular DarkStalkers 
series, DarkStalkers III introduces four new 
night warriors—Jedah, Messiah of Darkness; Q- 
Bee, a queen bee-like character with an army 
of stinging allies at her command; Lilith, dark 
sister of long-time favorite Morrigan; and Baby 
Bonnie Hood, an Uzi-toting “Little Red Riding 
Hood”—to the DarkStalkers universe, raising 
the total to 18 selectable characters. In addi- 
tion to such returning faves 
as Morrigan, Lord Raptor 
and Demitri, you also get 
Donovan, Huitzil and 
Pyron—all MLA. in 
the arcade version, 
DarkStalkers: Jedah’s 
Damnation. While gameplay 
remains faithful to previous 
titles in the series, 
DarkStalkers III does contain a few innovations. 
The familiar best-of-three round system has 
been dropped in favor of Killer Instinct-style 
health bars; rather than replenish both charac- 
ters’ health bars after one warrior falls, the vic- 
tor must fight on with a partially depleted bar. 
DarkStalkers III's all-new Dark Force power-ups 
are reminiscent of Marvel Super Heroes’ Chaos 
Gem power-ups, 
temporarily granting extra 
armor, a mirror image 
or other powers to your 
night warrior. 

Fight fans can hone their 
skills to perfection in 
DarkStalker III's Training 
Mode (a long-standing 


P:: mortals, beware—the arcade fight- 


The PlayStation version of DarkStalkers III features three characters who wer 
was called Vampire Savior)—Pyron (left and center), Donovan (right) and Huitz! 
were in a little-seen arcade sequel, Vampire Savior 2, which was only released in Japan. 


















Capcom tradition) or duke it 
out against the computer or 
a pal in Versus Mode. 
Similar to the one seen in , 
Capcom's Rival Schools £ 
United by Fate, 
DarkStalker III's Visual 
Story Mode allows play- 
ers to check out the 
game's back story while 
admiring a gallery of gorgeous Capcom 
character artwork, 

While the game is plagued by load 
times and missing frames of animation, there’s 
still time for the final version to be perfected for 
fighting game fans to enjoy in October. 















in the arcade game (which 
Each of these characters 


Ww 


“The graphics and animation 
are explosive... 
the first level is enotigh*to 
ake Contra fanatics flip out!” 
Game Informer On-line 





www. konami.com 





ee KONAMI OF AMERICA, INC. 1-900-896-HINT (4468) ad 
@ = CONTRA® and KONAMI® are registered trademarks of Konami Co., Ltd. PlayStation and 
PlayStation PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 














© 1998 Konami of America, Inc. All rights reserved 





! Theme Action/Adventure _# of Players 1 t 


% Complete 80% Availability October 
Publisher Activision Developer SME 








An early look at the games of tomorrow 


Tenchu 


Ninja action that’s historically accurate...sort of 


revising the 3D ninja sim Tenchu for its U.S. 
release. Having recently received the latest 
version of the game, we now know a little 
bit more about these changes. 

First, the computer AI has been radically 
improved; rather than break off the chase 
when you ascend to a rooftop, enemies 
now climb up after you, adding some 
much-needed realism to the game. 

Also, the game’s dynamic camera, which 


performs a number of Metal Gear-like cuts A Brief History of Ninjas 


A s previously reported, Activision is extensively 





to aid in stalking, is far more esponsive Ninjas came into existence around the 12th century 

and no longer has to be coaxed into the during the age of the Samurai. They specialized in 

proper position. espionage-type activities like gathering informa- 
These tweaks, however, pale in compari- tion, poisoning food supplies and acting as guides 


wesc during nighttime raids. The usefulness of Ninjas 
A 
son to the changes Activision assures us are ended in the beginning of the Edo period 


yet to come. In addition (1600-1868), when social order was 
to two new levels, testored by the government 
Activision is adding an throughout Japan. Contrary to 
equal number of new popular belief, they pos- 
weapons to your arsenal, sessed no super-human 
which already includes a Boe CRESE UES 
i 5 so they say. 
wide array of throwing 
stars, smoke bombs, 
grenades and caltrops 
(spiky devices thrown at 
the feet of your enemy). In addition to English dia- 
logue, Activision also hopes to include a subtitled ver- 
sion of the original Japanese dialogue, something 
diehard fans of Japanese games have requested 
for years! The only catch is they're not sure 
whether or not both soundtracks will fit. Let's 
hope they do. New animation for the male 
ninja, Rikimaru, and improved collision 
detections also are on the docket. 



























he mice come out to play! 





A ninja’s work can get pretty "messy. 
Watch for loads of flowing blood. 





September 1998 








Official U.S. GIEWae titel itagzane( 2) 





- = Stealth is the key to success, 
The sneaky peeks around the but there are many situations 
corner in Tenchu bear more than where you'll have no choice but 
a striking resemblance to those in to draw your steel. The less 


the upcoming Metal Gear Solid. confrontations though, the 
better your chances are. 





uN $1000 


Lontest Lo~sQonsors: 


Gomers’ 


enubuc 





Be: 

ep | be y pry > 

PlayStation | : i LM or by sending a SASE to: ThunderForce V Contest c/o SPAZ, & WORKING DESIGN 
esee . ; 


ery game package. 











signs’ and "SPAZ* are regist 
diners! Republic isa trademark 





An early look at the games of tomorrow 


NASCAR 99 


NASCAR turns 50, while EA’s game turns two 


anniversary comes EA Sports’ NASCAR 

99, the sequel to one of last year’s 
most critically and commercially successful 
racing simulations. 

Bang fenders with 31 current NASCAR 
drivers—including Dale Earnhardt, Mark 
Martin, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and 
Dick Trickle—or make a run at the check- 
ered flag as a racing legend from the past, 
such as Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison or 
even “The King,” Richard Petty. 


I n celebration of NASCAR's 50th 


58 





You'll be able to take full control 
of your pit crew as they race to 
outfit your vehicle. 





ALIS “BENNY 
ss 








In addition to upping the field to 
an impressive 31 cars (each accurate 
down to the last decal), EA Sports 


if 


PARSONS 








[ 


Theme Sports/Racing # of Players 1-2 
% Complete 80% Availability September 








Publisher Electronic Arts Developer Stormfront 


car x 202037 
The King Richard Petty 


imagine many o} 
in 1967, Petty won 27 of including 
a string of 10-straight. T time 
champio) t Populac Driver nine 
times, 

is X £0 exit, dep fo change 


added night-time racing, TV-style race commentary by 
Benny Parsons and Bob Jenkins, and an entirely new 
physics model to this year’s version. All-new pit commen- 
tary also allows crew chiefs to relay crucial track and 

car information to their drivers, adding a whole new 
dimension of realism. 

Replacing Molly Hatchet on NASCAR 99's soundtrack 
are George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers, 
Joe Satriani and the late Stevie Ray Vaughn, each 
presented in Dolby Surround Sound. 

Considering the strong sales NASCAR 98 continues to 
enjoy almost a year after its release, NASCAR 99 seems 
destined to tear up the sales charts when it hits store 
shelves this fall. Hopefully the game turns out to be wor- 
thy of that inevitable windfall. 





Devil Dice 


One diabolically challenging puzzle game 





dice touching is equal to the 
number showing on the top of 
all of them. For example, if 
you have four dice on the 
board, you ideally want to 
organize them in such a way 
that they are all touching and 
all showing Four on top. 


Levels such as this one can seem absolutely Of course, it's not as easy as 
maddening, but remember there's a reason it sounds; first of all, you're lim- 


you're given a specific number of steps. ited in the number of moves 





top for a moment and try 
S: picture a puzzle game. 

Easy, right? OK, now pic- 
ture a puzzle game that doesn’t 
involve falling blocks of some 
kind, Not so easy, is it? In fact, if 
you're specifically thinking of 
PlayStation games, odds are 
you're stuck on Intelligent Qube. 

Now THQ is adding one more puzzle game 

to the “non-Tetris” school, an addictive little 
number called Devil Dice. Your job is to move 
dice around in such a way that the number of 





Theme Puzzle/Strategy __# of Players 1-5 
% Complete 90% Availability September 
Publisher THO Developer Sony CEI 








you're allowed; and secondly, each of the five different 
kinds of dice has its own properties. For example, wooden 
dice will flip whether you're on top or pushing from the 
side, while some stone dice will flip when manipulated 
from the top but slide if pushed from the side, and so on. 

Devil Dice includes four different modes of play, includ- 
ing two unique Multiplayer Modes, one of which supports 
up to five players. Solo players have the option of playing 
against the clock in Trial Mode or working through 100 
maddening boards in Puzzle Mode. With all this, Devil 
Dice will definitely be a welcome addition to any puzzle 
fan’s library. Especially considering it doesn’t have any- 
thing at all to do with falling blocks. 








rid Enslaved By Ghosts Of The past 
gos bend ile Whims a Insanity 


He ew 


fs f 














PlayStation 








i ide! is can be obtained at our web site at http://www.workingdesigns.com, or by sending a SASE to Elemental 
lo Wor 19 Designs, 18135 Clear Creek Road, Redding, CA 96001. Complete details are also available inside every game packa 





TM 
ceo hes Qure games go to A 
PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "ELEMENTAL GEARBOLT" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Original Game © Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 1997. 
‘This game is published by Working Designs under license from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. English Translation © Working Designs 1998. “Working Designs’ is a registered trademark of Working Designs, Inc. All rights reserved. 
Shooters make better lovers! Web Address: http://www.workingdesigns.com For a dealer near you, call (530) 243-3417. "Electronic Gaming Montilyis a trademark of Ziff-Davis Inc. 


sy 




















i 





FOOTBALL PLAYERS PUMP IRON. 
=] 4) td | =] No 





In-your-face tackles. Jumbo-size players. 


oust. 
OIANAPOLS 








Windows 95 
Compatible 








PlayStation 
lay’ BK 


lidway Games Inc. All rights reserved. BLITZ and MIDWAY are trademarks of Midway Games Inc. ©1998 NFLP. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. The NFL shield, 

>) Bowl are trademarks of the National Football League. Officially Licensed Product of the National Football League. Officially Licensed Product of Players Inc. Distributed by Midway Home. 
ers Inc Logo is a registered trademark of the NFL Players. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo. Nintendo 64 
are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc, ©1998 Nintendo of America Inc. Licensed by Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. 


os 





An early look at the games of tomorrow 


Assault 


Theme Action/Adv. # of Players 1-2 
% Complete 50% Availability October 
Publisher Midway Developer Telstar 
























As if the new Contra Adventure 
weren't enough, Midway is 
releasing their own 3D shooter 
in the classic Contra style. 
Players can expect loads of snazzy 
special effects and hordes of alien 
nasties. That's good shootin’! 


Viva Soccer 


Theme Sports/ Racing %# of Players 1-4 
% Complete 60% Availability September 
Publisher Virgin Developer Virgin 





It's about time soccer fans had 
a chance to play as the real 
players from their favorite teams. 
In addition to this extra level of 
realism, Viva Soccer lets you 
replay World Cup tournaments 
from 1958-1998, I can’t wait. 


Theme Sports/Racing % of Players 1-2 
% Complete 65% Availability November 
Publisher Virgin Developer Point of View 


Perhaps it’s Gran Turismo that's 
spawned the recent surge of 
racers. Regardless, Virgin is hop- 
ping into the fray with their fully 
licensed, fully realistic Grand 
Touring racing sim. We'll see how 
it manages to stack up. 


Dead Unity 


Theme Action/Adv. i of Players 1 
% Complete 40% Availability 0498 
Publisher THO Developer Aramat Prod. 


THQ is hard at work on this 
futuristic 3D sci-fi adventure. 
Players take the role of Works, a 
cyborg with a modifiable, body- 
mounted weapon, as he battles 
enemies throughout a pre- 
rendered environment. 





Theme Fighting 4 of Players 12 
% Complete 60% Availability October 
Publisher Capcom Developer Capcom 


The game that single-handedly 
started the fighting craze hits 
the PlayStation in all three of 
its arcade incarnations. Admit 
it, these guys were your early- 
nineties heroes. Sho-ryu-ken! 


"SUPERB ANIMATION 












AND BREATHTAKING 

CINEMAS... LOOKS 
aon ta § MORE LIKE THE 
‘ie 


1d <@) B) CLG RO) ara 
DISNEY STUDIO...” 


- NEXT GENERATION 


"SIMPLY 
STUNNING." 


- GAMEPRO 


INTRODUCING 16 MILLION COLORS 





Over 30 minutes of cinematics fluidly merge with gameplay in a thrilling storyline full of bizarre characters with a great sense 


of humor. Dedicated sound effects and an original score make Heart of Darkness an unforgettable gaming experience. 








Experience intense action as you help young Andy fight through 8 huge levels and 175 different locations 





in @ dark world filled with mystical mazes, exotic landscapes and evil enemies, in search 
of his best friend, Whisky. 





Heart of Darkness is a trademark of AMAZING STUDIO. ©1998 AMAZING STUDIO - INFOGRAMES. All rights reserved. Interplay Entertainment Corp. is the exclusive publisher and 
distributor in North America. All rights reserved. Interplay, Tantrum, and "By Gamers, For Gomers." ore trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. All rights reserved. Playstation and the 
Playstation logos are registered trademarks of the Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and copyrights ore the property of their respective owners. 


PlayStation, 





ON THE PLAYSTATION® GAME CONSOLE 












DARKNESS’ 


An Epic Adventure in a World Unlike Any Other 


Unrepetitive! Every level looks different, requiring a new skill or strategy to find Whisky. 2000 frames of animation arefused 


just for Andy, so he moves smoothly whether he's climbing, sneaking across a bridge or swimming through murky wt 
tM 


COMING THIS AUGUST 





melamicele-Wlalceraiitelitevamee!|| 


1-800-INTERPLAY 


or visit 


www. interplay.com 


Be 


Lpeee Goes www.heartofdarkness.com BY GAMERS. FOR GAMERS.™ 


Created By 





BS itemeattmnn ligariians 


See what the world is really playing 


Soul Calibur 














Namco's sequel to its weapons- 

based fighter Soul Edge (or Soul 
Blade in the United States) is nearing 
completion. Returning from the first 
game are favorites Mitsurugi, Sophitia, 
Taki and Voldo. Along with the original 
crew are newcomers Maxi, Kilik, Xiang 
Hua, Astaroth, Nightmare and Ivy. Around six other characters will be accessible via the time-release 
method found in Soul Edge and Tekken 3, and one character is rumored to be Hwang from Soul Edge. 
Running on Namco’s PlayStation-based System 12 Board, Soul Calibur is moving at a mouth-watering 
: re| 60fps (for comparison’s sake, Soul Edge ran at 30fps). Particle effects, 3D backgrounds and a new 


[:: been awhile in the making, but 











Lights-sourcing is more dramatic and gives the players a more 
realistic look. Check out the new after glow of the weapons above. 


feature called the “Weapon-Weight System” are all incorporated into this stunning 
new game. However, the improvements don’t stop there. Aside from the sheer, 
blistering speed of the game, the characters also have a greater degree of freedom 


Response times have been improved so that fights are now truly a 
test of a gamers’ skill. A little extra depth goes a long way. 





when moving around the screen. Additionally, 
combos are not as reliant on preset animations, 
instead they are more open-ended and can be 
combined in practically any order. Although a 
PlayStation version hasn't officially been 
announced yet, you can be sure it’s in the planning 
stages, due to the successful translation of Tekken 
3. Expected in arcades this July, check out Soul 
Calibur for a glimpse of the PlayStation’s future. 








September 1998 





Official U.S PlayStation wagzzne( 2) 


Thousand Arms 


n Thousand Arms you play the 
[-:: of a boy named Meiss 
Triumph who must save the 
world from the evil empire of 
Dianova. The action takes place in a 
world where magic, swords and 
steam machinery co-exist. Can you 
say Final Fantasy VII? Of course there 
are differences between the games 
with the most notable being the way 
you upgrade your sword. You must 
forge your current sword into a better 
one because they aren't for sale at any store. Rounding out the other 
highlights are backgrounds that are real-time 3D instead of preren- 
dered and the battle scenes are presented in Animotion battle (Anime 
+ motion) which has a 2D fighter look to it. Last, but not least is a love 
interest for your character. 


The backgrounds are 3D with 
2D character sprites similar to 
Square's upcoming Xenogears. 





10% 











Beat Mania 


he music game craze start- 
T ed by PaRappa keeps gain- 

ing strength with literally a 
new entry every other month. The 
latest comes from Konami and has 
made its rounds at arcades before 
finding a home on the PlayStation. 
Beat Mania puts you in control of 
a simplified turn table where you 
must press buttons (a total of five keys) and scratch the turntable at the 
proper moments. The home version is actually a port of Beat Mania 2nd 
Mix which had more selectable tunes. The coolest part is that Konami 
went the extra mile and added another eight tunes exclusively for the 
PlayStation version for a total of 19 jams. These range from Reggae, Hip 
Hop, Break-Bts, Ballad, Ska and Konamix. In case you're wondering, 
Konamix is a remix of tunes from the classic shooter Salamander (known 
as Life Force here). Adding to the authenticity will be accessory wizards 
ASCII who will have a Beat 
Mania Turn Table controller 
available at the same time the 
game goes on sale. For the 
less adventurous, Beat Mania 
is compatible with the Dual 
Shock, but that’s strictly for 
posers and wanna-bes. 




















So; beatmonia 














Red Company: 





antilyou thought 





plsystalon)) www.em 








See what the world is really playing 


Ehrgeiz 

hrgeiz is one of those games you either love or hate. I happen to 
FE: it and couldn't be happier that a PlayStation port (it was in 

serious doubt for quite a while) has been announced. As you may 
have guessed by the developer info at the bottom, this comes to us from 
the same team responsible for the amazing Tobal 2, and Ehrgeiz shares 
more than a similarity or 
two with that title. Most of 
the feelings of déja vu 
come from the character 
designs and movements as 
well as the need to 
utilize the 3D movement 
that separated Tobal 2 
from the rest of the pack. 
A big difference is the fact 
that unless you hold down 
the Block button, your 
character will be in a nonstop run. 
The frantic action that ensues is 
blistering, and although it may seem 
like random mayhem at first, you'll 
notice that the precision gameplay 
of Tobal 2 is the true key to success. 
The hard part is to execute it at the 
speed the action takes place. The 
backgrounds in Ehrgeiz also play a 
big role in dictating strategy as they can vary in shape and size greatly 
from one arena to another. You may have only a 
small rectangular strip aboard a speeding train in 
one stage, but have the option of jumping onto 
rooftops in another. Each character has a stage 
that better suits his/her strengths which adds 
yet another layer of strategy into the mix. The 
release date has not yet been set, but it's cer- 
tain to be available before the end of the year in 
Japan with a lag of a few months for a U.S. version. 





STAGE 3 


In addition to the basic power 
meters, you'll receive score 
tallies based on various factors. 










September 1998 


Official U.S. PlayStation vagazine( 





Legend of the Legaia 


he world of Legaia was a peace- 
Te place until a mysterious mist 

spread over the land and caused 
the creatures called Cells to go crazy 
and start attacking people. Up ‘til 
then the Cells were used as beasts of 
burden that provided transportation, 
tools and weapons. Some of the 
people built high walls surrounding 
their cities while others chose to go 
underground. Now it is up to Van to 
get rid of the mist and save the world. 
(Perhaps his people will discover that they just needed to treat the 
creatures more humanely or they'll go back to the way they were.) You'll 
only find out if you beat the game. Unlike Thousand Arms, the world 
and characters in Legaia are all real-time 3D characters. The battle 
system is called the Tactics Arts System and resembles a 3D fighting 
game. You'll be able to utilize a wide variety of moves and combos 
during the battle. The graphics and story seem to be pretty strong and 

this is a sure contender to 
make its way stateside. 





Here the characters discuss 
how they can once again live 
above ground in peace. 











ate 90% 
Light Weight 














All Japan Women’s 
Pro Wrestling 


'e got next! Although the 
Were wrestling fad has 
come and gone here in the 


States (remember G.L.O.W., Gorgeous 
Women of Wrestling?), it remains a 
fairly strong mainstay in the appetites 
of the Japanese. Pro Wrestling (or puro 
res in Japanese shorthand) games on 
the PlayStation will have a new con- 
tender in the form of All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling which will feature 
real-life stars. To ensure that the game doesn’t play like a men’s wrestling 
game, AJWPW employs authentic motion-captures by the actual ladies. 
The textures and colors of the 
costumes will also add an 
authentic aspect to the action. 
Seeing as there aren't enough 
active or well-known women 
wrestlers to fill out the roster 
of this title, it's extremely 
doubtful that this title will 
ever see the light of day here. 
What do you think? 






























Srunswick 





e Intelligent bowler and crowd reactions 


\i 


© Brand new Brunswick Skins Game format 






e State-of-the-art physics engine for 


© 73 Brunswick ProStaff™ Bowlers 
unbelievably real pin action 


\on 






¢ Multi-player up to 6 players 


PlayStat 


e 
a, 


© Cosmic Bowling™ 


Coming in September 
} 











www.thg.com 


TH ( www.brunswickbowling.com 


WINDOWS’ =| iy 
aS 


Brunswick is a registered trademark of Brunswick Corporation. Cosmic Bowling and ProStaft are trademarks of Brunswick Bowling and Billiards Corporation. Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling isa trademark of THO inc. ©1998 THO Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc 














It’s golf, 








WHAT'S BEEN KEEPING YOU OFF 


THE LOCAL GOLF COURSE? TRY HOT 


SHOTS GOLF, WHERE YOU DON'T 


HAVE TO LUG YOUR BAG OR GET 


A LOT OF SNIDE LOOKS FROM OLD 





MEN IN BAD PANTS. FROM TEE TO 


GREEN, THE SWINGS ARE FLUID, AND 


THE HAZARDS ARE REAL. PLAY A QUICK 


NINE AGAINST YOUR FRIENDS - AND 


WHY NOT MAKE IT A BUCK A HOLE 








WHILE YOU'RE AT IT. COMPETE IN — 





TOURNAMENTS AS THE CROWD 


CHEERS YOU ON, GO A FEW ROUNDS 


OF MINIATURE GOLF. OR JUST TAKE 


SOME LESSONS. BUT THE BEST PART? 


YOU DON'T NEED A MEMBERSHIP. 





“The graphics are so vivid, 
it’s like watching golf on TV.” 


-Dave Stevens 
ESPN 


“This game is a blast.” 
-Game Informer 


“Hot Shots Golf is the best-looking 
and most-fun-playing golf game of all time.” 


-Paul Johnson 
Sport Magazine 


PlayStation 





www.playstation.com 


PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Hot Shots 
Golfis a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. ©1998 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 





~ We play crappy games so you don’t have to 





September 1998 


Official U.S! PlayStati n iagazine( 3) 


Parasite 
ve 









| Memory Card 
FF] 1 block 





Squaresoft 
Square EA 
RPG 








PlayStation] 








‘Analog Controller 
Compatible 


PlayStation 





A revolution of evolution 


0 you're sitting in Carnegie Hall, enjoying a quiet night at 
the opera. The female lead, a stark beauty with long 
| straight hair and a tightly cinched corset, begins her solo. 
And suddenly the night isn’t so quiet. A cast member looks 
at the soloist, horrified—and bursts into flames. More cast 
members turn quickly into human torches, and the audience follows 
suit. (Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year, you know. It’s 
just not widely reported.) Soon, the entire hall is in flames. Much of the 
audience manages to flee, but you remain to face this strange new evil. 
Why? Well, you're Aya Brea, a tough rookie in the NYPD, and you won't 
stand by and let some woman turn your city into a big ol’ barbecue. 
Thus begins Parasite Eve, an engrossing modern-day role-playing 
game that mixes some of the best elements of Resident Evil and Final 
Fantasy VII. The horrific scene that starts the game isn’t by any means 
the most disturbing. In the course of the game you'll watch familiar 
creatures mutate into hideous monsters; you'll see people collapse into 
liquid as their squishy insides come bursting out their orifices; and you'll 





" 103/621 


ae Pe 


* 


The environments in Parasite Eve are rendered 
in painstaking detail, and many reflect real-world 
locations. For example, recognize the fountain 
above? Think: Mel Gibson...give up? This was the 
area of New York’s Central Park from which Mel 
and Renee Russo’s son was abducted in Ransom. 
It’s a lot spookier at night, no? 





even get to see New York City terrorized by a walking pile of snot the 
size of the Statue of Liberty. Then some gross stuff happens. 





Using a modified version of the Final Fantasy VII engine, Parasite Eve 
testifies to its lineage with every excruciatingly detailed static environ- 
ment. With the action set in modern-day New York, the developers took 
even greater care in presenting a realistic setting. Little details, like the 
mess on a police officer's desk (complete with yellow Post-its stuck to 
monitors) or the intricate stonework in Central Park, add realism that 
few games—including FFVII—have ever matched. In other words, the 
graphics are just plain gorgeous. 

The music and sound deserve to be mentioned, as well. In addition to 
a cinematic musical score, PE includes some nice touches in the sound 
effect department, like footsteps that pan from side to side as charac- 
ters cross the screen. And that’s not even mentioning the truly sicken- 
ing sounds that accompany the grisly cinemas. 
























2 6b WHy're yow 
ed.in MY work? 


The frequent cinemas are one of the high- 
lights of Parasite Eve. Occasionally so 
spooky as to be disturbing, they are 
directed in true Hollywood style. Although 
the human character animations could 
have used some work, and the detail 
could have been a bit more crisp, there’s 
no denying that the cinemas play a cen- 
tral—and effective—role in the game. 





Furthermore, Parasite Eve manages to add a degree of action to 
FFVII's unique hybrid real-time/turn-based combat engine. 
Specifically, the main character is now able to move around as 
5 her Attack Time meter refills. This allows Aya to avoid 
projectile attacks while bringing enemies into 
mm, range. This small change makes PE’s battles 
“even more exciting than FFVII's epic con- 
NN flicts. You'll be perched on the edge of 
3 your seat, dodging attacks and praying 
that your meter refills just a split 
second before the enemy's, before 
emptying a clip into a slobbering 
mutant beast. 




















The story, although derivative in 
some respects (more than a couple 
comparisons can be drawn to Akira, 
for example), is interesting and nicely 






paced. The basic story is that human mitochondria, the tiny engines 
that produce energy within our cells, have been evolving at 10 times 
the rate of humans, are now sentient, and have decided to seek world 
domination. The main villainess, who calls herself “Eve” (née Melissa 
Pearce), is leading the revolution—or, more accurately, the evolution. 
It's up to Aya, the only human immune to Eve's incendiary presence, 
to defeat her and save humanity. Twists and turns abound, including 
a surprise relationship between Aya and Eve, which all help to make 
an intriguing story line. 

Thankfully, the dialogue which serves to advance the story is 
reasonably well-written. With the exception of some awkward 
translation, the dialogue is gritty and real, and often just plain funny. 
Aya and her gruff partner Daniel read like characters from a better- 
than-average TV movie: a bit melodramatic, but not horribly so. (This 
is a nice surprise, considering the dialogue in FFVII was sometimes 
too poorly translated to be understandable.) Parasite Eve’s dialogue is 
often accompanied by gestures and body language which could have 
been animated a bit better, but all in all the story side of the game is 
as enjoyable as the battle. 





One of the most crucial elements in Parasite Eve 
is the ability to modify Aya’s weapons, armor and 
attributes. Using tools, scattered sparsely through 
the game, players can transfer attributes from one 
piece of weaponry or armor to another. These 
include transferring all the Parameter Values 
(top left) or a single slot value (top center) 
_ to anew item. Once a value has been 
N removed from a weapon or piece of 
\ armor, the old item is discarded. In 
‘, similar fashion, players can use Bonus 
‘, Points (accumulated each time Aya’s 
level increases) to modify Aya’'s 


recharge time, 
item capacity 
(top right), and 
even each of the 
different attribut- 
es of any weapon 
or piece of armor 
(lower right). Every 100 Bonus Points translates 
to only one modifier point, however, and it takes 
several battles to advance a single level, so this 
type of modification is extremely time-consuming. 
Still, this level of control gives PE more options in 
character advancement than most RPGs. 
























The game sports 

a cinematic flair 
which is mostly 
effective, if some- 
times a bit hokey. 
Tilted cameras 
(right) are a little 
too B-movie for me. 





, e els, although relatively interesting, are not terribly detailed. The inclu- 
Unfortunately, the game isn’t quite deserving of unrestrained sion of more believable animation would have made a world of differ- 











praise. First off, don’t expect even the rudimentary puzzles found in ence. One particularly annoying feature was Aya’s running animation. 
the Resident Evil series. The game includes not a single puzzle I can She starts out clad in a slinky black evening gown, but spends the 
think of, and that's defining “puzzle” as loosely as possible. For the entire game running as though she’s still wearing that dress. In other 
most part, the game consists of chugging through a series of battles words, she moves like an overdressed girl—not like the tough, capa- 
as the story moves on around you, pausing periodically to upgrade ble cop she’s supposed to be. 
is equipment and your character. This will no doubt prove irritating to 
x those who expect more than an interactive horror/mystery film. The line 
e The game includes a few technical gaffes, as well. Most frustrating Parasite Eve had originally drawn some flak from overeager 
2 is the fact that the “hot spots” in the static background (i.e., areas in importers for being too short. At 15-plus hours to complete the first 
gs which the Action button triggers the few objects, like doors and time through, plus a 77-level bonus area, I found these criticisms to 
& chests, that Aya can manipulate) are often maddeningly small. This be largely unfounded. The biggest problem as I see it is the lack of 
means that you can waste a good deal of time moving incrementally any cerebral challenge whatsoever. But if you accept that and let 
(72) around a door or button or phone (the game’s save points) before yourself get drawn into the compelling story, you should find the 
caf actually triggering the damned thing. game every bit as intriguing—and entertaining—as I did. That is, as 
5 I touched on the character animations a bit earlier, as well. On the long as you don’t have a problem with giant, walking piles of snot. 
= whole, these are pretty disappointing. The polygonal character mod- —Joe Rybicki 
i= 
s EX d Co 
3 tra Mode : 
s Spoiler Alerti—You've been warned. Upon the first com- © Beautiful graphics “You're Aya 
pletion of Parasite Eve, you will be rewarded with some- ° Nicely interesting story Brea, a tough 
2 thing called EX Mode. At first, it may seem as though © Surprisingly capable rookie in the 
a you've just restarted the game with some more difficult ‘ wating and translation NYPD, and you 
ej i S Pe ots of ways to advance ; 
= enemies. But check your inventory. and you'll find that your character won’t stand by 
fe) you're equipped with the most powerful weapon and ¢ Bonus EX’ Mode | and let some 
armor you had at the end of the last game. Not only that, © Well-balanced difficulty woman turn 
but the first time you head out into New York you'll notice ) your city into 
that you now have access to the Chrysler Building—but No puzzles whatsoever a big ol” 
don't even think about heading over there until at least the Tiny “hot spots” barbecue.” 
Poor character animations 





fourth or fifth day; the building consists of a whopping 77 
randomly generated levels populated with some of the 
nastiest beasts found in the game. You'll want to give it 

a try, anyway; if you head over there after Aya has grown 
in power, plow through all 77 levels and beat the final, 


incredibly difficult Boss, you'll be rewarded with an 
entirely new ending! Good luck... ro ] 6 ro | ro ) CG) 


Rating 


Official 
.S. 


EWAYS 






ation 


WUE EES 














Ln, 


= = 


ft 


ENTERTAINMENT 





ms 


SCARRED 


NINTENDOS* 


at 
PlayStation ON 


1@) 


©1998 Vivid Image. Graphics and sotind effects Ubi Soft Entertainment/ Vivid Image. Ubi Soft © & @ 1998 Ubi Soft Entertainment, Inc. Alliights reserved, All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. PlayStation and 
PlayStation logos ae eusered tremens of Sony ComputerEmertanment ne Mult required for or players onthe PlayStation” Game Console. Nitendo and logo are eitered mademars of Nntando of America ine, ©1385, 
jintendo of America Inc. 


2 
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= 









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E 
s 
8 
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Atlus Bary 
RPG weplooke 








September 1998 








Official U.S. GEMS ELaCel Magazine) 


Kartia 


‘Common Mites PlayStation 





The chess of the next millennium? 


t's not hard to see why strategy role-playing games have 
become so popular. The best of them take a familiar genre 
and add to it enough careful strategy to create a style of 
game that may well be the chess of the next millennium. 

Kartia (pronounced CAR-tee-uh) is one of the most interesting of 
these. From its graphic style to its fundamentals of gameplay, the 
game boasts enough fresh ideas to make it one engrossing title. 

First off, you'll notice that the graphic style is a bit off the beaten 
path. With characters and artwork designed by Yoshitaka Amano, the 
character designer for Final Fantasy I-VI, Kartia is extremely stylish. 





And, although still quite Japanese, the graphics are much less “cutesy” 

(or kawai, if you prefer) than the majority of other games of the genre. 
But the gameplay is where Kartia really shines. The battles are 

deceptively simple; characters use only three different types of 

weapons, and only three different types of armor. Certain players 

can create “Phantoms,” magical allies to aid in battle, but again only 

three basic types of these are present, although in varying strengths. 









Mona 
TPlease, . 
Let me go back... 4 
Misty 
Sorry, I can’t let you do that.1 


f} 
He 5 


Toxa 
‘OF course! 


‘We have to save the girl! ¢ Q 


watch as it is to play. 


TAre we going to chase after the enemy’? J 


Old-school RPG fans will no doubt recognize the 
uniquely gaunt character style of Amano’s early 
Final Fantasy artwork. With this unusual graphic 
style (above), Kartia is as much a pleasure to 





What makes the battles so interesting, however, is the way in which 
these seemingly simple elements interact. The three phantom types, 
for example, are ranked in a “Rock, Paper, Scissors” fashion, which 
modifies attack and defense when they clash. And each of the three 
weapon and armor types is suited to a particular terrain orientation. 
An axe, for example, does more damage when attacking from above, 
while a helmet offers more protection against an attack from higher 
ground. The only elements of battle that turned me off a bit were the 
relative weakness of magic and the somewhat boring environments— 
oh, and the battles can get verylong, which isn’t really all that bad. 

The inclusion of a two-player Vs. 
Mode, which simply puts a human 
on either side of the battlefield, is 
icing on an already tasty cake. 
Simple and addictive, Kartia 
comes highly recommended. 





Between the battles that advance the nicely 
detailed story, players can choose to battle 
in the Arena (above). Although losing in the 
Arena won’t end your game, winning can 


provide your characters with new weapons 
and abilities not to be found elsewhere. 


fey eo) 


Ss “A two-player 





J 
© Battles are complex, but Vs. Mode is 
easy to understand icing on an 
© Great, unusual graphics already tasty 
ale: Mode cake. Simple 
reat music and sound ae 
© Decent stoi and addictive, 
¢ 5 Kartia comes 
# highly recom- 
Relatively weak magic % 
° Soaienhat boring mended. 
environments 
© Some weak translation 
© Long battles 








Official 


PlaySt 





ation 


ilagazine, 








PLAYeR COMBAT” 


—videogames.com 


Join an epic 2-player struggle where only 

the fittest survive. Your objective? Utter 

annihilation. Your tactics? Outwit and 

outmaneuver your enemy. Then engage 

in fierce real-time 3D battles. The 
outcome? Absolute destruction. 


Gry th 


pc CD-ROM OUT THINK. OUT MANEUVER. OUT LI 


sal Ds rademacs 





We play crappy games so you don’t have to Developer Capcom 








Mega Man| => 
Legends|= = 


= 
PlayStation 








Capcom’s hero rocks into the third dimension 


ne common complaint you hear whenever a new The main problem with Legends is that the control is a bit 
Mega Man game is released is that it is too much like the unresponsive at first. Also, the unintelligent camera remains a pain 
previous version. Sure, there may be some new weapons throughout the game as it constantly needs adjusting. Strangely 









~ and some crazy new robots to fight, but the classic Mega enough, there isn’t any analog support. That alone would have 
Man gameplay is always intact. With their latest Mega Man release, improved the control drastically. 
Capcom has taken a bold turn with their long-running series by Despite the minor control issues, Mega Man Legends is still tons of 
transplanting Mega Man into a 3D world. Luckily, it worked out weil. fun. The new characters are great, especially your monkey pal, Data, 
In addition to the new 3D environment, there is a new story line as who gives you tips during the game and the army of enemy soldiers 
well. In this one, Mega Man must try to defeat a group of pirates who who look like those little Lego people. The story is also a lot more 
are after a legendary treasure. The game maintains the Mega Man involved than those in the previous Mega Man installments. 
tradition of blasting robots and earning new weapons, but adds strong Fans of the Mega Man series 
adventure and RPG elements to make the game play unlike any other should not be disappointed with 
Mega Man game before it. Between the many mazes, dungeons and Legends. It’s just what a 3D Mega 
impressive Boss battles, you will find yourself wandering through Man game should be. I just hope 
towns, talking to civilians and purchasing weapon upgrades. There is this doesn’t mark the end of 
some speech within the game, and it’s of a much higher quality than Mega Man’s 2D career. 
those heard in the other U.S. Mega Man games. —Phil Theobald 





Forget about those little guys like Metal 
Man and Sword Man. The Bosses in Mega 
Man Legends are huge! As an added chal- 
lenge, they often require something more 
than just flat-out blasting to defeat. It'll 
take a little more strategy and skill to 
take these guys down. 


September 1998 











Pros 
It's Mega Man in 3D! “Fans of the 
© Adventure and RPG ele- Mega Man 





ments spice up gameplay series should 
© Data, the monkey, and his | 1o¢ be disap- 
crazy monkey dance P 





Official U.S. GIEMpS eae Magazine 


jointed with 
Cons tga It’s 
 Sluggish control (where's just what 
the analog support?) 3D M 
© Difficult to change camera sores 
angles during battle Man game 
© Some bland textures should be.” 





Every now and again, the game will cut toa 
real-time cinema to advance the plot. These 
scenes look great and add a lot to the story. 
Plus, since they use the game’s graphics, the 


whole thing blends together. ro] ° ro] ° 7 











! WARNING ! 


THRILL KILL™ CONTAINS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC 
AND VIOLENT SCENES AND SUBJECT MATTER. 








TERMS AND CONDITIONS 





® You must be at least 18 years old to view or play 
this game. 


® You must not find images of adults engaged in 
Nie) (=) a) wre (oue- Ma Coll ol-Moy ac-Jal-Ji'(- Me) ame) e) (-Veqd (oat: le) (=m 


® You must understand and take full responsibility 
for all decisions made in regards to this ad if 
you breach these terms and conditions. 


| AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS 
AND PROCEED AT MY OWN RISK. 


eNom Meiele)emete) tle) / 4) [eo -ele) ea ie) = 
TO VIEW THIS ADVERTISEMENT. 





actual in-game character shots 





“Moas cinpurings ra Twil (il 
AGN 


“Mose. angi-aocial en Twill Kil 
—Lgrtsivienty Wey 














RATING PENDING 


©1998 Virgin Interactive Entertainment, Inc. Virgin is a registered trademark of Virgin Enterprises, Ltd. Virgin Interactive Entertainment, Inc., 18061 Fitch Ave., Irvine, CA 
92614 U.S.A. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of 

® Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Manufactured and printed in U.S.A. THIS SOFTWARE 
1S COMPATIBLE WITH PLAYSTATION GAME CONSOLES WITH THE NTSC U/C DESIGNATION. U.S. AND FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING. 


PlayStation 














We play crappy games so you don’t have to 




























Tiburon Ee Momneey Cart 
Electronic Arts 





Sports/Racing 





September 1998 





Official U.S. (GEE MASLEM (ey itagazine( @ ) 


NCAA 
Football 99 


PlayStation 





EA makes the best college football game yet 







ntil now, EA’s college sports games have always been a 
pale shell of their professional counterparts. This year, EA 
gave NCAA Football 99 its own development team and 

ee pool of resources in hopes that the franchise would come 
into its own. Oh, has it ever. 

NCAA 99 has every option a college football fan could ever want— 
and more. There are offensive and defensive play editors, team-specific 
playbooks, a Dynasty Mode (where you must recruit players and com- 
pensate for those leaving early for a draft) and a feature for beginners 
that even draws out the play in front of you on the field at the touch of 
a button. Just about every college team is included in the game, and 
many of their specific fight songs are played, provided you're on their 
home field. And that’s only a sampling of this game's depth. 

Now you might be thinking, “What are features without gameplay?” 
Don’t worry. NCAA Football is a finely tuned football game that plays 
fast and smoothly, even though it sports great-looking 3D graphics. 
But you wouldn't easily guess that the players are polygonal because 
they are devoid of rough, blocky edges, thanks to some great player 








This player’s legs are gonna be pretty sore after 
this tackle. Maybe so much so that he'll get 
injured and miss a few games (above). 





models and detailed textures that make the player's uniforms look 
authentic. Additionally, a variety of great animations (such as wrap- 
tackles, varied low, high and one-handed catches) bring these 
impressive-looking players to life. 

But there’s something else that breathes life into them as well, and 
that's the game's artificial intelligence. While NCAA 99’s Al isn’t 
remotely perfect, it looks like it was designed by a rocket scientist 
when compared to last year’s NCAA game: You'll have to think more 
about the plays you call, and how to get receivers open for the catch. 
The offensive play editor is sure to put this facet of the game to the 
test (we've made one money play), but on balance, NCAA's brains 
prove to be a worthy opponent. 

With such massive improvements to its 
graphics, gameplay and features, NCAA 
Football 99 is now the college pigskin 
game to beat. In fact, it is the best one 
ever made. 





NCAA helps beginners get into the game by 
providing learning aides such as on-field 
play diagrams (above). 


Box Score 


© Unbelievable amount of 
features and options 

© Great 3D graphics 

© Very good artificial 
intelligence makes the 
game challenging 





“NCAA has 
every option a 
college foot- 
ball fan could 
ever want— 
and more.” 


° Frame-rate could be a 
tad quicker 














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y{| 1-4 
Players 
| Memory Card 
2 blocks 


We play crappy games so you don’t have to 





















War Zone 


Fun for one, more for four 








WF War Zone shows how a simple concept like “beat your But if that weren't enough, the game also has a create-your-own- 
) friends into bloody pulps” can still be fun today. Sure wrestler feature. It may sound a bit silly, maybe even childish...but 
we've had four-player wrestling games before, but War darnit, making your own wrestler is a lot of fun (you'll have to play it to 
Zone manages to up the ante with a great overall package. understand). You can make a little twerp in tights (think Lamar from 
The bright points in the game are immediately obvious. First off, Revenge of the Nerds) or a giant mass of a freakshow (think Roseanne 
War Zone shows off some fantastic graphics. The frame-rate is silky from Roseanne). You might find yourself spending more time dressing 
smooth, without too much loss of speedy gameplay that is commonly up various wrestlers than actually playing the game itself! 
sacrificed in other animation-heavy games (like Perfect Weapon or If you're looking for a fun multiplayer game that looks great and is 
Time Commando, for example). easy to get into (none of the moves are too difficult to perform), give 
War Zone also comes with just about every mode you'll need in a WWF War Zone a try, even if you're not a big fan of this “sport.” It’s 
wrestling game (except Royal Rumble). With tag team, tornado, cage, almost guaranteed this game, with 
weapon matches and more, you won't tire of this game anytime soon. the ridiculous characters you can 
All of these games are especially fun if you have a multitap and three create and the realistic moves you 
friends who'd love to wrestle you without actually physically touching can pull off, will have you rolling 
you. Whether it’s two-on-two or a free-for-all brawl, you'll find that around with your friends in laugh- 
WWF War Zone is one of the best four-player PlayStation games ter (that’s a good thing). 
around (although admittedly, there aren't very many out there). —Dan Hau 









BULiGOG 


OPPEn mony 





(above) Why is WCW friend Bret Hart in a 
‘WWF game? Because when Acclaim first 
signed the licensing agreement months and 
months ago, he was still with the WWE 

No one ever said the video game industry 


September 1998 


is a timely one. 


Box Score 


BLUEBALL 





Official U.S. PlayStation itagazne( ©) 








Pr “ » 
rros If you’re 
© Incredible animations looking for 
° ioe of moves and a fun multi- 
modes of play | 
¢ Create your own coe ene 
races ntents! great and is 
easy to get 
Cons into, give 
¢ Sluggish controls AIRMEN 
© Too easy to block attacks pane 
a try... 





(above) Watch out Mr. Blueballs! Big television 
personality Roseanne is about to smash a TV 
set over your unsuspecting head. 











_For those of 
you who cant 
make it to 
France this , 

summer 


















Link combinations of over 
}-60idifferent: special moves, 
‘nidde: up) of over 350) new, 
mofion-captured animations, 
to: perform super -shots:and 
icious ‘physical attacks - 


PlayStation 





PSYGNOSIS} 


er Songepe Psy gnos) 
the PlayStation loans are registered tratemarks of Sony Computer Entertainm 


Ryu ae a Momo ap zs 


5D D ce 
[HRESSaOGEN 6 | HD aRaaiONnG 106 Hse So 





Unleash the power of Fire Blast and 50 Choose your allies well. Gain experience Release the dragons inside...transform into 
other spectacular magic spells. and master the skills needed to survive in many different forms, each with unique 
this epic 3-D world. special abilities. 









3 “yet strangely familiar. aes : ? oes. Z “ 








ae ‘aad “Now you possess the power to control his destiny...and yours. 
‘ . , ‘i é PPL s a 
s : 





PlayStation 

















© CAPCOM CO,, LID. 1998 © CAPCOM USA., INC. 1998 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. BREATH OF FIRE is a trademark of CAPCOM CO. LTD. 


CAPCOM is a registered trademark of CAPCOM CO., LID. PlaySttion and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Ine. WWW.Ca jejeie) m.com 







=-|Memory Card 
yer”) 








We play crappy games so you don’t have to 















ircuit Breakers is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the atmos- 
phere and theme are quite wacky and fun. On the other 
hand, the game, fundamentally, isn’t. Allow me to explain. 
It's not hard to see why Circuit Breakers draws comparisons 
to Micro Machines V3. The games are indeed similar, from the 
inclusion of land and water tracks down to the almost shamefully similar 
Multiplayer Mode. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; Micro Machines 
is an extremely enjoyable game. But unfortunately, while Circuit Breakers’ 
most basic tracks are pretty entertaining, the more advanced tracks can 
get terribly frustrating. Part of the problem is the incomprehensible inclu- 


Tight turns like this one are fine as long as 
a track barrier is present. Far too often, 
though, you'll find yourself hurtling off 
into space—and last place. 


Box Score 


thee ae ° Most track 








sion of little projections along the edges of nearly every course, which will ” rack design design Is 

bring your vehicle to a standstill and throw you into last place in a hurry. Fantastic music | © Bad use of 
Furthermore, the slightest deviation from the prescribed course causes tS mult pe 2 cine ae 
your vehicle to explode. At least in Micro Machines you had a chance of Se lees side prejections 
re-entering the track safely. Add to this the poorly-implemented camera, fibril 


which shows far too little of the track ahead for my taste, and you've got 
a game which often proves more frustrating than fun: 

Now, some of the courses are actually quite fun, but on the whole the 
game is pretty hit-or-miss. Rent it to see if it scores with you. 








Hice Rybicki OPM Rating 










MGM Interactive 
MGM Interactive 
Action/Adventure 








WarGames: 
Defcon 


his game should win MGM an award for the most frivolous 
use of a movie license. It has very little to do with the classic 
movie except that the enemy is called W.O.P.R. and the game 
involves the subject of war. Nevertheless, I like WarGames: 
Defcon 1. It shows that good gameplay supercedes a license, 
good or bad. 
If you've played Return Fire, you'll warm right up to WarGames. 
Basically, the game gives you a bunch of different tanks, robots, heli- 





Using terrain to your advantage can let you 
destroy enemies unscathed. 


Box Score 





© Lots of play e stupid License copters and other vehicles, and offers missions as an excuse to blow 
modes © Some of the things to bits. There are mild doses of strategy that prevent you from 

© Solid 3D artificial running around like a madman, however. Sometimes you'll need to use a 

é Graphics Intelligence wimpy jeep to scout and mow down some infantry, bring in heavy armor 
missions & to punch a hole in defenses, or a troop carrier to rescue some hostages. 


You can even issue simple orders to other combatants in your army. 

Suffice to say, the gameplay is pretty fun, and you can play the game 
from NORAD’s or W.O.P.R.’s side. Each has its own type of units and dif- 
ferent sets of missions. Moreover, you and a friend can cooperatively play 
the game or have it out via a split-screen in a Deathmatch or Capture the 
Flare battle. With all of these features, WarGames has plenty of depth to 
complement its engaging gameplay. —Kraig Kujawa 








OPM Rating 


THE DEFINITIVE SHOOTER FOR THE PLAYSTATION® GAME CONSOLE 


"...the most fantastic boss shooting scenes ever...” 


-GameFan 
".,.a spectacular shoote 





www.thg.com’ *'g ei 


G. Darius © 1998 Taito Corporation. PlayStation and PlayStation logos atavegistaret, gradeprark® ‘of SonyaGiamputer Entertainment Inc. 














PlayStation 
@ 


We play crappy games so you don’t have to 





Tactics 









riginally developed by Quest (the team responsible for Final 
Fantasy Tactics), Tactics Ogre is the sequel to Atlus’ recently 
released strategy RPG Ogre Battle. Unlike Ogre Battle, which 
initially saw a limited run on the SNES, Tactics Ogre was 
never released in the United States. 

Anyone familiar with FF Tactics will feel right at home with Tactics 
Ogre, whose interface and battle-system are basically the same. Among 
the differences (and some might say, improvements) is that you can have 
up to 10 characters on screen at the same time, as opposed to FF Tactics, 
which only let you field five characters. There are also up to eight differ- 


Epic confrontations are the norm as more 
than 20 combatants can appear on screen 


at once. 
Box Score 


° Easy-to-follow . Backgrounds 





ent endings available depending on how you finish the game and when story line don't rotate/tilt 
this is coupled with the substantial amount of secrets to find, Tactics © Large variety © Graphics are 
Ogre offers more replay value than many other strategy-RPGs. ce . No ceoreane 
The game isn’t without its limitations, however. TO'’s backgrounds are with up to improvements 
fixed and thus cannot tilt and rotate as in FF Tactics, thereby, at times, eight endings over original 


obscuring certain onscreen characters. As you might expect, this can be 
quite an annoyance during battle. Also the 16-Bit graphics may discour- 
age those used to 32-Bit pyrotechnics. Graphics aren't the most impor- 
tant thing, and those looking for a quality adventure, strategy or other- 
wise, would do well to check out this classic RPG. —James Meilke 


Z|Memory Card 
1 block 










OPAA Rating 















Konami 
Action/Adventure 












: The Contra 
Adventure 





remember when having the name Contra on a game meant 
that it would be a great, side-scrolling shooter where you 
could have fun blasting lots of aliens and cool, red flashing 
things. Well, the best thing I can say about the Contra 
Adventure is that at least it has red flashing things. 

This is one of the most messily designed games I've run across in 
awhile. Apparently, the developers of the game couldn't decide how they 
wanted to present the Contra Adventure, so they threw together a game 
that has some classic (but flawed) 2D gameplay, a bunch of boring Tomb 


We mentioned red flashing things, and 
there’s one right there! 


Box Score 





oH 





as a couple 
2D ‘evel gameplay Raider-esque levels, and some weird weightless level that is beyond 
© Lame visuals annoying. Sure, if they were done well I may have lavished praise on the 
e Ne Ive player game's diversity, but that is clearly not the case. This game is ridiculously 


unbalanced from the power of each weapon and where they are placed 
to the difficulty of the levels. Clearly, this isn't Contra caliber gameplay 
we're talking about here. 

Unfortunately, the graphics and sound aren't much better either. I 
prefer many of the SNES’ Contra III graphics to the shoddy visuals and 
music offered up here. We've heard that the next Contra game will be 
developed in Japan. With the mess that this game turned out to be, we 
can only hope that those rumors turn out to be true. —Kraig Kujawa 








OPM Rating 





Also | 
Available 
From 





Whether it’s the addictive puzzle play of Tetris Plus, the classic side scrolling fun of 
Punky Skunk or the fast paced driving action of Speed Racer; Jaleco has you covered. 
Pick up your favorite Jaleco title at a retailer near you, now. 


a) PlayStation L.. 


©1998 SPEED RACER ENTERPRISES, INC. All Rights Reserved. SPEED RACER is a Trademark of SPEED RACER ENTERPRISES, INC. and is used under license. TETRIS™ is a trademark of the Tetris Corporation, and is used under license, 
: Punky Skunk©1998 Visit Co., Ltd, Presented by Jaleco USA. Jaleco and the Jaleco logo are trademarks of Jaleco Ltd, PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 
S The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 















~ We play crappy games so you don’t have to i Konami 
Konami 
Sports/Racing 





eo | tor2 

Uf Players 

:| Memory Card 
1 block 








MLBPA Bottom 
of the 9th ‘99 


ore 












onami’s mediocre PlayStation baseball games have always 
played catch-up with everyone else, and this one is no differ- 
ent. Because of its paltry list of features and options, Bottom 
of the Ninth ‘99 is an incomplete baseball game, even though 
it is the best one of the series. 
The one piece of good (and very important) news is that the game 
plays pretty well. The 3D player graphics are very undetailed, but the 
upside of this is that the game moves quite smoothly at a brisk frame-rate. 


Thanks to skillful texture-mapping, Bottom 
of the Ninth ’99 has, by far, the best shot 
of an umpire’s ass in a baseball game. 


{oy Qui) 42) 





On occasion there are some weird animation glitches and some very F Ss 

minor slowdown (I can’t fathom why), but neither occur enough to hurt © Tight control e No MLB 

the gameplay badly. Also, the game control is very tight, responsive and Brisk, fun team license 

easy to learn. You'll definitely feel like you're in total control of the action. gameplay . Ugly. ugly, 
But beyond the good gameplay, BotN ‘99 suffers. The atmosphere of 8 Laughable list 

the game is boring, the menus are ugly, and the lack of features is stag- of features 


gering. There is little in this game to sink your teeth into, and not having 
the MLB team license is a pretty big omission. As a result, the only 

gamers to whom I can recommend this game are very casual fans who 
want to play a game once in a while. Any hardcore baseball nut will be 
incredibly disappointed by this game’s glaring omissions. —Kraig Kujawa 




















lt’ 





Ne 





f video games have taught me anything, it's that the future is a 
very dangerous place. Crime Killer, a futuristic combat racer 
from Interplay, only confirms this. You play as a rookie officer 
in a corporate-funded urban police force. Serving as both 

judge and jury, you patrol the crime-ridden streets of an 
unnamed city, destroying vehicles for the slightest infractions, including 
parking violations. (And you thought “the boot” was harsh...) 
As you progress through the game's 15 levels, you get to pilot three 
unique (if not imaginatively titled) killing machines—Car, Bike and 





light-sourcing effects and 
silky-smooth frame-rate didn’t manage to 
make Crime Killer a top-notch game. 


Box Score 


© Silky smooth, © Too much 





60fps action clvillan traffic Wing—each with its own handling characteristics and weaponry. Crime 
© Great vehicle © Weak enemy Al Killer's powerful 3D engine, developed by U.K.-based Pixelogic, flies at a 
measles i pene brisk 60fps, effortlessly generating all the obligatory lighting effects—lens 
a Three different levels flare; semi-transparent smoke; colored, directional lighting; etc—you'd 
vehicles 


expect to see in a futuristic “Euro” title. (You've been feeding us this stuff 
since WipeOut, guys. Get over it.) 

On the downside, driving around blowing stuff up in the long, mission- 
based levels gets monotonous surprisingly fast. Enemy Al is appallingly 
bad (the bad guys “escape” by driving around in a circlel), allowing 
Crime Killer's gorgeous game engine to go largely to waste. This one 
could have (and should have) been better. 











OPM Rating 


—Gary Mollohan 






The 


Driving, .. 
Yi ite Kaye Ib Ride 


SU TEPEISEIEND SEV AUIS US 


going to be a big hit. 
| Silltemae 
= PlayStation Magazine 







SS 
DUAL. SHOCK” 
ANALOG 
CONTROLLER! 






Strap yourself in for the fastest, most stamach-churning racing 

game ever! CIRCUIT BREAKERS: is like no other racing game on 
earth! Up to four players can battle head-to-head on over 30 raller 
coaster race tracks in any of 8 spectacular 3D worlds. No namby pamby 
‘corridor’ racing, each track features hair-raising banked corners, heart-in-the- 
mouth, jaw-dropping dips and drops - all in spectacular 30. Each track has its own array of 

lethal power-ups — so if you cant overtake ‘em, blast ‘em off the track. Flus, for a real ‘drive by the 
seat of your pants experience, an ingenious dynamic camera zooms in and 
out of the action, keeping all jostling competitors in full view. Best of all, 
CIRCUIT BREAKERS is astonishingly easy to play — select your options 

by literally driving straight through ‘em in a unique 3D arena! 





www.mindscapegames.com 


©1998 Mindscape, Inc. All rights reserved. Mindscape is a registered trademark * Visi i 

and Circuit Breakers and the Mindscape logo are trademarks of Mindscape, Inc. To order: Visit your retailer or call 
The Supersonic logo is a tratlemark of Supersonic Software, Ltd. Developed by bi 

Supersonic Star, Ld Licensed by Sony Enertainment Amerie for ue with he 1-800-234-3088 with Visa/MC 
PlayStation game console. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered Developed by 





trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and ch . 
refitoredireterats are in property of alt rep tv Here 4% Supersonic (North America only). 


lust when y ou start 


to get your social life back. 








September 1998 





Official U.S. PlayStation vagzzine( ) 





Ace Combat 2 
The sequel to Namco’s hit 
game of airborne combat 
introduces advanced enemy 
fighter plane artificial intelli- 
gence as well as a host of new & 
missions. With an array of distinct aircraft to 
earn, this is easily the PlayStation’s best game 
of air-to-air fighter combat. 





Castlevania: SotN 
The latest installment 
in the venerable Castlevania 
series has been hailed by 
many as the best game of 
1997. Castlevania offers some 
of the best platform/adventure/RPG action on 
any system, with beautiful graphics, enthralling 
gameplay and three separate endings to boot. 
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a 
must-have for any gamer. 


Colony Wars 
Psygnosis’ game of space 
combat has wowed players 
and viewers alike from its 
earliest stages of develop- 
ment. Spiced with some of the 
greatest graphics of any PlayStation title yet, 
its gripping space saga is enhanced by great 
controls and a relatively non-linear story line. 
The story isn’t exactly high art, but the hair- 
trigger controls put most other games of space 
combat to shame. 










Crash Bandicoot 2 
Naughty Dog and Universal 
took criticisms of the first 
Crash to heart when designing 
the sequel. Although still very 
similar to the original, Crash 2 
is more user-friendly, less linear, more honest in 
its challenges and more impressive graphically. 
An all-around great platformer. We're all looking 
forward to seeing what they do for Crash 3! 


Dead or Alive 
Tecmo has produced one 
surprisingly excellent fighter 
with Dead or Alive. The game 
has tons of moves, lightning- 
fast controls and a hyperactive Mi 
move-reversal system that never lets any one 
player dominate the match: Add a quick-dodge 























Evade button, and you've got one fast and 
furious fighter. Yes, the animation on the female 
fighters is ridiculous, and no, it’s not politically 
correct, but it is one superb game. 





Final Fantasy VII 
The most hyped RPG ever 
makes good on its promise 
with superlative graphics, a 
solid game engine and an 
amazing story. Complaints of 
the game’s initial linearity are squashed under 
its overwhelming merits. This game has already 
redefined the RPG genre. Enough said. 





Forsaken 

The new Descent-style 360- 
degree corridor shooter from 
Acclaim has raised more than a 
few eyebrows with its stunning 
high-res graphics. There's 
nothing terribly revolutionary about it, but what 
the game does, it does well. Intelligent enemies 
and an extensive control scheme allow for a 
great deal of challenge, and a Two-player 
Deathmatch Mode keeps things interesting. 





Gran Turismo 
If you haven't played Gran 
Turismo yet, you're missing 

out on something. Specifically, 
you're missing out on the 


EX Playstat 





























greatest racing game yet to arrive on any sys- 
tem. Want to jump right into a fast and furious 
race? Arcade Mode is just your thing. Care for 
more of a realistic simulation experience? GT 
Mode will have you spending hours in front of 
your TV trying to shave milliseconds off of your 
score. With 166 different cars, you even stand a 
good chance of driving your own model! Don't 
miss this game. 









Grand Theft Auto 
This is one game that’s been 
stirring up controversy on both 
sides of the Atlantic. You play 
the role of freelance gangster, 
stealing cars and performing 2 
various other highly illegal activities. What's 
surprising is that, in spite of the sickening graph- 
ics, shallow missions and morally reprehensible 
premise, the game can actually be a blast to 


play. It’s worth a rental, at least. 
©0600 













Hot Shots Golf 
SCEA's whimsical golf game 
is a good place to start if you 
have no idea how to play golf. 
The game takes care of all the 
mundane details for you, leav- 
ing you free to enjoy the thrill of a hole-in-one. 
Hidden players and other goodies, as well as a 
full (and tough) miniature golf course, add chal- 
lenge and replayability. It’s simple and addicti 








recap pick of the mon 


International Su 


erstar Soccer '98 


Just in time for the World Cup, Konami released ISS ’98, a game 
that makes a number of significant improvements to the engine of 
their previous soccer title, Goal Storm ’97. Wonderfully responsive 
controls are the highlight of this one, but don’t let that overshadow 
the extremely smooth, lifelike animations (it seems that every other 
soccer title recently has been plagued by poor animation and/or 


low frame-rate) and realistic player models. 


The game does suffer from a few problems, including 
poor weather effects and less-than-inspiring commentar 
Even more notable is the lack of a World Cup license, 
licenses being something Konami seems to find less 
important than other developers of sports titles. But 


these are minor details which barely affect tl 
exceptional game. It’s easily the best PlayStation 


soccer title yet. 











MLB 99 

So far, this is the best baseball 
game available for the Play- 
Station. Great graphics, 
detailed players and lots of 
helpful options keep MLB 99 
at the top of its game. There are some problems 
in AI, but they don’t tarnish the game too much. 


OPM Rating @©OOOO 


Mortal Kombat 4 
The newest addition to the MK 
saga is a surprisingly adequate 
port of a very high-perfor- 
mance arcade game. The 
inclusion of free-roaming 


= 


‘\ 


‘Az 


MI PlayStation} 





bitelelelats 


arenas and the ability to pick up weapons add 
some much-needed innovation to the aged 
series. Some unresponsive controls mar the 
experience, as does the frequent disc access. 
Nevertheless, it’s a solid addition for any MK fan. 


OPM Rating @OOOO 







NFL Xtreme 

Let's put it nicely. Let's say this 
game is “strikingly similar” to 
Midway's smash arcade hit NFL 
Blitz. Unfortunately, Xtreme 
tries for some more conven- 
tional simulation features and ends up falling on 
its face. It falls somewhere between GameDay 98 
and Blitz on the realism scale, and a good deal 
beneath both on the entertainment scale. Pass 
on this one. 


PlayStation| 


OPM Rating @©@OOO 






Road Rash 3D 
This update to the classic 
arcade game is most crippled 
by the fact that it includes no 
Two-player Mode. But huge 
tracks, a great soundtrack and 
the trademark ultraviolent Road Rash style make 
this one at least worth a look, especially for fans 
of the previous games. 


OPM Rating @O@OOO 


SaGa Frontier 
There is such a thing as being 
too non-linear, as evidenced by 
the unfocused collection of 
stories that makes up SaGa 
Frontier. Nevertheless, the 






PlayStation! 





PlayStation * 


beautiful backgrounds, an unusual battle system 
and a lighthearted feel should appeal to RPG- 
hungry fans with a lot of time on their hands. 


OPM Rating @O@OOO 






San Francisco Rush 
Midway's high-flying arcade 
racer leaps onto the Play- 
Station, with less than spectac- 
ular results. The frame-rate 

is low and the graphics are 
grainy, but the track design has always been the 
real star of the SF Rush show, and the tracks are 
completely intact. It's a guilty pleasure. 


OPM Rating @@OOO 









Soul Blade 

As far as weapons-based 
fighters go, they don’t 
come much better than this. 
Although the combat itself 
might seem a bit on the 
simple side for those accustomed to Tekken, a 
host of options not found in the arcade version 
offer a whole lot of replayability. All this and 
great characters, too. It's well worth the new 
Greatest Hits price, and then some! 


OPM Rating @OOOO© 


Tekken 2 

Fighting fans who can’t afford 
to pick up Tekken 3 can do 
almost as well by snagging a 





Greatest Hits copy of Tekken 2. Jaa¥ 

It's still one of the most difficult E&= 

fighting games to master, and yet is simple 
enough that a newcomer can do well on the first 
try. No, there are no secret modes, but the 
engine can get even faster than Tekken 3! 


OPM Rating @©OOOO© 






Tekken 3 

This game takes the superb 
engine of Tekken 2 and adds 
some truly unique new charac- 
ters, two extra play modes and 
even more impressive graphics 
to arrive at what is simply the greatest fighter 
ever. Just check out Eddy Gordo’s moves if you 
need proof. How will they ever top it? 


OPM Rating 










Tomb Raider 

The game that started Lara 
Croft's reign as the video diva 
still provides an impressive 
gaming experience. Huge, 
moody levels keep the tension 
levels high between battles. Only a weak save 
system mars this Greatest Hit. 


OPM Rating ©OOO 







Tomba! 

The platform veterans at 
Whoopee Camp have come up 
with an entertaining, and sur- 
prisingly deep, platform-based 
adventure that in some places 





could even be called an RPG. Over 130 mini- 
quests are carried out in a huge, colorful, poly- 
gonal world populated with dozens of wacky 

characters. Whimsical fun for the whole family. 


OPM Rating @OOOO 









Vigilante 8 

This game of vehicular combat 
takes the formula set forth by 
Twisted Metal and runs with it. 
Gigantic, realistic environments 
are the arenas, funky ‘70s char- 
acters are your enemies, and your vehicles range 
from a school bus to a (hidden) alien spacecraft. 
The powerful engine even allows for blowing 
huge craters in the ground. It's a blast! 


OPM Rating @OOOO 





Ratings at 


a Glance 





Alundra 00000 
AGH: Atari Coll. 2 O@O0OO 
Blasto e0000 
Breath of Fire III e000O0 
Cardinal SYN C0000 
Cool Boarders 2 e0000 
Croc ©0000 
Deathtrap Dungeon @Q@O©OO 
Duke Nukem: TM ee800 
Final Fantasy Tactics @@@OO 
G-Police ©0000 
Gex: Enter the Gecko @@O@OO 
Ghost in the Shell e600 
Jet Moto 2 60000 
Judge Dredd @O0O0O 
Klonoa 60000 
The Lost World: JP @OOOO 
Madden NFL 98 ©0000 
Micro Machines e0000 
Moto Racer ©0000 
NBA Live 98 60000 
NBA Shoot Out 98 O8000O0O 
NCAA Football98 @@OOO 
Need for Speed Ill @@000 
NFL GameDay 98 ©0000 
NHL 98 ©6000 
NHL FaceOff 98 ©0000 


Nightmare Creatures @OOOO 
One ©0000 
OW: Abe's Oddysee @OOO0O 


PaRappa the Rapper @OOOO0 
Pitfall 3D @6000 
Point Blank 00000 
Resident Evil 2 e6000e 


Riven: Sequel to Myst @@ O00 


Skullmonkeys eeeeo 
Spawn: The Eternal @QOO0O 
Star Wars: MoTK @0000 


Street Fighter EX+O0 @@0O00 


Test Drive 4 60000 
Tomb Raider II 60000 
Triple Play 99 @6O0OO 








166 CARS, 11 TRACKS, 1 CHECKERED FLAG 


good driver? Put your skills to the test with Gran Turismo”- 
enging and realistic driving game ever designed for 
on’ game console. Real racing pales in comparison. 


CHOOSE FROM: 









| |_| oe 8 |_| |_| 
| ee ae “a ee 7 Oe ee ee 





PlayStation 
® 


CUSTOMIZE YOUR CAR 


As a winning GT driver, 
your bank account will 
grow with every race. But 
don’t treat your friends to A. TURBO ENGINE 
lobster and caviar just yet; 


www.playstation.com 


Tic All manuiacturets, cas, nanies. brands and 


Remember toalWways fasten your seat belt. Orelse. 


hhistesetvediiO1998' Sony, Computer Enter 


a5 
GAN TULSLID 


THE RACE IS ON. 





assoriatcd|imagery featitedinthis Game aretracemarks ahnd/oncopynghumateriallon tielrrespeci Ve OWners. 


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Wie 


The PlayStation is 


the strongest it’s ever 
been with everything it 
touches turning into gold 


Official U.S. PlayStation (raszzne( 3) September 1998 





H | nan industry that crowns a different home gaming con- | 


| days” whether they concern the early days of a romance or, i 


| control third-party software both in quantity and profitabili 
| (for Nintendo), but no one at the time foresaw anything thai 
| would halt this joint venture from proceeding. No one excep’ 


| above, but were also concerned with what they perceived a 
| Sony's overbearing plans for “their” system. In a very public | 


| which left Sony vowing to continue on the project with or with: 
lout Nintendo. Continue they did, as Chief Designer Ken | 
| Kutaragi, who had been at work on the project since 1986,.! 





sole king every few years or so, it's hard not to be a bit 

cynical about a celebration of dominance of any given sys- | 

tem in a given generation. Still, we are human and we | 
have a natural tendency to reminisce about the “good old | 


this case, the maturing of a gaming console. 





| This particular story first took real shape back in 1991 when | 
| Nintendo and Sony were to unveil a joint venture where the | 
| latter would release a CD-ROM attachment (yes, it was calle 
| the PlayStation back then too) for the Super-NES. It was ai 
| interesting move that was a counter to the CD attachment 
| Sega was to release for its Genesis system. The only problem 


















was that the cartridge format was key to Nintendo’s ability t 


a select few at Nintendo who were hesitant due to the reason: 


way Nintendo switched support to the Phillips CD-I player | 






cont. on page 100 










The Secret Weapon 


Psygnosis’ most notable game before moving on to the 
PlayStation and being acquired by Sony was Lemmings. 
Psygnosis Technology Director Dominic Mallinson explains 
their role in the big picture: 


OPM: When did Psygnosis get involved with Sony about 
PS hardware and who initiated the contact? 

DM: Psygnosis first visited Tokyo in October of 1993. At 
the time, the PlayStation hardware existed as a huge circuit 
board with hundreds of chips and two large cooling fans. 
At that time, the prototype was running at 33 percent of 
final speed and was still missing a few of the final features. 
Despite the immaturity of the hardware, the demos we 
were shown back then were still the most impressive thing 
| had seen outside of a Silicon Graphics Workstation. The 
contact came about because Psygnosis was bought by 
Sony in 1993. The reason for Sony's purchase was not 
directly related to PlayStation, but was more to do with our 
pioneering work in CD-ROM games. When the PlayStation 
project came to light, it was obvious to the Sony board that 
Psygnosis would be an ideal early development partner. 






The Father of the PlayStation 


Ken Kutaragi was the chief designer of the 
PlayStation and has been working on the project 
since its initial manifestation as a CD-ROM 
attachment for Nintendo's Super NES. His ability 
to foresee the shift of 2D to 3D gaming put the 
PlayStation ahead of anything available on the 
market which included $3,000 PCs. He is now the 
President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment 
America, but is still involved in 
hardware engineering. 


Nintendo started touting their own 
CD drive add-on (pictured left) 
after nixing Sony’s. Nintendo’s 
attachment was ultimately 
revealed as vaporware. The 
polygon head guy (pictured 
right) was PlayStation’s first 
spokesperson. Thankfully, this 
lame marketing tool was canned 
early in the campaign. 


ie li[ Muscle 


Namco’s development on the system II arcade board 
(essentially a PlayStation) paved the way for high-profile home 
conversions like Tekken 2. Mike Fischer, director of marketing at 
Namco defines their relationship. 


OPM: Why has Namco developed software exclusively 

for the PlayStation? 

MF: For us, the most important reason for developing exclu- 
sively for PlayStation is simply our evaluation of the strength 


of PlayStation’s business model, as well as our belief in the It’s 
a choice that has benefited both Namco and Sony greatly over 
the past several years. 


“If you still want a Saturn, 
then your head is in Uranus.” 


The early system wars were merciless although disguised with humor 


OPM: What exactly was Psygnosis' role in the early days 
of the PlayStation? 

DM: Psygnosis got involved with PlayStation after the 
hardware design was complete. Via our PSY-Q develop- 
ment arm, we got very closely involved in the design 

and production of the development environment. 


OPM: Did Psygnosis have any ideas about what kind 
of impact WipeOut and Destruction Derby would have 
upon the perception of the PlayStation as a legitimate 
gaming console? 

DM: | was intimately involved with WipeOut, so | can 


answer that question with emotion. We absolutely lived 
and breathed the essence of what WipeOut meant and 
how it worked at the time of the PlayStation launch. We 
wanted to move the bar up for console gaming and par- 
ticularly console racing games. To do this, we concentrat- 
ed on the handling and the feeling of speed. We wanted 
the game to give the player a real buzz, an adrenaline 
rush. To augment the game itself and to complement the 
PlayStation demographic, we introduced fast-paced con- 
temporary music and graphic design. | believe we were 
one of the first games to use music tracks from the actual 
record industry. We were certainly the first to use these 
tracks as an integral complement to the game. 





October 
Ken “Father of the 
PlayStation” Kutaragi 
and two other staffers 
begin work on the 
PlayStation project. 


March 
NiTay clare lod-vare estolanVa 

announce a joint venture 
where the latter will release 

a CD-ROM attachment for 
the Super NES. They reveal 
for the first time that they 
have been working together 

on the project for quite 

some time now. 


So 
as 


June 


At the Summer 
Consumer Electronics 
Show, Nintendo dumps 
Sony in favor of a deal with 
Phillips. Sony vows it will 
continue on their own. 





October 
Namco commits to making 
games for the PlayStation 


Sony Computer 
Entertainment is formed in 
preparation for the eventual 
launch of the PlayStation 


O 


October 
PlayStation prototype 
running at 33 percent of final 
speed and serious planning 
begins on Metal Gear Solid 


© 


November 
Concept work begins on 
Resident Evil 





August 
Preliminary work 
begins on Crash 
Bandicoot, SCEA 

negotiates a development 
deal with SingleTrac 
w@ 
November 
PlayStation is 
released in Japan 


EN 
First introduction of PS 
console to American 
Press at E3 show 
6B 
ZN 
June 
Chicago Bulls defeat the 
Seattle Super Sonics in 
NBA Finals 





Sept. 9 
PlayStation is released in 
North America at $299 
and launches with Ridge 
Racer, Air Combat, 
Toshinden, NBA Jam, 
Power Serve Tennis and 
Kileak: The DNA 
Imperative 


CO 
© 
November 
Tekken, WipeOut, 
Twisted Metal, Warhawk 


and. Destruction Derby 
are released 


January 
SCEA releases the 
Multi-tap 


QB 


February 
FFVII announced as a 
PlayStation title 


> >= from page 98 


shifted the focus from a mere attachment module to a full-fledged stand- 


(OM ELC ETT 


Crash Bandicoot was the first character 


universally recognized with the 


PlayStation. Jason Rubin, president of 


Naughty Dog, gives us some insight: 


OPM: Was Crash created with 
the intention of becoming the 
PlayStation mascot? 

JS: Yes, that was our goal, but 
Crash is not the official mascot of 
the PlayStation. When we began 


Sony. But in the end, the Play- 
Station game console became a 
much more diverse system than its 
predecessors. It created a user base 
that spans a far greater age range, 
and it never needed a “mascot” 
character. So Crash is not the official 
mascot of the PlayStation. Having 
said that, we are extremely happy 
with what the Crash titles have 
achieved. Crash is far more success- 






OPM: Were there any potential 
mascots Crash was competing 
with? 

JS: There were a few titles that 
were gunning to be the biggest 
platform game of the PlayStation’s 
early years, but most sort of faded. 
Shiny's Wild 9, for example, was 
supposed to launch at about the 
same time as the first Crash 


work in September of '94 we want- 
ed [him] to be the Sonic or Mario of 


The “bloody and 
unsettling” version 
of the original 
WipeOut ad was 
censored in many 
gaming publications. 
A little controversy 
is never a bad thing. 


Evil is in the House 


Resident Evil turned many heads when it was released and 
set the bar for interactive adventures. President of Capcom, 
Bill Gardner, answers some questions: 


OPM: What has Resident Evil done for the PlayStation? 
BG: Resident Evil undoubtedly drove hardware sales for the 
PlayStation. The game offered players an experience that 
no other game had delivered until then. It is obvious that 
consumers agree. For two years in a row now, consumers 
voted Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 SCEA’s “Consumers 
Choice Award" and “Best Action/Adventure Game." No 
other product can make that claim. 


OPM: Was there any doubt that the sequel (RE2) would 
be developed only for the PS? 

BG; It made the most sense to create RE2 for the 
PlayStation based on the record-breaking success of 
Resident Evil. 


OPM: Will RE3 appear exclusively for the PlayStation? 
BG: The Resident Evil franchise is as important to Capcom 
as is our Mega Man, DarkStalkers and Street Fighter prod- 
uct lines. So naturally, there will be a RE3. However, at this 
time we are not making any announcements regarding 
which system RE3 will be developed for. 


ful than we had ever imagined. 


















Bandicoot. | guess they have had 
some delays! 


Girl Power 


What can you say about Lara Croft that hasn’t 
been said already? Mike McGarvey, COO of Eidos 
gives it a try: 


It's important that key titles be exclusive 
to a console. How did SCEA lock in the Tomb 
Raider console franchise and why would Eidos 
agree to such a thing? 

Eidos and Sony both identified the poten- 
tial of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft as a franchise 
that would sell hardware. We felt that Sony had 
a competitive advantage in the platform market 
based on the software support from third parties, 
launch success and their software pricing flexibili- 
ty. Sony has given us tremendous support on the 


The somewhat 
hidden message 
was “You are 
not e (ready)” 
along with Sony 
spelled back- 
wards. 


The Multi-tap has been utilized 
by more developers on the 
PlayStation than any other 
home console system. 


to what they heard would be in the PlayStation so even the Saturn would be 


alone system. The world would have been a different place if Nintendo had 
continued with Sony. The PlayStation as it exists today would never have 
seen the light of day. Sega's Saturn system would have only had to compete 
with the likes of the 3DO and the Atari Jaguar. Keep in mind though that 
Sega revamped their system to incorporate more 3D capabilities in response 





ae tenner. yow're: stronger: 
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a shadow of what it eventually became. A thoroughly depressing scenario to 
be sure for all 3D gaming enthusiasts everywhere. At any rate, Nintendo did 
what they did and Sony unleashed the system we're celebrating today. 





OPM: What type of audience were 
you aiming for with the first title? 
JS: Everybody. Crash was created to 
be as compelling for my grandmother 
as it would be for a die-hard gamer 
or a young child. In the end, my 
grandmother completed the first four 


levels and assured me that she was 
more than satisfied with her gaming 
experience. More than 3 million 
PlayStation owners worldwide have 
enjoyed the first Crash Bandicoot title 
as well. | think we hit our mark. 


Tomb Raider franchise and we are 
extremely happy with Lara Croft appearing 
exclusively on the PlayStation console. 


: What does Eidos make of all the 
clone games that have sprung up since 
the first TR? 

: It was bound to happen. Tomb Raider 
broke out of the mold and created the char- 
acter-based action/adventure game on the 
PlayStation. We haven't seen any market 
share erosions coming from these clones yet 
but I'm sure there's some great titles in the 
works for this Christmas. 


On the Right Trac 


Another cornerstone developer for 

the PlayStation in the early days, 

Mike Bartholomew, one of the original 
founders of SingleTrac (currently the 
chief technical officer at GT Interactive) 
shares his thoughts: 


“SingleTrac was excited to be a devel- 
oper for the PlayStation. As far as 
Twisted Metal and WarHawk were 
concerned, SingleTrac felt like the 
PlayStation represented a great leap in 
technology, transitioning from 2D 


There's no doubt that the PlayStation has had more than its fair share of — the best possible launch catalog,” 
| top-notch software that has helped propel it past the competition. With their 
| first efforts, companies like Psygnosis, ‘Namco and SingleTrac showed the 
| gaming world what was possible with the PlayStation and it wasn’t just to 

| prove it could be done. “Essentially, Psygnosis and our parent company Sony 





A World Apart... 


The difference between bad software 
and good software has never been 
more apparent than when Bubsy 3D 
was released in the same month that 
Tomb Raider was. To this day, Bubsy 
3D is the most reviled of all platform 
titles on the PlayStation and is the 
one game software companies dread 
having their title compared to. 





: Does Eidos feel responsible for the sexy 
girl-as-lead character craze? 
: No, we definitely attribute that to the folks at 
Core Design. They dreamed up the concept, but | can 
certainly say we are happy they did. 


: What has Core done to ensure TR3 will rise 
above the avalanche of similar titles? 

: We feel TR3 will be a hit with our faithful 
consensus that have played | and II as well as new 
users. Lara Croft will be in high-resolution on the 
PlayStation for the first time ever and the graphical 
improvements are tremendous. The environments are 
extremely large and we plan to incorporate every- 
thing that has made | and II so successful. 


Continuing their string 
of entertaining commer- 
cials, Lara Croft pro- 
motes her title being 


games to 3D games. This transition 
meant there would be an opportunity 


to redefine gameplay into the third 
dimension. Twisted Metal and released as a Greatest 


WarHawk both clearly exemplified Hits only to be accosted 
and set the standard for 3D games on by an obsessed father. 
the PlayStation. The events that have = 

taken place since 1994 in the 

PlayStation arena, and console games 

in general, have proven our original 

beliefs regarding 3D were on target. 

The industry is continuing to exploit 

and refine 3D games. 





March 
Resident Evil is released 
and PlayStation sales 
reach 1 million in 
North America 


z 
May 16 


PlayStation lowers price 
to $199 


SS 
X 
September 
Crash Bandicoot, Madden 
97 and the Twin Analog 
Joystick are released, 
One-year anniversary and 
2 million PlayStations 
have shipped 


GC 
October 


Wipeout XL and Tekken 2 
are released 


The New York Yankees: 
defeat the Atlanta Braves 
to win the World Series 


© 
November 
Tomb Raider, Twisted 
Metal 2 and Bubsy 3D 
are released 


Derek Jeter named 
Baseball Rookie of the 
Year. Teammate Bernie 
Williams would grace the 
box of Sony's MLB 98 a 


year later 
Qa 
December 
Konami releases first PS 
light gun, the Justifier, 
and Namco releases the 
Negcon racing controller 


January 
U.S. installed user base 
grows to 3.2 million 


Clinton starts second 
term in office 


bet the company on PlayStation. We put our entire resources into developing | 


explains Psygnosis Technology Director | 
Dominic Mallinson. “In the specific case of WipeOut, we essentially threw 
away the first prototype version because it wasn’t good enough.” 
The hardware capabilities of the PlayStation certainly raised the bar on what 
was possible which was good news for developers who were unable to fully QS 
‘a , ; ; cont. on page a 





February 
Crash Bandicoot sells 
more than 1 million 
units worldwide 


QJ Simpson found 
liable in civil suit 


SO 
x 


March 
PlayStation prices low- 


The Crash Bandicoot 
commercials poked 
fun at the competi- 
tion as well as them- 


Game of the Year 


Metal Gear Solid is poised to take its place in 
gaming history and has been in development for 
years. Konami’s Jon Sloan speaks: 


OPM: Why was Metal Gear solely 
developed for the PlayStation? 

JS: Mr. Kojima had a very clear vision for this 
game and knew that only certain machines 
were capable of delivering that idea. At the 
time, only the PlayStation could deliver, tech- 
nologically, the hardware that was needed to 


that he wanted to make. It's only been very 
recently, in development terms, that other 
technologies have become available that can 
replicate or exceed those of the PlayStation. 
However, we are concentrating all our efforts 
on making this game the best that it can be. 
If we switched to or included other platforms 
right now we would have to make compro- 
mises to the game which would dilute what 
we will deliver to PlayStation owners. And 
that is something we do not want to do. 


ered to $149, Greatest 
Hits line introduced at 


selves. Classic. create exactly the type of 3D polygon game 


MSRP $24.95 
im) | “The PlayStation market has completely changed since the release of Crash Bandicoot. Most 
‘ é ‘ | importantly, the installed base has increased tenfold. This has changed the dynamic of the 
April > ~ \ average player. Whereas the first year’s release saw sales to the older, ‘die-hard’ gamer, sales 
_. : y' y' g: 


Ken Kutaragi (the’ 
PlayStation’s creator) is 
named the Chairman 
and CEO of SCEA 


today are to the broadest cross-section of the general market. With this transition, players 
have become less forgiving. The first year audience might have for- 
given some difficulty in gameplay in trade for the ground-breaking 
graphics. They could accept a slightly jerky frame- 
rate, if what they were seeing compelled them. 
Today, the ‘Crash Bandicoot: Warped’ audience is 


Tiger Woods sets record 





at MESES less likely to be forgiving. They get less attached 
©) 7; toa specific product, and will quit a game if the 
developer lets them down. There are many 
May elements in ‘Crash Bandicoot: Warped’ that we 





IBM Computer Deep 
Blue beats human world 
champion Gary 


never would have believed possible on the 
PlayStation two years ago when ‘Crash 
Bandicoot’ went on the shelf. All of this, of 





NEDO course, is great for the PlayStation gamers!” 
A) —Jason Rubin, Naughty Dog 
August 


Analog controller minus 

the rumble feature gets The Gatekeeper 
limited release 

UPS workers go 


Phil Harrison, vice president third-party relations and 
on strike 


R&D, SCEA is the man who is responsible for keeping the 


Septemb: quality of third-party software high. Here are his thoughts: 
eptember 


Final Fantasy VII is 
released, Power Price 
line established with a 
ceiling of $39.95, two- 
year anniversary of the 

PlayStation 


OPM: What do you feel is the most significant title 

to have been released on the PlayStation? 

PH: That honor has to go to Ridge Racer. Although it 
has since been overtaken (no pun intended) by other 
driving games in terms of technical ability, it was the 

first great 3D racer on any system and really showed 


Winning an 
Emmy is surely 
not as great a 


thrill as stand- the consumer the difference between the old world 
bee mmysinams ing next to a of 16-Bit systems and the new world of PlayStation. 
Gillian Anderson Best ej i t S fy eh 
Racor in INicorice stunning Asian | played it again for the first time in two years the 
oe man such as other night and it's still a lot of fun. 
x) Wataru. 


OPM: What can you tell us about the software 
outlook for 1999? 

PH: Developers will explore new high-end graphic 
techniques which are coming onto the PlayStation 


October 
GameDay 98 is released 





Pd a their visions with previous consoles. e 
Explains Konami’s Jon Sloan, “Mr. Kojirna (Metal 

IGear series mastermind) wanted to make Metal Gear Solid when he finished 
the last installment way back in 1990. He had these brilliant ideas for what 
‘he wanted to achieve for the next game but, at that time, the technology to 
iplay the game he wanted to make was not available. So, as soon as tech- 


nology caught up he began serious planning 

Clearly the hardware and software carne together perfectly, but factors 
such as the innovative removable memory cards and 3D-oriented control 
pad added significantly to the overall product. This has continued with 
accessories like the Dual Shock controller and the future release of the PDA 








OPM: What type of effect will Metal Gear have on the 


PlayStation market? 





an older player than already exists. 





jaybe. 


This game will sell machines. People will buy hard- 
ware just to play this game. So, the market will expand. 
SCEA are convinced of this, that is why they are spend- 
ing over $1 million supporting our own multi-million 
dollar marketing campaign. Also, | think it will draw in 


Will a sequel be made on the PlayStation? 


If you lined up all the PlayStations 


that have shipped worldwide (over 








Square’s departure from Nintendo 
was monumental. Akira Kaneko of 
Square gives us his spin: 





: What was the impact of 
FFVII for the PlayStation market? 
We believe that FFVII had a 
great impact on the PlayStation 
market. In September 1995, one 
year after the release of the 
PlayStation, the installed unit base 
in Japan was somewhere in the 2 
millions. That number grew rapid- 
ly after our announcement in 
February 1996 that we would 
bring FFVII to the PlayStation. 

A year later, in January 1997, it 








RPGs are the Difference 





30 million), they would stretch from 
San Francisco to New York and back. 





had reached 5 million units. For a 
while after the release of FFVII in 
late January 1997, stores ran 
short of PlayStations. 


OPA 
OP 





FFVII vaulted RPGs into a 
lucrative mainstream market. 
What is Square going to do to 
maximize this new audience? 
AK: We believe that FFVII played 
a big role in introducing RPGs 
and its qualities, especially to 
gamers outside Japan. As men- 
tioned earlier, our mission is to 
create high quality games— 

we hope to attract and meet 
expectations of gamers of all 


levels ranging from first-time 
buyers to FFVII fans. 





Mi: How much more potential 
does Square see in the current 

PS console? 

AK: It is very difficult to say in 
specifics, but you can already see 
the difference in the expression of 
images between FFVIII and FFVII, 
which was released just over a 
year ago on the same console. 
Also, with the PDA schedule to 
be released at the end of the year 
in Japan, the PlayStation definitely 
has many potentials. 











Rapp 


new hierarchical animation and modeling technology 
will make characters smoother and more realistic. In 
addition, dynamics and physics simulations will add 
realism to games. Now that the Dual Shock Analog 


installed base. 


Controller is the standard controller, new control 


mechanics and designs will revolutionize the human OPh 
interface. Some of the brightest minds in the movie 
world are now seeing how games and computer 
entertainment can be a more satisfying outlet for 


their creative ideas. 


OPM: How will SCEA keep marquee franchises like 
Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy and Tekken 
exclusive to the PlayStation over the next few years? 





1: We founded the PlayStation on the principals of 
delivering the best creative platform for developers and 
the best business model for publishers. So long as we 
maintain these ideals, we will continue to attract the 
best software to the platform. Even though new 









machines will come out over the next few 
years, it will be very difficult for any 
other platform to overtake our 


: Can the PlayStation 

survive without those titles? E 
Of course! The titles you ar 
mentioned have made huge % 





contributions to the success of the PlayStation, but as 
the market grows we will see new franchises emerge 





that will be just as important, but for a different kind of 
consumer. | expect there will be a children’s title which 
sells millions of units to the 6- to 10-year-olds, which is 
a totally different market than the core gamer who 
buys Tekken, Tomb Raider or Resident Evil. The 
PlayStation market is so big now that it is really becom- 
ing multiple markets rolled into one—which is exactly 
what we hoped would happen. 









































November 
Crash Bandicoot 2, 
PaRappa the Rapper, 
the Guncon are 
released, the installed 
user base reaches 
over 6 million and 
there are more than 
300 software titles 
available for the PS 


QO 


December 
GameDay 98 sells more 
than 800,000 units mak- 

ing it the top-selling 
PlayStation football 
game of all time 


1998 


January 
Resident Evil 2 is 
released and the 
original Resident 

Evil hits 2.8 million 
units sold worldwide 


59) 
March 
Crash Bandicoot 2 


reaches 1 million 
units sold 


@) 
April 


Installed user base 
hits 10 million 
VN) 

May 
Gran Turismo and Dual 
Shock controller released 
Oo 
June 
Tekken 3 
released, 

Dual Shock 
packed in with 
PlayStation for $149, 
PDA announced for 
US. release, original 


system price lowered 
to $129 
















social and communal frontiers. 
| More to come 
Fortunately for us, this isn’t a farewell PlayStation article saying it's been a 


| great run, but it's over now. Rather, it's an encouraging look at how far the 
psiecton has come and how far it bes yet to go. Only now are we Seaing 


games that combine the best in PS graphics coupled with pioneering game- | 


play. So how much further can the PlayStation’s graphics go? Comments 
Psygnosis’ Dominic Mallinson, “The PlayStation architecture is all about bal- 
ance. Getting this balance right is one of the major reasons that we continue 
to see improvements. There are many, many variables. I don’t believe we have 
seen the best yet "We here at OPM don’t believe so either. 


per Bren Raider mee Crash Bandicoot Legacy of Ka n_ “Soul Reaver Metal Gear Solid Spyro the Drago 





Official U.s.(EWatechateya iasazine( $ ) September 1998 














Kai 
Ral 





Air Fist is a good escape 
<> move. If you need to 
get to the other side of the screen 
fast, bust it out and fly away. Kai's 
Rising Fireball is useful and has combo 
potential, but his Falling Fireball isn’t 
very useful, and neither of the fireballs 
track your opponent very well. After 
spending some time with Kai’s hand- 
stand moves, I've decided that they 
are completely useless. Only use them 
if you want to show off, because they 
leave you wide open to attack. Kai's 
Super Roundhouse lunges forward, 
making it a good medium-range 
attack. It's fast enough to catch your 
opponent off-guard. 


Combos: 

eHP, HK, D+HP (wait until opponent 
is just about to land), Rising 
Fireball, Super Roundhouse 
eJump-In HP, HP, HK, D+HP, Air 
Fist 


Fatality 1: U, F, U, B+HK (close) 
Fatality 2: U, U, U, D+BL (half 
screen) 





nN 
Raiden hasn't 
changed much over 
the years, In MK4, 

his moves are done differently, but 
they still produce the same effect. 
His Lightning Bolt leaves you open 
for a pretty long time, so make sure 
it's going to hit before you use it. 
The Torpedo is, as always, a very 
dominant move that can be used to 
counter several attacks. It also can 
get you out of harm's way, so if you 
need to escape, jump up and Torpedo 
away. Raiden’s hammer is one of the 
most powerful weapons in the game. 
Be sure to master the timing of the 
B+LP golf swing. Teleporting plants 
you right next to your opponent, 
which in most cases is ill-advised. 


On the defensive side, Kai’s | 


| loading stops. Chances are, you'll 








If your opponent has already commit- | 
ted to a Jump Kick or fireball, tele- 
porting can be a good way to dodge 
the attack. 


Combos: 

(With hammer) B+LP, (walk for- 
ward one or two steps) B+LP, 
Torpedo 

eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 
Lightning Bolt 


Fatality 1: F, B, U, U+HK (close) 
Fatality 2: D, U, U, U+HP (close) 





Shinnok doesn’t have any of 
his own moves. Instead he 
relies on Shang Tsung-style 
impersonation moves. Once you've 
done one of these moves, you'll have 
all the moves of one of the other fight- 
ers for a limited amount of time. | 
There are two ways to play Shinnok. | 
First, you can stick with oneor two 
impersonations, usually the two char- 
acters you know best. Go back and 
forth between them, keeping your 
opponent off-guard. The other way 
takes specific advantage of the 
PlayStation version, which doesn't 
announce which character you've 
become like the other versions. Learn 
all the moves and change characters 
as often as possible. Since your oppo- 
nent won't know who you're imper- 
sonating until you've done a special 
move, you can easily keep him guess- 
ing. Try impersonating Scorpion and 
teleporting immediately after the 





get him before he’s able to block 
the move. 


| Combos: 


¢Jump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, D+HK 


Fatality 1: D, B, F, D+Run (close) 
Fatality 2; D, U, U, D+BL (close) 





ortal Kombat 4 takes the popular series and 

throws it into 3D. While much of the game- 

play has remained the same, there are a few 
notable changes, as well. The combo system has 
been simplified, making juggles even easier to do. 
The addition of weapons and sidestepping also toss 
in some fun new factors. Here's our tips and tactics, 
which will teach you how to play a better game. 








Liu hasn’t changed a bit. | 
He's got the same moves, 
“<2 and they all work the same 
way. His air fireball can be used to 
pick off incoming opponents, and his 
other two fireballs can easily keep 
people away from you. Liu’s Flying 
Kick won't hit up close, so it can be 
used to escape. Just don’t kick your- 
self into the corner. Hold F and pound 
on HP when wielding Liu's sword to 
unleash a flurry of fast hacks and 
slashes. Six hits with the sword will 
cause 42 percent damage and count 
as a maximum damage combo. 


Combos: | 
eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, D+HP, 
Jumping HK, Air Fireball 

eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 

Flying Kick 


Fatality 1: F, F, F, DHHK+LK+BL 
(right outside sweep range) 


| Fatality 2: F, D, D, U+HP (close) 


Reptile has an unorthodox 
collection of moves, and if 
used correctly, they can 
confuse your opponent long enough 





| for you to win. His Super Krawl is a 

| fast move, which leads very well into 
the Dashing Punch. The Acid Spit cov- | 
| ers a lot of area, so it tends to hit 

| jumping enemies as well as standing 


ones. The Dashing Punch by itself is a 
very slow move, and should be 
avoided. Invisibility is really useful, 
but you need to take care not to 


| lose track of where you are. 


Combos: 

eHP, HP, HK, HK, Super Krawl, 
Dashing Punch 

eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 
Dashing Punch 


Fatality 1: Hold HP+LP+HK+LK, U 
(close) 

















Fatality 2: U, D, D, D+HP (a little 
less than half screen) 


MK4's take on Scorpion 

doesn’t change him very 

much, D+LP with his sword 
executes a Yoshimitsu-like spin, which 
is occasionally good to pull out as a 
surprise tactic, but don’t rely on it. 
Use the teleport to escape the cor- 
ners, as well as to catch an unsuspect- 
ing opponent. But since most of his 
tactics have remained the same since 
the days of MK2, don’t expect to be 
able to surprise opposing players 
very often. 





Combos: 

HP, HP, HK, D+HP, Spear, HP, HK, 
D+HP, Jumping LP 

HP, HP, HK, D+HP, Breathe Fire 


Fatality 1: B, F, F, B+BL (just outside 
sweep distance) 
Fatality 2: B, F, D, U+HP (close) 








SA) Jax is probably best 
® described as an expert 

Se character. His special moves 
aren’t particularly useful, as most of 
them take too much time to wind up 
and leave him open to attack after- 
ward. His multithrow is somewhat 
difficult to master, but it does a 
decent amount of damage. His Dash 
Punch is a very fast move, and is good 
for catching people off-guard. Once 
you've become comfortable with the 
game's normal moves and basic 
combo system, you should be able to 
do reasonably well with Jax, but in all 
honesty, he isn’t all that great. 










Combos: 
Jump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, Dash 
Punch 
















Fatality 1: Hold LK for 3 seconds, F, 





F, D, F, release LK (close) 
Fatality 2: B, F, F, B+BL (close) | 


oO 
@ ’ Reiko is good for playing a 


fast-paced, confusing 

game. His Flip Kick pops | 
characters up into the air, setting 
them up for further abuse from the 
teleport slam or a jumping LP. The 
Flip Kick can also be tossed in the 
middle of a combo, allowing for 
a lot of crazy juggle action. His 
shurikens have a long recovery time, | | 
so be careful when using them. 


Combos: 

eJump-In HP, HP, HK, Flip Kick, 
Jumping LP, Teleport Slam | 
eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 
Shurikens | 


Fatality 4: F, D, F+LP+BL+HK+LK | 
(close) 

Fatality 2: B, B, D, D+HK (sweep 
distance) 


e Cage still does the same 


old stuff he did in MK2, 

so those of you familiar 
ih the other MK games shouldn't 
have any problem picking him up. 
His Shadow Uppercut has a pretty 
wide range, and can be used to nail 
people out of the air. The Shadow 
Kick still moves quickly, making ita | 
decent surprise move. Of course, 
after playing against Johnny Cage 
for years, most skilled players will 
be expecting the Shadow Kick, and | 
block accordingly. | 





Combos: 

eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 
Shadow Kick 

eHP, HK, D+HP, High Fireball 


Fatality 1: F, B, D, D+HK (close) 
Fatality 2: D, D, F, D+BL (close) 


y Jarek should/be reason- 
ably easy to pick up if 
you were a big Kano 

player. He keeps both of Kano’s 
rolls. The upward roll only hits a 
standing character from inside 
sweep distance, so it's probably 
best to save it for jumping fighters. 
The Ground Shaker takes toolong | 
to hit the ground, so it's best used 
on opponents who are already on 
the ground. Mix it up with Jarek’s 
two rolls and play a fast, 
aggressive game. 


eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, D+HP, 
Upward Roll 


eHP, HP, HK, HK, Cannonball Roll 


Fatality 1: F, B, F, F+LK (close) 
Fatality 2: U, U, F, F+BL (1/2 
screen) 


Tanya has a couple of 

fast moves that are great 

for surprise attacks. Also, 
the Corkscrew Kick leads very well 
into the Split Kick, so if you catch an 
opponent with one, be sure to fol- 
low it up. The air fireball behaves 
much like Sindel’s air fireball in 
MK3. While Tanya’s special moves 
are decent, there isn’t any one of 
them that is particularly devastat- 
ing. Be up on your normal moves 
before playing as Tanya. 


Combos: 
eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 
Corkscrew Kick, Split Kick 


Fatality 1: D, D, U, D+HP+BL 
(close) 
Fatality 2: D, F, D, F, HK 


} Fujin's weapon is the 
crossbow, which is easily 

”" the most annoying 
weapon to fight against. It can 
shoot at the floor or ceiling, which 
causes it to bounce all the way 
across the screen, or straight. 
Simply firing off a volley of shots 
at different angles and times can 
keep any opponent away, forcing 
them to brave a gauntlet of shots to 
even get close to you. The Rising 
Knee has a fairly long range, but if 
blocked, you'll be wide open to 
attack. The Tornado Lift won't hit 
tight up close, and it also won't 
work past three-fourths of the 
screen. The Whirlwind Spin is easily 
countered by any projectile, but it 
can be good for catching jumping 
opponents. 


Combos: 

*Tornado Lift, Slam 

eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 
Rising Knee 


Fatality 1: Tap Run+BL five times 
(right around sweep range) 
Fatality 2: D, F, F, U+BL (outside 


Everyone's fron 

iceman is simple, yet 
extremely effective. The Ice Blast 
has a longer wind-up than it did in 
previous games, so it can be hard to 
use up close. The Ice Clone is a 
good defensive tactic, and is also 











good to escape jump kicks and 
other attacks. The Ice Wand acts a 
lot like Raiden’s hammer, but has 
the added benefit of the B+LP 
move, which freezes opponents. 
Only use the slide when you're sure 
it's going to hit, as it is easily 
blocked and countered. 


Combos: 
(with weapon) B+LP, B+HP, 


| B+LP, B+HP, B+LP 
| ¢Jump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 


Slide 


| Fatality 1; F, B, F, D+HP+BL+Run 
| (close) 
| Fatality 2: B, B, D, B+HP (inside 


0 
Quan Chi has the ability 
to rip the weapon from 
an opponent's hand, provided the 
target isn’t blocking. This can be a 
useful and confusing tactic to use. 
Also, his Tele-Stomp is good for 


| catching airborne fighters. The 


Flying Skull moves too slow to be 


| used anywhere but up close or in 

| combos, and his Slide Kick doesn’t 
| have enough range to be a useful 
| surprise move. 


| Combos: 


eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 
Flying Skull 


Fatality 1: Hold LK for five sec- 
onds, F, D, F, Release LK (close) 
Fatality 2: U, U, D, D+LP (sweep 


? Sonya has some good 
j =) moves, both for attack 
‘wee’ and defensive purposes. 


| The Square Wave is good for pick- 
|_ ing off jumping fighters, and it can 


also get you to the other side of the 


| screen in a hurry. The Vertical 
| Bicycle Kick is also good for hitting 


incoming attackers. The Leg Grab 


| can surprise an opponent up close, 


but if blocked you're in for a little 


| trouble. Her fireball is fast, and has 


a short recovery, making it hard 


| to counter. 


Combos: 


| eJump-In HP, HP, HP, HK, HK, 


Front Flip Kick, Jumping HK 


| @HP, HK, D+HP, Vertical Bicycle 


Kick 


| Fatality 1: D, D, D, U+Run (sweep 


distance) 
Fatality 2: U, D, D, U+HK (just 
outside of sweep distance) 


Sidestepping >» * i 
The sidestep move was cul a 


bersome and a pain to use in the 
arcade, but now that you can con- 
figure specific sidestep controls, it's 
easier to dodge at a moment's notice. 
The sidestep move is best used to 
dodge projectiles from a long dis- 
tance. When a rock, weapon or fire- 
ball is heading your way, simply step 
aside and let it fly past. If you're quick 
enough, you can sidestep, then run 
up to the opponent and catch him/her 
with a combo while he/she is stuck in 
the fireball animation. 


Know Your Range 

Knowing the range of your moves is 
incredibly important. The last thing 
you want to do is leave yourself open 
to attack after a missed attack. The 
sweep and Roundhouse Kick (B+LK 
and B+HK, respectively) have the 
longest range of any of the normal 
attacks, and they also leave you wide 
open if they miss. Be sure to turn this 
against your opponent. If you sée a 
missed sweep, run in there and 
whoop up on him. Remember that 
while they’re extremely easy to pull 
off (F+LP for the normal throw, F+LK 
for the “breaker” throw), the throws 
in MK4 do quite a lot of damage. The 
range of your special moves is equally 
as important. If a move puts you in 
the air, make sure the other 

fighter isn't going to be able to catch 
you with an uppercut on your way 
down. Sure, the uppercuts don’t do 
nearly as much damage as they did 
in the previous MK games, but every 
little bit hurts. 


Weapons 

Upon initial inspection, the weapons 
in MK4 may seem cheap, rudimentary 
and completely worthless. But proper 
use of (and proper defense against) 
the weapons in the game is definitely 
key. Certain weapons are more effec- 
tive than others, and some (Fujin’s 
crossbow and Johnny's pistol, for 
instance) are better used to keep your 
opponent away from you. With 
weapons like the hammer, B+LP will 
execute a golf swing that will pop 
your victim high into the air. Usually, 
you'll have enough time to walk for- 
ward a bit, and catch him with anoth- 
er golf swing before he lands. Learn 
the timing of the golf swing well, as it 
makes a terrific counter against jump- 
in attacks. Remember that you lose 
the use of your normal punching 
attacks while you wield a weapon, 
which limits your combo capability. 
Throwing your weapon is an effective 
tactic if done up close. From a dis- 
tance, it’s far too easy to block, jump 
over or sidestep the projectile. 
Getting hit with a thrown weapon 
does an insane amount of damage. 





—= (General Strategy 


Official U.S. GEMS Ett IMagazine( 3 ) September 1998 





KNOW YOUR WEAPONS - 

Flame — The most powerful offensive gun of the 
game, flame should be your default weapon. It’s 
great for grabbing coins, hitting enemies at long 
range, and taking out Bosses quickly. 


Lightning - Although not nearly as powerful as 

flame, the lightning gun’s heat-seeking ability and 

wide-shot pattern make it the ideal defensive 

weapon. Its rapid succession of shots also works 

wonders for building 
up your score. 





Dragon 


ELEMENTAL fa 
(GEARBOLT 





Water — The lamest weapon in the game; despite 
a0 great rate of fire, its weak shot strength and 
tendency to screw up combos by missing put it 
at the bottom of the list. 


POINTS AND COMBOS - Each enemy in Elemental 
Gearbolt is worth a set amount of points, which is 
then multiplied by a factor of 1-10 depending on 
how many bad guys you have killed in succession 
without missing or getting hurt. Once your multi- 
plier is up, do everything you can to keep it there, 
even if it means letting distant or hard-to-hit ene- 









by Mark MacDonald 
(Winner of E3 Elemental Gearbolt 
Tournament) 


mies get away; it will be worth it in the long run. 


COIN BONUSES - Coins are an easy way to boost 
your score and combo multiplier at the same time. 
Using the flame gun, fire once to open the bonus 
pod and then again quickly just above to collect 
the coins before they scatter. If they do get away, 
favor the gold coins—they are worth 3,000 points; 
silver are only 500. 


Level Tips 


LEVEL 2: Enter the 


Blast anything that moves in the forest— 
also note that you can shoot enemies 
right through the trees here. 


Don’t miss the health power-up that 
appears on your last pass of this giant 
tower, way at the tippy-top (2.1). 


Keep a look out for sneaky enemies hid- 
ing on the bridges near the close of this 
level, many of them require multiple hits. 


LEVEL 1: Grieving 
Angel's Descent 


Use the plasma gun as much 
as possible on the first level 
to raise your score, switching 
to the flame pistol whenever 
things get hairy. 


Watch for coin bonuses 
hidden in trees like this one 
throughout the level (1.1); 
You'll find a silver chalice in 
this doorway to the left of 
two power-ups (coins and 
health) roughly halfway 





through the level 
(1.2); use the plas- 
ma gun to grab it. 


Boss: 

This first Boss is so 
simple he borders 
on pathetic. Just 
make sure you let him live long enough so you can gather the 
two coin bonuses hidden in the trees on the right, then beat 
him down like a red-headed stepchild. Use the plasma gun to 
stop his missile attack and switch to flame when you have a 
clear shot; he’s dead before you know it. 

















Boss: 

This Boss is also generally pretty easy, 
except when his flying red crab henchmen 
help him out. Anticipate their attacks by 
watching the trails their wake leaves in the 
water and destroy them the instant they 
take to the air to avoid getting hurt 
(2.2). Also, always wait until this Boss is 
safely above water to fire so you don’t 
lose your combo multiplier-—there’s no 
need to rush here. Use Plasma to 
defend against his spike attack and 
flame and this Boss won't take you 
much longer than the first. 





1955620 
Se eres 















LEVEL 3: The Crypt of Despair 


These red spiders travel in large packs and can 
be trouble; use careful aim and timing to get two 
and even three of them with one shot as much 
as possible (3.1). 


you don’t need to kill and who don’t attack, but with 
practice can make for some easy points. 


Boss: 

Although you could kill this Boss really quickly if 
you went after him full throttle, ease back a bit 
and rack up some points here. Take out the red 
spiders and fireballs with the flame gun to get 
your combo multiplier up, and shoot his arm 
when he raises it to avoid getting smacked. 

You can stretch this battle out quite a bit so 


Be ready when you round this corner to the left for 
three quick fairies in a row (3.2). 


Shoot right between the pincers with the flame gun 
on the first sand worm for another silver chalice (3.3). 


The cave near the end of the level has many enemies 


LEVEL 4: Plains of 
Despair 


Watch closely for the tiny sand-scooters 
throughout this level; most will never 
attack, but if your aim is good enough 
they can really add to your score. 


When the camera turns all the way 
around and you start to fly backward, 
get ready for five quick fairies 
in a row (4.1). 


These giant spiders can take 
three hits from the flame gun, 
making them the toughest 
non-Boss enemy in the game 
(4.2). Aim for their body and 
start firing as soon as you 
spot them. 


LEVEL 6: Purposed to Perish 


Wait until the knights here pull back their shields 
to fire or you'll just be wasting shots (6.1). Also 
notice that the statues at the start of the level 
are destructible. 


All hell breaks loose in the hallway just before the 
final Boss. Keep which enemies are about to attack 
next straight in your mind and make sure you grab 
the health power-ups. 


BOSS: Maldel 

Favor the flame gun when fighting Maldel, especially 
just before and after he teleports and against his 
lightning bolt 
attack. Switch 
to a well-timed 
lightning gun 
shot just as he 
fires a volley 
of projectiles 
to keep your 
caxbrr 1 (s1) health up for 





AUUiseer 


take your time and concentrate on your score. 


BOSS: Audmra 

No more pushover Bosses from here 
on out. The trick now is to focus 
solely on staying alive; take out all 
the smaller enemies and cannon fire 
first, only attacking the main base 
when no other targets are present. 
When you fly over the top of this 
giant citadel, keep steady fire on the 
turrets and watch for the rest of the 
fairies for this level (4.3). 





the true final showdown. 


FINAL BOSS: Reftraseal 

The first form of the final Boss is easy enough—follow 
him with the flame gun as he prances around the 
screen and focus on defending against his random 
pot shots. His second form is a bit tougher; again, 
concentrate on defense and be sure to grab any 
health power-ups that fly by. Watch for signals that 
will tell you which attack is coming and counter early 












LEVEL 5: The Palace Ruins 


Since you can’t shoot fast enough to 
destroy all the giant boulders at the start 
of this level, try to predict which ones 
would collide with you and take them out. 


Be ready for three power-ups, tightly 
huddled together at the peak of a tower 
around mid-level. 


Watch for a series of coin power-ups in this 
shaft of light; your timing will have to be 
impeccable to collect them all (5.1). 


BOSS: Idon 

Idon moves fast and loves to jump around, 
but if you can keep him in your sights you'll 
do fine. Aim for his midsection when you 
see and hear him powering up his laser, 
and expect his flaming ring attack when 

he starts bouncing around (5.2). 





















756265" a 
BE 2600" 


COMBO 
2 of 


HEL: 
& 





a > 





September 1998 


= 
Official U.S. PlayStation Frasazine( B ) 


of (he er 


Our support resource for cheaters 


X-Men Vs. 
Street Fighter 


Tag Team and Full Combo Gauge 
Now there's finally a way to switch characters in 
the middle of the game! On the Main Menu 
Screen, quickly press Triangle, Triangle, Right, 
Circle, L1. The EX Option will appear. Now you 
can choose from Original Mode or EX Edition 
(the normal PlayStation version). You can also 
choose a Full Hyper Combo Gauge that resets 
to Level 3 every time you use it in the game! To 
be able to switch characters, choose “Original” 
Game Mode and press Start. Now you must 
choose Versus Mode from the Main Menu, as 
the trick only works for two players. On the 
Character Select Screen, both players must pick 
the same characters, but in opposite positions, 
For example, if player 1 picks Ryu and then Ken, 
player 2 must pick Ken and then Ryu. Once you 
do this, choose your options and go into the 
game. To switch characters in the middle of 
play, press L1+R1 simultaneously. If you config- 
ured the buttons differently, press both H.Punch 
and H.Kick buttons at the same time to switch. 





Jersey Devil 
Easy 1-Up Loop 


When you first begin your game, jump on top of the water 
spray in the fountain. There you will find a 1-Up. Now when 
facing City Hall, take the path to the right. When you reach 
the dead end; punch the fence in front of you. It will fall 
down and reveal a pipe. Go into the 

pipe and you'll be in Knarf’s Forest. 

As soon as you get there, backtrack 





N20 


Many Cheat Codes 

At the Main Menu, scroll through the choices until 
you see “Game Options.” Access this option and 
inside this Options Menu, scroll until you see 
“enter code.” Now access this option and enter 
the following cheats for the results shown: 


Firewall Cheat - X, X, Square, X, X, X, Triangle, 
Triangle. 


Weapons Cheat - Square, X, Circle, Square, X, 
Square, Circle, Square. 


Infinite Lives - Circle, X, X, Triangle, Square, 
Triangle, Square, Circle. 


Access any Level - Square, Triangle, Circle, 
Triangle, X, Triangle, Square, X. 


Bonus Ship - X, X, X, Square, Triangle, Circle, X, 
Triangle. 


Bonus Level Access - Square, Square, Square, 
Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Square, Square. 


Water Effect On - Circle, X, Square, Triangle, 
Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Circle. 


No Bonus Reset After Death - Square, Triangle, X, 
Triangle, Circle, Square, Triangle, X. 


Disable Cheats - Square, Square, X, Circle, Circle, 
Circle, Circle, Triangle. 












through the pipe again to exit the 
level. Now go back to the fountain 
and the 1-Up will be back! Collect it 
to get another life. Repeat this 
process and you will have a plethora 
of lives to begin the game! 


Punch through this fence to reveal 
a pipe allowing you to collect a ton 
of extra lives to start the game. 








Do you have a trick that you, and only you know? 
Don’t hold back—write us at... 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 
Tricks of the Trade 

1920 Highland Ave., Suite 222 
Lombard, IL 60148 


Sorry, we cannot respond to individual letters asking 
for codes or tricks. Seales 


Hot Shots Golf 


Many Incredible Codes 

To do this trick, you must first make sure that there are no memory cards in your system 
and a second controller must be plugged in. Now take controller 2 and hold the 
L1+L2+R1+R2 buttons simultaneously, before the Title Screen appears. While holding 
these, go to the Title Screen and immediately after the flash happens, press Up, Up, 
Down, Up, Left, Right, Right, Left, Up, Up, Down, Up, Left, Right, Right, Left. You must 
quickly do the button code as the Hot Shots logo is bouncing in, and finish the code 
before it stops. Once you do this, you'll hear a sound to confirm that it worked. Now 
begin your game and on the Character Select Screen, you will have access to all the 
players without having to earn them. On the Course Select Screen, you will see that all 
the courses are now available! 


CHARACTER SELECT 


RAnigtion ine 

ant a 
As the title bounces onto the screen, 
make sure you enter the entire code. 


At the Character Select Screen, you'll 
now have all of the golfers. 





Mortal Kombat 4 


Default Gunpod Weapons 

From the Main Menu, choose “Arcade” Mode. Now choose one-on-one Kombat. On 
the Fighter Select Screen, press Start on controller two. This will join in a second 
player. Now take controller one and move to the “Group” icon at the bottom of the 
screen. Choose this option and let player 2 choose his/her character. Now player 1 
must defeat player 2. Then player 2 must press Start (at the Falling Screen) to contin- 
ue. Repeat the same process on the Fighter Select Screen with player 1 choosing the 
group select, and player 2 choosing a character. You will notice that player 1 will be 
playing as a different character in succession each time you do this. Keep doing this 
process until you reach the last character in the Fighter Select Screen (Sonya). After 
the Group Select chooses her and you defeat player 2, have player 2 continue and go 
back to the Fighter Select Screen again. Now have player 1 choose any character (not 
from the Group select this time). Meat will appear in place of your chosen fighter. He 
will have the same moves as the fighter you chose from the Select Screen. As 

long as you continue, you can play as Meat with any other character. 


WINS-05 
ry 











Vigilante 8 


Many Incredible Codes 

Hidden Vehicles—From the Main Menu Screen, access the 
Options. Choose Game Status and then press the Circle 
button for the passcode. Enter this password: WMNNWL- 
HTSCUCLH. After pressing X, all of the vehicles will be 
revealed in Arcade Mode, including the ‘64 Luxo Saucer. 


Monster Wheels—From the Main Menu Screen, access the 
Options. Now choose Game Status and then press the 
Circle button for the passcode. Now enter this password: 
MONSTER_WHEELS. Every vehicle’s tires will now be huge! 


Deadly Missiles— From the Main Menu Screen, access 
the Options. Now choose Game Status and then press 
the Circle button for the passcode. Now enter this pass- 
word: DEADLY_MISSILE. Your interceptor missiles will 
do more damage. 


Lighter Cars—From 
the Main Menu 
Screen, access the 
Options. Now 
choose Game Status 
and then press the 
Circle button for the 
passcode. Now 
enter this password: 
REDUCE_GRAVITY. 
The vehicles will 
jump higher. 


CHOOSE PLAYER 


= 
ai 
2 
Ts 


Invincibility—From the Main 
Menu Screen, access the 
Options. Now choose Game 
Status and then press the 
Circle button for the pass- 
code. Now enter this pass- 
word: I_WILL_NOT_DIE. You 
will now be invulnerable to 
all hits. 


Increase Difficulty—From 
the Main Menu Screen, 
access the Options. Now 
choose Game Status and 
then press the Circle button 
for the passcode. Now enter 





this password: HARDEST_OF_ALL. 
Your opponents will now be more 
aggressive and the game will be 


HH. more difficult. 


0 


SCORPION Wits, 
FLAWLESS VICTORY 


i No Enemies—From the Main Menu 
Screen, access the Options. Now 
choose Game Status and then press 


a 


\ 


the Circle button for the passcode. 
Now enter this password: GO_SIGHT- 
SEEING. This allows you to pick “no 
enemies” in Arcade Mode. 


September 1998 


cial U.S. PlayStation iragazne( 3) 


Offi 





Bloody Roa 


There are several cheats you can get 
for this game. Follow the directions 
for each to get the code. 

Big Head: On “Normal” setting while 
on the Character Select Screen, hold 
L2 and choose your fighter with the 
Circle button. 

Large Arena: If you beat 10 oppo- 
nents in a row in the Survival Mode, 
you will be able to increase the size 
of the arena. 

Regenerating Life Bars: Finish the 
game with Bakuryu on Level Four 

or above. 

Big Arms: Beat the game without 
continuing on Level Four or above. 
Small Fighters: At the Character 
Select Screen, hold R2 and choose 
your fighter with the Circle button. 
School Girl Alice: Beat all the oppo- 
nents in Time Attack Mode in under 
10 minutes. 


Cool Boarders 2 





To get these racy new duds, go 

to the Main Menu and highlight 
Competition. Now press Down, R1, 
Up, R1, Down, R2, Up, R2, Up, Up, R1, 
Down, Down, R2. (If you don’t hear 





Check out videogames.com for even more of the latest tips and tricks 


the announcer say, “Here we go!” 
after pressing each shoulder button, 
you're doing it too slowly.) Then go 

to the Boarder Select Screen, chose 
Cindy or Irin, and press left or right to 
scroll through the new outfits. Note: 
The new outfits are not available in 
Competition Mode. 


Dragon Ball GT: 
Final Bout 


At the Title Screen, do the 
six-character code (Right, Left, 
Down, Up, Right, Left, Down, Up and 
you will hear a sound), then press 
Triangle 10 times and then Square 
nine times. You will hear another 
sound to confirm that it worked 
correctly. You will see Super Saiyan 4 
Goku on the Menu Screen. On the 
Player Select Screen, he will be a 
selectable character in the lower- 
middle section of the screen! 

Ci 5 
This code will increase your 
character count to 16! At the Title 
Screen, press Right, Left, Down, Up, 
Right, Left, Down, Up. You will hear 
a sound to confirm that the trick 
worked. Now press Start and go to 
the Character Select Screen. You will 
have six additional fighters at your 
disposal. Each one varies in strength 
and abilities. 


al Fantasy VII 


This will boost up the amount of items 
within your inventory. Once you have 
equipped a character with the W-Item 
Command Materia, you should be 
able to perform this trick. Just begin 
your game and when that character 
enters a battle, select the W-Item 
command by pressing the Circle 
button when it’s his/her turn to fight. 
Now choose the item you wish to 
increase by pressing Circle again. 
Then select the character in the menu 
you wish to use the item on by press- 
ing Circle. When you return to the 
Ttem Screen, choose a different item 
than the one you chose before by 
pressing Circle once again. Finally, 
press X (to cancel), Circle (to activate), 
X, Circle, X, Circle and so forth. 

By pressing these buttons continuous- 
ly, you should see the number of 

the first item you initially chose 
increase steadily. 


Gex: Enter the Gecko 








Use this legend to the tricks com- 
mand: 


Up=UorN 
Down = D or S 
Left = L or W 
Right = R or E 
Triangle = A 
Circle = O 
X=X 


In the game, press Start to pause, and 
then hold L2 or R2. Using the legend, 
spell out the words as shown using 
the correct buttons for various 
results. You should hear a sound to 
confirm that the codes have been 
entered correctly. 

UNDEAD = Infinite lives 

WEASEL = Invulnerability 

RELEASE = Level select 

ALOUD = One-liners (press Select to 
hear them) 

SENSELESS = Rambling Gex 
EARWAX = Timer in the game 
(Choose a level on Game Stats and 
press Square for the best times. 


Ghost e Shell 





At the Main Menu Screen, enter the 
following code to get access to all the 
levels: R2, R1, Square, Square, Up, 
Down, Square, Square, R2, R2. You 
will hear a tone to confirm the code 
worked. Now press Start on “Mission 
Start” and you will be able to choose 
any of the 12 missions available to 
you. Also, you can go to “Options” 
and then go to the Movie Replay 
Option. Here you can play any of the 
cinemas from the game! To access a 
hidden picture, you must defeat the 
game without using any continues. 
The final cinema will play, followed by 
the staff credits. If you are patient 
enough to wait for this to end, you'll 
be rewarded with a full-size picture 
of Motoke Kusanagi. 





three, four or five to get training 
cinema two. 

Training Cinema Four: Run out of 
time in training areas one or two. 
Training Cinema Five: Run out of 
time in training areas three or four. 
Training Cinema Six: Destroy enough 
enemies to complete each area and 
defeat the Boss. You must hit 49 
percent or less for a “Class B” rank. 
Training Cinema Eight: Destroy 
enough enemies to complete each 
area and defeat the Boss. You need to 
hit 50 percent to 59 percent for a 
“Class A” rank. 





Monster Rancher 


Here is an easy way to build up your 
loyalty meter. Once you have your 
monster, take it back and forth 
between the ranch and the town. 
Each time you do this, your loyalty 
meter goes up five points! However, 
you must use this in moderation. The 
more you do this trick, the stricter 
your style will become. Your monster 
will have a tendency to run away and 
destroy its home if your style gets 
verbearing, so be warned! 











To do this trick, your breeding 
status must be in master rank (R-10). 
Note: You must have another game 
called “Tecmo’s Deception” to do 
this trick, When you are about to 
breed a monster, put in the Tecmo’s 
Deception game CD and you will get 
a secret character from that game 
called Ardebaren when you generate 
a monster in the shrine! Also, 
PlayStation and computer data 

CDs that have one track on them 
will produce purebred monsters. 





Pandemonium 2 






From the Title Screen, access the 
Password option. On the Password 
Screen, enter one of the codes as 
shown below: 

GETACCES: This code opens up all 


the levels. 

SKATBORD: Get Speed Greed after 
every level 

HORMONES: Gives you maximum 
health 

IMMORTAL: This code maxes out 
your lives 

MAKMYDAY: Gives you a permanent 
weapon 

NEVERDIE: Invincibility throughout 
the game 


GENETICS: Gives you Mutant Mode 
GONAHURL: Access to camera roll 
JUSTKIDN: Monsters regenerate 
ACIDDUDE: This gives you cool psy- 
chedelic textures 


At the Title Screen, highlight and 
access the” Password” option from 
the Main Menu. From the Password 
Screen, enter any of the following 
codes for the results shown: 
GIVEMELIFE - Adds 10 lives to the 
next game launched. 

PLAYMOVIES - Plays all movies. 
PITFALLCOMIC - Plays all of the 
original comic-style cutscenes. 








Ee 


STEVECRANEME - Gives the player 
99 lives. 

2DHARRY - Causes Harry to be 
displayed in 2D. 

ZEROGHARRY - Causes Harry to float 
and twist in the game. 
BIGHEADHARRY - Makes Harry's head 
really big. 

STOPTALKING - Turns off in-game 
quips. 

CREDITS - Password to gain access to 
the Credits sequence. 

CRANESBABY - Password to gain 
access to the Original Pitfall game. 


Within the Original Pitfall game, you 
can do a variety of codes: 

R1+R2 - Toggles “Gary” head (pro- 
grammer of the 2600 version). 
R1+Circle - Toggles “Elvira” head 
(daughter of lead programmer). 
R1+Triangle - On the screen with the 
crocodiles, it makes the one on the 
right say, “Hi Mom!” 

L1+L2 - Toggles infinite lives. 

Pitfall Credits: Holding the R1 button 
at the end of the last credit (“Thanks 
to Families” Screen) brings you to the 
self-congratulatory credit. 


Resident Evil 2 


To get Hunk you must beat the 
second scenario with the best rating. 
When the rating comes up on the 
screen you will be able to save the sce- 
nario with Hunk as the character. 

To get Tofu you must beat six sce- 
narios in a row and get Hunk by the 
end of the first or second scenario. 

To get the alternate costumes you 
must first go and kill the Brad Vickers 
zombie. To meet him you must play 
through most of the beginning without 
picking up a single item. Make your 
way all the way to the front of the 
police department. When you get to 
the gates of that place take the lower 
stairs around the front yard. There you 
will find the zombie. Once you 
encounter him you can try to kill him 
with what you have or go past, pick up 
some weapons and come back. Once 
you kill him, search the corpse and you 
will find a key. Take that key to the 
first floor of the police department and 
go to the west wing save point. In the 
room below the stairs you will find a 
locker that is locked. The key will open 
it and you will find your new costumes. 
For Claire you have one choice but get 
a new gun; Leon has two choices and 
his weapons will fire faster. 











These passwords will give you pass- 
words to different levels of the game 
with many lives to boot! Just access 
the Password Option from the Main 
Menu and enter any of the codes 

as shown: 

YNT Weeds with 40 lives - X, Circle, 
X, Triangle, Square, Triangle, Square, 
Circle, X, Circle, Triangle, Square. 
YNT Mines with 72 lives - X, L2, 
Triangle, R1, L1, X, L2, Square, 
Triangle, L1, Square, R1. 

YNT Eggs with 10 lives - Triangle, 
Square, Circle, Triangle, X, Square, 
Circle, Triangle, Square, X, Triangle, 
Square. 

YNT Eggs with 65 lives - Square, X, 
Circle, Triangle, Triangle, X, Square, 
Circle, Triangle, Circle, X, Square. 
Elevated Structure of Terror with 74 
lives - Triangle, Square, Circle, X, 
Square, X, Circle, Square, Triangle, 
Circle, X, X. 

Evil Engine #9 with 47 lives - R2, R2, 
Triangle, L2, L1, R1, R2, L2, L1, R2, 
Triangle, X. 

Evil Engine #9 with 60 lives - L1, R2, 
R1, L2, L1, R1, L2, R2, L1, R1, R2, L2. 
Monkey Mage with 23 lives - R2, R1, 
L1, R2, R1, L2, L1, R1, L2, L1, R2, L2. 
Glenn Yntis with 22 lives - R2, R1, L2, 
R1, Li, X, L2, L1, X, Triangle, L2, L1. 
Shards with 71 lives - R2, R1, 

Circle, L2, R2, L2, R1, L1, R2, 

Triangle, L2, Square. 

Castle De Los Muertos with 63 lives - 
R2, L2, L1, R2, L2, R1, L1, R2, L2, L1, 
R2, L2. 

Klogg with 55 lives - R2, L1, R1, L2, 
L1, R1, R2, L2, L1, R2, R1, L2. 

Worm Graveyard with 30 lives - R1, 
R2, L2, R2, R1, Square, Triangle, Circle, 
L1, X, Square, Triangle. 

Monk Rushmore with 31 lives - R2, 
L2, R1, L1, R2, L2, R1, X, L1, R2, L2, X. 
Monk Rushmore with 55 lives - R2, 
L1, R1, L2, X, Circle, X, R2, L2, L1, 

R1, R2. 

Skullmonkey Gate with 54 lives - R1, 
L1, R2, L2, L1, R2, L2, R2, L2, L1, 

R2, L2. 

Skullmonkey Gate with 61 lives - L2, 
R2, L1, R2, L1, R1, R2, L2, L1, X, R2, X. 
Skullmonkey Gate with 84 lives - L1, 
R1, L2, R2, R1, L1, L2, R2, R1, L2, 

R2, R1. 


Street Fighter EX+ & 


To get the bonus barrel game, go to 
the Mode Select Menu and highlight 
“Practice.” Press Start, then Up, Up, 
Right, Up, Right, Up and Start again. 
A message will appear that says, 





“Here Comes a New Game Mode.” 
Now go into Practice Mode and you 
will see a new option called “Bonus 
Game.” Choose any character, and 
you will be playing the bonus barrel 
stage from Street Fighter 















To switch from Cracker Jack’s wooden 
bat to an aluminum one enter the fol- 
lowing code: Select Cracker Jack, 
then press and hold Up+Square+ 
Circle+R1+R2 until the match begins. 


Triple Play 99 





To get this plethora of cheats to work, 
you must press and hold all four of 
the top buttons (L1, L2, R1, R2) while 
doing the code. Enter any of these 
when you are in the game: 

Cheat Homerun - Triangle, Square, 
Triangle, Circle, X, Square, Left, Right. 
Cheat Strike Out - Up, Down, 
Triangle, Square, Triangle, Circle, 

X, Square. 

Cheat Crowd Comment - Up, 


Triangle, Down, X. 

Cheat Weather Comment - X, Down, 
Triangle, Up. 

Cheat Sponsor Comment - Left, 
Square, Right, Circle. 

Cheat Nickname Game - Circle, Right, 
Square, Left. 

Cheat Historical - Up, Triangle, Right, 
Circle. 

Cheat Stadium Info - Down, X, Right, 
Circle. 

Cheat Crowd Applause - Triangle, Up, 
Up, Triangle. 

Cheat Crowd Cheer - Square, Left, 
Left, Square. 

Cheat Crowd Ooh - X, Down, Down, 
x. 

Cheat Boo - Circle, Right, Right, 
Circle. 

Cheat User Cam - Right, Left, Up, 
Down, Right, Left. 

Cheat Overview of Batter - Left, 
Square, Up, Triangle. 





, arts and recreation 








PlayStation 
56 No question, this should be in your home 
4G Recommended, very cool 
3G Pretty good, check it out 
2G Below average 
1G Very lame 








Sound Bank 


For those in-the-know, Pepsi Man is 
the spokesperson for Pepsi in Japan and 
one of the coolest marketing tools ever. 
He stars in commercials, print ads and 
has even appeared as a character ina 
video game. The latest in the shameless 
parade of Pepsi Man memorabilia is a 
Sound Bank. Whenever you drop a coin 
into the man of aluminum, the proud 
Pepsi Man theme song will audibly 
reward you. 


Iwaya (import) 2700 yen (about $20) 





The 
Intensor 


Taking the concept of the rumbling con- 
trol pads a couple steps further, the Intensor 
shakes and vibrates a whole chair. This is a 

great concept, but unfortunately, the execution 
is what causes the experience to fall short. 
The rumbling sensation works off of the bass 
sounds of a game or movie which is great for occasion- 

al explosions, but can get very tiresome for long battles. 

For example, in Tekken 3 the rumbling is nonstop through 
every match because of the bass in all the music tracks. You could 
turn the BGM off, but who wants that? 

The real Achilles heel though is the chair itself. Put simply, it’s horribly 
uncomfortable. What's more, it has a very cheap feeling to it which doesn’t 

lend one much confidence in sitting on it in the first place. The padding 

on the chair is inadequate for more than 10 minutes of sitting at a time. 

If the manufacturers could improve the quality of the chair, the difference 

could be startling. 


tet PlayStation Magazine( = ) 


BSG Labs $300 - 500 (depending on accessories) 








A'trip to a bowling tournament, 
official Brunswick Bowling gear including 
aids BrunsWick bowling Ball andibag, 
a’lesson with a professional bowler and a copy 
of Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling for your 


Sony PlayStation. 


Brimngwick Bow! 9 Ball aff Bag, and a copy of Brunswick 
Circuit Pro Bowling for your Sony PlayStation. 


A one-year subscription to Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine and a copy of 
Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling for your Sony PlayStation. 


Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling Sweepstakes 

1. No Purchase Necessary: To enter mail a standard-size postcard containing your name, address 
and phone number to: Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling Sweepstakes, 5016 N. Parkway Calabasas, 
Suite 100, Calabasas, California 91302. One entry per household, All entries must be handwritten. 
Mechanically reproduced entries will not be accepted. Entries must be received Dec. 31, 1998. All 
entries become exclusive property of THQ Inc. and will not be acknowledged or returned. 

THQ assumes no responsibility for lost, mutilated, late, illegible, incomplete, postage-due or 
misdirected entries. 


2. Prizes: 1 Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two to a Professional Bowling tournament, VIP 
seats for tournament matches, a bowling lesson from a Brunswick Pro, one (1) Brunswick bowling 
ball and one (1) bowling bag, and one (1) Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling game for the Sony 
PlayStation. If under 18, the winner must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Hotel accommo- 
dations and round-trip airfare are included. Exact dates of the trip and destination are to be deter- 
mined. 5 First Prizes. First Prize winners will receive one (1) Brunswick ball, one (1) bowling ball bag, 
and one (1) copy of Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling game for the Sony PlayStation. 5 Second Prizes. 
Second Prize winners will receive a one (1) year subscription to the Official U.S. PlayStation 
Magazine and one (1) copy of Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling game for the Sony PlayStation. Winners 
will be determined by a random drawing from all valid entries received by THQ Inc., whose deci- 
sions are final. Drawing to be held on our about Jan. 5, 1999. All prizes will be awarded. All prize 
winners will be notified by mail. Prizes are non-transferable. No substitutions of prizes are allowed, 
except at the option of Sponsor should the featured prizes become unavailable. 





3. Odds of Winning: The odds of winning will be determined by the number of entries received. 


4, Eligibility: Contest open to residents of the United States and Canada. Non-compliance with the 
time parameters contained herein or return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result 
in disqualification and alternate winner will be selected. Winners or their legal guardians shall sign 
an affidavit of eligibility/release of liability acceptance within 30 days of receipt or forfeit prize. By 
acceptance or prize, winner(s) agree to the use of their name and/or likeness for purposes of adver- 
tising, trade or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Employees of 
THQ Inc., ZD Inc., and their respective affiliates are not eligible. Neither THQ Inc., ZD Inc., nor their 
respective subsidiaries, divisions or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes or 
expenses that consumers might incur as a result of this contest or receipt of prize. 


5. Winners List: For a list of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to “Brunswick Circuit 
Pro Bowling Sweepstakes Winners List” 5016 N. Parkway Calabasas, Suite 100, Calabasas, CA 
91302. Requests for winners lists must be received by Jan. 15, 1999, 


6, Restrictions: Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state, and local 
regulations apply. 


7. Sponsors: This sweepstakes is sponsored solely by THQ Inc. @1998 THQ Inc. 


Brunswick is a registered trademark of Brunswick Corporation. Brunswick 
Circuit Pro Bowling is a trademark of THQ Inc. @1998 THQ Inc. 








Killer Sound For Your 
Killer Games 


This $800 subwoofer/satellite speaker system from Energy is 
the best I've heard in this price range. With four identical Take2 
satellite speakers, a perfectly voiced Take center speaker and a 
rockin’ ES-8 8-inch powered subwoofer, you get a hell of a lot for 
your money. The Take2 satellites have excellent dynamic range 
and really fill up the room for added excitement on blow-'em-up 
games, while the Take1 center speaker reproduces dialogue with 
dead-on accuracy. It must be said that if you live in an apart- 
ment, get ready for some complaints—the sub may only have an 
8-inch driver, but it is capable of making the neighbors think 
WWIII just broke out next door. 

Since Dolby has announced 25 new games in surround sound, 
and they expect to reach 200 surround titles by the end of the 
year—you're gonna need a receiver that has at least Dolby Pro 
Logic, so you can get the surround-sound effects in all these new 
games. Better yet, Kenwood makes a receiver for only $700 with 
Pro Logic and Dolby Digital! The 1080VR A/V receiver (not pic- 
tured here) has most of the inputs and outputs you need, sounds 
great, and comes with a remote than can be configured to run 
just about anything else in your A/V rack. 

And there you have it—now you can have killer sound while 
playing your “killer” games, and you're only out 1,500 bucks! 
Oh yeah, after you've hyper-extended your thumb, try watching 
a movie through your new system. I guarantee you will be just 
as impressed with WarGames the movie as you were with 
WarGames, Defcon 1 the game—but when the police come 
knockin’, don’t say I didn’t warn ya! 


Kenwood/108VR $700 Energy/ES-8 $800 











Gaming Tunes 


Although Rhona Mitra is no longer the official 
Lara Croft, you can still hear her sing some 
suggestive songs. Rhona is backed up by Dave 
Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) who handled the 
production. Unfortunately the tracks range from 
retread techno riffs to uninspired pop tunes. 
This one is for die-hard Rhona Mitra fans only. 
On the other hand, the original music from the 
Japanese version of Gran Turismo is soulful 
and jazzy which is perfect for play in your own 
car. It could be too laid back for some though. 
Tenchu features some of the funkiest grooves 
to accompany an action game in quite a while. 
Infectious beats with traditional Japanese 
instruments make this soundtrack a must. 


XIII BIS Records (Lara Croft) 
$16.95 ( 





Sony Records (GT) 
2854 yen (about $21) 





Sony Records (Tenchu) 
2754 yen (about $20) 














) ica by o2 
y Anime Now ia 


Fans have been eagerly awaiting the first 
Ranma 1/2 release on DVD, but their reaction is 
likely to be mixed. Ranma 1/2: Big Trouble in 
Neckonron China is a great movie filled with 
classic Ranma humor. The disappointment 
comes from the quality of the transfer which is 
barely above TV series standards. The disc has nice extras and despite 
the average picture quality, it remains a must-purchase. The story of 
Green Legend Ran revolves around a boy who must unravel the mys- 
tery of the Green. The picture quality is very good and is complement- 
ed by the lush visuals which seem highly influenced by European artist 
Moebius. All three episodes of the series are contained on one handy 
disc. Get it! Ninja Scroll (not pictured) is regarded as one of the finest 
action Anime to be released here and with good reason. Fast-paced 

z story and gripping action combine for an 
explosive experience. Be forewarned that 
the violence content is quite high. 


1) ee 


AIC/Pioneer (Ran) 
$29.95 DVD ( 












Manga (Ninja Scroll) 
$24.95 DVD 












October 1997 


Ghost in the Shell 
Final Fantasy VII Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: Intelligent Qube, 
PaRappa the Rapper, Ace 
Combat 2, Fighting Force 
nomplayables: Tomb Raider 
FL GameDay 98 










November 1997 


PaRappa the Rapper 
Bushido Blade Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: Crash Bandicoot 2, 
Croc, Armored Core, Madden 
NFL 98, Cool Boarders 2, 
Colony Wars non: playables: 

HL FaceOft 98, 
Ghost in the Shell 





December 1997 


Cool Boarders Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: Bushido Blade, Vs., 
Star Wars: Masters of Teras 
Kasi, Jet Moto 2, Cardinal 
SYN, Ghost in the Shell, Moto. 
Racer, Test Drive 4 
non-playabler One 


PlaySta January 1998 


Resident Evil 2 Feature 
Tomb Raider I Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: NFL GameDay 98, 
CART World Series, Frogger 
non-playables: Spawn, 
Final Fantasy Tacties, 
Pandemonium 2, 

Gex 2 


Issue #4—*10 


February 1998 


Dead or Alive Feature 
1997 OPM Editors' Awards 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: NCAA GameBreaker 
98, Tomb Raider I, Command 
& Conquer: Red Alert, Crime 
Killer non-playables: 
Pitfall 3D, Resident 
Evil 2, Vigilante 8, 
Monster Rancher 


March 1998 


Final Fantasy Tactics 
| A Look Ahead to ‘98 
\ Demo Disc includes: playables: 
Bloody Roar, Monster Rancher, 
Shipwreckers 
non-playables: Alundra, 
NBA Shoot Out 98, 
Saga Frontier, 
Mega Man Neo 































anh : 
iPlayS' April 1998 
ents @ 40 Overlooked PS Picks 
Resident Evil 2 Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: Hot Shots Golf, 
Pitfall 3D, WCW Nitro, ONE 
nor-playables: Blasto, 
The Granstream Saga 


r 


Wg 


























May 1998 


Psybadek Feature 

Tekken 3 Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: Einhander, 
Gex: Enter the Gecko, Klonoa 

non-playables: Dead 
or Alive, Gran Turismo 





Issue #8—*10 


June 1998 


Metal Gear Solid Preview 
Gran Turismo Review 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: Cardinal SYN, 
Vigilante 8, Forsaken, N20, 
TOCA, Dead or Alive. 
non-playables: Tomba, 
Jersey Devil 


Issue #9—510. 


July 1998 


Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 
Tombal Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playable: Gran Turiemo, Tombal, 
e Granstream Saga, Jersey 
Devil, NBA Shoot Out, Blasto, 
Speed Racer_non-playables: 
NFL Xtreme, MLB 99, 
Tekken 3 


September 1998 


Metal Gear Solid 
Vigilante 8 Strategy 
Demo Disc includes: 
playables: Tekken 3, Turbo Prop 
Racing non-playables: Duke 
Nukem: Time to Kill, Lunar: Silver 
Star Story, Ninja: Shadow 
of Darkness, 
Metal Gear Solid 


PlayStation Trick Special 
. Contains 60 pages of 
strategies for all of your 
favorite PlayStation games. 
Also includes codes and tricks 
for more than 275 titles. 


Trick Special-*15. 














es and A 


ime Videos 











TOP 10 MOST WAI 
Official Contest Rules: 
1. No Purchase Necessary: To enter, send a letter or standard size postcard 
containing your name, address, and phone number together with your list of 
10 most wanted video games to "Top Ten Most Wanted” Official U.S. 
PlayStation Magazine, 1920 Highland Avenue, Suite 222, Lombard, Illinois 
60148 or e-mail it to dan_pelusoezd.com or fax it to (630) 916-7227. No 
purchase or payment of any money is necessary to enter. One entry per 
household per month. Entries must be received by the 10th day of the 
month for the next available issue of OPM. All entries become exclusive 
property of Ziff-Davis and will not be acknowledged or returned. Ziff-Davis 
assumes no responsibility for lost, mutilated, late, illegible, incomplete, 
postage-due, or misdirected entries. Sponsors reserve the right to cancel 
this contest at any time with appropriate notice. Only one prize per family, 
‘organization, or household per month 
2, Prizes: One Grand Prize winner will receive two (2) video games as deter- 
mined by Namco. Grand Prize has an approximate retail value of $80. Winners 
shall be determined by a random drawing of all valid entries by OPM editors 
whose decisions are final. All prize winners will be notified by mail Prize(s) are 
non-transferable. No substitutions of prize(s) are allowed, except at the option 
of Sponsor should the featured prizes become unavailable. 
3. Odds of Winning: The number of winners and the odds of winning will be 
determined by number of valid entries received. 
4, Eligibility: Contest open to residents of United States and Canada. Void 
in Quebec. Non-compliance with the time parameters contained herein or 
return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualifi- 
cation. Winners or their legal guardians shall sign an affidavit of 
eligibility/release of liability/prize acceptance within 5 days of receipt or 
forfeit prize. By acceptance of prize, winner(s) agree to the use of their name 


EPSTAKES 





and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without fur- 
ther compensation, unless prohibited by law. Neither ZD Inc., Namco nor 
their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, or related companies are 
responsible or liable for any damages, taxes, or expenses that consumers 
might incur as a result of this contest or receipt of prize. 

5. Winners List: For a list of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed enve- 
lope identifying the month for which the winners list is requested to iOPM 
Top 10 Most Wanted Winners Listi, 1920 Highland Avenue, Suite 222, 
Lombard, Illinois 601448. Allow 4 weeks for delivery of winners list. 

6. Restrictions: Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state 
and local regulations apply. 








IMPORT GA 
Official Sweepstakes Rules: (same rules as above with these exceptions below) 
4. No Purchase Necessary: To enter, send a letter or standard size postcard 
containing your name, address, and phone number together with your list of 
10 most wanted video games to Import Games Sweepstakes, Official U.S. 
PlayStation Magazine, 1920 Highland Avenue, Suite 222, Lombard, Illinois 
60148 or e-mail it to dan_pelusoezd.com or fax it to (630) 916-7227. 2. Prizes: 
One Grand Prize winner will receive one (1) video cassette of anime. Grand 
Prize has an approximate retail value of $25. Winners shall be determined 

by a random drawing of all valid entries by OPM editors whose decisions 

are final. 4. Manga Video nor their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, 
or related companies are responsible or liable for any damages, taxes, or 
expenses that consumers might incur as a result of this contest or receipt 

of priz 3, For a list of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope 
identifying the month for which the winners list is requested to Import Games 
Winners List, 1920 Highland Avenue, Suite 222, Lombard, Illinois 601448, 
Allow 4 weeks for delivery of winners list. 


Order OPM Back Issues Today! 


Each issue is bursting with previews and 
reviews of the hottest games as well as the 
most in-depth and comprehensive game 
strategies available in a magazine. There’s lots 
of cheat codes as well! To order, simply check 
off which magazines you want and send in the 
order form (photocopies accepted) along with 
a check made payable to: ZD Inc. 

For shipping and handling add $2 for U.S., 
$3 for Canada and $5 for foreign orders—in 
U.S. funds only for each magazine! 
Orders should be mailed to: Official 
PlayStation Magazine Back Issues, 1920 
Highland Avenue, #222 Lombard, IL 60148 


Advertiser Index 


Official 
U.S. 


www.acclaim.net 
Activision 
www.activision.com 
Atlus. 
www.atlus.com 

BSG Laboratorie: 
www.intensor.com 
Capcom 
www.capcom.com 
Crystal Dynamics. 
www.crystald.com 
Eidos. 
www.eidosinteractive.com 
Empire Interactive.. 
www.empire-us.com 
Fox Interactive. 
www.foxinteractivi 
GT Interactive Ent. 
www.gtinteractive.com 
Interplay Productions 
www.interplay.com 
Jaleco 


www-jaleco.com 


Konami. 
www.konami.com 
MGM.. 
www.tinytank.com 
ite 
www.midway.com 
Mindscape. 
www.mindscape.com 
Psygnosis. 
www.psygnosis.com 
Son 

www.sony.com 
Squaresoft. 
www.squaresoft.com 
Tecmo, Inc. 
www.tecmo.co.jp 
THQ, Inc. 
www.thq.com 

UBI Soft... 
www.ubisoft.com 
Virgin Interactive 
www.vie.com 
Westwood Studios.. 
www.westwood.com 
Working Design 
www.workingdesigns.com 


49-51 


30-31, 47, 84-85 


38-39, 92-93, 124 


65 


42-43, 122-23 


7-9, 28: 


20-21, 61-63 


89 








Win He 


If a picture is worth a thousand words, a playable demo is worth a million 


Spyro the Dragon 





} Jump/ciiae 
@ Flame 


Charge 


@® Look Around 
Roll Left 
Rotate Camera Left 


GB Roll Right 
Rotate Camera Right 





A Gem of a Hint: 

See if you can find all 400 gems 
in this demo. Here’s a hint: Take 
a flying leap off a high tower and 
you'll find yourself above the rim. 








& Fire/Action 


@ Holster Weapon 


© jum 


@ Turn Around/Crouch/Stand 
Walk 





f Sidestep/Lean Left 
Sniper Mode 
Sidestep/Lean Right 


Did You Know? 

The N64 version of the first Duke 
game was very censored. Seems 
only PlayStation gamers are able 
to see Duke at his vile best. 


WWF War Zone 





Block 

Tie Up 

Kick 

Punch 

Dodge Left 
Climb Turnbuckle 
Dodge Right 


8G s6@O0@ 


G3 Run 


Talk the Talk 

WWF War Zone features the 
“expert” commentary of wrestling 
favorites Vince McMahon and 

Jim Ross for double the fun. 





Duke Nukem: Time to Kill 











Players 
Availability 


Analog Controller 


1 Developer SCEA 
Now Publisher SCEA 
Yes Genre Action/Adventure 








t seems that the 3D action platformer 
game has become the genre of choice 
as of late. Sony's latest journey into the 
3D world could raise the watermark for 
future PlayStation platform games. 

In the game, you control Spyro, a cute little 
dragon who's actually quite the tough guy. He has 
the ability to spew fire all over the screen as well 
as ram enemies with a killer head-butt. 

As you travel through Spyro’s world, you must 
defeat the numerous foes and collect the jewels 
that are scattered all over the place. If you come 
across a treasure chest, just charge into it. It will 
bust open and you shall reap the rewards. 

Keep an eye out for the dragon statues as well. 
When you touch them, you free a fellow dragon 
who was trapped inside. These friendly creatures 


will give you helpful hints on how to navigate the 
world and get through the game. For instance, one 
dragon informs you that if you press the jump button 
while you're in the air, 
you will slowly glide 
around instead of 
falling down. 





The game’s graphics are 
some of the sharpest ever 
seen on the PlayStation. 

Just check out these shots! 















Players 1 Developer n-Space 
Availability Now Publisher GT Interactive 
Analog Controller Yes Genre Action/Adventure 








n last month's demo disc, you got to see 
some video footage of Duke Nukem’s 
new, PlayStation-exclusive game. 

Now, you have a chance to try it out 
and see just what all the fuss is about. 
Duke Nukem: Time to Kill is 
played from a third-person 
view, so the control is quite 
a bit different from the 
previous game. 
While the gameplay may 
be different, Duke's politically 
incorrect attitude remains the 


He’s rude, he’s crude, but 
you gotta love the way that 
Duke handles a situation. 
This guy’s always cool. 





same. Be sure to visit Duke's favorite club to say 
hello to a few dancing ladies. Also, if you can find 
her, a leather-clad vixen might point you to a 
hidden weapon. 

Hidden secrets and tons of interactive elements 
add a lot of depth to the game. 
Try out the Action button on just 
about everything. Sometimes, 
you'll find hidden weapons and 
health. Other times, you might 
just stumble onto something 
funny (see who Duke calls on 
the pay phones). 

Time to Kill looks as though 
it's shaping up to be one of 
Duke's greatest adventures of 
all time on any system. 








Players 1-4 Developer Iguana 
Availability Now Publisher Acclaim 
Analog Controller No Genre Sports/Racing 








restling games are becoming some of the 
most popular “sports” titles. While the 
previous WWF games have been essen- 
tially fighting games (complete with crazy 
special moves), War Zone is striving to be a 
more accurate simulation of the sport. 

The game fea- 
tures many of the 
stars of the WWF, 
including the 
immensely popu- 
lar Stone Cold 
Steve Austin, 
who is playable 
in this demo. 

It also includes 





These wrestling 
games are getting 
more and more real- 
istic. Soon, we'll be 
smelling the sweat. 


some surprisingly 
smooth-looking 3D 
graphics as well as a : 
wide variety of wrestling moves, many of which are 
particular to individual wrestlers. 

The final version of the game will feature a Create- 
a-wrestler option that lets you design your own com- 
batant from the ground up. You can even change real- 
ly personal things about him such as his chest hair 
and belly size. You can’t beat that. 
































Nowhere else will you find a more complete 
compendium of tricks —from the early days of 
Atari to today’s hot platforms. Packed with 

codes and cheats galore, this is definitely one 
codebook no Expert Gamer should be without. 












newsstands 
September 1 


uy one before. 
they. re ores 


THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CHEATING YOUR WAY TO VICTORY 
WITH ALL YOUR FAVORITE GAMES 











= : te = _ apa 


3(GAMER 


The best video game strategy 
‘ / magazine ‘around —period. 


Get the latest strategy and tricks on’the 
hottest titles on the market. Look for hot 
guides this month on Banjo-Kazooie, 
“Parasite Eve‘and much more! 


Vail D>) = SAN = = ff ‘September issue on sale August 18. 


The Most Comprehensive Strategies and Reviews Of 
the Hottest Sports Games 


Want to beat your friends in Madden NFL 99, NFL- 
GameDay 99, NFL Blitz, or NCAA Football 99? This is the 
book that will turn you into a video gridiron os ja 

On sale September 29. 

































The Unholy War 





& Jump/Teleport on Arrows 
@ Attacks and Powers 
@ Attacks and Powers 
@ Attacks and Powers 
Not used 

Not used 





Not used 


Gs Not used 





Make use of the arena’s terrain to 
get the advantage over your foe. 
Attack from above or try to get 
behind them. Kill or be killed! 


Q Accelerate 
@ Head tights 
@ Brake 
@ View Modes 


GB jump 

Rear View 

Use Weapons 
Change Weapon 








If you care, it means Situational 
Computer Animal Racing 
Simulation. You can rest easier 


knowing that, we’re sure. 








he finished version of The Unholy War 
will contain a Strategy Mode that will be 
the main thrust of the game. Featured 
here are the one-on-one confrontations 
that are indeed a game in themselves. The 


demo lets you compete against 
the computer or another per- 
son in arena-style combat. 

The first order of business is 
to select the arena to fight in. 
This should be pretty easy 
since only one of the four 
options is available here. Then, 
you must choose one of the 
four characters that are 
playable in this demo. Give 
each of them a try, since they 















riving and shooting. 
These two elements 
have gone together 
since the dawn of 
time (at least we think 
so...). Now, they come together 
once again for S.C.A.R.S., the 
new action/driving game from 
Ubi Soft. 
The premise is simple. Hop in 
a car and take it to the finish 


line. As you drive around the track, you can pick up 
special weapons you can use to take out the other 
racers. These can range from high-powered weapons 
to a turbo boost to jet you forward. 

Like most games, S.C.A.R.S. is more fun when 
played with a friend. Grab a buddy or two (or three), 


Metal Gear Solid 





PlayStation 
jo 











1-2 Crystal D. 
Now Crystal D. 
No Action/Adventure 








all play quite differently. 

When you and your opponent get dropped into the 
playing field, you immediately begin hunting them 
down. The object is simple: destroy your enemy. 
Each of the three weapon buttons activates a different 
power. These vary depending 
on what character you 
have selected. 

Your best bet is to run in fast, 
get off a couple of shots, then 
retreat. Repeat this until you kill 
the enemy. Just hope that they 
don’t do the same to you. 








Vivid Image 
Ubi Soft 
Action/Adventure 








and you can play multiplayer. That's 
right, you can split the screen into 
four separate boxes for some heated 
competition with your pals. 

While the driving/shooting game 
has been done before, S.C.A.R.S. looks 
like it might just have what it takes to 
become one 
of the more 
popular titles. 









Konami 


October r 
: Action/Adventure 


Yes 











t's getting closer! With each passing day, 
we are getting closer to the splendor that 
is Metal Gear Solid. This month, we offer 
an even closer look at the game than we 


did last month. 


This time around, you get a closer peek at some 
of the intense gameplay in Konami's next- 
generation sequel to the hit NES games. This 
demo movie shows Solid Snake, the game's 
super spy hero infiltrating an enemy base. 

Watch in amazement as he sneaks around, 
catching guards off guard and snapping their 
necks. Cringe with fear as he accidentally 
alerts enemies to his presence. Laugh with 
devilish glee as he sneaks around hidden 
under a cardboard box and watches the 


action from within. Then, become stunned with 
excitement when you realize that you will soon be 
controlling it all 
when the game 
finally is released 
next month. 








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Winning is really fun\ To play, just enter our cb testa ea an 
answer a series of cool & easy video game trivia questions! 





vA OW IK ate 
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Be ounees than 18 years old 
ust have parents’ permission 


‘syewepely, 


i WE WIN, J 

Brain Warp Andra Kerr, Newark, NJ ° Michael Cherney, Carona, 
CA © Matthew Stollman, Farmington Hills, MI © Donald Jones, 
Detroit, MI ¢ Jim O’Donell, Crescent City, CA Lights Out Antoine 
Jones, Los Angeles, CA © Rich Westendorf, Arvada, CO ¢ Cody 
Gyao, Jacksonville, FL ° Jesse Yeung, Sunnyside, NY * Sean 
Thomas, Imperial Beach, CA Light Wars Tyrell Gordon, Inkster, MI 
© Matt Richenburg, Braintree, MA ¢ Nicolas Page, Rochester, WA © 


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Albert Mungu, San Diego, CA ¢ Joshua Bowden, Idaho Falls, Idaho 
Raymond Carnasciole, Bayville, NJ game.com Allen Thomas, Los 
Angeles, CA ¢ Justin Johnson, Covington, KY © Ricardo Montes, 

Chicago, IL * Allen Green, Madison, NC ¢ Sam Litt, Pittsburgh, PA 





“PIT ‘soluonoa}3 abl, jo syewepedy pareysiboy 


www.tigertoys.com 





EGM Shirts and Hats Shown Here May Vary Slightly From Ones Awarded 


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If a picture is worth a thousand words, a playable demo is worth a million ROBEY 
= 1-2 Capcom 
Rival Schools Now Capcom 
No Fighting 






























f anyone knows how to do a fighting 
game right, it's Capcom. Their games, 
either 2D or 3D, have been some of 
the prime examples in the genre. 
Now, Capcom steps into the 3D arena 
once again with Rival Schools. 

In this movie demo, you can see some of 
the unique character design involved in the 
game. The characters are all students in 
various schools (hence the title) who take 
their inter-school competition seriously. 

Many of the fighters have sports backgrounds 
such as baseball and soccer. This leads to 


some pretty unique attacks and special moves. 
Incorporating an idea from some of their other 
games, Capcom included a feature that allows your 
partner to rush out during a fight for a tag-team 
move. When this 
happens, you both 
pound on your 
opponent. 
















Pitbull Synd. 
Accolade 
Sports/Racing 








he Test Drive series has been around for 
a long time and this new version looks 
like it could be the best one yet. It fea- 
tures plenty of 
special effects 
and features to make it 
stand out from the current 
glut of racing games. 
Test Drive 5 will be run- 


ning in the PlayStation’s High-res Mode, making the 
graphics look sharp and crisp. There are quite a few 
tracks that include plenty of shortcuts and branching 
roads that can help you get a lead on the 
other racers if you use them right. Also, there 
will also be a Two-player Mode where you can 
split the screen either horizontally or vertically 
depending on which way you prefer. 



























Test Drive 5 is looking good, but the big 
question is whether it have what it takes to 
compete with the likes of Need For Speed III 
and Gran Turismo, two of the best PlayStation 
racing games. 





http://www. playstation.com 








ave you been itching to get ahold of 
one of those phat ski caps like the one 


PaRappa wears? Well, now you can 


order one of your very own red, froggy 


caps direct from Sony. 


This video is a quick promo that tells you the 
easiest way to get your eager mitts on some hot 
PlayStation-related gear. 

Just log onto SCEA’s Web site (http://www.playsta- 
tion.com), and you can visit the online store. From 
here, you can order all sorts of things. There are hats, 
T-shirts, jackets and more, all bearing the well-known 








PlayStation logo. 
Some of the items 
even bear the 
mark of your favorite PlayStation games. 

If you can’t get enough PlayStation in your diet 
(and who can?), then this gear should fill your plate. 





DEMO DISC 
PRODUCERS 

Jon Manahan 

Gary Barth 

Perry Rodgers 

PRODUCT MANAGER 
Shelley Ashitomi 
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER 
Andrew House 

AUDIO 

Buz Burrowes 

MUSIC COMPOSITION 
Nathan Brenholdt 

TEST MANAGER 

Mark Pentek 

LEAD TESTERS 

Ben Briones 

Kenneth Chan 

Charles DeLay 


PROGRAMMING AND. 
INTERFACE ARTWORK BY 
LIFELIKE PRODUCTIONS, 
INC. 


LEAD PROGRAMMER 
Avery Lodato 

3D ARTIST 

Sonia Ivonett 
PRESIDENT 

Katherine Williams 
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR 
Tim Edwards 

CD INTRODUCTION BY 
CINEMA DIGITAL 
IMAGING, INC. 
PRESIDENT 

Dave Fisher 


ANIMATOR 

Kurt Rauer 

CG MODELLERS 
Chris Burnbaum 
Matt Eskew 
EDITOR 

Ryan Ramirez 
SPECIAL THANKS 
Karen Borowick 
David Greenspan 
Kerry Hopkins 
Ninalei Morrison 
Michelle Postrado 
Riley R. Russell 
OPM Demo Disc is 
published monthly 
by Sony Computer 
Entertainment America 


Inc., 919 E. Hillsdale Drive, 
Foster City, CA 94404. All 
titles shown herein are 
trademarks of and copy- 
rights of their respective 
publishers and/or their 
licensors. 

See individual screens 

for details. @1998 Sony 
Computer 

Entertainment 

America Inc. 

Please submit all 
related demo disc 
inquiries to: OPM Demo 
Disc, Inquiries, 919 E. 
Hillsdale Drive, Foster 
City, CA 94404 


























A look ahead at our next issue 


The Best Demo 
Disc EVER! 


You heard us right—we’ jot messing around 
here. There’s 14 different titles on this disc. Just 
look at the list of playable games and it reads like 
a list of the hottest games for the PlayStation in 
1998. Metal Gear Solid, Legacy of Kain II, Cool 
Boarders 3. We've been showing them to you, 
now’s your chance to play them! 

But now that we're through slobbering all over 
next month's disc, let us calmly tell you some of 
the cool things ahead inside next issue, starting 
with our coverage of the football wars. Wars? Why 
yes, OPM will be the final word on whether 
GameDay 99 or Madden 99 is the best football 
game of the year. Look for the most comprehen- 
sive breakdown ever seen in a magazine. If you're 
looking to buy one game, you must read next 
month's issue of OPM first! 

Also look for an in-depth preview of Twisted 
Metal 3, plus reviews of Heart of Darkness, 
Thunder Force V and Master of Monsters. 


Oh yes, playable 
Metal Gear 
Solid. You just 
can't ask for 
things to get any 
better than that. 
Well, maybe you 
could, but let's 
not ruin this 
stellar demo disc 
moment, OK? 











Expert Gamer will have lots of tricks and strat- 
egy treats in the October issue. 

First up, are those fishy-looking baddies too 
tough in G. Darius? We'll provide the best tips 
: on how to hook and reel in the tough Bosses. 
se Second, XG guides you through the kid-ish 

Spyro the Dragon as you search for your drag- 
on pals and rescue them from an evil 
wizard. Last but never least, XG will 
have a complete strategy on the most- 
anticipated RPG since Final Fantasy 
VIl—Parasite Eve. 


See 





On sale Oct. 20 





ELECTRONIC 


GAMING 
ag 


Next issue is gonna be big and packed with tons of 
information headlined with LucasArts’ next N64 
game, Rogue Squadron! Obviously, you'll want to 
hear those Star Wars 
tunes in grand style, 
which is why we're also 
going to have a complete 
guide on how to build 
the Ultimate Gaming Rig. 
Whether you're shoppin’ 
bargains or looking for a 
setup that'll rival the 

cost of a car, we've got 
the information you're 
looking for. 

We'll also have previews of Twisted Metal 3, 
EYave Mantel MI] Me1-r-lmes\e) em Cole (one Colao ROTI 
reviews of Parasite Eve, Madden NFL 99 and 
NFL GameDay 99! 





POWER 0 


Check Out Our 


Next Demo Disc! 


Soul Reaver ¢ Test Drive 5 « 
Devil Dice * Ninja ¢ Brunswick 
Bowling * Cool Boarders 3 
plus SIX bonus video previews 
* Parasite Eve ° MediEvil 
° NFL GameDay 99 ¢ NHL FaceOff 99 
¢ Heart of Darkness « Rival Schools 






























PlayStation | Beaty 





www.foxinteractive.com 




















©1998 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. "Twentieth Century Fox; "Fox' and their associated logos are the property of 
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 


SWDDENLY, 
YOURE NO. 


ee R 





GET OUT YOUR PRAYERBOOKS, yeatHENs-- “ALIEN RESURRECTION” HAS ARRIVED. 
REAL TIME 3D ACTION, MULTI>,; qyER MODES, FULLY DESTRUCTIBLE ENVIRONMENTS, 
CHALLENGING MISSIONS, PLUS SOUND AND MUSIC STRAIGHT FROM THE MOVIE. 


FROM THE AURIGA TO THE BETTY, THESE ALIENS ARE SURE To SEND CHILLS up 
YOUR SPI NE-- IF THEY DON’T RiP IT OUT FIRST. 


‘i 


Toa somsenssm semen tne nonmember tae 8 





cA SINE 


RoE SU RRE OTE oO 


THE GAME 


Oncy EIDOS brings yOu fhe most 
INNOVGTIVE ONd ChOLLENgiNg games 


& 











Choose your a” 
(ole\alaanancag L Enter the 
Kolgomntamm connie) a’ nysyareell (rere 
Raider III. \ Da of Kurosana. 







Marleesahe f 



























: oer: Er, 
take much, & Rec Take the e i 7, iis 
just your’. lalelale e \ Gade ae 
soul. x D outside, ‘ 

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~~ The Nomad Soul bs 
A "- - 
LP www.eidosinteractive.com 


Tomb Raider III, Lara Croft and Fighting Force 64 are tradmarks of Core Design. © 1997-1998 Core. Eidos Interactive and Omikron are trademarks of Eidos, Pie. © 1997-1998 Eidos. 





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