VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6 هړ‎ > PlayStation js Е | o 1 ^ i л © A SE AE же $29 cu اس‎ co 2 ri и Бу Sony Computer т А”‏ تا ШШ!‏ || — ې 5 Шор رلا اسراو‎ E = marks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Tomba! is a trademark of WHOOPEE САМР? Co. Ltd. ©1999 WHOOPEE CAMP Co. Ltd. PlayStation and the PlayStation TOMA; THE EVIL SWINE RETURN JUST BECAUSE YOUVE GOT THE HAIR, DOESN'T MEAN YOU'VE GOT THE POWER. FLYING SUITS, STYLISH YET FUNCTIONAL. «® TOMBA GOES COVERT WITH A PIG SI BEAT THE ао SORRY, TOF ONLY ONE wy” | | From Contrail, the Wild Arms” and Legend Of Legaia’ STAGE:IO = SCORE:38334 Swim, climb, and battle to solve hundreds of Unlock 10 mini-games to test your skill action-based puzzles. and increase your stats. Alundra 2 © 2000 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Alundra is a trademark puter Entertainment Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Published - Activision is a registered trademark of LP وز‎ a trademark of the Interactive Digital contral 5 i: АП rights reserved. АШ other trademarks or trade names are the properties of their respective owners. 4. of Alundra’; E You are Flint, a renegade swordsman оп a quest to free a Ringdom from the grip of a sinister ruler. Through a land г of hidden danger you wield your weapon, "m navigating an intricate | story wrought with bizarre | characters, brain-twisting ‚ | puzzles and wild games. Beware! An even greater evil is about to be ^. revealed... Official PlayStation Magazine Dale Strang Editorial Director ЈЕ. Funk ٥ joe_funk@zd.com Editor-in-Chief Kraig Kujawa ® kraig_kujawa@zd.com Managing Editor Gary Steinman • gary_steinman@zd.com Deputy Editor Joe Rybicki ٥ joe_rybicki@zd.com Associate Editors Mark MacDonald • mark_macdonald@zd.com Chris Baker • chris_baker@zd.com West Coast Editor Wataru Maruyama wataru@gamespot.com Contributing Editors Doug Erickson • Joe Gray Johnny Masthead ٥ Jim Mazurek ٥ Andrew Vestal Copy Editors Dan Peluso ٥ Jennifer Whitesides Creative Director Michael Stassus Senior Art Director Bob Conlon е bob_conlon@zd.com Art Director Donna O'Hara Contributing Art Directors Tim Davis ٥ Jason Hinman Mixx Entertainment, Inc. Stuart Levy, CEO & Bureau Chief Matthew Galgani, Producer Kiyomi Fukuyama, Editorial Manager Yutaka Ohbuchi, Japanese Correspondent Production Director Carlos Lugo Senior Prepress Manager Peter Discoe Prepress Manager Dave McCracken Electronic Prepress Technician Chris Melody Project Leader Mark LeFebvre Analyst Scott Parus Business Director Cathy Bendoff Circulation Director Joan McInerney Circulation Director Shirley Viel Senior Newsstand Sales Manager Don Galen Subscription Service Number: (303) 665-8930 (0.5. Only) hitp://servico.playstationmagazine.com ZD Game Group 50 Beale Street, 12th floor San Francisco, CA 94105 tel: (415) 547-8783 fax: (415) 547-8777 Group Associate Publisher Suzie Reider ® suzie@zd.com Telephone (415) 357-4915 National Sales Manager, Northwest Anthony George • anthony _george@zd.com Telephone (415) 547-8774 Account Executive, Northwest Mary Gray • mary. gray! Telephone (415) 547- District Sales Manager, Southwest Karen Landon ® karen_landon@zd.com Telephone (760) 942-6277 Account Executive, Southwest, Midwest & East Coast Linda Philapil ® linda_philapil@zd.com Telephone (415) 547-8781 District Sales Manager, Midwest & East Coast Marc Callison • marc. callisonGzd.com Telephone (630) 382-9034 Senior Marketing Manager & Creative Director Rey Ledda • rey_ledda@zd.com Telephone (415) 547-8775 Senior Ad Production Manager Dennis Fitzgerald • dennis_fitzgerald@zd.com Telephone (415) 357-4998 Fax (415) 547-8868 Advertising Production Coordinator Teresa Newson • teresa_newson@zd.com Telephone (415) 357-5428 Advertising Coot Tippler Ubbelonde е tippler_ubbelonde@zd.com Telephone (415) 357-4930 Editorial A few unofficial words from the official editor-in-chief A Year of Belated Surprises hen I looked back at 1999 during our preparation for this year's awards, I must say that I was a bit surprised. But not for obvious reasons, such as the PocketStation’s absence or the obscene glut of wrestling games. Rather, I raised an eyebrow because many of the best games of 1999 were those that filled long- deprived genres. There have been lots of great games for the PlayStation, but how did so many obvi- ous holes go unfilled for so long? Until Activision released the incredible Tony Hawk Pro Skater, the PlayStation never had a great skateboarding game. Sure, there were a few others before it, but they weren't nearly half as good. And now we're getting a couple other passable ones such as Thrasher: Skate and Destroy and possibly Street Sk8er 2. It's like the industry collectively turned its head and said "Oh yeah, skateboarding games are a good idea, aren't they?" The same thing happened with snowboarding games a few years ago. For quite awhile we've craved a light and fun cart racing game that also offered а great multiplayer mode—it's been a console gaming stan- dard. Yes, there have been pretenders like Motor Toon, Chocobo Racing, etc. that have tried to do the job, but they did- n't come close to fitting the bill. And now, finally, we have the brilliant Crash Team Racing. It sure took a little while, didn’t it? Expect others to follow suit. Just as I'm writing this, I've gotten wind of a similar game on the way from Eidos called Walt Disney World: Magical Racing Quest. Looks like the industry has turned their head again. First- and third-person shooters have been a staple on the PlayStation, but they never really had the depth, story, or atmosphere needed to make any of them stand tall above the others. Syphon Filter broke down that barrier early in 1999 and Medal of Honor closed out the year in grand fashion with Medal of Honor. Whenever I play any of these games, they make me won- der why it took this long for them to arrive. Some people would say that it has taken develop- ers awhile to really master the system, but the brilliance of these games has more to do with design than it does technical prowess. While some of these titles are no-brainers that should have been out years ago, others are here because development teams decided that they need- ed to go against the normal rat-race of creating a game, and actually take their time. And then there's the ultra-late conversions that just make me shake my head. Why in the world did we have to wait until 1999 for Civilization II and You Don't Know Jack! to come out? These two titles have been perched at the top of their genres for years and are just now mak- ing it onto our favorite platform now. It has to make you wonder and hope that companies are learning from these previous mis- takes. That they can look to the future and load up the PlayStation2 with the best games as soon as possible instead of wasting their (and our) time with has-beens and endless clones. The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine is the only Sony Computer Entertainment America-licensed 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. Kraig Kujawa Editor-in-Chief March 2000 Official ٢۹٢ (а) of ZD Inc. To reuse any material in this publication, obtain a permission request form at www.icopyright.com/zd, ог have a form faxed ог mailed to you by calling (425) 430-1663, Copyright © 1999, ZD Inc. All Rights Reserved. TM & © for all other products and the characters contained therein are owned by the respective trademark and copy- fight holders. All materials in this magazine are subject to change and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. The йеп GST registration number is 14049 6720 RT. Printed in the Magazine, РО. Box 55362, Boulder, CO 80322-5362. Call us: (303) 665- 8930 U.S. or (303) 604-7445 all other countries. Fax us: (303) 604-7455 U.S, or (303) 604-0540 all other countries. Or visit our subscription Web site at http://service.playstationmagazine.com, The editors and pub- lishers are not responsible for unsolicited materials. Without limiting the rights under copyrights reserved herein, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written notice Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (ISSN 41094-6683) is published monthly by 20 Іпс., РО. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. Periodicals Postage Pending at Lombard, IL and additional mailing. offices. Single-issue rates: $7.99. Subscription Rates: One Year (12 Issues and 12 demo discs) $39.97 U.S., $65.97 all other countries. We periodically make lists of our customers available to mailers of goods. and services. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, please write to us and include а copy of your mailing label. Subscription Service Questions and Address Changes Write to: Official U.S. PlayStation РУ Eg Winterfresh. en mHwe Sophie, PENA of Nohi 1000 "Tool" Introduced to Eastern Continent 465 Empire 800 Invention of "Tool" When Gustave XIII D mother Sophie passed away. Gustave XIII attacked and seized the DUKEDOM OF WIDE upon turning 20. fig. 15: Gustave XIII (the younger) age 15 After he exiled his wife and child, Gustave 1 à another son. He named the newborn GUBTAVE XIV-who would eventually become the after Gustave XII died. єрїмї? op АЧМ? Philippe became the Marquis of Nohl after Sophie passed away. Marie was forced to marry CANTAL, the new Marquis of Otto, for political reasons. Gustave XII seized one-half of the Otto territory in return. Gustave XIII became the hero of those who did not have Anima. Instead of relying on the power of magic, he and his partners developed skills to use machines History of the GUSTAVE Empire Migration to the Southern Continent 374 Rebellion Fall of the of Nika ~400 400 Hahn Expansion 0 Establishment of the Empire Tre story of the GUSTAVE Empire belongs to a time when the people used the magical power called "Anima" to conjure mighty spells. The Kingdom of Finney was ruled by شر‎ EI oe XII was attacking the Marquis of Otto when Qt USTAVE XIII was born to himself and his wife, SOPHIE DE NOHL. Gustave XIII was destined to be the heir of the throne. He would later have a brother named PHILIPPE and a sister named MARIE. fig. 14: The Royal Family Gustave ид When Gustave XIII turned seven, he participated in the FIREBRAND CEREMONY in which he was to prove his worth to become the heir of the throne. During that ceremony, Gustave XIII found that he had j E not the power "Anima." Because of his inability to use Anima, Gustave XIII, along with his е were exiled from the Kingdom by thé and Marie would never see their mother again. Philippe was terribly saddened by the loss of his mother and blamed Gustave XIII for this. While he still had the pride of Royalty, Gustave XIII became a target of contempt resulting in his twisted personality. 0 1 209. 1 % GeXeoe iG ЗАР 1227 Exile of Gustave XIII 1243 and Sophie de Nohl Finney Kingdom 1 unites Merchmin DEATH OF КЕСІМДІ —> 1270 | Cantal gains control of Merchmin Territory 1220 Я 1269 7 1271 Li „> 8 To Tuee Mc, ve а! ота МИГ e T NES ұм —= 2 XIII became known as GUSTAVE THE М Gust اا‎ seizes Hê planned to expand his territory, but was Dukedom of Wide wien he and a small regiment were assaulted As tn the Kingdom of Finne; | auring an expedition, He was 49-vears old. 1. Cantal and Philippe promise with Gustave XIV for this battle, but backed the last moment, leaving Gustave XIV to suffer Because he used metal to improve his military, (2402 ка AU With 4 COUNT د‎ After the Battle of Buckethill, Philippe requested to rule the Kingdom of Finney. He failed in the Virebrand Ceremony forcing him to name his son, MILIPPE П, the heir of the throne. At his Firebrand У Coren rss ۰ Philippe vord used S HAPE HISTORI an 1 in the y. In the “Ы ВЕ ок = Gustave ЗТАУЕ Тазы be shat has amount fig. 16: GUSTAVE THE STEEL ..iown as TEEN MILD ANIMATED VIOLENCE SUGGESTIVE THEMES. Vist www ото or cal 1-800-771-3777| or rating information. SQUARE.SOFT: © 1999, 2000 Square Co., Ltd. АП rights reserved. SQUARE SOFT and the SQUARESOFT logos are registered trademarks of Square Co., Ltd. баба Frontier is a trademark of Square Co., Ltd. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment www. sq uaresoft. сот Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. PlayStation y A ٢١٢١ “Because we dont want your Аа maiming a SOFTBANK company in their games J you dont want your hids AE „Timothy C. O'Brien Jason E. Chudnofsky Chris Dobbrow „Terri Holbrooke Michael 5. Perlis „Dan Rosensweig DAD D B » пати n their games. c € Chief Financial Officer... | President, 20 Events . President, SmartPlanet .. | President, 20 Corporate Operations | President, ZD Publishing . | President, ZDNet .. President, 20 Education . President, 20ТУ..... Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Senior Vice President, Development and Planning Senior Vice President, ....................... Corporate Marketing Vice President, Controller | Vice President, Tax .... CHILDHOOD‏ للت Vice President, Treasurer‏ | TE parany | Vice President, Human Resources EVERYONE | Vice President, Information Technology EVERYONE RATING: The E Replaced The Previous K-A Rating و‎ Last Year. Suitable For Kids Ages 6 And Up, E-Rated Games e кан Мау Contain Minimal Violence Or Crude Language. | Integrated Client Sales es ne BY Executive Vice President ... | Executive Vice President Senior Vice President ... | Vice President, Corporate Sales . EARLY CHILDHOOD RATING: Deemed Suitable For Children 3 Or Older. Products Carrying This Label Have Absolutely No Material That Would Be Considered Inappropriate By Parents. ZD PUBLISHING | President GEO E N TE | | Executive Vice President/Publishing ... The Enterprise Group Executive Vice President/Publishing 70 Publishing, General Manager Executive Vice President/Publishing PC Magazine Executive Vice President/Publishing .. Consumer Publications | Senior Vice President/Publishing د د سی‎ ٢ d Peter Longo Publisher, PC Magazine Senior Vice President/Publishing ................. Alan Perlman | Publisher, Interactive Week Vice ЫТЫ Ы УЗ ае т ЛАН Анда John Dodge Editor, PC Week Vice President/Publishing دد ېساد په‎ A NO 6. Barry Golson | Editor in Chief, Yahoo! Internet Life Vice President/Publishing, Production . TEEN RATING: Contains Suggestive Themes, Mild Or Strong Language And Animated Violence. Some Parents May Want To Supervise Children Playing T-Rated Games. „Michael J. Miller .. Jim Spanfeller MATUR E MATURE RATING: These Games Contain More Adult Themes, Such As Blood And Gore, Stronger Language And Sexual Themes. Deemed Not Suitable For Those Under 17. шше [о BY „Roger Herrmann Vice President/Publishing Jom Jones Publisher, Computer Shopper Vice President Publishing لا‎ Eric Lundquist Editor in Chief, PC Week Залы | р И АШК УЛИ ME ADULTS ONLY RATING: The Extreme Of The Ratings, Suitable Vice President/Publishing а.е Jim Manning $ International & Integrated Sales Development For Adults Only. Packs Sexual Themes And Extreme Violence. Yee President د دن‎ Charles Mast sirculation Console Manufacturers Have Yet To Allow An AO-Rated Game. Wes د نن وسوسو‎ Roh неп | Editor in Chief, Family Р | Vice President ИЧЕ و‎ Sloan Seymour Publisher, PC Vice aR КААБ» А ж» ЖЫШ Раш Somerson Editor in Chief, РС Computing Vice President/Publishing, Game Group . Dale Strang Vice President/Publishin „Раш! Turcotte Publisher, Yahoo! Internet Life - Ы 20 Labs " a в | Vice President and General Manager . fark Van Name Chief Technology Officer, ZD Labs . Bill Catchings Director . Director . Е‏ رما Шу GAG‏ Ziff-Davis, A SOFTBANK Company COMPUTER ` ШЕШЕ GAMING | WORLD nTRODUCTIN THE SHAVHAR, as EVIL SUPERBEINGS ano sameno YOU ль VALDEMAR, ULTIMATE POWER, THe monstrous ТЖЕ RED SUN. сотан SO SELECTABLE MESENS ser n Decr SPACE AMD ON e WEAPONS PANED ELL се CRAVITY SE RÉCENG е. смее لا عچمۍ‎ VAST NEW SOLAR SYSTEMS where up-close оосеснт ACTON МАКЕ ТНЕМБЕРІМТІМЕ SCH-I COMBAT GAME, дул АОММ оч PLAYSTATION® CAME CONSOLE: په ٢ susecuns]"‏ و ESRB | PlayStation Е ® > s Colony Wars, Colony Wars Vengeance and Colony Wars Red Sun are all ™ or © of Psygnosis Ltd. 1997-2000. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of سن پس‎ Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Digital Software Association. — 1 Sg Ж aui "Tom Lay the ^ Т к ; 788 SmackDown! HEY DON'T FOR ROLV үө ار‎ ыо Make friends then break them as you roam backstage from the boiler room to the kitchen. Call upon your allies for help and then climb over them as you kick, grapple, and People's Elbow your way to the top. Just remember that backstage politics can work against you ~ don’t let The Rock" run-ins, well-placed metal chairs, and McMahon appointed guest referees get you in the end. AND THEY DON'T FORGET, WS PlayStation © = e дей 5 . ы i Contents Letters Read what happened when one reader ә bought а peripheral that sounded too good to be true, and learn the secrets behind Sony's “Tool.” Plus, a particu- larly radiant Reader Art section. Syphon Filter 2 | We blow the lid off 989 = Studios’ top-secret follow N ews j up to their smash hit espi- Lots of big names are signing on to : 30 == سم پچ‎ = опаде action game—the new games, like everyone's favorite EXE. | story, the levels, the multi- prize-fighting, ear-biting Brooklyn à И player game—everything! brawler, Mike Tyson. Plus all the latest d: > + 66 PlayStation and PS2 info and screens. Previews Best of 1 999 Get the inside scoop on Alundra 2, Front £ Mission 3, Hydro Thunder, Street Fighter Й It's that time of year again, EX 2, Deception Ш, Armored Core: y when we bestow the OPM Masters of Arena, and the perplexing Editors’ Awards on the Flintstones’ Bedrock Bowling. best—and the worst— zA games of 1999. See how Н gi your favorite games fared! | 1 te rn ati оп а! - 1 06 This month we take a look at Sony's new spy/espionage adventure game Chase the Express, the old-school shooter RayCrisis, and one last peek at Dragon Quest VII before its release. PS2 Update! سا‎ Every month these develop- Revi ews ers manage to top them- 3 : я selves with better-screaris; Find out if ECW Hardcore Revolution We've got a first look at stacks up to the rest of the wrestling Square's new racer, Type-S, pack, And read what we thought of along with several others. Hot Shots Golf 2, Marvel vs. Capcom, Jackie Chan's Stuntmaster, and more. Tricks In keeping with the Syphon Filter 2 theme this month, we give you an entire section of high-tech espionage tricks, as well as cheats for Crash Team Racing, and much more! fa Gran Turismo 2 REN Check out the step-by-step instructions for each and every 1 license test, as well as hints оп every race event, complete with lists detailing cash and 5. е.а. г. prizes awarded. 1 1 4 Check out this month's light-gun gallery. Can anything stand up to the mighty GunCon? And feast your eyes on some new figures based on Front Mission 3 and Final Fantasy VIII! Demo Disc This month, not only do you get to read all about Syphon Filter 2, you get to play it yourself! You'll also be able to check out Silent Bomber, Ace Combat 3 and a load of other hot games. Enter their world at eidos.com à as = EA ES Е-е د و ون وي يوي‎ —— s | 7 0 | і lia idle ولت سو‎ ТЕК :‏ اا و ове A ЕХ‏ « د هم خد د 70% асады‏ کو пивара EUN Follow the light PRODUCTS RANGE FROM 3 N то MATURE Playstation CONTENT RATED BY SOFTWARE RATED Eidos Interactive and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. Fighting Force 2, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Core and the Core logo are all trademarks of Core Design Limited. Fear Effect is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a trademark of mation oi dui Crystal Dynamics, Inc. © 1999 Eidos Interactive. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.Titles in this advertisement are rated Teen through Mature by the ESRB. Т” E لسا (= = PlayStation EXIT OPERATION: OBSERVE SURROUNDINGS. IF SCENERY IS MOVING-REMAIN IN VEHICLE. IF STATIONARY, PROCEED WITH CAUTION TO NEAREST EXIT. Letters A glimpse into the demented minds of our readers Caption Contest Winner Letter of the Month Peripheral Woes Dear OPM, Dear OPM, After playing Gran Turismo 2 without pause since its U.S. release | must say that it is beyond words. (If the original GT was a 5, then what is 672?) But, what stirred me to write you a letter is Gran Turismo 2000. | read that it would just be an updated version of GT2, so І just thought | might pass along my suggestions. 1) Add more real-world tracks: Spa, Indianapolis, Nurburgring, Sebring, etc. 2) Add more of the truly exotic cars: Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, etc. 3) Eliminate the “car wash” and add the “body shop.” If we can take “for professionals only” one step farther, we could allow damage as an option and force players to fix their cars. This can add many possibilities: What if you win a race by bashing, but then have to fix your car for the next race in the championship? What? Not enough money to complete all repairs...? You could also use the body shop to paint your cars as you like, sponsor and all. 4) Include more races with even tougher Al. 5) Expand the Rally mode. PlayStation2 is going to be incredible; | just hope that we get a Gran I recently purchased something called a “Super GB Booster,” made by a company called Innovation. The sales clerk told me this product | would be compatible with my son's PlayStation and would enable him to play his Game Boy games on it. This was my son's birthday pre- sent, but within an hour after returning home, it became obvious that the product was defective. One | out of seven games worked on this device, and even then there was no audio. I immediately tried to return the device, but was told, "Tough luck." The salesman pulled out a disclaimer that basically said that فل لتا «od‏ “Mikey’s attempt to skip out on his date proves DarkmanPoe@aol.com ow you too can have your shot at history with the OPM Caption Contest! Every month, we run a game-related pic- ture or screenshot. Your job is to write a humor- ous caption for it and submit it to us at any of the addresses on the fol- lowing Letters page. The winner will be chosen by the following scientific method: We'll read them all, and the one that makes us laugh our asses his store did not warrantee this item. He offered me half my money back on this scam. I have learned my lesson, and will never purchase anything without the PlayStation trademark on it again. I thought Sony might be interested in this, as it possibly infringes on their trademark. Bonnie Weyrich | Pismo Beach, CA Turismo sequel that is equal to the task. David Fiallo 76301,737@compuserve.com Though it's probably too late to implement апу of these changes into GT2000, these are all great suggestions that we'd also like to see in future sequels. Visible damage to the licensed vehicles is unlikely, though, since car manufacturers don't seem to like the idea of seeing their beloved vehicles smashed beyond recognition. Do you think you have what it takes to write the Letter of the Month? Send us your timely, original, well-written video game expositions (you don't even have to agree with us!) and you too could win an official OPM Box or Jov. New surprise goodies every month! Though it may not technically be trademark infringement to produce such dubious peripher- als, it is certainly unethical to manufacture and sell a product that fails to perform the adver- tised function without some kind March 2000 The development kit is some- thing that only game developers will need to worry about; it's just the hardware that allows game designers to program titles for the new console. An integrated system for coding and debugging software, it simplifies the more complex development kit used for developing games for the original PlayStation; where the original kit required a PC, the new kit is a stand-alone system. And it's a good thing consumers don't have to buy them: They go for around $20,000! Choose Your Tools Wisely Dear ОРМ, Irecently saw a picture of what 1 thought was a fat PlayStation2. Then I noticed the word "Tool" on the side, and the caption which indicated it was a PlayStation2 development kit. But there wasn't any more information about what it really is or does. So what exactly is the "Tool" for, and will it be some- thing that consumers will have to buy along with their 7 Miguel De La Rosa Immokalee, Florida of warning. We'd recommend taking your case up with the manufacturer, and if they refuse to help you, contact the Better Business Bureau or some similar consumer support organization. We've heard too many stories like this regarding unlicensed peripherals. Always remember to look for the PlayStation logo on the box, and check your store's return policy before buying any product that states that it is "not licensed, sponsored, endorsed or manufactured" by Sony. Then you can at least make sure it works! off will get a sparkling new game or game-relat- ed item. Now, see what you can do with this pic: Official 0.5 ان‎ Magazine №) [You didn’t really think those were the official rules, did you? For all the legal stuff on this and our other contests, please refer to page 24.) How do you like the mag? What about the design? Are we leaving anything out? we want Let us know! your input! To get 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 final Letters page. We can't wait to hear from you. E-mails having to do with upcoming games can be sent to marketingeagetec.com. And in case you'd rather bombard them with real paper, their mailing address is Agetec, Inc., 900 Veterans Blvd., Suite 600; Red- wood City, CA 94063. Make us proud, soldier! Activision is planning to release in the near future. The game looked intriguing, sort of like a Colony Wars set in the Star Trek universe (with the story expected to fall between The Next Gener- ation and Voyager). Look for a more in-depth preview soon! A glimpse into the demented minds of our readers Make It So Dear OPM, I have a question that maybe you can answer. Are there any plans at this point for a Star Trek game on the PlayStation? I was just wonder- ing because I see Star Wars games on the PlayStation for those who Letters id you buy a copy of our magazine that did not contain a demo CD? Do YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO OPM? POINT YOUR BROWSER TO http://subscribe. playstationmagazine.com/service AND FILL OUT THE APPROPRIATE FORM. WITH A CREDIT CARD, YOU CAN EVEN START A NEW SUBSCRIPTION! e-mail: opmezd.com and check us out on www.videogames.com I want to e-mail Agetec to tell No, you're not seeing double; this month's winner, Gene Dambach of Pawling, NY, treated his submission with UV-sensitive paint, so that when the original image (left) was held under a blacklight, certain parts would glow (right). Our response: “Ооооооһ.” Other fine efforts this month come from Todd Adamson of Sandy, UT (cen- ter) and Timothy Lim of Little Rock, AK (right). Good work, folks. ea 1 Sic ‘em! Dear OPM, them they should release RPG Maker. What is their address? Kent Boorman alphaunicronehome.com If you need to reach us now 630 382 9010 like Star Wars, but no Star Trek. Actually, we recently got a behind-closed-doors look at a new Star Trek game which The Reader Art Challenge Every month we'll be picking one excep- tional piece as our Reader Art of the Month. The winner will have his/her piece published and will receive a new game or game-related item in the mail—so include your mailing address with all submissions. snail mail: PlayStation Magazine Р.О. Box 3338 Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 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 num- ber 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 non-working demo disc, call SCEA at 1-800-345-SONY. They will provide instruc- tions to obtain repair or replacement ser- vices. For more infor- mation see this month's Demo Disc section. Mike Brown via the Internet ways to reach us Official Contest and Sweepstakes Rules ОРМ LETTER OF THE MONTH Official Contest Rules: 1, No Purchase Necessary: To enter, send a letter ог standard-size postcard containing your name, ‘address, and phane number together with your comments to “OPM Letter of the Month”, PO Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338, No purchase or payment of any money is necessary to enter. One entry per household. All entries must be handwritten. Mechanically reproduced entries will not be accepted. Entries must be received by the 10th day of the month for the next available issue of OPM. АД entries become exclusive property of ZD Inc. and will not be acknowledged or returned. Ziff- Davis assumes no responsibilty for lost, mutilated, late, illegible, incomplete, postage-due or тізді rected entries, 2. Prizes: One Grand Prize winner will receive а box containing various items from the ‘OPM offices. Grand Prize has an approximate retail value of at least $10. Winners will be selected by а judging panel whose decisions are final. Winners shall be selected from әй valid entries received. ‘All entries wil be judged on the following criteria by OPM editors, whose decisions are final: (50%) originality and (50%) creativity. Entries containing obscene language will be disqualified. All prize winners will be notified by mail. Prize) are non-transferable, No substitutions of prze(s) are allowed, except at the option of ZD should the featured prizes become unavailable. 3. Odds of Winning: The odds of winning wil 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 disqualification. Winners or their legal guardians shall sign an affidavit of eligblity/release of lia- bility/prize acceptance within 5 days of receipt or forfeit prize. By acceptance of prize, winners) ‘agree to the use of their name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promotion with ‘out further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Neither 20 Inc., nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions or related companies are responsible or liable for any damages, taxes or expenses that con sumers might incur as د‎ result of this contest or receipt of prize. 5. Winners List: For alist of win ners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope identifying the month for which the winners list is requested to “OPM Letter of the Month Winners List" at the address listed above. Allow 4 weeks for delivery of winners list. 6, Restrictions: Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and focal regulations apply. ОРМ CAPTION CONTEST Official Contest Rules: 1. No Purchase Necessary: To enter, send an original caption for the attached screen shot on a stan- dard sized postcard containing your name, address, and phone number to “OPM Caption Sweepstakes” PO Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338, No purchase or payment of any money is necessary to enter, All entries must be handwritten. Mechanically reproduced entries wil not be ‘accepted, Entries must be received by the 10th day of the month for the next available issue of OPM. All entries become exclusive property of ZD Inc. and will nat be acknowledged or returned. Ziff- Davis assumes no responsibility for lost, mutilated, late, illegible, incomplete, postage-due ог misdi- rected entries, 2. Prizes: One Grand Prize winner will receive one (1) video game or one (1) video game-related item as determined by 20. Grand Prize has an approximate retail value of $20-50. All entries will be judged on the following criteria by ОРМ editors, whose decisions are final: (50%) orig inality and (50%) creativi. Entries containing obscene language wil be disqualified. Al prize win- ners will be notified by mall. Prizes) are non-transferable. No substitutions of prze(s) are allowed, ‘except at the option of 20 should the featured prizes become unavailable. 3. Odds of Winning: 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 parame- ters 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 ог forfeit prize. By acceptance of prize, winner(s) agree to the Use of their name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Neither ZD Inc., nor its 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 envelope identifying the month for which the winners list is requested to “OPM Quote Contest Winners List" at the address listed above. Allow 4 weeks for delivery of win- ners list, 6. Restrictions: Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local regu: ations apply. TOP 10 MOST WANTED SWEEPSTAKES Official Contest Rules: 1. No Purchase Necessary: To enter, send a letter or standard-sized postcard containing your name, address and phone number together with your list of 10 most wanted video games to "Тор Ten Most Wanted” Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, P.O. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 or e-mail it to qary.steinmanezd com or fax it to (630) 382.9010. No purchase or payment of any money is neces- sary 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. АП 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 wil receive two (2 video games as determined by Namco. Grand Prize has an approximate retail value of $80. Winners shall be determined by a ran- dom 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 prizes) 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 disqualification. 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, Winners) agree to the use of their name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promo- tion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Neither ZD Inc., Namco nor their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions ог related companies are responsible ог liable for any damages, takes or expenses that consumers might incur as د‎ result of this contest ос receipt of prize. 5. Winners List: For a list of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope identifying the month for which the winners list is requested to OPM Top 10 Most Wanted Winners Lit, P.O. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338. Allow 4 weeks for delivery of winners list. 6. Restrictions: Void where prohib- ited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local regulations apply. min ЕШ *configured by Marc Ecko/The E -“ ( | ast... а Medie A t ” % ider.. U.S. PlayStation Magazine -Official val Tomb Ка "Alter reaching legendary status on the PC, the Misht and Magic universe is ready to cast its spell on the PlayStation. -GamePro Play le With E a Vengeance. Prepare for the ultimate battle of good and evil. As Drake, a lone mer- сепагу toughened by years of hardship, you re swept up into the midst of a Crusade in the incredible 3D fantasy-action lands of Ardon. Your only mission 15 to rid the land of the same vile evil that annihilated your family. Then, and only then, will you have your revenge! “A unique blend of action and role-playing : Conquer 5 dark and hostile worlds, over 15 levels in all * Мау your enemies through scores of grueling quests * Qo to battle armed with a variety of wicked weapons & sizzling spells Prima Strategy Guide Available ©1999 Theap تت‎ AN Rights Reserved. 300, Crusaders of MightandMagic, Might and Magic, and their respective logos, are trademarks and/or service E] тагове Тће 0 0:Сотрапу іп the U.S. and other countries. PlayStatigff arftl the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. э? All other trademarks belong to their respective owners. The Рита 1000 and Prima Publishing are Registered Trademarks of Prima Communications, Inc. www.mighta ndmagic.com News A monthly wrap-up of all the information for your favorite system | Tyson =a Fights CE 5 Again 1 5 e's been convicted of raping a beauty queen. He's р Р Ы snacked оп Hollyfield’s ear during a title bout. Heck, he hasn't even held a boxing belt since 1996. But that's not stopping based Codemasters from signing Mike Tyson to an exclusive license agreement to appear in the forthcoming Mike Tyson Boxing, due out in May. With such a checkered reputation, it may be a bit surpris- ing that anyone bothered signing Tyson to such a deal. "There are issues and concerns that we're certainly not blind to, but well aware of," concedes Michael Hayes, worldwide director of sales and marketing for Codemasters. But after conducting research with the game's target audience (late teens-early twenties), Hayes says he was convinced that Tyson was the right name to attach to the game. "They see Tyson as one of the greatest boxers of all time," says Hayes. And despite his thuggish antics, Tyson remains the biggest draw in boxing. But Hayes is quick to point out that the game won't focus on the darker side of Tyson; rather, it'll be a realistic sports simulation. "We're not producing a product that has ridicu- lous, over-the-top or aggressive and inappropriate moves," he says. The centerpiece of that game will be Career Mode, in which you can choose among 100 different boxers and nur- ture their careers until they eventual face Tyson in a title bout. You'll do everything from hiring a trainer to managing a regime to picking bouts and adjusting your training sched- ules—a process that can take several months, according to Hayes. There'll also be arcade-style bouts and versus modes in which you can play as or fight against Tyson. But there def- initely won't be any ear-biting moves or the like. "We would be wrong to do anything crazy like that," says Hayes. The game will be based on the Codemasters' Prince Naseem Boxing, also due out in May. Tyson will be consulting for the game, but it seems unlikely that he'll be doing any motion-capturing. r Tyson hasn't starred in a video game since the 1986 NES «еч hit Mike Tyson Punch-Out. Official u.s. PlayStation СО March 2000 Above аге two pics from Prince Naseem Boxing, which Mike Tyson Boxing will be based on. photograph by Michael Sexton Sosa Signs | With 09 Super-slugger Sammy Sosa has switched affilia- tions, signing a multiyear deal to help with the development and marketing of Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball. Just last year Sosa was the cover boy for EA Sports’ Triple Play 2000, a critically praised game. But apparently Sosa is looking for something better. "I agree with the gaming maga- zines that say 3DO's High Heat Baseball is the best," he said. Hmmm...we just wonder what mag- azines he's been reading, because we gave the horrendous High Heat Baseball 2000 just one disc (to be fair, though, the PC version of the game was much better). Hopefully Sosa's skills will help improve 3DO's flagging PlayStation franchise. Quote of the Month “If we get a ‘T' rating, we didn't make it violent enough.” -John Inada, marketing manager for Tecmo, commenting on how he hopes that Deception ІІІ: Dark Delusion gets a Mature rating rather than a Teen rating. Lara Flick Looms Closer Lara Croft may be edging closer to becoming a celluloid reality, according а recent report in Variety. The movie industry trade publication said Paramount Pictures is in “advanced negotiations to enlist Simon West” (The General's Daughter, Con Air) to direct its Tomb Raider film. No word yet on who'll be starring as Croft, though. The film was set for a summer 2000 release, but it looks unlikely to make that date. Separately, Variety also reported that Columbia Pictures is pursuing Sam Raimi to direct its forthcoming Spider-Man film. Raimi, who recently directed For Love of the Game and is best known for the Evil Dead films, is “an avowed Spider-Man fanatic,” according to Variety. > 4 Е = Eu Е 54 „5 5 о ФО eg 2g = - зе ЕЕ =“ ES T = 5 ± 500 Fans of Gran Turismo 2 who've already devoted 110% of their efforts to Polyphony Digital's masterwork were surely disap- pointed to learn they could only complete 98.2% of the game. Sony shipped GT2 just shy of completion—a fact that was con- GAME STATUS COMPLETE PRIZE MONEY TIL @ 98.20 تسس پس xc won un rend m ux aes anao firmed by Polyphony on its Web site. The consensus is that GT2 is missing its drag racing courses, Since you can earn drag cars but there are no devoted tracks to race them on. Sony CEA has yet to comment on this shortfall. How interested are you in playing Mike Tyson Boxing? total number of voles: 2443 poll taken تا‎ com illustration by Wayne Vincent News A monthly wrap-up of all the information for your favorite system eternal Ring Here are a few more screens of From Software's first-person RPG Eternal Ring. The game is set on an island divided into eight areas, each with its own drag- оп, and you'll have to rely on elemental magic rather than using weapons. ess than two months to go سا‎ the PlayStation2 launch, and we can hardly wait! The big news this month is Square’s PS2 racer, Type-S. We've also got another batch of great screens from a handful of previously announced games, along with plenty of juicy tidbits in our PS News Roundup. 4 MR-S зеотон > мя E Tupe-s Featuring a "driver's-eye" camera angle and simulation-style gameplay, Square's new PS2 racer is scheduled to release in Japan sometime this spring. Check out the detailed car models and advanced lighting effects in these screens. Which "secondary" feature of the PS2 is most enticing to you? Connectivity options 3 8 MB Memory Card 501 Enhanced Dual Shock 432 |—— Can stand on its side 404 March 2000 kessen Another month, another batch of Kessen shots. We tried to avoid them, but all those pretty horses just pranced their way into our News section. Ability to play DVDs 8,493 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 The Ru Tomb Robbery S: Paramount Pictures is Official 054 Дк ө СӨ Violent Behavior THE FACTS: Mortal Kombat and anyone who's seen Relic Hunter knows that it's nothing is bloody and violent. Е ВОВ: Right. We knew that already. We also know that the series is past its prime and quite tame next to the current generation of gorefests. But apparently a group of protesters didn't realize that when they marched on more than a bad Tomb Raider ripoff. Why Paramount is bother- ing to develop a second-rate ver- sion of Tomb Raider, a license they probably paid a lot of money for, we'll never know. Guess it's just another example of Hollywood brilliance in action. developing a movie based on its syndicated TV show Relic Hunter. ГНЕ КОВ: Yes, we know this is a PlayStation magazine, and this item seems to have nothing to do with our favorite system...but hold on! You see, Paramount is also producing the Tomb Raider film— MLB 2001 Every дате is like дате 7. MARCH 40 WWW.989S5PORTS.COM [EVERYONE | PlayStation Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights аге used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. www.majorleaguebaseball.com Official Licensee - Major League Baseball Players Association. € MLBPA. www.bigleaguers.com 989 Sports and the 989 Sports logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Developed by 989 Sports. © 2000 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. things we دا‎ think we E S think this month Hopefully, Jedi Power Battles doesn't continue the tradition of EPisopE | mediocrity Need for Speed sequels are com- ing out quicker than car makers are able to design new models. Acclaim needs to take their PlayStation games more seriously. They should concentrate on mak- ing a couple killer PS2 games to punctuate their turnaround. According to Sony, a PlayStation is in one of every four households. What in the hell are the other three in four thinking? The PlayStation needs a stock day- trading game. Moreover, it needs to come out before we all lose our shirts playing the real market. Kessen better turn out to be a good PlayStation2 game. Otherwise we'll look like a horse’s ass for showing all those screens. All those Y2K survival supplies we never used can finally be put to good use: Once the PlayStation2 arrives, we'll never have to leave our homes! Licensing Mike Tyson for video games probably started as a really bad joke that someone took a little too seriously in the Codemasters’ boardroom. Midway is loading up their PlayStation2 line-up. We're hoping that they spare us the requisite Mortal Kombat launch game. Due to being rushed, Gran Turismo 2 can only be completed to a tally of 98.2%. Maybe the other 1.8% will be forthcoming on a expansion disc. News A monthly wrap-up of all the information for your favorite system Armored core 2 The graphics aren't the only thing to receive an upgrade in this stunning- looking mech title. There'll be plenty of details to manage, with 13 different gauges displayed on screen, including everything from damage to cannon trajectory to radar/weather display. PS2. The fantasy/RPG will be develo, by Volition, the minds behind the well- received Descent series. е Tecmo told us | that their Ninja Gaiden title should release at the U.S. PlayStation2 launch. They also confirmed they'll be developing a Dead or Alive title, but due to an exclu- sivity agreement with Sega, the game won't bear the DoA name. A Tecmo Bowl game for the PS2 is also in the works. АРС screen from Summoner just around the corner, there's no way the Hollywood will be able to keep up. Just think: cinematic effects on the fly, intensely immersive gameplay and the ability to connect with gamers across the globe—all in your liv- ing room! 962 News Roundup Sony will be holding a PlayStation 2000 Festival in Japan on Feb. 18 through Feb. 20, just days after this issue hits the newsstands. The event will feature 20 playable PS2 games. Stay tuned to videogames.com for all the latest news. • The lineup for the Festival includes two newly announced games from Square EA: FIFA 2000 and Boarder Cross. While we've got no details about the latter, we presume it'll be a snowboarding game. • U.K.-based developer Headfirst Productions is working on a game based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Titled Dark Corners of the Earth, the first-person per- spective game will focus on exploration and puzzle-solving. * Vile will publish sequels to Twilight Syndrome and Fire Pro-Wrestling. Both games were former roperties of Human, which recently Big Business THE FACTS: Video games are almost as THE RUB: With $7.2 billion in hardware and software sales in 1999, video games are edging real close to the film industry's $7.4 billion annual box office take. And with the PlayStation2 leclared bankruptcy. • THQ announced hat they're developing Summoner for the Chicago's City Hall in January to try to stop a $2 million grant awarded by the city to keep Midway from moving away. What we'd like to ask the protesters is: Do you actually believe that dis- rupting the livelihoods of 700 employees is less destructive than a silly video game? Really, now. Jown McCLANE STUNT DOUBLE #6 - ARM BROKEN NEAR SLOT MACHINES IN SHARPSHOOTERS DUEL WITH A RUSSIAN TERRORIST. ат тм Presents As nominated by our attractive, intelligent readers Resident Evil 3 Nemesis Aaahhhh!l!! Just thinking of this zombified Capcom sequel gives us the willies. Gran Turismo 2 Vroom! Vroom! Vroom! You'll be up in your room just a playin’ all night. It'll make ya feel right. Medal of Honor Is it just us, ог are Nazis just as mon- strous as any abomination from Doom or Quake? Final Fantasy VIII Check out some new toys from this latest Square masterpiece in the g.e.a.r. section. Thrasher: Skate & Destroy It appears that Tony Hawk might have started a trend here... Tomorrow Never Dies He may shake those martinis, but no one’s shaking Bond from Most Wanted. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage You're still clamoring for the coolest purple dragon since Figment at EPCOT Center. Crash Team Racing Between CTR апа GT2, now's a great time to be a PS racing fan. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Check out how Lara worked things at 16...ог just check out Lara. Driver Nothin’ like saving the day by driving recklessly through four huge cities, leaving cops in your dust. Our monthly contest winner's top five picks Deception Ш: Dark Delusion Gene's up for some sadistic, trap-setting madness in this Tecmo sequel. Tomba! 2 When hostile pigs capture your girlfriend, something's gotta be done! Apparently, Gene agrees. Shao Lin Gene could be waiting for this eight-player brawl for a long time. Word is, it might be canceled. Tenchu II It's more stealthy ninja action for Gene, this time set before the events of the first Tenchu. Fear Effect We're anticipating this Blade Runner- esque survival horror title just as much as Gene! What we've been playing instead of working Gran Turismo 2 The best game of 1999...and still the best game of 2000! Hot Shots Golf 2 Who doesn't like to taunt their coworkers while playing golf? Silent Bomber This one came out of nowhere to blow Joe away. Syphon Filter 2 The frustration factor got to Mark at first...but then he found the cheat menu. Madden NFL 2000 Kraig’s relentless defense is the stuff of legends around the office. Send your votes for the Readers' 10 Most Wanted games to: Official PlayStation Magazine Attn: Readers' 10 Most Wanted, Р.О. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 or e-mail us at: gary steinmanezd.com or visit the OPM section оп www.videogames.com Top 20 The best-selling U.S. PlayStation titles as reported by the nation's top retailers Gran Turismo 2 PUBLISHER: Sony CEA Last MONTH: = GENRE: RACING RELEASE Dart: Dec. 1999 No surprise here. Following up the once-greatest racing game ever with the new greatest racing game ever means few copies left on store shelves. Tomorrow Never Dies (000€O) PUBLISHER: EA Last 173 GENRE: ACTION Retease Date: Nov. 1999 It seems that a lot of you saw The World is Not Enough and put this latest Bond game on your Christmas list. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (00000 PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION Last MONTH: 4 GENRE: SPORTS RELEASE Date: Sept. 1999 You know you've got a great skating game when it out-sells all other sports titles, period. NBA Live 2000 (00000 Ривизнек: EA Last MONTH: 2 GENRE: SPORTS RELEASE Dare: Nov. 1999 After taking a year off due to last season's strike, plenty of b-ball fans are eagerly picking up this popular franchise's return. Spyro the Dragon (00000) PUBLISHER: Sony CEA Last MONTH: 6 GENRE: ACTION RELEASE Date: БЕРТ. 1998 A low price coupled with a quality sequel have helped move Spyro's first adventure into the top five for the first time ever. 5 a Gran Turismo (00009) PUBLISHER: SONY CEA. Last MONTH: 9 RELEASE Dare: May 1998 Crash Team Racing (00009 PUBLISHER: Sony CEA Lasr MONTH: 3 RELEASE Date: Ост. 1999 Resident Evil 3 Nemesis ©0000 PUBLISHER: CAPCOM Last 7 RELEASE Date: Nov. 1999 Frogger (00000) PUBLISHER: HASBRO Lasr Момтн: 13 RELEASE Date: Ост. 1997 Toy Story 2 (00000) PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION Last MONTH: - Revease Date: Nov, 1999 0 Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! 00000 PUBLISHER: Sony CEA Last 7 RELEASE Date: Nov. 1999 PUBLISHER: SONY CEA Last 7 RELEASE Dare: Nov. 1998 93 Ө @ B Crash Bandicoot: Warped B Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation 00000 PUBLISHER: EIDOS INTERACTIVE LAST MONTH: - RELEASE РАТЕ: Nov. 1999 Driver ©0000 PUBLISHER: GT INTERACTIVE Last MONTH: 10 RELEASE Date: JUNE 1999 Рививнев: EA Last Момтн: 12 RELEASE Date: Auc. 1999 @ madden NFL 2000 B Rugrats ©0000 PusLisHER: THQ Last Момтн: — RELEASE Date: Nov. 1998 Twisted Metal 4 00000 Рививнек: 989 STUDIOS Last MONTH: — RELEASE Dare: Nov. 1999 B A Bug's Life 00000 PUBLISHER: Sony CEA Last Момтн: 17 RELEASE Date: Nov. 1998 (8) Medal of Honor ©0000 PuBLISHER: EA Last Момтн: 15 RELEASE Date: Nov. 1999 20! Pac-Man World ©0000 PUBLISHER: NAMCO Last Момтн: 14 Revease Date: Ост. 1999 Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games, December 1999. Call them at (516) 625-2345 for questions about this list. Note: Мо games for competing console systems (e.g., N64, Sega Dreamcast, etc.) were included. Overall sales figures may vary. Game descriptions are written by the OPM staff. ЈОНИ McCLANE STUNT оду #54 | “STEPPED ON PROXIMITY MNE ye ROULETTE TABLE WHILE BATTLING TERRORIST sihe us VIVA LAS VEGAS тм News A monthly wrap-up of all the information for your favorite system Clockwise from top left: Front Mission 3, Hot Shots Golf 2 and Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere. “Expendable ана Ultimate Fightin ETE All release dates are tentative and subject to change. More information on all future releases will be given as it becomes available. 4 c о = с ~ un > ә 5. GOOD LUCK. YOULL NEED IT. McCLANE IN EXTREME DRIVING MODE. JOHN McCLANE is BACK. AND LAS VEGAS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME, IN DIE HARD TRILOGY 2 you CAN PLAY YOUR FAVORITE GAME OR Mx ALL THREE GAME STYLES INTO ONE INTENSE ADVENTURE, YOUR ENEMIES HAVE ADVANCED AL, SO (Туи TAKE 60TH STRATEGY AND 5кіш To SAVE HOSTAGES WHILE TRYING ТО SAVE your дим Витт. USE TWELVE DIFFERENT WEAPONS То BATTLE ENEMY TERRORISTS, WHOSE Five DAMAGE QUADRANTS MAKE THEM TOVGH To DROP, For mature audiences only. www.foxinteractive.com idemarks of Twentieth Century Fox . The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. MATURE у (с ш a - oe - MeL Animated Violence 5 : an ; № GAMERS UND _њЊ 7 NO EXCEPTIONS Strong Language CONTENT RATED BY ESRB ECW is a trademark of HHG, Corp. ECW Hardcore Revolution" and Acèlaim® © 1999 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim Studios Зай Cake City АИ Rights Reserved: TNA sid tho TNN logo are registered trademarks of Network Enterprises Inc. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and tho "М logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc, © 1996 Nintendo of America Inc, Licensed by Nitendo, PayStatioh and the PlayStation lagos داوېهد‎ trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment ne. Screen shots shown were taken from the PlayStation version о! the video game. к МАТУВЕ SU 5 Animated Violence NO GAMERS | | NO 6586 Strong Language 2 PlayStation CONTENT RATED BY ESRB ECW is a trademark of HHG, Corp. ECW Hardcore Revolution™ and Acclaim® © 1999 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City. АН Rights Reserved. ТАМО and the TNN logo are registered trademarks of Network Enterprises, Inc. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the "N" logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. © 1996 Nintendo of America Inc. Licensed by Nintendo. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Screen shots shown were taken from the PlayStation version of the video game. 4% , PTIUNS 5 و‎ IN lago are registered trademarks of Network ire registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. MATURE [o Animated Violence Strong Language CONTENT RATED BY ‘Served, Déveloped by Acclaiin Studios Salt Lak ıd the PlayStation logo: ECW їз a trademark of HHG, Corp. ECW Hardcore Revolution™ and Арсіаітт © 1999 Acclaim Entertainment, Iie. پس‎ Enterprises, Inc. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the ^N* logo are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. © 1996 Nintendo'ol America lac. Licensed Бу Ninténdd. PlayStation Screen shots shown were taken from the PlayStation version of the video game. КҮКЕ, 6Р5 HP 45/58 96% چچ (Kems became‏ 2 Wood Saddle‏ MEET MONSTERS 24F w19 Fp 140110 نم‎ ENCOUNTER ALLIES ЖЕТ СЕТ ІО5Т іп this amazing new adventure starring FINAL 5 Chocobo and many other familiar characters. Explore and battle in a variety of mysterious dungeons which randomly change each time you enter them. Challenge dangerous monsters. Discover your companion’s secrets. Recover untold magical treasures. he You may never see daylight again. © 1998, 2000 Square Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE sat uci 325۸ RE. SOFT * SOFT, and the SQUARESOFT logos аге registered trademarks of Square Co., EVERYONE | Ltd. Chocobo's Dungeon is a trademark of Square Co., Ltd. U.S. Patent No. MILD ANIMATED VIOLENCE || 5390937, 5649862. PlayStation and the PlayStation logos are registered حح‎ Vis تش نا‎ www. squaresoft.com trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a PlayStation Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. hugely elaborate affairs requiring more than mere sword-boppery. As far as story goes, you'll find Alundra 2 to be a much more good- natured affair than the melodramatic and apocalyptic tale that drove the first title. Our hero, Flint, is a young swordsman framed by a group of air pirates for a crime he didn't commit. In the rather wacky opening encounter, he causes their mecha- nized birdcraft to plummet from the sky, along with his poor self. Awakening on shore, he is rescued by a headstrong young princess who needs his assistance in dealing with a rogue Baron and an evil wizard who're using magical keys to create a legion of androids. Strange? Sure is, but it's also part of the charm. Although it really isn't a spiritual successor to Alundra, Part 2 has enough of that Matrix panache to make it one of the more interesting action-RPGs on the horizon. Alundra 2 Theme: RPG # of Players: 1 Availability: Spring 2000 Developer: Matrix/Contrail URL: www.activision.com It’s Alundra...without Alundra? cerebral action-RPG fans. And although Working Designs won't be lending their trademark translation style to this Alundric outing, rest assured that Activision is doing a class act with the sequel. In fact, they've gone as far as to hire the same professional voice talent that spoke for Metal Gear Solid—this def- initely isn't a typical RPG rush job. The world of Alundra 2 is definite- ly different this time around: Flint and his enemies are in full 3D, as are the environments he traverses. That's for the better, since it allows for trick- ier puzzles and better special effects, while still maintaining the tight con- trol that defines Climax/Matrix-devel- oped action-RPG titles. Of course, this Alundra is distin- guished by the fact that a lot of time and effort has gone into making the play intriguingly diverse: Not only are there over 10 distinct mini- games, but boss encounters are 2 д Bandicoot 4, starring Korky the Koala. Super Mario Brothers X, featuring two chubby French electri- cians named Jean and Claude. A Zelda title, minus Link. It'd be a little odd, eh? Well, incongruity didn't stop Matrix from developing a sequel to their successful action-RPG title Alundra, minus the title’s epony- mous hero. Alundra 2, the follow-up to the Working Designs-published hit, stars a pluckly lad named Flint, in a world rather different from that of the first title. No doubt this will cause fans some con- I magine, if you will: Crash sternation, but rest assured:‏ و bi‏ | izarre choice in naming aside, this game features all the devious puzzles and clever level design that made the first Alundra such a favorite among more ie 1 4 Previews An early look at the games of tomorrow Alundra 2’s cast of pirates provide comic relief. You see, when you have a game whose villain impales living creatures with magic wind- up keys to turn them into mechanized monsters, it’s good to have a laugh every now and then. TIME:889 HP:50 FLINT:2 #2: The Shooter: It’s Robotron 2084, baby! Guide a tiny dart-firing Flint about, dodging bullets and kamikaze enemies, while capturing coins and blasting baddies. Watch those hit points, though, or you'll wind up mon- ster food. #3: The Run: Think Pac-Flint, with one monster. Grab all the coins, but don’t smack into the critter you share the maze with or your coin-gob- bling days come to a tragic conclusion. BET:0020 МАР:01 6ЕТ:0000 Mini Games In Alundra 2’s Casino area (hey, every RPG has to have one), you can play a number of slick little minigames, loosely based off of classic arcade games. As you play, you can rack up medals which can later be redeemed for goodies. Some are pretty pricey, though; you’d better start beefing up your joystick skills now if you want that 2,500 medal item! Here’s a rundown of what to expect: #l: The Rally: Flint takes to the asphalt in this miniature racer reminis- cent of Super Sprint and RC Pro Am. Skate around twisty tracks, but don't hit the walls—seems those puppies are nine-tenths nitroglycerine! СТӨ, March 2000 Official U.S. (MENAS f • THE ARCADE FANTASY FIGHTER FROM THE INCREDIBLE COMIC BOOK SERIES * CLASSIC JAPANESE, COMIC BOOK STYLE ANIMATION COMBINED WITH CAPCOM'S SIGNATURE GAMEPLAY • EXPERIENCE SUPER STORY MODE LOADED WITH MINI-GAMES AND OTHER DANGEROUS QUESTS * UNLEASH YOUR CHARACTER'S INNER PERSONA IN THE FAMOUS STAND ATTACK Animated Violence Suggestive Themes 4 е 24 PlayStation ғ RPG 1 Spring 2000 Square Square EA www.squaresoft.com Previews An early look at the games of tomorrow Front Mission 3 The weird and wonderful world of Wanzer warfare despite the zillions of numbers and options, you'll be navigating through your pilot roster and arse- nal like a pro in no time. Front Mission 3 is an extremely detailed game, featuring a wealth of play options and customizabili- ty sure to delight micromanage- ment fanatics. Those who enjoy assiduously developing characters will love the game's mechs, called "Wanzers" (VAHN-zers), which allow for an incredible level of customization and weapons load- out. The battles are intricate turn- based affairs, often featuring mul- tiple objectives, and a ranking sys- tem at the end of each fight eval- uates your performance, so you'll really need to make smart tactical choices, using the terrain and obstacles to your advantage. Skilled tacticians will find them- selves amply rewarded for their clever maneuvers, while strategic chumps will find themselves on the wrong side of the trash com- pactor. With all this depth, there's little doubt that Front Mission 3 is one of Square's strongest offerings in quite some time. tional affairs after his adopted sis- ter disappears following a bizarre explosion at a military base in Japan. With his friend Ryogo and a mysterious woman named Emma, he sneaks into the establishment, only to discover a terrifying secret that threatens to set the entire world of the 22nd century at war. Key decisions by the player at this point can lead to the ensuing battle being played from the per- spective of either side, with a completely different set of missions and cast of supporting characters for each. That's bang for the buck, folks; you're required to play this bad boy through twice just to see all the game has to offer and see each side's unique angle on the complex plot. The graphics, of course, are solid, although they lack the clari- ty of those found in FF Tactics. Weapons effects, especially those of high-level weapons and special attacks, are exceptional, and the detailed mech designs add a solid dose of realism. The interface, fortunately, is up to the task of making the game's inherent complexity accessible; HP bars, each for a vital area of the Wanzer and its attacks which boost accuracy or target the pilot specifically enable you to really dish it to your foes, but watch out: The enemy can often do ut of the blue, Square EA surprised everyone by announcing a Stateside release of the third installment from Square's extremely popular mech tactics game series, Front Mission. This can be considered a bit of an event because the first two titles sold rather well in Japan when they were released for the SNES, yet a U.S. release was utterly neglected. Now, would-be tactical geniuses іп the U.S. can see what all the hype was about in our native language, thanks to a more receptive climate. For those for whom this preview will be their first encounter with this ven- erable series, here’s a recap: Imagine the general feel of other tactical RPGs, such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, but with mechs and all the details that come with piloting a large bipedal chunk of titanium. Front Mission 3 is the latest in this series, and is one of the deepest titles Square has ever developed. The game starts by placing you in the role of hotheaded test pilot Kazuki Takemura, who inexpertly gets himself embroiled in interna- Tactics 'R' Us expend all your AP in one turn; if the enemy is close, you'll need a few points left over to deliver a coun- terstrike. Both you and your foes have a number of pilot. Sp the same to you. Choose your attack wisely. Missiles can deliver massive impact damage at range, but if the enemy is close, you'll wanna issue a metal knuckle beatdown. For sheer punch-and-scatter dam- age, nothing beats a high-powered shotgun or flechette cannon. Don't let all these numbers frighten you. A smart general will keep his beady little eyes on the percentage chance to hit, and the line-of-sight marker to ensure that they get the biggest hit at the right time. If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics, you'll feel right at home with Front Mission 3's turn-based battle system. While it doesn't share the ATB timing prin- ciple, it still takes place on a 3D grid-based map, with similar height- and terrain-based considera- tions. The entire shebang is governed by Action Points (AP), which regulate your ability to move and perform other actions. It's not always a good idea to March 2000 Official 0. АРУ اه‎ Old flames di out, but Ican always make new ones. Previews An early look at the games of tomorrow Street Fighter ттт appearance іп the EX series. There are also new bonus rounds scattered through the normal game which can be played in their own mode. A new feature in the game engine is the EX move which is basically the same thing as custom com- bos from Alpha 2 and 3. As with the original, there will be endings and other secrets to unlock as you get through the game. Unique to this version is the director’s mode which allows you to edit replay data to make your own movies. How much players will toy with it is any- one's guess though. 7 RES $- Lis қ TENS 59 بت‎ — А Я EX 2 Theme: Fighting # of Players: 1-2 Availability: March 2000 Developer: Arika Publisher: Capcom URL: www.capcom.com t was a long time С but the follow up to the first Street Fighter in 3D is final- ly coming to the PlayStation. Street Fighter EX 2 was origi- nally released in the arcades on what is essentially a PlayStation, so it seemed a speedy conver- sion was all but assured. The technical aspects were never a problem so it was basically a timing thing that gamers had to wait around for. Fortunately, this highly anticipat- ed sequel seems to have been worth the wait. The first EX title was known for how blocky the character builds were, so Arika went and smoothed out the polygons for a nice clean look. They went the extra step and added lots more moving fabrics to them as well, making for a lot more eye candy. Four brand-new fighters join the fray along with old favorites Vega, Blanka and Sagat who are making their first REAL COMBAT. PLASTIC МЕМ." RATING PENDING Chun-Li gives Sagat a little some- thing to remember her by. эро www.armymen.com “> PlayStation Мел, and their respective logos, PlayStation and the Plays idemarks belong to their respective owners Theme: Racing # of Players: 1-2 Blue Shift Midway Publisher: URL: www.midway.com Нусіго Thunder Previews An early look at the games of tomorrow Availability: Spring 2000 Develope: A splashy arcade racer sure to float your boat That volcano in the distance isn't just for looks. Sooner or later, you're going to be leaping into the mouth of the Fire God him- self. Just watch out for the mon- keys on the way. As mentioned in the preview proper, one of the best parts of Hydro Thunder is its superlative track design. A few of the highlights you'll want to watch for include: Crazed fishermen, swarms of orcas, and a spectacular leap off an iceberg into the belly of a modern-day Titanic are the highlights of the begin- ner's course. Learn to master the Hydro Jump here and gain access to a secret route that slides through a series of ice tunnels to give you a major leap on the competition. This intermediate course starts out tame enough, in a small Greek villa, but later has you ripping through ruins and screaming down shattered aque- ducts, only to finish with a leap over a cruising yacht. Those with a quick eye will spot the hidden route in the underground ruins, which can lead to an instant gain in position. Arguably the best course in the game, Lake Powell finds the Hydro Thunder racers pursued by nautical cops out to stop the fun. A ramp off of Hoover Dam will lead to one of the most gut-wrenchingly spec- tacular drops in a game—just don't hit the helicopters on your way down! A massive storm rides over the ocean currents as you navigate through treacherous waves and an entire Sargasso Sea's worth of sunken vessels. Highlights include a ride through a ruined aircraft car- rier and the biggest waves this side of a Seattle Seahawks' halftime. An eye-bursting special effects extrav- aganza that features a huge dimensional rift into an alternate Egyptian universe where massive gods lord over the competition and a magical tempest holds court upon the waves. Don't let the laser light show distract you from the collapsing ruins! arcade mentality. Aside from some impressive water physics, there's very little that's sim-like to be found in Hydro Thunder, and that's the game's strength—freed from the confines of dull realism, the level design has run amok, creating some of the most bril- liant track designs seen in a racing game. From tearing off of a 500-foot dam on Utah's Lake Powell to sprinting through the submerged subway tunnels of a post-apocalyptic New York, this game's whimsical levels sport ridiculous jumps, insane secret routes and stunning scenery galore. If your nautical skills are up to par, you'll unlock more tracks and boats, each more wild and imaginative than the last. The PlayStation version sports two tracks not seen in the arcade version, one of which is a midnight romp through a sunken castle. The PlayStation version also promises a full two-player mode of the split- screen variety, although the price paid to bring the frame rate up to snuff may be a bit steep. The Dreamcast version's two-player mode suffered from severe choppiness due to somewhat subopti- mal code; let's hope the PS version doesn't share a similar fate. With a little work, Hydro Thunder PS could be one of the snazzier arcade conversions available this spring; from what we've seen so far, things are shap- ing up well for fans of the over-the-top arcade racing title. waves in arcades around the country with its high-adrenaline maritime hijinks and outrageous track design. Now, at long last, it's making its way home to the PlayStation, courtesy of Midway and developer Blue Shift, promising all the intense water-bound thrills of the original. However, it's no secret that the arcade version was quite a visual monster, and begs the question as to whether the PlayStation is up to the task of doing justice to such a graphically lush title. Well, Blue Shift has done their best to re-create the feel of the arcade ver- sion, and it shows. Although the frame rate is rather iffy as of this beta, and the game is decidedly low-res, almost all of the detailed track structures and special effects remain in the game. In fact, unlike its Dreamcast cousin, this version actually has rippling reflections and more accurate track layouts. Seems the extra time taken with this version has paid off—this is no San Francisco Rush job! The sound is also more robust and accurate than the aforementioned conversion to Sega's next-gen console, with all of the voice effects and clips from the arcade intact. For those who haven't had a chance to play one of the better arcade offer- ings of 1999, let's get you up to speed: Hydro Thunder is an all-out, balls-to- the-wall boat racing title with a very L* year, Hydro Thunder made Become the terror of penguins everywhere. Official 0,54 مه این‎ March 2000 Always preferred. my weapon to my woman anyway. An early look at the games of tomorrow Previews Deception lll: Dark Delusion Strategy 1 March 2000 Tecmo Tecmo www.tecmoinc.com creatively depraved ways of setting up series of traps to brutally slaugh- ter your opponents. Like the past two games in the Deception series, you have to protect yourself from various would-be kidnappers, ransom- seekers and other riffraff by carefully placing these traps and then luring your attackers to their destruction. The challenge lies in linking together multiple traps for powerful combo attacks (which also net you more points), or using hazards within a room, like falling chandeliers and flam- ing furnaces. As you progress through the game, you can use your points to build better traps. With 300 different death devices and thousands of combo setups, Deception III looks like it may add another layer of dis- turbing depth to this dark series. BUT UTOR ARROW SLIT 6) SPRING FLOOR S ~ 569 hink of the most gruesome T way to kill someone. Need some help? OK, how about crushing said person's spine with an enormous boulder, or splicing his body with a sharp swinging pendulum, or even running that poor sap into a wall of spikes. Not bloody enough? Well, how about combining all three meth- ods for a truly torturous mess. If that sounds like good whole- some fun, then Deception Ш: Dark Delusions may be just the game for you. And if it doesn't— well, Tecmo ain't too соп- cerned. “This isn’t a game for everyone,” says John Inada, Tecmo’s mar- keting manager. "It's not for the fainthearted; it's for the hardcore.” He's not kidding. After all, the gameplay in Deception III focuses on finding the most MADE NI ті Ока) ими REAL COMBAT. PLASTIC МЕХ." Я | 300 Ме | WWW.armymen.com How to build a better bear trap: (1) take your standard bear trap, (2) add a Thunder Emblem, (3) then viola—you've got a Thunder Claw. Previews An early look at the games of tomorrow Armored Core:Master of Arena Theme: Action # of Players: 1-2 Availability: Q1 2000 Developer: From Software Publisher: Agetec URL: www.agetec.com Although the visuals haven't changed much since the first AC, they're still pretty darn good. or less around arena combat, the designers have provided you with the ability to customize your opponents, building their arsenal and setting their AT level. While these custom battles don't help your progress in the one-player game, they do allow for a more flexible level of replayability. As a bonus, the. game's second disc can be used for link play, so your pals won't have to cough up the dough for their own copies if you want to do a little linked-up head-to- head combat. At this time, Master of Arena is just more of the same, with the difficulty pumped up into. the stratosphere. If you're a fan of the first two titles and want to put your skills as a Raven to the ultimate test, Master of Arena looks to provide perfect fodder for your mech fetish. fights can get to be quite gru- elling. If you win, you can net yourself some serious credits, and maybe even a specialized part or two. As with Project Phantasma, you can import your mech from the previous titles in the series, and equip it with selections from over 170 new parts to create the uber- mech of your dreams. Nineteen new missions and 1507 plus arena combatants make this more than a mere expansion disk, although the graphics and sound are little changed. Most of the missions are longer and more arduous than those found in the first title, and sport better level design. If Master of Arena features any significant improvement over previous AC titles, it lies in the game's multiplayer mode. Since the title is centered more rmored Core, From As slick mech battle title, has become a bit of a cult classic. This suc- cess has led AC publisher Agetec to publish the "expansion" titles here in the US: the earlier Project Phantasma, and now the robust Master of Arena. As the title would suggest, Master of Arena is largely about battling foes in the arena to prove your superiority. Be warned, though—your орро- nents are no slouches and the The Flintstones Bedrock Bowling E 53 ес (scattered about the course), col- lect a specified number of crystals, and clear the track of giant, squawking birds. Not that it'll Бе easy, mind you; you have to avoid drop-offs, hungry dinosaurs, lava, barrels of dynamite, and various other track-specific dangers. Hey, nobody said bowling was a safe sport. Sometimes, a little weirdness can add a lot of character to a game—just look at the success of Sony's PaRappa the Rapper. If Adrenalin and Southpeak can pull through with Bedrock Bowling by adding play depth and technique, they may just have a niche classic on their hands. clad nancy boys to feel it. Or so the premise of Adrenalin Entertainment's forthcoming "Bedrock Bowling" title appears to be, since it doesn't share much in common with the more traditional sport of today. In many ways, this game could be described as the spiritual successor to the "slide" portions of Mario 64, only more fleshed out and detailed. Taking their cue from the Flintstones license, Adrenalin has crafted a large number of unique tracks for would-be cavemen to bowl them- selves down, each featuring a par- ticular theme and hazards. Along the way, you'll be challenged to knock down the requisite ten pins Ruse 259 [t гө Щи замо 5% ншы que د‎ $ з Ithough anyone who has А: the classic Hanna- Barbera cartoon has seen Fred and Barney bowl on more tra- ditional lanes, we now know that their unfettered caveman machis- mo led them to participate in “bedrock bowling,” the original X- sport, unbeknownst to their cave- man wives. Back then, men were men, and weren't afraid to luge through the most dangerous of prehistoric environs in a hollowed out half-bowling ball, collecting mysterious crystals and thwacking pins placed in their way. All of this, in the name of a caveman adrena- lin rush so powerful that it would choke today’s knock-kneed suit- LN ё‏ شه Theme: Sports # of Players: 1-8 Availability: March 2000 Developer: Adrenalin Entertainment Publisher: Southpeak Interactive URL: www.southpeak.com Ft 29 TIN PPPA‏ سوا = юбо хг Шынын Hey, Mr. I'm-So-Civilized, why don't March 2000 Official U.S ЕЕ ө] СТӨ YOU try sliding down the interstate іп a half-sphere? Come to think of it, why don’t YOU build a record player using a turkey and some rocks, too? ЖУ i 1 МАЗТЕК ОҒ АКЕМА 16 jate С. Jc. Armored Core ва I ot Sony Computer Entertainment America Ine: The ratings icon is a нк of the Interactive Digital Software Association. <> PlayStation lo Нес in. 800 Veterans Вы cmp Sot lec logo, and Master eats by Son a : cate so ВВ iste айтал, \ rights reserved. EA SPORTS isan Electronic Arts™ brand. NASCAR is a registered tr License. "Bobby Labonte” and “Tony Stewart" name and likeness used under license fro mputer Entertainment America for use, with the PlayStation, gaitieconsdle. PlayStation а Association. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Softwa Arts. EA SPORTS and the EA SPORTS Jogo are trademarks or registered trademarks"ef Electronic Arts in the U.S. and/or other countries lity Care and Ford Credit are used under license trom Ford Motor Company. Dale Jarrett and Robert Yates Racing trademarks are used under images, track names, \габетагк and Other intellectual property are used under license from their respective owners. Licensed by Sony Entertainment ) 2000 Electi Racing, Inc. саг team, an of Sony Cor 229 PlayStation EVERYONE CONTENT RATED BY EXTREME NASCAR® RACING — Over 45 NASCAR cars, stars, ick lock rucks, and legends. Un | sweet саг upgrades and bonus 3 vehicles as you ۰ E. E % سا‎ (Бу ныгы Қ Quality: 7 مالسا‎ 3 ШЕ” duo 4 Н THE HIGHWay — ead 'ет off at the pass wi with Shortcuts, get big air off jumps, and earn extra tracks unti ntil you rule ом 20 open road Courses, ы MAKE "ЕМ PAY — Blast your opponents with power ups ing Wi ister ог —send them flying with a twis! 1 um roar away with nitro jets. National Association for Stock Car Auto (015, © 1999 Redline Sports. All other lation logos are registered trademarks www.easports.com Triple Play 2001 Just in time for the 2000 season comes this latest install- ment to EA Sports’ Triple Play fran- chise. Perhaps the most noticeable addition is the inclusion of all-time greats like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Ted Williams. Player models have also been tweaked, with more accurate graphic represen- tations of many superstars. All players feature their signa- ture batting and pitching styles, and don't be surprised if the computer offers a midseason trade. There are even several new animations, including an umpire argument! Publisher Electronic Arts Developer Treyarch Theme Sports # of Players 1-2 URL: www.easports.com Jedi Power Battles LucasArts tries to redeem their mediocre first attempt at a game based on Episode I with Jedi Power Battles. As one of five Jedi Knights (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Plo Koon or Adi Gallia), you and a friend can fight your way through 10 levels of Trade Federation minions and Sith forces, including Darth Maul. Each Jedi has differ- ent abilities and can use their lightsaber, items or the Force against foes. The game is slotted for a spring release. (We'll believe it when we see it.) Publisher LucasArts Developer LucasArts Theme Action # of Players 1-2 URL: www.lucasarts.com Previews An early look at the games of tomorrow Rock the Rink In the spirit of the Genesis’ Mutant League games, EA's Rock the Rink fea- tures fast-paced, three-on-three hockey with absolutely no penalty box. Use опе of nine new teams оп a variety of rinks to slam and bash the street-tough NHL clubs. Look for it this spring. -- ADEK ? Г Theme Sports # of Players 1-8 URL: www.ea.com Publisher Electronic Arts | Developer Electronic Arts Major League Baseball 2001 The first Fox entry into the plethora of Play-Station baseball games aims to emulate an actual “MLB on Fox" telecast itself. Announcers Tim McCarver and Joe Buck call the play-by-play, with help from Fox Sports’ “Sounds of the Game” and the Fox Scope. The 3D engine boasts real- istic player control, and you can also expect most of the features of a modern baseball video game (create and trade players, lineup alteration, substitutions, etc.). Guide your favorite team to the World Series! ня ВА Official U.S. ان‎ 420) March 2000 Theme Sports Publisher Fox Sports tt of Players 1-2 Developer Fox Sports URL: www.foxsportsinteractive.com "...еаѕіїу the most realistic апа challenging skater yet" Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine -August 1999 Over 100 tricks to pull. Legendary skate spots including China Banks, the Brooklyn Banks "олма E апа тоге. The best video game soundtrack ever compiled featuring. . . RUN DMC PUBLIC ENEMY A TRIBE CALLED QUEST GANG STARR AND MORE... лата ИО HRASHER PRESENTS WWW.ROCKSTARGAMES.COM = K are aD 2 =. ЕТ R 0) т www.skate destroy.com DEVELOPED BY | 22275 <> | | PlayStation Graphics and gameplay appear similar to other popular espionage games like Syphon Filter and Metal Gear Solid—you search the train for clues, keys, weapons and other items while keeping the ene- mies at bay. You can fight with both your bare hands and various weapons, including John Woo- style dual pistols. Also promised are various mini-games (disarming а bomb, shooting down terrorist gunships) and over 50 minutes of FMV cutscenes. No word yet on а U.S. release, but this one seems too big for someone not to bring over. Theme Adventure # of Players 1 Availability Now Developer Sugar & Rockets Theme Shoot 1# of Players 1-2 Availability Spring Developer Taito the express train Blue Harvest mid- way through its non-stop journey from St. Petersburg to Paris. The train is not only carrying the French ambassador and his family (all of whom the terrorists have taken hostage), but also many priceless art objects the Soviets recaptured from the Germans during World War II. Now the bad guys are demanding $2 billion from the French government and claim they'll set off a nuclear war- head if they don’t get it. Your job, as U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Jack Morton, is to get on the train, res- cue the ambassador and his family, disarm the warhead, and stop the terrorists. All іп a day's work, right? arcade shooting action for the PlayStation. In addition to the lock-on system carried over from the previous installments, Crisis adds the interestingly titled "Penetration Ratio"—a percentage that increases with each enemy you don't destroy. If the ratio reaches 100% you have to fight a boss immedi- ately, even if it's right in the middle of a level. With three fight- ers to choose from (the third was hidden in the arcade), branching level paths, and pedi- gree of the two awe- some prequels before it, RayCrisis could be one of the last great PlayStation shooters. 56 هدد International Previews An early look at the games of tomorrow Sony СЕ Jumping Flash! developers Sugar & Rockets are taking on an entirely different genre in their latest release, the action/adventure title Chase the Express. Here's the setup: A group of ter- rorists calling themselves Knights of the Apocalypse have attacked The third edition to the popular Taito series of "Ray" shooters (the other two came home as Ray Storm and the Saturn-only Galactic Attack), Ray Crisis is the latest in the ever-dwindling ranks of pure Quest 1 pic RPG is looking and better and better each time we see it, and there’s а great chance we will see it in the U.S. eventually, so we thought we'd take one more look at ОМИ soundi before its release (that is, unl it gets delayed for the 300th time). The most interesting gameplay feature revealed recently is the ability for you to change the "job," or class, of your characters during the game. In addition to more standard jobs like priest, warrior, shepherd or dancer, you can give your party "monster jobs," lending them the abilities of the wild creatures you defeat in your travels. Although previous Dragon Quests have included variations of this system, part VII promises more than double the amount of different classes to choose from than ever before. There's still no set release for this game, but Enix is promising it sometime this winter—keep your fingers crossed! Order OPM Back Issues ог Demo Discs Today! То order, simply send your order form indicating which issues you would like to: Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Back Issues, Р.О. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 All requests must be paid for by check or money order ONLY, made payable to ZD Inc. (Please do not send cash.) The cost for each issue is as indicated on the order form PLUS shipping and handling. Shipping and handling charges for each magazine are as follows: $3 U.S., $3 Canadian and $5 foreign. All payments MUST be in U.S. funds. Prices and availability Volume 2 10 August 1999 Tarzan Lord of the Console Ape Escape Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: | Final Fantasy УШ, 3 Xtreme, Tiny Tank, Jade Cocoon, Macross VF-X 2, You Don't Know Jack, Centipede, Ultimate 8-Ball non-playables: Shao Lin, NFL GameDay 2000, NFL Xtreme 2 Volume 2 Issue 12-510 September 1999 EA sports vs. 989 studios Jade Cocoon Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: UmJammer Lammy, Sled Storm, Chocobo Racing, Pong, Monaco Gran Prix Racing non- playables: NFL GameDay 2000, NCAA Gamebreaker 2000, Vigilante 8: Second Offense, Thrasher, Toy Story 2 Volume 3 $10 October 1999 Final Fantasy VIII Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, WipeOut 3, Omega Boost, NFL Xtreme 2, Jet Moto 3, Champion- ship Motocross, Toy Story 2, Bugs Bunny, Pac-Man World non- Rugrats, Countdown Vampires, Wu-Tang, Fighting Force 2, NHL FaceOff 2000, Medal of Honor, NBA Shootout 2000, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing Volume 4 10 November 1999 Tomb Raider 4 Crash Team Racing Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Grandia, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Killer Loop, 40 Winks, NFL Blitz, Crash Bandicoot: WARPED, Cool Boarders 3 non- : Fear Effect, SuperCross Circuit, Demolition Racer, Kingsley's Quest, G-Police: Weapons of Justice [ | December 1999 PlayStation 2 Dino Crisis Strategy Demo Disc includes: Gran Turismo 2, Thrasher: Skate and Destroy, Test Drive Off-Road 3, Madden NFL 2000, NFL GameDay 2000, NCAA GameBreaker 2000, Cool Boarders 4, Demolition Racer non-playables: MTV Sports: Snowboarding, Twisted Metal 4, NCAA Final Four 2000 January وچ‎ End of the World Buyers Guide Resident Evil 3 Strate: Demo Disc includes: anaes Dino Crisis, NHL FaceOff 2000, NBA Basketball 2000, Tarzan, ‘Army Men: Air Attack, WCW Mays : Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, International Track & Field 2000 Volume 3 Issue 5-510 February 2000 "Wrestling Roundup Medal of Honor Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return, Tomb Raider The Last Revelation, SuperCross Circuit, MTV Sports Snowboarding, Ballistic, International Track & Field 2000 е : Medal of Honor, Hot Shots Golf 2 PlayStation ағ I Volume 2 Issue 3-$10 Metal Gear Solid Crash Bandicoot Strategy ето Disc includes: playables: Tomb Raider Ш, Crash Bandicoot: WARPED, Bomber- man World, A Bug's Life, Running Wild, Invasion From ond, Kagero: Deception II, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, non:playables: Silent Hill, Knockout Kings, lig Air Volume 2 Issue 4-510 January 1999 Gex Deep Cover Gecko Tomb Raider Ш Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Silent Hill, Moto Racer 2, Brave Fencer Musashi, Apocalypse, T'ai Fu non-playables: Rugrats, Test Drive: Off-Road 2 Volume 2 Issue 6-510 Г | March 1999 PlayStation Dictionary 2365 Filter Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Syphon Filter, Bust А Groove, Shadow Madness, Fisherman's Вай, Akuji the Heartless, No One Can Stop Mr. Domino Sk8er non-playables: NCAA Final p “99, Guardian's Crusade Volume 2 Issue /-510 April 1999 The Year of the RPG Silent Hill Strategy R4: Ridge Re Racer Type 4, WCW/nWo Thunder, Rollcage, Warzone 2100, Rugrats: Search for Reptar non-playables: Legend of Legaia May 1999 Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace Feature Legend of Legaia Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: И где Sede, Legend of Legaia, onte! non-playables: reme, Centipede, Driver, G Police 2, Gauntlet Legends Volume 2 Issue 9-$10 June 1999 Resident Evil 3 Nemesis Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, NFL f Blitz, Bust-a-Move 4, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, Elmo's Letter Adventure non-playables: Star Ocean: The РЕНЕ Story, Bloody Roar 2 bo 2000, July 1 m 25 Games You Must Pla Street Fighter Alpha 3 Strategy Demo Disc includes: plavables: Ape Escape, MLB 2 Next Tetris, Tony pun Pro ent PENA abu roc 2, Bloody Roar 2 non-‏ مه سن Jet Moto 3, Xena: Warrior‏ lacross VFX 2, Street Fighter‏ | | December 1998 Issue 8-$10 Play 7 Мау 1998 و‎ 10 Greatest PS Fighters 4 Tekken 3 Strate: 2 و‎ Beg Demo Disc includes: playables: Einhánder, Gex: Enter the Gecko, Klonoa non-playables: Dead or Alive, Gran Turismo Issue 9-515 June 1998 Metal Gear Solid Preview Gran Turismo Review Demo Disc includes: playables: Cardinal SYN, Vigilante 8, Forsaken, №20, TOCA, Dead or Alive non- playables: Tomba, Jersey Devil Issue 10-57.99 July 1998 playables: Gran Turismo, Tombal, The Granstream Saga, Jersey Devil, NBA Shoot Out, Blasto, Speed Racer У : NFL Xtreme, MLB 99, Tekken 3 Issue 11-515 [ | August 1998 Metal Gear Solid Vigilante 8 Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Tekken 3, Turbo Prop Racing _ non-playables: Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, ځا‎ Lunar: Silver Star Story, Ninja: Shadow of Darkness, Metal Gear Solid Issue 12-510 ІН September 1998 PlayStation's Birthday Elemental Gearbolt Strategy Demo Disc includes: : Spyro the Dragon, Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, WWF War Zone, The Unholy War, S.C.A.R.S. поп-ріауаЫеѕ: Metal Gear Solid, Rival Schools, Test Drive 5 Volume 2 uu 10 — £I Г | October 1998 Зер Spyro the Dragon Strategy ЧЕН» ~ سو‎ Demo Disc includes: playables: Metal Gear Solid, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Test Drive 5, Devil Dice, Brunswick Bowling, Ninja, NFL Xtreme, Cool Boarders 3 поп- playables: Parasite Eve, Rival Schools, NFL GameDay 99 Issue 2—%7.99 | | November 1998 playables: MediEvil, WarGames Defcon 1 Dragon Seeds, б.а Future Cop L.A.P.D, Wars Vengeance поп- Crash Bandicoot: WARPED, Tenchu, Tai-Fu, Rugrats, Abe's Exoddus, Brave Fencer Musashi, You Don't Know Jack subject to change without notice. Issue 1-$15 [ | October 1997 Ghost in the Shell, Final Fantasy VII Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Intelligent Qube, PaRappa the Rapper, Ace Combat 2, Fighting Force 5 non-playables: Tomb Raider II, NFL GameDay 98 Issue 2-510 Г] Мометђег 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: МНЕ FaceOff 98, Ghost in the Shell Cool Boarders Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Bushido Blade, Vs., Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Kasi, Jet Moto 2, Cardinal SYN, Ghost in the Shell, Moto Resident Evil 2 Feature Tomb Raider II Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: NFL GameDay 98, CART World Series, Frogger non-playables: Spawn, Final Fantasy Tactics, Pandemonium 2, бех 2 Issue 5-$10 Г | February 1998 Dead or Alive Feature 1997 OPM Editors’ Awards Demo Disc includes: les: NCAA GameBreaker 98, Tomb Raider II, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Crime Killer non-playables: Pitfall 3D, Resident Evil 2 lame 8, Monster Rancher Issue 6-$7.99 [ | March 1998 Bloody Roar, Monster Rancher, Shipwreckers non-playables: Alundra, NBA Shoot Out 98, Saga Frontier, Mega Man Neo Issue 7-$10 April 1998 10 Overlooked PS Picks Resident Evil 2 Strategy Demo Disc includes: playables: Hot Shots Golf, Pitfall 3D, WCW Nitro, ONE non-playables: Blasto, The Granstream Saga AGONY. MADNESS. DEATH. CHEMIGALS HAVE THEIR SIDE EFFECTS. -NextGen The ability to deliver powerful psychic blasts! Master a totally unique arsenal of psychic abilities! They are your only defense against the sinister Galerians. -GameFan.com -GameProWorld.com ну. y Become totally immersed in a fully realized CARION 3D universe that is yours to explore, 105: МХ-)4 | yours to master – yours to obliterate! Nalacon=Psychokinesis p e SMS The ability to levitate and freeze matter! Over 50 hours of reality warping game- play, plus over 7o minutes of stunning cinematics that propel the gripping story. PlayStation In Stores March 2000! * You're in the Kill Zone. * Night Fight. Ри P= COMBAT 3 еерее * Lock and Load. FROM THE MAKERS OF AIR COMBAT EVERYONE a بوجو‎ а Ка PlayStation “fd PlayStation) > = жа S March 0‏ )سه (о ٢171 1 PlayStation SFZ MARKS THE RETURN OF GABE LOGAN IN ONE OF THIS YEAR'S MOST ANTICIPATED lon lB 1 — For a game with little pre-release hype, no recognizable characters and one of the strangest names since Irritating Stick, the runaway success of 989 Studio's action/espionage title Syphon Filter surprised а lot of people— not the least of which was producer Darren Yager. “Oh yeah, definitely we were surprised. It was a new title, no one had ever heard of it before. The name's kinda ‘out there'—'Syphon Filter, what the hell is that?’ Maybe it was a good thing though, because people started asking questions about it. Then we started seeing some of the reviews and we were like, ‘Oh my god, we've got a hit on our hands.’ АП the work that we put into it finally paid off.” Now, exactly one year and over a million copies sold later, Darren and 989 are hoping for another big pay off with Syphon Filter 2, due this March. LAST TIME, ON SYPHON FILTER... Since Syphon 2 begins immediately after the ending of the first game, a quick recap of the original is probably in order. The story centered around Gabe Logan, special operative for a mysterious organization called "The Agency,” which seems to exist both inside and outside the U.S. government at the same time. His mission was to stop a terrorist group, lead by a man named Erich Rhoemer, from developing and deploying Syphon Filter, a deadly virus which could be genetically programmed to target only certain demographics or ethnic groups. Gabe eventually tracked Rhoemer to his base in Kazakhstan where he was preparing to launch a missile containing the virus and cause an international incident. Despite being betrayed by the Agency, Gabe succeeded in causing the missile to self-destruct in the outer atmosphere and killed Rhoemer. YOUR NEW MISSION: Just hours after exploding the missile, Gabe and his partner Lian Xing are preparing to leave Kazakhstan and travel back to the U.S. with important data on the Syphon Filter virus which could lead to a vaccine. But before they can leave, Agency operatives appear on the scene and take Lian hostage; she has contracted the virus and they need her blood to develop a new strain of Syphon Filter. Gabe escapes with the data and is headed to a safe location in Arizona when his transport plane is shot down over the Colorado Rockies. That's where Syphon 2 begins—Gabe parachuting into MACDONALD ILLUSTRATION BY 2РАСЕ Gabe and Lian are not only bei y, but are also wanted as terrorists by the FBI the snow-capped mountains, his first priority to find the wreckage of his downed transport plane and locate the data disc he left onboard. It won't be easy—both the Agency and the FBI are hunting him. That's the super-simplified version of the story—we won't even get into the bevy of new and returning characters and smaller story points here. This intricate and twisting story line (inspired by a mix of Tom Clancy and other spy novels, Jon Woo action movies, and terrorist thrillers like Die Hard) was a big part of what so many people loved about the first Syphon Filter, and luckily for fans the sequel's plot continues the tradition of double crosses, political intrigue and big surprises. It does so using cutscenes like the first game, but in Syphon 2 the story is more often advanced in real-time in the levels themselves. For example, you might be trying to sneak around two guards when you overhear them talking about their ambush for you farther up the road. Or as you try to sneak out of a hospital you come up on two Agency men interrogating a prisoner and learn vital information about their plans. These types of in-game plot points can hold keys to finishing levels, add objectives to your 2 бабе Logan | Levels Two hours from his scheduled rendezvous in Arizona, the C-130 transport plane carrying Gabe and his rag-tag collection of loyal soldiers is shot down over Colorado by Air-Force jets under orders from the Agency. Gabe and his men parachute down safely, but the discs con- taining the Syphon Filter virus data go down with the plane. You can actually control yourself You arent the only one taking Gabe shows off his neu in flight foc a few moments as you head shots anymore—these enemy jumping ability, leaping over this parachute doun. snipers can take you out with one waterfall chasm. vell-aimed bullet. The Agency has wired this bridge with explosives; they plan to blow it to trap Gabe and his men on the mountain, then bomb them with Sarin nerve gas. You've got two minutes to kill the Agency commander before he can give the order to blow the charges (without being spot- ted, of course], then disarm all the explosives planted under the bridge. Time for a little stealth action—use bho needs a light? The new Later you come acro: your knife and sneak up behind guards flamethrower burns right through а taken hostage. El: to silently slit their throats. line of enemy soldiers. real quiet-like. Gabe barely escapes another Agency ambush by leaping on to this passing train. Although it will take him closer to the crash site and lost data discs, the Agency has deployed a veteran RET (Retrieval and Elimination Team) to stop him. Want to see this level in action? Check it out yourself on the playable version on this month's demo CD! Use the stacked crates for cover, khen the train goes into an extended tun- An idiotic guard tosses د‎ but watch out for guards hiding nel, slip on the nightvision goggles and grenade at a fuel tanker car, with among them. watch for enemies from all sides. predictable results. You finally make it to the burning wreckage of your transport plane, only to find Agency thug Archer and his men already there. These are no ordinary soldiers— they are armed with grenade launchers, sniper rifles, plan ambushes and take head shots. It's up to you to get to the discs before they do. Everyone who played the first game knows that one of, if not the, coolest part about Syphon Filter are all the different levels and mission objectives you are sent on: Rescuing prisoners, sneaking into or These aren't your average Agency sol- Archer is escaping with the discs! You Use the scattered plane debris as diers; bust out the sniper rifle and | cant let him get away-stop him somehow. shielding from snipers and enemy fire. take ‘em doun with some headshots. You have been placed іп a hospital facility on this military base in Colorado for testing. You must first locate your gear, then find a way out of the holding facility and off the base. It won't be easy—security is tight and you start off equipped with nothing but one of those flimsy hos- pital smocks. Also, airbase personnel think you're a terrorist and will fire on sight. Keep your ears open while you sneak Once you find your stuff it's time to get This plane is being refueled to go around the hospital—you-might overhear off the base. Keep out of the spotlights back after Gabe—sabotage it, then find some important info. to avoid setting off the alarm. your oun transportation off the base. This trendy Moscow nightspot is the setting for a meeting between Lian Xing and Russian military official Uri Gregorov, who has important information about the missing Syphon Filter data. But before they can meet, someone tries to kill Gregorov; his own bodyguards have turned against him. Chase after Gregorov but watch your back! à Don't let the disco lights and thumping Sneak through the ventilation ducts Solid Dont let your guard doun for a second, Gregorov's club music distract you. bodyguards are after him and you. Snake-style and eavesdrop on your enemies. mot even in the ladies bathroom. You're not the only one trying to find Gregorov. The Agency has sent their best assassin, Mara Aramov after him. His own bodyguards are still trying to kill him, and now the local Russian authorities are even in on the action. Make your way through the streets and rooftops of Moscow and take Gregorov alive—he's no good to you dead. Watch out for snipers with grenade It's а trap! Teo cars suddenly come speed- Use your nightvision when things get too launchers along the rooftops. ing down the alley at you-act fast! ‘dark and foggy to find your enemies. An informant critical to stopping the Syphon Filter virus has been taken prisoner in this secret Russian women's prison, and is scheduled for execution at midnight. Your job is to sneak into the prison, shut off the power and escort him out safely. (n your way toward rescuing the Youll have to sneak your way past Finding the prisoner is only half the prisoner, you can stop and help some and security cameras to make it into the mission—you still have to bust him out of the inmates out if you desire. inner part of the prison. and keep him from getting shot. missions, or even affect the overall course of the game. In fact there's so much voice work, cutscenes, and FMV throughout the game that Syphon 2's 20 levels fills up two CDs. So what else is new and improved for Syphon 2? Besides a slightly tweaked graphic engine and the all-new two-player mode (see page 71), one big addition would have to be a second playable character—Lian Xing. For the first series of missions in the game you trade off playing her and Gabe, where the action for both is actually taking place at ће same time, until they eventually meet back up Of course you'd expect new weapons, and Syphon 2 doesn't disappoint, with 10 new ways to take out the terrorists like a crossbow, flame thrower, and combat knife (which you can use to sneak up behind men and quietly slit their throats, John J. Rambo-style). Aiming grenades was somewhat of a sore spot in the first game—you never knew quite where they would land. But in Syphon 2 you are given a target crosshair you can adjust to put a pineapple exactly where you want it. You can also now walk in addition to slowly sneaking and running, and even jump, although not just anywhere—Gabe or Lian will automatically leap across certain distances when they get to the edge. And everyone who was frustrated by the lack of save points in the huge levels in the first game will be happy to hear you can now save to the memory card at every checkpoint throughout the missions. But perhaps the most significant and exciting upgrade 989 is touting for the sequel is the improved artificial intelligence. One complaint people had with Syphon Filter was that many times the bad quys would just stand there as you lined up shots and took them down one by one. It won't be so easy in Syphon 2. As Darren explains, "(the enemies) are a little smarter out of places, tracking suspects, and more. Here’s a sampling of levels from @ both playable characters in Syphon Filter @ 2 and a glimpse at the different gameplay @ aspects you experience in the game. ње the Syphon Filter universe, so here's a quick Ex-intelligence and communications expert for the agency, Lian was баһе 5 main contact in the first game. She would radio him constantly with information, recon data, news updates, sports scores— just about everything. Although she was presumed dead at one point, she was act ally just taken prisoner by Rhoemer; wi Gabe's help she managed to escape, but not before being infected by the Syphon Filter virus. Now in Syphon 2 she plays a much larger role as a playable character. A new character, this Russian military officer and friend of Lian's (they served together in Afghanistan) plays a huge role in Syphon 2. Uri shows up in Khazakhanstan at the start of the game and chases off the agency soldiers, but it's too late—Lian has been taken hostage. Later, when Gabe dis- covers that he doesn't have all the data he needs on the Syphon Filter virus, it turns out that Uri has the information he is look- ing for. Lian and Uri arrange for a meeting in Moscow but things don't go quite according to plan.... gunfire and dodging moving cars...it's really cool.” Even though Syphon 2 should be keeping us all busy for awhile, we couldn't help but wonder if we might be seeing Gabe and company again sometime soon. Yager wasn't promising anything, but sounded hopeful. “We'll have to see. Syphon 2's definitely a great game, and if it does аз well as Syphon 1, then most definitely.” So what's the plan once Syphon 2 سب‎ ships? Start work and storyboards ШІ for Syphon 3? PlayStation2 tests? A Syphon Filter movie? Cartoon? Breakfast cereal? At least for now, Yager and the Syphon team have more practical concerns in mind— "Everyone's planning a three- month vacation, and that's about it." about the head shots now. They'll duck and roll to get out of the way, and we even have snipers and other guys who pop around corners and try to take headshots on you. Plus they act more as а group and stuff. They can trap you, set up ambushes—really screw you over.” Luckily for Gabe and Lian the bad guys aren't the only ones who got smarter in Syphon 2—many levels have you co- operating with a sidekick or various non- player characters who got an intelligence boost as well. "We've got really elabo- rate prescripted scenarios for the NPCs this time around; it will definitely seem like you're interacting with them...for example, in one point near the end of the game, the player, as Gabe, is in this really bad situation, and one of our new characters, Teresa, shows up to provide cover fire for him. They both end up rac- ing through this section, ducking enemy WHO? It's not easy to keep track of all the characters in |- С) ' п of most of the major players from SF1 and 2. The real brains behind the B Agency, this unnamed man (we just call him Mr. X for convenience's sake] is the one calling the shots. He co-ordinates the efforts of Aramov, Markinson [when he was alive) and now Stephens—he's basi- cally the big bad guy running everythin Although he showed up a couple times in the first game, he takes a more active role in Syphon 2, barking orders from the shad- owy recesses behind the big desk in his Washington D.C. office. Who exactly is he? And will we finally learn of his true identi- ty in Syphon 2? The new director of the Agency, Stephens took over as the public face for the group since Markinson was killed in the first game (but Mr. X is still the man really in charge]. Although he doesn't get along with Mara Arimmov and isn't afraid to show it, their goal 15 the same—acquire the secrets to the Syphon Filter virus and destroy Gabe Logan. The sexy ex-KGB assassin from Syphon 1 returns to play a major role in the sequel. As you may recall Mara was captured in the first game, escaped, was captured again and helped Gabe and Lian, then escaped again, and finally was captured once more at the very end of the game, only to show up after the credits at the Agency with Mr. X and a bunch of Pharcom- labeled boxes. Apparently she also had time in the hour or so between the two games to bleach her hair (it was red in Ѕурһоп1). A ruthless and efficient killer, Mara handles a lot of the Agency's dirty work and cannot be trusted (or captured for any decent amount of time apparently]. Another communications and intelligence expert, Teresa basically takes over Lian's role in the sequel, updating you with info throughout your missions. Gabe is on his way to meet her at a secure landing strip in Arizona when his plane is shot down in Colorado at the start of the game. Later on in Syphon 2, she even gets into the action as back-up for Gabe. CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH One of the biggest new features іп your favorite characters and locati mal, but now you have someone to gloat ov по too, just take a look: *28 different characters to choose from eadjustable armor strength (anywhere form 25% to 200%) eseparate controller setups for each player *horizontal or vertical splitscreen ith so many characters and settings to choose from, the possibilities for exciting Syphon Filter side stories as Paus for your multiplayer battles are almost endless! Here's just a few of our favorites to get you started: *20 different Le eturn headshots о eset time and/or score limit u- 100 m one BAG LADY GOOD LOVIN' GONE BAD {setting: Disco Basement) Former partners in crime, lovers, and now sworn enemies Bag Lady and Unit One face each other one last time in the basement of the Disco where they first met. Winner should stand over the lifeless body of the loser and scream “BAG LADY! (ог UNIT ONE!) WHAT HAVE I DONE?! | STILL LOVE YOU!", and start sobbing uncontrollably. IDENTITY: с | VLADIMIR GABREK EVIL ALTERNATE UNIVERSE FIGHT (зе па: Surreal) Relive the excitement of such epic battles as Superman vs. Bizarro Superman and Captain Kirk vs. Evil Captain Kirk with your own split uni- verse scenario. Ninja Gabe takes on normal Gabe, or Lian takes on Scuba Lian, or Scuba Lian takes on Ninja Gabe, or....well, you get the idea. Wewos Sree 00%) DR. ELLA WEISSINGER corese сә 1 ы TERRORIST =" TERRORIST OPERATIVE GENERIC BATTLE #01 (setting: Caves) The world isn't big enough for two types of nameless fodder footsol- diers—Terrorist and Agency Operative battle to the death to decide who is the real king of the generic enemies! (Winner can take on monk, evil scientist, or spook.) LAWRENCE |= Leper MUJARI نس | un corpse JOHNATHAN PHAGAN MALPRACTICE NIGHTMARE (setting: Pharcom incubator lab) The corpse is back to take revenge on Jonathan Phagan for helping develop the Syphon Filter virus. Add Resident Evil-esque moans ['Muhhuhhuh" ог "uuhh") and cow- ardly whimpering ("Stay away—STAY AWAY!" or "My beard!"], depending on which character you play, Гог added tension and excitement. CHOOSE YOUR ۳ Е < AGENCY OPERATIVE n JOHNATHAN PHAGAN RUSSIAN SCUBA BODYGUARD LIAN In ancient Egypt, it was common practice to have your internal organs removed and your brain pulled out through your nose. PlayStation Сома ће next tomb Lara Croft enters be herown? Find out in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, her latest-ádventure. With seamlessly integrated gameplay and ЕМУ sequences,new.skin апа 3-р texture mapping, diabolical new puzzles and a totally new inventory control system this is a totally new Tomb Raider. Let's just hope it’s not Lara's last. b)» rur CN LAST REVELATION tombraider.com elles Rotate the detailed, fully 30 environtments to determine the best strategic moves and attacks Over 150 hours of intense strategy and combat with two intersecting storyline scenarios Upgrade your robot's weapons, computer, moves, and more - or simply capture and use а new one Position your fighting machines carefully, then do battle with an arsenal of ranged and melee weapons A HEAVY-DUTY STRATEGY EXPERIENCE TEEN SQUA RESOFT Ы © 1999, 2000 Square Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. SQUARE SOFT and the TEEN SQUARESOFT logos are registered trademarks of Square Co., Ltd. FRONT ANIMATED ERE www.squaresoft.com MISSION 3 is a trademark of Square Co., Ltd. PlayStation and the PlayStation