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BUVER:S GERA : 
GUIDE PREVIEWS] 
















DON'T BUY A SINGLE GIFT STUNTMAN | 
UNTIL YOU READ THIS! TIMESPLITTERS 2. 

Hn "ECCO THE DOLPHIN? 5 
TONS ОЕ е) 1 ST Tm 
SECRETS | Ad LA EPA 
HEVEAEED ИҰ/ f ‘MEDAL OF номов: FRONTLINE 

Vil E ad NO. ONE LIVES FOREVER 
GRAN TURISMO 3 JAK AND DAXTER 
EXTERMINATION ® ICO 











MADDEN NFL 2002 
RIE LOADS of TRICKS 





WIPEOUT;FUSION 






di Snake е [о айе, But he is also here. 


Either,he Se orethere are tWo of him 


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_ TOUGHEST HERO? 












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GAMES WITH CHARACTER é for more info. 


E= І I> e © Сево е? Visit wwwesrb.org 





PlayStation. 


THERE 5 NG PADDED SERT FOR YOUR 


CANDY 


29 


THE KAWASAKI JET 5КІ5 STAND YOU UP. JUST SO 
OUR GZ WAVE GENERATOR CAN KNOCK YOU BACK DOWN. 






© 2001 Opus Corporation. Published by Eidos Interactive, inc, Wave Rally is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. Eidos, Eidos Interactive, and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. Kawasaki and Jet 
Ski trademarks used under license from Kawasaki Motors (UK) Ltd. Jet Pilot and the Jet Pilot logo and design are registered trademarks of Extreme Sports, Inc. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony 
Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 























WWW.ROGKSTARGAMES.COM/GRANDTHEFTAUTO:J 





Strong Language 














“PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the. 
Interactive Digital Software Association. DMA design and the DMA Design logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. Rockstar 
Games and the Rockstar Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. © 2001. All rights reserved. 

Note: Rockstar will be following IDSA guidelines for M rated games їп the marketing of this game. 

This game contains violent language and behavior and is not intended for persons under the age of 17. It is a comic interpretation of gangster 
activity and the story, names and incidents portrayed herein are fictitious. No identification or similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or to 
actual events is intended or should be inferred. Any resemblance is coincidental. The makers and publishers of this videogame do not in any way 


endorse, condone or encourage this kind of behavior. 





"GRAND THEFT AUTO 3 EXPANDS THE VERY IDEA ПЕ WHAT A 
GAME HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN 
- IGN.coM 


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OUT NOW! 


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OMA DESIGN LIMITED 












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segasports.com 
There are worse things than missing 
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Blow by defenders with crossovers, spins and jukes. 


1 
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ctual property of NBA Properties, In. and the respective NBA member teams and may not bel 
rks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under licensi 







m RN 


PlayStation 


THE MAGAZINE 

Editor in Chief John Davison 

Managing Editor Gary Steinman 

Previews Editor Chris Baker 

News Editor Sam Kennedy 

Reviews Editor Joe Rybicki 

Associate Editor Todd Zuniga 

Gossip Columnist Clish MacLaver 

Editorial Contributors Zoe Flower, Ravi Hiranand, 
Ryan Lockhart, Todd McFarlane, Thomas Puha, 
John Scalzi, Paul Semel 

Japanese Correspondent Yutaka Ohbuchi 
European Correspondent Axel Strohm 

Copy Editor Jennifer Whitesides 


DESIGN 

Senior Art Director Bob Conlon 

Art Directors Donna O'Hara, Jim Cordano 
Illustration Shag, Penny Arcade, Rob Clayton 


PRODUCTION 

Manufacturing Director Carlos Lugo 

Senior Production Manager Anne Marie Miguel 
Assistant Production Manager Teresa Newson 
Pre-Media Manager Dave McCracken 
Assistant Pre-Media Manager Mike Vallas 


TECHNOLOGY 
Project Leader Mark LeFebvre 
Customer Support Analyst Peter Felonk 


ZD GAME GROUP 
Vice President Dale Strang 
Editorial Director John Davison 
Creative Director Simon Cox 
Business Director Cathy Bendoff 


CIRCULATION 
Circulation Director Joan Mclnerney 
Circulation Director Shirley Viel 

Senior Newsstand Sales Manager Don Galen 


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Telephone: 415-547-8783. 

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Regional Sales Manager/East Coast Territory Mare Callison 
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Regional Sales Manager/Pacilic Northwest and Bay Area Peninsula 
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Account Exec /Pacili Northwest & Bay Area Peninsula Mary Gray 
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Regional Sales Manager/Texas, Washington, San Francisco 
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415-357-4944 * marciy(@ziffdavis.com 

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MAGAZINE www.playstationmagazine.com 


About our contributors 


SHAG 

Real name: Josh Agle. 
Shag's illustrations 
have appeared in gal- 
leries all over the U.S., 
Europe, Australia and 
Japan. Recently he 
designed the visuals for 
Venus, a restaurant and 
cocktail lounge on the 
Las Vegas strip. 


www.shag-art.com 





Nov. 13 willbe | 
a special day for : 
the PS2—and for 
many of you. 


It's the day that Metal Gear 


John Davison 
Editor in Chief 





ZOE FLOWER Solid 2 finally hits stores, 


Zoe is a multimedia 
superstar. She works 
for us, she makes TV 
shows, she produces 
rock videos, she's an 
animator and illustra- 
tor, she makes very 
cool Web sites, and she 
somehow has time to 
play games as well. 


PENNY ARCADE 

They make us laugh. 
And we're betting 
they'll make you laugh, 
too. Read the Penny 
Arcade guys' strip for 
the month, then visit 
their Web site for even 
more. And don't forget 
to order their new book 
while you're at it. 


and by golly, it really is one of the most fabulous 
things we've ever seen. We're not just piling on 
praise because of the hype either. We were for- 
tunate enough to get some serious quality time 
with the finished game so we could bring you a 


review just before it goes on sale. We've also 


DU RUEDA uci www;penny-arcade.com worked on putting together a Metal Gear 
JOHN SCALZI PAUL SEMEL 


dy refresher, too. Whether you're new to the series 
A writer for the 


Chicago Sun-Times, 
the San Diego Tribune, 
New York City maga- 
zine and the Fresno 
Bee, John brings his 


Some call him Paul, 
but we know him as 
“Beerhound,” courtesy 
of one of his online 
personas. But you 
might know him for his 


or have played every title so far, you're going to 
want to be real familiar with previous events. We 


outline the important events and the key charac- 





considerable knowl- % Р 2; entertainment writing ters, and provide a quick glossary of terms, just 
edge to our media for numerous maga- 
pages. He also runs TODD MCFARLANE zines including Vibe, in case you get confused and don't know what 


A living legend in the 
comic-book field, Todd 
is also known for his 
meticulously detailed 
toys, including an 
amazing Metal Gear 
Solid line. This month, 
he's nice enough to fill 
us in on how it all 
came about. 


www.spawn.com 


the popular 
www.gamedad.com 


Lemonade, Code and 
RollingStone.com. 


the hell DARPA or FoxDie is all about. 

Elsewhere this month, we've also got a cool 
buyer's guide for you. If you want to drop some 
hints to a loved one about what you want as a gift 
this season, make sure you leave the magazine 


lying around. Maybe they'll get the idea. 





Video Games Have 


Official U.S. Ratings, Just Like Movies 





PlayStation 
Magazine 
Mission Statement 


The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine is 
the only Sony Computer Entertainment 
ensed magazine and is pub- 

lished by Ziff Davis Media Inc. through an 
exclusive agreement. As such, the Official 
U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM) remains 

dependent from SCEA, and is a critical, 
autonomous voice that helps readers get 
more out of their PlayStation system by 
delivering the most current, comprehen- 
sive and candid coverage of PlayStation 
software and hardware. 


mailing offices, STANDARD MAIL ENCLOSED. Single-issue rate: $7.99 [$8.99 for October and December). Subscription Rates: Опе Year [12 issues and 12 demo dis 
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 





The Entertainment Software Rating Board 
provides information about video game 
content. ESRB ratings are intended as 
guidelines only; parents should still mon- 
itor minors’ purchases. 


ШЕЛЇЇ 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. 


FUEGO EVERYONE RATING 
The E Replaced The Previous К-А 
Rating Last Year. Suitable For Kids 
Ages 6 And Up, E-Rated Games May 
Contain Minimal Violence Or Crude 
Language. 


CONTENT RATED BY 
ESRB 


WWW.ESRB.ORG 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine [ISSN $h094-6683] is published monthly by Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY 10016 and additional 
1 





TEEN RATING 
Contains Suggestive Themes, Mild Or 
Strong Language And Animated 
Violence. Some Parents May Want To 
Supervise Children Playing T-Rated 
Games. 


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. 


ADULTS ONLY RATING 
The Extreme Of The Ratings, Suitable 
For Adults Only. Packs Sexual Themes 
And Extreme Violence. Console 
Manufacturers Have Yet To Allow 

An AO-Rated Game 


$49.97 U.S., $65.97 all other countries. 





your mailing label. Subscription 


4 
Service Questions and Address Changes Write to: Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, РО. Box 55362, Boulder, СО 80322-5362, For Subscription Service Inquiries call us at: 800.627.6458 U.S. and Canada, or 


1303] 604-7445 all other countries. Fax us: 850.683.4094 U.S. and Canada, or 303.604.0518 ай other countries. Or visit our subscription Web site at http;//service pl 
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 





tionmagazine.com, The editors and pui 





tem, or transmitted, іп any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise] without the prior written notice of Ziff Davis Media Inc. Copyright © 2001 Ziff Davis Media 


All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. For permission to reuse material in this publication or on wwwplaystationmagazine, 





г to use our logo, contact 


Ziff Davis Media's Rights and Permissions Manager: Olga Gonopolsky, Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016. Tel: 212-503-5438. Fax: 212 503-5420. E-mail: ода gonopolskyzilf 


davis.com. For reprints, contact Reprint Services at 800-217-7874. TM & © for all other products and the characters contained therein are owned by the respective trademark and copyright hol 


s. All mate 





rials in this magazine are subject to change and the publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. The Canadian GST registration number is 14049 6720 RT. Printed in the USA. 





WADY 








METAL GEAR SOLID 2 REVIEWED 





foan TT BUY A SINGLE 


UNTIL YOU READ THIS 























MGS2: Sons of Liberty е 142 


It's almost here. Arguably the most eagerly anticipated 
video game ever, Metal Gear Solid 2 is nearly ready to hit 
stores. We give you a hands-on report, plus all the back- 
ground you need to appreciate this masterpiece 


Buyer's Guide 2K1 • 38 


Need to know what games to buy to fill someone's hol- : 
{дау season with cheer? We've got you covered. You'll 1 Е Б; 


know all the essential PS2 games, all the best оп PS 
РЕЗ 
итн NERO? 





IREADING THIS MAGAZINE WII 
IMAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE: 
PLAYING METAL GEAR SOLID. 


one, and the games to avoid like a busted Dual Shock. 














MADDEN 
TRICKS • 
184 


The neighborhood bully 
is taking your lunch 
money and beating you 
at Madden? Poppycock! 
We offer up the latest 
Madden tips so you can 
rebel and get some 
sweet revenge. 


TIMESPLITTERS 2 • 94 


We take a hands-on look at one of the most highly anticipated 
first-person shooters in development. And, as you'll see, 
there's a good reason for that, including a deeper Story mode 
and even better multiplayer—up to 16 fraggers via i.Link! 





























SPIN 


32 Soul Calibur (PS)2 


It may be one of the best 


Quick-'n'-Easy 64 PSAT 


Only in Japan 
Buyer's Guide y р 


Solid Toys 


The creator of Spawn tells 


fighting games ever, and 
it's coming to the PS2 
We've got all the dirt on 
this fine fighter. 


т 


Calendar 
Britney Rocks PS2 


THQ knows more than the 
WWF. With Britney on 
board, we show off her 
new game. 


If you don't find that per- 
fect game in these pages, 
it isn't on the PlayStation. 


Sega Sisters 


Get the lowdown on 
Tennis 2K2. 


False Starts 


Kingdom Hearts 
We bring you the latest 
screens and info on 
Square's Disney RPG. 


Slippery Slope 

The scoop on what snow- 
boarding games are com- 
ing to the PS2 this winter. 


Hang Ten! 
Get all the details to win a 
trip to Hawaii! 


Duke Nukem 
High Heat 2003 


A first look at the finest 
baseball on PS2. 


Translation 
Localizing a Japanese 
game for the U.S. market 
takes more than just 
words. See how it works. 


68 Forgotten Gems 
68 I'm Batman 


The voice of The Dark 
Knight chats about how 


charms the-ladies. 


PlayStation Year 2 
Dream Cast 


Ico comes to our imagina- 
tion's silver screen. 


us how the fantastic Metal 
Gear Solid line came to be. 


Clish MacLaver 


Get the hottest rumors оп 
the new Warhawk game 
and Syphon Filter for PS2! 


CD Reviews 


DVD Reviews 


The PS2 plays more than 
just video games. 


Hollywood Banter 
Does Fox's Dark Angel 
have Hollywood appeal? 
Find out right here. 


Top 10 Charts 














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m Г1 127 БШП ШШ) Ш 











WADY 





ھا پچ 



































MGS2: Sons of Liberty е 142 


Buyer's Guide 2КІ е 38 


Need to know what games to buy to fill someone's hol- 
iday season with cheer? We've got you covered. You'll 
know all the essential PS2 games, all the best on PS 





It's almost here. Arguably the most eagerly anticipated 
video game ever, Metal Gear Solid 2 is nearly ready to hit 
stores. We give you a hands-on report, plus all the back- 
ground you need to appreciate this masterpiece 


one, and the games to avoid like a busted Dual Shock. 











ЄЗ PS2 DEMO DISC INSIDE! a= 





MADDEN 
TRICKS • 
184 


The neighborhood bully 
is taking your lunch 
money and beating you 
at Madden? Poppycock! 
We offer up the latest 
Madden tips so you can 
rebel and get some 
sweet revenge. 


TIMESPLITTERS 2 • 94 


We take a hands-on look at one of the most highly anticipated 
first-person shooters in development. And, as you'll see, 
there's a good reason for that, including a deeper Story mode 
and even better multiplayer—up to 16 fraggers via i.Link! 























SPIN 


32 Soul Calibur (PS)2 
It may be one of the best 
fighting games ever, and 
it's coming to the PS2. 
We've got all the dirt on 
this fine fighter. 


64 PSAT 
68 Forgotten Gems 


68 I'm Batman 
The voice of The Dark 
Knight chats about how 
Batman charms the ladies. 


Solid Toys 

The creator of Spawn tells 
us how the fantastic Metal 
Gear Solid line came to be. 


Quick-'n'-Easy 
Buyer's Guide 
If you don't find that per- 
fect дате in these pages, 
it isn't on the PlayStation. 


Only in Japan 
Slippery Slope 


The scoop on what snow- 
boarding games are com- 
ing to the PS2 this winter. Clish MacLaver 

Get the hottest rumors оп 
the new Warhawk game 
and Syphon Filter for PS2! 


Sega Sisters 
Get the lowdown on 
Tennis 2K2. 


False Starts 


Hang Ten! 
Get all the details to win a 
trip to Hawaii! 


Duke Nukem Я 


=~ 
CD Reviews 


w eod 


Kingdom Hearts ыға» << 


DVD Reviews 
The PS2 plays more than 
just video games. 


High Heat 2003 


A first look at the finest 
baseball on PS2. 


We bring you the latest 
screens and info on 


Calendar Square's Disney RPG 


Britney Rocks PS2 
THQ knows more than the 
WWF. With Britney on 
board, we show off her 
new game. 


Hollywood Banter 
Does Fox's Dark Angel 
have Hollywood appeal? 
Find out right here. 


Top 10 Charts 


PlayStation Year 2 


Dream Cast 
Ico comes to our imagina- 
tion's silver screen. 


Translation 
Localizing a Japanese 
game for the U.S. market 
takes more than just 
words. See how it works. 





Demo Disc * 16 


With our PS2 disc, there's too 
much goodness to fit into this box. 
Put aside a few hours and watch. 


Input • 22 


Let us know your thoughts. Write 
us at our usual address, or send 
us e-mail at OPM(aziffdavis.com. 


Spin е 32 

Don't let holiday shopping get you 
down. Our buyer's guide will leave 
you plenty of time for eggnog. 


Top Secrets * 180 


Struggling with the PS2's coolest 
game? We'll help you through 
Devil May Cry. 


PS е 190 


A feast of funny proportions. Start 
off with our holiday turkeys, add a 
side of wacky memory card icons, 
and top it off with other tasty tidbits 


PREVIEWS 


PLAYSTATION 2 
Airblade 





Dynasty Warriors 3 











Ecco the Dolphin 
Freaky Flyers 
Genshi 
Good Cop, 
Grandia Il..... 
Jade Cocoon 2.. 
Jak and Daxter 
J. White’s Cue Ball World 
Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer. 
King’s Field IV 
Max Payne .... 
Medal of Honor: 
NBA 2K2 
NFL 2K2. 





absent from MG 
due to other 7 
“responsibilities,” 


оту чые left 
E is аге ѕеху!”, 88 


100 
116 
130 
28 
96 
.102 


No One Lives Forever 
МҮ Васе. 
SK8.. 
Sky Gunne 
Smuggler’s Run 2 
Street Hoops 














Stuntman... 114 
Suikoden Ill.. 126 
The Thin .110 
TimeSplitters 2 94 


WipeOut Fusion 
Worms Blast 
WWF SmackDown! JBI 


PS one 

Gunfighter: Jesse James... 
The Italian Job. 
Martian Gothi 
Men in Black: The Series... 
Mr. Driller G 
Saltwater Sportfishing. 
Spec Ops: Covert Assault... 


138 











ification 138 
137 


137 
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl136 


Worms World Party .-137 





ба с ге! 


dw huh? 


REVIEWS 


PLAYSTATION 2 


Ace Combat 04: 
Shattered Skies 


Bass Strike Virtual 
Fishing Tournament ........ 161 


Batman: Vengeance ... 
Capcom vs. SNK 2 


Crash Bandicoot: 
The Wrath of Cortex оаа 


FIFA 2002 
Giants: Citizen Kabuto . 
Guilty Gear X 5 
Най-Ше..................! J 


Harvest Moon: 
Save the Homeland .. 


Kessen Il .... 
Lego Racers 2 .. 
Metal Gear Solid 2 .. 
NASCAR Thunder 200: 
NBA Live 2002 . . 

NHL Hitz .... 
Okage: Shadow King . 
Sunny Garcia Surfing .. 





Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 ... 
Victorious Boxers .......... 170 


PS one 
Dragon Warrior VII 
Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider .172 
Monsters, Inc. 172 
Panzer Front . . 



















“The one bad thing 
about sneakin’ around 
all the time? No one 
knows just how damn 
sexy {11.76 





Powerpuff Girls: 


Chemical X-Traction........ 174 
Rocket Power Team Rescue .174 
SpongeBob 5 juarePants: 

Siper Sponge аге апа: 174 
Tony REUS 5 Pro ЕТЕТИН ү /^ 
МРЕВ 


The Weakest Link . . 








DEMO 


















DISC PROBLEMS? 


Did you buy a copy of our magazine that did 
not contain a demo CD? Simply send the 
receipt in an envelope marked "ОРМ | 
Replacement Disc" to the address below with. 
the name and address of the store plus your 
phone number and address and well send you 
the disc. Make sure you specify which month 
the corresponding disc belongs to in order 10 
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 instructions to obtain 
repair or replacement services. 


Sony Computer Entertainment America. 
(SCEA) warrants to the original purchaser of 
the Official US. PlayStation Magazine that the 
demo disc included is free from defects in 
material and workmanship for a period of 
ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. 
SCEA agrees for a period of ninety (90) days 
to either repair or replace, at its option, the 


(46) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 


pisc 


ROUND 2 


You think our last PS2 demo disc had more than you 
could handle? Pack a lunch for this one. Not only 
has PlayStation Underground loaded it with demos 
and playables of some of the most anticipated 
games, they've also tracked down the folks at 
Naughty Dog to give you a behind- 
the-scenes look at Jak and Daxter. 
Plus, there's more Maggie than you 
can shake a stick at. Nice 















SCEA product. You must call 14800-345-SONY 
to receive instructions to obtain repair/replace- 
ment services, 


This warranty shall not be applicable and shall 
be void if the defect in the SCEA product has 
arisen through abuse, unreasonable use, mis- 
treatment, neglect or breakage during ship- 
ment. THIS WARRANTY 15 IN LIEU OF ALL 
OTHER WARRANTIES AND NO OTHER REP- 
RESENTATIONS OR CLAIMS OF ANY 
NATURE SHALL BE BINDING ON OR OBLIG- 
ATE SCEA. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES. 
APPLICABLE TO THIS SOFTWARE PRODUCT, 
INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MER- 
CHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PAR- 
TICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE. 
NINETY (90) DAY PERIOD DESCRIBED 
ABOVE. IN NO EVENT WILL SCEA BE 
LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUEN- 
TIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM POSSES- 
SION, USE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE SCEA 
‘SOFTWARE PRODUCT. 





PLAYABLES 


VIDEOS 


DOWNLOADS 


always a treat. 


COOL MOVES 


‘Some states do not allow limitations as to how 
Jong an implied warranty lasts and/or exclu- 
sions or limitations of consequential damages, 
so the above limitations and/or exclusions of 
liability may not apply to you. This warranty 
gives you specific legal rights, and you may 
also have other rights which vary from state 
to state, 


OPM Demo Disc is published monthly by Sony 
Computer Entertainment America Inc, 919 E. 
Hillsdale Drive, Foster City, CA 94404. All 
titles shown herein are trademarks of and 
copyrights of their respective publishers. 
and/or their licensors. See individual screens. 
for details. ©2000 Sony Computer 
Entertainment America Inc. 

Please submit all related demo disc inquiries. 
to: OPM Demo Disc, Inquiries, 919 E. Hillsdale 
Drive, Foster City, CA 94404 


WarJetz * Spy Hunter • Silent Scope 2 


BEHIND THE SCENES 


Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy 
* Ico • GameDay 2002 • Kinetica 


FIRST-PERSON VIDEO 
Take an in-depth look at the fascinating process of first-per- 
son video. If you saw our first PS2 demo disc, it’s the same 
technique used to bring you right into the heart of E3. This 
process might just be the next big thing to hit games. Plus, if 
you watch closely, you'll see a few bits of Britney. Which is 


PlayStation® 





NBA Street • Kinetica • Extermination • Gallop Racer 2001 


Final Fantasy X • Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy • 
Thunder Strike: Operation Phoenix * F1 2001 Blood Omen 2 


PlayStation 






UNDERGROUN| 


FINAL FANTASY AT THE METREON 
So you missed the Final Fantasy movie release party at the 
PlayStation store in San Francisco. No worries. We'll catch you 
up, along with an interview with FF creator Sakaguchi-san. 


DEMO DISC PRODUCERS. 
Gary Barth 

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MARKETING TEAM 
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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER 
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PROGRAMMING AND 
INTERFACE ARTWORK BY 
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INC. 

LEAD PROGRAMMER: 
William Bohan 























Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty « SSX * Army Men Air 
Attack 2 * Dynasty Warriors 


3D ARTISTS 

Jason Robinson 
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PRODUCER 

Jessi Harrison 
PRESIDENT 
Katherine Williams 
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR 
Tim Edwards 

(0 ANIMATION 
INTRODUCTION BY 
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3D ANIMATORS 
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‘SPECIAL THANKS. 
Tom Gillan 

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© 2001 Electronic Arts Inc. EA GAMES and the EA GAMES logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Al rights reserved. ©2001 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Al Rights Reserved. Fox Interactive, The Simpsons, The Simpsons Road 
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OH. MARGE, 
ROADS АКЕ JUST Mr. Burns’ nuclear-powered 
А SUGGESTION. : i P 2 
| : fleet of critical mass transit 
LIKE PANTS! J 2 is making Springfieldians 
х à catch "ride-share fever"! Help 
buy the bus system back by 
driving fares through rush- 
hour traffic, suicide shortcuts 
and unsuspecting buildings. 
Take the fastest possible 
route. Or just use the roads. 





thesimpsonsroadrage.com 





Mild Language 
В | Suggestive Themes QE PlayStation.? 


Violence 








PlayStation.c 


It's pure speed by any measure. Slip into a Kinetic Suit and feel the intense competition in your fingertips. Scale walls. Cling to ceilings. 


Pull off ground and aerial stunts on 12 futuristic tracks. Man and machine are united. Fasten your garter belt. www.scea.com 





O TO 60 IN 36-24-36 


TEEN 


Mild Violence 
Suggestive Themes 


CONTENT RATED BY 
ESRB 








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the Month? Send us 
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Ше 





KITT Doesn't Want To Ве Ugly 
In October's issue #49, | was very interested 
in the news of a new Knight Rider. Aside from 
David Hasselhoff, what's not to like of the 
original series? The motivation for this letter, 
though, is the remark about the current 
Firebird, which states, "Surely [KITT's] Al 
would be repelled by the ribbed, finned, 
scooped and generally ugly monstrosity that 
now passes as a Firebird." | disagree about 
the "ugly monstrosity" part and happen to like 
the current body style. But that argument is 
for another magazine. 

The question | would like to ask is this: 
What vehicle would you like to see portray 
KITT? Necessary requirements that seem 
obvious are that it be domestic [sorry import 
fans, but Knight Rider just couldn't be true to 
its roots otherwise], high performance, and a 
somewhat regular production car to remain 
more inconspicuous than a supercar would 
le.g., the new Saleen]. | also present this 
question to ОРМ readers and ask them to 
write in on their choice. To start this off, other 
than my obvious vote for the Firebird, | would 
go with the Corvette 706. Black, of course. 
Clint Rogers 
Houston, TX 


А Corvette, yesterday 





You really don't think the latest (and soon to 
be canceled) Firebird is ugly? If we had to 
choose a domestic sports car for KITT's brain 
to be transplanted into, we'd have to say 
we're with you on the Corvette thing. 
Chevrolet is working toward the announce- 
ment of the C6 Corvette at next year's Detroit 
Auto Show, and early sketches show an even. 
cooler car than the current model. Given that 
a movie would be a couple of years off, that 
could be a distinct possibility. It won't make 
Hasselhoff look any cooler, though, will it? 


(>) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





Pii 

Letter of the Month 

1g if I could get your input on the 
tragic events of recent times, ct they 
will have on the gaming ind у. І have seen that 
many games are being delayed while they remove 
many "suggestive themes." 
Also, | realize that this is not only affecting games; howev- 
er, | will speak on thi half of the gaming community. For 
the first time, | see a reve іп the trend that video games 
companies are now being seen’ 
tention to the fact that when 


The entertainment industry as a whole responded with 
great sensitivity to the events of Sept. 11, and gaming was 


a big | art of this. Games in development were tweaked, 


marketing campaigns altered, and particularly contentious 
titles were held back, like Syphon Filter 3. Since the witch 
hunts of last year, and thanks to the efforts of Doug 
Lowenstein at the IDSA with the ESRB rating system, the 








Sky Gunner In U.S.? 

| must be from a parallel world or something, 
because | remember an interesting little 
action/shooter called Sky Gunner, and no one 
else does. | hope the complete lack of cover- 
age isn't because Sony doesn't plan on a U.S. 
release. Personally, | thought the old-fash- 
ioned mechanical designs, highly stylized 
character art and French atmosphere gave 
the game a unique look, and what 1 saw of the 
gameplay looked tight. If they can release 
Okage with all its quirkiness and charm 
intact, then I'm sure Sony can toss us a game 
with as тисһ potential as Sky Gunner. 
Gunfighterx@hotmail.com 


Weird you should mention this. Check out our 
PS2 Previews section this month for some 
info and screens on the game. 


Facing Off With Armored Core 
I'm curious to see if I'm the only one who 
has noticed something that both Armored 
Core 2, and a certain action flick starring 
John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, Face/Off, 
have in common. In the movie, Cage plays 
bad guy Castor Troy, whose partner in crime 
is his kid brother, Pollux Troy. Where am | 
going with this? Well, in the Arena mode of 
Armored Core 2, there are two ACs named 
Pollux and Castor, the former being the lat- 
ter's younger brother. 
phreak5@hotmail.com 


Actually, they're both references to Greek 
mythology. The twin sons of Zeus and Leda, 
Castor and Pollux are the two brightest stars 
in the Gemini constellation. 


TRAVOLTA/CAGE 





5 ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARIES ^ 

DIRECTOR’S COMMENTERY 

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ACCESS TO THE TOMB RAIDER ONLINE EXPERIENCE" 


SPECIAL СОЦ БД 


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LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER 
VH CLUDES 25-MINUTE 
DOCUMENTARY, “DIGGING 
INTO TOMB RAIDER” 











B 

IG PG -13 [Panenrs srono caurionto Z5] 

mUTUAL Fiery | | 1S | REAR EN HAPTER GER T 
COMPANY PRODUCTIONS. For Action Violence and Some Sensuality 
































For more information on US film ratings. 
до to vowfilmratings.com. 

www.paramount.com/homevideo 

"Requires а computer capable of playing ОМО movies, running Microsoft® Windows 98 SEG or higher. * "Online features require 

an Internet connection. DVD special features and availability subject to change without notice. TOMB RAIDER and LARA CROFT аге 

trademarks of Core Design Ltd. All Rights Reserved. TM. © & Copyright © 2001 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. 








(B mieu 


“ 
If I looked at Own Private Silent Hill 
| have lived in the town of Auburndale, Fla., 
for a good portion of my life. It's a small town 
І 30 minutes away from Orlando. For a spell, 
however, | moved up to southwest Michigan. 
While | lived there, an old flame from high 
fea red for n y School summoned me back to this tiny town. 
When | returned, however, it was not quite the 
. same. A plague of sorts had enshrouded this 
| fe beca 156 town and various towns around it with some- 
thing | had never heard of before. 
| became more aware of it while | was 
tl ey nay working at 7-Eleven during the night shift. 
People would come staggering in to use my 
‚ toilet, only to leave behind a disgusting mess 
Spew citi US- that made ап already horrible bathroom look 
worse. A lot of the people also came in wide- 
eyed and tended to scratch their heads a lot, 
( h у апа shake around uncontrollably like the 
prosthetic monsters of Silent Hill 2. If | looked 
: at them funny, | feared for my life because 
caffe nated Soda they may spew citrus-flavored, highly caf- 
feinated soda at me. The few police officers 
nı Who would come in would reveal disgusting 
at І е stories of evil so that my trek home alone 
would keep me afraid. While true, it doesn't 
seem like much but that the Methampheta- 
mine demon has reared his head here. I've 
come to learn that this area supplies all of 
Florida with some very bad narcotics. 
Unfortunately, there is no hope for these fes- 
tered people. AIL | can do for them is keep 
plenty of Mountain Dew stocked so that they 
may not harm me. | also keep my stick in 
case some try anything. They say once you 
live in Polk County, you may leave, but some- 
thing always brings you back. For me it was 
my love life. For others? Who knows? 
darth_mizzark@yahoo.com 


them funny, 




















B.J. ALDRIDGE'S 

MOST WANTED Sounds kinda gross. Anyone else living in their 

1. PS2 own private Silent Hill? 

2. PS2 

1 ЗЕЙ Dragon Warrior Secret 

5. PS2 | recently came across a Dragon 

6. PS2 Warrior VII ad. It was simple 

8 Баз enough: ап island on a map with 59 
PS2 the words “In the world, only this 


jo. Му ex-girlfriend island is...", as well as some tiny screenshots 
around the border. On further inspection, one 
А could easily tell that these screenshots are 
ү Кш, in-game footage. Some of these screenshots 
OPMfaziffdavis.com аге of the battle sequence. If one looks close 
Mark the subject enough, he or she could see that the names 
MOST WANTED. of the characters were changed to create 
messages...hidden messages. Some of these 
messages are just humorous, such as 
"Greatest RPG Epic." But one of these mes- 
sages was very important and interesting. It 
was two screenshots right next to each other, 


HITS 


Man Wants 

Boobs 

Is Dead or Alive 

3 going to be on 

the PS2? 

John Darville Jr. 

lum 

(ücharter.net 


Yes. 


Even Моге 
Claustrophobic 
Wanna get a 
great effect 
while playing 
through Silent 
Hill 2? Turn 
down the color 
of your TV to 
zero. Black and 
white makes the 
game, in my 
opinion, more 
claustrophobic. 
Ron Johnson 
rj53447@navix.net 


You really want it 
more 
sive than 
it already does? 
Why? 


Sex In Metal 
Gear Solid? 
I was wondering 
what the mature 
sexual themes 
referred to in 
Metal Gear Solid 
1 ог 2. If you 
could answer my 
question | would 
be extremely 
grateful. 

Scheil Harman 

scheil_harman@. 

hotmail.com 


Well, there are 


throughout MG: 
ak 








ро You Live In Silent Hill? How About San Bruno? 


| The Wel site PSera has a feature on it that you might find interesting, written by guy 














Every month we run a pic, and it's your job to come up with a witty caption. E-mail your 
captions to OPM@ziffdavis.com and mark the subject CAPTION CONTEST. The new 
picture, from Capcom vs. SNK 2, should be easy enough. 


WINNER! CAPTION THIS 
"Oh look, a FedEx box." Think of something that'll make us 


Alvaro Garcia, Redwood City, CA chortle 'til we choke and you could 
be a winner. 





N 
(24) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





кп 
the games. 


www.espnthegames.com 


АТ ESPN, WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THERE IS A TIME AND PLACE FOR FOOTBALL, 


IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE ANYTIME AND ANYPLACE. ; 
t 








With Chris Berman and Tom Jackson calling every. down, you're rightin the middle of a 
live ESPN telecast. With the ability to make trades, draft rookies and sign free agents, 
you control the action on. and-off the field. And with the power to create entirely new 
players, you're a veritable pro football Frankenstein; So check out ESPN NFL PrimeTime 
in its convenient new time. slot: 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 





EVERYONE 


id B 


(©2001 NFL. The NFL Shield logo and all other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football League. Team names and logos are trademarks о! the teams indicated. Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo is a registered trademark о! the NFL players. wwv.nflplayers.com (22001 
PLAYERS INC. ©2001 Disney. ESPN and ESPN the games are trademarks of ESPN, Inc. KONAMIO is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©2001 KONAMI. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered 
trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment inc. Xbox and Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries, 











ЕЗ PlayStation.2 ж 4” 


ШЕЛІЗ ЕЗ КОМАМ! 


® 


В ---- 


“I was in love 


with his 


badassness." 


w 


tso 


the r 


momen 





е0 


Ї 


nost 


sii 


memorable 


1 


gaming to me 





OW 


п 





and together they read www.enix.com sla...sh 
secret.html, or www.enix.com/secret.html. 
This is a not-yet-running site that is devoted 
to Dragon Warrior. Just thought I'd tell you 
about my amazing find! 

Bilbo Baggins 

address withheld 


Check it out. If you're anything like our resi- 
dent role-playing geeks, you'll be all over this. 


Dante Is Really A Guy Called 
Vash From Trigun? 

| rented Resident Evil-Code: Veronica X so | 
could play the Devil May Cry demo. After play- 
ing it, | decided that Dante was the most bad- 
ass character since Solid Snake. He runs 
around with two guns and kicks the crap out 


This is Vash, not Dante. ng 
case you were wondering ~ 


) 

M 

of all kinds of demons. | was in love with his 
badassness. Then my friend lent me an 
anime called Trigun. It stars a character 
named Vash who just happens to have two 
guns, one black and one white. Also, he just 
happens to wear a long red trenchcoat! 
Please tell me Dante isn't a ripoff of Vash. 
Please tell me that Dante still is very badass. 
Please tell me it's just a coincidence. 

Jason from Canada 

P.S. Joe Bazookatone rules. 





Having looked into things further, we're pretty 
convinced that Shinji Mikami and his team are 
big fans of Trigun. If you want to see more pic- 
tures that may convince you, check out this 
awesome fan site for some cool stills: 


http:/Awww.bishounen.net/trigun 
Another Legend of Dragoon? 


| was wondering if there were any plans to 
make a Legend of Dragoon 2? If Sony did 
come out with a sequel to The Legend of 
Dragoon, | know | would buy it. 

Matt Schomer 

matthew schomer(dhotmail.com 


We haven't come across any confirmed news, 
but Clish tells us that there are strong rumors of 
a new Legend coming to PS2 sometime in 2002. 


Yorda's Language 

Although I'm not yet done with the game Ico, 
I'm totally immersed. | have to say that the 
part in the beginning when you get Yorda out 
of the cage and you see her up close for the 
first time as the camera pans up to her, and 
you see her hair rustling in the wind...it's one 
of the most memorable moments in gaming 
to me now. Anyway, on to my question. In the 
reviews | have read, they state that originally 


26) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


We're Glad 
I'm not Gary 
Steinman, but | 
wish I were! 
Anon 
From recent 
OPM subscriber 
study conducted 
by MRCOA. 


Smuggler’s 
Still Running 

In the preview of 
Smuggler's Run 
2, in OPM #49, 
you stated that 
there would be 
an Afghanistan 
level. Do you 
feel Rockstar 
would consider 
changing that in 
light of the 
recent tragedy 
in NY, D.C., PA? 
Jonathan Kopacz 
јоп@гксиѕіот:сот 


As far as we're 
aware, Rockstar 
is simply dela 
ing the release of 
the game and 
editing a small 
amount of the 
content. 


PocketStation 
Is the Pocket- 
Station coming 
out here? 


_ Will you be able | 
to attach a CD 
writer to the PS2 
in order to 
record CDs? 

Cowboys22fan 
i m 


In theory, it should 
be ble, but it 
vould need special 
dr 
pecific for th 
We doubt 
је 





Sony planned to have the subtitled language 
that Yorda is speaking translated to English 
the second time you play through the game. 
Late in the development cycle, they decided to 
take this out. If this is indeed a language that 
they created, I'm sure they know what she is 
saying. And with that said, I'm sure there is а 
key that states what each symbol means cor- 
responding to each letter of the alphabet. Is 
there any way you can get your hands on this 
key? It would be an awesome addition to your 
Top Secrets section. 

Also, if a key is not available it would be 
possible to translate it by using a bunch of 
different combinations matching the symbols. 
to words in the alphabet until you find a 
match that forms words. But that's a lot of 
time that you would have to spend doing so 
and, unfortunately, | don't have time to do so. 
Maybe someone else (i.e., you guys} could 
take on this daunting task. 

John Nieves 
johngpr(dpeoplepc.com 


We quizzed a few people about this, and we're 
reliably informed that although a translation 
was originally going to be in the second run- 
through of the game, the text and the speech 
patterns aren't a fully formed language. Much 
as I think we'd all like it to provide as much 
geek appeal as, say, Star Trek's Klingon lan- 
guage, this isn't the case. There are some fonts 
out there that look remarkably similar to the 
symbols in the game, though. You have prompt- 
ed us to try to get our hands on a transcript of 
what was originally going to appear in the 
game. If we can talk someone into getting it for 
us, we'll print it in full. 


Iron Chef Is, Like, Extreme, 
Dude. Really 

Of all the extreme sports games on the PS 
one and PS2, not yet have we seen one for 
Iron Chef on the Food Network. This may be a 
stupid idea, but | think it would be a great 
game, and | know that many people agree 
with me. Have you ever seen Tony Hawk race 
from his work station to get a Maitake mush- 


Iron Chef MC, Kaga Takeshi, 
without Liberace-style outfit 





room in under five seconds? | think not. This 
is what extreme sports are all about— 
Japanese chefs. Wouldn't it be great if John 
Madden could provide commentary for this 
innovative genre of gaming? Instant replays 
would be awesome, and the game could 
come packed with a variety of lick pads used 
for taste testing. Wouldn't this game be cool? 
David Harper 

clarksvillecati7(dyahoo.com 


QUESTION OF 
THE MOMENT 


Last month, we asked you to pick 
just one game that you want this 
holiday season. Here are your 
answers. Next month, we want to 





know what you'd like to be able to 
- play with your PS2 online. 





E-mail us at OPM(aziffdavis.com. 


_ Mark your notes ONLINE. 


The one game that I want this holiday is 
SmackDown! Just Bring It. | am a huge 
WWF fan. 

Mathew Ballard 


| Bigamer24(üyahoo.com | 


. You actually expect me to choose which; 


one I'd rather have? There are so many! 
Metal Gear Solid 2, Devil May Cry, Tony 
Hawk's Pro Skater 3... 


`. Jonathan Kopacz 


jonk(@rkcustom.com. 


ІН | could only buy one game it would be 
Metal Gear Solid 2. It has action, it has 
excellent graphics, and if it's anything like 
the first one, it will also have a deep and 
compelling story. On top of all that, it has 
David Hayter returning to do the sexy 
voicework for Snake, which, as a girl 
gamer, is a definite plus. 


. Jennifer 
asellus9(ayahoo.com 


Oops! — 


In our October issue, we printed 
the incorrect publisher for Tribes 
2. The correct publisher is Sierra. 


In our November issue, we had the 
wrong subtitle for Conspiracy's 
PS2 Tiny Toons game. The correct 
full title is Tiny Toons: Defenders 
of the Looniverse. 








lion by Penny Arcade 


ACTION 


5 





Crore, 
Van 0:85:90 





detailed courses all around the globe. www.gosplashdown.com 





RATING PENDING pumu 
Visit www.esrb.org 


RP or call 1-800-771-3772 ( Л 
for more info. A х 
БИЧ INFOGRAMES MES ҮҮ PlayStation.2 


Splashdown™ © 2001 Infogrames, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed by Rainbow Studios. The Atari logo 
subsidiaries, used under license to Infogrames, Inc. GTX is a trademark of Castrol Limited, used under ~ 
are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. The ratings icon is a 




















is a registered trademark of Atari Interactive, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Infogrames Interactive, Inc., and an affiliate of Infogrames, Inc. SEA-DOO, XP, RX, SPX, Rotax are trademarks of Bombardier, Inc., or its 
license to Bombardier, Inc. All other trademarks and trade Names are the property of their respective owners. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New York, NY. "PlayStation" and the PS” Family logo 
tratlemark ofthe Interactive Digital Software Association. . 


HALL RISE ТП 






Born of different worlds, woven together by fate, 


| 


each shall rise to face their destiny. Ryudo has been hired 
to protect a young priestess who must participate in a ceremony to 


halt the encroaching rebirth of Valmar, the God of Darkness. 







Embroiled between the forces of good and evil, Ryudo must follow 





his destiny and save the people he detests so much. 


Ubi Soft | 


ww.ubisoft.com Nee 
v 


rights reserved. Original gat iam! Arts, Englis ion (c)2000 Ubi Soft Entertainment. Grandia is a trademark 
. "Carro" character design by Atsi іда. Ubi Soft Entertai it and the Ubi Soft logo are registered trademarks of Ubi Soft, Inc. 
marks of Sony Computer Entertain: Inc. The-ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 


Fr 

















Over 1,000 characters to 
interact with in beautiful, 
varied environments. 








+ 











Groundbreaking Battle System ` Customize skills, spells and 


requiring-tactics, skill, timing special attacks with an 
and teehnique. + amazingly flexible level 


advancement system. 


PlayStation. 


INSIDE SPIN 
34 


No More 
Resident Evil? 


Is the series really going to 
be GameCube-exclusive? 


35 


Virtual Britney 


The pop goddess will soon 
be dancing on your PS2. 


38 


Holiday 
Buyer's Guide 


Only the best for the 
discriminating gamer. 


50 


Kingdom Hearts 


FFX characters in the 
Disney/Square RPG? Yes! 


Win a Trip to 
Hawaii! 


Go surfing with Sunny 
Garcia, star of Ubi Soft's 
new PS2 game. 


60 


Game Jobs 
Translating a Japanese 
game takes more than 







just words, 


76 
Todd McFarlane 
Speaks 


The Spawn creator tells us 
what it’s like to work on the 
incredible Metal Gear toys. 


82 


Media Roundup 


DVD reviews, movie news, 


music reviews and more! 


G3) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








With the arcade version of Soul Calibur 2 
nearing completion in Japan, Namco has 
released new shots of the game [which runs 
on Sony's System 246 board]. In the works for 
over a year now, Soul Calibur 2 is currently 
slated to hit arcades early next spring and 
then the PS2 by the summer. 

We once again spoke to project leader Koh 
Onda to see how work on the sequel has been 
going. "The development schedule is actually 
a little bit shorter than the previous Soul 
Calibur," he tells us, citing that it's easier to 
put together a sequel than a completely origi- 
nal game. "We are attempting to make a more 


Soul Calibur's triumphant debut on the PS2 is overdue 


enjoyable game for the players by simply tak- 
ing into account a lot of the feedback we got 
from them on the original title." 

Is Onda happy with how Soul Calibur 2 is 
turning out so far? "To be honest, we felt that 
the expectations for Soul Calibur 1 were very 
high before its launch," he says, "but we 
would like to believe that we met them." You 
won't hear any disagreements from us on that 
one. "This time around," he continues, "we 
believe the expectations of gamers are even 
higher, but we are once again doing our best 
to exceed those expectations. That is what the 
Soul Calibur project goal should always be." 


Astaroth takes а moment to show оф 
Calibur 275 awesome new lighting е) 





















Because Soul Calibur 2 and archrival Tekken 


4 are hitting both the arcades and then the PS2 
around the same time, we've heard that each 
team has made a special effort to outdo the 
other, and that there’s some real rivalry 
between the two. “We are using friendly com- 
petition to make better products,” Onda admits, 
smiling. “We actually have a really good rela- 
tionship with each other, though.” 

The new screens from Namco show off 
some of the work Onda and his team have 
done in terms of expanding the environments, 
a major enhancement for this sequel. Onda 
claims that the larger, multileveled environ- 
ments, now with walls, will dramatically 
upgrade the game's playability. 

We've also found out that Soul Calibur 2 
will feature approximately 16-20 characters 
(with at least six new ones). So far, the ones 
we've spotted include Astaroth, Ivy, Taki, 
Siegfried, Kilik and Nightmare. 

Things certainly sound good for the Soul 
Calibur sequel, but hopefully we'll get some 
actual hands-on time with the Р52 game 
soon. All this waiting is painful! 








Games Changed, Delayed 
Due to Terrorist Attacks 


Publishers scramble to remove inappropriate content in the 
wake of the tragic events in New York and Washington, D.C. 


The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that devastated the nation sent 
shock waves that reached as far as the video game industry. 

With the country still dazed by the enormity of the tragic 
events, several major video game publishers quickly moved to 
delay the release dates of upcoming titles. 

Among the first announced delays was Activision's Spider- 
Man 2-Enter: Electro for the PS one, originally slated to hit 
store shelves on Sept. 18. Set in New York, the game included a 
climactic battle on a building that resembled the World Trade 
Center's twin towers. "Out of respect for the victims, their fam- 
ilies and our fellow citizens, we will be postponing the launch 
and making minor changes to the game," the company stated. 

Activision's move mirrored those of countless other compa- 
nies throughout the entertainment industry. Columbia Pictures, 
for example, removed a trailer for Spider-Man from the movie's 
official Web site because it had a sequence involving the twin 
towers. Warner Bros. put its Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle 
Collateral Damage on hold and cancelled all promotions for 
the film, which has a plot that centers on international terror- 
ists. Meanwhile, TV networks postponed the start of the new 
season and altered several major series. 

“Our industry cannot be exempt from the responsibility to 
look inward and ask whether any of our products could be 


Publishers are quietly dialing 
back some now-questionable 
content in their games. 


inappropriate or insensitive at a time of national mourning and 
crisis," said Interactive Digital Software Association President 
Doug Lowenstein to the Hollywood Reporter. "Everything has 
changed for everyone and every business in this country, 
including the video game sector." (The IDSA is a trade group 
that represents about 90 percent of the games industry.] 

One game publisher particularly hard hit was Take-Two 
Interactive and its subsidiary Rockstar Games. With offices in 
lower Manhattan, Rockstar saw its operations completely dis- 
rupted. On top of the challenge of simply trying to return to 
business, Rockstar—which has built a reputation on producing 
edgy, adult-focused games—also had to delay the release of 
Grand Theft Auto Ill and Smuggler's Run 2 to alter content the 
company has "deemed inappropriate given recent events." 

Meanwhile, other publishers are quietly dialing back some 
now-questionable content in their games, changing details, 
storylines and locations to be sensitive to the tragic events. 

So does this mean that video games will forever be radically 
different? Not likely. As in other entertainment media, game 
publishers are simply making the right, responsible and fully 
appropriate moves during these tough times. But games will 
Still be games—and they remain particularly effective at pro- 
viding what so many people need these days: an amusing 
escape from the sometimes-harsh reality of the real world. 
While certain themes and subject matter may be anathema in 
the short term, games will continue to thrive in the long term. 

“| don't think you'll see a fundamental change in the kind of 
games people make," Lowenstein told the Hollywood Reporter. 
"There'll probably be a higher degree of sensitivity in what they 
depict, but does this mean there'll be a dramatic decline in 
games that involve hunting down bad guys? No.” 








Spider-Man 2-Enter: Electro 
Delayed to alter a scene that 
takes place on the rooftops of 
buildings similar to the World 
Trade Center's twin towers. 


Building Baku (Japan) 

This Japanese puzzle game 
was outright cancelled 
because of the terrorist 
attacks—and it's easy to see 
why. One of the game's 
main objectives was to 
bomb popular buildings. 
from around the world! 








DELAY OF GAMES 


A quick look at some of the games that were affected 
by the recent tragic events. 





Hidden Invasion 
References to terrorism are 
being removed and name is 
being changed. Release 
pushed back. 





Syphon Filter 3 

Delayed to be sensitive 

to the current situation. 
The game, which has mis- 
sions set in Afghanistan, 
will be unchanged, but 
the advertising and mar- 
keting campaign will be 
completely redone. 





Smuggler's Run 2 
Scenarios set in Afghanistan 
to be edited, causing the 
game to be delayed. 





Max Payne 

Delayed due to lost time 
spent revising Rockstar's 
other two affected games 
(GTA3 and Smuggler's Run 2]. 














Grand Theft Auto III 
Certain references to New 
York City will be changed, 
leading to a delay of game. 





Monster Rancher 3 
Release delayed four days 
solely because of the tragic 
events. Content, obviously, 
is unchanged. 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (33) 















The Fantasy 
Continues 
Square has revealed 
that it's working on 
games based on the 
Final Fantasy anime TV 
series in Japan. 







ZOE FLOWER 


SNAKING THE 
COMPETITION 


Whose idea was it to release two video 
game consoles in the same week? With 
Microsoft's Xbox blitz on Nov. 15 and 
GameCube following suit just three days 
later on the 18th, it looks set to be the 
week of reckoning after month upon month of glowing lime-green hype 
and cubic purple propaganda. So, for such a monumental moment in 
video game history, why do I just want to cozy up at home, flopped on 
my couch, pajama-clad and oblivious to the outside world? The answer 
comes in the form of two words: 

Hideo Kojima. 

No, this is not another one of my weird Kojima fantasies where he 
visits my house in a kimono and serenades me with a portable karaoke 
machine. I'm talking about the release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of 
Liberty for the PS2—a release that occurs, conveniently, just 48 hours 
prior to the impending console craziness. 

Whether Sony planned it this way or not, the release of such a 
prominent game right before a competitor's launch was a smart and 
powerful move. It's no secret that MGS2 has kept me in an obscene 
state of anticipation since finishing Metal Gear Solid on the PS one 
(obscene = Konami blocking my phone number after calling daily for 
updates, contemplating styling my hair in a mullet, secretly training to 
be the next member of Foxhound). Maybe that's overkill, but you can't 
deny that this is the most eagerly anticipated video game of the year, 
and perhaps of all time. 

The point is this: A system's software means more than any number 
of megahertz or gigaflops or flashy commercials. While Nintendo is 
busy chanting "Miyamoto" and Bill Gates is doing his best to look cool, 
the rest of us will be cuddled up with Kojima's masterpiece, preparing 
extra shelf space for а 200-game PS2 library, and forgetting Xbox and 
GameCube exist...at least for the moment. 

I'm not saying PS2 won't have stiff competition. After all, Metal 
Gear will come and go (did I just write that?). Microsoft has enough 
money to buy a seat at the top of consoledom with enough left over to 
purchase a few small countries. Nintendo has Mario, Zelda and Pikachu, 
who together could wage an attack that even Solid Snake would have a 
hard time thwarting (all set to cute music with an "E" for Everyone rat- 
ing, naturally). 

But if you haven't bought a PS2 yet, it's going to be impossible to 
resist now that Metal Gear is making its return. Sony knows this well 
enough to use the game as an opportunity to "Snake" the competition, 
Stealing a little thunder from Xbox, quieting the racket over GameCube, 
making gamers wonder where money would be hest spent. $500 on a 
fancy new system with a couple of games, or $50 for a copy of what 
could very well be the best video game in the world? 

I think you already know my answer. 


Zoe Flower is quite a big fan of Metal Gear Solid and its creator, Hideo 
Kojima. She's also a multimedia superstar, with TV, Web and print 
credits to her name. She's English, lives in Canada, and has a Web site 
where you can find a couple of new photos of her, along with a cute 
little picture of a mouse and a flower on it, at vrww.zoeflower.com 


(34) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


RESIDENT EVIL SHOCKER 


By now you've probably seen news articles about, or at 
least have heard rumors that the Resident Evil series 
will be leaving the PlayStation. Well, it's true. Capcom 
has opted to bring the Resident Evil series exclusively 
to Nintendo's new platform, the GameCube. But don't 
freak out just yet. All hope is not lost for PlayStation 
owners. Stick with us as we examine the situation. 


Officially, Capcom has announced that it will deliver six 
Resident Evil games to the GameCube. Now, that may 
sound like a surprisingly high number at first, but upon 
closer examination, it's not that shocking. One of the 
games is a remake of Resident Evil 1, while three others 
are strict ports of Resident Evils 2, 3 and 
Code: Veronica. The remaining two are 
Resident Evil Zero (a game that 
was originally in the works for 
the Nintendo 64 but scrapped 
in favor of a GameCube 
version] and Resident 
Evil 4 (this is likely the 
hardest blow for PS2 
owners—this game 

was originally supposed 
to be exclusive to the 
Sony platform] 

So why would Capcom 
want to move its 
Resident Evil franchise away 
from the PlayStation—the 
platform that made it popular in the 
first place? Well, officially, the company 
states that it has faith in Nintendo's new con- 
sole. Unofficially, Nintendo was very much 
seeking the Resident Evil franchise for its 
GameCube (to counter the popular belief 

t 
that the console is primarily geared 
toward children) and likely offered a deal to 
Capcom that simply couldn't be turned down. 

"This decision is part of our multi-plat- а. 
form strategy in which we plan to bring {~~ 
large franchises to each of the viable 


Ж 
е 























ZR CN 


platforms," says Matt Atwood, a public relations manager 
at Capcom. "This is not a statement about any one other 
company." He goes on to explain that by the same token, 
the PS2 will have its own fair share of exclusive games. 
"All of these systems will have at least one large fran- 
chise, including Devil May Cry and Onimusha for the PS2 
and Dino Crisis for the Xbox." 

But that still doesn't change the fact that PS2 owners 
will miss out on the Resident Evil series from now on—or 
will they? Well, Capcom has also stated that this isn't a 
permanent situation and that things could change in the 


"All of these 
systems will 
have at least 
* one large 
franchise." 


near future (we've already heard that 
Resident Evil 4 will still come to the 
PS2, albeit a little later than on the 
GameCube). As well, Capcom still 
plans to bring Resident Evil: Gun 
Survivor 2 to the PS2 early next 
year (don't worry, it's a lot bet- 
ә ler than the first one]. And if 
it helps any, PS2 owners 
should relish the fact 
that they're already play- 
ing Devil May Cry, which was 
originally being developed as 
Resident Evil 4 until Capcom 
decided to change its name. 
This announcement sure is a harsh blow, 
but it's only a matter of time until this situa- 
tion turns around again. Trust us. 


Illustration by Wayne Vincent - 


OVEMBER CALENDAR 











2 FRIDAY 6 TUESDAY 

* Monsters, Inc. final-| e Ethan Hawke (1970) 

ly in theaters, after | hits 31 on the same 

ears and day as... 

years of • Max Payne, FIFA 
trailers. | 2002, Simpsons: 

Road Rage, NBA 

Live, Capcom vs. 

SNK 2 and 

NBA Live 2002 


1 THURSDAY 

* The lovely Jenny 
McCarthy (1972) 
celebrates her 29th 
birthday. 

* Dragon Warrior 
Vil 

* FIFA 2002 (Р51) 






13 тиғсолу 

* Hold everything! 
Metal Gear Solid 2 
is out. As is Deus 
Ex, Shaun Palmer's 
Pro Snowboarder, 
NFL GameDay 
2002, NFL 2K2, SSX 
Tricky, Test Drive 
and Baldur's Gate, 


9 FRIDAY 11 sunoay 

* Sisqo [1978] parties |в Leonardo DiCaprio 
on his 23rd birthday | (1974) has his 27th 
with a thong as birthday party. Will 
Incredible Hulk Lou | he invite Calista 
Ferrigno (1951) Flockhart (1964) 
turns 50. and Demi Moore 

* Jack Black flick (1962) as well? 
Shallow Hal hits 

theaters. 






























20 тоєѕоду 

* Legends of 
Wrestling and 
Frequency АЙ 


16 FRIDAY 

* The lovely Lisa 
Bonet |1967) has 
a party for her 


14 WEDNESDAY 

= A royal birthday: 
Prince Charles 
(1948) hits 53 


and King Hussein 34th birthday and both 

of Jordan (1935] probably goes to arrive in 

turns 66. the movies to stores for 
* Hoshigami and see Harry your PS2 

Harry Potter both Potter, which | pleasure. 


arrive in stores, is out today. 













28 WEDNESDAY 

e Jon Stewart (1965) 
is 36 and Anna 
Nicole Smith (1967) 
is 34. What to buy 
them? Maybe... 

* Jeremy McGrath's 
Supercross World 
and Twisted Metal: 
Small Brawl. 


21 FRIDAY 

* Ken Griffey Jr. 
[1959] celebrates 
his 32nd birthday 
with Bjork (1965], 
who is 36. Will they 
о to see The Black 
Knight or Spy Game 
at the movies? 





22 THURSDAY 


* Thanksgiving. Feel 
free to eat turkey 
and lounge around 
watching football. 

















All dates are correct as of press time. Any inaccuracies have nothing to do with us, although we're 
pretty certain the birthdays are correct. Stop reading this now and go back to the big words, OK? 


For the interactive video 
aspects of the game, THQ 

Я turned to a company called 
Enroute. Britney had to be 

a special camera 

for these scenes. For a sneak 
peek at this portion of the 
Britney game, check out this 
month's Demo Disc. 


THQ turned to Japanese 
developer Metro, known for 
the Bust a Groove series, to 
work on the dancing aspects 
of the game. The actual 
graphics and gameplay will be 
loosely based on the engine 
Metro developed for Dance 
Summit 2001, a title that never 
made it to the U.S. 


Britney's managers and THQ 
are currently going through 
her library of songs to figure 
out selections to use in the 
^ T "c game. It’s likely the game will 
THQ is also holding cyber- | F 5 D include at least a few tunes 
scan sessions with Britney 1 from her latest album, simply 
to make sure her likeness is ү titled Britney (such as her 
perfectly represented inthe ; | k * ^ S new hit “I'm A Slave 4 Ч 
game. Her virtual model will Ё - 
| feature all the correct facial 
апа body (yes!) movements 


as well as expressions. 5 5 
| Pi Britney Brands, the studio 


that ensures quality control 
over all Britney Spears mer- 
chandise, is working hand in 
hand with THQ on a lot of the 
game’s development. 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazi 





RATING PENDING 


Visit www.esrb.org 


or call 1-800-771-3772 








каг) 





Features Shaun Palmer and 9 other top 
pro riders. 





jaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder and Pro Snowboarder are trademarks of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates; Shaun 

па Game Boy Advance version developed by Natsume. Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment America for 

d by Nintendo; Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo, © 1980, 1988, and 2001 
owners, 


SHAUN PALMERS 
IPRO SNOWBOARDER 









You'll need everything you've got to keep up. | own 6 Winter X-Games gold medals and I’m not slowing down anytime soon. Session with me 
and some of the best pro riders including Tara Dakides, Shaun White, Ross Powers, and others as you drop into 8 levels based on real world- 
class resorts. With an insane trick style game-play, this video game is the ultimate snowboarding challenge. Pull the sickest tricks off anything in 
sight, defy gravity using hundreds of realistic moves, and link combos to access epic new terrain. Still think you can ride like me? Well step up 
or step off. 


Soundtrack includes songs by Static-X, Papa Roach and Alien Ant Farm. 


апу ә 


— 


ACTIVISIONO2.COM 








Oude E 
HOLIDAY 
BUYERS GUIDE 


Life was infinitely simpler for the PS2 owner last holiday season. If (and thats а big “if”) 


you were able to snag a system, you had only a few true gaming choices. But with so many 





i. 3 








quality PS2 titles now in stores, its much, much tougher to pick out the perfect gift for the 
discriminating gamer. Relax. Were here to help. So dont fret, dont fuss-just consult our 
handy-dandy buyers quide for all the very best choices for each and every kind of gamer. 



















Illustration by SHAG. 


Simply scan these handily organized categories to find 
the perfect gift for the person who... 


_ WANTS ONLY HE BEST 
ОҒ THE BEST 


Konami 50000 

You either really want this game—or you don't yet realize 
that you, uh, really want this game. Do any of you actually. 
need us to explain why? Really? Then go read our feature, 
go read the review...and go buy this game! 


Sony CEA: $W € qi. 
Forget for a moment all 
that chatter about how 
Ico is art, is revolutionary, 
is a wholly unique experi- 
ence unlike anything 
before it. Just know that 
Ico is a breathtakingly 
beautiful, altogether engaging, and brilliantly executed 
adventure that, most of all, is amazingly fun. 





Sony CEA 000 06 

What?! You know someone who doesn't yet own the great- 
est driving game ever? Surely, you jest! This, this...is 
unspeakable! Fix this problem. Now! Go buy it, slip it under 
the tree, and watch as the giftee abandons all semblance 
of a social life in deference to this extraordinary game. 


Sony CEA (O6 6 9 € 
Take everything you loved about the first two Twisted 
Metals, discard any of those awful qualities from 
parts three and four, add a dark, gritty overcoat, 
and you've got the best Twisted Metal yet. 
Disturbingly good car combat. 


Capcom. 90:08 

Dripping with cool, oozing with style, charmed with stun- 
ning good looks, Devil May Cry has what it takes to change 
the face of action games. And the gameplay? It's like a 
shot of adrenaline chased by a frosty mug of fun. 


Rockstar (not yet rated) 

So you wanna be a gangster? Wanna live a depraved life 
of crime? Wanna roam the angry streets in search of easy 
money, fast action, hot cars, murderous mayhem? You can 
do it all—from the safety of your living room—with GTA3. 


Activision ^ 9 95 0 

Get this: Not only is Pro Skater 3 the best Tony Hawk yet 
(which for some means the best game ever}, but it's also 
one of the first PS2 online games, replete with a solid 
array of modes that'll suck away even more of your time. 


LucasArts 7 Ф 

So, you basically just talk to people. And you don't fight 
any battles. Or play any action-packed minigames. Hmm. 
So what do you do? You carry out bizarre tasks and solve 
all kinds of unique puzzles in one of the funniest, slickest, 
most amusing adventure games ever. Sounds good to us. 


HAS WAY T00 MUCH 
AGGRESSION 








Koei [not yet rated] 
Sometimes taking out 
опе, two or even a dozen 
foes simply isn't enough. 
Sometimes you just need 
the bodies to pile up. But 
DW3 isn't your typical 
wussy weapons-based action game—instead, it lets you 
vanquish, oh, say, a couple thousand enemies in close- 
quarter hand-to-hand combat, What fun! 


суат 


Capcom @@@@4 
With 44 different characters to choose from and six differ- 
ent styles of gameplay to perfect, Capcom vs. SNK 2 is 
one of the biggest fighting games ever put together. And 
that means plenty of hours of nonstop brawling for you. 


































Namco eeeet 

Sporting a damn fine fighting engine, TTT is currently the 
best 3D fighter on the PS2—although Soul Calibur and 
irtua Fighter will soon give it a run for its money. Until 
then, settle in for some sublimely satisfying sparring. 


ма ISTAND 
PLAYING ALONE 





THQ (not yet rated] 
In "real life" it may be totally fixed, but in the virtual 
squared circle victory is still determined by the relative 
skills of you and your spandex-wearing foe. There's no 
better way to test those skills than with Just Bring It. 


Agetec 00014 

One of the only games to require two players to work 
together, kie & Cream will either be a wonderful 
bonding experience for you and your non-game-playing 
mate, or the start of a torturous evening of bickering and 
finger-pointing, ultimately leading to your breakup. 


5005 FIRST, 
ASKS QUESTIONS LATER 


Sierra. Q9. € a үү 

If you like some story to go along with your shootin’, 
you can't go wrong with this exceptional port of a PC 
game hailed by many critics as the greatest game of all 
time. There's even a PS2-exclusive two-player episode. 















Namco ee y 
For a quick, stress-relieving gaming fix; nothing beats 












blasting away at your ТУ set using a well-made light gun 
(read: бипсоп 2, packed in with this game). Buy опе as a 
gift and another for yourself, then link ep ypu PS2s to re- 
create that arcade experience. 










EAGames #0004 
There's no better place to 
blast away with utter 
abandon than in the аге- 
nas of Quake Ill. Just 
don't let yourself get 
caught gawking at the 
gorgeous backgrounds and detailed graphics, lest you find 
your fanny fragged real good. 


ашын STOP SIGN: S 
ARE JUST SUGGESTIONS 


EA Games {not yet ed mu 
A blatant Crazy Taxi ripoff—but who's complaining when 
you've got 18 Simpsons characters, actual Springfield 

locales, and plenty of customized vehicles? 





















drugs. And smuggling. 
And running. OK, no 


from the law and other ы а5 you. Т 
this game's wide-open, enormous envil n 





Sine 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 
















"PAIN WITH. 
° THE Ch ГОКЕЅІАМ: 


World Wrestling Federation” 


TAZZ AND MICHAEL COLE CALL 


streets! 








@) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





Rockstar eeee 

Seen The Fast and the Furious? Liked it? Wish that you 
too could engage in illegal pink-slip nighttime street rac- 
ing, but don't quite have the, er, testicular fortitude to fol- 
low through? Then this is the game for you! 


„YEARNS FOR А NJE YAT. TWIST 
ON OLD FAVORITES 


By 
Midway @@@@@ 
The "805 are back! No, 
not big hair, shoulder 
pads and C. Thomas 
Howell. We're talking 
about Spy Hunter, fully 
rebuilt into an all-new 
but equally as classic 
action game that even manages to surpass the original. 


Midway @@@@ 

While it doesn’t come near to capturing the multiplayer 
brilliance of the original arcade hit, Dark Legacy thrives 
as a single-player game. It may be mindless hack-and- 
slash action, but sometimes that's just what you need. 


Interplay (not yet rated] 

If you like your hack-and-slash with a little more depth 
than Gauntlet, you might prefer Dark Alliance. While only 
loosely resembling the gameplay of the classic PC 
series, it looks gorgeous and always holds your interest. 


LIKES 70 60 
“XTREMELY” INT 


| „ЕА Від. (not yet rated] 

Considering we gave the 
original SSX a five-disc 
rating, we'd give Tricky a 
six if we could. Bigger 
tracks, bolder tricks, 
more characters and 
deeper interaction all 
add up to even more fun than the first time around. 





Infogrames (not yet rated] 

From Rainbow Studios, the developer behind the fabulous 
ATV Offroad Fury (another fine choice, by the way), comes 
the spectacular Splashdown. The gorgeous graphics only 
complement the intense, trick-laden racing. 


THQ eeee 

With the immense popularity of all those 'board games, 
the "xtremeness" of motocross has been overlooked late- 
ly. That's too bad, because Ricky provides some thrilling 
racing along with plenty of stomach-churning stunts. 


NOT SCARED OFA 
FRI ATEYLLY 


Konami 00004 
You smile in the face of horror. You chuckle with delight 
during films like Psycho, The Shining, The Exorcist. Well, 












wipe that silly grin off your face, tough guy—this game will 
scare even you to the core. We promise. 


Capcom @ et 
After the psychologically 
wounding Silent Hill, the 
Resident Evil series 
seems almost...quaint. 
But those pesky zombies 
are still some of the best at providing the quick, visceral, 
jump-out-atcha thrills that you so desperately crave. 





Capcom eee e 

Even if this were just "Resident Evil with swords," that'd 
be plenty good for some gamers. But Onimusha's brilliant 
cinemas, great puzzles, satisfying action and hordes of 
outrageous foes ensure that this is much, much more. 


SHOUTS TE TV 


EABig $$ 695 

A sports game that's 
perfect for any type of 
gamer, NBA Street is 

so fresh and so street 
that it might start to affect 
your vocabulary. But you 
better check yourself, 
because you'll have to back up all that trash talk with some 
mad game. 


EA Sports eeeet 

If you love realistic football so much that you wear a hel- 
met and jersey while playing it, then you're a dork. Get a 
fe. For the rest of you: Madden 2002 is the best football 
you'll find this year. You won't be disappointed. 


EA Sports 00004 

Canada's dollar may be worth 30 U.S. cents, but their 
national sport in video game form has never been worth 
more. This is as close as you'll get to the energy and feel of 
the old Sega Genesis hockey classics. 


EA Sports eeeet 

Last year's FIFA was a great game, but it pales in compari- 
son with the latest version. It now features more licenses, 

properties and tournaments than you could possibly know 

what to do with. Even soccer moms will love this. 


...BELIEVES IT S PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO 
WADOUBLE-JUMP 


4 


Sony CEA (not yet rated] 
In some ways, this is just 
the evolution of the 3D 
platformer, But in other 
ways, Jak and Daxter is 
unlike anything you've сга. = 
ever seen before. From Naughty Dog, the minds behind the 
Crash Bandicoot series, Jak and Daxter is packed with 
great personality and even better gameplay. This may very 
well be the best free-roaming platformer yet. 





tion.e 





Visit www.esrb.org 


or call 1-800-771-3772. 
кое;, for more info 


Kessen Il is a trademark of KOEI Corporation and KOEI Co., Ltd. © 2001 KC 
www.koeigames.com 


are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The гай 





poration. All rights 
is a trademark of the 


ved. PlayStation"and the "PS" Family logo 
teractive Digital Software Association 





_ Snip-n-Shop 


| 





.. NEW TWIST ON 


@) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








..WANTSONLYTHE :..NOT SCARED OF 
BEST OF THE BEST  AFRIGHTFULLY 
GOOD TIME 
„SHOUTS AT THE 
TV WHEN HIS TEAM 
IS LOSING 
wu HAS WAY TOO MUCH 
AGGRESSION 
BELIEVES IT'S 
PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE 
TO DO A DOUBLE-JUMP 
„„САМ'Т STAND 
PLAYING ALONE 
„SHOOTS FIRST, ASKS 
QUESTIONS LATER 4 


«BELIEVES STOP 
SIGNS ARE JUST A 
SUGGESTION 


+ YEARNS FOR A 


OLD FAVORITES 


LIKES TO GO 
"XTREMELY" FAST 


os ^ | x 


Namco ee < 

Memo to gamers everywhere: Don't let this second 
Klonoa game fall into obscurity like the first one did. 
Otherwise, you'll miss out on some of the finest on-rails 
platform action ever, starring an irresistible, floppy- 
eared, cel-shaded, gibberish-talking, uh, rabbit thingy. 










„| Ubisoft 20000 

3 You'll be forgiven if you 
forget that Rayman 2 
Revolution is essentially 
just a 3D platform game. 
Why? Because its expan- 
sive world, effortless 
control and gorgeous graphics will surely immerse you in 
a way that few platfomers ever have. 


THINKS DRIVING K1 
TRUE SPORT 


Ubi Soft ° 

If the words "F1 simulator" leave you cold, then this isn't а 
game you even need to think about. But if the thought of 
realistic F1 racing gets you positively atwitter, well, this is 
the only game worth considering—and a solid one, at that. 





Infogrames eeee 
Round and round and 
round we go; why 
Nascar's so popular, 
nobody knows! But who 
are we to judge? So 
here it is: the best PS2 
Nascar game, jam- 
packed with a robust collection of drivers and plenty of 
challenges to keep you busy. 


Namco eeee 

For those who think two wheels are better than four, Moto 
GP provides a remarkably accurate simulation of racing 
500cc bikes. From that special motorcycle "feel" to the 
sharp graphics to the impressive replay mode, Moto GP 
really captures the essence of bike racing. 


WANTS Т0 BUILD 1 
BE 













Sony CEA eet 
The world is in ruins, 
devastated by the Dark 
Genie. What to do? 
Rebuild it, natch—but 
this time, make it even 
better. Dark Cloud's 
engaging mix of dun- 
geon-crawling action, story-driven role-playing and 





strategic world-building will let you do just that. 


Natsume eeee 

OK, so it's not the whole world that's at stake here. More 
like a small farm in a small town. But during your time 
spent tending your crops, chatting with the townsfolk, and 
searching for a way to save the village, you'll definitely feel 


like Harvest Moon has taken over your entire universe. 

















TER WORLD 














EAGames 0000 5 

Can't build a better world without a decent roller coaster, 
right? Well, not only can you do that with this game, but 
you can also "ride" your coasters to test them out. Oh, and 
while you're at it, you can build an entire theme park too. 


.PRETENDS ТШ 
LIVING ROM COUCH 
SAROCKET SHP 


s 
















Konami ee 4 
Please, no more blather 
about not wanting to 
shell out $50 just for the 
Metal Gear demo that's 
packed in with ZOE. 
Kojima's "other" mas- 
terpiece deserves recognition on its own for its superb 
gameplay, stunning graphics and sublime control. Sure, it's 
a tad short, but it's still space combat at its finest. © 





LucasArts 6 6 eet 

Granted, Star Wars fans simply need this game. But you 
know what? Even if you couldn't care less about Lucas’ 
opus, you can't dismiss Starfighter's tight control, terrific 
gameplay, astounding battles and epic feel. 


Working Designs eee 

Graphically, this space shooter still serves as a nice show- 
case for the power of the PS2. Gameplay-wise, it's rather 
straightforward—simply shoot and avoid getting shot. But 
isn't that all you really need for a good shooter, anyway? 


HS A HANKERING 
FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 


Conspiracy @@@@ 
Everybody likes boobies, 
right? Well, get this: One. 
of Stretch Panic's objec- 
tives is to pinch, pull and 
eventually pop the 
chestal regions of some 
unnaturally endowed 
gals. In fact, you can stretch and pull just about anything in 
this game, including the colorful environments. 






Tecmo @ e. i 

With its innovative breeding, training and battling regimen, 
Monster Rancher 3 manages to tap into the doting parent 
in everyone. Plus, you spawn monsters from CDs and 
DVDs! Pick this one up, and you'll soon be scouring your 
collection to unleash as many unique beasties as possible. 





Tecmo ee et 

Break out a pack of Lactose pills, because you're likely to 
get a bit queasy from all the cheeseball antics in this 
quirky music game. But if you can handle it, you'll have an 
absolute blast dancing along to Unison's infectious beats. 


Sony CEA eeee 

Link together fireworks to set off chain reactions in this 
oddly relaxing puzzle game. Not very deep, but a feast for 
the eyes, especially in the fantastic replay mode. iE 





„ы 





1998:2001 ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co: Sammy 2000200 
ayStation and the "PS: Family logo ar 





TEEN 
Blood 
Violence 
sme 








icome to the 22nd century-where the 

ч ttle line ine between ii human and Gear has 

E been en drawn. In an еріс tournament that 

E not only tests the skills d also the will 
of those hold ELA to pud only one 
















xBox 


PLAYSTATION 2 


N GAMECUBE 


NPC GAMES 


N DREAMCAST 





Photo by Jaime Squire/Allsport 





а Williams congratulates 
r Venus after she won the 
2001 U.S. Open in New York 











{Dreamcast Screens] 


The Game 


Sega Sisters 


Venus and Serena are served 
up as Tennis 2K2 covergirls 


Sega Sports couldn't have written a better script for their 


Gamer's Day in New York last month. 


First, they announced their robust PS2 sports lineup for the 
next two years, which includes November releases of NFL 2K2 
and NBA 2K2. Then they revealed plans to make NFL and NBA 
2K3, along with 2K3 versions of NHL, NCAA Football and World 


Series Baseball. 


Sega closed the event by unveiling Tennis 2K2, a spring 


release that will feature tennis star sisters Venus and Serena 


Williams on the cover. For those hungry for a PS2 tennis 


game, there's reason to rejoice. Tennis 


2К2 is the followup to 


the Dreamcast's critically acclaimed but commercially over- 


looked Virtua Tennis. That game was fast, arcadey and had lots 


of depth—though it didn't feature women's tennis. 


The timing of the announcement couldn't have been better: 


Two days later, the Williams' sisters stomped their way 
through the competition to compete in the U.S. Open finals. 
The winner? Venus took her second straight U.S. Open, (6-2, 


6-4). Still, while the Williams sisters are an obvious and wise 


choice as covergirls, is it so wrong for us to have wanted the 


dreamy Ms. Anna Kournikova's picture 


gracing the game? 


(*WITH MOUSTACHES) 


Though you might not be 
familiar with Russian game 
developer Alexey Pajitnov, 
you're по doubt familiar with 
his brainchild: Tetris. If not, 
where've you been the past 
15 years? Tetris is the most 
popular, most-cloned puzzle 
phenomenon in gaming his- 
tory. Pajitnov came up with 
the concept in 1985 while in 
his small studio apartment in 








FALSE 
STARTS 





For almost as long as the PS one 
has been around, Naughty Dog has 
been one of the bright lights of 
game design. From '96 through '99 
they released an exceptional Crash 
game every year, like clockwork. 
Now they're poised to make as 
strong a mark on the PS2 as they 
did on the PS one. But Naughty Dog 
hasn't always been at the vanguard 
of game development. Once upon a 
time Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin 
made games out of their parents" 
garages, and while the products of 
their labor were always unusual, 
they weren't always all that great. 
Come with us as we trace the his- 
tory of this groundbreaking stu- 
dio—now a wholly owned part of 
Sony CEA. Can you think of any 
examples of game studios with a 
similarly intriguing past (the more 
embarrassing, the better)? Send 
'em to us at 

with the subject FALSE STARTS. 















Dream Zone Naughty Dog 


1987 - PC, Apple IIGS, 
Amiga, Atari ST 


Rings of Power 
1992 - Sega Genesis 














1998 - PS one 





Jak & Daxter: The 
Precursor Legacy 
2001 - PS2 


At last, a full 
3D platform 










about this graphic adventure: 
"Dream Zone was a weird 
game. We were weird kids." 





A remarkably huge and. 
complex RPG with an unusual 
isometric perspective. 








The Pros 





is sheepish A graphic adventure that 


came out while graphic 
adventures were hot... 





Enormous and nonlinear, 

this game brings to mind 
the early Ultima titles for 
the PC. 


Fantastic graphics, some 








" The legend begins: a 3D 
aoe platformer with the focused | good variety, plus truly 
one feel of a 2D game. classic gameplay. 
Crash Bandicoot: The third and final Crash Significantly more vari- 
WARPED platformer on the PS one. ety, with amazing-looking 


jetski and flying levels. 


Astounding graphic 
what appears to be a 
great deal of variety in 
setting and gameplay. 


ly free-roaming 
adventure. 








The Cons 





„but not a particularly 
good one. 








It's very, very, VERY 
difficult. And huge. And 
difficult. Plus the control 
is none too intuitive. 





Gets exceptionally diffi- 
cult in places, poorly 
implemented save system. 





Not a lot to complain 
about; if you like Crash, 
you will love this game. 





The "manufactured" style 
leads critics to wonder if 
the game might be full of 
platformer clichés. 


Moscow. Tetris was originally 
created on а Russian PC for- 
mat, but has since been 
released on virtually every 
format known to man—and 
has addicted millions along 
the way. 

Since the original Tetris, 
Pajitnov has been looking for 
new ways to capture gamers, 
creating some new concepts 
(like Hatris) and overseeing 
development on new incar- 
nations of Tetris (like The 
Next Tetris on the PS one). 
But no matter what he does 
these days, he'll always be 
looked upon as the father of 
the greatest puzzle game 
ever. And as a guy witha 
delightfully beefy moustache. 





Games he's worked on: Tetris. 
{multiple platforms), Welltris 
(РС), Hatris (NES), Super 
Tetris (PC), The Next Tetris 
(PS опе], Pandora's Box (РС) 


Moustache Rating: 7 








(48) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 








Photograph by Karen Moskowitz 





StuntGP trick. 


Е % TAN 


© 2001- Titus Software Corporation. Titus and the Titus logo are registered trademarks of Titus Software Corporation. © 2001- TEAM 17 Software Limited. Published under license by TITUS. All rights reserved. Licensed 
by SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA for use with PlayStation’2 computer entertainment system. "PlayStation and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, 


EVERYONE 





МОВЕ МЕШ 
PS2 RPGS 
REVEALED 


Aside from Suikoden Ill and Kingdom 
Hearts, some other big-name RPGs 
are finally being shown off in Japan. 
Below is a look at a few of the latest. 


GRANDIA EXTREME 

Even though part 2 has yet to hit the 
U.S., the third Grandia installment 
has already been announced. The 
game will be out in Japan next spring. 


STAR OCEAN 3 

This highly anticipated sequel is 
finally being shown in Japan, where it 
hits next March. This time around the 
entire game will be rendered in 3D. 


HOSHIN ENGI 2 

Koei has been secretly working on this 
RPG, which features insane special 
effects. It’s out in Japan this winter 
and has a good shot at coming here. 





( 50; Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





NEW HORIZONS FOUND 


There's a lot more to Kingdom Hearts than previously thought 


Square wasn't kidding when it claimed that Kingdom 
Hearts would be a true convergence of Disney and Final 
Fantasy. Not only are there Disney characters in the 
game [due out in fall 2002], but we've discovered that 
Final Fantasy characters will also make appearances! So 
far we've spotted Tidus and Wakka from FFX and Selphie 
Tillmit from FFVIII. These Final Fantasy characters have 
all been redrawn in the superdeformed art style to 
match the rest of the characters in the game. What other 
Final Fantasy characters might show up? Wait and see... 


























Here we see Kingdom Hearts’ main 
character Sora taking a swing at the 
superdeformed version of Tidus. 


New дате-сгееп< 
геуе та: Disney 
eh ers like Dumbo 
can be summoned for: 
“special attacks. 








> enn 

5 уне 
fill theéntire screen. 

Amazinglypthese 


massive enemies, |, А f 
move with the fluidity 1 4 p ЕТЕ - 


you'd find in Disney PAFL x be 













DESIGN IT» BUILD IT» RACE I 


















STRE 7 CHALLENGE 


{ x ИА 
»--- Burn rubber in 9 elite vehicles from the world's premier car manufacturers or design, build and race a supercar of your GEA nus 
T ӨӨК: 

»--- Go for victory in full-throttle, single-player and two-player, head-to-head racing, featuring in-ear and multiple-angle chase perspectives. 
»--- Race the streets in 23 interactive courses, all with alternate routes and shortcuts, in 7 cities, from London to Los Angeles and Rome. 















CUSTOMIZE = 
YOUR OWN 


SUPERCAR 


»--- Build your own dream machine with the Steve Saleen™ Styling Studio, ct 





osing the features and morphing the style for maximum performance. 

















i | I ЖЕТЕУ?! 7 
Saleen | Lotus Callaway Fioravanti Zonda | Vision Industries | Bertone | Rinspeed: | Pontiac 
Concept Vehicle | ó 2 | Concept 
57 | M220 Cla FIOO СІг-5 | СТЕК K/2 Pickster | E-Go Racket | GTO 
x a MEE. “а Nd үзбе E 
2, 





омар. ме? %- 


[EVERYONE 

1) Visit www.esrb.org 
or call 1-800-771-3772 

expe] ОГ more info. 








PlayStatiori.e | 


























© 2001 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark and Supercar Street Challenge is a trademark of Activision, Inc. and its'affiliates. All rights reserved. 
Approved and Licensed Product of Group Lotus plc. Pontiac and GTO Emblems and Body Design are trademarks of General Motors Design Center used under license to Activision, Inc. The Saleen S7 and the Saleen logos are 
trademarks of Saleen Inc. Licensed for play on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems with the NTSC U/C designation only. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer 
Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. 


activision.com 


<- anten] 





TAHITI LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT АТ 225 MPH. 





EVERYONE 


Mild Lyrics NI Www.scea.contss 
ШШЩ fan Turismo is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. All manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game are trade 


JRIYPHONY FF materals of theicreSNectve owners. All rights reserved. © 2001 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony C 





x copyrighted 
inment Inc. 











It's difficult to appreciate some of the greatest tourist destinations in the world when you're racing through them at 225 mph. But with over 30 different racecourses and 
cars from the world's top manufacturers which are created according to the exact specifications of their real-life counterparts, you'll feel like you could. Besides, when the 
competition starts battling with you for every inch of space on the track, you won't have time to see the sights. However, you can test your skills in the intense arcade mode 
or the simulation mode, where true car fanatics can supe-up their cars to по end. So don't worry about packing all your things, because if you're good, it'll be a short trip. 


GRAN TURISMOS 


A-spec 
THE DRIVE OF YOUR LIFE” 











ONLY IN JAPAN 


Bravo Ѕутрһоп! 
Sony CEJ PS. 












You're hot stuff at Dance Dance Revolution. An ace at Para Para 
Paradise. A virtual Ringo on Drummania. What music game is there 
next to conquer in Japan? If Sony has its way, the next big thing will 
һе... ап orchestra-conductor sim. That might seem odd, but then again, 
this comes from a company that released a game based around the life 
of a mosquito (Ka). At first glance, Bravo Symphony appears to be your 
standard Bemani (Konami's music series) game. Four buttons on screen 
match up with the four buttons on the controller, and you have to hit 
them at the correct time to conduct 34 famous symphonies, such as 
the William Tell Overture. Bravo Music does have a nice little twist, 
though. Thanks to the Dual Shock 25 analog function, softly pressing 
the buttons lowers the volume of the music, while pressing hard makes 
the orchestra play louder. This lets you have a little freedom with your 
interpretation—or, as is more likely, allows you to murder the classics. 
And despite the more highbrow material than your average Bemani 
game, Bravo Symphony does have a comical approach, with perfor- 
mances scheduled at alien landing parties, and lion drummers among 
yout, um, diverse orchestra. Bravo Symphony was released in Japan in 
October and (surprise!) it'll never make it to the U.S. 





YOU MEAN THE! 


Believe it or not, there are 
two other conductor sims in 
Japan: Maestro Music for 
the PS one and its sequel 
Maestro Music 2 for the 
PS2. Both games also boast 
a unique baton peripheral 
that defies any polite 
description. Rather than 
Bravo Symphony's button- 
based approach, Maestro 
Music asks players to use 
the baton to match the com- 
plex motions on the screen. 
On the plus side, the game is 
more realistic because you 
have to re-create the correct motions of a conductor. On the other 
hand, you'd look pretty silly waving that stick around all afternoon. 


im 








(54) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


| 













Slippery Slope 


This November brings a whole new set of snowboarding options to your PS2: a pair of 
sequels and a pair of originals. Which one to buy? Well, are you goofy foot or regu- 
lar foot? Are you more impressed by speed, tricks, story or simulation? Instead of 
the usual copycat antics of genres past, this cast of snowboarding games offers 
something different at every turn. Will Tricky continue to dominate the snowhill? 
Our early indications point to yes. But will it crush the underclassmen like it did 
last year? Not a chance. Here's a quick glance at Tricky and the three games 
that will try to dethrone it as the King of the (Snow) Hill. 


= 


22 ^ 
X Games’ schtick: Part sim, part arcade, features 31 
courses, and has a shockingly deep create-a-hoarder. 
“This is the snowboarding game that many pro 
snowboarders play,” says product manager Dave Zemke. 
“Its got the best trick system and the most realistic 
moves in any snowboarding game. Plus, we have courses 
that take you farther out, with more fun twists and 
whacked things to ride.” 


Last year X Games was 
packed with problems, 
but it always looked 
wonderful. Now the 
flaws are fixed and the 
trick set is burlier. This 
simulation snowboarder 
will win lots of fans. 


ESPN Winter 
X Games 
Snowboarding 
Konami 
January 2002 


REE 


E IE 
Shaun Palmer's 
Pro Snowboarder 
Activision 
November 


Palmer's sch no-race, trick-hased snowboarding game 
with tight, familiar Tony Hawk-style control. 

"Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder puts players in the 
boots of the world’s best-known athletes and gives them 
а chance to shred down the mountain and trick off of any- 
thing in the environment,” says producer Michael Fletcher. 
"We're capturing the culture of the sport from authentic 
gear and real-world resorts.” 


Outcast Sequel 
Shown on PS2 


Released on the PC in late 1999, Outcast was widely 
regarded as a technical marvel thanks to its massive 
landscapes and amazing sight distance. Although 
flawed in some regards, the game captured the interest 
of the PC gaming community. That's why we're quite 
happy to hear that its sequel is currently being devel- 
oped for the PS2. Belgian coders Appeal have the tough 
job of pulling the most they can out of the PS2. If early 
screens are any indication, they're certainly up to the 
task. Appeal states the game will have a spectacular 
sight distance along with visual goodies like volumetric 


feel at home with 
Palmer because of the 
familiar control. But it's 
not THPS on a snow- 
board. It's tricks and 
goals while speeding 


7 "Bs bORRD SLIDE, down huge mount 
ҒА 





Outcast 2jfeatures lush, organic 
efvironments that stretch оп'аз far 
as the eye сап ее. 








and particle fog and noticeable details like grass sway- 
ing in the wind. 

Outcast 2 once again puts you in the role of superhero 
Cutter Slade, who has to deal with a conflict between 
high-tech invaders and a nature-based Talan civilization 
оп the planet Adelpha. The game also features a sound- 
track recorded by the Moscow Symphonic Orchestra. 
We'll have a full preview of the game in a future issue. 





BOMBS AWAY! 


Bomberman is set to make his 
PS2 debut in a new kart racer 





Japanese developer Hudson has 
revealed its latest Bomberman title for 
the PS2: Bomberman Kart. The game, 
which features a bunch of characters 
from the Bomberman universe speed- 
ing around in the typical kart racing 
style, hits Japan this December (and 
will likely make it to the U.S. soon after 
courtesy of a yet-unknown third-party 
publisher). Bomberman Kart will also 
have a few minigames, including 
Bomberman Soccer and Tunnel Racing. 
And for hardcore racing fanatics, the 
game will even support the GT Force 
steering wheel. Let's just hope it turns 
out to be a bit better than Bomberman 
Fantasy Race for the PS one [to which 
we gave a mediocre two and a half 
discs back in Issue 19) 

















ы ий 


а... 








To celebrate the 
< release of its new 
PS2 game, Sunny 


Garcia Surfing, Ubi Soft has whipped up 
a radical contest just for OPM readers! 
Enter for a chance to win a trip to Hawaii 
and a surfing lesson with Sunny Garcia 
himself! And that's not all. We've got 
plenty of other cool prizes too! 


To Enter: 





Send a postcard with 
your name and contact 
info to: 

Ubi Soft Entertainment 
c/o Sunny Garcia 
Surfing Sweepstakes 
625 Third St., 3rd Floor 
San Francisco, CA 


94107 


www.ubisoft.com| СИЕЗ 

















<> PlayStation 


GRAND PRIZE 


2 airline tickets to Hawaii 

1 hotel room for four nights 

1 BYB surfboard 

2 pairs of Spy Optics sunglasses 

2 pairs of No Fear boardshorts 

2 Sunny Garcia Tattoo T-shirts 

2 Sunny Garcia Surfing PS2 games 

Plus, a surfing lesson with Sunny Garcia! 


FIRST PRIZE 


1 BYB surfboard 

1 pair of Spy Optics glasses 

1 pair of No Fear boardshorts 

1 surf bag by FCS filled with goodies 
1 Sunny Garcia Surfing PS2 game 


RUNNER-UP PRIZES (5) 


1 Sunny Garcia Tattoo T-shirt 
1 Sunny ба: kia Surfing PS2 game 


For the official Y rules and 
regulations, turn to page 193. 

















Should games be made into feature films? 























WHAT EVER HAPPENE 


DUKE 
NUKEM 


Announced in early 2000, Duke Nukem: D-Day 
for the PS2 was originally planned to be one of 
Rockstar's premiere titles on Sony's new con- 
sole. Coming from developer n-Space (the guys 
who handled Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes 
and Time to Kill for the PS one], this PS2 Duke 
installment was said to once again feature a 
third-person perspective and, of course, sport 
great graphics. This news no doubt had both 
Duke fans and PS2 action fans incredibly excited. 

But since the original announcement, we've 
heard nothing whatsoever about the game. Just 
recently we found out why. 

Apparently, n-Space is having some 
serious financial troubles, causing development 
on the game to pretty much grind to a halt. 
Because of this, Rockstar has instead decided to 
port the upcoming PC title Duke Nukem Forever 
to the PS2 (which could be a blessing for PS2 
Duke fans—Forever is likely a much better 
game). The PS2 version should hit in the sum- 
mer of 2002. As for D-Day, Rockstar says the 
game will still happen at some point. But we say 
don't hold your breath... 


Wanna get the scoop on a game that's fallen off the 


radar? Then, just send an e-mail to opm(aziff- 
davis.com with the subject “What Ever Happened 
to...” and we'll look into it for you. + 








жузда». 


THE HEAT IS ON 


A first look at next year's High Heat 2003 


The World Series might have just gotten under way, but we know some baseball diehards 
are already missing the sweet anxiety of the pennant race (particularly Cubs fans). That's 
why we called 3DO, the makers of some top-quality video game baseball, to see what they 
have cooking for High Heat 2003 (Р52). But they didn't just tell us what was coming—they 
decided to show us. Is it any wonder that we're already anticipating spring training? 

















OPI OVE it oar to fi 
round 9 











£reatiVely, we have to look dt wha 
customers мїар!;ав as 
lead'us: ШЕ. iori; ideals ofthe 














OVERHEARD 


“They were getting a little tired of 
[them], and frankly so were we.” 


--300% CEO Trip Hawkins admits that even he doesn't like Army Men anymore 


DATA 
STREAM 


Sega Does Lupin 


Having finished Vampire Night, 
Sega's WOW Entertainment 
division is working on an 
arcade shooter based on the 
Japanese anime Lupin. A PS2 
version is likely at some point. 


Success is porting its arcade 
shooter Psyvariar to the PS2 
for a release this winter in 
Japan. The home version will 
feature upgraded graphics. No 
word yet on a U.S. release. 


Taito’s Shikigami 


What's this, another shooter 
for the PS2? Yup, Taito will 
release a port of the arcade 
game Castle of Shikigami on 
the PS2 next spring in Japan. 


Namco Goes Dark 


4. ЖҰ: 
Namco has revealed its 
latest arcade racer in Japan, 
which is almost an exact 
replica of the Tokyo Xtreme 
Racer series. Titled Wangan 
Midnight, the game hits Japan 
this winter. A PS2 port is 
already planned. 










THE ARCADE SMAGU [RUNDERE 
ey DITE ЛГ 


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ШИР “Versus Mode,” AS WHEELER™ Created by and Produced by SEGA. SEBA Converted, Published and Distributed by м 
erent raceways Жеп. Original Game © SEGA, 1999. © SEGA / CRI, 2000. Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim VIOLENCE 
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A full featured RPG set in 4 beautiful and Battle with up to 8 monsters at a time Capture and cross breed over 200 species 
deep elemental forests. using the innovative combat system. of monsters and create over 
a billion combinations. 


© 2001 Genki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Ubi Soft Entertainment under license from Genki Co., Ltd. Jade Cocoon is a trademark of Genki Co., Ltd. 
Е Ubi Soft and the Ubi Soft Entertainment logo are registered trademarks of Ubi Soft, Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered 
aks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 


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ning but talks like a New Yorker in the end, then 
you've got a problem there. We standardize all the 
characterizations. We make sure all the item 
names fit what they should be in English." 
Localization specialists also have to look out for 
cultural differences—like, say, a joke that's accept- 
able in Japan but a bit too risque over here. In 
those cases, an entire passage might have to be 
completely rewritten. Of course, when that happens 
Square (and other publishers) sometimes faces 
backlash from certain fanboys who parse each line 
of text, but Phillips remains unfazed. "Just because 
we're translating a Japanese game doesn't mean 
we're only turning it into English," Phillips says. 
"We're trying to sell a product to the American 
market. We cater to the hardcore fans as much as 
possible, but when the two come into conflict, we'll 
pick the option that suits the general public." 
Along with a love for games, Phillips counts two 
skills as essential for doing his job. First, and most 
obvious, is a solid foundation in the Japanese lan- 
guage and culture. But equally as important is a 
facility with the English language. "The final prod- 
uct is in English," Phillips explains. "So if you don't 
have good English writing skills, punctuation, 
grammar-—if you can't do that kind of thing—then 
it'll be hard to find a place that'll take you." On the 
other hand, Phillips tells us that coding skills, while 
beneficial, are not at all necessary. Still, he sug- 
gests that any rudimentary programming abilities 
are helpful and even desired in this line of work. 
So how does it all get done? Phillips, who has 
worked on numerous Square games, including 
Legend of Mana and Final Fantasy IX, takes us 
through the process with Final Fantasy X: 
Play the game. In Japanese, of course. "In the very 
beginning we get some early revs of the Japanese 
version, and we play that just to get familiar with 
the game," Phillips says. "It's real important to do a 
lot of things in that period. Like, say a character 
has an Osaka accent in the Japanese version; we 





Localizing a Japanese 
game for the U.S. takes 
more than just words 


Т»? 
A rather simple Japanese word, pronounced nak- 
ku-ru, easily recognizable as knuckle. And yet it's 
not so simple. In this particular case, nakkuru 
refers to a monk's claw-like weapon. So, does 
"knuckle," the most literal translation, accurately 
capture the meaning? Wouldn't something like 
"claw" or even "bladed knuckles" be better? And if 
you go with “knuckle,” do you pluralize the word 
despite its singular form in Japanese? 

Welcome to Brody Phillips’ world. A localization 
specialist at Square EA, Phillips is one of Square's 


(60) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 


team of about six dedicated staffers charged with 
taking a Japanese game and translating it into 
English. And as Phillips tells us, this seemingly 
innocuous example isn't an isolated problem. 
“There are literally uncountable instances of that 
kind of thing happening,” he says. 

Which is understandable, given that localization 
should go far beyond just a literal translation. 
Anyone who's played a poorly translated game, 
especially a text-heavy RPG, knows how jarring— 
and even unintentionally funny—a bad localization 
job can be. Word-for-word simply isn't good 
enough. The best localizations need to consider 
nuance, speech patterns, colloquialisms, humor 
and more. 

"We have to take care of the characterization, 
the distinct patterns—the essence of the charac- 
ters that are in the game," Phillips explains. "If one 
character starts out as a British guy in the begin- 


A good 
localization 
job goes 

far beyond 
just a literal 


translation. 


might choose to give him some kind of accent in 
English, just to portray the fact that he speaks in a 
different way. We have to nail down all these things 
beforehand, before we start translating." 

Consult with other departments. Along with the 
localization staff, Square's marketing, sales and 
public relations teams all take a look at early con- 
cepts and offer their feedback. "We got the early 
Sketches of the FFX characters," says Square's 
marketing communications manager Kyoko 
Yamashita. "We all came together and gave our 
opinions back to the development team. 
Localization often takes that lead, looking into 
anything that's going to be sensitive, religious 
comments, outfits, costumes, symbols, tattoos— 
anything that would come to mind." Rather than 
bristle at this apparent "interference" from other 
departments, Phillips finds this feedback quite 
helpful. "They bring up stuff that maybe my con- 


Oglop Says What? 
Want some insight into the day-to-day dealings of a localization 


specialist? Following are some of Brody Phillips’ examples of the 
unique challenges he faced while working on Final Fantasy IX. 


In the Cards 
"The name for card minigame Tetra Master in the original Japanese. 
version was Quad Mist. Apparently someone felt that using 'Mist" 





was a no-no, and would leave us vulnerable to litigation. The devel- 
opment team was very open to change and gave us their sugges- 
tions, but after reviewing them we felt that we could do better. One 
of our editors came up with ‘Tetra Master,’ and everyone loved it. I 
guess the dev team liked it much better than ‘Quad Mist,’ because 
they're going to call the PlayOnline version ‘Tetra Master’ in all 
countries, including Japan.” 


Buggy Text 

“For "huri-mushi, I made up the word ‘Oglop' and their sound 'gwok- 
gwok.' Some people were expecting something like 'Bullybugs'—a 
transliteration. Instead, I wanted some word that would convey the 
‘same sense of repulsiveness to Americans, so I decided to change 
their name completely, I still think it was a good decision, but I con- 
cede that by taking away the ‘bug’ suffix, I inadvertently obscured 
the fact that they're insects." 


Double Trouble 

“In the Japanese version, the jesters Zorn and Thorn have a 
characterization where one ends sentences in degojaru and the 
other deojaru. These are both corruptions of degozaru, which is 
just the archaic form of the 'be' verb (desu/da), grammatically 
required at the end of all Japanese sentences. Since English has 


nothing like this, we had to provide them with a consistent charac- 
terization that would be easily recognizable but not too hard to 
read. I suggested we make one speak with regular grammar and 
the other with reversed Yoda-style grammar, and I think it came 
out well. 

"One snag: It was a nightmare trying to figure out who was 
who (especially between three different translators), and I spent 


“many a midsummer's night switching their lines back and forth. 


Our Quality Assurance department gave them the OK, but tell me if 
I messed them up anywhere, 0K?” 


No Bones About It 

"There's a supervisor in Lindblum who says something like, ‘Damnit, 
Jim! I'm a carpenter, not a miracle worker!’ This Star Trek refer- 
ence wasn't in the Japanese version; we snuck it in there. Many 
other references to Star Wars and other random pop-culture hits 
were also sprinkled throughout. I'm sure you've caught a few." 


Unreal Reference 

"In the opening sequence at Alexandria, Puck says to himself, 
‘Engage according to mission parameters!’ I was playing a lot of 
Unreal Tournament at the time and threw that one in. I'm guessing 
nobody noticed." 


tact with Japan has desensitized me to— 
things that wouldn't be that acceptable here," 
he says. "But for the most part we catch stuff 
too." These changes aren't limited just to cul- 
tural differences; all kinds of legal concerns, 
like trademarks and copyrights, have to be 
considered as well. 


Divide the work. Once the game goes to mar- 
ket in Japan, the localization team starts the 
actual work on the final version. Since most 
Square games are far too big for one person to 
handle all by his lonesome, the game files are 
divided up. As is typical with a linear game like 
FFX, this division is mostly chronological—with 
some considerations, of course. "Some people 
have their own specialties," Phillips notes. 
"One of our editors has a real strong English 
background, so she's doing some of the 
Shakespearean characterizations of the people 
who speak in a more archaic way. It depends 


on who can do what." 

Phillips stresses that the team continues to 
work together even after having different sec- 
tions assigned to them. "Once we divide it up, 
we often get together or e-mail each other 
about problems we've come across or ways to 
standardize a certain menu system that pops 


up all over the place, things like that," he says. 
"We never just work on our own; we're always 
throwing ideas at each other." 

Clean it all up. Each Square project, including 
FFX, has one staffer devoted solely to editing, 
and in some cases several others join in on 
this process. The editors go through the files, 
make comments, decide what works and what 
doesn't, and help smooth out any inconsisten- 
cies. While Phillips has already translated cer- 
tain sections of FFX, he's mainly involved with 
the editing this time around "because I'm the 
one who started playing the game the earliest 





Name: Brody Phillips. 

Age: 29 

Title: Localization Specialist 
Company: Square EA 


Here's what I do for a living! 

"We basically do whatever we can 
to get the whole product from. 
Japanese into English. That usually 
entails translating the text files that 
are in the game, then giving them to 
the development team so they can 
put them back into the game to 
make an English version." 


Proudest accomplishment: 

"I love the way Final Fantasy IX 
came out. Whenever I play a game, 
Talways look at it and think, ‘Oh, 1 
could have done this better, I could 
have done that better.’ But the char- 
acters in FFIX are so unique, and 
after playing it in English, it really 
strikes me as a game that doesn't 
seem to have been brought over 
from Japan. It seems to be а game 
that an American would come up 
with as far as the way the charac- 
ters talk and express themselves.” 


So you want my job, huh? 

"If youre trying to get into the games 
industry, there's more than just pro- 
gramming. It's not just computer 
skills. But one thing that will really 
get you far in this industry (and many 
others) is а good education. If you 
have some bilingual skills and a col- 
lege degree, then getting your foot in 
the door with QA is a good idea. But if 
your're just out of high school and 
jump into QA, then it’s a pretty long 
kaul to move up from there.” 





over on this side,” he says. “I've edited things 
from all over the game just to try to give it all 
one big voice." 

So what are the two biggest challenges in local- 
izing a game? "Time and space," says Phillips. 
Time, obviously, because of the deadline pres- 
sure of getting a game out the door on a tight 
Schedule. But "space" is a bit more nefarious. 
"Unlike regular translation, we're dealing with 
on-screen menus, and in Japanese a compli- 
cated concept can be expressed in only two ог 
three characters," Phillips explains. "In English 
we need a good, long horizontal space to fit all 
of it in. That's why a lot of games that are trans- 
lated from Japanese end up having three capi- 
tal letters and a period in the menu and text 
entries. Trying to do the best with what you ve 
got is a big challenge." 

These kinds of challenges can pile up, mak- 
ing localization a tough and sometimes thank- 
less task, but the work is also quite satisfying, 
according to Phillips. For one thing, Phillips 
always enjoys a nice little rush every time he 
walks into a store and sees one of his games on 
the shelf. But more than that, he gets a real 
kick out of the positive fan feedback to a job 
well done. “I'll look at message boards that fans 
post to, saying they really like the translation 
and how people talk, and that really makes me 
go, All right!’ | grew up in the '80s, when some 
of the translations were so horrible. And | kept 
thinking, 'Oh my God, don't they look at these 
things before they release them?! So | feel that 
I'm making the world a better place." 

This notion really hit home at a recent party 
at the Metreon in San Francisco to celebrate 
Final Fantasy [see this month's demo disc for а 
video feature on the event). After witnessing the 
kind of intensity and devotion fans have for the 
series, Phillips realized that his job has immea- 
surable value to a wide range of folks. Sure, 
some people in the world have never heard of 
Square, but still others have gone so far as to 
ask Phillips for his autograph once they find out 
what he does for a living. 

"You get blown away sometimes with the 
amount of respect we get," Phillips says. "And 
it's a really fun job." 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (ы) 





Mild Language 
im. ^ Mild Violence 
gr] Suggestive Themes 














Im PlayStation! 








SPIN 














Namco is working on a new 
Mr. Driller for the arcades using 
Sony's System 246 hardware. This, 
of course, suggests that our favorite pink 
hero may be making his PS2 debut soon. 


RYAN LOCKHART 


DON'T STOP 
PLAYING 
WITH 
YOURSELF! 


Really now, online gaming for consoles is nothing new. XBand and 
Netlink connected gamers in the mid-1990s—but it wasn’t until the 
Dreamcast, with its built-in modem, that Internet gaming on consoles 
seemed truly feasible. And now, with every major console offering 
online gameplay by the middle of next year at the latest, this "fad" is 
soon to become a major component of future games. But at what price? 

Yes, we're years away from when online games will be the norm, but 
trust me when I say they're on their way. Which means we're in a real 
danger of seeing single-player games becoming more and more scarce. 

OK, stop laughing. I'm serious. Think of it this way: Nearly every 
major console developer has online games in the works. Sega. Sony. EA. 
Squaresoft. Capcom. Microsoft. Konami. Hell, even 300 is heavily invest- 
ing in an online future. Because, frankly, that's how these companies see 
the future. 

What worries me is the form these games will take. Like, for exam- 
ple, role-playing games. Interacting with other live humans puts a real- 
istic spin on RPGs that's nearly impossible to achieve otherwise, but we 
lose something very important in the tradeoff: story. Yes, online RPGs 
have story. They might have lots of story. But as anyone who's played 
Everquest (or any other PC online RPG) can tell you, the story there is 
nothing more than weak glue trying to hold together the overall conti- 
nuity. Online games are meant to grow far past the constraints of a pre- 
scripted plotline—they're meant to evolve as the players do. And, as a 
fan of rich storylines, that scares the crap out of me. 

True, I might be overreacting. Then again, if you told me a few years 
ago that Square would be making an online-only Final Fantasy, I would 
have laughed in your face. And yet, if FFXI does well enough, don't be 
surprised to see Square's focus turn toward online and away from sin- 
gle-player releases. And what about action games? There's а good 
chance you're going to see the word online next to some of your 
favorite titles one day. Don't scoff at the idea of an upcoming Resident 
Evil or Metal Gear with strictly Internet play. 

And why not? Companies love online games because that means 
they can charge a monthly fee—something we've already seen with 
Phantasy Star Online Version 25 $15 for three months of play. Early 
rumblings suggest Square will charge quite a bit more than that for 
Final Fantasy XI. Sure, you pay this fee to cover server costs and the 
like, but at least a small portion is profit—and a game that makes 
money month after month is an enticing idea for any publisher... 

But it’s not just the monthly charge that bothers me. I'm most ner- 
vous that developers will devote too much energy and resources to 
online games, and that single-player releases will suffer because of it. 
Of course, not all of them could be replaced with online versions. Just 
look at Ico or Deus Ex for proof of that—these are experiences only sin- 
gle-player games can deliver. But we potentially might see less of them. 

And I find that idea very disturbing. 


When he's not working on PS2 titles for Seven Studios, Ryan 


Lockhart (ryan_zwei@yalioo.com) plays games to be antisocial. 
And, strangely enough, he's proud of that fact. 


(64) 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





Next-Generation Driller? 


PLAYSTATION 


APTITUDE TEST 


1. Who of the following is an actual 
villain in the Metal Gear universe? 
a. Yessir Im'phat 

‚ Mortimor Ghadafi 

. Sodamn Insane 

. Higharolla Kockamamie 


aos 


2. Solid Snake's real name is... 
a. George 

b. Akira 

c. Wilberforce 

d. Dave 


3. Which one of these locations 
does not figure into the Metal 
Gear universe? 

a. New York 

b. Alaska 

c. Saskatoon 

d. Zanzibar 


4. How many years has the 
PlayStation been with us? 
a.27 

b.3 

c.6 

d.1 





5. What's the name of the 

main character in Sheep Raider 
[pictured above]? 

a. Ralph Wolf 

b. Wile E. Coyote 

c. Ignatio Bucado 

d. Elmer Fudd 


WWW.PENNY-ARCADE.COM 


AmI 
talking to myself, 
here? You need to 

jump! 


Yeah, 
okay, whatever. 
I don't speak 
"Crazy Bitch." 





6. Which of the following 
villains does not appear in 
Batman: Vengeance? 

a. The Joker 

b. Two-Face 

c. Mr. Freeze 

d. Poison Ivy 


7. If you have the necessary means, 
how many people can compete in 
TimeSplitters 2? 


8. When did the PlayStation launch 
in Japan? 

а) 9/9/99 

b] 9/9/95 

c] 12/3/95 

d] 12/3/94 


9. Okage: Shadow King's 
Japanese name, Boku to Maoh, 
roughly translates to: 

a. Okage's Difficult Journey 

b. Devil and | 

c. Okage: Shadow King 

d. Devil May Care 


10. Farming : Harvest Moon :: 
: Herdy Gerdy 

a. Cooking 

b. Scooter racing 

c. Fishing 

d. Herding 


POL 96 P8» 99 
egy EP PL 
suamsuy 


Xtreme Sequel 


Japanese developer Genki has 
revealed that it’s working ona 
new installment in the Tokyo 
Xtreme Racer franchise for 
the PS2. Look for it next fall! 


Sega is currently developing a 
PS2 remake of Panic!, the 
classic Sega CD puzzle game 
Travel to famous world land- 
marks when it hits next year. 


Gundam Battles zi 


Capcom is bringing its arcade 
Gundam multiplayer fighter to 
the PS2 this winter in Japan. 
It will have online play. 








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|> А 
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A few more forgotten gems 
from our faithful readers. 
Remember, we're looking 
for hidden treasures—over- 
looked classics lost among 
many of the PS one's bigger 
releases. We're especially 
interested in titles that pre- 
date our Review Archive. 
Got a game you'd like to 
see here? Want to share 
your favorite forgotten gem 
with the entire world? Then hurry up and e-mail us at 

with the subject line FORGOTTEN GEMS. 
You keep sending 'em, and we'll keep printing 'em! 





















ion by Mark Matcho 























Worms. Before Mario Party, this was the 
must-play party game. Many weapons, 
lots of levels, and very funny. And for 
stat freaks, this game kept track of your 
wins and losses. Now you could tell who 
the players were—and who was worm 
food! Still a great multiplayer game. 


jy Ogre Battle. If you're not a hardcore 

j gamer, stop reading now. The rest of 
you, dig deep for this classic RPG/strate- 
gy game. Forget the Super Nintendo 
graphics: This old chestnut has many 
characters, customization up the wazoo, 
multiple endings, and the dreaded repu- 
tation meter. Think it's noble to mow down your enemy with 
superior troops? The rep meter might not agree... 

Mike Rawding 

mikerawding(dhotmail.com 








Rally Cross. One of the best racing 
games before the well-known Gran 


Turismo. | still play it every now and i Y 
зая 








then. It's one of the only games that lets 5 й 
you flip your car. 
David Turner Cus mum 





zoedat(dhotmail.com 


Discworld Il: Mortality Bytes! Sure, it 
was slow at times, the item-fetching 
got boring, and the backtracking was 
mind-numbing, but it was beautifully 
animated and very funny at the same 
time. The ending was a classic! 
Kathleen McGregor 
anguaxsusan(@hotmail.com 





NHL FaceOff. It should probably be 
called NHL FaceOff '96, but so what. It 
featured auto-saving after each game 
(which would be a nice option to save 
time in all games] to keep players from 
wimping out of a sorry loss. It had that 
wonderful krung sound when the puck 
hit the goalpost, followed by the legendary "MWAHAHAAA!!!" to 
mock your failed almost-goal. This game got me into hockey 
from scratch, and it was fun as hell. FaceOff '97 replaced the 
krung with the feeble tink and the klack when you shot the 
puck. Sure, in ‘97 you could skate backward, but losing some of 
the cool sound effects left me sore. 

Mark Buckingham 

Primeo1010(daol.com 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





















BACK 


IN BAT 


Kevin Conroy is the one true Batman 


Despite some laughable portrayals of Batman on TV in 
the past, Kevin Conroy has voiced the hero to perfection 
since Batman: The Animated Series debuted in 1992. 
These days you can catch his work in Cartoon Network's 
Justice League series or Ubi Soft's Batman: Vengeance. 


OPM: At what age did you realize you had a cool voice? 
Kevin Conroy: Pretty early on. The funny thing is that 
when | was 17 , | had this tough English teacher who said, 
"Mr. Conroy, you're not proving your masculinity with your 
voice." She thought it was fake. 


Have you ever used it for evil? 
| don't think using it to meet women is evil. 


How did you get the Bat-gig? 

| used to do commercial voice- 
overs to supplement my theater 
income, because theater doesn't 
pay much. This job came 
through my commercial agent. 
They apparently were having 
trouble casting the part because 
they didn't want someone car- 
toony. They wanted something 
more dramatic. But | had never 
done animation before. | wasn't 
even that familiar with Batman 


Have you become a fan now? 
Oh yeah. Frank Miller's The Dark Knight is just incredible. 


So if you had a daughter, would you use the voice to 
scare off potential suitors? 

Sure. | work with foster kids on weekends, and l'm very 
possessive of the kids, so 1 would definitely use the voice. 


How was doing the voice for the game different than 
doing it for the show? 

1 was surprised how hard it was. You rely on the storyline 
to keep you in character; there's a dramatic line through- 
out each episode that you follow. But you don't have that 


WIN 
from your friends at 


PlayStation 








CA. „ТНВЕАр2 


By Paul Semel 


with the game; you're just doing these random lines, so 
it's sometimes hard to figure out how to stay in character. 


The shows have featured such celebrities as Melissa 
Joan Hart, Henry Rollins, Rachael Leigh Cook and Ed 
Asner. When they record their voices, are you there too? 
Oh yeah, that's half the fun. Because it's such a high- 
quality show, they've had no trouble getting anyone they 
want. I've gotten to meet everybody. 


Who's the most fun to work with? 

Well, the one | developed a really nice relationship with is 
Mark Hamill, who does the Joker. Aside from being very 
talented, he's just a good person. 


Batman is friends with the Joker? 
Oh, | know. Isn't that funny? 


Whom do you identify with more: 
| Batman or Bruce Wayne? 
| kind of identify with both, but | 
also kind of think of Batman as 
being who he really is and Bruce 
Wayne being the alter ego. Bruce 
Wayne is the face he puts on to 
function in society, but in his heart, 
in his soul, he’s Batman. And | kind 
of relate to that. After all, everyone 
puts on a face when they go out in society. 


You're now doing the Bat-voice for Justice League. 
Besides not having as much work to do because it's an 
ensemble, what's different about this show for Batman? 
Well, he's the same character—he's not changed—but 
that just makes him a bit of an outsider of the group. In 
fact, he only joins the group when there's an emergency. 


Finally, you played a bartender in the 1978 TV movie 
How to Pick Up Girls!. What advice on the subject would 
you give Batman? 

I don't think I'd have to give him any advice about that. | 
don't think Batman has any trouble meeting women. 


PlayStation.com 


» 


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entries to send us a photo that includes the following items: 


* a person sporting a mullet hairstyle 
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Please send the entry to GT3 Threadz, c/o OPM, P.O. Box 3338, Oak Brook, IL 60522-3338 


For the official contest rules, turn to page 193 


* а 19705 American muscle саг 
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Now available in six natural colors. 


If ordinary CDs put you to sleep, consider this your wake-up call. Because we've 
created a line of recordable discs in the most radiant colors you've ever seen. Unlike 
other brands, our CDs are infused with permanent dyes—not sprayed with a coat of 
paint. For a closer look, stop by memorex.com. Because these brilliant CDs surpass 


other discs with, well, flying colors. 





memorex’ 


ls it live or is it Memorex?" 


©2001 Memorex Products, Inc. 















PLAYSTATION 


YEA 


Believe it or not, the PlayStation is now six years old. 
We look at the most significant events in each year. 


After the PlayStation’s U.S. 
launch in September 1995, it 
went on to have a spectacular 
holiday season. By March 1996, 
Sony had sold more than a mil- 
lion systems and was well estab- 
lished as the leader in the “next- 
generation” console market. 
This was certainly helped by an 
increasingly spectacular catalog 
of software that started to grow 
throughout the year. 

Early January brought won- 
derful news as Square announced 
that it would be switching alle- 
giances from Nintendo, and would 
now be developing for the 
PlayStation. Although not 
due for another year, Final 
Fantasy VII 




























immediately generated excite- 
ment that hit a fever pitch and 
continued until its release. RPG 
freaks everywhere now knew 
which system they had to own and 
began to flock to Sony's box. 

By March 1996, the hits really 
started to arrive. Early in the 
month saw EA bring its heralded 
Need For Speed to the 
PlayStation—and with it a con- 
tender to Ridge Racer's crown as 
the only decent racer on the sys- 
tem. On March 30, Capcom 
unleashed Resident Evil and dra- 
matically changed both the 
PlayStation and the very pastime 
of gaming forever. With its Mature 
rating, horror-soaked gameplay 
and crap-your-pants, make-you- 

jump scenarios, it proved 
once and for all that the new 
order of gaming 
was as much 
for adults as 
it was for kids. 







NOW ONLY $199 

At the second-ever Electronic 
Entertainment Expo (E3) on May 
16, Sony cranked up the heat on 
the competition by dropping the 
price of its system to $199. 
Archrival Sega desperately fol- 
lowed suit the next day, cutting 
the price of its Saturn to the same 
figure, but it was clear that the 
writing was already on the wall 
for the big black block. Sega's 
own arcade hits were keeping its 
head above water, but with each 
new announcement for the 
PlayStation, the Saturn lost its 
grip on American gamers. 

After a fairly slow summer, 
Namco released Tekken 2 on 
Aug. 28 to an unsuspecting mar- 
ket and helped bang the final 
nails into the Saturn’s coffin. 
Tekken 2 was incredible. A 
major jump over its predecessor 
from the year before, it finally 
established itself as a superior 
experience to the flagging Virtua 
Fighter. Within three weeks, 
Tekken 2 would go on to be 
one of the fastest-selling games 
of all time. 


MILLIONS SERVED 
September 1996 was one heck of 
а month. Four days before the 
machine's first birthday, Naughty 









Dog introduced us all to Crash 
Bandicoot and with it a new 
approach to games marketing. 
Do you remember the TV 

ads for Crash with the guy in the 
suit heckling Mario (“Неу, 
plumber boy!”) outside 
Nintendo's headquarters? 
Nintendo certainly does. 

Sony was at great pains to tell 
everyone that Crash wasn'ta 
mascot like Sonic or Mario. The 
PlayStation, it seems, had too 
broad of an appeal for it to be 
defined by a bright orange mar- 
supial in shorts. Despite every 
effort to distance the character 
from the machine, gamers 
flocked to Naughty Dog's creation 
and helped make it one of the 
most successful games ever. 

Later in the month, as Namco 
released the gorgeous Ridge 
Racer sequel, Ridge Racer 
Revolution, Sony announced that 
15 PlayStation titles had already 
sold more than 250,000 copies, 
and that at least 10 more were 
fast approaching this mark. 
Leading the pack were Resident 
Evil and Tekken 2, with over 
450,000 each. Tekken 2, it seems, 
had broken the 450,000 mark in 
less than three weeks. At the 
same time, it was also revealed 
that Sony would be hitting the 


Resident Evil 

















1996 holiday season with an 
installed base of 2.3 million 
PlayStations already in U.S. 
homes, and more than 8 million 
systems sold worldwide. 

As the holidays approached, 
we saw Twisted Metal 2 become 
the definitive “car-combat” game 
{something it would remain for 
nearly five years!). Meanwhile, 
Psygnosis released Reflections’ 
Destruction Derby 2 to even 
more acclaim and fanfare than 
the original, and Crystal 
Dynamics released Legacy of 
Kain: Blood Omen. 

The PlayStation seemed 
unstoppable...but there were big- 
ger hits still to come. Moving into 
year three, Final Fantasy VII, Gran 
Turismo and a certain gal named 
Lara were still not yet with us. 


Next month: A girl, some cars, 
a character dies, and even more 
millions of systems sold. 





SELECT CAR 
CARINO | 








Go solo or take on a friend as you fight to 


Fight as 10 X-MEN from the original roster Perform signature mutant moves-even 
and 6 new X-MEN: Rogue, Nightcrawler, Havok, stunning aerial combat-in 10 of the dominate the arena. Enjoy 4 modes of play: 
Forge and 2 secret characters. original arenas, plus 6 new locations. Academy, Training, Arcade and Versus. 








| [EVERYONE 
Е Violence 
ACTIVISION. 


activision.com 






































PlayStation www.marvel.com Euri 
[ CELL 
Published and distributed by Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Activision isa registered trademark of Activision, 
ent America for use with the PlayStation game idi 
йа! Software Association. АН rights re: 






x. Licensed by Sony Computer E 
ainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark о! the Inte 






MARVEL and X-MEN: TM and © 2001 Marvel Characters, 
Inc. and its affiliates. © 2001 Activision, Inc. and its affiliate 

and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Cor 

All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owner 





5? 









Ж) and Trademark Office. Sega, Sega Sports, Dreamcast, and the Dj z istered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA. © SEGA CORPORATION, 2001 ДИ Ri 
is a registered tradéMark of the NFL players. www nllplayers com © 2001 PLAYERS INC “PlayStatiolX and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment ine. Some game 


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Admit it: Virtual swordplay can be one of the 
finest forms of release. That's why we were quite 
pleased this month to get a first look at two new 
sword slashers for the PS2: Kengo 2 from 
Genki/Crave and Samurai from Acquire. Kengo 2 
(pictured above) looks to have addressed a lot of 
complaints that people had with the original; it 
also features a much-improved graphics engine. 
As for Samurai [below], this is the new game from 
the creators of Tenchu (Tenchu 3 is being handled 
by another company]. Samurai already features a 
look and style similar to the Tenchu series. 


































Working Designs has announced what's no doubt 
the biggest RPG collector's package. Arc the Lad 
Collection will have a whopping six CDs: Arc the 
Lad parts І, II and Ill, Arc the Lad Monster Arena 
and a "Making of Arc the Lad Collection" CD 
movie. Also packed inside is a hardcover 140- 
page leatherette manual, along with 22 charac- 
ter standees, a custom memory card holder, and 
four custom analog thumb button covers. What's 
more, if you preorder the game at participating 
stores, you'll also get a limited-edition pocket- 
watch. Whew! The entire package will retail for 
$74.99 and should be in stores by the holidays. 


(ға Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 

















FEEL THE G's 


Futuristic world racer headed to the U.S. 


When we first revealed G-Surfers in our 
November 2000 issue, the game was in a 
very early state, yet it sounded quite 
impressive thanks to its massive "race 
around an entire world" intentions. Not to 
mention the fact that its visuals looked to 
give WipeOut Fusion a run for its money. 


But back then, there was no 
word yet from U.K. developer 
Blade Interactive on whether 
or not the game would be 
headed to the States. 

Well, we've just now 
learned that it is indeed com- 


ing here—and sooner than we 


imagined. Publisher Take- 
Two has snapped up the U.S. 
rights to G-Surfers and 
intends on releasing it as 
early as this winter. Good 
news, sure, but with the 





Ico: Haley Joel Osment 
One of todays most impressive 
actors just happens to also һе опе 
of the youngest. Haley Joel 
Osment (The Sixth Sense, ALL, 
Pay It Forward) is a no-brainer 
for this part. 












Barson/Wirelmage.com 





recent onslaught of futuristic racing 
games (Extreme G3 and Kinetica out 
now, and WipeOut Fusion coming soon], 
what will set this game apart from the 
rest? For starters, G-Surfers has a 

deep track editor that's said to be nearly 
identical to the one used by the design- 
ers. This will let gamers 
create their ultimate break- 
neck courses, which can 
E then be saved onto Memory 
Cards or even the PS2 Hard 
Drive (and can be traded 
among friends or swapped 
online]. 

G-Surfers certainly 
sounds cool, but we've yet to 
actually play it. We'll be sure 
to update you on the game- 
play as soon as we get our 
& hands on it 


DREAM CAST 


DATA 
STREAM 


k in Hollywood 


yd 


Dimension has obtained the 
film rights to the Alone in the 
Dark franchise. Looks like it's 
another game-turned-movie. 


Square’s Roots 


After the dismal performance 
of Final Fantasy: The Spirits 
Within, Square has decided to 
exit the film business to focus 
on games. Its Honolulu studio 
will provide CG work for other 
movie companies, though. 


Onimusha 2 Toys 
McFarlane Toys is currently 
working on action figures for 
Onimusha 2. Look for them 
alongside the game in spring. 








We are fascinated by Ico. The game's brilliant castle is set with dark corners and sun-bleached exteriors that 


), take our breath away. The unique characters don't even speak our language, yet they communicate more clearly 


than words can convey. At its roots, Ico is a story of a boy saving a girl, and the cold queen who's at the center 
of it all. But we know it's about so much more. So, we decided to cast the film to make it come to life on an imag- 
inary silver screen instead of just our TV sets. If you have ideas for a Dream Cast of your own, send us an e-mail 


at opm(@ziffdavis.com with the subject of DREAM CAST. 





Yorda: Claire Danes 
Yorda's character is riddled with 
mystery. She doesn't even speak 
a translatable language. But we 
cast Claire Danes (My So Called 
Life, Romeo+Julief) because she 
radiates a calm, brooding beauty. 


The Queen: Anjelica Huston 
The role of the cold-hearted 
Queen would be perfectly por- 
trayed by the icy Anjelica Huston 
(The Addams Family, The Royal 
Tenenbaums). Who better to 
shun such innocent children? 





Granitz/Wirelmage.com 


The Castle: Hiuboka 
Nad Vitavou 
This majestic monument stands 
in the Czech Republic near Ceske 
Budejovice. Stunning in its size 
and beauty, it would make a per- 
fect architectural fit for Ico. 


WHERE THE STARS PLAY 






FEATURING THE EXCLUSIVE 


Exclusive Challenge Mode, Featuring True-To-Life TV Style Presentation Unlock Retired Greats Like John 


4 Head To Head Events And Play-By-Play From Elway, Dan Marino And Steve Young 
Kevin Harlan And Bill Maas 


=> 





The NFL Quarterback Club is a trademark of the National Football League. © 2001 NFLP Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. А) other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks ofthe National Footbal 
League and NFL Properties. Officially licensed product of PLAYERS INC. The PLAYERS INC logo is a registered trademark of the NFL players. www nllplayers com © 2001 PLAYERS INC. Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim 
Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved, Developed by Acclaim Studios Austin, All Rights Reserved, "PlayStation" and the "PS* Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, NINTENDO 
GAMECUBE AND THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. © 2001 NINTENDO. Screens shown were taken from the PlayStation®2 version of the video game. 





Solid Toys 


Todd McFarlane fills us in 


Toys' fantastic Metal Gear Solid line came to be 


By Todd McFarlane 

People always ask me why we produce the action- 
figure assortments that we do. Some lines are 
more easily understood than others. Everyone 
looks at the Movie Maniacs line and can see the 
connection to our various assortments of figures 
produced for our flagship property, Spawn. Like 
Spawn, the characters from A Nightmare on Elm 
Street, Halloween and Candyman are dark, creepy 
characters. But then, they look at our line of Metal 
Gear Solid characters and scratch their heads. 
Wouldn't someone like Toy Biz be better suited for 
those? These are figures based on a "video game," 
not a cool slasher flick. Hmmm... 


on how McFarlane 


met Hideo Kojima for the first time. He was 
stunned and amazed by what he saw—characters 
that not only looked cool, but were very individual- 
istic as well. The backgrounds and attention to 
detail looked like nothing ever seen before. And 
best of all, it had gameplay and camera angles 
that grabbed you by the balls the first second you 
played it and wouldn't let you go. Terry called me 
and said one thing only: “I’m coming back with 
something we can't say ‘no’ to." 
We reviewed the game-design documents, 
watched the video of work already completed, and 
discussed what our next steps 





Everyone forgets that a kid, 
(and by that | mean anyone from 
5 to 30-plus], has more than just 
one hobby or affliction at any one 
given time. Think of all the peo- 
ple you know who have at least 
one video game console at home 
(if not three or more], and the 
fact that they are also interested 
in sports, comics, movies, etc. 
Same goes for action figures. 
People buy action figures of their 
favorite sports stars, reliving 
plays they watched these pros 
perform years earlier. With video 
games, the bond between the 
property and the individual is 
that more intense. Instead of just watching your 
favorite player crack another one over the fence, it 
is you who have taken over the role of participant, 


With video games, 


between the pro 


individual is tha! 


and you are the one calling the shots. 

People pick up titles that intrigue them 
and allow them to escape and become 
someone else for a while. Sometimes, that 
turns into dozens of hours spent, just you 
and the television alone in the darkness. 
We understand that commitment and 
devotion to a property. In a 
strange way, this is what 
drew me to Metal Gear 
Solid. An employee of 
mine, Terry Fitzgerald, 
was in Japan and was able to meet the 
chairman of Konami while in Tokyo. He 
was personally escorted to a non- 

descript floor of the building that 

housed the "secret" production of the 
next great game. It was there where he 






















U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








would be. This was to be our first 
license of a video game property, 
and | could not have hoped to 
land a better one to initiate this 
new direction for McFarlane Toys. 
Our execs met Kojima-san a 
month or so later at E3 in L.A. 
and discussed what we could 
offer him in regards to unparal- 
leled access to all aspects of pre- 
production and production of the 
figures, as well as complete 
approval control all along the way. 
Kojima-san mirrored the state- 
ment Konami's chairman had 
said earlier; they had received a 
lot of offers for licensed goods, 
and they were reluctant to proceed. Our guys were 
relentless, and in the end Kojima-san jumped on 
board. He sent over boxes of sketches and prepro- 


the bond 


ty and the 
more intense. 


duction artwork drawn in the beautiful, flowy, 
brushlike style I'm sure you have all seen by now. | 
could tell this was a labor of love for Kojima-san 
and his crew, and when | was told they had already 
spent three years working on it, that verified it 
Our designers proceeded to produce endless 
turnaround drawings of the characters in multi- 
posed configurations. These were sent over to 
Tokyo for Kojima-san's review. Some were 
accepted, others not. In the end, having someone 
50 creative and not the usual company licensing 
agent noncreative-type involved helped speed up 
the process and produce a better end product. He 
was able to recommend poses and provide small 









p 













































details like what the fabric would be like on each 
character's clothing, etc. 
Usually we are limited to producing a figure that 
















is letter perfect in every way to the character 








designs we are given and are pre-existing. Not so 
for game properties. Even though with the evolu- 
tion of better graphics, rendering chipsets and 
faster framerates, better texture-mapping and all, 
in the end we are still talking about machines that 
aren't capable of producing 100 percent perfect 
real-time, photo-quality images. We, however, are 
able to take the characters and add more detail to 
increase the realism of what these characters 
would truly look like in the minds of their creators. 
Kojima-san was adamant that we add our "McFar- 
lane Toys" touch to his creation. That takes class. 

From there, the process turns to the actual 
sculpting of the figure in clay. Our sculptors will 
take a few good weeks to sculpt something that is 
roughly 80 percent complete proportions-wise, 
lacking all of the final detailing. | review it, make 
changes, and then round two begins. Once the 
clays are where | think they should be, this is the 
point where | usually bring the licensing agents in. 
Not so for MGS. Kojima-san sent over a couple of 
people to oversee the sculpting once it was getting 
close to the end, and they approved or made 
changes right there on the spot. The approval 
process, which usually takes weeks, was dramati- 
cally reduced. Packaging was designed, 
produced, and the figures started to 

move down the assembly line. 

Public reaction was great, to say 
the least. Everyone concerned 
was happy with the sales—so 
much so that we're working on 
an MGS? line as we speak. This 
time around, Kojima-san created 
a few of the characters with 
action figures in mind, and | 
think you will know what 1 
am referring to when you 
see them later this year. Together 
we were able to produce what I 
consider one of the best action fig- 
ure lines in our company’s history. 


PlayStation. 












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ГЕСЕ; 
7 BELLIES ell NE IEEE 


"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of 
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of 


the Interactive Digital Software Association. Angel Studios and the 
Angel Studios logo are trademarks of Angel Studios. Rockstar Games 
and the Rockstar Games logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive 
Software, Inc. Copyright 2001 All rights reserved. Buggy Image ©Jim 
Sugar Photography/CORBIS. 





Deliver the goods through mine 
fields, avalanches and enemy 
crossfire! 





Fully integrated plot increases the 
adrenaline and ups the stakes 





i SEE Sati) 
Race anywhere across the 
world's most dangerous territories 








All new mission types including 
helicopter drop-offs! 





Qutrun and outwit your enemies 
head-to-head in split screen 
multiplayer mode! 











PlayStation. L 





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re the property of their respective owners. Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New Yi 
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Clish MacLaver's 


GOSSIP GOSS 


Gossip, rumor and scandal. 
Gaming's biggest secrets dug up 
and served with gravy. 


There have been a wealth of rumors this 
month, not least of which have been the 
ridiculous flow of spoilers for Metal Gear 
Solid 2 sourced back to wagging tongues 
at one of our less discreet competitors. 
I've shared info I've had over the past 
few months, but the really BIG twist in 
the story is something you're going to 
want to experience firsthand without 
some idiot ruining it for you. 

My advice: Ignore the rumors, buy 
the game the day it comes out, and play 
it all the way through to the end in one 
sitting, as you'll want to absorb the 
whole story at once. 





BITS AND BOBS 


Apu 0n A Skateboard. 
And Probably Homer Too 
With The Simpsons: Road Rage 
proving to be shockingly good (1 
don’t know about you, but after 
Wrestling | was expecting it to 
suck], it seems that the produc- 
ers at Fox are finally getting the 
hang of this concept of games 
being "fun,"and most impor- 
tantly, of Simpsons games being 
"funny." Road Rage plagiarizes 
Crazy Taxi fairly obviously, and it 


about it, I'm inclined to believe 
that it could be true. Car loons 
can look forward to the obvious 
sequel to GT3, which is already 
in development at Polyphony— 
and it now seems that bike 
enthusiasts will be treated to the 
same kind of experience, with 
everything from street bikes to 
superbikes and motocross. 
Right now no one's saying a 
word, but l'd be prepared to put 
money on something being 
announced next May. 


Dark Cloud 2 in 2002? 
Prompted by the tremendous 
success of the game here in the 
U.S., Sony CEI is keen to push а 


anything until at least 
summer 2002, and the 
game itself will probably 
be a 2003 release. Maybe 
it'll be online, too? 


Crash Course In Milking 
A Franchise Dry 
Apparently you can't have too 
much of an OK thing. Universal 
Interactive is so pleased with its 
unthreatening, innovation-free 
and totally harmless Crash 
rehash that it's already given the 
thumbs-up to not one, but two 
more games for the PS2 and, no 
doubt, other systems too. Do you 
even care anymore? Let me 
know what you think. Personally 


“It seems that the next knockoff 
will be a Springfield take on 


Tony Hawk's Pro Skater." 


seems that the next knockoff will 
be a Springfield take on Tony 
Hawk's Pro Skater. No details yet 
on a final release, but it wouldn't 
surprise me if it doesn't come 
out for another year. 


Motorcycle Game As 
Deep As GT3? 

This rumor came pretty far out 
of left field, but the more | look 
into it, and the more | think 


There’s talk of a new Castlevania game for PS2 in the works that’s 


a very stylized 2D affair. 


If you've played through all the way to 


the end of Devil May Cry, you'll no doubt already have taken the 


hint that there's going to be a sequel. Odds are good on the sequel 


taking the name Devil 


e There's talk of another Silent Hill 


game for PS2, but previous rumors of it being online seem unlikely 


now that producer Imamura has stated he’s not interested in building 


an episodic experience. • With Need For Speed looking likely to 


hit next summer, I've also heard stories about a truly spectacular 


Road Rash game that takes the concept back to its roots. * A fol- 


lowup to WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It is likely to feature WCW 


and ECW wrestlers, pending some tricky contract renegotiations. 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





sequel to Dark Cloud through in 
time for the 2002 holiday season. 
Expect an enhanced combat sys- 
tem, more dungeons [in the vein 
of the additional 100-level dun- 
geon added to the U.S. дате), 
and a dramatically overhauled 
graphics engine to make Dark 
Cloud 2 look even more beautiful 
than the original. 


WarHawk Returns 

Stories of another WarHawk 
(which, for those of you unaware, 
was a cool game developed by 
SingleTrac when the PS one first 
launched in 1995] have been cir- 
culating for years now, but | 
think | may have finally stumbled 
on a legitimate source of infor- 
mation. As you may know, 
Twisted Metal: Black developer 
Incog is effectively the reincar- 
nation of SingleTrac, and as 
such has a lot vested in the con- 
cept. From what | hear, a con- 
cept for a new 3D flying-combat 
game has been kicking around 
for a while at the studio, and 
given public interest in a 
WarHawk revival, the team was 
just recently given the go-ahead 
to make it. We're not likely to see 


| feel like Crash has lost his edge, 
but maybe l'm just an old cynic. 


Conflicting Syphon Filter 
Rumors 
I've been hearing a bunch of dif- 
ferent stories about Syphon 
Filter lately, and none of them 
really piece together properly. 
While I'm sure one of them is 
true, right now l'm not sure 
which. Here they are, though. 
The first, and more disappoint- 
ing, is that Syphon Filter 3 is 
absolutely the last game. No 
more Gabe. Nothing. Nada. Zip. 
Over. This came from a fairly 
reliable source, but | have to say 
that | do find it surprising, given 
how popular the games have 
been on PS one. The other 
rumor is that although the series 
is finished on PS one, the whole 
thing is to be reinvented for 
PS2. Much like Twisted Metal, 
the number for the sequels 
would be dropped in favor of 
subtitles, and the whole thing is 
going to share some of its tech- 
nology with Sony's upcoming 
Internet squad-based combat 
game SOCOM, possibly even the 
multiplayer aspects. 





E-MAIL ME! 


Got some good gaming gossip? 
Or anything you want to say to 
me? If you hear anything juicy, 
or get your hands on some cool 


screens or pictures, send me an 


e-mail at the following address: 





Of the two, | find this last 
rumor more likely, although | 
would hope that the graphics are 
given a bit more pizazz for 
Syphon Filter, as SOCOM didn't 
look particularly groovy last time 
| saw it. As with so much other 
stuff at the moment, though, | 
don't expect to see any "official" 
confirmation one way or another 
until at least next summer. 


Metal Gear Series To Live 
On As Something Else 
Here's what I've heard so far, but 
much of it is just speculation, so 
don't take this as gospel. Kojima, 
as I've said before, is unlikely to 
work on any further games in 
the Metal Gear universe. Having 
heard what Editor in Chief John 
Davison has to say about the 
game, | can't say | find that sur- 
prising. What does surprise me 
is that there is already chatter 
about the stories within the 
Metal Gear mythology continuing 
with newly established charac- 
ters and scenarios. What this 
probably means is that any fur- 
ther sequels wouldn’t have the 
words Metal, Gear or Solidin 
their titles. Would there really be 
any point, then? Wait until Nov. 
13, play the game through, and 
then get back to me on this one. 
| think there still may be some 
potential here. 





*also available in 
convenient travel size. 


Goggen, 


Frogger’s hopping into stores this fall in two 
new magical adventures! Experience full 3D 
Platform action on the PlayStation®2 computer 
entertainment system and classic Frogger 





gameplay on Game Boy® Advance: 
> Everybody's favorite amphibian is back 
N and better than ever! 








This month's selection of tunes can be heard from the waves of 
Sunny Garcia Surfing, to the snowy slopes of Shaun Palmer's 
Pro Snowboarder, to the future, as portrayed by Kinetica. 


I 
©, 
ZN 





A 


With new tunes in Sony's Frequency and 
Formula One, tech-rockers Curve are as 
at home on your PS2 as on your stereo. 


You not only have two new albums out— 
Gift and the Internet-only Open Day at 
the Hate Fest—but you also have new 
songs in the game Frequency and on your 
Web site, www.curve.co.uk. When do you 
find the time to play games? 

Dean Garcia: We don't really play video 
games very much. We used to play them 
quite a lot, but not anymore. I do play 
with my son. We play things like Tekken, 
and we're really into FIFA, but generally I 
prefer one-person games and adventure 
games like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. 


How did you decide to loan your music to 
Formula One and Frequency? 

Dean: We were approached by [SCEA 
music director] Chuck Doud, asking if we 
were interested in putting a track for- 
ward for Frequency. And when he sent 
over a rough video of the game, it looked 
good, so we thought we'd have a go. 

Toni Halliday: And then, after we did the 
song for Frequency, we sent Chuck a 
copy of our album, Gift, and he went, "I 
want the song 'Gift' for Formula One." 


Bookmarks 


www.shotgunrules.com 
The official word on how to deter- 
mine who gets the passenger seat. 


www.suikosource.com 

Keep tabs on all things Suikoden. 
Consider signing the petition for 
U.S. releases of Suikogaiden, 


www.3blackchicks.com 

Citing a lack of black movie crit- 
ics, this no-holds-barred site pro- 
vides incisive reviews of movies. 
On Tomb Raider: “TBS will pick it 
up in a few years." 


www.3kingdoms.net 
Learn everything about China's 


Official US. PlayStation Magazine 





Y 


Formula One features the title track to 
Gift, but Frequency has a new song, 
"Worst Mistake." How do you decide 
which games get new songs and which 
ones get old ones? 

Toni: Well, Frequency needed one 
because of the way the song is chopped 
up in the game. We could've used an 
existing track, but it was actually more 
interesting to write a song that could be 
broken up into pieces. 

Dean: Which is something we had to think 
of when we were writing that song. 


Having done some of the music for a 
game, would you he into doing all of the 
music for a game? 

Dean: It would have to be something that 
was really... 

Toni: ...exciting. 

Dean: Yeah, something really good. To do 
the music for the new Crash Bandicoot 
wouldn't be that interesting, but if it was 
something scary like Silent Hill or Quake, 
definitely. Or something like WipeOut; the 
music was really integral to that game. 








They are working оп a new WipeOut... 
Toni: Well, looks like we're going to have 
to give Chuck a call. 

—Paul Semel 


Three Kingdoms era, as portrayed 
in Koei's Dynasty Warriors series 
and Kessen II. Highly recommend- 
ed: the message board, "Palace." 


www.threekingdoms.com 

And if you haven't learned enough, 
download all 120 chapters of the 
classic Romance of the Three 
Kingdoms itself. Over 1,000 pages! 


www.mcfarlaneguide.com. 
A fan's guide to all McFarlane 
Toys, past, present and future. 


www.donwest.org 
Fan site dedicated to the most ani- 
mated salesman on late-night TV. 



















Juno Reactor: Shango 
Metropolis Records 
Featured In: Kinetica 


Ever have one of those days where you just want to sit and stare 
unblinkingly at the static on TV? This is the album to do it by, chock-full 


of droney techno and ambient elements. It starts off perky enough, with 
the pumpin’ “Pistolero,” but by the time you reach the pretentiously 
titled "Song for Ancestors,” you've spent more time than not in trance- 
land. | liked it fine, but | find static really intriguing. So there you have it. 


Final Score X Y) 





Mustard Plug: Evildoers Beware! 

Hopeless Records 

Featured In: Sunny Garcia Surfing 

Ska is sort of like pizza or sex: When it's bad, it's still pretty good; it still 
has that sort of infectious thing going for it. Which brings us to Mustard 
Plug, whose ska stylings aren't exactly good, but whom | can't build up a 
head of disliking for, either. They're just a nice fun ska party band, and 
you'll find yourself scuffling along pleasantly to "Box," "You," or 
"Mendoza" without remembering them for very long afterward. 


Final Score e Ө eq 


Shootyz Groove: High Definition 
Kinetic/Re Records 
Featured In: Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboard 


Yeah baby! | dig this album all the way through— it's a damn fine mix of 
intelligent, opinionated rapping and rock-'n'-roll power. And it even 
includes a fabulous left-field cover of XTC's "Dear God," with insightful 
additional lyrics. Good propulsion from the start, with the chugging gui- 
tar and beat of "Mad for It" and the wah-wah chant of "Young City Boys 
and Girls," which dresses down vapid conformity. Tasty, tasty. 


Final Score @ e 





Sprung Monkey: Get a Taste 

Redline Entertainment 

Featured In: Sunny Garcia Surfing 

Sprung Monkey gets testy in “Shut Up,” in which the band kisses off any- 
body who might possibly want to share their feelings. But besides that 
track, Get a Taste is mostly about candy-coated power pop, served up 
with just enough guitar crunch to make it interesting. Tracks like the 
sprightly “Lucy” could be from a sitcom about zany musicians and their 
wacky adventures. No wonder they eventually had to vent on “Shut Up.” 


Final Score 6 © @@ 


Supersuckers: The Evil Powers of Rock and Roll 
Koch Records 
Featured In: Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder 


Imagine that Hank Williams and Lemmy from Motorhead got blasted and 
had a love child together (ееееееем), and that love child was diagnosed 
with fetal alcohol syndrome. Let it grow up and give it a guitar. You've got 
the Supersuckers, pal. This group poses as socially irredeemable white 
trash, with songs like "I Want the Drugs" A іп." But on the 
other hand, they rock like no one's business. 


Final Score “ 


John Scalzi remembers when music from video games went “bleep bleep bleep"—and we LIKED it! 
Visit his Web site at www.scalzi.com, or he'll collapse in a heap and sob. 


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because you can shoot doesn't mean you can hit a bandit going 
Mach 2. So if you want all 18 of your missions to end with a 
frosty cold one rather than a fiery crash, you need to master 
the weapons and the wings. You got that, flyboy? 


таныша б 
^ MILD LANGUAGE 
(namco MEM -e I 
PlayStation.e WWW.NAMCO.COM ESRR 




















BUFFY SLAYS ON DVD 

It's hard to believe that we've been watching Sarah Michelle 
Gellar and friends take on the forces of darkness for six seasons 
now, but over that period Buffy the Vampire Slayer has gained 
quite the following. On Jan. 15, latecomers to the series—plus 
those who just want to watch it over and over again—can see 
how it all began, as Fox Home Entertainment releases the 12- 
episode first season onto a three-disc set. And with extras like 
an interview with creator Joss Whedon and David “Angel” 
Boreanaz, the original pilot script, the nal Buffy tı 

ROM links to Buffy Web sites, a photo gallery and biographies, 
the collection includes plenty of things to sink your teeth into. 


THE SHOW MUST GO ON 

An OPM favorite, Mr. Show With Bob and David will see its first 
two seasons released on DVD in March, according to zentertain- 
ment.com. If you haven't seen an episode, trust us when we say 
you won't regret picking up this hilarious HBO series—or you can 
always just borrow it from a fan friend of yours, because they'll 
no doubt race to pick this one up. 


BETTER WATCH JURASS(IC) 

Count on a bit more than mere movie content coming with the 
Dec. 11 release of Jurassic Park III. The DVD itself features tons 
of extras, including a “making of,” commentary by the special- 
effects team, a 3D look at the film's 12 dinos, storyboard, produc- 
tion drawings, games and more, plus documentaries on paleon- 
tology, Stan Winston Studio and ILM. Not enough? Then get the 
Jurassic Park Trilogy Collection, with all three films on DVD, plus 
a fourth disc with an extra two hours of dinoriffic features. 


SILENT BOB TALKS (A LOT!) 

According to Kevin Smith's official news site, newsaskew.com, 
this spring we can expect a DVD full of the filmmaker's college 
Q&A sessions taking place from Oct. 1 through mid-December of 
this year. And if you've ever attended such a gig, you know he's 
not afraid to throw punches, and is always quite hilarious. As are 
his films, the latest of which, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, will 


hit stores on Feb. 12. No details yet, though newsaskew.com says 
it "looks to be the biggest View Askew DVD project EVER." 


"ATTENTION, ALL PERSONNEL: INCOMING WOUNDED” 
One of the most critically acclaimed TV shows of all time, 
M"A"S"H, sees its first season released on DVD on Jan. 8. Also 
that day, check out Robert Altman's movie that started it all in a 
two-disc set featuring commentary, featurettes and m 





(ga) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





Two BIG Thumbs Up!” 








People went freakin’ nuts for Shrek this last summer, but | 
thought it was merely OK. Gorgeous computer animation, of 
course, and what's not to like about Mike Myers as a Scottish 
ogre and Eddie Murphy as an ass (heh heh heh). But the script 
just didn't have that delirious spark everyone said it had. | know 
I'm in the minority here, though, so don't hit me. Hefty DVD 
extras include commentary, technical flubs and features, trail- 





STARRING: 

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy ers, and special games and activities for kids. Isn't that sweet. 
Movie Score 6 ө ө DVD Extras Score 6006 

81/2: SPECIAL EDITION with Fellini, and documentary "Nina be the Grinch. But why would you want 

(Marcello Mastroianni) Rota: Between Cinema And Concert." that? Especially when the TV special 


Roger Ebert calls this movie "the best 
film ever about filmmaking." Film 
geeks will drink in every heady image, 
from the surreal opening sequence to 
every nook and cranny of Fellini stand- 
in Marcello Mastroianni's journey in the 
film. Don't worry if you can't tell where 
reality ends and the mind-trips begin. It 
just gives you something to argue about 
later. DVD extras are also a film geek's 
dream: commentary from Fellini friend 
and critic Gideon Bachman, an intro- 
duction by Terry Gilliam, interviews 


was just about perfect? If you just need 
the live-action version, though, you 
should get this deluxe set, which, 
besides the DVD, includes cute 3D pop- 






DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH up packaging. The other un-Grinchy 
STOLE CHRISTMAS: extras include deleted scenes, out- 
INTERACTIVE PLAY SET takes, makeup and Whoville documen- 
(Jim Carrey) taries, sing-alongs and read-alongs for 


| know I'm not the only one who found 
this live-action version of the beloved 
Christmas fable creepy beyond belief. 
Jim Carrey is indeed the person for this 
role, inasmuch as a live person could 


the kids, plus a Faith Hill video. 


LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER 
(Angelina Jolie) 

Look, you and | both know the only 
defensible reason to subject oneself 
to the unmitigated crapfest that is the 
Tomb Raider movie is that Angelina 
Jolie is as delectable a cinematic 
plum as exists on this planet, and 
when she's traipsing around Angkor 
Wat with a ponytail, British accent and 
those amazing pneumatic...lips, she's 
difficult to resist. So go ahead and 
wallow in Angelina. But do yourself а 
favor and mute the flick while you're 
watching her. DVD extras: deleted 
scenes, commentary from alleged 
director Simon West, documentaries 
and U2's "Elevation" video. 


LEGALLY BLONDE 

(Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson) 
Braindead hot chick gets dumped by 
ambitious boyfriend who thinks she's 
not right for his image...so she follows 
him to law school and becomes a big 
success! This is totally unrealistic, of 
course. What guy on Earth would ever 
dump Reese Wither-spoon? Be that 
as it may, this comedy is, ahem, 
smarter than it looks, and 
Witherspoon is dreamy. You have to be 
smart to play this dumb. Extras 
include commentary by Witherspoon 
and director Robert Lucetik, deleted 
scenes, two featurettes and trivia. 





OSMOSIS JONES: SE 

(Chris Rock, Bill Murray) 

It's an animated movie about phlegm. 
Yeah, that'd be my first pick as a film 
to greenlight. But someone did, no 
doubt because the Farrelly Brothers, 
they of There's Something About Mary 
fame, directed it. And truth to tell, it's 
actually both amusing and creative, a 





combination of live-action (with Bill 
Murray as a spectacularly gross 
zookeeper], and animation (Chris 
Rock as a white blood cell in Murray's 
rapidly failing body), with enough pus 
and mucus jokes to make third- 
graders happy for the rest of their 
lives. Extras include audio commen- 
tary, deleted scenes and a "making- 
of" feature. 


DVD Extras 


PLANET OF THE APES: SE 

(Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth) 

This 2001 revision of the Apes saga 
has some nice snarky moments 
(Charleton Heston as an ape bemoan- 
ing the evils of firearms for опе), but 
it's mostly a little flat. In the Tim 
Burton oeuvre, it's in the "interesting 
failure" camp along with Mars 
Attacks!. But I'll grant that Tim Roth 
as the evil chimp Thade is the best 
movie villain for the year; poor Mark 
Wahlberg looks like a girly boy next to 
him. This two-disc set offers some 
groovy extras, with commentary by 
Burton and composer Danny Elfman, 
an HBO documentary, extended 
scenes and featurettes, and—get 
this—a novella. Yes, there's reading! 





REBECCA: CRITERION SE 
(Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine) 
Alfred Hitchcock's first American film, 
and it's a heck of a debut. Sweet thing 
Joan Fontaine marries Laurence 
Olivier and is swept off to his castle, 
only to find it's a creepy mausoleum 
to his dead first wife, and all the ser- 
vants hate Joan Fontaine. Boy, it's 
always something. Rebecca won Best 
Picture in 1940, and it's one of the 
best examples of horror done to 
spine-chilling perfection. Great DVD 
extras include essays, conversations 
between Hitchcock and French auteur 


Truffaut, excerpts from the 1940 Oscar 
show, a radio adaptation of the 
Rebecca story, and film-scholar com- 
mentary. 





THE SOPRANOS: THE 
COMPLETE SECOND SEASON 
(James Gandolfini, Edie Falco) 

The greatest television series in histo- 
ry? Hell no—that's The Simpsons, 
baby. But the best television drama in 
history? | won't argue. To do so would 
be disrespecting the Bing. This is the 
entire second season in one spot, 
packed with all the nutty, wacky, 
homicidal mob guys we've come to 
love, especially James Gandolfini's 
career-making boss-in-therapy Tony 
Soprano. The DVD also treats fans to 
four director commentaries, as well 
as insights on the series from real 
psychiatrists, ЕВ! agents and critics. 


STAR TREK: THE MOTION 
PICTURES COLLECTION 

(William Shatner, Patrick Stewart) 
Want to make a Trekkie love you for- 
ever? Without having to resort to 
dressing up like a Klingon lap dancer? 
Load 'em down with this brick of a 
DVD set, which features every single 
Trek movie made: ALL six flicks with 
the Kirk-era folks, and the three 
Picard-era ones thrown in for good 
measure. As every Trek fan knows, 
only the even-number ones (//, IV, VI 
and First Contact] are worth watching, 
but you can't expect Paramount to 
release an "Only Good Trek Flicks" 
box set, now, can you? DVD extras are 
not in the cards here, but really—like 
the Trekkies you know won't provide 
their own audio commentary. 





Clockwise: Legally Blonde, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Planet of the Apes, The Sopranos, Osmosis Jones, Star Trek 







































The Art of 
Darkness 


APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX 


Here's the dirty secret about "director's cuts," the revised versions 
of films (usually with added scenes) that people get suckered into 
buying on DVD: Nine times out of 10, there was a really good reason 
those scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. Well, here's that 
one out of 10 that's worth the effort, and your cash: Apocalypse 
Now Redux. The original Apocalypse Now won the Palm d'Or at 
Cannes, and is regarded as one of the greatest war films of all time. 
So there wasn't much call to mess with it. Be that as it may, director 
Francis Ford Coppola has added back 49 minutes of footage and re- 
edited the entire film from the dailies, to amplify the general freaki- 
ness of the situation faced by Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen, young), 
charged with going into the steamy jungles 
of Vietnam to find the whacked-out Col. 
Kurtz (Marlon Brando, fat). 

Much of those new 49 minutes are 
spent at a spectral French plantation and 
give viewers a grounding in some of the 
colonial roots of the Vietnam conflict. 
Sounds boring, but it's not. There are also 
some extra scenes with the Playboy 
Playmates and more dialogue from Brando, 
who famously spouted non sequiturs while 
Coppola filmed, praying that he could 
make sense of it all in the editing room. 

Is Redux a better film than the original Apocalypse? Film geeks 
are arguing over that now and will be for years; that's what they 
do. My impression is that it's not necessarily better, but it's differ- 
ent enough from the original to put the film, already a classic, into 
a whole new light. It's worth the viewing for that alone. 


DVD Releases 


Apocalypse Now Redux 


Street Date: 11/20/2001 
MSRP 52999 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (85) 


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BOARDING 


COUNTERPARTS 7 A RESISTANCE, 
LOOKING TO LINCO: THE CONSPIRACY. 


Comic Mischief 
Mild Language 





YOU CAN'T 
SHOOT WHAT 
YOU CAN'T 
CATCH! THE 
CHIEF'S GONNA 
BE SORRY WHEN 
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YOY FOOLS! 
| GAVE STRICT ORDERS TO 
KEEP ALL SNOWBOARDERS 

OFF OF THE SUMMIT! 


















DARK ANGEL FILLS OUT 


an interview with Cinescape Online, James 
meron said that he’s considered а feature- 


ik if We have continued success 
5, there is a good possibility that 


and/or grow from whe 
a very good possibilit: 
There's still no word on the rumo 

tie-in, although we expect an announcement to 
be made within the next six months. The lovely 
Jessica Alba [pictured here] is back on Fox on 
Fridays, in case you haven't noticed the spec- 
tacular number of ads for the show that Fox is 
ramming down people's throats. 


BANA = BANNER IN HULK? 


The superhero revival continues, with work on 
the new Hulk movie moving forward. Despite 
reports elsewhere, Oscar-winning makeup 
hot shot Rick Baker (Planet of the Apes) has 
not signed on to create the makeup effects for 
the movie. The movie's producers are still 
deciding whether to use traditional makeup 
or CGI effects to transfer Dr. Bruce Banner 
into his green-skinned alter ego. Current 
front-runner to star in the title role is 
Australian comedian Eric Bana, star of the 
cult flick Chopper. The Ang Lee-directed 
movie is scheduled to be in theaters in 
summer 2003—so they still have plenty of 
time to keep changing their minds about stuff. 
As far as game tie-ins go, Universal 
Interactive is currently on the hunt for a 
developer for the project. 


SPIELBERG TO DO POTTER 3? 


You may wonder why he wasn’t involved with 
the first one, as it seems to be his kind of 
thing—but Zap2it recently reported that Mr. 
Spielberg is interested in working on a future 
Harry Potter movie. “That first story didn’t 
touch me creatively,” Spielberg said. “Now the 
third Harry Potter book...it's pure genius! Much 
darker, more esoteric and interesting to me 
personally. If they'd offered me that, I'd have 
said, Yes.” 

[ first Potter game for PS one should be 
out by the time you read this. Future games are 
rumored to be tied in with the movies rather 
than with the books, so don’t expect another 
one until the next movie is confirmed. 
ww 


WONDERLAND ISN'T DARK 
John August (Go, Charlie's Angels, Titan A.E.), 
who wrote a treatment for a feature film based 
on American McGee's Alice РС game, told the 
IMDB Web site that the movie isn’t called Dark 
Wonderland, as rumored. “1 have no idea 
where the title Dark Wonderland came from,” 


38) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 













-— 

August said in response to а fan question. 
“Everyone involved on the project calls it Alice. 
| suspect some fanboy thought Dark 
Wonderland sounded cooler. But that's not the 
working title.” August also dispelled the 
rumors that either Natalie Portman or Eliza 
Dushku was in line to star in the film. "It's a 
away from casting, and any specula- 

boy fantasy,” he Said, spoiling 


‘denial business, 


turned that in, my involve 
was effectively over. CUR 
are working with other’ rite 
the script, so | have no 
to being able to film. While: 
get lost in development hell 
Alice will get made at some poi 
The last news that we heard Wes that the 
PS2 conversion of Alice had been put on hold 
by EA. The release of the movie in 2003 could 
see a conversion of the PC game or possibly a 
sequel arriving on consoles at some point in 
the future. 


finctiis that 


МЕМ IN BLACK (CHANGES 


Sony Pictures has confirmed that the beginning 
and ending sequences of Men In Black 2are 
being rewritten as a result of the tragic events 
in New York. Both sequences featured the 
World Trade Center, including one scene in 
which one of the towers opened up and had 
spaceships flying out of it. Alternative locations 
are currently being considered. 


BIG MATRIX DANCE NU 

Word has it that the coming Matrix Sequel 
feature an elaborate dance number. While tatk= 
ing to San Francisco Magazine, sont 


E 


Charles Moulton suggested that the upcoming 
film includes a scene featuring a huge dance 
sequence. Though he won't give specie 
Moulton did say, “It’s huge. Colossal. | saw tl 
dailies, and they were absolutely spectacular. 
When we were shooting, there were hordes of 
people. They were using cranes, huge dollies, 
cables. Cameras came swooping down over the 
crowd." There's no word if Keanu Reeves will 
be joining in, but we'll keep you posted. 


DIESEL 15 RIDDICK 


As mentioned last month, Vin Diesel has con- 
firmed that he will be starring in the sequel to 
Pitch Black, called Chronicles of Riddick. 
Universal is said to be treating the movie as 
one of its “tent pole” properties (meaning it’s 
propping up the studio) for summer 2003. 
Diesel reprises his role as the eponymous 
Riddick, while the script has been written by 
David “voice of Solid Snake” Hayter. 


j photo by Antoine Verglas/Corbis Outline 


с пеггиеѕ Nave a IOCK оп your саи, 
you barrel roll at mach 2 and let 'em have it... 








PlayStation. 
www.topgun-combatzones.com 


Play TOP GUN on your Internet enabled mobile phone this Fall, brought to you by nGame. For more information on where to play go to http:/ 

2001-TITUS. TOP GUN - ™,® & © 2001 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. All — Software©2001 TITUS SOFTWARE CORPORATION. 
rights reserved. INTENTED SOLELY FOR PRIVATE HOME USE. PUBLIC logo are trademarks of TITUS Software Corporation. Dev 
PERFORMANCE OR OTHER USE IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. — INTEGRATION 





topgun.ngame.com/ 


R ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA for use with 
ertainment system. "PlayStation" and the "PS 
Четагк of Sony Compuler Entertainment Inc. 





mily logo are registered 





TOP 10 CHARTS 





Madden has thrown the first stone in the football war. We're just 
wondering if it'll stand atop the mountain when Sega Sports makes 
its statement with NFL 2K2 (next month). Otherwise, with so many 
good games out, it's tough to choose just one. So buy ‘em all. 


Last 
Month 


.— Madden NFL 2002 
EA Sports. i | 
It didn't take long for Madden to quarterback itself a the top 
sales charts. If уои re ready for some football, this. is 


le 
Publisher 





— RE-Code: Veronica X 





2 Capcom 
3 = — Dave Mirra Pro BMX 2 
Acclaim 
4 2 NCAA Football 2002 — 
EA Sports 
Т 5 e Gran Turismo 3: A-spec өөөөө 


5опу СЕА 
GT3 | has already dropped to fifth? We' ге guessing p pecans 
anyone who's anyone bought it the day it released. | i \ 


3 NBA Street 
EA Big 


ESPN X Games Skateboardi 
Konami 





5 Twisted Metal: Black 


8 Sony CEA 





Armored Core 2: Another А 
Sony CEA 
6 Extermination 

Sony CEA 


Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service, mid-August 2001. Call them at 516.625.2481 for questions 
about this list. No games for competing console systems е... М64, Dreamcast] were included. 
Overall sales figures may vary. Game descriptions written by the OPM staff. 


(90) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





ОРМ% Most Wanted PS2 Games 





Grand Theft Auto III 


1 Rockstar 

2 | SSX Tricky EA Big 

3 | Final Fantasy X Square EA 
4 | Jak and Daxter Sony CEA 

5 | Maximo Сарсот 

6 | МВА 2k2 Sega Sports 
7 | Grandia II Ubi Soft 

B | MofH: Frontline EA Games 
9 | Dynasty Warriors3 Koei 

10! Baldur's Gate Interplay 


Japan's Top 10 PS2 and PS one Games 
Ace Combat 04 (2) 

Capcom vs. SNK 2 (2] 
Gundam: Zeonic Front (2) Bandai 
Hot Shots Golf 3 (2) Sony СЕЈ 


1 Namco 
2 
3 
4 
5 | Jikkyo Pro Baseball (2) Konami 
6 
7 
8 
9 


Сарсот 


Devil May Cry (2) Capcom 
Duel Monsters II (2) Konami 
Jikkyo Soccer 2001 (2) Konami 

TV Ani. One Piece (| Bandai 

0! Ever Green Avenue (1) MediaWorks 





m 


OPM's Most Wanted PS one Games 





Sony CEA 


1| Syphon Filter 3 

2 | Hoshigami Atlus 

З | Mega Man X6 Capcom 

4 | Arc the Lad Collection Working D. 
5 | Harry Potter EA Games 
6 | Worms World Party Еол Digital 
7 | Men in Black: Series Infogrames 
8 | NHL FaceOff 2002 989 Sports 
9 | Martian Gothic Take 2 Int. 
10 T. Metal: Small Brawl Sony CEA 


Top 10 Selling Games, All Systems 
Madden 2002 (PS2) ҒА Sports 
Mario Kart: Circ. [GBA] Nintendo 
Pokémon: Crystal (GBC] Nintendo 
RE-Code: Veronica X (Р52) Capcom 
NCAA F’ ball 2002 (DC) Sega Sports 
Dave Mirra BMX 2 (PS2) Acclaim 
Super Mario Adv. (GBA] Nintendo 
Tony Hawk 2 [PS one] Activision 
Madden 2002 PS опе) EA Sports 
(0! NCAA 2002 (Р52) EA Sports 


- 


2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 


- 








Is the PS one talent pool drying up? At times like this you need to 
go back and grab those games you always wanted, but didn't want 
to pay full price. But there's always the updated Madden, and 
THPS3 is оп its way to keep the PS one alive and kicking. 


Last le / 

Month Pui ег 
1 Б Madden NFL 2002 

EA Sports 

Madden topping both the PS one and Р52 charts? Strange. No way. 
It's football season and anyone with a clue knows that EA Sports’ 
master franchise is going to get it done. Madden 2001 on PS опе 
was one of the best games on the system, and Madden 2002 is just 
another stellar extension of that. We're just wondering if Madden 
can weather the coming storm of THPS3. 


Rating 
eeooct 








— Driver 2 
Sony CEA 


7 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 
Activision 





Gran Turismo 2 
Sony CEA 


3 Spyro: Year of the Dragon 
Sony CEA 

With Spyro lurking on the charts, it shouldn't be long until Crash 
Bandicoot also makes a reappearance (Crash Bash doesn't count). 


6 1 Final Fantasy Tactics өөөө 
Sony CEA 

7 Ө Syphon Filter 2 eoo 
989 Studios 

8 6 Crash Bash ood 
Sony CEA 


9 — Rocket Power: T.R.R. 94 
THQ 


10 - 


Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service, mid-August 2001. Call them at 516.625.2481 for questions. 
about this list. No games for competing console systems (е... N64, Dreamcast] were included. 
Overall sales figures may vary. Game descriptions written by the OPM staff. 


Grand Theft Auto II өөө 


Rockstar 






PTS s Pr. 


ot THE NEIGHBORNG... ¢ 
gO 


IT'S NOT EASY BEING THE LANDLORD OF THE ONE 
PIECE MANSION. IN THIS WACKY PUZZLE GAME IT'S 


9* YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE LIFE RUNS SMOOTHLY. BUILD UP YOUR 
lt MANSION AS HIGH AS YOU CAN, RAISE THE RENT AND COLLECT MORE 









MONEY. ВИТ, IT'S ALSO UP TO YOU TO KEEP EVERYBODY HAPPY, HAPPY, 
HAPPY... OR ELSE THEY'LL MOVE AND SKIP OUT ON THEIR RENT. CAN A SUMO 
WRESTLER, NEWLYWED COUPLE CAT LADY, STUDENT AND MORE REALLY GET 
ALONG? IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME SERIOUS SKILL TO KEEP THE PEACE AND 
MAKE SURE ИРЕ AT THE ONE PIECE MANSION REMAINS STRESS FREE! 








@ Keep the Peace Among Your Tenants in Order to 
Make More Money and Add to Your Mansion 





EVERYONE 


COMIC MISCHIEF 
p» 


PlayStation 


e 


PlayStation 


mg 77 


Total Control 





www.989s P Orts.com Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of 
`© 2001 by STATS, Inc. Any commercial изе or distribution of the Licensed Materials without the express written consent 









You have .72 seconds to make a decision. 





Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. Visit the official website at www.MLB.com, © MLBPA, Official Licensee-Major League Baseball Players Association. www.bigleaguers.com. 
of STATS is strictly prohibited. 989 Sports and the 989 Sports logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. © 2001 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. 




















Airblade 
Armored Core 3.... 







Barba 


Drakan: The Ancients’ Gate ..116 
Dynasty Warriors 3.. 1 

Ecco the Dolphin... 
Freaky Flyers 


Good Cop, Bad Cop 
Grandia IT... 
Jade Cocoon 2 
Jak and Daxter 
J. White's Cue Ball World 



























Max Payne... 
Medal of Honor: Frontline 
NBA 2K2 
NFL 2K2. 


Sky Gunner .. 
Smuggler's Run 2.. 
Street Hoops 
Stuntman. 
Suikoden Т 
The Thing 
TimeSplitters 2 . 
WipeOut Fusion 











Kelly Slater's Pro Surfei Worms Blast .. 

King's Field IV ............ WWF SmackDown! 
Coming Soon 
November Conflict Zone Ubi Soft ^ Strategy 
Baldur's Gate: DA Interplay RPG Grandia II Crave RPG 
Blood Omen 2 Eidos Adv. Jade Cocoon 2 Ubi Soft RPG 
Burnout Acclaim Racing Jak and Daxter: TPL Sony CEA Action 
Capcom vs. SNK 2 Capcom Fighting Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius THQ Action 
Crash Bandicoot: TWoC TBA Action NBA 2K2 Sega Sports 
Dark Summit THQ X-Sports | Rayman Arena Ubi Soft Action 
Deus Ex: The Conspiracy Eidos FPS/RPG | Wizardry: Forsaken Land Atlus RPG 
Downforce Titus Racing January 
Drakan: The Ancients’ Gate Sony CEA Adv. Caesars Palace Rockstar Casino 
Dynasty Warriors 3 Koei Action Commandos 2 Eidos Strategy 
ESPN Nat'l Hockey Night Konami Sports EOE:EveofExtinction | Eidos Action 
ESPN NBA 2Night 2002 Konami Sports Final Fantasy X Square RPG 
ESPN Winter Sports 2002 Konami Sports Hot Shots Golf 3 Sony CEA Sports 
Evil Twin Ubi Soft Adv. The Lost Crave Adv. 
FIFA 2002 ЕА Sports Sports Namco Museum Namco Action 
Frequency Sony CEA Puzzle Shifters 300 Action 
Frogger: The Great Quest Konami Action Star Trek: Shattered Universe Interplay Action 
Godai: Elemental Force 300 Action Star Wars: Racer II LucasArts Racing 
H20verdrive Crave Racing State of Emergency Rockstar Action 
Hidden Invasion Conspiracy Action World of Outlaws Infogrames Racing 
James Bond 007 in..AUF EAGames FPS February 
Jeremy McGrath's SuperX Acclaim Racing Aliens: Colonial Marines ЕА батеѕ Action 
Jonny Moseley Mad Trix 300 XSports | Barbarian Titus Fighting 
Jurassic Park: Survival Universal Action Maximo Capcom Action 
Legends of Wrestling Acclaim Wrestling | RLH Interplay Action 
Max Payne Rockstar Action Trophy Bass. Sierra Fishing 
Metal Gear Solid 2:SoL Konami Adv. Virtua Fighter 4 Sega Fighting 


NBA Live 2002 EASports Sports 
NBA ShootOut 2002 Sony CEA Sports 
NCAA Final Four 2002 Sony CEA Sports 
NFL2K2 Sega Sports 
NFL Blitz 2002 Midway ^ Sports 
NFL GameDay 2002 Sony CEA Sports 
NHL FaceOff 2002 Sony CEA — Sports 
Pirates of Skull Cove EAGames Action 
Police 911 Konami Shooter 
Rubu Tribe Interplay Action 
Salt Lake 2002 Eidos Sports 


Shadow Man: 2есоп Com. Acclaim Афу. 
Shaun Palmer SnowboarderActivision X-Sports 
The Simpsons: Road Rage EAGames Action 


Splashdown Infogrames Racing 
SSX Tricky EA Sports X-Sports 
Star Trek Voyager: EF Majesco FPS 
Tarzan Untamed Ubi Soft Action 
Test Drive Infogrames Racing 
Tetris Worlds THQ Puzzle 
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 Activision X-Sports 
Tsugunai Atlus RPG 
Vampire Night Namco Light Gun 
Wave Rally Eidos Racing 
December 

Akira Psychoball AIA Pinball 


(94) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





Future Releases 

Alone іп the Dark: ТММ Infogrames Adv. 
Defender Midway Action 
Endgame Empire Light Gun 
ET: Return/Green Planet — NewKidCo Adv. 
Final Fantasy ХІ Square EA RPG 


Kingdom Hearts Square EA RPG 
Mortal Kombat Midway Fighting 
Moto GP 2 Namco Racing 
Onimusha: Warlords 2 Capcom Adv. 
Ozzy’ Black Skies TBA Shooter 
Pac-Man World 2 Namco Action 
Project O Tecmo Adv. 


Pryzm: The Dark Unicorn TDK RPG 


Resident Evil: Survivor 2 Capcom Light Gun 
Robocop Titus FPS 
Robotech TOK Action 
SOCOM: US. Navy SEALs Sony CEA Action 
Tekken 4 Namco Fighting 
The Terminator Infogrames Action 
The Thing Universal Adv. 


Tiny Toons: ACME Invasions Conspiracy Action 


Transworld Surf Infogrames Surfing 
USHRA Monster Jam Ubi Soft ^ Racing 
World Sports Cars Empire Racing 
Worms Blast Ubi Soft Puzzle 





TimeSplitters 2 ЇЙ 


Better graphics, more locations and a story mode 
A sequel, it could be argued, was inevitable. The original TimeSplitters was a damn fine game 
that sold remarkably well, and was widely acclaimed as being pretty hot stuff. Essentially a mul- 
tiplayer experience, it was hardly the most innovative of titles, and given its pedigree (the team 
that worked on it also produced GoldenEye and Perfect Dark on №4), cynics could be forgiven 
for thinking that it didn't quite meet its potential. "We were in a rush to get it out for launch," 
David Doak, the big cheese at developer Free Radical Design tells us. 

The new game is somewhat different, though. АЦ the best bits of the original have been 
retained and pumped up on steroids. And while the multiplayer angle is still incredibly impor- 
tant, the single-player experience now actually sports some semblance of structure. Dubbed the 
"Story" mode, it's still a pretty loose collection of vaguely communicated mission goals—but this 
time there does actually seem to be a point. You're still a time-traveling hero, but now the goals 
involved are much more “run from point A to point B shooting at stuff” than "run from point B to 
point A shooting more stuff." You have to infiltrate locations, foil plans, take out targets, track 
things down and generally wreak mayhem while packing some serious time zone-appropriate 
heat. It's still, essentially, a very fast-paced first-person shooter, only with the lengthier develop- 
ment time allowing for a great deal more “oomph.” 

The time zones you warp through are all beautifully rendered, with both historic and near- 
future locations proving equally stylish and impressive. This all comes courtesy of some beauti- 
ful art, atmospheric lighting and gorgeous architecture. It's a much better-looking game than, 
say, Red Faction and most other PS2 first-person titles so far, and it moves considerably more 
quickly. Although still quite early, the control system feels absolutely spot-on, with the dual 
sticks more responsive than even Quake III Revolution. Expect Eidos to release TS2 next spring. 











st TimeSplitters skewed heavily toward being a multiplayer 
experience, and despite the new emphasis on the story game, the 
sequel also features more gang-bang fun than your average game. 
Up to four can play on a single machine, and, if you're so inclined, 
you can hook up four PS2s using the i.Link ports and blast your 
way through some 16-player deathmatches. 

















re, Fayed. I'll return 





Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 

We know we've told you all you could possibly want to know about 
the Р525 first Baldur's Gate title—we just had to remind you that 
Interplay should ship the game in mid-November. Even though а 
reviewable has yet to come our way, we already know it's worth pick- 
ing up for fans of the Diablo-style RPG (oddly enough, though, not the 
Baldur's Gate on PC-style RPG). Control a dwarf, a ranger or a sultry 
sorceress [with a friend, if you want) on a huge quest for revenge. 














Barbarian 
The first playable of Titus' upcoming 3D fighting game has found 
itself in our midst. So far, it could definitely stand to use some fine- 
tuning in the way of control, though Saffire does have until February 
to straighten things out. Still, Barbarian's unique 3D fighting action 
executed in huge arenas, along with some interesting characters to 
build up via the game's RPG elements—not to mention the Al thugs 
and varying mission objectives—give it plenty of potential. 











Jak and Daxter: 
The Precursor Legacy 


A world united at last 

Traveller's Tales' PS2 interpretation of Crash Bandicoot (see Reviews) may give us a hint of what 
a Naughty Dog franchise might be like on the PS2—but until you've seen what the actual team 
can do, you ain't seen squat. Having finally snagged an extensive playable version of Jak and 
Daxter (due in December from Sony СЕА), we've spent hours lost in its lush, seamless worlds. 
And when we say "seamless," we mean it. It's actually almost disorienting at first, because there 
is practically no distinction between the different areas (on the main island, at least] other than 
sometimes-subtle scenery and different music. Of course, some areas you reach via teleporter, 
boat or other transport, but even when you're far off, you can see practically clear across the 
world to where you've been. Gameplay is strongly reminiscent of Crash, but transported into fully 
free-roaming 3D. Want more details? Tune in next month for an extensive, in-depth feature. 








King's Field IV 


In the world of RPGs, there are those that fairly ooze drama, weaving 
a compelling, intricate story. And there are those that emphasize 
action, forcing players to think quickly to combat all kinds of fantas- 
tic beasts. And then there's King's Field. We're expecting the fourth 
edition of this slow-paced first-person fantasy RPG to do every bit as 
well as its "cousin," Eternal Ring. With the game now available in 
Japan, Agetec will publish a U.S. version in early 2002. 














Dd Е 
Smuggler's Run 2: Hostile Territory 
The wait is almost over for the sequel to Rockstar's game of contra- 
band transportation [in fact, its expected late October release means 
it should be in stores by the time most of you read this), and we can 
barely contain our excitement. At last count, the tally was up to 36 
missions spanning two diverse environments (Vietnam and 
Afghanistan], where 37 different vehicle types face off in a larger, 
more challenging adventure. Look for a review next issue. 








(96) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








TEEN 


т VIOLENCE D 


1 Жолы 
ESRB 4 RAVEN ACTIVISION Piped eem www.majescosales.com 


Published and distributed under license from Activision Inc. and its affiliates TM, ®, & © 2001 Paramount Pictures. Al Rights Reserved. Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager and related marks are trademarks of Paramount Pictures. This product contains software technology 
licensed from ld Software, Inc. id Technology È 1999-2001 Id Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates © 2001 Activision. Inc. and its affiliates. All other trademarks and trado names are the properties of 
thelr rospective owners. Licensed by Sony Computor Entertainment America for use on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is а 
trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. © 2001 Majesco Satps. Inc. . 








EVERYONE 


Mild Violence 


CONTENT RATED BY 
ESRB 














& 2) 




















NFL 2K2 


Strap on this new pair of cleats 

A few months ago, we brought you the exclusive first look at Sega 
Sports' NFL 2K2 on PS2. At that time, the game was just up and 
running, so we didn't have a chance to play it. But now we ve got- 
ten our hands on Visual Concepts' NFL freight train, and it'll 
cause the Madden loyalists to give it a second look. 

First off, the game is lightning fast. Linemen tear through the 
line quickly, while wide receivers blow by defensive backs with 
great speed. Fast, fast, fast. It might be a bit off-putting to those 
used to a slower, more momentum-based game of Madden— 
especially since momentum isn't an issue with 2K2. The lack of 
momentum is difficult to adjust to, at first, considering you can 
cut on a dime to avoid a would-be tackler. But, right away you feel 
that control is king. So it's up to you to spin, cut, juke or hurdle 
over fast, on-rushing defenders. 

With the lack of momentum, we were worried that every play- 
er would feel about the same. But fortunately, such is not the 
case. The stars really separate themselves from the other play- 
ers. Scrambling quarterbacks can do as much damage with their 
legs as they can with their arms, and power running backs will 
terrorize wimpy linebackers with their size. 

Sure, we love Madden. But we can't wait for the November 
2K2 kickoff to see who the real PS2 champion will be. 


(00) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


No One Lives 
Forever 


One swingin’ shooter 
Cate Archer is a no-nonsense kind of gal. Having earned her street 
smarts as a cunning cat burglar, she was snapped up by UNITY, a 
secret organization within the British government, as their first 
female operative. Now she must travel the world, combat interna- 
tional crime syndicates, and deal with the disparaging remarks of 
her colleagues—who aren't terribly happy with entrusting matters 
of national security to a woman (did we mention the game was set 
in the late '60s? ). That's the basic premise of last year's PC adven- 
ture from Monolith, which hit the PS2 in October by way of Sierra. 
This is one first-person shooter that defies convention, and not 
only with the gender of its heroine or the time of its setting. Far 
from being a typical run-and-shooter, NOLF requires players to 
use stealth, interact with dozens of non-player characters, and 
employ a selection of unusual gadgets pulled straight from '60s 
spy films: exploding lipstick, camera-equipped sunglasses, poison- 
tipped barrettes, and so on. But where NOLF really seems to stand 
out is in its dialogue; witty and daring, it evokes flat-out laughter 
surprisingly often. And while the engine may seem a bit clunky to 
FPS veterans, we're pretty sure the story will make up for it. 














As a special bonus for PS2 
owners, Sierra is throwing in 
four “prequel” levels in which 
Cate relives her days as a cat 
burglar. These levels present 
her with specific mission objec- 
tives much like the rest of the 
game—except these are along 
the lines of stealing purses and 
briefcases and avoiding the 
police. She'll need all her pow- 
ers of stealth to pull these off; 
if a victim gets a glimpse of her 
in action, they'll dash to the 
nearest phone to call the cops. 

















ogitech. Logitech, the Logitech logo, and 
tion“ and the "PS" Family logo are registe 





POWER STEERING FOR PLAYSTATION® 2. 


Driving Force" with 
true force feedback. 


p» 


Feel realistic G forces 
in the turns. 


Feel the grip of the 
tires on the road. 


Feel it in your fingers. 
Your arms. And your gut. 


I 
€: 
“ 
Logitech 


www.logitech.com/drive 





МВА 2К2 


Poetry or basketball? You decide 
A lot of PlayStation gamers have only heard of the legendary stature of NBA 2K2 by Sega Sports. After 
all, it was on that “other” system. But now it's finally PS2 bound in November. 

You can start expecting great things from Visual Concepts, in case you're unfamiliar with their 
work. After seeing NBA 2K2 on PS2, we're starting to wonder why we spent all that time playing NBA 
Live. It's tight, bright and out of sight. It's a bunch of praising adjectives taped together like paper 
Allen lverson dolls. If you like basketball, this game will have you hurrying home from work, school or 
your girlfriend's family's Thanksgiving dinner just so you can tip off. 

The real key to its success is that it feels like basketball. From the sneaker squeaks to the rim rat- 
tles, you're on the court the entire time. When Shaq hammers down a dunk you feel like you're at the 
Staples Center. And when you knock home a nothing-but-net three-pointer with Ray Allen, you feel 
the crowd come alive, matched with the sweetest-sounding swish ever known to video games. 
Defense is as fun as offense, the animations are flawless, and you can pick out every player as you 
walk up the court with the ball. This is the game. We can't wait. 








Worms Blast 


Ubi Soft introduces Team 17's lovable Worms franchise to PS2 this 
holiday season with something a little different. Instead of another 
turn-based strategy game like Worms World Party (see PS one 
Previews], Worms Blast pits worm against worm in a puzzle game 
similar to the Bust-A-Move series. Familiar weapons come into 
play—hand grenades, bazookas, shotguns, etc.—along with new 
assaults, like meteor storms, torpedoes and sea-monster attacks. 




















Preorder Watch 


STORE PRE-ORDER PRICE SHIPDATE 


Street Hoops 
NBA Street set the basketball rolling for future blacktop b-ball titles, 
and Activision's Street Hoops follows the lead with a style all its 





own. Compete in 10 U.S. cities on real courts—from Atlanta, to ime А с, inn 
Chicago, to Venice Beach—wherein you can break off special moves EBgamescom Ү $4999 12/1/01 
mo-capped using the same ballers seen in Nike's "Freestyle" com- GameStopcom Ү $4999 1/9/02 
mercials and the And 1 mix tapes that support the burgeoning Microplaycom Ү $4999 11/27/01 
streetball culture. Hoops will have you showing off early next year. all data as of 10/2/01 





402) Official 0.5. PlayStation Magazine 


lax Payne 


Rockstar's Payne is your gain 

Let's get one thing straight off the bat: The screens you see here of 
Max Payne are actually Xbox shots, which Rockstar admits probably 
look a little better than what we'll see on PS2 in November. (For what- 
ever reason, the company couldn't get us PS2 screens by press time— 
even though we'll likely review it next issue.) Still, if the version we'll 
see is half of what the highly lauded PC's was—and it almost certainly 
will be—you've probably got another title to add to your holiday wish 
list (well, if ultra-violent, gritty gameplay seems appropriate, anyway]. 

At the root of Max Payne's already-established popularity is its 
story and the noir-style execution by which it's told. Set in New York 
City, you take on the role of the eponymous undercover cop. Over the 
past three years, he's sought to avenge the death of his family at the 
hands of a band of punks high on a new, ultra-addictive drug called 
Valkyr, taking the law into his own hands to halt its spread. Recently, 
however, his crusade has led to the death of his best friend—and he's 
been framed for the killing. Now a desperate man with nothing to lose, 
Payne is a full-scale vigilante still fighting his war against Valkyr, 
while also vying to clear his name. This all comes to life via fully 
voiced cutscenes, as well as 200 graphic novel screens. 

But don't expect a Batman-style vigilantism here. Rather, Payne's 
preference is decidedly more Punisher, as his hands are rarely free of 
a firearm. Throughout the course of the game, in fact, he has more 
than a dozen weapons to brandish, each modeled after real-world 
counterparts with painstaking detail (much like the realistic graphics 
everywhere else]. And boy, does he know how to use them! As much 
an acrobat as a skilled marksman, Payne can dodge bulletfire in any 
direction and isn't afraid to dive into a room, guns a blazin'—with style, 


too! It all happens in slow motion, giving you a decided advantage over 
the thugs who dare oppose you. And if things get too tough, the game 
senses it and self-adjusts its difficulty accordingly. With such innova- 
tive features and a great story, we're looking forward to this one. 


АЦ of Max Payne's 
backgrounds are highly 
interactive with gun- 

fire. Pity these barrels. me б 


Payne can cause some 
serious damage when 
he dives like this—in 
slow motion! 





10.98 








Medal of Honor: 
Frontline 


Infiltrating Nazi Germany has never been so real 

If you read our exclusive cover story on Medal of Honor: Frontline back in May, you hopefully 
came away with one notion in mind: what EA Games is capable of doing with the power of the 
PS2 will be quite incredible. Whereas only so much could be done in terms of realism or story- 
telling on the former Sony platform, now the limits are greatly extended. And if what we've seen 
so far is any indication, Frontline will surely be one of next year's hottest first-person shooters. 

This time around, you once again take the role of Lt. Jimmy Patterson, now assigned to infil- 
trate the German frontline and steal the HO-IX flying wing, an experimental Nazi plan that could 
potentially turn the tide of World War II. Lt. Patterson must make his way through 15 crucial 
assignments, ranging from destroying a German Naval base, to stowing away above and aboard 
a speeding Nazi armored train, to rescuing a captured OSS operative from a Nazi-held Dutch 
manor house, to disarming the undercarriage of Nigmegen Bridge. 

Thankfully, Lt. Patterson has plenty of weapons available to him, including the liberator pistol 
and Panzerschreck, plus the MG42-mounted machine gun and the popular B.A.R. And to help 
him succeed on some of these missions, Lt. Patterson has the assistance of a small squad of 
soldiers featuring some high-level artificial intelligence to help take out the Nazis. Battlefields 
simply light up with the chaos of friendly and enemy fire. Also, civilians aid you along the way— 
or, in some cases, hinder if they get in the way of fire or blow your cover. 

With its excellent visuals and another topnotch soundtrack from Michael Giacchino, Frontline 
is already looking to be one of the finest war epics yet. Prepare for battle next spring. 
























- 
(09 Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


It All Comes Together 


Medal of Hon rontline actually takes place during 
the same time period as the original game. In fact, 
Frontline covers the months between missions 3 and 4 
in the first MOH. "We were always interested in the 
debacle that was Market Garden," says original MOH 
producer Peter Hirschmann, "and thought it would be 
an interesting period of time to explore in terms of 
Jimmy's participation. From day one, we wanted MOH to 
grow into a full-fledged franchise, so we planned 
accordingly with the mission dates in the first game— 
hence the extended space in the timeline for Frontline 
to take place." See? It all becomes clear now. 





11.01 


METAL GEAR SOLID 7 


SONS OF LIBERTY’ 






"METAL GEAR FANS, 
GRAB ON TO SOMETHING- 
YOU'RE ABOUT Т0 


BE AMAZED. AGAIN.” 
РВИ 


“GROWN MEN HAVE BEEN 
KNOWN TO WEEP AT ITS 


MAGNIFICENCE.” 
OFFICIAL U.S. PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE" 


“MGS2 HAS ONCE AGAIN STUNNED US, 
AND WE ARE ONCE AGAIN ON OUR KNEES 
TO KOJIMA-SAN AND HIS HEROIC TEAM.” 

ШИ 


1, “AS OF NOW, WE'VE SEEN NOTHING 
„A -ABSOLUTELY NOTHING- ТО SUGGEST THERE 
_ WILL BE A BETTER GAME ON ANY SYSTEM THIS YEAR. 


PERIOD.” 
ШИ 


“Heprigted (ram Official B.S. Мана тїп LEO wilh per 
tinpi e ТЕТІН vitin h ШЕННЕН 


A HIDEO KOUVIMA GAME 





METAL GEAR SOLID 2 


SONS OF LIBERTY 








Animated Violence 











Animated Blood М ау5 га ti [0] n.e 


МЕТА GEAR@, METAL GEAR SOLID@ and SONS OF LIBERTY ™ are DE TM trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, INC 
© 1987 2001 KONAMI COMPUTER шиши JAPAN. "Playstation" the "PS" family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Int. 
be ratings iton p a ША af the lateractive Digital Software Association. 


ШЕНІ 


PS2 PREVIEWS 




















a MER 
Freaky Flyers 
We may not see it until 2002, but this upcoming racing game from 
Midway is already showing some great potential. The secret? Sharp, 
cartoonish graphics and a great sense of humor. As one of the 13 
available characters seated within a unique airplane about the size of 
yourself, zoom your way through vast, open 3D environments replete 
with obstacles and things just generally out to get you. And while 
you're at it, learn a few stunts to fully master the art of flying freakily. 























Et “ы. 
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer 


Pro-surfing superstar Kelly Slater lends his name to the first such 
title to hit Activision's O2 line of action-sports titles. Due in stores 
during next year's first quarter, Pro Surfer features Slater along 
with eight other wave-happy friends, each sporting his [ог her, in the 
lone case of Lisa Anderson] signature moves. Through 13 surfing hot 
spots, experience for yourself what Activision boasts as ultra-realis- 
tic wave action, emphasizing aerials, barrels and other big tricks. 


(108) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 









Jade Cocoon 2 


A monster-breeding RPG can be fun 

Now that we've had some time with a preview version of Jade Cocoon 2, we've come to a rather sur- 
prising conclusion: It's one of the best-looking Р52 games yet. Seriously! With its luscious topography 
and incredible detail, Jade Cocoon 2 features a polished look achieved by few PS2 games thus far. And 
perhaps even more importantly, Genki and Ubi Soft have made a great many improvements with this 
PS2 sequel to the 1998 PS one monster-breeding RPG original. 

With Jade Cocoon 2's much more engaging storyline, for example, you'll witness more than 1,000 
different event sequences—20 times more than the original. The plot now centers around a boy named 
Kahu who must brave four elementally themed forests in order to seek out the Orbs of the Cocoon 
Masters before the evil Kalma overtakes Earth. And you'll be able to hear everything develop, as Kahu, 
Kalma and the other 63 characters all speak throughout the complete course of the game. 

It's also nice to verify that Jade Cocoon 2's monster-breeding aspects aren't as, er, boring as the 
first time around. Now you can create an army from over 200 monsters and then crossbreed these to 
make billions of your own. It'll definitely keep you entertained come this December. 








You Kondou It 


Just like Crave's original, Jade 
Cocoon 2 features character 
designs and artwork by famed 
Japanese anime artist Katsuya 
Kondou. Americans may know 
of his work from the recent 
animated films Princess 
Mononoke and Kiki's Delivery 
Service. His unique style flows 
throughout with lots of inter- 
esting characters to interact 
with, as well as charming 
hand-drawn facial expressions 
that coordinate with the dia- 
logue spoken on screen. 


WHAT I? 
Can you EAT... 
this thing? 


EVERYONE 





mediactive: 


tainment, inc. ‘Casper’. 1 logos, all related characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of Harvey Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Casper Spirit 
i Й Entertainment, Inc. Source code © 2001 ТОК Mediactive, Inc. Al Rights Reserved. ‘PlayStation’ and the 5: Family logo are registered trademarks of 
Inment Inc. 








се PREVIEWS | 





Ecco the 
Dolphin 


Sega's plan to get you wet 

Ecco's been swimming around on Sega systems for almost a 
decade, but now that the company has gone multiplatform, he's 
ready to make the plunge into new waters—namely, the PS2. 
Coming from longtime Ecco developers, the Hungarian-based 
Appaloosa, the aquatic mammals latest installment is actually a 
remake of the beautiful yet flawed Dreamcast game of the same 
name. Appaloosa claims it's been able to maintain the brilliant 
visuals while focusing on some of the difficulty issues that plagued 
the Dreamcast outing. In other words, this underwater adventure 
is probably worth getting excited about. Look for it next summer. 











The Thing 


Think of it as a sequel 

If you've not seen the John Carpenter 1982 movie starring a very young [and bearded) Kurt Russell, 
then you're missing out on one of the scariest horror flicks of its time. You're in luck, though, as a DVD 
special edition has recently hit stores. So now you can brush up on the icky stuff while you wait for 
Universal Interactive to finish its game based in the film's universe. 

Set awhile after the events of the movie, the game picks up with what happened to the Thing itself 
in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. A special team has been sent in to figure it out, and as you'd expect, 
survival horror-style gameplay ensues. Although the screenshots make it look very much in the vein of 
a game like, say, Extermination, the beauty of Computer Artworks' design for the title is that it plays 
on the psychological aspects of horror as much as the silly-looking monsters. 

In many ways, the game is a squad-based adventure, but one in which trust in your fellow opera- 
tives is of paramount importance. The "feelings" of all the human characters in the game are dramati- 
cally affected by each others’ actions, and everyone gets whipped up into a frenzy thinking that every- 
body else really is the monster. As a concept, it certainly has potential. Let's hope they pull it off. 











(10) Official US PlayStation Magazine 





















aly i Tm "M 


4.5 
ТРЕТОТО 





Silent Scope 2 Dark Silhouette brings heart-stopping, single and two player arcade action to 
the PlayStation®)2 computer entertainment system. You'll he armed with the latest hi-tech 
Sniping equipment like the X-Ray Scope in order to thwart terrorist attacks throughout Europe. 


With stunning graphics, multiple story lines and four modes of play, Silent Scope 2 delivers 
hours of sharp-shooting suspense. When there's no place to run all that's left to do is fight. 























MATURE x Sihovette 
BILL Lb 

Blood 

; " 

Violence Е 
ay»tation. www.konami.com 
SILENT SCOPE Dark Silhouette" is a trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ©1999 2001 KONAMI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. КОМАМІ® is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. 
PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Son пу Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 








Blood 


Violence 2 
Use of Alcohol PlayS tation. 








t Inc, о subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., ond ore used by Interploy under 


Baldur's Gote: Dark Allionce © 2001 Interplay Entertainment Corp. All rights reserved. Baldur's Gate, Dark Alliance, Forgotten Realms, the Forgotten Realms logo, Dungeons and Dragons, the D&D logo, and the Wizards of the Coasts logo ore trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coos 
‘re registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment nc. Al other trademarks ore property of their respective owners 


ты _ 





ЖЕП REALS 


[Ток 


Baldurs Gate 


ARR ALLIANCE 









ENCOUNTER EXPLORE FANTASTIC 
MYSTICAL BEASTS ENVIRONMENTS 


JUGH COUNTLESS 
OPPOSITION 


"THIS GAME IS A GRAPHICAL 
TOUR DE FORCE.” 


—Flectronic Gaming Monthly 


WWWYLINTERPLAY.COM/DARKALLIANCE 





Eu 


developed by 


NOWDb 
9 па, 





license. All rights reserved. Interplay, ће Interplay logo, "By Gamers. For Gamers", Black Isle Studios and the Black Isle Studios logo ore trademarks of Interplay Entertainment Corp. АП rights reserved. Snowblind Studios and ће Snowblind Studios logo оте trademarks of Snowblind Studios. All rights reserved. "PlayStation" ond the "PS" Family logo 


Stuntman 


The most original driving game in a long time 

Developed by Reflections, the team responsible for Driver—and possibly the next title to be published 
under Infogrames' resurrection of the Atari brand—Stuntman is definitely something you'll want to 
get your hands on in May. What's the big deal? Well, it's not your typical driving game, that's for sure. 
There's no racing, no zany points systems...it's all about pulling off perfect stunts as you play the role 
of a struggling stunt driver on a bunch of movie sets. 

Although entirely fictional in terms of settings, "movies" and vehicles, much of the content of the 
game is based on “real” stunts like James Bond's famous barrel roll from The Man With The Golden 
Gun as well as some scenes that fairly blatantly lift ideas from The Dukes of Hazzard, The Blues 
Brothers and even Indiana Jones. All of this is made more realistic and believable thanks to the con- 
sultation of Vic Armstrong, the guy who was Harrison Ford's stunt double in the Indy films, as well as 
being the stunt coordinator on the Charlie's Angels movie. As concepts go, this is certainly something 
that has a lot of long-term potential. With the wonderful Driver “feel” to the driving dynamics and 
potentially thousands of flicks to mine ideas from, the series could take off. 






























Although the bulk of Stuntman 
focuses on your exploits devel- 
oping the stunts for six fictional 
"movies," the game also 
includes some extra modes 

to keep things exciting. Most 
notable is the custom "Dare- 
devil” mode (left), which allows 
you to set up wild and zany 
ways of smashing any of the 
game’s cars. Daredevils, you 
see, are quite different from 
stuntmen. The latter carefully 
plan every move they make, 
while the former are complete 
loonies who think it would be a 
hoot to launch two cars at each 
other by driving them off ramps 
at high speeds. Think of this 
mode as Reflections’ earlier 
effort, Destruction Derby, only 
without the racing aspect...and 
with added props to make 
things even crazier. 

















(a) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








П [] 1 DAVE 


ўва? 


freestyle bmx; 





































FREESTHWLE TRICH MANEUVERS //GAME UERS. 2.0 
| П SUPEAMAN/CAN-CAN/RACHELIA/TAIL THBP/FLRIRZ 
LI PEG GRAB/YMANUAL nose mmnüaL7^ 





LEU +11 LBU+22 ШЕШЕНЕ Е!] LBU«EH LEU+95 
Етан LBUBL; ED * * 12 Ж с T + Е 2n * 








the innovative six. trek Lus with бе state-of-the-art 2515. editor lets jou take 14 pro riders: englebert, corda, Harkin, Laird, 8 massive levels - 4x bigger than before - 
new grind, wall ride, manual and lip trick your smx experience to on all new level L1. Lyons, mamay, mcmurray, b. miro, с. miro, for the very best in vert, dirt, street and 
modifiers, lets you pull off over 1,500 tricks O molitemo, nyquist, ramsdell, shaw onduirch C1 park riding and all of camp woodward™ Г1 


IU шоп cHampionsHips. 
Т х-самє mepats. 

ONLY ONE GAME BOASTS THAT 
KIND OF HARDWARE. 





[zus] = 
acclaimmaxsports.com 


Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX™ 2 and Acclaim® & © 2001 Acclaim Entertainment tation’ and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc; 
Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo, © 2001 Nintendo. TM, € 
GameCube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. Screens shown were taken from the Xbox version of the video game. Photo courtesy of DC Shoes/Carl Hyndman’ 










PS2 PREVIEWS | 











We're a little unclear on exactly what went through the minds of the 
developers at Kalisto as they conceptualized NY Race. But here's a 
guess: "Everyone hated the Fifth Element game we released in 98,” 
they must have thought, "so let's do another one! But instead of an 
action game, we'll make it a futuristic racer set in the movie's uni- 
verse. Everybody loves that movie! After all, it almost made $65 mil- 
lion only four years ago! Who wouldn't want this?!" Who, indeed? 











ұз» 


NE 








Jimmy White's Cue Ball World 
Despite two PS2 pool games that hit around the Р525 launch last 
year, no such title has been released since. Titus changes all that 
this November with Jimmy White's Cue Ball World. In addition to the 
expected various ways to play pool, this one offers several unique 
subgames, like British Darts and—get this—Endurance Thumb 
Wrestling. Better yet, environments range from everyday pool halls 
to unconventional settings like a beach or Stonehenge. 


(n6) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





Drakan: The 
Ancients' Gate 


First surprise of 2002? 


Developed by Surreal Software for SCEA, this is the sequel to a PC 
game produced by Psygnosis that hardly anyone saw, or even played. 
Not the best pedigree, for sure, but surprises often come out of 
nowhere, and Drakan is certainly one of them. 

To describe the basics of the game, you'd be forgiven for stifling a 
yawn or three. It's a 3D action game with a shapely female lead, set 
in a swords-and-sorcery world full of people with fake English 
accents who use words like "forsooth," and it features lots of terribly 
melodramatic acting. It isn't a medieval fantasy Tomb Raider 
wannabe, though, thanks to some distinctly RPG-flavored sections— 
an intuitive and novel spell-casting system allows you to wiggle the 
analog sticks around to initiate some spectacular effects. And, oh 
yeah, it has dragons. Big, scaley, fire-breathing dragons that you can 
fly around on the back of and belch fiery death upon pretty much any- 
thing that gets in your way. Fans of Sega's Panzer Dragoon series will 
no doubt sport a grin at the prospect of a role-playing/dragon shoot- 
er hybrid game—and rightly so. It's certainly an ambitious game, and 
despite some of the overacting and fantasy mumbo-jumbo, it could 
prove to be a surprise hit in January. 








She's shapely, sassy, sexy and 
considerably more than your 
average game babe. The latest 
to step up and take on gaming 
queen Lara Croft, Drakan's 
Rynn certainly has more to 
offer than Portal Runner's odi- 
ous Vikki Grimm. For a start, 
she keeps her clothes on. She's 
a dab-hand with a sword, is a 
fully licensed dragon pilot, and 
if she waves her arms around 
in the correct manner, she 
shoots magic sparkles from 
her finger tips. Pretty hot, huh? 


Preorder Watch 


PRE-ORDER PRICE SHIPDATE 


STORE 
Amazon.com. 
BestBuy.com 





N 
N 
Y 
Y 
N 






NA NA 

NA МА 
$4799 9/02 
$4999 10/30/01 

NA МА 
all data as of 10/1/01. 













Kick Some Rusty Metal Butt! 


Marvel at the detailed battlefield scenes г“ 
and mobile suits with breathtaking digital 
graphics as seen in the movies! Experience 
firsthand the thrill of guiding your allies in 
their mission to conquer the enemy in 
mobile suit warfare. Relive scenes from 
the TU series or implement your own 
battle strategies to create whole 
new story lines. 


TEEN © 
т Animated Violence 

CONTENT RATED BY 

ESRB 








@ IA MP VERT TU как y 
5. 2 БО 


Tony like you've never seen him before. 


Visit www.esrb.org | | с; | 
or call 1-800-771-3772 Re А ў © 
for more info. | COLOR NINTENDO 





i3 
АТАС 
500 


” 


avoid annoying pedestrians and. cau seyiatural disasters as you shred 
ithe legendary 141) vk... ог create your own 

Ў Master new tricks using the 
"town or around the globe. 


ACTIVISIONO2.COM 














Dynasty Warriors 3 


More tactical action than ever before 
If you played Koei's PS2 launch game, Dynasty Warriors 2, odds are you fell into one of two camps: 
Either you hacked and slashed among the 30 on-screen characters for 12 minutes, had your fill, then 
left it for good...or you hacked and slashed for 12 hours, discovered the great strategy involved past the 
second battle, and still couldn't get enough—even after having beat it with all three kingdoms. Things 
shouldn't change much when Dynasty Warriors 3 hits stores in late November. You're essentially get- 
ting the same game this time, only with several noteworthy additions. 

Basically, Koei's in-house developer Omega Force has added more, more, more to just about every- 
thing. Fifteen new stages join the revamped original eight [see sidebar), including some with different 
objectives than "kill the bad guy," adding to the strategy. Of course, more stages means more game- 
play, and a more in-depth story ripe for development. You'll also fight and play as a greater number of 
characters than before. Once you unlock all 41 of them, in fact (from an initial nine], you'll scoff at 
DW2's mere 28. And naturally, more characters translates to more new, often unique weapons to 
master, the coolest being a set of blades attached to the back of the hand a la Wolverine or Vega from 
Street Fighter. What's more, your soldier can actually enhance his or her weapon by picking up power- 
ups attained as you defeat generals and other high-ranking enemies. Of course, if the battle gets too 
tough, your high-powered Musou attack remains as reliable as ever. Better yet, DW3 allows you to 
command your bodyguards, telling them to help out or stay back. And speaking of commands, you'll 
actually hear each of them as voiced by your lead officer, in addition to the subtitled-only version you 
might remember from DW2. 

But the one thing that most significantly sets DW3 apart from its predecessor? Two-player mode! 
Whether playing as a duel or in co-op mode throughout an entire campaign, Dynasty Warriors is no 
longer a one-person affair. Is this the next step to online for Dynasty Warriors 4? 





































Sure it's fun to fight an entire 
campaign cooperatively along- 
side a friend, but we know what 
you're really looking forward to 
with Dynasty Warriors 3's two- 
player mode are the duels. As 
well you should. But don't go 
thinking you've only got your 
К opponent to take on. Rather, 

5 games are set during С 5 А you also must deal with his 
Three Kingdoms era, you shouldn't be surprised to find that you'll Е i к allies, whether they be measly 
fight the major battles of the period in each game. But that's not to Ў foot soldiers or high-ranking 
say that Koei has to give us the exact same experience. While we officers. It can be a lot of work 
are once again fighting Dong Zhou's forces in the second battle, for just to achieve your goal of 
instance, the battlefield's layout is quite different, as seen above. KOing your bud's character. 












0) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


aA PlayStation 2 
Swe Memory Card 


Maaic Gare 








> 


® 


Brands You Trust. 


EXTREME 


GAMING 


| WIN COOL ST 





This product is produced under license by Sony Computer Entertainment America for use with the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. 
PlayStation and the "PS" Family logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. MagicGate is a trademark of Sony Corporation. 






















As close as you'll get to the WWF 


Fast. That's the one word best describing the PS one versions of SmackDown!. Sometimes too fast. e 
But the PS2 version is a surprising step back from that frantic quickness, so much so that the game КЕ С ў Eo н 
feels a bit sluggish. Don't misunderstand, though—pandemonium still runs wild with the playable that ЕМ When another 
elbow-dropped into our grips. But the trademark of the earlier versions was speed. We're just won- 
dering if that's one element that'll return to the squared circle before the game is released. 
Regardless of pace, the best part of THQ's certain October success is the deep Story mode. Instead 
of the same things being said over and over, the amount of text is staggering. At different times, you'll 
be able to choose whether you want to talk trash to one of your enemies or charge right into the ring 
and layeth the smacketh down. But the real key is the authenticity. The little touches will make 
wrestling fans feel like they're part of the WWF [well, before the Alliance business started anyway]. 


to interfere, a 
Screen pops up 
letting you 
know who's on 
his way. 


You can take your 
M match so far out of the 
ring that you end up in 
| the fully 2D crowd. 

















A first-person mode Try to interfere and the ref will 
requires you to find a [| get between you and your 


partner for a tag match— mission. Pound on the ref 
or to jump someone tak- and you'll get disqualified! 
ing a Coke break. 

















(122) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 





/ 


marc ескб footwear 


ескб red 


ескб function 


eckó unltd. 


Finally, buy gear online at www.ecko.com 


The Dispatch 





Complex Magazine M 
у fall 2001 Published by 
r at eckó.com for your FREE premier issue 











&MARCECKOFOOTW 





EAR 


ACTUAL 5СЁЕЕМ 5НОТ 
, 


Шо. 


MATURE (қ - g 
М BEGO 
CONTENT RATED BY BLOOD 


DEVELOPED BY. 


V 


REMEDY 


‘PRODUCED BY 


рылу ІТ YOUR WAY AUTO- AVIN ر‎ WoL? ياد‎ 
іш САММО. SELF- _ADIVSTING DIFFICULTY] KEEPS I N LG SWEET; ӘРОТ, 


OF GAMEPLAY BLISS. 





| THE VIOLENT, URBAN N 










i 
EVERYTHING RIPPED, APARTJIN ЕК MINUTE... MAX PAYNE ISA, MAN WITH NOTHING TO LOSE IN 


BY COPS AND THE MOB. 7) 
HOPE ТО WIN. PREPARE Dp. BI 
REMEDY ENTERTAINMENT AND Te 


PS2 PREVIEVV 





















Suikoden IIT 


Final Fantasy X's first competition? 


While the two Suikoden games on PS one received great critical 
praise, they never quite managed to achieve the attention of the 
Final Fantasy games. Now entirely in 3D and sporting much big- 
ger production values, Suikoden III looks to change all that next 
summer. Taking place approximately 15 years after the conclusion 
of the original title, Suikoden III features a storyline that follows 
the adventures of three main characters, all of whom differ in 
age, feature unique personalities, and hail from separate parts of 
the world. As each character's narrative progresses, his or her 
story eventually becomes intertwined with those of the others. 
This means that actions taken with one character can directly 
affect the storyline of another. Konami's game will also feature an 
entirely new battle and magic system. 























(126) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








N o 

0 
N 
ЖОЛУУ 


0m 


^ 
i" 


7 
4 
MANNA 


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QU 


ХХИ 


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КУХ ХХХ 
Ж) 
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Unique skateboarding/adventure game that pits you against mysterious 








alien creatures! 
In addition to the 10-stage Street Mode, practice tricks and combos in the 


Challenge Mode! 
Unlock different parts of the City using 8 wacky characters! 
















Lay music tracks in the Ramp Mode, or challenge 


а friend in the Versus Mode! 
Rosi) 


www.koeigames.com 











Yanya Caballista: City Skater is a trademark of КОЕ: Corporation and KOEI Co., Ltd. © 2001 KOEI Corporation. 
Ай rights reserved. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Corhouter Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 





Grandia II 


The RPG sequel gets a turn on PS2 


Originally released for Dreamcast, Grandia ІІ faced limited success 
due to the platform's relatively low installed user base. However, 
developer GameArts and publisher Ubi Soft are hoping for magic 
with the game's upcoming PS2 release. And based on the success 
of the Sony-released original among RPG fans and the fact it's 
being developed by the same team that crafted the Lunar series, it 
might just fare well. 

The game stars a young bounty hunter named Ryudo, who is 
accompanied by his rather intelligent and quick-witted eagle, 
Skye. He's assigned to watch over Elena, a songstress on her way 
to a ritual ground to prevent the unsealing of the god Valmar. You 
see, the world in which Ryudo and Elena live was once the battle- 
ground for a massive war of the gods. One god, Granas [followed 
by the heroes], gave the world holy light, while Valmar attempted 
to destroy this light and usher in darkness. The world ultimately 
elevated into massive warfare among nations battling in the name 
of Granas or Valmar. That is, until Valmar was defeated by the 
Sword of Granas, which also left a massive gash in the ground 
known as the Granacliff, where Valmar has resided for ages. One 
thing's for sure, though: He's a bit itchy to get out. 

A fully 3D RPG adventure, December's Grandia I! will surely 
help tide people over until Final Fantasy X. 














Sky Gunner [e] 


Let's see, now...an anime-style 3D shooter featuring retro-looking 
aircraft. Oh, and a thoroughly unique control scheme and gameplay 
style in which you're stuck stationary on the screen but can target 
everything around you, even into and away from your position. Righto. 
Think Sony will bring this gorgeous oddity here? We certainly hope 
so. Sky Gunner may be as entirely Japanese" as it gets, but the 
garne is definitely too cool to pass by. 



























Preorder Watch 


STORE PREORDER PRICE SHIPDATE 


Genshi ө 
Although it features characters that look straight out of Teletubbies, 
Genshi will get some major hype from Sony CEI as its Japanese 








B Amazoncom Н NA NA 
winter release approaches. The garne centers around a group of 

" mou Р BestBuy.com N NA NA 
aliens that have crash-landed on a primitive planet and need to fig- Buy.com Y $4895 12/5/01 
ure out ways to eU eed ii ~ pim Ша m E EBgamescom Y $4999 12/4/01 
уте nee lo your = к d кушп ions to the GameStopcom Y $4999 12/4/01 
natives. Is this Sony's answer to Nintendo's Pikmin? all data as of 10/2/01 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





(29) 


© 


PS2 PREVIEWS 











WipeOut ЕЕ 
Fusion 


Speed demons wanted 

Ever since the PS2 launch, Sony Liverpool has teased us with 
screens from its new WipeOut game—even though it's still not 
officially announced for the U.S. But we all know it's bound to 
happen. At some point, we'll be zooming along futuristically, test- 
ing out the game's more sophisticated weapon effects and envi- 
ronments. We'll play with a sense of awe as tracks appear above 
our ships, allowing us to flip 180 degrees to the ceiling and take 
an alternate route. Which we should, of course, since finding 
shortcuts like this will prove as essential to our success as using 
weaponry effectively. We just want to know when we can do it! 


























Armored Core 3 


Slated for release next summer in Japan, From Software's Armored 
Core 3 looks to emulate Zone of the Enders, featuring a slew of 
upgrades for the series. First off, the game is said to use a highly 
modified version of Armored Core 2's graphics engine to allow for 
visuals that approach CG quality. You'll also notice loads more ways 
to customize your mech [like we need any more], and can experi- 
ence new versus modes in which to battle. 

















SK8 


U.K.-based Rage Software is currently working on a PS2 inline skat- 
ing game called SK8, which features such real-life professional 
Rollerbladers as Cesar Mora, Fabiola Da Silva and Jon Julio. The 
game also sports a variety of courses that include actual skate- 
parks, as well as shopping malls and street-based environments. 
And if those don't keep you satisfied, its skatepark editor ought to. 
No official word on a U.S. release yet, but we expect it next year. 








(30) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 





















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With ampla fortitude ме 
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idventure à 
| PS2 owners 






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“A definite nnust-play” 
-Official PlayStation Magazin 









MATURE 
Blood and Gore 
Violence 
EET 


0.. LTD. ONIMUSHA and CAPCOM EDGE are 





SOLDIER OF FORTUNE 









э. PlayStation.@ " 
Бы A 
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EDITIO, 


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вә „© е 
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ronan 
AirBlade™ Ec 


Marty McFly would be proud 

If you remember the Dreamcast game Trickstyle, then you've got a 
pretty good idea of what to expect of AirBlade. Coming from the 
same development team, Criterion, the game was recently com- 
pleted, and we've had a chance to check out the final version. 

You play as Ethan, a hardcore skater entrusted with the top- 
secret AirBlade technology while he tracks down its inventor, who 
has been kidnapped by the sinister GCP Corporation for his 
secrets. Equipped with the AirBlade hoverboard, you have to com- 
plete a number of tasks per level, such as knocking over guards, 
destroying security cameras, or patrolling vans with searchlights. 
Controls are very tight, considering that you're standing on a hov- 
erboard. Buttons assigned for grinding, jumping and performing 
tricks are fairly easy to use, and each trick refills a part of your 
speed bar. Pushing the jump button longer gives you a speed boost 
so that you can reach higher platforms or rails. The more spectac- 
ular your trick, the faster the bar refills. 

Visually, the game is quite spectacular, with highly complex and 
multileveled environments offering plenty of room. It's often fun 
just to cruise around the courses to marvel at the visuals. 

Sony Europe will release the game in November in its neck of 
the woods. As for a U.S. version, word has it a third party will deliv- 
er it here, as Sony CEA has yet to pick it up. We'll let you know. 














Conflict: Desert Storm 


Currently in development at U.K. studio Pivotal Games, this 3D 
action-stealth game focuses on the events of the Gulf War, placing 
you in control of four Special Forces soldiers, each with his own skills 
and abilities. While each soldier can perform every task, the special- 
ist is naturally better at particular objectives. Missions include indoor 
and outdoor environments, and players can even interact with vehi- 
cles like helicopters and tanks. Conflict hits Europe next spring. 











Good Cop, Bad Cop 


Coming from Broken Sword developers Revolution Software, this 
PS2 cop game tells the story of Ben Kellman, a tough yet cynical 
policeman who discovers that a prime suspect in a murder case is 
the same man who killed his father 25 years ago. From that point it's 
up to you: Seek revenge or seek justice. Depending on your deci- 
sions, the game changes according to your morality. Europe sees 
this one next fall—hopefully, we will too. 








(32) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





For years vou} 
fought against the 
Zeon, now fight as one, 
For the first time, assume 

the role of a Zeon and take 

control of an elite mobile suit 

team. Set in the Опе Year Warz 

battle against the Earth Federation | 

for independence and control of Earth | 

territories. Control up to three 

attack teams per mission and ise 

superior strategies against Earth 

Federation troops. As the 

Federation, with their superior 

numbers, launches a massive counter 

strike on Zeon controlled territories, А 
show Gundam, once and for all, that ч 

Zeon won't go down without a fight! i 
Hail Zeon! | 


-gamecritics.com 


PlayStation. 15 





BAN 
DAI 


www. bandaigames.com 

















“Fish are tactical thinkers. You gotta outsmart ‘em. 
You can’t just toss in a lure and expect them to bite.” 





“Hey, Phil. There’s a shiny thing over there. 
Let’s go eat it.” 


PlayStation.e 








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— 





Previewed Inside 


Gunfighter: Legend/Jesse James .....138 
The Italian Job 
Martian Gothi 











Mr. Driller б... 
Saltwater Sportfishing 
Spec Ops: Covert Assault... 
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl 





Worms World Party 














Coming Soon 





November 

American Deer Hunting Interplay Hunting 
Army Men: WW-Team Assault 300 Action 
Blaster Master: Blasting Again Crave Action 
Castrol Honda VTR Interplay Racing 
Cubix 300 Action 
Dexter's Laboratory. bam! Action 
Dragon Warrior VIT Enix RPG 

ET: Interplanetary Mission NewKidCo Action 
Eternal Eyes Crave RPG 

FIFA 2002 EA Sports Sports 
Gunfighter: Legend of Jesse James Ubi Soft Light Gun 
Harry Potter & Sorcerer's Stone EA Games Action 
Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Atlus Strategy 
Jeanette Lee's Virtual Pool Interplay Sports 
NBA Live 2002 EA Sports Sports 
Pajama Sam Infogrames Edutainment 
Saltwater Sportfishing Take 2 Fishing 
Snoopy' Party Adventure Infogrames Action 
Spec Ops: Covert Assault Take 2 Action 
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Activision X-Sports 
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl Sony CEA Action 
VIP. Ubi Soft Action 
Worms World Party Eon Digital Strategy 
X-Bladz: In-Line Skating Crave X-Sports 
December 

Atari Anniversary Edition Infogrames Collection 
Mega Man X6 Capcom Action 
January 

Syphon Filter 3 Sony CEA Action 
Future Releases 

Bear in the Big Blue House Ubi Soft Edutainment 
Black & White TBA Adventure 
Dragon Warrior IV Enix RPG 
Hidden & Dangerous Take 2 Action 
NHL FaceOff 2002 Sony CEA Sports 
Planet of the Apes Ubi Soft Adventure 
Untitled racing game Ubi Soft Racing 


(136) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








Twisted Metal: 
Small Brawl 


Isn't Sweet Tooth just adorable? 


Ever see the “If They Mated” sketch on Late Night With Conan 
O'Brien? You know, the one where they morph two celebrity images 
into one to represent what their offspring would look like? Well, 
imagine that concept used to describe what would happen if 
Twisted Metal and an RC game like RC Revenge Pro got together— 
because Twisted Metal: Small Brawl is exactly what you'd expect as 
a result. It mixes all of the ingredients, from the characters, to the 
graphical styles, to the controls. But unlike on the Conan sketch, 
where all the morphed offspring come out as horrendous creations, 
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl offers what is quite possibly the perfect 
DNA match. The RC elements really do give a fresh face to the car- 
combat gameplay, and it ends up as a fun new creation of its own. 

With the latest playable version we've toyed around with, we've 
had a good time with a few of the game's 18 vehicles, many of 
which you'll recognize as miniature versions of traditional Twisted 
Metal favorites, including Axel, Mr. Grimm and Sweet Tooth. 
Gameplay-wise, it's already lots of fun, especially racing through 
areas like the school playground. You can play the scaled-down 
Twisted Metal this November. 














Preorder Watch 


STORE PRE-ORDER PRICE SHIP DATE 


Amazoncom Н NA NA 
Buycom Y — $3999 1/28/01 
EBgamescom Ү $3999 11/27/01 
Express.com N NA NA 
¥ $3999 1270 
all data as of 10/2/01 





Меп їп В!асК: 
The Series- 
Crashdown 


Its the MIBs 


Now that Men in Black: The Series is off the air and Men in Black 
2 doesn't hit theaters until summer 2002, we have to question 
Infogrames' marketing sense in having released Crashdown in 
October. Still, if the three missions we've played are any indication 
(the game remains unfinished as of press time), it could prove 
itself worth a look. We were quite surprised to discover its action 
took the form of a first-person shooter, making this game based 
on a cartoon easily the youngest-aimed title of its genre created 
for PlayStation. And while this might mean a lack of the gore usu- 
ally associated with such titles, it doesn't deprive us—playing as 
both Agents J and К through 26 levels of action—of a multitude of 
weapons with which to protect the Earth from the scum of the 
universe. It's a unique arsenal that shouldn't disappoint MIB fans. 
Likewise, many of the series’ most popular aliens and characters 
appear (archnemesis Alpha included], often via well-executed full- 
motion video cutscenes. 




















Like a special-edition DVD, 
Crashdown comes with a sec- 
tion full of bonus material, 
including concept art (above), 
alien and weapons profiles, and 
a brief history of the MIB. 











Worms World Party 


"Incoming!" Eon Digital Entertainment enters the PS one publishing 
scene this November with the release of Worms World Party, porting 
the previously released PC/Dreamcast title. Like the previous Worms 
games, World Party is probably best described as "comedic strate- 

gy,” as your team of four slimy invertebrates takes on as many as 
three other groups in all-out 2D turn-based warfare. It shines as а 
multiplafer game, featuring several new such modes. 











Spec Ops: Covert Assault 


We likegfthe first Spec Ops so much that it earned every square 
папот ег of ink attributed to its one-disc rating. Then the second 
came оШ and was of equal "quality." With Covert Assault, can Take 
2 officially succeed in making Spec Ops the most lamented PS one 
series available? It sounds a little too deep at this point to manage 
such a feat—four worldwide locations, 10 weapons, six ranger types, 
two-player mode—but we certainly won't count out the possibility! 

















Mr. Drill 
Everyone loves Mr. Driller. And now that Mr. Driller G has been 
released in Japan, Namco offers five new characters to share the 
limelight aside the Prince of Pastels, each drilling their way through 
countless layers of colored blocks—trying not to get squashed all the 
while—in their own unique way. But the really cool thing this time? 
Simultaneous two-player mode! But alas, we here in the States are 
at a disadvantage, as Namco has no plans to release it here... yet. 


staat: 
AMERICA 
DEPTH 
20m 


0002815 
PTS. 


© 


AIR 





G [e] 














Ihe Italian Job 
Based on a movie that hardly anyone in the U.S. has heard of, The 
Italian Job from SCi gives gamers a compelling Driver-esque expe- 
rience featuring fab little minis, a story about a bank robbery, and 
some gorgeously rendered Italian street environments. The movie 
on which it's based is a 605 classic in the U.K., and features 
London-fave Michael Caine (Cider House Rules), who isn't half as 
famous here in the States as he in his homeland. 








f 8 Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


Gunfighter: 
Gunfighter: 
The Legend of 
Wild Gunman meets Time Crisis 

And you thought only Namco was willing to release light-gun 
games these days. In this November Guncon-compatible release, 
Ubi Soft takes us back to Missouri in 1870, when Jesse James’ 
mug adorned wanted posters everywhere you went. Gunfighter 
puts you in the boots of the legendary outlaw in a quest to save his 
girlfriend (and cousin in real life—yuck!) Zerelda from her kidnap- 
pers. But who's responsible for the abduction? Was it the tequila- 
guzzling bandito, Ramon Rojo? Or perhaps the power-hungry out- 
law gang leader, Jack Carson? Either way, it means blasting your 
way through five levels of mean fellers in cowboy hats. Gameplay 
adopts a Time Crisis style, as you duck and cover behind whatev- 
er's there, emerging at the proper time so as not to take a shot 
yourself. Don't worry if you do take a bullet, though—you're 
allowed four hits altogether, and you can shoot special items for 


extra lives. Another such item adds to your time restraint —which 
itself you might find more daunting than enemy fire! 





Saltwater 
Sportfishing 

With Saltwater Sportfishing, 
Take 2 offers 24 deep-sea fish to 
catch throughout 12 exotic loca- 
tions. Also choose from 20 differ- 
ent lures and 10 line weights 
through three modes of play. 











Martian Gothic: 
Unification 


Way back in June 2000, we first 
told you about this $9.99 title 
from Take 2. And guess what? It 
still exists! Released on Oct. 29 
and featuring a story by sci-fi 
novelist Stephen Marley, 
Martian Gothic places your 
three-character team on a mis- 
Sion to find out exactly what 
happened to the lost inhabitants 
of a Martian base. Of course, the 
answer isn't pretty, and your 
teammates must separate and 
work independently—yet strate- 
gically—in order to survive. 
= а 














RATING PENDING г 
Visit www.esrb.org 


A | or call 1-800-771-3772 


| <> for more info. Фи ames 277 to 7 WA E 


Station and the PlayStation logos are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ARC THE LAD" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © 1995-2001, Published by Working Designs under license 
Computer Entertainment Inc. English Translation © Working Designs 2001. Working Designs” is a registered trademark of Working Designs, Inc, All rights reserved. How many Romalians does it take to screw in a light bulb? None 
They re too busy taking over the world, Web Address: http://www workingdesigns.com. For a dealer near you. call (530) 243-3417 














ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA 
JP 


GAME 





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RHD 


My suit... 


Otherwise, you'l 





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іш, 


By John Davison and Joe Rybicki 


It's fairly safe to say that few games have ever 
evoked quite as much enthusiasm as Metal Gear 
Solid 2. The previous game was so successful, and 
inspired such passion in its fans, that gamers of all 
tastes have been giddy with excitement for almost 
two years now. There aren't many properties in any 
form of entertainment that can prompt that kind of 
devotion. Maybe Star Wars, maybe The Matrix or 
the Lord of the Ringstrilogy, and possibly, oh 1 
dunno, maybe a Radiohead album, but when it 
comes to games, comparable experiences are few 
and far between. Sure, Final Fantasy gets its dues, 
but there's one of those every year. So far on PS2, 
only Gran Turismo 3 has whipped the general popu- 
lace up into any kind of mass frenzy: It prompted 
half a million of you to part with $50 within a few 
days of its release, and several hundred thousand 
more followed suit in the ensuing weeks. 

This is nothing compared to Metal Gear Solid 2, 
though. When first previewed at the Electronic 
Entertainment Expo in L.A. back in 1999, there were 
game journalists so overcome with emotion at the 
sight of Snake's PS2 antics that they were welling up 
like a bunch of weepy girls at the end of a Julia 
Roberts movie. When the video was released on the 
Internet, and later on the OPM demo disc, it caused а 
mad scramble as hardcore fans and new gamers 
alike gawked slack-jawed and incredulous at the 


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spectacle. Grown men were seen to dribble 
uncontrollably as Harry Gregson-Williams’ 
Score reached its crescendo while images 
of Snake engaging in the mother of all 
gunfights blazed on the screen 

When the playable demo turned up ear- 
lier this year, the frenzy intensified further 
as anyone with even the faintest interest in 
the game sought out a copy of Zone of the 
Enders in order to get their hands on the 
packed-in demo disc. Our own Zoe Flower 
was even moved to comment on the effect 
it had on her undergarments the first time 
she played it. Don't ask me; I've got no 
idea what she's talking about, but | think it 
might be something fairly positive. 

If you've played this demo, then you've 
experienced approximately 7 percent of the 
game—a mere taste of what is to come. 

Subsequent trailers [like that shown at 
the Tokyo Game Show in October] and 
screenshots have been met with an enthu- 
siasm so fervent, it's hard to believe. 





METAL GEAR SOLID 2 


As rumors and stories about the closely. 


guarded plot started to leak out, Metal =" 
Gear creator Hideo Kojima chose hoto, 


court the press, but instead to completely: 
shut down all contact with the outside. | 
world. The story of Metal Gear Solid 2 has. 
to be a surprise in order for it to "work." 
There are so many twists, so many clever 
developments, that to go into the experi- 
ence with prior knowledge is to ruin it. 
Some less discrete members of the press 
have let slip some fairly significant plot 
spoilers into the online community recent- 
ly, so if you really want to shield yourself 
from vital info, you need to keep yourself 
away from Metal Gear-related chat forums 
and message boards. What this careless- 
ness also achieved was a sudden and dra- 
matic increase in Kojima's paranoia about 
the game. As such, the review that we have 
elsewhere this issue is one of the first that 
you'll read anywhere, as Konami has been 
keen to control the flow of information 
prior to the Nov. 13 release date. 

Obviously, we don't want to spoil the 
game for you, as this would negate a great 
deal ofthe point that we're trying to make 
here: While there are so many “big deals” 
about MGS2, one of the most significant is 
that it boasts a plot so expertly crafted, 
and so fullof shocks, that you'll be trans- 
fixed for all 16 hours of the experience. 

"Since Metal Gear Solid 2 is to end the 
Metal Gear Solid saga," Kojima revealed in 
an interview with our'sister publication, 
Electronic Gaming Monthly, “many ques- 
tions will be answered.” 

From the extensive play time that we've 
spent with the game, not only will many. 
questions be answered, but also: many 
more will be raised along the way. For all 
the hype about games pushing your emo- 
tional buttons in recent months, nothing 
for me has come close to the nerve- 
wrenching stuff dished up.with startling 


regularity throughout Sons of Liberty. 
Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good story 
and some well-considered characters, but 
| lost count of the number of times | 
bobbed around on a roller coaster of emo- 
tions that ranged from intrigue to excite- 
ment to anger and disappointment to ela- 
Чоп and back again. As the story pushes 
the boundaries in all directions, including 
in some places, plain good old-fashioned 
taste, it matches it with gameplay aspects 
that keep you on the edge of your seat. The 


have no name. 





I'm like you.. 


müch-publicized and enthused-about 
Stealth aspects of the series help build 
tension with every step through the game 
world, but it's the combat that really gets 
your blood pressure climbing. The shock of 
а bad guy spotting you, the spit of gunfire, 
often from where you least expect it, and 


the quick fumble as you draw your gun 
never fails to keep your chest pounding. 
The bad'guys behave in a most convincing 
manner, from the way they patrol the envi- 
ronments to the way they interact with 


cont. on pg. 146 


Each unit cons 
and six struts 


I've had extensive training -- 





shadow moses пеш тоги CILY 

Fictional member of the real Fox Real United States metropolitan Fictional, oppressed Central 
Islands in the Bering Sea, off center of trade, shipping and African nation and site of Metal 
Alaska. Site of Metal Gear Solid. transportation, and site of MGS2. Gear Solid for Game Boy Color. 


DULEr HEAVEN zanzibar апа 
Fictional nation 200km north of the Fictional site of MG2. Not to be 
fictional city of Galzburg, South confused with the real island of 
Africa. Site of Metal Gear. Zanzibar, off Tanzania, Africa. 


Offshore decontamination боб, Serr 





of a central core ~- 





Get ready to fast rope 2 
rounding it. Р down to Shell One! Xy sim 





each other. This isn't something where 
Enemy бооп #143 trundles around the cor- 
ner, gets in your face, and opens fire, 
no...these guys are smart. Many of the par- 
ticularly spectacular battles have a certain 
"set piece" air about them, but the effect is 
both cinematic and technically impressive. 
As you duck behind anything you can find 
for cover, so too do the enemy guards. They 
even show visible signs of panic as you take 
out their buddies and leave them fighting 
the good fight all on their own. 

Character development is something that 
Kojima is particularly good at, and clearly 
very fond of. No sooner have you encoun- 
tered a major player in the game, then you 
begin to understand the very nature of who 
they are and what they want. As with the 
previous games, even the most bizarre and 
disturbed lunatics are humanized. Just like 
real life, no one believes that they're evil, no 
one thinks they're in the wrong, and every- 
one thinks their cause is just. These themes 
are explored with such subtlety and care 
that by the end of the game, you're forced to 
consider whose side you're really on. 


No doubt you'll have skimmed through 
the pages of this feature by now to check 
out all the cool screenshots of the game. 
You should also take the time to refamiliar- 
ize yourself with the history of the fran- 
chise. Maybe you're coming to this game as 
а Metal Gear virgin; most of you will no 
doubt have only played the first Solid game 
on PS one; but those of you who are proud 
to the very hardest, darkest depths of your 


(148) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 


























Unless you're the 
hardest of the hardcore, 
chances are you've not played all 
four (OK, five, but we really don't 
like to talk about Snake's Revenge) 
previous Metal Gear games. So 
we've compiled this history to help 
you with some of the minute 
details. But beware: This section 
contains MAJOR SPOILERS. Don't 
say we didn’t warn you. 





METAL 6 


Dr. Pettrovich 











Solid Snake 


AND SO IT BEGINS... 
Snake's debut adventure fea- 
tured a much smaller supporting 
cast than Metal Gear Solid fans 
might be used to: Fox-Hound con- 
sisted of the rookie (but already 
hardass) Snake himself, good 
buddy Grey Fox (née Frank 
Jaeger) and big boss, er, 

Big Boss. 


Grey Fox 
Big Boss ПЕТДІ GEAR) 1995: 1n a tiny country called “Outer 
TaLe] Heaven," rumors have surfaced regard- 

ing a devastating new weapon. U.S. 
special-forces group Fox-Hound sends 
in its most trusted operative, Grey Fox, 
to investigate, but he is captured. 
Troubled by the apparent loss of their 
greatest agent, Fox-Hound sends in 
rookie Solid Snake to investigate. With 
courage and skill, Snake locates Fox 
and learns the secret of Metal Gear, a walking 
tank with devastating nuclear powers. Upon 
defeating Metal Gear, he discovers that the leader 
of Outer Heaven is actually Big Boss—the com- 
mander of Fox-Hound. 

Metal Gear was originally released in 1987 
in Japan for the MSX PC. A U.S. version was 
released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment 
System, and even with some rough translation it 
was clear this was the start of something great. 
Metal Gear TX-55 





„Who, 
of course, turned 
out to be the Big Baddie 
behind the whole thing to begin 
with. With the help of the appar- 
ently naive Dr. Pettrovich, he 
released the world's first walking 
nuclear threat in the form of Metal 
Gear TX-55. Aww, just look at that 
adorable, trademark 8-bit 
robot design. 


||! ЇШИШИШШШЇШШЇШИШШШИЙШЇШШШҮИШШҮИШҮШИ ШИ” 





LOOK BUT DONT TOUCH 


If you've got anything in your mouth right now, you're going 
to want to swallow it or spit it out. You'll need your breathing 
passages clear for the scream of anguish you're about to 
unleash. See, Konami has announced a special limited- 
edition "Platinum Package" for MGS2. The set will include a 
selection of fantastic extras; in addition to the game lin a 
special DVD case), fans will get a 72-page book of artwork 
called “Metal Gear Chronicle,” a 100-minute DVD documen- 
tary on the making of the game, and a metal Snake figurine. 
This all comes in a beautiful, black, oversized package and 
will retail for about 9800 yen. Yep, we said “yen”—the pack- 
age won't be coming here, at all. Believe us, we feel your 
pain. Not only that, but the word on the street is that these 
will be available only in very limited quantities over there. So 
you're going to want to find a quick, reliable importer if 
you're planning on dropping the roughly $80 [plus shipping) 
necessary to snag this excellent package. We wish you luck. 

















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hardcore soul will have played everything in 
the series. Twice. At least. To fully appreci- 
ate what MGS2 is about to spread before 
you, it's best to have an understanding of 
just what, exactly, the hell is going on. If I 
tried to explain everything to you, purely in 
the context of MGS2 (and without giving any 
vital plot elements away], it would be spec- 
tacularly complicated, confuse the hell out 
of you, and make you wonder if you'll ever 
be able to keep track of what's going on in 
the new game. It's really not that bad 
though, and while you don't specifically 
need to know who's who and what's what, 
doing so will help accentuate the drama of 
the more significant moments in the game. 


a сык Ик сы ү. 
The unit would launch unannounced 
assaults on government complexes, 






















What is he? 


VAMP (Phil La Мат) 


148 Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


| 
| 
- 











BACK IN THE 
SADDLE 
Snake returns from retirement, 
backed up by Roy Campbell, the 
new commander of Fox-Hound 
| (plus a selection of other allies), to 
| rescue inventor Dr. Kio Marv from 
| Zanzibar. We begin to see deeper 
character development through- 


М. out the adventure. 





Solid Snake 




































1999: The world faces 
an international energy | 
crisis, Fortunately, a bril- | 
liant scientist, Dr. Kio 
Marv, has come up with 
a solution: a bioengi- 
neered micro-organism 
that can refine fossil 
fuel quickly, easily, and at 
little cost. But when a heavily 
militarized Middle Eastern nation 
called Zanzibar Land learns of it, they kid- 
nap Dr. Marv in an effort to control the 
world's economy. Fox-Hound (now com- 
manded by Col. Roy Campbell) is called in 
to take care of the problem. Knowing only 
one man right for the job, Campbell calls. 
the now-retired Solid Snake back to active 
duty. But when Snake penetrates Zanzibar, 
he discovers that his old friend Grey Fox is 
the leader of the country's mercenaries. 
Snake defeats Fox, leaving him for dead, 
and at last rescues Dr. Marv—and faces 
Big Boss once again. It seems that Big 
Boss survived Outer 
Heaven, and is actually 
the founder of 
Zanzibar...and the owner 
of a shiny new Metal 
Gear. Snake defeats both, 
Big Boss perishes, and 
both Snake and Campbell 
leave Fox-Hound for good. 
Released for the 
MSX2 in 1990, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake 
never made it to the U.S. Instead, gamers 









„such as 
the defection of both 
Grey Fox and the newly sur- 
named Dr. Pettrovich Madnar to 
the side of Big Boss. The new 
Metal Gear D enjoys a more 
sophisticated design. An addi- 


















were "treated" to the Snake's Revenge, | tional, almost man-sized Metal 
which was so awful that it was later | Gear (G) is designed, but 7 
excised from the Metal Gear canon; as far NU later stricken from à 


as Konami is concerned, it didn't happen. the game. 





ES 





Don't be surprised if you've never heard of 
this game. This U.S.-only NES sequel to 
Metal Gear was developed without the 
supervision of Hideo Kojima, and the results 
were disastrous: In a weak attempt to 

inject humor and action into the series, 

the designers made a mockery of Kojima's. 
efforts. Don't believe us? Check out this 
Storyline: As "Lieutenant" Solid Snake, 

you have to infiltrate the nation of /shkabibil 
to defeat a villain who "has won the 


“Merciless Man of the Year Award’ eight 
straight times," according to the manual. His 
name? Wait for it: Higharolla Kockamamie. 
(We WISH we were making this up.) In addi- 
tion to this almost sacrilegious "humor," the 
game also included a much larger emphasis 
on action (and conversely, a smaller empha- 
sis on stealth], even going so far as to include 
side-scrolling segments. Ick. Konami has 
since stricken this disaster from the official 
Metal Gear record. 


—— 


SN 


ENF 


= 





dum 
T ^ 
Monster Rancher 3w and Monster Reicher 1997. 1998, 1999, 2000, 
"PlayStation" and the "PS* Family logo are registered trademarks 








What's most important to know is that there 
are numerous factions all seeking different 
aspects of related similar goals here [see 
our Glossary on page 152 for more specific 
details). You have the terrorists; the mili- 
tary; Solid Snake and Otacon's private orga- 
nization, known as Philanthropy; Fox- 
Hound; as well as fringes of each of these 
groups. You'll spend a great deal of time 
puzzling out their allegiances. 

It's not all intrigue, high drama and 
action, though. The game also takes a lot of 





time to build character relationships, to 
make you care about your compadres, and 
to occasionally give you some lighthearted 
humor—before throwing you back into the 
fray of the horror and unpleasantness. 
More so than the original, the new game 
ably earns its M rating by pushing a variety 
of boundaries. For a start, it's a lot gorier 
than you are probably expecting. The char- 
acter Vamp, in particular, is responsible for 
some especially nasty scenes with blood 
spraying everywhere and people dying in 
nasty ways. As you'd expect from someone 
behaving as though he were a vampire, it's 


Otherwise, you'll be the one to die! 


FORTUNE 


( Мама Gale ) 


05 Official 0.5. PlayStation Magazine 





| Marionette Owl 


| 
\ 
| 


Roy Campbell 





Chris Jenner 





















Slasher Hawk 


Black Arts Viper 


Metal Gear 


LOOK FAMILIAR? 
Released two years after 
the PS one MGS, this Game Boy 
Color edition features characters 
sporting a much more familiar 
look, from the grizzled, tough-guy 
images of Snake and Campbell to 
the sharper, more streamlined 
design of the Metal Gear itself... 


«to Black 
Chamber, a terrorist 
group clearly designed in imitation 
of Fox-Hound, right down to their 
code names: Slasher Hawk, 
Marionette Owl, Pyro Byson 
and the leader, Black Arts 
Viper. Viper.. Snake.. get it? 
Snake must have had a laugh as 
he pummeled the 
whole lot. 





Pyro Bison 













2002: In a small 
country in the heart 
of Africa, trouble is 
brewing. A group. 
calling themselves the Gindran Liberation Front 
have hijacked a plan containing nuclear weapons— 
and a new Metal Gear. The U.S. Army sends in their 
Delta Force in an attempt to recover the stolen 
goods. They are not heard from again. So the gov- 
ernment turns to Roy Campbell for help. He enlists 
the aid of Solid Snake, now long retired, and sends 
him in to take care of things. Once in Gindra, 

Snake encounters a special-forces group remarkably: 
similar to Fox-Hound called Black Chamber. With 
the help of a surviving Delta Force member, he 
tracks down and defeats the new Metal Gear, 
destroying Black Chamber and defeating their 
leader, Black Arts Viper. One might wonder at this 
point just why Snake keeps agreeing to come out of 
retirement; perhaps it has something to do with all 
the shocking secrets he keeps learning about his 
own government... 

This game was originally released in Japan in 
2000 for the Game Boy Color. Originally titled Metal 
Gear Ghost Babel, it was renamed Metal Gear Solid 
for the U.S. release that same year. Though generally 
as simpli: looking as the first two games, MGS 
for GBC has a story every bit as complex (and well- 
translated) as Metal Gear Solid for the PS one. It's a 
no-brainer recommendation for anyone looking for 
further insight into the Metal Gear story. 














ining and 









Become the ultimate Vampire 
with more than 15 wild training 51 





{ 
5 
+ 












in ir ancient punger 


to survive and swe y finger ren keep Y you from their bloodlust. 





(5 
Е 
\ 
© 


тот above. Stom behind. The beasts shall come. 





p т Violence GUNG n) GUxcoxd WWW.NAMCO.COM | 


Vampire Night™ & ©2000, 2001 Namco/Sega/WOW Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. GUNCON™ & ©1996 Namco Ltd., АЙ Rights Reserved. GUNCON™ 2 & ©2000 Namco Ltd., All Rights Reserved. 
"PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of ce» ‘Computer Entertaiment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. 








also accompanied by some suitably pompous 
melodrama. Your own actions can be fairly 
nasty too. Guns have a habit of tearing large 
holes in the things that they're fired at, so if 
the target is a fleshy, blood-filled person, 
there tends to be a mess. Often you'll find that 
the severity of your attack is unexpected, as 
huge splats of the crimson stuff hit the walls 
and the floor. 

If you're squeamish, the blood splats can 
be turned off through the extensive options, 
but more significantly, the game encourages 
you to change your behavior to achieve the 
same effect. In fact, you're actively encour- 











aged not to kill anyone at all. 

I've intentionally left out any mention of 
specific plot points. l'd love to be able to 
enthuse wildly, telling you, "Wait until you see 
the bit where this guy does this...it's awe- 
some." Or, "You're not going to believe who 
this guy really is and what his role in this par- 
ticular thing is all about." I'd love to. | can't 
wait to engage other people who are playing it 
in conversation and soak up the feeling of dis- 
covery and wonder that permeates every 
scene. But until Nov. 13, | don't want to spoil 
any of it for any of you. 


(152) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








it Ti ІНІ НЕГІЗІ 




























Big Shell An offshore decontamination facility | Solid for the Game Boy Color. 
constructed in the location where the tanker ` 
[from the MGS2 demo) sinks. The PR for Big Human Genome Project A 
Shell is that it's ensuring thatfurther ecologi- . 13-year effort begun in.1990 to di 
cal damage isn't done. Its.true purpose is far and study all of the human gei 
more sinister. The main loca ) " 
majority of Metal Gear Solid.2. 












Black Chamber А. 50 i 
who assisted the Gindran Liberation Front in 
Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy Color. 


Codec Short for "coder-decoder"; any system 
that converts analog signals such as video op 
voice into digital signals and back. Snake's 
primary means of communication with his 
support team. 





CYPHER A small, unmanned 
surveillance aircraft with an 
enclosed rotor for horizontal 
or vertical takeoff and landing 
(HOVTOL). Snake catches one 
spying on him at the end of the 
MGS2 demo. See www.sikorsky.coi 


Marv to refine petrol 
Dr. Marv and the formule 
abducted by the 








_ the restiof the world, persi А 
Metal Gear 2. 


established i the traitorous Big Bos: 
responsible for the creation of Ме! г,а 
walking nuclear weapon of mass de: 

The setting of the first\Metal Ge; 

















DARPA The Defense Advanced 
Research Project Agency, the 
central research and develop- 
ment organization for the U.S. 
Department of Defense. Generally credi 
creating the Internet. Featured prom 
(and fictitiously) in Metal Gear Solid 
See www.darpa.mil. 














Philanthropy. Solid.Snake and Оѓасойх new | 
organization (post Fox-Hound) whos lürpose | 































Dead Cell Fortune, Vamp, Fatma 
Sears (Solidus Snake] are all;part of this unit, 
and are all far from ordinary soldiers. They © 
play a major role in MGS2, and pose some 
significant and unusual problems. 


Delta Force An Army team sent to defeat tl 
GLF at the beginning of Metal Gear Solid f 
the Game Boy Coler. They were all killed oi 
captured, but one survivor, Chris Jenner, was 
able to assist Snake via codec. 


FoxDie An engineered virus able to target 
specific individuals. When activated, it simu- || 
lates a heart attack, killing the victim instan 
ly. In MGS, Snake was rumored іо һауе been 
infected by the virus (which caused Liquids 
ultimate demise], but did not appear to have. 
süffered its effects. tem 

very to steal Metal сер Кау 
Fox-Hound А secret special ning of MGS2. 
forces unit employed by the 4 
0.5. government. Snake was 
originally a member, until Fox- 
Hound's commander, Big Boss, vedi a 
betrayed the unit in Metal Gear. " 
Snake was re-enlisted by new 
commander Roy Campbell for Metal Gean 2 

but both men quit the unit for good afterward, WR Missions Virtual-reality training exercises 
leaving it open to a takeover by Liquid Snake. designed to offer stealth and combat experi- 
id ence.without exposing the subject to the haz- 
39105 of the field. In MGS, when Snake learns 


ра of. Metal 

layer was led to’believe that, 

own terrorist, was the leader of 

_ Outer Heaven, until it was revealed that Big 
Boss was actually in charge. 





Gindran Liberation Front Central Africa-based 
group responsible for hijacking a plane con- that the Genome Army is solely VR-trained, 
taining nuclear weapons and a new Metal he scoffs, dismissing them as “video game 
Gear, launching the events of Metal Gear players.” 











The biggest names in WRESTLING. 
The greatest CHAMPIONS of all time. 


You wont BELIEVE 
whos coming back. 









ih 


www.acclaim.com 





JING 
ISI TD. 0r! 
А = (2) 
| PlayStation. ЕЗ /А<ісіт 
Legends of Wrestling" and Acclaim® & € 2001 Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. АН Rights Reserved. Developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City All Rights Reserved 












X-Men film. 


Chief 


POLITICS, POLITICS 
The U.S. government gets involved 
to a disturbing degree in Shadow 
Moses. Not only does DARPA get 
their hands dirty, defense contrac- Ed 2 Rex 
tors ArmsTech get involved, and it 


goes all the way 


of Defense...and President George NEW AND 
Sears himself. IMPROVED 


(54) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


NOW IT GETS 
INTERESTING 
MGS makes as big a leap forward in 
character development as in graph- 
ics and control, with a huge support- 
ing cast all portrayed by topnotch 
Voice actors. Snake himself is voiced 
by David Hayter, who later went on PLOTS 
to pen the script for the WITHIN PLOTS 


DARPA 


Vulcan Raven 


Sec. of Defense 






















Meryl Silverburgh 2010: On a tiny island off the 


coast of Alaska, the U.S. gov- 
ernment hides a secret 
nuclear testing and disposal 
facility. And now the 
unthinkable has happened: A 
group of terrorists has taken over the base, and is 
threatening nuclear war if their demands aren't met: 
They want the remains of Big Boss, held by the U.S. 
as an extraordinary genetic specimen of an almost 
superhuman soldier. Why? Because these terrorists 
are made up of members of Fox-Hound, and led by a 
man known as Liquid Snake—Solid Snake's twin, and 
a descendant of Big Boss through a genetic-engi- 
neering project called "Les Enfants Terribles." With 
prominent government officials being held hostage, 
Snake must infiltrate Shadow Moses Island to res- 
cue them, and determines that the terrorists do 
indeed have nuclear capability... powered 
by—you guessed it—a new Metal 
Gear. Snake must defeat the members 
of Fox-Hound one by one, destroy 
Metal Gear Rex, and eliminate Liquid. 
In 18 hours. 

Metal Gear Solid was released for 
the PS one in 1998 (with a PC release 
following in 2000), and is still consid- 
ered by many to be the best game for 
the system. Its popularity prompted 

the release of an extra disc of VR 
Missions in 1999 and left fans salivat- 
ing for still more. (Interestingly, while 
online sources—including Konami 
itself—cite this game as taking place in 
2010, the only time the game itself 
mentions a year is during Snake's brief- 
ing, when Meryl's bio cites her joining 
"this exercise" in 2005. Typo? Your 
guess is as good as ours.) 


Natasha Romenenko, 


m 
a 
> 
3 
с. 


y 





Otacon 














Solid Snake Hunter 


"Master" McDonnel Miller and the 
mysterious Ninja: friend or foe? 
Well, both, really. Sort of. See, 

Ninja is actually Grey Fox, Snake's 

one-time friend who turned on him 
in MG2. So they fight. But then 

they make up. Sort of. And 
Miller? Let's not get 
started. 





Ninja 





ArmsTech 
President 









Liquid Snake 
Master Miller 



















Sniper Wolf 
Metal Gear 


up to the Secretary 


Did we mention Fox-Hound's back? 
And bad, in both senses of the 
word—though many of the men- 
bers end up redeeming themselves to 
a certain extent before their respec- 
tive demises. Notable exceptions: 
Ocelot, Liquid and the bad- 

ass Metal Gear 
Rex. 







Decoy Octopus Psycho Mantis 


Revolver Ocelot 


EXCLUSIVE MGS? Gallery БЕРЕ 


i 
| 
ITI | i | 3 ж? ч I'm not interested in 
| | F fighting these guys. 


i 


ТІНІН 


| am Shalashaska! 


a You'll be able to hear the machine 
| { т sound in the heartbeat. 


Т 


ІШ! е 


| 4i The "La-li-lu-le-lo"! | doubt the recent arrivals want to blast 
ІНІН Т their way through the Marines either. 





Nobody move! Understood? 









—— 











Skull suit -- seems 
appropriate somehow. 


with Metal Gear RAY. 


HTT 

















тм 





/ BATTLEFIELD ACTION ve over 20 intense Stages and 
40 playable Warriors!’ ~ (5% & 
N 

/ Brand new 2-PLAYER Versus EN Соор ative Modes! 
/ Even more bone-crushing moves; Ареа MUSOU Attacks! 


/ Control your bodyguards with а -level commands! 





/ First in the series -- massive ELEPHANT TROOPS! 
[E 
Visit www.esrb.org 
Ө? or call 1-800-771-3772 


zc for more info. Dynasty Warriors 3 is a trademark of KOE! Corporation and KOEI Co. Lid. © 2001 KOEI Со. Lid, Ай rights reserved, "PlayStation and the 


"PS Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. www.koeigames.com 








ЮДА Reviews 


GAMES 
REVIEWED 








PlayStation 2 games are in 
blue; PS one games are in red. 


Ace Combat 04: 
Shattered Skies ............ 160 


Bass Strike Virtual 
ishing Tournament ......... 


Batman: Vengeance . 
Capcom vs. SNK 2 ..... 


h Bandicoot: 
Татыр of Cortex . 


FIFA 2002 . 
Giants: Citizen Kabuto 
Guilty Gear X ....... 
HalfsLifo ................ 


Harvest Moon: 
Save the Homeland ..........164 


Kessen Il ..... 
Lego Racers2 . 
NASCAR Thunder 2002 . 
NBA Live 2002 . 
NHL Hitz 2002 . 
Okage: Shadow King . 
Sunny Garcia Surfing 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3... .168 
Victorious Boxers .......... 170 
Dragon Warrior VII ......... 172 
Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider . .172 
Monsters, Inc. . 
Panzer Front ... 
Powerpuff Girls: 
Chemical X-Traction ........174 
Rocket Power Team Rescue . .174 
8 апдеВан SquarePants: 

pef Sponge 





























Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 
МАЙ. aiite 
The Weakest Link .. 


THE FINAL SCORE 


ө өө 
We rate games on a five-point scale. 
So, .5 is terrible, 2.5 is mediocre and 
5 is superb. Get it? 











Give me liberty—online 


Forget predetermined storylines, I'll make my own history, thank you very much 


| want all games online, and | want them now. 

Now that I've plugged in and played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 with 
folks across the country, a fire has been lit inside me. Now my days 
are spent wanting to link up with people around the globe to play 
games. | want to create a character in the image of myself and do my 
patented near-ollie on my Chicago PS2 while on that same television 
screen the real Tony Hawk is playing the fake Tony Hawk and he's 
doing near-ollies, too. He can even do 900s. Heck, he can do a kick- 
flip to a 900. | can't stop him. I'm in Chicago. He's in San Diego. He 
can kickflip off my face, if he really wants. 

But I'm not just thinking skateboarding, here. 
I'm thinking sports. Sports, sports and more 
sports. All the sports | can handle. Eat, drink and 
sleep sports while playing them online. | want to 
play that chucklehead from the Madden message 
board who thinks he can kick the snot out of any 
Madden player in the world. Put your money where 
your mouth is, Troutburger411. 

Then | think of other games online. Not football 
or hockey or basketball or soccer. I'm thinking 
RPGs, and you know what? It doesn't work. Oh, 
well. Tough. You want storylines? Read a book. 
Wait, l'm being rude. Here's a storyline: It's fourth 
down and 16 and there's seven seconds on the 
clock. I'm at the 10-yard line. | step back to pass... 
now that's a storyline. All possible with a modem. 

Maybe you think online gaming will take away 
from one-player games. Don't pull an eye muscle 
while crying into your baby pillow. All those mythic 
tales of wonder where you're searching for the 
infinity gems or an infinite number of guys named Jim or Jim's gem, 
might not fit into the mix. But | don't care. Games are about commu- 
nity and when you put games online you'll meet people from across 
the globe with similar interests. Heck, you might even meet a girl 
from the comfort of your gaming chair [ог maybe not). Plus, as previ- 
ously stated, you can start making that trash-talker put his dust- 
crusted dirty sock in his mouth along with the rest of his foot. 

Maybe you think online will hurt the gameplay experience? How? 
| mean, you're smart, right? You have the capacity to plug a phone line 
into a phone jack and punch in some numbers to dial up a server, 











don't you? If you're smart enough to do that, you're smart enough to 
game [this is an arguable point, agreed]. Point is, there's no need for 
master programmers to figure a way to get every little thingamajig to 
fit perfectly every time. The game has its own built-in Al because 
you're playing it. You're the one in control. And that yahoo from Miss- 
issippi who messages with notes like "lol" and "lmao" is your oppo- 
nent. Take notes on the joys of success when embarrassing some 
doofus who doesn't know that the shift button makes capital letters. 

I'll admit I'm sour. During the Dreamcast's short run, | felt 
mocked by my friends in the room next door at 
Electronic Gaming Monthly. While | was wasting 
away with one-player Madden, getting used to 
what the CPU would do on third down or which way 
they'd run the ball to start the second half, my 
gaming counterparts were coming in bleary-eyed 
from a late night of squashing some turd on the 
West Coast at NFL 2К1. Or they would openly trade 
NBA 2K1 war stories that included last-second 
three-pointers and Shaq ringing up 20 points and 
20 boards. 

Now that the PS2 can be online, | see no reason 
why | shouldn't live half my life online right along 
with it. I'm in no mood to hear that it's expensive to 
get online. Come on. Online gaming is like the 
world's coolest cocktail party. Pay a nominal fee 
and you, too, are invited. 

The only shame is that EA Sports is "waiting to 
get it right." And Visual Concepts is adjusting to the 
travails of developing for a new system. So it's 
another year of hearing about how someone slayed 
the black dragon and someone's sword made of lightning was pow- 
ered-up to level gazillion. 

But | do have THPS3, and if anyone's up for a game of King of the 
Hill, then so am | (if I'm online, instant message me at: opmTodd). 
But expect a quick quiz before we go one-on-one in a game of Slap! 
If any of your answers even mildly suggest you want a story with your 
game, I'll give you one: I’m going to heartily ridicule you before | kick 
your butt. 

Todd Zuniga 
Associate Editor 





JOHN DAVISON 

John's been mumbling about 
FoxDie, conspiracies, 
Philanthropy and Dead Cell all 
month. We have no idea what 
he's going on about. 


FAVORITE GENRES: Racing, 
Action, Adventure 

CURRENT FAVORITES: Metal 
Gear Solid 2, Okage: Shadow 
King, FIFA 2002 

CAN'T WAIT FOR: Some time to 
play Metal Gear Solid 2 again 


JOE RYBICKI 
Playing Half-Life left Joe іп a 
particularly paranoid state of 
mind this month. He kept 
peeking over the cube wall to 
see if Gary had transformed 
into an alien yet. 


FAVORITE GENRES: Adventure, 
Puzzle, RPG 

CURRENT FAVORITES: Half-Life, 
Ace Combat 04, Jak and Daxter 
CAN'T WAIT FOR: Metal Gear 
Solid 2. Duh 


GARY STEINMAN 

Gary's been yammering about 
only playing games that have 
cel-shaded or superdeformed 
characters in them. Which is 
why he got stuck reviewing 
МР. this month. 


FAVORITE GENRES: RPG, 
Adventure, Action 

CURRENT FAVORITES: Okage, 
Harvest Moon, Dragon Warrior VII 
CAN'T WAIT FOR: Hoshigami, 
FFX, Kingdom Hearts, Suikoden Ill 


CHRIS BAKER 

With his incessant vocal rendi- 
tion of the Fantavision sound- 
track, Gary was particularly 
annoying this month...so Chris 
punched him in the head. 
Don't mess with c.bake! 


FAVORITE GENRES: Action, RPG, 
Adventure, Sports 

CURRENT FAVORITES: Dynasty 
Warriors 3, Giants: Citizen Kabuto 
CAN'T WAIT FOR: Baldur's Gate 
Dark Alliance, Wizardry 


TODD ZUNIGA 


A difficult month of sleep- 
walking through the days. But 
the PS2 offered surprise sal- 
vation. At least Todd's gotten 
his skateboard all ready. Just 
in time for the Chicago winter. 


FAVORITE GENRES: Sports 
CURRENT FAVORITES: THPS3, 
Madden 2002, Ico, NHL 2002, FIFA 
2002, МВА 2К2 

CAN'T WAIT FOR: GTA3, GTA3, 
СТАЗ, СТАЗ, СТАЗ, capisce? 


SAM KENNEDY 

Having spent a good portion 
of this month with Capcom 
vs. SNK 2 and Guilty Gear X, 
Sam has figured out how to 
harness his inner strength. 
To take out Gary, of course. 


FAVORITE GENRES: Action, 
RPG, Adventure, Fighting 
CURRENT FAVORITES: SNK vs. 
Capcom 2, Guilty Gear X, DWVII 
CAN'T WAIT FOR: Kingdom 
Hearts, Soul Calibur 2, УЕД 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (57) 





ce Т b. 
i What do you intend to do with RAY -- 
We will complete the preparations sell it on the streets? 


before the end of the speech. 


Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty 


As you can probably imagine, we're quite impressed with it 


Publisher Konami story, and ultimately missed out on 
Developer Konami the whole point of the game. Over 
Web Site www.konami.com the years, Metal Gear has evolved 
The last game was good, really good. from its simple ancestry into some- 
It set standards that nothing man- thing that's as much an experience 
aged to match on the PS one, and as itis a series of gameplay chal- 
will forever be a landmark іп the way lenges. So many games claim to 
that games communicate an experi- ^ suck you in and entrap you with the 


ence with the player. Some players storyline, but I'd hazard a guess that 
complained that it was too short, but nothing has ever grabbed you the 


they were the same people who way that this will. 
skipped the cutscenes, ignored the If you even have the slightest 
inkling of what all the fuss is 


about with the Metal Gear 





series, you're no doubt 
exceptionally excited 
about Nov. 13. 


p). Magazine 


Few games have been so closely anything. Forgive me if this review twists and turns that you'll be utterly 
guarded in terms of their content, speaks in somewhat general terms, ^ transfixed. There are moments, 
even with two spectacular videos but there are some surprising beginning quite early on, that will 
and a damn fine playable demo events that, if | spoiled them for you, have you on the edge of your seat 


"There are some surprising events 
that, if I spoiled them for you, would 
seriously ruin the whole game." 


released so far in advance of the would seriously, seriously ruin the and possibly even screaming at the 
game itself. Now that I've spent so whole game. I’m not just referring game. And I'm not talking about the 
much time with the finished game, to the way the story unfolds either. usual way that games have you 
it's quite a challenge to convey my There are genuine emotional shocks screaming at them because they're 
enthusiasm for it without spoiling to be had throughout, and so many so frickin’ annoying. I'm talking 











about genuine, heartfelt anguish. 

Before going any further though, 1 
want to allay some fears. Even if you 
savored every moment of the last 
game, it was only about a 10- or 11- 
hour experience. This is fine for 
many of us, but a lot of fans were 
disappointed that it was over so 
quickly. The fear with sequels like 
this is that very often when the pret- 
tiness factor is increased exponen- 
tially (апа damn, is MGS2 a good- 
looking game], the depth and length 
is affected adversely. I'm pleased to 
report that this is both a longer and 
far more involving game than last 
time. The first time through, it's 
going to take you about 15 hours or 
so to crack the whole thing. Sure, 
you could probably zip through it in a 
lot less if you skipped the cut- 
scenes...but that wouldn't be fun. 

Story plays an even bigger part in 
Sons of Liberty than last time, and 
those of you who are impatient will 
no doubt be itching to start blasting 
your way through things with aban- 
don. Please, please, please don't. I'm 
not one to tell you how to go about 
enjoying something—but to get the 
full impact from this, you really need 
to pay attention to what's going on. 
The grace and subtlety with which 
the story unfolds is significantly 
better than any other game you've 
played—and it challenges most 
lousy movie scripts too. The game is 
filled with intrigue, emotion and 
excitement all the way through. 

As before, the characters and 
your relationship with them play a 
big part in the way you feel about the 

















game. Snake is still the archetypal 
gravel-voiced "hero." He's not with- 
out fault, though, and he's certainly 
not all-good, but he has a certain 
Han Solo quality about him this time 
that makes him even more endear- 
ing. To continue the Star Wars analo- 
gy, there's another major character 
who plays a big role [who | won't 
mention, because it would ruin 
things for you) who is very much the 
Luke Skywalker of the tale. He's 
young, whiney, impetuous, inexperi- 
enced, but with a sinister history that 
shapes his development as the story 
unfolds. Intrigued? Well, | could go 
further and drop giant hints about 
characters with Darth Vader-esque 
qualities also, but | won't pin charac- 
ter names to them because you'll 
want to play the game and pick up 
on this for yourself. 

As with Metal Gear Solid, all of 





We're on the loredeck. 
About to descend to the holds. 





Wonder if that Harrier will turn 
up again later. Hmm. You think? 











Once you've played through the entire game and experienced 
everything the story can throw at you, what are the chances of 
wanting to go through it all again? Well, with the prospect of extra 
grooviness being opened up, there's plenty of reasons to play 
again— not least of which are the dog tags. There are 100 bad 
guys in the game wearing tags belonging to folks who won a con- 
test on Konami's Web site. Getting them all is tough, though, as 
you can't just take these guys out, you have to "hold them up" by 
drawing your gun up close, and make them give the tags to you. 











have to fight her, but once you start 
to understand her motivation, the 
relationship takes on a whole new 
dynamic. 

While the story unfolds with 
spectacular effect, the gameplay 
itself is exciting and varied also. The 
classic Metal Gear Solid sneaking is 
Still evident, but the excitement is 
dialed up to 11 thanks to the first- 


the fight with Metal Gear Rex in the 
last game was at all stressful, your 
blood pressure is going to skyrocket 
when you play this. If anything, it's at 
these times that any limitations of 
the game reveal themselves as the 
controls are sometimes a touch on 
the complicated side. While fighting 
one particular boss you'll be run- 
ning around with your gun drawn, 


"The first time through, it's going 
to take you about 15 hours or so to 
crack the whole thing." 


the characters are treated with 
great care in the way that they 
develop. Even those who seem with- 
out any hope of redemption are illus- 
trated with a sympathy that forces 
you to understand their actions. 
Fortune, in particular, is worthy of 
note, as she's a character driven to 
crave death because of the predica- 
ment that she finds herself in thanks 
to the actions of others. Yes, you 


person mode which is seamlessly 
worked into the control system. 
Combat is frantic and stressful, and 
as with everything else in the game, 
if provides a real feeling for the situ- 
ation that you're in. Boss fights are 
unbelievably tense as you find your- 
self desperately trying to take out 
the bad guys while juggling other 
tasks at the same time. If you 
thought that the fight with Raven or 


| doubt the recent arrivals want to blast 
their way through the Marines either. 


shooting in first-person mode, then 
having to switch to another weapon, 
look around, use that, then switch 
back to the previous weapon again, 
all іп a matter of seconds. It sounds 
simple, but if you break your con- 
centration for a nanosecond, you 
forget what's what. 

Unexpectedly, humor plays an 
even bigger role this time. There 
were moments in the previous 
games that made you chuckle, but 
this time it's much more pronounced. 
It's certainly not silly or forced, but if 
you can imagine the way that an 
action movie like, say, Die Hard is 
"funny," then you get the picture. 
Much of it is a bit on the dark side, 
but there are some cheeky moments 
between some of the characters. 
There are also a ton of visual gags 


that range from subtle references to 
past games to full-on, occasional 
laugh-out-loud silliness that helps 
break the tension of the story. 

Obviously everything that the 
game throws at you is augmented by 
the terrific presentation. It's so much 
more spectacular than every other 
game out there that it makes you 
wonder if Kojima and his team at 
Konami are tapping into some magi- 
cal bits of hardware that other devel- 
opers just don't know about. Why 
don't other PS2 games look this 
good? The characters, the environ- 
ments, the effects, it's all just spec- 
tacular. Some areas later in the 
game will truly blow your mind. 
Forget what anyone says about the 
Wave Race game on GameCube; the 
best water you'll see in a video game 
is right here. 

I know everyone is expecting this 
game to be good, but 1 have to tell 
you І was shocked at just how great 
itis. | don't want to come across as 
clichéd, but the story is so damn 
good, once you start playing you 
won't want to stop. Couple this with 
the fact that it has some of the best 
plot twists a game has ever dished 
up, and you have reason enough to 
devote an awful lot of your time to 
this game. 
Final Score Ф: 
John Davison 


Players: 1 
Aidt Memory Card: 74 KB 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (59) 








Ace Combat 04 


Ace Combat 04: 
Shattered Skies 
Publisher Namco 
Developer Namco 
Web Site www.namco.com 
I've always enjoyed Namco's Ace 
Combat series. All the games have 
just felt right to me. And though 
they've always been a long way 
from flight sims, focusing instead 
on white-knuckle arcade action, 
that has never diminished the 
quality of the series one whit. What 
has always bugged me, though, is 
the difficulty—or rather, the lack 
thereof. | remember when | was 
reviewing Ace 3, | realized after I'd 
beaten the game that | hadn't been 
shot down once through the entire 
game. Not once. Sure, | had a good 
time playing, but when a game 
offers so little challenge, well, win- 
ning seems like a hollow victory. 
Which is why | was so pleased 
to see that the difficulty was 
ramped up a bit for Ace 04. Oh, it's 
still fairly easy; you can probably 
blow through all 18 missions in а 
matter of a few days. But now 
enemy planes seem a lot more 
intelligent in their attacks and 
crafty in their evasion. It'll force 
you to fly more creatively in 
response, and it makes the whole 
experience just feel more real. 
And that's a feeling that's really 
hammered home through the use 
of constant radio chatter. You will 
hear running commentary from 
your commander, your wingmen, 
the enemy and, on one memorable 
occasion, a civilian news broadcast. 
What's even better is that the way 
they talk to and about you will 
change as you progress through 
the game. You, as "Mobius One," 
slowly gain legendary status 





among friend and foe alike, so 
much so that when you beat the 
game and they talk about your 
heroism you actually feel like a 
hero. It's fantastic. 

As always in the Ace games, 
controls are practically perfect, 
plane selection is extensive, and 
the whole package is exceptionally 
polished. The addition of "Trial 
Missions" (minigames, basically] 
only adds to the replay value. 

I'm wracking my brain to think 
of major complaints, and other 
than length, and the difficulty still 
being a bit on the light side, | hon- 
estly can't think of any. It's a must- 
buy for flight fans everywhere. 
Final Score © © ee« 

Joe Rybicki 


Card: 74 KB 





) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


Ace Combat 04 





agit beside you 


Ace Combat 04 











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'N-GROOVE; 
ЕСІТТІ 








Capcom vs. SNK 2 


The most complex, comprehensive fighter around 


Publisher Capcom 

Developer Capcom 

Web Site www.capcom.com 

This is one massive fighting 
game! Sporting over 44 playable 
characters from many SNK and 
Capcom games, with six com- 
pletely different styles of game- 
play to choose from, it really feels 
like Capcom crammed all the best 
elements from their 2D fighting 
games over the last five or so 
years into one package. 

But there's so much here that 
it's almost a fault. Players new to 
the Capcom vs. SNK series are 
quickly going to get confused 
unless they take a good read 
through the game's instruction 
booklet. The different "grooves" 
[styles of gameplay) handle com- 
bos, charging, super moves and 
damage in varying ways, so you'll 
want to study which work best for 
you. It can be a bit intimidating to 
see so many options and charac- 
ters on the screen at once. 

However, once you get over the 
initial shock of just how much is 
shoehorned into Capcom vs. SNK 
2, you'll really be able to explore 
its depths. The gameplay takes a 
little time to get used to because 











of all the different combat styles, 
but once you do, it feels great. 
One of the complaints of the origi- 
nal game was that there wasn't a 
very good balance between the 
Capcom and SNK characters, but 
this seems to have been resolved 
this time around. 





Another area that received 
attention from Capcom in this ver- 
Sion were the visuals. The original 
game was entirely 2D, but this 
time we're treated to 2D charac- 
ters on top of 3D backgrounds—a 
major improvement. The only 
problem is that since the back- 
grounds look so stunning, the 2D 
characters look rather dated 
(especially next to Guilty Gear X). 

Capcom's really outdone them- 
selves on this 
Final Score 6 © 
Sam Kennedy 














The 3D backgrounds are nice, but the low- 
resolution characters aren't so hot. 


























44 different fighters with a variety of 
4 Typical, forgettable Capcom background 
Music/Sound music and a cheesy announcer voice. 
A whole bunch of styles to choose from, 
Gameplay | allowing for lots of variety and longevity. 
Very good considering all the characters at 
Balance | pand. SNK purists may complain though. 
, The graphics leave а bit to be desired. 
Downsides Groove modes are complex for beginners. 
Chun Li's agility and A behemoth of. « This gives it 
| powerful legs are Overall настан E ирс 


| always known to 
come in handy. 











Guilty Gear X 








2D graphics at their finest, no question about it 


Publisher Majesco/Sammy 
Developer Arc System Works 
Web Site www.majescosales.com 
Graphically speaking, Guilty Gear 
X is the greatest fighting game 
ever made. Hands-down. 3D 
fighters have nothing on this 2D 
visual tour-de-force. If you think 
the screens of GGX on this page 
look good, just wait until you see 
this baby in motion. It's high-res, 
it's simply overflowing with ani- 
mation—it's just an overall amaz- 
ing game to behold. GGX is a new 
example of what can be done with 
2D visuals and is possibly worth 
the price of admission for this 
reason alone. No joke. 





Absolutely brilliant 2D characters and 
backgrounds. Capcom should take notice! 


But anyone who's into fighters 
knows that gameplay takes 
precedence over visuals, and 
thankfully GGX doesn't just come 
off as a chunk of eye candy. It 
plays amazingly well and there's 
plenty of style and depth to be 
found here. 











A decent selection of characters each with 
unique weapons, such as swords, to use. 





A selection of what sounds like '80s metal 
music—hut it's actually pretty good stuff. 


Music/Sound 





Plays somewhat like the weapon-based 
‘Samurai Shodown games, which is nice. 


Gameplay 





Hardcore fighters might complain about 
some cheap stuff, but it's really quite good. 


Balance 





There's not a lot to the game, leaving some 
people wanting more. 


Downsides 





Brilliant visuals and fun weapon-based 





gameplay make this a must-play. 


Millia's long blond 
hair not only looks 
good, but can be 
quite lethal. 











GGX actually seems to play 
like an amalgam of a few differ- 
ent fighting games (the weapon- 
based fighting seems very 
Samurai Shodown-esque, yet the 
flashy effects and aerial combos 
are more akin to Marvel vs. 
Capcom). But even though it 
draws elements from the others, 
it definitely has a feel all of its 
own—and it's a good feel at that. 

What's odd, though, is Arc 
System Works' apparent fascina- 
tion with the artistic sensibilities 
of '80s hair-metal bands. The 
brazen and bloodied X from the 
logo, the"let's rock" and “heaven 
or hell” fight intros, and even the 
guitar-heavy soundtrack all seem 
like a massive throwback to the 
days of Warrant, Poison or Ratt. 

And if there's one downside to 
the game, it's that despite having 
training and survival modes, 
there's not a lot to keep you busy 
for too long. It's just a tad short. 

But that isn't enough to keep 
GGX from being one of the best 
Р52 fighters. Check it out! 

Final Score & е 
Sam Kennedy 


ЕЗ Players: 1-2 
егі Метогу Сага: 92 КЬ 











Bass Strike Virtual Fishing Tournament 


Bass Strike Virtual 
Fishing Tournament 
Publisher THQ 

Developer Pai 

Web Site www.thq.com 

Fishing. It's not like it's the most 
thrilling of sports. Nevertheless, 
fishing games usually manage to 
edit out all the boring parts, distill- 
ing the sport down to its only really 
exciting moment: the catch. The 
good ones, anyway. 

Bass Strike is not such a game. 
You can see where it's drawn influ- 
ence from Sega's Bass Fishing 
(which is one astonishingly addic- 
tive game, let me tell you): The 
arcade pacing, the commentator 
guidance as you're reeling a fish in, 
even the locations are similar. But 
sadly, this game can't compare to 
that surprising gem. 

Part of the problem, | think, is 





that Bass Strike aims to be a bit 
more realistic. In certain areas 
you can troll around a lake to 
sample different spots, for exam- 
ple. And you also have to adjust 
the drag on the line when you're 
reeling in a catch. Things like that 
do make the game more realis- 
tic...but they also make it way 
more challenging. l've never had 
as many broken lines (in games or 
real life] as I've had while playing 
this game. 

And the graphics certainly 
don't help any. Really, for a PS2 
game, they're an embarrassment. 
It would be hard for me to recom- 
mend this game to, well, anyone. 
Final Score @@ 

Joe Rybicki 








Bass Strike Virtual Fishing Tournament 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (6) 


s a PS2 REVIEWS 


Batman: Vengeance 


Batman: Vengeance 
Publisher Ubi Soft 
Developer Ubi Soft 
Web Site www.ubisoft.com 
Relax, comic-book fans. If Batman: 
Vengeance, the first-ever PS2 
release featuring a do-gooding 
man in tights, is any indication, 
then the longstanding axiom that 
superhero games have to suck 
might be a thing of the past. While 
nowhere near the caliber of 
Spider-Man, the Dark Knight 
returns with his first decent game 
in seven years—a game all Bat- 
fans should enjoy overall...though 
others will likely find it negligible. 
When it comes to making you 
feel as though you're actually in 
Gotham— fighting evil on its 
rooftops, racing down its streets in 
the Batmobile, flying its skies in 
the Batplane, etc.—Vengeance tri- 


"en 
irme 
2 PN 


Batman: Vengeance 


© 


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— 


Batman: Vengeance 





462) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 





umphs like nothing before. Taking 
its aesthetic inspiration from the 
gritty New Batman Adventures 
cartoon series, the game intro- 
duces a dark world fully worthy of 
its Teen rating. Granted, it's noth- 
ing to hide a 10-year-old from, but 
the complete plot has a great deal 
of depth to it, intertwining seem- 
ingly unrelated schemes of the 
Joker, Poison Іму and Mr. Freeze 
into one master plan. The graph- 
ics present Gotham in its glorious 
dark shades, while maintaining 
the simple yet effective look of the 
show. Meanwhile, masterful voice- 
work comes courtesy of the likes 
of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill and 
the TV show's cast. All primo stuff. 
Except when it comes to what 
you actually play, that is. While by 
no means awful, the gameplay 
fails to live up to its potential. I'm 
all for diversity—that's one thing 
that made Spider-Man so great— 
it's just that Vengeance rarely 
pulls off anything in a way that's 
better than mediocre. The one-on- 
one fights that comprise much of 
the action mainly boil down to but- 
ton mashing, while the first-per- 
son shooter-style perspective is a 
little out of place since Batman 
hates guns [though he does use 
one in a cutscene—l won't say 
why!], and the vehicles handle 
poorly. | have to think that with a 
little more work in the play 
mechanics arena, Vengeance 
could have been truly special. Still, 
its presentation and story make it 
respectable, nonetheless. 
Final Score Ф e e 
Chris Baker 














Crash Bandicoot: 
The Wrath of Cortex 


Less than the sum of its parts 


Publisher Universal 
Developer Traveller's Tales 
Web Site universalgames.com 
When the first Crash game came 
out, | wasn't terribly thrilled with 
it. Sure, it looked great, but the 
difficulty level and the issues 
with the limited 3D platform 
engine turned me off. But with 
Crash 2, and especially Crash 3, 
Naughty Dog won me over in a 
big way. Those games are just so 
solid; they re wonderfully varied 
and structured in such a way 
that it's almost impossible to get 
frustrated. It made you want to 
earn every last gem, get every 
single fruit, break every box. 
With Wrath of Cortex, 
Traveller's Tales incorporated 
all the ingredients of the previ- 
ous games. You'll find the same 
varied gameplay; the same vari- 





ety of levels and abilities; the 
same system of fruits, boxes, 
gems and relics; the same shifts 
between forward- and side- 
scrolling segments. This is, with- 
out question, a Crash game. 

So why don't | care enough to 
want to keep playing? 

Part of the problem, | think, 
is that while TT put in all the fea- 
tures of the earlier games, they 
somehow missed some of the 
basic fundamentals. Like the fact 
that you do not—repeat, do not— 
allow full 3D movement in side- 
scrolling segments; doing so 
only causes the player to miss 
pickups and get frustrated and 
angry. Or the fact that you don't 
make a fiery pit emit so much 
smoke that Crash keeps falling 
in because it's impossible to see 
the edges. Or the fact that if the 
load times are longer than the 
level, something has to change. 

Yeah, you read right: There 
are some levels where it actually 
takes longer to load into and out 
of the level than it does to play 
through the level itself. It's so 
bad that the designers actually 
included a fruit-collecting "mini- 
game" (at left] to help pass the 
time. That's just sad. 

But like | said, the ingredients 
for a good Crash game are all 
there. And some of the new ele- 
ments are pretty solid, most 
notably the "Atlas Sphere" levels, 
where Crash whirls around large 
levels inside a clear ball, Marble 
Madness-style. There's also a 
fairly entertaining mine-cart 





segment. What's odd, though, is 
that the best of these seem to be 
the least-used. Why is there only 
one brief mine-cart segment and 
seemingly dozens of annoying 
underwater levels? The bottom 
line is that this lacks the polish, 
the balance and the excellence 
of the earlier games. 

But that's not to say it's a bad 
game. For one thing, the graph- 
ics are really stunning. Since the 
early games looked so great, at 
first glance you might not notice 
a huge jump in graphical quality. 
But if you concentrate on the 
scenery and effects, you'll see 
that this is really one fantastic- 
looking game. And the variety of 
environments and level types is 
certainly entertaining. 

If the earlier Crash games 
didn't exist, it might be a lot eas- 
ier to enjoy this PS2 outing. But 
when the strongest feeling | get 
from a game is the desire to play 
its predecessors, something's 
not quite right. 
Final Score & 
Joe Rybicki 








Player: 





Memory Card: 65 











a 
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3 HOW TO HELP. 














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FIFA 2002 


FIFA 2002 

Publisher EA Sports 

Developer EA Sports 

Web Site www.easports.com 
Soccer fans: Put away last year's 
FIFA and never play it again. FIFA 
2002 is the only game any self- 
respecting footie fan needs to own. 

This fantastic new version of 
FIFA will bring you to emotional 
peaks and valleys the same way 
real soccer can. You're not just 
playing, you're part of the game. 
You know those pictures of a strik- 
er after he's missed an opportunity 
to score a Golden Goal, and he cov- 
ers his face in disbelief? Expect 
similar responses from yourself 
after a shot goes wide. Goal oppor- 
tunities, like in real soccer, are 
rare. And missing them, like in real 
soccer, is downright painful. 

To make the experience more 
encompassing, EA completely 
revamped the engine. First, the 
camera is farther away, which is 
imperative now that the game is 
infinitely more strategic. It may 
seem boring to fans of American 
sports, but passing the ball around 
on defense is as important as 
speed bursting past a defender. 
This strategy aspect, this patient 
approach to the game, makes it 
much more replayable, as well. 
You'll have to search out a system 
that works best for you, that 
acknowledges your team's 
strengths and weaknesses, other- 
wise you won't be competitive. 

With all the other EA Sports 
games, the "it's in the game" slo- 
gan doesn't really fit. But with 
FIFA, it does. The crowds feel alive. 
They wave flags, light off flares, 
and react to what's going on in the 
game. It's such a rush to be one- 


(64 Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


on-one with the keeper as the 
crowd hangs on every move. 

For the authenticity sticklers, 
you'll be blown away. Every jersey 
is patterned after the real thing 
and faces of stars like Thierry 
Henry or David Beckham are 
instantly recognizable. 

Innovation-wise, the right ana- 
log stick is now used for give-and- 
go passes, though I'd rather it just 
serve to pass the ball, but the pas- 
sing system is 200 percent better 
than last year. One more thing: too 
few special moves. | need more! 

FIFA is a must-buy for sports 
fans. It may very well be EA 
Sports best game this year. 

Final Score 6 © € 
Todd Zuniga 








Players: 
Memory Са 





oC: 
FIFA 2002 





Bonnett 


Giants: Citizen Kab 


Giants: Citizen Kabuto 


Giants: Citizen Kabuto 


Publisher Interplay 

Developer Planet Moon 

Web Site www.interplay.com 

1 don't like criticizing marketing 
efforts to lead off a game review— 
but come on, Interplay. Giants: 
Citizen Kabuto has to be the worst 
title you could have come up with 
for this one. And could that King 
Kong-esque cover art do any less 
to further poorly communicate 
what makes this game most 
worthwhile? That, of course, being 
humor. Laugh-out-loud, knee- 
slapping, “I can't believe that just 
happened” humor. In fact, Giants 
probably ranks among the most 
hilarious games ever produced. 

Instead, the marketing spin 
seems to focus on the gameplay 
and graphics. But, sadly, they only 
succeed well enough to keep you 
interested in the story—you know, 
to see what bit of decidedly British 
humor the producers of the MDK 
series hit us with next. There are 
some really cool ideas here, 
though, as you assume the roles of 
three different races throughout 
the 30ish hours of gameplay; the 
missions vary nicely, as well. Still, 
Giants basically comes down to 
shooting/slashing in a third- (осса- 
sionally first-) person manner 
through environments that, while 
colorful, fail to equal the graphical 
splendor of its contemporaries. 

At the same time, though, 
gamers up for a good laugh would 
be remiss in passing up Giants. It's 
definitely worth a look. 

Final Score 6 © @@ 
Chris Baker 






Сага: 569 КВ 





Harvest Moon: 

Save the Homeland 
Publisher Natsume 

Developer Victor Interactive 

Web Site www.natsume.com 

From its first days on the Super 
Nintendo up through its PS one and 
N64 incarnations, the Harvest Moon 
series’ greatest strength has also 
been its biggest weakness: They're 
essentially farming games. And 
though they may be unique and 
engrossing, it's tough to get past the 
fact that day after day you're stuck 
spending the bulk of your time till- 
ing the soil, tending your livestock, 
and harvesting crops. No matter 
how you spin it, work is work—and 
in the games it often felt that way. 

Homeland addresses this prob- 
lem in a big way, finally fixing one of 
my biggest gripes with the series. 
This time around, the farming por- 
tions have been significantly 
streamlined. But rather than, say, 
dumbing everything down, this actu- 
ally smartens things up. Indeed, the 
farming aspects remain every bit as 
complex as in the past, but now you 
won't have to spend nearly as much 
time doing all that drudge work, 
leaving you free to pursue your true 
goal—to save your ranch and the 
surrounding village from being 
turned into a resort. 

With nine possible ways to win, 
the game is delightfully open- 
ended. How you spend your time 
each virtual day truly is up to you. 
Sounds overwhelming, sure—but 
here it works just fine, thanks to the 
delicate balance between complet- 
ing all your chores and pursuing the 
myriad other possible activities 
throughout the village. Quite quickly, 
you'll fall into a comfortable daily 
rhythm that will very subtly change 





with each passing week. 

It's these small changes that are 
the most compelling thing about 
Homeland. This isn't a game of 
bold deeds and blustery pyrotech- 
nics. No, it's the little things here 
that'll really win your heart—like 
the day your first cow starts to give 
milk, or the first time you bond with 
that stray pup roaming your farm. 
Or the spring morning when young 
Tim decides he trusts you enough 
to share his treasure map with you. 
Or the moment you finally forge a 
friendship with the once-standoffish 
Dia. Even more than victory itself, 
it's these quiet kinds of events that 
are Homeland's biggest rewards. 
FinalScoreee e e 
Gary Steinman 


Players: 1 
Memory Car 


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Harvest Moon 


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Half-Life 


This stellar port radiates excellence 


Publisher Sierra 

Developer Valve/Gearbox 

Web Site www.sierra.com 

Gordon Freeman had a pretty good 
life. Having graduated from М.І.Т. 
with a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, 
he was on the fast track to success 
as a Research Associate at the 
Black Mesa Research Facility. Until 
everything went to hell. 

Bad enough that he was late for 
work and forced to sit through the 
droning, ultrapolite computer voice 
that accompanied his seemingly 
endless daily tram ride from his 
dormitory to the research area. 
Forced to suffer the snidely disap- 
proving comments of his col- 
leagues, he rushed to don his envi- 
ronmental suit and hurry to the site 
of that day's experiment. Annoyed 
and out of breath, he was bustled 


into the test chamber by the presid- 
ing scientists. As the experiment 
ramped up, everything looked 
fine—mostly. Dutifully following 
procedures, he inserted the sample 
into the experimental apparatus. 
And then everything came apart. 
Transported briefly to what 
appeared to be an alien world, he 
returned to the facility in a blink of 
an eye to find the entire place a 
shambles, infested by alien mon- 





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strosities the likes of which he'd 
never seen. Now he must deal with 
this new menace, and try to escape 
the facility with his life against all 
the powers of the alien world—and 
our own. Some days it just doesn't 
pay to get up in the morning. 

If you're wondering why I've 
spent so much time talking about 
the story of what can plainly be 
seen as a first-person shooter, 
it's because, well, it has one. Few 
FPSes can make that claim with а 
straight face, and only one other 
game on the PS2: Red Faction, 
which was undeniably and 
unashamedly influenced by this 
PC-originated game. 

But it's not just that Half-Life 
has a story—in fact, in terms of 
major plot elements, dialogue and 
such, | have to admit it's a bit thin. 


s 
bunk Ma 
uc I LANE 


Half-Life’s unusual PS2-exclusive two-player 
episode, Decay, should prove a treat to both 
newcomers and longtime fans of the PC game. 
The story begins with two female research 
associates setting up Gordon Freeman's ill- 
fated experiment. When all hell breaks loose, 
the two of you must set off with the same goal 


as Freeman's—to get the heck out of there—but 


along a different course. 

It's a fascinating idea, and although some of 
the levels look a bit less polished than in the 
one-player mode, the episode enjoys the same 
production values as the ог! 

There are some pretty significant com- 
plaints, though. For one thing, although the 
game offers the option of going through these 


missions solo, there are areas where you simply: 


can't pass without a second player helping out. 


(led) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


For another, the default horizontal split-screen 
left John and me wishing for a vertical option. 
It's possible to do it by setting the video options 
to а 16:9 aspect ration, but you'll need either a 
wide-screen TV or the ability to ignore weirdly 
distorted characters and environments. 

Still, Decay is a significant and entertaining 
addition to the game, and a much-needed addi- 
tion to the genre, as well. 











What really turns heads is that 
events in the game are delivered in 
aremerkably cinematic fashion. 
The game is permeated with script- 
ed events, from overheard conver- 
sations, to battles raging in the next 
room, to non-player characters 
meeting a variety of grisly (and 
sometimes sickly humorous] ends. 
The net effect is that you always 
feel as though you're in a living 
world populated by a realistic 
assortment of feeling characters. 
It's impressive, and surprising—and 
occasionally shocking enough that | 
literally jumped in my seat. 

Furthermore, this stuff just 
doesn't quit. The game just goes on 
and on; yet the environments are so 
varied that there's never a moment 
of boredom or a feeling of monoto- 
ny. It's an extraordinary feat. 

But all this could be found on 
the PC version—what about the 
translation to the PS2? l'm more 
than happy to say it's been pulled 
off nearly flawlessly. The frame- 
rate, with very few exceptions, flows 
at a steady 60 fps, making the con- 
trols feel wonderfully smooth and 
responsive, even in two-player 
mode (though there are some 
graphical sacrifices there). Sure, 
the resolution is dropped, but the 
improved character models even 





out the graphical balance. The 
inclusion of a lock-on feature 
allows for a more than satisfactory 
translation to Dual Shock controls. 
And the addition of the two-player 
co-operative episode, Decay [see 
sidebar], adds further value to this 
already spectacular game. 

Are there complaints? Sure—but 
they're mostly minor. As | alluded 
earlier, in some rare occasions the 
framerate drops embarrassingly. 
A fairly limited array of enemies 
makes me wish for greater variety 
in that department. In certain spots, 
you'll encounter slippery controls, 
most notably while piloting trams 
through one major portion of the 
game. There are also a few graphi- 
cal glitches, and places where the 





graphics look like they came froma 
three-year-old PC game [which 
they did]. 

But Half-Life wasn't hailed as 
the best PC game of all time by a 
majority of the press for no reason. 
This is truly an FPS masterpiece, 
and the translation to PS2 is as 
exceptional as the game itself. 
Final Score 6 6 6 6 6 
Joe Rybicki 






































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> Lightning | 
ғ - 


Kessen Il 





Developer Koei 

Web Site www.koeigames.com 
Forget everything you remember 
about the original Kessen. With the 
occasional exception, Kessen II 
offers an entirely different experi- 
ence, while at the same time yield- 
ing approximately the same result: 
an overall enjoyable strategy title 
that's not without its faults. 

But don't go thinking you're in 
store for another real-time strate- 
gy—in many ways, you're not. Sure, 
the opposing units all do battle in 
real time; the only thing is, the 
choices you make in your com- 
mands all occur while the game is 
paused. You can't just redirect a 
unit on the move as you could the 
first time, which tends to slow 
down the game's pace. 

Fortunately, the gameplay has 
improved. Most notably, instead of 
just watching and waiting until 
something happens, you can now 
fill the shoes of a general on 
horseback, adding a bit of action to 
an otherwise purely strategical 
game. Granted, this action is a bit 
clunky (I don't know how many 
times I slew an ally when | aimed 
for an enemy], but your actions can 
actually turn the tide. A few gener- 
als even know magic spells that 
impressively terrorize as many as 
500 combatants on screen, who 
might be seen on traditional bat- 
tlefields or even in challenging 
castles or naval skirmishes. Koei 
even boasts an elephant battle, 
though | never experienced such a 
thing, probably due to one of the 
several instances where the disap- 
pointing story branches out. 

Though set in China's Three 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 





Kingdoms era, Kessen II follows 
the tale about as well as Monty 
Python and the Holy Grail repre- 
sents Arthurian legend, with 
inconsistent voice acting and poor 
plot development. It all revolves 
around hero Liu Bei's quest to 
save his true love, Diao Chan, from 
the power-hungry Cao Cao—which 
fails to resemble the traditional 
tale of the Three Kingdoms at all. 
(Dynasty Warriors 2, which is truer 
to the story, rightly sets up Diao 
Chan and Liu Bei as enemies.) 

In a weird way, though, | could- 
n't help but keep with Kessen II for 
hours. Something inexplicable 
about it just makes you play on. 
Final Score Ө e Ө 
Chris Baker 








Kessen II 


Kessen II 





Tony 


Publisher Activision 

Developer Neversoft 

Web Site www.activision.com 

The first sign is denial, but I'm not 
going to bother with it. There's an 
addiction brewing here, but | 
know just the remedy. All | need 
to do to beat it is to clear every 
level with every skater in Tony 
Hawk's Pro Skater 3. After that, | 
think I'll be just fine. It won't be 
easy, and I'll probably fall off the 
face of the earth for a few weeks 
trying. But I've got a schedule 
that should get me through: no 
sleep, a nightly hand massage 
from a large, German woman 
named Olga, and plenty of bottled 
water. Plus, a truckload of chili- 
cheese Fritos. Oh, and pizza. 

| | know it sounds crazy, but 

| once you step on the grip tape of 
THPS3, you're going to be lost 

| inside its brilliance. If you loved 
the first Tony Hawk, then went on 
to crave the second, this third 
installment is going to ruin you in 
the most pleasant of ways. 

The Career mode is other- 
worldly in its magnificence. Just 
when you begin to tire, or think 
about shutting the game down 





ВЕ 6050 + rc 50 





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2,84g X 8 


Hawk's 
‘Pro Skater 3 


Beware! THPS3 will ruin your life! 


after all, it is 4 а.т.), you'll get a 
clue on how to grab the Secret 
Tape, or you'll figure a way to 
one-foot Japan that transfer. You 
may never sleep again. 

Let me be clear: The replaya- 
bility is off the charts. And you'll 
only pay $50 for this game? Don't 
tell Activision, but it should cost 
twice as much. You're thinking, 
"Yeah, | don't care about replaya- 
bility. After | beat it once, I'm 
done." Well, those thoughts are 
from someone who hasn't shared 
in the shockingly cool unlock- 
ables. | won't force my findings 
upon you, but after you beat the 
game once and get your reward, 
you'll want to beat it again. Fast. 

And the best part? A few of the 
goals are different for each 
skater. One guy might need to 
Nosegrind a series of wires, 
another might need to do a 
Stalefish over a halfpipe. Plus, if 
you do the big tricks within eye- 





shot of a photographer, the end of 
your run will feature a "Cover 
Shot" which shows a sequence of 
photos with you doing a great 
move. It's so cool, I'm nearly gig- 
gling with excitement. 





Another key to the way the 
Career mode sucks you in and 
keeps you there, is the revamped 
points system. Last year you had 
to collect cash spread around dif- 
ferent levels. This time, you'll 
have to grab stat coins. Some are 
as easy to find as doing a kickflip, 
while others beg you to challenge 


WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GET ONLINE 


In addition to Sony's upcoming network adapter, Tony Hawk's Pro 
Skater 3 supports the following hardware: 


USB Ethernet Adapters 


D-Link DSB650TX SMC EZNET-USB 2102 USB 
LinkSys EtherFast 10/100 USB Network Adapter USB100T 


SOHOware 10/100 Mbps USB Network Adapter NUB100 
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Actiontec Call Waiting USB Modem 
Compaq 56K USB Fax Modem 
Multi-Tech Systems MultiModem USB 

New Media NetSurfer USB Pocket 56K 

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the rules of gravity just to come 
close. After a session, you get to 
allot the points to whichever of 
the eight skill sets you wish. So 
you can teitor your skater to the 
style that suits you. 

Speaking of skating styles, the 
best part of THPS3: You can domi- 
nate the game playing a certain 
way, but someone else can have 
equal success with his or her own 
style. That's all due to the addition 
of the Revert. With THPS2, the 
Manual allowed street tricksters 
to keep their lines going until they 
were scoring six figures. But vert 
guys [like myself] were at the 
mercy of how much air they were 
getting. No more! With the Revert 
you come out of a vert trick, tap 
R2, go into a Manual, and your 
trick string is still growing. You 
can even head up another vert 
ramp if you have enough speed. 
Once you get used to it, you'll rou- 
tinely knock out half a million 
points. 

One might wonder if the game 
is too difficult, with all this talk of 
revert and manuals and inflated 
scores. The thing is, the game's a 
bit easier than the PS one ver- 
sions. Now, don't get all in a tizzy. 
Easier doesn't mean simple. You'll 
still need to be the master of your 
board if you want success. It's just 
that some things [like stat coins] 
aren't impossible to get to. And 
I'm all for it. First-time ТНРЅ 
players—this game will erase the 
small set of remaining skeptics— 








will fall right into the easy control. 
But, like earlier games, you won't 
be able to conquer the game until 
you develop a style and use the 
repertoire of countless moves. 
The funny thing is, the game is 
50 deep, so great, it looks so 
darned pretty, I've yet to mention 
one of its best traits: It's online! 
You can gather up a cast of close 
friends or meet some perfect 
strangers to play the array of 
minigames versus one another, or 





you can hang out and compare 
skate skills. Genius. 

The moment you turn this 
game on, you'll be at its mercy. 
From that first second when you 
realize there's no pop-up any- 
where, ever, it'll have you. There 
is no other skateboarding game 
like this one. Every other skating 
game is less. If you love games, 
you'll love this. Buy it. And watch 
your weekends disappear. 

Final Score 6 6 6 6 ә 
Todd Zuniga 








Lego Racers 


Lego Racers 2 

Publisher Lego Software 
Developer Attention to Detail 

Web Site www.lego.com 

The first console game to really use 
the Lego license, Racers 2 not only 
lets you build your cars, but also 
knocks bricks off when they're 
damaged. And if you lose enough 
bricks, you're on foot until you 
reach a pit stop! Still, this middling 
cart racer is hampered by several 
problems. First, you have to ride a 
perfect race to win; fall behind, 
and there's little chance of retaking 
the lead. Second, the framerate is 
poor enough to be irritating. Plus, 
the control should be much tighter. 
Final Score Ө 64 

Gary Steinman 


Players: 1-2 





Memory Card: 80 KB 


NASCAR Thunder 2002 
Publisher EA Sports 

Developer EA Tiburon 

Web Site www.easports.com 

A lot of those hoity-toity road-racer 
types turn up their noses at 
NASCAR. After all, it's just a bunch 
of guys driving in circles, right? 
Heck no! The thing is, NASCAR is 
really about racing the other dri- 
vers, not just the track. 

But up until Thunder, the 
limited number of cars in every 
NASCAR game meant the experi- 
ence of racing in traffic was entire- 
ly lost. Thankfully, Thunder 
includes 43 cars in every race. It's 
next to impossible to lose contact 
with the pack, making every lap a 
battle for position that'll leave you 
wondering how you ever played 
those older NASCAR titles at all. 

Furthermore, EA has seen fit to 





NASCAR Thunder 2002 


treat NASCAR like the rest of 
their sports franchises and 
include basic features like full stat 
tracking and a career mode. Start 
а race team, then earn money and 
sign sponsors as you work toward 
taking home the trophy. 

Speaking as a true Winston Cup 
fan, | can't say enough nice things 
about this game. It conveys the 
excitement of the sport almost 
perfectly, with loads of options and 
excellent control. EA has set a new 
precedent for NASCAR-licensed 
games with Thunder 2002, one 
that | hope they'll only improve in 
the years to come. Fans definitely 
need to buy this game. 

Final Score @@@ 
Greg Sewart 
P3 Players: 1-4 

Memory Card: 1535 KB 


NBA Live 2002 

Publisher EA Sports 

Developer EA Canada 

Web Site www.easports.com 

Last year NBA Live was the turd in 
the punch bowl at EA Sports’ PS2 
party, smearing an otherwise 
classy reputation. But desperate 
hoops fans had little choice. It was 
either Live or NBA Hoopz. No thank 
you. 

This year, thankfully, new 
prospects have arrived. So, you can 
save yourself the masochism and 
the $50 by avoiding the updated 
NBA Live, a game that tries so hard 
to be good, but fails at just about 
every turn. 

My biggest gripe with Live is that 
it continues to live on the respirator 
of glitz and glamour that EA Sports 
injects into all of its games (some- 
times, like with Madden, they do so 








successfully). But do | care about 
cutscenes where players high-five 
or argue with the referees? | do 
not. What | care about is gameplay 
and an authentic basketball expe- 
rience. Neither are a priority here. 

Right off you'll notice the floating 
camera. A tiny pebble in your gam- 
ing high top, but it comes off as 
sloppy. But the camera is the least 
of your worries. Try pulling down a 
rebound. Don't get me started on 
that. Actually, do. Of all the 
rebounds | snagged while playing, 
about 10 percent of them came 
while | was jumping. Otherwise, I'd 
jump over the ball, as would every- 
one else until finally someone 
decided to grab it. Stupid. 

Other things that bother me: 
the free-throw meter is the same 
old, boring system. Having a guy 
right in your face doesn’t seem to 
affect the likelihood of your shot 
sinking. The Franchise Mode is a 
nice try, but the rookie draft is 
excruciatingly banal. You can easily 
pull off alley-oops making their 
usual excitement commonplace. 

If you decide to score, you will 
Score; even on the hardest level. 
You can go out of bounds too easi- 
ly, particularly when using special 
moves. If you make a steal, the 
camera whips around so quickly 
you feel like you're in the Blair 
Witch forest. 

| feel like | should praise Live 
for the graphical improvements. 
But I'd rather save you 50 bucks. 
Hold out for NBA 2K2. Otherwise, 
enjoy this pretty NBA disaster. 
Final Score @@@ 

Todd Zuniga 





Player: 4 
Memory Card: 581 KB 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (69) 








NHL Hitz 


NHL Hitz 2002 

Publisher Midway 

Developer Black Box 

Web Site www.midway.com 

If you're trying to get your grand- 
mother to pick up a PS2 controller, 
1 don't suggest Hitz as a primer. It's 
loud, fast, obnoxious—and a really 
fantastic game. Hockey translates 
perfectly to video games. And while 
the pace of hockey was less than 
stellar on the PS one, now the 
frantic action and great graphics 
on the PS2 make Hitz (and NHL 
2002) a total hoot. 

The arcade energy of Hitz is 
what really separates it from the 
competition. There are lots of bru- 
tal checks, lots of dazzling moves. 
Plus, if you want to shoot, you 
shoot. Even if you're in the midst of 
a special move, your player will 
adjust and fire the puck. Of all this, 
though, the finest accomplishment 
is the stirring fighting system. 
Instead of rolling your eyes when 
you drop the gloves, now it's cool. 
Plus, if you throw the knockout 
punch, your opponent is out for the 
game. Finally, fighting with an 
incentive. 

Hitz has a ton of game options. 
Compete in Midway-style 
Championship mode by beating all 
30 NHL teams, or load up a cus- 
tom team and play through a fran- 
chise. Or there's the NHL skills 
competition that's a blast. 

Besides the problem of period 
lengths being too long (three min- 
utes], this game belongs in your 
hockey collection with NHL 2002. 
Final Score © e ee 
Todd Zuniga 





670) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 


|. 


; і 
information ө LP/53: MONEY 
-- À— Z 5 pa 
leave Marlene alone! 


Marlene! 
[Princess! 


Okage: Shadow King 
Publisher Sony CEA 

Developer Zener Works 

Web Site www.scea.com 

In some ways, Okage is quite the 
achievement. Finally, an RPG that 
doesn't take itself too seriously! 
Finally, an RPG with a story that 
appeals to kids and adults alike: 
For the tykes, Okage is a raucous 
coming-of-age tale starring a hap- 
less boy and the insecure, blustery 
demon that inhabits his shadow; for 
adults, Okage raises enough exis- 
tential questions and has enough 
subtle inside-gaming references to 
keep us interested. Both audiences 
are likely to chuckle along with the 
game's absurd tone and witty dia- 
logue [although the translation is a 
bit inconsistent). Okage's presenta- 
tion is also noteworthy, featuring 
detailed, Tim Burton-esque charac- 





397/337 жаа || 


Okage 








1 


П 


ters and environments. 

But despite all these wonderful 
qualities, there's one big problem: 

There's no game here. 

OK, that's a bit harsh. To be fair, 
Okage's got all the RPG gameplay 
conventions covered. The problem 
is, the battle system—the meat and 
potatoes of any traditional RPG—is 
mercilessly bland. For the first six 
hours, | basically jammed on the X 
button while idly chatting with a 
co-worker, my wife, my cat, 
myself—anyone to pass the bore- 
dom. Later in the game, the battles 
get more interesting, but only 
enough to make them, say, mildly 
amusing. On top of that, the dun- 
geons reek of laziness: All look 
exactly alike, and all are populated 
with Urns as the oh-so-creative 
Sub-bosses. Yep, you read right— 
Urns, as in gigantic pottery. One 
dungeon has a whopping 36 Urns— 
all exactly alike. Um...why? 

The constant load times are 
another problem, especially since 
the game rewards you for explo- 
ration. While it's not crushing, it's 
noticeable enough to be annoying. 

Still, approach Okage in the 
right way, and you might just have 
a fine time. If you're looking for an 
offbeat, story-driven experience, 
albeit one that's light on quality 
gameplay, Okage is solid enough. If 
you're an RPG newbie or a younger 
gamer, Okage's basic battle system 
could be a solid-enough primer. 
But if you want the complete pack- 
age—story, presentation and 
gameplay—you'll be disappointed. 
Final Score ® @ e 
Gary Steinman 


Т ДЕДЕ 
ая Метогу Сага: 150 КВ 


"m —,; 7 


Sunny Garcia Surfing 





ae 
Sunny Garcia Surfing 


Sunny Garcia Surfing 
Publisher Ubi Soft 

Developer Kronos 

Web Site www.ubisoft.com 

You know, | think this is just about 
as good as a surfing game is 
gonna get. The graphics are pleas- 
ant, the music is quite fitting, there 
are lots of tricks to be mastered— 
it's just about everything you'd 
want to see in a surfing game. The 
only thing holding it back is that it's 
exactly that—a surfing game. No 
matter how much Ubi Soft and 
Kronos attempted to Tony Hawk-ify 
it, Sunny Garcia is still confined to 
water and waves, something the 
other extreme sports games don't 
have to worry about. So while 
Sunny is a lot of fun to play around 
with, the game just can’t stand in 
the same league as, say, a Tony 
Hawk or Mat Hoffman. 

Actually, for those of you who 
checked out Championship Surfing 
on the PS one earlier this year, this 
is essentially just a better-looking 
and playing version of that game 
(Ubi Soft snapped up the rights 
from the now-defunct Mattel and 
slapped on Sunny's likeness). 
Performing tricks feels a bit easi- 
er now, but it also seems that the 
game can be too forgiving at times. 

Га highly recommend Sunny to 
surfing fans, though. It's got tons 
of surfers, boards, beaches and 
even minigames to play with. Like 
I've said in the past, this is exactly 
what you should expect from 
Kronos, a bunch of surfing enthu- 
Siasts themselves. Give it a try. 
Final Score @ ‹ 

Sam Kennedy 


r4 Players: 1-2 
4 Memory Card: 227 Kb 








Victorious Boxers 





Victorious Boxers 
Publisher Empire 

Developer New Corporation 

Web Site www.empire-us.com 
Before | even stepped foot into 
Victorious Boxers’ squared circle, 

1 had overheard rumblings that it 
was “the Punch-Out for PS2." After 
throwing my weight around, I'm 
still waiting for that. Truth is, VB 
lacks the charisma of that pugilist 
classic, but if you're in the mood to 
hit something, you're better off 
with VB than with Knockout Kings. 

While the physics and the tech- 
nique are to be commended, | 
expect boxing purists to react the 
way | did. | felt a grim disparity 
between myself and Japan's box- 
ing culture. Besides Rocky IV, | 
identify boxing as a sport that 
exists primarily in the Western 
Hemisphere, so | had a hard time 
swallowing a boxing pill which only 
features names like Ichiro Suzuki 
and Kazahuro Sasake. Except the 
final fighter, who's an American 
Marine. What the...? 

Besides the names, the game is 
very, very anime, which | also find 
off-putting. In the Career mode, 
which pits you against a series of 
different fighting styles while you 
find your own, you'll have an oddly 
barbered manager who gives good 
advice (watch for the hook, try 
using combinations, etc.), but does 
so in a creepy way that makes you 
want him to stop. 

Overall, this is the best "pure" 
boxing you'll find on the PS2. But 
there are hurdles to overcome. 
Final Score @@@@ 

Todd Zuniga 


[С] Players: 1-2 


Memory Card: 68 KB 





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law. By participating in this promotion, entrant agrees to abide by and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges. 








GENERAL: А! federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. No purchase necessary. Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of entries received, Potential winners must respond to any required Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability Form within 14 days of 
attempted delivery of same. Noncompliance within this time period wil result in disqualification and forfeiture of each prize. The winner will be notified by тай sometime after December 315, 2001. One entry per person. Late, lost, misdirected, legible, or mutilated entries will not be eligible. No 
| substitution or transfer of prize permitted, unless prize is generally unavailable at sweepstakes’ end, in which case a prize of comparable or greater value wil be substituted. All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibilty of winner. Acceptance of prize offered constitutes 
permission to use winner's name for advertising/trade purposes without further compensation, unless prohibited by ан. All entries must be received no later than December 318, 2001, with the winners being announced on or around January 15th, 2002. The drawing will be held and the entries will 
be judged by Activision, Inc. Judges decisions are final. By entering this contest, you agree that Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Gaming World, Official US. PlayStation Magazine, Ziff Davis, and the other contest sponsors may use your name and information for promotional purposes without 
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the Logitech logo and the Logitech products referred to herein are either trademarks or the registered trademarks of Logitech. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 
Sony Computer Entertainment America takes no responsibilty for this offer. 


| | [EVERYONE 

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PlayStation.e | EERE 

















Looney Tunes 


Looney Tunes: 

Sheep Raider 

Publisher Infogrames 

Developer Infogrames Lyon House 
Web Site www.us.infogrames.com 
A quick look at a puzzle sequence 

halfway into Sheep Raider: 

After obtaining an Acme rubber 
band and remote control, Ralph 
Wolf finds a robot, places it on а 
seesaw, and flings it to a faraway 
cliff. Using the remote, Ralph pilots 
the robot toward a distant mailbox 
to order yet another Acme product: 
a Bugs Bunny costume—perfect for 
sneaking past Sam Sheep-dog! Of 
course, Daffy's on the scene, and 
true to form, he turns duck season 
into rabbit season. Sheesh. Now 
Ralph's gotta avoid Elmer Fudd 
while hippity-hopping past Sam! 
Ralph eventually sneaks by, climbs 
a cliff, and jumps down to a safe 
spot behind the sheepdog. From 
there, Ralph distracts Sam with the 
robot while he steals a sheep, and 
then uses the rubber band to whip- 
saw himself back to the cliff above. 

Pretty neat, huh? A nice change 
of pace for the kids, right? 

Well, not quite. Despite its clever 
premise, Sheep Raider falls flat due 
to its mediocre graphics, sticky 
control and awkward camera. 
Working through the puzzles is fair- 
ly amusing—but then you still have 
to play the game. Basically, once 
you know where to go, getting there 
can be a real chore. And if “getting 
there” is supposed to be half the 
fun, then Sheep Raider is only half 
as good as it should be. 

Final Score @@@ 
Gary Steinman 


Players: 1 
A- Memory Сага: 1 block 


X 


172) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


Moet 


Monsters, Inc. 


room: 


Monsters, Inc. 


Monsters, Inc. 

Publisher Sony CEA 

Developer A2M 

Web Site www.scea.com 

With such quality titles as Tarzan, 
The Emperor's New Groove and 
Atlantis under its belt, Sony has 
proven that the possibility of creat- 
ing a solid game based on a movie 
actually does exist (at least with 
Disney flicks). Monsters, Inc. is no 
exception. While essentially just 
another Spyro clone, there's no 
denying its fun gameplay and flat- 
out likability. 

As you probably already know, 
Monsters, Inc. takes its basis from 
the Disney/Pixar film released on 
Nov. 2. However, you won't get a 
retelling of the movie's plot here 
(though cutscenes from the film do 
appear en masse]. Rather, the 
game version takes you back in 
time to when Sulley and Mike were 
mere students at the Monster 
Academy, proving their worth by 
demonstrating their scare tactics 
against robotic “kid simulators” 
called Nerves. And no matter 
which of the two monstrous pro- 
tagonists you choose, you're bound 
to laugh out loud every so often as 
Sulley pops a bag or Mike pokes 
himself in the eye to scream loudly. 
Tracking down the Nerves, usually 
through typical platforming action, 
is part of the game's fun, and you 
can also expect a few puzzles per- 
fect in difficulty for the youngish- 
targeted audience. The game even 
looks great, with lush scenery and 
great animations. Good stuff. 

Final Score e e e« 
Chris Baker 


ЕЗ Players: 1 


Memory Card: 1 block 





Publisher Enix 
Developer Enix/Heartbeat 
Web Site www.enix.com 
Dragon Warrior VII is a role-playing 
game in the most traditional sense. 
Featuring an incredibly lengthy 
quest, a simplistic graphical style, 
and old-school turn-based combat, 
this really feels like the classic 
RPGs of yesterday—you know, 
when less emphasis was placed on 
grandiose magical effects, CG 
movies and melodramatic story- 
lines (i.e., before FFVII). When RPGs 
played more like, well, video games 
and not Hollywood productions. 
Don't get me wrong, I've got 
nothing against the way RPGs have 
progressed over the past few years, 
but playing through Dragon Warrior 
VII now, I'm reminded of just how 
far a good RPG storyline and old- 
school gameplay can go. And of the 
magic that all Dragon Warrior 
games just seem to possess. 
Although this latest installment 
was put together by the external 
studio Heartbeat, Dragon Warrior 
VII was still spearheaded by Enix's 
dream team of DW veterans: story 
and game designer Yuji Horii, char- 
acter and monster designer Akira 
Toriyama, and composer Koichi 
Sugiyama. This combination helps 
give the game a fresh feel while 
making sure it maintains a lot of the 








Dragon Warrior ҮП 


An adventure five years in the making 


aspects that have made the series 
so popular (in Japan, at least). 

Amazingly, this group worked on 
Dragon Warrior VII for over five 
years—which could help explain the 
game's almost obscene length. This 
is truly a 100-hour RPG, featuring a 
bible of a story along with a crafty 
Earth-rebuilding incentive and an 
intricate job system. Prepare to give 
up a good portion of your life to this 
game if you allow yourself to get 
sucked in (as | did]. 

But also be prepared to allow 
the game some time to get going, 
as it takes a rather bold choice in 
pacing. There's not even a battle to 
be found until about two hours in. 
However, this is all in the name of 
story presentation, which ought to 
be commended. Yuji Horii {known 
for his story and direction for the 
other Dragon Warrior titles, as well 
as hit RPGs such as Chrono 
Trigger], has once again crafted a 
marvelous tale that will capture 
your interest and won't let go. 

You'll also have to prepare to 
deal with rather antiquated-looking 
graphics, though. The simple 3D 
backgrounds and 2D characters 
certainly look weak next to most of 
the PS one RPGs of today. But you 
know what? | rather like them. 
There's a really nice charm about 
the game's visual style, and the fact 
that everything can be rotated in 3D 
on the fly is quite nice. Also likely 
because of the simplistic graphics 
(but no doubt thanks to Enix's fine 
programmers as well] is the com- 
plete absence of load times. It real- 
ly makes such a difference to be 
able to play through an RPG with- 
out a second's pause for loading— 
another throwback to the quests 





am-Ketook 8 





before CD-based platforms. 

The game's sound effects, too, 
help remind me of the RPGs of yes- 
terday, thanks to the use of old 
samples for such actions as walk- 
ing in between rooms or scenes. A 
wonderful choice on Enix's part. As 
fitting as the sounds is Sugiyama's 
stupendous soundtrack. Not only is 





it technically proficient (for being 
streamed on the PS опе), but it's 
sheer brilliance in terms of compo- 
sition and is now one of my favorite 
game soundtracks of all time. 

Dragon Warrior VII's only major 
faults, though, are in the area of 
gameplay, which seems to have 
progressed very little from the pre- 
vious DW installments of years ago. 
Also, the head-on turn-based com- 
bat seems somewhat dated, as 
does the vernacular used for many 
of the collected items [such as 
"mystic nut" or "life acorn”). 

As someone who enjoys the 
old-school approach, these didn't 
bother me, but it's likely that 
gamers expecting something along 
the lines of a Final Fantasy are 
going to get quite frustrated. 

Final Score Ө e e e« 
Sam Kennedy 


1 block 








Reserve Your Copy Now! www.capcom.maximo.com 


А | Violence 
PlayStation. T 


f CAPCOM CO. 


mark of the In 









INC. 2001. ALL RI 
Ino, “PlayStation” a 


andthe CAPCOM logo are regis: 
re Fegistered trademarks of Sony 





by ©2001 Susumu Matsushita Company/Master Licensor 
Digital Software Association 











Panzer Front 








Panzer Front 


Panzer Front 
Publisher Agetec 
Developer Enterbrain 
Web Site www.agetec.com 
“The thunder of war was felt clos- 
est in the heart of a tank” the box 
says, somewhat dramatically. It 
goes on to talk of “bursting 
through hedgerows’ and other 
such drama. Conceptually, it's a 
real winner, a 3D combat fest with 
limited tactical elements, some 
authentic scenarios, and realisti- 
cally modeled bits and bobs. 
Tanks, as I’m sure you know if 
you paid attention in history class, 
or watch Band of Brothers on 
HBO, are somewhat limited in that 
they're excruciatingly slow. This 
limitation is the driving factor 
behind much of the gameplay in 
Panzer Front, as it forces you to be 
stealthy, careful and accurate. 
One wrong move and the bad guys 
will gladly bust a very large cap in 
your ass and send you home ina 
box. Creeping around the environ- 
ments trying to keep track of 
where the enemy is becomes a 
tense experience and battles are 
methodical and nerve-wracking. 
It's unfortunate that the great 
ideas are spoiled somewhat by the 
presentation. | know that the speed 
is integral to the design, but it 
makes gameplay painful. It also 
suffers from some weird graphical 
glitches that mean you can't 
always see your targets when you 
should be able to. | despise the 
music too, but that's a matter of 
taste rather than quality | suppose. 
Final Score Ө Ө e« 
John Davison 


| Players: 1 
8 Я Memory Card: 1 block 


(7) Official PlayStation Magazine 


Powerpuff Girls 


The Powerpuff Girls: 
Chemical X-Traction 
Publisher Bam! 

Developer Vis/Asylum 

Web Site www.ban4fun.com 
You'd think, with The Powerpuff 
Girls being such a beloved, enter- 
taining series, that when the car- 
toon made the jump to the 
PlayStation it would be a worthy 
endeavor. You'd be wrong. 

Sure, the game does include all 
the quirky villains from the show. It 
includes the three girls in all their 
glory—and in 3D, no less, which 
works surprisingly well. And it 
includes memorable locations 
from the city of Townsville. What it 
doesn't include, however, is a 
whole lot of gameplay. 

The idea is a sound one that's 
worked before: It's a fighting game, 
but combat takes place within 3D 
arenas populated with plenty of 
objects to pick up and hurl at your 
opponent; collect three vials of 
Chemical X and you can unleash a 
powerful special attack. 

Trouble is, the Powerpuff Girls 
are very small. And most of their 
enemies are quite large. So it's all 
but impossible to land more than 
the occasional punch and kick 
before you get pummeled half to 
death. The game thus degenerates 
into pick up object, throw, repeat. 
Not exactly the most thrilling of 
experiences. And the glitchy 
graphics and periodic slowdown 
are never good additions to a fight- 
ing game. | guess diehard fans 
might enjoy this. | sure didn't. 
Final Score 
Joe Rybicki 












e Players: 1-2 
А 5 Memory Card: 1 block 








SpongeBob 


Rocket Power Team 
Rocket Rescue 

Publisher THQ 

Developer Dark Black 

Web Site www.thq.corn 

| won't question the mental stabili- 
ty of those wowed by the whimsy of 
the Rocket Power collective. To 
each his own. But | would like to 
scare you away from this game. If 
it's for kids, it's too hard and it will 
lower their self-esteem. If it's for 
adults, it's way too hard and it'll 
make you angry. 

If you want an X-game, grab 
Tony Hawk 3. Don't be taken in by 
the multiple action sports that this 
game features. They're all bad. 
Final Score e« 

Todd Zuniga 


: 1 block 


SpongeBob SquarePants: 
SuperSponge 

Publisher THQ 

Developer Climax 

Web Site www.thq.com 

As is the case with most licensed 
kid stuff, SuperSponge deftly 
straddles the line of mediocrity. It 
looks good enough to catch the 
eyes of both the child (who'll want 
it) and the parent (who'll pay for it]; 
it plays well enough to hold a kid's 
attention for the first few minutes; 
but it'll ultimately end up forgotten 
in a toy chest soon afterward. 
SuperSponge's platforming game- 
play is thoroughly awkward and 
bland—with or without the license. 
Final Score ee 

Gary Steinman 


Players: 1 
8&3 Memory Card: 1 block 


6180 
ШШЩЩ 


BONELESS 





Pro 


Tony Hawk's 
Skater 3 


жағда” 
ЕД 





Tony's last dance on PS опе? 


Publisher Activision 
Developer Shaba Games 
Web Site www.activision.com 
For a few months there, I'd for- 
gotten that Tony Hawk's Pro 
Skater 2 is my favorite game ever. 
I'd forgotten that | spent my 
entire life, after its release, beat- 
ing every level with every skater. 
Collecting everything. One-hun- 
dred percent. Eating, socializing 
and staring at solar eclipses all 
took a backseat to my obsession. 
Now a new THPS era dawns. 
The house that Neversoft built 
has been rented out to Shaba 
Games, the minds behind Grind 
Session. Don't worry, Neversoft 
hasn't sold out; they've just been 
putting all of their efforts into the 
robust PS2 version. What's truly 
important is that the game feels 


FS BOARDSCICE + HANG. 


2159 X2. 








and looks like the THPS of old. It 


hasn't been revamped or recon- 
structed. Yet, really, this non-evo- 
lution isn't all positive. 

If you're a leisurely fan of 
THPS2, you're really going to 
enjoy THPS3. If you're a crazy fan 





who has a complete life shutdown 
when a new Hawk game hits the 
shelves, you'll probably be disap- 
pointed by number three. 

The leap from the original 
THPS to its sequel was ground- 
breaking. We've used so many 
gushing adjectives we'll let your 
vocabulary come up with new 
superlatives. But with Neversoft 
making their next big leap a PS2 
graphical jump, the PS one ver- 
Sion is, in a sense, left behind. 

Does the game feel great? Yes. 
Without a doubt. Are the graphics 
great? For PS one, yes. (Though 
play the PS2 version and you'll be 
shocked by the amount of pop-up 
you've been enduring on the PS 
one.) Are all the old favorite fea- 
tures still alive and well? Yes, the 
skatepark editor and create-a- 
skater continue to give some 
people reason to live. 


But the only addition for 
THPS2 is the Revert, which 
allows vert tricks to be turned 
into Manuals without breaking 
the trick string (if you time it 
right). It's a relatively small addi- 
tion, but let's not fool ourselves: 
The Revert has the power to 
knock out an entire weekend 
without fail. 

Additions and particulars 
aside, the best part of the new 
game is the vast and wisely 
reconsidered Career Mode. In 
the last game you collected 
money to buy boards, stats and 
tricks; this time you'll try to get 
stat points from around the envi- 
ronments, find hidden skate- 
boards in hard-to-reach places, 
and you can alter your trick set at 
your leisure. It's balanced so you 
don't have a superskater unless 
you've gone through most of the 
game and really earned it. 

My biggest frustration with the 
game is accomplishing every- 
thing in the Career Mode. 
Sometimes | just didn't know 
what I was after. If | have to grind 
a гай, I'd like a sense of where 
the rail might be. Otherwise, I'm 
just skating boring circles. 

But when it comes down to it, 
this is a must-own. It may be 
more like THPS2.5, but that 
doesn't mean you won't love it. 
Final Score © © 
Todd Zuniga 





кебі + 05967 
su ka 





іші | 


V.I.P. 

Publisher Ubi Soft 

Developer Ubi Soft 

Web Site www.ubisoft.com 

I'm trembling, chilled by a cold 
sweat, questioning my own sanity. 
The unthinkable is happening. 

I'm actually enjoying V.I.P. 

And not for all the wrong rea- 
sons, mind you. Not because of the 
game's sexy, sexy menu screens. 
Not because of the unlockable pics 
of the talented Ms. Anderson. Not 
because | can't wait to sling a bevy 
of bad Pamela jokes in my review— 
I'll spare you those. No, I'm enjoy- 
ing V.I.P. because it's, uh...fun? 

Now, there's not much to V.I.P.— 
it's just a collection of Simon Says- 
style button-tapping minigames, 
with some shooting levels and 
other activities thrown in. But for a 
few hours at least, V.I.P.'s overly 
simplistic gameplay can easily pass 
as a suitably mindless diversion. 

Still, this is V.I.P. we're talking 
about, so reality is due to check in 
sooner than later. For me, this hap- 
pened halfway into the game (ог 
roughly two hours), a point at which 
V.I.P. became numbingly repetitive 
and distressingly difficult. It got so 
frustrating that | was about to kick 
in my TV, but | held back thanks to 
a timely revelation. "Why get so 
angry?" | thought. "Yeah, it was OK 
for a bit, but really now—this game 
is dumb. | need a nap." And after 
waking up, | quickly realized that I 
had more fun sleeping [perhaps 
dreaming of my own virtual Pam?) 
than playing this game. 

Final Score Ө © 
Gary Steinman 


we Players: 1 
3d Memory Card: block 








The Weakest Link 





The Weakest Link 
Publisher Activision 

Developer BBC Multimedia 

Web Site www.activision.com 
Whether you're a fan of NBC's The 
Weakest Link or not, you've gotta 
admit one thing about its PS one 
home version: Never before has a 
game show been so well-repre- 
sented as in Activision's take on 
the series. In fact, it kind of repre- 
sents the show to a fault. 

You know how Anne Robinson 
always turns to individual contes- 
tants and, after insulting them, 
proceeds to ask why they voted the 
way they did? Well, that's here, as 
well—and there's no way to fast 
forward through it. The same goes 
for the whine session given by a 
nixed contestant. Sure, it's kind of 
funny to hear this stuff at first, 
especially to laugh at the horrible 
stereotypes—the New Englander 
from "Haht-fud," the "go Knicks" 
NYC cabbie, the "my answer-to- 
question ratio was pitifully low" 
computer nerd. But it does get old. 

Questions run the gamut from 
"Who played Han Solo?" to stuff 
that will stump an entire room. 
Speaking of which, an entire room 
of people definitely makes a game 
or two of The Weakest Link worth a 
go. We played a full seven-player 
game and, after a shaky start 
(passing around two controllers is 
awkward at first—no Multitap sup- 
port), really felt some genuine 
suspense and pressure as the 
field narrowed round by round. It 
was quite the pleasant surprise. 
Final Score Ө e e« 

Chris Baker 
Ге Players: 1-7 
&. Memory Card: N/A 


PS2 Review Archive 


Game names in green indicate a Greatest 


Hits title. Ratings in гей indicate a five-disc score. 





Mobil Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo 
Moto GP 

Monster Rancher 3 

Motor Mayhem 

MTV Music Generator 2 

MX 2002 featuring Ricky Carmichael 
NASCAR 2001 


Game Publisher Score Issue 
4x4 EVO 44 
The Adventures of Cookie & Cream D 
Aqua Aqua. 42 
All-Star Baseball 2002 45 
Arctic Thunder 50 
Armored Core 2 39 
Armored Core 2: Another Age 48 
Army Men Air Attack 4 
Army Men: Green Rogue 45 
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2 45 
ATV Offroad Fury 42 
Bloody Roar 3 47 
The Bouncer 42 
CART Fury 47 
Casper: Spirit Dimensions 50 
City Crisis 48 
Cool Boarders 2001 46 
Crazy Taxi 46 
Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse 49 
46 
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 50 
Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore 39 
Devil May Cry 50 
Disney's Donald Duck бойт Quackers 42 
Driving Emotion Type-S 41 
Dynasty Warriors 2 38 
Ephemeral Fantasia 49 
Escape From Monkey Island 46 
Eternal Ring 38 
ESPN International Track & Field 39 
ESPN MLS ExtraTime 44 
ESPN NBA 2Night 42 
ESPN National Hockey Night. 45 
ESPN Winter X Games Snowboarding 41 
ESPN X Games Skateboarding 49 
Evergrace 39 
Extermination 48 
Extreme G III 50 
F1 Championship 43 
F1 Championship Season 2000 a 
Fantavision 40 
FIFA 2001 Major League Soccer 39 
Formula One 2001 50 
Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge 46 
Gadget Racers 50 
Gallop Racer 48 
Gauntlet: Dark Legacy 46 
Gradius Ш and IV 3 
Gran Turismo 3: A-spec 46 
Gungriffon Blaze 39 
Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the DragonBone Staff 46 
High Heat MLB 2002 4 
Ico 50 
Kengo: Master of Bushido a 
Kessen 39 
Kinetica 50 
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil 47 
Knockout Kings 2001 42 
Le Mans 24 Hours 48 
Madden NFL 2001 38 
Madden NFL 2002 48 
MDK2 Armageddon 45 
Midnight Club 39 
48 
39 
50 
47 
46 
47 
40 
47 
44 


NASCAR Heat 

NBA Hoopz 

NBA Live 2001 

МВА ShootQut 2001 


(Bal Billiards Master 
Quake Ш Revolution 

Rayman 2 Revolution 

RC Revenge Pro 

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 2 
Real Pool 

Red Faction 

Resident Evil - Code: Veronica X 
Ridge Racer V 

Ring of Red 

Rugby 

Rumble Racing 

Rune: Viking Warlord 


Bests 


98888688 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (5) 


Ба REVIEWS ARCHIVE 







































PS2 Review Archive (cont.) Game names in green indicate a Greatest Hits title. Ratings in red indicate a five-disc score. 

Game Publisher Score Issue бате Publisher Score Issue бате Publisher. Score Issue бате Publisher Score Issue 
Shadow of Destiny Konami 43 Beast Wars Hasbro Int. “ 5 Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX Acclaim Max 38 — Glover Hasbro Int. = 28 
Silent Hill 2 Konami 50 Big Air Accolade ‹ 20 Dave Mirra Freestyle ВМХ: Gold and Glory: 

Silent Scope Konami 39 Big OF Bass 2 Konami M 45 Maximum Remix Acclaim Мах The Road to El Dorado Revolution. 
Silent Scope 2 Konami 49 Billiards Agetec 45 Dead in the Water ASC Gran Turismo Sony CEA 
Silpheed: The Lost Planet 40 Bio FREAKS. Midway 10 Dead or Alive Tecmo Gran Turismo 2 Sony CEA 
Sky Odyssey 40 Black Bass with Blue Marlin нов 29 Deathtrap Dungeon Eidos Grand Theft Auto. Take2 
Smuggler's Run 39 Blade ‘Activision 41 Deception Ш: Dark Delusion Тесто Grand Theft Auto 2 Rockstar 
Soccer America: International Cup 48 Blast Lacrosse Acclaim Sports 48 Demolition Racer Infogrames Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 | — Rockstar 
‘Spy Hunter Paradigm 50 Blast Radius Psygnosis 9  Destrega Koei Grand Tour Racing 98 Activision 
SSK EA Sports BIG 38 Blaster Master: Blasting Again Sunsoft 38 Destruction Derby Raw Midway Grandia Sony CEA 
Star Wars: Episode 1 Blasto Sony CEA 8 Devil Dice THQ Granstream Saga THQ 
~ Super Bombad Racing LucasArts 45 Bloody Roar Sony CEA 6 Diablo Electronic Arts The Grinch Konami/Universal 
Star Wars: Starfighter LucasArts 43 Bloody Roar 2 Sony CEA 21 Die Hard Trilogy: Viva Las Vegas Рох Interactive Grind Session Sony CEA 
Street Fighter EX 3 Capcom 39 Blues Big Musical. THQ 46 Digimon Digital Card Battle Bandai Grudge Warriors Take 2 
Stretch Panic Conspiracy 47 Board Game: Top Shop Agetec/Al Games 45 Digimon World Bandai Guardian's Crusade Activision 
Summoner THQ 39 Bomberman Fantasy Race Atlus 19 Digimon World 2 Bandai Gundam Battle Assault Bandai 
Super Bust-A-Move Acclaim 4l Bomberman Party Edition Vatical 38 Dino Crisis Capcom HardBall 99 Accolade 
Surfing H30 Rockstar 40 Bomberman World ‘Atlus 13 Dino Crisis 2 Capcom Harvest Moon: Back to Nature Natsume 
Swing Away Golf ЕА Games 38 The Bombing Islands Kemco 47 Disney's Dinosaur Ubi Soft HBO Boxing Acclaim 
Tekken Tag Tournament Namco 39 Boombots SouthPeak 27 Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers Ubi Soft Heart of Darkness Interplay 
Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open Infogrames 48 Bottom of the 9th’97 Konami 1 Downhill Mountain Bike Racing Activision Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy NewkidCo 
Theme Park Roller Coaster Bullfrog 42 Bowling Agetec 43 Dracula: The Resurrection DreamCatcher Heres Adventures LucasArts 
Tiger Woods PGA Tour EA Sports 44 Вод ‘Agetec 45 Dragon Tales: Dragon Seek NewKidCo High Heat Baseball 2000 300 
Time Crisis 2 Namco 49 Brave Fencer Musashi Square EA 15 Dragon Valor Namco High Heat Major 
TimeSplitters Eidos Int. 39 Brawo Air Race THQ 1 DragonBall GT Bandai League Baseball 2002 300 
Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero Crave 45 Breakout Hasbro Int. ee 39  Dragonseeds Jaleco Hogs of War Infogrames 
Top Gear Dare Devil Kemco 41 Breath of Fire III Capcom 9 Driver GT Interactive Hot Shots Golf Sony CEA 
Тор Gun: Combat Zones Titus 50 Breath of Fire IV Capcom 40 Driver2 Infogrames Hot Shots Golf 2 Sony CEA 
Triple Play Baseball EA Sports 45 Brigandine Atlus 15 Ducati World — — Hot Wheels Turbo Racing Electronic Arts 
Twisted Metal: Black SCEA 47 Broken Sword THQ 5 Championship Racing Acclaim Hydro Thunder Midway 
e тад а е eae л. Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes Infogrames In Cold Blood Dreameatcher 
Unreal Tournament Infogrames 40 Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling THQ 1з Duke Nukem: Time to Kill GT Interactive. Incredible Crisis Titus 
War Jetz 300 48 Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling 2 THQ з] Puke Nukem: Total Meltdown СТ Interactive Inspector Gadget: ^ 
Warriors of Might & Magic 300 44 Вид Riders атша cee aooaa SouthPeak E a Dem res шы 9 
Dukes of Hazzard II: nt Qui 
Wild Wild Racing Interplay 39 Bugs Bunny Lost In Time Infogrames 23 — Daisy Dukes it Out SouthPeak ТЕ Core tee an 5 
Winback Koei 43 Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters Infogrames Dave 2000 rire ieli Тіней 4 
World Destruction League: Builder's Block Jaleco as се Kor a 
Thunder Tanks 300 42 — gurstrick Wake Boarding pee EA Sports Supercross EA Sports Int. Track & Field 2000 Konami 27 
X Squad EA Cames 8 e EA Eagle One: Harrier Attack Infogrames Invasion From Beyond GT Interactive » 
Yanya Caballista: City Skater Koei 49 Bust A Groove 989 Studios Echo Night Agetec Iron Soldier 3 Vatical 35 
OE: Zone of the Enders Konami 44 Bust A Groove 2 Enix ECW Anarchy Rulz — Acclaim Irritating Stick Jaleco 18 
КАШЫ pm ECW Hardcore Revolution Acclaim ISS Pro Evolution Konami 35 
r . Ehrgeiz Square EA Jackie Chan Stuntmaster Midway 30 
PS one Review Archive зенне Nats Einer Son CEA Jade Coon В А 
Ez куру df Stee Совки сае Elemental Gearbolt Working Desi d 
" 2 ing Designs. Jarrett & LaBonte 
007 Racing EA Games 41 C: The Contra Adventure Konami Eliminator Psygnosis Stock Car Racing Codemasters з 
3Xtreme 989 Studios ө л poen Interplay The Emperor's New Groove SCEA Jeopardy! Hasbro Int. v 
es ti SLM. эө ск peres acd pid ESPN MLS GameNight Konami Jeopardy! 2 Hasbro Int. 29 
almatians: 
Puppies to the Rescue Eidos a Cardinal SYN. Sony CEA Eternal Не , Я ‘Sunsoft Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 Acclaim 38 
А д Evil Dead: Hail to the King THQ Jersey Devil Sony CEA 10 
Риза Sony CER в ровна PA Evil Zone Titus Jet Moto 2 Sony CEA 3 
Ace Combat 2 Namco 1 Casper: A Mea Жл E 
Асе Combat 3:Electrosphere Namco 31 — Friends Around the World Sound Source Expendable мейин See ces! MUS bd 7 
Action Bass Take Two. 37 Castlevania Chronicles Konami паю. ER Sports pu ee chi ond 
Action Man: Operation Extreme Hasbro 41 Castlevania: SotN Konami ығыс шы r РА Sports ҚЖА Carr Mire ew z 
В А FL Racing Championshi Ubi Soft Juggernaut Jaleco % 
Akuji the Heartless Crystal Dynamics. 18 Castrol Honda Superbike Electronic Arts ерони Ка Grand Pri 
‘Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge Sony CEA 45 Centipede Hasbro Int. edid Visti Int. [nw "m. Mes 20 
Alexi Lalas International Soccer Rockstar 23 Championship Bass EA Sports Tilly Cama Pack 30. Hem. pero ғ 
‘Alone in the Dark: Championship Motocross Fantastic Four Acclaim Kagero: Deception II Tecmo M 
The New Nightmare. Infogrames 47 Featuring Ricky Carmichael THQ Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition SNK Kartia Atlus 12 
Alien Resurrection Fox Interactive 38 Championship Motocross 2001 Fear Effect Eidos Kensei Sacred Fist Konami v 
Alundra Working Designs 4 Featuring Ricky Carmichael THQ Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix Eidos Killer Loop Crave 27 
Alundra 2 Activision 32 Championship Surfer Mattel Int. Felony 11-79 Ascii King of Fighters 99 Agetec 41 
Animaniacs Ten Pin Alley ASC v ‘Chessmaster II Mindscape FIFA 98 EA Sports KISS Pinball Take 2 46 
‘Animorphs: Shattered Reality Infogrames 37 Chicken Run Eidos FIFA 99 EA Sports Klonoa Namco 6 
Аре Escape. Sony CEA 22 Chocobo Racing Square EA FIFA 2000 EA Sports Knockout Kings EA Sports 16 
Apocalypse Activision. 16 Chocobo's Dungeon 2 Square EA FIFA 2001 Major League Soccer ЕА Sports Knockout Kings EA Sports 39 
Arcade Party Pak Midway 28 Chrono Cross. Square EA The Fifth Element Activision Knockout Kings 2000 EA Sports 27 
Arcades Greatest Hits: Circuit Breakers Mindscape Fighter Maker Agetec Konami Arcade Classics. Konami в 
Atari Collection 2 Midway .. 7 Civilization IT Activision Fighting Force Eidos Koudelka Infogrames 35 
Arcade's Greatest Hits: Clock Tower Ascii Fighti 2 Kurt Warner Arena 
Midway Collection 2 Midway 4 оол ыы тт Бе Football Unleashed Midway E] 
Armored Core. Sony CEA 3 — The Struggle Within Agetec Final Fantasy Chronicles Sony CEA The Land Before Time: 
Armored Core: Colin McRae 2.0 Codemasters Final Fantasy Tactic ‘Sony CEA Great Valley Racing Adv, ‘TDK Mediactive eee 46 
Master of Arena. Agetec е 3l Colin McRae Rally Sony CEA Баин Онаа ыч The Land Before Time: 
Armorines:Project SWARM. Acclaim “ 35 — Colony Wars Psygnosis din Y Return to the Great Valley Sound Source ен 39 
Army Men 30 300 20 Colony Wars: Red Sun [cm Final Fantasy ҮЙІ Square EA Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Eidos 25 
Army Men Air Attack 2 300 » Дае Final Fantasy ІХ Square EA The Legend of Dragoon Sony CEA 34 
Army Men: Green Rogue 300 п eee са cl Fishermans Bait Konami Legend of Legaia Sony CEA 9 
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 300 32 — & Conquer: Red Alert rA Fisherman’ Bait 2:Big OF Bass | Konami Legend of Mana ‘Square EA 35 
Army Men: Sarge' Heroes 2 300 o ¢ Суу) us Flintstones Bedrock Bowling SouthPeak Lego Island 2: 
‘Army Men: World War 300 34 барат і SU CEA tad Racing Empire The Brickster's Revenge Lego Media. . 46 
‘Army Men World War: опа 1:98 Psygnosis Lego Rock Raiders Lego Media . 37 
Final Front 300 “ ас Cool Boarders 3 eae Stas Formula 1'99 Psygnosis The Lion King: 
Army Men World War: Cool Boarders 4 989 Studios Forsaken Acclaim Simba Mighty Adventure Paradox 
Land, Sea, Air 300 зә Cool Boarders 2001 Sony CEA Fox Sports Golf 99 Fox Interactive The Little Mermaid IT THQ 
Arthur! Ready to Race The Learning Со. ө 42 Countdown Vampires. Bandai Fox Sports Soccer 99 Fox Interactive Lode Rumer Natsume 
Assault Midway 15 Соме Ops: Nuclear Dawn ‘Activision Freestyle Boardin’ 99 Capcom Looney Tunes Racing Infogrames 
Asteroids Activision 16 Crash Bandicoot 2 Sony CEA Freestyle Motocross: The Lost World: 
Atlantis: The Lost Empire SCEA 48 Crash Bandicoot: WARPED Sony CEA McGrath vs. Pastrana Acclaim о Senie Park Electronic Arts 
ATV: Quad Power Racing Acclaim 39 Crash Bash SCEA/Universal Frogger Hasbro Int. 4 Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete — Working Designs 
Auto Destruct Electronic Arts 6 Crime Killer Interplay Frogger 2: Swampy’s Revenge Hasbro Int. sg ШАГА Eland Bine Complete: |. Waking Бере. 
Azure Dreams Konami 10 Critical Depth GT Interactive Front Mission 3 Square EA з Madden NFL 98 EA Sports 
Backstreet Billiards. Ascii 15 бос Fox Interactive. Future Cop LA. Electronic Arts в — Madden NFL 99 EA Sports 
Ball Breakers Take 2 36 — Croc? Fox Interactive. G-Police Psygnosis з Madden NFL 2000 EA Sports 
Ballistic Infogrames 27 Crossroad Crisis Agetec G-Police 2 Psygnosis. 25 Madden NFL 2001 EA Sports 
Baseball 2000 Interplay 21 Crusaders of Might & Magic 300 G.Darius THQ p Маан 2002 EA Sports 
Bass Landing ‘Agetec 26 CTR: Crash Team Racing Sony CEA Galaga: Destination Earth Hasbro Int. 39 Marvel SH vs. Street Fighter Capcom 
Bass Rise Bandai ов CyberTiger EA Sports Galerians Crave зз Marvel Superheroes Capcom 
Batman: Cotham City Racer Ubi Soft Games 46 Dance Dance Revolution Konami Gallop Racer. Тесто 28. Marvel Vs. Capcom ЕХ Сарот 
Batman & Robin Acclaim 13 Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix Konami Gauntlet Legends Midway 32 Mary-Kate and Ashley: А 
ВЕЕ Danger Girl THQ Gekido Interplay 34 Magical Mystery Mall Acclaim eee 40 
Return of the Joker. Ubi Soft ‘ 39 Dark Omen Electronic Arts Сех: Deep Cover Gecko Eidos ap SMA Rae met Aster: MUSS a 
Battle Hunter Agetec E 48 Darkstalkers Capcom Gex: Enter the Gecko Midway 7 Mass Des MC 3 
Battletanx: Global Assault 300 ‹ 31 Darkstone Take 2 Int. Ghost in the Shell THQ 4 Монтале Pro BMX Ачма % 





(76) Official 0.5. PlayStation Magazine 


E73 E PT 


C792 FANOS. 799 ASEP HV 


* 
WWW.JAKANDDAXTER.COM 





PSone Review Archive (cont.) 


Game 

Maximum Force. 

мок 

Medal Of Honor 

Medal Of Honor Underground 
MediEvil 

MediEvil IT 

Mega Man Legends 

Mega Man Legends 2 

Mega Man X4 

Mega Man X5 

Metal Gear Solid 

Metal Gear Solid VR Missions 
Metal Slug X 

Micro Machines 

Micro Maniacs 

Mike Tyson Boxing 


The Misadventures 

of Tron Bonne 

Miss Spider's Tea Party 
Mission: Impossible. 

Missile Command 

MK Mythologies 

MLB 98 

MLB 99 

MLB 2000 

MLB 2001 

MLB 2002 

MLBPA Bottom of the 9th 99 
Mobil 1: Rally Championship 
Monaco Grand Prix 

Monkey Hero 

Monkey Magic. 

Monopoly 

Monster Rancher 2 

Monster Rancher Battle Card 
Episode II 

Monster Rancher Hop-A-Bout 
Monster Seed 

Mort the Chicken 

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces 
Mortal Kombat 4 

Moto Racer 

Moto Racer 2 

Moto Racer World Tour 
Motocross Mania 
Motorhead 

Mr. Domino 

Mr. Driller 

Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness 
MTV Music Generator 

MTV Sports: Pure Ride 
MTV Sports: 

TJ. Lavin's Ultimate ВМХ 
MTV Sports: Skateboarding 
featuring Andy MacDonald 
The Mummy 

Muppet Monster Adventure 
‘Muppet Race Mania 

N20 

‘Nagano Winter Olympics 98 
NASCAR 98 

NASCAR 99 

NASCAR 2000 

NASCAR 2001 

NASCAR Heat 

NASCAR Rumble 

NBA Fastbreak 98 

NBA Ноор? 

NBA In the Zone 98 

NBA In the Zone 99 

NBA In the Zone 2000 

NBA Live 98 

NBA Live 99 

NBA Live 2000 

NBA Live 2001 

NBA ShootOut 98 

NBA ShootOut 2000 

NBA ShootOut 2001 

NBA Showtime NBA on NBC 
NBA Tonight 

NCAA Final Four ‘99 

NCAA Final Four 2000 
NCAA Final Four 2001 

NCAA Football 98 

NCAA Football 99 

NCAA Football 2000 

NCAA Football 2001 

NCAA GameBreaker 98 
NCAA GameBreaker 99 
NCAA GameBreaker 2000 
NCAA GameBreaker 2001 
NCAA March Madness 98 
NCAA March Madness 99 
NCAA March Madness 2000 
NCAA March Madness 2001 
Nectaris: Military Madness 
Need for Sp 
Need for 





Need for Speed: V-Rally 
Need for Speed: V-Rally 2 
Newman/Haas Racing 
The Next Tetris 

NFL Blitz 

NFL Blitz 2000 

NFL Blitz 2001 















Publisher | Score Issue 
Midway « 2 
Playmates 3 
Electronic Arts 27 
Electronic Arts 39 
Sony CEA 4 
Sony CEA 32 
Capcom 12 
Capcom. 39 
Capcom 4 
Capcom a 
Konami и 
Konami 25 
Agetec 43 
Midway 5 
Codemasters 32 
39 





Tecmo 

Tecmo 

Sunsoft 

Crave 

Midway 
Midway 
Electronic Arts 
Electronic Arts 
Infogrames 
Take 2 Int. 








Konami 
Konami 
Konami 

EA Sports 

EA Sports. 

EA Sports 

EA Sports 
Sony CEA 

989 Studios 
989 Studios 
Midway 

ESPN Digita 
989 Studios 
989 Studios 
Sony CEA 

EA Sports. 

EA Sports. 

EA Sports 

EA Sports 
Sony CEA 

989 Studios 
989 Studios 
Sony CEA 

EA Sports 

EA Sports 

EA Sports 

EA Sports 
Jaleco 
Electronic Arts 
Electronic Arts 
Electronic Arts 
Electronic Arts 
Electronic Arts 


@8) Official 0.5. PlayStation Magazine 


ыы? 


REVIEWS ARCHIVE 


Game names in ree" indicate a Greatest Hits title. Ratings in red indicate a five-disc score. 






























































Game | Publisher | Score Issue бате Publisher | Score Issue _ Game _ Publisher Score — Issue 
NFL GameDay 98 Sony CEA 1 — RPG Maker Agetec 35 35 
NFL GameDay 99. 989 Studios. 13 — Rugrats: Totally Angelica 48 B 
NFL GameDay 2000 EA Sports 25 Rugrats in Paris: The Movie 41 16 
NFL GameDay 2001 989 Sports 37 Runabout 2 36 а 
NFL GameDay 2002 989 Sports 49 — Running Wild и a 
NFL Xtreme 989 Studios Ш — Rushdown 9 5 
NFL Xtreme 2 989 Studios 24 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: 16 
NGEN Racing Infogrames 35 A Twitch in Time! 45 Тіпу Toon Adventures: 

NHL99 EA Sports 15 SaGa Frontier 8 Plucky’s Big Adventure 50 
NHL 2000 EA Sports 26 Ѕаба Frontier 2 29 Tiny Toons: The Great Beanstalk 18 
NHL 2001 38 Saiu: Jouney West 47 TOCA? a 
NHL Blades of Steel 2000 2 Tom & Jerry in House Tra a 
=ч, 23 2 High Heat Baseball 2001 300 “0% те peu parsed 
>=} peste oa zy Sammy Sosa Softball Slam 300 ee 33 Rogue Spear 45 
агат 22 Suri Shodown: o зь Pob ate l 4 
NHL 99 м he {г 5 ы. 2 Tomb Raider 111 i 16 
E d o 2 uM om Бөз d Tomb Raider: Chronicles а 
Pay 3s я Ш Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation 29 
NHL Rock the Rink 32 — Shadow Man Acclaim x [ш " 
Nik Toons Racing El жы en T Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return 29 
Nightmare Creatures. 3 Ses Tews Agetec 28 Tomorrow Never Dies 28 
Nightmare Creatures II 35 Shanghai: True Valor Sunsoft. о (не a 
Ninja: Shadow of Darkness о Е-е sim P Топу Hawk's Pro Skater 26 
fuse se 3 Shipwreckers Psygnosis з m 5 
орт. 15 Shooter: Space Shot Agetec/Al а ШТ 
(Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus 15 shooter: Starfighter Sanvein Agetec 5 $ ден m 2 
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee E Sit Beater Badal зо MM 22 
ое 4 Silent Hil Konami 18 stus ^ 
One Piece Mansion 50 silhouette Mirage Working Designs 29 Beast Wars Transmetals 36 
Pac-Man World 25 біп Theme Park Electronic Arts 33 Trap Gunner B 
оо 2 The Simpsons Wrestling Taito 45 Treasures of the Deep 1 
с B nec шз „р в 
Parasite Eve II 37 Sled Storm Electronic Arts 24 Triple Play 2000 20 
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. 41 Small Soldiers Electronic Arts 15 Triple Play 2001 32 
Peter Jacobsen's Golden Tee Golf. Ali set Infogrames 29 Triple Play Baseball м 
к 98 " ‘Smurf Racer Infogrames 45 Turbo Prop Racing n 
rr ae ен с Io : 
Point lank ЕСТІ Aim з ыы нешеу а 
par е 2 ‘South Park: Chef's Luv Shack Acclaim . 28 Ultimate Fighting Championship. 40 
Snowboarding Мейес 43 Um Jammer Lammy A 
Polaris SnoCross. 38. Space Invaders Activision. 27 The Unholy War M 
Pong 27 Spawn: The Eternal Sony CEA 4 Uprising X v 
Pool Hustler 15 Spec Ops Take 2 Int. . 34 Шап Chaos 3 
Populous: The Beginning 21 Spec Ops: Ranger Elite Take 2 Int. 46 Vagrant Story 3 
Porsche Challenge Sony 1 Speed Punks Sony CEA 32 Valkyrie Profile 36 
=н m es до Speed Racer Jaleco 8 — Vampire Hunter D 37 
Power Shovel Acclaim eee 9 Sbeedbali2100 Bore 40 чын z 
Тн Soc 2 ттш gos, ветни piens a у ы 
Power Spike j 
Pro Last letali pre, 4 — Spin Jam Take 2 Int. 38 Vanishing Point 4 
Poy Poy Konami з Sports Car GT Electronic Arts 21 Меда Games 2000 27 
Pro 18 Workd Tour Golf Psygnosis 19 руг: Year of the Dragon Sony CEA 39 Ушіліей 10 
Pro Pinball: Big Race USA Empire Int. 37 Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! Sony CEA 27 Vigilante 8: Second Offense 29 
Pro Pinball: Fantastic Јоштеу Empire Int зт Spyro the Dragon Sony CEA 13 — Virtual Kasparov 49 
Pro Pinball. Timeshock! Take 2 10 Star Ocean: The 2nd Story Sony CEA 22 VRBaseball 99 n 
Psybadek Psygnosis 15 Activision 3 VR Sports Powerboat Racing 10 
Punky Skunk Jaleco 6 ES sets 3 ү, ын 9 
Puzzle Star Sweep Мейес 5 «зис ic Disney's 
Q'bert Hasbro Int. 28 The rhanton Menace LucasArts 5 eat honey World 5 
Quake П 27. Star Wars: Masters of Тегіс Kãsi LucasArts 4 Magical Racing ded з 
К-Туре Delta. 23 ағ Wars Demolition LucasArts 4l — War Jets 48 
Relypes 171 Steel Reign Sony CEA 2 WarGames: DefCon 1 12 
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 20 Streak GT Interactive 15 Warpath: Jurassic Park 2 
Railroad Tycoon I1 30 street Fighter Alpha 3 Capcom 21 — Warriors of Might and Magi а 
Rainbow Six 27 Street Fighter Collection Capcom 4 pissed e 2 
Rally Cross 2 15 Street Fighter Collection 2 Capcom 16 WCW Backstage Assault 40 
Rampage 4 бітесі Fighter EX Plus Alpha Capcom 2 WCW Mayhem % 
Rampage 2: Universal Tour 21 Street Fighter EX2 Plus Capcom 33 Wew Nitro 5 
Rampage Through Time 36 Street Sk8er Electronic Arts 19 WCW/nWo Thunder v 
Ray Tracers 5 Street Sk8er 2 Electronic Arts 32 Whee) of Fortune. v 
RayCrisis 38 Strider 2 Capcom 34 Wheel of Fortune 2 39 
Rayman Brain Games 50 Striker Pro 2000 Infogrames 33 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 35 
Rayman 2: The Great Escape 35 Strikers 1945 Agetec 44 — Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: 
Razor Freestyle Scooter 41 Suikoden I Konami 2% Эйт о не 4 
RC de GO! 40 Superbike 2000 EA Sports 32 Wido 5 
RC Revenge 37 Supertross 2000. EA Sports 29 — Wild Arms 2 3 
RC Stunt Copter 25 SuperCross Circuit 989 Studios 28 The Wild Thornberrys: 
Re-Volt 26 Surf Riders Ubi Soft 35 Animal Adv. a 
Ready 2 Rumble 27 Sydney 2000 зв WipeOut 3 5 
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 2 40 Syphon Filter Woody Woodpecker Racing 40 
Red Asphalt 3 Syphon Filter 2 World Cup 98 1 
Real Fishing 3 Tau World Destruction League: 
Reel Fishing IT % — TRAC Thunder Tanks » 
Resident Evil 2 6 — Tactics Ogre The World Is Not Enough % 
Resident Evil 2 Dual Shock Bail concerto World's Scariest Police Chases a 
Resident Evil 3 Nemesis 27 Tales of Destiny Worms Armageddon 2 
Resident Evil: Director's Cut 2 Tales of Destiny II Wu-Tang Shaolin Style 28 
Resident Evil Survivor. ВЕ] Таса WWE Attitude и 
Rhapsody: А Musical Adventure 35 Team Buddies WWF SmackDown! a 
тықта 24 Team LOSI RC Racing Fox Interactive M ge 40 
Tekken 3 
Rial Schools и Tench pation vui om a 
Riven: The Sequel to Myst 6 Tenchu2: Birth of the А m 5 
Road Rash 3D Ш Stealth Assassins Activision. Tes 5 
Road Rash: Jail Break 30 Tennis Arena Ubi Soft. ңес Children of the Atom 6 
Rock 'Em Sock Ет Robots 4 Tes Drive Accolade X-Men: Mutant Academy 36 
Rogue Trip. M Test Drives Accolade Тиек Mat Кый? m 
Roll Away 13 терте Infogrames Xana: Wili Princess 26 
Rolicage 19 Test Drive Le Mans Infogrames contd x 
Rollcage Stage П 31 Test Drive: Off Road 3 Infogrames es Tent Eo Sack! 5 
Romance of the 3 Kingdoms VI 30 Thousand Arms Atlus 26 YOu Don't Know Jack! Mock 2 40 
Roswell Conspiracies: B 
I Conspiracies: Aliens, ав Ther: Skate & Destroy Rockstar 29 


Only on XBOX + GAMECUBE PS2 


GAMES 





Егот {һе 5ате реор!е ESSENTIAL GAMES 
who bring you EGM, 
GameNOW апа ОРМ, 
these special maga- 
zines can be found only 
on the newsstands or through back order. 

Look for Pocket Games and EGM’s Video Game Buyer’s Guide 
2002 on stands now and Xbox Nation on sale Dec..11._You can-find 
these magazines at Babbage’s, Software Etc., Barnes & Noble, 
Best Buy, WaleMart, K-Mart, Walden Books, Target, Borders, 

B. Dalton and many supermarkets and drugstores near you! 














Simply check off which magazines you want and send in the order form (photocopies accepted) along with a check made 
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( 


Gran Turismo 3 


Grand Theft Auto II . 


Monster Rancher 3 


CAA Football 2002 


Want your name in OPM? Then you better find 
the best tricks and send them our way. Tips, 
cheats and everything in between will do. Also, 
if you're stuck, send us a question and we'll 
dig up an answer for you. All you have to do is 
send us an e-mail at: OPMl(aziffdavis.com. And 
make the subject line of the e-mail read Тор 
Secrets." If it isn't titled "Top Secrets" we 

won t find it. Now go search for the best tricks 
in the land. We're timing you. 











TRICKS FROM THE 10 


BEST-SELLING PS2 GAMES 


Q MADDEN NFL 2002 

Create-A-Player Domination 

For this doozy of a cheat, go to the Create-A-Player 
mode and head over to "Edit Player." From there press 
Up or Down to choose the player you wish to edit. 
Press Right to get to the speed category. Press X, then 
X again. From there, you should have infinite points to 
create the superstar you've always wished you were. 


© RESIDENT EVIL-CODE: VERONICA X 
Battle Modes and Rocket Launchers, Indeed 
Unlocking Battle Mode 

All you'll need to do is complete the game on any diffi- 
culty setting with any ranking. At that point Battle Mode 
will automatically be saved to the memory card. You 
can then select it from the main menu. 


Play as Steve Burnside in Battle Mode 

To accomplish this, you'll need to get the Gold Lugers 
from the basement office in Disc 2. You'll need the 
combination, though. It's: red, green, blue and brown. 
You can also unlock Steve Burnside by doing well as the 
original Chris in Battle Mode. 


Getting that sweet, sweet Rocket Launcher 

This is no easy task. Get an "A" ranking in the normal 
game by completing it without saving,without using 
first-aid sprays, and without using any retries. But 
that's not all! Then save Steve from the Luger, give the 
Medicine to Rodrigo, and complete the game with a 


89 Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


<р 


If there's one thing Shinji Mikami and his friends at Capcom liked including 


in Devil May Cry [aside from total coolness), 
often against the same foe several times. Don’t worry, Devil Hunters. We're 


's boss fights. Lots of 'em— 


here to help, with strategies on how to beat each boss. Since тис ОЁ each 
fight requires raw skill gained through practice, practice, practice, don’t 
expect to beat each bad boy on your first try, though, They can be tough. 


Just keep with it, using the strategy provided, and before you know it, you'll 


be kicking the ass of Mundus himself. 


PHANTOM 


Missions encountered in: 3, 4, 7, 8 


16 (inside Nightmare) 
Weak spots: Back and mouth 


sible. Avoid his mouth, as it shoots 
out flames. Later on, though, you 
might find it quicker and easier 
simply to repeatedly go at him with 
your devil-powered Stinger attack, 
and he’s history in a matter of 
moments. You can totally avoid him 
in Mission 4 simply by entering the 
door immediately to the left and in 
Mission 7 by outrunning him toa 
door at the end of the hall. 


How to beat him: Early on, your best 
bet against Phantom is to hop on his 


back, slashing away with your 


Alastor devil power engaged, if pos- 


time less than four hours and 30 min- 
utes. The rocket launcher will appear in 
the first item box in the next new game 
that you start. 


© DAVE MIRRA'S PRO BMX 2 
Unlocking the PS2’s first biking game 
Unlock all of those fancy bikes 

At the main menu, press Up, Left, 
Down, Right, Down, Down, Right, Down, 
Down, Left, Square to unlock all bikes. 


Play as Mike Dias 
At the main menu, press Up, Left, 
Down, Right, Right, Left, Up, Down, Up, 


SHADOW 

Missions encountered in: 4, 5 
Weak spot: Glowing ball within 
shadowy shell 

How to beat him: As soon as your 
battle with Shadow begins, you're 
under attack, so GET OUT OF THE 


Right, Square to unlock Mike Dias. 


Play as Amish Guy 

At the main menu, press Up, Left, 
Down, Right, Right, Left, Left, Down, Up, 
Left, Square to unlock Amish Guy. 


Ө NCAA FOOTBALL 2002 
Showing off, post-paydirt 

Want sweet touchdown celebrations 
once you trample the sweet endzone 
grass? Then hold one of the following 
buttons immediately before scoring a 
touchdown [at the risk of an unsports- 
man-like conduct penalty] 






WAY! Then, as a Devil Hunter, blast 
him with your Air Raid power, 
avoiding his shadowy airborne 
spikes all the while. A good hit will 
reveal his weak glowing ball very 
soon, which you need to hack away 
at. When you can’t use Air Raid, 
blast away at the shadowy form 
with your shotgun, rolling out of the 
way of his attacks. Again, the glow- 
ing ball opens up. 


NELO ANGELO 
Missions encountered i 
20 (inside Nightmare) 
Weak spot: Anywhere his sword 
doesn't block 


4,11,17, 


Point upward: Press L1 ог R1. 
Shake football: Press L2. 
Hold up football: Press R2. 


Ө GRAN TURISMO 2: A-SPEC 
Can I get a lift? 

Getting the front end of your Escudo 
and GT40 to go airborne 

Here's how to make these bad rides lift 
up. Use the following settings and race 
your car at the test track. At about 230 
mph the front end should rise like the 
tide. Equip the highest NA or Turbo 
tune-up. Put spring rate to minimum 
for front and back. Put ride height to 





How to beat him: Aside from sim- 
ply being a huge fowl capable of 
swooping down on you and nearly 
killing you with one blow, the 
Griffon deploys several types of 
red electricity bolts at will. You'll 
want to jump any coming at you at 
ground level—but, at the same 
time, be careful not to jump into 
those just above you. Keep on the 
move as he heads toward you, and 
fire your grenade launcher when 
you have a free moment. Add the 
power of the Devil Hunter for 
some extra oomph. 


How to beat him: In the immortal 
words of Kris Kross: “Jump! 
Jump!" Do your best to leap 
behind this master swordsman 
and attack from there. And 


remember to dodge not only his Pee АС ES ARK 
huge-ass blade, but also the blue 2 
masses of energy from it. Activate " Н 

your devil power as often as pos- E 


sible, and remember to always 

keep Alastor equipped, not Ifrit. 

He'll often block your Air Raid к қ 
attacks, though they сап be еНес- 

tive if you get a good angle on him. 





| NIGHTMARE m 
| Missions encountered in: 16, 18,20 
Weak spot: Glowing ball 

How to beat him: First, make sure 
to hit the targets on the sides of 
the wall so as to reveal the 
Nightmare’s weak spot. Then, 
pounce on it with your Ifrit gaunt- 
let equipped. Use your Devil 
Hunter power whenever possible, 
and do your best to avoid attacks. 
Once the targets have lost their 








GRIFFON 
Missions encountered in: 9, 12, 15, 
18 (inside Nightmare) 





4ғ 


get sucked into the Nightmare, ог 
you'll wind up fighting a boss 
you've already extinguished once 
again, including Phantom, Griffon 
or Nelo Angelo—and then you still 
have the Nightmare to beat! 


T-REX 
Mission encountered in:17 
Weak spot: Whole body 
This guy’s easier than 
it first appears. You 












can't get directly to him because 
of his forcefield, but you can still 
attack him with the fireballs he 
throws your way. Simply stand 
before the forcefield and deflect 
them back his way with your 
sword. Three strikes, he’s out. 


ou might actualh 






















you may seem 


but eventually 


Mundus’ chest 







g atop fl 








of thi 











him [Holy Wa 










to do th 


es). When you 












u 
you'll nee 


d them more in a 


















5' first inc: 
ased battle. A 
ver a time to use tho 





ables, Holy Ма! 
you've saved t 














MUNDUS: INCARNATION 3 
Mis 3 


nd you won't lose your 
ps.) You can only d 











Weak spot: Wherever you can hit 


power, you'll need to charge them 


him 


up again. Also, be careful not to 














down) 


At the begin 











minimum for front and back. Put gear's auto 
setting to widest, and final to 3.000. Put front 
down force to minimum and back to maxi- 
mum. Set ASM and TCS to level 0. 


Funky Dunks 

All the dunks to keep your Gamebreaker 
Meter on the rise 

Hold down these buttons and then hit Circle 
within dunking range of the hoop. The better 
your dunker, the farther out you can be. 
Around The World: Hold R1 + R2 + L1. 
Backbreaker: Hold L2 + R2 

Dinner's Served: Hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2, 


ae 


then press Circle when heading straight 
toward an empty lane. 

Dominator: Hold L1 + L2. 

Dunkalicious: Hold L2 + L1 + R2. 
Groundshaker: Hold R1 + R2. 
Hammerdown: Hold R1 + L1. 

Highrise: Hold R2 + L1. 

Put It Home: Hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2, while 
close to the hoop and not moving 
Special Delivery: Hold L2 + L1 + R1 
Superfly: Hold L2 + R1 + R2. 

Wake-Up Call: Hold L2 + R1. 








mage in Devil Hun 





Excellence leads to cheating 

Unlocking Hard Mode 

Get all 36 licenses in Arcade mode under 
normal mode, then press Circle at the 
stage selection screen 


Unlock that hoverboard that all Back to the 
Future fans have been dreaming of 

Unlock hard mode, then complete all six 
licenses on the Ruins stage in hard mode to 
unlock a hoverboard for all skaters, The 
hoverboard has all stats maxed out. 


Unlock the lunacy of the Cartoon board 
Win Gold five times in the Street 






Weak spot. 


Now that Mun 






Entire b 









pound away with’said 
g your magic with 
d with the orbs 


т оп your way out of 
Ri 





‚ We'll let you е out 


9 touch for you 


Competition in X-Games mode to unlock 
the cartoon board, which makes different 
cartoon sound effects when you post, ollie 
or land. 


Unlock the spooky Horror board 

Win Gold five times in the Vert Competition 
in X-Games mode to unlock the horror 
board, which makes different sound effects 
when you post, ollie or land. 


Keeping out of harm’s way, by cheating 
Infinite health and turbo 
Keep in mind that for all of these cheats 


Official U.S. PlayStation Maga 


ine (181 





TOP SECRETS 





GRAN TURISMO B 


OPM readers chime in with their own tips and tricks for GT3 glory 





Run around Turismo 

1 һауе a quick and easy way to beat the 
Super Speedway 150-mile endurance race. 
First buy yourself a Mitsubishi 30006T 
(non-turbo). Buy everything you can for it 
to give it 1086 HP. Now go to settings to 
change the gear ratios: 


1st gear: 2.434 2nd: 1.628 
3rd: 1.126, 4th: 0.783, 
5th: 0.582, 6th: 0.457 
Final: 4.500 


This should give your car a top speed of 
255mph and a 0-400M of 9.5. Once you 
have the car allset, до to the race. Don't 
worry about hitting walls or tire wear. The 
only thing'you сап do is just keep turning 
while bouncing off the wall. And never pit 
andnever let off the gas! The walls will 
keep you'on the track, and you won't spin 
out. With luck you will win the Fogo. 
Thomas Dieball 

TomD13(daol.com 


the controls must, must, must be set to 
"Classic." Otherwise, the code won't work. 


Invincibility on! 

While playing a game, hold L1+L2+R1+ 
R2 and quickly press Right, Left, Down, Up 
If you entered the code correctly, the words 
"Invulnerability On" will appear. Enter the 
code again to disable it. 


Scoring infinite weapons 

While playing, hold L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 and 
quickly press Up, X, Left, Circle. If you 
entered the code correctly, a message will 
appear. Enter the code again to disable it 


182) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 








He likes to watch 

If you're going to go for the gold on the 
licenses by watching the demo, follow the 
line on the track (blue=gas, red=stop, 
gray=glide without gas or brakes]. Also a 
good tip for drifting on rally races is to use 
your E brake [Circle button default) and 
only counter steer if the car is not side- 
ways. 

Felix Lopez 

papichulo31 98(dyahoo.com 








For the professional who has conquered all of GT, 


Formulagt = | 


‘ChampionshinRace 
“i Series of 10 races 
TA ік o Ae RN а 


Formula БТ 


э 





луга НЕСЕ 





















Breezing through with one-hit kills 

While playing, hold L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 and 
quickly press X, X, Up. If you entered the 
code correctly, a message will appear. 
Enter the code again to disable it. But why, 
really, would you dare disable that? 


Mega machine guns means gore galore 
While gaming, hold L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 and 
quickly press X, X, Triangle. If you entered 
the code correctly, a message will appear. 
Enter the code again to disable it 


A super-special freeze attack 
While playing, hold L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 and 





Rear-view shenanigans 


Watch those rear-view mirrors! If you slide 


off the track, or slow down, try cutting the 
car off behind you. It should give you a lit- 
tle boost! Thankfully, GT3 doesn’t make 
you suffer for damage. You will usually 
retain your position and slow down the 
opposition behind you! 

Fate 

FatesNewVictim(daol.com 


Can you get the ride you want? 


When you win a championship or an 
endurance race you can choose between 


Turismo logo is under the car you want, 
press X until the car appears in color. You 
should now have the car you wanted. 
LordMasamushafaaol.com 

OPM’s response: Actually, this is a fallacy. 


there’s a one-in-four chance. But make no 


mistake, this is completely random. Just be 


happy that you've been given a саг at all! 


quickly press Right, Left, Up. 


Exchanging guns for life 

Within a game, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and 
quickly press Triangle, X, Square, Circle. If 
you entered the code correctly, the words 
"Weapons For Health" will appear on the 

screen. 


O ARMORED CORE 2: 

ANOTHER AGE 

Tricks to the pseudo-sequel 

To be continued ... now 

Load the saved data from Armored Core 2 
in the one-player scenario to start out with 


four cars. Most people think they're chosen 
randomly. Well, they’re not. When the Gran 


Some joker with a Dual Shock 2 tapped the X 
button at the right time and rode away in the 
car he wanted. Not impossible, considering 





SUZUKI 
477 €. - 1 


Lo {| 


: Which way did he go? 

i In time trial, in Arcade mode, the 

H computer registers your time no 

і matter which way you drive around 
i the track. On some tracks you can 
: register a higher time driving one 

i way as opposed to the other. So if 

i you find that you can drive faster 

1 one way, spin the car around and 

t head in the other direction. 

i Max 

i mopheadismad(ahotmail.com 





all previously obtained weapons and money. 


Unwind the Limiter Release 

To activate the Limiter Release, press L1 + 
L2 « R1 « R2, then press R3 (Overboost]. 
This will put you into Limiter Release mode 
for around 40 seconds. The only down side 
is that you get an OB Depletion indicator 
after the 40 seconds are up, leaving you 
totally powerless for 50 seconds. Which, in 
dog years, is a very long time. 


Discovering the bonus missions 
Successfully complete the game, save your 
data, then load the saved data. You can now 





OPM answers your GT3 Questions 


Don’t touch that dial! 
R 





pens. Thanks ahead of time 
Tim 
bahamut2280fdaol.com 


OPM's answer: Tim, sorry to hear of your shortcomings, but that 
won't stop us from making fun of you. What's this “grabbing on my TV 
stand to pull myself up” business? We suggest bars on the sides of 
your chair, a la hospital bathrooms, if you can't stand in a normal 
fashion. And have you ever noticed the cord length for a Р52 con- 
troller? The PS2 can actually sit about six feet away from you. Might 
want to try that. The buttons are a lot more difficult to “accidentally” 
push then. As for your save info: gone for good. That's why you don't 
mess with the system when it's saving. We suggest you take a 
Pavlovian route from now on, in the way of classical conditioning. 


ntly I've had a problem with GT3. | had just finished the Gran 
Turismo World Championship in Amateur League. Whil 
game, | started to get up to turn my PS2 off. While grabbing on to my 
TV stand to pull myself up, | accidentally hit the power button on ту 
PS2, resetting it. Now we all know how easy it is to push those but- 
tons on the PS2. | started my game up again to make sure 
was OK. It wasn't. While auto-loading, it stopped about halfway 
| through and said the file was corrupt. | tried 
| worked. 1 had 50 percent game cornpletion and dozens of cars, includ- 
ing three F1 cars! After accepting the fact that all was lost, | started 
over again. | was wondering if there is anything you can do if this hap- 





saving my 





ything 





verything but nothing 





Maybe set up a few mousetraps near your PS2 reset button and you'll 
learn to not get too close at the wrong moment. 


is 1/3 


"m 








access three new high-paying missions 
where you face Stinger in his AC (from 
Armored Core: Project Phantasma], 
Phantasma (who Stinger had merged 
with), and Final Nine-Ball (from 
Armored Core: Master Of Arena). All 
three new missions are very tough. 
However, can go overweight for all 
these missions. After defeating all 
three, you will get some very fast hover 
legs, and an “Inside” orbit cannon. 


(9 EXTERMINATION 
Dogtagging your day away 
Here are all the dog tags in the order 


"S" stands for "the best" 


What is the point of the 5 license? So far | have found no reason for 
trying to get this license. 

laz eass(dworldnet.att.net 

OPM's answer: Опсе you get the 5 license, a few tracks will open; it'll 
tell you which ones on the track selection screen. But, if you manage 
to get all golds оп the license test, then you'll be rewarded with the 
Dodge Viper GTS-R Concept Car. A fine ride, we'd say. 


Wheel queries 
І know there are two types of the steering wheel: а red one, a general 


purpose wheel for most PS2 racing games and PC, then there is the 
blue version that is specified for GT3. What | am wondering is will 
future PS2 titles be compatible with the red or blue version of the 
wheel, or are there any games presently compatible with the blue 
version wheel? Also, which wheel do you recommend overall, the red 
or blue? 

Thomas Dieball, TomD13/daol.com 

OPM's answer: Thomas, glom onto that pretty blue wheel if you want, 
but realize that it’s PS2-only. The red wheel will work on either PC or 
PS2. Just so you know, it works with F1 2001 and Twisted Metal: 
Black, as well. Also, it’s worth the pricey $100 if you ask us. 


you'll find them 


Q Corporal Ross Dixon. Once the 
dust clears from the train wreck in 
the train area, go through the hole 
the train made. On the platform to 
the right, between two metal boxes: 
the dog tag. 


You should see it shining. 


behind, on the treadmill 
Ө Corporal Arthur McDonnel. In the 
Command Center [where you use 
the 51204791 code in the computer) 
reach the side where the computer 
is located. If in the box, the dog tag 


is to the left of the computer, outside. the bridge across from the 





Go to the outside corner of the box, 
where you can look over the electric 
stream. The dog tag is next to the box. 


© Private First Class Hans Gra 
After defeating the Boss from the 
freight elevator, the dog tag is left 


@ Lieutenant Mat Shuggart. After 
grabbing the parka, go up the ladder 
next to where you came out. Up the 
you should see the dog tag before 


rpse 





DVD EGGS 


Se7en DVD 
If you have the special edition Seven DVD, we 
found a way to get to the production credits. 
Here's how it works: First, insert disc two and 
press Down to highlight the bottorn option on 
the main menu. Then press Right to highlight 
the square underneath the “Se7en” logo. 
Press Enter to view the disc’s production cred- 
its. You can even get more info by highlighting 
the company logos during the credits. 


L.A. Story DVD 
Steve Martin is one of 
the most splendid folks 
in show business, and 
that alone should make 
you check out L.A. Story. 
If you do, and it’s on 
DVD, try out these eggs 
for some extras. 

1. On the menu page, 
press Left to see an 
interview with director 
Mick Jackson. 

2. On the special features menu, press Left 
to see an interview with Steve Martin. 

3. On the cast and crew menu, page #1, 
press Up to see another Steve Martin inter- 
view. 

4. On the cast and crew menu, page #2, 
press Up to see an interview with Victoria 
Tennant. 

5. On the last page of the filmography fea- 
ture, press Up to see, yet again, another Steve 
Martin interview. 


Killer Klowns from Outer Space DVD 
We heard a rumor somewhere that this was a 
cult classic. Not a personal OPM favorite, but 
to each cult their own. If you want to see some 
hidden clips, and we're sure you do, put in the 
disc and wait. Wait and wait until the "Easter 
Eggs” menu appears. At the main menu, 
select the “Special Features” option. Highlight 
“Play Movie” then press Up to highlight a pop- 
corn kernel. Hit Enter and you'll see a pre- 
production scene. 

Also, if you follow the same steps above, 
but press Up, Up, then Enter, you'll see an 
alternate scene from the flick. 





Me, Myself & Irene DVD 

Jim Carrey is as funny as he is irritating 
(maybe more the latter), but that doesn’t 
mean you won't be able to enjoy this egg. At 
the main menu let the scenes play through a 
few times and a pop-up selection will appear. 
You're going to be asked if you need medica- 
tion. If you choose no, then you'll be lead to 
the alternate “Hank Menus.” A new cursor and 
screen will appear. If you choose to down the 
medication, the cursor and menus will stay 
the same as Charlie Menus. 

Another way to delve deeper into this DVD 
is to go to the main menu and select Bonus 
features. Select Deleted Scenes. After that, 
place your cursor on “resume film.” From 
there, press the Down button on your remote. 
At that point, a picture of Jim Carrey will 
appear. Hit Select and you'll get to watcha 
few outtakes. 


Official U.S. PlayStation М 


gazine 












































































Å тое secrets 





@ Second Lieutenant Chris Ditter. After 
entering the Filtration Plant through the tool 
shed (you came in by a ladder), make your way 
to the left. There should be a slope with a little 
bit of ledge. Climb across that ledge and get to 
the platform. Get up on the higher platform. 
Underneath you'll find the dog tag. 


© Officer Cadet Ed Collate. After getting the 
dog-tag receiver unit, duck under the platform 
next to the staircase. Slice the trip wire, then 
collect the goodies: A SPR4 magazine, shot- 
gun shells, a flame-thrower tank and dog tag 
number nine. 






When you get to the line 
of scrimmage, you want 
to snap the ball, right? 


@ Sergeant Robert Cameron. Near the 
wrecked train, where you meet the watchdogs, 
use the dog-tag receiver unit to find it. 


@ Sergeant David Murren. Once coming 
through the door of the train room, you should 
see a booth straight ahead. Slice the wooden 
crates to the left of it and you should see it to 
the right of the steel crates. 


Ө Captain Kurt Gianini. Up the stairs, in the 
same room, there should be a vent in the area 
where you look down on the booth area. Once 
in, take the first right and go straight until you 
reach the end. Turn right. It'll be at the end. 


Ө Private First Class Tom Taylor. In the room 
with the metal tag, same area as the other 
two above. You should find it by the metal tag. 


Ф Officer Cadet Lance McLaughlin. After con- 
fronting Cindy, you should find this tag in the 
corner near her. 


Ө Corporal Filel Sidalis. On the ledge out- 
side, near Filel, you'll find it. Use the receiver 
unit and it's yours. 


(D Sergeant Roger Grigman. After defeating 
Roger, the dog tag should be just before the 
bridge. Remember to take his knife. 


(B Major Mike Madigan. After defeating 
Roger, go to where the wounded Madigan is 
located. Once the FMV sequence is over, his 
dog tags will be next to the elevator-like thing 
where he descended into the facility. 


Q First Sergeant Ken Reschner. In the area 
with the ice camo car, the dog tag is in the 
corner of a little outcropping. 


Expert Mode 

Successfully complete the game after finding 
all 15 dog tags and save. Start another game 
with the yellow "Rear Of Compound" save file 
(00:00:00 time]. The game will begin with 
extra ammunition and extra health items. 
Enemies will be tougher. 


Secret Mode 

Beat the game, find all 15 dog tags and 
Roger's knife. After the credits, and the funny 
candy girl song, save the game. When you do, 
the save file will be yellow and have a star 
next to it. Enemies take double the hits to kill 
in this mode. 


(83) Official US. PlayStation Magazine 











your center will start pointing to 


be staggering. 


When you're on offense, rushing up to the 
line of scrimmage and snapping the ball is 
the easiest way to go four-and-out. 
Patience is the key. And there's a trick to 
get great blocking, too. After calling your 
play (the sooner, the better], you'll go to 
the line of scrimmage. If you wait, and 
there's enough time on the play clock, 


defensive players. He's basically call- 
ing out blocking assignments. If you 
snap the ball after that you'll get 
insanely better pass protection and 
much better run blocking. It's a sim- 
ple, subtle thing, but it makes such a 
huge difference that the results will 











five yards. You have to try 





Q MADDEN NFL 2002 
Backbreaking punt returns 

If you're in need of some big yards on a 
punt return, there are a couple of different 
strategies. One of our favorites is the 
Punt Block defense. It makes you suscep- 
tible to a fake punt, but otherwise, if 
they're kicking it, you'll get a free 

15 yards without incident. The key is 


Running backs are good for more than just busting into 
the line of scrimmage and clawing for three or four yards 
a carry. So, listen and listen good. 

You must pass to your backs out of the backfield. Even 
if they're not that good at receiving. Even if you think the 
screen pass sucks. Even if you know it's only good for 


nd that means moi 


more touchdowns fo 


Might as well get on with it; it's a video game, right? Well, 
_ | not in the case of Madden. Basically, if you keep snapping 
1 the ball at the same time you're going to get creamed. 
The defense is going to pick up on your snap count and 
bum-rush you every single time. Basically, patiently call 
out a few "hutt-hutts" by tapping Circle, then snap the 
ball at different times, using the play clock as a marker. 
It'll save you frustration, and it'll save your quarterback 
from getting severe headaches. 


int, you'll get bette г 





to take the guy оп the far right or far left 
of your blocking line and as soon as the 
ball is snapped, hold down Circle and run 
into the first blocker. Then, once your 
receiver catches the ball, run in that direc- 
tion. With some sweet jukes, you could 
score a big seven. Then again, you might 
get hammered and fumble since you'll 
have no blockers. It’s a risky thing to do, 
but we're not afraid of anything, so you 
shouldn't be either. 


© DRIVER 2 
The Windy City's Discount Car 
Head north and go to the Wrigleyville 


once or twice a game, and you might be surprised by the 
results. If you refuse to throw to your running backs, 
fine. But the opposing linebackers will catch on and start 
to blitz, and blitz hard. As soon as the linebackers don't 
have to worry about giving up a big play through the air, 
they can hurt you. 



































area and find Wrigley Field. Go to the 
northwest end of the ballpark. Park your 
car, get out. Walk over to where it says 
"Tickets" and press Triangle. A secret 
area located in the southeast corner of 
the ballpark will open. Return to your 
car, drive around to the southeast corner, 
and drive through the now opened gate 
and into the ballpark. Drive over to the 
ramp, get out of your car, walk up the 
ramp, turn right, and follow the walkway 
to the secret car. 


A free ride in Vegas 
Take the first right turn and follow it 





Don't forget to fill out your 
roster. That means picking 
up three-star players. 





ing Cen 





When you're settling in to recruit for the upcoming season, there 

are quite a few steps to take to really build your roster and make 

your team a powerhouse for years to come. Here are some key 

considerations. 

1. Figure out what positions you're weakest at. Consider redshirts 
and who's going to be graduating. 

2. Go after any blue-chip players who are interested in your school, 
and go after them hard. Don't let those guys slip away. 

3. Unless you're extremely deep at running back and quarterback, try to sign the 





Last month we gave you tips on taking 
down the competition on the field. This 
month, we train you to get the best set 


best one you can. 


4. Use your points flagrantly. If you're going after a player, fill up each of the four 
circles. Just sending your head coach isn't going to get it done. 


OPM's Top 25 


Winning a national cham- 


of ballers in Franchise Mode. 


5. After the first week or two [it lasts five weeks], you're going to have more draft 
points for coach visits than you have scholarships. So use them without caution. 
6. If a top guy at a position isn't signing, go after a four-star or even a three-star 


pionship takes a lot of 
grit, a lot of work and a lot. 
of luck. But after the sea- 


Putting the Kibosh 


position. 





guy for depth. Otherwise, you might end up with nobody worthwhile at a key 








on the Loyalists 





Don't believe college sports is a business? 
Wait until you have a fresh blue-chip draft 
class and you need to cut your roster 
down. If you have a freshman with an 82 
overall and a senior checking in at 81, who 
would you cut? Definitely get rid of the 
seniors. It's horrible advice to give, but if 
you want to build a champion, feelings 
will have to get hurt. 


Bowl of Goodies 









Getting into a major Bowl, even a 
teenie-weenie Bowl, is great for 
your team's credibility. If you can 
break through and earn a Bowl 
bid, you'll be flying high for next 
season. Another thing: The more 
prestige your team has, the easi- 
er it'll be able to sneak in with a 
record barely over .500. 




























Things to Keep In the Back of Your Mind 








1. Go after the No. 1 player in the entire draft. | don't care who he's interested in, give 
it a shot. You never know when he'll decide your school is the best. 

2. Get a good kicker. Kicking can win you games. Not kicking sucks. 

3. If you're gunning for a tight end, look at the height and size of the 
guy you take a liking to. You won't know stats or abilities, but a blue 
chip 66", 286 lb. tight end is going to be better at blocking than a 
62", 242 lb. guy. 

4. If a player is up in the air between your team and one of your rivals, 
make sure you go after him with reckless abandon. That's one more 
player who can run down their throats at a later date. 

5. Look at where a player is from. If you're recruiting for Texas and a 
guy is from Maine, it's going to make him tougher to snag, even if he is showing 
high interest. 








Take a chance on the top guy in the 
nation when you're recruiting. You 
never know. You might sway him. 


That's a Lovely Red Shirt 


One way to avoid being such a creep 
to graduating seniors is to redshirt 
the young studs. Especially if their 
overalls are pretty even. Redshirting 
is basically holding a player for a 
year, without taking a year away 
from his eligibility. That way you can 
have a player for an extra year, 
which means he'll be extra good. But 
if injuries pile up, you can take off 
the red shirt tag and he can help out. 
But then you lose that year of eligi- 
bility, too. 














son's over, you'll also 
want to have the best 
team on the field for the 
next season. We offer the 
OPM Top 25: a list of 
teams with budding 
superstars and enough 
prestige to lure the best 
in high school football to 
your campus. 


Clemson 
Georgia Tech 
Florida 
Florida State 
Fresno State 
Kansas State 
Miami 
Michigan 
Michigan State 
Nebraska 
Northwestern 
Notre Dame 
Ohio State 
Oklahoma 
Oregon 
Oregon State 
Penn State 
Purdue 
Stanford 
Tennessee 
Texas 

UCLA 
Virginia Tech 
Washington 
Wisconsin 











down. Turn left to go to the Tropicana 
area. Turn right at the second street, 

then take the first left turn. Follow the 

"S" curve and stop at the crosswalk. 

Look left to see a gate and a building. 
Follow that building with the four cones 

in front of it. At the end of the building 

is an opened gate. Turn in there and you 
Will see the switch next to the fence at 

the end of the building. Get out of your car 
and walk over to the switch. Press Triangle 
to open the gate you first saw. Get back in 
your car and drive around into the now 
open area. The secret car will be behind 
the building in front of you 


© TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 2 
Skate, flip or fly? 

Flippin' the level 

Pause the game, then hold L1 and press 
Up, Down, Left, Right, Triangle, X, Square, 
Circle, Up, Down, Left, Right, Triangle, X, 
Square, Circle. If you entered the code cor- 
rectly, the pause screen will shake. This 
mode reverses the game's level in a mirror 
image. Alternately, successfully complete 
the game by completing all level objectives 
in career mode 15 times. 


Going airborne 
Pause the game, then hold L1 and press 


Up. Up, Up, Up, X, Square, Up, Up, Up, Up, 
X, Square, Up, Up, Up, Up. If you entered the 
code correctly, the pause screen will shake. 
Begin a game and press one of the follow- 
ing buttons to fly: 

Float up: Hold X 

Fly forward: Hold Triangle while in-air. 

Drift left: Press L1. 

Drift right: Press R1. 

Turn left: Press L2. 

Turn right: Press R2. 


AU gaps and Private Carrera 
Pause the game, then hold L1 and press 
Down, Up, Left, Left, Circle, Left, Up, 


Triangle, Triangle, Up, Right, Square, 
Square, Up, X. If you entered the code cor- 
rectly, the pause screen will shake. 


Special meter always maxed 

Pause the game, then hold L1 and press X, 
Triangle, Circle, Circle, Up, Left, Triangle, 
Square to always have a full special meter. 
If you entered the code correctly, the pause 
screen will shake. Alternately, successfully 
complete the game by completing all level 
objectives in career mode five times. 


© GRAN TURISMO 2 


Cool cars plus 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (185) 


That damned sewer. If there's one puzzle in Ico that's stumped more people than 
any other, it has to be that cursed sewer level. Before you tear your hair out or end 
up whimpering in a corner, take a deep breath and remember we're here to help. 
However, before you leap into the step-by-step walk-through below, let us pose you 
this question by way of a more general hint: How many ways are there into or out 
of that sewer? Think about it for a second before you go on; take a look around and 
see if that doesn't help. Still here? Then proceed to the walk-through. And remem- 


ber, there's no shame in asking for help. 


LLL 


This segment begins as you exit the Windmill area. You stand in a room with a closed 


metal gate anda chain dangling down in the center of the room. There's no way to open 
the gate from where you are, so send Ico up the chain, Shortly you'll be:swarmed by 
Shadow Beasts, so shimmy back down and defend Yorda. Once that's done, climb back 
up, turn to the right, and head down the stairs. 

In the middle of this courtyard you'll see a series of metal sewer grates. Take а close 
look and you'll see that one of them has been removed. Drop down inside. 

There's still no obvious means of opening the gate, so head down the hallway. Ico wilt 
soon end up waist-deep in water, in an area with a platform on either side. 

Climb up onto the platform on the right side of the screen and you'll see that the cen- 
ter of the platform is actually a button switch. Stand on it for a moment and it will lower, 
Opening the grate. Call to Yorda and she'll come through the gate. 


As soon as Yorda is nearby, take her hand and lead 
her up onto the other platform, on the left. As soon as 
this button is depressed, the gate and the near end of 
the sewer will raise. Leave Yorda holding down the 


button so that Ico can exit; 


if you've come this far and gotten stuck, you're not 
alone. For one thing, there's that valve on the pipe 
there. Surety, you think, that must до something! 


Nope, it doesn't. It's just scenery. 


Shimmy up the pipe there, turn around and take a 
running leap across the pit. You'll make it—barely: 
Now, here's the part that everyone seems to miss: 
Head back to the grate you dropped through, get right 
up close to the ейде, and hit R1. Yorda will. come run~ 


ning down the һай and {еар into your arms. 


Earning the kiddie medal 

The small green and yellow object on the 
status screen under licenses is a license 
award given if you miss the bronze medal 
by .3 to .5 seconds. The game is selective 
when awarding the medal. It may take 
several attempts to earn one. 


Finding the Motor Sports Land track 
Obtain all of the licenses, including the 
Super License and the Motor Sports Land 
track will become available in Time Trial 
mode on the arcade disc. 


(18 


6) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


Opening the doors to the FedEx car 

Enter the Gran Turismo League race events 
until reaching the Pacific League races. 
Then, enter the Midfield Raceway event to 
be awarded with an R*Nissan 3002Х GTS 
FedEx race car. 





Frivolous big head mode 

Pause the game and press Up, R1, Up, 
R1, Up, R1, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle. 
If you entered the code correctly, you will 
hear a sound. Repeat the code to disable 
its effects. 


CERERI SEE ERROR‏ ت 


Now that Yorda is out, you can head back 
up the Stairs and open the door there. 
Inside you'll find:a lift to take you up to 
the roof. Once you emerge you'll find an 
open area with a higher level оп the left— 
justout of reach. Looks like you're taking 
the long way around. 

In the lower-right corner of the area 
you (see that some of the fence has been 
{orn away, Drop-down and shimmy to:the 
left; climbing up or dropping down-a level 
wherever necessary. You'll eventually 
соте toa corner of the structure, where 
уой сап drop down toa 
platform. Head around 
the corner, up the 
other platforms, and 
climb back up the side 
ofthe wall there. 

You're heading for that 
wooden step at the top 
right of the wall: 
Once you've 
climbed ир, you'it find 
~a handy box. Push it 

down to the lower 

level. Jump down 

after it, and pull itto 

the (аг sideof the 

area, Where a switch 

sits just out-ef-your 

reach. Pull the box 

below the switch, climb up, and hit the 
switch, which will tower a long chain in 
the background, 

You'll need to fight some more beasts 
here. They're nothing you can't handle, 
though. Once you've disposed of them, 
push the box back to where you originally 
dropped it, climb up to the upper level, 
and offer-Yorda your hand to pull her up. 
Might as welluse the Save Couch in the 
upper-right corner. 

Now, climb up onto the second ledge in 
the back of the area and shimmy over to 
the teft. Here's another place where peo- 
ple have gotten stuck: Don't worry about 
that column in the middle; it's crumbled, 
and you can get around it, Once you cross 


Do the flatten up 

Pause the game and press Left, Right, Left, 
Right, L1, R1, L1, R1, Square, Circle. If you 
entered the code correctly, you will hear a 
sound. Repeat the code to disable it. 





Duplication nation 
Duplicate weapons 
Set the Ninja "Two Swords" skill on anyone. 
Equip a shield in his/her right hand, and the 
item you want duplicated in his/her left. 
Now go to a shop that sells the items you 
want duplicated, choose "BEST FIT" and 
buy them. Next, go to the formation screen 


the pit, drop down arid head to the chain 
you towered earlier. 

Climb-down the chain às low as you can 
go: Now, hold Circle and begin to swing 
toward the-window.As soon as you get 
some momentum going, hit Triangle-at 
the apex of your swing:to leap through the 
window. Inside you'll face a few more 
Shadow Beasts. 

You'll notice two windows with boxes in 
them. Climb up to either one and push the 
Бох out, following it through the window. 
You'll-end up back in һе sewer courtyari 

Push the box toward the 
top ofthe screen, then over 
tothe left, Climb up on top 
and-you’tl be able to access 
the ledge that runs around 
the first room in this area. 
Head around the room. 
and you'll find a chain. 
Climb up, head up the 
stairs and through the 
door, and you'll be:above 
the lift room. To the left of 
the screen will be a ladder. 
Climb all the way up. 
You're now high above the 
ledges that гип alongside 
the pit with the metal plat- 
form, where you left Yorda. 
Head to the left and 
you'tl-come to a break in the ledge with a 
chain hanging down. Jump onto the chain, 
swing and jump off onto the other side. 
You'll find a lever there. Before you pull it, 
call to Yorda to make sure she walks out 
onto the metal platform. Once she’s there, 
pull the lever and it will transport her 
over to your side. 

As soon as it does, however, a new 
horde of Shadow Beasts will appear, Slide 
down the chain and save Yorda. But 
instead of taking them on one by one, just 
drag Yorda over to the sealed door. 
Whatever power she has that opens the 
door will also destroy all the Shadow 
Beasts in the area. 

There, now wasn't that simple? 





and remove the items. You should now have 
two of the item you had in the left hand. For 
example, to duplicate Excalibur, go to 
Lionel castle’s shop. You'll get a second 
Excalibur for only 10 gold. 


Cloning swords 

The sword to be cloned must be weaker 
than any other sword that can be pur- 
chased. First, change your character to a 
Knight and equip two swords on him or her. 
Then, equip the sword to be cloned in your 
character's lower hand and a shield in the 
upper hand. Go to a shop, select best fit, 
and purchase it. Your character should now 





Charlie's Angels (DVD) 
Mewsneak 


Gauntlet: Dark Legacy (PS2) 
Panko 











DVDS 
Armageddon 
American Beauty 
Babe: Pig in the City 
Best in Show 
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 
Desperado 
Men in Black 
Mrs. Doubtfire 


Digging through your CD collection (a.k.a. Saucer 
Stones) in search of rare creatures has always been 
one of the unique joys of the Monster Rancher series. 
While in the past you were limited to CDs (albeit 
music, PS games and computer discs), Monster 
Rancher 3 now lets you tap your DVD collection as 
well, opening up a whole new universe of possibility. 
And that's not all—for you multisystem gamers out 
there, sift through your Dreamcast GD-ROMs for 
some nifty finds (for starters, try Samba de Amigo for 
areal wacky monster). 

We took a quick tour through our collections and, 
along with a little help from our friends at Tecmo, 
we've unearthed a few notable secrets. But what 
we've got here is just a sampling of what's out 
there—we're told there are plenty more special discs 


with elusive, unique monsters. So check these out, 
then try some of your own discs. As always, we want 
to know what you've discovered, so send us an e-mail 
with any rare finds to opm{@ziffdavis.com (mark the 
subject line “МЕЗ DISCS”). 

A few quick words of advice when spawning mon- 
sters. First, look for games, music or movies that 
have an obvious creature connection (see below for 
some examples]. Second, try out any and all Tecmo 
games. Third, noodle around with some big hit 
movies and albums. Fourth, try everything! Finally, a 
word of caution: If you spawn a monster that you 
already have in your Encyclopedia, be sure to check 
that the new creature has better stats than your cur- 
rent monster before you save it—otherwise, you'll be 


Street Fighter EX3 (PS2) 


Chicken Run (DVD) 


Eggukkung 





Sumocchi Oh 


WWF SmackDown! 2 (PS опе) 


Edward Scissorhands (DVD) 
Scissors 





MR Hop-A-Bout (PS one) 
Меде! ( 1 


handful of unique creatui 





GAMES 
Alien Resurrection [PS опе) 
Dance Dance Revolution (PS one] 
Gallop Racer 2001 (PS2) 
Samba de Amigo [Dreamcast] 
Tenchu 2 (PS one] 
Tomb Raider: Last Revelation (PS one] 
Unison (PS2) 


MUSIC 
Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog 
Flavored Water (Limp Bizkit) 


J. Lo (Jennifer Lopez) 
The Marshall Mathers LP (Eminem) 
Kid A (Radiohead) 


game, 


since one include 

the game. But for those 
orde 
lets 
depending on what rank you've reac If 


Gallop Racer—req 


stuck with a weaker version in your collection. 


ər Rancher 3 
at a Pandora's Disc is, 

th each copy of 
ho didn't pre 

> deal: A Pandora's Dis 


lifferent rare monsters. 


u find one [like Monster Rancher Нор-А 


re to try it several times during 
'ou' re bound to unleash a 


depending on 


your level. Als s—like 


Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and 


ou to reach a cer: 


tain rank before you can safely use that 


Human Clay (Creed] disc 


Finally, certain discs (like Alien 


urrection] will gi ou a cryptic mes. 


out not having any records of that 
spend enough time with the 
though, and you might get some 


thing special 





have two of the desired sword. 


@ SYPHON FILTER 2 

Multiplayer tips 

Bunker multiplayer stage 

Find the PK-102 in the Moscow Streets 
level. There is a point where two cars will 
try to run you over at the same time, and 
you have to leap and grab a pole above you 
to avoid them. After this happens, drop 
down, and go back and search the two 
newly crashed cars. Face the tail ends of 
the cars. The car on the right has the PK- 
102 inside. The cars are on fire, so search 
carefully. Additionally, after the cars crash, 


an enemy will get out of each car. At least 
one of them has an M-79 grenade launcher. 


Caves multiplayer stage 

Find the binoculars in the Colorado 
Interstate 70 level. They are located behind 
the first closed door on your left that you 
reach. Press Triangle to open the door. This 
reveals a passage. Go left, open another 
door, and enter the room. The box contain- 
ing the binoculars is in this room 


Disco Underground multiplayer stage 
In the Disco 32 level, after killing the body- 
guard on the catwalk, three more guards 


will run in the door. Kill all three before 
they can throw a grenade at you. None of 
them have flak jackets. When you kick open 
the doors to the next dance floor with big 
speakers in the corners, you will need to 
kill these three guards before the guard 
above you can throw a grenade. Save your 
BIZ-2 ammo for him, run to the right, and 
hide behind the speaker. Kill the two guards 
on the floor. As the guard above you runs 
around so he can throw a grenade, use the 
BIZ-2 for a head shot. He has a flak jacket. 


@ GRAND THEFT AUTO II 


Cheating to win 





Level select 

Enter "ITSALLUP" as a player name 
Invincibility 

Enter "LIVELONG" as a player name. 
All weapons 

Enter "NAVARONE" as a player name. 
Turbo mode 

Enter "IGNITION" as a player name. 
No police 

Enter "LOSEFEDS" as a player name 
Display coordinates 

Enter "WUGGLES" as a player name. 
Maximum wanted level 

Enter "DESIRES" as a player name. 


Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (187) 


“а NEXT MONTH 


On sale Dec. 11 


PlayStation 


MAGAZINE 





may not be making games that star a certain 


orange marsupial anymore, but trust us—one look at 
‚ and you'll 


most likely be saying, "Crash Bandi-who?" Next month, we'll dig up every 

possible detail about this groundbreaking platformer. 
We'll bring you definitive reviews of two of the hottest 

PS2 titles: Grand Theft Auto III and Baldur's Gate: 

| Dark Alliance. Will GTA3 fit snugly into the realm of 

gangster lore? And will Dark Alliance prove that the 

Baldur's Gate franchise can cut it on a console? 

Also, we'll deliver the newest tricks and strategies for 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Gran Turismo 3 and Madden 

| 2002, along with a few surprises. 

Plus! SSX Tricky, Driven, No One Lives Forever, Mega Man X6, Supercar 


Street Challenge, NBA 2K2, Hoshigami, WWF SmackDown! Just Bring 
Tt, Max Payne, Frequency and much, much more! 





*Editorial content subject to change» 


(188) Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


On sale now 


ЕШЕСІЕРІІСІ 


GAMING, 


Xbox vs. NGC 


Wondering which new sys- 
tem to throw your money 
at? Look no further than 
ЕСМ monstrous 34-раде 
guide that details the ins 
and outs of Microsoft's Xbox 
and Nintendo's GameCube. 
Also, check out the first 
review of Star Wars: Rogue 
Leader, all you'll need to know about Harry Potter, and enter to win 
a PS2, Xbox and GameCube. Don't miss it! 

















On sale now 


Hawk Attack! 


GameNOW wowed you with 
their stellar debut issue, 
and now they're going to 
raise the stakes. Their sec- 
ond issue shows off exclu- 
sive Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 
3 maps for their blowout 
strategy! Also, you'll get to 
read up on NBA 2K2, Luigi's 
Mansion, Devil May Cry, Spyro the Dragon: Season of Ice and 
Syphon Filter 3. Plus: RPG-style goodness with huge reviews and 
strategies for Okage and Dragon Warrior VII. 











On sale now 
COMPUTER 


CAV Ка 


WORLD 
Hide in the Shadows of Luclin 


Sony Online nearly took over the world with EverQuest. Now 
they're back with Shadows of Luclin, the biggest and best EQ 
expansion yet, as well as 
Planetside, a massive 
multiplayer FPS—and 
CGW has the scoop on 
both. Also, check out the 
exclusive six-page comic- 
book feature with comics 
legend Scott McCloud, 
creator of the classic 
Understanding Comics. 





Hints, codes, reviews, screen shots, release dates, movies, updated everyday. 


Don’t hit start until you hit gamespot.com 


GAMESPOT 


Where gamers go to know. 


© 2001 CNET NETWORKS INC. © 1998 ARTOINK, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CHARACTER DESIGN BY € HAKUHODO INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 





O- 


HOLIDAY TRIMMINGS 


Funny stuff that's our early gift to you 
ICONS HAVE FEELINGS TOO 


Ever check out the save icons on your PS2 memory card? In most cases they're nothing special—just a sin- 
gle, possibly animated image. But a few go beyond that, reacting to instances when you choose to copy or 
delete them. We've corralled a few that you might want to check out for yourself. Know of any others? Let 
us know at opm(aziffdavis.com with the subject of SAVE ICONS, and we might feature them in a later issue. 


Normal 





Every now and then, Activision's 
The Weakest Link shoots out a 
question that stumps us com- 
pletely. Especially this one! We 
couldn't even tell you who 


wrote Moor Dick (such an inter- 
esting title), much less what 
Captain Ahab was doing in 
it...or the name of his ship. Got 
an answer? Shoot us an e-mail 
at opm(@ziffdavis.com with the 
subject MOOR DICK. 





Devil May Cry 

Normal: That Trish is one sexy momma! 

Shake that booty, honey! 

Copy: Apparently an Atlanta Braves fan, Trish puts her 
whole body into a forceful Tomahawk Chop motion. 
Delete: There you go, hurting her feelings again. 
You're a real jerk. 


Escape From Monkey Island 

N: Always scratching his head, you have to wonder just 
what complexity this monkey is trying to solve. 

C: With great enthusiasm, the monkey shakes his tail while 
moving his arms back and forth in a feverish manner. 

D: Feeling dejected, our primate friend crouches over and 
continually bashes himself on the head. 


Harvest Moon: Back to Nature 

N: Your loyal pooch just kind of hangs out, being all cute. 
С: Your best friend sits up in excitement, happy that you 
want another of him. 

D: You obviously care nothing for your loyal companion, 
you hateful bastard. 


J Okage: Shadow King 


N: Standing erect, Stan convulses repeatedly, with his arms 
around nothing. He obviously needs a girlfriend. 

C: Joyously, Stan moves his arms up and down as though 
the flattest cheerleader at Devil University. 

D: Your demonic pal is completely at your mercy, apparent- 
ly doing his best Wicked Witch of the West in a rainstorm 
imitation. 


Onimusha: Warlords 

N: This cartoonish Samanosuke loves admiring his huge 
one-eyed gauntlet. 

C: Sometimes your gauntlet just has a mind of its own, 


Y huh? And, you know, you have to chase it down. 


D: You can tell Sammy's down when he doesn't want to play 
with his gauntlet anymore. 


PlayStation. 








TURKEYS 


As you saw in our Holiday Buyer's Guide on page 38, a 
slew of great games await your PS2 this holiday season. 
Unfortunately, a great many seem destined for a holiday 
purchase, as well—but only in the sense that they're 
real turkeys. Here are a few of the more "notable" ones, 
complete with a Gobblemeter to gauge their turkitude. 
The more Gobbles, the more it belongs on your table for 
Thanksgiving dinner. 


б Arctic Thunder 

Midway's latest racing game comes stuffed 
with one of the worst framerates we've seen 
for a PS2 game. 


& CART Fury 
Midway strikes again with CART racing so 
not CART racing that fans will likely shout, 
"What the cluck?!" 


i 
{> 


Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse 
Bad Diablo-wannabe gameplay plus a mis- 
leading title (по relation to the Fox show 
whatsoever] make this one fail to fly. 





9 Portal Runner 

Obviously, the best part about this Army Men 
game that isn't an Army Men game (уеаһ, 
right] is the yummy breasts. 


ё & Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing 
Bad kart-racing action, plus Jar Jar. Please, 
won't some Tusken Raider just choose to 
feast on him? 


All the hype in the world can't rectify the fact 
that Rockstar’s anime-style adventure is just 
full of nasty, nasty giblets. 


б NFL GameDay 2001 

We hope when John Madden awards his 
Turkey Legs for Fox's Thanksgiving game, he 
doesn't pull them from perhaps the biggest 
PS2 turkey of them all. 


Sega Sports knows football. It knows basketball, hockey, baseball and tennis. But it 
also knows humor. Showing off these highly unanticipated (fake) titles at the compa- 
ny's Gamer's Day in New York City, Sega President Peter Moore showed his stuff at 
dodgeball, ping-pong and synchronized swimming. All followed by the 2K3 moniker, 
of course. For the niche sports fanatics, these are just for laughs. Thankfully. 


PlayStation.2 < PlayStation.2 


PING-PONG EE, 


5 WIMMING 








ғ 


[8[е]ев[м ече в ев ІБІБІБ/ІЕІБІБІЕІЕІ o E] - Eo T Ee] iE) 





Issuel $5 
October 1997 

Final Fantasy VII Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: Intelligent. 
Qube, PaRappa the Rapper, Асе 
Combat 2, Fighting Force 


Issue 2 $10 
November 1997 
Bushido Blade Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: Crash 
Bandicoot 2, Croc, Armored 
Core, Madden NFL 98, Cool 
Boarders 2, Colony Wars 


Issue 3 $10 
December 1997 

Cool Boarders Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: Bushido 
Blade, Vs., Star Wars: Masters 
of Teräs Kasi, Jet Moto 2, 
Cardinal SYN, Ghost in the 
Shell, Moto Racer, Test Drive 4 


Issue 4 $10 
January 1998 

‘Tomb Raider II Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: NFL 
GameDay 98, CART World 
Series, Frogger 


Issue 5 $10 
February 1998 


| Issue 7 $10 


April 1998 
Resident Evil 2 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Hot Shots 
бой, Pitfall 3D, WCW Nitro, ONE 


Issue 8 $10 
May 1998 
Tekken 3 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Einhánder, 
бех: Enter the Gecko, Klonoa 


Issue 9 $5 
June 1998 
Tekken 3 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Cardinal 
SYN, Vigilante 8, Forsaken, N20, 
TOCA, Dead or Alive. 


non-playables: NFL Xtreme, 
MLB 99, Tekken 3 


Issue 11 $15 
August 1998 

Vigilante 8 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Tekken 3, 
Turbo Prop Racing 


Issue 12 $10 
September 1998 
Elemental Gearbolt Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: Spyro the 
Dragon, Duke Nukem: Time to 


COLLECT THEM ALL 


Order OPM Back Issues or Demo Discs Today! To order, simply send your order form indicating which issues you would like to: Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Back Issues, Р.О. Вох 3338, Oak Brook, IL 
60522-3338 All requests must be paid for by check or money order ONLY, made payable to Ziff Davis Media (Please do not send cash.) The cost for each issue is as indicated on the order form PLUS shipping and han- 
dling. 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 subject to change without notice. (Note: Issue 
17/February 1999 is completely SOLD OUT.) 


Kill, WWF War Zone, The Unholy 
War, SCARS. 


Issue 13 $10 
October 1998 
Spyro the Dragon 

Demo Disc playables: Metal Gear 
Solid, Legacy of Kain: Soul 
Reaver, Test Drive 5, Devil Dice, 
Brunswick Bowling, Ninja, NFL 
Xtreme, Cool Boarders 3 


Issue 14-disc only$799 


Issue 15 $10 
December 1998 

Crash Bandicoot Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Tomb 
Raider III, Crash Bandicoot: 
WARPED, Bomberman World, A 
Bugs Life, Running Wild, Kagero, 
Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo 
Issue 16 $10 
January 1999 

Tomb Raider Ш Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: Silent Hill, 
Moto Racer 2, Brave Fencer 
Musashi, Apocalypse, T'ai Fu 
Issue 17 SOLD OUT 
Issue 18 $10 
March 1999 

Syphon Filter Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Syphon 
Filter, Bust a Groove, Shadow 
Madness, Fisherman's Вай, Akuji 
the Heartless, No One Can Stop 
Mr. Domino, Street Sk8er 


Issue 19 $10 
April 1999 

Silent Hill Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: R4: Ridge 
Racer Type 4, WCW/nWo Thunder, 
Rolicage, Warzone 2100, Rugrats: 
Search for Reptar 


Issue 20 $10 
May 1999 

Legend of Legaia Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: Ehrgeiz, Gex 
3: Deep Cover Gecko, Legend of. 
Legaia, Contender 


Issue 21 $10 
June 1999 

Gex 3 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Oddworld: 
‘Abe's Exoddus, NFL Blitz, Bust-a- 
Move 4, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, 
Elmo's Letter Adventure 


Issue 22 $10 

July 1999 

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Strategy 
MLB 2000, The Next Tetris, Tony 

Hawk's Pro Skater, Croc 2, Soul of 
the Samurai, Bloody Roar 2 


Issue 23 
August 1999 
Ape Escape Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: 


Final Fantasy VIII, 3 Xtreme, Tiny 
Tank, Jade Cocoon, Macross VF-X 
2, You Don’t Know Jack, 
Centipede, Ultimate 8-Ball 


Issue 24 $10 
September 1999 

Jade Cocoon Strategy 

‘Demo Disc playables: Um Jammer 
Lammy, Sled Storm, Chocobo 
Racing, Pong, Monaco Grand Prix 
Racing 


Issue 25 $10 
October 1999 

Final Fantasy VIII Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: Metal Gear 
Solid, WipeOut 3, Omega Boost, 
NFL Xtreme 2, Jet Moto 3, Toy 
Story 2, Pac-Man World 


Issue 26 $10 
November 1999 

‘Demo Disc playables: Grandia, 
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Killer 
Loop, 40 Winks, NFL Blitz, Crash 
Bandicoot: WARPED, Cool 
Boarders 3 


Issue 27 $10 
December 1999 

Crash Team Racing Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: GT 2, 
Madden NFL 2000, NFL GameDay 
2000, NCAA Game Breaker 2000, 
Cool Boarders 4 


Issue 28 $10 
January 2000 

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Strategy 
Demo Disc playables: 

Dino Crisis, NHL FaceOff 2000, NBA 
Basketball 2000, Tarzan, Army 
Men: Air Attack, WCW Mayhem 


Issue 29 $10 
February 2000 

Medal of Honor Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Tomba! 2, 
Tomb Raider The Last Revelation, 
SuperCross Circuit, MTV Sports 
Snowboarding 


Issue 30 $10 
March 2000 

GT2 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Syphon 
Filter 2, Crash Team Racing, NCAA 
Final Four 2000, Spyro 2, Silent. 
Bomber, Twisted Metal 4 


Issue 31 $10 
April 2000 

Saga Frontier 2 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: Colony 
Wars: Red Sun, Spider-Man, Eagle. 
One: Harrier Attack, Hot Shots 
Golf 2, RollcageStage IT, Gekido 


Issue 32 $10 
May 2000 

Syphon Filter 2 Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: MediEvil I1, 
NCAA March Madness 2000, 
NASCAR Rumble, Speed Punks, 
Rugrats Studio Tour 


Issue 33 $10 
June 2000 

Fear Effect Strategy 

Demo Disc playables: X-Men 
Mutant Academy, Threads of Fate, 
WWF SmackDown!, Gauntlet 
Legends, Grind Session 





New Larger Size! Get More Magazine For Your Money! 


O Issue 34-$10 
July 2000 
—— 


Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 


Demo Disc playables: 
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 
2, Legend of Dragoon, 
MLB 2001, Mr. Driller, 
Star Trek Invasion. 


Г] Issue 38-$10 
November 2000 





PS2 Revealed 


Demo Disc playables: Crash 
Bash, Incredible Crisis, 
Jarrett & LaBonte Stock Car 
Racing, Spyro: Year of the 
Dragon, UFC, plus Metal Gear 
Solid 2 video! 


Г] Issue 42-$10 
March 2001 





Demo Disc playables: CTR: 
Crash Team Racing, Hot 
Shots Golf 2, Grind 
Session, Disney's Tarzan 


Issue 46-$10 
L1 July 2001 





Demo Disc playables: 
Tomb Raider I, ITI & Last 
Revelation, Alone in the 
Dark, Gran Turismo 2, 
Dave Mirra: Maximum 
Remix, Aladdin in Nasira's 


Li Issue 35-$10 
August 2000 





Who Wants to Ве 
a Millionaire 


Demo Disc playables: 

Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi 
Power Battles, Tenchu 2, 
WDW: Magical Racing Tour, 
Destruction Derby Raw, Play 
with the Teletubbies 


Г] Issue 39-$10 
December 2000 


Crash Bash 


Demo Disc playables: 
Madden NFL 2001, Star Wars 
Demolition, MTV Sports Pure 
Ride, Mat Hoffman's Pro 
BMX, Disney's The Emperor's 
New Groove 


Issue 43-$10 
April 2001 


‘Twisted Metal: Black 
Demo Disc playables: 
Championship Surfer, 
Power Spike Volleyball, 
Tigger's Honey Hunt 


August 2001 





Г] Issue 47-$10 Г] Issue 48-$10 


PlayStatiofi 
ы 


Раде! 





Final Fantasy к 


Issue 36-510 
L1 September 2000 






Soul Reaver 2 

Demo Disc playables: Grind 
Session, Rayman 2: The Great 
Escape, Ms. Pac-Man Maze 
Madness, Dave Mirra Freestyle 
BMX, Tyco R/C Racing 


LI Issue 40-$10. 
January 2001 








Gran Turismo 3 


Demo Disc playables: 
Driver 2, Spider-Man, The 
Grinch, 102 Dalmations, 
Army Men Air Attack 2 


Г] Issue 44-$10 
May 2001 








MoH: Frontline. 

Demo Disc playables: Cool 
Boarders 2001, MediEvil 2, 
Legend of Dragoon, Emperors 
New Groove, Metal Gear Solid, 
Legacy of Kain, Ape Escape, 
Tekken 3, Syphon Filter 2 


September 2001 Li October 2001 


PlayStat 


Silent Hill 2 


Demo Disc playables: Final — Demo Disc playables: Mat 
Fantasy VIII Hoffman's Pro BMX Coo! Boarders 2001, Ico, 
Video previews: Final Video previews: Disney's Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil, 
Fantasy ҮП, FFIX, FF Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, 
Tactics, Klonoa 2, Star Okage: Shadow King, 

Wars: Super Bombad Escape from Monkey Racing, Portal Runner, 
Racing and the Final Island, Drakan IT, Legion: | Legacy of Kain: Soul 
Fantasy movie trailer The Legend of Excalibur Reaver, Spy Hunter 





Issue 49-$10 





Г] Issue 37-$10 
October 2000 





Demo Disc playables: Bust-A- 
Groove 2, RC Revenge, Team 
Buddies, Sydney 2000, 
Muppet Monster Adventure, 
Sno-Cross Championship. 
Racing 


C Issue 41-$10 





ZOE. 


Demo Disc playables: Spyro: 
Year of the Dragon, 

Star Wars Demolition, Crash 
Bash, Cool Boarders 2001, 
You Don't Know Jack, Mort 
the Chicken 


Г] Issue 45-$10 
June 2001 


Dark Cloud. 
Demo Disc playables: 
Grind Session, Hot Shots 
Golf, Dino Crisis, Klonoa 





oO Issue 50-$10 
— November 2001 


PS2 Demo Disc playables: Demo Disc playables: 


Spider-Man 2, X-Men: 
Mutant Academy 2, Barbie 
Explorer, Crash Bandicoot: 


Star Wars: Super Bombad — WARPED, Spyro: Year of the 


Dragon, Twisted Metal 2, 
Syphon Filter 2, Tekken 3 
Video previews: Dragon 
Warrior VII, Syphon Filter 3 


192 


Advertiser Index 


Acclaim Entertainment . 17, 57, 75, 115, 153 


www.acclaim.com 


Activision 36-37, 51, 71, 118-119, 171 


www.activision.com 


des 117, 133, 165 
www.bandai.com 


Capcom 91, 129, 173, 196 


WWW.capcom.com 


DC Shoes 
www.dcshoes.com 


Ecko Unlimited 
www.eckounlimited.com 


Eidos Interactive . 4-5, 194-195 


www.eidos.com 


Electronic Arts 6-7, 18-19, 34a-34h 


www.ea.com 


Electronics Boutique/EBWorld . 46-47 


www.ebgames.com 


Enix America Inc. ...................... 62-63 


www.enix.com 


Gamespot . è .189 


www.gamespot.com 


Infogrames 27, 28-29, 78-79 


ww.infogrames.com 


Unted States Postal Senice 


OFFICIAL U.S. 


Interplay .... 
ww.interplay.com 


www.koeigames.com 


Konami of America .. 


www.konami.com 


Logitech 
www.logitech.com 


Majesco Sales 
www.majescosales.com 


Memorex 
www.memorex.com 


Midway Home Entertainment 
www.midway.com 


www.nyko.com 


Paramount Pictures 
www.paramount.com 


Sammy Entertainment 
www.sammyentertainment.com 





Monthly 





7 Congres Майга. 




















Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 


MAGAZINE 


ay Station 


112-113 


43, 127, 156 


25, 81, 103, 105, 


++ +106-107, 111 


Sega of America .. .. 10-11, 72-73 


www.sega.com 


Sony Computer Entertainment 
of America 3-4, 20-21, 52-53, 92-93, 177 
www.scea.com 


Take 2 Interactive 8-9, 77, 124-125 


www.rockstargames.com 


www.thq.com 


Titus Software Corporation 
www.titusgames.com 


Ubi Soft Entertainment 
www.ubisoft.com 


Universal Interactive 
www.universalstudios.com 


Vivendi Universal - Sierra On-Line 
www.sierra.com 


Working Designs 
www.workingdesigns.com 


ystation Magazine 





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Requested lk 





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Mad Through 


























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into and flo 


ЕГІ 


Failure to file or publi 


nent of ownership may lead to suspension of Periodicals authorization. 





Barr onus 


Official Contest and Sweep 


UBL SOFT 
Т 2d 





Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (193) 


Blood and Gore 


Violence