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OFFICIAL U.S. MAGAZINE

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PL PANDORA TOMORROW

АМЕ NAMES NO LONGER HAVE TO MAKE S SENSE METAL GEAR SOLID 3:

SNAKE EATER;

SEE WHAT WE MEAN? | 1 y i PRINCE: OF-PERSIA | VAN

SANDS OF TIME

ІНЕ COULD BE THE SURPRISE HIT ОҒ ТЫ PEARS:

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Display Until Aug. 11

0 70992 06968" 2 | WWW.PLAYSTATIONMAGAZINE.COM

AUGUST 2003 issuE 71 $8.99 U.S. $11.99 Can:

CHEAT!

Downhill Domination. Are you equipped for the challenge?

Mild Language Violence [

5 D

Sack up, gentlemen. The first downhill mountain bike racing game for PlayStation.2 is here. Introducing Downhill Domination; where to get to the top you have to get to the bottom first. That means bombing down wickedly steep mountains. Busting tricks off 100-foot cliffs. And brawling your way past opponents with a combat system that lets you punch, kick and even hurl water bottles. The prize? The latest high- i andsp

LIVE IN YOUR. W «*R.LD. PLAY IN DURS

EVERYONE

в of Electronic Arts inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved. The "Officially Licensed Collegiate Products" label is Licensing Company. The “Collegiate Licensed Product" label is the property ofthe Independent Labeling Group. All names, logos, team icons, and mascots associated with the NCAA, universities, bowls and conferences are the stitutions. NCAA is а registered trademark of National Collegiate Athletic Association and the NGAA Football logo is a registered trademark ofthe NCAA licensed to NCAA Football USA, In. “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox Logos are either trademarks or registered trademarks ol Microsoft Corporation in the U.S, and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. TM, ©, and the Nintendo ‘CONTENT RATED BY Gamecube logo are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the properly of their respective owners. EA SPORTS™ is an Electronic Arts™ brand,

ESRB * PlayStation 2 only. Internet connection is required.

vis, EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo, and 115 in the Game" are trademarks or registered tr

It's in the game"

—

Quench your thirst for Saturday. Everyday. In stores July 17

BATTLE ONLINE MORE ATMOSPHERE NEW PLAYBOOK Once and for all, settle the score with your rivals, Revel in 200+ fight songs, cannons firing and Utilize the wide-open offense with over head-to-head, online*. With 165 new teams, cheerleaders with giant flags. With your current 200 new plays including tricky stuff the rivalries never end. team, or as far back as the "24. Fighting Irish. like the WR reverse pass.

" ~ ncaafootball2004.com e PlayS tation.e E E ) = AOL KEYWORD: NCAA FOOTBALL 2004

New Class of Monkey TA

Pink Monkey El Toro Harley Q. Win Billy Most Likely to Be a Pop Star Most Likely to Grab the Bull by the Horns Most Likely to Annoy the King Most Likely to Get a Speeding Ticket

}

Ё. а me ЗД

ES | i S 1 à l X Monko Polo Natalie Marshall Larry Most Likely to Find a Legendary Banana Most Likely to Lose Her Wits Most Likely to Punch the Ref Most Likely to Step in Monkey Poo

Mr. White Balboa Norman Specter Most Likely to Be an Evil Scientist Most Likely to Live in a Meat Locker Most Likely to Drive a Humvee Most Likely to Take Over the World

EVERYONE Comic Mischief Mild Violence

©2003 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Ape Escape is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo аге registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Ubi Soft and the Ubi Soft logo are trademarks of Ubi Soft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Alll rights reserved.

Gatching Madness

Leo Stephenson George Most Likely to Catch a Fever Most Likely to Walk the Plank Most Likely to Save the World Most Likely to Be Inquisitive

Buzz Arthur Parka Punto

Most Likely to Be Lost in Space Most Likely to Get Pierced Most Likely to Chill Most Likely to Sink the Gondola

€ А NFL

Cleo Yellow Monkey Libby Spud

Most Likely to Walk Like an Egyptian Most Likely to Be a Pro Wrestler Most Likely to Swim to Ellis Island Most Likely to Be a Hypnotist

ЗОО monkeys. Theyre smarter. They're zanier. And they're trying to take over the world,

PlayStation.2 Ubi Soft

www.ubi.com

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amem ^

TEEN

CONTENT RATED BY ESRB

» ) | || | ' Mild Violence

жемді»

NINTENDO GAMECUBE.

PlayStations

® & © 2003 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. Climax and the Climax logo are trademarks of Climax Group. Eidos Interactive and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. TM, ® and Nintendo

the wheel of a souped-up MINI Cooper? Tear through subway stations, rip apart golf courses, and plow through storm drains’as you pull off the ultimate gold heist.

A high-octane arcade racerbased Race through L.A. Master 4 modes from death-defying Bonus features including movie

on the 2003 blockbuster movie. driving 10 different vehicles. stunt driving to multiplayer madness. footage, concept art, and more! EM NY IN STORES NOW CLimax v A ` SIDOS ttaliandobGame.com | trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc} “PlayStation” and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox logos GameCube logo are trademarks. of Nintendo. ©2001) Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. All rights reserved

^4

MAGAZINE

PlayStation

ONTENTS

www.playstationmagazine.com

2 ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA

LOTS OF GREAT

Г гає masazine Editor-in-Chief John Davison ‘Managing Editor Gary Steinman

SALES AND MARKETING Group Publisher Lee Uniacke, 415-357-4910

Previews Editor Chris Baker Group Associate Publisher

News Editor Sam Kennedy ‘Stan Taigen, 415-357-4915

foc ran MM AEA

Cu GRE di hd Mary Gray, District Sales Representative, 415-547-8782 s san xe Aaron Gallion, Account Executive, 415-357-4925

No Fast and the Furious clichés, guaranteed

Aside from our cover game, which frankly is absolutely stunning,

we have an awful lot of very impressive stuff to dish up for you this month. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (ЕЗІ in Мау was one of

John Davison Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Contributors Jon M. Gibson, Ravi Hiranand, Karen Jones, Nich Maragos, Penny Arcade, John Scalzi, Greg Sewart, Dave Smith, Peter Stokkebye

Japanese Correspondent Yutaka Ohbuchi

European Correspondent Axel Strohm

SOUTHWEST

Julie Knapp, Regional Sales Manager, 310-379-4313 Emily Olman, Senior Account Executive, 415-547-8781 MIDWEST

Marc Callison, Regional Sales Manager, 630-810-4095 Candace Droz, Account Executive, 415-357-4920

the best ever for showcasing great games, and we have an absolutely DESIGN gigantic Previews section, where we serve you with all kinds of goodies. Senior Art Director Bob Conlon BST : Outside of the obvious stuff to get all gooey about, such as Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Art Director Jason “Red Bull" Babler аго Eater (check out our interview with series creator Hideo Kojima on page 42 for some juicy Graphic Designer Tina Huynh KEY ACCOUNTS - WEST А details, which you won't have read anywhere else) and Gran Turismo 4, there were some Photography Shuji Kobayashi Marci Yamaguchi, Regional Sales Manager, 415-357-4944 great surprises. The biggest was Ubi Soft’s new Prince of Persia game, The Sands of Time, ык Ату Mishra, Account Executive, 415-547-8780 which for many was the game of the show. Any of you pushing 30 will surely remember Goa tices Sas ONLINE SALES the original game by Jordan Mechner on the Apple II and the Atari 800, and probably the Copy Editors Tom Edwards, Greg Ford, Bill Young 415-547-8453, subsequent remakes for various machines since. Well imagine that, brought up to date Maritza Refuerzo Rey Ledda, Marketing Director, 415-547-8775

by the folks who made Splinter Cell. Wow. Now turn to page 60.

KAREN JONES

When she's not busy with her main gig at The New York Times, Karen takes time out to hook us up with a Hollywood connection. This month, she sat down with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane to talk about his Evil Prophecy.

Videogames Have Ratings, Just Like Movies

CONTENT RATED BY The Entertainment Software 23593

EARLY CHILDHOOD а

5% ГЕЙ

PENNY ARCADE

Tycho went to Europe this month, and Gabe went down the street.

It was а momentous occasion for both of them. Read their thrice-

weekly comic and accom- 4

panying news post, and you will laugh a lot.

CONTENT RATED BY ESRB

PRODUCTION

Manufacturing Director Carlos Lugo

Senior Production Manager Anne Marie Miguel Production Manager Monica Brent

Assistant Production Manager Teresa Newson

Art Production Manager Michele Kellogg-Manousos

ZD GAME GROUP

Senior Vice President Dale Strang Editorial Director John Davison Creative Director Simon Cox Business Director Cathy Bendoff

CIRCULATION

Group Circulation Director Tracy Schultz

Single Copy Sales Director Bob Kerekes

Senior Newsstand Sales Manager Don Galen Internet and Partnership Marketing Dir. Chris Wilkes

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE NUMBER 800-627-6458 (US. and Canada only) hutp://service playstationmagazine.com subhelp@playstationmagazine.com

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Mission

ADULTS ONLY g

Tipler Ubbelohde, Senior Advertising Coordinator, 415-357-4930 Wayne Shiu, Marketing Coordinator, 415-547-8248

Kristeen Laut, Senior Sales Assistant, 415-547-8778 Amanda Nelson, Sales Assistant, 415-547-8783

Alison Rubino, Sales Assistant, 415-547-8779

ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA INC. Chairman & CEO Robert F Callahan

Chief Operating Officer & CFO Bart W. Catalane

Senior Executive Vice President, Publishing Operations Tom McGrade

Executive Vice President & Editorial Director Michael |. Miller

Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary Gregory Barton

Senior Vice Presidents Jasmine Alexander (Technology & Sales Operations) Derek Irwin (Finance)

Charles Mast (Circulation)

Sloan Seymour (Enterprise Group)

Dale Strang (Game Group)

Jason Young (Internet)

Vice Presidents

Ken Beach (Corporate Sales)

Tim Castelli (PC Magazine Group)

Charles Lee (Integrated Media)

Aimee D. Levine (Corporate Communications) Jim Louderback (Editor-in-Chief, Internet)

Eric Lundquist (Editor-in-Chief, eWEEK)

Bill Machrone (Editorial Development)

i ARLY ERYONE EEN MATURE ADULTS ONLY á " " Rating Board provides infor- ЕАК р EVERO тес. pps тезі Ellen Pearlman (Editor-in-Chief, CIO Insight) mation about videogame RATING The E replaced Contains These games The extreme Beth Repeta (Human Resources) content. ESRB ratings are ur he pm кее Roc LEN Tom Steinert-Threlkeld (Editor-in-Chief, Baseline) intended as guidelines only; children 3 last year or strong such as blood for adults only. Stephen Sutton (internet Audience Development) parents should still monitor role. Suitable for language; and gore; Packs sexual. Elda Vale (Research & Market Intelligence)

Products kids ages and animated stronger themes and Stephen Veith (Publisher, 00 Insight) minors’ purchases. carrying this 6 and up, violence. language; extreme

к label have E-rated games Ѕоте parents апа sexual violence.

WWW.ESRB.ORG absolutely по тау contain тау want themes, Console Senior Director, Manufacturing

material that minimal to supervise Deemed not manufacturers Carlos Lugo

would be violence children suitable have yet to

considered or crude playing for those allow an

inappropriate language. Trrated games. under 17 AO-ated game. Director, International

by parents. Christin Lawson

Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine [ISSN #1094-66831 is published monthly by Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, Nev nd 12 demo discs) $49.97 U.S., $65.97 all other countries, We periodically make Olficial US. PlayStation Maga;

Rates: One Year [12 iss TER: Send address chan

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РЕ

DCSHOECOUSA

AND SHOES,

BRUCE IRONS

SEAN DAVEY PHOTO,

MODEL FEATURED:

The FURY

4 Ж

DCSHOECOUSA

CONTENTS

a

L p s coms | SPIN

26 PSX Does Everything! Get a glimpse of the future of PlayStation with our in-depth look at the new PSX and PSP.

30 рау Planner OPM's handy monthly calendar.

32 Splintered Again We have no idea what a “Pandora Tomorrow” is, but we do have details on the new Splinter Cell.

34 E3 Extravaganza Booth babes, booth babes...and more booth babes. Ain't life grand?

38 He'll Be Back

You just can't keep the Terminator

wing the hell out of this down. Really. You can’t. game in no way constitutes an 84 endorsement of illegal activity. 40 More Than Meets the Eye

We roll out a first look at Transformers Armada.

Need for Speed

Шишеси is 42 Snake Attack

too fast for you. Ten things you must know about

You can’t catch it, MGS3: Snake Eater. Plus, a candid

so don’t even try. chat with Hideo Kojima.

REGULAR BITS i i Reena \ ! E i ч So you wanna test games for a > ^ X T % living? Maybe not after reading these 13 DEMO DISC j Y Pe: N 2 3 torturous testimonials. What other mag lets you get your T [^ LN \ «s s hands on PS2 games before TV { ЖАУ? | С 48 The Watchdog they're released? 1 ^

50 Only in Japan 16 INPUT id attelid ES these E Г и 51 Clish MacLaver

You send us letters, we print your letters. Because we care. Here's 52 Sound Station the address: opm(aziffdavis.com. Rock on with the sweet sounds of Backyard Wrestling. -hack//OUTBREAK Ratchet & Clank: 26 SPIN AirForce Delta Strike Defender of Grayskull Going Commando. 54 DVD Reviews Shocking news of a completely Alias I-Ninja Resident Evil: Outbreak new Sony device incorporating PS2 Aliens vs. Predator: Jak Il Rise to Honor 56 By the Numbers hardware, plus much more. Extinction James Bond 007: Seven Samurai 20XX Backyard Wrestling: Everything or Nothing SOCOM II Don't Try This at Home killswitch Sonic Heroes REPLAY 104 REPLAY Beyond Good & Evil Legacy of Kain: Soul Calibur I A whopping 16 pages of tricks, Bloody Roar 4 Defiance Sphinx and the 114 Ape Escape 2 strategies, and archived reviews. Castlevania: Lament of The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Set Beat those cheeky bosses You bought it, we've got it covered Innocence The Return of the King Spider-Man 2 Celebrity Deathmatch Madden NFL 2004 Splashdown: 116 Arc the Lad: Colin McRae Rally 04 Mafia Rides Gone Wild Twilight of the Spirits 120 PS. Conflict: Desert Storm II Maximo vs. the SSX 3 How to get rolling in Ragnoth. This month we pause to honor Drakengard Army of Zin Star Ocean: the dearly departed. Plus: Penny ESPN NFL Football McFarlane’s Evil Till the End of Time 106 Enter the Matrix Arcade and Р.5.А.Т. Fallout: Prophecy SWAT: Global Strike The Hacker's Handbook Brotherhood of Steel Medal of Honor: Team Fatal Frame 2 Rising Sun Teenage Mutant Ninja 110 The Hulk FIFA 2004 Mega Man X7 Turtles General tips, plus how to beat all Final Fantasy X-2 Mission: Impossible Tony Hawk's the bosses Final Fantasy XI Operation Surma Underground Firefighter ED.18 MTX Mototrax Whiplash 118 NCAAFootball 2004 Freedom: MX Unleashed X-Men: Legends Getting started online: Soldiers of Liberty Prince of Persia: XGRA: Extreme-G What, where, how. Gradius V The Sands of Time Racing Association Gran Turismo 4 R: Racing Evolution XII 117 Sequelmania

=N We don't Kh guys in the and we do

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 OPM Replacement Disc" to the address below with the name and address of the store plus your phone number. and address and we'll send you the disc. Make sure you specify which month the corresponding disc belongs to in order to ensure you get the right one.

Also, i you have a malfunctioning or non-working demo disc, сай 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 Offical U.S. 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

ON THIS MONTH'S PLAYABLE PS2 DVD

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits MLB SlugFest 20-04

Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild Gladius

Silent Line: Armored Core

Alter Echo

Ape Escape 2

Fugitive Hunter

Sphinx and the Shadow of Set Return to Castle Wolfenstein:

Operation Resurrection

Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo Unlimited Saga Silent Hill 3

The Hulk Medal of Honor: Rising Sun Hunter: The Reckoning-Wayward

Sly Cooper and the

Thievius Raccoonus

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Robotech: Battlecry

NHL 2K3

Clock Tower 3

CAN YOU FIND ALL 12 MONKEYS IN OUR

APE ESCAPE 2 DEMO? Like the first game, Ape Escape 2 is a surprisingly fun and occa- sionally innovative platformer. But don’t take our word for it; play it yourself. And when you're done, try the following chal- lenges for a few of the other playables on the disc. And don't forget about the other features!

APE ESCAPE 2

THE DETAILS: You get to conduct a full

HAVE YOU TRIE!

[ЕТ ЖИН

SPLASHDOWN: RIDES GONE WILD

MAGAZINE

«breaking through the wooden gate on the

Demo Disc Producers Gary Barth, Manuel. Sousa, Jerome Strach, Chris Tan

Marketing Team Kim Yuen, Chris Hagedorn, ‘Steve Williams

Executive Producers Andrew House, Marilyn Weyant

Format 8А Sam Bradley, DeMarlo King ‘Account Coordinator Eric Ippolito

Lead Programmers William Bohan, Ron Midthun, Avery Lodato

3D Artists Jason Robinson, Philip Williamson, David Hayes

Producer Jessi Harrison

President Katherine Williams.

Technical Director Tim Edwards

Tom Gillan, Gerald Martin, Jim Williams, Michelle Manahan, Christine DeNezza.

option, the SCEA product, You must call 1-800-345-SONY to receive instructions to obtain repai/replacement ser- vices

This warranty shall not be applicable and shall be void if the defect in the SCEA product has arisen through abuse, ‘unreasonable use, mistreatment, neglect, or breakage during shipment. THIS WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES AND NO OTHER REPRESENTA- TIONS OR CLAIMS OF ANY NATURE SHALL BE BINDING ON OR OBLIGATE SCEA. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES. APPLICABLE TO THIS SOFTWARE PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE NINETY (90) DAY PERIOD DESCRIBED ABOVE. IN NO EVENT WILL SCEA BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM POSSESSION, USE, OR

MALFUNCTION OF THE SCEA SOFTWARE PRODUCT. Some states do not allow limitations as to how long an implied warranty lasts andor exclusions 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 that 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. AU titles shown herein are trademarks of and copyrights of thelr respective publishers andor their licensors. See individual screens for details. ©2002 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

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

race on the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed level. Keep an eye out for new pathways; a few will open up as the race progress- es. And dig that stirring, orchestral soundtrack.

ARC THE LAD: T

THE DETAILS:

The unfortunate time limit on this demo barely gives you enough time to get a feel for the game, but you do get to see some of the lush design and get a glimpse of the broader story.

MLB SLUGFEST 20:

ILIGHT

fortress? Those rocks in front of the entrance actu- ally make a fairly good ramp, giving you access to a pretty solid shortcut.

-..hydroplaning? Pull back on the left analog stick and you'll get more speed.

-flipping your Sea-Doo? Тар Up then Down on а ramp to flip. Left and Right work, too.

THE SPIRITS

HAVE YOU TRIED...

„actually getting into a battle? Don't spend too much time wandering around town or you won't have enough time to get to the Scrappe Plateau. «going to the refinery and then talking to Banjo? He'll be in the items shop. After a spectacular dis- play of an admirable work ethic, he'll give you a new weapon part which will make Kharg's sword mildly more powerful.

ы, meti

ANIMA FRIN aay

a mn

Pilot the fastest hovercraft in the j “че! 5 » fleet through waves of Sentinels.

ee i А WRITTENCAND DIRECTED BY THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS

te es

aee

SEIN STORES NOW

COWWW.ENTTERTI IEMAPRINGAME.COM

erved. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft

s. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association. АП other trademarks are the arketed by Atari, Inc. New York, NY. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox loq ed trademarks or ind are used under license from Microsoft, "PlayStation" and the “PS” Family logo do GameCube and the Otlicial Seal are trademarks of Nintendo. 2001 Nintendo

ior other cot Manutactu nin the United $ Sony Computer Enterta

properly of their es are either regist ks of Miere

are registered trademarks ol

AI Rights Reserved

and/or other count ant Inc. Nintendo, Nint

Mild Language Suggestive Themes Violence

тм Warner Bros: Warner Bros. 05, Canada, Bahamas & Bermuda

© Village Roadshow Films (BVI) Limited А Other Territories:

NOMI SHY HEY SNATCH:

: ; ;

т

VEN Sv

Be introduced to the cast from The Matrix Reloaded"

gl Focus 100%

Battle alongside the original motion picture cast.

> 2 2 2 2 à

The Wachowski Brothers wrote the game ы. script and directed dighal Matrix" footage | exclusively for the

In-game fight sequences were chorgegraphed by Master Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix Gfouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Iron Monkey) and p: expert wire team.

Unparalleled film collaboration with The Matrix Reloaded™ crew, resulting in a truly authentic "Mairie ок and feel.

There's a hard line exit across town. Get there by any means possible.

Meet Sparks — your wish is his keystroke, colon, double backslash, execute command.

PlayStation.e г аана

INPUT

What's everyone talking about? Find out here!

ү

ххх М

The Hulk movie has plenty of people excited. Not

so with the game. On the OPM message boards,

MegoW64 says "I think the game will be just

another mediocre movie game that can't live up

to the hype." (C.Bake's enthusiastic review

didn't seem to convince many.) JustinCredible1

stated it the most succinctly: "Lame and lamer.”

Гат a 32-year-old single woman gamer (there are many more of us than you realize). | went to E3 last year and this year and | tell you, | was in heaven because of all the men (по, you're NOT all geeks!). Each time, | came back and bragged to everyone about all the cool stuff | got, and even brought plenty of gifts for everyone. All of my female friends—some gamers and some not—thought it was awesome to hear about all the men there. | mentioned the “booth babes” to the guys, but I'm never intimidated because | have what they have, its just not on display.

| noticed there seemed to be fewer scantily clad women this year than last. Опе IR of the main reasons is because there were more women from the gaming industry enjoying the exhibits. To be honest, if | was in management at a game company and had some say on who was going to represent my company, it wouldn't be some scantily clad female passing out key chains with an attitude. It's OK if you're portraying a character from a game. For example, last year they had a girl dressed like Bloodrayne and she looked really cool. And the women representing Nintendo always look good: attractive, but not skank.

This is where my respect for this magazine grew by leaps and bounds: You gave BMX XXX an

CONTACT ОРМ

$пай Май ОРМ 101 Second Street, 8th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105

Email 2 ‘opm @ziffdavis.com and check и out at www.playstationmagazine.com

Fax If you need to reach us now 4055478777

Official 0.5. PlayStation Magazine

honest and professional review. You said all the XXX stuff was cheesy, not funny, and served no purpose. You also shot down Hooters Road Trip because it was, well, crap. But games like Fear Effect (which | love] are great for the gameplay, graphics, storyline, etc. Yeah, Hana and Rain are hot, but there is substance there as well. Same for Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid; Dante and Snake are hot, but if the gameplay was

crap, it wouldn't last long. You cannot rely on cheesecake to sell games; gamers represent a much larger demographic than teenage boys. Us ladies have lots of money. How the hell do you explain the moneymaking phenomenon of

boy bands?

By the way, for Sam Kennedy's sake [smile], I've included a cou- ple of pictures | took with a few "booth babes." Enjoy!

Tracey Lynette Farmer via e-mail

We're nothing if not equal- opportunity objectifiers.

Will muscle cars ever again enter the Gran Turismo series? | think it would be awesome to see the old cars like as if seeing them in per- son.

Nick Anguiano

San Antonio ,TX

Nick, you're in luck. 674, with its emphasis on automotive history, will have a whole garage full of USDA prime muscle. When we played the game at E3, we saw a Pontiac GTO, a Chevelle SS 454,

and a Plymouth Barracuda 450-6, among others. We can't promise any of these will be in the final game, since Sony hasn't even come close to finalizing the car list, but it's a good bet we'll see these and many, many more.

I'm glad you showed your support for wakeboarding in your Issue #70 review of Wakeboarding Unleashed. There are definitely more than 11 people protesting— there have to be at least 12, maybe even 13 of us. But serious- ly, I've been a wakeboarder for some time now and anyone who has actually tried wakeboarding would agree with me that it is the best action sport out there. It is

in the X-Games, and it's consider- ably cooler than fruit-booting—

| mean rollerblading.

Nick McCloskey

BestOllier@aol.com

Well, it’s easy to be enthusiastic when the game's so great. Have you ever seen us give a high score to a rollerblading game?

Over and over again, | have told people about /co. Yet they never seem to believe how great it is, nor even give it a try. Why not? /со is the most unique game I've ever seen. It's not filled with loud crap- py music.

It's not about hacking and slashing, robbing and stealing, raping and pillaging. (Well, there are those smoke spirit things to be dealt with, but hey, they're only smoke, right?) You're not driving yourself mad trying to collect this and that (and feeling in the process like if you don't, you will somehow be greatly disappointed in the end]. It is without health bars or other “screen clutter” before The Getaway ever thought about doing the same! The sounds are near perfect. The pace is perfect. The sense of spatial depth is magnificent. The environ- ments are almost beyond belief and make you want to go there.

|

| SPORTS

PLAYERS

ang 51621 |28663 eoey 5410 шар are Sgeitape N DACRE UN EO ТОРУР ше JO раа е0 ӘЙ Sau Sued ШЕН Н TE йод Jo opeaepen ваја: ага леше aie fjeq\ooy Ueppej VUE pue oasis 3 ЭИ Aeg етш SA STHGAS v З НОРИ

Visit www.esrb.org or call 1-800-771-3772 for Rating Information.

> о o + © © “ z ш а а < =

trained killer?

lone gunman? victim of fate?

(learn more at

whoisXIII.com

Visit www.estb.org ог

for Rating Information

i М р Ш ii "PC Load Letter"? What

the f— does that mean?

E3 through the eyes of OPM readers

Everyone knows E3 is an event exclusive to members of the videogame industry. But there are folks in plenty of areas of the industry (retail, for example] who don't often get to see games as far in advance as we do, and for those people, E3 can be quite a spectacular shock. So, after running into E3 first-timers (and OPM message-board denizens) OralB808 and LiquidEagle at this year's show, we invited them to contribute their thoughts on how E3 looked from their perspective.

As soon as | was on the show floor of South Hall, I knew E3 was a true paradise. Games, booth babes, more games, and a lot of people just like me. Most important, though, is just the presence of the games. Since gaming is still becoming a part of the mainstream of all America, it's hard to find a place where games are the first priority. Once you're on the show floor, though, you feel right at home. Everybody's there for one common purpose—games, and damn fine games at that.

There's just an overwhelming feeling of awe when you see the franchises you know and love move from a small cardboard stand-up at Wal Mart to a gigantic movie screen people gather around every hour. There's something there for everybody, and it's the newest of the new stuff. Not a single game shown there was on shelves at stores—it was like getting one gigantic exclusive look at every game coming out in the next year.

But one drag about E3—believe it or not—is the games themselves. Since there are so many games (and a lot of them look awesome] and not that much time, budgeting your time becomes a very critical factor. One could spend an entire day in one half of just one of the two halls, playing every game, getting info on every company, and talking to representatives. However, you'd miss a lot.

My personal favorites were MGS: Snake Eater, the new Castlevania, and SOCOM ІІ. Each game added more and more to what was already the experience of a lifetime.

This year being the first time l've ever attended E3, | wasn't sure what | was getting myself into. Needless to say, | was taken aback by many things | never expected to see.

For starters, | never expected everything at E3 to be so decorated. Every booth is lavishly decorated to ridiculous pro- portions, with intricate displays that appear to be more expen- sive than some of the games they're promoting.

І also had no clue that so many developers and producers are on hand at E3 just to talk to you and get feedback about their latest projects. As an example, | had the chance to talk to one of the makers of a certain strategy series featuring worms, about the series' switch from 2D to 3D. We spoke about myriad different things, even going so far as to talk about what worked and what didn't work in previous install- ments. It's quite humbling to hear the makers of your favorite games openly admit and discuss things that didn't work. It's one of my more lasting memories of the show.

And, surprisingly, | certainly didn't expect to find myself playing so many games. If it had a controller, | played it. With so many sleepers that come out of E3 each year, | didn’t want to take the chance of not seeing something.

Undoubtedly, | missed a few games, and that in itself is another thing | wasn't anticipating. ЕЗ is rather short. It spans three days, but it’s only open for about eight or nine hours each day—which is not enough, if you ask me. They should've taken into consideration that when you've got games as amazing as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time out on the floor, people are going to need more time!

STAR POWER It sounds like you like МС25 online play, yet it got one star for online play in issue #69. Spencer Congdon mmmm- power2002 (ауаһоо.са

That was a mis- print; it should have gotten four stars.

SUCKITUDE You missed a great game оп your 50 Essential PS2 Games: Blood Omen 2. Where else do you play as a bad guy? Matt Jablonsky pattilemay famailbug.com

Do the letters GTA mean any- thing to you?

SPARKY! I had a game with scratches on it, sol microwaved it and it started to melt and spark. I was misled by your article. Now my mom is mad at me. Corey bakerboy550 (@уаһоо.сот

You probably used the wrong power setting

SAVED In issue #69, you say you can carry over your save files from „hack and Dark Cloud 2 to their sequels. Was this a typo, meant to say -hack and Xenosaga?

Sarah Franks

via e-mail

Yep. Sorry,

Yet still, in an age where the microwave unfortunately wins out over the 24-hour fourth of July backyard barbeque, /co shows us the joys of patience and serenity, of brain over an Uzi or an AK-47. It is Mr. Miyagi to Jackie Chan. It is Mozart compared to Snoop Dogg. Why aren't there more games like this? Is there ever going to be an /co 2, or other games as refreshing and relaxing to play as this one? The team that made /co should be extreme- ly proud of its work (AND MAKE MORE GAMES LIKE IT)!