I EWPS2
'Ti
iAMES RATED yg
FA: VICE CITY —^ \l ■ goodjt's criminal
^E LORD OF THE RINGS IT u Tolkien to me?
)RIVIULA ONE 2002 w/
)thing compares to
ED FACTION II mllKK/JiiUm )w holes in stuffi
S ALL IN OUR BIGGEST VIEWS BLOWOUT EVER!
EXCLUSIVE UK REVIEW!
SOWHICH*^
. SHOULD I GE iJiJd M3!} JJJ
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Inleitale^forgammn 9
''READ n; YOU MUPPET
£5.49
1 2 472 312014
0
We shoot our way though ev( mission in THE GETAW^w (and survr
It's time to look at rally driving in a different way. The sort of way that gives you the world's 21 best drivers, 7 teams, more than 100 stages all over the world, snow, dust, gravel, rain, mud, speed, heat, thrills, crashes, blowouts, burnouts, sweat, adrenalin and champagne. It's not always pretty. It's not always even the right way up. But it's the way it is. uk.playstation.com www.wi-c.com
it's
what
A PlayStation.E Out Now
GENIUS
AT
P L AY "
Download the latest videos and Nicky Grist's original pace notes at www.codemasters.com © 2002 The Codemasters Software Company Limited ("Codemasters").All rights reserved. "Codemasters"® is a registered trademart^ owr^ed by Codemasters. "Colin McRae Rally 3"™ and "GENIUSAT PLAY"™ are trademarlcs of Codemasters. "Colin McRae'™ and the Colin McRae signature device are registered trademarks of Colin McRae. "Colin McRae"'^'^ and i^ipyrights, trademarks, designs and images of car manufacturers and /or on car liveries are being used by Codemasters under license. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective ovmers and are being used under license. This game is NOT licensed by or associated with tie FIA or any related com^
"A growling powerhouse of a game" xGamer "The greatest rally game in the world" Piay Mage
' 11
U » 3
UNLOCKTHESECRfclS OF THE SAGA WITH
2 An\ck6I
OVER6 HOURS OF INCREDIBLE D V D S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S !
SPECIAL EDITION VHS INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES -PLUS-
" S TA R WA R S : C O N N E C T I O N S " F E AT U R E T T E !
PlayStation.
/ DFFICIHL mHBRZII
Issue# 27/December
PlayStation.^ / OFPCWL nWGflZtNE-UK
In your magazine... For months now we've been listening to Hall & Gates and wearing pastel jackets with the sleeves rolled up in anticipation of Grand
Theft Auto's Elghties-themed update, Vice City. Thankfully, as our UK exclusive review proves, the embarrassment at our big hair and shoulder pads predicament is soon eclipsed by the thrill of nicking cop cars and bludgeoning bystanders with baseball bats. Vice City is easily the
I biggest PS2 game of 2002, and the
fervour with which we're anticipating its
arrival makes you wonder exactly how Rockstar has managed to concoct a gaming
formula that's so much more appealing than its rivals. I think the main attraction has to be
the open-ended gameplay and the fact that in a recognisably real-world scenario, you can do things that in real life would have you arrested, imprisoned, sectioned, or at the very least, vilified by the media and disowned by your family Not that the game objectives force you Into mowing down pedestrians and sniping students, but do you know anyone who's ever played GTA responsibly...?
IAJP READTHISI 1. GRAND THEIT AUTD: VICE CriY Read the UK exclusive
review right here - It's the coup of the yeari 84
2. THE LORD OF -mE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS The presentation Is
breathtaking, so how does the gameplay match up? 9 0
3 . B I G I N J A PA N ?
The strange, strange games we'll never get to play - but are you surprised? 76
P I AY T H I S I 1. WRC II EXTREME
Thrllllngly realistic rally
action trim the officially licensed WRC title.
2. COUN MCRAE R A L LY 4
Er, more thrilllngly realistic rally actloni So how does It compare?
..JUid on
your DVD /I The sport of rallying is rapidly
^ n gainso.ingIt'sinalways populaprovided rity andthe rightl) earthy thriiis iacldng in the increasingly steriie world of Formuia One racing, and the excellent Channel 4 coverage of 2002's World Rally Championship has advanced its cause. There are also plenty of people who have got into rallying via videogames, and this month, the two leading raliy game franchises are back, putting paid to a siew of lesser imitators. Both WRC
Extreme and Colin McRae Rally 3 are sc good that choosing between the two may come down to personal preference rather than differences in quality. Play the demos of both and read their
reviews starting on page 94. Also on the DVD is a taste of the ambitious
piatformer-meets-RPG-meets-shootermeets-everydamnthing Haven: Call Of The King from Traveller's Tales, a game which you really have to experience. Throw in exclusive first plays of Reign C Fire, Alpine Racer 3 and more and youVe got yet another cracking demo DVD on your hands.
T U R N - m E PA G E FOR FULL ISSUE CONTEhnSOR S K I P T O PA G E 1 6 4 FOR FULL DE1AILS OF THE DEMO DISC UNE-UP
QFFICIFIL mi=IEnziNe-UK Play5tation.E
m
m
■ Tlim to page 164 for detofis on oO our
ptayabie demos, pkis
ON THE DVD /
PlayStation g
f roily rtvwn? Pfay hoth fmf>
THWEN-'CALL OF THE KING ' ^Cet£5ol1^" T W I N « ; / • ! ff ' . f P » P ! i ' . t J O F H R t
playable demos
ht
■
OF
d e fi n i t i v e r e v i e w o f
Rockstat's biggest and boldest game yet.
C O U N M C R A E R A L LY 3 Behind the wheel with Scotland's favourite son.
ND THEI CITY
H AV E N : C A L L O F T H E KING
Sumptuous platform action. REIGN OF FIRE ALPINE RACER 3 T Y T H E TA S M A N I A N T I G E R TWIN CAUBER
demos
T H E G E TAWAY FORMULA ONE 2002 WAY O F T H E S A M U R A I R AY M A N 3 KINGDOM HEARTS ACnVISION 02 C O M P I L AT I O N JAMES BOND 007: NIGKTFIRE THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS SPYRO: ENTER THE D R A G O N F LY ZAPPER SPIDER-MAN: MOVIE TRAILER
)08 PlayStation.2 OFFICIRL m
G O D FAT H E R
What are you waiting for? Hightail it over to our
Get down and dirty with the return of SCEE's masterful rally series.,
video
THE
VIDEOGAMES?
WRCII EXTREME
R Z I N E - U K
PlayStation.
/ OFFICIRL mHGRZIf
o n b e n b
ISSUE# 27/DECEIVIBER 20
■ WRC H EXTREME Get to grips with one of the contendere for this
month's 'Best Rally Game' crown.
spy 014 VICE cmr Rockstar's crime wave kicks off. NEW!
0 1 8 S I A R C R A F T: GHOST Blizzard's new
game revealed. RRSr
lOOKI
020 TOTAL CHAOS?
Capcom's Chaos Legion unveiled. 034 DIE HARDER!
McClane's back with a Vendetta. 0 3 8 i r f T E RV I E W
Martin Kenwrlght talks dirly, 039 TURNING J A PA N E S E TGS 2002; see
all the games.
m o n i b a r
peabures
045
070 THE HARD CEL
INTRO
046 TME GETAWAY 048
SOCOM US NAVYSEAIS
050 ME1AL GEAR SOUD 2: S U B S TA N C E 0 5 2 D E V I L M AY CRY 2 056 JUDGE DREDD VS JUDGE D E AT H 0 5 9 B AT 1 V I A N ; DARK
TOMORROW 060 TIGER WOODS
PGA TOUR 2003 062 SILENT Hia 3 0 6 4 U P D AT E
The latest Info
on the games that you're
Flashy gimmick or grapnical masterstroke?
We put celshadlng In the
agule
of Japanese gaming as we u n c o v e r
Combat Queen,
Bad Magistrate and a lowrlding rhythm game.
UK EXCLUSIVE!
0 8 4 G TA : V I C E C r T Y
The only review of the biggest game In the world? Accept no
gets sliced and diced by our
substitutes.
expert tipsters.
WORLD EXCLUSIVE!
1 5 2 S H O RT L I S T
shooter, XII. Discover the certifiable side
section in magazine history!
066 NEXT MONTH 146 HARDCORE Onlmusha 2
take an In-
0 7 6 B I G I N J A PA N ?
The most authoritative reviews
LETTER
spotllgrit and
depth look at forthcoming
n e v i e u j s
007 EDnOR'S
Every PS2 game, ever 162 BUYERS GUIDE First-Person Shooters.
ON THE COVER
090 THE LORD OF THE RINGS; THE TWO TOWERS
GTA: VICE CITY (REVIEW PG 084)
Peter Jackson's swords 'n' sorcery epic explodes onto PS2.
WIN A TRIP TO MIAMI ICOMPO PG 1771
094
1 6 4 D I S C PA G E S
"READ IT, YOU MUPPET!"
0 9 6 C O U N M C R A E R A L LY 3
170 POSDVL
IMONITDR PG 046)
172 SURGERY
100 RED FACTION 11
a^AM^lD
102
Soothing your gaming gripes 177
COMPOS Win a week In
Miami for twol
(REVIEWS PG 0901 SO WHICH ONE SHOULD I GER
IREVIEWS PG 1041
1 7 8 W H AT I F ?
II
EXTREME
FORMULA
ONE
2002
104 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2 106
FIFA
2003
108
LMA
2003
108
busting to play.
WRC
G U N G R AV E
11 0 H AV E N : C A L L O F T H E K I N G 11 6 11 8
KINGDOM
HEARTS
SUMMONER
2
120 THE SUM OF ALL FEARS 120
SHOX
121 SUPERMAN: SHADOW OF APOKOUPS
n
124
BLADE
li
1 2 6 T Y T H E TA S M A N I A N T I G E R 126
DYNASTY
TA C T I C S
1 2 9 R A L LY F U S I O N 129 TREASURE PLANET 130
LEGEND
OF
LEGAIA
130 MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2 131 WRECKLESS 132 THE SCORPION KING 132 GUMBAa 3000 134
MICRO
134
KNIGHT
MACHINES RIDER
d v d r e v i e u i s 138 NEW RELEASES
Episode II and
Ocean's Eleven. 140 1980 ON DVD
Well, we had to really! 141 HIDEO KOJIMA
Mr Metal Gear
doffs his cap at The Guns Of Navarone.
□FFICIRL mHEHZINE-UK PlayStation.^ 0
t magazine [BESTSELUNG ptAYSTATlON
PlayStation.2 / DFFICIRL rriRERZINE-UK
WRITE: Future Publishing Ltd, 30 Monmouth St, Bath BAl 2BW
'piayStatjop Jl
l®i—
mRBHZINe-UK WIN!
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THJEPHONE: 01225 442244 FAX: 01225 732275
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EDITORIAL
SENIOR EDITOR: Mike Goldsmith EDITOR: Sam Richards
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Scott Anthony, Jes Bickham, Eric Bratcher, Ryan Butt, Dean Evans, Steve Faraglier, Lee Hart, Ian Harris, Oliver Hurley, Jon Jordan, Martin Kitts, Hideo Kojima, Adrian Lawrton, Aleric Linden, Rowan Mclntyre, Keith Stuart, Michael Storey, Mark Walbank CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER: Tina Glencross, James Blackwell CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Martin Burton, Katharine Lane-Sims, CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS: Matt Arnold, Will Barras, David S Blanco, James Broad, Matt Sewell, Paul lysail,
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Future Publishing Ltd, FREEPOST BS4900, Somerton, Somerset TAll 7BR Tel: 0870 444 8656 lUKl +44 1458 271100 (Overseas) Distributed through the UK Newstrade by Seymour Distribution, 86 Newman Street, London, WIP 3LD. Tel: 020 7907 6000 Overseas Distribution by Future Publishing Ltd. Tel: 01225 442244 If you had any problems finding this Issue of 0PS2, please call Reglna Erak In our Circulation Department on 01225 732359 Printed In the UK by ET Heron C Future Publishing Ltd 2002 A B C
II A C 195,29of 3 Jthe ANAudited -JUN 200 2 ABmember Bureau of Circulations Future Publishing Ltd i$ part of The Future Network pic. The Future Network produces carefully targeted specialist magazines and web sites for groups of people who
share a passion. We aim to satisfy their passion by creating tftles that offer superb value for mon^, trustworthy infonnation, multiple ways to save time and mon^, and are a pleasure to read or visit Triis simple strategy has helped create one of the fastest-growing media companies In the world. Today we publish more than 100 magazines, over 45 mapzlne Web sites and networks from offices In six countries. The company also licenses 39 of Its tities resulting in over 150 local editions in 30 other countries. The Future Networ1< pic is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol; R^ET).
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)10 PlayStation.E OFFICIRL tTlRERZINE-UK
O ff e r e n d s 2 8 / 11 / 0 2
For better control
of your game. And your finances PlayStation 2 I Play5tation2 1^,. 'm.
PlayStationE!
uS
J ^ORand
'I
jtrnfM lL?a
Kf^ Released 8th November
Out Now
Buy a PS2 game from the fantastic selection at Blocl
computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. EA SP0RTSP2; is an Electronic ArtsP2; brand. The Lord of the Rings; The Two Towers © 2002 New Line Pra^ctions Grand Theft Auto: Vice City © 2002 Rockstar Games, Inc. Rockstar Games, the Rockstar Games logo. KocKstar iMortn ana me KocKsiar iNorm logo are ui «u Y,, o J A .
Games and Rockstar North are subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Ail other marks and trademarks are properties of thetr respect»ve owners. All Rights Reserved.
Bringing Entertainment Home www.blockbuster.co.uk
CONTROL THE BALL AND YOU CONTROL THE GAME FIFA FOOTBALL 2003 has an all-new Al engine. It fundamentally changes the way you play the game. The ball behaves like a ball. Better get back in training. Get on the pitch. Get in control. Be the 12th.
iiiiiHiiiiu fi f a 2 0 0 3 . e a . c o m
THE 2003 FREEKICK MODEL Dead ball doesn't mean dead game. The new set-piece dynamic gives you complete control. You can shoot and dip your effort under the bar, drive It at pace through your own players in the wall or hit it like Roberto C: ridiculous swerve laced with a touch of malice.
•/su.-
THE 2003
PA S S I N G MODEL
Dodgy headers, wild slices, overhit passes - you can do them all if you're not skilful enough. New ball physics
New team play and team tactics. Breaking down the opposition needs more precision passing
mean the ball won't do all th'
and movement. See Edgar
the ball that Giggs flicks and
Davids for details.
the ball that Roberto Carlos
work for you. The ball will rea like the ball that Davids wins
punctures walls with. This should sort out the men fronr
the youth team.
THE 2003 FREESTYLE CONTROL MODEL
THE 2003
EA SPORTS^"^ Freestyle Control is a brand new ball control mode. Freestyle Control
DRIBBLING
gives you individual moves for Individual players. The kind of move to embarrass a
MODEL
defender. The kind of move to make him
Inverse Kinematics taken
bring you down on the edge of the box. Over to you, Roberto.
to the next level. The ball doesn't stick to you, you have to stick to the ball.
Ryan Giggs can do this. Can you do this?
PlayStation.^ ©2002 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. EA SPORTS, the EA SPORTS logo and it's in the game are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the US and/or other countries. All
gpostw
rights reserved. Official FIFA licensed product. © 1977 FIFA^'^. EA =
SPORTS is an Etectronic Arts brand. Nintendo, NINTENDO GAME- ! CUBE and the official seat are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2001 Nintendo, j All rights reserved. "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logos are regis- • tered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, and the Xbox Logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
I C
PHOTOGRAPHY; KATHARINE UNE-SIMS
theVS MONtY SHOT This month's greatest gaming moment: Hi-jacking the police chopper in GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CHY So, what have you been doing to
prepare yourself for the arrival of the
most anticipated game since MGS2? What do you mean, "Nothing"?
Here at 0PS2 HQ we've been on a monthlong diet of Hawaiian shirts, Miami Vice re-runs,
pina coladas. Eighties disco nights and imagination exercises to accommodate the
wealth of things we'll be able to do now we've settled in Vice City.
Most games have a defining moment - the bit you'll talk incessantly about to your friends. This time you'll all be talking at once because with its open environments and packed world there'll be plenty of defining moments in this game. Imagine it in Vice City and the chances are you'll be able to do it. Take this scene for example. We know the
police have helicopter troops. We know they will have to land if you blow up enough stuff. We know you'll be able to fly choppers. So
naturally we'll be looking forward to taking the VCPD's finest on a little joyride. Who knows,
maybe they will have to send something even bigger and better after us - and just maybe we'll be able to steal that as well.
With unprecedented freedom to explore the Eighties-inspired gangster town we're sure you'll be able to top this in due course. Let us know
exactly what kind of explosive adventures you get up to. We're ready How about you? *Turn to our fuil review of Rocl
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on page 84. DFFICIHL mRBRZINE-UK PlayStation 2 0]
UNCOVERING THE LATEST PS2 NEWS EVERY MONTH
E.V.
iPY CONTRIBUTORS: JES BICKHAM, TIM CLARK, DEAN EVANS, PAUL FITZRATRICK, JON JORDAN, ALERIC UNDEN, KEITH STUART, GEORGE WALTER, AMOS WONG ■ RIVER
As well asfloliSpiiboats,
Fe\on^f2,sinfu«.
you'll bo able to fly helicopters and planes.
mmw-
□P 5 S
EXCLUStUE!
GANGSTER NUMBER ONE
The game of the year is upon us. 0PS2 blows the roof off Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
rrs HERE. THE MACK DADDY of
videogames Is back. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will be on the shelves from 8 November, bringing a whole new world of Eighties-flavoured criminal activity to the PS2s of
®sr»
Miw
fn a hurry? Here's the condensed verstea..
GTA Mce City Is the biggest game of the year and weVe got the first review.
Quite simple, really.
millions of devoted fans, it'll be the
biggest videogame on any platform this year and will undoubtedly shift a considerable amount of new consoles. The GTA series'
heritage is already legendary - over 11 million units have
been sold worldwide, of which seven million were PS2 title GTAIII, which took the crim Sim into 3D for the first time, it was the first PS2 title to sell two million units in
topic of discussion on the ukplaystation.com gaming forums. According to you, the reader, it's the most anticipated game of the year Of course, 0PS2 has played it
review this issue you can find out
first, before any other games mag in
we spent an entire weekend locked
■ if you keep your eyes peeled you'll find a car that's a dead ringer for KITT from Knight Rider. m Vice City will also feature the
In a hotel room playing Wee City. Left
much-loved Tank of GTAIII.
to our own devices we were able to
result, no-one else in the world has
m Cars can now be stopped by shooting their lyres out. ■ Remote control cars, helicopters and plane missions can be found. ■ There's a hidden beach bail you can play keepy-ups with. ■ Want to drive around the mail, Blues Brothers-style? No problem. ■ Early outfits will Include work overalls, tracksuits and golf wear ■ Quadrophenia fan? The Faggio scooter's going to be your favourite mode of transport. ■ Kill enough cops and Miami Vice-
the UK, Travelling all the way to publisher Rockstar's HQ in New York,
experience the game first-hand, giving us unprecedented access to LOCKED IN VnTH VICE CITY
NO-ONE ELSE IN THE WORLD HAS PLAYED GTA- VICE
CmrASMUCH AS W E H AV E - FA C T !
exactly what the game has to offer Can't wait? Then here's some more exclusive information:
the UK, meaning an award had to be invented specifically for It - the double platinum. Even now, 13
the biggest game of the year As a played GTA: Vice City in as much
months after release, GTAIII is still
style detectives appear
depth as we have - fact!
■ You can do wheelies and endos
flying out of shops, and when 0PS2
On Web sites www.kentpaul.com and www.gtavicecity.com, a degree of
on the motorbikes for which you
information has been made available
went to press it was still in the
receive stunt bonuses.
official Chart Track listings having resided in the Top Ten for 50 weeks. Consequently, the hype behind GR- Vice City has been equally phenomenal. On ukplaystation.com GTA: Vice City is the most searched
by Rockstar You will know by now that it's set in the Eighties, in a Miami-a-iike city. It's much bigger than GTAiii, has more weapons, more
■ Tommy Vercetti owns a retro, brick-sized mobile phone. ■ Eating pizza builds up your health. ■ That golf buggy drive-by you've been dreaming of Is in there
characters, more missions and more
somewhere.. □ GW
for term on the site since it was
interior locations. But until now, little
announced back in April this year Vice City is also the most popular
has been known of what it actually
"And this is just for starters... To learn
feels /ike to play. In our exclusive
more turn to page 84 now!
016 PlayStation.? □FFICIHL FTIRGRZINE-UK
Genre; WP
Genre-. Soul
^sent edyP^P® Genre: LatW
-
J B
p
a
CONTENTS The biggest news stories in the PlayStation 2 universe.
"Grand Theft Auto meets International Track & Field Now
there's a game idea that's hard to ignore"
CRIMINALYMItCS, PZi "In the 41st millennium
humanity superstitiously worships the withered husk of a barely-alive emperor" FIRE WARRIOR, P2(
"Your hero is
a knight cailed Sieg Wahrheit" CHAOS L£GtON,
P2(
"it isn't Just your Capcoms, LucasArts, Konamis and EAs that can produce the best games for PS2'' PUTTING GAMES ON THE MAP, P2I
"Pachinko games, obscun quiz-show tie-ins and mah jong RPGs"
Dan Houseron...
Vice City Swag
During our marathon playthrough of Vice City, Don Houser, Co-founder of Rockstar Gomes, popped In to give us some encouragement, advice, doughnuts and coffee. He also had a thing or too to say about the game... THE
straight off Straight off TImi backl
m Vice C/ty T-Shiits! ■ vice City beach towels! ■ Vice City razor blade key rings! ■ Vice City cushions! ■ Wee City money clips!
were Bomb Da Base and the
one where you go and kill Salvatore. We tried to have as
many missions as possible that offered similar gameplay to these, lli(e using the bike, and giving players plenty of things to unlock early In the game.
Rockstar has designed a set of limited edition merchandise
In GOT/we felt that the most
(beautifully modelled by Tim, above) and we've got five sets to give away. To stand a chance of winning we want you send us a photo of
yourself dressed up In the definitive Eighties outfit. Whether you're a new romantic, a heavy metal rocker, a bodypopper or a new waver, we want to see you dressed up to the nines. The best five photos win the booty. Send entries via
email to ps2compos ©futurenet.co.uk
subject marked 1 Love The Eighties', or by post to 'I Love The Eighties', Official PlayStation 2 Magazine, 30 Monmouth St, Bath,
BAl 2BW. Turn to page 176 for full competition rules. The Editor's decision Is
absolutely final. □
MISSIONS
"In the last game the best missions for pure gameplay
boring missions were those THEPUJT
without obvious motives."
"it's been a monster project because we didnt want to do
T H E S TA F F
this boring f**klng crappy mission pack. So we kept on pushing It and pushing It until we nearly killed ourselves and put more and mote stuff In and made It tighter and tighter and ended up doing two years' work In a year The whole of the early part of the story kind of kicks you in the arse at the end.
"The reason that GTAIII Is a good game, and the reason that VC Is a good game, is because we have clever people in place. I
FRESH FROM TME EAST, P3<
"What the blazes
is going on in that picture of the girl playing the piano with blood all over her?" OjDCK tower 3, P3i
"If we all shout loud enough,
maybe they'll agree to delete the Neville brothers'"
iJOGIN, P3'
think there's a mistaken belief
so It ail ties in nice."
In the games Industry that one person Is as good as another person, which is a load of crap The key guys in place here and In Scotland [developer Rockstar North! are all super-talented.'
DOING A SEQUEL
EXCEEDING EXPECTAnONS
"We really felt with GTAIH that we'd pushed games forward, not least In the way that games became part of the popular culture. We thought if Vice City was just more of the same it
"in pretty much all areas we were hoping to Improve a few things when we started out A
would be a real setback for us and for the business. I hate it
bikes, but because we got It
it's probably the first time a game publisher has called it; own product 'disgusting'"
BIG ISSUE, P2
when sequels go off on a tangent The game Is very much built on the same Ideas but
tightened up, polished up and made mucii bigger."
lot of the Improvements were
"Where have ail the tank-toting flamespewing anti-heroes gone?"
TW BUTCHER, P3
going to be making the stoty line tighter and adding the working well so quickly we had time to get the helicopter in, too. A lot of areas where we wanted to throw In one new
thing, we ended up putting in two - it's a real step forward for Rockstar Games."
Plus... Kenwrigfit/ We speak to the WRCII feiialon page 38) and provide six inches worth of Tenchu
3 details (pg 30j.
□FFICIRL fDRGRZINE-UK PlayStation.E o:
PUB KNOWLEDGE
'TTS NO SURPRISE TO HEAR THIS LEGENDARY MOVIE IS TO BECOME A GAME" SEVEN SAMURAI, PG 26
g. ■ SWORD HEAD
Nova
S U P B t N O VAT h :
BLRST OFF!
mask hides a prett- face.
gets stuck in.
GHOST IN YOUR MACHINE
This month's
quote from the gaming industry. "We
are
concerned about
Blizzard's StarCraft comes to the PS2, but In a form that nobody expected.
road safety and appreciate that when driving at high speeds, you can
H AV I N G C A L M LY A N N O U N C E D
the existence of StarCraft Ghost for
cause
accidents. We do not condone or
encourage that land of b e h a v i o u r. "
PS2 at the Tokyo Game Show, you ■ GETTING LADDERED Instead of
point 'n' click, Ghost is pure action.
Acclaim's Shaun
White, after the publisher had offered to pay people's speeding fines as part of Its promotion for
might assume that Blizzard Is now developing a version of its classic PC space-bound RTS for the PS2, But
■ ROBOT WARS The 'gung-ho approach' is best advised here. ■
Nov.) goes all psionic
soldiers and
beasts In the
no. Instead, in a bold move that has
left PC owners green with space-
gung-ho shooter Different situations
envy, StarCraft Ghost will be a fastpaced, innovative third-person tactical action game.
will call for different tactical
atmospheric A//en-esque battlegrounds that are dynamically lit by bursts of gunfire. Different environments and vehicles will «ep the action interesting; Blizzard
approaches, in this darK dangerous future, you will need to think before you shoot.
promises a mix of solo ops anc large-scale planetary battles. It en there are the multiple missions an
From the screenshots we've
ongoing story line and the abllH/ to call in air-strikes. This Is one st£ rry spectre to look out for. □ DE
StarCraft: Ghost will feature many familiar vehicles and weapons. But rather than a point-and-click
CRAFT
S H O W
engage
you'll be able to play the game as a cautious stealth-'em-up or as a
Set In the StarCraft universe,
Burnout 2.
Nova will
shoot, detonate and even vaporise) every type of ass. With access to a large array of weapons (Gauss rifle, flamethrower) as well as psionic abilities (X-ray vision, hyperspeed)
strategy, you can expect run-andshoot action with hide-and-seek stealth. You will control Nova, a
futuristic spy-cum-assassln, a onewoman army trained to infiltrate enemy strongholds and to kick (or
Vivendi Universal has partnered with Marvel to create massive
multipiayer online games using the
comic company's 4,700 characters.
seen, the world of StarCraft Ghost is all gun-grey metal and bright neon. W H AT S I N S T O R E
EXPECT RUN-ANDSHOOT ACTION WTTH HIDE-ANDS E E K S T E A LT H
'Can't wait? We're afraid you'll t ave to because StarCraft: Ghost isn t scheduled for release until late
2003. Find out more about It by visiting www.bllzzard.com/ghos'.
Tarantino's forthcoming Kill Bill film, a Seventies chopsocl^ exploitation pastiche, is getting the PS2 treatment via Black Label Games.
TOIAL SPECULATION The PC Tota) War series is headed to the PS2.
0PS2 CAN EXCLUSIVELY reveal that The Creative
Assembly Is in the process of creating a Total Vl/ar-style game for the PS2. Among PC gamers, the Total War series Is held In extremely high regard. Samurai showdown epic Shogun: Total War, Is often credited with redefining
the real-time strategy genre. Critically acclaimed In all quarters, It was nominated for various videogame BAFA awards. The follow-up, Medieval: Total ■
WAR
MEMORIAL
PC
gamers won't be the only people w i t h To t a l Wa r g a m e s n o w.
War, which takes the series Into the IMIddle Ages, has just been released to the delight of salivating PC gamers everywhere. Traditionally, RTS titles have had a rather niche following on consoles and it's been confirmed that The Creative Assembly will be approaching the PS2 title
from a different angle - an action adventure maybe?
We'll let you know as soon as we find out more. □ GW
Take your brain to the gym with OPSZ's videogame trivia quiz. 1. What's the name of The
5. What's the name of Judge
Getaways Mr Big?
Dredd's female partner?
2. What was the
6. What Is the name of the third volume in The Ixird Of The Rings trilogy?
development studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series known as before it was renamed Rockstar North
earlier this year? 3. The phrase The Sum Of All Fears' was first quoted in a speech by a very famous man. Who was he?
4. Tasmanian tigers are now sadly extinct. When did the last one die?
018 PlayStation.a nFFICIRL fTlRGRZINE-UK
7. What does SOCOM stand for? «. Who has Colin McRae
recently left the Ford rally team for?
9. In which Rocky film did his trainer Mickey die? 10. What rank does Goofy hold in Kingdom Hearts?
m For all IlK answ&is.
turn
pDSK> 154 oowl
to
The amount of hours you spend playing PS2 games a weeK according to our recent reader survey Good worl^!
""HOU) THE PHONE, rrs A WEEDY LOOKING MAN IN A H N E LY TA I L O R E D
surr THE BUTCHER, PAGE 30
DERDLbl!
CHAOS THEORY Ight with the dead in Capcom's Chaos Legion. :apcom japan, pubusher )ehlnd stylish PS2 games Onlmusha md Devil May Cry, has announced a lew fantasy adventure called Chaos
Producer Yoshlnorl Ono as a "fantasy
£glon - and we've got the first screens of the game In action,
Details are still scarce by as the game has only been formally announced In Japanese, but for now, read the Info we've dug up on the right, □ GW
Based on a series that runs In
lapanese magazine Dragon, the jame's look has been described by
opera with some RPG elements," It's this that will set It apart from the Res/, Onlmusha and DMC series.
Newly formed company 3D Ages will re-develop old Sega games for release on PS2. First up are Super Monaco GP and Fantasy Zone.
Konami TYO has announced Silent Hill 3 will feature a new sound
effect, cunningly titled film noise', that replicates, yes, film noise.
MARS ATTACKS
PS2's online roster grows as Tecmo announces team-based shooter, Breaker. TECMO TOOK THE opportunity to showcase Its new network action game Breaker at the recent Tokyo Game Show, unveiiing a short video which introduced
the gamepiay and some of the story line. The game Is a team-based third-person online adventure set on the planet Mars starring a group of four soldiers
resplendent in a set of snazzy skin-tight biue Jumpsuits, The team has been
dispatched to deal with Predator-style aliens and rebels who are causing trouble for the residents of the colonised Red Planet.
Breaker will be an online muitipiayer game with two teams of four facing-off against each other We're yet to find out whether It will be playable offline - Important, given that the PS2 Broadband Unit has yet to materialise in the UK. The potential enjoyment
offered by a team-based online game Is clear - something US gamers are already experiencing in SCEA's SOCOM: US Navy SEALS. □ GW
20 PlayStation.? QFFICIHL tTlRGRZINE-UK
SHOOTING GALLERY More bang for your buck. All the Icftest news for FPS fans. Aside from the Imminent release of Volition's Red
Faction II, things have gone a bit quiet In the UK on the FPS front.
Not so In the US, where online IHbes: Aerial
Assault has gone on sale. Reports suggest that Tribes really benefits from a broadband
connection, with 56k users
experiencing lag In larger games.
*
/
Ci
\v«.B
\
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1
.-eg..
>■«
iv;.;^
LMA MANAGER 2063 - HANDS-ON MANAGEMENT Lead yoiif favourite team tlirougli thick and thin, over highs and lows all the vifay to top of the league. Make Europe-wide transfers from 17000 players, 720 clubs, and 28 countries to mould your winning team. Managing all club affairs, developing formations and playing styles, direct your team to ultimate glory, then lie back and watch the 3D match replays and highlights with total satisfaction!
pa l ySa i ^to i nH
! Of thf! CompctUiort, itfet.iih w w w. c o d e m a s t e r s . c o m / l m a m a n a g e r 2 0 0 3
iPlayStation.E ©2002 n« Corjmastefs Software Comt^ UmitaJ -r«»en>astem- rHjhts rr^rved. finctemastm"® is a regstefod trademaric o( (:odemast«s. 'IMA Managef'^' 20():», a™-- are MwagereAssora i NaUhe use ot pteycr fa i m^ IS atiWsitHJ by fIPro andts' mer«ef assoca i to i ns. F¥erm:es to footba»esi. m;««oefS Of tPWB m the oafTB (to not Knpyl any equivalents R entif^ (»iric!(iont;^ :A"«!' il^tation' arc tppeteredtraJemartisc^ Sony ConipitefEntertMimait Inc. All ngtitsreservi'O Mictow((.Xiwxanrttt«n»*tooosaree)metregW«edtfa
Codemasters GENIUS
AT
P L AY
loarcttwpnuwlyotttwn^swttvcowiws. {»« product seidusivety endorsed by the I WfiiiP sJamnts of fact. Any similarity tKlween nvwagers. coaches or referees and reat-We r *1 other cwrfries (tort we used under Ocefse from hScrosoft
I
/
/
PlayStation.d
02 Rage Games Limited. All Rights Reservei ' " and "PlayStation" are tered trademarks of Sony Computer Enterta inent Inc. All Rights Reserved.
,A
V
Play5tation®d
/ QFFICIHL mOGnZINE-UK
w w w. g a m e . u k . c o m
Subject to following terms and conditions: 1 Offer only valid onredemption of this voucfier, which cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or voucher 2. Voucher is only redeemable at any GAME store i the UK or Eire. 3. This voucher is not recoverable and is not exchangeable for cash. 4. This voucher is redeemable against Twin Caliber PS2 only. 5. Only one voucher may be used per product 6, This voucher cannc be redeemed against a pre-owned purchase. 7. This offer maybe withdrawn at any time without prior notice. 8. This voucher is valid until 31st December 2002. To find your nearest store call 0870 7502747
Due to its 'suggestive' title Empire's Big Mutha Truckers TV ad can't be
aired before 9pm.
' " W H AT T H E B L A Z E S I S G O I N G O N I N T H AT I M A G E OF THE GIRL PLAYING THE PIANO WITH BLOOD ALL O V E R H E R r CLOCK TOWER 3, PG 30
ibh A bloo(fy battle to prove what's better. —-—
-\
•
-
SOLO GAMING
\
M U LT 1 P L AY E R GAMING
PaRappa creator introduces 'Japanese Caliigraptiic Rapping'.
Not exactly, but it does mean
Multiplayer gaming -
Wake up! Haven't you
forking out hard-earned cash
at E3, Elsewhere,
MASAYA MATSUURA IS often described
for more Dual Shocks.
doesnt that
Enlx's Star Ocean 3 is touted as the
as a visionary game designer it's easy to see
best PS2 RPG yet by those who saw It at Tokyo Game
why - his roster of titles include cult hits Um Jammer Lammy, PaRappa The Rapper and VIb Ribbon. Originally a musician, Matsuura-san is
WIZARD 'WATCH > Total role-playing game heaven! New screens of Konaml's Suikoden III have been released. The visuals are
looking much more honed than
In the Japanese
DIFFERENT
STROKES ^
version we savii
Show and features 16:9 widescreen TV
support. Shame It's unlikely to ever make It to
t European shores.
pursuing his passion for left of leftfield rhythm action in a new/ game, Majlbribbon, sequel to PSone title VIb Ribbon. it's really bizarre. It involves drawing Japanese text in
calligraphy in time to music. The text is then converted into Japanese rap, via a process iviatsuura-san describes as, "real-time Japanese rap voice synthesis." The visuals are truly unique, with main character iviojibi drawn in ink and the screen covered with Ink splodges and brush strokes. Mojlbrlbbon will also make use of online capabilities, allowing players to share poetic rapping over the Internet. Great - if you can speak Japanese. But will iviatsuura-san attempt to translate the game into other languages and, more importantly, is it possible to localise such a Japanese-centric concept? 0PS2 can reveal that we've seen Matsuura's game on a top secret
mean having to talte it in turns?
Yes, but the advantage of solo
gaming is that when you lose, only the PS2 knows about It Take a beating from a human
opponent and they'll insult you, call you a baby and question your sexual orientation. That can really hurt.
The best experiences are
always when it's just you and your PS2. It's why you jumped so hard in Silent Hill 2 and
gasped in awe at FFX. None of this would happen with an audience watching.
So what's the difference
anyway? Surely
it's just the
winning that counts, not who
you're piaying
heard of two
controller ports. Or , a MultiTap. Hell, /
two MuitlTaps? I True - but surely
everyone likes a bit of human competition. You can taunt your PS2 till your throat bleeds but it'll just sit
there, unperturbed, looking smarmy with itself
against?
Oitay, so how can you find your Third Piace when some
goon is barldng profanities in
For some gamers, the unique interaction that can be
experienced between people all sitting round a PS2 is their Third Place.
your ear?
Sony release schedule for 2003. You never know. □ GW
Precisely. ■
MIDNIGHT CAR BOY
We've scooped first screens from Rocl
HOT ON THE heels of Rockstar's GTA: Vice City comes
the bad boy publisher's street racer, l^idnight dub 2. Pre-empting The Getaway, the original gave players a
I didn't
splash out on a 42"
plasma screen to have my play area reduced to the size of a poxy portable TV!
What about
playing in splitscreen? Isnt that a
bit annoying?
Angeles. Rockstar has been typically vague with details but it will undoubtedly involve driving high-performance cars and motorbikes very fast and irresponsibly, while avoiding
the attention of the law. Check out these exclusive screens and look forward to a full story next month. □ GW
Imagine playing Metal Gear Solid 2
with three bumbling Idiots behind you, knocking things over, coughing and having
enjoy multiplayer games In full
screen. And some games dont even need a split-screen -
sports games, for example.
realistically mapped London and New York to tear around In high-octane Illegal street races. The sequel offers more of the same cop-baiting thrills in Paris, Tokyo and Los
it can be. But more games now support the I.Link connection, allowing you to
But some games would be
impossible
to play with more than one
player, right?
giggling fits while you're on a covert stealth mission.
This Is true. But it's arguable that some of the best
games have had a multiplayer option. Pro £vo, for example, or TimeSplitters 2.1 think you get the point.
You dont need any friends if
But I havent got
Oh dear What a sad case. Well,
you never leave your house and you can reach the fridge
any friends to
you could always try online gaming - that way you'll never
from your La-z-boy Anyway,
play withi
have to make real friends.
your PS2 is your best Wend.
□FFICIRL fTlRGRZINE-UK PiayStatlon.E 02
" I D O L G A M E F E AT U R E D TEN CEL-SHADED FEMALE CUTIES. THE AIM IS TO C R E AT E T H E P E R F E C T G R O U P " SPY IN JAPAN, PAGE 33
FELDNy!
THE ISSUE OF VIOLENT games has bedevilled the" itidustr/ since the year dot. But as those early on-screen dots have
BLOOD SPORTS
become sprites, then 3D models - thus more recognisable
as people and objects - so controversy has grown. Mortal Kombafs killer moves, Carmageddon's reckless disregard
Making a mockery of Olympic spirit in R8 Games' Criminalympics. WHEN A PRESS RELEASE
formed by members of the now
describes a game called
defunct SCEE Studio Leeds.
Criminalympics as, "Grand Theft
"We're absolutely thrilled that
Auto meets Track & Field" It's hand
Criminalympics has been chosen as Start's premier title," ivianaging
to Ignore. Even more so when you read the names of some of the events - Smash & Grab, Prison Wall
Director, Andrew Walker tells 0PS2.
"We've been really excited about It since our original design and Start!'s
Vault, Dump The Stiff, Drive-By and Rooftop Pursuit. This bizarre hybrid game concept Is the first offering from new game
support confirms our belief that we've got a major hit on our hands." Criminalympics cashes in on the success of GTAIII by making
publisher Start! Games, whose brief Is to help
for pedestrians and even the original GTA's representation )f mid-town mayhem have all led to questions in Parliament
SELL 0PS2 gives
and a quizzical eyebrow raised by Newsnighfs Jeremy Paxman, fuelling millions of extra sales. Received wisdom
games
suggests that violence sells games and middle-class outrai'e
publishers a chance to pitch their latest
wares to you in just 50 words.
sport of a series of ten immoral
and often violent acts. Drive-By, for
release new and
original content from developers who might not normally have
example, is exactly as It sounds you have to rub out rival gang members via drive-by massacre, all in the name of sport. The action takes place on
received
funding for their game
Alcatraz Island and Introduces a
cast of unpleasant criminal
Ideas.
One of the first
stereotypes - there's a Hell's Angel, a South Central LA-style gangster and a psychopathic serial killer
teams to
Start! Games was launched
earlier this year by Programmer and
take
' advantage
Musician Shahid Ahmad with the
aim of creating a radical new
of Start! is R8 Games,
publishing model that alms to aid developers financially and reduce
___|Te risk for publishers. So if you've /got a kiler idea, It might be worth you giving Start! a call. Designer Genes regulars take note... □ GW
JASON FALCUS Development Director at Atomic Planet
sells Pterosaur'Pterosaur is an
astounding flying and platforming adventure. Soar over the
splendour of prehistoric Earth, explore a majestic landscape which gradually collapses into flety chaos, rescue friendly dinosaurs from e)ctlnction, and confront the
savage T-Rex in a quest to solve history's greatest puzzle: what exactly happened 65 million
years ago?"
Smash And Grab Starting with Criminalympics, the GIA cash-ins start here. 0PS2 offers up a few more possibilities,,.
over violent games sells even more games. But while the likes of GTAIII and Max Payne still hit the headlines and sel thousands of copies, many in the industry feel violent gam 3s are now less controversial than they were, "With age ratings maintained by games publishers and reputable retailers, the Daily Mail-style outrage has died off," reckons iviike Hayes, Codemasters' Marketing Director, who's worked on the gory 18-rated title
Soldier Of Fortune. received wisdom While Hayes admits VIOLENCE that the game s GAMES AND MIDDLEviolent reputation CLASS OUTRAGE attracted ^EUS EVEN iVIORE Codemasters to
publish it, he explains that the company went out of its way to avoid causing outrage. "We made potential consumers aware of Soldier Of Fortune's content and even
added our own line on the pack, stating. This game features excessive blood, gore and violence. Some players may find
this disgusting.' It's probably the first time a games company has called its own product disgusting!" he quips. As the audience playing games matures, so designers
such as Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid! and Warren Spector (Deus Ex) have created best-selling titles that allow gamers to choose the path of restraint. "It's good to see different routes being explored," comments Hayes, pointing out the recent success of Wide Games' Prisoner Of War, published by Codemasters. Traditionally, any game set in WWII would involve the player using increasingly powerful weapons to devastating effect. POW has been one of the surprise hits of the year "It offers a new
style of gaming. It's original, non-violent and a success.
+ COUN
MCRAE
+ ICO
/
R A L LY 3 /
SCOMEIIERE, eiTCH
S H O T W I R E R A L LY CHAMPIONSHIP
+ nNAL FA N TA S Y S T H E KNIGHTS OF F*CK YOU UP
+ ' HMEDAL O N O R OF i SMOH:AWOL
+ VIRTUA HGHTER 4 S S m E E T B R AW L E R 2 : S TA N L E Y K N I F E
024 PlaySt£ltion.E □FFICIRL mREHZINE-UK
We're very pleased." □ JJ
PlayStation®^
2002 THQ Inc. Red Faction, Geo-mod^'^ Technology, Volition, THQ and their
respective logos are trademarks and/or of THQ Inc." PlaySlation E" is a registere trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
t
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Games designed by you. This month: CTA does Seventies Mafia.
LIGHT MY HREi Warhammer 40,000 comes to PS2 in Fire Warrior.! BASED ON GAMES Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 battle game. Fire Warrior looks set to be a first-
petson shooter with a darkly rich background to draw on. Warhammer 40,000, while ostensibly a case of table-top clashes with metal and
plastic miniatures, has an immensely detailed history woven into it. In the 41st millennium,
humanity superstitiously worships the withered husk of a barely-alive emperor and is besieged by alien races on every side, relying on protection from the elite, geneticallyengineered Space Marine chapters and the sheer dogged manpower of the Imperial Guard. Against this etemally violent backdrop, the Tau emerge - a young vibrant and technologically advanced race. In development by Kuju Entertainment, Fine Warrior sees you
t
I
playing as a Tau trooper, fighting in a campaign against the might of the Imperium - a calculated move to allow the player to see and experience the full superhuman splendour of the Space Marines. Fans of Wartiommerwill obviously find much to appreciate, but the game has been designed with the mainstream player in mind. The early footage we've seen suggests plenty of gunplay and an array of environments to fight in, most notably a rubble-strewn city. A well-developed narrative looks to be in place too, as you move from small skirmishes to larger conflicts during the campaign. Thanks to the Games Workshop connection, even at this stage Fire Warrior is looking to be a refreshing addition to the numerous ranks of sci-fi shooters. □ JB ■ F I G U R AT T V E LY SPEAKING
Bringing a
beaSy hobby ^ into the mainstream...
WISE GUYS PITCHED BY; ROB THOMAS (VIA EMAIL) This sounds good, is it a
wannabe who must undertake
GoodfeHos-style game? Oh yes... listen to how Rob describes the opening cut-scene of his game: "it's iike you're about to enter and be part of a Martin Scorcese
various law-breaking missions for
gangster fiicic" Cool. So what happens? 'The game starts with a cinematic view panning down on a Bronx Italian-American neighbourhood in mid-summer," says Rob. "Kids are dancing around a burst fire hydrant, mothers walk by carrying their
GIA, complete with a funky
the Mafia.
and realistic
This I like. Tell me more! What sort of missions?
locations? This could be
Little Italy massive. Rob,
There will be approximately six missions within each level, according to Rob. Ijter missions could include doing hits for Fat Pauly the restaurant owner, heists, robberies, bribing cops and
we suggest you
copyright your idea before Rockstar do.
going after rival Mafia families. ^ There could even be a level
where you do time after
MAKE
But that sounds lllie a film.
prison guards?
Where's the game?
person crime adventure. You take on
I can tell you... Ijeave it for the game. "And be careful - if you mess things up, it could get kind of tricky for you," says Rob. Think sleeping with the fishes
the role of Sonny a young gangster
and concrete boots. □
GW/H-styie free roaming, third-
A M a fi a - t h e m e d
soundtrack, flares, shades
getting busted and sent down. How do Mafia
rather topical one. Rob's game is a
COMMENTS
Seventies
groceries In large brown paper bags and two-bit wiseguys hang around outside the local liquor store."
Well here's the hooK and it's a
MAKEIT O R BREAK n?
wiseguys deal with hard-nosed
m
C lASSIC SIASHING Fifty years on, Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai becomes a game. AKIRA KUROSAWA'S SEVEN SAMURAI belongs to a canon of films, along with Welles' Citizen Kane, Coppola's The Godfather and Lean's Lawrence Of Arabia, that make up many 'greatest films of all time' lists. Don't worry if you haven't seen It - there's still time. And now, thanks to Japanese developer Sammy you'll be able to play a F^2 version of the 1954 black and white epic. The film charts the experiences of a group of seven Samurai brought in to protect a Japanese village from marauding bandits. The stunning Western-inspired battle sequences cry out for conversion into an all-out action slash-'em-up in the style of Dynasty Warriors and Onimusha "It's one of the greatest - probably the greatest samurai movie ever made," Matt Mueller, Editor
of movie magazine Total Fiim told 0PS2, "It's no surprise to hear that this legendary Kurosawa movie is making the transition to videogame-land." To ensure ultimate
WRITE m,. Designer Genes, Official PlayStation 2 Magazine, Future Publishing, 30 IVIonmouth
X
Street, Bath BAl 2BW, Or email
[email protected] (remember to put 'Designer Genes' as the subject). Send us a description of your Idea and try to accompany it wtth a few sl
026 PlayStation.E OFFIdHL mRGHZINE-UK
^/'S>
authenticity, one of Kurosawa's sons - Hisao Kurosawa is scheduled to produce the game. □ GW
% ■ GET THE DVD
Priced at just £19.99 through the British Film
Industry.
THE BIG PICTURE
PUTTING GAMES ON THE MAP
Some of the best acmes produced for PS2
have been made here in good old Blighty. 0PS2 does the geography. IT WOULD BE EASY to believe that
■ Argonaut Moffce (Edgware, Middlesex)
■ Bizarre Creations Treosure Planet
(Liverpool) ■ Genepooi Wo/verfne's Revenge (Manchester) ■ Mucky Foot Blade /i (GuildfortJ) ■ Tftam 17 Worms
(Osset, West V^rkshlre) ■ Infograme* S h e f fi e l d H o u s e M/cro Moc/iines,
developed In either the US or Japan. Triple A titles such as Metal Gear
development studios In places like Gateshead, Bath, Edinburgh, Brighton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, London and a farm Just
Solid 2, Gran Turlsmo 3, Medal Of
outside Warwick
Honor: Frontline and SSX Tricky are all well known as foreign exports. It's
Ghost Moster (Oxford) ■ Lost Tbys
Many of these developers have been In place since the original
Bott/e Engfne AquWo
spread a popular myth that only development houses In Tokyo and Los Angeles are capable of really
home software boom of the mld-
all the best PS2 games were
pushing the PS2 to Its limits. However, a look at recent retail
charts tells a different story. Three of the top five PS2 titles - Stuntmon, Conflict: Desert Storm and GTAIII -
are all UK-developed. They embody the best of a growing line of killer apps that are being churned out of
Elghtles. Others are more recent start-ups and some are splinter groups formed out of now-defunct operations. All are committed to creating top-class titles, and all are out to prove that It isn't just your Capcoms, LucasArts, Konamis and EAs that can produce the best games for PS2. Britsoft Is thriving check out 0PS2s map for proof
Supermon (Sheffield) ■ Smart Dog Downforce
(Leamington Spa) ■ Sick Puppies
(Guildford) ■ Steel Monkeys Moster Rallye, Bob The Builder {Glasgow} ■ Computer Artworks
The Thing (London) ■ Acclaim
Cheltenham Extreme-G 3
(Cheltenham)
■ A c c l a i m Te e s l d e Shodowmon
(Stockton-On-Tees)
■ R a g e Wa r r i n g t o n
Wild Wild Racing (Wamngton)
■ Rage Newcastle
Rocl^ (Newcastle!
LONDON
Bitmap Brothers E I W
■ Famous among retro geeks
■ Founded in 1985 by industry vet Fouad Katan (Foo to his pais) this iarge London-based studio will shortly bring Die Hard;
for Speedball and Xenon, the
Bros are now reconstructing Speedball Arena for the online generation.
Vendetta to PS2.
Bullfrog/EA Chertsey
Team Soho
fsCEE)
Chertsey
■ The bods behind Theme
■ Part of the huge Sony outfN: on Great Marlborough St, shared
Park, now amalgamated Into EA's leviathan hideout In the
M25 backwoods. Crafting Horry
with Studio London, this Is the
Potter: Chamber Of Secrets.
home of multl-mllllon pound crim Sim The Getaway.
Criterion Games
■ Owners of the 2000AD empire and Judge Dredd fanboys extraordinaire, brothers Jason
Guildford
Studio London
■ Part of Criterion Software, providers of programming tools to the games Industry. After the
and Chris KIngsley are currently set to build Mega City One for PlayStation 2.
W I F
stonking Burnout 2, Criterion
■ Located only a few floors
games Is currently working on a
below Team Soho, the London team Is working on
"Ha/o-beating FPS."
Eye Toy technology and the
Biack & White Studios
7?i/s Is Foottiall series.
Guildford
Kuju
Croydon
■ Uonhead offshoot charged with the mammoth task of designing Black & White Next Generation for PS2.
■ Made Its name through the award winning Total War games for PC, but we hear through the grapevine that a PS2 addition to the series Is Imminent...
With thonks to EISPA for The Brttsoft Book; The Definitive Guide To The UK Leisure Software Industry, £50 available from Wim.elspQ.com/brttsoft
028 Plc]ySt£ltlon.E QFFICIRL ITIRGRZINE-UK
Pivotai B AT H
■ The West Country outfit
m Croydon-based Jack of all trades, responsible for Lotus Challenge, RreBlade, Reign Of firie and forthcoming
assembled from the remnants
Warhammer 40,000 FPS,
Conflict series,
F i r e W a r r i o r.
of Pumpkin Studios [Warzone 2100 on PSone] is now firmly focused on extending its
VIS
Atomic Planet
Entertainment
M/DOLESBROUGH
DUNDEE
■ Its last PS2 project was Mike Tyson's Heavyweight Boxing.
■ Camped out In the far north of bonnle Scotland, the VIS team
Next up are Ace Squadron,
is allegedly planning a sequel to Its liberal-baiting riot sIm, State Of Emergency,
Pterosourand a secret project
R e fl e c t i o n s Interactive
Travellers Tales
based on a TV licence.
KNITOFORD
G AT E S H E A D
■ Mane platform specialist who
■ Geordie fellas behind
brought Crash Bandicoot onto the PS2. Its latest project is the
Stuntman and currently giving Driver a PS2 makeover for 2003,
Also Invented Destruction Derby for PSone, dontcha know.
ambitious free-roamer Hoven;
Call Of The King
Core Design DERBY
■ Headed by brothers Jeremy and Adrian Smith, responsible for the huge Tomb Raider legacy
as well as Project Eden and Herdy Gerdy
■ Rare splinter dev crew from Nottingham whoVe just given us the divine TImeSplltters 2, bless their cottons. What's next? We'll
tell you soon...
Codemasters WARWICK
■ Founded by family team David, Richard and Jim Darling In 1986, Codies is the fann-based home of brands such as 7DCA Col/n McRoe Rally and LMA Manager.
CAMBRIDGE
■ Creator of the BAFTA-winning PSone title MedlEvll 2. Currently
finishing Primal and beginning work on Ghost Hunter
BRIGHTON
■ One of three Climax
operations, this Is the one with the enviable south coast
location. Rally Fusion: Race Of Champions will be its next PlayStation 2 outing.
DFFIDRL mnGRZINE-UK PlayStation.^ 02
Taking a cleaver to gaming'y>
""SAY HELUO TO T-VIRUS
sacred cows. This month: Effeminate villains.
INFECTEE, TED RUMPTIOUS. HIS WHOLE WORLD IS
F A L U N G A PA R T - A S I S HIS BODY" FROM ZERO TO HERO, PG 34
CHER GAMES, UKE SO MANY things in life, sometimes dor't quite manage to finish as strongly as you'd like. We've all been there, having defeated score upon score of ninja:: armed to the teeth with guns and pointy sticks, and finally assailed the impregnable fortress. The smoke clears before the final showdown: so, what nameless vision cf terror confronts us? Hold the phone, it seems to be a ■ GRAVEYARD
SHIFT Clocking in tor another
TIME TO KILL
dose of Jap survival horror
First screens of Clock Tower 3 and we're already terrified. arrival of first screens from Capcom's of nightmarish images fresh from the minds of Japanese developers intent on scaring us witless. Just what the blazes is going on in that image of the girl playing the piano with blood all over her? That's just plain wrong
terrifying nightmare full of Insane challenges and cruel beasts." From the in-game footage we've seen, it's
▶■nil's month:
a-mano' battle and we ended up grappling with a sweaty man, stripped to the waist, by firelight. Think OIlie Reed and Alan Bates in Women In Love. No, no, no. In the previous two PSone games the main demon had a pair of scissors for hands and it's suggested
■ R U N AWAY I
Alyssa isnt given any weapons at
all, poor girl.
he'll make a return for the PS2 version. Little more detail exists other
than the setting - a foggy. Jack The Ripper-slyle London. The fact that Capcom has given us these screens suggests it's on for a UK release, despite Clock Tower 2 never appearing on European release schedules. Clock Tower 3 Is being
TENCHU 3 _
mm t
Game show.
2 1 . 1 . . , , M 1 . i l . l 11
LA
new
grappling spear provides new
opportunities for enemy dispatch: ninja Rlltlmaru
can drag foes Into pitfalls or onto a
strategicallyplaced landmine
i ' ' 2. Manually detonated sticky
a.
A
^Im aunl t aen ne onu s 4 . i Ai lsti m stealth kill, where Rikimaru and
bombs can be
cohort ninja
planted on people If a
Ayame Jump on
'stuck' guard
the blink of
walks over to
an eye
and off a guarxl In
another; a double kill Is only a button
push away
5. The ability to play dead: Rikimaru
dramatically guts himself and falls t o t h e fl o o r I n a
pool of blood. When a curious
guard ambles over for an Inspection, the nInJa springs back to life and takes him out
Who's dead now, eh? Sucked
030 Play5tation.E OFFICinL mRBFIZINE-UK
So what of the PS2? What nemeses has the big grown up console conjured up? The villain of Time Crisis 2? He
was about as rough as a silk hanl^r and camper than Dale Winton's barber Final Fantasy Xs Seymour Guado? With
his skirt and his coiffured blue hair, at any point you expected him to counter an insult with, "Ooh, get her!" Don't even start on Vamp in Sons Of Liberty - he looks
like he listens to the Smiths in his spare time and secretly hates his dad.
What's so wrong with seeing a big, evil, ugiy, armoured thing die in your biood-soaked grasp? it justifies the three death-filled days it took you to get there - an annoying fight with a wimpy mastermind who wont stay still or fight properly does not. if we wanted to beat up on people in nice shirts we'd go out on Friday nights, not buy videogames. You have been warned. All of you., D E F E AT T H E E F F E T E
niu. SK WCHK 1 I ! HI
I t
Tekken 3 had it pegged - there were demons to fight,
what did the developer do? it got tempted with a 'maro-
developed by SunSoft and should hopefully attract followers of the darker side of gaming Fans of Jak And Baxter needn't apply □ GW
played in third-person and has a visual style somewhere between Si/ent Hill 2 and Project Zero.
Where have ail of the tank-toting flame-spewing antiheroes gone? Where are the eight-foot-tall mad dictators?
haircut from Toni & Guy. Metal Gear Solid almost got it right - you fought a robot that belched torpedos. But then
C/ock Tower 3 comes another series
birthday." Our unassuming heroine is part of a historic bloodline and as she comes of age is drawn into a
and is that eye shadow he's wearing?
great big ones that farted fire and had wings and horns. Great big bloody horns. Not a suit from Savile Row and a
OH GOD. NOT another one. With the
Unfortunately, even though videos of the game were shown at E3 earlier In the year, and more recently at the Tokyo Game Show, we can't make head nor tail of the snippets of plot that have surfaced. Here's what we do know: You play as Alyssa, 'an innocent girl preparing for her
slightly weedy-looking girly-man in a finely tailored sui : -
ABOUT AS ROUGH AS A SILK HANKY AND
Your'e probably not thinking^r^beyond your GCSEs at the moment, but the choices you make now can afect the paths you take later on. There are loads of ways to get on in life but, wherever you want to be, going to college or university wil help you get there. For a free magazine that wil tell you how to get to uni, what goes on there and how it will help you get a great job, call 0800 587 8500 or visit www.aimhigher.gov.uk
imliglier College or uni...clon't leave the future to chance.
YOUR QUEST... ■j H o K r
4 ( ^ . , , 11 ■ ^ . . .
II
hMi^f ii #
^
^
II
i?
V
ff! ??»
fj
TO A C Q U I R E T H E G I F T O F S U M M O N I N C ti«r"-aewiF5«s!?'5*«y^
V'!?'V ■
HAi ri r; your i-nhmii s in ri al i imi- wn ii A I'ARI Y DRIVI N COMBAl SYSTI M
IRANSrORM INK) IWnVF I'OWFRFUl SUMMONS I ROM IMF: liLOOn jUGGI RNAU r ro IML Bl ADi; OI SANO rxi'LORi; ovi;r 30 txonc ano iMAc.iNAi ivt in ux;ai i s
"Role-Player fans will be in heaven." Computer & Video Games www.summoner2.co
J002 1 HO Inc. Summoncr, THQ jnd their roipertire logos are trddemarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Ini, All rights reserved "A" and "PlayStation" are registered trademarks ot Sony Computer Entertainment Inr
EDITED BY AMOS WONG m DIORAMA DISASTER Amos
stars in his own giantjnuneterj battle. God
H sti myannualg pm lir age the Ultraman Festival. The eve
Is completely packed; I fight through hordes of sctEamIng kids and parents to gaze in nostalgic aw at rubber-suited heroes and monsters.
Sadly there's no giant scale display this time, but courtesy of a blue scteen, I'm superimposed onto a diorama battle - i look, I'm 60 metres tali! Queue up an ho in advance for the stage show and still e up having to stand through it
BACK PAIN IS all but foigottf by the end of the performanc( when generations of Ultramen wrestle with monsters on stag with perfectly-timed sound effects straight from the TV show. Spot [MEGA HITS] (SCHI l O TA I S E N R YA K U
1941 ISCQI SOURCE DENGEKI/SE!^ 23-29
several demo units of the PS2-bound
Ultraman Fighting Evolution 2 on the Wc out. Have a go and am promptly beaten a 20-something fan. He apologises, shai< my hand, buys me a small toy and disappears into the crowd. I^lust buy gar when its out next month. CHECK OUT THE SONY Dre
•3^ Worldshowcase 2002 el ectronics in Yokohama.
ARCADE FRENZY
Comical ETs, zombie wars and more at the JAMMA show. motion-tracked sword prop to aid the slashing action. Groovy.
SHOW showcased the latest games
range of chocolate eggs containing a figure Is Imminent not to mention
and UFO catcher merchandise slated
an anime short, Internet and
for the arcades. Namco Introduced
portable game spin-off. Dragon Chronicle was a turnbased battle game, supporting up to
pitted four llght-rifle-armed players against a skeleton army, but that's where any horror movie references
ASL£W OF ODDBALL AUENS ENGAGED IN ANYTHING FROM SHOWJUMPING TO COW ABDUCTION
eight players; dragon evolution and fight data is saved on a card. An
ended - think Black Hawk Down
allen-themed mini-games,
units nationwide, the aim Is to play
reminiscent of Point Blank minus the
svengall and create the perfect idol singing group. In development since the last arcade show, the ancient Japanese spirit slash-fest Mazan: Flash Of The Blade now boasts Impressive blocking and partying moves using a
THE 40TH AMUSEMENT MACHINE
Chocovader, a hilarious collection of AGAINST THE CLOCK
llghtgun. Set to a time limit, a slew of oddball extraterrestrials engaged In anything from showjumping to human and cow abduction - even
being grabbed by both arms and madly swung around in loops A
even cuter variant on Puyo Puyo, Kuru Kuru Food substituted coloured
blobs with fruit and garbage bins. A dating Sim called Idol Game featured 10 chatty eel-shaded female cutles. To be networked with
Konaml's intense Worfcf Combat
W
screen walls flank the runway the show floor where a giant Vaio logo i; suspended from the ceiling Movie poste hang above the Wega theatre section; th personal video recorder Cocoon display looks like a sci-fi set The singing dancin SDR-4X robot presentation is a huge hit with audiences So, what would I get if 0PS2 gave me a Platinum Visa card? Th; giant Wega plasma screen with iiviac-likE clear frame looks fetching as does the Blu-ray Disc Recorder Ithe double-iayere discs hold 54GBs!|. I'd happily settle for t new super sexy Net MD Walkman.
instead, iviisslons for the on-rails shooter involved a beach Invasion
with sand-spraying explosions, a town square night offensive (complete with green nightvlslon sighting] and a Jungle raid. Classic characters from the
company's fighting lineage, plus three new ones, clashed In Capcom Fighting All Stars. Playing like a slightly enhanced Street Fighter EX, detailed subway and city back alley stages showed off the game's superior graphic prowess. PS2 bound? Watch this space. □ AW
AMOS'S HAIKU REVIEWS Amos puts quill to fancy note paper and gets creative on the poetry front. Enjoy..
AND rrS A SIFIKE! Man dressed as bowling pin. He fannnny!
■J .
L G-BREAKER: L£GEND OF CLOUDIA Return of the Mech: Missiles! Swords! Civil unrest!
It's war, Gundamit!
S PA C E R S H E R M E N
ENERGY AIRFORCE
No pollacks In space!
ntfor flight combat?
Cast with tractor beam for whale/
Licence mode Mission mode And..
Submarine hybrid!
... er.. Suspender mode!
rrS A BOWUNG GAME with a difference. Utilising a
prop ball and tracking sensor, line up your shot (an
on-screen arrow Indicates the ball's position) and go for Itl The graphics are hardly PS2, but the novelty value m; suffice until a bona fide console game appears. The pinman costumes would enhance the experience greati
□FFICIRL mnSHZINE-UK PlayStation.E o;
FROM ZERO TO HERO TTiis month, we have ZOMBIE #236 trvm Resident Evil Code: Vetxinica X
starring in:
SmP THE ROT
Life, huh? One minute you're a
security guard eating a meatball hoagie in the Umbreila
Corporation iobby; the next, you're suddenly decomposing like crazy and just cant get enough of the gamey taste of human flesh on the bone.
Say hello to Ted Rumptlous,
M A R T I N
THE HARDER THEY COME 0PS2 CAN EXCLUSIVELY reveal
and hero of Stop
that John McClane, the most unlucky
falling apart - as is his body. Your mission? Amble
after the living as they parade around with their delicious limbs
and try and grab a bite. The more
flesh you munch, the slower you rot, so get shuffling zombie boy or it could cost you an arm and a leg! What are you waiting for? A napi^in?
THE GE1AWAY WE'VE BEEN HAIV1MERING NEXT MONTH'S TWO-LEVEL PUYABLE DEt^O... THIS GAME JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER
Sierra's Die Hard: Vendetta set for o PS2 release. Confirmed here first!
T-Virus infectee The Rot His whole worid Is
KENWRIGHT FOR BEING SUCH AN AFABLE SCOUSER BOYRACER.
cop in history, is set to debut on PS2 in the first-person shooter Die Hard: Vendetta. A welcome return after
previous outings on PSone (through various developers) the new game has already received positive reviews for its Gamecube version, which is set to be released in early December. 0PS2 first speculated that the Bits Studios-developed game would be coming to PS2 way back in March, following a visit to Paris to see Sierra's forthcoming product line-up. While demoing a 40% complete version on a Gamecube we asked a Sierra representative If
the game would ever be ported to PS2. His reply was, 'Yes.' A PR hovering nearby then butted in with an even more categorical, "No!" This was a stoty enough for us. What most impressed was the title's depth of detail. McClane had an impressive range of moves from Jumping, climbing, swinging pushing and pulling, to leaning around corners and squeezing thnDugh narrow gaps - all of which were depicted through realistic animation. The way characters interacted with each other was convincing too - terrorists were shown to respond differently to any number of stimuli including pain (of whlcfi there's
P L AY I N G W I T H H R E
McCLANE'S RANGE OF MOVES INCLUDE
3 8
JUMPING, CUMBING AND SWINGING
plenty! and heat, demoed effectively when McClane set an enemy on fire. Bits is promising that the script will include plenty of McClane's cut-scenes, reminding us that Die
7 3
Hard: Vendetta is, after ail, based on
a cracking movie series. Expect an
BUTTERKIST,
official release date next issue.
H O P E T H AT W E
Until then, 'Yippee-ki-yay, mother.." and you know the rest. □ GW
WOULD MENTION THE BRAND IN THE MAG, rr WORKED.
First look at the player likenesses of Codemasters' Club Football. CODEMASTERS' TEAM-TAILORED football Sim, Club Footbail, has a revised release date so that the developer can spend more time putting the finishing touches to the game. Each of the 14 unique clubthemed games - including Man Utd, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds - will now be launched in spring 2003. Each game will have individual box art and will feature all the licensed players, strips and
H c m H o n H o n
E
PRESUMABLY IN THE
1 0
stadiums of the club it represents. The gamepiay has already proved very good in our experience, and lies
K
POPCORN WE WERE SENT A HUGE BOX OF
KEITH FROM BBC2 COMEDY THE OFFICE FOR GIVING THE 0PS2 TEAM INSPIRATION FOR HLUNG IN FORMS FOR OUR UPCOMING JOB APPRAISALS.
HEADS UP!
'f
ROCKY RAGE GETS ns HANDS ON A GREAT UCENCE AND - SHOCK HORROR! - PULLS OFF ONE OF THE BEST PS2 RGHTIN6 GAMES YEH PS2 TV PS2 + HARD DRIVE + BROADBAND UNIT + TV TUNER = TIVO THAT PUYS GAMES AND DVDS.
trademark one-liners and cinematic
■aAL,
4 0
□
apse's TIM CLARK POSING FOR OUR ACE COMPO AND PROVING THAT PINK ISNT JUST FOR THE GIRLS..
er- CLUBUPOO™
somewhere between FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer.
In order to get a taste of what's to come, 0PS2 has obtained the first screenshots of Club Footbo/fs
player likenesses, which Codemasters is claiming are the best around. These have been produced by the in-game engine lie, it's how they will look In the
game) as opposed to being pre-rendered. They're pretty convincing - Emile Heskey has those instantly recognisable bloodshot eyes, Stevie Gerrard looks like a chip shop scaily, Alan Smith is mischievously impish and David Seaman's hain^iece is straight out of a L'Oreai advert. □ GW
034 PlayStatlon.E OFFICIRL mRBRZINE-UK
CARD Ml* / J
The best footballer^ # likenesses ever?
^
F
(g535IE25!9;
7
'
II n c o m i n a
^
le most accurate release schedule in the biz. «
■ NEXTJENPrimo/is
confirmed for a January 2003 release.
iJRADAR Vvcking the progress of game-shaped projectiles.
Club Football
Football Sim
Codemasters
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Dark Angel
Beat-'em-up
UbISoft
Action
Universal Interactive
Dead To Rights
Action
SCEE
EA
Devil May Cry 2
Action
Capcom
EA
D i e H a r d : Ve n d e t t a
FPS
Universal Interactive
Evolution Snowboarding Extreme sports
Konami
Dragonball Z
Beat-'em-up
Infogrames
FIFA
EA Sports
Dragon's Lair 3D
Action
Encore
Formula One 2002 Racing sIm
SCEE
Driver 3
Driving/action
Infogrames
Ghost
UbiSoft
Dr Muto
Adventure
Midway
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Driving/action
Rockstar
Evertjuest Online Adventures
RPG
TBC
Gungrave
Activislon
EXO
Mech action
Infogrames
Far Cry
Action
UbISoft
Fear Effect: Inferno
Adventure
Eldos
F i r e Wa r r i o r
FPS
THQ
Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse
Action
3D0
Freaky Flyers Freedom: Battle For Liberty Island
Flight action
Midway
Action
EA
Futurama
Adventure
SCI
Fugitive Hunter
FPS
Infogrames
Ghost Master
Strategy
Empire
Big Mutha Truckers Driving BMX XXX Extreme sports
Empire
Colin McRae Rally 3 Rally sIm
Codemasters
Disney
Golf
Drome
Sports
Racers
sIm
Extreme
2003
sports
Football
Recon
Sim
FPS
Shoot-'em-up
Hany Potter: The Chamber Of Secrets Adventure
R AT C H E T & CLANK
EA
Haven: Call Of The King Adventure IronStorm
Acclaim
Showing the platform pretenders how It's done,
Midway Wanadoo"
FPS
James Bond 007: NlghtRre FPS
EA
Kingdom
SCEE mM
Hearts
Adventure
Lara Croft Tomb Raider; The Angel Of Darkness Actlon/adventure
Eldos
LMA
Codemasters
2003
Management
sIm
Insomniac's
latest magnum opus is out on i 8 November. ; Mario who?
LotTl Of The Rings; The Fellowship Of The Ring RPG
Universal Interactive
Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Adventure
EA
Maty-Kate And Ashley: Sweet 16 Girl sIm
Acclaim
Gio Glo's Bizarre Adventure
Actlon/adventure
Capcom
M
Infogrames
Giadlus
Strategy
Activislon
Activislon
Good Cop, Bad Cop
Adventure
TBC
EA
Hardware
Action
SCEE
BamI Entertainment
Indiana Jones And The Emperor's Tomb
Actlon/adventure
Activislon
Rally Fusion: Race Of Champions Driving
Activislon
Judge Dredd Vs Judge Death
Action
Universal Interactive
Ratchet
SCEE
Jurassic Park
Strategy
Universal Interactive
King Of Route 66
Driving
Sega
Lamborghlni
Racer
Rage
M a fi a
Action
Ta k e T w o I n t e r a c t i v e
Metal Gear Solid 2; Substance
Action
Konami
Music 3
Music creation
Jester Interactive
NBA Starting Five
Basketball sIm
Konami
Pac-Man World 2
Platformer
SCEE
Micro
Machines
Minority NBA
Live
Girls
&
Of
Riding Run
Platformer
II
FPS
Fire
Spirits Uke
Sim
Action
Clank
Faction
Reign
Action
Basketball
Powerpuff
Red
Racer
Report
Racing
sIm
Action
BamI Entertainment
Activislon
THQ
City - with a little polish this will be the first
Virgin Interactive
Summoner
RPG
it to GTA: Vice
Bam! Entertainment
Spyno: Enter The Dragonfly Platformer Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Actlon/adventure 2
Quit comparing
THQ
Action
Hell
T H E G E H V W AY
Universal Interactive
interactive crime movie. Uke Metal Gear
with gangsters.
Superman: Shadow Of Apokollps Actlon/adventure Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 Extreme sports
Infogrames
Pillage
RPG
TBC
Activislon
Primal
Adventure
SCEE
To t a l I m m e r s i o n R a c i n g R a c i n g s I m
Empire
Rayman 3; Hoodlum Havoc
Platformer
UbISoft
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 GolfsIm
EA
Red Dead Revolver
Action
Capcom
Treasure
SCEE
Resident Evil Network
Shoot-'em-up
Capcom
TV The Tasmanlan Tiger Platformer
EA
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
FPS
Activislon
Vexx
Acclaim
R i s e To H o n o r
Action
SCEE
RTX Red Rock
Actlon/adventure
Activislon
RyganThe Legendary Adventure
Actlon/adventure
Te c m o
Seven Samurai
Action
Samnv
Shoot To Kill
FPS
Codemasters
Silent Hill 3
Survival horror
Konami
Silent Scope 3
Shoot-'em-up
Konami
WRC
Planet
Platformer
Platformer
II
Extreme
Rally
sIm
SOUL CAUBUR II It's been out in the arcades for
SCEE
Wreckless; The iskuza Missions DrIvlng/actlon
Activislon
WWE SmackDownl Shut Your Mouth Wrestling
THQ
X-Men: Next Dimension Beat-'em-up
Activislon
months, but the release of the connoisseur's
beat-'em-up Is still veiy much
1
Alpine Racer 3
Winter sports
SCEE
Sly Raccoon
Platformer
SCEE
Auto Modelllsta
Arcade racer
Capcom
We'd hoped for
SOCOM; US Navy SEAU
Combat sIm
SCEE
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Arcade
Konami
at least a video
Soul Callbur It
Beat-'em-up
SCEE
Defender
Shoot-'em-up
Rhythm action
SCEE
FPS
at Tokyo Game Show, but to
Space Channel 5.2
Falcone: Into The Maelstrom
Midway Virgin Interactive
Speed |«(]^
Drivll®
Acclaim
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Action
Activislon
Splinter Cell
Stealth action
UbISoft
The Getaway
Driving/action
SCEE
Starcraft Ghost
Action
Blizzard Games 1
Starsky And Hutch
Driving/action
Empire
Sulkoden III
RPG
Konami
in the future.
no avail.
January 2003 Batman; Dark Tomorrow
Action
Kemco
Te n c h u 3
Adventure
Activislon
Midnight Club 2
Driving
Rockstar
The Lost
Adventure
UbISoft
Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
Beat-'em-up
Midway
The Matrix
Action
Infogrames
Primal
Adventure
SCEE
The Sims
God Sim
EA
Tr i b e s : A e r i a l A s s a u l t
FPS
Sierra
True Crime: Streets Of LA
Driving/action
Activislon
:
Alter Echo
Action
THQ
Urban Freestyle
Extreme sports
Acclaim
Ape Escape 2
Platformer
SCEE
VIrtua Cop: Rebirth
Ughtgun shooter
SCEE
Black And Bruised
Boxing Sim
Universal Interactive
War Of The Monsters
Beat-'em-up
SCEE
Breaker
Online adventure
Te c m o
WWE Crush Hour
Driving action
THQ^'^Mann
Breath Of Ftre V
RPG
Capcom
Wolverine's Revenge
Actlon/adventure
Activislon
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Adventure
TBC
XIII
FPS
UbISoft QiK
Chaos L^on
Action _
{^JWIlm
Xenosaga
RPG
Namco
C l o c k To w e r 3
Survival horror
Capcom
ZOE: The 2nd Runner
Mech action
Konami, ; - ;|giWigi
.
.
KEY: FPS - FIrst-person shooter RPG - Role-playing game Mech - Japanese robots
QFFICIRL mHEHZINE-UK PlayStation.E 0
Jjv PlaySlolioi.CGm
og H FA L O O K S T O THE FUTURE Before you asK yes, the tan goes all over. Having spent a week lounging
Online? Not this time, but soon...
on Fuerteventura's beaches, three
NOW THAT OUR compulsive-eating cousins have got their PS2s online, the/
things occurred to me. One: sand and Minidisc players do not mix. Two: i can no longer carry off Speedos. Three: I miss my daily fix of gaming
get to play networked games of Madden NFL 2003 whenever they want, and they also get to update the player rosters throughout the season. Feeling mere
gossip. Shortly before jetting off, i
support online capabilities for FIFA 2003," explained Associate Producer, Damy Isaac. "Our main focus has been to make sure FIFA plays a much better game of football, so we had to make some hard decisions with regard to the
than a little jealous, we decided to find out whether EA's real football game \/ill feature the same functionality, "Unfortunately, we haven't had the time to
received an email from a reader who
had visited uk.playstation.com for the first time. "It's up to date and everything!" he spluttered. Well, yes. That's kind of the point. In between the meal proper that is the monthly magazine, we provide a daily diet of insider news, exclusive screens and
ON
ME
HEAD!
EA
makes its motion
game trailers - all absolutely gratis.
capture team wear
latex masks to get 'in the mood'.
No, really.
supporting feature set," Bugger However, there Is some good news. "Now that we've got the core game we always strived for; we can start branching out into peripheral areas such as online," says Danny "We've already started planning for 2004 and we've come up with some really cool ideas to take advantage of the online and Hard Disk Drive add-ons." Better still, he wants you lot to get involved: "Any Information from yourself or your readers as to what they'd like to see woulc be greatly appreciated." So, you know the score: send your thoughts to
[email protected] If we all shout loud enough, maybe EA's boffins will agree to delete the Neville brothers.
for BOOK MARKED THINK GEEK Tim Clark,
■ OH, DANNY BOY That's Mr Isaac to you, sonny Now try chipping me.
■ THE REAL DEAL Figo makes monkeys out of the Man U defence.
■ NO MAN'S UWID Barthez comes
out flailing. How's that for realism?
As excited as we are about PS2's imininent online
Online Editor
arrival, we're not quite ready to embrace our
Check out this month's triple-bill of prime oniine real estate,
THE MAGICBOX
W
Daily
fi x
of
Japanese
inner nerds just yet. Still, we were tempted by some of this designer geek gear Caffeinated soap, Linux-endorsed
blankets and, inevitably, a Boba Fett poster
www.thinkgeek .com
Where you predict the PS2's Christmas crackers. WITH SEVERAL BIG NAME titles chasing the same buck this Chrimbo, we asked visitors to uk.piaystatlon.com which games they thought would come out on top. It's a bit like 'Am I Hot Or Not?' only with screenshots replacing Readers Wives-style pics.
TOMB RAIDER Featuring the usual screens. w
t
h^ad-bs-head
videos and
info, with the
i . .
added bonus of a Jill De
.... . i
Jong profiie
1 wvKW.tombraider.com
VICE MOVIES
P I AY S TAT I O N E M O T I O N S
Say hello to Rockstar's little site. i
Giant clown
TO SEE TONS OF Vice City footage in action, check cut the official site over at vicecity.com. Provided you've got Flash installed, you can navigate around the virtual cup shop, clicldng on objects to bring up info on the cars, weapons and characters in the game. Criminally coo.
faces spewing out livestock?
^ :
^
^
Flash
and
f". dmgsmake "
dangerous
bedfellows.
IX} www.playstationemotions.coni
p u l s Room for atile one? Guess which site has nothing to do with P$2...
FROM THE FORUM
^ What Whatyou're you'resaying sayingonon uk.piaystotion.cor ukplaystation.com.
D E V I L M AY C R Y 2 :
w w w. c a p c o m . c o . j p / d e v i l 2 FAT B A B I E S : w w w i a t b a b i e s . c o m HOLD THE BUTTON:
m For the fastest gaming news on planet PS2.
www.holdthebutton.com
036 PlayStatlon E OFFICIRL mRGRZINE-UK
/ TodIc: What's Topic: vourWhat's favourite PS2 PS2 moment your favourite momentsoso far far? Red XW: In Silent Hill 2 when you go into that toom with Pyramid Head doing something unspeakable to those two leggy monsters. The sound effects dont help either. It's the first time IVe needed therapy for a game
NEXT MONTH ON U K . P L AY S r AT I O N . C O M As well as bangng out news stories like Jeny Lee Lewis on angel dust, weVe g3t a massive Stor Vtors.- Bounfy HufTter competttlon In tfje works and exclusive Info on
Lara Croft Tomb Rafden Vie Angel Of Darkness.
DVD • VIDEO • GAMES - RENTAL & MORE...
Rent
the
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G H O S T
>l«laim
200 stores nationwide - to find your local store call 0870 24 22 Voted UK's best video rental stores 5 years running!
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Exclusive offer to official PS2 magazine reader: RENT ANY PS2 GAME AND RENT ANOTHER FREE with this vouchei Choices membership conditions apply. Game ELSPA rating must be appropriate to age of renter. Defaced or photocopied vouchers wiii not be accepted. One voucher per member. Any PS2 game rented together with this voucher. Valid until 30/11/02.
Choices
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Member:
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Membership
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©Home Entertainment Corporation pic. MMII. All rights reserved
Q
Date
number:
of
redemption:
PS2
4 / 11 / 0 2
M ARTIN KENWraGHT The CEO of Evolution Studios takes a breal< from WRC II to discuss car crashes and how he lost an Italian lawyer his job. Were you into rallying before working on World Rally Championship? A little bit I was never one of those guys who stands up mountains wearing a woolly hat watching the sport. I was more Into owning rally-type cars. I
WRC II WE WANT MORE TITS AND LESS W O O L LY H AT S "
bought a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI at the same time as starting work on WRC and
It allowed me to appreciate why rallying would work as a game. What has the car taught you? To remember when you're working and when you're not working because it can be really messy You ought to see the back bumper [/t looks like it's been hit by a steamrollerl. As far as I'm
felt like a transit van. Ever since, I've never tried to drive it aggressively Have you thought about competing? I haven't got my rally licence, but I'm looking Into It Me and a few of the lads neariy competed in the Network Q rally last year, but we lost our bottle when one driver did six barrel rolls down a
200-foot cliff right in front of us.
concerned, a car Is there to be driven. I
don't collect clean, polished cars. Have you taken it out on a test track? Erm... something like that
What's the philosophy behind WRC? We were originally doing flight sIms, creating some of the best games for a very small market Then GT arrived and
we thought, if we could do the same for So you took it for a spin round your local estate?
motorsport that we're doing for flight sIms, we could help define the genre.
Er...well, the police might read this...
Has Hideo Kojima played WRC? Yes, he came to the office. He couldn't
believe the technology we had and the distance you can see in the game. He was very impressed. Did you swap handling physics? [Smiles] No, I think it was all one-way Why is rallying better than Fl? With Fl you watch the cars going around, then you get up, go off to make a cup off tea, and when you come back they're still going round and round. With rallying on TV you miss one minute and suddenly it's "Oh my God, what happened then? The car's upside down, hanging off a cliffl" It's got an entertainment value that leaves all the
others trailing. Has WRC attracted any fervent feedback from those passionate, woolly-hatted rally anoraks? With WRC II we want more tits and less
cars and drivers. There have been a few
woolly hats. I'll go on record with that [this, we hope, is a reference to the fact that the rallying on Channel 4 gets a large female audience]. There are the people who send us photos saying,
with Ford and drove In one of McRae's
restrictions - we try not to mutilate any
"We've built this simulator seat out of a
old cars. When I got back Into my car. It
of the crowd..
bath, or an armchair Do you like it?"
Owning the car must give you a good insight into rally driving though? Actually, I went to an event In Cumbria
Has working with a licence been all good, or has it brought problems? It's been great to have access to the
038 Play5tation.E DFFICIRL mHBRZINE-UK
Some people lose focus - they forget that it's Just a game. Then there was an Italian lawyer who won an Italian M/RC challenge, to compete in the European WRC championship. He asked his boss for two weeks off Just to play the game. His boss laughed at him, so he promptly handed in his notice and quit his Job. How did he do? He was knocked out in the first round...
So, how's the beard coming along? I just bought some lotion to help me grow a long hairy beard. It's so good, I might try it on my face! □ KS CURRICULUM VnAE Name: Martin Kenwright Job title: CEO, Evolution Studios Nationality: British Date of birth: 13/10/67
Gameography;
Hobbies:
1987, MIrrorsoft:
Ri/con (Amiga)
Liverpool FC, driving, travei
1989-1999, DID:
Favourite bands:
RoboCop3 INES, GameGear), Wargasm (PC), F29Reta//otor(PC|, TFX (PSone)
Pink Floyd,
2002, Evolution Studios:
Worid Rally Championship (PS2)
Chemical Brothers Favourite films:
TTie Matrix, Gladiator
J fl P R N D H m D N I U m !
1. star Ocean 3;
10. Shinobi
Until The End Of Time Enlx/RPG
Sego/S/osh-'em-up
God knows/
IL Virtuai-On Marz
19. SH3 Konami/
FRESH FROM
2.BreathOfRreV
Sega/Mech fighting
Survival horror
Capcom/RPG
12. ZOE II KonomI/
20. Silent Scope 3
3. Unlimited Saga
Mech fightfng
Konami/
TAll-new T Iscreens E Eplucked A S fresh T from
SquaiB/RPG 4. Suil
13. Bravo Music 2
Shoot-'em~up
SCEI/Rhythm Action
21. Cy Giri
Konaml/RPG
14. Hanjuku Hero
Konami/Adventure
Square/Adventure
22. Minna No Golf
Sega/CanJ game
15. Evolution
Online SCEI/
6. Get Bass Battle
Snowboarding
IN AMONGST THE Pachinko games, obscure
Sega/Fishing sIm 7. New Roommania
KonamI/
quiz-show tie-ins and mah Jong RPGs, Toi^yo Game Show 2002 yieided some quality PS2
Sega/Ufe sim
16. Contra: Shattered Soldier
24. Dark Chronicle
Konami/
25. Space Fishermen SCEI/
the Tokyo Game Show floor
fare. Most of these come with the disclaimer,
"not yet confirmed for European release," but our spies remain active on this front. For now, enjoy the pictures.,
5. Culdcept
8. Power Smash
Tennis 2 Sego/
Oniine goif 23. Shutokou Battle 01 Genl
Snowboarding sim
Te n n i s s I m
Shoot-'em-up
9 . S a k u r a Ta i s e n
17 Metal Gear Solid
Sega/RPG
18. Inu Konami/
SCB/RPG
Space fishing
2: Substance
26. |j)wrider
Konaml/Action
PCCW/Rhythm Action
PI ci y 513 crossiuond Complete the crossword puzzle then take the letters from the shaded squares and
unscramble them to form the hidden word Is ft... a) Redman, b) Hitman or c) Batman? A C R O S S
D O W N
I Gun Blaze, mech blaster (7| 5 'True' 2003 release set in the Streets Of LA |5)
2 PaRappa's job |6) 3 Red II, sequel in which the action has
8 An out-of-the-ordinaty agent such as 007 (7|
shifted to Earth (71
9 & 14 across Spy being attacl
4 Shape of a typical NASCAR 2001 track (4)
Bond style (5,5,4|
6 Green-coloured scoundrel from a dismal
II & 19 down Movie blockbuster sequel tied
Army Men title (5| 7 Island you must 'Escape From' in a superb
into 'Allen Escape' on the PS2 (3,2,5| 12 Truck racing game, 18 _ |7l 14 See 9 across
18 3000, Cannonball Run-inspired driving
game |7) 20 Of Emergency, riot sim (5| 22 Country where the highly popular Sakura Wars series is set (5) 23 Like the never-ending Japanese RPG
'Ring' (7) 2 4 III, tremble-inducing frag-fest! |5) 25 They have quite an impact on your ANSWERS WILL APPEAR IN OPS2#28
insurance damage total in Burnout (7)
Activision adventure (6)
10 Crime that puts the T in GTA.- Vice City (5| 13 Mr Slater, real-life and PS2 'Pro Surfer' |5) 15 The Mummy , film sequel and basis for a PS2 adventure |7) 16 The name behind the impreza and Legacy
you can buy in Gran Turlsmo 3 16) 17 Side-stepping move ii la MOH: Frontline or TimeSplltters 16) 19 See 11 across
21 All- Baseball 2003, highly playable bat and ball sim (4) Hidden Word: RIDERS
Answers Across
Answers Down
7 Legend 8. Lord of 9. Vice 10. Stuntman 11. Sir Alex 13, McRae 15. GoDal 17. Soldier 20. CART 21, The Rings 23. Le Tour de 24. eJay
12, Iron Aces 14. Forever 16. Action 18. Driver 19. Storm 22. Gear
1. Jedi 2. Geneva 3. Odyssey 4. Cloud 5. Arctic 6. Toca Race
□FFICIRL mRERZINE-UK PlayStation.^ 0-
S o^n Japan, verso i n 0.20 It supports movie downloads and digiphoto storage.
TT TcT^
P S 2 WA REALITY
TECH fTlRBIC!
SCE talks of official PS2 TV tuner and
TV APPEAL
recording ftjnction. As 0PS2 went to
0PS2's opinion on new BroadQ software tt}at allows you to watch movies stored on your PC through the PS2. qcaftC mirrtr
main
menu
press, Sony Computer Entertainment
CCMSt TKW
made an official
media player
playllst options
announcement
regarding plans to release a TV tuner for the PS2 enabling users to watch
Nivl Svie
content and record It
toTi krf N»ii«
to an Intemal Hard
$otl
br
Disk Drive "Our
Nmm
thinking Is that it would be mors convenient to enjoy
Shuf»« {:>•»/
♦•LI
X.-
-K
□! " » ! ! !
networldng and manage broadcasting A-u-iT
R14
as well," said Kenlchl
Fukanaga, a SCE ■
BROADQ SAYS
W E S AY
"Previously, digital media lil^e IviPSs and movies stored on a PC's hand drive could only be played through the
It could be seen as one of the first steps to using the console as a multimedia 'hub' - a concept Sony has
computer Itself. BroadQ's QCast Tuner software allows people to link their PS2 and PC together via a networl< cable and the Network Adaptor They can then enjoy
pushed right from the inception of the machine.
two discs: one is installed to the PC, the other to the
PS2. An interface shown through the TV is then used to navigate the digital content."
network', a concept that is as alien to the average family as a flying car While this will please a small minority of tech-heads who are prepared to fiddle with bits of cable and drill holes in walls, it won't be too long before Sony builds PlayStation 2s with a built-in tuner and Hard Disk Drive making this sort of software unnecessary.
Empire has the movie rights for Bulletproof Monk. Out in 2003 it
stars Chow Yun-Fat as the warrior
protector of a set of ancient scrolls.
THIS
OR
NOT
TV? The BroadQ Qcast Tuner interface. Dotty or what?
spokesperson, Fukanaga also hinted
at the possibility that a new model of PS2 with a built-in tuner and Hand Disk Drive will be Introduced at
However, its use will be limited to those with a 'home
music and film from their PC's hard drive in the comfort
of their living room. The package comes complete with
TV
some stage soon.
THE FUTURE?
"BROADQ'S QCAST
TUNER ^FIWARE
ALLOWS PEOPL£ TO UNK PS2 AND PC"
Canadian developer IRDl is bringing Dodgeball: Worid Chaos to PS2. It's an anime-flavoured
dodgeball game with 24 characters.
Mormi...
NBA STREET HGHfER EX3
DURING HIS
keynote speech at Tokyo Game Show,
Ken KutaragI, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, spoke at length regarding Sony's CELL processor technology, which is being developed In partnership with I B M a n d To s h i b a
Primarily, It'll be used in future
networking devices as opposed to being solely developed for PlayStation 3, an assumption he felt had led to some
misleading reports In the media.
040 Play5tation.E OFFIdHL mRGRZINE-UK
i v r e
ilk
isniTE mK EsmE
W H AT ' S H O C K E Y W I T H O U T H I T Z ' " ?
x
e
o
x
PlayStation.^
It tilt prior written consent ol NHL Enttrprisas.
N
I
N
T
E
N
D
www.midwaysports.net
O
G A M E C U B E . N H L P A
;LP n. C IL25! LUMh»d uuiiauPNHl rdeattntfwMrks iftM l nH«ck«Y l iteam inydMm»r^ depi veputeems not D0'2"H* KHL""A*" l rg i tnd«n*U hts ns^lS NdHkMw*T U>«: Ofcia i UmtmfA ^l UcensedSwnet Prtifut ef the Natw l alHab, ckeptrmi y Laag tayarath. 'AssNHl aca i tM i Shi . KatM ta i M«re i Hacrtgi kayttiL je i Pa l fierj'Atsada iltt. Nati NHLH P»iaa d NHLPALmj La|«ua..reiltraUNI dMa i rkl»ag» lithewd NHmatfcs LPI andfiim aw ondarM illongoi se. b d i way S amecsted Lm i hrei tied. "n Jt"»»the and "Pa l proHrtv yStaBan'aol re rthe egsitaNHL red tradand amriksthe of Srtspocti ony Com ter Entertaani n i memav nt Inc. M cirosb, ol and the Xba, lage, ar. either r.g.st.red tr.demaAa ar trad,marts rt Mierasdt Carpacatian in the U.i ».d/.r atbr ««rtn.s «,d ara ««) «tl.r *««. (ran, UNcr.safl r » WO T« KINTENOO (UMECUBE LOGO ARE TMDEMIflKS Of NINTENW. t 2002 NIOTEMO.
MONTOR CONTRIBL/TORS: ERIC BRATCHER, PAUL FITZPATRICK, ADRIAN LAWTDN, AMOS WONG, MARK WALBANK, GEORGE WALTER, MARK WYATT
Viewing the new games you voted to read about! m
m
WELCOME TO MONITOR! SO WHATS ALL THIS THEN? It's our brand new previews
section. Our pledge Is to keep all the big games under constant surveillance, as directed by you! Whenever a
cool new game bleeps loud on your radar, write to us we'll dig up exclusive new screens, information and
mmWANTEDf
Which upcoming games do you want to see more of? Email or write to us and we'll uncover the latest details on your Mure favourites! POSmON
W H AT ?
CSAME
interviews with the creators, or bring you first Impressions
from playable code. HOW DO I GET INVOLVED? To vote In our IVlost Wanted
charts and make sure Monitor covers the games you
want, email us on
[email protected] or visit our Web site at uk.playstation.com. Get voting now! ■ INFO BOX It's here you'll find out who makes a game, how complete It Is, when It's due to hit the stores and if there's any more information online.
SOCOM: US NAVY SEALS
■ OPINION BOX What do we think
of it so far? We reveal our thoughts and also Include what you'd like to see in the game - visit the forums at ukplaystatlon.com to get Involved.
Not just the first squad-based online shooter, but the first game
jEXCLUsive!
to use voice communication -
NEW!
3 4 ▶
no wonder you're excitedl
DEVIL MAY CRY 2 Our man In Japan spends an
afternoon at the Tol^o Game
[EXCLUsJye!
Show acquainting himself with dashing duo Dante and Lucia
METAL GEAR
SOLID 2: SUBSTANCE
Snake sneaks up the charts and we play his first VR Missions.
JUDGE DREDD VS JUDGE DEATH PS2 is getting ready to welcome Mega City One's favourite lawman. ■ UtTEST SCREENS So how's the
ALSO IN manibai- this month
game looking? We show the hits of the future in all their visual
BATMAN; DARK TOMORROW....;: TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 2003
splendour
SILENT HILL 3 MORTAL KOMBAT: DEADLY ALUANCE....„mGE 64
ALTER ECHO page 641 JAMES BOND 007; NIGHTFIRE. ■ GO TO Monitor Is stuffed with
■ INFO BURSTS Keep an eye
info on all the latest PS2 games, but there's only so much we can fit in the mag. Look out for Go To boxes to keep track of extra info we've posted online.
out for these blobs, where we'll drop in facts, rants, quotations, devil's advocate opinions and anything extra you should know.
Which forthconnlng games would you like to see In Monitor next month? Visit the forums at uk.playstatlon.com, email us at
[email protected] (remember to put 'Monitor' In the subject line) or write by post to Monitor, Official PlayStation 2 i^agazine, Future Publishing, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, BAl 2BW. Vote now!
□FFICIHL fTlHGRZINE-UK PlayStation,^ 0^
THE GETAWAY
0PS2 spends an illicit afternoon getting better acquainted with the other London Undetground. FANCY A SPOT ON CRIMEWATCH? Well, you've come to the right place. Any muppet who's doubtful about The Getaway's East End gangster credentials Is going to button it pretty damn sharpish when the game begins. Not two minutes into the opening movie and the phrases "Off your rocl
"Shut itr have been uttered without a shred of Irony. Hell, the first mission in Team Soho's long-awaited London crime epic is called 'The Frightener'. 0PS2's
f
been playing The Getowoy - it's fast approaching the manor linown as 'complete' and Is looking, well, the business.
A LIFE OF CRIME RIGHT UP YOUR STREET? Then
listen up! A few stark facts for you boys and girls. Embrace a life in London's gangland and you'll be looking at a 24-mission stretch. Each meaty chapter Is subdivided into driving and 'on foot' tasks, so there's no danger of finding yourself short of action when the pie and mash hits the fan. For 12 missions
you'll play as ex-con Mark Hammond, after which you pick up the story on the right side of the law as ballsy rozzer DC Carter Different sides of the crime coin, but for how long?
YOU'RE GAAAN DAAHN! Says who? There's no getting away from It, The Getaway does borrow from crowd-
pleasing forebears, most notably GTAW when you're behind the wheel, and MGS2 when the action heads indoors. But as Jak And Baxter proved, it's not what or even how much you pilfer from the greats, it's
how you go about making the references your own. And The Getaway Is doing it with some serious style. Having the whole of central London as your playground is quite brilliant for starters, and it lends the game a brooding, overcast atmosphere, as real locations blend with Hammond's tale of brutal, snowballing revenge. The verdict, officer? We ain't squealing Just yet, but meet us back here next
month and we'll have even more for your shell-likes. Got that Guv'nor? PF
u n i o n
PlayStation®? /
OFFcmL
mnenziNE-uK
THE GETAWAY'S soon up for parole and
the outside is looking tastier by the day. A slight problem with the game camera aside, it's both looking and playing like a total diamond. Sorted? Almost, my son. W H AT W E W A N T
W H AT Y O U W A N T
■ The camera in
! m "Lock Stock and i The Long Good Friday in a game, : you muppets; says
'on foot' missions to
be tighter Possibly the only obstacle to total enjoyment.
HOT OR NOT? " FRIGID
TEPID
^iCuJo Moo j.
W H AT T H E Y W A N T
I* A game that's
equal to the hype and then some. You
know, SCEE might just pull it off. Beauty.
>ARM "HOT
046 PlayStation E DFFICIRL CnHERZINE-UK
■ (H Geezert Get down to the web site for the latest Getaway screens.
m COP A LOAD OF HIM
Introducing DC Carter, unstoppable cop machine and one of The Getowpy's two heroes.
,.
,,
ALL THE SMALL THINGS The Getaway's true doss comes out in the details.
W H AT S T H E D A M A G E ?
rrs A FAIR COP
E A R LY I N D I C A n O N S
H E A LT H WA R N I N G
Not oniy do The Getaway's cars drive as well or as badly as the real things, but they take damage and their handling suffers accordingly. Steering pulls off-centre as engines sftjtter and chug to
The non-playable characters' Ai Is really impressive, none more so tfian with the police who set up roadblocks, hem you in and try to shut you down with unnerving intelligence at
There are no health packs In The Getowoy and
death. Brilliant
every turn.
The Getawoys developers want you to be immersed In their crime epic. To this end, you wont find large cartoon arrows or even maps pointing your way during driving missions. Instead, your car's indicator lights will blink, subtly letting you l^iow it's time to change direction.
no health bar either When wounded, the biood
stains your suit Get hurt badly and you'll start to limp or clutch your arm in pain as you shuffle on. tt's not a pretty sight, but It's a whole lot more real i sti c than GTAH L
■ SAVE THE BOY
One bodged kidnap and our hero's out for serious rwenge.
"' ('-i "J
I DARK DAYS Wliere GTA is
^ aii about cartoon violence, . The Getaway goes for muted i : coiours and reaiism. ■
u
GET
DOWN
Indoor missloi are tense affai
that can expic into violence < any moment.
■ TA K E H I M D O W N
The Getaway's nonplayable ciiaracters have sharp survival instincts.
I WHATS THB STORY? J Ex-con Mark Hammond is trying t
go legit when a tragic set of event draws him back into the gangtani world he vowed to quit. On the oth side of the law, DC Carter is after t very same gangsters Hammond 1; reluctantly working for...
■ T H E AT R E I A N D T H U G
It can be murder trying to
get tickets to see Les Mis.
■ THE CRATE ESCAPE
VbuVe got a shotgun, but he knows the layout of the gaffe. Your move.
QFFICIRL mflGRZINE-UK PlayStation.E 0
{monibor NEW^DE__. NAME SOCOM: US Navy SEALs PUBUSHER SCEE
OEVELOPGR Zipper Interactive WEB SITE www.scea.com/games/ SCUS-97134.as LAST SEEN OPS2#26
PEKCENiAGE COMPL£TE
n9L #9^
m i l l J
CiinSj
fafsinion
PlayStation,2 /
OPFCIRL
mnGft2l^•c•UK
I SOCOM: us NAVY SEALS is a great blast made better by voice communication
; features. This opens up ail manner of new : opportunities for strategy. It's going to set ; PS2 gaming alight next year.
j^WHA T WE mm "what you want what ™ey want ■ Ttie entire ] ■ Sweet Daddy G j ■ To give PS2 ba-u,',-,.
European PS2 i says, "It's one of the i owners the ability
population playing j only online games ^ to challenge gamers
online as one big , that has excited me | all over the world, I trigger-happy family i on PS2." i Game onl
rHOTOR'NOT?'
\ FRIGID JEPID JVARM HOT BOIUNG
m USTEN UP SOLDIER socofvrs
headset Is against tlie
seasoned play^Ww^ln^ onlino to snuff you put of exfstence.
BeHGlD
A
irS GOOD TO 1ALK Commanding your team in SOCOM is easy ff you follow a few simple wies. Here are a few examples. Team oitiers must always be constructed from 'who, where and what' elements. \S)ur team Is split Into two groups - your sidekick
(known as Ablel and Bravo (the two other squad members). That's the 'who' part of the order: The 'where' refers to waypolnts on the map, or an area you point your crosshairs at, while the 'wliat' Is the task you want them to perform.
If you want your sidekick to chuck a grenade, hold @ and say: "Able, deploy grenade." Easy.
To get Bravo to open a door for you, )ust say "Bravo, open door," Then you can lob a grenade in.
To get Bravo to escort a hostage to an extraction point first say "Bravo, escort," then "Bravo, run to Romeo" (or whatever the waypoint's designation).
4. If you need Able to operate a lever. Just say "Abie, flip switch."
DEAD MAN WATCHING If on online missions it's sti
■ EYES & EARS The chatter through your headset is backed up by
on-screen text Pay attention, as death by friendly fire's a real possibility.
possible to watch the actions through your team-mates' ey
tHe sec^ND c o m i N G
m o n i b o r HANDS-ON
I ■ SLASH! Raiden's sword was underused
' NAME Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance PUBUSHER Konami
MEDU. KM StlD 2 developer Konami JPN
W E B S t i l w w w. k o n a n n l l p n . c o m /
in MGS2, but
! products/mgs2 _sub/engllsh/index.html
it comes in
I LAST SEEN ORS2#26 I .
AIM, FIRE! This level is a virtual shooting aliery of genome soldiers. You must protect ie lovely Meryl if you can!
50 PlayStation.E aFFICIRL mHERZINE-UK
liandy liere. ■ HrS BEHIND YOU
More Snake, more sneak, more everything Metal G - you know you want it. R E P U y Yo u ' l l b e
_ levels over and over to
to bettef^ur last score.
■ S T E A U H TA C T I C S
Eliminate All missions require you to dls^>atch every enemy without being seen.
METAL GEAR SOUD 2; SUBSTANCE We test the reality of Snake's VR Missions. WHAT ARE VR MISSIONS? These Virtual Reality' Missions are training simulations. As such, they're small, self-contained and often timed. This Is pure MGS action, never Interrupted by long cut-scenes
always try to finish a few seconds faster; or Inflict fewer casualties Plus, their sheer volume (over 200] will keep you occupied for quite a while. Moreover, for those few poor, unenlightened souls who haven't
filled with bizarre plot twists and ponderous dialogue.
played Metal Gear Solid 2 yet, the original game Is bundled with Substance, garnished with 'Snake Tales' and over a hundred alternate reality missions (like the now well-known skateboarding challenge). If you were hooked on MGS2, you're going to need this. □ EB
They look different, too, with lots of Tron-like glowing walls and almost eel-shaded character models.
HOW ARE THEY SHAPING UP? Judging by the firet five
missions we played (several times over. In fact) they're awesome. Stage 1 had us sneaking Solid Snake
p i n i o n
through a typical room filled with guards, while Stage
^ 2 allowed 90 seconds to bullseye 12 targets In Stage
1 i 3, Ralden had to dispatch four guards without being
; MGS2: SUBSTANCE, just like the Special
[ /. seen by guard or camera. Stage 4 found us using
j! Mi ssions on esssithe l game an extended life.PSone, The VRgivMi onsfulare just one
seconds Finally, Stage 5 (our favourite) gave us a
pure Metal Gear, pure action and pure fun.
vague sense of MGS d6J^ vu - Meryl was lying wounded, and we had almost Infinite sniper rounds
W H AT W E W A N T
[both regular and tranqulllzing) and a fistful of
action and the
Raiden's HF Blade to eliminate 30 targets in 90
1 great aspect of a package that looks to be
a playable Meryl?
A WORTHY COMPANION TO MGS2, THEN? Absolutely
While no VR Mission takes very long to beat, you can
never be released In the UK Try an Import game store.
Ir^EODOWN
HOT
M
t
mmriu
B ^ c f c fi n u .
Cw^opici. .e
"i*
I i
I
I
,
!
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characters and environments, listen to
•Sodly, Die Document Of Metal Gear SolU DVD will
T/vari^
i
mmtn
Aside from giving us a brief taste of VR I training this peculiar release Is packed witii typical DVD-style bonus features. You can view development sketches and 3D models of ttie background music, read descriptions of the various pieces of the game engne, view the game's promotional videos, read the script and blogs of the development staff, check out magazine covers, toys and other artwork. You can even examine Kojima's actual design drawings (If you can read Japanese, that isl.
that M6S2 was an
I Ralden, Hare Krishna, , Interactive movie
f and Jenna Jameson! i rather than a game. i---JL Z
r^OT ORNOT?" FRIGID JEPID
SOUD 2 DVD The contents of intriguing US-oniy interactive maldng-of documentary DVD revealed
1 end to the griping
boss flgtit between
mission. How about
from her for three minutes.
W H AT T H E Y W A N T
I ■ Konami wants an
J ■ Submission.
! rebellion wants a
occasional quirky
Pentazamin to keep a horde of 30 enemies away
THE DOCUMENT OF METAL GEAR
W H AT Y O U W A N T
■ To n s m o r e S n a l ( e
y Sf!^rrKk i
J
m
I
>
i
lew Original Game Plan & Instruction
Sheets by Kojima (in Japanese only)
® Mars is a registered trademark. © Masterfoods 2002,
Pleasure you can't measure
m a n i b o r HANDS ON NAME Devil May Cry 2 PUBUSHER Capcom DEVELOPER Capcom VKEB StTE www.capcom.co.jp/devil2
■ SIASH AND
USrSBEN
BURN
OPS2#26
Yo u
can
expect stunning PSRCENm( COMPICTE
visual effects in
■ UMMUNG SHARP Firepower like
this sequel.
this will make demons think twice.
)(7^2 ■ T H AT S M A G I C !
There'll be plenty to marvel at between scenes In DMC2.
*
■
DEVIL'S
*
TOWER
Kicking demonic ass is ali tiie more satisfying against great backdrops.
m
*
■ DEATH FROM ABOVE
Flying isn't the only benefit of this form.
Lightning death anyone?
DEVIL MAY CRY 2 Dantfi's back for some kick-ass action. so WHAT DOES THE GAME LOOK UKE? Two missions were playable at the Tokyo Game Show: the first
showed off interior environments Including one room containing a gigantic clockwork-like mechanism; a second took Dante thnsugh a town's streets, canals, courtyards and across building rooftops. Brick for brick, the detail was impeccable. The surreal colour
tones and speeding clouds in the sky lent the game an ominous, otherwforldly feel. WILL THE GAMEPLAY UVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS?
Most definitely! The controls are the same as before.
But when surrounded, pistols track foes automatically and Dante nonchalantly shoots in opposite directions (coolly over the shoulder, if something's behind) until nothing's left standing - John Woo eat your heart out! Animation is smoother, evident in the more
pronounced gun recoil while perforating undesirables
with lead, not to mention Hong Kong action moviestyle backflips and cartwheels to evade attacks. Sure, we were expecting to be able to run up walls and do
a mid-air flip while squeezing off a few rounds, but Jaws dropped when Dante dived down towards the enemy with double guns blazing Sweet. YOU STILL GET TO BUMP OFF DEMONS, RIGKH You'd better believe it. Goat-headed Satanic statues came to life, unfurling giant bat wings, and hawks
'de-cloaked', appearing rather eerily out of nowhere. Most abundant at this stage, though, were the lumbering skeletal forms who were carrying twin maces, swords or axes - the most powerful of these
was throwing blade-edged shields at us like a yo-yo. While they were dispatched relatively easily, an imposing steel and leather-armoured boss posed a new challenge. A pair of spiked spheres were continuously hurled at Dante or spun on chains to deflect bullets. And you can expect even meaner foes when the game finally arrives. □ AW
i i n i o n
PlayStation®^ /
OPFtCWL
m n G fl Z I N G - U K
DEVIL MAY CRY 2 still has its plot under
M
wraps, but the acrobatic, bullet ballet action alone Is exhilarating. If it delivers all the enhanced features promised, this
[ baby has 'Hit' stamped all over it.
W jljLH |W A H TATW W E EW W AA NN TTW HA TYOUWANT;WHATTHEYWANT ! ■ MaXAss on the 1 ■ To show rivals in i ■ A white-knuckle
action adventure to Heil and back that oozes even more
_ styie and substance.
rHOTORNOT?" FRIGID
TCPID
Fomm says. They s the 'stylish dar1< hero should add a 'create- = shooter genre your-own-player ' exactly who's the
I mode." Interesting. WARM
HOT
i boss.
IMELTDOWN
I BRIGHT SPARK
)52 Play5tation.2 □FFICIHL mRBHZINE-UK I
0
2
W W W. R O C K S TA R G A A A E S - C O / V \ / V I C E C I T Y W W W. V I C E C Z I T Y R A D I 0 - C : 0 / V \
S O U N D T R A C K A L B U A A S AVA I L A B L E O N E P I C R E C O R D S and' PlayStation" are registered trademarks of Sony Compuler Enteftair>tnent Inc. All Rights Reserved © 2002 Rockstar Games, Inc. Rockstar Games, the Rockstar Games logo, Rockstar North and the Rockstar Nortt) logo are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, inc. Rockstar Games and Rockstar North
are subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Alt other marks and trademarks are properties of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved
Wa 1)4 Jroir) O]Jivan4t'rS.
K www.liarrypotter.ea.com j(ww.harrypotter.com
f,
PC CD-ROM
©W1fBffl^AD«W-CE r-.'U
NINTENDO
^ PlayStation.^ ^ g^ecube.
(aMyf/siiCtoioR
F]ipfi)(lo,froii) DfffnCf Darli Arts
Evil Thf Chainl^fr of Sfcrfis. ^
Coyra^e from yoi|.'
^ 4 i l i i r •
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,. . Have yoy got ivllat it takft! to bf |p
HarryaAittfi™ il The Chan^bfi-of Secrets? i \ " Available jTom Novfuiifr i5th. • ^
* •#" ..
harry potter, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros, Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K. Rowling. WBIE LOGO:''" & © Warner Bros.
Ariglia is a trademark owned and licensed by Ford Motor Company. / e . n o \
Challenge Everythir
NEW SCREENS
JUDGE DREDD VS JUDGE DEATH We check out the big-booted lawman's stomping ground IS -mis JUST THE GAME OF THE FILM? Now, we know
these screens look pretty realistic, but we wouldn't go that far Judge Dredd is has been one of the biggest, baddest stars in comic book history since his first appearance in 1977 Part lawman, part military
characters. Rebellion is spending a long time on character design to get them spot on. Fans of the comic strip will also get to see most of the major
first screenshots of the warren-like cilyscape of the comic books brought lovingly to life. We're hoping that
players from the series make an appearance. We can only pray that you can also take the handlebars of the Lawmaster and trawl the city streets. □ MW
imposing size and sense of sheer vertical scale are a
central motif Think of the packed and dangerous
M n t o n
PlayStation 2 /
ntHGnZME-UK
■ JUDGE DREDD VS JUDGE DEATH is still
streets seen in films like Bladerunner and you'll be on
I a way off but It looks like Rebellion is ! staying true to what made the comics
the right track. Imagine these environments buzzing
i so good. We'll keep you posted on its
with traffic and pedestrians, aircars flitting between buildings and potential perpetrators everywhere and you'll get some impression of what to expect as the game develops.
IWHAT, NO CEL-SHADING7 While taking Dredd straight from the colourful comic pages must have been a
huge temptation, the developers are concentrating on bringing a grittier, grungier world to life. As you can
1)56 PlayStation.E QFFICIRL fTlHGRZINE-UK
complete with an array of scary citizens.
■ GRIME AND
PUNISHMENT It's up to you to clean up this town.
all these areas will be open to exploration. We're told that the metropolis will contain a variety of different
districts, from industrial to decrepit, but clearly the
Exteriors will come
Death. And obviously being the most important
sports yellow shoulderpads and dishes out harsh
SO WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT THEN? These are the
■ OI YOU, OUTSIDEI
variety of minor offences. The major story, though, revolves around Dredd's longtime adversary. Judge
dictator, he carries a really big gun (the l_awgiver), justice better than Stallone could ever dream of
h \S
see, hordes of people and nDbots crowd overpopulated interiors, and all can be arrested for a
' development, just to make sure. W H AT W E W A N T
i ■ A comic book
W H AT Y O U W A N T
fe-
W H AT T H E Y W A N T
I ■ What do you want? ] ■ For Dredd to
[ game that has a bit
! There's nothing on . bridge the gap
I another branded
! typing and give us
, of character: Not Just I shooter
' between hardcore
the fonjms. Get I some feedbacit
[ fans and gamers.
I HOT OR NOT? FRiGID ttPID
-'-^BOILING
tvlEUDOWN
I ■si fJ-jSe
.v.-»
w
T e c h n c i a y l a w e s o m e j B R ^ I B S j ^ T O P L A Y . this fire breathing fantasy will surely reignjupreme" C&VG
4 < ypurTACTION PACKED MAYHEM ^jt^g^^Game^
[Lashings of Old Testamenfsl^^FIERY PS I-
..tremendous FUN..." PlayStation^a^^^^^HK
seriously EXPL0SI)^E ganieplagjRsg|IPF^ COMING NOVEMBER 15TH
REIGN OF FIRE EVERY BREATH THEY TAKE MIGHT BE YOUR LAST
PlayStation®?
Reign of Fire C 2002 Copyright B&B Company All rights resen/ed. C 2002 Copyright BAM! Entertainment, Inc. BAM! and the BAM! I^o tered trademarks of BAM! Entertainment, Inc. A'l rights reserved. Used with permission. Spyglass Entertainment Group, LP and the bpy< Entertainment Group logo are registered trademarks of Spyglass Entertainment. Group LP. ^ . All rights reserved. Used with permission.-..6.' arvd" PiayS{atfoii.2 ' are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
w w w. r o c h y i l i e g a m e . c o
CAN YOU GO THE DISTANCE? >nts) e 2002 Rage Games, LW. -Rook,' - 'Rocky V ™ S e 1976-2002 Metrcrfoldwyn-Maysr SWdios Inc. All Rights Rraer.ed, A" and -PlayStation 2" ate tealsteied tradematks of Sonv Oemootet Ent.n.lnm.nt Ino. >i Ri.ht, n..
m o n i b o r NEW SCREENS NAME Batman: Dark PUSUSHER Kemco .JEVELOPER Kemco
To m o r r o w
WEB SrUE www.batman.com
I
, LAST SEEN OPS2#21
I I■PERCENTAGE COMPLETE 1I mm
mm
mm
185% s« 20
mm
o®| OaSil
m
M
111
BATMAN: DARK TOMORROW The Caped Crusader gets back to his gritty roots. ANOTMER BATMAN GAME? ARE YOU MAD? It's true,
over the years the Dark Night has starred in more games than he has movies. But as these screenshots testify, this is iil
a plethora of tools. Along with the grappling hook (for swinging between buildings, as in Activision's Sp/der-Man) you will have to become adept at using the Batarang, the Batcuffs, smoke bombs and Batman's special night vision lenses. The only disappointment is that you don't get to ride in the Dark Knight's Batmobile or Batwing These vehicles
Screen gallei-y ■ PUMMEL PRACTICE
Although Batman can cuff his opponents, care is needed to ensure they don't get on top. ■ TKUE GRIT
merely make appearances in the cut-scenes to add context and atmosphere. □ MWal
i n i o r i
Many levels ate incredibly moody and atmospheric.
PlayStation®? /
0 F R C I H L I P = ) G fl 2 I N e - l
<
■
BUP
ON
HORIZON the
T>IE Use
scanner
to
spot enemies.
; BATMAN: DARK TOMORROW is set in a I comic book world that's been recreated
I with admirabie care. But issues, such as'
[ awkward, fixed viewpoints and clumsy ; combat could undermine the experience.
DC Comics world. It's almost like an interactive comic
WHAT WE WAMT
book The plot is also much stronger than previous Batman games because it's not only been Inspired by the rich DC Comics universe, but is penned by Kenji Terrada of Final Fantasy I and Hnal Fantasy II fame.
■ Imaginative
gameplay to match the atmosphere and detail so evident In the cut-scenes.
W H AT Y O U W A N T
[ ■ "A powerful stoty line to match the b r i l l i a n c e o f Te r r a d a ' s
; m and FFll plots," ^ says JohnnyBeGood.
I
£
BOMBER
MAN
Batman can punch
opponents or take them out with a
smoke grenade.
• BAT-VISION Batman has never iooked so
m D E A D LY ! F o e s
include The Joker, Poison Ivy
KILL Rooftop not the easit
good in a game.
and
places to rec
Mr
Freeze.
•
VIEW
« GADGET MAN The item Batman is
■ BAR WARS The
cumentiy using is displayed in the
often be found at the bar trying to keep his spirits up.
bottom left comer
TO/
Caped Crusader can
W H AT T H E Y W A N T ■ Kemco is keen to i
go down in tiistory as |
the maimers of the | best Botman game i ofalitime. ;
I HOT OR NOn
DO WE GET TO USE ALL OF BATMAN'S GADGETS?
Absolutely Batman's utility belt is weighed down with
I^IGIDTEPID
WARM
JHOT HEUDOWNi OFFICIRL mHEHZINE-UK PlayStatlon,E (
m a n i b o r N E W F E AT U R E S ' NAME 77ger Woods PGA Tour 2003
f
I PUBLISHER EA Sports I >
■i!?'
DEVELOPER
EA
Sports
' SITE www.ea.com/easpotts/plat
i
I forms/games/tigerwoocls2003 i
i^USTSEEN N/A
F E R C E F f TA G E COMPUETE
175%
Pinr rr away it
pays to listen to your caddy's comments.
DIVOT MATTER Tiger's animations are spot on. Here, he stamps his competitor's ball into the ground for a laugh.
160 Play5tation,E □FFICIHL mRGflZINE-UK
m THREE! Hit a perfect swing and this iiappens - it's a 'cinematic cut-scene'.
TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 2003 New tricks for Tiger. 0PS2 lets the cat out of the bag. SO WHATS NEW SINCE 20027 Remarkably enough, Tiger Woods 2002 has been completely overhauled
since Its (fairly recent] release. Of course, being a licensed game, EA has made sure It has focused on the biggest asset - Tiger A team of designers worked solely on his likeness for four months. He's now accurate down to the buckle on his belt and the Nike
swoosh on his shoe. Movements are motion captured and, from a distance, Tiger looks entirely photo realistic. There's even a host of trademark celebratory leaps and air punches. Bm- ITS SnUL THE SAME GAME, RIGHT? Not by a long shot. As well as building a completely fresh set
of courses (Including fantasy" and training") the way you hit the ball has been further refined. It"s still struck with a backwards/forwards motion of the
analogue stick but now you can Influence the spin and speed of the ball by tapping m and pushing In the desired direction while the ball is still flying through the air The result is a thonjughly satisfying level of club control. It really feels like you're giving
the ball a good thwack, as opposed to Just watching a fancy animation.
'm iFEBHA TW OO UO / l iDu S
CAN WE PLAY IT ONUNE7 Not yet. The team is saving that for the 2004 edition. But visit the game's Web site every two weeks and a code will appear to unlock one of 150 tournaments on the game disc. Your best score will then generate an encrypted code. Enter that into the site and you'll appear in an online ranking leaderboard. □ GW
ipinion
/
QFFCtf*.
timSHZtNe-UK
sometliing it is attempting with each yearly sports title update. Can this really become the ultimate golf game on PS2? W H AT W E WA N T
W H AT Y O U W A N T
, WHAT THEY WANT
■ More golfing rock. ; ■ Cheech says "If J ■ To create a game With a souncftrack by • you're looking to buy that appears to arr a band called Saliva Tiger, it's best to wait revers of gorfers - really - we could ^ for the 2003 version." b o t t i t t i e c a s u a r a n d be in for a treet,. i
the hardcore.
1 HOT OR NOnr?
R Ij IGrDJEPIDJV i ARrvl
j-jjljrjjjjij
2003 J
POWER accuRocf snn APPROACH RECOUERV pumno UICK
use Any Golfer to Earn money
ELirciV/
PlayStation®^
TIGER WOODS 2003 is an example of EA Sports pushing the boundaries,
^BOrUNG |1ELTD0WN i
The
hunt
begins
soon
.ucasAfts EfHertainment Company LLC. © 2002 Lucasfitm Ltd. & TM All rigWs leserved. Usod under authorization
id the LucasArts logo are trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. Star Wars Bounly Hunter is a trademark of Lucas Licensing Ltd. and "PlayStation" logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer EntertainmenI Inc. TM. (H> AND THE NINTENDO GAfWiECUBE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO 'c^20Q2 NI^JENDO
Lmonibor p WMiiNuiiES wnw _ ^NAME S/lent Hill 3 I
I
PUBUSHER
Konami
Alt mrr uii 1.^ DEVEUOPO? Konami TYO
WEB SITE www.konamltyo.com/sh3 I LAST SEEN OPS2*22
■ JOY RIDE?
Fairgrounds are freaky at the best of times^
^
i
■ OFF THE RAILS You don't want know what did this.
m ALONE IN THE PARK
Heather regrets getting off the number 46 one
stop early.
T
f W H AT S T H E S T O R Y ? ] Heather is just an ordinary young girl
living in an ordinary town, far fr^
Silent Hill, When she goes shopping during a day off, she's suddenly transported to a world of monsters and danger. Why has this happened to her? It's your job to find out.
SILENT HILL 3 Alone in the dark, surrounded by grotesque creatures. Be afraid. m
^
00.00 Disorientated and clutching a knife, Heatiier enters tlie lakeside Funpark. There's nothing fun about this dark and grimy place, as we guide her past dead pink bunny mascots. Goosebumps hitting already, quickly switch the blade for a pistol.
■ ONE STEP AT
05.15 Exploring the area, we discover metal cages
A TIME Creepy hallways and spooky light
containing cadavers. Charming There's a door on the far wall. Take a deep breath and enter - radio static hits as soon as we're inside. Inch forward, then freeze in our tracks: in the distance, a dog-like creature
effects abound.
■ TOY STORY?
spots us and charges. Try to escape, but the shifting camera makes our head spin, it manages to get in a
Unfortunately, this is likely to be the cutest thing in
good bite, but a few gunshots puts it down.
Si/ent Hill 3.
15.45 in the darkness with a wimpy flashlight and no map, we lose our bearings. We try the doors lining the wall. Only one opens - into a gift shop full of useless souvenirs. Help!
45.30 At a rollercoaster ride we're chased up the stairs by something spidery. Creep back down and kill one. Another is in the midst of an attack spasm, appendages flailing It sounds horrible. Make it stop! 60.00 Nerves completely shattered, FMV takes over while we're walking down the rollercoaster track. Blinding light cuts through the darkness and a carriage screams towards Heather, knocking her off into the darkness below. □ AW
o p i n i o n
■ An interview with the Silent Hit! 3 de>^pmont team wHI be posted soon.
■ GORE BLIMEY Changing Rooms don't get it quite right yet again.
062 PlayStation.E QFFICIRL mHBRZINE-UK
/
OFFICIRt.
I SILENT HILL 3 ups the combat quotientt
mHCRriN«'-l/K
with 1^ ;
I automatic weapons and more nightmarish
! creatures (not to mention foreboding 1 atmosphere) than before, without over. I resorting to a complete Resi-styie makeover W f r i AT W E W A r > r r
28.00 Tums out we missed a door Heading towards the rollercoaster, something red, wet and dead is hanging from a lamppost. Scream as another dog suddenly pounces, followed by a gigantic fleshy creature with massive arms. Run around madly shooting, it goes down. Stuff this, time to switch to the machine gun!
PlayStation 2
I « To be needy of
_^WHAT YOU WANT [ ■ Forum dweller
W H AT T O E Y W A N T
I m To take the PS2
j psychotlierapy upon i Cerosft( wants to see i horror throne , completion. A bonus ' more people with »vacated by Res/dent I comedy ending like \ personality disorders. [ Evlfs console I SH2 would be cool. i i defection. . HOfr OR NOT?
[TrIGID terd
WARM
HOT
BOIUNG BEUDOWN i J
\
Play5tation®E gamecube. © 2002 LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC.© 2002 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved.Used under autliorisation. LucasArts and the LucasArts logo are trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. TM, ® AND THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS Of NINTENDO. © 2002 NINTENDO. -PlayStation' and "PlayStation' logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
.
*fr>
I.
manibar* U P D AT E 0PS2 puts mirrors on its shoes and peelis up the gaming world's skirt. GAME
ALTER ECHO
JAMES BOND 007: NIGHTFIRE
REIGN OF FIRE
PUBLISHER; MIDWAY DEVEUDPER: MIDWAY CHICAGO
PUBUSHER; THQ
PUBUSHER: EA DEVEUDPER: EA REDWOOD SHORES
P U B U S H E R : B A M I E N T E RTA I N M E N T DEVELOPER: KUJU
PUBUSHER: KONAMI DEVELOPER: KONAMI JPN
Ripping out an opponent's
We had a quick look at this strange looking third-person game after it was announced
Nobody was doing it better
Lightly toasting the Spy section
than 007 in last issue's Monitor section.
back in OPS2#25.
We gave you the iow down on Konami's 'big flying robots smashing the nuts off each othef sequel In Spy, OPS2#23
We've been screaming around on a snowmobile with a foxylooking CIA agent. The section might be on rails but rt's still a showstoppen particularly when you bust right through a crowded skl-iodge.
Apparently, the final battle
At the climax of the Alpine Chateau level you get to take out a Russian Hind gunship using Jimmy's guided-missile
VIORTAL
LAST SEEN?
whole skeleton out back In last Issue's Monitor. Ewwwwl
DEVEUDPER: VOLITION
at E3 in OPS2#22.
Plot-wise, Raiden returns to
Earth to lead his righteous troops against, you guessed it, a deadly alliance of Outworid bad guys Shang Tsung and Ouan Chi. Expect plenty of
The game's still pretty hard to quantify, but at this stage we can be sure that there'll be
some action packed-combat utilising the main character's ability to halt time.
familiar faces and new moves.
There are examples of more fatalities en route and some new combat screens. It all
seems to be coming together nicely despite rumours of a release date slip.
Having had a quick hands-on with the early version we can let you know the main character, Nevin, will be able to morph into three weW-shaped modes: close combat heavy artillery and stealth.
^OE 2: THE IND RUNNER
These new screens hot-footed
occurs between a kick-ass
It over from the Tokyo Game
tank and the Bull Dragon; he's huge, mean and, quite literally, tha daddy of all the other dragons. What a scorcher
Show. Check out the mechs
and imagine the carnage that you'll be able to enjoy.
he's perched on top of a cable
As if that wasn't enough, when you play as a dragon, you'll now be able to burn goats and even people. Amuse yourself by Igniting one and letting It run around - setting everything
Alongside YoJI Shinkawa (artist on MGS2 and ZOE) Hideo Kojima has Invited respected designer Kazuma Kaneko to help evolve the look of some of ZOE 2s gargantuan mechs.
car at the time?
else on fire.
launcher And did we mention
\
/■
L
J
t .
*
We'll catch up with all the MK.DA gore and grapple action In the next Monitor Be there, or we'll Imprison your souls.
Whoa there Charlie, we'll be letting you know as soon as we have something more substantial. Until then gaze slack-jawed at these screens.
Developer Eurocom will be adding In more giris, gadgets and guns. God bless 'em.
Flaming heck! It's about time we had the review, so you'd
For the latest news and
Oh, there's plenty on the intemet Just nothing at all to do with this game.
There's a video to download
downloads battle your way to www.mkdeadlyalllance.com.
For the latest on the game head to www.bamforfun.com, or catch up on the movie at vmvw.relgnofflre.com.
Mech-heads should check ott
and a full Q&A with the developer over on " uk.piaystation.com.
Apparently, they're still hoping to 'Rnlsh It!' for January.
The first quarter of next year with any luck
Bond will be attempting re-entty on 29 November,
Burning down the house on
It's out in Japan next spring. We're waiting on a UK date.
064 Play5tation,E DFFICIHL mRERZINE-UK
better finish off that asbestos suit In time for next issue.
15 November.
This is Shuyo Murata's first game since being promoted t d Director, so we're betting he's burning the midnight oil making sure it's perfecto. www.konamlJpn.com/product; /zoe2/english/index.html
NOW BE ABLE TO BURN
GOATS. AMUSE YOURSELF BY IGNITING ONE AND LETHNG IT RUN AROUND SEE REIGN OF FIRE
G A M E
BMXXXX
SPYROr ENTER THE DRAGONFLY
TRUCKERS
RAYMAN 3: HOODLUM HAVOC
THINGS WE D I D N T H AV E TIME FOR
PUBUSHER EMPIRE INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER: EUTECHNW
PUBUSHER: UBI SOfT DEVELOPER: UBI SOFT
Aliens: Colonial Marines aid...
Prancing around the Spy section a while back, we forget which Issue exactly But you know Rayman, right? Created by Michel Ancel, the series has already sold 10 million copies.
So, do you see how this works yet? We hassle developers and you get to see the latest games In development. Easy.
EA's excuses for canning
PUBUSHER: ACCLAIM DEVELOPER: Z-AXIS
PUBLISHER; UNIVERSAL
LAST SEEN?
Back for more after Spy In OPS2#25? You dirty old men.
The fourth outing for everyone's favourite shortarsed, purple fire belcher was iast glimpsed blowing smoke rings back In Spy, OPS2#19
Think you'd forget a title like that? As It No, this Is the first sighting of Big Mutha Truckers.
W H A r S NEW?
WeVe been cycling round the Bronx with hookers riding piggyback. Not every day you can say that. Getting massive air Is easy but when you bail
Aside from Spym's new breath attacks, fire, bubbles. Ice and electricity, we were endeared by the new mini-games. One of which Is a rhythm action game
Take one family of feuding, redneck truck drivers, let them loose on the open highway
has swallowed Dark Lum Lotid - the leader of the Hoodlums.
the rider bounces around like a rubber ball. Which Is weird.
reminiscent of our bobble
roadkiil buffet that's part racer, part dysfunctional trading game. Sheehut, boyi
He now has to drink plum Juice to pacify the enraged Villain. Who makes this tripe up? Michel Ancel, that's who.
There's now a Rider Editor
Yep. Developer Check 6
option in there. Although It doesnt seem to actually worl< yet. It looks like you're going to be able to tweak their weight, socks and, enn, breast size. All
has Included tutorials which
ANYTHING ELSE?
the essentials, then.
DEVELOPER: EQUINOXE/CHECK 6
hatted friend PaRappa.
come Via your dragonfly sidekick Sparks. Come up against a tricky objective and he'll offer you advice through speech bubbles.
and you've got yerseives a
Boasting characters like the gap-toothed Cletus and his heart breakln", road ragin' sister Bobble Sue, and radio stations like Yeehawl FM, this game sure does have a fine sense of humour
Rayman's best mate Globox
At one point Rayman transforms himself Into a
guided missile, not unlike the
Tenchu 3 and Primal
just missed out this month, but we'll be giving them a good seeing to next Issue. Don't you worry.
Niklta In MGS2. Tliere's also an
odd psychedelic bit that looks like Frequency and made our eyes hurt.
SCREENS
We're also hoping to have a look at Scl's
The Great Escape and, If you're very good between now and then we might
have a sneaky peek at The Matrix.
Oh, before we forget, there's already an Intrepid writer getting hands on with Broken
Sword 3 for you, so ^ expect his report In the very next Monitor
See you then.
^ S&M PEOPLE Primal's Jen dons her best torture m i s t r e s s o u t fi t next month.
I If you're of a neighbourly i disposition you may want to
i join the convoy headin" to our I review next month. After you with the beef jerky
Despite the flying sections and 1 some new moves, this doesnt
j seem solid enough to compete
For all (he release dates of
the latest games, head back:: to page 35 now!
with Rotcfiet <6 Clank More
I work required Monsieur Ancel.
No official site, but hey, who needs the Internet when you've got CB radio, eh?
There isn't an official site
November 29th, /ail.
The love/hate relationship is back on In the spring.
dedicated to the game as yet, but you can ptobably dig up mote info over at w v w. u b i . c o m .
1
VSi'Vl
□FFICIHL mRBHZINE-UK Play5tation.2 06
WORLD BCCLUSNEI
amaz!
d^nmand read t {^^/Jd^3
t^'etiSrMHieto
/j/irr
TWICE AS VICE I STITCH-UPS!
A nwnth oa we dscover just how big Rockstar's immersive " Eig^s crime spree really is. Think you've seen it aB? Think agsasi.
READ ALL ABOIH^ fT!
Resident Evil: Network SSX 3. Sony's online announcement Midnight Club2 and all of the essential news for your favourite console.
ALSO REVIEWED TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 4 + S1AR WARS B O U N n r H U N T E R + A U T O M O D E L U S TA + JAMES BOND 007: NIGHTFIRE + LOADS MORE contents are subject to change
PlayStation®? Christmas issue on sale 29.11.02 # aFFICIRL ITIRERZINE-UK
066 PlayStation E DFFICIRL mRER2INE-UK
ON THE DVD SUPERB PLAYABLE DEMOS OF: THE GETAWAY + B AT T L E E N G I N E
AQUILA + MX
SUPERFLY + TREASURE PLANE1 AND LOADS MORE! NO OTHER PS2 MAGAZINE OFFERS SO MUCH VALUE.
^ , » W H O S T H E G t AT N O R ?
,^fbesear!ngupix>«lon ^/ y J ptec&i^eiii^uCs f^e
■f f l
A L S O AVA I L A B L E OFFICIAL P L AY S TAT I O N 2 TIPS MAGAZINE In this month's essential Issue; TImesplltters 2 fully tipped, plus complete guides to the fantastic Hitman 2 and Ratchet & Clank.
PlayStation E
OFFICIAL P U Y S TAT I O N 2 MAGAZINE: SPECIAL EDITION Buyers Guide: The ultimate navigator through the world of PS2 plus 13 classic playable demos!
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WORDS: DEAN EVANS, KEfTH STUART. PAUL FTTZPATRICK/ILLUSTRATION: DAVID S BLANCO
Cel-shading is the new buzz word in the games industty - the cool comic-book look that can be slapped onto everything from platform games to racers. So forget the quest for 3D perfection, light-bouncing polygons and motion-captured animation. Now is the time for toonery.. 070 PlayStation.^ QFFICIHL mHBRZINE-UK
features lens flare or real-time weather, or
IHOUJ TO DO#
(God help us) 'Bullet Time' then suddenly the techniques begin appearing
CEL-5HRDINE
The games industry is never slow to pick up on a trend. If one successful game
everywhere, even in inappropriate scenarios. This year's fad is eel-shading, the instandy
So you know what cel-shading is, but how is the iook achieved? Thanks to Capcom and its cehsiiaded racer Auto Modellista, we can show you.
recognisable comic book look. But this technique may be more than a gimmick. While most games aspire to photorealism, eel-shading is anti-realistic. Uniquely, it's a style that relies less on technological chest-beating and more on artistic creativity. Cel-shading can be defined as the deliberate use of a cartoon art style characterised by its bold colours, reduced detail and heavy black oudines. It's not a new idea. The LaserDisc coin-op Dragon's Lair was gaming's first playable 'toon in 1983, while LucasArts used cel-shading to memorable effect in the 1992 PC graphic adventure Day Of The Tentacle. But cel-shading really came to prominence in
1. ARTISTS^ SKETCHES
Jet Set Radio on Dreamcast, where its stylized comic strip visuals and fluid animation perfectly suited the graffiti-
Rrst ttiings fir^t Aithou^ Auto Modellist{fs cars
tagging urban gameplay. Where Jet Set Radio led, other developers followed. PS2 owners have already been exposed to the cel-shading charm in Klonoa 2, Herdy Gerdy and Looney Tunes Space Race. Naturally the technique is widely used in cartoon animation and has even been recendy spotted in pop videos such as Robbie Williams' Ler Love Be Your Energy. Virtual pop group Gorillaz are an entirely eel-shaded entity.
on the care' lines to emphasize tfieir presence on ttie road. Sort of a xar'lcature. Heh,
2. MODELUNG From the sketches, a wireframe model of each
are based on real vehicles, true to cartoon
concept, the Inltiai sketches are free to elaborate
car Is made and given a basic skin. Although technically very exact, the mode! produced still retains minute exa^erations of the cars' real lines. Not easy to do.
Meanwhile, this year's E3 showcased a number of games for PS2 using the cel-shading technique, including
Gungrave, XIII, Superman: Shadow Of Apokolips and Auto Modellista. So is it a fad or a fixture? Considering that the PS2 is capable of generating realistic 3D graphics, some
could argue that the caricatured cuteness of cel-shading
3. CEL-SHADING
4. THE FINISHING TOUCHES
constitutes a visual leap backwards. But given the obvious wow-factor of Auto Modellista and XIII, it's tempting to view
Now it's time for ttie cel-shading Notice how shadowing on the cat's body and windscreen Is relatively blocky. There's no attempt to graduate it. At this point the car lool^s at its
Ttie car already looks good but Capcom has a few more tricks up Its sleeve in the shape of
this exaggerated look as shift from the 'realistic' to the 'artistic', an exploration of videogame style that's as relevant
software called 'Artlstoon'. The developer Is
keeping schtum about this process but, the finished car has a mixture of cartoon elements.
most cartoony
and bold a statement as filming a modem movie in black and white.
Q&A
CELLULAR TONE The technique appears to have invigorated some
developers. "Cel-shading places the player in a graphically refreshing environment," says Julien Bares, Producer on the forthcoming FPS XIR "It offers comic-style storytelling but
TOiraiMM
Cel-shading hasnt just seduced videogames but has become the visuo/ effect 'du jauf on TV os wel
0PS2 probed Uie lirain eels of Stuort RowboRom, 3D animator who (amongst other projects) worfcf on the BBC's superb anime-inspired World Cup odverts, to find out more.
with a mature edge." Gamers haven't always been
universally welcoming, however. Nintendo, for example, enraged legions of Zelda fans when it abandoned a hyperSuddenly, the game's hero was not a realistically-animated,
differentiates cel-shading from regular shading techniques? A normal surface shader creates a smooth gradient between light and dark areas across a surface, while the cel-shader creates large bands of light and dark
sword-slashing adventurer, but something more akin to a
across a surface When rendered, this creates the
Powerpuff Girl - a wimp with a sword, large black eyes and
impression of an Image created using twodimensional techniques, the kind found In comic
realistic Gamecube Zelda in favour of a eel-shaded version.
■ CARTOON ART The eel-
shading is characterised by boid bloci
heavy black outlines.
Let's start whti the science bit'. What
floppy blond hair.
But cel-shading is being used in a variety of ways. For some developers, it's a necessity rather than a choice. If a game is based on an existing animated cartoon or comic then cel-shading is a vital visual tool. The forthcoming
Infogrames title Superman: Shadou) Of Apokolips is a case in point. "Our aim was to replicate the look and feel of the animated series as closely as possible," explains Rob Smith, Supermaris Senior Producer. "It's an Emmy award-winning show and we feU that we should give the Superman fan
what they'd expect to see. We did think long and hard about using cel-shading - some people in the games industry argue that it's become an over-used technique, but we always came back to the fact we're making a highly stylised game and should stick to the look developed by Burnett, Dini and Timms at Warner Brothers. It wasn't the easiest route to go, but we think it looks superb,.." Not all games based on comic books or cartoons are taking the cel-shading route.
THIS SHIFT FROM REAUSTIC TO ARTISTIC IS AS RELEVANT AS HLMING A MODERN MOVIE IN BLACK AND WHITE
books and animated cartoons.
To what do you attribute the current popularity of the process in games, adverts and music videos? Tliere has recently been a growth in the use of celshaders throughout the 3D industry. 2D has always been very popular but It Is labour Intensive Ttie Introduction of cel-shading into 3D applications has now greatly accelerated the process so scene elements such as backgrounds can be created very quickly and undergo multiple edits and test renders with the minimum of hassle
Do you think die use of cel-shading is here to stay, or merely a passing visual fad? Cel-shading Is an extremely useful tool that can bs used in conjunction with existing 2D techniques, a though this style of animation may go through periods of low populanty, I dont think we'll see it fading away any time soon.
In games, cel-shading has not only been used ii traditional, distorted, 'cartoony' adventures but also in realistic racing games and first-person shooters. What do you think of applying celshading to naturalistic forms? These type of shaders are pretty versatile, but I fee that they tend to wor1( with greater success on mechanical objects, while smoother organic objec can be very awkward when It comes to generating that perfect line weight What is the finest example of eel-shaded animation you've seen?
Tfiere are several ways In which to answer thi: question. Disney has used cel-shaders In all
the recent films that I've seen - in some sh
they are very easily Identified, but In others the line between 2D and 3D begins to blui These are some of the best uses of cel-
shading you'll see, but when It comes to producing a sequence purely In 3D usinj cel-shading, I think Passion Pictures has much cornered the market They produced
the BBC World Cup adverts that I was involved wit as well as recent striking eel-shaded videos for Robbie Williams and Gorillaz
Wolverine's I
adopted a more realistic look. "The style of Wolverine sits somewhere between total
exaggeration and hyper-real,"
■ WORLD CUP A stylised, eel-shaded Japanese look made a perfect intro for the BBC's World Cup coverage.
QFFICIRL mRBRZINE-UK PlayStation.S O:
I says Genepool Art Director Tarlochan Randhawa. "For Wolverine, we wanted a game world loosely based in realism with extraordinary characters and unfolding events. If the game world was to look exaggerated and bizarre from
Here are some of the current and fyrthcoming games that take advantage of the latest cei'shaded graphical technology.
the start, as a cel-shaded world covered in black outlines
' ■ \ •••
would, then the impact of these extraordinary characters and events could be severely lessened."
V
DONT CEL YOURSELF SHORT For developers who aren't creating games based on comic book content, the reasons for using cel-shading are different On a basic level, the technique pro\'ides a fresh
%(=
A U T O M O D E U U S TA
BLACK AND BRUISED
DARK CHRONICLE
DNA
(CAPCOM) The first racing game to feature eel-shaded graphics and
(UNIVERSAL INTCRACnVEl
MRGIN INTERACDVEI
Mote of a Ready 2 Rumble
ISCEE) The second chapter of this
than a Knockout Kings, Slack
quitl^ community-building RPG
Cel-shaded graphics dont suit every game and In Dork Native
arguably one of the best-
And Bruised aims to blend
has come over all eel-shaded
Apostle, the stylised anime
looking PS2 games around,
cartoon visuals with cartoon
with beautiful results. Probably
characters jar against the
"Diink of it as The Fbst And Tfw
action and cartoon humour
one of the mone traditional of
Furious meets Akira - all sharp
Thene are 18 promised sluggers, all capable of fluid swaggers
the PS2 eel-shaded posse, this Is nevertheless shaping up to
gloomy pseudo-iealistlc
anime looks and some
spattering rain effects to die for
and animated grimaces.
be a fine-looking game.
Out: December
Out: November
Out:TBC
racing game like it It's Akim meets The Fast And The Furious - anime-style speedsters in a comic-book landscape. iaZf has enjoyed similar hype. There isn't another FPS game that uses the cel-shading technique, so AZff automatically stands out head and black-outlined shoulders above crowd. The distinctive style is a big part of
backdrops. This third-person action game starring a geneBcally-engineeted soldier has limited appeal. Out
graphical spin on tried-and-trusted gaming concepts. Auto Modellista piques our interest because there isn't another
Now
eel-shading's appeal. But there still needs to be a good game underneath the paint-job. "The whole experience of XIIIis more than just cel-shading," adds JuUen Bares. "We also use additional techniques such as 'sharp shadows' to create a graphically aesthetic world" Cel-shading certainly has its advantages and it's not easy to dismiss its sudden widespread use as the latest graphical craze. Games like Sly Raccoon and^uto Modellista prove that cartoon graphics don't have to be basic They retain high polygon counts and while the
FUR
HGHTERS
G U N G R AV E
(ACCLAIM! (ACTIVISIONI Experience 'FluffmatcIT action, With Its anlme-lnsplred visuals as cartoon animals do battle (mostly in cut-scene fomil this with ludicrously over-sized master blaster pits an assassin guns. Fur Fighters was designed known as Grave against with a deliberate 'kiddy' look to endless waves of criminal the gameplay heightening tlie ne'er-do-wells The shoot-dontfun that can be had when toy think ganrepiay has been animals get to blow the stuffing created by Yasuhiro Naito. out of each other. famed for the Trigun series Out
Now
Out:
HERDY
GERDY
GIO
(EIDOS)
GiO'S
BIZARRE
characters and models have less detail than their realistic
ADVENTURE
As befits the strange heid-'em- (CAPCOMl up gameplay developer Core Continuing the popular fighting Design opted for a fairytale series (well, it's popular in cartoon look - all tinkling Japan anywayl tlie latest streams and perfectly mown instalment in the JoJo saga is a meadows As with most eel- beat-'em-up-cum-actlonshaded titles, you either loved adventure, heavy on the It or hated it. cartoon spccial effects and Out Now Italian mobsters in sharp,
December
cartoon suits, O u t T B C
counterparts, there is often more variation and flexibilitj' to the design and more fluidity to the animation. Without motion-captured animation, complex facial textures and moving hair, game designers are free to concentrate more on environmental effects and facial expressions, both of
which enhance immersion. A caricatured hero can be just as engaging, perhaps even more so, than a console-created
'human'. You only have to look at the latest full-length digital feature films such as Monsters, Inc to see it.
Some games do seem to be using cel-shading as a graphical gimmick, poindessly applying comic book visuals
to an existing game structure in order to chase the Zeitgeist Gel-shading's novelty will linger if it is not over-used, but there seems litde chance of that However, even if these
extraordinary-looking games eventually become commonplace, it seems that videogames may have taken an important step forward.
M E TA L G E A R S O U D 2 ; S U B S TA N C E
S LY R A C C O O N (SCEEI
SUPERMAN; SHADOW OF APOKOUPS
S PA C E R A C E
(KONAMI) No, don't panic, Konanil hasnt abandoned MGSs lealistic visuals and atmospheric camera angles In favour of
This PS2 game isn't just a ledge-leaper with a cel-shaded layer of gloss Instead of simply
(INFOGRAMESI
Populated as it Is by a cast of
leplacing textures with flat-
engine recreates tlie distinctive look of the animated TV series.
how Spoce Race could have
Scooby Doo graphics. However, while the cote game doesn't use eel-shading some
Sucker Punch has created a
familiar bold outlines This Is a
of Substorrce's additional VR missions definitely have a
O u t T B C
Itself inspired by Batman - The Arjimoted Series. Fight crime In Metropolis, use X-Ray vision, leap tall buildings in a single
shaded polygons, developer completely believable cartoon worid for you to play In.
stylised, almost cartoon quality
It should come as no surprise that the Supemtan graphics
"Cel-shading is a sign that the games industry has started to mature," believes Nick Cook, Development
(INFOGRAI^ESI classic Warner Bros cartoon
characters ifs hard to imagine come to PS2 without those
bound, be a 'super* man,..
perfect example of cel-shading by necessity. In fact, tfie game's look is arguably more successful than the gameplay..
Out: Now
Out
Director at Conflict: Desert Storm coders Pivotal Games. "We
are finally at the stage where new styles for games can be fully explored. It's really just a sign that games are now a mass market entity and there's room to start exploring new ways of presenting our products to the players." It's not hard to draw the same conclusion. □
Now
t o l fi e m . . .
''CEL-SHADING IS A SIGN THAT THE GAMES INDUSTRY HAS STARTED TO MATURE"
Out: Marrh 2003
M
NICK COOK, PIVOTAL GAMES
m KLONOA 2: L U N AT E A ' S V E I L [NAMCOl
Klonoa is a letro platfonner
WACKY RACES
(INFOGRAMESI Like The Simpsons games, the appeal of Wocfy Races is its
given a thorough PS2 makeover to enhance Its linear action.
accurate recreation of the
Although nobody would deny tlie artistic ment of eel-shading here, the process also helps to
fondly-remembered HannaBartiera cartoon. But controlling Dastardly and Muttley, Peter Perfect Lazy Luke and Blubber
define the lead character
distinctive look and feel of the
XIII (UBI SOFTI
It may seem like a strange decision to make a cel-shaded FPS. but XIII Is based on a visual look is ideal. Built around
the Unreal II 3D engine. Xllfs cartoon overiay Is far fiom basic, blessed with real-time
against often fast-moving colourful bacl^rounds.
Bear sounds more fun that it
lighting shadowing and
actually is
numerous special effects.
Out: Now
Out: Now
Out March 2003
>72 PlayStation.E aFFIdHL mRBRZINE-UK
St
Belgian comic and its bold
* COMIC BOOK GioGfo'S Bizarre Adventure mixes cel-
1
shading and beat-'em-up.
*
NAME
XIII
I FUBUSHER Ubi Soft I O B fl E l j O P E R U b I S o f t
m
I WBB SITE www.ubi.com ; lASrr $B£N OPS2#23 * COMPUETE '
■ UNLUCKY? This cel-
shaded bigshot is XUI, the lead toon in Ubi Soft's
long-awaited FPS.
7
: '■Xv''?LCr ' }m ■ A cel-shaded FPS? 0PS2 sketche in the details on Ubi Soft's XIII. UNLUCKY FOR ONE? Well, meet XIII. He's the good gi in Ubi Soft's striking new FPS. You might not have heard of him before - and he's not entirely sure wl he is himself... As the protagonist In an epic comic book series created by Belgian author Jean Van Hamme (the creator of Largo Winch) this amnesiac hardnut is caught in a major right wing conspiracy to take down the American president (see What's The Story). You've got to find out what this guy's ro' is, and, more importantly, why everyone is trying to kill him. And you've got to do it in a world where everything thing looks, feels and sounds like a corr book adventure. DOES IT FEATURE GOOD-LOOKING MODELS? That
depends on your taste. True to its hand-drawn origins, XIII makes use of clean, bright primary colours and simplistic modelling to give a more iconic look. The 50 or so characters featured In thi
game use around 1,000 polygons each - a fractlor of what usually gets rammed into 3D models thesi
days. But the comic book touches don't stop there Each location has a different colour theme runninj
through It - a technique comic book artists often use to give shape and cogency to a page. Plus, wh a guard spots you, a speech bubble screaming 'Alt appears next to him. When a grenade goes off, the word 'Blam' explodes across the screen. If you sto| dead still, Xlll's commando sixth sense sharpens 11 a bowie knife, and the faintest footsteps become
m
THE STORY SO FAR A man is washed up on a beach, and
audible, or visible as the case may be; Tap, tap, tap..
suffering from amnesia, his only i identity clue is 'Xlll' tattooed on his ( chest Through a series of encounters, r Xlll discovers he «fas a highly skilled ■. killer and may have been involved with a conspiracy to murder the President.
WHAT ABOUT STEALTH...? When we visited UbI Soft's Paris studio
recently, we were shown Just a handful of X//fs 35 single-player stages. Gameplay mixes all-out action set-pieces with stealthier quests. One stage has you creeping through the air ducts of a submarine base on a covert mission to
free an important prisoner Here subtlety is the l
V
chairs and fire extinguishers are among the many objects that can serve as an impromptu deadly weapon, should the situation demand it. You can aiso lift bodies and stash them out of sight of the vigilant guards. Not that killing is always the answer
When grabbed from behind, enemies make handy hostages... Or human bullet shields. Xl/fs a good guy, but he's not that good. ...AND MULTIPIAYER ACTION? As you'd expect from using the Unreal Tournament engine, XIII features four-player split-screen action, too. There are 16 multiplayer levels and several game modes promised. Along with a standard Deathmatch mode,
for example, there's Cover Ivie, in which one player acts as sniper while his team-mate is a scout
heading toward the opposing team's base. What's
more, Ubi Soft is also ready and able to support online gaming, possibly with up to eight players accommodated. For now the only question
BOW SaECIA As in HalfLife the crossbow Is an
accurate and effective long range stealth weapon.
remaining Is: Just how good Is XIII going to be? iviull
over what you know now, throw In multiple endings and nifty playable flashback sequences, then take a look at the gorgeous Images dotted around these pages. Then draw your own conclusions... □ KS SPEECH BUBBLE In
PlayStation 2 /
OPPCML
rr*6PZ»«^jK
keeping with the comic style, enemies scream 'Nooo' when they're hit.
Xlll boasts a number of innovative features
and neat touches that suggest this will truly be a first-person shooter to reckon with. Roll on March 2003. BAR
W H AT W E W A N T
W H AT Y O U W A N T
W H AT T H E Y W A N T
I ■ Grenades that [ ■ Lee Asher from I explode with the i Macclesfield wants
[ ■ Producer Jullen
' spread wide across j not sooner Calm [ the screen. i yourself, mani
I shading than the
I word 'Kraaakatooomr ' Xlll to be out now, If
1 Bares says Xlll Is a
' darker spin on celI usual, cartoon fare.
rHOTOR'NOT?" FRIGID
TEPID
WARM
HOT
BRAWLER
Glass bottles can be smashed and used as weapons.
iMaTDOWN
074 PlayStation.B aFFICIRL mRBRZINE-UK
BODY
ARMOUR
Dead baddies can be used as makeshift shields.
ANGFiL
Of
D A R K N E S S
t
COMINQ SOON c
o
r
^
o
M
JFFRNP
Bringing to ail fine and happy people the best look we can at
Japan games yes! The games there is no playing in the UK. Why? Too much silly fun! Take our quiz away too. It's opposite! Where were videogames invented? If you're tiiinking 'Japan' you'd be absolutely... wrong. But no other country has embraced digital
games are big in Japan, some are leftfield in their own back
entertainment with quite the same fevered
even got past the initial pitch without being laughed out of
passion and uncensored creativity as the land of the rising sun. Games may have been born in the US, but they grew up and got delinquent hanging out in Akihabara.
The thing is, for every triple A' Devil May Cry or Metal
Gear Solid 2 that we get to play over here, there are less well-known Japanese developers churning out dozens of more eccentric titles that you're never likely to see, and
less likely to 'get', even if you played them. Some of these
yard, and some are just so odd that you wonder how they the boardroom.
And so, in the spirit of cultural understanding, 0PS2 has waded through incomprehensible manuals and wrestled
with dead men's handles and rubber monsters to bring you some of the highlights and lowlifes of the Japanese
videogame market. Let's examine the evidence to see if Jap games are indeed as insane as char^...
EXHIBIT A:
pad with state-of-the-medieval-art security measures. Each level Is divided into two parts. The first sees you ordering your flunkies to place bear traps and spiked pits
B A D M A G I S T R AT E HRST IMPRESSIONS
around your spacious home. The second sees the Ai assassin break in and try to track you down before the
■Q Looki ng at the box art, this game's not giving much away. We see a tubby bloke with feudal
traps claim his life, while you run around followed by your sen/ants. All that's missing Is the Benny Hill music. Exciting? You have no Idea. No, wait a minute...
1 V^l Japanese top knot and kimono gurning from the front cover and throughout the manual. Could he be
some kind of magistrate? Possibly not a good one?
VERDICT
Well, it's not the game's fault. It's not like It was called
SETTING THE SCENE
Superb Magistrate now Is it? Looks bad, and plays as well as you'd Imagine a game with the word 'magistrate' In the
The Intro movie goes like this: Tubby gurning fella eats cascade of golden coins spewed by shabby-looking bloke. Tubby gurning fella walks along, oblivious as pretty girls and then (bizarrelyl a veloclraptor walk past. Tubby
title would.
gurning fella dances around a bit, then fade to title screen. Thanks a bunch. Great help. H A L f FAT B a d
Magistrate takes an odd premise, then drags it for a very long walk.
L E T S P L AY !
We skip the first couple of hours where a lot of bad
language was directed at Bad Magistrate as 0PS2 struggled to wrestle any sense out of the proceedings. You play the titular you-know-who, a thoroughly nasty piece of work who's having a fine old time taxing the local peasants out of house and home. They want revenge so they send assassins to get you. However,
being a rich, bad magistrate you can afford to equip your
76 PlayStation.^ □FFICIHL fTlRERZiNE-UK
1AXING TIMES Tlie
game's intra movie does nothing to clarify what you
actual^ have to do.
EXHIBIT B" L E T S G O B Y T R A I N ! RY O J O - H E N Hn HRST IMPRESSIONS
LETSPIAYI
There's no getting away from It. This game Is, In
[ V^l evety sense of the phrase, a train driving sim.
Actually, Let's Go By Tralnl (Densha De Go!) is a pretty famous franchise in Japan and has been churning out variations on the genre since 1996. Ryojo-Hen Is the latest Incarnation and takes gamers on a whirlwind tour of (wait for It) suburban train and tram llnesi Looking at the rear of the box, 0PS2 is disappointed to see that we missed out on a train driving peripheral complete with dead man's handle and beverage cup holder.
driven the Bullet train, now experience a worid of urban tramways. Woo!
departure, we eventually get the hang of the controls. However, by this point we're running ten minutes behinc schedule. So to avoid bringing shame on our employer we crank up the Juice, ignore all stop signs and try to make up time. Apparently this Is wrong So too is slamming on the brakes ten metres before the end of the line sending passengers flying Bollocks. VERDICT
SETTING THE SCENE T 1 U M B A M Yo u Ve
We opt for a gaudy-looking tram on the Kyoto line and, not afraid to laugh In the face of saiaryman overload, of for the crammed, morning rush hour shift. After setting off with the doors wide open and without announcing tl
There is no scene setting There's no story here. Just full-on tram and train driving action. We do however learn that we're going to be let loose, public transport-slyle around the charming sprawls of Kyoto, Matsuyama, Enoshlma and last but not least, Hakodate.
ON TRACK It may look like a tedious train sIm but Let's Go By Train! is actually quite enjoyable and pretty tricky too. No, really. Stop laughing.
Frankly, we're hooked. Let's Go By Train may look simple but It's actually pretty tricky to get right Whether you'd want to bother Is a moot point, but slaf a machine gun nest on the roof and this could be a crossover smash.
JUST THE TICKET Until you've experienced train driving from the cabin POV you havent enjoyed the all the nailbiting action the game has to offer.
JAPANESE GAME POP QUIZ HOTSHOT-SAN
Cast your eyes over this list of Japanese PS2 game titles and see if you con sort out the real ones from those weVe made up...
I Do Don Pachi Daloujou DV Shin MegamI Tensei III: Nocturne
Mspven-1 acemorse's Cavalry Corps (Mega Hits) Hack Vol. 2: Malignant Mutation
■ SD Gundam G Generation Neo
■ Grand Heat
Shadow Tower Abyss
1 Gakuentoshi Baranowal
Ponie's Poin: Sweet Favour HGet Backers; The Stolen City of intinite
Dogstation
Culdcept 2nd Expansion
■ Get Backers
« O n l v Yo u : L e v e l C r o s s D r a m a
Innocent Black
I The Convenience Store 3 Ve n u s & B r a v e s
I Fooliean
Raglngbless ■ Sweet Legacy
1 Toukon Inoki-Do 1 Bus Landing 3
Space Fisherman
Battle Ball Park Perfect Play Pro Baseball ■ Pachlslot Complete: GIga Zone Thread Colors
HThe Train Simulation Real Momotarou Dentei X H Actual Combat Pachlslot King ot Beast dx
Space Venus Starring Morning Musume HShin YiiPioh Duel ivtonsters 2: The Succeeded Memory
Seaman Forbidden Pet: Crazy Doctor's Experiment Island
KIshin Heidan J-Phoenix Cobalt Platoon
Gigantic Drive Simple 2000 Series Vol. 8 The Tennis -.noitesup ol iswznJ Bittersweet Fools
.1691 He 9fi"y9rtt plohj b e'l
□FFIDRL mRGHZINE-UK PlayStation.E 0
EXHIBIT C:
RAY OF HOPE When
you're not watching daft FMVs, the game has you shooting big bugs.
COMBAT QUEEN FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Combat Queen sets out its stall damn early with a box cover photo of five Japanese girls
Iclutching unconvincing rayguns and dressed In the kind of ImprBctical 'combat fatigues' that could only have been dreamt up by a professional pervert. The slender manual confirms this by listing the crack team's vital statistics above their characters' abilities.
Suspiciously, a glossy, eye-candy-packed bonus booklet went missing within minutes of the blister wrap hitting the bin, as did News Ed George... Still, the phrases 'Movie Shooting Mode' and '3D Shooting Mode' suggest there is some kind of legitimate game waiting on the disc. Not so sure about the 'Special Movie', mind. KILLER QUEEN They may not lool< it, but this bunch are Earth's last
hope. God help us.
SETTING THE SCENE
It seems that a mad scientist has released a plague of giant insects Into the atmosphere, decimating Tokyo! Thankfully, the authorities are on the ball and deploy a pink Jeep filled with nubile J-Pop stars to tackle the threat. Phew. i f r s p i A i n
Dear God. All that's sandwiched snugly between gratuitous shots of the aforementioned combat queens toting flimsy rifles with all the menace of newborn kittens is a shonky shooting game where swarms of badly rendered insects fly over real video footage of Tokyo's mean streets. It all goes pretty well until one of the 'queens' gets killed by a man shuffling around in a rubber centipede suit. There follows a heart-rending death scene, but 0PS2 is laughing too hard to notice. VERDICT
MONSTER FUN If the
bad acting doesn't kill the Combat Queens, the
If Channel 5 wanted to start publishing videogames they could do worse than drool a path to Combat Queen's front door This Is hormone product placing at its finest. Well, maybe 'finest' is the wrong word.
rubber monster will.
EXHIBIT D: M Y S U M M E R VA C AT I O N 2
LVj gore, monsters or even a whiff of action
wander around the island finding things to do. Diving for bottlecaps in the bay, fishing collecting and mounting butterflies (stop that), jumping off swings, making beetles sumo wrestle one another on a tambourine and looking
prcimised on the game cover; but that said, the sun-
so damed wholesome that strangers give you
dappled screenshots of various holiday activities on the reverse look great. We've not a clue what's going on but
money to buy soda. It's all here. And oddly
HRST IMPRESSIONS
IMQ What' s this? It looks like a quality game may have slipped under the radar True, there's no ,
o
•
•
•
OH BOY Fed up with driving sims? How about
3 childhood sim instead?
it's not like ignorance is going to stop us now.
enough it's a really enjoyable change of pace from the regular, linear, actionrammed gameplay of most titles
SETTING THE SCENE
The IntnD movie contrasts gorgeously realistic environments and almost Fisher Price-like people to introduce the main character (a little boy called Bokul
VERDICT
Relaxed, unhurried and as
going to spend his summer vacation. It looks like we may have the first UK sighting of a new genre: the childhood
unstructured as a game can be. It's easy to see why overviTorked salarymen and women in Japan love My
Sim. Get ready for a bucketload of whimsy.
Summer Vacation 2. And
L E T S P L AY !
for the same reasons, you can see why it would stiff
travelling on a boat to a sunbaked island where he's
Ahh. Bless. Look for the word 'offbeat' in a Japanese dictionary and there's a picture of this game. Your mission? To have as nice a holiday as you can. From your base (a room in a seaftt)nt guest house) you basically
»78 PlayStation.E OFFICIRL mRBR2INE-UK
here in the West. It's a
LOOK FOR THE W O R D ' O F F B E AT I N T H E J A PA N E S E DICTIONARY AND YOU'LL RND A
shame really, it's quite
PICTURE OF THIS
charming... now where's that Combat Queen disc?
GAME
W H I L E M Y G I TA R O O GEimV WEEPS We caught up with Yukio Shimomura, a Director at KOEI's Soundware
Department and ieading figure on the deliciousiy oddball Gitaroo Man, to ask him about Japan's more leftfield gaming tastes. There's such a wide variety of different game genres here - Japan seems to ceiebrate and encourage niche market games in a way Europe and the States don't. Why do you thini< that is? Overall, I think the main reason is that in
Japan, gaming plays a bigger part In the overail culture compared to the West. People tend to
piay more games and it's more widely accepted - obviously recently the mari
That's a fairly accurate perception I can't deny - look at Gitaroo Mon! Games have become a
fixture of society, and various types of games to suit a variety of tastes have arisen as a result Basically, it comes down to the sheer number of titles in development Accordingly, there are going to be large numbers of 'niche' titles as well as popular hits.
I think Gitaroo Man definitely fits Into the 'weird and eccentric' category - even In Japan. Of course it has a novel control scheme, but 1
think even more, the tempo and feel of the game could be considered a bit weird. The
genres, I think that the linear story-driven RPGs, such as Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy, could probably only be made by Japanese. I don't think that having a set path seems as interesting to Western gamers, compared to a game which offers more freedom in where the stoiy goes.
■ DOG STAR Can you , imagine pitching a game a starring this mutt to the money men m the UK?
EXHIBIT E: LOWRIDER W H AT S I N S T O R E ?
|||«Q Ljove driving games but wish there was a bit
more dancing in them? Welcome to the world of
1 V\l Lowr/der, an inspired title currently being developed by Pacific Century CyberWorks Japan that Is set to bring about the inspired union of rhythm action and the Internal combustion engine. According to the PCCWJ press release, "Lowrlders started In 1950s In Los
truth is, we kind of went for an American
Angeles when merry Mexican Americans unbeaten by
feel for the game, but perhaps our impressions as Japanese were a bit off..
racial discrimination and poverty enjoyed faking used cars as new cars by dressing up, restoring or applying
Which PS2 games or game genres
neat paint to old cars. With advancement of technologies,
would you consider to be the most Japanese in spirit (ie, that they could only be created by Japanese)? I would say that KOEI's historical
simulation games can only be made -5
by Japanesel Aside from that, of course If the subject matter Itself is Japanese, i haven't gone around asking foreigners, but in terms of
CAR WARS At last!
A rfiythm action dancing car game.
such cars are now finished up more artistically and the
height Is lowered to legal limit." Merty Mexicans? L E T U S P 1 AY 7
Featuring modes based on genuine lowrlder competitions that showcase
HONEY RIDER
Cruising to check out the laydees is all part
hopping hot rods and trucks with spinning flat-beds, this
of the lowrider life.
unhinged offering has 'Japan only release' written all over It. But, what's this? A spokesperson for the developer has told 0PS2 that there are plans to cruise Lowrider Into Blighty In the near future. Result! It looks like insanity
is a universal language after all...
MAKE YOUR OWN JAPANESE VIDEOGAME TTRE Welcome to 0PS2's Japanese Videogame Title Generator. For a shot of authentic gibberish, simply pluck a word from each of the co/umns below to create your own Japanese game name. Remember, if the finished title makes more than a silver of sense you should go back and start again. Sugoi! Super
Groove Pachinko
2 3
Universal
Te n d e r
Ve a l
Love
Crazy
Slam
4
Mobile
Wind
Eternal
Halibut
5
NInja
Damnation
Raging Mega Rampant Sexy Municipal Wistful
Mech
6
Ta c t i c a l
Sonata
Baseball
7
Xeno
Quest
Ecstasy
8
Sebastian's
Crisis
Void
DX
Rim
XL
Winning Irresponsible
Beat
J r
Muscle
1 Blitzkrieg 1 Mastodon
Dusseldorf
EX
Sweet
i Tennis
Pure Pocket
i Championship 1 Wrestling
The Demon
1 Armageddon
Best
Battle
Fandango 1 Memorial
Ciiamp
Joy-Joy Space
Ultraman
i Mix 1 Vs
Celestial
1 Xanadu
i Beast
Edition
Fantasy Pants
□FFICIRL mHEHZINE-UK Play5tation,E 0
if^wrrm
Play5tation®E
/ DFFICIHL mHGt=IZINE-UK
Fact: Official PlayStation 2
V Magazine's reviews are the best in the business.
Our cracl< squad of experienced reviewers play the games longer, harder and better than anyone else - tal^e a lool< at the screenshots in each review for
proof Rather than a few images from the first two levels or some
replay footage, our review pages show we've played the games to bursting point. And then some... We l^now how important games are to you, which is why you can trust us to differentiate the godlil
Next time you head off to a game store with your hard-earned cash in your pocket, read our r e v i e w s fi r s t .
GRmE REUIEU15
G TA : V I C E C n V 0 8 4 The UK exclusive review of
game. Grab a pina colada
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS 090 Supreme hack and slash action In the game of the film of the book A guilty pleasure.
Hem's what our review scores stand fbn
IOustandnigni eveyr depam tr ent
Vbur life is poorer without this game
I An essential purchase
I Highly recommended I Impressive and enjoyable I Ideal for fans of the genre
RED
FACTION
II
FORMULA ONE 2002 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER FIFA LMA
2
2003 2003
G U N G R AV E H AV E N : ROCKY
1 4 0 Ttie eight movies that matter from 1980,
100
available on DVD,
102 104
AT T H E M O V I E S WITH HIDEO KOJIMA 141
106 108
TTie creator of Metal Geor writes about the
films that have Inspired his work This month:
108
CALL
KINGDOM SUMMONER THE SUM OF
OF
THE
KING
The Guns OfNavamne
11 0 11 4
HEARTS 2 ALL FEARS
MUSIC
142
New CDs from The Fbo
Rghters, Badly Drawn Boy and more.
11 6 11 8 120
120
SUPERMAN:
SHADOW BLADE TY THE
OF
APOKOUPS
II TA S M A N I A N
DYNASTY
121 124 126
TIGER
TA C T I C S
126
I Average
RALLY FUSION: RACE OF CHAMPIONS 129 TREASURE PLANET 129
I Poor; but stlii with the odd moment
LEGAIA
I ExtfBmeiy disappointing
MARVEL
IA gaming travesty
C O L L E C TO R ' S GUIDE TO: 1980
WRC II EXTREME 094 C O U N M C R A E R A L LY 3 0 9 6
SHOX REVIEW mOING^
THE SPINE
2:
VS
DUEL
SAGA
CAPCOM
2
130
130
WRECKLESS: THE YAKUZA MISSIONS 131
I Vbu're Joking right?
vERDICT Play5tatip£;d THE 0PS2 AWARDS
THE SCORPION KING GUMBALL 3000 MICRO MACHINES
132 132 134
KNIGHT
134
RIDER
We dont hand out high scores for nothing, you know, so when you see one of these, you'll know it's a sign of quality. Look for them on game boxes.
PlayStatiorug PlayStatloag Play5tatlga2 games wortt^ a 10/10 scorn, A
Gold Award v\4nner is as close to
flawless as you can get A WeenHcNng game.
A 9/10 score and a Silver Award Is the mark of a
When a game earns 8/10, it nabs itsetf a Bronze
supreme gaming experience ar)d therefore essential purchase
Award. Highly
for aiy PS2 owner
0
These are the men who slave over hot test stations and even hotter
GOLD StLi^ER Given to the few
I ?
Macs to bring you the best review section in the world See how this obsession becomes their art..
recommenfJed,
these games are guar^rteed
tosatisly.
082 Play5tation.E DFFICIHL mRGRZINE-UK
.
I
m M A R K W YAT T
■ IAN HARRIS
Mark's favourite gaming nibble is, "cereal, straight out of the box.
Strawberries feature highly In
No fuss no muss." Does he like
■ D E A N E VA N S Dean doesnt eat while he's
lan's game-playing sessions.
playing games for fear of getting
Eating them, of course. The
crumbs In his PS2. He still can't decide whether the console is beautiful or hideous.
the PS2's design? -well. It's no
PS2's ribbed casing reminds
Katie Holmes is itr
him of Wall St traders' hairdos.
THE
PLRyLIST
SmJL PLAYING
We just cant get enougl of these fellas.
R AT C H E T & C L A N K 0PS2f 26 9/10
Even committed ptotfomi haters have been seduced by this brilliant, free-warning adventure. Ace.
Pfto EVOUmON SOCCE OPSZrM 9/10
Vbu wont see Pro Evo here
again. Why? Check out page
104 now. Pro Evolution Soccf
2 is here,'
HrrMAN2: Sll£NT ASSASSIN OPS2#26 9/10
Who toiew nithlessly offing underworld types could be such fun? Smart and hard.
TONY HAWK'S P R O S K AT E R 3 OPS2J>15 9/10
Getting in some practice for
Hawk's 4 hos turned into a b
of a renaissance for Tony.
-nMESPLITTERS 2 OPS2e25 10/10 The ofKce that slays togethe
stays together. For now then is no better muMplayer FPS on PioyStofion 2.
C A N T WAT T T O P L AY Hurry up and release these games! T H E G E TA W AY MONITOR PAGE 46
Now we've tasted all the missions we want the main course and me want it noaa DEVIL MAY CRY 2 MONITOR PAGE 52
And we thought Dante looke
cool in the first gome. Come on iVfr Capcom! SILENT HILL 3 ■ MARKWALB Toast and seafood crisps is ail the sustenance Mark requires
when playing games. He thinks the PS2 Is ugly. "It's like a miniature radiator." he explains.
■ LEE HART
■ PAUL FTTZPATRiCK
■ OLIVER HURLEY
Lee's prefen-ed gaming gourmet
We've been fon:ed to keep Paul
Ollle's gaming refreshment Is
Is more philosophical than a mere slices of toast 1 feast on
in his cage this tronth, His favourite game food has been a controlled dose of glucose syrup and vallum. Dowa boy. down!
tea. 'Food is for wimps,' he reckons. He thinks the PS2 Is, "a bit like a Seventies tower block,"
the shattered dreams of people I beat at Pro Evo," he snarls.
but likes watching the blue light
■ KEITO SnJART Keith sees the PS2's design as
having Its roots In the decade of disco too. "It looks like a brutallst Seventies car park," he says, "and is therefore beautiful."
M O N I TO R PA G E 6 2
There's nothing finer than
being pursued by bleeding knots of gristle. More please
□FFICIHL rJlHGRZINE-UK PlayStation.E 01
THERE'S NO WAY TO EXPLAIN HOW GOOD rr FEELS TO BURN DOWN THE NEON-HLLED BEACHFRONT TO THE STRAINS OF BIUJE JEAN...
REUIElli
GRAND TTIEFT AUID: VICE CTT
GRAND THEFT AinO: VICE CTTY Hawaiian shirts, fast cars, easy women, eiectro-pop. All our come true In the triumphant return of GTA. PUBLISHER: ROCKSIAR
DEVELOPER: ROCKSIAR NORTH PRICE: £39.99 PLAYERS 1
OUT; 8 NOVEMBER W E B S I T E : W W W . V I C E C n Y. C O M
60HZ MODE: YES WIDESCREEN: YES SURROUND SOUND: YES
■ BACK STORY Last year, Rockstar Games shook the world when It launched GTAIII on PS2. Some
Kiss goodbye to your weekend, your
dreams
J
PlayStation E
girlfriend and your Job. You arent going to need them anymore because GTA is bacl< and bigger tlian ever Benchmarl< tities come and go, but the truly great ones laugh in the face of the limits of what gaming can do. GTAIII was Just such a title. It dragged gaming into the realm of popular entertainment - the sales figures speal< for themselves, interest in Rockstar Games' next instalment
is at fever pitch but you can finally relax because we've seen It, we've played it and we're not disappointed.
people got upset at the game's cavalier approach to graphic violence but, Importantly, most others would have crawled over
broken glass to play It. DMA renamed Rockstar North, has
been working hard to ensure its follow up has the same effect
WELCOME TO VICE CITY The biggest immediate difference between this and its predecessor, apart from the Jan Hammer-esque opening credits, is the presence of lead character Tommy Vercetti, voiced by Goodfe/Zos' Ray Liotta. He's the natural extension of the man with no name from Liberty City, and has a rich plot awaiting him. Vercetti's a little older, a little wiser and in a world of trouble after his drug deal gets ambushed In Vice City. He's stuck there until he can find some way to deal with his Liberty City boss. Sonny Forelli, and it's here that we Join the party. Your first mission is to get decked out in a blue linen suit and loafers, hop on a motorbike and meet the key
MOVING lARGET His
shirt's pretty funny, but the fact that he has a pretty accurate Is no joke.
players In Vice City aboard Colonel Juan Cortez's luxury yacht. From here, the game launches Tommy's quest to find his dope and dosh, leading him up the criminal ladder in a Latin-American Eighties paradise. The early plot introduces characters, weapons, new game modes and vehicles as part of an interactive gangster movie, played out between cinematic cut-scenes, complete with
MOTOR CITY This suave '
di^s got a nice bike. for tontwe fear.
□FFICIRL rnHGRZINE-UK PlayStation^ 01
Can't wait? Don't wait! 1
30^0
Producb ^ways J "^^ilabley
M
wS Gameplay can deliver every NEW game through your door on day of release
TA K E
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PEEK
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MONTH'S
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PlayStation 2
Kingdom Hearts ; Release: 15-Nov 2002
[asp £39:^^
The Lord of the Rings:
The Lord of the Rings:
Tile Feiiowsilip of tile Ring Release: 12-Nov 2002
Release: 08-Nov 2002
|Code:DV0126
yCode: PT0459 |
T i l e T w o To w e r s
. AspriiHg I
Code:PT0548 B U .S S]E S
Scan our online UK release lists. Then set e-mail alerts that keep you notified of any change of dates. We can't make the games come any quicker but we can at least let you know any date changes as soon as we do. Visit www.gameplay.co.uk to be kept informed.
The Getaway Release: 06-Dec 2002 ASP £39:9? .Code: PT0238
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iSdH direct to home games specialist
GTA 3 Vice City Release: 08-Nov 2002 ASP £3g:99, Code: PT0483
m
m
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^gameplay THE
G AT E WAY
TO
GAMES
REUIEUL
GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CfT
■
BOOGIE
NIGHTS
Ever
the terrible
dancing here is authentic.
C R U ^ N G BRUISING All dressed up, it's now time to meet the movers and shakers
that will shape the plot
Mercedes shows our Tommy around the boat, but you can bet this isn't
of Vice City on boaixl
the last we'll see of her
Cortez's luxury yacht.
warmly greets his 'associate' Ricatdo Diaz, but will they always be such
This animated chat sees film director Steve Scott talking about his big features with Pastor Richards and a
It's the lead singer of the Scots coci* rock gnoup t^ve Rst. and friends. They're Into a bit more than guitar
fi r m f r i e n d s ?
lounging Gonzales.
solos as we'll see later
Mercedes' father Colonel Cortez
YOU CAN TEAR AROUND TOWN TO YOUR HEARTS
an all-star voice cast that Includes Dennis Hopper, Luis
Guzman and Tom SIzemore. It's not Just Hollyw/ood talent that's been pilfered either TV and movie buffs will notice a huge array of references: Miami Vice, Scarface, Carlito's
CONTEISrr - VICE CfTY IS ALL ABOUT DOING WHAT YOU UKE
Woy, Row Deal, Dannie Brasco, to name but a few. The Eighties also becomes Its own character. Retro
New to Vice City Is the expansion into the waterways and skies. The increased use of boats, helicopters and
style is everywhere - switch Trails' on In the Options menu and sepia tones and a slight blurring at the edges are added to the visuals, creating an old-skool feel. The
planes form two extra layers of action to explore with refreshingly different gameplay Sometimes you'll be
game also has the biggest videogame soundtrack to date, with seven radio stations belting out over 80 genuine Eighties' songs from artists such as Michael Jackson, Blondie, Flock Of Seagulls, Grandmaster Flash and Judas Priest. The extra atmosphere it lends is fantastic - there's no way to explain how good it feels the first time you burn down the neon-filled beachfront on a bike, machine
■ I GET AROUND Walk or
ride, there's always plenty of mischief to get up to. It might earn you cash, too.
There's been plenty of speculation on the layoi of Vice City. We're going to make you wait i little longer to find out exactly what your new playground will look like Until then, here's a 'napkin map' taster
driving, other times you'll be shooting and trying to stay aboard. The use of interiors has also been exploited, including populated nightclubs, shops and even a mall. Another innovative feature is
the ability to buy more than one residence in which to save games with the money
pistol resting on the handle bars and the wind blowing through your halt; to the strains of Biliie Jean.
you make fram your missions. Look for the house icon near a building and
CITY BRAKES
you'll be told whether It's up for grabs. You'll start off in a hotel
The city itself is a breathtakingly huge palm tree-lined
room on Ocean Drive, but
spectacle, not simply in terms of its size, but in the scope of activities on offer When you've worked through the first portion of the plot, acquiring wealth and weapons, you'll
the sky's the limit. Vice City is bold and beautiful - so is your arsenal.
also unlock new areas of town. What seems restrictive is
While the firearms are still rooted
actually an effective tool to keep you focussed on settling into the game. You can tear around to your heart's content - Wee Cit/s all about doing what you like - but the first missions form a training area for the uninitiated, or a refresher for grizzled GTA veterans. Once fully
in the real world, there's a huge array
unlocked, there's a huge variety of districts to check out including an airport, docklands, downtown and beach.
T H E L AY O F THE LAND
of them on offer, although only one item of each size can be carried. Stock up on
guns and body armour at the local Ammu-Natlon but save your game regularly or you'll be out of
pocket replacing firearms every time you restart. If guns aren't your bag, don't worry, hand-to-hand weapons
/
, /
□FFICIRL rriHGRZINE-UK PlayStation.E 08
H AT E
COUTURE The outfits aren't just a gimmick in Vice City. Sometimes you need to dress correctly. Other times, new clothes will throw the cops off your trail. Here are Tommy's first four quick changes.
"♦ include bats, hammers, katana swords, chainsaws and icepicks, larger first-person weapons include tine M16,
M60 and Sniper rifles (perfect for blowing out car tyres) and there are entertaining third-person shooters such as M mm That's more like it. Tommy
smartens up for the party but stays swish afterwards. He and Lance make a right pair.
Uzis, handguns, shotguns and MP5s. The rocket launcher, flamethrower, grenades and Molotov cocktails are also back. Be careful though, the Vice City cops are a little more sensitive than those of Liberty City. Putting the A in GTA as always, are the variety of vehicles you can steal by hitting © at the door Cars are varied and faithful to the era which allows for Porsche, Corvette and Lamborghini take-offs. More important are the extra vehicles available. The much-anticipated motorbikes don't disappoint and they range from the
casual. Check out the Gash store
in the mall to get your hands on
this everyday outfit.
was the controls. The enjoyable and intuitive driving couldn't be faulted last time, but in combat the controls were less than perfect. Now, the use of a target that appears around the cop/rollerblader/mob boss/old lady of your choice means that, depending on whether you've
Faggio scooter and the Harley-esque Freeride to the
super-fast PCJ 600. The handling is tight, and the ability
gun takes the brunt of your semi-automatic rage.
allowing you to cruise around in speedboats and yachts. Unfortunately there are no Jetskis, though - Tommy still cant swim. The helicopter appears halfway through the plot and is likely to be one of the most talked about features as it allows you to explore the city in neverimagined ways. Hold your breath for the plane, too. On the roads there's the same Joyous abandon found in the last game, but handling, particularly on the bikes,
Sometimes it Just has to be
CITY IN NEVER-IMAGINED WAYS
got an accurate gun, you'll be able to lock on easily and mow them down. In GTAIIi your weapon would lock on to the nearest individual, but in Vice City the lock-on works on a threat basis. Anyone with a
to pop wheelies and endos, combined with the new cinematic 'chase' cameras makes for a top game in itself. There's also a fleet of boats and aircraft available, Yes. The ultimate in Eighties casual style. This shiny tracksuit also comes in maroon should the mood catch you.
THE HEUCOPTER APPEARS H A L F W AY T H R O U G H T H E P L O T AND LETS YOU EXPLORE THE
MISSION ON To call this game non-linear is an understatement. Plot missions are varied, and include threatening shop owners, guarding over a mob deal, demolition, rescuing a friend or Just plain assassination. GTAIII fans wont be disappointed to find a reassuring familiarity to mission goals, although the majority are anything but
goes right out of the window when one of the infrequent tropical storms hits. If rain strikes during a motorcycle chase you should consider looking for a different mission until the wet weather passes - there's plenty to keep you
simple. Missions can be approached any way you like and, given the amount of
occupied until conditions improve. The variety of options means that it's tnjiy difficult to get tired or frustrated.
available, your personality can have a real impact on the game. Want to snipe the gangsters from 50
Everything you could do in Liberty City is possible in Vice City, and any room for improvement from the first game has been pushed to the limit. Which means, yes, you can still do that thing with the 'ladies of the night', you filthy monkeys. One feature that needed attention
088 PlayStation.^ OFFICIRL fTlRGRZINE-UK
weapons and vehicles
metres? No problem. Want
to steal a helicopter and jump out with a chromed
R E V; i E l U
GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE Cm
E'Vi'ti'.W A .
MAKE FRIENDS & INFLUENCE PEOPLE The initial missions
involve proving yourself to different mob bosses who'll then use you for more intricate heists.
Here you gain the trust
After getting your orders from Cortez, pick up ttie Ruger assauit rifle from a parking garage. Oh, here comes your
of one Ricardo Diaz.
on/off sidekick, ijnce Vance.
Meet with Diaz in a back aliey. There's no time limit so try not
You're going to have to protect
mess up Lance's shiny white
villains. Oh, and Lance has a nasty habit of getting into
motor along the way.
them from some ruthless
trouble himself. Watch his back.
full of swag. Steal a bike and
You need to keep up with the biker blow him away, then get the package back to Diaz, Job done, and another useful
retrieve the stash.
contact made in the big city.
Several dead Cubans later the twist kicks In. From nowhere, two bikers snatch the briefcase
7 / j-iiii
shotgun? Be our guest. The question is, which outfit will
is done with the same humour, charm
make it iook best? Cinematic cut-scenes introduce
and attention to detail found in the plot missions. Go on, tell us you finished this one in a
characters, objectives and keep you firmiy rooted in the humour of Eighties Americana, Mind you, it's hard to take yourself too seriously when someone's threatening you with a mobile phone the size of a breezeblock and I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight is playing In the background. Progress is made by impressing your various contacts
weekend. We dare you.
So is GTA; Vice City all we were promised? Is it the best game in the whole wide world? in terms of pushing back the limits once again, you have to hand it to Rockstar We were awestruck at what we could do in
and unlocking more rendezvous points. Buying different residences lets you open further sets of missions in the latter half of the game, and completing these leads to a big cash bonus Here's a tip; keep an eye on your readies - you'll need plenty to buy the properties and make your
GTAIII but Vice City beats the best-selling videogame in history hands down, launching the most expansive, slylls
ascent to power a lot easier It'll be a while before you make big bucks though, so spend wisely Several very tough key missions need to be completed before your choices open out again - usually involving unassailable
elements are Impressive, but the plot and the Immersive
locations with plenty of gunmen and a tricky objective.
discovered for another ten pages, but the best thing
Of course, if you don't feel the need to finish the massive plot straight away, you don't have to. If you get
about the game Is that no-one can tell you what you'll b doing That's for you to explore for yourself. Just remember to Inform your boss of a nasty 200-hour vlrui that's going around and you'll be fine, □ Mark Wyatt
frustrated on a particular mission there's an
overwhelming amount of extra action to explore. You can
and addictive adventure on PS2 to date, it doesn't just blur the boundaries between videogames and popular
culture. It completely decimates them. The Individual
atmosphere created by the attention to detail and quallt of workmanship makes Vice City a joy to be a part of W could bang on excitedly about the tiny details we
freelance' for one of the several gangs that inhabit the
town, or pick up phone missions from a mobile that you acquire earlier on in the game. You'll be handsomely rewarded with new equipment and each section is like another game running alongside the main plot. The scope of the game Is Immense and there's surprising variety In the mission structures. Don't worry NICE Cmr From
shops and beaches to the open road, the city has packed areas for you to explore.
about playing the same way twice, Rockstar has had its thinking cap on. As well as telephone assassination missions there are the taxi, ambulance and police car
challenges, Individual vehicle challenges and pizza delivery missions to discover Add In the classic rampage frenzies and you'll see why we're getting a bit hot under the collar about all of this. Everything from racing remotecontrol cars on the beach, literally whacking someone at
the golf club, to knocking the pesky pizza guy off his bike
DFFICIHL mRGRZINE-UK PlayStation.E OJ
m UGHTS, CAMERA, ACnONI The impressive cut-scenes outline the stoty then drop you straight into the action.
W
THE LORD OF THE WNGS\ THE TWO TOWERS In the realm of fantasy hack 'n' slashing there's one game to rule them all... ■ BACK STORYi
DB/g.gPER:STDRMFRONT
It has to be said that The Two Towers certainly starts as it means to go on. It launches
PRICE: £39.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: 8 N O V E M B E R WEB SITE;
straight Into the opening scenes of the film, Immersing you enough to set the controller
PUBUSHER: EA
gp^.|«OM/GAMES/mRD 60HZ MODE: NO SURROUND SOUND; NO WIDESCREEN: NO
important as mindlessly hammering the attack buttons. With several enemies to fend off at once you'll have to commit a portfolio of combos to memory to survive.
The Two Towers is one of two gomes based on The
Lord Of The Rings. While EA's offering focuses on ttie movies, the other - from Universal Interactive - is an
down on your lap. Then, Just as you're taking In the
SWORDS AND SORCERERS
splendid battle scenes on the slopes of Mount Doom's
iDts of work has gone into the animation of the
belching volcano, the movie suddenly and seamlessly melds into a PS2 game. You're left scrambling for the
The Two Towers features scenes from both the first
characters, which have been modelled on the
and the second movie
movements of the film's actors. Lunges and leaps are
controller as you're plunged Into an impossibly
Iwhlch is due out in cinemas this Christmasl.
amazingly fluid, and when you chop one beast In the head, stab his neighbour in the belly and kick his
enormous battle. Trolls! Goblins! Ores! Monsters swarm
upon you from all directions and you struggle to find
replacement in the chest, you'll notice the graceful way
your feet. Somehow you bash enough buttons to survive,
your character twists and tums. Even though there can
the Intro sequence picks up again and brings you to the safety of a menu screen. Phew! This baptism of fire
be scores of characters battling It out at once, the game
paints an accurate picture of what's to come - a
never jerks or slows down. Each level can be played with one of three characters: scruffy noble Aragorn, stout
fantastic 3D slash-'em-up with staggering graphics and a
dwarf GImll and nimble elven archer Ijegolas. Some
colossal body count. Sword battles are this game's bread and butter, and
levels see you going it alone, while tougher levels allow other characters to Join in as support. Even wizened wizard Gandalf puts in the odd appearance when
the combat system works beautifully There are no spells to learn or equipment points to Juggle, Just a simple
AT TIMES YOU FEEL UKE A JAMMIE DODGER CAST irnO AN Am- COLONY. THERE'S BARELY A MOMEISTTS PEACE 090 PlayStation.E QFFICIHL mREHZINE-UK
combination of leaps, lunges and almighty special moves. One thing you'll soon learn Is that defending yourself from blows is Just as
required. Thankfully It's not possible to strike your companions - you'll frequently get lost in the thick of a
melee and lose track of your character, which forces you to button-bash wildly in order to slice your way out. The Two Towers features 12 luscious levels, all brimming with a mind-boggling number of baddies. For
RPG based on the books.
REUIELU
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
SUCKER I ^' PUNCH ALL THE RIGHT MOVIES The bit that'll really wow your friends.
24 -Xr
I SLASH AND GRAB The more creative the combo, the better a DOWN BUT NOT OUT Pressing ® when you're down wil
I the rating and the more experience eamed. slice your attaciteis as you leap to your feet.
Every level is introduced with a video sequence that evolves into the game. Keep your wits about you and don't let yourself settle into the video, because you never know when you'll be dropped into the action!
{■ FAST Fumous tles mi ght be raging all around I you, but AND the game neverBat suffers from slowdown.
FLASHPOINT This village, from The Two Towers, is used b the Mordor army to store explosives. Cue lots of fireworks.
f a f R
■ BOMB SQUAD Shooting the suicide bombers
helps cut down the swathes.
I DOUBLE THE FUN The game includes action from both The Fellowship of the Ring, and this Christmas's The TWo Towers.
m DEEP TROUBLE This scene from the second movie has you defending Helms Deep from waves of invading ores.
example, you'll find yourself fighting to slay three trolls whilst keeping a worried eye on the pack of goblins
With so much fandom and obsession surrounding the two films, The Two Towers could easily have descended into a load of Tolkien belly-scratching.
advancing from behind and the wolf riders streaming down the hill to your left. Frankly, there are times when you feel like a jammie dodger cast into an ant colony. There's barely a moment's peace, and it's clear that the few breathers you're tossed are only there to contrast with the carnage to come. With so many enemies knocking about, it's a good job that, as individuals, they don't put up much of a fight - you'll quickly become sadistically efficient at cutting them down to size. Blocking their blows and kicking them in the stomach will leave most ne'er-do-wells open to your killer chop
Thankfully, the plot is fun and simple: you get to play the best bits from the two films, taking a sneaky peek at what is bound to be this year's Christmas box office number one, and kill hordes of monsters In the process. Each level begins with a video sequence taken from the
CT'V/tl'W f V
lumbering boss creatures you occasionally encounter can be kicked into touch after two or three goes.
TOPPLE THE TROLL
Slaying sword-fodder isn't much of a sweat, but that Isn't to say that the fighting isn't fun - there are some fantastic moves to master. Before each stage, you get to
Our masterclass
charges and powerful combos, all specific to the character you're playing, are available.
wolf boss gets you in his maw ■
you're in for a^jg dose of dama^.
and their slavering neighbour will almost certainly fall to a similar treatment Even the giant cave trolls and
spend experience points (which accumulate with each slice of the swordi on extra combat skills. Devastating
■ BARKING MAO When this vicious /\
in maiming the m i n e m o n s t e r.
#1^
The enormous, angry cave troll that attacks the Fellowship in the dwarf
The trick is to rush towards the beast so that it strikes out at you
the game and have to finish him
with its spiked club. Quickly spring backwanjs by pressing is and he should miss you by a mile. Then, whilst he's caught off balance, you
after seeing off somewhere in the region of two hundred green-
can leap forward with a heavy attack from your sword.
mines is one of the most
memorable monsters from the first film. You encounter him early on in
sktnned ne'er-do-wells.
After a while, the troll will throw
away its club and grab a huge metal chain instead, You'll need to
jump on the ledge and dodge its furious whipping, also finding the odd moment or two to fire an arrow. Watch out for goblins - they'll sneak up on you when you're otherwise occupied.
□FFICIRL mHBHZINE-UK PlayStation.E 09
REV^IEIU
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS EXTRA TIME
YOU TOLKIEN TOME?
The game's packed with extras such interviews with
the film's matters and original game artwork.
■ TO PROTECT AND SERVE This level sees you staving off attacks long enougti for Frodo to escape with the ring
W jouy GOOD FEUjOWS Often, just as you're about to kark it, other members of the Fellowship step in to help.
Tolkien fans can gorge themselves on the research that went into
the first two films. You can browse the original concepts for the locations, and see sketches of key scenes and moments as they were imagined before filming started.
■ TO YOUR HEALTH Ace combo moves
are rewanJed with bursts of energy
■ RAY OF UGHT Ughting effects in the spooky catacomb levels are dramatic.
T T I AT S M A G I C ! G a n d a l f s o m e t i m e s
helps out. He's practically indestnictible
m
Scott
Hudson
Piehi
Prcihtrcr/^CS^-Otrrxtcr Prc^doccr/Cc-Oirccw Watch interviews with the brains behind the camera describing how they found the locations for the Two Towers. Director Peter Jackson explains how he flew all over New Zealand to find a particular mountain range, and how Helms Deep - the castle at the end of the movie - was built as a huge 1:3 scale modei.
MIDDLE EARTH One of the best things about the game is the variety and detail of the levels. Look at that grass!
appropriate film. Then, Just as the fighting is about to start, the video transforms into the game and throws
There's also behind-the-scenes footage detailing how the game was made. You can see the work that went into making the animation so fluid, and watch the actors hollering into the microphone, waving plastic daggers to get them into role.
you straight into the thick of it. The main part of the action kicks off with a scene from the beginning of The Fellowship Of The Ring, where hooded wraiths try to wrest the ring from Frodo, and culminates at the fantastic Helm's Deep stronghold from The Two Towers. It's an epic level that sees you defending the castle from what seems like two billion ugly, roaring ores. In
■ AXE TO GRIND Your dwarf
pal Gimli isnt the fastest, but he can lob an axe 100 yards.
THE HEUVI'S DEEP L£VEL SEES YOU DEFENDING THE CASTl£ F R O M W H AT S E E M S U K E T W O
BILLION UGLY, ROARING ORGS
between, there are ten other
varied levels featuring memorable scenes such as
Balln's tomb with Its giant cave troll, and others you'll
« SHARP SHOOTER Legolas loves the woodland levels - the archer can prcK otr Daddies lurking in the trees.
an Incentive for re-tracing old ground with extra experience points that can be traded In for better weapons and abilities. There are also several vaults of artworK scenery and locked levels that only become available after you've completed the game to a high enough standanj. Videos Include Director Peter Jackson and Producer Barrle Osborne talking about the making of the film, plus Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen discussing their roles as Frodo and Gandalf.
Forcing you to replay the game to access additional levels is an easy way to add longevity, but there's also something so satisfying about the carnage In The Two Towers that keeps you coming back for more. The game Is no Final Fantasy in terms of length, but It'll be a fair old while before you get bored of the rings. □ Ian Harris
undoubtedly recognise when The Two Towers hits cinemas In December
H O B B I T- S I Z E D Although you're forced to follow quite a narrow and linear path through the levels, the sumptuously detailed forests, huts, brooks and fences that form the scenery do a sound job of masking where game meets graphic. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Is a great-looking game with some of the best battles scenes we can remember playing The only problem is that it's not very long and not terribly difficult. Most players should be able to finish the game in Just over a weekend. This Isn't the disaster it sounds, though, because you can extract a comfortable amount of replay value by returning to levels and finishing them with a different character EA provides
092 PlayStation.E aFFICtHL mHGHZINE-UK
why we'd buy it - Breathtaking graphics
Why we'd leave it - Combat can get repetitive - ITS not iong enough
- Excellent use of a movie
licence (for once) - The best sword-based scraps weVe piayed on PS2 Graphics
Gobsmackins and spectacular Just like the films
Sound
Dramatic, rumbling scores taken from the movies One of ttie smoothest fnee-roaminR fighters ever
Life span
Short levels that ate over to soon
Even if the mention of ores and goblins normally gives you the fear, if you lil^e action games, you'll love this.
□f f c i r l v e r d i c t
ON THE
DVD 00:06.72 T 00:00.00 T
■
OUTOF
: FOCUS ford's '
00:49.4a~T, not the star ■ , here, but the i I Focus is stSI a - 1
fi n e m o t o r ' ' 1 . '
■
POPGUN
'
txhaust fl a m e s a n d
WRCII EXTKEME
turbo pop' are well realisei._
Realism and raw thrills combine in Evolution's firecracker of a sequel. PUBUSHER: SCEE DEVELOPER: EVOLLmON STUDIOS O U T; 3 0 N O V E M B E R PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 4
W^.^YS1AnON.COM 60HZ MODE: NO
WIDESCREEN: YES SURROUND SOUND: YES PERIPHERALS: LOGITECH DRIVING FORCE WHEEL
■ BACK STORY The original WRC - Evolution Studios' first racing game (In fact, its first console game) was a fine rally simulation, let down only slightly by light handling and a seemingly unfinished two-player mode. Since then, the programmers have re-wrftten the code from scratch, liaising closely with WRC engineers.
S I
The intent behind WRC II aka World Rally
Championship II - depth, realism, thrills - is apparent the first time you lose control of your Mitsubishi Ijncer Evo VII approaching a hairpin turn at 85mph. You feel the car slowly, but yet so horribly quickly, slither from beneath you, while the tyres lock In the crunching gravel as an embankment looms
4's rally coverage! this package Is slicker than a multi-million pound car ad. Nice, but It all falls away into insignificance when you clamber Into a car and start driving. Pick a mode - there are several, ranging from a full Championship season, to
up ahead. But you just manage to prise It back from the brink - a caress of the brake, a nudge on the steering
Quick race, to Time trial, to Head-to-head frolics. Pick one of seven beautifully-modelled cars, each with Its own handling nuances slavishly replicated. Now drive. The first thing you notice is that these cars have real
wheel, a tentative heel prodding at the accelerator This, surely, is what petrol was invented for Developer Evolution is telling everyone who'll listen that the original WRC - a very good rally game - was
density. You can't just casually slide and sway them through every corner You have to understand weight transfer, often slamming the full load onto the front tyres to give you grip, then easing through the bend with
just the practice run for WRC II. This is the real event,
precision rather than psychotic abandon. At first, you under-steer like crazy, sending ad hoardings flying and mud splattering across the screen. But then, when it
they say. And It is. If you watch rallying on TV, this is as close as you'll get to interacting in that experience without clambering out Into the countryside and standing next to the road as mud and manure spray up from the wheels of a passing Impreza. And that's not just the driving but the whole experience. With all the official cars, drivers and circuits (14 events taking in 115 stages],
. _ music by the Chemical AT FIRST, YOU SEND AD Brothers and replays
HOARDINGS FLYING AND created in conjunction MUD SPLATTERING with Chrysalis TV (the ACROSS THE SCREEN producers of Channel
094 PlayStation.^ OFFICIRL fTlRERZINE-UK
The tnith behind that teasing subtitle. WRC II boasts six hidden cars, but It's not the usual selection of classic motors.
Only accessible by beating the Championship mode in
Expert setting, each Is a completely de-restricted fantasy car, designed In coniunction with the WRC manufacturers' chief engineers. Slioda Is
reportedly so impressed with the styling of its Octavia Extreme, the
physics model rather than an on-ralls rally-'em-up. It begins to click You start experimenting with real
putting the car Into production some time
rally techniques like left-foot braking the Scandinavian flick (not a sexual euphemism, honest], or the trusty old handbrake turn. You really feel the differences between asphalt, gravel (the loose gravel even cracks and crumbles beneath the wheels) and, of course. Ice, and you have to alter your technique accordingly In comparison, Colin McRae 3 feels light. The cars
simultaneously every bump in the road has an effect on
and cars are faithfully reproduced. No Colin McRae though, funnily enough.
'EXTREME? '
becomes apparent that this is an incredibly realistic
glide - at the very edges of a decent slide, you can feel the lyres digging in, but for the most part you're driving on air In WRC II you feel every bump In the road, and
SUPER MODHS All the official WRC teams
W H Y
company Is thinking of
before 2005.
JA
REV^IEli WRC II EXTKEMI
.
I
fiobsTBiisrtft 1 •:
■
...
V
--screeli^Jtel^a^kes—
thechassisi ■■ ■ ..
■ " ■■ ■ REPLAY VALUE
Race re-runs provide some stunning camera footage.
R A L LY 1 0 1 Explore WRC ll's handling to the full with these classic rally techniques...
1. The Scandinavian flick
A neat method of turning quickiy on slippery surfaces. Head for the opposite direction, then snap the wheei bacl(, flicking the car round.
missing a beat by approaching the corner turning into It. then hitting the
3. Uft-foot braking Key technique perfected by legendary rally driver Rauno Aaitonen. Combat understeer by applying brake,
handbrake Takes some practice.
accelerator and wheel simultaneously
2. The handbralte turn Get around those hairpin turns without
the handling. The fun isn't as immediate as it is in McRae 3 - here, it's a challenge Just to make it through the first few stages of the Championship mode in the top five (especially if you chose Professional or, later, Expert). There's a lot of frustration to get through, but w/hat keeps you going is the knowledge that every time you plough into a tree, it's your fault.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD The original WRC was respected for its ambitious maps and the fact that you could see the road twisting off into the distance. WRC II lets you see twice as far, through the heat haze of Kenya's dust-caked savanna, through the lush rolling hills of Italy, or through drifting snowflakes fluttering across Sweden's barren tundra. The natural elements are well-realised, with believable
hydraulics, brake balance and so on| and 500,000 variations - your mechanics will handle that No one is
forcing you to become a rally anorak. An extra twist of longevity is provided by a range of head-to-head split-screen options (there is more fogging here of course, but it's still fun| and the chance to open up some amusing bonus tracks, filled with audacious ramps and downhill slaloms. The debates will rage for months over which is the better rally sim - this or Colin McRae 3. In the end it'll come down to personal choice. Colin 3 looks more stylish, the car models
sparkle, the rain splatters on the windscreen with eye-rubbing realism, and that Career mode is a nice, innovative touch. But IVRC II is grittier It's aiming to ge you as close as possible to the mud track. Breathe in: you can almost smell the dirt. □ Keith Stuart
textures and decent effects on water, mud and rain
(although the spot effects in McRae 3 are noticeably more snazzy]. The only disappointments, perhaps, are the rather blocky buildings and unconvincing spectators, but when you have seemingly the whole of Cyprus opening up in front of you as you take a corner, it's hard to be too judgemental about these peripheral features. WRC II doesn't seek to flatter the player or provide
WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP II EXTHEMI Why we'd buy it: - Very realistic handling - Superb realisation of the full
Why we'd leave ib - We want the immediacy of Colin McRae Rally 3 - Solo racing just isnt
WRC licence
- Excellent long-tenm challenge
our thing
- Great bonus cars
cheap thrills. It's a proper sim. That's not to say it's anything like an F1 sim. By its very nature, rallying is the more visceral sport and you will have excitement aplenty
GrapWcs AstonishinR landscapes and decent cars Sound Tfirobbing engines, crackling gravel Gameplay Deeper than most, but it's not just for petrol heads Life span It'll last as long as your love of rallyii
getting used to that complex and hugely demanding
A really full-bodied sim, with a satisfying _ _
handling model. Besides, you can always stick it in novice and forget about penalties, damage and the rest. And you never need touch the comprehensive tuning
learning curve for tliose who can hang ■ rJ on
for
the
ride.
"
□FFlOBy VERDICT
section, which offers eight categories (lyres, steering
■ BUILDING WORK Architecture is basic
■ OFF THE FACE
■ SCENIC ROtlTE
Listening to the pace
The impressively detailed
notes Is vital, even on smooth comers.
landscapes extlhd far
at times, but this
into the distance.
German town is fine.
DFFICIRL mnEBZINE-UK PlayStation.E OS
IL PlayStation E /
gF»c*,
rwewzwe-L*
COUN McRAE RALLY 3 The biggest name in rollying returns. And what a ride it turns out to be... PUBUSHER; CODEMASTERS DEVELOPER: CODEMASTERS PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 2 O U T: N O W
P^«|||| Accordi ng to Codemasters, "I'm Colin McRae, And you're Colin McRae." Everyone can be Colin McRae - at least in the virtual sense.
Simply strap yourself into the next-generation Colin McRae Rally 3 and you can experience what it feels like to make 150 decisions per minute, to fight the car as it slides through the gravel on an Australian
60H2 MODE; NO SURROUND SOUND: NO WiDESCREEN: NO PERIPHERALS: LOGmCH DRIVING FORCE WHEEL
■ BACK STORY The first Colin McRae Rally tit/e on PSone was a giant amongst
gamekind and has sold over four million units to date.
better, simulating a whole WRC season - 14 rallies, 115
Nobody needed to tell Codemasters twice that a
sequel would be a 'good thing', and Colin McRae Rally 2.0 Impmved and expanded upon
the original design. Colin McRae Rally 3 represents the next step In the series' development, with
familiar game options and locations, but better handling
and physics - and all In dazzling, PS2-o-vlslon.
hairpin while thinking ahead to the next comer The Colin McRae Ro//y franchise is one of the biggest names in console gaming But on the PS2 this third incarnation faces some stiff competition. Evolution's World Rally Championship was good. The sequel is even stages, plus all the official driver names and cars. In comparison, Colin McRae Rally 3 boasts eight events, 56 stages and lacks WRC its officially-licensed data. But despite a few fictional features, Colin McRae Rally 3 is blessed with an extraordinary attention to detail. Its 3D graphics are often breathtaking the physics engine is superb, and there's an addictive immediacy to the gameplay
At the core of CMR3 is the Championship mode, a three-year stint with the Ford Rallye Sport team where you take on the role of McRae. With co-driver Nicky Grist by your side (unlike in the real thing where Grist was inconveniently dumped three weeks ago), the aim is to win back-to-back-to-back championships. In the first year, you'll compete against 15 other drivers in races across Australia, Spain, Finland, the USA, Japan and Sweden. A UK-based course replaces the Australian rally in years two and three, while the Rally of Greece Is a substitute for the USA courses in the final year Structurally, each of the rallies consists of seven stages split over two days - six special stage courses across the host nation's countryside, plus a super special stage where two cars race head-to-head in a dual-circuit stadium section. While virtual Ford mechanics will auto-
select settings for your car before every rally, there are opportunities to manually tinker with the set-up. Even before you take control of McRae's car, the game's TV-style presentation heightens the atmosphere. When you finally roll out towards the start, you have a
BE COUN
MCRAE The Championship mode offers the
full racing experience. You take on the role
of Colin McRae,
driving a Ford Focus RS WRC to chase three
Championship w i n s i n a r o w.
On the day before any rally you Here you can fiddle around with Each rally in CMR3 is split into After stage three and stage six. you Rally racing is a solitaty but have the opportunity to tinker and the technical options to give you seven sections - six cross-country get the chance to service your car, mesmerising sport, and in CMR3 test your car's settings. Telemetry that exti-a edge in the stages stages followed by a stadium repairing minor damage or It's you against the clock as you readouts and split-times allow you ahead. Have you got the right tyres section where two cats race changing the technical set-up. attempt to beat the other drivers to
to see whether one configuration for the road surface? Should you against the clock on a dual-circuit These Service Areas are vital In ttie end of a stage. Complete a rally Is better than another set tfie anti-roll to f^edium or course. You and 15 PS2-controlled keeping your car running for the stage, and you unlock new gear. s t r o n g ? D e c i s i o r e , d e c l s i d n s . . . d r i v e r s a r e v y i n g f o r t h e t i t l e . e n t i r e r a c e . W i n , a n d y o u u n l o c k a n e x t r a c a r.
096 PlayStation.E OFFICIRL mRGRZINE-UK
REUIElii C O U N M c R A E R A L LY;
ON THE ROAD CMR3 featums eight international rallies, each with a challenge on a different surface.
Here's what you'll face in the first year of the Sparco Ralfy...
AUSTRAUA The Australian
rally stages mostly consist of diy gravel tracks. They offer very little traction tjut are
great for performing dramatic power slides around comers.
SPAIN The Spanish rally Introduces your first Tarmac challenge. The stages twist and turn through the hilly
countryside. Watch out for those cliff-top edges...
choice of three camera views - driver's-eye, over-thebonnet, and a zoomed-out arcade-style perspective. The latter is by far the easiest to use, giving you a longer view of the road and a few more milliseconds to think,
KEEPING YOUR FOCUS Once again, Codemasters has worked closely with Ford to obtain extraordinary levels of car detail. The Focus Is beautifully reflective and slowly becomes spattered with mud or caked in dust as you drive. Brake discs glow orange as you brake and the exhaust shakes with every engine rev. This detail extends to the damage modelling - wheels shake if you damage the suspension, dented bumpers drag on the ground and body panels fly off at speed. Inside the car, McRae and Grist are realistically animated. They react to each corner you take and hang
MCE NOTES Despite the fantastic 3D visuals, you'll need to listen to your codriver's pace notes carefully.
on for dear life should you be involved In a crash. In some rally titles, pace notes are often an added detail. In CMR3, however, you actively rely on Grist's instructions as you drive, thinking a corner ahead with one half of your brain, while using the other half to slide
At first, CMR3 seems disappointingly small because it features only two main game options - the deceptively
tricky Championship and single Stage modes (with single-player and split-screen two-player action). Only by
FINLAND Up into Scandinavia, ttie Rnnish race offers a mix of dirt and Ta n r n a c s e c t i o n s . I t ' s a f a s t -
playing Championship do you unlock the tracks for replaying in Stage mode, while winning a rally unlocks other playable cars: the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII, Subaru
paced rally often along roads where yotir view Is obscured by ororhanglng trees.
Impreza WRX 448, Citroen Xsara Kit Car, Ford Puma Rally, Citroen Saxo Kit Car, Fiat Punto Super 1600 and MG ZR, plus classic Ford RS2000 and Ijncia 037 models. The game may lack the exhaustive simulated action of WRC II, but don't make the mistake of thinking that Colin McRae Rally 3 is a more arcade-orientated title. Far from it. In truth, it will take hours of practice before you can slip 'n' slide the rally cars as well as the championship-winning Scot who lends the game his name. The tiniest lapse in judgement on a race stage will
USA The American stages
take you through the canyons of Mid-West America - a combination of w i d e Ta r m a c m a d s a n d
dusty gravel tracks that zigzag across the mountains.
destroy any hopes of victory With gorgeous 3D landscapes, Jaw-dnspping weather effects and whiteknuckle off-road racing, this really Is an instantly accessible, instantly enjoyable experience. □ Dean Evans
the car around the bend at hand. Some tracks have
sections that are obscured by trees, so you'll occasionally hurtle into turns with blind faith in the pace notes. What truly makes the Championship mode interesting is that you don't have access to the full range of equipment when you start. Only by completing the rallies do you unlock the extra lyres, chassis ^pes. Improved brakes and turbo modifications to help you
stay competitive in the increasingly tough second and third years. In the first year, the championship Is tricky but it's possible to win it at your first attempt. In the second year, the difficulty MCRAE AND GRIST REACT TO level is bumped up a notch. E V E R Y C O R N E R A N D H A N G O N Your opponents are faster, FOR DEAR UFE SHOULD YOU but you have access to
B E I N V O LV E D I N A C R A S H
slightly better equipment.
JAPAN The tight twists and turns of the Tarmac-based
C O U N M c R A E R A L LY 3 J
Why we'd buy it - Superbly playable ratty game - Fantastic 3D graphics and
Why we'd leave it
Japanese stages are made all the more difficult because
- Limited game options
the rally often takes place In
- Fictional courses and drivers
the pouring rain.
weather effects
- Highly-detailed in tenns of design and handling
Graphics
The tain in Japan
Sound
T h e w h i n e of
Gameplay
A challengini? three-year Championship mode
Lifespan
When you're tired of rally, you're tired of life...
is simply breathtaking the engine, the chatter of the co-dtlver
—
Perfectly playable and challenging Colin McF effbrttessly Into the PS
0=
O^ICIRL verdict
SWEDEN Finally, the Swedish rally tests your control of a car on snow and
Ice. Again. trees_obscure the racing view in some sections and grip Is minimal.
□FFICIHL mRERZINE-UK PlayStation.E 09:
PC CD-ROM ^^K^gamespy a a e a jaosrati Dr. lofr ft e£ PofscJ «K!cto GafwCute OSS -aoisnate :r
AGAME! uk.ea.co
GOES FROM EXOTIC CAR TO
^ GETAWAY CAR IN 3.8 SECONDS.
Ferocious beasts like the Lamborghini Murcielago,
Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari 360 Spider^ are born to run. And run fast. Cut one loose on the public highway. Carve through dense traffic in unpredictable conditions. Outrun the waiting police cars and avoid recapture, or you'll spend the next 10 years behind bars. Take the reins at needforspeed.com.
BRONZE PlayStationg
Health
Kit
used
RED FACTION II
Need to get rid of some executive stress? Try blowing wails apart in Volition's latest violent but cathartic Geo-Mod blaster PUBUSHER: THQ DEVELOPER: VOUTION PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 4 O U T: 1 5 N O V E M B E R WEB SITE: WWW.REDFACnON2.COM 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO P E R I P H E R A L S : M U LT T TA P
m BACK STORY Vo/itlon is no stranger to Sony hardware. Under the guise of
Pamllax Software it developed Descent and Descent 2 on
PSone and Is also well known for the PS2 RPG, Summoner. But the developer really hit the headlines when it created the
much vaunted Geo-Mod engine for the original Red Faction on both PC and PS2. Red Faction II is sure to be a huge success
and Volition seems to be going from stnsngth to strength.
It's not often that a technical term becomes
to find that one wall can be breached, while another
a buzz word that can generate genuine excitement. Frisbee, you can understand.
(that appears to be made fnsm identical material) is impervious to the same weapon blast. But it's churlish to complain too heartily about a
Rollerblades? Of course. But Geo-Mod? It sounds duller than a Val Doonican comeback concert.
system that delivers some of the most cathartic destruction we've experienced on PS2. There's a real visceral thrill as you watch concrete crumble and bodies
Yet Volition's Geo-iviod (geography modification) technology ushered in a new innovation to videogaming and became part of the lexicon almost overnight. While it's true that the system didn't quite deliver everything it
liquidise under your heavy fire. Red Faction IFs weapons include sub-machine guns, assault rifles, a Nano Tech
promised, it became an exciting feature of one of the most popular FPS games on PS2. For those who may have been holidaying on Mars, let's briefly remind you of Geo-Mod's raison d'§tre: it lets you blast dirty great holes in things. This includes walls, floors, ceilings, stone pillars, even people. In most games - if you're lucky - you might get to smash a window, but
ARACHNOPHOBIA In the
subway station you'll be greeted by hordes of spider drones. Hit them early.
in Red Faction II, Geo-Mod lets you unleash destructive
military installations of the despot's empire and it chips along at an impressive pace. Mostly you'll be fighting Sopot's human army but you'll occasionally come up against mighty war machines like the bomb dnsnes (spider-like mechanical devices) and huge mech warriors. Interestingly you benefit from the skills of a group of six rebels. There's your character. Alias, a demolitions
anger on anything from castles to coffee tables. However, the original Red Paction proved that there were limits to the system and these have clearly not been addressed in the sequel. The technology does not let you experience as much freedom as you would
ideally like. Only certain walls and structures can be punctured with the bigger weapons in the game, and most D E AT H M AT C H B Y of these have been very
expert; Shrike, a master with vehicles; Molov, the leader and all-round hard man; Quill, the sniper; and Tangier, the stealth expert. But our clear favourite is Repta, the
rrs UNIQUELY SATISFYING TO WIN A TEARING AN OPPONENT'S BODY FROM HIS LEGS
grenade launcher and the magnificent rail gun. There's a large arsenal to choose from and you will rarely find yourself without bullets to spray and bodies to obliterate. Red Faction ii is set five years after the events of the first game and you control a crack team of rebels intent on bringing down the corrupt dictator. Chancellor Sopot. The plot takes you on a journey through the offices and
obviously put in your path. For instance, it's a bit disappointing
big brute who can carry most of the heavy weaponry. Each character has different objectives and skills and
BESPOKE
BLASTING The multiplayer games are much improved from Red Faction, and the level of customisation
possibilities is startling.
In Four-player mode you can choose to fight together on one team or
The ability to change the stats of bots
Once you've created the personality
adds a great deal of depth. You can
against bot rivals, it Is even possible
alter anything from aggression levels to
of your bot you can select its favourite weapon. These range from
to team up with powerful hots to give yourself a fighting chance against friends who are better than you.
making a bot camp out around comers to tal(e out enemies, so you can create
100 PlayStation E OFFIdHL mRBHZINE-UK
a sneaky coward or a gung-ho lunatic.
the piddly assault rifle to the dual Nano MPS.
CIVILIAN
C A S U A LT I E S
Yo u
can kill who you like, but It will all go on your final report
REUIEli R E D FA C T I O N
V E H i C L £ A S S A U LT Throughout the game you're able to control vehicles as diverse as tanks and helicopters. Although the vehicles move 'on rails' you can control the weapon turrets. These sections are pretty easy to complete,
but you really experience a sense of empowerment when you're in the cocl
Climb inside the tank and you can pretty much rxDil over anything
in your path. You have access to both a machine gun emplacement and a missile launcher
■ HEAD OF THE CLASS Leam to use head shots
and you'll soon instil a sense of fear in the enemy.
■ PEEPING TOM At key points you'll be assailed from all sides - even through windows by enemy helicopters. Use Geo-Mod weapons to retaliate.
when you help out Shrike, for instance, the game segues into some very enjoyable first-person vehicle combat (see Vehicle Assault).
*
Bagman and Team Arena along with the traditional Deathmatch. These are not up there with those found in the sublime TimeSplltters 2, but they are lip-smackingly hilarious nonetheless. The frame rate remains stable
PAINT THE TOWN RED
even during the Four-player mode and it's uniquely
The environments have been lovingly crafted and though
satisfying to win a Deathmatch game by tearing an opponent's body from his legs. Red Faction ii is a sterling effort from Volition. It may not offer the scope and longevity of TimeSplitters 2 or the intricacy and freedom of Deus Ex but FPS fans are sure to delight in the visceral entertainment provided by the Geo-Mod system. □ Mark Walbank
you begin by infiltrating a very grey office block, the game soon takes you through more diverse locations. There are abandoned underground subways, train stations, sewers and military installations to infiltrate. The locations are slightly clich6d, but the variety and attention to detail makes up for it - innocent people
don't just stand idly by as you rampage past, they'll make comments or beg for mercy You can eviscerate them with one shot, but this will be recorded on your end of level report and may affect how the game ends. Volition has also greatly improved the structure of the
them down or roll over their puny bodies. Some scenery can be
demolished to open the way ahead. D E AT H ' C O P T E R
FMTIONII Why we'd buy it
Why we'd leave ib
- You can destroy
- Predictable enemies
with poor Ai - Clich6d plot
everything in your path
game after getting complaints about the poor loading times of the original. There is some loading, but it all takes place in one chunk after sections of the game have been completed. The auto-save function also means that you rarely feel as if you're detached from
- l^ugh-out-loud
- T/meSpf/tters 2 is finally on
multiplayer games
- An Fl% with real character
the shelves
(xraohics
Polished but uninspiring
Gameplay
Varied and good fun
experience. Red Faction II flows better than its forebear
Lifespan
Many hours of top entertainment
and Is far more immersive as a result.
If you have a destructive streal^ tiien
A lot of work has gone into making the single-player
Men will run out of doorways to shoot you - you can either gun
Great explosions and weapon effects
-
f
r
'
I..
Sopot's mech warriors are almost impossible to destroy on foot but they are easy prey for Shrike's helicopter guns.
you'll love Red Faction IL Get it, if only for the Geo-Mod madness.
game fun, but this has not been at the expense of the
multiplayer games (see Bespoke Blasting). There are
OFFlOBy VERDICT
plenty of modes to unlock, such as Capture The Flag,
I I 0 You will also experience threats from the sky, though two direct hits should destroy enemy choppers. The icon in the top-right corner displays the damage taken.
□FFICIRL tTlRBHZINE-UK PlayStation.E 10
REUIELiJ FORMULA ONE 2002
CliEijWA B E AT MICHAEL
SCHUMACHER Yes, it's possible. Formula One 2002 may have nuts-and-bolts
realism, but the racing is a far cry from a dull, predictable procession.
WHAM-BAM With the damage modelling on, the concrete walls can rip your fragile car apart. PUBLISHER: SCEE DEVELOPER; STUDIO UVERPOOL ^RICE; £39.99
PRACTICE Each race
F ORMULA ONE 2002 Not Just a predictable procession dominated by Schumacher
^LAYERS: 1-4 D U T; N O W W E B S I T E : U K , P l AY S TAT I O N . C O M 50HZ MODE: YES WIDESCREEN: YES SURROUND SOUND: YES ='ERIPHERALS: STEERING WHEEL
Love or hate the sport, you'll certainly be
The variable weather conditions are more obvious and
impressed by SCEE's improved and updated Formula One simulator Once again, Studio
rain can often turn a qualifying session upside down.
Liverpooi's top-notch racer has been buiit
around the body shell of an official FIA licence, allowing SCEE to release the most staggeringly comprehensive game yet. With a wide array of game options - Arcade, Time Attack, Simulation - Formula One 2002 offers as
much (or as little) of the real F1 experience as you desire. So at one extreme you can play a bumper-car one-off with forgiving handling. At the other, you can adjust your car's brake balance and camber in a precise, commendably serious season. Owners of Formula One 2001 will know that it wasn't
without its fair share of gaming niggles. But a year of tinkering time has allowed Studio Liverpool to remodel its - racer As a result. Formula One 2002 is a much better all-
We've yet to see the 'ultimate' F1 game, but Formula One 2002 is definitely moving in the right direction. It's not without its problems. The car movement often feels a little stiff and the controls are a touch feisty. Similariy, it would have been nice to see split-time information as
Allen, Friday and Saturday practice sessions, the tense
speed freak developer Is also
Why we'd buy rt
- An exhaustive F1 simulation
- Up-to-date action - Simulation and Arcade modes
that will suit all players
mm
sum
JTf
r-
A M B m O N
Lantern-jawed Coulthard.
jES» S AV I I C 9 I I T H I B fmt
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102 PlayStation,? OFFICIRL mRGRZINE-UK
be a Juan Pablo Montoya- j
type contender or a tilark |
Why we'd leave it - Only slightly better than EA's
racing. Fuel stops only come Into play in the longer races.
rival, F1 2002 - The official licence restricts
imaginative game design
Variable weather motion-captured pit crews
Sound
Commentary from nvs Allen and Bnindle
Gameplay Life span
Designed for both beginners and veterans alike Will last a whole season - that's 17 race weekends
A great game for F1 fens and serious race game lovers. The best of its kind on PlayStation 2.
OFFigBy VERDICT
rrs TOE PTTS As well as
talking your ear off while you race, the/ll fix your car, too. ■
■ IN SEASON Playing the full year is a pretty brave move.
DRIVING
time Information lets you see whether you're going to
extended, mesmerising GP
Graphics
pit crews and champagne-splashed podium celebrations.
■
nabbing hot lap. Added split-
RACE With adjustable race
J
qualifying hour and, finally, the race day (complete with morning warm-up). Out on the track the 3D is more detailed with updated cars and tracks, motion-captured
"espons/b/e for WIpEout
QUAUFYING You've got an iiour to put In that pole-
experience an F1 quick-fix or
Arcade, Time Attack and Spectator modes. But the real challenge here is the Simulator Again, race weekends enjoy maximum detail - TV-style intros, chit
former name, Psygnosls. The
and improve performance.
distances, you can easily
the Nurburgring, Spa and Hockenheim. Like last year's racer. Formula One 2002 boasts
chat from ITVs commentators Martin Brundle and James
wisely to tweak car settings
«lfl
Formula One 2002 is still a fine racer Who knows what
will happen next time around... □ Rowan Mcintyre
Webber) are featured, as are the major track changes to
began on PSone under Its
and tiie race. Use tiie time
Webber-esque backmarker
you watch other cars qualify in the Camera mode and more emphasis on pit-stop strategising. No doubt RA contractual and licensing reasons prohibit the one thing that F1 games are crying out for - a Career mode. This would really add a personal touch to the gameplay But
debut; the Prost team has dropped out. The new drivers (Takuma Sato, Alan McNIsh, Felipe Massa and Mark
Mth the Formula One series It
session, a warm-up session
enliven GPs with even the shortest of race distances.
FOitMUlA ONE 2002
stud/0 Liverpool has continued
practice runs, a qualifying
i SiaSILKISTONr' ,
Split-times have been added so you can see how 'hot' your hot laps are becoming, while mechanical failures
\' round titleinOn basicseason. level, thiThe s new editioteam n reflmakes ects theits changes thea2002 Toyota
3 BACK STORY
weekend consists of four
L O V E LY
B U B B LY
You'd better hope that's Champagne
Sony Ericsson
V ©
•:S#
P u t a f a c e t o t h e n u m b e r. Customise your phone book on your T68i and see who's calling. Use a picture you've taken with the CommuniCam'^'^ or download an image to fit the person. And don't hold back - tell it like it is with picture phone book.
©
Messaging
Imaging
The Sony Ericsson T68i Colour Screen ■ World Coverage ■ Mobile Internet ■ Bluetooth™ ■ MMS* w w w. S o n y E r i c s s o n . c o m
i - , U -
r-'-f
vi^'v V ■ T H AT S C H A M P I O N W i n
a tournament and you're treated to celebrations
accompanied by Queen's We Are The Champions.
■ SPECIAUSrS The
free kick styles of Carios and Becks have been
perfectly captured.
c
S I LV E R
r PlayStation^
m HE SCORES GOALS
Scholes' late runs into ^
the box are just one s > " ' ^ example of the realism. ' '
e
%
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kfn.,
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NoiMVtny CZ3
PRO EVOLUnON SOCCER 2 The biggest crowd-pleaser in football returns to claim the 2002 Championship. PUBLISHER: KONAMI DEVELOPER: KONAMI 7Y0 PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 8 O U T; N O W W E B S I T E : W W W. KONAMI-EUROPE.COM 60HZ MODE: YES WIDESCREEN: YES SURROUND SOUND: YES P E R I P H E R A L S : M U LT I T O P
■ BACK STORY The original Pro Evolution Soccer 1$ the best and
bestselling football game on P$2, offering superlative, ultm-
reallstlc gameplay (as opposed to the arcade action of Its
stablemate ISS],
Dramatic, bombastic and, dare we say it, camper than a window box, Queen's rocktastic anthem We Will Rock You - played over images of 30-yard drives, take-noprisoner tackles and glorious through-balls - provides the perfect Intro to Konami's breathlessly-anticipated Pro Evolution Soccer 2. if you're not gagging for a huge football injection after that, you're probably a rugby fan. Now, before we start assessing the game, let's put our cards on the table. Here at 0PS2 we worship the original Pro Evolution Soccer. We play it every day and smile dreamily at its very name. You obviously adore it as well, judging by its sales figures. So while we all
life-consuming Master League has even greater depth thanks to a three-division setup, plus extra managerial
0-1
lUi
i
aspects including the need to negotiate transfers, salaries and loans. The Umbro Training Centre is a great addition that consists of six challenges designed to improve your playing skills, such as passing, dribbling and free kick-taking Small touches - like being able to import your Master League team into the Friendly Match mode or the option to set the crowd's bias to home, away or derby - make all the difference and show that the developer has listened to feedback from the public.
E AT M Y G O A L
desperately want to love Pro Evo 2, it has a helluva job to improve on the original. To justify shelling out another hard-earned £40, it doesn't just have to be better than the original. It has to be considerably better Thankfully, it is. And here's why... First off, the options. There are more club teams,
As for the presentation, the godawful commentary team of Chris James and Terry Butcher have been replaced by ITVs Peter Brackley and fence-sitting punditry legend Trevor Brooking And while we occasionally pine for the
more international teams and more stadiums. The
craps up at random moments more than makes up for
days of "the sun is out but the wind is shooting through the stadium," Trey's guttural, almost orgasmic sigh that
*
/
4
GQ
Savlota
GOING FOR GLJORY It's not just about winning matches, it's about winning goodies.
TEAMS There are seven classic teams to unlock. We won't PLAYERS As well as accessing a roster or additional players NAMES Win the Konami Cup with a club team and you'll unlock give them all away here, but you can get Eternal England through success in the Master League, achieving a the Commentaty Team Name option in Edit Clubs. This enables you ICharlton, Robson, Keegan and col by winning the European 'FANTASTIC!' rating |1,000+ points) in the Umbro Training to change what the crowd chants and what the the commentator Cup with England, and Beloved Brazil IPele, Zico, Socrates, Centre challenges opens up recently retired footballing calls the team to its correct title lArsenal instead of London, Leeds etc) by triumphing as Brazil in the South American Cup, legends like Hristo Stoichkov, Dunga and Enzo Sclfo, instead of Yorkshire, for example)
104 PlayStation.E aFFICinL mHBRZINE-UK
REUIEU
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER v
i
m
m
MINITTES
n
Match commentary of our first PES2 game. 00.00: Drop disc In excitement. Take deep b r e a t h . Tu r n o n P S 2 .
■ CROSS WORDS
.-V
Crosses still have a
tendency to float into the keeper's arms.
00.02: FMV intra begins
/
accompanied by.. We Wil Rock You! Head starts
involuntarily banging. Soon haunted by Images of 5ive.
■ FUN RUN
00.05: Select a friendly match between r^an Utd and Arsenal. Ijove the
Impraverfctose control makes fancy dribblng far easier.
NovifQtny cxa
Hftkty
Oi
new options to fiddle wltl
- tile condition of your
Hitrro w w w . k o n a m i . c o m
«MACCTOV¥N?! You can now edit
, club tsams«to|prt
- TOE BUTH Generally,
[ any sid^you rani
J can rely on the top class > to come for everything.
team and the supporters' stance. Plus, Old Trafford'; one of tiie new stadiumsl 00.06: It looks miles better. The stadium rocks,
Sciiolesy looks like a min Scholesy while Seaman's
ludicrous ponytaii swings
camply in the breeze. 00.09: The action is faster, slicker and more realistic
IP?
than Pro Evo. Passes
regularly rebound back off team-mates though, wiiich is slightly annoyinj 00.11: First Giggsy run. Tiie Welsh wizard skims inside Lauren, avoids
Campbell's flailing leg,
unleashes a drive and... Yes! It's there! Top corner
Eat my goal Seaman, yoi moustachioed goonlerl! 00.13: Trevor Brooking
the loss. Visuals are glorious, with player representations now uncannily accurate and the high-res stadiums
The ball Is now far more likely to rebound off other
setting the scene perfectly. The series still lacks all the official competitions that FIFA boasts, and some of the teams and players are still lumbered with jumbled up
run across your path, or an opposition player attempting
names, but these can be edited if it bothers you enough to go to the trouble.
Right, now for the important bit - how well does the game perform out on the pitch? Well, if Pro Evolution
Soccer played like a dream, Pro Evo 2 plays like a dream involving Britney Spears, Beyonc6 Knowles and a huge bowl of whipped cream (er, that's Brad Pitt, Enrique
Iglesias and a large tub of Haagen-Dazs for our female
S d l d d o SPOTTER'S BADGE Goalie off his line? Take
advantage with the much improved lob shot: @+ai.
players - whether it's your own team-mate making a to intercept a pass - and this can result in the ball pinging around pinball-style and possession being won and lost ten times in a matter of seconds. Early doors,
this proves somewhat annoying but then you thinK Ireland conceded a goal in the Euro qualifier against Russia when Given's save rebounded in off the hapless Phil Babb. Michael Owen's World Cup goal against Brazil resulted from an erratic bounce off Luclo's shin. So while
absolute authenticity.
degree and broadens the range of possible moves,
allowing you to, say receive the ball with your back to the goal and drag it past a defender in one seamless
playablllty and total realism. It's the addictive challenge of single-player gaming and the competitive joy of multlplayer action, ivtost of all, It's the fact that Konaml
movement Individual player styles are also much more
TYO understands football better than any other
accurate. Beckham addresses the ball in his unique,
developer and makes absolutely no compromises in bringing it to life. If you hate footy you're clearly deranged and this game isn't going to change that. But for the rest
Night Fever and Inzaghi always falls over
00.17: Beckiiam free kick,
29 yarcis out. Absolutely perfect animation of Becks addressing tiie ball, a bit of fancy speed
blur and, oh yes, it's in o tiie underside of tiie bar. 0020: Game over. A 2-0
victory and it's already clear that Pro Evo 2 is a massive improvement or tiie original.
the rebounds happen a bit too often for our liking, they can be forgiven as part of Pro Evolution's quest for
readers). The improvement is largely down to the fact that there are 105% more animations in PES2, so player interaction with the ball is approaching photo-realism. This increases the fluidity of the game to an astonishing
ankle-twisting way, Rivaldo glides across the turf, Keane flies into tackles, Zldane jinks like Travolta in Saturday
emits a gruff orgasmic sigii. Ciieers, then.
Why is this the best football game ever made? It's the combination of simple, uncluttered controls with incredible depth. It's the perfect mix of supreme
of us, Pro Evolution Soccer 2 is one of the year's essential purchases. Sheer football genius. □ Lee Hart
ON THE BALL All the minor problems from the original game have now
PROEVOWnON
been addressed. Because the animation is so much
slicker, players are far less likely to idiotically run the ball
Why we'd buy H:
out of play simply because they're completing a motion-
- It's simply tiie best football game ever created
captured movement. And instead of standing looking at
- We !ove football
Why we'd leave it
- We're still iiappy witii the excellent ongnal
their boots for a few agonising seconds after being
tackled, players now recover almost immediately and attempt to win back possession. It's also much easier to
Sound
i*1ucii imprpved commentary and atmospiiere
run with the ball and while this can allow for daft FIFA-
Gameplay
As close to real footy as you can get
like forays from your own box, it's fantastic to see the
Lite span
(blaster League. Multlplayer Ivlammoth
THE SMALL TOUCHES ALL THE DIFFERENCE HAS REALLY USTENED FEEDBACK FROM THE
MAKE - KONAMI TO PUBUC
likes of Giggsy dribbling at full speed and taking on the
Graphics
Visuals and animation are both spot on
RED ALERT Heinous foi like this are almost
guaranteed to have the ne reaching for his red card.
Better than the original, better than all its rivals, if you're into football games it's time to shell out another £40.
opposition single-handedly However; there Is one
VERDICT
prominent new problem.
□FFICIHL mRBHZINE-UK PlayStation-^ 1
REV^IEUJ RFA 2003
a BACK STORY RFA orlginaliy appeared on the Sega MegaDrlve back in 1994. This Is the third instalment on PS2, but this time EA has wisely listened to criticisms of Its ultralucmtlve franchise including some stern advice from 0PS2's own
Editor - and rebuilt the
game engine from scratch.
Ultimately, even the mightiest sporting dynasties crumble. Complacency creeps In, and with it the expectation that victory Is Just a matter of turning up. Over the last few seasons, reviewers have complained that each new RFA game offered little more than a flashy new trick something for the marketing department to slap on the back of the box. Worse, it Just didn't feel like football. So when Pro Evolution Soccer outsold FIFA last year, the critics were quick to write the series off entirely EA's era of dominance was finally over... But let's not be too hasty with that obituary. Clearly
PUBLISHER; EA SPORTS DEVELOPER; EA CANADA PRICE; £44.99 PLAYERS; 1-4 O U T; N O W WEB SITE: WWW.nFA2003.EA.COM 60HZ MODE; NO WIDESCREEN; NO SURROUND SOUND; NO P E R I P H E R A L S ; M U LT T I A P
chastened, EA has taken its flagship franchise back to the boot room, retuming with radically reworked gameplay and a new engine. Don't panic, though. Everything you love about FIFA Is still here: accurate stadia, authentic kits and spooklly lifelike (if slightly stockyj player models It's the football which Is unrecognisable. The developer has clearly spent time pulling apart Pro Evo, trying to nail the secret of its success. The benefits are obvious: passing Is crisp and intuitive, with players making intelligent runs and looking for quick one-twos. The ball no longer sticks to their feet like a piece of Juicy Fruit coated in UHU. In fact, the whole thing feels a lot less flashy Sure, you can still perform tricks (this time using the right analogue stick! but matches no longer look like Rivaldo's showreel - all cheeky step-overs and spectacular bicycle kicks. Instead, scoring is a matter of careful build-up play and prising open opportunities. Yes, you can fire In 20-yanj screamers, but elegant sidefoots inside the box are much more common.
too long which can thnDW out your timing when lining up a shot. In truth, the whole shooting system needs work. Given that the likes of Owen can crack off a thunderbolt
with little or no backlifl:, having to charge shots, crosses and throughballs feels unrealistic, particularly when it lets your opponent make a last-ditch tackle. Defensive Ai Is also suspect, with wing backs going AWOL and central defenders leaving enough space to sail a ship through. Lining up sliding tackles is also unnecessarily fussy and the crossing feels unfinished. More worryingly, the series still hasn't entirely eradicated the spectre of slowdown. But enough negatives. In multiplayer particularly, you'll be forgiving most of these problems, simply because the core pass-and-move gameplay is such a Joy FIFA 2003 still has a way to go before it overhauls Konami's critical darling Nonetheless, this is still quite a comeback Next year the title run-in could be even closer □ Tim Clark RFA 2003 Why we'd buy it - Ttie best FIFA in absolutely ages - Endorsed up to the eyeballs - Utterly superb audio
Why we'd leave it
■
- Occasional, but severe,
Heskey firing in a 30-yard rasper? Without falling over?
- still flawed next to Pm Em 2
slowdown
dod® shooting Graphics Impressive facial accuracy, but chunky torsos Sound stunning pundltiy from Motly and McCoist Caniepl^ iviassively improved. Genuinely entertaining Life span Solid Mastering the new system will take time
For fully-licensed you should frol no | shame In buying this. There's still work to be done, but It's hugely enjoyable.
111
*11 JVC
FUCK A
FREE KICK Zizou gets clattered on the
The left analogue stick aims
All you have to do now is
Bosh! Smashes it straight
Oh well. Back to the
edge of the box. Time for
the crosshairs. The right stick selects where you strike the ball (watch the Icon In the bottom-left comerl.
stop the bar in the green sweet spot He starts his
into the wall.
drawing board,
little Bobby to line up one of his specials.
106 Play5tation.E DFFICIHL mRGRZINE-UK
run-up and...
BE
DAMNED!
- Haphazard crossing and
Unfortunately FIFA also copies some of Pro Evo's bad habits. Some animations run on for a couple of frames
Taking dead balls now involves using a novel, golf-style swingometer. Here's how to bend it like, erm, Roberto Carlos.
REAUSM
Roberto.
SAMBA PSYCHO Roberto fixes us with his death stane after we fiuff his free kick
I lo-lnteractive
SILENT
ASSASSIN
e
i
D
C
© 2002 10 Interactive. Hitman2 ; Silent Assassin is a trademark of Eidos lr>teractive. Eidos, Eidos interactive, and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks o1 Eidos Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 Interactive logo ar# trademarks of 10 Interactiva.
Microsoft, >tox, theXbox logos, »ee(1hertBQiste»ed trademark ortademarksof Microsoft Ctorpoafon in the United StatesancV<*om*coijntries.O 2002 Microscpft03cp«ation>^ under licence by Eidos Interactive Ltd. 2002." " and "PlayStation" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Em»rt*inm«m Inc. All righti r«sdrv»d.
REUIEUJ G U N G R AV E / L M A 2 0 0 3
HEY, GOOD LOOKM'The
first thing that impresses are the gotigeous graphics.
G U N G R AV E Hammering the final naii in subtlety's coffin, It's Gungrave Subtle as a gas explosion in a glass factory and a damn sight more violent, Gungrave has arrived at the PS2 party wflth a six-pack of
ENremAiNK PRICE £34.99 PWYERS: 1 O U T; N O W
whup-ass and a very bad attitude. No doubt you'll notice the manga style graphics. From this you may
WEB SITE: W W W. G U N G R AV E C O M 60HZ MODE NO
GET tN THERE This one
screenshot $ums up the whup-ass spirit of Gungme.
WIDESCREEN: YES
infer that the bizarre hero with the coffin/rocket launcher
SURROUND SOUND: NO
combo chained to his back and his child's covifboy hat has an epic back story and a legion of comic book fans. You'd be wrong. Gungrave Is an original creation and, despite some great FMV, his motivation doesn't matter a spit, in a good way His goal, your mission. Is to battle through six levels shoehorned to bursting point with bizarre, gun-toting goons and uber-bosses with naty a marble between them, wreaking utter havoc and racking
To be honest. It's hard not to look cool playing this game, but thankfully the game Is a harsher Judge than either you or your slack-jawed mates are likely to be. The down side to all this grin-inducing cartoon carnage Is the game's length. At only six levels, Gungrave's one-note gameplay doesn't outstay Its welcome, but for 35 quid you really deserve more than an afternoon's play A priority rental then, for sure, but ludicrous bodycount aside, Gungrave's real victim Is value for money. □ Paul Fitzpatrick
G I M G R AV E Why we'd buy it
awarded for kills but you also get a bonus for gunassisted style based on your in-game acrobatics, pointblank gunplay and use of grandstanding demolition moves
Xi
H T S T T M B S blastal
^^O^UERDICT 01,246,065
'oY'
Sat Cirrem
'-'J' - J • V
Pe'formanc*
' »* •; PremJerst*}
V*
T o t f g fi h j t r n
Third
C o n t r a c t 3 years
Round
Contract C * (n the top 14
t
0
J D o ' To u t & i n s p e c t l i o f f e r s ?
mt t m m m t m
0«rectofsRatr>9
OPS2
f
1*
3o<^ (^o) 30% (-H))
S y p p o r t e r s R a t i n g *■
OefensJve K e e p f t a i
of
the
Month
OB
0
0
JBUNG FOR YOUR BUCK £9m
JTHE THRIUA AT VIULA Tweak your tactics to go for dogged defence or all-out attack
WT JV 2003
year's outing is the ability to change the playing style of the team while watching the game unfold, accompanied
what your team has In Its locker LMA 2003 Is basically Just an update with the latest team lists and strips. Its accuracy has been aided by the Introduction of the transfer deadline, which ensures that line-ups won't change until the winter transfer window. The configuration of the menu screens Is the same as before and new player managers will find that they take some getting used to. But once you've got the hang of It, using the Interface becomes second nature and what could be a nightmare task of keeping track of the different screens showing transfer Information, league and cup diaries, training schedules and so on, becomes surprisingly simple. The sheer amount of Information at your fingertips Is Impressive. There are comprehensive stats for each of 17,000-plus professional players fnDm the 720 Eunapean
ICS PiayStaElon.B qfficirl mRERZiNE-UK ,
.Mnm-
ii'-
FLYING HIGH All you have to do is finish in the top 14. Even the real Boro can manage that! football clubs Another feature carried over from last
■HH Instalment to give you the chance to see Just
- T
1^1i B E _ ® ? "P
It's a funny old game football. Two halves
to breach Its technical area.
SURROUND SOUND; NO
8
apparently Much more important than life or death, they say Well LMA Is back with Its latest
The game that's not afraid PUBLISHER; CODEMASTCRS DEVELOPER: CODEMASTERS PRICE: £39.99 PLAYERS: 1-2 O U T: N O W WEB SITE: w w w. c o d e m a s t e r s x o . u k 60HZ MODE: NO i WIDESCREEN: NO
CD B
M a t c n
for Boksic? They must be mad.
30% (-hO) - f l «
Karacer
5u(»t^u«cs
...
02
Round
Second
.
J CMteea offered £9,100.000 for ASofcstc.
.
iut
N / A
^ Le«gu« Cup
j
13
H a m g e r
NotionaiCup
Board
- We like value for mon^
Gungr sweet, stylish,
£lt,029,083
Sun
,
- We want a non-violent game
- We believe in stylish gunplay
Important, but looking cool while you dish out painflavoured revenge Is Gungrave's main draw. So points are
_
Why we'd leave it
- We must kill, Wll, Kill!
up a tidy bodycount as you go. Getting from one level to the next in one piece Is
by helpful Insights from Messrs LIneker and Hansen. Granted, this sort of game Is only going to appeal to those who enjoy getting Involved In the statistical side of football, and very little has changed from last time round, but the LMA series still covers every blade of grass on the pitch. The lads done good. □ Rowan Mcinlyre
LMA 2003 Why we'd buy it - To keep up to date with all the
Why we'd leave it
- TTiere's very little that's new
team rosters
Graphics Sound
Gameplay Ufe
If you think you can do a better Job than Fergie and Wenger, here's your chance to prove it
0 7
O^ClHygERDICT
© 2002 10 Interactive. Hitman2 : Silent Assassin is a trademark of Eidos Interactive. Eidos, Eldos Interactive, and the Eidos Interactive logo are registered trademarks of Eidos Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 Interactive logo are trademarks of 10 Interactive. Microsoft, Xbox. the Xbox logos, are either regstsfedtrademaks or trademate of Microsoft Corporation r the IJnited States and/or other countries. ©2aEMic^ under licence by Eidos interactive Ltd. 2002." ^ " and "PlayStation" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All nghts reserved.
85 e ™ & -
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ON THE
DVD ■
REUIEU
H AV E N : C A L L O F T H E K I N
E AT M Y GENRE!
CHARGE!
Energy is vital ^ to power
W shields and
Haven makes a big
f machines.
point of stressing its biend of many
gameplay styles in
one all-embracing adventure. But what' does this mean you
are going to be able to da?
RACEW,-^ On land and by sea, you
can get behind the control: and race several types of fantasy vehicle. Win various objects - sometimes even the vehicle itself.
THINK!
HERO WORSHIP? He may look like a reject from Pop Idol but Haven is a genuine platforming hero: Likeable, gutsy and daft as a brush.
WHO'S CALUNG? A brief introduction
to Haven's story.. Titular hero Haven Is a member of a race of
people enslaved by an ugly bruiser who goes bytfte name Lord Vetch. It is said that this downtrodden
people can be liberated when a mystical bell called The Golden Voice is
rung, awakening a hero. But nobody knows where this bell Is located Haven, however, has been having
strange dreams. Dreams in which he hears a voice. It would appear that his
destiny holds more than iust ^llfe of servitude In t j a r d Ve t c h ' s m i n e s . . .
HIGH
BROW
Some
characters help; some try to make your life sheer hell.
KICKING OFF The further you progress in Haven, the more you become a target for Lord Vetch's laser-wielding minions. They're on foot here, but in spaceships later on.
The invention doesn't stop there. Crash Bandicoot had crates stuffed with goodies, as did Jak And Daxter. Haven has pots. And how. Bomb pots, spiky pots, flaming pots, weapon pots, shielded pots, locked pots and acid pots. Then how about pots that can only be broken with the help of a tiny blue fire dragon that you have to track down and lure with the glow of your energy shield? Or the Innocent-looking pot-bots that sprout legs and start
sunset, the teeming carpet of scarab beetles spilling out of a plinth in the Chamber Of Doom, the lava coursing through Mount FIrash. But then you have Haven's double Jump that looks and feels woolly, a camera that can be a little sluggish in tight corners, and 'no go' areas that provoke a familiar sinking, 'invisible wall' feeling It's not as if these are fatal flaws, but at the quality end of the
platformer spectrum (where Haven belongs) they should
shooting? And, believe it or not, that's not all of them.
be unnecessary. The bottom line? Despite the criticisms. Haven is an
CALLING THE SHOTS
temporary laser power-up for Haven's weapon (the
impressive and gratifylngly ambitious platformer Not the PS2 barrel (or pot) smasher that it wants to be, but not far off. We get the feeling this isn't going to be the end of Haven's adventures - on the evidence of his first outing
yo-yo-like Mag-Ball) to the impressive tally of gameplay
we cant wait for what's in store. □ Paul Fitzpatrick.
This delirious, 'everything but the kitchen sink' approach is found throughout the game, from five variations of
types on offer Yes, Haven's soul Is that of a true platform hero, but that doesn't stop him moonlighting as a race driver puzzle noodler shoot-'em-up grunt, space pilot
and arena gladiator (see Eat My Genre!) Traveller's Tales Is Justifiably proud of its new graphics engine. It's not often a single sitting with a game can take you from a sea battle to an aerial dogfight via a meaty session of trad platforming. Busy? You have no idea. And there lies the reason why for all Its inventiveness and kit bag of tempting goodies. Haven fails to surpass its two most immediate peers to claim the top perch on the PS2 platforming tree. Technically the game's scope is impressive, and there are many Individual elements that are charming and thrilling in equal amounts. From tiny details (a pendulum platform that requires Haven to shift
HAVEN: CALL OF THE KING Why we'd buy it - One platformer is never enough - Variety is the spice of life - A meaty and challenging adventure awaits
inevitably perhaps, the overall flow of the game and its story can't help but suffer a little in the long run. It's the same reason why some tasks feel inspired and nicely paced, while others outstay their welcome. For the sake of a little Judicious pruning Haven could have been even more by trying to encompass Just a little less. This applies graphically, too. There are touches in this adventure that will soften even the hardest gamen a
Why we'd leave it - One platformer is enough - The quality of different sections does vary
- We'd prefer a master of one
SHOOT!
if you don't llke-using your brain, you can always rely on meaty shooting. This gun-assisted monorail ride will have you pounding
your firing thumb to a puif
SHOOn (SOME MORE) Are wave upon wave of
deadly enemies out for yonrblood-while a stadlun audience roars? Then you\ s t o m h i fi d o n o f fl o f H a v e n
fi^te to me death.
trade, not a Jack of all
Graphics Mostly brilliant but patchy in places
Sound Stirring score, solid sound effects Gameplay Varied, enjoyable, sometimes frustrating Ute span It's a big game with plent/ to do
Lots of fiin and packed with brilliant
Ideas. Would be a landmark game, if not for the superior Ratchet & Clank
□FFClBLjUEROICT
his weight to access a higher area) to huge revelations (the first time you realise you can fly a spaceship from a planet's orbit down to buzz individual buildings on Its surface in one seamless flight) there's a lot to like. But Haven's ideas are Just so densely packed that
r
Haven will really rev up your head walnut In this collapsing maze puzzle, each step you take makes more stones fall away, Hovi will you get acrosssafety?
■ ABL£ SEAMAN
GHrfers and letpacks am just we-eegmning of Haven's flying fun, Befoce you know it, you'll be battling fighters in space and warping around fmm planet to planet.
Haven is populated with a huge cast of NPCs like this d o c k s i d e c h a r m e r.
• ; JUMPI
Oh, and don't forget, Hove
is a platformer, too. Object to csiHect, energy to maintain, ledgesio leap
from - you may be too exhausted to notice...
shadow cast from the wings of a glider flying towards the
QFFICIRL mRBHZINE-UK PlayStation.? 1
Qth<^ lLfe£^tylG£i pal /r^^|77pa/T/£)or7.
PlayStation 2 THE Pi-55I0N PLRCE THEELHTI N PLRCE THE P lilER PLRCE THE THIRD PLACE
4f" fip<^S7J[fUE:
m BOXmQ CLEVER The
Punehea Lmnied!
ONE IN THE CHOPS Go for the heavy bag In Itainlng and
I you'll be able to recreate the moment Rocky beats meat.
T m
PU8USHER: RAGE DEVELOPER RAGE PRICE. £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 2 OUT 15 NOVEMBER
v v w w. r 6 c k y t h e g a m e . c o m 60HZ MODE. YES WfOESCREEN YES SURROUND SOUND: YES
\
■ BACK STORY
Rocky has been developed by Rage's Newcastle studio, whose previous game was space shooter Expendable on PC and Dreamcast. No
wonder It's been a few years
RepJays %t yw e^.'oy tl^e action ^ga -^ and agaia
R OCKY Eat lightnin' and crap thunder as the Italian Stallion. Traditionally, boxing games arent the stuff of legend - Ready 2 Rumble and Knockout Kings were plucky challengers, but were both Incapable of taking the undisputed champion's title. Now a new heavyweight challenger Is entering the ring, and If anyone can bring some style to PS2 pugilism, It'll be Rocky. The series Is the world's
Lang's is particularly brutal. Taunting - In Rocky's case, with authentic soundbites - boosts your health meter
biggest, if not always best, set of boxing films. What
come Into play and facial damage is also evident - it's so satisfying to see Rocky getting visibly battered, while trainer Mickey shouts words of advice.
made them great was a tried-and-trusted chaliengetrain-flght formula, some cool 'bad guys' - and who can forget that stirring theme music?
THIS IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, ONE OF THE MOST FAITHFUL MOVIE-TO-GAME ADAPTATIONS TO DATE ON PLAYSTATION 2
This is one of the most
faithful movie-to-game adaptations to date on PS2. It also works independently as a quality boxing sim, with a main Movie mode where
since then - Stallone himself
had to give the green light to
Rocky fights opponents in the order of the films, as well
every game likeness before Rocky could be finished.
as Exhibition (single) fights and Sparring (practice) PEPTOlKlfthe fight goes well your trainer's nice, If not you'll get a verbal battering.
METAL AS ANYTHING Victories unlock
new characters. This statue's pretty hard.
modes. Training is part of the Movie mode, with tasks like
sit-ups and bag work, improving timing increases Rocky's stats, but you can Auto Train if you'd rather get straight to the action. There's a variety of fighters, and although some may seem obscure, they're all from the films. Defeat them in Movie mode and they'll be unlocked to
One of the best aspects of the game Is the attention to detail lavished on the characters. Rocky appears in all film guises, from porky puncher to pumped-up pugilist, and his opponents are also lovingly recreated (see And In
The Red Comer...). Blood, sweat and mat staining all
Rocky is set at Just the right level for gamers and film
fans alike, and there's plenty of fun to be had fighting your way through the plot, although the game's good looks come at the expense of fairly long load times, which may nag some players. But even if you're not a boxing fan, or are too young to remember the films, Rocky has something to offer if your collection lacks a boxing game, this Is PS2's real contender, □ Mark Wyatt ROCKY 1 Why we'd buy it - Great boxing action - Fantastically faithful to the Alms - Incredible graphics, effects and
in the ring your fighter is controlled using the left
- Doesnt really push the limits
of the genre - Rocky who?
movie atmosphere
play or spar against In the other modes. Triumph over ail
and you'll even get to play as the bronze Rocky statuei
Why we'd leave it
Sound
Blood, sweat and stoved-ln faces. Superb Ljoads of movie samples and crowd noise
Oameplay
Solid boxing action, but not too innovative
Graphics
analogue stick and combinations of (g), ®, @ and ®.
LMe span It's a shame only Rocky Is playable In Movie mode
You can bob and weave using m, and it's surprising how soon you'll put together combos and make stars appear
If boxing's your thing, you really sliouldnt be without this. And it's actually a really
above your opponent's head - while he's woozy, tap gd to unleash a super punch. Each fighter has a different super punch to match their style, for example. Clubber
accurate and entertaining film adaptation
B
OFFIORL UERDICf
ROU-Cm AND IN ThE
RED CORNER. If the boxing action doesnt get you sweating, tfie attention to detail surely will.
APOLLO
CLUBBER
With four incarnations of Stallone Ttie Master Of Disaster. The King An angty, angry man with a lot of He must break you, but with that The last and least of Rocky's
through the ages, we re spoilt for Of Sting. Nice tache, Apollo. gold and attitude to spare. His flat top you'd be forgiven for big fights, the bad boy brawler choice here. prediction for the fight? "Pailnnnl" laughing in his big Russian face. deserves a jolly good beating.
114 PlayStation.2 DFFICinL mRER2INE-UK
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stii #fi||p| game yet" 0PS2 0 ganfe ever" C&VG
r r r r r Avr ^n/Nc^ THE i^HUppn^i, y'au TH£ n^s^r
www.thq.
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DOGGY STYLE Beat the Coliseum and face the threeheaded Cerberus.
m GUT WRENCHING Swallowed by a toongalactic whale, the heroes must fight into the beast's bowels to save Pinocchio.
K I N G D O M H E A RT S Royally taking the Mickey with Disney and Square.
PUBUSHER: SCEE
DEVELOPER: SQUARE PRICE; £39.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: 2 2 N O V E M B E R W E B S I T E : W W W. KJNGDOMHEARTS.COM 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
Like oil and water or chalk and cheese, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Square and Disney shouldn't mix Square, undisputed king of the RPG, tells gloriously sprawling stories with turn-based fantasy combat and lavish cut-scenes.
BACK STORY
(The Nightmare Before Christmas]. And along the way
characters that have generally been confined to poorly-
you'll meet Alice and the Cheshire Cat, Pinocchio, Winnie The Pooh, the wizard Merlin and many more besides.
involving and spectacularly blends RPG-style mechanics with Disney artwork to create an inspiring adventure.
work from Final Fantasy
Kingdom Hearts feels' like a typical Square game.
veteran Tetsuya Nomura. The cast-list is worthy of a Disney movie rather
Spiky-haired hero Sora lives on an idyllic island with best friends Kairi and Riku, plus various pre-pubescent Final
than a game: Haley Joel Osment fThe Sixth Sense) provides
paradise Is shattered when Sora's world is invaded by
Fantasy X characters such as Tidus and Wakka, This
the voice for the hem
the Heartless - shadowy creatures without hearts of their own who steal the life energies of others. A vortex
Sora, while teen
songstress Mandy Moore,
splits Sora fnDm his friends and sucks him into another universe. There, he is proclaimed the
'NSync's Lance Bass, Sean Astin, Brian Blessed, Billy Zone and David Boreonaz
all provide vocal talents.
'Chosen One', given a magical sword in the shape of a key and charged with saving the universe. Underneath this plot, you'll find a familiar RPG backbone with HP, MP, AP, experience points, ability power-ups, plus Final ftintasy-style cut-scenes and sub-games. As Sora hunts for his lost friends, he meets Donald Duck and Goofy who are searching for the
I N T E R S PA C E : THE HNAL FRONTIER? The Kingdom Hearts levels are split into selfcontained worlds, each
characters' physical or magic-based attacks. Destroying the Heartless also gains you experience, health powerups and 'Munn/ which can be spent on restorative potions and protective trinkets. As the main characters develop and the plot cranks fonward, new sections of the game open up, but Kingdom Hearts is generally linear in that you're directed from one world to the next where you battle the Heartless and ultimately defeat a boss.
A CHANGE OF HEART Unlike the FF series. Kingdom Hearts abandons turnbased combat In favour of real-time action. Each world
has a number of 3D locations, infested with Heartless in
the form of bat-like flyers, floating hat-shaped spellthnDwers and skittering Golem-esque shadows. Using a mix of hack 'n' slash mayhem and magical attacks, the Heartless can be defeated and levels can be cleared.
a ;
between them using a customisable Gummi
gain Warp drive to access the
spaceship.
n e x t f o u r.
Disney movie. You travel
The result Is an action adventure that blends
Square's design and narrative expertise with Disney's globally iconic characters. The Square influences include recognisable spells (such as Fira and Cure] and Final Fantasy character power-ups. Combat gains AP which can be spent equipping new abilities to Improve your
-ir
Four worlds exist on a ring and the Gummi spaceship can travel between them one-by-one. Visit the first four worlds and you will
one themed around a
you'll visit Deep Jungle (Torzon), the underwater realm of Atlantica (TTie Uttle MermaidI and Halloween Town
Disney, in contrast, has a back catalogue of classic received, mostly forgettable platform games. But Kingdom Hearts quickly banishes any doubts you may have had about Square's digital fling with the House of Mouse. Like Final Fantasy X before it, the game is all-
Kingdom Hearts /s the result of two years of hard
missing King Mickey Plots intertwine, the three Join forces and the quest begins across a game universe filled with cartoon worlds. Inspired by Disney's movies,
116 PlayStation.^ OFFICIRL mRBRZINE-UK
Ttie bright. bloclQ^ Gummi spaceships can be built to your own design. Collect Gummi armour, Gummi engines and Gummi cockpits to build faster and better interspace vehicles.
The joumey between worlds is fraught with blocky danger. The flight resembles an Eighties shoot-'em-up - but it's the only
When you reach a new destination - here the Hercules-
way to collect Gummi blocks to
against the Heartless or fly on
make a new space ship.
themed Coliseum world - you can either land to do battle to the next world
REUIEU KINGDOM HEART
HERCULEAN EFFORT The game's levels are inspired by AGGRO IN AGRABAH At certain points during the game, you iro (here (h( Disney movies - Aladdin, Pinocchio, Tarzan and Hercules. can replace Goofy or Donaid with a guest hero Aladdin).
HIM lARZAN, YOU SORA Battle possessed jungle beasts in Tarzan's world. An auto lock-on facility can aid you In combat.
WHO'S
WHO
IN
m
KINGDOM HEARTS? V
The game features over 100 Disney fo/k from stars lilie Aladdin and Captain Hook to bit-part players like Flounder
(the yellow fish in The Little MermaidJ.
Here are a few of the characters you'll meet
A TYPICAL SQUARE STORY OF HEROISM BETRAYAL AND
LAST-MINUriE, AGAINST-ALl-
ODDS SPARKLY REDEMPTION
Disney's best-known features, the game has many nice touches - the Heartless are directed by a super villain club that includes the wicked queen Mallflcent from
the more combo moves you unleash, ivieanwhile, Donald Duck and Goofy (or guest heroes such as Tarzan and Aladdin) fight by your side. You can't directly control them but they help divert some attacks, providing Sora with
{Aladdin} can be summoned in battle, like FFX Aeons. Grab a Thesaurus, look up terrific' and pick your favourite synonym. Despite some niggles. Kingdom Hearts is challenging engaging and a joy to play
healing spells or combat assistance when required. Unlike previous Square titles. Kingdom Hearts shouldn't (and indeed can't] be taken seriously The combination of FFand Disney characters initially jars, but the longer you play, the more you get used to Goofy
Brilliantly animated and voice-acted, the game has the distinct feel of an animated feature. Think of It as your own private Disney movie. □ Dean Evans
performing a spinning Tomado attack or Donald Duck firing a Blizzara spell. Like previous FFs, the gameplay revolves around object collection, lots of combat and puzzle-solving All of this is woven Into a typical Square story line of heroism, betrayal and last-minute, againstall-odds sparkly redemption. There are also sub-games to play - find the lost 101 Dalmatians, compete in the hero games in the Coliseum, or design and build your own Gummi starfighter to battle evil spaceships. Kingdom Hearts is an oddify, albeit a thoroughly enjoyable one. It's slightly disappointing that there's not more variety to the gameplay and that the combat is hampered by an annoying swinging camera, but while the game is repetitive, the superb presentation can blind
You'll find Aladdin in Agrabah,
Heartless, locking each world to prevent their return.
fighting to free Princess Jasmine from royal vizier, Jafah.
AUCE
ARIEL
"taw
Sieeping Beauty and Captain Hook from Peter Pan. FF characters such as Yuffie and Cloud make appearances,
ALADDIN
The boy-hero must battle the
Wonderland Is overrun by the Our boy-hero becomes a boyHeartless. Can you save Alice fish to fight the Heartless before It's too late? alongside this little Mermaid'.
you to these issues. Blessed with sky-high production values which perfectly capture the individual styles of
The combat is straightfonward - Sora executes sword moves via the attack button and the faster you press it,
SORA
while the spirits of Simba (Lion King) and the Genie
C A P TA I N
HOOK
DONALD
&
GOOFY
In Neverland you'll find Peter These toons are searching for Pan, the Lost Boys, and a fight the missing King Micl(ey and with Captain James Hool(. Boo! will fight loyally by your side.
[ V
KINGDOM HEARTS J
Why we'd buy it
Why we'd leave it
- We're Square fans - Superb production values,
camera during combat - Repetitive RPG elements
- We're Disney fans
- Annoying inflexible game
HADES
HERCULES
Just one of the many members In the Coliseum world you can of the shadowy super villain compete in gladiatorial games club who control the Heartless, (trained by fat satyr, Philocetes]
animation and design
Sound
Pixel-perfect recreations of Disney heroes Good voice-acting chirpy loops of Disney songs
Cameptay Lifespan
Repetitive, but Disney surprises l
GrapMcs
An enticing and hugely entertaining collaboration between Disney fantasy and Final Fantasy.
□PFigny VERDICT
JACK
SKELUNGTON
From Burton's The N/ghtmore Before Christmas, Halloween Town comes to digital life.
PINOCCHIO
Gepetto and Jiminy Cricket joir the puppet who wants to become a real boy.
□FFICIRL tTIRERZINE-UK PlayStation.E 1]
REUIELU SUMMONER 2
S U M M O N E R 2 A world is in peril and only cleverly distributed EXP can save it. Most RPG games are built to a formula:
there's a boy or girl hero, an ancient prophecy or legendary but long-lost artefact, skills and
■ BACK STORY Early Sony adopters among you stiould remember
A + B - C Puzzle elements
ensure that button-bashing Isnt all Summoner 2 offers.
stats, the clang of swords and the fizzle of pastel-sparkled battle magic. And at first, Summoner 2 seems no different. Maia, the warrior queen of Halassar, has been hailed as the goddess Laharah reborn, a child
of prophecy destined to heal the world. Standing between her and a happy ending are 40+ hours of hacking 'n'
Summoner - It was one of
the early PS2 titles. Both Summoner games were birthed at experienced THQ'Chunk Volition, also
responsible for the explosive FPS titles Red Faction and Red Faction il
(see page 100 for a review of the latter}.
PUBLISHER: THO D E V E L O P E R ; V O LT T I O N PRICE: £39.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: N O W W3UMMONER2.COM 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN; NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
slashing, magic spells, health potions, object collection and enough on-screen chat to fill a 500-page novel. But Summoner 2 is more than Just another cut-
transform into rune creatures, each with its own powers.
the basic swordplay and spell casting, Maia has the ability
top floor and none of the lifts are worthing □ Dean Evans
detailed fantasy gameworld and retaining the summoning
Summoner, these creatures appeared alongside the hero. In Summoner 2, the heroine morphs into the summoned creature instead, using its strength and powers. There atB
eye - and each produces a different creature. Knowing when and where to use them adds an extra dimension to
the predictable 'search, fight, watch cut-scene' gameplay. Beneath the smoothly-animated 3D are the hit points, ability points and skill categories which detennine how well your characters move and fight But Volition has Ignored a turn-based combat structure in favour of a real-time action/adventure approach. You can travel with other characters, but the game's Ai controls them in
battle. Maia is the official heroine, but you can swap between the characters at will. So you might prefer to
CHARACTER BUILDING You can swap between available characters at
any time to take advantage of special
Jetall - magic potions, hit points and skill categories.
118 PlayStatlon.S DFFICIRL fTlRERZINE-UK
appreciate it. There's a target lock facility, a First-person mode for firing ranged weapons and a fat quest journal with details on world mythology, people and places. The combat is surprisingly unforgiving - your characters can be overwhelmed by groups of enemies, so instead of
feature that gives the games their name. In addition to
scene-wrapped bag of RPG cliches. The game builds on the strengths of the original title, revisiting Volition's
four separate types of summon - blood, tree, sand and
SIAT HAPPY Beneath the 3D prettiness lurks the RPG
priorities of your party members, so they'll heal you in battle or drop back and provide ranged weapon fire. The longer you play Summoner 2, the more you
standing your ground, you hit and parry, perhaps healing yourself before charging into the fray again. With sidestories and subplots to pursue, weapons and armour to collect and rune creatures to master there's a huge amount of play here. Daunting? Imagine standing at the foot of a 100-storey skyscraper when Victory' is on the
to conjure rune creatures to fight In combat In BLOOD SIMPl£ Maia can
directly control chunky fighter Taurgis in combat, leaving Maia to provide support: fire. You can also tweak the AI
skills and abilities.
SUMMONER
2 J
Why we'd buy it - A good-looking vast RPG - Challenging gameplay doesnt
- Mostly linear adventuring - Button-bashing combat with limited AI help
pander to beginners
- Creature summoning and character swapping Graphics
Smooth, detailed and attractive 3D
Sound
Stiff voice-overe, plus the usual combat noises
Gameplay Life span
Character swapping holds your interest 40+ hours of gameplay
An RPG-cum-action-adventure that, while
initially rather basic, eventually reveals levels of much deeper complexity.
0 7
QFFlCinLJ VERDICT
Mala, the warrior queen of Halassar, Is a good all-rounder She alone has the ability to
Taurgis is a stocky, axe-wielding fighter. As the game progresses you will be able to pick up new
summon rune creatures in battle
weapons and armour to enhance his strength and stamina.
such as the Blood Demon,
Why we'd leave it
The blue-skinned, former assassin Sangaril can use both melee and
ranged weapons. Her special skills allow her to move stealthily and to kill with a single blow.
Be Bond.
The new adventure starts i n N o y e m l t e r.
REUIEIU
HIE SUM OF ALL FEARS/SHOX
m m
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS Clancy plus Ubi Soft is a sum that doesn't quite odd up.
m LAST ONFS A NINNY
Despite first impressions, tlie FBI lil
■ ROCKET MAN Mid-race fireworks are set off even if
you're not winning. Flow odd.
=UBUSHER: EA DEVELOPER: EA 'RICE: £39.99 'LAYERS; 1-4 DUT NOW A / E B W W W. U K . E A . C O M iOHZ MODE NO WDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO 'ERIPHERALS: MUUTmP
Ubi Soft must have been taking a lot of long train Journeys recently. There are currently four Tom Clancy book licences on its schedules, and Sum Of All Fears (also a recent movie starring Ben Affleck) takes us Into the world of squad-based first-person counter terrorism action. You're the leader of a group of the FBI's specialist troops, quickly and stealthily taking down terrorists around the world. Each of the 11 missions start with your squad legging It towards a building or complex, keeping an eye on your on-screen satellite map for directions and
PUBLISHER: UBI SOFT D E V E L O P E R : R E D S TO R M PRICE: £39.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: N O W W E B S I T E : S O A F. U B I S O I T. C O . U K 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: YES SURROUND SOUND: NO
potential hostiles. There's a real rush the first time you storm a room, silently and efficiently putting down enemies but, regardless of the fact that you're sent from West Virginia to the Middle East, the game remains fairly one-dimensional. Follow the white line on the HUD, enter a room or building, deal with any threat, blow something up and get out of there. Probably very technically realistic, but not necessarily great gaming That said, there are some nice touches when you
also an array of 15 weapons - from flash grenades to shotguns and M-16s - that fill the game, but at times the gameplay strikes you as less of a film or book adaptation and more of a dull military training exercise. The game's 11 missions are over far too quickly - for Territorial Army enthusiasts with no time to spare, this is probably the best news they've had all year; for fans of more lively and varied shooters, the limited life span also mean signals limited appeal. □ Marit Wyatt
THE SUVI OF ALL FEARS Why we'd buy it
- We always wanted to own an
(ftnm Porches and Peugeots to old Seventies fave, the Ford Escort Mk II). And your task? To speed through five different championships. The gimmick Is that a 'Shoxzone' system Is employed, In which you must complete key sections of each track within a time limit. Manage this and you'll be rewarded with a W/p£out-style 'wave' which you can ride - the longer you do so, the more cash you'll be rewarded. With your cash you can buy new vehicles, such as that Mini Cooper you've had your eye on - there's also a gambling component to the game in which you can up your kitty by beating other drivers In one-on-one races, but this feature is so tricky. It's almost rendered useless. Shox's other contrivance Is that, mid-race, a replaystyle camera angle comes Into play whenever you hit a large jump. It's entirely pointless and serves only to make races disjointed. This isn't helped by the unsophisticated handling and the way in which opposing Ai cars bunch
Why we'd leave it - Too linear and tepetltlve
FBI badge Graphics
B
e
Ybu'll be enthralled in the
Sound
0
7
Gameplay
a
s
early missions. After that, the repetitive fbrniat
Lifespan
0
5
starts to hurt.
a s
OFFClByUEROICT
complete the missions as squad chatter fills your
Shox is a rally game that claims to be different. It Isn't. The cars are all fully licensed
1.20 PlayStation.E OFFICIRL fTIRGRZINE-UK
earpiece and enemies are cut off mid-sentence. There's
together, meaning you can find yourself going from first to last place over the course of a single bend. There's hardly a shortage of quality driving games for PS2, so it's going to take something pretty special to add anything worthwhile to the oeuvre. Shox tries but, sadly
doesn't deliver It's a solid enough package - certainly
■ H N E S S E I N S T R U C TO R
It's speedy, but there's not much in the way of finesse.
one that four-wheel fiends will glean some entertainment
fitim - but once you've worked your way through the tracks, you won't go back for more. □ Oliver Hurley
SHOX Why we'd buy it - Easily accessible
- Offers plenty to unlock Graiihlcs Sound
gameplay Ufe
leave it plodding -Why Can we'd soon become and Ifeless
I The gimmicks arent
I enough to compensate I for this being a rather I simplistic rally game.
0 5
OFFlDBy VERDICT
■ BLEEUURRGH! Squint and these garish visuals look like Fiibena-powered vom.
REUIEUJ
SUPERMAN: SHADOW OF APOKOUPj
MY
HERO!
Rescuing weak T civilians from certain death
gives you that warm glow... TURN ON, TOON IN Interspersed between the repetitive gameplay are some gorgeous animated cut-scenes
SUPERMAN: * ^
IS IT A BIRD? Once you get used to
the fiddly control
S H A D O W O F A P O K O U P S Not quite the Man Of Steel. More the Man Of Stainless Steel... PUBLISHER; INFOGRAMES DEVELOPER: SHEFREU) HOUSE PRICE: £39.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: N O W WEB SITE: w w w. i n f o g r a m e s . c o . u k 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
If we w/ere to Judge Superman: Shadow Of Apokolips purely on the quality of Its graphics, then we'd be lining up words like 'stunning',
■ BACK STORY Superman: Shadow Of Apokolips has been developed by a chunk of Infogrames called Sheffield House (Insert Man Of
Sheffield Steel joke herel. For those of you interested in
videogame history, Sheffield House wos formerly Gremlin Interactive, makers of Loaded and RC Racer on PSone. Older
readers may remember the days ofActua Soccer Even older readers may remember Monty Mole...
can activate Superman's X-ray vision to see through walls and use his super-breath to move or freeze objects and enemies. Lastly, the heat rays that Superman can
'glorious' and possibly even 'fantastic' to describe It With bold eel-shaded landscapes and pixel-
project from his eyes act as a devastating blast weapon. A target lock helps In frantic combat situations. A slow-
perfect characterisation, Sheffield House has done an excellent job of recreating the slick comic bock look of the Warner Bros cartoon. Sure, the animation is stiff at times. But this Is the smallest of visual niggles In a cutscene-crammed game that lets you fight for truth. Justice and the American way as the legendary Man Of Steel.
moving non-rotatable game camera doesn't. Playing Shadow Of Apokolips Is frustrating, often to the point of Joypad-throwing annoyance. Level objectives are poorly explained and you'll often fall an 'event because the game doesn't make it clear what Is going
However, if we were to Judge Shadow Of Apokolips on the quality of its gameplay we'd have to pack away the praise and fling words like frustrating' and 'lightweight' at the title Instead. It's a shame, because this game certainly had bags of potential. Beautiful cut-scenes advance a plot that involves a shady deal between Lex Luthor and Darkseld, the self-styled lord of the hell-planet Apokolips. What follows is a series of mini 'events' spread across 15 large levels, involving rescuing cowering civilians from burning rooftops, finding and replacing generator fuel cells and destroying legions of advancing Inter-Bots (plus assorted gun emplacements, APCs and tanks]. Typically, you complete these events In order and often against the clock, while all the action is underpinned by a suitably heroic orchestral score. As Superman you have access to a range of super powers. Obviously you can leap tall buildings in a single bound, move faster than a speeding bullet and are generally reputed to be more powerful than a locomotive. In game terms, this means that Superman can fly, ram objects at high
SHEFFIELD HOUSE HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB OF R E C R E AT I N G T H E S U C K C O M I C BOOK LOOK OF THE CARTOON
speed, and pick up and throw large objects (such as the aforementioned APCs
and tanks). In addition, you
system in Shadow Of Apokolips, you'll need to master the quick activation of Superman's super human powers.
on or where you need to go. Superman's super-hearing Is realised as a 2D radar screen, a poorly designed Indicator considering that you are flying through large 3D levels. And the game Is disappointingly repetitive endless multiple enemy combat encounters are mixed with dull fetch-and-carry repair/rescue missions and
X - R AY V I S I O N
Superman's ability to see through matter (unless It's made of lead) can only be activated In the First-
person mode. Use it to locate trapped civilians or to see where enemy
Inter-Bots as hiding.
strength-based tasks where you simply need to hammer the ® button as fast as you can. Forget kryptonlte - in the hands of games developers, all Superman's powers
SUPER STRENGTH
seem to ebb rapidly away □ Dean Evans
Superman can punch
As he's 'more powerful than a locomotive'.
through metal, pick up
SUPBtMAN; SHADOW OF APOKOUPS Why we'd buy it - A playable extended episode of the classy TV toon
- Superb comic-book graphics
heavy objects and tal(e massive damage. Tossing tanks across a battlefield is great fun...
Why we'd leave - Repetitive ail-too itsimplistic gameplay
- Rddiy and unresponsive conttDl system - Foor level signposting
Graphics
A perfect rB( r e a t l o n
Sound
Vo i c e - o v e r s
1 Lifespan I
of the WB cartoon
Dv tbe original cartoon cast
Repetitive fi^Wing, fetching and button-bashing PH 15 levels, buIt no real urge to play them Ea
Stunning graphics, but the gameplay makes Activlsion's Spider-Man game look like a work of genius.
0 5
SFFignyUERDICT
H E AT R AY S
Superman's heat ray Is one of the most useful pov/ers in the game Keep the fire button pressed for a steady stream of blazing pnprov or tap It rapidly to unleash a powerful cannon-style blast.
□FFICIRL tTlRBHZINE-UK Play5tation.E 12
AcIiVmoH activision.com
X
PlayStation 2
N
I
N
T
6
N
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0
G A M E C U B E
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3 s A.M • :;•,< 3;yf ■ 5;;: ■$ 2 r ' - : : , s -r -Ar i=r -5.^:
REUIEllJ BLADE II
■
MIDGET
MASH
All manner of foul,
»*
.
J
creatures of the ni^t bay for your biooA
.jS
i . > ^ p ,, ■ RAGING BUa
Build up your rage meter with combos,
then fly off the rails.
1 7 S S
BLADE II An adventure to sink your teeth into, or a bioody nightmare? UGHT SABRE Charge up Blade's glaive and watch It swirl through the air
T H R E E - WAY R U C K U S
The right stick provides full 360' ass-whipplng.
PUBLISHER: ACTTVISION DEVELOPER: MUCKY FOOT PRICE; £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 O U T: N O W WEB SITE: WWW.BLADE2GAME.COM 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
jUtlicks add to youi^bloodlust/^iidv triggers special rage.modMiMIK^-^'
Much as we love Buffy, her flutly PG approach to slaying just doesn't send out a serious enough message to those nocturnal bloodsuckers. What we need is an agile warrior with the punching prowess of Bruce Ijee, the arsenal of Arnie, and someone who Just so happens to be a stake-dodger himself and an expert on how his fang-faced foes operate. Someone like Blade. Although the films were never going to bag Wesley Snipes an Oscar for his sensitive portrayal of a man ostracised from society due to his hybrid heritage, they did feature tons of screen-shattering explosions and lashings of rhesus red stuff, which, perhaps not by coincidence, is what this game also has in abundance. You play the tooled-up 'daywalker' of the title on a quest to prevent the salivating scum of the night from farming humans for their souls In practice, this means roaming through linear levels, maiming and mutilating anything that moves, pulling the odd switch and destroying obviously destructible scenery. There's certainly nothing within the game's content to stretch your psyche, but for big bangs and cheap shocks it stands tall as one of PS2's premier no-brainer, slice and dice action/adventures
■ BACK STORY Formed in 1997 by three Bul/frog defectors, Mucky Foot's first foray into the conso/e market was Urban
Chaos, released on PSone bock in 2000. Hammerhead
made a right pig's giblets of the original Blade on PSone,
but win the chonge In developer on Blade II mark
a change in fortunes for our Dracuia-decking hero?
Admittedly first impressions are grim. The film's trailer forms the Intro sequence (even though the two are only tenuously linked] and the in-game graphics are more rotten than Peter Cushing's coffin. For a supposedly lean, mean killing machine, our hero looks podgy and has all the fluid movement of Rik Waller on a rowing machine. Likewise, the scenery is flat and basic and the enemy hondes lack variety and any of the menace of, say Code: Veronica Xs rotting zombie contingent. But once you become surrounded by enemies baying for blood, things start to get interesting The left stick is
used to manoeuvre Blade as you would expect, but Mucky Foot has made innovative use of the R3 stick to focus on our hero's repertoire of combat moves Push it down and you can unleash of torrent of gunfire and deploy vampire-melting grenades, push it in any direction and Blade will thrust out a punch or a kick. The idea is that you're presented with full 360' combat, so if you have an enemy closing in from behind you, you can effortlessly pummel them without first having to turn and face them. Cunning
However, ground-breaking though this 360° feature appears to be, once you've used it to kill your 300th vampire (on the first level) you'll be looking for the next saving grace - which sadly never comes. Combining puzzles with combat is the way to make games like this work (as proven by the Resident Evil series) but to chuck a never-ending stream of enemies at you isn't. Eventually, you'll just get bored, open the curtains and condemn this shallow nonsense to hell. □ Ryan Butt
BLADE II Why we'd buy it - Satisfaction from
combat
guaranteed - Plenty to obliterate
Why we'd leave it - It looks rancid
- Very repetitive
- Slightly sluggish controls
- Huge levels to explore
Graphics Sound
Gameptay Lifespan
Plenty of head-rolling gore, but otherwise rank ^
Throaty speech samples but mind-numbing tunes ^ Satisfying combat, but far too repetitive ^ 20 huge levels and a few extras to unlock S
Enjoyable at first, but the mowing down V ^ 1
of endless waves of creatures will have I ^ you fumbling for the hammer and stake.
VERDICT
''YOU WOULDNT UKE ME WHEN I ' M A N G R Y. . . " Blade will explode in unbridled fury when pushed too far. Here he rips a crowd of blood sucking freaks to shreds in seconds.
124 PlayStation.E DFFICIRL mHGRZINE-UK
Keep an eye on the red rage When It is full to the brim and In Rage mode, new moves will Time your moves to perfection meter in the bottom left-hand buzzing, tap m. Blade will shout become accessible to you. Give and you'll even be treated to corner of the screen. It will "Rage!" and the screen will go that right sticl< a thorough X-certlficate 'finishing moves', gradually fill up as you unleash blurry red as you draw your work-out before the juice in your which are guaranteed to satisfy a combo flurry of moves. sword and begin dicing. rage meter drains away. anyone's blood lust
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power-ups and bonus items to upgrade your sub!
and homing missiles
available
now
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amazon.co.uk ^ and you're done: Metro 3D
w w w. s u b r e b e i l i o n . c o m
w w w. m e t r o 3 d . c o . u k
PlayStation 2
"superb submarine shooter" PSi-2 Magazine QKffi A!i Rights Reserved. Developed by Irem So^vare En§ ~e€'- ?s. inc Fub'snec and d s-t'.buted exckis-veiy LPoe* ?:ce"se Dy Met'-cSD. inc I'em and t^e r-er~ icac are irace'^^a^Ks o'' }re:"^ So^va'"e Eng-nee- ig. tnc
11 Rights Reserved. Metro3D, the Metro3D logo and the Sub Rebe.' <'ogo a'-e t'ader^-arKs c'*-efcjD
"PiayStation" and the ' PS" Fa.-. :c<^c are ^ec ste'ed t^■adef^■5a'^^s of S
Cotrsputer S'-'tena-nmert inc
REV^IEIU
D Y N A S T Y TA C n C S / T Y T H E l A S M A N I A N T I G E R
YOU'RE THE MAN Gather your army, then get ready to smack
PUBUSHER: THQ
some warrior bottom.
D Y N A S I Y TA C T I C S
DEVELOPER: KOEI PRICE: £39.99 PLAYERS: 1-2 O U T: 2 9 N O V E M B E R
WEB SITE: WWW.THQ.CO.UK 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
Introducing Dynasty Warriors' more thoughtful younger brother... If anybody tells you that this Is Dynasty don't believe them. True, Dynasty Tactics Is set In the same mythical world of The Three
ferocity of your troops' attacks. Dynasty Tactics Is splendidly atmospheric, with great music and wonderfullooking FMV scenes, but It's a slow and thoughtful kind of game and won't appeal to everyone.
Kingdoms and features the same heroes, but whereas the excellent Dynasty Warriors 3 (0PS2#19, 8/10) Is more like a glorified beat-'em-up with one hero taking on armies of
required to move your pieces arciund the board, and the intricate planning required to set up chains of combos to
Warriors with a few more tactical options,
However, the combination of the tactical nous
send enemy units spinning around the board like demented pieces In a sliding puzzle will keep strategy fans coming back for more. □ Steve Faragher
opposition. Dynasty Tactics is a turn-based watgame; an altogether, more sedate and cerebral affair If you've ever seen Vandal Hearts or Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSone, you'll know exactly what to expect here. Dynasty Tactics Is a series of battles fought on a tactical grid that looks much like a table-top wargame board. Two sides face each other, with the pieces on the board each representing thousands of bowmen, cavalry, foot soldiers or specialised units - It's a bit like chess. The pieces take It In turns to be moved, and when
m NASTY TACTICS Piling up the combos is the way to take out the opposition.
DYNASTY mCTICS Why we'd buy it
- For the deep, absorbing
CACK
- Takes hours to play and there
Ali-too-rare on PS2, this is
3 a strategy title with real ?izl depth and charm to boot.
they get in range of enemy units they can attack them. Adding spice to the game, each unit's commander can call upon special tactics which you can build up into combos. Each step In the chain of combos multiplies the
■
Why we'd leave it
are no guns, cats or girls in it
tactical gamepiay
OR
TWO
■
Save
BEAUTIFUL
PLUMAGE Odd
points ate in the guise of outdoor bogs. Check under the seat for spiders^ now.
breaks from the main
game include this dull wrater slide.
t
reckon
those ....
■ WE ARE NOT EMl>-SED
Cut-scenes use every Aussie cliche in the book in a
grating attempt at humour
■ WHEELYGOODIfyou collect enough of these on a level, you'll get a reward.
PUBUSHER: EA DEVELOPER: KROME SIUDIOS PRICE; £39.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: 2 2 N O V E M B E R W E B S I T E : W W W . T Y. E A . C O M 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: YES SURROUND SOUND: YES
- A
dunnies
are
wast c:*of i fsp a c
a ..M.
TY THE lASMANIAN TIGER Fair dinkum? Fair stlnl
beach bum and the cobber with corks on his
hat, Australia has many great things to offer
I the world: sensational wine, world-beating
sporting teams and Kylle Minogue to name just three. Sadly, this desperately average platformer Isn't one of them. In fact, this clunky Oz-fest seems to embrace every tired Antipodean cultural stereotype imaginable, from cockatoos chatting about dunnies to sheilas called, er... Sheila. As with many games of this type, aimed primarily at the younger end of the gaming market, the main gripe Isn't that It's actually a bad game. No, with a competent display of pleasant, even pretty graphics, married to a user-friendly control system and a forgiving difficulty level, not to mention the 16 levels for Ty and his pals to bound
0 %
through, there Isnt much actually wrong with It. So, why the face like a slapped barracuda? Well, call us raw prawns, but our big beef Is that Ty the Tasmanlan Tiger Is just so predictable and uninspired - there's
126 Play5tation.2 aFFICIRL ITIRGHZINE-UK
got offer
eauty bottfer
absolutely nothing about the game that screams "Look at me. 1 am new and different Aren't you lucky to have shelled out 40 quid on me?" No, we've seen It all before so many times. With the likes of Jak And Daxter, Ratchet & Clank and Sly Raccoon on the shelves or soon to be available for PS2 platform game fans, there really is no
need for this game to take up even a pIco-second of your precious game-time. □ Michael Storey
TY THE lASMANIAN TIGBt Why we'd buy it
- If we were mad for games with wooden outdoor toilets in them
(kapNcs Sound
<^a"'epiay Life
SS^
Why we'd leave it
- Jak And Daxter is out on
Platinum, fools!
Weaker than watered-
I down Fosters, this I uninspired platformer I fails to impress.
□FFlOBy VERDICT
"absoloute perfection" PSM2
jTonir HAUMK^^i WD"^o^" ROP ULTIMATE
■t^'i
W TOTHE
: 'f:iF. f SKATEBOARDINGCHALLENGE! YOUR CAREER IS
WHATYOU"""^'"''^Tony Hawk's Pro Skater^'^4 is the ultimate chaiienge. Pros cliaiienge you to make your mark In huge free-roaming levels, taking on 190 progressively harder
goals with no time limits to hold you back. Decide when you're ready to take on your Pro Challenge and move into the pro ranks, where it's a whole new game. Build your skills, earn respect, and show that you've got what it takes to Go Pro...
i'*
'
^' » , WI ? ^. « e^ .
featuring songs by NMA., Offspring, Bnd System of
■■■■
-
'aikfwn.
Official Strategy Guide avaiiabie from Brady Games.
KTOnr HAUiK S^
i*Onfinepa lyexcu lsvieto
r P f fl O S K A i E n i
14 of tiie world's top pros challenge you to prove your skills.
All new tricks - skitch behind
PlayStatiofr'2 computer
cars, skate on moving objects, and transfer over spines.
entertainment system.
New multiplayer and online modes including Score Challenge and Capture the Flag!*
S4M£ BOy^ AoC^CE I x
PlayStation®^
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Compatible with PlayStation© game console and compatible with PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system.
© 1999-2002 Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing. Inc. Activision is a regi8ter«f trademark and Activfsion 02,
Pro Skater and Sports Revolution are trademarks of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. All rights reserved, Tony Hawk is a trademark ot Tony Hawk. PlayStation.2, Xbox, and GameCube versions devel oped by Neversoft Entertainment, Inc. PlayStation and Game Boy Advance versions devel(^ed by Vicarious Visions Inc. "PlayStation" and "PlayStati^" lo^ are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. TM and ® are trademarks ot Nintendo. © 2002 Nintendo, Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbo)riogos are either registered tradeniBl^'Or trademailcs ot Microsoft Coowration in the U.S and/or other countries and are used under license from Microsoft, All other trademarks and trade names are the properly of their respective owners
actlvisten02.cem
£17.99 RRP £19.99
Filmed at a secret London
location to an invited audience,
So Solid perform a full 60 minute concert, including fave anthems such as They Don't Know, Thug Anthem, 21 Seconds,
riHis us
Girl Next Door and more!
Features a 65 min documentary, behind the scenes footage, interviews with the Crew.
plus 4 promos. All in 5.1 Surround Sound.
This Is So Solid! Their first DVD and probably the only time you'l ever get to see the whole crew perform live!!
WHATEVER TURNS YOU ON Buy at virgin.com/megastores
i f
megastores
R A L LY F U S I O N : R A C E O F C H A M > I O N S / T R E A S U R E P L A N E ]
. YOU IDKSJJhe driver is unbMWabjy mouthy. Click R3 to * X^ut him up.
RALLY FUSION: RACE OF CHAMPIONS Yet more dirt-based driving. Too much of o good thing, anyone? As if straight bananas and the metric system weren't enough, it now seems there's some kind of EU directive which states that every major pubiisher must have a raiiy game on its books. Activision's offering is pitched somewhere between the arcade action of Shox and the authentic
simulation of Colin McRae 3. A half-way house then, in which you get a mixture of point-to-point and circuitbased racing, either against the clock or rival drivers. The Race Of Champions referred to in the title is a head-to-head tournament set in Gran Canaria. However, the meat of the game is in the Challenge mode. Here you'll find three difficulty levels, each comprising around 15 races. Quick Race mode features even more formats including Relay Checkpoint, Hill Climb and Follow The Leader, in which each car has an enerigy bar that depletes at a varying rate, dependant on position. Climax has made a stab at innovation, but it doesnt really work. Beyond Gran Canaria, the tracks are all fantasy locations such as Oceania, Desert Heat and Arctica.
They're all richly textured and genuinely Imaginative,
with Jumps, water hazands and even a mini-avalanche to contend with. Indeed, the third Inca track is so pretty it could easily be a spare set from The Lord Of The Rings movie. Unfortunately, the driving model is a lot less satisfying than either CMR3 or WRCII. There's noticeable understeer and the cars are a little lightweight. Even
PUBUSHER: ACTIVISION > DEVELOPER: CUMAX PRICE; £39.99 VP L AY E R S : 1 - 2 O U T: 1 5 N O V E M B E R W E B S I T E : W W W . R A L LY F U S I O N . C O . U K 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
though this is pitched at the arcade end of the spectrum, it's still galling that you come off worst after every crash. Ultimately, Rally Fusion finds itself outpaced by more illustrious rivals. □ Tim Clark R Ay y F U S I O N : R M X O F C H A M P I O N S Why we'd buy it - Bumper-to-bumper action
Why leave - Colinwe'd McRae Rallyit 3 is out this montti
GrapHcsIj|l Thiswe is by norecommend means poor, Sound ^ but cant
DISPIAY Each track
features impressive spot effects and tandmarks.
Gameplay g a hamburger when fillet steak costs the same.
□F F I D B L v e r d i c t
li ME TOO The game steals from many platform greats and Tony Hawk's.
||n/|no ^UFE^S
A
BREEZE
surfing « great,
but several levels of ft are too much.
PUBUSHER. SCEE OrvaDf^: BIZARRE CREAnONS PRICE £39.99 OCT 15 NOVEMBER DtSNEYEUROPtCOM 6CH2 nK)0€ YES NO
SUf?f?OyND
YES
TREASURE PLANET Yo ho ho, and a bottle oL ho hum. nim licences have a nasty habit of missing V the boat as far as the theatrical release date
goes (21 years in The Thing's case), but SCEE has bucked that trend by shipping a game before anyone's actually heard of the film. In case you were wondering, Treasure Planet is
tr Aifrf nfft
W-
■ FUTURE SOCKS Take out enemies
with a meaty array of combat moves.
olde classic platform fare' that's been done to death
countless times before - right down to the use of film clips to punctuate the levels. However, a chronic lack of
same name and tal^es Robert IjouIs Stevenson's classic
originality is Treasure Planets only real crime, and you can't knock a game for being a harmless, charming and
quest to, yes, Treasure Planet, and battle against hordes of plundering space pirates led by John Silver - who isn't the one-legged rogue of old, but a particularly vindictive
■ S N E A K Y Av o i d
devising cunning methods of getting to hard-to-reach areas. Nothing new for a platformer; then. In fact, the entire game is based on the sort of 'ye
loosely based upon the forthcoming Disney epic of the Treasure Island tale to futuristic extremes. As the young Jim Hawkins, you have to embark on an intergalactic
the guards and creep to safety.
certain number of objects, catching creatures and
cyborg. Aimed at the younger end of the market, the game is surprisingly well executed - even if it is Just a shameless copy of Jak And Baxter and plays the 'cute ickle sidekick' card a little too frequently En route to the eponymous planet, you'll visit all kinds of scum-infested space ports where you'll have to complete tasks in order to unlock further levels. Such tasks involve collecting a
enjoyable kiddies' platformer, can you now? □ Ryan Butt
T H E A S l f fi E P L A N E T Why we'd buy it - We want a topical platform game for the kids
Ape Escape 2
Graphics
B E
Shame
Sound
0 G
Gameplay
0 7
clone i it's an
Life span
0 6
shame
■
Why we'd leave it: - Because we're waiting for
§■0 6 □F F l D R L g E R D I C T
□FFICIHL mRERZINE-UK PlayStation.E 129
REUIEIU
L£GAIA 2: DUEL SAGA/MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2: NEW AGE OF HEROES I
MAGJC
MYSTIRY
VIUAGEI
^
Japanese RPG in r rraP stereotype shockei •eke ft
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LEGAIA 2: DUEL SAGA L/r. t
.
'
PliBUSHER- BOOS/ FRESH GAMES DEVELOPER; COMTRAIL PRiCL £39.99 PUYERS: 1 O U T: N O W WEB SfFE; W W W J n AY F R E S H C O M
60H2 MODE NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND; NO
Accessible and challenging? It's a duel shock of an RPG. A Japanese RPG with cut-scenes so long it makes Metal Gear 2 iook like TimeSplitters, and enough random battles to make Hiranobu Sakaguchi blush, it's initially difficult to see why Eidos bothered bringing Legaia 2: Dual Saga to European shores. After all, it's not as if we've ever lost any sleep over the European no-show of the PSone original, Legend Of Legaia However, don't be dissuaded - Contrail's game is a compulsively plotted adventure. It all begins with your self-titled hero's first day at work as a Vigil - a kind of village policeman - charged with protecting his homeland's magical water crystal, the Acqualith.
S WHO^ AFRAD... The 177/
Z79
battles are among tt>e accessible in any
Predictably enough, said stone swiftly gets stolen by a demonic villain and it's up to our mysteriously scarred warrior to get it back So far, so like innumerable other RPGs. Fortunately there are plenty of neat features to lift the game well above the generic. Most impressive is a super slick battle system which - though turn-based works on a level more associated with beat-'em-ups.
Combos and special moves (arts) are the order of the day with the engnsssing process of learning new moves providing the core of the gameplay and giving it some much-needed dynamism. Add various Shenmue-esque mini-games (darts, anyone?) and a refreshingly iarge quota of interesting characters to the mix, and it soon becomes apparent that Legaia 2 is an unusually playable RPG. both accessible and smart. Wow. □ Scott Anthony
UEGAIA2:DUELSAGA Why we'd leave ib WhywCdbuyit: - We didnt buy a FS2 to watch - tts a lovingly constructed and newbie-ftiendly RPG hallucinogenic cut-scenes A surprisingly Graphics Sound approachable RPG. It's not Final Fantasy Gameplay but It's plenty of ftin. Life span
0 7
^FlCIByUEROICT
MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2: NEW AGE OF HEROES The return of Copcom's technicolour team thrash-'em-up. Long live the bleeding thumbs! The affliction that plagued us all throughout the Nineties is back with a vengeance as Capcom unleashes another dose of comic book fighting action. Let's be honest, in the 3D fighting domain, Tekken will
sending in burning zombies, rotting canines and even Tyrant to inflict blows while she stands back and smiri
always dish out a curt slap round the chops to any would-be pretender hoping to muscle in on its territory, but in the 2D stakes, Capcom holds the monopoly On the evidence of this latest offering it's easy to see why
style batterings that ensure your hunger for hurt never wanes. With gorgeous graphical touches and fluid, highly
likes of Tekken 4, but the truth is, MVC2 simply strips out the dead wood and delivers simple, yet effective arcade-
explosive gameplay you'd better get some Elastoplast your thumbs are in for a hearty skinning. □ Ryan Butt
Featuring a monstrous 56 different characters from its heaving back catalogue. Marvel Vs Capcom 2 invites you to pick three at a time and embarit on an ultimate orgy of extreme violence. Far from being mere tag battles, the 'wow' factor here sees all three gang up simultaneously on their cowering rivals, demolishing them amidst a blurred flurry of kicks, punches and projectiles, the likes of which haven't been seen since the Mobo awands bash.
It's truly captivating stuff, with each character calling on their own unique form of back-up when the going gets tough - we especially liked Resident Evil's Jill
130 PlayStation.^ OFFICIRL fTlRGRZINE-UK
Why we'd buy it
- We love our fights to ignite the
Why we'd leave it - It strips the skin off our
screen vifith daft explosions
goddamn thumbs! Lacks the depth of Tekken, but for sheer 'pow' f^or, this will bowl ypu over.
0 7
^FtonygERDiCT
PUBUSHER: CAPCOM DEVELOPER: CAPCOM PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 2 O U T: N O V E M B E R W E B S I T E : W W W. C A P C O M . C O M 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND NO
REUIElii
W R E C K L J E S S : T T I E YA K U Z A M I S S I O N !
? UD
Ttlite UU :U4.yU i
oWmnstlintTtrf
MCFLYING MACHINE The DeLorean looks straight out of Back To The Future. Unfortunately it doesn't fly.
■ SMASHING DRIVE
Driving on broken glass is bad for the tyres.
f
■ TAXI! This vehicle is like no London cab we've ever ridden in
.r*
(thank goodness).
W R E C K L f S S : T H E YA K U Z A M I S S I O N S Reduce Hong Kong to rubble in this chaotic Crazy Taxi clone. Reckon GTAIII is about as destructive as
PUBLISHER; ACTTVISION DEVELOPER: BUNKASHA PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 2 O U T: N O W WEB SITE: WWWACnVISION.COM 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
'MW*
0;U8 i
/■
'
versus missions are tailored to a cat-and-mouse format
play as either a pair of Hong Kong cops on the trail of the Yakuza, or as a bumbling secret agent duo with a
better, but obviously lack the competitive factor So the Two-player modes aren't don't add much to
slightly different set of Yakuza-busting missions. Whichever scenario you choose, the gameplay essentially remains the same - bust up a certain speeding vehicle,
Wreckless, but when you're in the thick of a solo mission with chunks of scenery fluttering around like steel confetti and your meaty missile launcher is bringing
destroy various targets or deliver a precious cargo (while flattening as many things as you can along the way). Completing the main mission objective is only half of it. There are gold medals to be won which can unlock
Justice to Yakuza bosses and bus shelters alike, your friends won't mind waiting their turn. Wreckless is almos as good to watch as it is to play - not the kind of recommendation we'd usually make but. in this case, we'll make an exception. □ Martin KItts
cheats, bonus levels or extra vehicles, and the only way to win the medals is by achieving the secondary objective - breaking stuff. You might be required to crash into a specific quota of other road users, or destroy vast numbers of roadside objects as you thrash your way
■ JOYRIDE Not every resident of the city sees the funny side to your recklessness. ■ BACK STORY
through the brief, intense levels. Despite all the graphical extravagance, it's fast and smooth. Although the cars don't crumple quite as
this year as part of the Xbox's UK launch line
up, although it was planned from the start
in which the action restarts each time the gap between your two vehicles becomes too much for the camera to cope with. It's an novel idea, but the play can get very confusing, as the action rarely lasts more than a few seconds between restarts. Co-operative missions fare
WREOOESS: THE YAKUZA why we'd buy it - Non-stop destructive maytiem - Instant appeal
Why we'd leave it - Lacks depth
- Two-player modes arent great
- Worth playing through to unlock extras
effectively as they did in the Xbox version, the environmental destruction seems Just as impressive.
Graphics
Loads of cars and Innocent things to smash
Sound
Action movk
However, there is a new addition for PS2 which comes in
Gameplay
The cars haiidle
as well as most racing games
the form of two-player bonus games. Unusually, there's
Lifespan
Replay missi o n s
to unlock secrets and cheats
Wreckless Is new
Japanese developer Bunkasha's first game. It first appeared earlier
no split-screen to accommodate the extra player, so
driving games get? Well you can't have seen IVrecWess, the Xbox conversion that puts you in the heart of Hong Kong's congested street maze and encourages you to smash almost everything into shards of glass and rubble. It's thoroughly ridiculous and a lot of fun. You can
Y O U R M E AT Y M I S S I L E LAUNCHER BRINGS JUSTICE T O YA K U Z A B O S S E S A N D B U S S H E LT E R S A U K E
themes, plenty of loud explosions
A pick-up-and-play ex perience that's Ideal for a great in half-hour burs b r a i n l e s s b l a s t l a t e o n a Friday night.
quick, 1 rJ
OFFICII VERDICT
a s a P S 2 t i t l e . T h e Tw o -
player modes are brandnew features for the PS2 version - the rest of it is much the same as before.
TWO'S AJ,
CROWD-(I
The two-player games are like Micro Machines
in 3D, with just the one screen for both players. »
In Speedy Bus, you have to
clear a path for the bombrigged coach driven by your
Free Chase sees you hurtling around trying to force the other
friend. If it drops below a certain
piayer off the edge of the screen. Which usually happens
speed, It explodes.
very quickly.
-
Capture The Flag by hitting your opponent, then deliver It to your base. Without getting lost off the side of the screen? impossible.
□FFICIHL mREHZINE-UK PlayStation-E 133
'J'I
REUIEIU
GUMBALL 3000/mE SCORPION KING: RISE OF THE AKKADIAN v E u m m i a m YAWN... Bland ,
V
bland
• £«»»« twrt driving experience.
■ PIU UP Take too
'» SBftr S0§rts *
MT A T
»p§§f
much damage and it's game over.
trtt
•
Which Is a relief.
GUMBALL 3000 - Tc ' * - - n -
l ) UP ON THE ROOF Capsize your vehicle and, believe it or not, you're unable to right it.
PUBUSHER; SCI DEVELOPER: CUMAX PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 2 O U T: N O W WEB SITE:
It's like a real-life Cannonball Run... gone very, very bad. It probably seemed like such a good idea at the time. The Gumball Rally is a real-life version of Cannonball Run, a semi-illegal road race In which the only rule Is, first past the
handling Is terrible. It's as If you're simply dodging left and right as opposed to, you know, actually driving. Even the bonus levels are excruciating - the first one sees you nipping around In an ambulance collecting
post wins, and try not to get arrested in the process'. Perfect source material for some arcade racing action. The only problem being that the resultant game, Gumball 3000, Is sorely lacking in almost every regard.
"pills" for "mad parties" (it really does say that). Edgy? No. Desperate? Yes If It's any consolation, you can rest assured that, contrary to the title, there aren't 2,999
earlier versions of this knocking about. □ Oliver Hurley
Indeed, to think that this primitive-looking game exists for the same machine that houses the likes of Gran
asp?vers16n.id=24 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
GUIVBALL3000
Tuhsmo 3 Is, frankly mind boggling. Essentially, Gumball 3000 is a checkpoint-based racer where you must tear across seven environments, each of which is ever-so-loosely based on a different European
Why we'd buy it - Erm, rs trie last game left in
country. In the process, it manages to nick Ideas from everything out there, from Driver to Burnout Not that
RUBY
- Simplistic, derivative and not mucti fun
Gr^ihics
One of the worst driving games for ages. Poor on almost every level.
Sound
Gameplay
originality Is necessarily a virtue In Itself, of course, but the execution of even the second-hand ideas here Is Just atrocious. The graphics are clunky and retro, and the
■
Why we'd leave ib
ttie siiop
QPFlDByuERDICT
HURRY
Pocket semi
■
precious stones
ROCK
rr
TO
-EM! Expect the People's Eyebrow any second. ,
to unlock bonuses.
■ NO CONTEST
Dispatching endless enemies
.
■ HACKED OFF
The joy of taking on multiple foe soon palls.
I
Is boringly easy
THE SCORPION KING: RISE OF THE AKKADIAN The Rock gets ready to rumble, we get ready to grumble.
m BY DOG! End of level bosses
include Anubis, the kick-ass
mutt-faced deity PUBLISHER: VIVENDI UNIVERSAL INTERACTIVE DEVELOPER;
POINT OF VIEW, INC PRICE £29.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: N O W W E B S I T E : W W W. S C O R P i O N KINGGAMES.COM 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
Well, what did we expect? The plot-free piffle that was The Scorpion King movie was always destined to be a videogame. Indeed anyone who's had the dubious pleasure of gritting their way through the film will have felt a sneaking feeling that they were essentially watching a videogame at the time, albeit one with real (we-e-ll, we say real...) actors. For those not fortunate enough to have witnessed The Rock's tilt at a Mummy Returns-type flick, he plays Mathayus, a muscled slab of whirling fists, flashing blades and Roger Moore-esque eyebrow manipulation, on a mission to right wrongs and rescue people, etc, etc. While the game doesn't follow the plot of the movie, it maintains the essential sprit of brainless slashing perfected by the celluloid version. Initially, the signs are good: solid, well-formed graphics impress, the detail Is excellent and the movement slicker than the Rock's well-
oiled pecs. Sadly, once you've dispatched a few goons, kicked over a few big pots and knocked burning oil on yourself, there's not much more to discover Your progress
132 PlayStatlon E aFFICIRL mHBRZINE-UK
is utterly linear, with the next door unlocking once you've seen off all the foes In a particular room - which makes for pretty uninsplrational gameplay Enter a room, kick everyone's head in as swiftly as possible, let out a whiffy one-llner, trouser any rubies and health power-ups knocking around, then move on to the next room. Even the extremely young and impressionable will tire of this wearisome, formulaic tripe pretty quickly It's a tragic case of all that glistens not being gold. □ Michael Storey THE SCORPION KING: RISE OF THE AKKADIAN Why we'd buy it - We're In love with
Ttie Rock's
w w e predi ' d lc etabl a vee and i t |i - It'hsydrab,
one-paced
feeble quips
^
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RINGTONE COMPATIBILITY • NOKIA: 3210,3310,3330,3410,5210,5510,61XX, 62XX, E310, 63101, B210,8310, SllOi, 88XX, 7110,7850, AND THE 9110(1). SAGEM; MC930, MC/MW932, MC936, MCIMW939, MC340, MC942, MC94£, MC949 MC9S0, MC952, MC956 & MC95S{R) M0T0R0U:T250, V50, V100, V8088 & TIMEPOfiT 260 SAMSUNG; T100, N600
mdre
is cost £1.50 per minute. Mobiles charges vary. We recommend you call from a landline. Ireland calls cost €1.90 per min. You must be 16 or over to use any of tbese services must complete the call to receive your order(s). Each order is likely to take 2 minutes and therefore cost E3.00. The total cost of your call will be the cost of your order(s) plus the cost of jtes spent browsing products, correcting input and obtaining information. Services require a tone phone. Competitions cost up to £5 and involve multiple choice questions and a tiebreaker ecide the winner. Ringtone royalties paid to MCPS & PRS. Competitions close 30th November 2002. If you do not wish us to use data to make further offers see website. For rules or ners' names, send a SAE. partymoh.com, PO Box 28 Northampton NN15DS Helpline: 0871 222 0773 (UK). 1850 928228 (IR) (CallSave) partymob.com is part of InfoMedia Services Limited. SijiiiSst
Hare tHMire of fun alone or with iria
1 i'-'--* "
^1!
REUIEIU
KNIGHT RIDER/MICRO MACHINES KNIGHT RIDING
Chase the bad guys from A to B, to C, and back to A...
SUPER Km
can
CAR scan
buildings and hack into computers. SKI MODE A tap of the controller button and you
P U B L I S H E R : D AV I L E X D E V E L O P E R : D AV I L E X PRICE: £24.99 PLAYERS: 1 O U T: 8 N O V E M B E R W E B S I T E : W W W. D AV 1 L E X . C O M 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO
can drive on two wheels...
KNIGKT RIDER Mullets, a talking cor and a large side order of cheese. Knight Rider ("a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man... who does not exist") is often fondly remembered. It's the show that gave us the tightly trousered David Hasselhoff, weekly tongue-in-cheek heroics and a shiny black Pontiac TransAm that could talk, jump, flip onto two wheels and drive at tremendous turbo-boosted
speeds. Having bought the official licence from Universal, little-known Dutch developer Davilex has now recreated Knight Rider in game form. As a non-Hasselhoff voiced Michael Knight, driving a non-William Daniels voiced KITT,
The handling is stiff and jerky, the controls are sluggish and unresponsive. Jumping over trains or flipping onto two wheels provide brief bursts of excitement, but the levels are often long obstacle courses involving little more than getting from A to B (and back to A again] while driving against a ticking clock "Knight Rider A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a game... that should not exist." □ Dean Evans
KMGHT RIDER
you'll face ten vehicular missions. It's a blast from the past - right down to the cheesy synth soundtrack. In fact, the game gets many things right. The sound effects are spot on, the 3D graphics aren't bad and the
Why we'd buy it - We view our TV past through
Sound
Only hardcore devotees of the Eighties TV show
game design pushes nostalgia buttons you didn't know you had. But like looking back at the Eighties series, this feels old and wooden. Crucially, for a game that's based on driving, this pixel Knight Rider sucks out all the fun.
Gameplay
s h o u l d l o o k c l o s e r.
rose-tinted specs Graphics
Why we'd leave it
- Stiff and slugilsh controls - Limited, lightweight gameplay
Life
OFFlOBygERDICT
NOSIALGIA KICK Spot on
visuals, Eighties synth music, but not much of a game.
BOMB SQUAD One of the all-new Multiplayer modes.
MICRO MACHINES
Chinese proverb say: little car plus big journey maf
P U B L I S H E R : I N F O G R A M E S / AT O R I DEVELOPER: SHEFRELD HOUSE PRICE: £39.99 P L AY E R S : 1 - 4 O U T: N O W WEB SITE: www.infogrames.co.uk 60HZ MODE: NO WIDESCREEN: NO SURROUND SOUND: NO P E R I P H E R A L S ; M U LT T TA P
When Micro Machines V3 was reviewed in
0PM#17 some five years ago, it received a lofty 9/10. 'The best game we've played in many a long day," said the reviewer Well, those little machines packed up their Sunday best for the pilgrimage to PS2, and have finally reached salvation. Still own a copy of V3?Then why not dust it ofl'. It's particularly memorable for its Four-player mode in which two players shared a joypad - one used the D-pad to
Micro Machines' strength was always in its addictive Multiplayer mode, and none of this has been lost in the conversion, with the addition of a Bomb Tag deathmatch and checkpoint-based time trial adding further variation. However, the cynical git in us has to ask, V/hy?' Was a polished version of an already great game really that necessary? It really all depends on whether you're prepared to fork out £39.99 on what is essentially a flveyear-old game dressed in PS2 clothing □ George Walter
steer, the other the face buttons. In the graphically enhanced PS2 version, you now need a MultiTap. The visuals have come a long way since 1997 What was once Jaggy is now smooth, and there are more
courses with new track-side objects (like rats, lobsters,
Why we'd buy It - Four-player Micro Machines is still a ball
Why we'd leave it
- It's cinanged only aesthetically since the PSone version
frogs and a giant man hiding down a manhole) to hinder your progress. Gameplay is still the simple, top-down 3D
CrapWcs Q We cant justify a higher
miniature racing and vehicles are still based on those
Gameplay ^ not a big enough step
early Nineties diecast toys that came in the form of Micro cars, boats, planes, motorbikes and other vehicles. You may still have a few stuffed down the back of your sofa.
n.2 OFFICIHL mHGRZINE-UK
M A O fl N E S
Sound g score than this - it's just
Lifespan ^ from the PSone game.
SRCH
x-nsn
UnXQUE TRHE mOST EUER
hps
SUPER
on
OTHER
IHTEnse
explosive
HERO
POUERS
X-HEn FIEHTinG
—IT'S VOU
rhd
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TO
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TO
UE
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n U T fl r i T S
24. TO
C O H B i n fl T Z O n S chrrocteristics
DIFFEREnT
X-PIEH
LIFE!
EXPERXEnCED.
nsxT
Dimension nunxLnBLE
PlayStation.EI
N I N T E N D O
G A M E C U B E .
2002
MARVEL
MARVEL, X-Men, and all Marvel characters; TM and © 2002 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved, www.marvel.com. Game code ® 2001-2002 Activision, Inc. and its affilates. Published and distributed by Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. and its affiliates. Alt rights reserved. " PlayStation" and " PlayStation" logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos 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 THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. ©2002 NINTENDO. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
no«JEi
activisionxom
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w w w. c o d e j u n k i e s . c o n
THIS IS THRILUNG
ESCAPISM OF THE HIGHEST ORDER. JUST UKE STAR
WARS, YOU COULD SAY
>|a SmCE CHASE The action j^cks off with Obi-Wan ant^j
Anal
Star Wars pisode Attack of t 1 C ones
X SEND m THE ClONES
Hordes of troopers prepare
5 i ^ to assist the Jedl in the
^ V* fegaatlaty CJone Wars.
The Force is strong in this DVD, young Padawan. HLM: After tlie disappointing and disjointed The Phantom Menace, George Lucas needed something special to get all but the most ardent Jedlphlles back aboard his prequel express. And this is It, Clearly targeted at fans of the original trilogy rather than a new generation of l^ids, Attack Of The Clones is a far, far better movie; still hackneyed in places, but exciting, intriguing and actionpacked enough to Jump ahead of both Phantom and Return Of The Jed/ in the Star Wars mythology. At the film's heart, Is the love story between Anakin and Padme which develops when the former Is ordered to protect the latter from an unknown assassin. Of far more
Interest are Obl-Wan's encounter with super-cool bounty hunter Jango Fett, and ominous glimpses of Anakln's dark side, which, along with the amazing climax - with its huge scale Jedl battle and that mesmerising duel between Yoda and Christopher Lee's malevolent Count Dooku - sets us
up, breathless with anticipation, for the emotional carnage of Episode III. Attack Of The Clones exhibits an understanding of the Star Wars universe that The Phantom Menace resolutely lacked. Discharge your Intelligence unit and shut down those bad dialogue receptors, this Is thrilling escapism of the highest order Just like Star Wars, you could say 9/10 EXTRAS; Blimey A stunning two-disc bonanza packed to the brim with goodies. Stand-outs are the group commentary with George Lucas and a load of his technical bods, two documentaries exploring how the special effects work, and 12 fascinating featurettes
(originally shown on starwars.com during the making of the movie) that cover everything from location shooting to Natalie Portman's wardrobe. 10/10
VERDICT: A brilliant return to form. In fact, this is the best Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back. □ LH
138 Play5tation.E DFFICIRL mREHZINE-UK
Director
George Lucas Starring Ewon McGregor Natalie Portman,
Hayden Chrlstensen, Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee, Ian McDIanvId, Te m e u r a M o r r i s o n Distributor Fox O u t 11 N o v e m b e r Price £24.99
Extras Commentaiy. Eight deleted scenes. Documentaries: From
Puppets To Pixels; Digttal Characters in Episode II and State
EXTRA! EXTRA!
R2-D2: Beneath The Dome is o greet spoof feoturette with George Lucas and pals Including Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg discussing R2-D2 as if he was - get this - a real actor! Those crazy guys.
V
Of TTie Art: The Previsuailsation Of
1
Episode il. 12-part Web documentary series. Featurettes:
Story, Love, Action, Episode li VIsuai Effects Breai^dovt^n
Montage, Creating
The Sound Effects and R2-02: Beneath ITte Dome. Theatrical
ORIGINS
CAREER
Samuel L Jackson: I'm not real sure
Steven Spielberg: "At one point,
Natalie Portman: "He doesnt seem
George aslied me If there was a
to have any problems In that
trailers. Stills Gallery. Theatrical posters and print campaign. TV spots. Across The
that accent Is the real deal, /know? I mean, homeboys probably from
Stars mus/c video.
like, Detroit or somewhere."
place for R2 in Saving Private l^n, and for a wfhile 1 considered making him a beach obstacle."
LADIES
department I guess It's just the way he looks I can't deny that he's a good-lool
DVD AND MUSIC CONTPiBUTORS: LEE HART, HIDEO KOJIMA, SAM RICHARDS, MICHAEL STOREY, MARK W
Recommended viewing for your PlayStation 2 cinema systei ^
-
■ WEB OF INTRIGUE Spidey's moves are captured through a
Soider-Man
clever mix of CGI effects and
Direc or Sam Ra/mi/Starring Tobey Moguire, Willem Oofoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemoiy Homs/Distributor Columbia WStar/Out 25 November/Price £24.99
human gymnastics.
FILM: Come on, you all
the Green Goblin. Like the X-Men
know the story. Teenage
movie, Spider-Man spends so much time setting up the characters and their situations that the plot ultimately suffers. But this Is still a hugely entertaining super-hero romp that perfectly captures the style and
nerd Peter Parker Is
bitten by a genetically modified arachnid and
gains super spider powers. When his Uncle Ben Is killed by a mugger who Peter had previously allowed to escape, Peter learns "with great power comes great responsibility" and vows to use his new-found gifts to do good. Tobey Maguire excels as the everyman hero trying to Juggle crimefighting with his duties at home, his job at the Daily Bugle and his love for neighbour Mary Jane Watson (KIrsten Dunst|. Wlllem Dafoe also delivers a truly sinister performance as Spidey's psychotic arch-enemy
spirit of the comic books (cheesy dialogue and all|. 7/10 EXTRAS: Almost rivalling Attack Of
IV I
^
•
r
^
\
m"1
The Clones for the amount and
quality of extras, there's a bundle of featurettes relating to both the film
%;•
and the comics. Two commentaries,
original screentests, a Gag Outtakes Reel with Dafoe hamming It up In his Goblin garb, plus some dodgy nu-metal music videos. 9/10
VERDICT: All-action comic book
caper A must for Spldey fans. □ LH
■ EXTRA! EXTRA!
!AMAIIN6!^ i © F A N T A S Y,
Swot up on the comic book history of the 4 most popular hero in the Marvel universe.
^"Hei documena tyr SpdieM -r an:TheMyh toolgy Of The 21st Century Is a goldmine for fans of the comic. Featuring input from co-creator Stan Ijee, Spidey artists such as John Romita
^ andKevin ToddSmith, McFariane, plus fan and It's a fascinating iookfilmmaker at how the ^5 comics have evolved - both in terms of the writing and the art - over the last 40 years.
DVDS YOU MUST OWN AMERICAN PSYCHO Brett Easton Ellis's
Panic Room
Ocean's Eleven
Director David FIncher/StarrIng Jodie Foster; Kristin Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Vookom/Dlstrlbutor Columbia TriStar/Out Now/Price £19.99
Dlnector Steven Soderbergb/Starrlng George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Domon,
FILM: After Fight Club's surreal paean to violence, David FIncher returns to relative normality with this stylised, yet fairly straightforward thriller Jodie Foster and daughter lock themselves in a heavily armoured panic room when a trio of thieves bust Into their new house. The problem is, that's the exact room the bad guys want to access to get their hands on some hidden booty. A Rear Window-style masterclass in using a single location to create real tension, this Is a twisting ride with some ingenious set-pieces. 7/10 EXTRAS: Hmm, just a teaser trailer and filmographies, so we can probably expect a Special Edition In a few month's time. 1/10 VERDICT: Style over substance it may be, but this HItchcocklan thriller Is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat. □ LH
Julia Roberts/Distributor Womer Home Mdeo/Out Now/Price £15.99
FILM: A better crafted and, yes, cooler remake of the Rat Feck's rubbish heist comedy, George Clooney leads an all-star cast as charming criminal Danny Ocean, putting together a crew to rob three Vegas casinos in one night, while trying
;
to win back ex-wlfe Julia Roberts from the
ruthless owner of said casinos, Andy Garcia. The result is swaggering entertainment, but It's all a bit too slick for its own good - you know damn well they're going to pull off the job so there's absolutely no sense of danger or suspense. 7/10 EXTRAS: Two ace commentaries: one by the Director and Writer the other by the cast. Plus two shallow promo featurettes. 5/10 VERDICT: A cool, smooth, exciting heist movie but it does lack one vital ingredient any semblance of tension. □ LH
savage satire had seemed
unfilmable, but Mary Harron manages it by swapping brutal horror for biting humour.
Christian
Bale looks suitably buff as the narcissistic
WA R S E P I S O D E 1 : PHANTOIVI MErJACE
WHERE IS n? On disc one, go to Languages and press t to highlight the THX logo. Then press 10 and 1 to make 11. Wait, then press 03, Wait, then press 08, This gives access to a 'cock-ups' reel W H AT T R E AT S I N S TO R E ? H u m o r o u s
nutcase making a killing during the Eighties. Watch it and you'll
footage of R2-D2 falling over on set, Yoda fluffing his lines and Llam Neeson laughing as he tries to grab Jar Jar Binks's tongue,
never look at a business card the
SEND US YOUR EASTER EGGS
same way again.
us a line at [email protected] and let u:
Spotted a DVD bonus, have you? Then dro] know where and how you found it
■'S A SCENE IN THE GUNS OF NAVARONE THAT I WANTED TO EXPEItlENCE INSTEAD OF WATCHINGI" HIDEO KOJIMA AT THE MOVIES, PAGE 141
□FFICIRL nriBGRZlNE-UK PlayStatlon E 13
d v i
© SPYGLASS ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[REGION 15
cool behind-the-scenes extras
HRE
RGHTER
Christian Bale
4
aims to win beard
supremacy In Reign Of Fire.
AH, THE SMELL of freshly stone-washed jeans, the annoying click of the Rublk's cube and Juliet Bravo on TV. Mmm, Juliet Bravo, 1980 may have been the year that the world lost John Lennon, Steve McQueen and Alfred Hitchcock but, In general, It was a year with an upbeat CUiJ HERO starring Dustin Hoffman and Directed by 'Bkrady* Sam Peckinpah, the kxig-banned, ultravfolent Straw Dogs |Freemantle/£19.99) finally gets past the
PICK OF TOE YEAR
tempo and was a cracking time for cinema,
JK The world of boxing produced the year's best film, and arguably Robert De Nino's greatest performance
The Time Machine Dlrsctor Simon Welte/Stanlng Guy Pearce, Jeremy Irons, Samantha Mumba, Mark Addy/Dlstributor Warner Home Mdeo/Out Now/Price £15.99
FILM: HG Wells' timeless sci-fi parable of the class
struggle (underground workers the Moriocks feasting
(certainly his greatest belly) as real-life middleweight
■ fighter Jake LaMotta In RAGING BULL If a bit of
censors totally uncut a packed with extras.
^ Eloil gets a mediocre update courtesy of his Grandson, Simon Wells. Guy Peart;e
claret on the floor was your thing, there was also
y plenty on this side of the pond as stubby Bob Hosklns
gutted gangland In THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY. As If watching the Bobs wasn't scary enough, Stephen
King and Jack Nicholson proved that all work and no play
tA^ tries hard as the Victorian era inventor who travels
didnt make Jack that dull In THE SHINING - he really
800,000 years into the future and gets caught up in the evolutionary war But with the story taking a back seat to more action and effects, there's little to distinguish this. Stick to the 1960 version or, better yet, read the book 5/10 EXTRAS: Four behind-the-scenes featurettes and a single pointless deleted scene, plus two commentaries, the best of which is by the enthusiastic Director; Mr Wells. 6/10 VERDICT: Reasonably entertaining but ultimately shallow, effectsheavy update of the HG Wells sci-fi classic. □ LH
did change the smiling face of horror. And just when you though it was safe to come out from behind the sofa, the world's doors were flung open to Japanese cinema. The land of the rising sun gave us the stylish and ultravlolent Not everyone likes their films hard-hitting, so it's a good Job 1980 had more than Its share of laughs, too. Chevy Chase and Bill Murray were on unmissable form as they led the golfing guffaws In the truly classic CADDYSHACK. If, by some chance, that didn't have you
displays the ball-handling skills Jack demands from
CADDYSHACK
It'll always be a contender, especially the bumper anniversary
No real extras, but a film that looks even greater now
it's all cleaned up and available in
collection of extras
Jake Lalvlotta. THE LONG G O O D F R I D AY
Or get it in. The choice is yours with this decent
package of trailers, interviews and flimnotes.
AIRPLANE! With a trailer and a
hilarious group commentary, this comedy spoof classic is still up there flying high
rolling In the aisles, surely you'd have to crack a smile at Leslie Nielsen In the ludicrously silly AIRPLANE!
all his laydees.
widescreen. Buy it.
to accompany the pies and fall of
"L£ave it aaaaatr
SHOGUN ASSASSIN In retum.
WHAT A CATCH Chief
RAGING BULL
Moving from the ridiculous to the sublime, 1980 was a
year of films that broke the mould, A modern-day blues
with the best
musical featuring greats like James Brown and Aretha THE BLUES BROTHERS
Franklin? THE BLUES BROTHERS had It all - James
BelushI on coke and on form. Talking of form, who can
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's
Nest: Special Edition
Director Milos Fomion/Starrlng Jock Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Brad Oourtf, Will Sampson/Distributor Womer Home Wdeo/Out Now/Price £19.99
FILM; Jack Nicholson delivers arguably the finest performance of his career as Randle P McMurphy, the anti-establishment upstart who fakes psychiatric problems in order to while away his prison sentence in a mental hospital. Soon the other inmates are putty in his rebellious hands, much to the chagrin of the oppressive Nurse Ratched. A hilarious and almost unbearably poignant masterpiece. Oh, and the asyium is just one big metaphor for American society, y'know. 10/10 EXTRAS: An in-depth documentary, interviews, deleted scenes and commentary only spoiled by the lack of any input ftxim Jack 7/10
VERDICT: All-time classic celebration of the human spirit. □ LH
DVDS YOU MUST OWN AMERICAN PIE 2 It might lack the finesse of classic frat comedies Animal House and
Porlfy's, but AP2 has enough injokes and solid characterisations
to satisfy the most bestial of humours. Lesbian
sex, piss drinking and genital mutilation are all
by the by in this lurid tale of American teens
forget Brian Blessed screaming, "Birdmen! Dillillllve!" as comic book, lantern-jawed, campy, FLASH GORDON was brought to life, complete with a Queen soundtrack. Now you can't get more Eighties than that. □ iviw
STNESHININe
LInfortunately, you'll need to buy this in
TXE SHINING "Heeere's the DVD!" Just the one
be too scared to
the box set with Blues Brothers 2000. The first film is a classic. The second one is best used as a coaster
watch anyway after witnessing this
FLASH GORDON
'Making Of extra which you might
homar classic in widescreen.
"Flash. I love you but we only have two extra features!"
SHOGUN ASSASSIN
Side-splitting but not always in the right way this
You do get a free poster with Ming's daughter on it, though. Nice,
Influential
|V^ bloodbath comes with a gallery and
ifk^^k a trailer
looking to pop their cherries on summer break.
NEXT MOrSTTH The summer of love,
ALSO RELEASED TOIS MONTH...
Blade II (Entertainment In Video/£19.99)/T1ie Scorpion King |Universal/E19.99|/ Amadeus |Warner/£19.99)/Queen Of The Damned |Wamer/£19.99|/Hart's War ||V|GM/E19.99|/Biifly The Vampire Slayer Season Five |Fox/£79.99|/ Hie Sopranos Series 3 |Warner/£59.991/Fiiturama Season 2 (Fox/£39.99|
Wo o d s t o c k a n d t h e
source of great smutty jokes, '69 also gave us Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid and Easy Rider and we had our bloody doors blown off by
m m
Jhe Italian Job. See you next month.
QFFICIRL mRGRZINE-UK PlayStation.? 140
Hidee Kajima Rb The ITIavies Following on from last issue, the legendary game designer discusses the movies that influenced the creation of his classic game, Metal Gear Solid. This month, J Lee Thompson's gripping WWII film.
The Guns of Navarone
PHOTO: KOBAL COLLECTION/COLUM
This Is a long period without words or music. Ali you hear is merciless wind, waves, and rain. Absolute tension and
painful thrill - one of the greatest scenes in the history of film. When they are done climbing up the cliff, the silence until then works effectively. You hear the noise used to lure the guard very clearly The ear, used to silence, catches this noise like an explosion that refuses to stop
echoing. This mix of infiltration and the noise Is a trap for the audience that the Director calculated and set
perfectly This sequence is one that plays a big role In the birth of MGS
MAKE SOME NOISE Since the announcement of MGS In 1998,1 have been
asked the following question over and over again: "What inspired you to create an infiltration game iike MGS?" Every single time I have been asked this question I have answered, 'There's a scene In The Guns of Navarone that I wanted to experience Instead of simply watching!" The scene I had In mind Is one where Captain Keith Mallory intentionally makes a noise to lure a guard, which led to the Idea of luring the enemy with a noise in MGS. There are also other elements that Influenced the
game. Take a look at Mallory, for example. He Is fluent In Greek and German and is a world-class rock climber This
kind of background setting Is quite similar to that of Snake. 'A mission impossible', 'an invincible fortress', 'a new ovenwhelming weapon' and 'an indomitable warrior with special skills' are ail shared between this movie and MGS. After watching this flim once again for this column,
I was very surprised by these similarities myself Thompson's directing Is superb, but I aiso take my hat off to Writer Carl Foreman's carefully calculated
screenplay At the very beginning of the movie, the Navy Colonel who came up with the grand plan says that there Is no chance that this plan wlli work He says that the men will die, but that's war The cruel words of this Colonel Impress In the minds of the audience that this is
The Guns of Navarone Director J Lee TTiompson Starring: Gregory PecK David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker Anthony Quayle, James Darren, RIchanI Harris Extras: Director's commentary, Featurettes, FllmograptjieSr Documentary, Theatrical Trailer Interactive Menus, Dolby Digital 5.1, Widescreen THIS GRIPPING WAR film Is an absolute classic, in
the words of Kojima-san hlmseif... "in order to tal
,■« over the invincible fortress
[ surrounded by cliffs, six
professionals are gathered. Sailing through a storm, climbing up the supposedly unclimbabie cliff for infiltration, the leader being wounded, the equipment breaking down, comrades betraying the
'mission Impossible.' The impossible notion becomes uncertainty in one's mind and grows bigger and bigger while following the men's actions. When the ship Is
Last time I talked about The Great Escape
I which was a film that influenced MGS greatly in the concept of 'hiding'. As the title speaks for itself, that movie is about escaping enemy grounds. However, MGS Is not a game whose main concept is 'escaping'. MGS is a
game of 'infiltration'. The part of the gameplay unique to MGS - le, trying not to be found by those trying to find you - came from The Great Escape, as I explained last time. But where exactly did the plot of infiltrating enemy grounds come from? The movie that most influenced this plot Is The Guns of Navarone, which was released In 1961. Like The Great
Escape, The Guns of Navarone ranks high in the list of my favourite 30 films - a true classic to be passed on to
the next generation. The story Is simple. During WWII, the
To win a DVD of The Guns of
Navarone, plus a copy of MGS2 signed by Hideo Kojima, tell us who plays the role of Capt Keith Mallory in The
Guns of Navarone. Answers to:
'Shocking taste in undies too. Well, well. Heil every body' Compo, Official PlayStation 2 Magazine, Future Publishing 30 Monmouth
rest... accidents follow
Allies pian a covert mission to save the 2,000 British
accidents and crises follow crises. And
soldiers on a Mediterranean island. The mission is to
2BW. Normal
infiltrate the Aegean Island of Navarone and destroy the
compo rules apply (see pl45|.
the clock keeps ticking! Doesn't the synopsis alone sound fun and
exciting?" We'd have to agree with the great man.
huge cannons developed by the Germans. The catch? They only have four days to do it! One cannot forget about the superb infiltration scene. From the point when the boat is stranded and the men climb up the cliff, none of the six men say a word.
Street, Bath BAl
stranded In the storm, when the men look up at the cliff, the audience - along with the characters - say, 'This is
Impossible!" The worries of the characters and the audience synchronise. Foreman knows what he's doing. The sense of satisfaction after completing the mission that Is supposed to fall, after overcoming the harsh environment and destroying the invincible fortress.. The coolness of making the impossible possible... That Is what's great about this film. What Influenced me the most is this element: It's the catharsis you feel after
Infiltrating a place no-one else can and completing a mission no-one else can. It Is the courage and ecstasy o1 overcoming limits and making the Impossible possible that I wanted to experience In a game! This feeling of mine Is what led to MGS The harsher the environment,
the tougher the mission, and the more dynamic the destruction, the greater the feei of accomplishment at th end. This structural Ideology Is what lies beneath the MGS series. □
•t^etal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty and The Guns Of Navarone are available from game and DVD stores now.
□FFICIRL fTlRBRZINE-UK PlayStation E 14
coming soon Igaaimn After being hypnotised to recognise the 'inner beauty of
surprisingly tame romcom
women; Jack Black sees
77i/s year's The Full Monty/Billy
in the twisted psychological thriller VANtUA SKY (18 Nov),
(fat-suited) bloater Gwyneth
Elliot/East fs East/etc BCN0 TT
Tom Cm(se gets off with Penelope
Paitrow as the skinny girl of his dreams in the Farreliy Brothers'
UKE BECKHAM (18 Novj curls a
Cruz and Cameron Diaz then
well-struck DVD past ttie wall
expects us to feel sorry for him
SHALLOW HAL (18 Nos^. ..
morked'refeose slot'...
when he's horribly disfigured In a
Rnally, the dneam team of
car wreck Or is he?...
Spielberg and Cruise deliver
Another thriller this time It's DONT SAY A WDRO125 Novj
MINOnnv REPORT 130 Nov) the
with Michael Douglas trying to rescue h/s kidnapped daughter...
complete with mucho extras
finest sci-fi opus for years Including an in-depth Making Of...
■ HUGE Hrr^ "Two people bought It?"
d v d
h a TOP 10 DVDs TO BUY Ocean's Eleven
The Office A Beautiful Mind
4 Jimmy Neutron 5 The Time Machine
■ A U E N I N VA S I O N Skinner discovers that the customs search on Uranus Is a little over-efficient.
Blade II From Hell
Monsters, Inc Blade II
10 X-Files Complete Series 5
hangs on in there. Choreographed martial arts fights make
the videogame (reviewed on page 124 in this very issue)
X-Files Complete Series 5
Princess Diaries
Guillermo Del Toro's darker take on the world of vampires
Charts courtesy of WHSmith, week ending 14 October
WHSmith
something to really get your teeth into.
Creeping into the Top Ten DVDs this month is the fifth in the popular series that tracks down the aliens in our midst. Will we ever find who's behind the conspiracy? Will Mulder and Scully finally cop off? Find out here.
Using the power of your PS2 with tiiis month's best CDs. Bsdly DrSWn Boy Have you Fed irie Fish? (XL Recordings] W H O ? Te a - c o s i e d
H I G H U G H T S : Yo u
LOWUGHTS: An
troubadour Damon
Were R/ght, How? and
othenwise impressive
Gough delivers his second proper album after Spring's About A
The Further I Slide
Springsteen take-off is ruined by Gough
iiuUffOfH! R'
Boy soundtrack stopgap.
provide just about ail the heart-melting folkadelic whimsy and
VERDICT: If you've seen him live, you'll know to delve for the
moments of beauty in a tangle of daft tempo
toyshop funk you might require.
wailing "and have you fed the fish today?" He should know pets have no place in rock.
HIGHUGHTS: Adeptly
LOWUGHTS: Just
VERDICT: So ruthlessly
covering all bases
market-led it's hard to
changes and general pissing about. A bit of a chore, thou^i. 6/10
Cr3Zy Town Darkhorse iColumbia) WHO? If the Chilis all
C « R Z y T < S U J N
had dweeby younger brothers, theyd be Crazy Town. Best to forget about Shift/s
excellencel Crazy
don't let them rap! Given an opportunity to rock the rttyme, Shifty swiftly unmasks himself as a verbally-
Oakenfold's awful
Town aim to please, in patches, they do.
challenged Fred Durst disciple
next 12 months, 5/10
Stony Eyed Surprise,
WHO? Downtempo
HIGHUGHTS: Is this
LOWUGHTS: Much
duo with a fondness
still 'dance* music? The beats are so
like chillout comrades
unobtrusive they give way to pastoral homs
VERDICT: Langourous, faintly nostalgic and defiantly anti-fashion,
have a weakness for wacklness. The
and choirs. Tfie aura
sampling of plummy
from Faith No More to
Feeder (Hurt You So Bod Is radio rock par
recent turn on
love, but Darkhouse's shrewd versatility will ensure Crazy Town's top ten tenure for the
LGIDOn jGly Lost Horizons (XL Recordings! for suggestive humour They registered their Web site in the Cayman Islands so It could be
called lemonJelty.ky.
Bent, Lemon Jelly
of gentle innocence Is refreshing
BBC voices Is an
Englishism too far
listen to Lost Horizons
while watching a documentary about the English countryside. 7/10
ivianic Street Preachiers Forever Delayed - Ttie Greatest Hits (Epic) WHO? After a brief loan spell behind Queens Of The Stone Age's drum kit,
LOWUGHTS: There's still a lingering feeling that they could have slipped
Dave Grohl now finds his latest Foo
the last Foos album into the CD case
Fighters set competing, ironically, with the new Nirvana 'best of.
HIGHUGHTS: Grohl brings a new Stone Age inspired swagger to
WHO? Then:
HIGHUGHTS: The non-
LOWUGHTS: From
intellectual glam rockers as important
chronological tracklist attempts to confuse
as Nin/ana. Now: three
the fact that from
Everything Must Go onwards, the group's increasingly turgid balladry and empty polemic largely fails
Welsh blokes in shirts.
and we might have taken a while to
Motown Junk to the
This 'best of cruelly
notice the difference... VERDICT: Still passionate, still
highlights the postRichey decline.
anthemic poise of A Des/gn For Life, the
dependable. Give the Nirvana album a
ALSO RELEASED THIS MONTH The Libertines Up The Bracket (Rough Tradel/Rob Swift Sound Event (Table Turns)/ Add N To (X) Loud Like Nature (Mute)/ Radio 4 Gotham (City Slang)/Sigur Ros 11 (Fatcat)/Shy FX & T-Power Set It Off (ffrr)
songs such as AH My Life and Low, while never forgetting that he owes
good caning, then play One By One. The fact that it thoroughly withstands
his livelihood to the three-minute
comparison is all the
pop song.
recommendation you need. 7/10
142 PiayStatlon E QFFICIRL mRGHZINE-UK
to stir emotions.
Manics were incredible
V E R D I C T: C o n t a i n s some of the Nineties'
most exciting music, but leaning heavily on recent, weaker material doesn't do
justice to the Manics' original genius. 7/10
ON THE OPS2 STEREO Madllb Blunted In The Bomb Shelter
(Antidote)/"nie Polyphonic Spree The Beginning Stages Of (679)/DJ DSL #1 (G-Stone)/ACDC Highway To Heii (Atco)/ Lemon Jelly Lost Horizons (XL Recordings)
P U R E H I P H O P I
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MIXED
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LIU
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&
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CL
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SPORTS
THEjTWOjTOWERS BuIilfiT
our review]
RAUyllMiSJPRO evolution soccer 2 I
9
'Y
7
K
1aanriesr^^
h r randdchaelngiescourtesyofOffic^ipisMag. Tips, tricks, cheats
lURLKTHRDUGH
/ Yes, it's me again, back again to serve you up another
steaming platefui of PS2 tips. We've got a tasty walkthrough
ONIMUSHA 2 SAMURAI'S DESTINY Puzzles, bosses and trading tactics impaled in our ultimate wall
for Onimusha 2, along with tips for The Thing, Tekken 4,
The trading system is new to Onimusha 2, and allows you to exchange items with key characters - Ekei, Magoichi, Kotaru and Oyu - to receive useful gifts.
and Hitman 2. And hell, if this
doesn't fill you up, you've either got worms, or you need a regular diet of tips, supplied by the Officioi UK PS2 Tips Magi I hope it's the latter...
Andy Dyer, Official Tips Guru IN HARDCORE THIS MOimi 118 ONIMUSHA 2: SAMURAI'S DESTINY ...GUIDE 121 .THETHING TIPS 121 .TEKKEN 4 _ . TIPS
12 1 G TA III FAQ 121.....„TC)NY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 3 FAQ 12 2 HITMAN 2: SILENT ASSASSIN TIPS 122 MX S U P E R F LY TIPS 122 MAT HOFFMAN'S PRO BMX 2 CHEATS 122 KELLY SLATER'S PRO SURFER CHEATS 122 BLADE II C H E AT S 1 2 2 P R O R A L LY 2 0 0 2 C H E AT S
146 PlayStation.E □FFICIRL fTlHGRZINE-UK
There are four ways to obtain gifts for
1)0YU
trading purposes:
Female swordswoman. The love interest. You
1) Shop 2) Treasure Chests 3) Townsfolk 4) Item Exchange By giving gifts to the l
press the Start button. Simply scroll through the Gifts menu and choose the item you want to give, if the character likes the gift, they'll usually smile and laugh, rewarding you with an item of their own. Characters hold some
valuable items that can only be obtained
get to control her later in the game, regardless of what gifts you trade. She can be found on the balcony above the wine house.
Likes; Female things, such as dresses, jewellery and flowers.
2) MAGOICHI The gunslinger Found in the wine house, next to Ekei, the monk
Likes: Scholarly things and ancient artefacts, like scrolls, guns and antiques. 3) EKEI A monk of somewhat rotund proportions. Sits in the wine house.
ONIMUSHA 2: SAMURAI'S
DESTINY
■ PWYERS 1 ■ M E M O R Y C A R D S PA C E 461K ■ D I F F I C U LT Y M O D E R AT E ■ COMPLETION TIME 7-12 HRS ■ REVIEWED OPS2#25
Likes: Food, wine and anything relating to indulgence, which explains his rather ample
UERDICT
girth, presumably
that exceeds its
through trading - such as the rib pieces, used to unlock a secret door later in the game. This
4) KOTAROU The teenage ninja. She sits in the room above
will be fully explained later on. Basically, each
the wine house.
character likes particular types of items,
Likes: Teenage stuff, toys, playing cards and
outlined asfoiiov«..
gadgets like the compass.
"A supreme sequel precursor in every respect. Why cant all videogame sequels be this goodr Graphics IB Sound 07
Gameplay 09 Ufespan 09
Overall
HHI^DCcjr HONE THOSE NINJA SKILLS Dispatch zombies in record time with our direct line to samurai survival. If all else fails, there are dirty tricks...
BLOCK AND KICK
S WA P W E A P O N S
Remember to block (holding m) when comered, then
if you run out of soul power for a particular weapon, pop into the menu and swap swords. This way, you can keep juggling between special attacks - vital
sneak In some hits. This Is
particularly useful against the razor-spine roller dogs and lumbering demon samurai.
for boss encounters.
A C T l
JUBEI'S VILLAGE
Nice and easy to begin with, but there are stili a couple of pitfalls round those corners.
yWW B Mosey save nt towards Whenpast youthe reach thepoi pond, skip overthethevilstaoge. nes into the cave. You'll eventually meet a strange lady and receive the first Oni stone. Exit via the cave, head back to where the game began and enter the
CHARGE AND COMBO Hold CD while stood still to
charge your weapon. For a powerful, non soul-sapping attack charge your current weapon and launch into a combo (tapping sP, t. @1.
SHOOT 'EM
GET CRITICAL
USE THE HERB
A few well-placed rifle shots can disable the annoying rooftop archer lizards with
To perform an iSSEN (one-blow critical hitl tap ® precisely when the enemy attacks you. If you've timed It right, Jubel will quickly stab his foes In a flash of white iightl
If your enetigy's running low, always top up with a cheeky herb or pill medicine, it's very easy to get mugged by multiple foes and lose a lot of energy in a quick burst.
ease. The flame bow is
useful against demon queen Jujodoma.
the puzzle box behind him, further down the corridor (bottom right, right top, bottom left, right bottom]. You'll
as Magolchl, so plan carefully Leave the stables and talk i Oyu on the second floor of the Wine House. Go to the
need the scroll for a puzzle later on. Talk to the Injured bloke and return to the village, where you'll receive the Portal Key Now for a little tradlrg...
Market Place and talk to the woman holding an umbrella
started his adventure. Advance Into the cave to trigger a
ONIMUSHA CASTLE
shock event. Get the red ring and leave the cave. Now thi
It's time to return to one of your old
multiple path system really kicks In. If you're friendly with Magolchl, he'll appear outside the cave and give you the Saiga Bomb. Use the Saiga bomb on the breakable rocks
stomping grounds and kick some behind...
broken door Scour the house to find the abacus, fork, tea
Return to the mine and advance to help your
set, kaleidoscope and both halves of the Four Gods
■ allies. If you're on friendly terms with Kotarou,
dragon map (one by slashing a hanging scroll, the other by searching the box in the pagoda near the garden). This
there's a brief cut-scene where you rescue him. Head to the room where you defeated the
detour isn't essential, but helps later on. Return to the
dragon shine and claim the lightning sword. After a brief cut-scene you'll arrive in the village. After the Oyu event,
explore the village and talk to everyone. The man next to the kimono lady yields some confetti, the bloke with the
backpack a scroll. Head up the steps to the stables to find the tengu mask, hidden In a barely-visible box by the log
pile. Head to the ironsmlth, smash the wooden barrels and pull the lever to activate the lift. Run quickly past the smashed barrels to claim the bow/arrows In a chest. Head to the North of the town, onto the mountain
road, killing all the enemies to claim their money Talk to the man guarding the entrance of the cave, then return to
spider ogre boss. Defeat the foes, advance some more and then use the portal key on the lid (remember: you'll need to enter the Item menu to retrieve the key). Warp to the new area where you must defeat the two ogres. Enter the door with the broken seal and collect the crystal orb from the treasure chest on the bottom floor by the winding stairs. Ascend the stairs to reach the castle.
Upon entering the castle, make your way to the top left room in the Hall area. Open both chests to collect the
map and urn. Solve the Puzzle Chest of 15. Get skeleton finger (one of two). Return to the Hall and advance through
the town and the Wine House. After iviagolchi and Ekei
the middle door to help your allies. Next proceed to the Inner hall and solve the Puzzle Treasure Chest (right
fight, you get the item trading scroll. Buy the Mountain
bottom, top right, left top). Get the Life Pearl (Save: 2.04).
Entrance Permit for 100 gold from the man at the back end of the Wine House. Talk to the two men in front of the Ironsmlth Shop to meet Kotarou at the second floor of the Wine House. Go to the man guarding the entrance of the cave and show him the Permit. Save the game in the mine (Save: 1.00) - about one hour should have elapsed.
Advance through the door at the end Into the Staircase
ACT 2
goes mental. Advance Into the stone room by following the gantry above the main hall. Get the purify pendant from
THE MINE It's time to head deeper underground as things really start to hot up. After the cut-scene proceed down the left shaft,
r■ Solve the puzzle at the altar (right bottom,
1^2^ bototomtheleft).main Getroom the hand alf sproceed crol andtoge m. Return the right. Meet Ekei, get the map, and enjoy the cut-scene. Fight the beasts in the tunnels to get the money for trading Take the right fork where the path branches like a T-junctlon.
Depending on who've you've traded with, Ekei or Magolchl will help you fight. Clear the screen of lizards and advance
to the Dragon Shrine to get the ice pike. Return to the T-junctlon and go left. Break the magical seal [looks like a wheel) with the Ice pike (Save before the door; 1.15). Put the first Oni stone into the hole on the left of the wall at
the deep end. Fight Glngafatsu, the spider bloke. The only
thing to worry about is when the spider sucks you in, so be ready to retreat. When the spider corks it, exit through back of the room. Before talking to the injured man, solve
(Save: 3.46) - triggering this event means you can't returr to the village, make sure you're ready After the cut-scene, head for the pond where Jubel
Hallway Enter the slightly hidden door at the bottom of the stairs into the Well Room to meet the trapped soul.
Get the yellow book from the shelf In the back. Return to the Staircase Hallway and ascend the stairs to the second floor Connection Hallway.
There's a cut-scene with a crying baby, where Ekei
to the side of the Dragon Shrine to get a soul necklace. With the optional event over, head back to the Jagyuu
house (where you collected the tea set and the Four God map). Solve the puzzle treasure chest in the left corridor (top right, right bottom). Go into the garden and enter the
room with the dresser Sit through the optional Oyu even! then use the red ring on the dresser Solve the puzzle
using the Four Gods Dragon map (look In your Special Items menu to view the map and match the symbols). Gi down the ladder and jump the pit. Cut the rope and a razor will head your way Run back to the pit, leap and
hang until the razor passes. Pull yourself up and contlnuf to the exit. Save at the mountain edge (Save: 4.07). ACT 5
THE FOREST
Cant see the wood for the trees? Listen up
and you'll make it through to the other sid(
Advance on the mountain path to do battle wl
■ the aid of your allies. After the bridge battle, g(
down the steps into the temple with the Dragi Shrine. Grab the Wind Maru weapon and back
track to the green seal on the mountain path. Use the
Wind Maru to break the seal and get the Nobunaga statt
pendant to get the second skeletal finger (Save: 2.58).
(one of three). Return to the temple area and follow the forest path. The forest Is essentially a puzzle, leading to some Interesting sub-routes. If you're friendly with Kotari and get lost three times, you'll trigger his alternate route,
Return to the Inner Hallway and use both skeletal fingers on the sealed door that looks like a ribcage. Enter the
SUB-ROUTE
the shelf. Return to the Well Room and use the purify
door to trigger an event. Battle the two enemies and advance for your first battle with Gogandantess. Finally, advance through the narrow passageway and up the
Playing as Kotaru, pick up the blue Soul Absorbing Rosa by the Save Point. Climb the ladder and grab the Red
ladders. Once outside, talk to Oyu to receive the blue orb (Faith). Use the orb on the steel ball for a surprise.
bridge. Use the wedge In the area bathed with red light
ACT
4
VILUVGE END Time to put on your gold medallion, sport your cheesiest grin and get trading! I Listen up! This Is the final vilage section and
Illusion Dream Wedge from the treasure chest. Head to 1 enter the Red Illusion Dream Dimension. (This is exactly like the Demon realm from Onimusha] Battle to the bottom level to receive the Red Stone Pillar, and the Blu
Illusion Wedge. Cross the bridge and return to the Dragc
Shrine. Kotaru can climb the wall next to the stone tablf Advance past the swamps and through the door usli the Blue Illusion Wedge in the area of blue light. If you
reach the deepest floor, you'll receive the Blue Stone Pill
your last chance to trade. Make sure you have
Use the Red Stone Pillar and Blue Stone Pillar on the
all three claw pieces and have made friends
totem beside the Save Point. Enter the forest and return
I with the character you want to control later on. As explained, being mates with Ekei means you can't play
control to Jubel. Now defeat the yellowy creature floatin in the air to reveal the real path. Use the special Wind
QFFICIHL mHGRZINE-UK PlayStation 2 1
m^RDCORG Maru attack to do this more easily, and don't waste time
bottom) in front of the ladder to get the Improved Gun,
beast. Activate the switch to lower the drawbridge. Use the
fighting anything but the floaty yeliow beast. Do this three
and you're ready to move on.
Save Point midway through the cave (Save: 6.51). Pick up the flamethrower Defeat the bull boss to get the Antidote
EKEI'S SUB-ROUTE Split personality: utilise your allies
find all the petrified statues, and use the Canister to revive them to receive health items. Return to the pillar of light Sub-route ends. If you play as Jubei, break the passage seal with the Rotating Wind Maru. Once you've returned to the gantry area, head towards the boathouse. Save game. Sail across to where Ekei fought the bull boss. Enter the room with the two statues blocking the path and use the Canister to revive them. Speak to both men to receive a Secret Medicine, then advance to the altar Solve the puzzle to reveal a new pillar of light. Enter the pillar to teleport to the next area (Save:
times to exit the forest. After a brief cut-scene, our oid pai Gingafatsu returns for a whopper scrap. ACT 6
THE BEACH
Life may be a beach, but Onimusha couldn't
Powder Bamboo Canister Release Jubei. Scour the cave to
to help you in your quest
be further from the truth - it's a bitch!
Ascend the ladder and advance until you reach
■ the Puzzle of 34. Solve this and get the Golden Once you've defeated Gingafatsu, coliect
Inscription Key Smash the pipe to the left to
■ Nobunaga Statue 2. Advance to trigger an aiiy event. Ignore the swamp (moving left of the save point), go up the stairs, and reach a passage seal hidden in the undergrovrth. There's an
receive the Rare Mushroom - mind the
explosion! Backtrack to the room with the moving aerial blocks and industrial feel. Climb the ladder onto the small
Statue 3. Return to the swamp for an optional event with
platform and use the Golden Inscription Key to stop the moving crates. Cross the gap and use the Iron Key on the door There's an optional cut-scene where Kotaru attacks. Solve the puzzle under the altar to reveal the pillar of
Magoichi. Cross the water (ignoring the dancing seals) and
green light. Enter the green light to teleport to the roof of
optional event if you're friendly with Oyu. Use the Dancing Thunder Knife to break the seal and obtain the Nobunaga
enter the door Solve the Puzzle Chest to the side of the
Onimusha castle. Descend the ladder and solve the
stone fence (bottom left, right centre] to get the Wind
fiendish puzzle chest Follow the spiral walkway to the
Maru special attack scroll. Pull the lever beside the
order from left to right, then place your three Nobunaga
ground level. Get the Green Illusion Wedge from the treasure chest beside the save point (Save: 5.53). Try to exit the main door Note: this is where Ekei's possible sub-route begins.
Statues accordingly and a new passage will appear Go down the passage and enter the red door Advance
SUB-ROUTE
to the save point (Save: 4.46). Make sure to enhance your
Switch control to Ekei. Enter the corridor with the
weapons, focusing on the Wind Maru and ice pike. Enter battle with the parasol-wielding hag Defeat her to receive the Jade of Honesty. Activate the device on the wall to
paintings and get the Yellow Soul Absorbing Rosary. Exit through the door into the pond area. Nab the Sakura Key from the treasure chest at the South end. Exit through the door into Onimusha castle courtyard. Enter the castle,
monitor to see a fleeting image of the three Nobunaga Statues. The pattern Is randomly arranged - memorise the
open a new passage. When the passage closes, the area flils with poison gas, so leg it towards the sea. After the event, use the save point (Save 4.56) but don't overwrite the last save point if you've Just taken a beating! Use the Jade of Honesty on the boat to reach Onigashima Ogre island. Here we go - the re-match with Gogandantessl ACT
7
OYU'S SUB-ROUTE
Time to get in with Oyu - she'll show you pleasures hidden to mere mortals... Switch control to Oyu and receive the Red Soul Absorbing Rosary from Takajyo. Use the Save point in the corner of the room. Go down the
central tunnel to the room with the huge statues. At the end of the passage, pick up the Key Plate from the treasure chest. Return to the main hall and use
proceed through the central doors and use the Sakura Key to enter the previously-sealed room on your right. Get the armour from the treasure chest and equip it Solve the
Puzzle Chest (left: centre, top left, right top) to get a soul stone. Continue until you find the New Moon Key in the treasure chest Retum to the pond area and use the New Moon Key on the sealed walkway door to the left. Advance on the one-way path until you reach the waterfall - find the chest in the alcove, and equip the Halberd. Go through the door and save in the boathouse. Descend, and sail to the distant building. Enter the building and flght the bull boss. Get the Snake Key and return to where you left: Jubei. Use the key to let him
7.24). Open chest If you have three claw pieces (from trading) you will be able to open the door of bones. Solve the Puzzle Chest inside (top right, right bottom, bottom left:, left: centre) to get the Black Necklace.
THE CONCLUSION it's the final countdown - are you ready for Onimusha 2's ultimate test? Proceed to the circular area, defeat the foes. Optional cut-scene. Enter the small maze (with tight corridors). At the end of one of the paths is a Puzzle Chest (right top, right bottom, top left, left bottom). Get Ogre Stone. Advance through the maze (easy) and reach the elevator Use the Wind Maru to activate the ceiling fan. Descend the elevator, pick up the Red Jade Key Head back to the dragon shine area where you took control of Oyu. Advance to the naom with the operating table and use the Red Jade Key on the right hand door (slightly obscured by the camera). Advance for an event with Oyu and Tokichiro (Save: 8.16). Advance to the double door and prepare for the final battle with Gogandantess - payback time. Receive the Jade of Respect and advance into the pipe room. Solve the Puzzle Chest by the ladder
(right bottom, bottom right, top left, left top, top centre). Get Strength Stone. Explore the pipes to find the rciute across - you have to perform some small leaps - and climb the ladder into
out, and it's here that the route endsl
the room with the huge statues. At the gold statue, use the Jade of Respect
ACT 9
the Key Plate on the fenced structure - where Takajyo appeared - to unlock the two remaining doors. Go through the right hand door and advance until you reach the huge shrine statue. Collect the map. Proceed to the room with the glass floor, and kill a leaping fish to reveal the way out. Go down the ladder and defeat the multi-tentacled beasty to reveal the portal of white light Enter the portal, and battle towards the save point (Save: 5.13). Don't ignore the treasure chest containing the sword - or forget to equip iti At the end of the crystal bridge, you'll reach a huge ice cavern and a boss battle. After defeating him, you'll receive the Break Demon Flute - vital for the final battle with
Gogandantess. Return to where you left Jubei, and switch control. Playing as Jubei, first retrieve the Soil Barren Hammer from the Dragon Shine - the last weapon. Next go through the right-hand door (where you previously went
as Oyu). Advance until you reach the passage seal next to the portal) and use the Soil Barren Hammer Pick up the Iron Key Go up the ladder and return to the main hall with
the Dragon Shrine. Go through the door by the Save Point. Collect the brown book. Collect Oni Gourd. There's an
cut-scene featuring Oyu, this is where you will receive the red soul necklace. At the far end of the U-shaped room, stand under the ceiling fan, and press ® to use the
(Save: 8.30). After you gain control again, inspect the small plane to start the shutter puzzle. In the power room of the airship, solve the Puzzle Chest (right centre, top
Schizo shenanigans as the sub-plots contort into a web of Intrigue.
yWW Switch control to
Jubei. Exit the room and enter the
centre, right bottom, bottom centre, left: centre, top right). Get Ogre Stone. Exit the power room. Enter corridor of escalators leading to the control room. After the event, find the red button on the control panel. Cut-scene (Save:
sealed door to
the right. Break the door seal with the Lightning Sword and use the
8.41). Enter door Advance to stairs. Open chest.
Green Illusion Dream
Wedge to enter the Green Spirit Dimension, Battle through all ten floors to be rewarded with the Purple Necklace. If you didnt play as Ekei, exit the Green Dimension, advance to the pool area and collect the shield key Move to the castle, through the hall and open the door on your right. Get the Moon Key retum to the pool area and open the door leading to the boathouse on the far gantry. Before you enter, move along the gantry to your right and enter the room with the
special attack of the Rotating Wind Maru. Use the elevator to descend. If you're on friendly terms with Ekei then he'll
glowing yellow light (using the ice spear). If you didn't
appear and flght with you, in terms prcimpting the appearance of the Yellow Soul Necklace. Collect the map and solve the Puzzle Chest (left top, top centre, right
Magoichi. Enter dimension. Switch to
148 PlayStation E OFFICIRL fTlHGRZINE-UK
control Ekei, this is where you'll play as Magoichi. Advance on the one-way path inside the cave. Defeat the multi-tentacled
Edge around the roof and enter the first door Get the blue scroll and Purple Demon Edge. Walk past the shrine to the hidden corridor at the back Ascend ladder Fight aerial demon, using plenty of special Wind Maru attacks. Get the Gold Plate and
Insert it in the golden gap on the rooftop dragon statue. Head back to the walkway Advance to the second door on the right before the bridge. Use Purple Demon Edge to enter another realm. Win 20 battle rounds to claim the secret Fire Sword. Go over the
bridge and ensure you level up all your weapons
(Save: 9.14). Climb ladder, flght spider ogre again
■ OY OYU! Befriending different characters gives you multiple sub plots.
(use the Ultimate Fire Sword). Collect flnal Oni gem. Use gem to activate lift. Now for the flnal battle. Once you've cleared this hurdle, you've flnished Onimusha 2. Phew!
FRCls
BECOmE R FIGHT mPSTER
past those hair-pulling stumbling blocks.
T EKKEN4 We're gonna get bad to the bone and close to the
We reveal how to get
G TA I I I QUESTION: What are the extra vehicle missions and is
knuckle with this, the latest instalment of the Iron Fist.
there any point in doing them? To start a vehicle
LIFE 5RVING TIPS
THE THING It's an alien Thing! Don't worry, we won't leave you in the cold.
mission, get in one of tine relevant vehicles
and press R3 to be given Instructions. You will be rewarded for completing a certain number of missions. Here's what you can
O B S TA C L E S Tekken 4 is the first Iron Fist game to include environmental furniture' - walls, trees and statues -
to batter opponents into. They seem to have no influence at all in many bouts, but you take on much more damage when trapped and slammed into them and have less space to recover. ■ I'M NOT WORTHY
Kayuza kneels in deference to Christie's skill. And shirt.
expect to receive for completing them:
TAXI: Complete 100 taxi DISTANT FIRE Use
remote guns to kill enemies ^ in a room before entering.
missions and a brand-
new Borgnlne Taxi will appear In Harwood. AMBULANCE: Save 35
pedestrians and a health pick-up will appear at your hideout Save 70 pedestrians and an adrenaline
pick-up will appear at your hideout. Complete Ambulance level 12 and
you'll be awarded the Infinite Run ability.
TERMINALS There are various Terminals that Blake must use in
order to progress through the game. PC Terminals usually provide additional information, as w/ell as the
RRE TRUCK: Extinguish 2 0 fi r e s I n e a c h d i s t r i c t
and a Flame Thrower will appear back at
occasional access code for a door CCTV Terminals
your hideout.
are either linked to a Remote Camera wfith a
VIGILANTE (POUCE
zoom feature for viev\/ing a surrounding area, or to a
CAR, ENFORCER, FBI
camera that's fitted with a Remote Gun that can be
used to target enemies and objects. ■ CHILLY WILUE Keep an
CAR OR TANK): Chase and kill ten criminals in each district for one police bribe. You can get two police bribes in each district.
eye on the temperature bar for Blake's sake.
AT TA C K The obstacles can be used to
your advantage as you can force opponents against them and inflict more damage. The best way to do this is to sidestep round your opponent until their back is in line with the obstacle,
SHOVE In earlier games pressing @+® executed a throw, but this time
great, but if not, your opponent
your fighter grabs an opponent, shoving them through 180" and therefore switching places. This is perfect when you're comered and it immediately puts your opponent against a wall and, if followed by a clean strike, can be a very effective counter You
will have had to retreat In order
can also shove them fonward
to defend, bringing them closer
and to the sides by combining @+(8) with a directional button.
then unleash a series of striked combos. If these combos hit,
TECH ROLL If you find yourself pushed against a wall, attempt a Wall Tech Roll. Press any action button as you hit the surface ant you should spin out of danger You can also use pillars and statues to pull off a cheap trick: if you have a lead and the clock is ticking down, try to position a pillar between you and your opponent, then circle round It, preventing them from getting anywhere near you. Sneaky!
TONY HAWK'S P R O S K AT E R 3 QUESTION; How do you complete the
to the chosen obstacle.
'Start The Earthquake'
Stoving someone's head in is almost an artform in this game. Let us teach you the basic brush strokes...
objective on the Los
MASTERING
THE
BASICS
^
^
Ai^geles level?
To complete this, you
must Grind four specific
COLD EXPOSURE Every time Blake ventures out into the snow he will be exposed to sub-zero freezing conditions which cause his body temperature to drop. This will limit the amount of time he has for exploring, so make sure
you know where the nearest shelter or doonway is before venturing too far If you get caught out in the open, Blake will be frozen stiff.
tremor* rails. The location of the rails are: North l>^mor Rail:
Go straight on at the start and turn right at the bottom of the steps. Grind the rail adjacent
to the sloping road. South Tt-emor Rail
After Grinding the North Tremor Rail, turn left
■ BRIGHT SPARKS Use
and left again and
whenever possible to repair Junction Boxes. It's their job!
Grind the horizontal rail In front of the building.
BUTTON BASHING Tekken's gameplay is neatly balanced so complete novices can get something by flailing at the joypad. But, to really master Tekken, you have to take time out to learn the key moves and know how to link them.
MOVEMENT Moving in and out of the screen Is easy in Tekken 4, as it just takes a single rather than a double tap. So use it! Rather than just moving fonward and back, mix up the angle of attacks by sidestepping.
DEFENCE You need defence. And blocking In Tekken couldn't be easier -
pull back for mid and high attacks and crouch for low
blows. The tricky bit Is knowing when to do which and this will
only come through practise. « i «
East It^mor Rail
Carry straight on after Grinding the South Tremor Rail, all the way to the end of the street. Turn left and skate up the slope, past the two rails. Turn around and Grind the left rail.
JUNCTION BOXES There are Junction Boxes that Blake will need to
repair in order to restore power to buildings, doors. Terminals and Audio Recorders. The advanced Junction Boxes can only be repaired by an Engineer. Blake can repair standard junction boxes but it makes him vulnerable to attacks. It's best to leave it to
the experts so that Blake can keep himself covered.
DEFENCE INTO ATTACK
KNOW YOUR CHARACTER Defensive types may favour
West "fremor Rail Turn around after
The easiest way to turn defence
grinding the East
into attack is to make sure you
Tremor Rail, back up
biock the heavy attacks as your opponent will take time to recover, leaving them open to attack. The other way is to use short sharp punches to disrupt
Nina and Paul's neat counter
the flow of combos.
multi-hits will suit combo fans.
the hill to your original starting position. OIlie the steps and Grind the rail on the left that's
just ahead of you In the little passage to start the earthquake.
moves and strong single strikes, relentless attackers should try Law, Steve or Hwoarang while Xiaoyu's
C A P I TA L I S E Take full advantage of a fallen opponent, as that's obviously when they're at their most vulnerable. It you get them on their back and chain as many
iow blows together as possible you can take large chunks off your opponent's energy bar
□FFICIBL ITIHGRZINE-UK PlayStation B 1
MRRDCC3Re S H H ! L I S T E N U P. . .
HITMAN 2: SILEISTT ASSASSIN
ii\a
yi |i Mmm
Need to cheat your way to victory on a certain game? Write to us and we'll ease your pain. ■ Peter Hughes of Suffolk wants more from
Hitmen are the modern day
MAT HOFFMAN'S PRO BMX 2...
ninjo - you never hear them
Enter these codes on the 'Press Start' screen.
how to do it!
Elvis gear. Padded gear
before they slay you. Here's
Day Smith Va n e s s a
m SCOPING: Always make sure to familiarise yourself ttioroughly with the level.
Big Foot RIDE AS SAL THE AUEN IN M X S U P E R F LY Go to Fbx Creek, jump through the fence, across the canyon, and into the ghost town. Pull up next to the
church and bunny hop into the graveyard (hold Clutch, Rev Motor, Preload
HOW TO PLAN A HIT Or, the best way to ease yourself Into the Leon-like world of the professional hitman: tVlission One. Heading to the front door is a postman, far off to the right is a delivery boy going in the back door. What to do? Well, going in the front door will alert the guards, so head quickly to the back. Shoot the delivery boy with the silenced pistol and take his clothes. Walk to one of the baskets and place your weapons inside to hide them from the frisking guards. Walk through the door and head out a little from the guards before hugging the left wall. Follow it to the end wall and look through the keyhole of the door. The Don's brother and another guard will be in the next area, so drop the basket, equip the silenced pistol and take them both out. Collect a dropped set of car keys. Directly left is a ladder, climb it onto the roof and get to the balcony The room it's attached to is where the Don is
located, so open the door and use the pistol to take the guard out first then cap the Don. Collect the Room Key and get back out to the roof. Hug the wall to the left and shimmy along the ledge as far as you can go. Drop down into the basement and check the room, then back out and run to the right into the garage. Get in the car to escape.
suspension, hold Back, release Clutch and Preload when the
Volcano The
@, ■
m, ®,
m, t, t ®, (
...®, t, st, t, 4^, ®, ®, t, t, ®, t, t, (E), t, t, Mime ®,
( @ @ ® <-
Day Flatland m, (B), cd Big Ramp movie....CD, t, ®, ®, ®, cd Nastazio's videos cd, @, @, @, @, (§), (g), cd Kowalskl's videos cd, t, ®, ®, 4', cd Robinson's videos cd, ®, ®, *|,, 1*, cd Hoffman's videos cd, @, @, cd Escamilla's videos ed, @, ®, ®, ®, ®, cd We s s e l ' s v i d e o s . . . . C D , ® , ® , @ , c d Alcantara's
videos
cd,
cd
■ Chris Cotton of Bedford needs help to sort those bloodthirsty vamps in BLADE H... These codes should help you out, just remember to hold id while you enter them: Level Select
Hold m at the main menu and press 4, t, 4, @ Unlimited Health
Pause, hold m and press ®, @, ®, @, ®, ®, @ All Weapons Hold m, then at the main menu press @, 4. <-i ®, ®, ® Unlimited Ammo
Pause, then hold m and press ®, @, t, ®, 4, ® Daywalker Difficulty Setting Hold m, then at the main menu press @, t, 4, @, ®, ®
Rick Thome's videos cd, m, cd, cd
Invincible Escorted NPCs
suspension Is maxedj. From the graveyard, jump to the roof platform covering the door to the first shop. Continue jumping from roof to roof until you
Kimbrough's videos cd, t, t, ®, Tabron's videos cd, m, m, cd, m, m, All music tracks—m, •«-, ®, All levels in Free Ride @, ®, 4,, Boston Road Trip t, 4, 4, t,
cd cd ® @ ®
Pause, then hold cd, and press @, ®, ®,
get to tiie end. From
Chicago Road Trip @, t, ®, t, ®, Vegas Road Trip @, cd, m, LA Road Trip @, ®, ®, New Orieans Road Trip....@, 4, t, Portland Road Trip @, ®, ®, ®, ®,
@ @ @ @ @
there, jump to the back of the building's roofs that you were just on. Tiie last ramp will take you up to a rock land bridge. Jump from the bridge to a ledge leading to an open mine shaft.
■ James Radcliff of Lines requires some
®, ®, ® ■ Tim 7>Bnt would like to unlock everything in PRO RALLY 2002. Done, sir! Enter these codes as the driver names:
U n l o c k e v e r y t h i n g P E R O PAV O Unlock
all
Unlock all All Arcade bonuses..
cars tracks
M O R ATA ...THEMASTER
Unlock all modes
PA C M A N
Cheats for KELLY SLATER'S PRO SURFER...
Challenge mode Trophy mode
and down to Sal's
First-Person View
Professional
spaceship. Finally go past the ship to a
Go to the cellphone and enter: 8775553825
Follow this passage Into the military base
MACHOMAN
mode
CUAQUEZ MADDUCK OOOH
room where Sal's
Max Stats
being held in
Go to the cellphone and enter: 2125551776
Send in your code requests to:
suspended animation. Get the'Find Out The
Perfect Balance
Go to the cellphone and enter: 2135555721
CODE-U-UKE, OmCIALPS2 MAGAZINE FUTURE PUBLISHING, 30 MONMOUTH STREET
Thrtft' trophy and unlock Sal the Allen as a playable rider
Higher Jumps Go to the cellphone and enter: 2175550217
B AT H B A l 2 B W
or email:
[email protected]
NEXT MOimi IN HRRDCCIRE We tell you all you need know about
TIMESPUTTERS 2 Plus in-depth tips for
HITMAN 2 RATCHET & CLANK and tons more besides!
Cant wait till then? For all your tips needs, grab yourself a copy of Official PS2 Tips iVjagazine, priced £3.99 150 PlayStation.E OFFICIRL mRGHZINE-UK
SI
IS YOUR MOBILE TOUGH ENOUGH?
fl'SO
MUCH MORC @ WWW.GiTZlD.CO.UK
HOW TO GET YOUR TONE OR GRAPHIC OR
EASY 6 CHEAP TXT ORDERING
USE THE ORDER HOTIINE (Recommended to call from a landline)
NOW ON All NETWORKS!
1. call 09065 266 695
1. Start 3 txt message and enter the TXT KEYWORDS of the tone or logo you would like e.g. TONES BOND or L0G03 BABE If you want tosend to a mate, just add
Callers from EIRE dial 1560 927 500.
2. When prompted, enter the 4 digit 09065 CODE which you'll find next to your chosen tone or logo above.
their mobile number after the TXT KEYWORDS.
r.
Remember:
- Send only 2 words to zed. - Leave a space between each word. - Start your txt with T0NE3 OR L0G03
I
V
PHONE NO; 8007 o r
8 7 0 0 7
j
3. Soon you will receive your ringtone or logo. Press Options and select Save.
s J
THE NEW
2. Send txt to 8007 for Vodafone/Orange/O;
NOKIA
users or to 87007 for T-Mobile users.
76S0
IN OUR
"NAME THt RINGTOHt" COMPETITION JUST CALL
3. Within a few seconds you/your mate will receive the ringtone or graphic. Press Options & select Save.
09065 266 646 J
Personalised logos Tell zed who your heart throbs for and we'll text you back your very own LOVE LOGO. Or if you just want to express your individuality get a TEXT LOGO. TIXI LOGO a txt message & enter L0VE3 followed by your name and who you've got the hots for! Or if you're after a text logo enter TL0G03 followed
; TL0G03 I BUTTON
^MAD!
LOVE 3 LARA THE ROCK
by the message you'd like as a logo. Leave a space between each word.
PHONE NO; 8007
2, Send txt message to 8007 (Vodafone/Orange/O.) or to 87007 (T-Mobile). B U T TO N ! M A D !
3. Within a few seconds you will receive your LOVE or TEXT logo to your phone Press Options 8 select Save.
b« up to 12 characters for love logo arid max 12 characters for M
WANT THIS WEEK'S OFFICIAL N0.1 CHART SINGLE AS YOUR RINGTONE?...
...OR LET ZED TXT IT
TO YOU WEEKLY. JUST TXT:
JUST TXT: I0NE3 HII to 8007
REGUIAR TOPTONE to 8007 ^
(Vodafone/Orange/02) OR to 87007 (T-Mobile)
R U A P R A N K I R
led Chat
Get a mate's blood pumping! Send a zed wind-up txt prank to their mobile!
Flirt 8 chat privately with
TXT KEYWORDS SHORT PRANK DESCRIPTION
zed's txt chat service.
PRANK3 CHEAT PARTNER SEES YOU WITH SOMEONE ELSE 6 ASKS WHAT'S GOING ON...
• NO premium rate numbers • 1000s of chatters
PRANK3 CLINIC FROM STD CLINIC, YOU ARE LISTEO AS HAVING HAD RELATIONS...
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PRANK3 BITCH HI, YOU DON'T KNOW ME BUT I KNOW YOUR BOYFRIEND. WE MET A FEW WEEKS AGO PRANK3 MODEL SHOCK THEM WHEN THE MODEL AGENCY GETS INTOUCH ABOUT THEIR LOOKS...
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PRANK3 CUBICLE HI, GOT YOUR NUMBER OFF THE WALL IN THE BRICKLAYERS ARMS TOILET IF YOU... PRANK3 STRIP REMIND YOUR M8 WHAT THEY GOT UP TO THE OTHER NIGHT ON THE PUB
1. Start a txt message & enter GIRLS or BL0KE3 followed by your chosen NICKNAME & AGE.
BL0KE3 ROCK 17
PRANKS HOOKER U SAW YOUR MATES MUM ON THE STREET CORNER... NEED WE SAY MORE PRANK3 STALKER HAVING A STALKER IS IN VOGUE RIGHT? THIS ONES GOT IHEIR MOBILE NUMBER TOO!
2. Send txt to 8007 (Vodafone/Orange/Oj) or to 83007 (T-Mobile).
PHONE NOTTI 8007
3. zed will then txt you a confirmation with instructions on how to begin chatting.
1 T \
o
1. Start a txt message and enter the TXT KEYWORD of the prank you want to send and the mobile no. of your victim. Leave a space between eacli woid. 2.Send the txt message to 8007 (Vodafone/Orange/0,) or to 87007 (T-Mobile).
r
83007 /
3.Within a few seconds your victim will receive the first of their messages, with the rest following every few minutes.
Remember - never tell any other chatters your real name, address or phone numbers. Never arrange to meet anyone.
OTHER ClASSIC PRANKS; POLICE, DATE, DICK, RASH, SEXCHANGE, VIRUS
currently not available for T-Mobile. Using the txt route; logos, pranks, chat & picture rrrsgs (to send) are £1 (02), £1.18 (Vodafone), £1.20 (Orange) 6, £1.50 (T-Mob,le) each. Rmg ones are £1.50. Chat is ^^
T-robe li chatsi 25p per rrsg sent. Pciture Messages are £1.50 (02/T-Mobe li ), £1.76 (Vodafone) & £3.60 (Orange) each. Love Vb i esi 25p (Grange, Vodafone, 02) S 30p (t-Mobe li ). Jokes S Pcikupn il es are 50p (Vodafore, 02 I-Mobe li ) 6 2 for £120 <0™9e)^jP< i' .esn i c^VA services exclude the cost of sending one txt msge to activate the service, except T-Mobile «»here this is included. HMV promotion closes 31.7.2002. Cals to the 09065 number are charged at £1.50/mm.Average cal Ieng h 2m/30s. Cals I om mobiles nnay be charged at a hi; rate Cae l rs must gan i permsiso i n from the peHon/company that pays the phone b.liCompatb ie l Noka i s;Tones/Logos/Pcitures ■ 3210, 3310, 3330, 5510, 6210, 6250, 8210, 8310, 8850, 8890 and Samsung R200 R210, N400.Tones/Logos onyl - 9110/1, 9210, 6110, 6 6150, 7110, 81101, 8810. Logos only - 5110/5130. Service supplied by Sonera Zed UK Ltd., PO Box 36504, London W4 5WQ. Correct at time of publication. Callers from Eire use 1560 927 500 (ringtones & logos). Calls cost 94 cents per mm.
hantli
Your definitive guide to every PiayStation 2 game out there. So you've just bought your PS2 - now what? You'll be wanting the best games to play, that's what. The fastest racers, the most gruesome shooters, the hardest platformers and, if you're any type of decent human being, a copy of Pro Evolution Soccer. You'll also need to know who makes
what, where to nab the best bargains and what's top of the charts. Welcome to ShortLlst, which not only does everything we've just listed (with a helluva lot more planned) but gives you mini-reviews and scores for every PS2 game on the market. You'll see which titles scooped our quality-assured Bronze, Silver and Gold awards, plus you can check when we ran a playable demo of a certain game. Oh, and be sure to bookmark
uk.playstation.com where we'll eventually be putting all of our reviews. □
Y O U R K E Y TO SHORTLIST
JI Accl ALaLim -ST AR BASEBALL 2002 bag a stat-fueiied home run with this deep basebail sim. ^
REVIEWED
OPS2#07/OVERAIL
07
GOLD
ALL-STAR BASEBALL 2003: FEATURING DEREK JETER And another home run for Ai/-Stor - now v^rtth added Derek!
score 10/10
score. Only two sofati
I Tlie originai survival horror game ioses out to Res/ in its comeback IREVE I WEDOPS2#13O / VERAa06 'ANTZ EXTREME RACING Tlghtiy scripted movie inspires lacklustre muWplayer racer Why?
I REVIEWED OPS2#25/OVERAL104
PAQUA AQUA: WETRIX 2.0 Mi Cute update of weather-obsessed N64 puzzler Wtetrix
5 REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERALL07
A l WipEout RCTC i meets THUaN DER io-fi S/ed Storm; piays great looks terrible. REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAa 07
Given to games that scored a
mighty 9/10. Awarded to
games that scored an
impressive 8/10. •DVD#16
Fancy trying a game out before you buy it? Here's the issue
where we ran a
playable demo.
SARMORED CORE 2
hREVIEWEDOPS2#06/OVERAl05
7 j* Pacey BLAninja-flavoured DES adventure with oodles of chopsocky action, r REVIEWED OPS2#05/OVERALL 06
^18 WHEELER
jsoiid Sega truck racer, but 18 wheels aren't always bettr.. IREVE I WEDOPS2#14O / VERALL06
J1 New 2002siaF IonAthW OARfL DC ntF e RF ormui a, U butP an own goai. fREVIEWEDOPS2#21/OVERALL06/«OVD#22 'ACE COIVIBAT: DISTANT THUNDER • Namco's cult PSone combat flight sim now iooking sweet on PSZ REVIEWED OPS2#17/OVERALL 07/«DVD^^16
lAGE OF EMPIRES II: THE AGE OF KINGS 1 Beardy feudai reai-time strategy title from the makers of (ssh) Xbox
IREVE I WEDOPS2#13O / VERAl07
] Four-wheel skid frenzy that positively encourages dangerous driving
IREVIEWEDOPS2#26/OVERALL08/»DVD#26
_ ^ JSublime CAPCOM VS SNK 2 BRONZE 20 beat-'em-up from two arcade masters of yore, jREVE I WEDOPS2#15O / VERALL08
C jS A RT FURYCHcart AM PIO NScarts) HIPracer, RAC INaGtouch erratic. Fun arcade-flavoured (as In US but tfiREVIEWED OPS2#10/OVERAa 06
OPS2#20/OVERALL 04
IREVE IWEDOPS2#17O / VERAa04
5 CIRCUS MAXIMUS: CHARIOT WARS
' Like Ben Hur? Like Gladiator? Like the idea of a chariot racer? Yes!
I REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERAU. 06
jCITiC ' RISIS
J Helicopter adventure from Japan that's well worth a look.
■i REVIEWED OPS2#08/OVERAa 01
REVIEWED OPS2#10/OVERALL 06
jIAReal-time RMY M EN: RTS strategy and Army Men together at lasd
jI C OMMWWII AND OS2:strategy, MENwith OFsublime COUattention RAGEto rdetail, onze Excellent real-time I REVIEWED OPS2#21/OVERAl 08
REVIEWED OPS2#22/OVERALL 06/»OVD#23
[■A MYMactiEN ARGES '- forHArmy EROMen ESobsessl 2 ves only 1 ThiR rd-person on:S adventure
^CONFLICT: DESERT STORM bsonie Third-person shooter with superb team-based dynamics.
I REVIEWED OPS2#07/OVERALL03
REVIEWED OPS2#24/OVERAll 08/»DVD#24
^CONFLICT ZONE
A IT L A :T H N IS E T IIN E WW O R L D
Tedious first-person adventure. Think Myst minus the fun. Exactly.
War-based real-time strategy In the style of Command & Conquer
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERALL 02
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERALL06
JATV OFFROAD
CRASH BANDICOOT: THE WRATH OF CORTEX
i Solid quad bike racer, well worth a look for its Four-player mode,
A change of developer for the unofflcial PSone mascot
I REVIEWED OPS2#10/OVERAa 06
REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAll 06/*OVD#17
BArespect LDUeR S ' GATact Eio:nDRPG ARK ALtL NC -onfozrm. e IjThe d PC-based comes oIA PS2 in E superb
^CRASHED Smash-'em-up auto action drives us to despair Very average.
•REVIEWED 0PS2#15/OVERAa08/#OVD#14
REVIEWED OPS2#26/OVERAU. 05
3. AGGRESSIVE INUNE
J BARBARIAN
* Forsooth, good Odin, tls a most bloody action adven^re indeed..
* REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERAa 06
' CRAZY TAXI
Steals ttie Tony
Thrills aplenty in this visually glitchy but fun Dreamcast port
Hawk's model, but
REVIEWED OPS2#07/OVERALL 08
does a great job.
BASS STRIKE Um, fishing on PlayStation 2? One for bass aficionados only. REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERAa 04
CRICKET
I BATMAN VENGEANCE
1Aco tinadventurebasedonDCs' d'arkdeco'cartoon. IREVE I WEDOPS2#14O / VERALL06
4, MAT HOFFMAN'S PRO BMX 2 The number one
2002
.NZE
' EA Sports gves the gentleman's game a gently addictive PS2 spin. REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERAll 08
name in BMX move-
Sdark cloud
bustin'.
I RPG meets 3D real-time strategy In this enthralling Japanese title. REVIEWED OPS2#ll/OVERAa 07/OTVD#14
5. MX SUPERFLY
lAKIRA PSYCHOBALL
BLOOD OMEN 2
2 Oh, the Ignomn i y! Semn i al manga flci k n i spries pn i bail fiasco. 5REVE I WEDOPS2#25O / VERALl03
Arcade-tinged homar adventure for vampire lovers everywhere.
152 PlayStation.E OFFICIRL mnGH2INE-UK
, REVIEWED OPS2#13/OVERALL 08/«DVD#15
I BURNOUT 2: POINT OF IMPACT imNZE
J CENTRE COURT: HARDHITTER I Cheap as chips, arcade-style tennis sim - but its' no Smosh Court
A [1 R MYAM MEshooter N:GR EN GU E games weVe seen, On-rails -E and oneR ofO the worst
SREVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERALL08/»DVD#24
f REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERALL 08/*DVD#14
2 Hard as hell arcade-style racer, but so very, very rewarding
REVIEWED
jARMOREDCORE2:ANOTHERAGE
^ Addictive Tony Hawk's cione that swops skateboards for skates.
- \ Tony Hawk's goes Back To The Future for this top hoverboard racer
oNss
Kiddy-targeted cartoon platformer that sadly fails to impress
IREVE IWEDOPS2#04O / VERA±i 07
■A G G R E S S I V E I N U N E b r o n z e
J?AIRBU\DE
BURNOUT
!CASPER:S R T PID M IEN O SINS
I Techy first-person shooter with giant Japanese mechs.
1 REVIEWED OPS2#09/OVERAa 02
Tazzing around in 4X4s should be more fun than this, surely?
'
BRONZE
JARMYMENAIRATTACK:BLADES ' REVENGE
54X4 EVOLUTION
PpiBBRMrs ITN ErS DANCE BEAT Britney goes Bemani in this decent dance mat-compatible title. REVIEWED OPS2#22/OVERALL 06/«OVD#22
S I LV E R
i ALONE IN THE DARK: THE NEW NIGHTMARE
I Very diddy and very dull Army Men helicopter game. Avoid.
Platinum price.
REVIEWED OPS2#09/OVERAIJ. 06
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERALL 07
. REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERAU.07
now available for
Erm, Tekken meets TTiunden:ots? Fur flies in this gory beat-'em-up,
games that
I More of the same, but definitely better than its predecessors.
CHEAP SKATE Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3,
PW BLOODY ROAR 3
Awarded to
REVIEWED
OPS2#20/OVERAU.
06
Speed and style
DARK SUMMIT
abound in this
SSX meets TTie X Ries in a novel but motley sports-adventura
motocross mudfest.
REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERAU. 05
(harblisb ''A FEUDAL BATTLER
MIXING STRATEGY, SWORDPLAY AND, UM, HORSE-RIDING'' SEE DYNASTY WARRiORS 2
DAVE MIRRA FREESTYLE BMX 2
EOE: EVE OF EXTINCTION
FIFA 2001
Solid BMX Sim with a suitably gnarly array of tricks and jumps.
Poor futuristic action adventure from the makers of SmockDown!
Premier League graphics. Third Division gameplay
REVIEWED OPS2#12/OVERALL07
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERALL05
REVIEWED OPS2#02/OVERAa 06
EPHEMERAL FANTASIA
FIFA 2002
BT DAVID BECKHAM SOCCER « « ij Mr Posh e l nds hsi name to a shoddy arcade-si h footy game.
i
Somewhat blzarrely, a Bemani-s^le medieval RPG from Konami.
^'REVE IWEDOPS2#22O /VERAa04
REVIEWED OPS2#10/OVERALL 07
Well reinvented but a definite goal down to Konami's Pro Evo. REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERALL 07/«DVD#16
FINAL FANTASY X
IESCAPEFROMMONKEYS I LAND
n dead or alive 2
From Square, the best-looking and most challenging RPG on PS2.
^ Wtiy,retro pon l t-and-ccilk adventure gets a we-ldeserved update,
Blistering buxom 3D beat-'em-up with an emphasis on tactics. REVIEWED OPS2#02/OVERALL07/«DVD#06
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERALL08/»OVD#2O
^ REVIEWED OPS2#09/OVERA1108
^ FIREBLADE
; ESPN INTERNATIONAL TRACK & FIELD
D IEUSEX
A/rwo/f fens unite! A helicopter combat game for coln-op jockeys,
^ Athletics sim that's graphically impressive but limited in gameplay
Multi-genre hybrid that breaks new ground for the PS2 FPS.
^ REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERAIL 06
IREVE IWEDOPS2#20O / VERAa09
jREVE I WEDOPS2#22O / VERALL07» /DVD#23 ' FORMULA ONE 2001
' ESPN INTERNATIONAL WINTER SPORTS
DEVIL may CRY
Debut Formula One sim from W/pfout pioneers Studio Liverpool.
Event-based winter sports sim. Stick with SSX Tricky.
Ultra-cool survival homjr romp from master arcadesters Capcom. REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAL109
1
REVIEWED OPS2#07/OVERALL 08/»DVD#09
9 REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERALl 05
DINO STALKER
ESPN NATIONAL HOCKEY NIGHT
Enjoyable dino-obliterating llghtgun actioner, laced with power-ups,
Playable ice hockey sim, but there are others better than this.
REVIEWED OPS2#24/OVERAll 07
REVIEWED
[FRANK HERBERTS DUNE
. Poor scl-fl action adventure for hardcore beards only
IREVE IWEDOPS2#20O / VERALL03
OPS2#05/OVERALL06
DISNEYS DINOSAUR
lESPN NBA2NIGHT
FREAK OUT
Dull platform adventure spin-off of a dull Dlsn^ movie,
S Dated now In gameplay and stats, this Is for NBA compietists only
Gorgeous cartoon adventure from cult developer Treasure.
IREV E IWEDOPS2#05 O /VERALL06
t REVIEWED OPS2#03/OVERAa04
REVIEWED OPS2#12/OVERALL 07
'FREEKSTYLE
JI So-so DISN EeY 'n'-shoot-' STITeC H:EplX PERwiIM NTcamera 626 issues. co!l ct-'S m-up agued thE nasty
'ESPN NBA 2NIGHT 2002 I Yet another reason to avoid Konami's ESPN NBA basketball series.
SSX Tricky meets motocross In EA Sports BIG's arcade stunt race
] REVIEWED OPS2#25/OVERAL1 04/«DVD#25
I REVIEWED OPS2#22/OVERALL05
REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERALL 06
DNA REVIEWED
OPS2*14/OVERALL
FREQUENCY
IE S P NXG A M E SS K A T E B O A R N D G I
Passable skate sim, marred by doda? graphical glitches.
Bloody manga-styled adventure with gene warfare at its heart.
Totally hypnotic rhythm action game for gamers and clubbers alii REVIEWED OPS2#21/OVERAll 08/«DVD#21
REVIEWED OPS2#13/OVERAU. 05/*DVI>#15
05
" FROGGER: THE GREAT QUEST
ESPN WINTER X GAMES SNOWBOARDING
JDONALDDUCK;QUACKATTACK
^ Cartoon pa l tformer am i ed at the< ld i s.' Ptiy the kd i s.
Fine snowboarding sim, ruined by a distinct lack of excitement.
; LooK they've remade arcade classic Froggerin 3D! Idiots.
JREVE IWED0PS2#04O / VERAll04
REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERALL06
J REVIEWED ORS2#21/OVERAU. 02
roOWNFORCE
ESPN X GAMES SNOWBOARDING 2002
FUR FIGHTERS
^ Surprsin i gyl fun spn i on F1 racn i g - thn i k Cort Fuyi, but beter
Second In the ESPN X Games series, but now going downhill fast.
Cute fluffy animals go homicidal in this killer first-person shooter
REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERALL 04
REVIEWED 0PS2#08/OVERALL 08
4
REVIEWED OPS2#21/OVERALL 06/»DVD#24
f
^GJlOCKEY
ETERNAL RING
jI D RAGONS ' LAR I 'Choose-a-path' adventure that shouldVe stayed in the Eighties...
REVIEWED OPS2#05/OVERALL03
jREVE I WED0PS2#03O / VERAa02 ! DRAGON'S LAIR IkTIMEWARP ^ All the fun of the original Dragon's Loir (but a whole lot worse). Brrr SREVIEWEDOPS2#03/OVERAU.01 ■ DRAKAN; THE ANCIENTS' GATES ^ Medieval action adventure with added Lara clone appeal.
JREVE I WEDOPS2#18O / VERAa07« /DVD#18 DRIVEN Disappointing racing game from the disappointing Sly Stallone film. REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERAiJ.04/»DVD#13
§ i
At first glance, Wild Wild Racing plays
EVERBLUE
like it doesn't want
Undersea diving adventure that sank strai^t to the bargain bins. REVIEWED OPS2#22/OVERAU. 03
REVIEWED OPS2#06/OVERAU. 02
surprised. Not only shortcut-riddled marvels but the
WipEout meets Iron to great effect In this testing future bike racer
turbo-charged pocket rockets. Then, when you've tired of racing there's an inspired Stunt Challenge mode that puts
R E V I E W E D O P S 2 # 11 / O V E R A 11 0 8 / * I > V D # 1 5
similar efforts in
H Allen-inspired hon^r adventure. Hardly original, but worth a try.
OPS2#16/OVEI!ALL
• REVIEWED OPS2#08/OVERAll 07
08/«BVD«15
III
rok-
!F1 2001
JST DYNASW WARRIORS 2
Feudal battler, mixing strategy, swordplay and, um, horse-riding 1 REVIEWED OPS2#02/OVERAll 07/#DVD#03
^ Involving but simplistic port of the complex PC adventure/shoote I ^ REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERAll 06
are a fine bunch of
'EXTERMINATION
EXTREME-G
REVIEWED OPS2#08/OVERAL105/«)VD#10
I GIANTS: CITIZEN KABUTO
vehicles on offer
Distinctly unemotional racer from Final Fantasy people, Square.
^'^DROFuturistic PSHIPair/tank/jeep : UNITED PEACE FORCE combat sim with gripping scenarios.
Overly simple RPG that's a pale imitation of its coin-op ancestor
are its tracks
DRIVING EMOTION WPE-S REVIEWED OPS2#05/OVERALL 04
GAUNTLET: DARK LEGACY
outing and you'll be pleasantly
Adventure-flavoured platformer with a dark edge.
Bg-surfers
^REVE IWEDOPS2#13O / VERALL07« /»VD#15
Another lacklustre RPG from the early days of PlayStation 2.
EVIL TWIN
3 IIREVE IWEDOPS2#20O / VERALL05
„ Shameless WipEout clone, saved by a powerful global track edito
you to have fun. But give this offroader a decent
EVERGRACE
^ REVIEWED 0PS2#17/0VERALL 05
S
REVIEWED
tJ Horse racing comes to PS2 in this cult Japanese title.
Early rush-released Japanese RPG that's as painful as its title.
I Solid but enjoyable F1 sim from EA Sports. REVIEWED OPS2#13/OVERALL 07/#DVD#15
I GIFT I Inventive noir take on the 3D platformer
f REVIEWED OPS2tlO/OVERALL 06
JGITAROO MAN
PaRappa meets s8gui yi2 ng cartoon adventui 'IR EVIEWED OPSV 2an #21Hal /OVeEnRinAathi0 /«Dtar-pl VDa #2
newer games to shame. Where else can you shunt
GLOBAL TOURING CHALLENGE: AFRICA
giant beach balls
REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERALL07/»OVD#15
Impressive TOGA clone that's only let down by its short tracks.
around in a buggy?
DYNASIY
WARRIORS
3
sf
rSFl 2002
*
KOEI improves its cult strategy battier in every way Do try this.
» No mere retread from EA Sports as F1 takes an arcade turn.
Unlock the
REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERALL 08/»DVD#18
IREVE IWEDOPS2#22O / VERALl07» /DVD#22
dragster-styled ice
}ECCOTVE i DOLPHN I :DEFENDEROFTHERJTURE
F1 CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON 2000
INewAgedoplhni advenu treh ta s'taoltmoreu fnh tantisounds, REVIEWED OPS2#16/OVERAU-08/«DVD#16
EGGO MANIA Insipid Tetris-inspired puzzler that's not even a bad yolk Sorry. REVIEWED OPS2#25/OVERAi± 04
E J AY
i
Still not convinced?
CLUBWORLD
.
Way too easy for the hardcore F1 fan.
^REVE IWED0PS2#03O / VERALL06 P^Fl RACING CHAMPIONSHIP
Tedious third-person martial arts beat-'em-up. 'Go die', indeed.
1 J? . REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERALL02/»OVD#18
cream van and
you')! never look back.
GRADIUS III & IV Cult arcade shooter gets an insensitively slow PS2 port. REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERALL 02
GRANDIA II
Laudable attention to detail, but a lot less fun than Its rivals
Likably huge but disturbingly ugly RPG game.
REVIEWED OPS2#06/OVERAll 05
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERALL05
FANTAVISION
Know your deep house from your handbag? Then get mixing
M/ssiie Command with fireworks (strange as that sounds].
REVIEWED
REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERALL 07
OPS2#24/OVERALL 08
"T!?G0DAI: ELEMENTAL FORCE
"GRAND THEFT AUTO III
Nothing else Is quite as sick or fun on the shelves. Buy this now. » REVIEWED OPS2#13/OVERAL108
ENDGAME
FERRARI F355 CHALLENGE
GRAN TURISMO 3; A-SPEC
Tedious llghtgun shooter - wait for the next Time Cris/s instead.
Good, If fiddly, driving sim featuring Ferrari's super sexy baby
Fact! GT3 Is the greatest driving game in the world. You need thi:
REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERAU.03
REVIEWED OPS2#26/OVERALL07/*DVD#26
REVIEWED OPS2#09/OVERALL09/«OVD#O5
□FFICIRL mRBRZINE-UK PlayStation E 1!
i t "GRAN TURISMO CONCEPT: 2002 TOKYO-GENEVA
^ Gran Turismo Lite. Buy this as an addition to, not instead of, GT3.
IREVIEWEDOPS2#23/OVERAa06
P L AT I N U M W AT C H Still a stab,
K E IN G O :M A S T E RO FB U S D H O I
slash and cut above a lot of
G ! ULITYGEARXbo rnze G "U {NG F R O INB L A Z E The start of a new wave of baiiistic next^en 2D figtiters. REVIEWED OPS2#16/OVERALL 08
A Chunky robo-shooter for hardcore mech/manga fans. REVIEWED OPS2#03/OVERAiJ. 07
REVIEWED OPS2#17/OVERALL06
MAT HOFFMAN'S PRO BMX 2
I 3D rea-ltm i e strategy setn i feudalJapan, Gote i ous cut-scenes.
Onimusha can
I REVIEWED OPS2=04/OVERAU. 07 "KESSEN II
now be yours for ¥3812.45.
Alternatively, a crisp £20 note
iviore pad-grabbing tricks and flicks ftum pedal guru ivir Hoffman. ' ^ REVIEWED OPS2#25/OVERALL 07 " 1
M A X PAY N E
Everything gets a generous polish in this rewarding strategy sequel,
Nolrlsh third-person footer boasting Motrix-style Bullet Time.
REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERAU. 07
REVIEWED 0PS2#18/aVERAll 07
will do.
i
REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAll 09/MVD#18
HEADHUNTER Dirty Many vs Metol Geor So//d in this futuristic stealth adventure.
KING'S FIELD: THE ANCIENT CITY
MAXIMO
Below standard RPG. Look go buy Final Rintasy X instead.
Superb 3D platform remake of Ghost 'N' Gob/ins from Capcom.
REVIEWED OPS2*23/OVERAU. 03
REVIEWED ORS2#18/OVERAL1 08/*OVD#18
K L O N O A 2 : L U N AT E A ' S V E I L b r o n z e
MDK2
Uitra-inventive and rewarding cartoon herding 3D adventure.
' A competent if a touch siu^sh boxing sim from EA Sports.
REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERALL08/*OVD#18
' REVIEWED OPS2305/OVERAU. 06
'HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC
War at its rawest in this briiliantiy executed first-person shooter ' R E V I E W E D O P S 2 # 2 1 / O V E R A 11 0 9 / » O V D # 2 1
MEN IN BLACK II: ALIEN ESCAPE
The latest EA Sports boxing sim (and way better than the last one).
REVIEWED OPS2#08/OVERALL 03
bronze
REVIEWED OPS2#07/OVERAL108
'KNOCKOUT KINGS 2002
Awful adventure that loses ali its appeal in the port from PC.
ARMAGEDDON
■ MEDAL OF HONOR: FRONTLINE
' KNOCKOUT KINGS 2001
bronze
bronze
A third-person shooter that mixes sci-fl and humour to ace effect.
^ Cute eel-shadedOPS2#13/OVERAa platform adventure08/*DVD#13 featuring the lovable 'rabbit'. ■* A REVIEWED
REVIEWED 0PS2#16/OVERALL07/*WD#16
GERDY
Music creation tool with loads of sounds and samples.
REVIEWED OPS2#07/OVERAU.06
Pkessen
PlayStation 2 action titles,
" ^ HTheA LF-LIFE .(lver superb PC ITCarrives on PS2 in majestic form,
HERDY
MAGIX MUSIC MAKER
Remember PSone ninja fighter Bushido Blade?
Flawed and frustratingly vapid tie-in. Even worse than the movie,
' REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERAll 07
REVIEWED OPS2*24/OVERAL1 04/»WD#23
)
I HIGH HEAT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2003
'KURI KURI MIX
Chunky, deep and enjoyable basebali game.
Uttra-cutesy co-operative platform puzzler for Tetris fans,
Extremely dull fishing game. Stick to the chippy
Tazz around New York and London in this fun but simple racer
REVIEWED OPS2#26/OVERAL109/»OVD#26
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERAIL 02
REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERALL04
LEGENDS OF WRESTLING SmockDown/ alternative that lacks modes and options
LREVIEWED 0PS2#03/OVERAa 00
[MIKE TS i' ON HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING jj A decent entertaining box-'em-up with an arcade lean,
I REVIEWED OPS2#2:/OVERAL1 07/M>VD«19
REVIEWED OPS2*17/OVERAll 05
ICG
LEGION; LEGEND OF EXCAUBUR
Beautiful, inventive... tco is an adventure uniike any other.
Ropey batter 'n' bludgeon actioner, with RPG and strategy knobs on,
REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERAll 09/#OVO#19
REVIEWED OPS2#25/OVERALL 05
J^ Easi INTlyEone RNofAT IONALLEAGUESOCCER the worst footy sims ever to grace PS2.
MODERNGROOVE: MINISTRY OF SOUND
_j^ Not a game but a lightshow generator with five full dance albums. REVIEWED 0PS2# 11/OVERALL 06
'LEGO FOOTBALL MANIA
^ REVIEWED OPS2#10/OVERALL 02
MONSTERS, INC
Pre-pubescent soccer sim built from famed Danish bricks,,,
, Simple Cn3sh-styled platformer based on the Disney/Pixar film,
REVIEWED OPS2#25/OVERALL 05
(fc REVIEWED OPS2#17/OVERALL 04
* MOTO GP
I LEGO RACERS 2
^^INTER NATIONALSUPERSTAR SOCCER bronze Good, but not the »SS of PSone fame - try Pro Evoiut/on Soccer...
S*/ ^ Average block racer that could've been far more inventive.
REVIEWED OPS2^r01/OVERAll 08/*DVD#01
REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAa05
IRON ACES 2: BIRDS OF PREY
LE I MANS24HOURSb ornze
Weak flight sim In which you fly your way through a\^ation history. REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERALL 04
ISS2
» Gran Turismo-alike sJm racer (but on two wheels) from Namco, P REVIEWED OPS2#03/OVERALL07/«DVO#O4/#O8
^M0T0GP2
Fun and accessible day-iong racer, wtth thrills by the boottoad.
Better/longer/faster/bigger than the flrst one but a tad repetitive.
REVIEWED OPS2P09/OVERALL08/*OVD#10
REVIEWED 0PS2#17/OVERALL07/*DVD#16
j LETHALSKIES
Enjoyabie arcade footy game for those w/ho iike it 'chunlq^'.
MOTOR MAYHEM «= . ^ Cool Deathmatch-based vehicle blasting S la Twisted Metal,
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERAU.07
^' Aerial arcade gunnery that's a bitch to control. Try Ace Combat REVIEWED ORS2#25/OVERAU. 04
JADE COCOON 2
■LETOUR DE FRANCE
MR MOSKEETO
l^k6mon-for-kiduits RPG with a neat Japanese twist,
I Strategc cycling game that adds new twists to the racing genre,
Brilliantly original and mildly addictive insect sim. Vtes, insect sim,
REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERAa 07
IREVE I WEDOPS2#23O / VERALL06
REVIEWED 0P$2# 20/OVERALL 06
JAK AND DAXTER: THE PRECURSOR LEGACY
LMA
Great free-roaming platformer from the makers of Crash. REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERALL 09/«OVD#1S
1. Charlie Jolson
MANAGER
2002
bronze
J Codemasters'extremeyl pa l yabe l footbal management game. IREVIEWEDOPS2#20/OVERAa08
2. DMA Design
' LONDON RACER II
Thriliing flrst-person shooter wtth added driving ieveis.
3. Winston
I Twitchy, sluggish racer that's visually unwortfiy of PS2.
REVIEWED OPS2#15/DVERALL 08
Ciiurciiill
JAMES BOND 007 IN... AGENT UNDER FIRE esoi^
JEREMY MCGRATH'S SUPERCROSS WORLD Weak motocross game that iacks reaiism, thrills, speed, etc, etc...
^ REVIEWED 0PS2# 16/OVERAll 03
1
MIDNIGHT CLUB
Contract kiiiing's the game. Steaith or six-shooter? it's your choice.
IH OLOGRAMTM I ETRAVELLER The first - and hopefuliy the iast - '0/10' score for a PS2 'game'.
i
REVIEWED OPS2#17/OVERALL 10/»OVD#17
'LAKE MASTERS EX
® iH TIMAN2:S LIENTASSASS N I save?
5
A must-own, state-of-the-art Tactical Espionage stealtfi adventure,
e REVIEVrtD OPS2#07/OVERALL 07
IREVE IWEDOPS2#22O / VERALL06
1
' METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LiBEi^TC GOID
5.Judge Hersiiey 6. ne Return Of
JET SKI RIDERS
The King
Great water effects, race action and 'official' jet skis. Hmm.
7. Speciai
REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERALL 06
Operations
REVIEWED OPS2Jlf25/OVERALL 03
IL O T U SC H A L E N G E
REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAll 05/*DVD#ll
NFL
2001
bronze
t The long-time cult Na sim touches dovm on PS2. ' REVIEWED 0PS2^01/OVERAU. 08
Aimost surrealiy poor W/pEout cione. For masochists oniy. REVIEWED OPS2#21/OVERALL 01
8. CitroSn
9. Rocky 3 10. Captain
MTV
MUSIC
G E N E R ATO R
2
«
Home DJ sample/mixer music maker Like music? You need this. REVIEWED
OPS2#08/OVERALL09/«DVD#08
j' Pleasingly MX 200chuni^ 2 FEarcade-style ATURING RICKYsim.CARMICHAEL motocross
M IXD E R I
Motocross/supercross sim that tacks the true grit of the sport, REVIEWED OPS2#13/OVERALL 06/«OVD#12
■^^MXFormidable SUPERFL Y trick-packed, mud-caked motxross simulation, IREVE I WED0P$2#24O / VERALL07
COMmand
JET ION GP
m
^ REVIEWED: OPS2#12/OVERAll 07/«>VD#13
A Lotus fen's dream, but lacking the necessary raw speed.
'MADDEN
"ij'REVIEWEDOPS2#13/OVERALL05
' MADDEN NFL 2002 .ir.ir t Even better the second time out. Dear EA. vtrhy Isnt FJFA this good? r REVIEWED 0PS2#13/0VERAa09
n!bahoopz
Arcade-Styled hoops and tall people sim. Go for NBA Street instead. REVIEWED OPS2#06/OVERAU 06
JONNY MOSELY MAD TRIX
MADDEN
Tony Howk's-style tricks on skis Offers nothing new.
Padded-up gridiron goliath returns to PS2 in world-beating form.
Solid and playable, but surely out of date stats-wise by now,
REVIEWED OPS2#18/OVERALL 04
REVIEWED OPS2#26/OVERAll 08
REVIEWED OPS2»05/OVERALL 06
KELLY SLATER'S PRO SURFER
MAD MAESTRO!
NBA LIVE 2002
Passable, if uninspired surf fun. Oh, and Keii/s a bloke., he says.
Bizarre orchestral addition to tJie rhythm action Bemani family.
An update of NBA Uve 2001, but no improvements gameplay-wise.
REVIEWED OPS2*26/OVERALL 06
REVIEWED OPS2#20/OVERAU. 06
REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERAa 06
154 PlayStatlon.E DFFICIRL mRGRZINE-UK
Na
2003
bronze
NBA LIVE 2001
MASSIVE
MOVIE
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PMPtjf."
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shorblist ' ' B R U TA L A R C A D E FOOTY ACTION WHERE HSTS ARE AS I M P O R TA N T A S F E E T '
I
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PLATINUM
SMUGGLER'S RUN
I Drive like the wind with a trunkload of ilegal booty. - REVIEWED ORS2#01/OVERALL 07
W AT C H While you wait
jSUMMONER
IREVE IWED0PS2#04O / VERAll08
Clank, get the
■SUNNY GARCIA SURFING
jIS MUGGLER S' RUN2:HOSTLIETERRT IORE IS Rockstar's frantic mission-based racer gets a soild makeover
still brilliant Jak And Daxterfor
f REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERALJ.07
a snip at £20.
t Surfs up in this wave-riding sim. Not a patch on Kelly Sioter ttiough.
REVIEWED
I REVIEWED OPS2#22/OVERALL 05
S IO U LR E A V E R2
OPS2#02/OVERAU.
REVIEWED
ACCIAIM
A sci-fi rtiythm action game from Sega v«th styie by the bucketload.
lacklustre surf sim that's wet in the wrong sense of the word.
IREVE IWEDOPS2#12O / VERAll08» /DVD#12 SSX
Upper Borough Walls, Bath, BAl IRG
"SSX TRICKY
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jREV E IWEDOPS2#23 O /VERAa01 jSPedestrian VEN-GOfootball RANmanager, ERK I SSO NS ' WORLDV IA I NAGER namechecked by Ulrika's ex-beau,
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OPS2#02/OVERAll
0208
EUROSOFT
846
2550
www.capcom-eun3pe.com 9th noor, 26-28 Hammersmith Grove,
03
London
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0207
938
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www.midway.com Macmillan House, 96 Kensington High Street, London W8 4SG
7HA
0870
124
GAMES 2222
vi/ww.rockstargames.com Saxon House, 2-4 Victoria Street, Windsor Berks SL4 IBY SCEE/SONY
08705
www.codemasters.com
SO 0207 585 3308
^REVE I WED0PS2#16O / VERALL04« /DVD#14 ;TAZ WANTED
Stoneythorpe, Southam, Warwickshire CV47 2DL
www.sci.co.uk Unit 11, ivory House, Plantation Wharf, York Road,
EIDOS
London
0870
INTERACTIVE
ELfCTRONIC 0870
OPS2#21/OVERALL
06
'STAR WARS: RACER REVENGE
TEKKEN 4
fc Diddy Darth goes podracing in this fast and furious space racer
A great but ambitious addition to the beat-'em-up series.
^ REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERALL07
REVIEWED
OPS2#25/OVERAU.
07/»DVD#26
STAR WARS: JEDI STARFIGHTER
TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT
Sequel to the LucasArts 3D shooter with a few new tricks.
Namco's hugely playable and graphically spectacular beat-'em-up.
REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERALl 08/«DVD#21
REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERALL 08/»DVD#02
STAR WARS; STARFIGHTER
TEST DRIVE: OFF-ROAD WIDE OPEN
Cool 3D Stor Mfars blaster with deep missions and furious action.
A tidy off-road racer that delivers more than expected. REVIEWED
09/«DVD#07
OPS2#14/OVERALl
S [' Banal TARcartoon WARStor S:S UrP Rracer BONiMcB Dthough. RACN IG Wti sE kart eA idea,
IJ^TETRI S WORLDS Addictive personalities beware! Tetris will take over your life.
^REVE I WEDOPS2#08O / VERAil05» /DVD#10
word l s! reve i wed OPS2#21/OVERALL07
243
w w w. t a k e 2 g a m e s c o . u k Saxon House, 2-4 Victoria Street, Windsor. Berks SL4 IBY
ARTS
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TMQ 02380 619125 vwwv.thq.com
2000 Hillswood Drive,
Dukes Court, Duke Street, Woking
Chertsey, Surrey KT16 OEU
Surrey GU21 5BH
EMPIRE INTERACTIVE
U B I S O F T
0208
01932 838230 www.ubisoft.co.uk
3439143
North Rnchiey N12 ODA
Chantrey Court, Minorca Road, Weybridge,Surrey KT13 8DU
INFOGRAMES 0208 222 9700
VIRGIN
vwvw.infogrames.co.uk
0207
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06
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0000
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www.vivendi-universal-
44 Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7RH
issi n-based retro T j' IvlG DoA RE D EVcarILrace with lots of appeal.
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v w w. e m p i r e i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m The Spire, 677 High Road,
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REVIEWED
interactive.co.uk 2 Beacontree Plaza, Gilette Way,
gRG2BS
so WHO HIE HELL IS...? #2: INSOMNIAC GAMES
i REVIEWED OPS2#02/OVERAU. 05
Tough but rewarding STATE OF EMERGENCY
martial arts classic
THE BOUNCER
A full-blown riot sim from Gnand Theft Auto publishers, Rockstar
from Sega.
Limited story-based beat-'em-up from Final Rintasy fellas, Square.
Meet the developers: the shadowy creative
REVIEWED
mastemtinds beh/nd the games you play.
REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERAll 07
TREETc 2D/3D FIGHT ERem-up EX3for the Capcom hardcore, '[S Pyrotechni beat-' REVIEWED OPS2#03/OVERAL1 06
2. CAPCOM VS SNK2
SOFTOGRAPHY
THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS : Stone Age karting action. Yabba dabba... Actually, dont Ever
fl y i n g f r o m t h e
IREV E IWEDORS2#1O /VERALL02
■ 1996: Disrupter (PSone) ■ 1998: Spyro The Dragon (PSone) ■ 1999: Spyro 2: Gateway Glimmer (PSone) ■ 2000: Spyro: Year Of The
THE MUMMY RETURNS
'STREET HOOPS •• Utterly pedestrian street basketball title. Ttiink NBA Street but worse. REVIEWED OPS2#26/OVERALL 05
OPS2#09/OVERAa06
The pinnacle of 2D masters of the art.
Action-adventure based on the by-the-numbers Hollywood romp. Namco's much-
REVIEWED
OPS2#14/OVERALL 05
FOUNDED
loved fighting series,
STUNT GP Practise car stunts with remote-controlled cars. Or not, REVIEWED
OPS2#14/OVERALL 03
1994
THE SHADOW OF ZORRO
polished for PS2. 4. TEKKEN TAG TOURNAIVIENT
(reviewed OPS2#26,9/l( ADDRESS
REVIEWED 0PS2# 18/OVERAU. 03
3301 Barham Boulevard
WORKING ON
Los Angeies
Insomniac's philosophy is t iunction as a 'boutique'
CA 90068
'THE SIMPSONS: ROAD RAGE
Worth a platinum
Car-flipping, bus-skidding, bike-crashing addictive movie mayhem,
investment for
» Shameless Crazy Taxi rip-off, but with Homer sat behind the wheel.
Te k k e n B o w l a l o n e !
» REVIEWED: 0PS2# 15/OVERALl 06
I Woefully sub-standard submarine title fails to make a splash.
IREVE I WEDOPS2#26O / VERALL04
5. GUILTl' GEAR X Take 2D fighting Into the next generation.
USA WEB SITE
i
iSUB REBELLION
Dragon (PSone) ■ 2002: Ratchet & Clank
Stealth-based adventure for die-hartJ fans of el Zorro only.
STUNTMAN
i REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERA1108/»DVD#23
998877
uk.playstation.com psukcustomer service@sceenet
01926 814 132
Enjoyable but fonnuialc arcade racer
REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERAa 04
Hertfordshire, CM22 7DG
5TARZAN FREERIDE I Based on the Dsi ney fim l , thsi boardn i g game sm i fasli to m i press.
OPS2#15/OVERAL109
What was a coot first-person shooter on PC loses its way on PS2.
www.midasinteractive.com Unit 14, Stansted Business Centre Start Hill, Bishops Stortford,
CODEMASTERS
|TD OVERDRIVE
STAR TREK VOYAGER: ELITE FORCE
INTERACTIVE
01279 858 000
ROCKSIAR CAPCOM
\
OPS2#06/OVERAtl
223377
London W12 OTT
I TTie semi-sequel to PS2's sleeper hit is now bigger and better
REVIEWED
01908
Stantonbuty Park Offices, Great Linford, Milton Keynes, MK14 SAT
M I D WAY BBC
^REVE I WEDOPS2#26O / VERALL05
OPS2#01/OVERALL09
329298
3rd Floor, Upper Borou^ Court,
> This humdrum platformer features Looney Toons 'hilarity". Grimace.
Addictive neon-splattered, high-speed snowboard racer
E N T I RTA I N M E N T
0208 433 2000 w w w.b b cm u l ti m e d i a .co m
REVIEWED
JUkeJamesBonds' gadget-a l dencars?"feui'o i vethsi aco tinracer
www.microids.com Windrush Barn,
v w w. b a m 4 f u n . c o m
ICutesygoflsm i wth i muchoso lwdown,
S [ PYHUNTER
MICROIDS
01225
ISWN I GAWAYGOLF
i Accessible Sea-Doo stunt racer with impressive water effects. * REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAa 07
Berks SLl 3UF
MIDAS
jREV E IWEDOPS2#24 O /VERALL05
'SPLASHDOWN
33 Bath Road, Slough,
Berkshire SLl 2BW
The worst football game ever? it could be. Play it and weep,
IS D P E IR M -A N
www.lego.com
ACTTVISION 01753 756 100
St Laurence Way, Slough,
SVEN-GDRAN ERIKSSON'S WORLD CHALLENGE
REVIEWED OPS2#21/OVERAll 07
5000
Parliament House,
REVIEWED OPS2#02/OVERALL 04
Cool mission-based superhero action adventure based on the movie.
344
London SW3 IJJ
BAM!
SURRNG H30
tj REVIEWED OPS2#17/OVERALL05/«OVD#2O
0207
www.activislon.com
SPACE CHANNEL 5 VI
I Simple but fun cartoon kart racer featuring the Looney Toons gang
5573
Middlesex HA4 7LF
OPS2#14/OVERALL 04
jREVE IWEDOPS2#20O /VERAa04»/DVD#21
07
582
Knightsbridge,
» Unique but unrewarding truck racing sim.
J REVIEWED OPS2#04/OVERAU. 01
0208
w w w, k o n a m i - e u r o p e . c o m 7/9 The Oaks, Ruislip,
vww,acclaimnatton.com 112-120 Brompton Road,
SUPER TRUCKS
]I Absol SPAuCtelE ACE y horrendous arcade port from 1847 or something
REVIEWED
KONAMI
756700
LEGO 01753 495 453
04
Race in cool customisable cars around sadly barren cities,
REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERALL 07/»DVD#12/#17
REVIEWED
01753
L o n d o n S W 3 2 LY
SUPERCAR STREET CHALLENGE
Soui-sucking fantasy adventure for goth gamers everywhere.
M ' ISPACERACE
3D0
wvm.3doeurope,com 3D0 Europe, 21-23 Mossop Street,
, REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERALL03
^ It's Bust-A-Move, but no extras; go for the cheaper PSone option,
P? The gore-heavy first-person shooter suffers a poor port from PC.
OPS2#18/OVERAU.
Can't get hold of one of the games in The ShortUst? Something gone wrong? Need to check a release date? Here's the deftnrtive list of game publishers in the UK.
'SUPER BUST-A-MOVE
JSOLDIEROFFORTUNE:GOLDEDITION
REVIEWED
d a t a b a s e
I An RPG that's cool to watch with good action set-pieces
for Rotchet <&
•THE TERMINATOR: DAWN OF FATE Toe-curiingly inadequate film tie-in. Ciunkier than Arnie rapping,
jREVIEWED:OPS2#26/OVERALL04
v v w w. t n s o m n i a c g a n i e $ . c o m
developer, releasing one Afi console title every year or two." Therefore, we've got another 12 months to wait
for the next game. A Rotch & Clank sequel maybe?
□FFICIRL mHERZINE-UK PlayStation E 15
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"THE
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f.R
Top-Class survival horror meets John Carpenter's ET nasty. Superb.
PLATINUM
UNREAL
W AT C H
A goty first-person shooter that's only now showing its age
With Red Faction If out
IREVE IWEDOPS2#25O / VERA±i 09 THE WEAKEST LINK
f Quiz show cash-in. Watch it on TV instead. I REVIEWED OPS2#14/OVERAll 04
]fT HEMEPARKWORLD Tal^e on the role of a theme park tycoon in this excellent God sim. L REVIEWED OPS2#03/OVERAi± 07
this month, ifs the perfect opportunity to picl< up the original Red
OPS2#12/OVERAll
08
VAMPIRE NIGHT Demonic ligh^un shoot-'em-up - think T7me Cr/s/s with vampires, REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERAU. 06/#DVD#19
F VICTORIOUS BOXERS
wallet-friendly
I Story-based manga boxing title that sadly lacks the kiler blow,
Revolution!
R E V I E W E D 0 P S 2 # 11 / O V E R A L L 0 4 k
VIRTUA A revamped and utterly playable addition to a revived series. REVIEWED
OPS2#04/OVERAU.
bronze
Faction for a
score. Vive La
' THIS IS FOOTBALL 2002
REVIEWED
TOURNAMENT
FIGHTER
4
,.jnze
Complex yet fast-moving beat-'em-up that rewards the patient,
07/»DVO#12
REVIEWED OPS2#19/OVERAll 08
'THIS IS FOOTBALL 2003
V- R A L LY
3
BRONZE
Respectable latest Instalment In the fast-improving footy series.
Superb on PSone, the V-Ratly brand speeds to PS2 with true style.
REVIEWED
REVIEWED OPS2#22/OVERALl 08
OPS2#26/OVERALL 07
STHUNDERHAWK: OPERATION PHOENIX
WACKY RACES STARRING DASTARDLY AND MUTTLEY
J Brave attempt to blend arcade and sim in this chopper blaster
Cel-shaded kart racer with all your fave cartoon characters.
I REVIEWED OPS2#12/OVERAU07/»OVD#15
REVIEWED
J WALTDISNEYS JUNGLE BOOK GROOVE PART/
^Authentic TG I ERW OODSPGATOUR2001 but fun goif sim from the big cat himself REVIEWED
0PS2#06/OVERAll
^ Fun Beotmon/o-style dance mat game with Disney appeal. EREVIEWEDOPS2#08/OVERALL04
06
1 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 2002 I Tiger's game Is stlH the best, thanks to its analogue contnal system. '
REVIEWED
OPS2#09/OVERAL106/#DVD#09
^WARRIORS OF MIGHTAND MAGIC
; Dreadful adventure/RPG hybrid that was unbelievably a hit on PC.
0PS2#19/OVERALL07/*DVD#21
REVIEWED OPS2#07/OVERALL 03/«DVD#07 3
TIME
CRISIS
2
B s o N f fi
Namco's cool arcade ligh^n game gets a graphical polish for PS2.
kM OPS2#13/OVERAL108/«DVD#13
' Dismal, often tedious BusWdo Blade wannabe. Utterly avoidable.
IREVE IWEDOPS2#26O / VERALL05
-■ TIMESPLnTERS sn-va S Fun, fast and frantic first-person shooter - now out on Ratinum.
fjREVIEWEDOPS2#01/OVERAIL09 ITIMESPLITTERS
■WAY OF THE SAMURAI
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE: 2ND EDITION Scary animation of Tan^nt and ea^ questions make for a dull game REVIEWED: OPS2#15/OVERALL 04
2
som
\ As vital to PS2 as your central nervous system Is to your brain.
i REVIEWED OPS2#25/OVERAll 10/«DVD#25
jJT OGARACE DRIVER mixm Ultra-realistic racer, bolstered by smart story line and great visuals. I REVIEWED 0PS2#24 OVERALL 08 •DVD# 24
? TOKYO XTREME RACER
"WILD WILD RACING i Off-road buga^ racing game that's okay for a spin or three. I REVIEWED OPS2#01/OVERAU. Oe/«DVD#01 WIPEOUT FUSION * Get this! Cult future hoverjet racer and the best WipEout yet, REVIEWED OPS2#16/OVERALL09/«DVD#14
"WOODY WOODPECKER: ESCAPE FROM BUZZ BUZZARD'S PARK
I Sedate and sadly 'xtremely* dull Gran Turismo clone.
Duil cartoon platfonn adventung aimed at kids. Stop this evil!
IREVE IWEDOPS2#11O / VERALL04
REVIEWED OPS2#17/OVERAU. 03
J■ Essential TONYonline-enabled HAWKS ' PRskate OSsim KAT ER 3 perfect to play. that' s almost
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SNOOKER 2002 bronze
) REVIEWED OPS2#15/OVERAl 09
REVIEWED 0PS2# 11/OVERALL 08/«DVD#ll
■■^TOP ANGLER 2
WORLD DESTRUCTION LEAGUE: THUNDER TANKS
The best fishing game on PS2. Which isnt saying much...
Fun arcade tank sim with an ace four-player Deathmatch mode.
REVIEWED
REVIEWED
OPS2#20/OVERAU.05
SSStop gun REVIEWED
OPS2#05/OVERAL107
WORLD DESTRUCTION LEAGUE: WARJETZ
Below average flight sim with bonus archaic licence attached. OPS2#14/OVERALL04/#DVD#15
"TRANSWORLD SURF
' Umlted surf sim with some nice wave physics. REVIEWED OPS2#23/OVERAll 06
Poor plane-based future war game. Can we go now, please?
^REVE I WEDOPS2#10O / VERAL102 'WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2001 sih, ^ An immersive driving sim for novices and experts alike..
I REVIEWED 0PS2«14/0VERA1J. 09/»DVD#14
TUROK EVOLUTION
WORMS
Dino-obllterating mayhem marred by dod© Ai and controls.
Not your usual Worms game - think a stealthy Bust-A-Move Instead.
REVIEVrtO
REVIEWED
OPS2#25/OVERAll
06
BLAST
onze
OPS2#19/OVERALL 08
■WTA TOUR TENNIS
TWIN CALIBER i
Detailed and incredibly playable snooker sim.
The appearance of twin shooters fails to redeem this abject effort.
i if this game was a tennis player it'd be a British woman. Awful.
REVIEWED
IREVE IWEDOPS2#26O / VERALL04
OPS2#26/OVERAti
03
llWISTED METAL: BLACK r Superb muitlplayer car battler set on a wartorn planet.
1 REVIEWED OPS2#12/OVERAa 08/*OVD#16
J• Sadly, UEFeverything ACHALthat LEN GE couid go wrong in a football game is here. REVIEWED OPS2#10/OVERALL 02
~ UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEASON 2001/2002 Solid gameplay and fluid animation but - sorry - no Pro Evo. REVIEWED
OPS2#16/OVERAU.
07
W jI SlW ESMACKDOWN!SHUTYOURMOUTH icK supple wiling title with commendable attention to detail,
MEDAL OF HONOUR
P REVIEWED OPS2#26/OVERAll 08/«DVD#26 BRONZE
(f you've considered playing Medal
■ WWE SMACKDOWN! 'JUST BRING ITI'bronze
Of Honor: Frontline you must
Fun and realistic representation of the fuli-on WWE experience.
check out the game that kicked off the franchise. Lack of next-gen graphics aside, MOH compares
: REVIEWED OPS2#13/OVERAU.08/#DVD#14
X jI T-eam-based SQUADthird-person shooter, now superseded by Project Eden. IREVE IWEDOPS2#02O / VERALL05
UFC: THROWDOWN
! ZONE OF THE ENDERS sii..
No-holds-barred scuffling comes to PS2. Effective, but no classic.
[ Splendid mech shooter adventure from Metal Gear's Hideo Kojima.
REVIEWED
^ REVIEWED OPS2#06/OVERAU. 09/»OVD#06
OPS2#26/OVERALL 05
P S O N E P I AYA Original PlayStation showstoppers, still well worth a punt.
PlayStation
surprisingly well to its PS2 cousin. Utterly playable, gripping and atmospheric, EA's production values cannot be faulted and best
of all, when you're done with this,
there's the equally brilliant MOH: Undeiyround to annex for your game collection.
□FFICIRL mRBRZINE-UK PlayStation-E 15{
sharblisb
Your monthly rundown of the games setting shop shelves on fire.
PlayStation / For tite week E TOP ending 20 October PS211,GAMES 2002 TO BUY Game
Name
Publisher
Bumout 2: Point Of Impact acclaim
Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny capcom0Stuntman
This
Is
infogrames
Football
2003
scee
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex (Platinum) universal
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Burning rubber storming to the front of the pacK fuelled by gamers who just couldn't
18 1 Medal Of Honor: Frontline
get enough of the racy original,
3 8 Blade II
Burnout 2 holds off Onimusha 2 and
Stuntman to claim the top spot.
—Slash hit! it may have been knocked off the top after a solitary week but it's still a fine performance from Onimusha 2 - like Burnout it's
5 2 Tu r o k : E v o l u t i o n
another game doing even better on its second outing
4 3 C o n fl i c t D e s e r t S t o r m
4 2 The Thing Grand Theft Auto III TOGA Race Driver Tekken 4
The Simpsons: Road Rage Jak & Daxter (Platinum) GT Concept: 2002 Tokyo-Geneva
^0 1 Final Fantasy X Killer new entry Eldos's excellent Hitman 2 goes straight into the top ten, despite a premature tBiease that meant it was out before anyone got a chance to read our glowing review! Expect it to stick around the higher reaches.
19 18 2 Spider-Man 20 5 7 Commandos 2: Men Of Courage *0PS2 Charts in association with WHSmith
—Here conies the Vice For the first time ever, GIAIII falls out
of the top ten. Could It be something to do with the Imminent arrival of our cover game?
m TAKE A JOURNEY WITH US, BACK TO THE CHART THAT TIME FORGOT
i l 2
3 4 5
ITS SEQUELS A-GO-GO iN THiS MONTH'S READER CHARTS, SUPPUED BY ELLIOT KIDNER, ESSEX.
CHECK OUT WHAT OUR CHEESEBURGER-CHOMPiNG CHUMS WERE PLAYING iN AUGUST.
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Madden NFL 2003
Vintage survival hom^r from the masters.
"Klil peopie and take their clothes. BriliiantT
it's football, Jim, but not as we know it.
Dark Cloud
Burnout 2: Point Of Impact
SOCOM us Navy SEALS
Mixing dungeoneering v^ith town planning
"Balls-out driving for boy racers."
Meet new friends online, then shoot them.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2 "Comfortably in a ciass of its own,"
Coiiege-based pigsWn action, again from EA, j
Gran Turlsmo 3: A-Spec Okay, hands up anyone who doesn't own it i Extreme-G 3
NCAA Football 2003
Onimusha 2 "Stunning backdrops and a weii-told story."
Grand Theft Auto III
Tekken Tag Tournament
Ratchet & Clank
Gran Turlsmo 3: A-Spec ^
Decent scrap action, but a bit of a rush job.
"I keep returning to last month's ace demo."
Ttiey love it, despite the lack of big SL Vs.
Neon-drenched futuristic racing on bikes.
160 PlayStation ^ OFFICIRC mRGRZINE-UK
Car-Jacking is stili hugely popular Stateside.
PC
I
XBOX
I
GAMECUBEI
P L AY S TAT I 0 N 2 I
GBAI
P L AY S TAT I O N
Panasonic 3D0 1993-1996
Sega Dreamcast 1998-2001
Microsoft Xbox 2001-200?
Who says the PC is finished? E 11 7 o n s a l e N o v e m b e r 4 Edge is a regist^ed trademart< of EDGE Interactive Media. Used under licence
Hp?'"
Play5tation.2 GUIDE TO /
OFFICIRL
mRGRZINE-UK
i
i
VHP
•
•
•
E S S E N T I R L lEXPLOSlUE
TimeSplitters 2 EIDOS/FREE RADICAL DE'GN
What? l_ess than 100 words to sum up why you should buy this? Christ! Okay, it features the best One-player mode of any FPS in history with its unrivalled level variety and diverse objectives and the Ivlultiplayer mode's Infinitely entertaining That good enough for you? "An essential purchase for anyone in possession of a PS2" OPS2#25
PlayStation,^
HRSTSHOO
m BEFORE DOOM Peace and
You need to shoot up the main vein with
love for gamers everywhere.
some frenetic gunplay, but which games provide the cooiest kicl
fossilised dog turd w/hich you'd hurriedly toss away before plunging your hands into thicl<, cleansing bleach. But, possibly, without this machine, we wouldn't have
the most satisfying stress reliever known to man - the first-person shooter (FPS). Starting out as 3D Monster Maze back on Sir Clive's antique machine, the
genre had to wait another decade before eventually exploding into life with Castle Wolfenstein 3D on the PC. It was the
sublime Doom series which really Jacked up to the main vein, though, and
transformed normally easy-going folk
into nocturnal, armchair killers. For let us
not forget that the beauty of the FPS is that we dont have to project ourselves onto squat little dwarfs or axe-wielding hulks in third-person because those
■ AFTER DOOM Hatred oozes
from every enraged pore. Die, bitch, die!
Deus Ex
arms seen brandishing the tools of
EIDOS/ION SIDRrX
torment at the bottom of the screen
Loads of action with only the fleeting suggestion of a puzzle, FPSs are never likely to nail the
could quite easily be ours! Naturally, the power of PS2 has acted as a catalyst to accelerate the quantity and quality of such games, which leads us right here to these two pages.
Countdown conundrum, but Deus Ex is different.
It bestows some level of intelligence onto the gamer by providing them with choices that involve which route to take and which strategy to
Contained within is all the information
adopt. It's the numerous ways In which to tackle
you need to ensure that the FPS you buy has all the guns, gore and genocide needed to satisfy your thirst for the kill. And if not, well, you belong in Broadmoor, my friend! □ RB
each level that make Deus Ex so... Godlike.
162 PlayStation.E OFFICIRL fTlRGRZlNE-UK
"A triumphant multi-genre fusion that'll leave you shell-shocked in amazement" 0PS2 #20
shaf-^lisb EXCELLENT
SDDD IPHCKINB
RUERRGE HERT
PISS POOR
IPIBTDL-UiHIPPED
Play5tation,E
ICHNNDN
FODDER
Play5tation.2
€LITGT0RC€
Red Faction
Medal Of Honor nvntline For disorientating, torso-sfiredding terror nothing can connpare to the baptism of fine that awaits in the D-Day landing prologue nnission in this atmospheric WWII epic. Subsequent levels fail to generate the same palm-based sweat activity, but it's still one of the most captivating FPSs available on PS2.
THQ/VOUTION
Red Faction Is a head-scratching one-player game first and a twoplayer deathmatch extravaganza second. You may think that little new ground has been covered - but then you find some remote charges to blow open alternate routes. See page 100 for a review of the sequel. "A bold step forward for PS2 and
lUrok: Evolution
Star Jtek
Voyager. Elite
ACCLAIM/ACCLAIM SRIDIOS AUSTIN
For years PlayStation gamers had to tolerate N64 owners going on about a 'great' shooting game featuring a time-travelling dino stalker Well now that much-hyped series comes to
Pity the Trekkies. They've waited eons for their Borg-bothering heroes to beam down onto planet PS2, only to
PS2 and confirms what we
discover it's a hostile environment
suspected all along - that they were, lying and it's mostly just crap.
populated by better-equipped FPSs. Warp factor five to obscurity, Mr Sului
"Seems to have bitten off more than It can chew" OPS2#25
ports o bad name" OPS2#23
Also...
Also...
For traditional on-raiis gunplay with your G-Con 2, you can take pot shots at Vampire Niglit and Ninja Assault or Capcom's slightly superior Dino Crisis spin-off Dino Sta[l(er
For another lame PC conversion torture
epic in scale" OPS2#08
"A brilliantly executed first-person
Force
CODEMASIERS/RAVEN SOFIWARE/PIPEDREAM
"The kind of game that gives PC
shooter" OPS2#21
PlayStatlon.E
PSDNE
yourself with a copy of Soldier Of Fortune: Gold Edition
R LT E R N RT I V E 5
Alien Resurrection FOX l^f^EI«CIlVE/ARGONAUT
H A L F - L I F E
Several years In the making the developers experimented with a number of game formats before
i m n a i
Half-Life
Unreal
Uh-oh, games that achieve legendary
To u r n a m e n t
UNIVERSAL IMTERACnVEA/ALVE/GEARBOX
INFOGRAMES/EPIC
status on the PC so often crumble
beneath the weight of expectancy on
Whereas most FPSs have opted to
consoles. Not so here. Half-Life
surprises with brilliant level design and scripting that make it such a fantastic experience, whatever the
inject more substance Into the One-player modes by way of missions and puzzles, Unreai Tournament keeps it gloriously
hosting platform.
simple, relying on big guns and an
settling on the only genre those salivating xenomorphs understand eye-to-eye, up-close-and-personal alien annihilation. Until Coloniai Morines arrives, this is the
PlayStation.
PlayStation high of Ripley's intergalactic nightmare.
/v'n "THAT CRASH BANDICOOT, HE L L /
i I WAffTS shooting"HE DOES"
endless wave of mutant targets.
We asked fowmites which games have them firing on all cylinders..
"A hugely playable, ultraviolent
Seeing as even mild mannered Hariy Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe,
"Consider it your duty to buy and play this game to death" OPS2#20
shoot-'em-up" OPS2#20
Also... Age has caught up a little with Quake ill: Revolution and the original TlmeSplitters, but they're still both well worth a pop at the Platinum price.
Also... Anyone partial to a spot of Bondage should definitely spy out a copy of James Bond 007 In... Agent Under Fire.
has cited Medal Of Honor
Frontline as the being the most kIck-ass game on PS2, it comes as no great surprise to find that the majority of you lot do, too. Although quite a few were
dismayed that it didn't contain a Multlplayer mode. Most of the other games listed here were also mentioned, but only as short-term distractions until
TlmeSplitters 2 arrives. Oh, and one loon just said he'd like to shoot Crash Bandicoot A lot.
Next
montii;
Racing sims. Email your favourites to
[email protected]
QFFICIRL mRBHZINE-UK PlayStation.^ 1(
Why not cut out these pages (or a photocopy of them) along the doted line and slip them Into your DVD case?^^K|j . PlayStation^?
irOUR DISC ivery Issue, Officla! ''fayStatlon 2 "Magazine brings you >omettilng no other nagazlne can -
}layable demos. Offering exclusive evels, tracks and missions, our playable
DVD allows you try the
/ery latest l%2 games }efore you buy, often
00504.2S
00!l+2.9,
weeks and even
■
Tjonths before
Cot's back, he's on PS2, and his new game's a cracker. Get in!
'elease. Why risk your
THE
SKIDS
ARE
AUUGIfT
lartj-eamed cash on
J £40 game when you :an try it out on our
RaySfatian.2
^
- r o m G r a n Tu r i s m o 3
jnd Meta? Geor So/id 2 to TlmeSp/itters 2 3nd Fmal fantasy X,
AfeVe always featured playable demos of the 4deo footage of the
3VD is the best
Daf^aln on the lewsagent's shelves.
PUBLISHER: CODEMASTERS GAME TYPE; RAUY SIM O U T: N O W
PtAYERS: 1 (FULL GAME 1-2)
As is the norm In McRoe games, there are no other cars to be seen - instead,"You're racing against a time scale on the left of the screen. The white arrow is your position on the track which flashes up how far you are ahead of (minus times) or behind (plus times) the leader of the race as you pass checkpoints. Your goal, of course, is to finish In first place. Interestingly, each time you load up the demo you'll be treated to a different frack. so make sure you return to play the demo at least a few times in order to taste the full banquet on offer.
£ TA L K TO U S A/e want to know
what you think of our :over DVD, and what /ou'd like to see on it n the future. Write to: 3PS2 DVD, Official ^ayStatlon 2 'Magazine, Future
09:01.24
'
'ubllshlng Bath BAl !BW or email: PS2dlsc
Sfuturenetco.uk
Winning ^ any , 2 oft hthe r e threi e races is tricky business so we'll make do with
1 HOW TO
you getting onto the race results
USE THE DVD
3 within about ten seconds of the
ro enjoy this DVD,
winner in order to feature - no
oad It up on your
mean feat.
=S2, then scroll
jetween games and oiling demos using fie 4- and f keys, ro select within a
;ectlon, use ^ and
Press ® to start four demo choice,
rou may have to reset four PS2 after some
iemos If you
I
Each features a time trial requiring you to soldier between start and end In a faster time than your rivals. Your car Is a Ford Focus with an automatic gearbox.
rhrow in top-quality
Official PiayStation 2 vfogoz/n^s playable
■
NOT ONE, BUT THREE tracks have been plucked from the full game and gifted to you.
? a m e s t h a t m a t t e r,
ilts of the future and
I
colin mcrae^ial
:ovemiounted DVD?
Nicky Grist, your muttering co-driver, isn't just there for decoration. Listen to
his Instructions and pay careful heed of the direction
arrows, which give away the exact nature of the curves ahead.
:Kperlence any )roblems, press reset 0 reload the demo.
164 PlayStation.^ DFFICIRL mRGRZINE-UK
THE COmHOLS «-/-»:
Steering
Left stick: Steering Right stick Accelerate/Brake ®: Accelerate ®: Brake Handbrake ID;
Handbrake
®: Change camera S;:
Pause
PlayStation,^ / aFFICIRL rriRGRZINE-UK
E
X
T
R
E
M
E
TIME TRIAL IS the only option available to you. But, lil
3, you do have three tracl
Do take In the scene-setting movies before each track |to get you in the mood) and the fly by (to hint at the terrors to comel then, by pressing 0, you're Into the thick of It. Comparisons »/ith Colin McRoe Rally 3 are inevitable but the tw/o
are markedly different In feei (as you «/lll shortly discover). Ultimately, the choice is yours. In addition to the timers showing your eiapsed time, the current leading totai race time and the leader's time to the next stage, there's aiso the demo time-out counter
THE CONTROLS
which will sadly
Left stick: Steer
bring your fun to a
Right stick: Accelerate/Brake Accelerate ®: Brake @: Handbrake ®: m
halt Darn.
Gears up
:
g i
Gears down
C D :
■ SKID PlAY There's a IS
Options Repair display
IB:
world of powersiiding to |i be enjoyed in WRCII.
m.
Have some fun with the replay options - ensure that you drive as ridiculously as possible so that you can admire your stunts in minute detail later
■ QUITE A QUIFF Melina isnt called
'Queen of the Slopes' for nothing. 'WOODLAND CHUM'-STYLE adventures are the
order of the day In Ty The Tasmanian Tiger. Ty, being a Tiger, Is armed with a pair of boomerangs. No, we don't get it either, suffice to say that wielding said boomerangs Is essential for anything that hinders your token gathering and platform Jumping It's not too taxing, meaning you'll never stray too
hinK ^ AFTER A SAUSAGE-MUNCHING Intro, you're Invited to press t and rrth- choose between a Cross Race and a Time Attack event. The Cross Race pitches you against three game-controlled opponents, while in Time Attack your only enemy Is the clock Only Melina is selectable In this demo. You
may equip her with either skis or a delightful leopard-skin snowboard before choosing the Sunset Rush course and getting down to the business of descending a mountain. PUBUSHER: SCEE GAME TYPE: EXTREME SPORTS O U T: D E C E M B E R
PLAYERS: 1 (FULL GAME 1-2|
THE CONTROLS Left stick: Turn left/right
@: Tuck ®: Change view
lf% Use the tuck position wherever possible. Steering is impossible during 11# a tuck but it'll greatly increase your speed.
far from the beaten track and the opportunity for death Is scant, allowing you to wander to your heart's
content, engaging binds and frogs in conversation.
PUBUSHER: EA GAME TYPE: P I AT F O R M E R O U T: 2 2 N O V E M B E R PLAYERS; 1
THE CONTROLS Ijeft
stick:
Movement
Right stick: Look around Change boomerang
0: Jump/double tap
to glide Throw boomerang
®: Bite attack ®: Action CD: Change camera CD: Re-position camera ID: First-person aiming view •j: Pause and Map
H: On-screen display
1 ^The arrow areyou notbecome just theretost. for decoration and will lead you ' •I^to your nextsignboards goal should
OFFICIHL mHBHZINE-UK PlayStation.E 16
ON THE DVD
PlayStation.2
EN TWIN CAUBER
Can you make it through to the
CALL
demo's end only
using one arm? Its your choice which arm you use - we
believe In equal rights for lefties, yknow.
P U B U S H E R : M I D W AY GAME TYPE: P L AT F O R M E R O U T; 2 2 N O V E M B E R PLAYERS; 1
0F
▼
THE
KING
WE'VE A WHOLE TKAINING world fnom the
game laid out before you, ready to ease you Into a game so Incredible that your character even puts his hood up when it rains. Running Jumping and picking up povi/erups will be second nature to you. What w/ont be so obvious is the multiple uses of the shield and unique yo-yo weapon. Try teaming attack presses with left-stick squiggies to unearth all your moves, and engage crouch
RtlCiN A GAME AND major Hollywood movie based on the
curious Juxtaposing of dragon and tank Your missions are various and frenetic with your base under attack fnom all
sides, as well as from the air Fight off the scaly hordes with your minigun or - even better - heat-seeking missiles which you can pick up by simply driving over them. A dab of IB once you have the square missile lock on your target will deliver a rocket up their tailpipe. Listen carefully to your barked Instructions to ensure that you're dealing
iuil while shielding to squat beneath an
death at the required place and time, and keep an eye on your radar (top left) which will show you the
Impregnable dome. Watch out for glowing pots where you
REIGN OF FIRE
Can you see ttie
positions of both good and bad, with a green arrow on Its edge depicting your next port of call.
may recharge your shield, and keep an eye on the teeteringly low red life meter
mission through to Its conclusion before the
F1 kl
15-mlnute demo counter times out?
THE CONmOLS Left stick Movement
H AV E N
Right stick: Move camera
Collect every orb and token you can see.
m
Crouch
:
Remember, pressing
®:
Reposition camera Jump
up against surfaces
(3):
Attack
and double jumping
(Q).
c h i o l H b n i e i u
C D :
will often give you the oomph you need to clirttb up.
Pause
PLAYERS: 1
^Try jumping In mid-air to perform that old platform favourite, the double jump, ^enabling you to climb to levels you might othenwise have missed.
Get£5off^ ■ FA U L I Y D I S C ?
if your DVD appears lot to be loading
PUBUSHER: BAM! GAME TYPE ACTION O U T; N O V E M B E R
Each sub-mission has a clear target objective. Racing from location to location and getting busy as soon as possible will ensure long term sun/lval.
. #
I'.- nmeusa
♦
See page 22 for full details
of this money-saving offer!
jroperiy, first try ^starting your PS2
with a swift tap of the jreen reset button. Still no luck? Then
3liow us to replace [lOur DVD for you. almpiy mall it directly io; Official PlayStation 2 Magazine DVD
GORE BLIMEY... Using a revolutionary new control method you must amble through a deserted madhouse offing shop mannequins filled with offal. Or at kvi
Returns, Customer Services, Future
that's what it looks iike.
Publishing, Gary Court, 3ancombe Road
ndustrlal Estate, Somerton, Somerset
FAll 5TB. If you have
iZl'i.TM IWMlKil 9
Twin Calibet's appeal lies in its unusual auto-pilot character who fearlessl>j
PUBUSHER: RAGE GAME TYPE: SHOOTING O U T: N O W
places you in close proximity to zombie-based death. Instead of controlling los .s
P L AY E R S : 1 - 2
limbs and take aim at the oozing horde ahead.
(as is the nornil you control arms, using the two Dual Shock sticks to rotate s.ik Points are awarded for swift dispatch, classy gunplay, avoiding getting mauk^
any further queries,
and helping your buddy out - without shooting him by accident In the piuccss There are two areas to clear out before the demo teaslngly ceases.
Dtease emali is at PS2dlsc@
m POUCE GORY Sheriff
uturenet.co.uk
Fortman and his prisoner pal Valdez get stuck into another slice of undead pie.
THE CONTROLS Left stick; Move loft hand
Right stick: Move right hand ID:
upls^^oo
Fire
left
CB: Fire riglit Grenade
(3): Auto reload on/off Lock arms on/off
t": Change guns UWWH Xl
4k
IWIVVMHI 1
MMMtr
4 iwMwwt
tin appears on your aiming lines before you fire. That way you can ensure that you don't waste a bullet.
166 PlayStation.^ □FFICIRL mRGRZINE-UK
Play5taHgn,0
PlayStation®^
I colin mcrae tall
/ OFFICIRL fDRGRZINE-UK
T R A I L E R PA R K There's no mulleted trash here, just glimpses of the PlayStation 2's future in video form.
JAMES BOND 007: NIGHTFIRE
KINGDOM HEARTS
Now with added Pierce
After last month's snippet, we've now bagged
Brasnan's face! Honing the sl
THE GETAWAY
practically a whole Disney movie of ingame Kingdom Hearts action. See how
many of the many Disney characters you can name.
This video may be short but it's certainly sweet. Featuring both in-car and on-foot action, it's a teasing glimpse of the capers to follow. And completely blasphemy free. Thank Christ. Flick back to page 46 for the hands-on playtest.
RAYMAN 3 While it's easy to be bias6 about Rayman and his multiple platform episodes, this trailer certainly impresses, showing in-game action from all around his third proper adventure.
ACTIVISION 02 COMPILATION The star of the show has to be
Tony Howk's Pro Skater 4 but we implore you to indulge in the likes of Shaun Murray, Shaun Palmer and Mat
Hoffman as each shows off his individual brand of balancing.
ZAPPER It's hard to imagine a game more further removed from the violence and swearing of The
Getaway, but that's the Incredible diversity of the PS2 portfolio for you, Zapper, we're told, is a 'wicked cricket'. Quite.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS Real-life action from the forthcoming Two Towers movie melds with
rendered action from the Two Towers game. It's a mere taster for now but Is
sure to whet the appetite of any aspiring OrcLord.
WAY OF THE SAMURAI
SPYRO: ENTER THE
Are you going to go his way? If that way involves slicing and dicing anyone foolish enough
Everybody loves Spyro the Dragon. And after three
to stand in the way of your blade then so be It. Twirl cold steel in the name of truth and justice.
DRAGONFLY successful sojourns on PSone, a PlayStation 2 game was inevitable. Expect increased welrdness of content made possible by Increased PS2 power
1 i
1 /-
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AWARD IN YOUR EAR... The adveitlslng postei^ and DVD boxes for many films sell themselves on the number of Academy Award nominations
gets a copy of Th/s is Football 2003, and the star letter writer receives a bundle of other SCEE
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you 25p plus your usual text message cost. Remember to get permission from whoever pays the bill before you text.
Web sites and educational CD-ROMs, not
to mention some questionable decisions by the judges. And early next year an allnew British videogame award ceremony
Text us your
(tentatively called Game Stars) supported by Future Games and Granada TV will be coming to our screens, it's aiming to be the Brit Awards of gaming, and it should mean that game developers finally do
86188, starting your message vi/tth 0PS2.
get some public recognition. Spy will be reporting in full on the event when more specific details are revealed. LACK IN BLACK While I was reading thnjugh OPS2#25 a recurring theme caught my attention. This was conceming the issue of realism versus gameplay and which was more
abbreviated wds on
All texts cost 25p, plus the usual cost of a text message, G TA V I C E C I T Y / G T A V I C E C I T Y. WHERE FOR ART THOU, VICE CITY? E R R R R ! J O N - K E N T.
I ive Just got tekken the
4
and
fattest
its
beat
■ BACK IN HACK Shadowman
is one of t|Mfew vide(jgames to feature am-white hero.
eg) up ever it bests
vf4
pants
i j o t D fi s B o - b e a r f r o ( B notts
Important. It seems to me that the main
Is it Just me or Is there a shameful lack of black and Asian lead characters
in games? The only representation of
: Whv is the
these ethnicities that I can think of in
'Oscars' - have been running for four
purpose of realism, especially In plotdriven games. Is to enhance the feeling of escapism and to bring us closer to the idea of being in an interactive movie.
years now. This year's nominees Include
However, I think that a little too much
Grand Theft Auto III, Pro Evolution Soccer,
emphasis is placed on the importance of realistic environment, collision damage,
SENT OFF OVER 100
can think of are the lead character that
O F T H E C A R D S T H AT
trees, grass, etc, when there are so many other important issues to be
COME WITH GAMES
the player actually controls. The industry has already tackled the issue of female
The Interactive BAFTA awards - an offshoot of the British film and TV
Final Fantasy X and V-Rally 3 and we'll bring you the results In Spy next Issue. However, the credibility of the Interactive BAFTAs has always been dubious as a result of games being lumped in with
raised about realism and
detail In games.
Getavsv taking so long. I WANT IT NGUII!
H AV I N G F I L L E D I N %
rVE NEVER 60T A SINGLE MAILING OR TEXT FROli ANY GAMES COMPANY?
IS THere any
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE
After purchasing OPS2#25 I started reading the Spy section, as always. An American Online Exclusive, great! From reading through your opinions of the PS2 online experience, a thought entered into my own head: if PS2 gamers are one day going to be able to play their favourite games online against gamers all across the world, won't games produced and developed in America, Japan and Europe all have to be made the same, with no more Winning Eleven 6 aka Pro Evo 2 or Bio Hazard aka Resident EvIP Wont all games have to use the same code if they are to work properly over the Net with gamers in different parts of the world? This thought was hurting my head so I decided to ask you guys. I know this problem may be ages away with no confirmed European release date for the PS2 Network Adaptor, but surely online game compatibility is already a problem for SCEE? Rhys Stonuary, via email
to
do
such as Blade and Men in Black 2. Yes, there are other non-white
HOW COME
at
games are those found in film licences
»ore
than
Just a beep in YA B A S I C ? J A I
characters in games, but very few that I
characters but not those of race or
colour It does not seem quite right that the only characters should be white or Japanese. If ever the games Industry Is to receive the same attention and respect as the film Industry, it should approach this issue as a priority over making
!21 DONKEYS R GO
characters blink, sneeze or some other
FA R - A M O N K E Y S TO L E
minor detail.
A CAR.FROM BIG BOB
David Williams, via email
HAGINTY tv bacon
na»e and
I
is eat
hsa, YUM YUM
The lack of non-white (and non-
Japanesej characters in videogames Is a serious Issue, and one that is raised
regularly without ever being properly addressed. The only black lead character in a non-licensed PS2 game that we can G L O B A L FA N I A S Y Can the likes of Final
Fantasy overcome language barriers?
think of Is Shadowman's Mike Leroi.
Games such as Ready 2 Rumble, SSX Tricky and Tekken 4 always attempt to include characters
I fmm a mix of racial backgrounds, , but there does seem to be a
The Idea of a global online gaming community is a compelling one, but you've hinted at the practical difficulties that such a vision presents. It's part of a
' problem that has affected the Internet from day one -
dispnaportionate number of white
i 'heroes' out there. It took Hollywood years to accept that you could 'sell' a film with a black lead actor Let's
RESIDENT
GAMES Will playing
games online cliange ' our lives forever?
170 PlayStation s
suddenly information designed for consumers in one particular country Is available to anyone with a modem anywhere In the world. But the desire for International communication has always been a powerful force, and companies would do well to take this account when designing online titles. Language would probably be the main barrier, but this pitfall was brilliantly negotiated by Sega Sonic Team's Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast (the benchmark for online console gaming) by using a system of symbols. The possibilities for global gaming are there, if game companies are willing to Invest in this exciting opportunity. However, nothing's going to happen here until the Network or Broadband Adaptor is released - expect an announcement In 0PS2 next month.
hope the games Industry doesn't stay as blinkered for long. AGE OF CONSENT Last week I popped into my local well-known supermarket chain to pick up the latest issue of 0PS2 and a packet of crisps The woman behind the checkout ran
the crisps through the beeping thingy, but the magazine forced the machine to make a loud
blooping noise while
the words, "Is the customer 18?" lit up on
AUTO REPAIR When I first read about the PlayStation
the screen. The woman looked as
puzzled as I did. She turned to me and said, "Are you 18, love?" At first, I didnt know what to say because It was a PlayStation mag, not a copy of Boobs Monthly I told her that I was 18, but that I hadn't bought any ID with me because I wasn't planning on buying booze or porn today I added that I'd never been asked for ID before and that the machine must
be playing up. She called over another attendant
and relayed the situation, at which point she looked me up and down, trying to decide whether or not I was 18. She
eventually decided that I couldn't have the mag if I didn't have proof of age. I was quite angry at this. "But It's a PlayStation mag!" I cried! She said, "Yes, but you could be anyone - you could have been sent in by the police to check that we're following the rules, and it's a £5,000 fine if we sold this magazine to you. It is illegal to sell adult material to underage children." I felt like a total plum standing there arguing my way around a games magazine, like a little kid who was trying to get away with buying dodgy
e
TEKKEN
4,
B O U G H T I T, P L AY E D I T, C O M P L E T E D I T, W H AT ' S T H E P O I N T ? I'LL STICK WITH TEKKEN TAG FED UP ANNIE.,. EA 2 »ske a
Ryder Cup gafse, it must happen., NOW! ; ' after plaving the Thing/ «v vife won^t take a blood test,
should
I
shoot her? Jas/ ABDN : i . I K N O U W H AT m THINKING/ UR GONNA NUKE HE. WELL I GOT 2 WORDS FOR Y f t . . B I T E fl E ! GERBIL IN A
playable version of The Getaway was a major highlight. But the surprise game at the show for me was Auto Modeiilsta.
Capcom really does seem to have pulled out all the stops to get loads of cars and tracks into the game, and the handling is up there with the best. However, my main concern is with the eel-shaded graphics - which, by the way I think are stunning! I can't help thinking that because of its eel-shading, this game will be overlooked. I personally think that It's one of the most promising racing games on the horizon but I fear that, because of Its style, it will not appeal to many 'hardcore' racing game fans. You can't help but ask if Capcom has made the right decision. Dan Tiller, via email
HICROUAUE
S I i n G TA 3 i f v o u look
at
the
coaputer screens
in the cvber cage on
Staunton
island
The very concern that you express is the reason why there are so many tedious
TIXKENASRED
games. These games include MGS2 (colour-coded radar) and Dynasty Warriors 2 and 3 (again, colour-coded radar) but by far the worst are Rez and Freak Out; none of my friends can play them at all. Gaming companies should think twice before releasing a game which may be hard to play or even be understood by colourblind people. I
Rumbie 21
its artistic Instincts. Even if Auto
Chris Hayward, Kent
FROM B'HAh
Modeiilsta doesnt sell, it has already trallbiazed a graphical style (see page 701 and has made much more of an important Impact on the advancement of videogames than, say. Total Immersion Racing
like acid, by the way] and went home in a rather bad mood. Do you know why this happened? It's not like your demo disc has offensive material on It, and It's most
one (i)ho hinks
I The onlv
square should remake FF7 for PS2
^ A CAN OF UOOP
on visual dues, and these wiii often Involve colour coding. Most colourblind people (about 5-8 percent of the
population! can still distinguish between
ASS TO ANY
the primary colours, so any games
CHALLENGER AT PES
that about?
BROADBAND. U.
Steven Leyland, via email
R E N F R E W. S C O T L A N D .
^ Y is Getaujay
to my house to play on my PS2 many of
to tell the difference between blue
taking so long/ I
them find It hard to play some of my
and purple.
happened. Each 0PS2 demo DVD, as with every piece of PlayStation 2 software, is required to carry an age recommendation as approved by ELSPA (the European trade body governing videogames!. However, this is purely a recommendation to the purchaser, and does not require the vendor to demand
proof of age. There have been occasional cases in which our demo disc has had to be submitted to the BBFC (British Board of Film CiassificationI in order to receive a rating in the same way as a film or DVD. This happened with the Metal Gear Solid demo disc, which was
rated 15. BBFC ratings do require proof of age, but our discs rarely carry these ratings, and If they do, the highest rating wiii only ever be a 15. Check to see if the front of the magazine carries a BBFC rating, if not - as in your case Steven the central pricing department of the store in question has made an error If this ever happens to you, piease call or email us as soon as possible so we can rectify the situation and prevent further embarmssing scenarios.
gamers to play.
By their nature, games must rely heavily
COLOUR IVIE BAD I myself am not colourblind but I have friends who are. When they come round
Here's what we think might have
the world for colourblind
however, totally trash me at Ready 2
f r o # g t s m H E N RY
1 : : ! A f fl
Rez Isn't the
easiest game in
might point out that these friends do,
generic racers on the shelves. Once in a whiie you need a company to ignore the voice of financial reoson and follow
u can see pics
porn. So I took my crisps (which tasted
certainly not got porn on it, that's for sure. So pray tell, what the hell was all
Experience I Jumped at the chance to get a ticket. The show was amazing and the
OR ISS2. BRING ON
developers who don't want to lose the colourblind pound Just need to make sure they're not always asking people
Biant it now!! I
7 ^
^ STUNTMAN ON PS2. THE BEST GAHE ON THE CONSOLE.
m ARHY HEN RTS -
Oooh, what side of the bed did we get out of then?
issue of 0PS2
B AT H S O F G L O RY HELP! CRAG ^
recently and we
THE
STUPID
IRONY
OF
IT
ALL
DEMO/ TOO DAMN G O O D , W A N T. . M Y. .
who writes in to confirm that he did actually read OPS2#23 but
LIFE.. BACK..
Is upset that he could not see any scantily clad females and
G O N N A , . G E T. .
had to read a swear word instead? What's that all about?
SACK. THEN CAN P L AY M O R E . D A N RETFORD S
have
fell
do®n
stairs ic broke left
and!
good
thing I'm right anded still
so
I
give
can fl i e
right and a exercise! FROH DAN
S Dont try and feed
ur
PS2
c o r n fl a k e s /
theyre
noticed that Solid
-c?
What's wrong with you people? 0PS2#25 Postal was complete pantsi How can you give away five top games to some bloke
TIMESPLITTERS
SCUD SHARPE? My brother and I were reading through an old
Snake looks like
hard-faced Sharpe and GoidenEye *tf you get a letter
actor Sean Bean.
featured here, you'll soon
Larry Smith, Fife
be the proud owner of Aunt Isabel's handbag
gets into print for being the only person in the known universe
Spot any other stars moonl/gfitinc in v/deogomes? 0/ maybe your unc/e
that did not know what GT Concept was going to be like. And
rocks the Diaz froi
Mr Brunt wants to see people going to the John. Mr Carter
Vice City took? Tell
as for Mr Lucas, please do not inflict your pompous, selfrighteous, snobbish views upon the gaming community ever again. You Just sit in your attic with your PC for the next decade and see If you can work out why you're known as 'Stewart no mates' down the pub. There, I feel better now. Martin Hughes, via email
us now!
t?T?, ■
Feel as If there are too many pompous, bitter and irrelevant
rants on these pages? Then why not write a pompous, bitter
a e s s y e a t e r s / LT
and irrelevant rant to complain? For the failure to grasp the
J I M M Y PAT T E R S O N
Irony of your situation, Martin, your punishment is to languish
§3B!;
in handbag corner for a whale month.
PlayStation-S 1
0PS2's Dr Paul Fftzpatrick scribbles bogus prescriptions so you can OD on gaming knowledge.
write: POSTAL OFRCWL PLAYSTATION 2 MAGAZINE. FUTURE PUBLISHING. 30 MONMOUTH STREET. BATH. BAl 2BW email: Ds2surgery'^''futurenet.co.uk
txfc 85188 (all messages must begin with 0PS2) PLEASE REMEMBER
Unfortunately, we cant reply In person to letters or emails, and cannot answer
your questions over the phone.
1. In GTAIII, is it possible to get to Disney Land? If so, how? I heard that you get on a plane at Francis International Airport. I checked the planes but I couldn't seem to get one. Dominic Clarice, London
1. There's no nice way to put this, but whoever told you that was yonk/ng your chain because no such feat is possible in that game Who knows though, Vice City is pretty much based on Miami and that's not far away from Disney World...
1. I'm having trouble moving the crosshair on Silent Scope 2.1 Just can't seem to do it in time.
2. Can you tell me where I can buy a decent lightgun? 3. Have you got any cheats for Spider-Man? Josh Smith, Hampshire
Your mobile blood bank of
PS2 go-go juice. Who's first to have a n i n s t a n t fi x
Jacked crudely into their main
1. Okay, first of all, you do know that you can hold down m to turn the scope off before moving It swiftly to your next target then releasing it to zoom in again? You do? Okay, then go to the Options screen, select Scope Adjustment, then Speed. You can use this option to Increase the speed at which you can move the scope. 2. The Namco G-Con 2 is undoubtedly the best lightgun around. You can buy It online at ukpiaystation.com
here and Stone will say, 'That's one for the egg-heads back home." If getting onto the roof causes you problems, refer to our walkthrough in OPS2#25.
vein then? Enter CARL O'BRIAN who wants to
know if a Headhunter
sequel is PS2-
bound. Sadly, the electro
cardiograph of
1. Can you help me with Drakan: The Ancients' Gates? I am stuck on finding the 'Visionary Amethyst' on the Ravenshold section. I'm sure I need to
get past the gate behind the statue, but I'm having trouble cracking the code sequence surrounding the statue. Analisa Frensham, London 1. The combination is dependent on your compass, so If you're facing South, the button in front of you is North. Anyway, enter the following code and you'll be on your way: South, East, East West, South, North, North, South.
3. Enter ARACHNID on the Cheats screen
fin Specials menu! to unlock everything. 1. I'm playing Zone Of The Enders and I've just defeated Viola in the Warehouse level and moved on to the Central Hub
level. How do you detonate the bombs correctly? I have tried to grab the bombs with the @ button but cannot get Jehuly to pick them up. Also, I run out of time or get cut to pieces by the many
a £ A V E [ T O U T
Cmill: reports that you can visit Alton Towers have been
proven to be big fat lies.
1.1 recently bought a magazine that had a free DVD with it. But when I put it In my PS2, a message came up on screen saying that I needed to insert a format disc. Do you know where I can purchase
a format disc in case I get any more of these VCDs? Also, could you teli me if there's any way I can watch the videos
that come on music CD singles, or do I have to own a PC for these?
Annette Will
1. The message you refer to isn't telling you to insert a format disc' but a disc
enemy raptors while trying to do so. Darren McCarter, via email
1. You're better off defusing the bombs rather than detonating them. You can detonate them if you like, but each explosion will rob you of half your health, making it necessary to collect a lot of
To defuse Instead, keep pressing id until you lock on to a bomb. This will save
time. You must make sure you're
PS2. in both cases you will need a PC or a DVD player that supports the format
1.1 was thinking, whilst watching Big
1.1 am stuck on Prisoner Of War On the
Brother, how great it would be to have a PS2 game based on it. Do you know of
second visit to Stalag Luft (Mission 4:
any such game coming out, or is it Just
1. There's no officially licensed game to
the rocket in the high-tech facility, Captain Stone says, 'That's no good!" So where In the room do I photograph the rocket to get a clear shot? Richard George, Cornwall
speak of, but if your heart's set on manipulating virtual people like some
1. Not in the mom, from above! You need
all-seeing god you may wish to keep an
to climb up onto the roof head East and
eye out for The Sims from Maxis. Check
clamber over the pipes. Once you get to
out the full preview feature back in
the side of the building, you'll see the rocket waiting for take-off. Snap it from
0PS2#25.
172 PlayStation,E OFFICIRL mRGR2INE-UK
got the shakes trying to get the fourth weapon in Dynasty Warriors 3. For starters, you have to fight the battles on the
Hard difficulty
where enemy supply teams or precious Item boxes appear Tr a c k t h e movements of the
supply teams via the moving red
dots on the map,
this far in the game already, you
a silly idea? Carl Strathe, Chelmsford
HEYFRON who's
then get to them before they reach a troop entry point
the CD singles, VCDs wont play on your
'VCD', which brings us to the root of your
In is JOHN
each explosion - and this wastes time
problem - just like the mpeg videos on
that your free 'DVD' was, in actual fact, a
for that one. Next
Metatwn from defeated mechs between
targeting the bomb, otherwise pressing and holding © for a few seconds wont defuse it And the raptors? Sorry, Darren, but you're going to have to tackle them on your own. If you've managed to get
that is of PS2 or DVD format You say
activity is fiatlining
and defeat the
captain to retrieve the weapon. Time for one more: SCOTT ADAMS wants cheats for
1.1 need help on Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare. I am playing as Carnby in the pipeworks, which is depressingly early in the game and each time it's the same - the creature Jumps from the water, I pump it with as much lead as
possible, it groans a little, but flatly refuses to fade away. Stephen Jones, Salisbury 1. The key to defeating this vile creature Is not to run - you will only antagonise It in to chasing and goring you. Instead, stand your ground and shoot it once to make it sink beneath the dept/is. When it re-emerges, simply hold down m and rotate your character to aim, then unload another round into it Repeat this process a further five or six times and the creature will vanish forever
1.1 was wondering how you can tell
what region a DVD disc is. Are there any markings on the DVDs or anywhere else that tells you? W Glover, Whitstable
Stuntman that
work. Okay, try
1. Any DVD you buy in the high street
this case-sensitive
should be Region 2 and suitable for play
should be able finish the level with a
code to uniock
little persistence
everything:
on your PS2. But you can make doubly sure by scouring the back of the box and
Sabotage] every time I try to photograph
BiNdErS. Surgery's now closed, don't
looking for what's usually a small globe
forget to keep
with the number '2' in it
your appointment next month.
1. Can you help on Project Zero? I am stuck In the fish tank room and I can't
figure out the code for the door Simon, Plymouth 1. You havent stated which night you're on, so we'll assume it's the first. Right, bearing in mind that the top of the circular arrangement of Japanese numbers is zero and that the numbers
flow from one to nine anti-clockwise, enter the code 3669 to open the door
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A day pa ntballing for you and five mates! From Pathe Distribution Ltd and Go Ballistic.
WHILE SMEARING YOUR face in animal droppings and
OUESTION:
washing down a breakfast of cold worms and bootlaces with a nice cup of bromide-laced tea isn't everyone's idea of heaven on earth, it's all in a day's work for the lads of Her Royal Ma'am's Army These guys suffer such
W H AT I S T H E L AT I N N A M E F O R A WEREWOLF?
privations as part of their training as Defenders Of The Realm. However, in new Brit movie Dog Soldiers - out
a) Lycanthrope b) Misanthrope c) Weltanschauung
now to rent on DVD and VHS - Sean Pertwee and Kevin
McKIdd star as two of an unsuspecting platoon of squaddies that ends up swapping a rciutine survival exercise in the Scottish Highlands for the unexpected
HOW TO ENTER: 1. Write your answer on a
postcard and send to
pleasure of being holed up in a remote shack fending off
'Go ballistic with 0PS2,
werewolves, with little more than the smell of fear to
Official PlayStation 2
keep the ravening lycanthropes at bay
Magazine, Future
And now, thanks to Go Ballistic and Path6
Distribution Ltd, we've got 11 copies of the film on DVD to distribute to 0PS2 readers, with one lucky winner also landing a day's paintballing for themselves and five of their mates, so you can recreate the film in the safety of a wood near you. Werewolves not included.
Publishing 30 Monmouth Street, Bath B A l 2 B W.
2. Email us with the answer at
PS2compos@futurenet. co.uk - remember to
THE PRIZE
■ Rrst prize: A day's paintballing for one reader plus five friends. Go Ballistic has sites across the country so there should be one near you, wherever you live. The prize consists of: ■ A full day's paintballing
put 'Go Ballistic with 0PS2, in the subject. 3. Please include your name, age, address and phone number on all competition entries.
■ Protective overalls
■ Full face masks
■ Semi-automatic palntball gun ■ Free gas ■ 300 paintballs per person ■ Lunch
■ Plus: The winner also bags a rental edition of Dog Soldiers on DVD (worth £55).
•If you do not wish your name to be used for further marketing information, please state this on your entry.
No purchase necessary. Competition only open to residents of the UK No correspondence will be entered into.
No employees of Futufe Publishing, Path6 Distribution Ltd, Go Balilstic or
any affiliated company may enter No cash alternative is offered to these
1BITCII«> WfEREWOLf
Runnervup
■ Ten runners up win a rental edition of
Dog Soldiers on DVD (worth £551.
prizes. Closing date Is 28 November
2002. If any prize becomes unavailable, Future Publishing and Path6 Distribution Ltd, Go Ballistic
reserve the ri^t to replace it with another of equal value. Multiple entries will be disregarded. The Editor's decision is final. All normal
competition rules apply. Big thanks to Path6 Distribution Ltd and Go Ballistic.
sirmi m c u m .
*
PlayStation.S
;V4J
■ NINETCEN EIGHTY CO
Turn to page 84 to get thi full lowdown on the gant*
Jii
HO 'Et
V-"" ' l>r
A week in Miami!
With the brilliant Grand Theft Auto: Vice City just about to hit the streets, those
chilled-out chaps at Play.com want to share a little goodwill with the world,,. FANCY PUTTING THE pedal to the metal and heading to Miami for six nights of thrills, spills and automobiles?
Vbp, to celebrate the imminent release of the year's most eagerly anticipated PS2 title, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, leading games e-taller Playcom has decided to treat one
lucl
Competition Rules
THE PRIZE
■ 1st Prize - A weel< for two in Miami with accommodation and car hire
■ Return flights London-Miami |not direct) plus travel Insurance ■ Self drive convertible hire car (driver must be over 21 years of age)
member of the par^ who is
travelling must be over 21 with a
■ 6 nights, 4 star hotel accommodation ■ A copy of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
full UK driving licence Competttic
m 2nd Prize 10 Runner Up Prizes - One copy each of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City QUESTION: WHICH HOLLYWOOD ACTOR LENDS HIS VOICE TO
TOMMY VERCETTI IN GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY?
which, as well as providing a suitably impressive vehicle
for your arrival, will also prove invaluable for cruising the famous strips of the art deco city. All you have to do is
put Jan Hammer on the stereo, slip on a pair of espadrilles and it'll be iii
copy each of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City up for grabs, but even if you don't manage to bag a prize, you can still
hightail It over to www.playcom and pre-order the game for a rather generous £32.99 (including p&p) so no-one need feel left out. You'd be a fool not to chance your
arm, so come on, get your name in the hat. After all, it'd be criminal not to enter...
No purchase necessary. Entrants must be over 18 years of age anc state their age on the entry to be eligible to win and at least one
only open to residents of the UK. No contspondence will be enten into. No employees of Future Publishing, Play.com or any affiiiai company may enter No cash alternative is offered to these pri2 Closing date Is 28 November 20C If any prize becomes unavailable, Future Publishing and Playcom
reserve the ri^t to replace it witl another of equal value. Multiple entries will be disregarded. The Editor's decision is final. All nomi
competition rules apply. Big thani
HOW TO ENTER;
to Ptaycom.
1. Write your answer on a postcard and send to 'Don Corleone? Don Johnson, more like'. Officio/ PiayStation 2 Magazine, Future Publishing 30 Monmouth Street, B a t h B A l 2 B W.
2. Email us with the answer at [email protected] - remember to put 'Don Corleone? Don Johnson, more like' in the subject line.
Te r m s a n d C o n d i t i o n s : Promoter's address Is Playcom, F Box 192, Jer^, JE4 8RR Pacini is based on two people sharing. Dates of travel are January-Marci November-December 2003.
3. Please include your name, age, address and phone number on all competition entries Terms and conditions (right) apply *lf you do not wish your name to be used for furtlier marketing infonnation, please state tills on your entry.
o □FFICIRL mRSHZINE-UK PlayStation E
I M H AT I F.
THE EMCfTION ENGINE REALLY WAS EMOTIONAL?
WORDS: PAUL FITZPATRICK/ILLUSTRATION: WILL SARRAS
PS2'$ processor was hailed as the best thing to happen to games in a generation. Then it started having mood swings. The following letters have been
saved games had been re-named either 'Cheating
collated from the Dear Deborah
Bastard' or 'How Could You?' It then turned itself
advice column In Just PS2 magazine.
off. And this morning I came down to find my PS2
The problem Is that my PS2 has started behaving a little oddly The blue load-up screen has turned blood red. My machine also makes a low growling noise when it's loading up games. And now I've started getting electric shocks from the Dual Shock 2 when I go to turn off my PS2. What's going on?
had turned to face the wall. What should I do? Dear Deborah,
Frantic. Kent
Please help! My PS2 Is refusing to play with me. I bought it a year ago and for the first eight months we had the happiest time together We stayed up all night playing GTA: Vice City and TimeSplltters 2. We were inseparable. I'd rush home from work Just to see those little blue and green lights winking at me. Then I started dating Chloe from work and
Dear Frantic,
pretty soon I wasn't playing videogames quite so much. I should have known my PS2 was taking it
Why not pop down to the shops and buy the latest triple A' title for your console Be attentive, perhaps clean your PS2's vents with a cotton wooi bud. Oh, and you may want to rethink the Chloe situation Jennifer Aniston movies? That's just cruel.
badly when it started ejecting DVDs randomly while Chloe and I were having a night in with the latest
POPPED IN ONIMUSHA 2 ONLY TO HND ALL MY
SAVED GAMES RE-NAMED, ' C H E AT I N G B A S TA R D ' . . . "
Jennifer Aniston rom com. Then, one
Frightened, Dawlish
it sounds lil(e you've been tailing your PS2's Emotion Engine for granted. How would you iil
weekend, I popped
Dear Deborah,
Onimusha 2 in for
I'm scared. I've always enjoyed playing first-person shooters on my PS2 and rarely buy any games that don't involve blowing things six ways from Sunday.
old time's sake only to find that all my
NEXT MONTH IN THE CHRISTMAS ISSUE OF
Dear Frightened, Sounds like your PS2 has got a bad case of game
if Chloe came over with Rob from Accounts and
rage and has started to turn on you. This can happen if it doesn't get to sample different types of games once in a while Go and buy a copy of something nice and gentle like Bravo Music (don't get Lake Masters Ex, that'll just make your PS2 even angrierj. Hide the disc in a Quake III box if need be and approach the console veiy slowly Pop it In, tape the DVD drawer shut and stand back,
it won't be a pretty s/ght, but detox mrely Is. Good luck □
World exclusive review and two-level
Diayable demo of the PS2's
Play5tation.E / DFFICIRL rriHGRZINE-UK
:oughest cliallenge yet! nmsz
I
IA month on with Grand Theft Auto: Vice CHy: we explore the hidden depths of Rockstar's Eighties crime spree. I Also reviewed: Bounty Hunter, 007: Nightfire and more! I Midnight Club 2, SSX 3 and PS2 online news.
I ,
1 PLUS! Broken Sword 3 hands-on, latest Primal news, TImeSplitters 2 fully tipped and a HUGE playable demo disc!
A
O N S A L E ; 2 9 . 11 . 0 2
L I'
T M
178 PlayStation-E DFFICIHL mRERZINE-UK
1 ?
CALLME 24/7/
The dhcaiMisli^css presents
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WWE SmackDown : Shut Your Mouth In one corner stands the immortal Hulk Hogan. In the other stands the undisputed World Wrestling Champion Triple H. Tensions mount. It^ SmackDown"* as you've
never seen it before for PlayStation 2. All-new Superstars, enhanced season mode and more matches than ever Out 15 November*
Grand Theft Auto - Vice City One of the most eagerly awaited games of the year - Welcome to the 1980s. Having just made it back onto the streets of Liberty City after a long stretch in maximum security. Tommy Vercetti is sent to Vice City, but most of Vice City wants Tommy Dead. The only answer is to fight back. Out 8 November*
Vs.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2 Every aspect of the game has been refined or reworked. Pro Evolution Soccer 2 now benefits
from three distinct dribbling styles, while shooting, turning, close control and passing have also been tuned to make them more individual and realistic. Out 22 November*
Lord of the Rings™, The Two Towers™ This action adventure game allows players to take control of the motion picture trilogy's action heroes: Aragorn. Legolas and Gimli. with other members of the Fellowship taking an active role during gameplay. Out 8 November*
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