Issue 50 (September 2004)

                                                                 Issue 50, September 2004

Editor’s letter
       Ageing well is a tricky thing, just have a look at any of the too-many pictures of me in this mag and you’ll see what I mean.
       When you’re young you want to be older, so you can be independent and buy your own booze instead of nicking it from your dad, eat McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner and be able to touch women without having to run away after. And when you’re old you’re, well, old, and that’s no fun at all.
       What you want to be is in your prime: old enough to know what goes where and young enough to still be able to put it there without breaking anything. Which, after 50 issues, is exactly where we are right now, except without the sexual overtones. We’re reaching maturity just as the PS2 hits its stride. With San Andreas, Killzone, Black Monday, GT4 and Snake Eater this is going to be a barnstorming end of year – the biggest ever seen, in fact.
       So we won’t be stopping too much to look back, but over on page 105 Gorgeous George – the only one who’s been here for every single issue – does take you through the last four-odd years of OPS2s.
       See you for the exclusive Killzone review on Thursday, 9 September. See, the big names just never stop.
                                                                    Richard Keith, Editor

Features
“This is the game I’ve been waiting for my whole life” – Killzone. Instead of the usual team, this feature has four readers chosen by OPS2 to test the game.

Why, yes, Stacy, I do like that shirt…” – WWE Smackdown VS Raw

Destroy All Humans! But first… let’s probe the cows – Destroy All Humans!

You’ve known the Gran Turismo series from the beginning. You’ve played GT3 for a hundred hours, maybe you’ve even sprinted through GT4 Prologue, the recent taster for the new game, and you think you know what’s coming: more, lots more, of the same. You’re wrong. We’ve been playing the real Gran Turismo 4 and, boy, are you wrong – Gran Turismo 4

Happy 50th Birthday OPS2! – To celebrate the 50 issues milestone, George Walter takes a look back at the previous 49 issues, and also names some of his favourite (7, 20, 31, 33, 42, 45) and least favourite (18, 24, 26, 32, 39, 41, 43) covers.

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, if the staff were wrestlers, what would their ring name be?

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, The Shield, a tie-in game for the US cop drama.

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, Kirsten bemoans the trend of games going darker for the sequel.

Replay – Revisiting Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and MX Unleashed, reader reviews for Cricket 2004 and Forbidden Siren, cheats for Driv3r, Samurai Warriors, Van Helsing, Shrek 2, Hyper Street Fighter 2: Anniversary Edition and The X Files: Resist or Serve, and a Spider-Man 2 walkthrough.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, All About You. The responses to Issue 45’s reader survey. The most interesting facts: more than half of respondents had read every issue, 93% of respondents like the current design, with 75% loving it, and 2% of respondents don’t even own a PS2!

Back page list – This month, 8 things that would make rubbish peripherals.

                                                                This month's Save Point

Monitor
Star Wars Battlefront – “Promises to be the best Star Wars game ever… and yes, we’re as bored of writing that as you are of reading it. But this could be the game to turn the phrase ‘Star Wars’ game from a term of abuse to a thing of joy.” Boiling

Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires – “A notable improvement, but unlikely to attract any new fans.” Hot

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 – “Not a massive reimagining by any stretch… but the inclusion of online play, mode customisation and harsher difficulty should be enough for PGA Tour 2005 to make its mark.” Hot

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – “Could we be any more excited? Doubtful. GTA:SA is looking like the most essential title on the PS2 ever. Ever. But then you know that. You’ve got your £39.99 ready-trousered for 22 October, haven’t you?” Meltdown

Crisis Zone – “We hope the finished game provides a sterner test of our skills.” Warm

Flatout – “The publicity for Flatout has centred on its bouncy, destruct-o-rama physics, and they don’t disappoint. The actual game, however, still needs a bit of work to make it wild and fun. Six fingers crossed.” Warm

Jak 3 – “Not the same moon-leap in quality was saw between Jak 1 and 2, but this is still set to round off a fantastic trilogy. Smart, smutty and one of the most impressive bits of technical clout on PS2 – it’s all right, Jak.” Boiling

TOCA Race Driver 2 – “In an overpopulated genre, TOCA is quietly distinguishing itself with deliciously smooth handling, bags of variety and an excellent story mode that adds to, rather than takes away from the business of racing hard.” Hot

Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 – “THUG 2 feels like sliding into a warm bath with an old friend. The only question remaining is whether Neversoft can make this the ‘all things to all people’ skate game without it spilling out at the seams.” Boiling

Need for Speed Underground 2 – “Not a massive leap visually, we’d have to admit, but the open-ended game design is ambitious and hugely exciting to play. Now it’s all about trying to match Burnout 3’s incredible sense of speed...” Hot

FIFA 2005 – “We might be heading for a fall but we think this year EA could finally produce a worthy rival to the mighty PES. Next month’s massive playtest should tell us if we’re right or not.” Boiling

McFarlane’s Evil Prophecy – “So many problems, so little time. It doesn’t look good.” Tepid

Def Jam: Fight for New York – “Drags the original out of the ring and into the ghetto, and it works just fine. Looks beautiful, even at full pace, and should be just varied enough to make it a must-try title this Christmas.” Hot

Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition – “We suspect that there won’t be too much to choose between this and Need for Speed Underground 2… but the club certainly clinches it if you’re after a tasty slice of the real deal.” Hot

Sly 2: Band of Thieves – “It should be polished and enjoyable. Just like the original, really.” Warm

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – “The decision to de-tech Snake by plonking him in the 1960s has rejuvenated the beating heart of the series; namely its tense stealth gameplay. Elsewhere, new features and locales have been integrated beautifully.” Boiling

Reviews
Second Sight – “Second Sight has a lot of style and grace, though still falls into some familiar traps. But we definitely recommend you play it.” 8/10

Resident Evil: Outbreak – “The should-be-online features cause some obstacles to horror happiness, but this still delivers plenty of gore, trickery and death.” 7/10

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy – “Psi-Ops is brilliantly satisfying to play and feels gratifyingly fresh. With a little more polish this would have scored even higher.” 8/10

Crimson Sea 2 – “As a story-driven adventure it fails, but as an action-focused experience it succeeds. There’s a challenge here, if you want it.” 7/10

NBA Ballers – “A super-simplified yet surprisingly deep basketball experience that should slam dunk its way onto bazzy fans’ want lists.” 8/10

Formula Challenge – “A shocking example of PS2 programming that should be stacked on bricks at the back of the grid. Thoroughly terrible.” 1/10

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts – “Somehow more morally repugnant than killing scores of humans, this is for poshos and right wing nutters only.” 5/10

Corvette 50th Anniversary – “Even cheap – a vote of no confidence there – this is entirely unnecessary. It’s boring, outdated and simply no fun.” 2/10

Steel Dragon Ex – “It might be cheap, but boy is this cheap. If it’s an old-skool Japanese shooter you’re after, buy R-Type Final instead.” 4/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Burnout 3: Takedown
Second Sight
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Star Wars Battlefront
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Crash Twinsanity
Van Helsing
Ribbit King

Footage
Destroy All Humans!
Playboy: The Mansion
Goldeneye: Rogue Agent
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Devil May Cry 3
Far Cry
Gran Turismo 4
DJ: Decks and FX
Silent Hill 4: The Room
World Rally Championship 4
Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Top 5 tips – Comedy cheats
Goal of the Month
Challenges for SSX 3, Need for Speed Underground, Eyetoy Groove, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Driv3r
Online Rankings for Hardware Online Arena and This is Football 2004
Ask OPS2

Trivia
* This month, we have four variant covers, with each having a WWE diva on it. I got Sable, and the other three covers have Torrie Wilson, Trish Stratus and Stacy Keibler.
* This is the first issue for reviews editor Michael French.
* Two points of interest on this month’s demo disc: first, Crash Twinsanity is referred to by an earlier title, Crash Bandicoot Unlimited. Second, and more importantly, there’s meant to be a playable demo of Juiced on the disc, according to the demo box and the magazine, but it doesn’t seem to be on there. At least it appears a few times on later discs to make up for its absence here.
* Gaydar: This month, OPS2’s most prolific letter writer Daniel Gay praises the Down the All Night Garage feature, while sharing his love of terrible direct-to-DVD films.
* How fitting that Second Sight and Psi-Ops, two games themed around psychic powers, should be released around the same time. Just to be extra awkward, they both got the same score, so we can’t even declare a winner. Second Sight seems to be better remembered nowadays thanks to being from the creators of Timesplitters, so that’s as good a tiebreaker as any, maybe?
* Issue 18 is named in the retrospective as the least favourite issue overall, described as “a duff month all round.”
* This is the halfway point! Thank you to everyone who's stuck around this long, and I hope you will continue to read as we move into the second half.

Quote of the Month: “Ben doesn’t like spicy food.” One of the readers in the Killzone feature refers to himself in the third-person for some reason.

Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 146

Issue 49 (August 2004)

                                                                 Issue 49, August 2004

Editor’s letter
       Star Wars creator George Lucas once said that getting audiences to be emotionally involved was easy – just put a loaded gun to a kitten’s head. So I tried it. It worked. Well, it would have but it wasn’t a real cat or a real gun. And, besides, we were quite busy at the time…
       Apart from a convenient opening and a chance to prove I’ve read Easy Riders, Raging Bulls there is a point. Can you have a game – especially one set in the Bond universe – without a good guy to root for? Where is your sympathy going to be as you blow away Bond and team up with Goldfinger?
       To me it’s an easy question as being the bad guy – as GTA has conclusively proved – is always more fun than keeping on the straight and narrow. Most gaming goodies might be fairly murderous in your hands, but there are always things you can’t do to keep the story working. And where all Bond baddies lose to 007 in the end, this isn’t going to be your fate.
       Of course, unless you’ve decided to skip the first 17 pages, you already know all about Goldeneye and whether the idea of being a Bond baddie works for you or not. Let us know your thoughts. For now, though, let’s get to all the other great games out there.
       See you same time, same place on Thursday, 12 August.
                                                                    Richard Keith, Editor

Features
Could you put a bullet in 007’s brain? – Goldeneye: Rogue Agent. This unique feature is done in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure story.

Ready for the Ride of your Life? – A driving game special, featuring Gran Turismo 4, Burnout 3: Takedown, Juiced and Colin McRae Rally 2005. Also has the hilarious sight of George Walter dressed as a chav and flipping off the reader.

Most Wanted UK Game Awards 2004 – A competition for readers to vote for their most wanted games of 2004.

Never pay for a phonecall again – 42 things you never knew PS2 could do

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, if the staff were James Bond villains, what would their signature weapon be?

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, Michigan: Report From Hell. A survival horror game where you play as a cameraman covering a monster outbreak… or you could film up the female reporters' skirts instead, you pervert!

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, Singstar’s potential to get more people interested in games.

Replay – Revisiting The Thing and Midway Arcade Treasures, reader reviews for Fight Night 2004 and MX Unleashed, and cheats for Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Onimusha 3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Transformers, Red Dead Revolver and The Suffering.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, “You want me to hit you?”. Richard Keith gives boxing a try.

Back page list – This month, 10 decades in the future of Playstation.

                                                                 This month's Save Point

Monitor
Resident Evil: Outbreak – “Any game that makes us love to loathe zombies all over again has got to be good. Sure, it’s not online, but we’re hoping that all that will change when Capcom releases Outbreak File 2…” Hot

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy – “Flinging guards around like helpless meat puppets? It’s the new stealth. The battle’s on between this and Second Sight, but Psi-Ops’ raw viciousness could well give it the edge in the long run.” Hot

America’s 10 Most Wanted – “This is sensitive stuff. Politically and morally dubious, only time will tell whether America’s 10 Most Wanted can put the ‘fun’ back into ‘neutralising fundamentalist terrorist activities’.” Tepid

Ratchet and Clank 3 – “There’s something familiarly cosy about wasting aliens with a horde of tiny killbots. The emphasis on multiplayer is certainly interesting – but will the platform stylings put deathmatch purists off?” Hot

Sega Superstars – “Let’s just say we’re interested and leave it at that.” Warm

Killzone – “After last month’s extensive hands-on session, it’s intriguing to discover the back stories behind the stars of the game. And, yes, we still can’t stop playing it or pining for that elusive finished version.” Meltdown

Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone – “With excellent visuals, a trusted control system and some original gameplay elements, Demon Stone looks like a very tasty proposition. The lack of a multiplayer option is a fairly hefty blow, though.” Hot

Playboy: The Mansion – “You can see what they’re doing here – Sims-style gameplay wedded to Playboy titillation to tempt the hormonal into purchase – but it’s to be seen whether it can match up to The Sims for playability.” Warm

Crimson Sea 2 – “We like Crimson Sea 2’s kind of mindless violence around here.” Hot

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age – “The inherent beardiness may turn off casuals hoping for another decapitate-‘em-up, but The Third Age promises to delight hardened goblin-fanciers looking for another Tolkien fix.” Hot

DJ: Decks and FX – “As DJ Gorgeous proved, DJ: Decks and FX will definitely keep a real-life dance floor pumping. We can think of no finer recommendation. At last, a proper DJ in a box with a top notch track list.” Hot

The Incredibles – “Needs work to be more than your average licensed platformer.” Warm

Project Snowblind – “Snowblind might have come out of leftfield, but it looks and feels superb. If the story element is half as strong as the technical achievement, even the mighty Killzone will be feeling the heat.” Hot

Mortal Kombat: Deception – “Variety is fast rivalling brutality as MK:D’s defining characteristic.” Hot

25 to Life – “It’s early days and you know how we hate to jump to conclusions, but 25 to Life is shaping up to be the urban SOCOM – an exciting online game with a cracking single-player mode to go with it, too.” Hot

Killer 7 – “Will it actually be any good? No idea, but Killer 7 is utterly original and looks cooler than a permafrost duvet. We’ll have much more when someone tells us how it’s actually going to work.” Hot

Reviews
Spider-Man 2 – “Sets a new standard for movie crossovers, delivering a thrillingly freeform experience marred only by the occasional uneven mission.” 8/10

Catwoman – “One for the masochists – and not just because of that outfit. Tougher than leather and frustrating like the ten-minute freeview.” 5/10

Formula One 2004 – “The drab appearance, twitchy handling and some minor irritations mar an otherwise solid and rewarding F1 driver.” 7/10

Shellshock: Nam 67 – “A few dangling corpses don’t make for a harrowing game, but there’s enough atmosphere here to lift Shellshock above the norm.” 8/10

Driv3r – “After all this waiting, Driv3r is a big disappointment. It’s scrappy and feels half finished – approach with extreme caution.” 6/10

Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers – “Combining a WW2 shooter with RPG and strategy-lite elements has produced a likeable and engaging one-off. Good stuff.” 7/10

Ex Zeus – “Ex Zeus is an ugly, boring, stupid button basher. If you want old-skool shooting, try Gradius. Christ. We can hardly sleep for grief.” 1/10

Indycar Series 2005 – “Authenticity, speed and excitement – a class example of what racing games should be like. Bit heavy on the disc access.” 7/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Hitman: Contracts
Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
Mashed
Formula One 2004

Footage
The Getaway: Black Monday
Spider-Man 2
Death by Degrees
Killzone
Area 51
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Onimusha 3
Mashed
Ratchet and Clank 3
Pro Evolution Soccer 3 tips
Goal of the Month
Challenges for SSX 3, Need for Speed Underground, Eyetoy Groove, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Driv3r
Online Rankings for Hardware Online Arena, SOCOM US Navy SEALs 2 and This is Football 2004
Ask OPS2

Save Files
Timesplitters 2
Final Fantasy X2
Hitman: Contracts

Trivia
* This month’s cover has a hole in it! Don’t worry, it’s meant to be there, in order to recreate the iconic James Bond opening sequence, with the image on the magazine’s first page showing through the cover. Speaking of the cover, Goldeneye: Rogue Agent’s subtitle was changed to Agent of Evil at this time, only to be changed back to Rogue Agent almost immediately afterwards. Unfortunate that the title should be changed just as the game ends up on the cover.
* This is the first issue for new art editor Simon “Wednesday” Middleweek. It is also the first issue for Nathan Ditum. He wasn’t part of the main team for long, but he did stick around on a freelance basis for a while. Nowadays, he’s one of the hosts on Playstation Access, which you should check out on Youtube.
* The most bizarre running gag of the magazine: Photos of Tim Clark in this issue feature him wearing a paper bag over his head.
* Games that would never be made today #7: America’s 10 Most Wanted. Why not? It’s blatantly ripped from the headlines, in a way that any game trying to do the same today would have to be rushed-out rubbish in order to be released before everyone moves on from the news story that inspired it.
* This is the quietest month in a long time in terms of reviews, with only 8 new games. At least Spider-Man 2 is an all-time classic.
* If you’re wondering why Driv3r scored 6/10, the review explains that while the main game is dreadful, the film director mode is good enough to salvage the overall package to some extent, and without said mode the score would have been lower. Of all the PSOne franchises that fell off in the transition to PS2, Driver is the worst casualty because, unlike the others, it never regained its former glory and quietly fizzled out, having been rendered obsolete by Grand Theft Auto.
* I also mentioned Driv3r-Gate briefly in a previous post and promised an explanation, so here it is. Enter the Matrix got decent reviews and sold gangbusters off the back of the films despite being unfinished, so Atari thought they could pull the same trick again with Driv3r, which they wanted out before San Andreas by any means necessary. It did indeed sell gangbusters again thanks to a smash-and-grab marketing strategy, but the reviews weren’t nearly as kind – with the exception of two 9/10 reviews from two magazines owned by Future Publishing, which didn’t mention any of the game’s issues and were published long before the game’s release. Naturally, readers cried foul and went on the Future Publishing forums to complain, only for Future staff and paid shills hired by Atari to run damage control before Future nuked all discussions and covered up the whole thing.

Quote of the Month: “If God ever takes a break from whatever it is that fills his days and plays this, within half an hour he’ll impulsively squeeze the universe to a point of infinite mass and let it all explode again.” Let’s just say that Driv3r didn’t live up to the hype.

Cover price: £5.99 – The price is increased this month, and stays at this price point for the rest of the magazine’s run
Page Count: 146

Issue 48 (July 2004)

                                                                    Issue 48, July 2004

Editor’s letter
       When Rockstar asked us if we wanted to be the first in the country to see GTA: San Andreas we knew it was the biggest story there is. Everyone knows it’s a big story. Your mum knows it’s a big story. What we didn’t know, what we couldn’t hope to know, was the scope of the game. San Andreas is huge. Enormous. And it’s not just about size: the ambition of makers Rockstar North is so far reaching as to almost be unbelievable. If we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes, we might not have believed it.
       For anyone who’s ever played Vice City - and that’s just about everyone who’s ever picked up a PS2 pad – the detail of what is actually going to be in the follow-up will blow your mind. And remember that you can only know everything by reading OPS2. Be glad you didn’t fall for some of our rivals’ claims because you can only read the full story, get all the details and see all the screens here. You’ll be glad you did.
       And we’ve got something else to be especially proud of this month. Our DVD has changed. Don’t worry, it’s still the only disc that enables you to play the games we write about. But now there is more. So much more. I suggest you go and find out for yourself.
       Hope you enjoy it. See you again on Thursday, 15 July.
                                                                  Richard Keith, Editor

Features
“You are the first journalist in the world to see this…” – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Most Wanted UK Game Awards 2004 – A competition for readers to vote for their most wanted games of 2004.

All Hype? – Killzone

A Feast of Snake Eater – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, everyone’s favourite food.

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, Destroy All Humans!, the closest thing we’ll ever get to a Mars Attacks! game.

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, why is there so little sexual content in games?

Replay – Revisiting Hitman: Contracts and Ico, reader reviews for Sonic Heroes and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and cheats for Hitman: Contracts, Transformers, UEFA Euro 2004, MX Unleashed, Project Zero 2 and Fight Night 2004.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, “And then I used the Magic Staff of Overdor to unlock level 7”. Ben Richardson tries speed dating, but only talking about games. Surprisingly, it actually works for him, with 6 of the 17 women interested in a date.

Back page list – This month, 13 games they should never make.

                                                                  This month's Save Point

Monitor
Spider-Man 2 – “Spider-Man 2 is all set to be a worthy companion piece to what should be a superb film. Which is more than can be said for the Mary Jane promotional duvet or Doc Ock’s McSeafood sandwich.” Boiling

Second Sight – “Despite nagging doubts over how original games have sold recently, we’re hoping Second Sight will be a refreshingly original sci-fi blast. The review may have to be written from a lead-lined room, though.” Hot

Conflict: Vietnam – “The restrictive level design is disappointing, but a bit of clever tweaking might remedy this. Otherwise Conflict: Vietnam has all the right moves to cause a respectable rumble in the jungle.” Hot

Area 51 – “Midway could – finally – have a hit in its hands.” Hot

Ghost Recon 2 – “The ghost’s finally come good, shooting from the hip with an impressive new game engine. Throw in the prospect of online play and this could be a surprise attack on the bunker of success. Or something…” Hot

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within – “With gameplay excellence all but assured, the prince just needs to transform his sky-scraping review scores into first-week sales. But from what we’ve seen, this will be the jewel in Ubisoft’s Christmas crown.” Boiling

Gradius V – “Couldn’t be more old-skool if it was Eton College in disc form.” Warm

FIFA 2005 – “The version we played – and it’s still months away from release – was almost breathtaking in terms of improvement from last year. We can’t wait to see how good it can get. Maybe PES should get in training…” Boiling

The Getaway: Black Monday – “Likely to face stiff competition from the powerhouse that is San Andreas. Nonetheless, with enough polish applied to the important areas, London could be calling again…” Hot

Ratchet and Clank 3 – “Played it, loved it. The thought of hooking up with a headset, picking a group of seven (verbally, if you like) from the hub and heading into battle should be enough to get you more than excited about R&C3.” Hot

Goldeneye: Rogue Agent – “We like being a Bond baddie and our first play of the game left us thinking this could be a real contender for FPS of the year (and there’s plenty of competition). Still not sure about the name, mind.” Boiling

Jak 3 – “Too early to say for sure, but Ratchet’s looking hotter for now.” Hot

Timesplitters: Future Perfect – “For a game at least seven months away from release, Timesplitters: Future Perfect is simply stunning. We will await some multiplayer action, though, before we get too stupidly excited.” Boiling

Mercenaries – “Not many games can pull it off, but Mercs looks like the whole package. Vision and technical clout, freedom and super-cool particle physics, structure and big, big guns – if it’s not fantastic, we’ll very likely cry.” Boiling

Final Fantasy XII – “The popularity of Final Fantasy is unquestionable but its reliance on random battles and turn-based combat has also meant it got a bad rep with the GTA crew. Perhaps FFXII will change all that.” Hot

Enthusia Professional Racing – “Amazingly realistic and beautiful to look at, but better than GT?” Hot

Reviews
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow – “Not the leap over the original we were hoping for, but fun despite itself and great online. More Splinter Cell 1.5, perhaps?” 8/10

Athens 2004 – “Does exactly what it sets out to achieve in the most pedestrian manner humanly possible. Hardly Olympic standard.” 5/10

Mashed – “Forget the single player game, the true and only Mashed experience is about four mates, a PS2 and a multitap. Go enjoy…” 9/10

Richard Burns Rally – “A rally sim that refuses to compromise. Like riding a bull in a catsuit, only hardcore maniacs need apply. Heed this warning.” 8/10

World Championship Snooker 2004 – “Similar to both WC Snooker 2003 and WC Pool 2004, but with online play. Real snooker beyond your means? Go on, live the dream.” 7/10

MTV Music Generator 3 – “Simple to use, packed with features that almost all work and addictive as hell but not deep enough for real music-making.” 7/10

Deadly Skies III – “Though drenched in non-flying ‘lifestyle’ elements, the dull core can’t be hidden. The flying works, but the surrounding dross kills it.” 5/10

.Hack/Mutation – “Like mid-priced toilet paper, it should be quite absorbing but it’s actually rather painful instead. And you end up with an infection.” 3/10

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – “Essential for Potter fans but recommended for all but the most cynical gamers. Absorbing, inventive and Eyetoy mini-games!” 7/10

Shrek 2 – “As a title for young gamers Shrek 2 is well pitched and fun. For everyone else, it’s too simple. But you knew that already, right?” 6/10

Karaoke Stage – “Different enough from Singstar to be interesting on its own merits, Karaoke Stage is huge fun and worryingly addictive.” 8/10

Onimusha 3 – “The perfect climax to one of the best franchises on PS2. Onimusha 3 has been lovingly crafted for newcomers and old hands alike.” 9/10

The X Files: Resist or Serve – “Some lovely production values and much to coo over for X Files fans, but very little to recommend it as a game.” 5/10

Naval Ops: Commander – “An adequate strategy game which, with a little more love lavished upon it, might have been so much more.” 6/10

Malice – “Malice isn’t a terrible game, not even badly flawed. It’s just uninspired, uninspiring and really, really average.” 5/10

Powerdrome – “Trails Wipeout Fusion in style and substance but is well up in its slipstream. A simple, satisfying, super-speedy racer.” 6/10

UFC: Sudden Impact – “Another game about shattering other men’s cheekbones misses the sport’s appeal. How’s it ever going to get a wider audience?” 6/10

Samurai Warriors – “Plenty of options, plenty of characters and enough enemies to fill the Isle of Wight. It’s also a serious amount of fun to play.” 7/10

GT-R 400 – “Even as a budget racer GT-R 400’s sticky handling undermines the good work done on the visuals. Pity.” 3/10

Ultimate Mind Games – “Lo-fi production values and patchy quality makes this strange games compendium a less than stellar option.” 3/10

Dance UK: Extra Trax – “The hardest game to rate ever. The new tracks don’t improve on the original so take one off the original score and you get…” 5/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain
Mashed
Athens 2004
MTV Music Generator 3
Serious Sam: Next Encounter
This is Football 2004

Footage
Jak 3
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Flatout
Driv3r
Resident Evil: Outbreak
Area 51
Shadow of Rome
Killzone
Mashed
MTV Music Generator 3
Kill.Switch – The ending cutscene
Hitman Contracts tips
Goal of the Month
Challenges for SSX 3, Need for Speed Underground, Eyetoy Groove, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Driv3r
Spider-Man 2 film trailer
Ask OPS2

Save Files
The Getaway
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Silent Hill 3
True Crime: Streets of LA
Beyond Good and Evil
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

Trivia
* We’ve got the first variant cover in a while this month. My cover has Lady Not-appearing-in-this-game on it (maybe she’s meant to be one of CJ’s romance options?), and the other has CJ and Ryder.
* The demo disc also gets a revamp this month, with lots more footage, split into different sections (although I don’t understand what the differences between the sections mean, if I’m honest), competitions such as Goal of the Month, and even a short-lived Ask OPS2 section, where the magazine staff answer reader questions. It also comes with this banger of a choon.
* This is the last issue for art editor Graham Dalzell.
* An article on Kingdom Hearts II is accompanied by a picture of Donald Duck with evil red eyes. If I post an entry for Issue 49, you will know that Red-Eyes Donald didn’t come out of the magazine and kill me.
* One of the games that should never be made sounds uncannily like Surgeon Simulator, albeit a little less intentionally rubbish.

Quote of the Month: “Daddy wants a word.” Graham Dalzell’s Mashed taunt of choice.
Cover price: £5.49
Page Count: 146

Issue 47 (June 2004)

                                                                      Issue 47, June 2004

Editor’s letter
       Firstly, let me congratulate you on your choice of PS2 magazine. In your hands you hold the undisputed king of games mags. The greatest of all time.
       Think I’m getting a bit carried away here? Perhaps, but we’ve been picking up some awards lately and it might have gone to my head a bit. Hopefully it doesn’t surprise you that we’re considered the best mag gamers can buy. We do go on about how we are the only PS2 mag you need, or the biggest, or the only one for the big games, for reviews, for news…
       We think these things are pretty obvious: we were first with Killzone, The Getaway 2, Def Jam Vendetta 2 and this month we have the world’s first Need for Speed 2 info and screens, plus the only GTA: San Andreas sticker you’ll find anywhere; we sell as many copies every month as all the other PS2 mags put together; we are the only PS2 mag with a playable DVD that means you can try out games before you play them; when we say we have an exclusive we really have it…
       The baubles I’m grasping up there are the games industry’s major awards (InDin on the left and MCV) for magazine and mag team of the year. Let us know if you think we’re worth it, because without you it doesn’t mean a thing. See you next issue on Thursday, 17 June.
                                                            Richard Keith, Editor

Features
Still got Love for the Streets – Need for Speed Underground 2

To Hell and Back – Devil May Cry 3

Have you got the black one in XXL? – A selection of gaming-themed t-shirts.

Five reasons why you’ve never played a game like Driv3r – Driv3r

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, everyone names the award winner they most admire.

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, Made Man, the Mafia-themed shooter.

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, saving constantly.

Replay – Revisiting Timesplitters 2 and Beyond Good and Evil, reader reviews for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds and Fightbox, cheats for James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, The Haunted Mansion, Champions of Norrath, Kya: Dark Lineage and Tak and the Power of Juju, a walkthrough for LMA Manager 2004 plus online reviews for Rainbow Six 3, Champions of Norrath and Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, Win before the game begins! Try these underhanded techniques to psyche out your opponent and ensure you have the upper hand. Just make sure you have enough friends before using these that you can afford to lose a few.

Back page list – This month, 11 gaming skills you shouldn’t use in real life.

                                                                   This month's Save Point

Monitor
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow – “Well-toned as a solo outing but sublime with partners, Pandora Tomorrow’s practically an essential online play. Forget railguns, it’s all about those lethal shock rifle headshots…” Boiling

Naval Ops Commander – “Plenty of strategic depth, if not that much real action.” Warm

Crimson Tears – “It might be a loveable oddity. Then again it might just be a mess.” Warm

MTV Music Generator 3 – “It’s a clever idea, but you can’t help but feel that the simplistic route taken with MTVMG3 makes the whole genre a lot less appealing. Our review next month should reveal much more…” Warm

Richard Burns Rally – “Great looking and very quick, but Richard Burns Rally is often too difficult for comfort. But with slightly less emphasis on punishing realism this could more than challenge the flying Scotsman.” Warm

Athens 2004 – “You’ll need at least one other person to get the best from it.” Warm

Spider-Man 2 – “We’ll be firmly swinging the control system through its paces next month, but from what we’ve seen so far, Spider-Man 2 looks set to be a rather satisfying piece of pure gaming popcorn.” Boiling

Silent Hill 4: The Room – “Silent Hill 4: The Room may hold much that’s familiar, but it’s turning everything up to 11. Cynics of the series are unlikely to be converted by this, but the rest of us are in for quite a ride.” Boiling

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy – “Dazzling game effects but no real inclination to use them due to a seriously low-grade storyline. We need to care to enjoy these days Midway.” Warm

Fight Club – “Fight Club looks better than the initial screens suggested, but there remains an inherent stupidity to a punching game based on such complex source material. We’d prefer an American Psycho game.” Tepid

Def Jam: Fight for New York – “Wonderfully over-the-top, beautiful to look at, packed with clever touches and as vicious as we could’ve asked for. Now, it’s all about how it feels to play. You’ll know all about it one month from now.” Boiling

The Bard’s Tale – “Plenty of in-jokes for diehard RPGers, limited appeal otherwise.” Warm

Red Ninja – “Reasonably solid stealth-based gameplay and some neat touches, but we’re still unsure whether Red Ninja will amount to anything more than Tenchu with a cracking pair…” Warm

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – “No one does sneaking up behind men like Hideo Kojima does, and with MGS3 the stealth guru is set to reinvent the genre. Snake Eater has the potential to destroy every other action game on PS2. Believe.” Meltdown

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 – “Just looking at these first screens is enough to make us wish the summer was over and Brothers in Arms’ release date rounding the corner. If Gearbox can make the squad combat fly there’ll be no stopping the advance on PS2.” Boiling

Crash Twinsanity – “Can Crash pull something special out of the bag? We hope so.” Warm

Shadow of Rome – “Shadow of Rome is still a long way off completion, but it’s a definite thumbs up on what we’ve seen so far. We’ll bring you a report on how the chariots handle as soon as possible… Hail Caesar!” Hot

Cold Winter – “If Cold Winter was a book your dad would read it while sunning himself on a Majorcan beach. And yes, since you ask, that is a recommendation.” Hot

Reviews
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain – “Syphon Filter offers a compelling reason to fork out for a Network Adapter fused to an engrossing single-player game. Great stuff.” 8/10

Onimusha Blade Warriors – “A brash and energetic excursion into multiplayer battling for Onimusha that’s fun for a while but ultimately throwaway.” 6/10

Gran Turismo 4 Prologue – “Mixes some taxing driving requirements with some tediously easy tasks, but delivers on the quality front, if not the quantity.” 7/10

Drakengard – “For all its majestic battlefield scope, Drakengard’s long-term prospects are ultimately somewhat short-sighted.” 6/10

Riding Spirits 2 – “Meticulous attention to manufacturer detail can’t hide the fact that the spark of passion isn’t firing in RS2’s cylinders.” 6/10

Red Dead Revolver – “Red Dead Revolver is this year’s sleeper hit waiting to happen. Occasionally rough around the edges, but fun throughout.” 9/10

Cy Girls – “A second-rate adventure with nothing to give except some decent combat and a big ol’ lug of lifted ideas.” 6/10

Van Helsing – “Almost an unofficial sequel to one of the best games on PS2. Christ knows how they’ll get away with it, but you might as well enjoy it.” 8/10

Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 – “Supreme tennis sim that builds on its predecessor with a killer career mode that’s as nuanced and rich as you want it to be.” 8/10

Serious Sam: Next Encounter – “Hardly reinventing the wheel, but good, honest, mindless fun with the bonus of online play. Not bad at all for 20 quid.” 7/10

Legends of Wrestling: Showdown – “Easy to get to grips with and plenty to do, but it lacks the exhaustive detail, scope and personality of Smackdown!” 6/10

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness – “Charm, an imaginative approach and accessibility overcome RPG suspicion and basic visuals to make a deeply satisfying game.” 8/10

Muppets Party Cruise – “With so many games, you should find something to like – but amusement decreases as the player numbers drop.” 6/10

International Golf Pro – “A simple, up-and-down golfer that can’t match the majesty of Tiger Woods but can still play a pretty mean 18.” 7/10

England International Football – “A mediocre footy simulation that adds nothing to the genre and stumbles behind PES and FIFA like an arthritic goal-keeping coach.” 5/10

Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku – “Action platformer that plays like a samurai-ed Maximo and looks like a comic strip. But in a good way.” 6/10

Seven Samurai 20XX – “So nearly a pure thumb breaking, button bashing actioner, Seven Samurai stabs itself in the foot by trying to stretch too far.” 6/10

Way of the Samurai 2 – “If practicing your sword technique and finding lost children isn’t your ideal occupation, you’re not likely to enjoy discovering them.” 7/10

Conan – “He looks nothing like Arnie, but you’ve probably never seen him as Conan anyway. Beyond that it’s standard fantasy nonsense.” 5/10

Firefighter FD18 – “With some more imagination and courage applied to the design this could’ve been a top interactive drama. Hot, rather than burning.” 6/10

Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade – “This is mindless in a strangely pacifying kind of way. You may well keep plugging away at it if you’ve finished everything else. Maybe.” 6/10

Maxxed Out Racing – “Totally unremarkable. A driving game with few redeeming features. It’s cheap, sure, problem is it’s not very cheerful.” 2/10

The Sniper 2 – “There is no reason to play this game. Do not buy it, and if someone buys it for you, slap them and put it on Ebay.” 2/10

League Series Baseball 2 – “Budget batter that’s better than the price suggests. The problem is, though, who’ll step up to the plate over here?” 5/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Alias
Champions of Norrath
Deadly Skies 3
Pool Paradise
Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
Mega Man X7
World War Zero: Ironstorm

Footage
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Killzone
Transformers
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain
Neo Contra
Singstar
Rumble Roses
Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
Athens 2004

Save Files
Ratchet and Clank
Enter the Matrix
Splinter Cell
SSX 3
Maximo VS Army of Zin
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Trivia
* This is the first issue of Official Playstation 2 Magazine that I ever read. I read a friend’s copy (this is the same friend as in my Fightbox story). Funnily enough, I didn’t even own a PS2 at the time!
* A rumour had somehow gotten started around this time that Goldeneye: Rogue Agent had been cancelled. EA emphatically debunked the rumour as false, and this month OPS2 reiterate the falsehood of the rumour. Maybe the cancellation rumour was a deliberate false flag operation, since it’s a James Bond spin-off and they would want to cover up secret spy stuff?
* There’s a competition to design a new look for the Prince of Persia, with the prize of the winning design being included in Warrior Within. Ubi Soft were cutting it pretty fine with giving the Prince a redesign, considering the game was only about six months away.
* Van Helsing is fun, in that not only is it a shameless Devil May Cry clone, but at least until the release of Devil May Cry 3, it was somehow better than the real thing. You even got a bonus for finishing a level with Van Helsing’s hat on. How cool is that? On top of that, it’s also a member of the exclusive club of movie tie-in games better than the film. If you haven’t played it before, give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.
* The Disgaea review comes with a photo of two ladies in a hot tub, and the promise of plenty of nudity in the game. Of course, there isn’t really any nudity, but the magazine thought they needed a gimmick to draw the reader’s attention to the review, for fear of them skipping a great, if niche game. Well, I guess their heart’s in the right place…
* The Sniper 2 is infamous for being one of the worst games on PS2, to the point that when it was re-released on PSN, even the product description mocked it. I assume it was re-released due to the so-bad-it’s-good demographic finding value in it.
* The upcoming games release dates page has God of War marked under “Avoid Me”. Of all the things in the magazine that have aged poorly, that’s one of the worst.

Quote of the Month: “Bitter experience has taught us that women aren’t massively enthusiastic about sharing their beds with men who sleep with enormous knives.” So that’s where I’ve been going wrong all this time!

Cover price: £5.49
Page Count: 146

Issue 46 (May 2004)

                                                                     Issue 46, May 2004 

Editor’s letter
       We’re always looking out for the next big gaming thing. The one that’s going to grab you by the balls and not let go until you’ve completed it, or died trying. That’s why we picked Killzone so early, that’s why we splashed out so much space on Star Wars Battlefront, and Mercenaries, and Mashed, and Second Sight and why we won’t stop talking about these games until everyone understands what we’re on about.
       That’s also why we’ve gone so heavy on Def Jam Vendetta 2. We loved the first DJV – hip-hop and wrestling should be the perfect, if turbulent, marriage – but there were just too many things wrong with it to make it the must-play classic we were pining for. But from what we’ve seen, the second outing looks to have learned from its predecessor’s mistakes and, if all goes down as it should, it could end up giving WWE Smackdown! a real run for its money when the pushing and shoving and bitch slapping gets to the tills.
       And talking of next big things, you should probably have a look at MGS 3, GTA: San Andreas and The Getaway 2. I’m told these boys are going to be fairly large… as will next month’s super secret, enormously exciting cover game. See you then…
                                                                 Richard Keith, Editor

Features
Game with a Brain – Second Sight. This feature has a hidden message in it. I think it may be an anagram. Here are the letters: can you solve it? ( J A Y N E W I L D E S S T L L A L V E )

Let the Games Begin… – Athens 2004

Now you see him… – Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Could you? – The Getaway: Black Monday.

Everything! – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In addition, to the game, there’s a top 50 list of features that were most frequently suggested by readers, ranging from the sensible (swimming, bikes, more customisation) to the more bizarre (stealing wheelchairs, kicking dogs, peeing on people).

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, everyone’s favourite rappers, to tie in with Def Jam: Fight for New York.

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, the WWII flight sim Battlestations Midway. This game ended up moving from PS2 to Xbox 360.

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, girls can be violent in games too.

Replay – Revisiting True Crime: Streets of LA and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, reader reviews for Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance and Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, cheats for Forbidden Siren, Sonic Heroes, SOCOM 2: US Navy SEALs, Mafia, I-Ninja and Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2, plus online reviews for every online game on PS2 so far.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, When Games Go Weird. Post-modernism, fourth-wall breaking and crossover cameos abound, from the likes of Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid and Ratchet and Clank.

Back page list – This month, 11 classic ploys used when returning videogames.

                                                                 This month's Save Point.

Monitor
Driv3r – “Holy guacamole! Our time out and about on the streets with Tanner has left us thrilled and very hungry for the finished game. Driver? Pah! That’ll soon be a faded and extremely distant memory.” Meltdown

Malice – “Malice needs a quick makeover if it wants to seriously impress.” Warm

Karaoke Stage – “Accessible and addictive, we’re secretly hoping that Karaoke Stage might just be the game to keep the next Rik Waller singing his durge in his shower. Which, let’s face it, has got to be a good thing.” Hot

Mashed – “While not as stunning as the multiplayer game, Mashed possesses an impressive variety of single-player events that’ll easily devour the time until your mates arrive for the main event.” Meltdown

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – “With its free flight option, multiplayer mini-games, sub challenges, much darker feel and the inspired Eyetoy compatibility, this Harry Potter game is looking set to be the best yet by a wand’s length.” Hot

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness – “An RPG/strategy battle that rocks? You never know…” Hot

Red Dead Revolver – “A project clearly subject to loving creative attention. A true original which brings the Western to PS2, while reinvigorating the equally dusty shooting genre rather wonderfully.” Boiling

Ghost Master – “Some nice puzzling ideas and innovations but it needs more.” Warm

Onimusha Blade Warriors – “Limited but fun fighter that’ll thrill some hardcore fans. It’s hard to see it as more than a stop gap measure before Onimusha 3, though. And that’s a good four months away…” Hot

Flatout – “Provided everything that’s being promised comes off, and they get the technical stuff sorted, then this could be a case of Jackass does Burnout. Well, that’s what they’ll put on the box, anyway.” Hot

The X-Files: Resist or Serve – “Strong plot, for sure, but we’re a bit cynical about the gameplay.” Warm

Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 – “You can almost smell the overpriced strawberries and crushing Henman defeat from here. Namco’s stylish Smash Court game series is all set to make a winning return to centre court…” Hot

Shellshock Nam 67 – “Guerrilla Games is busy nurturing a hellish ‘Nam aesthetic that should make for a perfect antidote to the relatively happy clappy Medal of Honor vision of war. Shellshock really will be that dark…” Boiling

Conflict: Vietnam – “The second Desert Storm game was fun (if a little rough around the edges), but Conflict: Vietnam already looks like being a far more polished game – and promises some fun environments. Could be great.” Boiling

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy – “Hot, but will it be better than Second Sight though?” Hot

The Punisher – “Already know the Punisher? Then you’ll be delighted with this faithful and sadistic PS2 rendering. Don’t know Frank Castle from Roy Castle? Then get a copy of the comic and whet your appetite.” Hot

Burnout 3: Takedown – “Every time we see Burnout 3 it’s been cranked up another level. The step up to B2 was huge, but can Criterion really make the same leap for B3? We’re excited to say it looks more possible with every passing day.” Meltdown

Area 51 – “It’ll never be as high-profile as Killzone, but see past the less-than-refined alien geekery and Area 51 does manage to stand alongside Sony’s upcoming monster in terms of technical competence.” Boiling

Cold Winter – “Cold Winter looks like being this year’s killer shooter. We’ll have hands-on impressions next month, with a full look at the excruciating damage system. Bullet in the head, baby.” Hot

Mercenaries – “Mercenaries is the ultimate boy’s toys game, with an enormous world waiting to be reduced to rubble. If this game doesn’t end up being the absolute bomb, you can call us the Queen of Hearts.” Meltdown

Rumble Roses – “Very hot indeed, but possibly for all the wrong reasons.” Hot

Reviews
Hitman: Contracts – “More of the same but bigger. AI is still perplexing at times, but the game remains endearing, despite the odd frustration.” 8/10

UEFA Euro 2004 – “Not essential, but Euro 2004 outplays its predecessor comfortably. And if we win you can stick two points on that score.” 8/10

World War Zero: Ironstorm – “Highly atmospheric alternate-history shooter that hits some of the right spots beautifully, yet still manages to miss others.” 7/10

The Suffering – “Despite being fairly conservative underneath, The Suffering impresses from the start and keeps you hooked throughout.” 8/10

Fight Night – “Polished, professional and in possession of the perfect control system, this is the best boxing sim on PS2 by a considerable way.” 8/10

Singstar – “We’ve played this so much it’s genuinely improved our singing. Buy it, and never risk pub-based humiliation again.” 9/10

Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly – “Survival horror games live or die on plot and atmospherics, and this delivers some of the best you’ll see. Not that challenging, but still…” 8/10

Transformers – “Beautifully made, deep and very satisfying, the only factor denying this a 9/10 is a difficulty level that borders on sadistic.” 8/10

Pool Paradise – “A bit too ‘zany’ for its own good, perhaps, but a great – if initially tricky – analogue stick control system. The best pool on PS2.” 7/10

World Championship Pool 2004 – “A lot like the competent Codies snooker sim, but it’s as pleasant to look at as chopped liver. That’s been left outside. For ages.” 6/10

Scooby Doo: Mystery Mayhem – “A lack of any challenge and no alone time with Daphne won’t interest experienced gamers. But the absence of Scrappy is welcome.” 4/10

Glass Rose – “It does have the odd spot of charm, but Glass Rose is still an unappealing product from an outdated and uninteresting genre.” 3/10

MTX Mototrax – “If you’ve never ‘done’ two-wheeled racers MTX Mototrax makes a convincing argument for change. Fast, fun and challenging.” 7/10

Outlaw Volleyball – “This is a fairly enjoyable gaming experience while it lasts, but like so many of our British summers, it’s over before it really gets started.” 6/10

Star Trek: Shattered Universe – “Not an utterly repellent Trek experience, but the repetitive and run-of-the-mill gameplay will tire all but the most infatuated Trekkies.” 5/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Transformers
Rise to Honour
Arc: Twilight of the Spirits
NFL Street
Cy Girls
Fight Night 2004
MX Unleashed
Sonic Heroes
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Richard Burns Rally

Footage
World Championship Rugby
Champions of Norrath

Save Files
Ace Combat: Distant Thunder
Moto GP 3
Enter the Matrix
XIII
Silent Hill 3
Splinter Cell
Maximo VS Army of Zin

Trivia
* There’s word of a Prince of Persia sequel, that’s aiming to go darker and edgier with increased on the combat, in response to the poor sales of The Sands of Time. OPS2 aren’t sold on the idea, and would rather the Prince be transported to the future somehow, running around skyscrapers and cranes. Was this the inspiration for Mirror’s Edge?
* That Driv3r quote hits different in hindsight. When was the last time you heard anyone talk about Driver?
* For everyone who hates 2020, it could have been worse: “By the year 2020 much of the UK will resemble a Siberian wasteland … [according to] a scientific report buried by understandably nervous US defence chiefs.”
* Gaydar: A new segment to highlight the letters of OPS2’s most prolific letter writer, Daniel Gay. This month, he’s written a poem about The Sims. My favourite part is “Your words, although totally incomprehensible, cause a big shiny red heart to appear above my head.”

Quote of the Month: “Tom Cruise never had to put up with his controls being reversed, did he?” The Last Samurai would have been quite different with the inclusion of the comedy power-ups from Onimusha Blade Warriors.

Cover price: £5.49
Page Count: 146

Issue 45 (April 2004)

                                                                    Issue 45, April 2004

Editor’s letter
       From the spine to the Star Wars Battlefront feature on page 58 to the bits on the team on the left there, you’ll find a lot of stuff in this issue asking you if you’re a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings type of person. It’s a discussion that’s been raging round the office all month and now we want to know what you think. We really do. Even if it’s Rings.
       Why? Well apart from settling some office scores (Clarky says no one cares about Star Wars anymore) we really want to know. We spend a lot of time wondering exactly what it is you want from a game and from this magazine. This is, after all, your mag and we want to make sure OPS2 is everything you want it to be.
       With this in mind we’ve come up with a novel twist on the usual magazine questionnaire. For a start it’s in the magazine itself this year, not on a bit of black and white paper stuck inside. And – this is the best bit – it comes with the best prize any magazine has ever given away. And we mean ever. Head straight over to page 103 and you’ll see what I mean. And while you’re there thinking about being a character in The Getaway 2 or winning a new game every week for a year, make sure you actually take the time to fill in the form. There are more than prizes to win…
                                                                        Richard Keith, Editor

Features
This Game Mashed Our Brains – Mashed. In addition to OPS2 themselves, three readers contribute as game testers.

Send in the Clones – Star Wars Battlefront. There’s also a leaked plot summary of Episode III (which is spot-on), and seven reasons why Star Wars is better than Lord of the Rings. Remember that short-lived rivalry?

Don’t Wrap It, I’ll Use It Now – Hitman: Contracts.

So… Who the hell are you? – This year’s reader survey. As an added incentive, there’s a whole load of prizes, the biggest of which is the chance to appear as a character in The Getaway: Black Monday.

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, everyone’s favourite Star Wars character, to tie in with Star Wars Battlefront. Dexter Jettster for the win!

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, Dark Wind, a first-person fighting game that uses the GameTrak controller, which resembles a box with gloves on wires attached to it.

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, are girls rubbish at games? No, the real issue is that boys don’t encourage girls who show an interest and mock or patronise them instead. A serious point addressed in a humorous way.

Replay – Revisiting Ratchet and Clank 2 and ATV Offroad Fury 2, reader reviews for WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain and Max Payne 2, cheats for Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Max Payne 2, Final Fantasy X2, Stuntman, WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain and Timesplitters 2, and walkthroughs for James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing and Manhunt.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, Jeremy and Adrian Heath-Smith give a post-mortem interview after being fired from Core Design and losing the Tomb Raider franchise following the poor reception of Angel of Darkness.

Back page list – This month, 11 things you never should have believed about gaming.

                                                                         Save Point

Monitor
Headhunter: Redemption – “We’re trying not to count our chickens, but currently the nice visuals fail to make up for some rather dumb gameplay and repetitive shootin’ action. Change and change quick, Headhunter. Or else.” Warm

World War Zero: Ironstorm – “Perhaps not set to muster up too big a storm, the fact remains that this is a nice looking shooter. Claustrophobic atmosphere and white knuckle combat should please those with trigger fingers come release day.” Warm

Fight Night – “Still on course to be the GOAT.” Boiling

Go Go Copter – “Go Go Copter looks like a refugee from PSOne when it should be screaming next gen. Add to lacklustre production values a less than thrilling subject and we’re not holding out for a 21st century Airwolf.” Tepid

The Suffering – “Adult ultra violence in a prison gone to hell? If Midway can keep the fight or flight gameplay taut throughout, then we reckon The Suffering has a very good chance of making it on the outside.” Hot

Riding Spirits 2 – “This is shaping up to be a respectable and comprehensive sim.” Warm

Firefighter FD18 – “An original take on the action genre but possibly a little limited.” Hot

Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly – “Project Zero was one of the most genuinely chilling videogames ever devised and the sequel looks set to extend that legacy. Creepy, thoughtful, enigmatic. The thinking person’s survival horror.” Boiling

Driv3r – “Driv3r is arguably the most ambitious game ever attempted on PS2. But although the physics and visuals are undeniably impressive, there’s a worrying lack of actual ‘game’. There’s still time, though….” Boiling

Van Helsing – “Van Helsing looks very much like a movie flavoured Devil May Cry clone. No bad thing but we’re concerned there’s not enough variety in the evil twatting to make this fly…” Warm

Red Dead Revolver – “There’s never been a decent Western on PS2. This makes us sad. Fortunately, against all the odds, Red Dead Revolver now looks like it might be good. This makes us happy. We’ve even put a new spittoon in the office.” Hot

Shellshock Nam 67 – “Is it okay to look forward to war this much? We can’t wait.” Boiling

Gran Turismo 4 – “On the strength of this playtest the fourth Gran Turismo is certain to be the purest, most unblinkingly realistic driving experience ever burned to silicon. The question is, can you handle it?” Boiling

Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers – “Combat Elite should be fighting fit for PS2 – if it pulls its socks up.” Hot

Onimusha 3 – “Maybe you didn’t bother with the last Onimusha game. Hey, your loss. But for Christ’s sake make sure you don’t miss this one. You wouldn’t want people to start pointing you out in the street.” Meltdown

Burnout 3: Takedown – “Burnout 3 is the Stones to Gran Turismo 4’s Beatles. We’re convinced it’s going to be the fastest, dirtiest… hell, just plain nastiest racer on PS2. Bring it on.” Meltdown

Killzone – “Killzone feels even better to play than it looks – and that’s saying something. Super-sharp AI and a deeply satisfying arsenal are just a great beginning to what promises to be an incredible PS2 experience.” Meltdown

Area 51 – “Area 51’s got a solid premise so we’re cautiously optimistic.” Hot

Monster Hunter – “Weird, but also rather wonderful. We need to spend more time online to get a real feel for the gameplay but assuming you can ignore the slight whiff of beard, Monster Hunter could make a man of you.” Hot

Reviews
Rainbow Six 3 – “All this squad-based shooting should be getting a bit tired, but RS3 works the formula brilliantly, and arguably outfights SOCOM.” 8/10

This is Football 2004 – “A long way off the league leader in terms of playability, but it’s the best-executed online footie game, so worth a look if that’s your bag.” 7/10

Alias – “If it were a movie it’d be Die Hard 2. We feel guilty for enjoying it, but while it’s uncomplicated it doesn’t treat you like an idiot either.” 8/10

Tak and the Power of Juju – “Pleasant and harmless platformer that’s ever so polite, but lacks the bite and zip that makes Jak and Ratchet such firm favourites.” 6/10

Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm – “Only a marginal improvement on the original but a thoroughly enjoyable helping of shooter with plenty to keep you busy.” 7/10

Cabela’s Big Game Hunter – “Despite initial satisfaction in tracking down your prey, BGH is a little too one-dimensional to be worth hunting out.” 6/10

World Championship Rugby – “It’s slightly simplified but still a hugely playable and mildly addictive version of the sport of the moment.” 7/10

LMA Manager 2004 – “Without question, LMA 2004 is the finest football management game for PS2, but like all legends there’s still room for improvement.” 8/10

MX Unleashed – “A slow burner this one. Neither flashy nor instantly gripping, MX Unleashed gives up the goods the longer you play.” 7/10

Risk: Global Domination – “By going online, Risk undermines the usual gripes about console board games’ relevance. A great game given a decent rebirth for PS2.” 6/10

.Hack/Infection – “It’s by no means perfect but absorbing enough to make you forget you aren’t actually online.” 6/10

Pacific Theatre of Operations IV – “Details? Check. Worthiness? Check. But next time Mr Publisher, can we please keep in mind that it’s just a videogame?” 5/10

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel – “The action RPG genre, such as it is, could do with a few less examples cut off the same block as Baldur’s Gate. Plenty to like here, though.” 6/10

Champions of Norrath – “Although a revamped Baldur’s Gate in all but name, this is still top notch console RPGing boosted by the four-player and online options.” 7/10

Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII – “Pretty incomprehensible to the casual observer and very slow paced, but dull looks conceal involving possibilities.” 5/10

Lethal Skies 2 – “By-the-book combat flight sim that screams ‘average’ from take-off to landing and is extremely uneasy on the eye.” 5/10

The Cat in the Hat – “A migraine-inducing below-average platformer. This is one cat that should in absolutely no circumstances be let out of the bag.” 2/10

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition – “Indiana Jones meets Crash in an average platform outing that’s squarely pitched at young ‘uns. Shallow but worth a look.” 5/10

Bad Boys 2 – “Slipshod shooter which keeps your interest for 15 minutes or so of repetitive blasting before its many faults make it almost unplayable.” 3/10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – “Sadly the retro arcade battling soon becomes little more than endless button bashing. Leave these turtles in the sewers…” 5/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
SOCOM 2: US Navy SEALs
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
R: Racing Evolution
Forbidden Siren
This is Football 2004
Final Fantasy X2
Firefighter FD18
Kya: Dark Lineage

Footage
Driv3r
Transformers
SOCOM 2: US Navy SEALs
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain

Save Files
Ratchet and Clank
Ratchet and Clank 2: locked and Loaded
The Getaway
Onimusha 2

Trivia
* See that cover? This is a lovely cover, one of the best ones in my opinion. It’s a simple image, but a striking and iconic one, enhanced by effective lighting.
* This month’s new franchise is one of the biggest ones yet: none other than God of War makes its debut! First impressions describe it “Like The Mark of Kri with more Greeks.” From humble beginnings came one of Sony’s most valuable franchises…
* Games that would never be made today #6: Virtual board games. There are two reasons for this: Either it’s just the board game on a console, in which case you may as well play the real thing, or the game gets jazzed up to justify being a videogame, which more often than not overcomplicates things and causes the game to lose the appeal of its source material.

Quote of the Month: “You stupid idiot, you just murdered someone.” That’s an understatement, all right.

Cover price: £5.49
Page Count: 146

ABC Sales Figures: The figures have seen a minimal increase from the last 6 month period, suggesting that the Summer 2003 redesign had little impact. The readership hasn’t grown significantly, despite the attempt at going more mass-market, but any readers who did drop the magazine were at least replaced by new ones.

Jan-Jun 2003 – 188,079
Jul-Dec 2003 – 188,322 (Up 243)

Issue 44 (March 2004)

                                                                 Issue 44, March 2004
 

Editor’s letter
       Car crashes. Not nice, clearly. But, equally clearly, fascinating. Seeing a crash is an adrenaline-bolting, heart-thumpingly exciting event, even when it is just a couple of Ford Foci slapping into each other at a t-junction. Which is one of the reasons we and, from the reaction to last month’s exclusive news announcement, you are so looking forward to the chrome-busting return of Burnout.
       The first two Burnouts were everything we wanted from an arcade racer – the first driving games to understand that sometimes all we want to do is drive very fast and when we crash into something, be able to see and, crucially, feel it.  Powerslide your way to page 58 for the world exclusive playtest.
       Talking of car crashes, we must admit to feelings of slight concern over Driver 3, sorry Driv3r, over the past year or so. We loved the PSOne versions – for those who weren’t there, Driver’s film-centric 3D roaming changed everything, paving the way for GTA3 and Vice City – and have been looking forward to PS2’s turn for years. Thankfully, we’ve now played it and can stop worrying because everything is going to be fine. To know how good it is, you’ll have to wait a couple of months for the exclusive OPS2 review.
                                                            Richard Keith, Editor

Features
War is Hell – Shellshock: Nam 67, with fictional letters and postcards from soldiers in the conflict to demonstrate the horrors of the Vietnam War.

Is this the Ultimate Racing Game? – Burnout 3

Think Tank – Designer Genes returns temporarily, as a group of creatives from outside the videogame industry are challenged to come up with fresh new game ideas. My favourite is Shopping Maul, where you play as a disgruntled shop assistant who must fight through crowds of shoppers to get your lunch and get back to your workplace before the lunch hour ends.

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, kung-fu movies, to tie in with Rise to Honour.

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, Mashed, the spiritual successor to Micro Machines. Not only was it the first game from this feature to actually be released, but it also lived up to this early hype. Not bad!

She’s Got Game – A new column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, why Kirsten wouldn’t want a non-gamer boyfriend.

Replay – Revisiting Onimusha 2 and Spyhunter, reader reviews for Dog’s Life and The Getaway, cheats for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Simpsons Hit and Run, Max Payne 2, Battlestar Galactica, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Need for Speed Underground, and a walkthrough for Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, Child’s Play, the easiest games on PS2. There’s a mix of actually easy (Eyetoy Play, Hulk), and easy if you don’t play as intended (Silent Scope with a mouse, Time Crisis 3 with the lightgun jammed right up to the TV screen.)

Back page list – This month, 12 reasons why playing games alone is the best.
 

                                                                 This month's Save Point.

Monitor
Driv3r – “Forget the GTA comparisons, Driv3r is a law unto itself. We’ve got the exclusive review coming up the month after next and if that hasn’t got you gripping the gear stick a little harder, nothing will.” Meltdown

Risk: Global Domination – “It’s the board game in electronic form. No more, no less.” Warm

Rainbow Six 3 – “Think Splinter Cell quality fused with SOCOM accessibility and Rainbow Six 3 is looking very good. Firmly in our sights for a review next issue, find out if it can put a bullet through SOCOM 2’s heart.” Hot

.Hack: Infection – “A promising RPG that mixes The Matrix with Final Fantasy.” Warm

Cy Girls – “Cy Girls may not be the most imaginative actioner ever conceived but it feels confident and looks stylish. That could well be enough to push the game into sleeper hit territory.” Hot

Bad Boys 2 – “While there is technically still time for Bad Boys 2 to sharpen up its gameplay, we’re not exactly holding our breath for a sleeper game classic. Still, stranger things have happened. Probably…” Tepid

World Championship Rugby – “The studio behind Jonah Lomu Rugby is set to deliver another proficient and enjoyable take on England’s new favourite sport. Smart, attractive and technical but a little short on gameplay options.” Hot

Isle of Man TT – “This racer’s looking good. Happiness is a warm Ducati Monster.” Warm

Fight Night – “Without a shadow of a doubt this will be the best boxing game ever made. Whether that makes it a must buy or not, we’ll have to see when we get hold of a more complete version next month.” Hot

Hitman: Contracts – “We’re still waiting to slip on the strangling gloves ourselves, but from the details we’ve gleaned so far, Contracts remains one of the most exciting prospects on PS2. Exclusive playtest next month!” Meltdown

Singstar – “We’ve been saying it for ages, but we’ll say it again. Karaoke games are set to revolutionise console gaming. And to date, Singstar is the number one diva. Start clearing your throat now.” Boiling

Transformers – “It’s got the looks and the gameplay and big robots that turn into cars – what more could you ask for? A well-paced, immersive adventure, perhaps? Come back next month to find out if that’s there too…” Hot

Samurai Warriors – “Offering new environments, custom characters and more fighting than you can shake a gem-loaded ornamental sword at, we reckon Samurai Warriors could become quite a dynasty.” Warm

Juiced – “Need for Speed Underground has proved the desire for bling cars. Fancy it with great handling and visuals too? That’s what Juiced is offering you. We’re starting to be convinced that it’ll deliver, too.” Boiling

Onimusha 3 – “Go on, admit it. You’re excited about Oni 3 too now aren’t you?” Boiling

Final Fantasy XII – “From the few details we have we expect Final Fantasy XII to continue the epic standards of the series. Whether it will bring anything new to the experience, though, is another matter altogether.” Hot

Killzone – “Any shooter is only as good as its arsenal. Thankfully Killzone comes bristling with widow-makers and they’re all outrageously satisfying to fire. Yet another reason to drool over this beauty.” Meltdown

Reviews
Rise to Honour – “Let down by a few poor set-pieces and a ropey plot but brilliant whenever the fighting kicks off. Like most of Jet’s films, in fact.” 7/10

R-Type Final – “Do the quiz? This game is a difficult one to score. We love it, but then we’re mostly ‘a’. It’s so beautiful it makes us cry.” 7/10

Forbidden Siren – “Unique, ambitious, genuinely scary and brilliantly executed, this is as good as psychological horror gets. It’s very, very hard, though.” 9/10

Mafia – “An entertaining mix of shooting and driving set against a great cinematic backdrop. Not exactly the Don but definitely a made man.” 7/10

Spyhunter 2 – “Spyhunter 2 takes a decent fusion of shootin’ and drivin’ but trips up with lacklustre production values. It’s okay, but we prefer the original.” 6/10

Hyper Street Fighter 2: Anniversary Edition – “Essential if you’re a fanboy and have mates as obsessed as you, but insanely hard for newbies and the 2D styling will confuse some.” 8/10

Nightshade – “Nightshade has some decent ideas but there’s nothing here that improves on Shinobi’s mix of basic gameplay and flowing scarf.” 6/10

Sonic Heroes – “A turbo-charged gem that refuses to go down the fashionable ‘platform adventure’ avenue, in favour of slick old-skool thrills.” 8/10

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy – “A thoughtful if unremarkable adventure with a few decent ideas. We like the setting, we like the puzzles but it’s all very average.” 6/10

Cricket 2004 – “Just about everything a gamer who loves cricket could wish for. It’s highly addictive, vast in scope and superbly executed.” 8/10

Spawn: Armageddon – “While competent enough, Spawn: Armageddon is an uninspired DMC clone. Stick with Dante’s original outing, just £20 on Platinum.” 5/10

The Haunted Mansion – “Very short but brilliant and absorbing while it lasts. The low price makes this a respectable slice of platform goodness.” 6/10

Kya: Dark Lineage – “Not a groundbreaker, but Kya has enough originality and playability to make it stand out in an increasingly crowded genre.” 7/10

Whiplash – “The funniest game since Futurama – but monkey facials and blazing bunnies still can’t bring this up to the level of Jak and Ratchet.” 7/10

Wrath Unleashed – “You have to wonder why LucasArts bothered. This is a dull franchise that has less chance of taking off than Concorde.” 5/10

Dragon’s Lair 3D: Special Edition – “A best-forgotten franchise pointlessly resurrected with little style and some irritating control issues. In a word: poor.” 2/10

Puyo Pop Fever – “Quite possibly the second best puzzle game of all time – after Tetris – and one which cannot fail to put a smile on your face.” 8/10

R: Racing Evolution – “Falls firmly between arcade and sim stools and aces neither category. Sadly, Ridge Racer is no longer the race leader of old.” 6/10

Urban Freestyle Soccer – “A decent stab at four-a-side football with tongue firmly in cheek, but no lasting appeal for serious fans of videogame ‘soccer’.” 6/10

Mega Man X7 – “Fine for an afternoon’s jumpy fun. But compared to the scope and scale of PS2’s best platformers, it looks practically medieval.” 4/10

Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde – “A fresh take on an established genre which really makes it work for PS2. There’s a lack of vibrancy but enough fun to warrant a look.” 7/10

Fightbox – “A truly terrible game can be enlightening, making us realise how good we’ve got it most of the time. That said, this is total toss.” 1/10

Rollercoaster World – “Miniscule pleasure for a while but basically everything a theme park shouldn’t be.” 4/10

A Train 6 – “The ultimate anorak’s sandbox and engaging to anyone after a slow-paced experience.” 6/10

The Seed: Warzone – “Competent yet uninspiring effort that’s never been within a mile of fun.” 5/10

Detonator – “Far from terrible puzzler but not close enough to a good one to warrant attention.” 5/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
Rainbow Six 3
Crash Nitro Kart
Downhill Domination
Urban Freestyle Soccer
Whiplash
Kill.Switch
Nightshade

Footage
Driv3r
.Hack: Infection
The Hobbit
The Making of Forbidden Siren

Save Files
Timesplitters 2 – Another DLC level, this time based on the OPS2 office.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
SSX 3
Chaos Legion

Trivia
* This is the first issue for Ben Richardson. Meanwhile, Tim Clark is promoted to Deputy Editor.
* New franchises debuting in this issue include Call of Duty, back when it was set in World War 2 the first time round, and cult classic Viewtiful Joe.
* “Please, nobody say Tomb Raider…” in relation to Driv3r being delayed to summer 2004. With the benefit of hindsight, I will. Speaking of that promised exclusive review, two other magazines got it instead. You may already know of Driv3rGate, but I’ll summarise it in a later post if not.
* The R-Type review consists of a series of statements, followed by a multiple choice, with the answers (mostly a’s, b’s or c’s) determining whether or not you would be interested. (The best answer is the C option for “Japan means to you?” “All my Yu-Gi-Oh cards come from there and they’ve all got big swords that I could use to kill Jes Harris from 3B with ‘cos he called me a bummer.” I’m assuming the niche appeal is why this game didn’t score higher despite the relatively glowing review quote.
* I played Fightbox once. A friend had an unopened copy, that I convinced him to open. Let’s just say that 1/10 was well-deserved. I hope it’s not a collector’s item, otherwise I cost my friend a potential fortune.
* This month’s letters page sees the first appearance of OPS2’s most prolific letter writer Daniel Gay. He will go on to make regular appearances for the rest of the magazine’s run. There’s also someone writing in pretending to be Sony and asking for the preview copy of Killzone back, who is marginally more convincing than Homer Simpson when he went to the post office and pretended to be Mr Burns.

Quote of the Month: “He has no strategy, so no strategy can beat him!” Beginner’s luck in a nutshell.

Cover price: £5.49
Page Count: 146

And finally, this is being posted on November 24th, 2020. Why does that matter? Because on this day 20 years ago, the Playstation 2 was released in the UK. Not only that, the first issue of the Official Playstation 2 Magazine was published on the same day. I'll take this opportunity to wish both of them a happy 20th birthday!