Issue 2 (Christmas 2000)

Issue 2, Christmas 2000

Editor’s letter

“Take a look at this month’s letters page and you’ll see one of our early contributors bemoaning a word that has apparently gone from media buzzphrase to cliché in the blink of an eye – convergence. For the uninitiated, convergence means (deep breath) the gradual coming together of movies, TV, videogames, music and the World Wide Web into one indistinguishable digital melange, distributed into people’s homes by the networking marvel that is broadband and to be enjoyed on platforms such as Playstation 2.

                Sound good? As the phrase ‘d-entertainment’ (‘d’ as in digital) joins convergence in the new electronic lexicon, of course it does – but as our writer confirms in his ‘yawn’ comment, convergence is in danger of becoming a lazy catch-all for nothing in particular delivered some time in the future. “Convergence? That’s when games turn into movies and have guest voices from Hollywood and they it straight to your TV. It’s coming soon, y’know…” Follow this bloke-down-the-pub model and we’ll end up with PS2 games that are nothing more than hollow movie licences with a Dolby Stereo soundtrack a contractual obligation voice-over from Adam Sandler’s mum.

                See? Without a definite infrastructure in place, convergence becomes an empty promise of a distant future. Recent announcements such as Sony’s Hard Disk Drive and Ethernet package, the release of a stop-gap modem next year and such online compatible games such as Infogrames’ Unreal Tournament show that convergence is slowly beginning to snowball into existence. However while the technology is starting to firm up, the content remains up for grabs. Rather than the risible movie licences that stalked PSOne, PS2 is the digital petri dish where the best of movies and games can join together. Sure, there’ll be the odd licence nightmare but the future offers so much more – and thus this issue.

                Cover game Metal Gear Solid 2 is a seamless hybrid of Hollywood action flicks and revolutionary gameplay. Online whispers suggest the Tomb Raider movie will be based on the PSOne games. Tekken is now a big enough name in Asia that an unofficial movie is being sneaked out. LucasArts’ Star Wars games will no longer be licences but will have official story lines in their own right. As 2001 approaches, the traffic between movies and games is no longer one-way and the PS2 providing both the technology and the audience, the winner will be you, whether the content arrives via disc, DVD, broadband or carrier pigeon. Broadband might make the letterbox a bit bigger, but it’s PS2 that’ll stop us getting junk mail.”

Mike Goldsmith, Senior Editor

Features

OPS2 Interview: Ian Livingstone

Playstation 2 at the Movies – Reports on the Tomb Raider movie, and Legends of Tekken / God of Fist Style, an unofficial Tekken film from Hong Kong.

Swords, Samurai and Survival Horror – Onimusha Warlords

Toy Story – A collection of videogame merchandise, including characters from the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy and many more.

Back from the DiD – How Digital Imagination Design, or DiD for short, resurfaced as Evolution Studios, as well as a look at World Rally Championship.

Rise of the Robots – Not a remake of the infamous Amiga game, but rather comparing the various mech games coming to PS2, and the role giant robots hitting each other play in Japanese pop culture.

Paradise Lost – Project Eden

Monthly Articles

The Beautiful Game – Stealing bits from other games and mashing them together to make the ultimate super-game. This month, first-person shooters.

30 Days in Tokyo – This month, Recording Studio, a karaoke machine that burns the player’s performance onto a CD.

5X5 – Asking 5 questions to 5 industry figures. This month’s theme: Videogame budgets.

The Ladder of Lust – Ranking PS2’s female characters. This month, you don’t have to pretend you’re surprised as Lara Croft has fallen six places and Tekken’s Ling Xiaoyu takes her place as the new PS2 queen.

Game Over – FIFA 2001. What if England won the World Cup?

Previews

Metal Gear Solid 2 – “Not only is it a pivotal title for the PS2, it is a milestone game in its own right. And it’s still a year away.”

Zone of the Enders – “An intriguing mix of beat-‘em-up, shoot-‘em-up and RPG with graphic quality and detail you’d expect from the makers of Metal Gear.”

F1 Racing Championship – “Being so close to completion, F1 Racing Championship only has to undergo a little more polishing before arriving on the PS2 launch grid.”

Summoner – “The NTSC version is already on American shelves, but there’s still more than enough time for a bit of PAL tweaking.”

Oni – “Early days yet but Oni is already heading in the right direction. A fast and fluid action adventure is anticipated.”

Street Fighter EX3 – “Currently lacks polish. Instead this game looks to be concentrating on devastating special effects and good, old-fashioned gameplay.”

Reviews

Dead or Alive 2 – “Over exuberant and alienating to the novice but it looks good and, more importantly, plays well once you learn how to tame it.” 7/10

FIFA 2001 – “FIFA 2001 talks a good game, but its dependence on flashy tricks and glossy presentation leaves the all important football basics sadly lacking.” 6/10

Rayman Revolution – “Revolution is an engrossing experience, although not exactly original. New elements to the gameplay add longevity and make it well worth a look.” 8/10

TG Dare Devil – “A decent driving sim offering a welcome change from racing around tracks but its repetitive gameplay means the enjoyment is short-lived.” 5/10

Dynasty Warriors 2 – “Gorgeous swordplay on a truly epic scale. But size isn’t everything, and the endless swiping will gall before long.” 7/10

NHL 2001 – “Certainly the most important ice hockey game for at least five years. So damn hot, you half-expect the ice to melt.” 8/10

Swing Away Golf – “A potentially decent blend of realism and fun turns sour in the face of poisonous presentation and horrendous loading. Fore! No, three.” 3/10

Poolmaster – “A potentially decent pool sim which consistently fouls on the 8-ball shot. Head down the pub instead, wethinks.” 5/10

Surfing H3O – “A great concept is bogged down under horrendous controls, and a syrupy pace. Definitely not radical. A shame.” 4/10

X-Squad – “The lack of attention to detail makes X-Squad seem thrown together – it’s enjoyable enough, but never inspiring and certainly not a good example of the PS2’s capabilities.” 5/10

RC Revenge Pro – “A missed opportunity to further improve a franchise that could have used it. There is fun to be had, but it’s constantly being smothered by a lack of ambition.” 3/10

Super Bust-a-Move – “Dated and not very fitting as an exercise of the Playstation 2’s capabilities. Puzzle addicts should look to Bust-a-Move 3 for PSOne and buy that instead.” 4/10

PSOne Reviews

The World is Not Enough – “The opening and closing levels are dead enjoyable, but the whole thing falls apart in the middle.” 7/10

Knockout Kings 2001 – “A realistic and rewarding antidote to the arcade insanity of Ready 2 Rumble. It’s always going to appeal far more to fight fans.” 8/10

WWF Smackdown 2 – “Any sports game where you can give the commentators and the manager a thorough lashing has got to be good.” 9/10

Dancing Stage Euro Mix – “Sadly lacking in mass appeal. The theory is sound, but are our wallets big enough? Probably not.” 6/10

Hardcore

A guide for Silent Scope, plus hints and cheats for Dead or Alive 2, SSX, Madden NFL 2001, X-Squad, TG Dare Devil, Ready 2 Rumble: Round 2 and Timesplitters.

Disc Content

This month’s disc is dedicated to Tekken Tag Tournament, with both a playable demo and footage. Tekken 3 got a similar treatment on the original Official Playstation Magazine. I wonder if Namco Bandai requested standalone discs for Tekken. Then again, Tekkens 4 and 5 had other games on their demo discs, so maybe not?

Trivia

·         I didn’t mention it back in Issue 1, but since the editor’s letter brings it up, I have the perfect opportunity to do so now. The letters page for the first 2 issues are provided by various people who work in the gaming industry, due to the magazine having not been released to the public yet at the time of writing. Letters from readers begin in the next issue.

·         Oni was the only PS2 game made by Bungie, as the developer was bought by Microsoft, and went to work on the Halo series for the next decade.

·         This month’s Spy sees Sony’s first new PS2 IP make its debut. The game to get this honour is none other than The Getaway, which is largely dismissed as just another Grand Theft Auto wannabe nowadays, but at the time it was notable for having a photo-realistic London to drive around exactly like the real thing - to the extent that your knowledge of London in real life would carry over to the game and vice-versa – and minimal screen furniture to enhance the blockbuster production values (you had to look at your car’s indicators to see when to turn when driving to an objective, for example.)

·         There’s also the first mention of Devil May Cry, a snippet noting that it began as a Resident Evil game before becoming its own thing.

·         Dead or Alive 2’s Bankotsubo is a strong contender for the best fighting game boss ever: “Besides looking like Oliver Reed on the biggest bender of his booze-sloshed life he possesses a pair of fairy wings, dances in stilts and curtsies at you whilst peering coyly behind his fan.”

Quote of the Month: “When hunting for wild mushrooms, don’t put the ugly, warty or phallic ones in your mouth.” Foraging advice from photographer Louise Broom.

Cover price: £4.99

Page Count: 162