Issue 5 (March 2001)

Issue 5, March 2001

Editor’s letter

“As predicted in last issue’s stop press news, Sega has confirmed that they are to halt production of the Dreamcast and bring their games to once-rival consoles. Without wanting to delve into industry speak, it’s a wise move for Sega and one that points a way to a bright future. The arrival of Virtua Fighter will mean that Namco’s Tekken team will be forced to considerably up their game while PS2 will finally be blessed with what we can only describe as ‘typically Sega’ games – something Sony’s consoles have admittedly lacked.

While other magazines have followed the traditional pattern of console bashing, OPS2 has always recognised the quality of Sega’s titles and this announcement means that PS2 gamers will have the best of all worlds. Console-exclusive games have simply meant gamers were forced to buy multiple consoles. Now we can buy just the one. The fact that Playstation 2 is the winner is the icing on the cake – we’re just chuffed that we can cut down on our purchasing of four-way plugs and keep the amount of consoles under the office TV to a minimum.

Regular readers of Spy will know this is just the latest in a steady move to PS2. Games that have started on PC are now flocking to PS2, middleware such as NetZ will allow PS2 owners to play PC users in the same online game, while Square sees the future of Final Fantasy as a purely virtual world that you can log into no matter what console you own or indeed what country you live in. Yes, there’ll always be games that you need a specific console for but if you’ll allow us a small bit of gloating, it’s Playstation 2 owners who currently look to be getting the best deal. Early gripes at the lack of PS2 launch software can now be parried with the arrival of such delights as Crazy Taxi and Half-Life while the games exclusive to PS2 include the likes of this issue’s visionary cover star The Getaway and, as you probably know by now, the jaw-dropping Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, which graces our cover disc a full three months before its UK release.

Whether you’re looking forward to a PSOne conversion of Sonic the Hedgehog or salivating at the prospect of a PS2 Quake III, the future now looks even better than ever for PS2 owners – whoever makes the games. As a wise man once said, “You pays your money, you takes your choice.”

It looks like we all made the right one.”

Mike Goldsmith, Senior Editor

Features

OPS2 Interview: Richard Darling

Search for a Star: A competition to select the model who will portray Oni’s heroine Konoko at promotional events. The four finalists are Sophie, Sallyia, Garz and Zoe.

On Top of the World – G-Surfers

Insert Coin to Continue – A feature on the new arcade machines at the Amusement Trade Exhibition International, and rating the likelihood of the games on display being ported to PS2.

London Calling – The Getaway

Compose Yourself – MTV Music Generator 2

Monthly Articles

The Beautiful Game – Stealing bits from other games and mashing them together to make the ultimate super-game. This month, scrolling shoot-‘em-ups, or shmups as they’re known in the parlance of the devoted.

30 Days in Tokyo – This month, Zone of the Enders gets its own anime, and a dog wears a rainbow afro.

The Grid – A head-to-head comparison of multiple upcoming games of a similar genre or theme. This month, racing games.

5X5 – Asking 5 questions to 5 industry figures. This month’s theme: are videogames art?

The Ladder of Lust – I’m running out of things to say about this, and it seems the joke is wearing thin for the magazine staff too. “Okay then – a promise. You stop writing in with these and we’ll put something else in its place. Maybe a nice column or something.”

Designer Genes – Readers write in with their game ideas and pitches. This month, Hanz ‘n’ Feet, a platformer where our hero, a robot named Hanz, must work together with his severed lower half, now its own robot named Feet, to escape the scrapheap and overthrow the evil slave driver Lord Slugley. Is this where Insomniac got the idea for Ratchet and Clank?

Game Over – Ready 2 Rumble: Round 2. Move over Mr Sandman, Frosty the Snowman is here for the championship battle!

Previews

Star Wars: Starfighter – “Breaking the Star Wars mould and doing it in warp drive. Starfighter is looking very promising indeed.”

Project Eden – “If you go down the lift today, you’re sure of a bi-IT BIT MY FACE OFF! Eden’s most definitely on track and “twisted” to say the least.”

Extermination – “Superior-looking sci-fi shocker, boasting a delicate mix of arcade-oriented action and a genuinely oppressive atmosphere.”

Operation Winback – “Localisation and a few tweaks are needed, but otherwise Winback is ready for a UK release.”

Ring of Red – “Red may look like “just another mech game”, but will it break out of the confines set by the genre? You betcha.”

Ace Combat 4 – “It won’t be taking off for a while, but what can we glean from this very early version of Namco’s ace fighter pilot?”

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2001 – “Current form has Tiger Woods shaping up to be one of the best golfing games yet, so let’s see what makes it so good...”

Reviews

Knockout Kings 2001 – “Despite the hype, not much of a progression from Knockout Kings 2000. Plenty of decent ideas bogged down by half-baked execution and sloppy design.” 6/10

Oni – “Very nearly a great game, but Oni’s great style and intelligent plot are undercut with a lack of sustained gameplay variety. Satisfyingly ambitious nevertheless.” 7/10

Shadow of Memories – “Don’t underestimate this. SOM will shock you to the core, and is profoundly entertaining once you know what you’re looking for.” 8/10

ESPN National Hockey Night – “A decent puck about, but just too many frustrating gameplay quirks. Better alternatives are already available.” 6/10

7 Blades – “Initial enthusiasm for the gung ho killings wears off as the poorly drawn levels and single-track gameplay become apparent.” 6/10

World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks – “An outrageous multiplayer blast, WDL:TT is the perfect social game. As a single-player affair, though, it tires quickly.” 7/10

Eternal Ring – “More a hopelessly primitive first-person blaster than an RPG, Eternal Ring is a totally forgettable experience. Avoid.” 3/10

ESPN NBA 2Night – “Does basketball make the transition to consoles well? Yes, but, as that cliché goes, you’ll only really like this if you like basketball.” 6/10

Driving Emotion Type-S – “A standard – if somewhat anorexic – racing affair that is only remarkable due to tiresome handling dynamics and very mediocre structure.” 4/10

NBA Live 2001 – “EA’s assembly line aesthetics triumph again, but essentially an average basketball sim.” 6/10

PSOne Reviews

ISS Pro Evolution 2 – “No other game gives you such a repertoire of moves and great physics to boot. This will not be surpassed.” 10/10

The Emperor’s New Groove – “Exhilarating to look at and surprisingly addictive to play, despite the unoriginal format. Should be on your list if you’re looking for a cute platform game.” 8/10

LMA Manager 2001 – “A highly polished management game that doesn’t intimidate with endless menus and statistics.” 9/10

Point Blank 3 – “Plenty of shooting stages to exercise your twitching trigger finger, but it won’t keep you enthralled for long.” 6/10

Hardcore

All the shortcuts in SSX, and hints and tips for Timesplitters, Rayman Revolution, Theme Park World, Unreal Tournament and Summoner.

Disc Content

Playable Demos

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Footage

Sky Odyssey

F1 Championship Season 2000

Theme Park World

Madden NFL 2001

Knockout Kings 2001

Trivia

·         Last month Derek Matthews wrote in about how his friends broke his PS2 by playing around with the insides of the machine without his permission. This month, one of the friends wrote in to say that Derek was lying. According to them, he modified the console himself to make it play copied games, only to break it in the process. His friends were trained electricians he asked to repair the console afterwards, and they didn’t appreciate him publicly throwing them under the bus. Somebody get Watch Mojo on the phone, we’ve got a new entry for their list of Top 10 Anime Betrayals!

·         This issue’s Final Fantasy X news also includes murmuring of PS2 remakes of Final Fantasies VII, VIII and IX. I know games take a while to make, but the Final Fantasy VII remake coming 20 years after it was first mooted is crazy! And we’re still waiting on the other two!

·         An updated re-release of SSX with new tracks and characters is mentioned for the first time in this issue. The scope of the game eventually expanded to become the full -on sequel, SSX Tricky.

·         Another hint at the technology powering Eyetoy in this issue, as a number of tech demos involving the use of red and blue balls to control the characters on screen have been made by now, including butterflies that follow the red ball and run away from the blue ball, and a witch who sits on the blue ball and watches the red ball as the player moves it about.

·         After Unreal Tournament was the first overrated game last month, this month we have our first underrated game in Oni, which scores 7/10. The only complaints in an otherwise glowing review are a lack of platforming, and minor camera issues during combat. Considering that the combat and story are praised so highly, I think this could have justified being an 8/10.

Quote of the Month: “I can split my voice into more than one note in order to connect with animals.” Konoko hopeful Sallyia cites overtone chanting as her hobby.

Cover price: £4.99

Page Count: 146