Issue 12 (October 2001)

Issue 12, October 2001

Editor’s letter

“We love you. As titles go, “we love you” could be construed as just a wee bit schmaltzy but this is no cheap ploy (or excuse to get a Stones song as a header). This is what I can only describe as a bloody great smacker to each and every one of you who’ve once again made us the bestselling Playstation 2 magazine in the land. We were top last year and, as the latest set of circulation figures prove, we still are thanks to 82,109 of you beautiful people buying this here mag. So thanks. Thanks very, very much.

“But”, we hear you cry. “But what do we get apart from a promise of love and a thank you? Surely we deserve more for our loyal support?” Indeed you do, and that’s why we’ve had a bit of a tinker this issue to make OPS2 even better. Our Spy section has been given a makeover with new regulars and an update section that tracks what’s happening to the biggest games as they reach the end of development. We’ve also spruced up the back of the magazine, with a new Surgery section in which Fitz will cure your gaming ills, we’ve added a text message feature to our Postal pages [SPK YR BRNS TO US ON 07764 75886], increased our HardCore tips arena (check out our official Gran Turismo 3 guide on page 128) and generally given everything a bit of a spring clean. Oh, and if you’re a footy fan, turn to page 144 where you can not only win first-class tickets to the Champions League final, but win the shirt off Rio Ferdinand’s back.

But beyond all the new house colours and saucy fonts, our real thank you this issue is in the games we’ve covered. The first UK reviews of Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 and Twisted Metal: Black. The first UK previews of Airblade and Grand Theft Auto 3. Exclusive access to the makers of SSX Tricky and Wipeout Fusion. The only UK magazine to interview Hironobu Sakaguchi about our cover game, Final Fantasy X. A Spy section that features info and images on Tomb Raider, Speedball Arena, Malice, Superman, Moto GP 2, Vampire Night and World Rally Championship – info and images that you simply won’t find in any other magazine. We could go on and on but just take a look at the issue to see what I mean.

Oh, and one more thing that not only says a big thank you but underlines our commitment to the future of this magazine and the Playstation 2 – our biggest demo disc yet. Five playable demos, ten preview videos and a promise that the best is yet to come. Is this a big enough thank you?

Write in and let us know.”

Mike Goldsmith, Senior Editor

Features

OPS2 Interview: Two for the price of one this month – Rio Ferdinand and Tetsuya Mizuguchi.

Are You Good Enough? – Wipeout Fusion

Don’t Try This at Home – Stuntman

Better Than SSX – SSX Tricky

Lifting the Veil – This Final Fantasy feature is primarily dedicated to Final Fantasy X, but there’s also a brief review of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, an interview with Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Spirits Within protagonist Dr Aki Ross in a bikini. Aki Ross for the next Dissidia, anyone?

Monthly Articles

The Beautiful Game – Stealing bits from other games and mashing them together to make the ultimate super-game. The final appearance of this article is based on action-adventure games.

Pocket Heroes – This month’s cards are Max Payne, and Guybrush Threepwood from Monkey Island.

30 Days in Tokyo – This month, Everybody’s Golf 3. Why was this never released in the UK when we got all the other games?

The Burning Question – Asking 5 questions to 3 industry figures. This month’s theme: Are high-quality graphics a good thing?

Designer Genes – Readers write in with their game ideas and pitches. This month, Overcast Dragons, an RPG with lots of dragon slaying. Fus Roh Dah!

What If? – This month, what if games were made primarily by women? Dating sims, first person shoppers and Larry Croft, that’s what!

Previews

WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It! – “Yuke’s brings its profound love of wrestling to Playstation 2, but will this be an ode to the ‘sport’ or just a rubbish limerick?”

Airblade – “It looks fantastic, feels ‘right’ plus it offers a refreshing new slant on the extreme sports genre.”

Grand Theft Auto 3 – “GTA3 will be the best way to do your worst. We can already smell the blood, fear and burning rubber – and it smells good.”

ESPN X Games Skateboarding – “Slightly more challenging than PSOne’s Tony Hawk’s, although at this early stage most of the gameplay feels very familiar.”

Splashdown – “Brilliant water effects, subtle, intuitive handling and some intelligent computer racers. Could well turn out to be a SSX-style dark horse hit.”

Burnout – “It’s Outrun, it’s Ronin, it’s that bit from Basic Instinct… Question is: How close is Burnout to the bullseye?”

Dropship – “A clever balance of old skool dogfighting and high-tech weaponry. A few tweaks could make this a must-have PS2 title.”

Smuggler’s Run 2: Hostile Territory – “An accomplished update of one of PS2’s best launch titles is on its way. Will increased danger and new visuals draw in the crowds?”

Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil – “A trip down a redecorated memory lane proves that simple gameplay is still viable and welcome.”

Reviews

Project Eden – “Look beyond the iffy visuals and there’s no doubt you’ll lose weeks of your life to this complex, yet satisfying adventure.” 8/10

Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 – “Orthodox but impressive, Dave Mirra 2 isn’t perfect but what remains should enthral and excite.” 7/10

Thunderhawk: Operation Phoenix – “An enjoyable and fluid game that suffers only for trying to please all of the people all of the time.” 7/10

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Player Manager 2001 – “Like the ruddy-faced Ferguson, Player Manager 2001 is tactically adept, yet often without charm.” 6/10

Spyhunter – “Capturing the spirit of the original, Spyhunter makes the most of PS2’s power to deliver a cracking arcade racer.” 8/10

Twisted Metal: Black – “Everything you expect a Twisted Metal game to be on the Playstation 2 – and then some.” 8/10

This is Football 2002 – “An atmospheric, option-rich and surprisingly playable addition to a once weak series.” 7/10

MX 2002 Featuring Ricky Carmichael – “A polished and engaging racing game that utilises the subject matter to great effect. It’s a must for fans but plays it too straight to attract new devotees.” 7/10

Freak Out – “A unique cartoon action-adventure with twisted gameplay, marred only by being slightly repetitive and shallow. An odd-shaped peg in a PS2 hole.” 7/10

PSOne Reviews

The Italian Job – “A truly great game at times, this runs pretty high in the ‘Best Driver clone’ stakes.” 8/10

Atlantis: The Lost Empire – “A pretty but unoriginal platformer with a big ‘no brains required’ label on the box. Standard Disney fare then.” 5/10

Hot Wheels Racing – “Nothing ground-breaking but a better than expected racer from THQ.” 6/10

Dancing Stage Disney Mix – “The most fun you can have with a PSOne, a giant plastic dance mat and a lack of self-respect…” 8/10

Hardcore

Part 1 of the walkthrough for Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, part 2 of the Red Faction and Escape From Monkey Island walkthroughs, plus CART Fury Championship Racing, ATV Offroad Fury, Extermination and Resident Evil: Code Veronica X.

Disc Content

Playable Demos

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2

MX Rider

This is Football 2002

Portal Runner

Spyhunter

Footage

Airblade

Dark Cloud

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance

Giants: Citizen Kabuto

Top Gun: Combat Zones

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Wipeout Fusion

Time Crisis 2

Twisted Metal: Black

Silent Hill 2

Trivia

·         It’s odd going back to when the WWE was the WWF. I think Just Bring It! was the last one before rebranding to WWE, though I could be wrong.

·         Coming off the best game advert in the last couple issues, we now have a contender for the worst PS2 advert – an advert for Freak Out in which the demonic scarf is groping the breasts of a shocked woman in her underwear, with the caption “She’s been freaked!”. Because sexual assault is how you want to market your quirky colourful platformer, right? Freak Out isn’t a candidate for Games That Would Never Be Made Today because the groping women’s breasts levels can easily be removed to focus on making it a boss-only game in the vein of Shadow of the Colossus. Those bits were padding anyway. Okay, that’s enough white knighting for now!

·         Speaking of Freak Out, it is a candidate for the wackiest plot on PS2 so far. Here’s the premise: Linda is bullied and treated as a slave by her 12 vain sisters. One day, 13 demons come to their house and possess each of the sisters, causing them to transform into hideous monsters that reflect their personalities. However, Linda doesn’t transform into a monster because she’s a nice girl, so her demon possesses her scarf instead, and so Linda, with her possessed scarf sets out to save her sisters and turn them back to normal.

·         This issue reveals that Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was meant to be part 1 of a 5-game saga. Now I’m left to wonder what would have happened in parts 2-5.

·         There’s been a bit of a shake up this month, with the OPS2-ometer and Designer Genes moving to the Spy section from the back of the magazine, while the letters page moves from the front of the magazine to the back.

·         TXT SPK WS MSTK. TNK GDNS TS DD ND NVR CMG BK.

Quote of the Month: “Wa-hey! Another one of those peripherals that makes you look stupid.” The stupid-looking peripheral in question is the Fighting Arena, a dance mat for fighting games with goal posts that sense the face buttons if you punch or kick at a certain height for each button.

Cover price: £4.99

Page Count: 146