Issue 19 (April 2002)

Issue 19, April 2002

Editor’s letter

This month we are proud to bring you a playable demo of one of my favourite games of the year so far, Ico. We tried to get it on the DVD last issue, but it just didn’t come together in time, so I’m hoping that you weren’t too perplexed by our gushing endorsement. Ico is so unusual, it’s the kind of game you really have to play in order to appreciate it. It’s also a difficult game to write about in the language of magazine headlines: it’s not ‘extreme’ or ‘spectacular’, ‘adrenaline-pumping’ or ‘cortex-mashing’. In fact, it strenuously avoids falling into that cliché trap, which is exactly what makes Ico so beguiling. When you switch the game on, you’re not assaulted by a hyperactive intro movie featuring high-octane motorbike duels, volleys of gunfire or tumultuous explosions. Limp Bizkit and Alien Ant Farm do not invade your ear-space. Instead, understated storybook animation shows a young, horned boy being carried by horse and then by boat into the depths of a seemingly abandoned castle before being entombed in a coffin. Why? “For the good of the village.” It’s all a bit Wicker Man.

As you’ll find from playing the demo, you’re left to work out the rest for yourself. Here there is no Training mode. Playing as the boy, Ico, you’re automatically driven by the imperative to find a way out of the foreboding fortress. A little experimentation soon reveals that you can leap between platforms, climb up ledges, swing from chains, push boxes and shimmy up poles. Everything in Ico’s world is consistent, meaning that whenever you’re stumped at how to progress, you’re only annoyed with yourself and not with the game. Then there’s the small business of protecting your new-found companion from the shadowy figures that haunt her…

My point? If anyone you meet down the pub starts banging on about how games these days are all sequels or lazy rehashes, before (inevitably) getting dewy-eyed about the ‘good old days’ of the ZX Spectrum, prod them in the direction of the uniquely captivating Ico. You might also want to mention Herdy Gerdy, Rez, Dynasty Warriors 3, GTA 3 and Deus Ex. Sure, there are plenty of games out there happy to stick to a tried-and-tested formula, but we all want to play football and driving games once in a while – you’ve just got to separate the Pro Evolution Soccers from the UEFA Challenges and the Burnouts from the Tokyo Extreme Racers. Thankfully, there’s always something out there in the world of PS2 to keep us amused. Ico completed, I’m off to pelt werewolves with lead in Vampire Night. Enjoy.

Sam Richards, Acting Editor

Features

OPS2 Interview: Fumito Ueda

Samurai Showdown – Onimusha 2

The V Sign – V Rally 3

Legacy of Violence: The Virtua Fighter Story – The celebrate the release of Virtua Fighter 4, this feature has a recap of each game so far, a timeline covering all revisions, bios for every character, and an interview with series creator Yu Suzuki.

Monthly Articles

Character Assassination – Creating Frankenstein’s Monster as a videogame character. This month, the perfect RPG hero – a hippy with duck feet, an afro/beard combo and a mace bigger than he is.

Pocket Heroes – This month’s cards are Spider-Man and Kain from Legacy of Kain.

30 Days in Tokyo – This month, Soul Calibur 2 debuts at the Tokyo Amusement Expo. See, not all of these are weird!

The Burning Question – Asking 5 questions to 3 industry figures. This month’s question: Does PS2 have too many racing games?

Designer Genes – Readers write in with their game ideas and pitches. This month, Jed Zeppelin and the Magic Flute. A failing musician traverses a world of music to battle rival musicians and evil record producers in a game that’s part Brutal Legend, part JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. This is definitely the one of these I most wish was real!

What If? – This month, what if the PS2 was a Victorian invention? Alexander Graham Bell invented PS2 instead of the telephone. On one hand, nuisance callers weren’t invented, which is excellent. On the other, computers haven’t been invented yet either, so it’s impossible to make games to play on it. Mr Bell might want to get on with rectifying that.

Previews

2002 FIFA World Cup – “With the almighty opposition that is Pro Evolution Soccer, can EA’s new footy star prove itself a World Cup hero this summer?”

Endgame – “Is it more than just another turkey shoot? Is it worth buying a lightgun for?”

Test Drive Overdrive – “There are just too many driving games around at the moment, so how will Test Drive Overdrive set itself apart from the pack?”

Super Trucks – “At this stage, Jester Interactive’s lorry-racer looks practically finished. But are the trucks really that ‘super’?”

Le Tour De France – “A thoroughly respectable-looking attempt at a cycling sim. How well it will appeal to the PS2 majority remains to be seen.”

Downforce – “Does this unlicensed blend of F1 glamour and Indy Car speed have what it takes to challenge the official racing titles?”

Gitaroo Man – “The freshest, most engaging, innovative rhythm-action game since Samba De Amigo. But do enough gamers care?”

Barbarian – “There’s more than enough originality and fine gameplay to make Barbarian one to watch out for.”

Eve of Extinction – “So far, so good. Eve of Extinction adds to its free-roaming beat-‘em-up basics with an intriguing combat system.”

Reviews

Virtua Fighter 4 – “A fine example of its creed and the only choice for gamers who want a long-lasting single-player challenge. Beat-‘em-up haters will not be converted, though.” 8/10

Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter – “An accomplished update of the original’s hugely enjoyable space shooter formula with a few novel and welcome innovations.” 8/10

Dynasty Warriors 3 – “For fans of beat-‘em-ups or admirers of strategy wargames alike, this is a game for all seasons. Big, complex and satisfying.” 8/10

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002 – “A top-flight golf game – all credit to EA for implementing the major changes that will leave you thrilled.” 7/10

State of Emergency – “More blood than a night in with the Marquis De Sade, but addictive and fun. Cartoon visuals can’t gloss over the mindlessly violent gameplay.” 7/10

Vampire Night – “A brand new shooter for all you lightgun owners, that sticks to the tried-and-trusted formula.” 6/10

Shadow Hearts – “Memorable, but certainly not a life-changer. There’s little here you haven’t seen before, but Shadow Hearts is a good enough stopgap while we wait for Final Fantasy X.” 7/10

Star Wars: Racer Revenge – “Nothing wrong with the rocket-powered gameplay, but you don’t need Jedi reflexes to finish it.” 7/10

Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat – “Possibly worth renting just for the sea battle sections, but even these stages are lost in a shark-infested sea of turbulent boredom.” 3/10

No-one Lives Forever – “Doesn’t impress at first glance, but this stylish retread of FPS basics soon begins to grow on you.” 7/10

Peter Pan: Return to Neverland – “It’s aimed at youngsters, but that’s no reason to scrimp on quality.” 2/10

Sunny Garcia Surfing – “Surf’s up – but, boy, is this ride a letdown.” 3/10

Dark Summit – “Full marks are awarded to THQ for trying something new. Sadly, Dark Summit doesn’t quite land the trick.” 5/10

Jade Cocoon 2 – “Cute, Square-a-like RPG with a dash of Pokemon that improves and refines the original game.” 7/10

Worms Blast – “Not the shameless cash-in we were expecting, but a well thought-out, expertly realised puzzler. You’ll be hopelessly hooked for months, even years to come. An absolute blast.” 8/10

Knockout Kings 2002 – “The limitations of previous incarnations have been addressed, creating a boxing sim that does a lot right – and not a lot wrong. It’s a clear winner on a unanimous points decision.” 7/10

PSOne Reviews

Atari Anniversary Edition Redux – “Interesting, but it’s only worth parting with your cash if nostalgia means more to you than value for money.” 6/10

Saltwater Sportfishing – “Good fun for a while, but leaves a distinctly fishy whiff behind.” 5/10

Hardcore

The final part of the Max Payne walkthrough, and the first part of a Metal Gear Solid 2 walkthrough, plus Driven, Thunderhawk: Operation Phoenix, State of Emergency, Batman: Vengeance, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, NFL Quarterback Club 2002, MX Rider and Project Eden.

Disc Content

Playable Demos

Ico

Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing

Vampire Night

Dead or Alive 2

Formula 1 2001

Footage

Virtua Fighter 4

Dark Summit

Herdy Gerdy

Star Wars: Racer Revenge

Shadow Man 2: 2econd Coming

Final Fantasy X

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec

Tekken Tag Tournament

The Making of World Rally Championship

Trivia

·         I can appreciate the irony of Dynasty Warriors 3 being listed as an example of a game that doesn’t stick to a tried-and-tested formula, although in fairness the dozens of sequels and spin-offs hadn’t kicked in yet and the series was still relatively fresh.

·         Speaking of Dynasty Warriors 3, the review doesn’t mention the so-bad-it’s-good voice acting and hilariously quotable dialogue, so I’ll do it instead. “You flaming idiots!" "Feel the power of my… MAAAAAGIIIIIIC!” “Great King, flee!” “A dike? OH NO!” “Fool! You challenge me with trickery? I don’t believe in magic!” “All right then, I accept the position of grand commander!”

·         This month sees the launch of the Platinum range, in which older games were reissued at a lower price. The initial wave included games such as Tekken Tag Tournament, Star Wars: Starfighter, Timesplitters and Gran Turismo 3. To tie in with this, the demo also started a Platinum section, which re-ran some older demos and trailers once those games were re-issued on Platinum – a clever way of theming repeats.

·         The Spy section reports that a man in Banbury legally changed his name to Mr Playstation 2. I wonder if he still has that name, or if he has to go to update it whenever a new Playstation is released. If it’s the latter, he’ll have to get the deed poll ready again in a few months once Playstation 5 is released.

·         Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly is shown for the first time, with a release date of autumn 2003 promised. Given how that game turned out, releasing a year earlier than planned would explain a lot, assuming that wasn’t a typo and they actually meant autumn 2002.

·         New franchise report! This month, it’s the turn of Project Zero, which is described as a cross between Pokemon Snap and Resident Evil. That’s a description I can get behind!

·         Fumito Ueda’s interview turns up some interesting stuff, most notably that Ico began development as a PSOne game, as well as the first hint towards Shadow of the Colossus – “There are no plans for a sequel, but a game that shares the same kind of atmosphere and concept.”

Quote of the Month: “Many of us would like to see Pikachu getting on the wrong end of a flying kick.” That’s what Super Smash Bros. is for.

Cover price: £4.99

Page Count: 146