Issue 23 (August 2002)

Issue 23, August 2002

Editor’s letter

A question we get asked on a regular basis is “Why hasn’t Official Playstation 2 Magazine got a web site?” It’s a very good question. Most dedicated gamers are into all things technological and it follows that the majority of you out there have internet access at home or at work. It also follows that if you’re on the net, you’d quite like to use a site that contains the latest Playstation 2 news, updated more regularly than we’re able to with a printed magazine.

Some of you have noted that we own a page on the general Futurenet site (www.futurenet.co.uk) but that this merely contains information about the latest magazine on sale and hardly constitutes a dedicated corner of cyberspace. There are many reasons why we haven’t ventured online as yet (the need to concentrate our resources on producing a packed magazine that satiates your gaming news appetites for four whole weeks being the major one) but all this is about to change.

By the time you read this, Official Playstation 2 Magazine, largely in the guise of our new Online Editor Tim Clark, will already be providing daily content to uk.playstation.com. If you haven’t logged on recently, you’ll notice that the site is now packed with breaking PS2-related news, comment and features, some sourced by SCEE’s in-house team, some beamed direct from our offices. You’ll be able to read daily news exclusives, rumours and gossip, browse through selections of screenshots, watch game footage videos and get sneak previews of forthcoming issues.

The is just the beginning. We will continue to partner with uk.playstation.com to provide all the services you’d expect from a top PS2 web site: there’ll soon be an improved forum, opportunities to vote for your most wanted games, contests, compos and all kinds of increased interactivity. You’ll start to notice icons within the magazine that lead you towards additional content on the web and vice versa. It’s all intended to provide a complete Official Playstation 2 Magazine experience.

Now just think about what we could do when the Playstation 2 becomes online compatible… It’s a very exciting time to be an OPS2 reader.

Sam Richards, Editor

Features

OPS2 Interview: Martin Edmondson and Mr T. The latter is being interviewed because he was in the Rocky game, in case you’re wondering.

Come With Me – Terminator: Dawn of Fate

A Man of Substance – Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance. Hideo Kojima runs through some of the new content being added to the update. There’s also a look at the Metal Gear Solid 2 art book (Japan-only, sadly. They get all the cool stuff!)

Sneak. Snipe. Strangulate – Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Better Dead Than Red – Freedom Fighters

Send In the Clones – Star Wars: Bounty Hunter and The Clone Wars.

Monthly Articles

Character Assassination – Creating Frankenstein’s Monster as a videogame character. This month, the ultimate alien – a green FrankenXenomorph that can turn invisible.

Pocket Heroes – This month’s cards are Lt. Jimmy Patterson from Medal of Honor and Pac-Man.

30 Days in Tokyo – This month, Daigunder, a toy robot that plays different games depending on the form it’s currently in. He’s also a Transformer that has an alternate dragon form. How cool is that?

The Burning Question – Asking 5 questions to 3 industry figures. This month’s question: Is PS2 winning the console war? In retrospect, the answer is a resounding yes.

Designer Genes – Readers write in with their game ideas and pitches. This month, 2 Cold 2 Bear, a fishing game starring a polar bear trying to catch penguins. The expert says it’s a great and original idea, but 20 years too late, because games like this stopped being made after the Spectrum / Amiga era.

What If? – This month, what if PS2 was grown, not manufactured? Who knew lager and pizza crusts made such great fertilizer?

Previews

Colin McRae Rally 3 – “It’s Colin’s third trip round the videogame block, but he still has plenty of steam left. Could we be looking at another benchmark rally game?”

Conflict: Desert Storm – “From the team that brought us Warzone 2100 on the PSOne, Pivotal Games seems equal to the task of out-stealthing Solid Snake…”

Run Like Hell – “You’re a guy, and you’re dealing deep-space death in spandex. But is it a casual jog or a full, adrenaline-soaked sprint?”

Riding Spirits – “Is Riding Spirits born to be wild or just on the highway to hell? There’s only one way to find out. Gentlemen, start your engines…”

Dino Stalker – “We weren’t overly impressed by the last Gun Survivor game, but has Capcom managed to save the series from extinction?”

Men in Black 2: Alien Escape – “Bad attitude, bad gameplay and bad graphics. But by ‘bad’, do we actually mean good?”

Reviews

Stuntman – “The synergy between detail, subject and gameplay borders on genius. It could be limited by players’ frustration or its one type of driving experience.” 8/10

Gran Turismo Concept 2002 Tokyo-Geneva – “A lack of depth scrapes a key right down the side of GT Concept 2002’s class, style and playability. Think GT3 Lite – 85% style, 15% game.” 6/10

Barbarian – “Fast-paced fighting action with several twists makes Barbarian well worth a look for fans of button-activated violence.” 7/10

Freekstyle – “After calming down a bit we can say that this is potentially a great game, but it’s scuppered by a careless lack of fairness and failure to reward skill with progression.” 6/10

Aggressive Inline – “There’s more than enough inline action to keep you impressed, entertained and amused until Tony Hawk’s 4 says “Buy me, dude.” 8/10

Le tour De France – “It’s destined to be ignored by those who don’t care about bicycles, but this adds new slants and challenges to the racing genre, even if they’re not executed brilliantly.” 5/10

Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force – “File next to Soldier of Fortune in the poor PC port drawer. If it’s sci-fi shooter thrills you’re after, pick up Red Faction on Platinum instead.” 4/10

Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights – “Considerably better than most other games you could label as ‘family orientated’, but the fun doesn’t last long enough.” 6/10

Armored Core 2: Another Age – “More missions, more parts, a more accessible difficulty level, and overall an experience that’s every bit as enjoyable, if not more so, as the original Armored Core 2.” 7/10

Transworld Surf – “Surf’s up and this game is fun and faithful to its subject. But the lack of exploration compared with a top-notch skate or BMX game will leave you feeling slightly cheated.” 6/10

Circus Maximus Chariot Racing – “A splendid idea that’s marred by a lack of class in its execution. We have high hopes for any sequels, though. This is certainly worth renting for the night.” 6/10

Endgame – “Looks good, but there’s no challenge. Time Crisis it ain’t.” 3/10

King’s Field: The Ancient City – “An honest, but terrifically dull RPG that doesn’t come up to standard.” 3/10

Slam Tennis – “Slick tennis sim that will please hardcore devotees and casual fans alike. A workmanlike Henman to Smash Court’s Sampras.” 7/10

Sven Goran Eriksson’s World Challenge – “At least Keano no longer endorses the PS2’s worst footy game.” 1/10

Next Generation Tennis – “Would have been a solid tennis outing if it weren’t for the dire controls.” 4/10

Capcom VS SNK Pro (PSOne review) – “A close second to SFA3, with the SNK crew adding to the aggro. Ace.” 8/10

Hardcore

Part 2 of the Final Fantasy X walkthrough, and a Medal of Honor: Frontline walkthrough, plus Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat, Frequency, Britney’s Dance Beat, Red Card, Soldier of Fortune, Blood Omen 2, ESPN NBA 2night 2002 and Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force.

Disc Content

Playable Demos

Stuntman

Project Zero

Men in Black 2: Alien Escape

Fireblade

Army Men RTS

Footage

SOCOM US Navy SEALs

Sly Cooper

Formula 1 2002

Onimusha 2

Red Dead Revolver

Freekstyle

World Rally Championship 2

Eve of Extinction

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo

Superman: Shadow of Apokalips

Dinner at Chez Claude – This bizarre advert depicts a Mr Creosote-esque Frenchman eating a Playstation 2. Little known fact: This is the origin story of Monsieur Mangetout.

Trivia

·         It’s always interesting when games appear on demo discs that either end up unreleased or radically different, and this month’s disc has two instances. First, Red Dead Revolver is in its initial version published by Capcom, before Rockstar acquired the rights. Second is Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Due to the obscurity of the series at the time, as well as numerous characters named after musicians and songs, without the necessary permissions, Jojo was a licensing nightmare for the longest time. The resulting legal issues activated their stand, Gold Experience Requiem, ensuring that 1. the game would never reach reality shop shelves outside Japan, and 2. This is the only chance I'll get to use Giorno's Theme.

·         Games that were heard from once and never again: Fatman and Slim. Apparently, it would have been “an adventure game starring the loveable, doting but lazy lead character Fatman, and Slim, his skinny, demanding slick chic girlfriend.” Not a spin-off for Fatman from Metal Gear Solid 2 then.

·         This issue also features the announcement of Fear Effect: Inferno, which was set to be the third game in the series, and would involve the characters being kidnapped by a group of demons disguised as doctors and nurses. Another new announcement (one that was actually released this time) is Beyond Good and Evil, one of PS2’s biggest cult classics.

·         Most unexpected story in this issue: rumours that Rare, the iconic Nintendo 64 developer, were planning a PS2 game. There’s no word on what that game would have been, but the rumour was presumably false since Microsoft bought the company around this time.

·         The Pod car from Gran Turismo Concept is so cute! There’s a smiley face on the front of the car that lights up in different colours depending on your performance, and even a wagging tail!

·         Stuntman may have a reputation for being unfairly difficult, but Freekstyle has it beat in that regard. Based on the tone of the review, 6/10 is being generous.

Quote of the Month: “Say hi to the afterlife, you poor, indoctrinated fools!” You’ll want to be doing a lot of this to beat Conflict: Desert Storm.

Cover price: £5.49

Page Count: 146