Issue 32 (April 2003)

                                                                 Issue 32, April 2003

Editor’s letter
       Hope that this issue finds you in good stealth. We’ve been keeping a low profile this month, hiding in shadows and wearing lots of black. Yes, goth is back! No, hang on, that’s not it. Ah yes, it’s because we’re celebrating the ultimate culmination of stealth gameplay that began when Solid Snake first decided to sneak up silently behind a guard and snap his neck instead of hollering a war cry, unloading a full clip and then making ‘come and get me’ gestures at the security camera.
       Now stealth is a genre in itself, with every game from The Getaway to Harry Potter getting in on the undercover act. Alright, so most post-MGS examples of stealth gameplay have been a shambles, but this month Snake is back in the pure form of MGS2 Substance’s VR missions to show pretenders how it’s meant to be done. And then there’s the amazing Splinter Cell, which distils the formula further. It’s an adventure played at an entirely different pace in which thrilling tension takes the place of mindless blasting. It also looks stunning. Okay, you can get out from under the cardboard box now…
Sam Richards, Editor

Features
Wardrobe Watch with PS2 Stars! – How to dress up as a selection of Playstation characters, including Lara Croft, Parappa the Rapper, Agent 47, Tekken’s Paul Phoenix, and Heather Mason of Silent Hill 3 fame.

This is Hardcore – Backyard Wrestling. This feature greets the reader with the lovely image of a man gushing blood from his forehead stapling money onto another man’s face. As you do.

Monthly Articles
The Money Shot – Each month’s greatest gaming moment immortalised in a photo or illustration. This month, shooting monsters mid-backflip in Devil May Cry 2.

OPS2 Interview – Greg Gobbi

To the Death – A bloody battle to prove what’s better. This month, game fighting VS real fighting. Real fighting wins 3-2.

30 Days in Tokyo – This month, Inu Toasabu Dogstation, an arcade cabinet that tasks the player with looking after a dog. Nintendogs is more practical, what with being portable and all. Cult strategy RPG Disgaea also makes its debut this month.

The Big Issue – Answering a question that’s been on readers’ minds. This month’s question: What will be the big sequels of 2003?

Designer Genes – Readers write in with their game ideas and pitches. This month, The Sims: Serial Killer takes the sadistic impulses to torment and kill your sims every player has to their logical conclusion.

The Butcher – Tearing into gaming clichés. This month, the Butcher takes aim at his biggest target yet: Pro Evolution Soccer. Has he bitten off more than he can chew? An encounter with Sam Fisher later in the issue suggests yes.

Hideo Kojima at the Movies – The creator of Metal Gear gets his own monthly column celebrating the films that inspired his game. This month, the James Bond franchise.

Buyers Guide – Listing a selection of PS2 games from each genre, tiered under Essential, Excellent, Good, Average and Poor, and providing a PSOne Alternative. This month, Extreme Sports games. SSX Tricky and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 are Essential. Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2, Aggressive Inline, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and SSX are Excellent. Freekstyle, Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer, MX Superfly, MX Rider and MX 2002 are Good. BMX XXX, Jet Ski Riders, Evolution Skateboarding and Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance are Average. The Simpsons Skateboarding and Alpine Racer 3 are Poor, and Freestyle Scooters is the PSOne Alternative.

What If? – This month, what if PS2 characters had psychiatrists? It’s going to take more than a few therapy sessions for Solid Snake to work through his increasing paranoia and blackouts.

Previews
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness – “Angel of Darkness isn’t a rumour after all. It looks and plays like classic Tomb Raider despite the new features. Whether that’s enough to maintain the franchise’s unbroken 10/10 record…” Boiling

Soul Calibur 2 – “Soul Calibur 2 is unlikely to be as groundbreaking as its predecessor (which revolutionised the genre), but why fix what’s not broken? Bet everything on this being the best PS2 brawler yet.” Boiling

Def Jam Vendetta – “Def Jam Vendetta is less flexible than WWE but strikes all the right notes with casual players. Button mashing yields instant results, while experts can revel in signature moves and deft reversals.” Hot

X-Men 2: Wolverine’s Revenge – “Wolverine’s Revenge embellishes its primitive fighting premise with plenty of neat diversions. Appealing to comic fans and gamers, this might be the first game to do the X-Men license justice.” Hot

Enter the Matrix – “Enter the Matrix has the potential to be the best game / movie tie-in ever. Okay, the film looks like a videogame to start with… but who are we to complain when we get the best of both worlds?” Hot

Judge Dredd: Dredd VS Death – “Dredd VS Death is unveiled, and it’s a relief to see it looking so good. It’ll be a while before we can actually take to the streets of Mega City One for a playtest, but it’s time to start getting excited.” Hot

Die Hard Vendetta (Two games with Vendetta in the title in one month?) – “Die Hard Vendetta may not be the sharpest looking game, but it’s fast and captures the spirit of the movies to a tee. It’s about time we had a brash FPS with a likeable, wise-cracking hero.” Warm

Warhammer 40K: Fire Warrior – “Fire Warrior is a strange creature; a game that could have easily been a weak money maker. But with its dark, slick styling, attention to detail and sharp gameplay, it could be really special.” Hot

Updates for Silent Hill 3, XIII, Driv3r, Resident Evil: Dead Aim, Final Fantasy X-2, Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter, The Great Escape, Ice Nine and Gladius.

Reviews
Splinter Cell – “Tension, action, spectacular moves and gadgets combine to make Splinter Cell one of PS2’s best. A stealthy triumph.” 9/10

Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance – “MGS2 virgins should buy this sharpish. Others should question what they are actually getting for the £39.99 price tag.” 7/10

Devil May Cry 2 – “DMC2 is still slicker than your average action fare, but as a sequel this is more of a whimper than a bang.” 7/10

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc – “Doubters be damned! Rayman 3 is vivid, vibrant and thoroughly charming – stick it up there with the platforming greats.” 8/10

Pride FC – “A very realistic take on the Nipponese no-holds-barred sport, but a lack of followers could make it fall flat on its face.” 7/10

War of the Monsters – “Colossal cartoon creatures brawling like drunken dads fighting at a school sports day. And yes, it is just as fun.” 8/10

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis – “A prehistoric premise, sure. But Operation Genesis puts a fresh spin on the God sim genre. Hammond would be proud.” 7/10

Vexx – “Vexx is quality platform fare but its shortcomings can be summarised in four words: Ratchet, Clank, Jak and Daxter.” 6/10

Dark Angel – “What Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets right, Dark Angel gets wrong. You won’t be missing out on much.” 5/10

Galerians: Ash – “Confusing, poorly designed and a displeasure to play. All but the most action-starved should think twice.” 3/10

Everblue 2 – “Has a quirky charm all of its own, but there’s very little real gameplay.” 4/10

Sega Bass Fishing Duel – “The Gran Turismo of fishing games. Sadly that makes it a very dull experience indeed.” 4/10

Ben Hur – “Circus Maximus is better. Is there anything more humiliating than being the PS2’s worst chariot sim?” 3/10

Largo Winch: Empire Under Threat – “It promises ‘adventure, suspense and glamour’. But, lady-loving aside, this is complete merde.” 4/10

Fisherman’s Challenge – “A thoughtful fishing sim. Consequently, as dull as the real thing.” 4/10

NHL 2K3 – “Regarded by US gamers as the best on the market, Sega delivers top quality NHL action.” 7/10

Runabout 3: Neo Age – “Wallet friendly this may be, but there’s little to recommend about this shallow urban racer.” 3/10

Guilty Gear X2 – “Guilty Gear X2 is a labour of love that now has all the features you wanted in the previous game.” 8/10

Dakar 2 – “Dakar’s the star? Not really. Like its forefather, there’s little here to excite.” 5/10

Hardcore
Walkthroughs for Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and SOS: The Final Escape, plus Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Evolution Skateboarding, Legends of Wrestling 2, X-Men: Next Dimension, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Sims and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003.

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven
Vexx
Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation VS Zeon
Dakar 2
The Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian
Ape Escape 2
Splinter Cell
Silent Hill 2
Spyhunter
Zone of the Enders

Footage
Shinobi
Def Jam Vendetta
Devil May Cry 2
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
World Championship Snooker 2003
Gran Turismo Concept
The Making of War of the Monsters

Trivia
* “When did Sonic ever go to prison?” Jason Rubin asks rhetorically when Jak 2’s darker and edgier turn is discussed. Sounds like someone hasn’t played Sonic Adventure 2.
* Issue 29 had an article on the 20 most influential PS2 figures, and at the end asked readers to vote for who should be number 1. This issue has the results, and the winners are Ken Kutaragi and Hideo Kojima, tied with 25.5% of the vote each. Sam Houser is a distant third with 13%, and Kazunori Yamauchi manages 8%, being the last entrant to break 5%.
* The letters page has more suggestions for celebrity games following Issue 28’s feature on the subject. The best ones in my opinion are Simply Red Faction, Stallone in the Dark and The Sum 41 of All Fears.
* Remember back in Issue 7, how I commented that the cancellation of the Battle of the Planets game must have come as a disappointment? Scratch that, as in this issue OPS2 seem embarrassed to have had any enthusiasm for it.
* The online page includes a link to the Hypnotoad website. What does that have to do with games? There’s no reason to ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!
* Sam Fisher wins the battle of the stealth giants this month, but Snake will be back for a rematch, no doubt about it.
* Speaking of Snake, the 7/10 for Substance is based on the new content only, the review clarifies that for anyone who doesn’t own the base game, that’s still a 10/10. Between this and Devil May Cry 2 (which could have gone below 7/10, frankly), we’ve got two overhyped duds this month. OPS2 are left looking rather silly after featuring those games in the previews section almost every month since Issue 26. I’m reminded of the Lisa Lionheart episode of The Simpsons.

                                At least Spyro got his skateboard minigame in a timely manner.

Quote of the Month: “Remember kids, [descends into unprintable madness].” Backyard wrestler Horn Dog is prevented from sharing his advice. Considering his signature move involves slapping his opponent across the face with his genitals, this may be for the best.

Cover price: £5.49
Page Count: 146