Issue 42 (January 2004)

                                                                Issue 42, January 2004

Editor’s letter
       Some sequels are little more than expensive add-on packs using characters, ideas and the same engine from the original game and adding new levels. These we don’t like, although they are often solid games. But there is another kind of sequel, where an existing game is used as the basis for a completely reworked one. So Jak 2 reinvents the platforming of Jak and Daxter, THUG rewrites the rules for skating games and Final Fantasy X2 adds action (and girls) to the RPG formula. Which brings us to The Getaway 2. We’d be pretty excited if it was just an update, but it isn’t. It’s a lot more than that. Head over to page 28 to see why.
       And The Getaway 2 isn’t the only sequel this year that uses its original as a starting point rather than the basis of the game. Metal Gear Solid 3, Gran Turismo 4, Hitman: Contracts, Driv3r, and, of course, the next Grand Theft Auto are all heading your way in the next 12 months. Exciting times, and we’ll be here with everything you’ll need on these games – including the first reviews and the chance to play them on our exclusive demo DVD.
       And this month? A cockney geezer on the cover, a fresh new look in the mag and a free tips book. Now that’s how to go into the new year…
                                                                Richard Keith, Editor

Features
Gangster No. 2 – A run down of all the crime games coming in 2004, focusing on The Getaway: Black Monday, Driv3r and Hitman: Contracts. Tim Clark covers the pros and cons of each game, Good Cop / Bad Cop style, and even dresses up for the occasion.

Final Fantasy Gets its Sex on! – A Final Fantasy triple bill, with X2, XI and XII.

29 Great Gaming Moments of 2003 – The team run down their favourite gaming moments of the last 12 months, including playing darts with Sonic Team, a photo op with Pro Evolution Soccer director Seabass, an interview with Henry Rollins, and, of course, the Bacon Monster.

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, everyone names their favourite vehicles.

Could Be a Classic – A new monthly feature, in which a game with an original idea that isn’t a sequel gets some focus. This month, Campfire, where you play as a slasher movie villain hunting down your victims. The game was cancelled due to the developer shutting down, but the idea was eventually used by both Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th.

Replay – Revisiting Bomberman Kart and Timesplitters 2, reader reviews for Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution and Pro Evolution Soccer 3, and walkthroughs for Tony Hawk’s Underground and FIFA 2004.

Save Point – Starting this month, there’s a monthly comic strip poking fun at various gaming conventions. Because I like most of these, I’ll be including them here. The comics were done by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, who have since moved on to bigger things, including many comics with both Image Comics and Marvel Comics.

OPS2 Investigates – Yet another new feature, this one changes every month. This month, it’s a look at the Czech and Danish OPS2 magazines to see how the magazine is adapted to the readers of those countries.

Monitor (This is the newly renamed previews section)
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing – “Those extra few months in development are paying off, as Everything or Nothing looks set to become Bond’s best outing on Playstation 2 so far. We even forgot to mention Heidi Klum. Mmm… Heidi Klum.” Boiling

Tak and the Power of Juju – “We’ve been spoilt with superb platformers lately and Tak should be a solid, if not spectacular addition to the roster. It’s amusing, handsome, and largely devoid of frustrating elements. We await more.” Hot

Urban Freestyle Soccer – “Urban cool that plays well but can it last the 90 minutes?” Warm

Arc: Twilight of the Spirits – “A neat spin on turn-based battling. RPG fans can feel excited.” Warm

Dynasty Warriors 4 Xtreme Legends – “A good value package, that’s unlikely to cause too many fluttering hearts in the Dynasty Warriors community. If, on the other hand, you’re new to DW, then this could be the perfect place to start.” Warm

Downhill Domination – “It’s reviewed well in America, but Downhill Domination – despite swapping boards for bikes – is still going head-to-head with SSX, and there are few games out there that would want to do that.” Warm

Spyhunter 2 – “If gadgets make a game, then Spyhunter 2 is gonna be great. True, the vehicles all look like variations on a theme, but if you’re able to switch seamlessly between water and land, this could be one to watch.” Hot

Richard Burns Rally – “Right now RBR is a little twitchy and lacking in sex appeal, but the more-complete PC version showed us where it’s going – and it’s impressive. We’ll check back in a few months. And you should too.” Warm

Firefighter FD18 – “That alarm’s no test – it’s suddenly got very hot in here.” Boiling

America’s 10 Most Wanted – “War on Terror gimmick aside, this is looking distinctly average.” Warm

Mega Man X7 – “We’re not sure that Mega Man X7 is going to bring anything new to the MM party. There are a couple of innovations for the dedicated to enjoy but short of a small miracle, this is likely to disappoint.” Tepid

Champions of Norrath – “Great graphics, plenty of sword action and loads of replay value – with every new game using a different map. We’re looking forward to Champions of Norrath a lot more than we thought we would be…” Boiling

Rise to Honour – “A surprising punch is packed with a combat system that makes head knocking as much fun to do as it is to watch on the big screen. Fast paced and respectful of its inspirations, this promises to be a blast.” Hot

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – “TMNT is very easy on the eye. This could clean up. Could…” Warm

Transformers – “Turning the Decepticons VS Autobots war into a quality battler.” Hot

SOCOM 2 US Navy SEALs – “We can only be impressed by the way SOCOM 2 has exploded in the US. With improved elements all round and an expanded online game, it’ll be interesting to see how it fares on these shores.” Boiling

Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde – “Unleash the Horde could be the most accessible strategy game on PS2. But in combining strategy with a niche fantasy style we can’t help but wonder if it could be shooting itself in its big goblin foot.” Warm

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2 – “We’ll doff our ‘Cap of Salutation +4’ to another quality PS2 RPG.” Boiling

Singstar – “Singstar may have us warming up our larynxes like nervous Pop Idol contestants but will Sony’s decision to appeal to separate tastes limit, rather than expand, sales? We’ll have the judges’ decision first.” Hot

Onimusha Blade Warriors – “It’s tough to make a call on whether Blade Warriors will be a novelty game or a genuinely solid scrapper. Mind you, it is from a series that oozes class and strong characters, so we’re expecting the latter.” Hot

World Championship Rugby – “Hot, thanks to Wilko’s drop goal and a proven developer.” Hot

Gran Turismo 4 – “Clearly GT4 is going to look incredible. We first played it way back in May and it felt great then and it’s sure as hell ain’t gonna get worse. Our only concern is that it’s going to be rock hard. Roll on June.” Boiling

Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain – “We love it already, particularly the create-an-agent feature and the complex, viral-ridden plot but, like Tomb Raider, it might be a little too close to its PSOne forebear for everyone’s tastes.” Hot

Starcraft: Ghost – “While we’re yet to play any substantial chunks of Starcraft: Ghost, we’re looking forward to seeing how the universe is brought to life as a stealth game. From these screens, its looks are certainly hard to fault.” Boiling

Cold Winter – “Cold Winter has all the hallmarks of a great shooter and doesn’t seem to possess any real flaws, so far. Will the lack of a big franchise behind it limit its appeal? We seriously hope not. Stay tuned for more.” Boiling

100 Bullets – “It’s unlikely to change your life, but 100 Bullets could be fun.” Warm

Reviews
Manhunt – “The most compelling experience of the year bar none. Morally questionable? Yes. But Rockstar is all about gaming on the edge.” 9/10

Rogue Ops – “Unoriginal, frustrating, smart, and challenging. Like hanging around in cupboards dressed in a leather catsuit? This game is for you.” 7/10

Destruction Derby Arenas – “As an online or post-pub multiplayer arcade racer, DDA is ballsy, brainless entertainment. Offline, the game’s far too short lived.” 7/10

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – “Too easy, too simple and too short. This is a poor adaptation of a poor film, and the Terminator series deserves much better than that.” 4/10

Grooverider: Slot Car Racing – “Grooverider is a real trier. It tried our patience as well as our skill but, for the price, it’s still a cheap couple of days of relative fun.” 5/10

Mission Impossible: Operation Surma – “It may be full of inventive gadgetry and gameplay, but it’s far too frustrating and limited for anyone but serious stealth fans. Shame.” 6/10

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – “Milking the license for all it’s worth? Hell yeah. Still, if you’ve not played the PSOne version then this is just about worth a visit.” 6/10

Premier Manager 2003/2004 – “A marginal improvement on the last outing but it still looks and plays like Carlisle United’s reserve team with hangovers.” 4/10

Battlestar Galactica – “A simplistic game rendered ungodly by its staunch hardness. New PS2 owners will smash their tear-damped joypads.” 5/10

Asterix and Obelix XXL – “Familiar stuff but, as a traditional platformer for pint-sized fans of the books, this does the trick. Fun but forgettable.” 6/10

Curse: The Eye of Isis – “A sub Resi adventure that borrows much from the master but doesn’t have the polish to shuffle shoulder-to-shoulder with it.” 6/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
XIII
World Rally Championship 3
Tak and the Power of Juju
FIFA 2004
Pop Idol
Grooverider: Slot Car Racing
R-Type Final
SOCOM US Navy SEALs
Starsky and Hutch
Soul Calibur 2

Footage
SOCOM 2 US Navy SEALs
Arc: Twilight of the Spirits
Ghosthunter
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance
I-Ninja
Time Crisis Legacy – A brief history of the series, showing off each game in turn. Watch it here.
Fun, anyone? – This starts out as Wacky Races by way of Jackass, and only gets sillier from there! In the meantime, it also promotes some of the current games, including Jak 2, Ratchet and Clank 2, SOCOM 2 and more. Watch it here.

Save Files
Timesplitters 2 – A new DLC level created by David Doak, co-founder of Free Radical Design.
WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth – A new DLC wrestler, Miss OPS2.
Primal
Amplitude
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
RTX Red Rock

Trivia
* We’ve got yet another redesign this month, the third time in a little over a year. Don’t worry, this is the last one for a while. It’s the longest running design, lasting until issue 89, which is just under 50 issues. In terms of tone, it feels like a middle ground between the first two. It’s not as hardcore as the first design, which was aimed towards early adopters and serious gamers, but it undoes a lot of the dumbing down that’s been cropping up as of late. (Yes, that does mean the lad content is reined in significantly, with only the occasional flare up over the next year or two before it disappears completely.) When I think of Official Playstation 2 Magazine, this era is the one that first comes to mind. Admittedly, I may be biased because I became a reader during these issues.
* The biggest new addition of the redesign is the Replay section, which is home to the content related to current or older games, while the rest of the magazine covers new and upcoming releases. These include re-reviews (these don’t change the original score, rather they return to cover any new features that have since been discovered or offer a new perspective) and reader reviews, cheats and walkthroughs, challenges, online coverage, charts, Save Point and the Hot 100.
* This issue has the first mention of Uwe Boll, the German film director infamous for his video game adaptation films, which are dreadful even by the low standards of video game adaptation films. I watched Alone in the Dark and it was fun to laugh at for the first 15 minutes or so, but I got desensitised to it after that and it just became dull.
* Poor old Mega Man X7 becomes the first preview to score a Tepid rating. I don’t think that’s why he’s called the Blue Bomber…
* 100 Bullets was to be developed by Acclaim, but ended up being cancelled due to Acclaim’s bankruptcy. It was later picked up for another go, but sadly that one didn’t fare any better.
* The section for DVD and music reviews is finally given a name, Comedown.
* Speak of DVDs, Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is reviewed this month, and is given an absolute savaging. “Utter, utter shit… an atrocious, bore-gasmic travesty.” Based on this, it’s safe to say OPS2 have now reached stage 2 of the Five Stages of Tomb Raider Grief: Anger.

Quote of the Month: “If everyone started playing Trivial Pursuit at the same time, nothing would get done for days and people might die.” Reason 4 of 6 why a Trivial Pursuit PS2 game is a bad idea.

Cover price: £5.49
Page Count: 146