Issue 52 (November 2004)

                                                             Issue 52, November 2004

Editor’s letter
       It was time. We glorify, we deify, lord it up and even worship it daily; we scold the non-believers and brainwash the innocent; we play it more and longer and with greater dedication, irritation and passion than any other game; we’ve converted, enthused, inspired, influenced or just plain bored every single one of you with our endless talk of PES old, new and now. So it was time we gave it the greatest honour we know: an OPS2 cover.
       Some have told me it is a mistake: “it’s a niche game”, “it’ll put off the anti football brigade”, “it doesn’t sell as much as FIFA”, “it hasn’t got all the right names, even now”. All these comments I have ignored, safe in the knowledge that PES is a real-life phenomenon, the sort of game everyone wants to buy the first day it’s out, the sort of game that lasts a whole year, the sort of game that gets better, and better, and better the more you play it. Those already in the Church of PES know the truth of this. PES4 and OPS2 cover star Thierry Henry knows the truth of this. For those of you still wavering over joining the congregation, I have the answer: play it on the DVD and find out for yourself.
       And while you’re there you might want to check out Killzone – that’s also not too shabby…
                                                                Richard Keith, Editor

Features
It’s Over – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Screen Burn – Timesplitters: Future Perfect.

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? – It’s back to the 90s as PSOne mascots Crash Bandicoot and Spyro come out of retirement for Crash Twinsanity and Spyro: A Hero’s Tail.

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, favourite 90s things.

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, Urban Chaos: Riot Response, AKA: what Rocksteady did before they got the Batman licence.

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, RPG elements in other games.

Replay – Revisiting Pro Evolution Soccer and Burnout 3: Takedown, reader reviews for Spider-Man 2 and Driv3r, cheats for Burnout 3, Shellshock: Nam 67, Conflict: Vietnam, Silent Hill 4: The Room and Mashed, and an online review for Killzone.

Back page list – This month, 11 least popular themes for videogames.

                                                            This month's Save Point.

Monitor
The Getaway: Black Monday – “More gangs, more guns, more cockernee characters and far more swearing. If it wasn’t for a certain Rockstar game heading our way in the near future, this’d be at the very top of our wish list.” Boiling

Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighbourhood – “A tentative step in the right direction, but it looks a long way from converting its white trash potential.” Warm

WWE Smackdown VS Raw – “Some nice new ideas have broken up the repetitive button bashing no end and the grapples feel much stronger. Could there be too much reliance on lady-flesh for the hardcore gamer, though?” Boiling

Ghost Recon 2 – “Beautiful, clever and great to handle – it could be love.” Boiling

Ratchet and Clank 3 – “It’s simple really: If you loved the first two games then you’ll love this. But if you weren’t enamoured with guns that turned enemies into chickens and the like, then there’s not much here to change your mind.” Hot

Need for Speed Underground 2 – “The city’s looking lovely, the speed and handling’s all there, but it’s the customisation that continues to entice. The whole thing’s undoubtedly a step on from the original – we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.” Boiling

Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition – “Despite a few issues over the driving itself, Midnight Club 3 is certainly the slickest and shiniest in the driving genre, and a lot more glamorous than the chavvy king of the modding sub genre, NFSU.” Hot

Destroy All Humans! – “Psi-Ops and Second Sight have beaten it to the telekinetic punch, but Destroy All Humans! overflows with cracking ideas and already plays superbly. Likely to be an essential purchase next spring.” Boiling

Shadow of Rome – “Truly a King of Games, fit for an emperor and therefore guaranteed to amuse the peasants even more. That’s us by the way. If the elephant killing doesn’t hook you it’ll be the gloriously bloody body mutilation.” Boiling

The Punisher – “Tight combat, rich back story – a violently promising romp” Hot

Devil May Cry 3 – “Devil May Cry 3 is exactly what we hoped for, an utterly unapologetic slice of raw gameplay. Dante’s definitely cool again and, after the hugely disappointing second game, that’s all we ever asked.” Boiling

Battlestations: Midway – “Edutainment this ain’t. These are very early days indeed, but the mix of strategy to Boys Own action seems nicely pitched at this stage. As of next summer, you may address us as Admiral OPS2.” Hot

Reviews
Pro Evolution Soccer 4 – “Still not as good as actually playing football with your legs but, worryingly, it’s getting there. A masterpiece.” 10/10

FIFA 2005 – “Acres ahead of last year’s effort and full of little flashes of genius. If only FIFA wasn’t up against one of the best games ever made.” 8/10

Gametrak Dark Wind – “The hardware is genuinely amazing, but the software is a lightweight fighter dressed up in a heavyweight’s pants.” 7/10

Star Wars: Battlefront – “Star Wars fans will revel in this toybox of Jedi iconography. Everyone else will probably get bored sooner rather than later.” 7/10

Rocky Legends – “Not a lot more than an add-on pack with new fighters but we still loved getting back into the ring with Rocky and the boys.” 8/10

Def Jam: Fight For New York – “Fight For New York does everything right that Vendetta did wrong. It’s stylish, brash and brutal, and its faults don’t mar the final product.” 8/10

Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone – “More reasons to commit orc genocide than ever before and enough fresh ideas to keep your thumbs from button-bashing fatigue.” 7/10

Viewtiful Joe – “Never disappointing – although sometimes discriminatingly tough – VJ is a brilliant game, especially at this bargain price.” 8/10

Obscure – “Obscure offers a refreshing spin on horror staples, but fails to correct some of the flaws. Plenty for gore hounds to enjoy, though.” 7/10

Mortal Kombat: Deception – “Are too many modes spoiling the game or is this just an old dog failing to learn new tricks? Either way, it’s a disappointment.” 6/10

NHL 2005 – “There are patches of thin ice in places, but skate around them and you’ll find this to be an incredibly enjoyable experience.” 7/10

Madden NFL 2005 – “The perfect US footie game gets better and better. Go on, give it a try – we promise you’ll be surprised how good it is.” 9/10

Gradius V – “Meanness resonates from every laser-scorched pixel, but there’s still no better way to save the world in the second dimension.” 7/10

TOCA Race Driver 2 – “A racing game in a class of its own, TOCA 2’s inviting storyline and uncomplicated racing will draw in even the most casual of drivers.” 8/10

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time – “Massive RPG which takes patience and perseverance to fully enjoy. Make the effort, though, and you’ll be rewarded in spades.” 7/10

Club Football 2005 – “A marketing ploy that translates into a joyless playing experience. It’s got loads to do before it can go out and play with the big boys.” 5/10

Vietcong: Purple Haze – “Nice set pieces and apparent authenticity – but not surprising or thrilling, and has the visual appeal of a napalm-sprayed village.” 6/10

Ghost Master – “A good idea that’s mostly well executed, but is neither scary or funny and ultimately a bit empty. Shockingly average.” 5/10

Future Tactics: The Uprising – “Incongruous elements mean this is neither fish nor foul. It’s just too simplistic to engage, even in two-player mode.” 5/10

Crisis Zone – “A pooper shooter in comparison to Time Crisis 3. One for mentalist Crisis zealots only and for those with an unnerving love of weaponry.” 4/10

LMA Manager 2005 – “While definitely a minor tweak rather than a serious overhaul, LMA retains the management silverware… for now.” 8/10

Sly 2: Band of Thieves – “Charming and slick, if a little basic, Sly 2 deserves your pennies – even if you choose to play some bigger hitters first.” 7/10

Dance UK XL – “Dance UK XL is the guy on the dancefloor who tries a little bit too hard and fails with each and every move. Best to avoid.” 5/10

Adiboo and the Energy Thieves – “The kids loved it, which shows it serves a market. But even they would do well to avoid it and head for Jak or Ratchet instead.” 5/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Killzone
Pro Evolution Soccer 4
Obscure
Rocky Legends
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

Footage
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Under the Skin
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Urbz: Sims in the City
WWE Smackdown VS Raw
Ratchet and Clank 3
Driv3r hidden vehicles guide
Goal of the Month
Online leagues for Hardware Online Arena, SOCOM 2: US Navy SEALs and This is Football 2004
Test the Expert – Nick Wlodyka answers 10 questions about WWE.
Monica Bellucci interview

Game Saves
Primal
The Getaway
The Mark of Kri
Ratchet and Clank 2
Enter the Matrix
XIII
007: Nightfire
WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth
Silent Hill 3
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
SSX 3
Final Fantasy X2
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Hitman: Contracts
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Trivia
* This issue forms the second part of the esoteric cover trilogy, with a fancy photoshoot of Thierry Henry. This was stated in the final issue to be the magazine’s most expensive cover, due to the cost of hiring Henry and a professional photographer for the photoshoot. Also, it’s surprising that it took so long for PES to get on the cover. The next two versions get their own covers as well to make up for it.
* This year, PES goes for a religious motif, which is somewhat less sinister than last year’s Cult of PES. Key word being somewhat. As well as the New Religion heading on the cover, the first game's Replay is compared to the Nativity story.
* This is Nathan Ditum’s last issue. He could well be the shortest-lived member of the team, as this was only his third issue.
* The letters page introduces a new section, Name and Shame, for the most disturbing letter received. This month’s choice is a graphical edit of Gorgeous George Walter, turning him into a chav with a great big bushy beard, fluorescent pink skin, and half his teeth missing. I imagine this is his evil counterpart, Grotesque George.
* An article on Constantine gives Keanu Reeves both barrels, calling him a plank of wood on legs and considering him not reprising his film role in the game to be a positive. Nobody show this to the internet, it’ll break its collective heart, swiftly followed by a rampage of revenge that even John Wick would consider to be a bit much.
* Unfortunately, there’s no OPS2 Investigates this month, but don't worry, it's back next month.

Quote of the Month: “Turnip surprise pie just isn’t the same without the oven cleaner.” The perils of mixing things you really shouldn’t.

Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 146

Issue 51 (October 2004)

                                                             Issue 51, October 2004

Editor’s letter
       So, how was it for you? The Killzone review that we’ve been promising for so long has been and gone and now you know. Did it surprise you? Probably not, I expect. But it should make you happy to know that it’s all worth it: the waiting you’ve done and the wait still to come. Because what might not make you happy is that – despite the single-player game being finished – Killzone won’t be out for another two months while they test the online modes. Now while this is clearly bad news for you, we do have a few reasons to be cheerful.
       1. It is absolutely, definitely, completely and a stone cold guarantee that this is the first review you can read. It has to be – they finished the game and handed it straight to us.
       2. Next month we’ll have the one and only playable demo on the DVD – a full month before the game is released.
       3. You’ll also be able to win a life-sized Helghast for your front room next issue.
       4. Expect a full online review, more competitions, a guide and lots more in the next two months. The review might be in but we’re still the only magazine for Killzone.
       See you on Thursday, 7 October. Expect a few surprises…
                                                            Richard Keith, Editor

Features
Most Wanted UK Game Awards 2004 – The nominees for the 2004 UK Most Wanted Game Awards and how to vote for your choice.

What’s Monica Bellucci got to do with Prince of Persia 2? – The answer: she provides the voice of Kaileena, the Empress of Time and the main antagonist of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.

Touch Sensitive – FIFA 2005

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, favourite space characters.

Could Be a Classic – An original non-sequel gets some focus. This month, Johnny Whatever. A punk-rocker tries to bring music back to a fascistic ultra-authoritarian future London in a game that sounds like a cross between V for Vendetta, Brutal Legend and We Happy Few.

She’s Got Game – A column from Kirsten Kearney from the perspective of female gamers. This month, gaming marathons.

Replay – Revisiting Driv3r and Onimusha 3, reader reviews for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gran Turismo 4 Prologue, and cheats for Pro Evolution Soccer 3, Spider-Man 2, NBA Ballers and Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, Box Art From Hell! A collection of PS2’s worst box art, including WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain, Tetris Worlds, Pryzm Chapter One: The Dark Unicorn, Ico, Gift and more.

                                   Which means I finally get to make a callback to an old joke!

Back page list – This month, 10 reasons why playing games makes you irresistible to women.

                                                                This month's Save Point

Monitor
Pro Evolution Soccer 4 – “We’ve been waiting a long time and all the indications are that we won’t be disappointed. Everywhere we look we see improvements, and it’s so smooth it’s untrue. October can’t come quick enough.” Meltdown

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time – “Stunning, but whether it has staying power remains to be seen.” Hot

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – “Trying to put into words how excited we are at getting hold of this potential masterpiece is getting increasingly difficult. Let’s just leave it at this: it’s the most excited we’ve been about a game. Ever.” Meltdown

Club Football 2005 – “Improvements marred by lack of, erm, improvements.” Warm

Viewtiful Joe – “Joe’s been around for a while now and his familiarity makes it hard to get really excited. But games this imaginative and fun are rare, and it’s far too good a gaming prospect to ignore.” Hot

Mortal Kombat: Deception – “Behind the amusing blood-spattered bells and whistles, Mortal Kombat: Deception is an above average (just) slap ‘n’ slasher. Normally we’d be less than excited, but online play could be its secret weapon.” Hot

Obscure – “Obscure succeeds by doing very well what other games can only do satisfactorily. Yeah, we know it’s silly, but it does – and it doesn’t care. And it’s so close to release it’s hard to see what could go wrong…” Boiling

Goldeneye: Rogue Agent – “Still a way to go if EA hopes to deliver a game worthy of the illustrious name, but we’re not writing off Rogue Agent just yet. A bit more research time in Q’s lab could see this one come good at the end.” Hot

The Getaway: Black Monday – “Sam’s a welcome addition to the Getaway family and, although the stealth still concerns us, the prospect of more X-rated Eastenders is getting us excited again. We’ll have more info next month.” Meltdown

The Red Star – “We’re hoping the old-skool gameplay shines through.” Warm

Ghost Recon 2 – “Every bit of news we hear about Ghost Recon 2 is good news. All the problems we had with the original GR are being eliminated like so many North Korean insurgents in the mist. We’re excited.” Hot

Devil May Cry 3 – “For a character powered by the burning fires of Hell, Dante is about as ice cool as they come. Our playtest was just a taster – and now we’re itching to holster up and have another go. Watch this space.” Meltdown

Timesplitters: Future Perfect – “Have we gone too far? Maybe. But of all the games we’ve played recently, none have matched the fizzy-eyed sense of excitement we get from playing the loved-up wonderment that is Future Perfect.” Meltdown

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath – “We’d forgotten how much we liked the Oddworld games – but Stranger is innovative, cracking looking and genuinely amusing. It’s been a while since any of us typed those adjectives in the same sentence.” Boiling

Reviews
Killzone – “The shooter we’ve been waiting for since PS2 launched. Visually it’s amazing and the gameplay rocks harder than you dare dream.” 9/10

Burnout 3: Takedown – “Frantic alone and insane with friends, Burnout 3 is a game that’ll make you fall in love with your PS2 all over again.” 10/10

Headhunter: Redemption – “Despite its glorious looks and stunning music Redemption’s creaky old gameplay means this is a game out of place in 2004.” 6/10

Colin McRae Rally 2005 – “It might not look like much has changed but the improvements – although subtle – power through to make all the difference.” 9/10

Silent Hill 4: The Room – “Feels different – faster paced, stronger in story – without solving old problems or really offering anything else new.” 7/10

Juiced – “Arcade racer types may find the technical approach a tad brittle, but as a breezier sim alternative to GT4, this won’t disappoint.” 7/10

DJ: Decks & FX – “An interesting attempt to create a live mixing experience, though some may become frustrated once they’ve mastered the basics.” 8/10

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires – “Empires is a worthy mix of strategy and action that adds to the Dynasty Warriors canon, but one more add-on will be one too many.” 7/10

Conflict: Vietnam – “Has similar attributes as ‘Nam 67, but does pretty much everything worse. Either play that or wait for Snake’s jungle adventures.” 5/10

McFarlane’s Evil Prophecy – “Just be thankful we played this for you. McFarlane’s figures may be works of art, but this boring, ugly game is anything but.” 2/10

Army Men: Sarge’s War – “So broken it’s severely wounded. Not just firing blanks, but also malfunctioning like a baby does dribble.” 3/10

U Move Super Sports – “Takes the winning Eyetoy formula and updates it more than enough to tide you along until the next mini-game disc rolls along.” 7/10

.Hack/Outbreak – “A nice idea, but we’ve been strung along too much. The pace has gone up a notch, but it’s just too little, too late.” 4/10

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 – “At heart it’s the same game as last year but with enough improved features and custom stuff that it’s still a must-buy.” 9/10

Spy Fiction – “What it lacks in originality it makes up for in variety. But all that good is thrown away by the cocked-up camera.” 6/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Colin McRae Rally 2005
Ratchet and Clank 3
DJ: Decks and FX
Crisis Zone
Spyro: A Hero’s Tail

Footage
Enthusia
Mercenaries
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The Punisher
Crimson Sea 2
Eyetoy Chat
Jackie Chan Adventures
Killzone
Need for Speed Underground 2
Rumble Roses
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
Driv3r hidden vehicles guide
Goal of the Month
Online leagues for Hardware Online Arena, SOCOM 2: US Navy SEALs and This is Football 2004
Colin McRae interview
Ask OPS2

Game Saves
Moto GP 3
Gran Turismo 4 Prologue
Final Fantasy X2
Hitman Contracts
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Transformers

Trivia
* This issue’s cover may be a very simple one, but it’s also one of my favourites for how striking it is. It really sets Killzone apart as being special, that it got this instead of a render of a Helghast soldier or other in-game shot. Speaking of Killzone…
* Games that would never be made today #8: Games made specifically to ‘kill’ a rival console’s killer app (In this case, Killzone.) Why not? To put it simply, Killzone isn’t on Xbox, so it’s not going to have much effect on Halo’s sales, is it? In all seriousness, each of the Big Three have carved out their own niche over time. Xbox has the serious driving and shooting games, Playstation has story-driven single player adventures, and Nintendo has family-friendly and anime-style games. All three are supplemented by multi-format third-party games, so there isn’t the same need for, say, Playstation to encroach on the specialist territory of the other two as much.
* I feel like I’ve been ragging on Killzone a lot lately, so I’m going to stick up for it here. It may have been made to cash in on Halo and probably wouldn’t exist had Master Chief not come before it, but the series does have a unique, intense atmosphere all its own that sets it apart from Halo, and starting from Killzone 2, the series came into its own and lived up to the hype. The Killzone website shut down earlier this month, and between that, Guerrilla moving on to Horizon Zero Dawn, and the fact that it’s been over 7 years since the last game with no sign of a new one, it’s safe to say the franchise is most likely dead. As Sony’s premier shooter franchise, Killzone deserves better than that, especially when you consider that Sony’s other shooter franchises, such as Resistance, SOCOM, Syphon Filter and even Uncharted have all finished too. Keeping Killzone around would have diversified Sony’s collection of active IPs.
* Remember how I needed to come up with a tie-breaker for the battle of psychic games? This issue provided one of its own, as Second Sight enters the Hot 100, whereas Psi-Ops doesn’t make the cut. I called it right, albeit for different reasons.
* Colin Farrell writes in this month to express his regret for buying Driv3r before reading a review. It probably isn’t the film actor Colin Farrell, but wouldn’t it be great if it was?
* New franchise alert! Lego Star Wars makes its debut: “We know what you’re thinking – “Well that’ll be pump, then” – but we reckon it might just be quite good… It has to be played to be believed.”
* The Silent Hill 4 review asks for a PS2 remake of the first game. Their wish was granted years later in the form of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
* Acclaim’s ghost haunts this issue, as two of their last games are featured, Juiced and The Red Star. These games went unreleased due to Acclaim’s bankruptcy, until they were picked up by other publishers. Juiced only had to wait a few months, but The Red Star was a tougher sell, and it wasn’t released for another three years.

Quote of the Month: “Please, you have to help, I don’t want to die in here!” Do the Super Monkey Ball monkeys have oxygen in there? Does anyone let them out of the balls after each level?

Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 146

ABC Sales Figures: The drop in sales figures in this 6 month period is around the same level as this time last year, so I’ll chalk it up to the first half of the year being quieter in terms of games, considering we already know the current design was a success from the reader survey.

Jul-Dec 2003 – 188,322
Jan-Jun 2004 – 177,450 (Down 10,872)