Issue 59, May 2005
Editor’s letter
I’ve got a lot to tell you this month. Firstly, we’ve a massive line-up of exclusive first-look games: Battlefront 2, 007: From Russia With Love, Prince of Persia 3 and Soul Calibur 3 not to mention Tomb Raider: Legend. We’ve got more Burnout 4 shots too, following on from last month’s world first look. It’s Star Wars that takes centre stage this month though, and our giant trilogy of coverage kicks off on page 64 – although purists might want to skip page 76 as we’ve only gone and spazzed the whole Ep III plot. For God’s sake play Lego Star Wars on the disc though; it’s bloody fantastic.
A PSP for £9.99? Impossible, surely? But no, as a quick detour to OPS2’s Big Bargain Boutique on page 34 will reveal. Simply put, we are going to flog PSPs and other great stuff for bargain basement prices every month on Ebay to you, our loyal readers. Just remember (before the inevitable rip-offs appear) the original is always best.
As a further display of stupid generosity, how about this… The first five people (I’ve never met) to approach me holding a copy of this magazine and say “come on Mr Playstation, let’s have a copy of God of War”, will be sent a copy. Simple. And if you don’t know God of War, check out page 58 – it’s had no hype but it’ll blow your mind.
Finally remember, OPS2 is your magazine. Are you happy with it? Please write to me at the usual address with your loves, hates, likes, dislikes, wants, needs and, most of all, ideas. The best ones will receive something special in the post. Enjoy the issue.
Stephen Pierce, Editor in chief
Features
24 – 24
When someone asks you if you’re a god… – God of War
The Circle is Complete – To celebrate the release of Star Wars Episode III ending the saga for the second time, we’ve got a massive Star Wars feature, encompassing Episode III (both film and game), Battlefront II, the Lego Star Wars review and demo, and special guests including Nick Gillard (the choreographer for the prequel trilogy) and Matt Lucas (No, I don’t know what he has to do with Star Wars either.)
Is this guy really the star of the next 10/10 game? – Soul Calibur 3. The guy in question is Zasalamel, an ace-looking scythe-wielding newcomer to the roster. To answer the question, he wasn’t, because other games came out first that got a perfect score. But what were they? You’ll have to keep reading to find out…
Holding the PSP’s Hot Handful – This month’s PSP update playtests five of the launch titles, and ranks all the UMD movies confirmed for launch.
Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, what would tempt you to the Dark Side?
Replay – Revisiting Star Wars Battlefront and Shadow of Rome, reader reviews for Project Snowblind and Gallop Racer 2, what the other mags said about Gran Turismo 4, Timesplitters: Future Perfect, Metal Gear Solid 3 and The Punisher, and The Crib and The Boot Room.
OPS2 Investigates – This month, The day we ate bees with Mr Metal Gear. An interview with Hideo Kojima takes a turn for the surreal when he invites the interviewer to a restaurant that serves delicacies such as bees drowned in vodka and scorpions dipped in chocolate. This is the last time Kojima-san gets to choose the venue!
Did We Really? – Replacing the back page list is this new feature which digs up OPS2’s old shames to point and laugh at them. This month, did we really put Herdy Gerdy on the front cover?
Monitor
Bloodrayne 2 – “Better controls, characters and looks – better everything basically. Bloodrayne 2 is worlds apart from its clumpy predecessor. On the whole, things are looking good for the red-haired vamp.” Boiling
Batman Begins – “The stealth is definitely of the diet variety, but this is miles away from being a Catwoman-shaped atrocity. If they can get the fighting to feel punchier, Batman fans will be in for a dark treat.” Hot
SCAR: Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo – “Not a premier league racer, but SCAR’s got nice ideas.” Warm
Tekken 5 – “We may have some minor quibbles over the animation, but Tekken 5 has been muscled up with stacks of extras. We’re still a little undecided if any of them are genuinely useful, though.” Hot
Sniper Elite – “A great looking change of pace with a good aim so far.” Hot
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction – “Already it’s clear they’ve got the most important thing right – the actual feel of the Hulk – so in terms of accuracy we have little to worry about. Anything else will just be a bonus.” Boiling
Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure – “We wanted to hate it, just on principle. But, suitably shamed, we can see the exciting potential just busting to get out. The Eckomeister really wants this to be excellent, and so do we.” Hot
Spartan: Total Warrior – “Spartan: Total Warrior looks like an incredible adventure – huge atmospheric levels and great action – if the gameplay is as stunning as the visuals, this could be history in the making.” Boiling
Evil Dead: Regeneration – “Our love for the chinned-one is the main saving grace.” Warm
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat – “All online PS2 gamers go ahead and consider this a ‘Meltdown’ proposition. For everyone else, it’s looking tasty, but let’s save the fireworks until we get our hands on the single-player game.” Boiling
Shadow of the Colossus – “Clearly more action-orientated than Ico, but still likely to play best with the arthouse crowd. Everything now rests on how the game is going to feel. We’ll let you know next month.” Meltdown
Reviews
Lego Star Wars – “It may be shallow, easy and ‘for kids’, but that’s the point. Lots of charm and fun, making for an irresistible package.” 8/10
NARC – “A great idea that’s been badly realized, but one that might thrill us if it resurfaced as NARC 2: Now we’ve done it properly.” 5/10
Singstar Popworld – “It’s still Singstar, so it’s still brilliant. The tracklist threatens to derail the soul train, yet doesn’t crash the party too much.” 8/10
Enthusia Professional Racing – “Pitches itself against the daddy and fails, ironically bypassing enthusiasm on its way to earnest okay-ness. A missed opportunity.” 7/10
Kessen III – “In trying to be accessible, Kessen III ends up being plain and unrewarding. Forget the tactics, KOEI, we just want to fight!” 6/10
TT Superbikes – “The bikers might go mad for it, but anyone who doesn’t know what ‘pillion’ is should really steer clear of this.” 6/10
Cold Winter – “Cold Winter may be corny and have all the finesse of a made-for-cable-TV movie, but it’s bloodthirsty fun all the same.” 8/10
Alien Hominid – “A classic example of style over substance, but there’s enough of the former to forgive the lack of the latter. Good fun.” 7/10
World Snooker Championship 2005 – “A perfectly enjoyable and absorbing effort that’s frustrating because a little spit and polish would have made it great.” 7/10
Super Monkey Ball Deluxe – “The implausibility of completing later levels on the Dual Shock takes the sheen off a bit, but at £25, you just can’t grumble.” 8/10
MX VS ATV Unleashed – “Not as fun as belting a BMX through GTA’s Badlands, but fans of previous MX or ATV games will be in a hog heaven.” 7/10
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition – “This is as good a street racer as you’ll find on PS2. Strangely, that doesn’t make it the most exciting game you’ll ever play.” 8/10
Spindrive Ping Pong – “There’s a limit to what you can get for a tenner, and a good ping pong game is evidently somewhere beyond this.” 3/10
Gunbird: Special Edition – “Far from outstanding games, but good solid shooters and, at a mere ten bucks, certainly outstanding value.” 6/10
Juiced – “A quality street racer with a real edge and cool respect dynamic that’s only compromised by handling with a split personality.” 7/10
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows – “So old you’ll want to help it across the road and pop by its house every now and then to check it’s okay.” 6/10
Red Ninja: End of Honor – “A lacklustre stain on the stealth genre. Repetitive and lacking in imagination, Red Ninja is a better idea than it is a game.” 4/10
Robots – “Visually accomplished but with far too simplistic find-and-collect gameplay. Despite this, Robots will probably do well enough off the back of the film.” 5/10
Pink Pong – “Wooden and unpleasant to play as a representation of ping pong, the option to ogle the female cast in a variety of poses is poor compensation for the main game.” 2/10
Haunting Ground – “Initially intriguing, but too dreamlike and distant to engage for long. Plus there aren’t any guns. What’s that about then?” 6/10
Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams – “Gaining a point for the reduced price, Tak 2 trips up the final step to gaming greatness through a last-minute lack of effort.” 7/10
Mashed: Fully Loaded – “One of the best multiplayer games around with some extras and an attractive price. Perhaps not worth it if you have the original though.” 8/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
Lego Star Wars
Enthusia Professional Racing
Fight Night Round 2
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
Rugby 2005
Juiced
Full Spectrum Warrior
Killzone
Footage
ESPN NBA 2K5
ESPN NHL 2K5
ESPN NFL 2K5
Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Eyetoy Antigrav
Pilot Down: Behind Enemy Lines
Darkwatch
PSP Launch Line-Up (Includes Wipeout Pure, Ape Academy, Ridge Racer, Everybody’s Golf, World Tour Soccer, World Rally Championship, Fired Up and Medievil: Resurrection)
Colin McRae Rally PSP
Goal of the Month
The Making of Ace Combat: Squadron Leader
Game Saves
Gran Turismo 3
Jak and Daxter
Final Fantasy X
Kingdom Hearts
Killzone
Spider-Man 2
Need for Speed Underground 2
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Trivia
* There’s a bit of a change on the letters page this month, as Handbag is replaced by Fat Crying Baby, which is pretty much the same thing minus the booby prize, and we also get the first edition of Games for Tat, in which the first reader to send in whatever strange thing OPS2 asks for gets a free game.
* To tie in with the Star Wars theme for this month, In the Fade has replaced the red and blue arrows with lightsabers and been rebranded as In the Saber. Surprisingly, this wasn’t a one-off and stuck until Issue 89.
* The Big Bargain Boutique is notable for featuring Tim Clark in a sparkly gold suit jacket.
* You can tell this issue predates Borat going mainstream because Kazakhstan is described as an obscure country.
* The Star Wars feature includes a theory that Anakin going to the Dark Side and helping bring about Order 66 was how he brought balance to the Force, because there were thousands of Jedi versus only two Sith. The theory then goes on to say the true balance was found in Luke, the last remaining Jedi who also had a few things reminiscent of the Dark Side, like his black outfit in Return of the Jedi, his robotic hand, and most importantly, that he doesn’t suppress his emotions like other Jedi were taught to.
* “Let’s just pray Luke doesn’t sire any sprogs. If he does, it’s all going to kick off again.” Did OPS2 predict the sequel trilogy a decade early?
* Lego Star Wars gets 3 pages and a highly enthusiastic review, quite a contrast to nowadays, where the novelty has worn off of Lego games due to getting a new one every few months, and they tend to be met with a half-page shrug to the tune of 6-7/10.
* Juiced is re-reviewed following its phoenix-like rise from the unreleased game graveyard, but it gets the same score as last time.
* For those who don’t know, a pillion is the back seat of a motorcycle. I bet you didn’t expect to learn things from reading this blog, did you?
* The Hot 100 takes a month off from the magazine. Instead, one of the free gifts for this issue was a book that reprinted abridged versions of the reviews for the games currently on the list.
Quote of the Month: “Do you want some shit? No, he doesn’t. His head looks like an after-party birthday cake and he’s floating in a pool of his own pureed giblets – he’s had just about all the shit he can take!” Remember kids, say no to drugs!
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 146
ABC Sales Figures: The sales figures don’t increase in the second half of the year for the first time, which means this is likely the point where we’ll see a steady decline. That said, the reduction is only half as much as the previous sales drops, and the figures are still very high.
Jan-Jun 2004 – 177,450
Jul-Dec 2004 – 172,593 (Down 4,857)
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