Issue 61, July 2005
Editor’s letter
My one disappointment since being given the OPS2 captain’s hat, is that I haven’t managed to install a klaxon. The idea would be that whenever a major gaming story broke, it would emit a deafening ‘whoop whoop’ sound. But given the galaxy-tilting month we’ve just had, it’s probably for the best. The bastard would’ve never stopped whooping. Much of what you’ll find in this issue comes from the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles (E3 to its mates) where each year ‘men of games’ converge to drink Corona, talk trash and marvel at the latest in videotronic electrickery. This year, even the most even-handed observers agreed that Playstation 3 stole the show. The raw power in Sony’s demos was simply astonishing, as you’ll see in our comprehensive coverage, starting on p18. Meanwhile, with the PSP launch a matter of months away, we’ve got the world exclusive on its biggest game, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Before skipping to p71, just pause to think about that for a second. GTA in your pocket, all the time… Trust me, it’s everything you dared to dream. Of course, we haven’t forgotten to bring you the very best in PS2 reportage. It always astonishes me to read other mags crying about the lack of innovation and originality. This month, we bring you exclusive reviews of Destroy All Humans! and Killer 7 – two games absolutely popping with ideas. Meanwhile, King Kong shows how a movie game should be done, Jack Bauer kicks ass in 24 and we’ve even managed to squeeze in the scoop on True Crime: New York City. There’s stupid amounts more, but I’m outta space. And my typing finger hurts. Enjoy.
Tim Clark, Associate Editor
Features
The Biggest Skate Park in the World – Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
What’s the Big Idea? – Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
I Heart NY – True Crime: New York City
Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, what would you name Playstation 3?
Could be a Classic – This month, Buzz: The Music Quiz. The quizmaster muppet makes his debut this month.
Replay – A God of War walkthrough, online reviews for World Snooker Championship 2005, Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition and Full Spectrum Warrior, what the other mags said about God of War, Area 51, Monster Hunter and NARC, and The Boot Room.
OPS2 Investigates – This month, 100% scientifically proven ways to improve your gaming life. Do this with quality peripherals, snacks, and friends. I can do one of those…
Did We Really? – OPS2 dig up their old shames to point and laugh at them. This month, did we really have a Yabasic page?
Monitor
Fantastic 4 – “Fantastic 4 doesn’t look as fantastic as we’d like. If the fighting can be improved and your teammates made a little less dense, then it would stand a better chance of living up to its name.” Warm
187: Ride or Die – “Cars and guns… what’s not to like? A fair bit, really.” Warm
Rogue Trooper – “There’s plenty of potential here. We haven’t forgotten the hugely disappointing Judge Dredd game, but Rogue looks set to do its ace source material justice.” Hot
The Sims 2 – “Freedom has always been the key to The Sims’ success. Strangely, the ability to take direct control only adds to the appeal. Then there’s a wealth of customisation options. You may never need real life again.” Hot
Stargate SG1: The Alliance – “Squad-based sci-fi tie in. One for SG1 fans, perhaps?” Warm
The Warriors – “As far as dedication to representing the movie, this is going to be spot on. Whether the relative obscurity of the source material will put newcomers off buying it is another question.” Boiling
Ultimate Spider-Man – “Even more go-anywhere gameplay, the return of the fantastic web-swinging and two totally different characters to mess about with mean this is shaping up to be the definitive comic hero / PS2 cross over.” Boiling
24 – “24 looks excellent and plays well, even this early on. And Sony’s got every detail that fans will be hoping for covered. We can’t wait to play the next 23 hours.” Meltdown
Shadow of the Colossus – “Ico’s sequel promises to repeat its ethereal success.” Boiling
King Kong – “Thanks to the garlic-enhanced brains at Ubisoft Montpellier – who brought us the disastrously overlooked Beyond Good and Evil – King Kong is set to play as brilliantly as it looks. Be the monkey! Genius.” Boiling
The Matrix: Path of Neo – “There are already so many games that rip off The Matrix, so – ironically – this one is going to have to work extra hard to stand out from the pack and not feel cliched. Keep the faith, Neophiles…” Hot
Need for Speed Most Wanted – “Car modding and police chases? Sounds arresting…” Hot
From Russia With Love – “Loads of variety, customisation and a superb jetpack – this is an exciting addition to the Bond universe. From Russia With Love definitely won’t have any problems with re-entry.” Boiling
Crashday – “DIY Burnout? If the gameplay’s right, then it could be.” Hot
Phantasy Star Universe – “Phantasy Star Universe is a raygun-packing badass. Which means an online RPG is now somewhere near the top of our most-wanted list. This is not a drill. We love this game.” Meltdown
Reviews
Destroy All Humans! – “With sharp humour and great design, this is the perfect antidote to a world of gritty shooters. Damn near essential.” 9/10
Killer 7 – “One of the most ambitious games on PS2. It’s unusual, but totally original and beautifully designed. Completely unforgettable.” 8/10
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – “Underneath the Lucas gloss lurks an unambitious game, further damaged by technical flaws. For Star Wars completists only.” 6/10
Cricket 2005 – “Cricket 2005 is not for casual, half hour sessions. It’s also sodding difficult. But persevere and you’ll find it’s a well-judged simulation.” 7/10
Dead to Rights II – “An unpretentious and fun shooter that ultimately becomes a bit tedious because of its relentless shoot shoot shoot gameplay.” 6/10
Delta Force: Black Hawk Down – “BHD does nothing new, but does it well and with an eye firmly fixed on playability. Undemanding, but totally enjoyable fragging fun.” 7/10
Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt – “Don’t be fooled by the child-friendly colours, this is a lazy platformer that is unlikely to win over even the youngest of gamers.” 3/10
Motocross Mania 3 – “Not likely to break into your top ten, but the visuals, driving and weapons make this a budget game that’s value for money.” 6/10
7 Sins – “The makers of 7 Sins claim ‘Being bad is the new being good.’ If so, then this is one of the best PS2 games ever. That’s how bad it is.” 3/10
SCAR: Squadra Course Alfa Romeo – “Full marks for innovation but out on the track SCAR doesn’t even come close to challenging PS2’s top racers.” 6/10
Gungrave Overdose – “An action-packed shooter that’s really just a bullet-ridden one-trick pony. It does, however, do that one trick quite well.” 6/10
Project Minerva Professional – “A solid idea executed with all the charm and talent of an obnoxious, fat man doing a belly flop onto your face as you sleep.” 3/10
Tekken 5 – “The Tekken series soars again by returning to the formula that triumphed back in the day. A damn good fisting.” 8/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
Destroy All Humans!
Tekken 5
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
Worms 4: Mayhem
Pro Evolution Soccer 4
Footage
50 Cent: Bulletproof
Spartan: Total Warrior
Stargate SG1: The Alliance
Lego Star Wars
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Total Overdose
Goal of the Month
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
* Of course, the big news this month is the reveal of the Playstation 3. Following months of speculation, the official announcement finally gave us some concrete information on the console, its capabilities, the dearly departed banana controller (R.I.P.), and the games.
* Speaking of games, the charge is led by that Killzone 2 trailer. You know the one. The one Sony insisted for over a decade afterwards was 100% real, long after it became obvious that this was not the case, and it was actually bullshot (that’s an actual term, not censorship on my part) to demonstrate what Guerrilla were aiming for. Yes, that one. There’s also Resistance kicking off the fine tradition of being upstaged by Killzone, Motorstorm, and a super-early (as in, over a decade before release) version of Nioh.
* Stargate SG1: The Alliance is previewed this month, and a trailer also appears on the demo disc. The game ended up being cancelled when it turned out that the publisher didn’t have the Stargate SG1 licence, which resulted in a two-year legal battle. Whoops!
* After 61 issues, I’m finally getting around to mentioning the Caddicarus video on Official Playstation Magazine. It’s a pretty good and entertaining video, so watch it if you haven’t. However, I’m bringing it up now because (you may want to sit down for this) I’m going to defend the magazine to an extent, and somewhat disagree with the moderately popular Youtuber. Basically, Caddy says in the video that the magazine became perverted and misogynist, and therefore rubbish. I’ve been documenting some of that in this blog, though I’ve tried not to go too far with it because I want this to be fun and light-hearted. 7 Sins scored 3/10, and Caddy says this is a bad thing, because 3/10 on the review scale is “Extremely disappointing”, the implication being OPS2 wanted 7 Sins to be good because they’re perverts. The problem with this is, the review scale in question is no longer in use at this point. Looking at the coverage of 7 Sins prior to this issue also makes clear that OPS2 never expected 7 Sins to be any good. I don’t think Caddy gives OPS2 enough credit as, even aside from 7 Sins, softcore porn games never scored well. Rumble Roses is the best of a bad bunch, and even that only got 6/10 (that it comes closest to being a ‘proper’ game probably contributes to that.) The way Caddy goes on, you’d think all porn game reviews could be summed up as “Bewbs! 17/10!!!” There’s plenty of evidence for Caddy to argue his point without him needing to reach for it (he also states that Rate Your Mate was a regular feature, when it only appeared in one issue), and that he does so anyway diminishes his argument slightly.
* To change the subject before I bring down the wrath of Caddicarus fans upon myself any more than I already have, (Caddicarus fans are the new Nostalgia Critic fans. Remember when Nostalgia Critic had fans? Remember how annoying they were? Exactly.) Tekken 5 is also reviewed this month, and it’s Ratchet and Clank 3 all over again. By which I mean, a game that had barely any coverage pre-release because OPS2 got bored of the series and championed its rival instead (in this case, Soul Calibur), which comes out of nowhere on review to be a big hit, not to mention a pleasant surprise.
Quote of the Month: “If some of our games have been successful now, what we think that buys us is the freedom to get future games right.” Rockstar are uncharacteristically humble about the popularity of Grand Theft Auto.
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 146
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