Issue 69, February 2006
Editor’s letter
Here’s the good news. You hold in your hands what may just be the greatest edition of Official Playstation 2 Magazine to date. Certainly, it’s the finest one since I clambered into the big chair. And the reason is a double whammy of world exclusives – 24 and Black – both reviewed first here, and both playable on your disc. Now this is just a hunch, but I’m guessing you like blowing stuff up, saving the free world and generally acting the big man. Yes? Good. This is your month. Aside from our sensational review/demo double-header, we’ve also got an embarrassment of other riches to offer. In what’s doubtless being written off as a ‘quiet news month’ (by less rigorous periodicals) our Spy section bristles with insider info. Like the first shots from Killzone: Liberation, Super Monkey Ball Adventure and The Da Vinci Code. Naturally, we’ve also got all the latest PS3 intel. This month, that means blowouts on three massive games heading to Sony’s superconsole – the resurgent Medal of Honor: Airborne, pin-sharp shooter Unreal Tournament 2007 and inspired ‘be-the-zombie’ actioner Possession. Back in the now, it’s all about the smell of showroom leather. Our motoring experts have been caning TOCA 3 for the exclusive review, and we’ve also got the first screens and impressions of Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast. (We thought you’d prefer seeing the real thing as opposed to unrepresentative arcade shots.) And the bad news? Turns out there isn’t any… Just as well, no room anyway.
Tim Clark, Associate Editor
Features
Red Ferrari, Blonde Girl, Blue Sky – Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast
Flying Without Wings – Medal of Honor: Airborne, with an interview from the game’s executive producer, Patrick Gilmore.
Space Marines… Cyber Suits… Science Fiction Guns… – Unreal Tournament 2007
Band of the Dead – Possession. This unreleased horror game had you playing as a mutant zombie that built an army of zombies to destroy a city. It sounds a bit like Prototype, but with a team-based approach instead of that game’s one-man army.
Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, what are you concealing?
Could be a Classic – This month, Byte Hell 2000, a PSP party game that seems to be WarioWare with the weirdness turned up to 11. Minigames include chopping wood with an axe attached to Pinocchio’s nose, kicking footballs at UFOs and setting a baby’s head on fire. Yes, that last one’s real.
A Brief History – A new feature introduced in this issue, OPS2 look back at some of PS2’s most popular series, as the PS2 era slowly starts to wind down and focus shifts towards PS3. This month, Pro Evolution Soccer.
Replay – Online reviews for Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood, Burnout Revenge and WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2006, and what the other mags said about Shadow of the Colossus, WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2006, Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures and Championship Manager.
OPS2 Investigates – This month, The Top 35 UMD Movies. The cream of the film crop available to watch on PSP.
Endgame – Game endings. This month, King Kong, both the regular ending, and the unlockable Kong-friendly alternate ending.
Monitor
Project Zero 3: The Tormented – “It may be more of the same for Project Zero 3, but since that means stylish, bowel-loosening Japan-o-horror, we’re happy. Terrified, but happy.” Hot
Jacked – “Not original but energy and a budget price helps.” Warm
Driver: Parallel Lines – “This is the Driver we used to know – less about wandering around, more speeding down back alleys. It needs some tidying up, but could be the best time-skipper since Back to the Future 2.” Hot
The Godfather – “We enjoy inhabiting The Godfather’s lavish world more than, say, True Crime: NYC, but we can’t shake the feeling that it strays too far from the source. But will anyone under 25 care?” Hot
Monster Hunter: Freedom – “It looks good. We just hope the camera gets sorted.” Hot
FIFA Street 2 – “Everything we liked about the first game is back for FIFA Street 2, with some new odds and sods strapped on for good measure. This round of arcade footy should be even more fulfilling than the last.” Hot
Jaws Unleashed – “We’ve been converted from ‘don’t mess with classics’ cynics to feeding-frenzied enthusiasts. Unleashed is original and funny – which, like the Great White, is a rare thing indeed.” Hot
Daxter – “The loss of Jak 3’s free-roaming shenanigans is a shame, but the classic-though-linear action should suit gaming on the go.” Hot
Rugby 2006 – “The Rugby franchise has always been the black sheep of EA Sports’ lineup, but times are changing. We can’t wait to give the England side a much-needed kick up the jacksie.” Hot
Aeon Flux – “We thought the tide was turning for movie tie-ins. Unfortunately, so far, this is generic, unimaginative combat vaguely inspired by the film. Which we now also assume to be pump.” Tepid
Tokobot – “The teamwork mechanic is promising. If the later challenges provide a decent test and your robots develop a flexible set of skills then this could be a very imaginative and different puzzler.” Hot
PS2 Reviews
24 – “No doubt about it, 24: The Game has flaws. That said, it’s a quality recreation of the show and is lots of fun to play.” 8/10
Black – “Black is what all shooters should be. An all-out assault on the senses. You can’t afford to miss out.” 10/10
TOCA Race Driver 3 – “When it comes to realism, TOCA is now hot on Gran Turismo’s heels. As for variety, accessibility and heart, it’s already way ahead.” 9/10
Ico – “Persevere to the bittersweet conclusion and Sony’s uniquely atmospheric puzzle adventure will hold a place in your heart forever.” 9/10
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life – “Ripe with early frustration, but put in a bit of hard work and Harvest Moon does deliver a bumper crop of fun.” 7/10
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana – “A cookie-cutter RPG lifted by characterisation and sustained exploration vibe, but hurt by sub-PSOne visuals.” 6/10
Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends – “Same old Dynasty Warriors. New modes can’t disguise the almost criminal lack of progress in this hack-‘n’-slash relic.” 4/10
Torino 2006 – “Without any surprise inclusions – where’s the ‘naked luge’ event? – this is just a standard set of okay-ish winter sports.” 5/10
Rugby League 2 – “PS2 is still lacking a perfect rugby sim, but look past the crude graphics and this is a decent piece of egg-shaped action.” 6/10
Guilty Gear Isuka – “An honest stab at genuine change which, unfortunately, dilutes what Guilty Gear does best but should still appeal to die-hards at this bargain price.” 6/10
Suikoden Tactics – “Some nice ideas that could have made this effort stand out from the crowd were it not so chock-full of cliche.” 6/10
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness – “Ambitious gameplay is marred by lazy design, leaving this wallowing in mere decency when it could have been devilishly enjoyable.” 7/10
Flow: Urban Dance Uprising – “Literally minutes of entertainment. There’s nothing really wrong with it but matching symbols feels more like a medical reaction test rather than a must-play game.” 5/10
Gaelic Games: Football – “You’d have more fun trying to play the sport for real while handcuffed and blindfolded than you will here. Avoid it like The Corrs.” 2/10
Metal Slug 5 – “Not big, but quite clever – this is ‘classic’ gaming at its best, but tarnished slightly by the decision to help us all complete it so quickly.” 7/10
Samurai Shodown V – “An apparently faithful port of the arcade version, which says a lot about why arcades are dying on their arse.” 2/10
We Heart Katamari – “A genius piece of eccentric gaming that’s a hair’s breadth from being indispensable. Utterly entertaining from start to finish.” 8/10
Urban Reign – “Apparently, monks chant the same phrase hundreds of times to reach a meditative state. This is like that, but with punching.” 6/10
Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure – “This is a baseball bat in the face of anyone who reckons original games are dead. Buy it and unleash the Rolf Harris in you.” 8/10
PSP Reviews
King Kong – “An ambitious attempt to shoehorn the epic PS2 game into the PSP, ruined by editing, unfriendly controls and gloomy graphics.” 5/10
Prince of Persia: Revelations – “Abundant faults make it impossible to recommend this over the original. Save your money and get Warrior Within second-hand on PS2 instead.” 6/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
Black
24
Shadow of the Colossus
Ico
Fahrenheit
Trivia
* New team member Andy Hartup joins this month.
* This issue has three variant covers. Mine has a group shot of the CTU team, while the other two show Jack Bauer alone.
* On the letters page, someone asks “When, if ever, will there be a game released based on animals in war?” Worms and Hogs of War come to mind. There’s also a pretty sad letter from someone suffering with game addiction, which is having a negative effect on their relationships and employment.
* Two re-reviews this month. First up, Ico, which is due to the game being reissued to tie in with its spiritual successor, Shadow of the Colossus. Second is Guilty Gear Isuka, but I don’t know why this is re-reviewed.
* Considering Rolf Harris is better known nowadays as a disgraced sex offender than as a renaissance man with talents as varied as art, music and TV presenting, that Marc Ecko review quote really hasn’t aged well.
* The Pro Evo retrospective has a section dedicated to commentator quotes. They’re all rubbish, and therefore brilliant. In case you’re wondering why one of these isn’t Quote of the Month, there were so many great choices that it didn’t feel right singling one out, and I knew I would regret not going with another one if I did.
Quote of the Month: “Limonka!” This is what the enemies in Black yell when you throw a grenade at them.
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 146
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