Issue 75, August 2006
Editor’s letter
One of the first things I wrote after joining OPS2 (when I was a considerably angrier young man) was an opinion piece debating the morality of WW2 games. I’ll spare you the details, but the gist was that if you went back in time to June 1944, and told a terrified soldier with his face pressed into the sand of Omaha beach that in two generations’ time people would be recreating his experience for kicks… well, he’d probably be slightly annoyed. I also took issue with the fact that most shooters treated German soldiers as no better than zombies or aliens – just walking targets. The editor at the time decided not to run the piece, but the idea stuck with me. About a year later I was interviewing Medal of Honor’s producer and put the same line of questioning to him. His inevitable line of defence was that movies and books use real life war as rich source material, so why shouldn’t games? (Although you don’t get to pull the trigger yourself in a movie.) We ended up agreeing that the question would only really become relevant in the next round of hardware, when near-photorealistic graphics would make the morality of shooters much more thorny. Which brings us to now, and our Call of Duty 3 cover. Visually, it’s an astonishing game – but what’s most interesting, as Leon Hurley points out in his excellent feature, is how the increased graphical fidelity changes the way you feel about your own actions. Watching a German soldier’s face change from confidence to terror as he realises what you’re about to do is particularly chilling. Remember Sony’s talk about ‘fourth dimensional gaming’ on PS3? Perhaps, on next-gen, it will be all about the moral dimension.
Tim Clark, Editor
Features
Is this the sexiest shooter on PS3? – Call of Duty 3
Join Up Now – Haze
The good news: World War 2 never happened. The bad news: we got invaded by sabre-toothed aliens… – Resistance: Fall of Man
Everything you wanted to know about PS3 but were afraid to ask – This feature goes over some of the PS3’s features, like the system specs and the controller’s motion sensing.
Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, what’s your weapon of choice?
Could be a Classic – This month, Traxion. This PSP music game had 20 minigames, whose difficulty would be determined by the music saved on your system’s memory stick.
A Brief History – Retrospectives of some of PS2’s most popular franchises. This month, Star Wars.
Replay – Online reviews for Rogue Trooper, SOCOM 3: US Navy SEALs, Urban Chaos: Riot Response and Me and My Katamari, and what the other mags said about Super Monkey Ball Adventure, X-Men: The Official Game, Forbidden Siren 2 and The Da Vinci Code.
OPS2 Investigates – This month, Guns for HIre. OPS2 interview mercenaries who work for PMCs (private military companies).
Endgame – Game endings. This month, Ico.
Monitor
Reservoir Dogs – “The idea still seems ludicrous to us, and despite some clever touches – like threatening the hostages – Reservoir Dogs is a small-time crook with a ‘born to lose’ tattoo on his arm.” Warm
Gitaroo Man Lives! – “This isn’t startlingly new but it is a superb opportunity for PSP owners to rediscover a genuine classic. An entrancing mix of testing gameplay and brilliantly deranged music.” Hot
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy – “This is brilliantly addictive platform action, and is actually based on the good films this time. The Original Trilogy could be another classic in the making for the plastic fantastics.” Meltdown
Superbikes Riding Challenge – “An accessible bike sim that’s a surprisingly good ride.” Hot
Every Extend Extra – “A simple idea with a mesmeric blend of glowing visuals, strong beats and twitchy gameplay, there’s every reason to think this, like its predecessor Lumines, will be a minor classic.” Boiling
Splinter Cell: Double Agent – “Double Agent looks like being a welcome change of direction for the Splinter Cell series. The core gameplay isn’t in question, but much will depend on how deep the moral choice system actually runs.” Hot
Destroy All Humans 2 – “Right now this feels more like Destroy All Humans 1.5 than a true sequel, but the original was such a blast, we can’t help but be excited. Roll on autumn, so we can crash the Summer of Love.” Boiling
Thrillville – “Shaping up to be a surprise hit on both PS2 and PSP.” Hot
Justice League Heroes – “This is an enjoyable, if basic, superhero-themed RPG. We need to see more variety in the action before we start making our costumes though.” Hot
Rainbow Six: Vegas – “Rainbow Six has been rebuilt for the next-generation, and although the series was never a serious wallet-opener on PS2, we’re tipping this to be a highlight in the PS3 launch line-up.” Boiling
Battlezone – “Pointless exhumation of yet another yesteryear ‘classic’.” Tepid
WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2007 – “Shaping up to be one of the PS3’s finest looking games, and guaranteed to be authentic – but right now we’re struggling to adapt to the new control system, and that’s a concern.” Hot
Superman Returns – “You’ve guessed right – it’s still looking super, man.” Boiling
Hot Pixel – “It’s obviously ‘borrowed’ from Nintendo’s equally twitchy Wario Ware, but who cares when the fun’s this deranged. Hot Pixel is a great addition to PSP, and great for on-the-move gaming.” Hot
God Hand – “Given developer Clover’s track record on Viewtiful Joe and Okami, we expected this to be ace. And God Hand is a laugh, but right now a question mark dangles over its ability to provide lasting appeal.” Hot
PS2 Reviews
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories – “You still can’t beat a dose of GTA, and even though this is a strange backward step on PS2, the £19.99 price point softens the blow.” 8/10
Formula One 2006 – “Likeable licensed racer that boasts excellent presentation, a wealth of options, and an idiot-simple (yet well designed) set of controls.” 7/10
Sensible Soccer 2006 – “A needless, exploitative ‘update’ of a fondly remembered classic. Compared to PES or even FIFA Street, this is an embarrassment.” 4/10
Jaws Unleashed – “Jaws is genuinely witty, outrageously violent and top fun but – wait for it – slightly lacking in depth.” 7/10
Soccer Life 2 – “A unique football game with some innovative stuff contained within – but one that has its priorities all wrong.” 5/10
Shinobido: Way of the Ninja – “Archaic, leaden stealth that mixes bland, unchallenging environments and clunky controls to plumb new gaming lows.” 3/10
The Ultimate World Cup Quiz – “Get on Google and make up your own football quiz parlour game with paper and pens. Easier, cheaper, and more fun.” 2/10
Super Dragon Ball Z – “Its colourful looks may appeal to younger gamers, but Super DBZ is too limited in every department to attract interest from anyone else.” 5/10
AND1 Streetball – “AND1 borrows from the best hoop sims the PS2 has to offer, and the result is a playable, yet unexceptional, sports title. There are better b-ball games out there though.” 7/10
10,000 Bullets – “Dull action-adventure which combines sub-standard bullet-time combat, badly synched cut-scenes, and a waif-like plot. Not even hardcore masochists should touch it.” 2/10
WWII Tank Battles – “You could offer us 15 quid to play this again and we’d still flatly refuse, but it does score an extra point for being so unintentionally hilarious.” 2/10
Leaderboard Golf – “Shouting ‘world’s most lavish golfing challenge’ on the box might dupe granny when she’s rummaging through the Tesco bargain bin, but not us.” 4/10
Armored Core: Nexus – “An Armored Core nut’s wet dream, if such a deranged breed exists. Otherwise a dull mech-‘em-up that lacks thrills and originality.” 5/10
Over the Hedge – “Repetitive platform action. It’s playable, just, but staggeringly uninventive, uninspiring and instantly forgettable.” 5/10
Daemon Summoner – “Sometimes you fire at enemies from point-blank range and do no damage at all. That’s how much this horror sucks.” 3/10
Stock Car Crash – “Uninspired tracks and clunky physics make this one to avoid. Burnout on Platinum renders the existence of this totally pointless.” 3/10
PSP Reviews
Astonishia Story – “A basic RPG with no redeeming qualities, this is a relic from the past that’s inexplicably managed to find its way onto PSP.” 3/10
Tenchu: Time of the Assassins – “As a bloody beat-‘em-up this is fine, but as the stealth-driven outing it wants to be, it’s a long way off top form.” 6/10
Miami Vice – “What could have been a great game is hurt by a lack of depth and variety, but this is still one of the best PSP shooters out there.” 7/10
Field Commander – “Field Commander taxes the brain more than the trigger finger, so it’s ideal for anyone hankering after a tactical time waster.” 8/10
World Tour Soccer 2 – “A likeable addition to the PSP’s footy ranks that successfully offers something very different to the latest FIFA and PES.” 7/10
Micro Machines V4 – “Hollow in comparison to the mighty, beautifully designed Mashed and the superior PS2 version of this game. An opportunity badly missed.” 5/10
Def Jam: The Takeover – “A versatile and immersive fighter with individual characters, top tunes, and bone-breaking aplenty.” 8/10
Super Monkey Ball Adventure – “Like the PS2 version, this is a needlessly complex and frustrating barrel of monkey malarkey. Only the mini-games rescue it.” 6/10
Spongebob Squarepants: The Yellow Avenger – “You can’t condense cartoon genius like the ‘Pants into a 2.5D platformer – especially if you don’t even bother with voice acting. Pretty, but dull.” 4/10
Infected – “An uninspired but likeable-in-places arcade shooter whose few good ideas are hamstrung by shoddy design and weak AI.” 6/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
B-Boy
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Tomb Raider: Legend
Hitman: Blood Money
Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast
Singstar Rocks!
Micro Machines V4
FIFA Street 2
Sonic Riders
Ratchet: Gladiator
Jak 3
Footage
Platinum Promo (Includes WRC 4, Moto GP 4, Ratchet and Clank 3, Jak 3 and Tekken 5)
Trivia
* The Editor’s Letter this month is the most serious one in a while, and raises an interesting ethical and moral question. It feels like a throwback to the ones from the earliest issues. Something else comes to mind about the rejected WW2 article. Could Tim Clark have been the true identity of The Butcher? I’ve narrowed it down to either him or Bruce Wayne.
* In Issue 68, a reader wrote in about his girlfriend leaving him and taking his PSP with her. This month, the girlfriend gives her side of the story, explaining that she paid for the PSP in full, therefore it was hers (the couple had intended to go halves on it, but the boyfriend forgot his wallet on the day).
* This issue has the last appearance of model Lisa Ralph, for real this time. I’ve had to edit this bit out of two previous posts already. That’ll teach me for going off of memory and not checking ahead!
* Tomb Raider: Anniversary is announced this month, but there’s also a story on a previous PSP remake of the first Tomb Raider by original series developer Core Design, which was cancelled shortly before Anniversary was announced. I wonder how that came about. Did both Core Design and Crystal Dynamics work on separate remakes, with the latter being chosen to continue into full development, or was Core’s remake a secret project they hadn’t gotten approval for?
* Helen gets a touch of stardom this month, as she performs at Download Festival 2006.
* Save Point has had the odd two-parter before, but this month sees the start of a four-part arc.
* Fun fact for the ¾ stage, of the 100 games in the inaugural Hot 100, only 8 still remain on the list: Freedom Fighters, Ico, Kingdom Hearts, Metal Gear Solid 2, Music 3000, Project Zero, Silent Hill 3 and Timesplitters 2. The other 92 have been removed entirely or replaced by their sequels. Speaking of which, Kingdom Hearts won’t be around much longer…
Quote of the Month: “According to Western law, corporations are defined as people. And if a corporation were a person it would fit all the World Health Organisation’s criteria for psychopaths, including reckless disregard for others, repeated lying and inability to question themselves.” Bet you didn’t know this little tidbit!
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130
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