Issue 78 (November 2006)

                                                              Issue 78, November 2006

Editor’s letter
       First, an apology. Last month I made a schoolboy error. I said on this page that PS3 would be in the shops in 10 weeks. Whoops. In my defence, it would have been if, halfway through the making of this issue, the delay to March 2007 hadn’t been announced. But after the initial disappointment, there’s a series of positives to come out of this situation. First up, it gives game developers extra time, if they need it, to work on their games, which is always a good thing. Second, it means we’ll have a lot more titles to choose from at launch, and third (and we’re feeling a bit smug here) the PS2 remains Sony’s numero uno console for the foreseeable future.
       Anyway, the PS3 delay isn’t the only big news this issue. There’s Scarface, too. The news? As well as being the sweariest game in history, it’s also something of a rarity – a really good interpretation of a classic film. More news? What about Skate? An exclusive that literally came in two days before we were due to go to press. It’s the first serious challenge to Tony Hawk’s skateboard supremacy and it looks stunning – find out more on page 56. And then there’s the exclusive hands-on time we had with Devil May Cry 4 in Tokyo earlier this month. We’ve got the best shots anywhere and first-hand info on how it feels to play. All this news and I haven’t even mentioned the Spy section yet – fresh screens of Bully (or Canis Canem Edit as it’s called now) and first shots of PS3’s Battlefield: Bad Company. Lastly, a bit of information that can’t possibly backfire on me in the coming month… next issue expect a new face here. That’s right: we’re getting a brand new editor.
                                                                George Walter, Acting Editor

Features
Better than Hawk? – Skate

He’s the new hero of Devil May Cry 4 – Everyone give it up for Nero!

Caution! Next-gen Racers Ahead – A feature on PS3 racing games including Dirt, Motorstorm and Burnout Paradise.

Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, what makes you lose your temper?

Could be a Classic – This month, Earthworm Jim. The 90’s favourite tries for a PSP revival, but was sadly out of luck on this occasion following the game’s cancellation. Earthworm Jim for Smash, anyone?

Replay – Online reviews for Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and what the other mags said about Yakuza, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Cars and Prostroke Golf World Tour 2007.

So, you think you can beat us? – Readers take on the team in 2V2 multiplayer games. This month, Gran Turismo 4.

OPS2 Investigates – This month, Who are you? The results of this year’s reader survey.

Endgame – Game endings. This month, God of War.

                                  This month's Save Point is the final part of the ongoing storyline.

Monitor
WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2007 – “A brave step in a new direction, but will the controls end up being too obstructive? And will the novelty of bashing a man’s face into a post eventually wear thin? Find out in our review next month.” Hot

Rayman Raving Rabbids – “It may look like a cartoon you’d find on one of the more obscure children’s cable channels, but Rayman’s secret weapon is playability at all costs – even sanity. Prepare to be forcibly entertained.” Boiling

Ghost Rider – “Admittedly, it’s currently looking rather piecemeal – and the trailer for the film left us a bit cold – but the combination of bikes, demons and a sharp script could make it special.” Warm

Silent Hill Origins – “We’re not completely sure a handheld Silent Hill game can be properly scary and the gameplay is looking action-heavy, but the opportunity to see where it all began definitely has us hooked.” Hot

Call of Duty 3 – “As if the single-player game wasn’t stunning enough, Call of Duty 3’s multiplayer elements are looking fantastic, with far more depth to the action than your standard run-and-gun fragfest.” Meltdown

Resistance: Fall of Man – “Genuinely innovative weapons and a fantastic back story that would have Churchill choking on his cigar. Every console needs a killer FPS and Resistance should put PS3, and Grimsby, on the map.” Meltdown

Tony Hawk’s Project 8 – “The nearest to real skating that most of us will ever get.” Boiling

The Darkness – “The Darkness is a horrifically atmospheric shooter boasting some genuinely exciting demon powers. The result? Some inventive body mutilation and downright grisly set-pieces.” Boiling

Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 – “A massive technical step up for the Brian Lara International Cricket series. Could well become the Pro Evo of the bat and ball world if it delivers on its weighty list of promises.” Boiling

Frontlines: Fuel of War – “Can this knock the mighty Battlefield off its multiplayer perch? With people from the Battlefield, Doom 3 and Medal of Honor teams on development, we’re going to say a firm ‘maaaybe...’” Hot

PS2 Reviews
Scarface: The World is Yours – “Unlike other pretenders, Scarface offers plenty in its own right to set it apart from Grand Theft Auto – and is all the better for it.” 8/10

The Sims 2 Pets – “Whatever EA says, this feels like an expansion pack. It’s a welcome one though, and it’ll make your little Sim home all the more complete.” 8/10

Destroy All Humans 2 – “Funny, packed with entertaining physics and more variety than the first game, but marred by the occasional annoying mission.” 8/10

Kingdom Hearts II – “This epic adventure is short on the nuts-and-bolts of adventuring, but its charm, and the quality of its production still merit a high score.” 8/10

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 – “A slightly lazy overhaul rather than a full-blown sequel, but still bloody good stuff that’s essential for noobs or lapsed fans.” 8/10

Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence – “Subsistence is one hell of a package, encompassing Metal Gear’s past, present and future. Essential for newcomers, recommended for fans.” 9/10

Buzz Junior: Jungle Party – “Young or old, Jungle Party will make you laugh and keep you coming back for more – especially in multiplayer.” 7/10

NBA Live 2007 – “A sloppy attempt to inject new life into the NBA Live series. We expect rival offering NBA 2K7 to pound this off the court in next month’s review.” 4/10

Lemmings – “A straight port of the PSP version with a few Eyetoy challenges thrown in. Fun and challenging but the controls are just too fiddly in the end.” 6/10

World Championship Poker 2 – “Dodgy implementation lets down some genuinely nice ideas and shark-like AI in one of PS2’s better gambling games.” 5/10

World Super Police – “Despite pipping Need for Speed Carbon to the post with squad-based pursuit, poor graphics and shameful AI mean this sucks.” 2/10

Suikoden V – “Its intelligent plot and great looks could have made Suikoden V spellbinding – if only it wasn’t so tedious.” 5/10

King of Fighters Neowave – “Even ignoring the modernity of Soul Calibur, Marvel VS Capcom 2 and Guilty Gear do the 2D thing so much better than this.” 4/10

Samurai Warriors 2 – “This is virtually the same old hack ‘n’ slash action that we’ve been playing for years in the Dynasty Warriors series. Yawnsome stuff.” 4/10

PSP Reviews
50 Bulletproof: G-Unit Edition – “It’s simple and often satisfying, but 50’s world just isn’t exciting enough to sustain a whole game’s worth of action-RPG-style combat.” 6/10

Ape Academy 2 – “A massive improvement on the original, this is top-drawer party action for your PSP and one of a growing number of essential titles.” 8/10

Ridge Racer 2 – “Great but essentially (much) more of the same. Fans won’t care, and if you missed the original RR on PSP this is damn near essential.” 8/10

B-Boy – “Just like its PS2 bro, lil’ B-Boy is an innovative and challenging take on an old formula – ch-ch-ch-check it out.” 7/10

Mercury Meltdown – “With its satisfying difficulty curve and intricate courses this is a solid if not revolutionary update of an already innovative puzzle game.” 7/10

Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light – “Great to look at and a thrill to explore, but its plodding, turn-based fights are enough to put off all but the most patient of RPGers.” 6/10

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy – “A supremely entertaining romp through the classic Star Wars universe, LSWII deserves to be played by everyone.” 9/10

NHL 2007 – “EA’s ice hockey annual trades gameplay depth for arcade accessibility and speed. For our money though the PS2 version offers a greater challenge.” 7/10

Pilot Academy – “A decent spread of planes and challenges but sadly Pilot Academy’s wings are clipped by a lack of personality.” 6/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Destroy All Humans 2
Need for Speed Carbon
Made Man
Bionicle Heroes
Lemmings
The Sims 2

Footage
SOCOM 3 US Navy SEALs

Game Saves
Primal
The Mark of Kri
Jak II
Amplitude
Metal Gear Solid 2
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Timesplitters 2
Zone of the Enders 2
Auto Modellista
Enter the Matrix
007 Nightfire
Silent Hill 3
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Chaos Legion
Ford Racing 2
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
Beyond Good and Evil
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Trivia
* This issue and the next one have both a front cover and a back cover. I’m guessing they couldn’t decide between Scarface and Kingdom Hearts, so they found a way to use both. They're both really good cover images, so I would struggle to choose too.
* This is the last issue for both Helen Woodey and Leon Hurley.
* As with the Italian Job demo, the Lemmings demo is split into two demos, one for the regular levels and one for the Eyetoy levels.
* For a creative and altruistic use of PS3, there’s an article on a group of US scientists who used a network of 10,000 PS3s to power their research into Alzheimer’s in the hope of finding a cure.
* The Rayman Raving Rabbids preview seems to be from an earlier build that was meant to follow in the platformer footsteps of the previous games, as opposed to the mini-game collection it eventually became. I bet the big Bane-looking Rabbid in the screenshots would have made for a fun boss fight.
* The Scarface review self-censors with all swear words being replaced with the word cuddle, as in ‘Go cuddle yourself’ or ‘I’ll cuddle you up’.
* Thank Walt for charm and high production values, as based on the tone of the review, Kingdom Hearts II would have been lucky to get 6/10 without them. Heretical as that may seem nowadays, it does make sense when you remember that this is vanilla Kingdom Hearts II, not Final Mix, and it wasn’t until the latter came to the West that Kingdom Hearts II was vindicated and replaced the original as the one Kingdom Hearts game it’s okay to like.
* Some interesting results from the reader survey: 7% of readers were female (up from 5% in 2004), fitness was the most popular hobby besides videogames with 29% of readers mentioning it, 6% of readers did not consider videogames to be a hobby of theirs, and 1% of readers didn’t read the magazine at all, only buying for the demo disc.

Quote of the Month: “Gosh, I’m kicking unholy amounts of ass here, but what I really need is a giant yellow demonic hand.” Lucky for Nero, he has one of those!

Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130