Issue 79, December 2006
Editor’s letter
This is my very own PS2. In the five years since I bought it, the machine has been stepped on, dropped on the floor, splashed with hot tea, and insulted by my missus on many occasions because ‘you pay more attention to that thing than me.’ Perhaps the biggest strain my PS2 was put under though, was being left on for countless hours as I battled through dungeons in Dark Chronicle, thrashed the wheels off Gran Turismo, fought my way to the top of the Master League in PES, explored the galaxy in Ratchet and Clank, became the crime kingpin of Vice City and… well, you get the idea. Despite all this abuse, it’s still going strong today, and if you take even the briefest of glimpses at this issue’s reviews section, you’ll realise that my poor overworked PS2 isn’t going to get a break any time soon. In addition to our sizzling Smackdown exclusive, PES6 gets a run out, we sneak up on the latest Splinter Cell, write a school report on Rockstar’s Canis Canem Edit, take Need for Speed Carbon for a spin, and so much more besides. Other magazines might tell you that PS2 has had its day, but we know different. In fact, there’s never been a better time to be a PS2 gamer, especially as new games are coming down in price all the time. The biggest problem facing you and I is what to play first. Of course, we haven’t forgotten about PSP, and it’s an equally fruitful month for pocket-sized gaming, with Vice City Stories and Killzone: Liberation this issue’s handheld highlights. Oh, how rude, in all the excitement I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. The name’s Nick and I’m your new host for OPS2. Hi! Feel free to drop me a line about anything you like, any time you like, and I’ll pull myself away from my PS2 and get back to you.
Nick Ellis, Editor
Features
Test Drive Unlimited
Welcome to Fight Club – A feature on PS3 fighting games including Virtua Fighter 5, Tekken 6, Soul Calibur 4 and more.
Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, if you were a wrestler, what would your entrance music be?
Could be a Classic – This month, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. A follow-up to PSOne cult classic, Valkyrie Profile Lenneth.
Replay – Online reviews for FIFA 2007 and Ridge Racer 2, and what the other mags said about Lego Star Wars II, FIFA 2007, Just Cause and Ridge Racer 2.
So, you think you can beat us? – Readers take on the team in 2V2 multiplayer games. This month, Burnout Revenge.
OPS2 Investigates – This month, Where would be be without… A collection of beloved gaming cliches, including health packs, exploding barrels and bullet time.
Endgame – Game endings. This month, 24.
Monitor
Bionicle Heroes – “The shooting action is enjoyable enough, but so far it’s feeling a little too basic and derivative. And we doubt the lumpy-headed Bionicles carry the same charm as their Lego Star Wars buddies.” Warm
Eragon – “Generic hack ‘n’ slash action, but decent storytelling.” Warm
Thrillville – “Refreshingly different and packed with a variety of game styles, don’t be fooled by Thrillville’s cartoon looks; this is a fair test for your brain. Just don’t chuck your guts up when you ride the waltzers.” Warm
PDC World Championship Darts – “Multiplayer fun gives this bullseye potential.” Hot
Guitar Hero II – “The first Guitar Hero worked because it was simple to grasp the basics, yet challenging to master. With the ace new features, RedOctane has created a sequel that promises to rock your socks off.” Meltdown
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? – “A surprisingly enjoyable albeit basic Buzz!-style party game spin on the Millionaire format. But is it a better family blast than Buzz Junior: Jungle Party? We have our doubts…” Tepid
Death Jr 2: Root of Evil – “A darkly comical tale of adolescent grim reaping and twisted toys. Fans of Tim Burton’s dark fairy tale visions will adore Death Jr 2, but even if you don’t it’d be a mistake to ignore this game.” Hot
Heatseeker – “If Heatseeker really can pull off the promise of recreating Burnout in the sky – and at this stage we’re feeling confident it will – this could trigger quite a dogfight with the current arcade king of the skies, Ace Combat.” Hot
God Hand – “Deified digits might just have the magic touch.” Hot
F.E.A.R. – “F.E.A.R.’s got style, creepy atmosphere in spades, and it plays like a dream, albeit a twitchy, heart-in-the-mouth kind of dream. It’s a refreshing approach to the FPS and we can’t wait to play the finished article.’” Meltdown
Ridge Racer 7 – “Of all the launch titles Ridge Racer is the one most likely to inspire envy in any non-PS3 owning mates. Now it’s been demoed running velvety smooth in 1080p, we’ve no reason to doubt this will be the bomb.” Boiling
L.A. Noire – “It’s early days and we’re yet to see any actual, in-game footage. However, this teaser of Rockstar’s latest captures the ‘40s gangster feel perfectly, and that bodes well. Watch this one like a hawk.” Hot
PS2 Reviews
WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2007 – “An influx of enjoyable new characters and stacks of authenticity keep this the finest grapple game on the planet.” 8/10
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon – “The vast amount of characters will excite fans, but MKA feels old-fashioned. The series needs to evolve if it’s going to survive.” 7/10
Made Man – “All the natty Mafia dialogue and realistic story threads can’t disguise the fact that, at its core, Made Man is bland like breadsticks.” 6/10
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 – “Genuine gameplay improvements over PES5, coupled with the new International Challenge mode, make this an essential purchase.” 10/10
Need for Speed Carbon – “Faster than Schumacher, dicier than driving blindfolded, and more fun than a jacuzzi with Emmanuelle Vaugier. Well almost.” 9/10
Splinter Cell: Double Agent – “Double Agent is a slick game that demonstrates how great stealth can be when done right. It’s just too damn murky to be a classic, though.” 8/10
Rule of Rose – “Rule of Rose blends the stuff of nightmares with stylish sound and graphics. Sadly, the developer should have spent longer on the gameplay.” 6/10
NBA 2K7 – “Quick, responsive and immaculately presented. Like all great sports games, this is an everyman gem dressed in niche clothing.” 9/10
Eyetoy Play Sports – “A patchily enjoyable collection of sports-themed mini-games that might enliven a party for 15 minutes – as long as none of the guests are over six years-old.” 5/10
Spyhunter: Nowhere to Run – “Oh dear. We’ve seen some drab ill-judged resurrections of ‘retro classics’ in our time, but this takes the pixelated biscuit.” 3/10
Wild Arms 4 – “Wild Arms has always been the RPG underdog, and this won’t change that. However, respect is due for trying something different.” 7/10
NHL 2007 – “A superb return to form, and one that’s capped off by a very slick on-ice match engine. If you’re looking for the best hockey game on PS2, you’ve found it.” 8/10
NHL 2K7 – “If you have a thirst for foreign sports, then you could get a comprehensive ice hockey fix here. Sadly though, the total package feels soulless and, as a result, rather unappealing.” 6/10
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus – “A competent FFVII spin-off with enough ties to the past to keep the disciples happy, but for everyone else it’s a decent, if uninspired, shooter.” 6/10
Canis Canem Edit – “While we definitely don’t remember school being this much fun, this is a brilliant return to a more innocent time. One of the year’s best games.” 9/10
Eyetoy Kinetic Combat – “Although it’s dressed up like a game, it is a fairly serious fitness programme. We’d prefer a proper Eyetoy beat-‘em-up, though.” 7/10
Singstar Legends – “Better than the last one, but how could they include a medley called Born in the USA and not include Springsteen? Shameful.” 8/10
Pool Paradise: International Edition – “Nothing happens for so long in this game that you’ll think it’s crashed. So unless you’re going to play it with a mate, when you can dictate the pace, leave well alone.” 4/10
Virtua Pro Football – “There are a couple of moderately original features in what’s little more than a shameless and sub-standard PES rip-off. Not even worth the budget price.” 3/10
Prostroke Golf World Tour 2007 – “A decent, realistic alternative to Tiger Woods that just lacks the wealth of options and modes EA ploughs into its sports franchise.” 7/10
Open Season – “A boring, bland movie tie-in that is hard to recommend even if you’re seven and you really loved the movie.” 4/10
Neogeo Battle Coliseum – “A varied mix of disciplines and characters make this an entertaining if largely unspectacular fighter.” 6/10
Saint Seiya: The Hades – “Simplistic and often frustrating beat-‘em-up gameplay dressed up in colourful, brash but authentic visuals.” 5/10
Earache Extreme Metal Racing – “Earache Extreme is a below-par racer with a uniquely hardcore heavy metal soundtrack, but precious little else going for it.” 4/10
PSP Reviews
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories – “Not only is this the greatest game on PSP, it also leaves a large percentage of the PS2 back catalogue looking ordinary. Buy it right now.” 10/10
The Godfather – “Much more frustrating than the PS2 version, and not quite as varied to play, but more cinematic than we’d have thought possible on PSP.” 6/10
Mortal Kombat: Unchained – “It’s no Tekken: Dark Resurrection, but baby-proof controls and some intriguing extras make Unchained an above-average face-rearranger.” 7/10
Ford Street Racing: LA Duel – “Decent looking racer which requires a rare shot of tactical thinking, but one that lacks the flat-out driving thrills of its superior PSP rivals.” 6/10
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 – “EA’s quality sim expands on PSP to include a deep career mode and online play. A ‘fairway’ ahead of its competitors.” 8/10
Killzone: Liberation – “A perfectly targeted shooter that shines on handheld due to great controls and balanced gameplay. One of the best blasts on PSP.” 9/10
Moto GP – “It’s definitely functional, but Moto GP is far more suited to lazing on a sofa than it is to gaming on the go.” 6/10
Football Manager Handheld 2007 – “Brilliantly conceived and addictive management sim that serves as a lesson in how to optimise big-name games for the PSP.” 9/10
FIFA 2007 – “FIFA 07 on PSP is the most complete football sim in a handheld format. It’s irrelevant if you already own the PS2 version, though.” 8/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
Pro Evolution Soccer 6
FIFA 2007
LMA Manager 2007
Buzz Junior: Jungle Party
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Destroy All Humans 2
Made Man
Bionicle Heroes
Lego Star Wars
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
* A reader sent in a photo of Resident Evil characters they’d made out of Lego this month, which started a number of other Lego recreations of games for months to come.
* Another reader sent in their tragic tale of woe at having won a copy of Hitman: Blood Money from a claw machine, only to find when they went to collect the disc from the prize booth that it had closed. OPS2’s savagely funny response? “Have a game. We’re not sending you a box though, you’ve already got one.”
* This issue’s L.A. Noire preview may be the biggest gap between a game’s preview and release, since numerous delays meant it wasn’t released until 2011.
* The Soul Calibur 4 section of the fighting games feature requests Kratos as a guest character, who ended up appearing in the PSP port, Broken Destiny.
* As the tie-in game for a film that was never made, Spyhunter: Nowhere to Run makes for an interesting curio.
* This issue’s Prostroke Golf review was meant to be for the PSP version, but the PS2 version is re-reviewed instead. Issue 81 that this was a mistake, and also reviews the PSP version as intended.
Quote of the Month: “The only good stealth section is one that lasts the whole game.” Thank goodness we’re long past the point of every game having an ill-judged stealth level because Splinter Cell was popular at the time.
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130
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