Issue 80, Christmas 2006
Editor’s letter
Is it a games console? Is it a supercomputer? Is it an all-in-one media hub and entertainment system for your living room? No, it’s… er, it’s a Playstation 3. You probably had that one figured out for yourself, right? And by the way, the PS3 is all of the above things and probably more (we’re still searching for its ‘turn water into wine’ function). When Sony’s new toy finally arrived at OPS2 towers, tools were downed, lunch breaks were extended and TV settings were fiddled with as the majority of the team poked and prodded the machine and sampled the various games that were sent along with the console. The result of our investigations comes in the form of an enormous (and, if we say so ourselves, beautifully illustrated) feature that starts on p43. I say ‘the majority of the team…’ because me, well I’ve been too busy with my PS2 to even start thinking about PS3. It’s only my second month on the mag and I’ve been playing catch-up; plundering our extensive library of PS2 games, taking them home and playing them until the small hours while the missus snores on the sofa. My favourite so far? Resident Evil 4. Pure genius, and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to pick it up. You guys seem to know better than me, as you voted it the Playstation Game of the Year in this year’s Golden Joystick Awards. There’s still a pile of untouched discs on my coffee table now, but I figured it might be an idea to tackle some of the 48 games that came in for review this month – or rather, work out how on Earth we could squeeze all the reviews into the issue. We’ve just about managed it and are pleased to present the most comprehensive Christmas gaming guide you’ll find anywhere. Enjoy your holidays, I know how I’ll be spending mine…
Nick Ellis, Editor
Features
The PS3 Explosion – This feature looks at some of the PS3’s launch titles, as well as the console’s physical and menu design and online capabilities.
The One They’re Calling the Real ‘Team America’ – Rogue Warrior. This game would go on to be considered one of the worst games ever made once it was eventually released in 2009.
Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, what would you like for Christmas?
Could be a Classic – This month, Dead Head Fred. This PSP action-adventure game is set in a horror-comedy take on 1940’s USA, with the protagonist stealing enemies’ heads to gain their powers, like a more macabre take on Kirby.
Replay – Online reviews for Pro Evolution Soccer 6 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, and what the other mags said about Canis Canem Edit, Pro Evolution Soccer 6, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
So, you think you can beat us? – Readers take on the team in 2V2 multiplayer games. This month, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007.
OPS2 Investigates – This month, Meet the Specialists. The expert consultants brought in for Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood and Made Man explain how and why their involvement made those games more authentic.
Endgame – Game endings. This month, Garfield 2: A Tale of Two Kitties. This is a little different, as instead of just showing the ending, this is actually a bit of a Let’s Play, going from the start of the game up to Garfield doing a taunting dance near a fountain.
Monitor
Okami – “At once beautiful, original and compelling, Okami is set to be the fresh, leftfield experience us gaming junkies crave. It’s nice to see something that’s as free from convention as its brushstrokes.” Meltdown
Ghost Rider – “It’s Devil May Cry, gunning a Harley over 150mph towards the jaws of Hell. The unlockables sound cool, as does the prospect of some tantalising post-movie story from proper Marvel scribes. On fire!” Boiling
Chili Con Carnage – “Slicker than a pair of Cuban heels with skintight moleskin trousers, Chili Con Carnage makes Total Overdose look like an amateurish opening act. Get blasting away on this one early next year.” Boiling
SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Combined Assault – “SOCOM Combined Assault doesn’t deviate far from the usual template, but the four-player co-op, larger open-ended missions and better AI make the latest instalment in the series one to watch.” Hot
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – “We said it before, and we’ll keep saying it until we’re too busy actually playing the game to talk – this is the best RPG ever. It’s not just for nerds, you’ll love it and it’ll hoover up every second of your free time.” Meltdown
Stuntman Ignition – “With PS3’s additional power and hard drive ensuring Stuntman 2 will be a more rounded experience, this original take on the driving game genre might clear the name of its predecessor.” Hot
Rogue Galaxy – “An almost endless epic just got even bigger.” Boiling
PS2 Reviews
Superman Returns – “Repetitive and dull. It seems that spin-off games are as effective as Kryptonite when it comes to bringing down Superman.” 5/10
Guitar Hero II – “Just as entertaining as the first offering, but newbies should invest in the original for a more varied selection of sounds.” 8/10
Eragon – “A likeable adventure hidden beneath a catalogue of design errors. Still less painful than sitting through the movie, mind.” 5/10
Tony Hawk’s Project 8 – “A curious balance – chunky visuals betray subtle animation, while deep but fiddly controls yield major addiction.” 8/10
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning – “A reasonable update, but even with the changes there’s nothing here you won’t have seen somewhere before. This is a rather lazy prequel.” 6/10
Buzz! The Sports Quiz – “As a single-player game it’s a bit rubbish, but get some mates round and this is a cracking question of sport.” 7/10
Phantasy Star Universe – “A solid and substantial attempt at bringing online RPG play to offline gamers, but it lacks any long-term appeal without others.” 7/10
Justice League Heroes – “As good as, if not slightly better than Marvel Ultimate Alliance – it really just depends which company’s heroes you prefer.” 7/10
Thrillville – “A great game that’s packed with smart ideas and presented in such an appealing way that you can’t help but fall under its spell.” 8/10
Bionicle Heroes – “A busy and rather decent shooter targeted towards young ‘uns, but there’s very little on offer here for veteran gamers.” 7/10
Cricket 2007 – “To cricket what PES is to football, this is one of EA Sports’ strongest titles. We’ll be playing it well after the Ashes series is over.” 8/10
Call of Duty 3 – “The most atmospheric and intense WW2 shooter we’ve played, hampered only by linear warzones and poor mini-games.” 8/10
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Party Edition – “As the subtitle suggests, this is only any fun at parties. There are far better party games out there to enjoy though.” 5/10
Flushed Away – “Charming enough with likeable Aardman characters, this is a passable platform romp that will entertain kids who have never been exposed to the superior likes of Jak 3.” 5/10
Nascar 2007 – “Overflowing with licensed material but severely lacking what it needs the most: involving and exhilarating racing action with decent smash-ups.” 4/10
Marvel Ultimate Alliance – “Decent comic book effort which certainly captures the Marvel spirit. Unlikely to become as revered as the icons that star in it, though.” 6/10
SEGA Mega Drive Collection – “The best retro compendium around. Some turkeys, but the impressive number of classics present makes their inclusion forgivable.” 8/10
Family Guy – “This awful game liberally spits in the face of every Family Guy enthusiast, even with its budget price tag.” 3/10
Delta Force Black Hawk Down: Team Sabre – “If you have a war-addiction problem, and no-one else can help, maybe you could hire: The Sabre Team. Don’t buy this, though.” 2/10
Barnyard – “Weak and feeble as a newborn calf, but thankfully not covered in that gooey crap the mothers then have to lick off. The kids will not be impressed.” 4/10
Mercury Meltdown Remix – “Decent port of a reasonably accomplished handheld puzzler that isn’t worth buying solely for the extras, but if you haven’t tried it, worth a shout.” 7/10
Crusty Demons – “Daft name, daft game, but not far off being a thrilling extreme sports title. Sick in the ‘get this game to a mental hospital’ sense.” 7/10
Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri – “Tokobot Plus is a straightforward puzzler with a neat robo-twist, but it’s better suited to life on the small screen.” 5/10
Happy Feet – “Inoffensive and pretty licensed effort that’s too repetitive to be anything more than a brief and casual diversion.” 6/10
Kaido Racer 2 – “Ambitious racer that doesn’t cut it on the track. If this is the only driving game you can afford, keep saving.” 3/10
PSP Reviews
LA Rush – “An adequate street racer that does everything you’d expect, but nowhere near well enough to challenge the big boys of the chav’s race scene.” 6/10
NBA Live 2007 – “A criminally bad sports game with atrocious AI and some shoddy, depressing visuals. Stick to the infinitely more enjoyable NBA Ballers: Rebound.” 3/10
Bomberman – “A return to the bombs away puzzling of old rather than the recent diversions into platform and karting games – and it’s all the better for it.” 6/10
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception – “Well-presented and weirdly therapeutic mix of flight sim and arcade shooter that doesn’t quite satisfy on either front, but is a decent enough game for all of that.” 6/10
Gun Showdown – “Despite capturing Gun’s cinematic qualities the control system is half-cocked making it seem half the experience of the PS2 game.” 6/10
Star Wars: Lethal Alliance – “An original and entertaining addition to the Star Wars canon with great new characters and some cracking action.” 7/10
Power Stone Collection – “With its immediate and vibrant cartoon violence the Power Stone series is well suited to PSP. It can get a little hard on the eyes, mind.” 7/10
Rengoku II: The Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N – “If there’s one thing PSP doesn’t need, it’s a repetitive third-person action game. Dull combat and duller levels mean you should steer clear of this.” 3/10
Taito Legends: Power-Up – “Two points for New Zealand Story, two for Cameltry 2005, and a bonus point because Fairyland Story enables you to turn the Pope into a muffin and push him off a ledge.” 5/10
Medal of Honor Heroes – “Proof that first-person shooters and PSP can be bunkmates. Anyone hankering after some WiFi warfare should enlist straight away.” 8/10
Scarface: Money. Power. Respect – “A shallow and unstimulating attempt at a strategy title with little tactical variety or visual flair. Don’t bother with this one.” 3/10
Myst – “Classic puzzling from the glory days of adventure gaming, but the truth is that it’s old and very clearly showing its age.” 6/10
Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded – “An entertaining if shallow compilation of some genuine classics that’s well worth a punt at 20 quid, including as many sequels of Street Fighter as you’d ever want or need.” 7/10
EA Replay – “One for completist retro-heads only. Too many duds spoil the murky broth but there are some classics and near-forgotten gems tucked away here.” 5/10
Kazook – “Certainly won’t make your PSP break a sweat, but the multiplayer options are good and we’d rather play this than yet another dull retro collection.” 6/10
Scooby Doo: Who’s Watching Who? – “A functional but painfully average Scooby Doo game. The chases and detective elements bring some originality but the main platform gaming is your typical tosh.” 4/10
Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 – “A competent sequel, but we’ve seen all of Dynasty Warriors’ tricks before and the option to fiddle with your steed is unlikely to attract any new converts.” 5/10
SEGA Mega Drive Collection – “The best retro compendium around. Some turkeys, but the impressive number of classics present makes their inclusion forgivable.” 8/10
Lumines II – “Original, ultra-playable and extremely cool – there’s simply no alternative if you’re seeking a top-notch PSP puzzler.” 9/10
Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City – “The classy presentation and slick action capture the spirit of the PS2 game, but this is nothing more than a competent racer.” 7/10
Sonic Rivals – “Once the glow of nostalgia has faded, the fact that the gameplay is predictable and unfair can’t be ignored. Disappointing.” 5/10
Every Extend Extra – “A stylish shooter that will be compared to Lumines – but unfortunately can’t hold a candle to it in the puzzle stakes.” 7/10
Bubble Bobble Evolution – “Not a shocking update of the arcade classic, but an unnecessary one – particularly as the PSP is already stacked with far superior puzzlers.” 5/10
The Hustle: Detroit Streets – “Given that there are flash games that do pool just as well, the loading times are unforgivable – much like the rest of this horror show.” 3/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
Eragon
Pro Evolution Soccer 6
LMA Manager 2007
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution
Silent Hill 3
Final Fantasy X2
Game Footage
Eyetoy Play Sports
Eyetoy Kinetic Combat
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
* Superman Returns is a baffling choice of cover game, considering the negative review (it’s tied with Batman Begins for the lowest scoring cover game, and Batman wasn’t reviewed in its cover issue), and the fact Guitar Hero II is also reviewed in this issue means it could have gone on the cover instead. That said, it’s a nice cover, and also made of a different, smoother paper than usual.
* This is the last issue for games editor Ben ‘Babus’ Wilson.
* This issue is also the last one to include the Comedown section, which means no more DVD or music reviews. OPS2 investigates also ends this month, although features that would have previously come under OPS2 Investigates soon begin without the original branding.
* There’s an article in this issue about the closure of Clover Studio, developer of cult classics such as Okami, Viewtiful Joe and God Hand.
* Many of the games covered in the PS3 feature mention the negatives of the games covered, most notably Sonic 2006, but also to a lesser extent Lair, Virtua Tennis 3 and Ridge Racer 7. Perhaps an acknowledgement that, with PS3 imminent, hype is no longer as necessary and expectations can begin to be tempered.
* The Phantasy Star Universe review covers the single-player only. The online multiplayer will be covered in a later issue.
Quote of the Month: “You have to pump and froth to get its creamy pleasure.” This rather suggestive slogan accompanies a free sample of a new drink.
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130
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