Issue 82, February 2007
Editor’s letter
“C’mon guys, it’ll be a piece of cake,” I said to the team when I suggested that we should put together a feature encompassing a verdict and score for every single PS2 game ever released in the UK. I was wrong. As I’m typing these words, I can hear Lee, our sub-editor, sobbing gently as he checks all 28 pages of the feature for mistakes. Again. And I think the stabbing pain in my ribs is the art staff jabbing needles into a bald, bespectacled voodoo doll. But despite it being a task of Herculean proportions for us, I know you’re going to love the results, which you’ll find on pages 96 to 123. It’s the ultimate secondhand buyer’s guide, ensuring you’ll never have to suffer a duff game again. But it’s also a historical document charting more than six years of PS2 gaming as seen through the eyes of the ultimate PS2 magazine, and it’s sure to stir up memories both good and bad. Well, that’s the past; the rest of the issue is all about the future, and as ever we’ve got the latest and greatest offerings for you on all three Playstation formats. Highlights include the exclusive review of the very respectable Ghost Rider, exclusive hands-on previews of Burnout Dominator and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the first details and shots for Medal of Honor: Vanguard. There’s also the most comprehensive guide to Final Fantasy XII you’ll find in any magazine. Finally, it’s my sad duty to inform you that OPS2’s longest-serving staff member, ‘Gorgeous’ George Walter, has left the mag after working on it from issues 1 to 81. A fine innings. We also say a fond farewell to our art editor Simon, the man who makes all the pages and covers look pretty. Two people gone in a month? It must have been something I said…
Nick Ellis, Editor
Features
Around the World in 80 Games – 80 different global locations, tied to 80 different games.
A to Z – This behemoth of a feature has scores and review quotes for pretty much every game reviewed to date. When we last saw this in Issue 39, before it was replaced by the Hot 100, it was 8 pages long, but since then it has ballooned to 28 pages!
Monthly Articles
Funny Nicknames – This month, what is your favourite PS2 game?
Could be a Classic – This month, Crush, a puzzle game where you can switch between 2D and 3D at will.
Replay – Part one of the Final Fantasy XII walkthrough, online reviews for Call of Duty 3 and Bliss Island, and what the other mags said about Superman Returns, Final Fantasy XII, Star Wars: Lethal Alliance and Brothers in Arms: D-Day.
Endgame – Game endings. This month, Pro Evolution Soccer 6.
Monitor
Burnout Dominator – “With its winning formula and fresh approach, this really feels like a ‘Best of Burnout’, with the flabby bits trimmed off and chucked away by the expert race surgeons over at Criterion.” Meltdown
M.A.C.H. – “Racing with super-sonic jets? It just might work…” Hot
Heatseeker – “With its slick controls, natural-feeling gameplay and intense dog-fight action, Heatseeker has already discovered a warm place in our hearts. Smoke up a kipper, we’ll be back for breakfast.” Boiling
Virtua Tennis 3 – “Virtua Tennis 3 adds nothing new to the basic elements of the series that already make it the best tennis game out there. We say get it on PSP instead and wait for a truly next-gen tennis game to emerge.” Warm
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – “Okay, so it shamelessly robs from Prince of Persia, but the end result is shaping up to be not only a half-decent movie tie-in, but also one of the most exciting kids’ games of the year.” Hot
Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 – “More accessible than EA’s delightful but somewhat dry and difficult offering, Brian Lara 2007 sees many of the flaws that niggled in 2005 addressed, and is looking all set for another fine innings.” Hot
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 – “The first stage of Tiger’s next-gen cub.” Hot
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 – “GRAW 2 has beauty, gadgetry, intelligence and violence and what’s more, it finally has the technology to match the tactics. This, plus the promise of online warfighting, should make PS3 a much happier hunting ground.” Meltdown
God of War II – “God of War II is as bloody as its first incarnation, but there’s more to it than a claret-fest: the depth of gameplay and sumptuous screens scream quality through and through. It’s bloody brilliant.” Meltdown
Afterburner: Black Falcon – “Super-sonic jets are hot right now, and this looks like the pick of a pretty decent bunch on PSP. Sega should have some nice multiplayer surprises up its sleeve to get this one off to a flying start.” Boiling
Rogue Galaxy – “Buy your eye patch and start growing that dubious moustache now; this follow up to Dark Chronicle is the perfect RPG for commitment-phobes, would-be space travellers and pirate fetishists alike.” Boiling
Ninja Gaiden Sigma – “Though it is a remake of an old Xbox game, Ninja Gaiden Sigma should have enough new extras to ensure cult status on PS3. Besides, it packs a bigger visual punch than a 62-year-old Stallone haymaker.” Boiling
PS2 Reviews
Ghost Rider – “Bursting with superhero energy and verve, and makes up for what it lacks in inspiration with water-tight execution.” 7/10
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja – “Pushes the right buttons but the uninitiated can bash away and still win, so it doesn’t match the flair or control of Virtua Fighter.” 7/10
God Hand – “A game to throw in your PS2 when you’re looking for a quick fix of fun violence, even if it’s a little rough around the edges.” 7/10
Arthur and the Invisibles – “A platformer with promise, but it makes the gamer work far too hard for the few moments of magic that it provides.” 6/10
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 – “Much better than the last game and one of the best PS2 RPGs. Let down only by the relentless fighting and steep learning curve.” 7/10
Test Drive Unlimited – “Impressive, immense and pretty but somehow it fails to achieve greatness due to shortage of a variety of high-speed thrills.” 7/10
Free Running – “Hardcore free runners may find something to jump up and down about; everyone else should stick to watching Sebastian Foucan.” 5/10
PSP Reviews
Rocky Balboa – “A tidy boxing game in itself, but one that lacks the punch of previous Rocky games or any real element of sophistication.” 6/10
Battlezone – “Short-term staccato bursts of messy joy don’t make up for the shortage of originality, options or the chance to slaughter or cooperate with others.” 5/10
Shinobido: Tales of the Ninja – “Stealthy play brought low by weak AI, protracted combat, clumsy controls and an inability to see the enemy you’re meant to be sneaking up on.” 5/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
Okami
Pro Evolution Soccer 6
FIFA 2007
FIFA Street 2
Eyetoy Play Sports
Fight Night Round 3
Rugby 2006
Singstar Rocks!
Tomb Raider Legend
Sonic Riders
Suikoden Tactics
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 is another variant cover issue. The other cover has Ghost Rider on his motorcycle.
* Following George’s departure, there are now no team members remaining who had worked on the magazine from the start. His and Simon Middleweek’s departures also mean Andy Hartup, who joined in Issue 69, is now the most senior team member.
* On the bright side, Sophie Mason joins the team this month.
* The newest version of Buzz is announced in this issue: Buzz: The Schools Quiz, an educational version for use in schools and aimed at children in Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 11).
* Tory MP for Henley-on-Thames and future prime minister Boris Johnson wrote an anti-videogames essay for the Daily Telegraph, arguing that videogames were responsible for a drop in children’s literacy levels, and that gamers become addicted and threw tantrums when made to turn the game off. However, he didn’t provide any specific examples or evidence to back up his argument, so few readers were convinced by it.
* The review directory and Final Fantasy XII walkthrough take up a little under half the magazine between them, which comes in handy for a quiet month like this. I’m surprised the directory didn’t become a recurring feature updated every few months given all the work that went into it.
* Not many games are reviewed in this issue, and if I’m honest, I would take an extra point off most of them. It seems we’re in the endgame inflation era now, where games get better scores than they would have when the release schedule was healthier.
* The review directory also has re-reviews for certain games, another thing that I’m surprised didn’t become a regular feature. The following have their scores lowered: Area 51 (from 9/10 to 6/10), Enter the Matrix (from 8/10 to 7/10), Killzone (from 9/10 to 7/10), Need for Speed Carbon (from 9/10 to 8/10), and Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (from 8/10 to 7/10).
* Stage 5 of Tomb Raider grief: Acceptance. Instead of quoting the original review, Angel of Darkness gets a new quote: “We were clearly mesmerised by Lara’s pert polygonal buttocks when we gave this 8/10. In hindsight, this is pants.” Ironically, they didn’t take the opportunity to re-review it.
Quote of the Month: “We must paralyze the Playstation.” The conclusion of Boris Johnson’s essay.
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130
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