Issue 85, May 2007
Editor’s letter
When the original Tomb Raider came out on PS1, I had a full head of hair (curly) and my thumbs didn’t ache when the wind turned to the north like they do now. Lara Croft has to take a lot of the blame for both my follically challenged bonce and sore finger joints, because I’ve played every one of her adventures (apart from – whisper it – Angel of Darkness) to completion. Well, I say completion, apart from when I reached the penultimate puzzle in the Great Pyramid in The Last Revelation and discovered I was missing a key to complete it. I never did find it. I could have cried. Anyway, we couldn’t be any more chuffed that we’ve bagged the exclusive review of Lara’s latest game, and you’ll find our verdict on p70. And to celebrate Lara’s 10th birthday, you’ll also find a complete history of the series starting on p94. It’s a whopping 12 pages long and features, among other things, a look at every game in the series, interviews with the original development team, the best of Lara’s outfits and the scariest of her obsessive fans. I’d tell you about the rest of the issue too, but I need to go and see a girl about a Scion…
Nick Ellis, Editor
Features
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Rogue Galaxy – Rogue Galaxy
Lara’s Story – This feature is a retrospective of the entire Tomb Raider series to this point, similar to the Brief History features from the 2006 issues, but going into more depth with material aside from the games. In this case, that includes merchandise, models, movies and the originally planned plot for Tomb Raider: Chronicles that’s a lot more interesting than the flashbacks with a funeral framing device that the final game went with.
Monthly Article
Could be a Classic – This month, Little Big Planet. You probably know this one, but in case you don’t, it’s basically a make-your-own-game kit.
Replay – Part two of the walkthroughs for God of War II and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and a SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Combined Assault walkthrough, online reviews for Test Drive Unlimited and Metal Slug Anthology and what the other mags said about Burnout Dominator, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 and Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Playstation Education – Demonstrating various examples of a certain item in PS2 games. This month, endangered species.
Trading Pages – Other magazines take over the back page. This month, Cross Stitcher provide a design and key for a knitted Kratos jumper.
Monitor
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – “A fully interactive, finely detailed Hogwarts to explore? This is what PS2 owning Potter nuts have been dreaming of since they read the first paragraph of Philosopher’s Stone.” Meltdown
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – “From our hands-on sessions it appears that Pirates of the Caribbean has all the trappings of the uninspired movie licence tie-in and hence is found wanting in pretty much every department.” Tepid
The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome – “This is dramatized edutainment of a schools programme quality level dressed up in shabby real-time-strategy game clothing, and therefore we’re not too sure to whom it’s supposed to appeal.” Tepid
Shadow Hearts: From the New World – “Falls down in some respects, especially compared to the best current RPGs, but there’s enough originality and weirdness in here, and a big enough stock of crazy characters, to rocket it right back up again.” Hot
Crush – “With its genuinely taxing puzzles and inventive yet simple gameplay mechanics, we reckon Crush has the potential to be one of the best ever head-scratchers on PSP.” Boiling
Legend of the Dragon – “Not as complex as most beat-‘em-ups and disadvantaged by the fact that there’s no blood, but Legend of the Dragon is shaping up to be an entertaining, if basic, addition to the arcade genre.” Warm
ATV Offroad Fury 4 – “At long last, ATV Offroad Fury is doing what it should have been doing from the very beginning, proving that furious, multi-vehicle motocross isn’t just for next-gen. Extremely promising.” Boiling
Crash of the Titans – “Crash has been a poor second to the likes of Daxter and Sly in recent years, but Titans could well be the game where the wily bandicoot double jumps to the top spot once again.” Hot
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars – “A comprehensive and slick port that we hope will provide the same pleasure as the arcade classic did several years ago. The problem is, though, we’ve a nagging suspicion that it won’t.” Warm
Shining Force Exa – “The twin facts that the developer has taken into account what folks didn’t like in the last game and added new ideas, too, means Exa has the potential to be hotter than a Texas Chilli Dog.” Warm
The Club – “A fresh spin on the tired ‘men with guns’ genre, The Club has the potential to be the most pulse-pounding shooter this side of Christmas. Let’s just hope it’s more substance than style.” Boiling
PS2 Reviews
Tomb Raider: Anniversary – “Could be slicker, but stays faithful enough to the original to remain a spellbinding adventure with few rivals.” 8/10
Everybody’s Tennis – “Maintains the Everbody’s good name by being a deceptively brilliant sports sim that constantly surprises and challenges.” 8/10
Buzz Junior: Robojam – “Designed to satisfy only the very easy-to-please, and therefore bound to disappoint anyone expecting a game of real bite.” 5/10
Pimp My Ride – “A collection of mini-games and a couple of dreadful driving sections. Just watch the show and play Need for Speed Carbon.” 4/10
Harley-Davidson: Race to the Rally – “An offence to Harley lovers and gamers alike, Race to the Rally crams all the worst crimes in gaming into one package.” 3/10
SBK 2007 Superbike World Championship – “It’s good to see someone taking bike racing seriously, but make sure you can do without stabilisers – this is no easy rider.” 7/10
Meet the Robinsons – “Some issues with the control system can’t stop this being a fun and surprisingly enjoyable game for fans of the film.” 7/10
Pac-Man World Rally – “A fun, competitive racer. There are enough features, options and unlockables to entertain but it does feel ‘been there, done that’.” 6/10
Skate Attack – “Appears to be trying to target younger skaters, but is uncool and stagnant. Doesn’t even have guys in baggy trousers, for god’s sake.” 4/10
PSP Reviews
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters – “It’s still just Ratchet and Clank, but that’s no bad thing. It feels as fresh and fun as ever, despite the change in format.” 8/10
World Championship Poker 2 – “Lots of variety with some interesting touches but it’s still just poker, only without the banter, gambling and beer.” 6/10
Diner Dash – “A simple concept that makes for a fiendishly tricky and addictive game. Sadly let down slightly by some clumsy controls.” 5/10
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory – “The campaign lacks the depth of its console counterparts but while you’re involved it’s one of the most atmospheric shooters on PSP.” 7/10
Full Auto 2: Battlelines – “Dull, repetitive, uninspired – had it been anything like its PS3 cousin, Battlelines could have been a great game. As it’s not, it’s not.” 3/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
God of War II
UEFA Champions League 2006-2007
Mercenaries
Tomb Raider: Legend
Beyond Good and Evil
Alias
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Cy Girls
Primal
Transformers
Footage
Final Fantasy XII
Trivia
* Kim Richards joins the team this month, and they're finally back up to full capacity.
* God of War II had a promotional website, Battle of the Gods, in which a group of LARPers dressed as the game’s characters (and Chubby Kratos, who is a separate character from regular Kratos) and do battle. I checked and sadly, the site no longer exists. I would like it if Chubby Kratos was carried over to the games. That way, we could have a battle between Chubby Kratos and Doughnut Drake for the title of Fattest Alter Ego.
* The God of War II walkthrough shows off the unlockable costumes, of which the Cod of War is easily the best.
* The original plot of Tomb Raider: Chronicles involved Lara finding herself on a desert island after her seeming death at the end of The Last Revelation, but the island is owned by an eccentric billionaire (is there any other kind?) who brings people to the island in order to hunt them. Lara’s goal was to escape the island, and presumably take the billionaire down while she’s at it.
* Those with an irrational dislike of Sonic’s Shitty Friends (meaning, every character except Sonic himself and Dr Eggman, or Dr Robotnik as these people are more likely to call him) will enjoy the picture a reader sent in of a dismembered Knuckles doll, with the saw visible in the picture and ketchup squirted around the cuts to resemble blood.
* The Knitted Kratos Jumper wins the Bacon Monster award for short-lived feature defined by one brilliant instalment. Now, what if the Bacon Monster wore a Knitted Kratos Jumper?
Quote of the Month: “Tens of thousands of bones will become ashes when one general achieves his fame.” Apparently, this is an ancient Chinese proverb that means great people need others to sacrifice themselves on their behalf.
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130
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