Issue 87, July 2007
Editor’s letter
For this month’s cover we had a choice of two games: Manhunt 2 or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. You probably couldn’t get two more different titles. On the one hand, you’ve got a horrifically violent adventure with a psychopathic lead character, a game so exquisitely gruesome that it gave me horrible nightmares after I’d played it. On the other, you’ve got Manhunt 2. Ho! I jest, of course. In fact pretty much the only thing these two have in common is that the lead character in both titles wears specs (and we all know that specs are way cool, right?). In the end we sided with Potter, which might surprise you, but we think you’ll also be surprised at just how good Order of the Phoenix is. We certainly were. It’s not often you see a franchise completely reinvent itself for the better, but that’s precisely what’s happened here, and the game is so good in its own right that you don’t need to be Potter-mad to enjoy it. We’ll be seeing how the second Manhunt title fares next month. The rest of the issue is, as ever, jam-packed with the latest and greatest PS2, PSP and PS3 news, reviews, previews and features. Well that’s all from me this month, I’m off to pack my suitcase and head to the sun. Happy holidays!
Nick Ellis, Editor
Features
Lights! Camera! Traction! – Stuntman Ignition
Recruitment Consultancy – What if game characters had regular jobs? Inspired by a reader letter in Issue 84, OPS2 sent mock CVs for Heihachi Mishima, Ratchet and Agent 47 to a recruitment consultant to find out what their ideal jobs would be.
Your PSP Summer – This extensive feature is dedicated to the PSP, with some of the best games to play during long journeys, the best accessories and movies to buy, and for one month only, a PSP Hot 100.
Monthly Articles
Your Game in Lights – Readers submit their own game ideas. This month, Alpha Company, in which a military unit goes missing under mysterious circumstances.
Google Fight – Two games or characters are pitted against each other via Google Fight. This month, Resident Evil defeats Silent Hill with 5,260,000 hits to 4,740,000 hits.
Could be a Classic – This month, Parappa the Rapper. The PSP port, to be exact. We already know this game is a classic, so including it here is a bit of a cheat, really.
Replay – Part two of the Tomb Raider: Anniversary walkthrough, online reviews for UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 and Death Jr 2: Root of Evil and what the other mags said about Spider-Man 3, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Combined Assault and Diner Dash.
Playstation Education – Demonstrating various examples of a certain item in PS2 games. This month, abominations.
Trading Pages – Other magazines take over the back page. This month, Imagine FX use Photoshop to create digital art of Lara Croft.
Monitor
FIFA 2008 – “Last year’s FIFA was a revolution and FIFA 08 looks set to extend EA’s return to form – so long as its new, tougher shooting model doesn’t get too convoluted.” Boiling
God of War: Chains of Olympus – “This is no lazy re-hash. Chains of Olympus looks set to raise the PSP bar and then crush the bar with its bare hands. We can’t bloody wait to play it.” Meltdown
Persona 3 – “The mix of an engaging storyline, the unique in-school community concept and the saving humanity stuff makes SMT:P3 a very exciting prospect for RPG fanatics.” Boiling
Silent Hill: Origins – “With moody atmospherics, creepy music and strong ties to the rest of the series, Origins looks set to stand as a credible addition to the history of Silent Hill.” Hot
Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus – “Once this hits the shelves, the sheer size of PSU will reach universal proportions. With so many new features packed in, it’s an essential buy for PSU owners.” Hot
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 – “Shooters and the PSP have never had the best relationship, but GRAW 2 is shaping up to buck that trend and deliver something special.” Boiling
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men – “High-velocity gunplay and a pumping soundtrack make this feel suitably down-and-dirty for its adult storyline. Hopefully the missions will offer enough variety to keep things going to a bloody climax.” Hot
Ratatouille – “We can’t wait to see the movie, but don’t have as much appetite for the game, which looks set to be a solid but unimaginative dish for very young Ratatouille fans only.” Warm
Need for Speed ProStreet – “Final judgement will have to wait until it completes its costly makeover, but for now ProStreet threatens to reinvigorate the racing genre, and with some panache. It’s set to be an exhilarating ride.” Boiling
PS2 Reviews
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – “The best Potter adventure ever and the best licensed game on PS2. For fans, it’s essential and for everyone else, it’s highly recommended.” 8/10
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – “Without the unlockables, this game lasts three hours. You’re better off using those three hours to watch the very wonderful film instead.” 5/10
Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm – “The fighting and alchemy are great. But the repetitive questing, slow storyline and disappointing graphics will wear out the biggest RPG freak.” 6/10
Spongebob and Friends: Battle for Volcano Island – “What this game does, it does pretty well. But it’s a shame that it settles for merely good enough when it could have been great.” 6/10
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles – “RPG elements shoved into some half-cocked attempt at achieving depth of play, Uzumaki Chronicles is a missed opportunity.” 5/10
PSP Reviews
Heatseeker – “A once-fine example of dogfighting laid low by its transition to PSP, Heatseeker isn’t bad, but neither is it anywhere near brilliant.” 6/10
Driver 76 – “Despite a few technical glitches this is a solid back-to-basics effort with some extra bells and whistles and a load of groove.” 7/10
SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 2 – “On its own, this is short-lived and has little new to offer, but the online options and improved Crosstalk bring it back from the brink.” 7/10
Hot Pixel – “Quirky games like this work only when there’s a huge amount of truly inspired imagination behind them. Here, there isn’t.” 3/10
Legend of the Dragon – “Possibly could have been better if more had been made of the bonkers storyline. As it is, file this one away under ‘fans only’.” 5/10
Aces of War – “Plenty of missions based on actual events? Roger. Lots of authentic WWII planes? Roger. Any excitement or fun? Nope.” 3/10
Gurumin – “As a fluffy fantasy adventure Gurumin pushes all the right buttons, although it’s hardly serious RPG fare.” 7/10
Burnout Dominator – “A perfect dash of arcade racing that takes the series back to its roots. Clearly made for the fans, an essential buy for anyone.” 9/10
Ghost Rider – “There’s plenty of content in this flowing, flaming adventure with a devilish difficulty level that’ll keep you chained to your PSP.” 8/10
Thrillville – “A superb work of handheld gaming – great fun and one of the most imaginative games for the handheld format.” 9/10
Test Drive Unlimited – “A racing adventure that’s more focused than the console version and manages to remain huge even though it’s on handheld.” 8/10
TMNT – “Cowabunga, dude, this is turtly rubbish!” 3/10
Disc Content
Playable Demos
Obscure 2
Lumines Plus
God of War II
Buzz Junior: Jungle Party
Destroy All Humans 2
Dog’s Life
Ford Racing 2
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Reign of Fire
Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm
War of the Monsters
Trivia
* Gaydar: This month, Daniel Gay is concerned about the increasing push for photorealistic graphics resulting in fewer cartoony, stylised, unrealistic games being made.
* Alexander Mellar writes in with the idea for Star Wars Battlefront, but with Playstation characters instead of Star Wars ones. OPS2 weren’t fans: “One man’s dream is another person’s nightmare. Namely, ours.” With so little appetite for a Playstation crossover, it’s no wonder everyone hated Playstation All Stars Battle Royale.
* If you must destroy your old console to celebrate buying a new one, at least do it safely. Don’t be the gamer in Wyoming who urinated on his PS2 and ended up electrocuting himself because it was on at the time. Luckily, he survived.
* There is an article on rare and expensive games, and it's interesting to see the difference on what was was rare and expensive when PS2 was still relatively current, compared to now. On one hand, the likes of Psychonauts and Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner are readily available nowadays thanks to regular re-releases and ports. On the other hand, you could buy an import copy of Rule of Rose for around £40 in 2007. Today, you'd have to add an extra zero to the end. Speaking of which, why hasn't there been a remake or film/TV adaptation yet, to try and improve or remove the mediocre-at-best gameplay while retaining the story, which is apparently considered to be among the best in all of videogames?
* Funny story about Order of the Phoenix: Emma Watson mentioned in interviews that for a time after the game was released, whenever she and her brother got into a fight, her brother would vent his frustrations by turning the game on and battering Hermione repeatedly with benches.
* Hot Pixel was re-reviewed in this issue having previously been reviewed in Issue 81 because it wasn’t released at that time.
* This issue has a challenge to beat OPS2’s time in a race in Spider-Man 3. I entered the competition, but I didn’t win, despite getting my best time under 10 seconds. To this day, I’m still not certain if there was someone even faster, or if my entry didn’t reach them for whatever reason.
Quote of the Month: “It was my first time. It was his last time. [Uncontrolled sobbing].” Everyone knows having sex in a horror movie is one of the absolute worst ways to tank your chances of surviving. Only imminent retirement and/or having a family is worse.
Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130
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