Issue 91 (November 2007)

                                                            Issue 91, November 2007

Editor’s letter
       To be perfectly blunt, I’m not a fan of Crash Bandicoot. I’ve nothing against him personally, and I’ll admit that many of his games have been corkers, but there’s a large problem.
       It’s his PS1 racer, Crash Team Racing. Why? Well, it’s the only game my wife will ever play (ever) and she takes great delight in beating me every single time that we race each other, on any track. Wounded pride? You betcha.
       However, there are no karts to be found in Crash of the Titans, reviewed on p80, so maybe I’ll give him a second chance. Maybe.
       One game I would thrash the wife at is FIFA, which returns this year in fine form. The review’s on p100 and next month we’ll have a playable demo, along with a PES 2008 demo.
       It’s the biggest derby of the season and the two games are more closely matched than ever before. Game on!
       Finally, thanks for all of your comments about the new look of the mag. Keep ‘em coming.
                                                                    Nick Ellis, Editor

Features
Monster Mash-Up – Godzilla Unleashed

Box Art By You – Issue 89 ran a competition for readers to design their own custom box art, and this feature shows off the winners.

Resident Evil’s Scariest Moments – Celebrating Halloween with a look at the scariest moments of Resident Evil: Code Veronica X, Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil 4.

Monthly Articles
Google Fight – Game characters or series battle it out via Google Fight. This month, Call of Duty defeats Medal of Honor with 73,500,000 hits to 19,000,000.

Mouth Piece – A staff member gives their view on a particular topic. This month, Mike explains why gamers need not fear politicians.

The World According to Playstation – Various locations around a specific theme. This month, zombies.

Reader Reviews – This month, Spartan: Total Warrior, Metal Gear Solid 2, Freedom Fighters, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Pro Evolution Soccer 6.

Your Game in Lights – Readers submit their own game ideas. This month, Ultimate Granny Fighting League, an OAP fighting game, Shadow of the Colossus 2, Nuclear, a power plant management sim, and Mole Digger, in which a mole digs underground for food.

The Level – Celebrating the PS2’s best levels. This month, the prologue of From Russia with Love.

The PS2 Games you Should Own – PS2 cult classics. This month, Freedom Fighters.

The Greatest – This month, bosses.

Unsung Hero – PS2’s best characters. This month, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil.

Quit or Retry? – OPS2 debate gaming questions. This month, which is the best Grand Theft Auto game? Nick says Vice City, Mike says San Andreas.

OPS2-O-Meter – Measuring games along a certain theme. This month, groove.

Scene Stealer – PS2’s best scenes. This month, Theseus has his head slammed in a door repeatedly in God of War II.

Brief History – This month, Burnout.

Collector’s Item – Gaming merchandise. This month, a life-size Lara Croft statue.

Great Game Ingredients – What goes into the best games? This month, Everybody’s Golf.

Top 10 – This month, heroes.

Playstation Workout – Get into a gaming genre through four games of increasing difficulty. This month, RPGs. Easy – Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. Medium – Shadow Hearts: From the New World. Hard – Final Fantasy X. Killer – Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria.

Top Chumps – PS2’s worst characters. This month, Joshua Hartwell from Raw Danger!

The Year in Playstation – This month, 1996. The Best – Tomb Raider. The Worst – Bubsy 3D. Underrated – Earthworm Jim 2. Overhyped – Primal Rage. Forgotten – Wild Arms. Never Again! – Area 51

Playstation Education – Demonstrating various examples of a certain item in PS2 games. This month, guitars.

Split Screen – Playing a game two different ways. This month, Fahrenheit in lover man and bitter man styles.

Previews
WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2008
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Avatar: The Burning Earth
PDC World Championship Darts 2008
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Viking: Battle for Asgard
Fallout 3
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
Steel Horizons
Warriors of the Lost Empire

PS2 Reviews
Crash of the Titans – “A delightful, brilliantly realised platformer, Titans would have scored higher were it not for its reliance on repetition.” 7/10

Moto GP 2007 – “A jewel in the biking helmet. Accessible, enjoyable and thrilling Moto GP 07 brings a sport, and gaming genre, to life.” 8/10

NHL 2008 – “It still rules the PS2 rink, but if you’re already familiar with the series, NHL 08 doesn’t do enough to prevent NHL 07 deja vu.” 7/10

NBA Live 2008 – “Still trails behind the NBA 2K series, but this is certainly an improvement on last year if you can get to grips with the camera.” 6/10

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 – “It’s difficult not to find this fighter charming – even if the hero is a squeaky-voiced brat.” 7/10

King of Clubs – “We’re almost lost for words as to how bad this is. You’d have more fun playing real golf in the driving rain. Blindfolded and naked.” 2/10

Jackass – “A few stinkers aside, Jackass is a great bunch of mini-games that capture the essence of the show.” 7/10

FIFA 2008 – “Don’t expect a revolution, or even an evolution, come to think of it, but this is solid stuff and truly excels in multiplayer.” 9/10

PSP Reviews
SWAT: Target Liberty – “Not perfect, but still one of the best-quality, most fun games on the market.” 8/10

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions – “Hours of battling with beautiful drama to draw you into it.” 7/10

Brian Lara 2007: Pressure Play – “A great sports game that will satisfy fans without excluding newcomers.” 8/10

PS3 Reviews
Skate – “Makes skating feel like it should: often dangerous and always really, really hard.” 9/10

Folklore – “Too linear, but one of PS3’s most charming and satisfying adventures so far.” 7/10

Sega Rally – “Arcade-style racing with next-gen looks that’s best enjoyed in multiplayer.” 7/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Stuntman Ignition
Crash of the Titans
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Freedom Fighters
Beyond Good and Evil
The Simpsons Hit and Run
Killzone
Amplitude
Rez
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Trivia
* The Manhunt 2 saga continues, with the announcement that a censored version has now been approved for release in the USA.
* OPS2 ask this month, why does Sonic need a hoverboard if he’s so fast? The answer is that if he ran on foot, he would win every race, and it wouldn’t be fun for him or anyone else. Giving all the racers boards or cars puts everyone on a level playing field.
* I disagree with the implication in the Crash of the Titans review that Ratchet and Clank isn’t funny.
* King of Clubs is the lowest scoring game to have received a playable demo (it was on the disc for Issue 88).
* Following his then-recent death, this issue includes a tribute to Colin McRae.

Quote of the Month: “Imagine Dante from Devil May Cry bursting into an Irish theme pub and butchering the Pokemon drinking inside.” If that doesn’t pique your interest in Folklore, nothing will!

Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 130