Issue 96 (March 2008)

                                                                     Issue 96, March 2008

Editor’s letter
       Is it just me or did Hollywood take a bit of a nose-dive in 2007? Last year’s crop of so-called blockbusters was average at best, and depressingly, their gaming spin-offs were even worse (Pirates of the Caribbean, anyone? Spider-Man 3?).
       So, for me, 2008 can only be an improvement. And with that in mind, let’s talk Spiderwick…
       On the surface, The Spiderwick Chronicles books and film look like yet more tiresome Harry Potter clones.
       But look a little deeper and you’ll find its actually a deep, well-crafted fantasy with serious stuff to say about the break-down of the modern family.
       It’s the perfect antidote to the dreadful recent adaptation of Northern… sorry, The Golden Compass. And the Spiderwick game, which you can find reviewed on p70, is a similarly massive improvement on the spin-off Compass game.
       To top off the good news, Lego Indy and Lego Batman both look damn fine. Roll on the summer!
                                                                Andy Hartup, Acting Editor

Feature
Blasts from the Past – A throwback feature on the PSOne, with a selection of the classic games that still hold up today, as well as how rare and expensive – or not – they are to track down.

Monthly Articles
Google Fight – Game characters or series battle it out via Google Fight. This month, The Bible Game beats Evolution GT, with 2,250,000 hits to 1,580,000.

Mouth Piece – A staff member gives their view on a particular topic. This month, Andy argues that games are too expensive.

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

Reader Reviews – This month, The Simpsons Game, Hitman: Blood Money, Xyanide Resurrection and Zoo Puzzle.

Your Game in Lights – Readers submit their own game ideas. This month, Time for War: Rise of the Four Nations, in which World War 3 has broken out, The Blood of Humans, in which dinosaurs go on a rampage, Shadow Man, in which you destroy the world, and Final Fantasy XIV, starring Lara Croft of all people.

The Level – Celebrating the PS2’s best levels. This month, rescuing General Carrington in XIII.

The PS2 Games you Should Own – PS2 cult classics. This month, Project Zero.

The Greatest – This month, budget games. Greatest in this context is noted as standing for “a certain carefully crafted naffness”, as opposed to actually being good.

Unsung Hero – PS2’s best characters. This month, Lego Admiral Ackbar.

OPS2-O-Meter – Measuring games along a certain theme. This month, OPS2 reject humanity and return to monkey.

Scene Stealer – PS2’s best scenes. This month, Travis Bell from Killer 7.

Where the Hell is? – Honourable mentions for the Hall of Fame. This month, I Ninja.

Brief History – This month, Pro Evolution Soccer, which previously received the bigger version of this feature back in Issue 69.

Collector’s Item – Gaming merchandise. This month, Grand Theft Auto dice.

Great Game Ingredients – What goes into the best games? This month, Onimusha.

Top 10 – This month, film games.

Playstation Workout – Get into a gaming genre through four games of increasing difficulty. This month, football. Easy – FIFA Street 2. Medium – FIFA 2008. Hard – Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Killer – Championship Manager 2007.

Top Chumps – PS2’s worst characters. This month, Lee Chaolan from Tekken.

The Year in Playstation – This month, 2001. The Best – Grand Theft Auto 3. The Worst – The Weakest Link. Underrated – Kengo: Master of Bushido. Overhyped – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Forgotten – Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. Never Again! – The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas.

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

Split Screen – Playing a game two different ways. This month, Mercenaries in stealthy and Indiana Jones styles.

Previews
Lego Batman
Lego Indiana Jones
Silent Hill Origins
Odin Sphere
Baroque
Twisted Metal Head On: Extra Twisted
Race Driver Grid
Lost
Highlander
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship
Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts

PS2 Reviews
The Spiderwick Chronicles – “An enjoyable and enchanting adventure with a few flaws but fountains of fun, especially (but not exclusively) for kids.” 7/10

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity – “As a straight kart racer, Zero Gravity performs well. There’s just not enough depth and content here to propel it higher.” 7/10

MX VS ATV Untamed – “A motocross game that’s jam-packed with options and content, but nothing that raises the pulse or even peaks the interest.” 6/10

Wild Arms 5 – “Fun, comical and light-hearted, but does get tiresome due to endless random battles and the hero’s over-the-top quips.” 6/10

Godzilla Unleashed – “A big, stodgy pudding of a beat-‘em-up that lacks any punch or bite.” 4/10

Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus – “Still offers the definitive MMO experience on PS2, but online is still the only way to get the most out of this expansion.” 7/10

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords – “This is puzzling with a purpose – simple to get into, it quickly becomes addictive.” 8/10

PSP Reviews
NBA Live 2008 – “Whether you want to play in-depth for hours or just drop in, keep it PSP for the finest NBA experience.” 8/10

Warhammer 40K: Squad Command – “Thoughtful, strategic and neat, but you may get bored after a while.” 6/10

Spider-Man 3 – “A loveless afterthought that’s best avoided.” 5/10

PS3 Reviews
Devil May Cry 4 – “PS3’s premier slash-‘em-up, DMC 4 will make your eyes pop, although it won’t stop you hankering after God of War III.” 9/10

Condemned 2: Bloodshot – “The first proper horror experience on PS3 and it’s a cracker. A skull cracker…” 9/10

FIFA Street 3 – “Flamboyant fun, but doesn’t feel like you’re playing real football.” 6/10

Disc Content
Playable Demos
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Ico
Shadow of the Colossus
From Russia with Love
Hulk
Rocky Legends
The Incredibles
Arthur and the Invisibles
Bionicle Heroes
Sonic Riders

Trivia
* Demo disc life cycle phase 5: With no more new demos, the demo disc now has a different theme each month instead of the mix-‘n’-match approach of the last year.
* Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed was meant to be reviewed in this issue, but the PS2 and PSP versions of the game were cancelled as a cost-cutting measure following underwhelming sales for many of publisher THQ’s 2007 releases. If it was that close to release, wouldn’t it have made more sense to finish the game and release it in order to recoup at least some of the money spent on it, instead of letting it all go to waste?
* Gaydar: This month, Daniel Gay writes reader reviews for The Simpsons Game and Zoo Puzzle.
* There’s a slight spruce-up to the Hall of Fame this month, as several games change positions on the list. Most interestingly, there’s also a surprise new entry in the form of Worms: Forts Under Siege. Despite it only scoring 5/10 on its original review, the current team felt this was too harsh and increased the score to 7/10. It’s only a fleeting visit, though – we may be only four issues away from the end, but Worms doesn’t even last that long.
* This month’s Year in Playstation is the only one to include both PSOne and PS2 games, due to 2001 being a transition year between the two consoles. Had the magazine lasted a little longer, maybe 2007 could have been another transition year featuring both PS2 and PS3 games?

Quote of the Month: “Can I drive the Batmobile today? No. Please? No. Tomorrow? No.” Is Robin insured to drive it?

Cover price: £5.99
Page Count: 114