Electronic Gaming (September)

79 Pages·2006·7.309 MB·English

WWW.1UP.COM
NEW SCREENS & INFO
MASS EFFECT
EXPLORE THE GALAXY IN THE LATEST EPIC RPG FROM
THE MAKERS OF KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC
PLUS:
• PS3/Wii updates
• Tough-guy games
• Sonic's future
• Exclusive first look: NBA Street V4
• Splinter Cell Double Agent multiplayer
• Reviewed: Okami, Xbox 360 games, and more!
contents
issue 207 • september 2006
LETTERS
14 Because the moogle mail carriers will
riot if we stop taking snail mail
PRESS START
Your source for the hottest news,
previews, and features
20 FALSE ADVERTISING
We demand the naked truth from
videogame commercials
28 PREVIEW: NBA STREET V4
Turn your hometown into the next
streetball hotspot
34 ONLINE: CLASSIC COMEBACK
Check out these legendary games
coming to Xbox Live Arcade
36 GAME DAY
11 teams are given 24 short hours to
design and complete an original game
40 15 YEARS OF SONIC
Sega’s famous ’hog is blowin’ up
44 THE SURREAL LIFE
Meet the wunderkids behind the
home-grown web video hit, GameLife
48 SPLINTER CELL DOUBLE AGENT
Sneaky sneaky! We spy exclusive
screens and info about next-gen
Splinter Cell multiplayer
54 THE BIG ONES
Get your fix on heavy hitters like
Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV
62 RUMOR MILL
82 COVER STORY:
Stuff we hope turns out to be true
MASS EFFECT
GAME OVER
Oh, we’re not done yet!
114 SEANBABY’S REST OF THE CRAP
Games still suck in the year 200X Join us on our interstellar joyride through the galaxy
116 CROSSWORD/GRUDGE MATCH
in the latest role-playing game from the makers of
118 EGM RETRO
Celebrating 25 years of apes escaping Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Just don’t put
120 FINAL WORD the top down or your head will explode....
122 HSU & CHAN
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA GAME GROUP
EDITORIAL InternRosemary Pinkham HEAD HONCHOS Copy Editors Kaitlen Jay Exum, Gaming Accounts Andrew Reedman Promotions Manager Wendy
Editor-in-Chief Dan “Shoe” Hsu PresidentScott C. McCarthy Andrew Fitch Northwest Account Executive Jessica Reback Donohue
Executive Editor Shane Bettenhausen CONTRIBUTORS Senior Vice President and Regional Sales Director Amy Mishra Consumer Accounts Senior Advertising Coordinator
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12• ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com
■ Scarface: The World is Yours ■ The Sopranos EDITORIAL
Some fanboys
will look so hard
for “proof” of
bias from us, they
won’t even read
the magazine to
“find” it. Case in
TOUGH GUY GAMES point: Some random guy on a message
70
board thought he was calling me out
when he pointed to my July issue
Nerds better watch their
editorial (in which I said the $600
step—it’ll take cojonesto price tag for the PlayStation 3, in the
grander scheme of things, may not be
play these games
as big a deal as people are making it
out to be). He claimed I was pro-Sony
and anti-Microsoft because I didn’t
give Sony as hard a time for this price
announcement as I did Microsoft in
an interview that took place shortly
after the Xbox 360 launched. Woe is
the magazine editor who responds to
a message-board post like this, but
here I go.
1) If this person would’ve turned
just 10 pages, he would’ve seen
CONSOLE our interview with Kazuo Hirai,
26
president and CEO of Sony Computer
COUNTDOWN Entertainment America, where we
grilled him about the price (over four
The clock’s ticking down questions, no less), the fake gameplay
videos they showed the year before,
to this fall’s launch of
and more. So you see that we treat
PS3 and Wii, and we’ve all our kids equally and fairly, we also
gave Nintendo a hard time about the
got all the latest info
name “Wii” in that same issue.
2) The Xbox 360 interview this
guy is referring to was done after the
system came out (search “Moore’s
Law” on 1UP.com to read it). Unless
this guy knows something I don’t,
REVIEW CREW the PlayStation 3 is not out yet, and
therefore, the interviews won’t take
the same tone. Sure, we can ask Sony
Xbox 360 106 Dance Factory about its perceived mistakes, but no
92 Dead Rising one (not you, not me, not the forum
94 Prey DS guy) can say that the company has
96 Ninety-Nine Nights 106 Deep Labyrinth
done anything wrong...yet. Is $600
97 Bomberman Act: Zero
too expensive? It sure seems to be
Multiplatform PSP ■ Dead Rising (as I indicated in that editorial and in
98 FlatOut 2 108 Bomberman our new hype meter on pg. 26), but
98 Super Monkey Ball 108 Ultimate Ghosts ’n we don’t know if the PS3 will flop at
Adventure Goblins that price or not until it actually hits
99 Pac-Man World Rally 109 Tekken: Dark store shelves. Until then, we’re all
Resurrection just speculating. Believe me, if Sony
PlayStation 2 screws up the PS3 launch, we’ll be
99 Disgaea 2
as tough on them as we were on
100 Okami Extra Stuff
Microsoft and the Xbox 360 release—
103 Dirge of Cerberus: Final 110 Reviews Wrap-up
Fantasy VII 111 Reviews Archive ditto for Nintendo and the Wii.
104 Valkyrie Profile 2: —Dan “Shoe” Hsu,
Silmeria ■ Okami Editor-in-Chief
ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA INC. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
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Research Director May Tong Mark Moyer Jason Young (Consumer Tech/ Group) Jim McCabe (PC Magazine) Senior Technical Analyst
PMVMDToaRraa en crrMwekkoseena Hsttntiiaannaac ggtgAth e lCGaSvrowr aaJaolraeaparysdshd oiio&ncna DAtFoderrvseeiigdrnteiesnrifn egld, s E&MELAixxf cifCeecaehhccinrauuisesetti,fiiln vv GCJgeee.o VVanMnniietcciedrleelan e LltPPr eCrrOgeeofassfuiliicn ddeseerennltt , SSKIJromeaehn nBanniloe leD rctB hkaVu eviBscirsi een(oaG enPcas rhs(meE s(GdeCii rdotGooerurrpnoipoatu)srlp aD)teir eScatloers, ) MEVABniaacictrreeorhy rnaPp eHrrGeilas oVsrelriid zdiGgbaeaerrnodnrtgu s(( pEI(n)Md tieatrornkrieeattl) EDxirpeecrttosr), PEBDSCalteoaleeutnvphnles h uO RPRem’eenRopae ceSerrkil/ultm lSay(tC tm ao((iHnErnac uv l(lu(eEm AlBndauautit dtnisoMoi ierRnn-an)eeir nckss-esoeC )utDhirneicegvef es,G l)CoropIOum pIen)nstig, ht) (mlBDNaCiseiaolctlssnn ktStkah amKctecohatae pdmal@i nsvAezytiadeilofz fnrmedee-ari mnvoinaiss i.ltct huroiassmi tn)ogr: firstname_ ADmwlahol vodcilsoief ni Mcotaeretn diiotni an cp ,o Ianoprcryt .,rt irRbgayehn ptas rnm©oydi s2ums0ciet0oian6on,n Zsi,n i, f f
please call 415-547-8000 & Secretary Game Group) Kristin Holmes (International Licensing) Stephen Veith (Enterprise Group without written permission from
(mfCirasotsnntthaaemcate da_ nvlayiaos tnene-a mmonae i@lt huizssii fnfdga: vis.com) Gregory Barton JCAinomng seLuloomu Mdeera/rnSbdmaacarkall n (BEoud (siStioanrleieassls D&Gi rreocutpo)r, MREveiecynh Ltasee,d l GdKaarm ie(Mge eaGrr kr(oeMutiapnr)gk,e Rt eEsxepaerrctsh) and PMMuoabnrlciisci haYi anVmgila aD g(iEurevccehtnio t(r S)Maalersk,e Gtinamg eG rGoruopu)p) Zisi fsf tDriacvtliys pMreodhiiab itInecd..
All rights reserved.
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 13
letters
commie plotting, cartoon shilling, and videogaming
Those latte-sipping sons (six and four) can watch. One of the unnecessary)
Tingle lovers! very best of those games was Grabbed by advertisement
I find it absolutely not cool how you the Ghoulies (XB). I saw how you panned by saying, “If
responded to a letter by Chris Hague, who it in the reviews archive and got really you want to
called you out on your socialist comments ticked off, because it was one of the very call me an idiot
[EGM #204]. You pull the classic liberal few games I’ve been able to enjoy. My and are looking for
line of free speech. It amazes me how you sons got a kick out of watching, and it more ammo, peep Space Ghost
dismiss his points in an effort to uphold wasn’t so difficult, so they were able to interviewing me on GameTap.” Then
your own. Maybe you should all wear play it a little bit. Almost every review he proceeds to tell us to sign up for
Che [Guevara] T-shirts while you’re at it... you guys write either compares the game a free trial. He mentions GameTap
with burning crosses on the back. In an unfavorably to something that has already four times in three sentences! Is
age where the news and editorials are come out, or it complains that there is this the same guy who, in EGM
often one and the same, when it comes to “nothing new” about it. How about throw- #192, refused to take a free TV
games, my favorite escape, I don’t want ing a bone to those of us that don’t mind a from Microsoft, then proceeded to
EGM to read like The New York Times: lies, game that is just like something else? call for games journalists to start
editorials, and liberal rants. —Paul Wright acting like journalists? I want to
—Larry Ragland see insight and opinions in edito-
Different people have different tastes rials, not advertisements.
Muahahaha! Our readers only think in games (as the three-reviewer EGM —Michael Marks
they’re boning up on games. In fact, format highlights), and bad reviews
they’re submitting to a devious commie shouldn’t change the way you feel Editor-in-chief Dan Hsu
brainwashing program, a secret plot about a game you love. That said, if responds: “Ouch! Let me just
to redistribute the nation’s wealth by you don’t mind games that offer noth- say this: I wasn’t paid or
pouring it into videogame publishers ing new, why bother reading reviews? compensated in any way. It
(also undercover commies). The store shelves are full of them. was fun and silly (an EGM editor
onSpaceGhost!), and I thought ➤
Critics are too critical ShillingSpace Ghost readers might want to know
I’m a dad, and I like to play games my What’s with the last paragraph of Shoe’s about it. I couldn’t help mention-
editorial in EGM #205? Since when has ing GameTap four times because,
LETTER OF the editorial been about shilling a prod- in telling people how to navigate
uct? In this case, the product in question to the video, every menu item or
THE MONTH is GameTap. Shoe gives his editorial, URL had the word GameTap in it. No
then subtly segues into an (unrelated and shilling here.”
Maps are hard
Type-1Vampirism
It’s been over one full month since
Sink your teeth into this: I was playing
Zipper Interactive came out of hid-
Oblivion the other day when—out of
ing to tell their fans that the (delayed)
nowhere—I received the so-called
downloadable map packs for SOCOM 3
“vampirism.” I had heard of it from
should be available in mid-May. This, of
other players, but never thought it
course, was the first communication from
would happen to me. How could I have
Zipper that addressed this subject since
been so oblivious? You see, in real-
February 21, when the maps were
ity, I’m a Type-1 diabetic, and games
announced. It’s well past May, and
have always allowed me to escape ■ Underneath his mask, the
there is still no downloadable content
that reality, until now. There were so ■ Space Ghost: “That’s some real SOCOM soldier cries for the
[Ed: SOCOM 3 Map Pack #1 was since
many similarities between vampir- journalism you’re doing there, Shoe.” released on June 27]. I’m fairly confident ➤ ddeealatyhe odf dinonwoncleonacdea.b..laen md aps.
ism and diabetes that it forced me to
reconsider my quest. Would I just cope
with the disease and live from victim POST OFFICE Rambling and ranting from our message boards, CONTACT EGM
boards.1UP.com (look for EGM’s forums)
to victim, or might there be some
other way? I haven’t answered that “The new hype is...” E-mail us at:
[email protected]
yet, but I will say that I’m tired of all
those guards and townspeople com-
Or write to:
menting on how pale I look.... Don’t I
Druz3: ...not curable and leaves a Ragingbegal: ...not worth $600. EGM Letters
get enough of that in the real world?!
—Aaron Small-Stryker nasty rash. PizzaBagel: ...new systems, same 101 2nd Street, 8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
NoFXcKy: ...attacking weak spots old games.
Thanks for your for massive damage. Fence: ...better and shinier than For subscription help, contact:
insight, Aaron. For your E-mail: [email protected]
GrayFoxtastical:...a sequel! the Old Hype (now with 62% more
Letter of the Month, Web: http://service.egmmag.com
you’ll be receiving a Slinkydvc: ...motion sensing. Am I FUN!). Phone: [phone]
(hopefully disease- supposed to get excited about some- Kill_Beams: ...the old hype with a
free) game in the mail thing my inner ear does every day? new coat of paint. To order back issues:
from the EGM vaults. E-mail: [email protected]
14• ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com
letters
WIN GAME
GOODS
We’ve hidden movie
quotes in this
issue—spot one and
enter to win!
Go to EGM-
qotm.1UP.com
(note the new URL!)
where you can send
us a message (sub-
ject head: Movie
Quote: EGM #207) with the quote,
the movie it’s from, and the page
number you found it on. Include your
mailing address (no PO boxes!) and
“But what if the missiles your full name, and you could be one
of three lucky winners this month to
had hit Tokyo?” receive an exciting arrangement of
game-related prizes picked out just
for you by us!
➤that we’ll get the content repackaged into toward Tokyo as a test launch. Thankfully, many people want to use the new Wii front man in a band. So, what’s so wrong
SOCOM: Combined Assault (or, as I like to the test failed and the missiles landed controller for violence, shooting people with being in a basement?
call it, SOCOM 3.5). I worry that, when it harmlessly in the ocean. But what if and slicing off their heads, but I want to —CA Burke
comes to online games, we will always get the missiles had hit Tokyo? Games like see some changes. Why not use the Wii
a half-baked, half-functional product. The Legend ofZelda: Twilight Princess, Remote for constructive fun, like racing All this time we thought we were
—Brian W. SuperMario Galaxy, and Metal Gear a horse (whip! whip!), paddling a boat, making fun of a stereotype! Say hello to
Solid 4 would not see stateside release. stirring virtual food, darts, pool, balloon your Dungeon Master for, us rock star....
Seth Luisi, SOCOM senior producer, Unfortunately, it is a fact that most of the piercing, archery.... I mean, look at all the
responds: “It certainly took us longer gaming world originates in Tokyo, and fun that can be had without realistic Musical theater:
than expected to release the map pack, a large-scale attack on that city could violence! —Philip more macho than EGM
but this is due to the fact that the com- certainly spell problems for obsessed U.S. I was reading the July edition of EGM
merce and download system needed fans. North Korea is likely to attack again Sounds like a real blast, Phil. We [#205] the other day while I was playing in
more time to finish, and we had many in the near future. If successful, do you can’t wait to play awesome nonvio- the pit orchestra for The Sound of Music.
issues to resolve. SOCOM 3 is the first think that it could spell the end of gaming lent games like Bricklayer: Legend of I started to become self-conscious once I
PS2 game to offer online downloadable (at least as we know it)? —Chris Day Farmer’s Tan,Nap-in-a-Hammock,and realized I was waving around a magazine
content, and we needed to make sure the action-packed thrills of 1040EZ: Tax with a huge cartoon game advertise-
it was not released “half-baked” or In the event of a nuclear attack on Preparation Deathmatch. ment. I immediately folded the back cover
“half-functional.” It is always a chal- Tokyo, we’re pretty sure you’ll have around, did a quick look left and right, and
lenge for game developers to meet other things to worry about, like being Basement dweller persecution then leaned over and continued to read. Is
the consumer expectation to have the drafted. Why do you always post letters and make there any way you guys could put some-
product on time while at the same time comments about citizens who live in their thing really macho on the back cover next
delivering the best possible product. Bored with blood parents’ basements? I am still in my mom’s time? —Chris Cornelius
This is a challenge that game devel- I’m getting tired of realistic violence in basement and I’m very healthy. I have a
opers have been struggling with for videogames. Every game has guns in it steady girlfriend (who is also Like what, a picture of Julie
many, many years.” now except Animal Crossing and Madden, an avid gamer), a well- Andrews frolicking among
but I’m certain that they’ll add zappers paying job, and the the flower-covered
Misplaced priorities toAnimal Crossing and a football target- responsibilities hills of wartime
On July 4th, North Korea shot five missiles shooting minigame in Madden. I know of being the Switzerland?P
BONUS GALLERY
Kirby Fiesta
Chris DeCastro says: “For my final semester project in Spanish class, we
had to make a piñata. I decided to do something fun. Needless to say, I
got a good grade. Too bad not many people in my school know Kirby.”
EGM: Donde estan sus huevos?
Chris: En mis pantalones y mi huevos son muy grandes.... They’re in my pants,
and they’re large.
EGM: What kind of candy did you put inside?
Chris: Unfortunately, the teacher would not allow us to fill it with candy. I’d be all
for it, but that would require breaking Kirby. Instead, I papier-mâchéd a 20” (or so)
beach ball, then covered it in frills. The eyes, feet, and arms are made of fun foam.
Overall, it was pretty cheap to make, just a few trips to the dollar store.
16• ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com
press start
NOT
gaming news, previews, gaming MOTs, and other stuff
AS ADVER TISED
Game commercials have tried to sell us
on phony footage for years, so when will
we finally see reality in TV advertising?
A s American consumers, we base an extraordi- into this year’s killer app with tricky editing, graphical
nary number of our purchasing decisions on enhancements, and flat-out avoidance of actual game-
the info we get from television advertising. play footage. It’s not like software publishers haven’t
And we sure do let a lot of things slide. Truth is, you been exaggerating their ads for decades; no one ever
don’t get to slay dragons if you join the Marines. The sued Atari because Air-Sea Battle’s explosive box art
Clapper requires an intricate knowledge of hand-clap wasn’t faithfully re-created by the 43 pixels charged
pitch and timbre that only the old lady in the ad can with the task of depicting blocky combat on your Atari
pass down. The taste of Juicy Fruit will “move you” 2600. But how is the average consumer—moms and
for about 18 seconds. And a fast-food burger has grandads and mainstream gamers—to know the differ-
never quite matched its succulent TV appearance. But ence between what’s freely playable and what’s strictly
is it really worth going to court to have your deflated displayable in gaming commercials?
Whopper restored to picture-perfect proportions?
Maybe—some battles are worth fighting, particularly Duty recalled
the ones related to videogames. Most of us have seen The Brits asked just this question. Back in February,
an ad or two that got our gaming juices flowing strong the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority demanded
enough to make a purchase, only to be let down when networks pull commercials for Activision’s Call of Duty 2
the game doesn’t deliver what the TV spot seemed to (Xbox 360, and Big Red One for PS2/XB/GC) after three
show. Creative advertising can turn a bargain-bin reject consumers filed gripes that the ad’s scenes misrepre-
>> KONAMI, WHICH OWNED THE GUITAR-RIFFING GENRE WITH ITS JAPAN-ONLY GUITAR FREAKS SERIES BEFORE REDOCTANE’S GUITAR HERO CAME
20• ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com
sented the games. “Viewers felt that the to posit the ad’s movie sequence as a featured nothing but prerendered, wholly
ad was misleading because the quality of glimpse of COD’s main game. “The footage unplayable movies. Number of ads show-
the graphics was superior to that of the was intended purely to communicate the ing gameplay: zero.
game’s,” says ASA spokesperson Donna subject matter of the game rather than to And it’s not just about showing off the
Mitchell. “They felt that viewers could represent actual gameplay,” the company best parts of a particular game—some-
assume that the scenes shown were said in a press release following the U.K. times, it’s not even the same piece of
taken from the game and may buy it on ban. “Activision made every effort to com- software. Most times, publishers will use
the strength of the quality of the scenes.” ply with advertising guidelines and acted the highest-quality image available for
Conveniently timed with the release of in good faith in screening these adver- TV spots and online ads to advertise a
the Xbox 360, the ad sold enough folks on tisements. Activision believes that such game that gets released on several very
COD’s super graphics to make it one of footage is commonly used in this way different platforms. That means the latest
the 20 top-selling titles of 2005—and the throughout the videogames industry.” Splinter Cell installment you bought for the ■Madden as seen on UMD, not PSP.
console had only been out for a month. PS2 looks remarkably crappy next to the
In reality, the advertised clips were As seen on TV? TV ads that show the graphically superior Madden ad off a UMD. We were not try-
computer-generated sequences created And you needn’t look far to see where PC version or hi-res images from a devel- ing to mislead consumers.” OK, so if you
by Los Angeles animation studio Rhythm they got that notion. Americans are used oper’s souped-up hardware. Electronic see an ad for any PSP games, folks, just
& Hues. They showed intense, detailed to the idea that what you see isn’t always Arts took cross-platform advertising a step assume you’re looking at an unreleased
action from a first-person perspective, what you get—game publishers have further and ran an ad for the PSP’s porta- UMD showing video of a better-looking
not unlike the viewpoint COD gamers been and continue using ads that don’t ble version of Madden NFL 06 using video game bearing the same name as the one
assume when playing the game. It’s pos- show actual gameplay when plugging footage from the beefier PS2 release. “The advertised. Not misleading at all.
sible less-seasoned first-person shooter their wares. Final Fantasy VII helped usher PSP’s video-playback capabilities are one
fans could have thought the footage was in the use of showy video intros and cut- of the hardware’s selling points,” says EA Truth in advertising
ripped from a gameplay sequence when scenes, as well as the practice of using VP of Marketing Todd Sitrin. “We saw it As bad as that Madden switcheroo is,
shown through this familiar viewpoint. these flashier scenes to sell games on as an interesting way to say that Madden dozens of publishers are just as guilty.
But Activision denies its intention was TV. The game’s television commercials was on the PSP by playing back our While Activision may have borne the initial ➤
ALONG, MAY HAVE A NEW SIX-STRINGED SECRET WEAPON IN THE WORKS: THE COMPANY JUST PATENTED THE NAME “GUITAR REVOLUTION”.... >>
ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com • 21
pprreessss ssttaarrtt
NNOOTT AASS AADDVVEERRTTIISSEEDD
UNREALITY TV
((CCOONNTT..))
Three games that got the phony-footage treatment...
brunt of the heat for misleading ads, other ers take a game company or its ad agency
games like Ubisoft’s Brothers in Arms,Far to task for airing misleading footage. As Advertised As Seen on Your TV
Cry Instincts, and Ghost Recon Advanced “There would be liability on the part of
Warfighter employ the same kind of prer- the advertiser showing footage of a video-
endered videos in their advertising (Ubisoft game that is not the actual footage,” says
declined to comment for this story). But Advertising Law Attorney Lisa Dubrow,
how’s the public to know that what they’re “particularly if it was footage that looked ➤ ➤
seeing isn’t really what they’ll be play- materially different from what a consumer
ing? Interactive Entertainment Merchants would see when playing the game.”
Association President Emeritus Hal Halpin Until then—and as long as prerendered
has one idea. “A fair compromise would videos upstage true game content—we
be to subtext, in a clear and readable font, can expect game ads filled with flashy,
something like, ‘Not actual gameplay foot- phony computer-generated footage. Newer ■Final Fantasy VII from the commercial ■Final Fantasy VII on your PlayStation
age,’” he says. “Game companies have hardware, however, means more advanced
a duty to both the retailers and the end real-time graphics, and the need to show
users to accurately depict their products, off a game with prerendered movies may
and that includes cut-scenes and other diminish as playable scenes become more ➤ ➤
prerendered footage, but not without dis- visually appealing. The vast majority of
closing the difference.” PS2 and Xbox ads use in-game footage
Increased public sensitivity to exag- already—we may be just a generation of ■Call of Duty 2 as seen the commercial ■Call of Duty 2 as seen on the Xbox 360
gerated advertising could mean more TV hardware away from the extinction of doc-
spots getting pulled for retooling. After all, tored ads altogether. As for a true-to-life
the Federal Trade Commission does have Chia Pet ad featuring that ceramic sheep
an act that prohibits false advertising, and with patchy, green stubble...we’re not
it’s only a matter of time before consum- holding our breath. P —Jon Dudlak ➤ ➤
■Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter in the ad ■Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on 360
>> ALTHOUGH MICROSOFT SAYS “NO COMMENT,” THE COMPANY IS REPORTEDLY READYING AN ALL-PURPOSE HANDHELD NAMED THE “ZUNE”.... >>
22• ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com
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WHAT’S PLAYING
IN THE
egm internati nal
On this
week’s
episode...
The crazy games (and fairies) never stop coming
As anyone who
watches shows
like Lost or
■ Nintendo DS 24 can avow,
episodic series
FRESHLY-PICKED TINGLE’S
keep TV junk-
ROSE-TINTED RUPEE LAND ies glued to
the boob tube
week after week, thanks to ever-evolving
Got any Zelda dirt?Besides Nintendo’s chest-
plot threads and compelling characters
thumping about how Twilight Princess is going
who develop over months or even years.
to be the best Zelda ever, all’s been quiet on that
PC gaming continues to creep further into
front lately. So quiet, in fact, that we savor any
episodic territory due to the rapid prolif-
news to come down the pipe—even when it’s
eration of digital distribution models like
about (shudder) the long-feared Tingle role-play-
Steam and GameTap.
ing game.
Earlier this year, Valve Software’s Steam
You mean that potbellied pixie is getting
service unveiled the season premieres of
his own game?Yep, Nintendo has launched
two of the biggest
a website (www.nintendo.co.jp/tincle) for the
episodic PC games
solo outing of Link’s little companion on DS.
to date: Ritual
Assuming these website graphics resemble the
Entertainment’s
real game, we’re actually kind of looking forward
SiN Episodes:
to it. (Against our better judgment.)
Emergence and
Valve’s own Half-
■Nintendo DS Life 2: Episode
One. Twenty
MAWASUNDA!!
bucks apiece for
five-plus hours of
I can’t wrap my mind around all these loopy first-person shooter gameplay
DS games. Neither can we, but the DS always doesn’t sound too bad, but considering
has room in its madhouse of goofy games. Its that new episodes are (so far) spaced a
latest patient, Mawasunda!! (that’s Japanese whopping six months apart, the whole
for “Spin it!!”) has you touching the screen to “episodic” definition loses more than a
operate a spinner on the bottom screen to play a little meaning.
bunch of silly minigames. Conversely, developer Telltale Games
Silly? Such as? You name it: crack open safes, seems to have the right idea, at least on
make sushi for impatient customers, play a paper: As we recently unveiled in our
round of the brick-busting classic Arkanoid, or August 2006 cover story (CGW#265), the
(in a very, very cut-down version of Tony Hawk) new adventures of fan-favorite adventure
spin your skater in the air as many times as you game protagonists Sam and Max
can. Sure, it may sound simple, but try twirling utilize the sub-
your way to victory without suffering from a scription-based
nasty case of high-speed hand cramps. GameTap model
(as well as Telltale
Games’ own online
store) to bring a
BY THE NUMBERS
new (albeit brief)
episode to players
every single month,
Tech Attack
beginning this
October.
At this point, developers still have a lot
1994
Year the original Tekken was to learn about this type of distribution.
released in arcades Timeliness is a much bigger factor in the
8 episodic equation; the “it comes out when
Number of Tekken games it’s done” mentality we see from so many
(excluding the crappy
companies these days doesn’t quite work
Wonderswan card game)
2 here. If you want gamers to feed their fix,
Different bear brawl- you can’t keep ’em waiting six months
ers in the series between episodes...right?
1 —Ryan Scott
Number of terrible ■PETA’s down with
kick-ass kangaroos.
spin-offs starring Nina Ryan Scott is the reviews editor for our sister
publication Computer Gaming World
>> SEVERAL FORMER ADVENT RISING DEVELOPERS HAVE FORMED THEIR OWN STUDIO, CHAIR ENTERTAINMENT, TO CREATE A SCI-FI SHOOTER.... >>
24• ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com
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c untdown to launch
T-MINUS THREE MONTHS
Your monthly prep for the PlayStation 3 and Wii liftoffs
The Xbox 360 is already enjoying its head start in the console race, but in mere months, Sony and Nintendo will be back for the attack. So before the
battle, read up on who’s got the goods to deliver. Each month until launch, we’ll let you know who’s inching closer to console supremacy. Bring it, boys!
PLAYSTATION 3
Release Date: November 17, 2006
Two hardware configurations: A 20-gig hard drive model retails
for $499, while the 60 gigger goes for $599. The two models also
sport wildly different outputs—the 60GB monster gets an HDMI
connection (used for high-definition TVs) and Memory Stick/SD/
CompactFlash slots (used for various multimedia functions).
Online: Sony claims they will offer a robust service similar (in
almost every way) to Xbox Live...only free!
More ray for your day: The PS3 comes equipped with a Blu-ray
DVD player from the get-go. The next generation of DVDs may
not be showing up on your monetary radar now, but when you
consider that current Blu-ray players are retailing for more than
a thousand bucks, the PS3’s bloated price tag is actually a little
thinner than most may think.
Graphics: Pretty much on par with Xbox 360. Some games (Metal
Gear Solid 4,Final Fantasy XIII) look a little better, but overall,
don’t expect to see much of a difference among launch software.
Crazy controller: Like Nintendo, Sony hopes to change the way
we look at—or better yet, use—controllers. The new DualShock
doesn’t look all too different, but the added motion sensors regis-
ter your movements. Sure, the setup isn’t as snazzy as Nintendo’s
Wii Remote, but it’s at least a turn in the right direction.
THIS MONTH’S BURNING QUESTION PREDICTED LAUNCH LINEUP
I hear the motion-sensing PlayStation 3 Resistance: Fall of Man MotorStorm Madden NFL 07
controller won’t have vibration. Wha? Warhawk Tony Hawk’s Project 8 Need for Speed Carbon
Depends on whom you ask. Sony says it nixed vibration Genji 2 Sonic the Hedgehog WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007
because it interfered with the controller’s motion sensor. But Formula One ’06 Rainbow Six: Vegas John Woo Presents Stranglehold
the folks at Immersion—a company that specializes in con-
troller-feedback tech—don’t see why Sony can’t make wig-
HYPE TRACKER
gling and buzzing coexist. “Our engineers, in matter of hours,
came with three solutions,” says Immersion Prez Vic Viegas, May ’05: PS3
whose company is trying to get its enhanced feedback tech- finally revealed.
nologies into the next-gen consoles. “We’d be happy to share That thing is big. Sept. ’05: Konami shows
March ’01: Cell
them with Sony if they’d like to solve their problem.” But Sony Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer
processor proj-
isn’t exactly saying “please” and “thank you,” and we figure ect begins. at Tokyo Game Show.
that has much to do with the $91 million patent-infringement
lawsuit the company lost last year to Immersion (the case
is being appealed). Including vibration in the PS3 pad would
March ’06: Sony delays PS3 by
mean Sony would have to settle its case with Immersion
six months, promises bizarro May ’06: Sony
(something Microsoft has already done), and there’s little 4D Live gameplay. Yikes. throws down
chance of that happening in time for the PS3’s November the $600 price
release (Sony reps did not get back to us on this issue). “The bomb. Ai-yi-yi!
April ’06: Sony Online reveals Untold
PS3 will be the only next-gen console without vibration,” says Legends: Dark Kingdom. Double yikes.
Viegas. “They are taking a major step backward.”
>> PORTABLE PUZZLE FIENDS, LISTEN UP—Q ENTERTAINMENT IS WORKING ON REMAKING THE PORTABLE PUZZLE GAME GUNPEY, BY LATE GAME
26• ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY • www.1UP.com