Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from August 2004

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from August 2004

NCAA Football 2005.
August 1, 2004... Bryan: To pinch a phrase from renowned college gridiron announcer Keith Jackson, "Whoa, Nellie! Do we have ourselves a ball game here!" Yep, NCAA splits the uprights with premiere pigskin play that's worthy of any armchair QB's attention. ...

Mano-A-Mano.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... As Don King might say, it's a fight of epicurean proportionality: Nintendo, the seasoned veteran and 15-year reigning champion of handheld videogames, versus scrappy up-and-comer Sony, the unquestioned leader of the home console market. Both...

Boldly Going Where No Handheld Has Gone Before.
August 1, 2004... Two screens, one of which is also a touch-sensitive pad. A built-in microphone. Two cartridge slots. Wireless capabilities. Though some joke about its resemblance to Nintendo's own ancient line of Game & Watch handhelds, the DS is like...

Nintendo DS: Tale of the Tape.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Strengths: *Plays all old GBA games, which gives it a huge library of favorites right out of the gate *Cart-based games mean no loading times and a long battery life *Nintendo has ruled the handheld market for more than 15 years,...

Nintendo DS Games.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Nintendo has shown just a handful of actual DS games, and many of them only in video form. In addition to the following titles, however, they did show a dozen or so technical demos, each demonstrating different ideas for how developers might...

New Super Mario Bros.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Mario: Italian, works a blue-collar job, into mushrooms, yada, yada--not such a mysterious guy. This new DS adventure, however, is one game Mario maker Shigeru Miyamoto isn't saying much about. We're not even sure when it's coming out (though...

Other DS Games:.(WarioWare DS's micro-diversions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... It's simple. It's sweet. It's a gaggle of timing and twitch tests for the gamer with a short attention span. WarioWare DS's micro-diversions were the best use of the DS's stylus we saw--wave it like a sword against the touch screen and slash...

Ringside Commentary.(video games industry)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Mark: I get the feeling most people here are hyped on the DS. What I want to know is, where are the games that really make use of the dual displays? They need to show why a touch screen is such a brilliant idea. Shane: I'll admit that the...

Altered State.(Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
August 1, 2004... Egghead geologists have predicted for years that the Big One would rock the San Andreas sooner or later, and it looks like they're finally right...almost. Turns out San Andreas isn't a quake-rattled fault line--it's a fictional smog-choked...

Gamecube.(Electronic Entertainment Expo)(Nintendo Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Violence in videogames? Boooring! But what about violence in videogame press conferences? "My name is Reggie, and I'm about kicking ass; I'm about taking names," roared Reginald Fils-Aime--a former VH1 spin doctor who's built like a...

Diss-Connected.(GBA-to-GC connectivity)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What a difference a year makes. During Nintendo's last trip to E3, the company couldn't shut up about GBA-to-GC connectivity, showcasing close to 10 high-profile titles that supported the much-ballyhooed feature. This year, on the other hand,...

System Check: Nintendo's Next Console.(GameCube follow-up)(Nintendo Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirmed that a GameCube follow-up is in the works and may be unveiled at next year's E3, and he boldly predicted it would be "a game revolution." Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime says, "Today's current console...

MIA: Mario 128.(Nintendo Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Nintendo's creative whiz Shigeru Miyamoto told us last year, "If I don't show something of [the next Mario platformer] at the next E3, I'll feel like I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities." What happened, Shiggy? E3 2004 came and went...

GameCube's E3 Report Card.(Nintendo Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Strengths: + Several outstanding first-party titles + Novel games such as Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Odama show that Nintendo continues to innovate + The company is finally getting over Weaknesses: - Not as...

Just Beat It.(DK Bongo controller by Nintendo Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Crazy controllers are not new for the Big (remember the Power Glove for NES? As we learned from Nintendo-funded flick The Wizard, "It's so bad!"). Nintendo is again breaking the funky barrier of gaming normalcy with its latest creation: the...

Notable Games.(video games listings)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
August 1, 2004... August Madden NFL 2005 Pikmin 2 WWE: Day of Reckoning September Def Jam: Fight for NY Donkey Konga October Paper Mario 2 November GoldenEye: Rogue Agent King Arthur Metroid Prime 2:...

Game Boy Advance.(video games)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Square Enix and Disney heroes team up in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, a lavish roleplayer with a deep card-battling system. The new Pokemon adventure is based on old games. Nintendo's top brass insist they won't abandon development...

Notable Games.(video games listings)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
August 1, 2004... August Astro Boy: Omega Factor Metal Slug Advance Ms. Pac-Man: Maze Madness September Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury F-Zero GP Legend Pokemon FireRed Pokemon LeafGreen ...

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic--The Sith Lords.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Take the first Knights of the Old Republic RPG hit and add a brand-new cast of characters, seven unexplored worlds, a fresh story line, more than 60 new feats and Force powers, and...um...weather effects, and you've got The Sith...

Jade Empire.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Ancient Chinese secret? Pausing is for babies. Fans of developer BioWare's virtually patented pauseable combat system (in which players can stop the action at any time to queue up a chain of attacks) will find the developer's...

Doom 3.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: It's black as space. You can cut the shadows with a flashlight, searching corners for armor and ammo at the risk of running into a hellknight, or unholster your gun and light the way with hot lead. Whether you arm yourself against...

Dead or Alive: Ultimate.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: After an extended (and Xtreme) beach volleyball vacation, the Dead or Alive gals return to their true calling--catfighting. Ultimate bundles the antiquated Sega Saturn version of Dead or Alive with a reworked and gussied-up...

Brothers in Arms.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Brothers is all authenticity as your squad crosses the French countryside, killing Krauts according to proper Army procedure. It's a first-person shooter all right, but you'll have to command one squad to find and fix the enemy...

Star Wars Republic Commando.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Lead a squad of three Jango Fett clones--identical brothers in arms with their own combat specialties--into Episode II and III battles. "You can send them to run ahead and act as the quarterback," says assistant producer Matt...

Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: "Remember when Indy simply shoots the big bad swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark?" asks lead designer Cliff Bleszinski. "What if that guy deflected the fire, sending it back into Dr. Jones' face? Here, he can." UC2 flips the...

Men of Valor.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Vietnam-themed first-person shooters aren't exactly uncommon these days, but this one hails from the guys behind the well-received Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Expect 16-man Xbox Live mayhem, brutal A.I., and both jungle and...

Outrun 2.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Old-school arcade veterans will feel right at home with the fast cars, exotic locations, branching paths, and an easily scared hottie riding shotgun. How Was It? Personally, I'd rather cruise by the beach in my...

Far Cry: Instincts.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Get ready for a tropical vacation where sunburn is the least of your worries--Far Cry attempts to bring the PC stealth-survival-shooter hit home with online action and a multiplayer map editor (maps can be traded via Xbox Live)....

Forza Motorsport.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Microsoft's entry in the crowded racing-simulator field has secretly been in development for more than two years. And its 60-plus carmaker list has serious triple-A talent, starting with Ferrari, BMW, and traditionally...

Conker: Live & Reloaded.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Multiplayer murder gets silly--teddy bear Nazis and freedom-fighting squirrels wage goofy war on Xbox Live with blood, tears, and stuffing. No friends? Traipse through the cornball single-player platforming bits, previously seen...

Kameo: Elements of Power.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Hotshot developer Rare's first Xbox title since the very silly Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Kameo has you donning fairy wings and assuming the forms of various monsters in an ultracolorful adventure. Oh, it's also very silly. How...

Splinter Cell 3.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Those sneaky bastards. We're not even done playing all the versions of Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, and Ubisoft's already slipping in a sequel for us to think about. Well, ready or not, Splinter Cell 3 is on its way for release this...

Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... After listening to Midnight Club 3 Producer Jay Panek go on and on about how the Club series has always blazed new trails and set the standard, etc., we were a little surprised to see that MC3 is full of rain-slicked roads and motion-blurring...

Uno.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Oh please, another card game? Yes, but it's America's No. 1 card game turned into something resembling the film Battle Royale, minus the sickles and machine guns. As a student at the prestigious Uno Academy, you must survive a series of...

The Friendship Adventure.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... What's with all the sweaty, half-naked Japanese dudes? According to the front of the game box, The Friendship Adventure is "a story of beautiful, intense friendship in a world of men who live for their work." You play as an up-and-coming TV...

The Big One.(Electronic Entertainment Expo)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Wooping Army gunships, genetically engineered show booth babes gussied up as vampires, supersized dudes weighed down by garish tchotchkes.... "Oh gawd," said the Los Angeles locals as they rolled up their Hummer windows. "The gamers are back...

Show and Tell...
August 1, 2004... 1) "I came all the way from Middle-earth, and all I got was this lousy ring," says hardcore gamer Elijah "Frodo" Wood. 2) TV's Tom Green once humped a dead moose. EGM's Seanbaby had to review Barbie's Horse Adventures. Stalemate! 3)...

The Rumor Mill.
August 1, 2004... Howdy ho, buckaroos--Quartermann is my name and spreading gossip is my game. I've survived another trip to the city of angels for the annual gamingpalooza known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, and boy, did I come back with some...

Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow.
August 1, 2004... Shoe: If you ran into me on the street, chances are, I'd bring up stealth-action hit Pandora Tomorrow in any gaming-related conversation. "You have to play it," I'll say. "It's revolutionary." If you don't dismiss me as a hardcore kook and...

PSI-OPS: the Mindgate Conspiracy.
August 1, 2004... Shawn: It's all in your mind--the power to move matter, to hitch a ride in someone's head, to set foes on fire and siphon their spirits like so much food for thought. Psi-Ops is anything but another numbskull shooter, and when the brainstorm...

DRIV3R.
August 1, 2004... Tagging Timmies: advice city Top of the "retaliation for the nasty Driver remarks in GTA" are DRIV3R's version of the hidden packages. Be sure to give Timmy Vermicelli and his nine cloned friends a warm and hearty hello when you come...

Disney's Xtreme Skating Adventure.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Enter all codes in the Cheat menu. PlayStation 2 All Create-A-Skater Items sweetthreads All Skaters friendsofbob Constant Special Meter supercharger Level Select extremepassport Lion King Music...

EA Sports Fight Night 2004.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Fight this night with mini fighters at any venue you want. PlayStation 2 All Venues Main menu: Highlight My Corner and press Left, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Left, Right, Right. Big Heads Main menu: Highlight My...

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.
August 1, 2004... Multiple Riddick Rewards Some of the side quests complement one another, allowing you to take in multiple rewards for completing a single task. As a rule, always take on side quests. There's no penalty for not completing them, and most...

The Suffering.
August 1, 2004... Like a good DVD, this game gives you a director's commentary, followed by a bevy of great codes. Oh, how we suffer. Prelude Level Complete the game. Director Commentary In the Prelude level, wait for a crow to land next to...

Resident Evil 4.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Survival-horror gets a shot in the arm...or the shoulder, or the face--anywhere you want in this radical shooter-based rethinking of the Resident Evil formula. Precision aiming is a snap thanks to a new over-the-shoulder camera...

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Gamers may wonder how anything could be better than the first Metroid Prime; fortunately, developer Retro Studios has a few ideas. First, this first-person-adventure sequel introduces a new planet, Aether, split into light and...

Vital Stats.(Sony PlayStation 2)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Release Date: Official: Spring 2005 Our guess: March 2005 Price: Official: "For what we offer, it'll be a good price" Our guess: $300 Media: *New UMDs (Universal Media Discs) are about 2.5 inches in diameter....

Metal Gear Ac!D.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... To be honest, when we realized the PSP edition of our favorite stealth-espionage series wouldn't be an action game, we started to wonder if Ac!d was a reference to all the drugs they were doing over at Konami. "It's more like a command-based,...

Sony PSP: Tale of the Tape.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Strengths: *Disc-based media can hold entire movies or excellent-quality audio and costs a fraction of the price of cartridges. This also means better audio and video for use in games *Analog stick is a must for many 3D games, as...

PSP Games.
August 1, 2004... Although we've seen plenty of video of different PSP games in motion, Sony would reportedly not allow screens of any games (except, interestingly enough, those for Metal Gear Ac!d) to be released. Hence the poor quality of the screenshots you...

Ringside Commentary.(video games industry)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Mark: I've heard people dis the PSP as "just more power," like that's a bad thing. The GBA was "just more power." Besides, there has never been a popular handheld that could do 3D games justice, much less also play movies and music. That's...

Expert Opinion.
August 1, 2004... "Nintendo has asked me to make [Super Monkey Ball for the Nintendo DS], and I'm interested in making it." "I'm really impressed with the DS touch panel technology--I hope I can do something with it. But I'm not sure if the PSP and DS are...

TK Xenosaga Episode II.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: The second chapter in developer Monolith's planned five-part space-opera epic sports a different look--the anime-style characters all got realistic eye-reduction makeovers. "We felt that Xenosaga 1's characters had limited facial...

Sly 2: Band of Thieves.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Sly's stealth-platforming sequel ditches the petty thievery in favor of huge Ocean's Eleven-style heists. Other additions include an actual life bar--say good-bye to one-hit deaths--and new playable characters: brawler Murray and...

Final Fantasy Xii.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: We knew FFXII would be different take on the RPG series--it's the first installment directed by maverick Final Fantasy Tactics creator Yasumi Matsuno--but we didn't expect it to be this different. How Was It? After playing a...

Ace Combat 5: the Unsung War.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: "They're smart, but not smart enough to win the war on their own," Producer Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi says of the new wingmen who cover your keister in AC5. Issuing simple commands injects some strategy into the aerial fray. How...

Gran Turismo 4.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Screw the basics. Here's the advanced stuff: GT helmer Kazunori Yamauchi unveiled an all-new photo mode that will allow players to pose and print (assuming you cough up the cash for a compatible USB photo printer, of course) cars...

Death by Degrees.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Tekken vixen Nina Williams turns action-adventure heroine, putting her trademark bad-girl moves on several opponents at once with a super-simplified control scheme. Who needs all those pesky moves, anyway? How Was It? Using...

Jak 3.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Platform heroes Jak and Daxter once again attempt to be all things to all people, blending shooting, jumping, racing, flying, and, hell, probably even golf in this new desert-themed adventure. How Was It? More. Bigger. Bolder....

Enthusia.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Ridge Racer vet Manabu Akita is helming this Gran Turismo wannabe, which he says will feature "around 50 tracks in total, and several hundred cars." How Was It? Far from finished. The game's only stab at innovation, the...

Devil May Cry 3.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Producer Tsuyoshi Tanaka is well aware that some fans of the sword-swingin', gun-slingin' demon slayer were disappointed with the last game. "This is no Devil May Cry 2," professes Tanaka. "This is a new Dante and he rocks."...

Nanobreaker.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Koji Igarashi, the producer of the Castlevania series, takes a break from vampirism to deliver this megaviolent action-adventure starring a pissed-off cyborg. Nanobreaker wears its thirst for carnage on its sleeve, offering a mode...

Neo Contra.
August 1, 2004... The Basics: The second PS2 installment in Konami's classic run-and-gun shooting series in as many years--only this time, the viewpoint switches from 2D to 3D. How Was It? Old-school Contra fans balked upon hearing about Neo Contra's...

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: This stealth espionage prequel may be set in the '60s, but don't expect much peace, love, or happiness. When our boy Snake parachutes into the jungle on a mission to escort a defecting scientist, head shots, broken necks, and...

Getaway: Black Monday.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Basics: Head back to the streets of London for what Director Naresh Hirani calls "a much darker" cinematic thriller. Black Monday features three playable characters and multiple endings depending on moral choices made along the way. ...

Online Now.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Xbox Project Gotham Racing 2 Forget the jet-set lifestyle (and stomach-curdling airline food), because the Eiffel Tower is just a few megabytes away. Project Gotham Racing 2's Paris booster pack is crammed with eight new cars--from the...

Online This Month.(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Better rest your chocobos, people. Come this fall on PlayStation 2, your yellow friends are gonna need fresh legs when traveling the new lands of Final Fantasy XI Online's upcoming expansion, Chains of Promathia. We recently cornered two of...

PC Gaming Update.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... From the E3 front lines The biggest highlight of this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo? Getting on the plane home with some infinitesimal portion of my hearing still intact. OK, so the three-day march through the Los Angeles...

Tekken 5.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Many gamers regarded Tekken 4 as a sideways step for the series--its shallow features list and been-there, done-that gameplay put it squarely behind Namco's other fighting heavyweight, Soul Calibur II. But the recently revealed Tekken 5 might...

Tony Hawk's Underground 2: World Destruction Tour.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Last year, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater benefited from a massive makeover--adding a story line, offering free-form goals, and blowing levels to monstrous proportions made Tony Hawk's Underground the freshest grindfest revision in years. Due on all...

Xbox.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Oh, snap! Microsoft, at its pre-E3 press conference, burned Sony good with a pretaped parody of The Apprentice, which starred the real Donald Trump giving the ax to actors playing Sony execs who bungled their system's online strategy. The...

Xbox Live: It's in the Game.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Andrew Anthony--few gamers know him by name, but most will recognize his voice. He delivers EA Sports' signature "It's in the game" tagline, and at the Microsoft E3 press conference, he belted out another four-word phrase that Xbox owners are...

System Check: Microsoft's Next Console.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... While it's of popular opinion that Microsoft will be the first out of the next-gen gates (some say as early as 2005), the company's lips are zipped about Xbox's successor. But when it comes to XNA--Microsoft's new software development...

MIA: True Fantasy Live Online.(Electronic Entertainment Expo)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Xbox's first massively multiplayer online role-playing game, from developer Level 5 (of Dark Cloud fame), was noticeably absent from the show. Will True Fantasy --originally due this summer--make it to reality? "It's a very challenging game...

Notable Games.(Electroni Entertainment Expo)(Xbox titles)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
August 1, 2004... Your monthly planner to some of the biggest Xbox titles at the show. (Games noted with an asterisk are confirmed to have online features.) August *Madden NFL 2005 *Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow September ...

Xbox's E3 Report Card.(Electronic Entertainment Expo)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Strengths: + The most robust online network--now with content from former fence-sitter Electronic Arts + A killer lineup of first-person shooters and role-playing games + Continued strong support from third-party...

Playstation 2.(Electronic Entertainment Expo)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Hours before the union guys plug in E3's 1.21-gigawatt bass woofers and animatronic mascots, the game industry's three major players attempt to outdo each other with their respective press conferences. And while Nintendo's and Microsoft's...

System Check: Sony's Next Console.(Kaz Hirai, Sony Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... "It's hard to say at this point," says Sony's main man Kaz Hirai on the timetable for PlayStation 3 (or whatever they'll call it). "If anything, we want to make sure we're offering a quantum leap in the user's experience." Just what...

Notable Games.(Electronic Entertainment Expo)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
August 1, 2004... Your at-a-glance gander at some of the big PlayStation 2 titles shown at E3. (Games noted with an asterisk are confirmed to have online features.) August *Madden NFL 2005 September *Def Jam: Fight for NY Silent Hill 4...

Playstation 2 Live?(online gamers community)(Sony Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Is the console juggernaut taking a page from Bill Gates' gang? It sure sounds like it. Though no official timetable was set, Sony plans to create a central online hub for all PS2 owners, thus doing away with today's multiple game logins and...

Playstation 2's E3 Report Card.(Electronic Entertainment Expo)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Strengths: + Larger and more varied library of games than the competition's + Hot exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid 3, the next Grand Theft Auto, and Final Fantasy XII + Sony's promising to put more effort into its PS2 online...

Celebrity Gamer: Xzibit.(in the Gauntlet series)(Interview)
August 1, 2004... Screw Xzibit's groupies and sold-out tour dates--it's the rapper's penchant for the hack-n-slash Gauntlet series that has us intrigued. VU Games has caught the vapors, too, having recently cast the performer and host of MTV's Pimp My Ride as...

Mega Man Anniversary Collection.(video games)(www.eagames.com)
August 1, 2004... Shane: It's hard to argue with the sheer value of this package. It's a veritable Mega Man mother lode--10 games (two of 'em must be unlocked, though), remixed soundtracks, and a cavalcade of making-of bonus materials. Sure, most of the games...