Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from July 2004

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from July 2004

Desert Island Games:Macho Manrandy Savage.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Each month, we force a celebrity or game designer to tell us what three console games they'd want on a deserted island. This month we strand Macho Man Randy Savage: pro wrestler, movie star, meat-product endorser, and one of the stars in...

Pandora's Other Boxes.(Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow)
July 1, 2004... Playstation 2 The good news: The PS2 version of Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow, due out June 18, will feature the same 2-on-2 online play that's made the Xbox game our best buddy for the last couple months. That's really all you need to...

Help Me.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Despite my complaining, sometimes they hand me these games and we all have a good laugh, me and my EGM tormentors. Whether it's the ridiculousness of someone making a game about that horny swine Miss Piggy, or the ridiculousness of Barbie...

The Rest of the Crap.
July 1, 2004... E.T. the Extra Terrestrial GBA * NewKidCo -- In this exciting game of wandering and toad-dodging, the audio engineers tried to create the ambient sounds of the forest. Like with every aspect of every E.T. game, they've failed completely....

Old School.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... On the Cover: Mortal Kombat II In the summer of '94, readers were treated to an exclusive first look at the gory fighting sequel's console and handheld incarnations (SNES, Genesis, Game Gear, and Game Boy). Game of the Month: World...

Synthesize Your Life.(Atelier Iris)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Atelier Iris (PlayStation 2) is the sixth game in what's probably the longest-running role-playing series you've never heard of. Why hasn't the franchise reached our shores? Probably 'cuz of its wacky game system, which is a weird mixture of...

Dance, You! Dance!(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Have you ever wanted to play big-time music agent to a bunch of hot Japanese chicks? Sure...who hasn't? Namco makes it possible in The Idolmaster, hitting arcades later this year in Japan. Choosing from a stable of nine ladies, you create a...

Li'l Previews: From Japan With Love.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel PS2 * Square Enix * Fall 2004 -- Square Enix braves the world of anime with this action-RPG based on a popular series. You control Edward Elric, who uses the power of alchemy to destroy foes, when...

Derek Jeter.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... As both pro athlete and enthusiast gamer, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter isn't one to let foul balls lie. Ever the perfectionist, even the 1996 American League Rookie of the Year honor wasn't enough for the perennial fan favorite, who...

Online Now.
July 1, 2004... Xbox Amped 2 Your local ski park may be closed during the dog days of summer, but Microsoft's breathtaking virtual mountains stay open and covered with fresh powder 365 days a year. So do yourself a favor and dig out that online...

Online This Month.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Shame on you. That's right, shame on you if have an Xbox and a broadband Internet connection in your home, but don't have an Xbox Live subscription. Lucky for you, though, now is looking like the best time to finally sign up for Microsoft's...

Must-Hit Websites.
July 1, 2004... Final Fantasy XI Online The dedicated players of Square Enix's massively multiplayer role-playing game can now enjoy FFXI's first conflict event, ballista. It's kind of like soccer--teams (made up of players from the same nation) move a...

Metal Gear Solid: the Twin Snakes.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Snake is cool, despite his real name being Dave. He's able to cut down foes with just a bandanna, tool around against Fox Hound, and uncover dozens of Easter eggs. We crack open the best ones below: Alternate-ending theme Complete the...

Trickster.
July 1, 2004... You should find more than enough tip treasures to satisfy your appetites in this issue. One peek at all the hidden goodies we've uncovered in Resident Evil Outbreak and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes should have you squealing with glee....

Resident Evil Outbreak.
July 1, 2004... This grab bag of tricks shows you a few of the things you may not have realized about Resident Evil Outbreak--some funky hidden stuff, solutions to difficult puzzles, and things it would've taken you too long to figure out on your own. ...

Mega Man Zero 2.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Upgrade your superdeformed weapon with these top-notch leveling techniques to take your G-Force castoff from wide-eyed anime reject to pulverizing powerhouse. Rise armor Do 20 jumping slashes with the Z-Saber in one level. ...

Tenchu: Return From Darkness.
July 1, 2004... Come out of the darkness to tackle this third installment of Tenchu. With these codes, you'll be able to get new abilities, increase your item stash, and have access to an ultimate assassin. Restore health During a mission, pause and...

Phantasy Star Online: Episode III--Card Revolution.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Psycho Mantis has a lot to answer for. Now any upstart videogame can force its more insane fans to play through a back catalog of questionable releases to unlock otherwise unobtainable goodies--a marketing department suit's wet dream. Check...

Final Fantasy XI.
July 1, 2004... So you wanna get paid? You wanna be the biggest baller in Vana'diel? Join the club and get in line. The life of a hustler ain't easy. You need to start small, and we'll show you how to do it. Just peep the name of your character's homeland...

Ninja Gaiden.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... While Ryu is adventuring out to retrieve the Dragon Sword, keep his classic ninja outfit on and obtain enough scarabs to get the Dabilahro. Ninja training outfit At the Main menu, highlight New Game, hold both trigger buttons, and...

Metal Slug 3.
July 1, 2004... Kevin: Another Metal Slug...should you care? Well, it's a port of arguably the best game in the classic series of 2D shooters. And it's the first Metal Slug arcade-to-console port that isn't deficient in some way--no slowdown, no flicker, no...

PC Gaming Update.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... While console gamers continue to acclimate to the brave new world of online gaming, we on the PC side of things are so used to it that we've taken to measuring our masculinity with a yardstick made entirely of jaded ennui. And nothing...

No Speed Limit.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... After an early test drive with the original Need for Speed Underground, we knew it was special--but we didn't figure it would end up as last year's second-best seller, an object even closer than it appeared in Madden's rearview mirror. Though...

Shrek 2.
July 1, 2004... Jennifer: Sometimes, it just seems right to grade on a curve. The average EGM gamer weaned on titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Splinter Cell is not going to appreciate Shrek 2. It's way too easy, short, and simplistic for that crowd. But...

Future Tactics: the Uprising.
July 1, 2004... Shane: Forget everything you know about strategy games--all those utterly uncool grids, languid turn-based attacks, and differential equations are totally outdated. Crave's Future Tactics brazenly screams, "School's out, nerds!" to its...

Red Dead Revolver.
July 1, 2004... Crispin: Legend has it that squinty-eyed quick-drawing gunslinger Red, the Clint Eastwoodsy hero of Red Dead Revolver, once shot a man for shooting a dog. It's true-- I saw it happen in the game, along with shootouts with rogue colonels,...

Galactic Wrestling Featuring Ultimate Muscle.
July 1, 2004... Shawn: Don't expect a soap opera from this goofball grappler--you'll find better stories on steroid warning labels. But even if you're pumped on WWE's prime-time pageantry (are you here to fight or flex that oiled physique?), there's no...

UFC: Sudden Impact.
July 1, 2004... Shawn: Say a word about man pretzels in this submission-heavy fighting sim, and UFC mavens get salty. Ain't nothing funny about taking a knee to the nuts, they'll say, unless you happen to call your character The Tenderloin Tussler. And...

Reality Check.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Could someone survive a fall into a pit of molten lava if he or she jumped out really quick, A la Mario from any of his adventures? Sure, if you're quick--as in impossibly, inhumanly quick. "If you spent all of one microsecond in the...

Li'l Previews.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Heroes of the Pacific PS2/XB * Encore * December 2004 -- Explosive aerial warfare goes online in this ambitious re-creation of WWII's biggest Pacific theater skirmishes. The game supports an astonishing 300 planes onscreen at once, but...

First Next-Gen Game Unveiled.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... When it comes to making games for the next batch of consoles, developer Digital Extremes isn't waiting around--not even for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to announce the darn things. The Toronto-based studio (makers of the online-enabled...

Grudge Match (Un)Dead Again.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Van Helsing's mere name drives fear into the hearts of vampires everywhere, but the semisweet baron of breakfast is another story. Is Helsing in for death by chocolate, or should cocoa beware? We find out in Grudge Match! Posse ...

Casting Call.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Baby Metroid: (voice of) Emmanuel Lewis The former Webster star is both cute and troubled--it's the perfect combination for the life-sucking role. Mother Brain: (voice of) Christopher Walken Only someone as versatile and peculiar...

Tidbits: Bad News for Ballers, Good News for Online Weddings.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... XSN Sports Rides the Pine Microsoft will not release new editions of its Xbox sports titles NFL Fever, NBA Inside Drive, and NHL Rivals this fall. A company rep says the decision to take a year off was made to "raise the quality" of each...

Lights, Camera, Metroid!(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Watch out, Ms. Croft--Samus Aran is coming to Hollywood. Director John Woo (Mission: Impossible II, Face/Off) recently optioned Nintendo's Metroid franchise for a big-budget motion picture with the hopes of bringing it to theaters before...

Front Mission 4.
July 1, 2004... Kevin: It's been four years since the last Front Mission (PS1), but little has changed with the robot-abusing strategy series. The world's still modern and realistic (less Gundam and more Steel Battalion), the customization options remain...

Bujingai: the Forsaken City.
July 1, 2004... Jon D: As I reflect on my time with Bujingai, I feel compelled to ask, "Couldn't this city have just remained forsaken?" Indeed, did yet another effeminate samurai have to glide in from space to cock around in yet another troubled land on...

Whose Game Is It Anyway?(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GC) A lone agent takes on terrorists planning to release smallpox on the unsuspecting public. Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow (PS2/XB/GC) A lone agent takes on terrorists planning to...

Unusual Suspects.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Then a product attains a certain level of success, it's just a matter of time before someone rushes a crappy imitation to market in hopes of a free ride on the gravy train. The Smurfs had to contend with The Snorks, Debbie Gibson had to fend...

Review Crew Survivor.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Think you got the goods to join Electronic Gaming Monthly's Review Crew? Let us take you down a notch, hotshot. One lucky writer will join the Review Crew on a contributing basis...if he or she can make it through Review Crew Survivor. The...

Reviews Wrap-Up.
July 1, 2004... We were hoping to review that new Harry Potter game what's out right about now (Prisoner of Azkaban), but EA Games thought it'd totally spoil the movie for us if we played the game first. Since we've already read the book we're not sure how...

Battle on Two Fronts.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Facts of Live We figure Halo-heads who lamented the lack of online multiplayer in the first game have a lot of pent-up aggression, so they'll be hitting the sequel's 16-player online batatle royales post haste when Halo 2 hits Xbox this...

The Art of Gaming.
July 1, 2004... Cloud Strife A mercenary departed from Shinra's elite guard, Cloud began his quest in FF VII as a man unbound by principles and emotions. Along the way, he realizes the importance of life and jumps on the straight and narrow path. A bad...

Return of the Ring.
July 1, 2004... Watch the DVDs, reread the books, and crank the hobbit-themed Led Zeppelin tunes all you want--none of it makes up for the lack of another Lord of the Rings flick this winter. The king has returned. The ring is scrap. No way is Gollum coming...

Web Sights.
July 1, 2004... Sailing the Rails Swinging is a whole lot easier this time around, and it's actually faster to zip some webs onto the elevated tracks than to ride these trains. Crazy midair acrobatics seen in both the movies execute effortlessly here....

War Is Heck.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... If real war were this cute, nobody would protest it. It's been begged for by countless fans and rumored for years, but now, finally, Nintendo's cult-hit Advance Wars franchise is storming the shores of GameCube this fall. The invasion...

Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow.
July 1, 2004... Afterthoughts: As we enter the dimly lit room, we survey our surroundings: long water pipes running along the ceiling, tall ledges, and a dark area in the back corner. It's all perfectly set up for us--though that security camera on the...

Free Game System!
July 1, 2004... Oh, how easy it was to sneer at Infinium Labs, the Florida-based start-up that--since announcing its Phantom game console last year--has been accused of everything from hoaxery to hucksterism. But laugh at this: Infinium announced a price for...

Prince of Persia 2.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Prince of Persia is a gamers' game," says Product Manager Danny Ruiz. "As soon as Sands of Time hit store shelves, we read the reviews, grilled focus groups, and waded through message boards, all to find out how people thought we could...

The Season of Evil.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Bad things don't come in threes--evil things do. This fall marks the release of the Resident Evil movie sequel, a PS2 follow-up to Resident Evil Outbreak, as well as the GameCube-exclusive Resident Evil 4. You're gonna need a whole lot of...

The Future Is...When?
July 1, 2004... In 30 years, today's game controllers and consoles will seem as high-tech as a SCUD missile. But who wants to wait that long for the gizmos we see in sci-fi? We peek into U.S. and European R&D labs to see how close we are to these...

Timesplitters Future Perfect.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Producer Steve Ellis could turn back the clock, TimeSplitters would've been online ages ago: "Unfortunately we, well, ran out of time with TimeSplitters 2." Better late than never, though, and Future Perfect, the forthcoming third installment...

Yo, Joe!(Viewtiful Joe 2)
July 1, 2004... After garnering critical praise--including USA Today's Game of the Year award and a (far more prestigious) Silver award from EGM--solid sales numbers, and thousands of diehard fans, did you think Capcom would bring back its awesome...

Build Your Own Xbundle.
July 1, 2004... To hell with Microsoft's mantra of "It's good to play together." We say, "It's good to play for cheap!" And now that Xbox has dropped $30 in price to $149.99, system holdouts can pinch pennies aplenty and still line their software library...

Squarely Retro.(Square Enix )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... You rarely hear "unexpected sequel" or "surprising remake" when discussing videogames, since rehashes and endless follow-ups increasingly seem to be the lifeblood of the gaming industry. Yet, somehow, Square Enix still managed to blindside...

The Rumor Mill.
July 1, 2004... Hey all you listeners out there, it's that time again--when the most controversial voice in radio today, The Q, scorches the airwaves with another batch of red-hot gossip hits you won't wanna miss. So sit back, relax, and let the rhythm of my...

The Shield.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Tommy Vercetti's lovable lack of remorse, insatiable greed, and general lawlessness helped make Vice City a hit, so gamers looking for more moral relativism, take note: Heroes don't get much more antiheroic than The Shield's Vic Mackey. He's...

The Hot Ten.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Final Fantasy XII Is it just us, or does this look sorta like The Phantom Menace? PS2 * Spring 2005 -- With great power comes great perks. Yoichi Wada, the man at the reins of the mighty two-headed juggernaut that is Square Enix,...

Mercenaries.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Hat's the world to do when a coup in North Korea tosses a live grenade in its lap? Throw some mercs on top of it. It's a dire situation: Tanks roll through cities, innocent civilians perish, and intrepid journalists become POWs. You find...

NARC.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Like the Grand Theft Auto series, this game puts you in a sprawling, crime-infested city where you can take on missions or operate under your free will. But wake up and smell the coca, because Vice City this ain't. "Narc is not about kicking...

Destroy all Humans.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Being the foolish humans that they are, gamers relish the illusion of digital freedom provided by "sandbox" games like Grand Theft Auto. But would our intellectually superior alien overlords be satisfied with software in which interaction...

25 to LIFE.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Elvis made life in the ghetto sound pretty damned depressing, but Eidos' upcoming GTA-inspired shooter promises to make gangbanging a blast. 25 to Life thrusts you onto the mean streets, where you'll wake up to barking dogs, car alarms, and...

The Getaway: Black Monday.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Warning: In order to prepare you for just how...British The Getaway: Black Monday will be, this preview is presented in the local London lingo. So, first you take your GTA. Just slap it right down and give it a few rolls over, yeah? Now...

JAK 3.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The GTA-ification of Jak & Daxter isn't exactly news--Jak II already embraced the go-anywhere carjacking spirit of Rockstar's hit...with spotty success. "Some gamers felt lost in the city," explains Design Director Amy Henning. "In Jak 3,...

Driv3r's Ed.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... And Destruction Derby on PlayStation 1. And if we're taking a little too much pleasure in terrorizing the game's Sunday-driver traffic, bear with us. We've waited a long time--a loooong time--to get behind the wheel of DRIV3R, the...

Van Helsing.
July 1, 2004... Shawn: In a world where evil rises with the setting sun, one man with a wicked arsenal and moves to match arrives to destroy the damned--it's been done before, but if you're gonna sink your fangs into someone else's ideas, you might as well...

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege.
July 1, 2004... Bryan: I laughed when I first heard Onimusha 3: Demon Siege's wacky narrative. A strange time warp sends a 16th-century samurai to modern-day Paris? Some French dude modeled after actor Jean Reno (Mission: Impossible, The Professional,...

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.
July 1, 2004... Lose a Lung, Unlock Stuff Cigs may kill you, but they're a prisoner's pal in Butcher Bay. Find 'em beneath bunks, behind toilets, and in the back pockets of the men you beat to death. Riddick's too smart to smoke 'em, though--instead,...

Rallisport Challenge 2.
July 1, 2004... Demian: Rally may be the redheaded stepchild of racing genres, but dammit, RalliSport 2 deserves way more than some punk kid--not just cursory attention and pocket money, either. I'm talking many hours of your life and possibly a...

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.
July 1, 2004... John R: It's been more than two years since Nintendo first started singing the praises of connectivity--the concept of hooking up a Game Boy Advance to a GameCube for new and exciting gameplay possibilities--and yet after all this time, you...

Mario Golf: Advance Tour.
July 1, 2004... Crispin: Role-playing golf? Sounds as exciting as a pro-bowler fighting game. But in Advance Tour, all the extraneous questing, character building, and item collecting just works. Fans of the original Game Boy Color Mario Golf--also an...

Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon.
July 1, 2004... Shane: Props to Sega for reviving this often overlooked (well, by folks less nerdy than me) tactical RPG series. Back on Sega Genesis, this streamlined blend of fantasy role-playing and war-game strategy blazed the yellow brick road for fare...

Mario vs. Donkey Kong.
July 1, 2004... Mark: In many ways, Vs. apes the original Game Boy Donkey Kong (a great game that still deserves attention, by the way), combining traditional platforming with a puzzlelike setup to each stage. Unlike its predecessor, however, certain...

Freedom Fighters.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Released: March 2002 Original Scores: 7.5, 8.5, 8.0 The Soviet Union won the cold war, and commies are invading the country. Fortunately for you, recruiting and commanding packs of resistance fighters in NYC's war-torn boroughs is as...

Van Helsing.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Think of Van Helsing as a 21st-century retelling of the popular song "Monster Mash," just with less musical whimsy and more cross-collecting and wholesale creature slaughter. As the titular holy warrior, players use weaponry (both exotic and...

Van Helsing.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... In a world where evil rises with the setting sun, one man with a wicked arsenal and moves to match arrives to destroy the damned--it's been done before, but if you're gonna sink your fangs into someone else's ideas, you might as well tap a...