Electronic Gaming Monthly articles from October 2004

Electronic Gaming Monthly archives from October 2004

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.
October 1, 2004... Previously on Metroid Prime: Nintendo's first 3D take on its classic franchise successfully duplicated the old games' unique feel, turning expansive exploration on an alien world into a spankin'-new genre: first-person adventure. What...

Auto Erotica.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Purists can keep their boring NASCAR games and F1 simulations--true automotive action goes down on the mean city streets, far from the safety of a race track. In addition to offering high-speed thrills, street racin' allows you to exercise...

Enthusia Pro Racing.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Street Cred: Konami, a newcomer to the car field, is trying something different with Enthusia--it's all about the "feel" of racing. There's a decent variety of cars, but don't expect much customization--the focus is on the driving...

Gran Turismo 4.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Street Cred: Let's be honest: Does anyone really care about any racing sim besides GT4? The heavily delayed PS2 exclusive has at least 500 cars (Sony unofficially hints that the number could be greater) and a wagonload of new courses,...

Juiced.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Street Cred: Juiced tackles most of the same terrain that NFSU expertly handled last year, but with a twist: Instead of a balls-out arcade bash, the emphasis is on simulation-style racing, similar to Xbox's Project Gotham. Tricked...

Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Your squad Black Arrow uses squad-based assaults. Your men can provide you with offensive and defensive support, making your job a whole lot easier--if you know how to use them to the best of their abilities. No, you go first! ...

Madden Nfl 2005.
October 1, 2004... Offense 101: Advanced Passing Techniques Learning the basic pass routes and what coverage to throw them against is just the beginning of the passing game. At some point, your opponents begin to throw some new wrinkles at you, and you will...

Driv3r.
October 1, 2004... These codes can be entered at the Main menu. PS2 All Weapons R1, L2, Square, Circle, R1, R2, L2 All Missions L1, R1, L1, L2, Square, Square, Circle All Vehicles L1, L1, Square, Circle, L1, R1, Circle ...

Mega Man Anniversary Collection.
October 1, 2004... This month we have even more Mega Man madness, this time for for games 2-7 in the series. Go Mega-crazy! Mega Man 2 All energy tanks A5 B1 B3 C4 D2 D3 E1 E4 E5 All weapons, items, and 4 energy tanks A5 B2 B4 C1 C3 C5 D4...

Spider-Man 2.
October 1, 2004... PS2/XB/GC Arguably the most frustrating part of Spider-Man 2 is deactivating the reactor once Doctor Octavius' experiment goes awry. While this seems easy enough, having to destroy four terminals located around the reactor while avoiding...

NCAA Football 2005.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Know your players Review your team's ratings at each position and pattern your game plan accordingly. If your running backs lack Speed but possess good Strength, feature an inside running game and use power-controller techniques. If your...

Action Replay vs. GameShark.
October 1, 2004... Action Replay puts in a respectable show this month, with Mega Man and Mario Golf codes. GameShark does the Mega Man thing too, plus some exclusive Spider-Man 2 (GBA) codes. GBA Mario Golf (M) 6ef7d4d9 07510443...

The Competition.(computer games)(PS2 EyeToy)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Microsoft The worst-kept secret in gaming is that Microsoft's Xenon--the code name for its Xbox follow-up--is currently targeted for a late 2005 launch. Development kits have gone out, and major publishers like Electronic Arts and...

The World Is Yours.
October 1, 2004... If you've seen seminal '80s gangster movie Scarface, you can probably think of one or two scenes that might be difficult to translate into videogame form. Like, say, the part when Tony Montana kills his best pal, snorts a mountain of coke,...

What's Up At 1UP.com.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Layin' the SmackDown Head to egmextras.1UP.com and check out our complete interview with the developers of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw. Will there be exclusive screenshots of the game, too? Oh hell yeah! The Champ Says Read the rest...

Online This Month.
October 1, 2004... Maniacal stares, oddly deformed digits, an overly flattened butt--these are telltale signs of an obsessed gamer. And when they aren't playing their favorite games, these sleep-deprived patrons of titles such as Final Fantasy XI and Halo are...

The Rumor Mill.
October 1, 2004... Chool may be back in session for some of you out there, but don't worry--Professor Q is at the head of the class this semester. Here we'll be studying the fascinating subject of rumorology, which includes several lectures on the latest and...

What's Playing in The Computer Gaming World.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Now is the slowest time of the year for PC games, as you'll find yourself desperately whiling away hours playing Flash games through Yahoo.com just to keep your decade-long streak of avoiding actual human contact intact. So what's a PC gamer...

Up for a Challenge?(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Hey, armchair quarterbacks: EA is looking for the best Madden player in the land--and offering $50,000 to the one who's got the goods. The third annual EA Sports Madden Challenge--where gamers from around the nation compete in Madden NFL...

Reality Check.
October 1, 2004... Q: Could a person leap back and forth between walls or run along them as in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time? --Matthew Peel A: No sweat, if you're a virtuoso of the French-born street sport le parkour, which combines gymnastics,...

Tactical Espionage Comics.(Interview)
October 1, 2004... Scruffy supersoldier Solid Snake may be sitting out the next Metal Gear Solid game (his poppa's starring in November's MGS3: Snake Eater on PS2), but it doesn't mean the mulleted one will be completely out of the spotlight this fall. Konami...

Halo 2.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Previously on Halo: Fantastic graphics, smart enemies, driveable vehicles, and robust multiplayer options...this ol' first-person shooter raised the bar for the genre so far that today's wannabes still can't touch it--even on their...

Reviews Archive.
October 1, 2004... GAME SYSTEM VERDICT SCORES (out of 10) AWARD Alias PS2/XB Clever disguises can't conceal crappy gameplay 5.0 5.5 4.5 All-Star Baseball 2005 PS2/XB Take us out to the ball game...just not this one 5.5 4.5 6.0 American...

PS3: Work Now in Progress.
October 1, 2004... The opening salvo has just been fired in the next-gen console war--and the company doing the shooting may not be the one you think. Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Ken Kutaragi shocked the world this July when he announced...

Grudge Match.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Being in the middle of an extraterrestrial battle is a bitch, but so's divorce litigation. Though the mythical KVK Atari 2600 game never actually came out, we still figure there's enough evidence to grant custody of our Grudge trophy. ...

News Tidbits.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Double the Urbz, Double the Fun This November, publishing powerhouse Electronic Arts will release a Nintendo DS version of its all-new life simulator The Urbz: Sims in the City (that's if Nintendo launches the dual-screen handheld on...

Best Offers.
October 1, 2004... You play it, you beat it, then you toss it aside like ratty underwear. But what good is that game you couldn't wait to beat yesterday doing for you gathering dust today? Why not trade it in for credit toward something new? But with so many...

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
October 1, 2004... Ready for more Splinter Cell? Well, you'd better be, as the third episode in two years, Chaos Theory, sneaks onto Xbox shockingly soon--this November. To outdo critical darling Pandora Tomorrow, this new chapter will have to offer...

San Andreas Visitors' Guide: The Countryside.
October 1, 2004... Creating a state instead of a single city for our next Grand Theft Auto game proved something of a challenge," says Jeff Cast-aneda, a rep for publisher Rockstar. "Wide-open spaces separate West Coast hot spots, and simple streets couldn't...

Old School.
October 1, 2004... On the Cover: Donkey Kong Country An exclusive sneak peek at three levels of Nintendo's visually stunning (well, back in the day anyway) side-scroller gave readers a severe case of jungle fever. Game of the Month: Final Fantasy III...

EGM International.
October 1, 2004... Michigan The Great Lakes state...er, here we come? Sorry, but as thrilling as an adventure set in America's 26th state would be (Visit actor Tom Selleck's birthplace! Explore the abandoned auto factories of Flint!), this ain't it....

Preview Galleries: Futuristic Flight.
October 1, 2004... Scrapland XB * Enlight * November 2004 -- It's Grand Theft Auto meets Short Circuit--you're a sassy robot who must unravel a mystery in the massive robo-city of Chimera. Rather than jacking cars, our hero hops into sleek spacecraft,...

Men of Valor: Vietnam.
October 1, 2004... Men of Valor: Vietnam, assaulting Xbox this October, hopes to win hearts and minds with historical accuracy rather than Hollywood hoopla. "Early on, we decided not to rely on movie references alone for our level designs," explains Kris...

New School.
October 1, 2004... "Finally, a degree more useless than political science," quipped Tonight Show host Jay Leno shortly after Southern Methodist University in Dallas launched a college--called The Guildhall--devoted to videogames. But the joke's on anyone who...

Midnight Club III: Dub Edition.
October 1, 2004... Street Cred: Street racing returns to the home of the automobile in Midnight Club III--the exotic locales of the past Club games give way to all-American competition in cities such as Detroit and San Diego. Of course, don't expect...

Need for Speed Underground 2.
October 1, 2004... Street Cred: The sequel to the surprise hit of 2003 scraps the original game's menu-driven setup. Instead, the story mode takes a page from Grand Theft Auto: You cruise a virtual city at night, poking around for opponents and searching...

Celebrity Gamer: Torrie Wilson.(Interview)
October 1, 2004... As a lean, mean, and sexually frustrated teen's dream, WWE diva and two-time Playboy cover girl Torrie Wilson is one wrestler we wouldn't mind hitting the mat with. And come this November, you can do just that in THQ's WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw...

Show and Tell: X-Men: Legends.(Interview)
October 1, 2004... Professor X believes that normal humans and mutants can peaceably coexist. Just because the X-Men are different, that doesn't exclude them from simple pleasures such as getting married, rearing children, or battling in top-down, Champions of...

Oddworld: Stranger.
October 1, 2004... Your last encounter with the bizarre realm of Oddworld came in 2001, when Munch's Oddysee delivered a double dose of strangeness to the Xbox launch. The game earned high scores in EGM and performed well at retail, but Oddworld creator Lorne...

Must-Hit Fansites.
October 1, 2004... residentevilfan.com -- Watch censored Resident Evil trailers from 1995. And try not to wet yourself--Raccoon City has a strict no-pee policy. samus.co.uk -- Learn how to skip the Flaahgra boss on the first level of Metroid Prime without...

Afterthoughts: Spider-Man 2.(Interview)
October 1, 2004... This summer an excellent little low-budget indy movie called Spider-Man 2 quietly leaked into theaters. At the same time, a game based on the film from developer Treyarch (whose previous credits include a title based on the cult hit Minority...

The Moral of the Story.
October 1, 2004... Think back to your childhood--back when anything seemed possible, back before you screwed it all up.... That's precisely where you start in the upcoming action role-playing game Fable. It's an open-ended adventure that presents players with...

Overheard.
October 1, 2004... "I got to approve the videogame, the way [Mary Jane] looks. They made her boobs gigantic. I was like, 'Tone down the boobs please!'" --Actress Kirsten Dunst details her input on Spider-Man 2's development "I am betting we can take...

Charts.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Top 10 best-selling games For June 2004 Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service. Call (516) 625-6190 for questions regarding this list. "It's full of gaming goodness." The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adv. GC * Nintendo ...

The Hot Ten.
October 1, 2004... Disagree with the list? You're the ones who created it. Rock your vote at www.egmmag.com. 1 Halo 2 XB * November 2004 2 The Legend of Zelda GC * Fall 2005 3 Jade Empire XB * March 2005 4 Fable XB *...

Second Comings.
October 1, 2004... It's true: Game companies tend to milk a successful debut, pumping out sequels until we're all officially sick of what we once adored. A relentless avalanche of hot-on-the-heels rehashes can quickly tire your patience--Mega Man's street cred...

Tony Hawk's Underground 2: World Destruction Tour.
October 1, 2004... Previously on Tony Hawk: Tony Hawk's Underground proved to be a huge success last year, adding a compelling story mode to the classic skateboarding series and giving it the shot of innovation the (fundamentally changeless) annual outing...

Prince of Persia 2.
October 1, 2004... Previously on Prince of Persia: An acrobatic prince who could rewind the clock like it was a cosmic TiVo saved the kingdom--and a royal hottie--from the forces of time run amok. EGM liked the first game (subtitled The Sands of Time)--we...

NFL Street 2.
October 1, 2004... Previously on NFL Street: EA took the old-school NFL Blitz game plan and gave it some serious Street-itude. Pigskin lovers praised the 7-on-7 arcadey baller for its onfield trickery and refreshingly different play locales, which included a...

Sly 2: Band of Thieves.
October 1, 2004... Previously on Sly Cooper: The titular raccoon--a master thief--worked with partners-in-crime Bentley and Murray to get an ancient thievery book back from the Fiendish Five. Straightforward platform hijinks ensued for the next eight hours. ...

Missed Opportunities?
October 1, 2004... Scarface has been a classic action film since it debuted in 1983. Sorta made us wonder, what if Scarface the game had come out in... ... 1983? System: Atari 2600 Hypothetical review quote: "...a vivid version of Miami created in...

Straight From the Source.
October 1, 2004... If it's been a while since you've seen Scarface, here's a little plot refresher--'cause, y'know, you won't be seeing this stuff in the game. We call out the major events in the movie and some of their possible consequences in the game. ...

Silent Hill 4: The Room.
October 1, 2004... SHANE: The Silent Hill municipal tourism bureau demands that every horror game set in the town include a walking tour of rusty, fog-choked buildings, a conflicted protagonist with a mysterious past, and a nightmarish trip to a hospital packed...

NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup.
October 1, 2004... DAN L: Deep down, NASCAR fans have to face the dirty, shame-faced truth: Their sport is built on a series of never-ending left-hand turns. Newcomers like me have a tough time getting up to, ahem, speed on what a dynamic sport this is. But EA...

Street Racing Syndicate.
October 1, 2004... KEVIN: Some games just can't get a break. Despite its eerie resemblance to Need for Speed Underground, Street Racing Syndicate actually predates EA's runaway hit by several months. Publishing snags kept SRS from coming out first, though, and...

ESPN NHL 2K5 VS. NHL 2005.
October 1, 2004... (PS2/XB) DEMIAN: Though the real NHL season may not even happen, what with the lockout, nothing can stop the videogame puck from dropping. Both ESPN and EA Sports have opted to tweak their rosters rather than rebuild, but we'll get to...

Burnout 3: Takedown.
October 1, 2004... (PS2/XBOX ONLY) DEMIAN: Crunched-up cars glide through the air in super-slow-mo, accompanied by a dull roar and the tinkling of shattered glass. It's like car accident porn, or how David Cronenberg's movie Crash might have been if it...

Catwoman.
October 1, 2004... SHAWN: Soft lighting and slinky movement make this feline a fancy feast for the eyes, but she's flea-ridden under all the fluff. It's the unfaithful camera that keeps you from landing on your feet in the platforming parts. You're forced to...

Armored Core: Nexus.
October 1, 2004... JON D.: I'd like to think it was my bitching (EGM #169) that turned AC3's cruddy button layout into Nexus' intuitive, pilot-friendly controls. But whatever the reason, this alleged "final game" in the AC series has worked out most every...

Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires.
October 1, 2004... JON D: I was wondering how you organize a frenzied free-for-all like Dynasty Warriors into controlled, strategic battles. Turns out you really don't. You just throw that egghead stuff in between the melee warfare. Yes, the bulk of Empires is...

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.
October 1, 2004... SHANE: To anyone expecting End of Time to be some sort of Final Fantasy-meets-Xenosaga synergistic role-playing masterwork: Sorry guys, but...not so much. It is, however, a solid follow-up to Star Ocean: The Second Story, a second-tier PS1...

Viewtiful Joe.
October 1, 2004... MARK: My favorite GameCube title of 2003, Viewtiful Joe comes to PS2 with everything I loved about this unique platforming/fighting hybrid intact: tight controls (which translate just fine to the DualShock), unique art style, tongue-in-cheek...

Astro Boy.
October 1, 2004... KEVIN: Strange how two games with the same title can be so different, eh? Sega's first Astro Boy--a GBA game reviewed last issue--was superb, both in gameplay and in reverence to the original robots-are-your-friends anime. This new PS2 Astro...

Phantom Brave.
October 1, 2004... SHOE: Rainman. The math-genius dude from A Beautiful Mind. The hardest of the hardcore who beat both Final Fantasy Tactics. These are the people who can dig Phantom Brave, a strategy-RPG to end all strategy-RPGs. This mind-boggling sequel to...

Hot Shots Golf Fore!
October 1, 2004... PATRICK: We waited two and a half years for this Hot Shots, and while developer Clap Hanz added many new, beautiful courses, I'm amazed that the golf swing remains a three-button-tap affair. How about some analog action, A la Tiger Woods,...

Spy Fiction.
October 1, 2004... G. FORD: Fundamental flaws can sink any game, Spy Fiction being a prime example. The premise of this third-person stealth-action game is basic enough--you play as one of two agents (with diverging paths) who must locate and destroy a deadly...

Guilty Gear X2 #Reload.
October 1, 2004... Good: Bracing blend of silliness and sophistication Bad: Steep learning curve More Than Your Money's Worth: It's $20 SHAWN: Think fast, play faster. Guilty Gear is so hardcore, only one in a 100 will have the hand-eye...

Sudeki.
October 1, 2004... BRYAN: LucasArts' gripping Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic gave Xbox owners renewed hope that the console wouldn't be just a home for first-person shooters and racing games. But since 2003's Summer of Force, the Xbox role-playing-game...

Pikmin 2.
October 1, 2004... MARK: At first glance it'd be easy to mistake Pikmin 2 for its predecessor, and not just because the graphics haven't changed much. Once again you command an army of the painfully cute li'l soldiers, fighting plants and bugs in your hunt for...

Amazing Island.
October 1, 2004... Good: Simple, fun monster-creation system Bad: Poor graphics, samey minigames Loosely Interpreted: "Multiplayer" minigames SHANE: Last year, I had a rollicking time with Agetec's Magic Pengel (PS2), the first game to allow...

Reviews Wrap-Up.
October 1, 2004... Christmas is coming, and you know what that means--way, way too many games. Some showed up too late for us to fit in the mag, and others, well, we're still tapping our feet, wondering just where the heck they are. Perhaps George Costanza said...

Bargain Bin Bounty.
October 1, 2004... ESPN NFL 2K5 PS2/XB Released: August 2004 Original Scores: 8.5, 8.5, 8.0 Minus a few gameplay fumbles, ESPN's latest stint on the gridiron is well on its way to paydirt. Armchair quarterbacks will surely break out into the...

Trickster.
October 1, 2004... Mowing the lawn for your Uncle Spenny? A hot-n-steamy romance with the lady from the ice cream store who told you she was 23 but was in fact a 36-year-old married mother of two? We've learned from our past mistakes. The basement doors are...

The Rest of the Crap.
October 1, 2004... Help Me We're doing some things differently this month. Not because there has been a restructuring of crap in the last four weeks, but because I failed a psychological test, and a court order has made it illegal for several videogame...

Gamerscopes.
October 1, 2004... Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) I hear a lot of things, Aquarius. Naughty, nice, I've got lists about you that would make Santa even ruddier-faced than usual. One of your big secrets is going to come out this month--what will it be? Your...

Say Hello to Our Li'l Friend.
October 1, 2004... ACROSS 1. Bad arcade beat-em-up pair 4. Reptilian 3D platformer 8. Futurama's (PS2) Bender, for one 10. Crazy Climber (Arcade) exclamation 12. Plays Montana in Scarface movie 15. Urbz predecessor 17. Star of PS1 Castlevania: Symphony of...