Number 28 - Volume 3/Issue 4 - Defunct Games
Number 28 - Volume 3/Issue 4 - Defunct Games
Number 28 - Volume 3/Issue 4 - Defunct Games
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Blood<br />
Violence<br />
© 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. America’s Army, America’s Army: Operations, America’s Army:<br />
Special Forces; Empower Yourself, Defend Freedom, The Official U.S. Army Game and U.S. Army are trademarks or<br />
registered trademarks of the United States Army in the United States and/or other countries and used under license<br />
from the United States Army. True Soldiers, Ubisoft, Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment<br />
in the U.S. and/or other countries. Developed by Red Storm. Red Storm and the Red Storm logo are trademarks<br />
of Red Storm Entertainment. Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. is a Ubisoft Entertainment company.Microsoft, Xbox,<br />
Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.<br />
www.truesoldiersgame.com
© 2006 Imajica Productions, Inc and Alchemic Productions. All rights reserved. “Jericho” is a trademark of Imajica Productions, Inc and Alchemic Productions. “Codemasters”® is a registered trademark owned by The Codemasters Software Company Limited<br />
(“Codemasters”). The Codemasters logo is a trademark of Codemasters. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
Developed by Mercury Steam Entertainment Inc and published by Codemasters. "PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION", and "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Xbox<br />
360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and '<strong>Games</strong> for Windows' and the Windows Vista Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft.
Publisher<br />
Tim Lindquist<br />
Editor in Chief<br />
Greg Off<br />
greg@hardcoregamer.com<br />
Art Director<br />
Terry Wolfi nger<br />
Senior Editor<br />
Thomas Wilde<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Alicia Ashby<br />
Editors<br />
Anthony Mertz Danny Cowan<br />
Dave Hulegaard David Brothers<br />
Geson Hatchett Iaian Ross<br />
Jason Venter James Cunningham<br />
Jeremy Peeples Ken Horowitz<br />
Steven Kent Thomas Shin<br />
Elizabeth Ellis Jeb Haught<br />
Abbie Heppe<br />
The Drill Instructor<br />
James Cunningham<br />
Artist<br />
Amadeo Garcia III<br />
Production Director<br />
Brady Hartel<br />
Production Artists<br />
John McKechnie David Silviera<br />
Casey Yates Julie Miyamoto<br />
Translator<br />
Elizabeth Ellis<br />
Ad sales<br />
Burr Hilsabeck<br />
415-412-5685<br />
burr@hardcoregamer.com<br />
<strong>Games</strong> Daishi<br />
Martin Gilbert<br />
Customer Service<br />
425-868-2216<br />
Hardcore Gamer® Magazine is published monthly by DoubleJump®<br />
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DoubleJump Publishing and the authors have made every effort to ensure<br />
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publisher makes no warranty, either expressed or implied, as to the accuracy,<br />
effectiveness, or completeness of the material in this magazine; nor does the<br />
publisher assume liability for damages, either incidental or consequential,<br />
that may result from using the information in this magazine. Questions<br />
regarding operation of the game software and hardware should be directed<br />
to the support numbers provided by the game and device manufacturers in<br />
their documentation.<br />
Printed in the United States of America<br />
DJPubba_Tim Lindquist<br />
To date, my collecting obsession has been limited to<br />
classic arcade games. Now, after stumbling across some<br />
fantastic retro console deals online, I’ve been bitten by<br />
another bug. I’ve been obtaining old carts and systems<br />
at an alarming rate and the fact that most non-collectors<br />
are willing to give up their stuff for practically nothing<br />
isn’t helping. Working C64 with monitor: free; 12 carts<br />
for it: $7; working Atari XEGS: $24.<br />
Now Playing: Mr. Robot and his Robot Factory, Kaboom!<br />
WWanderer_Thomas<br />
Wilde<br />
It turns out that the li’l dwarf warrior I’ve been leveling<br />
in my copious spare time has, by total accident, a pretty<br />
good g PVP build. Wolfi e’s rogue is about to get its face<br />
caved ca in.<br />
Now N Playing: Jeanne d’Arc, Tabula Rasa,<br />
World W of Warcraft<br />
Lynxara_Alicia Ashby<br />
A LIGHT’S SHINING ON MY HEART<br />
MEMORY A FORK AT THE LEFT<br />
RAYS BURNING THRU THE CLOUDS<br />
FROM THE SKY UP ABOVE<br />
Now Playing: Luminous Arc, Persona 3, Disgaea:<br />
Afternoon of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War<br />
of the Lions<br />
Racewing_Geson Hatchett<br />
First Sega lightens and smoothes out Vanessa Lewis, then<br />
Namco gives Soul Calibur Calibur’s ’s entire female cast ridiculous<br />
boob jobs, then Neversoft kills Judy Nails’s smile. I feel<br />
like I’ve... failed failed, , somehow. I don’t even want to think<br />
about what Falcoon’s up to. Thank goodness for Nintendo,<br />
who seems to be bent on actually improving their<br />
character designs. I’ll be fi rst in line for Brawl Brawl.<br />
Now Playing: Persona 33,<br />
, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition Edition, ,<br />
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (PS2)<br />
Daniel Kayser_Daniel Kayser<br />
KouAidou_Elizabeth K<br />
Ellis<br />
DKJFLS<br />
hardcoregamer.com<br />
I write this bio while at GC in Leipzig, Germany. I’m<br />
a long way from home and a longer way from keeping<br />
my sanity, but alas, I’m staying focused... on the beer.<br />
Weinerschnitzel or bust!<br />
I’ve I become something of a reality TV whore. This<br />
season, s I’m watching “Top Chef,” “So You Think You Can<br />
Dance,” D “Last Comic Standing,” “America’s Got Talent,”<br />
and a “Who Wants To Be A Superhero,” whilst waiting<br />
eagerly e for “Survivor: China” and the new season of<br />
“Project “ Runway.” I also enjoy the occasional episode of<br />
“Supernanny” “<br />
and “Shalom in the Home.” These are real<br />
life l skills I’m learning here, people!!<br />
Now N Playing: Picross DS DS, , Overlord<br />
Roger Danish_Greg Off Wolfie_Terry Wolfinger<br />
It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time!<br />
Peanut Butter Jelly, Peanut Butter Jelly, Peanut Butter<br />
Jelly with a Baseball Bat!<br />
Now playing: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of<br />
Destruction, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Warhawk,<br />
BioShock<br />
4thletter_David Brothers<br />
I made a grave mistake last month when I forgot to thank<br />
the lovely Carissa along with the rest of the Isotope gang.<br />
Will she ever forgive my error? What will be my penance? To<br />
be continued, true believer.<br />
Now Reading: Narcoleptic Sunday, Exterminators, ...said<br />
the shotgun to the head.<br />
James_James Ja<br />
Cunningham<br />
After months of joblessness, having to get up at the<br />
ungodly hour of 7AM every day to make money is killing<br />
me. Apparently it’s possible to go to bed before the sun<br />
comes up, but I’m not sure why anyone would want to.<br />
Still, it’s nice to be able to afford all the stuff I want to<br />
buy, especially with Rock Band looking to cost roughly<br />
$1,000,000,000 for game and drums.<br />
Now Playing: Space Giraffe, BioShock (360)<br />
HonestGamer_Jason Venter<br />
Moving across the state can be rough, but that’s what<br />
handheld gaming systems are for. Now that I have an<br />
apartment, I can’t wait to set up my home offi ce (read:<br />
gaming room) and hook up some consoles again. I’m back<br />
in the game just in time for the holiday rush!<br />
Now Playing: Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology Mythology, ,<br />
Final Fantasy II (PSP), Taito Legends: Power-Up<br />
Hitoshura_Iaian H<br />
Ross<br />
When W I went to go pick up a copy of Persona 33,<br />
, I dropped<br />
off o a bunch of the guides for it at the store. The shock on<br />
their t faces after they asked me where I got so many of<br />
them t was worth a portion of the game’s cost, since one<br />
of o the clerks insisted on paying me for a copy of<br />
the t guide.<br />
Now N Playing: Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness<br />
Sardius_Danny Cowan<br />
I didn’t do jack for this issue! I’ll be back to rattle<br />
cages and ruffl e feathers in the unattended pet store<br />
that is the gaming industry very soon, though. I will<br />
not rest until every single niche publisher in the world<br />
is angry at me! Next up: Natsume. You’re going down down, ,<br />
Offi ce Cat.<br />
Now Playing: Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl, Comix<br />
Zone, Legend of the Blob Bros. 2, La La Land 5<br />
Princess Cowboy_Abbie Heppe<br />
Like any good gamer, I decided to get out the house<br />
and get some fresh air and ended up racing a sailboat<br />
off the coast of Maine. Long story short, we ran into<br />
some extremely dangerous weather, and while it was<br />
exhilarating, I’m glad to be back to where getting<br />
killed just means you restart the checkpoint.<br />
Now Playing: BioShock BioShock, , Metroid Prime 3<br />
Get “my face caved in?!!!” Oh I don’t think so, my<br />
dwarf-ish friend. I’m already piecing together my Arena<br />
Gladiator armor, Bee-otch! It is now, as they say, on! So<br />
Wanderer... why don’t you QQ more, noob! HOOLIGANS...<br />
OY! /belch<br />
Now Playing: World of Warcraft<br />
Metalbolt_Anthony Meta<br />
Mertz<br />
It’s only the second day of school and I’m pretty sure<br />
they’re inadvertently training us to be stenographers! So<br />
much typing. Too much typing. All of this typing and no<br />
zombies in sight. This is just wrong!<br />
Now Playing: MDK2 (PC)<br />
AArlieth_Thomas<br />
Shin<br />
Back in the days of blocky heads and pointy toes, System<br />
Shock 2 was one of those games that I hated to love,<br />
because nobody would believe me when I told them that the<br />
elevator shaft was jammed with worms. Hopefully, BioShock<br />
won’t trigger any new neuroses in my already fragile psyche,<br />
or I’ll summon forth my Persona for reals.<br />
Now Playing: BioShock, Big Bang Beat Beat, , Persona 3<br />
Ashura_Brady As<br />
Hartel<br />
They The announced Metal Gear β Online: Version at the Metal<br />
Gear Gea 20th Anniversary party, and they’re still mopping up<br />
my froth. As of this writing, they are currently running<br />
a beta b test in Japan that I wish I was in on soooo badly.<br />
Here’s Her hoping they run an English one! By the time this<br />
issue issu actually gets into your hands, though, it’ll be my<br />
Birthday, Birt and I’ll be 26. Yay.<br />
Now Playing: Bomberman Live Live, , Disgaea: Afternoon<br />
of Darkness D<br />
Jeremy_Jeremy Jere<br />
Peeples<br />
Since Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is fi nally getting a U.S.<br />
release, I’ve been playing every entry in the series that I<br />
could get my hands on to prepare, and now cannot wait for<br />
Returns Returns, , so I can fi nally make use of the revamped wrestler<br />
creation mode and ring/logo editor. Outside of Fire Pro,<br />
I’ve been dabbling in DiRT DiRT, , the demos for Bioshock and<br />
Beautiful Katamari Katamari, , and a slew of DC classics.<br />
Now playing - Fire Pro Wresting 1/2/D/Premium X, Crazy<br />
Taxi, T Shenmue, Jet Grind Radio, Toukon Retsuden 3/4<br />
Mads_Amadeo Garcia III<br />
The art monkey’s gotten his hands on some spiritual<br />
crack, and it’s pedal to the metal as far as drawing more<br />
and better stuff goes. Unfortunately, this leaves very<br />
little time for me to be a gamer. Does being excited over<br />
the Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition release count? It<br />
should — if all goes well, that engine will run half the<br />
western RPGs you’ll be playing in the next decade!<br />
Now Playing: Bully Bully, , The Misadventures of Tron Bonne Bonne, ,<br />
City of Villains (just the char-gen, HONEST!)<br />
Big Wyrm_ Wyrm_Jeb Jeb Haught<br />
I’m not disappointed that Age of Conan was delayed until<br />
early next year. Now I will actually have time to play the<br />
plethora of new releases this holiday season. Besides,<br />
March is a nice month to hibernate... especially when the<br />
sun is out to get you!<br />
Now Playing: Call of Duty 4 (360), Jeanne d’Arc d’Arc, ,<br />
BioShock (360)<br />
VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
Ratchet & Clank<br />
Future: p<strong>28</strong><br />
Features<br />
On the cover<br />
Previews<br />
VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Oh, the things we have for you this month. Exclusive Super Smash<br />
Bros. screens? Look no further. The rst English screens of Disgaea:<br />
Afternoon of Darkness? It’s all here, baby. We blended this<br />
with equal portions of Lost Odyssey, Metal Gear<br />
Solid 4, Super Mario Galaxy, and Call of Duty 4<br />
to create a delicious preview salad, dusted<br />
lightly with Ratchet & Clank Future and<br />
a little Age of Conan on the side.<br />
Your order is waiting on page 12.<br />
Lost Odyssey: p18<br />
For our rst act, watch as a single man creates a<br />
translation patch for the NES Namco classic The Tower<br />
of Druaga... without knowing any Japanese. Then, be<br />
shocked and amazed as Michael Tomasson of Good Deal<br />
<strong>Games</strong> shows you the mysteries of the Classic Gaming<br />
Expo, where classic consoles roam and homebrew titles<br />
for everything from the Sega CD to the Atari 2600 are<br />
unveiled. The show begins on page 32.<br />
Fantranning: p38<br />
It’s Kane & Lynch! One is a criminal genius, the other’s insane.<br />
We sent David Brothers to Eidos to get an in-depth, hands-on<br />
look at this upcoming co-op title, set for launch on the Xbox<br />
360 and PC. What do the makers of Hitman: Blood<br />
Money do when asked to come up with a completely<br />
immersive, action-packed action title? It looks like<br />
they go a little crazy and make the<br />
caper movie from hell.<br />
Check it out on page 42.<br />
12<br />
32<br />
42<br />
10 : News<br />
12 : Preview: Super Smash Bros. Brawl<br />
13 : Preview: Disgaea:<br />
Afternoon of Darkness<br />
16 : Preview: Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground<br />
18 : Preview: Lost Odyssey<br />
20 : Preview: Super Mario Galaxy<br />
22 : Preview: Call of Duty 4:<br />
modern warfare<br />
24 : Preview: Metal Gear Solid 4:<br />
Guns of the Patriots<br />
26 : Preview: SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals<br />
Tactical Strike<br />
<strong>28</strong> : Preview: Ratchet & Clank Future<br />
30 : Preview: Age of Conan:<br />
hyborian adventures<br />
31 : Preview: The Agency<br />
32 : Feature: Classic Gaming Expo 2K7<br />
38 : Feature: FanTranning 101<br />
42 : Cover Feature: Kane & Lynch<br />
50 : Review: Heavenly Sword<br />
53 : Review: Blue Dragon<br />
54 : Review: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core<br />
55 : Review: Monster Hunter Freedom 2<br />
56 : Review: Project Sylpheed:<br />
Arc of Deception<br />
57 : Review: Soul Nomad<br />
58 : Review: Wild Arms 5<br />
59 : Review: Combat Mission: Shock Force<br />
60 : Review: Digimon World: Data Squad<br />
61 : Review: Picross DS<br />
62 : Review: Smash Court Tennis 3<br />
63 : Arcade: Spider-Man Pinball<br />
64 : Online Gamer: Overlord<br />
66 : Downloads<br />
68 : Graveyard: terranigma<br />
70 : Japan: Dokidoki Majo Shinpan!<br />
72 : Japan: Nodame Cantabile<br />
74 : Mobile: driver l.a. undercover<br />
75 : Hardware<br />
76 : Squawkbox<br />
80 : Fan art<br />
82 : funnies<br />
STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF IS STRONG.<br />
STANDING UP FOR THOSE AROUND YOU<br />
IS ARMY STRONG.<br />
There’s strong. And then there’s Army Strong. The strength<br />
that comes from not just changing your life but changing the lives of others.<br />
Find out more at goarmy.com/strong.<br />
Staff Sergeant Jeremy Mutart
WORLD OF<br />
MONEY<br />
The subscription-based MMORPG World of<br />
Warcraft, last year’s best-selling<br />
game, is continuing to fuel<br />
Sierra’s revenues, as quarterly<br />
results were 68.9% higher than<br />
the same period last year.<br />
WoW: The Burning Crusade<br />
sold nearly 2.4 million copies<br />
in the rst twenty-four hours,<br />
with Blizzard announcing that<br />
WoW has reached no fewer<br />
than nine million subscribers,<br />
with The Burning Crusade yet to<br />
launch in China.<br />
NEW KIDS<br />
ON THE BLOCK<br />
Codemasters has opened a third development studio, UKbased<br />
Codemasters Studios Guildford (Southam and Kuala<br />
Lumpur being the other two), which will initially assist<br />
with the next installments in the Operation Flashpoint and<br />
Race Driver series, and with the company’s proprietary<br />
middleware engine, Neon.<br />
Blazing Lizard is a new game development studio founded<br />
by ex-Volition members, who worked on titles such as<br />
Saints Row, the Red Faction. series, the Summoner series,<br />
The Punisher, Freespace, and Elite Force 2.<br />
Four former Mumbojumbo developers, known for the<br />
casual game series Luxor, have teamed up with the head<br />
of Method Solutions to start a new studio, Slapdash <strong>Games</strong>,<br />
which will create casual cross-platform games for all ages<br />
and demographics.<br />
Bethesda Softworks parent company ZeniMax Media<br />
has created ZeniMax Online Studios, headed by former<br />
Mythic founder Matt Firor, which will focus on the MMO<br />
market segment.<br />
GAME<br />
CONTENT BY<br />
ANNOUNCEMENTS<br />
AND DELAYS<br />
Developer Tragnarion Studios will use Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 for its<br />
new multiplatform shooter The Scourge Project, a story-driven FPS<br />
game built from the ground up for co-op squad play, where up to<br />
four players will experience a personal story.<br />
While Ubisoft revealed that Splinter Cell: Conviction has been<br />
delayed until January-March of 2008, it also announced that it will<br />
develop and publish a game based on 20th Century Fox’s Avatar,<br />
the story of an ex-Marine who nds himself thrust into hostilities on<br />
an alien planet lled with exotic life forms, written and directed<br />
by Academy Award-winning lmmaker James Cameron (Titanic,<br />
Aliens, Terminator, etc.). Ubisoft also con rmed that it’s developing<br />
a third-person action game based on the “Heroes” TV series. The<br />
video game will focus on the entire cast, and not re-tell or bridge<br />
the gap between the two seasons, but instead offer its own insight.<br />
EA has a few unannounced titles in development, such as a<br />
superhero ghting game using the Marvel license by its Chicago<br />
studio, known for the Fight Night series and Def Jam Icon; it’s<br />
scheduled for release on PS3 and X360 in 2008. EA <strong>Games</strong>’s Frank<br />
Gibeau con rmed at a shareholder meeting that it has several<br />
mature titles in development, one of which is The Godfather 2.<br />
On the other hand, Crysis and FIFA ‘08 are being pushed back until<br />
November, while Spore is being given extra time for polishing and is<br />
tentatively scheduled for release anywhere from March to May 2008.<br />
During THQ’s Q1 2008 nancial conference call, CEO Brian Farrell<br />
con rmed it’s developing Red Faction 3, but didn’t give further<br />
details. During Midway’s nancial conference call, it announced<br />
BlackSite: Area 51 has been pushed back to early November 2007,<br />
while Vin Diesel’s Wheelman got bumped all the way to 2008.<br />
A few months ago, Take-Two promised it would not delay Grand<br />
Theft Auto IV from its previously announced October 16, 2007,<br />
release date, but there seems to have been a change of heart. We<br />
won’t see the next-gen GTA installment until Q2 2008, which is<br />
February to April 2008.<br />
Majesco’s Cooking Mama 2 was announced, promising new recipes,<br />
twice as many mini-games and an all-new multiplayer mode.<br />
Sony Online Entertainment is teaming up with Sir Richard Branson<br />
and Deepak Chopra’s Virgin Comics to bring the popular, India-based<br />
Ramayan 3392 A.D. comic book universe to life as an MMO, initially<br />
for the PC.<br />
10_NEWS HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
He’s received the highest commendations for<br />
bravery. Countless decorations for honor and<br />
selflessness. But Master Chief’s greatest<br />
achievement reaches far beyond what any medal<br />
could ever hope to c o m m e m or ate.<br />
For the men and women of the 26th century, he is<br />
a human em bodiment of possibility, the last<br />
Spartan standing against an angry tide. This<br />
strength of spirit is forged through his legend.<br />
A hero need not speak. When he is gone,<br />
the world will speak for him.<br />
Jericho VII. The Battle of Reach. High Charity.<br />
Tales rife with sacrifice and courage. Tales<br />
that grow, flourish, and inspire.<br />
A n d w hile h e sha p es his o w n histor y, h e in turn<br />
shapes the history of all who follow.<br />
For no matter what horrors are released upon<br />
the day, they cannot match the reply of<br />
soldiers em boldened with his spirit, an army<br />
of Master Chiefs unto the mselves.<br />
halo3.com
Publisher: Nintendo<br />
Developer: Sora<br />
Release Date: 12/3/2007<br />
Genre: 3D Fighter<br />
<strong>Number</strong> of Players: 1-4<br />
Preview by Princess Cowboy<br />
If there was one game we wished<br />
Nintendo would’ve let us put<br />
our anxious little paws on at E3, it<br />
would probably be Super Smash Bros.<br />
Brawl. Instead, there’s been a steady<br />
trickle of new information to hold us<br />
over until the game’s December release.<br />
It’s worth<br />
mentioning the Subspace Emissary,<br />
the eshed out, side-scrolling single<br />
player component to Brawl. The<br />
Emissary’s goal is to create playability<br />
for those of us without friends — I<br />
mean, elaborate on the back story to<br />
Brawl and give an idea what’s at stake<br />
for each character. Sweet!<br />
Here’s a quick review of the<br />
summer announcements. Joining the game’s already<br />
A-list line-up will be Pit, hailing from Kid Icarus, who<br />
wields the dual-bladed Sacred Bow of Palutena; Ike<br />
from Fire Emblem; Wario, who relies on karate and<br />
not frantic mini-games here; and the Pokemon Trainer<br />
who will show you his Pokeymans: Squirtle, Ivysaur,<br />
and Charizard. Along with the new characters, of<br />
course, comes new levels; Ike brings the Castle<br />
Siege stage, Kid Icarus offers a Skyworld level with a<br />
destructible oor and wait… what? Animal Crossing is<br />
making an appearance too, and just like the original<br />
Nintendo DS game, time will change with your<br />
console’s internal clock. If you time it right, you may<br />
see some familiar faces like K.K. Slider. (Now, if only<br />
you got the chance to Final Smash<br />
Tom Nook...)<br />
It’s also great<br />
to see that Brawl will be<br />
playable on any and all Wii<br />
compatible controllers (that’s<br />
Classic, sideways Wii Remote, Wii<br />
Remote and nunchuck, and GameCube), giving<br />
me a good excuse to dust off those Cube<br />
controllers and stop living in fear of having<br />
to learn a new control scheme. The more<br />
Brawl has to offer, the better. Six and<br />
eight years later, its predecessors still<br />
make the regular rotation in<br />
my collection.<br />
12_PREVIEW_SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
PUBLISHER: NISA • DEVELOPER: NIS • GENRE: SRPG • CATEGORY: SONG THAT NEVER ENDS • RELEASE DATE: 10/30/2007 • # PLAYERS: 1-2<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Preview by Lynxara<br />
Afternoon of Darkness is a lot more than just the English version<br />
of the game formerly known as Disgaea Portable. In addition to a<br />
pixel-perfect port of the original Disgaea supplemented by new<br />
stages, a new “music shop” option that lets you spend HL to acquire<br />
bonus songs to listen to while while you’re grinding through Item<br />
World, and a bonus “Etna Mode” storyline (check out our exclusive<br />
shots!), Afternoon of Darkness offers Wi-Fi multiplayer features that<br />
are exclusive to the English version of the game. Our last preview<br />
announced the new ad-hoc multiplayer, and this time we’ve got a lot<br />
more details about how it works and why you should care about it. You<br />
initiate multiplayer by talking to a character called the Communicator<br />
(a Prinny in a maid out t) that hangs around in Laharl’s room after you<br />
nish the Tutorial levels. Talking to the Communicator lets you enter<br />
Network Mode, where you can opt to “sell” items to your friends or<br />
have a battle using customized rules.<br />
The item-selling option lets you sell copies of any items you’ve got in<br />
your Shopping Bag to your friends at half their usual shop price. This<br />
lets you help buddies ll out their item collections and get to certain<br />
unlockables more quickly. Multiplayer battles use radically different<br />
rules r than the main game, with special abilities disabled and no XP<br />
gained. g Instead, players gain points to keep track of their victories in<br />
the t 8-vs-8 melees, either by wasting entire teams or wasting the team’s<br />
Leader, L ala Soul Nomad. Both players can manipulate the outcome of<br />
the t battle by using Geo Cubes to cast special effects... but the Geo<br />
Cubes C demand Geo Souls, and you only gain one Geo Soul each turn.<br />
The T core game is still as fun as it ever was, and its fast bursts of<br />
tactical t action are really perfect for portable gaming. On a technical<br />
level, l the port is still amazing, without any load time issues at all.<br />
A few extra gameplay tweaks (like XP gains for Clerics when they<br />
Heal) H and online multiplayer instead of ad hoc would’ve been great,<br />
but b it’s hard to complain. Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is the kind<br />
of o game the PSP’s needed for a long, long time.<br />
DISGAEA: AFTERNOON OF DARKNESS<br />
DARKNESS_PREVIEW_13<br />
_PREVIEW_13
Blood and Gore<br />
Intense Violence<br />
Nudity<br />
© 2007 Conan Properties International LLC (“CPI”). CONAN, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, HYBORIA<br />
and related logos, characters, names, and distinctive likenesses are trademarks or registered trademarks<br />
of CPI. All Rights Reserved. Published and distributed by THQ Inc. THQ and the THQ logo are trademarks<br />
and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights<br />
are property of their respective owners. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered<br />
trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos<br />
Check out the latest<br />
issue of Conan from<br />
Dark Horse Comics<br />
are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. *while supplies last<br />
Pre-order your copy today at<br />
GameStop and receive a Special<br />
Edition Xbox 360 Demo Disc*
Publisher: Activision<br />
Developer: Neversoft (PS3,<br />
360) Page 44 (PS2, Wii)<br />
Vicarious Visions (DS)<br />
Preview by Jeremy<br />
Release Date: Fall 2007<br />
Genre(s): Freeform skating<br />
# of Players: 1-?<br />
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is all about freedom, and Neversoft is set to make<br />
this the entry in the series with the most customization options and freedom for<br />
the player. While it’s been long-praised for its innovation, this newest offering<br />
is set to offer an unparalleled level of creation tools and customization features<br />
for player-created characters. New to the series is a video editor that allows<br />
you to create your own skate videos, capturing your greatest moments (and<br />
presumably) most painful follies.<br />
Also new is a virtual skate lounge that can be tricked out with plasma screens<br />
and high-end furniture, and also allows players to track their own stats, or meet<br />
new players in their own tricked out lounge. Players will also have the freedom<br />
to shift from single-player and multi-player gameplay seamlessly, and carry their<br />
single-player career mode stats over to its online counterpart.<br />
New Nail the Trick moves, and new gameplay mechanics such as skateable<br />
terrain altering, building, and bowl carving shine brightly as debuting gameplay<br />
features. The career mode will now allow you to develop into one of three types<br />
of skater - the contest-winning “career athlete”, a swift “hardcore skater” who<br />
dazzles with ash, or a “rigger”, who perverts the terrain into his own vision to<br />
achieve skating nirvana. Each of the styles will have their own unique Nail the<br />
Trick moves, adding even more depth to the gameplay and allowing the different<br />
skating styles to stand out more. This new free-form gameplay will show off ingame<br />
locales like Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore.<br />
Freedom is the name of the game in this year’s Tony Hawk installment, and so<br />
far, it looks like Neversoft’s lofty goals about bringing it to the skating genre<br />
will be achieved, giving players the deepest and most customizable entry in the<br />
series to date.<br />
16_PREVIEW_TONY_HAWK’S_PROVING_GROUND HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE,SHIKA,LOU&OKAR<br />
VOODLE,SHIKA,LOU&OKAR
Publisher: Microsoft<br />
Developer: Mistwalker<br />
Release Date: 2008<br />
Preview by Wanderer<br />
Genre(s): Console RPG<br />
Category: Not Final Fantasy Really<br />
# of Players: 1<br />
There is absolutely no point in not saying this: Lost Odyssey is a new Final<br />
Fantasy game in all but name, and that much is obvious in the rst thirty seconds<br />
of seeing it in action.<br />
The sarcastic among you, who I count as my tribesmen, are laughing and saying<br />
“No, really? Mistwalker and all of its ex-Square Enix employees made a game like<br />
FF?!” That was Lynxara’s reaction.<br />
The point being, of course, that it is not merely FF-in uenced; it’s basically a<br />
direct across-the-board homage. Change the spell names and the<br />
game’s title, and you would have a next-generation FF game.<br />
Lost Odyssey is a meditation on memory and loss (Hironobu Sakaguchi<br />
describes it as an “emotional rollercoaster”), and it’s also about a guy<br />
with a sword beating up robots. Kaim has been alive for a thousand<br />
years, none of which he remembers, and he’s now right in the middle<br />
of a magically-powered civil war. With three different nations ghting<br />
for control of a new mystical power source, Kaim and his friends must<br />
ght to stay alive while Kaim slowly regains his memory.<br />
It’s forty hours or more of cinematically-designed, turn-based combat<br />
interspersed with high-de nition cutscenes. It’s the Platonic ideal of<br />
the late-nineties Japanese RPG, and it’s an Xbox 360 exclusive. Next<br />
week: more signs of the apocalypse.<br />
18_PREVIEW_LOST ODYSSEY HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
FLY THE GREATEST AIRCRAFT YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED!<br />
Pilot Pilot over over 50 50 authentic authentic planes planes and and<br />
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Mild Language<br />
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Engage Engage in in 18 18 high-stakes high-stakes missions missions where where you’ll you’ll<br />
bomb bomb bridges, bridges, steal steal secret secret weapons, weapons, and and more. more.<br />
AVAILABLE NOW<br />
© 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Blazing Angels, Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”,<br />
and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.<br />
Go Go up up against against a a giant giant German German zeppelin zeppelin<br />
over over the the pyramids pyramids of of Cairo. Cairo.
Preview by Big Worm<br />
Publisher: Nintendo<br />
Developer: Nintendo<br />
Release Date: November<br />
Genre: Platformer<br />
<strong>Number</strong> of Players: 1<br />
After a long hiatus, Mario is back and wackier than ever in the much<br />
anticipated Wii title, Super Mario Galaxy. Only this time, there is no<br />
sunshine to bathe in as the beloved plumber traverses the deep reaches<br />
of space, hopping from asteroid to asteroid in his never-ending quest<br />
to gather golden coins and stars. Will he ever seek rehab for his<br />
addiction to bling? Will he continue his genocidal slaughter of every<br />
creature that isn’t human? Will he and Princess Peach ever nd true<br />
happiness? Read on, oh faithful fan, read on.<br />
Although this game is set in space, Mario still retains his signature moves,<br />
like relentlessly stomping on the heads of enemies, grabbing his hat<br />
while ducking and munching magic mushrooms. New to his repertoire is<br />
the devastating spin attack. With arms held sideways, Mario makes a<br />
st with each mitt and spins in place, knocking nearly everything he<br />
touches into oblivion. Performing this move is as simple as shaking<br />
the Wiimote. In addition, shaking it also activates giant gold stars<br />
that propel him to the next planetoid. Another new move is the long<br />
jump, which is activated by holding down the Z-button and A-button<br />
simultaneously. Triple jumps are also possible by pressing the<br />
A-button with the right timing.<br />
Using the motion-sensing controller, players can pick up items<br />
just by pointing at them and pressing the B-button. Certain<br />
enemies can also be ‘shot’ with projectiles using the same<br />
move. Directing Mario’s acrobatics feels very natural<br />
using the new controller, and just like previous titles, his<br />
movements are controlled with the C-stick.<br />
Another feature that may… ahem… “bee” of concern<br />
is the ability to transform into Bee Mario. When this<br />
power-up is discovered, it changes Mario into an<br />
adorable bee for a short time so he can fly up to<br />
high areas. The timer only lasts a few moments<br />
before it turns him back into his hippity-hoppity<br />
self, and contact with enemies or water also<br />
deactivates the power-up.<br />
With his feet planted rmly on the ground, Mario<br />
de es gravity by running around oating spheres<br />
and platforms. Grabbing power-ups and jumping<br />
around while hanging upside down may seem a<br />
bit disorienting at rst, but it gives the player<br />
an unprecedented amount of possibilities.<br />
When the path to rescuing Princess Peach is<br />
this much fun, she may be waiting a long<br />
time for her plumber in shining overalls.<br />
20_PREVIEW_SUPER MARIO GALAXY HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
Publisher: Activision<br />
Developer: In nity Ward<br />
Release Date: 11/2007<br />
Preview by Big Worm<br />
Genre(s): First Person Shooter<br />
Category: Real World Mayhem<br />
# of Players: 1-16 (Online)<br />
At a recent Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare event in LA, I was able to get my hands<br />
on the controller, and while router issues prevented us from playing it online, we<br />
did get to enjoy twelve-player LAN. By the end of the session, I was eager for more,<br />
but I’m happy to report that the game plays as well as it looks. Every screenshot and<br />
movie of the game sports such realistic visuals that you will probably ask yourself<br />
if they have been ‘touched up,’ but trust me, they haven’t. A smooth frame rate<br />
helps to immerse players in the intense combat, and special RPG-like abilities add a<br />
unique amount of customization to gameplay.<br />
To begin with, typical soldier classes such as Sniper and Ri eman are available<br />
that offer pre-determined weapon loadouts. In addition, players can create and<br />
save custom classes that contain their favorite armaments. Up to twenty passive<br />
“Perks” add another dimension to customization since three of them can be active<br />
at any time. Deep Impact (not the movie, thankfully) allows bullets to pierce walls,<br />
Extreme Conditioning lets players sprint longer distances, and Eavesdrop reveals the<br />
conversations of nearby enemy players.<br />
Further customization occurs on the battle eld that rewards skilled players with<br />
additional abilities. For instance, scoring three kills in a row gives access to a UAV<br />
that displays the location of enemies for thirty seconds, while ve kills in<br />
a row opens up the ability to call in artillery. Although these are one-use<br />
features, they can have a devastating effect in the heat of battle.<br />
Those familiar with previous CoD titles will be able to jump right into the<br />
action since the controls are almost identical. Perhaps the only differences<br />
are in using the aforementioned non-passive abilities, which are linked to the<br />
D-pad. These simple controls help to even out the fast-paced action since it<br />
only takes a few shots to end up six feet underground. Personally, I welcome<br />
such realism because I get tired of having to empty a full clip into someone<br />
before they drop.<br />
Some may wonder if the change from WWII to contemporary combat was a<br />
good choice. After playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, it’s obvious that<br />
In nity Ward has another hit on its hands.<br />
22_PREVIEW_CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
Every Metal Gear fan has wanted to see actual gameplay since<br />
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was announced. Sure,<br />
all of these cutscene trailers have been pretty nifty, but really,<br />
how is the game going to play? Hideo Kojima had a fteenminute<br />
long gameplay demonstration at the Metal Gear 20th<br />
Anniversary party that’s so detailed, in fact, that it’s the closest<br />
thing to actually playing the game you can currently get.<br />
In the demo we nd an aged Snake caught in the middle of a battle<br />
between two factions: PMCs (Private Military Companies) and the local<br />
resistance forces. The catchphrase “Nowhere to hide” is nally put<br />
into practice, and it is shown that Snake can approach the situations<br />
he nds himself in many different ways. He can Rambo through, he can<br />
sneak-it stealth-it, he can ally himself with the PMCs, or he can help the<br />
rebellion! This affects how people perceive you, how you perceive other<br />
people, and may effect things such as what kind of resources you have<br />
access to. The 3D Camera from MGS3:S returns, though the big reveal is<br />
that you will be able to play the game like an FPS if you wish. This is all<br />
in the interest of giving players a choice in how they approach the game,<br />
and in turn making it more accessible to players all over the world.<br />
Everyone’s favorite standbys aren’t missing, either. The AK47, MK22,<br />
and of course the RPG 7 (which you can now walk with while aiming)<br />
are all there. Most things that return are improved much like the RPG,<br />
with grenades now sporting Gears of War-style aiming,<br />
and a ring around Snake that helps reveal sounds and<br />
vibrations around him (much like Portable Ops).<br />
There’s also the girly magazines, and even the<br />
drum can from MG2: Solid Snake returns, only<br />
now you can roll over enemies with it. The<br />
camo system from MGS3 is back on steroids in<br />
the form of Octocam. It’s a cross between the<br />
old system, the stealth camo, and something<br />
entirely new: Snake can now mimic the<br />
textures of the walls and oor he’s hiding<br />
on, helping him further blend into the<br />
background. Oh, yeah, and you can use<br />
the tiny Metal Gear MK.II to shock people<br />
in the nuts! Kojima’s team seems to<br />
have nally found their balance<br />
between realism and<br />
surrealism, and it’s going<br />
to be a long wait<br />
until 2008!<br />
Preview by Ashura<br />
24_PREVIEW_METAL GEAR SOLID 4 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
Preview by y Big Bi Big Bi BigW i gW g gWorm W WWorm<br />
W orm ormm<br />
In August, Sony held a gaming event at an Airsoft compound to promote<br />
SOCOM US Navy Seals Tactical Strike. During this awesome affair, authentic<br />
Navy Seals ran ve-man journalist teams through special recreations of<br />
missions from the game. game First we donned facemasks, facemasks camou camouage age gear, gear<br />
and knee pads, then we got to select from a myriad of rubber-bb shooting<br />
recreations of real-life weaponry (I chose an MP5, and later, a G3). As we<br />
entered the dark warehouse, smoke obscured our vision while spotlights<br />
illuminated dilapidated buildings, abandoned cars, a water fountain, and<br />
even a fruit stand.<br />
My favorite mission was rescue, and it was intense! The squad’s goal was<br />
to silently take out patrols in the middle of town, nd the VIP, and escort<br />
him to safety. After we grabbed our target, an ear-piercing alarm rang out,<br />
and the whole town erupted in gun re! Rubber bullets whizzed by my head,<br />
some ricocheted off of walls, and a few hit me in the arm. “Damn that<br />
stings!” I thought, “but at least they aren’t real.” We zigzagged through<br />
buildings, eliminating terrorists both inside and out using realistic cover<br />
techniques. q When we nally y got g the VIP to safety, y, my y heart was pounding p g<br />
harder than it ever has before.<br />
After the group had chow in the mess tent, it was time to check out SOCOM<br />
US Navy Seals Tactical Strike. Imagine my delight to nd out that the latest<br />
iteration of the popular series focuses more on strategy than action. Similar<br />
to Full Spectrum Warrior, players control a squad of soldiers who can be<br />
Publisher: Sony<br />
Developer: Sony<br />
Release Date: October<br />
Genre(s): Squad-Based Strategy<br />
# of Players: 1-4 (Online) Online)<br />
broken up into two teams. Rather than actually ring weapons and running<br />
around, cyber-commanders order their team to do everything from calling<br />
in air strikes to providing cover re to performing stealth kills. It only takes<br />
a few minutes to get used to the controls, and after that, they feel very<br />
intuitive.<br />
Real-life Navy Seals always go into battle with the upper-hand, and this<br />
game is no different. In addition to high-tech weaponry and gadgets, the<br />
player also usually has the element of surprise. This lets him or her adjust<br />
to each situation before the battle begins by setting up cross- res and<br />
anking the enemy. I also appreciate the ability to split up each team into<br />
individual soldiers because it allows nearly limitless possibilities, and with<br />
online multiplayer game play for up to four leader as well as the ability to<br />
play as Special Forces groups from around the world, the action is anything<br />
but pocket-sized.<br />
26_PREVIEW_SOCOM_CONFRONTATION HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE,SHIKA,LOU&OKAR<br />
VOODLE,SHIKA,LOU&OKAR<br />
Mild Blood<br />
Mild Suggestive Themes<br />
Violence<br />
"Fury" is ©2007 Auran <strong>Games</strong> Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Fury and the Fury logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Auran Holdings Pty Ltd. Gamecock Media Group ©2007. All Rights Reserved. The rating<br />
icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Preview by Big Worm<br />
Publisher: Sony<br />
Developer: Insomniac<br />
Release Date: 10/23/2007<br />
Genre(s): Action Platformer<br />
Category: Super-Furry-Mechanical<br />
# of Players: 1<br />
While visiting Insomniac Studios to demo Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools<br />
of Destruction, four very different levels were on display. Metropolis is an<br />
impressive, bustling hub of technology lled with skyscrapers, hover vehicles,<br />
and, of course, grind rails. In addition, bounce pads are scattered throughout<br />
the level that throw Ratchet and his metallic comrade high into the air, and<br />
futuristic enemies are around every corner. While it is mostly viewed from a<br />
behind-the-back perspective, some parts of it are played as a 2D side-scroller,<br />
reminiscent of the old-school days of gaming.<br />
Next is Sargasso, which is set in a lush background of greenery with swamps,<br />
rivers, and various prehistoric creatures. Some dinosaurs are almost too large to<br />
ll the screen, and one is so gigantic that Ratchet can climb up its back like a set<br />
of stairs. Sure T-Rexes may a bit intimidating, but that just makes their reaction<br />
to the Groovetron all the more hilarious! This oating disco ball forces all<br />
enemies in a small radius to break into spontaneous bouts of dancing, so imagine<br />
a ten-ton dino doing The Hustle, and you can’t help but laugh out loud.<br />
Iris is an ice level lled with skull-faced pirates that want nothing less than to<br />
skewer the dynamic duo. However, Ratchet can slip into a funny-looking pirate<br />
suit that sports a peg leg and hooked hand so he can limp around without drawing<br />
attention. Navigating some parts of Iris requires walking sideways on special paths<br />
while other obstructions involve cutting through ice barriers with the Geo-Laser.<br />
Last on the list is Space Combat, which is set in...well...space. Players must y<br />
a nimble spaceship through a gorgeous recreation of the universe while blasting<br />
enemy ships and avoiding projectiles. This level is extremely varied, forcing the<br />
player to avoid gigantic Capital Ships, y around a planet, dive down into its<br />
ravine, soar through a black hole, and nally battle a menacing metallic end boss.<br />
While not ying in space, players have a virtual cornucopia of exotic weaponry<br />
at their ngertips. For example, the Tornado Launcher res a cyclone that is<br />
controlled with the SIXAXIS controller, and Death Springs emits a roomful of<br />
Slinkies that explode on enemies. Most weapons can be upgraded by selecting<br />
different attributes from a pre-made ‘upgrade tree,’ and the effects range from<br />
additional ammunition to increased range or power. This type of customization is<br />
a very welcome addition.<br />
Unfortunately, Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction doesn’t support<br />
multiplayer, but there seems to be more than enough action to satisfy fans<br />
of the series.<br />
<strong>28</strong>_PREVIEW_RATCHET & CLANK FUTURE: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.<br />
Weapon upgrades.<br />
Todd McFarlane specially designed, Limited Edition wireless Spartan<br />
controller featuring Master Chief. And McFarlane Limited Edition<br />
wireless Covenant controller featuring a Brute Chief. Each offers critically<br />
acclaimed 2.4 GHz RF wireless controller performance and includes an<br />
exclusive collectible Halo ® gurine from McFarlane Toys. Epic accessories<br />
for the epic new game. To make it even better, sign up for Xbox Live ®<br />
Gold now, and play with your friends no matter where they are.
Publisher: Eidos<br />
Developer: Funcom<br />
Release Date: 2008<br />
Genre(s): MMORPG<br />
Category: Crom, Count the Dead<br />
# of Players: Many<br />
Preview by Wanderer<br />
Conan is a hot property once again, with a successful comic from Dark Horse, a<br />
movie in development, and an action game on the way from THQ. Now there’s<br />
also Age of Conan, by the same development studio that brought you Anarchy<br />
Online. Set at the end of the original stories’ timeline, with Conan as the king of<br />
Aquilonia, it allows you to play your own barbarian in the Hyborian Age.<br />
As you might expect, the result is a dark and bloody MMO where guys wearing not a<br />
whole hell of a lot carve each other up. You begin the game washed up on a beach,<br />
and from the word “go,” you’re ghting for your life. You control everything in realtime,<br />
using sword combos and summoned pets to ght on your behalf.<br />
At fth level, you choose one of four archetypes for your character (soldier, priest,<br />
rogue, or mage), then choose other classes as you level up. Age of Conan will ship<br />
with a level cap of 80.<br />
The odd thing about Age of Conan, though, is that in a day and age when most new<br />
MMOs are trying not to be fantasy-based, it’s going in the other direction entirely.<br />
It’s a complete throwback to the roots of the fantasy genre: thews ripple, princesses<br />
need saving, and the PVP is in the form of drunken tavern brawls. That<br />
and the Conan license may give it an odd sort of counterintuitive edge in<br />
the increasingly crowded MMO marketplace.<br />
30_PREVIEW_AGE OF CONAN: HYBORIAN ADVENTURES HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
The Agency barely existed when it was shown at E3; it was mostly shown as a .wmv le of<br />
gameplay, looping on a computer in the corner of Sony Online’s hotel suite. As such, it’s<br />
mostly a collection of concept art and ideas right now, but the latter are at least interesting.<br />
The Agency is a massively multiplayer online rst-person shooter, with all the gadgets, fast<br />
cars, ridiculous stunts, and skimpily dressed women you’d expect out of a James Bond movie.<br />
When enemy agents show up, you drop behind the barrel of your gun and take them on with<br />
your friends in a sort of FPS co-op mode.<br />
You can play the game as a spy, using stealth and gadgetry to in ltrate and execute your<br />
missions, or a comedically heavily-armed mercenary. If you start with one approach and wind up<br />
wanting to try the other, all you have to do is change your out t and you’ll change your role.<br />
The rest of the game is still up in the air, but Sony Online is mentioning the ability to collect<br />
backup NPCs to take care of goods, services, and in-game mail for you, as well as players<br />
forming their own Agencies to expand their web of in uence. Of course, this is the point in a<br />
game’s development where everything could change on a moment’s notice, so this is one we’ll<br />
have to keep an eye on. If nothing else, it’s slated to be one of the rst MMOs of any kind for<br />
the PS3, so there’s ground being broken here.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Preview by yWan<br />
Wanderer an ande de dere re rer<br />
Publisher: Sony Online<br />
Developer: Sony Online<br />
Release Date: TBA<br />
Genre(s): Action<br />
Category: Rex Dart, Eskimo Spy<br />
# of Players: Many<br />
THE AGENCY_PREVIEW_31
PHOTO CREDITS<br />
Ken Jong<br />
Lance Cortez of Retroware TV<br />
Michael Thomasson of Good Deal <strong>Games</strong><br />
The Classic Gaming Expo, affectionately<br />
dubbed CGE, is one of the premiere retro-<br />
gaming gathering events, drawing crowds<br />
long before similar events like Philly<br />
Classic, CCAG, and CinciClassic (to name<br />
a few) got their start. While the event<br />
has changed over time in content and<br />
venue, this year, after a short hiatus, it has<br />
returned in all its glory to “Sin City,” better<br />
known as Las Vegas.<br />
Similar shows attract those that fondly<br />
remember simpler games from simpler<br />
times. CGE goes beyond simple nostalgia<br />
and is also known as the collector’s<br />
convention. CGE regularly reveals new<br />
games for classic systems.<br />
Many of these titles, referred to as<br />
“homebrews,” are simply amazing! Not<br />
only do they support vintage consoles<br />
several decades old, the games often<br />
push the technology far beyond what the<br />
original hardware creators and software<br />
programmers ever imagined. For example,<br />
Mighty Mighty Missile for the Sega CD has<br />
more moving sprite graphics on the screen<br />
at the same time than any other of cially<br />
released title for that system. More<br />
impressive, many of these games are often<br />
crafted by a single individual without access<br />
to original documentation and design tools.<br />
Along with newly created content, long-<br />
rumored lost prototypes always seem<br />
to emerge at the Classic Gaming Expo.<br />
This year was no exception as Pitcher’s<br />
Duel, a Vectrex game that was stalled in<br />
development almost a quarter century<br />
ago, nally reached the hands of eager<br />
hobbyists. So whether you are looking to<br />
simply stroll down memory lane or nd<br />
something new for an old and cherished<br />
system, you’re in good company at the<br />
Classic Gaming Expo.<br />
Classic Gaming Expo 2K7<br />
10th Anniversary<br />
by Michael Thomasson of Good Deal <strong>Games</strong><br />
PHOTO CREDITS<br />
Ken Jong<br />
Lance Cortez of Retroware TV<br />
Michael Thomasson of Good Deal <strong>Games</strong><br />
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Classic Gaming Expo 2K7<br />
10th Anniversary<br />
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32_FEATURE_CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007<br />
32_FEATURE_CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Speaking of good company, you are sure to meet<br />
a friend or two at the show. While bright pixels<br />
and booming blips and beeps often steal the<br />
spotlight, do not misunderstand; this show is as<br />
much about the gathering of players and game<br />
designers as the games themselves. Walking the<br />
show oor are many celebrities. While you won’t<br />
expect to nd Tom Cruise wandering about, you<br />
will nd the likes of David Crane, programmer<br />
of Atari’s Pitfall; Steve Woita, a VCS and NES<br />
designer; or a handful of Intellivision’s Blue Sky<br />
Rangers, to name a few. All of them could be<br />
seen mingling with adoring fans and attendees<br />
throughout the conference.<br />
A chosen few classic gaming celebrities held<br />
keynote speeches that were quite enlightening.<br />
One such speech featured Jay Smith, creator<br />
of the GCE Vextrex and Microvision. During this<br />
presentation, attendees learned how no one at<br />
GCE thought that anyone would ever become<br />
a good enough player to clear the thirteen<br />
programmed levels in MineStorm. Jay stated<br />
that within weeks of release, GCE was receiving<br />
letters about the “Dust Levels” that appear<br />
following the completion of the 13th board. Jay<br />
stated, “These levels were never programmed<br />
or planned and just happened as a complete<br />
accident. What happens is that the mines are<br />
reduced to tiny specks, but the game is still<br />
playable and operates.”<br />
Jay Smith told many yarns, such as how the original Microvision was intentionally made bigger by<br />
marketing and that it could have been half its physical size. He spoke about technical issues such as<br />
solving the complex problem of writing text on a vector screen, designing the rst 16x16 LCD screen<br />
“that couldn’t be done,” and how the famous Vectrex “hum” was not in any of the prototype models<br />
and is thought to be a manufacturing issue caused by faulty or improper grounding. He teased the<br />
crowd with the news that the Vectrex was almost re-released as a portable in 1990 using a CRT with<br />
an Oscilloscope for static de ection.<br />
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CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007<br />
CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007_FEATURE<br />
_FEATURE_33<br />
_33<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
Intellivision fans were pleased to hear from Keith<br />
Robinson and members of the Blue Sky Rangers. During<br />
a question and answer segment, when asked about<br />
dealings with people who are still in the industry, Keith<br />
Robinson looked directly at cameraman Earl Green and<br />
sighed, “Man, I wish the cameras weren’t rolling...” —<br />
much to the crowd’s delight!<br />
Al Alcorn, Atari’s rst employee and the programmer of<br />
Pong, gave a Powerpoint presentation that he previously<br />
had shown to students at Stanford, dealing with factors<br />
in society that led to how Atari operated and the<br />
company’s mindset, noting how Atari “bet the company<br />
every year!”<br />
He mentioned how Nolan Bushnell, Atari’s founder and<br />
president at the time, promised employee Steve Jobs a<br />
“$1000 bonus for every chip removed from Breakout,”<br />
and how Jobs used Wozniak to do the work, then took<br />
the credit and the majority of the cash!<br />
Alcorn stated that when Warner rst bought Atari they<br />
considered changing the Atari logo. It wasn’t until the<br />
polling results revealed that the Atari logo was more<br />
recognizable than that of both Mickey Mouse and Coca<br />
Cola to the target demographic of young teens when<br />
Warner decided it was better to keep what they had!<br />
He spoke of his involvement with Atari in creating<br />
the rst embossed hologram, which evolved into the<br />
portable Cosmos system. Alcorn stated that when<br />
the suits at Atari eventually admitted to him that the<br />
Cosmos would never be released, he abandoned Atari.<br />
And there were more keynotes: the Activision programmers comprised of Garry Kitchen, David Crane,<br />
Steve Cartwright, and Glyn Anderson spoke about leaving Atari to form their own company. An Atari<br />
Panel consisting of Steve Woita, Keithen Hayenga, Steve Wright and Bob Polaro told stories of their<br />
days programming games for the VCS. Game journalism was discussed by the rst gaming journalist<br />
Bill Kunkel, along with Chris Koehler and Chris Bieniak. CGE founders Joe Santulli, John Hardie, and<br />
Sean Kelly even reminisced over hijinks from past expos.<br />
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34_FEATURE_CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007<br />
34_FEATURE_CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 2_ISSUE 5_CALL CHUCK<br />
CGE itself is also host to other events. There is always an Alumni Dinner, an event party hosted by<br />
CGE Services, honoring those involved in making some of our beloved classic games, and this year<br />
the Pinball Hall of Fame also opened its doors to attendees of CGE. Complimentary shuttles ferried<br />
players from the show oor to the pinball museum, which featured over 140 classic pinball machines<br />
as well as 40 classic arcade coin-ops. The Pinball Hall of Fame also hosted the latest Retrotopia,<br />
sponsored by Keith Robinson of Intellivision fame. All of the pinball machines and arcade coin-ops<br />
were on free play, a disk jockey was on hand spinning music of the ’80s, and all had a good time.<br />
Several INTV veterans could be found tilting machines, including John Sohl, designer of Astrosmash,<br />
and B-17 Bomber. While we were not all “pinball wizards” to begin with, the more signature drinks<br />
(referred to as the Astrosmash) we consumed, the less control attendees had over the ol’ silver ball!<br />
With this year’s proceeds going to The Salvation Army, the CGE auction is not to be missed. Watching<br />
John Hardie carefully twist words to get bidders salivating for rare collectable items, such as a full-<br />
size Solid Snake statue that sold for $450, was very entertaining. Highlights included the sale of an<br />
Intellivision Keyboard Component w/ ECS computer module along with one of the two known existing<br />
copies of Conversational French, which sold for a cool $3,000.<br />
Four “Mystery Boxes” with minimal or exceptional contents were also auctioned off throughout the<br />
evening for various values. One such “Mystery Box” sold for $1,300 and to the winner’s delight it<br />
contained the rarest of Atari 2600 games, CommaVid’s Video Life. Less than twenty copies were<br />
known to be made, and in the past it has fetched values approaching three grand!<br />
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CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007<br />
CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007_FEATURE<br />
_FEATURE_35<br />
_35<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
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caat at at atteg eg eg eg egor or ooor oory. y. y. y. y. y<br />
36_FEATURE_CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
VENDORS<br />
Arcade-in-a-Box showcased their thei ei eir r rclas classic c clas<br />
lassic sic gaming ga gamin min ming gsyst system syst<br />
y em e on a the Atari a 2600 0 and nd other systems. ssystems.<br />
Titles previously sly available av avail ailabl ab e on<br />
massive 70-inch projection screen e and demonstrated demo monstrat rated ed their diskette disket ette for the Atari Atar ari i 400/800 4400<br />
00/800 computers, such h as<br />
Claim Claim Jumper,<br />
upcoming Jamma-in-a-Box system. system tem.<br />
Attack Attack of of the the Mutant Mutant Camels, and Jumpman Jumpman Junior, r were<br />
Atari2600.com released three e new nnew<br />
w games: gam g es: Rent Rent Wars Wars s and Nerds Nerds<br />
ported to the Atari Atar ari i 5200 55200<br />
200 in cartridge ca c rtridge format.<br />
for the Atari 2600, and The The Last Last Ninja Ninja a for the Atari ri 5200.<br />
Packrat Videogames featured fe f atured e playable pl p ayable homebrews and hacks hac hacks k at<br />
CGE Services released Lasercade Lasercade e for fo for the e Atari 2600 0 and<br />
the long-<br />
lost and long g rumored Pitcher’s Pitcher’s Duel Duel l for fo for the GCE Vectrex. Ve Vectr c ex.<br />
their booth. boo b th. Showing Showi owing ng amazing ama amazin zing support supp upp pport ort for fo f r the Odyssey2 console,<br />
they y highlighted hhigh<br />
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titles tit titles les es such su such ch<br />
as Kill Kill the the Attacking Attacking Aliens, Mr. Mr.<br />
Custom Cus Custo C tom t Portables, Po Porta r bles, known kno kn wn for o taking takin<br />
king g Roboto, Planet Planet Lander, Pong,<br />
systems sys syste<br />
tems of yesterday ay and making ma makin kin k g them t tthem<br />
Puzzle Puzzle Piece, a and nd n more. mor ore. e.<br />
portable por portab p table le today, tod today, ay, did di did d just jjust<br />
st that th that at t with wit with h<br />
demos dem demos d os for systems sy syste stems ms such h as aas<br />
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he e Sega Seg S a<br />
Dreamcast, D Atari Jaguar, r, Nintendo Ni Ninte nt ndo NES,<br />
GameCube Gam Ga G eCube and N64, N6 N64, 4 X-Box, X-B -Box, ox and even<br />
the thhe<br />
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Pink k GGod<br />
Godzilla odzilla a had h ad people peo people ple playing pl playi ayi ay ng<br />
in analog ana analog with h their the th ir Pink Pink Godzilla Godzilla<br />
Dev Dev Kit, t a new full-color card<br />
game eabout about a creating g videogames.<br />
vvide<br />
ideoga g mes.<br />
Digital Diigital<br />
Press, operated operat rated ed by CGE cofounder<br />
fo ounder Joe Santulli, Santul tulli, li, had ha had d a large<br />
assortment as asss<br />
ssort ortmen ment t of oof<br />
f classic cclas<br />
lassic sic games ga games for sale, as<br />
well we weel<br />
ell l as aas<br />
s the tthe<br />
he h popular pop popula ular rand and a informative DP<br />
RetroGaming Radio io conducted con conduc ducted<br />
interviews and n offered offere ered dDVD- DVD-rom<br />
rom<br />
collections col co lec lectio tions of their weekly wee weekly kly k seven- se seven ven e -<br />
year-and-counting yea ear-andd<br />
counting radio rad adio show. sho show. w<br />
Collector’s Coollector’s<br />
Guides. Gui G ides d .<br />
RetroZone ne released Sialagogic’s Si Siala alagog gogic’ ic’s Sudoku Sudoku 2007 2007 7 for fo for the NES, as s<br />
Gamegator2000 sold software for the Philips CD-I and a unique<br />
adapter that allows one to use a Sega Genesis controller in place<br />
well as USB converters conver erter t s that allow playing pl playing emulated games on a<br />
PC or Nintendo Wii with original controllers.<br />
of an impossible-to- imposs ossibl ible-t e-to- o- nd n CD-I controller.<br />
Rolenta Press sold copies of their excellent game books and d<br />
Good Deal <strong>Games</strong> supported homebrew homebre b w publishing publ b ishing in a grand<br />
way, with over two dozen z new and recently released games e for<br />
the Atari Lynx, Atari Jaguar, Ja Jaguar, Colecovision, Coleco covis vision i , Sega SSega<br />
ega CD, Turbografx-<br />
Turb u ogr o afx-<br />
16, Vectrex, and d more. mmore<br />
o . They The hey auctioned au aucti ctione oned two o unreleased Capcom om<br />
previewed the upcoming 4th edition of the h must-own Phoenix: Phoenix:<br />
The The Fall Fall & & Rise Rise of of Videogames. Famed author Leonard Herman<br />
and premiere e videogame journalist Bill Kunkel autographed their th t eir<br />
boo books in the Good Deal <strong>Games</strong> booth.<br />
prototypes for the Sega Saturn, Werewolf Werewolf f and an a d Major Major Damage. Twin Galaxies made available the newest edition of their popular pop opula ular<br />
Copies of their ReVival Magazine e along with the he new Gyruss- Twin Twin Galaxies Galaxies Of Of cial cial Video Video Game Game & & Pinball Pinball Book Book of of World World<br />
based military science ction novel, novel vel, From From Neptune Neptune to to Earth, Records: Records: Arcade Arcade <strong>Volume</strong>. Walter Day promoted the upcoming upcomin min m g<br />
were also available for the literary crowd.<br />
theatrical l lm,<br />
lm, The The King King of of Kong: Kong: A A Fistful Fistful of of Quarters, about abo bout<br />
Intellivision Productions Prod o uct u ions released the repackaged PC/Mac<br />
software bundle Las Las Vegas Vegas g Lounge Lounge g Trio, , Intellivision Intellivision Lives!,<br />
,<br />
and Intellivision Intellivision Rocks!, along with the audio cd Intellivision<br />
Intellivision<br />
the battle between a middle school schoo ool science teacher teach acher e and<br />
a hot sauce mogul for the Guinness world d record<br />
on<br />
the th the arcade d classic l i Donkey DDonkey k Kong. K<br />
in in Hi-Fi. Those in the know who asked nicely could demo an<br />
Also o at aat<br />
CGE2K7 CGE2 E K7 7 were wer we e Billy Galaxy, Next Level<br />
upcoming version of Intellivision software for the Nintendo<br />
Videogames, Vid Videog eo ame mes, s, Older Old Older er <strong>Games</strong>, Gam <strong>Games</strong>, Y-Bot Classic<br />
DS, featuring touch screen controls s that made the original<br />
<strong>Games</strong>, Gam Ga G es, and d Yobo YYobo<br />
obo Gameware Ga G meware selling<br />
Intellivision overlays a snap — the best emulation of the<br />
various var ariou i s wares and game-related<br />
Intellivision to date!<br />
Messiah Entertainment demonstrated their Generation<br />
NEX console that is fully compatible with Nintendo<br />
NES games, making blowing into aging carts a thing thi h ng<br />
of the past! Their new 2.4GHz 2.4G 4GHz H wireless wir w eless arcade<br />
stick was also on-hand and nd worked wor wo ked nicely.<br />
NWCGE, known as the Northwest Classic <strong>Games</strong><br />
Enthusiasts, ts, displayed an assortment of unique<br />
items. ite items. m Among them were reproduction reproducti tion on carts car carts ts for<br />
toys toy toys s and aand<br />
n merchandise.<br />
mer me m chandise.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
CLASSIC GAMING EXPO 2007 2007_FEATURE _FEATURE_37 _37
y Scott Jacobi of Retrogaming Times Monthly<br />
I have always admired fan translations of<br />
video games. The notion that a collection<br />
of “ordinary Joes” could pick up a title that<br />
was discarded by a big company and make<br />
a new play experience available to even<br />
more people has always been intriguing to<br />
me. However, I had just enough knowledge<br />
as a programmer to believe that such a<br />
task was beyond my ability, and never<br />
mind my complete inability to comprehend<br />
Japanese. I never suspected that I would be<br />
responsible for such a translation.<br />
As a video game history buff, I found myself<br />
researching a game made by Namco, known<br />
as The Tower of Druaga. It was an arcade<br />
game that was as popular in Japan as it was<br />
unpopular in America. In the process of nding<br />
out what platforms it was released on, I found<br />
out about a particular conversion for the PC<br />
Engine. I had assumed that it was simply a<br />
very accurate port of the arcade version,<br />
which Namco was known for. Nevertheless, I<br />
gave it a shot, and it turned out to be quite<br />
different. It was more of an upgraded version<br />
with an isometric view than a straight port, so<br />
I gured I’d give it a shot.<br />
One of the aspects that made The Tower of<br />
Druaga so notorious was the challenge of<br />
making the necessary treasure chests appear.<br />
The solutions were different for each oor,<br />
and appeared incredibly random. This PC<br />
Engine version was kind enough to at least<br />
provide players with clues on how to attain<br />
the chests, but unfortunately for me, they<br />
were all in Japanese. I thought my story with<br />
this game would end here.<br />
In an unusual act of curiosity, I decided to<br />
take a look at the game’s ROM in a hex editor,<br />
just to see what I could see. A hex editor<br />
allows you to examine raw machine language,<br />
which is composed of a series of base-sixteen<br />
numbers. The contents of a ROM can be<br />
generally categorized into two parts: program<br />
and data. It’s not easy to nd things in either<br />
part, but between the two, data is far easier<br />
to search through. I happened to chance upon<br />
the word “NAMCO” among all of the numbers.<br />
Further investigation led me to believe that<br />
I had found the data belonging to the title<br />
screen. As a quick test, I replaced the name<br />
NAMCO with my name, and started the game<br />
up in an emulator. Sure enough, the emulator<br />
displayed the title screen with the name<br />
SCOTT where the name NAMCO used to be.<br />
Emboldened by this discovery, I decided to<br />
investigate a little further. Every letter of<br />
every word in the game was composed of a<br />
series of numbers from zero to 255. By testing<br />
every value out on the title screen, I was able<br />
to create a table that mapped every number<br />
to the symbol they represent in the ROM.<br />
Even though I didn’t know how to read the<br />
Japanese that appeared in the rst hint, I was<br />
able to convert those symbols into numbers,<br />
and nd the place in the ROM where that hint<br />
was located. That’s when it rst occurred to<br />
me: I might be able to translate this game<br />
into English.<br />
There are two dif cult parts to translating<br />
a ROM. One is the technical know-how to<br />
replace the Japanese text with English text.<br />
The other is knowing what English text to<br />
replace the Japanese text with. I had gured<br />
out the rst part, but I de nitely needed<br />
assistance with the second part. I had two<br />
choices: attempt to translate each hint with<br />
the assistance of an online translation website<br />
38_FEATURE_FAN TRANNING 101 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
This dilemma is something that many ROM<br />
translators, both professionals and amateurs,<br />
have come across. It is a common complaint<br />
among hardcore fans of any video game<br />
series, that a game is poorly translated<br />
when it’s brought over from Japan. The very<br />
problem that I was experiencing is one of the<br />
biggest reasons for that complaint. It’s rare to<br />
nd extra space in a ROM to actually enhance<br />
a translation. Far more often, translators nd<br />
that they have to compromise on the accuracy<br />
of the translation in order to make it t into<br />
the memory allotted for a game’s text.<br />
I completed the task of tting all of the<br />
translations into the game, and I honestly<br />
believed that I had done all that I could to<br />
make the game playable by English-speaking<br />
gamers. There was one particularly glaring<br />
omission from the translation, and that was<br />
the status screen. The status screen was<br />
drawn on the screen using graphics tiles<br />
instead of text. Graphics are stored very<br />
differently from text, and I could not nd the<br />
location of those tiles with my own ability.<br />
I felt that the game was 95% translated,<br />
and if it was ever going to be 100%, perhaps<br />
someone could pick up where I left off and<br />
complete the game.<br />
I proceeded to make the patch that other<br />
users could apply to their Japanese version<br />
of the ROM and use my translation, and<br />
I submitted the patch to http://www.<br />
romhacking.net/ which houses the largest<br />
collection of ROM translations on the net.<br />
They accepted my patch and the translation<br />
was posted. I believed that was the end of<br />
my story.<br />
I never would have had the notion to attempt<br />
a project such as this if it hadn’t been for the<br />
Internet, so it’s not so ironic that that I was also<br />
empowered to nish the project because of the<br />
Internet as well. The site manager who accepted<br />
by patch suggested that I ask for help with the<br />
status screen on the translation forums. Figuring<br />
that it couldn’t hurt, I explained my dilemma<br />
and asked if anyone knew how to nd the<br />
graphics tiles where the untranslated Japanese<br />
was stored. Sure enough, only two days later,<br />
a forum member who goes by Sliver X posted a<br />
screenshot of the tiles, as they appeared in the<br />
ROM, using a special tool known only as YY-CHR.<br />
40_FEATURE_FAN TRANNING 101 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
This dilemma is something that many ROM<br />
translators, both professionals and amateurs,<br />
have come across. It is a common complaint<br />
among hardcore fans of any video game<br />
series, that a game is poorly translated<br />
when it’s brought over from Japan. The very<br />
problem that I was experiencing is one of the<br />
biggest reasons for that complaint. It’s rare to<br />
nd extra space in a ROM to actually enhance<br />
a translation. Far more often, translators nd<br />
that they have to compromise on the accuracy<br />
of the translation in order to make it t into<br />
the memory allotted for a game’s text.<br />
I completed the task of tting all of the<br />
translations into the game, and I honestly<br />
believed that I had done all that I could to<br />
make the game playable by English-speaking<br />
gamers. There was one particularly glaring<br />
omission from the translation, and that was<br />
the status screen. The status screen was<br />
drawn on the screen using graphics tiles<br />
instead of text. Graphics are stored very<br />
differently from text, and I could not nd the<br />
location of those tiles with my own ability.<br />
I felt that the game was 95% translated,<br />
and if it was ever going to be 100%, perhaps<br />
someone could pick up where I left off and<br />
complete the game.<br />
I proceeded to make the patch that other<br />
users could apply to their Japanese version<br />
of the ROM and use my translation, and<br />
I submitted the patch to http://www.<br />
romhacking.net/ which houses the largest<br />
collection of ROM translations on the net.<br />
They accepted my patch and the translation<br />
was posted. I believed that was the end of<br />
my story.<br />
I never would have had the notion to attempt<br />
a project such as this if it hadn’t been for the<br />
Internet, so it’s not so ironic that that I was also<br />
empowered to nish the project because of the<br />
Internet as well. The site manager who accepted<br />
by patch suggested that I ask for help with the<br />
status screen on the translation forums. Figuring<br />
that it couldn’t hurt, I explained my dilemma<br />
and asked if anyone knew how to nd the<br />
graphics tiles where the untranslated Japanese<br />
was stored. Sure enough, only two days later,<br />
a forum member who goes by Sliver X posted a<br />
screenshot of the tiles, as they appeared in the<br />
ROM, using a special tool known only as YY-CHR.<br />
40_FEATURE_FAN TRANNING 101 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
“It is a common<br />
complaint among<br />
hardcore fans of any<br />
video game series,<br />
that a game is poorly<br />
translated when it’s<br />
brought over from<br />
Japan.”<br />
YY-CHR was developed by a Japanese<br />
programmer to help him change the graphic<br />
tiles of different video games to whatever he<br />
wanted them to be. The tool could load the<br />
contents of a ROM into memory, and allow a<br />
user to view them. The trick, however, was<br />
to look at the contents in the correct format.<br />
Every system has a different native format, so<br />
you had to choose that format in order to see<br />
anything, or it will simply look like garbage.<br />
Sliver X had found the correct format for the<br />
PC Engine (which turned out to be identical to<br />
the SNES format) and found the location (or<br />
memory address) where the tiles were stored.<br />
Now I could actually get to work completing<br />
the translation.<br />
Having discussed the status screen with Keiko,<br />
I knew what each tile should become. Since<br />
YY-CHR was designed to be an editor, I was<br />
able to go to the same location that Sliver X<br />
found, and immediately begin to re-draw the<br />
tiles in English. In some cases, I opted to use<br />
symbols, since the status screen used Kanji.<br />
So I took the Kanji for “sword” and replaced<br />
it with a sword icon. In other cases, I replaced<br />
the Kanji with a very condensed English word<br />
(like “power”). When I was done editing,<br />
I saved my work, and loaded the game up<br />
an emulator to see how it looked. At last, I<br />
thought, the game is nally translated. Before<br />
I stopped, I decided to poke around a little<br />
more in the ROM.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
I happened to stumble upon the glyph set,<br />
that is, is the set of tiles used for the English<br />
and Japanese characters. It contained a huge<br />
number of Japanese letters (none of which I<br />
was using anymore) and the standard twentysix<br />
capital English letters. At this point,<br />
I decided that the translation might look<br />
better if I added a lower case to the glyph<br />
set. I replaced many of the unused Japanese<br />
letter with my own designs, and proceeded<br />
to rewrite many of my translations, this time<br />
with lower case letters. This time-consuming,<br />
but simple act resulted in a more polished<br />
translation that was easier to read.<br />
Having gone this far, there was only one more<br />
thing that was bothering me: abbreviations.<br />
On the equipment screen, I only had enough<br />
room for twelve letters per item. In most<br />
cases, that was enough, but for items with<br />
names like “White Gauntlet,” I could not t<br />
the entire name on the screen, so I settled for<br />
“White Gaunt.” which was twelve characters<br />
exactly. I borrowed an idea from the many<br />
great ROM translators that came before me.<br />
I created extra tiles that were designed to<br />
contain two lower case letters. For example,<br />
I created one tile that represented “tl” and<br />
another tile that represented “et.” Now I<br />
could remove the abbreviations and t the<br />
entire name of the item on the screen by<br />
writing “White Gaun(tl)(et)” for example.<br />
After Afte doing this, I nally got the translation<br />
exactly exac where I wanted, and I happily<br />
submitted the updated patch to RomHacking.<br />
net so it could be enjoyed by everyone. I’m<br />
not sure if I would ever attempt another<br />
translation again in the future, but I certainly<br />
wouldn’t rule it out. In the end, I realized<br />
that the process isn’t quite as mystifying<br />
as I believed it was. Certainly, I chose an<br />
easy game to work on, and there are even<br />
easier ones out there. Some games that are<br />
already translated (such as Final Fantasy IV<br />
and Phantasy Star II) are translated again by<br />
fans because they wanted to provide players<br />
with a more accurate translation than the<br />
of cial one which was given to them. If you<br />
ever happen to stumble upon a game that<br />
you are motivated to translate, never assume<br />
that ability is beyond your reach. Even if<br />
you simply post a message on the translation<br />
message boards, you may just nd someone<br />
who can help you get over the bigger hurdles,<br />
and provide fellow hardcore gamers with a<br />
brand new gaming experience.<br />
Scott Jacobi is a 6 year video game industry<br />
vet. He is the Chief Editor for Retrogaming<br />
Times Monthly, the longest-running online<br />
free Retrogaming newsletter ever, and he is a<br />
member of the staff at StrategyWiki.org.<br />
FAN TRANNING 101_FEATURE_41
PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE<br />
Hitman: Blood Money was de nitely one of the best games<br />
to hit the Xbox 360 last year. It mixed style with action and<br />
foreshadowed just what the Xbox 360 is capable of through<br />
its sprawling stages and interesting AI. As a player, you had<br />
an enormous number of choices as to how to proceed. If you<br />
wanted to kill every single person in a level... well, who<br />
could stop you?<br />
Another sleeper hit was Freedom Fighters. It was based on<br />
the Hitman 2 engine, though it was geared more toward<br />
team-based gameplay. Instead of sneaking about and killing in<br />
silence, you and your crew took to the streets to retake the<br />
country. Simple but effective controls made the game a hit<br />
with casual and hardcore gamers alike.<br />
What’s this got to do with Kane & Lynch: Dead Men?<br />
Well, that’s easy.<br />
You got Hitman in my Freedom Fighters!<br />
You got Freedom Fighters in my Hitman!<br />
ALONE WITH A BUDDY<br />
IO Interactive is behind both Hitman and Freedom Fighters,<br />
and Kane & Lynch is what you get when you put two great<br />
tastes together. The style and stealth of Hitman mix with<br />
the team tactics of Freedom Fighters to give up a unique<br />
gameplay experience.<br />
Cooperative play is one of the biggest selling points of multiplayer<br />
titles right now, so it’s no surprise that more and more games<br />
are starting to implement it. However, Kane & Lynch is slightly<br />
different. It’s a single player cooperative experience.<br />
You are Kane. Kane was sentenced to death row after turning his<br />
life from gold to dross. His son found his father’s gun, shot himself<br />
by accident, and died two weeks later. Kane left the country and<br />
went into the soldier for hire business in an attempt to forget his<br />
old life. He worked for a secret organization called The Seven for<br />
over a decade, until the traditional “one last hit” went south.<br />
He escaped with a fortune, but his team didn’t even manage to<br />
escape with their lives.<br />
42_COVER STORY_KANE & LYNCH<br />
story by 4thletter<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Lynch, your partner, was also sentenced to death. He’s<br />
accused of murdering his wife, though he isn’t sure if he’s<br />
guilty or not. You see, he blacks out sometimes. When he<br />
wakes up, he tends to nd himself covered in blood and<br />
possibly responsible for some very shocking acts.<br />
They meet on death row, mere moments before what<br />
appears to be a jail break. In reality, four members of The<br />
Seven survived the job and want to x things. In short,<br />
either Kane gives them their due, meaning his fortune and<br />
his life, or they kill his wife and daughter.<br />
It’s an easy choice. Kane is already responsible for the<br />
death of one of his children. He can’t handle being<br />
responsible for another death.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
KANE & LYNCH_COVER STORY_43
GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS<br />
You could call Kane & Lynch a buddy movie and<br />
you wouldn’t be too far off. If you were to take<br />
cult classics like 48 Hrs or Bandits, where the two<br />
“buddies” pretty much hate each other, you’ll<br />
be even closer. Kane and Lynch get along out of<br />
necessity, but they don’t quite trust each other yet.<br />
Lynch is, to put it bluntly, unhinged. He’s quick to<br />
anger, even more prone to violence, and severely<br />
under-medicated. Sometimes he talks to things that<br />
aren’t there, as well. If you bring Lynch along on<br />
a job, you’re almost guaranteed to fall into some<br />
heinous mayhem, not to mention his penchant for<br />
leaving every single person around him dead.<br />
Kane, on the other hand, is a bit more subtle.<br />
He’s built up a few connections over his time with<br />
the mercenaries and he’s rock solid at planning<br />
heists. He knows how to get in and out, but if he<br />
doesn’t rein Lynch in, he’s looking at failing his<br />
family for a nal time. His cool head under re<br />
won’t mean much if Lynch is doing enough blazing<br />
for the both of them.<br />
LOOSE CANNONS<br />
“What’s all this got to do with gameplay?”<br />
That’s a fair question and the answer is easy. It has<br />
everything to do with gameplay.<br />
Since you’re controlling Kane, Lynch is run by the AI.<br />
He will go off and do his own thing, either for story<br />
reasons or just because, and this means that you<br />
have to adjust. You can direct him, to an extent,<br />
but he is his own man. The anti-buddy movie feel of<br />
the game is re ected in the gameplay itself.<br />
We got a bit of face time with the game, and were<br />
shown a couple of stages. Kane and Lynch need to<br />
pull off a bank heist to nd something. They nd a<br />
safecracker and make a plan. After meeting up with<br />
the safecracker, they gas the bank, putting almost<br />
everyone to sleep on the inside.<br />
They breach the building and descend to the vault.<br />
Kane tells Lynch to go watch the hostages, just in<br />
case a few of them wake up. Kane, meanwhile,<br />
stays with the safecracker. Waves of guards come<br />
pouring into the vault area and Kane ghts them<br />
off all by himself. They crack the vault, check the<br />
safety deposit boxes, and get ready to head back to<br />
the ground level to escape.<br />
When they reach the bank lobby, they nd Lynch<br />
standing on a platform and dead hostages scattered<br />
all around. Lynch, however, is still ring on them. “I<br />
thought I told you to stay still!” he shouts. “Don’t<br />
make me kill you again!”<br />
Kane eventually calms Lynch down, but they’ve lost<br />
a valuable bargaining chip. There is a gauntlet of<br />
cops waiting outside and they’ve got absolutely no<br />
leverage. Their only choice is to get into a shoot-out<br />
with LA’s nest and engage in a high speed chase<br />
in a van down the streets. That’s pretty much the<br />
de nition of the term “Charlie Foxtrot.”<br />
44_COVER STORY_KANE & LYNCH<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
K.I.S.S.<br />
Kane’s mercenary connections tend to pay off. He can gather a<br />
crew for large hits to make it easier to get in and out. Some jobs<br />
just need more than two people. So, yes, there is squad-based<br />
gameplay in Kane & Lynch<br />
Look, don’t run away screaming. It isn’t that bad at all. IO<br />
Interactive made a conscious decision to get as far away from<br />
the war game genre as possible. Those kind of games tend to be<br />
overcomplicated and drown the user in multi-layered menus.<br />
In Kane & Lynch, you’ve just got a few buttons. Everything is kept<br />
simple. The status of your crew mates are displayed as a small icon<br />
in the upper right hand corner. You can give them a few commands<br />
— Go, Attack, and Return. They will handle the rest. You don’t have<br />
to worry about setting breaching charges, allies refusing to obey<br />
your orders, or anything like that. The system just works.<br />
The crew mechanics come in when a level needs a little extra<br />
oomph. Two men against the world is pretty tough, but throw six<br />
into the mix, some of them with their own personal soldiers, and<br />
you’ve got World War III. The crew numbers are decided on a perlevel<br />
basis and scaled to t the action. You don’t control the makeup<br />
of the team, so that means no trying to overwhelm the enemy.<br />
There is a reason for your crew to be present where they are. They<br />
aren’t faceless ciphers, like you’d nd in other games. There are<br />
little touches and bits of dialogue that hint at a storied past, either<br />
alone or with either of the main characters. Lynch is the subject of<br />
no small amount of scorn and is frequently called a “wife-killer.”<br />
Another member of the crew found religion in prison and isn’t<br />
afraid to comment on your actions. Others, of course, aren’t too<br />
happy to be there at all.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
KANE & LYNCH_COVER STORY_45
You can tell at a glance exactly what your crew is up to, making it<br />
easy to strategize. This economy carries over to the HUD, which is as<br />
minimalist as you can get without eschewing it entirely. All you really<br />
need to know is how much ammo you have left, so that’s all you get to<br />
know. Health is shown through in-game actions. Kane’s vision will go<br />
red, the screen goes awash in motion blur, and he’ll eventually pass<br />
out. Immersive? Yes.<br />
The good news is that passing out doesn’t necessarily mean dying.<br />
Your crew can bring you back to life with a shot of adrenaline, and you<br />
can return the favor. This isn’t an unlimited option, though. Too many<br />
adrenaline shots will net you a brand new heart attack and kill you<br />
dead. Use it sparingly and, though this should go without saying,<br />
don’t get shot.<br />
Even weapons sharing is simple. You can trade weapons between allies,<br />
so if a crew mate has a ri e that you like, and you’ve got a P90 that he<br />
may enjoy, you can access his inventory with one click (of a button) and<br />
trade weapons with one ick (of a stick). “One click and one ick” is<br />
the name of the game. If you’re running low on ammo, your crew can<br />
hook you up with a few extra magazines, as well.<br />
That’s about as intrusive as the HUD gets. At any other point in time,<br />
the cinematic feel of the game is maintained. There aren’t traditional<br />
loading screens or static chapter breaks. Kane and Lynch speak over the<br />
46_COVER STORY_KANE & LYNCH<br />
loading screens, discussing the upcoming job, arguing, and generally<br />
hating each other’s guts. The chapter titles are key, or clever, lines of<br />
dialogue from the current section of the game, be it an observation on<br />
heights (who doesn’t hate them?) or on the ridiculous nature of a job.<br />
You aren’t just watching a buddy movie. You’re playing one.<br />
COME GET SOME<br />
All of this attention to detail is no accident.<br />
The game began its life focused on Kane, but Lynch kept pushing his<br />
way into the title. Where the devs wanted a super tense scene with just<br />
Kane, they’d nd that this germ of an idea called Lynch could make the<br />
scene even more tense. Lynch had an edge that Kane didn’t have and<br />
he did nothing but make the game more interesting.<br />
The next trick was implementing him into the game in a reasonable<br />
manner. Cracking the co-op single player was no easy task, but once it<br />
was done, development became much easier. Having a contentious duo<br />
makes dialoguing and plotting much easier. Instead of having to ght to<br />
create the voice of one character, you can bounce the characters off of<br />
each other and see what comes out of the pot. The two characters are<br />
going to be knee-deep in bad guys, but at each other’s throats as well.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
INTELLIGENT<br />
Kane & Lynch is closer to the Freedom Fighters side of the family<br />
tree than the Hitman side, but it didn’t fall too far from either of its<br />
parents. IO Interactive mastered squad-based gameplay with Freedom<br />
Fighter and used what they learned to dig deep into Kane & Lynch.<br />
Hitman was always more of a hardcore title than Freedom Fighters,<br />
so the tilt toward Freedom Fighters makes sense. Hitman took time<br />
and multiple playthroughs to master. It was all about guring out<br />
every single angle and acting accordingly. The AI ran routes, but was<br />
extremely smart. You’d have to outthink, out ght, and outrun the<br />
enemy in order to get anywhere. Making a mistake spelled doom.<br />
Kane & Lynch is different. It’s an action game, one where twitch<br />
re exes are paramount. It’s a bit more brute force than its predecessor,<br />
so a different tack is required. The AI has to be smart in an alternate<br />
way. They have to be dumber to t into the action movie feel. This<br />
doesn’t mean that they are stupid, of course. You’ve seen movies where<br />
the crowd will dash right through a busy gun ght in a blind panic? That’s<br />
Kane & Lynch.<br />
The crowd mechanics have evolved quite a bit from the Mardi Gras<br />
stage in Hitman: Blood Money. The game can support hundreds of crowd<br />
members at one time. In nightclubs, they’ll each dance to the beat in<br />
their own way. No more crowds of identical clones doing the exact same<br />
dance on the exact same loop. Each one is distinct.<br />
If you pull a gun in a crowd scene, and someone spots you, a “ripple”<br />
of information will pass through the crowd. When that ripple reaches a<br />
guard, he’s going to come over to see exactly what’s going on and why<br />
you thought you could sneak a gun in.<br />
In shoot-out situations, the crowd will panic and try to get away by<br />
any means. If you re into, or over, a crowd, the people will dodge and<br />
duck. Clever players can use this to clear a path, but ring bullets tends<br />
to attract attention. It’s a give-and-take situation. You’ve got a path,<br />
yeah, but now everyone knows where you are.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
A LITTLE KIDNAPPING AMONGST FRIENDS<br />
The Tokyo stages shows both the crowd mechanics and the co-op play to<br />
the fullest. You enter a nightclub and breach the of ce of the owner. She<br />
knows Kane, but what she doesn’t know is that Kane is going to punch<br />
her in the face, knock her out, and kidnap her. Sucks to be her, right?<br />
No, sucks to be Kane. She isn’t getting out of the nightclub on her own,<br />
so Lynch has to carry her. This means that Kane has to escort him out of<br />
a club lled with a few hundred people. He’s got guns, sure, but he is a<br />
man down. If you’ve seen Michael Mann’s Collateral, you may be able to<br />
gure out where this is going.<br />
Kane exits the of ce and pretty much directly into a re ght. The<br />
crowd scatters when the rst gun res, but as happens so often in these<br />
situations, the panic results in tragedy. Not everyone is running toward<br />
an exit. Some run for cover, others just run. Firing a gun makes them<br />
run away, but that just makes it easier for the guards to nd and kill<br />
your heroes. Kane’s got to balance clearing a path for his ersatz buddy<br />
with killing enemies. During all of this, the crowd is going to dart in and<br />
out of Kane’s iron sights. Sure, you could be a jerk and kill them, but<br />
Kane’s supposed to be the good guy here... or, if not the good guy, at<br />
least the better guy.<br />
It gets better. Later, Kane and his team rappel down the side of a Tokyo<br />
highrise. One bomb and a short re ght later, and you’ve got an of ce<br />
full of dead executives and guards. Now the trick is to get down to<br />
ground level, change into their disguises, and walk out the front door. It<br />
all goes well until Lynch decides that a cop is looking at him wrong and<br />
hits him with a face full of lead. After that, it’s Assault on Precinct 13,<br />
Tokyo high rise-style.<br />
This time, the crowd is different. They’re all going for the exit, but they<br />
aren’t so worried about dodging bullets. They’ll dash into your cross re<br />
and die screaming. They crank the tense atmosphere up to eleven<br />
and turn an already tough battle into a nightmare. If you decide that<br />
the thing you just saw out of the corner of your eyes was a a panicky<br />
civilian, rather than a cop that’s packing a shotgun, you’re dead meat.<br />
KANE & LYNCH_COVER STORY_47
YOU CALL THAT SNEAKY?<br />
As if you couldn’t tell, Kane & Lynch isn’t the subtlest game around.<br />
Its pace is another trait it inherited more from Freedom Fighters than<br />
Hitman. In fact, the speed has been increased since Freedom Fighters.<br />
Crowds will ood a room and impede your progress, and enemies won’t<br />
hesitate to duck, cover, and ank you in a manner that’s much closer<br />
to real life.<br />
Kane and Lynch’s job requires a modicum of stealth, but like all good<br />
action lms, whatever can go wrong, does. Sometimes, it’s Lynch’s fault.<br />
Other times, things just go wrong. That’s no excuse to lose your cool,<br />
of course. In the aforementioned bank scene, breaching the bank isn’t<br />
just a matter of gassing the civilians and climbing in a window. You have<br />
to gain access to the bank’s roof, which means making it past a few<br />
guards. If Kane can approach one of them silently, he can use the tiny<br />
knife af xed to his ring to bleed him out quietly. It’s quick to pull and<br />
extremely effective.<br />
All of your weapons are shown on your person, within reason. Kane,<br />
and other members of the group, sometimes carries a knapsack that<br />
holds guns, ammo, and grenades. While he can get away with walking<br />
around with a bag full of guns, acting suspicious is a sure re way<br />
to screw up a mission. Pulling a pistol too early can send the crowd<br />
screaming off toward the guards, who will in turn send a hail of bullets<br />
screaming your way.<br />
In short, stealth isn’t a big deal, but breaking stealth too early in a stage<br />
means that you’re going to either face a fully blown mission failure or<br />
turn a cakewalk into something rotten.<br />
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER<br />
With all this talk of single player co-op, one might think that<br />
multiplayer is out of the question. Untrue.<br />
The split-screen cooperative gameplay follows the single player game.<br />
Playing co-op is easy. All you need to do is select co-op before starting<br />
a stage, as drop-in/drop-out co-op is not implemented, and select a<br />
dif culty level.<br />
Some of the stages are speci cally built to make it more challenging<br />
with two players. While you can be reasonably certain that Lynch will be<br />
able to handle his own when he goes off somewhere, that certainty may<br />
go out the window when you’ve got a human on the other joystick.<br />
It is a classic catch-22. While a certain stage may be super tough on your<br />
own, and seemingly unbeatable, bringing in a friend may not be the best<br />
choice. Human error is always a factor, and a missed twitch could lead<br />
to a dead partner.<br />
While each of the operatives in your group can be controlled by a single<br />
player, co-op mode adds a little into the mix. Now, each player can<br />
have his own operatives, and they can be traded from player to player<br />
in a similar method as weapons trading. If you’ve ever wanted to show<br />
48_COVER STORY_KANE & LYNCH<br />
your squad leader how it’s done, now’s your chance to graduate from<br />
armchair quarterback to starter. Each player can instruct their minions<br />
exactly as they would if the group were complete.<br />
Splitting up your group can give you a distinct tactical advantage,<br />
though a disadvantage is equally possible. If Lynch can’t make it through<br />
an area on his own, having an extra gun along for the ride can make the<br />
difference. At the same time, if you’re going into a heavy re ght, being<br />
down an operative can mean the difference between death and life.<br />
TWO EYES<br />
Kane & Lynch is un nished, obviously, but is far enough along in its<br />
development cycle to be able to make a few informed judgments. The<br />
graphics are not the greatest you’ll see on your next-gen system, but<br />
you’ll nd out the reason for that soon enough.<br />
The less detailed the enemies, the more you can have on screen at<br />
once. This isn’t to say that the game looks bad, as exactly the opposite<br />
is true, but it’s a conscious choice, rather than a hardware limitation.<br />
The game can support up to 900 distinct crowd members, a humanoid AI<br />
in Lynch, squad AI in your crew, tactical and squad AI in your enemies,<br />
and tons of explosions, so it’s obvious that there is going to be some<br />
give and take.<br />
Thankfully, the give outweighs the take. The rst time you look out<br />
over the edge of a Tokyo highrise and feel a spot of vertigo or notice<br />
that you can clearly see buildings that are thousands of feet away,<br />
you’ll understand. Kane & Lynch is all about the up close and personal,<br />
but doesn’t hesitate to use a long shot to set the scene and work<br />
your emotions.<br />
THINGS JUST GOT REAL<br />
So far, Kane & Lynch looks like a pretty carefully crafted ride.<br />
IO Interactive described it to us as a “story driven crime drama,”<br />
and they seem to be living up to that name. There are little touches<br />
throughout the game that hint at deep emotional connections between<br />
the characters. Exposition is limited to areas where it makes sense,<br />
rather than text-heavy loading screens. Everything you need to know,<br />
and some things that you don’t, is delivered through dialogue.<br />
Pardon the cliche, but Kane & Lynch is high octane. It blends<br />
Hitman-style in ltration sequences and Freedom Fighters-style<br />
intense action scenes into something new and exciting. The idea<br />
of single player co-op is still pretty new in action games, but IO<br />
Interactive and Eidos’s Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is de nitely a good<br />
start. Seamless and challenging co-op play in the privacy of your own<br />
home, with a dash of a few classic buddy movies? Sounds great!<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
Astute gamers will have heard the name<br />
Heavenly Sword bandied about for a fair few<br />
years now. Development rst began in 2003<br />
by Just Add Monsters, though it was imperiled<br />
by the bankruptcy of Argonaut <strong>Games</strong>. JAM<br />
reformed as Ninja Theory in late 2004. Once<br />
E3 hit in 2005, Ninja Theory wowed the world<br />
with two things: Heavenly Sword and the<br />
phrase “PS3 exclusive.” Now it’s late 2007<br />
and Heavenly Sword is shipping to stores.<br />
Is it worth the hype? Survey says... yes.<br />
The combat was well worth the wait.<br />
Nariko, the red-haired heroine of Heavenly<br />
Sword, has three stances to ght in while<br />
using the eponymous weapon. Range<br />
stance utilizes a blade on the end of a<br />
chain. You can use it to keep enemies at<br />
bay, sling debris around the area, or set<br />
up an air combo. It isn’t very powerful<br />
offensively, but it can lead to great things.<br />
The Power and Speed stances will probably<br />
be used much more often. These are the<br />
hard-hitting and fast-moving stances.<br />
Speed stance is the default and gives your<br />
attacks a bluish tinge. Nariko can string<br />
attacks together in combos which vary from<br />
simple slices to ips, turns, and pirouettes.<br />
Power stance shifts her grip on the sword.<br />
It’s slower than Speed stance, but much more<br />
powerful. She can knock enemies down like<br />
tenpins and kill them with no trouble at all.<br />
On top of these stances, however, are the<br />
Superstyles. Fighting game a cianados know<br />
them better as super moves. Once a meter<br />
is lled to a certain level, Nariko will be<br />
able to pull off a super move. There are<br />
three possible levels, and each stance<br />
has a move for each level. These moves<br />
can kill one enemy instantly, knock a<br />
bunch of enemies back, or slaughter<br />
an entire room of foes. They are<br />
incredibly ashy, and often brutal.<br />
Flashy is the name of the game,<br />
however. The more stylish your<br />
ghting moves, and the longer you go<br />
without getting hit, the more you ll<br />
a meter at the bottom of your screen.<br />
Depending on the level of the meter,<br />
you can earn up to three Glyphs per<br />
chapter. Glyphs, other than serving as a<br />
performance grade, unlock new combos,<br />
Superstyles, concept art, and videos.<br />
Review by 4thletter<br />
50_REVIEW_HEAVENLY SWORD HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Rating: Teen (Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence) | Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment<br />
Developer: Ninja Theory | Release Date: 9/12/07 | Genre: Action | Category: Heavenly | # of Players: 1<br />
Heavenly Sword goes a step<br />
farther than most motion-captured<br />
games do. Andy Serkis, the actor<br />
who portrayed Gollum in Lord of<br />
the Rings, is the Dramatic Director<br />
for the game and brings his mo-cap<br />
expertise into play.<br />
Every inch of an actor’s body<br />
and face is captured, resulting<br />
in realistic expressions and body<br />
language. There are scenes that<br />
work simply because of the trueto-life<br />
body language and don’t<br />
even need dialogue. When you can<br />
read disgust in someone’s posture,<br />
you know that you’ve struck gold.<br />
Heavenly Sword uses extraordinary<br />
character models and life-like<br />
faces to populate its CG cinemas<br />
and in-game cinemas both. The<br />
action movie feel of the game is<br />
ramped up to the max.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
There is no denying that Heavenly Sword looks<br />
incredible. The graphics are proof positive that<br />
hi-def is the new hotness and that motion-capture<br />
will never, ever die. The environments aren’t<br />
anything like the computer generated static<br />
images we used to get back in the day. There<br />
are running waterfalls, birds ying around<br />
(including a particularly evil-looking raven),<br />
and tons of things to destroy. Carts, boxes,<br />
barrels, tables, and even food abound<br />
throughout each stage. Some of it even<br />
explodes, if you’re into that.<br />
Nariko has a younger girl who she has<br />
taken in as a kind of surrogate sister. Kai<br />
is a little off in the head. She speaks to<br />
things that aren’t there and is pretty<br />
much disconnected from reality. She is<br />
also extremely sick with a crossbow,<br />
to the point where she can alter the<br />
trajectory of arrows mid- ight for<br />
the perfect shot. She has no offensive<br />
capabilities beyond her arrows, so her<br />
attack buttons result in dodges and<br />
stun attacks. She will leap frog and<br />
dash through the legs of attackers, all<br />
so she can get some space to set up a<br />
killer arrow shot.<br />
Heavenly Sword’s problems are light,<br />
but still a little irritating. Beating<br />
the game unlocks Hell Mode, a<br />
harder version of the main story. The<br />
problem is that the normal story is<br />
super linear, with basically no chance<br />
of in-game decisions that affect the<br />
ride. There aren’t even forks in the<br />
road to follow. In this sense, the game<br />
is very much like the action movie they<br />
set out to make.<br />
Heavenly Sword will probably be<br />
compared to God of War right out of the<br />
gate, but the two games work toward<br />
different goals. Where God of War focused<br />
on fast-paced combat and complicated<br />
puzzles, Heavenly Sword takes a different<br />
approach. Speedy, stylish combat mixes with<br />
incredibly detailed cinemas and movie-style<br />
storytelling to create a game that feels like an<br />
action movie and plays like a dream.<br />
4of 5<br />
HEAVENLY SWORD_REVIEW_51
Fantasy Violence<br />
Mild Language<br />
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<br />
GUNDAM ® & ©1979-2007 SOTSU • SUNRISE. TM SOTSU. ©2007 NAMCO BANDAI <strong>Games</strong> Inc. Mobile Suit Gundam, G Gundam, Gundam Wing, ZETA GUNDAM, Mobile Suit and all related characters, names,<br />
logos, distinctive likenesses, drawings and other images contained in this product are the exclusive property of SOTSU Co., Ltd. and Sunrise Inc. Dynasty Warriors and the KOEI logo are registered trademarks<br />
or trademarks of KOEI Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are<br />
registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association.<br />
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<br />
In an era where games are getting ever-shorter, Blue Dragon is a<br />
staggeringly 16-bit, grind-happy title. You can easily complete the<br />
entirety of Eternal Sonata in the time you’d invest in completing<br />
any single disc of Blue Dragon …and it’s a three-disc game. While<br />
the “of cial” time for completion is usually set at forty hours, most<br />
players can expect to invest well upwards of sixty. It feels like a<br />
throwback to 1992, when RPGs were growing ever-longer as they<br />
grew more complex. A lot of people are going to enjoy that.<br />
Even the basic concepts of the game are right out of 1992. Imagine<br />
a simpli ed Final Fantasy V, with fewer “jobs” to assign your ve<br />
party members and more chances to mix ‘n match cross-class skills.<br />
Throw in a little bit of Grandia initiative action, allowing you to charge<br />
up certain spells and attacks. Populate this game world with simple<br />
characters meant to appeal to adolescents (in 1992, after all, most<br />
gamers are still around thirteen). Now imagine a traditional menudriven<br />
interface, and design work courtesy Akira Toriyama. Give it a<br />
plotline meant to resemble Toriyama’s early action-comedy manga,<br />
like Dr. Slump and Dragonball. Finish this theoretical game off with a<br />
fantastic score by Nobuo Uematsu, suitable for listening to obsessively<br />
on your MP3 player. There; The you’ve imagined Blue Dragon. To an<br />
old-school gamer, this probably p sounds great, although you may nd<br />
yourself wishing for more mor challenging battles.<br />
Of course, Blue Dragon is a modern 360 game, so players have a right<br />
to go to it expecting staggering sta graphics. It’s a game that certainly<br />
tries to deliver, running at 1080p and using extremely detailed<br />
animations that could never n work on a lesser console. While its<br />
pre-rendered cut-scenes cut-scene do make for some truly beautiful viewing,<br />
the in-engine graphics are a more problematic. Despite running at 30<br />
fps, it has persistent problems pro maintaining its framerate if too many<br />
enemies or combat animations anim are onscreen at once. Backgrounds<br />
2nd opinion by BigWorm • Alternate Rating : 4 of 5<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
are textured realistically while characters are smooth and plasticky,<br />
making interactions between the two look absolutely unconvincing.<br />
Real-time shadows don’t seem to be properly anti-aliased, so they<br />
icker unpleasantly as you move across the world map. The detail in<br />
the combat animations also makes battles needlessly time-consuming,<br />
since animations can’t be skipped. The time it takes Blue Dragon to<br />
resolve a single random encounter would encompass at least ve or six<br />
battles in a legit 1992 SNES RPG like Final Fantasy V .<br />
This illustrates the fundamental problem of Blue Dragon: it’s not 1992<br />
anymore, and it’s really hard to tolerate a game that’s paced so slowly,<br />
when there’s nothing really exciting or even entertaining about it.<br />
The story and characters just serve to remind you of better games<br />
Toriyama’s worked on. Next to a legitimately gorgeous, high-concept,<br />
and far more ef cient RPG like Eternal Sonata, Blue Dragon just<br />
doesn’t have much to offer. It’s not even as interesting or fun to look<br />
at as a top-drawer PS2 title like Persona 3.<br />
It’s not that Blue Dragon is a bad game. It has some legitimately<br />
entertaining moments, a few well-designed boss battles, and a really<br />
memorable soundtrack. It’s just so slow-paced that it’s very easy<br />
to get bored or distracted while playing it, and the simple nature<br />
of the plot and gameplay makes the slow pace seem unjusti ed.<br />
Blue Dragon ends up feeling average, when a creative team that<br />
includes Toriyama, Uematsu, and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu<br />
Sakaguchi should by all rights be producing must-buy games. Of<br />
course, development studio Artoon also worked on Blue Dragon…<br />
and they were one of the parties responsible for the jaw-droppingly<br />
awful Vampire’s Rain. Maybe it should be a pleasant surprise that Blue<br />
Dragon turned out as well as it did.<br />
Rating : 3 of 5<br />
Blue Dragon is a bit slow at rst, but rewards loyalty with tons of spells later in the game. I like the<br />
feature that lets players “queue” up moves, so they can release them in a particular order.<br />
Review by Lynxara<br />
Publisher : Microsoft Game Studios Genre(s) : Turn-based RPG<br />
Developer : Mistwalker<br />
Category : Dragon Quest Lite<br />
Release Date : 8/<strong>28</strong>/2007 # of players : 1<br />
Rating : Teen (Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language)<br />
3.75 of 5<br />
BLUE DRAGON_REVIEW_53
Review Re Revi Review vi view ew b bby<br />
by yby<br />
XXX XX Racewing<br />
Publisher : Aksys <strong>Games</strong><br />
Developer : Arc System Works<br />
Release Date : 9/11/2007<br />
Rating : Teen<br />
Guilty Gear’s been around a long time, and as is the case with<br />
long-running ghting games, it’s had numerous sequels and<br />
upgrades in the name of balance, or just keeping things fresh.<br />
Guilty Gear XX has served as Arc System Works’s agship<br />
ghter, and this is its fourth and nal version. Every aspect<br />
of ghting game design that Arc has learned over the years<br />
culminates here, except one. It’s the one I always complain<br />
about whenever I do a Guilty Gear review, and as long as<br />
nothing’s done about it, it will continue to be a sticking point<br />
with me, because every other ghting game on Earth has<br />
spoiled me on it by now.<br />
Simply put, this Guilty Gear has the fewest<br />
single-player options in the entire series, and<br />
it’s positively deplorable. Arcade, Survival and<br />
M.O.M. mode are just a series of ghts<br />
over and over again, and that’s all we<br />
get. Mission Mode is axed, and any sort<br />
of Story Mode is once again gone. Unless<br />
you’re a huge fan of playing repeated<br />
timed bouts without any rhyme or reason<br />
behind them, then this is strictly a twoplayer<br />
title. This wouldn’t be so bad if<br />
either version were online, but we’re not<br />
that lucky. Unless you live in a highcompetition<br />
area, this game’s almost<br />
useless for wasting away those lonely<br />
nights. The low price tag helps ease the<br />
sting of this fact, but only a little.<br />
This would normally cause me to<br />
drastically lower the score of this GGXX<br />
3.75 of 5<br />
Genre(s) : Fighting<br />
Category : Guilty Gear XX Turbo<br />
# of players : 1-2<br />
revision compared to earlier installments, but to be honest, the<br />
overall gameplay’s gotten so much of an upgrade that it just<br />
about makes up for it. Accent Core has seen numerous tweaks and<br />
revisions to character movesets, move properties, and even the<br />
overall ow of the engine to create a better ghting experience.<br />
New techniques like Throw Escapes, the Force Break (extra power<br />
granted to special moves at the cost of meter) and Slash Back (a<br />
high-risk mechanism which rewards success with a near-instant<br />
counterattack) give extra strategic options to a ghting game<br />
already rife with such, and every character plays better than they<br />
have previously. All this, and the game still looks and sounds as<br />
beautiful as ever. Turn on anti-aliasing in the options to give our<br />
eyeballs a treat. If you do have a steady stream of challengers<br />
to run through this game with, then you’re going to be in utter<br />
heaven. This is 2D ghting bliss, the likes of which we haven’t<br />
seen since the heady heydays of Capcom, SNK and<br />
Midway dominance.<br />
If there’s been a Guilty Gear-shaped hole<br />
in your life since #Reload, (or Slash for you<br />
importers out there), then it’s time for you<br />
to upgrade. Just make sure you get it to play<br />
against other people, because it’s an utter<br />
bore popping in this title with no one else<br />
around. Enjoy this last upgrade to XX while you<br />
can, because, if you haven’t heard, the next<br />
Guilty Gear is going threeeeee-deeeeee!<br />
Rating : 4 of 5<br />
2nd opinion by Wanderer • Alternate Rating : 3.5 of 5<br />
I never thought I’d see anyone emulate Street Fighter II this closely. Accent<br />
Core is a good time, but if you’ve got #Reload, you’ve got Accent Core.<br />
54_REVIEW_<br />
54_REVIEW_GUILTY GUILTY GEAR XX ACCENT CORE HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
I’ve been looking forward to Monster Hunter Freedom 2, so it<br />
came as a bit of a surprise to nd that the rose has well and<br />
truly lost its bloom. The fun of obsessive-compulsive item<br />
management doesn’t balance out an awkward ghting engine,<br />
and all the online bells and whistles in the world can’t make up<br />
for the frustration of a barely functional camera. Clever extras<br />
and sub-systems are a waste if the core gameplay can’t back<br />
back them up, and MHF2 barely manages to hold its own where<br />
it really matters.<br />
Not that there isn’t a lot to like, of course. MHF2 is a deep,<br />
gorgeous game about kicking ass in a hunter-gatherer society. The<br />
central village has an Alaskan climate, with the opening quests<br />
set in the foothills, caves, and peak of a snowy mountain before<br />
opening up into jungle, desert, volcano, etc. Quests tend be<br />
either hunting down certain monsters or gathering an amount of<br />
a speci c item, but there are plenty of gathering opportunities<br />
along the way for those looking to bring as much swag back home<br />
as possible.<br />
No matter where you go the riches of the land are spread at your<br />
feet, and can be used to create a stunning array of weapons,<br />
armor, ammunition, potions, traps, and other wonderful goodies.<br />
Hunted creatures can be eviscerated for bones,<br />
claws, hide, and various other body parts, while<br />
points of interest in the eld contain a huge<br />
variety of components that ll up the limited<br />
inventory quickly. Very few found items are<br />
usable as-is,<br />
but instead<br />
must either be<br />
combined into<br />
something useful or<br />
2nd opinion by Racewing • Alternate Rating : 3.5 of 5<br />
Review by James<br />
Publisher : Capcom<br />
Developer : Capcom<br />
Release Date : 8/29/2007<br />
Rating : Teen<br />
I’m usually immune to “bad cameras,” but this one really does get in the way. If you plan to play this<br />
game for any signi cant length (and there’re many reasons to), be prepared to press the L button. A lot.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Genre(s) : Action Adventure<br />
Category : Hunting & Gathering<br />
# of players : 1-4<br />
stockpiled for weapon and armor upgrades.<br />
Good equipment is vital. Monster Hunter’s wildlife doesn’t play<br />
nice; it only takes one pack of carnivores working in unison to<br />
whittle the health bar down to nothing. Each weapon has certain<br />
strengths associated with it, whether it’s the dual blades’ charge<br />
meter that enhances attack strength when full, or the incredibly<br />
useful battle horn’s musical status effects. It’s just too bad that<br />
combat is where MHF2 starts to fall apart, despite the depth of<br />
the weapon system.<br />
The problems with combat come from a combination of the<br />
camera and slow attack speed. The really fun weapons are huge,<br />
and take just enough time to swing for even the slower enemies<br />
to work in a hit. Toss in a camera that delights in being in just<br />
the wrong place and you’ve got ghts that quickly turn from<br />
methodical into simply frustrating.<br />
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 is almost an amazing game. Its<br />
dozens of item systems, combat styles, quests, and online<br />
features nearly make it a must-have. If Capcom can just<br />
sort out the combat, even with something<br />
as simple as a lock-on<br />
function, I wouldn’t be<br />
able to stop raving about<br />
it. As it is, though, it’s<br />
merely a very fun game<br />
for those willing to<br />
overlook its problems.<br />
Rating : 3.5 of 5<br />
3.5 of 5<br />
MONSTER HUNTER FREEDOM 2_REVIEW_55
Review by Wanderer<br />
Publisher blisher : Sq Square are Enix Eni Genre(s) Genre : Space Combat<br />
Developer : Game Arts<br />
Category: Fight your Family!<br />
Release Date : 7/10/2007<br />
Rating : Teen<br />
# of players : 1<br />
I’m a little disappointed, honestly. The Silpheed series used to consist<br />
entirely of shoot-’em-ups, and Project Sylpheed is a “Gundam”-tastic<br />
space combat/soap opera in the same vein as Colony Wars. It’s like<br />
somebody repackaged Gradius as a tragic story about life, love, and<br />
giant space lasers. (Please note: this is not a request.)<br />
It’s set in the twenty-seventh century, as a splinter group, ADAN,<br />
suddenly launches a series of attacks on Terran colonists. Talented Young<br />
Protagonist Katana Faraway and his Nonthreatening Female Companion<br />
Ellen Bernstein are in the rst squad to face attack. As Katana, you’ll be<br />
on the front lines throughout the ensuing civil war, and so will your old<br />
buddy Margras Mason, the Angsty Antagonist Blinded By Grief And Also<br />
Rage, who’s on ADAN’s side.<br />
Project Sylpheed’s action is all space combat, with you<br />
piloting ghters against enemy ships. It avoids<br />
the usual pitfalls of this kind of game fairly<br />
neatly; it doesn’t have chatty wingmen who<br />
constantly need rescuing, random ran cheap<br />
hits that you can’t avoid, or tons of space<br />
debris complicating your ight path.<br />
Project Sylpheed d recognizes recogni that space<br />
is kind of big g and gives you y room to y<br />
around in it, but also doesn’t doe stick you<br />
ve miles from the action so you burn half<br />
the mission just ying over there. th<br />
On the other hand, it has a few<br />
issues. The controls are either<br />
counterintuitive<br />
or unlike any<br />
other game you’ve y ever<br />
played, sso<br />
there’s a<br />
learn learning curve.<br />
Pr Project Sylpheed<br />
costs forty<br />
3 of 5<br />
2nd opinion by Racewing • Alternate Rating : 3 of 5<br />
bucks, making this a budget title, but it’s hard to play unless you’re<br />
playing in HD. In SD, the minimap is useless and targets’ names are<br />
illegible, making the game extremely dif cult after the rst mission or<br />
so. In HD, the visual problems vanish, making this a budget title aimed at<br />
gamers that aren’t on a budget. This is odd.<br />
The storyline is also pretty blatantly Random Anime Plot #524, complete<br />
with entire battleships crewed with what appear pp to<br />
be fourteen-year-old girls (this is seriously what<br />
a “Nadesico” game would look like), but that’s<br />
forgivable, naturally. That’s not t what brought<br />
us here. We came here to shoot t down enemy<br />
spacecraft, and that part of the e game is<br />
frequently entertaining.<br />
Project Sylpheed is aimed directly ctly at gamers<br />
who are already expert at this particular<br />
breed of shooter, who like anime, me, and who<br />
have HD television sets, which means its<br />
target demographic is about three ree guys. Of<br />
those three guys, one of them probably has<br />
a 360.<br />
If you’re not that guy, then what at we’ve<br />
got here is a forty-dollar 360 game ame from an<br />
underrepresented genre that may not be quite<br />
good enough to hold your attention ntion for the<br />
time it would take to master it. . Your<br />
mileage may vary, of course; this his<br />
is the sort of game that inspires s<br />
either rabid, forum-war-igniting g<br />
fandom or complete indifference. ce.<br />
I tend to lean towards the latter. er.<br />
Rating : 3 of 5<br />
Sylpheed is very pretty. It’s also fanservice-, weapon- and action-packed. Unfortunately, the gameplay inexplicably<br />
annoys the daylights out of me. If this had been 2D, or on rails, this probably would have been a dream come true.<br />
56_REVIEW_<br />
56_REVIEW_PROJECT PROJECT SYLPHEED HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
I usually hate describing games in terms of what other games they<br />
are most like, but I’m making an exception here. If NIS America’s<br />
previous games, from Disgaea on down, were Shining Force, Soul<br />
Nomad is Fire Emblem.<br />
The previous games gave you control of an army made of individual<br />
characters, while Soul Nomad has you elding small, fully<br />
customizable battalions. Every exchange of re you have with an<br />
enemy unit has a certain amount of risk, giving Soul Nomad<br />
a higher challenge and a lower margin of error than any<br />
NIS game before it.<br />
You begin the game as a nameless protagonist who’s<br />
just been handed a brand-new sword. Unfortunately,<br />
it contains the soul of Gig, a powerful megalomaniac<br />
who tried to blow up the world for laughs two<br />
hundred years ago. Gig’s old minions, the World<br />
Eaters, are slowly starting to wake back up,<br />
and the plan is basically to hope that you can use<br />
Gig’s power to destroy them without falling under his<br />
control. It is not a terribly good plan, as it involves<br />
running up to a three-hundred-foot-tall death<br />
machine and poking it in the jibblies with a<br />
sword, but it’s all you’ve got.<br />
Constructing units in Soul Nomad involves<br />
purchasing them, then creating a “room” to<br />
stick them in. Each type of character has<br />
a different effect depending on where<br />
2nd opinion by Iaian • Alternate Rating : 2.5 of 5<br />
Review by Wanderer<br />
Publisher : NIS America<br />
Developer : NIS America<br />
Release Date : 9/25/2007<br />
Rating : Teen<br />
Soul Nomad is everything NIS games aren’t. Spending hours ghting a random generator to play<br />
an on-rails paper-thin game is not fun.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Genre(s) : Strategy/RPG<br />
Category : Not What You Think<br />
# of players : 1<br />
they’re standing in a room, and the room’s current leader determines<br />
what kind of battle eld unit the room winds up being. When the room<br />
attacks another unit, the defender gets a free counterattack.<br />
That forms the root of the game’s strategy. Any single unit may be<br />
unbeatable on paper, but one lucky counterattack that takes out<br />
its cleric can turn it into a liability. Every rule in the game has an<br />
exception or two, which can turn a theoretically unbeatable strategy<br />
into suicide in the course of a couple of minutes.<br />
Before you start to think that sounds too simple, you also have to<br />
consider characters’ movement rates, terrain bonuses, current items,<br />
tactical options, and experience points. Soul Nomad eases you into it,<br />
but it can be remarkably complex.<br />
It’s also extremely random, for want of a better word. You can’t<br />
control where each character in a unit will attack, or prevent your<br />
vulnerable back and middle ranks from being attacked by the enemy’s<br />
ranged units. You may skate through three maps, or you might have<br />
an otherwise-unstoppable room get wiped out because the enemy got<br />
a lucky crit. That, and the increasingly stripped-down presentation<br />
of the game, prevent me from giving Soul Nomad an unquali ed<br />
recommendation<br />
There’s a speci c kind of strategy gamer that’s going to eat this sort<br />
of thing up with a spoon, and it’s<br />
not the same kind of gamer that<br />
generally goes for the NIS formula.<br />
Soul Nomad is a surprisingly radical<br />
departure from type for NIS, and<br />
it’s largely successful. It’s just more<br />
frustrating than it needs to be.<br />
Rating : 4 of 5<br />
3.25 of 5<br />
SOUL NOMAD_REVIEW_57
Review R i bby Lynxara L Review by Kou Aidou<br />
Publisher : XSEED<br />
Genre(s) : Turn-based RPG<br />
Developer : Media Vision Category : Wild, Wild West<br />
Release Date : 8/<strong>28</strong>/2007 # of players : 1<br />
Rating : Teen (Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes)<br />
There is plenty about Wild Arms 5 that seems intended for a hardcore<br />
fan of the series. You can meet characters and acquire costumes that<br />
Google reveals to be from every single prior Wild Arms title. I am not<br />
myself a huge fan of Wild Arms, and haven’t played any previous game<br />
in the series in critical depth. I’m approaching Wild Arms 5, more or<br />
less, as if it were just another PS2 RPG.<br />
WA5 uses the “hex” battle system that previously appeared in Wild<br />
Arms 4. Battles place characters on a eld of hexagonal tiles, some<br />
with elemental properties. In random encounters, allies, enemies and<br />
elements are placed on the eld at random. Attacks, spells, and special<br />
attacks affect every character or monster standing within a given hex. You<br />
can exploit this to tremendous advantage in combat, and your enemy can<br />
do the same. It’s interesting and has a lot of potential.<br />
Since you always begin battle at full HP in WA5, most enemies are able<br />
to do unusually large amounts of damage. Your characters can only take<br />
two or three hits, and the<br />
same goes for enemies. In<br />
random encounters, this<br />
often means that whether<br />
or not you win a battle<br />
comes down to whether<br />
or not you got initiative.<br />
WA5 lets you replay losing<br />
battles, so you often end up<br />
milling them until you get a<br />
random arrangement that<br />
isn’t lethal. This kind of<br />
combat balance just<br />
isn’t fun.<br />
When you’re not in combat, you get to run around as the<br />
protagonist. On the expansive world map you can’t do much but<br />
go from point A to point B, but dungeons are more interesting.<br />
There, Dean can shoot objects with his guns (called ARMs), or<br />
3 of 5<br />
2nd opinion by Racewing • Alternate Rating : 3 of 5<br />
solve platformer-style puzzles involving switches and boxes. These<br />
puzzles are simple but have a pleasant, Zelda-like charm to them,<br />
and get more fun as you discover more types of ammunition for<br />
Dean tackle problems with<br />
There’s action elements to the platforming, too, but they really<br />
don’t work thanks to questionable physics. Dean slips and slides<br />
on dirt and grass the way Mario slides on ice. Where you can<br />
stand doesn’t map properly to the visuals, so occasionally you<br />
can position Dean such that he’s hovering in mid-air. This is<br />
part of a general problem with clunky graphics; texture work is<br />
minimal, and jaggies are omnipresent to a degree that’s not really<br />
excusable so late in the PS2’s lifespan.<br />
If you managed to be indifferent to the graphics, you’re going to<br />
run into something far harder to ignore: shoddy localization. Weird<br />
grammar, odd word choices, and confusing mistranslations abound.<br />
Some hints are unintelligible; a character wielding one sword may<br />
be instructed to do a “twin sword” attack when it’s actually time<br />
for them to team up with another swordsman. The English dub is<br />
poor, in terms of both casting and performance. This is hard to<br />
accept with no alternative Japanese language track, and no way to<br />
shut voices off during cutscenes.<br />
When I was between buzz-kills, I actually had a lot of fun playing<br />
Wild Arms 5. The Southwestern designs are inspired, the characters<br />
are expressive, and the soundtrack is a fantastic homage to Ennio<br />
Morricone’s spaghetti Western scores. Unfortunately, there’s just too<br />
much about the game that doesn’t work to counter-balance all of the<br />
good stuff. It’s impossible to recommend when an RPG fan could be<br />
playing better things instead.<br />
Rating : 3 of 5<br />
The WA5 experience switches regularly between frustration and euphoria. Still, if you’ve<br />
beaten all the A-list PS2 RPGs up until now, this one won’t hurt. Plus, the soundtrack is sweet.<br />
58_REVIEW_<br />
58_REVIEW_WILD WILD ARMS 5 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Strategy is a tricky genre for games. While some genres can<br />
fall back on presentation if the programming isn’t 100% solid,<br />
strategy games require complex AI and intuitive gameplay<br />
interfaces. If these aspects aren’t spot-on perfect, there’s<br />
simply no reason to play. Combat Mission: Shock Force nobly<br />
sacri ces presentation for complexity, but sadly, it fails to<br />
deliver on the gameplay front.<br />
It’s clear that some aspects of the game have gotten a lot of<br />
consideration. The units accurately re ect current military<br />
technology for all the countries involved, and there’s an emphasis<br />
on realistic military tactics. On top of an of cial campaign,<br />
there’s about two dozen free-play missions included, and an<br />
in-depth scenario creator. All missions can be played in either<br />
real-time or turn-based formats, with multiplayer options through<br />
network, LAN, or hotseat play.<br />
A lot of thought was put into the premise, as well. The decision<br />
to set a game in a near-future war between the US and Syria<br />
could be seen as controversial, so the developers included an<br />
explanation of their decision in the instruction manual. The<br />
game is not an endorsement, but is meant to demonstrate the<br />
impracticality of such a war by realistically portraying the Syrian<br />
army’s ability to defend itself on its native soil. When developers<br />
literally want to use their game to make the world a better place,<br />
it’s hard to be too hard on them.<br />
Unfortunately, while the game may have been meant for people<br />
who have pre-existing knowledge of military tactics, it’s nearly<br />
inaccessible to those who do not. Even a basic tutorial like the<br />
2nd opinion by Lynxara • Alternate Rating : 3 of 5<br />
Publisher : Paradox Interactive<br />
Developer : Big Time Software<br />
Release Date : 8/22/2007<br />
Rating : Teen<br />
An unapologetically niche title with obvious depth in the gameplay, and no interest at all in creating a<br />
comprehensible interface for newcomers. Poor graphics don’t help the package hold your interest long, either.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Genre(s) : Strategy<br />
Category : Modern Warfare<br />
# of players : 1-2<br />
kind Paradox Interactive includes in its games<br />
could have been a lifesaver, but anyone who<br />
hasn’t played the earlier Combat Mission<br />
games will instead be required to navigate the<br />
intimidating 200-page manual full of poorlyorganized<br />
information just to gure out how to<br />
get started.<br />
That said, even those who can appreciate<br />
the game’s realism are unlikely to forgive the<br />
clunky mouse-scrolling camera controls (with no mini-map for<br />
quick jumping), the awkward hotkey-based control interface, or<br />
the terrible unit path nding AI. One of the strengths of the game<br />
is the way it allows you to play any mission in a variety of ways,<br />
but given how long it takes to give a unit a correct order and<br />
navigate the abysmal camera to its destination, they might as well<br />
have not even bothered with the real-time option.<br />
While the decision to scale back the graphics to compensate for<br />
the game’s complexity is a respectable one, the game lacks any<br />
real sense of artistry that could have been achieved even with<br />
simple graphics; each mission in identical-looking desert landscape.<br />
There’s a rather cool fusion of traditional middle eastern music and<br />
modern rock that serves as the main theme, but otherwise, the<br />
soundtrack mostly consists of unit calls and tank noises.<br />
The developers’ chutzpah regarding the Shock Force’s premise is<br />
admirable, and if you fall into the game’s narrow audience, there<br />
may be a lot to like about it. Still, they have done their core<br />
concepts a great disservice, both by alienating series newcomers<br />
and failing to properly streamline the game’s interface.<br />
Rating : 3 of 5<br />
3 of 5<br />
COMBAT MISSION SHOCK FORCE_REVIEW_59
Review Re Revi vi view Review ew b bby<br />
by yby<br />
XXX XX Racewing<br />
Publisher bl h : Namco Bandai d<br />
Genre(s) : RPG<br />
Developer : Bec<br />
Category : Collectible Monsters<br />
Release Date : 9/18/2007 # of players : 1<br />
Rating : Everyone 10+ (Crude Humor, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language)<br />
Nintendo may have a stranglehold on the US monster-raising<br />
market, but there have always been up-and-comers to steal<br />
(or feed upon) its thunder. Long before Spectrobes managed<br />
to carve a niche, longtime Pokemon rival Digimon was there,<br />
cultivating its own signi cant fanbase through years of<br />
animation and games.<br />
It’s for this fanbase that Digimon World: Data Squad was made,<br />
as it’s otherwise pretty much your standard cel-shaded, technomusic-laden,<br />
anime-inspired (it’s actually based on the new<br />
season of the dubbed Digimon anime series hitting the airwaves<br />
this fall) Japanese Japa RPG that coasts on its<br />
star star power… po such as it is. I’m not<br />
even ev e going to try to describe<br />
the th t plot to you. I still don’t<br />
understand un it myself, and I<br />
do ddon’t n think I ever will.<br />
Ba Battles are turn-based, and<br />
th the<br />
big “hook” of this game is<br />
th the the e ability a to evolve your various<br />
Digimon Di Digi gi gim in several different<br />
directions, di d re rect ct cti either during the<br />
course co cour ur u se of o battle or outside of it. It’s<br />
somewhat so som novel, considering<br />
th that evolution can happen at<br />
3 of 5<br />
whatever w pace you want,<br />
and said pace is affected<br />
by how much you and your<br />
Digimon are in sync during<br />
the t course of battle. Each<br />
Digimon Di D has several potential<br />
forms, form rm r and these forms can be<br />
switched almost at will. Why switch evolutionary forms when<br />
one has inherently higher stats than the other? That would be<br />
where elemental properties come into play. Remember those?<br />
They’re in every monster game ever made. Still, it works here.<br />
This game’s big annoyance is the random encounter rate.<br />
Remember Skies of Arcadia? Remember Suikoden IV? We’re<br />
talking those levels of irritation here. Run around for eight<br />
to ten seconds, then fight. Repeat until you throw the disc<br />
across the room. On the plus side, it’s good for gaining levels;<br />
however, solving the environmental puzzles is trying enough<br />
without losing your bearings every time you’re about to regain<br />
them. It creates a huge learning curve at the start of the<br />
game that one wouldn’t expect. However, once you’re past it<br />
(around the time you defeat the second boss, really), you’ve<br />
got a pretty powerful team on your hands to guide you through<br />
the rest of the game.<br />
I’ll be honest here: Data Squad really isn’t going to make a lot<br />
of converts. These kinds of licensed games know exactly who<br />
they’re for, and those are the people who are going to buy<br />
them. However, it’s at least good to know that the game isn’t<br />
a total clunker. It has some good ideas, and certainly proves<br />
itself to be more far fun than, say, Mega Man Star Force.<br />
Factor in the large cast of ‘mon and exclusive series canon<br />
characters, and Digimon, fans already know what to do. The<br />
rest of us…well, if you’ve already beaten the living crap out of<br />
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, this might not be a bad shot.<br />
Rating : 3 of 5<br />
2nd opinion by Wanderer • Alternate Rating : 3 of 5<br />
To really enjoy this game, I think you have to be about eleven years old and a big<br />
Digimon fan. I am neither.<br />
60_REVIEW_<br />
60_REVIEW_DIGIMON DIGIMON WORLD: DATA SQUAD HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Simple can be wonderful. A clear set of rules with limited<br />
complications can lead to logic puzzles of amazing beauty.<br />
The downside of only having a few rules, of course, is that<br />
it only takes a small thing to throw off the balance. Much<br />
as it hurts to say, Picross DS’s brain-crushingly addictive<br />
logic problems have one small interface issue that adds an<br />
unnecessary touch of aggravation to the harder puzzles<br />
comprising the heart of the game.<br />
First, the good stuff. Picross is played on a grid with sets<br />
of<br />
numbers running along the top and left-hand side.<br />
The numbers tell how many of the row or column’s<br />
empty squares to ll in, with at least one space<br />
left blank between one number and the next. 2,<br />
3, 3, for example, would mean a row of two blocks<br />
followed f<br />
by three followed by three. Fitting them<br />
in to a ten by ten grid is dead easy, seeing as there’s<br />
only one place for them to go. Two blocks plus a space (either left<br />
blank or marked with an X to show nothing goes there) plus three<br />
plus space plus three equals ten. Those same numbers on a fteen<br />
by fteen grid, on the other hand, could go just about anywhere,<br />
seeing as there’s now seven spaces left unaccounted for. Fill in<br />
every square in the grid and you get a complete puzzle showing a<br />
pixel-art picture.<br />
The easiest puzzles are set on ve by ve grids, great for getting the<br />
hang of things and fun for a quick blast. Medium bumps the grid size<br />
to ten by ten, but the majority of the puzzles are fteen by fteen<br />
or greater, and that’s where operational dif culties come into play.<br />
2nd opinion by Kou Aidou • Alternate Rating : 4 of 5<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Review by James<br />
Publisher : Nintendo<br />
Developer : Jupiter<br />
Release Date : 7/30/2007<br />
Rating : Everyone<br />
I was too hard on Picross DS in my import review, partly because I didn’t realize how many unlockable Free<br />
stages there were. I still think auto-correct should have been optional and not a determiner of dif culty, though.<br />
Genre(s) : Puzzle<br />
Category : Pixel Art<br />
# of players : 1-5<br />
The 5x5 and 10x10 grids fit on<br />
one screen, with all elements<br />
visible at all times. The<br />
15x15 grids, on the other<br />
hand, introduce magnifying<br />
and scrolling tools, and<br />
all of a sudden important<br />
information is disappearing<br />
off the side of the screen<br />
as you scroll around. The<br />
row/column numbers for the<br />
highlighted square and its two<br />
neighbors are superimposed on the magnified<br />
grid, and the entire puzzle is shown on the top screen, but<br />
it’s still a pain to work around when juggling multiple possible<br />
solutions. You can eliminate the issue entirely by switching<br />
to standard d-pad and buttons, but that feels nothing but<br />
awkward after the smooth, intuitive stylus controls. A<br />
combination d-pad and stylus control method works as a<br />
decent compromise, but it’s still somewhat clunky after the<br />
instant clarity of the earlier puzzles.<br />
There’s more good than bad in Picross, though, even taking<br />
into account my retail copy crashing once after completing<br />
a puzzle. The Daily Picross challenge is a great way to chart<br />
your increasing skills, downloadable content adds new puzzles<br />
to an already respectable library, and you can even create<br />
new puzzles to share with friends. Best of all, Picross is a<br />
wonderfully pure test of logical puzzle solving, with a deep<br />
challenge that’s as satisfying as it is addictive.<br />
Rating : 4 of 5<br />
4 of 5<br />
PICROSS DS_REVIEW_61
Review by James<br />
Publisher : Bandai-Namco <strong>Games</strong><br />
Developer : Namco<br />
Release Date : 7/11/2006<br />
Rating : Everyone<br />
The universe can be a strange and recursive place. After the<br />
success of Pong in the early ‘70s, a real world version called<br />
“Tennis” gained popularity, with the paddles replaced by<br />
real people holding tennis racquets and the white square<br />
reimagined as a fuzzy green ball. Nowadays Pong has gone the<br />
way of the pet rock, but video game versions of its spawn still<br />
pop up here and there. Smash Court Tennis 3 is the latest, and<br />
its a solid if uninspired version of the sport.<br />
If you’ve played<br />
any sports game<br />
in your entire<br />
life you’ve got<br />
a good idea of<br />
what to expect.<br />
The main career<br />
mode starts off<br />
with a playercreated<br />
no-skills<br />
newbie slowly<br />
working her way<br />
up the ranking ladder. A helpful tutorial explains every aspect<br />
of the shot system, and then it’s off to the pro circuit and an<br />
attempt at fame and glory. Winning matches and successfully<br />
training earns experience, and going up a level earns skill<br />
points that can be used to either improve your pro’s overall<br />
stats or buy new abilities, such as special shots, better<br />
fatigue recovery, or improved shot proficiency.<br />
There are five shot types to learn, each having its own effect<br />
on the ball, and figuring out when to use them is half the<br />
challenge. Mastering the shots, learning how to place them<br />
3.5 of 5<br />
Genre(s) : Sports<br />
Category : Tennis<br />
# of players : 1-2<br />
2nd opinion by Dack • Alternate Rating : 3.5 of 5<br />
and how much power to use, will send your opponents flying<br />
around the court desperately racing to keep up. Anything<br />
less will earn painful defeat, sadly free of McEnroe-esque<br />
histrionics, and the nagging feeling that this isn’t as fun as it<br />
might be.<br />
For those looking for something a little quicker than a major<br />
pro quest, SCT3 comes equipped with several game modes<br />
featuring sixteen real-world tennis stars to choose from.<br />
Multiplayer is limited to two people, so four-player mixed<br />
doubles is out, but the real treat is found in the mini-game<br />
section of the Challenge mode. Galaga Tennis isn’t anything<br />
major, but Pac-Man and Bomb Tennis are good fun. Hitting<br />
Pac-Man back and forth over a court set on top of a dot-filled<br />
maze, dodging ghosts while the score rises as Pac eats any<br />
pellets he lands on, is bizarre and entertaining. Bomb Tennis<br />
does that one better, however, with a bomb-ball that explodes<br />
once it takes too many hard hits. Missing a return shot causes<br />
bombs to rain down onto your side of the court, and it only<br />
takes one explosion to cause a chain reaction that blots out<br />
the screen. Simple and addictive, Bomb Tennis turned out to<br />
be the most fun part of the whole package.<br />
For those looking for a more serious tennis game, Smash Court<br />
Tennis 3 delivers solid gameplay that, while hardly revolutionary,<br />
still accomplishes a decent challenge. It’s a bit strange that the<br />
best part is found in the mini-games, but SCT3 manages a decent<br />
all-around game that, while it won’t set anyone’s world on re,<br />
won’t disappoint the tennis fans either.<br />
Rating : 3.5 of 5<br />
Unless you are a Tennis fanatic or love seeing hot sweaty men run in short pants, there’s no reason<br />
to buy this if you already own Virtua Tennis: World Tour, a superior game at the same price.<br />
62_REVIEW_<br />
62_REVIEW_SMASH SMASH COURT TENNIS 3 HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Review by Shaggy<br />
Publisher:<br />
Publisher: Stern Stern Stern Pinball<br />
Pinball<br />
Developer:<br />
Developer:<br />
Developer: Stern Stern Stern Pinball<br />
Pinball<br />
Genre(s):<br />
Genre(s): Pinball Pinball Pinball<br />
Category:<br />
Category:<br />
Category: MULTIBALL!<br />
MULTIBALL!<br />
MULTIBALL!<br />
Release Release Date:<br />
Date: May May May 2007 2007 2007<br />
# # # # of of of of Players:<br />
Players: 1-4 1-4 1-4 1-4<br />
What you see on this page is not an illusion, nor a cruel joke. This is real review in a real game<br />
magazine about a new pinball game. Pins have not disappeared; in fact, they are doing fairly<br />
well thanks to a little company called Stern Pinball. However, pinball machines have been all but<br />
forgotten by most of the gaming press (along with arcade machines).<br />
Spider-Man is the latest pin from Stern. It was released in conjunction with the feature lm<br />
Spider-Man 3 earlier this year, although it is based on the entire trilogy of lms. Artwork from<br />
each movie appears on the table along with villians like the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom,<br />
and Sandman. Each character appears on the table as a detailed, movable gure that you battle<br />
by hitting targets near them. The orange monochrome display above the table also recreates (in<br />
limited form) certain scenes from the movies. The marquee itself includes an artwork montage<br />
from the movies and easily catches the eye.<br />
The table is well-designed and includes three ball ippers and a number of targets for the<br />
player to aim at. Once you launch the ball, it falls into a small area with a few bumpers and<br />
lanes that score you a few points before the real game begins. It’s worth noting that the<br />
ball can get stuck in the initial area, which may call for a slight bump to the cabinet.<br />
The object of the game, once you can in uence the ball’s motion, is to battle the<br />
villains from the movies. The rst objective is to aim for the green stand-up<br />
targets to battle the Green Goblin, which are located on the left side of the<br />
table. Then aim for the right “Web-Slinger” hole to battle Doc Ock; shoot<br />
the yellow targets to battle Sandman and shoot the side ramp with the<br />
upper ipper to battle Venom. As each villian is defeated (by hitting the<br />
right targets and making good shots) you will receive an extra ball. By<br />
defeating them more than once you can activate other special modes<br />
of play. To get multiball, hit the white standup target and then shoot<br />
the left and right loops. While it requires appropriate timing and a little<br />
skill to place your shots right, the table was designed with the physics<br />
necessary to make struggling for just the right shot enjoyable. The addition<br />
of the story makes it that much sweeter.<br />
Tournament play is available for multiple players, activated via a separate<br />
start button. Whether you play Spider-Man alone or with friends, it is a fun<br />
game that offers an experience that can only be found on an actual pinball<br />
table. As hard as video console pinball tries, it never will be the same as<br />
the real thing. Fortunately, Spider-Man is a very popular pin and it shouldn’t<br />
be dif cult to nd at a local arcade or other venue.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
SPIDER-MAN PINBALL_ARCADE_63
Preview by BigWyrm<br />
In these modern times where its seems that everyone from your boss<br />
to your mother is constantly barking orders, it’s nice to be considered<br />
an exalted potentate for once. That’s why I love playing Overlord, as<br />
I never tire of my lowly minions happily sacri cing their lives upon<br />
command. Talk about an ego boost!<br />
After beating the single player story, I decided to go online and bend real<br />
people to my will. The rst<br />
thing that I noticed is that none<br />
of the armor, weapons, spells,<br />
or extra minions earned from<br />
singleplayer transfer over to<br />
the multiplayer experience.<br />
This means that all players<br />
start every match on even<br />
terms with the same amount<br />
of spells and minions, so time<br />
becomes an important factor<br />
in amassing a deadly horde to<br />
decimate rivals. Relying on the<br />
default settings for the entire match is tantamount to suicide. Also, don’t<br />
be discouraged if there are no servers to join; it just means that you need<br />
to host a game. Doing so gives you zero ping and lets you customize the<br />
options, however limited they may be.<br />
The co-op survival mode makes two Overlords work together to survive<br />
as long as possible. Two small maps are available for this mode. One is<br />
a dark and eerie Dwarf-infested cave called Gates of Destruction while<br />
the other, Last Stand, takes place on grassy plains lled with<br />
insects and other creatures.<br />
During my rst match, the other player didn’t use his headset, so we<br />
couldn’t strategize. When the round started, he ran off into the sunset<br />
and died in less than three minutes. What did I learn from this? When<br />
joining every co-op game, speak to your teammate before it begins. If<br />
there is no response, leave immediately.<br />
Competitive modes consist of both Versus-Slaughter (players gain points<br />
by killing NPCs and their opponent), and Versus-Pillage (players acquire<br />
gold by looting enemies, houses, and killing their opponent). Fighting<br />
your adversary doesn’t usually happen as often in Pillage, but it’s a good<br />
idea to always keep an eye out for the other Overlord.<br />
Players can choose from two separate maps for each versus mode,<br />
and they are not only larger than co-op maps, but they also resemble<br />
singleplayer levels. In addition, they have more variety in NPC enemies<br />
and additional tower objects that grant spells and health/mana bonuses.<br />
Just like single player, several impediments exist that require a nite<br />
set of minions to move or certain type to eliminate (like red minions<br />
removing re barriers). Budding gremlin commanders can also kill rival<br />
minions carrying tower objects and steal them. Anyone intent on killing<br />
the rival Overlord should target him with the left trigger and send their<br />
minions using the right trigger. Simply ‘sweeping’ them in the direction<br />
of the opponent isn’t very effective, as they will stop to attack any<br />
enemy NPCs or minions in their path.<br />
64_ONLINE GAMER_OVERLORD HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Copyright © 2007 Entertainment Consumers Association. All rights reserved.<br />
Fight back at theeca.com
GAMES GA GAME ME MESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS YOU YOU YO YOU CAN CA CAN DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD DO DOWN WN WNLO LO LOAD AD AND AAND<br />
ND PLAY PPLA<br />
LA LAY ON YOUR YYOU<br />
OU OUR CONSOLES CO CONS NS NSOL OL OLES ES ESAND AND AAND<br />
ND COMPUTERING CCOM<br />
OM OMPU PU PUTE TE TERI RI RING NG MACHINES<br />
MMAC<br />
AC ACHI HI HINE NE NES<br />
SPACE SPACE GIRAFFE GIRAFFE<br />
Downloaded by James<br />
Developer: Llamasoft * Platform: XBox 360<br />
Genre: Shooter * Category: Brain Trance * # of Players: 1<br />
Price: 400 points ($5) * Get it at: Xbox Live Arcade<br />
Space Giraffe is not Tempest. Despite a super cial<br />
similarity, subtle clues such as “playing completely and<br />
utterly unlike Tempest” give the secret away. It takes<br />
a bit of learning, and getting started can be confusing,<br />
but experience reveals the incredible strategies hiding<br />
beneath Space Giraffe’s shooty exterior.<br />
A yellow claw<br />
runs along the<br />
top of a series of<br />
lanes. Shooting<br />
the advancing enemies works just ne, but most of<br />
them can be bulled off the web’s rim for massive score<br />
bonuses. Bulling several enemies at once earns a score<br />
multiplier, but it only works so long as there’s power in<br />
the Power Zone. Whenever you do something, whether<br />
it’s using a jump powerup or shooting an enemy, a line<br />
of light on the web grows into the distance. The line is<br />
always shrinking unless it’s being lled, and when it’s<br />
gone the Power Zone is empty. An empty Power Zone<br />
not only lessens the giraffe’s repower but means<br />
any enemy can kill it, so guring out Power Zone<br />
manipulation strategies is half the game.<br />
The other half is sorting out which enemies do what,<br />
and when it’s best to forgo bonus points from bulling<br />
them to instead shoot through to the danger they’re<br />
covering. Action and strategy and pure visual overload<br />
combine into an arcade game as deep as it is chaotic,<br />
and a goofy sense of humor ties it all together. Most<br />
importantly, Space Giraffe is pure addictive fun,<br />
constantly demanding one more round as the pulsing<br />
light melts your eyes out of their sockets.<br />
SCORE: SCORE: SCORE: 5 5 5 of of of 55<br />
5<br />
BOMBERMAN BOMBERMAN LIVE LIVE<br />
Developer: Backbone Entertainment<br />
Platform: Xbox 360 * Genre: Bomberman<br />
Category: Pure Chaos<br />
# of Players: 1-8 * Price: 800 points ($10)<br />
Get it at: Xbox Live Arcade<br />
We’ve been waiting for this for years<br />
and it’s nally here. Bomberman<br />
Live is pure, classic Bomberman<br />
taken online with up to eight<br />
players adding to the chaos at once.<br />
Almost every aspect of the ght is<br />
customizable, from basics such as<br />
time limit and number of wins to<br />
the championship to more advanced<br />
options like weapon loadout. For<br />
extra insanity, the Revenge mode<br />
from the Saturn game returns,<br />
allowing defeated Bombermen to<br />
throw bombs from the sidelines<br />
after being defeated, and there’s<br />
no denying the satisfaction of taking<br />
out the bastard who nailed you rst.<br />
Unfortunately there’s not much of<br />
a single player mode, seeing as it’s<br />
just multiplayer with AI bots, but<br />
this isn’t called Bomberman Live by<br />
a random act of branding. While a<br />
few more arenas would have been<br />
nice, this is the ultimate modern<br />
Bomberman, and one of the best<br />
multiplayer games around.<br />
SCORE: SCORE: SCORE: 4.5 4.5 4.5 of of of 55<br />
5<br />
66_ON THE HE DO DOWNLOAD<br />
LOAD<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
SUPER SUPER SUPER STARDUST STARDUST STARDUST HD HD HD HD<br />
Developer: Housemarque * Platform: PS3<br />
Genre: Shooter * Category: Lots o’ Rocks<br />
# of Players: 1-2 * Price: $9.99<br />
Get it at: Playstation Network<br />
Super Stardust d HD plays like a cross<br />
between Asteroids and Geometry Wars<br />
set high above a planet’s surface, with<br />
enemies and asteroids entering orbit<br />
and cluttering up the sky. There are<br />
three types of asteroids corresponding<br />
to the three primary weapons, all colorcoded<br />
for your shooting convenience.<br />
The spread gun is most effective against<br />
standard rocks, the laser whip makes<br />
short work of gold asteroids and most<br />
enemies, and the straight-shot blue<br />
gun tears through ice and bosses alike.<br />
All the guns are at least somewhat<br />
effective in all situations, but you can<br />
also just bomb everything into next<br />
week when things get too hairy. The<br />
levels are arbitrarily long, though, with<br />
no indicator of how you’re progressing<br />
until the last few enemies appear. A<br />
high-score run on Super Stardust HD is<br />
more a marathon than sprint, but it’s<br />
still the best thing running on the PS3.<br />
SCORE: SCORE: SCORE: 4.5 4.5 4.5 of of of 55<br />
5<br />
VENICE VENICE<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Developer: PopCap <strong>Games</strong> * Platform: PC<br />
Genre: Shooter * Category: Trick Shot<br />
# of Players: 1 * Price: $19.95<br />
Get it at: http://www.popcap.com/<br />
Popcap’s newest casual addiction is<br />
Venice, a pleasantly fun time-waster<br />
with a decidedly odd premise. A<br />
boat oats on the waters as Venice<br />
sinks under the sea, and shooting<br />
treasures into their corresponding<br />
outlines on blocks is the only way<br />
to save the town from a watery<br />
doom. Rings, amphoras, lyres,<br />
hearts, stars, and more (but no<br />
yellow moons or green clovers) get<br />
shot into their respective places,<br />
frequently requiring a timed- or<br />
bank-shot. Powerups are awarded<br />
for combos, which happen when a<br />
treasure lands high up and sends<br />
copies of itself tumbling down to<br />
land in lower matching slots, and<br />
exploiting them can lead to huge<br />
chain reactions that clear the levels<br />
quickly. This is especially important<br />
in the secondary game mode, where<br />
constantly rising water keeps the<br />
pressure on. Despite its simplicity,<br />
Venice is surprisingly addictive, and<br />
is a great way to while away the<br />
low-key gaming hours.<br />
SCORE: SCORE: SCORE: 4 4 4 of of of 55<br />
5<br />
BOLT BOLT BRAIN BRAIN TEASERS<br />
TEASERS<br />
Developer: Scarsoft * Platform: PC<br />
Genre: Maze/Puzzle * Category: Brain Crusher<br />
# of Players: 1 * Price: $14.99<br />
Get it at: http://www.scarsoft.com<br />
Bolt Brain Teasers is a mousecontrolled<br />
maze game about<br />
creating a clear path for a little<br />
yellow bunny through the chaos of<br />
blocks that stand between it and a<br />
delicious cake reward. Each level<br />
has a set amount of tools for sliding,<br />
turning, or exploding the blocks in<br />
your way, but because there’s only<br />
one solution, and the tools can be<br />
used almost anywhere, in any order,<br />
there are an overwhelming number<br />
of ways to screw up the more<br />
complex puzzles. There’s nothing<br />
wrong with a good challenge, but<br />
clearing out even the easiest of<br />
what Bolt mockingly refers to as<br />
“Main Game” (as opposed to the<br />
three easier sets of thirty puzzles)<br />
is cause for smug satisfaction tinged<br />
with relief. There’s a sweet spot<br />
between tutorial-easy and braincrushing<br />
tough, and Bolt doesn’t<br />
spend a lot of time there. Bolt<br />
Brain Teasers is worth checking<br />
out, though, for scarily smart or<br />
masochistic gamers.<br />
SCORE: SSSSCORE SSCORE SSSSS SCORE: SS SSSS SCORE SSSSSSSC SCCC SC SC SC SC SC SC SC SC SC SCOO SS CC CCCC CCCCCCOOOOOOOOOO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO CO COOR CC OR OR OR OR OR OR OR OR OR OR OR ORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE OR OR RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE RE REEEEE E: EEEE E: EEE: E: E: EEE 33.5<br />
33.5 44 4.5 4.5 44444444 444444444444444444 4. 4444445 45555555<br />
5 55 555555 5555 55555555555 of ooooooooo of o 55<br />
55<br />
Downloaded by James<br />
ON THE THE DO DOWNLOAD_67<br />
DOW _67
Poisonous skies, but the<br />
sunsets are amazing!<br />
US RPG fans got screwed more often than not in<br />
the 16-bit days, even if many of the games they<br />
desperately wanted and never got to play ended<br />
up better in imagination than reality. Other than<br />
learning Japanese, there wasn’t much to be done<br />
about playing games like Seiken Densetsu 3, Dragon<br />
Quest V and VI, and more Fire Emblems than you<br />
can shake a stick at. Terranigma, on the other hand,<br />
was an even bigger screw-over than normal, because<br />
an English translation was released in Europe. For<br />
fans of Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia, this was, to<br />
put it tactfully, unkind.<br />
Terranigma opens in the typical peaceful village<br />
so many RPGs like to kick things off in, complete<br />
with oversleeping but rambunctious hero being<br />
woken up by his cute<br />
female childhood<br />
Carmen Miranda has<br />
a mean final form.<br />
friend. Piling that much<br />
cliché in one place is<br />
most likely a move to<br />
lull the player into a<br />
feeling of comfortable<br />
familiarity, seeing as<br />
the plot grows very<br />
strange, very quickly.<br />
The crystal blue, which<br />
looks remarkably like<br />
giant soap bubbles<br />
drifting through the air,<br />
is particularly thick that<br />
day, and the villagers<br />
can see other lives in<br />
other worlds re ected<br />
on the surface if they<br />
look closely. Seeing as nothing exists outside the<br />
village, this is more than a little strange.<br />
There’s a big world outside, of course, and Ark<br />
gets thrust into it when he accidentally<br />
turns everyone in the village to blue<br />
glass. Whoops. Time to venture<br />
outside, then, and see that the<br />
village actually exists under the<br />
skin of the planet, with the<br />
villagers’ souls trapped in<br />
temples on rocky continents<br />
oating in seas of lava.<br />
Completing the temples does<br />
more than bring<br />
back the villagers,<br />
though, it also sets<br />
into motion events<br />
leading to waking up<br />
the world.<br />
Our world. Earth.<br />
Apparently it’s all<br />
but dead. How’d<br />
that happen?<br />
The Earth has<br />
become a barren<br />
chunk of poisonous<br />
rock where nothing<br />
can live, but that’s<br />
nothing that can’t<br />
be xed by running<br />
Behold! the power of<br />
the star chamber<br />
Dude, check out<br />
your hand... Whoa.<br />
through dungeons while smacking monsters around.<br />
Terranigma’s mysterious storyline is complemented<br />
by a fun action-oriented ghting engine. Ark wields<br />
a spear which, despite the single attack button, can<br />
throw out a decent number of attacks by combining<br />
with jumps, dashes, or simple button-mashing.<br />
There’s a move for every occasion, and it can leave<br />
you wishing the dungeons had a few more critters<br />
to take out to get that fast-action feel. Most of the<br />
enemies end up as one hit wonders, after a bit of<br />
leveling up, but that helps make sorting out the<br />
complicated dungeons a bit easier.<br />
Dungeon crawling in Terranigma is more than just<br />
about killing things, after all. While the caves,<br />
temples, forests, and castles of Earth aren’t as<br />
Blueberry-steak waffles<br />
with curry syrup is bad?<br />
Exhumed by James<br />
68_GRAVEYARD_TERRANIGMA HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Yeti love flower! Ark touch<br />
flower, Yeti smash!<br />
puzzle-oriented as something like Landstalker,<br />
they have their fair share of mysteries to<br />
unravel. The dungeons get fairly complex,<br />
lled with labyrinthine passages that twist<br />
and connect in relatively complex ways.<br />
There are a few “enter the right number”type<br />
puzzles, but in general it’s more about<br />
exploration and keeping your bearings than<br />
sorting out complex switch interactions.<br />
Tracking down the next bit of plot, on the<br />
other hand, can take a bit of doing.<br />
The next place to go is generally pretty<br />
obvious for the rst half of the game,<br />
but once humans have been revived on<br />
Earth things get somewhat less linear. The<br />
plot only has the One True Path, but guring out who<br />
to talk to, what they want, and where they’re hiding becomes<br />
half the battle. Terranigma eventually builds itself a good-sized<br />
cast of characters with their own 16-bit RPG-style plots, and<br />
this is made all the more entertaining by taking place in our<br />
familiar world. You can’t go wrong with nding wood in Canada<br />
to build a bridge<br />
over the Colorado<br />
River so you can<br />
walk to Brazil on a<br />
Mode 7 overworld.<br />
There’s even a<br />
small plot point<br />
where Ark gets<br />
to cast his vote<br />
in a democratic<br />
election between<br />
capitalist and<br />
communist<br />
candidates.<br />
A slice of cheese and you’ve<br />
got a great sandwich.<br />
More than just<br />
the pleasant<br />
oddness of seeing<br />
RPG conventions<br />
superimposed on Earth, what makes the tone of Terranigma work<br />
is a sense of mystery tinged with sadness. Death and rebirth<br />
are the central themes, with reincarnation taken as a given.<br />
This perspective permeates the plot, whether stated directly<br />
or merely hinted at, and despite Terranigma’s standard 16-bit<br />
quality translation (not very good and loaded with typos) the<br />
excellent music and overall presentation manage to convey the<br />
emotional hit that the text sometimes lacks. There’s also plenty<br />
of humor, of course, because Ark is an upbeat, adventurous<br />
soul exploring a vibrant and lively world, but seeing a friendly<br />
animal eating the corpse of her dead husband so she’ll have<br />
the strength to survive tends to stick in the memory above any<br />
wacky hijinks that may happen along the way.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Keyser Soze was what!?<br />
If that seems like a lot of talk about story and only a<br />
little about gameplay, there’s good reason.<br />
Exploring dungeons, battling monsters and<br />
bosses, and leveling up while buying<br />
ever-stronger equipment is always<br />
fun, and Terranigma does a good<br />
enough job at it. The bulk of the<br />
game is spent running, jumping,<br />
and ghting, in fact. Left<br />
to pure gamplay, though,<br />
Terranigma would<br />
be a decent if<br />
forgettable romp,<br />
but the best RPGs<br />
are a combination<br />
of game and story. While<br />
a stupid story is easily<br />
ignorable if the gameplay<br />
is good, a well-executed<br />
story can combine with<br />
“pretty good” gameplay<br />
to make something truly<br />
memorable. Terranigma’s<br />
main strength is how<br />
all its elements work<br />
together (with a second<br />
nod to the fantastic<br />
soundtrack), and even<br />
today that’s a goal<br />
most games have a hard<br />
time reaching.<br />
arks new extreme sport,<br />
armor plowing.<br />
how long is this traffic cop<br />
going to make me wait?<br />
TERRANIGMA_GRAVEYARD_69
Greetings to my throngs of adoring<br />
fans! With Sardius out of commission this month,<br />
your favorite fanservice-loving editor was personally asked to sub in<br />
for the import section, with a game that didn’t escape his notice no matter how w<br />
much he tried to avoid it! This month, we present you with a title that’s currently ly<br />
famous (or infamous) for two reasons. One is the fact that it’s been advertised as a<br />
game where you “touch” little girls. The other is that a good amount of the people from m<br />
Twinkle Star Sprites worked on this puppy. Both are entirely true, but only one of these e<br />
yields results that most people are expecting.<br />
In DDMS, you play as Akuji Nishimura, a misbehaving junior high student. One day, the e<br />
heavens charge him with the task of nding witches which have in ltrated his school. .<br />
He refuses at rst, but accepts under pain of being transformed into a goody-two-shoes s<br />
forevermore. Accompanying him is a tiny, cute-as-a-button angel by the name of Lulu,<br />
who is predictably and humorously insane due to her frequent delusions of grandeur.<br />
Once you start the game, you’re plopped into your standard text-heavy adventure game<br />
in the vein of Phoenix Wright, Hotel Dusk, or any other point-and-click adventures in<br />
the system’s library. However, right off the bat you’ll notice that SNK decided to be<br />
very annoying. To interact with anything in this game — items, menus, pieces of the<br />
environment — it has to be tapped twice in succession. Such an approach may work<br />
well when you’re using a computer mouse, but on a touch screen, it’s just madness.<br />
Key items can also be slid around the screen, or offscreen and into your possession.<br />
Mostly, Mostly Akuji will be exploring<br />
the neighborhood, n<br />
looking for<br />
characters chara to interact with<br />
(they’ll (they show up in whatever building ding he enters), enters) clues, clues or collectibles to advance<br />
the story. s Sometimes these will be pictures of suspected witches, other times they’ll be keys<br />
to unlock un doors, books or trinkets that will allow you to coax information out of NPCs, and all<br />
that. You’ve been here before. It’s all standard adventure stuff, and to be honest, if you don’t<br />
know Japanese, this is going to get very boring, very fast. If you do know Japanese, the game<br />
reportedly repo boasts off-the-wall humor to match its character designs. However, should either<br />
part party persevere, then they’ll actually track down their suspect. After the music pumps up, and<br />
pre- pre- ght banter is exchanged, the fun parts start.<br />
First First off is combat! The girl will throw various projectiles at you, which have a range of effects,<br />
from<br />
doing simple damage to messing around with the game system itself. Akuji has a blunt<br />
swo sword to defend himself with (drawing lines on the screen will slash against the approaching<br />
pro projectiles, sometimes de ecting), but magical companions (including Lulu) can be called<br />
upo upon to aid with various attacks, employed by placing the stylus on the attacking suspect<br />
for<br />
a short time. Deplete her energy bar and defenses, and it’s time for the part everyone’s<br />
wa waiting for!<br />
Th The “witch-touching” mode is an anatomical scavenger hunt, though nowhere near in the<br />
wa way those words may imply. Clothes stay on, and you’re ordered to touch in seemingly<br />
ra random places to nd where they react via little hearts. You can smile/wink at the<br />
gi girls (or in one scenario, a boy), give them items in order to keep them placated, or<br />
ev even blow on them with the DS mic. Every so often, their expressions change, and<br />
yo you have to adapt to their new position. Once you nd the right spot, you can<br />
cconcentrate<br />
on it, and eventually unearth the all-telling “witch-mark.”<br />
OOnce<br />
you manage to nd the mark, you’ve nally beaten the chapter, and<br />
tthe<br />
witch you found actually ends up in your employ. She can talk to<br />
ppeople<br />
and interact with things in ways that neither Akuji nor Lulu<br />
ccan.<br />
She also brings to the table a brand new attack that you<br />
can use in combat sequences. Since these combat sequences<br />
ramp up in dif d culty, you’re going to need all of the help you can get.<br />
Furthermore, certain bosses are vulnerable to certain types of attacks, giving the game a Mega Man-esque feel, if<br />
drawn out just a little too long by text-heavy adventure parts. This is my one gripe with the game, honestly.<br />
The combat parts (not the touching parts) are the highlight of the title, as they show the best design, and<br />
I’d have liked to see even more of them in proportion to the rest of the game.<br />
70_JAPAN_<br />
70_JAPAN_DOKIDOKI DOKIDOKI MAJO SHINPAN! HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_<br />
Review by Racewing<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
If you’re looking into this game based on its somewhatinfamous<br />
online reputation (see sidebar), don’t bother. You’ll<br />
be disappointed. If you like comedy and text adventure<br />
games, can read Japanese, and didn’t get cavities from<br />
Twinkle Star Sprites, then this is the game for you!<br />
Niche? You betcha.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Suf Suf ce to say there’s<br />
no truly erotic<br />
content content in here<br />
(though admittedly,<br />
there are times when<br />
the game seems to want to come as close as<br />
possible). Why? Well, just in case it’s not brain-dead obvious,<br />
let’s run down the facts:<br />
- This is on a system made by Nintendo, a system whose audience<br />
involves a great number of women and impressionable children, and<br />
who as a company, has a long-standing history of rejecting games<br />
with such content.<br />
- Said system is in the prime of its life, and very much in the public<br />
eye. If you’re looking for a “traditional” dating game on a console,<br />
you’d probably do best to hunt down a dead Sega system. Such games<br />
ran rampant on the Dreamcast after its plug was of cially pulled. Even<br />
then, when ported to console, nearly all line-crossing material is cut.<br />
- The majority of the involved girls are explicitly stated on the game’s<br />
of cial website as being anywhere from 12 to 15 years of age—below<br />
the age of consent in most countries, and the lower extreme of<br />
which dips below Japan’s.<br />
Put all of these ingredients together, and voila; you end up with a game with about as much sex as, say, Sexy<br />
Parodius. Furthermore, the “touching” aspect accounts for 15 percent of the game at best. The rest is<br />
running around, listening to dialogue, or maybe taking part in a short battle. Honestly, the game doesn’t<br />
really need ”action”; the touching parts can be disturbing enough for the uninitiated if you think about<br />
what you’re doing too much, or pay too much attention to the girls’ precocious facial expressions.<br />
While it’s mildly surprising that Nintendo licensed this at all, it’s easily argued that the game’s<br />
infamous reputation is the result of things being blown out of proportion. That’s what<br />
happens when you listen to the Internet and perfectly-pitched advertising, kids.<br />
DOKIDOKI MAJO SHINPAN!<br />
SHINPAN!_JAPAN_71<br />
_JAPAN_71
Publisher: Banpresto<br />
Developer: Banpresto<br />
Release Date: 7/19/2007<br />
Genre(s): Rhythm/Adventure<br />
Category: Women’s Anime<br />
# of Players: 1<br />
Review by KouAidou<br />
Nodame Cantabile is based off an anime which you probably haven’t heard of. We certainly<br />
hadn’t. The manga the anime was based on from comes from the josei genre, meaning<br />
that it’s targeted mostly towards women in their college years or later. Nevertheless, we<br />
thought the concept sounded intriguing enough that it might be worth a look here at HGM.<br />
The game follows the anime’s plotline, which centers around Shinichi Chiaki, a brilliant<br />
but arrogant musician who hopes one day to become a professional conductor, but who is<br />
hindered by a crippling fear of travel. Things start to change when he meets the pianist<br />
Megumi Noda (AKA Nodame), whose overly carefree nature contrasts with his fastidiously<br />
controlled lifestyle. Though it sounds like your typical “opposites attract” relationship<br />
drama, Nodame succeeds by portraying both characters as deeply awed people governed<br />
by more than just their primary character trait.<br />
Though the plot summary might lead you to expect a datesim, the game is actually<br />
centered around a series of rhythm-game like “Concert” portions, which are given<br />
context by text-heavy “Adventure” portions which precede them. Contrary to what the<br />
name would suggest, the Adventure portions are little more than glori ed cutscenes that<br />
occasionally ask you to engage in annoying button-pressing minigames which you can’t<br />
lose, have no real effect on the game’s events whatsoever, and just serve to slow down the<br />
otherwise entertaining plot developments.<br />
The Concert portions comprise the real “meat” of the game, and things fare a bit better<br />
here. Playing as Chiaki, the conductor of an orchestra, you’ll need to lead the group<br />
through such classics as the theme from “Swan Lake” and “The Flight of the Bumblebee,”<br />
regulating the group’s tempo, volume, and rhythm through proper manipulation of the face<br />
buttons and analog sticks. It’s simple but effective; the music will really follow your lead,<br />
so there’s a certain sense of personal satisfaction when you’ve conducted well.<br />
Unfortunately, a sense of satisfaction is all you get, as your performance during the<br />
concerts also has no actual effect on the rest of the story. Completing a song unlocks it for<br />
you to replay in free-play mode, and a great performance unlocks extras like production<br />
art, but the fact that characters will react to you the same way regardless of whether you<br />
turn in a bad or a transcendent performance makes the whole story-based concept seem<br />
even more pointless.<br />
It’s sad, too, because the story is<br />
clearly full of dynamic characters<br />
and amusing situations, and a<br />
game that really put you in the<br />
middle of that could have been<br />
really enjoyable. As it is, Nodame<br />
Cantabile squanders its potential<br />
by falling back on a fairly average<br />
rhythm game, bridged together by<br />
story segments whose “gameplay”<br />
additions hurt more than they help.<br />
If you happen to be interested in Nodame Cantabile’s story, it may be worth checking out, as<br />
it provides you a fairly good short introduction to the anime. There’s very little actual game<br />
here, though, so don’t feel bad about skipping it, either.<br />
2.5 of 5<br />
72_JAPAN_NODAME CANTABILE HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
REVIEW<br />
concentrate on driving, but you can still just hit your nitro<br />
button and ram the car instead.<br />
While on foot, most of the missions just call for running<br />
around, hiding behind cover, and shooting the town up.<br />
Again, targeting is automatic, and the missions are brief,<br />
but it breaks up the driving missions nicely.<br />
The graphics use solid colors for the backdrop and some shading for vehicles, and<br />
that gives a unique look to the entire experience. You only hear music while you play<br />
the game, with no explosion or gun effects, and<br />
that’s a real disappointment.<br />
In any case, Driver L.A. Undercover has some<br />
quality action sequences, blending driving with<br />
chases, gun re, jumps, speed and smash-ups. The<br />
foot missions are a bit forgettable and only serve<br />
to break up the driving action. There’s some<br />
unlockable content, like vehicles, locations and<br />
separate mission modes, so this game has unusual<br />
replay value for a Mobile title.<br />
Publisher: Gameloft<br />
Developer: Gameloft<br />
Release Date: 5/11/2007<br />
Tanner is back in his usual form as the undercover cop<br />
poised to in ltrate and take down bad guys all over. This<br />
time around, he’s made his way to the City of Angels and is<br />
looking to bring down the Los Angeles Ma a.<br />
Traveling a huge 3D city that barely resembles L.A., there<br />
are over 30 missions to undertake, either on foot or while<br />
driving. These missions are usually bundled into groups of<br />
four per in-game objective,<br />
and while they offer variety<br />
none of them are very long.<br />
This is Mobile, after all.<br />
Driving missions are standard<br />
fare: racing from point A to<br />
point B, chasing down other<br />
vehicles and destroying<br />
them, and following or<br />
evading target vehicles.<br />
Mission length varies, but all<br />
let you drive around town in<br />
some sweet rides, each with<br />
different stats that can be<br />
improved. Your vehicles can<br />
take damage while you do all that running around, but you<br />
can also stop at the local mechanic shop and get that taken<br />
care of so that the mission doesn’t end in disaster.<br />
The neat thing about driving<br />
missions is that you can take<br />
out the bad guys by driving<br />
and shooting at the same<br />
time. With a quick press of<br />
the button, Tanner will lean<br />
out the window and ll your<br />
enemies full of lead. Targeting<br />
is automatic, so that you can<br />
Genre: GTA Clone<br />
Category: Driving<br />
# of Players: 1 3.5 of 5<br />
74_MOBILE_DRIVER L.A. UNDERCOVER HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Split sh<br />
Reviews by DJPubba<br />
FragFX<br />
• Nunchuck/Mouse combo for PS3 • Price: $59.99<br />
Let me start out by saying that I am a hardcore PC keyboard/mouse<br />
FPS shooter-dood. I can’t stand playing console FPS games with an<br />
analog stick. It drives me nuts when I try.<br />
Therefore, when I heard about the FragFX, I was interested, yet wary.<br />
I have tried console pseudo-mice before — speci cally, the SmartJoy Frag<br />
for Xbox with Halo. The results were usable but no substitute for proper<br />
mouse support built into the game. I patiently waited for the PC version<br />
of Halo instead.<br />
Before I go any further, let me say “WTF?!” to whoever decided to not give their blessing for mouse<br />
support in FPS console games. I mean, come on, people! You support a mouse for console web<br />
browsing but not in-game? I just don’t get it.<br />
I got my FragFX, cut open the evil hand-stabbing plastic packaging everyone uses nowadays,<br />
plugged ‘er into the PS3 and booted Resistance. No-workie. The controls didn’t do squat but there was<br />
a ashing blue button. A quick scan of the included instruction pamphlet revealed that you have to<br />
turn the thing on by pressing the ashing blue button. Okay. Now it’s working.<br />
I noted a sensitivity dial on the nunchuck and predicted that I’d be using it pretty quickly. I was right. The default setting felt really<br />
bad. Moving the mouse quickly resulted in a molasses-like movement of the cross hair and moving it slowly resulted in short, rapid jerky<br />
movements. I ddled with both the game’s sensitivity and the FragFX’s and found a usable balance. Unfortunately, no amount of ddling<br />
gave me the smooth, precise mousing I’m used to with my Logictech G5 on the PC.<br />
On top of that, the circle, square, triangle and X buttons are located right where I normally grip the mouse with my thumb so I had to<br />
constantly be wary of not holding the mouse too hard or I’d accidently hit a button I didn’t want. This resulted in cramping pretty quickly.<br />
In summary, if you’re a hardcore PC mouser, keep sending those petitions to console makers for real mouse support.<br />
The Quasicon is an arcade-style controller<br />
designed for use with modern home consoles.<br />
There are tons of arcade sticks on the market<br />
that will plug into nearly anything you want<br />
them to, but there is a big difference between<br />
those and this: this has analog sticks and buttons<br />
in addition to the standard digital 8-way joysticks.<br />
This is actually quite remarkable and probably the reason behind the hefty price tag.<br />
As far as I know, analog arcade buttons do not exist in the arcade and analog joysticks<br />
are exceedingly rare. Quasimoto has manufactured their own analog arcade buttons and<br />
sticks. This makes the Quasicon unlike any other arcade controller there is. All of their<br />
competition uses buttons and arcade hardware that anyone who wanted to build their own<br />
arcade stick could obtain for themselves from HappControls.com.<br />
The idea is fantastic, but how does the controller stack up in real-world use? Arguably, the main reason anyone would want an arcade stick<br />
is to play ghting games. With that in mind, I invited Racewing over, who still hasn’t come down from the buzz he got from the MAS arcade<br />
stick I converted to work on Xbox for him. Race and I went one-on-one in a quick SFA3 match and it was immediately clear that, while<br />
the Quasicon is a 1000% improvement over a gamepad, its springy analog buttons weren’t quite as silky-sweet as the MAS stick’s standard<br />
arcade buttons. However, the digital 8-ways seemed just as good and the button layout was okay considering how many were present.<br />
After Racewing left, I red up a FPS, a third-person shooter and a racing game. All played well with the analog sticks, which actually<br />
provided an even more precise measure of control over their gamepad counterparts, due to their additional shaft length. The sticks are a<br />
little close together, but not uncomfortably so. The analog buttons worked about as well as the real ones on a PS2 Dual Shock, which is not<br />
saying much. Just like those, the difference between pressing softly and pressing hard is so small that you wouldn’t really know they were<br />
analog unless someone told you. The whole concept of analog buttons seems gimmicky and largely unsupported to me anyway, so having<br />
them on this stick really seems to be just for the sake of completeness.<br />
The Quasicon is designed for the perfectionist who wants an arcade controller that can completely replace the original gamepad on their<br />
current-gen console. It is that which the Quasicon delivers and more, with many other little features I wish I had more room to talk about<br />
here. I’ll probably hack a trackball and spinner (and some artwork!) onto mine for the complete retro package.<br />
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR<br />
Quasimoto (www.Quasimoto.com)<br />
Quasicon<br />
• Arcade-style Controller • Price: $199.00<br />
HARDWARE_75
RENEGADE KID:<br />
NO KIDDING AROUND<br />
Here, He here!<br />
The Gamecock G has<br />
somet something to say to<br />
th the masses!<br />
To leave the comfort of a fulltime job, where you receive bene ts and a steady<br />
paycheck is crazy, right? Well, yes it is. To be an independent developer is both<br />
thrilling and scary, and it takes a little bit of crazy to step out. Renegade Kid’s cofounders,<br />
Jools Watsham and Gregg Hargrove, had to embrace their inner madness<br />
and hold on for dear life when they decided to fund the development of Dementium:<br />
The Ward with the hope that a nice publisher would come along, package it up, and<br />
put it on the shelf. Here, the maniacal minds behind Renegade Kid offer advice to all<br />
those thinking of starting their own game studio.<br />
Jools Watsham: Creative independence has been a dream of mine for a long time. I<br />
have been designing, creating artwork, and writing music for games ever since my Dad<br />
purchased a ZX Spectrum in 1982, when I was eight years old. My passion for playing and<br />
making games has only grown over the years. Gregg and I rst spoke of starting our own<br />
game studio over ten years ago. We were both young(er) and dumb(er) then; it was just a<br />
dream. To be honest, it’s a good thing that dream didn’t come true too quickly. Dog only<br />
knows what kind of a mess we’d be in if we had gone independent any sooner than now.<br />
Experience is the key when it comes to putting your life, wife, and kids in the risky hands<br />
of the video game industry.<br />
My belief is that to start and maintain a successful video game company, you have to create<br />
games that people want to play. Pretty obvious, right? So, in order to keep my thoughts on<br />
track I always make sure my game concepts please the three P’s. If my game doesn’t please<br />
the three P’s, then the development risk may be too high, and I may end up wasting a lot of time<br />
and money. P number one is the public. If the public doesn’t want my game, then no one’s going<br />
to buy it, and I’ll go out of business quicker than you can say “Why did you make that game, man?<br />
No one wants to play it!” P number two is the publisher. Video games are a business. If my game<br />
isn’t sexy to a publisher (translation: $ellable), then I’m dead in the water, no matter how ‘good’<br />
the game may be. P number three is the press. Other people’s opinions matter to most people,<br />
so if the press likes my game, more people will start talking about it.<br />
Gregg Hargrove: I began as an artist with a love of comic books. I never put too much thought<br />
into video games because like most people at the time, I had no idea what actually went into<br />
making one. My family never even had a computer as I was growing up so I had no idea what they<br />
could actually do artistically. Don’t get me wrong, I loved games. I spent every quarter I had down<br />
at the local arcade, but they were just magic! No one actually made them, they just “were.”<br />
However, fate being as twisted as it is, I found myself as an adult making them for a living and I<br />
was hooked! Talk about growth! Every project was a different challenge with new, exciting, and<br />
even terrifying possibilities. Almost from the beginning I wanted to steer the ship, but honestly<br />
had little idea what that actually meant. Just learning how to make compelling art for a game<br />
was hard enough and little did I know that was just the tip of the iceberg. I would have crashed<br />
right into that sucker if I had been allowed to take command at that early stage.<br />
The most important thing I’ve learned through many projects has been compromise. Compromise<br />
is a tricky term to bandy about and many artists will puff their chests out and wail, “I will never<br />
compromise my artistic integrity!” That’s not what I mean. You should<br />
always want your art to be the best it can be. I wanted every game<br />
I worked on to look glorious! Does that mean that I should get to do<br />
whatever I want even now that I get to call those shots? No. The game<br />
must come rst. Jools talks about the three Ps and that’s a hard fact<br />
to get your artsy brain around but it’s crucial when embarking on a<br />
commercial venture. The trick is to learn to use the creativity you<br />
rely on as an artist and nd a way that satis es those three Ps and still<br />
compels your sensibilities as an artist. Never give up you dreams, never<br />
sell your soul, but nd a way to make it all work together.<br />
We’re just sayin’...<br />
CONTHQ<br />
hardcoregamer.com<br />
76_SQUAWKBOX_GAMECOCK HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_ 4_VOODLE, VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
Our guides<br />
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(Some people don’t play video games.)<br />
Soul Nomad<br />
Would you sell your soul for<br />
Ultimate Power? (Or would you<br />
just buy the guide?)<br />
• Complete Map Data!<br />
• Complete Character Data!<br />
• Every Secret revealed!<br />
• Complete Item Data!<br />
• Build the strongest rooms!<br />
• Crush every enemy!<br />
Rogue Galaxy<br />
Miss nothing. Learn everything.<br />
This comprehensive guide is<br />
packed full of extreme detail about<br />
every inch of the game.<br />
• Complete maps of every planet<br />
• Every weapon identifi ed<br />
• Lists of every enemy’s stats<br />
• Every secret revealed<br />
Persona 3<br />
Create every Persona, establish<br />
every Social Link, say the right<br />
things to the right people, fi nish<br />
all of Elizabeth’s requests on time,<br />
fi nd all of the treasure chests on<br />
every fl oor of Tartarus, refer to our<br />
detailed besitary, and more.<br />
Disgaea2:<br />
Cursed Memories<br />
640 pages jam-packed with<br />
extreme detail. If you’ve ever seen<br />
our Monster Size guides, you<br />
know they’re fat. This one is our<br />
fattest ever. We went a little nuts.<br />
Castlevania®: Dawn<br />
of Sorrow<br />
Set one year after the events<br />
of 2003’s Castlevania®: Aria of<br />
Sorrow, this sequel follows the<br />
protagonist Soma Cruz into a new<br />
castle, and a new adventure.<br />
Disgaea: Hour of<br />
Darkness<br />
Secrets, techniques for capturing<br />
monsters, all the item ranks, job<br />
evolutions, class prerequisites and<br />
much, much more.<br />
www.DoubleJumpGuides.com<br />
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Fan art is all about giving exposure to aspiring artists who might<br />
not otherwise have a way to get their artsie parts seen. If you are<br />
one such artist, point your web browser toward<br />
www.hardcoregamer.com and check out the Fan Art section of<br />
our message boards. That is where you can post your arts to get<br />
them considered for this section. If your entry is picked to print in the<br />
magazine, we’ll give you an extra 100 points to spend on swag in our online store. If<br />
your entry is the pick of the issue, we’ll give you an extra 500! You may also email<br />
submissions to fart@hardcoregamer.com.<br />
A few things to keep in mind: There is no deadline for submissions because we’ll be<br />
doing this every issue. Keep it video game related, please. Only post drawings which<br />
you drewed yourownself. Don’t expect drawings of nekkid people or any adults-only<br />
type stuff to make the cut. Keep it rated “Teen” or below. You are the copyright<br />
owner of your artwork as soon as you draw it whether you make note of that fact<br />
or not. However, in submitting your artwork to us, you give us permission to reprint<br />
your art and make fun of it if necessary.<br />
Title : i am getting better<br />
Artist : 8bithaven<br />
Title : Pandaren Brewmaster<br />
Artist : dokgu11<br />
Title : takisca<br />
Artist : Acidic<br />
Title : Ivy<br />
Artist : Acidic<br />
THQLUV<br />
hardcoregamer.com<br />
Title : Geisha<br />
Artist : emceelokey<br />
Title : Warg wider, concept art. Lord of The Rings.<br />
Artist : snake_otc<br />
Title : Leon S. Kennedy=== Resident Evil 4<br />
Artist : snake_otc<br />
80_FAN ART HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 3_ISSUE 4_VOODLE, SHIKA, LOU & OKAR
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12 issues<br />
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• portable games • game stuff