Power-Up [52pg Magazine Project] by Shane Mills

Power UP Magazine

THINK YOU CAN TAKE

THE MAN WITH THE MOUSTACHE? Coming to your court December 2008. Power UP Magazine

Out of this world.

Power UP Magazine

THISISSUE The meat of this mag.

DEAR POWER

HOOKED UP

RANT CORNER

FIRST LOOK

CHEAT CENTRAL

REVIEW ZONE

POWER TALK

GTA IV EXCLUSIVE

GAME GEAR

DOCS ORDERS

THE OUTLOOK

GAME BREAK

PIXEL INK

CEREBRAL SKILL

GET EMPLOYED

EXCLUSIVEPREVIEW

FIRSTLOOK

- THE INCREDIBLE HULK - LEGO BATMAN - BULLY & MORE...

POWERTALK

WITH BIOSHOCK’S KEN LEVINE

REVIEWZONE

- CONDEMNED 2 & MORE

Power UP Magazine

DEARPOWER We answer the questions that keep you up at night.

Q: If you haven’t noticed by now, you cannot save your [Super Smash Bros. Brawl] game save to an SD card. However, you can save Vault data (Replays, Snapshots, and Custom Maps) to an external SD card. What gives? -Andy A: We asked Nintendo the same thing and got a predictable “no comment”, but we expect the answer has something to do with forcing players to unlock the game’s myriad characters, stages, trophies and stickers on their own. This seems a little overbearing to us, though ... what does Nintendo care if we want to just unlock everything outright? This isn’t like Xbox Live, where cheaters get an unfair advantage on the Gamerscore boards -- with SSBB, the only person a cheater is cheating is themselves. Q: This weekend I was out and about with my wife. She decided we should get Singstar 90’s Edition for PS2. ... I was a little surprised to find that the PS2 game case didn’t have the handy tabs inside that allow you to snap a PS2 memory card in to the case. ... I am wondering why Sony has taken this feature out of the game case. -Patrick D A: Indeed, current PS2 games do seem to be shipping in cases that don’t include the memory card holder slot holder that became standard shortly after the system’s launch in North America. We weren’t able to find any official information on when this practice started, but online discussions suggest it was sometime late last year. Some have theorized it’s a cost-cutting measure (perhaps Sony can now buy generic, mass-produced DVD cases at a cheaper rate). Or perhaps the move is a nod to the PS3, which doesn’t even have a PS2 memory card slot. Those pining for the old-style cases can always turn to eBay. Q: Last week I was between games of COD4 when I realized my 2nd Xbox 360 controller’s left joystick was loose. I figured I just needed to open it up and snap it back down, but come to find out the joystick piece had snapped off its connector point. Is there a way to fix this? - Marshall D A: If you want to go the more official route, the instruction manual (PDF file) for the controller states that the controller is under the system’s 6

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warranty, so try calling 1-800-4MY-XBOX (1-800469-9269) to see if you can send the gamepad back for repairs. Q: I might be going to Japan towards the end of the summer and might pick up some games or a system. If I get a system, how would that work when I bring it back to the states and log on-line for a Wii, PS3 or 360?? Would a Japanese Wii let me log in to only US servers or would I be able to download Japanese games from the marketplace. Same question applied to the other systems... -- iwantmymtv A: For the Wii, the region of the console corresponds to the region of the Wii Shop Channel -- Japanese systems will access the Japanese store, no matter where you plug them into the intertubes. You have to buy Wii Points that correspond to the system’s region too, which means using a Japanese credit card or getting some Japanese Wii Points cards imported. Any PS3 will play downloads from any region, but each PSN account is locked to a specific region when you create it. Luckily, it’s relatively easy to set up “dummy accounts” for each region you want to buy content, as long as you have a credit card from that country. Be warned, though: there is a significant language barrier for navigating the Japanese store. Xbox Live users can also create dummy accounts to get around regional restrictions, but there are reports that Microsoft has been blocking downloads from accounts where this practice is detected. As always, let the international buyer beware. Q: Coke or Pepsi? More importantly though, Cherry Coke or Wild Cherry Pepsi? -Izzy A: Soda is bad for you, it will dissolve your tooth enamel and weaken your immune system... but that said, the official PowerUP drink of choice, according to our podcasts, is the Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper, for its uncanny resemblance to a liquified Tootsie Roll. Regardless of your soda choice, we advise against ice. Said Scott Jon Siegel, “Whether I’m drinking Coke or Pepsi, I never use ice. It melts and waters down my beverage. And I don’t like that.” Continued on next page:

Q: How many email Tips do you get a day? -Andrew A: We decided to do a proper count yesterday, and came up with over 75 tips submitted in 24 hours. Of course, this number could drop on what some would call a “slow news day,” or rise dramatically to well over 100+ when something “OMG MEGATON” occurs. What’s important to note, though, is that we read through each and every tip we receive, no matter the quantity (or, uh, quality). If you ever have a scoop on something newsworthy, or even just something game-related and fun, don’t hesitate to send it in. The tip system is our bread and butter! Q: PowerUP!! I need some new info about Monster Hunter 3!!! Seriously, there is nothing out there. I know it is coming to Wii, but please tell me it is coming to the US. -Mike A: The Monster Hunter series in Japan is quite a sales phenomenon -- one in five PSP owners have a copy of the game, according to Capcom. The same can’t be said for North America, whose enthusiasm for the title has been noticeably less. Capcom gave us a rather lengthy statement on the issue, but in a nutshell: the publisher is planning “a significant marketing program” for the Monster Hunter brand over the next two years in the west. “While we have not made specific announcements regarding Monster Hunter 3 in North America (or Europe, for that matter) to date,” said the statement, “you can bet we’ll be talking more about it in the future.” Q: What are my options for playing the PS2 versions of Guitar Hero on the 60GB PS3? ... Is there any guitar out there that will work with both the PS3 & PS2 versions of the game and can connect to the PS3? - John M A: When the Guitar Hero series made the transition from PS2 to PS3, it may as well have smashed the PS2 guitar peripherals in a Whoesque stage spectacle. Despite the backwards compatibility of the 60GB Playstation 3, Guitar Hero 1, 2, and Encore remain largely unplayable on the console, due to a few peripheral compatibility issues. Obviously, the PS3 wireless Guitar Hero peripheral won’t play nice with the three PS2 games, meaning the only option is getting an adapter for the PS2 guitars. Unfortunately, not every adapter will work with the old guitars.

Last May, we looked at Pelican’s PS2 to PS3 controller adapter, which features a special mode for Guitar Hero II controllers. Unfortunately, as we found out, the support is less than perfect, as on-screen frets will not light up when pressed, and hammer-ons and pull-offs simply don’t work. For many Guitar Hero aficionados, these are game-breaking faults, making the adapter not worthwhile. Unfortunately, your best bet for playing the original PS2 Guitar Hero games is on an actual PS2. But more Guitar Hero titles are no doubt headed to the PS3, starting with Guitar Hero Aerosmith in June. Q: Any word on a Rock Band European/UK release date? Q1 was the original announcement but a vague ‘2008’ is all EA’s website is giving us now. I am slightly upset, and may get angry. - Colin H [among others] A: The last we heard about Rock Band for PAL territories (that’s Europe, folks) was that it was coming in the second fiscal quarter 2008, which for Electronic Arts is between April and June. We tried our best get a more definite answer, but all we managed was the following statement from a Harmonix spokesperson: “Official news is coming soon -- stay tuned.” Q: Back in 1995 or so, I used to play a platforming game on an old Apple computer, and I can’t seem to track it down. You controlled a little pixelated man in a hat, collecting coins in an underground maze. The further down you went, the creepier the rooms got. The rooms had conveyor belts, rolling skulls and lots of ladders. Please help me find this missing piece of my childhood! - Nostalgic Gamer A: We had to put on our thinking caps for this one. If the Apple computer was “old” back in 1995, our best guess is that it was the Apple II, which had a number of classic platforming titles. Our first guess was Lode Runner, but the little man was lacking a hat, and there were no rolling skulls to be found. Next we stumbled upon Miner 2049er, which starred the hat-wearing Bounty Bob, but lacked the type of downwardmoving gameplay described. Luckily, we think we’ve found the game you’re looking for: “Montezuma’s Revenge”. The unfortunately-titled platformer has players collecting jewels through the labyrinthine maze of Montezuma’s tomb. It’s got ladders, conveyor belts and, yes, even skulls that roll. Enjoy. Keep sending em, we’ll keep trying to answer wittily. dearpower@powerupmag.com

Power UP Magazine

HOOKEDUP Plug into the news & rumours of the industry.

EA shutting down Chicago studio.

in the last three quarters and have let go most or relocated some of the developers from the Canadian and USA studios.

Midnight Club: LA racing to Xbox 360, PS3, PSP on September 9.

This Wednesday: Lost Cities found on XBOX Live Arcade.

Well, so much for “routine” restructuring. Gamespot reports that monolithic publisher EA has decided to close down its EA Chicago studio. Over 150 employees are affected by the decision, as are future Def Jam games and a second attempt at a Marvel fighting game. Citing an internal memo from EA Games president Frank Gibeau, the article notes that EA is looking to offer many EA Chicago employees opportunities at its other studios, as well as outplacement assistance in studios owned by the company in different countries. “We’re willing to take risks, make longterm investments, and to support teams and individuals between launches,” reads Gibeau’s alleged memo. “But each team is responsible for staying on a reasonable path to profitability. Sticking to that strategy is what gives us the financial resources and flexibility to take risks on new projects. Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn’t been able to meet that standard and as a company we had to make a difficult decision.” If left unchecked, EA Chicago was not expected to become profitable until FY 2011 “or later.” In regards to outsourcing, EA is not the only gaming company moving from USA to another cheaper country, Gameloft moved most of the production to Mexico and China

Lost Cities will continue in the proud tradition of XBLA games born of German card or board games when it arrives on the service this Wednesday. The card game, designed by Reiner Knizia, pits two players against eachother as they try to mount the most profitable expedition to the the titular lost cities. Card play is quite straightforward, with a few agonizing moments sprinkled through what is mostly a fast-moving game. If you start a given expedition, you’d better make some progress in it, or it’ll score you negative points. If you can make a lot of progress, you’ll score quite well. After three rounds, the highest total score takes the day. It was produced by San Francisco based studio Treyarch and has been in development since some time last April with numerous delays due to copyright issues. The studio ensures us that the delay has only given them time to refine the game. You can try your hand at venturing to the Lost Cities for 800 Microsoft points ($10) on May 25th.

With Grand Theft Auto IV’s release everlooming, it’s easy to forget that Rockstar isn’t just about guns and ladies of the night. The company’s San Diego outfit announced this morning that its previously announced Midnight Club: Los Angeles,the fourth title in the studio’s racing series, will drift to North America for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 9, with Europe getting the title three days later. In addition, the game will share self space with the Rockstar London-developed Midnight Club: LA Remix for the PSP as well, no word on a DS port as of this writing. While little is known about what to expect from the portable racer, the console versions promise to let players rev their very shiney and very officially licensed rides in a variety of LA-themed environments, with “no load times, no tracks, and no rules.” Rockstar San Diego adds that players will be able to dress up their cars inside and out with an array of licensed paraphernalia, from rims and spoilers to interior gauges and tires, giving those of us with an eye for bling an outlet to flex our garish sense of style. September 9th will be gangster hat day at the office.

Power UP Magazine

HOOKEDUP Earthworm Jim and Clayfighter coming to Virtual Console.

Four classic Interplay Sega Genesis games are en route to the Wii’s Virtual Console. Dave Perry’s classic platformers Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 will both be gracing the download service, along with the campy claymation action of Clayfighter, and the gross-out humor of 1992’s action/adventure platformer Boogerman. According to the press release, all four titles will be the Sega Genesis versions of the games, despite having appeared on both Genesis and SNES. No word yet on when these titles we be released (but we’re guessing it’ll be on a Monday).

Rumor: Guitar Hero IV might be adding vocals, drums, and regular Downloadable Content.

An inside source reports that the May issue of Conde Nast Portfolio magazine sees Activision CEO Bobby Kotick revealing a future direction that would put his company’s Guitar Hero franchise on equal footing to last year’s newcomer, Rock Band. Upgrades include additional instruments (drums, vocals), as well as “local content” from “local bands.” This corresponds with the information PowerUP has received from another source close to the company, who tells us that multiple instruments – including a digital microphone and drumkit – will be a part of the next Guitar Hero game, likely to be called Guitar Hero IV despite its focus on multiple instruments (other potential names: Band Hero and Rockstar Hero). Along with that news, our inside source reports that 10

Power UP Magazine

Activision insiders are proud enough of their drum peripheral to say that it will be “superior” to Rock Band’s (we know, shocking). Perhaps just as importantly, Activision’s weakness in downloadable content could be resolved as early as the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith this June, when content is expected to be released regularly, perhaps “even weekly.” Also contributing to the company’s positive outlook on DLC is the pending merger with Vivendi, potentially giving it unparalleled access to that company’s Universal Music Group, the largest family of record labels in the music industry. We’ve asked Activision to comment on this story, but we recieved a predictable “no comment” on the issue.

Sony pushes Home open beta until fall ‘08, closed beta extended.

Sony’s promise of a true open-world experience with Home has been a continual dot on the horizon for PlayStation 3 owners since it was first announced during former Sony-exec Phil Harrison’s GDC keynote last year. This continues to be the case this evening, as Sony just sent word that it plans to extend the service’s closed beta phase through the summer season, pushing the eventual open beta launch until sometime in the fall. Yet another delay on the Playstation 3 isn’t really news at this point, but the disappointment may very well push Sony’s sales numbers even lower in the next quarter, as numerous other titles have been delayed into the following year (Killzone 2, Little People Big Planet). According to Sony, the move will allow the company to invite more PS3 users into the closed beta, perhaps to iron out some of the social MMO’s failings we heard so much about late last year. Says SCEI president and group CEO Kaz Hirai, the delay will let Sony “refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today,” which is business speak for telling us that we’ll have to wait a few more months before we can know the joy of throwing virtual televisions down equally virtual stairs.

Bethesda: There will be no demo for Fallout 3.

Cake, pizza, fabric, all things you can take a chunk out of to judge the quality. But Fallout 3, it’s more like a Jenga tower or a baby: Taking a sample slice out of it won’t end up well for anyone. To that end, PowerUP reports that Bethesda’s Pete Hines says there will be no demo for the sprawling action RPG. “When you build it as one thing, there’s no way to portion off a section and have it stand on its own without putting the whole game in the demo, which we’re just not going to do,” Hines told the publication. But , if at their heart demos are to help consumers make wise buying decisions, do you really need one for Fallout 3? We’ll be fine waiting to have our minds blown by the whole package.

NYTimes looks at Wii’s software sales problem.

Despite consistently strong hardware sales continuing, the Wii has lagged behind its competitors when it comes to the software tie ratio. The New York Times looked into the problem, with an article highlighting Wii owner’s reluctance to buy games at the usual rapid pace. On average, Wii owners only buy 3.7 games a year, compared to 4.7 and 4.6 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 . “These new gamers are content with the games they have, often going no further than Wii Sports that comes with the system itself,” the Times author states. “They don’t buy new games with the fervor of a traditional gamer who is constantly seeking new stimulation.”

Professional Warcraft III players to carry Olympic torch in China.

9 million answer Call of Duty 4, DLC breaks records.

All political controversy aside, bearing the Olympic torch during its long route to the Games is an incredible honor, and this year two professional gamers will take part in the international relay. Through a sponsorship deal with peripheral manufacturer Razer, XiaoFeng “Sky” Li and Jae ho “Moon” Jang will both bear the torch as it passes through China en route to the Beijing National Stadium. Both Sky and Moon are professional Warcraft III players, with the former being recognized as the world’s best Humanclass player, and the latter as the one of the world’s best Night Elf-class players. They have been leveling up for five years, and now it pays off. Both were chosen by Razer from a group of ten professional gamers, selected by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games. Congrats go out to both.

Oscar, Mike, Golf! Infinity Ward announced today that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold over 9 million copies worldwide since release. The company followed up that news by stating the new Variety Map Pack (costing $10) allegedly set a new Xbox marketplace record by having over 1 million downloads in its first 9 days of release. The map pack will be available on the US PSN next Thursday, Europe on June 12th. Infinity Ward also released some statistics through their latest press release the Friday past that over 30 million sessions and 30 million hours have been logged since the new maps released, which is about 1.9 billion minutes of nuggets noob tubing lost to the ether. COD4 has been in a battle for Xbox Live supremacy against Halo 3, with the two titles switching first and second place over the last couple months.

UT3 gets fragtastic on Xbox 360 this ‘summer’.

Hudson confirms WiiWare shooter Star Soldier R for North America.

We still don’t have an exact release date for Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox 360, but we’re getting closer. The news out of Midway’s Gamers Day is that we can expect the title to appear this “summer.” We found out yesterday that the Xbox 360 version will feature five “exclusive” maps, split screen capabilities and two new characters. Today we can add that there will also be an all-new Warfare mode, though we’re still trying to find out what that exactly means. If you want to count the days by reading little tidbits of information, Epic has launched www.unrealtournament3.com

Hudson certainly hasn’t been shy about showing its affections for WiiWare, with the company doing all but making a mix tape for the Wii’s upcoming digital download service. Now, after confirming plans to bring Tetris and Bomberman to WiiWare, Hudson has announced plans to release yet another downloadable classic property in Star Soldier R. The game, which launched in Japan alongside WiiWare in March, will be making its North American debut once the service launches later this year. Newly anounced Star Soldier R is only the latest Star Soldier franchise , four others are

available over the Wii’s Virtual Console: Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, Blazing Lazers and Star Soldier. Describing the game as a “tournament-style outer space shooter,” Hudson notes that this latest shooter will focus on achieving high scores in a Quick Shot mode, as well as in both 2-minute and 5-minute modes, giving players “just enough time” to fight through a couple levels and wrestle with the bosses waiting patiently at the other end. Try not to disappoint.

Team Fortress 2 unlockable Medic weapons detailed.

Team Fortress 2 took center stage at a Valve-sponsored pizza party in San Francisco last night. Well, to be precise, the team-based shooter’s new Goldrush map and unlockable Medic weapons took center stage, and the pizza provided just the right ambiance. Intern Jeremy got his pizza-stained hands on the new offerings, and also had a chance to talk with Valve’s Robin Walker about plans for unlockable weapons for the other classes (they should be coming “faster”), difficulty in balancing new weapons (there’s a “trade-off”), and plans for other news maps with the Payload gameplay like Goldrush (“you have a moving fortress”). The medic is the first class to get the new weapons – unlock a series of class-based achievements to earn each of the three new toys, including the Blutsaugher (“a new syringe gun” that draws health from enemies), the Critzcrieg (a “new medigun” that switches up the ubercharge), and the Ubersaw (melee attacks charge your medigun). The update should hit sometime in the later part of July; still no word on whether any TF2 downloadable content will make it to the consoles, but with current sales total in all markets, Valve would have to be sleeping to not take advantage of the guaranteed earnings console DLC would generate. Got a tip? hookedup@powerupmag.com

Power UP Magazine

RANTCORNER Let it all out. we’re here for you.

Free of my Achievment Complex. Submitted by Brian Horten

Background story: I have two 360s. One I paid for, one is a loaner from MS. Thanks to the awful phone connection setup at my house, only one console is connected to the internets. That console is in my office, and only really gets use as an XBLA/ multiplayer rig. The Elite in my living room, that’s hooked up to my TV, and that’s where I do most of my 360 gaming. So. What’s happened is my Elite has racked up a ton of achievements and points. My other 360, the one that’s online, hasn’t. With 5 minutes spare today waiting for my PC to reboot, I figured I’d switch the HDDs over, update my gamercard with all the stuff I’d earned, won, etc over the past few months. That was a mistake. See, in my naivety, I presumed that once online, my Gamercard would update itself with all the new info. Instead, all it did was erase the achievements and 6000 or so gamerpoints on my Elite HDD, dragging it back to the bare-bones level of the office

360. For a second, I thought I should be upset. Angry, even. After all, hadn’t I worked really hard to get those points? Busted my arse grinding my way through some pointless stand-offs in Crackdown? Course I had. And now my payoff was gone! But I didn’t get angry. Or upset. Instead, common sense kicked in, and I feel liberated. Jesus, since when was it fun to force yourself to play through parts of a game just to earn yourself an arbitrary point score? Last I remember it was around 1987. We moved on from there for a reason. Because it’s stupid. I didn’t buy a 360 to get in a pissing contest with my friends about who wasted the most time on Gears, I bought it to play games. I wasn’t addicted to racking up points: it was, as the title suggests, more a complex than an addiction. But looking back on it now, on all the time I wasted looking for green orbs, looking for skulls, unlocking cars in PGR I was never even going to drive...I feel like an ass. That was work, not fun, and with those “achievements” now gone I feel like a free man.

Power UP Magazine

FIRSTLOOK Exclusive previews, here before anywhere else.

The Incredible Hulk (XB360) The not so jolly green giant.

With rumors swirling about creative differences on the set of the upcoming Incredible Hulk film, it’s understandable that there are some questions as to how the video game based on the movie is going to turn out. The last Hulk game turned out to be pretty good in spite of the movie being less than stellar, and judging by our first look at the currentgen version of The Incredible Hulk, this game is poised to deliver what Hulk fans want regardless of how the movie turns out. The Incredible Hulk begins with a brief cutscene showing Bruce Banner standing in the snow with a loaded pistol in his mouth. Just as a shot rings out the screen goes black, and when the picture comes back the Hulk, standing where Banner once stood, spits out the bullet. From there the game jumps ahead five years and shows a cutscene with Bruce being chased by some sort of special-ops unit through the streets of Brazil. Suddenly a helicopter appears, and Banner ducks into a building to get away. But it’s too late; the helicopter fires a missile into the building, turning it into rubble.

Green men can jump.

From here the game is in your hands. You start by mashing the Y button, which performs one of the Hulk’s “feats of strength,” which in this case involves him digging out from a demolished concrete building. Once he has dusted himself off the Hulk sets off into a factory to exact revenge on the 14

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people chasing him. This area acts as a training level, and it’s where you’ll get acquainted with the Hulk’s many moves--conveyor belts will be leveled, puny humans will be thrown, soldiers wearing mechanized suits will be cast aside, and doors will crumble under the weight of his mighty fists. The level ends after an encounter with the game’s first boss, Emil Blonsky, who after suffering defeat at the hands of the Hulk discusses what happened with General Ross.

Property damage is a major aspect of the game

All the major characters in the game are voiced by the actors who portrayed them in the movie. That means you’ll be hearing the likes of Tim Roth, William Hurt, Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, and Tim Blake Nelson--not a bad list of talent for a video game. Obviously the game will focus on the events of the movie, but to expand the game into an eight-plus hour experience the developer has worked with Marvel to integrate other characters, storylines, and themes from the Hulk and Marvel universes. You’ll follow parts of the movie, but another major storyline takes place in New York City, where a terrorist group called The Enclave is using the city as a training facility. After Brazil, we skipped ahead a bit to New York City. The developer has re-created 85 percent of Manhattan and the city is yours to explore. Times Square, Central Park-it’s all here. A few neat touches that Marvel fans will appreciate were the Baxter Building (home of the Fantastic Four) and ads for Peter Parker’s newspaper, the Daily Bugle,

on the sides of buses. As in the real city, pedestrians roam the sidewalks and cabs clog the streets. What’s more, they all react realistically to the Hulk’s intimidating presence. People will run away screaming and cars will come to a screeching halt, throw it in reverse, or sometimes run into other cars at the sight of Banner’s alter ego. Of course, there’s more to the game than scaring people by walking around. You can pick people up, “help” them get where they’re going by scooping up their cars and tossing them, rip up light poles, smash fire hydrants, and climb any building you choose. If you need a break from fighting evil you can always roam around and torment random citizens, and you can also play some of the numerous minigames sprinkled about the city. Bullseye places you on top of a building facing a huge target that’s hung on another building. Your goal is to pick up light poles and try to get a bullseye by throwing them into the target. The Incredible Hulk seems to be shaping up nicely, and it appears that the developer is keen to deliver the same fun gameplay of the last game while at the same time integrating a better story and more objectives. We weren’t able to get our hands on the game so we can’t speak to how the controls handle, and it looked as if the camera could be a bit troublesome, but for the most part the game looks promising. There’s no firm release date yet, but look for The Incredible Hulk to hit stores sometime this June, right around time of the movie’s release.

“BUY HULK GAME!!”

Hellboy II (PS3)

The burly demon slayer brings his hornless horns home. Hellboy has a new movie coming out. Walking around the New York Comic-Con in the Javits Center, you won’t soon forget that fact. Posters, panels, interviews with stars of the movie in the PowerUP filming room and theater. Hellboy is everywhere, including in virtual form on PS3 in Konami’s booth on the show floor. The premise for the game is simple, the gameplay unabashedly borrows from other titles of the genre, and you get to run around as a brutish red dude with a stone fist and an attitude. How could it get any better? If you never saw the first Hellboy movie in 2004, read any of the comics from more than ten years before then, or have been blind to the promotional materials for the sequel, we’re here with a synopsis. You play as Hellboy -- though a buddy can join in as either Liz (Selma Blair’s character) or Abe (voiced by David Hyde Pierce) for co-op action – a demon brought to this world by the Nazis, but was captured and raised by Allied forces to fight for the forces of truth, justice, and the American way. Or something. His adventures are against present-day Nazi villains still holding on to the ways of the old regime, but with a bit more of a supernatural inclination.

Take out horn envy on the undead.

Hellboy II branches off from the mythos of the movies but the story was still penned by

both Mike Mignola (creator of the original comic character) and Guillermo del Toro (director of the films). We didn’t have a chance to see any of the story elements during our short play session, but we did get a heavy dose of action and made good use of that stone fist of our titular hero. The level we played was set in a graveyard (fitting, right?) and featured the quintessential skeletons climbing out of glowing tombstones. The only way for Hellboy to stop the onslaught of undead bones was to toss their feeble little bodies back at their place of origin, thus disabling the enemy spawn point. A task made a bit more difficult by the fact that throwing objects employs a forced auto-aim function that kept aiming at the spawning enemies rather than at their place of origin.

Hellboy having to track down the proper type of ammunition to kill a gravestone that housed the grave digger’s dead wife. It wasn’t so much as a puzzle as it was a game of hide-and-seek, but we won’t nitpick. There were also tombs to find throughout the environment that housed different goodies. To open the tomb we were forced to walk up, press the right shoulder button and then mash square on PS3 to blast it open revealing a room filled with demons screaming and clawing at our feet, looked cool, but scary as hell.

Choke out enemies with your clubbish hand strength.

Fists straight outta hell.

Aiding him in his quest to rid the graveyard of undead beings is his trusty stone fist, gun, and a chargeable power that can be unleashed, engulfing his fist in flames and upping his attack power. There are combo moves that can be pulled off, some of which end in our boy in red slamming his stone fist into the ground, cracking it ever so violently. His gun can be loaded with different types of ammunition. As with most games of this type the ammo that you’ll find throughout the level will magically be the weakness for an upcoming foe. Isn’t it weird how that always works out? There are puzzle elements to Hellboy II, but they’re kept very light for the most part. Our one supposed puzzle portion featured

Hellboy II is a simple game that borrows several dynamics from other games of the genre. The original actors from the film have returned to lend their voices and original dialogue to the game including Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, James Dodd, and Thomas Kretschmann. From what we’ve seen the game’s visuals, while serviceable, could use some polish before hitting store shelves as they simply don’t keep the comics unique visual style and the frame-rate constant. We’ll have our final review for Hellboy II around its ship date of June 24.

Charge despite lack of horn.

Power UP Magazine

FIRSTLOOK

LEGO Batman (XB360) Plastic Dark Knight.

Fresh from the success of Lego Star Wars, developer Traveller’s Tales is now applying its winning formula to DC Comics’ superhero world of Batman. With so many different versions of the Batman story and characters re-created in comics, films, and TV shows over the years, we were keen to see just what style the game would take. In the build we saw a Gotham City that closely followed the dark vision of Tim Burton, something which was only enhanced by the Danny Elfman score (although it should be noted that the licensing for this has yet to be settled). While Lego Batman will still be aiming for a kid-friendly rating, the source material is much darker than that of George Lucas’ space fantasy, and that’s something that producer Loz Doyle was keen to stress when we met him in London this week.

standard, but a number of different suits that will enable each character to access different parts of the level. We saw how Batman’s demolition suit allowed him to blow up big objects and lay traps, while his extendable cape allowed him to glide over long distances. However, it was Robin who had the better share of gadgets in the sections we saw, with a magnetic suit that allowed him to walk up the walls of metallic surfaces, and a tech suit that could be used to take control of other gadgets such as a RC car. While Lego Batman remains true to the source material, this is still a Lego video game where most of the puzzles are based around piecing together the famous Danish bricks. In the demo we saw, Batman had to piece together ladders in order to make his way around the levels. On one occasion, he was able to build a minihelicopter in order to scale the roofs of Gotham, while on others he could construct tightropes to get from building to building. He can also climb and use gadgets at the same time--moving up a grapple line and firing a batarang at the same time, for example. One thing’s for sure--these heroes look a lot more agile than their Lego bodies should allow them to be.

Yeah, Robin showes up too, woop.

Lego Batman will rely on the same co-op dynamic as Lego Star Wars, only this time starring Batman and Robin. The main difference between Jedi knights and the dynamic duo is the way they fight, with the lightsabers ditched in favour of hand-to-hand combat and an assortment of high-tech gadgets and gizmos. Given the characters’ short arms and legs, re-creating punches and kicks was a challenge for the development team, but it was overcome by a few stylistic touches that extend the range of standard attacks, as well as by adding new moves such as grapples and throws. The gameplay will also hinge on Batman’s cool arsenal of toys, with not only a batarang as 16

Power UP Magazine

Plastic can be quite menacing.

You’ll not just be playing as the good guys in Lego Batman; the game features a full roster of bad guys that include The Joker, Catwoman, The Penguin, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, and Scarecrow, and they’ll all be playable once you’ve defeated them in the main game. Playing as the bad guys will also have an impact on the levels themselves

and the carnival level we saw changes from you saving Commissioner Gordon as the good guys to fighting him as the Joker and Harley Quinn. As the game is dependent on the co-op dynamic, the bad guys also have certain buddies that they like to pair up with. This includes the aforementioned clown partnership of Joker and Harley, as well as Penguin and Killer Croc--the latter of which, we saw in the sewer level. One particular highlight was seeing Killer Croc build a huge mechanical crocodile vehicle--one of the biggest in any Lego game--and then run riot with it through the sewers.

All your favorite bad guys make an appearance.

With Lego Batman, Traveller’s Tales look set to replicate the same sly humour and solid co-op play that they pioneered with the Lego Star Wars series. It’s clear that the game isn’t trying to break major new ground, but rather take the fundamentals of the previous games and transport them to an entirely different comic book universe. With this and Lego Indiana Jones in the pipeline, it will be a busy year for the British developer, but we hold hope that the game will still make its planned Q4 2008 release date. With plenty of time still to go, expect to see more on Lego Batman in the coming months.

Bully Scholarship Edition (XB360 & Wii) The next semester.

Scholarship Edition is somewhat of a director’s cut for Bully, the game released as Canis Canem Edit in Europe in 2006. The new version keeps the soul of the original PlayStation 2 game and offers a next-generation polish to its body while also adding new graphics, extra solo missions, and multiplayer games. As we saw in our previous visit to Rockstar London’s offices, Scholarship Edition-coming to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii in March--offers new control mechanics with the Wii Remote as well as improved visuals, particularly on the Xbox 360 version. In addition to eight new single-player missions, four new multiplayer “classes” (minigames) have been added: music, maths, biology, and geography. You’ll fill the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins, a teen delinquent with a troubled past who is dumped at the gates of the prestigious Bullworth Academy boarding school by his mother, who abandons him to leave on her latest honeymoon. Jimmy enrols at Bullworth out of necessity: He’s been kicked out of a string of schools, and Bullworth is the only one willing--or stupid enough--to admit him.

What else would you expect from the title “Bully”?

We tried the four new multiplayer classes and found them to be great additions to the game, although multiplayer is still a purely offline affair for both consoles. The music class follows a method similar to other

rhythm games and reminded us of the minigame in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in which you have to pump your car’s hydraulics to the beat. Duking it out as Jimmy or Gary, we took our controller, which represented onscreen maracas, and had to follow along with the dismal-sounding school band. You’ll need to get the timing right by matching a series of vertically scrolling notes that pass through a reticule much in the same manner as Guitar Hero. It takes a bit of practice to master, but getting the timing spot-on, or pulling off a string of correct notes, rewards you with a higher score.

an elf, you can pick him up and dump him in a trash can. It’s not over when you bring the ornaments back to Rudy. You’ll need to be his photographer as he sits for some happy holiday snaps with the kiddies. Using the camera, you’ll need to take four “happy” photos, which are harder to take than it sounds due to the disobedient brats Rudy meets, as well as his drunken demeanour and alcohol-drenched odour.

Protect nerds for lunch money.

School is way more fun in the virtual world.

After a lesson in multiplayer, we graduated to the single-player campaign. We played a mission originally from the PS2 version, Character Sheets, in which Jimmy Hopkins has to help fellow student Melvin get back stolen sheets for his favourite roleplaying board game, Grottos and Gremlins. Using the skateboard, we roamed around the schoolyard until we found the culprits, indicated on the map, and proceeded to teach them a lesson in schoolyard bullying. Rockstar then showed us a new mission, Rudy the Red Nosed Santa, located in downtown Bullworth and starring a hilarious new character: Rudy, the town’s drunken Santa. It seems Rudy’s winter wonderland is lacking some wonder, and it’s up to Jimmy to help spice things up with some ornaments, which are located around town in trash cans. On your journey you’ll be assaulted by elves and their pet bulldog--presumably sent from a competing Santa--which you’ll need to fend off. If you get close enough to

What we saw appeared to be a nearfinal build, and the graphics looked much improved on the Xbox 360, especially on a 65-inch display. Rockstar said the mechanics on the Xbox 360 are much the same as in the PS2 version. Achievement points were yet to be finalised. Rockstar said that the new version will take more than 30 hours to complete, including side quests, attending classes at Bullworth Academy, and other amusements spread around the world, such as arcade games. With new graphics, music, background dialogue, missions, and multiplayer games, Bully: Scholarship Edition is likely to appeal to old and new players alike. It is current scheduled for a European release date of August 25.

Power UP Magazine

CHEATCENTRAL Life isn’t fair, why should you be?

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (XB360)

Tom Clancey’s Rainbow Six Vegas II (PS3)

Manhunt II: The Uncensored Edition (Wii)

Unlock all Songs in Quick Play mode: To achieve this click on options and go to “Cheats” menu bar and click Yellow + Orange, Red + Blue, Red + Orange, Green + Blue, Red + Yellow, Yellow + Orange, Red + Yellow, Red + Blue, [Green + Yellow]x2, [Yellow + Blue]x2, [Yellow + Orange]x2, Yellow + Blue, Yellow, Red, Red + Yellow, Red, Yellow, Orange.

Stronger Ragdoll Physics: To enact stronger ragdoll physics in your game, pause your game and insert the following cheat (while holding L1 down): X, X, Circle, Circle, Square, Square, Triangle, Triangle, X, Circle, Square, Triangle.

Unlimited Ammo: For unlimited ammunition, insert the following password on the title screen: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right.

Get your shred on, with our help.

Enable Hyperspeed mode: To make the tracking go by faster, click on options and then click on “Cheats” menu tab then click Orange, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Orange, Yellow. Flaming Heads: To give your character a little more spunk with a head of fire, get into options and go to “Cheats” menu bar and press Yellow, Orange, Yellow, Yellow, Orange, Yellow, Yellow, Orange. No Failure: To make it impossible to fail a song, insert the following code in the in-game cheats menu. Keep in mind that this cheat will not work in Career Mode: Green & Red, Blue, Green & Red, Green & Yellow, Blue, Green & Yellow, Red & Yellow, Orange, Red & Yellow, Green & Yellow, Yellow, Green & Yellow, Green & Red.

Cheating in Vegas? Unheard of.

Lasers Instead of Bullets: To shoot lasers instead of bullets in single player mode, pause your game and hold down the R1 button as you insert the following button combination to activate the cheat: L3, L3, X, R3, R3, Circle, L3, L3, Square, R3, R3, Triangle. One-Hit Kills: During single player mode, pause your game and hold down the R1 button while entering the following button combination: L3, R3, L3, R3, X, Circle, L3, R3, L3, R3 Square, Triangle. If inserted correctly, you will unlock one-hit kills for both you and your opponents. Third Person: If you’re playing a single player game, pause your game and hold down the R1 button as you insert the following button combination to achieve Third Person View: Square, Circle, Square, Circle, L3, L3, Triangle, X, Triangle, X, R3, R3.

Trouble staying alive in “serial city”?

Level Select: To open up a level select option, insert the following password on the title screen: Up, Down, Left, Right, Up, Down, Left, Right. Relive Scene Option: Successfully complete the game, which will unlock the “Relive Scene” option. This will allow you to go back and play any mission over again. Unlock Leo’s Mission To unlock a bonus level where you play not as Daniel, but as Leo, you must complete the game once through. Thereafter, this mission will become playable. Alternate Weapon Uses: A lot of the weapons have alternate uses. For instance, weapons like the machete, meat cleaver, knife and glass shard can cut various ropes you encounter in the game. The knife will allow you to pick locks, the crowbar can break open padlocks, and a well-placed bullet from your firearm can eliminate locked door handles.

Power UP Magazine

CHEATCENTRAL LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (XB360)

Metal Gear Solid III: Snake Eater (PS2)

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3)

Unlock Slave I: To unlock Boba Fett’s ship, Slave I, collect each Minikit Piece strewn throughout the levels. There are ten on each level that must be collected.

Alternate Ocelot Video: At the end of the game when Ocelot tell you to choose a gun you can make him angry by not choosing one but when your done angering him go ahead and choose one. Don’t pull the trigger and wait for him pull the trigger 6 times. You’ll get a different cinematic ending.

Drake’s Jersey: To unlock a baseball jersey for Drake to wear, head to the Costume section of the game and insert the following code: Left, Right, Down, Up, Triangle, R1, L1, Square.

What Would Vader Do?

Unlock Skills: Below are a list of two major skills that will help you complete the game much quicker. They can be unlocked by going to the Cantina and entering the codes listed. - Disguise - BRJ437 - Force Grapple - CLZ738 Unlock Stud Fountain: After collecting all 160 Gold Bricks in the game, you can build a “Stud Fountain” outside of Mos Eisely Cantina. This will give you an infinite supply of studs. Unlock Anakin’s Flight: To unlock a mission named Anakin’s Flight, collect thirty Gold Bricks throughout the game. Furthermore, if you complete this hidden mission, you’ll get the Naboo Starfighter as a prize to use elsewhere in the game. Unlock Indiana Jones: If you go to the Bonus Room in-game and watch the new trailer for the upcoming Indiana Jones game, Indiana Jones will become a playable character that you can use by slecing him from the main menu.

Power UP Magazine

Stealth just got a whole lot easier.

Moss Camouflage: When fighting The End, if you sneak up behind him when he is asleep and hold him up, he shakes down and will eventually give you the camouflage moss. Torch Guards: Sneak up on a guard, go into first person view and look down so that the torch is in the body of the guard. 3-4 seconds later and he’s dead! Beat Volgin with Ease: If you throw the Glow Cap mushrooms while fighting Volgin his lightning attack will go towards the mushroom instead of hitting you. Re-arm Tortured Snake At N.E Grozny Grad where you crawl under the pipes to escape torture, Snake can quickly take on a weapon of immediate help. Instead of crawling under pipes, go left to the storage shack instead and Snake can find a M63 light machine gun within.

The uncharted becomes charted!

Crushing Difficulty: To unlock a difficulty harder than Hard Mode (called “Crushing”), you must complete the entire game, all chapters, on Hard Mode without once changing the difficulty level. If you do this successfully, you should be able to select Crushing difficulty during your next playthrough. “Unlimited” Ammo: To attempt this, you must have at least three-hundred Medal Points (since this isn’t actually a true “unlimited ammo” cheat). When you do, press Start and head to the Rewards menu. From there, head to “Weapon Select” and choose from the weapons available. This will allow you to choose any weapon with full ammunition once selected. Then, all you have to do is go back and forth to this menu, selecting and deselecting the same weapon to constantly refill your ammunition. Mila Available: To unlock Mila, Drake’s partner to play, head to the Costume section of the game and insert the following code: Left, Right, Up, Up, Triangle, R1, L1, Square, Circle, X.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Fable: The Lost Chapters Remix (PC)

The Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble (PSP)

Fast Rupees: If you haven’t yet challenged Jolene to a final duel, go and find her. Battle her a couple of times. You will be rewarded with a large red rupee (worth 200 rupees) each time you do. This is especially useful for buying all of the 1,000 rupee items at Beedle’s and the Island Shops.

Sleep For Free: To save yourself the money it costs to sleep at an inn, tavern, or at your house, and to avoid running around to find one of those establishments, you can sleep elsewhere. Try to find a house with a bed fairly close to the entrance. Get into the bed and go to sleep. Wait for the screen to begin fading, and then quickly run out of the house before the fade starts to come back in. If done properly, you will not be fined money for sleeping. This can be done an unlimited amount of times.

Unlock Art Gallery: Get all 16 puzzle pieces in each Special stage. or press Right Left, Circle, Circle, Square, X at the main menu.

Tiny Elf in green could probably use the help.

Acquire Fire Sword: To acquire the Fire Sword, get ten Fairies. Then, head to the Fairy Princess near the Sun Temple, where you will receive the sword. Ship Parts: To grab new parts for your ship, you must fight the character on the ship The Prince of the Red Lion. If in the time given you manage to get 200 or more hits on the foe, he will give you a ship part. You can do this over and over again for new parts. Your Doppelganger: Climb aboard the ship called The Prince of the Red Lion, where a character suspiciously similar to Link can be found. You can fight him if you want, over and over again. Earning a certain amount of hits on him will net you new items. For instance, scoring under 100 hits in the time allotted will net you an item like a Pearl Necklace, or a Princess Crown. More than 100 hits will get you a better item, like a Heart Container.

Just where are those chapters again?

Infinite Experience: You may want to accumulate 700 to 1000 Will Potions, , max out your Physical Shield, max out your Will Level, get a heavy weapon (such as the Solus Greatsword or a Master Great sword with 2 Silver Agumentations and a Fire Agumentation. When Jack of Blades is activating the portals, in Whichwood, you can gain infinate Exp. The Minions and the Undead drop Health and Mana Potions, Food, Gold, and gain Goodness. Attack with a heavey weapon until your Shield is low, then use a couple Will Potions, then repeat. It takes about an hour for your combat multiplier to get up high, but once it reaches about 50 you will be making about 1000 Green Exp a kill.

Fight dirty, fight very dirty.

Unlock Special Stage Mode: Get all 23 puzzle pieces for each stage in Story Mode or press Left, Left, Square, Circle, Square, X at the main menu. New Character Colors After completing all twelve V-Puzzles in the game, you will be able to change the color of your characters. “EX Color” will appear on the character selection screen, and by pressing X over that character, the outfit the character is wearing or the color of the character will change. Unlimited Health: From the main menu, Press Square, Circle, Triangle, Triangle, Triangle, Square, Left, Left, Right, Right and you will have unlimited health in all modes. Double Hit Damage: From the main menu, Press Right, Right, Left, Left, Square, Circle, Triangle, Triangle, Triangle, Square, Left, Left, Right, Right and you will have double hit damage in versus mode. Be aware that using this in Story mode will result in an alternate ending and a “F” grade in completion.

Power UP Magazine

REVIEWZONE Whats worth your money, what should be left on the shelf.

Condemned 2 (XB360)

Sickening and disturbing in all the right ways. Who hasn’t ever hosted the notion of grabbing a crazy woman in bondage gear, throwing her head into a hydraulic press and creating brains-pâté? Let me see a show of hands. Nobody? …Alright, so most normal people can go about their lives without resorting to heretofore unheard of levels of violence, but that’s the kind of game series Condemned is. It’s the ends justifying the utterly blood-sodden means. It’s a game about a drunken jerk who kills his way through junkies and monsters to stop a serial killer who has a thing for severing heads and ripping people up. Not exactly the happiest premise, really. Of course, it does provide plenty of gameplay meat to gnaw on along the way, and Condemned 2, sequel to one of the Xbox 360’s most compelling launch titles, tries very hard to immerse you in a blend of David Fincher’s ‘Seven’ and developer Monolith’s own F.E.A.R. On the whole, it’s scary, strange and very occasionally inventive for a game that sits in a very crowded genre Perhaps that’s giving the game more credit that it deserves; by the end, the tension dissolves into fire-fights and oddball enemies instead of the carefully plotted and white-knuckled levels of the first game. The multiplayer is also a misfire too – but we’ll tackle that stuff shortly.

Bleeding eyes are a common sight.

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Ex-agent Ethan Thomas, now homeless and milking an unhealthy affection for the little brown jug, returns to lead you through a hunt for Serial Killer X (SKX), who has seemingly returned to his regular pastime of creating gallons of gore, drawing eyes on walls and cutting off heads. With the government kicking him back into gear, the game begins with you learning the new two-armed fighting mechanics in a back alley cesspool. The L and R triggers now throw your punches, slow and weighted, in succession. Pull them both at the same time and Ethan will block. Clicking in the right thumbstick activates a shunting kick that introduces your enemies to the floor if you hook their knees or back from behind. All up, it’s a flexible combat system that improves on the original game’s rather simplistic fisticuffs system. Of course, the real star of the combat system is the object-based melee attacks.

Battle the ugliest of supernatural junkies.

Like in past games, if it looks like it might make a good weapon, chances are you can grab it, swing it and spill some blood. We’re talking about taking your traditional crowbars, pipes, planks of wood, claw hammers and steel bats and ramping it up some – into quirky and even darkly amusing territory. Ever hit a deformed man with a toilet seat? Or swung a pooltable ball at someone’s face? That’s just for starters. Every object has a series of performance ratings (speed, strength and so on) that determine how long it’s going to withstand this kind of

kind of abuse before you’re back to using your fists. This is all pulled from the original; this time however, the rating for each part of the objects (consisting of pluses, minuses and equals signs) has been refined slightly. Now each symbol has a strong and weak variant, giving you a few more points to take into consideration when choosing your tools of destruction. The other side of the combat is the timing system, which we found to be a little unforgiving. You can smack a guy with a two-byfour, expecting him to swing around, reeling backwards, but instead he’ll take the blow and immediately attack you with a nearly unblockable set of swings of his own. Condemned 2 falls apart at the end of the game; it steers itself too far into the choppy seas of silly science fiction, rather than keeping things balanced as it mostly is in the first few chapters of the game. That’s the real problem; the game takes too many leaps into the fantastic, rather than keeping you grounded in much more dire, dark, familiar – and therefore more suspenseful – reality. The mechanics are 85 percent reliable, I’d say (though, I want to strangle the person who decided against a jump option) – but the combat can get a little clumsy and the sometimes unfair AI pulls down the final quality of the game. There are other little quirks too – the now-stunted taser, the inconsiderate auto-save function, the occasionally all-too-linear levels and obsession with making you take the long way around when you could just as easily kick some rubble out of the way and proceed. But that’s Condemned 2 for you – unique to a fault. It’s adventurous, dark, silly, and it’ll keep you up at night whether you want it to or not.

VERDICT: 8.5/10

Stranglehold (PS3)

Woo-inspired mania delivers the goods. How do you get people to buy into one of the most crowded genres in videogames-the shooter--for the hundredth time? You make it hysterically over-the-top, and tie the project to Hong Kong action director John Woo. The bullet casings, broken vases, and dead bodies pile up quickly in Stranglehold. The game is unapologetically violent, filling the screen with death scenes gory enough to make Sam Peckinpah flinch. As the sequel to John Woo’s stylized action flick, Hard Boiled, expectations for Stranglehold were pretty high from the start. And the development team made smart choices early on by staying true to the source material. Chow Yun Fat reprises his role as Detective Tequila, the tougher-thanthou cop character from the film. The story is best characterized as having a simplistic “cop” plot with a sprinkling of murders, kidnappings, and declarations of revenge, helping to make Woo’s presence felt between every pixel.

of course immediately compared to Max Payne and Dead to Rights. Stranglehold stands head and shoulders above its peers, though, the primary reason being that the environments you play in get shot to hell in every mission. Making messes is arguably a guilty pleasure we all possess at birth, but gets suppressed as we’re taught to be decent members of society. Fortunately, Stranglehold understands the thrill of destroying furniture alongside destroying faces. By pressing the left trigger while jumping forward, Tequila will dive in slow motion, giving users the opportunity to aim carefully and shoot the enemies where it counts. You can do this with all the weapons in the game which includes pistols, shotguns, machine guns and rocket launchers.

Control your bullet precisely with slow down.

Action heros never miss.

It’s interesting when movies become games, and find themselves compared to other games that already mimicked the movies they were based on. The Godfather game was compared to the cult hit Mafia. Scarface: The World Is Yours gets compared to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. And as soon as Woo’s Stranglehold was unveiled, it was

You can earn special abilities throughout the game that allow you to do quick healing, precision shooting, invincible shooting, and an all-out-kill-everything-in-the-room shooting, complete with Woo’s signature doves. Our favorite is the precision shooting where you’re given a finite amount of time to target someone from a slow-mo sniper perspective, aim for any body part you want, shoot, and watch your bullet travel and hit its target. All of this is followed by a special death animation of the guy gasping for life. We pulled this particular ability off every chance we got. Six players online is available for multiplayer, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Many of the cinematic flairs that worked so well in

that worked so well in single player against the AI don’t work as well against other usercontrolled characters. Slow motion doesn’t quite jive, as players must enter it at the same time for it to work, and the precision aiming tool doesn’t slow down the opponents so you can shoot them like it does in single-player. It sucks somewhat, but hey, this is a short game that’s best played for the absurdity of the single-player campaign. We did come across one bug while playing. After battling the Golden Kane crew on their ship,weI fell off a ledge just as a cut-scene was about to trigger. I ran back up the platforms to face the gangsters, but they were gone, along with everyone else in the level. There was one guy in the distance standing still, so we popped him, but no one else showed up. Thankfully, there aren’t enough of these dings to seriously tarnish the entire experience. Everything that made Woo’s films remotely interesting make absolute sense in a videogame universe. If you’re still clinging to the notion that the silliness of Woo films couldn’t possibly be appreciated, not even in videogame form, loosen up. It’s not that bad. Actually, it’s pretty good. Midway gives us control of a Hong Kong action film which turns out to be quite an experience. It turns out that playing the movies might just be better than watching them.

Mandatory ammo flying screen.

VERDICT: 7.5/10 Power UP Magazine

REVIEWZONE

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (Xbox 360)

Huddled masses yearn to break free of this game.. Videogames have examined so many different wars from so many different angles that it’s awfully nice to see something new. Turning Point’s premise is just such a creature: The fiction is that Winston Churchill never survived being struck by a taxi in 1931, and thus wasn’t around to slow Hitler’s advance across Europe. This has allowed the Nazi menace to advance across the continent, and eventually across the Atlantic to invade New York.

Enemies attack from the sky.

Turning Point’s flaws are so many, and so serious, that it’s hard to know where to begin. How about the fact that, in spite of its fascinating premise, the game somehow manages to completely fail to seperate itself

rom any of the truckload of World War II shooters? Oh sure, one level shows a collapsed Chrysler building, and another is set in the White House (don’t worry, we’ll come back to that one). But when it comes right down to it, dammit, you’re fighting Nazis with WWII-era weapons. Again. Enemies shoot through floors and walls. Escortees get stuck behind locked doors. Scripted scenarios fail to trigger. Textures fail to load. Dead bodies vanish with an almost audible pop! Characters and items get stuck in the scenery. Your character appears to go into seizures any time he walks up or down a flight of stairs. And at one memorable point right near the end, the game--a retail version, the exact same thing you’d buy off the shelf--actually crashed on me. And just after I’d spent 20 minutes or so painstakingly working my way through a hangar full of improbably accurate marksmen. But even if the game weren’t riddled with technological glitches, it would still be seriously flawed. Issues with the graphics, like the ridiculous death animations: When shot, enemies are flung off in directions bearing no relation to the trajectory of the bullet. And the visual style of the levels occasionally almost approaches “good” territory, only to be smacked back down into sub-mediocrity by areas that look almost last-gen by

comparison We had issues with the gameplay. The finicky grapple option, for example, allows you to perform environmental kills on enemies. Trouble is, sometimes the grapple icon just doesn’t come up (no other melee attack is offered), and when it does, it locks you into an animation that leaves you vulnerable to attack from other enemies. Also a particular favorite: enemies that magically appear behind you, in areas you’ve just finished cleaning out. When it comes right down to it, Turning Point is so completely outclassed by the vast majority of modern first-person shooters that I almost feel bad for it. It’s particularly disappointing given the intriguing premise...but not even a Pulitzer Prize-worthy story would have been able to save the game from itself.

Crash and burn, like this game.

VERDICT: 4.5/10

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Power UP Magazine

Lost: Via Domus (PC)

Using Latin in your subtitles makes you cool. The basic plot of the game has you following the story of Elliott the photographer, a new character created specifically for the game. Elliott suffered amnesia as a result of the crash of Oceanic 815, and the main goal of the game is to recover memories and figure out what you were up to before the crash, which he does thanks to his trusty camera. While it’s hard to get too excited about playing as someone who isn’t part of the regular cast, the Elliott storyline is actually one of the better parts of the game. The part that isn’t so good? The gameplay.

The crash of Oceanic Flight 815 is recreated beautifully.

Most of the game has an adventure-game structure (although there are a few points where you need some reflexes), and while the concept is a decent one, the execution is often awkward. As fans, it drove us nuts to

have to go around asking people “What are the numbers?” or “What’s the manifest?” or “What was that explosion?” or “Can I trust Sayid?” I already knew all those answers before I booted up the game! Also, the interface is pretty clunky, and there’s no quick inventory access, which is irritating if you try to do the side photography missions. Although you may give up on that pretty quickly anyway, since taking photos is an exercise in frustration, as you tweak your position, focus, and framing one little movement at a time, hoping that this time you’ve gotten the magical combination that the game deems acceptable. It is rather cool to walk around some of the Lost locations, particularly the hatch, and the voltage minigames, which require you to rewire electrical panels to access locked areas, are kind of fun. However, when you’re out in the jungle, things usually go downhill. Either you’re trying to make your way through a dark cave, with textures that make it impossible to see entrances and exits, or you’re running from the black smoke, which is tough mostly because there are no great cues as to when the smoke is close or not. You’ll find yourself spinning around inside a clump of banyan trees trying to pick out wisps of smoke from shadows, wondering if it’s safe to leave shelter. This is doubly awesome when you’re carrying dynamite

and can’t run, so it’s a crapshoot whether or not you’re going to have enough time to make it from one clump of trees to the next. The characters don’t fare all that well either. While virtual representations of real-life people are always somewhat freaky, Hurley looks particularly horrible, and the Sawyer and Locke voice impersonators are really bad. Ultimately, this game is a disappointment. As Lost fans, w’e’re annoyed by the inconsistencies in character actions; if we were not a Lost fans, we’d be confused about who all these people are and what they’re up to. As a game players, we’re frustrated by clunky mechanics, and if we were non-game players, we’d probably feel justified in thinking that videogames were still the realm of nerds and their ilk.

Not even John Lock could save this game.

VERDICT: 5.5/10

Power UP Magazine

POWERTALK They speak, you listen.

We sat down with Creator and Lead Developer of Bioshock, Ken Levine and he let us in on the beautiful world of Rapture. Q: In the first Bioshock previews in 2004, we heard all about an abandoned WWII Nazi base with genetic experiments gone awry. Now we’re hearing about an “art deco underwater utopia participant-evolution inspired civil war”. Were early reports massively wrong? Was the game just kinda sketchy on the setting and story at that point? Or did someone wake up one day and say “Man, that’s a bit of a lame idea, I know we can come up with something fresher than THAT”? A: They weren’t wrong; I was! You pretty much hit the nail on the head here. When we did the first piece, it was really early on in game development, and I hadn’t had a chance to give a huge amount of thought to the story. As time went on, our vision of the story evolved and we ended up where we are now. Q: What influenced the decisions about the visual style and art deco in Bioshock? A: One, I’ve always loved art deco. I was born in New York, and it had an impact on me from an early age. There are also not a lot of games that have leveraged the look, and it looks really great in polygonal forms. Good video game art is all about shape and silhouette. A lot of games get caught up in texture detail, but shape reads a lot better at the relatively low resolution of modern games (compared to, say, movies). The other 30

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great thing about deco is that it looks like somebody’s vision of the future, but it’s so firmly rooted in the past, which is exactly the vibe we were going for in Bioshock. Q: One of your primary goals has been to design a game “where a walkthrough would be useless”. How much of that goal has been achieved, what were/are your major problems in that regard, and what did you learn for future games? A: It’s a process. Right now the biggest hurdle to this is story. We can use the microprocessor to spawn in bad guys, randomize loot, give the player a huge range of tools to choose from and have the AI interact with each other in groundbreaking ways. We can make a really emergent world that feels different to every player. What the microprocessor can’t do is write a single line of interesting story. It can’t create a single compelling character. It wouldn’t know a plot twist if it woke up in bed with one. Q: Developers and fans lament that in recent game history, the same few genres are produced over and over again. The market is stale, and an absolute complete lack of new ideas is ever apparent in the industry. What is the innovation in Bioshock you are most proud of? A: No doubt, it’s the AI. Our goal with Bioshock was to make a game where the AIs have interesting and meaningful relationships with one another…in ways that really impact on the gameplay. The Big Daddys and Little Sisters are real to me, and they’re real to the team. They’re the moral and technological center of the game.

Q: It must be hard to be humble with all this critical praise, was this success expected, at the level it’s hitting? A: The one thing I’ll say is that we didn’t expect the level of commercial success. That’s why you’ve seen the screw-ups we’ve had over the week. It’s because: “Oh my god, our server crashed because all these people are trying to activate. Oh my god, we’ve got no plan to upgrade the server to allow more activation.” Those are the things you see in massively multiplayer games. You know, we weren’t expecting the response we got, that’s part of the reason we’ve had these problems. We weren’t expecting people to not like the game, but it’s kinda surprising, the reason we’ve had so much reaction to what I perceive are little things is because the game has this high profile.

sequence of harvesting a Little Sister. It is about the most thoughtful presentation and most carefully executed presentation of the subject. It is strictly about getting the emotional content across without unnecessary violent content. There are people on the flip side who want to chase down a Little Sister with the gun, if they want that, they’re playing the wrong game. Q: Do you harvest the Little Sisters? A: Honestly, I -- can’t. [Laughs] That’s what I liked about it. I had a journalist talk to me yesterday who said his fiancé saw him harvest a Little Sister and now he’s sleeping on the couch. I’m glad that people take it seriously. They can immerse themselves in the experience. I’m not one of the people who does, I know there are people who do, but they have to live with that choice.

Q: Direct question, are you, or had you been, working on a PS3 version?

Q: Do you have any preliminary number on how you’ve sold so far?

A: We are not currently.

A: I don’t, and even if I did, I’d be shot against the wall if I told.

Q: Now you used the Unreal Engine 3, any issues? A: One thing the Unreal Engine is, it’s kinda hard to explain to someone who isn’t a game developer. Engines aren’t monolithic things. Like our version of the Unreal Engine are things we put in with our own work. It’s turned into this Frankenstein monster ... people did some amazing things to the render and performance. Of course, it’s an engine, engine’s are always a bear. Developing games is really hard, I think the mistake that a company like Epic might make is to say, “Oh yeah, it’s simple, we give you the engine and you go do it fellas, it’ll be a breeze.” Development is hard, it gives you a leg up, but if you don’t have a great technology team you’re going to run into trouble. Even if you have a great technology team you can run into trouble. An engine is a starting point, and you always have trouble, always have trouble, whether it’s our engine or someone else’s engine. Life is very difficult for a game developer to make games. Q: Sometimes you’re going to have to respond to people who know nothing about the title, but latch on to the most disturbing part. What’s your response to people who will call Bioshock a little girl murder simulator. A: Um, I think they just need to look at the sequence. Even if you want to take the whole game out of context, I’m happy I can say this, not just for myself, but from the dozens of reviews and thousands of internet posts. This is a game about making your own choices and consequences. It doesn’t take things lightly. Somebody should just sit down and observe the

Q: How many do you expect to sell? A: 53 Trillion is my expectation, that’s my expectation -- and if that doesn’t happen, I’ll be upset. Q: How long was Bioshock in production? A: How long? Man, it’s hard to say. I think I first started coming up with the ideas for it about three and half years ago. Full production about two years. Q: Tell us something we may not know about Bioshock or its development. A: The twist about the player’s identity came fairly late in development. I’m way more focused on gameplay early on than I am on the story. Most of the best Bioshock story stuff came in the final months. Q: Going forward, what are going to be the biggest challenges to continuing the franchise with a Bioshock sequel? A: The first game set a pretty high bar. Sequels are always going to be a challenge because expectations are way up there. Q: So, what’s next and is it in active production? A: No comment on if Bioshock 2 is in active production. What’s next? Earns you an equal “no comment.”

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Take a trip back to Liberty City with PowerUP in this EXCLUSIVE Preview. Power UP Magazine

EXCLUSIVEPREVIEW Get it here and only here.

There’s a definite air of confidence drifting through the corridors of Rockstar’s West London offices. With the release of what may be the studio’s most feverishly anticipated game nudging so tantalisingly close, it’s slowly lifting the veil from its baby and seems quietly certain that in its hands is a sure-fire classic. After months of giddy speculation and a drip-feed of new information, only now is Rockstar finally allowing people to go hands-on with the fourth installment in what has fast become one of the biggest gaming series of all time. It’s easy to see where the conviction comes from – from our extended time sat down with the game, it looks like Grand Theft Auto IV may go on to achieve the unthinkable and shake off the colossal expectations bearing down upon it to become this generation’s definitive sandbox adventure. In the three-and-a-half year absence of a bespoke home console Grand Theft Auto, there has been a steady succession of pretenders to the free-roaming throne, but you sense they have just been merely warming the seat in anticipation of the king’s return. There’s a cocksure swagger to GTA IV, and it’s hard not to swoon over the self-assured return of the sandbox king with an all new character, Niko Bellic. From the litter on the streets to the planes that dot the sky, this is as well realised a game world as has been witnessed to date, and it’s a marked progression in the world of sandbox play. Taking as its centerpiece the character that has always distinguished the series from its peers, Rockstar has distilled the humour and reined in the excesses of the last generation of GTA to deliver a punchier and more cohesive world. In our extended hands-on we attempted several missions, whose completion was somewhat hampered by our desire to create as much mischief on the streets of Liberty City as possible. Generally the missions 34

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don’t stray too far from the GTA formula, though of course what we saw was only the slightest of glimpses into what’s sure to be a vast adventure, and most of what Rockstar showed was from earlier stages of the game. Integration of menus and a tightened map system all help contribute to a more streamlined GTA experience. One of the first things to note when taking to the streets is the new radar, now complete with a more readily understandable key. Blue markers denote an item to be picked up, yellow markers a destination, and a red dot lets you know there’s someone waiting to be slaughtered. A welcome addition is the GPS navigation system, which looks to become an invaluable tool when footing it around Liberty City. Waypoints are green marks and we were told that the GPS system is completely law abiding – meaning that it won’t send you headfirst into traffic down one-way streets. It’s a nice fallibility to the feature, that while it will prove indisposable in scouting, it won’t nanny players through the game, and that in some situations duty

will dictate veering off the designated route in order to get to the destination quicker. Watch the people and you’ll witness some amazing things. At one point, we saw a woman stopped at a light, looking in the rearview mirror right before she was rearended by a man ogling a girl on the street. The man got out of his car and went to the woman, checking to see if she was okay. This had nothing to do with Niko or a single action we took. These were the citizens of Liberty City going about their day. And it was just one moment in a day full of incidents. Hang in one area of the city long enough and you’ll see how traffic and pedestrian flow changes as the day progresses. When it rains, people bring out umbrellas or shield themselves with a newspaper and run for an awning. Cops chase petty thieves unaware that walking down the street is Niko Bellic, cold-blooded killer. There’s a perfect balance of mumbling doomsayers to remind you that the reason this city never sleeps is because it’s full of nut jobs. People go about their day, only altering course when Niko

inserts himself into their lives with his crappy driving or excellent marksmanship nserts himself into their lives with his crappy driving or excellent marksmanship. The idea of a “living, breathing city” has always been somewhat of a joke in gaming. Every city in the past has felt artificial in some way. But Liberty City feels like a real place. And its history is built not only into the architecture and the people, but even in the music. There are more than 200 songs in GTA IV and many of them were recorded or remastered with specific references to Liberty City. You’ll hear songs on the Classics station referencing the city, as if to suggest there’s decades of history built into the culture. The soundtrack is an unbelievable blend of rock, pop, reggae, R&B and hiphop. But more astounding is how well the songs and the DJs blend into the city itself. It’s this level of integration that makes Liberty City such a believable place. You won’t just hear “America’s Next Whore” advertised on the radio; you’ll see posters when walking down the street and spot ads on the Internet. GTA IV takes aim at all of the modern forms of communication. Along with radio stations (a staple of the series) there are full programs and ads you can watch on TV and a fully browseable Interweb. As an added twist, GTA IV gives you occasional morality choices. There are people that you don’t have to kill in a mission and you can decide whether or not to waste a bullet. These events don’t change the plot or open new missions later on. Occasionally it affects dialogue, but more often it is simply the game asking what kind of person you are. And there are some gut-wrenching decisions you make at points that create an emotional response we never imagined we would get from a Grand Theft Auto title. There is one significant choice you make towards the end of the game that opens a new path and an alternate ending. There are two worthwhile endings to uncover and are

Liberty City is truly living and breathing.

incentive for playing through a second time just to see how much more depressing life in Liberty City can get. There are more than 90 story missions that will take anywhere from 25-45 hours to complete depending largely on your skill level. We were sure that the missions would get repetitive at some point, that sooner or later it would get redundant. It never does. Though many missions boil down to the same basic parameter -- go to location, kill people to get to target, chase target, kill target -- it never feels repetitive. The locations of missions, the variety in the enemies, the dynamic aspects of the AI, and the dialogue keep GTA IV from ever feeling stale. In fact, this is a game that can be enjoyed with multiple playthroughs. It’s just that good. We should mention that the driving has also been upgraded from past GTA’s. Rockstar’s RAGE engine with NaturalMotion’s Euphoria engine creates a game world with stunning physics. Each brand of car handles differently (you can actually see the suspension in action as you make sharp turns). What will really surprise people is that these

physics work with characters while in cars. So Niko’s weight shifts to one side as he makes a turn and his head snaps forward when he slams the brakes. There is also a full neurological system built into Niko so that his body knows how to react to other objects. At one point I drove an ambulance off a high stunt jump. The cinematic camera swung around to show Niko taking his hands off the wheel and covering his face before impact. You will see the effects of NaturalMotion throughout the game, whether it’s how bodies react when you slam your car into them or the way a gangbanger leaps away from a grenade. The physics system is the connective tissue that grounds the action into something resembling reality. And it’s one of the main factors that makes GTA such an impressive-looking game. If you’re wondering which version to buy, the best suggestion is to consider what your friends will purchase. That’s because online multiplayer has made its way into GTA IV and it is awesome. And, like all great things, it’s best played when drunk and with as Power UP Magazine

EXCLUSIVEPREVIEW

many friends as possible. Multiplayer is accessed via your phone from the single-player game. Everything is active in Liberty City online -- the cops, pedestrians, traffic, and weather. And yes, the entire city is open to you and 15 of your closest friends. To keep you and your pals from getting separated, offers a party system. The party lobby is actually set in the outskirts of Liberty City. You’re given plenty of guns and some vehicles to mess around with. You can stay and fight or run around the city if you like while waiting for the host to set up a match. And boy, are there a lot of options to choose from. There are more than a dozen multiplayer modes if you count team and free-for-all variations. The bread-and-butter of multiplayer is Free Mode. This is a no-rules game that drops you into Liberty City with up to 15 other people to do as you please. You can invent your own custom games, waste time shooting one another or explore the city. As with almost all of the multiplayer modes, there are loads of options for the match. Turn on cops and each player will get their own individual wanted level. Set the time of day, weather, flow of traffic, weapons available -- there’s very little you can’t customize. Free Mode taps into the very core of GTA gameplay, which is to run around the city causing mayhem. Only now you can do it with 15 other like-minded individuals. There are more than a dozen multiplayer modes if you count team and free-for-all variations. The bread-and-butter of multiplayer is Free Mode. This is a no-rules game that drops you into Liberty City with up to 15 other people to do as you please. You can invent your own custom games, waste time shooting one another or explore the city. As with almost all of the multiplayer modes, there are loads of options for the match. Turn on cops and each player will get their own wanted level. Set the time of day, weather, flow of traffic, weapons available -- there’s very little you can’t customize. 36

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There are a number of other creative multiplayer offerings. The standard Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch can be interesting, since the cover system often slows the game a bit so it isn’t as fast-paced as something like Quake. Unless, of course, you choose “all rockets” in which case death will become you many, many times. Mafiya Work has you and your competitors receiving phone errands from a mob boss. First to complete a mission scores some cash. Car Jack City has players vying to steal specially marked cars and return them in as pristine a condition as possible to a drop off point. Turf War is your standard capture-the-point. Or if you like vehicles you can try out GTA Race, which is like any other racing game except you can get out of your vehicle, jack your competitor’s car and finish the race in any way you like -- or just blow up other people for the hell of it. And then there is Cops n’ Crooks, the best of the objective-based multiplayer games. This has two teams, one side lawmen, the other hoodlums. The crooks are trying to get to a randomly selected extraction point and the cops are trying to arrest them with bullets. This mode forces teamwork, as both teams must strategize on the fly and rely on

one another to assist in navigation. It’s a fun, addictive mode that will likely be the most popular of the team offerings. On top of the various competitive modes, there are also three co-op offerings. These three “modes” are missions similar to what you might experience in the single-player game. Niko doesn’t exist in multiplayer, but you still get cut-scenes and some unique dialogue wrapped around some fun missions. Co-op supports up to four players and only has some minor variables. Your objective never changes nor do the locations. You can up the difficulty and add more traffic if you want a challenge, but none of the co-op missions struck me as anything worth playing more than a couple of times. It’s nice to have, but probably won’t be what gamers buzz about when discussing GTA multiplayer. As with just about every game, there are both ranked and of course, unranked matches. Ranked matches are the only way to progress up the ranking system (from 0-10). Progressing up the ranks not only makes you feel better about yourself, but it opens up new clothing and accessories to better customize your character. There’s not a lot of pull to rank up, though, because

A meeting of online minds.

many of the modes don’t use your custom character. The co-op modes and Cops n’ Crooks use a different cast, so if those tend to be your primary focus, having new outfits for a character you never see isn’t going to mean much. We won’t go so far as to say that GTA IV is the best multiplayer out there, but it’s definitely among the best. Having Liberty City in full effect and only seeing occasional instances of slowdown is a real treat. When a few million people load hop online, it’s anyone’s guess how the game will hold up, but from my experience, playing with 16 people in Free Mode only caused occasional hiccups. Certainly not enough to make me stop playing. Though Grand Theft Auto has always been about action, it has never provided a great targeting system. That has finally, truly changed with GTA IV. Hold down the trigger and you can lock on to an enemy (or civilian). You’ll see an indicator of their health. You can adjust your aim slightly with the thumbstick so that nudging up a little can help you earn some headshots. Partially depress the trigger and you have free aim, which is great for targeting tires or specific body parts. With skill, you can take down enemies faster in free mode. But auto aim is a great help in larger battles or for those who aren’t as adept with a controller. Better is the cover system. Tap the right shoulder button and you’ll take cover behind the nearest object. If you see it in the environment, you can probably take cover behind it. That includes walls, dumpsters and cars. You can aim while in cover and when you hold the trigger to fire, you’ll pop and shoot. You can also blind fire rather effectively with any weapon -- including an RPG. The cover system is fairly smart, so if you want to move from one side of a door to the other, just push towards where you want to go and tap the cover button. This also works when you are fairly far from cover. Niko will roll or perform a slick slide to get to safety quickly. There is a stickiness to

The new cover system in effect.

to the cover system similar to Gears of War, but since the cover button isn’t tied to your run button, you never accidentally enter cover. The cops aren’t about to let Niko run through the city with guns blazing, even if he is capping bad guys. Sooner or later, you’ll run afoul of the law. The wanted system has been revised and makes for more dynamic chase scenes. When you’re wanted, your radar displays the police search parameter. The smaller the wanted level, the more local the search. Your goal is to get out of that circle and avoid being seen by the cops. Get spotted and the circle re-centers on your new location. This becomes more of a challenge when you reach three stars, because a police helicopter appears. This eye in the sky has an easier chance of spotting and following Niko -- and directing other cops to your location. Grand Theft Auto III was a revolutionary title, one that inspired a whole new generation of 3D action games. Grand Theft Auto IV is just as big a leap forward, though perhaps in subtler ways, and sets a new benchmark for open-world games. Everything in GTA IV works in harmony. The storyline would be

nothing without the city; the city gains realism from the physics engine; the physics compliment the improved AI; the AI would make no sense without the new cover system. And on and on. There is no one major weak aspect. Overall impressions of our first hands-on are absolute awe, and from what we saw this is a refinement of the series, placing the emphasis firmly on Rockstar’s trademark humour and character. Shearing away some of the role-playing trappings of San Andreas will delight some while disappointing others, but it undoubtedly means that with the focus now on one solitary city more detail can be crammed in. Of course, what we saw was but a sliver of the total game, and we’re sure that Rockstar is yet to do the full reveal, but if this game were to be released as is, it’d be a top-seller. With proper refinement Rockstar will be dealing with a game of the year nominee, and a must have for the every gamer. One thing amongst all of this is certain - the king of sandbox has returned, and will be looking to once again take the throne come June 30th. Reactions? exclusivereact@powerupmag.com. Power UP Magazine

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GAMEGEAR Please don’t touch the glass.

Nyko Perfect Shot Review

We put the zapper alternative to the test.

At E3 2006, in the midst of the American debut of the Wii, Nintendo showed off a prototype Zapper bracket for the Wiimote and Nunchuck that got people pretty excited. The pistol looking design was highly evocative of the original NES Zapper and suggested a lot of potential for Wii lightgun games. At E3 2007 we got our hands on the final Wii Zapper and discovered a radically different tommy gun design. We weren’t big fans of the awkward two-handed grip arrangement or the squishy mechanical trigger, and were disappointed that the final Wii Zapper seemed crafted specifically to avoid appearing anything like a real gun at the direct expense of actual usability. The Zapper is now commonly available and hasn’t improved since E3. As such, we’ve been waiting for a third-party manufacturer to offer a solid alternative with a better trigger and more gun-like design. Happily, Nyko is out to provide exactly that by means of the new Perfect Shot for the Wii. Composed of white plastic with blue highlights, the Perfect Shot is styled just like a real pistol, a welcome change from the odd tommy and shot gun designs we’ve played with previously. The Wiimote slides smoothly into the bracket to fill the ‘barrel’

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cavity whereupon it mates with a Nunchuck port in the rearward recess. This connection leads to a pass-though Nunchuck port at the base of the Perfect Shot’s grip. The blue trigger on the Perfect Shot pulls a springloaded slide that depresses the Wiimote’s B trigger. We were quite pleased by these design decisions on Nyko’s part. The Nunchuck pass-though is quite nice, as it provides the player with a lot of freedom to aim the Perfect Shot with one hand while manipulating the Nunchuck with the other. Disconnecting the Nunchuck is also exceedingly simple, as opposed to the Zapper that must be rather significantly disassembled to uncoil the Nunchuck wire whenever a user wants to play a standard Wii game. When Nyko’s Wireless Nunchuck arrives next year, the Perfect Shot will feel even more tactical and realistic.

Even more pleasing than the Nunchuck pass-though, however, is the Perfect Shot’s trigger. Our greatest complaint with the Nintendo’s Zapper is the fact that there is no spring between the plastic trigger and the Wiimote’s own trigger. The result of the omission is a squishy tactile experience that makes shooting rapidly with the Zapper difficult, as all too often it’s difficult to tell when the Wiimote’s trigger has completed its range of integral motion. The Perfect

Shot, thankfully, makes use of a strong spring that keeps the trigger taut and responsive, and in our testing it proved far more effective than the Zapper’s in games that require rapid firing, like Resident Evil: UC and Ghost Squad.

Another benefit of the Perfect Shot design is the fact that it allows users to aim via the fixed sights rather than shooting from the hip as with the Zapper. The Wiimote does not naturally aim exactly where it’s pointing, but in games that support calibration, like Ghost Squad, we were able, by sitting at the right height and distance and then not moving from the spot, to dial in the Wiimote’s accuracy to the degree to which we could actually aim down the Perfect Shot’s barrel. This allowed us to turn off the on-screen aiming reticule in Ghost Squad (doing so provides a points bonus) and still shoot accurately, which is how lightgun games should be played. The Perfect Shot will be hitting retail this month, priced at $14.99. We highly recommend it as a Zapper alternative, though in terms of an overall value comparison, the fact that Nintendo includes the very fun Link’s Crossbow Training game with the Zapper means lightgun fans will have to consider buying both.

VERDICT: 9.5/10

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DOC’SORDERS Whats wrong with the Industry, and how we’d fix it.

How to kill a Franchise.

We point the finger at franchises that have gone seriously wrong. Seeing a beloved franchise crumble into a defunct mishmash of horrid ideas and misconstrued concepts seems to happen all too often in this day and age of money grabbing bottom-liners. A great game is relatively easy to create in comparison to what it takes to sustain that greatness throughout an entire series. Some franchises are great at keeping a high level of quality, whereas others take a swan dive into the shallow end of the pool. It might not be so bad when a company makes a one-hit-wonder that then flops, but when a series has been in our hearts for generations of systems and then takes a downturn in quality, that’s when we have to turn our gaze to the publishers responsible. We’re usually not in the business of calling people out for shoddy development jobs, but in some cases, an exception must be made. In this article we’ll detail some of our most beloved series that have taken a grave turn for the worse, and then tell you how future installments can right the ship. And yes, not even Electronic Arts will be spared this time around.

DOOM - id Software

A note to John Carmack, visuals do not make a game. Gameplay makes a game. The look of a game will be passed by as newer

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games come down the pipeline, but classic gameplay will always be fun to pick up and play. The original DOOM embodied this sentiment perfectly. Its gameplay was incredibly fun and addictive, and even if its visual look has been long since surpassed by other titles, the gameplay of the original still stands up well today - as is evidenced by the release of the game on Xbox Live Arcade. Crowds rejoiced when news of DOOM 3 came down the news wire. A sequel to one of the greatest first-person shooters ever released was finally on its way. What new gameplay mechanics would be introduced? What new scares could we expect to creep up on us in the night? As it turned out, the answer to both of those questions, was none. There were no new gameplay mechanics, and all of the scary moments in DOOM 3 were derived from the same “Watch out, an imp just popped out of a wall that turned into a sliding door!” moments. It was cheap and a little too old-school for most people’s taste. At the end of the day it was a lack of original gameplay concepts that killed the DOOM franchise. People want new experiences, and DOOM 3 didn’t deliver anything aside from a revamped graphics engine. Doctor’s Orders: The horror element has always been a big part of DOOM, and DOOM 3 actually did continue that trend successfully with some cool sound elements and lighting effects throughout the game’s many corridors. Now all id Software needs to do is create new gameplay elements. Maybe introduce squad based commands, or perhaps bring the action outside, and create those same horror elements with huge, expansive vistas. It certainly would be a challenge to create the same horror undertones in larger environments, but why

not give it a shot? In my mind the only direction for the series to move is up.

Madden - EA Sports

The Madden series is a hot topic every year because fan boys love to point out that the new game doesn’t bring anything earth-shattering to the table. “It’s only a roster update!” the forums constantly proclaim when a new Madden hits the streets, and most years it seems like they’re right. Madden Football has become so formulaic over the years, yet we as gamers need only point the finger at ourselves for the downturn in pigskin quality. It seems like every fall Madden tops the sales charts, no matter how many hardcore fans stand on the soap boxes proclaiming that the game delivers nothing new. Possibly the biggest element to aid in the slaying of Madden Football was the exclusivity deal that dropped in 2005. Basically it freed EA from having to compete with 2K Sports, thus removing the pressure of developing new features every year. Remember when 2K made an attempt at first-person football? Did it work? Nope. Was it a great thing to at least try? Absolutely. Now EA doesn’t need to worry about competing with anyone. They set the bar, no matter how low that bar may be. Doctor’s Orders: EA, you have the ESPN license, here’s a thought: put it to use. Slap SportsCenter, ESPN Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football logos all over the

ame, toss Stuart Scott and Chris Berman into the sound booth to record some fresh commentary, and all of a sudden you’ve got the pigskin game that we’ve all been hoping for. On top of that, why not put the Madden games on a two-year release cycle? Release a roster update during the off-year, and spend the rest of the time developing full-fledged new features and visuals for the game. Relieve some of the pressure that comes with delivering a yearly title, and deliver the definitive game of football with every release.

game up, but for the past few years it has been getting trounced in pretty much every way possible, with the most recent rendition being the most lopsided yet. Doctor’s Orders: Just retool the entire game. Turn NBA Live 08 into NBA Live 09, take a good step back and look at what has worked for the NBA 2K series, slap ESPN personalities and logos all over the game, and for the love of god make it feel like actual basketball again. We’re here in the next-generation, it’s about time we get an EA basketball game to match.

NBA Live - EA Sports

Sonic - SEGA

Does anyone remember how great this series was back in its heyday? Back when the folks at EA first introduced the right analog stick as the proverbial “trick stick.” All of a sudden a world of crossover dribbles and spin moves had been unlocked for all to enjoy. Sadly that was the last great innovation to hit the series, though other attempts have been made. As the series made its way into the nextgeneration, the developers clearly had a steep hill to climb with the most recent NBA Live game being the worst in recent memory. The ball physics were poor, and almost nothing on the court felt like authentic round ball. It was clear that the series had taken a dive to its lowest point. You would think that with the NBA 2K series delivering such a quality basketball experience year in and year out that NBA Live would pick its

Sonic and Mario, the two went hand-inhand back in the day. Bitter rivals competing for supremacy by seeing which development powerhouse could churn out the better product. At the end of the day both series were great, and gamers benefited heavily because of it. Fast-forward to the here and now, Mario is still churning out undeniably fun and inventive titles, whereas Sonic has plummeted to the nether regions of videogames. The series has all but abandoned the sense of speed and wonder that made the original titles so much fun to play. Case in point are the two most recent entries, Shadow the Hedgehog on Xbox and Sonic the Hedgehog on Xbox 360 and PS3. Both games felt extremely dissimilar from any of the previous entries with their lack of speed, interesting characters, or any true molecule or resemblance of Sonic fun.

Doctor’s Orders: Bring Sonic back to its roots, return it to the form that we saw in Sonic Adventures on the Dreamcast. Deliver a fully realized 3D world, but still equip Sonic with the same speed-driven abilities that he’s known for. Oh, and quit introducing new characters into the Sonic universe, it’s crowded enough as it is.

Splinter Cell - Ubisoft

When Sam Fisher first graced the Xbox not too long ago I really thought that Microsoft had found their answer to Metal Gear Solid. Snake was cool and all, but how you can go against any character that has Michael Ironside’s voice? The stealth action was oh-so-cool, and those lighting effects were unlike anything I had ever seen before. Nowadays though, people are buying fewer and fewer of Sam Fisher’s adventures each time out. With Ubisoft juggling the game between their Montreal and Shanghai studios, it’s no wonder that the series has lost any form of continuity. Not so much in the story, but in the actual gameplay mechanics. Doctor’s Orders: Stop releasing Splinter Cell games every year. This should not be on a yearly release cycle; it’s too good of a franchise to rush it out the door. While it’s true that tossing the game back and forth between two studios gives each more time to work on their game, the feel of the game changes too much between each iteration.

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THEOUTLOOK Check out our crystal ball.

Whats next for the Nintendo DS? Once again, Nintendo released a quarterly earnings report that not only solidifies the company as a major player going into the next generation, but shows that it’s certainly onto something with both the Wii and the DS. But according to that same report, not everything is perfect with the company’s handheld system. According to Nintendo, it’s only forecasting 9 percent growth going forward as sales of the DS continue to slide and expectations of higher sales continue to dwindle. Nintendo contends that DS sales could fall to 28 million units from 30.3 million units sold. And while some market analysts are disappointed with the news of the DS slowing and the company itself not growing as fast as they would like, they fail to fully understand the nature of the beast they’re trying to gauge. If analysts were worried about the Wii, we would probably agree. But why would anyone be worried about Nintendo’s plans for the DS? Will it sell fewer units this year? Maybe. But if nothing else, we think that we’ll soon find that Nintendo has something up its sleeve that will jump-start sales and send those same, misguided analysts into a frenzy. Although no one knows what the next iteration of the DS will look like, people from all over the globe are speculating. Some say it’ll have larger screens and others say the touch technology will improve and allow developers to create even more innovative titles. And while both are probably right, why can’t we think out of the box a little bit? Nintendo has surprised even the most critical of columnists and done things that some thought were never worthwhile.

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Realizing that, we should look beyond our current frame of reference and come up with some ideas that are feasible and idealistic, but may or may not be a part of the next iteration. The release We may be going out on a limb here, but expect the next Nintendo DS to hit store shelves just after the company makes its E3 announcement in July. Chances are, the company will tell us that the DS has been performing extremely well, but it’s time for a refresh and it’ll push Miyamoto and friends out onstage to build up the hype. The usual So we should start out with what we already believe will happen. At E3, Nintendo will pull out a slightly smaller DS from a blazer pocket and hold it in the air for all the drooling press to see. From there, the company will outline many of the improvements we have expected--larger screens, better battery life, a smaller footprint, and a slew of new colors. And then the fun begins. Pie in the sky? Next up, our speakers will unveil all of the great new features that will be included in the next iteration of the DS, which will be available the week after E3. First off, the company will tell us about the more powerful graphics capabilities. To better compete with Sony and the rest, Nintendo will tell us that it has decided to double the graphics capabilities of the new DS. According to them, Mario, Zelda, and Princess Peach will have never looked so good on a handheld.

Can you say iPhone? Next, the fine folks at Nintendo will unveil a new multitouch technology that lets you abandon the use of a stylus and use your fingers to control the action onscreen. According to the company, the new multitouch technology will let you enjoy the DS like never before and your digits will thank you for it. We agree. Multimedia Finally, Nintendo will take away the PSP’s last bastion of hope and allow you to upload media to the device like never before. With a slightly modified menu system, the DS will allow you to add music, movies, television shows, and anything else you’re looking for much more easily than ever before. On top of that, it might also let you make phone calls via Skype with a headset, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. So there it is--our guess for what Nintendo could have up its sleeve with the DS. Does it sound too good to be true? Probably. But as Nintendo has shown, it has some tricks up its sleeve and it’s more than willing to show off what it can do. And with slumping DS sales, now is a great time for it to create an even more compelling product that brings more DS owners to the table.

GAMEBREAK Put down the controller and pick this up.

Koss PortaPro Headphones

With so many funky headphone designs flooding the market right now, it’s getting harder and harder to choose which one to buy. Instead of showing you the latest snazzy set of cans, we’re taking you back in time to showcase the Koss PortaPros. These headphones are the ultimate in retro chic and are guaranteed to get a few comments, but you won’t hear them thanks to the beautiful symphony of sound flooding your ears. For $50, we’re hard-pressed to find another set that rivals their sound quality and quirky design. The first thing you’ll notice about the PortaPros is that they look like something from the 1980s. That’s because they are-Koss released these exact headphones in 1984 and they became so popular that Koss hasn’t changed a thing for 23 years. These headphones retain the same design both internally and externally. The earcups are secured to your head by a thin steel headband that adjusts with two sliders that

tighten and loosen the tension. Once you have them in place, the PortaPros are actually very comfortable--they’re featherweight and additional cushions on top of the ear pads prevent the headset from slipping. The comfort level is taken a step further with what Koss calls their “Comfort Zone.” This feature has three mechanical settings that let you adjust the tension of the earpiece against your head. The downside is that there’s no way to lock the headband in place and the sliders like to get caught in your hair as you take them on and off. This also becomes a problem when you want to rest the headphones around your neck--the band immediately tightens up and practically strangles you. On the plus side, the PortaPros also fold up and clip together for relatively convenient storage. The overall design of the PortaPros is hit or miss. Not everyone will be keen on the design, but we actually love the way the headphones look. The light blue touches and extended hardware conjure fond memories of a time when Marty McFly, Lobot, and Tron ruled the world, and who are we to argue with a 23-year dedicated following? Looks aside, the real reason why the PortaPros still remain classic (albeit underappreciated) is because of their fantastic sound quality. Just keep in mind that these came out decades before studio-quality sound-isolating headphones became available to the consumer market, so they definitely won’t block out the majority of ambient noise. They also started to leak sound at the one-third mark on our iPod’s volume bar, but we’re not surprised given their open-ear design, just be sure not to crank it up too high around your neighbors. However, aside from that, we have very few

complaints. In our audio test, we compared the PortaPros with another set of foldable cans, Sennheiser’s PX100 miniheadphones. We had good things to say about the PX100, but were ultimately unsatisfied with the lack of treble range. In contrast, the PortaPros simply blew us away with their range and ability to maintain quality at a high volume. We pumped several songs in a wide variety of genres through the headphones and each one produced a focused sound in the midrange with detailed resolution in the highs and surprisingly thick, head-shaking bass. Our MP3 of “Fatalist Palmistry” by Why? sounds much better with the PortaPros as well, clearly separating each instrument with equal balance while maintaining sonic realism. According to Koss, the sound output is handled by “neodymium iron boron rare earth magnet structures” that provide a 15-25,000Hz frequency range, which certainly sounds like random vendor jargon, but truth is that for the sub-$50 range, the Koss PortaPros are the headphones to beat. If all that isn’t enough to convince you to snatch up a pair, consider that Koss offers a “no questions asked” lifetime warranty on the PortaPros. If anything happens to them during normal use, Koss will send you a new pair for the cost of shipping ($6.00). Now, that’s music to our ears.

VERDICT: 8/10 The bottom line: Koss hit a home run with the PortaPros. Love or hate the design, there’s no denying the sound quality here: they’re the ideal companion for mobile audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts.

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PIXELINK

Your monthly showcase of permanent nerd status.

“I decided to commemorate some of my greatest childhoood memories to a backpeice called “The mushroom Kingdom.” Featuring all of my favorite characters from the Nintendo games, the peice was designed for me by a friend of mine after making the joke that if I had dedicated the majority of my life to these games, why not go to the grave with a marking saying just that? It had always been just an idea in the back of my mind, but when I lost my job and started heavy drug-use, I came to a near-death status. When I kicked my habits through the help of rehab, family and friends, one of my new outlooks on life was that it is far too short to worry over trivial things like marking your skin. So I called up my old friend and asked him to finish his sketch, and within the next week the needle was to my skin, this time in a positive light. I am about 22 hours in at this point and the majority of outlining is complete with coloring to continue. I’m getting inked by Hell Fish Studios in New Jersey and I would highly reccomend them to anyone in the area looking to leave a permanent mark on their life.” -Andrew Dahlmer NJ

Think your video-game related ink could be featured here? pixelink@powerupmag.com 46

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CEREBRALSKILL Put thought into action, prove your gamer street-cred!

1. “Reticulating Splines” is associated with which game series? A: Trauma Center: Second Opinion B: Tex Murphy C: SimCity D: All of the above 2. “Look, a three headed monkey!” was often used as a diversion in this series: A: Ape Escape B: Skull Monkeys C: Monkey Island D: Super Monkey Ball 3. Well before the convenience of Windows, PC gamers were often saddled with re-configuring these two files to get DOS-based games to run properly: A: autoexec.bat and config.sys B: config.exe and readme.txt C: runtime.sys and auto.exe D: con.fig and diedosdie.exe 4. Activision has published a number of titles in the Call of Duty franchise. Including individual platforms, how many Call of Duty games have been published? A: 3 B: 12 C: 15 D: More than 20 5. Halo started development as a game for this platform: A: PC B: XBOX C: Mac D: Gameboy Color

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6. The battle between Sega and Nintendo during the early to mid ‘90s 16-bit Wars is the stuff legends are made of. During that time both companies produced many different advertising slogans but Sega produced two that still have resonance with all this “next-gen” techonology. One was “Sega!” and the other was: A: Sonic Will Blow the Doors Off! B: Welcome to the Next Level C: Sega-CD? You’ll C! D: Feel the Power 7. “Stop and pop” has been used to describe: A: The hobby of acne suffers B: Gears of War C: Whack-a-Mole mini game in the original Sam & Max D: On the Spot 8. Gary Owens voiced the narrator for these two games: A: Space Quest V and Leisure Suit Larry 3 B: Day of the Tentacle and Leisure Suit Larry 4 C: Space Quest IV and Space Quest VI D: Zero Wing and Mad Dog McCree 9. Before Sierra became a “label” it had a proud tradition of adventure games. The company was so successful it published a quarterly magazine stands. What was it called? A: Adventuring with Sierra-Online B: InterAction C: Quester D: Adventurer 10. The space fighter “Wing Commander” first appeared in: A: 1987 B:1988 C: 1990 D: 1991

11. Ex-GameSpot editor, Greg Kasavin, recently left GameSpot to join: A: The Army B: EA Redwood Shores C: Bethesda D: Microsoft 12. Lawrence Holland heads up Totally Games, which is currently working on an Alien Syndrome re-make for Sega. But Lawrence is best known for having a part in:

16. Often cited as the creator of the Leisure Suit Larry series, Al Lowe is noted as saying the greatest advancement for PC gaming was “the mouse, because it freed up your other hand to do other things.” The other hand is used to: A: Hold your beer B: Use the AWSD finger position for first-person shooters C: Activate shortcut keys for real-time strategy games D: We don’t know, but we bet it’s dirty 17: Which was not a chapter in the Tex Murphy series?

A: Secret Weapons of Germany B: Star Wars: X-Wing C: Secret Weapons in My Pants (AO version) D: Flight Simulator 3

A: Tex Murphy: Overseer B: Under a Killing Moon C: Mean Streets D: Tex Murphy: Does a Little “Undercover” Work

13. She played Special Agent Tanya in both Red Alert 2 and Red Alert 2: Yuri’s Revenge.

18. How many dots are there on a Pac-Man board?

14. Tim Schafer has been associated with some of the funniest games of the last 15 years. Which game did Tim Schafer not work on? A: Voodoo Vince B: Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle C: Grim Fandango D: Psychonauts 15. In his youth, Lead Director at Bethesda Studios John Carmack was busted for stealing: A: Condoms B: Computers C: A loaf of bread D: A Pong arcade machine

A: 175 B: 120 C: 200 D: 240 19. What does the word “Atari” mean in Japanese? A: Games and fun B: Prepare to be attacked! C: Idea Box D: Light 20: Who said “My idea of retirement is to sit all day in a big, dark room playing Space Invaders”? A: Larry King B: Walter Cronkite C: Hugh Hefner D: George Lucas Remember kids, google is cheating. 1:B, 2:C, 3:A, 4:D, 5:Mac, 6:B, 7:B, 8:C, 9:B, 10:C, 11:B, 12:B, 13:B, 14:A, 15:B, 16:D, 17:D, 18:D, 19:B, 20:B

A: Athena Massey B: Kari Wurher C: Aleksandra Kaniak D: Lynne Litteer

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GETEMPLOYED Want out of Mom’s Basement? Industry Classifieds.

THQ, Kaos Studios — New York, NY, USA Lead Level Designer

Other Ocean Interactive — Charlottetown, PE, CAN Designer

Kaos Studios is located in the heart of New York City. Along with the opportunity to live in one of the most exciting cities in the world, we just completed one of the most exciting FPS titles to date. Frontlines: Fuel of War (PC/XBOX360) is already receiving great press and that’s just the beginning! We also offer competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and an excellent compensation package. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, read on!

Tired of the rat race? Other Ocean Interactive has exciting new employment opportunities for talented Designers! Join our growing team in developing the latest in DS, Wii, and XBOX 360 titles. Other Ocean Interactive is located in scenic Prince Edward Island, Canada, where the low cost of living and the fantastic quality of life are difficult, perhaps impossible, to match. If you’re an experienced Designer searching for a new opportunity, we look forward to hearing from you!

www.kaosstudios.com

www.otherocean.com

Shanghai Studio — Shanghai, Sh, CHN Lead Game Designer

Helixe Studios — Burlington, MA, USA Art Director

A leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide, Ubisoft has world-class facilities in 21 countries, staffed with 3,500 of the best game production people in the video game business. Shanghai Studio is a magnet for global game talents, not only because of Ubisoft’ reputation at a leading creative force, but also because of the beautiful and exciting city itself; rapidly on its way to becoming the most exciting place on Earth.

Helixe is currently developing several high profile titles set for release in 2008 and 2009. Since the studio’s inception in July of 2000, Helixe has produced 20 DS and GBA games with total sales topping well over 5 million units. These titles include top-selling Pixar’s The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille and WALL-E, licensed properties for Star Wars and Scooby Doo, and numerous Nickelodeon titles including Spongebob, Fairly Odd Parents, Rugrats, and Roco’s Modern Life.

www.shanghaistudio.com

www.helixe.com

Recoil Games — Helsinki, , FIN Senior Designer

Big Huge Games — Baltimore, MD, USA Senior/Lead Designer

We are looking for a SENIOR DESIGNER for our ambitious nextgen project EARTH NO MORE. Recoil is an English-speaking team spanning eight nationalities situated in Helsinki, Finland, one of Europe’s fastest growing hotbeds of game development. Finland is also known for its high standard of living, beautiful nature and modern way of life. A dynamic seafront city with plenty of nature, Helsinki is known for good restaurants, a high level of technology and a welcoming atmosphere.

Co-Conspirator wanted for Secret Project #2! Big Huge is in preproduction on a high-concept Wii title with a bold vision and strong backing. Nontraditional gamers playing with the prototype blow through the five minutes of actual content, but spend the next ½ hr playing in the world, laughing out loud as they discover more interactions. This response has us convinced we’re “on” to something special, but we need one more experienced Senior / Lead Designer to help us flesh out systems.

www.recoilonline.com

www.bighugegames.com

Amaze Entertainment — Kirkland, WA, USA Level Designer/Scripter

Insomniac Games — Burbank, CA, USA Scripter- Contract

Amaze Entertainment is one of the largest independent game development companies in the world. Consistent delivery of world-class games has earned us a reputation as the ideal development partner, especially for high profile product launches. We’re recruiting! If you have enthusiasm and the skills for creating great games, please contact us. We offer competitive benefits, a generous stock option package and a hectic but always fun environment. You will be amazed at the impact you will have.

Insomniac Games is an independent developer that created the first three Spyro games and the Ratchet and Clank franchise. Insomniac also released Resistance: Fall of Man in ‘06, a firstperson shooter and PS3 launch title. Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction was released for the PS3 in ‘07. We are currently working on the first third-generation PS3 title, Resistance 2, which features 60-player online competitive play, an 8-player online co-op campaign and a full single-player campaign.

www.amazeentertainment.com

www.insomniac.com Power UP Magazine

GETEMPLOYED TimeGate Studios — Sugar Land, TX, USA Senior Level Designer

Hi-Rez Studios — Alpharetta, GA, USA Lead Level Design

TimeGate Studios, developer of the award-winning F.E.A.R. Extraction Point and Axis & Allies, is looking for a talented & experienced Sr. Level Designer to work on several high-profile titles! Projects in development include the Unreal Engine 3-powered Section 8, a team-based first-person shooter where elite powered-armor infantry wage war on epic sci-fi battlefields. New IP projects, next-gen technology, and low cost of living await you at TimeGate!

Join us and use Unreal3 to create team PvP levels within our action MMO! Hi-Rez Studios is an independent game company established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment. We are in production on Global Agenda, an action MMO using Unreal 3 and set in a spy-fi setting of advanced technology and player-driven conflict. Our studio is located in the Atlanta-area, with vibrant downtown, universities, easy access to mountains and beach and very affordable housing.

www.timegate.com

www.hirez.com

Mind Control Software, Inc. — San Rafael, CA, USA Creative Director

RealNetworks — Seattle, WA, USA Sr. SDE, Game Engine

Remember why you wanted to make games? We sure do. We’re an award-winning game development company located in beautiful Marin County, twenty minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. We’ve been in business for over ten years. We’re experts at online games and online technologies, and will be ushering in a new era of connected play. We are well known for our Game of the Year winner, Oasis. One of our current products is a Magic: The Gathering-themed game.

GameHouse Studios produces some of the most popular and entertaining titles you can play on the Internet. The ideal candidate will drive the engine that drives the games! You will develop, enhance, and document the cross-platform engine used by our internal teams worldwide to build 10 games a year. You’ll work with the teams on game-specific features and tools. You’ll also be supporting and training them. You should be familiar with the internals of at least one game engine.

www.mindcontrol.com

www.real.com

BioWare Edmonton — Edmonton, AB, CAN External Producer

Blue Fang Games — Waltham, MA, USA Art Director

BioWare, the newest member of the incredible family of EA studios, has created some of the world’s best-selling games: We have continually achieved critical and commercial success. All of our published titles are in the top 5% highest rated at www.gamerankings.com; in fact we have 6 games in the top 1% highest rated games of all time! * Canada’s Top 100 Employers * Financial Post Canada’s Top 10 Best Companies to Work For * Alberta’s Top 35 Employers.

The future of gaming lies in growing beyond the traditional genres that have dominated our industry. We need to expand our audience by creating new and different interactive experiences that speak to the broader population. Blue Fang Games is dedicated to creating games that appeal to this larger audience. We are currently developing an original video game property with THQ Inc. and we are looking for talented individuals to join our team and play an integral role in shaping the future.

www.bioware.com

www.bluefang.com

Vigil Games — Austin, TX, USA Project Manager

Pandemic Studios Australia — Brisbane, QL, AUS Senior Producer

Take one legendary comic artist, one technological guru, and add a host of experienced artists, designers, programmers and managers, and you have a recipe for groundbreaking gaming - you have Vigil Games in Austin, TX. In mid-March 2006, Vigil Games became a part of the rapidly expanding THQ family. Austin features a rare mix of outdoor activities, nightlife, artistic and cultural diversity as well as technological sophistication - while still maintaining affordable living costs.

Pandemic Studios develops high-profile titles for some of the top publishers in the industry. With a series of best-selling hit releases, Pandemic has built a reputation as a premier developer of innovative, award winning games for all major platforms. Pandemic’s professional management approach and commitment to quality of life are the foundation of one of the industry’s largest, most successful independent developers.

www.vigilgames.com

www.pandemic.com

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Warner Bros Games — Kirkland, WA, USA Associate Producer

Blizzard Entertainment — Irvine, CA, USA Senior Software Engineer

The Associate Producer assists and works closely with the Producer on specified production components of an assigned game title or other project. In this capacity, the Associate Producer may work in partnership with internal and external developers and any third parties to assist the Producer in ensuring the timely, high quality delivery of the project or its components. Job listing appl;ies to the 3rd quarter of 2008 with possible extensions after processing.

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a talented and enthusiastic programmer to join our Battle.net team in Irvine, California. Battle.net is an online service enjoyed by millions of Blizzard Entertainment gamers around the globe. The senior software engineer must be self-motivated and able to work both independently and in conjunction with team members and product groups. Enthusiasm and flexibility in working on a variety of projects are also necessary.

www.wbgames.com

www.blizard.com

NCsoft — Austin, TX, USA Programmer

Realtime Worlds Ltd — Dundee, SL, GBR C# Winforms Programmer

NCsoft is looking for talented individuals to be a part of the world’s leading developer and publisher of online PC games. Makers of the world’s most popular online game franchise, Lineage, NCsoft has also created many other award winning and groundbreaking products such as City of Heroes and Guild Wars. Soon, NCsoft will launch other massively multiplayer titles including Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa and Aion in addition to various casual games via its game portal, PlayNC.

Realtime Worlds are on a very secure footing with our game projects signed with top-tier partners, a recent $31m investment and an all-star board of directors whose former job titles included Founder of DMA Design (creator of such hits as the Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto series), Vice President at Nintendo of America and Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Business is expected to continue to rise with a 32% stock increase over the last 6 months.

www.plaync.com

www.realtime.com

Sparkplay Media — San Francisco, CA, USA MMO Engineer

Stray Bullet Games — Austin, TX, USA Gameplay Programmer

Sparkplay Media is looking for coding ninjas to be a part of our team of MMO rockstars. We’re completely independently funded which means we have total creative control over what we do. If you’re looking to be part of an elite group of MMO developers working in an awesome environment (Sparkplay Manor rocks) get in touch with us. We offer competitive salaries, full benefits, and stock options, all backed by world-class venture capitalists who built companies like Tivo, MySpace, and Netflix.

Stray Bullet Games is an independent developer of massively multiplayer online entertainment founded by key developers from Wolfpack Studios, the creators of “Shadowbane®.” Based in Austin, Texas, Stray Bullet Games develops products and services for a worldwide customer base with the mission of establishing a new standard in the areas of virtual 3D environments and persistent real world time changing gaming. We look forward to hearing you through our online application.

www.sparkplay.com

www.straybullet.com

7 Studios — Salt Lake City, UT, USA AAA Programmers

Blue Castle Games Inc — Burnaby, BC, CAN Intermediate Online Software Engineer

Our studio is currently in production on several brand-new, next-generation, original IP games. We are creating from the ground up a completely new, top tier engine and tools set, and we are looking for the best and the brightest from the industry. This is a rare opportunity to help create new technology and gameplay! With 8 years of experience and with offices in West Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Taipei, 7 Studios is one of the largest independent developers in the industry.

Blue Castle Games is on the hunt for an Online Software Engineer for one of its newest projects... an un-announced Sports title to be released on multiple platforms. The Online Software Engineer will work closely with the existing Online team who are responsible for all online backend technology, the user interface and the overall online user experience on platforms like Xbox Live and the PS/3. You will have the opportunity to shape the project’s online technology and features.

www.7studio.com

www.bluecastle.com

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