Electronic Gaming Monthly (August 2002)

Electronic Gaming Monthly (August 2002)

Electronic Gaming Monthly was perhaps the most popular and certain one of the longest lasting video game magazines in the U.S. The first issue came out in the late 1980s and it continued publication into the 2000s. The August 2002 issue includes:

Features

• Miyamoto's Angels - Referring to Nintendo's popular franchises Metroid, Mario and Zelda. This article previews the new games coming soon in those franchises to the GameCube and Game Boy Advance including Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube), Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (GBA), Metroid Prime (GameCube), Metroid Fusion (Game Boy Advance), Legend of Zelda (GameCube), and Zelda GBA.


• The First GameCube and Xbox RPGs - Morrowind for the Xbox (but honestly, your better off playing it on a PC) and Lost Kingdoms for the GameCube are a couple of the first major RPGs for those platforms.

_{Table of Contents from the August 2002 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly}

Departments

• Editorial - Looking at trends in video games, both good (adult themes in games) and bad (poor licensed games...but this has almost always been a trend).


• Letters - Letters from readers about Tony Hawk 4, cel shading, Star Wars games, the Final Fantasy movie, and much more.


• Press Start - The top news this month includes highlights from E3, and update on the PlayStation 2's success, Microsoft pushes online gaming with the Xbox and new games like Unreal Championship, Nintendo pushing new games in major franchises but lacks online presence (Phantasy Star Online is the only online game at the time). For the GBA, more games are being released that make use of the GB/GBA link. Get extras in Animal Crossing and Phantasy Star Online.


• Gossip - Quartermann speculates on rumors including Sonic retiring from Adventure games; Rare to start developing games for multiple systems; Doom III for the Xbox; and more.


• Review Crew
  • PlayStation 2
  • Aggressive Inline - Like Tony Hawk games but with inline skates.
  • Britney's Dance Beat - A pretty terrible music based game.
  • Dropship: United Peace Force - A combat vehicle sim in which you not only pilot aircraft but drive ground vehicles as well.
  • Endgame - A light gun game that you probably don't want.
  • Freekstyle - Kind of like SSX but with dirt bikes in instead of snowboards.
  • Legion: The Legend of Excalibur - A Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance like action/RPG that unfortunately does not live up to that comparison.
  • Fire Blade - A 3D combat helicopter arcade game.
  • The Mark of Kri - A 3D action adventure game that earns EGM's 'Game of the Month'.
  • MLB Slugfest 20-03 - A baseball game on steroids.
  • MX SuperFly Featuring Ricky Carmichael - A motocross sim with unrealistic physics...but fun to play.
  • Shifters - A not so great action/RPG.
  • Xbox
  • Test Drive - A continuation of the Test Drive series that I started playing on the Commodore 64. This one is comparable to Burnout.
  • Crazy Taxi 3 - A great sequel in a great series.
  • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - An excellent RPG from the PC world. The Xbox version is excellent...it's just that the PC version is better.
  • GameCube
  • Bomberman Generation - There have been a great many Bomberman games over the Years. This is one of the better ones.
  • Lost Kingdoms - A new and somewhat unique RPG for the GameCube.
  • Game Boy Advance
  • Guilty Gear X: Advance Addition - A decent portable 2D fighter.
  
  
• Tricks - Infinite grenades in Resident Evil, play as Laura Croft in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, several secrets for Jedi Starfighter, increase the size of your stolen-car collection in GTA3, Bonesaw in Spider-Man, strategies and clues for Eternal Darkness, unlock hidden wrestlers and arenas in Wrestlemania X8, plus tons of codes, GameShark codes, and questions answered by the Game Doctor.

_{Back cover of the August 2002 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly}

Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2022/09/14/electronic-gaming-monthly-august-2002/

SSX 3 (Electronic Arts)

SSX 3 (Electronic Arts)

SSX 3 is a 3rd person snowboard racing game that was released by EA in 2003 for various systems, including the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. As the name would suggest, this is the 3rd game in the series though the second game was called SSX Tricky. As far as this type of game goes, this was one of the best. It received very high ratings and sold well. I'm not much of a fan of sports game in general but this one plays more like a racing game. I happen to like racing games. If you like racing games then you may like this game regardless of your feelings about snowboarding or sports games in general. However, a significant component of the game is performing tricks both during races and as part of separate freestyle events. This is an excellent example of the genre so if you have any interest at all this one is worth giving a shot. The good news is that there is even a recent release of this game in the form of an enhanced Xbox One port that was released in 2018. Otherwise, an original copy for the Xbox, PS2 or GameCube shouldn't be too hard to track down either. The image at the top is from Girls of Gaming and features Elise, one of the characters from the game. Screen shots are from the GameCube version of the game.

Arcia (Chaos Legion)

Arcia (Chaos Legion)

Chaos Legion is a 3D action adventure game that was released by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 and PC in 1997. You play the role of Sieg Wahrheit who is hunting down his former friend, Victor, who has stolen a forbidden book that will enable him to release the evil spirit Azrail who would do a bunch of really bad things. Typically you fight enemies in waves and must defeat all enemies in a given area before progressing to the next stage or level. Along the way you run across Arcia who is busy fighting for her life as the only surviving "Maiden of Silver" that was sent out to fight demons. She also happens to be hunting Victor for her own reasons. You two get to team up and have lots of fun slaughtering demons and eventually confronting Victor. The unique twist to this game is your ability to summon "Chaos Legions". There are several different types with different powers and can be upgraded throughout the game. However, after a summoning you are left in a somewhat weakened state. On the surface, this game is somewhat like Devil May Cry. However, this was not one of Capcom's better games. The PlayStation 2 version was mediocre at best and the PC version was quite a bit worse. There is little strategy involved and this is basically a button masher. The plot is relatively convoluted but yet it never really seems to advance much. It is also a relatively short game with little replayability. Not terrible necessarily but not worth the original price of admission. The PS2 version is definitely the one to look for. Fortunately, it is relatively modestly priced so picking up an original on eBay or elsewhere won't be too hard. You can also choose emulation but there have been no official re-releases of this game as far as I know. Pictured at the top is Arcia from Girls of Gaming and the screen shots are from the PS2 version of the game.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (June 2007)

Electronic Gaming Monthly (June 2007)

EGM ran for many years. By the time 2007 came along, I didn't really pay that much attention to it anymore. Neither did many others apparently since it didn't last as a print publication all that much longer. It wasn't that it became a terrible magazine or anything, I just didn't keep up with newer games like I used to and most of those who did, did so online. It's still hard for me to believe that systems like the PS3 are a decade old. The June 2007 issue of EGM includes:

Letters

• In Soviet Russia, letter writes you

Press Start

• Exclusive: God of War: Chains of Olympus - The portable world just got a whole lot bloodier...
• Works in Progress - Keep an eye on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - they're changing
• Foreign Object
• Preview: Fracture - The shooter from the MechAssault guys breaks new ground
• Online Scene - Check out what developers are praising - or whining about
• Preview: Manhunt 2 - The Wii steps into Mature-rated territory - take that, politician!
• The Big Ones - Grand Theft Auto IV goes under the EGM microscope
• Interview: Hironobu Skaguchi - Why does the creator of Final Fantasy hate the PS3?
• Rumor Mill - The Q-Mann reveals where Dead or Alive will bounce to next
• Take This Job - Learn what it takes to break into the world of public relations
• Coming Soon - Games that defy the so-called "summer drought"

Reviews

• Reviews Intro
• F.E.A.R.
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
• Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia
• Dawn of Mana
• Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm
• .hack//G.U. Vol. 2: Reminisce
• Etrian Odyssey
• Time Ace
• Brooktown High
• Coded Arms: Contagion
• Reviews Wrap-Up

Game Over

• Seanbaby's Rest of the Crap - Why is Seanbaby interested in playing with dolls? Isn't that sort of, uh, creepy?
• Retro: Grappling With Greatness - Games that feature the infamous "grapple" are destined to be remembered
• Crossword/Grudge Match - EGM's final crossword puzzle? Say it ain't so!
• Next Month
• Hsu & Chan

...and more!

Lucia (Devil May Cry 2) – PlayStation 2

Lucia (Devil May Cry 2) – PlayStation 2

Devil May Cry 2 is a 3D action adventure game that was initially released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003. It consists of a series of mission and while the plot is somewhat convoluted, the ultimate goal is to defeat an evil demon. As a sequel, Devil May Cry 2 was somewhat of a disappointment. Judged on its own merits however, it was a pretty decent game.

The most unique thing about the game is probably the fighting "style" system. Part of how your performance is judged in the came is based on your fighting style. Basically, the more hits you get on your enemy without being hit yourself, the higher your style rating. Relatively short button sequences are translated into rather complex moves.

The image at the top is from Play Magazine's Girls of Gaming and features Lucia who was new to the sequel. Screen shots are from the PS2 version of the game.

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Girls of Gaming: I-No (Guilty Gear)

Girls of Gaming was a spinoff of Play magazine, both now defunct. Girls of Gaming featured pin-ups of girls primarily from gaming and anime. Here we have I-No from the Guilty Gear series. The Guilty Gear series is a long-running series of fighting games that started on the PlayStation in 1998 and continues today (the last release was in 2016).

I-No first appeared in Guilty Gear X2 (also known as Guilty Gear XX) on the PlayStation 2 in 2002 as a playable boss. Guilty Gear X2 was the third game in the main series. Guilty Gear X2 and most games in the series have generally received very good reviews. If you are a fan of fighting games, this is definitely a series you should check out if you have not already done so.

While newer games in the series appear on newer systems, I am not aware of any re-releases of the original Guilty Gear X2. However, there were several updated releases including Guilty Gear X2 #Reload for the Xbox, Windows and PSP in 2004; Guilty Gear XX Slash for the PS2 in 2005; Guilty Gear XX Accent Core for the PS2 and Wii in 2006; Guilty Gear Accent Core Plus for the PS2, PSP and Wii in 2008; and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R for PlayStation Vita. All of these started as arcade games, at least in Japan. You can tell this is a popular series.

Stretch Panic (PlayStation 2)

Stretch Panic was notable for being Treasure's first 3D game. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. It had some fairly unique game play elements, primarily the ability for the main character (Linda) to stretch, pinch and bend objects and opponents with a scarf. You play the role of Linda as she sets out to rescue her twelve sisters who are possessed by demons. Fortunately, Linda has full control over a scarf possessed by a 13th demon which is what gives it magical abilities.

I never really played this game. It received mixed reviews with a very positive one featured above in GameGo! magazine. Electronic Gaming Monthly on the other hand only gave it 4.9/10 stars. I would tend to trust the EGM review though I'm still a little bitter about that fact that GameGo! took my subscription money and then never published another issue. This game gets some relatively high and extremely low scores in other places as well though.

This game was called Freak Out in Europe and Hippa Linda in Japan. There weren't any sequels or remakes of this game that I am aware of but fortunately, used copies are reasonably priced. This doesn't seem to be a particularly rare game. For Treasure fans it might be worthwhile to track down a copy if you don't already have one but for everyone else, maybe try it on an emulator if you can before you buy.

Kurenai (Red Ninja: End of Honor)

Source: Girls of Gaming 5 

Girls of Gaming was a spinoff of Play Magazine. It featured pin-ups of fictitious girls, mostly from video games and anime. In this example, we have Kurenai from a game called "Red Ninja: End of Honor" that was released in 2005 for the Xbox and PlayStation 2.

I wasn't familiar with this game and after a brief internet search I can see why. It generally got terrible reviews and was the only game produced by the studio that produced it. Some interesting ideas but poorly executed. Nevertheless, the main character, Kurenai, earned a spot in Girls of Gaming.

Edge, Issue Number 80, January 2000

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The January 2000 issue of Edge

PowerStation Issue Number 91

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Issue 91 of PowerStation, a tips magazine for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 - http://84f47746.tinylinks.co