NGC Magazine Issue 68

Introduction

This issue was a very important step in the life cycle of Future's Nintendo magazine series, taking what was left of N64 magazine and transforming it into a brand new magazine, though with the same writing style and humour as the 67 issues beforehand. 

One of the most obvious differences with this magazine was its size, both taller and wider than its predecessor, it certainly stood out on the magazine shelf at the newsagents, although the size would perhaps hold it back in the long run. The first issue also saw the reintroduction of the flap, though this time it had a very functional purpose - to hold the free DVD. This dvd was a great introduction to the world of GameCube, despite the fact it couldn’t actually be played on a Nintendo console. It showcased some of the 20 strong release line-up for the GameCube and some of the other games coming soon.

The magazine was launched in June 2002, not long after the GameCube’s UK launch. With the previous issue looking at many of the launch games, this issue picked up the remaining pieces, and also looked at some of the first wave of post-launch games to be released.

The biggest preview this issue looked at the Japanese version of Resident Evil, “Biohazard”. The GameCube remake was looking absolutely fantastic, and was almost a completely different game compared to the PlayStation original. With the promise of 5 more Resi games coming to GameCube, it really did look good for the future of the console.

Mario Sunshine also got a good preview, with the team looking at everything shown so far.  The game was only a few months from being ready, so there was plenty of (well warranted) excitement in the team. Soul Calibur II and Turok Evolution were also looking good. E3 was just around the corner, with the team promising all the big games to be previewed in the next issue.

The big cover game for this issue was Rogue Leader, one of a number of launch games to be reviewed, although it didn't reach the new 90% standard for the star game award, it still got great praise, with the visuals and sounds being highly commended. Elsewhere, Smash Bros Melee was reviewed, scoring a sky high 95%, and was best of the bunch so far. ISS 2 was another particularly well rated launch release.

At the back of the mag, Club GC turned into Extended Play, with guides for Rogue Leader, Luigis Mansion and Tony Hawks 3. Dr Kitts Game Clinic and I’m The Best also continued from N64 Magazine - albeit now focusing on Gamecube games.

A new feature was the NGC Compendium, which was two pages of random things that couldn't really be featured anywhere else in the magazine. Of particular note was Lex Luthors Solve my Maze, a play on the ring game from Superman 64. This issue they also looked at the evolution of Kamek from the Mario games and the games he/she appeared in.

A special feature at the back of the magazine looked into the gamecube, with 8 pages showing every possible feature, including a breakdown of some of the best bargains, as well as what the console and controller were capable of.

All in all it was a great issue, and should be well remembered for revitalising a five year old magazine. Whilst there wasn’t much particularly groundbreaking, as always the superb writing style shone through.