NGC Magazine Issue 85 | Nintendo Mags

Introduction

Soul Calibur 2 was on the cover of issue 85 as the team got a chance to look at the English version of the game, and it lived up to expectations and was even better than the Japanese version. It scored 92%, calling it the best fighting game on the Gamecube so far.

The big preview this month was the latest James Bond game - Everything or Nothing, which looked extremely promising compared to some of EA’s previous Bond efforts. They also got a chance to speak to some of the producers at EA, to ask more about the game’s production. Rogue Squadron III got a hands-on playtest, with the team looking forward to another alongside blockbuster film tie-in Spider-Man 2, shooter Conflict Desert Storm 2, and Crazy Taxi alike game Simpsons Hit and Run.

The big news this month was that Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata was revealing the company's strategy for their future. Their big game announcements were a Zelda game for 2004, a Wario Ware game for the Gamecube as well as a Donkey Kong game was nearly complete. They also announced the ‘Club Nintendo’ (eventually what was to become My Nintendo) - allowing gamers to earn rewards from purchased games in the USA - which was similar to the ill-fated Stars Catalogue in the UK. Iwata also announced plans to collaborate with more developers and publishers to improve the games on offer. Also in the news, in the run up to ETCS in Earls Court London, Nintendo had made plans to have a truck available to showcase their forthcoming games - which included an almost final version of Mario Kart: Double Dash and F-Zero. There were also the first impressions of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - as for the first time in nearly 8 years a Final Fantasy game was on a Nintendo home console.

Jes looked at some of the multi-platform games released on Gamecube and how they compared to other console versions. For example Burnout 2 performed extremely well compared to PS2, as developers had a bit more time to work on the conversion - but lost out compared to the features available on the Xbox. Splinter Cell was a bit less favourable compared to the Xbox original as some changes helped and some hindered.

In addition to their Soul Calibur review, the other big game was F-Zero GX, with the Japanese version getting a full going over. Geraint scored it at 93%, praising the graphics and speed of the game - the only problem they had was the lack of tracks. There was also the US review of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, which Martin scored at 85%. In the UK, the best we got was Madden NFL 2004, which scored 87%, and we also got the latest WWE and NHL games, scoring 68% and 57% respectively. Odd Disney/Tony Hawk’s mashup Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure scored 74%. Over on GBA, the only decent game was Hamtaro Ham-Ham Heartbreak - scoring 81%.

The first scores were in for I’m the Best’s new leagues, with plenty of interest in the new competition. Game On also had a bunch of new challenges which were mainly just for fun. This issue's Phantasy forum looked at the different classes of characters and the maximum stats for each of them.

Articles

Previews

James Bond: Everything or Nothing
Anticipation Rating: 4
Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
Anticipation Rating: 5
Spider-Man 2
Anticipation Rating: 4
Conflict Desert Storm 2
Anticipation Rating: 4
The Simpsons Hit & Run
Harry Potter Quiddich World Cup
NFL Street
FIFA 2004
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Billy Hatcher and the Giant egg
Tony Hawk's Underground
Banjo Kazooie
True Crime Streets of LA
The Movies
X-Men LEgends
Pitfall Harry

Special Investigation

Soul Calibur
Anticipation Rating: 92

Reviews

WWE Wrestlemania XIX
Author: Tom Mayo
Country: UK
Score: 68
NHL 2004
Author: Tim Weaver
Country: UK
Score: 57
Madden NFL 2004
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: UK
Score: 87
The Italian Job LA Heist
Author: Tim Weaver
Country: UK
Score: 54
Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: UK
Score: 74
Drome Racers
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: UK
Score: 46
Mamtaro Ham-Ham Hearbreak
Country: UK
Score: 81
Wing Commander
Country: UK
Score: 34
The Hulk
Country: UK
Score: 59
F-Zero GX
Author: Geraint Evans
Country: Jap
Score: 93
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Author: Martin Kitts
Country: USA
Score: 85
Kirby's Air Ride
Author: Tim Weaver
Country: Jap
Score: 51
GT Cube
Author: Geraint Evans
Country: Jap
Score: 53

Features

Any Port in a Storm

Staff

Marcus Hawkins Editor
Martin Kitts Reviews Editor
Paul Edwards Art Editor
Geraint Evans News Editor
Miriam McDonald Production Editor