Stories Collection

  1. Good: Less drudgery, more sucking face Bad: Still manages to feel repetitive at times...
  2. Good: Smashing targets on psychedelic rails Bad: Smashing light fixtures on psychedel...
  3. In preparation for the Halo 2 edition of Trivial Pursuit, here are the features that ...
  4. The buzz: Killzone has just about broken the buzz-o-meter—Sony’s maiden v...
  5. Brute Shot An alien grenade launcher. “It’s a fun explosive weapon, betwe...
  6. The third Burnout is an absolute speed demon, but there’s just something about ...
  7. A Viewtiful Joe (PS2/GC) B The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC) C Super Mario Bro...
  8. The buzz: Buffed-up muscles constantly flexed and powered-up weapons perpetually blaz...
  9. SHOE: ShellShock is first out of the gate—one of too many wartime shooters rele...
  10. SHANE: The original Shadow Hearts was one of the first decent RPGs on PS2. Luckily, a...
  11. GAME SYSTEM VERDICT AWARD Alias PS2/XB Sexy disguises can’t conceal shoddy gam...
  12. Templar Specialty: Ground warfare The first playable character you’ll encounter...
  13. Good: Unique concept and incredible soundtrack Bad: Recycles the same few levels Icin...
  14. The buzz: Games based on anime usually run the range between “forgettable&rdquo...
  15. Call it construction work: Naughty Dog cofounder Jason Rubin has made a name for hims...
  16. If there were a “What the f***?” award in gaming, the Silent Hill franchi...
  17. The buzz: Gran Turismo to Microsoft’s big black box, Forza looks to outrun the ...
  18. The buzz: Who knew that zipping around on four-wheelers had such broad appeal? Sony h...
  19. (PS2/Xbox) Good: Running your own team of street racing leadfoots Bad: Losing all you...
  20. The role-playing game some four years in the making from fabled PC game designer Pete...
  21. The buzz: Konami’s inaugural foray into the wrasslin’ realm doesn’t...
  22. The buzz: As undeniably daring as D-Day was, fighting on the Eastern Front dwarfed it...
  23. Aerith Gainsborough: Fanboys still weep over her tragic death. But does this mean she...
  24. We can’t decide which is easier on the eyes: one of the slickest upcoming stree...
  25. Mega Man X8 PS2 • Capcom — It’s actually impossible for this to be d...
  26. Good: It’s better than the Rise of the Machines game Bad: It’s still not ...
  27. Good: Interesting mix of strategy and combat Bad: Occasionally wonky camera Wargamers...
  28. Hear All About Halo 2 Check out egmextras.1UP.com to read how smashing cantaloupes wi...
  29. The buzz: It may look identical to last year’s solar-powered portable adventure...
  30. The buzz: “Please don’t call it a first-person shooter,” producer K...
  31. Step 1: Hit the road — Gas up your hydraulic’d Winnebago and bounce your ...
  32. Every so often, we ship a celebrity or a bigwig game designer off to a desert island ...
  33. mega64.com — Looking for the videogame equivalent of MTV’s Jackass? Well,...
  34. The buzz: THQ’s goal with a new WWE title is always the same: Make it look and ...
  35. The buzz: Last year, Jak II took the previously cheery action-adventure series in a d...
  36. Good: Easy to pick up and play Bad: Not particularly engaging Believe It or Not: It&r...
  37. Good: Excellent voice acting, some clever puzzles Bad: Atrocious graphics, clunky con...
  38. The prospect of playing a massively multiplayer online role-playing game can be daunt...
  39. The buzz: You’ve probably never heard of Dororo, the old-school manga by legend...
  40. The buzz: Apparently, Mom was wrong—what people think of you does matter. At le...
  41. Nothing separates streetwise guys from Backstreet Boys rejects like bad vernacular. W...
  42. On the Cover: Doom The editors went to hell and back to give readers an exclusive fir...
  43. “I’m glad I’m not on the cover of Madden this year, so good luck to...
  44. The buzz: Have you ever driven down a residential street, seen some donut tire tracks...
  45. Don’t say Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the final slice of the GTA PlayStati...
  46. BRYAN: Tiger may be hitting a few more bogeys these days (who wants to practice when ...
  47. Good: Impressive-looking wrestlers, intuitive controls Bad: Ho-hum story mode For the...
  48. The buzz: It’s back to the...er, backyard for another rumble in Eidos’ wh...
  49. The buzz: If rubbin’ is racin’, then expect a lot of irritation after tou...
  50. The buzz: Any game with Pussy Galore in it is an immediate buy among the randier memb...
  51. The release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children may not be until next year, but you...
  52. Alien Hominid PS2/GC • O3 • November 2004 — This oddball side-scrolle...
  53. The Legend of Zelda GC • Fall 2005 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes GC • November 20...
  54. The buzz: Kingdom Hearts for PlayStation 2 deftly merged the worlds of Final Fantasy ...
  55. (PS2/XB) SHAWN: How do you warm over Hoth, the snowball planet that has served as a s...
  56. Good: The music’s pretty good, as are some of the later levels Bad: The camera,...
  57. Good: Therapy for carpal tunnel syndrome Bad: That is, until your palms start to itch...
  58. The buzz: Ground-bound vehicle sims like Gran Turismo 4 can brag all they want about ...
  59. The buzz: Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 is keeping skateboarding light, destructive...
  60. The buzz: Christian Allen cringes when we drill him about Ghost Recon 2’s plot ...
  61. We’ve known for a while that Brightlight Pictures was bringing Majesco’s ...
  62. The Catfight You mean, like, Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff dukin’ it out? Nope,...
  63. The gaming industry’s annual harvest festival is about to commence. It’s ...
  64. The buzz: In 44 B.C., a centurion’s father stands accused of killing Julius Cae...
  65. Good: Driving classic beaters like the Ford Pinto Bad: Pintos aren’t actually, ...
  66. KEVIN: Remember back a couple years ago when platformers and their endless-doodad-col...
  67. Good: Converts the Mushroom Kingdom into mini pinball tables Bad: Too tricky trick sh...
  68. The buzz: If you want to see an enemy being split in half from head to crotch, scream...
  69. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue PS2/XB/GC • EA Games — Boomerangs fl...
  70. The buzz: Xbox fanboys saw 2002’s Blinx: The Time Sweeper as the cutesy platfor...
  71. T happens every fall—The Q’s social life drowns in a sea of triple-A titl...
  72. It’s Friday night and you and a pal just powered up Halo for some cooperative b...
  73. PS2/XB • Midway The buzz: Death in a fighting game has never been swifter or sur...
  74. The buzz: It’s illegal open-city street racing (in Atlanta, Detroit, and San Di...
  75. Good: Drinking makes this game slightly more fun Bad: Too much guesswork to see the g...
  76. Good: Finally, the soundtrack has a little variety Bad: Still, it’s mostly adre...
  77. Good: The Sega Saturn classic returns... Bad: ...along with all the outlandish slowdo...
  78. The buzz: It’s a bold concept—take an action-RPG ? la Baldur’s Gate...
  79. The buzz: The original Otogi was the coolest game of 2003 that absolutely nobody play...
  80. This month we have even more Mega Man madness, this time for for games 2-7 in the ser...
  81. Maniacal stares, oddly deformed digits, an overly flattened butt—these are tell...
  82. Double the Urbz, Double the Fun This November, publishing powerhouse Electronic Arts ...
  83. Street Cred: The sequel to the surprise hit of 2003 scraps the original game’s ...
  84. It’s true: Game companies tend to milk a successful debut, pumping out sequels ...
  85. KEVIN: Some games just can’t get a break. Despite its eerie resemblance to Need...
  86. PATRICK: We waited two and a half years for this Hot Shots, and while developer Clap ...
  87. Help Me We’re doing some things differently this month. Not because there has b...
  88. Previously on Metroid Prime: Nintendo’s first 3D take on its classic franchise ...
  89. These codes must be entered in the Versus screen. PS2 Max Batting Square, Square, Squ...
  90. Chool may be back in session for some of you out there, but don’t worry—P...
  91. You play it, you beat it, then you toss it aside like ratty underwear. But what good ...
  92. As a lean, mean, and sexually frustrated teen’s dream, WWE diva and two-time Pl...
  93. Previously on Tony Hawk: Tony Hawk’s Underground proved to be a huge success la...
  94. (PS2/XB) DEMIAN: Though the real NHL season may not even happen, what with the lockou...
  95. G. FORD: Fundamental flaws can sink any game, Spy Fiction being a prime example. The ...
  96. Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) I hear a lot of things, Aquarius. Naughty, nice, I’v...
  97. Purists can keep their boring NASCAR games and F1 simulations—true automotive a...
  98. PS2/XB/GC Arguably the most frustrating part of Spider-Man 2 is deactivating the reac...
  99. Now is the slowest time of the year for PC games, as you’ll find yourself despe...
  100. Ready for more Splinter Cell? Well, you’d better be, as the third episode in tw...
  101. Professor X believes that normal humans and mutants can peaceably coexist. Just becau...
  102. Previously on Prince of Persia: An acrobatic prince who could rewind the clock like i...
  103. (PS2/XBOX ONLY) DEMIAN: Crunched-up cars glide through the air in super-slow-mo, acco...
  104. Good: Bracing blend of silliness and sophistication Bad: Steep learning curve More Th...
  105. ACROSS 1. Bad arcade beat-em-up pair 4. Reptilian 3D platformer 8. Futurama’...
  106. Street Cred: Konami, a newcomer to the car field, is trying something different with ...
  107. Know your players Review your team’s ratings at each position and pattern your ...
  108. Hey, armchair quarterbacks: EA is looking for the best Madden player in the land&mdas...
  109. Creating a state instead of a single city for our next Grand Theft Auto game proved s...
  110. Your last encounter with the bizarre realm of Oddworld came in 2001, when Munch&rsquo...
  111. Previously on NFL Street: EA took the old-school NFL Blitz game plan and gave it some...
  112. SHAWN: Soft lighting and slinky movement make this feline a fancy feast for the eyes,...
  113. BRYAN: LucasArts’ gripping Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic gave Xbox own...
  114. Street Cred: Let’s be honest: Does anyone really care about any racing sim besi...
  115. Action Replay puts in a respectable show this month, with Mega Man and Mario Golf cod...
  116. Q: Could a person leap back and forth between walls or run along them as in Prince of...
  117. On the Cover: Donkey Kong Country An exclusive sneak peek at three levels of Nintendo...
  118. residentevilfan.com — Watch censored Resident Evil trailers from 1995. And try ...
  119. Previously on Sly Cooper: The titular raccoon—a master thief—worked with ...
  120. JON D.: I’d like to think it was my bitching (EGM #169) that turned AC3’s...
  121. MARK: At first glance it’d be easy to mistake Pikmin 2 for its predecessor, and...
  122. Street Cred: Juiced tackles most of the same terrain that NFSU expertly handled last ...
  123. Microsoft The worst-kept secret in gaming is that Microsoft’s Xenon—the c...
  124. Scruffy supersoldier Solid Snake may be sitting out the next Metal Gear Solid game (h...
  125. Michigan The Great Lakes state...er, here we come? Sorry, but as thrilling as an adve...
  126. This summer an excellent little low-budget indy movie called Spider-Man 2 quietly lea...
  127. Scarface has been a classic action film since it debuted in 1983. Sorta made us wonde...
  128. JON D: I was wondering how you organize a frenzied free-for-all like Dynasty Warriors...
  129. Good: Simple, fun monster-creation system Bad: Poor graphics, samey minigames Loosely...
  130. Your squad Black Arrow uses squad-based assaults. Your men can provide you with offen...
  131. If you’ve seen seminal ’80s gangster movie Scarface, you can probably thi...
  132. Previously on Halo: Fantastic graphics, smart enemies, driveable vehicles, and robust...
  133. Scrapland XB • Enlight • November 2004 — It’s Grand Theft Auto ...
  134. Think back to your childhood—back when anything seemed possible, back before yo...
  135. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen Scarface, here’s a little pl...
  136. SHANE: To anyone expecting End of Time to be some sort of Final Fantasy-meets-Xenosag...
  137. Christmas is coming, and you know what that means—way, way too many games. Some...
  138. Offense 101: Advanced Passing Techniques Learning the basic pass routes and what cove...
  139. Every so often, EGM corners big-time gamemakers and asks for their preferences. First...
  140. GAME SYSTEM VERDICT SCORES (out of 10) AWARD Alias PS2/XB Clever disguises can&rsquo...
  141. Men of Valor: Vietnam, assaulting Xbox this October, hopes to win hearts and minds wi...
  142. “I got to approve the videogame, the way [Mary Jane] looks. They made her boobs...
  143. Checkered Past Ex-con getting a second chance in a life of crime Career Working his w...
  144. MARK: My favorite GameCube title of 2003, Viewtiful Joe comes to PS2 with everything ...
  145. ESPN NFL 2K5 PS2/XB Released: August 2004 Original Scores: 8.5, 8.5, 8.0 Minus a few ...
  146. These codes can be entered at the Main menu. PS2 All Weapons R1, L2, Square, Circle, ...
  147. 1 Million Xbox Live members worldwide 160 Million Hours that members have logged on X...
  148. The opening salvo has just been fired in the next-gen console war—and the compa...
  149. “Finally, a degree more useless than political science,” quipped Tonight ...
  150. Top 10 best-selling games For June 2004 Source: NPD TRSTS Video Games Service. Call (...
  151. SHANE: The Silent Hill municipal tourism bureau demands that every horror game set in...
  152. KEVIN: Strange how two games with the same title can be so different, eh? Sega’...
  153. Mowing the lawn for your Uncle Spenny? A hot-n-steamy romance with the lady from the ...
  154. Enjoying these scintillating strategies and titillating tips? You can find these secr...
  155. Layin’ the SmackDown Head to egmextras.1UP.com and check out our complete inter...
  156. Being in the middle of an extraterrestrial battle is a bitch, but so’s divorce ...
  157. Street Cred: Street racing returns to the home of the automobile in Midnight Club III...
  158. Disagree with the list? You’re the ones who created it. Rock your vote at www.e...
  159. DAN L: Deep down, NASCAR fans have to face the dirty, shame-faced truth: Their sport ...
  160. And we mean that. Courtesy of supercasual games on Xbox Live Arcade (Microsoft’...
  161. LG VX6000 If you want a no-frills flip phone that has the power to play games, check ...
  162. PS2 - Sega - August Directing a half-naked boy to fly about for your own amusement m...
  163. PS2/XB/GC - Codemasters - Fall European rally-game juggernaut takes another whack at...
  164. PS2 - Konami - TBA 2005 Enthusia’s Visual Gravity System shows weight distribu...
  165. PS2 - Square Enix - TBA 2005 Borrowing settings from the world of FF Tactics and int...
  166. PS2 - Square Enix - 2005 Donald Duck has never been deadlier, and Mickey Mouse is so...
  167. PS2 - Konami - November We’d eat a snake to get our hands on this one ASAP. Ri...
  168. DS - Nintendo - TBA On a cue from the latest GameCube Metroid, this one’s a fo...
  169. GC - NIntendo - August The captain gets an assistant to help him wrangle the little ...
  170. PS2 - Sony - Early 2005 The sequel to a capable yet overlooked PS2 action title, The...
  171. PS2/XB - LucasArts - September Pick a side, pick an era, pick a ship, pick a planet,...
  172. XB - Ubisoft - Fall Team-based tactical shooter Black Arrow will be one of the first ...
  173. A. True Crime: Streets of L.A. (PS2/XB/GC) B. DRIV3R (PS2/XB) C. Grand Theft Auto: Vi...
  174. PS2/XB Description: A mix of third-person action and first-person shooting set in an ...
  175. PS2/XB - Arush - November 2004 Chance You’ll See Nudity: 99.99% Basic instinct:...
  176. All right, all right—the big man is back, and I’ve got the dirt on the ga...
  177. Leave your gat at home—your mind is becoming the weapon of choice. Leading the ...
  178. PS2/XB - Eidos - November 2004 What’s the Deal? Mic injects some flava into the...
  179. Squint your eyes and you might see them—offbeat, lesser-known games sneaking on...
  180. With football season right around the corner, Sorrent and Jamdat are finalizing this ...
  181. Good: The definitive Street Fighter disc. So far Bad: No online play Censored: Chun L...
  182. Help Me In the Spanish version of EGM, my column is called “No Merecen Tu Diner...
  183. Xbox Ninja Gaiden Calling all wannabe assassins: The second round of the Master Ninja...
  184. Though the man behind Dreamcast’s Seaman—a game about a humanoid fish you...
  185. Finally, a cell-phone game that actually lives up to its console counterpart (or in t...
  186. GBA - Sega - August This pocket-sized Astro Boy side-scroller, like the PS2 version,...
  187. XB - Tecmo - Fall Dead or Alive Ultimate takes DOA online via Xbox Live. You’l...
  188. PS2/XB/GC - EA - September Hip-hop stars from the street fight in the street for con...
  189. PS2/XB/GC - EA - Fall The follow-up to the highly acclaimed GoldenEye first-person s...
  190. PS2 - Namco - Fall The King of Space has lost the universe’s stars. As his son...
  191. PS2/XB/GC - EA - November This Middle earth–based RPG lets you create your own...
  192. PS2/XB/GC - EA - October Like Madden, NBA Live focuses on defensive tweaks: shot blo...
  193. GBA - Nintendo - September Nintendo reprises the first two Pok?mon games (Red and Bl...
  194. PS2 - Sega - Winter Whack House of the Dead zombies, pose in Samba de Amigo, and int...
  195. DS - Nintendo - TBA The N64 Mario was a great game, so an updated version for the DS...
  196. Fat-bottomed girls make the rockin’ world go round. Buxom ones? They’re m...
  197. Good: Cloak-and-dagger thrills Bad: Too much trying and dying We Sure Do Miss: Multip...
  198. Fans dying for a sequel to Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix’s landmark 1997 PS1 r...
  199. PS2/XB - VU Games - October 2004 Chance You’ll See Nudity: 100% Basic instinct...