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Editorial Letters News: PlayStation 2 launch woes, The Grapevine (rumors), Spring Tokyo Game Show News, Buffy the Vampire Slayer video game announced, Kurt Warner Arena Football Unleashed, RollerJam, Final Fantasy IX characters featured in Coca-Cola commercial in Japan, Coming Soon Previews: · The Legend of Dragoon · Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 · Legend of Mana · Grind Session · Threads of Fate · Soul Reaver 2 · Spyro: Year of the Dragon · Rayman 2 · Crash Bash · Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge · Breath of Fire IV · Star Wars Demolition · In Cold Blood · Medal of Honor Underground · Buzz Lightyear of Star Command · Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn · Planet of the Apes · Strider 2 · Ultimate Fighting Championship · Alien Resurrection · Kengo: Master of Bushido · Emperor's New Groove · Muppet Monster Adventure · Who Wants to be a Millionaire · Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge · 102 Dalmations · Alone in the Dark · Fear Effect: Retro Helix · Digimon World · Time Crisis: Project Titan · Deuce · Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX · MTV Sports: Skateboarding · Knockout Kings 2001 · Madden NFL 2001 · Spec Ops · Sydney 2000 · NCAA Football 2001 · Martian Gothic (released as Martian Gothic: Unification) · Lego Rock Raiders · Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX · NBA Shootout 2001 · Test Drive Cycles (never released) · NCAA Final Four 2001 · Breakout · Looney Tunes Racing · Destruction Derby Raw · Star Trek Invasion · NASCAR 2001 · NHL Faceoff 2001 · Titan AE (never released) · NGen Racing · Hogs of War · Sheep, Dog 'n Wolf (released in NA as Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider) · NCAA GameBreaker 2001 · NFL GameDay 2001 · Galaga (released as Galaga: Destination Earth) · Sno-Cross · Volleyball · Rampage Through Time · Army Men: World War · Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2) · Dead or Alive 2 (PS2, Japan only release) · Driving Emotion Type-S (PS2) · The Getaway (PS2) · Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee (PS2, never released) · Summoner (PS2) · Onimusha: Warlords (PS2) · Gunslinger (PS2) · Star Wars: Episode 1 Starfighter (PS2) · Formula 1 2000 (PS2) · Star Wars: Super Bomabard Racing (PS2) · Dropship (PS2, released as Dropship: United Peace Force) · Midnight Club (PS2) · Motor Mayhem (PS2) · Oni (PS2) · WipeOut: Fusion (PS2) · Draken 2 (PS2) International Previews: · Final Fantasy IX The Joy of X: X-Men: Mutant Academy, X-Men movie, X-Men: The Evolution of X-Men games (X-Men video games through the years), X-Men: Why they are cool (feature on the X-Men comics), X-Men: Mutants in Motion (feature on various X-Men TV shows), Interview with Marvel founder Stan Lee Reviews: · Vagrant Story · Jedi Power Battles · Wild Arms 2 · Nightmare Creatures II · Galerians · Vanguard Bandits · Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed · Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour · Street Fighter EX2 Plus · Urban Chaos · Sim Theme Park · F1 2000 · Mr. Driller · MLB 2001 · Sammy Sosa Softball Slam · Striker Pro 2000 · Family Game Pack · Championship Bass Tricks: · Fear Effect · Syphon Filter 2 · CTR: Crash Team Racing · Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas · FIFA 2000 · NHL 2000 · Triple Play 2001 · Triple Play 2000 · MLB 2000 · Twisted Metal II · Twisted Metal III · Twisted Metal 4 · The Smurfs · NASCAR Rumble · Wu Tang: Shaolin Style · Cyber Tiger · V-Rally 2: Need for Speed · Heart of Darkness · WWF Smackdown! · Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Demo Disc: Demos of X-Men: Mutant Academy, Threads of Fate, WWF Smackdown!, Gauntlet Legends, Grind Session, Deception III: Dark Delusion, Legend of Dragoon, Vanishing Point Next Month

Editorial Letters PS2 Feature as the system had officially launched in Japan News: Angelina Jolie will Play Lara Croft in Tomb Raider movie, V.I.P. TV show to be made into a game, Interdisciplinary Gaming Studies Program to launch at University of California, Coming Soon Previews: · Spider-Man · X-Men: Mutant Academy · Wild Arms 2: 2nd Ignition · WTC: World Racing Championship · Runabout 2 · Speedball 2001 · SimTheme Park · Mr. Driller · Evil Dead: Hail to the King International Previews: · Strider 1 & 2 · Gradius III & IV (PS2) · Maximo (PS2, released as Maximo: Ghosts to Glory) Reviews: · MediEvil II · Alundra 2 · Triple Play 2001 · Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001 · NHL Rock the Rink · Eagle One: Harrier Attack · Countdown Vampires · Gauntlet Legends · Speed Punks · Street Sk8er 2 · Mobil 1: Rally Championship · Army Men: Sarge's Heroes · Micro Maniacs · Superbike 2000 · Vanark Syphon Filter 2 Strategy Tricks of the Trade: · Cool Boarders 4 · Marvel vs. Capcom · Knockout Kings 2000 · R/C Stunt Copter · Fighting Force 2 · Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage · Gran Turismo 2 · Gran Turismo · Tony Hawk's Pro Skater · Spyro the Dragon · Vigilante 8: 2nd Offence · Supercross 2000 · Tomba 2: The Evil Swine Return · Crash Bandicoot: WARPED · Tomorrow Never Dies · NBA Live 2000 · WWF Smackdown! · Medal of Honor · Sled Storm g.e.a.r.: gadgets, electronics, arts and recreation Demo Disc: Demos of MediEvil II, NCAA March Madness 2000, NASCAR Rumble, Speed Punks, Rugrats Studio Tour, Vagrant Story, MLB 2001, Road Rash: Jail Break, Front Mission 3, Army Men: Sarge's Heroes Next Month

Features: Editorial: Can Life Be Measured in Hit Points? (Ken Kujawa offers a handy chart of turn-based combat and HP modifiers to real life...with amusing results) Letters (Mail, e-mail, abuse, rants, and the occasional word of praise from readers) g.e.a.r. (Gadgets, Electronics, Arts and Recreations - game-related merchandise) Demo Disc (This month's CD freebies) Next Month (It's all about Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, baby!) News (Industry news and, you know, news...): Playstation 2 A Reality (Like we didn't see that one coming.) Sony Sues Connectix (The creators of Virtual Game Station for the Mac are goin' to court.) Top 10 (What Japanese and UK gamers are buying) Madden Bowl a Hit on South Beach (NFL players take on their digital counterparts in the pre-Super Bowl festivities) Top 20 (What US gamers are buying) Coming Soon (Release dates, subject to change at any time without notice, void where prohibited, etc...) Previews: Croc 2 G-Police: Weapons of Justice Point Blank 2 Alien Resurrection Ehrgeiz Soul of the Samurai Triple Play 2000 Need For Speed: High Stakes Fighter Maker Driver Gran Turismo 2 The Next Tetris X-Men: Mutant Academy (here referred to as 'X-Men') Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy Evil Zone High Heat Baseball Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 Bloody Roar 2 International Previews (Stuff Japan has that we don't): PocketStation (and a ton of mini-games) iS: International Section I.Q. Final UmJammer Lammy Dance Dance Revolution The Year of the RPG (OPM turns critical eyes on the coming wave of big-time RPGs): Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy Anthology Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete Star Ocean: The Second Story Suikoden II Thousand Arms Legend of Legaia (review) Guardian's Crusade (review) Shadow Madness (review) Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu Dragon Quest VII Dragon Valor Tales of Phantasia Saga Frontier 2 The PlayStation Role-Player's Guide (Check these already-released bundles of joy): Beyond the Beyond Suikoden Persona Wild Arms Final Fantasy VII Saga Frontier Breath of Fire 3 The Granstream Saga Tales of Destiny Azure Dreams Xenogears Reviews: More Than A Feeling (Joe Rybicki editorializes about what actually goes into the game review process at OPM) Rollcage Blast Radius NBA In The Zone '99 Invasion From Beyond T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger Bust-A-Move 99 Bomberman Fantasy Race Street Sk8er Rushdown Pro 18 World Tour Golf Review Recap (recently reviewed games and their scores for those who missed them) Strategy (Kickin' ass and takin' games): Silent Hill Tricks of the Trade (Cheating your way to victory): Apocalypse Asteroids Bust A Groove WCW/nWo Thunder Knockout Kings Colony Wars: Vengeance Cool Boarders 3 Darkstalkers 3 Duke Nukem: Time to Kill International Superstar Soccer Pro '98 Nectaris: Military Madness NFL Blitz Moto Racer 2 Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus Bust-A-Move 4 R-Types Rogue Trip S.C.A.R.S. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Tomb Raider III Ninja: Shadow of Darkness Contender Crash Bandicoot: Warped Twisted Metal III The Unholy War Notable Stuff: Readers really take the mag to task in the letter column over their stance on emulator-related issues. According to a videogames.com poll, gamers are more excited about Final Fantasy VIII (80%) than they are about Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (14%), Legend of Legaia (3%), Shadow Madness (2%) and Guardian's Crusade (1%) combined. To the surprise of absolutely no one in the world. WTF, Japan? You have access to some of the best games around, and you're letting the likes of Beatmania, Bass Landing, and Sound Novel Evolution 3 run roughshod over Tales of Phantasia, Crash Bandicoot 3, and Street Fighter Zero 3 in terms of sales? That's it: all Japanese gamers from February 1999, turn in your Gamer Cards. WTF, US? You have Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped in your top 5, and you let them all get pantsed by the universally-panned WCW/nWo Thunder? That's it: all US gamers from January 1999, turn in your Gamer Cards. Syrox Developments is listed as the developer of X-Men: Mutant Academy, but they were only responsible for the cancelled N64 version. Paradox Development handled the PS1 version. Joe Rybicki's editorial that starts the reviews section is a valuable guide to understanding what people who review games for a living actually look for when deciding on how good (or awful) a certain game is, and the difference between objective opinion (the way things are) and subjective opinion (the way the reviewer him/herself feels).

Reviews (page 85): Wave Race 64 (N64) Soviet Strike (PlayStation) The Elder Scroll: Daggerfall (PC) Destruction Derby 2 (PlayStation) Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PlayStation) Fighting Vipers (Saturn) Circle of Blood (PC) Disruptor (PlayStation) Time Command (PlayStation) Grid Runner (Saturn) Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES) Formula 1 (PlayStation) Black Dawn (PlayStation) Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Iron & Blood (PlayStation) Street Racer (PlayStation) Tokyo Highway Battle (PlayStation) Perfect Weapon (PlayStation) Previews (page 43): Street Fighter EX (Arcade) WaveRunner (Arcade) Codename: Tenka (PlayStation) Crimewave (Saturn) Nanotek Warrior (PlayStation) Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition (Saturn) Resident Evil 2 (PlayStation) Prey (PC) X-Men vs. Street Fighter (Arcade) Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation) Broken Helix (PlayStation) Persona (PlayStation) Sega Touring Car Championship (Arcade) Unreal (PC) New Racer (PlayStation) Red Alert (PC) Cool Boarders (PlayStation) Sportsline (page 124): Preview: NHL Face Off '97 (PlayStation) Preview: NFL Gameday '97 (PlayStation) Review: NHL '97 (PC) Review: NBA Live '97 (Genesis) Review: Madden '97 (PC) Review: VR Golf (PlayStation) Ultra Game Players Disc: Special Feature: Mortal Kombat Trilogy, NBA Hangtime 64, Super Mario 64, Wayne Gretsky 64, Killer Instinct Gold, Pilotwings 64, Shadows of the Empire, Wave Race 64, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter On-Line Software: Total Entertainment Network, America Online, The Palace Playable Demos: Diablo (PC), Marathon Infinity (Macintosh) Videogame Movies: Mr. Bones, ReLoaded, Crimewave, Steel Harbinger, Starwinder, Robopit, Hardcore 4x4, Disruptor, Dragonheart, Formula One, Nascar, Nights into Dreams, Project Overkill, Perfect Weapon, Ridge Racer Revolution, Street Racer, Tekken 2, Tokyo Highway Battle, Tomb Raider, Triple Play Baseball, VR Golf

Contents DVD: What demos & videos are on the included DVD. Input: Letters Hype (Previews and News): PlayStation Online, Interview with David Jaffe, RIP PC, Alternate uses of the PlayStation 3, Viva Pinata, Interview with EyeToy creator Richard Marks Hype for 2K7: Seven PS2/PSP games to play if you did not pick up a PS3 on launch Reviews: · Ridge Racer 7 (PS3) · Need for Speed Carbon (PS3) · Tony Hawk’s Project 8 (PS3) · NBA 07 (PS3) · NBA 2K7 (PS3) · Fight Night Round 3 (PS3) · Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (PS3) · Madden NFL 07 (PS3) · Call of Duty 3 (PS3) · Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire (PS3) · Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom (PS3) · Genji: Days of the Blade (PS3) · Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (PS3) · Phantasy Star Universe (PS2) · Sega Genesis Collection (PS2) · Thrillville (PS2, PSP) · College Hoops 2K7 (PS2) · SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault (PS2) · Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol (PS2) · Singstar Rocks (PS2) · Superman Returns (PS2) · Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles (PS2) · Reservoir Dogs (PS2) · Family Guy (PS2) · ATV Offroad Fury 4 (PS2) · Xiaolin Showdown (PS2) · Avatar: The Last Airbender (PS2, PSP) · The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning (PS2) · Snoopy vs. The Red Baron (PS2, PSP) · Disney’s Chicken Little: Ace in Action (PSP) · The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (PS2) · Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP) · Sonic Rivals (PSP) · SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 (PSP) · ATV Offroad Fury (PSP) · Need for Speed Carbon (PSP) Movie/DVD reviews: · Snakes on a Plane · Crank · Saturday Night Live Season One · Dr. Who: The Complete Second Series · Gridiron Gang · The Illusionist · Flyboys · Idiocracy · The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning HDTV: The Time is Now (Feature on HDTV) Forgotten Gem: Draken: The Ancient’s Gates (PS2) Your First Time: Clerks II star Jason Mewes