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Mild Fantasy Violence à 4

Mild Language
Mild Suggestive Themes NINTENDSDS. ^ б. SQUARE ENIX,

© 2007 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. FINAL FANTASY, REVENANT WINGS, the\EINAL FANTASY XII REVENANT WINGS logo, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered
trademarks or trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendd,© 2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association.
TAKE THE FANTASY TO NEW HEIGHTS.

One year has passed since the events of

FINAL FANTASY XII.

Vaan is now an full-fledged sky pirate

and Penelo his trusted navigator. When they
stumble upon the legendary sky continent
of Lemurés, it's up to them to defend it from

ШКЕҮРҮЕПЇЇ К
the evils of the outside world.

==
 IN-LHEIR FUTURE LIES

Available for PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.
(sold separately). Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, and the Xbox logos are
PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION", "PS" Family logo and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PSP® system ~ Memory Stick Duo™ may be required
trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. The Nintendo DS and Wii logos are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.
 BASED ON THE
NEW LINE CINEMA MOVIE

THE OFFICIAL VIDEO GAME

Go beyond the silver screen and venture from the safety of Jordan College through the wilds of the frozen
North and beyond as Lyra, her dæmon, Pan, and a giant Armored Ice Bear named Iorek. On an unforgettable
journey filled with magic and mystery, you'll discover a destiny greater than you could have imagined.

IN STORES
DECEMBER 4
www.goldencompassgame.com

Face off against fierce enemies as the ore 11 incredible locati ons aster the mysterious Golde!
give Lyra total freedom to explore. ruthless Armored Ice Bear, Iorek. the film including 2 that are Compass - use it to uncover vital new
unique to the game. information and unlock bonus content.

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NEW LINE CINEMA
A Time Warner Company www.sega.cóm
A КЕШЕ
|
Mild Language
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SEGA. SEGA Is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA andthe SEGA logoare either registered trademarks ortrademarks of SEGA. eee All rights reserved. Developed byShiny Е
Entertainment, a division of Foundation 9 Entertainment. The Shiny Entertainment name and logo are trademarks of Foundation 9 Entertainment. © MMVII New Line Productions, Inc. The Golden Compass! mare |
ESRB CONTI J www.esrb.org
and all related characters, places, names and other indicia are trademarks of New Line Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 - жын ш E|
 » >

TRALUIMA2CENTER:

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INFORMATION: wwW.ATLUS.GCOM/T

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COM

PLA Blood
Drug Reference
Mild Language
Mild Violence

© 2007 ATLUS Trauma Center is a trademark of Atlus USA. % ind th ti arks c © 2006 Nintendo.
The rating icons are trademarks r
 NINTENDO ===

POWER
38 Dream Team
While Mario and Sonic warm up for their
Olympic debut, take a sneak peek at the
many events that await them.

46 Get Ready to Smash!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is almost here,
and we’ve got your last, best look at the
game’s 10 most exciting features.

54 Doctor’s Orders
If you’re ailing from the lack of a sequel to
one of the Wii’s most original games, we
prescribe Trauma Center: New Blood.

58 Galactic Tour
Take a tour of Super Mario Galaxy's
spectacular worlds with dreamy new Soi бо please
screens that will leave you seeing stars. tell us that we're not
dreaming this.
64 Treasure Trove
We chat with the legendary fan-favorite 38
developer Treasure about its sizzling new Call us crazy, but our
Bleach title for Nintendo DS, and more. money's on Sonic in
this one.

Time limit
i §323,0:5

done

By now, you'd
think that Goombas
would run in the
other direction.
 NINTENDO =
POWER V [

TOMB RAIDER HAS AN

ANNIVERSARY; WE MASTER
ILLUSION; GODZILLA
IS UNLEASHED;
WE DREAM OF
NiGHTS; DRAGON
QUEST SHARPENS
ITS SWORDS; RAB-
BIDS GET EVEN MORE
RAVING; KOMBAT GETS
ULTIMATE; AND MORE

The Wii gets'one of the

coolest-looking Star
Wars games ever.
10 Pulse
In this month's Pulse, we talk about big
changes, cool RPGs, and... Nester?!

16 News
24 Wii Channels
28 Previews
66 Classified Info
By popular demand, we're back with
even more codes for some of our 18
favorite Virtual Console hits. Who doesn't
think of dancing
70 Sweepstakes bears when they
hear "Winter
72 Power Profile sporis
Michel Ancel is one of the world's top In our book:
up-and-coming game designers. We talk Lara is always
Rayman, Rabbids, and much more. Player 1.

76 Playback
This month we pay trib-
ute to Pro Wrestling and
its star, The Amazon.

79 Reviews
92 Community
96 Next Month
 FLY IN A MAGICAL WORLD 4
WHERE DREAMS COME ALIVE. |

Use aerial acrobatic skills Build your own mini

pen oments and stave and shape shifting ab; Я Dream world or visit your friend's
off the e ghtmarens to overcome obstacles. Dream world online.

CoMiNc HoripAv 2007

EVERYONE WWW.NIGHTSGAME.COM
Mild Fantasy Violence |

ESRB CONTENT RATING wew.esth.org www.sega.com

SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA. the SEGA logo and NIGHTS: Јоштеу of Dreams are eitherregistered trademarks or
trademarks of SEGA Corporation. © SEGA. All Rights Reserved. Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Ninte
GAME TITLE
Active Life: ATHLETIC WORLD (Wii)
ADVANCE WARS: Day oF Ruin (DS)
BANGI-O Spirits (DS)
BATTALION Wars 2 (Wii)
BLEACH: THE BLADE oF Fate (DS)
Biue DRAGON (DS)
ВОМВЕЕМАН LAND (Wii)
Contra 4 (DS)
Dinosaur KING (DS)
DRAGON Quest MONSTERS: JOKER (DS)
DRAGON Quest SWORD:
THE MASKED QUEEN AND THE
Tower oF Mirrors (Wii)
ENDLESS OCEAN (Wii)
FIRE EMBLEM: RADIANT DAWN (Wii)
Front Mission (05)
FRONT MISSION 2089:
BoRDER or MADNESS (DS)
GEOMETERY WARS: GALAXIES (Wii)
GODZILLA UNLEASHED (Wii)
GuiLTY GEAR XX
Accent Core (Wii)
GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF Rock (Wii)
THE KiNG OF FIGHTERS
COLLECTION: THE OROCHI SAGA (Wii)
KING Story (Wii)
KINGDOM HEARTS: 358/2 Days (DS)
Kirey’s AVALANCHE (VC)
LEGEND OF HERO TONMA (VC)
Mario & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES (Wii)
MASTER OF ILLUSION (DS)
MEGA MAN ZX Aovent (DS)
Metar 5106 7 (05)
MLB Power Pros (Wii)
Mysterious DUNGEON:
SHIREN THE WANDERER
NES PLAY ACTION FoorBALL (VC) PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY
NEUTOPIA Il (VC) TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS (DS)
NARUTO: PATH OF THE NINJA (DS) PRO WRESTLING (NES)
NARUTO: CLASH OF NINJA REVOLUTION (Wii) RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS 2 (Wii)
NiGHTS: Journey оғ DREAMS (Wii) SAMURAI SHODOWN ANTHOLOGY (Wii)
Овоко MURAMASA YOUTOUDEN (Wii) SIN AND PUNISHMENT (VC)
Smarty PANTS (Wii)
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (VC)
STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED (Wii)
STREETS OF RAGE 3 (VC)
Super Mario Bros: THE Lost Levets (VC)
SuPER Mario GALAXY (Wii)
SuPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL (Wii)
SUPER THUNDER BLADE (VC) _
Time Hottow (DS)
G TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY (Wii)
TRAUMA CENTER: NEW Boop (Wii)
ULTIMATE MoRrAL КомвАт (DS)
We Love Gorr (Wii).
WINTER SPORTS 2008 - THE ULTIMATE
DS = NINTENDO DS CHALLENGE (Wii)
NES = NINTENDO WORLD С1А$$ BASEBALL (VC)
ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM WWE SMACKDOWN vs. RAW 2008 (Wii)
VC = VIRTUAL CONSOLE
Yosut's Story (VC)
Wii = Wii
ZACK & WIKI: QUEST FOR
BARBAROS" TREASURE (Wii)
 It is up to you to save the Galaxy!
The planet's most intensely fast arcade shooter hits warp speed for Wii and DS. AVAILABLE NOVEMBER

CONTENT RATED BY H1
ESRB Wii. GeometryWarsGalaxies.com
Sierra and the Sierra logo are registered trademarks or
trademarks of Sierra Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2007 Bizarre Creations Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Vivendi Games, Inc. under license from Bizarre Creations Ltd.
Geometry Wars: Galaxies and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved are trademarks of Bizarre Creations Ltd. Kuju Entertainment Ltd is a registered subsidiary of Kuju PLC, part of the Catalis N.V group company. ™, ® Nintendo DS and the Wiilogo are trademarks of
Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
 LETTERS I was reading Volume 220, and | came
THE GOOD BOOKS across an article that said, "Wii and
What are your guys’ opin- DS titles based on Japan's hugely suc-
ions on the use of strategy cessful anime series are finally arriving
guides? І mean, you guys on US shores." Does this mean that
sell them and I see them Canadian gamers are goingtomiss out
on the shelves when I go to buy on some new titles?
my issues of Nintendo Power. In my Curtis A.

А NEW CHAPTER opinion, a strategy guide completely

destroys the purpose of a game. The
game's creators made it so that it
viathe Internet

Good question. Sometimes a game will be

What an amazing issue we've got would challenge you, not so that you announced only for the United States. But
have to read a book that tells you how considering that such games are few and
E for you this month! We don't mean to do it. Now, I know there are parts in far between, you probably have nothing
games that take forever to figure out, to worry about.
< to pat ourselves on the back, but
but come on! The satisfaction you get
our big new looks at Super Smash after getting past that part is awesome. HISTORY IN THE MAKING
| feel bad for the people who use strat- A few days ago I decided to try out a
Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, egy guides. The game will never be the new thing that 1 saw on eBay (new to
and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games same for them as it was for a person me, at least) called the U-Force for the
who beat it without one. NES. When I got it, it looked really cool.
should get every Nintendo fan's pulse racing. Tristan But when | finally tried it out | couldn't.
via the Internet play it at all! |could move, but I couldn't
What's that? Who am I? Oh, right—intro-
control the movements because frankly
ductions! My name is Chris Slate, and I’m the Seeing as how we put blood, sweat, and I had no idea what to do. There's only
tears into the darn things, we're predis- one other gaming peripheral that has
new Editor-In-Chief here at Nintendo Power. posed to like them. Anyway, getting stuck done something this bad to me-the
(Wow-I have to say, as a lifelong Nintendo fan permanently іп a game is arguably worse LaserScope. It was a funky-looking
than having to use a book to figure out. headset that you wore that had a sen-
and Power subscriber, just writing that sent the answer. sor in front of your left eye. You could
see a crosshair (which wasn't steady at
chills up my spine.) | work for Future US, the
Wii FORMATION all) and you yelled “FIRE!” into a micro-
world's biggest publisher of video game maga- Do you guys think the new Wii Balance phone. Not only could you not play
Board could be featured in more Duck Hunt with that thing, you looked
zines and the new home of Nintendo Power. games? For example, for football extremely stupid wearing it. Why did
I’ve been lucky enough to manage other very games, you could run in place to move the NES have such terrible accessories?
and use the Wii remote to throw. That Mike S.
successful game magazines, but | have to say could make the game really realistic. via the Internet
What do you think about this?
that working on this one is by far the highlight
Nathaniel B. What can we say? It’s old tech, but you
of my career. Even when I'm working at 3:00 viathe Internet can see where trying new things and
pushing innovation pays off every time
in the morning, editing pages with Mario on We touched on some ideas in Volume you pick up your Wii remote.
them always puts a smile on my face. 220’s Writer's Block, and football is
another great example. Running might COMICAL COMEBACK?
I have to say a great big "thank you" to not work, though—the Wii Balance Board | found a website with information on
works better when you are stationary. Howard & Nester and | want to see
Scott Pelland and the rest of the amazing them again. Is it possible to bring them
team at Nintendo for their invaluable help, NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH back? | mean, a lot of people would like
When you guys say that a game is going them, and you'd get more subscribers.
guidance, and continued dedication to making to be released in the US, do you also Kevin K.
this magazine the absolute best it can be. We mean that it will be released in Canada? via the Internet

will continue to work very closely with Nin-

tendo, and you'll still see many familiar faces
within these pages along with a few new ones. NOT HIM AGAIN !
So, that’s us—now | want to hear about
you guys! Drop me a line as often as you can
at [email protected] and tell me what you
think of the magazine and what you’d like to
see. Now, let’s get
this issue started! Chris Slate
Editor-In-Chief
Bring back Howard&Nester? That makes sense; just give these guys their own column and watch
the subscription cards flowinlike a tidal wave.

10 „оо POWER
UNDER REVIEW story of the rise and fall of the Umbrella BUY PLENTY OF NITROS CHALLENGE != FUN
As I'm tryingtoimprove upon my Corporation; how can they leave out | go to public school and ride the bus. I'd like to ask you if you know of any
review-writing methods, | was just curi- two of the most important characters My bus has what you’d call a driver, but good RPG and strategy games for
ous about your own. When you folks in the series? It's like tryingto tell the she can't drive at all. In two weeks she beginners that | could look up. My
work on a review, do you write your history of the United States without has driven over about 25 curbs, almost brothers have suggested different
impressions in little bursts as you play? mentioning George Washington and crashed into a telephone pole and a games to me, but I try them and | guess
Or do you wait until you've finished the Abraham Lincoln-it just wouldn't make stop sign, hit another bus, and run over 1just can't handle it. There are probably
game before you type a word? sense. Why couldn't they just leave atrash can. think this kind of driving other people like me but don't have the
Utopianmachine out Carlos and Jill in the Resident Evil could be a game for the Wii. It could be courage to admit that they're new to
via the Internet З scenario, instead? Resident Evil 2 agame like Off Road Challenge except the gaming world. I'm not new or old
had a bigger story than Resident Evil 3 you drive a bus. to it, just most of the time I'm watching
It's not a good idea to write as you go— and it introduced two new characters. Joseph K. rather than playing, and | thought it
you'll end up changing what you wrote Resident Evil 3 just had Jill again and a via the Internet was about time |tried to seriously finish
once you've finished the game. Instead, bunch of unimportant characters like a вате. | only own a DS, but my brother
take copious notes and study them before Carlos. This game looked like it was A FUNNY THING owns a Wii, along with about every
you write your actual review. going to be really awesome until they HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO other game system on the planet.
decided to leave out Leon and Claire. THE FORUMS Presto1995
KART TOPPERS Elisha B. Why did Nintendo close down the via the Internet
Let me first say that it is incredibly via the Internet Nsider Forums? | mean, couldn't it have
rare for me to judge your opinions stayed up while the Nintendo site was RPGs almost always have pretty steep.
poorly. However, | feel that your "Best It's pretty surprising to us, too—Leon being overhauled? Or would that be learning curves, but we can recommend
of E3" article, where Zack and Wiki and Claire are both integral parts of RE's too much work for NOA Andy and the a few DS games that ease you in slowly
placed a lowly 7, was an absolute joke. overall story. Cross your fingers for an rest of the gang? I’ve spent quite a lot enough that you won't freak out:
How could this charming and intuitive Umbrella Chronicles sequel. of time on the forums, making friends,
adventure game be bested by a 30- getting involved with discussions, and
second clip of Mario Kart Wii? Horrible. CONSOLE QUERIES just havinga good time. It was the only
AlmightyMax I was wondering if you knew if Secret place to discuss Nintendo candidly.
via the Internet of Mana was coming to Virtual Console Tyler B.
anytime soon. I remember playing via the Internet
Well, we're pretty darn excited about that game when I was around 4 or 5
Mario Kart Wii. Also, with the powerhouse years old and | didn't really care about With the Nintendo forums closing, what
ЕЗ lineup, we could've put about six of the the story. But now that I'm older | can reason do many Nintendo fans have
games in the #2 position and we wouldn't probably get into the story much better to visit the Nintendo website? Where
have felt bad about it. (not to mention finish the entire game). else are we going to go to talk about Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time for DS
I've never really liked turn-based RPGs, Nintendo? This has to be one of the mixes classic platforming with painless
LIFE SAVERS which I don't think Secret of Mana was. worst ideas Nintendo has had since action-oriented RPG battles.
As much as | loved The Legend of Zelda: IfIremember correctly, this game was not making Metroid Prime Corruption
Twilight Princess and Super Paper really well made, and just great overall. Wi-Fi. The forums are what convinced
Mario, | couldn’t help but notice that Also, maybe you could revisit Secret me to buy most of my Virtual Console
the difficulty level was a little under of Mana іп your Playback section, games and many more games. What's
par. It is very easy to beat both games because | can imagine other people next? Taking away our Nintendo Wi-Fi
without dying, and | was never stuck liked this game as much as I did. Any stats? Sure, the forum had its flaws, like
for too long. You can imagine my relief help you can give me about this would not being able to trade friend codes,
when I played Metroid Prime 3. The be appreciated. Thank you and keep up but it was a great place to spend hours
game has a perfect difficulty level, and the good work. talking to people who like Nintendo as
even the most hardcore of Metroid Adam G. much as I do. Get a taste for tactics titles with Advance
fans will, most likely, die at one point viathe Internet TerryJr91 Wars: Dual Strike. Gameplay elements are
or another. We can only hope that via the Internet introduced one at a time, and the modern
Nintendo will continue this pattern with You're memory serves you well—Secret of setting is intuitive.
the upcoming lineup, as | would love a Mana was excellent, indeed. Square Enix I'm terribly disappointed that the
new, challenging Mario platformer. hasn't announced plans to launch any of executives at Nintendo decided to
Andrew their titles on the Virtual Console, so you'll close down the forums. To be frank, the
via the Internet have to wait (or dig out your SNES). Community page in Nintendo Power is
really goingto feel its effects. Could you
It's true; there seems to be a conscious Hey guys, |was wondering: Where's guys explain how are we supposed to
shift toward making it harder to die in a Mega Man 64 on the Virtual Console? submit fan art, Nsider reviews, and that
game. We don't mind, actually—it means That was the greatest game I have ever kind of stuff so that it can be incorpo-
less time spent repeating portions of a played. Will Nintendo be putting it on rated into the Community section?
game, and more emphasis on telling good the Virtual Console, or do I have to Roundhouse Kick Despite their rap for being for the younger
stories. That said, Corruption is awesome. bribe someone with cookies? via the Internet set, the Pokémon games—like the recent
Gabriel M. Diamond and Pearl—are surprisingly
UNCHRONICLED via the Internet We share a lot of the same concerns as involved and fun. The games are also a
I've been keepingaclose watch on you do. Nintendo Power is in the process lot less hokey than the cartoon makes the
the progress of Resident Evil: The If that was the greatest game you've of making its website a better destination franchise out to be.
Umbrella Chronicles, so | was really ever played, can we suggest you try, oh for the Nintendo-based community, so
upset when I found out that Leon and ... every other Mega Man game that keep reading over the next few months.
Claire aren't goingto be in it. |thought was ever made? At any rate, we haven't Regarding correspondence to Pulse and
this game was being made to tell the heard a release date for Mega Man 64 yet. Community, turn the page.

DECEMBER 2007 11
ИШ ме TIME TO UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS BOOKS!
Ф
It's definitely Chris's fault, but for once
he's actually correct (he assembles the
As everyone knows by now, exciting changes are happening atNintendo Power. And NEITHER HOWARD NOR NESTER
Power Charts lists). Goddess of Dawn
while we'regoing through some majoradjustments
around here,it means that our is the literal translation of the game's
readers will have to make a few minor ones, too. Chris Slate, our new EditorInChief, Japanese title, but Radiant Dawn is the FUTURE EDITORIAL & ART
official English name.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chris Slate
has expressed how much he appreciates the kind of dialog that sections like Pulse CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
George Sinfield, Andy Salisbury, Brett Elston
and Community
enable between you and us. To make surethat we keep receiving all COPY EDITOR Candace English
THERE'S A STATUTE ON CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Dan Fitzpatrick,
THESE, YOU KNOW Christina Empedocles, Natalie Jeday
of the smart, silly, and downright absurd correspondence that you send us, be sure to
1 caught two mistakes in Nintendo NINTENDO EDITORIAL &ART
send your Pulse letters to [email protected]. Fortraditional
mail (yes, westillaccept. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Yoshio Tsuboike
Power. In Volume 187's Pulse, you MANAGING EDITOR ScottPelland
it), check out the address at the end of the page. said that the color of your mini-Yoshi ART DIRECTOR Kim Logan
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Jim Catechi
is random, when really it depends on SENIOR WRITER Steve Thomason
which file you pick. Secondly, in Volume STAFF WRITERS Chris Hoffman, Chris Shepperd
SENIOR DESIGNER Tim Garret
195 in the article "Smash Planet" you DESIGNERS Cory Conner, Rebekah Lane,
THE GAME-NAME GAME is an impossible feat. Since the Wii said you could pick up the Pokémon David Waterworth
ASST PRODUCTION MANAGER Machiko Oehler
Hey NP. [Super Smash Bros. Brawl remote works via Bluetooth, maybe Voltorb when really the Pokémon is an PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Mayumi Colson
developer] Sakurai said on smashbros. you could use Bluetooth headsets like Electrode (a Voltorb has red on the top. BUSINESS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR David Cooper
com that “Nobody will know your mobile phones. You could also put a and white on the bottom and Electrode 646-723-5447, dcooperfafutureus.com
name” during Wi-Fi play. | know that transmitter in the USB port that could is vice versa). ADVERTISING DIRECTOR - GAMES GROUP
Nate Hunt, 562-983-8004, nhuntfafutureus.com
Nintendo puts serious emphasis on not use the DS's wireless headset. Or, you Patch S. REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR [Bay Area)Christina
Perez, 650-238-2504, cperezfafutureus.com
giving out personal information, but could put an adapter that plugs into via the Internet REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR [South West) Isaac
does that mean that I won't even be the bottom of the Wii remote that has Uguy, 949-218-0981, [email protected]
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Benjamin Alessio
able to log onto Wi-Fi with a four-let- another port at the bottom so you could Gee, thanks. We'll be sure to make a note 650-238-2324, balessiofafutureus.com
ter screen name that appears above still plug in your nunchuk. Many games of those errors in our microfiche archives. DIRECTOR, CORPORATE SALES & MARKETING
Jim Schiekofer, 646-723-5410,
my character's head? Secondly, I'm such as Brawl or Medal of Honor Heroes jschiekoferfafutureus.com
worried about the pace of the game. could really benefit from the ability to CORRECTOR’S CORNER CORP. SALES MIDWEST MANAGER Jodi Sosna
212-217-1358, jsosnafafutureus.com
He said that the farther you are from talk with people; otherwise the online Тата big fan of the Dragon Quest CORP. SALES WEST MANAGER Nadine Weiss
323-493-5929, nweissfafutureus.com
the person that you're playing against, feature is tarnished. Where's the fun in franchise, so when I saw two articles AD PROJECT MANAGER Rhoda Ushijima
the slower the pace will be. |know an online game if you can't make fun of concerning Dragon Quest in Volume 650-238-2474, rushijimafafutureus.com
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR
that he means that the game could lag someone when you beat them? 2211 was thrilled. | happened to notice Arthur St. Germaine, 650-238-2571,
while playing online. | understand this. Levi B. after reading the Power Profiles inter- astgermainefafutureus.com
MARKETING MANAGER Andrea Recio-Ang
entirely, but do you think that they are via the Internet view with Yuji Horii that there was a 650-238-2548, arecio-angfafutureus.com
building the game to be at least as fast- mistake in the Gameography section. It
DIRECT MARKETING SPECIALIST
Alexandra Davydova
paced as Melee, if not faster and more While taunting like you describe is precise- shows a screenshot of Dragon Warrior
PRODUCTION
intense? It'd be a disappointment if the ly what we hate about headsets, they're 4 stating that it was made for SNES. PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Richie Lesovoy
game was slower paced. definitely good for co-op games. Hopefully Dragon Quest 4 was actually made for PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Larry Briseno
Daniel L. Nintendo is already developing such a the original NES. |just thought | should CIRCULATION
via the Internet device for the next wave of Wi-Fi titles. point that out. Anyways, | have been GROUP CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Kate Bailey
NEWSSTAND DIRECTOR Bill Shewey
reading Nintendo Power for many years ONLINE CONSUMER MARKETING MANAGER
Betsy Wong
Lag is pretty much inevitable in Wi-Fi EVEN MORE CORRUPT and think you guys put together a great BILLING & RENEWAL MANAGER Mike Hill
gaming, but were sure they're doing It may or may not be an error, but you magazine each month. Keep up the FULFILLMENT MANAGER Angi Martinez
DIRECT MARKETING SPECIALIST Sasha Davydova
everything they can to limit it. As for your failed to include all of the upgrades good work, folks. CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Mike Manrique
four-letter tag, you'll probably still be able past the Hyper Missile, such as the final Andy T. NEWSSTAND COORDINATOR Alex Guzman
to have one, as long as you choose your grapple upgrade, the X-Ray visor, the via the Internet
FUTURE US, Inc.
four letters carefully... Hazard Shield, the Spider Ball, and the р. 4000 Shoreline Court,
other Energy Tanks. I'm a little disap- You said in your review of Dance Dance Ste 400, South San
Francisco, CA 94080
FEMME FATALE pointed in you guys. You didn't include Revolution: Hottest Party that you Future
MEDIA WITH PASSION www.futureus-inc.com
I have been wondering why Nintendo any Ship Missile expansions either. couldn't turn off the gimmick arrows
hasn't made any evil princess charac- Апопутоиѕ118 and the hand arrows but, in fact, you PRESIDENT Jonathan Simpson-Bint
VICE PRESIDENT/COO Tom Valentino
ters. I thought a perfect opportunity via the Internet can. It's in the menu when you're CFO John Sutton.
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Bowser. | know Bowser kidnapped plete walkthroughs—that kind of detail via the Internet MARKETING DIRECTOR Shawn Roberts.
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12 coo power
 Animated Blood 1 d
Mild Suggestive Themes E A Nd
Violence ee
ESRB CONTENT RATING ТҮ у ; ; ; І l. www.sega.com
© SEGA. All rights reserved; SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA, the SEGA Yogo and GHOST SQUAD are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. ТМ and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. ©2006 Nintendo.
(LEA S aun INNER
OCH LEGEND
e Welcome To The Jungle e When You Were Young
e Even Flow e Paint It, Black
e Suck My Kiss e Rock And Roll All Nite

Challenge guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello

Face off in all-new Battle mode, play co-op, or compete head-to-head

Change out your faceplates to customize your stage presence

Lyrics WWW.GUITARHERO.COM
Mild Suggestive Themes Guitar Hero™ Il: Legends of Rock©2007 Activision Publishing, Inc. Guitar Hero is a trademark andActivision and RedOctane are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing,
Inc. Covered by one or more of the following patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 5,739,457, 6,018,121, 6,225,547, 6,347,998, 6,369,313, 6,390,923, 6,425,822, 6,645,067 and 6,835,887;
patents pending. The Guitar Hero™ controller shapes are trademarks of Gibson Guitar Corp. All Gibson marks, logos, trade dress, guitar models, controller shapes and related
ESRB CONTENT RATING WWW.esrb. org rights provided pursuant to exclusive license from Gibson Guitar Corp. Wiiandthe Wiilogo aretrademarks of Nintendo. ©2006Nintendo. The ratings icon isaregistered
тунлы trademark о! the Entertainment Software Association, All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. А rights reserved.
2 ©) ACTIVISION AUTHORIZES USE OF THIS GUITAR HERO™ GAME ONLY IN COMBINATION WITH GUITAR HERO™ CONTROLLERS PROVIDED BY ACTIVISION OR STANDARD
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Are Not Rated by the ESRB GAME PRODUCT OR OTHER ACTIVISION BRANDED PRODUCT. ANY OTHER USE IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. NO OTHER LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IS GRANTED.
 = AVAILABLE
» für Wii"
Wii Remote"
Sold Separately

0. ACTIVISION.
 VICTORY!
WIN
"Dt 7)

| JEDI Wii TRICKS

BEST WORK TRIP EVER

Big in Japan
Third-party publishers unveil asmorgasbord of new Wii and DS titles at
Japan's biggest video game event of the year, Tokyo Game Show.
Every September, thousands of gamers converge on the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba
prefecture for Tokyo Game Show. Quite a few exciting Wii and DS titles made their debut at this
year's event and we've got the full report. —steve T.

Kingdom Hearts: of this point-and-click DS adventure

Sk
Senne
wee
358/2 Days game from Konami. Time Hollow
It's been rumored for months, but is the latest from director Junko ==
Square Enix finally made it official: Kawano, who explored similar themes
Kingdom Hearts is comingto DS. This in the underappreciated PS2 title
all-new installment in the popular Shadow of Destiny.
Disney-meets-Final-Fantasy fran-
chise will take place between the King Story
first and second Kingdom Hearts Originally announced as Project О a
titles (released for PlayStation 2), few months ago, King Story boasts jectiles at once. And should your
and focus not on Sora and friends, a highly touted development staff appetite for destruction prove
but rather Roxas and the mysterious that includes folks who worked on insatiable, the game includes a
Organization XIII. The game is fully Harvest Moon, Final Fantasy XII, and fairly robust level editor. Though
3-D, and looks to feature a real-time it’s been announced in Japan only,
battle system similar to its predeces- Treasure is currently in discussions
sors. A first for the series, however, to bring Bangai-O Spirits to the US.
is a four-player co-op mode. Oh, and For more with the developer, be
if you’re wondering about that title, sure to check out our interview on
Square Enix claims it’s deliberately page 64.
к}
cryptic, and that players will under-
stand its meaning once they complete KING STORY Blue Dragon
the game. Mistwalker (the studio founded The rumors are true:
Dragon Quest VIII. The game stars a by the father of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts is
Time Hollow timid young boy who unexpectedly Hironobu Sakaguchi) announced coming to DS!
On the morning of his 17th birthday, becomes king, and mixes elements of that its Xbox 360 RPG Blue
high-school student Horo Tokio town-building with real-time strategy. Dragon is headed to
awakes to find himself in an alternate Another key element seems to be a the DS in some
quirky sense of humor, as signified form. Details
by a Don Quixote-style knight who remain pretty
rides around оп а cow. King Story will much nonexistent
be published in Japan by Marvelous at this point, so we
Interactive. A North American pub- don't know if it will be a remake of Rest assured we'll be keeping a close
lisher has yet to be announced. the original or an all-new installment. eye on this one.

TIME HOLLOW ay Bangai-O Spirits Active Life: Athletic World

The latest from famed developer Twenty years ago Bandai released
timeline in which his parents have Treasure is a DS-exclusive follow-up Family Fitness Fun: Athletic World for
been missing for 12 years. By observ- to cult-classic shooter Bangai-O. use with the NES's Power Pad. At TGS,
ing flashbacks, investigating for clues, Following in the frenzied footsteps of Namco Bandai announced Active Life:
and “digging holes” into the past its predecessor, Bangai-O Spirits arms Athletic World for Wii, which you'll
with the Hollow Pen, it's up to you to you with a crazy assortment of weap- play using a custom mat peripheral.
ACTIVE LIFE: ATHLETIC WORLD |
change events and solve the mystery ons capable of firing hundreds of pro- Coincidence? We don't know. But

16 uoo power
we do know that Athletic World will Samurai Shodown
feature 10 events such as rowing Anthology
and navigating an obstacle course in Way before anyone was facing
which you (and your friends, if you off in sword-to-sword combat in
play the game in multiplayer mode) Soulcalibur, Samurai Shodown was
will control the action with both your the definitive weapons-based fighting
feet and the Wii remote. series. SNK hasn't announced which
games will be included in Samurai
Metal Slug 7 Shodown Anthology for Wii, but with
The run-and-gun shooting action of more than five titles released for the
Metal Slug has been going strong for NeoGeo hardware (and several lesser-
ages (as exemplified by last year's known games available as well),
Metal Slug Anthology on Wii), and the there's plenty of 2-D hack-and-slash
latest installment is aimed squarely combat ripe for the picking.
at the Nintendo DS. SNK Playmore
hasn't revealed a lot of details about Oboro Muramasa
the game, but you can expect more of Youtouden
what's made the series so successful: Independent developer Vanillaware
19630; SA Ei

through randomly generated dun-

geons on a quest to find the legendary
city of El Dorado. Enhancements for
the DS version include new territories,
revamped graphics and sound, and
OBORO MURAMASA YOUTOUDEN |; Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support.
rcs ; 2 EA Sega will release the game in the US | MYSTERIOUS DUNGEON |
plentiful weapon power-ups, loads of has gained considerable notoriety next winter. SHIREN THE WANDERER #
Se
enemies, and vehicles like the reliable of late for its efforts to revitalize
Metal Slug tank. 2-D gaming, most famously with the Dinosaur King than 240 special attacks to battle the
PlayStation 2 action-RPG Odin Sphere. First you collect, then you fight! No, forces of an evil scientist named Dr.
The King of Fighters The studio's next project is a 2-D fight- it's not Pokémon-it's Sega's Dinosaur Z. Geez—didn’t people learn anything
Collection: The Orochi Saga er for Wii. The game was shown only King for DS. Playing as “the D-Team" from Jurassic Park?
Three of the earliest King of Fighters in video form at TGS, but the hand- of Max or Rex, players will collect
games-KOF '95, '96, and ‘97—are com- drawn visuals were absolutely stun- more than 100 dinosaurs by dig- Front Mission 2089:
ing to Wii on a single disc in The King of ning. No word yet on a US release. ging up fossils found in five regions Border of Madness
Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga. around the globe, then use more Square Enix revealed that the next
The trio offighting games features Mysterious Dungeon: installment in its popular mech
a plethora of characters and special Shiren the Wanderer strategy series will be Front Mission
moves, along with elimination-style Shiren the Wanderer is a DS remake 2089: Border of Madness for DS. No
team-based battles. KOF '96 and ofa popular dungeon crawler origi- specifics have been revealed, but
'97 have yet to be released on home nally released for the Super Famicom the Front Mission 2089 moniker has
consoles in North America (aside from in Japan (the game never made it previously been attached to a series
SNK's original NeoGeo versions), so stateside). Developed by ChunSoft of cell phone games in Japan. As such,
we're looking forward to a domestic (the folks responsible for Pokémon DINOSAUR KING | < we suspect this is either a port or a
release (which we hear will be in 2008). Mystery Dungeon), it takes players spin-off of some sort.

We Love Golf
Camelot, the development team
behind the original Hot Shots Golf and
the Mario Golf series, returns to the
links with We Love Golf. A collabora-
tion with publisher Capcom, the Wii
title promises a realistic golf experi-
ence with the cartoonish flair that
Camelot is known for. We Love Golf
will feature the Wii remote for the
club-swinging motion, allowing subtle
adjustments during your shot to apply
fades and draws with a flick of the
wrist. Look for the game to arrive in
North America sometime in 2008.

DECEMBER 2007 17
 HAN SHOT FIRST

The Force is with Wii

Vader haters rejoice—A special Wii edition of Star Wars: The Force
Unleashed is on the way! Many Bothans died to bring us this information.
LucasArts has announced a special makes it special? The developers are
Wii version of Star Wars: The Force adding an extra mode that will allow
Unleashed, the game that has already players to engage in head-to-head
caused more buzz than any other duels to decide who the true Jedi
Star Wars title in years. It’s called Master is, once and for all.
“Force Unleashed” because players Will this be the long-rumored Wii
can control the force in just about any remote/lightsaber game that fans
way they want to, from throwing a have been dying for? LucasArts won't
Stormtrooper across а room to pull- Say, but we're sure that we won't
ing a Star Destroyer down from the have to wait until the game's Spring
heavens. What about the Wii version release to find out more. —Awov S. Now this is why the Jedi don't need to carry blasters!

Wii GO BOOM

The Fuse is Lit

With Bomberman Land, the classic multiplayer series kicks the party
into high gear with an explosive number of minigames.
It was only a matter of time before that their Bomberman's look is fully
Bomberman made his Wii debut, and customizable from head to toe.
boy does it look like a blast! (See what If rolling with a four-player bomber
I did there? Anyone? .. . Um, yeah.) posse isn't your style, the game has
Bomberman Land for the Wii is you covered with the Adventure
looking like it's going to be loaded mode where it's your job to figure out
with fun. There will be a whopping what tore Bomberman Land into four
50-plus minigames, so everyone at pieces (our guess would be bombs).
your Bomberman party should find Also, the original Bomberman Battle
something they like. (Hey, |know | game is included as an added bonus,
can't be the only one throwing these with new maps and power-ups added
parties! . . . Right?) And if your friends to spice up an old favorite.
happen to find white and pink a tacky The game hits in January, so get
color combination, you can tell 'em your group ready! —Anoy S.

'SNOW DAY

Curling, Yes!
Prefer your sports covered in snow?
Winter Sports 2008 has you covered.

If you're sometimes a couch potato

like me, then chances are good that
you've caught curling on ESPN in the
middle of the day and ended up watch-
ing it for hours. And then you really
want to try it even though you know
loMario or Sonic in this
very little about the sport, but the local
ine, but there is a bear.
skating rink keeps kicking you out for пате him... Curly. Ultimate Challenge will let people like country skiing, and figure skating
sliding large objects across their floor us live out our fantasies, and we won't (1 know what I’m doing after curling)!
during business hours. Hey, no need to even have to leave the couch. Along You can compete with up to four
be embarrassed—we've all been there. with curling, the game also includes people, so call me over and we'll go
Thankfully, our time has finally alpine skiing, ski jumping, bobsleigh, for the gold together when the game
come. Winter Sports 2008: The luge, skeleton, speed skating, cross releases this November. —Awov S.

1 8 NINTENDO POWER.
 DRAW YOUR BLADE. WIELD THE ULTIMATE POWER.

NORTH AM

rylin е DS
30 Bleach™ characters. 10
Battle with up to three other Е ЗТ,
Slash and hack with the players via TieRE to БОР victory.
Wii Remote as your Zanpaku-to. TUR ыр

FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.SEGA.COM

TEEN
Mild Language
Suggestive Themes
Violence E) Wi T NINTENDOTIS шг JUMP SEGN
ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org Б won rra: www.sega.com
SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation, ©SEGA. All Rights Reserved. This product is manufactured, distributed and sold under license from VIZ Media. LLC. SHONEN JUMP™,
BLEACH™, Shattered Blade and The Blade of Fate are trademarks of Shueisha, Inc. in the United States and other countries. © Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV TOKYO, dentsu, Pierrot. All Rights reserved, ™, ©, Nintendo DS and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.
 Imagine that meteorites have
bombarded Earth, nearly wiping
out civilization; scattered survivors
pick through the wreckage under
xim
ashen skies, and the remnants of two і
military superpowers patrol the dev- ee
astation, one faction protecting the launched after the
innocent while the other preys upon Д тез moved
them. Instead of the happy-go-lucky,
cartoonish campaigns of previous
Advance Wars games, Advance Wars:
Day of Ruin offers up a bleak back-
ground with gritty, manga-inspired
characters and animations. But far
from depressing, the new look for the
series is coupled with features that
will make this the best Advance Wars
ever. Chief among them is the ability to
battle other commanders via Nintendo
Blow into the mic or use the touch Wi-Fi Connection. Multiplayer options
screen to perform special moves. have always been strong in the AW
franchise, but with instant access to
opponents online you'll never have
to wait for a friend to show up. As
always, the single-player story mode
is extensive, and you'll face a wide
range of scenarios as you progress in
the game. Once you've completed the
missions, secret minigames main sequence, you'll have additional
and wacky special items tó'collect! challenges, including multiplayer
options and a map editor to create
your own scenarios. With Fire Emblem:
Radiant Dawn debuting this month
eni id NINTENDODS
and Advance Wars girding for battle in
сөөлү. D3PUBLISHER NE late January 2008, Intelligent Systems
(which developed both titles) is defi- "Global war" usually doesn't sound
nitely on a roll. —Scorr P. so good, but we're all for Wi-Fi play.
Crude Humor
Mild Cartoon Violence
ESRB CONTENT RATING. www.esth.org
 Y | J
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sd

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Super Strength

Super Speed

Playas yaur-favarite alien heroes to bottle the evil Vilgas ond his minions!

=>

Available for the PlayStation®2

computer entertainment system and
PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.

Cartoon Violence
Mild Language

CONTENT RATING www.estb.org CARTOON NETWORK

D3PUBLISHER
 ANNOUNCED
IN DEVELOPMENT
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BITS OF TID

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THE ADVENTURE
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THEN THERE WERE NONE COMPANY
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ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
AMF BOWLING PINBUSTERS
WARNER
BETHESDA NINTENDO 05
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AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER:
THE BURNING EARTH THQ ADVANCE WARS: DAY OF RUIN NINTENDO
ALVIN ANO THE CHIPMUNKS. Brash ENT.
Top New
BACKYARD FOOTBALL ATARI
Bee Movie GAME Activision AMERICAN Gif
Јоце Finos AWav THQ Game Still
BEN 10: PROTECTOR OF EARTH D3PA
Biast Works:
Buno, FUSE в Destroy Majesco
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER—
THE BURNING EARTH THQ Hush-Hush
Bee Movie Game Activision
BLEACH: SHATTERED BLADE
Вит: THE League
SEGA
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CALIFORNIA GAMES System 3 Mario KartWiistill silently
CALL oF DUTY 4:
BROTHERS IN ARMS: MODERN WARFARE Activision ontrack for"early 2008."
Dovste Time Usisorr CARS: MATER-NATIONAL THQ
BULLY: SCHOLARSHIP EoITION ROCKSTAR THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA:
CABELLA’S MONSTER BASS Асмзюн PRINCE CASPIAN Disney The only news to report
CARS: MATER-NATIONAL THQ CHRONOS Twin Lexicon
Сат 2007
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA:
Usisorr DS Gets its CONTRA 4
CookiNG МАМА 2:
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FACTORY m Boogie is getting a DE Biog THQ altogether a bad thing.
CookiNG MAMA 2: DI-GATA DEFENDERS THE GAME
DINNER WITH FRIENDS Majesco eoó second shot at stardom Factory ae 2008 is almost here and
Cosmic FAMILY зот Discieues 1 Straresy a the gameis still targeted
CRANIUM Клвооки Usisort onthe Nintendo DS. First
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Gil: HARD EVIDENCE Ueisorr. While we scored the Wii DRAGLADE Artus
DANCING WITH THE STARS ACIVISION o DRAGON Quest IX: year. We could be Karting
version of Boogie a 5.5, PROTECTORS OF THE SKY SQUARE Enix
be BLos THQ DRAGON Quest MONSTERS: online before too long!
Destiny oF Токо тво we're cautiously opti- Joxer SQUARE ENIX
Destroy Au Humans! DS Ar” NinteNoo
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DISASTER: DAY OF Crisis NiNteND0 вео ENCHANTED Disney Int.
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TENKAICHI 3 ATARI . shorter on-the-go play FINAL FANTASY Xll:
DRAGON BLADI REVENANT WINGS Square ENIX
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DRAGON Quest SWORDS: CRYSTAL CHRONICLES:
THE MASKED QUEEN AND minigames. You can even RING OF FATES SQUARE ENIX
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EA PLAYGROUND ELECTRONIC play the game in 3-D using Foster's НОМЕ FoR
ARTS . IMAGINARY FRIENDS:
EMERGENCY MAYHEM CODEMASTERS вео glasses that come pack- IMAGINATION INVASION Mioway
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aged right inthe box. GALAXIES SIERRA
FERRARI CHALLENGE SYSTEM 3 eoo GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE CRAVE
FINAL FANTASY GODZILLA UNLEASHED ATARI
CRYSTAL CHRONICLES:
THE CRYSTAL BEARERS SQUAREENK — eec
Fine EMBLEM: RADIANT DAWN —NINTENDO
THE GOLDEN Compass SEGA a Lay Back
GoP ers:VACATION ISLAND Konami
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THE GOLDEN Compass SEGA
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DESTINEER reborn in November.
Harvest Moon Wii* NATSUME INSECTICIDE GAMECOCK Allof the crazy, over-the-
HARVEY BIRMAN,
ATTORNEY AT LAW Capcom T's A WONDERFUL WORLD Square Enix
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SING Itt DISNEY INT. THE HEARTLAND Desrineer
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INDOOR SPORIS Konami m Line RIDER нє this month in Midway's
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THE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. eoo MX vs. ATV UNTAMED THQ
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Mario Kart Wii NINTENDO ве NIGHTS: Мнтеноо CROSSWORD* NINTENDO
MARIO 6 SONIC AT THE JOURNEY oF Dreams SEGA
OLYMPIC GAMES Sesa ove NiroBIKE (шот ONTAMARAMA Anus
MEDAL OF HONOR HEROES2 ELECTRONIC No Mont Heroes Ueisorr Orcs в Etves EitCrRONIC
ARTS D Ont Piece: Namco ARTS
Monster Las tios eo UNLIMITED ADVENTURE BANOAI PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008 Konami
Миѕнкоом MEN Gamecock eco Poona Кон PROFESSOR LAYTON AND
PINDALL HALL OF РАМЕ: THE CURIOUS VILLAGE NiNTENDO
MX vs. ATV UNTAMED THQ eec THE Wittiams Сомеспом Crave ° RATATOUILLE: FOOD FRENZY THQ
‘Monster Truck OFFROAD DestINEER вес
* TENTATIVE TITLE

22 swrenoo power
J TACKINEEDSLY OUR HELP!

Available
Octoberi23 e
Cartoon Violence

wwwestb.org
 Retro gaming gets even hotte
Big news this month as two new systems are added to Virtual Console,
and previously import-only games appear on our side of the Pacific.

2 MORE FOR VC
At long last, Turbo CD and Hey, if anyone from Konami
NeoGeo games are coming to is reading this, could you
Virtual Console! No specific please—pretty please—make
Turbo CD titles had been Dracula X one of the first
announced at press time, but Turbo CD titles? This rare
we can tell you that the first gem is one of the best Castl-
wave of NeoGeo releases will evania games ever, and since
include fighting and action it's only recently been made
games like Fatal Fury, World available outside of Japan, <
Heroes, Art of Fighting, and most fans here haven't had a The NeoGeo was home to a long line of amazing fighting
Magician Lord. These bad chance to play it yet. games, including classic series like Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting,
boys will sell for 900 Wii And SNK, we'll be counting and Samurai Shodown.
Points apiece, and more the days until we can down-
games will be announced in load Samurai Shodown-
the months to come. don't keep us waiting!

WHAT’S

VIRTUAL CONSOLE

KIRBY’S LEGEND OF HERO

AVALANCHE TONMA
PLATFORM: SUPER NES PLATFORM: TURBOGRAFX16
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO PUBLISHER: IREM
GENRE: PUZZLE GENRE: ACTION
ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1995 ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1993

WHAT: Very similar to anoth- WHAT: The makers of R-Type

er Virtual Console puzzler, deliver an intensely challeng-
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean ing side-scrolling action/plat-
Machine, Kirby's Avalanche is former in a unique fantasy
a fast-paced blob- and block- world setting.
dropping game.
WHY: The steep difficulty
WHY: This is a fun Tetris- curve (you die after just one
style stacking game, espe- hit) and reflex-heavy game-
CHRIS 55 Pick
cially when dropping blob play represent classic gaming кы
“Avalanches” ona friend. at its purest.

24 NINTENDO POWER
 Wii Channels
аана

pou

NES PLAY NEUTOPIA II STREETS OF

ACTION RAGE 3
FOOTBALL
PLATFORM: TURBOGRAFX16 PLATFORM: SEGA GENESIS
PLATFORM: NES PUBLISHER: HUDSON PUBLISHER: SEGA
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO GENRE: ADVENTURE GENRE: ACTION
GENRE: SPORTS ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1992 ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1994
ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1990
WHAT: Following the first WHAT: In the third game in
WHAT: At a time when the Neutopia's VC debut by only a Sega's series of Streets of
video game gridiron was few weeks, the sequel offers Rage beat-'em-ups, you'll
ruled by Tecmo Bowl, NES more of the same Zelda-style punch out lots of thugs on
Play Action Football offered top-down adventuring and the way to destroying Mr. X's
a fresh approach with its dungeon exploring. robot imposters.
angled, overhead view and
simulation-style gameplay. WHY: It might not be as good WHY: Even though it features
asthe series it shamelessly a disappointing soundtrack
WHY: It's so sim-heavy that emulates, but Neutopia Il and a weird combo system,
you even have to rest your provides a decent fantasy the co-op brawling remains
players, and there's no slow- quest nonetheless. somewhat satisfying.
down (a strong point for a
NES sports game).

SCORE 100
TIME 2:06

SUPER WORLD CLASS YOSHI'S STORY

THUNDER BLADE BASEBALL
PLATFORM: N64
PLATFORM: SEGA GENESIS PLATFORM: TURBOGRAFX16 PUBLISHER: NINTENDO
PUBLISHER: SEGA PUBLISHER: HUDSON GENRE: ACTION
GENRE: SHOOTER GENRE: SPORTS ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1998
ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1989 ORIGINAL RELEASE: 1989
WHAT: Baby Bowser has
WHAT: Climb into the cockpit WHAT: Customize your team, turned the world into a liv-
of a superadvanced helicop- play a friend, go after the ing picture book, and so the
ter and lay waste to legions league and world champion- Yoshis set out to put things
of enemy copters, tanks, and ships, or simply kick back and right again in this short-’n-
other vehicles. watch a game of hardball. Sweet action game.

WHY: A mix of overhead WHY: The definitive baseball WHY: Often dismissed by
and first-person 3-D stages game on the TurboGrafx16, fans of the much more chal-
brings some diversity to the World Class Baseball is easy lenging Yoshi's Island, there's
nonstop shooting. Games like to pick up and play, with just actually a lot to like about
this were the forefathers to enough modes and depth to this game when viewed as
modern 3-D shooters. keep you hooked. the younger kid's title that it
really is.

DECEMBER 2007 25
 WHOSE TEAM ARE YOU ON?

ч "
e.:

20 authentic Olympic events n Fantastic unlockable stages TAN Take your own Mii"into
featuring three modes of play. including 10,000 meter diving K the action.
Pi and more. -
JE ann T DG ж,
Does Mario red run in your veins? Or are you a true-blue Sonic fan? The match-up the world's been waiting for will finally happen at the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games. 20 different events mean 20 different Wii Remote" moves to master. What's in the cards for your team? Suit up and find out.

e DACIA УП АЧИ ДИЛ 4 te А мс а У |

AN... 1 ve EDS л A
EVERYONE

ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org * | COMING FEBRUARY 2008. /

ТМ USOC 360220506. Copyright 2007 International Olympic Committee (4005)? All rights reserved. SUPER MARIO characters NINTENDO. Nintendo; Nintendo 05 and Wii are trademarks of Ninterito. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG characters © SEGA. All
Rights Reserved. Sega is registeradhin theW.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SEGA, the SEGA logo and Sonic The Hedgehog dfe either registered trademarks ontrademarks of SEGA Corporation. TM and the Wii are trademarks of Nintendo N© 2006 Nintendo,
3 bt Rv |шч we, NIS. L5 2 0 "e FB " Cot un V У SA, Әх A NE LAT i ч e) ў

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27 LN Wl moleste, hae 42 S E Wi Bb s `
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CN «e ~ Ы" VIDEO GAME
x» АМҸ "Уў t м oat М 1 \ < і 4 i м z y
КУ
 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams P
Queen and the Tower of Mirrors Pg. 30 Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Pg. 3;
Endless Ocean Smarty Pants Pg. 34
Godzilla Unleashed Pg. 34 Tomb Raider: Anniversary P:
Master of Illusion Pg. 2 Ultimate Mortal Kombat Pg. 3;

Happy
niversary
LDA
PLATFORM: Wii * PUBLISHER: EIDOS
DEVELOPER: CRYSTAL DYNAMICS * RELEASE: NOV. 2007

When I think of tomb Raider, | tend to think

of running and gunning. Granted, puzzles eventu-
ally come to mind, but for me at least, they’re
an afterthought. That all changed when I had a
chance to get my hands dirty with the new Wii-
enhanced version of Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
Having played previous Tomb Raider games on
other consoles, | was excited to get the oppor-
tunity to play the classic series in a whole new
way, and I wasn’t disappointed. From the open- Run-down ruins? Not how I'd
ing scenes, the new Wii control proved intuitive.
celebrate my anniversary...
By the time the tutorial was over, putting Lara
through her paces felt like second nature.
Running and gunning with the Wii remote and
nunchuk is a blast—it really makes you feel like
you are a part of the game. During a fight witha
pack of wolves, I could quickly flick my wrist to
dodge their attacks while simultaneously target-
ing them with the Wii remote. Simply navigating
the environments is also very immersive.
While flicking the Wii remote up and down
to swing back and forth across a chasm, |
caught myself swaying along with the action
onscreen, | suppose to make sure that I got
that extra edge that I needed to clear the gap.
The action is fun, but the control scheme really
shines while you’re working out puzzles. For
example, you can move the Wii remote left and
tight to make charcoal rubbings of clues, or twist
portions of a pillar by grabbing them with an
onscreen hand icon. It’s clear that the developers
put a lot of effort into making sure that the game
made good use of the Wii.
Anniversary’s graphics upgrade over the origi-
nal PlayStation version almost makes it feel like a
brand-new game. Several times, rooms that | had
buzzed through back in the day stopped me dead
in my tracks and compelled me to take a second
look. In one instance, what was once a slightly
darkened room with an obvious exit had become
a beautiful area filled with crumbling rocks and
beams of light that cut through fog.
When Anniversary hits stores in November,
you'll see this franchise in a whole new way. With
an innovative control scheme, breathtaking visu-
als, and classic Tomb Raider gameplay, you're
sure to fall for Lara all over again. —ANDY S.

28 NINTENDO POWER
Magic Act
PLATFORM: 05 * PUBLISHER: NINTENDO
DEVELOPER: NiNTENDO/ TtNYO * RELEASE: NOV. 2007

Master of Illusion isn't so much

agame as it is a cool toy. It teaches you how
to perform 14 magic tricks using the various
capabilities of the DS, and some of them are
pretty darn convincing. One of our favorites
has your audience draw a pair of eyes on the
DS touch screen, then place a coin above,
below, to the left, or to the right of the hand-
held. When the person is finished, you'll com-
mand the DS (via the microphone) to look, and
the eyes will gaze in the direction of the coin.
How does it work? A magician never reveals
his secrets (even under the threat of beat-
ings from his coworkers). Some ofthe tricks

VO)
require a special deck of playing cards, which
comes included with the software.
Master of Illusion also offers a selection of
simple minigames, as well as tricks that the
DS can perform by itself (afew of which may
lead you to believe that your handheld has
been possessed). But the main attraction is
2 Wise Eyes
definitely the opportunity to put on a show for
your friends and family. —Steve T.

Which candle do you

want to blow out?
Point at it with your
finger, then blow.

Mild Fantasy Violence

Suggestive Themes
 “Get lost, heroes—this is fashion-
able superhero birdmen territory!” Š |, А Ne Quest

PLATFORM: Wil * PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX

DEVELOPER: GENIUS SONORITY * RELEASE: 2008

While Dragon Quest is better known for its

epic 80-hour RPGs, the series’ first Wii title takes a
S more lighthearted, hack-and-slash approach.
У After tackling the first few levels of the Japanese
Ф "E 88094 SEP version, we're starting to enjoy the subtle complex-
nint МР |! l425 Á \ ity of the battle system. When enemies are near
erage See - " enough to swipe at, you have only a split second to
decide where to put the focus of your sword attack;
for example, if a string of close enemies lines up ver-
tically on the right side, your best action is to place
your targeting spot on the right side, then swipe
vertically to knock them all out at once. Your shield
plays a key role, as well—monsters not only rush you
to attack, but they also fire projectiles that you can
block. When the going gets tough, you can unleash
powerful magic to hit all the enemies at once.
We can't wait to get our hands on an English ver-
sion so that we can get a better understanding of
the game's many smaller details. —CHRIS SH.

Neverending
Nights
PLATFORM: Wii * PUBLISHER: SEGA
DEVELOPER: SEGA * RELEASE: DECEMBER 2007

We know, we know—we've previewed

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams so many times now
that you'd think Sega's been sending hundred-dol-
lar bills with every new screenshot. While we can't x
confirm or deny that, we can say that we’ve finally ^ 2 =, N : € х
gotten some hands-on time with the high-flying The world of NiGHTS is a super-happy pastel paradise. When it does rain, it probably rains Skittles.
sequel, and the game is shaping up wonderfully.
Like the Saturn original, Journey of Dreams lets
you fly through imaginative dream-based levels as
the whimsical jester named NiGHTS. When you’re
swooping, looping, and diving with the analog
stick (either using the nunchuk or the Classic
controller), the game feels very much like its
32-bit predecessor; alternatively, you can opt for
remote-only control and guide NiGHTS by pointing
with a cursor. Creative bosses, vehicle stages, and
on-foot levels provide additional depth. The game
should be a dream come true as long as Sega man-
ages to giveita consistent frame rate. —CHRIS Н.

30 sooo power
 Paradise
Found T

PLATFORM: Wii * PUBLISHER: NINTENDO

DEVELOPER: ARIKA * RELEASE: WINTER 2008

Endless Ocean for Wii is less a game than

a hypnotic journey beneath tropical waves. Scuba
diving is mesmerizing enough in reality, but when
you're gliding among digital coral reefs, reaching
out to stroke colorful angelfish while soothing
music drifts over you, all while you’re dry and
parked on your comfy sofa, you'll experience a
completely unique rapture of the deep. Navigating
through Neptune's realm is a simple matter of
guiding the onscreen cursor and pushing the B
Button on the remote. Examining fish, petting
them, feeding them, and checking your air supply
are about the most taxing activities you face. No
shark attacks or moray-eel melees. Guaranteed.
If blissing out in an octopus’s garden isn’t
enough for you, there are various tasks you can
perform, such as guiding tourist divers and col-
lecting info for your shipmate, Katherine, who
(oddly enough) is studying the sea but refuses
to set fin іп it. By focusing on a specimen, you'll
gain knowledge in the form of a data readout, so
eventually you'll fill in an undersea encyclopedia.
Of course, even in paradise people need to earn
a living—and justify the fact that the Marianas gut
Foundation has essentially given them a dive boat PERSA
to live on. As time goes by, you'll visit more areas 5
and receive new equipment options. You'll also be PRU.
able to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Gate to
go diving with a friend.
There is nothing in the world quite like Endless
Ocean, but we'll all have to hold our breath until
early 2008. —Scorr P.

==;
m"

má —ÀÓ

Mild Fantasy Violence

Suggestive Themes
E
006, 2007 ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO R Rig
 Brawn |
and Brains
PLATFORM: DS * PUBLISHER: MIDWAY
DEVELOPER: OTHER OCEAN * RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2007

Midway’s long-running fighting

series is hitting the DS with a one-two punch in
Ultimate Mortal Kombat. The first blow lands in
the form of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, an authen-
tic port of the classic digitized one-on-one fighter.
In case you haven't earned your degree in Mortal
Good or evil, they all shop Kombat history, here's the recap: Shao Kahn,
at the same clothing outlet. ruler of Outworld, has invaded Earth. Only a select
few warriors have survived to stop him, and so the
battle rages between the heroes of Earthrealm
(including series mainstays Liu Kang, Jax, and
Scorpion) and the forces of Outworld (such as
Shang Tsung, Reptile, and Sheeva). The DS version
adds a convenient move list on the second screen
and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection versus play.
UMK’s second strike is Puzzle Kombat, a block-
dropping puzzle game. Although it’s a blatant rip-
off of Capcom’s Puzzle Fighter, the action is addic-
tive and the special moves add an extra dimension
to the formula. —Curis H.

Wow-this looks just like Paris

did when I went there, right

abbids Rè |
R bbid Lv j down to the plunger guns.

PLATFORM: Wii * PUBLISHER: UBISOFT

DEVELOPER: UBISOFT * RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2007

Although the Wii is already bursting with

plenty of party games, nobody can deny that
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is nonstop silly fun.
The game is packed with more than 100 crazy
minigames. You can take them on one by one in
the Free Play mode or challenge your friends to
a “trip.” Trips let you pick which minigames you
want to play, and then you take them all on one
after another. As you complete them you'll be able
to unlock 20-plus costumes for your characters.
You can also tell your friends to scram, and take a
trip by yourself if you're feeling unsociable.
In Volume 219, we touched on a brilliant new
aspect to Rabbids 2's shooting levels; now we're
able to give the full scoop. They will feature full-
motion-video backgrounds that will behave as if
rendered in 3-D-the Rabbids will duck behind and
jump over real objects as if they were designed
into the stage. The effect is outstanding. —ANDY S.

32 suntenoo rower
 AN
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 Unleash
the Beast
PLATFORM: Wii * PUBLISHER: ATARI
DEVELOPER: ATARI * RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2007

Ever since I was a young’n and my dad

gave me a Godzilla figure, I’ve been a huge fan of
the big green lizard from the Land of the Rising
Sun. So, getting to play Godzilla Unleashed was
something that I’d really been looking forward to.
The game's 16 monsters are split among four
factions: the Earth Defenders, the Mechas, the
Mutants, and the Aliens. During my brief first
Is it strange that we still
play session, | spotted Megalon, Mechagodzilla,
imagine men in those suits?
Angirus, and Godzilla himself. (Kudos if you actu-
ally recognize all of those names!) The game pro-
vides a nonlinear story that allows you to befriend
or betray any of the four factions as you choose.
While smashing up the environments, |was
impressed by just how interactive they are. Whether
Iwas throwing a building at an opponent or knock-
ing down а skyscraper with а tail swipe, | felt like an
active participant in the world around me.
If you're as big of a Godzilla nerd as | am, be
sure to mark your calendar for the November
release of Godzilla Unleashed. Gojira! —Амоү S.

How could anyone see a wheel and not

want to spin it? It's scientifically impossible.

Spin the wheel to select a category

ST TR oF

PLATFORM: * PUBLISHER: EA
DEVELOPER: EA LOS ANGELES * RELEASE: FALL 2007

Се ТЕ] gaming has never been more popu-

lar, thanks to the Wii console’s intuitive control
scheme and family-friendly titles such as Wii
Sports and Wii Play. EA is riding the games-built-
for-everyone wave with the Wii-exclusive quiz
title Smarty Pants, which tailors its questions and
motion-based activities to the age of its players.
While up to four competitors test their gray
matter by answering questions picked froma
group of 20,000, they move their muscles in
tests that range from tugs of war to dance-offs. =т
During the contest, players’ right and wrong spouts
answers cause the вате to make adjustments іп > ааа)
шен ef a rectangle that has аен
an effort to keep it close all the way to the end. In a m of 8 ft and a width of 6 ft
addition to competing against each other, play- FR й Е
ers can team up for timed challenges in Family
mode. Like the Nintendo-published group-activ-
ity titles, Smarty Pants requires the use of only Carl Lewis
Wii remotes (no nunchuks needed), increasing
the chance that there will be enough controllers
E -togo.around.—GEoRGES.—

34 NINTENDO POWER
 АА mmm

irth of Modern Racing.

Fast Cars. Loose Rules. {The Birth machines you can’t drive in any other game.
: n chàos and control iin dozens o Е lt speed
hand-bui eren adsters, i and: more.
en
rear engine ro.
super-charged
jet-propulsion engines, bolt-on wings,
ight aa
E iis to

field of crashes,
uthless rivals.

Wii™ screenshots.

EVERYONE
@
ЗЕЕ, DESTINEER
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (and Design), Indianapolis 500, indy, The Greatest Spectacle In Racing, Gentlemen Start Your Engines and Racing Capital of the World are registered trademarks of Brickyard Trademarks, Inc., used under license.
TM, Nintendo DS and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. ©2007 Destineer Inc. All rights reserved
 Do you here a Green Thumb?
Puzzle de Harvest Moon is a fast-paced, highly addictive puzzle game where you
grow and harvest crops.competing against your favorite Harvest Moon characters!

2 , nil
Visit www.esrb.o
NINTENDO DS NATSUME
for more ratings ú
information: mw Www.natsume.com Serious Fun‘
TENT RATING — www.esrb.org
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essential for your farm life.
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NATSUME’ ^ Mild Fantasy Violence

Serious Fun® www.natsume.com Use of Alcohol
ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org
 Sega and
Nintendo go for
gold with Mario
& Sonic at the
Olympic Games,
and we’re there
for every star-
studded event.
By Chris Slate

AAA ФР
ae
 газ Dream 7
LATeam è
Is it any coincidence that the official slogan for the Wii WARM-UPS
2008 Olympics is “One world one dream?” Once
opposing generals in the SNES/Genesis war of the General
early '90s, Mario and Sonic have put aside their
old feud to do what was once unthinkable: star in a
Controls
game together. Or at least take their old rivalry to a While each event has its own special
controls, they are all built on top of the
new arena: the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. following four basic actions. By the way,
in many events the player can choose to
If the game's combination of plumbers, hedgehogs, trivia. Finally, players can upload their records for use both the Wii remote and the nunchuk,
and Olympic events sounds odd, consider this: the world to see via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. or the Wii remote alone.
gaming's two biggest icons are endorsing what is The game includes 20 Olympic events, and for
essentially the spiritual successor to Wii Sports. the first time anywhere, we had the chance to try
With equal appeal to both hard-core Mario and each and every one. Read on for our hands-on
Sonic gamers and casual minigame players, this impressions, and on November 20th, be sure to join
title seems destined for the top of the charts. Mario and Sonic as they put aside coins and rings to
Longtime Nintendo players will also be glad to go for another type of gold: medals.
know that Mario & Sonic has a lot in common with
Konami's classic Track & Field series. They share
many of the same events, and the games all cause
you to break a sweat. But now, instead of rapidly
pressing buttons, players energetically pump their
Wii remotes and nunchuks to urge their athletes on.
The game features 16 characters, eight from Holding the Wii remote in one hand and
team Mario and eight from team Sonic. Each is the nunchuk in the other, you alternate
rated in four categories: Speed, Power, Skill, and moving them up and down as fast as you
Stamina. So, for example, while it's possible for can. It's pretty intense! Ў,
Bowser to beat Sonic in the 100m dash, the Blue
Blur will have a definite advantage. And for players
that might be looking for more of a Wii Sports-type
experience, it's also possible to compete as a Mii.
Some minigame collections are fun at first, but
shortly fizzle out. The developers at Sega must
have realized this, because they've packed Mario &
Sonic with plenty of modes and various unlockable
rewards. You can win medals by challenging any
one event in Single Match mode, and trophies are
awarded to players that place third or higher in a
series of events in Circuit mode. Each character Jumping
offers a collection of specific challenges in Mission To jump, you swing the Wii remote verti-
mode, and simpler minigames can be unlocked in cally. Sometimes the angle of the swing is
the gallery, where you'll also hear a lot of Olympic also taken into consideration.

Every character has a chance to win in

a race, but Sonic has the advantage.

Swimming
‘Swing the Wii remote and nunchuk left,
tight, up, or down depending on each
character’s unique swim style.

Moving
In sports like fencing, in which you must
move your character left and right, you'll
simply use the nunchuk’s analog stick. |

DECEMBER 2007 39
 ч
'« Dream
L^ Team EI

Athletics (Track)
The track events are some of the most grueling,
especially the longer ones like the 400m and
4x100m relay. Despite the sore arms that will result,
the relay is a highlight in this category due to the
dramatic baton hand-offs—mess up the timing and
you'll quickly fall behind. It's easiertogo all out in
the shorter 100m dash, and the 110m and 400m
hurdles add a welcome bit of technique to running.

Athletics (Field) Aquatics

Field competition is much more varied than track Swimming is comparable to
competition. We haven't yet mastered the jumping running in the "tire your arms
that's required in so many of the field events-you out" category, with a couple of
not only have to tilt the Wii remote quickly upward, important twists. First, char-
but you also have to watch the angle at which you acters have different swim-
hold it. Still, we've had decent success and good fun ming styles and require differ-
with the long jump, triple jump, and high jump. The ent controls. Second, the real
hammer throw is performed just as you'd imagine key to victory is to breathe at
(swing the Wii remote around as you would the the right times. A perfectly
hammer), and works great. The pole vault and jav- timed breath will reward the
elin throw round out this category and can be quite player with a boost, while a
challenging due to tricky timing. failed attempt will slow the
character considerably.
The 100m freestyle is much
more manageable than the
4x100m endurance test, but
we managed to break our first world record in the latter. Go us!

Gymnastics
The vault—which you'll
unlock later in the game-is
fun, but for fast-fingered Wii
remote experts, the trampo-
line offers a more addictive
challenge. Bouncing high is
easy enough-just swing the
remote upward a split-second
before touching down—but
this event is won or lost in
the air. During each bounce
aseries of button commands
and Wii remote motions
flashes on the screen; you
must match those onscreen
prompts to perform midair
spins before your character touches down.

Shadow (speed) t

г ) Knuckles (Power)

40 „екоо power
 Over 20 levels - =< Challenge your friends in four-person Nitrobike™ bowling —
of nitro-charged gameplay split-screen or six-person online multiplayer wipeouts encouraged!

COMING HOLIDAY 2007 »

Mild Suggestive Themes
Violence

WIL UBISOFT
 E

Archery Rowing
Using a bow in this event actually feels much more The single sculls event has
realistic than it does in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight to be unlocked, and in our
Princess. First you press both A and B, essentially time with thé game so far,
“pinching” the Wii remote as if to hold an arrow in it isn't one of the stronger
place. Then you pull the remote back as if you were events. The player must
really drawing a bow. Two onscreen targets must simply pull the Wii remote
be aligned using both the remote and nunchuk to and nunchuk back to simu-
land a good shot, and the wind has to be taken into late rowing, while pausing
consideration, too. Once everything is lined up, you between strokes to input
release A and B to let go of the bowstring. The whole random onscreen button
process feels very natural, and is a lot of fun. commands. The trampoline
event does the "Simon Says"
thing much better.

Shooting
Skeet is reminiscent of the
NES classic Duck Hunt or the
shooting game in Wii Play,
only it's quite a bit harder.
The player must move
through various stations,
Stopping at each one to fire
at a set number of targets.
The targets get faster and
are fired at more difficult
angles as you progress.
Table Tennis
This event can take a while to get the hang of, espe-
cially for Wii Sports Tennis players, because the tim-
ing required to hit the ball is totally different. While
the action isn't as varied or nuanced as in full-scale
tennis, players can attempt to catch their opponents
off guard with power swings and soft shots. Fencing
The event is individual épée,
and it consists of three
things: moving toward or
away from your opponent,
parrying, and lunging. These
three simple actions can be
mixed endlessly in a mul-
tiplayer battle of wits. This
is easily one of the game's
most unique events, and is
extracool when Mario and
Sonic face off against one
another with foils in hand.

Peach (Skill)

Waluigi
Mario (Skill)
(All-Around)

42 NINTENDO POWER
 NINTENDSIYS.

Mild Lyrics
Mild Suggestive Themes
Jam Sessions is a rese
proud supporter of fc

СЕ AVAILABLE NOW
WWW.myspace.com/jamsessions
 THE EPIC FIGHTING TITLE

on Wii console, follows the

exploits of Siegfried and other
Soulcalibur favorites. Fight in a
ew adventure set between the
J.. events of Soul Blade and the
Original Soulcalibur game. The
Wii Remote and Nunchuk are

FIGHT AGAINST LARGE FIGHT AS YOUR FAVORITE SOULCALIBUR

SCALE ENEMIES CHARACTERS IN IMMERSIVE ACTION

Animated Blood
Mild Language BANDAI
Suggestive Themes 4 NAMCO
Violence Ё
ESRB CONTENT RATING — www.esrb.org Games
SOULCALIBUR Legends!™&©1995-2007 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. GK IMA
Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon tertainment Software Association.
All rights reserved. All other trademarks and copyrigl
 ON A\NEW DIMENSION
1

PLAY IN SINGLE AND MULTIPLAYER MODES

SWING IN A NEW ERA OF GAMEPLAY

Only on the Wii
 GET READY
TO
With just a month to go until
SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL
finally hits, we look at the game’s
10 MOST EXCITING FEATURES,
plus a pack of all-new screens.
By Chris Slate

. 9
2° д «v

[s
POKEMON TRAINER ZERO SUIT SAMUS DONKEY KONG LINK

PIKACHU
Call your friends and pull
out your other three con-
trollers—the wait for Super
Smash Bros. Brawl has been
excruciating, but the biggest
multiplayer game of the year is
almost here! If the success of
the last Smash is any indication
(it’s still the best-selling title
for the GameCube), then there
will be an awful lot of fans
brawling when the game hits
on December 3rd.
To celebrate Brawl’s impend-
ing arrival, we've taken a big,
last look at the features that
have players drooling in antici-
pation, and we've also man-
aged to snag a nice big batch of
never-before-seen shots of the
game in action.
But before we get started, a An All-Star Cast
public service announcement: The dream mix of classic characters is at the very core of who can swap between three different Pokémon on the
what makes this series great. Mario vs. Link! Donkey fly, and Wario, who can ride his motorcycle).
if you haven't been to
Kong vs. Bowser! Fox vs. Samus! Smash Bros. gives fans Visually, the cast has never looked better. Some char-
SmashBros.com lately, then get
the kind of matchups that they can normally only dream acters, such as Link, have been updated to match their
your butt over there! Every sin- about. Brawl has upped the ante with a truly unbeatable appearance in recent games. Others, like Kid Icarus's Pit,
gle weekday, Masahiro collection of some of the most beloved video game char- have been totally reimagined. All of the characters take
Sakurai—the genius behind the acters of all time. And while they all still share the same advantage ofthe Wii’s extra power to show more detail
basic control setup, the fighters play more differently and lighting effects than were possible on the
Smash Bros. series-posts new
from each other than ever before. The developers were GameCube.
information about Brawl. It's determined to stay true to the spirit of the characters And with the addition of Konami's Solid Snake to the
worth reading for the hilarious with every one of their moves, even if it meant that the group-the first non-Nintendo character to ever appear
picture captions alone! gameplay had to go in bold new directions to accommo- inthe series-who knows what other secrets the game
date them (as with the new Pokémon Trainer, may be hiding?

Meta Knight's mach-speed

sword attacks, his ability to
glide, and his stylin’ cape
are sure to make hima
favorite new character.

DECEMBER 2007 47
 Four Kinds of Control
This really shows that the game's creators have thought of everything. GameCube controller, use the similar Wii Classic controller, try the Wii
Knowing that many longtime Smash players would prefer to stick with the remote and nunchuk, or play using just the Wii remote by itself. It's even
tried-and-true GameCube control from Melee, and that other gamers might possible to alter the button configurations for a preferred control style, and
hesitate to put down their cool new Wii remote, the developers included sever- ^ then save the changes to a profile under the player's name, making prematch
al different control options to please everyone. Players can plug in their old setup fast and easy.

Smoke Ball
The Craziest
Items Yet
The broad selection of over-the-top
items has been one of the series' most
defining characteristics from the
start. Brawl includes a long list of new
items for players to puzzle over and
punish their opponents with, and
many returning classics have been
freshened up.
The best items can totally change
the flow of a battle. For example, the
Sticky new Gooey Bomb will turn the
fight into a game of Hot Potato, in
which the character stuck to the bomb
tries to put it on someone else before
it explodes. The Franklin Badge will
render the wearer impervious to
projectile attacks, and everyone
has to run from whoever wields
the Golden Hammer, which is
practically an instant KO if
it connects (assuming
that it isn’t a squeak
toy in disguise).

Cracker Launcher Franklin Badge

CDs can be found during the heat

of battle to unlock many more
А classic Nintendo tunes. Be sure to
pick them up!

The Best Soundtrack Ever

If you could only own one video game soundtrack, this would have to
be it. This game is like a greatest-hits album! Each newly arranged
track marks the triumphant return of a beloved melody, from a
glorious new version of the Kid Icarus tune, to an epic Metal Gear
Solid 4 theme, to a glee-inducing Ocarina of Time medley.
The lineup of musicians that contributed to Brawl is a who's-who
of legendary game composers. We're talking about the people
behind the most memorable themes ever, like Koji Kondo (Zelda,
Mario), Akihiro Honda (Metal Gear Solid 4), Kazumi Totaka (Animal
Crossing, the Yoshi series), Kenji Yamamoto (Metroid series), Masato
Kouda (Devil May Cry), Tomoko Sasaki (NiGHTS into Dreams), Yuzo
Koshiro (ActRaiser, Streets of Rage), and Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom
Hearts), just to name a few. The main Smash Bros. theme was super-
vised by none other than Nobuo Uematsu, the legendary Final
Fantasy composer.

48 NINTENDO POWER
 GET READY '
TO SMASH! ,

ultimate Fan Service

Apparently the developers weren't satisfied of Nintendo games. And, of
with simply packing in nearly every classic course, trophies have
Nintendo character, game world, and piece of returned from Melee—a mas-
music. Like Melee, Brawl has been designed to sive 3-D model collection of
be experienced over hundreds of hours, and characters, vehicles, items,
therefore can accommodate just about any and more.
reasonable request that a player might have. Options and features like
Wanttomake your own rules? No problem. these certainly aren't integral
Set up a Special Brawl with double stamina, tothe core gameplay, and in
giant heads, metal bodies, and heavy gravity if most other titles they would
you want. Enjoy some songs, but not others? be among the first things cut
Go in and adjust the likelihood that any single tofinish the game on time
track will be played in each ar During bat- and under budget. The fact
tle, you can even find CDs that will unlock that Brawl will ship with stuff
more classic tunes. like this still intact shows just
The developers have also put in stickers for how dedicated the creators
players to find, collect, and display—countless are to providing atruly land-
pieces of artwork that span the entire history mark, triple-A game.

Snake’s arena is the Since Snake has so many explosive

starting area from Metal attacks, it’s fitting that his stage can
Gear Solid: The Twin take a spectacular pounding.
Snakes on GameCube.
It's really cool and
weird seeing this in
Smash!

Whoa—MGS2’s Metal Gear Ray

Amazing Arenas has joined the battle!

Brawl’s new stages offer truly breathtaking scenes,

from soaring over Super Mario Sunshine’s Delfino
Plaza, to a space battle in Star Fox’s Lylat system, to
a castle siege in the world of Fire Emblem. Every
area features amazing detail, lighting, and special
effects, making Brawl one of the prettiest Wii
games by far.
The arenas pay tribute not just to classic games,
but to fan-favorite parts of those games. For exam-
ple, players can mix it up on Twilight Princess's
Bridge of Eldin, the site of Link's dramatic joust with.
King Bulbin. Additionally, popular supporting char-
acters make cameos on certain stages, such as in
Smashville, where you'll find Tom Nook and other
familiar faces from Animal Crossing.
The game has a great mix of standard arenas—for
those who prefer a simpler, more straightforward
battle—and over-the-top “themed” stages that
directly influence the flow of the fight. Many of the
levels change over time, from day to night or from
one location to another, and some undergo a total
transformation. With so much visual and play vari-
ety, gamers of all styles will be able to find stages
built just for them
Cool Cameos
Before, only Pokémon could join in a fight.
Now, in addition to Poké Balls, Brawl offers
Assist Trophies. Although the effect of the
two types of items is much the same—each
summons a character that presents a
unique danger to the players—Assist
Trophies allow for character cameos from
the whole world of Nintendo games!
The lineup of cameo characters includes
Captain Falcon's arch-enemy Samurai
Goroh, Star Fox's final boss Andross, Mario's
old rival Hammer Bro, and even a
Nintendog! Oh, and Dr. Wright, from the
SNES version of SimCity, will burst a city
right up through the ground you're standing
on! It can't get any more obscure or awe-
some than that.

WHO'S THE NEW GUY?

Final Smashes
Snake
Each character now has a unique and
awe-inspiring ultimate attack called the
Final Smash. For example, Mario can senda
massive wave of fireballs across the entire
screen, Link can use the power of the
Surprise
Triforce to trap a foe while he delivers quick Snake?! SNAAAAAKE!! Now that the
slashes, and Samus can fire the biggest first non-Nintendo character has
laser you've ever seen. These attacks are joined the battle, it really seems
epic, and feature some of the best visual like anything can happen in Brawl!
effects in the entire game. To make Solid Snake fit into the
A Final Smash can be performed only after world of Smash Bros., the develop-
obtaining a Smash Ball, which is pretty rare. ers have removed his too-realistic
Any player can grab one when it appears, so handguns and rifles and focused
its sudden appearance will always cause instead on bigger weapons with
chaos! Victory or defeat can depend on who over-the-top explosions.
controls a Final Smash, and the fact that each The word is that Hideo Kojima—
character's is unique adds another key strate- the creator of the Metal Gear
gy element to choosing who to play as. series—approached the Smash
team directly to request that his
character be included in his
favorite fighting series. The Metal
Gear Solid 4 composer contributed
music for the game, and we hear
that Kojima-san had a hand in cre-
ating Snake’s stage, so Snake's
Brawl debut is an incredible joint
effort in every regard.
Snake fighting Mario? Sonic racing
Mario at the Olympic Games? The
world has gone crazy, and we're
loving it!

The trademark weaponry, the close-quarters combat moves, the

trademark gestures—the developers have created a Smash Bros.
fighter that is 100% Snake.
me coo mms s

| A^
L^
 fel
Wh
Br

GODZILLA. COM
Fantasy Violence GodzillaO Unleashed © 2007
O Atari, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Marketed and distributed by
ESRB CONTENT RATING www.estb.org |Atari, Inc., New York, NY.
Atari and the Atari logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. Anguirus, Battra, Baragon, Biollante, Destoroyah, Gigan, Godzilla,JetJaguar, King Ghidorah, King Caesar, Mechagodzilla, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Megalon, Megaguirus, Moquera, Mothra, Orga, Fire Rodan,
SpaceGodzilla, Titanosaurus, Kiryu,Varan, the character designs and King of the Monsters are trademarks of Toho Co., Ltd. ©2007 Toho Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. TOHO, the Japanese character design and the Toho corporate logo are registered trademarks of Toho Co.,
Ltd. All rights reserved. The ESRB rating icons are registered trademarks of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The Wii logo is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. The ESRB rating icons are regis-
tered trademarks of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners,
ATARI
 Adventure Mode
This isn’tjust the small-scale adventure mode
from Melee, but a fully fleshed-out single-
player side-scrolling action game. It’s called
Super Smash Bros. Brawl: The Subspace
Emissary, and it could probably justify the full
price of the game all by itself.
This mode is driven by a story that is told
through amazing cinema scenes that show the
personal histories and struggles of each char-
acter. Not much is known of the plot—just that
the game's many heroes come together to
Stand against the mysterious Ancient Minister,
whose Subspace Army is cutting apart pieces
ofthe world and taking them into subspace.
In this mode players will see even more char-
acter cameos, such as Mario's old enemy
Bullet Bill and Pit's goddess Palutena. The
classic NES robot R.O.B. even appears, and the
first boss is Mario Sunshine's Petey Piranha!

Wi-Fi Battles
And finally, coming in at number one is
Brawl's Wi-Fi support—four-player online bat-
tles, baby! Many fans had worried that this
feature wouldn't happen, that Nintendo
would not be able to expand the competition
in Smash Bros. across the globe. We couldn't
ABEL
be happier that those worries were unfound- тү
ed.
There is still a lot to be said for playing
against three friends sitting in the room with
you, but with Wi-Fi you can show your skills to
the world and test yourself against the best of
the best. You can even display your own
unique style through custom icons, and—
when playing with registered friends—you can
create custom messages to taunt them with.
The developers really have thought of
everything—you can even practice your
moves on a sandbag while waiting for a match
tostart. The Nintendo Power crew will be
taking on all comers the moment the game When you battle friends that you've registered, you'll see their names appear above their characters, and you can
releases, so be ready! even taunt them with four different custom messages. [Don't worry, the game will be in English—this screen is
from the Japanese version.]

52 nunrenoo power
 Jim liked Sara. Sara liked Jim. Jim
was saying all the right things and if
he kept it up, it was turning out to
be one night indeed.
lucky

promising ЎЎ darn good

My Word Coach is the fun new game that improves your vocabulary. And when you have a larger vocabulary,
you have a better chance of getting what you want. Knowing the right word makes all the difference.

EVERYONE
Visit www.esrb.org
for updated rating 1 өө
ighis Reserved.
Expuperd information. з at ie aoUi cues Ty, ode NINTENDODIS.
Ubi.com, andthe Ubisoft logo в
ie
Обand the Wi logo ave trademarks of
W {і UBISOFT
Medical drama returns to Wii with
. Here’s your prescription for what to
expect from Atlus’s latest.
By Chris Hoffman

he original Trauma Center:

Under the Knife for DS and
its Wii remake, Trauma
Center: Second Opinion, proved
that medical miracles aren't just for
TV shows. This November, that same
formula of quick-reflex action, a soap Atlus
2007
©

opera-like storyline, and a tinge of sci-fi mys-

tique is returning to the operating room in
Trauma Center: New Blood—and it prom-
ises to be even better than before
thanks to full voice-overs and a two-
player co-op mode. Two playable
characters—veteran doctors Markus
Vaughn and Valerie Blaylock—take
the spotlight in a story set 10 years
after the previous games in the
series, and their heroic life-saving
trials will take them from a small
hospital in Alaska to California to
the US’s east coast and beyond as
they face a medical crisis the
likes of which the world has
rarely seen. Here’s a sampling
of what you'll encounter when
you put on your scrubs.

БД тено power
 An Unbearable Incident repair the patient’s fractured arm. You must equip
The first stage of New Blood introduces you to the forceps (by pressing up-left), then press A and One of Trauma Center: New Blood's standout new
the basics of surgery. As in previous Trauma B to grab shattered bone fragments and pull them features is the ability to play through the entire
Center games, stitches, antibiotic gel, and forceps out of the arm muscles. Once the bone fragments game in two-player cooperative mode. With two
are among your eight primary tools (which you are removed, you must reassemble them like puz- players operating you can perform surgeries
can switch between by pressing directions on the zle pieces to repair the bone. faster than ever.
nunchuk's Control Stick or the “Cooperative mode is something that can be
remote's Control Pad). In this selected for every operation, not unlike how every
Time Limit
operation, you must treat a. operation can be set to one of three difficulty set-
patient who's been mauled by tings," says Aram Jabbari, Atlus's assistant manag-
à bear. All things considered, it er of public relations and sales. ^During the actual
could be a lot worse. Your first operation, both players are free to treat patients as
order of business is to heal necessary, but since the cooperative mode of each
small wounds by applying level actually ups the challenge level slightiy, not
antibiotic gel (equipped by communicating and working together could easily
pressing up), and suture large mean seconds lost or plummeting vitals.
wounds by making a back- The first fragment ha:
and-forth pattern with the rottioved. De
the wound Time
stitches (equipped by pressing
right). The second step is to

It Is a Tumor ing down, you can access a surgical laser, which is

A laser, an ultrasound, a drain, and a scalpel are very effective for eliminating small tumors. Large
also at your disposal. They're essential in saving tumors are tougher to get rid of-you must first
your patients, and you'll have a chance to try them activate the ultrasound (by pressing down-left),
FORCE
out when a man comes to Montgomery Memorial then press the A Button to find the hidden growths.
Hospital suffering from stomach tumors. By press- After you see one, you can select the scalpel by
pressing left, then make “What players will find is that many of the tech-
an incision to expose the niques necessary for successfully operating on
tumor. You must then patients in Trauma Center lend themselves perfectly
use the drain (by press- toa two-person approach. For example, one person
ing down-left) to remove can equip their ultrasound and locate a hemorrhage
the cytoplasm before
cutting out the tumor
and patching up the
wound with a synthetic
membrane. A syringe
oply antibiotic gel on the rounds out your list of
nthetic membrane to affix tools- it's used for inject-
ing patients with a vari-
ety of medications.

You’ve Got the Touch perform the "healing touch" as both Dr. Vaughn
When an accident at a church construction site and Dr. Blaylock by holding down B and 7 and while the second person has already readied their
crushes a nun’s chest, only Dr. Blaylock can save drawing a star-shaped pattern. The technique scalpel. By the time the second player has made the
her. After treating external wounds with stitches slows down time so you can heal injuries before incision, the first player has already equipped their
and antibiotic gel, you must work on the patient's they become lethal. Using it is frequently critical drain. While many skilled players can execute some
internal wounds. Sister Catherine's internal to your surgical success. of the more advanced procedures rapidly, gamers
organs are hemorrhag- will find that the kind of teamwork that cooperative
ing, and you must con- mode brings to the table enhances the speed and
stantly drain the blood excitement of the operations even further."
50 you can suture her
wounds, while simulta-
neously dealing with
hidden injuries that you
must identify with the
ultrasound before they
become serious. It's a
difficult procedure—in
n.
fact, it would be impos-
sible if the doctor didn't rit of life, guide my hands!
learn the "healing
touch" when all hope
seemed lost. You can

DECEMBER 2007 55
 Pick Up the Pace ing up the patient, you must use the scalpel to cut
Achild with a heart defect has a malfunctioning the two wires coming off of the pacemaker, suture Trauma Center isn't just about performing surgery—
pacemaker, and it’s up to you to replace it. The the connection point on the patient’s heart, and it’s also about the characters’ lives, challenges, and
Trauma Center games have been known for the remove the wires as well as the pacemaker itself interpersonal relationships. Here are a few of the
diversity of operations you perform, and this pro- using the forceps. You'll then have to replace the key characters you'll encounter as the story unfolds.
cedure exemplifies that characteristic. After open- pacemaker and attach new wires to the heart; it's
a delicate operation that
requires extreme precision.
The operation introduces a
new mechanic to the game: Elena Salazar
delivering a heart massage by Elena is a nurse at Concordia
hand ifthe patient goes into Medical Institute. She
cardiac arrest. A moving out- seeks out Dr. Vaughn in
line of a hand appears on the Alaska to have him replace
Screen, and when it overlaps a a pump in her pancreas
handprint over the patient's that's required due to a
t's right. Just like heart, you must press A and B genetic immune-system
simultaneously to restore the disorder.
patient's heartbeat.

ADeadly Stigma and the virus goes through multiple forms before
The previous Trauma Center games focused ona it's destroyed. Who knows what forms it will take
mysterious, parasitelike disease called GUILT. In asthe game progresses? Cut-scenes indicate that
New Blood, a deadly new pathogen called Stigma Dr. Vaughn has some previous connection with
is wreaking havoc on the medical world. There’s Stigma, but you'll have to learn that secret for
no cure for Stigma, so it must be removed from a yourself.
victim's body. After you Dr. Luc Rousseau
open up the patient-in Dr. Rousseau is one of the
Time L
this case, Professor top doctors at Concordia,
Lloyd Wilkens—you dis- although he doesn't act
cover cuts on his heart, like it. He's liable to
and a very mobile leavethe tough
pathogen inside his work to other
body. You must use your surgeons, then
laser to eradicate the take the credit
pathogen while using for himself.
your stitches to heal any
wounds the Stigma virus
creates. Stigma is highly
resistant to treatment,

Trial by Fire the syringe a lot during this operation; you must
Afire breaks out at Concordia Medical Institute inject the skin on his right side with culture fluids
in Los Angeles, California, resulting in a man being to prepare the skin for transplant before cutting it
severely burned on the left side of his body. The loose with the scalpel, moving it with the forceps,
main method of treatment is skin grafts—trans- and setting it in place with antibiotic gel. You'll
planting healthy skin from the right side of his also use the syringe to inject third-degree-burn Professor
body to repair the damaged left side. You'll use areas with a cooling solution in order to excise the Lloyd Wilkens
dead skin from the Professor Wilkens is
patient's body. And you researching the mysterious
must perform the oper- pathogen called Stigma.
ation while constantly He's been wanting Dr.
draining blood from Vaughn and Dr.
the patient's wounds, Blaylock to return
lest it disrupt the skin from Alaska to aid
grafts. The procedure him for some time.
is tricky, but there are
plenty of even-more-
advanced operations to
en debrided undertake. Remember,
oed to drain the blo
the patient's life is in
your hands.

56 „моо POWER
MAJOR LEAGUE F
FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES!
BASED ON THE ACCLAIMED "POWER PRO" SERIES, MLB power PROS
DELIVERS FAST, EASY-TO-PLAY FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY. BRING THE
‘DIAMOND HOME TO YOUR LIVING ROOM WITH THE COOLEST PRO
BASEBALL ACTION AVAILABLE!

Amazing gameplay animations: Incredibly deep game action with Easy “pick-up-and-play” pitching Use the exclusive Mii mode on
double-plays, diving catches and Season and Success Modes that let and hitting mechanics for instant fun, Wii™ consoles or remotes to:
HR-robbing catches! You go behind the scenes to control including full Wii Remote™ interactivity! ‘suit-up as many as 10 playable Mii”
entire franchises or individual players! characters per team!

Visit ESRB.org
for updated rating
information.
Blast off with us as we look at the some of the celestial attractions
Mario will visit in Super Mario Galaxy. By Chris Shepperd

oor Princess Peach. It seems that every time she

turns around, Bowser is there to make her life a
nightmare. Fortunately, that means her hero
Mario isn’t too far behind. In their most recent account,
the famed trio takes to the stars to continue their
operatic adventure.
At the beginning of the story, Mario finds himself on a
floating world called the Comet Observatory. Rosalina,
matriarch to the Lumas, can help Mario reach Bowser, pro-
vided you can get her observatory’s power back to full
speed. You'll collect stars from remote galaxies so that she
can harness their power and aid you in your quest.
We've put together a sampling of the galaxies that Mario
will visit, but there are many more extraordinary places in
Super Mario Galaxy.

© 2007 Nintendo
58 NINTENDO POWER
 =]

GOOD EGG GALAXY LOOPDEELOOP GALAXY

t.
л
Good Egg Galaxy is the first galaxy you'll visit once you've In addition to large galaxies such as Good Egg Galaxy, there are smaller, challenge-orient-
poked around the Comet Observatory enough to satisfy your ed galaxies for you to tackle. The first small galaxy on your adventure is Loopdeeloop Galaxy,
curiosity. You'll quickly get a taste for Super Mario Galaxy's crazy a figure-eight-shaped track filled to the brim with turbulent water, where you'll conduct a
gravity-paths wrap over the edge of a planetoid then twist and thrilling race against the clock on the back of a smooth-sailing manta ray. The challenge
turn into deep space, for instance. In addition, you'll learn to
understand the warning signs for when you can't walk freely off
showcases how Super Mario Galaxy uses the Wii remote in a variety of ways. No need for the
nunchuk hereto steer, you simply rotate the Wii remote from side to side. You can also hop
пол.
puvi
the edge of a planetoid. over choppy waves by flicking the controller upward. Although you'll receive only one star for
Large locations such as Good Egg Galaxy have multiple mis- nailingatop time, you can go back and try to beat your best time as often as you like.
sions that will each lead you to a star; a path to a new star opens
up once you've completed a mission. In addition, there are hid-
den stars for you to discover, but they're not easy to find-the
enormous worlds provide plenty of hiding places for you to
search.
You can open up new galaxies once you've collected enough
stars. If you're stumped on a particular mission, you might still
have enough stars to head to the next area—the stage-select
map shows how many stars you need to acquire to open up a
new galaxy.

CL р
There aren't any edges along the course—one big wave and you're in for quite a spill.

ROLLING GREEN GALAXY

Get a feel for walking and for jumping over, under, and around Mario takes a page from his sporting life on Rolling Green Galaxy. The golf-course-shaped
the planets on Good Egg Galaxy. islands floating on the clouds provide the opportunity to show off another of the Wii's control
methods. Holding the remote upward so that the pointer is aimed at the
ceiling, you steer Mario as he balances atop a giant marble. Your goal
is to guide the ball through the holey course and into the cup at
the end. You're pretty much invincible on top of the ball, but if
you bump into one of the
many Goombas milling m
around on the fairway,
you could
be in for
quite the
ricochet.

Look for hungry Lumas to feed Star Bits to—if the Lumas get
enough to eat, they'll open up new areas for you to explore.

The gravity is all sorts of messed up inside the transparent, Fore! Given the time Mario has spent on the links in his own golf games, snagging the star
capsule-shaped planetoid. on Rolling Green Galaxy should be a hole-in-one.

DECEMBER 2007 59
 Prankster
GHOSTLY GALAXY Comets
BEACH BOWL
It's surprising how Mario’s scaredy-cat little brother, Luigi, keeps finding
In addition to a galaxy’s
primary goals, there
GALAXY
himself in the spookiest places. Ghostly Galaxy is packed with giant Boos, trap are random challenges The sunny skies and sandy shores look
doors, and one green-suspendered, knee-trembling sibling. But saving his called Prankster alluring, but Beach Bowl Galaxy is no vaca-
bacon is worth the effort—once you get Luigi safely back to the Comet Comets. They get their tion. The circular sea overflows with crystal-
Observatory, he'll help you out in your quest to find more-tricky stars. name because they clear water, giving Mario the perfect place
Inside the haunted mansion that dominates Ghostly Galaxy, you'll get your move around randomly to show off his natural swimming ability.
first opportunity to turn into Boo Mario. Like normal Boos, Boo Mario can float among the galaxies. Mario can’t hold his breath forever, but pick-
up to great heights, as well as disappear temporarily by shaking the Wii remote, The Prankster Comets ing up coins and air bubbles will refill his air
allowing him to hide from Boos and slip through steel bars. And just like his are usually snippets of supply. When Mario really needs to move
spectral counterparts, Boo Mario hates bright light—if he gets shined on for too larger missions, but underwater quickly, he can pick up a Koopa
long, he'll revert to his normal self. sometimes they're shell to speed through the depths. He can
Elsewhere in Ghostly Galaxy, you'll get the opportunity to put one of Super completely new areas then launch the shell at enemies or treasure
Mario Galaxy's most entertaining new gameplay aspects to the test. A quick- unto themselves. boxes with a quick flick of the Wii remote.
moving Boo in goggles challenges you to a race across a span of blue Pull Stars. Don't forget about that whole gravity thing—
To propel Mario across the virtually empty expanse, you point at the Pull Stars you'll find places in Beach Bowl Galaxy
and press the A Button—Mario will beam himself toward the Pull Star. But you where the water rises to the ceiling, as well
better be careful; let go too early and Mario will go careening into an asteroid— asa remote cylindrical planetoid with per-
or into deep space. You'll find Pull Stars in nearly every Galaxy, but if you really ilous spinning platforms.
want to get good at using them, this is definitely the place.

Beat the clock on timed

Speedy Comet mis-
sions.

Grab onto a Koopa shell to zip across the

ocean at full speed, then shake the remote
to chuck the shell away.

5x9

Finish Daredevil Comet

Boo Mario attracts other Boos, but
missions without tak-
they're not gonna be happy
ing any damage.
Q a when they catch him.

Rocket above Beach Bowl Galaxy's serene

waters to face a Thwomp gauntlet.

le

Race a shadowy dop-

pelganger on Cosmic
Comet challenges.

The enemies and

obstacles move double-
time on Fast Foe Comet
TIME:00:25:75 challenges.
BEST ТІМЕ:0 1:05:80

Pull Stars are really fun to negotiate, but don't dillydally—the Boo you'll race Get an aerial view of your surroundings
won't wait around while you practice hopping from star to star. when you launch above the bowl.

60 seco power
 me 2а f
Brutal 4-player Master the signature jutsu ; Intensify attacks with the
multiplayer clashes! (^ of 20 playable characters! Wii Nunchuk style movements!

Join Now at
NarutoNintendoGames.com

Cartoon Violence
Mild Suggestive Themes
ан аа xs A GS ri
ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org ap UP D3PUBLISHER eni Available October 2007!
NARUTO ©2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO. Game and Softwa: 2007 TOMY. CLASH OF NINJA ™ and ©2002 TOMY. PATH OF THE NINJA ™ and ©2007 SHUEISHA. All Rights reserved. ™, ©, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS and the Wii logo are trademarks of
Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a registered trademarkofthe Entertainment Software Association. CARTOON NETWORK and the logo are
trademarks of and © Cartoon Network
(507)
 BOWSER’S STAR REACTOR FREEZEFLAME GALAXY
As you might expect, you'll encounter Bowser and his kin from time to time, holed up in a For the first time since Mario went 3-D, the Fire Flower is
treacherous galaxy. Bowser's Star Reactor is one such galaxy, and it's a doozy—crazy pseudo- back. Pick it up first in Freezeflame Galaxy and start blasting a
side-scrolling portions give you that old-school Super Mario Bros. vibe, but as soon as the path through enemies you weren't able to defeat before. You can
gravity starts playing tricks on you, you better bust out some new-school platforming skills. also use fireballs to light torches, which open paths to new
areas. Tossing fireballs is a snap, literally—flick the Wii remote
toward your intended target to launch a fireball.
Asthe name suggests, Freezeflame Galaxy doesn't feature
only the Fire Flower, but an Ice Flower, as well. When you
become Ice Mario, you'll create icy pads that allow you to walk
across the top of both chilled water and lava. But there's a catch
to both the Fire Flower and the Ice Flower—you'll get to enjoy
their skills for only a brief period of time.
Despite the new abilities at your dispos-
al, Freezeflame
Galaxy is no walk in
the park. Glacial
lakes and rivers of
magma send Mario's
mercury from one
extreme to the other.

Don't be fooled—super Mario Galaxy can be tough, especially when Bowser knows you're
hot on his tail.

HONEYCLIMB GALAXY Кы а ш |
Bee Mario might be able to fly to great heights, but it's his sticky feet that will get him up ee
the side of the giant honeycomb. However, it looks like Mario's not alone in his ability to
cling to walls—he’ll have to buzz around the hard-shelled beetles that would rather gobble
up Mario than snack on the walls made of sweet honey. Like many of the galaxies,
Honeyclimb Galaxy offers rewards for daring and adventurous explorers.

You'll be Ice Mario for only a limited time, so you'll need to

As soon as you get a taste of fly- find solid land before you sploosh into the frigid water.
ing around as Bee Mario, you'll
understand what the buzz is
all about.

соо S RUE SR
Fire Mario's fireballs can not only destroy enemies; they can
break wooden boxes and light torches.

62 ioo POWER
 HOME FO
л Ө тҮ

. Play as Bloo as you explore ,

the Foster's house.

Use special moves from

Eduardo, Mac and Coco.

JDMIDWAY NINTENSEES
Mida Hore Entrtinmentine-- MDWAY andtheMIDWAY LOGO are trademarks or registeřed
‘ofMidway Amusement Games, LLC. All rights reserved, Midway Amusement Games,-J-C-and.its affiliates —
‘endorse or accept respo sibility for the content. Cae MMoeT‘website, Distributed
D under license by
me Entertainment Inc. ^) and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2004 Nintendo.
ne for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders, The Cartoon Network Logo, and all related characters and
trademarks of and© Cartoon Network.
 геаѕиге
rove
As acclaimed development studio Treasure
prepares an embarrassment of riches
for Nintendo platforms, we havea
chat with the man in charge,
Masato Maegawa. By Steve Thomason

Nintendo Power: Between Yu Yu Hakusho, Astro anime over and over again to get a sense of the
Boy, and now Bleach, Treasure has a history of mak- storyline. We were also given lots of information
ing critically acclaimed titles based on anime and from the original creator and anime staff, and
manga franchises. What's it like working on such in the end became more knowledgeable than
properties? Do you have to change your approach most on the anime. I'd say by now we're great
to development at all? fans of Bleach.
Masato Maegawa: There isn’t a lot of difference
between putting original versus established charac- NP: What are your thoughts on Wii thus far, and
ters into a game. If something isn’t going to trans- do you have any projects planned for the console?
late well into an action or fighting game, we just MM: We already have some work underway with
won't do it. Even for established IPs, we're serious the Wii but couldn't make any announcements just
about making games with originality. yet. We do plan to put more resources into Wii
development in the future. Bleach
NP: Were there certain elements inherent to the
Bleach franchise that you felt were important to NP: Sin and Punishment is about to debut on the lot with. There are a lot of elements that did not
showcase in the game? Virtual Console in the US. What are your thoughts appear in the original, and we really wanted to give
MM: With an established IP, we make sure we're about the game finally becoming available to the it another try.
pleasing the fans of the original work first, and then US audience?
try to create something with a lot of originality. MM: This is a title we originally wanted Americans NP: Why did you decide to make the game for DS?
to be able to play too, so we're really happy to hear MM: We are keeping the core concept of Bangai-O but
NP: Which titles had the Bleach team worked on pre- this. The game really shows what Treasure can do, building it around use of the touch screen and stylus.
viously? Were they fans of the anime and manga? so we'd love people to play it.
ММ: Most of us worked on the Astro Boy portable NP: What are some of the most exciting new fea-
game. While we weren't all necessarily Bleach fans NP: When we spoke a couple of years ago, you tures in Bangai-O Spirits?
to begin with, we read the manga and watched the mentioned that you would like to do a sequel to Sin MM: Four-player simultaneous play, map construc-
and Punishment. Has the team given any more tion, more variety of opponents, more player
thought to that? And don't you think it would be a weapons, etc. We're looking at a lot of new and
perfect fit for Wii? innovative ideas for functionality as well.
MM: When we were originally working on Sin and
Punishment, there was some discussion utilizing NP: Have you been in talks with any publishers
Wii-like controls, and I think now that we're working about bringing Bangai-O Spirits to the US?
more with the Wii, it is something we'd very much MM: Yes, that discussion is already proceeding.
like to try.
NP: Treasure is responsible for some of the most
NP: You just announced a new Bangai-O for DS. beloved shooters in gaming. Does the company
What made the team want to return to that particu- have a general philosophy for the genre that it
lar series? always follows?
MM: Bangai-O is a series that we felt we could do a ММ: Even when rendering the environment and

64 sinteno power
POWER ©
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rf
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 SCORE "fhid growing casual game market. The need for old-
zip p UGS school games will always be there.

NP: Over the past few years, most of Treasure’s

titles have been for handhelds. Is that a trend that
fans should continue to expect, or will we see more
console games from the company moving forward?
MM: We plan to put a lot of energy into balancing the
two. But since it is just not possible for us to work on
every platform, we're currently focusing on the DS
for handhelds and the Wii and Xbox 360 for consoles.

>
NP: When last we spoke, you mentioned that all 10
original members of Treasure were still with the
company. Is there something about the work envi-

\
ronment that inspires such loyalty and creativity?
How do you think it differs from the work environ-
ment at other game publishers?

\ MM: Our company's philosophy is “complete free-

dom." We have created an environment where all
team members can express themselves freely and
create the games they want. This is what inspires
loyalty and creativity within the company.
Sin and Punishment
NP: What would you say is the essence, or the most
characters in 3-D, you have to pay a lot of attention NP: Recently, casual games have been dominating important element, of a Treasure title?
to the same collision issues found іп 2-0 games. the market in Japan. Why do you think that is? And MM: That we have the creative freedom to make
Without losing the fun of those 2-D shooting games, as the head of a company that focuses on hardcore the games we want.
we work to create something with the visual impact games, does it worry you?
of 3-D. MM: Casual games are an important part of the NP: Thanks so much for your time. Is there any-
industry, as long as they’re fun. Players who just thing else you'd like to say to your fans in the US?
NP: Sadly, shooters aren't as popular as they once want to jump right into a game can be put off by MM: We know our company has a lot of fans in the
were. Why do you think that is? more-complex games. Personally, | don’t have US and it makes us very happy. Treasure wouldn't
MM: People say that but | don't think it's true. much interest in anything apart from hard-core be anything without the fans so we hope you'll con-
Despite being an original shooting game, Ikaruga games, but | don't have any concerns about the tinue to support us in the future.
sold more than 150,000 copies, and more well- VUL cem
known games like Gradius V have sold even more.
The most popular shooters tend to be more diffi-
cult, ultimately limiting players, but shooters are an
established genre and I don't think they've lost
much popularity.

NP: You've said that you always let team members

decide which game they want to make. What have
they been telling you that they'd like to tackle next?
MM: The individual members all have their own
opinions but I think the general consensus is that
we'd like to create something new and original.

NP: Are there any other existing franchises, like

Dynamite Headdy or Guardian Heroes, that the
team has been anxious to revisit?
MM: | wouldn't say that necessarily.

NP: Last time we spoke, you said that you would

love to create games in different genres, such as an
RPG, but that it was difficult because the company
is pretty small. Is there any chance you could col-
laborate with another developer to create an RPG,
sort of like what Mistwalker did with Blue Dragon?
We'd really love to see what Treasure could do with
that genre.
MM: |think it’s possible, and we've had such offers,
but our programmers always want to know "can we
create what we want to create?" Therein lies the
biggest difficulty for any project.

Bangai-O Spirits

DECEMBER 2007 65
 As Wii’s Virtual Console library continues to
grow, so does our supply of vintage Classified The codes listed on these pages are
intended for use with Classic or GCN con-
Information cheats. Relive the good old days trollers, but you can enter the codes using
with this issue’s batch of NES, Sega Genesis, the Wii remote instead—substitute A for Y,
1 for B, 2 for A, - for Select, and + for Start.
and TurboGrafx16 codes.

TurboGrafx16

Secret Passwords Cheat Menu

Samus's original adventure was one of Bonk's Big Adventure is big trouble, but
her toughest. Enter these classic pass- you can gain some relief by accessing a
words at the password screen to give the cheat menu. At the Mode Select screen, ROUND-R1
bounty hunter an edge. highlight Quit, then hold down-left, A,
JUMP HIGH=19
Play as unmasked Samus with almost and B, and press Start. You'll enter a
SPEED 4
all equipment: screen where you can choose your level,
PLAY MODE- 1PLAVER
JUSTIN BAILEY adjust your jump height, and more.
SOUND өв

Invincibility and infinite missiles:

NARPAS SWORDØ
000000 000009

NEUTOPIAL.. TurboGrafx16

Secret Passwords
You can experience the sights and sounds of fantasy adventure Neutopia II any
The alien invaders must be stopped! Increase your forces by acquiring extra.
time you want by entering these passwords.
lives, or just chill out to the game's soundtrack.
Sound Test:
10 Lives Music From Neutopia
Enemy Viewer:
Atthe title screen press right, left, down, up, A, and B. Press Select if you wish
Thats Entertainment Neutopia
to begin a two-player game, then start the game. You'll begin with 10 lives
instead of three.

Sound Mode
Hold A and B, then press Start at the title screen. You'll be able to listen to all
the game's music and sound effects.

Round Select and Extra Lives

Three ex-cops are risking their lives on
the streets of rage; help 'em out with
some extra options. With a second
TurboGrafx16
controller activated, highlight Options
eo
Infinite Balls at the menu screen, then hold right, Y,
B, and A on controller 2, and enter the
Devil’s Crush is one of the best console pinball games ever created, and you
option screen using controller 1.
can extend the fun by giving yourself an endless supply of balls. At the pass-
Options for your starting round and
word screen, input PPPPPPPPPA and begin the game. You'll never гип out of
number of lives will now be selectable.
balls no matter how many you lose.

66 uoo power
 Your Hero. Your Adventure.

"Draw yourонт Hero,

andthen fly Design vehicles, weapons, took and more
swim and smash through exciting worlds! to assist you on your quest!

EVERYONE

А277
Exclusively For
Mild Cartoon Violence NINTENDOS PLAY. HC
ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esth.org

© 2007 THQ Inc. THO, Drawn to Life and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
TM, ® and the Nintendo DS Logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2004 Nintendo.
 Select Same Character Rise from your grave! With this wide array of codes at your disposal, you'll have
no trouble rescuing Zeus's daughter from the evil Neff. Enter the codes at the
Attack of the clones! With this code, both title screen.
players can select the same character in
a two-player game (so naturally you'll Continue
need a second controller). At the title
After your game’s over, hold Y and press Start.
screen, hold right and B on controller 1,
and hold left and Ү on controller 2, then
press A on controller 2. ў вено
Stage Select and Options Menu
Hold B and press Start. After choosing your level and other options, hold Y and
press Start to begin on the chosen stage.

Altered Forms Menu

Hold down-left, Y, B, and A, then press Start.

Sound Test
Hold up-right, Y, and A, then press Start.

Passwords
Ristar has extendable arms and courage on his side—and he's also got secret
passwords with a variety of benefits. Go to the password screen from the
option menu and enter any of the following passwords.

Level Select: ILOVEU

ENTER PASSWORD-
True Vision: MIEMIE Just when Arthur thought he'd saved the world from demons in Ghosts 'n
Time Attack: DOFEEL Goblins, they returned for more in Ghouls ‘n Ghosts—but you can finish them
Boss Rush Mode: MUSEUM off by using these codes.
RD.SELECT.
Super Difficulty: SUPERB ACTIVE
Level Select
At the title screen, press up, down, left, right. A chime will sound to indicate
1LO0VEGU you've entered the code correctly. Hold the buttons corresponding to the
desired level (as listed below), then press Start.
Level 1-2: Y Level 3-2: Down and Y Level 5-2: Right and Y
Level 2-1: Up Level 4-1: Left Final Boss: Down-right
SHINOBI" Level
Level
2-2:
3-1:
Up and Y
Down
Level
Level
4-2:
5-1:
Left and Y
Right
eon еде
Invincibility
You need a lot of training to become a ninja master—or you can just use these
At the title screen, press Y, Y, Y, Y, up, FLYER.
codes. With infinite shuriken and endless health, you'll be unstoppable.
down, left, right. A chime will sound if х

Infinite Shuriken you've entered the code correctly. Begin

the game, then pause the action by
Enter the options screen and set the sound effect (SE) option to Shurikin, then pressing Start, and press the Y Button.
set the Shurikins option to 00. After a few seconds, the 00 will change to an When you unpause the game, you'll be
infinity sign, indicating you have infinite shuriken. invincible. You'll also be able to play the
о ор ope game in slow motion if you hold B or tap
Invincibility A while the game is paused.
Go to the options screen’s music test and play the following tracks in order by
pressing the B Button: He Runs, Japonesque, Shinobi Walk, Sakura, and Getufu.
Exit the options screen and start the game; you'll be invincible.

68 „гемо power
 Deliver The
/ Beat Down!

at

‘Create killer musical

| Ф707 Ня Beat Combos!
сһагасіегѕ!
мА... " К Y
id :

Nintendo \X/i Fi Cónnection!»-

f

With а trillion* ways to customize your favorite

fighter, the action never stops! Take the battle
online and rise to the top of the national ranks! À `
^**We did the math!
EVERYONE 10+
Cartoon Violence Visit www.atlus.com/draglade/
Mild Language |Б ®
Mild Suggestive Themes N |N SE E N DO DS ‘il
күл Use of Tobacco C ҮК L/ E LL1 Eas
WWW.ATLUS.COM
© 201 07 BANPRESTO - Dimps Licens
"^, ® and Nintendo DS logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2004 Nintendo.
 A ITO: G DIE

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5 WINNERS! T.
You'll decide the fate of Tellius if you win your own E ^
console and a copy of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn:

SECOND PRIZE 20 WINNERS!

Experience the ultimate in strategy and storytelling
for Wii with a copy of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.

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OFFICIAL RULES Wilsoftware (of which the MSRPvalue for each is Zine to becomea contestant. Everyone
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US, Inc. cannot be responsible for lost, late, misdi- addressed envelopeto theaddress above. Future guardian consent form willresultin the forfeiture 8. Future USis not responsible for any damages or 1L А contestant may enterbyprinting your
rected, or incomplete entries,norshall itbeliable US reserves the right,nits solediscretion, to oftheprizeand selection ofan alternate winner, expenses that winners might incur asaresult of name, address, day-time telephone numberand
for unsuccessful efforts to notify awinner. Cancelorsuspend this drawing should viruses, ‘who wil be chosen through a random drawing this contestor the receiptofany prize. Inaddition, email address (if you have one) and thename
bugs, Internet failureorothercausesbeyond ts {rom the remainingeligibleentries contestants release and hold Future US апа йв
2. The prizesare the following: Theprize that is employees harmless from any andall damages ofthe prizedravving ona 3x5 card and mailing
available for five (5)contestants isa Wii console control corrupt the administration, security,or
6, Return
ofanyprize or prize notification as and claimsofany kindin connection withthe itto: Nintendo Power Sweepstakes/v222, 4000
(of which the MSRP value for each is $249.99), and proper playofthe drawing. undeliverablewiliresultin disqualification and an contest, Future US reserves the right to confirm Shoreline Court, South San Francisco, СА 94080.
retail copy of the Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn* 4. Itis not necessarytobuy Nintendo Powermaga- alternate winner will be selected. all winners for eligibilityand compliance withthe Onlyone entry willbeaccepted.
 MES
OVER 50 UNIQUE GA
INCLUDES

T Available in stores

This No vember )
i idsz.com bids
eT raymanravingrab

© 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Rayman, Rayman Raving Rabbids, the character of Rayman,
a
Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. U [z1[|4 е |FT
 Michel
, Ancel
 n the ongoing debate over whether Nintendo Power: Can you it’s something that happens in agame that means a lot to
video games should be considered tell us how you got into the a couple of days after months me, where the foundation
video game business? of preparation. There are is immersion and a sense
art, the works of Michel Ancel make a also phases where you freely of incredible journey. The
strong case for the affirmative. They may Michel Ancel: Honestly, experiment with gameplay new consoles have really
when I was 8, I dreamt of a and during which you really opened many possibilities
not be as well-known as the Grand Theft portable colorful object full have fun. Then you have the to new types of games that
Autos and Final Fantasies of the world, of cartoons that | could jump final polishing and debugging are beautiful and gripping.
into and live a load of adven- phase, which is often much But we should never forget
but those who have played Rayman 2 or tures. | think my passion more arduous and tiring. that you can have games that
Beyond Good & Evil can attest to their abil- came from this type of vision. are extremely fascinating
Since then I try to make NP: Where did you get your without focusing solely on
ity to captivate you every bit as much as a games that are as immersive inspiration when creating the gameplay. Ico is a great
great movie or novel. and fun as possible. the original Rayman? example of this! We all love to
let ourselves go and be taken
Ancel seems especially interested in (and adept at) exploring NP: When you were a kid, МА: Maybe a mix of magic to fantastic worlds, redis-
what makes video games a unique form of expression: immer- what did you want to be vegetables and a wild imagi- covering the feelings of our
sive worlds that players can explore and truly feel a part of, as when you grew up? nation! Rayman was created childhood, when we would
well as the emotional attachments that result from interacting ina really instinctive way, snuggle up to the side of the
with the inhabitants of those worlds. He's not afraid to take МА: Golderak, a normal guy without any real deep or pro- bed listening to a story with
risks, and constantly endeavors to push the medium into new who lives a double life and found thought. 1 was trying our eyes and ears wide open.
territory. (Kind of sounds like an artist, huh?) Last year, Ancel flies a giant robot. | thought it to escape the grey concrete Don't get me wrong-this
was knighted into the Order of Arts and Literature in France, would be a good way to meet and smog of big-city life and doesn't mean that games that
one of only two game developers ever granted such an honor the ladies! I imagined this character and are 10096 gameplay can't be
(the other was Shigeru Miyamoto). His current project remains his colorful universe, from fun. They are simply different
a closely held secret, but we're anxious to see where this tal- NP: How has the video which I created a little play- categories and it's best to
ented creator will take us next. game industry changed able demo using my basic have both.
It also bears mentioning that Ancel possesses a bizarre Since you've been involved programming skills. It's funny
sense of humor, as evidenced in the following interview. with it? And how has your to see a crazy teenage idea NP: One of the reasons
role changed within the turn into such a success! that Beyond Good & Evil
industry? stands out for a lot of
date of birth: NP: Beyond Good & Evil people is that its one of
МА: Nothing has changed puts a lot of emphasis the few video games that
really; we're still digging away on telling a story, while really tackles political and
birthplace: to find that new idea. Even Rayman Raving Rabbids social issues. Why don't
though things have become focuses almost entirely on we see more of that in this
more complex, especially in gameplay. Which type of industry?
position: terms of technology and team game are you most inter-
organization, essentially we ested in making moving МА: Absolutely, | think the
still create the ideas in the forward? industry is still a little timid!
best known for: same way! Other forms of media-litera-
МА: Definitely games that ture, cinema, and art-have
NP: What aspect of creating are fun and captivating. Asa been experimenting through
agame do you enjoy most? creator, you are always very their creators with the human
favorite food: attracted to the reactions of condition and society as a
МА: When all of the different the player regardless of the whole. Games are still stam-
crafts put their work together type of game. We want to mering somewhat in their
and finally the game begins capture them, please them, true creative expression. |
to emerge. Your characters and even torture them a little. believe by truly mastering our
current projec come to life and speak... the It's kind of a sadistic job in core profession we will rectify
world becomes interactive many ways. many ofthe issues in terms
and immersive. Sometimes Гат currently working on of interface, technique, and

GAMEOGRAPHY

1995, JAGUAR, SATURN

Ancel came up with the 2000, DREAMCAST
fel
idea for Rayman, and CREATIVE DIRECTOR
was the creative director
on the first two games in > u
the franchise, but he had
almost no involvement
with Rayman 3: Hoodlum
Havoc. That might
explain why it wasn’t
very good.

DECEMBER 2007 73
 POWER PROFILES

treats themes that are often

“A good idea needs to
gameplay. Unfortunately, we
often try to rehash the same taboo, like sex or religion, and
old recipes and we really really takes off into all kinds
need to get past this in order
to really progress.
be defended, so you of exploration. Because of his
popular and incisive style, for

NP: Jade (from Beyond

bave to turn it on its me, he is one of
the greatest
authors of the century.
Good & Evil) ison a very
short list of interesting bead, spin it different NP: What are some of your

ways, and try every-

female protagonists in favorite nongaming hob-
video games. Can you talk bies or pastimes?
a bit about the creation of
that character? thing possible to realize it." МА: Mike to explore nature,
watching people and plants
MA: The basic idea was to and return to the passive time to really fine-tune and everything possible to realize grow, exploring seabeds and
express a certain femininity system that’s basically a more polish the game to the highest it. If Irun across a problem on watching ant farms. There are
and to avoid the cliché of passive film experience. The level achievable. а less important idea, then | visual events permanently
the good-looking chick with interfaces we use are still fairly just change the idea! taking place around us that
the brain of Action Man. prehistoric. That doesn’t stop a NP: Would you ever like offer a unique spectacle for
Hence the idea of making her game from allowing usto live to make another Rayman NP: What other games or our eyes—we just have to take
camera her most powerful incredible experiences, but it’s platformer? game creators do you most the time to observe them.
weapon; it’s really not easy to still too limiting. |think some admire or respect?
build a character that doesn’t of the research into interfaces, MA: YES! I think we can still NP: What would you like
express herself with the Al, voice recognition, and voice surprise people even if this MA: Ihave no idea why, but I to be remembered for 50
traditional weapons, objects, synthesizing will start to open genre seems to be a little out love games like The Legend of years from now?
or special powers that are in even more creative possibili- of breath. | have tons of ideas, Zelda: A Linktothe Past and
90 percent of games today. ties. Until then, online games but I haven't figured out yet Out of this World. These are a МА: Nothing really—I don't
| really hope that Jade will already allow immersion and how to clone myself, so I bit old-school now, but they have that sort of ambition.
continue to keep her values the possibility of living amaz- always end up having more really had a profound impact I see myself more as an
and her personality. ing experiences, due to the ideas than time to develop on my experience as a gamer. author of ephemeral works.
human-to-human interaction them all. I try to give something to
NP: What are your thoughts ... but there is still much to NP: Whose works in other gamers, but it's not a precise
on video games as a story- be done. NP: When you're stumped forms of media, such as message. It's more about
telling medium? What are by a particularly difficult film or literature, do you providing a good time and
the advantages and disad- NP: What are the biggest problem while creatinga most admire or enjoy? perhaps gamers might
vantages of the medium? differences between work- game, what's your process get something from it that
ing опа licensed property for working through it? МА: Гат a fan of the comic- is interesting and can be
МА: The main disadvantage is like King Kong and working book author Joann Sfar. He applied to everyday life.
the interface, man to machine, on something of your own MA: | usually try to simplify works to a very broad and
which means areturn to only creation? the problem to get back to the varied audience with wisdom, NP: If you could have one
basic interaction. For example, core ofthe idea. From that humor, and an intelligence superpower, what would it
a kiss is impossible, as is a МА: For me personally there I reconstruct a new process that really takes me away. He beand why?
real discussion. As a result, is not that much difference. I attempting to conserve the shows that creativity is alche-
everything must pass through have a lot of affection for King core idea. There is nothing my on a human scale. His МА: l'd like to live as long as
systems of actions that form a Kong, even if | feel as though worse then losing the sense of style is clean, and it goes to possible so 1can continue to
restrictive vocabulary in order we needed another year to an idea because of technical the essential without tryingto explore our real world, which
to go further into the spectrum make a truly fantastic game. difficulties. A good idea needs be sophisticated or seductive. is so interesting, but also
of emotions. Or alternatively Perhaps that is the disadvan- to be defended, so you have to At first look, you might think imaginary worlds that games
you can use cinematics, but tage with licensed games—you turn it on its head, spin it dif- that this work is naive, but allow usto render so credible
then you lose the interaction don't always have enough ferent ways, and basically try really it's just the opposite. He and substantial.

2003, GAMECUBE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR 2005, GAMECUBE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR

ТА sinteno power
 Introducing, among other things,
some people you haven't had a chance
to punch ın the face yet.

which lets you combine all three

of th ji ir ТИ) - games into one. Now,
bi ЕРУ) | every character in every game is
TENKA JCH] f "available to fight.
9 Whatever console
you have, find a friend who has the
other one. Share the fight.

Cartoon Violence
Mild Language
tatto
15: 2006 Nintendo. The ESRB rating icon
isàregistered trademark ofthe Entertainment Software Association,
REVISITING
THECLASSICS

‚ Awinner is
you!

PRO WRESTLING ATRIBUTE TO AMAZON

Even among the colorful cast of

Before Ryu and Ken, Starman and Amazon Pro Wrestling, Amazon stands
showed us how cool one-on-one fighting could be. out like a sore thumb—he’s eas-
ily the game’s most memorable
character. The guy is basically
the amphibious monster from
the old horror flick Creature
1 HHI
from the Black Lagoon, only in
ПТ. |
TTY ELLIS wrestling trunks. He’s literally a
fish out of water in the wrestling
ring. Oh, and he's also a chronic
cheater. Want proof? Here it is...

PLATFORM: NES
DEVELOPER: NINTENDO
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 1987
COVERED IN ISSUES: NONE
NUMBER OF FISH PEOPLE: 1 D FIGHT! SRoS==60 FIGHT!
Outlaw Choke: For this move,
the Amazon repeatedly stabs his
Back in the day, there were two ways
A one-on-one fighting game where each character can perform a wide opponent in the head with a fork.
to win at Nintendo's Pro Wrestling:
variety of moves? Groundbreaking! Well . . . for 1987, it was. Make the call, ref!
1) a careful strategy of varied attacks
and precision timing or 2) a shame-
ful combination of ring-out victories Every match lost on the ladder to the It's too bad that Pro Wrestling
and the rapid-fire feature of the NES championship would send the player never had a sequel, no prettier Super
Advantage joystick. Ifyour wrestling a match backwards, making it nearly NES version or N64 3-D upgrade. The
code of ethics is loose enough to find impossible to reach the mysterious only reminders that the game even
the latter approach acceptable, then Great Puma, the VWF champion existed are a quick Amazon cameo in
Iwas the unbeatable World Grand whose identity had been so tantaliz- WarioWare Twisted, and a few games
Champion of Pro Wrestling. ingly kept secret via a silhouette with that pay homage to Pro Wrestling's
It's amazing how such a simple a “2” over it in the manual. infamous victory phrase, "A winner Piranha Bite: Here he chomps
game-with just the one game screen, Speaking of cool characters, the is you.” Ah, well—my NES still works, into his opponent's head using
even-could keep you glued to the game was packed with 'em: Starman, and so does my NES Advantage. Time giant, shark-like teeth! Look at
tube for hours. The action in Pro the masked space acrobat; King Slen- to go teach Loser Hayabusa why they those bloody pixels fly...
Wrestling was pretty complex for its der, the VWA champ; Kin Corn Karn,
master of the Mongolian Chop; Giant
call him “the Amazon." -CHRIS SL.
NN
time, with a much higher number of
moves per character than could nor- Panther, the former football star; and
mally be found in other games. Keep the Amazon, who was half-piranha.
in mind, this was before Street Fighter Oh, and the unremarkable black-
Il rocked the world, so a one-on-one trunked Fighter Hayabusa, who was
fighting game was pretty rare. unique only in that the White Pages of
Of course, everything came down my North Carolina hometown listed
to how fast you could hit B and A, and no other Hayabusas. Seriously, what's
in the higher-ranked matches, CPU this guy doing in a game with a space Over-the-Rope Splash: Okay, so
opponents could beat those buttons acrobat and a piranha man? the other guys do this one too,
at infuriatingly inhuman speeds. T but the Amazon enjoys it more!
JE
CONGRATULATIONS!

non Я [i

Have a favorite classic game you'd like to see revisited?

Send us your requests—we'll consider them for a future installment of Playback. It’s hard to argue with results,
[email protected] though. Amazon, we salute you.

КОЛОСУ
 Кд

$
NOR
є?
a, AT CE
Vag te, ced, FAST paced» ps
$n s >
4, 20" Say;in’› button RAPPIN j "i
Uy,у,сьAe, Y AppictivE;
т, EVILbray | ees
" this
pe i tok

Nintendo DS Game" "Best Rhythm Game"

n eye on."

SED внүтнм GAME: 0000000

"...great, addictive gameplay with one of the best pop/rock and EDITORS;
hip-hop-style soundtracks you've heard on the DS." CHOICE
-GameZone.com FINALIST
2

NINTENDO, Anus
Visit www.atlus.com/ontamarama/

© 2007 NOISE FACTORY Licensed to and published by Atlus USA.

7^, and Nintendo DS logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2004 Nintendo. The rating icons are trademarks of the Entertainment Software Association.
The Best
New Web
Videos

E тон, i.
Lus IALINE
здүн! JH TMADISCRIMINATION
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 In-depth reviews of all the latest games.

т.Contra
4;themother == „= s _ - NOVICE
ALPHA
of allshooters.
Oren F
LII

н LN S 82
A pirate's life for Wii? < 2. 4 Se there’s:a lotof:
AM -| -geometry in space!

DECEMBER 2007 79
 RADIANT Wii
the heroes and heroines through make the 2008 presidential
FIRE EMBLEM: their trials and guiding them campaign look like a run for
through battles, you'll begin to think class president.
of them as allies. They're unique, Which brings meto the
unlike generic units in many tactical meat of the game-the tactics.
games, so when you lose a charac- After the sneering evildoers and
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO
ter you'll lose not only their abili- weeping nobles exit the cinematic move, and you've got excellent tools
DEVELOPER: INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS ties-you'll also lose a friend. It's stage, you'll find yourself in charge to help you plan your attack. One
ESRB: EVERYONE 10+ often so gut-wrenching that you'll ofaset numberof units facing a critical tool lets you display the
want to replay the mission until you host of bitter enemies. Each chapter attack range for every enemy you
Here’s a bit of heresy: emerge from the fray with your has at least one mission, and the face so you can judge where to
motion controls aren't troops intact. missions vary from sorties with just move safely. Another key considera-
SHEM required for every Wii The game takes place against a a few characters to major battles іп tion is knowing which attacks trump
title, and in the case of backdrop of war and Machiavellian which dozens of units face off. The other attacks. With care and knowl-
Fire Emblem: Radiant politics. The first of four parts settings and victory conditions also edge of your units, you can plan for
Dawn, Intelligent begins on the continent of Tellius vary widely—in one mission you'll be anything—except perhaps for the
Systems made the right move for three years after the events of Fire tasked with rescuing prisoners from assistance of allied units that you
the tactical RPG by crafting a control Emblem: Path of Radiance for a swamp, and in another you'll have don't control directly. Although your
scheme using the Wii. remote held GameCube. The country of Daein to hold a castle for 15 turns with a command unit can give some direc-
Sideways like an NES controller. It's has been occupied by neighboring small force against an imposing tion to the CPU-controlled allies,
So simple a monkey could navigate Begnion, and General Jarod has army. You'll need to learn the they tend to bunch together, and
the menus and battle commands, subjected the populace to one out- strengths and weaknesses of all sometimes they exhibit silly or suici-
although said simian would have a rage after another. A band of rebels your varied units, as well. In Tellius, dal moves.
devil of a time thinking its way led by Micaiah, aka The Silver- there are two main races—human Ifyou're not familiar with the Fire
through some of the fiendishly diffi- Haired Maiden, is fighting back, but Beorcs, and Laguz that transform Emblem series but you enjoy tac-
cult scenarios that gamers will face they're badly outnumbered. from human shape into beasts—and tics-based games such as Advance
in the 38-chapter tactical smorgas- Through heroic deeds and rumors it's essential to utilize each to its Wars (also from Intelligent Systems
bord. What I’m getting at here is that Micaiah is Daein's savior, the so- greatest advantage. Prior to most and Nintendo) Final Fantasy Tactics,
that Wii not only provides excep- called Dawn Brigade gains support battles you'll have an opportunity to or Ogre Battle (for old-schoolers),
tional motion-based gaming experi- from the common folk and they manage relationships, check on then you're in for a treat. Ifyou like
ences; it excels at elegantly simple grow in strength, finding allies in character readiness, supply units using your noggin and enjoy dra-
interfaces, as well. unforeseen situations. Numerous with new items and weapons (since matic plots, then you, too, will
The Fire Emblem experience is characters from Path of Radiance weapons wear out with use), and rejoice. And ifyou're already a Fire
not primarily about control, howev- make appearances in greater or assign skills and experience. You'll Emblem fan, prepare to be wowed.
er; it's about strategy and emotional lesser roles as the story shifts to also be able to place characters Radiant Dawn boasts excellent pro-
bonding with characters. Most of other nations and conflicts that are (and sometimes choose which char- duction values, a good 30-hour
Radiant Dawn's characters appear stirring within and across Tellius's acters to use) as well as view the campaign (or longer ifyou replay
in cinema scenes and animations borders. To preserve the surprise battle map and review the victory missions, which you will), and more
that advance the story and as units factor, |won't go into further plot conditions before the action begins. blue-haired heroes than you can
that you control in battle. As they details; suffice it to say that there Once you're committed to a fight, shake a sword at. It's the best in its
gain experience their abilities and are twists, betrayals, heartaches, there's no turning back. Fortunately, class, and motion-control or not, it's
attributes grow stronger. Following and enough political commentary to there's no time limit for making a only on Wii. —Scorr P.

80 NINTENDO POWER
 ммте!
WRI КӘ
RI ANAMI
BLUU

Yes, sad but true. Мет

work, at home, and even at
Aunt Jennie's after pie.
‘CHRIS HOF
Super Mario Galaxy is at
the top of my list. It keeps
looking better and better
every time I see it. I'll be
investing a lot of time in
Contra 4, as well. BLEACH: THE BLADE OF FATE
LIT М
үт awfulat Guitar Hero Ill,
so it'll take me most of the
winter to unlock all the BLEACH: THE
songs. Besides, my little
BLADE OF FATE
HARD CORPS
cousins can jam out with.
me in multiplayer. |RATING:
8.5|
1 will boldly (and gladly) go PUBLISHER: SEGA
to Super Mario Galaxy this
holiday season, | haven't
DEVELOPER: TREASURE
ESRB: TEEN
CONTRA 4 through in one sitting, and since
there's no saving your progress,
been this excited for a you'll have to start over from the
platformer since Mario It’s common sense that a fighting- PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS beginning when you run out of
D on the N64. game adaptation of an animated PUBLISHER: KONAMI
DEVELOPER: WAYFORWARD continues. But in classic Contra
series should be more button-mash- ESRB: TEEN fashion, everythingispattern-
After finally getting a
er-friendly than combo-crammed— based, and you'll steadily progress
chance to play NiGHTS this
month, my anticipation for the bettertoattract followers of the Developer WayForward has further and further with practice
that game is through the show who aren't fighting savants. So been responsible for some cool until stages that once seemed
roof. It's coming along how does a legendary hard-core- games (including Shantae and impossible fall like a house of
beautifully. game developer like Treasure Sigma Star Saga), but frankly, I'm cards to your mad skills. As long as
approach mainstream anime Bleach? shocked atjust how well they've you go into it with the right mind-
I've been teaching my
toddler twins how to play
They have it both ways. You can trig- nailed Contra. This is a franchise set (and a bit of patience), it's
Super Mario Bros, on Virtual ger an elaborate attack by using the that has a pretty awful track immensely satisfying.
Console. (Hey, it's never too usual string of button presses (the record when put in the hands of That wouldn't be the case were
early.) But Daddy wants to hard way) or by tapping an icon on western developers (see Contra: it not for the rock-solid controls
spend time on the latest and the touch screen (the ridiculously Legacy of War and C: The Contra and great level design. There are
easy way). Some strategy comes into Adventure), but Contra 4 captures lots of really cool set pieces sprin-
play in the use of stat-enhancing the look and feel of Konami's sem- kled throughout the game (like
Spirit Cards, but the initial run inal action series perfectly. It's riding a giant rocket as it lifts off)
top of my holiday “to do” through the show-inspired storyline is intense, fast-paced, and hard. This to keep things fresh, and each
list. But lm definitely a breeze with or without boosts, even is not a game you can breeze stage culminates with a suitably
going to have to wait until in cases in which the enemies badass multiphase boss battle.
Santa upgrades my TV set. outnumber you. Still, players
Widescreen, 480p perfec-
The game also looks fantastic,
looking for a challenge should with meticulously detailed back-
tion, baby.
fear not. The roll of the credits is grounds and big multijointed
Wii Sports. Oh, I'll play as. just the beginning. There are 22 sprites. A lively soundtrack (with
much Mario, Smash, and additional episodes and multi- Ж some nice cues from the original
Phantom Hourglass as 1 player options aplenty (up to Contra), lots of great bonus con-
can, but with family over four combatants, single-card tent, and a two-player co-op
for the Holidays, my days
download play, and Nintendo Wi- mode round out a pretty superb
are sure to be filled
with hours upon hours of Fi Connection-enabled sessions). package. My only major com-
tennis and bowling. These Even if the word “bleach” makes plaint is that the blind spot
people never tire or you think more cleanser than car- between screens leads to some
hunger—they're Wii Sports toon, Blade of Fate will appeal to frustrating deaths, especially
machines! any fan of well-executed, feature- during stages with lots of verti-
heavy fighters. —GEORGE S. cal movement. Otherwise, as
Considering the amount of.
time that I sunk into Super long as you're open to its old-
Smash Bros. Melee, finally school approach, Contra 4
getting my hands on stands as one of the year’s best
Brawl this December is pure action titles. —Steve T.
going to be the highlight
of my Wii-gaming year.

DECEMBER 2007 8 1
 о!5
orae their

Y
BATTALION
= WARS 2 75 FRONT MISSION
i ES

fresh experience. Battalion Wars 2

builds on what its GameCube predeces-
FRONT MISSION location for multiplayer duels. The
game's story is simple but well told, and
GALAXIES sor began by telling a more intricate
PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS
all of the participants have a lot of dra-
story and adding new vehicles to diver- PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX
matic things to say. You can fight on
sify gameplay. At times the story feels DEVELOPER: SQUARE ENIX either side of the conflict, but the selec-
PUBLISHER: SIERRA too intricate—spanning 200 years and ESRB: EVERYONE 10+ tion of one side offers much more of a
DEVELOPER: KUJU challenge than the other. The graphics
featuring six armies, you can often lose
ESRB: EVERYONE
track of who the good guys are. The Amainstay on the Super Famicom in haven't changed much since the game
Wii fans envious of their Xbox Live campy, almost nonchalant view of war is the ‘90s, Square’s turn-based-strategy appeared on the Super Famicom. The
Arcade-playing cousins finally have also disarming, to say the least. But the series Front Mission sees its first North grid squares are just a tad small for the
something to crow about thanks to plot does a great job of incorporating American release on a Nintendo system Ds screens and it can be difficult to tell
Geometry Wars: Galaxies. Building on new strategic elements at a smooth (Front Missions 3 and 4 have been which units are yours and which ones
the already excellent Asteroids-esque pace-for at least the first halfofthe released on PlayStation formats) with a belong to your enemies. Still, if you're
concept, Galaxies takes the Geometry game, each new mission weaves in a remake of the franchise's first title. The looking for solid, old-school strategiz-
Wars' gameplay and style and goes new military unit (subs are really fun to game is like a stark, futuristic Advance ing, you need look no farther than Front
absolutely nuts with it. Aiming via Wii- navigate) or a new type of objective Wars without the happy combatants Mission. —GEORGE S.
remote gestures works well—subtle ges- (such as protect the base, rescue the and vehicle variety. Both allies and ene-
tures offer smooth and accurate target-
ing. (Galaxies supports the Classic
prisoners). With so much to take in, the
difficulty level from mission to mission
mies drive walking tanklike Wanzers,
with customized payloads. When you
MLB POWER PROS
controller, as well, but we actually pre- can be a little erratic, however. hit an enemy (either from long distance
|
RATING:
6.5|
PLATFORM: Wii
ferred the remote over the dual analog The series transition to the Wii has or from an adjacent square), you can PUBLISHER: 2K SPORTS
controls.) Each planet you visit has its produced mixed results. One thing isfor damage its arms or legs (knocking out DEVELOPER: KONAMI
own rules and parameters, but the sure: the developers have been able to its weapons or mobility, respectively) or ESRB: EVERYONE
color-coding system that identifies these get more graphically from the system— its body (putting the vehicle out of com-
rules isn't very clear. Additionally, the better explosions, nice-looking water mission). Unfortunately, there’s no way MLB Power Pros proves that looks can
action can turn monotonous after a effects, and well-drawn cinematic to target a particular enemy part or to indeed be deceiving. Beneath the
while—there's only so much one can do sequences add a luster that the GCN skip the animation sequence that game's cartoony exterior lies an hon-
with 2-D polygons, after all-but the game lacked. Control-wise, the use of shows every attack (as there is in the est-to-goodness baseball sim with a
inclusion of drones with creative Al the pointer has made targeting the Advance Wars games). The battles are heck of a lot of depth. You can manage
adds a good measure of variety. enemy much easier—if you can see it, sufficiently strategic-weapon choice just about everything, from a pitcher's
Galaxies also makes exceptional use of you can destroy it. The pointer is accu- and troop positioning (through touch role in the bullpen (long reliever, situa-
the Wii's connectivity features—you can rate and quick, but a limiting camera control) figure strongly into the out- tional lefty, etc.) to each player's indi-
download both single-player and multi- prevents you from being able to look come—but they can also be quite vidual practice regimen. And for that
player modes to your DS, plus post your directly overhead, meaning planes can tedious by 2007 standards, even when rare breed of geek (such as myself)
top Wii scores to online leaderboards. strafe you but you can't target them set at top speed—you could spend more who's both a hardcore baseball junkie
—CHRIS SH. back. Gesture-based controls work to than an hour in a single scrimmage. and RPG fanatic, the game's Success
varied effectiveness, as well—jostling the The Advance Wars games have long mode lets you create a player and guide

BATTALION WARS 2 nunchuk to make infantry dodge attacks.

works fine, but tilting the remote to
battles as well, but that's because both
you and your enemies can create new
his quest from college ball to the big.
show. That includes not only honing his
|RATING:
7.5| adjust the elevation when you're piloting units mid battle. In Front Mission, the skills, but findingapart-time job, inter-
PLATFORM
PUBLISHER: NINTENDO a plane feels stiff and slow. units are limited (but powerful) so it acting with friends, and courting poten-
DEVELOPER: Kuju The online multiplayer modes via Wi- takes a lot of firepower to knock each tial love interests. Unfortunately, for all
ESRB: TEEN Fi Connection come in three flavors; опе out. Your forces can get even of its cool options and play modes,
Assault mode and Co-Op mode are stronger by gaining experience points. Power Pros fails to hit it out of the park
There isn’t really any other franchise quick and entertaining, but the more- You can also refit them between battles because the on-field gameplay is disap-
like Battalion Wars. The blend of in-the- prolonged battles of Skirmish mode are using purchased or salvaged parts. If pointingly simplistic and suffers from
trenches action-shooter and real-time more likelytohold people's attention. you need cash, you can enter battles in lackluster controls. Maybe next year.
strategy genres creates an unarguably — CHRIS SH. amarena. The venue also serves as a —Steve T.

82 NINTENDO POWER
 14 GAMES
IN ALL!

ALSO IN
STORES NOW...

OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL!

NAMCO MUSEUM™ REMIX recreates 5 classics with fresh new elements, graphics and gameplay!
Use your Wii Remote™ to zap, zip and shoot thru games or grab З of your friends for non-stop party
fun! Also, play 9 of NAMCO's arcade classics like Galaxian®, Super Pac-Man® and Xevious®.

| Қ, — P
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Roll and navigate Pac-Man through Protect Pac-Man as he rolls through Be ready to battle and knock your Challenge your friends to see who Use PacMan to whack hungry
25 obstacle filled stages! space and shoot down invading forces ‘opponents off stage in over 30 arenas, can grab and steal the most flags gators attacking from everywhere
before they attack him. from each other. on the screen.

IN STORES NOW!
EVERYONE

NINTENDO SS

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 NINJA REVOLUTION ( DOWN VS. RAW 2008
AB
NARUTO: CLASH OF that regard it succeeds; anyone can
jump in and start grappling thanks to
NINJA REVOLUTION
PLATFORM: Wii
simple controls and a robust roster of
more than 50 WWE superstars, divas,
and legends. The game is at its best
SOLD OUT
PUBLISHER: TOMY there's no swapping batteries
DEVELOPER: EIGHTING
when you're triggering advanced situ-
ation-specific moves in which you
GUITAR HERO between accessories. As for the
ESRB: TEEN
mimic the real-life actions you're per- Ш: LEGENDS OF game, it's more of the same; which
Fighting games are still a rare forming (such as taunts, mounted ROCK in this case is awesome. If you're
unfamiliar with the series, here
breed on Wii, so it's tough to com- punches, and lifting and dropping a
foe on a barricade). The bulk of goes: it's essentially a rhythm game.
plain about such an energetic brawler. PLATFORM: Wii
The battles are as crazy as ever with strikes, holds, and grapple moves PUBLISHER: ACTIVISION Colored dots scroll by onscreen and
Naruto and his hyperactive buddies don't pull you into the action quite as DEVELOPER: NEVERSOFT you try to tap the fret buttons that
teleporting all over the arena, blast- much, but they get the job done—at
ESRB: TEEN correspond to the dot colors, while
ing Chakra attacks and flinging least for a while. strummingtothe tempo of the
After spending some serious
shuriken at each other, but it's so unfortunately, accessibility has music. What strengthens this latest
shred time with the latest install-
familiar that only the biggest fans will been achieved at the expense of addition are the new Nintendo WFC
ment of Guitar Hero, I can firmly
want to don the Hidden Leaf head- depth. There aren't very many moves and Co-Op Career modes. The all
declare that if |could buy only one
bands once again. There were two to go around, so most of the charac- new Battle mode plays a bit like a
new game this holiday season, it
Naruto fighters for GameCube just ters feel the same, and the action gets fighting game, and in Career mode
would definitely be Guitar Hero III.
last year, both with pretty much the repetitive faster than in the typical you'll end up dueling legendary
Why? Maybe it's that I’m not a rock
same graphics, same music, same wrestling game. Furthermore, a lot of rockers head-to-head. The song
star, but each time Istrap the plastic
everything. And since they both still the gameplay could have used more selection is excellent, with plenty of
guitar around my neck Ifeel like I
play on a Wii, this latest version is fine-tuning; automatic running strikes the original recordings being used
am. If you're like me, where game
basically a roster update. There are (achieved by attacking from a dis- in place of covers. The Rolling
nights at home are magically trans-
new minigames and a handful of tance) usually miss, constantly wag- Stones’ “Paint it Black,” Weezer's
formed into the main stage at
other added features, but they're gling the controller to stand up isn't “My Name Is Jonas,” and the Guns n'
Coachella, then this is the substan-
extremely basic, like usable rocks and particularly fun, and the countering Roses classic “Welcome to the
tial update you've been waiting for.
crates in the battle arena. system is based too heavily on guess- Jungle” stand out from the crowd.
The bundled guitar controller is not
While this is still a solid game, the work. And where are all the cool Guitar Hero III isn’t without its share
only a little meatier than its prede-
formula's starting to get stale. Oh, match types like ladder matches and of limitations; as in the past, once
cessors, but it’s also wireless. For
and use the Classic Controller; it's Hell in a Cell? Gimmick matches seem you've unlocked every song, you're
those who value stage presence,
more responsive than the remote's like they'd work great with the con- basically done. For my money,
this is a big bonus; itallows for has-
limited motion control. —Brett E. trols, but a meager five match types though, thanks to its strong song
Sle-free living-room rocking-since it
are provided here. lineup and wireless rock capabili-
uses the Wii remote (nestled into a
On the other hand, the custom- ties—it's the perfect progression for
WWE SMACKDOWN character editor is solid, and the
cubby in the guitar peripheral),
the series. —РЕТЕ M.
VS. RAW 2008 choose-your-own-adventure-style
career mode is fun and unique
PLATFORM: Wii (although it would have benefited
PUBLISHER: THQ from superstar voiceovers and more-
DEVELOPER: YUKE'S substantial story elements). Hopefully
ESRB: TEEN
Yuke's will take the lessons learned
The Wii version of WWE SmackDown here and come back with a more sub-
vs. Raw 2008 steps into the squared stantial offering next time—after all,
circle with one goal in mind: to take every champion's gotta start some-
the title of the most accessible, where. —CHRIS H.
arcadelike wrestling game around. In

ВД „екоо power
 fajni
»u
9
5 IN | WHAT'S PLAYING NOW

Real World Education.

Game Design & Development
Bachelor of Science
Degree Program

MEGA MAN ZX ADVENT (0%)

mn ==

МЕСА MAN ZX ADVENT speedy and never feel too repetitive. Even the
menu screens pop in and out quickly, so it always
seems like you're making good progress.
PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS
Maybe the game moves too fast, however,
PUBLISHER: CAPCOM
DEVELOPER: INTI CREATES since it takes only 10-12 hours to beat—way too
ESRB: EVERYONE 10+ short for an RPG. But for serious Naruto fans—or
for players new to RPGs-the time that it does
Mega Man ZX Advent is the second offering in offer is well-spent. —CHRIS SL.
the ZX series for DS; it follows the exploits of
either Grey or Ashe, who gains the power of
Biometal Model A and the ability to transform PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE
into the eight Pseudoroid bosses once those boss-
es have been defeated. Vent and Aile from the
ATTORNEY TRIALS AND
original ZX return as allies, and baddies Pandora TRIBULATIONS
and Prometheus are back plotting the downfall of
our heroes. Additional Biometal Models acquired PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS
PUBLISHER: CAPCOM
during the game—such as Model ZX-will give you DEVELOPER: CAPCOM
a huge variety of attacks and moves. Excellent ESRB: TEEN
anime story scenes link the action stages and fea- Ё я
ture extensive use of voices. In addition, there are Phoenix Wright lays down the law for the third Bachelor сепсе &
minigames and several multiplayer options to time in two years, and the outcome is no different Associate of Science
give Advent longer legs. The touch screen func- from before: we've got another excellent DS Degree Programs
tionality is still limited, and navigating
the data graphic-text adventure on our hands. If you
and map screens can be awkward, but these are weren't into the comedic point-and-click court-
minor complaints. As devotees will tell you, plat-
form action doesn’t get much better than what
room-based proceedings of previous Ace Attorney
games, Trials and Tribulations probably won't
mell
Mega Man dishes out, and Mega Man ZX Advent change your mind, but if you like the thought of ^échookóf. "
lives up to that reputation. —Scorr Р. exploring crime scenes, conversing with witness-
es, tearing apart testimonies, and presenting evi-

NARUTO: PATH OF THE dence (complete with voice-based interaction),

Phoenix's latest delivers in a big way. Although
NINJA the opening episode is a little lacking in the logic
and characterization departments, the cases
PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS quickly become deep, complex, and very intrigu-
PUBLISHER: TOMY ing. Playing as Phoenix's mentor, Mia, adds an
DEVELOPER: TOSE
ESRB: EVERYONE 10+ interesting twist to the formula, and the writing is
quite good (in spite of a handful of typos). It'd be
Although Path of the Ninja is a pretty basic RPG, acrime for fans of the genre to pass up Trials and
it does a nice job of immersing Naruto fans into Tribulations. —CHRIS Н.
the world of the wildly popular anime. The game
covers the first 80 episodes of the show and

“800.226.7625
includes nearly every character. Naruto newbies
are welcome, but series fans will definitely get
more out of the experience.
fullsail.com
The game doesn't push the DS; the graphics
are so-so, the top screen isn't used for anything
3300 University Boulevard
special, and the Control Pad usually works better
Winter Park, FL 32792
than stylus control. On the plus side, battles are
Financial aid available to tho: 2 who qual
Job placement
edited Co
 Thou hast BI

r4
TACK & WIKI: QUEST
FOR BARBAROS’ TREASURE DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: JOKER (OS. ТҮ GEAR XX ACCENT CORE (Wii)
©з
WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2008 (OS)

ZACK & WIKI: QUEST

truly deserves to be a big hit, and I'd
love to see a sequel some day.
GUILTY GEAR XX compelling as the space shooter’s Wii
version, and if you own both, you'll
FOR BARBAROS’ Hopefully Wii owners (particularly our ACCENT CORE unlock additional goodies. . . . In
TREASURE wise, insightful readers) can look past
PLATFORM: Wii
MySims for DS, you'll find more
the lame moniker and embrace one of socializing and less building than in
PUBLISHER: AKSYS GAMES
PLATFORM: Wii the system’s most creative, entertain- the game's Wii cousin. . . . Naruto and
DEVELOPER: ARC SYSTEM WORKS
PUBLISHER: CAPCOM ing titles. —STEVE T. ESRB: TEEN DBZ aren't the only anime-inspired
DEVELOPER: CAPCOM fighting games on Wii. Sega's Bleach:
ESRB: EVERYONE
DRAGON QUEST Play Guilty Gear XX Accent Core
with a GameCube or Classic con-
Shattered Blade is big on motion-
controlled swordplay. ... LucasArts
The point-and-click adventure has MONSTERS: JOKER troller, and you'll be treated to 2-D brings Thrillville: Off the Rails to
gone the way of the dodo in recent one-on-one fighting at its finest- both Wii and DS, putting players in the
years, so when one as engaging as PLATFORM: NINTENDO DS beautifully animated, amazingly combined role of theme-park owner
Capcom's Zack & Wiki comes along, it's
PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX deep, and with more technique than and rollercoaster designer. ... LEGO
DEVELOPER: ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD
cause for celebration. Combining STUDIO/SQUARE ENIX
the average gamer can comprehend. Star Wars: The Complete Saga fea-
Clever use of the Wii remote with some ESRB: EVERYONE 10+ It's not wildly different from previous tures scenes and characters from all
positively brilliant puzzle design, this Guilty Gear XX iterations (none of six films, and Wii-wielding lightsaber
pirate-themed gem will keep you Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker is not which came to Nintendo systems), action. . . Wii Sports Boxing gave Wii
hooked from start to finish. Each level quite a Pokémon pretender. After all, but it's packed with fun in the form of owners a taste of the sweet science,
unfolds in a completely different man- the Dragon Quest series has its own a diverse cast of fighters, a wide but XSEED brings the main course
ner (the variety is astounding), and two decades of turn-based fighting to array of special moves, and a rockin" with Victorious Boxers: Revolution,
piecing it all together comes with a draw from, and the title’s 200 crea- soundtrack. Even casual gamers who which features dual-fisted (remote
great sense of satisfaction. Though tures are slightly fiercer than Jigglypuff don't know the difference between a and nunchuk) controls. .. . New 3-D,
you'll be scratching the old noggin with and company. Yet the parallels are False Roman Cancel and a Force motion-controlled Wii-mixes of games
some regularity, the puzzles are never undeniable: A boy strikes out on his Break attack will be able to jump in Such as Pac'N Roll, Galaga, Gator
So esoteric as to leave you feeling own with only the ability to collect and and play thanks to the motion-based Panic, Rally-X, and Pac-Motos make up
cheated. The game also has charm to control monsters to help him rise remote-and-nunchuk control config- Namco Museum Remix for Wii. . . .
burn, with an energetic sense of humor through the ranks of a mysterious uration. The nontraditional controls The on-again off-again saga of
and an appealing visual style reminis- competition. And not only do his mon- aren't for hard-core fans of the Rockstar's Manhunt2 for Wii is on
cent of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind sters align themselves toa genre, but if you've been intimidated again. Talk about insanity! Hands-on
Waker. It's one of the Wii's best-looking Pokémonesque “rock, paper, scissors” by the complexity of fighting games, violence and disturbing themes land-
titles, not due to any outstanding tech- circle of dominance, but two monsters the accessibility of Accent Core will edthe game a Mature rating from the
nical achievements, but because a lot can mate to make a third variety (as put those worries to rest. —CHRIS H. ESRB. . . . Less controversial and more
of care obviously went into creating a they do in the Pokémon titles). Well, if fun for everyone, Rockstar Games
very complete aesthetic. The anima- it ain't broke. . . . Still, there is much to Presents Table Tennis is a natural for
tion is especially fantastic; |would recommend the game: a 3-D graphics ALSO THIS MONTH Wii. It's ping-pong without а silly story
sometimes send poor Zack to his engine that pushes the hardware's lim- and Christopher Walken. . . . But for
demise intentionally just to see the its, customizable monster develop- Aunique touch-screen-inspired inter- those who prefer silly stories and
hilariously awesome death sequences. ment, and just about the best touch- face put you in the action in THQ's Christopher Walken with their ping-
At 20-plus hours, the adventure is and-button-based interface for the DS WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 for pong, Destination Software offers
plenty long, and it never, ever drags. yet, making the battles as long or short DS. Once you've entered the squared Balls of Fury, based on the recent
There's tons of extra stufftodo, as as you want them to be. The Nintendo ring, you'll choose moves from a set of film. ... Serious sports fans should
well, including a music game that has Wi-Fi Connection-enabled Wildcard three context-sensitive icons, then take a look at FIFA 08 for Wii. It
you ringing a bell to classic Capcom World Cup gives the game a chance to quickly follow onscreen instructions to includes FreeMotion and EA Sports
tunes. achieve a multiplayer groundswell sim- perform the move using your stylus. . . . Family Play controls so even soccer
It concerns me that Zack & Wiki has ilar to that of its like-minded predeces- Brilliant game design make the DS newbies will get a kick out of the
been saddled with a name that won't. Sor. —GEORGE S. version of Sierra Entertainment's action and in three minigames. Pros
do it any favors at retail. The game Geometry Wars: Galaxies just as will head online for bragging rights.

86 „тено power
 areful what you
wish for...

EVERYONE © eo

ton No BY GLOBAL STAR ||

ESRB SOFTWARE TM.
© 2007 Global Star Software, Inc. Carnival Games, the Carnival Games Logo, Global Star Software and the Global Star Software logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Cat Daddy Games and
the Cat Daddy Games logo are trademarks of Cat Daddy Games, LLC. ™, * and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo.©2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All tights reserved.
 REVIEWER N
* POKÉMON BATTLE REVOLUTION 6.5 NINTENDO 218 Е
PRINCE OF PERSIA: RIVAL SWORDS 70 Usisort aT
RAMPAGE: TOTAL DESTRUCTION 65 Моюнду 211 Bor
RAPALA TOURNAMENT FISHING N/A Activision mo Е
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RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS 75 Usisorr mE
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RESIDENT EVIL 4: Wii EDITION 9.0 — CAPCOM 28 M
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is month's new archi
amazing DS games, E LEGEND OF ZELDA SONIC AND THE SECRET RINGS $5 SEGA zu Е
pee with some truly п
PHANTOM HO! URGLASS
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Legend of Zelda:
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(9.5). Thes e are games j
Phantom Hourglass of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Super PAPER MARIO 9.5 NINTENDO 26 Е
owner should carry 8.5 — SEGA mo E
that every red-blooded DS
last month was spot on, but Super MoNKEY BALL: BANANA BLITZ
s they are really, Super SWING GOLF 75 Темо mro
ith them at all times, unles
the lengthy discussion about
SunF's UP 6.0 Ueisorr 217 Bos
their brain age. ion traditional Zelda gaming
em focused on lowering TAMAGOTCHI: PARTY ON! 25 Namco BANDAI 27 Е
(8.0) and the quirky elements may have confused
swingin’ DK Jungle Climber
Tier Woons PGA Tour 08 во ELECTRONIC ARTS aE
Park Patrol (8.5)аг ү: casual readers. In fact, in TMNT 5.0 — Ueisorr 215 E10+
charmer Chibi-Robo: ыш ist. Tom CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL:
the DS can many ways Phantom Hour-
more recent additions to Douste AGENT 6.o Ueisorr m M
in your stylus! glass breaks new ground 75 Activision 212 Bor
Play these games or trade
Tony HAwk's DOWNHILL JAM
for the series—for instance, TRANSFORMERS 5.5 ACTIVISION 29 Tq
SCORES REFLECT INDIVIDUAL REVIEWERS’ OPINIONS. TRAUMA CENTER: SECOND OPINION 85 — Anus zm T
* INDICATES WI-FI COMPATIBLE Biven the ability to write
notes, players can tackle WARIOWARE: SMOOTH Moves 9.0 — NINTENDO 22 Е
Wii Play 7.0 NINTENDO m3 Е
more complex puzzles than Wii Sports 8.0,8.5 NINTENDO aE
ALIEN SYNDROME 6.0 SEGA mo Т
ever before. —Scorr P. WING ISLAND 5.5 HuosoNSOFI/KONAM! 215 E
THE ANT Воцу N/A —Mioway mno Bos
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER N/A HQ 2m Bow WORLD SERIES oF POKER:
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS N/A Activision mo Т
THE BARNYARD N/A Q mno Biot NINTENDO GAMECUBE
Tu Bics 6.0 2K Sports 28 Е AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER 70 Q zo Е
Bionicte Нєо 5.0 Н0оѕ 216 E10+ >BRAIN AGE 2 Bionicte HEROES 5.0 tios 2m Bow

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BLAZING ANGELS: SQUADRONS oF WWII 7.0 Швіѕоғт 25 T BRATZ: FOREVER DIAMONDS N/A THQ zo Е
Boosie 5.5 ELECTRONIC ARTS 220 E10+ 8.0 ELECTRONIC ARTS mo Е
FIFA 07
BRUNSWICK PRO BOWLING 6.0 — CRAVE 219 E FLUSHED AWAY 65 ОзРА no Е
Bust-a-Move BASH! 65 Majesco 237 Е

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THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF
CALL or Dury 3 6.5 ACTIVISION mo T BILLY ANO MANDY 65 Моюнду 210 Bos
CARNIVAL GAMES 70 GLoBat STAR mo Е Happy FEET N/A — Mioway mo ot
Cars N/A THQ mo E

toro batis
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA:
CHICKEN LITTLE: ACE IN ACTION 70 BUENA VISTA 22 Но» TWILIGHT PRINCESS 9.5 NINTENDO zo ot
CookiNG Mama: Соок OFF 75 Majesco m6 Е Meer THE ROBINSONS N/A Buena VISTA z5 E10+
Cosmic FAMILY N/A Usisorr 215 Е NARUTO: CLASH OF NINJA 2 7:5 Тому/ОЗРА mo Т
CRASH OF THE TITANS 6.5 SIERRA 2л E10+ NEED For SPEED: CARBON 7:5 ELECTRONIC ARTS 2m Eto+
DAVE MIRRA BMX CHALLENGE до CRAVE zo Е NickTOONS: BATTLE FOR
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Dance Dance Rev: Horrest Рактү 8.0 KONAMI zno Bos SHREK SMASH N’ CRASH RACING N/A Activision 23 0 B0
Donkey KONG: BARREL BLAST 6.5 NINTENDO л Е Tut Sims 2 PETS 65 ELECTRONIC ARTS m Е
DRIVER: PARALLEL LINES 50 Usisort 219 M SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS:
CREATURE FROM THE KRUSTY KRAB 85 THQ mo Е
Eueers 75 KONAMI mot TMNT N/A (азот 214 E10+
ESCAPE FROM BUG ISLAND! 35 Eos 27 M TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL:
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FAR CRY: VENGEANCE 4.0 — Usisort 22 M Toms RAIDER: LEGEND 75 tibos mo T
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THE GRIM AOVENTURES OF ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES N/A —ATARI m3 Е
BitLY AND MANDY N/A —Mioway ino E10+ AVATAR: THE
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Happy Feer 45 Mioway mo Е BIONICLE HEROES N/A _ 8005 m T
HARRY POTTER AND THE * BOMBERMAN LAND TOUCH! 70 Anus m E
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LEGEND OF THE DRAGON 5.5 THEGAMEFACToRY — 218 Т CAKE MANIA 55 MAJESCO m6 Е
be pretty much down pat.
THE LEGEND оғ Тл: TWILIGHT PRINCESS 9.5 NINTENDO mo T CARTOON NETWORK RACING N/A THe Game Factory 23 Е
LooNEY TUNES: ACME ARSENAL 3.5 МВ GAMES 2л E10+ Alas, the DS version is about
> CASTLEVANIA: PORTRAIT оғ RUIN 9.0 — KONAMI mam oT
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an N/A — Usisorr mE
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MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE .0 ACTIVISION mo oT
games, but SimCity relies too CHICKEN LITTLE: ACE IN ACTION 65 ВА VISTA mo Е
MEDAL OF HONOR: VANGUARD 6.0 ELECTRONIC ARTS 27 T
much on it, filling the screen CHILOREN OF MANA 6.5 NINTENDO 20 Но+
MEET THE ROBINSONS 6.5 BUENA VISTA mo E10+
MERCURY MELTDOWN REVOLUTION — 6.0 IGNITION 2л Е Cove Lyoko 7.0 Тнебаме Растову 218 Ело*
with small icons and letting
METAL SLUG ANTHOLOGY 80 SNK PLaYMoREUSA 21 Т COOKIE в CREAM 65 Acerec a- È
the DS's regular buttons sit * Custom Ёово ARENA 7:5 NINTENDO 215 Bos
METROID PRIME 3: CORRUPTION 10 NINTENDO mo T
idle. SimCity is still a solid sim, DEATH JR. Ано THE SCIENCE
Monster 4X4: WORLD CiRCUIT 6.5 Швоғт mo Е 50 KONAMI 217 Bow
but this translation does it a FAIR oF Doom
MORTAL KOMBAT: ARMAGEDDON 8.o — MiowaY 27 M 75 NINTENDO 23 Е
disservice. —Снкиѕ SH. • Опору KONG RACING 05
MySims 7о ELECTRONIC ARTS л Е
* Dicimon Worto DS N/A Namco BANDA! 22 Е
NEED FOR SPEED: CARBON 6.0 ELECTRONIC ARTS 22 Но*
OPEN SEASON N/A Usisorr 2m E10+ Diner DASH: SIZZLE & SERVE 65 Е005 27 Е
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DISNEY'S AMERICAN DRAGON: JAKE
Ат Worto’s END 4-5 Diswevinreractive 217 Т LONG—ATTACK OF THE DARK DRAGON N/A (азот mo t

88 NINTENDO POWER
 Behind the scenes at a popular zoo, endangered
and exotic animals sometimes get sick.
Learn how to examine patients, diagnose diseases or injuries, then treat them so they can return to their 200 habitats healthy!
Use the Touch Screen in 15 medical mini-games + Care for animals with a friend in 2-player cooperative mode!
Treat 40 different patients including mammals, reptiles and birds
EVERYONE 3 XX
Е Visit
ШЕП www.esrb.
information
NINTENDODS
O m
Va ХА,
NIS
ESRB CONTENT RATING wwwesrb.org www.majescoentertainment.com
62007 Majesco Entertainment
Company. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Torus Games. Licensed by Nintendo. Nintendo, Nintendo DSand the
official seal are trademarksofNintendo. (2006 Nintendo. The ratingsiconis a registered trademark
oftheEntertainment
Software Association
 OK Juncue CLUMBER NINTENDO Scoosy-Doo! WHo’s WATCHING WHO? 6.5 THQ ло Е
DRAGON Вац Z: THE SETTLERS $0 Unisorr 27 Е
HARUKANARU DENSETSU ATARI Suntx THe Тніво 7.0 Activision. 217 Е
DRAWN то LiFe THQ Simciry DS 80 ELECTRONIC ARTS mB E
Densetsu ATARI Tut Sims 2 Pers 5.5 ELECTRONIC ARTS mp E
Dynasty Warriors DS: SNK Vs. CAPCOM CARO FIGHTERS DS 70 SNK PLAYMORE 215 T
FicHTERS BATTLE Ков
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Sonic RUSH ADVENTURE 9.0 SEGA л Е
© SPECTROBES 80 Вина Vista ma Е
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70 Activision mg Боғ
Errian Opyssey Artus SPIDER-MAN 3
SPIDER-MAN: BATTLE FOR NEW YORK 6.0 Activision 212 o+
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Drawn to Life might not be SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS:
FANTASTIC Four: CREATURE FROM THE KRUSTY KRAB N/A Тн mo Е
RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER 2K Games on par with Mario or Sonic in STAR TREK: TACTICAL ASSAULT 5.5 BETHESDA mo Е
FIFA 08 ELECTRONIC ARTS the platforming department, STAR WARS: LETHAL ALLIANCE 7.0 Usisorr 22 Bos
= FINAL FANTASY ЇЇ SQUARE ENIX
but when it comes to its Steet HORIZON 4.5 Konami 24 Боғ
© FINAL FANTASY FABLES: CHOCOBO TALES 70 SQUARE ENIX
creation aspect, the game TAMAGOTCHI CONNECTION:
Fupper CRITTERS IGNITION ENTERTAINMENT CORNERSHOP 2 N/A Namco BANDAI mo E
FLUSHED AWAY N/A D3PA is untouchable. Drawn to THAT'S So RAVEN:
Fossit LEAGUE D.T.C. N/A D3PA Life’s character-, weapon-, PSYCHIC ON THE SCENE N/A — BUENA Vista mo Е
FREEDOM WINGS NATSUME THEME PARK 6.0 ELECTRONIC ARTS ms Е
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: DUAL SYMPATHY 70 Destineer and item-creation tools can Tiger Wooos PGA Tour 08 5 ELECTRONIC ARTS m t
© FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST TRADING keep you busy for hours, and Time AcE 6.5 KONAMI 216 Eto+
CARO GAME Destincer there’s essentially no limit to TMNT 5.5 Шот mu E10+
GARFIELO’S NIGHTMARE THE GAME FACTORY Tom AND JERRY TALES N/A WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE210 Е
what you can make. You have
GLORY DAYS 2: BROTHERHOOD OF MEN 6.0 Emos 4.5 Etoos no T
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+ Tony Hawk's DOWNHILLJam 7-5 Activision m E
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OF THE PHOENIX ELECTRONIC ARTS
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HosHiGami Remix Axsys GAMES
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INUYASHA: SECRET OF >ELITE BEAT * TRANSFORMERS: AUTOBOTS

Tnt Divine Jewet. Namco BANDA бо Activision 219 Ero

AGENTS © TRANSFORMERS: DECEPTICONS.

шты
IZUNA: LEGEND OF THE TRIONCUBE 5.5 Мамсо BANDAI 213 E
UNEMPLOYEO NINJA Artus WARIO: MASTER OF DISGUISE 6.5 Ммтеноо 24 E
Justice LEAGUE HEROES WARNER BROS.INTERACTIVE Tut Wito West 35 — Majesco 220 iot
Kim PossiBLE: GLOBAL GEMINI N/A BUENA VISTA. © WINNING ELEVEN

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KIRBY: SQUEAK SQUAD NINTENDO PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2007 65 KONAMt 23 Е
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= Luminous Авс Artus TOURNAMENT 2007 N/A Konami 25 £

Lunar KNIGHTS KoNAMI GAME BOY ADVANCE
MADDEN NFL 08 ELECTRONIC ARTS ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES N/A ATARI z3 Е
MAGE KNIGHT: DESTINY'S SOLDIER N/A Namco BANDAI AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER N/A THQ mo Е
MAGICAL STARSIGN NINTENDO BACK To STONE N/A GRAFFITI ENTERTAINMENT 214 Е
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MEET THE ROBINSONS N/A BUENA VISTA BioNICLE Heroes N/A Ероѕ 2n E
+ MEGA MAN STAR FORCE Capcom BRATZ: FOREVER DIAMONDS N/A THQ z0 Е
‘Meteo: Disney MAGIC Buena Vista ERAGON N/A Vivenot зт Бо»
Micro MACHINES V4 N/A CODEMASTERS FIFA 07 N/A Evectronic Arts mo Е
Monster BOMBER N/A Majesco FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE 8.5 NINTENDO no Е
Mv FrocceR: Toy TRiats N/A Konamt FINAL FANTASY VI ADVANCE 9.5 Ммтеноо 23 En
Nacho Liere Majesco FLUSHED AWAY N/A — 03PA mo Е
Namco Museum 05 Namco BANDAI Foster’s HOME FoR
Naruto: NINJA COUNCIL 3 Tomy
IMAGINARY FRIENDS N/A CRAVE ENTERTAINMENT 213 E
NEED For SPEED: CARBON N/A ELECTRONIC ARTS
GHOST RIDER N/A 2K Games эз Т
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OPERATION: VIETNAM Majesco beating Luminous Arc took MEET THE ROBINSONS N/A Buena Vista ns Е
OveR THE Небе: HAMMY Goes NUTS N/A ACTIVISION from certain outlets. Granted, NARUTO: NINJA COUNCIL 2 55 Tomy/D3PA зо Ew
Per ALIEN THe GAME FACTORY the game doesn’t do any-
Neto For Speco: CARBON N/A ELECTRONIC ARTS mo E
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JUSTICE FoR Au. Capcom thing revolutionary, but it's a VOLCANO ISLAND N/A THQ zo Е
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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: nice production values and POLARIUM ADVANCE N/A — Anus za Е
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+ PLANET PUZZLE LEAGUE NINTENDO a likeable cast of characters. CRASH RACING N/A Activision 2135. Ero
* POGO Istano ELECTRONIC ARTS Like I said in my review, it’s THE Sims 2 PETS N/A ELECTRONIC ARTS. E E
+ POKÉMON DIAMOND/PEARL NINTENDO not going to convert you if SONIC THE HEDGEHOG GENESIS 6.0 — StcA mo E
POKÉMON RANGER NINTENDO SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS:
you're not a fan of the genre, CREATURE FROM THE KRUSTY KRAB N/A THQ zo Е
Prism: LIGHT THE WAY Eibos
but the tactically inclined Summon NIGHT:
PROFESSIONAL FISHERMAN'S TOUR: SWORDCRAFT STORY 2 &o Anus оо Bor
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SUPER ROBOT TAISEN:
Puzzte Quest: from it. —Sreve Т. ORIGINAL GENERATION 2 70 Anus mo Т
CHALLENGE OF THE WARLORDS D3PA
TMNT ло Usisorr 24 Нок
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90 NINTENDO POWER
 It}sjallfaboutjthe}game)—/and|
how) youl playjit:

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Gorila Press Oriver

ETN

Mild Language 7 ў dE BEL —— Az

Suggestive Themes V NINTENDOS, «ХОШ»
Violence www.thg.com
ESRB CONTENT RATING www.esrb.org
‘All World Wrestling Entertainment programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, and logos are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ECW is a trademark of WWE Libraries, Inc. Al other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
© 2007 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.All Rights Reserved. © 2007 THO/JAKKS Pacific, LLC. Used under exclusive license by THO/JAKKS Pacific, LLC. JAKKS Pacific and the JAKKS Pacific logo are trademarks of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. Developed by YUKE'S Co., Ltd. YUKE'S Co.,Ltd. and its logo are trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of YUKE'S Co., Ltd, THO and the THO logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. А Rights Reserved. TM, ©, Nintendo DS and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
Z 2 Y ;
Ў SSO WS
%

New York’s
Nintendo World
store is turning into
party central for
fans eager to play
the big games first

In a city known for its trendy

restaurants and exclusive clubs,
no place is hotter these days than
Nintendo World in New York's famed
Rockefeller Plaza. The one-of-a-kind
store has recently seen one major
new game release after another, and
with them come the thousands of fans
who line up to get their copies first.
Here, a big game launch is an event-a
full-on party with contests, prizes,
costumes, quizzes, multiplayer gam-
ing tournaments, and more.
These release parties have
turned the store into Nintendo fan Julian K. (New York) celebrates his costume contest
headquarters, a place to meet friends
victory at the launch of Phantom Hourglass.
and make new ones as you celebrate
the long-awaited arrival of Nintendo's
next great game. Most recently,
Nintendo World hosted events for the
release of Metroid Prime 3 and The
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass,
and a couple more big bashes are just
around the corner: November 12th for
Super Mario Galaxy and December
3rd for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
With the Wii and Nintendo DS as
hot as they are these days, hopefully
more stores across the country will
follow Nintendo World's lead and
throw great launch parties of their
own. If you happen to attend one, be
sure to write in and tell us all about it!
—CHRIS SL.

Nice suit, Link, but the back

over there.
of the line is right

NINTENDO POWER
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FEADER REVIEW

Ted Krinshaw
15
Tallahassee, Florida
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чь ынын o o MEI тышы шшен эш “чы БЫ ЫШЫ 8 NEMO demo RU а
 ANNOUNCEMENT

Where are
the Forums?
On September 17th, the NSider Forums
MOD JOB were closed indefinitely as a prelude to a
Site-wide overhaul at Nintendo.com. But
Dream don't worry! We here at Nintendo Power
are working on even bigger plans for an
Wiil-ver online community that we hope to share
Ramon S. (Georgia) must with you early next year. —CHRIS SL.
have an awful lot of patience
to spend 80 hours painstak-
ingly customizing a Wii, SCREEN TEST
which is how long it took
him to create his “Metroid Wii." We've seen Wii mods before, but nothing else
comes close to this. Ramon sold his creation on eBay along with his two previ-
under the Sea
ous mods, a Legend of Zelda Wii and a Zelda DS (both shown below). For more If robots had a sense of humor, Prime would be laughing himself silly over
photos of Ramon's work, check out http://morpheonmods.blogspot.com/. this month's batch of captions. For this month's new shot, we leave robot and
What beautiful ways to void a warranty! —CHRis SL. donut violence behind for the tranquil undersea world of Endless Ocean. Zen
out, write what comes to mind and email it to us at [email protected].

"Panic ensues after Optimus Prime gets confused by a patron's request to 'do
some donuts in the parking lot." —Gibby
"Michael Bay really missed the mark on this one." —mikie
“Where isJavatron when you need him?" —OhioVillans
"Homer Simpson, this is the Springfield Police. Put down the donut, and step
out of the robot suit." —Robin B.
“Now, all we need is a little coffee . . . and a lot of luck." —Robbie A.
“SPRINKLES?! | hate sprinkles. Bumblebee, you never understood me!”
—Anthony Н.
"| can't wait to hit Steve T. with this giant donut for giving my game a bad
review!" —Kyle M.

THIS MONTH'S SHOT

NINTENDO POWER
 à $39.95
ook I/Tatorial/Songs from the Game
4 )
weet Potato $49.95
ded Range Songbook -
from the бае.

Raku Pendant Ocarina

(with necklace and songbook) $24.95

Eagle Bone Flute $29,95

i in, simple to play,
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Silk Carrying Case

padded w/zipper,handleand
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“Handmade in U.S.A.
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Songbird Ocatina’s notaffiliated or endorsed by Nintendo of America, Inc.

 NEXT
Holiday 2007 Vol. 223

You've all been such good little gamers

this year that we're bringing you an
extra issue of Nintendo Power! Ho! Ho! Ho!

REVIEW
PREVIEW
The biggest games of 2007 are finally ready to face NP’s
@2 -
frosty (but fair) critics. We'll test-drive Super Mario Galaxy,
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Soulcalibur Legends,
and many more of the season’s hottest titles.

WE’VE GOT THE BEAT

We may have no more musical skill than a mar-
moset with maracas, but that won’t stop us from
previewing Sega’s Samba de Amigo for Wii!

NEVER SAY FINAL

Was there ever a less-accurate franchise title
than Final Fantasy? No, thank goodness. The
legacy continues with our inside story on Final
Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for DS.

AND LOTS OF CHEER!

Surprises big and small await faithful NP readers
in the first annual holiday issue, so we recom-
mend watching your mailbox closely.

Nintendo Power (ISSN 1041-9551) is published 13 times a year (monthly, except semi-monthly in September) by Future US, Inc., 4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 400, South
San Francisco, CA 94080. Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Rates is pending at South San Francisco, CA and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: One year
basic rate (12 issues): US: $24.95; Canada $29.95. Canadian orders must be prepaid in US funds only. Canadian price includes postage and GST (GST# R128220688).
Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement #40043631. Returns: 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3. For customer service write to: Nintendo Power Customer
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51593-1270. Entire contents copyright 2007, Future US, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. Produced and printed in the United States.
 EVERYONE
Visit www.esrb.org
for updated rating
information.

Ri Atomic Planet Entertainment, Ltd. Marketed and distributed by Atari, Inc., New York, NY. Atari and the Atari logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. Jenga® is a
ed trade 1 onob d isused under license from Pokonobe Associates. Jenga® World Tour ©2007 Pokonobe Associates. All Rights Reserved.
TM,& Nintendo DS and the Wii logo are registered
trademarks of Nin ‹ lo. The ESRB rating icons are registered trademarks of the Entertainment Software Association.
Allother trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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2026700

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Find 16 hidden islands Battle Captain Whisker and | Get vertical while pulling off
filled with secret treasures other mega bosses tons of moves and tricks

Race island-to-island as Sonic or Blaze on a wild and dizzying

hunt for lost treasure! Dive into deep sea caves, outrun an
avalanche and battle with pirates as you blast through 14
action-packed levels with 100 unlockable missions!

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