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Features: Cover Story: SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals II - Whether on- or off-line, the second game in the SOCOM franchise is gearing up to infiltrate your living room. 30 Games You Must Play This Fall - From Mario Kart and James Bond to Metal Gear and Castlevania, these are gaming's must-plays for the autumn leading up to the crush of holiday releases. Soul Calibur II Contest - There's a full-size Soul Calibur II arcade machine on the line, plus a plethora of console versions of the game and Todd McFarlane Studios action figures all up for grabs. Departments: Editorial - Dan Hsu wants you to give your gaming dollars to the underdogs instead of continuing to finance sub-par but still blockbuster releases. Think Ico and Ikaruga instead of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness and Enter the Matrix. Letters - Readers sounding off, editors sounding back. Press Start - News, Rumours, and all sorts of General Nonsense Busted! - Big-name titles are suffering big-name bugs in droves. What's behind the sudden dive in quality control? EGM investigates the glitches in Enter the Matrix, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, and Pirates of the Caribbean to find answers. Grudge Match: Link vs. Spawn vs. Heihachi Mishima Desert Island Games: Jason Rubin of Naughty Dog Games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) Gran Turismo 3 (PS2) Half-Life (PS2/PC) Afterthoughts: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - EGM picks the brains of Ray Muzyka and Casey Hudson of BioWare about their celebrated RPG. Spray Station - The world's first piss-powered video game may be coming to a urinal near you. Instant Expert: Surround Sound - Dolby ProLogic II? Dolby Digital? 5.1? What does it all mean, and how do you unlock the power of your game consoles to use it? EGM's got the answers. Return of the King of Fighters - EGM breaks down the fall and rise of fighting game powerhouse SNK. Retro-Active - Some beloved 80's icons are gearing up for a massive roll-out of new games soon. Check 'em out: Robotech: Invasion (PS2/XBOX/GC) Transformers Armada: Prelude to Energon (PS2) (Released as Transformers) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PS2/XBOX/GC/GBA) He-Man: Defender of Grayskull (PS2/XBOX/GC) (canceled) Battlestar Galactica (PS2/XBOX) All Punked Up - Good Charlotte contributed a song to Madden 2003, so EGM asked them about their gaming habits. A Long Time Ago. . . - EGM fills in the blanks about where Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III fits into the Star Wars timeline. Lice City - The lads at Rockstar take EGM on a tour of Carcer City, setting of the ultra-violent Manhunt. Mega Milestone - Capcom's Blue Bomber celebrates his 15th birthday with the PS2 release of Mega Man X7. Lift Ticket - EGM maps out the year's upcoming snowboarding titles: 1080°: Avalanche (GC) SSX3 (PS2/XBOX/GC/GBA) Amped 2 (XBOX) Monday, Bloody Monday - Ed Boon and John Tobias look back on ten years of Mortal Kombat. Online This Month: Unreal 2 comes to Xbox Live, and Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided threatens to bore PC players to death. The Rumor Mill - Quartermann digs up the dirty like only he can do. The Hot Five - The five games EGM readers are slavering over in droves: Halo 2 (XBOX) Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) Metal Gear Solid 3 (PS2) Geist (GC) Starcraft: Ghost (PS2/XBOX/GC) (canceled) Coming Soon - Release dates for upcoming software The Rest of the Crap - Seanbaby reviews the unreviewable: Gubble (PS1) Equestrian Showcase (PS1) E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: The Interplanetary Mission (PS1) Barbie Explorer (PS1) Classic Crap: Chase the Chuck Wagon (2600) Game Over - A SOCOM-themed crossword puzzle, UPN's new animated show Game Over, what to look forward to in issue #173, and (of course) the monthly Hsu and Chan comic. Review Crew: Freedom Fighters (PS2/XBOX/GC): 7.5/8.5/8.0 NASCAR Thunder 2004 (PS2/XBOX/GC): 9.5/8.0/8.0 - EGM Silver award Alter Echo (PS2/XBOX): 6.5/6.5/4.0 Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (PS2/XBOX/GC): 4.5/6.5/7.5 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (PS2/XBOX/GC): 9.0/9.0/9.5 - EGM Gold award NHL Hitz Pro (PS2/XBOX/GC): 7.5/8.5/8.0 ESPN NHL Hockey (PS2/XBOX): 8.5/9.0/9.0 - EGM Silver award NHL 2004 (PS2/XBOX/GC): 8.5/6.5/7.0 Futurama (PS2/XBOX/GC): 4.5/5.0/5.0 The Simpsons: Hit & Run (PS2/XBOX/GC): 8.0/6.5/7.0 The Great Escape (PS2/XBOX): 4.5/4.0/6.5 Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild (PS2): 7.0/8.0/6.5 .hack Part 3: Outbreak (PS2): 6.0/6.5/8.0 Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2): 8.5/8.0/7.5 Dino Crisis 3 (XBOX): 6.5/6.0/6.5 Otogi: Myth of Demons (XBOX): 9.0/7.0/9.0 F-ZERO GX (GC): 9.5/7.5/7.0 Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (GC): 7.0/8.0/8.5 Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GC): 8.0/8.0/7.5 P.N. 03 (GC): 4.0/5.0/4.0 Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands (GBA): 9.0/8.0/8.5 - EGM Silver award Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA): 9.09/09/0 - EGM Gold award Shining Soul (GBA): 7.0/7.5/6.5 Reviews Wrap-Up - Short reviews for games you might otherwise have missed Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure (PS2/XBOX/GC) Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights (XBOX) Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII (PS2) EA Sports Rugby 2004 (PS2) Review Archive - In case you missed an issue or two, here's a capsule summary of every game EGM reviewed in the past few months. Previews: OutRun 2 (ARC) (JP) Xenosaga Episode 2: Jenseits von Gut und Bose (PS2) (JP) Tenchu: Return From Darkness (XBOX) Breakdown (XBOX) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 (PS2) NFL Street (PS2/XBOX/GC) Monster 4x4: Masters of Metal (PS2/GC) Tricks of the Trade: Ghost Recon: Island Thunder (XBOX) Madden 2004 (PS2/XBOX/GC) Outlaw Volleyball (XBOX) NFL Fever 2004 (XBOX) Action Replay Codes: Ape Escape 2 (PS2) Ico (PS2) GameShark Codes: Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (PS2) Ads (in order of appearance): Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior (PS2) Arc the Lad: Twilight of Spirits (PS2) Madden 2004 (PS2/GC/XBOX/PC) Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This At Home (PS2/XBOX) Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (PS2/GC/XBOX/GBA) Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (PS2/GC/XBOX/GBA/PC) Whiplash (PS2/XBOX) Viewtiful Joe (GC) NFL Blitz Pro (PS2/GC/XBOX) Game Boy Advance SP (Onyx) Gladius (PS2/XBOX/GC) XIII (PS2/XBOX/GC) Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This At Home (PS2/XBOX) (Yes, a second ad, but with different pictures...) Hunter the Reckoning: Wayward (PS2) Freedom Fighters (PS2/XBOX/GC) Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (PS2/XBOX/GC) Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (PS2/XBOX/GC) Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (GC) NFL GameDay 2004 (PS2) Circuit City's NFL Video Game Guide - Madden 2004 / NFL Fever 2004 / NFL Blitz Pro / ESPN NFL Football / NFL GameDay 2004 DC Shoe Co. Magic the Gathering 10th anniversary RoadKill (PS2/GC/XBOX) EA Sports Nation online service (PS2) Reebok Classic apparel Conflict: Desert Storm II: Back to Bagdhad (PS2/XBOX/PC) Voodoo Vince (XBOX) Champions of Norrath (PS2) NHL Hitz Pro (PS2/GC/XBOX) Nyko Wireless Net Expander hardware Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (XBOX) P.N. 03 (GC) ESPN NFL Football 2004 (PS2/XBOX) ESPN NHL Hockey (PS2/XBOX) ESPN NBA Basketball (PS2/XBOX) Mafia (PS2/XBOX) University of Advanced Technology college Video Rockers, LLC video game rocking chair Juicy Fruit gum Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (PS2/XBOX/GC/GBA/PC) Full Sail Real World Education college Butterfinger candy bars Silent Hill 3 (PS2) Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown (PS2/XBOX/PC) NFL Fever 2004 (XBOX) Nokia N-Gage handheld Nokia cell phone games .hack, Part 3: Outbreak (PS2) Target stores NHL 2004 (PS2/XBOX/GC/PC) Tron 2.0 (PC) Big Video Game Hunting on CNN Headline News Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (PS2/XBOX/GBA) Halo (PC) Final Fantasy Unlimited anime by ADVision Reel Fishing III (PS2) Goblin Commander (PS2/XBOX/GC) Starsky & Hutch (PS2/XBOX/PC) NASCAR Thunder 2004 (PS2/XBOX/PC) Enter the Matrix (PS2/XBOX/GC/PC) Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands (GBA) Resident Evil Code: Veronica X (GC) Action Replay MAX cheat device (PS2) Downhill Domination (PS2) F-ZERO GX (GC) Academy of Art college Marc Ecko: Dreamnasium Soul Calibur II (GC) Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PS2/GC/XBOX) www.gamer.tv EA Sports Madden Challenge contest Otogi: Myth of Demons (XBOX) Chaos Legion (PS2) Notable Stuff: Reader Jay Staebell writes in to complain about Michael Vick's appearance on the cover of Madden 2004 due to the so-called 'Madden Curse', and demands, "What did he ever do?". Never mind that shortly after being announced as the cover athlete for 2004's incarnation of the game, he suffered a fractured fibula and missed the first eleven games of the season thus fulfilling the Curse; Vick will forever be known as "that asshole who ran an illegal dog fighting ring" regardless of his NFL accolades. Talk about a letter really not aging well... Cody VanDamme (no relation to Jean-Claude) writes in to inquire about the longest video game title, suggesting it might belong to the GBA game Yu-Gi-Oh! World Wide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel which runs nine words. EGM responds with the ten-word Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of Ravenloft: Iron & Blood for the PS1. A little more thinking/hunting could have gotten them one better though, as 1999 saw the PC release of the eleven-worded Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned. Waiting a couple more years could have truly settled the debate, with the PC release of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth II: The Rise of the Witch-King spewing its 17-word title into the ether. The game with the longest title in @Areala's personal collection is the Japanese PS3 release of Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai Happy End!, or, "My Sister Cannot Be This Cute: Happy End!" in English. Why does she have this game? D-don't ask...baka! The Butterfinger candy bar ad includes some free tips and tricks for Aggressive Inline and Freestyle Metal X, making it actually fit in with a video game magazine. Likewise, the Target ad is also a group of cut-out cheat sheets for ESPN NFL Football, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Soul Calibur II, Madden NFL 2004, WWE Wrestlemania XIX, and Conflict: Desert Storm. EGM had to include a reminder that just because an upcoming game preview or demo looks awesome, that doesn't mean it is. Wait for the review scores before you shell out your money, or you get stuck with middling stuff like Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. Natsume's Reel Fishing III supports Dolby Surround ProLogic II. I just...why?! The Marc Ecko Dreamnasium ad features a topless Asia Argento. :-9