Issue 26 - Chipsworld Corporate
Transcription
Issue 26 - Chipsworld Corporate
celebr ating 22 years of gaming issue 26 spring 08 www.chipsworld.co.uk ® ! t s a l AT e d it r e e y a l h p y s itd’ we’ve actuall an ´GTV prologue ´turok ´no more heroes ´all the latest games ´free lego indiana jones poster ´assassin’s creed tips ´and more! ® WHERE TO FIND uS Arnold ☎ 01159 209991 4 Croft Road, NG5 7DX darlington ☎ 01325 381048 15 Clarks Yard, DL3 7QH ashford ☎ 01233 621710 2 Chapel Mews, North Street, TN24 8JN dudley ☎ 01384 458531 Unit 7, Trident Shopping Centre, DY1 1QJ bishop auckland ☎ 01388 606046 137 Newgate Street, Dl14 7EN edinburgh ☎ 0131 6677001 136 Nicolson Street, EH8 9EH chester-le-street ☎ 0191 3875544 87a Front Street, DH3 3BJ glasgow west end ☎ 01413 577201 312 Dumbarton Rd, G11 6TF chorlton ☎ 0161 8610909 444 Barlow Moor Road,M21 0BQ Gloucester ☎ 01452 381123 NEW! 46 Westgate Street, GL1 2NF consett ☎ 01207 506688 2 John Street, DH8 5LA guisborough ☎ 01287 637777 17 Market Place, TS14 6BN hartlepool ☎ 01429 869800 72 Park Road, TS26 9HU hereford ☎ 01432 278633 7 Commercial Road, HR1 2BB KIRKHAM ☎ 01772 673300 50 Poulton Street, PR4 2AH letchworth ☎ 01462 675333 Garden Square Centre, SG6 3DL longton ☎ 01782 594041 71 The Strand, Stoke-on-trent ST3 2NS lytham st annes ☎ 01253 789922 21 The Crescent, FY8 1SZ Middlesbrough ☎ 01642 252509 63-65 Borough Road, TS1 3AA Newcastle U Lyme ☎ 01782 660343 3 York Place, ST5 2AH northallerton ☎ 01609 777612 Zetland Street, DL6 1NA Ormskirk ☎ 01695 580080 34 Church Street, L39 3AW Orpington ☎ 01689 835999 152 High Street, BR6 0JR portslade ☎ 01273 439500 13 Station Road, BN41 1GA PRESTON ☎ 01772 787800 165 Garstang Road, Fulwood, PR2 3BH redcar ☎ 01642 488522 4 Dundas Street, TS10 3AD SKIPTON ☎ 01756 700995 24 Newmarket Street, BD2 32JB STAFFORD ☎ 01785 255553 11 St Mary’s Gate, ST16 2AS stockton ☎ 01642 618256 26 Silver Street, TS18 1SX WOODLEY ☎ 0118 969 9166 145 Crockhamwell Road, RG5 3JP yeovil ☎ 01935 434385 1 Glovers Walk, Yeovil, BA20 1LH Disc repair service available in this store Q WE BUY WE SELL WE TRADE Since the mid-1980s, CHIPS has been a friendly face in the high street for all gamers and now has more than 30 stores across the country. CHIPS buys, sells and trades video games and hardware. Whether you’re after a new next-gen console or a classic collector’s game, we’re the first place you should visit. And if you have games or hardware lying around that you don’t use, you can sell them to us for cash or trade them in for something new. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff are all gamers too, so if you’re looking for a special gift or can’t decide how to spend your Easter money, they will send you home with a smile on your face and a CHIPS bag under your arm. ® welcome INSIDE... win! f e at u r e s rare w warc orld of ra see pa ft art ge 47 W 13 grand theft auto IV It has an awesome new look but Rockstar’s highly anticipated game still delivers classic GTA thrills, mayhem and laughs. We steal some top cars, get involved in exciting shoot-outs and generally have lots and lots of fun in our hands-on playtest… ® elcome to the Spring edition of CHIPS Magazine! This issue, we’ve played GTA IV and let you in on the secrets of the year’s most anticipated game. Of course, there’s much more than gangster antics to enjoy. You’ll also find all the latest games and gear, top tips, news, views and more – enjoy the issue! Editor 22 GTV Prologue It’s fast, it’s really beautiful and it goes vroom vroom! 26 no more heroes Run amok with the coolest light saber ever! Than JUST games Turok It has guns, evil mercenaries and dinos. What more could you want? 30 peripherals From Nintendo’s Balance Board-based fitness game for the Wii to sat- nav software for the PSP, the latest console products will even have your parents interested !a FREE Indian 12 also out now Check out all the latest releases to hit your CHIPS store 28 chips GLOUCESTER CHIPS Manager Steven Ford tells us about his Balls of Steel 36 CODEBANK Beat the game and beat your mates with our DS cheats special! 44 GEAR Take a look at the great accessories, gifts and gadgets now available at your local CHIPS store! LEGO ster jones po 4 2 see page Faragher Jones 3 Monmouth Place Bath BA1 2AT Tel: 01225 319799 www.faragherjones.com recycle me Design Joe Burt, Trevor Wyatt Words Gideon Kibblewhite, Tarl Armstrong, Felicity Green, Mark Wheatley 38 chips hartlepool Franchisee Ste Morton talks to CHIPS Magazine 42 chips chat Keep up to date with all of the latest news and gossip from CHIPS stores across the country 46 letters & Expert Advice All your letters about gaming, discover what to look forward to in the next packed issue of CHIPS Magazine, plus expert advice on strategy guides and cheat cartridges… Debra McCabe 0870 013 0028 deb@chipsworld.co.uk Steve Faragher 01225 319799 steve@faragherjones.com Visit www.chipsworld.co.uk for technical data Contract Publishers regulars 34 tips Learn the art of killing and getting away with it in the brilliant Assassin’s Creed editor@chipsworld.co.uk To advertise contact There’s more to life 20 Debra McCabe Franchise Stores 05 News Keep yourself up to date with all the hottest releases and best new games 40 budget gaming Grab yourself a bargain game that won’t burst your piggy bank To find out how you could become a CHIPS franchisee, visit www.chipsworld.co.uk or phone 0870 013 0028 to order a pack Cover and feature © 2007 Rockstar Games, Inc. Rockstar Games, the [R*] logo, Grand Theft Auto and the Grand Theft Auto logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! CHIPS Magazine publication dates for 2008: Summer – June 24; Autumn – September 23; Winter – December 2 SPRING 08 “A true epic” Xbox 360 The Official Magazine From the creators of Final Fantasy From the famed creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, comes a revolutionary RPG experience rich in depth, emotion and cinematic gameplay. In an age that has harnessed the dark power of magic, you are the mysterious, immortal Kaim – on a quest to reclaim 1,000 years of lost memories. Unlock a past infused with love, betrayal, and war to reveal the path to reclaim your life and rescue the world. xbox.com/lostodyssey © 2007 MISTWALKER, INC. / I.T. PLANNING, INC. All Rights Reserved. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. RELEASE DATE: 29.02.08 NEWS gaming news the hottest gaming news coming your way… Page 6 Mario Kart Wii Page 6 Fifa Street 3 Page 9 Burnout Paradise Page 7 Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 Page 9 Mercenaries 2 Page 7 Army of Two Page 10 Patapon Page 10 Devil May Cry 4 this issue’s WIRED includes: Page 6 Dark Sector Page 6 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Page 6 PDC World Championship Darts 2008 Page 7 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Page 7 Sims 2 Freetime Page 7 Professor Kageyama’s Maths Training Page 9 Lost: The Video Game Page 9 The Spiderwick Chronicles Page 10 Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements Page 10 Bully: Scholarship Edition Page 10 Final Fantasy 1 & 2 Samba dE amigo loony Go crackers with your maracas! Latin! W e’ve been itching for a fun percussionbased game for the Wii and now we have one in the form of this remake of the Dreamcast’s beach-shaking Samba de Amigo. The Dreamcast game was groundbreaking in its day for its space-sensitive maraca controllers, making it ideal for a Wii update. This really is the perfect party game – it’s great for casual gamers and yet still offers a challenge for competitive souls who just have to get it 100 per cent right. Amigo, the grinning sombrero-wearing monkey, returns with his sexy rabbit-girl buddy to lead a crazy crew of manic dancers through a series of carnival stages. As before, you shake your ‘maracas’ (the Remote and Nunchuk, naturally) to your left and right in low, middle or high positions, corresponding with coloured circles on the screen. Occasionally you’re also asked to “Strike a pose!”, where you have to smartly move the controllers to the positions indicated on the screen within a short time limit. “Hold it… Lookin’ good!” Samba de Amigo is brash, it’s Latin, it’s Guitar Hero for the Rio set. Format: Wii Release date: May 30 Publisher: Sega SIMS 2 CASTAWAY stories >> PC In this stand-alone laptop-friendly game, your Sim has been washed ashore on a deserted tropical island. It’s your task to build a new life for them, so get busy hunting, fishing, gardening, shelter building and furniture making. Out now. INCOMING! In addition to LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, LucasArts is also making a full-blown Indiana Jones adventure… SPRING 08 ® NEWS W I R E D ! mario kart wii DARK SECTOR >> PS3, Xbox 360 Take that, road hog! Road rage! Slice, dice, blast and puzzle your way through this sci-fi thriller that puts you in the role of CIA cleaner Hayden Tenno, who’s been infected with a mysterious virus. Cue flying limbs, disintegrating enemies and Unreal Tournament-style multiplayer mayhem online. Out March 25. pro Evolution Soccer 2008 >> PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, Wii Konami’s famously realistic soccer sim is debuting on the Wii. The Nunchuk moves your player and the Wii Remote is used to pick out players to send on runs. To shoot or head, you shake the Nunchuk. Get ready for kick off on March 28. PDC World Championship Darts 2008 >> PC, Wii, PS2 Combine darts thrown using the Wii Remote with a Career mode based around the seven major PDC tournaments. Full walk-on sequences and commentary from the legendary Sid Waddell. A real treat for all darts fans. Out now. L adies, gentlemen, gorillas, dinosaurs, plumbers, mushrooms, ghosts, lizards and turtles... Start your engines! With more racers than ever before and with racing over the internet, the Wii debut for this arcade karter is an insane lark. Similar to Excite Truck, a steep tilt of the Remote turns your kart sharply in that direction while a light tip gently eases you over to that side. Shake the Remote and you get a speed burst. Among the new weapons is the mighty POW Block that stuns other racers with shockwaves. Hoarding weapons is now a risky tactic, though, as you may be forced to drop them if someone barges into you. Another nice new touch is that when a player is coming up from behind with a power-up, the Wii Remote speaker plays a warning sound. Up to two players can use the same Wii for online racing, letting you and a friend can take on the world together. Of course, if none of the Mushroom Kingdom characters take your fancy, you can use your Mii to drive your cart! Format: Wii Release date: April Publisher: Nintendo fifa street 3 Just when you thought Peter Crouch couldn’t get any taller… F ancy flicks, deft touches and brilliant goals from impossible angles – it can only be FIFA Street. The latest edition of EA’s football feast sports a new comic-book look that turns the players into caricatures – for instance, Rooney looks like an ogre and Crouch looks like he’s made of pipe cleaners. Mind you, some may say they look like that in real life too. The players are split into four types: tough- Master class tackling Enforcers, pass-master Playmakers, skilful Tricksters and lethal Finishers. Pull off tricks with them and you’ll fill your Gamebreaker gauge. Shooting almost always results in a goal in Gamebreaker mode, so this game is all about tricking your way to victory. FIFA Street 3 has a new emphasis on free-running moves, such as scampering up walls and backflipping over defenders, which is great fun. So if you like your football fast and flashy, you’ll score with FIFA Street. Format: PS3, Xbox 360 Release date: Out now Publisher: Activision INCOMING! Top Spin 3 pits classic players including Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg and Monica Seles against modern sensations such as Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova SPRING 08 Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 NEWS W I R E D ! mario & sonic at the olympic games >> Wii, DS Feeling lucky? More mayhem amid the slot machines... W ith its killer mix of action and strategy, plus great multiplayer action, the first Rainbow Six: Vegas was a breath of fresh air for a series that was beginning to get bogged down in tactical planning and punishing difficulty. Thankfully, Vegas 2 carries on in this new direction, dropping you into the boots of Bishop, a new member of the Rainbow squad. In this game, he’s undertaking an operation that takes place at the same time as the events of the first game. Focusing on the seedier side of Vegas, with more outdoor combat and daytime missions, this time round you gain experience in every mode, even when you’re offline. Another big addition is a much more entertaining Co-op mode that lets you have a Gears of War-style buddy, with both of you earning experience as you mow through the hordes of terrorists. New multiplayer modes include the brilliant Demolition, where one team has to plant a bomb and defend it against the opposition, while in Team Leader the object is to off the opposing team’s commander. There he is, boys! Kill him! Format: PC, Xbox 360, PS3 Release date: Out now Publisher: Ubisoft army of two Maths training >> DS The key principle of Dr Kageyama’s Maths Training is repetition, which according to Kageyama stimulates the brain. Daily exercises, from simple one-digit maths problems to more complex three-digit challenges, will keep your mind sharp and fit as a fiddle. Out now. >> PC comp G Professor Kageyama’s sims 2 freetime Two’s Go to war with a mate any! ears of War did it well but this is the first shooter to focus exclusively on two-player co-op action. Every single mission in Army of Two is designed to be done with an AI partner or, preferably, a human buddy. As a two-man team employed by a private military corporation you must work together to complete your missions. Key to the game is a clever ‘aggro-meter’. If you’re the one shooting the most, you’re the one the enemy will concentrate their fire on, allowing your partner to sneak around into a better position. Other co-op tricks include lifting your partner over a high wall to let him shoot the ankles of the goons standing Athletics, archery, skeet shooting, table tennis, gymnastics and more are on the menu in this cartoony sports fest. Choose from the all-star cast of Mario and Sonic characters with four player types to suit your style of athlete. Out now. on top (nice!) and a back-to-back slo-mo mode where you can spit infinite ammo for a few valuable seconds. Dual-sniper mode means both of you can lie up and snipe separate targets. If you get hit, your buddy can try to drag you to safety, where he can give you a cardiac massage. Even the multiplayer matches are team affairs, with four players split into teams of two. Hey, maybe you could even go halves on the game with a mate! Format: PS3, Xbox 360 Release date: Out now Publisher: EA Now your Sims can rediscover the joys of leisure time! Awaken your Sims’ true passions in life and let them discover the pleasures of football, ballet, restoring cars and building train sets. Out now. INCOMING! Sierra’s World in Conflict, an RTS that loses all the base building in favour of big cinematic battles, shoots onto Xbox 360 and PS3 this Autumn SPRING 08 ® THE NATURE OF THE BEAST The World of Warcraft Bestiary covers both World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade, with over 6,000 clearly indexed entries… IN STORES NOW! Features: >T his bestiary boasts statistical information on the denizens of the World of Warcraft universe, including HPS, Armour, Damage, Resistances and Abilities. >O ver 6,000 monsters, each one filtered through over 2,000 categories. > Every entry indexed for ease of use. Other strategy guides available now or coming soon include… Halo 3 Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Guide Pokémon Pokédex The Girl’s Guide to Gaming Super Mario Galaxy Turok Mercenaries 2: World in Flames NEWS W I R E D ! Lost: The Video Game >> PS3, Xbox 360, PC Jungle rumble Build a base, call in air strikes and unleash havoc… R ather than being a war sim, the first Mercenaries was a glorious exercise in blowing stuff up, with its marvellously destructible environments and go-anywhere, drive-anything gameplay – it was like GTA in a war zone. Now Mercenaries 2 keeps up that splendid tradition while adding a few welcome extras. As before, you’re dropped into a bushy war zone (Venezuela) to ply your mercenary trade, only this time you’re in charge of your own PMC (private military company). This means you have a lot more control over how you play the game – you get to set up your own base and recruit your own soldiers before you start calling in those air strikes and running amok with rocket launchers. Though you’re free to mess about, in theory you’re after a villain – the double-crossing, oil-loving megalomaniac Ramone Solano. Don’t worry about the plot, though: this is all about having fun. For instance, in the two-player mode you can hijack a fuel tanker and then get a mate to use a helicopter to carry you off in it… Well, who said war has to be serious? Format: PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, PC Release date: March 28 Publisher: EA burnout paradise VROOM The grass is green and the streets are indeed busy… BOOM! A lways popular for its high-speed racing and spectacular crashes, Burnout now lets you drive fast and crash anywhere in a huge metropolis. Paradise City is an open world of warehouses, suburbs and shipyards, with plenty of shortcuts to discover, billboards to splinter through and buildings to jump from. You can also take on challenges at each of the city’s 150-plus stop signs. These tests include owning that road’s best time and causing the road’s ultimate multi-car crash. Online, once a racer sets a record, it remains in place until another online challenger beats it, making each and every stretch of road a dare. As for the motors, there’s a huge garage of beautiful, boostable muscle cars, exotics, hot rods and supercharged SUVs on offer. Of course, they don’t stay beautiful for long as this Burnout’s crashes are as impressive as ever. Indeed, you’ll cringe when you watch your lovely roadster turned into a cube after a mesmerising HD display of flying glass and crunching metal. It’s the perfect antidote to the gentlemanly driving of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Format: PS3, Xbox 360 Release date: Out now Publisher: EA Based on the hit telly series, Lost: The Video Game drops you into the shoes of a new and previously unseen survivor of the doomed Flight 815. You must unlock the secrets of the island in the role of Elliott, a photojournalist suffering from amnesia… Out now. The spiderwick chronicles >> Wii, PS2, Xbox 360, PC Based on the movie of the children’s fantasy books, this adventure revolves around twin boys and their sister who discover a hidden world of brownies, ogres, goblins and more in their dead uncle’s mansion. Mixing exploration, puzzling and combat, you’ll soon be dispatching enemies with your tomato sauce gun… Out now. Brain Assist >> DS This new brain trainer focuses on strengthening the right hemisphere of the brain by challenging your memory potential, response times, concentration, reflexes, deduction and analytical abilities. Four nurses act as guides through the game. Out now. INCOMING! Codemasters is working on the follow-up to its excellent Race Driver DS. New graphics and a meaty Career mode spanning three continents are promised SPRING 08 ® NEWS W I R E D ! PATAPON Bully: Scholarship Edition >> Wii, Xbox 360 Make music not war? No! Make both… In the Wii version of this charming school adventure, you box the school bullies with the Nunchuk and Remote – try sneaking behind students and performing a wedgie by pulling upwards with the controllers… Ouch! Out now. Dark Messiah of Might And Magic: Elements >> Xbox 360 The swords-and-sorcery action adventure moves to the Xbox 360 from PC. You’re Sareth, who’s wandering the lands of Ashan trying to find the long-lost Skull of Shadows for your mage master. Choose to be an archer, assassin, mage, priestess or warrior for multiplayer games online. Out now. Y ou’d have to have a heart of stone not to be charmed by this part rhythm, part strategic side-scrolling action game. Patapon makes you the general of the cute, Lilliputian-sized Patapon people. The Patapon have been forced from their homeland by their arch enemies the Zigotons and it’s your job is to lead them back to glory by literally drumming up a battle plan. Faced with everything from giant crabs to hordes of crimson Zigoton soldiers, you give the tribe commands by tapping specific button patterns on your war drum. Drum accurately enough and you’ll whip your troops T he monster hunter with the biggest guns, the biggest swords and the biggest hair is back in this mind-blowing welter of blood and gore. This time round you get to play Nero, a new satanic kid on the block. He’s armed with dirty great blade with a handle fashioned like a motorcycle throttle that can be ‘revved up’ to cause massive damage. Along with his trusty pistols, Nero also has an unpleasant-looking demon arm and the combos using sword, shooter and demon arm are almost endless. The INCOMING! Director Steven Spielberg is helping EA with its Wii children’s puzzler Boom Blox, out in May SPRING 08 into Fever mode and they’ll take down even the hardest of enemies. The depth of the game becomes clear when you have to decide on the tactical mix of your forces. Your Tatepon brawlers, for example, are great at bashing defensive walls, while your Yumipon archers can whittle down even a massive dragon’s health. Forward men! Tap-tapetty-tap… Genius. Format: PSP Release date: Out now Publisher: Sony You’ve got a devil of a job on your hands… Hells bells! >> PSP 10 warr DEVIL MAY CRY 4 final fantasy 1 & 2 Remastered as two separate titles exclusively for the PSP, these are the classics that created the blueprint for the RPG series. These shiny editions feature all-new character art, updated graphics, new dungeons, full 16:9 widescreen presentation and a new and improved camera view. Out now. i Min iors! more stylish moves you put together, the more your powers grow, which they’ll need to because as you progress you’ll encounter serious opposition – you’ll have little time to sit back and marvel at the glorious detail of the demon-infested landscape. DMC 4 also has a new range of difficulty settings, which is good news for those who found DMC2 too easy and DMC3 frighteningly hard… Format: PS3, Xbox 360 Release date: Out now Publisher: Capcom Super CHIPS dea Just l! £27.99 ON PS3 OR until end of assassinscreed.com Assassin’s Creed © 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Published and developed by Ubisoft Entertainment. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “2”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS3” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. X360 April 2008 NEWS also out now! A Train HX Xbox 360 Advance Wars: Dark Conflict DS Art of Fighting PS2 Assasin’s Creed PC, DS Asterix at the Olympics Wii, PS2, DS, PC ATV Offroad Fury 4 PS2 Battalion Wars 2 Battlefield 2142 Deluxe Edition Beautiful Katamari Blacksite Area 51 Elder Scroll Travels: Oblivion End War PSP Xbox 360 Fading Shadows Final Fantasy Rings of Fate Fishing Master Frontlines: Fuel of War PC Game Party Nights: Journey of Dreams Wii Ninja Reflex DS, Wii PSP Nitro Bikes Wii DS Odin Sphere PS2 Wii, PS2 Flatout Head On Wii Xbox 360 All these brilliant games have just hit the shelves in your CHIPS store! PSP Xbox 360, PC Wii Off Road PC, PS2, PSP Paint by DS DS Penumbra PC Phantasy Star Universe PS2, PC Garfield Get Real DS, Wii PicPic DS Geometry Wars: Galaxies Wii, DS Pimp My Ride Wii Bleach: Shattered Blade Wii Ghost Squad Wii Pirates Of The Burning Sea PC Bleach: The Blade of Fate DS Gods and Heroes PC Pop Wii Wii Guilty Gear XX Accent Code Wii Puppy Love Wii Ratatouille: Food Frenzy DS PS3 Bomberman Land Bratz: Super Babyz DS, PC Brothers in Arms: Double Pack Wii Guitar Hero 2 Solus Xbox 360 Hard Rock Casino PSP Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters PS2 PSP Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway PC, Xbox 360, PS3 History Channel: Battle for the Pacific PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 Riviera Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood Wii Jack Keane PC Samurai Warriors: Katana Wii Brothers in Arms: Road To Hill 30 Wii Jamster Allstars DS Sea Monsters Wii Bubble Bobble Double Shot DS Jenga Wii Sega Superstars Tennis Bunnyz DS Jumper Wii, Xbox 360, PS2 PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PS2 Shin Megami Tensei Persona Buzz Junior Jungle Dino Den PS2 King of Clubs Buzz School Quiz PS2 Kira Kira Pop Princess DS Soldier of Fortune: Payback Cabelas Big Hunt PS2 Left for Dead PC Sonic Riders: Zero Chronicles Wii Lost Odyssey Xbox 360 Cars Mater-National Wii, PSP Star Trek: Conquest Castlevania: Dracula Chronicles PSP Chess Master PSP Making Magic Coded Arms Contagion PSP Manhunt 2 PS2 Command and Destroy DS Math Play DS The Club Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Wii The Dog Island Medievil 2 Gold PC The Fast & The Furious DS Megaman ZX Advent DS Tigerz Crayola Paint DS Miami Nights DS Totally Spies 3 Secret Agents Cruisin’ Wii Mx Vs ATV Untamed Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, DS CSI Hard Evidence Wii My Life Coach DS Turning Point Dawn of War: Soulstorm PC Mystery Dungeon Shiren the Wonderer DS Universe at War: Earth Assault Namco Museum 2 DS Unreal Tournament III Condemned 2: Bloodshot Conflict Denied Ops Xbox 360, PS3 PS3, Xbox 360, PC Cooking Mama 2 Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed PS2, Wii Lost Planet Showtime Boxing PS3 DS Sun Crossword Challenge PS2 Wii PS3 PS2, Wii PS2 DS Tangram Mania DS Telly Addicts Wii Totally Spies Totally Party Xbox 360, PS, PC PS2, Wii PSP DS DS Wii, PS2 PS3, Xbox 360 PC PS3 Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey Wii Namco Museum Remixed Wii Wii Chess Wii Donkey Kong Jet Race Wii Naruto Ninja Destiny DS Winx Club Enchantrix DS Dragon Quest Monsters DS Naruto Uzamaki Chronicles 2 Wii NBA PS3 Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ TreasureWii Need for Speed Pro Street PSP Zoo Tycoon II DragonBall 3 Tenkaichi 3 Dragoneer’s Aria Dynasty Warriors 6 12 SPRING 08 PSP PS3, Xbox 360 NFL Tour PS2 PS3, Xbox 360 World Championship Poker 3 PSP, PS2, Wii DS hands-on report! We take a trip through the mean streets of Liberty City and get blown away by a game that’s packed with action and attitude… INCOMING! Nico can now shoot through walls with the more powerful weapons INCOMING! Large missions can take several days to complete SPRING 08 13 hands-on report! gangster number one GTA IV is here at last! With intense shoot-outs and white-knuckle car chases through a massive city, you’re in for one hell of a ride… n… Causing mayhem is still always an optio Cars now provide great cover W hen CHIPS went up to see Rockstar to play the most eagerly awaited game ever, we didn’t leave disappointed. Like us, you’re going to be blown away by a game that plays like a free-roaming thriller and which is fantastic fun. Rockstar may have improved every department of the game, but all the classic GTA thrills are still present and correct. Your missions take you through Liberty City, a massive, slightly dog-eared metropolis based on New York. On these mean streets, you’ll find yourself murdering lawyers for bent coppers, hanging off the back of lorries as they career around corners, stealing trucks full of drugs and lobbing grenades out of car window to put off pursuit. As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll also be stealing cop cars to access the police database and generally getting your hands really dirty at the behest of dangerous Russian mafia types you really shouldn’t be associating with. It may be all shiny and HD now, but there’s no doubt that this is still pure GTA. As you’ll no doubt know by now, the game drops you into the boots of Niko, newly arrived in Liberty City from Eastern Europe. Niko has been enticed there by his cousin Roman’s tales of riches and girls. Roman, a bustling, foulmouthed cab company owner, has been lying, of course. What has actually happened is that he’s fallen into debt and now owes money to a seriously wrong crowd. You don’t know much about Niko’s history at the start of the game but it’s immediately obvious that you’re hard, capable, know how to kill and have probably received some sort of military training back in Eastern Europe. As you get dragged deeper into Roman’s world, you INCOMING! Want to find out some information about a crook? Steal a police car and use its computer! 14 SPRING 08 meet more and more of his dubious friends, all of whom can find uses for your capabilities. After you’ve met a few contacts you begin to realise that where San Andreas was all about respect, GTA IV is about friendship. Build up enough goodwill and people become allies who are then happy to aid you in your missions. These missions are set up by calls on your mobile, on which your list of dodgy contacts lengthens as the game progresses. Among the first people you’ll meet is Little Jacob, a cheery, dreadlocked guy who sorts you out with weapons from the boot of his car. You’ll also meet Francis McReary, a bent detective who has dirt on Niko and so can get him to carry out certain violent tasks. Then there’s Vlad, who thinks he’s Mr Big but in fact he just operates minor protection for some of the more powerful criminals Ï INCOMING! Hotwiring parked cars is just one of Nico’s new skills l and Gunfights are tense, tactica tremendous fun hands-on report! You can almost smell the smog… Ë you’ll be running into as you delve Watch out for the copper choppers! INCOMING! There are internet cafes in the city where you can log on to fictional websites deeper into the underworld of Liberty City. The missions themselves, which are full of exciting gunplay as well as the obligatory car chases, benefit massively from the introduction of a new cover system. In a similar style to Gears of War, you can now duck in and out of cover to shoot, blind fire round corners and take cover behind cars before making a Butch and Sundance-style charge towards your foes. Hey! Suddenly gunfights in GTA are fun! You can now lock onto enemies and then use the analogue stick to fine aim. This means you can go for lethal head shots or shoot someone in the leg and watch as they fall to the ground. However, your enemies are also much more intelligent and will do cunning things such as playing dead, crawling about for their weapons and, of course, using cover themselves. One great mission takes you to an industrial park to steal a truck from a warehouse. You begin by climbing over the back of a neighbouring building and taking out some guards with a sniper rifle before moving in closer with an AK47. Once the bullets start whizzing, you can then move in closer to take out a few more heavies by blind firing round a wall and ducking in and out of cover. Heart pumping, you can then hare into the open to down the rest with a blaze of fire… Phew! Unlike San Andreas, after the shooting stops in GTA IV you really do feel like you’ve been in a proper firefight. Racing around in cars and on bikes is always a big part of GTA and this department has also had a makeover thanks to a new and improved physics system. As you corner, your chosen vehicle will twitch, bite and slide realistically, while collisions with pesky things such as lampposts now result in horribly realistic accidents. Shooting while driving is also much better. Although it takes a little practice, you can now free aim and shoot INCOMING! Yes, you get to fly a chopper in the game… SPRING 08 15 hands-on report! Little Jacob shows off the new cover system “Officer! I didn’t do nothing!” out the tyres of vehicles, and even watch them deflate when hit. One brilliant driving mission takes place after Niko gets drunk in a bar with a mate. You have to guide a severely stumbling Niko to his car and then get the badly-swerving vehicle safely home with your vision blurred by alcohol. Pure GTA madness! Another massive improvement over San Andreas is the Wanted system. When the cops are looking for Niko – shooting a member of the public will still do the trick – you now simply have to get out of a radius that’s clearly marked on the map. If you’re spotted, the circle will centre around you again, but once you’re out, you’re free. This is a much clearer and simpler way of doing things. The first thing you notice when you hit the streets of Liberty City is the city itself, which looks amazing. It’s a massive, incredibly lifelike world where simply going for a drive is a real pleasure. Crossing Liberty City’s main bridge, especially at night, is awesome. As you bump and weave through the traffic, skyscrapers rise smoothly and clearly in the distance until they’re towering dramatically above you. The first time you see this really is an aweinspiring experience. Taking the trip by boat – another first – is also great if you fancy a bit of sightseeing, while hopping into a cab for a ride and watching the city go by as you take a few calls on your mobile is a joy. This game touches all the GTA pleasure spots so be prepared – over the next few months, you’re going to be spending a large chunk of your life taking on exciting missions, blazing away in 16-player deathmatch games and simply driving around a beautiful virtual world. In a nutshell, the good news is that Rockstar has made its legendary game truly next-gen without breaking or losing any of the series’ classic elements. Enjoy! INCOMING! You can listen to the radio stations over your phone as you walk around 16 SPRING 08 INCOMING! Night action now takes place in full neon-lit darkness, not weird twilight hands-on report! Niko has had military training… MOST WANTED Niko That’s you! As soon as you hit Liberty City you become involved with all sorts of dubious characters, including this lot below. You’re soon up to your neck in serious crime… Elizabeta No lady, Elizabeta is a dangerously paranoid and delusional drug dealer in the Bohan area of Liberty City. She has reason to be paranoid, though: the police net is closing in on her operation… at Liberty City looks absolutely incredible night Vlad Another of your dodgy associates, bar owner Vlad Glebov thinks he’s someone big in the underworld. In actual fact he’s just the underling of some properly heavy Russian gangsters. Jacob Two wheels are so handy… Format: PS3, Xbox 360 Release date: April 29 Publisher: Rockstar INCOMING! Rockets, which now skip off pavements, are great fun Good friends with your cousin Roman, ‘Little’ Jacob, as he’s known, is a cheery and coollooking dude who will sell you assorted weapons from his car boot. INCOMING! You can explore the inside of more buildings than ever before SPRING 08 17 The GTA Family Tree hands-on report! There’s enough crime here to put even the Corleones to shame… 5 1 8 7 1 Grand Theft Auto ■ First released: 1997 ■ Format: PC, PS, GBC Its graphics were basic even then, but this top-down, free-roaming, mission-based crimeathon featuring car theft, getaway driving, assassinations and bombings was an instant cult hit. --------------------------------------------------- 2 GTA: London 1969 ■ First released: 1999 ■ Format: PC, PS This edition of the game took the series to a new setting for some classic East End gangster action, but it didn’t add anything else new. --------------------------------------------------- 5 GTA III 8 GTA: San Andreas ■ First released: 2001 ■ Format: PS2, PC, Xbox ■ First released: 2004 ■ Format: PS2, PC, Xbox With its new 3D graphics and story-based approach, this was a huge step forward for the series. The seminal free-roaming gameplay remained intact, though – you could still explore a massive city, creating mayhem. It spawned many an imitation, but nothing would get anywhere near its innovation or thrills until Vice City a year later. --------------------------------------------------- A rip-roaring trip through black gang culture with not one but three cities to explore. Still a fantastic game today. --------------------------------------------------- 6 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ■ First released: 2002 ■ Format: PS2, PC, Xbox 9 GTA: Liberty City Stories ■ First released: 2005 ■ Format: PSP, PS2 A remarkably good first GTA game for the PSP set in a GTA III-style Liberty City and featuring six-player shootouts. --------------------------------------------------- 10 GTA: Vice City Stories A freeware expansion. --------------------------------------------------- Set in a huge ultra-stylish Miami, this awesome game boasted everything you could want from a GTA game, including a great soundtrack, motorcycles, boats, helicopters, Ray Liotta and Dennis Hopper. --------------------------------------------------- 4 GTA 2 7 GTA: Advance 11 GTA IV ■ First released: 1999 ■ Format: PS, PC, DC, GBC ■ First released: 2004 ■ Format: GBA ■ Out on: April 29, 2008 ■ Format: PS3, Xbox 360 Much the same but now we have criminal gang culture – if you work for one mob, you’ll get shot at by their rivals. --------------------------------------------------- A pleasing combination of the gameplay of 3D GTA and the 2D style of the first games, this release put crime in the palm of your hand. --------------------------------------------------- 3 GTA: London 1961 ■ First released: 1999 ■ Format: PC INCOMING! You can hail a cab to anywhere in the city 18 SPRING 08 ■ First released: 2006 ■ Format: PSP, PS2 In this prequel to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, you have to steadily take over the whole city, crew by crew, building up your criminal empire. --------------------------------------------------- Bigger, better and downright beautiful, this is the game we all hoped for – classic GTA with nextgen looks and innovative new gameplay. --------------------------------------------------- INCOMING! When you wind up in hospital, thankfully you don’t now lose all your weapons gift vouchers! Easter Birthd ? Don’t ay? what know to buy Why n ot pop ? i n to pic k C HIPS up ou then t r gift vouch and hey ca e n c h o o rs , for th se emsel ves! Finalist in MCV Independent Retailer Award 2007 Finalist in MCV Star Store Award 2007 – Orpington Finalist in MCV Specialist Retailer Award 2008 ® TUROK Big dinosaurs and big guns – what’s not to like? O riginally a comic book hero, everyone’s favourite American-Indian dinosaur hunter made his video game debut in 1997’s appropriately titled Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for the N64. Since then, he’s appeared in games across a raft of platforms and now Turok is back to prove that mixing FPS with monsters is the sort of explosive fun that never goes out of fashion. Transporting you to a dark, mysterious planet, Turok drops you into the boots of Joseph Turok, part of an elite special forces squad known as Whiskey Company. Your mission is to hunt down war criminal Roland Kane, Turok’s former mentor. When your ship is shot down on the planet by Kane and his men, well, that’s your excuse to use your elite military training to take on Kane’s well-trained army and the ravenous, unpredictable dinosaurs that populate the planet. The T-Rex and his mates are neutral enemies in this world. Never mind right and wrong – the only thing you need to remember as you hunt down the mercs is that the wildlife will eat anything in its path without prejudice. Apart from the T-Rex, also eyeing you up for dinner are big Velociraptors and Lurkers – dinosaurs crossed with big cats. Then Turok ’n’ roll! r. Bring it on! Big gun, small dinosau INCOMING! Aliens: Colonial Marines, a new FPS set in the world of the classic critter film Alien, is now on its way… 20 spring 08 TUROK Make ’em extinct – ag ain “I love the smell of napalm in the morning!” It’s survival of th e meanest there’s the Dilophosaurus with its clubbing tail, as well as the fearsome Beast from the Deep, a sort of reptilian eel-boss with tentacles. Yikes! Luckily, along with your trusty bow and knife, you can also carry – and use – two guns at a time. In fact, you’ll be blazing through the levels with everything from trusty SMGs to sticky bomb guns and you’ll look very cool while doing so. A secondary fire option on each weapon makes you even meaner. Shoot a raptor with a sticky bomb, for example, then use the shotgun’s secondary flare near a group of enemies. Now wait until the raptor is attracted to the flare and detonate the sticky bomb. Nice. More timid folk can just hide in the bushes and watch the dinos cull the enemy. The AI is very simple but that’s taken out of the equation completely in Turok’s 16-player online matches, in which you can enjoy Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and other war games, all spread across seven maps. These games cast you as either the Whiskey Company good guys or Wolf Pack bad guys. You can’t play a dinosaur, unfortunately, but you’ll find plenty of them roaming the maps. For a bit of fun with a friend, you can also go hunting co-op style over three maps of the single-player game. With blazing FPS action, inventive weapons, rampant dinosaurs and mercenaries roaming though thick jungle environments, Turok plays like a thrilling Disney trip. It’s not meant to be deep – just tremendous fun. Format: Xbox 360, PS3 Release date: Out now Publisher: Touchstone INCOMING! Developer Bizarre Creations – now owned by Bond licence owner Activision – is rumoured to be working on the next 007 game… SPRING 08 21 GRAN TURISMO 5 Gran TURISMO prologue Enjoy a taster of the PS3’s upcoming driving sensation W hen it comes to driving sims, no series is as highly regarded or loved as Gran Turismo. Developer Polyphony Digital has proved itself time after time to be the king of the genre by blending racy thrills with the feeling that you’re really out there on the track. Now, judging by this exciting taster of next year’s full GT5 – which will be the first HD GT – it looks like the game has finally made the massive leap forward in performance we hoped it would. This is only the Prologue, remember, but it’s still one of the best-looking games out there, driving or otherwise. You can practically smell the exhaust when you tear around it in high definition! What were once GT4’s patches of green are now verdant strips of individual INCOMING! Gran Turismo 5 will be skidding its way into CHIPS stores in early 2009… 22 SPRING 08 5 blades of grass. You’d think a picnic would be called for, but now the formerly 2D spectators actually step back from the action when cars scream past them, while the mountain tops, crusted with snow, now look positively chilly! Gran Turismo games have always had an incredible catalogue of cars to drive, and GT5 will be no different. It’s going to feature an awesome line-up of more than 700 motors, so few of your favourites are going to be missing. GT5 will also be the first game in the series’ history to have Ferraris, rectifying something of a hole in its credentials. In fact, you’ll even find Ferraris among Prologue’s 60-plus car line-up, which you can take for a spin around GRAN TURISMO 5 a respectable five tracks, including a London City circuit and Suzuka. You can also take your motor, Ferrari or otherwise, for a full 16-player online tear-up – not bad at all for a mere ‘prologue’! Seeing 16 cars tearing around the track is a fantastic sight too. Each car averages around 200,000 polygons each, and that means every detail, from paintwork to headlights, looks almost as if it’s been filmed. Of course, that’s just the exteriors. You can also sit back and marvel at the fully-modelled interiors with a view of the dash, gauges, driver animations and more. Even though it’s incredibly good looking, Gran Turismo games have always been about the driving itself, and GT5 is simply brilliant in this department. As we were all expecting it would, it drives like no other racing sim around. You can feel the cars bite into the tarmac around tight corners, feel the chassis twisting when you take a jump and feel the suspension collecting the force of your landing. In terms of simulating the driving experience, no other game comes close. There may be another year to wait until the full version’s release date, but there’s more than enough great racing to be enjoyed in Prologue until then. It’s a must-have for all petrolheads. Format: PS3 Release date: March 28 Publisher: Sony INCOMING! The official Driving Force GT force feedback steering wheel is out now… SPRING 08 23 ® LucasArts and the Indiana Jones logo are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2008 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd or Lucasfilm Ltd & ® or ™ as indicated. All rights reserved. no more heroes Cel-shaded carnage comes to the Wii F eeling in need of a Wii game that will get your blood pumping? Then look no further than the demented No More Heroes – a sort of Kill Bill meets San Andreas. As hitman Travis Touchdown, you have to work your way through a list of villainous targets in the town of Santa Destroy in your bid to become the best killer in the world. Your weapon of choice is a ‘beam katana’ – a light-sword so cool it would make even Luke Skywalker weep with envy. It isn’t all glamour, though. In fact, there’s a catch. You see, you have to hand over cash for the right to go after your next target, which may mean doing menial jobs such as mowing lawns before you can go off to disembowel someone. Once you’re on a mission, though, you’ll find that the combat is easy to get to grips with – you simply mash A and tilt the Remote according to the attack you want to make. You can also stun opponents and perform a range of wrestling finish moves, such as suplexes and piledrivers. Travis even has a chopper that he can use to get himself out of trouble, although driving is not one of this game’s strong suits. What No More Heroes does have is bags of style, even given its wilfully immature sense of humour – the saving process, for example, involves sitting on a toilet. The unique cel-shaded graphics make it one of the best-looking games you’ll play on the Wii this year, though. Also, with armies of goons and bosses to chop up, sending gouts of arterial spray everywhere, there’s plenty of demented fun to be had. INCOMING! Flee the city! Godzilla is going to be stomping onto Wii consoles this autumn 26 spring 08 no more heroes Format: Wii Release date: Out now Publisher: Rising Star INCOMING! The eagerly awaited Gears of War 2 is set to launch on Xbox 360 in November this year SPRING 08 27 your store… Chips Gloucester how to find us address: 46 Westgate Street, GL1 2NF Telephone: 01452 381123 OPENing hours: Mon – Sat: 9:30am – 5:30pm Sun: Closed we talk to manager STEvEN FORD >What was your first console? The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). >What is your alltime favourite video game? Without a doubt, Time Crisis 2 on the PS2. >What do you like about it so much? 2. Phoenix Wright series (DS). These games have so much humour and life, plus head-scratching puzzles. 3. Resident Evil series (any). I love horror, I love zombies and the series looks set to get stronger. 4. Street Fighter series (any). The original and best beat-’em-up, it’s still the ultimate two-player game. 5. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS). The best in a longrunning series that keeps getting better. Sublime. >What games are you most looking forward to this year? >Who else works at the Gloucester store? I’ve always had a lot of love for light-gun games and this is the best. It’s short and sweet, but has amazing replay value. It also has a cool double-gun mode! Lost Odyssey, Resident Evil 5, GTA IV, Ghostbusters and Deus Ex 3 on the Xbox 360, plus House of the Dead 2 & 3 (Wii), Sega Bass Fishing (Wii), Haze (PS3) and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS). Chris Pottle, who has been in video game retail even longer than I have, plus Adam Meade, who started in December. Both of them are helpful and friendly. >What consoles do you play on? >How long have you worked with CHIPS? I probably spend more time on my Xbox 360, DS and Dreamcast than any of my other machines. I’ve been with CHIPS since November 2007. Call of Duty 4. Although the single-player experience is brilliant (if somewhat short lived), it’s the multiplayer mode that has people hooked. >What is the most popular game in-store? >What are your top five games ever? >What do you like most about working with CHIPS? >What is the strangest request you’ve had? Not including Time Crisis 2, I’d have to say: 1. Final Fantasy VII (PSone). It’s got a great storyline, characters and gameplay – a nearly perfect game. I’ve been involved in video game retail for six years and have always preferred independent stores to the big chains. It was an easy choice for me to make. I’ve been asked whether I have Balls of Steel (an old PC pinball game) and if I have Worms. You can take your pick as to which is better! what’s instore? SPECIAL ORDER FACILITIES Don’t see what you want on the shelves? Then ask at the counter for that special or rare must-have – one of our other branches may have that elusive game! Use our special order facility to make your dreams come true PICK OUR BRAINS Need advice? CHIPS prides itself on offering great customer service and independent and helpful advice, whether you’re a keen gamer or a mum looking for a great gift for birthdays or Easter Games Galore! The whole of our store has just had a complete injection of new stock, both brand new and second-hand. Step inside and check out what’s on the shelves today! To find out how to become a franchisee Visit www.chipsworld.co.uk or call 0870 013 0028 to order a franchisee pack 28 SPRING 08 MORE THAN GAMES? There’s more to life Than JUST games Become a gorgeous gaming god with Nintendo’s new innovation C onsoles offer so much more than games these days and the latest offerings for Nintendo’s wonderful Wii and Sony’s powerful little PSP underline this. In fact, between them the Wii and the PSP can now get you fit and keep you on the right road as you drive! Nintendo’s new Wii Fit promotes fitness as much as fun gameplay. Its secret is its bundled Balance Board which senses your weight and motion, allowing you to get busy with a series of aerobic, muscle, yoga and balance workouts. There are 40 different activities within these training categories, including Hula Hoop, Ski Jump, Press-up Challenge, Rhythm Boxing and Rowing. Sony, meanwhile, is launching a whole raft of products that together turn the PSP into a digital camera, photo-editing suite, Skype phone, video messenger, sat-nav device and much more… Wii STATS Ë Á BALANCE The Wii Balance Board might look like a set of futuristic bathroom scales, but it’s actually a pressuresensitive controller that measures changes in your weight distribution so you can control a game just by leaning and moving your body. INCOMING! An amazing new neuro-headset controller, which interprets thoughts and emotions, is hitting stores later this year 30 spring 08 Wii Fit users can log onto a new Wii Fit Channel, where you can monitor your fitness progress by checking both your weight loss and body mass index, which is determined by your weight, height and age. MORE THAN GAMES? Á Press-up Challenge The Wii Fit coach teaches you how to do a proper press-up and it’s tough – very tough! In fact, your arms will feel like lead afterwards. This really is proper exercise! Keep at it though and you’ll eventually get toned up enough to start turning heads on the beach this summer… È HEADS AWAY Wii Fit & ard Balance Bo Heading footballs while dodging missiles or tightrope walking strengthens the vestibular (the inner ear that controls balance), as well as the muscles that keep you upright. It’s also great for co-ordination and mental agility. £69.99 5 Out: April 2 È Wii JOG Yep, it’s jogging in your living room and it’s not a crazy as it sounds! Jogging outside isn’t always safe because of traffic and gyms are expensive and dull, so Wii Fit is the perfect solution – it’s fun and you don’t have to leave your house! HOOP TWIRL Ë Would your mum look a little silly perched on a Balance Board, grimacing with concentration as she performs endless pelvic thrusts in an attempt to keep a virtual hula-hoop from slipping off her hips? The answer is undoubtedly yes, so make sure she draws the curtains. INCOMING! THQ’s Band Mashups rhythm-action game on Wii has you battling with sniper violins and flamethrower guitars… SPRING 08 31 MORE THAN GAMES? There’s more to life Than JUST games Sony’s spunky PSP offers everything from maps to messaging… PSP SPEAKERS È Upgrade your PSP’s audio capability and you can enjoy full, rich sound. A combined 2.0 speaker system and recharging docking station, the SoundStage creates a minitheatre for your movies and music. The cradle holds your PSP perfectly, while the handy remote keeps you in control. Out now – £24.99. Á GO! EXPLORE PSP owners will never get lost again thanks to Sony’s Go!Explore 3D sat-nav system. Go!Explore works whether you’re on foot or in the car. As you walk, you’ll be able to plot your way through cities in 3D, thanks to the fully modelled maps contained on the discs. Meanwhile, Car Adaptor and Car Mount bundles will be available for drivers. Coming soon! INCOMING! Confirmed for a 2009 release, Final Fantasy XIII on PS3 is subtitled Fabula Nova Crystallis 32 spring 08 MORE THAN GAMES? GO! CAM Ë The clever new Go!Cam converts a PSP into a fun and portable camera and photo-editing suite. With Go!Cam’s Go!Edit software you can enhance your movies and photos with sounds and funky graphics and then upload your creations onto the internet directly from your PSP! Out now – £34.99. È Instant messaging Go!Messenger is an exciting wireless communications package that brings text, voice and video chat to the PSP. Just download a small application and you can instantly message using Wi-Fi. A VOIP headset allows you to talk to friends, while adding the Go!Cam to the mix means you can make video calls, as well as recording and sending video messages! Coming soon! PSP SKYPE Ë Version 3.90 of the Sony PSP Slim & Lite’s system software includes Skype for free, which means you can make free calls over the internet to other Skype users anywhere in the world! You can also make and receive cheap calls to regular landlines and mobiles too. Of course, you’ll need headphones and a mic to chat to your friends and Sony’s stylish Headset & Remote Control is the ideal solution. Out now – £24.99. INCOMING! The PSP God of War Entertainment Pack includes a red PSP with a picture of Kratos on it, plus a copy of Chains of Olympus… SPRING 08 33 tips Assassin’s creed TIPS ›Xbox 360 Try these tips and tricks for successful assassinations and quick getaways in Ubisoft’s brilliant Assassin’s Creed… Basics Good assassins have good habits… >View Points Make sure you find all of the View Points in a section of town. These reveal the investigations and improve the map of the city. >Use the markers Use your map and learn how to set markers. This makes locating objectives much simpler. >Save the civilians first Saving citizens advances your Synchronization bar. Saved citizens also summon vigilantes who will prevent the guards from chasing you. These sub-missions also unlock the co-ordinates you need for investigations. >Legal ladders Remember that you can climb ladders. It’s climbing walls that often attracts unwanted attention… >Keep climbing If you find yourself climbing up a building and get stuck, the chances are there is a way up – you just need to find it. >Aaahhh! If you’re knocked off a wall by a rock thrown down by a guard, a ledge grab can save you. >Mind your manners Don’t barge! Always push gently in crowds and you’ll probably never be spotted by the guards because you’ll be socially acceptable. Also, don’t hit anyone if they’re carrying something. Jar and crate carriers will blow your cover. Get Those Flags There are hundreds of cleverly hidden flags to be found in Assassin’s Creed… >Point of view Whenever you scale a View Point, use the opportunity to scan the horizon for flags. 34 spring 08 >Street search Flags are just as likely to be found at street level as on the rooftops. Entering the City There are four ways of entering a city gate and dealing with that line of guards… > Hey! Look over there! Create a distraction by executing a nearby guard who isn’t in the line. Use your Hidden Blade and then move away. When the line of guards moves to investigate, you can stroll in. > The scholarly approach Save a nearby scholar, who will then get together a bunch of his mates. Blend in with them and you’ll be able to pass in unhindered. > Go to the wall Wall-run up the side of the gate away from the guards, manoeuvre with the handholds and drop to the beam above the guards. Now walk in. > Hack, kill, slay! Kill them – kill them all! Then run in before reinforcements arrive… Preparation A good assassin leaves nothing to chance on a mission… > Check your log Before you go for a target, go to your Memory Log in the Pause menu and read up. > Clear rooftops Have you cleared your roofs? Get up there and stealth-kill those guards with your knives. > Beggars belief Beggars and loons are often in the way of strategic exit points so make sure you clear them out with your stealth kills. You may also find it useful to assassinate guards from around key areas before going for your main target. Hav played eitn’t yet? Get it at CHIPs for £27.99! (PS3 or until endX360 versions of April 2008) just tips assassin’s creed TIPS > Distractions Distractions are an excellent way of moving a guard from his post – and there’s nothing like a dead guard to distract another guard. Fighting skills Engage the enemy with confidence… >Get ’em on the ground Lock onto an enemy, get close to him, then grab your target and throw him to the ground. This leaves him defenceless and easily killable. >Length isn’t everything Many assassins prefer the short blade to the longsword for combat – it’s fast and efficient. >Fell the best Identify and take out the most skilled enemies (the ones with the best armour and helmets) first. This eases the burden and can even encourage any remaining guards to leg it. >Use your moves When you go up in ranks, be sure to apply new abilities such as Grab, Break and Dodge. Remember, new weapons and abilities can be tried out in the Training Area. >You started it Before starting any fight, try to assassinate at least one of your enemies first to make things a little easier on yourself. >Counter culture Counter attacks are great for quickly thinning out groups of attacking guards. >High time If you can get on a tower or tall roof, you can knock off guards as they step off the ladder. >Frights Templars Knights Templars are hard – very hard! – so try not to engage them. Assassinate ’em instead. Great Escapes You can evade capture by using some of these cunning tricks… >Sight club Break the guards’ line of sight by climbing buildings and turning corners before hiding. >Roof roof! Use the rooftops as much as possible to get back to the bureau. >Throw off pursuit Throwing guards into other guards or things that topple over is a great tactic – it slows the guards down and makes them vulnerable too. Assassin’s Creed If you’re the best in the business, you’ll be able to perform all of Altair’s Hidden Blade moves… > On the ground Stand by someone who’s prone but not dead and press Strike. Blade in the neck. > Low profile from behind Put your hand over their mouth, stab them in the back and let them fall. > Running high profile from behind Run – don’t sprint! – up from behind and strike when you get close to your target. Put your hand over their mouth, stab them in the back and then lay them down. > Low profile from the front Put your hand over their mouth, stab them in the back and let them fall. > High profile from the front Grab your target’s arm, get your blade in the face and then lay them down. > Running high profile from the front Run – don’t sprint! – up to someone from the front and strike when you get very close to them. Stab them in the stomach and when your victim doubles over, lay them down. > Jumping high profile Run or sprint at someone from any direction and press Strike when you get near. Jump, blade in the neck, job done. spring 08 35 TIPS tips CODE BANK DS SPECIAL! Ultimate Mortal Kombat ›DS Charlotte’s Web Try out these awesome mini-games! Each is unlocked by finding and grabbing the following hidden icons… Ki-yah! Select a two-player game and go to the Vs menu screen. Player One must press B, R and A (Low Punch, Block, Low Kick) to select the first three characters of the Kode, while Player Two uses the same buttons on a second DS for the last three characters. Now enter a valid code before the Vs screen fades. Blocking Disabled P1: 0-2-0 P2: 0-2-0 Rooftops P1: 3-4-3 P2: 3-4-3 Dark Kombat P1: 4-4-8 P2: 8-4-4 Scislac Busorez P1: 9-3-3 P2: 9-3-3 Infinite Run P1: 4-6-6 P2: 4-6-6 Subway P1: 8-8-0 P2: 0-8-8 Player 1 Half Power P1: 0-3-3 Belltower P1: 0-9-1 P2: 1-9-0 Player 1 Quarter Power P1: 7-0-7 Bridge P1: 0-7-7 P2: 0-2-2 Player 2 Half Power P2: 0-3-3 Graveyard P1: 6-6-6 P2: 3-3-3 Player 2 Quarter Power P2: 7-0-7 No Health Bars P1: 9-8-7 P2: 1-2-3 Random Kombat P1: 4-4-4 P2: 4-4-4 Revision 1.2 P1: 9-9-9 P2: 9-9-9 Silent Kombat P1: 3-0-0 P2: 3-0-0 Throwing Disabled P1: 1-0-0 P2: 1-0-0 Throwing Encouraged P1: 0-1-0 P2: 0-1-0 Unikoriv Referri: Sans Power (1-Hit KO) P1: 0-4-4 P2: 4-4-0 Kahn’s Kave P1: 0-0-4 P2: 7-0-0 Kombat Temple P1: 6-0-0 P2 0-4-0 Soul Chamber P1: 1-2-3 P2: 9-0-1 Jade’s Desert P1: 3-3-0 P2: 0-3-3 Bale Out In the secret room in Zuckerman’s Barn. Apple Masher Level 3, secret room on haystacks. Aeronauts Level 4, secret room. Water Fun In level 5, enter the hole in the tree and search the branches… Webbing Crashers Level 6, secret room next to the water wheel. Bounce Level 8, enter the hole in the tree and search among the branches… Snacktime for Templeton Level 9, on the tire pile. Bumper Cars Level 13, on the ledge outside the circus tent. Ring Toss Level 14, in the secret room outside the circus tent. Spree Ball Level 14, information booth. Hot tip of the issue! ›DS Zoo Tycoon 2 READER’S CHEATS ! Canis Canem EDIT ›PS2 Thanks to Andrew Martin, aged 12, who sent these cheat codes for Canis Unlock the lot before you start a game – all animals, Canem Edit on the PS2! If any other foliage, buildings… everything! Press the following at the main menu (get it right and you’ll hear an readers have tips or codes, you’re elephant): Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, welcome to send them to us at Left, Right, Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, editor@chipsworld.co.uk. Who knows, Right, Left, Right we might even find a prize for the best! Note that you’ll need to have two controllers plugged in for these codes to work… Pit 3 P1: 8-2-0 P2: 0-2-8 Street P1: 0-7-9 P2: 0-3-5 Waterfront P1: 0-0-2 P2: 0-0-3 Scorpions Lair P1: 6-6-6 P2: 4-4-4 Winner of Round Fights Motaro P1: 9-6-9 P2: 1-4-1 Winner of Round Fights Noob Saibot P1: 7-6-9 P2: 3-4-2 Kahn’s Tower P1: 8-8-0 P2: 2-2-0 Winner of Round Fights Shao Kahn P1: 0-3-3 P2: 5-6-4 Noob Saibot Dorfen P1: 0-5-0 P2: 0-5-0 Winner of Round Fights Smoke P1: 2-0-5 P2: 2-0-5 All Clothes While playing the game, hold L1 and press L1, L1, R1, L1, L1, L1, R1, R1 on controller two. STUCK ON A GAME? Check out our expert advice on using cheat cartridges and strategy guides on page 46… 36 spring 08 ›DS All Weapons While playing the game, hold L1 and press Up, Up, Up, Up on controller two. Extra Money While playing the game, hold L1 and press Triangle, Square, Circle, X on controller two. All Gym Grapple Moves While playing the game, hold L1 and press Up, Left, Down, Down, Triangle, Square, X, X on controller two. (Note: this won’t appear on the Stats screen.) All Hobo Fighting Moves While playing the game, hold L1 and then press Up, Left, Down, Right, Triangle, Square, X, Circle on controller two. av ail ab le insto re no w Finalist in MCV Independent Retailer Award 2007 Finalist in MCV Star Store Award 2007 – Orpington Finalist in MCV Specialist Retailer Award 2008 ® your store… Chips hartlepool how to find us address: 72 Park Road, TS26 9HU Telephone: 01429 869800 OPENing hours: Mon – Sat: 9:30am – 5:30pm Sun: Closed we talk to franchisee Ste Morton >What was your first console? I started off with an Atari 2600. >What is your favourite game of all time? It would have to be the epic RPG Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC). >What do you like about it so much? It has an immersive storyline and lots of side quests. After more than 300 hours of play, I’m still absolutely nowhere near to finishing it! 2) The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS). This is a truly great adventure game that’s just as good as Wind Waker on the GameCube. 3) Half-Life 2 (PC). Quite simply, this is the best firstperson shooter game ever made. 4) Heavenly Sword (PS3). It may be mindless hack and slash, but you can pick up and play for 15 minutes or three hours, depending on your mood. 5) Banjo-Kazooie (N64). This is an incredibly addictive adventure and it hasn’t lost its appeal, even after all these years. >What games are you most looking forward to this year? >Who else works at the Hartlepool store? My assistant Paul Gallagher is always available to help with games and console advice and sales. Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360), Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) and Killzone 2 (PS3) all look like they’ll be fantastic. >What is the most popular game in-store at the moment? >What consoles do you play on? >How long have you worked with CHIPS? Currently, I’m playing on my Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, DS and PC. I started working for Chips in Darlington as a Saturday lad when I was 18. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games on the Wii is selling really well right now – it’s hugely popular with gamers of all ages. >What are your top five games ever? >Why did you want to work with CHIPS? >What is the strangest request you’ve had during your time working with CHIPS? 1) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC). As I said, this is the biggest and best game I’ve ever played. I had an enormous interest in games so it seemed like the dream job to me! An elderly Scottish lady once asked me if I repaired knitted blankets… what’s instore? REPAIR YOUR DISCS IN MINUTES! Pop in with your scratched games and we’ll try to repair them with our PerfectPlay service! Then you can either take them home again or trade them in! SPECIAL ORDER FACILITIES Don’t see what you want on the shelves? Then ask at the counter for that special or rare must-have – one of our other branches may have that elusive game! Use our special order facility to make your dreams come true GAMES AND SO MUCH MORE Cast your eyes over our huge range of goodies, such as Halo figures, Zelda statues, Pokémon danglers and trading cards, game guides and more… To find out how to become a franchisee Visit www.chipsworld.co.uk or call 0870 013 0028 to order a franchisee pack 38 SPRING 08 Turn to page 46 of this issue or call into your local CHIPS store to find out more about how the ingenious i-cheat can help you make the most of those tricky DS and DS Lite games… Available in CHIPS stores now! © BUDGET £ undup o r T E G D U B top games at rock-bottom prices… spongebob’s atlantis squarepantis … re or ntu t f adve s e r £1 9.99 B ate rw de n U only take a few minutes each. There’s plenty of other stuff to do too, from creating your own mayhem to motorbike jumping from ramps or locating Liberty City’s 100 hidden ‘packages’. Unlike the PSP game, there’s no multiplayer option here. However, there’s still enough to keep you busy for a good few weeks. ■ god of war 2 £1 4.99 … e or gor t f ical s e g INFO B olo h yt M your ride and open up new routes on the fly by collecting gold rings. Each track is packed with routes, some of which are simple side passages while others are complex sequences of jumps and swings that can give you an instant advantage over your fellow racers. The Zero Gravity bit comes in when you activate a kind of slingshot device that enables you to catapult yourself round tight corners. Storing enough gravity points by performing well-timed stunts lets you use a Gravity Dive speed boost, which throws objects out of the way and propels you at supersonic speeds. Fast and fun, it’s a bit like Sonic meets SSX. ■ need for speed: most wanted [+] Format: PS2 [+] Released: Out now … or ng t f ci es ra [+] Publisher: THQ grand theft auto: liberty city stories £1 4.99 B e im Cr INFO [+] Format: PS2 [+] Released: Out now ➔ Kratos is back for another, even more bloodthirsty and brutal bout of mythological monster bashing. He now has a range of new moves and combos, including some specific button sequences that are needed to unleash finishing moves against certain monsters such as the Cyclops, whose eye you must pluck out of its socket. Nice! Another top moment has you leaping off the back of Pegasus and onto a Gryphon so you can pull its wings off. It’s all top fun that’s sure to get you excited about the forthcoming next-gen God of War… ■ sonic riders: zero gravity s … rd or boa t f over s e h £1 9.99 [+] Format: PS2 [+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: Take 2 This PS2 port of the PSP game is a real bargain for GTA fans. Set in GTA III’s Liberty City, you play Tony Cipriani who, having spent some time ‘away’, must work his way back up the mob ranks. Cue lots of classic GTA-style driving, shooting and pimping missions that, in order to suit the PSP’s portable gaming nature, 40 SPRING 08 INFO INFO B nic rso pe u S ➔ 9.99 [+] Publisher: Sony ➔ [+] Format: PS2 [+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: Sega Sega’s super-quick airboarding racer is more than your average cute-looking kart game. In this exciting tussle, you can upgrade INFO This action puzzler on PS2 is based on the recent hilarious feature-length episode of SpongeBob in which the Bikini Bottomites visit the mythical underwater city of Atlantis and accidentally destroy the oldest living bubble. Oops! Chased by angry Atlantean forces, it’s your job to get out of there, quick! Each of our watery heroes comes with a unique set of moves and special abilities. SpongeBob, for instance, can whack enemies with his bubble blower, while Mr. Krabs has a hook, a right uppercut and a fish-squashing finishing move. Pick Patrick up and he can be thrown like a boomerang! ■ £1 B al g Ille ➔ … ! or e t f spre s e Ama Valu zing e! ➔ [+] Format: PS2 [+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: EA In this edition of NFS, the goal is to gain notoriety by rising up a police blacklist of illegal street racers and regaining the number one spot from the scoundrel who once tricked you out of your car. You’re encouraged to use traffic and roadside objects to keep the long arm of the law and fellow racers at bay, so get ready to pull off some sly tricks, such as causing lorries to spill logs onto the road behind you. The graphics are a big improvement over the previous game, while there’s plenty of scope to both bling up your car and improve its performance. For exciting, accessible racing, look no further. ■ BUDGET £2 4.99 INFO B no si Ca God of War: £2 2.49 Chains of Olympus ➔ This portable version of the gory [+] Format: Xbox 360 [+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: Ubisoft ➔ Similar to the way in which GRAW reinvented the Ghost Recon series, Vegas does an amazing job of simplifying the whole Rainbow Six experience. You still give the orders and generally set yourself up as an intelligent commander, but now everything is streamlined to a single button press, leaving you to worry first and foremost about keeping you and your squad alive. The cover system is amazing, your military gear and weapons are the best there is, Vegas is a great place to play and the multiplayer is excellent. At only £24.99, this isn’t a gamble at all… ■ mythological epic plays and feels just like the PS2 games. Stellar visuals, battles against giant basilisks, a bloody trail of dead Persian soldiers and tight controls that make carnage so easy to execute: it’s all here. During the game you learn just how Kratos went from being a faithful husband and father to a god killer. Cue a story that takes you from the Gates of Hades to the Depths of Tartarus as Morpheus, the god of dreams, puts one over the sun god Helios, cloaks the world in darkness and sends out legions of nasties. ■ INFO … ! or os t f cha s e top new games for under £25! [+] Format: PSP [+] Released: March 28 … g or in t f bash s Be isk sil Ba INFO tom clancy’s rainbow six: vegas [+] Format: PSP [+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: Konami Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 £2 2.49 ➔ Realistic and tense, this is the only [+] Publisher: Sony portable football game to have. PES 2008 boasts many of the features of the PS2 version of the game, plus some unique extras all of its own. An exclusive new World Tour mode sets a series of challenges as you travel the globe. Meanwhile, edit options mean you can easily add the correct names of real-life players. Master League, League, World Tour and Cup information can be shared between your PSP and PS2 so you can continue building your allconquering team on the move. It scores! ■ … ll or otba f st fo Be ble ta r Po the sims 2: pets … or s t f um es ch £1 9.99 B te Cu the sims 2: ! r… s fo room t s Be ging n a Ch INFO warhammer: battle march kitchen & bathroom interior design stuff £9 .99 … es or ttl t f s ba s e u £9 .99 B tro s on M [+] Format: PSP [+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: EA [+] Format: PC [+] Released: April 18 [+] Publisher: EA INFO companions for your Sims in this standalone cute-’em-up for the PSP (it was an expansion pack on PC). Four-legged friends plus fish and birds are all on offer, though this game naturally concentrates mostly on cats and dogs. You can personalise your pet via an easy-to-use customisation tool that’s just as versatile as the one for humans. This means you won’t only be outfitting them with accessories but also giving them character traits such as intelligence or daftness. Your Sims can then teach their pets tricks, take them for walks in the park and generally reap the benefits of caring for them. All together now – aww… ■ INFO ➔ Create, pamper and train furry [+] Format: PC [+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: Deep Silver ➔ Give your Sims kitchens of distinction ➔ This expansion for the PC’s Mark of and the bathrooms of their dreams… Yes, now you can transform their bathrooms into romantic getaways with charming claw-foot bathtubs and calming lighting fixtures, or give them a contemporary twist with beautiful minimalist showers. In the kitchen, we’re talking sleek appliances on granite counters and natural wood cabinets next to wrought iron stoves. You can also outfit your Sims for their lavish new rooms with everything from sumptuous spa robes to designer cooking aprons. ■ Chaos, a real-time tactical wargame set in the Warhammer universe, is also a standalone game for the Xbox 360. It focuses on directing armies instead of tedious base and resource management. Varied terrain will test your tactics, while new abilities, duelling Champions and larger units are unlocked as you progress in single-player mode. Multiplayer-wise, battles between Empire, Chaos and Orc forces are on the menu. At ’em, boys! ■ SPRING 08 41 ® chat chips chat What’s going on at your local CHIPS store? We go behind the scenes to bring you all the latest news from around the country. FEST IV E SPIR IT y CHIPS Long ton’s Steph en Osbo rne reall deep showed his festi ve spiri t when he dug to suppo rt the town trade rs’ Chris tmas ed raffle and prize draw. Steph en, who open his store in The Stra nd just over a year ago, donated a Sony PSP with help from t. The SpecSave rs – the top prize in the even wort h £25 ted dona also e chise fran gene rous . kitty prize the to of gift vouchers A £1 entr y ticke t gave residents the acros s chan ce to take part in a treas ure hunt s. store ton’s Long of many via , the town and Businesses scattered clues in windows them . ever yone had great fun deciphering has The even t raise d £380 and a donation ital. Hosp n milla Mac las Doug the to been made prize and hunt ure treas the of The winners or draw were then chos en by the Lord May Chloe of Stok e-On-Tren t, Coun cillor Bagh Ali. snapped Povey scoop ed the top prize and was en. Steph man our from PSP colle cting the contact us If you have any CHIPS news, why not send it in to us? If you’re a budding artist, send us a picture of your favourite game character, f or even your favourite CHIPS staf your member! If drawing isn’t really er thing, then you can write us a lett ays instead. The CHIPS team love alw il to hear from you! Send us an ema at editor@chipsworld.co.uk. 42 SPRING 08 HA PPY W IN NER CHR ISTMAS certain ly cam e ear ly for CHIPS Ashford reg ula r Luk e Hymers wh en the 12-yea r-old won the top prize in our Xbo x 360 Elite com pet itio n spo nso red by Mic ros oft. Luk e sco ope d the powerf ul con sole and popped int o the Cha pel Me ws sto re to collect it from fra nch isee Chr is Mucke ll. We ll done Luk e! COOL KONG You ng Wi lliam Gou ld cou ldn’t believe his luck wh en he snaffle d the top prize in the CHIPS Dud ley cha rity raffle. The kee n gamer, wh o visi ted the sto re wit h mum Kar ren, wa s alre ady an avid collect or of the Radio Con tro l Ma rio Kart cha rac ters and all he nee ded to com plete the set wa s Don key Kong. So the five -ye ar- old wa s delighted wh en his num ber came up and he sco ope d the Don key Kong prize he wa nte d! The cha rity raffle wa s org ani sed by fra nch isee Gav Pea rso n to rais e cash for Chi ld Pro tec tion UK Ltd , wh ich don ate s boo ks to loca l sch ools to educate you ngs ters abo ut the dangers of drug and alco hol abuse. The wel l-su ppo rte d raffle rais ed £100 in sto re and Gav added ano the r £69 to the tot al, as wel l as don ating the prizes. Wi lliam , wh o alre ady ow ns a PS2, Nin ten do DS and GameCube, wa s deli ghted wit h his prize, as you can see ! chat Chips Chums GAMES mad? Tell us all about yourself and you too could appear in CHIPS CHAT! Mark Buckley Age: 16 Address: Ormskirk School/job: Ormskirk School How long have you shopped at CHIPS? Since the day it opened Best game: Call of Duty 4 on the Xbox 360 Latest purchase: I’ve just got a copy of the brilliant Burnout Paradise on the Xbox 360 What’s great about CHIPS? It’s well priced, accessible and the guys who work there are all really friendly What can’t you wait to get your hands on? GTA 4 because I like killing people – in games, of course… Mark Lentron Age: 17 Address: Ormskirk School/job: Ormskirk Sixth Form College How long have you shopped at CHIPS? I was a customer on the very first day that the CHIPS store opened Best game: Hello Kitty Island Adventure Latest purchase: Burnout Paradise on the Xbox 360 What’s great about CHIPS? The good selection of games and the way you can trade in your old games and get the new releases cheaper What can’t you wait to get your hands on? Pippa Funnell 3 because I really like my horses! ARTISTIC TA LE NT t Benit o Narc isi is the lates t budding artis to show off his talen ts. The youngster dropp ed off this great draw ing at CHIPS and Staff ord’s St Mar y’s Court store and ing it send t resis n’t could Lake n Susa r owne up keep – o Benit ks Than . on to CHIPS Chat the good work ! Michael Pettit W R EST LE M A N IA Wrest ling fan atic s Tre vor Richie and his son, also Tre vor, were ove r the mo on wit h the late st add itio n collect ion – the pai r ma nag to the ir ed to swe ettalk CHIPS Bish op Auc kla nd ma nager Dav id Hun t int o don ating the sto re’s WWE Sm ack dow n 2008 sta nde e to add to the ir memora bilia ! The Tre vors are reg ula rs at the Newgate Street sto re in the north-eas t and the y love the ir late st bit of kit. Age: 18 Address: Ormskirk School/job: Skemsdale College, where I’m doing an IT Diploma How long have you shopped at CHIPS? Since the CHIPS store in Ormskirk opened in June 2006 Best game: It would have to be Super Smash Bros Melee on the GameCube Latest purchase: Zack and Wiki on the Wii What’s great about CHIPS? Ant’s such a friendly guy, always willing to help and always up for chatting about games. He’s the biggest games geek I know! What can’t you wait to get your hands on? Super Smash Bros Brawl on the Wii because I’ve always been a fan of the Smash Bros games and I’m looking forward to being able to play the Wii version online, against all my friends If you want to be a CHIPS Chum, just send us a picture of yourself, along with the details below, to editorial@chipsworld.co.uk. You could also hand in a postcard at your favourite CHIPS store and they’ll send it on to us! Simply tell us the following: 1 Name 2 Age 3 Address 4 School/job 5 How long have you shopped at CHIPS? 6 Best game 7 Latest purchase 8 What’s great about CHIPS? 9 What can’t you wait to get your hands on? SPRING 08 43 GEAR Exspect Range for Wii Ë n From £9.99 – £19.99 n Release date: Out now CHIPS is proud to stock the new Exspect range for Wii, which includes a 15-in-1 Accessory Pack, a cooling stand with LED illumination, a Twin Remote Docking Station and a Wireless Sensor Bar. This is the perfect way to make your Wii even more fun than it is already! R A E G P TO USB SteelSeries Siberia Neckband Í n £59.99 n Release date: Out now This brilliant headset is now compatible for the Xbox 360. Combining top-quality headphones, a retractable mic and the coolest design around, it offers full stereo sound that really brings your games to life. mad catz PSP Slim Mega Pak, including Component Cable È n £24.99 n Release date: Out now Enhance your portable experience with this unique kit. As well as giving you more control over the way you use your PSP Slim & Lite, you’ll find a car adapter, bag, power cable, headphones, component cable and much more to enhance your PSP and keep it as shiny and new as the day you bought it. 44 SPRING 08 GEAR Nintendo Super Mario Mini Figures Ë n £2.99 n Release date: Out now Whether you’re a Mario man or a Yoshi fan, you can’t afford to miss the first series of these brilliant mini figures! The six cheeky characters are strictly limited so grab yours today! Keep a look out for the second batch of these fab figures too – they’re coming soon… month! s i h t e r PS sto to cute k CHI l o a o l c o l w in your x 360 a cool ne yone! t i k r e l l i ur Xbo some k for ever o d y g n n e i fi v h i l l t ’ g e u o Yo y skinz t res, there’s som z z a n s From io figu r a M r e new Sup UMD Replacement Cases Ë n £2.99 each or £6.99 for a pack of three n Release date: Out now Cracked the plastic case on one of your UMDs? Don’t worry! Just snap off the old case and secure your disc in one of these tough replacements. Ingenious! new Gears of War Red Omen Bottle Opener Key Chain Á n £3.99 n Release date: Out now This gadget is a must-have for all Gears of War fans. As you snap open your bottle of Coke or beer, you’ll be the envy of all your friends! Many more ga me faceplate availabl s e instore! Xbox Faceplate & Console Skinz packs È n £24.99 n Release date: Out now Personalise your console with faceplates and skinz from Assassin’s Creed or Mass Effect. These vibrantly coloured accessories are made from high-quality materials and are easy to apply and remove. SPRING 08 45 ® LETTERS va o f ap p r o e m p Date CHIPS st a ● IP CH roval a pp S stam p of the fabulous next-gen games, such as GTA IV, Call of Duty 4 and Assassin’s Creed, you won’t look back! To really get the most out of your machine, head down to your local CHIPS store and ask for some recommendations! Also, now you’re on Xbox live, make sure you hook up with your local CHIPS store members for an online game or two – they’re always up for a challenge! Our spectacular Summer issue promises to be hotter than ever as we’ll be bringing you the lowdown on the eagerly anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Exclusive to PlayStation 3, the final Solid Snake sneak-’em-up promi ses to be the best-looking game in the series by far, and with Snake’s groundbreaking new abilities, a funky OctoCamo suit and brilliant new combat moves, it’s sure to be the most fun too! We’ll also have all the other hot new releases, including the rock-tastic Aerosmith version of Guitar Hero, plus all the latest news, reader views, top expert advice tips stuck on a game? D on’t throw those tough games in the back of a cupboard to gather dust – get yourself a strategy guide or a cheat cartridge instead! There are loads on the market and they’re all available at your local CHIPS store. Now we know the word ‘cheat’ might rankle with a few hardened gamers but really they’re just tips to help you get past a particular tricky patch and so here’s an exclusive CHIPS guide to what’s available. CHEAT CARTRIDGES XPLODER RANGE: These systems are for certain platforms – Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, you get the picture. They have a huge range of tips for all the games you might play on your prized machine and best of all, you can constantly update the tips via the internet or by typing in a code. This means you don’t have to keep going out and buying a cartridge with every new game you buy. Prices start from £14.99, depending on the format you want. I-CHEAT: This is very simple to use and is compatible with both DS and DS Lite. All you do is plug the i-cheat into your DS game slot, insert your game and watch as the i-cheat displays 46 SPRING 08 all the fantastic, game enhancing tips available. There are free upgrades via Wi-Fi or touch-screen and it only costs £14.99. STRATEGY GUIDES These are packed full of great pictures and explanations of where to find all those hidden secrets in a game. You can buy generic guides for your favourite format or game-specific titles to help you climb the levels in your latest buy. These guides are suitable for even the youngest players because even though they may not be able to understand all of the words, the pictures alone give them great clues. It also means that adults can get involved in the game by helping their kids unlock each game’s secrets. You may also find that if you can’t get your child to pick up a story book, they’ll try to read a game guide instead, in effect killing two birds with one stone. Of course, these guides aren’t just for youngsters as they’re extremely sophisticated, the graphics are beautiful and you can use them over and over again. CHIPS stocks a huge range of strategy guides, including: ULTIMATE RANGE: Platform specific, they contain literally tens of thousands of tips and cost from £7.99. STRATEGY GUIDES: These great books are title specific and will help you get through even the trickiest levels. There’s nothing more frustrating than being stuck on a certain part of a game – after all, games are meant to be fun! So if you need a little help, so what? The guides really will help you get the most out of your games. They cost from £9.99 depending on the title, which is a very small price to pay for the hours more fun they can help you to squeeze out of a game that you might have become frustrated with and not played otherwise. Don’t forget, once you’ve completed the game, don’t just leave it to gather dust! Bring it along to CHIPS and trade it in for cash or a new title. With any luck, there’ll be a strategy guide available for that one too! ● f of Signatur o f ap p r o va soon. Rest assured that you’re not the only one who’d love a cricket game on the Wii – get online and sign the petition at www.gopetition.com/ petitions/wii-want-cricket.html. st a l o CHIPS p There are dozens of classic games on Xbox Live, but once you’ve tried some ● m letter Dear CHIPS I recently bought an Xbox 360 and I’m hooked on the classic arcade games on Xbox Live! What with Defender, Sensible World of Soccer and Speedball 2, I’m in retro heaven! Then again, the demo of GTA IV could just tempt me back into modern-day gaming… Rich Watkins l NEXT ISSUE… Dear CHIPS I got a Wii for Christmas and I love Wii Sports, but what I really want is a cricket game and the Wii Remote would be just perfect for this! Do you know if there are any in development? Joss Hooper, Liverpool The Wii Remote would be perfect for a bat and we’d certainly love to see cricket on the Wii – a game just in time for the Ashes would be a sure-fire hit! Unfortunately, as far as we know, there aren’t any due for release any time Date S sta mp ● star Signature CHIP roval Write a star letter and win a CHIPS goodie bag! Email the editor at editor@chipsworld.co.uk approva l app Date PS sta CHI mp of f ure Signat approva l ● ● S stam p o LETTERS IP CH competition competition win! rare world of warcraft art Get your hands on a super-limited, signed and framed print from one of the world’s top fantasy artists! WIN ! › Thanks to BradyGames, you can win a copy of the cover of the brilliant new World of Warcraft Bestiary. Not just any old cover though – this is a framed print measuring a huge 26x42 inches, featuring extended artwork that has been hand-signed by the artist, Dan Scott! There are only 20 of these in the whole world and one of them could be yours! Dan has created fabulous images for the likes of Warhammer, Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, DC Comics and others, making this a highly collectable piece, and a must-have for any World of Warcraft fan. Two lucky runners up will each win a copy of the World of Warcraft Bestiary, which provides a comprehensive look at the monsters you can encounter in the game. To stand a chance of winning this top prize, answer this simple question: How many monsters are featured in the WoW Bestiary? a) 60 b) 600 c) 6,000+ Hint: you can find the answer in this issue! HOW TO ENTER Put the answer, your name, age and address on a postcard and send it to CHIPS World of Warcraft Art Competition, CHIPS 63-65 Borough Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 3AA by May 31 2008. Winners will be contacted by CHIPS and announced in the next issue of CHIPS Magazine. The judges’ decision is final. The first postcard drawn will win the signed artwork; the next two postcards will each win a copy of the World of Warcraft Bestiary. last issue’s competition WINNERS CONGRATULATIONS! These lucky winners have scooped goodies from last issue’s CHIPS Magazine competitions Smackdown vs Raw Wrestlemania Revenge Tour: Lucky CHIPS customer Alex Ogulin-Parnis, aged 10, of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, scooped two prized tickets for the Smackdown vs Raw Wrestlemania Revenge Tour, which takes place across the UK throughout April. Congratulations Alex! Deal Or No Deal Competition: A Deal Or No Deal PC game is on its way to Christopher Sharpe of Guisborough; Emma Gordinez of Dudley; Joe Allcorn of Kennington, Ashford; Alex Crispin of Plymouth; Miss Wilson of Consett; Jordon Rogers of Kennington, Ashford; Audry Pearson of Chester le Street; and Margaret Lloyd of Houghton, Tyne and Wear. Well done to you all! spring 08 47 ® branches Arnold 01159 209991 Ashford 01233 621710 Bishop Auckland 01388 606046 Chester-le-Street 0191 3875544 Chorlton 0161 8610909 Consett 01207 506688 Darlington 01325 381048 Dudley 01384 458531 Edinburgh 0131 6677001 Glasgow West End0141 3577201 Gloucester NEW 01452 381123 Guisborough 01287 Hartlepool 01429 Hereford 01432 Kirkham 01772 Letchworth 01462 Longton 01782 Lytham St Annes 01253 Middlesbrough 01642 Newcastle U Lyme 01782 Northallerton 01609 Ormskirk 01695 637777 869800 278633 673300 675333 594041 789922 252509 660343 777612 580080 Finalist in MCV Independent Retailer Award 2007 Finalist in MCV Star Store Award 2007 – Orpington Finalist in MCV Specialist Retailer Award 2008 Orpington Portslade Preston Redcar Skipton Stafford Stockton Woodley Yeovil 01689 01273 01772 01642 01756 01785 01642 01189 01935 835999 439500 787800 488522 700995 255553 618256 699166 434385 *MAG026--1*