Issue 24 - Chipsworld Corporate

celebr ating 21 years of gaming
issue 24
SUMMER/autumn 07
www.chipsworld.co.uk
®
HALO 3
th e un mi ss ab le fin al
ch ap te r is no w he re !
win
both
insid
e
XBOX
360 elite
meet xbox 360’s
bigger brother
medal of
goes
honor
airborne
PLUS! POKémon
diamond & Pearl
!
FREE
touille
rata
Poster
´gta iv: latest details ´next-gen guitar games ´and more…
®
WHERE TO FIND uS
Arnold ☎ 01159 209991
4 Croft Road, NG5 7DX
consett ☎ 01207 506688
2 John Street, DH8 5LA
ashford ☎ 01233 621710 2 Chapel Mews, North Street, TN24 8JN
darlington ☎ 01325 381048
15 Clarks Yard, DL3 7QH
bishop auckland ☎ 01388 606046
137 Newgate Street, Dl14 7EN
dudley ☎ 01384 458531
Unit 7, Trident Shopping Centre, DY1 1QJ
chester-le-street ☎ 0191 3875544
87a Front Street, DH3 3BJ
edinburgh ☎ 0131 6677001 136 Nicolson Street, EH8 9EH
chorlton ☎ 0161 8610909
444 Barlow Moor Road,M21 0BQ
glasgow west end ☎ 01413 577201
312 Dumbarton Rd, G11 6TF
chorley ☎ 01257 265444
39 Chapel Street, PR7 1BU
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 NEW!
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 NEW!
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 they’ll be just as happy trading tips
with you, or discussing whether Mario’s better than
Sonic, as they will seeing you off home with a new
shiny PS3 under your arm.
®
welcome
INSIDE...
f e at u r e s
H
halo 3
SPECIAL
16
win
An XB
ox
elite 360
o
HAlo r
3!
halo 3 As the trilogy approaches its spectacular finale, we look at the XBox 360 game of
the season and explain why Bungie’s space opera is big enough to destroy the galaxy
GTA
ils
Latest deta
pokémon
32
Diamond & pearl Don’t miss
out on this year’s portable phenomenon
®
ello and welcome
to CHIPS
Magazine. In
a packed edition, we
go alien battling with
Halo 3, parachuting
with Medal of Honor:
Airborne and take a
look at the Xbox 360
Elite. All that PLUS new
details on GTA IV, the
best of the other new
releases, a Ratatouille
poster and lots more…
Editor
45
COmpetition It’s our biggest ever
prize haul. You’d be mad not to enter!
Debra McCabe
[email protected]
To advertise contact
14
GTA IV More screens and game info
as we count down to the ETA for GTA
27
moH: Airborne The Nazis invite
you to drop in. Preferably before 1945
22
Debra McCabe
0870 013 0028
[email protected]
Steve Faragher
01225 319799
[email protected]
Visit www.chipsworld.co.uk for technical data
Melody Makers Shake the
room with our music game round-up
Faragher Jones
Contract Publishers
regulars
3 Monmouth Place
Bath BA1 2AT
Tel: 01225 319799
12 also out now Catch up with the
latest releases to hit your CHIPS store
26 chips PRESTON Meet CHIPS Preston’s
supervisor, Adam McDermid
30 chips CHORLTON Meet Faisal Ali, the
owner of CHIPS Chorlton
34 tips Terrorists on the strip? Bet it all on
red with our Rainbow Six: Vegas tips
www.faragherjones.com
recycle me
FREE!
42 GEAR Express yourself – with
Danglers of your favourite
game characters
le
ratatouil
Design
24
Poster p
36 codebank Cheats, codes and tips for
beating your friends
Joe Burt, Trevor Wyatt
Words
Gideon Kibblewhite, Steve
Faragher, Anne Scott, Zy
Nicholson and Tarl.
Cover image © 2007 Microsoft
Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
40 chips chat The latest gossip and
snaps from CHIPS stores around the country
44 chips investigates There’s a LAN
party going down and you’re invited
46 letters Your letters and details of what
you’ll find in the next issue of CHIPS Magazine,
as well as our Expert Advice section which fills
you in on all you need to know about Xbox Live
Franchise Stores
05 gaming news Find out the latest
developments in games and consoles
NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! CHIPS Magazine publications dates for 2007:
l
38 budget gaming We sniff out the
best value games in our bargain hunt
To find out how you could
become a CHIPS franchisee, visit
www.chipsworld.co.uk or phone
0870 013 0028 to order a pack
November 16
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
Over 120 iconic cars and
motorcycles
Adapt to dynamic weather hazards
PGR 4 The road is your canvas
Hear the roar of the
crowds cheering
Control phantom shadows
nt world
Enter the decaying beauty of an ancie
From the makers of Final Fantasy and Dragon Ball Z
Content
Demos
Download playable
game demos and try
them out for yourself.
New content boosts
your existing games
with downloadable
missions, vehicles,
characters, weapons
and extras to keep
them fresh and
challenging.
Xbox LIVE Arcade
Step into our online
arcade and enjoy an
ever-growing range
of coin-ops and retro
titles, from puzzles
and party games
to updated and
enhanced classics.
Trailers
Check out the
hottest trailers for
upcoming games
and movies. Save
your favourites to
show your friends.
Epic roleplaying for
the next generation
Themes
Express yourself!
Customise your
Xbox Dashboard
whenever you want
by downloading the
latest themes and
skins.
My Xbox
Use My Xbox to
keep track of your
friends, network
and hook up!
NEWS
gaming news
the hottest gaming news coming your way…
Page 6 Stuntman: Ignition
Page 6 Ratatouille
Page 7 Tom Clancy’s Ghost
Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Page 9 Need For Speed
ProStreet
Page 9 Unreal Tournament 3
Page 7 Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
Page 10 BlackSite: Area 51
Page 10 Sega Rally
this issue’s WIRED includes: Page 6 The Club Page 6 Civ IV: Beyond The Sword Page 6 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of The Year Edition
Page 7 Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Page 7 Heavenly Sword Page 7 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials & Tribulations Page 9 WipEout
Pulse Page 9 The Witcher Page 9 Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions Page 10 The Orange Box Page 10 Eye Of Judgement Page 10 BioShock
xbox 360 elite
W I R E D !
All you need
to know
about this
issue’s other
hot releases…
Cosmic Family
FLASHiER!
Head on down to your CHIPS store to join the elite
BIGGER!
M
icrosoft’s update of the Xbox 360 is here
at last – and with its truckload of storage
and fantastic selection of games, we
reckon the new Elite system makes the
Xbox 360 an even more attractive option. The Elite
comes with a hefty 120GB hard drive, a swish black
exterior and an HDMI (high-definition multimedia
interface) cable for the built-in HDMI 1.2 port,
providing a better quality high-def experience. Besides
a wireless controller, an Xbox Live headset is also
thrown into the package for good measure. Providing
enough space for a huge library of downloadable
songs and high-def TV shows and movies, the 120GB
INCOMING! Liberty City in GTA IV is to have its own virtual internet…
>> Wii
hard drive will prove increasingly useful as Microsoft’s
ever-growing Xbox Live Marketplace vision expands.
Xbox Live Arcade games are also going to be taking
up ever-more drive space now that their size limit has
been upped to 150Mb (for more on Xbox Live see
P46). Current X360 owners needn’t feel left behind,
though: if they want to share in the greater choice and
flexibility, the 120GB hard drive is also available at
CHIPS as a stand-alone accessory.
Format: Xbox 360
Release date: August 24
Publisher: Microsoft
win
An XBo
ELITE x 360
see p
45
Geared for the very young, the
fabulous Cosmic Family is all about
early learning. Following their
rocket ship full of crazy animals,
kids will learn about
shapes, counting
and the alphabet.
Out August 31
INCOMING! Jenga is coming to Wii and DS. Wooden you know it…
summer/AUTUMN 07
®
NEWS
W I R E D !
Stuntman: Ignition
The Club
>>PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Lights… Roll camera… and action!
Intense arcade run-and-gunner
with a cool scoring system.
Ostensibly it’s about a shadowy
cabal of the wealthy who, for their
amusement, hire trained killers to
fight each other. A good excuse for
explosive shoot-outs with fast cars
in exotic locales. Out October
CiviliZation IV:
Beyond the Sword
>>PC
This expansion to the society
builder encourages peaceful
domination… But through agent
provocateur espionage and global
corporations. Ten new civs plus
Abraham Lincoln, Boudicca and
Charles de Gaulle. Out now
2 002’s Stuntman for the PS2 was a frustrating
affair that made you want to smash up your
controller rather than its sets. Consequently
it was quietly forgotten. But now Paradigm
Studios have redesigned it for THQ – and Stuntman:
Ignition, as it’s now called, is one exhilarating racer.
The concept remains the same. You’re a
Hollywood stunt driver tasked with pulling off all kinds
of unlikely trickery for a variety of action films and
commercials. To avoid being booted off sets by angry
directors, you have to follow complicated instructions
closely, swerving, skidding and breaking precisely to
pick up points combos. In each take, you’re given five
MODNVEIE
SS
MA
mistakes before you’re fired – which is easier said
than done. In the game world’s fictional shoot for the
disaster movie Aftershock, for instance, you have to
weave through debris, swerve round explosions of
earth, jump rivers of lava, escape a collapsing garage
and career down a mountainside. If that doesn’t
sound exciting enough for you, another shoot has
you launching a car from a building into a hovering
helicopter… It’s driving, but not as you know it.
Format: PS2, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: August 31
Publisher: THQ
RATATOUILLE
FRtEouEil!le
rata
Postp2e4r
see
Elder Scrolls
IV: oblivion
Game of the
Year Edition
DENT
Join the culinary rat race! It’s a five-star treat… RRO
UMPUS!
>> PC, PS3, Xbox 360
New to Bethesda’s acclaimed
RPG? This edition includes the
expansions Knights of the Nine
and Shivering Isles plus all the
downloadable extras. Oblivion
was going to take up half your life
anyway – now the rest is sorted.
Out September
R
atatouille, the animated adventures of
aspiring chef Remy the Rat, hits our cinema
screens this October. When young Remy
comes to live beneath the famous Parisian
restaurant of his chef hero Auguste Gusteau, he’s
determined not to let the small matter
of being a rodent get in the way of
his culinary ambitions.
This platformer takes Remy
through six different worlds,
battling enemies and picking up
stars (restaurants are rated with stars
– Michelin stars – see what they’re doing?).
You’ll come across 25 re-playable mini-games along
the way, with an extra five exclusive mini-games in
the Wii version. One such Wii mini-game gets you
washing and peeling potatoes, with you pointing the
Wii Remote to squirt water and making chopping
movements to dice the spud. You also flick the Remote
to unleash Remi’s tail spin attack (as with Link’s
attack in Twilight Princess). After Ratatouille, you’ll
never think of rats in the same way again.
Format: DS, GBA, GC, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Release date: September 28
Publisher: THQ
INCOMING! Retro movie tie-in fans may want to give Disney’s Herbie Rescue Rally on DS a go… INCOMING! Metal Gear Online announced, expect linked together, co-op sneaking…
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
tom clancy’s Ghost Recon
Advanced Warfighter 2
NEWS
W I R E D !
Ratchet & Clank
Future:
Tools of Destruction
>> PS3
GHOTSERT! War on terror moves to PS3 and PSP…
IGH
F
S o far only Xbox 360 and PC gamers have been
able to enjoy this, the best entry so far in the
Ghost Recon series. But now PS3 and PSP
owners can, at last, join in the fun as well. Set
just after the last game, the conflict between Mexican
loyalists and insurgents, curse them, has blown up
into full scale civil war – and the Ghosts are sent in to
head off an attack on US soil. They have less than 72
hours to stop a nuclear attack…
The graphics, particularly on the PS3, are
amazingly realistic while the controls are simple and
intuitive, letting you charge about shooting people
while ordering soldiers and vehicles about at the
same time with ease. Also great: fiercely intelligent
enemies and an improved tactical view of the
battlefield. Meanwhile, unlike the first GRAW, players
in the excellent online multiplayer mode can now be
‘downed’ instead of killed. This means a teammate
can move in and heal them – unless the opposition
finishes them off first. Or, worse, they might use your
buddy as sniper bait. Well, there’s no trusting these
bad guys. Hence the tag. Format: PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release date: August 24 (PSP, PS3), out now (Xbox 360, PC)
Publisher: Ubisoft
TBA
The duo’s first PS3 adventure is
their prettiest yet, that’s for sure.
As comically inventive as ever,
it features breakdancing alien
centipedes, hip-hop Morph-ORay penguins and mech hunters
controlled by fish heads. What else
did you expect? Out November
Heavenly Sword
>> PS3
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
Expectations have been raised by
Sony’s investment in this swordand-sorcery adventure, in which a
red-haired heroine wields a cursed
sword against a murderous king.
Gorgeous graphics and lightning
combos with chain blades all go in
the fantasy pot. Out November 30
Phoenix Wright:
STREET Place your bets for the big race…
ER!
FIGHT
T he crew-based street racer is back, it’s
going online in a big way and it introduces
an interesting new idea called ‘driver DNA’.
During every race, your driving style (or
DNA) is analysed. If you are aggressive then your
crewmembers will drive in the same aggressive
way (and barge everyone off the road). If you then
gradually become more tactical, your driver DNA will
change to reflect this. You can download the DNA of
other online drivers to race offline and even swap your
DNA with a friend’s (now there’s cosy).
Meanwhile, pink slip races make a welcome
return – and betting isn’t confined to participants.
People watching
in the online
Spectator mode
can bet too... What’s
more, they can choose to
cheer their driver or boo the opponent, all of which the
drivers can hear. The larger the crowd, the louder the
noise, all adding to the tension. Especially if your prize
motor is on the line.
Format: DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360
Release date: September 21
Publisher: THQ
Ace Attorney Trials and
Tribulations
>> DS
Wright’s third touchscreen outing
puts the ace himself in the frame
when an old chum is murdered.
A psychotic ex-girlfriend and a
coffee-chaining
prosecuting lawyer
only add to his woes.
Out September 4
INCOMING! Microsoft has signed the Xbox 360 up to PEGI Online, a rating system that clearly indicates games with unsuitable online content for minors…
summer/AUTUMN 07
MAX YOUR
GAMEPLAY
MAX YOUR PLAYTIME
with this Racing Grip Kit.
Includes wheel &
joypad attachments
with this Remote Charger. Incudes twin
charge station & 2 Ni-MH rechargeable
batteries for upto 22hrs playtime
£9.99
£24.99
MSRP
MSRP
MAX YOUR
GAMEPLAY
with this Sports Grip Kit.
Includes tennnis, golf &
baseball attachments
£12.99
MSRP
MAX YOUR
COOLNESS
MAX YOUR
PERFORMANCE
with this Component Cable
for a high resolution audio
visual experience
£9.99
MSRP
with this LED
Cooler Stand.
Features lights,
fan & stylish
stand for extra
stability
£14.99
MSRP
NEWS
UNREAL TOURNAMENT 3
W I R E D !
Wipeout Pulse
>> PSP
SCIENCE Don your body armour, prepare for action
TION!
FRIC
W
hat with games such as Halo 3 and GTA
IV on the horizon, you could almost forget
the ‘small matter’ of Unreal Tournament
3. Almost, but not quite – because Epic’s
latest online shooter is going to blow the whole genre
out of the water with its eye-popping graphics and
insane multiplayer war games.
New this time round is Warfare mode, a
multiplayer battle fought over several maps rather
than one. On one side are the Axons, traditional
square-jawed space marines in jeeps, gunships and
hoverboards. They also have Goliath, their five-man
tank with a 30-foot gun. Arrayed against them are the
The classic rocket racer is back
with an all-new ‘Mag Strip’
which locks your ship to the
track’s surface, enabling wilder
track designs such as loops and
vertical climbs for dizzyingly fast
Eliminator, Head-to-Head
and Speed-Lap modes.
Out September 28
alien Necris and their 50foot tall Darkwalker. The
key to Warfare is getting
your super-weapon from
one map to the next.
Offline, a new AI
accurately simulates a multiplayer
game for solo play. Perfect for
some practice before a match.
The Witcher
Format: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: November (PS3), TBC (others)
Publisher: Midway
>> PC
need for speed prostreet
This darkly-visceral action RPG,
based on the books of Polish
author Andrzej Sapkowski, is no
cheesy fantasy affair. Witcher is
a money-grabbing agent of an
ancient order that protects people
from werewolves, the undead and
worse. Out September 14
Final Fantasy
Tactics:
The War of the Lions
EEDT! A track-based episode? Whatever next!
SPCH
AN
>> PSP
MER
E verything’s new down at the Need For Speed
Garage. Screeching round neo-lit city streets?
Gone. Alterations to your car that do nothing
but make it look cheesily smart? Gone. Need
for Speed has officially ‘grown up’. And taken to the
professional track…
No, really. No bling. No illicit manoeuvres. No cops
on your tail or anything. Now you hurl your car around
real-life tracks in California, New Jersey, Seattle,
West Virginia and more (in beautifully authentic
cars, of course) in a series of strictly legal events.
These events include drift, drag races and also ‘Grip’
(basically the opposite of drift) races. You can take
part in any event you like, online and offline, but you
do still have a Career mode where you battle through
‘Showdowns’ with a series of rivals. And you ‘tuners’
out there needn’t worry, really. ProStreet still has the
auto-sculpt customisation feature that lets you craft
a car – though now its shape directly affects your
performance. Good thing, then, that you can actually
test its drag coefficient in a wind tunnel! Hey, this
‘serious’ Need For Speed thing could catch on.
This welcome handheld reworking
of Final Fantasy Tactics remains
faithful to the 3D isometric battles
and clever strategy of the original
but helps the story
along with some new
cel-shaded movies.
Out October 26
Format: PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360, DS
Release date: October 31
Publisher: EA
INCOMING! Xbox gamers have racked up over two billion hours online (that’s 332,000 years!), with over two billion game sessions initiated…
summer/AUTUMN 07
NEWS
W I R E D !
BLACKSITE: area 51
The orange box
Half-Life 2 / team
fortress 2 / portal
>> PC, PS3, Xbox 360
It’s an atmospheric tactical alien shooter…
I Valve’s squad combat and science
fiction sequels make next-gen
debuts in The Orange Box
anthology comprising Half-Life 2,
Episodes One & Two, Team Fortress
2 and Portal. With 20 maps,
real-time voice contact and 12
character classes. Out October 26
n 2005, Midway remade their
alien shooter Area 51 for the Xbox.
It was enjoyable enough but not
great. With this in mind, Midway
brought in Harvey Smith, designer of
Deus Ex on PS2 and also Gears of
War and BioShock writer, Susan
O’Connor. And it shows. Rather
than concentrating merely on aliens,
BlackSite: Area 51 taps into modern
fears by kicking off in Iraq, where you
and your squad are fighting insurgents
rather than monsters. But the monsters
Eye of
Judgement
>> PS3
This interesting PS3 release uses
the forthcoming PlayStation Eye.
It’s a strategic deck game played
with monster cards on a 3x3 board.
The cards spring to life on screen,
thanks to the EyeToy-style camera.
Quite unlike anything we’ve seen
before. Out September 28
do arrive. Ten-foot tall, in fact, along with lasershooting humanoids and worm-like creatures toting
blobs of plasma.
BlackSite’s simple but effective squad-based
gameplay adds a touch of tactics to proceedings as
you take on these critters, making it feel a bit like a
monster-infested Rainbow Six. Expect an apocalyptic
atmosphere dripping with huge explosions, scorched
earth and detailed grimness. Happy hunting!
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release date: September 30
Publisher: Midway
Here’s mud in your eye! GRAVERL!
>> PC, Xbox 360
SPITTE
I f you don’t much enjoy ‘hardcore’ driving games
(and Gran Turismo does make some people hurl),
what about a next-gen version of a classic arcade
driver? Bringing rallying to the masses before
Colin McRae, 1995’s Sega Rally knocked everyone’s
socks off in the arcades with its then fabulous 3D
graphics and blistering speed. Now this great remake
recaptures brilliantly the essence of that vintage game
(excellent arcade-style handling, fierce AI competition)
and sticks a next-gen paint job on it.
All car models look great, as do the colourful,
vibrant environments and you will have never
seen quite as much mud unless you have been to
Glastonbury. Blast through the ruts and the stuff
spatters everywhere, covering your car and leaving
even deeper ruts behind you. These ruts also get
deeper and affect the way your car handles… Modewise, the Quick Race, Time Attack and Championship
contests add up to more than 100 races. Six-player
online races are also on the cards and if you’re not
connected, the two-player splitscreen action will sort
you out.
Format: PSP, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: September 28
Publisher: Sega
INCOMING! Xbox gamers have made 45 million Xbox Live Arcade downloads and send a million messages every day…
10
RUCK!
Sega Rally
BioShock
This successor to System Shock
strands you in a ruined underwater
city following a plane crash. Beset
by the grotesque mutations of
former colonists, your goal here
is not extermination but simply
survival… The most intelligent
horror of the year. Out August 24
MONSTER
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
TBA
INCOMING! Sony has hinted at a 120GB PS3 for Europe…
xbox 360 elite
Including:
OUT
NOW
l Xbox 360 Elite console
l X
box 360 120GB hard
drive
l X
box 360 Wireless
Controller (black)
l Xbox 360 headset (black)
l Xbox 360 HDMI cable
l X
box LIVE Silver
Membership
l One-month subscription
to Xbox LIVE Gold
for ONLY
£329.99
Top titles at classic pricES
Get your hands on this range of classic games including:
l Perfect Dark Zero
l Kameo
l Dead or Alive 4
l PGR 3
for ONLY
£24.99
NEWS
also out now!
1
All these great games have just hit
the CHIPS shelves
2
4
5
3
Alien Syndrome
Wii, PSP
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am
PS2
Armored Core 4
PS3, Xbox 360
Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII 1 PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Boogie
Wii
Brain Buster Puzzle Pak
DS
Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway
PS3, PC, Xbox 360
Chessmaster 11: Grand Master
PC
Colin McRae: DiRT 2 Xbox 360, PC
Company of Heroes: GOTY Edition
PC
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
PSP
Crush PSP
Crysis
PC
CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder
PS2
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Hard Evidence
PC, Xbox 360
Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2
PSP
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Collector’s Edition
PC
Exit 2
PSP
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales DS
Freshly Picked – Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland
DS
G1 Jockey Wii
Wii
Ghost Squad
Wii
Haze
P3
Heroes V Gold
PC
Hot Brain
PSP
Hot Pixel
PSP
Hour of Victory
PC, Xbox 360
Jam Sessions DS
King of Fighters XI
PS2
King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2
PS2
Madden NFL 2008
DS, PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Wii, DS
Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms
PC
12
summer/autumn 07
Metal Slug Anthology
PS2
Naruto
PSP, Xbox 360
Nascar 2008: Chase for the Cup
PS3, PS2, Xbox 360
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams Wii
Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus
PS2, PC
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Boosters
Trading Cards
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Theme Decks
Trading Cards
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Tin Display
Trading Cards
Pony Friends
DS
Puzzle League DS
DS
Rugby 08
PC, PS2
Settlers VI
PC
Shrek the Third
PSP
Sonic Rush Adventure 3 DS
Stranglehold
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Super Paper Mario 4 Wii
Surf’s Up
PS2, Xbox 360, PS3, DS, PSP, PC, Wii
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
PSP
Tenchu Z
XB360
The Golden Compass
PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
PC
The Wheelman
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction Xbox 360, PC
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
PC, PS2
Top Trumps: Dogs/Dinosaurs
PS2, DS
Touch Darts DS
Touchmaster
DS
Trauma Centre – Second Opinion
Wii
Universe at War: Earth Assault
PC
Unreal Tournament III
PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Vampire Rain
Xbox 360
Virtua Fighter 5 5 Xbox 360
Yu-Gi-Oh! Jaden Yuki & Syrus Truesdale Starter Decks
Trading Cards
av
ail
ab
le
insto
re
no
w
Finalist in MCV Independent Retailer Award 2007
Finalist in MCV Specialist Retailer Award 2007
Finalist in MCV Star Store Award 2007 – CHIPS Orpington
®
GTA latest details!
GRAND
SLAM!
They may have put back the release date to make sure it’ll
live up to the hype, but details on GTA IV keep leaking out...
eas, is it?…
Not quite such a nice place as San Andr
Flash car Niko, where did you nick it!?
I
t’s the most hotly-anticipated game of
all time – and rightly so, judging from
the second humdinging official trailer!
To a cool-as-you-like soundtrack, the
short film (which you can see for yourself at
www.gta4.com) shows our Eastern European
hero Niko Bellic doing all sorts of exciting
stuff – such as desperately hanging onto the
back of a helicopter, for instance. The trailer,
together with some new tantalising tit-bits of
information released by Rockstar, suggests
that GTA 4 is going to introduce to the series a
harder and more gritty edge.
As well as helicopter stunts, the trailer also
shows Niko speeding through the traffic on a
motorbike and breaking down an apartment
door with a splintering crunch. Meanwhile, brief
snatches of conversation give us glimpses of
a dramatic story. We see Niko grab someone
by the collar and shout: ‘I’m the one who
survived!’ What could that mean? Certainly
nothing very nice, you would have thought. And
then we’re treated to an Eastern Europeansounding women pleading: ‘Please, no more
killing!’ What with scenes of speeding cars and
SWAT teams thrown into the trailer for good
measure, we reckon that, whatever else, GTA
IV’s story is going to be pretty exciting.
Rags to rags
As we already know, Niko is not a small-time
mobster but an Eastern European immigrant.
Niko arrives in Liberty City after hearing from
his cousin, Roman, of the massive fortunes
that could be found there. But it soon becomes
obvious to Niko that Roman has been than less
then truthful. Rather than a glitzy metropolis,
Liberty City turns out to be very grim and stark
INCOMING! GTA IV Special Edition will include an art book, a soundtrack CD and a duffel bag…
14
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
– and Roman is up to his neck in debts and
hanging out with some very unpleasant types
indeed. Rockstar says the tale that then unfolds
is less ‘rags to riches’ than ‘rags to slightly
prettier rags’.
Seedy visuals
It all sounds much more gritty than San
Andreas and this is reflected in darker and
more seedy visuals. Liberty City itself, Rockstar
says, is based on an alternate New York City,
one that has missed out on the economic boom
of recent years. As a result, it looks decidedly
dog-eared – the streets are dirty, windows Ï
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: April 2008
Publisher: Rockstar
INCOMING! You now break windows to jack parked cars…
So who’s he shooting at,
we wonder...
GTA latest details!
This Vice City is crumbling with decay
Ë are dusty and the brickwork faded.
Liberty City’s population look similarly ‘lived
in’ and are a lot less cartoony than before.
Nico himself, unshaven and dishevelled,
looks like he has been in the wars a bit.
No loading
It might be tatty, but this city is huge…
The other big news to report is that Rockstar
has promised us that GTA IV will have no
loading pauses. We’ll be able to walk in
and out of buildings absolutely seamlessly
(though not every single building in the city
can be explored).
Attention to detail is one GTA tradition
that is set to continue. The whole city
continually goes about its business around
you like a genuine living and breathing place.
Workers arrive to start work on building sites
at the same time each morning. If you shove
pedestrians out of the way, they react by
raising their arms and sending you a volley
of diversely abusive verbals. Certainly you’re
not going to find a more immersive sandbox
game this year.
It all sounds pretty impressive to us.
Next April can’t come soon enough, frankly
(and it’s not as if we haven’t already missed
summer anyway, is it). But with its new
gritty and realistic edge, will GTA IV still also
deliver the sort of amoral chaos that fans of
the series will demand? Given all the door
crunching, chopper-hanging and motorcycle
chasing in the trailer, we reckon – yes!
GTA IV Online
GTA IV’s multiplayer offerings have yet to
be announced, but Rockstar has formed a
strategic alliance with Microsoft to provide
exclusive episodic content via Xbox Live,
giving the community ‘ever-expanding
gameplay experiences that simply aren't
possible on other consoles'. Rockstar says it
will amount to more than just small add-on
packs with new outfits. One thing
the GTA IV online won't be, is a
massively multiplayer RPG.
INCOMING! You control the story yourself by activating missions via your mobile phone…
INCOMING! The ever-popular radio stations are back…
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
15
HALO 3 special
Free
keyring wit
h
pre-orders
of Halo 3
halo 3: a space
odyssey
Hurrah! We finally have our hands on the stonkingly brilliant
new Halo and it is everything that we were hoping for!
T
he original Halo was quite simply a damnnear perfect sci-fi shooter. Taking on
aliens single-handedly in a ring-shaped
world had never been so sophisticated,
well-balanced and totally accessible fun.
Some games force you back 20 minutes
to the last save if you screw up and make you
fight through again. Halo can be super-tough
on Legendary difficulty, but at all levels lets you
dive in, be blown to smithereens, try something
different and still come out with a weapon in each
hand ready for the next challenge.
The sandbox of explosions, enemy intelligence,
physics modelling and random chaos means
you can replay a single section and see it play
out differently every time, culminating in those
amazing Halo moments. The ones you just have to
recount to your friends. Small wonder then that it
became the flagship game of the old Xbox.
Developers Bungie admit that they made some
INCOMING! Halo 3 lets you save entire firefights to post on Xbox Live…
16
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
mistakes on Halo 2. The single-player campaign
was disappointingly short, the story suffered by
being written by committee, there were level
design errors including things like annoying
one-shot kill snipers and the online multiplayer
was very unpolished. But Bungie has taken all this
Format: Xbox 360
Release date: September 26
Publisher: Microsoft
INCOMING! Bungie has revealed that it is considering Halo for the DS...
Halo 3 special
FIRE POWER Grunts
still don’t like it up ’em...
SNOW PATROL
This war doesn’t
stop for Christmas
VIEWS Environments
are much more varied
FLYING HIGH Jump to
it, men. That’s the stuff!
The fight continues…
T
criticism on board for the third game.
All this means that you can look forward to
a much bigger and more intense single-player
campaign that draws to a close with a bang the
story that began with the first Halo. There are
many more varied environments to explore, from
desert palms to snowbound wastes, from lush
green forests to alien facilities. Meanwhile, the
new graphics engine for the Xbox 360 takes the
familiar sci-fi styling of the previous games – the
alien architecture and technology still has that
distinctive look and feel – and piles on detail and
intricacy.
Both the online multiplayer and general
gameplay has been polished by long public
beta testing on the multiplayer maps by a lucky
audience of gamers bought in to help hone,
balance and make it slick as hell.
INCOMING! Marathon: Durandal, Bungie’s FPS for the Mac, is out on Xbox Live Arcade soon…
Turn to P18 Ó
he saga that began on the
galaxy-threatening super-weapon
Halo reaches its climax. It is
the year 2552. Earth has been
ravaged by the conglomerate of
warlike aliens known as the
Covenant, who are now bent on
unearthing an ancient forerunner
to Halo that is buried beneath
New Mombasa.
The Covenant, though, is also
now bitterly divided into two
factions: the Prophets and the
Elites – and the Elites have thrown
in their lot with the last remnants
of humanity.
Into this conflict enters the
terrifying zombie-making parasite
which Halo was designed to wipe out
– the Flood. But if the artefact
that the Prophets are seeking under
New Mombasa is anything like Halo,
it will destroy not just the Flood
but the whole Galaxy…
With time running out, all hope
lies in the hands of one
genetically-enhanced supersoldier, Spartan 117 – the
Master Chief. Finish the fight!
INCOMING! Halo 3 will have LAN or split-screen co-op...
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
17
HALO 3 special
Ë
So Helmets on folks, for one great
final ride, blasting away with fuel cannons and
shotguns and bouncing about in vehicles, battling
to save the galaxy from a varied bunch of cackling
and guffawing aliens and putrid, drooling parasiteinfested zombies.
This Halo’s enemies are as cleverly done as
ever. They work in packs to outflank and outsmart
you. They’ll hold a good spot, hide when wounded,
cover each other with fire while advancing – and
get mad if you make them angry. As always, you
are rewarded for choosing the right combination
of weapons for the job. From using your supply
of grenades to maximum effect to exploiting the
environment (doors, shields, gun emplacements
and vantage points) to turn everything to your
advantage.
The Grunts are as stupid as they always
were – they jabber and squawk more than they
shoot. The Jackals’ shields still need a little
persistence to get around. As for the hulking
Brutes, a few well-placed shots deals with
their armour.
Familiar foes they might be, but
next-gen graphics make the creatures
beneath the armour – especially
the Brutes – much more scary.
Unpleasant, spider-like hair, battle
scars, evil red slits for eyes
– this is one ugly bunch of
mothers, making destroying
them even more of
a pleasure…
ROAD HOG! Halo has
vehicular action aplenty
INCOMING! Four-player Halo 3 co-operative play over Xbox Live…
18
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
Halo 3 special
All-new weapons and hardware…
Spike Grenades
This Brute weapon sticks
to the environment and
stays armed, so you can
set traps by throwing one
under a vehicle or into a
low ceiling. It releases a
controlled explosion of deadly spikes.
Mongoose
It didn’t make it into Halo
2, but this light two-man
All-Terrain Vehicle is ideal
for stunts and fast dropoffs. There are no integral
weapons, but the
passenger can shoot and throw grenades.
Bubble Shields
This device creates a
temporary dome of
invulnerability against
projectiles and rocket
attacks for some neat
tactical play. It doesn’t
stop other players going inside, though.
Spartan Laser
Man Cannon
Awesomely powerful
against both infantry and
vehicles if you have the
skill to keep it trained on
its target while it charges.
Otherwise, it fires several
beams in a scattershot effect.
Portable Gravity Lift
A deployable elevator and
springboard for exploring
and exploiting all three
dimensions. Works for
vehicles, players getting
over walls and chasms, so
Warthog jumps are back on the agenda.
Heavy Machine Gun
You can take this beast of
a weapon from a Warthog
turret or tripod and wield
it like Jesse Ventura in
Predator. Look forward to
shouting (a la Scarface):
‘Say hello to my little friend!’
A multiplayer level feature
that propels players
through the air, much like
a jump pad. Guaranteed to
turn any battle into a
circus, you’ll be running
rings round your opponents.
Power Drainer
This device belches out an
arch of electricity threads
that drain the shields of
nearby enemies. It is just
the thing to flush out
dogged resistance. It
can also usefully disable vehicles.
Radar Jammer
As the song goes, ‘we’re
jammin’! Jammin’’ enemy
radar, in this case. Chuck
it into your foe’s midst and
admire chaos as blazing
flashes of light add visual
disorientation to their woes.
New multiplayer modes
Halo 3 introduces three new 16-player multiplayer modes
MAYHEM Multiplyer
action, TankFlag-style...
Elimination
Each team is charged with
killing five members of
the opposition
NinjaBall
TankFlag
This involves people
hanging with guns trying
to hang onto a ball
Capture the flag –
which is on
a tank…
INCOMING! Halo 3 Limited Collector’s Edition includes a metal case and art book…
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
19
HALO 3 special
Brutes
Flood
Parasitic life form. The Flood
mutate their hosts into several
different forms to serve different
purposes and will attack or infect
any potential host they encounter.
The Halos were created in ancient
times to destroy them, yet they
survived. HATES: All life.
Master
Chief
Petty Officer SPARTAN John117, commonly referred to as
simply Master Chief or the Chief.
Since the age of six, his entire
upbringing has been centred
around making him the perfect
walking military machine. HATES:
the Covenant, the Flood.
These hairy gorilla-like Brutes
are now the honour guard
for the Covenant’s Prophet
priest-leaders. Though slow,
they are strong, willing fighters
with unquestioning obedience
– qualities that led to them
replacing the Elites in the
Covenant hierarchy. HATES: Elites,
humans, the Flood.
Elites
The Elites were once charged
with protecting the Covenant’s
priest leaders, the Prophets.
Betrayed by the Prophets, they
have turned coat and left the
Covenant to fight with the
humankind. Superior to the
Brutes in intelligence, discipline
and leadership. HATE: The
Covenant, (Brutes in particular)
and the Flood.
Halo 3: Who hates who?
INCOMING! Halo 3 Legendary Edition comes with a Spartan helmet….
20
SUMMER/AUGUST 07
INCOMING! The musical score is backed by a 60-piece orchestra and a 24-piece choir…
Welcome to the
Sinnoh region
Get ready for the return
of the greatest RPG ever!
The Official Pokémon Scenario Guide
Features include:
>D
etailed walkthrough of the Sinnoh
region! Who you should meet! Who
can help you out!
>S
pecial Sinnoh-only Pokédex! Check out
the brightest and the best new Pokémon!
>D
etailed charts, maps and information –
including all items, berries and moves!
> Double-sided poster.
Other strategy guides available / coming soon include...
The Darkness
Elder Scrolls
Oblivion
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy XII
The Ultimate
Guide to
Nintendo Wii
Ultimate Xbox
360 Cheats
Transformers:
The Game
Pokémon
Emerald Version
Pokémon
Ranger
Pokémon
Pocket
Pokédex
melody makers
y
d
o
l
me
s
r
e
k
ma
If you love music, check out these chart-topping
games! Ah-one, ah-two… Ah-one, two, three…
s
n
o
i
s
s
s
n
e
o
S
i
s
s
e
JJaam
S
m
Rock Band
Have a guitar you can’t play? Don’t worry! Play Jam Sessions instead.
›
A bit like Guitar Hero but a bit more sophisticated, it turns your DS into
a mean little guitar music-making machine. And playing it is simplicity
itself. You just move your stylus as if it’s a plectrum over the lower screen’s
string, just like you’re strumming a chord. Holding a direction on the Dpad changes the chord, while you change its intensity and duration by
strumming faster. Easy! And it even works for left-handers.
A Performance mode offers 20 songs (including Beck’s classic Jackass) that you can play by following the chord changes shown on the top
screen, where lyrics are also displayed. You can also make your own
tunes using the Free Play mode, adding special effects such as tremolo
and reverb, while a recording feature lets you save any cool riffs you
create. Cool, eh? Hours of creative fun can be yours – without upsetting
the neighbours. To see it in action, type in “Jam Sessions” to YouTube for
some great video demos!
Format: DS
Release date: September 28
Publisher: Ubisoft
INCOMING! There have now been 12 different SingStar games released…
22
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
Rock Band – made by Harmonix, the developers
›
of Guitar Hero – is the game that is going to take
the console music scene by storm. Why? Because
it incorporates karaoke, guitar, bass and drums in
one cracking game! Packaged with guitar, drum
and microphone controllers, you and your mates
take on the roles of rock bass player, drummer, lead
vocalist and lead guitarist and start playing to huge
crowds. Players who mess up with their instrument
get booed and dropped – but other players can then
rescue them and bring them back in with a blistering
solo... Hurrah! With World Tour modes, loads of
downloadable tracks and support for online bands,
this one’s going to be massive.
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release date: October 26
Publisher: EA
TBA
INCOMING! An impressive 1.3 million copies of Guitar Heroes II were sold in 2006…
melody makers
taarr 9900ss
SSin
inggSst
ro
Heero
GGuuit
itaarr H
EEnnccoore
re::
RRoocckkss th
thee 8800ss
SingStar is back for another round of
›
superior karaoke fun stuffed full of authentic
original hits and video clips – this time taken
BBooooggie
ie
Can’t wait for Guitar Hero 3? That’s easily
To a track list of 35 classic pop hits spanning
›
rectified by Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the
›
the Jackson 5 to Britney Spears, this
80s. True, it’s not a full sequel (the venues and
bonkers rhythm-and-dance game has you try
guitarists haven’t changed), but if you need a
fresh set of crowd-pleasing tunes to get your
fingers moving again, this will sort you out.
The list of tunes ranges from the soft-centred
Synchronicity II by The Police to the distinctly
rocky Nothin’ but a Good Time by Poison.
Though the basics are still in place, everything
has been given an 1980s makeover. So expect
some truly splendid 1980s mullets. As for the
gameplay, it remains, happily, the same: are you
any good with that guitar controller?
Format: PS2
Release date: Out now
Publisher: Activision
and make your on-screen alter-ego light up the
stage. You can pull dazzling combos, multipliers
and special moves using the Nunchuk and
Remote. If you enjoy making a fool of yourself in
front of your mates, it’ll be right up your street.
And there’s more. The ‘make your own music
video’ mode is also surprisingly good and there
are great vocal filters that’ll change the way
your voice sounds. Stuffed with other visual
trickery, it’s simple enough to use for anyone to
create a cool vid to go with their latest dance.
from the heady days of the 1990s. So get ready
to belt out the likes of EMF’s Unbelievable and
Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue’s Where the Wild
Roses Grow. As with previous SingStar titles,
the real fun is found in the multiplayer party
modes. The eight-player Pass the Mic mode is
a great laugh for large groups. Battle mode has
two of you going against each other hammer
and tonsils, while Duet mode sees if two of you
together can’t make sweet music. How do you
think you will you score?
Format: PS2
Release date: Out now
Publisher: Sony
Format: Wii
Release date: August 31
Publisher: EA
Rock Ba d
Controlln
ers
The Fender Stra
tocaster contro
ller (left) for
Rock Band has
a toggle switch
that allows
you to impart re
verb, flange, wa
h, delay
and more. The
drumset (top lef
t) features
four foam pads
, a bass drum pe
dal and
real drumstick
s.
INCOMING! Activision has copyrighted the names Guitar Villain and Drum Villain for possible future sequels…
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
23
Ratatouille © 2007 Disney/Pixar. Licensed by THQ Inc
your store…
Chips preston
how to find us
address:
165 Garstang
Road, Fulwood,
Preston R2 3BH
Telephone:
01772 787 800
OPENing hours:
Mon – Tue: 9.30am – 5.30pm
Wed: Closed
Thurs – Sat: 9am – 5.30pm
Sun: 10am – 4pm
talk to the supervisor Adam McDermid
>What was your
first console? My
>What games due out this year are you
looking forward to playing? I am most looking
first console was the
Spectrum ZX. forward to Assassins Creed, GTA IV and Halo 3.
>What is your
all-time favourite
game? It has to be
Super Mario 64. I
think Super Mario 64
is the best platformer
I have ever played!
>What consoles do you play on? I play on all
of them!
>What are your top five games ever and
why? The first is Super Mario 64 on Nintendo 64. The
second is Super Mario Kart on the SNES – it is my
favourite racing game. Then Goldeneye on the N64. I
love being Bond! Next, I would say Half Life on PC. It is
the perfect blend of action and sci-fi. Then Burnout
Takedown on the PS2. I love the speed!!
>How long have you been working with
CHIPS? Since late May 2007. That’s when the store
was taken over by CHIPS, but I have worked in the
retail industry for 9 years and in the games industry for
a year – I have always been a great gamer so its
perfect for me.
>Why did you want to work with CHIPS?
The staff discount! Also, CHIPS prides itself on
customer service and we chat and listen to our
customers to find out what they want and then try to
provide it. I really enjoy working with people and it is
great when you get a satisfied happy customer who
keeps returning.
>What do you like about at working at
CHIPS? Did I mention the discount? Seriously, the
video game industry is fun, fast-moving and constantly
changing so there’s no chance of getting bored.
what’s instore?
TEST DRIVE A
ps3
Until you’ve experienced the full
power of Sony’s PS3 on our massive
42” plasma you haven’t lived.
Come and try it, NOW!
games
and so
much more
Cast your eyes
over our huge range
of goodies such as Halo figures,
Zelda statues, Pokemon Danglers
and trading cards, games
guides and more....
we buy,
we sell,
we trade
Old games gathering dust at home?
Don’t delay. Dust them down and
pop them into our store and sell for
cash or trade them with us fo a
spanking new one.
To find out how to become a franchisee Visit www.chipsworld.co.uk or call 0870 013 0028 to order a franchisee pack
26
summer/AUTUMN 07
Airborne
medal of honor
is going
Airborne
EA’s war shooter gets a new lease of life with the introduction of
parachutes. Get ready for action behind enemy lines...
INCOMING! A combined total of 31 million MoH games have sold worldwide…
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
27
Airborne
Enter thee…
drop zon
Go in silently – or unleash
death from above...
Search lights,
camera and action!
Die, Nazi scum!!!
Chute
’em!
INCOMING! Multiplayer options include four-player co-op airdrops…
28
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
Airborne
1,000
2,000
3,000
Pull!
Yes. It’s a long way
down...
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release date: August 31
Publisher: EA
T
he Medal of Honor series has always
taken a splendidly-cinematic approach
to World War Two. Great fun and simple
to pick up and start shooting Nazis, the
games really do make you feel like you’re in a
Hollywood movie. But the series has also become
increasingly scripted and linear – and it now faces
stiff next-gen opposition from the likes of Call of
Duty 3 and EA’s other war shooter, Battlefield 2:
Modern Combat.
So what has EA done? It has not only breathed
new life into MoH but also reinvigorated the whole
jaded, crowded genre by, cunningly, introducing
the parachute and letting you land anywhere you
choose on the battlefield…
It’s a simple idea, but it radically changes
the gameplay. Rather than being railroaded from
one point to another, you can decide to land on
a building and start dropping Nazis with your
sniper rifle. Or you can wait for your squad to
catch up before mounting a co-ordinated attack,
or even land smack in the middle of the enemy
instigating a sudden battle. For each operation,
how and in what order you achieve your objective
is completely up to you. If you die, you can jump
again somewhere else, employing different tactics
and playing the mission out in a new way every
time. Good, eh?
In another departure, each operation is also
divided into two separate playable missions.
During the first mission, you take on the role of
Pathfinder Eddie La Pointe of the 82nd Airborne
Division. A pathfinder’s unenviable role is to jump
before the main force to carry out tasks such
as designating drop zones, taking and holding
positions and taking out dangerous threats. These
missions are more stealthy than the second part of
each op, when, as Private Boy Travers, you go in,
guns blazing with the rest of the 82nd.
Also new is an extensive RPG-like weaponcustomisation system. Historically accurate
upgrades, such as grenade launchers, trench
knives and improved stocks, will all be available in
the field. To use them, however, you first have to
build up enough experience points with the base
weapon. This makes for great replay value as you
will not have the time to master all the weapons
and upgrades during one single-player campaign.
Meanwhile, also introduced to the battlefield
is a ‘two-stage’ trigger squeeze. Just as with a
real weapon, you’re asked to apply the proper
amount of pressure to help accuracy and reduce
recoil. As for the enemy, rather than performing
just one scripted action, their actions will now
depend on a number of variables such as superior
weaponry, numbers, cover or terrain. So wherever
you drop behind the lines, you should be prepared
for few surprises…
The battlefield is littered with weapon
upgrades
In the line of fire...
This MoH is sti
ll as
atmospheric as
ever
INCOMING! All your weapons, including grenades, have three available upgrades…
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
29
your store…
Chips chorlton
how to find us
address:
444 Barlow Moor
Road M21 0BQ
Telephone:
0161 8610909
OPENing hours:
Mon- Sat:
10am - 6pm
talk to the owner faisal ali
>What was your
first console? It
was the Sega Game
Gear.
>What is your alltime favourite
game? That has to
be Super Street
Fighter II Turbo
(arcade version).
>What do you
like about it so
much? It has perfectly-balanced gameplay and
a strong character roster with deep storylines.
>What consoles do you play on? I play on
the PS3, PS2, PS1, GameCube, Wii, Dreamcast,
Xbox, N64, SNES, NES, Game Boy Micro, DS Lite
and Arcade PCBs (printed circuit boards).
>What are your top five games ever and
why do you like them?
My top games are Super Street Fighter II Turbo,
either the arcade version or on Dreamcast. I also
love Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time on the
N64. Then there is Final Fantasy VII on
PlayStation and PC and Virtua Fighter 4 Evo, the
arcade version and on PS2. I also enjoy Street
Fighter III 3rd Strike – the arcade version and
on Dreamcast.
>What games due out this year are you
looking forward to playing?
I look forward to Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD
Remix (which is coming out on PS3 and Xbox
360) and also Assassin’s Creed and Halo 3.
>How long have you been working with
CHIPS? I have worked with CHIPS for three
years and four months.
>Why did you want to work with CHIPS?
The games industry is a fast moving and exciting
industry. Plus, CHIPS has the necessary industry
knowledge and experience to deliver the best
franchise experience.
>What do you like about working with
CHIPS? Some of my best customers are also
some of my best friends.
what’s instore?
pick our
brains
Need advice? CHIPS prides itself
on offering great customer service
and independent and helpful advice
whether you’re a hardened gamer
or a mum looking for a
great gift
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, or use our special
order facility to make your
dreams come true
>Who else works in your store? We have
part-time employee whose name is Asif Ali. In
addition to working at CHIPS, he is also studying
games design/production.
>What is the most popular game in your
CHIPS store at the moment? The most
popular game we have curently in store has to
be Resident Evil 4 on Wii.
>What is the strangest incident/request
you have had in your store? We had a phone
call the other day from a young lad asking if we
let people borrow games until they have
completed them. It did raise a smile!
repair
your disc in
minutes
Games scratched and gathering dust
in a cupboard? Dust them down, pop
them into store and we’ll try and
make them as good as new with out
PerfectPlay disc repair service. Then
you can either take them home
again or trade them in for
cash or another game
To find out how to become a franchisee Visit www.chipsworld.co.uk or call 0870 013 0028 to order a franchisee pack
30
Summer/Autumn 07
©
The UK’s largest independent video games retailer
Can you fill this space?
Interested in a
retail store?
Looking for a business
that’s fun & profitable?
Prepared to
work hard?
Exciting, fast moving & challenging
To find out how you could run your own CHIPS video games store franchise
call 0870 013 0028 for an information pack or visit www.chipsworld.co.uk
WE BUY WE SELL WE TRADE
®
★ The projected cost of opening a CHIPS Franchise is £80K inc of VAT and applicants will need to personally invest at least £25K
Pokémon
pokémon
diamond and pearl
Thought you’d caught ’em all? Here’s what you
need to know about Nintendo’s precious new gems
T
hey’re big, they’re back and they’re
battle-crazy! Pokémon Diamond and
Pokémon Pearl have finally arrived after
great anticipation, selling a monster
seven million copies since the game was
launched in Japan just a few months ago.
Starting out as a rookie trainer in the town
of Twinleaf, you agree to assist the Pokéevolution expert Professor Rowan by exploring
the colourful land of Sinnoh. You have a choice
of water, fire or grass Pokémon as a starter
companion but along the way you’ll collect and
rear other fine specimens in your quest to beat
the eight Gym masters and become the best
trainer. Trouble arises in the form of the shady
Team Galactic, who will stop at nothing to
capture the most dangerous Pokémon for their
sinister ends.
The random turn-based combat remains
familiar, gamewise, but the attack categories
have been overhauled and the touchscreen
makes for quicker, easier play. And, of course,
INCOMING! Choose a starter from Piplup (water), Chimchar (fire) or Turtwig (grass)…
32
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
there’s still the thrill of encountering a rare
species and fumbling to pokéball it sharpish. In
a ‘Best of Breed’ style, you can also enter your
creatures in the Super Contest trials of Dancing
(a rhythm game), Acting (where judges rate their
fighting moves) and Visual (dressing up in kit).
Format: DS
Release date: Out now
Publisher: Nintendo
INCOMING! New Pokédex has weighing scales to find your heaviest, porkiest beast…
pokémon
POKE-PALS FOREVER
There’s no need to say goodbye to your
existing Pokémon collections. Play through
Diamond or Pearl and at a certain point you’ll
be able to ‘migrate’ all of your hard-trained
beasties from the Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed,
LeafGreen and Emerald games to the DS via
the Dual Slot. No losing those previous starters
or legendaries, phew. Also, players who
complete the Manaphy Egg mission in
Pokémon Ranger (out now on DS) will be able
to transfer the Egg to their Diamond or Pearl
game, where it will finally hatch!
Wii owners can even take their battles to
the next level. With Diamond or Pearl, you and
up to three friends can use your DS handhelds
as controllers for Pokémon Battle Revolution
(out now) on the Wii. Or, in solo play, aim to
become Pokétopia Master by winning all ten
Colosseum battles. Seeing your humble little
2D creatures rendered as roaring 3D
leviathans on the big screen is guaranteed to
put a proud smile on even the sternest trainer.
WHICH TO BUY?
Although both games are essentially the same,
the titles refer to whether you will face the
legendary Pokémon Dialga (Diamond) or Palkia
(Pearl), which threaten the peace of Sinnoh after
they are awakened by Team Galactic. Of the 107
new Pokemon, some are exclusively held by one
version so the only way to acquire them is to
trade with a friend who has the other. For
instance, Diamond users can offer a Honchkrow
in exchange for a Glameow from a
Pearl user. A Stunky for your Purugly, sir?
IT’S SUPER EFFECTIVE!
While Pokémon Dash and Pokémon Link (also
out now) both exploit the DS stylus for racing
and puzzle games, Diamond and Pearl take full
advantage of the handheld’s wi-fi connection to
support the familiar trading and battling modes,
adding voice chat via the DS headset accessory.
INCOMING! Become a Pokémon yourself in Mystery Dungeon: Blue (also out now on DS)…
Incredibly, you’re given online access to the
brilliantly-simple Global Trading System where
you can swap critters or compare ranks with
millions of other players worldwide. Trainers can
enter the Pokémon Super Contest with up to
three others, or use the wireless function to
explore the subterranean caverns beneath
Sinnoh with up to seven friends, excavating
Pokémon fossils and other treasure.
What are you waiting for? Those
Pokémon won’t catch themselves!
INCOMING! There are now 493 known Pokémon, including evolutions…
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
33
TIPS
tips TOM clancy’s rainbow six: vegas
›Xbox 360 ›PC ›PS3 ›PSP
There are terrorists on The Strip and in the casinos! Storm in and
take them on, with the help of the CHIPS Basic Training course…
Attention!
You’re Logan Keller, leader of a
Rainbow Six counter-terrorist
squad. Controlling two teammembers, it’s your task to take
on a bunch of terrorists who are
trying to take over Las Vegas.
Mission by mission, you’ll be
doing all sorts of fun stuff such
as busting through walls to
rescue hostages, hacking
computers and disarming bombs.
There are fewer enemies than in
the earlier Rainbow Six games,
but they’re harder to kill… Learn
the basics, though, and you’ll
soon be clearing the city of this
lunatic scum.
head out from cover. If enemies are trying to
outflank when you’re under cover, the map can
save your hide because you will see them first.
>Shhh!
Always try to use a silencer. And if you’re not in
a firefight, go for headshots.
>Choose your weapons
It’s a good idea to always have a wide range
of weapons on you. (In Vegas, you can pick up
weapons from fallen enemies.) Go for a pistol
(for tight corners), a short-to-medium range
weapon and an accurate long-range gun. You
also need a wide range of grenades – C4s, frags
and incendiaries for killing and smoke grenades
and flashbangs for cover and storming.
>Pimping up your guns
>Take cover!
Unlike previous games in the series, cover is
everything in Vegas. But you’ll soon get used to
that: fail to use it and you’ll be taking bullets in
no time. When in cover, ducking and leaning out
rather than standing and leaning out makes a
much smaller target. If an enemy walks up close
to your hiding place, you can retreat by releasing
cover or you can blind fire. Blind firing, mind, is
a waste of bullets unless a terrorist is practically
on top of you.
>Health service
A new health system means you can revive
when not taking fire. Fail to find cover quickly,
though, (and this is not helped by the fact that
your vision is impaired while you are damaged)
and you’re unlikely to survive. Meanwhile, you
can use a syringe to revive fallen buddies, but
you have just two minutes to reach and treat
them and often the bullets will still be flying.
>Use the map
The map is your friend, so use it. Even when an
area seems clear of enemies, check it again, just
to make certain. During a firefight, use it to work
out where your enemies are before you pop your
34
Summer/Autumn 07
Customise your weapons sensibly. Your pistol
should have a high capacity magazine. To shoot
on the move with a shotgun, get a laser sight
(good, eh?). Machine guns need a recoil stock,
assault rifles a reflex scope or rifle sight.
>You need your friends
You AI pals are highly efficient and also hard-as-nails, so make good use of their services. When
storming a room, for instance, you enter by one
door and your buddies by another. By doing this,
you’ll clear the room in no time. But don’t let
your buddies do all the work. You can do lots of
things yourself very effectively and if you start
slacking off, you’ll miss out on a lot of fun.
>Priority kills
In a hostage operation, it is best to use the
priority kill option. The terrorist pointing a gun
at a hostage, for example, is obviously the one
to take out first. That decided, the rest of the
squad can then each be assigned their own
individual target.
>Plain abseiling
Abseil face down and you can aim at your
enemies from above. Your buddies will copy you.
TIPS
tips TOM clancy’s rainbow six: vegas
>Body armour
As you move up in rank in Vegas, you can unlock
lots of body armour. Your Protection, Mobility and
stats are affected when you equip yourself with
body armour, so experiment to discover which of
the various combinations works best for you.
>Zoom!!!
Hosing down enemies with a wild spray of
bullets is the natural response to coming under
fire. Taking the time to zoom in, though, does
wonders for your accuracy. So don’t shoot until
you see the whites of their eyes…
>Look before you leap
Danger lurks behind most doors in Vegas, so
don’t rush in like a fool. A better idea is to use
the ‘Snake Cam’ to take a sneaky look under
doors to see what’s on the other side. Once
you know what’s what, you can decide on how
you’re going to storm the room, should you
have to (see ‘Opening Doors’ below). And even
if the way seems clear at first, always peep
round doors to check there’s not
a pesky terrorist skulking in
the corner…
Opening Doors
Action at the door is central to Rainbow Six
gameplay. When you’re at a door in Vegas,
after reconnoitring, you have a choice of
orders to give to your team:
>Open and clear
A very basic command: clear a room of all
enemies to secure it.
>Breach and clear
Effective but dreadfully noisy. The charge
destroys the door shielding your team from sight
but the explosion kills any terrorists close to
the door and stuns those nearby. The charge is
silent until it goes off.
>Frag and clear
Enemies will always notice a thrown frag
grenade – unless they are facing away from
the door…
>Flash and clear
A flashbang blinds enemies in the room, which
is really useful if don’t want a hostage rescue
attempt to turn into a bloodbath.
>Smoke and clear
Effective against enemies too far away or too
separated to be affected by flashbangs and
explosives. A smoker will give you about 10
seconds to take out the terrorists before they
target you.
Summer/Autumn 07
35
TIPS
tips the codebank
Resident Evil 4
›Wii
These treasures increase in value when their respective
gems are added to them. Amid the horror, get collecting!
Treasure: Beerstein
Found: Barn – Farm (Ch 1-1)
Value when complete: 20,000
Gems: Green Catseye
(Increments Puzzle, Ch 1-3)
Red Catseye (Birds Nest near
Ruined Homestead, Ch 1-3)
Yellow Catseye (Sacrificial
Chamber near Gondola, Ch 2-3)
Treasure: Salazar Family Crown
Found: Death Trap (Ch 4-2)
Value when complete: 48,000
Gems: Crown Jewel (Hallway
outside Death Trap, Ch 4-1)
Royal Insignia (Underground
Abyss, Ch 4-2)
Treasure: Elegant Mask
Found: Underground Stronghold
(Ch 1-2) or Grand Hall (Ch 3-2)
Value when complete: 20,000
Gems: Green Gem (Cove on the
Lake, Ch 2-1 or Audience Hall,
Ch 3-1)
Purple Gem (2nd El Gigante
Passage in bucket, Ch 2-3)
Red Gem (Courtyard
Bedroom Ch 3-2 or Bella
Sisters Area Ch 2-3)
Treasure: Golden Lynx
Found: Fortification Cliffs ,
Green Spike Room (Ch 5-1)
Value when complete: 30,000
Gems: Green Stone of
Judgement (Post-Bulldozer
Room, Ch 5-3)
Blue Stone of Treason (Ganado
Camp, Ch 5-3)
Red Stone of Faith (Ganado
Monitor Station, Ch 5-1)
Treasure: Butterfly Lamp
Found: Sewer Prison (Ch 3-2)
or Novistador Hive (Ch 4-2)
Value when complete: 20,000
Gems: Green Eye, Red Eye, Blue
Eye (Destroy Novistador Hive,
Ch 4-2)
Harry Potter
and the Order of
the Phoenix
Make the battle global for supremacy really chaotic by
unlocking this lot of goodies...
Transformers: Autobots…
Infinite Energy Cheat
Get 100% completion
Armageddon Mode
Beat the game
Longhorn
Get 250 wi-fi tokens
Psycho Cars Cheat
Get 500 wi-fi tokens
Gunner
Get 750 wi-fi tokens
Infinite Energy Cheat
Get 1,000 wi-fi tokens
Skydive
Download at target
Transformers: Decepticons…
Infinite Energy Cheat
Get 100% completion
Cheat Psycho Cars
Get 500 wi-fi tokens
Construction
Beat the game
Funky Bus
Connect to the Allspark Wars
server for the first time
G1 Starscream
Download Transformers DS
trailer at target
Infinite Energy Cheat
Get 1,000 wi-fi tokens
Love Cruiser
Receive 250 Wi-fi tokens in the
Allspark wars
Scout 1500
Wi-fi tokens
Stunt 750
Wi-fi tokens
Hot
tip of the issue!
›PS3 ›Xbox 360
The Darkness
Unleash Evil Allies!
To unlock this pair of hilarious Secret Darkling
allies, enter these codes at any pay phone
within the game…
2K Sports Darkling: 555-4263
Golfer Darkling: 555-5664
Want the passwords for shortcuts around Hogwarts? No
problem! Abracadabra…
›PS3 ›PS2 ›PC ›Xbox 360 ›Wii
Grand Staircase <-> Gryffindor Common Room = Mimbulus mimbletonia
Grand Staircase <-> Second Floor = Studious success
Library <-> Fourth Floor = No news is good news
Grand Staircase <-> Transfiguration Courtyard = Dragon’s egg
Grand Staircase <-> Floor 3/Clock Tower = Chops and gravy
Grand Staircase <-> Boathouse = This password is absurd
Herbology Corridor <-> Fifth Floor = Flaming earwigs
Viaduct Entrance <-> First Floor = Volo futurus unus
Third Floor <-> Second Floor = Forget-me-never
Seventh Floor <-> Fourth Floor = Three heads are better than one
Grand Staircase (Dungeon Level) <-> Seventh Floor = Scurrilous scoundrel
Dungeon Corridor <-> Dungeons = Slytherins are supreme
36 Summer/Autumn 07
Transformers: ›DS
Autobots/ Decepticons
Metal
gear Solid
Portable Ops
›PSP
Unlock these secret characters
at the password menu…
Cunningham
JUNKER
Null
Hunter-n Python
LQ.N2
Gene
ERBE
Ursula
PK +ESP
Elisa
THE-L
Share it with us…
Eva
E.APPLE
Paramedic
PM-EMS
Sigint
DARPA-1
Ocelot
R.R.R.
Zero
1+2-3
Raikov
IVN =RV
Teliko
T.F-ACID
Venus
MGA2VE
Ga Ko
!TRAUMER
Sokolov
SATURNV
Sokolov
Vostok
Paramedic
Roselm
Got any great tips or cheats you want to share with other CHIPS
Magazine readers? Just email them to [email protected] and
you’ll see your name in print. Who knows, we might even find a prize
for the best!
2 PACK
GAMECASE
£4.99
MSRP
GAMECASE
Protect your games
with these NDS
pop up cases. Pack
holds 6 games
SOUND GRIP
£14.99
MSRP
SOUNDGRIP
Max your DS Lite gameplay with this handheld
stereo speaker system. The easy fit compact
design fits perfectly in your hands for the
ultimate play and is available in 3 colours
BUDGET
£ undup
o
r
T
E
G
D
U
B
top games at rock-bottom prices…
£1
9.99
B nk
u
[+] Format: PS2 [+] Released: Out now
[+] Publisher: Rockstar/Take Two
➔
Stink-bombs ahoy! Despite some
predictably ill-informed tabloid coverage,
Rockstar’s Bully has more in common with the
chemistry sets and catapults of comic books
and prep school drama than with GTA. That
said, it does share the satisfying ‘explore and
experiment’ freeform mission structure. Young
Jimmy Hopkins is the new kid at Bullworth
Academy, at odds with a cast of nerds, jocks
and other social cliques who dominate the
schoolyard. Can he attend lessons, engage in
some extra-curricular fun without detention,
stand up to the bullies and make an impression
on his classmates by the end of term? Angling
for mischief, you’ll be able to start food fights,
sneak past prefects, raid the girl’s dorm or
deliver a punishing wedgie, tackling the heavies
with an arsenal that includes spud guns, marbles
and bottle rockets. Backed up by Rockstar’s
infamous humour and some decent ideas, this
is inventive stuff. ■
NFS: CARBON
…
or ng
t f ci
es ra
B et
e
£1
9.9
INFO
r
St
… ns
or essio
f
t r
es mp
… s
or ick
t f bl
es ni
£1
9.99
B hy
as
M
£1
4.99
B ie i
k
oo
W
[+] Format: PS2, Xbox [+] Released: Out now
[+] Publisher: EA
➔Think Sunday afternoons and you
[+] Format: PS2, Xbox, DS, PSP
[+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: LucasArts
➔ Though an unexpected hit, the first
LSW title was an inspired combination of action
and puzzles in a world of bricks that proved
simple, addictive fun for Star Wars fans of all
ages. But what of Han, Leia and the ‘proper’
might, if you’re like us, think golf. But not
outdoors, if you’re honestly like us. Besides
taking on Woods himself, you’ll be able to play
rounds with 20 of the world’s top players in their
rendered glory, visiting 21 courses that include
licenced versions of St Andrews and Pebble
Beach. The putting has been reworked and a
new swing feature is ball placement, where you
can move the ball backward in your stance for
greater height or forward for a lower shot with
more roll. It’s tweaking and customisation like
this that makes Tour ’07 a more demanding
season for the golfing pro. ■
SIMS 2: Pets
9
… e
or
t f tim
es g
£1
4.99
B din
e
Fe
[+] Format: PS2, Xbox [+] Released: Out now
[+] Publisher: EA
➔ If you like The Fast And The Furious
then you’ll be perfectly at home with NFS; not
least for the live-action cut scenes starring
38
LEGO STAR WARS II
ORIGINAL TRILOGY
TIGER WOODS PGA
TOUR 07
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
INFO
INFO
B
Darth Vader? This sequel takes its cues from the
original movies (for purists, that means Greedo
doesn’t shoot first!) and sends up the series
with some genuine laughs, while retaining clever
ideas such as being able to build useful items
from blocks on the fly. ■
INFO
…
or ff
tf go
s
e in
LA’s finest up-and-coming waitresses. There’s
a delectable array of real-world and high-end
vehicles to acquire, from Detroit City muscle
motors such as the Dodge Challenger Concept to
the Porsche and Lamborghini exotics. Features
are extensively pimp-able, as you’d demand. But
the real engine of the beast is a procession of
racing challenges to claim turf from the crews of
Palmont City.
The police chases of Most Wanted are played
down in Carbon in favour of boss duels and
canyon races, where a flimsy barrier stands
between you and plummeting death. You also get
the help of wingmen, whose tactics can be set to
scout for shortcuts, slipstream ahead or simply
block out the competition. Solid driving action. ■
INFO
CANIS CANEM EDIT
Ama
Valu zing
e!
➔
[+] Format: PC [+] Released: Out now
[+] Publisher: EA
So now your family of virtual human
pets can get pets of their own to play with! But
BUDGET
don’t let that mess with your head. Instead,
prepare to see some of that prized Sims decor
being clawed up, those lovingly-chosen floor
tiles being littered by overturned bins and the
comfiest chair being claimed by obstinate furry
shirkers. Choose from a range of breeds, define
their pet personalities from finicky felines to
doofus dogs – then watch your Sims feed their
animal companions and even train them up.
Well, they can try! ■
HEROES OF MIGHT
AND MAGIC V:
HAMMERS OF FATE
… ss
or ine
t f warv
s
e d
£4
.99
INFO
B hy
t
ar
Sw
[+] Format: PC [+] Released: Out now
[+] Publisher: Ubisoft
➔ Nival Interactive’s 3D update of the
series stuck to the principles of the turn-based
strategy game: collect resources, build a
castle and raise an army to plunder the land
by commanding your fantasy heroes. This
expansion set brings a new Dwarven faction to
the mix, introducing new characters and items
while polishing up some of the original game
mechanics like beeswax on a plaited ginger
beard. The new campaign adds 15 missions
and, at last, that welcome random map
generator. ■
OKAMI
…
or lf
t f wo
s
e g
£1
9.99
B in
y
➔
Gaming on the
go has just become
more affordable, as we
announce the CHIPS
special offer on a huge
range of handheld titles
for both the PSP and DS.
Buy any two games on
offer and you’ll pay just
£15 each!
Keep checking your
local store for the latest
inclusions and
availability, because the
offers will change over
time, but we think it’s fair
to say there’s something
here for everyone. There’s platforming in Tomb
Raider Legends, Spider-man: Battle For New
York (DS) and Prince of Persia Revelations
(PSP). Lose yourself in the RPG Breath of Fire
III (PSP). Fighting fans can enjoy SF Alpha 3
Max or the Power Stone Collection. Our hot tip
for armchair generals is Field Commander
(PSP), a critically-rated turn-based military
strategy title. If you like a bit of action to your
puzzles then dig for oxygen in Mr Driller: Drill
Spirits (DS), flip tiles in Polarium (DS), or roll
liquid metal around 3D mazes in Archer
exploring castles and facing mythical beasts to
rid the land of a curse.
The unique visual style resembles a
watercolour scroll for good reason, as your
divine power is to redraw the world through a
miraculous ‘celestial brush’ technique. As you
advance, you’ll acquire new skills to fight
demons and solve puzzles, such as painting a
lily pad to float across a river or striking a line
through a tree to chop it in half.
Don’t be put off by the plodding start – this
game builds into one of the most engaging
action adventures of its generation, with many
hours of play and plentiful sidequests. ■
Maclean’s Mercury and also Mercury
Meltdown (PSP).
And with that price point, it’s a great time
to consider some of the better retro and
compilation titles. Midway Arcade Treasures:
Extended Play contains everything from Spy
Hunter and Defender to the Mortal Kombat
games, while the Sega Mega Drive Collection
is a retro blast through Sonic The Hedgehog,
Golden Axe and Ecco the Dolphin. Not that
we’re old enough to remember them first time
around (cough). ■
WWE SMACKDOWN
VS RAW 2007
…
or ng
t f ndi
s
e e
£1
7.99
B tr
s
Ve
INFO
Cr
HANDHELD HEAVEN!
[+] Format: PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360
[+] Released: Out now [+] Publisher: THQ
INFO
➔ Are you grappling hooked? The series
[+] Format: PS2 [+] Released: Out now
[+] Publisher: Capcom
➔ If you missed it on release, now’s the
time to experience a title that can honestly give
Zelda a run for its money. Steeped in Japanese
folklore, Okami casts you as a god in wolf’s
clothing. You’ll traverse villages and forests,
continues to improve with each edition and
2007 introduces analogue control into the
wrestling holds and moves for greater precision,
as well as season modes and online gaming.
The arena has been expanded beyond the
ring so you can take the action right out to the
crowd. You get to improvise weapons and even
grab items presented to you by your
many fans. This really is fantastic
multiplayer fun – just don’t suggest
they’re faking it. ■
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07 39
®
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.
Jack Spa r row, ea
you r h ea rt ou t! t
It wa s fun and games at
CHIPS Middles bro ugh the
day staff dec ided to cele
brate the laun ch of
Pirates of the Car ibbe an:
At Wo rld’s End .
Ma nager Helen Hod son and
sale s ass ista nt Kat ie
Sut ton dre sse d as the ir
fav our ite cha rac ters.
Cus tomers dipp ed int o a
tre asu re che st for
Pirates of the Car ibbe an
goo dies and ma ny
entere d the prize draw to
win the Pirate boo ty.
Luc ky Joa nne Coa kle y wa
s thr illed to
disc ove r she had won and
collected the Boo ty Bag
fille d wit h T-Sh irts, key rin
gs, ma sks and a Pirates
of the Car ibbe an Sta nde
e.
Jos eph and Oliv ia Sho vlin
(pic tured belo w)
sco ope d the run ner-up priz
e of goo dy bag and hat.
We ll done to all! !
Artist in th e m ak ing
right) is a great
Game r Aiden Taylo r (pict ured below,
14 year old
The
see.
can
you
as
fan,
an
Gitaroo-M
Staff ord and
CHIPS
into
ing
draw
rful
popp ed his colou
ed she sent it on
store owne r Susa n Lake was so pleas
rd is on its way.
to CHIPS CHAT. Than ks Aiden, a rewa
Dudley N VQ
CHIPS Dud ley sale s ass ista
nt Lin dse y Richards wa s
determ ine d to do wel l
wh en she joined the sto re
a yea r ago and Lin dse y has
now com pleted her
NVQ in Cus tomer Ser vice
Level 2.
‘Lin dse y is a gre at ass et
to the sto re,’ said ow ner
prides itse lf on its cus tom
Gav Pea rso n. ‘CHIPS
er ser vice . Lin dse y certain
ly gives that. She
always has a huge smi le
on her fac e and brighte ns
up the sto re.’
Lin dse y is kee n to con tin
ue her stu dies and is sta
rting ano the r
cou rse soo n.
40
summer/AUTUMN 07
chat
SPIDEY on top!
CHIPS has managed to bag a very rare lifesized model of Spidey – one of only eight made
in the world! The hero has been given pride of
place on top of CHIPS head office in Borough
Road, Middlesbrough.
Only one of the eight masterpieces was
shipped to the UK and Activision chose CHIPS
as the very grateful recipient, as it knew we
would put him to good use.
Tiger Scaffolding lent a hand to get
Spidey into place on the rooftop of the threestorey building and there he sits just waiting
to pounce.
Sta f ford Float
yo u ca n see
up for anyt hing as
CH IPS Staffo rd are
es.
at in
from th ese pic tur
t place for th eir flo
Af ter sco op ing firs
th ey
ar,
ye
t
las
rd
ffo
e at Sta
ye ar.
is
th e M ayor ’s Pa rad
th
t
figh
od
go
pu t up a
we re determ ine d to
d fa b as th e
ke
loo
ke
La
n
sa
Su
Fra nchis ee
am wa s, of
an d husba nd Grah
Queen of Vu lga ria
y Ba ng Ba ng
itt
Ch
y
itt
Ch
th eir
cou rse , th e King in
eff ort
th emed-en tr y.
ey’d made a gre at
Th e judge s ag ree d th
lke d off wi th
wa
up
gro
urt
Co
an d Th e St M ar y’s
ke it th ree
ne xt ye ar th ey’ll ma
joi nt firs t. M ay be
in a row.
LA RA HITS THE TOWN !!
Who need s Ange lina Jolie ... Whe n you
have Aime e
Summers?
The CHIPS Dudle y regul ar sport ingly
dress ed as
Lara to celeb rate the relea se of the new
Tomb Raide r
Anni versa ry game . Store owne r Gav
Pears on was so
impressed , he persu aded her to hit the
town handing
out CHIPS Mag azine to the deligh t of
shoppers.
Gene rousl y Gav then parte d with the
game and
poste rs as a than k you to Aime e for
her sterl ing
efforts. ‘She looke d abso lutely great
and did a great
job promoting the store roun d town,
’ said Gav.
Aime e, 19, has now comp leted the game
and is
anxio usly awai ting its relea se on the
Wii.
W hat a d is play
!
CH IPS Staffo rd is kn
ow n for its gre at wi
dis plays an d it ha s
ndow
sco op ed ye t an oth
er
ac col ade for th e gre
at sh ow it rec en tly
gave
th e Xb ox 360.
Th e wi ndow-dress
ing ta len ts of sa les
as sis ta nt Ch ris M
cCo rm ick placed th
e St
M ar y’s Gate sto re
in top spo t in th e
M icroso ft/Ge m reg
ion al com pe tit ion .
Ch ris,
23, ha s wo n £300
of vo uch ers, much
to th e
del igh t of sto re ow
ne r Susa n La ke .
CHIPS BA BY
CHIPS Ashf ord fran chise e Chris
Muck ell and part ner Lyne tte are
celeb rating the birth of their first
child , Jessica Bridie Muck ell born
at 7lb 1oz on Wednesday, July
18th . Jessica and mum Lyne tte
are both doing great.
contact us
If you have some
CHIPS news, why
not send it in to
us. Or perhaps
you’re a budding
artist? Why not
send us in a pict
ure of your favo
urite
game character,
or even your
favourite CHIPS
staff member! If
drawing isn’t yo
ur thing, then w
hy
not write us a le
tter
love to hear from . CHIPS always
you!
editor@chipswor
ld.co.uk.
INCOMING! Faisal Ali and his wife Ayshah of CHIPS Chorlton have a new baby called Maaria, a sister for Humzah…
summer/AUTUMN 07
41
®
GEAR
ÈDanglers
n Price: 99p n Release date: Out now
The latest craze to sweep the US and Japan has now come
here – these mini-characters are perfect for personalising
your handheld or mobile phone! Get a Dangler from your
favourite game – chose between Pokémon and Animal
Crossing. And watch out for the new Nintendogs Danglers
coming later this year. There are loads to collect!
R
A
E
G
P
TO
ÁHalo 3: 12”
Master Chief
Statue
n Price: £89.99
n Release date: October
This 12” Vinyl statue is highly
detailed and comes with
interchangeable hands which
have either pistols or an energy
sword attached.
PC Wireless Gaming
Receiver for
Windows Ë
n Price: £14.99
n Release date: Out now
This popular gadget allows you to
use all of your wireless Xbox 360
peripherals on your PC. And we
don’t just mean your pads, you can
use wheels and headsets too! You
really can get the most out of your
PC gaming.
Halo 3: Master Chief
Kubricks Box Set Ë
n Price: £19.99 n Release date: Out now
These sort-after block figures feature the likeness of
Halo’s Master Chief. This four-pack includes traditional
green, online red plus blue and stealth clear versions
of Master Chief. Keep your eyes out for the rare Black
chase version. Figures stand at 2 1/2 inches tall.
42
summer/AUTUMN 07
GEAR
Nintendo DS Deluxe Game
Traveller: Pokemon
Diamond and Pearl Ë
n Price: £14.99 n Release date: Out now
If you are a Pokémon fan then check out these snazzy
new accessories from Nintendo. The top zippered
pocket holds your games, AC adaptor and accessories
while the adjustable shoulder strap features a side
release buckle. Your DS remains safe with this protective
pouch and the inside mesh pockets provide space for
additional storage.
ÁDS Lite range
n Price: Soundgrip £14.99 / Game Case £4.99 n Release date: Out now
Love your DS Lite? Then you’ll love these two new goodies which will improve
your DS Lite gaming no end. Enhance the sound with our handheld stereo speaker
system, perfectly designing for optimum fit in your hands. Or protect your games
with these useful pop-up cases.
n this
i
u
o
y
r
o
store f
n
i
s
t
a
e
ever
r
t
t
a
e
h
m
w
o
,
s
e
ly have
r consol r you.
n
i
u
a
o
t
y
r
r
e
e
c
v
e
e
fo
Wow! W IPS Gear. What has something
CH
HIPS
C
,
e
issue of
m
a
ourite g
v
a
f
r
u
o
y
ÈConsole coolers
n Price: Wii £9.99 / Xbox 360 £19.99 /
PS3 £29.99 n Release date: Out now
Even though summer so far has not been that
hot, keeping your console cool is of utmost
importance! These console coolers for the
PS3, XBox 360 and Wii keep the air
flowing throughout the console and
help keep it running at optimum
performance.
Xbox 360 Arcade
GAMEStick Ë
n Price: £24.99 n Release date: Out now
Take the Xbox Live Arcade gaming experience to the
next level with this great Arcade GameStick for Xbox
360, providing the best gaming experience for Xbox
Live Arcade. You’ll enjoy its unique styling, full-size
joystick and spinner control while the sleek design
compliments your console.
new
lower
price
summer/AUTUMN 07
43
®
LAN PARTIES
chips investigates
lan parties
Everyone’s PC is working? Crisps are out? Fingers are ready
on your assault rifles? Then we’re ready to (LAN) party!
L
AN stands for Local Area Network. A ‘LAN party’ is simply a bunch of
gamers who get together in one place, hook their consoles and
computers together and then play multiplayer games until their eyes
melt, laughing in the faces of their defeated friends… LAN parties are
great fun – and you’re not a true geek until you’ve tried to host one…
5 great shooters
FPSs are great for LAN parties because they get loads of people in the
game. We would recommend…
What you
need to host
a LAN party…
✔ Space
A big room with plenty of tables and chairs…
If your house isn’t big enough, ask if you can
host it in your local internet café. They’ll have
all the facilities you could need.
✔ Machines!
1. CounterStrike
2. Battlefield 3. Unreal
(series)
Tournament
4. Doom
(series)
5. Quake
(series)
Get kitted out for battle…
From mean mice to cunning keysets, CHIPS has a great range of
products to give you the edge over the competition and really immerse
you in the thick of the action. Here are just a couple…
Steel Series
SteelSound 5H V2
USB Headphones
ZBoard Battlefield 2 Keyboard Set
Great for LAN or online shoot-ups, the ZBoard
Battlefield 2 Keyboard set has labelled, sloped and
enlarged ‘butterfly’ keys to let you rapidly switch
weapons, chuck grenades and move about with a
speed that leaves enemies defenceless.
This headset was developed
specially for in-game
frequencies, which makes
sounds like footsteps, alerts
and gunfire especially clear. Hear and
pinpoint the location of your opponents, before they
hear you… The SteelSound 5H V2 also features a
nifty retractable pull-out microphone system.
CHIPS stocks a range of products from:
44
SUMMER/AUTUMN 07
Get as many of your invited friends as
possible to bring their PCs, monitors,
consoles or portables – and plenty of spare
leads. Haven’t a clue about ethernet leads,
hubs, switches and power supply strips?
Don’t worry! Your CHIPS store will be happy
to advise you.
✔ Headphones
You wouldn’t believe the racket just a few
people shooting at each other makes.
✔ Games
And remember that everyone’s PC games
must all be the same version with the
same patches.
✔ Patience
It takes time to plug everything in. And almost
as much time arguing about what you’re
going to play next!
✔ Food!
Lots of party grub, such as crisps, pop and
takeway pizza.
competitions
competitions!
win! an xbox 360 elite
wort
h
You’ll be the envy of all your mates if you’re lucky enough to scoop
this fantastic prize – thanks to Microsoft.
›
Microsoft’s update of the Xbox
360 is finally here and you have
a chance to win one of your own! The
Elite comes with a 120GB hard drive,
a classy black exterior and is bundled
with an HDMI cable ready to plug
straight into your HD television. We are
also offering FIVE Xbox mini-footballs as
runner-up prizes.
£ 329. 99
To win answer this correctly:
What size hard drive does
the Elite come with?
WIN!
WIN!
HOW TO ENTER Send your answer, name, age and
address to CHIPS Elite Competition, 63-65 Borough Road,
Middlesbrough, TS1 3AA by October 12 2007. Winners will be
contacted by CHIPS and announced in the next issue of CHIPS
Magazine. The first correct answer drawn will win the Xbox Elite.
The next five correct answers drawn will win Xbox mini-footballs.
win! halo 3
legendary edition
›
Master Chief returns to finish the
fight, bringing the epic conflict
between the Covenant, the Flood and the
entire human race to a pulse-pounding
climax. Microsoft has produced a highlylimited run of this four-disc set that
comes with a hugely collectable replica
of a Spartan Mjolnir Mark IV Helmet and
a Display Stand. We are also offering FIVE
Xbox mini-footballs as runner-up prizes.
Thanks to Microsoft, we have this collectable prize to give away.
To win answer this correctly:
By what name is the hero in
Halo 3 commonly known?
WIN!
WIN!
last issue’s
HOW TO ENTER Send your answer, name, age and
address to CHIPS Halo 3 Competition, 63-65 Borough Road,
Middlesbrough, TS1 3AA by October 12 2007. Winners will be
contacted by CHIPS and announced in the next issue of CHIPS
Magazine. The first correct answer drawn will win Halo 3:
Legendary Edition. Please note, the winner must be 16 plus due
to game recommendation. The next five correct answers drawn
will win Xbox mini-footballs.
competition WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS! These lucky winners have scooped goodies from the last CHIPS Magazine competitions.
XBOX 360 COMPETITION: Xbox inflatable sofa, green rucksack, mini-football
plus game: David Ralphs, Dudley; S Ratcliffe, Ashford; J McAllister, Glasgow.
Xbox inflatable sofa, green rucksack, mini-football: Amanda Dawson, Newton
Aycliffe; John King, Longton; Chris Burn, Sunderland; Anne Postill, Houghton.
Xbox mini-football: Maxwell Greer, St Annes; James Rolph, Stafford; Robin
Gibson, Loftus; Alexander Greer, St Annes; John Forth, Chester Le Street; John
Lovatt, Uttoxeter.
MONSTER COMPETITION: Jacket
and branded T-shirt: Graham B Lloyd,
Penshaw; Susan Pearson, Chester Le
Street; John Lovatt, Uttoxeter; James
Whitaker, Cobridge, Stoke-on-trent; Ian
Potts, Burslem, Stoke-on-trent; Mrs M
Ward, Preston.
summer/autumn 07
45
®
LETTERS
S stam
p
l
e
m
CHIPS
S stam
p
st
a
than being difficult and showy yet
ineffectual, will form an important part
of trying to unlock defences. The whole
game will make you work realistically
harder for your goals – much like you
do in our old favourite Pro Evo. Yep,
we’re really looking forward to FIFA 08,
and you can be sure that we’ll bring
you more information on it in the next
issue of CHIPS Magazine.
Dear CHIPS
I couldn’t help but notice that in the Tips section
of your last issue, the strength and firearms
categories got a bit mixed up, but all was not
lost as the tips were still quality!
James Blenkin, Preston
Dear CHIPS
I was wondering whether you could tell me if
the long-awaited GTA IV will be available on PS2
as well as the PS3? I really hope it is as I can’t
afford to get a PS3!
Laura Smith, Letchworth
Sorry for any confusion. We had a little
pixie playing the game until his mind
literally melted! We’re glad you liked the
tips, though. We think it helps to have a
few strategic pointers for a game such
as Crackdown.
We are sorry to tell you Laura that GTA
IV is only available on PS3 and Xbox 360
– which is disappointing if you don’t
own one of them, but then it is very
much a next-gen game. If you love GTA,
it could be time to get saving!
Difficult as it is to believe, come the
next issue of CHIPS Magazine, it will
be winter. No, really! It will be as if
summer never happened…
There will be plenty of great new
games to fill those long, dark nights,
though. What’s to look forward to?
Well, for starters, GTA IV will be here at
last – and it’s looking so big, it might
keep us busy until next spring at the
very least.
Then there’s Super Mario Galaxy
– a game that every Wii owner will
want for Christmas. The comeback of
the classic horror-survival Alone in the
Dark (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) will be great
to play on windy evenings. And we’re
also getting excited about Star Wars:
The Force Unleashed (DS, PSP, PS3,
Xbox 360).
We’ll be bringing you news on
all these fabulous games in the next
issue, plus much much more. Until
then, happy gaming!
expert advice
X
box Live is an online community where you
can always find your friends to share what you
enjoy the most. Every Xbox 360 console comes
with a free Xbox Live Gold trial, so you can
easily get a taste of what’s in store. WHY SHOULD I JOIN?
As well as playing with your mates at home, you can
also play online with people across the globe. As soon
as you connect, your Gamer Tag will let your friends
know you are around. You needn’t worry about
unwelcome guests as you have complete control over
your friends list. 46 Summer/AUTUMN 07
tips what is xbox live?
You’ll have access to the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Playable demos of upcoming games, movie trailers,
music videos plus all the Gamer Pictures and Themes
to personalise your Xbox 360 world are updated
regularly. It’s also home to Xbox Live Arcade where
modern favourites join coin-op classics. You’ll find
plenty of free content. HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Along with your free Xbox Live Gold trial, you’ll need a
broadband connection, an Xbox Hard Drive or Memory
Unit and a network cable or an Xbox 360 Wireless
Network Adapter.
WHAT NEXT?
After your free Xbox Live Gold trial finishes you choose
a subscription package that suits your pocket. Costs
are either £39.99 for £12 months or £14.99 for three
months, all available at your local CHIPS store. You can
also use Xbox Points which
cost £17.49 for 2,100 and
are also available at CHIPS
stores. Most downloads
then cost somehwere
between 300 and 800
points. Simple!
●
●
IP
CH
p
Date
l
a pp
f
S sta
mp
va
Signatur
o f ap p r o
va
o f ap p r o
p
letter
st
a
m
CHIP
o
CHIPS
●
NEXT ISSUE…
14 November
Dear CHIPS
I recently bought FIFA 07
after reading your Budget
Roundup section and
was amazed! It truly is a
revitalised game. Have you got
any news of the 2008 version? I can’t wait!
Steve Finnan, Stockton
FIFA 08 is out on PS3, PS2, PSP and
Xbox 360 on September 28 – and
it looks as if it’s going to be really
good. Its new ball physics engine,
which calculates things such as ‘kick
velocities’ and ‘swerve trajectories’,
promises to be amazing. Hit a shot
really sweetly and you’ll score a Stevie
Gerrard rocket. Any skew will send it
curling away. Tricks, meanwhile, rather
Date
●
●
Write a star letter and win a CHIPS goodie bag
Email the editor at [email protected]
star
Signature
of
roval
Date
approva
l
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roval
f
ure
Signat
PS sta
CHI
mp
of
approva
l
●
o
LETTERS
IP
CH
gift vouchers!
Birthd
Christ ay?
Don’t mas?
what know
to buy
Why n
ot pop
?
i n to
pic k
C HIP
up o
then t ur gift vou S and
c h e rs ,
hey ca
n
thems choose for
elves!
Finalist in MCV Independent Retailer Award 2006
Finalist in MCV Most Improved Retailer 2006
®
branches
Arnold
01159 209991
Ashford
01233 621710
Bishop Auckland 01388 606046
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01257 265444
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Consett
01207 506688
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01325 381048
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01287 637777
Hartlepool
01429 869800
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01772 673300
Letchworth
01462 675333
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01609 777612
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*MAG025--1*