® FREE E-MAGAZINE! READ IT, PLUS! PRINT IT, SEND IT TO YOUR MATES… ® VALKYRIE PROFILE : Covenant of the Plume™ Rhapsody™: A Musical Adventure My Pet Shop™ DRAGON ® QUEST : The Hand of the Heavenly Bride™ Find out about this stunning RPG. Plus much more AND MORE… CONTROL ® Welcome f you’re a fan of videogames (and, if you’re reading this magazine, then there’s a pretty good chance that you are) then you’ve surely heard of Square Enix. IThey’re the company responsible for some of the most breathtakingly beautiful games of the last 15 years, ® and no other game producer seems able to create such VALKYRIE PROFILE : amazingly stylised worlds, packed as they are with ™ imagery that wouldn’t look out of place in a high budget ® Covenant of the Plume Hollywood blockbuster. Don’t believe us? Take the Final Fantasy series as an CHRONO TRIGGER Another classic Japanese example. The first Final Fantasy game was released 22 Your chance to play one of the most RPG is heading your way. years ago on the original Nintendo NES console, and since then the series has sold a staggering 85 million revered RPGs of all time on your DS. units worldwide. Each one creates a world that draws you in immediately from the first frames of the intro ® FINAL FANTASY ® movie to the final boss battle. Playing a Final Fantasy DRAGON QUEST : CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: game is allowing yourself to step into an alternate reality ™ that’ll keep you gripped for weeks. The Hand of the Heavenly Bride Echoes of Time™ But Square Enix are anything but a one-trick pony. Their Dragon Quest series, although not so well-known in The best-selling ‘other’ The Crystal Chronicles Blighty, has still managed to sell over 45 million copies. Square series comes to DS. series continues. And then there’s Kingdom Hearts (which mixes Disney characters with popular ones from Square games) and the superb Chrono Trigger, among many, many others. So this magazine is a celebration of one of ® the most original and constantly innovative ™ DISGAEA DS games developers you’ll find. And with a My Pet Shop™ Rhapsody : whole range of original and playable titles on A Musical Adventure Find out all about this the way from them for the DS, there’s never Square does stunning remake of been a better time to celebrate. Nintendogs? Music to our ears! the PSP title, Enjoy the issue, Yes, but it’s Disgaea: Hour of much more Darkness Dean Mortlock than that. CONTROL ® “The game shifted 2.5 million copies in the US and Japan” Trigger happy Why this is an RPG to get very excited about ® From: SQUARE ENIX CHRONO TRIGGER A bit like: The best RPG ever? Quite possibly Final Fantasy III f you consider yourself to be this sword and sorcery masterpiece eventually Link: www.chrono a dedicated RPG fanatic then is widely considered as one of the unearths an evil triggergame.com chances are the Super Nintendo most perfect examples of the genre. plot that has its classic Chrono Trigger will However, although the reputation origins at the dawn of time itself. As OUT NOW I require no introduction. Shifting 2.5 of this near-legendary game is you can see, it’s hardly the most million copies in the US and Japan impressive, many European gamers conventional RPG plotline ever – it’s following its debut way back in 1995, won’t have actually played it before sort of like Back to the Future fused because it cruelly never saw the with The Legend of Zelda – light of day in this part of the world. but you can take our word for it, Thankfully, that oversight is in the this is one voyage you simply won’t process of being rectified, as Square want to miss. Enix has skilfully updated the original The time-travel system is literally Time warp Innovation Replay value 16-bit version and is preparing to bursting with potential. We’ve yet to unleash it on our soil for the first experience the myriad of mind- time ever, and on the DS. bending possibilities that are The story centres on the time- contained within the game, but InnovationReplayTime warp value travelling exploits of a young boy here’s an example of what to expect: TheOnce abilityevents you complete toof muckChrono aboutChrono Trigger with Trigger span the space several– a task time time that continuum zones.is likely The to called Crono. After stepping into a Early on we encountered a character isn’ttake‘present thedays onlyday’ rather originalis a thanworld thing hours where about – you’llsteam Chrono notice punk Trigger, antechnology option as you’llcalled and malfunctioning teleportation device who was selfishly barring our find‘Newmagical that Game+’ folklorethe combat which rub allowsshoulderssystem you is withalsoto restart onepretty another. the innovative, tale The with Middle too.the The bottom DS he finds himself on an heroic progress. The solution? We travelled DubbedsameAges isequipment, a‘Active more Timeprimitive experience Battle’, version it and grants of skills the the modernyou player earned agemore during and display helpfully adventure that crosses the back in time and hooked up with one freedomtheAncient previous time than quest.is is populated usually Why seen would by hairyin youtraditional cavemen. want to Japanese do There’s this, I RPGs.hearalso showcases all of your boundaries of both time and space. of his ancestors, and by winning available options Charactersyou2300 cry? AD Well, – ancan theunpleasant move game around features future at will worlda staggering and where they evenmankind 14 possible have is during combat. Along the way he befriends their trust we discovered that the accessendings,virtually to extinct.which killer means‘Tech’ It’s this skills.it bleakboasts future some than serious Crono replay and hisvalue. invaluable companions hailing from previously stubborn descendant companions are trying to prevent from coming to pass. several different time zones, and was now more than happy to CONTROL “The time-travel ® system is bursting with potential” Chrono Trigger continued with visual improvements here. The to this edition) graphics are essentially unchanged and the help. In Chrono Trigger it’s possible from the original 16-bit SNES touchscreen to alter the course of history in both version, but instead of appearing technology obvious and not-so-obvious ways. outdated, the lush 2D appearance is of the DS is Although Square Enix has recently fabulous. Fully animated story utilised to given classic titles like Final Fantasy sequences are included (these were create a more III a fresh 3D lick of paint, they’ve actually part of the 1997 PlayStation intuitive decided to be a little more subtle remake, so they’re not strictly new interface. The map on the bottom display Established fans will have exclusive helps you navigate your way around the various dungeons new content to look forward to, that litter the landscape. including an all-new dungeon and a wireless-play mode. SLIGHTLY ANNOYED European gamers may have had valid reason to be slightly annoyed about missing out on such a brilliance RPG for the past 15 years, but patience is a virtue, as the saying goes. This remastered edition is shaping up to be the definitive version of Chrono Trigger and should ensure that DS gamers will be glued to their consoles for weeks on end. How ready? Surely brave warriors don’t need to gang up on a mushroom? How good? A future RPG classic? Very possibly VERDICT CONTROL CONTROL ® The new 3D visuals are Your quest will feature both epic truly breathtaking in places. and not-so-epic encounters – guess which one this is classed as… ® From: SQUARE ENIX DRAGON QUEST: A bit like: The Legend of ™ Zelda: Phantom The Hand of the Heavenly Bride Hourglass Link: www.dragon This is one bride that’s taken some time to reach the altar quest-game.com lthough Western gamers Bride is actually a retooled version period of 20 years, during which the Out: 20th February might usually associate of the fifth game in the lineage, first main character matures into an adult Square Enix with the near- released on Nintendo’s 16-bit Super and even starts his own family. A legendary Final Fantasy NES way back in the mists of time Don’t let the colourful graphics series, in Japan the company (well, 1992 to be exact). The rather and light-hearted presentation fool is arguably more famous for sparse 2D visuals of the original you – this game packs an emotional publishing the insanely popular game have been replaced by punch, and is widely celebrated in Dragon Quest franchise. impressively bold 3D graphics, and Japan for possessing one of the The Japanese are simply the screen can be rotated at will most riveting RPG plotlines ever potty for this long-running using the L and R shoulder buttons written. Dragon Quest: THotHB may range of RPG titles (this is more than just a neat visual have taken almost two decades to Dragon Quest: The trick however, as it’s often essential reach European shores, but early Hand of the Heavenly if you want to discover well-hidden impressions suggest that the wait passageways and treasure chests). has most definitely been worth it. In terms of gameplay, there’s little “This is a retooled here that dedicated RPG fans won’t How ready? have witnessed before (this is a version of the fifth game from the early 90s, after all) How good? but it’s the storyline that truly game in the lineage” Epic RPG storytelling at its finest astounds. It takes place over a VERDICT CONTROL ® Once you’re ™ confident that your pet is a winner, you From: SQUARE ENIX can enter it into various contests.