June 2002 Volume 83 Number 6 "serving the protectors"
Edited By John Ballantyne

The Italian Job
Format: PS2 (and PC in September)

Based on the 1969 cult classic film of the same name, The Italian Job includes the most exciting car chases, storyline and thrills from the film.

Charlie Croker (played by Michael Caine in the movie) has just finished a three-year stretch in a British prison.

Undeterred, he has a cunning plan: to gridlock Turin, stage a heist of millions of dollars worth of gold bullion, right from under the noses of the mafia and the Turin police, and then race a small team of Minis down a cleverly crafted escape slope.

In this game, you get to play one of his drivers in this third person mission-based driving game.

You have to master 14 different vehicles, including flash sports cars, 4x4s, and the legendary Mini Cooper – each with unique handling abilities.

You screech down sewers, roar over rooftops and tear through the Alps – whatever it takes to survive fast-paced car chases, dodgy pick-ups and daring getaways.

All the great high-speed chases and thrills from the movie are featured throughout the game, including the escape sequence from the Piazza, the ride down the church steps, multiple heart-stopping roof jumps, and driving across the river. Features include:

• Six different game modes.
• 16 The Italian Job missions.
• Two “free ride” levels (London and Turin).
• 50 levels across “Challenge”, “Destructor” and “Checkpoint” modes.
• Eight-player “party” mode.
• Drive three Austin Mini Cooper S rally cars, 11 other motors and the famous coach.

To add extra realism, the game also features the voice of Michael Caine impersonator, Phil Cornwall.

In the new PC version of The Italian Job – due for release later this year – there will be six different play modes, as well as night and day missions.

SSX Tricky
Format: PS2, Nintendo Game Cube

SSX Tricky – a snowboarding downhill racing game – is larger than life and full of thrills, and easily surpasses its predecessor, the original and popular SSX game.

The action is more intense than ever, with massive jumps, impossibly insane circus-style stunts, stomach-dropping near-vertical drops, and no-holds-barred snowboarding action.

Features include:

• 12 ultra-hip riders to choose from – six all-new boarders and six seasoned veterans from the original game.
• Three game modes: World Circuit, Show-Off (for stunts and tricks), and Free Ride.

To succeed, you must perform as many tricks as you can. This enhances your boost gauge and enables you to go faster.

Competing against you are other racers – each superbly animated and with a distinct personality and style – who can make alliances with other boarders or become their enemies.

SSX Tricky has a great soundtrack, and uses a number of well-known stage and screen performers to do voiceovers for the animated competitors.

The game is easy to master. The controls are very responsive, and enable even beginners to pull off a few stunts.

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
Format: PS2 (and soon Xbox)

Sony’s unofficial mascot, Crash Bandicoot, is back for more marsupial madness.

His evil foe, Dr Neo Cortex, wielding the destructive power of the Four Elements, creates Crunch, a super-bandicoot with one mission – to demolish all that lies before him!

Will Crash Bandicoot and his sister Coco be up to the challenge?

This 3D platform game has familiar elements, but also comes with lots of sub-games and new features.

Getting through the game’s 30 levels (including a few new ones featuring Crash’s sister, Coco) is pretty straightforward.

But to really excel, you need to accomplish a few secondary tasks, such as collecting gems and relics.

An array of vehicle levels keeps things interesting.

As Crash, you get to fly a plane and control the Heli-Pak, the Mini-Scooter, a Jeep, a Mine Kart, and a Mech Suit straight out of Aliens.

Crash’s latest incarnation comes with cleaner graphics and some solid animation.

The new game also features the voices of Mark Hamill (of Star Wars fame) and R. Lee Ermy (who played the drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket).

The loading times, which in the PS2 version left a lot to be desired, have been improved out of recognition for the Xbox version.

Tetris 4000
Format: PS2

For many years, Tetris has been one of the most successful and widely played computer puzzle games in history.

Its basic concept is straightforward. Seven differently shaped blocks fall from the sky. You rotate them before they land, in order to make them fit together. Get an unbroken line of blocks, and it disappears.

Tetris has several variations on this theme, including Gadget Tetris, Bombtris, and several others, as well as four degrees of complexity.

Tetris 4000 now offers new 3D effects: oscillating blocks, a moving interactive frame, and good 3D gameplay.

Other features include a bomb that blows up several lines of blocks, rotating bonus and special figures.

You can compete with people around the world and see your name on a High Score List on the Internet.

Easy-listening popular music and stereo sound effects will make you forget the outside world while you are playing.

Fantastic Computer Game Offer:
Win the following computer game: Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire (PlayStation), reviewed in Police Journal, November 2001.

Write down on the back of an envelope your details, and send the envelope to Computer Game Comp, SA Police Journal (168).

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