Ultra Console Game #287

Ultra Console Game is the name of one of the only gaming magazines available in China. Its Chinese name is 游戏机 实用技术or Game Console Practical Skills. In English they call themselves Ultra Console Game, or UCG for short.

This particular issue is a back-issue from December 2011. The cover is a picture of Assassin’s Creed Revelations, and below it says there will be thorough walkthroughs for:

• Assassin’s Creed Revelations
• Saint’s Row 3
• Sengoku Basara 3

And features for:

• UCG Singapore Travel Notes
• Singapore GSC&Playstation Game Development Center Exclusive Coverage

Around Ezio there are cover lines for HALO Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition, Legendary Difficulty Tactics Guide; Legend of Eternal Light, Halo’s 10^th Anniversary; Special Delivery: Rayman Origins, Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3; 3DS highlights Monster Hunter 3 tri G, Mario Kart 7. There’s also guides for Final Fantasy Type Zero, CoD Modern Warfare 3, Dark Souls, and Super Mario 3D Land.

Here’s an approximate breakdown of how the magazine has dedicated its pages:

First is the Singapore GSC (Games Solution Center) and Playstation Game Development Center. Apparently they got an exclusive interview with Thomas Lim of Sony Computer Entertainment Asia. They also reveal a new Playstation Network (PSN) Chinese language game “Rocket Birds: Iron Rooster”, although it’s “Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken” in the official English translation. I guess they wanted to avoid people joking about Iron Cocks. They have an interview with developer Chen Xianyou (陈贤友).

Next is their UCG Singapore travel log. I don’t know why they went to Singapore. It just kind of looks like they sent their editors on a vacation and then they just published their pictures and diary. Anyway, the main headers here are: Asia Focus, Madarin & English, Dignified Lion (another name for Singapore), Food in Singapore, Diversified Tourism, Anime Festival Asia, Singapore Bit.

Singapore is followed by 14 pages of Halo: Combat Evolved 10^th Anniversary Edition Legendary Difficulty Tactics Guide. First it goes into a 5 part history of the Halo franchise, titled Genesis, Evolution, Explore, Return, Epilogue.

NEWS

Then we get news! Such as:

• Next Generation Xbox is Smaller, Cheaper; For Sale End of Next Year? (lolno)

• “Metal Gear Solid: Rising” Facelift?

• EA Suffers PS3: Battlefield 3 players collectively sue, because Battlefield 3 did not include promised extra content (Battlefield 1943)

• Wii U Will Support 2 Tablet Controllers

• Modern Warfare 3: First Week of Sales $775 million USD

• Spike and Chunsoft Merge Next April (Spike and Chunsoft are two mid-sized Japanese game publishers)

• Vivendi Sells Large Amount of Activision Blizzard Stock Shares

• EA to Help Nintendo Create Wii U Network Services

• Bioware New Original Title Soon to Debut (I don’t know what they’re talking about here; Mass Effect and Dragon Age are not new titles)

Pretty accurate depiction of BioWare 2012.

After the news is the Monster Hunter 3 tri-G guide and Mario Kart 7 (“In the sky, under the sea, there’s nothing he can’t do!”).

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the Xbox 360
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the PS3
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the Xbox 360

1. Hatsune Miku – Project DIVA – extend for the PSP
2. Sengoku Basara 3 for the PS3
3. Ore no Shikabane wo Koeteyuke (“Jump/Cut Across my Body” or something like that) for the PSP

• 27
• Epicness: 9

Rabbids: Alive and Kicking

• 24
• Annoyingness: 10

• 25
• Degree of “Health” in Music: 9

• 23
• Voice Actress Lineup: 8

• 27
• Ming Blowing-ness: 9

• 24
• Easiness: 9

• 27
• Plot Heritage: 9

• 23
• Carnival-ness: 8

• 25
• Hot Bloodedness: 9

• 25
• Absurd Madness: 10

• 20
• Steeering: 7

• 26
• How true to the original?: 10

• 24
• Overall Difficulty: 10

• 25
• Balance: 7

• 25
• Wackiness: 9

“It’s a very long game. In addition to platinum/full completion, there’s also a lot for players to uncover. Just learning how to defeat the different bosses and using oaths, or fighting other players can easily take up 10 hours. Because of the limitations of the article, we can only introduce the basic system and the important points of each level. This magazine will introduce the rest of the game later so that everybody can have a better playing experience.”

What they go through in the guide is weapon forging: escalation, evolution, ember, starting guide to strengthening/reinforcing materials; and other: weapons phase, starter guide to sorceries, miracles, and pyromancies.

THE END

The end of the magazine is mostly the same type of garbage other magazines throw in at the end. Some software reviews, product plugs, list of silly games (Dr. Sudoku, Ninja Golf, Mega Man 2, Karnaaj Rally, and Shaq Fu), a Gears of War DLC list, a two-page write-up on Uncharted 3, and then editor nonsense and reader letters and artwork.