PlayStation Underground

Overview

PlayStation Underground was a CD magazine for the PlayStation. Subscribers received quarterly issues that consisted of two discs (except the final issue). The first issue was released in Spring 1997. At that time, Underground was a unique, revolutionary product in the world of gaming. Never before had gamers had access to this type of content.

Each issue was divided into many sections. Here are the sections that appeared most often in the issues:

• Alphas - Exclusive first looks at upcoming games.
• Behind the Scenes - An inside look at PlayStation events, developer studios, commercial shoots, etc.
• Bulletins - Info about the mag itself including Speak Your Mind (fan interaction), PlayStation Online news, Contests, Fan Art, Underwear/Threadz (merchandise), Next Transmission (subscription info), Hidden Codes from previous issues, Credits, and Fine Print.
• Code Book - An encyclopedia of codes for tons of PlayStation titles.
• Cool Moves - Members of the Tip Team go through walkthroughs and strategies for the most popular games.
• Debriefing - Interviews with industry pros.
• Download Station - Access to save files that you can download straight to your own memory card.
• Event Center - Documentary footage of the industry biggest events like E3, Tokyo Game Show, Game Developers Conference, and more.
• Imports - Demos from Japan and/or Europe.
• R&D - Presentations on new PlayStation hardware/accessories, Net Yaroze, playabe Yaroze games, Project Wormhole, and CG Design.
• Tech Q&A - Answers to commonly asked questions in the world of PlayStation.
• The Vault - Playable demos.
• Hidden Content - Each issue had various Easter Eggs hidden throughout the sections including codes, movies, demos, etc.

Discontinued

PlayStation Underground merged with Official PlayStation Magazine in Summer 2001. The PlayStation Underground brand lived on as a free portion of Sony's official PlayStation website where they run many contests, offer special deals to members, publish newsletters for many PlayStation products, and was home to the Retail Loyalty Site before being completely phased out nearly ten years later.

Issue 1

The premiere issue of PlayStation Underground was sent to anyone who registered their PlayStation via the card included in the system's box and arrived in the Spring of 1997. The opening sequence features a CG cutscene of characters starting up a satellite transmission that will beam the Underground content to the new subscribers. The main menu consisted of a stone portal of some kind that opened up to reveal the icons for each section of the issue as the user scrolled through them.

Disc 1

The Vault

• Twisted Metal 2 (demo)
• Cool Boarders (demo)
• Jet Moto (demo)
• NFL GameDay '97 (demo)

Imports

• Sangoku Musou (demo)

Tech Q&A

• "Why are PlayStation CD's black?"
• "How are games tested and bugs caught?"

Debriefing

• Dave Jaffe interview about the development of Twisted Metal 2.

Behind the Scenes

• Twisted Metal 2 commercial
• NFL GameDay '97 commercial

Download Station

• Carnage Heart - Unlocks 25 OKE's

Event Center

• E3 1996 - Time-lapse photography of Sony's booth.

Code Book

• Codes for 24 games.

Bulletins

• Fan art submissions
• Subscriber comments
• Merchandise
• Credits
• Fine print

Disc 2

In Stores Now

• Carnage Heart (demo)
• Mech Warrior (demo)
• Rage Racer (demo)
• Spider (demo)
• Tomb Raider (demo)

Coming Soon

• Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (demo)
• Jurassic Park: The Lost World (video)

Hidden Content

Issue 2

The second issue was split with one disc for Underground and the second disc featuring products from Squaresoft. Many retailers including Babbage's, Software Etc., and Electronics Boutique offered this issue as a pre-order bonus for reserving/pre-ordering Final Fantasy VII.

The opening sequence of the Underground disc features out-takes from the infamous "PlayStation $149" commercial that featured an elderly British couple. Despite only having one disc to work with, the PlayStation Underground team still crammed so much content into the issue that the Final Fantasy VII and Bushido Blade demos felt like a bonus.

Underground Disc

The Vault

• NBA ShootOut '97 (demo)
• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (demo)
• Treasures of the Deep (demo)
• MLB '98 (demo)

Imports

• Porsche Challenge (demo)
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (video)

Debriefing

• Interview with Hironobu Sakaguchi about Final Fantasy VII.

Behind the Scenes

• Dave Bamberger and Seth Luisi discuss the rising popularity of RPG's in America.

Event Center

• NBA ShootOut '97 promo featuring several Washington Bullets including Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and Rod Strickland.

Download Station

• Soul Edge - Unlocks Boss & 1 Extra Weapon
• Rage Racer - Unlocks Extra First Class Car
• Cool Boarders - Unlocks Snowman

R&D

• Interviews covering the Net Yaroze project plus two playable demos.
• Funky Beans (demo)
• The Appointed Station (demo)

Tech Q&A

• "How is a PlayStation character created?"
• "Why did PlayStation choose CD's over cartridges?"

Code Archive

• Codes for 36 different games.

Bulletins

• Official Underground website info
• Issue 1's Hidden Codes
• "UnderWear" merchandise
• How to submit comments
• "WIN BIG!!!" Contest
• Credits featuring the UG Candidcam
• Fine Print

Squaresoft Disc

Demos

• Final Fantasy VII
• Bushido Blade

Videos

• SaGa Frontier
• Bushido Blade
• Final Fantasy Tactics

Hidden Content

Issue 3

The third issue starts with another CG cutscene. This time it features an Area 51-type warehouse where two FBI-type guys enter to find a UFO. One of them seems surprised to see it, while the other generally ignores it in favor of something even more top secret. Locked away in its own super secure room is the third issue of PlayStation Underground.

The main menu of issue 3 is basically the same as the one found in issue 2 with some color tweaks. This issue is best known for its video footage from that Summer's E3 in Atlanta, which is something that wasn't typically available at the time (1997).

Disc 1

The Vault

• Armored Core (demo)
• NFL GameDay '98 (demo)
• Intelligent Qube (demo)
• PaRappa the Rapper (demo)
• Steel Reign (demo)

Debriefing

• Interview with Buzz Burrowes, Chief Audio Engineer at Sony Interactive.

Behind the Scenes

• The making of Blasto featuring Phil Hartman, Ben Harrison, Jonathan Beard, and Tom Tobey.

Event Center

• E3 Roundup - Documentary of E3 1997 focusing on Underground members Brad Lynch and Christopher Gordon
• Road Trip to Japan - Documentary on the Tokyo Game Show Spring '98

Download Station

• Ogre Battle - Unlocks the best ending.
• Dynasty Warriors - Unlocks Nobunaga.

R&D

• PlayStation Dual Analog Controller - Comments from John Phua, Chad Finley, Mark Cerny, and Dave Perry.

Tech Q&A

• "How are those black PlayStation CD's made?"

Code Archive

• Codes for 35 games.

Bulletins

• Underground Online news
• Issue 2's hidden codes
• Wearhouse merchandise
• Speak Your Mind
• Win BIG Contest
• Subscription info
• Credits featuring the UG Candidcam

Disc 2

Demos

• Cool Boarders 2
• Cart World Series
• Jet Moto 2
• Fighting Force
• Croc
• Jersey Devil
• Raystorm

Videos

• Final Fantasy VII - Interview with Nobuo Uematsu and Yoshinori Kitase.
• Tomb Raider II
• Apocalypse
• NFL GameDay '98
• NHL FaceOff '98
• MLB '98
• NBA ShootOut '98
• Cart World Series
• NCAA GameBreaker '98

Hidden Content

Issue 4

The fourth issue arrived during January 1998 and included 3D glasses to use while going through the packaging. The issue starts up with a CG cutscene featuring Santa Claus coming down the chimney to deliver presents to a random family. After dropping off some gifts, one of the boxes begins to move. Santa checks it out by opening it and gets sucked into a present that leads to Underground.

The main menu of issue 4 was the same as the previous two thematically, but this time everything was covered in snow. In this issue, and for all issues following, The Vault was moved to Disc 2 so that all demos would be on one disc and in the same place.

Disc 1

Debriefing

• Interview with Todd McFarlane about everything related to Spawn.

Behind the Scenes

• The making of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back featuring Naughty Dog's Jason Rubin, Andy Gavin, and Mark Cerny.

Event Center

• ComicCon '97 - PlayStation Underground had a booth and showed several new games including Spawn: The Eternal.
• PlayStation Truck - A 20 wheel big rig that expands into a PlayStation convention anywhere it goes. The feature includes interviews with the truck's crew, Michael "Jolly" Cole and Shane Hicke.

Download Station

• Jet Moto 2 - Unlocks Power Ups.
• Cool Boarders 2 - Unlocks Snow Woman.
• Resident Evil Director's Cut - Unlocks Ammo Power Ups.

R&D

More demos of Net Yaroze games

• Gasgar vs. Gasgar
• Super Mansion

Tech Q&A

• Several employees from Sony, including Mike Giam and Jessica Harrison, talk about how to break into the games industry.

Code Archive

• Codes for 40 different games.

Imports

• Metal Slug (demo)

Bulletins

• Underground Online info
• Issue 3's Hidden Codes
• Threadz merchandise
• Speak Your Mind
• Sweepstakes winners
• Subscription Info
• Credits featuring the UG Candidcam
• Fine Print

Disc 2

The Vault

• Cardinal Syn (demo)
• Jet Moto 2 (demo)
• Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (demo)
• NHL FaceOff '97 (demo)
• Moto Racer (demo)
• Frogger (demo)
• Ghost in the Shell (demo)
• NFL GameDay '98 (demo)
• Tomb Raider II (demo)
• Nightmare Creatures (demo)
• Pandemonium 2 (video)

Hidden Content

The Best of Year One

This special one disc edition of PlayStation Underground is not an actual issue. This disc was given to attendees at E3 1998 to give them a taste of what the CD mag was all about. The intro to this issue is the MST3K video from Issue 2.1 followed by a promo for selling the mag to new viewers. While the title says it's the best of Year 1, much of the disc is actually from Issue 2.1.

The Vault

• Metal Gear Solid (demo)
• Blasto (demo)
• Gran Turismo (demo)
• Hot Shots Golf (demo)
• Tekken 3 (demo)

Debriefing

• Interview with Kaz Hirai (Issue 2.1)

Behind the Scenes

• The Making of Blasto (Issue 3)

Event Center

• PlayStation Truck (Issue 4)

Download Station

• Ghost in the Shell (Issue 2.1)
• Vs. (Issue 2.1)
• PaRappa the Rapper (Issue 2.1)
• Resident Evil Director's Cut (Issue 4)
• Cool Boarders 2 (Issue 4)
• Jet Moto 2 (Issue 4)

R&D

• Intro to Software Development Project (Issue 2.1)

Code Archive

• Codes for 48 games.

Imports

• Tamagotchi (Issue 2.2)

Issue 2.1

The first issue of Volume 2 begins with the guys from Mystery Science Theater 3000 making fun of the four previous intro videos. Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo make MST3K fans proud by ripping on everything, especially the elderly couple in the "PlayStation $149" commercial.

The second volume came with revamp of the main menu. Now set in some sort of sci-fi facility, this issue had a distinct focus on Japan with a tour of Polyphony Digital, interviews about localization, and two titles in the Imports section.

Disc 1

Debriefing

• Interview with Kaz Hirai, President of SCEA.

Behind the Scenes

• A tour of Polyphony Digital's studio with comments from Kazunori Yamauchi, Masaaki Goto, Seiichi Ikiuo, and Takeshi Yokouchi as they work on Gran Turismo.

Download Station

• Ghost in the Shell - Unlocks 8 of 17 of the cinematic sequences.
• Vs. - Unlocks four of the game's bosses.
• PaRappa the Rapper - Starts you at Level 6 with "Cool" rating.

R&D

• Previews a new "Software Development" section that will take subscribers step by step through building a game.

Tech Q&A

• Etsuko Kobata and Perry Rodgers answer how import titles make it to the American market.

Code Archive

• Codes for 48 games.

Imports

• Breath of Fire III (video)
• Puyo Puyo Sun (demo)

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online news
• Issue 4's Hidden Codes
• UnderWear/Threadz merchandise
• Speak Your Mind
• Get the Next Transmission
• Credits featuring the UG Candidcam and MST3K
• Fine Print

Disc 2 - The Vault

Demos

• Hot Shots Golf
• Bloody Roar
• Spawn: The Eternal
• NCAA GameBreaker '98
• ONE
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert

Videos

• NBA ShootOut '98
• SaGa Frontier
• Nagano Olympics
• Vigilante 8

Hidden Content

Issue 2.2

The sixth issue opens with a CG cinematic showing an archaeological dig site in the year 2306 where the excavators find a PlayStation. The PlayStation is then placed in a museum of natural history along with the previous issues of Underground.

The majority of this issue's segments were filmed in London, England including trips to Core Design, SCE's Cambridge Studio, and some London night clubs that feature PlayStation themed rooms.

Disc 1

Debriefing

• Interview with Chris Sorrell and Jason Wilson about MediEvil.

Behind the Scenes

• "Get Inside Core" takes a tour of Core Design, makers of the Tomb Raider franchise. Jeremy Smith, Richard Morton, Heather Gibson, and Joby Wood show features from Tomb Raider III and Ninja: Shadow of Darkness.

Event Center

• The crew goes on a tour of London night clubs that feature entire rooms dedicated to PlayStation.

Download Station

• Speed Racer - Unlocks all cars.
• Monster Rancher - Unlocks 3 characters.

R&D

• Software Development 101: How a Game is Made - Project Wormhole is introduced by Gary Barth. This is a game development project that will allow subscribers to help build a small game through the magazine. This installment teaches the basics of 3D design and let's members play around with the objects in a virtual space.
• Net Yaroze - New playable titles include Little Wing, Asobu Rakugaki, and Hover Racing.

Alphas

• NFL Xtreme
• Cool Boarders 3

Code Archive

• Codes for over 90 games

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online news
• Issue 2.1 Hidden Codes
• Threadz/UnderWear merchandise
• Speak Your Mind
• Get the Next Transmission
• Credits featuring the UG Candid Cam and "Mean" Gene Okerlund
• Fine Print

Imports

• Tamagotchi

Disc 2 - The Vault

Demos

• Einhänder
• Tomba!
• Gran Turismo
• Jersey Devil
• NBA ShootOut '98
• Cardinal Syn
• N2O
• Vigilante 8
• Blasto
• Tekken 3

Videos

• NFL Xtreme
• Metal Gear Solid

Hidden Content

Issue 2.3

The issue begins with a view of a pyramid with a "U" at the top followed by an Indiana Jones style run through the dungeon to find Issue 2.3 resting on a trap pedestal. The adventurer narrowly escapes through a quickly closing stone door and we're taken to the main menu, which is now set in the streets of an unknown city.

This issue is most notable for its tours of Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games' studios, plus coverage of E3 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia and GDC in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Disc 1

Debriefing

• Interview with Masaya Matsuura about PaRappa the Rapper.

Behind the Scenes

• Spyro the Dragon - Tour Insomniac Studios with Ted Price, Mark Cerny, Craig Stitt, Alex Hastings, and Matt Whiting as they create a platforming legend. Plus Clancy Brown and Carlos Alazraqui take show off the voice over studio.
• CGDC: Documentary footage of the Computer Game Development Conference '98 with the Director of the show, Jennifer Pahlka.

Event Center

• E3 1998 featuring coverage on Spyro the Dragon, Legacy of Kain, N2O, Colony Wars: Vengeance, Silent Hill, ODT, Metal Gear Solid, Brigandine, and Colin McRae Rally.

Download Station

• Gran Turismo - Unlocks all tracks, lots of cars, and $1,000,000,000.
• Tekken 3 - Unlocks all characters.
• Vigilante 8 - Unlocks all characters and levels.

R&D

• Project Wormhole (Part II) - This episode features how to build tunnel tracks, showing weapon ideas from subscribers, and the ability to start building your own tracks.

Alphas

• The Underground crew straps a camera to Naughty Dog studio's pet labrador, and the dog sneaks around the office to get the scoop on Crash: Warped from unsuspecting developers such as Jason Rubin.

Code Archive

• Codes for over 90 games.

Tech Q&A

• "Inside Your Console" explains how the PlayStation works.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online news
• Issue 2.2 Hidden Codes
• Threadz
• Next Transmission info
• Credits
• Fine Print

Disc 2 - The Vault

Demos

• Turbo Prop Racing
• MediEvil
• Spyro the Dragon
• Duke Nukem: Time to Kill
• NFL Xtreme
• Cool Boarders 3
• Metal Gear Solid
• Legacy of Kain 2: Soul Reaver
• Trap Gunner

Videos

• NFL GameDay '99
• Batman & Robin
• NHL FaceOff '99
• Tenchu

Import Demos

• Iraira-Bo
• Guilty Gear

Hidden Content

Issue 2.4

The eighth issue opens with a blooper reel from the Crash: Warped commercial that featured 7-time Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz and stuntman Robby Kneivel. This issue was Christmas themed, arrived in the Winter of 1998, and included an Underground logo sticker.

The main menu of this issue is mostly the same as the previous one. Still set in an urban environment and projecting images on the side of a building, the main difference in this issue is that the city was in daylight instead of at night.

Disc 1

Debriefing

• Stewart Copeland, co-founder and drummer for The Police, talks about game music composition and his work on Spyro the Dragon.

Behind the Scenes

• Crash: Warped - More footage from Naughty Dog's studio including Jason Rubin, Mark Cerny, Andy Gavin, Stephen White, and Bob Rafei as they describe the development of the third installment of Crash.
• Video Game Piracy - Featurette on how piracy hurts the industry and how the IDSA and U.S. Marshalls are helping put an end to it.

Event Center

• On the set of the Spyro the Dragon commercial shoot.

R&D

• Project Wormhole (Part III) - Video explaining how collision detection works and physics in general. Playable courses are available, but no enemies yet.

Imports

• Shadow Tower (demo)

Download Station

• Cool Boarders 3 - Unlocks gear.
• Circuit Breakers - Unlock all tracks.
• Heart of Darkness - Unlock all animations.

Tech Q&A

• Inside look at how the new Dual Shock controller works.

Code Archive

• More codes than ever before.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 2.3 Hdden Codes
• Threadz merchandise
• Next Transmission
• Credits
• Fine Print

Disc 2 - The Vault

Demos

• A Bug's Life
• Rally Cross 2
• Crash: Warped
• NFL GameDay '99
• NHL FaceOff '99
• Apocalypse
• Brave Fencer Musashi
• Tomb Raider III
• Bomberman World

Videos

• Syphon Filter
• NFL Blitz

Hidden Content

Issue 3.1

The third year of PlayStation Underground starts with a trailer featuring all the content featured within the issue. Then, a CG video plays that starts in a wrestling arena then goes backstage where the menu for the issue loads. This issue has heavy influences from the WCW footage that was shot.

This issue also is the debut of the Cool Moves section, which features tips and tricks for several games presented by the QA testers that know the games best.

Disc 1

Behind the Scenes

• Legend of Legaia - Join Yoshihiro Yokota, Takenori Shikimi, Natsumi Arisawa, Takahiro Kaneko, and Noriyuki Watanabe in a look into the making of a new RPG from the creators of Wild ARMs.
• WCW/nWo Thunder - Sanders Keel and Dave Hoffman from THQ talk about the new wrestling title. Many WCW wrestlers make an appearance here.

R&D

• Project Wormhole (Part IV) - This time they explain enemy AI. The project was planned to be only four parts, but continued due to its popularity. In this issue, members could play another build that now included enemies and weapons.

Event Center

• Spyromania - Sony held a party in Las Vegas in September 1998 to mark the 3rd Anniversary of PlayStation, and the release of Spyro the Dragon. The festivities included a scavenger hunt through Vegas in which Tommy Tallarico successfully delivers on a guaranteed victory.

Download Station

• Guilty Gear - Unlocks all characters.
• Formula 1 '98 - Unlocks all tracks.
• Team Losi RC Racer - Unlocks all cars and tracks.
• Test Drive Off Road 2 - Unlocks all cars and tracks.
• Darkstalkers 3 - Unlocks all characters and modes.

Alphas

• Xena: Warrior Princess - Brian Wiklem shows early footage of the game based on the hit TV show.
• Street Fighter Alpha - Matthew Atwood from Capcom talks about the upcoming release and the new modes included in the game.

Imports

• Gangway Monsters (demo)

Code Book

• Still tons of codes added.

Tech Q&A

• Feature on the PocketStation accessory only available in Japan and the support it has for Street Fighter Alpha 3.

Bulletins

• Announcing Underground Radio Netcast
• Issue 2.4 Hidden Codes
• Threadz merchandise
• Speak Your Mind
• Next Transmission
• Credits
• Fine Print

Cool Moves

• Civilization II - Mike Callahan shows how to get free money.
• Crash: Warped - Donovan Soto reveals platinum relics.
• Dragonseeds - Chris Nelson shows how to dupe your save file to double your money.
• Metal Gear Solid - John Diamonon finds the FA-MAS Rifle.
• R-Types - Jonathon Dejano gives tips on how to obtain extra power-ups.
• Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock - Lance Luu unlocks Extreme Battle Mode.
• S.C.A.R.S. - Chris Nelson explains how to unlock all cars, tracks, and cut 30% off the ski track.
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 - Lance Luu displays a 40-hit combo for Dhalsim.
• Tomb Raider III - Ryan Eames takes a shortcut on the Thames Wharf level.

Disc 2 - The Vault

Demos

• Contender
• Syphon Filter
• R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
• WCW/nWo Thunder
• T'ai Fu
• Cool Boarders 3

Videos

• Shadow Madness
• Silent Hill
• Gex 3
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
• 3xtreme

Hidden Content

ISSUE 3.2

The 10th installment of Underground introduced a new host for the mag, a CG woman by the name of Maggie. Maggie would introduce subscribers to the new issue with a rundown of what they were about to find while bickering back and forth with Gary Barth (off-screen).

The new main menu is centered around the front doors of a movie theater. Scrolling through the different categories changes the marquee above the entrance.

Disc 1

Debriefing

• Kaz Hirai, Phil Harrison, and Ken Kutaragi discuss the potential of "Next Generation PlayStation" including first confirmation of backwards compatibility.

Behind the Scenes

• Um Jammer Lammy - Creators of the game including Masaya Matsuura, Gabin Ito, and Tomohiro Hasekura joke about Lammy as if she were a real guitarist and promote the full feature that will be in the next issue.
• Star Ocean: Second Story - Yoshinori Yamagishi, Takehiro Ando, and Tadayasu Nishida from Enix describes the game's features including how you can choose who stays on your team and who gets left behind, as well as the games 80 endings.

Event Center

• E3 '99 footage featuring several Game Evaluators who pick the best PlayStation games of the show.
• Omega Boost presented by Mark Vitello and Craig Rechenmacher.
• Driver presented by Chris Colon and Martin Edmondson.
• Dino Crisis presented by Matt Atwood.
• Ace Combat 3 presented by Paul Guirao.
• X-Men
• Championship Motocross presented by Michael S. Murray.
• Crash Team Racing presented by Jason Rubin.

Imports

• Tsumu (demo)

R&D

• Project Wormhole (Part V) - This episode focuses on special effects and how they are applied in ways like the smoke trails on missiles. A new vehicle, based on subscriber suggestions, is introduced. The beta of the game is now Dual Shock compatible.

Download Station

• Bomberman Fantasy Race - Unlock all tracks and racers.
• Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko - Unlock all levels and remotes.
• R4 - Unlock all cars and tracks.
• Rival Schools Arcade - Unlock all characters, endings, and pictures.
• Rival Schools Evolution - Unlock all characters, endings, and pictures.
• Silent Hill - Unlock all weapons except laser.

Alphas

• First look at Jet Moto 3, now developed by 989 Studios.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 3.1 Hidden Codes
• Threadz & Accessories
• Speak Your Mind
• Coming Next Issue
• Credits
• Fine Print

Disc 2

The Vault

• Um Jammer Lammy (demo)
• Ehgeiz: God Bless the Ring (demo)
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (demo)
• Soul of the Samurai (demo)
• Final Fantasy VIII (demo)
• Ape Escape (demo)
• 3xtreme (demo)
• MLB 2000 (demo)
• Tokyo Game Show (video)
• Jet Moto 3 (video)

Hidden Content

Issue 3.3

This installment begins with a shot of an Underground blimp in the sky and pans down to street level to enter a movie theater where Maggie greets us once again. The war of words between Gary Barth and Maggie continues.

Disc 1

Tech Q&A

• Industry professionals such as Dennis Koble, Chris Norden, and Daniel D. Wood discuss the potential of the PlayStation 2 as Sony announces a Fall 2000 release date.

Debriefing

• The producer of Jet Moto 3, Hunter Luisi, talks about what 989 Studios is focusing on as they take over development for the hit franchise.

Behind the Scenes

• Um Jammer Lammy - Masaya Matsuura, Gabin Ito, and Tomohiro Hasekura talk about everything that went into the creation of the sequel to Parappa the Rapper.
• Gran Turismo 2 - Kazunori Yamauchi talks about GT2's 400 cars, 20 tracks, and how the game is marketed differently for western audiences. Also featured in the video are Keiichi Ashizawa (Car Designer), Shinobu Sawamura (Course Designer), Kazumichi Ohtsubo (Course Designer), and Takashi Ohi (Driving Instructor).
• Ape Escape - Shuhei Yoshida (Executive Producer) and Susumu Takatsuma (Creative Producer) talk about the first game to require dual analog controls.

Event Center

• X-Games - Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, and Colin MacKay talk about their favorite PlayStation games and the new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game from Activision.
• PlayStation Truck - The truck returns and this video features a lucky 8th grader named Jason Moreira who won a contest that had the truck come to his school.

Download Station

• Evil Zone - Unlocks all costumes, voices, boss, Japanese congratulations screen.
• Blast Radius - Unlock both ships.
• Soul of the Samurai - Unlocks all swords, infinite ninja stars, all costumes.
• Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time - Unlocks all stages.

R&D

• Project Wormhole (Part VI) - This time they have a lesson on articulation and animation plus an updated version of the game.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 3.2 Hidden Codes
• Threadz & Accessories
• Speak Your Mind
• Coming in Issue 3.3
• Credits
• Fine Print

Disc 2

The Vault

• Gran Turismo 2 (demo)
• Omega Boost (demo)
• Tiny Tank (demo)
• CTR: Crash Team Racing (demo)
• Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (demo)
• Jet Moto 3 (demo)
• NFL Xtreme 2 (demo)
• NFL Blitz 2000 (demo)
• Championship Motocross (demo)
• Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions (demo)
• Pac-Man World (demo)
• Thrasher: Skate & Destroy (video)
• NFL GameDay 2000 (video)
• NHL FaceOff 2000 (video)
• WCW Mayhem (video)

Hidden Content

Issue 3.4

The final issue of year three is yet another Christmas themed issue, right down to Maggie being dressed as Santa's helper, which of course gets a comment from Gary.

Disc 1

PlayStation2

• An exclusive look at the next-gen PlayStation including interviews with Tomonobu Itagaki, Kou Shibusawa, and others.

R&D

• Project Wormhole Finale - The video teaches you how to create well-rounded levels and introduces all new level editor that allows you to save your work on a Memory Card. This is the second to last installment, as Issue 4.1 will feature the final game.

Behind the Scenes

• CTR: Crash Team Racing - Naughty Dog's Jason Rubin, Dan Arey, Evan Wells, Gavin James, and Bob Rafei talk about the new cart racing game and all its innovative features. Rubin even reveals a code to unlock Penta Penguin exclusively for Underground members.
• Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage - Ted Price, Michael John, Mark Cerny, Vanessa Russell, Caroline Trujillo, Brian Hastings, Matt Whiting, Chuck Suong, and Oliver Wade talk about the sequel to the hit platformer including 40 mini-games and over 100 new characters. Then they play broom ball in a hockey rink.

Event Center

• Tokyo Game Show Autumn '99 - This feature talks about how 600 games are on PlayStation in America, but over 2000 are in Japan and why that is.
• Lammy Rocks New York - Sony threw a party at the Roxy to celebrate Um Jammer Lammy and Lammy's band, Milk Can, had an on-stage performance. Tokura Fujiwara also sits down for an interview.

Debriefing

• Tokuro Fujiwara sits down to talk about Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return.

Download Station

• Demolition Racer - Unlocks all tracks, modes, and cars.
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - Unlocks all skaters, movies, boards, and all stats maxed out.
• Rising Zan - Unlocks all modes and options.
• MTV Sports Snowboarding - Unlocks extra characters and tracks.
• Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions - Unlocks all special modes and items.
• Jade Cocoon - Begin at Eternal Corridor.
• Driver - Unlocks all cheats and cities.

Tech Q&A

• CG Design is introduced as an upcoming section in future issues and it will show the process of creating 3D renders. They request that subscribers send in drawings of objects they'd like to see created.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 3.3 Hidden Codes
• Threadz & Accessories
• Speak Your Mind
• Coming in Issue 4.1
• Credits
• Fine Prin

Disc 2

The Vault

• Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return (demo)
• Dino Crisis (demo)
• Disney's Tarzan (demo)
• NHL FaceOff 2000 (demo)
• WCW Mayhem (demo)
• Cool Boarders 4 (demo)
• Thrasher: Skate & Destroy (demo)
• Army Men: Air Attack (demo)
• Grandia (demo)
• NCAA GameBreaker 2000 (demo)
• Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (demo)
• Twisted Metal 4 (video)
• NBA ShootOut 2000 (video)
• Hot Shots Golf 2 (video)

Hidden Codes

Issue 4.1

This first issue of year four opens with another view of the blimp, but this time missiles are being shot at it. A defense system takes out the missiles, which is good since Maggie is inside the blimp to introduce the new issue.

Disc 1

PlayStation2

The crew goes to Japan to get footage of Gran Turismo 2000 and to talk to Kazunori Yamauchi about he depth of control that GT2000 will feature thanks to the Dual Shock 2 controller. They also take a look at how the lighting techniques that the game uses bring unbelievable graphics to the game. They even discuss the future of the franchise being about online racing. The crew then takes a trip to Tokyo Game Show again to chat with the likes of Jason Rubin and Takatsuka Susumu about the potential of PS2.

Behind the Scenes

• Hots Shots Golf 2 - Satoshi Tamaki, Masashi Muramori, Keisuki Futami, and Yasuhide Kobayashi (Senior Producer) from Clap Hanz discuss the sequel to the hit golf game.
• Legend of Dragoon - Yasuyuki Hasebe (Director), Kenichi Iwata (Art Director), and Shuhei Yoshida (Producer) discuss why this will be ranked among the greatest RPG's on the PlayStation.

Cool Moves

• Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage - Paul McGuire shows how to save Spinner's friend.
• Crash Team Racing - Nathan Bosia shows how to get platinum time on Papu's Pyramid with a shortcut.
• Syphon Filter - John Aspinwall shows how to complete level 14 and 15.
• Twisted Metal 4 - Saul Villegas shows how to get the helicopter in Neon City.
• Gran Turismo 2 - Kenneth Chan shows how to properly maneuver the infamous S-turn at Laguna Seca.

Debriefing

• WWF Superstar D'Lo Brown and THQ's Sanders Keel talk about the first WWF title from THQ to hit the PlayStation.

Event Center

• Covert Gaming Journalists - 989 Studios invited a bunch of journalists to compete in a Syphon Filter 2 style covert operation with paintball guns.

Tech Q&A

• Christian Lowe took a drawing submitted by a fan and quickly rendered it in 3D to show how simple CG design is done.

Imports

• Ore-No Ryuori (demo)

Download Station

• Medal of Honor - Unlock everything
• NASCAR Rumble - Unlock all tracks
• MTV Music Generator - Start with lots of custom tracks pre-made

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 3.4 Hidden Codes
• Threadz & Accessories
• Speak Your Mind
• Coming on Issue 4.2
• Credits
• Fine Print

Disc 2

The Vault

• MediEvil II (demo)
• Hot Shots Golf 2 (demo)
• Speed Punks (demo)
• Ace Combat 3 (demo)
• SuperCross Circuit (demo)
• Twisted Metal 4 (demo)
• NCAA Final Four 2000 (demo)
• MTV Music Generator (demo)
• Silent Bomber (demo)
• Spider-Man (demo)
• WWF SmackDown! (demo)
• Syphon Filter 2 (demo)
• Project Wormhole (full game)
• Syphon Filter 2 Training Video

Hidden Content

Issue 4.2

This issue again opens in the PlayStation blimp with Maggie, who talks a bit about PlayStation 2 and all the E3 2000 coverage including Frankie Muniz.

Disc 1

PlayStation2

Underground heads to E3 2000 and finds Frankie Muniz, the star of Malcolm in the Middle, who quickly realizes that you have to be 18 or older to enter E3. Muniz runs through trying to play as many games as possible while being chased by a security guard. He checks out:

• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty with Rick Naylor.
• Oddworld: Munch's Odyssey with Lorne Lanning.
• Onimusha with Keiji Inafune.
• Armored Core 2 with David Silviera.
• Summoner with Mark Allender.
• ICO with Kenji Kaido.
• And then "borrows" two PS2's as he runs out the door of the convention center.

Event Center

E3 2000 Roundup

• Laird Malamed for Star Trek: Invasion
• Ted Price for Spyro: Year of the Dragon
• Shawn Rosen for Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
• David Carillo for Parasite Eve II
• Rick Thompson for Vagrant Story
• Antoine Villette for Alone in the Dark
• Matthew Atwood for Dino Crisis 2
• Ami Blaire for Crash Bash
• Matt Collins for Frogger 2
• Harish Rao for Simpsons Wrestling

Slam City Jam - The crew went to Vancouver for this skate competition in order to build hype for Grind Session.

Behind the Scenes

• Spider-Man - Neversoft's Joel Jewett and Chad Findley discuss what it was like creating the game from scratch. There's a guy in a Spider-Man suit running around during the video, which the Neversoft guys explain is necessary since they used real skaters to test Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
• Legend of Dragoon - Director Yasuyuki Hasebe returns to discuss this exciting new RPG for PlayStation.

Download Station

• Ace Combat 3 - Unlock Everything.
• Army Men: World War - Unlock Everything.
• Hydro Thunder - Unlock Everything.
• NHL Rock the Rink - Unlock Everything.
• Speed Punks - Unlock 3 hidden racers.

Tech Q&A

• The CG Design crew picked "Land Crusher" from an 11-year old kid from Pennsylvania.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 4.1 Hidden Codes
• Threadz & Accessories
• Speak Your Mind
• Coming on Issue 4.3
• Credits
• Fine Print

Disc 2

The Vault

• Legend of Dragoon (demo)
• Grind Session (demo)
• MLB 2001 (demo)
• Tenchu 2: Birth of the Assassins (demo)
• Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles (demo)
• Threads of Fate (demo)
• Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX (demo)
• Chrono Cross (video)
• Valkyrie Profile (video)
• Star Trek: Invasion (video)

Hidden Content

Issue 4.3

Maggie's still in the blimp as this issue begins, and she's talking to Frankie Muniz on a video wall. Apparently Frankie forgot to get games to go with those two PS2's he stole from E3. Maggie refuses to help him and we head into the menu.

Disc 1

Debriefing

• Hideo Kojima sits down to discuss Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the PlayStation 2. Yuji Shinkawa joins as well to discuss the art design and stunning graphics that were shown off at E3 2000.

Behind the Scenes

• Tom Teuscher, Zachary Krefting, and pro skaters Daewon Song and Cara-Beth Burnside talk with the Underground crew about Grind Session.

Download Station

• Grind Session - Unlock all skaters and levels
• CTR: Crash Team Racing - Unlock all racers and arenas
• Tenchu 2 - Unlock all characters and levels
• Gekido - Unlock all characters and modes

Event Center

• The PlayStation Truck returns to Underground to show off it's PS2 make-over as it went to Rockfest 2000, which was headlined by Metallica.

R&D

• Andrew House (VP Marketing) shows the newly designed PSone, along with the optional 4-inch screen attachment.

Cool Moves

• MediEvil II - John Aspinwall from the Tip Team at SCEA shows how to get past a tricky switch puzzle.
• Wild ARMs 2 - Saul Villegas explains how to light all for pillars.
• Speed Punks - Paul McGuire reveals several short cuts within the game.
• Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return - Nathan Bosia describes how retrieve a ring in the mines.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 4.2 Hidden Codes
• Threadz & Accessories
• Speak Your Mind
• Coming on Issue 4.4
• Credits
• Fine Print

Disc 2

The Vault

• Spyro: Year of the Dragon (demo)
• Crash Bash (demo)
• Grind Session (demo)
• Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX (demo)
• Sydney 2000 (demo)
• NFL GameDay 2001 (video)
• NCAA GameBreaker 2001 (video)
• Cool Boarders 2001 (video)
• Final Fantasy IX (video)
• Parasite Eve (video)

PlayStation 2 Round Up

• Dynasty Warriors 2 (video)
• ESPN Winter X-Games Snowboarding (video)
• Silent Scope (video)
• MotoGP (video)
• Star Wars Starfighter (video)
• Smuggler's Run (video)
• Tekken Tag Tournament (video)
• Ridge Racer V (video)
• TimeSplitters (video)
• Midnight Club (video)
• Unreal Tournament (video)
• Dead or Alive 2 (video)
• ATV Offroad Fury (video)
• Summoner (video)
• SSX (video)
• FIFA 2001 (video)
• NHL 2001 (video)
• Madden NFL 2001 (video)

Hidden Content

Issue 4.4

The sixteenth installment of Underground is split between PlayStation and PlayStation 2 (one disc for each). The final PSone issue of Underground starts with Maggie at the launch of PlayStation 2. On Disc 2, Maggie is wearing a red jumpsuit in what appears to be a space station to unveil the mag's new look for PS2.

PSone Disc

Download Station

• UFC - Unlocks all fighters.
• Incredible Crisis - Unlocks all stages.
• Jungle Book: Rythym & Groove - Unlocks all levels.
• 007 World is Not Enough - Unlocks all levels.

Event Center

• Launch of PS2 at the Metreon in San Francisco

Behind the Scenes

• Remi Racine (CEO), Denis Lacasse (Producer), and Thomas Wilson of Artificial Mind & Movement talk about how they created The Grinch game.

Cool Moves

• Syphon Filter 2 - Nathan Bosia shows how to get through the ventilation shafts in the Pharcom Expo Center.
• Syphon Filter 2 - Kevin Kelly shows how to get off the roof in the New York Slums.
• Wild ARMs 2 - Saul Villegas shows how to get through the Sprial Tower.
• Spyro: Year of the Dragon - John Aspinwall shows how to get on top of the temple in Frozen Altars.
• Legend of Dragoon - John Aspinwall shows how to break the combination lock the Phantom Ship.

Bulletins

• PlayStation Online
• Issue 4.3 Hidden Codes
• Threadz & Accessories
• Speak Your Mind
• Next Transmission
• Credits
• Fine Print

The Vault

• Cool Boarders 2001 (demo)
• Driver 2 (demo)
• Mort the Chicken (demo)
• Star Wars: Demolition (demo)
• You Don't Know Jack: Mock 2 (demo)

PlayStation 2 Disc

Arcade

• Silent Scope (demo)
• Madden NFL 2001 (demo)
• SSX (demo)
• Dynasty Warriors 2 (demo)
• Armored Core 2 (demo)
• Special R&D Demo
• Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (video)
• Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 (video)

Download Station

• Tekken Tag Tournament - Unlock all characters and secrets.
• Wild Wild Racing - Unlock all cars.

Behind the Scenes

• Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore - Tom Itagaki from Tecmo sits down with the Underground crew to discuss the intricacies of the game and what's new in the Hardcore version.
• Star Wars: Starfighter - Tim Longo, Daron Stinnett, and Chris Corry from Lucas Arts talk about the development of the first Star Wars title for PS2.

Cool Extra

• Theatrical trailer for The Grinch starring Jim Carrey.

Cool Moves

• Madden NFL 2001 - John Diamonon, Graphics Specialist for SCEA, shows players how to perform a successful juke.
• SSX - Mike Foster, Senior Product Evaluator for SCEA, shows some of the shortcuts in the first level.
• Fantavision - Aaron Whitmore, QA Tester for SCEA, shows multiplayer powerup strategies and a general tutorial for the game.

Hidden Content

Issue 5.1

The final issue of Underground is also the only one that is exclusively for PS2 and also is the only issue that is not two discs. Maggie introduces all the new content one final time and continues bickering with UG Producer, Gary Barth. Maggie says "See you next issue" and in the Bulletins section there is info about what will be on the next issue, but unfortunately it never came.

The Vault

This time, The Vault featured seven PS2 demos as well as seven trailers for upcoming PS2 games.

• ATV Offroad Fury (demo)
• Army Men: Air Attack 2 (demo)
• Army Men: Green Rogue (demo)
• Red Faction (demo)
• Star Wars: Starfighter (demo)
• Winback: Covert Ops (demo)
• Zone of the Enders (demo)
• Dark Cloud (video)
• NBA ShootOut 2001 (video)
• NHL FaceOff 2001 (video)
• The Bouncer (video)
• Gauntlet: Dark Legacy (video)
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (video)
• Onimusha Warlords (video)

Behind the Scenes

Spyro: Year of the Dragon

• The Insomniac crew, including Ted Price (President), Craig Stitt (Art Director), and Brian Allgeier (Game Designer), are back to talk about their little field trip to go hang gliding in order to get the physics of flying right for the game.

Twisted Metal Black

• Dave Jaffe has returned to the helm of the franchise along with Scott Campbell (President of Incognito) and Randy Zorko (Technical Director). They talk to Underground about the development of the game and how it's going back to its roots.

Download Station

• Armored Core 2 - Unlock all missions and arenas.
• Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 - Unlocks all characters.

Event Center

Maggie joins the crew on a trip to Super Bowl XXXV in order to watch the "Game Before the Game," which is a traditional game of NFL GameDay between opposing players in the Super Bowl. The GBtG correctly determined the winner of the Super Bowl for the 7th year in a row as Qadry Ismail's Ravens defeated Jason Sehorn's Giants in GameDay.

Tech Q&A

Professional snowboarders Todd Richards, Barrett Christy, and Kevin Jones get their faces scanned at 989 Studios for Cool Boarders 2001. Chip Parsons, Kolbe Launchbaugh, and Gerald Ashworth from 989 discuss the first Cool Boarders title for PlayStation 2 and how they used motion capture technology to make the game more realistic.

Cool Moves

• NCAA GameBreaker 2001 - Eddy Cramm, Assistant Producer, explains how to use total control passing and defensiv strategies.
• NBA ShootOut 2001 - C.J. Connoy, Senior Producer from 989 Studios, talks about the game's icon passing features.
• SSX - Shawn Rettig, Product Evaluator at SCEA, shows how to be good at scoring high points in the Tokyo Megaplex.
• Silent Scope - Mark Valledor, Product Marketing Specialist at SCEA, shows how to use a USB device to get better accuracy and how to see in the dark.

Credits

Many people contributed to the PlayStation Underground CD Magazine project. Since this is a concept page, there is not a way to add them the way Giant Bomb would normally do so. So, here is a list of some of the most important people involved, plus others notables that appear throughout the issues in the "Special Thanks" category.

Special Thanks

These individuals appeared in the Special Thanks section of the credits. Many more than once.

• Ami Blaire
• Kurtis Buckmaster
• Mark Cerny
• Stewart Copeland
• Foo Fighters
• The Giant
• Christopher Gordon
• Phil Harrison
• Tony Hawk
• Kaz Hirai
• Hollywood Hogan
• Tomonobu Itagaki
• Joel Jewett
• KoRn
• Ken Kutaragi
• Brad Lynch
• Masaya Matsuura
• Todd McFarlane
• Frankie Muniz
• Gene Okerlund
• Dave Perry
• Ted Price
• Jason Rubin