Dark Knight returns as OPS2 looks to the future

25/11/04 - Future Publishing's Official PlayStation 2 (OPS2) magazine is celebrating the festive season with a veritable sack load of free stuff for gamers. This month's OPS2 is packed with a DVD, book, calendar and special 2005 preview magazine - and an exclusive cover feature for the forthcoming EA blockbuster, Batman Begins.

The Christmas issue of OPS2, the UK's best-selling video games magazine [1], continues its tradition of breaking the biggest games first, by giving gamers the first shots and details from Batman Begins, alongside fellow 2005 big-hitters Splinter Cell 3 and Scarface - as well as the definitive review of GTA: San Andreas.

Wrapped in a bag - the bumper giveaway issue of OPS2 is packed with goodies. A second special magazine runs down the hottest 100 PlayStation 2 games for 2005. The glossy 36-page guide breaks next year's games into spring, summer, autumn and winter collections and the fashion theme is echoed through some ludicrously OTT shots of team OPS2 camping it up. The parody is as arch as the eyebrows.

The bumper giveaway issue also includes a guide book with a complete solution for GTA: San Andreas, and a double sided poster/calendar for Rockstar's Midnight Club 3 - alongside the magazine's essential covermounted DVD. Amongst others the DVD features playable demos of the unmissable PS2 Christmas blockbusters Getaway: Black Monday and Prince of Persia - Warrior Within and Eyetoy: Play 2.

Stephen Pierce is Editor-in-chief of OPS2 magazine:

"This is an absolutely MASSIVE issue of OPS2. Make no mistake - we've got some storming exclusives on the disc and the magazine and we're also giving gamers three amazing free gifts. With such a great Christmas predicted for the PS2 and the industry in general it's time to revel in that festive feeling.

"The fashion inspired 2005 preview magazine (2005 PlayStation 2 Collezioni) deserves special mention. Where else do you get the 100 top PS2 games for next year presented next to a bunch of chancers in artfully daft menswear? This is groundbreaking games journalism in tweed."

Issue 54 of Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine is on sale, Thursday December 2nd.

ENDS

About Future Publishing

Future Publishing is part of The Future Network Plc, which was founded in the UK in 1985. Today, The Future Network publishes over 90 special-interest consumer magazines worldwide, is the world's leading publisher of video games magazines and is the fifth largest magazine publisher in the UK. Future employs around 1,000 people in offices in the UK, US, Italy and France. Almost 100 international editions of Future's magazines are also published in 30 other countries across the world. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FNET).

For more information please contact:

Will Guyatt, Communications, on 01225 822 517