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Zelda: B f War • Battlefiel rdian • Watch Dog
God O • The Last Gua
y more!
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a
.
Spider-Man
..
IT’s VR-y scaRy!
on
iti
et
competition c
om
p
e say it every summer, and each year it gets
more applicable: what a time to be a gamer!
Whatever machine you favour, 2016 looks
to be the most cataclysmically
brilliant bout of gaming yet.
And for the first time in what feels an age we
can confidently say that the future is bright
for Nintendo, too. It’s pulled back the
curtain and revealed a show-stopping
new Zelda. We’ve played it and you can
read all about it – as well as 50 other
cracking games to come – in our magbreakingly vast super-feature.
God Of War, Titanfall 2, Mass Effect:
Andromeda, Battlefield 1, Call Of
Duty: Infinite Warfare… the list of big
hitters on the horizon has our saliva
glands in overdrive. And there are a
few surprises in there too. Keep your
peepers peeled for Resident Evil 7,
which promises to take the series
back to its horror roots (properly this
time). And then there’s Steep, the
open-world Cool Borders-alike I never
knew I desperately wanted. With so
many games to get stuck into you’d
better get started…
Enjoy your GM!
My top picks this issue
WIN!
A whole bunch of
overwatch pc gaming
peripherals!
Flick to p85!
on
iti
et
“We can confidently
say the future is
bright for Nintendo”
eDItor’S CHoICe
competition c
om
p
competition c
om
p
Issue 306 / August 2016
on
iti
et
on
iti
et
competition c
om
p
welcome
W
14
Waiting for an excuse to jump back into Destiny?
Our chat with Bungie reveals several on the horizon.
26
50 other great games feature in our huge blow out,
but it’s the new Zelda that has me jonesing.
74
Monster Hunter Generations fulfils my dark desire
to carve up beasties and wear them as hats. Ahem.
Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman – Editor
Get more from your Gm!
Online at www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster
www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster
…or subscribe. See p92 for details.
August 2016
03
CoVeR
StoRy
Contents
What’s In Your Latest Issue?
Only the best games
are featured on
GM’s cover!
ReCon
48 GHoSt
wildlandS
Bolivia will steal the headlines as the
stunning setting for Ubisoft’s largest ever
open-world shooter, but its fluffy llamas
deserve a strapline, or at least, footnote.
leGend of zelda:
26 tHe
BReatH of tHe wild
We cavort around majestic Hyrule squashing
boars with boulders, setting the countryside
on fire, and cooking mushrooms topless. On
reflection, Zelda’s pretty weird isn’t it?
Previews
32
Call of duty:
infinite waRfaRe
33
Battlefield 1
34
God of waR
42
ReSident eVil 7
54
Sea of tHieVeS
Wait. Infinity… Space is infinite… This
takes place in space… Ohhhh, now we get it!
Simultaneously disrespect a million
great-grandfathers by joyfully
piloting a biplane into a blimp.
In this tone-shifting sequel, a newly
bearded Kratos has a son he’s
marginally less of a maniac to.
There aren’t enough sofas in the
world to hide behind. Though you
could try playing in an IKEA.
Is there more to the game than
drinking rum and playing shanties?
Does there need to be?
04
JULY 2016
MiRRoR’S
66 edGe
CatalySt
Find out why, eight years
after the original, EA’s
parkour open world
bungles its footing in a
repeat case of the Glass
being half empty.
Reviews
70
tMnt: MutantS in
ManHattan
72
KiRBy: Planet RoBoBot
73
MiGHty no 9
74
MonSteR HunteR
GeneRationS
79
odin SPHeRe
Pizza! Rats! Illegal street weaponry!
Cartilaginous shells! And more.
Robots are red, Kirby is pink, when
you read our review, it will make
you think. About Kirby.
Can this crowdfunded successor
live up to the Mega Man games of
old? Erm, we’ve got bad news…
Unlike bison, expertly hunted to
near extinction, beasts are endless here.
This 2D brawler perfectly recreates
the GamesMaster lifestyle: constant
fights, with breaks for over-eating.
Regulars
06
fanBaSe
18
uPfRont
88
indieMaSteR
86
RetRoMaSteR
90
CultuReMaSteR
Loads of you emailed. A few sent
letters. One guy stood outside with
a boombox. The police were called.
Our Early Access reporter briefly
lived a YouTuber’s life and now he’s
reacting to everything. Stop reacting, Leon.
It’s stylish top-down shooter Tokyo
42 this month – like visiting Japan’s
capital high on green tea Kit-Kats.
The perfect accompaniment to our
huge Breath Of The Wild preview
– a look back at the first Legend Of Zelda.
We ask the minds behind that
amazing Chuckle Brothers/Hitman
mashup: “How do that?”
www.twitter.com/gamesmaster
team GM
Issue 306/ August 2016
Meet The Magazine’s Makers!
Future plc, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA
Tel 01225 442244 Fax 01225 732275 Email gamesmaster@futurenet.com
Web www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster
Editorial
Editor Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman
Art Editor Rob Crossland
Senior Staff Writer Ben Griffin
Production Editor Robin Valentine
Contributors
Keith Andrew, Louise Blain, Matthew Castle, Matthew Elliott, Kate Gray, Leon
Hurley, Alex Jones, Leigh Loveday, Daniella Lucas, Ben Maxwell, David
Meikleham, James Nouch, Chris Schilling, Jen Simpkins, Ben Tyrer
1
2
advErtising
3
Commercial Sales Director Clare Dove
Senior Advertising Manager Lara Jaggon
Advertising Manager Mike Pyatt
Director Of Agency Sales Matt Downs
Advertising Director – Games Andrew Church
Head Of Strategic Partnerships Clare Jonik
For advertising enquiries please contact Andrew Church
andrew.church@futurenet.com
markEting
Group Marketing Manager Laura Driffield
Marketing Manager Kristianne Stanton
ProduCtion & distribution
Production Controller Fran Twentyman
Production Manager Mark Constance
Printed in the UK by William Gibbons & Sons Ltd on behalf of Future
Distributed by Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue,
London EC1A 9PT, Tel: 0207 429 4000
Overseas distribution by Seymour International
CirCulation
Trade Marketing Manager Juliette Winyard – 07551 150 984
subsCriPtions
UK reader order line & enquiries 0844 848 2852
Overseas reader order line & enquiries +44 (0)1604 251045
Online enquiries www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
Email gamesmaster@myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
tHe MoSt dediCated teaM in tHe BuSineSS
They said it couldn’t be done. They said we’d never get 51 games into
36 pages. They were wrong. We’re starting to think that we should stop
listening to the man from Del Monte’s nay-saying evil cousins.
liCEnsing
Senior Licensing and Syndicate Manager
Matt Ellis (matt.ellis@futurenet.com)
+44 (0)1225 442244 Fax +44 (0)1225 732275)
managEmEnt
Editorial Director Matthew Pierce
Group Art Director Rodney Dive
Deputy Group Art Director Mark Wynne
Rob Crossland
1
“What games are
you excited about
then, Rob?” we
asked, as if we
didn’t already know
that he’ll be playing
The Division until
the cows come
home. Or until
Dollar Flu becomes
a real thing. Wait,
did he lend Ben
lunch money this
week? Evacuate!
Zelda item you’d use in real life?
Boomerang, for his Yuffie cosplay.
2
As both prod ed
and the youngest
member of the
team, it’s Robin’s
duty to make sure
we know what
terms likeTrolldad
or LOLzy mean. It’s
also why he’s
allowed to use
those words and
not be pelted with
bits of lunch.
A hearty
congratulations this
month, as Ben’s
become a father… to
a litter of babby rats,
that is. Should the
thought of him sat at
home with fourteen
skinless,
chipotle-sized
vermin writhing in
his lap not put you
off, check them out
at @GameGriffin.
Lon-Lon Milk, because he’s thirsty right now.
FuturE Publishing
MD, Magazines Joe McEvoy
Chief Financial Officer Penny Ladkin-Brand
UK CEO Zillah Byng-Thorne
Next issue on sale 11 August 2016
Ocarina, for easy commutes.
Ben Griffin
3
Robin
Valentine
4
James Nouch
Worry not, Matt’s still
here. It’s just that he’s
fed up with seeing
his face three times
before p6 each issue
so he’s put James’ on
here instead. Plus it’s
easier to make jokes
about James. He
uses the word
‘represent’
unironically when
complimented on his
jumpers. True story.
Hookshot, to grab distant bevarages.
© Future Publishing Limited 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or
reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company
number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. The registered office of Future Publishing Limited
is at Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA. All information contained in this magazine is for
information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot
accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. Readers are advised to contact
manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this
magazine. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Future a licence to publish
your submission in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine, including licensed editions
worldwide and in any physical or digital format throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent
at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents or
subcontractors shall be liable for loss or damage.
Future Games: The First Choice For Gamers. This magazine is brought to you by Future Publishing Ltd.,
the makers of Edge, PC Gamer, Official XBox Magazine and Official PlayStation Magazine.
We are committed to only using magazine paper
which is derived from well managed, certified
forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future
Publishing and its paper suppliers have been
independently certified in accordance with the
rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
COnTaCT Us
Email gamesmaster@futurenet.com
Twitter www.twitter.com/gamesmaster
Facebook www.facebook.com/
officialgamesmaster
Web www.gamesradar.com/gamesmaster
Post gamesMaster, Future, Quay House,
the Ambury, Bath, BA1 1Au, uK
The write stuff
fanbase fa
se
nb
ba
as
n
fa
ase fanba
s
anb
e
fa
ef
n
as
e
ase fanbase f
nb
an
a
f
b
Fanbase
the best of your emails,
tweets, and carrier
pigeon death
threats
ase
f
a
n
fanb
ba
se
se
ba
Many seem more excited for the COD4
remaster than the new game – is it just
nostalgia, or was the series better back then?
L E T T E R
of the
month
Jamie asks, what are COD fans so angry about?
W
hy has there been so much hate for Call Of
Duty: Infinite Warfare? seriously, I cannot
understand why people are bashing it. As I
write this we’ve only seen a single trailer
that doesn’t even show any gameplay.
COD fans want boots on the ground, I get that, but the
last game to have this in the series was ghosts, and look
how well that ended up. they asked for something different,
and got Advanced Warfare, and then they bashed that too.
I’ve been playing COD for about seven or eight years now
and I’ve played every campaign, every multiplayer, and
tried every bonus mode. there are few things that came off
to me personally as ‘awful’ and ‘should never be put in
another game again’. Infinite Warfare looks like it’ll have a
great campaign, potentially wanting to rival Mass Effect:
Andromeda in cinematic scope. People need to wait until
they see more than a cutscene or two before they declare
their hatred for it.
James Sergison, email
It feels like Call Of Duty is in an impossible situation – if it
changes things too much, people complain it’s not faithful
to the series, but if it doesn’t change things enough, it’s
accused of being the same game every year. And because
the sales expectations are so high, the studios are under
pressure to appeal to as many people as possible.
Ultimately, we think it needs a break from annual entries.
Even with the three studio system, there’s no time for the
devs to fully adapt to feedback, and we suspect many
players simply have COD fatigue. n
win!
got an opinion? Have even the barest grasp
of words and how to put them together?
the best letter bags a free mystery game!*
COD surely can’t just be modern military forever – but is
heading into deep space a step too far?
06
August 2016
*Don’t forget to include your postal address and
chosen format!
I agree with stan Cohen (see gM303!)
that stories are important to games. But I
have to wonder what his reading material
consists of if he believes storytelling in
games is on par with great literature.
games aren’t remotely close to
equaling the quality of writing found in
books. You can’t begin to compare the
childish and simple stories in games with
the likes of Aeschylus and shakespeare,
or even tolkien. Just having themes of
things like love and death does not make
for a great story. It’s the literary quality
that makes the difference.
Most games struggle to reach a level
equal to badly written movies. I think it’s
sad that gamers think the Last Of us is
good, much less great, storytelling. the
only game I felt had great writing, at least
in some areas, was grandia 2. Even then, I
think they quoted other authors.
I’m not saying I haven’t found a lot of
game stories enjoyable. But the
standards have to be much higher for
them to reach the level of a great book.
Erin Hoffman, email
We agree that writing in games still has
a way to go – and that some dodgy plots
get a bit of a free pass – but we shouldn’t
be comparing it with writing in books or
film. Far too many developers spend
their time trying to ape other mediums,
instead of embracing the things that
make games unique and allow
completely new ways of telling stories.
It’s like trying to make sausages sweeter
so they’ll be as good as cakes. We want
games to keep getting better, but they
shouldn’t live in the shadow of movies
or literature.
Fighting words
When I was young lad in school, I was
often involved in ‘arguments’ about
mUG OF
THE mONTH
sean Mike Hollyman’s Dark souls
character somehow manages to be
more grotesque than half the bosses…
Proud of your avatar’s look in your
latest game of choice? Send in a shot!
FaNbasE
wisH LisT
Medievil… that game was my
childhood! (Literally, it was the first
video game I ever played.)
George G, @fireburnsred292
What classic series do you want
to see revived on Kickstarter?
YOUr TOP 5
It’s a fourth week at
number one for our
reigning champ, fighting
off a bout of space fever…
Blast Corps… imagine that!
Powered by Cryengine!
Alex Shute, Facebook
1
Black and White deserves a
reboot, if only so I can chuck
more villagers in the sea using
an evil cow.
Ben Griffin, Senior Staff
Writer
Road Rash – I’d happily settle for
the same game just with added
online multiplayer.
Clint Tokley, Facebook
Double Dragon – a
classic that
could look and soun
d amazing on
modern hardware.
David Newland, Fa
cebook
THE LEGENd OF zELda:
bREaTH OF THE WiLd
Format NX, Wii U ETA March 2017
You want it. We’ve played it. Head over
to p26 for our full hands-on.
Brian Lara Cricket – I use
d to
love summers of recrea
ting
the Ashes on it!
Ben Tyrer, @bentyrer
2
Incidents in recent years have shown
that there are a few toxically bad eggs in
the gaming community. We suspect it’s
nothing new, just more visible than ever
thanks to the internet, but that kind of
negativity absolutely shouldn’t be
welcome in our hobby. We want gaming
to be something that anyone can enjoy
without fear of abuse, and we always
hope to make GamesMaster itself as
welcoming and inclusive a window into
games as it can be!
NO maN’s sky
Format PS4, PC ETA 10 August
Despite one last delay (fingers
crossed!), you’re more excited to jet off
into the stars than ever. Not long now!
3
Photo finish
“most game stories struggle
to equal badly written films”
gaming, generally relating to whether
Nintendo or sega was the best. (My adult
self has never forgiven my younger self
for falling into the sega camp.)
As a young adult, I was often involved
in debates justifying my continued
interest in gaming as a hobby and
defending videogames from what the
younger me saw as disingenuous,
sensationalist articles in the media often
linking gaming to violence and general
antisocial behaviour.
Now, as a 35 year old man, I am
continually shocked at the tirade of
abuse that seems to constantly be flying
around in our community, whether it be
at games journalists for having a differing
opinion, at Youtubers for creating
content how they want to, or at
developers for delaying their games.
When did this community turn so
aggressive? Is it solely due to the rise of
the internet and the apparent anonymity
that provides? How have so many people
gotten themselves so worked up over
what is essentially a recreational pastime
that they are willing to resort to such
extreme reactions?
Even the playground arguments
over Mario and sonic never
descended to such immature lows.
Barry Harte, email
Me and my brother argue over what is a
next-gen game. I feel it’s any game that
releases on Ps4 and XO. He however just
focuses on graphics and says games,
especially indies, can’t call themselves
next-gen until they get photo-realistic
graphics. so what do you think?
Darren Philpott, email
We agree with you – it’s based on
console generation. If it’s on next-gen
consoles, it’s a next-gen game. (We say
‘current-gen’ but it means the same.)
Basing it on graphics is a recipe for
pointless arguments, and does a
disservice to games with more
cartoony or abstract art styles. n
HORizON: zERO daWN
Format PS4 ETA March 2017
Find out how hunting robots feels in
action in our hands-on with this highly
anticipated Sony exclusive on p40.
4
maFia iii
Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 7 October
After GM304’s preview, we needed to
play this again – find out how our
second session went on p36.
5
OFF THE cHaRT!
the hot topics you’ve been gabbing about
41%
20%
17%
12%
10%
the best videogame vehicles
New features you want in FIFA and PEs
Your favourite Overwatch characters
the legendary Pokémon of sun and Moon
Piloting a mech in Just Cause 3
POkémON sUN aNd mOON
Format 3DS ETA 23 November
Poplio, Litten, or Rowlett? Surely the
most important decision facing us as a
society today. [Litten, obviously -Ed]
August 2016
07
FaNbasE
you love
ga
mes
me
ga
e
v
Wing See Li
(@xflower
star
Twitter) is ge x on
tting in
the Lomba
x sp
this Ratchet irit with
cosplay!
es you love g
am
am
eg
e
ov
s
ove games yo
ul
ul
yo
YOU LOve
Games
s
Cool stuff and
videogame
culture
sOCiaL
GrOUsinG
Wisdom and weirdness
from our bustling social
media channels
Dishonored 2 is
the game I’m
most hyped for.
I played the hell
out of the first one, cant
wait for a second game!
A2Pro, @Elsaedpecaj
ove games yo
ul
ul
yo
o
I want a career
mode where
you can play as
the referee.
Jamie Cockshott, @JamieCockshott
Lunala looks
like something
my seven year
old sister would
stick to her wall.
cool
cosplay
Sean Mike Hollyman, Facebook
maNiac OF THE mONTH!
Neil Armstrong Mario Kart
racing Buzz once round
the Moon, last one back at
the Lunar Module gets
tickle torture.
Carl, @CarlWood7
PES was
fantastic this
year bar two
major flaws:
terrible goal keeping
and useless refs. Sort
that and we finally have
the PES of old back.
star
stash
You’re already living and breathing
Overwatch – why not eat it too? Find
out how to make this awesome cake
here: http://bit.ly/gmcake
DanzGamez (@Danz_Gamez) has
quite the library of GamesMasters –
he’s been collecting since issue 218!
Can any of you lot beat that?
Steven Phillips, Facebook
If I had
Assassin’s Creed
powers I’d walk
around
pretending to pickpocket people when
really I’m just touching
lots of bums.
POLL POSITION
Keeping democracy alive on our Facebook and twitter feeds
Which is your favourite
Gears Of War game?
Which is your favourite
Uncharted game?
Harry Oosh Montague, Facebook
44%
41%
35%
34%
20%
16%
2%
GOW
08
GOW2
August 2016
GOW3
Judgement
Jon Gates, Facebook
8%
Uncharted
The new Doom’s
a brilliant game.
Like the Doom
of old, with
lovely shiny murder.
How did Duke Nukem
Forever fail so badly?
Uncharted 2
Uncharted 3
Uncharted 4
r
14 Iron crew
We grill Destiny art
director Chris Barrett
for all the info on the
latest expansion, Rise
Of Iron.
PARTY
OF ONE
Microsoft unveils two
new Xbox One systems,
including “the most
powerful console ever”
Nomura is a busy chap,
with Kingdom Hearts III
also in his hands. Don’t
expect FFVII Remake any
time soon, then.
10
august 2016
16 Trek it out
18 ’Tuber man
From captaining the
uss Enterprise to
being the Batman,
we round up the best
upcoming VR.
21 Crashing the party
skyrim’s looking
shiny and a certain
Bandicoot’s back
– check out the best
upcoming remasters.
Our roving Early
access reporter finds
out what it’s really
like to achieve
Youtube stardom.
M
icrosoft has gone hardware gaga and announced not one, but two new
additions to the Xbox One family. The first is the Xbox One S, a pleasingly
svelte version of Microsoft’s existing gaming hardware that manages to
cram in a couple of teeny-tiny performance improvements to boot. The
second is a full-blooded mid-generational refresh that Microsoft’s calling
“the most powerful console ever”. Project Scorpio, as the new machine
is currently known, is set for release in late 2017.
Microsoft’s slimline redesign is due sooner –
we’re expecting it to hit store shelves in late
summer – and in terms of physical dimensions
the One s promises to be 40 per cent smaller
than its bulky older brother. 4K video is the
other focus of the device, which will play uHD
4K Blu-ray discs in its upgraded drive, as well as
supporting the super high-definition format in
streaming apps such as Netflix and amazon.
More intriguingly, the Big M has confirmed
that its revised hardware will have additional
reserves of processing power too, although it
won’t make your existing games run any better.
the One s looks set to start at around £250
for a 500gB model, although if you want a 2tB
machine it may be as much as £350.
But, while the Xbox One s will upscale all
your existing games for 4K screens, it isn’t a
true 4K machine. that’s where Project scorpio
comes in, promising to deliver the raw graphical
and processing power to render games at nutty
resolutions. Microsoft reckons the device will be
the most powerful console ever made when it
launches in late 2017, and Xbox boss Phil
spencer claims it will be four-and-a-half times as
powerful as the existing hardware.
“xbox boss phil spencer claims
scorpio will be four-and-a-half
times more powerful”
Instead, it’ll be used to power HDR gaming for
owners of fancy high dynamic range televisions
– delivering a richer range of colours in games
such as gears Of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3.
Xbox One-and-a-half
the console will also ship with a subtly
upgraded controller, featuring twice the
wireless range and hardier thumbsticks than
the existing model. It’ll be fully compatible with
Windows 10 PCs via Bluetooth, too, which is
particularly handy given that Microsoft’s new
Play anywhere initiative will see almost all of its
forthcoming first party games launch for both
Xbox One and PC. Buy them on one platform,
and you’ll get the other version for free.
Despite this big performance boost, spencer
emphatically promises that “no-one gets left
behind”. In other words, every XO game will be
compatible with the Xbox One, Xbox One s, and
scorpio, with no titles being developed only for
the more powerful hardware. scorpio, it seems,
will exist primarily to deliver 4K gaming and VR,
rather than entirely new games.
Exactly how devs end up making use of all
that extra graphical brawn remains to be seen,
however, as does the price. Microsoft has
assembled an absolute beast – leaks suggest
that scorpio is considerably more powerful
than sony’s similar mid-gen update, Ps Neo –
and it may carry a price tag to match. Best start
saving the pennies ahead of Christmas 2017. n
A sTIng In The TAIl
scorpio may be exciting, but we still
have some unanswered questions
following Microsoft’s reveal.
How much will it cost?
All that power could mean it
ends up hundreds of pounds
more expensive than the
Xbox One’s launch price.
What’s all that extra power
going to be used for?
Microsoft is emphasising
resolution, but will we see
better graphics too?
Why not just buy a PC?
Xbox exclusives will be on
Windows 10 now too, so why
not just go for the more open
platform?
august 2016
11
E3
sony
some blasts from the past alongside a host of new IP
PAST
Kratos is back, and he’s older,
angrier, and more hirsute than
ever. But rather than stabbing
his way across ancient athens,
the death dealing deity has
travelled to scandinavia for a
bit of a franchise reboot –
hence the unnumbered title,
God Of War. It’s a bit of a departure from what’s gone before,
then, appearing to offer a heavier, slower style of combat, and
spinning a narrative from the world of Norse mythology.
Kratos still yells a lot, though.
another Playstation classic soon set to make its Ps4 debut
is Gran Turismo Sport, the latest instalment in the
distinguished series of driving simulators. this new entry
carries something of a competitive flavour, boasting two
persistent online championships that perhaps reflect the
increasing cross-pollination of esports and mainstream
FUTURE
We may not know what the
heck he’s actually working on,
but Hideo Kojima is back and
he’s making a game
exclusively for Ps4. In what
was surely one of the oddest
game unveilings of all time,
the acclaimed auteur
introduced Death Stranding to the world with a video of a
digital Norman Reedus hugging a baby on a beach. It may be
strange, but a Kojima exclusive represents a significant coup
for Playstation – whatever he cooks up.
the considerably more conventional (although really quite
impressive in its own way) Days Gone is another new IP
announcement from sony. sure, there’s nothing hugely
original about the idea of battling swarms of zombies (er,
Freakers), but some remarkable technology enables sony’s
Bend studio to render fast-moving hordes that flow through
12
august 2016
BLOW
OUT!
How the big three’s barrage
of announcements looks
both forwards
and back
gaming. In terms of the racing itself, however, it’s all quite
comfortably reminiscent of 2013’s gran turismo 6.
Elsewhere, Gravity Rush 2 continues to impress with its
chaotic and colourful action-adventure gameplay. the original
was an early Ps Vita classic, but its follow-up will be exclusive to
sony’s home console. In fact, the Vita is now conspicuous by its
absence from almost any major sony announcements, and it
seems as though the platform holder is no longer looking to
support its handheld offering with first-party titles. World Of
Final Fantasy, square Enix’s cutesy role-playing effort, is one
of only a select few titles
bound for both Playstation
4 and Ps Vita.
Perhaps the single most
unlikely resurrection on
sony’s roster is Crash
Bandicoot, a one-time
mascot that had essentially
faded into irrelevance once Naughty Dog moved on to bigger
and better things. the garish marsupial will feature in
Skylanders: Imaginators this October, before returning to the
big time with Ps4 remasters of his first three games.
and then there’s The Last Guardian, a game that we’ve
been anticipating for so long that it feels increasingly like a
thing of the past. First announced in 2009 for Playstation 3,
ueda’s tender platformer promises to portray an emotional
story of friendship and giant cat-birds. It’s scheduled for release
in October, but whether it can live up to the weight of seven
years of expectation remains to be seen.
Death and axes
“sony was never going to top last
year’s stunning performance, but
there’s no denying it still nailed
every item on the E3 checklist.
Brilliantly inscrutable trailer to get
people talking? Check, courtesy of
Kojima’s Death stranding. the
long-awaited return of a beloved
series? Check, and Kratos has a
beard now. some new looks at
known quantities to get us
frothing all over again? Check, with
amazing demos of Horizon: Zero
Dawn and the Last guardian.
throw in the show’s most exciting
virtual reality proposition, Batman:
arkham VR, and you’ve got good
times ahead for
Playstation fans.”
Robin Valentine,
Production Editor
environments like a tidal wave. It’s a technical demonstration
of the Ps4’s specs advantage, as much as anything else.
although we’ve known about Horizon: Zero Dawn for a
while now, it continues to impress in pre-release showings,
leaving us quietly confident that guerilla games could be
celebrating a strong launch in February 2017. Fans of
narrative-led games, meanwhile, can look forward to David
Cage’s Detroit: Become Human, a visually impressive but
tonally downbeat tale of robotic oppression. all told, it’s a
strong year for sony in terms of new IP, with the Ps4 set to host
a number of brand new
blockbusters alongside
established franchises.
But one area that sony is
understandably keen to shout
loud about is virtual reality,
and it’s been showing off all
sorts of goggle-enabled
experiences ahead of the Playstation VR hardware launch in
October. the lineup is looking healthy, with Farpoint,
Battlefront: X-Wing VR Mission, and Batman: Arkham VR all
shown off recently. the announcement that Resident Evil 7
will be fully playable in VR, meanwhile, shows how sony could
steal a march on its console rivals in the VR arena.
and then there’s the Ps Neo, a mid-gen upgrade in the vein
of Microsoft’s Project scorpio. according to a raft of leaks, the
Playstation 4.5 will be noticeably less powerful than Microsoft’s
effort, suggesting we could see a reversal of sony’s hardware
advantage within the next 18 months. But there’s no official
word on the Neo for now, so Kaz and co could surprise us yet.
MICRosoFT
Indie intrigue and a slew of system-selling sequels
PAST
While sony has been reeling off blockbuster new IPs of late,
Microsoft has been talking up a roster of familiar favourites for
XO owners. the most conservative of these, perhaps, is Gears
Of War 4, a concerted effort to create something that sticks as
closely to the series’ established template as possible. that
said, it’s a graphically impressive effort designed to exploit the
HDR features exclusive to Microsoft’s new Xbox One s system,
potentially making it a technical showcase for the sKu.
Halo Wars 2 and Dead Rising 4 are both more ambitious
additions to existing enterprises, offering considered changes
alongside a tasty core of familiarity. Forza Horizon 3,
meanwhile, relocates its festival of racing to the varied
landscape of australia, and will ship with a map twice the size
of its predecessor when it launches in september.
and then there’s State Of Decay 2, a followup to the flawed
but atmospheric original.
this sequel promises a
more fully-realised
community of survivors in a
more densely-detailed
world, plus the addition of
four-player online co-op.
FUTURE
Microsoft has always
struggled to gain a proper
foothold in the Japanese
market, but its policy of
partnering with local devs
will finally bear fruit this
year. so, while Mighty No 9
may not have turned out to be the worthy Mega Man
successor we were all hoping for (check out our review on p73
for more), Keiji Inafune’s ReCore continues to intrigue with its
robot-commanding action, and Platinum’s Scalebound looks
set to deliver the action goods in 2017. similarly, Microsoft’s
stated commitment to high-falutin’ indie fare should soon pay
off, and we’re particularly excited by the dark little duo that is
Inside and We Happy Few.
and having finally had a chance to properly explore Rare’s
cartoonishly colourful online world of pirates, Sea Of Thieves,
we’re more excited than ever to see what the studio can do
now that it’s no longer toiling away down in the Kinect game
mines. It seems as though Microsoft’s finally given up on the
once-popular peripheral, in fact – the Xbox One s requires an
adaptor to even plug one in.
Sea change
“Remember how Microsoft once
filled its conferences with motion
controls, fitness blah, and sales
data? E3 2016 was wall-to-wall
games, and exclusives to boot: sea
Of thieves, Halo Wars 2, Forza
Horizon 3, gears Of War 4, Dead
Rising 4. all solid propositions, and
Windows 10 functionality is a
massive bonus. But what really
entices me are fresh ideas in We
Happy Few, Inside, and Cuphead. If
you like videogames (and you
probably do), the future’s bright on
Xbox One.”
Ben Griffin, Senior Staff Writer
nInTenDo
Zelda’s the focus, but we’re all wondering what comes NX-t
PAST
With so much attention currently focused on Nintendo’s
mysterious new home console, it’s easy to forget that the
company has at least one massive release up its sleeve that’s in
no way dependent on the NX situation. that’s because the
goliath multimedia franchise that is Pokémon rumbles on this
year with the arrival of latest core series entries Sun and Moon
for the 3Ds, offering a brand new region to explore, the idyllic,
Hawaii-like alola, and a fresh roster of collectable critters to
battle and imprison in spheres.
as well as this relatively conventional outing, there’s also a
more adventurous take on creature capture in the works:
Pokémon Go. scheduled for release in July, this aR offering
from Niantic Labs encourages
players to take to the streets with
their smartphones in search of
pocket monsters.
and then there’s the Wii u.
Nintendo is surely working its
collective socks off on the NX
launch lineup right now, leaving
Paper Mario: Color Splash as
one of the few lonely games on
the Wii u release schedule.
FUTURE
Zelda may not be a new
franchise, but Breath Of
The Wild feels very
much like new direction
– a shake-up that
reaches all the way down
to some of the series’
hoariest conventions. But it certainly isn’t the only novel title on
Nintendo’s horizon, and the freshly-announced Ever Oasis
stands as proof that the Mario-maker isn’t just dedicated to
endlessly rehashing its established IPs.
there’s also the company’s move into mobile to consider,
and Nintendo’s Miitomo app has already been downloaded by
more than 10 million users since its launch earlier this year.
Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile games are coming
next, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see whether Nintendo
can deliver the gameplay goods on smartphones without
provoking freemium ire from its fanbase.
But really, Nintendo’s future is all about the NX at this point,
the mysterious system that’s still shrouded in secrecy. Due in
March 2017, this is the console that Nintendo hopes will reverse
its recent fortunes, although we’ll have to wait until later in the
year to find out what form it will actually take.
Breath of fresh air
“If you’ve been around for as long as
me, you should be getting
goosebumps right about now.
We’ve been here before, with
Nintendo against the ropes and the
future looking bleak. Each time
though it’s cooked up something
incredible and then hit it out of the
park, whether inventing new
genres, developing new hardware
or a potent mix of both. Zelda will be
brilliant, but if history has taught us
anything it’s that Nintendo always
delivers it’s biggest successes with
it’s back to the precipice.”
Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, Editor
august 2016
13
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ve
“what’s the story
behind lord
saladin and the
iron banner?”
We get the low down on Destiny’s new Rise Of
Iron expansion from art director Chris Barrett
G
et your Destiny
checklists out,
Guardians: a new
bevy of content is
incoming. The
launch of Rise Of
Iron on 20 September this year will see
the game receive a new raid, a new
Strike, a cargo hold’s worth of gear and
weapons, new PvP maps, a social hub,
and its own story campaign to play
through. Why wait to discover the
expansion’s secrets though? Read on
as we dig deep with one of the minds
behind the new content…
Q
How has the team’s approach to
the new campaign unfolded this
time around?
A
the taken King was well received
in terms of story, so we’re building
upon that. the approach we’re taking, I
think uniquely with Rise Of Iron, we’ve
got the [PvP] tournament called Iron
Banner, which fans have been playing for
a long time, and are familiar with. [As part
of that] there’re these great weapons
that players are familiar with. they’ve
sort of been part of their arsenal for a
long time. so this is a part of the game
where we get a chance to dive deeper
into what happened to the Iron Lords
[asking] ‘what is the story behind Lord
saladin and this tournament?’. And so
we’re taking one of the stories in the
Destiny universe and going really deep
and telling that backstory. We’re
continuing to iterate and learn from a lot
of the narrative things we did with taken
King, but bringing this new story into it
and really delving into the past, whereas
the taken King was really about a new
menace coming into the solar system. In
this story, we’re taking a chance to fill in
some of the lore and backstory that
we’ve begun to hint at, in the game.
Q
What can you tell us about the
new area, the Plaguelands? Why
are the Guardians heading out there
and what will they find?
A
this is a place that’s been
quarantined off, long ago, by the
Iron Lords. they sacrificed themselves to
seal away this ancient plague called sIVA,
and this will be a brand new, expansive
“get your friends together and
be ready to face a new
challenge that you’ve never
seen before”
14
August 2016
outdoor zone that has been overrun by
the Devil splicers who have dug up this
golden Age technology and have used it
to mutate themselves and turn into these
horrible monsters. they sort of run amok
and players will venture into this new
zone and try and fight back against the
Fallen and put an end to this sIVA
outbreak. On top of that, in this whole
new area there’ll be new public events,
new patrols, new secrets to find, much of
the campaign will take place there,
there’ll be a new strike that [takes place]
exclusively inside the Plaguelands, and a
new raid too.
Q
Gjallarhorn is back. How do you
go about re-introducing it
without breaking the game’s balance,
while ensuring it still feels suitably
powerful in play?
A
As with every release, with every
content update we do, we have a
great team who’re always looking at the
balance of all our weapons, player
abilities, that kind of stuff, so with Rise Of
Iron as well we’ll be looking at the overall
balance of weapons and trying to tune it
so all the weapons feel good together. On
top of that, which I think is pretty cool, it’ll
be available to all players in a new quest,
and they’ll be going on this adventure to
reforge a brand new gjallarhorn out of
the armour pieces of fallen heroes, so I
think that’ll be a pretty unique way for all
players to get this new weapon. And, of
course, we’re also introducing the Iron
gjallarhorn, which is the black and
silver-themed version of it.
Q
It’s a bit early to ask, we know,
but what advice would you give
Guardians planning to get stuck into
the new raid?
A
that’s a tough one. I think one of
the cool things about the raids is
that they’re a mystery, so we don’t tell
players too much about what they’re
going to explore and what they’re going
to find. so I would just say get your
friends together, get your schedule set
for the week of release. Be ready to face a
new challenge that you’ve never seen
before. One of the cool things for Bungie
is that whenever we release a new raid,
or a new piece of content, the whole
studio sits down and puts it on the
monitors in their studio. so we’re
watching players as they play the raid the
first time, sort of cheering them on. You
can hear the cheers across the studio,
when people defeat the first bosses and
stuff like that, so it’s really cool watching
players experience that for the first time. I
think it’s going to be a unique raid that
players haven’t seen before and it’s going
to feature the Fallen which is a new
experience for players, so I think it’ll be
pretty cool.
Q
What do the new PvE enemies
bring to the game? How will they
change the way players engage in
combat for this expansion?
A
so they’re a brand new faction,
they’re called the Devil splicers,
they’ve been mutating their bodies
through the use of the sIVA technology.
they’ve been grafting on little bits of
technology, so they’ll have a brand new
look as well as bringing in some new
mechanics, some new tricks up their
sleeve, new weapon abilities we haven’t
seen before. so, we want to make sure
that as players are exploring the
Plaguelands and delving deeper into
their lair, that they have a new
experience, an angle to the Fallen they’ve
never seen before.
Q
Can you take us through the
process of designing the new
social hub for players? How are you
approaching this differently to what’s
gone before?
A
It’s outside, it’s in Old Russia on a
mountain peak, and it’s called
Felwinter Peak. One of the unique things
we’re doing with Rise Of Iron is players
will have to fight to take back the social
space, so the campaign kicks off with
players ascending this mountain peak
which has been infested with the Fallen,
www.gamesmaster.com/gamesmaster
and they all have to fight, take it over, and
then reestablish the Iron temple, where
the Iron Lords once watched over the
Cosmodrome. On top of that, I think the
tone is going to be unique, it really feels
like you’re at the edge of this new zone,
and you get to look out over the cliff and
see it from a distance, and it’s this outpost
that you’ve just taken back, so it really
feels like you’re on the edge of this new
campaign. It’ll be a hub for all of the story
for Rise Of Iron, so the campaign will take
place there. We’ll also be introducing
some new characters to that space as
well. In addition there will be wolves
wandering through the area!
Q
You’ve mentioned that you’d like
to make it easier for players to
meet up in the game rather than
relying on forums and browser-based
LFG tools. What steps are you taking
towards this goal?
A
Yes, it’s absolutely a goal as you
mentioned to get players together.
We’ll be announcing some additional
things over the summer, but specifically
we really want to make sure there’s a new
raid, a new zone, a new social space, and
new weapons, really to feed the players
that new content they’ve really been
asking for.
Q
What internal concerns did the
team want to tackle specifically
with Rise Of Iron?
A
Really the number one thing is
content, I mean that’s what people
have been asking for, that’s what people
want. I mean, we’ve got this really
engaged community that loves the
game, we’re all players of the game
ourselves, and we all just want more
excuses to go back and play with our
friends. We want to make sure to get as
much new content into the game as
possible, and also we want to make sure
there’s all types of new content: if players
love playing strikes, we’ve got new
strikes, if players love playing patrols and
new bounties, we’ve got a new zone to
explore. We’ve also got some new
Crucible maps as well, and a new PvP
game mode with some new features.
they’ll be announced later this summer,
but we really want to make sure that
whatever you like in Destiny, we’re going
to give you some of that in Rise Of Iron. n
August 2016
15
Virtually here
the best of upcoming goggle-based gaming
V
irtual reality has hit
in a big and mostly
unexpected way
this year – cue sigh
of relief for early
adopters.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of it is centred
around space, including the snappily
titled Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR
Mission, coming exclusively to PS VR,
which aims to fulfill the childhood
fantasies of a million fans by sticking
you in the cockpit of the series’ most
iconic ship and sending you off to
dogfight with TIE fighters. All we can
say to that is, pew pew, pew pew pew!
something for you too. star trek Bridge
Crew is coming to Vive, Oculus, and Ps VR,
and sees you taking up a role on the very
Enterprise-like uss Aegis. Just like in the
show, everyone’s got their job to do at their
station, and needs to work together to
complete the mission. Or, perhaps more
likely, bicker about who gets to be the
captain and fail spectacularly.
What’s that? You’d rather explore space
on your own? that’s fine, we’ve got you
covered with the intriguing Farpoint,
But don’t worry if you’re more into Picard
and Kirk than solo and Leia – we’ve got
another Ps VR exclusive that tells a survival
story set on an alien world, with more than
a hint of Interstellar and the Martian about
it. that’s as long as you’re alright with
hanging out with some giant alien spiders.
You aren’t? Oh, hmmm… maybe it’s time
we headed back down to Earth then.
Star tech
Batman: Arkham VR, also Ps VR-only, gives
you the chance to take up the cowl of
gotham’s finest vigilante grumpster and
“batman: arkham Vr is one of the
most impressiVe Virtual reality
experiences yet”
stats magic the gaming month in facts and figures
73,300 10
Number of tweets about the new
Legend Of Zelda during the first three
days of E3. The next most-mentioned
game had 40,000.
16
August 2016
Number of millions of
people who’ve played The
Division – with six million
playing the original beta.
4.5
Number of times the Xbox One
Scorpio is more powerful than the
current console. It all comes down
to ‘teraflops’, apparently.
investigate super-crime over the course of
a tense few hours. From what we’ve played
so far, this is one of the most impressive VR
experiences yet, and a must for any fans of
the caped crusader.
Perhaps if we spend enough time as
Batman, we’ll even work up the courage to
give horror game Here they Lie, another
Ps VR exclusive, a try. From the footage
we’ve seen so far, this looks both
pants-wettingly scary and intriguingly
surreal, taking place in a shadowy, gothic
city inhabited by skittering insects,
white-eyed river monsters, and sinister
citizens in creepy pig masks committing
unspeakable acts in the shadows.
Whatever VR worlds float your boat, the
future’s looking bright. Or, er, dark and
horrible, if that’s what you’re into. n
4
You can speed up the HD
remaster of Final Fantasy XII
by up to four times. Is it
really that boring?
most
wanted
What’s most tickling the
team’s fancy this month
take
aim
“a female link would
actually suit the franchise”
there’ve been rumours for years, but Nintendo
doesn’t want to budge. James Nouch unpicks the
odd reasoning keeping Linkle out of the spotlight
T
he Legend of
Zelda: Breath Of
The Wild
promises a
radical
reinvention of
the franchise. So radical that some
speculated it would give us the
chance to play as a woman for the
first time in the main series. We now
know that isn’t the case.
speaking to Kotaku, Breath Of the WIld
producer Eiji Aonuma explained the
reasoning behind that decision. “You
know there’s the idea of the triforce in
the Zelda games we make,” he said.
“the triforce is made up of Princess
Zelda, ganon, and Link. Princess Zelda
is obviously female. If we made Link a
female we thought that would mess
with the balance of the triforce.”
Perhaps the nuance of his
argument has been lost in translation,
but this is not a justification that
makes sense. Why would a two-thirds
female triforce be any more
unbalanced than a two-thirds male
one? Another option might be to
hand players control of Zelda instead.
Aonuma told gamespot he isn’t
convinced: “If we have Princess Zelda
as the main character who fights, then
what is Link going to do?” given that
Nintendo is one of the most creative
developers in the world, it’s hard to
imagine it’d be incapable of clearing
this narrative hurdle.
the weakest link
All this might make more sense if Link
was a fully-formed personality, but
he’s a blank slate – a silent protagonist
whose outfit is more striking than his
outlook. And given that Breath Of the
Wild seems happy to let players do
away with Link’s iconic green tunic, it
seems bizarre to suggest that a
female Link would fundamentally
undermine the franchise.
“nintendo’s alreadt done the
design work, haVing created
linkle for hyrule legends”
After all, the narrative conceit of
the Zelda series is that there are
multiple Links across multiple
timeframes – each a different person
chosen by the goddesses to battle
evil. that being the case, it seems that
the series is uniquely suited to this
kind of playful revision, and each
game in the series is defined in large
part by its differences from what has
gone before. this is the same legend
retold time and time again, after all, so
it’s the differences that stand out – the
fact that one version of Link rides
giant birds, while another sails the
oceans, and yet another can
transform into a bloomin’ wolf.
As such, the idea of a female Link is
not only utterly achievable, it would
actually suit the franchise quite well,
presenting another twist on the titular
legend for Nintendo to explore. And it
would be trivially easy to do!
Nintendo’s already done the design
work, after all, having created Linkle
for Hyrule Warriors: Legends.
Nintendo is under no obligation to
produce a Zelda game with a female
playable character, of course. But
perhaps it should provide some honest
and coherent reasons about its
reluctance to do so. n
MaTT’S pIck
the legend Of
Zelda: Breath Of
the Wild
This has got to be the most radically
different Zelda game since the
series made the leap to 3D.
crafting. Loot. RpG stats. a
jump button?! With a
visual style that’s as
gorgeous as it is fresh to
boot, this is far and away
the most exciting game on
the horizon.
NX, Wii U – Spring 2017
RObIN’S pIck
Mafia iii
authentic atmosphere
goes a long way for
me in games, and this
open-world sequel
looks to be absolutely
dripping in it. If they
can maintain that
perfect period feel
throughout, and tackle the
story’s sensitive racial elements with the
grace and tact that they require, then I
see myself spending an awful lot of time
in New bordeux.
PS4, XO, PC – 7 October
bEN‘S pIck
Batman: arkham Vr
I played this at E3 for 15 glorious minutes
and it was one of the most important
moments of my life. I actually was
batman, donning the batsuit and
launching batarangs in first-person
before slapping myself with
Move-enabled hands for no
other reason than, well, I’m
batman. When it releases
I’m going to try shooting
myself in the face with
my grapnel gun just for
giggles.
PS4 – October 2016
August 2016
17
It’s a Youtuber’s
LIfe for me!
a
What’s it like living the PewDiePie
dream of online celebrity?
W
e’ve all thought about it: making millions from playing
games on YouTube. How hard can it be? Load up
something, then squawk over it as the dollars roll in. Our
resident Steam Early Access expert Leon is pretty sure
that’s all you have to do. Here he checks out Youtuber’s Life
to see – think The Sims but with a YT-focused twist, where
the dream is to make your millions from a life of online video. n
5 minutes
Character crea
tion isn’t just a
case of choosin
there are mor
g some hair an
e important de
d shoes here. Oh
cisions to mak
being a persona
no.
e – being a Yout
lity, which mea
uber is obvious
ns I actually ha
and a master of
ly about
ve to pick one.
viral videos? Or
Will I be a ‘supe
a ‘Party Animal’
decide on ‘Load
rstar’
chasing fame an
ed’ which is ‘ob
d popularity? I
sessed with m
respect. I want
oney’. I’m not do
the space hous
ing this for love
e. I’ll buy friends
mind I name m
or
later. With that
y channel ‘the
kind of attitude
Howling Void’
and glasses to
in
an
d
hit go. Future M
denote his succ
e appears (in a
ess) to tell me
with my mum
suit
how I started in
and explains ‘th
a tiny bedroom
e first things I lea
one youtuber’.
living
rned before be
I want to kill Fu
coming the nu
ture Me, but th
mber
at would probab
ly cause a para
dox.
1 minuteediately earns its authenticity by starting in the future, where I live
the game imm
ady ‘the most popular
the Earth because I’m alre
in a space palace orbiting
Apparently being a big
Pie, you live in Brighton.)
youtuber’. (suck it PewDie
et) frees you from the
plan
the
e
leav
to
h that you get
enough deal online (suc
strophe in the title (it’s
apo
the
game’s already ditched
a
shackles of grammar. the
up the caps as it goes. I’m
it’s pretty much making
dard of most
just Youtubers Life) and
stan
the
ring
side
con
,
twork’. Mind you
(will)
‘youtuber’ but I have a ‘Ne
lish. Future Me tells me I
is shakespeare-level Eng
I
ore
bef
r,
eve
How
Youtube comments this
g hard trip”.
ething that’s been “a lon
ted…
star
all
manage a network, som
it
re
whe
to
k
bac
nsion we have to go
can claim my orbital ma
18
August 2016
7 minutes
Even before I make my first video, I realise that the music is the worst kind of looping
demo track – a wibbly jazz organ playing the same 30 second riff for the rest of my
life. I don’t know it yet but hours later I’ll still be listening to grandma’s organ working
the same few chords. there is other music, but it’s just as short, if not shorter. If
madness had a sound it would be this. Looking back at my notes after playing I find
‘the music won’t stop’ written every few lines. I only remember writing it once. the
burbling simlish dialogue is similarly repetitive, one gibberish phrase cycling forever.
It sounds like a 999 call from a man choking to death on marbles. this is a game best
played through headphones. Ones you’re not wearing, preferably.
agement,
y, resource man
utes, which involves a mixture of strategpu
I can start I
10 mmin
re
fo
r and be
es my com te
y first video
I make
e overall
st stage involv
PC provides th
rd game. the fir
mponents. My
co
g
and a sort of ca
like
sin
s
oo
ing
ch
th
my settings by
ent options for
have to select
there are differ
s but leave
en
film
r
th
s’.
tte
int
be
e
Po
ak
ering
ngs will m
power, or ‘Rend
tion works. I
tter quality setti
w video produc
mics – using be
this is… not ho
d.
und.
en
webcams and
e
so
th
or
at
po
nder’ the film
res video with
less power to ‘re
I configure a low
so
t,
ye
ns
tio
of op
don’t have a lot
2 hours
are starting
Okay, things are starting to turn around. I’m still working but the videos
and socialise
to make some money as well so I’m able to spend more time doing that
friends
a bit. Although, because so much is focused on growing my subscribers,
to make
seem a bit… superfluous. I think living alone and working until I collapse
Anything
videos the last few hours might have made me a liiittle bit psychopathic.
.
worthless
seems
simply
famous
more
become
me
help
way
some
in
that doesn’t
them
Where before I was losing friends because I didn’t have time, now I’m ignoring
and dates
on purpose as worthless distractions – turning down invites to films, party
anyone.
for
set
to
example
greatest
the
is
this
sure
not
I’m
to focus on my career.
11 minutes
I have to make the video, which
set up is only the start, though. Now
Choosing my PC
cards to
I choose from a random hand of three
involves clips being ‘captured’ while
us stats
vario
t
boos
e
thes
.
look’
erous
or ‘murd
attach reactions like ‘funny comment’
a bonus if used correctly. Each
get
that
–
etc
g
endin
ition,
trans
–
and also have a type
the
e gambling on having enough to use
card also uses up power meaning you’r
are like
clips
the
,
video
the
ring
rende
use when
right combinations. this matters beca
the cards the better they
use
you
r
bette
the
so
ge,
arran
to
puzzles pieces you have
together.
s of it all – a hundred systems mashed
fit. I’m sort of impressed at the chao
5 hours
I’m done. If this a Youtub
er’s actual life then I feel
sorry for them all. I’ve pas
100,000 subs, I’m being
sed
invited to events and par
ties, I’ve even got a decent
just from my channel with
income
out needing a second job
, but all that really matter
next video. the money I
s is the
earn is ploughed back into
games and better equipm
while I listlessly show my
ent
face at various events just
in case there’s anyone or
anything of value I can use
to further my career. I’m
a shell of man, both in the
and in real life – the routine
game
of trying to grow my cha
nnel has turned the entire
into a grinding mill of slee
thing
p, eat, make video, repeat
. the only thing that matter
getting the subs up, but
s is
to what end? It’s all so vac
uous and meaningless. Like
Made In Chelsea Christm
a
as special.
30 minutes
Once I get into a routine of making videos things start to take on a hollow and
slightly sad resemblance to what most wannabe Youtuber’s lives are probably
actually like. I’ve moved out of home and while my videos are making a dollar here
and there I’m having to work all hours to cover the rent. Often making vids and
working until my sleep meter goes red and then collapsing, before doing it all again
in the morning. (Often while I’m asleep my creepy flatmate comes into my room and
uses my stuff. It’s freaking me out a bit.) I can barely scrape enough cash together to
buy new games which is a problem as old ones make less popular videos. My social
life takes a dive as I turn down parties and social invites in favour of menial jobs and
a few extra subscribers. Pretty much the only time I hear from a friend is to tell me
they don’t want anything to do with me any more.
Final rePort
After five hours in Youtuber’s Life it all becomes a bit sad and
depressing. Even as a game it paints a picture of a lonely, vacuous
existence shaped by chasing anonymous approval. When I decided
to stop I’d reach quite a sustainable place – I was making enough
money, the subs were going up, but then what? the only thing I
seemed to be working towards was more money and subs. And,
sure, that sounds like a good thing, but when every day turns into the
same mechanical process everything starts to feel very hollow. I
thought I was joking when I called my channel the Howling Void, but
by the end it felt very prophetic. And that awful organ music loop
never, ever stopped. until I did.
August 2016
19
Not got a copy of the game yet? We’re giving
away a free trial on PC next issue!
GM Gives
you MMore!
Final Fantasy XIV gets a huge new patch – celebrate
with some free in-game items on us, for three issues!
D
ungeons, dragons,
and, er, piggy outfits
– FFXIV’s latest
update has them all.
After a long,
emotional journey
north of the wyvern-besieged city of
Ishgard, the Dragonsong war is at its
end, and with it the Heavensward
storyline. We’ve seen floating islands,
Moogle Kings, sky pirates, and a fair bit
of heartbreak along the way, but now
patch 3.3 is bringing all of that to an
end with an epic eight-player boss
battle against the monstrous,
wrath-filled Nidhogg.
as well as a punch up with a dragon, the
latest patch adds two dungeons, a
massive new 24-person raid, loads of
crafting and housing gear, and the
aquoplis – a loot-filled dungeon that has
20
august 2016
a chance of appearing from treasure
maps. It all adds up to a significant chunk
of content, and acts as a great send off to
the current storyline, paving the way for
the next huge content buffet that awaits
us – just in time for the revamped game’s
third birthday this summer.
If you haven’t gotten involved in one
of the best MMOs going yet, now’s the
time to get stuck in – especially when
we’ve got a load of free in-game items to
give away. If you want to get your hands
on a very limited Original Fat Chocobo
mount and some new outfits then be
sure to pick up the next two issues of gM.
this ish we’ve got 30,000 MgP points to
fund your gold saucer trips, 50
aetheryte tickets to teleport across
Eorzea with, and a rather demoniclooking Ifrit mask. Next issue (gM307)
you’ll not only get a 14 day free trial of the
game on PC, you’ll also bag a titan mask,
a token for an in-game makeover, and
some Heavenscrackers to celebrate a
Realm Reborn’s third anniversary. and for
the third issue (gM308) you’ll get a maid
outfit, a butler outfit, and a stack of
Magicked Prism wings. grab all three
issues and you’ll earn that much sought
after Original Fat Chocobo mount. n
“this ish we’ve got 30,000 mgp
points, 50 aetheryte tickets,
and an ifrit mask”
To claim this month’s items, just follow
the instructions on the card included
with your issue!
CoMinG soon…
...to a gM near you!
GM307
On sale 11 August
- A 14 day free trial of the game on PC!
- Titan Mask
- Heavenscrackers
- Jandelaine’s Token
GM308
On sale 8 September
- Magicked Prism Wings
- Steward Attire (Female)
- Steward Attire (Male)
Skyrim Special Edition promises
“volumetric god rays” which is a fancy
way of saying “cool beams”.
Special
orderS!
This charming little marsupial is
making his way back to our screens
(and our hearts).
skyrim! FFXII! Crash Bandicoot! Out
with the new and in with the old
D
espite the original
release only being
five years old, a
remaster of Skyrim
is on the way,
compatible with
existing mods and bundled with all the
DLC. The revamped graphics include
volumetric fog, a new depth-of-field
effect and better water (!!!). It’ll be out
on PS4, XO, and PC on 28 October.
Final Fantasy XII is also being remastered
for Ps4 and is due for release in 2017,
under the title FFXII: the Zodiac Age. this
one’s a bit of a deeper makeover than
skyrim, with better combat, a new
soundtrack, and various upgrades to
make the game faster, like auto-saves
and nippier loading times.
Action/strategy card-based game
Phantom Dust’s remaster was a surprise
announcement, especially as many
hadn’t actually heard of it. though it was
originally a reboot rather than a remaster,
our expectations are still high. Expect to
see it in 2017.
the oldest pick of the remaster bunch
is the 20-year-old Crash Bandicoot, which
is getting its first three games spruced up
alongside Crash featuring as an exclusive
character in the next skylanders game
(see p57 for details). No release date yet,
but we’re hoping it won’t take too long to
polish up those Wumpa Fruit.
And finally, Microsoft may have let slip
another secret remaster, as tucked away
on a usB stick handed out at last month’s
E3 were a few screens of Bulletstorm
HD-ified. Like the best remasters, this
would mean another shot at the slick,
ball-kicking shooter which slipped under
far too many people’s gaming radars on
its initial release. n
August 2016
21
SKY TV
FREEBIE JEEBIES
ubisoft is celebrating its 30th birthday
by giving away free games, and plans to
continue doing so throughout the year.
the publisher unveiled the scheme with
platforming classic Prince Of Persia: the
sands Of time, and will offer a different
free title every month until 2016 draws
to a close. Just check out the ubisoft
Club website to claim your gratis games.
a skylanders television show is coming
to Netflix this autumn, marking the first
product of activision’s in-house film and
tV studio. skylanders academy will chart
the adventures of a raft of familiar faces
from the franchise – including spyro –
and will feature the voices of Justin Long,
ashley tisdale, and Jonathan Banks.
GOTTA GO FAST
team sonic boss takashi Iizuka has
confirmed that his team is currently
beavering away on a brand new sonic
the Hedgehog game that’s scheduled for
release in 2017, though details are
currently thin on the ground. Hopefully
the developer has learned from its
mistakes on the dismal sonic Boom.
WITCHES & WOLVES
Platinum games’ co-founder Hideki
Kamiya has been dropping hints that he’d
like to work on Bayonetta 3 and Okami 2.
He’s even sketched out “some outlines”
for a Bayonetta sequel that he thinks
would be “really, really cool”. the return
of amaterasu could be very tricky
though, as the original was developed by
Clover studio and co-funded by Capcom.
Win
Lose
Topping the leaderboard this issue
yoU
yoU
No, we don’t want to continue thanks
END OF THE ROAD
the mysterious first-person horror game
allison Road has been mysteriously, and
abruptly, cancelled. the grim news was
broken on the game’s twitter account,
and was followed a few days later by an
announcement that developer Lilith Ltd
and publisher team 17 would be parting
ways after arriving at a “mutual
agreement” to end their co-operation on
the Pt-inspired spookfest.
22
august 2016
DIS-ORIENTED
Whore Of the Orient was going to be a
spiritual successor to La Noire set in
1930s shanghai, but it seems as though
the ambitious project has been
unceremoniously canned. the game was
being developed by ex-team Bondi
members, but when asked if the project
would ever see the light of day, a former
producer for the studio simply replied “I
don’t think so”.
SUITS YOU, XUR
Bungie has announced that all of its
forthcoming expansions to Destiny will
be exclusive to Ps4 and Xbox One as the
developer begins to trail off its support
for ‘legacy consoles’. this not only means
that Ps3 and 360 owners won’t be able to
get their mitts on Rise Of Iron when it
launches in september, but also that
they’ll lose access to events such as trials
Of Osiris and Iron Banner, too.
CRY-TEARY-ON
the latest racer from Criterion games –
the British studio responsible for the
Burnout series – has been binned. the
developer was working on a sprawling
game that featured helicopters, boats,
atVs, and wingsuits alongside the more
usual roster of nippy little motors. the
project was teased at E3 back in 2014, but
now the beloved studio is working on
additions to star Wars Battlefront instead.
26/07
houSe ruleS
15/07
Heavily bearded Norse strategy the Banner
saga unfurls onto Ps4 and Xbox One.
19/07
altered beaStS
Monster Hunter generations charges/rolls/
unblockable-spin-attacks onto 3Ds today.
Sorry, who?
grab your favourite blanky because here
comes sad JRPg I am setsuna.
The
To do lisT
02/08
Now you Sea me
Crucial dates for your gaming
diary. If you only do one thing
this month, eat, but otherwise
make a note of these events…
underwater explorer abzu has been called the
new Journey and is ready to dive into today.
10/08
11/08
05/08
Sporty Spice
take a break from gaming for the start of the
2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
06/08
ridley me thiS
time for a samus surprise party – the Metroid
series is officially 30 years old.
Ship Ship hooray
after a delay which was received calmly by
everyone, No Man’s sky launches today.
wild at heart
Issue 307 of gamesMaster is on sale now! this
month with that extra Zelda flavour.
incoming
six big releases headed to a format near you…
01
deus ex: mankind
divided
Format PS4, XO, PC
ETA 23 August
02
03
metroid Prime:
Federation Force
Format 3DS
ETA 2 September
04
Persona 5
Format PS4
ETA 15 September
Final Fantasy XV
Format PS4, XO
ETA 30 September
05
06
gears of War 4
Format XO
ETA 11 October
civilization Vi
Format PC
ETA 21 October
august 2016
23
Feature
On The Cover!
24
AUgUSt 2016
tHE 51 BESt gAMES OF 2016
, most
t
s
e
g
g
i
b
e
or th
f
,
ce
s
r
n
e
e
t
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x
e
r
e
,
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s
u
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o
selv
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Brace your e-filled 12+ months ehow managed
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to cram t our pleasure. Get s
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SUMMER
AUgUSt 2016
2015
25
Feature
On The Cover!
Format NX, Wii u Publisher Nintendo Developer Nintendo ETA summer 2017
tHE LEgENd Of
ZELda: BrEatH
Of tHE WiLd
sur vival of the fairyest in Nintendo’s biggest ever overhaul
L
ink is the new
Rosebud, a name with
the power to instantly
trigger childhood
memories no matter
how disillusioned we get and how
cavernous our houses become. We’ll
always have Zelda, a fantasy
adventure series firmly entrenched in
the history of interactive
entertainment as if shared across a
singular hivemind. Everyone’s played
it. Everyone wants to play the next.
Nostalgia, though, can cloud perception.
Breath Of the Wild features familiar elf
boys and triforces, sure, but how does it
stand in its own right? Well, we’ll tell you
how. Because we’ve played it.
Our demo starts with Link awakening
underground in a stone sarcophagus
lined with glowing blue runes. already
dressed in his iconic tunic, he’s very much
an elf in his prime, and while a lack of
origin story makes pinpointing a place on
the series’ convoluted timelines tricky,
there’s a refreshing lack of growing up to
do. gone are the cumbersome tutorials of
skyward sword, in which you bumble
around your village chatting with various
long-winded weirdos. Here you’re already
a legend from the off.
Emerging from the pokey tomb reveals
a stunning contrast, both to that confined
space and the landscapes of previous
Zeldas: a natural world stretching in all
directions. “go anywhere, do anything,” in
a Zelda game usually means “go
anywhere until you find the one correct
route”. Now it means climb, swim, hunt,
loot, cook, and above all, experiment.
Room to breathe
We spot a boulder perched on a hill crest
and shove it, sending the stone careening
down the slope and smack bang into two
dozing Bokoblins. We descend doing a
badass (and entirely accidental) Legolas
shield surf. We go topless. We whack a
tree and carve a deep groove in the trunk
that widens upon repeated slashes until it
“we spot a boulder perched on a hill crest and
shove it, sending the stone careening down the
slope and smack bang into two bokoblins”
26
august 2016
tHE 51 BEst gaMEs Of 2016
august 2016
27
Feature
On The Cover!
The landscape is both more
beautiful and more interactive
than ever before.
A thousand sailors smack their
foreheads. “Of course!” they say,
“Just use a big leaf!”
collapses, then we chop the log for
firewood. We take that wood to a camp
and make a flaming torch, and run
around a misty forest brushing up against
objects like an inquisitive pyromaniac.
to our amazement, touching our torch
to grass causes the fire to propagate,
starting at an ember and spreading until
an area the size of a tennis court is
burning. We stand under a hanging apple
and it starts to char, popping off the
branch and becoming a ‘baked apple’,
which has different healing properties to
regular apples. then we whip out our
bow and hold the slotted arrow head in
the flames until it lights like a match.
already this world feels far more
interactive and liberating than any other
in Zelda history.
Hyrule hubs were often the broad
ends of funnels, giving you breathing
room before plunging you into a
narrower dungeon or settlement. Now
you’ve actually got a reason to linger, and
tools to create fun, making Breath Of the
Wild Nintendo’s most divergent, most
freeing, most playful Zelda ever. Case in
point: you can actually jump now. Link is
able to latch onto most surfaces, from
28
august 2016
oak tree to cliff face to craggy castle wall,
and this changes everything. No longer
limited by knee-high ledges, the boy
scout becomes Bear grylls. a stamina
meter determines how long and how far
you can climb, mind – though you can
cook up different foodstuffs to increase it
for long ascents.
Wild thing
there’s actually an entire system for
cookery. along with that delicious baked
apple we collect a Hylian shroom, a
strawberry, garlic, and a frog plucked
from a pond, selecting them all from the
food tab of our menu and watching as
Link cradles the mounting ingredients in
his arms. approach a camp cauldron and
you’ll get the option to chuck everything
in and watch it simmer as the edibles
combine into a restorative and
flavoursome meal. Of course, to obtain
meat from birds, deer, boar, and bass,
you’ll need to hunt. so the animal doesn’t
get spooked, pay attention to your
volume indicator in the bottom right
corner, the length of grass in which you’re
hiding, and the wind’s direction (it’s not
confirmed but we’re pretty sure prey can
pick up your scent), and aim for the head
to score a clean kill.
different creatures appear in different
climates (you’ll need a thicker tunic to
survive mountain regions) and at
different times of day. Most
enemies nap at night, too,
so heading to a bonfire
and fast-forwarding time is a good tactic
to employ pre-raid. this is exactly what
we do upon discovering a huge, white,
“axes, pitchforks, claymores,
spears, and tridents are as
numerous as they are disposable
– each with unique movesets”
tHE 51 BEst gaMEs Of 2016
‘See that mountain? You can go
there’ is a cliché at this point, but
boy do we want to go there.
skull-shaped cave containing several foes,
who react with startled grunts to the
bomb we roll their way. its detonation
links with the numerous powder kegs
stashed there and a meaty explosion
fans from the outpost’s eyes, nose,
and mouth. the treasure inside is
paltry – a bunch of ingredients –
but it’s a nice emergent event all
the same.
Next we head to a graveyard
and discover skeletons rising from the
dirt. We bash them with a ‘Boko Club’ we
scavenged earlier and they crumble into
bone piles, then we pick up and throw
their heads away so they can’t
reconfigure. at one point we grab a
disembodied arm and whack its former
host with it. suddenly a great granite
monster that looks like a stone version of
Wind Waker’s Big Octo bursts from the
turf and targets us with a blue laser. the
aim is to damage its eye, then hack away
while it’s still dazed, and while we manage
to dispatch it eventually, our weapon
shatters in the process.
Loot force
axes, pitchforks, claymores, spears, and
tridents are as numerous as they are
disposable, each with unique movesets.
Combat based on blocking and evading is
satisfying and responsive, but not
especially challenging, so there’s a worry
these options will feel superfluous – you
don’t need to use that club to beat up a
Bokoblin, for instance – but the sheer
range of clothing, items, and craftables
brings the excitement back to a loot
scene formerly dominated by rather less
exciting heart pieces, maps, and
compasses. attractive treasure and plenty
of tantalising secrets will be crucial tools
in making Zelda’s expansive new setting
one worth exploring.
With the demo coming to an end, our
final act involves bringing up the map and
zooming out the camera to contextualise
the space that devoured an hour of our
lives. it’s tiny, one fingernail of a hand.
What’s on the palm and digits? a stable
with a faithful steed? Wandering
merchants to share a baked apple with?
it’s a thrilling unknown quantity.
it’s not all fairy tale stuff, though. this is
an open world running on power
equivalent to an Xbox 360 or Ps3, and
while Nintendo traditionally pushes
hardware to the limit, little we’ve seen is
strictly ‘new’. for Zelda, yes, but not the
adventure genre. this certainly isn’t the
first time we’ve juggled free-roam
exploring, fighting, looting, and cooking:
Morrowind did it two generations ago,
and survival games on steam are almost
too numerous to count. What Breath Of
the Wild brings is that irresistible Zelda
charm, a touch of magic.
there’s correlation between how
tightly hidden Nintendo keeps its hand
and how desperately fans clamour for
more. in an industry increasingly geared
towards Early access builds, developer
diaries, tell-all tweets, and heavily
promoted Kickstarters giving us frequent
peeks behind the curtain, Zelda is a rare,
almost sacred series. We’ve still got an
awful lot of questions about Breath Of
the Wild, but somehow, we actually like
not knowing. n
august 2016
29
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4, xO, Pc Publisher square Enix Developer Eidos Montreal ETA 23 August
DEus Ex:
MANkIND DIVIDED
the slick cyborg with all the augs
M
echanically-enhanced
agent Adam Jensen
attempts to ease
tensions between the
have-cyberneticaugments and the have-nots in this
dark cyberpunk RPG, a societal
conflict echoing civil rights struggles
from history (though we’re not sure
going around using his special robot
powers on everyone is all that great for
building bridges).
New abilities include projectile nano
blades that pin dudes to walls (and you
can then explode them to get guys
behind cover), a charged-up energy
blast, and multiple electrified knuckles
fired simultaneously, all of which you can
field test while going “No, really guys.
Augmented people are totally cool”.
Breach mode is all about getting the
highest score – and competing with
your friends on the leaderboards.
It’s not all offense, though. titan
shielding covers Jensen in a kind of
bulletproof toblerone layer, Aug Focus
slows time, and remote hacking lets you
tamper with cameras and doors from
safety. Picking different upgrades gives
you different routes through levels:
unlock the Icarus Dash, for instance, to
hop between distant platforms.
the world is a mix of self-enclosed
missions and freeroam hubs (bigger than
Human Revolution’s and mercifully not
entirely set at night), and all are designed
to be played lethal or nonlethal, whether
that’s the arms deal Jensen’s tasked with
infiltrating in a deserted Dubai hotel, or
the questionable faction leader he must
confront in a Prague ghetto.
then there’s Breach mode. Here you
play a hacker breaking into corporate
networks to extract data, only in 2029,
hacking happens in virtual reality (that’s
in-game, not real VR) and is less
typey-typey and more shooty-shooty. Or,
if you want, sneaky-sneaky. Because no
matter the mode, choice is at the heart of
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. n
Dev
talk!
take all of [this] and combine it
with Armature, and the Metroid
Prime team, and all the expertise
they bring to the table. What you
have is something that’s
approachable, but at the same
time offers so much for really
hardcore players.
KeIJI InAfune
PRoduceR
Format xO Publisher Microsoft Developer comcept, Armature ETA 13 september
REcORE
the robots rock, man
The game takes place on Far Eden, a
distant planet intended to become a
new colony for Earth.
30
August 2016
K
eiji Inafune bloody
loves robots. The
Mega Man creator’s
latest game sees you
command a party of
them, mixing and matching their
powers to hit foes where they hurt.
“I think there is this weird relationship
that the Japanese, as a race if you will,
has with robots,” he says. “Part of that is
because of all the content and exposure
to that sort of that manga when we were
young, in our childhood. the timing of
star Wars, and us growing up as adults,
there’s a lot of interaction between
humans and robots.”
Relatable allies enliven your travels
through barren landscapes, from an
enthusiastic metal dog, to a rampaging
gorilla-type, to a crawling robo-spider. In
our hands-on we deploy the canine to
draw fire from foes while we pepper
them from afar with our rifle, and once
our puppy’s special charges, we use its
area-of-effect explosion to finish them off.
Next, during a platforming section, we
call on the spider to boost us around
wall-based tracks with its magnet feet.
the action seems like relatively basic
third-person shooter fare so far, but
Inafune promises there’s more depth to
be revealed: “the customisability is one
element that hasn’t really been shown… I
think what really comes into play is
exploring that kind of customisability,
and creating this dynamic relationship
between the main character and their
companions, and helping them grow in a
way that you want.” n
tHE 51 BEst gAMEs OF 2016
The single-player campaign promises to explore
“the unique bond between man and machine.”
One of the many similarities the game shares with
1986 classic Short Circuit.
Format Ps4, xO, Pc Publisher EA Developer Respawn Entertainment ETA 28 October
tItANFAll 2
grappling with success
“even at this stage, each weapon
feels powerful, distinct, and
downright fun to fire”
I
t would be fair to say that, following an early burst of enthusiasm
and acclaim, Respawn’s first foray into the world of multiplayer
shooters fell off the minimap pretty sharply. It’s an issue that the
studio – established by Infinity Ward co-founder Vince Zampella
in 2010 – is aware of and eager to address for this sequel.
the addition of a full single-player
campaign is just the beginning.
Respawn’s also expanded its roster of
titans to six and significantly increased
the number of Pilot abilities on offer as
well, all in the name of increasing the
game’s staying power. Among the new
options, the grappling hook immediately
stands out as an obvious future favourite.
this handy hookshot not only allows you
to zip your way around titanfall 2’s
futuristic landscapes, but it can also be
used to grab hold of your adversaries
before barrelling towards them for a
brutal midair melee finisher.
Clash of the Titans
titanfall’s multiplayer matchups were
already packed with vertiginous
wall-running and madcap jump-boosts –
now, they’re even more kinetic. It might
all feel excessively hectic were it not for
the precise gunplay backed by some
satisfying sound and effects work. Even
at this stage, each weapon – from the
bog-standard carbine to more exotic,
laser-powered fare – feels powerful,
distinct, and downright fun to fire.
We’ve chatted with David Wightman,
Respawn’s head of development, and he
confirmed that titanfall 2 will be
supported with a full line-up of
post-release downloadable content. He’s
keen to stress that there’ll be “no
pay-to-win stuff” and revealed that all
new levels and map packs will be free.
“We’re doing this for the community,” he
explains. “Not the dollars.” n
August 2016
31
Feature
Infinity Ward is promising to retain
that “boots on the ground” feel…
despite the lack of gravity.
On The Cover!
Format Ps4, XO, PC Publisher Infinity ward Developer Activision ETA 4 November
CAll OF Duty:
INFINItE wARFARE
Boots on the ground, face in space
I
f you’re convinced Call Of Duty hasn’t changed in years, see
Modern Warfare Remastered. The visually upgraded 2007
shooter bundled with special editions of Infinite Warfare (don’t
worry, it’ll almost certainly be available separately later), provides
a pared-down and urgent contrast to Infinity Ward’s new entry.
It’s a companion piece that highlights the
studio’s recent advances: jetpacks,
wall-running, high-tech weaponry, and
now, seamless transitions from terra
firma to zero-g. Not to mention a story
that spans planets.
Overpopulation has eaten up Earth’s
resources and forced us to expand into
the solar system, but hostile faction the
settlement Defense Front is challenging
the united Nations space Alliance. As
Captain Nick Reyes, a tier 1 special
Operations pilot, you’re out to defeat the
sDF across numerous frontiers.
In a behind-closed-doors demo we see
Reyes battling robots in the smoke and
confusion of a recently bombed geneva.
Mechanical foes are powerful enough to
punt a metal skip into your face, but also
sensitive enough to communicate, use
cover, and run away screaming when set
on fire, and despite the level being a
typical COD corridor, variety impresses.
Reyes slides into cover and trades fire
with foes hunkered inside restaurants,
32
August 2016
then drops homing spider mines, hacks
into an enemy dropship to make it
self-destruct, and marks enemies for a
circling aircraft to obliterate before
hopping in a spaceship and blasting off
into space. It’s from a 2000mph
fuel-burning roar to silence then back
again as the battle reconfigures in orbit.
soon he’s right in the thick of it, spiralling
on the tails of enemies and firing flares to
throw off missiles. It all plays with the
breakneck thrill of one huge set-piece.
Aerial combat is cool enough to
warrant a second mission: Operation
thermopylae. After accepting the briefing
in a futuristic command room with views
across the solar system, Reyes wanders
through a hangar as sirens buzz and
mechs stomp about. He hops in the
cockpit of his decal-personalised craft
and gives the thumbs up to robot flight
partner Ethan (the R2-D2 to his
skywalker), before blasting off. the Jackal
is nippier, able to launch rocket barrages
and evade with ease, contributing to the
fastest dogfighting we’ve ever seen.
Reyes-ing hell
then Reyes jumps out of his craft and
onto the destroyer Ares Vallis, using his
grappling hook to whiz between floating
cover and hook enemies before
snapping their necks. Breaching the
main deck sucks infantry into the
void, and inside he uses a stasis
grenade to levitate foes. then a
grapple-powered knee-smash
clears the way to the hanger, and
“reyes uses his grappling hook
to whiz between floating cover
and hook enemies before
snapping their necks”
after opening the doors to send a billion
dollars worth of military armament into
space, he makes his getaway. No matter
what you say about the series, this is
something entirely new, but whether the
entire campaign can sustain this pace is
the question. In any case, COD continues
rapidly accelerating, and Infinite warfare
marks its jump to warp speed. n
The bayonet charge lets you run down and
impale an enemy. Mistime it, though, and
you’ll be open to an easy counterattack.
Dev
talk!
Format Ps4, XO, PC Publisher EA Developer EA DICE ETA 21 October
BAttlEFIElD 1
the phwoar to end all phwoars
W
Battlefield 1 caters for some really
unique gameplay opportunities,
where you might go from a pristine,
tranquil world. green. Nice... give it 10
minutes [and] that will [be] full of
craters. you might not be able to get
across that field any more, because
you’d be a sitting duck in
an open field.
AnDReAS
MORell
MulTIplAyeR pRODuCeR
e’re sprinting across the verdant fields of St Quentin, enemy fire
whizzing by as we charge the nearest landmark – a rather quaint
stone windmill – in a desperate bid for territory. Masonry
collapses and fences splinter under fire, and artillery shells leave
muddy pockmarks in pristine turf.
In a sense this is very much business as
usual for Battlefield, the push and pull of
Conquest mode familiar as we dash
frantically between control points. But
this new entry is in many ways a very
different prospect from what’s gone
before, a distinction that’s driven by its
setting as much as anything else.
Because the battlefields of wwI were
places in which the remnants of 19th
century warfare clashed with the first
examples of truly modern military
technology. Or, as multiplayer producer
Andreas Morell puts it, “Battlefield 1 is the
only game where you can bring horses
to a tank fight”.
so, although the sprawling maps of
Battlefield 1 still hum with the roar of
military hardware, it’s thickset biplanes
rather than sleek jet fighters that
dogfight in the skies overhead, turning in
wide circles as they seek out their aerial
prey. the tanks, meanwhile, are
lumbering rhomboids and angular
landships that look truly formidable as
they trundle over the trenches. Hop
aboard, and you’re treated to an echoey
soundscape of mechanical clangs and
sonorous booms.
the infantry experience, meanwhile, is
also refreshingly analogue. spawning
onto a friendly control point as the
support class, we whip out the lewis gun,
an early air-cooled light machine with an
enormous drum magazine that rotates
as you fire. there are no holographic
sights or thermal imaging displays – just
a satisfying sense of heft to every round
that leaves the chamber. we hole up in a
crumbling building and poke the barrel
through a ground floor window,
suppressing a maniacal laugh as we open
fire on the attacking enemy forces.
Dedicated Pilot and Tank Commander
character classes provide specialised
advantages to inveterate vehicle-hogs.
Field of dreams
through the haze of our bloodlust, we
notice enemy troops stumble
convincingly in the face of our rapid-fire
assault, and experience a pang of guilt.
we ask Morell whether he has any
concerns that the studio is mining one of
the most senselessly bloody episodes in
human history for first-person shooter
funtimes, but he isn’t overly worried. “I
think DICE has done it very respectfully in
the past with Battlefield 1942,” he begins.
“I mean, you can say no war is good. And
ultimately, we’re building a game, an
entertainment product.”
the Behemoths are one more
example of this slightly arcade-y
sensibility mapped onto a desire for
historical realism, and this unique class of
vehicle will automatically lumber onto
the map to reinforce a losing team. so,
mid-way through our pitched battle for
the st Quentin scar, an enormous airship
silently looms into position over the
battlefield, providing the losing team with
a secure spawnpoint covered in
high-calibre weaponry.
After minutes of meting out all
manner of hydrogen-powered death and
destruction, our glorious gunship
crumples under enemy fire, falling to
earth in a fireball large enough to level a
village. Having parachuted to safety, we
watch this explosive spectacle unfold
from the same lush fields we sprinted
over at the start of the match. there’s no
greenery left now, though, and the
meadow has become a sodden plain of
slick mud and deep craters. For a
moment it’s almost poignant. And then
we spot an enemy Assault trooper and
set off cackling after him. n
August 2016
33
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4 Publisher sony Developer sony santa Monica ETA Autumn 2017
gOD
Of WAR
father Norse best
H
e’s back. With more beard, an axe, less anger, and a son in tow.
Sony’s Norse return for Kratos has added so many interesting
angles and new ideas that it’s hard not to get excited. And it is a
return – this isn’t a reboot or reimagining, it’s the same Kratos, just
now making a life for himself in viking lands.
His young charge is probably the most
important new addition. sony is being
super secretive about him – he has no
name other than ‘boy’, leading to
numerous theories about who he’ll turn
out to be. (thor, perhaps?) But it’s not who
the kid is that’s the big deal here – it’s the
effect he has on Kratos. Ol’ Angryface is a
new man now, and we don’t just mean
the facial ruffage. All that time being
non-stop furious can wear you down, and
now he wants to change his ways. He
blames his rage for his past problems and
it’s something he’s trying to deal with.
It’s a necessary change. While god Of
War on Ps2 had a cartoony charm to
excuse all the ultra-violence, it was harder
to accept on Ps3, and by the end of
Ascension it was impossible to ignore that
Kratos just wasn’t a nice person. As a
character trait, ‘relentless murder’ is tricky
to ignore, and it’s hard to like a hero with
almost no redeeming qualities. Hence
Beardos 2.0 and his search for inner
peace. His son is the key here – Kratos is
trying to be a better man for his child, and
in turn the boy’s teaching his pa what it
means to be human. According to sony
this new game is a journey the two of
them take together.
that doesn’t mean the warrior has
gone soft though. He and his son are a
team, hunting deer and battling trolls,
with Kratos’ internal struggle to be a
better person most evident as he teaches
the boy what he needs to survive. His son
is an active part of the game too, with
upgradable abilities and what effectively
amounts to a ‘son button’ you can use to
call on his archery skills in combat
(electric arrows, by the way, lending some
credence to the thor theories).
Axe nicely
Ah, yes, the combat. Kratos may be
changing his ways, but that doesn’t mean
he’s leaving behind his core skill set: killing
large monsters in painfully violent ways.
But, like the parenthood, there are some
big changes here as well. gone are the
swinging chained blades – they’ve been
replaced by an axe. using it, Kratos can
hack away at new Norse enemies like
Draugr and trolls, throw it, switch to his
fists, and then magically recall it like a
certain god of thunder’s hammer.
It’s a really crunchy and interesting
looking system full of potential even at a
basic level. It might even be deeper than
the blades, as Kratos switches between
Boy: I’m scared.
Kratos: Hi scared, I’m dad.
Boy: Sigh.
34
August 2016
Dev
talk!
Kratos blames his
rage for his past mistakes.
Now he has a son, he’s
struggling to bottle down this
rage and shield his son from
what’s inside of him.
Jeet Shroff
GAmeplAy
eNGiNeeriNG leAd
slashing blows, thunderous punches, and
impaling throws. the axe is also covered
in glowing blue runes that enchant it with
ice – don’t be surprised if we see a range
of elemental attacks revealed later, not to
mention a few other weapons.
get past the beard, offspring, and axe,
and this actually looks a lot like the spirit
of the old god Of War we know and love.
the camera is closer in for an
over-the-shoulder perspective now, both
to make the father/son interactions more
personal and to create a closer feel to the
fights. But once Kratos starts wailing on
the local monsters it’s classic gOW. take,
for example, a meeting with a troll: he’s 20
foot tall, ugly as sin, and really keen on
pounding Kratos with a wooden beam
the size of a bus. sounds familiar doesn’t
it? the fight sees Kratos hacking at knees
and calling on covering fire from the boy
before the attacks finally build up enough
for him to unleash his spartan Rage – a
throwback to his past life – at which point
he beats the monster into submission
with his bare hands.
As well as giving us a fresh take on
Kratos’ rage-fueled existence, there are
other, more subtle tweaks to the series.
the levels are still linear, but with a touch
of openness. so you might find a few
routes as you explore, with a little more
emphasis on environmental storytelling
and discovery. there are resources and
things to find as well, replacing the
glowing red XP orbs of the past with
things like Asgardian steel to find and
collect, as well as upgrades to research.
After six games (if you include PsP) the
series needs a refresh, so it’s impressive to
see such a familiar face return in such an
unpredictable way. Old fans will be happy
with the violent monster slaying and
impressively rich combat, but there’s no
denying this is a Kratos rethink for a
modern audience. there’s almost a the
Last Of us style feel to the father/son
relationship as it strains and pulls on
those involved. It’s also an angle that’s
taken a one dimensional character –
defined by nothing but rage and hitting
things – and created someone with depth.
Best of all, it means god Of War is
unpredictable again. the old games soon
fell into a template, but now? Who knows
where this adventure is going… n
tHE 51 BEst gAMEs Of 2016
“with his new axe, kratos can hack
away at enemies, throw it, switch to his
fists, then magically recall it like a
certain god of thunder’s hammer”
August 2016
35
Feature
On The Cover!
Format PS4, Xo, PC Publisher Ubisoft Developer Ubisoft ETA 14 February 2017
FoR HonoR
Dev
talk!
all of the characters have a
unique weapon set, and all those
weapons come with a unique
fighting style. So there’s a guy with
a broadsword, but for example, the
raider in the second mission fights
with the two headed axe, and his
attacks are a little slower, but he
hits much harder.
LoUis PhiLLiPe
CarDinaL
a play on swords
W
hat better way to
spend the most
romantic of holidays
than hacking up your
friends and pitting
vikings against samurais and knights?
Yep, Ubi’s swordfest is coming out on
Valentine’s Day next year, and our
hands-on with the newly announced
single player campaign proves it’s
going to be ridiculously crunchy fun.
For Honor is no mere hack ’n’ slash. Both
the besieged castle and viking vs
samurai missions we play prove you’ll
need serious swordplay to succeed.
While ordinary soldiers can be
satisfyingly mowed down with one
swing mid-battle, higher ranking
enemies demand a fence-off. Holding the
left trigger locks onto your foe, with a
shield HUD popping up to show your
stance. The idea is to keep switching so
that you’re at the right angle when your
LeaD Game DeVeLoPer
Some enemies can engage Revenge Mode,
hiding your Guard HUD and forcing you to
think fast to avoid a deadly barrage of blows.
foe attacks, and coming from a side they
aren’t prepared for when you take a
chance to strike back. It’s just the right
level of strategy to make every scuffle
feel like a satisfying duel of wits.
Whether you’re a knight armed with
giant broadsword or a viking with a
whopping great axe, you follow objective
markers through areas stuffed with
warring foes. Entering the fray as swords
clang and fire rages is heart-racingly
exciting, and everything feels alive and
exceptionally deadly. Pick ups known as
Feats are scattered across each area, and
while they include some much needed
health restoration, there’re also Feats
such as Viking’s Fury to deliver more
powerful blows. Given that this already
looked fun with the 4v4 multiplayer
alone, an explosive single player
campaign puts it a cut above. n
Protagonist Lincoln Clay is out for
revenge against the Italian mob of New
Bordeaux, who slaughtered his gang.
Format PS4, Xo, PC Publisher 2K Games Developer Hangar 13 ETA 7 october
MaFIa III
Taking back the streets
S
o you’ve just chucked
a molotov cocktail at a
gang boss and burned
his face off – what
now? Well, in this
’60s-set open-world crime game, now
you’ve got to assign a lieutenant to his
vacant territory so some other dude
doesn’t come along and molotov you.
The choices are Irish firebrand Burke,
ruthless Haitian Cassandra, and Italian
mobster Vito Scaletta, whoever you pick
having a different impact for your
burgeoning (and illegal) business
ventures. Scaletta unlocks armed
enforcers you can radio in, for instance,
while Cassandra will upgrade your
explosives. Be warned, though, because
actions have consequences. Ignore
Burke too often and he snaps,
threatening you before running off to a
scrap yard and opening up a new
mission: kill Burke for being a berk,
The ultimate aim is taking over regions
in the city, from KKK-occupied Frisco
Fields, to brothel-riddled French Ward, to
the Italian-run Bayou, and doing a set
amount of damage to the operation.
Destroying drug boats, robbing bag men,
killing dealers, interrogating pimps, and,
yes, throwing molotovs all count.
We see one section involving taking
over a prostitution racket, your character
picking from a selection of loud and quiet
firearms and sneaking about on the hunt
for Handsome Harry. Kill him and the
area’s yours. It’s still a place seedier than
the world’s biggest pomegranate, but
one now owned by you. n
THE 51 BEST GaMES oF 2016
This strategy sequel takes place
directly following the events of
Halo 5: Guardians.
Format Xo, PC Publisher Microsoft Developer 343 Industries, Creative assembly ETA 21 February 2017
Halo WaRS 2
The per fect mix of elite strategy and brute force
L
ike persuading somebody to trade you their copy of overwatch
for your copy of Battleborn, some gaming feats are just
impossible. But then, that’s what we thought about bringing the
famously fiddly genre of real time strategy over to consoles, until
the original halo Wars came along.
While it’s campaign was somewhat
unremarkable, it’s intuitive controls were
built for the 360 pad, giving us the most
accessible console RTS in years. now
with Creative assembly (of Total War
fame) handling sequel duties, we could
be looking at the definitive Xbox one
strategy game.
online multiplayer mode Domination
pits two pairs of commanders against
each other. You both have 5000 points,
and the goal is to build up your base,
recruit an army, and use it to deplete the
other team’s score to zero by capturing
domination points on the map. You’ll be
forming that army with very familiar Halo
units, from infantry such as Spartans and
Hellbringers, to aircraft such as
nightingales and Hornets, to vehicles like
the Warthog and Scorpion.
Infantry are great for shooting down
aircraft, aircraft beat vehicles, and
vehicles make mincemeat out of infantry.
This rock-paper-scissors balance makes
Halo Wars 2 pleasingly accessible, with
the fun coming from figuring out which
combinations of units give you the jump
on individual battles. Sure, standard
infantry don’t stand a chance against a
Blisterback, but what if they’re
flamethrower-wielding Hellbringers? If
we send Warthogs down this path
towards the enemy’s captured point, will
that distract them long enough for our
nightingales to get across the map?
Commander powers (purchasable
throughout the battle, varying from
healing your units to unleashing orbital
strikes) can also turn the tide, but aren’t
so overpowered to break the balance.
Grunt work
Just make sure you value your resources
as highly as your troops. You can have up
to 60 units, and when they’re gone, you’d
better have enough power and supplies
to build more. Generators and supply
pads are costly but essential, and you can
“the rock-paper-scissors
balance makes halo wars 2
pleasingly accessible”
seek out more resources across the map
if you split units up smartly. It’s a
well-balanced power-rationing system,
and flicking between groups of units is
easy thanks to D-pad allocations. But
where’s the option to zoom out and see
the whole battlefield? In a game where
the controls are otherwise so smooth, it’s
a big oversight not to give us the option
of, er, big oversight.
But that’s an easy fix, the only notable
misstep we’ve seen yet. Considering we
only had one map and mode to try, we
were impressed by how differently each
match played out – that’s the sign of a
combat system with huge potential for
depth. Perhaps a revolution for Halo Wars
was expected over a refinement, given
the pedigree of the Total War team. But
eight months away from release, this is
already showing huge promise. Halo
Wars showed real time strategy could
work on consoles. Halo Wars 2 might
prove it essential. n
aUGUST 2016
37
Feature
On The Cover!
Format XO, PC Publisher Microsoft Developer the Coalition ETA 11 October
geArs
OF WAr 4
the winds of change
JD Fenix is the new main character, and his dear old
dad popped in for a brief cameo at the end of The
Coalition’s reveal trailer.
T
he Locust may be dead and Marcus Fenix might not be the star,
but some things remain the same in The Coalition’s addition to the
third-person franchise. Guns still have chainsaws strapped to
them, the world’s still in danger from a monstrous threat, and
roadie running’s still a great way to burn calories.
there’s also still a preponderance of
waist-high walls and glistening surfaces,
but now combined for the first time in the
form of the grotesque (but conveniently
proportioned) egg sacs that your new
enemies, the swarm, use to reproduce.
they’re a pretty gross bunch.
the presence of extreme weather
conditions injects a further dose of
novelty into the gameplay mix, with wind
storms frequently rolling in to deal all
manner of impressively-rendered
environmental damage. these gusts are
often so strong that downed enemies
don’t simply stay down – instead they’re
dragged along on the winds or even
flung past the camera at speed. It’s an
energetic effect that delivers exciting
visual spectacle and occasional bursts of
Format Ps4 Publisher sony Developer Insomniac games ETA Winter 2017
sPIDer-MAn
Does whatever a Ps4-exclusive can
E
ven though Marvel’s premier web-slinger has always seemed like
a perfect fit for a sandbox actioner, the character has something
of a checkered past when it comes to gaming. But now that
Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac has been handed the reins
of the franchise... lets just say our spider-sense is tingling.
taking place in an open-world nYC and
starring an older, more experienced Peter
Parker, this Ps4-exclusive promises
brawling, outlandish heroism, and – most
importantly – plenty of web-slinging.
Insomniac has revealed that its
spider-Man team is the biggest the studio
has ever assembled to work on a single
game, and apparently the developer has
been beavering away on the project in
secret for quite some time. Footage
shows spidey flinging himself around
new York in a snazzy redesigned outfit,
hopping off rooftops, swinging in
sweeping arcs, and skittering around on
vertical surfaces like some sort of creepy,
featherlight gargoyle.
We also witness spider-Man’s
acrobatic brand of combat, with Parker
using webbing to bind foes before
flinging them into the floor with a crunch.
Many of the enemies that spidey faces
are masked men in black suits, leading
some to speculate that Mister negative
could feature as a villain. Whatever
antagonists Insomniac assembles,
though, we’re optimistic. the studio
imbues its games with tremendous fun
and energy – Peter Parker might have
found his ideal partner at last. n
strange physical humour to the classic
gears Of War formula.
Further narrative details remain
scarce, although the studio has explained
that the entire campaign will play out
over the course of a single (really quite
tiring) night and explore a more ‘intimate’
story. JD, Kait, and Del are fighting not
just for survival, but also for their families’
safety, wherever they might be. But if
touching family stories aren’t what you’re
looking for from gears Of War, then
there’s also a revamped and revitalised
Horde mode to provide a portion of
context-free slaughter, as well as an
abundance of wacky new weaponry.
gears may have a new developer, but it’s
still a game that’s concerned with meaty
murder above all else. n
The footage shows a city billboard that
says ‘Osborn for Mayor’, suggesting the
Green Goblin will feature.
38
August 2016
tHe 51 Best gAMes OF 2016
Format Ps4 Publisher sony Developer Bend studio ETA summer 2017
DAYs gOne
Meet the Freakers
I
f you’re glancing at
these screenshots and
thinking ‘well this
looks an awful lot like
The Last Of Us’ then,
well, you get a biscuit, because it does
in motion, too.
this is a post-apocalyptic open-world
game set in the wilderness. It’s two years
after a civilisation-crushing pandemic
leaving many millions dead and further
millions transformed into cannibalistic
‘Freakers’ (not zombies, as they’re
technically still alive, and can leg it about
the shop faster than a whippet
super-glued to a greyhound). Days gone
differs from Joel and ellie’s Clicker
avoidance simulator in one very
important way, though: It’s all about
escalating action, rather than slow
burning tension and emotional release.
In it we’ll play as Deacon st John, once
a road captain with real-life biker gang
Sony Bend is the studio behind Syphon
Filter and has worked on Uncharted: Golden
Abyss and Resistance: Retribution.
the One Percenters, as he lives out his
days on the open road. Certain instantly
recognisable elements, such as using
gear found in the world to upgrade your
weapons (Deacon grabs a car radiator
out of a dilapidated truck to use as a
silencer at one point) and combining
stuff to craft new weapons (such as the
ever useful molotov cocktail), rear their
heads, but what cranks this up into
must-play territory is the oomph behind
its impressive crowd tech. those
Frank will face new varieties of zombie during his
shopping spree, including ferocious freshly-turned
cadavers and predatory undead hunters.
Freakers we mentioned? early footage
shows hundreds upon hundreds of them
on screen at once, flowing over
environmental hurdles as Deacon
frantically jogs around a lumberyard
knocking over machinery, occasionally
stopping to fire bullets into the mob.
We’re told there’s a human tale at its
heart, and we can’t wait to hear more
about that, but right now the first and last
thing you need to know about Days gone
is that we’ve never seen screen-filling
hordes like this before. n
Dev
talk!
We really want this to be a zombie
killing playground game, and we
want you to be able to do all of that
and not have to worry about a
timer this time. If you want to go
kill zombies, you can do that. If you
want to follow the campaign, you
can do that as well.
BRyCe COChRane
exeCUTIve PRODUCeR
Format XO, PC Publisher Microsoft Developer Capcom Vancouver ETA 6 December
DeAD
rIsIng 4
C an we be Frank with you?
E
verybody’s favourite
lumpy-faced
photojournalist, Frank
West, is dusting off his
DSLR for a festive
return to the Willamette Mall.
Presumably, he was shopping for
Brylcreem and lens-caps when yet
another zombie infestation broke out,
leaving the area overrun with undead.
snap-happy Frank has had to up his
game in turn, and Capcom’s been
showing off footage of the paunchy
paparazzo wielding electrical axes, huge
katanas, and a crossbow that shoots
fireworks. But if all of that sounds a little
dry and self-serious for your tastes, you
can always hop into an eXO suit and start
chucking cars around or pulling parking
meters out of the concrete with which to
wail on the unfortunate undead. Combat
itself has more flow to it, too, now that
Capcom has decided to map melee,
ranged, and thrown weapons to separate
buttons rather than requiring you to
manually switch through your arsenal.
In addition to improving his martial
prowess, Frank’s also been keeping up
with the latest photographic trends, and
you’ll now be able to pose for selfies
among the carnage. As per series
tradition, these shots will be scored
according to an esoteric ranking system,
with PP bonuses on offer for the best
snaps, and you’ll even be able to capture
group shots thanks to the new four
player online co-op. expect heaving
hordes, eccentric boss battles, and plenty
of fairy lights this December. n
August 2016
39
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4, XO, PC, Mobile Pub telltale games Dev telltale games ETA December
tHE WAlkIng
DEAD sEAsOn 3
Clem’s back, and she’s brought a friend
Here’s new character Javier who has
an intriguing Capricorn symbol
branded onto his neck…
Format Ps4, XO, PC, Mobile Pub telltale games Dev telltale games ETA Autumn
bAtMAn
telltale’s take on the caped crusader
Y
S
ure, Clementine may
have only aged five
years since her debut
as a meek nine year old
in the first season of
this episodic series, but those are
post-apocalypse years, so she’s, like, 35
now. And who knows if this is even the
same Clem you left? In the trailer she’s
missing the top part of her ring finger –
we don’t remember doing that…
the now-teenage zombie slayer is joined
by new character Javier, who you can
also play as, but in what capacity it’s not
yet clear. Pick one at the start to control
throughout? switch between them at set
points? In any case, bouncing between
dual protagonists gives telltale the ability
to kill one without ending the game,
which suggests we’re in for yet another
series of excruciating crescendos and
‘damn!’ denouements.
While the story is under wraps,
combing early footage reveals tidbits.
One zombie, for instance, has a Capricorn
astrological sign branded on his shoulder,
and Javier has the same on his neck.
Capricorns are said to be ambitious,
domineering, determined, and stubborn,
and make great leaders. According to the
zodiac, they’re also conservationists and
agriculturalists. Either Javier is this
Capricorn character, or he’s trying get
back at someone who is. the latter would
explain the numerous plots, plants, and
vegetables we see he and Clem sneak
past in what looks like a compound.
Maybe it’s all of this talk of zombie
infections, but we’re itching to unravel
these threads in what we’re hoping will
be the most gut-churning season yet. n
our time’s split between cowl and cufflinks in Telltale’s latest
five-episode season. In one scene the camera cuts back and forth
from Batman demolishing bank robbers to him relaxing later in
Wayne Manor as Alfred stitches his wounds. Bruce’s butler
questions his motives. As ever, you’re given three choices…
“For the thrill”, “no one else will”, and
“gotham needs a hero” are our options.
As in previous telltale outings (the
Walking Dead, game Of thrones) the
choice isn’t about big narrative
divergences. Rather, options like this let
you define DC’s icon, whether you see
him as a reluctant hero, a vengeful force
for justice, or a playboy daredevil.
Quick-time events are more hands-on.
snap back to the bank and bats is battling
Catwoman on a moonlit roof, his white
bat symbol filling upon successful attacks
– once full, triggering it with Rt reels off a
thundering slow motion strike, the
camera able to frame and zoom
cinematically in ways traditional
third-person clashes can’t. then we cut to
a besuited bruce mingling at a glitzy
fundraiser for Harvey Dent (the man who
will later become two Face), touching the
cheek Catwoman slashed earlier and
picking Dent’s mayoral campaign slogan
(“Put a dent in crime”). next you can
either talk Harvey up to a power couple,
or promote yourself, telltale’s signature
‘X will remember that’ ominously
following your decision.
Writing is sharp and characters
pleasingly familiar. One slow-building
scene underscored by brooding
Hans-Zimmer-esque music sees
notorious crime lord Carmine Falcone
menacingly ask you to chalk his pool cue
– you choose how to proceed. this
simple exchange feels just as fraught
with danger as the rooftop brawling, and
suggests telltale has again nailed the
source material, capturing both batman’s
heroism and bruce Wayne’s humanity. n
…and here’s the zombie with the
same brand mark on his shoulder.
What’s the connection?
Unusually for a Batman game, the
idea is that you’ll spend at least
half your time playing as Bruce.
40
August 2016
tHE 51 bEst gAMEs OF 2016
There are dialogue choices through the
game, but Guerrilla says that these will be
to let you find out more about the world,
rather than to change the narrative.
Dev
talk!
Aloy doesn’t know who she is…
where she came from, she’s on
a hunt for that. no one knows
where the machines came
from. there’s mythology.
there’s religion based around
them but nobody really has
the answer.
DAvID ForD
LeAD queST DeSIGner
Format Ps4 Publisher sony Developer guerrilla games Out 28 February 2017
HORIZOn:
ZERO DAWn
Ecosystem override
G
uerilla Games’
PS4-exclusive tale of
the ‘post-postapocalypse’ has had us
drooling ever since its
initial unveiling, but thanks to new
footage showing off a rather clearer
picture of the game’s moment-tomoment action, we’re now more
excited than a robot dinosaur at a nuts
and bolts buffet.
those beautiful, mechanical creatures
form their own strange ecosystem, one
that protagonist Aloy is able to exploit. In
the latest demo, we watch her attack a
herd of ‘shell Walkers’, hermit crab-like
robots that gather important resources
and carry them on their backs. by
targeting the weakpoints on their bums
with her bow, Aloy is able to knock their
cargo free before rushing into to grab
vital supplies – items such as metal
shards, used both for crafting
ammunition, and for buying new
equipment from merchants. they’re
none too pleased, of course, but a few
shock bombs fired from her slingshot
past their front-facing shields is enough
to dissuade them from pursuit.
shell Walkers aren’t the only newly
revealed creatures, either – we also see
Aloy using her rope launcher to snare a
bull-like robot known as a broadhead. by
hacking into it’s brain with her spear
(don’t ask us how that works) she’s able
to ‘tame’ it and use it as a speedy mount.
guerrilla says all the machines will
behave and react to your presence and
actions differently. “[the broadheads] are
actually pretty skittish, so what happens
is if I go in and shoot one of them, all of
the rest of them will just take off. they’re
going to run away,” explains lead quest
designer David Ford. “A lot of the
machines, the Watchers and combat
machines you’ll encounter later on in the
game are very hostile, they’re very
aggressive. Every machine has its own
ecology. their behaviour is going to be
within the hierarchy.” And that’s without
even getting into the strange corruption
that seems to be infecting robots and
turning them extra nasty…
Cog days
On top of the narrative missions, in which
Aloy seeks out answers about her
mysterious past, there are loads of
sidequests to complete. Resources
“every machine has its own
ecology. their behaviour is going
to be within the hierarchy”
earned from helping local tribes can be
used for crafting gear, weapon
modifications, and more. You can even
make Aloy new outfits with unique
powers, allowing you to dress for
different situations.
but it looks like those side activities will
be worth doing just to give you an excuse
to explore the game’s beautiful open
world. the wilderness we’ve seen is
incredibly detailed, from its swaying trees
to its lush, grassy hills, but guerilla games
is promising ancient ruins too, crumbling
cityscapes left behind by a long-lost
civilisation (wait a minute, is that us?!).
Aloy feels a strange connection to these
remnants of the old world, and the odd
device she wears by her ear seems to
react to them too. Intriguing – we can’t
wait to dive into this world’s mysteries. n
August 2016
41
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4, XO, PC Publisher Capcom Developer Capcom ETA 24 January
REsIDENt EVIL 7:
BIOHAzARD
Horror comes home as C apcom reinvents a chilling icon
S
hock, horror! Resi is scary again. Although here’s some advice,
Capcom: drop that 7. This is far from the phoned-in iteration that
such a bloated number would suggest. What we have here is a
reimagining of survival horror; the sort of fright-fest zombie fans
have pined for since the series started rotting around Resi 5.
Not that there are any actual undead on
show here. Well, not yet anyway. the
recent Beginning Hour demo Capcom
made available to Ps Plus members is
light on brain-biters, preferring to hone its
ghoulish sights on found-footage horror,
repulsive surroundings, and a slowly
building sense of dread. Of course,
zombies may well pop up in the final
game. the publisher has confirmed the
sequence shown in Resi 7’s 20 minute
demo won’t feature in the main game, nor
will its silent protagonist. Rather, it’s a
mere terrifying taster of the sort of
radically revised tone the series is aiming
for ahead of the decomposing party that
awaits in January.
In the meantime, what you’re left with
is a reboot with bold intent and real teeth.
First-person scares. A creepy (and frankly
disgusting) haunted house. A total lack of
the sort of Vanquish-aping controls and
gaudy excess that derailed Resident Evil
6. that the downbeat demo owes so
much to Hideo Kojima’s Pt is a sure sign
Capcom has finally re-examined the
horror market and realised its games
were falling horribly behind the times.
While the blood-splattered prints of
Koj’s playable teaser and Outlast may be
all over this reskinned Resi, Capcom
42
August 2016
clearly hasn’t forgotten the series’ roots.
Back in 1996, the first game’s spencer
Mansion redefined survival horror, its
labyrinth of opulent corridors and
underground labs both bemusing and
frightening players. How appropriate then
that the star of Resident Evil 7’s demo is
very much another haunted house.
Oh, the horror!
granted, its a very different type of house
than the one that put the heebie jeebies
into all of us so spectacularly on Ps1. Resi
7 is concerned with recreating squalor,
not splendour. As you fumble around its
dark and dingy farmhouse, the sheer
depravity of the surroundings invades
your senses. It’s the sort of grimy abode
Leatherface would live in, not some
decadently elaborate space that’s been
put together to service key puzzles.
Duvley Haunted House is outrageously
unpleasant. You learn its name after
discovering a video tape for a horror
show, which cutely you then get to play
out as cameraman Clancy Javis. And oh
what gruesome scenes he films. Events
soon go a bit Blair Witch in a secret cellar,
but it’s the repulsiveness of the house that
frays your nerves long before the action
turns homicidal.
Resi 7 is one of the first triple-A titles to
support Ps VR, yet based on this showing,
we doubt you’ll have the stomach to
endure these horrors in a headset. Every
inch of this space crawls under your skin.
Claustrophobic corridors stained by
rotten animal carcasses; an attic full of
limbless mannequins; a sinister sitting
room that looks like it just finished hosting
a Ring marathon on its battered CRt telly.
the real star is the kitchen, though.
Remember that horrendous ‘gluttony’
scene from the movie seven? Y’know, big
dude, loads of enforced spaghetti-eating
in a squalid apartment. Yeah, the dinner
table in Resi 7 makes David Fincher’s take
on sunday lunch look worthy of the cover
of good Housekeeping. Whether it’s lifting
the lid on a decade-old pot of rotting stew
or finding a barbecued crow, this is one of
the most gruesome game spaces we’ve
inhabited for a long time.
All this careful world building should
be applauded, of course. Yet there are
concerns Capcom is trying too hard to
ape the work of others when it should be
focusing on Resi’s core strengths. the
switch in perspective means Resi 4’s
wonderful over-the-shoulder combat is
off the table, though Capcom has hinted
the full game will include puzzles and
resource management. Will you be
hoarding herbs and solving conundrums
involving giant chess pieces? the shift in
tone would suggest no, but here’s hoping
that Resi spirit endures in some form.
Capcom’s shiny new RE Engine at least
makes us confident the finished game will
be gorgeous in its grotesqueness. the
lighting work in Beginning Hour is
wretchedly compelling, with every corner
of the house bathed in arresting shadow
and patches of dull dusk rays.
How the game paces itself will be an
intriguing prospect. the likes of Outlast
can terrify and torture your senses over
three incredibly tense hours, whereas
Resident Evil 7 will likely have to last
considerably longer. Can Capcom stretch
out this brand of plodding, purposeful
first-person horror over 8-10 hours?
With the game out in a little over six
months, you won’t have long to find out.
Brace yourselves: real horror is back. n
“as you fumble around the dark
and dingy farmhouse, the sheer
depravity of the surroundings
invades your senses”
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4, XO, Pc Publisher Bethesda Developer arkane studios ETA 11 november
DIsHOnOReD 2
Fun in the sun on the run
A
rkane has shed yet
more radiant sunlight
on the continuing saga
of Emily Kaldwin and
Corvo Attano, the
usurped Empress and her increasingly
venerable Royal Protector. Forced to
flee the Imperial capital by shadowy
conspirators, the embattled pair end
up in sunny Karnaca, and the latest
in-game footage has shown us even
more of the atmospheric industrial
slum that is the Dust District.
But the French studio has also revealed a
brand new stage in which players
explore a desolate mansion heaving with
elegant furnishings rotted to ruin. at the
outset of the mission, the mysterious
Outsider shows up to explain that this
grand home was once a site of occult
ritual, and as such, your otherworldly
powers won’t work here. But rather than
serving as a straightforward constraint,
this narrative conceit enables players to
Nice game of cards you’re having there.
Would be a shame if someone were to
teleport in from the future and kill you all.
zip back and forth between the manor’s
gleaming past and derelict present, using
the Outsider’s ‘timepiece’ to flit between
the two periods on a whim.
You might wander through lavish halls
only to find your progress blocked by a
set of polished hardwood doors. Pop
back to the present, however, and the
very same doorway stands in dusty
splinters, allowing you to pass
unimpeded. You can also use this ability
to stalk the guards that once patrolled
this sinister homestead, popping into
their timeframe behind one, cutting his
jugular, and then vanishing back into
your chronological safe haven before any
of the others can even work out what’s
happening. time travel-based stealth –
now there’s something new.
arkane has promised some sort of
narrative or mechanical ‘theming’ for
every level in Dishonored 2’s campaign,
so this time-bending caper is just one
more example among many of the
developer’s considerable ingenuity and
attention to detail. Based on what we’ve
seen so far, we’re tipping Karnaca to be
this winter’s vacation hotspot. n
Format Ps4, XO Publisher Warner Bros
Developer netherrealm studios ETA spring 2017
InjustIce 2
It ’s Batman vs superman! Wait , come back…
D
The cast of Injustice all have two things
in common – rippling muscles and witty
quips. Rather like Team GM, actually.
44
august 2016
o you love punching
people into oncoming
traffic, helicopters, and
enormous sea
monsters? If so, the
return of Netherrealm’s DC brawler is
excellent news. Once again, a cast of
superheroes and villains face off in
arenas packed with interactive
elements, culminating in extreme,
over-the-top Super Moves, all from the
studio that brought you Mortal
Kombat X.
this time, RPg elements are the big
addition – an entirely new gear system
allows you to customise aquaman,
superman, or whoever you might be
playing as, with armour and other
upgrades, gained from loot drops. these
will be character-specific, and you’ll have
to experiment with the best options to
suit your fighting style. You’ll also be able
to level-up your characters, meaning that
after several hours of play, your Batman
might look, and play, very differently to
someone else’s. Hopefully, this will add
considerable longevity to the game, as
you try to find the snazziest armour
(Batman’s fluorescent green and black
suit from the trailer is already something
we need to own), or the most powerful
bit of super-gear.
and that’s not all that’s new: joining
supes, the Flash, and other returning
characters, are supergirl, atrocitus (and
his sidekick, evil house cat Dex-starr), and
gorilla grodd (who, for those who don’t
know, is a massive ape with telepathic
powers), among others. In terms of story,
things pick up where they left off: the
alternate universe version of superman
is still a raging, tyrannical madman, and
Batman and co are fighting to keep him
from regaining power. Further plot details
are rather thin on the ground at the
moment, but expect plenty of excuses
for hyper-muscly men/women/aliens to
punch seven bells out of each other
come 2017. n
tHe 51 Best gaMes OF 2016
The San Francisco bay area is the new
home of Watch Dogs, and we think you’ll
agree, it looks pretty darn gorgeous.
Format Ps4, XO, Pc Publisher ubisoft Developer ubisoft Montreal ETA 15 november
WatcH DOgs 2
all new bark and plenty of bite
bisoft’s open-world hack ’em up is back! Unfortunately, it’s still not
a game about gawping at pictures of chihuahuas, labradors, and
poodles, but regardless, this sequel looks ready to atone for the
sins of its predecessor. Chicago’s out of the picture, replaced by
sunny San Francisco, realised as a vibrant, sprawling playground
for new protagonist Marcus Holloway to interact with. Described by the
developers as the Wild West of technology, it’s built not only as somewhere full of
opportunities for mischievous hacking, but also as a realistic area that should feel
alive in its own right, reacting believably to the player’s actions.
U
the city’s bustling with underground
gangs, rival vigilante hacking groups, as
well as competing tech firms just waiting
to be infiltrated. even civilians are
imbued with chaotic life – so far we’ve
seen a dancing man dressed as a donut,
tourists brandishing selfie sticks, and
rooftop raves, so it seems clear that this
sequel has learnt to take things a little
less seriously.
that extends to the new playable
character too – gone is grouchy,
über-serious aiden Pearce, and his
replacement Marcus exudes cool as he
leaps across rooftops, does a wheelie in a
high-speed pursuit, and batters people
with a billiard ball on a rope. He’s also got
a few technological advantages over
aiden. Firstly, he’s no longer limited to
basic interactions with hackable objects,
Marcus can remotely hack a car in an
instant and take full control of it, rather
than playing out a canned animation. If
the police are hot on your tail, for
example, you could create a roadblock
out of civilian vehicles, or just try to ram
them off the road.
Pug life
Freedom’s the name of the game – every
car is hackable, along with a multitude of
other electronics from robots to forklift
trucks. even people are hackable, or at
least their mobile devices are. Phones
can be made to ring to cause a
distraction, and whole groups of people
can be targeted at once to cause mass
confusion. Marcus also has the power of
Dedsec behind him, a clandestine hacker
group to which he belongs. they have
“gone is grouchy aiden pearce,
and his replacement marcus
exudes cool”
access to 3D printers, which means
unique and unusual guns/gadgets can be
made in no time, including tasers for
those who prefer a non-lethal approach.
He also has access to both a quadcopter
and an Rc ‘jumper’ which acts a little like
a personal R2D2, allowing Marcus to flick
switches or undo screws from a distance.
the variety of options shown so far is
impressive – the developers are
promising that levels can be played
either all guns blazing, full stealth,
hacking-only, or any combination of the
three. even more exciting is the prospect
of team-based co-op, where one player
might scout the area with a quadcopter,
gathering intel for another player who’s
sneaking through the level. a third might
divert cameras or distract people with
their hacking abilities. With such a
breadth of playstyles on offer, it remains
to be seen if it’ll all combine into a
cohesive whole, but what we’ve seen so
far looks incredibly promising. n
august 2016
45
Feature
On The Cover!
In a first for both games, the licenses
for Japan’s J-league and national
teams has passed from PES to FIFA.
Format Ps4, XO, PC, Ps3, X360 Publisher Ea Developer Ea Canada ETA 29 september
FIFa 17
a shock new campaign spearheads major change
L
iverpool’s anthem thunders around the Anfield cauldron as
young Alex Hunter watches from the bench. 20 minutes before
full time, scowling Manchester United manager José Mourinho
gives the signal. Hunter strips to his kit and heads out. “Welcome
to the Premier League,” says commentator Martin Tyler.
this is FIFa 17’s brand new story-driven
campaign mode, the Journey, all about
taking a teen hopeful from youth
academy obscurity to the world stage,
along the way rubbing shoulders with
fully-voiced footballing royalty like Harry
Kane and Marcus Rashford, picking
dialogue options in post-match
interviews, and poring over twitter
mentions from the likes of Kolarov and
giroud. Fulfilling objectives, such as
pulling off ten passes, is tracked in real
time to determine your rating. “that’s
going to affect your standing in the team,
that’s going to affect your standing with
the manager, and in the eyes of the fans,
so that’s going to affect the story you’re
telling, the scenery you see, and also what
you see on social media,” says McHardy.
Money ball
Weirdly for a sports game, it’s the
narrative that most impresses. at one
point you’re sitting in your bedroom
having a sad chat with your grandad
about being loaned out by Leicester. He
“along the way rubbing
shoulders with fully-voiced
footballing royalty like harry
kane and marcus rashford”
46
august 2016
flicks on the tV and Harry Kane appears
holding a Leicester shirt and a fresh
contract – you’re being replaced.
that’s not to say Ea hasn’t continued
their progress on the pitch. “We started
building that technology to be more
precise in the logic that we use to make a
decision to go on a run, and the offshoot
of that is we were able to now use that all
over the game and get more exciting, and
more intricate, and more creative runs all
over the pitch.” threaded through-balls
curled around backlines rather than split
down the middle work in conjunction
with new turf-burning shots that drive
along the ground if you press shoot as the
meter fills. there’s also new push-back
tech where players can intelligently shield
the ball when in possession, and jostle
when out of it, powering more ubiquitous
physical clashes.
Fresh options in shooting, passing, and
shielding make for a more varied game,
and the switch to Battlefield’s Frostbite
engine result in a prettier one. Facial
animations are more expressive, and
real-world managers like Klopp and
Wenger replace generic suits.
the real scene-stealer, though, is the
Journey. some might see it as just ‘Be a
Pro with cutscenes’, but that’s like saying
going to the cinema is sitting in a dark
room eating popcorn with cutscenes.
More legitimate criticism lies in you being
locked to the Premier League, which
might leave overseas fans cold. We do
have reservations over just how
divergent stories will end up, and whether
the same events happen regardless of
the kit you’re wearing, but that’s why it’s
called the Journey and not the
Destination, a dream come true for
anyone who’s ever wanted to give an
apathetic interview in front of advertising
hoardings before being berated in the
manager’s office for getting a red card –
both of which can happen here. n
tHE 51 BEst gaMEs OF 2016
Format Ps4, XO, PC, Ps3, X360 Pub Konami Dev PEs Productions ETA autumn
PEs 2017
You’ve got the Real touch
A
s as we sit down with this latest season of Konami’s football
simulation, we’re asked to avoid using the monitor on the right.
There is, we’re told, a problem with its brightness setting that
makes the turf look like those luminous green strips butcher
shops are so fond of.
You get the feeling this wouldn’t be so
much a problem in FIFa, celebrating as it
does the highlight reel skills and
showmanship over the dreary 0-0
grinds, but PEs’s football has always
been warts-and-all, so darker grass it is.
take our moves in PEs 2017. In one
match using arsenal’s sanchez we dip a
shoulder to wrong-foot a defender and
maintain the dribble in one fluid motion,
redistributing weight to line up a lobbed
pass. In another, Ozil cradles the ball with
his thigh before pivoting and escaping
his marker. there’s beauty in simplicity,
PEs 2017 revelling in the unspectacular.
Replays offer a step-back view attesting
to the pitch poetry that in your head was
a mere jumble of words, and even if
you’re improvising moment-to-moment,
they give the impression you knew what
you were doing all along. that’s football.
Boot-iful game
this variety has been PEs’s strength in
recent years. 2015 doubled the pool of
animations, 2016 built on it, and 2017
introduces hundreds more, resulting in
an answer to every question. Not only do
they make the action look more lifelike,
but feel more meaningful, a game where
timing and momentum is key. the term is
Real touch. It’s not enough to simply ping
“Promisingly in our hands-on
no two goals are alike.
that’s football”
a ball to your teammate and count on
him to control it: you’ve got to consider
both your balance and how ready the
other player is to receive.
Precise Pass expands on player mass
and position as influencing factors,
introducing more variables depending
on the direction and speed you apply to
the ball. You’ve got more freedom over
how to play passes, then, but also more
potential to mess it up. Less than ideally,
we find passes bobble along at a snail’s
pace unless we fill the bar to its limit,
which slows the game as you wait for
meters to fill. Fortunately it’s something
PEs Productions can fix.
shooting provides a more ingrained
problem, this year’s offering still unable to
satisfyingly capture the essence of
walloping a sphere of polyurethaneenclosed latex. sometimes the ball
dribbles in meekly, and sometimes it
rockets into stands so fast it’s almost hard
to see. unpredictability is one thing, and
promisingly in our hands-on no two goals
are ever alike, but here both cases feel
unearned, the compelling build-up
beforehand and the realistic net bulge
after undermined by unconvincing ball
flight and the anticlimactic way they
cross the line.
this extends to free kicks, the success
of which seems entirely random. Corners
at least have seen an overhaul, players
able to select different attacking and
defending techniques, whether zonal
marking or the good old-fashioned
cavalry charge.
also, a minor point perhaps, but those
clinical menus overlayed by dated music
are still awful, like laminated cards you
give your toddler to teach them words.
We’ve given up hope of them being
better. But then, that sums up PEs this
year, clinical, unfussy, and doing all its
talking on the pitch. n
august 2016
47
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4, XO, PC Publisher ubisoft Developer ubisoft Paris ETA 7 March
gHOst ReCOn:
WILDLanDs
there’s no rest for the Recon
L
lamas! Llamas as far as the eye can see, flocking in woolly droves
as four heavily armed soldiers bound their way past (that’s us).
We want to stop and pet them, or at least scrape our rifles down
their fur in lieu of a ‘hug’ button, but there’s work to be done in
these literal wild lands: finding intel on the local cartel boss.
Players are free to go on safari in ubisoft’s
largest ever open world, so the pressure
to push forward is entirely on us. “We try
different things with each iteration [of
ghost Recon],” says Wildlands’ lead game
designer Dominic Butler. “In this case,
something we wanted to do for a couple
of games now but we’ve been limited
partly by tech is how we take that kind of
tactical choice, how we take that
squad-based combat to the next level,
and for us it was making it open, putting
that power in the player’s hands to do
what they want when they want, to make
their own decisions on the ground.” You
adapt to survive, reacting to terrain, time
of day, passing patrols, equipment found
in the field, and yes, in some cases, llamas.
We scout several viable routes into the
compound using an aerial drone. sloping
scrubland offers plenty of cover behind
bushes and boulders, there’s a main road
from which to charge in on trucks, a river
to crawl up for a more subtle infiltration,
and hay bales to duck behind once we’re
inside. From the hill crest each of us lines
unsuspecting targets in our sights and
synchronises our kills. the ensuing
pandemonium sends the lieutenant
48
august 2016
fleeing in a pickup truck, so we scramble
to a jeep and give chase as squadmates
fire madly from the back seat.
Our quarry pulls into a petrol station
and we go close range, whipping out
assault rifles and taking out his goons to a
backdrop of fuel tank explosions until we
get close enough to grab the bad man in
a choke hold and interrogate him to get
the intel on a cartel-run prison in
neighbouring Rosario. Boom, that’s our
next task. Wildlands’ structure is about
hunting down leads and working your
way up the chain of command until you
reach the thickest link, the puppet master,
and each of these links, says Butler, can
play out differently.
“It can be approached out of order. a
world that lets you come at it from
multiple different sides and lets you just
play, enjoy, see what styles you choose,
see how the environment is going to
challenge you.” What works here doesn’t
necessarily work elsewhere. “You can’t
just take an armoured aPC and ram the
front gates because now you’re in the
jungle and you have limited mobility and
it doesn’t make as much sense anymore.”
travelling by chopper gives us staggering
views over a dusty red desert flanked by
mountains, the seemingly endless draw
distance giving the impression it hasn’t
just loaded in for our eyes only, and we
mark a stylishly silent entrance to Rosario
by way of parachute.
Land of opportunity
While geographic diversity varies your
approach, however, there doesn’t seem to
be a huge amount of depth once you
reach your destination. In assaulting the
prison, for instance, we’re repeating
similar procedures as before: use drone to
mark hostiles, snipe them, then move to
engage in unsatisfying close-range
shootouts against panicked aI. at this
stage it’s Metal gear solid V-lite, sharing all
of the space but none of the systems.
It’s worth remembering the March
2017 release date though. “that gives us
“you adapt to survive, reacting
to terrain, time of day, passing
patrols, and llamas”
plenty of time to keep playing, to keep
improving,” says Butler. “It’s hard for us to
put a finger on one system because
there’s so much interconnectivity. You
change one thing and it starts to have an
effect on something else and it grows.”
this is where the game’s massive scale
comes back to bite it. “there’s a lot to do.
It’s a massive world and we want it to be
the best it can possibly be, and so we’re
playing every day in a bunch of different
ways. We’re stressing those systems.”
What we haven’t had the chance to
stress is single-player. How will lone
wolves fare? We’re told aI-controlled
teammates make offline sessions a
breeze, matching your playstyle and
striking a balance between positively
impacting shootouts and not doing all of
the work for you. Fittingly, they’ll play like
ghosts. You can issue simple instructions
and they’ll advance or retreat accordingly,
fiddly commands a thing of the past. It
makes sense to give friendly bots the
intelligence to act without hand-holding
or micromanagement, this being the
sweeping subterfuge to advanced
Warfighter’s precision direction.
Currently, Wildlands’ breadth masks its
lack of depth, spread across a gorgeous
topographical assortment that’s fun to
traverse but less so to fight amongst. Let’s
hope there’s more to the multi-angle base
assaults we’ve seen so far – llamas are a
good start. n
tHe 51 Best gaMes OF 2016
Dev
talk!
We sent teams out there to learn
everything that isn’t in the
guidebook. Really go and meet
local people and botanists and
geologists and local leaders.
We’ve kept up with a lot of those
people, and done tonnes of
research and thousands of
photos and videos.
Dominic ButLer
LeaD game Designer
It’s Ubisoft’s biggest open-world
shooter ever. Hope you packed
yourself a lunch box.
Approach varies with terrain. Forget
about using your bike in a river. Or a
boat on a mountain. Obviously.
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4 Publisher sony Developer Polyphony Digital ETA 18 November
gRAN tuRIsMo sPoRt
We’ll never tyre of it
P
olyphony Digital CEO
Kazunori Yamauchi is
a properly dedicated
petrolhead. He arrives
at a reveal event for his
latest game draped in a branded
racing jacket, weaving his way past an
assemblage of pristine motors that
you sense he’d rather be throwing
around a track at high speeds than
talking to the press about. In spite of a
certain distracted quality though, it
turns out that there’s a lot of novel
content to cover.
Because the crux of gran turismo sport
is a brand new duo of ongoing online
tournaments designed to foster a
community of competitive car-nuts. the
Nations Cup is the first, and it’s a strictly
patriotic affair dedicated to the search for
the country with the highest gDP of
MPH, pitting the fastest racers from each
Polyphony claims GT Sport players will be able to use
the game to qualify for real-world racing licences – an
idea so ambitious that we’re yet to be convinced…
nation against one another for prestige,
glory, and prizes.
If you feel more loyalty to Nissan than
to your national flag, however, the
Manufacturer Fan Club is the place to
prove your post-nationalist credentials.
Here, you’ll be able to select your
favourite motoring brand and race under
its glitzy banner, whether you want to
compete for team Mercedes or support
Club Renault in its quest for glorious gold
medal success.
As for the racing itself, it remains
remarkably – sometimes even
mean-spiritedly – realistic. Lapses in
concentration will be punished here, and
the game’s garage of barmy supercars
are rebellious beasts that all but the most
skilled of drivers will struggle to tame.
the satisfaction of a race well run (or
even of a single perfect corner) remains
intense though, and it’s this thrill that
Polyphony hopes will bring players to its
persistent online championships. Right or
wrong, Yamauchi’s boundless
enthusiasm for motorsport shines
through in every carbon-fibre crevice of
this series spin-off. n
The Australian setting allows for races
across all sorts of different terrain
types, from deserts to rainforest.
Format Xo, PC Publisher Microsoft Developer Playground games ETA 27 september
FoRzA
HoRIzoN 3
James May brains, Jeremy Clarkson brawn
T
here are over 350 rides
in this exotic
open-world racer, and
an army of
automobiles is
absolutely crucial if you want to avoid
a call to emergency breakdown
services in the middle of shimmering
coasts, scorched deserts, lush jungles,
and kangaroo-stuffed outbacks.
But wait, here’s a segue (no, segways
aren’t in it): our hands-on is a whistle-stop
tour featuring Lamborghinis charging
down dams, Ford Raptors launching off
dunes, and trophy trucks drifting through
coves onto golden sands.
the elements are as much your
competition as drivers, with splattering
mud, clouding dust, and water bogs
50
August 2016
demanding caution. “I’d say the biggest
difference between this and the previous
one is we were able to carry forward the
3D puddle physics. When you hit the
water you really feel it,” says producer Bill
Doller. “Every surface type has really
unique handling. sand, dirt, the jungle.
Everywhere has its own distinct feel.”
Not that Mother Nature overshadows
human opponents: drop-in multiplayer
across a continent doubly big as Horizon
2 lets you tackle missions with mates or
create your own contests, setting time,
weather, distance, and soundtrack, then
sharing it online. there’ll be balancing
issues if one of you chooses a Porsche
and the other a hatchback, of course, but
then this is a game spanning multiple
disciplines. But ironically, discipline is one
thing you can check at the door. n
tHE 51 BEst gAMEs oF 2016
Format Ps4, Xo, PC Publisher ubisoft Developer ubisoft Annecy ETA December
Slope sponsor Red Bull may give you
wings, but we’d rather trust in the safety
of the paraglider, thanks.
stEEP
With a little Alp from your friends
I
f most devs took inspiration from the world outside their window
we’d be inundated with adventures set in bland carparks and
industrial estates. Er, which we kind of are. Not so Ubisoft Annecy.
Situated in what is nicknamed ‘the pearl of the Alps’, its team
looks out the window and sees vast slopes and snowy peaks.
And, it seems, they also see lunatics
strapping themselves to planks and
hurtling down them. ubi’s aim with steep
is to put you right there with that lot, on
an open-world mountain shared with
other online extreme sports enthusiasts.
Plopped into knee-deep snow –
displacing beautifully as we wade around
– we’re free to pick from four forms of
transport: wingsuit, skis, snowboard, and
paraglider. All four are fed with specific
challenges dotting the peak. so while
snowboarders can try and recall their
best 1080 snowboarding tricks on the
mountain’s ramps, skiers might slalom
through forests as wingsuiters dive
through aerial courses above. Catching a
glimpse of fellow maniacs pursuing their
own quest for a broken neck gives the
world a tangible buzz of activity.
As far as handling goes, this is closer to
simulation than ssX, more about the
graceful sense of gaining speed off ridges
and subtle dips than grinding rails as
fireworks burst out of an afro (gosh, we
miss ssX). the wingsuit is particularly
punishing, asking you to strike the
perfect balance between accelerating
descent and forward momentum lest it
deposit you as a hilariously jumbled pile
of ragdoll bones. When one ‘extreme’
challenge asks us to float through the
“catching a glimpse of fellow
maniacs gives the world a
tangible buzz of activity”
middle of electric pylons, our birdman
dies many a painful death.
And if the packaged tasks feel too
sedate, you’re free to create your own.
Every journey you make is pinned onto
the map, allowing you to select moments
– from individual A-to-B stretches to
specific jumps you made – and throw
down the gauntlet for friends to best
them. It uses the same trick as super
Mario Maker, in that you need to survive
the trip/leap yourself before you can ask
others to beat it. You can also rewind to
any moment of your last journey to work
on tightening the course or building up a
higher score to beat. It’s a powerful
creation tool.
Board games
our only complaint is that, for all its
promise to put the extreme in extreme
sports, it’s a game somewhat lacking in
character and attitude. the ability to view
the action through a head-mounted
goPro adds a frisson of danger, sure, but
there’s no escaping that most of the
game is spent sliding over featureless
snow. Indeed, despite hopping about the
map during our demo, it’s hard to tell
race courses apart. With only six months
of development left, it’s hard to see
exactly how ubisoft Annecy can remedy
this. some comedy snowmen, perhaps?
It feels harsh to go after a game that
shows great generosity of spirit in other
areas – we’ll benefit from a potentially
endless stream of user-generated
sporting events – but online shared
worlds do live and die by the ability of
that world to hold its population’s
attention. that said, it is great to see
ubisoft trying to apply the always-online
model to something other than shootin’
and lootin’; for the sake of future game
variety, we’d love this to work. Not a steep
ask, we hope. n
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4, Ps3, Ps Vita Pub square Enix Dev square Enix ETA 14 October
DRAgOn QuEst
BuILDERs
the slime of our lives
The game depicts a world in
which everyone, except you, has
forgotten how to build anything.
Format Ps4, XO, PC Publisher Deep silver Developer Volition ETA summer 2017
AgEnts
Of MAyHEM
two’s company, three’s a street gang
W
I
f it’s true that talent
borrows and genius
steals, then Mensa
must be swimming in
Square Enix
developers, as this latest spin-off from
the adorable series is fairly brazen in
aping the Minecraft phenomenon. The
environment is squared off into easily
breakable cubes, you harvest building
material by bashing away through the
environment, and you can assemble
anything you can imagine.
Don’t mistake that for criticism though, as
there’s a whole dollop of JRPg goodness,
typical series charm, and appealing
silliness running throughout our
hands-on. With the world of Alefgard
plunged into an era of darkness thanks to
the Dragonlord, you begin as the only
person left with the ability to build stuff.
this is a huge surprise to the lost girl who
comes running to the beacon (grandly
described as the Banner Of Hope) we set
up, but after her initial shock, Pippa eases
us through some simple tasks. We soon
figure out how to gather raw materials,
craft a bed, set up torches, reconstruct
old ruins into lovely, shiny houses, and
– after we’re given the appropriate
blueprint – how to construct brand new
buildings from scratch.
things haven’t drifted that far from
Dragon Quest’s roots, however – you’ll
still be drawing your sword to take on the
world’s various monsters. Don’t expect
strategic turn-based battles in the style of
the core series, however, as fights here
are real-time, and more about
button-mashing than tactical planning.
We head out for a brief wander around
the green plains looking for trouble, and
appropriately one of the first things we
fight is the iconic slimes, whose blue goo
comes in handy for building torches.
Even if Mojang’s classic holds little appeal
to you, Dragon Quest Builders sprinkles
in a story and structure that’s instantly
engaging. time to get a hard hat on. n
hen a game’s confirmed to be part of the Saints Row universe,
there are certain expectations. An open world stuffed with
character? Check. Fleur-de-lis everywhere? Check. Over-the-top
action? Check. You might think there aren’t many more boxes to
tick – but this shooter is trying to think outside a few.
It’s colouring outside the lines too,
sketching a futuristic cartoon vision of
seoul, south Korea in vivid pink petals
and searing blue skyscrapers. We build a
team of three anti-heroes to bounce
through it. Hardtack’s our first choice: a
beanie-clad brute in an adorable sailor
collar. His shotgun packs a close-quarters
wallop, and his ghostly harpoon special
impales foes. Whatcha gonna do now,
LEgIOn baddies? Oh, stand about five
metres back? Oops.
fortunately, Agents Of Mayhem has
an answer. Punch the d-pad, and you
switch to one of your other two chosen
characters. Bounty hunter/reality tV
heartthrob Hollywood excels in the
mid-range, with a solid auto rifle and
effective grenades.
so effective, in fact, that we hardly
ever feel the need to tag in mobile
bow-wielder Rama during our mission to
stop a rogue AI K-pop idol. using our
‘Mayhem meter’, charged by kills, we
unleash Hollywood’s super attack upon
enemies. It detonates cinematic
explosions all around for massive
damage… we presume. It’s all so anarchic
we’re not sure exactly what’s happening
– but it definitely looks cool.
Hopefully that’s not a metaphor for
the finished game. With plenty of
development time left, we’re holding out
for some organised chaos. n
Dev
talk!
[Character-switching]
is a key differentiator for us.
We want players to feel like
they are controlling the squad, have
full control over who they’re playing
as and what they’re doing – to have
options at their disposal.
AnOOp ShEkAR,
pROjECT DESign DiRECTOR
Devs say the game’s inspired by Saturday morning
cartoons. The sweary script makes us wonder which
version of Power Rangers they watched…
52
August 2016
tHE 51 BEst gAMEs Of 2016
Trico is lovably adorable, and often
child-like in its behaviour – but it’s also a
frightening, untamed beast.
Format Ps4 Publisher sony Developer genDesign, sony ETA 25 October
tHE LAst
guARDIAn
genDesign flirts with danger in its most important game to date
I
t’s coming out in 2016.
just take a moment to
appreciate that. it
seems barely
believable that the
game which was announced back in
2009 for pS3 will – after a period of
agonising radio silence, a generational
hardware hop, and the separation of
key team members from Sony – be in
our hands this year. We’ve even had a
chance to play the beginning of it, a
gesture perhaps designed to reassure
anyone whose reserves of hope have
been tested by one too many
reneged-upon promises.
so it’s with no small amount of relief that
we report that the Last guardian
appears to be in very good shape indeed.
the small portion of the adventure we
get to sample opens in a dank cave inset
with crumbling ancient ruins, and we find
ourselves in control of a young boy
covered in runic tattoos who himself has
just awoken in this place. nearby, trico,
the massive cat-bird hybrid which we’ve
seen so many tantalising glimpses of, lies
injured and shackled. Despite trico’s
scale, it immediately feels like we’re
playing a current-gen Ico, which is just
about the highest praise we could
bestow on the game.
Pet sounds
the howling beast is a little more
dangerous than yorda, however, and the
power that has only been suggested in
previous showings is made profoundly
apparent when we approach the creature
only for it to signal its disapproval with a
terrifying roar. We do manage to clamber
on to its back in an act of heroic stupidity,
however, and cling on for dear life – just
as in shadow Of the Colossus – using R1
as trico does its best to dislodge us. Our
act of suicidal charity pays off, and we
pull out one of the spears which is
causing trico so much distress. After
feeding it some barrels (director fumito
ueda promises that this mysterious diet
will be fully explained in the finished
game) we manage to pull out the second
spear and free trico from the giant chain
holding it in place.
While it takes a while to get the
creature to do as we ask (trico is, after all,
wild and free-spirited) we successfully
use its height to reach a high-up ledge
from which a tunnel leads into a cool blue
“trico can shoot bolts of red
lightning from its tail in an
unnerving display of ferocity”
room with a pool of water at its centre.
And it’s here that we find a mirrored
shield which turns out to be a way of
controlling trico’s hitherto unrevealed
power: it can shoot bolts of red lightning
from its tail in an unnerving display of
ferocity. Holding the circle button
“illuminates” the shield, shining a cross
hair wherever we point it, in the process
directing trico’s destructive force. How
exactly this will factor into the game is
unclear, but we do get to use it to destroy
a couple of obstacles on our way to
escaping the prison we wake up in.
In many ways, this first hands-on with
the game has created more questions
than it answers, but when it comes to
ueda’s enigmatic output, we wouldn’t
have it any other way (erm, just so long
as it really does come out this year). n
August 2016
53
Feature
On The Cover!
Format XO, PC Publisher Microsoft Developer Rare ETA spring 2017
sEA OF
tHIEVEs
Rare ser ves up some original pirate material
A
fter years of academic
debate, Rare answers
the most important
question of all: what
should we do with a
drunken sailor? The solution, it seems,
is to let the sozzled seadog stumble
overboard and then to sail away
without him. Or at least that’s how it
went down on the good ship GM. Not
intentionally, of course – our remaining
crew of four were too busy trying to
honk out a rendition of Ride Of The
Valkyries to notice we were a man
down, and when the fact did sink in he
had already, well… sunk in.
Rare’s latest delivers these anecdotes on
tap. On the surface, it’s a simple looking
game: you can jump, interact with parts of
the ship, or whip out an item – a music
instrument, or a mug of grog – and
interact with that. And yet somehow from
these basic ingredients role-playing
magic is made. Executive producer Joe
Neate puts its down to the fact that, deep
down, everyone has a fundamental idea
of what a pirate is meant to do. You drink
grog, you get on a ship, and you try and
use that ship to sink other ships. It’s an
easy fantasy to slot yourself into.
For the purposes of our demo, 15
strangers are placed in three crews of five
and told to enjoy themselves. this is
secret code for ‘go and kill the other two
crews’. Before we’ve even made it
onboard our galleon our team bonds
over a piratical jam session. Half the gang
have accordions, the other wield
hurdy-gurdys. In a piece of coding
wizardry, whoever plays first is given the
core melody, while other instruments
harmonise around it. Neate points out
that most mechanics have this kind of
co-operative angle to them – fun alone,
super-charged with chums.
As great as it would be to wile away
our days as a Caribbean folk band, our
gang decides to hop on the ship and sail
for adventure. this is trickier than you’d
think. Before you move there’s an anchor
to lift and sails to drop; roles people are
hesitant to take on as we’re all secretly
54
August 2016
eyeing the ship’s wheel. As it turns out,
steering the ship is by no means a power
trip – the sails block the view, forcing you
to rely on a crewman in the crow’s nest to
offer direction. And said directions won’t
be followed if you don’t have wind in your
sails – requiring two men to man the
ropes and manually adjust them.
Booty call
Just the act of sailing forwards and
dodging rocks takes four dedicated
sailors, leaving the fifth to either run
around the ship boosting morale with an
accordion solo or to stand on the bow
looking heroic. It’s all so hands-on that we
almost don’t notice how amazing the
world looks; Rare’s ocean waves are some
of the best we’ve ever seen, coaxing you
down to Davy Jones’ locker with their
inviting tropical blue. After years of
slaving away at Kinect sports, it’s easy to
forget a) Rare’s technical genius and b) its
ability to use that tech to build cartoonish
fantasy lands you can lose yourself in for
hours at a time.
Of course, by ‘lose yourself’ we don’t
mean in the literal ‘dad, are we nearly
there yet?’ sense. Alas, our ineffectual
lookout goes looking for treasure in the
bottom of a tankard and manages to
guide us away from our two rivals, now
engaged in combat on the horizon. It is in
this moment of despondency that we
regroup for a music medley and lose our
crewmate over the edge of the boat.
Before our self-appointed captain (a
member of the Rare team) can order us
to drop the anchor, we’ve already sailed
away. true pirates would leave him
behind, but our group of scurvy softies
decide to wait, giving our enemies the
chance to sail up and unleash hell.
We could tell you about combat but, in
truth, we only get to fire off one cannon
before we’re called below decks to survey
the damage. Holes line the hull as water
gushes in, forcing us to try and mend the
damage with planks. In a delightful/
horrific touch, as water gushes in, the ship
begins to keel over, the weight of the
brine proving too much. Our final living
memory is of looking up to the deck and
seeing the captain still pumping away on
his accordion, like the violinists on the
deck of the titanic. We’d normally be
cross at such lack of leadership, but the
Ride Of the Valkyries feels so
inappropriate, you can’t help but laugh.
Ho-ho-ho-glub-glub-glub.
so ends our maiden voyage in sea Of
thieves, and so begins the agonising wait
for the final game. We’re told the demo is
mere proof of concept – a taste of the
seafaring we’ll eventually put to use in a
more directed adventure, but that game
structure is under wraps. such is the
game’s capacity for making amazing
stories happen between strangers, we
wonder if direction is needed at all. With
just a boat and four friends, Rare can
make something awesome happen. n
Dev
talk!
It’s not free-to-play. We didn’t say
anything last year and then some
people made stuff up, y’know, ‘it
looks free-to-play!’ But we can clear
that up – we will not be free-to-play.
But we don’t want to be this single
shot release – if we’re still adding to
it in five years I’ll be very happy.
GReGG Mayles,
DesiGN DiRecTOR
Our voyage is kraken-free, but this does hint
at events to come in the final game. Maybe
we’ll stick to dry land…
August 2016
55
Feature
On The Cover!
Format Ps4 Publisher sony Developer Kojima Productions ETA Autumn 2018
DEAtH
stRANDINg
Kojima’s gloriously strange return
The trailer ends with Reedus
surveying a scene of environmental
destruction while five mysterious
figures look on from above.
Format Ps4, XO, PC Publisher Bethesda Developer Arkane studios ETA Winter 2017
PREY
talos all about it
W
N
orman Reedus stands alone on a desolate shore, bereft of even a
shred of clothing to swaddle his toned bod. On his wrist: a
handcuff. Beside him: a baby. He clutches the infant close,
weeping as he does so, but the mysterious child disappears from
his loving embrace, leaving his hands stained in oil.
Reedus stands, revealing the scars of a
cesarian-section on his abdomen, and
surveys a beach covered in decomposing
aquatic life. Yes folks, it’s the return of
Hideo Kojima, and proof positive that the
humdrum, workaday realism of Metal
gear solid has actually been holding him
back all these years. Because the debut
trailer for Death stranding may be the
single oddest three minutes of video ever
produced for marketing purposes,
offering all manner of profoundly strange
imagery alongside all the closeups of
Reedus gurning with grief.
so here’s what we do know. Kojima’s
latest is coming exclusively to the
Playstation 4 and is an action game of
some description. In terms of theming,
meanwhile, it seems likely that Kojima is
56
August 2016
tackling environmentalism, given the
ecological damage on display and the
layer of oil on Reedus’ grubby mitts.
Perhaps his character is actually
responsible for all this destruction, and
the oil is the metaphorical blood on his
hands? Meanwhile, eagle-eyed fans have
spotted that the protagonist’s dangling
dog tags are inscribed with a number of
complex equations which may hint at a
narrative dealing with such heady
scientific concepts as quantum
mechanics and Einstein’s general theory
of relativity.
It’s a good old-fashioned Kojima
mystery, then, and one that’s sure to fuel
months of fan speculation, complex
theories, and curious rumours. thank
heavens he’s back. n
hen you’re a test subject on a videogame space station, you can
bet your bottom dollar that the experiment will end with
something more dramatic than a strong set of publishable data.
Take Morgan Yu, for example – a human guinea pig who finds
himself stranded on Talos I when the facility is overrun by aliens.
If all of that sounds rather tonally
different from Human Head studios’
2006 shooter, that’s because it’s the
product of an entirely different studio.
Following an aborted attempt at an
honest-to-goodness sequel, the project’s
been handed to Arkane studios, and this
version of Prey exists not as a sequel but
as a ‘reimagining’ of the franchise. true to
form, the Dishonored developer is taking
a rather open approach, promising to
render talos I as a single environment
that you’ll be able to explore at your own
pace. As such, you’ll be hopping from
sector to sector to engage aliens or
converse with fellow terrestrials as you
please. As you explore the station, you’ll
naturally uncover tools and weaponry,
but it seems as though you’ll also unlock
the ability to make use of some
‘mind-bending powers’ to boot.
Whether these supernatural abilities
are the products of disturbing
experimentation or somehow linked to
those alien interlopers remains to be
seen, but the ultimate objective of your
search is to unravel the station’s sinister
secrets and the true nature of the human
trials it’s been hosting. Expect shocking
twists and grisly body horror – and we’re
guessing probably not any Native
Americans or spirit guides. n
Oof, that looks sore – you want to
get that looked at mate.
Format Ps4, XO, PC Publisher EA Developer Bioware ETA March 2017
MAss EFFECt:
ANDROMEDA
Ryder ’s on the storm
B
ioware has finally
revealed its newest
protagonist,
showcasing footage of
the bleary-eyed Ryder
as she awakens on board your brand
new ride, the Tempest. She wasn’t
snoozing on the job, though. Rather,
she’s been in stasis to survive the long
journey from the Milky Way to the
Andromeda Galaxy, a trek that may
have taken hundreds of years. We’d
probably be groggy too.
By this point in the Mass Effect timeline,
then, the exploits of Commander
shepard are distant history, and instead
of fighting against the Reaper threat,
you’re searching out a new home for
humanity. As such, you can probably
expect the occasional wide-eyed stare
The Mako’s back, and Bioware’s
promising it’s vastly improved over
previous iffy appearances.
from the locals as you traverse the
game’s galaxy of all-new worlds – most of
these aliens will have never so much
have heard of humans, after all.
Fortunately, Ryder won’t be the only
fish out of water here. We’ve seen
salarians, Krogans, and Asari in early
footage, leading us to speculate that
Ryder’s brought a few friends along with
her. Naturally, you’ll be able to romance a
selection of these extraterrestrial hotties,
and Bioware is promising a more
nuanced and naturalistic depiction of
in-game relationships this time around.
As exciting as the prospect of some
steamy interstellar smooching always
gets us, it’s the promise of a galaxy filled
with uncharted worlds and unfamiliar
alien species that’s really set our pulses
racing. It’s an opportunity for Bioware to
inject a sense of discovery, wonder, and
plain old weirdness back into the
franchise, and we can’t wait to see what
the studio comes up with. n
The world of Eos and its inhabitants
look spectacularly vivid in motion, with
boss battles particularly impressive.
Format Ps4, XO Publisher square Enix Developer square Enix ETA 30 september
S
FINAl
FANtAsY XV
Bash of the titans
creen-filling bosses
aren’t exactly a rarity
in Square Enix’s
venerable series, but
even by the franchise’s
high standards, the newly-unveiled
Titan is hefty. Towering over Noctis
and chums, this stony leviathan swipes
at the party with an arm like a granite
Megabus. The prince and pals strike
back, of course, making use of the new
fast-paced combat system to warp
away from attacks before slashing at
the beefy boss character.
If speedy fights aren’t your jam, however,
Wait Mode is promising something a little
more considered, pausing the action to
let you survey the skirmish and prioritise
targets tactically. In our demo, game
director Hajime tabata explains that the
option can be toggled at any time, and
has been designed to allow action-phobic
players to engage with the overhauled
role-playin’, road-trippin’ gameplay.
With the titan defeated, we have the
opportunity to see a special little
something just for Ps4 owners – the Final
Fantasy XV VR experience. this curious
addition casts players as Prompto,
Noctis’s sharpshooting buddy – while
your fellow party members rush in with
swords drawn, you make use of your
pistol to deal damage from afar. It’s
essentially a virtual reality light-gun
game in which you blast away at
fantastical beasties, and while it may look
slight, at least it’s an opportunity to take
in the gorgeous world of Eos from a
first-person perspective. n
August 2016
57
Feature
On The Cover!
Format PC
Pub Sega Dev relic Entertainment
ETA Spring 2017
Format 3DS
Pub nintendo Dev Grezzo
ETA Spring 2017
Format 3DS
Pub nintendo Dev Game Freak
ETA 23 november
Format PS4, PS vita
Pub Square Enix Dev Square Enix
ETA 25 October
DAWn OF
WAr III
EvEr OASIS
POKèMOn SUn
AnD MOOn
WOrlD OF
FInAl FAnTASy
Game Freak strikes again, making it even
harder for you to catch ‘em all with the all
new Alola region and a new troupe of
collectible monsters for you to cram into
Pokèballs. The new location has a
distinctly Hawaiian feel (the Game Freak
team took trips to the island for
research), with the story kicking off with
a festival in honour of island deity, Tapu
Koko. One of the big innovations for this
iteration is the introduction of free-for-all
battles between four Pokèmon: you
might choose to team up with another
trainer to take down the strongest
opponent, or it might descend into an
every ‘mon for itself scrap. n
A combination of Pokémon and Final
Fantasy sounds like a recipe for a
delicious rPG stew. This isn’t an official
mix, of course, so don’t expect Pikachu
to show up, but the new battle system
involves using your captured monsters
to help you turn the tide in battles. In all
fairness, this has oodles of ideas of its
own, featuring dungeon crawling,
monster customisation and an adorable
chibi inspired look. Despite the art style
seemingly targeting the younger
generation, the game feels reminiscent
of older, turn-based Final Fantasy
games, which will be music to the ears
for fans of a certain vintage. n
Once again, Orks, Eldar, and Space
Marines are warring with each other, this
time for control of a deadly weapon. For
players, that means a return to real-time
strategising to help guide your chosen
faction to victory. The focus here is on
huge, expensive units, such as heavily
loaded Titan mechs, that dominate the
battlefield, wreaking havoc on the
enemy army by wiping out normal units
with ease. When you choose to bring
these ultra-powerful units into battle, and
which ones you opt to buy, will shape the
basic tactical game, but as ever expect a
deep, expansive experience that’ll keep
you occupied for years. n
Format PS4
Pub Tecmo Koei Dev Omega Force
ETA 26 August
ATTACK On
TITAn: WInGS
OF FrEEDOM
not since Spider-Man 2 has a game
managed to wholly capture the sense of
wire-based momentum to such an
exhilarating degree. Fans of the anime
will know that it’s the omni-directional
manoeuvre gear that gives the series’
hard-hitting action its teeth. In layman’s
terms this means attaching two wires on
either side of your character’s body to
bits of scenery and blasting yourself
across vast distances. A combination of
intense trajectory-based slicy combat
and stirring orchestral backing tracks put
gloss on what might just be the best
thing Dynasty Warriors creator Omega
Force has ever put together. n
58
AUGUST 2016
rPGs are nearly always about saving the
world from some impending doom, but
in Ever Oasis you’re only really
concerned with protecting one little
corner of that world: your desert oasis.
As well as keeping evil at bay, you’re
tasked with growing a fledging
community into a thriving paradise by
recruiting new villagers into the fold via
battles, exploration, and dungeoncrawling. Encouraging such a focused
interest in one town area feels
reminiscent of Animal Crossing, albeit
with some Egyptian stylings, and that
sense that this is your home should
ensure that you’re truly invested. Plus
this is from the team behind Tri Force
Heroes, for that extra Zelda flavour. n
Format PS4, XO, PC
Pub rebellion Dev rebellion
ETA 14 Febuary 2017
Format XO, PC
Pub Microsoft Dev Platinum Games
ETA Summer 2017
Format PS4
Pub Square Enix Dev Square Enix
ETA Winter 2017
SnIPEr ElITE 4
SCAlEBOUnD
yes, you can still shoot people’s testicles
off in slow-mo, x-ray vision. now that
we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a
look at what makes this entry different
from its forebears. Where Sniper Elite has
previously existed as something of a
B-movie when compared to other AAA
blockbusters, this iteration feels like it’s
finally ready to compete in the big
leagues. That’s not to say the schlocky
charm of previous titles is gone, just that
the daft thrill of spilling nazi brains
everywhere is matched by higher
production values and a much more
expansive world, many times bigger
than Sniper Elite 3’s. We’ll head to Italy
this time around and along with the
sun-bleached scenery we’ll also get to
enjoy x-ray melee kills and the addition
of shrapnel damage, too. n
“Attack its weak point for massive
damage!”. no, it’s not Genji: Days Of The
Blade (high five if you remember that),
it’s Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya’s
new jam. Although it does feature a
giant enemy crab with a glowing weak
spot. Platinum has shown off more of its
ambitious action-rPG, and it’s looking
truly bonkers. Teaming up with either
your mates, your in-game dragon, or
both to take down ginormous enemies
is the central mechanic, and it’s an
appealing one – who wouldn’t want to
command a dragon? Platinum’s done
some pretty sizeable bosses in the past,
but the aforementioned giant crab is
supposedly the biggest yet. Impressive
stuff then. We only hope that the
protagonist’s ultra-annoying quipping is
curbed for launch. n
FInAl FAnTASy
vII rEMAKE
It’s been over a year now since Sony
announced a remake of this Final Fantasy
classic, sending franchise fans across the
globe into an excitable frenzy. Since then,
Squeenix has been surprisingly quiet,
saying very little about this
hyper-anticipated title. Early indications
suggest that this is set to be more than a
straightforward remaster – the graphical
style’s had a serious overhaul, and a
suggested episodic release schedule
may well require changes to make sure
each individual chapter remains
satisfying and feels like a complete story.
There’s a huge amount of pressure to get
this remake right, but all signs are
pointing towards a successful reinvention
of a much loved title. n
THE 51 BEST GAMES OF 2016
Format PS4
Pub Sony Dev Quantic Dream
ETA Spring 2017
DETrOIT:
BECOME
HUMAn
Format PS4, XO, PC
Pub Ubisoft Dev Ubisoft reflections
ETA August
Format PS4, XO, Wii U, X360, PS3
Pub Activision Dev Toys For Bob
ETA 14 October
Format PS4, XO, PC
Pub Ubisoft Dev Ubisoft San Francisco
ETA 6 December
GrOW UP
SKylAnDErS
IMAGInATOrS
SOUTH PArK:
THE FrACTUrED
BUT WHOlE
AI and self-awareness are themes that
sci-fi films have explored for decades, but
usually through the lens of terrified
humans who are being replaced by their
robotic counterparts. In Detroit, you’re
cast as androids in a human tale, throwing
new light on a well-trodden story trope.
Quantic Dream’s usual blend of
investigation, melodrama, and
hard-hitting decisions returns, as you aim
to track down other androids that’ve
gone rogue, after an unexplained event
where bots begin to gain emotions. David
Cage loves them emotions, eh? n
BUD is back. What do you mean “Who’s
BUD?” It’s ok. We’ll wait here while you go
away and play his first outing, Grow
Home… Finished? Good. Then you’ll
know now that having a sequel to one of
2015’s pleasant-est platforming surprises
in the works is primo news.
While the first game saw you help a
giant tree burst upwards towards your
maternal spaceship, this time MOM is
scattered about in pieces after a collision
with a moon and it’s up to BUD to bundle
across a nearby alien world’s surface to
perform that most hallowed of 3D
platforming tasks: collecting all the bits.
Expect tactile climbing, charm up to the
lED eyeballs, and all new mechanics,
including bouncy ball form. n
Format PS4, XO, PC
Pub CD Projekt Dev CD Projekt red
ETA Winter
Format PS4
Pub Sony Dev Sony Japan
ETA Winter
Format PS4, XO, PC
Pub Bandai namco Dev Bandai namco
ETA Spring 2017
Format XO, PC
Pub Microsoft Dev Undead labs
ETA Autumn 2017
GWEnT
GrAvITy
rUSH 2
TEKKEn 7
STATE OF
DECAy 2
Surely even CD Projekt red couldn’t have
predicted just how much everyone
would love the card game found buried
in the side quests of The Witcher 3: Wild
Hunt? Given a vast open-world full of
monsters, quests, and beautiful vistas,
many players spend hours playing
Gwent instead of, you know, saving the
world. It’s essentially a battle of two
armies played out with cards across
grids, and it’s hopelessly addictive. Which
is why we’re now seeing a standalone,
free-to-play version of the game that will
expand upon the base outing with new
cards, and most excitingly, full
multiplayer, so you can trounce your
friends at the Gwent table, too. A closed
beta will launch this September, though
unfortunately for Sony fans, it’s only for
PC and Xbox One owners. n
We last saw Kat in her first-wave PS vita
exclusive, which didn’t look half bad in
the PS4 remaster earlier this year. But,
golly gosh, what a glorious difference
this ground-up sequel straight to PS4
strikes. Gravity rush 2 delivers on the
concept behind the original’s stylised
visuals with much more aplomb. Gone is
any visual jankiness, but the core
gameplay remains as you flip gravity to
navigate your way around a city, which is
now more packed with people and
creatures in a way that the vita could
never have handled – the game will be
two and a half times bigger than the first.
All promising stuff then, and it won’t be
long before we have a final verdict, with
Gr2 set to land later this year. n
Skylanders continues its slow crawl
towards world dominance by
introducing the powerful combination
of Crash Bandicoot and character
customisation. The former marks
Crash’s first appearance on console in
years, ahead of his trio of PS4 remasters,
while the latter allows players to craft
their own Skylanders, and plonk them in
the game. For the creatively impaired,
the villains from Trap Team are back,
and are now playable as hero
characters. All previous Skylanders still
work, which will be a relief to
cash-strapped parents and
collect-a-holics the world over. n
Who knows what is actually going on
with Tekken X Street Fighter? It might
be caught up in vapourware hell, but
the partnership has yielded some
results with Street Fighter’s Akuma
making his way into the long awaited
console and PC version of Tekken 7.
We’ve also seen evidence that Bandai
namco is looking to create a more
exciting game to watch, with slow-mo
effects kicking in on crucial attacks,
heavily destructible environments, and
tonnes of visual flair. Similarly, this latest
Tekken looks set to be the most
story-led yet, bursting as it is with
cinematics. Appropriate, seeing as this
is teed up to be the climactic concluding
chapter of the Mishima clan saga.
Expect family in-fighting, dramatic
monologues, and lots of punching. n
Superheroes are the hot topic here – Stan,
Kyle, Kenny and the gang have moved on
from playing out a fantasy war (as they
did in Stick Of Truth), to parodying the
Marvel and DC worlds, particularly Civil
War. So, this time your character,
Douchebag, who can now be either a boy
or a girl (hurrah!), dons a cape and mask
as a superhero in Cartman’s crew. How
much you’re likely to enjoy this crass
caper, however, depends a lot on your
feelings about South Park’s sense of
humour. Who wants to place bets it gets
banned in Australia outright this time? n
you can’t accuse Undead labs of not
listening to its players – like an
unstoppable zombie horde, fans of the
original game have endlessly clamoured
for co-operative multiplayer to be added
to the series, and that’s exactly what the
Seattle-based studio is bringing to the
table. Up to four players can team up to
tackle the zombie apocalypse together, in
what was once set to become an MMO,
before a sensible rethink.
The focus is set firmly on communities:
there’s not a singular player hero, instead
you have access to a network of people,
each with different skills, abilities and
backstories. So lone-wolfing is out and
camaraderie is the name of the game. If
you want to stay alive, that is… n
AUGUST 2016
59
IndieMaster
The Best Of The Indie Scene!
One of the visual inspirations comes from a group
called eBoy which does city illustrations that
Strych describes as “Where’s Wally? but cool”.
Who is...
Format PC Developer Smac Games ETA Spring 2017 Web http://bit.ly/gmtokyo42
#1 Tokyo 42
the land of the rising gun
Tokyo 42 is the very first title from
Smac Games, which is made up of
just two men in North London –
Maciek Strych handles graphics,
while Sean Wright does the coding.
Publishing for the game is being
taken on by fellow indie devs Mode 7,
the guys behind Frozen Synapse.
S
ometimes games
look so irresistible
you don’t just want
to play them, you
want to live inside
them. Simply push
through the TV and clamber in like a
reverse of that scene from The Ring.
tokyo 42 is one of those games. Frankly
too gorgeous for words, this ultra-stylish
isometric assassination-fest is set in a
futuristic tokyo where you have to
carefully find and end your target
without dying yourself in the process.
For co-creator Maciek strych, this
wasn’t just about imagining a sci-fi world
– a key touchpoint was Japan as it is right
now. “Most importantly in terms of
influence is tokyo itself. We’ve visited a
few times and there’s something magic in
the way the city works,” strych says. “It’s
massive and mega busy, but there are
tiny bars down quiet little alleys that sit a
maximum of three people. On a hyper
clean residential street you’ll have an Edo
period house next to a red brutalist boxy
thing. It’s a city of contrast and that spirit
is something that we hope to reflect,
albeit in isometric and simplistic form.”
Gun slay
When it comes to the gameplay, the
original syndicate and gta are two of the
biggest inspirations, with their top down
The action takes place across the rooftops of the towering city, so high up you seem
to be above the clouds. Er, unless that’s smog.
62
august 2016
perspectives on fully explorable worlds.
“Watching and interacting with crowds
from above is a fantasy that these games
did amazingly well,” explains strych. “On
a superficial level, syndicate Wars had a
similar engine to gta 1 and 2 – 3D
buildings and sprites for people. What
we’ve done is gone full 3D. this has
allowed us to liberate the camera
somewhat but more importantly unlock
player movement and combat. Now you
can engage in combat from varying
heights and angles, something that
technically wasn’t possible back then.”
But it’s not just all about looks. this
world is yours to explore as you hunt
down your target. You’ve got the option
to sneak or go in all guns blazing, but
whatever you do, beware of your
enemy’s reaction – responsive aI is one of
the team’s major goals.
“What’s interesting here is that these
days there are heightened expectations
“we’ve visited tokyo a few times
and there’s something magic in
the way the city works”
The 60
Second
Pitch
Improving on its old school influences, Tokyo 42 takes full advantage of the verticality of its environments, allowing you to attack
enemies from above and below. It’s not a fixed view, either – you can swing the camera around as needed.
The team loves the combat of games such as Worms, so they’ve included plenty of
physics-based weapons. Bounce grenades off walls into your foes!
many options in as a two man dev team
around aI, you can’t just have goons
allows. so there are many paths around
running at you shooting in varying
the environment, different aI routines
numbers and power levels,” strych says.
which respond to your approach and
“so our aI now uses cover and dodges
many tools which you can buy to give
grenades, and actively seeks you out
yourself the upper hand. One of the
when they’ve lost sight of you. stealth
things we like about the game is the
does come into play though, and we’ve
unpredictability that all these
taken elements from Hitman, Monaco,
overlapping
and Metal gear to
systems bring. the
craft a sort of ‘mini
game walks this
stealth’. so you can
line between you
change clothing to
using the tools you
access certain areas.
buy in a smart way
When you can’t do
Strych admits the visuals of
and a bullet hell
this, you can creep
Tokyo 42 are influenced by
shooter, so
around dodging
beautiful mobile game
whatever your
cones of vision.”
Monument Valley – check it
approach you get
Vigilance is key at
out for yourself here:
rewarded.”
all times. Enemies
http://bit.ly/gmmonumentv
then there’s the
can pretend to be
small matter of
civilians to hunt you
tactical cats that
down and use every
you can use in the added competitive
single one of your own tools against you.
mode when you want to kill your friends.
Luckily then you’ve got a dangerous
“the multiplayer has this cool rhythm
amount of choice when it comes to ways
where it cycles between tense crowd
to finish a level. “We’re not being too
stealth into all out combat and back into
precious about how missions play out, so
stealth. You start as just another civilian
if you find a way to exploit the weapons
and you can walk around and think
or environment, then all the better,”
about stuff and do civilian things. Your
enthuses strych. “We’re trying to put as
Try this!
enemies will be doing the same thing and
you’ll be looking for each other,” strych
says. “We have some cool tools for the
stealth phase. For instance, if your
opponent(s) is camping too hard in the
crowd, you can deploy trackacat™ which
will sniff them out. there’s nothing more
terrifying than trundling around
pretending to be a civ and looking down
to see a cat at your feet and knowing that
someone could strike at any second.”
Feline murderous
so, beautiful environments, gta, stealth,
and cats? Can this get any better? Well,
best to layer on a perfect synth
soundtrack just to be sure. “We’re super
fortunate to be working with Vincent
Espi, a multi-instrumentalist genius from
Cape town,” explains strych. “the
general brief was to make a
contemporary, high energy sound which
uses elements of traditional Japanese
instrumentation but fuses it with
unexpected sonic elements. In this future
tokyo cultures have been forced
together, so the social space is all over
the place and as such the sound would
convey that kind of cultural blending.”
Music to our ears. n
Walking the rooftops
with Maciek Strych
Tokyo 42 is
what happens
when Where’s
Wally? meets a sniper rifle.
It’s an open-world action
game set in a future Tokyo
where corporate and gang
warfare are the order of
the day. This is an isometric
cyberpunk game in the
style of Syndicate, by way
of GTA 1. So instead of
rainy, dark streets, it’s
mega colourful and full of
detail. What makes it
unique is that, with a
spinning camera and
physics-based gameplay,
we’ve taken a classic genre
and gone vertical, giving
the player total freedom of
movement and combat. Do
you sneak past your
enemies, hiding in the
crowd? Do you jump off a
flying car and find that
perfect sniper perch? Or do
you dodge through the
bullet storm? We wanted to
get away from the dark noir
of the cyberpunk genre.
We’ve gone to the flip side,
ultra colourful and high
energy. Games like
Monument Valley and
Syndicate have been key
influences. It has singleand multiplayer and will
involve cats. It’s being
made by two brothers in
north London, published by
Mode 7 and will
release early 2017.
indieMaster
Small…
But
#2 Serial Cleaner Perfectly
Formed
The Best Of The Indie Scene!
Format PC Developer iFun4all ETA September Web http://bit.ly/gmserialcleaner
You’re in serious soapy bubble
L
et’s face it. When we play
games like Hotline Miami,
we make a terrible mess. All
those bodies, all that
viscera, all that gore. We
leave it all behind like litter
louts. This unique indie, set in the 1970s, is all
about the poor guy who comes in to clear up
the crime scene afterwards, a shady dude with
flares and a great moustache who’s burdened
with the job of getting rid of the bodies,
mopping up the blood, and, most importantly,
hiding the murder weapon. Sounds like good,
clean fun, right?
the crime scenes will vary but your mission is
always the same: make them spotless and don’t
get caught by police or keen-eyed passers by.
“We’re trying to vary the situations as much as
possible. You’ll be cleaning up remote places
like forest shacks or lakeside picnic spots, but
sometimes you’ll end up in a downtown
restaurant, or a boxing club,” enthuses writer
and designer Krzysztof Zięba. “the number of
guards to avoid will increase or decrease,
depending on the crime scene, and a different
selection and paths of enemies will challenge
the player in unique ways each time.”
Cillit bang bang
But hold on, hiding the evidence of a murder is
incredibly difficult, isn’t it? (Er, we’ve heard.) Will
we need to sit down for a week with a notebook
and the complete CsI box set to get to grips
with the sneaky techniques involved? “that
won’t be necessary!” assures Zięba. “Our game
is set in the 1970s, when forensics and crime
scene investigation was not as advanced as
today. With no DNA profiling to speak of, and a
limited way of tracking things like fingerprints,
your job is relatively straightforward – clean the
the best indie point-and-click
adventures on mobile
#1
The team was attracted by the ’70s for the pop
culture trends such as Saturday Night Fever, and,
well, its famous serial killers.
blood, dispose of bodies, grab evidence from
the scene so it doesn’t end up in police hands,
and get out without being noticed.”
Weirdly, however, you’ll actually have to
account for the real life time of day, as that can
affect the in-game action – though the devs are
currently tight-lipped as to how.
Despite its grimy subject matter, serial
Cleaner has a dark sense of humour at work.
Makes sense – we reckon you probably need a
little levity to the atmosphere when you’re
literally mopping up pools of blood. “We
recognize that, however tongue-in-cheek our
initial idea for the game is, we’re still dealing with
‘heavy’ topics like murder and violence,” says
Zięba. “Our goal is to lighten the mood a little
with fun, dynamic animations, and a healthy
dose of humour in the way guards react to your
presence in the scene. We’re aiming at an
atmosphere a bit akin to movies like Fargo or
Pulp Fiction – where even extreme violence is
more absurd than it is disturbing.” We’ve got to
admit to being concerned, though, with how
that approach will gel with the team’s promise
of levels that ‘take inspiration from actual 1970s
murder scenes’ – we can’t believe we’re saying
this about a game where you clean up corpses,
but we hope they keep it tasteful. n
August 2016
A dark, surreal adventure that
sees five talking animals
holidaying at a creepy hotel.
Your job? Prepare a dinner for
each guest. Oh, and make sure
they don’t survive eating it. This
one’s… difficult to explain, but
trust us – its suspenseful
atmosphere and clever puzzles
are well worth checking out.
#2
MaCHinariuM
#3
Broken Sword:
tHe direCtor’S Cut
Even five years after release, this
is still one of the best
point-and-click adventures
around. Mind-tearingly tricksy
at times, it’s not for those who
want an easy experience, but
worth the glory for those willing
to test their brainpower. And its
hand-painted visuals are easy
on the eyes, too.
A benchmark for the genre, this
murder mystery still stands up
as a masterpiece. Brilliant
dialogue, great story, and
perfectly-designed puzzles
make Nico and George’s journey
a rollicking romp. And thanks to
the UI improvements on mobile,
it’s more playable than ever.
#4
tHe Silent age
#5
geMini rue
Zięba spent a long time researching the
period to get just the right aesthetic: “We’ve
discovered a lot of very cool music!”
64
ruSty lake Hotel
Humble janitor Joe is given a
time travel device, and must
warp between his home time in
1972 and the future of 2012 in
order to try and prevent an
apocalyptic disaster. No biggie,
then. Curious? Try it out for
yourself by downloading the
first episode of the story
completely free.
This one man game doesn’t just
have a brilliant sci-fi story, but
somehow adds in explosive
action sequences. Granted,
these aren’t particularly easy to
control, but there’s enough
gritty appeal amidst the old
school pixel-style neo noir world
and great soundtrack to make
this an essential download. n
w
Format PC Developer Weappy ETA Summer Web http://bit.ly/gmthisispolice
#3 tHiS iS
tHe PoliCe
Definitely not a fair cop
I
f you like your
morals like your
EL James book
titles, then we
might just have
the game for you.
This strategy simulation puts you
into the well worn (gum)shoes of a
police chief who needs to make
$500,000 before he retires. How
you get it is up to you but… well, let’s
just say a car boot sale won’t cut it.
“I don’t think the game offers ‘right’
choices. there’s not really even a
‘more correct’ and ‘less correct’
option, because at bottom Jack
Boyd’s predicament has no solution,”
explains game director Ilya Yaovich.
“I think people will get that sense
from playing just half an hour – that
the main character is doomed. In the
early stages of development, we
thought about including some
‘relatively good’ options, but the
more we studied the story, the
clearer it became that this just wasn’t
possible. A ‘good guy ending’ would
feel like an unconvincing lie.”
Crime pays
Boyd is played by none other than
Duke Nukem actor Jon st John so
expect some serious growling as you
manage your team of corrupt cops
through robberies, fights, and mafia
bribe attempts. there’s a stack of
different ways to play as you balance
investigations and talks with the city,
but the narrative has always been
key. “It all started with the story, and
that was always the main focus. Jack
Boyd manages the police
department and is trying to earn
some money on the side,” says
Yaovich. “so we needed some
management-oriented game
mechanics. He’s trying to make his
way in a very corrupt world, making
new friends and facing difficult
choices. so we drew a bit from
interactive novels.” Between the crisp
art style and the unique premise, it
would be a crime to miss this one. n
The minimalist art style was influenced by the traditions of German
Expressionism, with plenty of silhouettes and clean lines.
Format PS4, PS Vita, PC Dev Touchfight Games ETA August Web http://bit.ly/gmnuclear
#4 nuClear golf
Watch out for radioactivi-tee
W
hat better way to
pass the time after
the nuclear
apocalypse than
with a trip to the
local nuke-ravaged
country club? With 100 Foot Robot
Golf also inbound, 2016 is clearly the
year that games developers put the
‘win’ back into swing, and this 2D
retro-styled side-scroller looks like it
might just be crazy enough to work.
Nuclear golf is a race against time. Well,
more accurately, a race against the
radiation gauge in the corner of the
screen that’s counting down the
seconds before you turn into a pile of
radioactive goo. All you have to do is
get the ball in the hole, but of course
that’s rather easier said than done. Even
in the levels without enormous,
mutated bosses to deal with, there are
pitfalls and even spinning blades to
stop your ball in its tracks.
Caddy issues
thankfully there are plenty of explosive
ways to deal with environments as you
level up your balls (oh, shh) with unique
abilities. While boost will add some
extra momentum to proceedings,
other upgrades can give your little orbs
the power of controlled flight, or the
ability to melt through terrain. And
you’ll need all the advantages you can
get your golf gloves on here. When it
comes to difficulty, lead dev Nathan
Meunier says it won’t hold your hand.
Instead “it gnaws your arm off and
punts you into a boiling vat of brutal
nuke stew”. Yum. n
“there are plenty of explosive
ways to deal with environments
as you level up your balls”
Yep, this officially looks eighteen times more fun than that time we watched our
crazy golf ball roll off the seafront.
August 2016
65
Reviews
70 TMNT: Mutants In Manhattan
Is this licensed
brawler another
smash hit from
Platinum, or has it
been cowa-bungled?
The Final Verdict!
How wE sCoRE
0-39 Awful Avoid it as you would a bullet with your name on.
40-59 Poor Major issues here that won’t be solved with a hug.
60-69 Decent A mixed bag filled with sweets and sharp stones.
70 -79 Good Some flaws, but still a very enjoyable experience.
80-89 Excellent Buy it, love it, thank us when you’re done.
90-100 Outstanding A rare and essential piece of brilliance.
The small print: We rate games in comparison to
what else is available on the same system in the
same genre at the time of release. so this year’s
FIFA might score less than a FIFA from three years
ago, but still be a better game. Because time, and
our expectations, move on. Hey, you’re smart, you
get it…
Not awarded
based simply
on score, but
rather given to
games that possess a
special blend of qualities.
For instant classics that
you won’t regret owning.
Format PS4, XO, PC (reviewed) Publisher EA
Developer EA DICE ETA Out now Players 1
MIRRoR’s
EdgE
CaTalysT
A pale reflection of its former self
the biggest change is in its structure. No
longer are you confined to levels, the
stylishly austere open world now
spreading itself across high-rise
restaurants, luxury office space,
shopping districts on stilts, and strangely
spotless building sites. the shift to a
sandbox certainly keeps with Faith’s
character, a rebel unrestrained by both
overzealous laws and loading screens,
and as you navigate glass running
errands for allies, clashing with armoured
corporate muscle, and competing in time
trials on your down time, you’re better
attuned with this world than the previous
one. Whether visiting a safe house and
changing songs on the jukebox, or
passing a Runner lazily practicing flips in
the corner or people-watching
upper-class patrons sipping champagne
in a sky bar blissfully unaware of your
her seemingly idyllic home, the City Of Glass. As bigwig
CEOs erode civilian freedoms, you pull off heists, tamper
with servers, batter security forces, and deliver stolen data
like an anarchic Deliveroo driver. Catalyst is the origin story
to 2008’s parkour action game Mirror’s Edge, taking that
unique sci-fi courier concept and, well, running with it.
presence, you’re here through both lulls
and lockdowns, and Catalyst is more
immersive for it.
Glass blower
A suitable parkour playground
glass is not, however. this
sprawl is comprised of
distinct paths, and the
penalty for straying
too far is falling
headfirst into traffic.
What should be an
exhilarating and
freeing experience
actually requires lots of
inching up to ledges and
slowly peeking over to check there’s
footing below. Once you do learn the
various routes you grow in confidence,
but then there’s a new problem: treading
“The meresT Toe poke sends foes
Toppling Through barriers like
dramaTic saloon cowboys”
66
August 2016
the same ones repeatedly. there’s no
sense of venturing off the beaten track or
taking risky shortcuts, which really
should be the whole point of parkour.
Instead you end up going precisely
where the devs want you to go.
At that point, what’s the
benefit of an open world?
If the original was a
multiple choice test
with three set answers,
this has 300 equally
rigid ones, and the
question is paralysing
enough to make you
want to hail a cab.
It’s a shame, too, that the
parkour hasn’t developed to meet this
bold new location. You’re still
spring-boarding off electrical boxes,
climbing pipes, sliding down ramps, and
wall-running, with only a few extra moves
sprinkled about (swing around corners,
use grappling hooks at set points).
Rolling to cushion a fall takes slightly too
long to recover from, regaining your
footing after ambling up a ledge a
smidgen too slow. the game may tell you
What will the gamesMaster team do if they hear another ‘gotta have Faith’ pun? Jump off the nearest building.
M
ost people released after a year in prison
would probably visit a park and eat a
burger or something. Juvenile delinquent
Faith Connors immediately heads for the
nearest rooftop to commit athletic
subterfuge against the shady corps ruling
73 Mighty No 9
77 sherlock Holmes: The devil’s daughter
the creator of Mega
Man unleashes his
latest crack at
robot-based
platforming action.
We set out to solve the
fiendish case of
whether or not this
new sherlock Holmes
game is any good.
81 The witcher 3: Blood and wine
Raise a glass for the
world’s hardestworking monster
hunter as he takes on
one last job.
August 2016
67
Review
The world may be a corrupt,
corporate-run, authoritarian dystopia,
but dammit it’s clean.
The Final Verdict!
you’ve reached peak speed with a full
momentum meter and oversaturated
visuals, and there’s now a welcome
starting dash to get you going, but the
sense of fluidity is never quite there.
Optional route-finding tool, Runner
Vision, at least evolves to help navigation.
turning it to ‘full’ conjures a holographic
guide showcasing the fastest path, and
on ‘classic’ it subtly paints items along the
recommended route red, but both are
inconsistent, stalling frequently and
forcing you to search around for the trail.
the bigger issue is that the world has
been built to rely on it. It’s intrusive when
it works, Faith reduced to playing simon
says, and it leaves you blind when it
doesn’t. the best moments are when
specific story beats take it briefly offline.
For example, in one mission for
ruthless business magnate Dogen where
Faith must untether a skyscraper’s
massive counter weight and send the
building toppling, Runner Vision switches
off, letting you familiarise yourself with
your surroundings. Excellent level design,
rather than a big red ‘follow me or you’ll
die’ sign, is your guide. We know to scale
propped-up wheelchair ramps, slide
underneath drywall along black scuff
marks, use yellow-painted sandbags as
springboards, and head towards brightly
lit corners of the building site like moths
to a flame. Interiors are DICE’s speciality
– it’s the exterior that’s the issue.
Run along
An early highlight involves infiltrating the
Elysium corporation’s facility and hacking
a terminal to steal data on an enzyme,
manoeuvring across abstract art
installations and glass catwalks as night
workers roam below you, before all hell
breaks loose and you’re left fleeing for
your life as troops blast out windows.
tight stages focus the action, offering
creative freedom down linear channels.
Plus being a sci-fi cat burglar is cool.
“runner vision is inconsisTenT,
sTalling frequenTly and forcing
you To search for The Trail”
68
August 2016
Less cool is being a sci-fi punching
bag. A focus shield meter fills whenever
you move, and this automatically deflects
bullets as a clumsy way to incentivise
motion. the idea is you ‘transfer’
momentum into powerful attacks, and
transitioning from, say, a wall-run into a
flying smack is extra potent. the thing is,
real fights just don’t go down that way.
Imagine what would happen with the
uFC’s Conor Mcgregor. “uh, Conor. Why
are you running around the ring like
that?” “Oh, this? I’m just building up my
momentum.” Clashes boil down to
charging full speed at someone, kicking
them, then jogging in a wide circle back
to them and kicking again until they fall
down. No blocking, no countering, and
only a feeble side-step which, as it
happens, totally throws off even the most
skilled combatants.
Holding left or right on the stick while
striking can send foes over railings and
into each other for a damage boost,
which leads to the most hilarious
physics-based slapstick since Mount Your
Friends. the merest toe poke gives
security forces the signal to take several
steps backwards and topple through
barriers like dramatic cowboys on the top
floors of saloons. Queues of combatants
sElf-REflECTIoN
Making your mark
S
tyle is everything in Glass, the
fashion police so well-funded
you’d probably get an
on-the-spot fine for wearing
anything that’s not shiny and/or
asymmetrical. Finding gear means
Faith can unlock new shapes for her
emblems and digitally tag the
environment by hacking billboards
and monitors, digital graffiti that
remains nose-rubbingly visible in
friends’ games until they hack over
it. Annoyingly, creating emblems
requires downloading an app and
linking accounts. Runner Vision
customisation doesn’t, but it’s so
minor – a choice between horizontal
lines, vertical lines, or triangles, for
instance – as to be pointless.
MIRRoR’s edGe cataylst
loves…
The colourful, futuristic world is
both lush and lavish.
Heist-based missions in
particular are thrilling.
haTes…
Runner Vision is intrusive, but
the open world necessitates it.
MENTal gyMNasTICs
Climbing Faith’s upgrade trees
You’ll meet plenty of resistance on these rooftops.
Probably better to stay home and play games.
E
verything you do in Catalyst earns points: completing
side missions, hunting audio logs and nerdy monostrap
bags, running through inexplicable orange orbs no one
else mentions for some reason, kicking men in the face,
etc. With these points you can upgrade Faith in three distinct
ways. Let’s start with Movement, a fairly vital category for most
humans. This contains additional manoeuvres like tucking your
legs as you jump over railings, double wall-running, sliding
longer, climbing pipes quicker, and 180 degree turns. You know,
mostly everything you could do in the first game but locked
away for some reason. Second we’ve got Gear, which is slightly
more ambitious with its magrope – a grappling hook that zips
you through skylines and pulls down debris to open new paths
– and disrupt, which fizzles turrets and causes opponents to
hold their heads going “ahh my head”. Lastly there’s Combat,
and aside from a optional extra move wherein you grab
enemies by their arms and yank them around to get a shot at
their backsides, it’s mostly damage boosts and shield increases.
There’s little sense of building your own character since you
earn all the significant upgrades automatically after completing
certain milestone missions (magrope, side-steps, the majority
of freerunning techniques), so all that’s left is an arbitrary choice
between investing in focus shield, health bar, and attack power.
Catalyst needed more ways for you to navigate the city, not
more ways to endure it.
Total hipster city. We’re pretty sure one of the buildings
over there is wearing a beret.
wait patiently to fight you one-on-one,
stopping and staring blankly for a few
seconds after each move as the gears
turn. they don’t act like people, they act
like they’re each being controlled by a
tiny person in their heads who’s still a
little drunk from the night before.
What’s worse is some fighting sections
are unavoidable, like one in a train station
that results in us running laps round a
large square column and punching
people as they come up the stairs.
Another centred on a helicopter pad
features men with guns pinning us down.
Do you want us to run around or don’t
you, DICE? At least in the first game we
could pick up firearms to defend
ourselves, however bad they felt to fire.
Here they’re ‘biometrically linked’ to their
owners, limiting your move pool.
scraps only work when you’re fleeing
them. Pressing X/square gives enemies a
nudge so you can sensibly continue
evacuating, and this comes into play
during security Hub sequences. steal the
chip from the mainframe and you’ll
trigger the alarm, sending a wave of men
and drones to you, and you shake them
by escaping the blue radius on the map
representing their vision, a bit like losing
your wanted level in gtA. As the techno
music picks up and pulses with each
pump of your legs, whizzing bullets and
panicked breathing raising the tempo,
there’s a distinct rush that gets at the
game’s heart. You are, after all, a Runner,
not a Beat up ten Armed Men With Your
Bare Hands-er, and combat was always
meant to function on the move, threaded
into open environments as an escape aid.
Parkour blimey
Plentiful optional activities admirably
attempt to wring all potential out of a
protagonist whose main attribute is
running fast. Dashes are your bread and
butter, all about reaching a destination in
the allotted time. Diversion is more
confrontational, involving fighting forces
en route to a destination, sprint-kicking
them as you go. And the verticallyinclined Billboard Hack sees you climbing
high, tampering with giant monitors to
stop propaganda broadcasts. Entirely
parkour-based missions do get old after a
while, and you have to suspend disbelief
of some of the more ridiculous parts.
Delivery missions, for example, see you
drop off parcels to people, and if you’re
late by even a second, the recipient will
turn you away. Like, dude, I’ve got your
medicine right here.
that’s more than enough running for
one game, but light multiplayer elements
offer a social twist. Anytime, anywhere,
you can press the D-pad to lay a
checkpoint and create time trials, sharing
them either with friends or the entire
community, who can compete against
your recorded run for leaderboard
bragging rights. the environment lends
itself to being carved into smaller chunks
and learned repeatedly like a skater
mastering a gap, and the integration is
seamless. We practice a course someone
made on the side of the downtown
transit hub for 20 minutes as their
hologram keeps us company. But it’s not
quite enough, fated to remain a
tantalising glimpse of what might have
been if the parkour was more evolved
and the multiplayer more fully featured.
the open world is Catalyst’s root
problem, though, failing to provide the
tight setting its limited parkour sorely
needed and dedicating more space to
woeful combat. When all the best
moments happen within scripted
missions and interiors – several
memorable sequences remind you why
many so revere the original – you have to
question the overall direction of this
visually spectacular misstep. n
Combat is even more hilariously
dire than in the first.
better than…
Remember Me
The third-person platforming lacked
danger. Faith’s first-person adventure
better translates freerunning’s buzz –
at any point you might fall into traffic.
worse than…
Mirror’s Edge
The original looked better for cleaner
visuals, played better for relative
linearity, and fought better for flawed
– but not broken – fighting systems.
2nd opinion
”What Mirror’s Edge
Catalyst does, it does well,
but it just doesn’t change
much after the first few
hours. The whole game is
the exact same pace of running from
start to finish, and as good as it is, it
wears thin fast.”
Leon Hurley, Executive News Editor,
GamesRadar+
JudgemenT
%
68
A grander production,
but the gorgeous
open world does
Catalyst’s freerunning
no favours.
Ben Griffin
August 2016
69
review
Each level ends with action snapshots like
this. It’s great when it works, but they’re less
impressive when you’re unconscious.
The Final Verdict!
Format PS4, XO, PC (reviewed) Publisher Activision Developer Platinum Games ETA Out now Players 1-4
teenage Mutant ninja turtleS:
MutantS in Manhattan
Lacks the focus of Leo and the technical finesse of Donnie
M
uch like agreeing
with Jeremy
Clarkson or
collecting human
hands, liking this
dodgy co-op
brawler is a thing few decent people
are likely to admit. It’s destined to
become one of gaming’s guilty
pleasures: a title reviewers whisper
about in the hushed safety of gloomy
pubs, admitting they skipped
Uncharted 4 in favour of some
broken-but-ebullient action.
this might be because it channels the
fondly-remembered turtles arcade game
from forever ago. Like the ancient
side-scroller, Mutants In Manhattan is a
direct, breathless scrapper that lacks
finesse. It’s full of things people who
played the arcade game will recognise
and enjoy – a swinging pole attack here,
the pleasing metallic clank of smashing a
Mouser robot there – but most of the
game is coldly disappointing, like the
repressed memory of your childhood
fandom being rubbish. Despite that, it’s
hard not to enjoy some of it.
It’s a Platinum game, so combat feels
great when you’re in control. It’s the
standard mix of light and heavy attacks,
with a crisp system of counters and
ripostes. the problem is that too often it’s
a fussy mess. You know exactly what you
have to do, but the game obscures it by
always being too busy and too fast. this
becomes most apparent when you use
the special attack turtle time, which
slows stuff down and shows you what’s
actually happening. For a brief moment,
you can see how the game could have
“you know what you have to do,
but the game obscures it by
being too busy and too fast”
70
August 2016
worked. there’s a solid, reactive brawler
here, but it’s hidden by a relentless pace
that makes it less enjoyable. Your turtle is
on-screen, doing all this amazing stuff,
but it’s often difficult to feel any sense of
agency or investment.
Sai no more
As well as the standard fighting moves,
there are a ton of unlockable ninjutsu
skills. Each turtle can be equipped with
four of these timed specials, but many
you’ll neither unlock nor use in a single
playthrough. It’s a shame, because when
they’re used smartly they’re one of the
more successful elements of the game.
Combining them is great fun. the wild
rush to switch turtles mid-fight and use
complimentary powers is exhilarating,
and the wait for the cooldown timer to
run down makes for tense battles. Like
everything in Mutants In Manhattan,
these are even better with a fellow
human, but you will need to be on mic
with each other to make it work – fighting
is too frantic to rely on the limited
in-game communication. shouting
instructions down a headset is a
Shell iS other
people
How multiplayer works in
Mutants In Manhattan
M
utants in Manhattan can be
a struggle playing solo, but
it’s more far more fun with
other people. To this end, you’re
given a selection of simple tools for
communicating with other players.
These include basic commands and
directions, such as asking for
protection while you complete an
objective, but it’s difficult to use
them in the mess of battle. These
commands also work for directing
the AI when playing alone, but sadly
they’re too stupid to make directing
them much use. Oh, and there’s a
dance command too, of course.
TMNT: MuTaNTS IN MaNhaTTaN
loves…
The Turtles are characterful and
boast solid voice acting.
Frantic boss battles show off the
combat system at its best.
hates…
Simply getting around its open
areas is a grind.
Shiny Scrappy people
If you were going to pick the best turtle, why would it be Raphael? Because he is the strongest and the coolest, and can even make cutlery dangerous.
Krang’s robot always forgets leg day at the gym, but
he’s clearly great at forearm exercises.
A brief history of Platinum games, the team
behind Mutants In Manhattan
better than…
P
latinum was born from the ashes of Clover Studio,
responsible for last-gen classics such as Viewtiful Joe,
Okami, and God Hand. Clover was closed by Capcom in
2006 – boo! – but it wasn’t all bad news. Legendary
developers Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba, and Hideki Kamiya
created Platinum Games in response, with many of Clover’s key
members moving across. The studio agreed a four-game deal
with Sega, developing Bayonetta, Infinite Space, Mad World, and
Vanquish, the latter being the last game Shinji Mikami worked
on before leaving to start his own studio, Tango Gameworks.
Atsushi Inaba’s Anarchy Reigns was released in 2012, followed
by Konami spin-off Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – a
ridiculously named melon slicer starring Hideo Kojima’s least
favourite son, Raiden. Two Wii U exclusives followed: superhero
game The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2. After that came
Platinum Games’ first notable misstep: wretched tie-in game
Legend Of Korra, which disappointed despite some moments of
competence. Improvement followed with Transformers:
Devastation, the influence of which you can clearly see in later
levels of Mutants In Manhattan. Next came two more Wii U
exclusives – Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard – and action
roleplaying game Nier: Automata comes to PS4 later this year.
Xbox fans can also look forward to Hideki Kamiya’s exclusive
Scalebound in 2017. We dare you to ask him about it on Twitter…
Some of the levels have you rolling objects to specific
goals, which is precisely as annoying as it sounds.
reminder of how much better this would
have been with local co-op.
this is one of many aspects improved
by playing with friends. As you’d expect
from a turtles game, it’s a celebration of
teamwork, and the revival system is a
useful example. Once a turtle is knocked
out, there’s a short period of time when
they can be revived. Leave it too long,
and they’ll be dragged back to the sewers
where they have to stuff their faces with
pizza before returning to the fight, with
the battle continuing so long as some
turtles are still alive. It helps to add a
sense of peril and longevity to each fight,
but it can get ridiculous. We often found
ourselves sprinting in circles against
tougher bosses, desperately avoiding
attacks while we waited for our
pizza-gorged buddies to respawn.
Despite this, it feels like a fairer, modern
update of the shell-shocks from the
coin-hungry arcade machine.
this sense of danger sets the boss
fights apart as the best bit of Mutants In
Manhattan. they showcase how good
the fighting can be when it’s focused,
because they’re one of the few
opportunities to face an enemy without
constantly being blindsided by
freshly-spawned baddies. Even then,
Fights often lack the finesse to
be remotely satisfying.
they’re most enjoyable when they’re
grounded. Bosses such as Rocksteady
and slash stand out as tight, testing
examples of how good the game could
have been on a smaller scale, but the
flighty ones such as Wingnut are just
frustrating – it never feels like you have
the right tools to take him on.
Reptile cutter
Many of the problems originate from the
decision to make this a drop in, drop out
co-op game, with levels centred around a
single boss. Once you’ve done the intro,
levels can be done in any order. Other,
secret bosses appear in earlier levels,
which means that defeated enemies
always run away after a fight, so there’s
little sense of peril or progress. You’re
encouraged to repeat levels and grind
out a higher score, but only serious
Platinum fans will want to. the game
hangs frustratingly in the balance – it
works best when other players give you
space to focus, but at the same time it’s
gruelling as a single-player experience.
Many of the stages just aren’t fun
enough to play twice. In the tight,
directed sewer levels, it’s a surprisingly
sharp experience – energetic sections of
fighting, followed by quiet exploration,
and time to think, plan and prepare. the
problem comes when it tries to be an
open-world game. Mutants In Manhattan
is the anti-Batman – it simply can’t handle
verticality. Whenever you’re given
free-reign to go wherever you want, it
becomes a sad mess, and that’s perhaps
why the best level is one that’s primarily
just a straight line of repeated boss fights.
some stages feel reused, too, which is
especially shoddy in such a short game.
Character models look great, and the
turtles feel expressive and full of life.
they’re also only slightly annoying,
which is quite the compliment for
teenage skater-dude reptiles that were
only ever almost-cool 20 years ago. the
story’s near non-existent, but voice work
from Nolan North as literally everyone,
and Ashly Burch as April is great. In fact,
this might be one of the nicest
representations of April in any medium.
It’s a shame they both have so little to do.
Like everything else in Mutants In
Manhattan it’s frustrating because it just
falls short in all the ways that matter. A bit
more polish and this could have been the
most revered tMNt game since the
arcade original. Instead, we get another
forgettable spin-off that most of us will be
ashamed to enjoy. n
Legend Of Korra
This TV show spin-off features
everything that’s bad about Mutants In
Manhattan. It’s drab, empty and a
complete waste.
worse than…
TMNT arcade
Go back to it now and you’ll realise it
wasn’t a great game, but it captured
the spirit and style of the source
material in a far stronger way.
i
need to know
The art style is
inspired by Mateus
Santolouco, the
incredible talent
behind the recent
IDW comics run. You
see the influence too
of the surprisingly
solid Nickelodeon
cartoon.
Judgement
%
58
A scrappy, unfulfilling
brawler that’s
nevertheless quite
difficult to dislike
despite itself.
Matt Elliott
August 2016
71
Review
loves…
The Final Verdict!
Incredible animations fill the
game with life and character.
Kirby’s mech is amazing fun
(and should be repeated).
hates…
Repetitive boss battles feel too
much like filler.
You can tap
your amiibo to
give Kirby abilities,
but they’re not unique
to the characters –
they’re just a best
match with what
already exists.
There are some
enemies that are so
adorable, you feel like
you’ve just killed a
puppy. It doesn’t help
that Kirby’s new
attacks are brutal.
It’s quite easy to complete the
levels – too easy for our taste.
Better than…
Kirby And The Rainbow
Curse
Planet Robobot is more interesting
and less frustrating than the last Kirby,
despite its less adventurous twist.
Worse than…
Format 3DS Publisher Nintendo Developer HAL Laboratory ETA Out now Players 1-4
KiRby: Planet
Robobot
Domo arigato, Mr Roboboto
Wait, is this game about wiping out the entire robot species? they probably had it coming.
I
f Xbox and
PlayStation are the
cool kids of the
console era, then
Nintendo is the
older sibling who
set expectations sky-high by getting
straight As at school. In gaming terms,
that means Ninty’s cranked out hit
after hit, with even its silliest titles
containing worlds of wonder, attention
to detail, and the vibrancy that the
company has come to be known for.
It’s hard to live up to being perfect.
thankfully, Kirby: Planet Robobot is yet
another good mark on the report card. It
might be a bit of a rehash of triple
Deluxe, the last Kirby 3Ds game, but HaL
Laboratory has worked hard to earn that
Nintendo seal of Quality nonetheless.
In Planet Robobot, a malicious robot
army invades Kirby’s home, and an
unnervingly North Korean-style
leadership threatens their peaceful way
of life. Luckily for our chubby cerise
chum, the invading force consists mostly
of adorable obese blobs, most of which
are small enough to fit into Kirby’s
ravenous mouth-hole.
the most praise-worthy part of Planet
Robobot is the animation. there’s so
much charm in the way Kirby swings a
sword, throws leaves around like nature’s
shurikens, and bounces and flaps his way
across levels. there are three new copy
abilities: EsP, a telekinetic power; Doctor,
which chucks pills and creates explosive
science; and Poison, which… does what
you’d expect. there’s also a new addition
to the game: the mech suit. this can
absorb the same abilities as Kirby, but
rather than getting a snazzy hat or a cool
weapon, the mech suit’s entire
appearance changes to suit the power.
Kirb appeal
Each mech suit upgrade has its own
moves and animations – the fire mech
has flamethrowers for arms; the musical
mech bellows rock notes; the stone mech
throws weighty punches. It’s a joy to
switch and swap abilities just to see the
different forms, and though it can feel
“it quite simply Wants you to
get from a to B, and have a good
time While doing it”
72
august 2016
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
overpowered, it’s hard to knock it when
you’re punching a bear into oblivion.
the level and set design shine as
much as in any Nintendo game: musical
note fences, blenders the size of
skyscrapers, enemies weaving in and out
of the foreground. It’s all very silly, but
made us smile more often than not.
the usual Kirby setbacks apply as
always: it’s far too easy to flap your way
out of a battle or spam attacks to take out
a mini-boss in seconds, and several of
those beefy foes keep popping up again
and again, which might be interesting if
they were anything more than regular
minions with slightly more health.
However, the larger boss battles and
the levels as a whole are incredibly fun, if
simple – Kirby can transform into a car, a
plane, or a screwdriver, turning cogs here
and there to swing the level around and
create new platforms. You won’t need to
engage the deeper parts of your brain
too often, but who cares: Planet Robobot
quite simply wants you to get from a to
B, and have a good time while doing it.
Kirby has always been about the pure joy
of platforming stripped bare and made
as fun and simple as possible, and Planet
Robobot does not disappoint on that
front. Despite touches that make it feel
like a stopgap between triple Deluxe and
the next Kirby game, it’s as much a treat
as any Nintendo release. n
This classic feels truly original, where
Planet Robobot – though charming
and boasting its own high points – is
essentially more of the same.
online
Miiverse integration makes sharing
screenshots, drawings
and tips easy, but the
four-player Team
Kirby Clash, a mini
dungeon-crawler
with a mage,
healer, tank and
rogue, is local
multiplayer only.
Judgement
%
75
Planet Robobot is one
of the better Kirby
games, but it’s just too
similar to triple
Deluxe to stand out.
Kate Gray
MIGHTY NO 9
loves…
The fast-paced platforming has
moments of retro magic.
While the level design is hit and
miss, it can be really interesting.
hates…
It’s too easy to lose lives, and
starting again is frustrating.
The voice acting is grating, and
everyone talks too much.
Better than…
Some of the level design is surprisingly
appealing, but many stages take place
in dull metal warehouses and hallways.
Yogventures
Say what you want about bad
Kickstarted games, but at least Mighty
No 9 came out (eventually) and didn’t
just take everyone’s money.
Worse than…
Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, Wii U, 3DS, PS3, 360, PS Vita, PC Pub Deep Silver Dev Comcept, Inti Creates ETA 24 June Players 1
Mighty No 9
Is Beck named after Beck, the hat-wearing singer-songwriter and self-proclaimed loser? Nope. It’s a play on “beck and call”.
Not quite Mega enough
T
his throwback
platformer is one of
many crowdfunded
game reimaginings,
reboots, and
sequels we’ll be
seeing in the next couple of years,
alongside the likes of Shenmue III,
Psychonauts 2, and Yooka-Laylee.
Suffice to say that if they all turn out
like this disappointing effort, the
spiritual successor to project lead Keiji
Inafune’s Mega Man, we should
probably stop Kickstarting things. It’s
not that it’s a completely terrible game,
it’s just mighty boring, and suffers
from more technical issues than you’d
expect from a game that raised well
over $3 million from its fans.
You play Beck, the titular Mighty No 9,
whose mission involves saving Mighty
Nos 1-8 from their malfunctioning selves.
Each has a theme – ice, fire, lightning,
ranged attacks, sniping – which dictates
the style of the level, and resulting boss
battle against them. Every stage also
boasts an army of minions, ranging from
simple bloodthirsty robots to more
complex mini-bosses with a variety of
attack styles.
the similarities to Mega Man are clear:
Beck has an arm cannon, he can jump
and shoot and slide, and even his design
echoes his spiritual predecessor’s. there
is one main difference, though – he can
dash, a mechanic that forms the
backbone of the game. Once an enemy is
weakened, as shown by them turning a
different colour, Beck can zip through
them, absorbing their ‘Xel’ – an essence
that sometimes gives him extra powers
like health regeneration or fire bullets,
but most of the time seems to just add
points onto your score.
Mighty numb
though you gain new power-ups from
each level’s boss, the Xel buffs aren’t very
interesting – and it’s hard to figure out if
the health regeneration actually works.
that’s not the only bug in the game,
either: the game froze completely on our
first playthrough, only five minutes in,
“fiddly Jump-shooting and
insta-Kill oBstacles lead to
frustration and Boredom”
Mega Man
forcing a complete restart of the console,
and one level had a strange lighting
malfunction that made it nearly
impossible to see where the platforms
and enemies were.
Lives are hard to gain but easy to lose,
and you only have two of them to start
with. given that the jump-shooting is
quite fiddly and several obstacles are
insta-kill, this can quickly lead to
frustration and boredom as you’re forced
to replay a level over and over.
there’s definitely an appeal to the
retro style, though, the game rewarding
quick, snappy platforming and testing
your ability to locate and target
weaknesses with its bosses. But it’s hard
to shake the feeling that this is just a
sub-par Mega Man game, and visually it’s
like something from Rare’s Xbox 360 era
or an early CgI kids’ movie – cartoonish,
but on the edge of being slightly creepy.
It’s a real shame to see a crowdfunded
game turn out to be so uninspired and
glitchy. It feels enough like Inafune’s past
successes that some might be satisfied,
and to its credit it at least isn’t as bad as
the ill-advised trailers made it seem. It
might not appeal to younger players or
anyone who expects fast progression,
lenient checkpoints, and more up-to-date
graphics, but for fans of Mega Man, it
might be just the ticket – even if it can’t
live up to the original classics. n
Maybe it’s our rose-tinted glasses, but
Mighty No 9 doesn’t ever really match
up to its simpler, more appealing
predecessor. Sorry, Inafune.
i
need to KnoW
Keiji Inafune has
said himself that the
game is difficult –
even he can’t play it
well. There’s no easy
mode, but there
are extra minigame
challenges for
people who like
things hard.
Judgement
%
58
Almost succeeds as a
Mega Man tribute, but
it’s let down by its
looks, bugs, and often
dull action.
Kate Gray
August 2016
73
Review
The Final Verdict!
Palicoes are more effective than ever as a
distraction, often aggroing monsters while you’re
glugging a potion or resharpening your blade.
Format 3DS Publisher Capcom Developer Capcom ETA 15 July Players 1-4
MonsteR HunteR GeneRations
Felynes, festivals, and fearsome fights make for a fantastic time
T
his action-RPG is a
celebration, a
gathering to
commemorate the
series’ past and
present with a few
new surprises to boot. It’s a game that
comfortably achieves its aims, even if,
like any festival, some of its many
attractions are more worthwhile than
others. But the sheer volume of stuff
and the friendly, welcoming vibe
should ensure veterans, lapsed
players, and novice hunters alike find
something to enjoy.
Your adventure begins in Bherna Village,
a mountainside hamlet of grey stone and
green grass, but soon you’ll gain access
to three more settlements, all taken from
previous games. Kokoto has plenty of
rustic charm, with its wooden buildings
and thatched roofs, while Pokke’s
snow-covered stalls rest high among the
74
August 2016
world’s icy peaks. then there’s Yukumo,
previously known to Japanese players
from Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, which
lets hunters rest weary legs in its natural
footbath. You can travel by airship
between each setting, tapping
touchscreen icons to move between
them in a matter of seconds.
What this new structure gains in visual
variety, it loses in coherence: it’s a bit
confusing to head down the slopes of
Pokke Village only to find yourself
fighting land sharks in the desert. Most
missions are accessible from any of the
four hubs, though fulfilling specific
requests from villagers earns you points
specific to one place, like themed armour
sets. It’s a nice touch, but by the time you
unlock these you’ll probably already have
stronger gear and better weapons.
Astalos vista, baby
to one of the game’s four
signature monsters. Mizutsune’s
graceful, serpentine movement
makes for a fight that looks as
good as it feels.
Astalos, an
electrically-charged
insectoid wyvern, is
challenging and
distinctive, while glavenus’
sheer visual appeal – it’s like
battling a dinosaur
with a greatsword
for a tail – compensates for a
more straightforward scrap.
gammoth is, well, a giant
mammoth: like its name, it’s not
the most inspiring of
opponents.
they’re not the only
newcomers. Ostensibly a
mid-level monster, but tougher
than several beasts at higher levels, the
owl-like Malfestio is as tricky as its
Japanese name Hororohoruru is to
pronounce. It’s a thrilling, slightly
maddening encounter against an
opponent that’s quick and lively, and
capable of inducing confusion and
sleep. Even the supposed
entry-level cannon-fodder beast
great Maccao is good value, as it
Each village chief, meanwhile, offers a set
of missions that will eventually lead you
monSter hunter generAtionS
backs up and kicks out with sharp claws
to protect itself, occasionally launching
forward with enough speed and force to
bowl you over. Otherwise, you’ll find
yourself facing a kind of greatest hits
package of past beasts, including the
brilliant Nargacuga, one of the game’s
obvious standout battles.
Oddly, the monsters themselves aren’t
actually the star attraction, though.
Recognising that 14 weapon types is
probably plenty (though we’d be sad if
Monster Hunter Frontier g’s tonfa never
made it to the mainline series) Capcom
has chosen not to add more, focusing
instead on four distinct hunting styles.
these are bolstered by a range of
selectable Hunter Arts, special abilities
which can be triggered once you’ve filled
their gauge by landing attacks.
MonsteRs
bRawl
lOves…
Styles and Arts massively
expand your combat options.
What to expect from the
game’s biggest battles
P
art of the fun of Monster
Hunter is figuring out each
creature’s weaknesses, but
sometimes a few hints can
save you hours of getting smashed
into pulp. Here are just a few tips for
some of the game’s nastiest brutes.
Almost all of the new monsters
are great…
hates…
1
Steer clear of Gammoth’s Iceblight
breath, and dodge its stomp attack
when it rears up on its hind legs.
…so it’s a pity they didn’t
introduce more.
The lack of a strong narrative
drive is noticeable.
Better than…
Style counsel
If you’ve played Monster Hunter 4
ultimate, you’ll easily be able to slip into
the guild style, which gives you two Arts
to play around with but otherwise uses
similar controls and move sets. striker
style is simpler and more streamlined,
but gives you an extra Art: while limiting
your approach somewhat, the range of
Arts gives you the opportunity to focus
on tactical special move use.
the other two offer you just a single
Hunter Art, but are much more
interesting to experiment with. Aerial
style is for those who enjoyed the Insect
glaive’s ability to vault onto monsters’
backs or otherwise attack from above. It’s
no surprise to learn that it’s become the
most popular style among Japanese
players. In one battle, we sprinted and
rolled towards a Cephadrome, but
2
Astalos can electrify parts of its
body, indicated by a bright green
glow. Bear in mind that it’s weak to ice.
What’s Malfestio’s favourite branch of mathematics? Owl-gebra
Mizutsune’s bubble attack will make
you fall over, and watch for its fins
turning red – that means its enraged.
Monster Hunter 4
Ultimate
Generations has transformed the way
we hunt – it’s hard to go back to older
Monster Hunter games now…
Worse than…
4
Glavenus uses its tail a lot, so try to
sever it. First break it, then wait for
it to go red before cutting it off.
“yOu’ll find yOurself facing a
greatest hits package Of Beasts
frOm past games”
misjudged the distance. Fortunately, our
Palico assistant stepped in, positioning
itself to boost us into the air as we made
the perfect downward strike to prompt
the mounting minigame. If you’re playing
multiplayer, you can be launched
skyward by another hunter’s weapon,
adding a neat tactical option to online
hunts. this was the style we clicked with
the quickest and, not coincidentally, the
one we spent most time with.
Adept (formerly Bushido) style is more
of a connoisseur’s choice. It’s riskier, but
the rewards are potentially huge: dodge
at just the right time and you can
immediately launch into a powerful
counter. As such, it’s best reserved for
monsters whose patterns you’re familiar
with, or slower ones that tend to
telegraph their attacks.
this highlights a minor problem that
also applies to Aerial style – and, indeed,
to some of the Hunter Arts. We’ve never
felt before that we’ve been playing
Monster Hunter wrong, but against
3
Cat poweR
Fur flies in Prowler mode
T
his time out you can play as a
Palico, and it has advantages:
their move set may be simple,
but there’s a wide selection of
equippable skills to customise them.
Battles can feel a bit attritional – cats
don’t lose stamina, but their damage
output can’t compare with a
hunter’s. It is, however, worth
switching for gathering missions –
you don’t need to craft any more kit,
and they’re speedier.
5
Nargacuga’s wings and tail are
particularly dangerous. Keep
moving and use a thunder weapon.
certain opponents, some approaches can
feel particularly poorly-suited. Dealing
with the more mobile, unpredictable
monsters can be an exercise in
frustration if you’re not prepared to
switch your style or weapon to suit. You’ll
whiff a lot of attempted evades when
using Adept against smaller, faster
creatures, and you’ll constantly be
jumping and missing if you favour an
Aerial approach. It’s less noticeable if
you’re using Dual Blades, for example,
where you can quickly recover from
mistakes, but anyone who favours
heavier weapons may find enemies
running rings around them simply
because of their style preference.
But, Monster Hunter has always been
a game about reacting and adapting to
unfamiliar situations, and if that
encourages hunters to be more versatile,
then they’ve never had more options to
fall back on. the downside is that, despite
its attempts to offer a gentler
introduction, generations perhaps isn’t
quite as ideal for series newcomers as it
first seems. But for those with the
patience to get used to its new ideas – we
did, and we have, and if Capcom takes
Aerial style out of Monster Hunter 5 we’ll
cry – this is as rich, deep, and satisfying as
the series has ever been. n
Monster Hunter 4
Ultimate
…but MH4U had two brand new
weapons to master, and a stronger
sense of progression.
Online
Generations, like its
predecessors, is a
game best played
with others. If you
can’t gather any
friends locally,
finding other hunters
online is easier than
ever using the
multiplayer hubs.
Judgement
%
89
A small step forward
for the series, but still
one of the 3Ds’s most
versatile and
generous games.
Chris Schilling
August 2016
75
Review
loves…
The Final Verdict!
Japanese voiceover and brilliant
localisation add character.
The GamePad doubles up as
your phone and in-game map.
hates…
Lack of battle dialogue subtitles
means you miss some chatter.
Crafting new weapons requires
constant back-tracking to HQ.
Better than…
Use the right skill and you’ll trigger a
Session attack, helping you take down
enemies before they can fight back.
Project X Zone
3DS’s epic crossover might boast more
iconic characters, but its confusing
plot and repetitive battles can’t hold a
candle to Tokyo Mirage Sessions.
Worse than…
Format Wii U Publisher Nintendo Developer Atlus ETA Out now Players 1
Tokyo MiRage
SeSSionS #Fe
Persona 4
Schoolyard social sim by day, surreal
dungeon crawler at night, Persona 4’s
mix of the mundane and mystic is
Atlus at its very best.
What’s the key to becoming a great singer? Have orbs of glowing light burst out of your chest, apparently.
stars and spears in their eyes
I
f the only thing
standing between
you and the end of
the world was Justin
Bieber, you’d
probably rather
throw yourself into the flames than
listen to one more word about how
‘Life is Worth Living’ if only you ‘Love
Yourself’ and say ‘Sorry’ (or
something). Yet that’s the setup of this
bizarro Shin Megami Tensei and Fire
Emblem mashup, a world where pop
idols fuse with medieval warriors to
fight an impending apocalypse.
Fortunately, tokyo Mirage sessions’
cheery J-pop tunes are easier on the ears
than the rabid screams of burning
Beliebers, and its vibrant medley of
turn-based battles and JRPg dungeon
crawling delivers that achingly hip
adventuring we’ve come to expect from
the makers of Persona. Admittedly, the
Fire Emblem side of this Atlus and
Nintendo crossover is more support act
than headliner, as the bulk of the game is
spent with a cast of brooding pop stars as
they chase soul-sucking Mirage
monsters terrorising the streets of tokyo.
Pitch perfect
Fire Emblem faces, such as Chrom and
tharja, take the form of weapons, adding
new abilities to their partner’s repertoire
as they level up. these are loosely based
on their classes, but apart from the odd
horse or wyrmslayer attack, it’s hardly a
Fire Emblem reunion tour.
that’s not to say tMs hits a bum note
– this flamboyant ingénue belts out some
cracking power ballads between its
superficial story beats and labyrinthine
dungeons. From bonkers pop arena
battlegrounds to screen-hogging special
attacks, the game oozes style, and the
high energy it brings to each encounter is
matched by equally dynamic battles.
“apart from the odd horse or
Wyrmslayer attack, it’s hardly
a fire emBlem reunion tour”
76
August 2016
You learn new abilities rapidly, but a
limit of six active skills forces you to keep
curating your moveset, helping battles
stay fresh. this monster-moulding is not
unlike a simplified Pokémon (or Persona),
but is lent a unique flavour and
surprising depth by ‘session skills’.
think of these as backing singers,
albeit less hitting the high notes, more
hitting monsters with sticks. triggered
when you exploit enemy weaknesses,
they allow other party members with the
right ability to pile in. It’s the most
effective way of taking down foes quickly,
but they’re dependant on harmonious
skills, so erasing that electric attack will
also prevent you from performing its
relevant session chain in the future.
It makes for a dizzying array of
combos and techniques, particularly as
you start swapping party members in
and out to keep a rounded team. As such,
it doesn’t matter that you’re not
manoeuvring an army across a board of
tiles – the overarching strategy is easily as
complex as Fire Emblem’s. throw in
extra, randomised ad-lib abilities, weapon
crafting, and dozens of side stories, and
tokyo Mirage sessions hits more high
notes than Celine Dion and Mariah Carey
in a screaming competition. n
i
need to knoW
J-Pop aficionados
might want to check
out the game’s
Fortissimo Edition,
which comes with an
artbook, CD
soundtrack, stickers,
song lyric cards and
an extra code for
future DLC.
Judgement
%
80
A bit like X-Factor: the
game, but it’s as close
to Persona as Wii u
fans are likely to get.
Matt SakuraokaGilman
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER
loves…
The deduction feels satisfying
and true to the character.
There’s still a certain budget
charm to the whole package.
hates…
The emphasis on environmental
puzzling is extremely annoying.
Updates to the central duo and
their looks fall flat.
Naturally, Sherlock is a master of disguise. Meet Doctor
Strawboater, a distinguished physician with absolutely
no connection to Mister Holmes, nosiree.
Better than…
SH: The Mystery Of The
Persian Carpet
Frogwares’ tedious first stab at Holmes
had players combing pre-rendered
backdrops for precious clue-pixels.
Worse than…
Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, PC Publisher Bigben Interactive Developer Frogwares ETA Out now Players 1
Sherlock holmeS:
The Devil’S DaughTer
Is Watson still creepy? He may not silently sneak up on you anymore, but his new facial hair is pretty unnerving.
sherlock Hamms it up, but the devil’s in the details
L
ondon. 1895. A
starving urchin is
desperately
searching for the
only parent he has
left. It’s been three
weeks since his loving father
disappeared, and with nowhere else to
turn, he heads to 221B Baker Street, the
home of world-renowned detective
Jon Hamm and his associate Jude Law.
Because if there’s one thing that series
fans will immediately notice about the
Devil’s Daughter, it’s the radical upgrade
in character model sexiness. the pasty
gentleman sherlock of the past has
made way for a brawnier brand of
stubbled sleuth, while the paunchy old
Watson we knew and loved now boasts
the lean frame and meticulously waxed
facial hair of an Apple store genius.
It’s all a little less loveable, and there’s a
strange tension between these cool
character models and the endearingly
low rent quality that the series has
previously seemed happy to wear on its
sleeve. But power past these aesthetic
reservations and you’ll discover a familiar
enough core, wherein each case consists
of gathering evidence, interviewing
suspects, and then connecting the dots.
A puzzling crime
Crucially, the evidence can be interpreted
to implicate multiple suspects, so it’s
never simply a matter of clicking around
until a chain of events seems to fit.
Instead you weigh the plausibility of
competing narratives before deciding
whether to condemn or absolve
whichever perp you pick, a process of
combining clues to form credible
conclusions that’s quietly brilliant.
unfortunately, it soon becomes all too
apparent that tinkering with the overall
attractiveness quotient is actually one of
the least objectionable adjustments that
“Be prepared for it to test your
patience as much as your
poWers of deduction”
Frogwares has made to its formula. Most
exasperating is a renewed emphasis on
stultifying environmental puzzling, with
dozens of box-pushing, lever-pulling
brainteasers thrown at you over the
course of the game. unlike the deductive
sleuthing, these conundrums feel utterly
divorced from real-world logic, and serve
as irritating trial-and-error padding.
there’s also an expanded range of dull
minigames – perform CPR as Watson!
Follow a scent as toby! – that add equally
little. the inclusion of sherlock’s
daughter, meanwhile, is a misstep – she’s
quickly established as a tiny harridan
without a single likeable quality. these
sections make for unwelcome and
misjudged diversions from the core
deduction, and it’s frustrating that the
developer doesn’t play to its strengths.
Don’t look at that score and think this
simply a mediocre effort. Frogwares’
latest remains as deeply idiosyncratic as
Crimes And Punishments, even if it lacks
some of the charm that made its
predecessor so memorable. It’s a
thoroughly mixed bag, filled with both
deductive fun and trial-and-error
frustration. It’s worth investigating, but be
prepared for it to test your patience as
much as your powers of deduction. n
SH: Crimes And
Punishments
More interested in deduction than
rubbish puzzles, and boasting an
abundance of off-kilter charm.
i
need to knoW
Sherlock may be
remembered as a
bastion of logical
thinking, but his
creator – Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle – was
actually a Freemason
who believed in
fairies, ghosts, and
clairvoyance.
Judgement
%
66
A mixed bag of
brilliant deduction
and tedious puzzling.
A disappointing
misstep for the series.
James Nouch
August 2016
77
Review
loves…
The Final Verdict!
The oppressive atmosphere of
Mars is genuinely impressive.
Battles have a real intensity and
sense of balance.
hates…
There’s very little in play that
feels in any way original or fresh.
The fudged facial animations
feel rather archaic.
Better than…
Mars: War Logs
The extra power of PS4 and Xbox One
means The Technomancer is prettier
than its prequel, even if gameplay feels
almost identical.
The Technomancer’s facial animation has all
the dexterity of someone whose spent their
entire lottery winnings at a Botox clinic.
Worse than…
Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, PC Publisher Focus Home Interactive Developer Spiders ETA Out now Players 1
The TechnomanceR
Best moment of the game’s script for any lip readers out there? the bit where all the characters go “blah, blah, blah, blah”, all of the time.
a Mars a day helps you fight, brawl, and slay
N
o matter how good
or bad your game is,
when you’re taking
on epics like Mass
Effect with only a
fraction of the
budget, you surely deserve a little
recognition just for trying.
action RPg the technomancer is not the
studio’s first crack at the whip. Back in
2013, spiders pumped out Mars: War
Logs, a tale of powerful water guilds
fighting it out after a century of trouble
for the human race on the red planet. It
wasn’t especially well received, but that
doesn’t appear to have perturbed the
French studio one bit.
three years on, and the
technomancer tells the story of… well,
powerful water guilds fighting it out after
a century of trouble for the human race
on the red planet. this is officially a
sequel, though you’d be forgiven for
thinking it a remake.
You control Zachariah, a
‘technomancer’ just learning his trade for
one of the planet’s most potent
corporations, abundance. these sci-fi
mages are a bit like low grade Jedi; able
to control electricity and summon it in
attack in lieu of the Force, while also
boasting a mastery of combat (but sadly
unable to call upon Natalie Portman for a
quick picnic date on the hills of Naboo).
Your fighting style is split into three
approaches – warrior, rogue, and
guardian – which can be alternated in the
middle of battle, though in truth the
technomancer seems to encourage
players to pick a style and stick with it.
Fighting is what you’ll be doing most
of, with levels guiding you through
locked-off section after locked-off
section, each one populated by
scavengers hunting for the planet’s
resources, or some arachnid-like local
monsters intent on tearing up humanity’s
mark on Mars’ surface. Combat, though
quickly rather repetitive, is well balanced,
with as much focus put on dodging
attacks and stepping away from the
action as actually taking the fight to your
rivals. a button basher this is not.
“this is officially a sequel,
though you’d Be forgiven for
thinking it a remake”
78
august 2016
Once upon a mime
Less slick are the story elements. Plot
progression feels forced, with cut-scenes
interrupting gameplay without warning
and rarely delivering anything that
couldn’t have been lifted from pretty
much any science fiction franchise
post-alien. Character movement feels
equally clunky, with party members often
appearing like they’re having a fit on
screen. Just to top things off, the
technomancer’s facial animations
struggle throughout, with lip movement
rarely having any relation to the words
coming out of a character’s mouth.
these are all relatively small niggles,
however. When it comes to gameplay, it
doesn’t really put a foot far wrong – but
that’s largely because it takes so few
risks. RPg elements revolve around
upgrading your abilities and crafting
items from resources found on floored
rivals, while there’s more than a hint of
Bioshock about deciding whether to kill
the fallen in exchange for their
health-boosting serum, or leave them be.
Other than that, however, it’s all a little
harmless. spiders deserves a certain
amount of respect for rebounding from
criticism of Mars: War Logs and carrying
on regardless, but the technomancer
makes no real progress and feels more
like a rehash than a step forward. n
Mass Effect 3
It takes guts to take on Mass Effect –
but it’s a lack of innovation, rather than
a lack of budget, that sees The
Technomancer fall far short.
i
need to knoW
Developer Spiders
also created fantasy
RPG Of Orcs And
Men, which saw the
introduction of
goblin Styx. The little
green fellow has
gone on to star in his
own series of stealth
games by Cyanide.
Judgement
%
65
Inoffensive and
enjoyable enough for
action-RPg fans, but it
does far too little to
distinguish itself.
Keith Andrew
Odin Sphere: LeifthraSir
Combat starts off relatively simple,
but magic and alternate attacks
soon up the complexity.
loves…
The beautiful art will get you
stopping and staring.
Boasts RPG depth alongside the
twitch combat of a 2D brawler.
hates…
Stopping to gobble food can
break the flow.
Cutscenes are too earnest –
some levity would be welcome.
Better than…
Strider
The fast and flurry-ful ninja-flavoured
slice-’em-up is the perfect way to brawl
through an evening or two, but can’t
hold a tonfa to Odin Sphere’s depth.
Worse than…
Format PS4 (reviewed), PS Vita Publisher NIS America Developer Vanillaware ETA Out now Players 1
Odin Sphere:
LeifthraSir
Dragon’s Crown
This is the title in which Vanillaware
nailed the endgame, with a ton of looty
excuses to play beyond the story’s
running time.
What does Leifthrasir actually mean? It’s the name of a mythological Norse figure, and means ‘lust for life’.
a fairy good time
A
ction games stride
along a meandering
path, some veering
more into the
realms of hardcore
tightness, all
weighted action and contemplative
movement systems (see Dark Souls/
The Witcher 3/Monster Hunter), while
others confidently trample the verge
of edge-of-perception intuitive-ness
(see Bayonetta/God Of War/Vanquish).
This ludicrously lovely-looking side-on
scrapper from Vanillaware, the maker
of Dragon’s Crown and Muramasa: The
Demon Blade, does something few of
its ilk can: it waltzes down the middle
of that lane with brash confidence to
match its lavish countenance.
Before we get into the meat of things: a
history lesson. this is actually a remake
of the original Odin sphere, which first
emerged back in 2007. there was little
aplomb back then thanks to its niche
conceit (a story split into five overlapping
fairy-tales) and dodgy frame rate. Here, in
current-gen-o-vision, the game is a
revelation. Its wonderful, artistic
backgrounds glow out from your tV
screen, its characters animate with a
joyous flair, and its combat is slick and
simple enough to pick up and blaze into
at a firework pace, yet also deep enough
to satisfy those looking for stats to pick
apart or special moves to unlock.
Vanilla nice
the game is split into five chapters (with
a couple more unlockable) detailing the
stories of five protagonists, from a
winged valkyrie warrior trapped in a
cursed marriage to a prince who’s been
transformed into a rabbit. they’re yarns
of the most fantastical flavour, ghibli by
way of the Brother’s grimm, but they’re
also achingly earnest. thankfully you at
least have something to look at while the
“they’re yarns of the most
fantastical flavour, ghiBli By
Way of the Brother’s grimm”
characters natter on – everything in Odin
sphere’s world is utterly beautiful. Each
frame in this game (and there are indeed
60 per second at all times) could, if it
weren’t for the RPg HuD and damage
numbers flying about, be freeze-framed
and passed off as a legitimate painting.
Odin sphere suffers from a few
familiar foibles for fans of Vanillaware’s
folio. While the visuals and combat sing,
the game’s flow is inconsistent,
occasionally throwing you back to past
stages to grind, repeating stages multiple
times or, in a very weird time-eating
decision, forcing you to spend an age
gobbling up food to level up between
fights. the idea is nice enough, and
mixing up recipes proves fiendish fun as
you juggle your inventory about, but the
act of stopping to nom on chops brings
the action to a screeching halt.
and yet even as you settle in for
another portion of concocted grub your
eyes will wander around the screen, over
to the amazing painterly vista behind
you. Without the need to stop every so
often, would we come to appreciate the
game’s beauty quite so much? Perhaps
not. We do know, however, that those
looking for a brawling morsel should
order a portion of this one pronto. n
2nd oPinion
“Brawling fans take note: If
you can wheeze your way
through the miasmatic
cloud of far too self-serious
narrative guff, a vivid gem
awaits. With its simple controls and
pretty art, Odin Sphere is wonderfully
accessible, achingly beautiful, and
sometimes just so endearingly odd.”
James Nouch, Contributing Writer
Judgement
%
82
slick, smooth, and
beautiful, it shines like
never before on
current-gen.
august 2016
79
Review
loves…
The Final Verdict!
Playing nations off against each
other is brilliant fun.
The art style is gorgeous, and
the animations slick.
As you level
up your
characters you learn
new skills. Half of your
time out of combat is
spent sorting through
and deciding which
ones to run with.
You can assign a
leader to each of your
troops. Let them fall in
combat and the rest of
your units get a nasty
debuff.
hates…
Combat is impressively deep,
but cluttered with reams of stats.
The soundtrack, while initially
lovely, gets samey fast.
Better than…
It’s
possible to
interrupt your
enemies with timely
pre-emptive strikes. See
a mage charging a
powerful attack?
Smack them to
cancel it.
Animations
are smooth as
silk, and melee
strikes feel meaty. We
like Blacksmiths, with
their charge-able
strikes which smash
shield-using
foes.
Code Name STEAM
Intelligent Systems, the folk
responsible for the excellent Fire
Emblem, couldn’t make the tactical
magic work in this steampunk flop.
Worse than…
Format PS4 (reviewed), PS Vita Publisher NIS America Developer Monochrome ETA Out now Players 1
GRand KinGdom
Puns forcibly removed from this review: ‘Merc-ing nine to five’, ‘off to merc we go’, and the especially dubious ‘merc-y me’.
Loot feasts of no nation
Y
ou know those
super rich
footballers earning
ludricrous sums for
three hour working
days spent kicking a
ball about? You know how we all hate
it when they abandon one incredibly
lucrative job for another slightly more
lucrative one? It’s a mercenary
mindset, where trophies and cash
mean more than loyalty. This tactical
RPG understands that secretly we’d
love to be those blackguards, picking
our jobs and pay cheques however we
please and tosh to the consequences.
In the world of Resonail (which sounds
like a DIY restoration wholesalers) four
factions vie for power. You and your
customisable troops are based bang in
the middle, from which vantage point
you can undertake combat-centric
quests to fill out your coffers.
there’s a linear story campaign, which
gives you an understanding of the world
and its major players, from lowly rebels
prowling the wilds to haughty royalty
lavishing you with rewards. But the real
meat of the game is the innovative online
War Contracts mode. Every few real-time
hours a war kicks off and you have to
choose a side. Depending on the faction
you team up with, the chances of victory
shift, as do the rewards. Picking your
fights and weighing up these odds,
hitting objectives for your chosen ruling
house, and then scarpering to join the
enemy in the next round is devious fun.
that this all plays out against mercenary
troops put together by other players
(though controlled by the AI) makes it all
the more exciting. It helps that the core
combat, while initially finicky, spreads
outwards into a fine tactical tapestry the
more you tinker.
Super troopers
Your squad can hold six troops, each with
between three and four members.
they’re effectively custom JRPg-style
parties, and you can choose which one to
play as during the single-player and
which to send out on missions. thinking
“every feW real-time hours a
War KicKs off, and you have to
choose a side”
80
August 2016
of ambushing enemy fortresses? You’ll
need tanky characters capable of
guarding against incoming attacks and
defending your rear units. Defending?
get a mage on your back line to deal with
rapidly advancing warriors quickly.
Fights take place on a 2D battlefield
split across three rows, with each unit
taking turns. Rather than you just
inputting commands, however,
characters have an ability bar, essentially
a timer, which allows you to control their
movement around the arena, attack, set
up charged abilities, or use magical QtE
strikes. It’s all very active, and with 17
classes to choose from the combinations
are impressively varied and, ultimately, a
blast to experiment with.
But despite the lovely anime visuals,
the depth of customisation, and the
unique take on multiplayer in a tactical
RPg, grand Kingdom suffers mightily
due to that aforementioned obtuseness.
Rudimentary tutorials generally do a
good job of setting up the basics, but
there’s a lot of stat fluff that feels like it
could have been boiled down to more
tangible elements and been tighter for it.
But as you tally up your winnings
before blowing it all on shiny new swords,
hammers and, uh, crates (yes they can be
used as weapons, apparently), it’s easy to
get sucked in. And, unlike the mercs you
command, it’s likely you’ll stay put. n
Dragon’s Crown
Grand Kingdom’s director, Tomohiko
Deguchi, used to work at Vanillaware.
As good as his studio’s debut is, it’s not
up to his old employer’s standards.
i
need to KnoW
You can customise
your troop members
using a surprisingly
malleable character
creator. This is the
fine work of designer
Chizu Hashii, who’s
worked on anime
such as Blood+ and
Persona Trinity Soul.
Judgement
%
80
A solid and beautiful
tactical RPg with neat
2D brawling and
unique multiplayer.
TW3: BlooD anD Wine
loves…
Toussaint is huge, vibrant, and
jaw-droppingly beautiful.
It’s an experience perfectly
tailored to endgame play.
hates…
The main story is disappointing
and badly structured.
Some of the new characters are
very forgettable.
Toussaint’s bright, blue skies and rolling
green hills make for a striking contrast
to the overcast, muddy fields of Velen.
Better than…
Mass Effect 2: Lair Of The
Shadow Broker
Format PS4, XO, PC (reviewed) Publisher CD Projekt Developer CD Projekt Red ETA Out now Players 1
The WiTcher 3:
Blood And Wine
This excellent expansion once set the
high bar for RPG DLC – but Blood And
Wine dwarfs it in scale and variety.
Worse than…
geralt gets his time in the sun
O
game title accuracy level: 100%. We cannot overstate quite how much both liquids feature.
ur favourite fantasy
exterminator has
been at this almost
one hundred years
now – he’s earned
himself a
retirement. And what better way to
spend his twilight years than out in
sunny wine country, relaxing in his
own vineyard? All he’s got to do first is
stop an inhuman serial killer, drive a
few more monsters extinct, and clear
the map of question marks.
this DLC expansion for the Witcher 3
truly is, the developer promises, our
hero’s last adventure (gwent spin-off
aside), a final send-off to three games’
and nearly a decade’s worth of stories. It’s
certainly a grand goodbye, sending you
to a whole new area, toussaint, and as in
the main game, it’s the scale that
immediately impresses – between the
main story and side-quests, there’s over
30 hours of content here, with a setting
that feels fresh and distinct from
anything in the base game.
the story sees geralt summoned by
the region’s ruler, Duchess Anna
Henrietta, to track down the ‘Beast Of
Beauclair’, a seemingly unstoppable
murderer. Between bouts of
investigation, you’re free to explore,
taking on a huge selection of contracts
and side activities.
It’s that core questline, however, that
unfortunately proves Blood And Wine’s
weakest aspect. Especially following the
utterly phenomenal tale that was
previous DLC Hearts Of stone’s story,
events here feel thin and poorly paced,
with far less memorable characters
taking centre-stage. to make matters
worse, it features a ‘point of no return’
midway through, followed by a lengthy
second half with few chances to pause
– a jarring style for an open-world game.
A shame, because that world is
incredibly compelling, and in the side
content Blood And Wine really shines.
toussaint feels like a playground for high
level geralts (you’ll need to be level 34+
to start, though the game will provide
you with a premade character if needed),
a chance to really enjoy being at the
height of your power. smarter, beefier
monsters bring challenge back to the
game; an extended levelling system
“this feels liKe a chance to
really enJoy Being at the
height of your poWer”
gives you somewhere to spend excess
ability points; and there’s a wealth of cool
stuff to splurge your piles of gold on.
The Duchy’s original
the region has an incredible sense of
place, too. It’s a more vibrant location
than the series has ever seen before –
from its breathtakingly gorgeous,
colourful scenery, to its more
interconnected, exciting ‘points of
interest’ activities, to its weird and
wonderful side-quests. the local culture
feels remarkably authentic, quickly
proving itself far more detailed and
interesting than the initial impression of
‘France with monsters’, and it feels like
every corner of the sprawling Duchy
(roughly equivalent to Novigrad in size) is
stuffed with personality.
And you really do get your own
vineyard, gifted to you complete with
majordomo to serve as your home base.
Investing in it unlocks all manner of
upgrades and customisation options,
both practical and cosmetic, and you’ll
quickly grow to love leaving the life of a
nomad behind along with geralt.
It’s comforting to think that our
grizzled old monster hunter finally has a
warm bed to go home to at night. After
nearly 200 hours in geralt’s company
over the course of the Witcher 3 and its
DLCs, it’s a joy to have one last adventure,
and give him, and one of the best games
of this generation, a proper goodbye. n
The Witcher 3:
Hearts Of Stone
While it wins on size and looks, Blood
And Wine can’t match this last DLC’s
unique story and inspired characters.
i
need to KnoW
For all you Gwent
fanatics out there,
Blood And Wine
introduces a new deck
– Skellige – with its own
set of leaders, cards,
and brand new
mechanics. There’s a
tournament to try them
out in, too.
Judgement
%
85
A vast, joyful
playground, and a
wonderful excuse to
return to the Witcher
3 one last time.
Robin Valentine
August 2016
81
Review
Sluggish steering was fine in Burnout when you
were meant to be controlling a hunk of metal, but
a golf ball shouldn’t feel like an airborne elephant.
The Final Verdict!
now
playing
this month’s biggest time
sinks on team gM
WiTcher 3:
Wild hunT
1PS4The
An internet catastrophe led
to some Overwatch
downtime, so I endeavored
to polish this one off. I can’t
believe I still haven’t finished
it, frankly.
Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, editor
SPhere:
leifThraSir
2PS4Odin
Vanillaware has always been a
purveyor of pretty games, but this
re-release of the PS2 original is an
exceptionally beautiful work.
Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, editor
Pc
3OverWaTch
My favourite character is
Genji because he is a ninja. I
also like Mei because she
freezes stuff. But Winston
too because he is a gorilla.
And McCree the cowboy.
And Lucio.
3
hiTMan
Pc
The latest Marrakesh-set episode is a
bit of a bore, which is strange since it
takes place during a full-on riot, so
I’ve been revisiting Sapienza instead.
dunGeOn
5PcdarkeST
Various smart updates over
the last few months have
really revitalised this game
for me – I’ve been sucked
down into its dark depths all
over again.
robin valentine, Production editor
PS4
6 OverWaTch
Even my famous cynicism is no
match for the charms of Blizzard’s
new smash hit. I love Roadhog. I can’t
stress that enough. I love Roadhog.
robin valentine, Production editor
Office lunchTiMe
GaMe Of The MOnTh:
OverWaTch PS4
Every day, after our
sandwiches, Matt’s plastic
statue of Soldier 76 starts
whispering to us. “Play
Overwatch,” it says. “Play it
now.” How can we refuse?
82
August 2016
Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, PC Publisher Three Fields Entertainment Developer Three Fields Entertainment ETA Out now Players 1-8
DangeRous golf
A pain in the putt
R
emember Burnout’s
Crash mode? The
beautiful art of
sending your car
hurtling through
the air, steering it
into oncoming traffic, watching the
carnage and then waiting for the
perfect time to become a portable
bomb and do it all over again? Of
course you do. It was phenomenal,
satisfying and bacon-grade moreish.
Unfortunately, what the ex-Criterion
devs at Three Fields have done next, a
golf-flavoured take on Crash mode,
isn’t really any of these things.
While the destroy ’em all sim looks
beautiful on the surface, chip away at the
campaign for any length of time and
you’ll find a distinctly sub par experience
compared to the team’s past efforts. It
feels like an expanded tech demo
released ahead of more ambitious
projects to come, and fails to justify its
existence as a game in its own right.
Pitch perfect
Whether you’re in a pristine sparkling
kitchen perfectly stacked with goods, a
petrol station, or a beautiful french
mansion full of towers of champagne
flutes, it’s your job to cause as much
The 100 hole campaign includes a slew of
upgrades but even laser shots for your initial putt
can’t give this the hole-in-one feeling it needs.
chaos as possible. A flick of the left
analogue stick sends a golf ball firing
across the room like a rocket. Let the cost
of the mess tot up high enough on
screen as eggs shatter and plates
disintegrate greek wedding-style, and
you’ll be offered up a smashbreaker,
making the ball a flaming Armageddonstyle asteroid that you can then steer. so
far, so satisfying, but despite the crunch
of taking out priceless Ming vases, the
unreliable controls soon frustrate. the
camera sticks stubbornly on the instantly
less impressive physics – no really, it’s
fine being trapped inside a can of beans
– and the frame rate stutters angrily as
champagne corks pop and glass
smashes. Add in the fact that in the
putting stage we weren’t aware we could
actually miss the final hole until the 12th
level and success feels distinctly
underwhelming and more like blind luck.
the impressive room design might
mean you’ll initially enjoy the destruction
on show, but also means frustratingly
long load times as everything resets. Add
in the late-game hair-tearing addition of
insta-fail hazards not to be destroyed
while you’re meant to be annihilating
everything in sight and, just like real golf,
you’ll feel distinctly like
you should be having
a lot more fun than
you actually are. n
Louise Blain
55
revieW rOunduP
Hot
DownloaDs
The bombast of the fights is
enjoyable enough, but they’re
far too loose and clunky.
the latest DLC and
expansions explored
Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, PC, PS Vita Publisher Bandai Namco
Developer SpikeChunsoft ETA Out now Players 1-2
one piece:
BuRning BlooD
It’s all a bit of a stretch
I
f you don’t know what
the Paramount War is,
or why seeing a
stretchy rubberlimbed pirate
screaming the words ‘Gear Fourth!’
might be a cool thing to witness, then
hang up your straw hat right now and
step away slowly. This 3v3 melee
brawler was made for the uber fan and
the uber fan alone.
As such there’s very little in the way of set
up or explanation. You enter One Piece:
Burning Blood at the start of one of the
more momentous arcs of the manga/
anime, and can chose from a vast roster
of characters who if you know them will
delight, and if you don’t will confound.
If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy the game’s
taste for spectacle. the arenas may be
pretty sparse, but character animations,
especially those of familiar moves, are
riotous and explosive. Each KO sees you
or your foe blasted across the arena into
the far distance, with onomatopoeic
exclamations filling the screen.
But for all the bluster and fan service,
there’s too little for even the core-est of
straw Hat Pirates to cling to. there are
plenty of modes to battle through, a full
campaign and online brawls, but each
match plays out much the same, with all
of the characters, despite their mad
differences in visual design, feeling too
similar to play as or against. Couple that
with an awkward third-person
over-the-shoulder camera which, in a
game about reading your opponents
tells to perform dodges, blocks, guard
breaks, and the like, constantly obscures
your view. One for fans,
yes, but it can’t find top
gear even for them. n
Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman
56
Being linear means the developer can mould
the environment to draw your eyes towards
impressive vistas and vital resources.
Format XO, PC (reviewed) Publisher Teotl Studios
Developer Hourences, Grip Games ETA Out now Players 1
tHe solus pRoject
Oh my, a starry-eyed surprise
I
t’s a survival game just
out of Steam Early
Access, but hold the
phone: it’s actually also
a startlingly intelligent
mystery, and an introspective treatise
on isolation with a dash of sci-fi horror.
unlike many of its greenlit cousins, the
solus Project is intensely polished. You
are a lone space-faring scout recently
crash-landed on gilese-6143-C a beautiful
yet hostile world with two moons and
enough environmental danger to keep
you very busy. At first your main concern
is staving off hypothermia during the
night, but soon you’ll have wildly varying
problems to deal with, from violent
snowstorms to scorching solar flares.
Rather than let survival be the sole
goal, however, the solus Project smartly
splits itself into two alternating game
types. On the surface you’ll gather
resources and search for the parts
necessary to build a signal tower to call
your space faring friends for help. these
sections are bookended by linear,
story-driven forays underground into
oppressive subterranean areas wherein
you’ll pick apart the mystery of the
planet’s previous inhabitants. You came
here to find a new home for humanity,
but is it actually habitable?
Riffing on the sharp-edged sci-fi of
films such as silent Running or Moon, the
game manages to make a linear survival
format work wonderfully. Barring a few
quirks (an archaic save system and
first-person platforming frustrate), it
comes together for a unique and
worthwhile offering in a
genre that all too often
feels by the numbers. n
Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman
80
Everyone’s favourite toppler of
dictatorial regimes, Rico Rodrigeuz
dons a jetpack this month for Mech
Land Assault, the second of three DLC
packs for the explosive Just Cause 3.
This time the man with semtex for
brains travels to the island of Lacrima,
chocka with enemy mechs to bring
down in typically sensible fashion. And
by sensible we mean thundering
through their armour with a brand
new weapon, the Bavarium
Power Core rifle. Once he’s
blasted them enough, Rico’s
able to leap inside them to
utilise cunningly-titled GRIP
Gravity Guns, which in turn can
be used to smash enemy vehicles/
buildings/faces into bits.
From boom-bleached holidays to a
stroll down The Elder Scrolls IV:
Oblivion’s Gold Coast. This iconic area
now has a current-gen treatment
courtesy of The Elder Scrolls Online
and its new Dark Brotherhood
expansion. Players can join up with the
infamous assassins, unlocking a new
passive skill line for their characters in
the process. No prizes for guessing
what joining said guild entails.
Beyond putting the sharp
bits of metal implements
into a bunch of probably
deserving targets, you’ll
also get to return to old
haunts such as Anvil
and Kvatch.
Not everyone likes to
stab folk, though. Some like to blast
them from beneath with geysers of
water. Well, Alani, the newest character
to join the roster of Gearbox’s
Battleborn, does, at least. She also
enjoys healing teammates, blinding
enemies in giant bubbles, and long
walks on the beach.
A couple of souped up re-releases
top up our DLC tank this month, with a
current-gen re-do of Deadlight and a
console version of Prison Architect
having landed in our pad-loving
hands. The former of these was
a somewhat under-celebrated
side-on shoot-y/platform-y/
puzzle-y affair involving a sad
man and some zombies. The
latter is one of PC gaming’s indie
darlings, emerging after years of Steam
Early Access to no small amount of
acclaim last year. The console version
brings with it a spiffy new user interface,
enabling wardens to both build the
perfect gaols and share them with
fellow players. Shanks a bunch!
August 2016
83
S
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!
T
D
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V
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C
PA
F
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FU
FREE!
GIFTS
SOMETHING
ON YOUR
MIND!?
LOOK AT ALL
THOSE COOL
NEW GAMES!
!
W
O
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E
L
A
S
ON
myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/kids
Comp
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IN!
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Win This!
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PeriPherals
from razer!
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Win a bulging loot box of Overwatch PC peripherals from Razer!
W
hether you’re
playing on a creaky
netbook or a highend rig, Overwatch is
a blast. But let’s face
it, there’s nothing
worse than gaming on crumby gear.
That’s why the peripheral professionals
at Razer have unleashed a celebratory
range of Overwatch-branded gaming
goodness – and we’re giving the lot
away to one heroic reader.
Let’s kick off with the keyboard, because
it’s a doozy. The Overwatch edition of
Razer’s Blackwidow Chroma keyboard not
only features mechanical keys for
enhanced speed and performance, it also
includes backlighting in all the colours of
the rainbow. That might sound like a neat
gimmick, but there’s more to it than that,
as the Chroma will intelligently light keys
to highlight action buttons and monitor
cooldowns. Partner it with the Deathadder
Chroma mouse for a precision combo that
can stand up to the most intense sessions
without skimping on comfort.
And then there’s the headset – the
ManO’War Tournament Edition. It’s
powered by beefy 50mm drivers that
have been tuned to meet the demands of
a hectic multiplayer showdown. The
chatter of your teammates comes
through with pristine clarity, without
crowding out Blizzard’s in-game audio.
Meanwhile, the retractable mic ensures
that everyone will hear you as clearly as if
you were in the room. Lucky them.
To be in with a chance of winning this
bundle of loot, all you have to do is cast
your eyes over the following question and
find the answer in your mental databanks
before 18 August:
of these is an
overwatch character?
Q which
A. Bastion
B. Aspirin
C. Cast-iron saucepan
Terms and conditions: By entering this Competition you are agreeing to receive details of future offers from Future Publishing Ltd. The closing date is 18 August 2016. By taking part in a Competition, you agree to be bound by the Competition Rules, which are summarised below but can be viewed in full at
www.futureplc.com/competition-rules. Late or incomplete entries will be disqualified. Proof of posting (if relevant) shall not be deemed proof of delivery. Entries must be submitted by an individual (not via any agency or similar) and, unless otherwise stated, are limited to one per household. The Company
reserves the right in its sole discretion to substitute any prize with cash or a prize of comparable value. Unless otherwise stated, the Competition is open to all GB residents of 18 years and over, except employees of Future Publishing and any party involved in the competition or their households. By entering
a Competition you give permission to use your name, likeness and personal information in connection with the Competition and for promotional purposes. All entries will become the property of the Company upon receipt and will not be returned. You warrant that the Competition entry is entirely your own
work and not copied or adapted from any other source. If you are a winner, you may have to provide additional information. Details of winners will be available on request within three months of the closing date. If you are a winner, receipt by you of any prize is conditional upon you complying with (amongst
other things) the Competition Rules. You acknowledge and agree that neither the Company nor any associated third parties shall have any liability to you in connection with your use and/or possession of your prize.
how to
enter
ONLINE
Make your way over to
www.futurecomps.co.uk/gmrazer to
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and submit your answer.
RetroMaster
We
❤ Old Games!
86
August 2016
The legend
the Legend Of Zelda did not play by the
rules of 1980s console gaming. A wide
open overworld with no fixed order of
assault on its underworld labyrinths? A
quest so immense that it forced the
invention of the cartridge save? the
impact of an 8-bit skyrim, but released 25
years earlier, in the very year that
Bethesda was founded? Yessir. While
modern entries in Nintendo series are
often criticised for playing it safe, this
revolutionary classic saw the company
not only rewriting the rulebook but
adding a sassy foreword.
Deeper efforts at storytelling and lore
came later in the series; for this first entry,
it was about tracking down the eight
pieces of Zelda’s triforce Of Wisdom,
taking the fight to a porcine oppressor
cooling his hooves in the invitingly
named Death Mountain, and bringing
Zelda home in fewer than eight pieces if
at all possible.
But an astonishing number of series
cornerstones already paved the way.
there were the three main players.
End of gam
ing
LEg
•
ng
of Gaming
ga
m
i
the tale of this particular pig wizard, his
royal abductee, and a local green-clad dogooder blossomed into legend 30 years
ago, when the first game reached Japan
on Nintendo’s disk-based Famicom
console. It predated both Dragon Quest
and Final Fantasy, taking inspiration (like
so many Nintendo games that strike a
deep chord) from shigeru Miyamoto’s
own experience: exploring the Kyoto
countryside as a boy, standing in dark
cave mouths measuring his bravado
against whatever lay beyond, and
furiously battering pigs with sticks. that
last one is an informed guess.
Developer Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Released 1987
Format NES
Get it Wii U Virtual Console
#42
• LEgEnd of
The origins
Working with fellow designer takashi
tezuka AKA “ten ten”, Miyamoto’s
devotion to recapturing that sense of
awe set us all on a course to uncharted
Hyrule. Following the briefest of
wonkily-translated backstories
concerning the antics of ‘Prince Darkness
gannon’, you were wrapped up in Link’s
fancy duds and hustled towards the
Legend Of Zelda’s first ever on-screen
location – where only a cave holding a
dubious old man with a spare sword
stood between you and the first feral
swarms of tektites and Octoroks.
From there, history unfolded. And
when this whole game-changing
experience reached the western world in
a golden cartridge 100% tailored for
playground jealousy, shifting a cool six
million copies, its future was sealed.
Legend
ng
mi
ga
T
he thing about
legends is that,
unlike myths,
they’re supposed to
have some basis in
historical fact.
Which makes Nintendo’s classic
fantasy adventure game even more
fascinating. Which parts of it are real?
The Hero Of Time? The Triforce? The
existence of evil pig wizards? We bet
that’s what it is. You can never trust
pigs, you know.
of gaming • L
Eg
E
ing • LEgE
nd
gam
of
of
Holding out for a Hero Of time
nd
gE
LE
nd
The Legend of ZeLda
•
Everyone warned Link that weird
parping beasties would nest in his
meticulously organised rock collection
if he left it lying around the overworld.
Hyrule and the triforce. stalfos, Armos,
Peahats and Moblins. Heart containers.
shops irresponsibly offering unregulated
explosives for sale. the instantly
recognisable Zelda theme, and that
chest-opening jingle. there were even
mechanics in play here that were later
dialled back, such as Link’s ability to
chuck his sword like a proper hooligan
when at full health.
And the only thing even more
bewildering than how they crammed all
this into a NEs cartridge, possibly
requiring Miyamoto to sit and bounce on
it like a chronically-overstuffed suitcase?
the inclusion of a post-game second
Quest, remixing the adventure from start
to finish. Madness.
The legacy
With the Legend Of Zelda making
millions of worldwide wannabe heroes
very happy, not even its divisive and
“Zelda saw NiNteNdo Not oNly
rewritiNg the rulebook but
addiNg a sassy foreword”
Studio Spotlight
Further famous franchise firsts
1 Donkey Kong
(Arcade – 1981)
It’s Horseface Higgins, Scourge of the
Mustard Dungeon! [Are you sure? - Ed]
Two of Nintendo’s finest – DK
and Mario – debuted in a
rollicking platformer from
two more of its finest,
Gunpei Yokoi and Shigeru
Miyamoto. Yokoi later made
Metroid and invented the Game
Boy, while Miyamoto… well,
we’re sure he did something
useful. DK helped make
Ninty’s name, and was so
huge it gave rise to a
clone army (Crazy Kong,
Donkey King, etc).
2 Metroid
(NES – 1988)
Swathed in a more
brooding atmosphere than
your average Nintendosanctioned mission, this was a
compulsive sci-fi alternative in the
year that Zelda came out swinging.
Despite somehow ending up on
the back burner, it’s a series that’s
generated several all-time gems,
bestowed upon the gaming
world one of its most badass
women, and even (in
collaboration with Castlevania)
lent its name to an entire genre.
Dual-wielding skeleton berserkers in
16x16 pixel grids? Yep, nailed it.
Darknut-hard side-scrolling sequel could
slow the momentum. If it had, we’d be
living in a world in which A Link to the
Past, Ocarina Of time, and the Wind
Waker – you know, just three of the best
games of all time – never happened. And
those are frankly rubbish thoughts for
regrettable moments.
Instead, we’re lucky enough to have
once more reached a time when brand
new Zelda is close enough for us to smell
it. Like a basket of fresh laundry sprinkled
with juicy raspberries. that’s what Zelda
smells like, as sure as saints Row reeks of
special Brew.
Regardless of where you stand on the
ancient debate of its RPg eligibility,
there’s no arguing that this series remains
king of its own domain and has seeded
more imitators than even googly-eyed
gohma could track – not just the
bounteous 3D escapades into which
modern console Zeldas evolved, but its
retro and handheld versions that handily
mastered the top-down 2D romp.
Which takes us neatly back to that
30-year-old original. A laudable
beginning to the Legend Of Zelda?
Absolutely. A worthy end to this Legend
Of gaming? Conveniently, yes. Yes it is. n
3 Kirby’s
Dream Land
4 Pokemon
Red and Blue
HAL Laboratory’s little sucker
is one of the most prolific
Nintendo heroes of all, with
more than 20 titles to his
name. But the pinkest
protagonist began in black
and white on the Game Boy,
where he defined his own
uncomplicated platformer
comfort zone. But he’s also
had a pop at puzzles, racing,
pinball, and of course beating
everyone up in Smash Bros.
The ultimate series that started
small and exploded in scale, like a
crap fish evolving into a sea dragon.
Nintendo took Game Freak’s Red
and Green originals, localised them
into the global Red and Blue two
years later, and watched them go
nuclear. Even Nintendo’s fiercest
supporters suspected it might be a
fad – but 20 years later, with Sun and
Moon rising on 3DS, we can finally
knock that idea on the head once
and for all.
(Game Boy – 1992)
(Game Boy – 1999)
5 Starwing
(SNES – 1993)
Nintendo’s anthropomorphic animal hero cast list
received a significant boost with the launch of this
marvel, designed by the usual in-house geniuses and
built by their British wingmen at Argonaut to escort
Nintendo into a new galaxy of 3D polygonal gaming.
Every Nintendo console since then (Wii aside) has
had its own Star Fox adventure. Fellow debutantes
on SNES included the frisky F-Zero and the sultry
Super Mario Kart.
August 2016
87
RetroMaster
We
❤ Old Games!
Six Of The BeST…
Legends
the real stuff of legend: dragons,
ninjas, fish, and hats with bells on
Legend of
iLLusion
(Game Gear – 1995)
Ruined the ‘physical places’ naming run
of Castle, Land, and World Of Illusion, but
still firmly nuzzled the Mickey Mouse
platformer quality bar. Also hit the
Master System in Brazil only. They
ruddy loved the Master System
over there.
A
Legend Of Gaming on The Legend Of Zelda and
a further Six Of The Best Legends? That’s a
veritable league of Legends in four pages. After
deciding Six Of The Best Zelda Clones would be
a bit too dismissive, we kept all our contenders
on a legendary level. Of course, in the limitless
world of videogames, we’ve led more irrepressible heroes on
astonishing quests than we’ve had peppermint Aeros, so making a
manageable shortlist meant relegating anything that wasn’t a
direct ‘Legend Of’ something. Suddenly, only doddering arcade
ninja-fest The Legend Of Kage clearly predated The Legend Of
Zelda – but dozens of more reputable games ran with the naming
convention in years to follow. Not just your usual high fantasy
bobbins either! Quite a lot, though, now you mention it… n
The Legend of The
MysTicaL ninja
(SNES – 1994)
The first international outing of scrappy
little ninja Goemon. Like a more sedate
Japanese Castle Crashers taped to a 2D
platformer and littered with off-the-wall
minigames (from air hockey to a
Gradius knock-off). Plus,
shoulder-riding co-op mode!
The Legend of
dragoon
(PS1 – 2001)
The PS1 did love its RPG Legends: Mana,
Legaia, and this one to name a few.
Developed by Sony, Dragoon related
hero Dart’s epic beef with the Sandora
Empire across four discs, rivalling
even those known dragonfanciers at Square.
The Legend of
Kyrandia
(PC, Mac, Amiga – 1992)
Before Command & Conquer,
Westwood Studios shaped a trilogy of
lovingly-animated point-and-click
fantasies beginning here, as Prince
Brandon faced down a regicidal
jester by the chilling name of
Malcolm. No! Not Malcolm!
grab Bag
Retro gems from every era
Awesome Boss!
Legend of Kay
(PS2 – 2005)
Zelda-esque shenanigans with a feisty
cat-boy taking on gorillas and rats in a
world thrumming with Ancient Chinese
vibes. Never quite top tier (the voice
acting least of all), but we have to
admit it had a lot of heart. Returned
in Anniversary form last year.
Parodius
Format SNES, Game Boy, NES Developer Konami Released 1992
Konami’s self-bullying shooter Parodius Da! came to the SNES as
just Parodius, and almost immediately had you fighting the Cat
Battleship Mk I: a cat-headed flying pirate ship full of penguins. It
wasn’t even the level 1 end boss (that was a giant pink pirate
penguin, naturally) and later games made it a submarine and a
train, but you never forget your first cat-faced transport boss.
Classic Moment!
star ocean: Till the end of Time
Format PS2 Developer Tri-Ace Released 2004
This third RPG in the series carried a hell of a twist for anyone who
made it to the final act. God-tier spoiler alert: your party learned
that their entire universe was an MMO, and went on to battle
Luther, president of the company that made this ‘Eternal Sphere’,
as he gradually and unstoppably deleted the world because you’d
convinced him it was full of bugs. Deep, man.
Legend of The
river King
Remake Request!
(Game Boy, GBC – 1997)
Natsume’s other pastoral series, just as
irresistible as Harvest Moon. 70% fishing,
20% shopping, 10% punching the local
wildlife – all to find the magic Guardian
Fish to cure your dying sister. JRPG
medicine. Don’t question it.
human Killing Machine
Format Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, C64, Spectrum
Developer Tiertex Released 1989
The lost game of the Street Fighter series, mainly because it was a
pseudo-sequel to SFII’s home versions commissioned by US Gold,
not Capcom. Only the tech was reused: the fighters (including
hero Kwon, terrorist boss Merkeva, and Russian dog Shepski)
were all new. Seeing it modernised would be a weird thrill.
august 2016
89
CultureMaster
The Outer Regions Of Gaming!
froM Consoles
to CaMeras
We go behind the scenes on Youtube’s biggest live
gaming recreations with Real Life Hitman’s Shaz
Abdullah and uncharted In Real Life’s Zeb Jackson
W
e’ve all had that moment where we
wished the real world could be
more like our favourite games, but
there are some people out there
who aren’t content to let that
feeling lie. Time for us to catch up
with Realm Pictures’ Shaz Abdullah and Zeb Jackson
from Freakin Rad, two determined YouTubers each
doing their part to bring virtual worlds to life.
We’ve spoken to Abdullah before about Realm Pictures’
incredible Chatroulette-based Real Life FPs (see issue
297!), and it was precisely because of that project that
the team became involved in creating an interactive
Hitman level. “We were first contacted directly by
IO-Interactive about a week after Level 1 of that went
online – as soon as they floated the idea of doing a real
life Hitman, we knew we had to do it!” he says. Not only
was this a far bigger production, it had the added
challenges of an open-world environment with all the
choices of a traditional Agent 47 mission. On the day, our
favourite barcoded baldie was in the hands of popular
Youtube stars, and even the Chuckle Brothers.
90
August 2016
the team shot in the enormous Oldway Mansion in
Devon, and in trying to make sure it was as authentic as
possible, Abdullah had a challenge more tricky than an
Elusive target. “My next step after we had confirmation
was to create a scale 3D model of the entire building and
all its rooms from blueprints, and then use that within
the game’s engine, unity, to create a rough third person
game which we could walk around in and mimic what
we were going to do in real life,” he explains.
“this really helped being able to plan out routes
through the building, what gags we could have happen
and where, and to get a rough idea of what that would
look like on camera. We did our best to account for what
would happen for all manner of things the player
wanted to do and made sure of things in advance like
costume. Every single one during shooting had velcro
quick-release so 47 could change quickly!” Agent 47,
voiced by David Bateson as in the games, but played by
Realm’s Liam, caused chaos in many playthroughs, but
some players did manage to guide him through
stealthily. the Chuckle Brothers, unfortunately, were
disturbingly deadly, murdering a guard with chants of
“to me, to you”. Childhood: destroyed.
During the Uncharted shoot, the team was constantly
interrupted by hail and rain.
Nate expectations
While Realm Pictures used a steadicam to capture the
action, the us-based Freakin Rad team had other plans
for their one-shot recreation of an uncharted level. the
utah team used a drone to follow their Drake as he
rescues Elena from an enemy camp, complete with
plenty of gunshots, explosions, and even a car chase.
“One of the things we strive to do is create things that
no one has seen before. One thing we talked about was,
how do we do a single take, but also include a car chase,”
explains Jackson. “the only solution was a drone. We
practiced several times with it to make sure that it would
fit in certain doorways, and that we could manoeuvre it
“we created a scale
3d model of the
building in the
game’s engine”
GloBal
Master
gaming-inspired rides
from around the world
Oldway Mansion had been empty for three years –
giving the team plenty of creative freedom.
That looks like it’s going to hurt. Some players were a
little… overzealous with their pistols.
Relay Race
The Mass Effect: New Earth ride
at California’s Great America
theme park in the USA combos
up special effects and live
performances in a ‘4D
holographic journey’. You’ll don
3D glasses before being
juddered around on a tour of
the galaxy, complete with the
original voice actors.
Not only did players miss the opportunity to intercept a pizza delivery to steal a costume, but they also ignored
the chance to spike a guard’s tea with laxatives. Poor show.
Freakin Rad has also worked on other video game
recreations, including a hilarious Halo vs Destiny
showdown. the full-time team of five has its very own
in-house gunsmith, and they love getting cosplayers to
star in their creations. their gaming
After a week of pre-production, the team
work is very much a labour of love.
headed into the desert for a one day
THIS! SEE THIS! SEE THIS! SEE
“As filmmakers sometimes it’s
shoot and managed to nail it over
EE
hard to make the content that you
the course of 19 full takes. “We
want to make. In this industry a lot
fought a lot of things on set. timing
of times we’re shooting
everyone’s action, making sure
commercials for other brands, or
everyone was where they were
helping on bigger projects that we
supposed to be, when they were
Watch Agent 47 in action on
didn’t design,” explains Jackson.
supposed to be there, and then at
YouTube here:
http://bit.ly/gmhitmanreal
“We as a group love games and
the end of it, flying a drone and
and Drake here:
movies, which is a great platform
making sure that we caught the
http://bit.ly/gmunchartedreal
for us to express our creativity
action in the shot,” recalls Jackson.
because there are millions of
“Luckily, everyone had knowledge
other people that share the same
of stunt falling, and we had a stunt
likes and dislikes as us. Plus
choreographer friend on set helping
bringing to life these characters that you never would
everyone be as safe as possible. the only small accident
have thought possible is super fun and exciting.” We’ve
we had was at the end of the video one of the bad guys
been inspired – fetch a red hat and a pair of overalls,
jumps out of the car and rolls and on the first or second
we’re going to make a film of our own… n Louise Blain
take he got the wind knocked out of him.”
without it being too cumbersome, and it ended up
working better than anticipated.”
Watch
this
IS! SEE THIS! SEE THIS! SEE TH
TH
SEE THIS! SEE THIS! SEE THIS! S
Rad state
SEE THIS! SEE THIS! SEE THIS!
IS!
Gives you
RiNGs
Because you’ve
always
wondered what
it would be like
to curl up into a
ball and hurtle
sideways at a great
rate of knots. The pinballthemed Sonic Spinball
rollercoaster at Alton Towers
can’t quite manage that, but
spins you teacup style while
speeding along the tracks at
60km/h. Pass the sick bag.
copyRiGht waR
In the world’s worst
kept secret that
lawyers still
haven’t been able
to close since its
2011 opening,
there’s an
unofficial World Of
Warcraft theme park in
Changzhou in China. World
Joyland has shamelessly stolen
slews of Warcraft art for its $48
million venture, complete with
Pandaren noodle bars.
August 2016
91
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“Just to clarify – Ben Griffin: not a real murderer”
“I want that wall in my face. I’m all about that wall”
“I think people probably know
who Barack Obama’s wife is”
“Ben’s made my arms fall off”
“If you look closely, it looks like he’s
punching a Pokémon in the head”
“I should have picked a
better hacker name.
Like Tiger Man”
“If you find a demon, just see Tracy in HR”
Join Matt, Robin, and Ben for spicy
gaming chat in GM’s brand new
podcast, available every two weeks on
iTunes or at www.bit.ly/gmmastercast
Next MoNth…
GamesMaster 307
oN sale 11 august
THe NexT STep IN TAcTIcAL MuLTIpLAyer AcTION
ALSO NEXT ISSUE...
PREVIEWED
REVIEWED
• Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
• No Man’s Sky
• Watch Dogs 2
• Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• For Honor
• Star Ocean: Integrity & Faithlessness
Due to the unpredictable nature of the gaming world, all contents are subject to change.
gAME guIDE
Welcome to gm’s carefully collated list of the most essential gaming
experiences you can undertake right now. If even one of the 50
games on here has passed you by, get a shift on post-haste
1
2
3
4
5
DARK SOuLS III
THE LAST OF uS
THE WITcHER 3: WILD HuNT
gRAND THEFT AuTO V
MARIO KART 8
The first game might be closer to
fans’ hearts, but this is Souls – and
gaming – at its current-gen finest.
Naughty Dog brings all of its strengths
to the fore, fusing engaging gameplay
with stunning storytelling.
An epic proposition that truly lives up
to its promise. Engaging, mature, and
unbelievably vast.
The most comprehensive sandbox
going, full of wonderful distractions
and typical Rockstar humour.
Reinvention is what Ninty does best,
and nowhere is that more apparent
than in this joyous karter reborn.
PS4 / XO / PC
11
PS4 / PS3
PS4 / XO / PC
12
METAL gEAR SOLID V:
THE PHANTOM PAIN
PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360
Hideo’s last hurrah brings open-world
action to the revered series.
21
13
MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF
MORDOR PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360
41
PS4 / PC / PS Vita
15
SuPER MARIO MAKER
ROcKET LEAguE
One year and three chunks of DLC later
and Bungie has finally made Destiny
the shooter-RPG it was meant to be.
An engrossing mystery that makes us
believe in FMV again. Utterly,
wonderfully unique.
The most brilliantly accessible level
creation game around, dripping with
Nintendo’s slick signature style.
2015’s surprise hit combines football
and motors to create an amazingly
universal multiplayer experience.
PC / Mobile
Wii U
23
HOTLINE MIAMI
35
STREET FIgHTER V
BATTLEFIELD 4
PS4 / PC
PS4 / XO / PC
43
PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360 / Mobile
XO / PC
34
FAR cRY PRIMAL
TALES FROM THE BORDERLANDS
RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER
PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360
33
PS Vita
25
DISHONORED
PS4
TEARAWAY
PS4 / XO / PC
24
BLOODBORNE
PS4 / PC / PS3 / PS Vita / Mobile
42
NIDHOgg
14
HER STORY
PS4 / XO / PS3 / 360
32
31
Wii U
DESTINY: THE TAKEN KINg
22
guILD WARS 2: HEART OF
THIORNS PC
PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360
PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360
44
uNcHARTED: THE NATHAN DRAKE
cOLLEcTION PS4
45
DOTA 2
HALO 5: guARDIANS
PC
XO
FORMAT
BuYER’S guIDE
Just bought a spanking new
console? Configured a new rig?
or perhaps you’ve a new
handheld ready to go?
Whichever machine you’ve got,
gm is here to ensure you’re
clued in on the top exclusives
96
August 2016
1
THE LAST OF uS REMASTERED
2
3
4
JOuRNEY
2
uNcHARTED 4
TOWERFALL AScENSION
5
HALO 5: guARDIANS
1
BLOODBORNE
5
1
KALIMBA
3
FORzA HORIzON 2
4
QuANTuM BREAK
ORI & THE BLIND FOREST
2
MARIO KART 8
SuPER MARIO MAKER
3
4
5
SPLATOON
BAYONETTA 2
SuPER MARIO 3D WORLD
This month Robin
enjoys a murky
decanter of Dragon’s
Dogma: Dark Arisen
Rare is the RPG that makes a quest feel truly epic,
but Dragon’s Dogma could make a trip to the corner
shop feel like a heroic ordeal. Every journey through
its unique and dangerous world is a life or death
struggle, and a race to make it home before the arrival
of the game’s most terrifying foe: the night. Despite
some rough edges and a couple of odd design
decisions, it’s a game you can truly lose yourself in.
Missed it on console? This PC re-release is the perfect
chance to make up for that mistake. Oh, and make sure
you keep going until you get the real ending.
6
7
JOuRNEY
PS4 / PS3
This intensely emotional trip through a
strange, beautiful world is a truly
spellbinding display of games as art.
8
uNcHARTED 4:
A THIEF’S END
An incredible end to one of the most
spectacular series in games.
17
10
OVERWATcH
TOWERFALL AScENSION
XcOM 2
A wonderous foray into first-person
shooting from the World Of Warcraft
dev – essential for team players.
Still nothing on current-gen has come
close to matching the multiplayer
thrills found in this twitchy battler.
Turn-based strategy gold that doesn’t
pull its punches. Try not to get too
attached to your soldiers, eh?
PS4 / XO / PC
PS4 / PS3
16
9
PS4 / PC / PS Vita
18
PC
19
20
FALLOuT 4
SPLATOON
SPELuNKY
THE WALKINg DEAD
PORTAL 2
A hundred little improvements over its
predecessor make this trip to the
wasteland one worth booking.
Injects more fun and colour into the
online shooter genre than we
would’ve thought possible.
Tight, brutally challenging, and
endlesly replayable – this is the
defining action roguelike.
Both seasons display some of the
finest storytelling in videogames.
Effortlessly combines pitch-perfect
puzzling with perhaps gaming’s best
ever comedy writing.
PS4 / XO / PC
Wii U
26
PS4 / PC / PS3 / 360 / PS Vita
27
ROcK BAND 4
28
FIRE EMBLEM FATES
PS4 / XO
ELITE DANgEROuS
3DS
47
46
SALT & SANcTuARY
PC
XcOM 2
HER STORY
1
2
3
5
2
guILD WARS 2
4
DOTA 2
TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER
SuPERHOT
3
5
PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360
50
49
LuIgI’S MANSION 2: DARK MOON
PC
80 DAYS
3DS
1
POKéMON X AND Y
2
3
4
1
2
gRAVITY RuSH
3
4
80 DAYS
FTL: FASTER THAN LIgHT
VELOcITY 2X
zERO EScAPE: VIRTuE’S LAST REWARD
5
PC / Mobile
TEARAWAY
PERSONA 4 gOLDEN
ANIMAL cROSSINg: NEW LEAF
MONSTER HuNTER 4 uLTIMATE
ALIEN ISOLATION
Wii U
STELLARIS
LuIgI’S MANSION 2: DARK MOON
4
40
SuPER MARIO 3D WORLD
PC / XO
FIRE EMBLEM FATES
1
3DS
39
48
TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER
PS4 / PC
POKéMON X & Y
PS4 / XO / PC
38
ANIMAL cROSSINg: NEW LEAF
XO / PC
30
DOOM
Wii U
37
PC / PS3 / 360
29
BAYONETTA 2
3DS
36
PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360 /
PS Vita / Mobile
SORcERY 3
HEARTHSTONE: HEROES OF WARcRAFT
5
PAPERS PLEASE
August 2016
97
GM’s super-hard
The Legend Of
Zelda
CHARACTER QUIZ
Can you name these forgotten favourites?
Can you recite each line of
The Wind Waker’s dialogue
from memory? Do you know
how to play Saria’s Song on a
real life ocarina? Do you hum
the treasure box opening
jingle whenever you open
your sock drawer in the
morning? If your answer is
yes to any of these then you
can call yourself a Zelda fan.
But can you name these
characters from the series
from their silhouettes and a
few quotes alone? Find the
answers below to see just
how clued-in you really are…
1. The BroTher from
AnoTher moTher
“I love vases… I just don’t
understand how people can
break them!”
“That Biggoron! No matter
how often I ask, he won’t
give me his vase! I’d give my
dinner for it. Fish!”
2. The Pokémon wAnnABe
“I’ll give you a ride
anywhere. But water is my
weakness. The shallow stuff
is one thing, but I can’t take
deep water, so be careful.”
“I can help you if you like. If I
hear your Strange Flute, I’ll
come find you.”
3. The Ace of sPADes
4. The BAD eDucATion
5. The ???
“I’m not going to give up. I’ll
keep asking you until you
say yes. That’s how I courted
my current wife, you know.”
“Although I may be a school
teacher, I have a certain…
flair about me, don’t you
think?”
“You can look at stuff, but
don’t you dare just take
things.”
“Hey kid! Don’t mess around
with the graves!”
“Even though I wait
patiently for those boys to
show up, they never come.”
“Time is money. If you’re
done shopping, then quit
wasting both.”
Answers: 1 - Ingo (Ocarina Of Time, Oracle Of Ages, Oracle Of Seasons) 2 - Moosh (Oracle Or Ages, Oracle Of Seasons) 3 - Dampé (Ocarina Of Time, Majora’s
Mask, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, A Link Between Worlds) 4 - Mrs. Marie (The Wind Waker) 5 - Malo (Twilight Princess)
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