Home//PLAY/December 2017/In This Issue
PLAY|December 2017WelcomeGAME OF THE MONTHHobFAVOURITE GAME DOG?Jake (Dog’s Life)Dogs in games – how can you not love a game that’s willing to put man’s best friend front and centre? Our cover game, Far Cry 5, does just that. And we’re willing to bet its star-in-waiting Boomer is going to capture your heart. Of course there’s more to Far Cry 5 than a literal gun dog, as Ben discovered when he paid a visit to Ubisoft Montreal for an exclusive look at the game. Read his impressions, and see more of Boomer, on page 52.Back in the UK, I got to put Dragon Ball FighterZ’ online credentials to the test. Read how Bandai Namco’s brawler performed on page 32. Then, of course, there’s another 2018 hit-in-waiting in Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2.…1 min
PLAY|December 201702 Guerrilla looks to broaden its HorizonWith the release of Aloy’s debut DLC on 7 November, there’s a lot of mystery about what Horizon Zero Dawn – The Frozen Wilds will offer returning fans. Well, we’re far too eager to return to this world to wait until then (and you might already be playing it), so we are going straight to the developer to find out what to expect.“ALOY WILL HAVE NEW TRICKS AND ITEMS.”WINTER IS COMINGWhile we saw at E3 that the Banuk will play a large part in The Frozen Wilds, lead writer Ben McCaw sheds some light on their situation in this expansion: “What we’re seeing in the DLC is a border zone between the Carja and the Banuk, it’s a disputed territory, it’s a very dangerous territory. It’s also primarily inhabited by…3 min
PLAY|December 201705 Sony updates PS VR in JapanJapan is getting a brand-new, revamped PS VR headset, processing unit, and PS Move controllers. The changes can be seen as cosmetic for the most part, with a slimmer external unit, tidier cables, and built in earbuds – the earphone cable now goes up inside the headset.However, there are some performance tweaks that catch the eye. The new processor now offers HDR ‘pass through’ so you won’t need to unplug the unit to watch HDR on your TV. It also means you can enjoy HDR content using PS VR even if your TV itself doesn’t support HDR output.The changes are small enough to ensure current PS VR owners shouldn’t feel the need to replace their units, but significant enough to encourage new players to pick up PS VR. More so,…1 min
PLAY|December 2017info patchesMOVING HOUSESony CEO Andrew House has been made chairman, and he’s being replaced by John Kodera. Why do we care? Because Kodera was the brainchild behind launching the PlayStation Now streaming service. In fact, Kodera is a fan of cloud-based gaming, which could influence development of PlayStation 5.FUN IN THE SHADEThe perfect antidote to the war-worn realism of Call Of Duty: WWII, Black Riddles Studio’s cel-shaded shooter Crazy Justice feels like a throwback to TimeSplitters. Featuring single-player, split-screen co-op, and online multiplayer, as well as locations as varied as the North Pole and Egypt, it’s, erm, crazy.ARCADE (SUPER) HITStreet Fighter V: Arcade Edition, a free update for current players, is releasing in January. The new content includes Arcade Mode, which celebrates 30 years of super combos – fight in six…1 min
PLAY|December 201709 Headphones to kill for?Want to listen to the sweet sounds of ancient Egypt with clarity and depth? Then you need to hurry over to the Ubisoft Store to order Focal’s limited-edition version of its Listen Wireless headphones. Ubisoft and Focal have just 2,222 of the dark blue headphones, adorned with swish gold Assassin’s Creed detailing.“TOURNAIRE SPENT MONTHS CREATING TEN HEADPHONES.”Featuring Bluetooth tech to go cord-free, and offering around 20 hours of lifespan before recharging, the Assassin’s Creed Origins: Listen Wireless headphones look like a great way to immerse yourself in the bustling markets and gladiatorial combat of Ubisoft’s latest release. As a bonus, the headphones come with ‘clear voice capture’ technology to ensure your game-chat is crisp and sound.While the Assassin’s Creed Origins Listen Wireless headphones will set you back a bank-account-busting €249,…1 min
PLAY|December 2017CAN I GET A RT?@ONLY___FOOLSYes yes YES yes yes yes yes yes yee yes yes YES YES yes yes YES Yes@ADAMJT74Some time off work for gaming in 2017 is what I need@JUSTANUDERGAMERScrew the PS5, unless it has PS4 backwards compatibility (at the least it won’t be worth having.@BYRONB1986Remember when you paid for a game and were allowed to play it when you wanted?@JOHNTWOKWonder how @OPM_UK are going to change their tweet segment for 280 character update@CARLAGEDDONWhilst you fine folks are working on the next issue please give #Dungeons3 the love it deservesTROLL OF THE MONTH@TITANA_FLAMESIf you love Dark Souls never try that Lords of the sh*t@TOMKINSTWEETSCan someone tell me what was wrong with GTA 4? I found it a really interesting game. #GTA4@CREAMYELEPHANTI just want to know about a Doom sequel@DANSENIOR13Hi guys, will you…1 min
PLAY|December 2017Jess KinghornSeptember saw Final Fantasy IX re-released onto the PlayStation store. Now has never been a better time to replay the classic… and learn a new language. Any aspiring polyglot, myself included, will tell you how valuable books, films, and music are when you set your sights on a new target language but I’ve learnt, in my endless quest to brush up on my German, that games are especially effective tools.It’s their essential interactivity that makes games so suited to language practice. When socio-cultural theorist Lev Vygotsky postulated interaction as a key part of language acquisition, I know this isn’t quite what he meant, but hear me out. Whereas a film will play quite happily whether you understand it or not, a game will constantly test your understanding and withhold content…3 min
PLAY|December 2017HONOURABLE MENTIONSMonster Hunter: WorldThe series may be getting ‘modernised’, but maintaining rituals are important in Japan, so long live cooking animations.CatherineIt’s not just the non-Western representations of women that make this distinctly Japanese, it’s also nightmarishly difficult.Hatoful BoyfriendVisual novels and dating sims are popular in Japan, but flirting with super-intelligent pigeons is on a whole other plane.Did we miss your favourite Japanese game? Got a brilliant In The Mood For? Tell us at twitter.com/opm_uk.…1 min
PLAY|December 2017The online ball1 Your first decision to make in the online hub is who to be? We choose bald-headed Krillin. Entering the custom menu we alter his orange jimjams to purple.2 Now it’s time to enter a tournament. We do this by speaking to the organiser, and our chibi hero enters the ring and waits for a match. It takes minutes.3 And we’re off! First choose a pre-assigned line-up, then enter the match. Our threesome get hammered but it looks amazing, and feels great.4 After a couple of matches we need to learn the pro secrets, so we visit the Replay Theatre to view matches and see the control inputs used. Knowledge is power.…1 min
PLAY|December 2017on the boxDEATH STRANDINGA tanker has run aground and there’s oil everywhere. There’s no wildlife to be seen – which leaves you with nothing to do but scrub those hydrocarbon-slick rocks. Hit your target within the time limit, then… scrub more rocks.FORMAT PS4 ETA 2018REALMS OF ARKANIA – BLADE OF DESTINYSet out on a dangerous quest to find your clothes and work out how such small wings can make a grown man fly. Classic RPG gaming at its very best.FORMAT PS4 ETA 31 DECDEMON’S AGETolkien’s forgotten first cousin twice removed, IPP Tolkien, penned this epic RPG in which a band of merry small people return lost jewellery to an angry man in a tower. Sounds familiar. Very familiar.FORMAT PS4 ETA 1 DEC…1 min
PLAY|December 2017Build-a-bloodsucker1 Your avatar in Code Vein is the hero character, so you can let your inner anime star shine with a few button pushes. We’re looking smart casual here.2 Everything can be tweaked, including your character’s gender, body type, skin colour, face and eye shape, eye size and colour, and hairstyle.3 Clothing, or what the game refers to as ‘inner clothes’, can be altered, including type, colour, patterns, and the shape and size of collars and sleeves.4 You can also create makeup, face-paint designs and devise stamp-like tattoos to place on your hero’s bod. We’re going full goth for this vamp design.…1 min
PLAY|December 2017FE“FE IS A NIMBLE LITTLE DEVIL WHO CAN SCURRY UP TREES OR GLIDE DISTANCES.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 / PUB EA ORIGINALS / DEV ZOINK GAMESYou’ll be left speechless by Zoink Games’ meditation on the power of nature. But luckily you can toot your own horn, as it were, to communicate with the weird and wonderful creatures you meet on your journey of discovery. Are you ready for Fe’s magical, musical odyssey?Waking in a dark forest, full of dangerous beauty, little Fe – an adorable cub-like creature – must explore his new world and survive. The game is being designed so you can build your own narrative; it’s not an A-to-B adventure, but a story that runs through the entire alphabet to reach its conclusion. And the world is…2 min
PLAY|December 2017WIN! A BUNDLE OF FINAL FANTASY COLLECTIBLES!With the cold winter nights approaching why not cheer yourself up with these amazing Final Fantasy goodies? You’ll get a massive bundle of loot if you win our competition.One lucky winner will receive the Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood – Collector’s Edition, which features the Stormblood special art box, an expertly crafted Zenos yae Galvus figure, the Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood artbook, cloth map of Eorzea, a Stormblood logo sticker, and bonus in-game items: Syldra Mount, Wind-up Bartz Minion, and Chicken Knife.The winner will also get a Final Fantasy XIV watch by Storm, a Final Fantasy shoulder bag, a gold brick memory stick, and a highly collectible Final Fantasy XIV Moogle Christmas edition plush toy! Plus, they’ll get a Moogle projection clock too!Four runners up will each receive a Final Fantasy…1 min
PLAY|December 2017UNDER THE INFLUENCEINSPIRED BY: PAC-MAN (1980, NAMCO)You know, Pac-Man. The mechanic of switching between hunted and hunter, and the top-down perspective, were major influences according to David Jones.INSPIRED BY: TURBO ESPRIT (1986, MIKE RICHARDSON)A little-known ZX Spectrum game from back in the mists of time – well, 1986 – which offered free-roaming city driving with pedestrians and traffic lights.INSPIRED BY: CARMAGEDDON (1997, STAINLESS GAMES)Released just months before GTA and also publicised by Max Clifford, Carmageddon sparked a debate about videogame violence that DMA was able to dine out on.WOULD INSPIRE: THE GETAWAY (2002, TEAM SOHO)Razzing about in a Saab through the streets of London, fleeing the police and shooting anyone in your way? Nah, can’t see a link here.WOULD INSPIRE: SAINTS ROW (2006, VOLITION)An almost like-for-like recreation of GTA III with the…1 min
PLAY|December 2017OPM SCORESGOLD AWARDAwarded to a game that’s brilliantly executed on every level, combining significant innovation, near-flawless gameplay, great graphics and lasting appeal.EDITOR’S AWARDNot at the very highest echelon, but this is a game that deserves recognition and special praise based on its ambition, innovation or other notable achievement.10 INCREDIBLEThe kind of phenomenal experience rarely seen in a console generation.9 OUTSTANDINGUnreservedly brilliant – this should be in every collection.8 VERY GOODA truly excellent game, marred by just a few minor issues.7 GOODA great concept unfulfilled or the familiar done well, but still well worth playing.6 DECENTFun in parts, flawed in others, but more right than wrong.5 AVERAGEWhat you expect and little more, this is for devotees only.4 BELOW AVERAGEAny bright ideas are drowning in a sea of bugs or mediocrity.3 POORA seriously…1 min
PLAY|December 2017DISHONORED: DEATH OF THE OUTSIDER“VENGEANCE IS A RUNNING THEME, BUT MOST OF THIS PLAYS OUT LIKE A HEIST.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB BETHESDADEV ARKANE STUDIOSAnother minor character gets their own stand-alone game to finish a big series? It’s easy to assume that Dishonored’s Billie is just, ahem, Lurking in the shadows of Uncharted’s Chloe and Nadine. But it’s a welcome trend, and Death Of The Outsider aptly ties up Arkane’s murky world of assassinations.Vengeance is a running theme in Dishonored, and that’s still the case here as your one last job is to kill the Outsider, the black-eyed figure responsible for most of the series’ events. So it’s a surprise to find that most of it plays out more like a heist. The elaborate centrepiece is, in fact, a bank job, offering different entry routes…2 min
PLAY|December 2017RADIAL-G: RACING REVOLVEDINFOFORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB FREESTYLE INTERACTIVE DEV TAMMEKA GAMESEver wanted to feel like a nit pirouetting around a strand of tangled hair? Then this latest PS VR sci-fi racer gets you a little closer to that somewhat weird and very specific hair-twirling obsession.In many ways Radial-G is WipEout turned inside out: you race around the outside of tubes, not on the inside of them. It’s a subtle shift, but one that fits the 360-degree nature of virtual reality. These cylinders stretch into epic curls of piping that, over the course of 20 career events, unfurl into mazey conduits of occasional fun.At times Radial-G is a fast and twitchy slalom of boost pads and high jumps, speed-sapping energy barriers and incredibly frustrating car combat. But for the most…2 min
PLAY|December 2017PROJECT CARS 2“SEEING A SPINNER AHEAD AND NARROWLY AVOIDING A T-BONE IS REMINISCENT OF RACE DRIVER GRID.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB BANDAI NAMCODEV SLIGHTLY MAD STUDIOSYou could fairly say that if any game ever needed a sequel, Project Cars is it. A victim of its own ambition, the original just needed more stable performance, more atmosphere, fewer bugs, and better handling to be the best sim on console. Infuriatingly, Project Cars 2 is just Project Cars with knobs on, with all its core problems intact. Dang.We’ll come to its problems shortly, but there’s loads to celebrate if you look at it in isolation. It’s a gargantuan, detail fetishist’s dream of a racing sim. When it’s at its best, in series like the Sportscar Lites or Formula Rookie, it’s at the top of the…7 min
PLAY|December 2017FRAGMENTS OF HIMINFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SASSYBOT DEV SASSYBOTMany modern games have a penchant for pulling on the old heartstrings, but rarely is death felt so staunchly than in Fragments Of Him. Bereft of all but the most basic of interactive elements, this narrative adventure is steeped in sorrow as it explores the anguish caused by the sudden loss of a loved one, and acts as a delicate reminder to cherish those we hold dear.The story revolves around Will, the victim of a fatal car accident. He features briefly, but his character is primarily fashioned by those closest to him as they tenderly reminisce on past events. Its remarkable poignancy is all the more potent thanks to some exceptional voice work by the game’s meagre cast, comprised of just four…1 min
PLAY|December 2017GUNDAM VERSUS“BLASTING AROUND IN A MECHANICAL MONSTROSITY IS A GIDDY POWER FANTASY.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB BANDAI NAMCODEV BANDAI NAMCOAt first glance, this looks like the ultimate piece of wish fulfilment. Blasting around an arena in a high-powered mechanical monstrosity, pulling off outrageous special moves until your foes explode into flaming balls of death while your anime pilot chuckles – it’s an exhilarating power fantasy. Initially, though, unless you’re particularly au fait with previous Gundam titles, you’re more likely to find yourself cast as the exploding mech than the slick hero.While first impressions might suggest a lighthearted, cartoon-inspired hack-and-slasher, real discipline is required here, and button mashing will see your mech turned to junk in all but the easiest modes. The standard movement speed of all the robotic mobile suits (known in-game…2 min
PLAY|December 2017WHAT WE’RE PLAYING NOWDESTINY 2Milford Coppock is enjoying ‘playing’ Bungie’s latestWell, I say playing, but that’s not strictly true. More like playing briefly before abruptly being returned to orbit, or even entering unpopulated levels. You see, Bungie insists on using certain ports on my router that the manufacturer prevents people from using, so my experience of Bungie’s persistently online shooter is not what you could call smooth. There’s no doubt that it’s created a great game, but it’s just that I’m struggling to actually, you know, play it. I know I’m in the minority, but come on Bungie, sort it out!RAIDERS OF THE BROKEN PLANETIan Dean finds he’s encouraged to trollDumped into a bizarre world of bikini-clad cybernetic snipers and naked musclemen, Raiders is an unusual shooter. As an Antagonist tasked with ruining…1 min
PLAY|December 2017PES 2018INFOFORMAT PS4PUB KONAMIDEV KONAMIREVIEW 141, 9/10While on the pitch PES 2018 plays a fine game of football, getting to the pitch can be a little frustrating. The matchmaking system feels like a step back on PES 2017, with often misaligned team strength and performance match-ups. Currently myClub ranked 543, I’m often pitted against players levelled 800 with a team of superstars. It’s a system that will likely be ironed out as more players join, but these first weeks are a frustrating penance for the game we love. Alleviating the pad-scrunching problem is the new 3v3 co-op mode, which evens out the playing field and makes you consider your passing and movement. Online PES 2018 is a welcome change of pace, once you’re properly matched.VERDICTArguably still PS4’s best simulation of football,…1 min
PLAY|December 2017ALSO ON PSNCHARACTER PASSMarvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite’s getting six new fighters, including Black Panther, Sigma from Mega Man, and a Monster Hunter from… well, Monster Hunter.TORTUGAInfinite Minigolf lives up to its name with 108 new holes in the pirate-themed land of Tortuga. Sinking putts has never been so arrr-mazing. [You’re fired – pun ed.]SPRING BREAK ‘84Friday The 13th says hello to the flesh parade, as this cosmetic pack brings in all sorts of revealing, retro clothes for its summer camp machete fodder to “wear”.HALLOWEEN COSTUMESStreet Fighter V gets in the spooky spirit with premium cosmetics. Our fave? It has to be vampiric Vega. He’ll scratch us if we say anyone else.READY TO RACEAssetto Corsa’s getting more cars that will go very fast on virtual tarmac, but realistically so. We could name them,…1 min
PLAY|December 2017COMING SOONTRANS- FORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT 30 OCTAnthony Hopkins threatens the British Prime Minister with the autobot that assassinated Hitler.THE 30 OCT VILLAINESSThis kick-ass Korean Nikita features the best action sequences of the year, including a sword fight mid-motorbike chase.IT COMES 30 OCT AT NIGHTThis slow-burn horror about life after an apocalyptic viral outbreak trades in skin-crawling paranoia rather than jump scares.ALL EYEZ ON ME 30 OCTDemetrius Shipp Jr. is the spitting image of legendary East Coast rapper Tupac Shakur in this hard-hitting hip-hop biopic.YOUR NAME 06 NOVMakoto Shinkai’s fantasy romance about a bodyswapping boy and girl connected across space and time is the highest-grossing anime of all time.WESTWORLD 06 NOVThe first season of this series about a theme park populated by lifelike robots was inspired by games, namely Red Dead…1 min
PLAY|December 2017The Getaway“AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A STORY-DRIVEN, CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE.”INFOPUB SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENTDEV TEAM SOHO PRODUCTIONSRELEASED 2002GET IT NOW CEX, £1NEED TO KNOW1 Director Brendan McNamara later made LA Noire.2 The Getaway had a sequel, called Black Monday.3 The Getaway 3 was teased for PS3, but got cancelled.One of the ways in which the influence of GTA III manifested itself in the early noughties was through the proliferation of urban open-world crime sims, subsequently labelled ‘GTA clones’. In 2002, Team Soho’s The Getaway was one of the first of these, trading GTA’s comical outlook for a grey London of ’ard geezers, rozzers, and thugs shouting “’Ave summa thaaat!” as they shoot you.In the build-up to release, much was made of how The Getaway’s 40 square miles of accurately mapped London dwarfed GTA…3 min
PLAY|December 2017PS4 HALL OF FAMEUNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S ENDNathan Drake’s swansong is a daring evolution. It combines series-defining set-pieces, quietly devastating storytelling beats, and sprawling levels that make you feel like a real-life explorer. This franchise finale retains its signature charm, with the wisecracks flowing as fast as the bullets, while the new characters each justify their inclusion. With an astonishing attention to detail, it’s Naughty Dog’s best yet.THE LAST GUARDIANAfter a decade in development, Ueda’s PS4 debut is both a technical marvel and emotionally devastating. Trico’s mannerisms make it feel like a real creature – one we truly care about – while escaping The Nest is a captivating test. Some things are worth waiting for.METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAINWhile retaining that distinct storytelling and sense of wonder that defines an MGS…5 min
PLAY|December 2017BUBBLING UNDER Alternative picks“AMPLITUDE IS A GREAT ADVERT FOR UNLEASHING THE CREATIVITY OF STUDIOS.”PICK #1PILLARS OF ETERNITY: CEIan Dean packs up and moves into Obsidian’s celebratory role-playerHidden behind the ’90s visuals and somewhat awkward item management is an astute RPG with the kind of writing that slowly overwhelms you with its complex lore and sharp characterisation. Before I realise, Eora has become my second home. I’m moving in and warming my feet by the fire in anticipation for its epic 100-hour campaign. One of PS4’s hidden gems.PICK #2AMPLITUDEHarmonix’s eclectic rhythm-action odyssey proves Kickstarter’s worth for Ben TyrerThis crowdfunded revival of a PS2 classic still manages to be a great advert for unleashing the creativity of studios. Without the constraint of a publisher, Harmonix delivered a story mode that manages to weave original songs…1 min
PLAY|December 2017PS VITA HALL OF FAMETEARAWAYPeerless crafty platforming from Media Molecule, this time using PS Vita’s raft of touchscreen/ touchpad controls to surprise and delight you in new ways for hours on end. Full of whimsy, charm, and enough personality to put most games to shame, Tearaway’s papercraft world remains Vita’s most vibrant title.PERSONA 4: GOLDENThis thoughtful and unique JRPG epic gives you another stab at high school – only this time with intrigue and superpowers instead of nerves, acne, and an unpredictable vocal register.RAYMAN LEGENDSRather than losing its lustre on the move to PS Vita, Ray’s second slice of sumptuous side-scrolling is even better on handheld. Touchscreen gestures make this fine platformer all the sweeter.VELOCITY 2XA ludicrously enjoyable puzzle/platformer hybrid that should come with a health warning. So joyous is the side-scroller’s twin-stick teleporting,…2 min
PLAY|December 2017Testing TimesFORMAT PS4, PS3 / PUB BETHESDA / DEV MACHINEGAMES / RELEASED 2014 / SCORE 8/10What’s the worst thing that could happen when you get a cup of coffee on a train? Maybe it would be spilling some down yourself on the way back, scalding yourself and ruining a decent set of clothes. Or dropping the mug and watching your hot, refreshing caffeine slosh around your feet. Rarely would you think about a German Lieutenant Colonel stealing your drink and forcing you to prove that you’re a pure Aryan.Unfortunately for poor ol’ BJ that last possibility is exactly the situation he finds himself in early on in his cracking PS4 debut. Knowing that his blonde hair and blue eyes make it very easy for him to walk among the Nazis without…2 min
PLAY|December 2017THIS MONTH’S DOG LOVERSBen TyrerGAMES EDITORBen talked to so many devs at Ubisoft Montreal for our cover feature (page 52), he’s now got a husky voice. Strangely saucy.GAME OF THE MONTHFIFA 18FAVOURITE GAME DOG?Riley (COD: Ghosts)Phil IwaniukGUEST WRITERWe let Phil off the leash this issue to interview gamer-turned-pro-racer Jann Mardenborough. Read his story on page 72.GAME OF THE MONTHGT SportFAVOURITE GAME DOG?Amaterasu (Okami)Miriam McDonaldOPERATIONS EDITORWhen deadline looms Mim turns to her cooking skills for energy, so it’s woofles for breakfast. Just don’t try the chow chow mein.GAME OF THE MONTHDanganronpa 3FAVOURITE GAME DOG?Dogmeat (Fallout 4)Milford CoppockMANAGING ART EDITORMilf’s been hounding Ben all month for a play of Destiny2. It’s the least Ben could do for our art editor. [These puns are so corgi – ed]GAME OF THE MONTHGT SportFAVOURITE GAME DOG?Parappa The Rapper*GTA…1 min
PLAY|December 201703 Best of the best?“THE SILLY SEASON BEGAN EARLY THIS YEAR WITH UNCHARTED.”Days get shorter, leaves become scarcer and TV adverts get grander. Yes, it’s that time of year again where we need to choose a game of the year. And, as ever, we want you to take part. In issue 144 – on sale 19 December – we’ll be bringing you the results of our valiant research into what you think should be taking home the award.And what a year it’s been. Some big franchises, such as Mass Effect Andromeda, failed to deliver while old favourites came back strong – hello Crash and Sonic. While Persona 5 put JRPGs back on the PlayStation map, What Became Of Edith Finch was also seriously impressive. Plus, PS VR wasn’t to be left out; Starblood Arena,…2 min
PLAY|December 2017number game20 Years since Sucker Punch launched and gave us the Thievius Raccoonus.2,800,000 Number of copies of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy sold to date.03 GOTY editions you need this Christmas: Resi 7, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Nioh.40,000,000 Number of views Sony’s E3 Spider-Man trailer has on YouTube.5,840 Days between the release of Battlechasers issues nine and ten.3:01 Length of the new Run The Jewels song, Mean Demeanor, written for FIFA 18.08 Multiplayer maps confirmed for COD: WWII, including classic map Carentan.…1 min
PLAY|December 201707 Left Alive channels MGS“CHARACTER DESIGNS ARE BEING HANDLED BY METAL GEAR SOLID’S YOJI SHINKAWA.”With a dev team reading like a supergroup of Japanese designers and artists, the newly announced Left Alive can’t fail to excite you. The lineup for Square Enix’s third-person survival shooter includes the Front Mission series’ Shinji Hashimoto, it’s being directed by the Armored Core series’ Toshifumi Nabeshima, and character designs are being handled by none other than Metal Gear Solid’s Yoji Shinkawa. Still with us? Finally, some mech concepts are in the hands of Mobile Suit Gundam 00‘s Takayuki Yanase. We’re impressed.FULL FRONTALThe game is set in the Front Mission universe, taking place between Front Mission 5 and Front Mission Evolved. Producer Shinji Hashimoto told Japan’s Famitsu magazine: “We wanted to make a Front Mission with a new lineup.…1 min
PLAY|December 2017instant opinionMUSIC TO OUR EARSComposer Gustavo Santaolalla has said work on Last Of Us Part II will be finished by 2019. Does this mean a release date for next year? No exactly, but any Last Of Us Part II news is good news.CRASH SMASH HITActivision CEO Eric Hirshberg has said the firm’s experimenting with Crash Bandicoot, which means we could be getting more marsupial mayhem.COMICS SQUAREDSquare Enix owned New York Comic Con with playable demos of Secret Of Mana, Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT, and Lost Sphear.ANI-MADE IN THE UKBandai Namco revealed a new character creator for Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. We’re sad we can’t play as our favourite anime hero, but pleased we can make our own.RE-RE-REMASTERSCapcom’s PlayStation 3 classic Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen got a glossy remaster for PS4…1 min
PLAY|December 2017REPLIES“No-one can ever replace Lara Croft. But the new Uncharted game is really good and Chloe is a good heroine.” CATHERINE CRAIG KNOWS IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EITHER/OR “One does not simply complete Skyrim.” FERNANDO RAFAEL ALVAREZ KNOWS IT “GETTING THE PLATINUM FOR THE LAST OF US WAS ONE OF THE BEST GAMING EXPERIENCES I HAVE EVER HAD.”Wrath of CODI’ve viewed and read some of the feedback from the COD community and the reactions to the [WWII] beta seem mixed. There are definitely some haters who feel that Activision and Sledgehammer Games are destroying a gaming franchise that was once great.I feel when compared with games like Battlefield 1, Destiny 2, Titanfall 2, and Rainbow 6 Siege that the Call Of Duty franchise has placed too much importance on…3 min
PLAY|December 2017Mike Diver“STOP MAKING GAMES INTO FILMS – CHANNELS LIKE NETFLIX ARE THE NATURAL HOME FOR ADAPTATIONS.”Since the early 1990s, the film industry has “treated” us to a steady stream of motion pictures based on videogames. And they’ve been critical disasters.But it could all be so different, and the precedent’s already set. When Netflix’s Castlevania premiered in July, a four-episode precursor to a fuller second season, it was met with unanimous praise. Episodic, and animated rather than live-action, it had space to introduce the main cast to the viewer, and show why each character matters.Netflix also has The Witcher forthcoming, albeit based on author Andrej Sapkowski’s books rather than the games they inspired. But the company could, and should, be looking at games for future programming, because it’s in the episodic format…2 min
PLAY|December 2017Japan1 HATSUNE MIKU: PROJECT DIVA FUTURE TONEWhile the West fears robots going Skynet, Japan embraces them in all walks of life, from services to entertainment – even pop stardom. How else to explain the success of virtual idol Hatsune Miku? And you can experience the best of her world in this package of vocaloid rhythm heaven.2 FINAL FANTASY XVIt looks like a road trip through Americana, but at heart this is still a Japanese RPG: favouring teamwork through party-based combat, check. Impossibly spiky hair, check. Inappropriately dressed female mechanic, check. The standout feature is dinner time, when Ignus demonstrates the Japanese art of food presentation. Itadakimasu indeed!3 OKAMIIt plays like a masterpiece as much as it looks like one, the traditional Japanese art visuals not aging a day. You’re the…2 min
PLAY|December 2017DEAD RISING 4: FRANK’S BIG PACKAGE“DEAD RISING 4 HAS CRANKED THE SERIES’ EXCESSES UP TO EXTREMES.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 5 DEC / PUB CAPCOM / DEV CAPCOMThe hordes descend. Bodies are squashed into shuffling packs, seeking to satiate a hunger that can never be quelled. Those who fall risk being ground beneath a thousand feet. Yep, Christmas shopping season is nearly upon us again. Shudder.Dead Rising 4’s Frank West has a very cathartic notion of retail therapy, though. Clad in Ski Sunday Lycra, he fires his crossbow twice and two swordfish embed themselves in the heads of the freshly undead infesting the Willamette Memorial Megaplex. Over the speakers of the Caribbean Cove area, the voice of Captain Black Fridaybeard reels off some nautically-themed savings puns. On deck awaits a technological treat for West: an…4 min
PLAY|December 2017DYNASTY WARRIORS 9“WHILE WE CAN STOP FOR A SPOT OF FISHING, WE’RE REALLY ONLY BUYING TIME BETWEEN ROUNDS OF BUTTON MASHING.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA EARLY 2018 PUB OMEGA FORCE / DEV KOEI TECMOIt would take you 18 months to walk across China. We mention this because that’s what’s promised in Omega Force’s ninth Dynasty Warriors, though we imagine some gaming trickery has been used to condense that landscape down to the most memorable landmarks.Size, you see, has always been this series’ bragging right, and while all of China is explorable on foot, horse or even by swimming, standing in the way of you completing your Lonely Planet bucket list will be multiple large armies. So while we can stop for a spot of fishing or explore a quaint village market, we’re…2 min
PLAY|December 2017IRON HARVEST“IT CHARGES DOWN ITS IRON-CLAD FOE AND SHUNTS IT THROUGH A WALL AND INTO A HOUSE.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 / PUB KING ART GAMES / DEV KING ART GAMESFew games let you feel like a god. Like a proper, actual god. The diorama-based real-time strategy genre has always been the perfect choice for playing out our deity complex; watching little polygonal people scurry about and lay down their lives at the push of a button, no matter how imbecilic our tactics, is the ultimate power play.The latest game to tickle our dictatorial muscles is Iron Harvest, so called because following the Great War farmers’ ploughs would dig up shells, barbed wire, and bullets from their fields. This isn’t the World War I we’ve come to know, however. This…2 min
PLAY|December 2017EXTINCTION“WE WANTED TO MAKE A SKILL-BASED VERSION OF SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA EARLY 2018 PUB MAXIMUM GAMES / DEV IRON GALAXY“I would say it’s a fighting game meets Shadow Of The Colossus,” says Maximum Games’ executive producer Derek Neal. He has a point. This is a game of giant-slaying in which the world itself can come to your aid.“We really wanted to make a skill-based version of something like Shadow Of The Colossus, where you’re fighting against these titanic foes but in a way that isn’t puzzling and platforming, but instead leads on action,” adds Neal.A typical mission will see you pitted against up to six angry green giants, plus 50 or so minions that swarm at you. Each ogre needs to be toppled in different…1 min
PLAY|December 2017THE BAD SEEDS“WE LOB DYNAMITE AT A GAS TANKER. THE EXPLOSION CAN PROBABLY BE HEARD ACROSS THE STATE.”We’re looking down on Fall’s End (population: 35) from its water tower. At first glance, it’s the sort of unremarkable town that nobody would think twice about. The streets aren’t empty, though, they’re crawling with members of the Project At Eden’s Gate, grabbing some people and lining others up for execution in the street. They run this town. But how did it get to this point?We’ll worry about that later. Right now, our customisable hero and his dog chum Boomer are in the mood for liberation. We grab the sniper rifle and start tagging the enemies by hovering our reticule over them. There’s a church directly in front of us, with a bar, houses, and…10 min
PLAY|December 2017Telling amazing storiesWith the first episode of Life Is Strange: Before The Storm out now, and the second due for release soon, this is the perfect time to catch up with lead writer Zak Garriss to learn how the prequel came to be.Taking over the writing reins from DontNod, Deck Nine had its work cut out making the prequel series unique and compelling. Garriss discusses the challenge of writing for Chloe, bringing Rachel to life, and the pressures of ensuring a choice-led game could remain true to characters’ true selves.OPM: Through the first game you had lots of choices, then at the end it came down to a binary decision. Did you see that as a problem with this, in that it makes choice an illusion?Zak Garriss: I think it’s a good…10 min
PLAY|December 2017A WORLD WITHOUT GTA1997Starved of any better games to run people over in, gamers keep on playing Carmageddon. It becomes a best-selling classic, revered by all.1998Without GTA’s controversial PR campaign under his belt, publicist Max Clifford’s career derails. The world will never hear of Rebecca Loos, Simon Cowell, or Jade Goody.2001Madden NFL 02 is the best-selling game of the year. The 3D open world gaming revolution has yet to begin. ‘Claude’ remains an unused protagonist name.2003Little-known developer Rockstar Games releases Midnight Club II. It’s all right. Elsewhere, True Crime: Streets Of LA starts the open-world action game revolution.2004Everyone’s still playing True Crime: Streets Of LA. It becomes an undisputed all-time classic game, credited with revolutionising the industry.2008PS3 sales suffer – if only someone had made a game about Eastern European migrants doing crimes…1 min
PLAY|December 2017MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF WAR“SHELOB IS RECAST AS A SHAPE-SHIFTING FEMME FATALE – A CONTROVERSIAL CHANGE, BUT IT WORKS.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENTDEV MONOLITH PRODUCTIONSYou can, it turns out, have too much of a good thing. I’m in the middle of a territorial struggle with dozens of orcs, several trolls, swarms of insects, and even a dragon gobbing jets of flame to make it a heated battle in a very literal sense. It all looks incredible. And yet, as this titanic scrap ticks into its 20th minute, my eyes begin to glaze over. So what gives?Shadow Of War’s problem is that it subscribes to that all-too-common sequel maxim: bigger is better. It’s probably Peter Jackson’s fault. The Rings cinematic trilogy equated epic scope with an epic runtime, but he got away…7 min
PLAY|December 2017FIFA 18“YOU FEEL A THRILL FROM JUST RUNNING DOWN THE PITCH WITH THE BALL.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB EADEV EARonaldo and FIFA are a match made in the theatre of dreams. They’re equally capable of wonderful feats of ‘how did they achieve that?’ footballing brilliance while carrying a reputation for being mega-vain. No wonder they can be both be hugely divisive, inspiring lengthy/tedious pub debates about their merits. But now there’s little for pub philosophers to argue about, as they’re both at the top of their games.On the pitch, this year builds on the solid foundations of the move to the Frostbite engine with a series of small but worthwhile improvements. The most notable is the rejigging of dribbling. Last’s year welcome boost in physicality gets a counter this year with better…5 min
PLAY|December 2017WRC 7A McRae of sunshine for offroad fansINFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BIGBEN INTERACTIVE DEV KYLOTONNThe thing I like about WRC is a characteristic that could also be levelled at it as a criticism: it’s an old-school rally game. While the Dirt games have offered a bombardment of interactive motorhomes and men in snapbacks, Kylotonn’s officially licensed rally sim takes a far more traditional approach to presentation, closer to that of the old Colin McRae games than Dirt, Gran Turismo, Project Cars et al.When you enter the career mode, you don’t sit through a cavalcade of scene-setting movies, you just pick a team and start racing. You’ll start in the obscurity of Junior WRC and then work your way up to the big league over a few seasons, and it’s…2 min
PLAY|December 2017HOB“CHUNKS OF LAND RISE AND FALL IN AN INSTANT WITH A REALISTIC HEAVING WEIGHT.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB RUNIC GAMESDEV RUNIC GAMESHe looks like a Jawa cosplaying Hellboy in a clockwork world that’s forever chugging, and chiming, and cooing, but while the environment is full of mechanical music Hob’s hero never utters a note. Actions speak louder than words in Runic’s complex puzzle-platformer.The idea is simple: you have to bring the world of Hob to life and vanquish the purple goo that’s clogging up its works. Doing so is decidedly more complicated. While some games present over- and underworlds to explore, Hob entangles the two. Your actions throughout the game – whether pushing levers in a watery dungeon or pulling gears on the side of a cliff face – affect the…2 min
PLAY|December 2017NBA LIVE 18INFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB EA SPORTS DEV EA TIBURONWhat do you mean, you haven’t been following the fortunes of EA and 2K’s rival basketball franchises for the last decade? Well, here’s the CliffNotes: NBA Live was once the king of basketball games, then NBA 2K surpassed it so comprehensively that EA didn’t even bother putting a Live title out for a few years. So to say NBA Live is now truly back in the fight – well, that’s a big deal.In some ways this is a markedly better game than NBA 2K18 (p82). Microtransactions don’t lurk around every corner like they do in 2K’s game, while The One mode gives you control of a young player’s career in both the NBA and streetball tournaments, with smart design calls…2 min
PLAY|December 2017RUINERINFOFORMAT PS4 OUT NOW PUB DEVOLVER DIGITAL DEV REIKON GAMESThe opening throws you – a faceless, nameless (kinda) killer – into the heights of HEAVEN, a mega-corp at the centre of the game’s cyberpunk-plated fiction, in pursuit of a boss marked for execution. Yet this is no godly domain, no sun-kissed nirvana; this world is brutal and bloodstained, and HEAVEN’s the oppressive force keeping its population in the gutter.Rengkok, an Asian megacity of 2091, is the setting for Ruiner. Its inhabitants waste their nights in grotty bars, fist-fight in the street, and spout gibberish about “EYES”. And it’s these people who you become familiar with, after your trip to HEAVEN sees you dismembered and left for dead. Enter “Her”, a supporting character who helps stitch you up again and set…2 min
PLAY|December 2017Destiny 2“AN AMAZING SOCIAL EXPERIENCE AND A MECHANICALLY SUPERB SHOOTER.”INFOFORMAT PS4PUB ACTIVISIONDEV BUNGIEREVIEW ISSUE #141You’ve been waiting since last issue for our definitive verdict on Bungie’s always online sci-fi shooter, and now we’re ready to deliver. After pumping a further 40 hours into final retail code of Destiny 2, we can wholeheartedly say this: it’s reeeaally like the first Destiny… y’know, just a version that doesn’t want to constantly screw you over.Destiny 2 is a lot more respectful of your time than its predecessor. Once you finish its coherent (if uninspiring) campaign, the end-game levelling up process is a soothing cinch next to the convoluted systems the first game deployed. Every activity has been designed to reward your Guardian with gradually better gear and guns, and we breeze up to a…2 min
PLAY|December 2017Fortnite – Battle Royale“IT’S A NAUGHTY BUT SHREWD MOVE, AS THIS GIVES EPIC’S COMPLEX SYSTEMS MUCH-NEEDED PURPOSE.”Outside of the world of PlayStation, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a Steam Early Access phenomenon. In it, 100 players parachute onto an island to fight until there’s only one left breathing. To ensure wusses don’t hover at the edges, letting everyone else do the dirty work, a blue sphere slowly shrinks around the map. On the wrong side of it? Good night and thanks for trying. Fortnite, Epic’s zombie-shooter-meets-building-sim, lifts this framework and slaps it as a free to play experience on PS4.It’s a naughty but shrewd move by Epic, as this gives Fortnite’s complex systems some much-needed purpose. The building mechanics are now much tenser, as they split your attention between getting up a wall and scanning…1 min
PLAY|December 2017Horror VR Special1 £15.99 DON’T KNOCK TWICEWhat’s that knocking insistently at the window? Why, it’s a witch who’s trying to steal your daughter in this horror film spin-off. Alas, this is also a long list of clichés that never die, no matter what year you’re in. Vengeful spirit harassing troubled people in large, intricate mansion? Check. Things that can (and will, repeatedly) crash in the middle of the night? Oh yeah, baby. Initial apprehension melting away to indifference because the experience of wandering through a house and finding notes that fill in the backstory offers nothing that Resident Evil 7, Layers Of Fear, Outlast et al haven’t already? Er, a little specific, but yes. There are some effective jump scares that will give horror fans enough of a reason to pop the…3 min
PLAY|December 2017Final Fantasy XIV: Dad Of LightGood news: Netflix has made a Final Fantasy series! Unexpected news: it’s a goofy drama about a father and son who reconnect by playing Final Fantasy XIV. While it may not feature a man with a gun-arm suplexing a train, Dad Of Light is a surprisingly sweet soap about the power of videogames to bring people together.After a brief prologue where Akio Inaba (Yudai Chiba) is bought his first games console and a copy of Final Fantasy by his father Hakutaro (Ren Osugi), the pair bonding over exciting turn-based battles, events jump forward a decade. Father and son have become emotionally estranged, living under the same roof but talking only to say hello and goodbye each day. Struggling at work, Akio takes refuge in Final Fantasy’s world of Eorzea by…1 min
PLAY|December 2017OPM TIME MACHINE 5 YEARS AGO1 min
PLAY|December 2017PS VR HALL OF FAMEREZ INFINITEFifteen years after the original’s release, the psychedelic rhythm rail shooter has achieved its final form. In PS VR, creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s vision becomes reality, the glittering polygonal trance-world and pounding techno inspiring total synaesthesia within you. Its crowning achievement? New level Area X, powerful enough to bring players to tears. Deserving of its name, this is a truly timeless title.THUMPERMake no mistake: the brave chrome beetle gave Rez a run for its money for our top spot. Hurtling down a violently kaleidoscopic track, pounding notes and scraping round corners is exquisitely tough – and the manic magic is enhanced and perfected in PS VR.KEEP TALKING AND NOBODY EXPLODESWho knew bombs could bring people together? With one headsetted Defuser, and as many Experts as you can fit around a…3 min
PLAY|December 201701 Red Dead Redemption 2: it’s a big country“DUTCH VAN DER LINDE IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND KICKING.”The original Red Dead Redemption remains arguably the first, and last, great western videogame. Despite acclaim from critics and fans alike, however, it seems developer Rockstar wasn’t in a rush to churn out a successor, remaining curiously silent on the subject of a sequel for six long years, until it unceremoniously dropped the announcement almost a year ago. That’s right: A YEAR AGO. It’s taken 11 long, painful months, but a new video for one of gaming’s most anticipated sequels, Red Dead Redemption 2, has finally arrived.The new teaser’s just one minute and 29 seconds long, but Rockstar is masterful in its delivery of a trailer that intimates much, but, in actuality, gives very little away. Let’s break it down, shall…5 min
PLAY|December 201704 Zone Of The Enders for PS VR“MISSILE TRAILS AND LASERS FLOW ACROSS THE SCREEN.”When does a 4K remaster of a HD PS3 upgrade become an essential game to add to your 2018 most wanted list? When it’s Zone Of The Enders 2, piped into PS VR.To give it its due, Konami’s venture into VR could be as big as the game’s name is long. ‘Zone Of The Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars’ hardly trips off the tongue.The original game hit prominence because it was Hideo Kojima’s pet project, but luckily it was more than a fan-baiting release. The blend of melee and projectile combat, mixed with a beautiful anime styling that sent rockets and lasers fizzing around the screen ensured Zone Of The Enders was an instant hit.The story puts you in the seat of…2 min
PLAY|December 201706 The DNA of Jurassic World Evolution“TO GET PEOPLE FEELING HOW THEY DID ABOUT THE FILM IS IMPORTANT.”It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Frontier, developer of Elite Dangerous, has been chosen to create Jurassic World Evolution. The dev has a pedigree for creating realistic animal animation and advanced AI systems – its PC hit Planet Coaster has garnered over a million players in a year – so a game in which you create and manage your own Jurassic Park is a natural fit.On a personal level it’s about working on projects the dev loves. “At Frontier we’re known for making games about spaceships, roller coasters, and dinosaurs; it’s my toy box,” says chief creative officer Jonny Watts.It’s a throwaway comment that overshadows the studio’s commitment to realism, detail, and depth of content. “I believe…4 min
PLAY|December 201708 Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT signs up NoctisIt’s no secret this year is the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy, but the forthcoming Team Ninja-developed brawler Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT looks to be celebrating for everyone.The cast pulls in more than 20 heroes and villains from all the major Final Fantasy releases, including Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI), Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII, and Tidus (Final Fantasy X). Joining the A-list is Final Fantasy XV’s Noctis Lucis Caelum – crown prince and protector of Lucis – who fights in the 3v3 arena battles using familiar moves from the successful RPG.The recent reveal at Tokyo Game Show shed some light on why the cast has been united. It appears the energy released through combat can save the world from the grip of the mysterious Void. It’s a hokey setup…1 min
PLAY|December 201710 Who or what will win at this year’s Golden Joysticks?We should be acclimatised to Naughty Dog’s brand of Hollywood scripting by now, but The Lost Legacy offered a more subdued take on familiar banter. The two female leads bicker and squabble, laugh and sacrifice as their friendship slowly builds. For all the epic bombast and exotic visuals, the growing friendship doesn’t get overwhelmed. It’s there centre stage for us to love. It’s subtle, quiet even, compared to past Uncharteds – Frazer becomes Chloe as cold surnames make way for a believable friendship. Even the final Bechdelbaiting cameo doesn’t hold the duo back.“THERE COULDN’T BE A BROADER RANGE OF STYLES IN THE BEST VISUAL DESIGN CATEGORY THIS YEAR.”GNOG’s eye-meltingly vibrant dioramas, Horizon Zero Dawn’s 4K ‘dino-rama’, and Little Nightmares’ grotesquely realised residents of the Maw: all worthy candidates in a…2 min
PLAY|December 2017READERS’ MOST WANTEDVOTE NOW!Tell us the five games you can’t wait to play at opm@futurenet.com1 The Last Of Us Part IINothing can topple Joel and Ellie, it seems – the only way they’re leaving the top of your list is when this game gets released. But when will that be?FORMAT PS4ETA TBC2 Red Dead Redemption 2The intriguing new trailer (see p6) means Dutch Van Der Linde’s gang has pushed Kratos down one place.FORMAT PS4ETA SPRING 20183 God Of WarKratos’ return is still eagerly awaited – all that aggression has clearly held your interest.FORMAT PS4ETA 20184 Days GoneIt’s returned to this list more times than a hungry zombie to a MENSA meeting – if Joel and Ellie don’t show up soon, you’ll happily kill time, and revenants, with this.FORMAT PS4ETA TBC5 Spider-ManThere’s still…1 min
PLAY|December 2017Joe Donnelly“DESPITE HOW FAR THEY’VE COME, 1999’S GTA LONDON IS PLAYSTATION’S MOST IMPORTANT GTA EXPANSION.”Expansions weren’t always part of big-budget PlayStation games. In the face of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Last of Us: Left Behind, and BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea, it’s almost hard to imagine the world on the flip side of the millennium – when Will Smith was gettin’ jiggy wit it, Ben Sherman shirts were all the rage, and console games favoured full sequels over spinoffs and add-ons.In April 1999, that changed when GTA: London 1969 became PlayStation’s first-ever expansion pack – a commodity until then reserved for PC gamers. With it came 32 new levels, 30 new era-authentic vehicles, and a ska-infused soundtrack that rivals anything that’s come since. This was Grand Theft Auto as we’d…2 min
PLAY|December 2017DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ“DOZENS OF CUTE DRAGON BALL HEROES PUNCH ONE ANOTHER.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 18 FEB PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV ARC SYSTEM WORKSFrom the rolling thunder and squeal of drums and guitars of the original soundtrack to the blazing specials and anime sugar-rush visuals, this is a fighting game that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. And it does so with large anime eyes and a half-moon smile.At odds with Dragon Ball FighterZ’s intensity is its new online lobby, the chibi party we’re all invited to. It’s the calm before the storm. A place to meet up, chat tactics and dip into online events, like watching old fights in the Replay Theatre.To begin a random fight is easy enough: you ask the AI organiser – a little…5 min
PLAY|December 2017WE HAPPY FEW“THINGS WENT SO BADLY AFTER WW2 THE COUNTRY DRUGGED ITSELF.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA APR 2018 / PUB GEARBOX PUBLISHING / DEV COMPULSION GAMESHow far would you go to be happy? Would you take a little light exercise? Watch an uplifting film, maybe? Or craft supplies from scraps you find in a bin, and beat a crazy tramp to death with a pipe? If the last one jumped out at you, then congratulations, you’ve come to the right game. A procedurally generated one about surviving in a world full of drug-enforced madness where not fitting in will get you killed.While PlayStation’s not exactly short of ‘survival roguelikes’, as We Happy Few likes to call itself, there are enough in the way of interesting ideas and just plain weirdness here to…2 min
PLAY|December 2017CODE VEIN“DRAINS MANIFEST WITH AN ANIME CUTSCENE IF TIMED WITH FINESSE.”i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 / PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV BANDAI NAMCO STUDIOS, SHIFTOur OPM Souls-borne jar is filling rapidly. Every time we compare a game to FromSoftware’s two series we need to stuff a note or two into its needy face. But when we’re dealing with Code Vein, there’s no avoiding the fact: This is an anime Souls-alike wrapped in vampire lore, but with enough new ideas to resist being a me-too also-ran.First, you’re not alone in the game’s post-apocalyptic world. Along for the ride is an AI character who will fight by your side, and how you interact with them will determine the game’s ending. We’re promised a varied cast of sidekicks too; for example there’s Io,…3 min
PLAY|December 2017DOOM VFR“THE TRADEMARK BOMBAST AND ATTITUDE ARE STILL VERY MUCH INTACT.”i FORMAT PS VR / ETA 1 DEC / PUB BETHESDA / DEV BETHESDAThis is going to be the fastest VR game you’ve ever played. It’s a spin-off from last year’s incredibly well-received Doom revival, and gives you everything you’ve ever wanted from an immersive Doom experience: hyper-violence, heavy metal, visceral demon-shredding action, and guns. So many guns.For once, though, you don’t play as Doom Guy. Instead, you step into the shoes of a scientist who was originally killed by the demon invasion of Mars, but whose consciousness was uploaded to an AI rig on the station there, meaning you can step into any robot on the planetary installation. As such, the VR experience takes place after the events of Doom…4 min
PLAY|December 2017PREVIEW ROUND-UPDIGIMON STORY: CYBERSLEUTH – HACKER’S MEMORYi FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV MEDIA.VISIONIf Mr Robot used unicorn lions to hack corporations it would have been an even stranger show. It would also have looked a bit like Hacker’s Memory, the sequel to last year’s Digimon Story: Cybersleuth. As new Hudíe recruit Keisuke Amazawa you’ll investigate mysteries and take on jobs to earn money and respect in this tactical RPG. Hacking takes the form of turn-based battles – pitting monster against monster – and they’re surprisingly involved.OCTAHEDRONi FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV DEMIMONDEOur immediate impressions are of chaos and colour. Octahedron is a vertical platformer that mixes inch-perfect jumps with music rhythm action. The screen fills with splashes of neon pixels the moment…3 min
PLAY|December 2017THE STORY SO FAR (CRY)2008FAR CRY 2 PS3 – 9/10The first entry on PlayStation (the original was a PC exclusive) sent you to Africa, infected your character with malaria and put you on the trail of The Jackal, an arms dealer whose complexity stands out among Far Cry’s more overt villains. A divisive entry due to its heightened realism and illness meter, we could all agree on one thing: watching a fire spread in real time was mesmeric.2012FAR CRY 3 – PS3 – 9/10Backpackers headed off on holiday and got a little more than they bargained for in this fantastic follow-up. There were plenty of reasons this felt like a step-up, improved melee takedowns and tagging enemies using the camera among them, and thanks to Vaas and the lush landscapes, it had a compelling…2 min
PLAY|December 2017CRIME PAY$ THE 20-YEAR LEGACY OF GRAND THEFT AUTO“At the time it was just another project,” says DMA Design co-founder Steve Hammond. “There was nothing in it which screamed that it would be a hit. In fact a lot of the time it looked to be shaping up to be a disaster.” If you’re hoping GTA’s developers were visited by a deity in the run up to release in 1997, or shown a cosmic sign of its industry-changing power: well, it’s bad news.Instead, the progenitor of planet Earth’s most successful crim-sim franchise was conceived on a Dundee trading estate by a team with deeply grounded expectations. Lemmings was the team’s breakout IP, and the big hopes for the future lay with Body Harvest, a 3D third-person shooter for the unreleased Nintendo 64. But as the team discovered the…9 min
PLAY|December 2017FROM RETAIL TO THE RACE TRACKAnyone who’s felt sweaty elation at an online race win in Gran Turismo has wondered, at least fleetingly, whether they could do it in real life. But do the deft squeezes of a DualShock’s triggers and expert analog stick-wagging required for Gran Turismo prowess lay any kind of foundation for wrestling with a racing car’s steering wheel at 190mph? And can gaming really offer an alternative entry point into the world of motorsport? Well, Jann Mardenborough is living proof that players can become racers. In 2011 he entered a competition designed to take gamers and turn them into pro drivers. Now in 2017, he’s racing with the best of them.“Before entering GT Academy I’d never driven a car on a race track,” says Jann, now 26 and competing in both…6 min
PLAY|December 2017NBA 2K18“REWARDING, BUT DIFFICULT, REQUIRING DEDICATION AND PATIENCE.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB 2K SPORTSDEV VISUAL CONCEPTSThis is one of those rare games, a true head turner, one that will make people walking through the room do a double-take, unsure if what is on the TV is real or a game. Years have passed and our beloved PS4 can pump out some seriously impressive visuals, but none come as close to looking like real life as 2K’s NBA series does.This is a phenomenally pretty, immersive game. From the squeaks of sneakers to the announcers emulating their broadcast performances, with unbelievable likenesses that make you wonder why other sports titles can’t do it this well, and even details like the referee talking to the players when taking a free throw, or sweat on players’…3 min
PLAY|December 2017DANGANRONPA V3: KILLING HARMONY“IF SOMEONE YOU LIKE HAS BEEN MURDERED, YOU FEEL HUNGRY FOR JUSTICE.”INFOFORMAT PS4ALSO ON PS VITAETA OUT NOWPUB NIS AMERICADEV SPIKE CHUNSOFTYou wake up in an abandoned school with 15 other classmates. You’re all the kidnapping victims of robot bear Monokuma, and you all have mild amnesia. The only way to escape is to kill one of your fellow classmates and get away with it. This is the setup of the Danganronpa series, so far told over two visual novels, an anime series, and a third-person shooter – and this third visual novel takes it up a notch.The notable thing about the newest entry in the Phoenix-Wright-meets-Battle-Royale series is the aesthetic: the previous games identified as ‘psycho-pop’, V3 identifies as ‘psycho-cool’. This means more muted colours, a more punk outlook,…2 min
PLAY|December 2017BATTLE CHASERS: NIGHTWARINFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB THQ NORDIC DEV AIRSHIP SYNDICATEBased on an American comic with hilariously long waits between issues, this turn-based RPG has fans ready and waiting. There’s plenty for the uninitiated to enjoy too, though.Existing fans will doubtless be pleased to see Gully, Calibretto et al brought to life in digital form (with partial voice acting), but the characters – as presented here, at least – aren’t deep enough to hold your interest out of context. In happier news, the all-important combat system is very good. Each character has actions that can be taken immediately (such as a basic attack or minor healing), and special abilities that require waiting a turn to activate. Special abilities consume mana, of which you have only a limited amount. So far,…1 min
PLAY|December 2017THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE VIDEO GAMEINFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT DEV TT GAMESNinjago is not the franchise you’d expect to see the Lego game brand innovate with. But we like being surprised, and boy is it a shock to see a dynamic combat system appear, allowing for air juggles and combos, albeit at a rudimentary level. Don’t panic, though, this is still a very child-friendly experience, and allows button mashing to an extent, but when enemies block you’ll have to change up your attacking tactics. Keeping your combo going yields a high brick reward: it’s basically about keeping your multiplier up.There’s another, subtler change, to the series here. Instead of each level having a brick requirement that forces you to spend longer than you’d like smashing everything that you can,…2 min
PLAY|December 2017RAIDERS OF THE BROKEN PLANET“FOR THE FIRST TWO OR THREE MISSIONS, IT’S FUN TO ANNOY THE OTHER PLAYERS.”INFOFORMAT PS4ETA OUT NOWPUB MERCURYSTEAMDEV MERCURYSTEAMLove to mess things up for people? This third-person co-op shooter gives you the chance to do just that. In it, you and three friends (or internet randoms) blast through story-driven missions. Its signature move is letting another player invade those games to make it more difficult for the heroes to complete their objectives. It’s an interesting idea that works well at times but is ultimately wasted on a game that is full of flaws.Let’s start with the positives. Raiders looks bright and colourful. It has a sticky cover mechanic that makes it easy to move about its levels. Its cast of over-the-top characters have varied play styles, from a sniper whose…2 min
PLAY|December 2017LAST MONTH ON PS PLUSThe sound of Spandau Ballet and A-Ha wafting through OPM Towers last month meant only one thing. No, Milf wasn’t put in charge of the Spotify playlist, instead Metal Gear Solid V built up a Mother Base in the Instant Game Collection and that gave us the perfect reason to return to this masterpiece.Yep, in a mighty coup for PS Plus in October, MGS V: THE PHANTOM PAIN was helicoptered in and gave us all an excuse to head back to Afghanistan and Angola–Zaire. Say what you want about the story, you can’t deny that the complex stealth isn’t ludicrous fun. Whether it was breaking into a barracks to steal a cassette tape or hiding in a toilet and scaring patrolling guards away by playing the sounds of a man…1 min
PLAY|December 2017Marvel Vs. Capcom: InfiniteINFOFORMAT PS4PUB CAPCOMDEV CAPCOMREVIEW #141, 6/10The inclusion of the Beginners League to Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite’s online modes tells you all you need to know about the direction of travel for this fighter. Along with the streamlined combo system – supers can be performed with a single button push – MVC: Infinite is aiming squarely for comic fans over gamers. It means online you’ll have fun, if all too soon you’ll feel held back by a lack of depth to the play. It’s surface level shazam over long-term appeal. It’s stable enough, the netcode delivers fights in quick time, and the blaze of colourful moves doesn’t jitter. However, with only four female characters in the launch roster, MVC: Infinite feels as it plays, limited. Will you still be here when…1 min
PLAY|December 2017DLCTELLTALE’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – WHO NEEDS YOU?Things go from terrible to even worse for the biggest A-holes in the galaxy, as they’re stuck in a cavern after losing the Eternity Forge, with tension running high enough for Drax’s knives to cut through it.BATTLEFIELD 1 – IN THE NAME OF THE TSARGood news, comrade: the Russian forces are joining the fray in this huge update for the WW1 FPS. It brings in six new maps across the Eastern Front, along with 11 new weapons and two new Operations, where fights take place over multiple maps.PES 2018 – DATA PACK 1Fancy even more true-to-life footballer faces? Well, good news, Konami is hurling 100 new and updated player faces (including one very bald David Silva) into its superb footie sim, along…1 min
PLAY|December 2017Spider-Man: HomecomingThe forthcoming Spider-Man game could only look hotter if all future demoes were broadcast from the surface of the sun. Unfortunately Insomniac’s offering is still a year away, but a big-screen Spidey has arrived to scratch that web-slinging itch.Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker/Spider-Man for a high school-set superhero story that’s Iron-Manmeets-Ferris-Bueller’s-Day-Off. Desperate to re-team with The Avengers after Civil War’s life-changing airport barney, Peter lives to fight crime by night and prove himself to Tony Stark. But Peter’s powers – and swanky Stark Tech suit – are put to the test when the winged Vulture (Michael Keaton) swoops into town.Homecoming is the first solo Spider-Man movie made by Marvel Studios, and confirms Holland’s Best Spidey Evs status. Whether awkwardly wisecracking while fumbling his way through fights with street level…1 min
PLAY|December 2017DON’T MAKE ME PLAY! THE EVIL WITHINWHO?A perfect night in for Joe Donnelly involves cosying up with a scary game. Netflix and chills, yeah? The Evil Within, however, had him hiding behind the sofa for all the wrong reasons.INFOPUB BETHESDADEV TANGO GAMEWORKSRELEASED 2014, PS4GET IT NOW PSN, £15.99WHAT?The first post-Capcom survival horror from Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami. Expect over-the-shoulder aiming, ham-fisted voice acting, typically ambiguous storytelling, and loads – seriously, loads – of weird otherworldly baddies.“THE LAST BASTION OF THIRD-PERSON SURVIVAL HORROR.”When I first played The Evil Within it terrified me. Its clunky combat system shook me to my core. Its cast of repetitive enemies turned my stomach. And its weird, disjointed narrative made me wince. For me, the return of esteemed Resident Evil mastermind Shinji Mikami did not live up to its billing, and…2 min
