Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i PLAY

“THERE ARE FEW TIME PERIODS AND CORNERS OF THE UNIVERSE WE DON’T VISIT THIS MONTH.” Deep space exploration in No Man’s Sky, deep sea diving in Abzu, Stone Age skirmishes in Far Cry Primal, pavement punch-ups in Street Fighter V, zombie-filled post-apocalyptic America and even a plastic galaxy far, far away… there are few time periods and corners of the universe that we don’t visit in this month’s Official PlayStation Magazine. No doubt it’s that first one that has you clawing this issue open, eager for info on PS4’s most anticipated game. For years you’ve been telling us you want more on No Man’s Sky, and after an agonisingly long wait we’ve finally ventured into Hello Games’ HQ to explore the most ambitious indie game on PlayStation. You can see…

PIP PIP, HOORAY! Fallout 4 fans, get ready for an influx of DLC. March and April bring mod-heavy DLC packs Automatron and Wasteland Workshop (custom robo-companions and creature capturing tools respectively), but it’s May’s Far Harbor (sic) pack that has us excited: a trek to a mysterious island filled with quests. TEKKEN A BREAK Keep holding your breath, as Tekken X Street Fighter isn’t dead, but the development team is keeping coy about any release date. Michael Murray, the senior game designer on Tekken 7, tells us: “It’s still in development, but as far as a release window we haven’t really decided on that.” Fingers crossed it’s this decade. DAWN OF THE HEAD-SHOT The free-to-play and PS4-bound RPG H1Z1 is being split into two games. While the original sandbox MMO,…

“WELL, SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO SAY IT: THE LAST OF US 2. DEBATE OVER, YEAH?” MATTHEW PELLETT EDITOR Is this even a discussion we need to be having? The answer is clearly a new The Last Of Us project. OPM readers voted the original as the Greatest PlayStation Game Of All Time in our 100th issue poll. OF ALL TIME! And while I don’t personally agree with that result, I’m still in awe of what TLOU and its Left Behind DLC accomplished. Really, the debate should be about its characters (I won’t mind if Joel and Ellie are retired – there are so many more stories to tell elsewhere in that world); and about its name (TLOU 2? A numberless subtitle?). Obviously we all know a sequel made from scratch…

“CAMPO SANTO CRAFTS A WORLD THAT FEELS ALIVE, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU SEE THE SAME LANDMARK.” WRITER BIO Ben Tyrer used to get dragged to the Lake District on family holidays. He hated all the walking. It therefore comes as some surprise to him that his favourite game of 2016 so far is a walking simulator. Set in a forest. Backtracking is a crux for lazy developers who want to pad out their games, yeah? Actually, no, imaginary opponent. The concept might have a bad reputation from games that have abused it, the ones that force you back through the same location without offering anything new or interesting, but Firewatch shows how to do backtracking brilliantly. Quick recap for those who haven’t played it yet. Henry is heading…

“THERE IS A SENSE OF ‘ARGH, SHOOT IT IN THE FACE!’ URGENCY.” Surrounded by gently swaying trees covered with pink blossom, our enemy’s armour glinting as we aim the reticule over their head, hammering i to sink supercharged shots: forgive us for momentarily forgetting we’re playing a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Epic Games’ new franchise feels more like a traditional third-person shooter – but instead of endless grey and spray-and-pray, this one’s got beauty and brains. Paragon’s over-the-shoulder camera angle makes all the difference. You feel like you’re really in the battle. Projectiles whizz past your ear and robot assassins slide into your peripheral out of nowhere. There’s a sense of “ARGH, SHOOT IT IN THE FACE!” urgency to the tactical tussles that you don’t get from the typical top-down…

“SOLDIERS FLY THROUGH ENEMIES, GETTING DRENCHED IN THEIR INNARDS.” If you were at all worried about the Attack On Titan tie-in being tame and inaccurate, allow us to set your mind at ease. It’s got grisly, three-dimensional cannibalism cutscenes, blood spraying all over the screen, and monster-slaying soldiers flying through enemies and coming out the other side, drenched in their innards. Feeling better now? Out now in Japan, the slice-’em-up is set to retain all the post-apocalyptic terror of the smash-hit series, plus weave in plenty of smaller details. Just like in the anime, blades must be regularly switched out for razor-sharp replacements, and they can also be upgraded. That passionate, fist-on-heart salute from the show features as a way to ‘Link’ (create a combat party) with your fellow soldiers…

“A KICK TO THE MIDRIFF, AND PENN CRUMPLES. FIGHT OVER. WITH A RIB-SHOT. GLORIOUS.” To this day, few experiences in sports gaming satisfy like a flash KO in UFC Undisputed 3. The catch? THQ’s octagon-set farewell has been gone for four years, and its developer, Yuke’s, is unlikely to ever make another MMA game. The time to move on was long ago, yet EA’s middling efforts to fill the void haven’t provided closure. Until now. Punches and kicks being given proper oomph mean meaty Undisputed-style KOs finally occur in UFC 2 – yet the most joyous finish of our playtest isn’t a headshot. Controlling Hector Lombard against BJ Penn, we deftly evade a flurry of jabs, before aiming a kick to the midriff at the instant when Penn lifts his…

“IT GETS SO MUCH RIGHT IN AREAS OTHER SHOOTERS GET SO WRONG.” We didn’t need half as many rules when it came to having fun in the halcyon days of our youth. All it took was the tipping over of an action-figure-filled toybox and our carpet became a theatre of good times. Somewhere, in the transition between playing with plastic army men and upgrading to the virtual shooty types populating the current crop of modern shooters, we managed to burden ourselves with too many boring conversations. Is it balanced? Is it realistic? Is the physics engine up to snuff? How about the lag? All of these are valid directions from which to fire critique salvos at a modern FPS, but in Overwatch’s case the first thing you’ll appreciate is the…

Faith is back, but not as you remember her. We first crossed paths with the free-running courier in late 2008 when Mirror’s Edge rolled onto PS3, sprinted across its curves and then took a running leap off the other side. It was a successful visit – one that earned her a generous OPM 9/10 and a Gold Award on the way towards shifting 2.5 million copies – but her return was always dependent on new hardware. Eight years on, with that new hardware now firmly in place thanks to PS4, Faith’s changed, and so has her game. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst might only be the second mainline entry in the series, but EA and Swedish developer DICE are already hitting the reset button for this long-awaited comeback – evolving Faith’s character…

OPM: How do you make in-game sounds? PW: Everything is either created through synthesis or normal, boring life things. The jetpack’s a Dyson hand dryer; [the sound of you] changing your weapon is a microphone stand. In fact, I wrecked a microphone stand and a camera stand simultaneously this week. They both snapped. OPM: How will sounds and music generate in the finished game? PW: The big thing I haven’t even got my hands on yet is preset morphing. We can take this sound and this sound, and it’ll create all the variations in between – like with animal models, but audio. It creates an evolving soundscape that always feels like it’s changing, but also hopefully gives you those moments of synchronicity. OPM: And NPCs? PW: NPCs are me and…

Free-to-play isn’t the only way to do a bit of gratis gaming on your PlayStation hardware. Episodic developers will often attempt to reel you in by offering the first episode in a series free of charge, so you can currently sample the openers to Tales From The Borderlands or Game Of Thrones for naff all. The same even applies to the first quarter of Resident Evil Revelations 2. If, however, you want to get a feel for a game that isn’t even out yet, then grab the Indivisible prototype for a peek at what you might be playing in 2018.…

Ace Combat Infinity FORMAT PS3 DEV BANDAI NAMCO A fast-paced dose of aerial dogfighting that pits lovingly recreated, real-world jet fighters against barmy flying fortresses. Infinity features a suitably overwrought campaign as well as the option to engage in co-operative sorties online. Fat Princess: Piece Of Cake FORMAT PS VITA DEV ONE LOOP GAMES The match-three puzzler is given a saccharine twist here, as you shuffle gems around the board in order to protect your pudgy princess. Each successful match launches an attack on your enemies, lending a layer of strategy to the proceedings. DC Universe Online FORMAT PS4/PS3 DEV DAYBREAK GAME COMPANY Create an original hero and hang out with the superstars of DC Comics canon. Or, if you’re the dastardly sort, you could sculpt your very own villain…

“YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF USING PS VITA’S FRONT-MOUNTED CAMERA TO FROWN AT BADGERS.” FORMAT PS VITA DEV HONEYSLUG WHAT IS IT? A properly bonkers assortment of harebrained micro-games in the vein of Nintendo’s WarioWare series, all designed to make use of PS Vita’s myriad input methods. WHY PLAY IT? PS Vita is blessed with a frankly batty abundance of inputs, and Honeyslug’s complementary (and complimentary) curio goes happily out of its way to make use of just about every one of them, often in brilliantly weird ways. Although each of its micro-games might only last ten seconds or less, they’re a fabulously inventive bunch – you might find yourself using the front-mounted camera to frown at badgers, or you could end up frantically rubbing the rear touch panel to scratch…

GOLD AWARD Awarded to a game that’s brilliantly executed on every level, combining significant innovation, near-flawless gameplay, great graphics and lasting appeal. EDITOR’S AWARD Not 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 INCREDIBLE The kind of phenomenal experience rarely seen in a console generation. 9 OUTSTANDING Unreservedly brilliant – this should be in every collection. 8 VERY GOOD A truly excellent game, marred by just a few minor issues. 7 GOOD A great concept unfulfilled or the familiar done well, but still well worth playing. 6 DECENT Fun in parts, flawed in others, but more right than wrong. 5 AVERAGE What you expect and little more, this is for devotees only.…

“IT MAKES YOU FEEL MORE LIKE A VET ADMINISTRATOR DOING A HEADCOUNT THAN NATURE’S FAVOURITE SON.” No shooter does backs-to-the-wall adaptation quite as well as Ubi’s open-world FPS series. It’s at its best when your plans are evaporating in front of you and you let instinct and/ or death take over. That’s why this move to prehistoric times makes sense on paper, ripping away the comfort blanket of guns and pushing the series in a new direction. Unfortunately, Far Cry struggles to escape its past. Rolling back the years to 10,000 BC, you’re beast master Takkar, a member of the Wenja tribe. Unfortunately, they’re on the verge of extinction because your people are constantly finding ways to die. So you escape to the land of Oros in the hope of…

You want your final strike to be the fanciest in every fighting game, and the last instalment in this series achieves that. Jutsu-jousting has never looked so sharp – and despite the simple combat remaining as blunt as a satsumashaped shuriken, thoughtful additions will drive this one home into anime fans’ hearts. Though the cutscenes are flabby, inconsistent and regularly sleep-inducing, the action fares better – souped-up moves are swathed in impossibly gorgeous particle effects, shinobi dashing about like liquid death on rollerskates, as Armor Breaks scatter pieces of their fireball-crisped clothing to the winds. When the bouts kick off, there’s more to them. Leader Swap calls in two chosen support characters to clobber enemies or sub in completely, inheriting the original fighter’s health. Certain teams have access to powerful…

“DAZZLINGLY PRETTY, IT’S CERTAINLY THE BEST-LOOKING TWINE GAME EVER MADE.” Poor Yarny. Under our watch he’s been crushed by falling rocks and drowned in icy water. He’s been pinched by crabs, pecked by crows, buzzed by midges and greedily set upon by cockroaches. We hoped he might have forgiven us for that incident with the toxic waste, but since we guided him into a car crusher, we think he might have finally lost it. His white eyes gaze out of the screen as if staring into our very souls. We’re a bit scared. In other words: no, Unravel isn’t the cloying slice of indie whimsy you were expecting. Sure, it occasionally lapses into treacly sentimentality, but there’s an edge to Coldwood’s picturesque puzzle-platformer. It’s there in Yarny himself, who sits…

Sometimes you don’t know you want something until it’s under your nose. I’ve frequently tuned into ITV for a cheeky rerun of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and not once have I thought ‘This would make a smashing game’. But then came The ABC Murders and it became clear – why wouldn’t I want to step into the patent leather boots of my favourite Belgian detective? In this adaptation of the classic novel, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings must solve several murders committed by the enigmatic ‘ABC’. Things start promisingly as we make our way down an old English street to visit the local tobacco shop – its owner has been found dead and we’ve been called to investigate. Unfortunately, problems are evident immediately. Movements are awkward and jerky, lip syncing is…

The Dynasty Warriors template is the fast food burger of gaming. Simple, easy and probably not the best for your health (just replace clogged arteries with gammy thumbs). And this adaptation of The Heroic Legend Of Arslan anime clearly follows that template. Story mode follows the titular young prince’s journey as he fights to reclaim his homeland,1 with your progress unlocking characters and scenarios for Free mode, in which you can tackle any level with any character. You know the drill. Power through crowds using combos, then finish levels with some sort of boss fight. There’s a bit more variety than that – characters have vaguely different fighting styles – but for the most part, Arslan’s combat is unfussy and enjoyable. There is, however, an overwhelming amount of one-on-one fights…

Give me superheroes! Give me Lego bricks! Give me recycled movie scenes crammed with barnyard animals! Put them all together and what have you got? A follow-up to Lego Marvel Super Heroes, apparently. An action-packed puzzler with a slapstick centre, Lego Marvel’s Avengers delivers all the best Bam! Splat! Kaboom! moments of Avengers Assemble and Age Of Ultron, wrapped up in one colourful Lego shell. Switching from Captain America to Black Widow to any one of more than a hundred Marvel characters, you must save the world not once, but twice, using only your wits and the ability to assemble – you know, cars and stuff, not misfit superheroes that pop to pieces at the first sign of trouble. Oh, and don’t forget your extensive range of superpowers. Black Widow…

Judging by some of Daniel Craig’s recent outbursts, 007’s 24th assignment could be the blond Bond-shell’s last. Craig would certainly be leaving on a high after Spectre, which embraces the series’ heritage to joyous effect. Sam Smith’s title track is a total turd, but from the much-missed gun barrel opening to a classic ejector seat gag, it’s a film that feels closer to the Roger Moore Bonds than the revisionist, post-Bourne Craig era. Coming hot on the heels of the critically adored Skyfall, a film shorn of traditional Bond trappings, this may seem like an odd choice, but the results are thrilling. A hugely impressive opening sequence set during Mexico’s Day Of The Dead festival kickstarts a globe-trotting plot that pits Bond against Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz) and Spectre –…

“WE HARDLY NEED A REASON TO REPLAY IT – IT HAS A NATURAL, IRRESISTIBLE PULL.” INFO PUB NAMCO DEV NAMCO PRODUCTIONS RELEASED 2006, PS2 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £22.49 NEED TO KNOW 1 Original title Katamari Damacy sold out in Japan. 2 Easter eggs include a rollable lady called God. 3 Its Japanese title means Everybody Loves Clump Spirit. Ladies and gentlemen, roll up, roll up, and… that’s it, actually. It was We Love Katamari’s simplicity that led to it bowling over from Japan (and into our hearts) on a glittering rainbow of quirky puzzle-action fun. The rules? See a thing, roll it into your ball of stuff, repeat until the stability of the universe is compromised. See? Whimsy abounds. The mechanics are at once charming, satisfying and a little…

“I DON’T LIKE YOUR JERK OFF FACE AND I DON’T LIKE YOUR JERK OFF BEHAVIOUR.” Brace yourself: I’m going to give Geralt of Rivia a kicking. Don’t worry, I assure you I won’t enjoy this… Okay, that’s a filthy fib. To sum up my feelings for the cat-eyed rogue, I’ll quote one of The Big Lebowski’s best scenes – namely, the bit where the Dude gets dressed down by a miffed Malibu sheriff. “I don’t like your jerk off name, I don’t like your jerk off face, I don’t like your jerk off behaviour, and I don’t like YOU. Jerk off!” On the surface, I should love The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I should love it hard. Yet despite its crunchy, limb-lopping combat and gloriously windswept lands, I just can’t…

PICK #1 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES Staff writer Ben Tyrer loves picking up the pieces of Loki’s meddling Marvel films are known for their fast action and snappy dialogue, which makes them the perfect fit for Lego-fication. The played-for-laughs plot may be an excuse to get all of Marvel’s heroes and villains in one place, but it’s totally worth it. Having Spider-Man quipping alongside Hawkeye while fighting Venom is fan service of the highest order, as every great Lego game should be. THIS NUGGET’S GOT SO MUCH UNDER ITS SNUG UTILITY BELT – EVEN SCROLLING SHOOTING. PICK #2 LEGO BATMAN 3: BEYOND GOTHAM Hall Of Justice-bound Jen Simpkins is batty for current-gen’s cuboid crusader As I’m Ben’s evil twin, I’ll take DC over Marvel any day of the week. So…

Ben Tyrer STAFF WRITER OPM’s resident scaredycat shocked us all when he completed arty frightfest Layers Of Fear. How did you finish it, Ben? “Easely.” GAME OF THE MONTH Layers Of Fear FIRST NMS PLANET NAME lmhr34 Jen Simpkins STAFF WRITER Fighting fan Jen wants a new Street Fighter movie, this time about Shadaloo’s evil quartet. “They can call it the F.A.N.Gtastic Four!” GAME OF THE MONTH Street Fighter V FIRST NMS PLANET NAME Unicornia Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Journey enthusiast and evil prankster Milf’s excited for Abzu. It’s fitting, because there are no depths to which he won’t sink. GAME OF THE MONTH Street Fighter V FIRST NMS PLANET NAME Coppopulous Josh Westbrook NEW APPRENTICE A warm welcome to the latest member of the OPM family. He’s already…

29/04 The release date for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is just over a month away. 19m 38s The current speed running record for The Witness. Nimble brain cells! 4.7GB The incredibly fitting and silently impressive size of Feb’s Hitman Beta. 12 The number of new division titles in Rocket League’s second season. 10,000BC The year in which Far Cry Primal’s caveman rumble takes place. 9.6% The rise in OPM’s print sales for 2015. A HUGE thank you to every reader. 14,995,669,168 Total bullets which were fired during The Division’s closed Beta session. 1989 Shadow Of The Beast – coming soon to PS4 – was first released in this year. £709.95 The insane amount staff writer Ben spent on FIFA’s Ultimate Team. True.…

ARE YOU XUR? Destiny in Lego? Not quite, but a Destiny toy range is coming thanks to Mega Blocks. We can finally look forward to building a nice blocky Sparrow in real life. EAT MY ENGINE Rocket League Season 2 has kicked off, with experimental arenas and new ranking systems. We haven’t seen Tyrer since its launch [Because he’s fired – Ed]. WITCHING POWER We’re big fans of vinyl figures, so imagine our delight at the news that The Witcher 3’s Geralt is getting the tiny statue treatment from Jinx. R.I.P. money. TOWERBAWLING Despite our desperate pleas with HR to send us, there was no OPM representation at the 2016 TowerFall World Championships. Next year, though… LIGHT WALLET Dying Light Spotlight Edition nets you a chance to be in a…

“EDF IS INSULTINGLY SIMPLE, STUPID AND BADLY MADE. ALSO: ENDLESS FUN AND UTTERLY ESSENTIAL.” WRITER BIO Ian Dransfield is fond of the finer things in life. To him, however, ‘the finer things’ involve unthinking, repetitive mass destruction and forcing extinction on giant creepy crawlies. He wants everyone to share in this unfettered joy. Every time I hear something described as “big, dumb fun,” I’m sure I can make out a cry of “EDF!” in the wind. It’s an affliction that those of us who have stuck with the dumbass sim have to live with, but it’s one that I’ve learned to embrace since the first Monster Attack in 2005. EDF! EDF! 4 lyf, yo. The reminders of why the Earth Defense Force/Global Defence Force/Monster Attack series means so much to…

1 Sparrow’s our pick. We’d love to tell you it’s because she’s a ranged powerhouse – but it’s mainly because she has a totally on-point hair-do. 2 Steel’s Force Shield causes us a lot of problems, protecting teammates and slowing us down when we move through it. Also, he hits us a lot. 3 Support character Dekker has an Ultimate we nickname “the baby gate.” It traps enemies in a containment field that we can shoot straight into. Fish in a barrel. 4 Missing generic white dudes with big guns? Well, here’s Twinblast. He gets a bit more interesting once his blasters briefly turn into rocket launchers.…

“STRATEGIC USE OF YOUR AI BUDDIES MAKES COMBOING MORE SATISFYING.” Step away from the sparkly fairy wings, Sword Art stalwarts. There’s a new addition to the anime-based JRPG series, and it’s firmly rooted in the franchise’s less cutesy origins. Set during protagonist Kirito’s very first steps in the deadly Sword Art Online virtual reality MMO universe, it’s set to be a more grounded experience. Real-time combat action unfolds in the Sword Art: Origin world, created on the VRMMO’s original server and designed to show the players’ flashbacks of past events. The story and quests are fresh, however, from the mind of series creator Reki Kawahara. What’s more, the introduction of a mysterious heroine (whose AI evolves as you play) promises narrative intrigue that was so lacking in the fluffy fan…

“NOCTIS CAN NOW DISPOSE OF ENEMIES SILENTLY, THEN ESCAPE AT WARP SPEED.” Last time we caught up with FFXV, it was all about… right, that fishing mini-game. Sorry about that. Luckily, this month we have bigger facts to fry. We’re talking magic spells, Magitek and super-speedy stealth moves, not to mention that all-important release date and a certain female dragoon. Explosive new footage shows Noctis and the gang putting their leathers to good use in an undercover trip to the dark side. Sneaking into a Niflheim base swarming with imperial troops, the fantastic four deal out death like it’s a hot potato before blowing the whole thing to Kingdom Hearts – and that’s not even the best bit. Your fancy blade warp ability gives new meaning to the word stealth,…

1 D.Va’s Ultimate ability sets her mech suit to self destruct. You can even use a boost before you set it off to create your very own devastating missile. 2 The perfect anti-sniper, Tracer is built so that you never know where she’ll be next. She gets three quick recharging dashes, as well. 3 This ice maiden will cop it pretty much as soon as she gets into a scrap. Fortunately, Mei is equipped with foe-funnelling, ice-wall-summoning abilities. 4 Generous aim adjustment makes Hanzo’s arrows viable against the guns of his co-fighters. Also, he can fire two dragon spirits across the map.…

Louil, 7.36pm. It’s around three degrees celsius. Dusk creeps over the never-before-explored planet; possibility stretches out toward the horizon. A soft thumping heralds the arrival of some form of life. We hold our breath… as an octopus-headed, cushion-bottomed ballbag with tentacle arms hops serenely, majestically into view. Hello Games’ Sean Murray and David Ream exchange a wide-eyed look. “What is that ?” we ask. Murray replies, “We have no idea.” That’s the magic of indie space adventure No Man’s Sky – even this close to its June launch, its own developers are constantly dumbfounded by it. Little wonder: its universe contains over 18 quintillion planets. “Even if a planet is discovered every second,” lead developer Murray once pointed out, “it’ll take 585 billion years to find them…

OPM: What makes the maths behind No Man’s Sky beautiful? DR: It’s all based on real rules, but exaggerated. It goes in unexpected, but beautiful, ways. It’s a cool challenge, to have an art team showing you pictures and think “What sine wave looks like this hill on this cover of a sci-fi book?” HM: People think of maths as this hard, dry subject, but it’s not that distinct from creative things – especially when you’re building worlds like this. We can look at landscapes and make the maths that does that, even if I couldn’t draw it. That’s a powerful thing. OPM: Can your own code surprise you? DR: There are lots of things when you’re building complex layers. Grant called me over to [show me] a load of…

Your console’s web browser may not seem like the obvious port of call when you’re looking to do some gaming on the cheap, but there are sites such as Playboxie that provide a bevy of browser games optimised for your PS4 pad. You could hop into a rendition of Pac-Man or Flappy Bird, but it’s worth noting that these run with a slight input lag. Super-simple efforts such as Tetris and Snake II fare better, and prove perfect time-wasters for those moments when you’re waiting for a day one patch to download and want to be reminded of the good old days.…

FORMAT PS4 DEV DAYBREAK GAME COMPANY WHAT IS IT? First-person shooting in a science-fiction universe of endless factional strife, with multiple classes and oodles of vehicles. And it’s all played out on the shifting battlefronts of bloomin’ massive continents. WHY PLAY IT? Planetside 2 is a fearsomely intimidating slice of sci-fi shootery, offering new players little more than an introduction to its menu and map screens before pushing you out into a world of persistent conflict. But once you’ve wrapped your head around a few of the key concepts, your reward is a constantly shifting battlefield in which single skirmishes can be contested by hundreds of players. It’s occasionally bewildering and often exhilarating, delivering conflict on a scale that makes Battlefield’s 64-person showdowns look like pub car park punch-ups. It’s…

“IT OFFERS A CORNUPCOPIA OF UNLOCKABLE ARMOUR FOR HISTORIANS TO GET SWEATY-PALMED OVER.” FORMAT PS4 DEV WARGAMING WHAT IS IT? An online shooter that rejects the genre’s COD-inspired conventions altogether, offering a more considered take on multiplayer marksmanship from the comfort of a 40-ton warmachine. WHY PLAY IT? World Of Tanks may be an online shooter, but there are no teabagging preteens or 360 no-scopes to be found on its shell-ravaged battlegrounds. In fact, it’s all rather civil considering you’re launching whopping great explosives at one another. Select a warmachine and hop into a round of 15v15 multiplayer, and you’ll spend the first minute or so happily trundling into position behind a weathered barn or choice bit of hedge. It can all seem a bit placid compared to the fast-paced…

Not every free-to-play flower can blossom into a mighty money-spinner. Look at PlayStation Home, for instance – once host to Red Bull logos and simulated bowling queues as far as the eye could see. Now, tragically, gone. Then there are the F2P fighting games: Soul Calibur: Lost Swords, Tekken Revolution and Spartacus Legends have all had their plugs pulled in the last year. And finally, shed a tear for Dust 514, the much-touted FPS counterpart to MMO giant Eve Online. Following a tepid launch, the shooter’s servers power down in May.…

“SFV PULLS TOGETHER ALL THE BEST ELEMENTS OF THE SERIES’ PREVIOUS ENTRIES WITH CONSUMMATE FLAIR.” Putting a feeling into words is difficult. You feel Street Fighter V. For newcomers, it’s a rush: a spectacular shot of adrenaline that has you re-evaluating everything you thought fighting games were. For superfans, it’s uncanny: the spine-tingling sense that you’ve experienced something similar before, but never quite like this. For everyone, it’s instinct – and that’s a revolutionary achievement. Street Fighter V pulls together all the best elements of the series’ multitude of previous entries with consummate flair. The competitive purity of Street Fighter II; the technical brilliance of Street Fighter III; the revolutionary spirit of Street Fighter IV: they’re all here. Presented in a hyper-stylised, glossy wrapper of acid-bright…

Sometimes a single button command tells you everything about a game. Take A Boy And His Blob, in which jabbing on the D-pad results in the nameless lad reaching down to give his gelatinous buddy a big cuddle – a truly “aww”-inspiring sight.1 It’s a gesture that’s emblematic of this heart-melting hug of a classic game. Released on Nintendo’s Wii in 2009, and given a fresh lick of paint for this PS4/PS Vita port, A Boy And His Blob is a puzzle platformer that reimagines the 1989 NES original. There’s only the faintest hint of a story about a blob who flees to Earth after his home planet comes under attack. Together, boy and blob traverse four worlds with the help of various jellybeans, which the boy can toss.2 When…

Last year, The Escapists gave us a chance to indulge our overactive imaginations. Whether shanking other inmates or donning a stolen guard’s uniform, we relished acting out favourite prison dramas in glorious 8-bit fashion. It’s hard to imagine anything more satisfying, but the bar has been raised with the release of The Escapists: The Walking Dead. As we all know, the rule ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ doesn’t apply when ‘add zombies’ is classed as a fix. As with the original game, you follow a strict daily routine; after all, structure is integral to Rick Grimes’ crumbling world. Headcounts must be taken,1 breakfast must be eaten and infected clothes must be washed. Even in your ‘free time’ you’re bound to tasks such as hitting the gym and reading,…

This ought to come with a prenup forcing couples and friends not to let whatever occurs in the depths of space come between them. Lovers trades in stress, placing two hardy souls in a ship designed for seven. The staff shortage means dashing between a steering wheel, shield and five guns, as aliens nibble at the hull and jagged rocks scrape their leftovers.1 Coordination is key, but the situations change so quickly that polite instructions become screams. Dead arms soon follow. It’s almost tough to the point of being unpleasant (Mrs Randall spouts terms even this filthy rag won’t print), only held back from the abyss by an upgrade system that lends a foothold. Giving ship parts the right elemental boost – making your shield reflective, say – can merge…

Decent PS Plus titles are like trains. You wait yonks and then six come along at once. I don’t know about you, but February’s offering derailed my Instant Game Collection doubts. Gunslinging, puzzle-solving, brawling, racing and soup-making – there was a bit of brilliance for everyone. Dystopian top-down shooter HELLDIVERS made PS Plus worth it last month: it got an 8/10 in OPM #109. A triple-threat on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita, with threat being the operative word for this ball-buster. Feb disappeared in a haze of panicked co-op, peppering Bugs (and, ahem, teammates) with scarily limited ammo. NOM NOM GALAXY on PS4 restored us with a hearty blend of platforming, tower defence and sandbox action. The addictive base-builder has you feeding a universe of hungry aliens with whatever questionable…

There’s no rest for the EDF, which makes its online offering perfect for those who can’t get enough bug squishing. Basically, it’s the main campaign, but with three of your friends. Simple. Getting a game is quick and relatively easy, though the overwhelming volume of menus lurking in lobbies is hard to digest. But let’s be honest: you don’t come to EDF for clear design, you come for the hilarious insect slaughter. And that’s only amplified online. The action is smooth (well, there are no additional problems not found offline), and you can jump into any level on any difficulty, though it’s obviously not the best idea to take your underpowered wingdiver into level 30 on hard. One major disappointment? PvP battles are couchplay only. Boo. VERDICT The main game…

BONE CHILLIN’ COSTUME PACK This Dungeon Defenders II add-on seems bare bones for the price – it gives you 3,000 gems (plus 20% bonus), and four skellybob skins. *shrug* EMERALD WEAPON Bling up your assault rifle (or any weapon in your loadout) with this sparkly Rainbow Six Siege weapon skin. It’s not super-stealthy, but you’ll look fabulous. CRIME FIGHTER CHALLENGE PACK 6 This Batman: Arkham Knight add-on includes six remastered maps from the older games, including Crime Alley, the Batcave and Iceberg Lounge. COMPLETE COSTUME PACK Why not fully kit out Billy and Bec’s Resident Evil Zero wardrobes? Looks like it’s time to get Billy cosplaying as Cody from Street Fighter… MOD PACK It’s worth downloading this Farming Simulator 15 pack, which comes with various new vehicles and equipment, just…

WWE: NXT – GREATEST MATCHES VOLUME 1 14 MAR Fight-filled three-disc set collecting the 15 finest matches from HHH’s superb ‘indie’ wrestling project. DRAGON BLADE 14 MAR East and West collide in this Chinese historical epic about the battle between Adrien Brody’s Roman invaders and Jackie Chan’s warriors. GAME OF THRONES: FIFTH SEASON 14 MAR Prepare for season six with this bloodthirsty boxset. Let’s face it, no one remembers what happened. THE DRESSMAKER 14 MAR Kate Winslet’s fashionable femme fatale introduces a spot of haute couture to some uncouth Aussies in this revenge comedy. CAROL 21 MAR Ravishing ’50s-set drama about the forbidden love between Cate Blanchett’s unhappily married socialite and Rooney Mara’s shop girl. STEVE JOBS 21 MAR Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s unconventional biopic offers insightful snapshots of…

DOCTOR PLAYSTATION Our console medic fixes your tech woes with actual science THE PROBLEM Street Fighter V is here, and with it, a whole new bunch of scrublords out for blood and glory. Hadoken them back to the Stone Age by performing major surgery on your fightstick. STEP 1 OPEN IT UP AND REMOVE WIRES Operations are all about commitment. You must power through, ignoring the screams of anguish, and do what you must. It’s the same with SFV’s official fightstick. Yes, it seems drastic to crack open the First Lady of Fighting Games like a watermelon – but look! Buttons! Popping open a Mad Catz stick is… a painless process. Oh. Well, maybe change is good. Simply press the button on the front edge of the case, pulling it…

1 “PRAGUE NOW HAS A VOLCANO RIGHT AT ITS CENTRE. WHICH, TO THE LOCALS AT LEAST, IS PROBABLY PREFERABLE TO STAG-DO BRITS.” 2 “IT’LL NO MORE TEACH YOU HOW TO FIGHT THAN LA NOIRE WILL GET YOU TRAINED UP IN FORENSIC PATHOLOGY. FINGERPRINTS, PHELPS! JESUS.” 3 “THE WORLD’S BEING RIPPED APART. FURIOUS MOTHER NATURE’S HEMP FLIP-FLOPS ARE ACTUALLY CRASHING DOWN AROUND YOU AS YOU DRIVE.” 4 “SNARED A ROCK CRUSHER ON CHUNKS OF ICE? TAME. GOLD MELTER ON, UM, GOLD? MMMM, LIQUIDY.”…

1 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN Konami might try and scrub Hideo Kojima’s name from the ultimate in tactical espionage action, but it’ll never remove his fingerprints. While retaining that distinct storytelling and sense of wonder that defines an MGS title, MGS V offers a level of freedom and creativity unheard of in any sandbox. Grand, majestic and bittersweet, this is an instant classic. 2 GRAND THEFT AUTO V Laughing in the face of other cross-gen ports, GTA V on PS4 is more than just a mere HD remaster. Upped to a glorious 1080p, it weaves everything that made the PS3 original great, with new music, more dynamic weather and a game-changing FPS mode. 3 BLOODBORNE With the finest third-person melee combat in gaming, drool-worthy art design and…

1 THE LAST OF US PS3’s premier developer proves a misbehaving pooch can learn new tricks in this extraordinary adventure. In true Naughty Dog fashion, the Californian studio subverts everything from zombie and post-apocalyptic tropes to the gameplay beats of its own back catalogue. Effortlessly blending stealth, horror and action with a script destined to break your heart, TLOU is interactive storytelling at its finest. 2 GRAND THEFT AUTO V The largest entry in the series is also one of the most ambitious games ever, but its fusion of thrilling missions, entertaining characters and scathing satire looks effortless. There can be no better way to bring a generation to a close than this. 3 UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES The game that sparked a million mancrushes, with a perfectly pitched script,…

1 TEARAWAY Peerless 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. 2 PERSONA 4: GOLDEN This 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. 3 RAYMAN LEGENDS Rather 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. 4 VELOCITY 2X A ludicrously enjoyable puzzle/platformer hybrid that should come…

As well as saying his new PS4 exclusive will be a “big, extremely edgy game,” Hideo Kojima has been reuniting with ex-Silent Hills partners Guillermo del Toro and Norman Reedus… A 3D animator at XPEC studios added Knack 2 to her CV – it apparently started life in May ‘15. Onimusha could be getting a revival, Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono claims. Is Crash on his way back? PlayStation Middle East is teasing him, and toy makers are talking, too… Titanfall 2 could drop onto PS4 this year, as McFarlane Toys is releasing tie-in action figures in December.…

@DAZFINK Had a dream that my wife woke me up and told me another settlement needed my help. @STAL_86 Great FF7 article guys, doesn’t seem that long since I was reading about the original. @ROBERTASHLEY A friend’s hot take on The Witness: “I feel like I took mushrooms and went to a Google interview.” @JONATHAN_BLOW At least one reviewer 100%ed the game or pretty close, which is way beyond “finish.” @THERADBRAD The Division: I learned nothing is more stressful than extracting a beanie from the dark zone. @CHARIONNATV The first time I went rogue was an accident, but after the thrill… I love the Dark Zone! @VIRTUETANV THE PS4 CONTROLLER SUCKS. @ULTRABRILLIANT There should be a bit in Doom where you meet a Witness line puzzle, then just shotgun it…

“LINING UP ELEMENTS INTO WELL-BALANCED COMPOSITIONS IS A GRATIFYING PUZZLE IN ITSELF – PURE VIRTUAL TOURISM.” WRITER BIO Ben Griffin photographs games and real life alike, and one time a screenshot gallery of his reached number FOUR on Reddit’s front page. He was very excited. Confirm he’s not lying by viewing his collection of game and real life shots here: photosofphotos.imgur.com. Years before PS4 enabled players to snap and share high-quality screenshots with a few button presses, I was balancing my two megapixel Casio camera on a stack of Harry Potters and pointing it towards my finger-smudged telly. Why? Because taking pictures of games is the best. Firstly, it gives you something to look back on, like an old photo album. Except that all of the pictures of your ice…

1 UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES He may have been inspired by the adventures of Indy, but Nate and Dr Jones have different views when it comes to rare artefacts. “They belong in a museum,” is not a philosophy Drake’s too keen on. He eagerly busts into the Istanbul Palace Museum to steal a Mongolian oil lamp in Uncharted 2. 2 GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME They may not be ‘fraid of no ghost, but curators everywhere are terrified of the ‘Busters. And with good reason. While trying to stop another Great Destructor, Venkman and co. utterly wreck the Big Apple’s Museum Of Natural History with their Proton Packs. 3 HITMAN ABSOLUTION What does every malevolent, southern redneck millionaire own? Why, their very own penthouse/private museum, of course. While there, on the…

Grumbling about sequels that merely give the formula a bit of a tweak here and there is commonplace, but in a series as meticulously designed as Dark Souls, the tiniest changes hit with the force of an axeblow. From Software’s latest outing incorporates the more fluid animations of spiritual cousin Bloodborne, plus a little of its ferocity, and the result is a follow-up that’s much less conservative than it seems. The broad strokes are as before: this is a vast, morbidly in-depth action role-player in which caution is the cardinal virtue. You’ll tip-toe through a selection of rotting castles and crypts packed with secret routes, learn the habits of respawning enemies and spend souls at bonfires on upgrades. Stamina remains as precious a resource as health, with over-extended combos leaving…

DARK SOULS III This side-scrolling platformer has you hacking and slashing your way through devilishly difficult castle levels in a tense race against the sun. The impending dawn will ignite your armour, then crumble it mercilessly into dust. FORMAT PS4 ETA 12 APR HOMEFRONT THE REVOLUTION An unfathomably odd tie-in to the Dad’s Army reboot. Half walking sim, half shooter, you play a new recruit based in an English seaside town who has vivid dreams of frontline action. FORMAT PS4 ETA 20 MAY UFC 2 Warm up your thighs (and eyes), then strip to your pants for this VR overhaul of the rhythm-action genre. Only break your stare-off when the crowd bays for blinks and leg bends. FORMAT PS4 ETA 17 MAR…

“HAKI AND DEVIL FRUIT ABILITIES MIGHT SOUND CRYPTIC, BUT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS A FIERY FIST IN THEIR FACE.” Eating your greens gives you… flaming hands? That’s a new one. Prepare to get juiced in One Piece’s first-ever fighting game, in which tactically teaming up violent pirates is vital, and getting your daily dose of vitamin C is wildly irresponsible. So you’re not so hot on your anime. No problem. Anyone can plonk themselves in front of the vivid roster, pick three superpowered swashbucklers (who get their skills from, uh, fruit), and dive into 3v3 madness – no prior knowledge required. Blow-by-blow onomatopoeia, comic-strip-cool motion lines and sleek cutscenes make each match screen-worthy. Not a fighting guru either? The tag-team system is as simple as squeezing triggers, and normal attacks come out…

DOOM FORMAT PS4 / ETA 13 MAY PUB BETHESDA DEV ID SOFTWARE During Doom’s new campaign trailer, it’s hard to miss the moment when your towering soldier yanks a dead body off the ground and rams his face into a retinal scanner. In case you hadn’t realised already, the eerie atmosphere of Doom 3 is out and manic action is in. Doom’s return is packed with boot-stomping, eye-gouging, tusk-removing, chainsawing and good ol’ fashioned double-barrel shotguns to ensure hell hath no fury like a space marine scorned – and now it comes with a robust map-making tool, too. Brace yourself for PlayStation 4’s most asskickingly violent game yet when it lands on 13 May. WONDERSHOT FORMAT PS4 / ETA SPRING 2016 / PUB LEIKIR STUDIO DEV LEIKIR STUDIO Team OPM…

OPM: What inspired No Man’s Sky’s artstyle? GD: Classic ‘70s sci-fi covers. You look at these books, art like Chris Foss’, and you think “Wow, that world looks amazing, I want to go there.” It makes you want to explore. OPM: It’s all procedurally-generated – do you sometimes see ugly clashes on planets? GD: Well, we did. Early on, we clicked “Generate,” and got horrible mixtures of colours which scared me to death! (Laughs) We added colour theory rules in so there’s a relationship between colours: the colour of leaves, grass, moss, and animals. Everything’s picked based on a created palette. And we can stray from that to a certain extent, so you don’t just get uniform rules. OPM: How about spaceships? GD: Fighter spaceships always have a cockpit and…

Just a few years ago, it seemed as though free-to-play was purely the preserve of kitschy mobile puzzlers and impenetrable Korean MMOs. Fast forward to the present day, and it’s clear that the model has not only made its way into the mainstream – it’s found a home on PlayStation’s Store. And since a lack of a price tag is no reason to pooh-pooh a potential corker, we decided to set out in search of the very best gaming experiences that PlayStation has to offer the player on a shoestring budget. Armed with little more than an internet connection and a PSN account, we began our dumpster dive in search of the most delectable of digital delicacies. Rather than merely highlighting some freebies, we wanted to figure out just how…

FORMAT PS4/PS3 DEV TEAM NINJA WHAT IS IT? A truncated edition of Team Ninja’s 2015 edition of DOA5, featuring a limited lineup of characters and a heaving virtual storefront of microtransactions. WHY PLAY IT? Core Fighters is nothing if not true to its name. Fire up this mini-edition of the famously buxom fighting game series, and one of the first things you’ll see is a teeming character select screen, with almost all of the fighters greyed-out. But what this game lacks in characters, it makes up for handsomely elsewhere. Core Fighters features the full Versus, Online and Arcade modes of its retail sibling, as well as series staples such as Survival and Team Fight. And all that’s to say nothing of the Training mode, included here in all its comprehensive…

“A STEADY FLOW OF DREAD PUNCTUATED BY JOLTS OF ‘WHAT WAS THAT?!’ SCARES.” The canvas hides behind a dust cloth; the material’s draped over to protect both the surface and the painter. He can’t go back to it, it hurts too much. But he must. It sits there, basking in a warm glow and calling out for him to finish it. He knows he shouldn’t. Then again, he couldn’t help himself before, so why stop now? Even the walls are begging him to… And so begins your latest descent into madness. If Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture was whacked into a blender with Outlast, Layers Of Fear would be the abomination smoothie that crashes out. Primarily a narrative-focused walking simulator, you step into the shoes of a 19th century painter…

Only a month has passed since our stealthy side-scrolling trip to India, and now we’re off to the the 20th century for the most modern Creed experience yet. Hooded Russian stabber Nikolai Orelov is trying to escape the Brotherhood, but has signed up for the old one-more-mission chestnut. Despite taking place at the start of the Russian Civil War, however, this adventure sees Orelov hunting an infamous Piece of Eden while far more interesting events take place in the background. Speaking of which, the environment might feature beautifully-styled Russian propaganda with striking reds and blacks, but the plot feels like a missed opportunity. Climax Studios has clearly been at pains to make abilities feel fresh, but the balance problems suffered by Chronicles: India return. Orelov has a rifle, plus a…

Who’s still hankering after more Tron? Six years since we last saw The Grid, Tron: RUN/r struggles to make a convincing argument to exist. Split between three areas – Disc, Cycle and Stream – the core idea is you navigate your avatar1 through auto-run courses either on foot or light cycle, vying for a high score by using combos and power-ups.2 When you’re pounding the virtual pavement of the so-eighties-it-burns neon of Tron City at full pelt, RUN/r tasks you with timing jumps and smashing through obstacles with precision. While this section does a decent job of introducing ideas to keep courses fresh – wall running and grinds come in midway – outside of a few difficulty spikes, it never becomes demanding enough to give you notable thrills. Hopping onto…

“IT’S LIKE THE BOWL OF PIGS IN BLANKETS THAT YOU KEEP REACHING FOR AT XMAS.” Toy Story was right: being an outdated inanimate object can really be a drag. If anyone ever deserved to have a Woody complex, it’s poor old Henk. The star of this warmly nostalgic speed-runner is an ageing action figure with a sagging gut and a wardrobe that looks like it was bought from John McClane’s Sweaty Vest Emporium. Sounds like a recipe to break out a super sad Randy Newman song, right? Wrong! It doesn’t matter that Action Henk’s titular star may have had better days, because in the here and now, he can still butt-slide with the best of ’em. That’s right, butt-slide. This colourful, extra nippy side-scroller may come across as a mishmash…

There goes the great Kerry Botosh, the most fearsome pirate to have sailed the pixely seas. A swashbuckler who captured land, ships and, er, made her riches by selling diapers. Yeah, nothing quite breaks the illusion of commanding the nastiest ship the oceans ever saw like knowing you’ve made your fortune from being a Pampers salesperson. This 2D RPG-ish management sim promises the chance to become the ultimate buccaneer. The idea is sound, mind. Nick ships or build them from scratch, hire a crew and beef up their stats as you trawl the oceans in search of adventure.1 Constructing boats with materials you plunder is uncomplicated, allowing for some indulgent creativity – it certainly has enough intricacy to hook you in,2 but on the whole it feels bizarrely unbalanced and…

DESTINY: THE TAKEN KING Jen Simpkins expects headshot heaven, but gets hopping mad Raiding is the jewel in the Destiny crown, so I hop in on a friend’s Vault Of Glass run. Hopping and running turn out to be the order of the day – Destiny is now somehow a platformer. Vanishing pillars send me spiralling into misadventure, and a labyrinth full of Gorgons is bent on the destruction of my sanity and my Kill/Death ratio. When we eventually make it to final boss Atheon, my trigger finger’s as itchy as a dermatitis-afflicted flea in a mohair cardigan. He goes down easy. Those Gorgons need promoting. BLOODBORNE Matthew Pellett becomes a hunter-turned-scribe in From’s masterpiece I’m late to the party, I know, but what a party it still is! The…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB KIZ STUDIOS DEV KIZ STUDIOS REVIEW N/A There’s no denying it: this colourful free-to-play MOBA’s got personality. Jumping into an online match to play Plunderball, Conquest or Annihilation is instant and slick. You ready your wacky Champion, eager to gank some fools. A hilarious Will Ferrell sound-a-like announcer booms “Somebody’s dreams are about to be dragged out to the parking lot and set on fire!” The intrigue, sadly, ends there. Matches are fast, but movement’s at a snail’s pace. A lack of in-game progression or levelling along with heavy focus on pick-ups makes it less tactical MOBA and more trigger-happy ability spamfest. It plays like an absolute dream online – it’s lag-free and matchmaking’s a breeze – but it’ll neither convert non-MOBA players nor satisfy fans.…

STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT: SEASON PASS Finally, some details on the four expansion packs. The first, Outer Rim, has a map set among the Sullust factories, plus combat inside Jabba’s palace. Plenty more weapons, Star Cards and vehicles are still to come. AC SYNDICATE: STREETS OF LONDON Missed out on the pre-order DLC? Good news: it’s all in this new Assassin’s Creed pack. There are new weapons and outfits, plus about 45 minutes of extra gameplay in the Darwin and Dickens Conspiracy and Runaway Train missions. MORTAL KOMBAT X KOMBAT PACK 2 If you’re thirsty for new blood, or even old blood, then bolster your X roster. Cyber-ninja Tri-Borg, horror legend Leatherface and an Alien xenomorph all feature alongside plenty of pre-released content, as well as klassic Kombat gross-out kook Bo’…

INFO PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV CD PROJEKT RED RELEASED 2015 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £32.98 WHAT? One of PS4’s most critically lauded RPGs, and an adventure that features some of the very finest face fuzz you’ll ever find. Sprawling, nuanced, written with wry wit… and really sodding hard to get into for a certain surly Scot.…