Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2016 i PLAY

“NEED AN INSTANT POST-UNCHARTED FIX? DOOM, ON P78, IS YOUR NEW BEST PAL.” Nathan Drake Nathan Drake Nathan Drake Nathan… oh, hi. If your last month has been anything like ours, you’ve barely found time to eat or sleep, so addictive is Nate’s latest, greatest adventure. We celebrate this fact with a look back at the Uncharted 4 launch (p6) and discussion of the ending (p24, SPOILERS!), but also face up to a prospect that once seemed terrifying: life after Drake. (Eeeeep.) Mercifully, it’s not as pantaloon-soilingly scary as it sounds. Need an instant hit of shooting goodness to take your mind off that final farewell? Doom, reviewed on p78, is your new best pal. Worried about surviving an Elena-less Christmas? Two new Call Of Duty games and Battlefield 1…

KEIJI IN(A) JUNE Mighty No 9, Keiji Inafune’s beleaguered spiritual successor to Mega Man, finally has a “concrete” release date. If it doesn’t get delayed again, that is. The game has finally gone gold, though, and will be jumping, shooting and 2D-platforming its way to European shops on 24 June. BEYOND INFINITY Disney has canned its console division, along with Disney Infinity developer Avalanche Software. It’s a little bemusing, given the series’ critical acclaim and the wider popularity of the toys-to-life genre, but it apparently does mean even bigger things for Star Wars. Still feels like a big C3P-no, mind. NATHAN SNAKE? Given a new lease of independent life, MGS mastermind Hideo Kojima says fans of The Division and Uncharted will enjoy his next project. If it’s not Nathan Drake…

“I’VE BANNED MYSELF FROM EVANGELISING BULLETSTORM YET AGAIN, SO HAVE TO ROLL WITH QUANTUM OF SOLACE.” BEN WILSON ACTING EDITOR It was fashionable to knock Treyarch’s foray onto Bond street, which shamelessly gave Call Of Duty a 007 reskin. But that’s exactly what made it fun. ‘Til then the studio’s bullet galas were of an early 20th century bent, whereas Solace let it show off its chops in a modern setting – with Daniel Craig, Eva Green and Judi Dench thrown into the bargain. Its sticky cover system pleased, QTEs were used where appropriate rather than as a crutch, and you could whistle through the story in six hours. Questionable value in 2008 – but now an eBay snip at sub-£3. In summation: golden aye. “FORGOTTEN IN FAVOUR OF UNAMBITIOUS…

“FORGET THE OLD WEST, PARTNER. RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 SHOULD BE SET IN THE MODERN DAY.” WRITER BIO Dave Meikleham likes himself a good Western. He goes to sleep dreaming of duelling pistols at dawn and wakes up with a thirst for saloon-poured XXX whiskey. In 26 years of gaming, only RDR’s ending has ever made him blub. My love for John Marston is so deep that I could cry. Hell, I genuinely did, when that very upsetting thing happens to him, at the end of RDR. Yet while the charismatic cowboy is likely gone for good, I’m frothing at the mouth for Red Dead Redemption 2. Even more so following the leak of its apparent in-game map. Pity I’m not on board with the idea of a prequel. If…

“KARNACA WOULD BE LIKE PARADISE, IF NOT FOR THE DEATH SQUADS.” To anyone familiar with Arkane’s 2012 supernatural stealth-’em-up, this sun-soaked sequel may look disarmingly different. Dunwall was a dark and dismal place, where rats ran in writhing swarms down deserted streets. Karnaca, by contrast, is a tropical city full of harlequin architecture and bustling squares. It’d almost look like paradise, were it not for the roaming death squads and the lingering buzz of parasitic insects on the breeze. A new setting isn’t the only change made to the Dishonored formula – there’s a new playable character, too. Emily Kaldwin was only 10 years old in the original, but now she’s a vengeful 25-year-old determined to reclaim the throne stolen from her. Following a brisk intro, players can choose between…

“TO MAKE AN ENEMY OMELETTE, YOU’VE GOT TO BREAK SOULS.” Birthday beats are in order. The beloved JRPG Tales series recently turned 20 and, like most 20-somethings, it’s celebrating raucously – by throwing things out of windows, the Tales rulebook included. Think you’re too late to join the party? Well, don your novelty hat, ready the confetti cannons and stock up on two-for-one fizzy pop: thanks to plenty of friendly additions, and a revamped combat system, everyone’s invited. Alright, maybe 20 beats was overkill, judging by the state of protagonist Velvet’s big, red, throbbing left arm. Oops. In actuality, her powerful claw is a result of a disease inflicted upon her called Daemonblight. Berseria’s story centres around her quest for revenge on the man who “deprived her of everything” (that’d…

“DODGE, BLOCK AND GLANCE AT YOUR HEALTH BAR IN 17TH CENTURY JAPAN.” Discussing Team Ninja’s latest game without mentioning Dark Souls would be like trying to summarise Jurassic Park without referencing dinosaurs – it’s probably possible, but it’d be a very strange omission. And not just because both games are tougher than a pair of fossilised boots. It’s because Nioh is an attempt to reproduce the Souls template, with Team Ninja hoping to replicate From’s considered brand of brawling in its own distinct setting. As such, you dodge, block and nervously glance at your health bar while in 17th century Japan, rather than Lordran or Lothric. Your enemies, meanwhile, are a motley band of outlaws, bandits and terrifying hellspawn – each more than capable of giving you an unceremonious drubbing.…

“FLY AND SWING, SPIDER-MAN STYLE, AROUND YOUR GARGANTUAN FOES.” This just in: cannibal giant-slaying slash-’em-up involves wall-to-wall blood and guts. In other news, water is wet and PS4’s the superior console. But along with a shiny new subtitle, specifics of anime-based Attack On Titan’s less gory, gung-ho gameplay have emerged. Toppling all those Titans takes serious tactical nous – and a few buddies. Omni-Directional Mobility Gear enables you to fly and swing, Spider-Man style, around your gargantuan foes. It’s powered by gas canisters, so run out and you need a pit stop. You can carry extra canisters for top-ups, but resource management is essential. Gas isn’t the only wind beneath your wings. Teamwork makes the Titan-dismembering dream work, so you can draft in up to three NPCs to help –…

RICHARD EDWARD WHITE I'm hoping to see a much better, deep, and fully detailed story – with emotion attached. Most COD games are not doing that these days, so I think we need that to happen. MATHIAS HARRISON RINGEL I personally am hoping the multiplayer is more like older Call Of Duty games. No more three-lane maps. No windows across from each other. Big open towns or villages. "Secret" places that are hard to get to. No more Exo suits that can help you escape imminent death. JAY DELGADO For them to actually change. Because, you know, some of us can accept change. BEN BUBB No jumping, no wall running. Normal movement system would be a good wish from me! JON A FENECK Dedicated servers for online play. That's what…

“THE TRADEMARK FLEXIBILITY OF PLAYSTYLES IS MORE EXPANSIVE THAN EVER.” The razor-gargling gravel tones of Adam Jensen sum up the mess of the world at the end of 2011 predecessor Human Revolution. “Fifty million dead. Hundreds of thousands more, maimed and injured. All because a few rich opportunists plotted to control us in secret.” Humanity is sitting on a lit powder-keg marked 'Augmented People', and Mankind Divided is going to make us watch it explode. Fortunately, that’s pretty much the only explosion you’re not in control of, as the series’ trademark flexibility of playstyles is more expansive than ever. Thanks to some conveniently discovered augmentations, you’ve a few new skills to help Jensen tackle his objectives. Yep, we reckon the ability to slow down time and shoot grenades from the…

“THE FIRST IDEA WAS TO HAVE A TIGER, NOT A CHAMELEON. ” OPM: The 3D platforming genre is making a bit of a comeback. Why do you think that is? Andy Robinson: The one thing that’s happened over the last ten or 15 years is that making these games has become so big and so risky that a lot of studios have tended to follow a trend for what’s successful. It’s a chicken and egg thing, right? If no-one’s making them, then they’re not successful. And if they’re not successful… Chris Sutherland: One reason might be because there was just so much realism. As the consoles get more and more powerful, the way you show off the power is to make it more realistic. There’s been a trend in that…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB TELLTALE GAMES DEV TELLTALE GAMES Telltale’s two seasons of The Walking Dead contain some of the best stories in Robert Kirkman’s zombie-verse. They feature complex characters and decisions that carry weight, plus a bold art style that shocks when the guts start to fly. You feel like you can impact the story – you mould Lee and Clem and own their decisions. Sadly, that rarely happens in this spin-off. The big failing is placing you in Michonne’s boots. As an already established character from the comics and TV show, she comes with a pre-defined personality, narrowing the directions you can take her. She never feels like your character. While Telltale uses devices such as hallucinations in a bid to make you empathise with…

“WHY TRY TO BE CLEVER WHEN EFFICIENCY NETS YOU THE BEST SCORES?” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV HEAVY SPECTRUM Memory is a fickle creature. Especially when it comes to games. We’ve all been blinded by nostalgia, transporting an unvarnished reality to the realms of fond recollection. It can only have been such a rouge-tinted reminiscence that inspired Heavy Spectrum to want to remake a game like Shadow Of The Beast. If you can remember the 1989 original – tragically, this writer can – then you’ll likely recall the box more than the game it housed, with the sumptuous Roger Dean art belying what was little more than an atmospheric tech demo (with an admittedly great soundtrack). It’s featured here as a bonus extra, reminding us how…

“THE POWERSHOT RIFLE DISINTEGRATES PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING IN THE WAY.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV HOUSEMARQUE As destroyers of free time go, mixing twin-stick shooting with looting is a doozy. If the addictive hook of blasting legions of aliens doesn’t get you, then the itch of a better gun waiting tantalisingly in the distance sure will. It’s an intoxicating blend that makes it difficult to rip yourself away from Housemarque’s gorgeous top-downer, but the question is, how long does the itch last? Using a similar style of combat to forefather Dead Nation, Alienation’s gunning is blisteringly quick and its levels gratifyingly tactile, as cars explode with a few bullet zings. There’s also a good gun balance, with a slot each for your primary, secondary and heavy…

“ATMOSPHERIC PIANO TINKLES ABOUND, WHILE SPECKLES OF LIGHT DANCE OVER WATER.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB OASIS GAMES DEV DOTOYOU Fish are not bright animals, so you might be surprised to play as one in a puzzle adventure game. Despite that, Chinese dev Dotoyou wants you to put your thinking carp on. But while there are simplistic puzzles to be found floating on the surface of this watery world, these still waters don’t run too deep. Dip a toe or two in and you realise that Koi’s a little bit confused. Visually, it’s as switched on as they come – your dinky orange vessel wiggling and gliding through brilliant colour. Skating around lilypads, with zen-like smooth controls, is a joy. Musical raindrops send ripples across the water as…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB INFINITE MONKEYS DEV INFINITE MONKEYS Tis but a scratch!” Um, hang on, Black Knight. Not every armoured warrior is so comfortable shaking off pesky flesh wounds. Take the armada of doomed little sods in this morbidly cheeky, puzzle-loving platformer. Unlike Monty Python’s legendary limb-challenged combatant, Life Goes On’s painfully perishable knights are pure fodder. And y’know what? I wouldn’t have them any other way. The adorable knights in this charming puzzler are basically modern day Lemmings. Like 2014’s caustically chilling The Swapper, Life Goes On is a game in which success is stacked upon repeated failure.1 And loads of cutesy corpses. The only way to get through the dozens of tricksy environmental challenges is to embrace your inner Kenny and die a whole…

FIFA 16 Banned (again) from writing about Rocket League, Ben Tyrer revisits his first love As an Everton fan, I’m used to displays of diabolical defending. Sadly, taking the Toffees online sees me commit just as many sins. In a tense match against Atlético Madrid, it’s 0-0 and Joel is clutching the ball after a scruffy Torres shot. Calmly, he rolls it out. But disaster strikes – of course it does – as Stones’ pass then falls to Griezmann, who shimmies into the area and slaps the ball into the top right-hand corner. Christ, even in the virtual world, I can’t escape disappointment at The Old Lady. WWE 2K16 No one wants to fight Ben Wilson, but that can’t stop him getting grap happy To say I’m ‘playing’ WWE 2K…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB MARVELOUS GAMES DEV EXAMU REVIEW ISSUE #123, 7/10 Poor, pretty 2D Blasterz. With brawling buffs still stick-deep in Street Fighter V, this faithful fan service fighter’s been left high and dry at the altar. Not that it isn’t clutching a veritable bouquet of solid online features. The menus look dated, but the array of options is mighty impressive. You can search according to very specific parameters – perhaps you want to play foes using a certain support character? – and spend time stretching those flesh tentacles in training mode while you wait. You might be waiting a while. Managing to find a sparring partner reveals accurate matchmaking and no-fuss netcode (the occasional judder during big death-laser attacks, mind). Shame not many are committing to this total…

BATTLEBORN – SEASON PASS Call up more heroes with the season pass – you get all five new ‘uns the minute they release (Eldrid warrior/healer Alani is the first). Each of the five included DLC packs adds a new PvE Story Operation, as well as extra skins and taunts. RAINBOW SIX SIEGE – OPERATION DUST LINE Two new Navy SEALs join the fray – Valkyrie uses a quick deployment sticky camera, while Blackbeard’s got an armoured rifle shield. New map The Border is destructible, and you can now switch loadouts between rounds. RAMBO THE VIDEO GAME: BAKER TEAM Been clamouring for more of OPM’s fave 2/10 on-rails PS3 shooter? Hoo boy, do we have an extra special treat for you – there’s new DLC. Three new missions, “five new weapons…

INFO PUB TRAPDOOR DEV POLYTRON CORPORATION RELEASED 2014, PS4 (2012, PS3) GET IT NOW PSN STORE, £7.99 WHAT? At first look, a 2D platformer with deliciously retro pixelated style. At second glimpse, an achingly complex series of devilish perspective puzzles inspired by a rotatable adventure-scape.…

Jen Simpkins STAFF WRITER Team regret of the month: not starting a swear jar before F-word-powered Jen reviewed Battleborn. We’d all be millionaires. GAME OF THE MONTH Dark Souls III UNCHARTED HERO Chloe Frazer Ben Tyrer STAFF WRITER Earned a new, deserved nickname for the record number of sausages inhaled in the staff deli one May lunchtime: Ben Ten. GAME OF THE MONTH Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End UNCHARTED HERO Charlie Cutter Dave Meikleham CONTRIBUTING WRITER North-of-the-wall correspondent took on this month’s Homefront review. Two days’ play was enough to turn him full wildling. GAME OF THE MONTH Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End UNCHARTED HERO Nathan Drake Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Milf’s only criticism of a brilliant Chris Cornell gig in Bristol? The Soundgarden frontman’s failure to cover the…

30 Minutes taken for Square to sell out of Final Fantasy XV Collector’s Editions. 133.7m Number of times Leicester City have been chosen in Fifa 16 online play. 4,000 Record number of people that signed up for Street Fighter V at Evo 2016. 19 New characters in upcoming The King Of Fighters XIV, alongside 31 oldies. 200,000 Copies of indie debut Enter The Gungeon that sold in its first week. 1,400,000 Sales figure for Street Fighter V so far – it’s still short of its target. 14m Copies shipped of Star Wars Battlefront. Note: Shipped, not sold. £50,000 Kickstarter goal to fund Dark Souls: The Board Game. Currently on £2.4m!…

DO THE ROBOT The happiest Ratchet & Clank news: its PS4 rebirth is the fastest selling entry in the franchise. Groovitron shape-throwing all round, then. LEVIATHAN CHASING Final Fantasy is going open world, so it’s fitting that XV’s Collector’s Edition is open to all, too. Square is making more for launch – now just to drum up £190… BANDI AID It seems Lex Lang has been asked to “resurrect” a “doctor” from a beloved series. He’s only ever played one doc – Neo Cortex. Crash, is that you? DRAKE’S DESPAIR We waited five years for a new Uncharted, only to have plot spoilers strewn across the net prior to launch. Standard, but still shameful. POLES APART CD Projekt Red has other irons in the fire, but confirmation that the original…

“WE NEED A PS VITA SUCCESSOR. PLAYSTATION’S PAST PROVES HANDHELDS CAN BE ESSENTIAL.” WRITER BIO Jen Simpkins spent Biology lessons hiding a PSP under her desk. LocoRoco taught her all she needed to know about anatomy (we can pull ourselves apart and merge back together, right?) She’s still not too sure what a kidney is. Everybody knows it’s not the size, but what you do with it, that counts. As such, I’ve always had a soft spot for Sony’s ambitious portables. Whether it’s killing a few hours (and aliens) in cars, or snuggling up in an armchair at home, there’s something magical about holding a universe within your hands. Tilt-a-world platformer LocoRoco is so special, for example, that I recently spent several lunch breaks hunting a charger for my ten-year-old…

1 There are no rats here, only bloodfly – bulbous bugs that lay their eggs in corpses. Leave bodies in your wake and you’ll be dealing with swarms later. 2 Dunwall was a dead city, but Karnaca is still home to workers and residents who gather in crowded neutral zones to swap tittle-tattle and throw dice. 3 Karnaca’s economy is powered by its silver mines, which throw out all manner of industrial sediment, sometimes whipped up into a dust storm. 4 Even the local grub’s different. Pratchett Jellied Eels don’t sell so well down south – you’re more likely to find fig wine, rosewater jelly and candied beetles.…

SUPER DUNGEON BROS In this Micro Machines-style multiplayer racer with a difference, you pick one of four gravity-suited space toddlers. Dodge asteroids, battle each other and never lose your sunglasses in the race to the finish. FORMAT PS4 ETA 2016 DINO DINI’S KICK OFF REVIVAL This football/The Crystal Maze crossover puzzler has you delivered challenges from a Richard O’Brienvoiced ball in the sky before you hit the pitch to secure those elusive gold tickets. FORMAT PS4 ETA 2016 UNBOX Think moving is a hassle? You know nothing. This indie shooter turns you into an amusingly faced box, fighting your way out of a fireworks factory as opposing crates compete for a place in the new home. FORMAT PS4 ETA 2016…

“WE SEE WEASELS ROLLING GIANT SNOWBALLS AND GORILLAS WITH BODY FUNGUS.” The Japanese word “setsunai” translates literally as “wistful melancholy and longing,” which perfectly summarises this sentimental JRPG. It’s a retro-tinged adventure about a maiden called Setsuna who’s fated to sacrifice herself to save a village from monsters, drawing from classics of the genre while dropping the less approachable bits. As we discover in our hands-on, there’s no convoluted interface to interpret, or long-winded opening cutscene to endure – just a stark overworld inviting exploration. We make cute little footprints en route to a wooden hamlet populated by curiously named folk (Irritated Waitress, Plump Young Man), then pass foreboding shorelines where angry gulls caw mournfully, before battling foes in an icy cave. Combat’s a satisfying mix of turn-based action with…

ARK: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST FORMAT PS4 / ETA 19 JUL PUB STUDIO WILDCARD DEV STUDIO WILDCARD It feels like we’re mobbed with MOBAs right now, so if you fancy a break from the battle arena, how about a sojourn to the brink of your sanity? This multiplayer Hunger Games-style effort pits combatants against each other in a large, changing arena – offering an intriguing twist to the established formula with a focus on survival. You can forge weapons, build and defend bases, and even tame dinosaurs (yes, dinosaurs). There’s nothing like scrambling on the edge of death with a ferocious raptor at your side. Right? NUCLEAR GOLF FORMAT PS4/PS VITA / ETA SUMMER PUB TOUCHFIGHT GAMES / DEV TOUCHFIGHT GAMES At the instant that Armageddon strikes, who doesn’t fancy…

Few moments in gaming say attitude like a chameleon urinating on a cloud’s face while his bat buddy eggs him on. Though the cloud did ask for it, to be fair. He’s too tense to take a leak (due to the fact his wife’s just left him) and he needs “stimulation.” Yep – that’s Rare, alright. But rarer still is what happens next. As your special stream of Splashberry prompts Nimbo the cloud to in turn let loose his own “shower,” the verdant expanse of Shipwreck Creek transforms . Rivers and sparkling pools glisten into existence – along with entirely new sections and challenges. And Yooka-Laylee’s world isn’t done metamorphosing. One Frostberry to cloud-face later, and snow freezes the rivers. Hello there, hidden on-ice racing missions. Keeping…

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.…

“DOOM COCKS ITS SUPER SHOTGUN AND DELIVERS A DOUBLE-BARRELLED F-YOU.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BETHESDA DEV ID SOFTWARE Were the Doom series a sentient being – and given the diabolical Satanic incantations it toys with, I daren’t rule that out – it would look at the current shooter market with scorn. “Is this what we’ve become?” it would ask in disbelief of the genre it popularised in 1993. Then it would cock its super shotgun, deliver a double-barrelled f-you to the competition and go about ripping the spine from what we’ve come to know as modern FPS mechanics, before stamping it into a fine, bloody paste. Frantic, frenetic, furious and fearless, Doom has returned to the shooter scene with a point to prove: that sometimes the old…

“IT’S A DELICIOUSLY CLEVER IDEA, AS YOU BREAK THINGS TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB QUESTION DEV QUESTION Ever wondered what it’d be like if you could see a game’s code and break it on purpose? To get between the glitches, outside of where the creators want you to go? The Magic Circle is basically that, a so-meta-it-hurts trip through an unfinished adventure, in which you hack at its textures in an attempt to finish what the developers couldn’t. Developers who are still there and not at all happy about what’s going on. You start in the barely finished shell of a fantasy game, surrounded by burning huts and placeholder bodies. In fact, much of what you find is half-finished, half-arsed and half-there. Click on…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV IO INTERACTIVE Sun-drenched town squares, bustling gelato parlours, picturesque golden beaches and a sprawling mansion with a freshly mowed garden that doubles as a serene driving range – Agent 47 has lucked out in his latest contract. And so, too, have we. Hitman’s second episode, a trip to the coastal Italian town of Sapienza, is the finest single level in the series’ long history. That’s not a claim I make lightly. A New Life, Curtains Down, Traditions Of The Trade, Beldingford Manor (why everybody forgets that one is a mystery to me), The Meat King’s Party, A Dance With The Devil… the franchise is home to some astonishingly epic chapters that have entertained for years. Yet judged by any metric…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SEGA DEV SEGA Despite being brilliant when it came out on PS3 in 2008, this hearty feast of JRPG character building and tactical turn-based combat, wrapped in a fantismal World War 2 skin, somehow slipped under too many radars. It was a great game then and, with a light visual sprucing up for this PS4 version, it remains one. This is chiefly down to a single factor that remains wholly unaltered – the characters. Set in a fictional version of Europe, Chronicles frames itself via the medium of book. Each chapter comes at you from the pages of a moth-eaten tome – the memoirs of a war reporter recording the actions of Squad 7, a ragtag band of civilians drafted to help defend…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB RATLOOP DEV RATLOOP Ever seen Chicken Run? Y’know, that stop-motion movie in which a pre-wacko Mel Gibson plays a Plasticine rooster trying to orchestrate a farmyard prison bust. Rocketbirds 2 is exactly like that. Play as heroic poultry! Free avian captives! Decapitate Nazi penguins! Alright, maybe it’s not exactly like Aardman’s stop-motion flick. But hey, its delicious claymation looks will make you feel like chicken tonight. A feathered follow-up to 2011’s PS3 effort, this twin-stick shooter-platformer again casts you as Hardboiled Chicken, a badass clucker who wants to bring down an evil regime of penguins. During the six-chapter story, you take out Pingu’s evil pals through a combination of breakneck 2D blasting and… uh, phone-hacking. The shooting part is self-explanatory, yet executed with…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3 ETA OUT NOW PUB FUNCOM DEV FUNCOM When Lorraine’s little boy runs back through the gates of Atlantic Island Park at closing time, the young mum does what any parent would do and chases after the toddler. For reasons less clear, she then decides the search for missing son Callum is the perfect excuse to sample all of the rides without the queues. Setup aside, this first-person walking sim doesn’t boast the strongest of plots. I can just about buy the need to jump on the theme park’s first attraction, a slow-moving riverboat circuit called Tunnel Of Tales, on account of Callum climbing into the boat ahead – though my brain is already screaming that it makes more sense to simply wait by the…

Revenge is a dish best served cold, but in the case of vengeful spirit Hugh Glass, it’s a dish served nitrogen-cooled. Shot over nine teeth-chatteringly chilly months, mainly in the Canadian wilderness, the making of The Revenant was as much endurance test as cinema. The same could be said for the film itself. Leonardo DiCaprio finally bagged his long-hoped-for Oscar playing Glass – a fur trapper who’s savagely mauled by a bear and abandoned in a shallow grave by Tom Hardy’s mumbly maniac John Fitzgerald. Fuelled by a rage even Kratos would consider extreme, Glass battles the elements and fends off Native attacks to hunt Fitzgerald across the uncharted frontier. For a two-and-a-half-hour film, there’s little by the way of story, dialogue or characterisation in The Revenant. What it does…

“IN FULL FLIGHT, IT’S ONE OF THE MOST OBSCENELY HYPNOTIC GAMES EVER MADE.” INFO PUB SEGA DEV PLATINUM GAMES RELEASED 2010, PS3 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £15.99 NEED TO KNOW 1 Sam’s suit was inspired by ‘70s anime Casshan. 2 It was made with PS3, not 360, as lead platform. 3 Vanquish was Shinji Mikami’s final Plat Games’ title. War really is hell. Specifically, bullet hell. Back in 2010, Platinum Games penned a deliciously randy love letter to the likes of Gradius and Ikaruga with a shooter that had a lot of bullets. Hell, it had all the bullets… and rockets… and missiles… and laser death beams. With infinite virtual ammo at its disposal, the perennially brilliant (and slightly mad) studio went about crafting a cover blaster that didn’t…

“I CAN ALMOST FEEL FISH SMUGLY PREENING AT HIS OWN CLEVERNESS.” Japanese games “just suck,” he said. “You can quote me on that.” Never mind the inherent undercurrent of disrespect for the industry that birthed modern gaming. The fact that Phil Fish, creator of Fez, had the gall to scoff these comments in 2012 – the year that saw the release of Dragon’s Dogma, Okami HD and Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition, all while we were still deep into Bayonetta and Vanquish – was hugely disrespectful to an entire country full of incredibly talented developers. Okay, so Japan has also fielded some stinkers, but in a western world responsible for the likes of Call Of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, what gives Fish the right to throw stones? Unfortunately for…

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,…

“JOINING OUR HERO IS BAD KID RYUJI, BLONDE-HAIRED WHIP USER ANN AND, ER, A SHAPESHIFTING CAT THING.” Open up your notebooks class, the lesson is about to begin. The fifth game in the venerable Persona franchise has at last been handed a 15 September release date in its home territory of Japan, which means its brand of high school JRPG-ing should hit UK shores soon after. And better yet, dev Atlus has supplied enough new details to ensure even the most studious will need to stay after class to keep up. For starters, we now know who you’ll adventure alongside as the unnamed protagonist. After he moves to Tokyo’s Syujin High School, our hero teams up with bad kid Ryuji, blonde-haired whip user Ann, orphaned art student Yusuke and, er,…

Could a map of the unconfirmed Red Dead Redemption 2 posted by a NeoGaf user be legit? Snippets of a conversation published on Eurogamer include Techland CEO Pawel Marchewka letting slip the words “Dying Light 2”. Zombie-slaying sequel in the offing? Let it brain. Remaster time for The King Of Fighters 2000? A PS4 trophy list is live. Horizon Zero Dawn might be delayed until 2017, an industry insider has suggested. If we’re to believe a Nerdleaks tweet, Sony could be working on a Spider-Man PS4 game. Eyes peeled at E3.…

@HEARTMACHINEZ Dark Souls prisons are always the saddest, most twisted places. Good way to end a Sunday. @__LANDSTALKER__ I just drove past OPM Towers while listening to the last podcast. Some sort of OPMception!? @LOAF112 I can’t remember the last time a video game made me genuinely laugh the way Ratchet & Clank is. @ROBINVALENTINE Uncharted 4 was exactly what I wanted. Without a doubt one of the best games ever made. @SAM__PREEN In my grubby, tattooed little hands – I hold Uncharted 4. Sully, cancel all my appointments. @BRODBOURNE “Hello Drake my old friend... Ive come to rob and plunder with you again...” @NI_PUNK What if Indiana Jones was a 30 year old asshole who never shut up and the combat was awful. @DAVID_H_ESQ Mass Effect theme park ride…

“NATHAN DRAKE’S GRAND FINALE MAY FEEL UNEVEN, BUT IT’S STILL MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE NAUGHTY DOG ENDING.” WRITER BIO When not figuring out ways to make the internet hate him, Ben Tyrer is jabbering on about the awesomeness of Uncharted 4. Giving him this page was the only way we could get through the day without hearing the words “game of all time” on a loop. Last warning. This train is heading to Spoiler Town. Fast. This is your last stop before we pull into Uncharted Finale-ville. If you’re still here, it means you’ve blasted your way through A Thief’s End and already know what awaits at the end of the line. I’m doing this because – in my review of Drake’s final adventure in OPM #123 – I described Uncharted…

1 DREAMS Whether it’s messing about with polar bears or gigantic picnics, Media Molecule’s upcoming sandbox sure is eclectic and oh-so-endearing. Built on the concept of ‘play, create and share’, it gives you control of a little imp, then enables you to manipulate dreams. Players can also create their own dreamscapes, so expect copious wang worlds. 2 CATHERINE Nightmare On Elm Street has nothing on Vincent Brooks’ traumatised dreams. Forget getting gutted like a sea bass by Freddy Krueger next time you have a kip, the perverted janitor is no match for conversing with tortured sheep while trying to navigate complicated stair puzzles. Half dating sim/half demented cheese dream, Catherine is truly messed up. 3 GOD OF WAR III He may have murderised every Greek god in the most offensively…

“OUR FIRST PLAN OF ACTION? RAM THE GATES WITH A CAR, THEN DETONATE SOME PRE-ATTACHED C4 AFTER ROLLING OUT.” One mafia-run building site. One target. One mission within Hangar 13’s sprawling sandbox: get in, kill him and get out. It doesn’t sound too complicated… until you get there. The site’s the size of a city block, and there are three ways in. Our first thought? Ram the gates with a car, then detonate some pre-attached C4 after rolling out. It’s a feasible scheme, but we don’t want to attract too much attention on our first run, so instead slink through a quiet side door. We drop the first two guards with bloody stealth kills, before heading through a curving, concrete tunnel. We’re avoiding the main structure for now. It’s probably…

“MOVE YOUR CAREER TEAM TO HOCKEY HOTBEDS SUCH AS HAMILTON OR HARTFORD.” Considering that English football fans are still salty about Wimbledon’s move to Milton Keynes more than a decade ago – and quite rightly, too – it would be a brave club chairman who tried to relocate, say, Stoke City to a trendy London suburb. But in American sports, with their closed-shop leagues and franchise mentality, hauling an ailing team to a new city across the continent isn’t seen as taboo. In the NHL, for example, the Atlanta Thrashers recently upped hockey sticks to Winnipeg, while struggling southern clubs in Arizona and Florida are constantly being threatened with a lucrative move to some frozen Canadian wasteland. RELOCATION, RELOCATION Picking the right city is a key…

1 Horror fan? It’s totally your cup of twisted tea. The Titans’ creepy designs, half-chewed bodies sliding out of enemy bellies: delightful. *sips brew* 2 Don’t worry if you’ve not watched the show – the game’s tale of the war between humans and Titans is gripping. There’s also open-world exploration. 3 Each soldier plays differently: your aggro mates can play speedy Captain Levi, while the brains will love Armin’s ability to direct troops.…

With the 3D platforming genre bouncing back, we take a look back at some of Yooka-Laylee’s jumping-off points. Apes, Lombaxes, dragons and… amateur psychotherapists? It takes all sorts, we suppose. CRASH BANDICOOT: WARPED (1998, PS1) Neon-bright, plus stuffed with incredible special effects and outstanding audio, the third Crash game was elegant in execution, but bonkers in spirit. Endlessly varied levels, great boss fights and jorts. APE ESCAPE (1999, PS1) One of Sony’s bestsellers, iconic for its innovative control system using the new DualShock’s analogue thumbsticks – and fondly remembered for its soundtrack and inventive ape-capturing antics. SPYRO: YEAR OF THE DRAGON (2000, PS1) Building on the previous two games, Year Of The Dragon boasted gorgeous, expansive environments, tons of mini-games, excellent level design and brilliantly implemented multi-character gameplay. RATCHET &…

“HOMEFRONT ISN’T JUST A MUDDLED OPEN WORLD, IT’S ONE OF PS4’S MOST SHOCKING TECH TRAVESTIES.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB DEEP SILVER DEV DAMBUSTER STUDIOS No, it won’t be televised. That’s what Gil-Scott Heron, cack T-shirts and the odd hipster beer mat have been telling us for years – and Lord, how I wish they hadn’t lied. But somehow, this particular Revolution has still snuck its way onto my tellybox. And it’s the pits. You win, North Korea. I give up. Enslave the masses of Philly as much as you want. After spending 17 hours in the company of this borked sandbox shooter, I’m ready to be oppressed. The Revolution’s dubious quality should hardly come as a Tyler Durden-esque shock. Its more linear PS3 predecessor was much hyped…

“IT’S SO FASCINATINGLY REPULSIVE AND WEIRD THAT IT BECOMES HILARIOUS.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB HOUSE HOUSE DEV HOUSE HOUSE Like a baby emptying its bowels in the bath, Push Me Pull You is innocent and gross all at once. In its most heated moments, this hybrid of wrestling, tug of war, football and Keita Takahashi’s unhinged Noby Noby Boy resembles a top-down U-certificate rendition of The Human Centipede. Or maybe the final scenes of cult horror classic Society. As two teams of freakish worm-like creatures – each with a human head and a pair of arms at either end – grapple for possession of a ball, the sight is so fascinatingly repulsive and weird that it becomes hilarious. And we’re not talking mildly amusing. You’re left not…

“I SPEND MATCHES DOING AN IMPRESSION OF A 20-TON BEE, SQUIRRELLING AWAY ORE.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ARMATURE STUDIO DEV ARMATURE STUDIO According to the poster for Alien, “In space, no one can hear you scream.” But that’s utter tosh. I know because I scream my little lungs out playing this interesting, inventive, yet ultimately irritating twin-stick shooter hybrid. Merging the arcadey, top-down flight combat of the likes of Galak-Z with the back-and-forth war of attrition you’d normally associate with a MOBA, Dead Star is one seriously clever cookie. Pity I keep choking on those smarty pants chocolate chips. Are you a PS Plus member? Then chances are you downloaded Dead Star when it was available for free during April. If it’s currently sitting unplayed in your…

“EVERY CHARACTER FEELS FLOATY, SO BLASTING BULLETS ISN’T SATISFYING.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB 2K GAMES DEV GEARBOX SOFTWARE Some words must be earned. “Badass” is one of them, a term plastered all over this genre-bending, hero-based shooter. The roster? “Badass!” cries Gearbox. Frantic first-person fire and ability-flinging? “Badass!” it yells. MOBA-inspired tactical skirmishes? “BADASS!” Battleborn screams, mashing all its quirky buttons to make something, anything explode. The result’s distinctly un-badass: a game so oversaturated, it manages to fade to nothingness. An impressive feat, considering how jumping into Battleborn’s offensively hued world is like being battered with a clown shoe. The useless tutorial’s a noisy clash of reds, pinks and oranges, but it sets the Pantone for the rest of the environments: eye-wateringly busy,…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB WALES INTERACTIVE DEV MILKY TEA STUDIOS Why did you dodge that coffin? Why?! After half an hour with this cheapo kart racer, digging my own grave seems more appealing. Forget Mario Kart being at its back, Milky Tea’s shambling mess doesn’t even trouble ModNation Racers. Someone get me a shovel so I can put these pensioners out of their misery. Ever had the burning desire to race around leafy cartoon villages in mobility scooters, swiping senior citizens with a cane?1 If so, you’re in for quite the arthritic ride. When the Grim Reaper sets his scythe on the OAPs of Sunny Pines, it’s up to the seven resident oldies – who include an ageing blues guitarist, an ex-‘Playman’ model and a decrepit fighter…

Oof. After a series of spot-on PS Plus leaks, and that image supposedly taken from the German store, we thought we might get Triple-A title Watch Dogs for free this May. But alas, not a grey hat to be seen. The month’s Tropico-hued lineup was a colourful affair instead, with vibrant islands and stylish racers serving as suitably shiny distractions. City building next to the idyllic waters of your virtual island in PS4’s TROPICO 5 is almost relaxing… Until you’re juggling imports, exports and international relations through a couple of World Wars and the Great Depression. Too much responsibility? Two words: Micro. Machines. Hot wheelin’ onto PS4 was TABLE TOP RACING: WORLD TOUR, directed by the co-creator of PS1 racer Wipeout. With 20 circuits, eight-player duels and plenty of power-ups,…

INFO FORMAT PS4/PS3 PUB SONY DEV SONY SAN DIEGO REVIEW ISSUE #123, 9/10 Stuttering after ball meets bat has often prevented Sony’s annual swinging party (wa-hey) from succeeding online as much as it does offline, but this year, there’s a pleasing smoothness to net-based contests – though the high standard of players means this isn’t for noobs. Once you’re ready to hang with the big boppers, Diamond Dynasty is the main pull – essentially The Show’s answer to Ultimate Team, with you building a side around baseball cards drawn from packs. Win matches, earn Stubs, buy packs, repeat to fade. Battle Royale offers a devilish twist: draft your squad, then win matches for rewards – but lose twice and you’re finished, with a hefty 1,500 Stub cost to buy back…

KING’S QUEST CHAPTER 3 The most personal part yet in the point-and-click adventure, Once Upon A Climb sees King Graham scale new heights to rescue his future queen. BINDING OF ISAAC: AFTERBIRTH Need more roguelike hurt? The expansion adds 100 hours of gameplay, plus Greed Mode, an updated combo system and a new final boss. BLACK PANTHER PACK Featuring nine playable characters and a new vehicle, this Lego Marvel’s Avengers add-on sees Black Panther and Shuri rescue their mum from the evil Klaw. T-50-2 PREMIUM TANK The World Of Tanks bundle includes the nippiest weapon on treads along with trained crew, shells and a garage slot. Perfect for swift Scouts who fire fast. PAGANI NÜRBURGRING Zip around Project CARS’ Nürburgring Grand Prix and Nordschleife layout in two Pagani supercars. Bonus…

DAD’S ARMY 13 JUN Big screen remake of the Beeb’s wartime sitcom that sees the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard search for a German spy in their home town. BONE TOMAHAWK 13 JUN Wincingly violent western in which Kurt Russell’s sheriff and his ragtag deputies set out to rescue three captives from a tribe of cannibals. THE X-FILES 13 JUN Mulder and Scully reopen the X-Files in the highly anticipated, but largely disappointing, revival series for the defining sci-fi show of the ‘90s. 13 HOURS 13 JUN Michael Bay, John Krasinski and a tale of true-life heroism make odd bedfellows in this bombastic retelling of the 2012 attack on the US embassy in Libya. THE FOREST 20 JUN Duff horror starring Game Of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer as a woman who goes looking…

DOCTOR PLAYSTATION Our console medic fixes your tech woes with actual science THE PROBLEM The Doc’s got a new love. PS4 update 3.50 lets you play games via your PC or Mac when you’re away from your console. Nurse – DualShock, please. Oh, him? He’ll be fine. STEP 1 DOWNLOAD THE REMOTE PLAY COMPUTER APP They say an Apple a day keeps the doctor away – but technically, I didn’t complete my medical degree so much as acquire it from sources on the deep web. Ahem. As such, it should be pretty simple to get this MacBook running PS4 games with the new Remote Play feature. That’s right, surgery’s about to get a whole lot more fun. Firstly, jump online and head to bit.ly/1VvP6iy to download the Remote Play app…

1 “THIS IS A WELL PUT-TOGETHER, ENJOYABLY CHAOTIC PACKAGE, BUT IN PURE VIKING TERMS, IT’S LESS ERIC NORTHMAN AND MORE ERIK THORSTVEDT.” 2 “AN ADORABLY SICKENING 2D DUNGEON CRAWLER. RIVERS OF POOP AND STOMACH-CHURNING TUMOUR MONSTERS DON’T GET MORE APPEALING THAN THIS.” 3 “THE FIRST PERSON YOU MEET IS VOICED BY NOLAN NORTH. JUST LIKE IN EVERY GAME EVER MADE.” 4 “THIS GUILTY PLEASURE’S PLOT HAS ALL THE HEFT AND GRAVITAS OF A MID-'90S DOLPH LUNDGREN STRAIGHT-TO-VIDEO MOVIE.”…

1 UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END Nathan 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. 2 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN 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, it’s an instant classic. 3 GRAND THEFT AUTO V Laughing in the face of other cross-gen ports, GTA V on PS4 is more…

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…