Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i PLAY

“PS VR IS A BREATHTAKING GATEWAY TO FRESH NEW EXPERIENCES.” GAME OF THE MONTH Thumper BIGGEST FEAR Tpyos (AAAAAARGH! – Ed) When was the last time you played something so incredible you knew that you’d remember it forever? I’m talking formative experiences here: your first proper gaming session (Lemmings on the Acorn Archimedes for me), a jump scare that made you yelp (Resident Evil’s window-smashing Cerberus pair, I’m looking at you), a touching scene that made you well up (The Last Of Us: Left Behind’s dancing, natch)? PlayStation VR is more than just a fancy new piece of hardware – it’s a portal to multiple moments that’ll lodge deep in your memory banks. Whether it’s putting on Batman’s cowl, disarming a bomb with friends when there’s just one second left…

WATCH THIS SPACE? Adr1ft floated onto PS4 in July, but developer Three One Zero is urging fans to tell publisher 505 Games and PS head honcho Shuhei Yoshida that they want PS VR support. There’s already a VR version on PC, which has a comfort button if you feel nauseous. Our stomachs are already rumbling in fear. FIRENZE WITH BENEFITS You didn’t think Ubisoft could really rest Assassin’s Creed for a year, did you? Despite the series “taking a breather,” a bundle of Ezio da Firenze’s games – AC II, Brotherhood and Revelations – hits PS4 on 17 Nov with better visuals but sans multiplayer. Meanwhile, more leaks point to the next AC being set in Egypt. FOLLOWING THROUGH We’ll need to wait a little longer for South Park: The…

“EXTRA FIDELITY WILL EQUAL HEIGHTENED FEAR IN RESIDENT EVIL VII: BIOHAZARD.” MATTHEW PELLETT EDITOR As tempting as it is to pick The Witness (its PS4 Pro upgrade will make that island a digital holiday destination of the highest order, I’m sure), I’m looking to the future for this one – and the manky faces of Resident Evil VII’s Baker family are staring right back at me with frightening clarity. No, genuinely, it is frightening. The interplay between light and shadow will use HDR to great effect, and the more gruesome and grimy its locations – the craggier those mugs – the more terrifying Resident Evil VII becomes. And when I dare strap on PS VR? PS4 Pro will be there to pump pure, upgraded fear straight into my eyeballs. Love…

“THERE’S PROVEN LIFE AFTER DEATH IN THE GAMING WORLD, AND IT SHOULD BE CELEBRATED.” Long corridors. Dirty mirrors. Gruesome ghosts. The haunted house is an ageing horror game setting, but 2014’s P.T. (playable teaser) for Silent Hills turned the trope on its head with stunning graphics and severe first-person claustrophobia. Then it was snatched away, cancelled by Konami, leaving us bereft and heartbroken. A firm line seems to have been drawn under that title, but similar games are emerging. Take Allison Road, currently in development by Far From Home, and SadSquare Studio’s Visage. Both of these indie survival horrors are widely considered spiritual successors to P.T., vengeful female ghost and all. While they don’t quite hold a candle (or rather, stuttering flashlight) to Lisa’s bloated face, they’re still terrifying leading…

“IT’S ALL ABOUT TAKING RISKS AND BREAKING THE RULES…” FORMAT PS4 / ETA TBC 2017 PUB BETHESDA / DEV ARKANE STUDIOS Morgan Yu is about to have a very bad day. Waking up aboard Talos One, a space station orbiting the moon in 2035, Yu has been part of an experiment that now sees the station’s halls and corridors torn asunder by whirling, wraithlike alien beasts. People are dying. People are losing their minds. The retro-industrial splendour of this grand, technological achievement has transformed into a morgue-cum-tomb-cum-asylum-cum-abattoir. If this nightmare sounds familiar, you might well be thinking about Bioshock. Many elements of the scenario resonate with Irrational’s 2007 medium-changer. But this is no retread. No lazy, me-too horror adventure coming nine years after the fact. Prey, if it is to…

“DUELS WILL TEST YOUR COMPOSURE JUST AS MUCH AS YOUR DEXTERITY.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 14 FEB / PUB UBISOFT / DEV UBISOFT MONTREAL This Samurai is messing with our mind. We’re midway through a tense best-of-five duel, and already trailing two to one when our opponent – a Kensei warrior wielding a fearsome katana throws his blade to the ground. It may just be a grandstanding taunt, sure, but it’s also an attempt to get inside our head – a goading invitation to abandon our elevated position and rush our foe. We know all this, but take the bait anyway. Barely five seconds later, the match is over. He recovered his blade, interrupted our reckless dash with a stinging succession of quick attacks, and ended us with an overhead…

NEW EVERYBODY’S GOLF FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 PUB SONY / DEV CLAP HANZ Fore-get about what’s gone before, this PS4 debut for the seminal golfing series is giving you more than just club and ball action. Not only will you be able to explore open-world courses on foot or in a buggy, new access at TGS has uncovered some of the other activities you’ll be able to take part in, such as fishing and swimming. We don’t think you’d ever catch Rory McIlroy having a dip at the Belfry, but Clap Hanz’s series has never been one for pointless realism. It’ll be out in Japan next summer, but we’re going to have to bide our time for a European release date. LOOT RASCALS FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 PUB…

Creative director Jonathan Morin shares his pro tips for dominating the world of Watch Dogs 2 TRY REMOTE PLAY (NO, NOT THE PS4 KIND)_ “Some players are very good at thinking – they want to outsmart their enemies and plan ahead. For those players, it’s more rewarding and more satisfying to play Watch Dogs 2 remotely. Use the drones and try to activate stuff from a distance, then go in afterwards,” Morin suggests, referring to the quadcopter and jumper’s abilities to trigger remote explosions and hack phones. “The drones are very cool for that. They also generate a lot of laughs, that’s for sure. “Hiding somewhere and using everything you’ve got to safely try and deal with enemies before they actually find you is a good idea.” BE AGGRESSIVE (BUT…

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.…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV CRYSTAL DYNAMICS @Pelloki Pack away the disappointment at Rise Of The Tomb Raider’s delay in reaching PS4 – Lara has reaffirmed her claim to the title of First Lady Of PlayStation with a landmark outing that pushes the series into bold new territory. And though its subzero campaign doesn’t quite match up to that of the 2013 reboot, never mind this year’s peerless Uncharted 4, it’s just one part of a wider 20th Anniversary Edition package that carves out ROTTR’s must-buy status. That main story outing’s a bigger, brasher mode than the reboot’s excursion to the island of Yamatai (and one, you’ll be pleased to know, that runs a little bit better on PS4 than it did on Xbox last…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3 ETA OUT NOW PUB 2K SPORTS DEV VISUAL CONCEPTS Last year’s NBA 2K16 already delivered a near-flawless representation of America’s fifth most popular sport1 so what can the series’ 18th instalment add to proceedings? A decent amount, it seems. During actual gameplay things haven’t changed too much. The right-stick trick dribble system has been adjusted a little to make it harder for weak players to show some razzle dazzle, but the most notable tweak is a new shooting mechanic. Whereas basketball games have always followed the ‘release the shoot button at the top of your jump’ rule, the likes of Steph Curry and his weird shooting technique have meant a revamp is necessary, so now players have a gauge under them: release the button…

“CHEESIER THAN SKINNY-DIPPING IN A DAIRY FACTORY, THE STORY’S A FUN MESS.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3 ETA OUT NOW PUB EA DEV EA CANADA @bentyrer Like Arsenal, EA’s premier sports series finds itself struggling to claw back the top spot after a lengthy period of dominance – it’s getting closer to the title now, but still can’t topple the resurgent PES. Maybe the dev team is paying attention to the Gunners’ transfer strategy too? After all, EA’s brought in some flashy additions that don’t radically change the style of play. That’s not a bad thing, considering the move to the impressive Frostbite engine produces easily the best looking FIFA yet. Obvious improvements to lighting effects are just as welcome as the little flourishes, such as bootprints left on…

“IF MATCHES ARE PHYSICAL INSIDE THE RING, THEY BECOME BRUTAL OUTSIDE IT.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3 ETA OUT NOW PUB 2K SPORTS DEV YUKE’S/VISUAL CONCEPTS @BenjiWilson Think watching Roman Reigns main events is agony? Try grinding through the first five hours of MyCareer in WWE 2K17. The big create-a-character incentive is the Paul Heyman Challenge, where you get to work with the legendary manager – but to unlock it, you have to win the tag titles with a fictional AI partner boasting useless stats and zero ring presence. The Heyman stuff is smart, but many will give up long before getting there due to the albatross on the apron. It’s one major misstep in a game which otherwise screams fan service like no wrestling sim before it. Ignoring…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB VOOFOO STUDIOS DEV VOOFOO STUDIOS Think the golden days of top-down racers are in the past? The likes of Circuit Breakers, Micro Machines and Mashed are now almost specks in the rear-view mirror, but don’t mistake this spiritual successor for a mere throwback. Gone are silly staples such as power-ups,1 wacky courses and instant gratification. Instead we get a more rewarding style of racing that focuses on the joy of speed, drifting and customisation. Career mode is where the bulk of the action takes place, with an intriguing blend of RPG style progression and fast, arcadey blasts of racing. There are eight different types of events, from the last-place-elimination of Knockout to the tense Accumulation, where you earn points quicker the higher up…

@itsJenSim Like an autumn leaf falling to the ground, October is nearly over. We’ll always have those free Instant Collection games, however – and this month, they were spookily on point. The Resident Evil series’ origin point? Platinum’s brilliant mecha-brawler? Two ace PS Vita games? It’s as if the spirit of PS Plus somehow knew our deepest, darkest desires… *shudder* Just in time for Halloween (and our Resi VII feature over on p54), our PS4s played host to the HD remake of classic survival horror RESIDENT EVIL. Play as S.T.A.R.S. operatives Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, shooting and puzzling their way through a zombie-infested mansion to hunt for missing colleagues. Tough, terrifying and a true masterpiece. TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION (PS4) was no pushover either (probably because massive robots are really heavy),…

“YOU REALLY WILL FEEL LIKE BATMAN, AND IT’S GLORIOUSLY EXHILARATING.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB WARNER BROS DEV ROCKSTEADY Do you want to be Batman? Know what it feels like to slip on his gauntlets, look down and see Batarangs clipped handily to your belt, and don that cowl? It’s a simple question, and one that Rocksteady has been supplying the answer to, albeit in 2D form, since the studio’s first foray into the dark world of the Caped Crusader in Arkham Asylum. But now, being Batman in virtual reality is cause for wild-eyed, cackling glee. (Don’t worry, we’re all sane in here.) A fresh slice of Bat-action, Arkham VR is a self-contained story built from the ground up for PS VR. Nothing…

“PILOTING YOUR TANK FROM THE VR COCKPIT IS ASPRACTICAL AS IT IS NOVEL.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB REBELLION DEV REBELLION Don your headset to play this virtual reality tank shooter, and the first thing you’ll read? “Insert C.O.I.N.”. This cute callback to the ’80s arcade game sums up Rebellion’s reboot, which stuffs the appeal of the classic with modern nuance. The result is something far more than an immersive five-minute experience – PS VR’s fullest, most confident and complex native game yet. Once you’ve hit q to duly provide your Combat Operative Identification Nexus (geddit?) and picked a short, normal, or long campaign length, a procedurally-generated hex map unfurls. The goal is to blast your chosen tank through roguelike missions and enemy forces to reach the…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB NDREAMS DEV NDREAMS This adventure game makes you alternate between two roles – those of disgraced neurologist Madeleine Stone, undergoing an unusual job interview for a position within the titular organisation, and whistleblower Caleb Pearson, who’s trying to expose its morally dubious practices – each with a different rhythm of play as their stories snake around each other. While the voice acting is cripplingly am-dram and the script leaden, the story itself is pleasant enough and clips along at a good pace.1 Stone’s sections are made up of mini-games in which the shadowy group tests her abilities, and range from block-shifting puzzles to a murder mystery in which you must decide the identity of two killers by studying the testaments of everyone…

“TEAM TALK TURNS INTO SCREAMING, LAUGHING, PRAYING AND IDIOT-BLAMING.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB STEEL CRATE GAMES DEV STEEL CRATE GAMES Polite small talk? Nibbles? Inadvisable amounts of wine? Keep ’em – the truth is, nothing breaks the ice like the shared emotional trauma of defusing a bomb. Save an invitation for this originally-PC-only multiplayer game. It drops a live explosive into the lap of one headset-wearer, a convoluted 23-page manual into the hands of everyone else, then sits back and laughs as chaos ensues. The rules are simple. Each bomb is covered in various procedurally-generated puzzle modules. Solve them all before the timer reaches zero, and you’ve safely deactivated the bomb to audible sighs of relief. Make three mistakes, or fail to complete all modules in…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB OWLCHEMY LABS DEV OWLCHEMY LABS Sure, keep your friends close, but forget about your enemies – it’s your kitchen appliances you should pull closer. All those devices you’ve bought to make your life easier? Now they want to make a living for themselves. Your oven aspires to cook books for accountancy firms. Your microwave dreams longingly of its timer running 9:00 to 17:00, Mon-Fri. And your Tefal two-slicer is tired of making toast in the morning. It wants to be the household breadwinner instead. Set 34 years from now, Job Simulator depicts a world where the technology overthrow’s already happened. Humans have lost their jobs to circuit boards and transistors (take a look at the robotext masquerading as stories on certain gaming…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB ACTIVISION DEV BUNGIE REVIEW N/A On a bad day against strong Guardians, Destiny’s PvP arena can feel rather detached. But in the latest DLC? The Crucible just got personal. New mode Supremacy’s crest-collecting antics (think COD’s Kill Confirmed dogtag-snatching) prompt breathless action: swoop in on foes’ crests or deny them your teammates’ for points. Four extra maps (Icarus a PlayStation exclusive) with winding corridors push players together. Cosy. The real winner? Customisable private matches. No more faceless snipers: now it’s five mates versus you in Clash, or a 4v4 free-for-all Rumble. Tons of new Dead Ghosts to find on solo wanders, plus the potential for practice sessions or tournaments make this multiplayer update Destiny’s friendliest. VERDICT The new mode, maps and custom options tick all the…

DARK SOULS III – ASHES OF ARIANDEL You feeling alright, Ashen One? You look a bit peaky. It’s probably the prospect of this DLC. Head to The Painted World of Ariandel, using new weapons and sorceries to defeat the evil corrupting the land. DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED – SYSTEM RIFT Free with the season pass, this story DLC sees Human Revolution cyber security chief Frank Pritchard return to help you rummage about in hyper-secure data bank Palisade Blade. Got the season pass? Second mission A Criminal Past is yours. UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END – BOUNTY HUNTERS Naughty Dog’s online update for Nate’s finest adventure adds Bounty Hunter mode and Uncharted 2’s Village map. KO opponents and pick up dropped tokens for cash and points. The twist? Tasty prices are…

SW: THE FORCE AWAKENS 3D CE 31 OCT Remember buying this on Blu-ray months ago? It’s no Jedi mind trick, this is the collector’s edition… THE NEON DEMON 31 OCT Drive director (and Koj’s best mate) Nicolas Winding Refn is behind this LA-set horror about the (literally) cutthroat world of modelling. OUTLANDER SEASON 2 31 OCT Hankies at the ready, the second slab of Ron D Moore’s time travel romance sees the heroes journey to Paris to avert war. MAGGIE’S PLAN 31 OCT Star-studded black comedy directed by Anchorman’s Adam McKay, exposing the amoral chaos in the run-up to the Credit Crunch. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE 31 OCT Dodgeball’s Rawson Marshall Thurber directs this comedy about a super spy who recruits a buttoned-up accountant for a mission. BATMAN: RETURN OF THE CAPED…

DOCTOR PLAYSTATION Our console medic fixes your tech woes with actual science THE PROBLEM The old home screen’s looking a bit tired. But instead of popping a bullet in its head, the Doc’s trying a new remedy: patching it up via system software update 4.0. STEP 1 LIKE IN PRISON, FILING IS ESSENTIAL If there’s one thing we all hate, it’s clutter. Homescreen icons for games all over the show; your purchases, apps and installs mixed together in Library; crumbs of your lunchtime sarnie littering Mr. Jenkins’ chest cavity… Maybe that last one’s just me. Whatever the mess, update 4.0 can solve it. Folders have finally arrived on PS4, meaning you can organise your games into customisable categories for ease of access. The last time the Doc got this excited…

1 “A DISAPPOINTING IGNORANCE OF KEY AREAS THAT NEED FIXING, BUT MITIGATED BY A VAST AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD FULL OF POSSIBILITIES.” 2 “I HATE IT FOR LOOKING UGLY, BEING CHEAP LIKE THAT HANDBAG I BOUGHT ON A MARKET STALL IN TURKEY, AND BEING A BIG FAT LIE. IT’S NOT SEXY, DARING, OR EVEN FUN.” 3 “THE LEVEL OF FREEDOM IS UP THERE WITH ASSASSIN’S II’S FREE RUNNING. EVERY ELEMENT IS PULLING ITS WEIGHT.” 4 “WHAT LIFTS THIS ABOVE THE HERD IS THE LOVE THAT’S BEEN POURED INTO IT. PERHAPS PS3’S FIRST MUST-HAVE EXCLUSIVE GAME.”…

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 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,…

Jen Simpkins STAFF WRITER We feared we’d have to dig Jen an early grave when she fell badly ill this issue. “Don’t worry” she rasped. “It’s just a little coffin.” GAME OF THE MONTH Batman: Arkham VR BIGGEST FEAR Dolls Ben Tyrer STAFF WRITER A new footy game means weeks of scary goalmouth scrambles as Ben adapts his skills. Thank goodness FIFA has ghoul-line tech. GAME OF THE MONTH FIFA 17 BIGGEST FEAR The Goat Of Shame Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR PlayStation Max veteran Mim has finally returned to gaming mags. But is she a vampire? She keeps asking about our circulation… GAME OF THE MONTH Keep Talking And… BIGGEST FEAR Running out of tea Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR This Halloween, Milf’s planning to throw a sheet over his…

259 For Honor’s Alpha was brutal. This is how many warriors died every second. 2018 The year to expect Death Stranding, according to a tweet from Kojima-san. 13.2m The number of players who went over the top and into Battlefield 1’s Beta. 08 Members who’ll form your motorcycle clan in the latest GTA Online update. 18/11 Night of the Golden Joystick Awards. Don’t worry, there’s still time to vote! 264,793 Persona 5 had a solid first week in Japan, shifting this many copies. 16-20 Hours to complete Dishonored 2 according to director Harvey Smith. £69.99 Need some PS Move controllers? This is the cost of the new twin pack.…

“FORGET ABOUT THE GAMES – PS VR IS SET TO HACK MY ENTIRE LIFE, AND I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER.” Gaming enthusiasts may sympathise: when it comes to kicking back, I generally prefer virtual spaces to the real world. Trouble is, on PS4, it’s rare to find one where I can properly relax. But PS VR’s not just another console. It’s also capable of improving the everyday via its ace-in-the-hole functionality – non-gaming applications. Stifle your yawns and hear me out. After a long day, I love holing up in one of my fave fictional forts. But touring The Witness’ peaceful puzzle island, there’s the nagging sense I should be solving something. No Man’s Sky’s galaxy, meanwhile, delights in reminding me that I’ll dissolve into a putrefied jelly if I don’t…

1 You can make a multitude of things in the rebooted Prey, from weapons, to gadgets, to ammo, to random crap you can just drop and imitate. 2 To do that, you’ll need resources and raw materials. Searching, foraging and collecting them from the world (and corpses) seems one option, but… 3 …far more fun is the Recyclotron. It’s a grenade that breaks down matter to its base elements, hoovering it up at the same time. We want one. 4 Tough fight? Throw the Recyclotron into the fray, destroy everything, come out with a load of handy new gear to boot. Mmm, corpsey new shoes.…

1 As soon as you clap eyes on your opponent, pull L2 to bring up your guard. From here, push the right stick to block left, right, or high. 2 Carefully watch your opponent, making sure to match the direction of their guard so that you’ll be able to deflect any incoming attacks. 3 Change your stance immediately before striking to get around your opponent’s block, or use r to break their guard with a cheeky grab. 4 Once you defeat an enemy, quickly press r to trigger a grisly execution move that’ll prevent enemies from reviving your vanquished foe.…

FOR HONOR At last, it’s the official Historical Reenactment Society game! Off-duty PE teachers and dentists have booked the battlefield: can you make sure your chosen stars get their moves right and please the crowd in this tactical, turn-based sim? FORMAT PS4 ETA 14 FEB HORIZON ZERO DAWN It’s the robot-dog simulation game you’ve alway dreamed of. Play hide and seek with your pet! Make it fetch your arrows! Clean up its steaming piles of screws and circuits during walks! FORMAT PS4 ETA 3 MARCH WEREWOLVES WITHIN Each of these kooky characters has swallowed 100 tiny werewolves, and you must complete this strange surgery sim game to tweezer them out. Think Operation but with PS Move. FORMAT PS4 ETA 6 DEC…

“TAKE OUT THE LIEUTENANTS RUNNING OPERATIONS AND MURDER YOUR WAY TO THE TOP OF THE CHAIN.”     INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB 2K DEV HANGAR 13 @bentyrer Hangar 13’s mob-bothering debut manages to craft an evocative version of the 1960s. The studio’s made a vibrant Louisianan city that bustles with life in the jazzy French Quarter and peacefully simmers out towards the bayou, while the best songs of the decade crackle out your radio. Just one problem. This era isn’t so great when you’re not white. To its credit, this gangster-packed sequel never shies away from the grimmer aspects of what Vietnam vet Lincoln Clay and the black community suffers in many different ways. In a confident and superb opening, we witness both the events that set…

INFO FORMAT PS VITA ALSO ON PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB NIS AMERICA DEV 5PB. There’s the makings of a great game here. Criminals are identified and collared pre-crime based on their psychological profiles, rendered as a ‘Hue’. The challenge of maintaining a healthy Hue as you explore knotty moral dilemmas could be a good one (think of something like Fahrenheit’s mental health meter1 ), but it’s poorly handled in this limp visual novel. Built around four race-against-time cases, you’re rarely given enough junctions to feel like you’re shaping your character’s fate. The outcomes of the decisions you do make are often pure coincidence. Choosing to visit location A over location B has nothing to do with moral judgement, so the resulting Hue change feels arbitrary. Every ending you reach…

“WUMPA FRUIT SOUND EFFECTS, ROLLING ROCKS AND BOUNCE CRATES GALORE.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3 ETA OUT NOW PUB ACTIVISION DEV TOYS FOR BOB @itsJenSim Admit it. Whether you’re four, 24 or 94, everyone’s a big kid at heart. The success of toys-to-life titles such as Lego Dimensions and the late Disney Infinity (RIP) exemplifies this, but none more so than the one that started it all: Skylanders. The series’ sixth instalment introduces custom character creation… but let’s get real. There’s only one character we PlayStation fans’ inner child really cares about here, and his name is Crash Bandicoot. Grab the Crash Edition Starter Pack, pop the figure on the Portal Of Power, and you’ll play as the orange icon himself (science nerd baddie Dr Neo Cortex is also…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB EA DEV EA CANADA When it comes to a sport where athletes are padded up like the Michelin Man and shoved onto ice at 30mph,1 sometimes life is more exciting when you’re not 100% in control. Take NHL 17’s Franchise Mode. An expansion of the Be A GM (General Manager) mode, it’s now possible to be as hands-on with your franchise’s fortunes off the ice as you are on it, setting the prices of everything from parking rates to novelty bobble heads. But what seems like a good idea on paper soon devolves into mountains of paperwork as you find yourself moonlighting as a janitor, plugging holes in an ever-crumbling arena. Although if you tire of Montreal fans constantly blocking your bathrooms with…

“SOARING THROUGH VR LUGE IS ROLLERCOASTER-ESQUE, STOMACH-SWOOPING STUFF.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV SONY LONDON STUDIO Bought PS VR? Then there’s an alien in your house right now. Beautiful, compelling, yet totally strange, Sony’s virtual reality headset remains a bit of an unknown quantity. So how do you get acquainted? (You can’t exactly coax it out of the cupboard, like it’s E.T., with a trail of sweets.) The answer is PlayStation VR Worlds. Containing five immersive experiences, it’s a mix of first-person, bite-size treats that illuminates the magic of PS VR for all to see. From the non-interactive but mesmeric deep sea dive of Ocean Descent to The London Heist’s frantic sharpshooting, there’s something for every ability level. VR Worlds catapults you through space in…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV SUPERMASSIVE GAMES Here’s a simple question: do you like jump scares? Because if you have the guts to take a journey on Supermassive’s ghost train, then you’ll need to be able to stomach constant ‘gotcha’ moments. That’s not to say these aren’t well done, or that the game is nothing but monsters jumping excruciatingly close to your face. However, the only thing you’ll remember as the credits roll is the high volume of jolts. In its VR debut, Supermassive is pretty much remixing last year’s surprise horror hit. But instead of forcing you to make tricky decisions and asking you to survive a night in the woods, a creepy carnival ringmaster places you on the rickety rails of a theme…

“WHY SHOULDN’T IT DEMAND PERFECTION WHEN IT’S SOCLOSE TO FLAWLESSNESS?” INFO FORMAT PS VR ALSO ON PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB DROOL DEV DROOL Dante was wrong. The pathway to hell isn’t across the river Styx aboard Charon’s ferry, it’s hurtling down a smooth metal chute through the wormhole of Drumsticks. It’s a route that delivers you straight into a world of fiery music and psychedelic brimstone, where a lonely, fragile chrome beetle’s forced to race along a shiny trench and do battle with terrifying, world-swallowing bosses. Less rhythm-action, more rhythm-violence, Thumper delivers an assault on the senses like no other virtual reality game. Drool’s vision of musical hell drops you into a pulsing kaleidoscope of colours for high-speed slaloms through nine circles (well, levels) of twisting tendrils and tangled…

Block and load for stacks of fun INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV SUPERMASSIVE GAMES There’s something ironic about the fact that you’ll probably play Tumble VR to help you escape the nightmares of its development team’s other PS VR game, Until Dawn: Rush Of Blood. The beautifully clean and precise visuals of this puzzler are a perfect palate cleanser, a welcome respite not just from Until Dawn’s horror, but from every other VR game that wants to pull your eyes in all directions. Instead, here you’re in a static Portal-style testing facility being told what to do by an unreasonable robot1 who wants to test your brain capacity. Yes, he does think you’re inferior. What are you going to do about it? There’s a selection…

“THE PERSPECTIVE THAT THE HEADSET GIVES YOU MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV SONY There’s a moment before the start of every tour race in this virtual reality refit where you can inspect your car from a variety of angles. Tapping transports you around the vehicle, allowing you to gawp at it for as long as you want. By the time you’re behind the wheel, you’ve forgotten about the drop in resolution versus Driveclub’s TV incarnation since the sensation of actually being in the car is so strong. It’s almost a shame you have to compete in it… Don’t worry, that feeling passes as fast as a Ferrari’s top speed. This is still Driveclub, after all, and the mix of heightened…

UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END New Devon isn’t Heaven for returning warrior Ben Tyrer Going back to multiplayer is never easy, especially after spending months rinsing the slower story, yet nothing can prepare me for the decimation that’s waiting in add-on map New Devon. Taking place in the ruins of Libertalia, within one minute every team member is on the receiving end of a lead shower. By the time we get our first kill, our opposition’s in double digits. My Sniper support swings momentum back in our direction by dragging us to 15 kills and… balls. The others hit 40. Maybe I should stay solo. OVERWATCH At the peak of Jen Simpkins’ misanthropy, a bubbly teammate rises to the occasion People. What a bunch of boneheads, I think, as three…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB KONAMI DEV KONAMI REVIEW #128, 9/10 Konami’s carefully crafted game of unpredictable football excellence translates well when you take it into the tougher online terraces. There’s plenty to choose from, such as returning to the team-building myClub mode, Online Competitions (held at specific times where you’ll progress through a qualifying round into a knockout stage) or just a friendly match. Once in, PES never struggles for a distinctive experience. Tight deadlocks can turn into heartbreaking losses due to a poor tackle, or matches could be free-scoring scrambles – defences seemingly evaporating as strikers charge at them. The only slight issue is the time spent twiddling thumbs when waiting to connect to an opponent… VERDICT Even with some patience-testing connecting times between games, PES 2017’s online offerings…

CHILDREN OF ARKHAM The second episode of Batman: The Telltale Series sees Bruce kicking QTE butt and taking names while discovering the truth about his father’s past. URIEN Street Fighter V’s best update yet patches in SFIII’s Illuminati brawler Urien, a ‘vs CPU’ mode (finally!) and oodles more environmental KOs à la the Noodle-Hat Of Shame. CALLING ALL UNITS Play cops ‘n’ robbers in The Crew’s new add-on. As an officer or street racer you can race in a 12-mission campaign using new vehicles such as SUVs and supercars. A JOURNEY’S END? That question mark worries us, Minecraft: Story Mode. Are you quite sure, with this Hunger Games-esque showdown between Jesse and foes, that this ep’s the last? THE BIG SCORE This DLC bundle for criminally fun FPS Payday 2…

Have you ever looked at Aloy and thought her sartorial choices could be more vibrant? Well, a colouring book and app dedicated to the art of PlayStation – Art For The Players – is hitting shelves in November, giving you the chance to experiment with the palette of some of your favourite PS All-Stars. What can you expect from its 96 pages? Well, you’ll be able to redesign the hues of 16 of PlayStation’s most famous game series, from classics such as Ape Escape, WipEout and Lemmings through to modern greats including Bloodborne, The Last Of Us and Journey. 70 pages of the book are dedicated to colouring in, while the rest is filled with interesting titbits about the history and design choices of the featured games. The Art For…

Cyberpunk 2077 may feature seamless multiplayer according to a leaked Polish grant. A new Batman game set in the near future, with Damian Wayne underneath the cowl and Bruce mentoring him, is rumoured to be underway at Rocksteady Games. WB Montreal working on a Suicide Squad game for 2017? Perhaps. Destiny 2 whispers persist. This month’s talk? It’ll focus heavily on the Cabal, with a playspace on Saturn. Metro developer 4A Games is teasing a different project, posting a picture of what looks to be a sci-fi game.…

WIDE EYED WONDER The years of waiting are at an end – PlayStation VR has finally arrived in our homes and the range of launch games is spectacular. Turn to p82 for our VR reviews. HAPPY HAVOC Missed out on wacky visual novel series Danganronpa? Good news: the first two games will be coming out on PS4 in 2017. DECKS APPEAL Truly, this is the year of Final Fantasy. The official Final Fantasy trading card game from Japan is finally getting a European release on 28 Oct. WITCHER NO PRO Don’t expect to see The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt upgraded for PS4 Pro. Talking to Eurogamer, CD Projekt RED confirmed it isn’t working on a 4K version of its stellar RPG. Darn. FROZEN OUT Can’t find a certain team of…

@CARLAGEDDON Why isn’t Dungeon Travelers 2 on there? Who doesn’t love a bit of accidental knicker flash? @RICH_LEM Thanks for a great interview! It was good to look back on the creation of Uncharted! @RAVENBLADE86 I’d actually like a new Prisoner of War game. Had a lot of fun with that on PS2… @ROBERTCOSTER94 Xtreme Express was the best train game of all time. Or the Wild West map in Cel Damage. @DSPUGPSN PlayStation Now on the App Store would be cheaper and more welcome. @FRODZUK The PS Vita is about as ergonomic as a hedgehog. @PADDYBEE Not trying to get troll of the month, but… people still play these games? @JERMAINE611 I want to be Batman, the first black Batman, and the PS VR will make my dream come…

“VR IS GOING TO DO WHAT NO NEW BOX WITH BETTER SILICON IN IT EVER COULD: REVIVE THE QUIRKY, CREATIVE MID-TIER OF VIDEOGAMING.” WRITER BIO Matt Clapham is a VR enthusiast who is conscious of the irony in getting amped up about the social potential of a headset that won’t allow him to see the people already in his house. Still, he tried living in the real world for a while, and it just didn’t work out. Hype is a dangerous fire to stoke, I’m aware. Fan the flames too much and everyone ends up burnt. Just ask the engineers of the Virtual Boy. Just ask Hello Games. But there is a bright side to the unfair No Man’s Sky backlash, at least: with this many people having got quite…

1 MICHAEL In 2011 Sony launched a campaign called ‘Long Live Play’, the main part of which was this brilliant ad. A who’s-who of PlayStation stars – Snake, Kratos, Nathan Drake, Sackboy, even the likes of Needles Kane from Twisted Metal – all meet in a tavern and pay tribute to ‘Michael’, who it turns out is a gamer who helped them all avoid danger. 2 BABY Sony decided the best way to promote the PS3 was to terrify the entire planet. The result was this ad, featuring a baby doll crying backwards tears and laughing a deep, maniacal cackle as a PS3 starts levitating. Though it’s not clear how possessed dolls were supposed to sell a console, we still have nightmares to this day. 3 S.A.P.S. One of PlayStation’s…

“ALOY FEARLESSLY FLINGS HER BODY TO SWING ON A VERTEBRA.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 3 MAR / PUB SONY / DEV GUERRILLA GAMES Wild thing, you make our hearts sing. Even just looking at the robot-infested chasm before us is enough to set our explorer’s instincts ablaze. Grass shivers and shimmers in the wind. The day’s last light sparkles on the edges of mechanical raptors’ wings. It calls to us. What lies beneath the savage beauty of this open world, however, is something even more seductive: freedom. Clever quest design, combat options and endless ways to customise hunter Aloy – our every step in the latest demo of this action-RPG reveals depth. We shoulder our twisted metal bow and whizz across a ravine on a zipline (with our bare hands,…

“BLUE BLOOD SPURTS FROM OUR VICTIM’S MOUTH… WE COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 / PUB SONY / DEV QUANTIC DREAM Quantic Dream’s choice-led, interactive narratives have ensured we’re no strangers to the grim consequences of our actions. Hacking off fingers with hatchets in Heavy Rain; roasting a houseful of teens alive in Beyond: Two Souls… But as we watch blue blood spurt from our victim’s mouth, we feel extra guilty. We could have prevented this. That’s because there are more ways than ever to tailor the story in David Cage’s new neo-noir thriller. You play as several different characters, each with unique abilities. In our demo, we’re in the impossibly perfect skin of android detective Connor. Our task (which we’ve just bungled spectacularly)? To stop a…

“WE MUST SEND A BROKEN KEY TO A BLACKSMITH VIA A FRIENDLY OWL…”   FORMAT PS4 / ETA Q1 2017 PUB MICROIDS/PQUBE / DEV ANUMAN Remember Syberia? We do, fondly. The two PS2 point-’n’-click outings chronicling Kate Walker’s journey to Syberia to find a surviving herd of mammoths still rates highly in our adventure game rankings. Now, 12 years on, the series is back – and we’re incredibly confused. Granted, that may be because the ‘Previously On Syberia’ option isn’t working in our preview code, but even if we had that crucial refresher the opening would be perplexing. Kate’s trapped in a clinic having recently been in a coma (nothing to do with the end of the Syberia II), and after besting a simple rewiring puzzle to escape her…

Wrench Jr_ Alright, he’s not technically a hacker, but look at his little face and tell him he’s not part of the gang. Once a mindless HAUM security robot, he’s saved from a life of digital drudgery by his Uncle Marcus, then Papa Wrench overrides his circuitry and gives him a punk makeover. Wrench_ Has your hard drive got hiccups? The man in the ‘moji mask can fix that. Marcus’ comedy partner in cyber-crime, Wrench is an exceptional engineer, noted for his ‘special relationship’ with technology (we see him jamming his tool into a toaster. Don’t try it at home, kids). Also likes: tattoos, creative swearing and his robot baby. Marcus Holloway_ The Oakland-born, 24-year-old playable protagonist has an understandable grudge again Blume’s ctOS system: it mistakenly fingered him as…

OPM: How much soul-searching and debate went into making this new direction for Resident Evil happen? Masachika Kawata: We discussed a lot internally about the nature of survival horror, and what we could to do go back to the roots of the genre. In the course of those discussions, we knew that the Resident Evil series had, in recent years, become more action-focused in terms of gameplay, and featured increasingly superhero-like characters. What could we do to rein those aspects in and go back to basics? The answer we arrived at was moving to a first-person camera perspective, as we felt it could bring the most direct, intense horror experience possible where the player sees things through the eyes of the main character. And by making that character more normal…

“IF A STRATEGY GAME IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS OPPOSITION, THEN XCOM 2 IS FINE INDEED.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB 2K DEV FIRAXIS @OPM_UK Time is the enemy in strategy sequel XCOM 2. Well, strictly, the Earth-occupying Advent regime and its array of unpleasant aliens is the enemy, but bear with me. Since almost every mission is set against the clock, you’re going to have to push. To improvise. Unlike its equally excellent predecessor, this is not a game of mitigating luck by forming a safe turtle of guns and skills, but one of taking calculated risks and working with the consequences. Play XCOM 2 like the first one and you will fail. A lot. That won’t win back fans of the series, but learn the…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB WALES INTERACTIVE DEV SPLENDY GAMES Long-time gamers will remember the odd mid-’90s fad that was full motion video (FMV). Featuring live-action footage, the likes of Night Trap and The X-Files Game caught gamers’ interest… but not for long. The Bunker is an attempt to revive the FMV game for the HD era, and the results are interesting, but still problematic. The story revolves around John, a lonely blighter living in an underground bunker following a series of nuclear strikes on the UK. After 30 years living like a Womble, John’s mum has pegged it and he’s now the sole survivor. Before long an emergency compels John to brave the unexplored sections of the bunker (took his time, didn’t he?) while trying to piece…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV SQUARE ENIX @daniellamlucas By my bristly brows, this game is positively brimming with life. Combining all the goofy smiling slimes and puns of the Dragon Quest series with the building blocks of Minecraft has led to something wonderful. It might look like a crafting cash-in, but Dragon Quest Builders far exceeds those expectations. Like Minecraft, building is block-based and you can make whatever you want, though you may be given blueprints to prompt you. There’s your typical earth, stone and precious metals, but you’ll also find more elaborate items such as roof tiles, pots, and chairs to decorate with. Even if you’re not creative it’s easy to design something that looks good and has plenty of…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV IO INTERACTIVE Depending on your appreciation for high pressure infiltration levels, the not-quite-penultimate episode in the assassination sim series1 is either the American Dream (if you love a bit of Metal Gear-style sneaking), or a bitter case of Stars And Gripes. But whatever your preference for social stealthing, there’s no question that the muddy brown farm setting is the ugliest environment 47’s visited so far. Colorado’s aesthetics are downright off-putting, especially off the back of Bangkok’s lavish architecture, but its disappointing skin masks decent design. The grody farm’s been transformed into a militia training camp, and that means it’s now overrun with armed enemies – and a decent (if not dizzying) range of opportunities for creative kills, too.2 That small…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3 ETA OUT NOW PUB WARNER BROS DEV TRAVELLER’S TALES @Scully1888 There have been a number of Level Packs released for Lego Dimensions since it launched last year, but this latest offering based on the recent Ghostbusters reboot is a Story Pack. Rather than featuring a single new level based on the franchise it represents, this new type of beast contains six large levels and a hub world. Essentially, if Traveller’s Tales had decided to release a standalone Lego Ghostbusters Trilogy game in the style of the original Lego Star Wars, this would feel like the Ghostbusters 2016 part. Following the entire story of the movie, the Ghostbusters Story Pack opens with the ladies exploring the Aldridge Mansion in their first paranormal hunt. Over the…

“AREA X IS BEAUTIFUL, AND INTENSE, AND THE CLIMACTIC BOSS BATTLE’S ASTOUNDING.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ALSO ON PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ENHANCE GAMES DEV ENHANCE GAMES/MONSTARS When Tetsuya Mizuguchi originally said that, when he first dreamed up Rez a decade and a half ago, the game in his head took place in a sort of virtual reality, we took it as a good marketing line. Yet to play Rez Infinite is to rather see his point. It is simply perfect for VR, the heightened sense of immersion taking you closer than ever to ‘synaesthesia’, the blend of videogames and music that Mizuguchi has made his career goal. Rez was always best played in a darkened room with the volume up loud, blocking out all other stimulae in order…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB FRAME INTERACTIVE DEV FRAME INTERACTIVE You’re not very good at football. Not you specifically, dear reader, just the unfortunate new student at the Football Improvement Centre.1 You’ve been sent there because your inability to head footballs into nets needs fixing, and that’s done via a mix of skill games that involve MDF keepers, bombs and portaloos. All you need to do is swing your noggin in the direction of a flying ball and make it land in the onion bag. Think that’s simple? Ha! Developer Frame Interactive does an ace job of keeping levels fresh. Early stages have you simply aiming at score targets, while later ones put you on a plinth high in the air, demanding you bullet your headers at…

“EVERY ASPECT LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE A GLAMOROUS SPORTING EVENT.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV GUERRILLA GAMES CAMBRIDGE Having just ejected from my exploding rig, again, I’m hanging in the air by my shoulders, held aloft by a drone and looking like an infant in a baby bouncer. I’m even wearing a onesie. The score is three all, and if I get back into the game now, I might just be able to help nudge my team to victory. The problem is that we’re playing in the Rio de Janeiro arena, and from up here the view of the city is so astonishing that I don’t want to come down. Sod winning, I’m going to hang tough and drink in the vista. My exasperated teammates…

“ELEGANCE AND SIMPLICITY IS THE INTENT, BUT IN (VIRTUAL) REALITY, IT SOON GETS OLD.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB POLYTRON DEV KOKOROMI Now there’s a name that promises something exciting. Published by Polytron (the developer behind adorable indie classic Fez), the superlatively-titled first-person puzzler certainly makes a memorable first impression. Neon lights! Lens flare! Pulsing synth! It’s a fiercely ’80’s aesthetic, married to a brilliantly simple conceit – rotate your ever-growing cluster of cubes to fit through each oncoming wall’s hole. The first wall is always the same: a square-shaped gap flying towards you. Float your single cube through it, and new blocks latch onto it. The next wall tasks you with another, trickier hole to squeeze through. The challenge begins: how do…

The sequel to JJ Abrams’ smart Stark Trek reboot was voted the worst Trek movie of all time by fans. While harsh (lest we forget, Kirk punched God in Star Trek V), it’s a message the makers of Star Trek Beyond clearly took to heart, resulting in a film that embraces the Original Series’ sense of adventure. Roughly three years into their fabled five-year mission, the crew of the Enterprise are stranded on a remote alien world after a devastating drone attack. The culprit: Idris Elba’s pasty-faced alien Krall, who possesses a weapon capable of wiping out humanity, and is miffed enough to use it. With JJ jetting off to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, and Simon Pegg writing the script in less than ideal circumstances to meet the 50th…

“WHO HASN’T HARBOURED DREAMS OF DUFFING UP BASTARD CLOWNS?” INFO PUB WARNER BROS INTERACTIVE DEV ROCKSTEADY PRODUCTIONS RELEASED 2009, PS3 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £15.90 NEED TO KNOW 1 The script was penned by comic writer Paul Dini. 2 The atmosphere was inspired by BioShock. 3 Batman’s cape has over 700 different animations. As power fantasies go, it’s pretty tough to top ‘be the Batman’. After all, who hasn’t harboured dreams of thwarting crime, prowling rooftops blessed with a jawline that just won’t quit or duffing up bastard clowns? Yet despite the billionaire vigilante’s CV reading like a checklist of super-liberating game mechanics, no game developer could solve the ultimate cape and cowl conundrum: ‘just how the hell do you make players feel like Batman?!’ Until Rocksteady, that is. The…

PICK #1 DEAD RISING TRIPLE PACK Editor Matthew Pellett revisits old favourites in this new remaster collection Granted, the mini sandboxes on show here require a very loose definition of “open world” to qualify, but since I’m the editor I can get away with pulling that kind of stunt. Mwah. Though the original game’s creaky, it still has plenty to offer for this PlayStation debut – the Willamette Mall’s a densely designed playbox full of fun and dumb things to sniff out. Good luck in the tunnels… “LILTING COCKNEY FLOATSTHROUGH BUSTLING STREETS ASCARRIAGES CLATTER BY…” PICK #2 ASSASSIN’S CREED SYNDICATE Forget the Big Apple – ye olde Big Smoke’s where it’s at for staff writer Jen Simpkins Combat’s uninspired and controls are unreliable, but Syndicate’s super-saturated London is one of…

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…