Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i PLAY

“THERE WAS A TIME WHEN JRPGS RULED THE SHELVES, AND ATLUS’ EPIC COULD PUT THE GENRE BACK ON EVERYONE’S PLAY LIST.” GAME OF THE MONTH Nioh FAVE SCHOOL-SET GAME Rival Schools There’s a big hello atop the page because I’ve picked up the baton from former editor Matt P to bring you the biggest and best PlayStation games every issue. They’re huge boots to fill, but it’s going to be fun! So *deep breath* here goes… Let’s talk about JRPGs. They’re back, and in a big way. Jen has ploughed over 70 hours into this issue’s world-exclusive review of the English-language version of Persona 5, and she’s loving it! There was a time when JRPGs ruled the shelves, and Atlus’ epic could put the genre back on everyone’s play list…

EFF-YOU OHS Bioware is teaming up with oh-so-offensive party game Cards Against Humanity for a Mass Effect-themed expansion of 14 extra cards. Yep, answer “What ended my last relationship?” with quips like “Space racism.” Grab the raunchy pack for $1 at – ahem – totallyf**kablealiens.com while it lasts. WHERE’S THE FIRE? Well, isn’t this spooky? Semi-shuttered studio Irrational Games is back from the (almost) dead with a spicy rebrand. Now called Ghost Story Games, the new team of 25 (headed up by creative director Ken Levine) is currently working on a new game that will “have strong appeal to fans of Bioshock”. Yes please. THE VINYL CUT If you missed out on our incredible free gift in issue #132 – a Yooka-Laylee CD – then there’s good news. Laced Records…

“TIM PEAKE INSPIRES ME TO STEP SOFTLY INTO ANDROMEDA.” IAN DEAN EDITOR Astronaut Tim Peake famously took a tea cup to space, because he’d rather sip from china than suck his tea through a straw. Good man. Inspired by the need for home comforts so far from our Solar System, I’d take a fresh pair of socks on my 600-year star trek, ideally from M&S (other brands are available). When I wake up after my six-century slumber on an alien world I want to take every first step in soft, snuggly comfort. Mankind’s first steps on Elaaden will be taken in woolly joy. With toasty toes and a warm phaser, no alien menace will know what hit it/him/ her. They could get a bit crusty, mind. Maybe aliens like the…

“BY THE TIME I REACHED THE END OF THE NEXT LEVEL, I WAS THE HONEY BADGER OF CITY BUILDERS.” W hen you play games in the arcade, death is the end. And, okay, my favourite game may have been the decidedly non-gory Bubble Bobble, but when my little dragon died and all my coins were gone, it was final. So my latest addiction, Dragon Quest Builders, has taken some getting used to. At first I was scared of running into even the most minor monster. What if it hurts me? What if I die? What then will become of all the people of Alefgard who are relying on me to save them? Oh, the responsibility. Then I died. I got reincarnated, minus some of my stuff. That was it. My…

“CLOSE-CONTACT RACING HASN’T DILUTED THE RALLY CAREER.” i FORMAT PS4 / ETA JUNE PUB CODEMASTERS / DEV CODEMASTERS Imagine stumbling across a YouTube video called “Dirt 2 in real life”. The dune buggy with the GoPro attached would look almost unbelievable in HD, and you’d envy the driver for having such an amazing toy. Imagine it bathed in the brash light of day, the buggy bouncing through the dusty gravel piled up to make bumps and jumps. What you’re imagining is Dirt 4 – real racing. Now, before rally lovers assume this is another videogamey Dirt title that isn’t for them, let us reassure you: Dirt Rally’s super-hardcore, realistic approach won back a lot of fans and Codemasters isn’t about to lose them again in…

“OUR LATEST HANDS-ON GIVES US A LOOK AT THE FINE BALANCE BETWEEN COMPLEXITY AND ACCESSIBILITY IT ACHIEVES ON A PAD.” i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2 JUNE PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV BANDAI NAMCO A young boy futilely punches and kicks his father. His old man comically boots him away. We’re witnessing the start of one of the fighting genre’s biggest sagas, the tug-of-war between sprog Kazuya and the triangular sideburns of Heihachi Mishima. And soon this story will come to an end. On 2 June, to be exact. But we’ll have to wait until then to see exactly how the finale plays out, as our latest hands-on with the game gives us a look at the fine balance between complexity and accessibility that Tekken achieves on a pad.…

88 HEROES Cadbury Heroes are tasty, but in this gore-larious platformer, you’re an alien who eats real heroes. Chomp your way through Thor and chums, picking the right strategy to take down each one – and don’t break a tooth on Iron Man. FORMAT PS4 ETA MARCH VALHALLA HILLS Like Ghost Recon crossed with Stardew Valley, your Vikings have to colonise a new land through a canny combination of violence and socialising. Share food or murder your neighbours? It’s a tough call. FORMAT PS4 ETA MARCH CHROMA SQUAD Seven-person multiplayer in which you are one of a crack squad of interior decorators. Opt for the roller rather than the brush and your colour’s sure to end up on the wall. Beware the turps bomb. FORMAT PS4 ETA Q1 2017…

CALL OF CTHULHU i FORMAT PS4 / ETA WINTER PUB FOCUS DEV CYANIDE STUDIO Considering how influential the stories of HP Lovecraft are, it’s a surprise there aren’t many games based on his most enduring creation. Cyanide is tackling that with this intriguing RPG. Assuming the role of Edward Pierce, you’re investigating the death of an entire family on Darkwater Island. There’s a strong focus on the detective work, with every clue you find increasing your knowledge. This opens up new lines of dialogue when talking with the island’s inhabitants, and new areas to explore, but it’ll also deplete your sanity gauge. Waiting for this is driving us mad. THE SURGE i FORMAT PS4 / ETA MAY PUB FOCUS / DEV DECK13 This RPG’s vision of a future where we’ll…

OPM: How does it feel to finally be so close to release after so long? Fabrice Condominas: It’s exciting. It’s been five years and that’s long even for us. There was a point when we just wanted to get it out to the world, and you have to stop looking at all those things you want to tweak and improve and just get it finished. Seeing people play who are external from the team is really exciting. OPM: Was that five-year dev journey ever a struggle? FC: In every department there’s a point where you clearly see a shift. And it often comes just before everyone says, “This is the worst game ever”. But that’s every game, Mass Effect is no stranger to this, it’s just that Mass Effect is…

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, PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB MIXEDBAG DEV MIXEDBAG This beautiful, 2D Metroidvaniastyle game revels in obscurity. Its minimalist narrative revolves around the misadventures of an exploration probe stranded on a remote alien planet. Much like the tiny, black probe, you are left to fend for yourself from the off. Exploring the strange world is immensely enjoyable, the music and motion mesmerising and hypnotic. Visually, it’s uncomplicated yet striking, with silhouetted foregrounds contrasting with backgrounds that bring this mysterious world to life in vibrant colour. You’ll find yourself battling alien creatures, solving puzzles, and finding keys to access new locations. As you progress, you unlock a variety of powers, such as a turbo boost and teleportation, allowing further exploration of the surprisingly expansive world.1 Controls are simple,…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB HOLLOW PONDS DEV HOLLOW PONDS Procedurally generated roguelike games are like Nando’s restaurants: a decade ago they were pretty rare but now you can’t move for the sods and most of them look exactly the same. Loot Rascals tries to mix things up with a card-based system.1 The results? Ace. You play as a spaceman who’s crashed his ship on an alien planet and must escape. Combat is simple – you have an attack stat and a defence stat and that’s it – but the real strategy is introduced by the cards dropped by defeated enemies. These enhance your stats, but some come with rules that affect both themselves and other cards, depending on just where they’re placed in your inventory. Making things…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB SEGA DEV SEGA REVIEW #133, 9/10 There’s no doubt that Kazuma Kiryu’s latest escapade is an absolute belter – perhaps the Mafia man’s finest ever. While it’s a series known for its ultra-violent combat and melodramatic storylines, one of the strengths has always been the mini-games. Sadly, that doesn’t translate into the online mode Yakuza 0 offers. Only three games are available – mahjong, cee-lo and poker – and none offer much for the casual player. Not that there are any casual players online in Yakuza 0. After an evening of trying, I’m only treated to matches against the CPU. While rolling a few dice is, well, fine, there’s nothing special about these online additions that’ll keep you coming back. They’re probably better suited for playing…

RAINBOW SIX SIEGE – VELVET SHELL Rainbow Six Siege’s second season puts the pain in Spain with a new map and two new operators. Mira is a defender and can create one-way windows, while attacker Jackal can see enemies’ heat signatures as footprints. NARUTO ULTIMATE NINJA STORM 4 – ROAD TO BORUTO The final expansion for the beat-’em-up series jumps into the future as you take control of Naruto’s teenage son, Boruto. You’ll train with your dad and get to explore a new version of Hidden Leaf Village. ‘Like father, like son’ has never been more literal. DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED – A CRIMINAL PAST The final piece of story DLC focuses on Jensen’s early days in Task Force 29, going undercover into a high-security prison for highly dangerous augs.…

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS 13 MAR Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander star in this weepie about a couple who discover a baby on the shore. THE LOVE WITCH 13 MAR Anne Biller’s love letter to camp ’60s horror is about a young witch who uses sex magic to make men love her, with fatal consequences. PET 13 MAR Dominic Monaghan goes full creep in this psychological horror about an animal shelter worker who imprisons a woman in one of his cages. NOCTURNAL ANIMALS 13 MAR Style and substance are in perfect harmony in this tale of a gallery owner who is sent a violent novel of revenge by her ex-husband. ROGER CORMAN’S DEATH RACE 2050 20 MAR Arrow’s Manu Bennett stars in a belated sequel to Roger Corman’s cult political…

1 “WE WERE HAPPY TO HIT IT AGAIN, IF ONLY TO UNLOCK THE GAME OF DEATH UNITARD. IF IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR BRUCE LEE…” 2 “YOU’D NEVER HAVE CAUGHT GERMAINE GREER PLAYING IT, EVEN ON PS1, BUT WAS IT ALWAYS THIS PRONE TO BUM-FLASHES AND RANDOM BIKINI GIRLS?” 3 “LIKE A PARTIALLY DIGESTED LAWYER IN A T-REX DROPPING, IT’S TWO SEPARATE THINGS COMBINING TO FORM SOMETHING NEW.” 4 “THE DUBSTEP GUN IS A HOOT WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE CIVILIANS IMPLODE VIA THE MEDIUM OF BOOGIE, WHILE THE INFLATE-O-RAY IS HANDY.”…

PICK #1 THIS WAR OF MINE: THE LITTLE ONES Ian Dean is happy to make the hard choices when it comes to digging in the dirt Putting scavenging and crafting front and centre, a simple premise becomes a moral maze in this Sarajevo-set survivalist’s dream. Nights are spent elbow-deep in leftovers; robbing and hunting is the norm. Days are left to consider your actions. I have a full fridge, but I had to kill a family to do it. Life is bitter. “THIS IS AS CLOSE AS YOU’LL GET TO YOUR OWN HUCKLEBERRY FINN VOYAGE.” PICK #2 THE FLAME IN THE FLOOD Cruising through a flooded American wasteland is Ben Tyrer’s idea of relaxing There are moments in this roguelite when it’s easy to forget you’re living after the apocalypse,…

Jen Simpkins GAMES EDITOR Jen played Persona 5 so much she developed a split personality – at least she has each other. GAME OF THE MONTH Persona 5 FAVE SCHOOL-SET GAME Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Ben Tyrer STAFF WRITER Ben smells of gymkhana and Deep Heat. In school he was a natural athlete, a talent put to use for his marathon Horizon review. GAME OF THE MONTH Horizon Zero Dawn FAVE SCHOOL-SET GAME Life Is Strange Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR Word-loving Mim spent school reading books and ghost stories. She liked an orderly exorcise book. GAME OF THE MONTH Torment: Tides of Numenera FAVE SCHOOL-SET GAME Lego Harry Potter Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Living crayon Milf has a talent for art but hated maths. He can’t count how many…

21 New challenges available in the massive Alaska add-on for Steep. 1h36m51s Somebody’s already beaten nails action-RPG Nioh in under two hours. 73% Percentage of Resident Evil 7 copies sold on PS4 in its first week. £24.99 Price of a pass for ice-bending new Street Fighter V DLC character Kolin. 05 Power cells needed in Horizon Zero Dawn to nab the Shield-Weaver armour. 915,000 PS VR units sold since launch – far beyond Sony’s modest expectations. 16/05 The release date for PS VR sci-fi FPS Farpoint. Space bugs ahoy! 100 Classic games headed to PS4 in Atari Flashback Classics – Volumes 1 and 2.…

Which Play Station spaceship would you like to join the crew of? 45% Voted for the Normandy, ideally the Mass Effect 2 version. 23% Wanted Ratchet and Clank’s Starship Phoenix. Well, it does have a VR room… 9% Preferred another of Ratchet and Clank’s spaceships, the sentient Aphelion. 9% Opted for Destroy All Humans’ retro flying saucer. 7% Picked Huge Spaceship from LittleBigPlanet 2. Bigger is better, eh? 7% Chose the Nostromo. What is wrong with you? NEXT MONTH Yooka-Laylee’s got us hungry for more games starring double acts. What’s your fave PlayStation pairing?…

“PS VR IS AN INCREDIBLE PIECE OF KIT, BUT IT NEEDS A KILLER APP IF IT’S GOING TO TRULY THRIVE.” PlayStation VR is an amazing piece of technology, maybe the most impressive in the company’s history. I’ve demoed mine to non-gaming friends and they’ve been floored. Heck, one poor pal probably suffered minor cardiac shock. (Hey, blame PlayStation VR Worlds’ Shark Attack demo, not me.) Yet despite the strength of the core hardware, it’s hard to shake the feeling this amazing reality-altering headgear isn’t quite living up to its monumental potential. Clearly we’re not dealing with a PocketStation-shaped disaster (PS VR is only just coming back into stock after selling out almost everywhere), but neither has it captured the collective imagination quite like the sales-smashing console you connect it to.…

1 You can only make rally tracks (as opposed to Land Rush and Rallycross tracks), so first you choose your location – we picked Fitzroy in Australia. 2 The complexity slider changes the run from a gentle, lilting drive to a nightmarish mix of hairpins, descents and blind crests, plus everything in between. 3 Once you’re happy, you can save your creation and share it with the world. You can also set up leagues via RaceNet and challenge your mates. 4 Every track can have its settings retouched, so tinker away. You can always set it at night for more difficulty. Or add… heavy rain. Jason! JASON!…

1 Chase McCain is the main man – that’s you, that is. A cop with a troubled past, he’s trying to put it behind him to help save Lego City. What a gent. 2 Chase’s arch-nemesis, Rex Fury, has been a thoroughly bad guy since he was six years old… though we think the chest hair and six-pack came a bit later. 3 Meet the funniest character in the game, Frank Honey. He’s a low-ranking police officer with a heart of gold but a mind of jelly. You’ll love him. 4 Ellie Phillips works at the requisitions office and contacts Chase during his missions. Frank has a crush on her but she isn’t having any of it.…

INFO FORMAT PS4, PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB DIGERATI DISTRIBUTION DEV COWARDLY CREATIONS Somewhat optimistically, Uncanny Valley recommends you play it through multiple times for the full experience. Once is more than enough for this sub-Shyamalan mystery, which takes an ill-advised swerve into survival horror for its final act. You play as Tom, a newly-recruited security guard for a large facility, where it becomes apparent something dodgy is afoot. Each shift lasts seven in-game minutes, during which you’re given the run of the place: with nothing much happening, your natural inquisitiveness takes over and you begin reading emails on various (unsecured) computers,1 playing on the arcade cabinet in the relaxation room, and wondering when you’ll get access to the ‘lower sections’, which you’re told are off-limits, but which you…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB MERGE GAMES DEV SIGTRAP GAMES Loooooong-time OPM readers – I’m talking March 1996, first-gen OPM issue 4 long – will hopefully still have enough of their pensioner wits about them to remember Descent,1 a 3D first-person shooter in which you flew a ship through a bunch of mazes. Sublevel Zero Redux is what you’d get if Descent had been made today. Like Interplay’s PS1 classic, your ship here has a full six degrees of freedom. Not only can you do the usual forward, back, up, down, turning, and strafing but you can also roll the ship, essentially turning the map on its side to mess with your head. The result is that travelling through the game’s six procedurally generated levels2 can initially be…

TRICKY TOWERS Ben Tyrer takes a wrecking ball to the competition online Competitive physics Tetris is my multiplayer dream come true. Not only does it take over my lunchtimes with other members of Team OPM, it dominates my evenings. I can’t get enough of trying to build a stable tower as quickly as possible, and I seem to be pretty good at it. In fact, I’m winning regularly when I come up against other tricky builders. Even lady luck is giving me her blessing, as I shoot from fourth to first in one game as my opponents’ towers all crumble at the same time. Maybe I should become an architect… PES 2017 Going VR improves Ian’s PES game, but is it cheating? Playing PES online has led to two broken…

DOCTOR PLAYSTATION Our console medic fixes your tech woes with actual science THE PROBLEM Wandered into an uncompromising test of skill, waving a sharp implement around with only the faintest idea of what to do? Been there, done that. Nioh and surgery are very alike… STEP 1 STAMINA MANAGEMENT IS YOUR NEW OBSESSION Nioh throws a lot at you very hard, very quickly. Tons of tutorials! Zombies vomiting poison! Both of its shoes, a clipboard and an IV drip! (Hang on, I’m thinking of my nurse. How was I supposed to know the red button was for “emergencies only”? I can’t read.) The number one trick to master is the Ki Pulse. Quick dash eaten a chunk of stamina? Watch for blue sparkles around William’s body, then hit to absorb…

INFO PUB BLIZZARD ENT. DEV BLIZZARD ENT. RELEASED 2014, PS4 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £17.95 WHAT? The darling of the PC brigade, Blizzard’s blockbuster Diablo III finally arrived on PS4 with a new localised multiplayer mode and the add-on, Reaper of Souls. If you like looting and RPG-ing like it’s 1996, then you’ll adore Diablo III. WHO? Loot-obsessed Ian Dean questions the moral compass of a hero who rummages through the private belongings of Diablo III’s put-upon people. “THE LOWEST FORM OF LOOTING; LOOTING FOR LOOTING’S SAKE.” There’s loot everywhere and I don’t know what to take and what to leave… Let me rephrase: I don’t know what I’m allowed to take and leave behind. Swords, sandals and bejewelled bracelets litter the floor, and there’s a rare shield stowed in…

“SAMURAI LOOK SWISH, WIELDING KATANAS AND CHAINING ATTACKS TOGETHER BEFORE LAUNCHING SPECIAL MOVES.” The ultimate Final Fantasy theme park will get even bigger in June with FFXIV’s Stormblood expansion. Attending the Fan Fest in Frankfurt we learn of extra features, classes and other goodies coming the way of our PS4s… After ending the 1,000-year war in Ishgard during the Heavensward expansion, the action is focusing on liberating the city of Ala Mhigo from the Garlean empire. And the recent trailer reveal went even further, heading east to a continent inspired by Japan, called Othard. You’re tasked with freeing both nations. The number of new areas exceeds our expectations: several cities, a massive plains area and even underwater castles – all with an Asian feel. We’ll be visiting the home of…

“THE SINGLE-PLAYER IS BEING TAKEN TO A NEW, EXPERIMENTAL LEVEL.” It’s early in the opening, Batman-focused stages of Injustice 2’s story campaign. Bats has arrived at Arkham, trying to track down a still-renegade Superman continuing his rampage against crime, grief-stricken after the death of Lois Lane. The scene is being set. The narrative is just starting to be unpacked. And oh look, Robin has just stabbed a goon in the throat. A captive goon, already serving his time. And now that goon is dead. Clearly, this is a very Netherrealm superhero game. But it’s not just the upturn in brutality that marks it as the work of the Mortal Kombat studio, even as Batman and Robin turn their backs on each other and the caped protegé (Bats’ own son, Damian…

Bioware’s announcement about making a new IP that will “bring players together in exciting new ways” has prompted whispers of a MOBA or even Destiny-a-like MMO. Could Batman face The Court Of Owls in the rumoured Batman Arkham Insurgency? Watch Dogs 3 set in Brixton, London? A patched ending scene hints… Hideo Kojima’s latest mo-cap snap has fuelled rumours Emma Stone will star in Death Stranding. Redditors are convinced Destiny 2 will be subtitled Forge Of Hope and feature the Cabal as the main baddies.…

CHARACTER AWWW Congrats to genDESIGN on the DICE award – The Last Guardian’s Trico is truly an Outstanding Achievement In Character. Deserved! MUDOKON SHOTS New teaser images for Abe’s latest outing, Oddworld: Soulstorm, have our attention. The sequel’s looking wonderfully grim. HADOU-KOMBAT? NetherRealm Studios’ creative director Ed Boon would be up for making a Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter crossover title. We can but dream… GOING SOUTH RPG sequel South Park: The Fractured But Whole has been delayed again – potentially until March 2018. At this point, we’re ready to throw a Cartman-esque tantrum. “BERT MERM!” SECRET SANTA Art for a cancelled sci-fi title from Sony Santa Monica reveals fantastic beasts… that we’ll never meet now. *sob* FLUB A DUB DUB Oh dear. WWE 2K17’s latest DLC, Hall Of Fame…

@GARYDECALMER The choice between the Mass Effect poster or the Zero Dawn poster has really ruffled my feathers. @DARRENCLEMES Pro on my 4k HDR sony tv mind=Blown and that’s coming from a PC gamer. @MRCHRISMORA Samurai is already plural and singular @ONZA120 Once I saw the Sonic Mania section on OPM stating beta animations etc are back I’ve been excited! @KIERANROSEART Great read about the forgotten (unfinished) world of #FinalFantasy XV in @OPM_UK @HIGGIE_BABY Great article [on PS3]! But you forgot ‘Buying your third console due to YLOD’. Good times ;p @PELLOKI If only I’d stayed for two more weeks I could have spent #ukpunday camped on the @OPM_UK account. @NOAH_X3 Back in the day CoD used to inspire, now it’s the game that scrounges around looking for it @DAVIDRUSHE…

“THE MOMENT SOMEONE TRIES TO HIT YOU IS VR’S EQUIVALENT TO THE MOMENT IN A CREATURE FEATURE WHEN THE MONSTER IS REVEALED.” With or without PS VR, the opening of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard is a masterclass in slow-burn tension. The combination of careful pacing, atmospheric sound design and grisly environmental detail create a sense of place so potent that by the time you’re stepping over the threshold of the Bakers’ Louisiana home, you’re already on edge, instinctively tensing up in anticipation of the horrors to come. With the headset on, the feeling of trepidation as you push up against each door is especially strong. It’s the not knowing that thrills you. If you haven’t played Resident Evil VII yet and would like to go in completely cold, it’s time…

1 RATATOUILLE What do you mean a real rat can’t be a sous chef in a Parisian bistro? Nuts to reality! This ropey animated movie tie-in may go down roughly as well as a month-old plate of offal, but at least little Remy can whip up a cracking bowl of soup. Last time we looked, no other virtual rodent here could claim the same. 2 WARHAMMER – END TIMES: VERMINTIDE Imagine Shrek spawned a cross-species kid with an ogre-lusting rat (feel free to do a little sick). The resulting spawn of hell would most likely resemble Vermintide’s enormous Rat Ogre. Though these muscly brutes are super-strong, they’re also spectacularly dim, and can only focus on one foe at a time. Hope it’s someone else. 3 METAL GEAR SOLID 4 You…

“COMBAT IS LESS CONVOLUTED, WITH ATTENTION ON THE HUMAN CAST.” i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 / PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV LEVEL-5 Certain games leave you with warm, fuzzy memories, the kind that allow you to forget the time you spent playing wasn’t always pleasurable. The original Ni No Kuni is one – a grind-heavy JRPG with combat that could be frustrating, but which was delightful nonetheless. You ended up loving it in spite of itself. For its follow-up, Level-5 is hoping to win your affection without the caveats. What immediately strikes you about Revenant Kingdom isn’t the elements it shares with its predecessor, but how different it is. Sure, there are familiar locations, like the kingdom of Ding Dong Dell, from which protagonist Evan, a young king,…

1 The bedroom towers above Six, but her climbing skills means you’ll be able to scale its heights. You’ll need to if you want to escape. 2 This shoe pit is both disconcerting and deadly. Why are there so many shoes here and what are they hiding? You don’t want to know. 3 Ah, the Library. It’s full of books to clamber up, shelving to scurry across and greedily reaching arms that are trying to yank you away.…

“AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS, THINGS AREN’T WHAT THEY SEEM.” i FORMAT PS4 / ETA 5 MAY / PUB BETHESDA / DEV ARKANE STUDIOS The sun blazes through the windows of Morgan Yu’s apartment. As we stroll around the place, we find ourselves taken in by the luxury of this near-future abode. There’s a giant TV in the corner of the room, a well-stocked kitchen (complete with a champagne bottle), and a disarmingly low-key scientific workstation. But as good as it looks, things aren’t what they seem. Which is exactly why we’re so excited for Arkane’s immersive sim, as the opening expertly plays with our expectations. For example, this plush pad isn’t real, but we don’t discover this right away. Instead, we arrive at a TranStar testing facility to…

“IT’S INTERESTING TO GET AWAY FROM THAT KIND OF RAW POWER FANTASY.” If you’ve played Bioshock Infinite’s iconic opening level, a sunny-turned-sour intro to floating city Columbia, then you know Forrest Dowling. Once one of Irrational Games’ brightest minds, he’s now the man behind the rogue-lite river of recently-released indie survival title The Flame In The Flood – and chats to OPM about indie titles’ singular strengths over big-budget hits. OPM: The Flame In The Flood is a very different sort of game: it feels much more realistic than a triple-A smash. What was your philosophy behind its creation? Forrest Dowling: When we started out I was really interested in, like almost had an academic interest as a game designer, in making something that wasn’t about… that was a survival…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB NINJA THEORY DEV NINJA THEORY Experimental side projects from major studios are all the rage – Ubisoft Reflections gave us the adorable Grow Home while Sumo Digital is bringing Snake Pass to PS4 later this year. It’s a similar deal with Dexed, which began life as an entry in a game jam Ninja Theory organised for its staff. A small team was given just three months to finish development (and you can tell), but as slight as the finished game may be, its core idea is a winner. That title is a none-too-subtle reference to the dexterity required to play it well. It’s a leisurely-paced on-rails shooter designed for two PS Move controllers1 with which you shoot balls of ice and fire…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB VIVID HELIX DEV VIVID HELIX Quirky indie puzzle games are ten-a-penny on the PS Store, but many of them lose steam as it becomes clear the developer struggled to come up with enough variety in its puzzle ideas. Semispheres is one of those lovely examples of what happens when it all goes right. Each stage is split into two halves. A blue jellyfish lives on the left half, and an orange one on the right. You have to control them both, each assigned to an analogue stick,1 and get them to their respective exits. That sounds simple, doesn’t it? The problem is, there’s a bunch of guards with Metal Gear-style vision cones in the way, so you’ll need to get past them if…

Like a particularly miserable LocoRoco, winter just keeps rolling on and on. But hark! What glorious ray of sunshine was this, blessing our Instant Game Collection in the month of February? Yes, we PS Plus members bathed in the warm glow of another triple-A treat, with plenty more colourful cheerer-uppers – and all for absolutely free. LITTLEBIGPLANET 3 on PS4! Good gravy, we weren’t worthy. The iconic PlayStation platforming series’ third instalment sandboxes Sackboy with an incredible level creation system. Custom characters, hand-designed power-ups, whole new worlds dotted with jump pads and giant cakes via slick touchpad integration… and near-endless numbers of user-created masterpieces to play. The giggles didn’t stop there, with the action-packed pixelated 2D shooter NOT A HERO (PS4) bleeding into the PS Plus rainbow. With would-be…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB SONY DEV SIE JAPAN STUDIO REVIEW #133, 7/10 While Kat’s sequel doesn’t boast multiplayer, per se (isn’t controlling gravity itself enough to deal with without another human in the mix?!), its asynchronous online functionality makes for some extra frivolity. Optional challenge missions pit you against the ghosts of other people’s Kats to try and beat their runs. There’s also the small matter of the mines. A place to grind ability-unlocking gems, dying here leads to you dropping your loot and others online can nab it. Jammy. But the real entertainment lies in Treasure Hunt: as you play the campaign, notifications from other players pop up. Study the picture provided, then go in search of the hiding spot (a faint beep helps guide you) and reward –…

RECOLOUR: 16-BIT BUDDIES Fancy sprucing up the Regalia in FFXV? This retro sticker pack imagines Noctis and co. as adorable pixel sprites on the side of their ride. LIVE FIRE Titanfall 2 gets a new 6v6, pilot-only mode. Your team has just 60 seconds to kill the opposition or capture a neutral flag, so this isn’t something for time wasters. TOY WARS The Playroom VR gets a new mode where one VR player and three other players fight waves of enemies. However, when the VR avatar takes a single hit, it’s game over. SORA World of Final Fantasy gets a new Champion to summon during fights as Kingdoms Hearts’ Sora joins the gang. Get him quick, because he’ll be gone by the end of March. THEY SHALL NOT PASS Battlefield…

Part of the way through Arrival, Amy Adams’ linguistic professor Louise Banks explains how a sentence is broken down on a blackboard. Flashbacks to A-level English Language class aside, it’s one of the most compelling moments of any movie released last year. And that’s before taking the aliens into consideration… Based on Ted Chiang’s short story, Arrival begins as 12 giant space eggs descend over Earth. With their intentions unclear, and no way of communicating, the government enlists Banks and Jeremy Renner’s theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly to help decipher the ‘heptapods’ truly alien language. It may not sound like the kind of material that makes for thrilling cinema, but director Denis Villeneuve’s smart sci-fi is nothing short of a masterpiece; a film that may one day be spoken of in…

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 THE LAST GUARDIAN After a decade in development, Ueda’s PS4 debut is both a technical marvel and emotionally devastating. Trico’s mannerisms make it feel like a real creature – one we truly care about – while escaping The Nest is a captivating test. Some things are worth waiting for. 3 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN While retaining that distinct storytelling…

1 REZ INFINITE Fifteen years after the original’s release, the psychedelic rhythm rail shooter has achieved its final form. In PS VR, creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s vision becomes reality, the glittering polygonal trance-world and pounding techno inspiring total synaesthesia within you. Its crowning achievement? New level Area X, powerful enough to bring players to tears. Deserving of its name, this is a truly timeless title. 2 THUMPER Make no mistake: the brave chrome beetle gave Rez a run for its money for our top spot. Hurtling down a violently kaleidoscopic track, pounding notes and scraping round corners is exquisitely tough – and the manic magic is enhanced and perfected in PS VR. 3 KEEP TALKING AND NOBODY EXPLODES Who knew bombs could bring people together? With one headsetted Defuser, and as…

1 TEARAWAY 10 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…