Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i PLAY

“I’M TALKING ABOUT E3, THE ANNUAL VIDEOGAME JAMBOREE OUT IN LOS ANGELES.” GAME OF THE MONTH Nex Machina E3 HIGHLIGHT Foul-mouthed monkey Knox This is my favourite time of year, better even than Christmas. It’s the moment games publishers, like a bunch of sweaty corporate Santas baking under the Californian sun, share their hottest games. I am, of course, talking about E3, the annual videogame jamboree out in Los Angeles. This year Ben scurried off to see the best and newest games coming to PlayStation. Highlights include an interview with Spider-Man developer Insomniac, hands-on time with Star Wars Battlefront II, Destiny 2, and Call Of Duty: WWII, plus gameplay details of God Of War, Detroit: Become Human, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. You can read everything and more in…

SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON VR Need a reason to pick up your new PS Aim controller now that Farpoint is done and dusted? Then look no further than first-person zombie shooter Arizona Sunshine. Redesigned for PS Aim, this is a ‘proper’ game with freedom of movement in the style of Farpoint, and just as involving. It’s a blast. FANTASY FIGHTER Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a 3v3 brawler set in the Final Fantasy universe, created by Nioh’s Team Ninja. If we’re honest the game is a little chaotic and in need of refinement. However, it could turn out to be a real Final Fantasy treat as it features a story by Kingdom Hearts 2’s writer Kazushige Nojima. SUPERHOT VR IS, ERM, HOT PS VR was Sony’s hot topic at this…

For the first time in the show’s history, E3 2017 opens its doors to 15,000 members of the paying public, and it’s my worst nightmare. You see, I have an appointment to see GT Sport, and after navigating my way through an ocean of bodies, I soon discover the session will be live in front of the people I’ve just shoved my way through. I can bank on not having any fans for this race. And yet it’s a perfect example of why the public attending E3 can be a good thing. While my race in GT Sport is hardly a resounding success (I finish sixth out of eight), it provides an atmosphere that simply wouldn’t be possible if I were in a meeting behind closed doors, and it makes…

1 BIOSHOCK Can’t afford the lofty prices over at Rapture’s Circus Of Values vendors? Then get your hack on, friend. Hacking objects challenges you with stopping a pendulum in small green zones, while certain puzzles make you arrange rows of pipes. Of course, if you’re lazy, just use a handy Automatic Hack Tool. 2 WARFRAME When you’re plunged into a futuristic battlefield filled with outrageously athletic warriors who can all wield a bow with the precision of a Terminator version of Robin Hood, hacking tiny security terminals likely isn’t your top priority. Still, certain missions make you fiddle with tiles to progress, so try not to get hacked off. 3 HORIZON ZERO DAWN The remains of humanity may have regressed to the Stone Age, but there’s no reason for Aloy…

Format PS VR ETA 2017 Pub CCP Games Dev CCP Games Tron has a lot to answer for – tight bodysuits and making frisbees popular are top of the list. New PS VR future sports game Sparc embraces one of those trends – luckily it’s frisbees (a close-fitting bodysuit is optional). Sparc will be CC Games’ first title outside of the EVE universe, and its second PS VR game. It’s also going to be a timed exclusive on PS VR, so we have faith the developer is going to push the virtual reality system to its limits, given Sony’s belief in the game. So what is it? Well, it’s a take on Tron’s frisbee combat, with you and a friend facing off against each other in a glowing cyber-arena. The…

Format PS4 ETA 12 Sep Pub Konami Dev Konami This year’s Pro Evolution Soccer aims to answer the burning question only Sir Alex Ferguson ever knew the answer to: Can Usain Bolt, the Fastest Man AliveTM , make it as a footballer? It’s one of the most delightfully peculiar pre-order bonuses in some time, but if you pay up Bolt will be unlockable as an exclusive MyClub player. While we imagine the Jamaican will have a few leaden-footed defenders quaking in their boots, there are some more important changes under the hood. There’s a new first touch system called ‘REAL Touch +’ where players react more realistically to bring a ball under control with their head, chest, or legs that should get the crowd up on their feet. It means…

Format PS4 ETA 10 Nov Pub Bandai Namco Dev Level-5 There’s just no mistaking Level-5’s effortlessly pretty JRPG franchise, with its fantastically named monsters, delicious Welsh accents, and Studio Ghibli art style. The animation house isn’t actually involved this time, but that hasn’t stopped Revenant Kingdom developing into the most strikingly gorgeous RPG on PS4. Set hundreds of years after Wrath Of The White Witch, Ni No Kuni II places you in the adorable booties of one Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum: the boy king of a cat tribe in the town of Ding Dong Dell. The lush anime combat is interspersed with overworld exploration where the characters appear as cute chibis, while the Pokémon-esque beasties of the original have been replaced by Higgledies; tiny spirit critters that band together to help…

Format PS4 ETA Q1 2018 Pub Ubisoft Dev Ivory Tower America is your playground in The Crew 2, and your toybox is packed with cars, boats, planes, and motorbikes. Ubisoft’s returning racer challenges you to become the champion of all motorsports. Is it a case of jack of all (motor) trades and master of none? Hardly. Each vehicle discipline has been finely crafted to offer the best of its sport, then worked into real-world USA locations, such as New York City, the Grand Canyon, and the Rocky Mountains. Competing in supercars has been revamped to take more of an arcade approach, with racetracks now spanning the rooftops of NYC. Down in the water there’s a mix of straight powerboat racing and the freedom of Jet Sprint, which offers more open…

Format PS4/Play Link ETA 2017 Pub Sony Dev Supermassive Games Ooh, nasty: a serial killer has been setting traps on his victims’ bodies, designed to kill the first cop who finds the corpse. It’s a neat premise. Better still, and like Supermassive Games’ PS4 debut Until Dawn, Hidden Agenda is a game of choices. The difference here is you’ll play with friends on the couch to decide who lives and who dies. “It’s a game about trust,” explains Hidden Agenda’s senior producer Jez Harris. “It’s about the trust between the characters in the game and their relationships, but it’s also about the trust between you and your friends playing the game in your living room.” Each player has unique information about the case, as well as motives for seeing different…

Format PS4 ETA 10 Oct Pub Warner Bros Dev Monolith The Nemesis system in Shadow Of Mordor was one of the best ideas of the current gen. Enemies remember what you’ve done to them. It’s best to kill them so they can’t remember anything. Before we get into the nitty gritty of slashing orcs into tiny pieces, we need to decide who our war captains will be. The Fort Assault screen shows the specifics of our orc generals and those we’ll be fighting against. Handy for finding ways of making battleground life a little easier. What follows is a spectacular assault with the aim of capturing three control points inside the fort’s walls, wading through dense crowds of scuffling orcs to do so. There’s also a brand-new gear and loot…

Format PS4 ETA Spring 2018 Pub Take-Two Dev Rockstar Games Rockstar does two things incredibly well. First, it makes sandbox crime classics that are nearly always stupendous. And second… well, the coolest developer on the planet has a nasty habit of delaying said stupendous open-world affairs. Sadly, Red Dead Redemption 2 continues this trend. Originally scheduled to hit PS4 this September, Rockstar has decided to delay the upcoming Wild West sandbox until next spring, stating “extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans”. The studio’s parent company, Take-Two, also weighed in on the setback, with CEO Strauss Zelnick stressing during an investor call that the delay was merely down to Rockstar wanting to “deliver the most extraordinary [experience] we’re capable of…

FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ACTIVISION DEV VICARIOUS VISIONS “DON’T EXPECT AN ENTIRELY NEW SET OF GAMES – BUT WHETHER YOU’RE A DIE-HARD FAN OR JUST WANT A TASTE OF PURE PLAYSTATION HISTORY, THIS’LL BE AN ESSENTIAL BUY.” The second I walk into the demo room, I’m sold all over again. Waiting for me on the big screen is my old pal Crash Bandicoot, all lovingly-rendered orange fur and charm. He digs around in the pockets of his jorts, pulls out a yo-yo, and gets stuck into some tricks. He’s delightful, but it’s not my childhood friend I’m gawping at: it’s what’s behind him. Vicarious Visions’‘remaster plus’ of the first three Crash Bandicoot games (originally developed by Naughty Dog) is on shelves as I write this, but review code…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB GUN MEDIA DEV GUN MEDIA/ILFONIC Press to Jason? Well, almost… Instead, maybe try grabbing a summer camp counsellor with L2 and raising them into the air before punching their heart out and peering through the gaping hole in their chest? As movie adaptations go, the adventures of ultimate murderous mummy’s boy Jason Voorhees might seem 20 years too late, but this Kickstartered asymmetrical multiplayer gorefest feels right on time. Like any hokey horror movie, Friday The 13th is best enjoyed with a group of friends pretending they’re not scared. You can play with strangers, but jumping into a private lobby with mates and being dropped into a moonlit summer camp as either a soon-to-be-hapless victim or the hockey-masked killer1 is both hideously enjoyable…

“A SHOOTER THAT DRIPS ITS FRENETIC FERVOR DIRECTLY INTO YOUR EYEBALLS.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB HOUSEMARQUE DEV HOUSEMARQUE Housemarque’s mantra should be ‘expect the unexpected’. Hidden behind Nex Machina’s bullet-frenzied assault on the senses is a deft shooter that surprises despite its familiar twin-stick gunplay. On the surface the game is a simple shot of arcade score-chasing that calls back to 2D blasts from the past – it’s no coincidence Robotron: 2084’s creator Eugene Jarvis consulted on this – but that surface is literally blown apart a couple of shots in, to reveal a complex and rewarding test of skill. The decision to free Robotron’s arenas from their classic fixed screen enables me to explore. Shooting away scenery opens secret areas, and changes everything. Instantly I’m…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB MAXIMUM GAMES DEV HB STUDIOS With this sequel, HB Studios has made a conscious effort to appeal to a wider audience, yet still keep the original game’s focus on accuracy and skill. Initially even learning how to make a solid swing takes patience in The Golf Club 2. There are no meters here; instead, your swing relies on carefully guiding the thumbstick to get the right tempo on the backswing and downswing.1 There’s a hefty amount of detail and nuance. For the perfect shot, you’ll have to take into consideration things like wind and the lie of the ball, as well as adjust your loft, fade, and draw, to get the angle and direction just right. But by combining flexibility with basic guidance,…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB THQ NORDIC/WIRED PRODUCTIONS DEV HAEMIMONT GAMES Action RPGs are thought of as a PC gaming staple, but Diablo 3 and Alienation prove that they can work on consoles. Haemimont’s heavy metal throwback now joins their ranks. A vicious and frenetic dungeon crawler, Victor Vran follows the titular monster hunter as he explores various sprawling dungeons in the city of Zagoravia. They’re overflowing with creatures to kill, as this edition includes two expansions1 alongside the original campaign. A few tricks help Vran to stand out. Your playstyle isn’t defined by your character class but your equipment loadout. Which weapons, ‘Destiny Cards’ (passive boosts), and finishers you pick all push you towards certain ways of playing, plus they can be swapped out quickly, which facilitates…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB MILESTONE DEV MILESTONE You’re riding a motorbike on loose mud, trying not to fall off as you and 21 other riders navigate insane courses full of jumps and bumps. When that’s the brief, it’s hard not to have fun. But while the MXGP series has delivered this core experience well for a while now, it’s the newly adopted Unreal Engine 4 that sends the latest entry in the series screeching ahead of the pack. The difference is immediately apparent. There’s a beautifully naturalistic look to everything, with softened visuals giving an authentically low-fi, grungy feel to the action – motocross should never look too polished. The track surface deforms in real-time, making each lap feel new as you drift your bike along compacted…

Jen Simpkins GAMES EDITOR This was Jen’s last issue. *sad faces* But she’s not gone far, we can see her from our desks with sister mag Edge. *happy faces* GAME OF THE MONTH Nex Machina E3 HIGHLIGHT Shadow Of The Colossus Ben Tyrer STAFF WRITER If Ben were a superhero he’d be the guy cleaning Spidey’s webbing off New York. It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it. GAME OF THE MONTH The Walking Dead E3 HIGHLIGHT Devolver Digital’s party Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR Mim’s superhero persona would be able to juggle a hundred things at once and still find time to help Ben clean NY. Legend. GAME OF THE MONTH Star Trek: Bridge Crew E3 HIGHLIGHT Strange Brigade’s pulp fun Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Milf would…

60.4m PlayStation 4 consoles sold worldwide to date, for a lot of happy gamers. 10 PS VR games announced at E3 for all you helmet wearers out there. 487,800,000 PlayStation 4 games sold worldwide (that’s eight per console). 600 Million hours spent playing on PS4 per week by all of us gamers. 70 Million active players every month on PlayStation 4. 26,400,000 PSN subscribers, all playing happily and… shooting one another. 01 Speaker at Sony’s conference: Shawn Layden, president of SCEA.…

 Cult Japanese writer and videogame director Swery – real name Hidetaka Suehiro – has made a career out of putting new, creative ideas ahead of execution. His love it/hate it PlayStation 3 classic Deadly Premonition has divided gamers since release (if you haven’t played it, you should). “CHANCES AREN’T THINGS YOU CAN SEARCH FOR. THEY JUST POP UP.” “The world always needs new things,” says Swery as we discuss his new studio (White Owls), game design, and the rise of VR. “‘Ideas’ bridge the gap between the technology and the production,” he continues. “Some ideas can be traditional, and others revolutionary. But I don’t think things will be getting any harder than they’ve always been. The one thing I can say is: with the evolution of AI, computers may begin…

WATCH MAW TELLY Henry Sellick, director of Nightmare Before Christmas, is directing the pilot for an animated series based on Tarsier Studios’ creeptastic Little Nightmares. IO SILVER LINING After a management buyout Hitman developer Io Interactive is now independent – and retains the IP to its bald-bonced star. BUBSY’S BACK The success of Crash Bandicoot’s reprise has the industry excited, which means we’re getting a new Bubsy Bobcat game - and it’s being developed by a resurrected Accolade. SHANTY FROWN Beware Ubisoft’s new pirate game Skull And Bones. The music stows away in your head, you’ll be humming it for days. CREEDY BLIGHTERS Got £699 burning a hole in your pocket? That’s how much the new Legendary Edition of Assassin’s Creed Origins will set you back. Shipping’s free, though. GET…

“E3 COULD EPITOMISE THE BEST, RATHER THAN THE MOST PREPOSTEROUS, OF GAMING CULTURE.” As games battle for artistic recognition it’s becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile that with E3. I hear a lot of talk nowadays, from developers, from yaysayers, about games being art. But when I think of art – or of artists – I think of dignity, confidence, and articulation. I don’t think of Zac Efron and Jamie Foxx playing Battlefield 1. I know that’s a somewhat trite comparison. There are occasions at E3 when the patronage, and the gurning, and the corporate jargon retreat backstage and we’re treated to a preview of a game that’s genuinely brave and compelling. But if videogames want to convince the broader public they’re nowadays more mature, E3, a veritable carnival, surely isn’t…

Format PS4 ETA 8 Aug Pub Ninja Theory Games Dev Ninja Theory Despite being in a room with only three other people, there are dozens of rushed whispers in the air. Conflicting statements, some chastising, others supportive, and all ceaseless. It’s not coming from the developers watching me play, but the voices in lead character Senua’s head. Immediately, we get a sense of just how unnerving her quest to reach Helheim will be. Yet it’s not just her psychosis that makes for a foreboding experience. As you might expect from the studio behind DMC (and, to be honest, a game called Hellblade) Senua is capable with a sword. But she’s not as rapid or as aggressive as Dante. Instead, you feel like Senua’s fights are slower and more brutal. NORSE-ING…

Format PS4 ETA 15 Aug Pub Sony Dev Housemarque Housemarque is an awesome studio. Resogun was easily the best game you could buy for PS4 on launch day, while subsequent ET-blaster Alienation was no slouch either. Like Resogun, the dev’s latest effort is utterly obsessed with screen-filling explosions. Matterfall is a Contra-inspired 2D blaster, where an exo-suited hero spends most of his time pirouetting around a pulsating cacophony of fiery neon debris. In simpler terms, a lot of kipple goes boom. The game’s armour-clad ninja leaps and slides through levels that appear to run at a super-smooth 60fps, and with so many enemies going kablammo, you’ll need every frame you can get. He also appears to kill said baddies with a fancy arm cannon, though it’s not his party piece.…

 Format PS4 ETA 29 Aug Pub Sony Dev Clap Hanz “THERE ARE WONDERFULLY BIZARRE ONLINE SHENANIGANS TO BE HAD.” Despite it being six years since the last (Vita-only) entry in this charming golf series, settling down for nine holes in this PS4 comeback still feels like second nature. The three taps of to swing the club. Adding topspin by holding up on the D-pad. Shanking the ball into a bunker by mistiming our shot... Erm, let’s chalk that up to rustiness. But for all the warm, fuzzy nostalgia we’re getting from our time on the fairway, Everybody’s Golf isn’t resting on its laurels. Not only are courses open levels that you can explore, but there’s now a more involved system for levelling up. Every stroke has the potential to improve…

Format PS4 ETA 15 Aug Pub Sega Dev Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games We simply had to wedge Sonic Mania somewhere into our Hot 50. The latest version of the game showed off the Chemical Plant stage from Sonic 2, but given the Sonic Mania treatment, which means new routes, bonuses, and hazards added into the familiar old-school level design. To recap, Sonic Mania is a mish-mash of classic Sonic levels and gameplay mixed with new ideas, moves, and design; it’s a celebration of everything you love about 2D Sonic. Running at a smooth 60fps, and featuring two playable sidekicks from Sonic’s past – Tails and Knuckles – this feels like pure joy wrapped in blue prickles. The three characters all play in different ways (for example Knuckles can climb…

Format PS4 ETA Q4 2017 Pub Focus Home Interactive Dev Dontnod Ent. The illusion of choice has fast become the Holy Grail of gaming, and Vampyr is taking a large bite out of this challenge. As a powerful vampire in murky Victorian London you can kill with ease, but what will the consequences be? “There’s no clear-cut, black-and-white karma system, with one path being good and the other bad,” explains art director Grégory Szucs. “All the situations that we try to depict are kind of grey, and even if you make up your mind about something, dig a little deeper and you’ll see there are more layers to it.” NECKED AMBITION These choices are made all the more profound as your character is actually a doctor. There’s a vein of…

Format PS4 ETA Dec Pub Focus Home Interactive Dev Cyanide Studios Any game that has a ‘Sanity Gauge’ is alright by us. It sets the tone for Cyanide Studios’ take on Lovecraftian lore, based on the cult pen-and-paper roleplaying game of the same name. Call Of Cthulhu showed more of its unhinged hand at E3 in two levels that take place inside Hawkins Manor. Set in 1920’s America, you play private investigator Edward Pierce, who’s been charged with investigating the death of a famous artist. The case isn’t the most interesting part, of course; the juiciest action revolves around Pierce’s crumbling sanity. Cyanide is building the game around a fascinatingly vulnerable hero. As Ed’s various phobias start to take hold, Cthulhu becomes more challenging – one of the E3 levels…

Format PS VR ETA 2017 Pub Bethesda Dev id Software We presume that’s the same F as in BFG. And with PS VR going great guns, news of 2016’s Doom reboot coming to a headset near you couldn’t make us happier. Set moments after the demonic invasion of the UAC’s Martian research facility, you’ll play the last human survivor… or at least, a bit of a human. After suffering at the claws of the demon horde, the facility AI transplanted your consciousness into a robot – something that should open up all sorts of upgrades from both the human military and cybernetic demon sides. The only slight downer is that Doom VFR currently doesn’t look like it will be supporting the PS Aim controller, and won’t be a free-moving FPS.…

Ban this sick filth! Despite the delays, there’s no denying Ubisoft San Francisco has captured the utter depravity of South Park down to a disgusting tee. Whether it’s a bunch of ten-year-olds twerking or a pint-sized superhero named ‘Call Girl’, the studio has dialled into Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s filthy humour with ease. This sequel homes in on Captain America: Civil War, with a plot that revolves around a dispute between Cartman’s Coon And Friends group and the rival Freedom Pals. Once again you take the role of ‘New Kid’, and must help the cartoon chums wage virtual playground warfare. The show’s crude art style actually scrubs up rather nicely on PS4, and our only slight concern lies with the new grid-based battle system. The original game’s simple turn-based…

Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Sony Dev Kojima Productions Kojima’s extra-enigmatic open world skipped E3 this year, which meant no weirdly alluring trailer shots of Mads Mikkelsen slathered in sexy black oil. Life just ain’t fair. Luckily, Hideo himself was at the LA extravaganza, popping up at an E3 Coliseum presentation to provide some fresh titbits on his subversive sandbox. The legendary game director turned up to discuss the films that have influenced his previous titles, dropping an interesting behind-the-scenes anecdote about Death Stranding in the process. Basically, none of his team understood what the game was about when he first pitched them. “No one got it! Because I was trying to make something new and something different,” Kojima said through a translator. It’s a good thing Hideo took this…

Format PS4 ETA 8 Sep Pub Activision Dev Bungie Bungie’s inevitable space MMO shooter sequel might not be a drastic reinvention, but it’s certainly the best we’ve ever seen the Destiny formula look. An impressive feat, given everything in the world’s now rubble. And on fire. Narratively and structurally, everything’s been burnt to the ground, so old players and new can start on a level playing field. A long and hard-fought journey lies ahead: to regain your stolen powers, acquire new guns, and stick it to the invading Cabal. There’ll be more in-game lore to delve into via side-quests called Adventures; significantly larger world areas means more exploration. Dungeon-style Lost Sector missions will pit players against bosses for rewards, and we’ll even get standalone treasure maps to follow. TEAM COME…

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 TELLTALE DEV TELLTALE Despite the ubiquity of Robert Kirkman’s post-apocalyptic franchise, and Telltale’s brand of point-and-click adventuring threatening to become tiresome, this latest season staves off fatigue. With improved visuals, a fascinating new cast, and confident set pieces, there’s an urgency and care that’s been missing in far too many of the developer’s other offerings. Oh, and it also helps that Clementine is now Mad Max. Don’t worry, she hasn’t suddenly turned into a grizzled Aussie or got her hands on a souped-up pair of wheels to cruise on through the desolate streets, but she is a teen of action instead of words. However, she’s not the central character in the story she’s invariably the star of. Instead, this season focuses on new…

Settle it with prefixes at dawn INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB VILE MONARCH DEV VILE MONARCH Have you always dreamed of offending people, but never dared take it further than farting in a lift? You need an insult simulator. The idea behind Vile Monarch’s party game is a tiny bit like Cards Against Humanity: build an insulting, obnoxious, or downright bizarre statement1 from a pile of component parts. Said statement is then judged according to… some criteria or other, and then your opponent has the chance to do the same. Whoever constructs the most devastating insult from a pile of words in the middle of the screen wins. It doesn’t work. Conceptually, I mean. While Oh… Sir! succeeds in realising its idea and delivering a perfectly functional, well-presented2…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BETHESDA DEV ZENIMAX ONLINE More than 15 years after its PC release, PlayStation users get to experience Morrowind, as Bethesda introduces the volcanic continent of Vvardenfell to The Elder Scrolls Online. Bethesda’s challenge was to bring it both to TESO players without losing the old magic and to complete newcomers without making them feel hopelessly out of their depths. The reimagining of this world is a triumph, from the iconic skyscraper mushrooms to ominous Daedric ruins. Even the pinkish hue that permeates the colour palette from Balmora to Vivec is spot-on. If you’re familiar with the original, you’ll feel it straight away: this is Vvardenfell. This is home. It’s a condensed version of home, however. Distances are compressed, and whereas its previous RPG…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB MILESTONE DEV MILESTONE Milan-based studio Milestone has been making superbike games for the past 18 years, but the past few instalments of its annual official MotoGP series have come under criticism from fans for their arcade-style gameplay and rough appearance. MotoGP 17 is an attempt to shove a rocket up the series’ tailpipe. Most notably, the game looks and sounds much better than its predecessors. Milestone has heavily tweaked its existing game engine to the extent that what once was a game locked at 30fps now runs at a solid 60fps, allowing for much smoother and more satisfying racing. This is backed up with all the official MotoGP graphics used in TV broadcasts plus vast audio improvement, with these bikes now sounding ferocious…

“FINISHING A RACE CARRIES AS MUCH EMOTIONAL PUNCH AS ENTIRE OTHER GAMES.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB CODEMASTERS DEV CODEMASTERS At its best, Dirt 4 feels as much a narrative experience as games like Dark Souls and Skyrim. Yes, it’s still a driving game. The overarching plot is minimal. You can race where and however you like. But the moment-to-moment thrills and spills – your tense races, sweet victories, and bitter defeats – are every bit as dramatic and memorable as any big boss fight or newly discovered monster’s lair. It’s a game of innumerable, personal tales. Here’s one: during a rainy, early morning race in Powys, Wales – one of Dirt 4’s five central locations – I was a full six seconds ahead of my nearest…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB WIRED PRODUCTIONS DEV LKA Renée doesn’t run. The weight of her memories presses upon her shoulders, slowing her footfalls as she steps carefully over bricks and bed frames in the ruins of the asylum – her asylum. You won’t care, not once the story kicks in. (I wasn’t in a rush to get anywhere, either.) The Town Of Light is a slow-burn horror that reveals itself via a selection of flashbacks,1 medical records, and the ubiquitous diary entries. It delivers its story without a solitary jump scare, and if you think this can’t possibly be scary, you’re wrong. TTOL’s tale is horrifying, and worse still, it’s founded on fact. There’s a handful of puzzles – nothing particularly cerebral – and a peculiar branching…

Got some hankies to spare? I’d be willing to bet you don’t after all the gaming goodies that the Instant Game Collection brought in June. Whether it was for dabbing your eyes during Dontnod’s incredible episodic adventure, Life Is Strange, or wiping Killing Floor 2’s gizzards from your face, you needed a few tissues. Regular readers will know that LIFE IS STRANGE is an OPM office favourite, and we didn’t need any excuse to return to the exquisitely designed series. We headed back to Arcadia Bay and revisited Max Caulfield and her time travel abilities. We solved clever puzzles and made tough decisions as we helped her reconnect with BFF Chloe, struggling to hold back the waterworks by the time we got to the final episode. KILLING FLOOR 2 offered…

OVERWATCH Loot box-worshipper Jen Simpkins has a crisis of faith Of course I’m still playing Overwatch. I can’t stop playing Overwatch. Blizzard has released two special events in rapid succession. I spend all my coins on Uprising event skins… only to run into an unexpected O-dubs birthday party soon after. The gifts? Infinitely cooler, time-limited skins that I now can’t afford. Cruiser D.Va? BEEKEEPER MEI?! My wallet can’t take it: I have to grind loot boxes. My first one offers no skins, but two voice lines: Zarya’s “Is that all?” and Zenyatta’s “How disappointing”. You couldn’t write it… STAR TREK: BRIDGE CREW Ben Tyrer boldly goes… into a floating rock “Concentrate, Helm.” That’s the telling-off I get from my virtual captain. Admittedly, the USS Aegis has just collided with an…

INFO FORMAT PS VR PUB SONY DEV IMPULSE GEAR REVIEW #137, 8/10 Once you get past that creepy moment when it feels like there’s a complete stranger in your living room with you, waving a gun, the sharp shooting action of Farpoint really shines. The only online mode is co-op, a series of score-chasing arcade levels with a second PS-Aim-controller-toting player joining the fray. The setup offers competition and co-operation in equal measure. Co-op proves a far greater challenge than the single-player trudge. Finding a partner is swift and seamless, there’s no lag to blame for a poor shot, and the arcade nature of the gunplay means shy types needn’t feel the need to bark orders. Being in VR, communication tends to amount to Chaplin-esque mimery, making co-op even more…

TELLTALE’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – UNDER PRESSURE A new Rocket-centric episode focuses on the fleabag’s past and relationship with otter Lylla. Who knew he could be such a softy? But, as the decisions get more personal, keeping the gang together is tricky. TITANFALL 2 – MONARCH’S REIGN BUNDLE A beast of a cosmetic bundle is inbound for the mech FPS. There are Prime designs for Ronin and Tone, which give them new sound effects and executions, as well as 20 exclusive camo skins for your Titans and Pilot, and 20 new Callsigns too. ROCKET LEAGUE – CHAMPIONS FIELD To celebrate two whole years of addictive ‘soccar’ action [and Ben being miserable when he loses – Ed], Pysonix is giving away a shiny new stadium. Harkening back to the old-school…

STEP 1 LEARN HOW AND WHEN TO USE THE SPIN MOVE This brings back memories of my junior doctor days, hours in A&E spent hooched up on Modafinil, slashing and dashing between patients. Good times. Much like your Doc in her younger years, speedrunning Crash Bandicoot is key to really enjoying the old-school platformer. Top of the list to master is spinning. It’s faster to spin than it is to run, so hammering r is essential if you’re to complete a level quickly. But like all good things, including the Doc’s use of caffeine pills, you’ll need to use spin in moderation as Crash can only perform the move in spurts. Spin management is essential too, as to 100% a level you’ll need to smash every box, and doing that…

“YOU’LL DEFEAT THE GIANTS BY SPOTTING WEAKNESSES AND SLICING OFF BODY PARTS.” There’s a moment in Extinction where your hero, after scaling the body of a 150-foot-tall ogre, makes one last mighty leap and comes slicing down onto the creature’s neck with his oversized swords. An ocean of blood splurts, the gristle and tubes inside the neck are revealed, and the head slides off. Developed by Iron Galaxy Studios, Extinction puts you in the armoured boots of Avil, the last Sentinel, and your skill with a sharp sword is your kingdom’s only defence against these marauding ogres and their army of swarming minions. Extinction is a goresploitation Shadow Of The Colossus, but unlike Team Ico’s classic after killing a behemoth in Extinction any sadness felt for your departed dead monster…

“I’VE ALWAYS FOUND THE HOTTEST NEWS COMES FROM THE COOLEST OF PLACES. Years of experience have taught me the biggest scoops are ear-wigged while hanging by the pool sipping a cool Golden Cadillac. There’s no need to listen to marketing men shill “from the ground up remakes” if you do E3 properly. With this in mind I’d pack swim shorts to peacock poolside and chum up with the industry’s best and brightest. Of course I pay my way – no free drinks here – but at a games shindig you don’t need booze to tempt developers. Instead I’d pack a classic 989 Studios T-shirt as the ultimate conversation starter. “Why?” I’ll be asked. Why indeed. The trap is sprung. “I’M PATENTING A HI-TECH SET OF E3 EARPLUGS. RICHES AWAIT. I…

Being cynical about E3 is easy. There are always those awkward moments when marketing types are allowed to meet real players – the hard sell clashing with the hardcore gamer. The sight of publishers over-selling their games, the gigantic looming booths rearing up like carnival sideshows, can induce eye-rolls. But the easy path isn’t always the best one to take. I cherish E3 and all its garish, sweaty, marketing nonsense. And so should you. Because love it or hate it, videogaming needs a home; our hobby and industry needs that one moment in the year when the world, and not just ‘our’ gaming world but your nan and neighbour, can tune in and enjoy the spectacle. Videogames needs its place and E3 is the best we have. PRE3-HISTORIC I’ve been…

Format PS4 ETA 2017 Pub 505 Games Dev Ovosonico This looks lovely. A disarming puzzler that uses a stop-motion animation style and centres on a man’s efforts to jump through time so that he can save his lost love? Yes please! The latest game from Massimo Guarini, director of PS Vita’s wonderfully bizarre side-scrolling puzzle-platformer Murasaki Baby, Last Day Of June looks thoroughly original. Guarini based the game on a song by Steven Wilson (called Drive Home), and now the record producer is working on the soundtrack for this adorable, yet undeniably sombre, adventure. The stop-motion stylings mimic animations like The Nightmare Before Christmas, and that’s no coincidence: Jess Cope, who was an animator on Tim Burton’s equally endearing Frankenweenie, is collaborating on the project, which seems to be set…

Format PS4 ETA 14 Nov Pub Warner Bros Dev TT Games Don’t write this off as another cutesy brick-bothering platformer, because TT is subtly rewriting its rulebook for this sequel to 2013’s superhero smash. Key to its goals is time manipulation, which we see during our hands-on. Stepping into the shoes of the Guardians Of The Galaxy, the team are tackling a giant robot Celestial, who’s been summoned here by new big bad Kang The Conqueror to attack Manhattan. It’s a huge fight, with enemies on the ground and Nova Prime fighters in the air. As one of the latter crashes, things get weird. Time goes backwards and the wreckage stays put, giving us a chance to rebuild it on the ground and use its blasters on the Celestial. Well,…

Format PS4/PS VR ETA Early 2018 Pub Bandai Namco Dev Project Aces Our latest hands-on with Ace Combat 7 confirms that this dogfighting gem is a distillation of the series’ charms. We get a chance to sample them during the newly unveiled Operation Dual Wielder. Like every other Ace Combat game, the exposition is hardly necessary, but for the record involves a war between Osea and Erusea. Anyway, you come for the aerial fighting and in this regard Ace Combat 7 delivers. The aircraft look gorgeous and handle just as well, arcing through the sky with grace, and combat is still easy to grasp while being supremely satisfying when you get the timing right and fire off your artillery. The Operation Dual Wielder mission really ramps up with the introduction…

Format PS4 ETA 2018 Pub Bandai Namco Dev Arc System Works Do you want to play a true anime? If the answer is a giddy big fat ‘yes!’ followed by cartwheels and gleeful gibbering, then you need to sit up and breathe in what Dragon Ball FighterZ is offering. (We know the name’s terrible, but keep with us because the game’s great.) Developed by Arc System Works, maker of the superb Guilty Gear series, this latest Dragon Ball game (usually not our favourite words) is a wonderfully loony but incredibly deep fighter that could put Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite in the shade. Like Guilty Gear this is a 2.5D fighter that delivers a standard mix of combos and super special moves, only given the craziness of the Dragon Ball character…

 Format PS4 ETA 29 Sep Pub EA Dev EA “ROBBEN AND HAZARD MOVE LIKE THEY DO IN REAL LIFE.” Pace is everything in EA Sports’ latest football sim. Players explode into sprints, crosses drive devilishly into boxes by default, a new animation system powers quicker reactions, and you can set subs to come on automatically without tinkering in the menu. Put simply, you’ll spend less time fighting FIFA and more time enjoying it. “The philosophy is responsiveness,” says FIFA 18 senior gameplay producer Sam Rivera. “It’s very important. Responsiveness means more fun, because you are in control of what’s happening. Something that happened very often in FIFA 17 was, the ball’s in the air, and you want to shoot, and he controls it with his chest and you’re like ‘No,…

Format PS4 ETA 22 Sep Pub Bandai Namco Dev Slightly Mad Studios Ever dreamt of driving through the winding country roads of the Scottish Highlands in the pouring rain? Good news: Slightly Mad Studios’ crowdfunded sequel lets you do just that. Though GT Sport hogged much of the petrolhead limelight at E3, Project Cars 2 was skidding under the radar in confident style, giving us a quick look at some of the new cars and tracks that will make eSport racers salivate and salute. Whether darting through sodden Scottish moors in the McLaren 720s or trying to tame a Honda Civic in the scenic climes of Lohéac during a French rally, this driving sim’s handling is more highly attuned than ever. Much of this nuance comes from LiveTrack 3.0. Updated…

Format PS VR ETA Early 2018 Pub Ubisoft Dev Spectrevision Part film/part game horror experience, and fronted by a Hobbit… who said VR was a gimmick? We jest… kinda. If nothing else, this collaboration between Ubisoft and Elijah Wood’s production company Spectrevision certainly looks different. Mixing gameplay and scratchy FMV footage (that looks to have been ripped straight off a VHS tape) there’s no denying Transference has a vibe all of its own. Recent titles like PC/iPad indie Her Story have shown interactive narratives built around FMV can work a treat, providing the performances of the actors are up to scratch. With uninspiring shovelware quickly piling up on PS VR, there’s certainly room for fresh experiences. Whether Transference will be enough of an actual game to hold your interest for…

Format PS VR ETA 2017 Pub Polyarc Dev Polyarc We already name-dropped Quill, the cute little white mouse, in our Sony conference write-up (p6), but her PS VR game, Moss, is so adorable it scurried into our Hot 50. In the intro, the pages of an ancient storybook flip open, then the camera swoops in and the illustrations spring to life. This fantasy adventure looks cute as hell. While this is in VR, you’re not looking through Quill’s eyes. Your viewpoint switches between top-down diorama perspectives and traditional third-person views, and you use the DualShock 4 to manipulate the environment to help Quill on her journey. The virtual reality twist comes from the sense of exploration, the puzzle solving, and the ways in which you interact with the game’s colourful…

Format PS4 ETA 13 Oct Pub Bethesda Dev Tango Gameworks As far as apt release dates go, this gruesome horror sequel is brilliantly on-brand. Yup, The Evil Within 2 launches on 13 October and, wouldn’t you know, said date just happens to be a Friday. Sorry Mr Voorhees – you can’t have it all your way. The debut trailer for this follow-up to the murderously macabre Shinji Mikami fright fest packs in a lot of classic horror tropes. Creepy cult leaders; even creepier little girls; circling crows; and, of course… um, a rocking cover of Duran Duran’s Ordinary World. Terror, thy name is a synthpop band from Birmingham. There’s an emphasis on photography at several points throughout the trailer, and judging by a screen of a fiery crossbow, the corpse-burning…

Format PS4 ETA 3 Nov Pub Activision Dev Sledgehammer Games When it comes to shooting people into ribbons online, COD has always been a safe bet for a good time. But between the future flavourings of Black Ops III and Infinite Warfare, it also felt like the loved series was coasting a little, catering increasingly to twitch-shooter players with near-impossible dexterity. Fortunately, Call Of Duty: WWII remedies this in a multitude of ways. Take new mode War, for example. It’s a huge asymmetrical mode where each team will have different objectives to complete, with a set of attackers and defenders. For our hands-on, we’re fighting Operation Breakout as the Allies in a crumbling French town, which starts off with our team having to capture a control point before graduating to…

“IT NEVER PAYS TO BE OVERCONFIDENT, AND THE RAGE MECHANIC ONLY SERVES TO REINFORCE THIS.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV BANDAI NAMCO Games like this aren’t just about punching people in the face, you know. They’re about kicking people in the face, too. And not just people, either! Here you can suplex a panda, jump-kick a grizzly bear, and land a vicious combo on… erm… whatever the heck Yoshimitsu is supposed to be. Are you interested yet? Because you should be. Boasting an impressive 37 characters, Tekken 7 gives you a lot of bang for your proverbial buck. For one thing, a surprising amount of effort has gone into creating the narrative. The epic (for a fighting game) story mode is crammed full of…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB CURVE DIGITAL DEV JAMIT GAMES Entertain your mates for the price of a couple of pizzas? That’s what party games promise. But with plenty already available, any new one needs to be good to persuade you not to splash out on two large with pepperoni instead. While Jump Stars isn’t bad per se, it’s short on things to keep you coming back, and lacks a little polish. The premise is that the players – up to four – are all prisoners on a game show that has a maniacal host ruling over it. Sadly, The Running Man it isn’t. The reality is that after the opening credits, the only time any of the game show theme matters is in the intervals, when you’ll…

“ONE OF THE FRIENDLIEST ONLINE COMMUNITIES WE’VE ENCOUNTERED.” INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB UBISOFT DEV RED STORM ENTERTAINMENT Two Englishmen, a German, and an Australian are on the bridge of a starship. It sounds like the setup to a joke, but it’s actually the prelude to one of the best multiplayer experiences I’ve ever had: a tense, absorbing, and eventually exhilarating hour in space with three strangers, working together like a fairly well-oiled but slightly wonky machine. And, as it turns out, the punchline is pretty funny, too. Bridge Crew puts you and up to three other players in charge of the USS Aegis, with five story missions and further adventures in which your objectives are randomly generated. These tend to take between 30 minutes and…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV SONY XDEV, CLEVER BEANS, EPSOS GAME STUDIOS Admit it: you didn’t think WipEout’s return wouldn’t be good. A 22-year-old game built on what was cutting-edge graphic design, music, and speeding polygons should’ve faded from view by now. But there’s something in its DNA that means, like the techno beats it’s based on, the hook is still there, demanding one more play. It helps that WipEout: The Omega Collection – a compilation of WipEouts HD and Fury for PS3, and Vita’s 2048 – is a remake done right, with new textures, lighting, and, for PS4 Pro, players, 4K and HDR support. It means WipEout looks how you remember. Better still, it plays how you remember. There’s a moment…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE DEV CYANIDE Real talk: Cyanide isn’t EA Vancouver, and Tour De France isn’t FIFA. There’ll probably never be face-scanned riders in this series, nor a thriving trading-card-based online mode upon which thousands of YouTubers launch their careers. But I’ve been playing this series for five years now, and I’m telling you: if you think nothing changes in FIFA, check out the Tour De France games. This year the jerseys get an update, the BMC license has been secured1 and the names of the stages change to fall in line with the current year’s route. Ooh, and look – you can ride tours other than the titular alpine slog, such as the Critérium Du Dauphiné, and get stuck into an expanded…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB PQUBE DEV ARC SYSTEM WORKS Don’t be fooled. Despite the fact that the logo features an enormous number two,1 this is not a sequel. Instead, it’s a “definitive” version of the first game, hence the option for owners of Revelator to purchase this as a digital upgrade. The title screen is now green, after all! Okay, the changes go further than that. It remains a 2D beat-’em-up, but surely the most gorgeous one the industry has seen so far. From the Story mode (where you do literally nothing but watch) to the character intros and the fights themselves, everything looks like a high-budget anime. Being an Arc System Works game, each and every character is also designed with remarkable care and skill. Basically,…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB SEGA DEV SONIC TEAM REVIEW #137, 7/10 Multiplayer’s the way to go with Puyo Puyo Tetris – couchplay is our choice, but when there’s no-one around, online play is the next best thing. Free play lets you customise games and play for fun; Puzzle League matches you up with a player of a similar standard for a 1x1 battle, and the first to two wins is victorious. Because it’s so easy to dip in and out of, there’s always someone online to play. But it’s brutal. Even though you can choose the game you prefer, there are some blisteringly fast players out there, and even when you think you’re doing well, they’ll have lined up a screen full of blocks, ready to take you down in…

ADVENTURE TIME MASH UP Minecraft gets some Ooodorable skins, with Finn, Jake, and Lumpy Space Princess. There’s also an original soundtrack to make you feel at home. PYSCH WARD Prison Architect brings the criminally insane to your overflowing correctional facilities, presenting all-new challenges in keeping your inmates happy. GUNRUNNING GTA Online is adding yet another nefarious activity to its range with the chance to run guns from an underground bunker and add impressive weapons to your vehicles. STONES UNTURNED Mafia III continues to get good DLC packs, with this new story add-on focusing on an old foe resurfacing from Lincoln Clay and John Donovan’s Vietnam past. KEN JEONG VO PACK COD: Infinite Warfare changes the record with this commentary pack, but we can’t guarantee the Community star will improve your…