Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i PLAY

“THE 100 BEST AND MOST INTERESTING GAMES HEADING YOUR WAY.” GAME OF THE MONTH The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR 2018 PREDICTION I’ll be living in PS VR Turn the page back and take a look at the cover in your hands, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a special one. With so many games coming to PlayStation 4 and PS VR in 2018 it’s hard to know where to start. I’d suggest p30 – that’s where we list the 100 best and most interesting games heading your way in the next 12 months. There are more predictions on p6 too, as we speak to developers and discover what the people making your games think will be ‘on the trend’ in 2018, with some rather surprising results. This issue we also…

VERMINTIDE BITES BACK Fatshark’s Warhammer: Vermintide 2 looks like it could leave the rest for dead in the new year. The returning co-op first-person melee combat game shows promise; the Heroic Deeds system offers unique quests with random events, enemies, and objectives. There’s a whiff of Destiny to this one. GT’S A GOOD SPORT Either it was always planned or the Big S has been listening to criticisms of GT Sport, as December has seen the release of a patch to add GT League to the game – a new single-player mode based on the old games’ GT mode. There’s more coming between now and March, including 50 new cars. DEV DECIDES Want the same games collection as your favourite dev? Then here are The Witcher 3’s Adam Badowski’s top…

“ANNUAL SPORTS GAMES ARE CHALLENGING, BUT THAT SHOULDN’T STOP DEVELOPERS FROM PROVIDING A FINISHED PRODUCT ON DAY ONE.” Few emails are as sought after within the sports gaming community as that which reads, “you are invited to the Ultimate Team Beta”. I know this because ahead of FIFA 18 I received one. It was everything I’d hoped: two weeks of access to the genre’s best mode, with a direct link to the developer in order to feed back on creative own goals. A way of testing a game to its limits before committing to buying. Something which should be the norm – but is becoming more of an outlier with each passing year. Annual sports games are a challenging market. Gamers, quite rightly, expect innovation every autumn, but where once…

1 THE SIMPSONS GAME There hasn’t been a Simpsons console game since EA released this platformer a decade ago. It may not be the most satisfying game in terms of its control mechanics, but the involvement of the Simpsons’ cast and writers makes it genuinely hilarious. 2 THE X-FILES GAME FMV was on its way out by the late ’90s but that didn’t stop Fox Interactive making this four-disc beast. Offering over six hours of footage, this point-and-click game has you playing as an agent trying to find Mulder and Scully, who’ve vanished. It must have been aliens: it certainly wasn’t because David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson didn’t want to be in it much. 3 SOUTH PARK: THE STICK OF TRUTH There have been a bunch of South Park games…

“PS4 PRO SUPPORT MEANS DETROIT LOOKS STUNNING IN 4K.” David Cage’s proper debut on PS4 (we’re not really counting the Heavy Rain/ Beyond: Two Souls remaster) is set to spark debate once again in 2018. Fortunately, the stories of three androids should be worth talking about for all the right reasons, as a graphical showcase for PlayStation with an empowering branching structure. Like in previous Quantic Dream games, the decisions you make will have a huge influence on the narrative you experience. However this time you’ll be able to see where these decisions could take you thanks to a flow chart at the end of levels which shows the choices you made (and naturally, didn’t realise you made). While this might be hell for obsessives who will want to see…

Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Sony Dev Pixelopus We’ve all turned to doodling out of boredom, but our scribbles have never come to life and given us a hug. That’s the pitch of the latest PS4 exclusive, Concrete Genie. Playing as Ash, a bullied teenager living in a drab town, you begin flexing your Banksy muscles to create graffiti… and then it all begins to move. The idea is based in reality, as creative director Dominic Robilliard told the PlayStation blog: “One of our designers comes from a fishing town in China where the children painted lots of bright drawings on the walls to make the town more beautiful.” Robilliard himself is from Bristol in the UK, and grew up surrounded by the street art that covers the city, images…

During 2017 developers started to show us what PS VR could do – and that steady flow of high-quality games looks set to become a flood over the next 12 months. Shooters dominate, but there’s something for everyone, from flight simulators to a platformer and an adventure where you help out the cutest hero you’ll see all year. So strap on your headset, because all these worlds will be waiting… MOSS Format PS VR ETA Feb 2018 Pub Polyarc Dev Polyarc The teeny weeny mouse protagonist of this adventure game won’t be the only one squeaking with joy when you play this. As her guardian, you’ll help the great swords-mouse Quill as she scrambles around landscapes and puzzle rooms. The developer, Polyarc, takes a practical approach to player movement and…

“WE’RE PROMISED A TRULY FREE WORLD TO INHABIT, AND SAVE.” Format PS4 ETA 2018 Pub Sony Dev Sucker Punch After taking over 70 pitches from its staff the InFamous developer struck on the idea of “the fantasy of becoming a samurai,” says Nate Fox, game director at Sucker Punch. Three-and-a-half years later we get Ghost Of Tsushima, and it looks incredible. A stealth action game set in 1274 Japan during the Mongol invasion of the island of Tsushima, this is an open world adventure that promises to deliver Assassin’s Creed levels of historical detail mixed with the dev’s sense of drama and character-driven storytelling. Fundamentally Ghost Of Tsushima is about exploration, and with no markers to guide you, we’re promised a truly free world to inhabit, and save. “I think…

10 SOUTH PARK: THE FRACTURED BUT WHOLE Heading back to South Park to have ourselves a time You could have run a wind turbine off our sigh of relief when the return of Colorado’s sweariest friends didn’t disappoint. And on this evidence, you feel the same as us. The pivot from wizards to superheroes in this RPG sequel didn’t disrupt the mix of solid roleplaying and gleefully puerile humour. Naturally, the dev’s biggest accomplishment is creating something authentically South Park. From the introduction of your character on the bog, to callbacks that are so close to the bone they’re practically marrow, Trey and Matt’s fingerprints are all over the dialogue. The strong writing is backed by a better combat system this time: you can now move your super squad around…

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 SONY DEV WISH STUDIOS Nothing says ‘family get-together’ like a good-natured1 trivia blast, and this PlayLink party game caters to that enduring pastime with ease thanks to the ability to use your smartphone as a controller. The simple setup gets your group to choose an adorable avatar each, answer 10 questions, and then take a crack at racing to the top of the Knowledge Pyramid by… answering more questions. At the start of each round, everyone votes on the category they prefer – these range from standard fare such as ‘Movies’ to niche ones like ‘The Old Gods’ – and then decides how to hinder their fellow quizzers. You can chuck gunk on someone so they have to ‘wipe it off’ their phone…

“SOLID AS EVER… EVEN IF THINGS AREN’T QUITE AS STABLE AS YOU MIGHT HOPE.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB WARNER BROS DEV TT GAMES As I save a citizen from a group of bad guys with a firm but fair dose of violence, I think to myself, “nothing new, but still fun”. I then go home, switch on my PS4, and do the same thing in a videogame. A small but important difference is that I’m now a pig in a Spider-Man costume. The aforementioned porcine hero is Spider-Ham, and his inclusion says a lot about the game. Lego Marvel titles have never been shy about including characters from across the comics’ universe, but this one stretches its reach even further. The main story sees Kang The Conqueror…

“AFTER THE GAME HAS HOOKED YOU, IT TAKES ITS FOOT OFF THE PEDAL.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB EA DEV GHOST GAMES The city’s one of those strange ones where everyone’s distinctly shady, yet settle most of their differences by racing cars. It’s cute, really. But as you strive to take down a sinister race-rigging, police-bribing organisation known as ‘The House’ (which always wins, funnily enough), you’ll likely get the nagging feeling you’ve seen this all before. It’s eerily similar to The Crew. You’re given an impressively pretty, expansive city with surrounding desert/forest areas, around which to drive some of the world’s best licensed cars. There are three playable characters, so stereotypical you can probably guess their names. What’s that? Tyler, Mac, and Jess? That’s incredible. Still, the…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB TELLTALE GAMES DEV TELLTALE GAMES Starting off with one hell of a bang, the latest Telltale series begins with a brilliant bust-up that asks who the Guardians are without their major antagonist driving them together. Each of the crew has a different answer. These responses endear us to each one, laying the groundwork to roll out the feels later on. While the first episode is great fun, with properly contextualised QTEs, the rest of the series falls short. A lot of the interactivity outside of conversations feels like it’s born out of an anxiety that you aren’t being given enough to do. Failing QTEs carries little consequence, frequent saves preventing loss of progress. Puzzles and exploration are also lacking, the former presenting so…

1 £15.99 STATIK I wake up in strange places all the time, but rarely are they as peculiar as the Statik Institute Of Retention. What’s even weirder is that there’s a box on my hands and every button on it has a corresponding one on the real world’s DualShock 4… Tarsier’s ingenious puzzler wastes no time in making you play with your controller in ways you might never have thought of. But that’s not its only charm, as the puzzles are the right type of taxing. You’ll never scream in frustration or roll your eyes with boredom. Plus the story, where you go through a set of mysterious tests, is just as gripping as the puzzles, with a slyly dark sense of humour that prompts nervous chuckles. My only hope…

Ben Tyrer GAMES EDITOR Ben’s predictive talents come to the fore when he plays FIFA 2018. Like his favourite team, Everton, he usually forcasts a loss. Jess Kinghorn STAFF WRITER After spending the night in a castle to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance (p60), Jess has foreseen she needs warmer pjs. GAME OF THE MONTH The Last Of Us Part II 2018 PREDICTION No more loot boxes GAME OF THE MONTH Lost Sphear 2018 PREDICTION She’ll finish Persona 5 Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR Mim says her seventh house is in Saturn. She’s very Sirius about her predictions of the future. GAME OF THE MONTH Marvel Super Heroes 2 2018 PREDICTION Even more Dragon Quest games, all year Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Milf ‘crystal balls’ Coppock says he predicted the crash…

500,000 Copies of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice sold at time of writing (PS4 & PC). 49% PS VR performs, with Sony shipping this amount of the market share in Q3. 110K People signed the petition to end the EA/Disney Star Wars license. 15 New cars released for GT Sport’s updates in November and December. 3,653 Days from Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’s release and its 10-year anniversary. 10,000,000 Players hooked on The Elder Scrolls: Online (across PS4 and PC). 29 Dragon Ball FighterZ characters confirmed (including DLC). 2hrs The average time every Overwatch player puts in each day.…

 Just as we’re trying to forget Valkyria Revolution, a spin-off from the acclaimed Valkyria Chronicles series that failed to live up to the name, Sega announces a mainline sequel. Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the next game in the tactical-strategy RPG series we really wanted. “RATHER THAN FOCUS ON ONE PART OF THE WAR, THIS GAME WILL COVER THE ENTIRE CONFLICT.” Rather than focus on one part of the Second Europan War, this fourth game will cover the entire conflict. Playing as Claude Wallace, commander of the tank The Hafen, and his crew – Riley Miller, Kai Schulen, and Raz – you’ll see the conflict from a new perspective. “We recreated a world history loosely based on the front lines of the Eastern Theatre, and want you to experience a different…

PS4 SELLS OUT Everyone loves PS4! On Black Friday Sony had its biggest month of sales since PS4’s launch, which means more readers joining us. Welcome aboard! PS VR A ROCKIN’ All hail the mighty PS VR! It sold an astonishing 500,000 units this holiday season alone, giving the headset a boost ahead of 2018. LOVE GAMES PlayStation Japan president Atsushi Morita promises more games that will bring “absolute joy and move and touch your soul”. Aw… who can argue with that? OLD TIMERS It’s been 10 years since Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune released, which makes us both happy and sad – we love that Naughty Dog’s series has lasted so long, but we’re sad to think we may not get another adventure with Nate and the gang. LOOTIN’ HELL Loot…

“IT’S TIME WE STOOD UP AND SUPPORTED DEVS WHO REFUSE TO EMBRACE MULTIPLAYER MODES.” Against the backdrop of EA closing Visceral, a chorus of voices has risen telling us that single-player gaming is dead. It’s time we embraced devs who still value narrative-led games. In particular, I’m looking at MachineGames and its decision to focus on Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus as a single-player experience, refusing to dilute the care and attention put into bringing this alt-history shooter to life by tagging on a multiplayer mode that would need to compete with Call Of Duty (a losing battle). BJ BINGEKOWICZ There’s something to be said for time spent alone with a game, as I did binge-playing chapter upon chapter of Wolfenstein. It’s the gaming equivalent of a great TV boxset.…

 Format PS4 ETA 2018 Pub Rockstar Games Dev Rockstar Studios “COULD YOU EARN MONEY THROUGH BANK HEISTS AND BOUNTY HUNTING?” The misadventures of Arthur Morgan and friends are now less than 12 months away from stampeding onto PlayStation 4, but there’s still plenty we’ve yet to dig up on this open world wonder. Where in the USA will our bandit brothers be robbing banks? Will there be intricately customisable horses? How will the online side of this work? Well, there’s a little more info on that thanks to parent company 2K’s CEO Strauss Zelnick. In a recent investor conference call, Zelnick said: “We’ve said that we aim to have recurrent consumer spending opportunities for every title that we put out at this company.” While not a definitive statement about Red…

Format PS4 ETA 19 Jan Pub Bandai Namco Dev Level-5 THE INSIDE VIEW NAME AKIHIRO HINO WRITER AND CEO LEVEL-5 “The previous Ni No Kuni was mainly told [from a] child’s perspective, and his quest to revive his mother’s soul. Here, we transition from a young adult into an adult, a coming of age story [...] and eventually into a leader and king. I think there are a lot of story elements that the more adult audience can resonate with and understand.” This follow-up RPG is far more of a spiritual successor to Ni No Kuni than a straight-up sequel, taking place hundreds of years after the end of Wrath Of The White Witch and featuring an all-new cast. While Revenant Kingdom carries forward JRPG sensibilities and the theme of…

The titles we’ve already previewed are just the tip of 2018’s games-berg. Here’s the best of the ones below the waterline. Let’s start with looking forwards by looking back. We expect FINAL FANTASY VII: REMAKE to finally rear its head, followed by RESIDENT EVIL 2 REMASTER. When it comes to classic games French studio Sushee has two in development; there’s FEAR EFFECT REINVENTED, a remaster of the PS1 cult hit, and FEAR EFFECT SEDNA, a crowdfunded original. Indie devs are looking to add to PS4’s lineup, with Cardboard Computer releasing KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO: TV EDITION, a ‘boxset’ of the five-episode horror series. There’s also less terrifying fun from Demimonde’s music-platformer OCTAHEDRON. Two classic indies return early in 2018, in the salty shape of SUPER MEAT BOY FOREVER and GUACAMELEE 2,…

RICHARD PARKINSON HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE It had such intense combat with in-depth combos, satisfying counter attacks, and the ability to focus that enabled you to turn the tides in a losing battle, plus some of the most memorable boss battles in recent time. NIKKI ZAWADA HORIZON ZERO DAWN Aloy is a fierce yet loveable protagonist and her journey offers an action-packed apocalyptic commentary on modern technology. HZD ticks all the boxes, from gorgeous graphics to a detailed, captivating story.The newest addition of DLC, The Frozen Wilds, is the cherry on top. IRAD LUGER PERSONA 5 In my opinion this is the best game in this generation of consoles. The story was one of the best I ever experienced, the characters were deep, interesting, and relatable.The art style was one of,…

“AWAY FROM THE CONTROVERSY, BATTLEFRONT II REMAINS A VERY GOOD GAME… MOSTLY.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB EA DEV DICE (WITH CRITERION GAMES & MOTIVE STUDIOS) The House Of Mouse may now own the license, but George Lucas’ sci-fi saga has always dabbled with evil. The Empire blowing up a planet in A New Hope. Kylo Ren doing That Very Bad Thing to his pop in The Force Awakens. Darth Vader slicing up younglings in Revenge Of The Sith. Yet none of these deeds are as dastardly as introducing the loot crates that propped up DICE’s online shooter during launch week. Well, at least that’s what Reddit wanted you to believe for a time. In the days before it released, the internet reeaaally hated Star Wars Battlefront II.…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB KOCH INTERNATIONAL DEV BIG ANT STUDIOS Caught Ashes fever despite/because of those England performances?1 This decent knock will cater to your cricketing needs, but you’ll need to get through a few rough spots to begin with. Boasting the license to the sport’s most recognisable trophy, the Ashes mode is the centrepiece here as you can pit Australia versus England in both the men’s and women’s series.2 Getting the most out of the on-field action requires some serious time in training as there’s a lot to learn about how you bat and bowl, from timing to control schemes. The effort is worth it, though, as this captures the rhythm of cricket, as you patiently steal runs in a test or look to bamboozle batters…

“THE GAME IS A FRANTIC DASH, LEAVING YOU NO TIME TO TAKE IN THE DESIGN.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SEGA DEV SONIC TEAM Sonic’s been in good form on PlayStation in recent years. Sonic Mania and Generations both tapped into the fans’ inexhaustible adoration, and combined fan service with measured, enjoyable gameplay. But, ever the one to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Sonic’s latest 3D adventure returns to familiar, lacklustre form. Instead of Generations 2, we get all-out war with extra sarcasm. And unlockable face scarves. Sigh. That’s because this is child-friendly war. But if the game’s inherent simplicity is ‘for the children’, it’s vastly underestimating its audience. The level design – at least on the primary path – pushes the boundaries of what can…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV SQUARE ENIX This VR spinoff wants to make amateur anglers out of Final Fantasy fiends. The whole fabulously coiffed boy band is back alongside familiar beasties and locales. The fishing skill from the main game has been completely overhauled and now you can either use the motion sensors of the DualShock 4 or two PS Move controllers to reel in that titular whopper… though definitely not without a fight. And I’m not just talking about fighting the fish. While you’ll have to hurl yourself from end to end of the sofa trying to wrestle the bigger fishies to shore, the controls do not make this easy. I played with both of the aforementioned control schemes (so you don’t have…

Judging by December’s gift of games, it’s time for family, friends, and honing your hack-and-slash skills. There was something for everyone in the Plus offerings, from your friend-to-the-animals young cousin to your moody teen sibling. Not only could you duke it out for some friendly fire among furry friends, but you were also able to take a walk on the wild side or even get cosy with a good (visual) novel. In DARKSIDERS II: DEATHINITIVE EDITION we played as Horseman of the Apocalypse Death – and he wasn’t exactly filled with Christmas cheer after the death of his brother. This enhanced remaster gave you a chance to catch up on the action RPG series before the third game releases next year. KUNG FU PANDA: SHOWDOWN OF LEGENDARY LEGENDS offered an…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB SONY DEV POLYPHONY DIGITAL REVIEW #143, 6/10 You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t stop it from T-boning you through Turn 2 at Brands Hatch. This is the problem with Gran Turismo Sport’s serious-minded competitive mode, and has been since launch. It doesn’t matter how many surreal videos you force people to watch about “not doing things that make you look bad.” Once they’re in the race, people behave as they do everywhere else where strangers congregate on the internet, and that undermines the whole endeavour here. Polyphony’s Sportsmanship rating system isn’t working, because aggressive drivers are hitting others to bring down their rating. Until this is resolved, it’s only for the ultra-competitive eSports players and brake-shy crash jockeys. VERDICT The air of…

STRANGER THINGS SKIN PACK Minecraft gets a taste of the Netflix phenomenon, with some adorable ’80s skins giving you a chance to live in a world where Barb doesn’t die. ENDOWMENT BRAVERY PACK COD: WWII gets an extra set of customisable content, but the proceeds go to COD Endowment which funds non-profits that support US veterans. SANIC T-SHIRTS Sonic Forces gets a dose of meme magic with the adorable MS Paint “Sanic” getting his own T-Shirt to put on your custom character. Gotta download fast! FRACTURED MASK Telltale’s Batman: The Enemy Within season brings a few surprises in this third episode, as Bruce Wayne continues to infiltrate super-villain group, The Pact. SMACESHI’S CASTLE Tokyo 42 is giving you 90 new missions in this testing add-on, as you attempt to become…

When Christopher Nolan – director of sci-fi spectacles Inception and Interstellar, not to mention his Batman trilogy – announced his next movie would be based on the battle of Dunkirk you could hear the collective “huh?” from space. Seems Nolan can do no wrong, because Dunkirk isn’t just the best film of the year, it’s one of the all-time-great depictions of war on screen. Cross-cutting between land, sea, and air over a lean 100 minutes, the elegant structure of Nolan’s precision-engineered blockbuster is just one of its many brilliant aspects. It opens with Fionn Whitehead’s Tommy making a beeline for the beach, where thousands of British and French troops await rescue as Jerry closes in on all sides, but features a true ensemble cast, including Tom Hardy as the fearless…

1 “IT’S DIFFICULT TO RECREATE THE DRIPPING, TROPICAL OPPRESSION OF BEING HUNTED BY DINOSAURS USING PLASTIC BRICKS.” 2 “HUNTING DOWN ENEMIES AND BRAINWASHING THEM TO BECOME SLEEPER AGENTS MAKES THIS A CONSTANTLY INTERESTING SANDBOX.” 3 “EVEN ONCE I’D FINISHED ALL THE SIDE MISSIONS, FOUND THE GLYPHS AND RAIDED EVERY CORNER FOR TREASURE, I STILL DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE.” 4 “WHAT YOU’VE GOT HERE IS A USEFUL AND RELIABLE HENCHMAN, BUT IT’S FAR FROM HAVING THE QUALITIES OF A MADE MAN.”…

1 UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END Nathan Drake’s swan song 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 WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION The White Wolf’s epic journey is an RPG experience like no other on PS4. It’s been made even more spectacular with this gigantic pack stuffed with DLC, making this a must-have part of any gaming library. 3 HORIZON ZERO DAWN A staggeringly large world that condenses cracking combat, accessible systems, and…

Could 2017 have been the best year ever for games? Putting together our Game Of The Year feature (p70), looking at the things you loved playing, it certainly felt that way. And we were with you for every glorious minute of it, getting excited with you over every little snippet of news, and enjoying getting our hands on every brilliant title as soon as they were released. Just take a look at how it all unfolded over the past 12 months… January BRINGING THE BAND BACK 2017’s first cover stars are chameleon Yooka and bat Laylee. This is only fitting as we have an exclusive hands-on with their colourful, nostalgic world, which serves as a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. And the CD soundtrack comes free with every issue of OPM!…

OPEN WORLDS ARE BAD FOR MY HEALTH, SO IT’S LEANER GAMING FOR 2018. I spent most of 2017 camped on the sofa icon-hoovering open world maps. It’s not healthy. I was so sedentary my FitBit once thought I was asleep for eight hours, not traipsing around Ancient Egypt on the hunt for rare loot. Between Ghost Recon Wildlands and Assassin’s Creed Origins I’ve realised I can’t say no to a map of blinking silvery icons that whisper ‘come and find me’ like some kind of sultry collectibles siren. So 2018 is going to be a year of leaner gaming, which means no open worlds, no side-quest spirals, and definitely no horizon gazing… Oh, but Monster Hunter: World looks so good. I’M GOING TO IMPROVE MY HAND-EYE CO-ORDINATION THROUGH A BAPTISM…

“WITH SIMS ON THE RISE, WHY NOW’S THE PERFECT TIME TO BRING FOOTBALL MANAGER TO PS4.” Back in mid-2006, Rockstar North unveiled GTA: Vice City Stories – a prequel chapter to the PS2 hit Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – for PlayStation Portable. When it launched later that year, Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK hailed it as “not only the greatest game on PSP, but also [one that] leaves a large percentage of the PS2 back catalogue looking ordinary.” I must admit, at the time, I thought Vice City Stories was incredible. But it still wasn’t a patch on Football Manager Handheld. As a long-serving footie management simulator devotee, I was delighted when Sports Interactive brought its series to Sony hardware for the first time in April 2006. FMH felt…

LEFT ALIVE Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Square Enix Dev Square Enix There’s a strong whiff of Metal Gear Solid about this offshoot of Square Enix’s long-running Front Mission mech series. That’s because Kojima Productions’ iconic artist Yoji Shinkawa has been drafted in to design the ‘Wanzers’ (giant mechs) you’ll be escaping from for much of this stealth shooter. Each mission will be fairly open, enabling you to set traps for the Wanzers from scavenged parts or develop new weapons to take them on, ensuring each mission is like one long boss fight. DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY NT Format PS4 ETA 30 Jan Pub Square Enix Dev Team Ninja This ‘RPG fighter’ stars classic characters from every Final Fantasy game, including the recently revealed Onion Knight, Cloud, and Sephiroth. It’s piqued…

ERICA Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Sony Dev Flavourworks An FMV game in 2018? Don’t roll your eyes just yet, as this PlayLink title aims to marry the branching narrative genre to a ground-breaking live-action tech. You use your phone’s touchscreen to interact with on-screen action – such as brushing a tear off Erica’s face – while making decisions that will affect the story, as you guide the titular protagonist in her efforts to discover the truth about her past. This conceptually daring experiment is making us swipe right. GOD’S TRIGGER Format PS4 ETA TBC 2018 Pub Techland Dev One More Level Essentially, this twin-stick shooter is co-op Hotline Miami, as you attempt to stop the apocalypse by taking out the four horseman with a buddy. One of you is…

GOD EATER 3 Format PS4 ETA 2018 Pub Bandai Namco Dev Bandai Namco Studios An anime Monster Hunter? That’s close to grasping Bandai Namco’s take on the ‘lone warrior versus crazy big creature’ genre. God Eater 3‘s action takes place in a less developed world. It makes up for a loss of diversity in its biomes with a well-rounded character and story arc. Speaking of arcs, you can now do battle with the behemoths, called Aragami, by dual-wielding God Arcs, the game’s namesake weapons of mass destruction. PSYCHONAUTS 2 Format PS4 ETA Summer 2018 Pub Starbreeze Studios Dev Double Fine Razputin ‘Raz’ Aquato is back on PlayStation, more than a decade after his debut. After years of rumours and the tease of a new Psychonauts with PS VR’s Rhombus Of…

“OPEN WORLD GAMES ARE FOR DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION.” Format PS4 ETA 27 Feb Pub Ubisoft Dev Ubisoft Ubisoft’s shooter is getting some impressive tweaks for its latest instalment, including a full co-op mode where you tackle story missions with a buddy. We sit down with creative director Dan Hay to probe him on this, as well as get his thoughts on designing an open world where you won’t see everything. OPM: Why did you open up co-op to include story missions? Dan Hay: When you’re a developer, you have a tendency to want to make everything. What ends up happening is that at the end of a game, you get real about what you can ship. I think we’ve had that intention [full co-op] for a long time on Far…

Format PS4 ETA TBC 2018 Pub Sony Dev Insomniac THE INSIDE VIEW NAME: BRYAN INTIHAR CREATIVE DIRECTOR, INSOMNIAC “We’ve taken great care when developing a beautiful Manhattan for players to explore. Getting the web swinging right was absolutely imperative to us, and we’ve spent a lot of time on that. (Yes, webs do attach to buildings.)” Ever since our first glimpse of New York’s finest nerd-done-good, our spidey senses have been blaring, rather than just tingling. An open world NYC to swing through. A story that skips the origins malarky and shows us what a grown-up Peter Parker is like. HDR and 4K support on Pro will make this look sharper than the suits Kingpin wears. Speaking of the bald baddie, his incarceration is what seems to drive Peter Parker’s…

IAN DEAN EDITOR MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD While Spider-Man has my game senses tingling, Monster Hunter: World will steal my time come new year. I’ve already played 16 hours of Capcom’s open world action-RPG and I’ve only scratched at what it has to offer. There’s a whole world of colourful creatures out there to be discovered; how can you not be excited? MILFORD COPPOCK MANAGING ART EDITOR RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 Eight years is a long time to wait for a sequel, even by Rockstar standards, so the prospect of er, prospecting, and seeing how the west was won is a thrilling one. I can’t wait to see what Rockstar has got in store, but I’m pretty darn sure it’ll be (very) good, just hopefully not bad or ugly. If it…

DREAMS Format PS4, PS VR ETA TBC Pub Sony Dev Media Molecule There’s no denying that we keep glancing at Dreams whenever we look at the year ahead, but it’s because we’re confident Media Molecule’s ambitious creation suite will be worth the wait. Following in LBP’s footsteps, you’ll be able to play, create and share your own experiences. Plus there’ll be VR support so we can get a much better look at our artistic babies. Fingers crossed for an introduction narrated by Stephen Fry once again. LOST SPHEAR Format PS4 ETA 23 Jan Pub Square Enix Dev Tokyo RPG Factory In a world made of memory, which is slowly fading away, you play as Kanata, a self-taught swordsman with the power to remember things back into existence. This top-down game…

BEYOND GOOD & EVIL 2 You’ll go ape over this one Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Ubisoft Dev Ubisoft Montpellier Michel Ancel’s shock E3 reveal was more an expression of ambition rather than an actual game, but it sounds fantastic – a entire universe of planets to explore, a space pirate theme, and the best monkey hero since Dunston checked in. [Random reference – ed.] Forget about open world; this is open space. We’re told everything is connected and seamless, you’ll launch from a planet into orbit, and away into the galaxy beyond with no load times. We love the scope and visual style of what we’ve seen to date, a kind of kit-bashed Malaysian future Zootopia, and we’re sure Ancel is the dev to pull it off. DEATH STRANDING…

IAN DEAN EDITOR ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS This year I rediscovered my love for open world games. While Ghost Recon Wildlands hooked me,Assassin’s Creed Origins reeled me in. Padded with RPG elements, tomb raids, and a Souls-like combat system, this is a new take on Assassin’s Creed. MILFORD COPPOCK MANAGING ART EDITOR UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY Naughty Dog’s Uncharted swansong is a resounding success.The initially prickly relationship between Chloe and Nadine soon thaws and sees the series blossom into a spectacular semi-open-world buddy movie. Cracking stuff. BEN TYRER GAMES EDITOR HORIZON ZERO DAWN This has been a quality year, but no game is a match for Aloy’s quest to discover her past/ aggressively disassemble the robo-dinos in this superb open world. As good as the story is, the real joy comes…

“A CURIOUSLY FLAT FACSIMILE OF ITS FEATURE-PACKED PREDECESSOR.” INFO  FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ELECTRONIC ARTS DEV MAXIS When it released on PC three years ago, this latest iteration of Maxis’ The Sims series sought to tackle the ingrained issues that have dogged the hugely popular simulation game for years. A lack of personal customisation was addressed by an all-new creation tool, and for the first time, you could see how your Sims were feeling, not just read about it. The realism was down to Maxis’ new Claymation tool, enabling you to sculpt the perfect playmate from scratch, or base your new BFF on one of the many ethnically-diverse pre-set characters. Customisation is now so detailed you can change pretty much anything, from your body…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ROCKSTAR DEV ROCKSTAR While the wave of remasters shows no signs of abating, it at least gives us another chance to take in Rockstar’s distinctive detective journey and admire just how singular it really is. Essentially the Anti-GTA, you play buttoned-up rising star cop Cole Phelps, solving crimes through diligence and deduction by hunting for clues and interrogating suspects. When you dress down witnesses and suspects, you’ll need to pay close attention to their faces, looking for visual clues to see if they’re lying. The stand-out system when it first launched thanks to the innovative face capture process that gets across performances, this is also the one area where L.A. Noire shows its age. While there’s still plenty of satisfaction to be found…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB FOXNEXT GAMES DEV IMAGINATI STUDIOS There aren’t too many series that attempt to cut through humanity’s sense of self straight to the naked ape at its core. Even 50 years after its inception, fewer franchises feel as relevant or as poignant as Planet Of The Apes. Split between the perspectives of a tribe of apes and a town of humans both fighting for survival, the game makes a concerted effort to ask who the real animals are. While this isn’t the series’ first foray into the medium, it does feel like the first attempt for a game to properly grapple with the themes explored in the films and book. You play as dual protagonists – Bryn, the middle sibling of three ape brothers,…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB BETHESDA DEV BETHESDA As my shackled alter-ego kneels down, I see a head in the basket in front of me, while above me an executioner’s axe is poised to strike. There are few virtual reality experiences as arresting as waiting to have your own head lopped off. Welcome to Tamriel. Despite being six years old and a rerelease of a rerelease of a… well you get the idea, Bethesda’s fantasy world still has the capacity to surprise. This edition packages all of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, including all three DLC packs (Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn) into PS VR. It’s the most complex game on Sony’s headset. Everything that made Skyrim great is still here: the vast open world of tombs, temples,…

LET IT DIE Jess Kinghorn is the latest fighter to ascend the tower If you read last month’s column, you’ll know the slightest fright makes me squeak, so it only seems fair that I would fall into this particular blood-splattered Skinner box. As bizarre as the visual direction is, there’s something that feels textbook Grasshopper Manufacture about it all that I am powerless to resist. I haven’t the foggiest what’s going on yet but I’m having fun bumbling through fights, and looting the corpses of my opponents, only to meet my death while distracted by shiny things or the sick ollie Uncle Death just pulled off. ROCKET LEAGUE Pretending to be working? It’s Ben Tyrer Don’t tell Ian this, but I’m using this column to play Rocket League instead of…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB 2K GAMES DEV YUKE’S/VISUAL CONCEPTS REVIEW ISSUE #143, 8/10 While 2K’s latest grap effort is littered with bugs, it surprises in a positive sense online – for the first time since the series moved to PS4, its frame rate is robust and matches are a test of gameplay skill rather than lag-related luck. Frustratingly, however, few opponents treat it like a real (you know what I mean) WWE bout, instead spamming running moves and reversals. Where it really shines is in Community Creations, where you can find picture-perfect versions of missing current stars (Andrade Almas, Liv Morgan) and disgraced legends (rhymes with Bulk Logan) to further complement an already colossal roster. Indeed, it’s an area of the game you should visit daily even if you never…

LITTLE NIGHTMARES The Runaway Kid heads to the engine room in this second episode in the Secrets Of The Maw arc. Working with the tiny triangle-headed Nomes, you’ll be trying to escape this larger level, while a familiar monster makes a reappearance... TEKKEN 7 – DLC 2 GEESE HOWARD This new fighter pack gives you Fatal Fury’s beefy bad boy, along with a new stage and two costumes for Geese to fight in. On top of that, you’ll also be able to take him to the lanes in Tekken Bowl, because after all that fighting he’ll have earned himself a bit of R&R. RESIDENT EVIL VII – END OF ZOE It’s back to the bayou with this new epilogue for Zoe Baker, where’ll you encounter new enemies and a new…

THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM 26 DEC Victorian murder mystery starring Bill Nighy as Inspector Kildare, assigned to catch a Ripper-like killer. SHOT CALLER 26 DEC Game Of Thrones’ Jaime Lannister breaks bad in this prison drama about an average Joe who turns to a life of crime after he’s sent to the slammer. ROUGH NIGHT 26 DEC Foul-mouthed hen-do comedy. Scarlett Johansson stars as the bride-to-be whose final days of freedom are ruined when the stripper carks it. RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER 3: THE PAT TATE STORY 26 DEC The third film in the “fact-based” footie hooligan series. LOGAN LUCKY 26 DEC Steven Soderbergh came out of retirement to make this hick heist thriller. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver rob NASCAR, with the help of Daniel Craig. BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK…

INFO PUB SONY DEV LEVEL-5 PRODUCTIONS RELEASED 2007 GET IT NOW PSN, £11.99 NEED TO KNOW 1 Jaster was created to be an everyman hero. 2 The Dorgenark was inspired by Skies Of Arcadia. 3 The game has been remastered for PS4. “EVEN NOW, ROGUE GALAXY FEELS LIKE A SLICK, OPEN, UP-TO-DATE ADVENTURE.” Level-5 boss Akihiro Hino ended a recent interview with something that sounded like a boast. He told his interviewer, from Rolling Stone magazine, “We’ve always done what we’re good at, and we will continue to do it in the future.” A glance at his company’s back catalogue shows that if anything, he was being modest. Somewhere between Dragon Quest VIII: Journey Of The Cursed King, the game that cemented the studio’s reputation for RPG artisanship, and Ni…

INFO PUB STAINLESS GAMES DEV STAINLESS GAMES RELEASED 2016, PS4 GET IT NOW PLAYSTATION STORE, £15.99 WHAT? The aim is to maim in this car-wrecking, pedestrian-squashing reinvigoration of the cult PS1 vehicular combat series. Max Damage is the updated console port of the PC version, Reincarnation, which was funded by fans via Kickstarter. “WHY ARE THE TUTORIALS, OF ALL THINGS, UNLOCKABLES?” WHO? Nice gal Jess Kinghorn has no intentions of finishing last but also believes in hippy dippy concepts like ‘teamwork’, ‘mutual respect’, and ‘not committing vehicular mass murder’. This is a post-apocalyptic world where the cars own the streets. The Party has brainwashed its citizens, the Peds, through their telescreens’ 24-hour news cycles declaring that videogames make you violent and praising the virtues of passivity. The Party’s murder-mobiles cruise…

PICK #1 NIOH Ian Dean likes his Japanese history peppered with super-tough demons A Souls-like melee romp based on the life of Western samurai William Adams, this is a history lesson to savour. Taking place in 15th-century Japan the game balances historically accurate characters and events with some bonkers boggle-eyed demons. And it does so wrapped in one of the most challenging campaigns since FromSoftware tickled our frustration glands. PICK #2 DYNASTY WARRIORS 8 EMPIRES Jess Kinghorn can’t say no to such a loose reinterpretation of ‘history’ You may be pleased to hear they’ve omitted its predecessor’s infamous English voice acting from this instalment, leaving only subtitles to distract from its molten cheesy core. Playing as my favourites Sun Shangxiang or Yueying, I’m a one-woman army, battling my way across…

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 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…