Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i PLAY

“BANDAI NAMCO’S BREAKOUT BRAWLER IS PS4’S TRIPLE THREAT.” GAME OF THE MONTH Dragon Ball FighterZ FAVE FIGHTING GAME Injustice 2 Fighting games can often feel a little unwelcoming, but this month’s cover game, Dragon Ball FighterZ, manages to cross the divide between hardcore combo juggling and more casual appeal. Tempting to fans of the genre, of the anime, and those of us who just love a visual spectacle, Bandai Namco’s breakout brawler is PS4’s triple threat. Read our exclusive review, starting on page 84. There’s more fighting fun starting on page 32 as we go hands on with Soulcalibur VI. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the return of one of gaming’s finest fighting series couldn’t have come at a better time. If your tastes are a little more cerebral then Hideo…

TOMBSDAY IS COMING Square Enix has confirmed a new Tomb Raider is on its way. The series’ Twitter let few details slip, though the first letter of each sentence spelled ‘Shadow’ – as in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider? The tweet assured us there’d be a ‘major event’ during 2018, and a full release would not be far after that. WINDING US UP At The Game Awards 2017 FromSoftware set the rumour mill afire with a brief teaser: a shot of this bobbin made from what looks like metal and bone, followed by the words “Shadows Die Twice.” No game name was forthcoming, but that hasn’t stopped people theorising online – a new Tenchu? PINE FOR THIS ONE Indie survival game The Forest will be making its way to PS4…

“IT’S NATURAL TO FEEL WORRIED WHENEVER A GAME THAT MEANT A LOT TO YOU IS CONFIRMED AS RECEIVING A REMAKE.” The first line of Swedish punk band Refused’s 1998 album, The Shape Of Punk To Come, tells us: “They told me that the classics never go out of style… but they do, they do.” Listening to the record again recently, I thought about how classic videogames hold up several years on from their first releases. Music, movies, more: much of the media we consume is hardy to time’s passing. And even when we rewatch an aged special effects feast, like Jurassic Park, we forgive its wonky dinosaurs because its appeal goes deeper than the CGI atop tennis balls on sticks. With videogames, though, visuals usually make the most immediate…

1 HORIZON ZERO DAWN Adopted father figures don’t get better than Rost. Not only does he train Aloy for the Proving ceremony, giving us a superb Rocky-style training montage, but you also have to admire that braided beard. All too tragic, then, that he succumbs to the Mentor Occupational Hazard too soon. 2 UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION Nate and Sully do great banter but it’s because they go back a long way. It’s in Uncharted 3’s flashback that we get to see the start of this beautiful friendship, as a not-so-grey Sully takes a plucky street kid under his wing, making Nate the lovable treasure-raiding rogue he is today. At least until Sam complicates that timeline in Uncharted 4. 3 ABSOLVER A key feature of this MMO fighting game is…

1 Reversal Edge slows down the world around you and your opponent, entering you into an excitingly lethal game of rock-paper-sword to the face. 2 Critical Edge triggers a powerful multi-stage attack featuring unique animation for each character, though we find it can hamper the pace of fights. 3 Lethal Hits are character-specific moves that can destroy an opponent’s equipment, leaving them exposed to a greater amount of damage. 4 The Soul Charge takes a moment to pull off, leaving you briefly exposed, but is well worth doing for temporarily boosted damage.…

LOST SPHEAR A rag-tag group of tykes dream of an ever-green, conservationist paradise as they try to free more than just Willy. By the looks of that splash, they’re gonna need a far bigger boat if they’re to achieve their ecological aims. FORMAT PS4 ETA 23 JAN SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS A boy and his pet giant set out on a quest to take the perfect selfie that goes viral. Now if only he could get his oversized animal (?) companion to look at the camera… FORMAT PS4 ETA 6 FEB PAST CURE One man’s struggle to shake off memories of his mullet lead him towards a more avant-garde hair styling solution. A gun pulls the look together… and encourages onlookers to keep any opinions to themselves. FORMAT PS4 ETA…

1 Even though you’re all one with the cloth, your fellow monks won’t come to confession without a little persuasion and charm. 2 Your appearance matters. You’ve not got much clout in a novice’s habit but turning up in full armour will have you chased out of the monastery. 3 You can always threaten someone into doing what you want, but if your strength is lower than your opponent’s, you’ll have to fight them. 4 If all else fails, sneaking around and stealing what you need is an option, but it’ll be a sticky (and scarlet) situation if you’re caught.…

 It can be hard when mum and dad fight, but just because Konami and Hideo Kojima have split, it doesn’t mean the kid should be shunned. Konami may have announced Metal Gear Survive as an online co-op endurance test that pits you against zombie-like creatures in a mirror world, but there was always a single-player mode planned. Welcome to Survive’s ace in the hole. “THE METAL GEAR TEAM CAN RUN RIOT WITH A STORY.” We catch up with Metal Gear series producer Yuji Korekado, who clears up a misunderstanding: “Fans and gamers in general seemed to take MGS [Survive] to be a continuation of the Metal Gear series, so I regret that we caused that confusion.” Thinking of Survive as an extended spin-off episode from Metal Gear Solid V, much…

1 Orphan Randi, cast out of the only home he’s ever known and in possession of the Mana Sword, must now visit the eight mana temples to restore the blade. 2 Self-possessed Princess Primm flees an arranged marriage. Learning her true love is in mortal peril, she kicks and punches her way into your party. 3 Mischievous Popoi could talk coffers into emptying themselves. Having lost their memory, they join you hoping to eventually remember their past. 4 Dyluck is Primm’s love interest and he quickly finds himself in trouble after an expedition into the Haunted Forest goes bad – that’s just the start of his troubles.…

“DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ IS POSSIBLY ONE OF THE BEST LICENSED FIGHTING GAMES WE’LL EVER GET ON PS4.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA 26 JAN PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV ARC SYSTEM WORKS As game series go, Dragon Ball is famously hit and miss. It’s hard to get the flavour of the series right – mixing the colourful and frenetic style of the anime with the series’ notably labyrinthine story is a big ask. How do you manage to capture the energy and humour of over 30 years of lore and provide a playable, enjoyable story too? Well, you just have to ask Arc System Works, because Dragon Ball FighterZ is possibly one of the best licensed fighting games we’ll ever get on PS4. The whole package frankly embarrasses other fighting game…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB DOUBLE FINE DEV BONE LOAF During the process of writing this review, the group I’m in is constantly told by others to keep the noise down. But we can’t help ourselves. Howling and hollering through a typically frantic round of this lo-fi physics wrestler is all part of the appeal. On the surface, Gang Beasts is nothing more than surreal sumo wrestling, as you try to grapple with your opponents until they’re out of the arena1 and there’s one person left awkwardly swaying. But really, it’s an extreme noise generator, as you and your friends go hammer and tongs at each other, trying to grab one another by squeezing the life out of o + u and laughing over what looks like a…

“SPECIAL TIME RIFT STAGES ARE HIDDEN WITHIN SECLUDED AREAS OF THE MAIN LEVEL.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB HUMBLE BUNDLE DEV GEARS FOR BREAKFAST Hat Kid is travelling home in style, with a spaceship all to herself. But Mafia Town mistakes her craft for a boat (easily done) and demands she pay the toll. At the drop of a… well, you know… she finds herself without enough fuel to finish the trip. Jumping, belly surfing, and wearing many different hats, she must collect time pieces to fuel her ship and get herself home. It’s strange to see something so crisp play so much like something from 20 years ago. With brightly coloured visuals, charming character designs, and collect-a-thon sensibilities, its sources of inspiration are signalled from the…

From out of nowhere Sony went and offered METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN for nothing, zilch. Hideo Kojima’s final Metal Gear arrived on PS Plus in October and the world took a breath. One of PS4’s greatest games on PS Plus, that was a thing of beauty. Talking of good-looking things, ABZÛ made the PS Plus catalogue in May. Giant Squid’s undersea adventure is a serene dip into a fantastical ocean’s depths. Swimming among thousands of fish is an emotional way to game. If you really wanted to get all touchy-feely, then June’s LIFE IS STRANGE offered a chance to play Dontnod’s beautifully written Riverdale-meets-Twin Peaks adventure just before the prequel released. There was more sharp writing in July’s horror love letter UNTIL DAWN, and later in the…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB KOCH MEDIA DEV BIG ANT STUDIOS REVIEW #144, 7/10 While The Ashes’ single-player is at the top of the order, the online side of things is out of form. In a smart move, quick games follow a Five5 format, where you play five overs and only have (you got it) five wickets, meaning you won’t be hanging around for hours and batsmen have to play aggressively. But niggling bugs and stuttering play means it’s hardly a flowing game, and fielders seem to be running through custard. Then there’s the wait for getting a game. Sometimes it’s as quick as a minute, and at other times you could watch a few overs of the actual Ashes while you twiddle with your DualShock. If you’re desperate for human…

THE DOOMSDAY HEIST GTA Online’s massive DLC offers a three-arc story as well as new gear and cars. Playing like a 12-hour campaign, there’s no better excuse to dust off that copy of GTA V. A WALK IN THE PARK Welcome to CREO World, The Surge’s mad mix of Disney and BioShock. If you liked Deck13’s take on Dark Souls, then you’ll enjoy more of the same in this hefty expansion. OUTLAW TRIBE NEMESIS EXPANSION Shadow Of War’s rebels without a cause – the Outlaw Tribe – offers thousands of new Orcs to subdue. Will it make SOW more fun? Is it possible? ARK: ABERRATION Set inside a derelict Ark with its own underground biome, and the Morlocklike Nameless, mutant, light-hating creatures, this is Ark as we’ve never experienced it…

Matthew Vaughn’s stylish James Bond pastiche Kingsman: The Secret Service was an ultraviolent, ultra-cheeky hit in the summer of 2014. The inevitable sequel shifts the action to America, but without the element of surprise it’s two shakes short of a vodka martini. After a co-ordinated strike by Julianne Moore’s Americana-obsessed drug lord Poppy leaves the Kingsmen all but wiped out, returning heroes Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong) travel across the pond to seek the help of their American cousins, the Statesmen. Discovering that his mentor Harry (Colin Firth) is alive, though hardly well, Eggsy, Harry and the Statesmen work to eliminate Poppy before she can poison the world’s drug supply. Occasionally fun, but never essential, The Golden Circle is an underwhelming follow-up to a superior espionage caper, playing…

“1 THIS IS AS CLOSE AS YOU’LL GET TO UFC WITHOUT SHARING SHANE CARWIN’S POST-FIGHT ICE BATH.” “2 EXPERTLY USES THE GAPS BETWEEN THE SCARES TO LET YOU TORTURE YOURSELF STUPID WITH HALF-SEEN SHAPES.” “3 A WAKE-UP CALL FOR FIRST-PERSON GAMING, RESURRECTING LONG-LOST VALUES AND CASUALLY PLUNGING A KNIFE INTO THE NECK OF THE GENERIC SEQUEL.” “4 YOU’RE BUYING IT TO PLAY A FIGHTING GAME WITH SERIOUS SPIRIT: TO SHARE A COUCH AND PLAY FRIENDS AND RIVALS LATE INTO THE NIGHT.”…

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…

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…

Ben Tyrer GAMES EDITOR A UK snowstorm meant Ben was stuck in Los Angeles for PSX. By a pool. It looks like all his Dreams (p60) came true. GAME OF THE MONTH Gang Beasts FAVE FIGHTING GAME UFC 2 Jess Kinghorn STAFF WRITER A night in Paris with all the anime games she could want – Jess was in heaven. But we made her play Soulcalibur VI (p32). GAME OF THE MONTH Code Vein FAVE FIGHTING GAME Persona 4 Arena Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR Our very own Chloe Frazer is planning her tour of India. Don’t worry about leaving us Mim – we’ll keep calm and curry on. GAME OF THE MONTH A Hat In Time FAVE FIGHTING GAME Gang Beasts Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Street Fighter’s 30th anniversary…

41.7m Copies of the six Uncharted games sold worldwide as we went to press. 63 Days Ni No Kuni II has been delayed by. It’s now due for release 23 March. 6,978 Days between MediEvil’s PS1 release and Sony announcing a PS4 remake. 07 Months older Jess is than Secret Of Mana. We’re not re-releasing her. 8,484 Days between Secret Of Mana’s original PAL release and its re-release. 83 Characters announced to date for Dynasty Warriors 9. 1,500 Minutes: the minimum amount of time it will take to finish PS4’s God Of War.…

“IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES PLAYERS WILL START TAG TEAMING IN COMBAT.” It’s time to play chicken – that’s according to Gary Corriveau, lead designer on Guacamelee 2. The dev’s swung in this issue to chat about the lucha libre platform melee combat adventure that’s heading back to PlayStation 4. One big addition, says Corriveau, is the team’s determination to build up the part of the chicken, a character returning hero Juan Aguacate can become in the game. “In the original game, the chicken was very basic, so we decided to spice it up with a bit more combat,” he explains. “When we playtested some of the new mechanics with the team it resonated strongly; we all really enjoyed where it was heading. So we embraced…

TOO. MANY. GAMES. Sony has around 10 games across PS4 and PS VR scheduled for release in 2018. That’s a lot of games. It’s also a great headache to have. Looks like the ‘playcation’ could be this year’s holiday plan. MONSTER FREEBIES In the wake of EA’s loot box fiasco Capcom is doing nice things; Monster Hunter: World will not only avoid the hated crates but will also be giving away free post-release DLC, including new monsters. WIPVROUT More free stuff, this time from Sony as it was revealed WipEout is getting a PS VR update this summer. This could turn out to be the perfect PS VR game. PLEAD POLL Will we finally be able to change our PSN usernames in 2018? Shawn Layden hinted that Sony are working…

@DAZFINK Got Skyrim VR. You never truly believe the ‘arrow in the knee’ story until you’ve heard it face to face. @IIRALFYII You talk of DS3 and Bloodborne… but use a DS2 image *TRIGGERED* @BIG_STEVE_74 [Issue 142’s] coasters will look good in the bar in my shed that my wife doesn’t know about yet. @ROBABOWMAN Am I the only one that prefers to get little crap underdog orcs and make em great? @LOUDEN_ERIK I went to this website yesterday before they tweeted this, I swear I’m being monitored @STUINCREDIBLE Gamers have grown up and have disposable income. [We have?! – ed] TROLL OF THE MONTH @HUHMEMORIES Yeah I always wanted to play as the good guy in @wolfenstein @THATOSCARGUY I will jump at any opportunity to beat up mythical creatures…

“IT’S NOT PRACTICAL TO HOLD ONTO HARDWARE, SO A NETFLIX-ESQUE GAMES SERVICE MAKES SENSE.” There are few media where the passage of time is as keenly felt as it is with games. Whether it’s witnessing 3D graphics painstakingly bridging the uncanny valley, or that fateful day when you find yourself staring down a disc read error on your old, formerly reliable original PlayStation, it’s always staring you in the face. As old tech wears out, generations of games fade into an awkward limbo. Some enter the seemingly endless remake, remaster cycle. While I’m looking forward to getting my hands on Shadow Of The Colossus again as much as the next guy, too often these rereleases aren’t so much a true preservation of the original as a modern-day reimagining. I still…

The brilliant Cartoon Network series doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to games. Despite that iffy past, we’re hoping the curse of the average tie-in is about to pass with this open-world adventure err… time. When we join Jake the dog and Finn the human in this latest escapade, they’re trying to discover why the Land of Ooo is flooded, separating different kingdoms from each other. They’re going to have to sail between the realms, getting into scraps with pirate foes and questioning the residents of Ooo. Fortunately, they’ll have a bit of help. Not only are Finn and Jake playable characters, but so are tiny robot BMO and vampire queen Marceline. The squad will also have plenty of loot to hoover up in the quest to…

1 Crafting affects everything you do in Survive. But before you get stuck into looting, you’ll need to build an oxygen tank to explore further afield. 2 Once in the wilds you’ll learn there’s more than one way to grab goodies. Crates are the obvious choice, and you can shoot them open or pick the lock. 3 People will drop through the wormhole randomly and will need to be rescued. These refugees have unique skills that can help develop your camp. 4 With your pockets full of materials and recipes, it’s time to cook up weapons, useful gear, and buildings to help you explore further into the world.…

1 While Vincent takes it easy and pretends to be ill in the prison infirmary, distracting the nurse, Leo is able to sneak around looking for a way out. 2 Leo draws the short straw and picks a fight with one of the prison’s toughs. With the guard’s attention on the fight Vincent can make his move. 3 Some classic co-op fun as the pair need to work together to cross a gap – how much do you trust your partner to catch you? Or rather, their gaming skills? 4 Out of prison the duo get down to business robbing a garage. Will you go in guns blazing or choose to draw the cashier’s attention with a distraction?…

To self-confessed Final Fantasy fanboy Naoki Yoshida, landing the role of producer of Final Fantasy XIV was a dream come true, but the developer had his work cut out. The game had released to underwhelming reviews and take-up, and his task was to relaunch Square Enix’s ambitious MMORPG. A Realm Reborn? Exactly. We meet Yoshida-san at Square Enix’s London headquarters to find out what makes the man tick – after all, he’s overseen the astonishing rebirth of Final Fantasy XIV, embraced the intricacies of the series, and managed to pull together some impressive crossovers into the bargain. In this interview we discover what it means to him to work on a series he’s had a lifelong passion for, and why, possibly, Midgar could be heading to Square Enix’s online universe……

To create the imposing orchestral soundtrack to Forgotton Anne, Peter Due first drew inspiration from the art and animation. “Very early in the game’s development, Alfred and I had long conversations about the characters, and the story. Based on those, a few early animated sketches, and some artwork, I began composing themes,” explains Due. “Forgotton Anne is a cinematic game, so I approached the music the same way I would approach the music for a movie – by composing themes for the characters.” Since then Due and the team have created the art and music in step with each other. It means the music is an integral part of the game, helping to create the cinematic feel. “A game is, of course, very different from a movie because the music…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV DECK NINE Being a teenager can be tough; there’s pressure to achieve good grades, while being forced to navigate the minefield of adolescent politics, not to mention battling a whirlwind of hormones. Chloe Price has it worse than most, however, struggling to come to terms with the recent loss of her father, and the absence of her best friend Max – the time-travelling teen protagonist of the original Life Is Strange series. Before The Storm whips us back in time three years and focuses on the intense relationship between Chloe and the enigmatic Rachel Amber. Despite being the driving force behind much of the first series’ narrative, this is the first time we actually get to encounter Rachel’s character. Things…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB CROWS CROWS CROWS DEV SQUANCH GAMES Within an hour of Squanch Games’ PS4 debut I have joined a gang, played a double-headed skeleton like a xylophone, and committed such heinous acts that it’s not a surprise I’m accidentally mistaken for Satan. Oh and I’m also an accountant who’s just trying to do their job. ‘Surreal’ feels too perfunctory a term for this type of madness. This is an expanded version of Vive exclusive Accounting, with the short1 story following your unfortunate number-cruncher, who’s tumbling down an Inceptionesque VR rabbit hole, each layer bringing a new situation that you’ll mess around with before escaping. Any fan of Rick And Morty will lap this snarling comedy up. Not only does the show share a…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB CAPCOM DEV CAPCOM My first encounter with human enemies is when I’m confronted by three looters, armed with… are those vacuum cleaners ? Yes. Yes, they are. I make short work of them with my explosive sledgehammer, before ramming a T-Rex mask over the head of a nearby zombie and chopping its friends to bits with a chainsaw. I then leap onto a child’s bicycle and pedal away. Welcome to Frank West’s world, people. PS4 missed out on the third game (no great loss), but a sort of GOTY version of the fourth entry in Capcom’s other zombie series is here with all the DLC. Fan-favourite photojournalist Frank – an altogether alliteratively attractive adventurer – once more finds himself in…

FIFA 18 A late-night Ultimate Team session proves bad for Ben Tyrer’s coin balance A wiser man than me said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I can confirm this, as I’m sitting on my sofa at 1am, working my way through Squad Building Challenges in Ultimate Team. I’m buying expensive players to swap them for packs. Those packs produce nothing. I do the same thing again. The result is the same. Breaking the cycle is tricky, but when I pull Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, it becomes obvious that this is a cosmic joke and I go to bed. ONIGIRI Jess Kinghorn spent this month sharpening her blade and saving her Waifu Drawn in by the name (it was 20 minutes…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB ELECTRONIC ARTS DEV GHOST GAMES REVIEW #144, 7/10 Payback’s online multiplayer isn’t integrated into solo mode. Instead it sees you entering pleasantly bite-sized, five-race championships called Speedlists. With no penalties for contact, barging becomes part of the game, which – for once – really fits the racing action. The tracks take place in the main game’s map, and feature plenty of opportunities for sneaky/skilful shortcuts. Trouble is, with upgrade cards active, the matchmaking system isn’t good enough to level out the field. Players are usually at wildly varying levels of progress, so races are extremely uneven. Whether you win or lose, the results screen is usually a list of drivers ranked in roughly the same order as their car levels, which quickly becomes boring. Shame. VERDICT…

WOLFENSTEIN II: THE ADVENTURES OF GUNSLINGER JOE (DLC 1) In the first of three story expansions you play as Joseph Stallion, a former quarterback forced to play ‘soccer’ by the Nazis – the swines. Your mission? Free Chicago and smash Nazi faces. STEEP: ROAD TO THE OLYMPICS This add-on to Ubisoft’s snow sports series offers a new open-world Japanese location, and all the official events of PyeongChang 2018. The new Become A Legend mode lets you train with real world athletes like Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller as you prep for the games. FINAL FANTASY XV: EPISODE IGNIS Taking place during the main game’s Chapter 9, Episode Ignis fleshes out Ignis’ backstory and motivations, and offers some slick hack ‘n’ slash fun to boot. Set in the Venice-inspired city of…

VICTORIA & ABDUL 22 JAN Judi Dench reprises Queen Victoria for this period piece about the monarch’s friendship with an Indian servant. Your mum’ll love it. PEAKY BLINDERS S4 22 JAN The fourth series of Cillian Murphy’s Brummie gangster show sees Adrien Brody join the cast as a mafioso. Catch up before next year’s finale. MOTHER! 22 JAN Darren Aronofsky’s divisive allegorical horror stars Jennifer Lawrence as a housewife and expectant mother whose home is overrun by strangers. BORG VS MCENROE 22 JAN Shia LaBeouf is perfectly cast as John McEnroe in this twin biopic about McEnroe’s legendary 1980 Wimbledon final with Björn Borg. Ace. I AM HEATH LEDGER 22 JAN Tribute documentary to the actor who died at 28, shortly after playing The Joker. A loving portrait, but it…

INFO PUB BETHESDA SOFTWORKS DEV ID SOFTWARE RELEASED MAY 2016 GET IT NOW PLAYSTATION STORE, £19.99 WHAT? Doom is the back-to-(very)-basics shooter released on PS4, 23 years after the original. Praised for its slick, muscular gameplay and thrilling shoot-punch hook, it’s one of the best shooters on PS4. “WOULDN’T DOOM PROVE TO BE JEREMY CLARKSON IN A PRAETOR SUIT?” WHO? Simon Bramble’s getting on a bit, and rather likes a bit of thinking time and a cup of tea before making his move in any given game. Needless to say, Doom had him nervous... Why didn’t the original Doom appeal to me? Maybe it was designer John Romero’s elbow-length hair. Perhaps it was the deafening soundtrack. More likely it was the relentless bro-ness of it: you’re a big, dumb space…

PICK #1 TRICKY TOWERS Ian Dean finds the fun in this colourful and chaotic new take on Tetris This mix of Tetris and Puzzle Fighter is hard not to love. Tricky Towers is one of those easy to play hard-to-put-down games that will suck time out of your day. You have been warned. Whether you play tactically to create perfect towers and harness power-ups to make your mates’ lives hell, or hammer the buttons to build quick but unstable towers, every game is a riot. PICK #2 KNOWLEDGE IS POWER Jess Kinghorn knows that power corrupts. So what does that say about knowledge? I’m a sucker for a Snapchat filter and quiz questions that I’m not going to embarrass myself attempting to answer. Knowledge Is Power has a good mix…

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…

Being a fan of both Dark Souls and horror games, I can’t wait to take a bite out of Bandai Namco’s colourful vampire anime, Code Vein. Even though the game is trying its hardest to step away from anime’s worst traits, presented in this gothic Souls-alike world it’s hard to not to love it. Seeing your AI companion battling enormous beasts and vampires dressed in a red feather evening gown, thigh-high suspenders and an oversized fur hat will surely be one of 2018’s highlights. And those Blood Veil specials? I’ve already earmarked Hounds as my preferred choice – how can I turn down an epic growler? “I’M STANDING AT THE EDGE OF THE JRPG OPEN WORLD WONDERING WHICH WAY TO TURN.” If you’ve read OPM in the past 12 months,…

“LOOT CRATES ARE A SYMPTOM OF A BROKEN GAMES ECONOMY.” Everyone, from press to politicians, seems to have a hot take on loot crates in games, but beyond the question of whether crates constitute gambling, few have explored what would happen to the price of games if we didn’t have loot boxes or DLC. The costs of buying AAA games typically rise with inflation, yet the cost of making them has grown exponentially (expenses vary, but both Ubisoft and Take-Two admit “top titles” can cost in excess of $60 million). Sure, we’re buying more games, but the reality is some struggle to break even – a sad fact emphasised by every studio closure. Perhaps to plug the gap, the industry has standardised “player recurring investment” –…

“AS FUN, FLASHY, AND CHALLENGING AS ANYTHING BEFORE IT.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV PROJECT SOUL Your shadow studies you. Your match started a full second ago but they appear to be allowing you to make the first move. You charge in and hold nothing back. A pause. Your shadow continues to stare back intensely. You get in another strike. And another. Your shadow moves to block but you knock them skyward. Too easy. The first round’s victory is yours. You dare to get comfortable, cocky even. And then, as round two begins, your shadow shows you everything they’ve learnt. Half a decade since the last Soulcalibur, Project Soul returns with a new offering that is already proving to be just as fun, flashy,…

 How do you feel about corpses?” is absolutely the last thing you want to hear from someone you owe a debt to. Unfortunate soul Henry, having outlived both of his parents and been dislocated by a brutal bandit attack, finds himself in this exact predicament at the beginning of Warhorse’s RPG set in 15th-century Bohemia. This is just the start of Henry’s problems as wider unrest mounts. “YOU’RE GIVEN THE TOOLS TO SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM A NUMBER OF WAYS.” Henry wakes to find he has not only the kind Theresa to thank for his survival but also the bloodletter. The medieval medical practitioner isn’t cheap, as Theresa’s uncle, Peshek the miller, is quick to remind him. You can either pay Peshek the Groschen (that’s cash) he is owed, or you…

If Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy reignited your love of platformers, then you’ll be all over Capcom’s new entry in the decades-old Mega Man series. Gone are the sprites of yore, in their place a beautiful blend of 3D characters and hand-drawn environments that will smack your nostalgia glands happy. This looks like classic Mega Man brought up to date. Celebrating 30 years of the Blue Bomber, Mega Man 11 is the first game in the main series since 2010 – the devs certainly make us wait for our hit of classic platforming. (We’re happily ignoring the horrible Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter.) All the ingredients of the series look to be returning, including precise jumping, charging timed shots from Mega’s arm cannon, and sliding below falling debris. However, it’s the…

PHANTOM DOCTRINE FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB GOOD SHEPHERD GAMES DEV CREATIVEFORGE GAMES Set in an alternate-history Cold War during 1983, this XCOM-like turn-based strategy sim is more Frederick Forsyth than Ian Fleming. Its blend of tactics and period politics impresses. It also helps that The Witcher III’s composer, Marcin Przybyłowicz, is on hand to score the action. As an agent for the Cabal, a secretive organisation manipulating politics to control the world, you’ll need to use ’80s weapons and gear, as well as unique ‘spy skills’, to take down your foes – perform a great move and the camera spins in for a close-up of the shot. Is it safe? As houses. WORLD WAR Z FORMAT PS4 / ETA EARLY 2018 / PUB SABRE INTERACTIVE DEV SABRE INTERACTIVE…

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 SONY You wait ages for a new entry in Sony’s happiest series and two1 bounce along at once. Well, new might be a slight overstatement given the fact they’re both remasters, but if you’ve never had a chance to bound through this universe, then there’s no better time than now. The set-up is pretty simple. You control the world around a LocoRoco, a ball of pure joy that rolls when you tilt the screen with o + u and bounces when you push them together. Like an old-school platformer, each level is bursting with things to collect, from fruit that expands the LocoRoco in size to hidden Mui Muis and floating pink flies. This is an obsessive collector’s hell/paradise, depending on…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ACTIVISION DEV BUNGIE For a series that brags at every turn about the epic scale of its sci-fi universe –“LOOK!” it shouts, waving its power-armoured jazz hands, “Lore as far as the eye can see!” – its latest planet, Mercury, feels small in many ways. Mercury is the tiniest world in Destiny 2, and with only the same three Patrols to complete, alongside one Lost Sector and one Public Event, Curse Of Osiris soon becomes a victim to its size, or lack of. The inclusion of the Infinite Forest – a Vex simulation that changes every time you enter – should paper over any size snags. But while each story mission does rejig the pieces, the end game is the same: a sprint…

1 RICK AND MORTY: VIRTUAL RICK-ALITY If you’ve only just got off from Accounting + and want more of Justin Roiland’s hilarious brand of babbling at you (that’s not sarcasm), get ready for this adventure. You step behind the eyes of a Morty clone whose sole purpose is… to clean Rick’s dirty clothes. While that might not sound like the most exhilarating VR experience, there’ll be lots of twists that don’t involve laundry, along with hat-tips towards the Adult Swim show. I’ve already spied a Mr Meeseeks, and the inside of the Smiths’ garage. So there’ll be fan service aplenty, but with an original story and Roiland providing the voices, this isn’t going to feel like a cheap tie-in. Positive reviews of the Vive and Oculus versions mean we can…

INFO PUB MIDWAY GAMES DEV MIDWAY GAMES PRODUCTIONS RELEASED 2004 GET IT NOW CEX, 50p NEED TO KNOW 1 The original title was ESPionage – but it’s not stealthy. 2 Nick’s surname is a pun – ‘scrying’ is remote viewing. 3 Despite ending on a cliffhanger, there’s no sequel. “SCRYER WAS MAKING HEADS EXPLODE A FULL DECADE BEFORE TALION DID IT.” Psychic powers are cool, and for people who grew up on Star Wars, the best thing (after lightsabers) was using Force powers to pick up objects or choke someone with just a stare. Yet translating this potential to games has often been missed – the only memorable telekinetic we had by 2004 was Metal Gear Solid’s Psycho Mantis. You could argue it was down to technological limitations at a…