Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i PLAY

“IMPRESSIONS OF SOME OF THE BEST FRIGHTENERS COMING TO PLAYSTATION 4.” Having waited since 2013, it feels like we’re finally getting close to the release of Kingdom Hearts III (p50) – just knowing it’s coming this year is enough. This issue we showcase the latest Monsters Inc screens and details, as well as rounding up everything you need to know about the game, and the series, to date. Not one to miss out on a trend, Red Dead Redemption II (p12) has kept us waiting, too. This issue we get a solid release date – and new screens to drool over too. Being a big fan of horror games it’s also exciting to be able to bring you new details, the first in-game screens (screams?) and impressions of some of…

DUALSHOCKINGLY GOOD Sony is bringing two new controller colours to spice up your collection. The new DualShock 4s come in Midnight Blue and Steel Black, with the LED lightbar across the touchpad, and both are more stylish than Tom Ford strutting down the streets of Milan. They cost £59.99 each. You’ve been meaning to upgrade, right? KOCH IT IF YOU CAN THQ Nordic has bought Koch Media, owner of publisher Deep Silver, for €121 million, with all studios and games (and Deep Silver’s rights to the Metro games). THQ Nordic says there are no plans to restructure Deep Silver, and we can look forward to at least four triple-A projects, including a new Saints Row. SONIC RUNS HOLLYWOOD News of a live action Sonic The Hedgehog movie should be met…

Reboot gaming I’m really looking forward to Red Dead 2, Spider-Man, Ghost Of Tsushima, and The Last Of Us Part II – but it feels like there’s not much that is really innovative enough to make me forget about the outside world for enough time to stay in the game! Let me tell you a bit about myself so you might understand where I’m coming from… I won the Champions League! I found the lost treasure of El Dorado! I laid down my life to protect a young girl infected with a virus who may be the only cure because she never turned! I saved the world from nuclear annihilation by battling giant Metal Gear walking bi-pedal tanks! And I even found time to win a Royal Rumble even though…

Nearly two years after its original launch, January finally saw Street Fighter V updated as Arcade Edition, which includes what many players, myself included, have been desperate for since Day One. It’s not like there wasn’t any single-player content, but the Survival and Story modes failed to deliver some very basic things that we needed: structure and a sense of purpose. Fighting purists might counter that competition is the precise point why there’s no Arcade mode – there’s no better way to learn than playing against better players, git gud n00b, and so forth. Look, it’s not like I haven’t tried. But even after the past two years, I still can’t hope to get beyond Bronze. Thankfully, now that Arcade mode is finally here, I’ll never have to consider being…

1 LITTLEBIGPLANET If you were to buy a cuddly toy of any mascot on the list, Sackboy would likely be the most true to form. The star of Media Molecule’s DIY platformer is aptly the most customisable hero. Did we say Sackboy? It’s so easy to customise, you can have a Sackgirl, or anyone you want. 2 DRAGON QUEST XI This long-running series’ most iconic creatures are also the most disposable. Slimes were designed as weak, common enemies, but their easiness to kill also makes them quite lovable – the cute tear shape probably has something to do with it too. Their role has expanded over time, from friendly NPC to the occasional boss. King Metal Slime is no pushover. 3 CRASH BANDICOOT N. SANE TRILOGY He may be no…

The story begins with Sora, Riku, and their friend Kairi as young teens in their home of Destiny Islands. Creatures known as the Heartless invade, and the friends are separated. Sora, after acquiring a weapon known as a Keyblade, finds himself in Traverse Town. There he meets Goofy and Donald, who are searching for Keyblade wielders under orders from the currently missing King Mickey. They overcome the Heartless and foil their plan to infiltrate Kingdom Hearts, “the heart of all worlds”. A new threat appears alongside the Heartless in the form of Organization XIII, composed of incomplete beings known as “Nobodies”. They plan to create their own version of Kingdom Hearts, and use it to make themselves whole. This plan is scuppered too. Sora, Riku, and Kairi learn, through a…

2009-2012 EARLY GAMES The studio’s early games, such as Zombie Pop! and Focus Pocus, were released on PC and/or mobiles. 2014 OLLIOLLI Roll7 made its PlayStation debut with this side-scrolling skateboard game for PS3. And won a BAFTA for it in 2015. 2015 OLLIOLLI 2: WELCOME TO OLLIWOOD Even more skateboarding action, this time for PS4 and PS Vita. It’s our favourite of Roll7’s games, and scored an impressive 9/10. Gnarly. 2016 NOT A HERO A bonkers pixel-art third-person shooter which sees you taking down gangsters and crims in the service of the Bunnylord.…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB MILESTONE DEV MILESTONE Despite the presence of the word ‘monster’, this isn’t about ‘super cross’ grumpster Kratos. It is instead the official game of the 2017 AMA Supercross, the championship where people race one another across muddy tracks on motorised bicycles. Licensing is in full effect; needless to say you have the official tracks, as well as recognisable bikes, sponsors, and even component manufacturers. While you can make your own rider with a silly name, you can also play as one of the real-life racers with a non-silly name.1 The default settings are a harsh-but-fair introduction to the game for those who need it (AI at its most incompetent, rewind enabled, physics more manageable, and so on). Pros can change any and all…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB KALYPSO MEDIA DEV GAMING MINDS Trains, eh? Who doesn’t love a good train? The smell of the oil, the feel of a ticket in your hand, the thrill of repeatedly checking the board to work out why it hasn’t turned up yet… Okay, so maybe trains aren’t the first subject I’d choo-choochoose for a game, but Railway Empire manages to deliver a toy-like pleasure through plonking down tracks and watching your locomotives chug their way across the American frontier. Getting to that fun, however, can be a bit tricky. This is a complex game, which requires you to balance not just your own trains but the imports and exports of the towns they serve, and the stocks of your company and its competitors.…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV DIMPS CORPORATION An anime game about an anime series… about a game. This fifth console instalment of the Sword Art Online franchise follows a novice gamer1 dipping their toe into the fictional VR-MMORPG, Gun Gale Online. Playing as an in-game noob means real-life ones can jump into the series cold, and get acquainted with Kirito2 and his pals as your protagonist does. Between fights and dungeons – which are great fun, especially when you get grapplin’ and explore – you’ll spend a lot of time selecting from two dialogue choices that say almost the exact same thing, witnessing eleventy gazillion meaningless conversations, and attending weird parties where friends without drinks stand rigidly in a perfect semi-circle. There is, however, a…

If you had been waiting for the day to experience one of PlayStation 4’s most talked about launch titles, February’s PS Plus delivered. Knack, a game OPM originally slapped with a 4/10, was finally included in the Instant Game Collection and, well, can you complain about a freebie? We’re going to. KNACK follows the titular collection of ancient relics given consciousness by a scientist and enlisted to a fight a war between humans and goblins. Get past the bonkers setup and you’ve got a peculiar mix of design choices (no camera control, simple combat, huge difficulty spikes) that made this a punishing play-through. But hey, at least you finally got to see why we gave it that 4/10. That said, we couldn’t stop ourselves hitting download on this one. It’s…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB MY.COM DEV OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW N/A There’s a whiff of Modern Warfare to Obsidian’s take on the free-to-play tank-versus-tank model. The pace of each match, the constant ping of rewards and team orders makes its rival, World Of Tanks, feel pedestrian. This could be due to the simple switch to modern-era tanks (1950s and onwards), but it’s largely down to the Global Operations mode, which combines PvP and PvE into one swift 15-minute bout of heavy metal mayhem. Maps are well-proportioned, meaning there’s always someone to take a pot shot at or an objective to complete. Crucially for a free-to-play you’re never oversold upgrades or XP, and the addition of a co-op mode means there’s a gentler entry point to the deeper tank tactics. VERDICT A polished,…

BATTLEFIELD 1 – TURNING TIDES This third expansion contains six new weapons to blast through four new multiplayer maps, from the beaches of Gallipoli (as seen in a trial version of this pack) to naval clashes in the North Sea to the battle of Achi Baba hilltop. MIDDLE EARTH: SHADOW OF WAR – THE BLADE OF GALADRIEL STORY EXPANSION As elf assassin Eltariel you’ll be able to play an all-new story in addition to getting goodies that can be enjoyed in the main campaign, such as character skins, new Nemesis characters and eight Legendary Orcs. WOLFENSTEIN II: THE DIARIES OF AGENT SILENT DEATH The second of three DLC packs that form The Freedom Chronicles. Play as OSS-agentturned-assassin Jessica Valiant as she takes down the Nazis’ propaganda machine, Paragon Pictures, from…

The director of vampire mock-doc What We Do In The Shadows may seem like an unconventional choice for Thor’s third solo outing, but handing Taika Waititi free reign to craft an idiosyncratic Thor-quel has paid creative dividends. Ragnarok is the funniest Marvel movie yet by a whopping great distance. A much-needed refresh following the dreary Dark World, Ragnarok sees Odinsons Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) stranded on the trash planet of Sakaar when their secret sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) breaks out of space jail to bring about the end of days. On Sakaar, Thor is reunited with The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and, with the help of fallen warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), teams up to stop Hela and save Asgard. A riot from start to finish, Ragnarok has a…

INFO PUB SEGA DEV CREATIVE ASSEMBLY RELEASED 2014 GET IT NOW CEX, £12 WHAT? Alien: Isolation drops you into the futuristic high-tops of Amanda Ripley, daughter of Sigourney Weaver’s character, and tasks you with sneaking around Sevastapol, a space station beset by the titular monster. WHO? They say in space, no one can hear you scream. Alex Spencer reckons that might actually be preferable to his sofa, where the screams can be heard all too clearly. When I was eight years old, I was utterly terrified of two very specific things: the X-Files theme tune, and HR Giger’s Xenomorph design. I hadn’t actually seen the Alien films, but the sheer chitinous look of the thing sent shivers down my tiny spine. Twenty years on, not much has changed. It’s time…

Dave Meikleham GUEST WRITER Dave spent the month playing GTA Online to offer his instant hit of tips and insights (p66). He‘s now hooked – let it go, Dave. GAME OF THE MONTH Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life BEST DISNEY ANIMATION Dinosaur Jess Kinghorn STAFF WRITER Reviewing Yakuza 6 (p76) meant Jess could have her own aristocat cafe. But no matter how much she tries, they won’t eat pasta. GAME OF THE MONTH Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life BEST DISNEY ANIMATION Mulan Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR Mim became tangled in her obsession with Dragon Quest Builders (again). She still has a whole new world of buildings to explore. GAME OF THE MONTH A Plague Tale: Innocence BEST DISNEY ANIMATION The Rescuers Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Milf’s counting…

“DEAD RISING GOES FURTHER, BUT IT’S NOT A BAD VECTOR TO BE ON.” Amid the tsunami of Soulslikes, Deck13’s The Surge stands out as the one game to take the genre in a new direction. It added a sci-fi twist and the option to target specific enemy parts, thereby saving gear to add to your exoskeleton, so every skirmish became a loot-focussed tactical duel. And the sequel promises to up the ante on this idea. It’s set in a large, semi-open world – a city where verticality will play a key role – and your upgrades will be torn from this new setting. As we chat to creative director Jan Klose he suggests we’ll be able to make use of new military hardware as well as weaponise everyday gadgets. “Dead…

42,000,000 The number of people worldwide now playing FIFA 18 on console. 33cm The height of the Far Cry 5 collectible Joseph Seed statue. 19 Years since Shenmue released. The third game is finally due this year. 6,500,000 The number of copies of Monster Hunter: World sold in January. 3,000 This is the number of classic Taito videogame tracks now on Spotify. 16 Years since GTA: Vice City… the same number, at launch, back to its setting. 277 Days between reading this mag and the release of Red Dead Redemption II. 330mm Height of the new Tomb Raider Barbie doll, from the Barbie Signature range.…

“IN ADDITION TO A SERIES OF ‘UNCANNY ADVENTURES’, WE’LL GET THE CHANCE TO REVISIT ROOK ISLAND.” With the latest entry in the open world series just on the horizon, Ubisoft has revealed a few morsels more about its DLC, most importantly the fact three new adventures will follow the main game’s launch on 27 March. Spiders: love ’em or hate ’em, you’ll be able to go toe-to-hairy-leg with an alien variety in Lost On Mars. Your arachnid arch-nemeses are not the only favourite old enemies you’ll face, either. In the appropriately named Dead Living Zombies you’ll be up against hordes of the shambling undead across an array of B-movie scenarios. It’s shaping up to be pretty schlocktacular. The third in what Ubisoft is dubbing a series of ‘uncanny adventures’ is…

LOST & FOUND Swery has announced a new project called The Missing. This news follows the announcement that his other project, murder mystery The Good Life, will have a second Kickstarter campaign from 26 March. IN FOR A PENNY Poundland, with the help of Music Magpie, is now selling last-generation and newer refurbished games for £5 each. Picking up a new game alongside that emergency bottle of shampoo is going to do our backlog no favours. SPYRO REMASTER? Allegedly the Spyro The Dragon trilogy will be remade and feature Pro support, content cut from the original games and a user-friendly save system. Sources say the release may even be before the end of 2018. CALLED AWAY Sledgehammer’s co-founders, and COD: WWII directors, Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield have left the…

@JORDANAFC95 I got the Beyonce dance in my first engram. @GAZZGETGNARLEY 20 nuggets and @OPM_UK #146 is what’s currently getting me through my night shift. @SHIIIVA Just had to buy the latest issue. Cracking #GodOfWar cover! GOD I’m so hyped for this! @SP___1992 Whoever made the Gustav Cannon map on WW2 is the greatest villain of them all. @JOHNCHOPPERX Interesting column by Luke Kemp [OPM#146]. Very accurate, and one of the reasons that online games never reach their full potential – the other being that 90% of the time you get every player doing their own thing. TROLL OF THE MONTH @SKORTIR Who the f is “we”? This is dumb. @RIGBONE64 Oh my god, it’s confirmed... [We’re excited about Spyro too – ed.] @HIGGIE_BABY Great to see Tenchu getting some…

We’ve all felt it: that twinge of anxiety when you’re about to play something meaty and substantial. Buying a game you know will take up a large amount of your free time represents a big commitment. It’s not simply about the hours you’ll need to put aside, but what those hours mean . Admittedly it’s not quite the same when you write about games for a living, but I still know the feeling all too well. Anyone with partners and/ or kids will feel guilty about the time they’re spending in front of a screen. Or you might even feel bad for those smaller games you’ve chosen to overlook while you settle into an all-consuming epic. The same goes for other media, too: sometimes these games feel…

“SHE BRINGS THE BOY CLOSE FOR A HUG AS THE RATS SWARM . .” FORMAT PS4 / ETA TBC PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / DEV ASOBO STUDIO Rats! Depending on whether you grew up on Pixar’s culinary classic Ratatouille or in the 14th century, outrunning the plague, your opinion of the furry nibblers will vary. Not having survived the Black Death, Asobo Studio’s rodent-infested adventure is the closest we can come to the latter. While the rats, by their sheer number and impact on every aspect of A Plague Tale, are the stars of this story (and we’ll get to them in a minute), it’s our emotional connection to the events on screen that really impresses as we experience a playthrough of an early portion of the game. WHO’S RAT…

DOWNWARD SPIRAL: HORUS STATION FORMAT PS4, PS VR ETA 2018 / PUB 3RD EYE STUDIOS / DEV 3RD EYE STUDIOS Riffing on 2001: A Space Odyssey and Black Mirror, this space-set PS VR thriller is aiming to change how we play narrative games. There are no audio diaries or voiceovers. Instead the story unfolds as you observe your surroundings. Combat uses scavenged tools, like arc welders, to root you in the game’s world. Equally unique is movement; in zero gravity you need to push off walls to gain momentum. If the idea of zero-G conflict in VR has you reaching for a bucket, use Explorer mode for a slower, puzzle-focussed game. CODE VEIN FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV BANDAI NAMCO STUDIO The Dark Souls comparisons continue…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB M2H DEV M2H Party games, eh? They’re never digital versions of Pin The Tail On The Donkey or Pass The Loot Box. They tend to be, like this one, minigame collections. The main problem is that the fundamental setup, pitting people against one another in short and simple competitions, can be difficult to implement in new and interesting ways. An admirable attempt is made here, but it doesn’t quite work. Marooners’ main hook is that a gentle yet firm pressure permeates the experience. This is the game’s one great success. The ‘party’ games have an emphasis on collecting as many coins and gems as possible, while the ‘arena’ ones are about knocking your opponents into bottomless pits or into an environmental hazard. Both…

INFO FORMAT PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB NIS AMERICA DEV NIPPON ICHI SOFTWARE/SYUPRO-DX This takes the familiar amnesiac hero scenario and turns it on its head. Staring at the final boss, you suddenly can’t remember how you got here, why you’re fighting, or even the names of your party members. As the seconds tick by, it’s up to you to flash back to different points in your journey to regain your memories and power to fight before the titular time is up. It’s a novel idea, but while the boss fight itself plays out like a visual novel, the rest of it is a bog-standard JRPG filled with rudimentary random battles. The majority of these can also be cleared by selecting Auto and Full Attack almost every time, making…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB THE STATION GAME DEV THE STATION GAME More often than not, our only means of dealing with aliens is with a swift bullet to their colourful craniums. The Station, however, is a much more complex tale of contact with extraterrestrials. The events of this narrative-driven space stint are designed to make you question the familiar every bit as much as the unknown. When communication with a space station that’s been spying on the first known alien species is lost, you’re the one-man team sent to investigate. There’s an eeriness to the station’s empty metal corridors, made all the more unnerving by frequent quakes from the station’s failing systems, and hints that you’re not alone. The narrative slowly pieces events together and rewards you…

A middleweight contender without real competition INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB EA DEV EA REVIEW #146, 6/10 At its best, EA’s MMA sim is an enjoyable spectacle – that’s not in doubt. It’s simple enough to enable some ferocious fights, and there’s a queasy satisfaction in taking down an online opponent. But your options for doing this online are limited. There’s a quick match option, which is handy for helping newcomers to get their bearings, and an online divisions mode where you can fight your way to a title shot. There’s also Ultimate Team, a modified version of what’s so popular in FIFA and Madden, where you fight to earn cards and build a roster of brawlers to batter offline and online opposition with. The complexities of that mode make it…

MOANA CHARACTER PACK Dress your avatar up in Minecraft as Moana, Maui, and many more from Motunui… and yes, you can even dress up as the chicken if you want. DELUXE KIT This pack for Monster Hunter: World has a new Samurai-inspired armour set as well as appropriately themed gestures and stickers to match. BLACK PANTHER MOVIE CHARACTER AND LEVEL PACK A Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 pack that gives you the chance to play as the hero of Wakanda alongside his sister Shuri. WANDER’S PACK Return to stand in the Shadow Of The Colossus with a new bow, cloak, two dynamic themes, 16 colossal avatars, and even a skin for your trusty steed Agro. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES DC brawler Injustice 2 is saying cowabunga to everyone’s favourite quartet…

DADDY’S HOME 2 19 MAR Duff sequel to Will Ferrell/ Mark Wahlberg pop-com in which Brad and Dusty must deal with their dads, Mel Gibson and John Lithgow. FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL 19 MAR The true story of Hollywood legend Gloria Grahame’s love affair with a budding actor in Liverpool. WONDER 26 MAR Room’s Jacob Tremblay stars as a young boy with facial disfigurements who faces bullying and prejudice on starting public school. JUSTICE LEAGUE 26 MAR Disastrous DC team-up which sees Batman, Wonder Woman and a bunch of nobodies team up to take down an abysmal CG villain. HAPPY END 26 MAR Euro-arthouse provocateur Michael Haneke pushes viewers’ buttons in his latest release, examining a deeply dysfunctional French family. 24 HOURS TO LIVE 26 MAR The dependably…

“SO YOU DIE, BUT IT WAS SUCH FUN YOU SPIN THE WHEEL ONE MORE TIME.” INFO PUB MOSSMOUTH DEV MOSSMOUTH PRODUCTIONS RELEASED 2013 GET IT NOW PSN, £11.99 NEED TO KNOW 1 Spelunky 2 was announced at Paris Games Week 2017. 2 Beat the game, and there’s a secret fifth world: Hell. 3 Find shotguns under gravestones marked ‘Ash’. While it might present itself as a game about raiding long-forgotten tombs and exploring temples of doom, at its heart Spelunky is really a beautifully elaborate slot machine. Each time you fire up a new game, you pull the lever, and out comes an entirely new world, one full of exploding frogs, shrines to ancient gods, and, of course, heaps of glistening treasure. Spelunky was one of the games that…

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…

“WE ARE TELLING A WHOLE NEW STORY OF A WHOLE NEW LARA CROFT.” It’s been 14 years since the last Tomb Raider movie was released and, much like the recent games, this silver-screen outing is taking the superstar spelunker in a new direction. Firmly focussed on the origins of Lara Croft, this new adaptation is a world away from the highly adept and experienced iteration of Lara played by Angelina Jolie in the first two movies. UNCHARTED TERRITORY Taking inspiration from the 2013 game, the plot focuses on a much younger Lara as she sets out on her first adventure to a mythical island off the coast of Japan. Far from enjoying a privileged lifestyle in a cosy manor, we meet Lara as a 21-year-old living in a commune in…

“JASON RUBIN, THE MAN BEHIND THE MAGIC, WOULD GET HIS OWN BIOPIC IN MY DREAM MOVIE.” While I’d love to see a Crash Bandicoot live-action trilogy, I’ll dodge the question and pitch a biopic of former Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin. I met Rubin in 2003: he talked a lot about juice and pumping iron, suggesting there’s Mark Wahlberg levels of Hollywood depth to the man who gave us Crash Bandicoot and Jack & Daxter, plus he was there at THQ’s end. It’s a Social Network for us gamers: a story of naïve college days full of spotty-faced, ambition before the reality of Big Business knocked on the door. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll wish they’d made that Crash Bandicoot movie. “WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE STILL HOLDING OUT…

VOTE NOW! Tell us the five games you can’t wait to play at opm@futurenet.com 1 God Of War If Kratos had to wait for you as long as you’ve waited for him, you can bet he’d be more than a little grumpy. But he’s your Number One. And here he comes – not far off! FORMAT PS4 ETA 20 APRIL 2018 2 Spider-Man We’re not sure when we’ll see him, but we know he’ll be there when we need him. Till then, you’re holding out for this hero. FORMAT PS4 ETA 2018 3 Red Dead Redemption II Like an out-of-form cowboy trying to ride the irate deadline bull, RDRII has slipped again, this time to autumn. But you still want it, right? FORMAT PS4 ETA 26 OCT 2018 6 The…

What is choice? I mean, really? It seems every game I dip into at the moment demands I start making decisions, moral or worse – Life Is Strange asked me to consider what T-shirt to wear. I’ve never been a teenage girl but I’m guessing this is up there with preventing Samara from committing suicide in Mass Effect 3. Didn’t think you’d be getting into René Descartes in your PlayStation mag, did you? But that’s where videogames are heading, and maybe I’m getting a little tired of it. Of course this is nothing new. Games are built on choices. From Pac-Man to Persona we’re asked to make decisions. While one is the choice between eating a power pill or fleeing a ghost, and the other managing your fickle friendship squad,…

1 The slingshot is your go-to 14th-century gadget. It’ll get you out of most rat-centric dilemmas. Hitting a torch with a hot coal will make ’em scatter. 2 The stone shot can be used to affect the environment. In our demo we were able to bring down this gate by smashing the chain, opening a new area. 3 Amicia’s not averse to attacking her enemies head-on. The slingshot can be used to knock out guards – those with helmets need more shots. 4 A key use of the slingshot is to solve puzzles. Knocking the lantern out of this guard’s hand will leave him vulnerable to the rats, and you free to scamper past.…

GOD OF WAR Martial arts fishing sim in which a father-son-fishing-trip goes awry as the latter shows the former how weak his sea legs and stomach are. Dad didn’t bring a spare shirt and Junior is compelled to hunt the materials for a new one… FORMAT PS4 ETA 20 APRIL DARK SOULS REMASTERED Bring your Souls to the light in this scintillating campfire simulator. This remaster adds smouldering ember action and new costumes for your happy campers. Actual warmth not included. FORMAT PS4 ETA 25 MAY BIOMUTANT First came Monster Hunter. Now Palicoes have their chance to shine as action heroes. Hunt small furry things! Upgrade your ball of string! Customise yourself a really nice box. FORMAT PS4 ETA 2018…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA 5 JUN PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / DEV DONTNOD “Killing’s a helluva lot easier than healing,” says recently turned vampire Dr Jonathan Reid, as we flash back to his experience in the Second Boer War. It’s a prescient statement that sets the tone for Dontnod’s horror RPG – do you kill or heal? Back in London, a city plagued by Spanish Flu, our immediate desires are far more direct. Who’s turned us vamp, and how do we get our revenge? This goal drives the portion of the game we’re playing. It soon unravels into multiple quests as we dig for answers in the dialogue trees of the people we meet. A snippet of gossip gleaned from talking to a bar fly can unlock a new avenue…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB MOTION TWIN / DEV MOTION TWIN While obviously borrowing from some extremely punishing titles, Dead Cells promises it isn’t out to get you. Rather than force you to unlock better attacks or equipment as you go, it gives you an awful lot to play with from the start. From the beginning you have every equipment slot you’ll ever have available to use, the usual double jump, a brutal stomp attack, and – handily – a dodge that renders you invincible for the duration. The developer, Motion Twin, explains that the focus isn’t on working towards bigger, badder gear but on honing your ability to use what you’ve got. The gear doesn’t level up, the player needs to. It makes for a startlingly fast and…

Here at OPM Towers we love a bit of couchplay. Online multiplayer is always very well, but it’ll never be as sociable as gaming alongside a friend or three, pads in hand, shouting and laughing. And since we first played it last year, Laser League’s been on our radar. It looked good then, it’s looking better now, and so we sat down with Simon Bennett, John Ribbins, and Rachael Gregg-Smythe from developer Roll7 to talk about how the game came about. John Ribbins: The first version of the game was made on a train on the way back from Birmingham, with Tom [Hegarty], who’s the production director, and it was quite different. It had guns and it had little turrets that you activate that would shoot at the other player.…

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 RAW FURY DEV LONG HAT HOUSE Although inspired by a real warrior who fought against slavery in colonial Brazil, this is hardly a retelling of history, more a pixel art Metroidvania where the titular heroine fights oppression by shooting things. What stands out is how Dandara traverses this directionless world. Aim with the left stick and you can jump to whichever surface you like, even one that’s vertical or upside down.1 Jumping has its restrictions, as you can only move onto white surfaces, and there’s a limit to how far you can jump from one point to another, which isn’t always clear until you need to dodge an attack. Dark Souls is another obvious influence. The landscape’s dotted sparsely with campfires where you…

INFO FORMAT PS4 (REVIEWED), PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV MEDIA.VISION Enjoyed the first Cybersleuth? Good news – this is more of the same! Literally. As in, an enormous amount of assets have been recycled here, including entire locations. The plot is all-new, and there are close to a hundred new monsters on top of the ones from the last game, but despite the impressive length of the story, it’s difficult to argue against the idea that this should have been DLC. Nonetheless, it’s hard to outright despise the game. It’s a well-designed JRPG wearing Digimon pants. This means predictable issues (tired skits about boys chasing girls, no dubbed option for those who prefer it), but also certain things done better than some of its peers (turn-based…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BOOTDISK REVOLUTION DEV BOOTDISK REVOLUTION We’ve all been there; kicking back, enjoying an afternoon of gaming, when it’s woefully interrupted by a more pressing matter. Granted, it’s not normally fending off an invading alien armada, but when you’re the world’s only remaining hero,1 what’s a girl to do? Feisty, fuchsia-haired protagonist Wryn battles these assailants with a mix of bullets and sword swings in this frenetic action platformer that borrows heavily from classics such as Contra. Your twin pistols have unlimited ammo, allowing you to rain down a hail of bullets while dodging the plethora of projectiles headed your way. Some of these can be reflected with a well-timed sword swing, but perfecting the technique requires patience. The chaos is made more manageable…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB SURVIOS DEV SURVIOS When you click Play on Survios’ PS VR racer you really won’t be prepared for what’s in store. I’ve yet to play a game that’s so physically demanding on Sony’s headset. Bashing my living room ceiling, flailing into a wall; I dropped a sweat bomb within minutes of entering a ‘race’. And that’s a good thing, by the way. Set inside a futuristic game show in which ‘runners’ sprint down a linear course and win by any means necessary, kart racing comparisons are easy. Between you and victory are power-ups, shortcuts, jumps, pistons to crush you and toxic spills to slow you down. But that only scratches the surface. Sprint Vector sheds its karting comparisons the moment you grapple…

MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD Jess Kinghorn just wants to look cute and butcher monsters. Is that too much to ask? I have a confession: I have never played Monster Hunter before. If I want the armour I need to become the cute-but-tough magical girl approximation I have envisaged for my avatar, I’m going to have to get help from a few seasoned professionals. Luckily, you can’t twirl around an Insect Glaive at OPM Towers without battering a few pro hunters. Maybe the head injury will make persuading them to assist me in taking on Great Jagras a bit easier. STREET FIGHTER V: ARCADE EDITION Ian Dean finally steps into the arena I’ve avoided Street Fighter V for some time, because Injustice 2 and its cast of DC’s finest keeps me busy.…

1 £11.99 EVEREST VR For every person willing to risk their lives to reach the apex of Everest there are at least a hundred wanting to do the same but without any possibility of dying. This VR experience allows you to fulfil that very fantasy, featuring a selection of immersive experiences that’ll take you from base camp to the summit, all from the comfort of your own living room – in theory. In practice, these are a number of simple scenes requiring you to do as instructed, such as attaching your carabiner to the safety rope and ascending ladders. The interactive diorama-meets-documentary is informative and does not shy away from the more morbid side of climbing Everest, even touching on the Dead Zone. An ascent takes just under half an…

1 “WITHIN ITS BEAUTIFULLY LIT WORLD OF MONSTERS LIES A MUCH MORE TRADITIONAL STORY-DRIVEN RPG.” 2 “ONE OF THE SLICKEST, MOST DAZZLINGLY-PRODUCED AND ENJOYABLE PLATFORM GAMES EVER MADE.” 3 “SURRENDER YOURSELF TO THIS VAST WORLD, PERSEVERING TO THE END, AND YOU’LL DISCOVER A PUZZLING RABBIT HOLE SO DEEP YOU’LL BE IN CONSTANT AWE.” 4 “WITH THE JOURNEY PROVING TO BE FAR RICHER THAN THE DESTINATION, PATHFINDING IS A FITTING THEME FOR THIS ENDEARINGLY MESSY RPG.”…

PICK #1 ICONOCLASTS Ian Dean finds hidden treasure in the latest retro game to catch the eye This cute, colourful adventure blends puzzling, platforming, and shooting – all of life’s treats – into one stunning pixely experience. Iconoclasts has me reminiscing for Treasure’s classic 16-bit games, not least because it celebrates the art of the boss battle. While modern games steer clear of a post-level footnote, this indie revels in giving you one more taxing challenge. PICK #2 RAIN WORLD Jess Kinghorn refuses to be deterred by this punishing pixel art pick I am not very good at Rain World. In fact, I am not very good at all. But having backed the original Kickstarter way back in 2014, I can’t help but root for this little slugcat surviving an…

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…