Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i PLAY

“WE FLEW TO CANADA TO GO HANDS-ON WITH LARA’S LATEST ADVENTURE.” Gaming never stands still. Just as God Of War crushes all before it, leaving us foaming at the mouth for more, Square Enix reveals Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. This issue we flew to Canada to go hands-on with Lara’s latest adventure, and Kratos could have met his match already. Read Jess’ first-play views on page 56. There’s more competition for your time too, as we play through Detroit: Become Human (p32), discover why the Western edition of Dragon’s Quest XI will be the best (p36), and we go hands-on with Dark Souls Remastered (p40), proving the trend for remakes is not looking likely to abate. Speaking of which, turn to p12 to see the first screens of Spyro…

DINKY DRAGONS ‘Dragon Husbandry’ is a phrase we thought we’d never write, but that’s the idea behind Yasuhiro Wada’s new game Little Dragons Café. Juggling running a café, raising cute-as-buttons dragons, and finding a cure for your mum’s mysterious sleeping curse, life’s never easy for twee, pretty-pretty people. SHAQ’S WELL HUNG At first glance Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is a follow-up to a 1994 2D fighting game few remember, hellbent on riding the retro tail(coat) of Crash Bandicoot. On second glance, yep, that’s what it is, albeit one with good presentation and solid innuendos: Shaq is from a town called ‘Hung-low’. Brilliant. EAR CANDY In need of some serious headphones? Then the Arctis Pro + GameDAC from SteelSeries, which boasts of being “gaming’s first certified Hi-Res Audio System,” is…

“FORGET THE FUN OF FORTNITE – GTA ONLINE’S MOTOR WARS IS BY FAR THE BEST BATTLE ROYALE GAME ON PS4.” Picture the scene. After the drop, you down three unsuspecting chumps with a scavenged shotgun. You spend the next five minutes tracking down an automatic rifle, and the following 20 making your way to the eye of the storm. You’re now inside the last ten, crouching behind a self-crafted barricade and pondering your next move. It’s do or die, and you break cover, John Rambo-style. BANG. You’re slain by a bush camper. Again. And now this numpty is doing the Running Man over your lifeless corpse while hoovering up your hard-fought loot. Another Victory Royale squandered. Unless you’ve had your head buried under a Party Bus for the last several…

1 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV Poor old Roman Bellic. When courage was being handed out, the bulky Balkan was clearly having a sly cig behind the bike sheds with the Cowardly Lion. In GTA IV, Niko’s cousin is a total worrywart, even going so far as to cower in a dumpster after the other Bellic whacks local Broker boss Vlad Glebov. 2 RATCHET & CLANK Copernicus Leslie Qwark – or ‘Captain Qwark’, to his cowardly chums – is marketed as a hero throughout the Solana Galaxy. In reality, this self-obsessed schmuck is a spineless jellyfish shoved into ill-fitting lycra, and his stupidity and cowardice has given the Lombax and dinky droid many a headache. 3 THE LAST GUARDIAN Trico may be a towering cat/ bird thingie, but despite its stature…

1 Kara’s early scenes consist of house work and getting to know your charge, Todd’s young daughter Alice. A quiet child, something is wrong in the family. 2 Once Todd reveals his true nature, the domestic drama of Kara’s harrowing storyline comes to the fore and you go on the run with Alice. 3 Markus, played by Jesse Williams, becomes an integral part of the ‘deviant’ android resistance, which puts him directly at odds with Connor. 4 Connor is a highly advanced android whose abilities make him especially suited to crime scene investigation and hostage negotiation.…

“THE BIKE SET-UP SYSTEM LETS YOU TINKER WITH EVERY SINGLE PARAMETER.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 29 JUN / PUB MILESTONE / DEV MILESTONE The ear-splitting rattle of engines, waves of dirt being flung up at you, and the sudden urge to down a Red Bull (other energy drinks are available). Oh yes, that’s motocross baby! And with MXGP Pro coming to PS4, we should be able to experience all the excitement of the sport without having to get out of bed. Whoever said you can’t have the best of both worlds? The newest entry in the MXGP series looks set to offer a more realistic and immersive experience than ever before courtesy of a beefed-up physics engine – complete with reworked systems for grip, air behaviour, and collisions – and…

“STILL DENSELY ABSORBING AND SOMETIMES GRUELLING.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 25 MAY PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV FROM SOFTWARE It feels strange indeed, returning to the bleak beauty of a remastered Dark Souls after seven years. From’s immaculately crafted action RPG has, much like the portals to its own boss encounters, become enveloped in an intimidating, enigmatic fog since its release. As such, this clearest-ever look at the game behind the myth will be illuminating to hardened Chosen Undead and neophyte alike. Those uninitiated in the decaying kingdom of Lordran’s unforgiving ways have likely remained so because of the weight of that myth. ‘Dark Souls is agonisingly hard,’ you’ll have heard. ‘Dark Souls is an ungodly nightmare of an thing, made only for elitists and masochists.’ It’s all nonsense. But…

“RA IS AN EGYPTIANINFLUENCED DEMON WHO SITS ON A FIERY GLOBE AND HURLS BURNING ORBS JUST FOR FUN.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV BANDAI NAMCO STUDIOS Ssh, no-one mention that monster game from Capcom. Bandai Namco’s God Eater 3 is in no way a similar co-op creature-hunting adventure tied to a crazy game lore that has you tracking and defeating ever larger and weirder beasts. It’s nothing like Monster Hunter: World. Honest. Okay, you got us, God Eater 3 is a little like Capcom’s global hit. In a world on the brink of destruction at the hands (claws?) of enormous creatures called Aragami, it’s your job as an Adaptive God Eater (AGE) to venture forth and start slaying. These monsters live in the Ashlands, where…

ANOTHER SIGHT FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB LUNAR GREAT WALL STUDIOS / DEV LUNAR GREAT WALL STUDIOS A blind girl, Kit, and her cat companion, Hodge, explore the tunnels beneath 1899 London… and meet Jules Verne. Now that’s a setup we can get behind. Swapping between controlling Kit and her fluffy-tailed cat – each has unique abilities – enables you to overcome the platform puzzles that lie between the pair and the next Victorian-era legend. Uniquely, each time you uncover an icon from history they affect the world around you. For example, meeting the painter Monet turns the world into an Impressionist’s palette. FOX N FORESTS FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 PUB EUROVIDEO, WILD RIVER DEV BONUS LEVEL ENT. Inspired by ’80s Capcom classic Ghouls’N Ghosts, this pixel-powered 16-bit…

Our introduction to Shadow Of The Tomb Raider begins with Lara and Jonah keeping a low profile at a Day Of The Dead celebration. It’s a beautiful scene, drenched in candle light, that makes it obvious this is the beginning of an ending. Wandering through the crowd in a hood and adorable skull mask, Lara hears snippets of conversation celebrating the lives of the dearly departed. While there is the expected tinge of sadness to this scene, what you hear is not overly sad itself. Instead, the people here turn their minds to what they can do to honour the dead in their absence or fond remembrances. You hear people thinking aloud about the places they can go that were special to the deceased, places they always wanted to visit…

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 PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB WALES INTERACTIVE DEV WALES INTERACTIVE Motion sickness has been eliminated in this shooter by taking away the root cause: movement itself. Initially this is disappointing, as each level is a static environment. Then from out of the shadows come the walking dead, dinosaurs, and mechanical death machines hellbent on putting an end to you, a snoopy time hopper.1 The meat of the game comes from your need to juggle four weapons that sit on pillars around you. Using PS Move controllers, you can grab a gun in each hand to fend off the waves of enemies. To reload you release the PS Move button and your gun returns to a pillar. Each wave becomes a juggling act as you grab, spray, reload,…

“OWLBOY OTUS’ ADVENTURE FEELS FRESH FROM START TO FINISH.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB D-PAD STUDIO DEV D-PAD STUDIO/ BLITWORKS Do your eyes tend to glaze over whenever somebody starts talking about another indie platformer using pixel art? That’s understandable enough – but hold your proverbial horses here. For one thing, this isn’t a platformer! It’s an… er… anthropomorphised owl simulator? More importantly, it’s simply an experience you don’t want to miss. It’s a real hoot (sorry). You play as Otus, a young mute belonging to a race of owl-people (though they are only ever referred to as owls). His best friend is Geddy, a human whose presence in the floating islands is never really explained. Otus needs a best friend, as his tutor-sensei figure is constantly,…

“YOU’LL BE TREATED TO A DELIGHTFUL VIEW OF AN OGRE’S CROTCH OR ARMPIT.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB MODUS GAMES DEV IRON GALAXY STUDIOS Fighting 150-foot ogres has never been so tedious. Iron Galaxy’s lumpen action game is a low-rent riff on Attack On Titan in which you must climb and chop up colossal bipedal enemies that are indiscriminately smashing up towns like tantruming toddlers. But this perfectly decent – if familiar – idea is horribly botched, thanks to an abominable camera, sticky controls, and relentless, grinding repetition. The premise shows promise at least. As innocuously bland hero Avil, you’re asked to save the kingdom of Dolorum from rampaging beasts. On the ground are small, orc-like critters (here called Jackals), which you can slice up a treat…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV MOJO BONES Leading your group to survival in the apocalyptic winter wonderland of Impact Winter is an arduous task. Sure, you wouldn’t expect an end-of-days scenario to be a cakewalk, but Jacob and his fellow survivors actively seem to be avoiding holding out. He’s unable to make crucial notations on the harsh environment, and quest-line details are never stored anywhere, lost to the void. Instead they rely on Ako-Light, a robot they found which is broadcasting a rescue signal, and will call for help in 30 days – you’ve got to get by till then. You can level it up to reduce the timer by a few hours at a time, but you’ll probably not reduce it much below the…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB UPPERCUT GAMES DEV UPPERCUT GAMES The Thousand And One Nights inspired this first-person dungeon crawler, but that number could just as easily signal how many times you’ll be thrown back to the city’s gates to start all over again. This, reader, is a roguelite that relishes in punishing you. But it does it in such a polished way you’ll welcome those gates. The Arabian Nights influence is a fantastic one to grapple with, and thankfully City Of Brass has none of the emo nonsense that dragged down Prince Of Persia. The only self-pitying allowed here comes from bemoaning your failing gaming skills. Based on the classic story, this City Of Brass has been cursed and taken over by evil Djinn. Its streets abandoned,…

Leading the charge was the Road Warrior himself, MAD MAX. Beginning with nothing, you had to work to strike back against those who took all you had from you. Scavenging for scrap, you rebuilt your car and base before setting off out into the wider world for car-based combat, uneasy alliances, and inspiration for your questionable Aussie accent. Along similar lines was TRACKMANIA TURBO. Physics meant very little here, as you raced on over more than 200 tracks across four unique environments. You just put your pedal to the metal and enjoyed up to 16-player multiplayer alongside a track builder mode. Also on PS4 was Q*BERT: REBOOTED. This arcade classic had been brought up to date for modern systems and was also available on PS Vita and PS3 via cross-buy.…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB KOEI TECMO DEV OMEGA FORCE REVIEW #148, 7/10 This may be a series about city-wrecking colossi, but Koei Tecmo’s adaptation of the popular manga and anime is a reminder that bigger isn’t always better. There’s a lot packed into the thrillingly-named ‘Another Mode’: competitive and co-operative giant slaying, leaderboards, equipment trading, and the ability to drop into someone else’s campaign to help them push through a difficult bit. But the additions only serve to split the game’s focus – and its playerbase. Even shortly after launch, it’s difficult to find a fully populated game. Once you do, it’s a frenetic experience in any mode, with players rushing from Titan to Titan in pursuit of a killing blow, leaving little room to appreciate the elegant precision of…

CALL OF DUTY: WWII – THE WAR MACHINE: DLC PACK 2 Egypt, France, Germany, and Sicily (including a new fighter plane mode) are the settings for multiplayer. A new War Mode mission and The Shadowed Throne zombie chapter top off the DLC – perfection. GHOST RECON WILDLANDS – YEAR 2 PASS Sam Fisher appeared for free in the April crossover event, but this Year 2 DLC offers more. Get a new weapon and skin, CQC move, gloves, night vision goggles, and three camos. Pro players will welcome the six new Ghost War classes. KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE – TREASURES OF THE PAST You’ll have to work for your new armour set in this DLC, as you get a new treasure map to hunt out the goodies. There are four parts of…

The once-mighty Pixar has been off the boil of late, producing a series of substandard sequels and stubbornly persisting with the increasingly naff Cars films. Coco is a return to the conceptually brilliant ideas that fuelled the company’s early success, and easily its finest feature since Inside Out. Steeped in Mexican culture, it’s the story of Miguel, a music-loving young boy who finds himself trapped in the Land Of The Dead after desecrating the shrine of legendary musician Ernesto de la Cruz – a man he believes to be his great-grandfather – in order to play his guitar in a talent show. Requiring a family member’s blessing to return home, Miguel sets out to find Ernesto with the help of friendly skeleton Héctor and Xoloitzcuintli dog Dante. Initially reminiscent of…

INFO PUB BETHESDA SOFTWORKS DEV ZENIMAX ONLINE STUDIOS RELEASED 2014 (2015 ON PS4) GET IT NOW AMAZON, £10.69 WHAT? Set in Tamriel hundreds of years before the other Elder Scrolls games, The Elder Scrolls Online takes the high fantasy series into the inevitable MMO realm for the first time. “AFTER FREEING MICHAEL GAMBON FROM PRISON, THE APPEAL OF THE GAME WORLD DOESN’T EXACTLY IMPROVE.” WHO? Fallout boy Oscar Taylor-Kent equips his Ancient Shrouded Boots for that sneak bonus whenever someone recommends him an Elder Scrolls game. He’s been missing for years. Things start badly when I realise the latest version of this MMO is The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind – named after the highly regarded PC game that was released about 50 years before I was born and had all…

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. Worthy 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…

With the weather having taken a turn for the warmer, there’s never been a better time for an onslaught of PS Vita announcements to come from Aksys: it’s releasing Psychedelica Of The Black Butterfly, 7’sCarlet, and Psychedelica Of The Ashen Hawk. The firm’s three ‘Summer Of Mystery’ games will finally bring over some highly anticipated gorgeous-looking adventure/mystery/otome visual novels from Japan that all PS Vita fans should check out, the last of which releases in June.…

Oscar Taylor-Kent GAMES EDITOR Our new Japan-game loving team member is passionate about Persona but finds time for Lara – he loves handcrofted games. GAME OF THE MONTH The Swords Of Ditto BEST TOMB RAIDER Lara Croft Go! Jess Kinghorn STAFF WRITER A trip to Montreal to play the Mexico-set Shadow Of The Tomb Raider? Jess: “Will Canada be chili?” GAME OF THE MONTH Shadow Of The Tomb Raider BEST TOMB RAIDER Tomb Raider (2013) Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR If Mim could dig up anything it would be a Doyouthinkhesaurous Rex. That joke is so old it’s pre-hysterical. GAME OF THE MONTH Minit BEST TOMB RAIDER Rise Of The Tomb Raider Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR As the Spyro remake was revealed, Milf excavated an OPM#34 featuring the dragon. Milf’s…

90,000,000 The number of copies of GTA V sold on all platforms since launch. 1.15 The Gran Turismo patch released in April that added PS VR time trials. 60 Seconds of Spyro footage in the debut trailer. We need more. £259.99 The new price of a PS VR headset. Is there any reason not to get one? 152 Length (mm) of LootCrate’s Monster Hunter: World replica Jawblade. 900.46 The file size, in MB, of enjoyable indie hit Owlboy (reviewed on p82). 08 Number of games in the Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 & 2. 2,928 Hours from this issue’s launch until you can buy Spider-Man. Marvellous!…

SILLY SEASON Sept/Oct is crammed, with Spider-Man, Call Of Duty: Black Ops IIII, Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and Red Dead Redemption 2 all eagerly chasing our wallets. MUSIC TO OUR EARS If you’re a PS Plus member you can now get 10% off a Spotify Premium subscription via the PlayStation Music app. Small wins. FISHING FOR SAM Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher made his return to PS4… but only as DLC in Ghost Recon Wildlands, to celebrate Year Two of the open world squad shooter. CUP OF CREED The Assassin’s Creed merch continues to roll in – Ubisoft’s released new mugs, including a chrome logo model and one that looks like gauntlets. A WITCH’ IN TIME An update to The Witcher 3 has brought an HDR patch…

@SLANE_99 Forget the rainy day. Gonna stay in and read @OPM_UK complete with bacon sandwich. @BEE_LAKER God of War press kit looks cool as hell. Come on, you don’t want any of that tat lying around your office do you? I’ll write you a thank you card back, promise. [Nice try! – ed] @VAULT_FICTION The free wallpapers that came with the latest issue of @OPM_UK are absolutely flawless. Creating real tough choices for me, I love all of them! @PHILKAI In this issue [148] we got 31 wallpapers and I was wondering what game wallpaper 29 is from? :) the one with the boy and the neon graffiti monster? [It is – the game is Sony’s Concrete Genie – ed] @OVEN_FRESH Ug… casuals… @BALZARJULIUSSON I´m old enough to remember the…

“IF THE BEST WE GET IS RYO INTERROGATING NPCS ABOUT SAILORS, IT JUST WON’T DO.” Back in 2015, when Shenmue III was unveiled at E3 the reaction was overwhelming. Series creator Yu Suzuki later compared this to “cheering as if a deceased child just came back to life”. But even though I was caught up in those emotions at the time, I’m beginning to think of Shenmue’s revival as more like waking from a decade-long coma. Picture high school dropout Ryo Hazuki out of his slumber, understandably feeling stiff. Forgive the poor lad, he just wants to get back to avenging his father, and the rest of the world has moved on. Have no doubts, Shenmue was a groundbreaking game. It pioneered all the features we’ve come to expect from…

DLC #1 RAIDING THE VAULT E-BOOK Explore the legacy of Lara Croft With this issue’s exclusive first play of Shadow Of The Tomb Raider getting us excited for Lara’s return, what better time than now to delve back into the series? This free e-book covers all the past Tomb Raider games, looking at the original series and the PS3-era revamp, then bringing us up to date on the PS4 reboot trilogy. And we find time to dig into the PSN games. To download your free e-book, simply type the following link into your browser: www.bit.ly/OPM_DLC_Tomb_raider DLC #2 OCTAHEDRON SOUNDTRACK Get your adrenaline pumping New indie platform sensation Octahedron (reviewed in OPM #148) has had our feet tapping as much as our jump button due to its…

“VOICE ACTING SOUNDS PROMISING, WITH A VARIETY OF ENGLISH ACCENTS.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 4 SEP / PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV SQUARE ENIX Good things come to those who wait. It’s a mantra that JRPG lovers know only too well. Dragon Quest fans haven’t seen a mainline PlayStation entry for over a decade. But with Square Enix setting a firm date for the 11th instalment release in the West, it looks like the extra wait will be worth it. Localisation hadn’t even begun in earnest until the game’s Japanese release last summer, though a million lines of translated text isn’t all that we’re getting. Just like the Western release of Dragon Quest VIII on PS2, Dragon Quest XI will feature voice acting, whereas Japanese audiences were fine with reading…

MY HERO ONE’S JUSTICE One’s justice but two’s a crowd in this co-op adventure that sees each player controlling half of the protagonist’s body. Fight a threat? Just getting dressed is going to prove a serious challenge. FORMAT PS4 ETA 2018 THE CREW 2 Build a world of shiny bling by playing the new cryptocurrency markets in this sim that celebrates being part of the top one percent. Greed is not only good, it’s golden in a game that offers ‘loadsa money’! FORMAT PS4 ETA 26 JUN HERO DEFENSE Ever wanted your gaming heroics questioned? Then this sim is for you. Defend your decisions, whether that’s questionable facial hair or pink baseball bats, in the court of online opinion. FORMAT PS4 ETA 1 JUN…

1 Slow and steady wins the fight. Approach every encounter with caution. Enter the unknown with your shield up and your eyes open. 2 Focus on the bigger picture. Dark Souls loves making tactical puzzles out of its fights. The obvious target might not always be the right one. 3 Move smart. Try to draw out enemies one by one rather than taking on mobs. Let them strike first, then evade, and retaliate when they’re prone. 4 Be aware of environmental opportunities. Don’t grind away at a tough foe when you could knock them down a pit or tempt them into a trap.…

“GIANT MONSTERS REBORN THROUGH PLAYING GOD WITH DNA.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 12 JUN / PUB FRONTIER DEVELOPMENTS / DEV FRONTIER DEVELOPMENTS On PlayStation, you can be ruler of all you survey: a city, a railroad, a farm… There’s a management sim for all those (an almost-disturbing number of farm sims, as it happens). But put away your plough and send your cows to the burger factory, because we’re getting something better: a mix of theme park management sim and, well, dinosaurs. Yes, Jurassic World Evolution gives you everything you love in other management games and sprinkles some beclawed terrible lizards on top. You might look at the name and balk – we’ve seen many an attempt at a Jurassic game over the years, and few have approached memorable status,…

“YOU START THE GAME IN A STATE OF UNDRESS, LEFT TO DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT.” We only review finished games, so in Viewpoint, we go hands-on with near-final code of a game that has just missed our review deadline. Alex Spencer visited Funcom in Stockholm to go hands-on with Conan Exiles, and these are his final pre-release impressions. Have you ever longed to cast off the shackles of civilisation and head out into the wilds – but know that if you tried going all Ray Mears in real life, you’d last about ten minutes? Today, plenty of survival games let you safely fulfil this fantasy, but in the 1930s the only option available were books, and Robert E Howard’s Conan The Barbarian stories were some of the…

During the hour we play, Lara treks through a variety of locations, and though we’re told Shadow will focus more on the people she’s with than the places she visits, it doesn’t mean the tombs get short shrift. Lead level designer Arne Oehme, who has an extensive background in photography and worked as the senior level designer on 2014’s Thief, speaks to us about telling a story via the space. He describes the story as itself an environment and the world as a character when we ask about his approach to level design. After your fair share of rock climbing, abseiling, deserved deaths across a secluded stretch of coastline, and then a brief dip into a water-logged cave, it’s time to corrupt some crypts. The cavernous Mayan tomb sees you…

“THE AXE MIGHT DISMAY HARDCORE FANS OF THE SERIES, BUT THERE’S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV SANTA MONICA STUDIO As Gaming’s Angriest Man (not to mention one of its strongest), Kratos isn’t the sort of person you’d want to leave in charge of something he might break. You know, like an aircraft carrier or a quarry. How strange, then, to see him as the sole guardian of his surprisingly weedy-looking son. That’s just the beginning of this game’s surprises. The boy is called Atreus, and his mother has a very good excuse for not helping to look after him. She’s dead. It’s made clear that Kratos and Atreus are sad about this, but I’m certainly not. The woman in question, Faye,…

The concept is simple, but brilliant: you’re a duck-like creature who’s found a cursed sword which forces you to play out your life 60 seconds at a time, like in an even harsher Groundhog Day. Each run you’re able to venture a tiny bit further, hoping to find a new hook to pull yourself further into the adventure1 : you might find a heart container to give you more health, or a throwing mitt that lets you launch your sword at enemies,2 and these progression-helping items carry over every time that clock hits 60 seconds and you die. You’ll discover new homes (spawn points) to help you delve deeper into the world, but sometimes going back to the start will give you a better chance of reaching your destination. Hints,…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB CURVE DIGITAL DEV INFINITE STATE GAMES After a few quick manoeuvres that would impress even the most seasoned pilots, the three bogies that are on my tail are swiftly gunned down. I come in close for a gentle landing to seal the victory, only for the slightest twitch of the left analog stick to send my war machine plummeting into the dirt, turning it into a flaming pile of scrap metal in seconds. Not the blaze of glory I was hoping for. This 2D aerial combat shoot-’em-up has a simple mission statement: take to the skies and battle for land, air, and sea supremacy across multiple mission types. No story. No loading screens. Just explosive warfare from the get-go. It’s a welcome approach…

“BATTLES ARE WONDERFULLY CONSIDERED, YET ALSO FAST-PACED AND FRANTIC.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE DEV PASSTECH GAMES Otto isn’t your typical hero. Unlike the focused individuals who litter most of our virtual realms, he isn’t out to save the world. He just wants the girl, and were his beloved not captured he’d be content to let someone else deal with the evil Zahr and the army of Golems he’s unleashed upon the world of Spark. And just as Otto isn’t a traditional frontman, Masters Of Anima is far from a conventional adventure. Presented in an isometric fashion, the combat is an intriguing mix of action and strategy. Otto can summon an army of Guardians – adept warriors who do his bidding in battle. These…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB BIG BEN INTERACTIVE DEV KYLOTONN REVIEW #148, 8/10 While TT Isle Of Man’s difficulty doesn’t end at its punishing gameplay. It’s really, really hard to get into a good online race, too. Surprisingly, a lack of players isn’t the problem – the search function is forever telling you the room is full, hanging on ‘connecting’, or occasionally just dumping you back to the main menu once you do get going. It’s a real shame, as the online racing looks and feels exactly like the offline solo mode, only with more unpredictable, not to mention fallible, opponents. There aren’t any championships to be won, though, and no progression aside from trophies and leaderboard times. It’s also buggy, far more so than offline. But nailing a snaking section…

RUNAWAYS LEVEL AND CHARACTER PACK Escape your evil parents in this Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 DLC inspired by the Runaways comic. A new level and characters await. THE HANDLER’S BUSY BEE DRESS Dress your Monster Hunter: World handler as a bee – complete with wings and pom-pom nectar shoes. A sweet outfit? Oh do bee-have. CAPCOM PRO TOUR: 2018 PREMIER PASS Celebrate the pro tour with new costumes for Akuma, Sakura, and others in Street Fighter V. Plus a new stage, missions, and more. PINE HILLS COUNTRY CLUB Go big or go home in this new America-based club, which features the longest course yardage in Everybody’s Golf. Go whack ’em! CHARACTER DLC Blue Mary, Oswald, Heidern, and Najd join the King Of Fighters XIV cast for a price, but…

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD 14 MAY Ridley Scott’s superior based-on-truth thriller about ‘richest man in the world’ Jean Paul Getty. THE GREATEST SHOWMAN 14 MAY Hugh Jackman’s PT Barnum musical had the most successful run at the UK box office since Avatar. INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY 21 MAY The fourth chapter in the trippy horror series explores the haunted childhood of paranormal investigator Elise Rainier. THE COMMUTER 21 MAY If you’ve seen a Liam Neeson movie since Taken you’ll know exactly what to expect from this impressively stupid actioner. THE POST 21 MAY Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep team up for the true story of The Washington Post’s struggle to publish the Pentagon Papers. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI 21 MAY Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-winning scintillating small…

INFO PUB SONY DEV NAUGHTY DOG RELEASED 2013, PS3 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £23.95 NEED TO KNOW 1 An Uncharted 3 Easter egg first hinted at TLOU. 2 Ashley Johnson won a BAFTA for playing Ellie. 3 Babel’s Gus Santaolalla provided the score. There’s never been a PlayStation pairing quite like it. Not Ico and Princess Yorda. Not Ratchet and Clank. Not even BioShock Infinite’s electrifying tag team of Booker and Elizabeth. When it comes to disarming double acts, Joel and Ellie take every last slice of the cake. The scintillating, sorrowful relationship between Naughty Dog’s unlikely allies not only makes The Last Of Us a towering example of digital storytelling, it transforms the stealth shooter into arguably the best PlayStation game of all time. Well, at least that’s what…

1 UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END Nathan Drake’s swansong is a daring evolution. It combines series-defining set-pieces, quietly devastating storytelling beats, and sprawling levels that make you feel like a real-life explorer. This franchise finale retains its signature charm, with the wisecracks flowing as fast as the bullets, while the new characters each justify their inclusion. With an astonishing attention to detail, it’s Naughty Dog’s best yet. 2 THE 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 uncut…

“EACH GAME IN THE TRILOGY IS GETTING A 4K OVERHAUL, WITH NEW VISUALS.” Just as it should be, hot on the heels of Crash Bandicoot’s success comes Spyro The Dragon. The little purple fire-breather is getting the N. Sane Trilogy treatment, as all three classic Spyro games – Spyro The Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year Of The Dragon – are being remade and bundled together into the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Set for release 21 September to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series, each game in the trilogy is getting a 4K overhaul, with new visuals and improved animation. Not content with a simple graphical upgrade, developer Toys For Bob has spent time improving the game’s camera for a smoother experience and implemented full analog stick support…

“OPEN UP SPIDER-MAN TO THE WIDER SPIDER-VERSE AND EMBRACE MARVEL’S NEWEST HERO.” Spider-Gwen, Spider-Gwen, can do whatever a spider (man) can. What better way to expand Sony’s Spider-Man foray than to embrace the craziness of the Spider-verse? Not only can Spider-Gwen use the same swinging, webbing skills as Spider-Man, but we can double-down on the familial angst and in-jokes and have an entire mission set around getting the band back together. Maybe we can even have a Guitar Hero-like sub-game where The Mary Janes (Gwen’s band) need to bang out a tune and save the city. Super heroics and soft rock, now that’s what I call multitasking. “MAYBE IT’S CHEMICALS, MAYBE IT’S A SPIDER BITE, MAYBE IT’S MAYBELLINE.” Maybe it’s just narcissism but Jessica Jones gets my vote. The more-than-morally…

“DARK SOULS DESERVES TO BE AN INSPIRATION, BUT DEVELOPERS SHOULD BE WARY OF ITS SHADOW.” Losing your hard-earned souls thanks to a silly mistake in Lordran is one thing, but every time I see an eye-rolling comparison of another game to Dark Souls I lose another bit of my actual soul. Yet you can only complain so much when (for instance) literally the only apt way to describe The Surge is “sci-fi mech Dark Souls”. There’s a reason everyone loves Dark Souls and the rest of the ‘SoulsBorne’ series: they’re bloody good. So good, in fact, that certain developers can’t help but make games that are essentially reskinned versions, like so many Doom fangames (yet somehow with less originality). I’m all for games learning from one another. That’s innovation. But…

“ANDROIDS ARE DETROIT’S DISPOSABLE WORKFORCE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 25 MAY PUB SONY / DEV QUANTIC DREAM We want to keep things as spoiler-free as possible for this hands-on preview as the variety of possible outcomes is one you’ll want to discover first-hand. However, this is going to require some fancy footwork on our part when even talking about the main menu in great detail could incur spoilers, so bear with us. But it’s obvious from just this first screen that Quantic Dream’s latest, cinematic narrative game has a lot on its mind. As we start playing, we see the ominous words “Remember, this is not just a story, this is our future.” The future imagined here prominently features a thriving Detroit resuscitated by the advent of the android as…

1 Your protagonist turns out to be the reincarnation of a past hero. The King of Heliodor thinks otherwise, branding you as ‘Darkspawn’. Harsh. 2 You’re chucked into the dungeons, but fortunately there’s a cellmate ready to bust out – a thief who also becomes one of your companions. 3 Of course, once you’re outside the kingdom’s walls, the king’s trusted general, Hendrik, remains in pursuit. Cue a daring chase scene on horseback. 4 Fortunately, a mysterious keystone in your hero’s possession begins to glow, opening up a secret route for you to make your escape. For now.…

“THE VERY VIRTUAL GROUND BENEATH YOUR FEET IS UNDER THREAT.” FORMAT PS VR / ETA 2018 PUB PLAYFUL CORP / DEV PLAYFUL CORP If you fell in love with Moss’ cute diorama world and need more of the same, Playful Corp’s action-plaformer should fill that need handsomely. Mixing exploration, cinematic presentation, and tight platforming, this could well be the next breakout hit for PS VR. The immaculate presentation is the first thing that grabs you. The glowing hum of the game’s alien landscape slowly gets under your skin. It’s a virtual reality you’ll want to explore, and save. Playing as Spectra, and aided by her AI companion, you’re left stranded on this ghostly world. But soon events take over and Spectra is thrust into a mission to prevent a mysterious…

“THERE’S A HEART OF COLD, HARD NASTINESS LURKING BENEATH THE FACADE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2018 / PUB TEAM17 / DEV REINKOUT GAMES Defeat the alien invaders and save the day. We’ve been doing this in videogames since 1978, but there’s always room for a new take on the setup. Particularly when it’s set in a beautifully stylised sandbox world filled with physics-based puzzles and things that go boom – a lot. There are few things more rewarding than watching a television screen get swamped by tiny exploding polygonal blocks. Mugsters knows this, and it intends to lay it on thick. Each sandbox environment is a complex maze of alien encounters and vicious traps that you can use to your advantage in a bid to rescue fellow humans and escape…

“LAND UPSIDE-DOWN, WITH YOUR FEET STICKING OUT OF THE MUD.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 5 JUN / PUB CODEMASTERS / DEV CODEMASTERS EVO Codemasters Evo was formerly Evolution Studios, of MotorStorm and Driveclub fame. And even though its new game has cars and bikes racing over familiar terrain, it’s a very different beast from those earlier titles. With inspiration taken from all the best modern multiplayer games, as well as racing classics, this new breed of arcade racer is so confident it’s left out the racing entirely. Yep, it doesn’t matter where you are in the pack in Onrush, the game just wants you to have fun. Jumps are rewarded with boost, so it pays to hit every ramp you can see. Takedowns are straight out of Burnout, allowing you…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB FOXNEXT DEV THE IMAGINATI STUDIOS There’s a moment when I grab a gun and grumble to myself that my ape alter-ego can’t aim or hold it properly, but then I remember I’m an ape and they drink tea and knit,1 they don’t shoot people. Part game, part VR theatre, Crisis On The Planet Of The Apes VR is a wonderful rabbit hole for fans of the films to dive into. In fact, the more you act like an ape the greater the fun – for example beating my chest with the PS Move controllers calls over a guard to instigate an escape plan. That escape is the driving force behind the game; your break for freedom from a military lab means you…

“THE SORT OF GAME THAT’LL TAKE MULTIPLE RUNS TO FULLY DISCOVER.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB DEVOLVER DIGITAL DEV ONEBITBEYOND Sometimes, things don’t go to plan. The Swords Of Ditto knows it, and revels in it. On one hand it makes you and the world deal with the consequences of that failure. But more than anything it gives you a chance to bounce back. It’s redemption one procedurally generated quest at a time, sending you off on a potentially endless adventure (with an optional co-op buddy). Washing up on a beach, you’re told by ghostly dung-beetle Puku (just go with it) that you’ve been chosen as the next-in-line to wield the titular sword of Ditto, and quell an awakening evil. You’re given five days to prepare before…

INFO FORMAT PS VR ETA OUT NOW PUB IVANOVICH GAMES DEV IVANOVICH GAMES Any game that excitedly shouts “double Uzi” as a house beat pumps away in the background deserves your attention. Inspired by ’80s arcade classic Operation Wolf, a gallery shooter that saw you go full Arnold on waves of cannon fodder, this game revels in its retro simplicity. First, I need to preface everything I’m about to write: the game looks hideous. There are PS2 games that can give Operation Warcade a run for its old money. But it doesn’t matter, because it’s so much fun. Split into two modes, Classic 3D Edition and Immersive Edition, you get to experience the gunplay in slightly different ways. Classic offers a virtual arcade cabinet to play with – you start…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV SONY SAN DIEGO Ten years ago OPM explained with absolute sincerity that MLB The Show’s closeness to perfection made it difficult to improve upon as it notched 10/10 scorelines four years in a row. While time hasn’t been kind to PS3 contemporaries such as FIFA 07, those ancestral bat-swingers still hold their own – making it difficult for Sony San Diego to innovate without chipping at the series’ foundations. It’s the curse of the movie sequel director, translated to sports gaming. Intriguingly, the developer adopts a less-is-more approach in many areas of The Show 18, presumably aware that the die-hard fan will buy it anyway, yet the casual needs a touch more attention. The ever-brilliant franchise mode is therefore streamlined so…

“LIKE ITS PREDECESSORS, FC5 IS BRILLIANT AT SERVING UP IRRESISTIBLE DISTRACTIONS.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB UBISOFT DEV UBISOFT MONTREAL Talk about a sumptuous shooter smörgåsbord. There’s no such thing as an average five minutes in Ubisoft’s madcap Montana. One moment you’ll be arrowing cultists in the jugular, the next you might be sniping biplanes out of the sky. With wolverines to whomp, zealots to grind up as you run riot in surprisingly speedy tractors, and PS4’s best doggo, this slice of open world Americana is as varied as it is vicious. Like its predecessors, Far Cry 5 is brilliant at serving up irresistible distractions. Sure, you could spend your evenings clearing cult outposts or blowing up enemy shrines in a whirlybird. Then again, you could also…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB THQ NORDIC DEV RAINBOW STUDIOS You’re undoubtedly looking at the screenshot and the score and thinking ‘this looks fine – what’s wrong? Well, many things, but the greatest is how the game runs on a standard PS4. At times, MX Vs ATV All Out! is in flicker-book territory. It’s better on PS4 Pro, but Pro isn’t marketed as making the difference between a game being playable and not. We’re not talking about a few lapses in framerate for robot-eyed people to moan about, we’re talking about performance so low, you can count the frames ticking by in the worst moments – and the split-screen two-player made me feel physically unwell to play. But let’s put that issue to one side. The game itself…

BLOODBORNE Jess Kinghorn is learning the value of community Bloodborne really takes no prisoners when it comes to first-time players. With layers of impenetrable lore, well-hidden secrets, and punishing risk-versus-reward combat it may be hard to believe that one as squeaky as I would be able to stay away. Its recent inclusion in PS Plus has revitalised the community and, whether it be musings care of the Messengers, online guides, or answering the call of the Beckoning Bell, they are the only things that can carry me through this nightmare to finding my worth in the waking world. CALL OF DUTY: WWII Oscar Taylor-Kent can never forget the war. Because they keep releasing war games. The mode? Domination. The map? The devious Gibraltar. I chuck a smoke grenade, and use…

1 £24.99 FARPOINT If this shooter were on anything other than PS VR, we’d criticise the linearity or simplicity of its levels. But in VR these factors strengthen the experience and even go some way to warding off motion sickness. Small touches, such as being able to pull the PS VR Aim controller close to your face to stare through the scope, maintain the immersion and create an enjoyable sense of novelty. While the central campaign is short, in the region of five hours, it’s a fun ride and if you’re in the market for all the bells and whistles this shooter makes great use of the Aim controller (though it is also compatible with a DualShock 4). Set in the cold vacuum of space, I’m not quite sure how…

1 “FAR FROM A BLAND IQ TEST LOOKING TO PUT YOU THROUGH AN EVER-TOUGHENING MENTAL WRINGER.” 2 “KILL THINGS AND COLLECT BAUBLES. PRACTICALLY EVERY MISSION REQUIRES ONE OR THE OTHER, OR BOTH IF IT’S FEELING FRUITY.” 3 “THERE’S HEAPS OF FUN TO BE HAD JUST POKING AROUND WITH STUFF TO SEE HOW IT ALL WORKS… MAKING A GIANT BALL OF ELASTIC INTO A MARAUDING PLASMA HAZARD.” 4 “THE CHARACTER ROSTER IS A BLOATED WHO’S WHO OF THE DC UNIVERSE AND EVEN MAKES ROOM FOR CULT CLASSICS SWAMP THING AND DOCTOR FATE.”…

PICK #1 RESIDENT EVIL REMAKE Ian still finds that slow creaking of a new door opening as unnerving as ever While the number of complex lock puzzles would make being an actual resident in this mansion a day-to-day struggle, it makes for a great game. The remake’s new control system ditches the tank setup for a proper analog input, which means I can finally escape the hounds with my health and sanity intact. Dogs beaten, the drawl of a door opening gets to me. PICK #2 FINAL FANTASY XII: THE ZODIAC AGE Jess returns to Ivalice to juggle license boards and wish for a better protagonist While FFXII did not pass me by, a memory card mishap meant that I never saw its end. Then Final Fantasy was introduced to…