Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i PLAY

“SQUARE IS GOING ALL-OUT TO CELEBRATE LARA CROFT’S PLAYSTATION HERITAGE.” GAME OF THE MONTH Zero Time Dilemma FAVOURITE TOMB RAIDER Tomb Raider: Anniversary Like many of you, I’ve been a Tomb Raider fan since the series’ origins. As an 11 year old, I spent hours with Lara on my Sega Saturn, and Tomb Raider II is the game that convinced me to switch to team PlayStation. So 2014’s news of Rise Of The Tomb Raider’s Xbox One exclusivity left me spitting a few four letter words. Even when it became clear it would eventually hit PS4 in 2016, I wasn’t that much happier. My mistake – and it was a big one – was to assume that when we got ROTTR, it’d just feature the basic game and its DLC.…

GO WEST? Back at E3, Capcom revealed Dead Rising 4 as an Xbox One and PC exclusive. However, the publisher has since clarified it’s a timed deal, not a lifetime one. What does that mean? Quite simply, like with cover star Ms Croft, you can bank on Frank West’s zombie-romp shuffling to PS4 at some point in the future. THE DARK PLIGHT Sorry, would-be vigilantes – you’ll have to wait for the Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City remaster bundle, which has been delayed. Warner Bros wants to ensure a “polished” product, but hasn’t announced a date to replace its 26 July promise. We’d better be seeing our reflection in that Batsuit. DO NOT PASS CHOCOBO Final Fantasy VII Monopoly. Yep. Get ready to take a Buster Sword to…

“SHOVE REALISTIC SIMS – I WANT AMERICAN MCGEE’S WONDERLAND CROQUET.” JEN SIMPKINS STAFF WRITER My least favourite thing about all sports is that they take place in this dimension. I want to draft in Alice games creator American McGee to work messed-up magic over the once-Olympic sport of croquet (yes, really, in 1900). Flamingo mallets and hedgehog balls? Nah. Let’s have balls transforming into tar-puking doll heads, sprouting limbs and chasing your foe off the lawn if you hit theirs. Wickets are booby-trapped, clobbering foes to death with your mallet is legal, and adorable gothic tea-dresses mandatory. Twinkle, twinkle, little batsh*t insane. My kind of sport. “DOPING IS PRETTY MUCH A SPORT IN ITSELF NOWADAYS. IT’S TIME IT GOT THE GAMING TREATMENT.” ANDREW WESTBROOK PRODUCTION EDITOR Corruption is the buzzword…

“I WANT A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. SIGN ME UP FOR A PLAYSTATION VR SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE.” WRITER BIO Vigilante Batman recently gave up his millionaire party lifestyle to daylight as a games journalist. He now sports a fabulous head of long, blonde hair. Interests include pink things, Street Fighter and long walks on the VR-induced delusion. Taking off the headset after the Be The Batman E3 demo of Batman Arkham VR, three thoughts race through my mind. Number one: I’m Batman. Number two: this is one of my games of the show. And number three: as incredible as that was, I’m not sure I’d want to pay the price of a full game to relive this one experience. PS VR undoubtedly proves itself in these short, immersive moments. Just a…

“WE DASH AMONG TWISTED TREES, OUR SYNTHESIS WITH ALOY BEGINS.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 3 MAR PUB SONY / DEV GUERRILLA GAMES For one shining moment, Guerrilla’s new action-RPG makes us completely forget who and where we are. We’re not sweaty journalists in a dark demo room, a halo of bustling E3 bodies pressing against the walls outside. Even the post-apocalypse is an aged memory. All we see is the mountains, gold light, blurred green – and we’re running, flying, flowing towards our saving grace. Our life depends on the machines that populate these plains. At least, it feels like it’s our neck that’s on the line: it’s really Aloy’s. But as we dash among twisted trees in this tiny, sun-shot, snow-speckled portion of the open world, the synthesis begins.…

“RED BARRELS KNOWS HOW TO RATCHET UP THE ANXIETY LEVELS.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA AUTUMN / PUB RED BARRELS / DEV RED BARRELS Red Barrels’ original, terrifying first-person horror Outlast is a firm PS Plus favourite that locked you in an abandoned asylum. Your only reliable source of light was your camera’s night vision – an unbearably effective way of delivering as much tension as possible. That green haze illuminating the engulfing darkness returns for the sequel, but this time, you’re out in the wilderness and without a clue of what is rabidly chasing you… You now step into the shoes of Blake Langermann, a journalist working with his wife Lynn to investigate the murder of a pregnant woman. Separated at the start, we’re stranded in the Arizona desert, groggily…

“BLADES CHEW THROUGH LIMBS AND JUMP-PACKS BELCH SMOGGY FIRE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA SUMMER / PUB BANDAI NAMCO / DEV BEHAVIOUR INTERACTIVE Deep in the grim darkness of the far future there are, well, plenty of connection errors. A multiplayeronly third-person shooter set in Games Workshop’s unrepentantly Darwinist sci-fantasy universe, The Eternal Crusade will support more than 60 players per battle at launch. The preview build we’re presented with, however, struggles to accommodate a dozen. One encounter pits nine of the Imperium’s finest against just one Chaos Space Marine, who winds up trapped inside his base like a saucepan-wearing toddler surrounded by vultures. In subsequent matches, we’re able to get a proper bout of 15-a-side going – cue some pleasing rampages at the wheel of an Eldar Falcon, but at…

“A REVAMPED FRANCHISE MODE BOOSTS MADDEN NFL 17’S LONGEVITY.” FORMAT PS4/PS3 / ETA 23 AUG PUB EA / DEV EA TIBURON Having played Madden behind closed doors at EA Tiburon’s Florida HQ, we’re happy to report this may be the year it shakes off its recent malaise and returns to mid-2000s form. But it’s nothing to do with improved blocking or new running moves, welcome as those changes are. Nope, it’s all down to longevity – finally a focus, thanks to a revamped Franchise mode. EA has looked to build a world around your 16 matches per season. It delivers an on-screen ticker that keeps you updated on current results, while a new commentary team (Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis) have contextual discussions based on your position and prospects. Plus…

WWE 2K17 FORMAT PS4 / ETA 11 OCT PUB 2K SPORTS / DEV YUKE’S 2K’s pro wrestling sim franchise just activated Beast mode. Yes, Brock “The Beast Incarnate” Lesnar is officially the game’s cover star. But it’s news of the game’s Collector’s Edition that has us running the ropes for joy: this year it’s an NXT special. Shinsuke Nakamura, Nia Jax and Apollo Crews (er, nobody mention his post WrestleMania Raw call-up, okay?) are exclusively bundled with the NXT Edition, which is limited to just 50,000 copies worldwide. A Finn Balor model, a 50% points booster for MyCareer mode and a portrait of Nakamura signed by the King Of Strong Style himself also feature. Want. BRUT@L FORMAT PS4 / ETA 9 AUG / PUB STORMCLOUD GAMES DEV STORMCLOUD GAMES A…

“LAURA CRUZ WAS A SOUTH AMERICAN MERCENARY INSPIRED BY TANK GIRL.” Tomb Raider and Lara Croft are inseparable concepts. In 1996, it was the perfect combination of boundary-pushing game design and an iconic, kick-ass heroine that helped create what would go on to be not just one of the industry’s biggest ever series, but a character who smashed through the mainstream barriers to be accepted by non-gamers. So it seems unthinkable that Lara Croft almost never existed. “Tomb Raider’s protagonist started off as a man named Fletcher Christian,” explains Crystal Dynamics’ senior community manager Meagan Marie, who’s busy putting the finishing touches to a 20 Years Of Tomb Raider book due out in October. “He was reimagined as Laura Cruz, a South American archaeologist and mercenary inspired by Tank Girl…

INFO FORMAT PS1 RELEASED 1998 PUB EIDOS DEV CORE DESIGN SALES 6.5 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER III CONTAINS… Quicksand; monkey bars; steamy breath in cold weather; a trip to Blighty; deadly piranha. TOMB RAIDER III FACTS Lara’s mansion saw another overhaul, this time with a quad bike racing track in lieu of the maze. It wouldn’t appear during gameplay again until Tomb Raider: Legend. The London-based villain, Sophia Leigh, was voiced by the same actress (Judith Gibbins) who provided Lara’s vocal asides. It wasn’t seen as a big deal at the time, but TRIII saw the series dabble in stealth, courtesy of Lara’s new crouch and crawl moves. Not a main pillar of gameplay, true, but a telling indicator of how ubiquitous stealth would become. TRIII is the only…

INFO FORMAT PS2 RELEASED 2003 PUB EIDOS DEV CORE DESIGN SALES 2.5 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TR: THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS CONTAINS… Rubbish stealth; more lasers than Mission: Impossible; unnecessary dialogue; a stabby sidekick. TR: THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS FACTS Its borked stealth sections were designed in response to the colossal success of the first two Metal Gear Solids. Core designed The Angel Of Darkness to act as a launchpad for a new trilogy. Poor sales and terrible reviews put paid to that – it would be three years before Lara was seen again. Angel rarely made its heroine bust out her passport. It took place entirely in a very gloomy Paris and Prague. In the Louvre levels, the Mona Lisa was swapped out for a picture of composer Peter Connelly.…

INFO FORMAT PS3 RELEASED 2008 PUB EIDOS DEV CRYSTAL DYNAMICS SALES 2.6 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD CONTAINS… Mutilated manors; a giant octopus; realistically filthy knees; Thor’s hammer; Lara’s doppelgänger. TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD FACTS Player Tailoring was one of the best difficulty systems we’ve seen, letting you tweak parameters, such as enemy health and ammo capacity. DLC filled out the story of Lara’s clone, showing us what she was up to when not bothering the real Croft. Alas, it never made its way to PS3. Lara’s twin sported her iconic braid, while Croft had a ponytail – the clone was born after Anniversary, when she had the classic ‘do’, y’see. Keeley Hawes again supplied Croft’s vocals, while gymnast Heidi Moneymaker supplied the mocapped moves. They say “go big, or…

BOLDER LARA Ms Croft is stronger than ever. Brutal execution abilities make up-close combat more fun, and she can now dive underwater for elongated swimming bits. BIGGER PUZZLES An upped tomb count means many more contraptions. A tricky clambering sequence over and around this ancient orrery is one of the highlights. BETTER SKILLS New traversal abilities include the ability to attach rope to Lara’s axes to swing on these hooks, and firing arrows into walls to use them as perches.…

“DIPLOMACY WON’T CUT IT HERE SO WE PLUMP FOR FOCUS ENHANCEMENT TO SLOW DOWN TIME.” We’re sent out of Prague and towards Golem City, a squalid, futuristic ghetto for Aug-folk that’s brutally monitored by non-Augmented police. Here you can’t tell where the shipping containers end and the buildings begin. We’re seeking out Talos Rucker, a charismatic, supposedly non-violent leader of the Augmented Rights Coalition, the main suspects for the train station bombing. An informant promises to help Interpol, but when we set our first foot in the city, all we find is his seething sister-in-law. We try to cajole his whereabouts from her, but initially, she doesn’t want to know. We opt for kinder word and eventually get some information we can use – the Golem Police have set up…

“THE STORY DESERVES TO BE JUST AS REVERED AS KOJIMA’S METAL GEAR SAGA.” INFO FORMAT PS VITA (DOWNLOAD ONLY) ETA OUT NOW PUB AKSYS GAMES DEV SPIKE CHUNSOFT Morphogenetic field theory, Nonary Games, consciousness shifting and the many-worlds interpretation – the cult-favourite Zero Escape series has never been averse to slinging hard maths and complex science ideas at its players, but Zero Time Dilemma takes things one step further. Not only do the trademark quantum mechanics spiels and the brain-twisting, timestreamhopping shenanigans continue to pile up, but this trilogy-closer also asks a big question of all its players: vast swathes of prior knowledge. Ironically, this visual novel’s premise is actually rather simple. Nine people are locked inside an underground facility – forced to complete escape room style puzzles and…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV TRI-ACE Hero wears blue, heroine wears pink. Hero wields sword, heroine wields staff. Hero fights, heroine heals and hero’s wingman Ted emphatically points out heroine is honestly, totally, utterly butterly 18. A traditional JRPG in all but length, clocking in at a modest 20 hours, the fifth entry in tri-Ace’s flagship series is something of a mythril-rod-in-the-mud. Sure, it’s pretty. Magical, even. But it’s also steeped in the musty aura of light years gone by. From its static save points and unskippable cutscenes to its chocolate box towns and cookie-cutter fetch quests – “Get me a unicorn butt, stat!” – Faithlessness is best viewed through rose, or should I say, sakura-tinted glasses. Serving up every predictable plot point in the…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB BANDAI NAMCO DEV HIPSTER WHALE The little critter’s not fussy. All Pac-Man ever wanted to do is eat non-stop and dodge ghosts. And it’s no different this time around. This latest instalment sees our titular hero doing what he does best: snarfing Pac-Dots like nobody’s business to the merry tune of “wakawakawaka.” But something wicked this way comes. Fans will recognise the original game’s infamous kill screen, a garble of letters and numbers erroneously triggered when the player reaches level 256, making it impossible to beat. Now, however, the glitch has been transformed into an active villain, chasing you up an endless map. It might be slow, but don’t be fooled – let it consume you and it’s Game Over. That means there’s…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB FOCUS HOME DEV SPIDERS With several years between Bioware games, there’s a real need for more story-heavy RPGs featuring companions, romance options and moral choices. You might be tempted to pick up The Technomancer to fill this void, but it’s the equivalent of munching on a soggy petrol station steak slice when you’re craving a juicy sirloin. Everything you’d expect from a third-person RPG is in here, including (pretty limited) character creation. You’re Zachariah, a newly graduated Technomancer, which is to say an electrically powered Jedi Knight unravelling a conspiracy on post-apocalyptic Mars. As a protagonist, Zachariah is as engaging as a cardboard cutout of Hayden Christensen, while you’re not given enough customisation options to really add your own personal touch. There are…

Comic book cinema doesn’t get much better than Marvel’s latest slugfest. A superior Avengers movie to last year’s Age Of Ultron, Captain America’s third “solo” outing sees Team Cap and Team Shell Head square off in some of the best action scenes ever committed to superhero celluloid. When their latest mission goes disastrously wrong, the Avengers are given an ultimatum – accept UN control, or hang up the spandex. Freedom fan Steve Rogers takes a stand against, but Tony Stark throws in with the authorities. Caught in the middle is Steve’s BFF The Winter Soldier. The culmination of 12 films’ worth of setup, Civil War signals Marvel’s emotional maturity as storytellers, with a willingness to address the human cost of its characters’ destructive actions in a thoughtful way. Remarkably, despite…

“THERE’S BEEN NOTHING ELSE ON ANY CONSOLE THAT EVEN COMES CLOSE.” INFO PUB SONY DEV MEDIA MOLECULE RELEASED 2011, PS3 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £13.27 NEED TO KNOW 1 Musician Ochre leaked LBP2’s confirmation. 2 Move-specific tools came wth Rise Of The Cakeling DLC. 3 Free-to-play LBP Hub has kinda disappeared. When the original LittleBigPlanet arrived in 2008, it was hard to see how it could be improved. An idiosyncratic collection of wires, switches and pistons, it let gamers create anything – from explodey piles of blocks (beginner level) to a playable version of Tetris (co-creator Mark Healey level). But the sequel blew it out of the water with a tool set that’s still to be bettered. LittleBigPlanet 2 isn’t just a second go at the same idea. It grew…

Ben Tyrer STAFF WRITER Now known in OPM Towers as “Brown Touch Ben,” for reviewing nothing but crud. Will he finally catch a break this month? (Spoiler: nah.) GAME OF THE MONTH Resident Evil VII: BH Demo FAVOURITE TOMB RAIDER Tomb Raider (2013) Jen Simpkins STAFF WRITER Spent the entire month loudly lusting over Wrench’s ‘emoji goggles’ from Watch Dogs 2. The rest of us are like: ( ;–_–) GAME OF THE MONTH The Witness FAVOURITE TOMB RAIDER Tomb Raider III Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Some of the Lara artwork in this mag was based on Milf’s cover sketches from his OPSM1 days. Much of it was… “unprintable.” GAME OF THE MONTH Hitman FAVOURITE TOMB RAIDER Tomb Raider (1996) Andy Westbrook MASSIVE TRAITOR A new life on sister mag…

22 Number of players per race that F1 2016’s online multiplayer will support. 3h48m The complete running time of Mighty No. 9’s lengthy end credits. Zzzz… 30/8 Forget that Umbrella Corps nonsense – Resident Evil 4 hits PS4 on this date. 2,000,000 Record-breaking number of people who downloaded the Resi VII demo. 2018 The release year for the new Tomb Raider film, starring Alicia Vikander. 20.8m PS Plus subscribers – that’s more than doubled in the last year. 33% Overwatch’s Torbjörn’s nerfed turrets now do a third less damage. £104.99 How much we’ll be shelling out for The Last Guardian’s Collector’s Ed.…

PERSONA HIGH-FIVE After some nail-biting uncertainty about whether Persona 5 would even make it to the UK, Deep Silver has confirmed it’s publishing it here. Panic over. DEAD CENTRE Doom’s first update is here – and it’s a goody. It adds the classic weapon-in-the-middle-of-the-screen-view, plus a Photo Mode. Good luck trying to get a demon to say “cheese.” OH NO U DON’T As of 1 August, you can no longer watch streams on, or broadcast from, PS4 via Ustream. Er, did anyone use it over Twitch or YouTube? SACKED OFF Sad news for LittleBigPlanet fans in Japan. All of the servers have been shut down, meaning an end to online level sharing. NO MOD CONS Bethesda promised we’d have Fallout 4 mod support on PS4 by now, but it’s been…

“SPIDER-MAN IS MARVEL’S CHANCE TO MOULD A GAMING UNIVERSE TO MATCH ITS CINEMATIC ONE.” WRITER BIO As he was too young to watch the original Spider-Man film at the time, Spidey obsessive Ben Tyrer created a petition to get the BBFC rating lowered for it at his local cinema. He has not lost that level of derangement. You can’t dispute that Marvel movies own the multiplex. The comic company has cultivated a universe that richly weaves individual stories through its ever-expanding cast of heroes, while raking in all of the money. In recent years it’s been quiet on consoles, but the E3-revealed Spider-Man title from Insomniac Games is Marvel’s best chance to mould a videogame universe to match its cinematic one. So how does it do…

1 You need to approach herds of twitchy Grazers stealthily. We take a group down by shooting one explosive canister, which then sets off a chain reaction. 2 Broadheads are “acquisition” machines, says senior level designer David Ford. Tie them down then override them. They’re not the only rideable beasts, either. 3 These guys are Horizon’s bouncers. Watchers’ eyes turn yellow when scanning. If they detect you, they’ll call for backup, so pounce from tall grass. 4 Shell-Walkers are most definitely dangerous. Shoot off the crate, loot it and leg it. It pops it back on if you’re too slow. Oh, and then kills you.…

XCOM 2 Don’t look into the eyes! Set entirely within your own nightmare, this hellish survival horror pits you against a demon made only from the skulls of its previous victims. Finding a way to wake yourself up is your only chance of escape. FORMAT PS4 ETA 9 SEP TITANFALL 2 Earth has been destroyed, the galaxy is at war, but sports fans rejoice – the Olympics live on! The one major rule change is that there are now no rules, with mech suits and guns playing a pivotal role in the 100m. FORMAT PS4 ETA 28 OCT WATCH DOGS 2 Meet Stryker, American Apparel model gone rogue. Lead him to glory in Frisco’s baddest RC helicopter race while fending off pretenders to your crew’s throne. Most importantly, can you…

1 Genetically engineered zealots donning phat pseudo-medieval bling, Space Marines favour ballistic weaponry and explosives over subtlety and stealth. 2 A twisted mirror image of the goodies, Chaos Space Marines come equipped with the dark sorcery of heathen gods. Also: horned hats. 3 Tyranids are insatiable hive predators from beyond the galaxy. You fight them in claustrophobic PvE missions beneath the crust. 4 An Eldar is what an elf would look like if it were an iPod. Fast, precise and fond of energy weapons, beware their nimble gravtanks.…

“IT’S LIKE SAN FRAN’S WINKING AND LOOKING THE OTHER WAY.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 15 NOV PUB UBISOFT / DEV UBISOFT MONTRÉAL Acid-bright. Robust. A statement of intent. Fun. We can only assume these are the thoughts running through hacktivist protagonist Marcus Holloway’s head as we have him admire and don a pair of pink Crocs. They’re also the ones running through ours as we play. A far cry from the oppressive, paranoid darkness of Watch Dogs, Ubisoft’s sequel is a sunny, unselfconscious good time. Get ready to hack like nobody’s watching. Watch Dogs’ Chicago kept a stern eye on players, all surveillance and shadows, but WD2’s San Francisco is basted in golden light and naughty neon DedSec graffiti. As we saunter down Pier 39, we get the feeling the…

Forgive us for using the X-word, but use it we must. Fast-paced, mech-based first-person shooter Titanfall was an Xbox exclusive. Now, the team at Respawn Entertainment – composed of many of the ex-Infinity Ward creatives behind the Call Of Duty franchise – are bringing the robo-rodeoing action to PS4 with Titanfall 2. Jen Simpkins sits down for an exclusive interview with founder and CEO Vince Zampella, producer Drew McCoy and lead multiplayer designer Todd Alderman to discover how the PS4 sequel builds upon Titanfall’s incredible momentum. OPM: The first Titanfall was only available on Xbox. Were you expecting it to release on PlayStation eventually? Vince Zampella: We always set out that originally it was going to be on Xbox at launch. We didn’t know it was necessarily going to be…

INFO FORMAT PS1 RELEASED 1996 PUB EIDOS DEV CORE DESIGN SALES 7.5 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER CONTAINS… Hearty exploration; painfully precise jumps; some T-rex murdering; a man called Cowboy; an ace English mansion. TOMB RAIDER FACTS Though she quickly became a PlayStation icon, Lara’s debut outing was actually released first on Sega Saturn. It would be the only Tomb Raider to hit that console. Nathan McCree composed the theme tune. He parted ways with Tomb Raider after III, but is now involved with some 20 Year Celebration recordings. The exterior of Croft Manor was inspired by Core’s offices. It remains one of the greatest and most memorable training levels of all – and surely a gaming mansion second only to Resident Evil’s. A PS1 Greatest Hits version came bundled…

INFO FORMAT PS1 RELEASED 1999 PUB EIDOS DEV CORE DESIGN SALES 5 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TR: THE LAST REVELATION CONTAINS… A massive dragon; 16-year-old Lara; Von Croy’s creepy demon eyes; oh God, so many beetles. TR: THE LAST REVELATION FACTS Lara’s friend Jean Yves was planned for more games – until an actual French archaeologist called Jean Yves noticed similarities between himself and the model. The character was axed from sequels. Tomb Raider II and III voice actress Judith Gibbins made way for Jonell Elliott, who would go on to voice Lara for the remainder of Core Design’s control over the franchise. There were actually two PlayStation versions of The Last Revelation. The first had a five save file cap and triggered the title screen upon death, while the second…

INFO FORMAT PS2 RELEASED 2006 PUB EIDOS DEV CRYSTAL DYNAMICS SALES 4.5 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER LEGEND CONTAINS… Missing mums; motorbike chases; Keeley Hawes; Excalibur; a trip to Cornwall. TOMB RAIDER LEGEND FACTS Composer Troels Folmann’s soundtrack paired levels with instruments native to their geographical setting, and bagged the Bafta for Best Original Score. The Croft Manor of the first games was given a dramatic facelift to bring it into line with the pad in the Jolie movies. At one point, Legend was going to feature a motorbike chase along an English motorway, as Lara tried to save her kidnapped sidekicks. The PSP version included a multiplayer mode, Tomb Trials, in which two Crofts raced each other and played hide-and-seek. Years before Yamatai, Lara survived a separate near-death experience:…

INFO FORMAT PS3 RELEASED 2013 PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV CRYSTAL DYNAMICS SALES 8.5 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER (2013) CONTAINS… Over-the-shoulder shooting; advanced ponytail physics; a clichéd Scotsman; loads of Lara injuries; amazing beaches. TOMB RAIDER FACTS It was built on Crystal’s Foundation engine, while the later PS4 Definitive Edition offered an unlocked 60fps, plus fancy features such as TressFX hair. Lara underwent a radical facelift, with her new design based on model Megan Farquhar. Californication actress Camilla Luddington provided Croft’s vocal tones. The reboot’s lovely score was composed by Jason Graves. He’s probably best known for pounding your eardrums in the Dead Space trilogy. The oft-forgotten multiplayer launched with five maps and three modes, offering variants on team deathmatch. Now this is how you bring…

A week on from the Dubai mission, Jensen’s back in his new home of Prague and recuperating after getting caught up in a bombing incident at Ruzicka Station. Groggily waking in his apartment, Jensen discovers the blast has made his HUD go haywire – he needs a trip to Vaclav Koller’s house of cyborg tinkering to sort him out. The bad news? Koller informs Jensen that said house is under siege from Dvali crime family thugs – you won’t miss the implication of who he wants to sort out that little problem. Our first steps into Prague are overwhelming as we take in the sheer scope and detail of the hub city. Anti-Aug graffiti is sprayed just about everywhere, and police officers spit “Clank” at modified citizens they don’t like…

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.…

“I AM SETSUNA FEELS LIKE IT’S BEEN SALVAGED FROM A 25-YEAR-OLD TIME CAPSULE.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV TOKYO RPG FACTORY As far as developer names go, new Square Enix studio Tokyo RPG Factory is the worst since Wet maker Artificial Mind & Movement decided it should be referred to as A2M. The word “Factory” is the issue: it conjures up images of chimney stacks belching smoke into the Japanese capital’s sky while, behind sweating brick walls, production lines of developers churn out new games as fast and as cheaply as possible. “Factory” suggests minimal quality control, workers chained to their desks and cookie cutter ideas. It most certainly doesn’t sound like a home capable of piecing together the most finessed, standout JRPG on…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB THE DIGITAL LOUNGE DEV DINO DINI The Kick Off series originated when games were played with joysticks, so its control scheme had to be simple enough to work with just a single button. This latest version uses the same system – hold to tackle, control and dribble the ball, tap it to pass or shoot with the direction and power indicated by the left stick, and tap it when not in possession to slide or head. It’s not only a terrible, counter-intuitive setup that simply doesn’t work with DualShock 4 but, incredibly, it isn’t actually explained anywhere within Revival. This means that if you didn’t play it back in the ‘90s, you have no idea how to dribble or pass properly. As the…

“BEFORE YOU CAN SAY ‘SANDRA BULLOCK,’ YOU HEAR A DESPERATE GASPING.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB 505 GAMES DEV THREE ONE ZERO Ladies and gentlemen, we are now floating in space. Well, it feels like it. Adr1ft’s greatest asset is its ‘you are there’ immersion, a combination of immaculately calibrated movement, smart sound design and astonishing environmental detail. The extraordinary scenario helps, of course. As Commander Alex Oshima, you’ve got to make your way around a space station that’s very much in kit form. You won’t be able to piece it back together, but you will get to the bottom of how it went boom. Eventually, at least. Not that you’re concerned about much beyond your own survival during a terrific and terrifying start. After a brief…

No sooner had we recovered from an incredible June lineup than July’s freebies came. And they were plentiful. An excellent portable JRPG, boss battle after boss battle and more baked goods than even Sony could hang off a wall. Six games – then a surprise in the form of lucky number seven… While other platforms make agonised grabby-hands at gorgeous third-person PS4 MOBA PARAGON, we got exclusive early access over a month before the open Beta. We gathered friends for tactically rich 5v5 matches and cooed over free Master Challenges, Rare Challenger skins and permanent Hero XP boosts for Gadget, Murdock and Rampage. Epic. But there was something for solo slayers, too. Hack-n-slash/bullet-hell boss fighter FURI (PS4) launched free for us lot. Sword fighting and dual-stick shooting shone in frantic,…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB 505 GAMES DEV RELOADED GAMES REVIEW N/A Originally launched on PC in 2012, this online first-person shooter blasts onto PS4 in free-to-play form. Satisfyingly for a bot blaster, movement is weighty but fast, with L1 allowing you to speedily boost and R1 letting you hover. Fighting players is enjoyably chaotic as you leap and dodge across the map, trying valiantly to gain any sort of advantage. There’s also a decent selection of six modes to choose from, so there’s plenty to get stuck into without spending a thing. Unfortunately, Hawken can be a little ropey, with an inconsistent framerate marring the majority of our matches. There’s also little incentive to drop any dollar outside of upgrading mechs. It’s an adequate stop-gap until Titanfall 2, but little…

BATTLE MAP PACK Minecraft’s latest update adds up to eight-player PvP duelling. The first map pack comes with three handcrafted arenas – Temple, Medusa and Lair. Get your fight on. INHERITANCE Head back to the mad painter’s house in Layers Of Fear. This time, play as his daughter, face your past and hunt down your spooky birthright. Thanks, Dad. Or see your local GP. PENDLES, ETC. A Rogue snake (oo-er) arrives in Battleborn, along with new PvP maps, if you’ve got 47,500 in-game credits. We’re sure all five of you still playing are ecstatic. ALL DAY AND A NIGHT Calling all maniacal (or otherwise) Prison Architects. This DLC has eight new wardens, eight new prison maps and eight new plots to pimp your penitentiaries. BALROG The boxing champ was the…

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE 8 AUG Animated adaptation of Alan Moore’s acclaimed graphic novel about the origins of the Joker. Mark Hamill returns as the Clown Prince. EDDIE THE EAGLE 8 AUG Fab, feel-good sports movie about Eddie Edwards, who in 1988 became the first British ski jumper to compete in the Olympics. TALE OF TALES 8 AUG Exquisite adults-only fantasy anthology based on the works of Giambattista Basile, who inspired the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney. SING STREET 8 AUG Your new favourite film – an Irish musical comedy set in the ’80s about a schoolboy who forms a band to win a girl’s heart. Guaranteed to leave a smile. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 8 AUG Subdued and soulful sci-fi about a father on the run from both the FBI and…

STEP 1 MIX AND MATCH IT UP If you’re not switching characters regularly, you’re at a huge disadvantage. Step away from your waifu – you need a third Widowmaker like I need a licence to practise medicine. (Bad example?) Constantly evaluate the opposing team’s lineup. Reinhardt’s damage-blocking shield does diddly squat in the face of Symmetra’s photon projector, and her wall-mounted turrets can give his vulnerable back a sneaky death-massage. It’s here that Winston’s limp lightning gun shines, wiping those mini-sentries. Hanzo’s Scatter Arrow also counters them and, more importantly, that goddamn Easy mode robot Bastion. Fire at the floor in front of your target for max damage. One more tip: the class system isn’t concrete. Tank Zarya’s an effective Support, while Support Symmetra excels at early-game defence. STEP 2…

1 “IT’LL NO MORE TEACH YOU TO FIGHT THAN LA NOIRE WILL TRAIN YOU IN FORENSIC PATHOLOGY. (FINGERPRINTS, PHELPS. JESUS!)” 2 “THERE’S PRECISELY ONE GAME THAT ACCOMMODATES PLAYERS WHO WANT TO RUB OUT A 40-STONE GLASWEGIAN WITH A FIREARM STUFFED INSIDE POULTRY.” 3 “THE ONLY REASON I TRUST EA’S TRAINER IS BECAUSE HE SAYS ‘BUTTOCKS’ AS TWO SEPARATE WORDS. BUTT. OCKS.” 4 “THE BACKGROUNDS LOOK LIKE SCI-FI PAPERBACK COVERS FROM 1972, WHICH IS A BRILLIANT SPACE NERD BONUS.”…

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 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN While retaining that distinct storytelling and sense of wonder that defines an MGS title, MGS V offers a level of freedom and creativity unheard of in any sandbox. Grand, majestic and bittersweet, it’s an instant classic. 3 GRAND THEFT AUTO V Laughing in the face of other cross-gen ports, GTA V on PS4 is more…

1 THE LAST OF US PS3’s premier developer proves a misbehaving pooch can learn new tricks in this extraordinary adventure. In true Naughty Dog fashion, the Californian studio subverts everything from zombie and post-apocalyptic tropes to the gameplay beats of its own back catalogue. Effortlessly blending stealth, horror and action with a script destined to break your heart, TLOU is interactive storytelling at its finest. 2 GRAND THEFT AUTO V The largest entry in the series is also one of the most ambitious games ever, but its fusion of thrilling missions, entertaining characters and scathing satire looks effortless. There can be no better way to bring a generation to a close than this. 3 UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES The game that sparked a million mancrushes, with a perfectly pitched script,…

“THE COLLECTION COMES WITH ALL THE ESSENTIAL SINGLE-PLAYER DLC.” Our attempts at mind control have paid off. After a flood of leaks to rival Rapture itself, a full remaster of all three Bioshock games for PS4 has been officially revealed: Bioshock, Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite all arrive on 16 September. A wise “choice,” 2K… One of gaming’s most legendary series has given us awe and fear-inspiring dystopian settings, genetically modified FPS combat, iconic characters and some of the greatest stories ever told. Now, it’s set to shock us (pun intended) all over again – our fave levels, plasmids and mammoth mechanical mates will receive shiny current-gen reskins, running at a crisp 1080p and a slick 60fps. It gets better. The collection will come with all the single-player DLC. And…

Could Devil May Cry 5 be on its way to PS4? No E3 hints from Capcom, but a photo of original series voice actors Reuben Langdon and Johnny Yong in mocap gear has emerged online. Platinum co-founder Hideki Kamiya is dropping heavy hints about a new Okami… Some sources suggest the upgraded PS4 Neo could launch this year. How about a slimline PS4? Industry analyst Takashi Mochizuki thinks it could also be on the way… Blizzard’s hired a new game director and is advertising several positions. We smell Diablo 4 on the horizon.…

@LORDERK I finally finished@Borderlands. Holy crap. It’s so good. Maybe my fave Telltale game now. @UMBYRELLA “Your basketball robot will cry actual human tears” – David Cage on NBA 2K17’s MyCareer mode. @IAMCHRISCALI South Park: The Fractured But Whole might be the best videogame title ever. @SHMEGOLAS Hanzo and Widowmaker have a club where it’s just them and they complain about everything. @_BUMBLEDORE Detroit Become Human looks so cool. Probably not going to buy it though. I hate making decisions. @REKTANGO Serious note, Horizon Zero Dawn looks like it is going to be a god-like experience. Hoping! @DHAGELBERG00 I don’t want to be “that guy” but the animal Kratos and his son were hunting was an elk, not a deer… @EMTEESA Getting #fifa17 especially for Pogba’s dab. The dab ain’t…

“GAMING SHOULD THRILL, SURPRISE AND FILL US WITH WONDER – AND NOTHING CAN DO THAT LIKE NEW IP.” WRITER BIO Andrew Westbrook suffers from itchy feet. Not the type treated with a cream (he claims). His condition is an obsession with the new, the different. Which perhaps explains why this is his last issue as a part of Team OPM. It’s also why he can’t wait to get his Freaker on. Pop quiz. What links pretty much every major reveal at this year’s E3? Not sure? Here’s a clue. One title not in that club also happens to be the one game that’s left me drooling over every detail and repeat-bingeing its trailers more than any other. That game is Days Gone, Bend Studio’s breathless monster thriller. But I’ll come…

1 PORTAL 2 Hey, no one said every cave had to be a physical space. We adore Portal 2’s Cave Johnson. Brilliantly voiced by Oscar-winner JK Simmons, Johnson is Aperture Science’s billionaire CEO. He helps guide Chell through an abandoned facility from beyond the grave via colourful recordings. 2 DESTINY Eat that delicious Destiny cheese. Gaming’s naughtiest cave surely belongs to Bungie’s space shooter. Located in the Skywatch region of Earth’s Cosmodrome, this cheaty loot hole would continually spawn aliens, allowing Guardians to mine endless Engrams. The glitch was patched, but its cheeky spirit won’t be forgotten. 3 UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES Trust Nate to out-pretty every other cave. Among Thieves’ 17th chapter sees Drake and mountaineering expert Tenzin brave the absurdly elaborate climbing puzzles of a frozen cavern nestled…

“OUR DECAPITATION INSTINCTS SOON KICK IN – THEY’RE A THING, RIGHT?” FORMAT PS4 / ETA TBC / PUB SONY / DEV BEND STUDIO A dusky, post-apocalyptic wilderness. A chiselled man in shabby clothing carrying a rifle on his back. Melancholic strings, and what sounds like the caramel rumblings of Troy Baker. Surely a cinematic trailer for The Last of Us 2, right? Wrong in the extreme – and Bend Studio’s action-packed open world absolutely revels in it. Gruff protagonist Deacon St John (actually voiced by Being Human star Sam Witwer, not Baker) is a biker/ bounty hunter trying to survive the aftermath of an event that shattered the world two years ago. His surroundings are gorgeous: the Pacific Northwest’s varied locale morphs as Deacon rides through. Sweeping, sun-dappled views of…

“IT TAKES ITS CUES FROM DARK SOULS, PHASING PLAYERS IN AND OUT OF YOUR PATH.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 / PUB DEVOLVER DIGITAL / DEV SLOCLAP That one of Sloclap’s biggest inspirations for Absolver is God Hand should be all you need to hear to get excited. While you won’t be able to literally spank opponents here, there will be countless opportunities to do so figuratively in what’s shaping up to be one of the most innovative brawlers in recent memory. It’s set in the fallen empire of Adal, where an order of combatants known as Absolvers have established themselves in a bid to keep the peace. You are a Prospect, hoping to prove yourself worthy of joining their ranks in a brutal training ground. That space takes the…

“RAMA SKIPS OFF INTO THE VOID, REPLACED BY HARDTACK AND HIS PUNCHY SHOTGUN.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 / PUB DEEP SILVER / DEV VOLITION How do you sum up the Saints Row series in one (polite) word? Factoring in musical throwdowns with Satan, fart-in-a-jar grenades and live molluscs as ammunition, we’d pick: unique . But despite being part of the same universe, Volition’s new third-person shooter dares to be different yet again. Okay, so it is faintly Saintly. A sandbox blaster, you bomb about the cartoony city of Seoul – obliterating buildings and your reputation in equal measure – as a vigilante Super Agent. Or rather, agents. To switch things up, the single-player-only Agents Of Mayhem has you save the day solo by… switching things up.…

1 If you’re gagging to go in, all guns blazing, as a combat hacker, feel free. Regular firepower’s available, and you can craft your own deadly weapons. 2 With more options than ever, you can cause invisible mayhem as a stealthy ghost hacker. Zap guard dogs’ collars, or set off distracting explosions. 3 Not invisible enough? Work from afar as a trickster, using your quadcopter and RC jumper’s mechanical arm without ever physically engaging. 4 All of these methods can be combined, but if it all goes wrong, ditch the super soaker and switch to a machine gun. Sweet, familiar bullets.…

2002 MEDAL OF HONOR: ALLIED ASSAULT Over at 2015 Inc., Zampella and co-workers Jason West and Grant Collier head up the creation of EA’s military PC shooter. It’s hugely successful. Controversially, all three jump ship to start their own studio. 2003 CALL OF DUTY With Activision cash and 22 team members in tow for their new studio, Infinity Ward, the trio develop another WWII shooter – a little game called Call Of Duty. It’s a critical and commercial hit. Medal of what now? 2005 CALL OF DUTY 2 Tripling in size, Infinity Ward takes a huge risk, deciding to spread its wings beyond only PC gamers for a COD sequel. It pays off. The game sells more than 1.4 million units in year one. 2007 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN…

INFO FORMAT PS1 RELEASED 1997 PUB EIDOS DEV CORE DESIGN SALES 8 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER II CONTAINS… Terrifying sharks; new outfits (a bomber jacket and wetsuit); flares (the fiery kind); a harpoon gun; a hedge maze in your back yard. TOMB RAIDER II FACTS Lara’s model jumped from 250 polygons in the first Tomb Raider to a (then) whopping 450 – more than enough to see her iconic braid rendered in-game. Tomb Raider II was the first of the series to arrive as a console exclusive to PlayStation machines, after the Sega Saturn was dubbed not powerful enough. The sequel didn’t see the return of Lara voice actress Shelley Blond. Judith Gibbins took the role. Lara’s mansion had a refurb, including the addition of her bedroom and bathroom,…

INFO FORMAT PS1 RELEASED 2000 PUB EIDOS DEV CORE DESIGN SALES 1.5 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER CHRONICLES CONTAINS… A talkative hanging corpse; chloroform takedowns; a sniper rifle; a living bronze statue packing a laser-sword. TOMB RAIDER CHRONICLES FACTS The year 2000 also brought a somewhat controversial casting, with American Angelina Jolie being named as Hollywood’s Lara Croft. She pulled off the British accent – shame the plot was a bit bum. Chronicles’ secrets came in the form of shiny Golden Roses. There were 36 to collect, after which you’d unlock a special menu with The Angel Of Darkness artwork, as well as Chronicles storyboards. The Rome section featured famous sculpture The Mouth Of Truth. Legend has it that if a liar sticks their hand into the mouth, their fingers…

INFO FORMAT PS2 RELEASED 2007 PUB EIDOS DEV CRYSTAL DYNAMICS SALES 1.3 MILLION (ALL FORMATS) TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY CONTAINS… Familiar locations; shinier graphics; grappling hooks; bullet time dodges; stupid dinosaur bit. TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY FACTS Eidos sent Lara model Karima Adebibe to open a women-only beach in Rimini, Italy, to celebrate Anniversary’s release. You see, Lara’s also a woman. Stages could be replayed with audio commentary from Anniversary’s creative director, Jason Botta, and original Lara-maker Toby Gard. Croft Manor gained an outdoor area, a vast hedge maze, as a nod to Tomb Raider II. Core worked on its own 10-year anniversary remaster for PSP, but the project never saw the light of day beyond a leaked trailer. Has there ever been a smarter remake than Anniversary? Not only did Crystal…

Dubai, 2029. The skyline is littered with half-built hotels that look unlikely to be finished. In one of those failed construction projects – the forlorn Desert Jewel Hotel – a trade is about to take place between Iraqi smuggling cartel The Jinn and an arms dealer known as Sheppard. We’re flying overhead as returning cyborg Adam Jensen, who’s now part of Interpol in the covert Task Force 29, in a swish jet that doubles as a command centre. A pop-up message gives us a stark choice: play lethally or non-lethally? It’s never that simple, of course, with Deus Ex – so over the course of the game’s first eight hours, we push Jensen to his limits to find out if Mankind Divided can really be played any way we want.…

Once Koller’s done fixing Jensen – and discovering new, experimental Augs buried within him that we’ll test out later – it’s time to head off on our next mission where Jensen’s asked to investigate the train station bombing he witnessed after the tutorial. Once there, we discover the heavily armed local police aren’t too keen on having Interpol muck up their crime scene, meaning there are plenty of obstacles between us and the evidence we need… We saunter up to the cop and hope to sweet-talk our way through. No dice. After a tense put-down, a change of tack is needed – an easily hackable door out of sight provides just that. The node-capturing hacking mini-game returns from Human Revolution, along with its varying degrees of difficulty, so we drop…

“IT TREATS THE SCI-FI SMASH WITH SUCH AFFECTION THAT YOU’LL GRIN LIKE JABBA AT A PIZZA PARTY.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3/ PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB WARNER BROS DEV TT FUSION Picture the cutest kitten you’ve ever seen on the internet. Now imagine kitty riding a pug in a magical wonderland populated by frolicking micro pigs. Yeah, that’s still not as cute as Lego BB-8. Like the dinky droid star, TT Games’ take on The Force Awakens is both adorable and a surprisingly clever cookie – so full of smarts and new ideas that it’s the freshest Lego title in ages. The British studio treats JJ Abrams’ sci-fi smash with so much affection, it’s hard to stop yourself grinning like Jabba at an intergalactic pizza party…

“FEATURE-RICH, BUT WITH NONE OF MINECRAFT’S POLISH, CHARM OR MAGIC.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB TELLTALE DEV THE FUN PIMPS What do the words “zombie apocalypse” mean to you? Images of a dishevelled Andrew Lincoln, scavenging through bins and stripping the old world bare? Despite surface similarities to well-established series, however – including DLC that lets you play as Michonne, Lee and other The Walking Dead characters – the premise of Minecraft-like builder 7 Days To Die feels a little, well, off. You play as a survivor emerging bleary-eyed into a ruined and hostile world. Yet rather than sleeping on that conveniently empty mattress, or scrapping cars down to their parts, you’re expected to revert to the stone age and build your entire wardrobe from scratch –…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB UBISOFT DEV REDLYNX Platform racer series Trials has never taken itself too seriously. It’s been increasingly indulging its weird side lately, however, edging away from a stripped-down, mud ’n’ grit style and heading for grandstanding stunts, pyrotechnics and all-round silliness. As a spin-off that inserts all that into the ’80s action-movie universe of Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon seems to make sense. Enough, certainly, to make it Kind Of A Big Deal when Ubisoft revealed it would be available as soon as its E3 conference was over. You’d think you were in for a good time. But you’d be wrong. Like trying to land a 50-foot jump while pulling a wheelie, Trials Of The Blood Dragon is a miscalculation that ends up in…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB WEIRD BEARD DEV WEIRD BEARD Fun fact: I once spent three hours in an old man pub finding out I was surprisingly good at Jenga. My little digits, it turns out, are way less shaky than I thought. So you’ll understand my delight at the release of Tricky Towers, a devilishly moreish 2D take on the world’s favourite block-stacking party treat. Brick building is the name of the constantly swaying game, as this puzzler whisks together Towerfall, Tetris and Tumble, then blends them into an addictive cocktail. Whether working through 50 fiendish single-player trials or indulging in a frantically madcap brand of four-player couchplay,1 TT’s cartoon wizards must swiftly arrange falling shapes into ramshackle structures. There are three gametypes, each of which has…

“A ZOMBIE COULD DASH AT YOU, BUT YOU’LL HAVE A HARD TIME SEEING IT COMING.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB CAPCOM DEV CAPCOM First, there’s the pain. Swiftly followed by the rage. And finally, wondering where you can find some brains. Nope, it’s not the zombification process, just what you experience playing this dreadful Resident Evil team shooter spin-off. Despite the series’ course correction we’ve seen from Beginning Hour’s teaser for Resi VII, this inexplicably squirms onto PS4 offering nothing that anyone – let alone fans of the series – wants. Umbrella Corps is a series of bad design decisions. At a glance, it’s a simple third-person shooter, but the camera’s so close to your shoulder that your character takes up a third of the screen. This…

OVERWATCH Jen Simpkins stays frosty in the face of payload pressure “Oh Blizzard, you scamp. You’ve done it again!” I chuckle to myself, basted in caffeinated drinks, cheese dust and regret, as 2am arrives. I can’t duck out now. My equally sleep-deprived pals need me to stop the enemy from nudging the payload to the objective. I’m defensive beast Mei and the payload is 0.65m from its destination. A flea could sneeze it over the line. For four full minutes, we hold it there: my ice walls block while our Pharah rains down justice. Mei’s Ultimate freezes all enemies… and we win. Another go before bed, anyone? NBA 2K16 Andrew Westbrook hits the court, only to discover he ain’t no MVP. Not yet… Yes, PS Plus, you have seriously delivered!…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB SONY DEV SAN DIEGO STUDIO REVIEW N/A Fighting a disease is a nasty business. In this free-to-play twin-stick shooter/MOBA, it’s the Strain, transforming innocent, flamethrower-wielding humans into monsters in 5v2v5 matches (two teams of five humans, one team of two mutants). Rolled mutants? Win by “turning” humans to your team or capturing the map with black goo. Human? Battle health-sapping Strain gunge, the other teams, plus enemy turrets and bases. A fun idea (varied classes, accessible abilities and mech suits prompting furious action) – but day-one servers are abysmal, and a persistent bug often makes everyone suddenly immune to damage. Tech issues aside, a MOBA where teams constantly change feels fundamentally unbalanced. No cure for a wobbly concept, sadly. VERDICT Glitchy, patchy, nigh-on unplayable at launch,…

UNCHARTED 4 – LOST TREASURES The wait for new Nate’s single-player continues. In the meantime, we’ve got the first free multiplayer drop. It includes the flank-tastic Sunken Ruins map, and new items such as the P90 Long Gun and the teammate-teleporting Path of Indra Mystical. COD: BLACK OPS 3 – DESCENT – STORY MODE Dreaming of space? This Blops DLC brings you back down to Earth with its fire-breathing dragons and robot zombies. Battle them in the next part of the Origins Zombies saga, in alt-universe Stalingrad. There are four new multiplayer maps, too. ALIENATION – LOCAL CO-OP The twin-stick shooter’s new update adds the local co-op we’ve been wishing for, as well as a ranked Leagues system and two new difficulty levels. Got a chunk of change? Its first…

“EVEN MORE BUGS THAN THAT SCARAB BEETLE SCENE FROM THE MUMMY.” INFO PUB EIDOS INTERACTIVE DEV CORE DESIGN RELEASED 2003, PS2 GET IT NOW OR DON’T. NO, REALLY, DON’T. WHAT? Lara’s PS2 debut was supposed to be the start of an all-new trilogy, kicking off with Ms Croft being wrongly accused of the murder of her mentor. It was so bad it pretty much killed developer Core Design, and the trilogy was quietly binned. WHO? Back in 2003, Tomb Raider fan Matthew Pellett decided to give The Angel Of Darkness a wide berth after stinking review scores. With Lara’s 20th looming, it’s time to play the one that got away. An eight out of ten in our Official PlayStation 2 Mag days? AN EIGHT? What manner of illegal-plant-smoking/brown-envelope-exchanging/wrong-button-pressing madness happened…

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…