Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i PLAY

GAME OF THE MONTH Just Cause 4 MOST PLAYED PS4 GAME PES 2017 (318 hours) As we go hands-on with The Division 2, Metro Exodus, and Rage 2 this issue, it’s clear that 2019 is shaping into a great year for shooters. All three games are aiming to add more depth to the genre; you can read my impressions of this issue’s cover game on p48, while Jess enters the deserts of Russia on p32, and Oscar takes a closer look at the world Id Software and Avalanche are building on p62. If shooters aren’t your thing then turn to this issue’s Big 10, starting on p6, to discover the kind of variety PS4 is known for. Leading the way is Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a remake of the classic…

BACK FROM THE DEAD News of industry layoffs is always sad; game devs work hard. When Telltale closed, its game The Walking Dead: The Final Season was two episodes into its five. We’re happy to hear Skybound Entertainment stepped in to get core Telltale staff to return and finish it, and Episode 3 is now available. PASSING JUDGMENT The previously-codenamed Project Judge has been officially named Judgment, and given an English-voiced story trailer. It’s from the same dev as Yakuza, which has remained undubbed since the first game. Join detective Takayuki Yagami as he hunts an eye-stealing serial killer targeting criminals. A DAUNTING TASK Free-to-play Monster Hunter-alike Dauntless is heading to PS4 in April 2019. With the world torn apart, slayers come together to fight large behemoths (should it have…

Flip over to p102 and you’ll find us delving into the depths of the Lego Aquaman DLC content pack for Lego DC Super-Villains. As far as movie videogame tie-ins get, that’s about the best we can hope for these days, but it boggles the mind as to why. After all, it’s not just Lego Aquaman that’s got me thinking about the current dearth of great superhero games. To tell the truth it’s been niggling at my superhero-loving brain since E3 2018, when I was first ushered into a little room and my hands were placed lovingly around the controller that was hooked up to the new Iron Man game. Sorry, I mean the new BioWare game, Anthem. I’ve written about Anthem every way I know how in the months since…

1 Ain’t no winter like a Russian winter. Crunchy snow lines the map and obscures sight lines, making stealth in the open field much more complicated. 2 In spring, winter’s chill is far from forgotten. Stealth may be easier but the waterlogged, muddy environment means you’ll have to clean your guns more often. 3 In summer Anna coughs and complains, while a number of your fellow rangers get heat stroke. That’s to say nothing of the sneaky, sleeping Humanimals… 4 We covered the Pioneers and Pirates back in issue 153. Their base in an abandoned summer camp and is hardly the venue for a nice autumn getaway.…

FATE/EXTELLA LINK The galaxy needs saving and only a group of colourful anime stereotypes are up to the job in this hack-and-slash adventure. There’s even a cute pink-haired girl who’ll learn to accept her flaws and value her friends. Truly revolutionary. FORMAT PS4 ETA 1 MAR GOD EATER 3 As a very hungry monster you like nothing more than to chew down on gods in this open world belly full of fun. To eat a deity you need to time your button presses to the rhythm and noise of slapping gums. FORMAT PS4 ETA 8 FEB LEFT ALIVE Three people are left alive in a featureless white room, and only one of them knows how to get out. Happily, he’s the one with the dirty great gun. Left Alive is…

1 Between the Highwaymen and the Survivors is Irwin Smalls. We stash our gear and follow him down a zip wire into a lovingly defaced tunnel. 2 We meet Smalls’ pint-sized associate on the inside. They lead us through the Highwaymen’s open air gym. Weird flex, but all right. 3 In the processing room, we’re asked our name. Smalls’ associate comes to our silent protagonist’s aid and dubs us ‘Lollipop.’ Well, no-one will forget it. 4 Our next mission objective is simply ‘Reach the pit.’ Our time with the game ends just before we get to see just what we’ve got ourselves into.…

AWAY: JOURNEY TO THE UNEXPECTED FORMAT PS4 ETA Q1 2019 PUB PLAYDIUS DEV AURELIEN REGARD This anime-styled first-person action game is brimming with the sort of charm you only get when a French developer creates Japanese-style visuals. While the cartoony world it’s set in is 3D, all the characters are 2D. Roguelite elements keep you coming back as you whack your way through these worlds, making friends and allies as you go. Light-hearted and vibrant, it seems there will be plenty of goofiness to uncover. While developer Aurelien is Paris-based, he’s teamed with Kazuhiko Naruse for the soundtrack. JENNY LECLUE – DETECTIVU FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 / PUB MOGRAFI / DEV MOGRAFI The developer asks you to “embrace the choosiness” in this narrative adventure game about growing up. In…

OPM: There’ll be three episodes released post-launch. How important is it to support The Division 2 in this way? David Polfeldt: I am very happy about what we’re planning. I think it’s important to know the game should change after launch. We’re fully anticipating that there will be things that we need to discover about the game, depending on how people play it and what they do and don’t like. That’s where we’ve set it up more like a relationship. We have a first idea of what post-launch should be and we’re planning for the unexpected or for reactions we need to have to community feedback. So it’s a different kind of a plan. It’s not like we have decided everything yet, it depends really on the conversations we will…

1995 TEKKEN Created by ex-Sega developers, the original entry in the series redefined what a PS1 fighting game should be, and was the first PlayStation game to sell over one million copies. 1998 TEKKEN 3 Back in 2009 we got all nostalgic and called this “One of the finest fighting games of all time.” In fact, it’s widely regarded as one of PlayStation’s greatest ever – it’s reason enough to buy a PlayStation Classic. 2017 TEKKEN 7: FATED RETRIBUTION A return to form for the classic series, we scored this entry 9/10 in issue #138. Tekken 7 brought back classic characters and old game modes alike.…

Having played the first game, we’ve got some burning questions about how the new one relates to it. We’re particularly keen to know more about our special abilities, and one returning group of baddies who we’re excited to see again. After all, the setting for Rage 2 may be anarchic, but we’re firmly on the side of the lore… OPM: Can you tell us more about the Ranger Suit your character wears? It reminds us of Doom’s Praetor Suit. “WE NEVER KNEW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AUTHORITY IN RAGE.” Tim Willits: [In the original] there was the Ark Suit. It allowed you to have your defib, your Ark Suit upgrades, and that was kind of integral [to Rage]. Magnus and I took that fiction and extended it. [...] The Rangers,…

When a game features a pelican called Mr Percival, you might (not unreasonably) expect it to be GOTY material. When you discover that it consists of nothing more than walking left to right and playing a handful of minigames, however, your expectations are likely to change. An adaptation of the 1964 children’s book by Colin Thiele, Storm Boy is in principle a wonderful idea. You, controlling the titular bad-weather boy, cause paragraphs from the book to appear on-screen when he hits certain trigger points in the environment. There are optional minigames1 along the way to keep young minds engaged. It’s a great concept, but the execution is terrible. Each book extract disappears from the screen when your character moves too far out of an invisible box, meaning you must literally…

Now that the dust has settled from the explosion of a controversial release, what do we have? Well, it seems those who do like the game really like it, with the result that high-level players are now commonplace. The servers are just as busy as before, too. That’s bittersweet news though, because they always tended to run below capacity; and more people are going it alone, uninterested in other players. The latest patch applied at time of writing tinkers in various places, the most important change arguably being the stash box capacity increasing to 600 (with a further increase promised for the future). Sadly, nothing has been done to increase server populations or to encourage a more social experience. VERDICT A gloomy appeal remains for those willing to give it…

TEKKEN 7 – SEASON PASS 2 The entire line-up for the new season of Tekken fighters has finally been revealed. Joining Anna Williams and Lei Wulong are Armor King, Craig Marduk, and Julia Chang. Rounding it out is a cameo from The Walking Dead’s Negan. DEAD BY DAYLIGHT – DARKNESS AMONG US The tenth chapter in this 4v1 online horror survival game adds the most terrifying enemy –”normal” people. The Legion is a group of serial killer teens who kill for the thrill, and can even appear to be survivors themselves. FINAL FANTASY NT – THE YUNA STARTER PACK Everyone’s favourite, Yuna, is now available to download for Final Fantasy NT. She’s the fifth character to become available in the Season Pass. Using magical abilities she offers a distinct style,…

As well as being cursed with a face that looks like someone kerb-stomped a lobster, the poor Predator’s big-screen fortunes seem to have been hexed, with a succession of sub-par sequels following the insta-classic original. Now we have The Predator, but despite the presence of the definitive article in that title, the hunt is still on for a definitive Predator sequel. Written and directed by screenwriter Shane Black with a nostalgic reverence for the larger-than-life ’87 original, it’s part-continuation, part-love letter to the series. Logan’s Boyd Holbrook stars as Quinn McKenna, the leader of oddball veterans The Loonies. When a Predator crash-lands on Earth, pursued by a hulking ‘Upgrade Predator’, Quinn and his ragtag crew become embroiled in their interplanetary civil war. As you’d expect from the brain behind Lethal…

Playing this year’s excellent God Of War finally piqued my interest in the original game in the series – also, confusingly, titled God Of War – after more than a decade of ignoring it. The adventures of a tattooed bald man getting increasingly violent and shouty? No thanks. I’ve spent enough Saturday nights in Wetherspoons to get my fill of that. Playing it now, though, with the modern semi-sequel semi-reboot in the back of my head, is a fascinating experience. I can see the same cinematic ambitions, albeit a little less convincing thanks to the blocky polygon characters of the PS2 era, but the sense of scale is still undeniably impressive. The opening level has me fighting a three-headed Hydra – and, after killing it, climbing down its throat like…

TETRIS EFFECT Tetris, yeah? It might be a great game, but it’s easy to understand why you’d brush this off as just more Tetris at a glance. Yet Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s trippy, transcendent take on the block-based puzzler is nothing short of a masterpiece. Sure, you can play it without PS VR, but in the virtual space it really becomes next level, transforming one of the tightest puzzle games ever made into an emotional ride. THE PERSISTENCE This first-person horror roguelike offers perfectly sized chunks of survival bursts. It’s everything you’d expect from a full PS4 release, but in PS VR it’s filled with clever ideas, unique weapons, genuine jump scares, and fab looks – plus great couchplay. REZ INFINITE Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s vision becomes reality in PS VR. This psychedelic rhythm…

I don’t enjoy being away from the things I like, which is why my PS Vita is on me at all times and why I find it so hard to leave my living room when I’m deep into a PS4 game. Remote play helps me out, letting me stream my PS4 to my Vita whenever I want. Sure, it’s not always the same as the big screen – but grinding out enemies in Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest XI in bed is a blast, and who doesn’t want to mosey around the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 as Arthur Morgan from their hotel room?…

Oscar Taylor-Kent GAMES EDITOR Oscar either loves RPGs, or unicorns and saucy bath times. We think we know the real reason he’s played so much of The Witcher 3. GAME OF THE MONTH Persona Dancing MOST PLAYED PS4 GAME The Witcher 3 (91 hours) Jess Kinghorn STAFF WRITER 101 hours of Persona 5 and Jess hasn’t even finished it yet. Thank goodness our school days didn’t last this long. GAME OF THE MONTH The Council MOST PLAYED PS4 GAME Persona 5 (101 hours) Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR Meanwhile down on the farm Mim’s been milking, seeding, and dating. A lot. no wonder we’ve not ‘herd’ from her in ages. GAME OF THE MONTH Subnautica MOST PLAYED PS4 GAME Stardew Valley (314 hours) Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR “I think I…

5,000 Jak And Daxter: The Precursor Legacy physical editions released. 07 Extra gifts packed inside the PlayStation Classic Collector’s Bundle. 10 million New lifetime sales of Monster Hunter: World – everyone’s playing it! 50 New games added to PS Now in December, including For Honor. 100 Size in mm of the new Totaku Bloodborne Hunter figure. 158,000 Words in the new (but not final) Final Fantasy lore book, available now. 236 Months between Crash Team Racing releasing on PlayStation and PS4.…

Like Abzû, Giant Squid’s new game, The Pathless, is a beautiful exploration of nature wrapped in some of the best animation we’ve yet seen on PS4; the lead character’s elegant movement is reminiscent of Disney at its best. As The Hunter you venture to a mystical island to banish a curse that has the world in its grip. It’s a simple setup that will lead into an evocative journey as you explore the misty forests and ancient, ruined temples that litter the landscape. The way you stalk the island’s corrupted creatures lends an air of Shadow Of The Colossus to The Pathless. Defeating them – we’ve seen giant stags, a three-headed dragon, and what can only be described as a fiery, horned horse – frees their spirits and weakens the…

BEYOND GOOD After waiting so long for Beyond Good & Evil 2 to even get announced, we love how transparent Ubisoft is being about showing it off. The gameplay looks great! DRAGON AGE Onimusha: Warlords has just dropped, and it seems remakes of the first two Panzer Dragoon games are on the horizon – we’re being spoiled with Japanese rereleases… NOW WE’RE TALKING Updates to PS Now bring even more games to the service. You can download PS4 games now. For Honor, Sherlock Holmes, and Slime-san headline the additions. DRAKE DRIFTER Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled will be joining the likes of Jak X on PS4. Which reminds us: Naughty Dog never made the obligatory kart racer for Uncharted. Why not? WAITY ISSUE As we look ahead at 2019 E3 is…

I understand that everything is subjective but I’m finding it a little bit difficult to accept OPM’s judgement that Uncharted 4 is the best game available on the system. This seems to me to be patently ludicrous; Uncharted 4 seems to be the absolute epitome of a ‘good game’, not spectacular, certainly not terrible, but… just ‘good’. The shooting is ‘good’, the story is ‘good’, the driving bits are ‘good’… it is… good. Surely in the post Red Dead Redemption 2 world you have to reconsider the adulation that you pour upon Uncharted. You aren’t fooling anyone. Jonathan Bowden via email We reckon Uncharted 4 is much more than the sum of its parts – which are, individually, excellent. Add them all together and it’s one superb game.…

1 RESIDENT EVIL 4 No longer a rookie, Leon’s charged with rescuing the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham. Kennedy and his protectee must survive waves of Ganados, the odd knife-handed loon, and more than one cranky cave troll. The best survival tactic? Order Ms Graham to cower in a dumpster. Sorry, Ashley. 2 JUST CAUSE 4 Rico’s latest South America sandbox plays fast and loose with the concept of escorting. Rather than ferry a political prisoner or dainty damsel from A to B, the gravity-defying agent has to protect a hurricane from troops who are trying to stop it with wind cannons. Never change, Just Cause. 3 THE LAST OF US Joel and Ellie’s journey sees the Texan gun-runner escorting the foul-mouthed teen to a group known as the Fireflies, so…

“THEY MUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO PRESERVE THEIR FRAGILE BOND.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 / PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / DEV ASOBO STUDIO Labelled ‘that rats’ game by many, the more we see of Asobo Studio’s historical adventure the greater we appreciate A Plague Tale is much more than a pile of writhing, hungry rodents. There’s  an emotional story to tell, and the visual design to match the narrative aspirations. To recap, A Plague Tale: Innocence casts you in the 14th-century shoes of Amicia, a 14-year-old girl on the run with her five-year-old brother. At the start of the game the pair barely know each other, but are thrust together as tragedy strikes their family and the Inquisition hunts for them. It’s a simple setup that raises many…

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.…

Ride 3’s enthusiasm for its motorcycles is infectious, and the detail of some of the loading screen reading is deliciously nerdy. It’s an enthusiast’s game, no question. But that same enthusiast will compare this riding experience to the excellent TT Isle Of Man, and wonder why that game feels so much more immediate. Ride 3 does little wrong, but just doesn’t provide the same rush as many of its peers. The gameplay is nonetheless commendably balanced. A pop-up message gently nudges you into harder difficulties when you’re winning too easily, and the usual ultra-hardcore simulation handling is there if you want it. The default riding settings are supremely playable, making for a pleasantly accessible racing sim.1 You’re still guiding a two-wheeled vehicle, though, which is much less stable than a…

SNK HEROINES: TAG TEAM FRENZY Jess Kinghorn is all about the action… AND NOTHING ELSE, OKAY? This boasts all three of my requirements: cute outfits, feisty dames, and plenty of punchups. Unfortunately, some of the outfits are questionable, and the dames are feisty as they’re there against their will, but at least the fisticuffs are intense. Mechanically levelling the playing field, fights can only be ended with a super move. You’d think that’d mean hope for someone whose lack of co-ordination is so well-documented but online play brings me right back to reality. WARFRAME Oscar Taylor-Kent gets in the robot The Fortuna update gave me ample reason to jump back into Warframe. Before I even get to Venus, I’m distracted by how good it feels to play – especially considering…

POSSUM 21 JAN Matthew Holness is behind this horror about a puppeteer who returns to his childhood home with a marionette, Possum, ripped from your nightmares. KING OF THIEVES 21 JAN Michael Caine, Ray Winstone, and a cast of diamond geezers star in this thriller about the thieves who pulled off the Hatton Garden heist. CRAZY RICH ASIANS 21 JAN Romcom/cultural phenomenon about a New Yorker who discovers her Singapore-born boyfriend really is crazy rich. CLIMAX 21 JAN Controversy magnet Gaspar Noé (Enter The Void) directs this horror about a dance troupe’s descent into hell after their sangria is spiked with LSD. A SIMPLE FAVOUR 21 JAN Missing person mystery – Anna Kendrick plays a mom blogger who investigates the disappearance of her friend Blake Lively. THE HOUSE WITH A…

INFO PUB SONY DEV INSOMNIAC GAMES PRODUCTIONS RELEASED 2013, PS3 GET IT NOW PS NOW, £12.99 PER MONTH NEED TO KNOW 1 It was initially called Clock Blockers. 2 A fan of the series designed the Spiral Of Death gun. 3 A Crack In Time starred as a PS Home space. Even the happiest of couples need the odd break from each other. After being in each other’s intergalactic pockets for years, Insomniac’s Lombax engineer and his diminutive droid pal were well overdue for some much needed me-time when this time-fiddling adventure rolled around. And while the iconic PlayStation pairing will always work best as an alien-blasting duo, turns out they’re both effective as lone wolf space explorers. Almost ten years on from its initial launch, Ratchet & Clank: A…

UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END Nathan Drake’s swan song is a daring evolution. It combines series-defining set-pieces, quietly devastating storytelling beats, and sprawling levels that make you feel like a real-life explorer. This franchise finale retains its signature charm, with the wisecracks flowing as fast as the bullets, while the new characters each justify their inclusion. With an astonishing attention to detail, it’s Naughty Dog’s best yet. RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 There are a lot of open world games, but none that make you feel like you’re a part of a world in quite the same way as Arthur Morgan’s wild west adventure. Tremendously physical, an epic story, and some of the most satisfying headshots you’ll ever find. GOD OF WAR A departure in some ways but a resounding return…

“DARK RAIDEN PULLS A PIKE; SCORPION DRAWS A SWORD.” Has there ever been a more violent reveal trailer than Mortal Kombat 11’s bloody brutal two-and-a-half minutes of slicing and dicing? Somewhere even The Last Of Us’ Ellie is reaching for the sick bucket. Billed as a return to the series’ gory heyday, Mortal Kombat 11 will again feature a cinematic narrative mode, which follows on directly from Mortal Kombat X; Dark Raiden is on the warpath and so many bones are going to be broken across time. The trailer is full of hints as to how this latest iteration of the game will play. Dark Raiden pulls a pike from the scenery, teasing more interactive stages. Scorpion draws a sword, suggesting stance changes. The pair deliver fatal blows – a…

IAN DEAN EDITOR “OPEN BETAS NEED TO GET BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL PURPOSE AND STOP BEING ANOTHER WAY TO HIT OUR WALLETS” Betas are fast becoming yet another way for publishers to eke out more cash from us gamers, and steer games away from genuine criticism. They used to be a way for devs to test servers, spot flaws, and do free QA testing ahead of release, but when you consider Fortnite has been in beta for over a year, and you had to pay to access it, and more publishers have followed suit, the lines are being blurred. Worse still, being in beta can be used as a pass card for criticism. Terrible lootbox levelling? “It’s in beta, it’ll change.” Betas aren’t bad, but they’re open to abuse. JESS…

@LOMBAX_GIRL_94 Finally got hold of @OPM_UK! Was prepared to keep buying this until I got the Leon cover, so I’m super happy I got it on my first go @HERO_OF_SKY UK tiene mejores revistas que España, aunque también son más caras. [Muchas gracias! – ed] @QUINNY_BOB Steins; Gate is finished! That’s 75 platinums and just over 2400 trophies altogether this year. I should probably give it a break now, phew... @THETATTOOEDBEAR 2019 is looking killer for #PS4 ... @OPM_UK latest issue is proof of that @JENVONLEE In PT, the radio at one point practically describes the Death Stranding trailer. They do a lot to distract you from listening, but if you do… creepy. @TROZJAN PlayStation gettin sold to Apple @ROCKETMINX I met my husband through @OPM_UK’s Facebook page and we…

PlayStation VR spent its first two years as an impressive proof-of-concept – cheaper than its PC equivalents, with smart use of pre-existing equipment like the camera and PS Move controllers – but it was still hard to justify dropping a significant chunk of change on it. There simply wasn’t the library of games to support it, and I’ve heard many sad stories of headsets stuck in cupboards, their lenses gathering dust. But in 2018 – right around PS VR’s second anniversary, in fact – that started to change. Last year saw the arrival of Guitar-Hero-meets-Jedi-Knight rhythm game Beat Saber, adorable mouse fantasy adventure Moss, and my beloved Tetris Effect (the best way to put yourself into a VR trance). But perhaps most important was Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, which showed…

“IN THE DESERT WE REALLY FEEL THE DISTANCE FROM MOSCOW.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 15 FEB PUB DEEP SILVER / DEV 4A GAMES Anna is missing. And that’s just one more thing on our to-do list that has gone wrong since leaving Moscow, though it’s pretty close to the top of it. We’d say something about our sniper getting herself  into trouble but given the number of times we very nearly had our own face chewed off by Watchers, or drowned in the irradiated water, or got rumbled by crazed cultists, we don’t really have a leg to stand on. The surface, specifically the patch by the Volga we’re now scouring, is no more welcoming than the Metro was. But there’s that much more space to retreat into… not that…

“HOLDOUTS ARE SEIZING WHAT THEY CAN FROM THIS RECOVERING LAND.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 15 FEB PUB UBISOFT / DEV UBISOFT MONTREAL Spoiler alert: it wasn’t a Bliss-induced hallucination after all. The bombs really did drop. But they didn’t just drop in Montana. The end was the beginning of a global nuclear apocalypse, we discover  when Ubisoft shows its homework to us in an underground bunker somewhere in London… The rain only returns after ten years of nuclear winter. Through it all we see the husk of the cult’s church, ravaged by snow and then harsh winds. But with the rain, a new world blossoms. The flowers resulting from a superbloom aren’t the only survivors: holdouts across Hope County are seizing what they can from this recovering land. Pitched as…

“GREG JOHNSON RETURNS TO CRAFT THE WORLDS OF BACK IN THE GROOVE!, WHICH MEANS THIS IS A PROPER SEQUEL.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 1 MAR PUB HUMANATURE STUDIOS / DEV HUMANATURE STUDIOS Baseball cap turned backwards. Check. White vest? Check. Oversized gold chain? Absolutely. You, lovely reader, are ready to travel back to the ’90s and  embrace the funky vibes of this classic Sega Mega Drive hit reborn on PS4. So what’s the dillio? The big news is that the original game’s co-creator, Greg Johnson, returns to craft the worlds of Back In The Groove!, which means this is a proper sequel. The aim, says Greg Johnson, “was to capture the spirit of game one, and everything that was best about game two, and then add a whole new set…

Despite being two years old Tekken 7 remains one of PS4’s best fighters, and its latest season pass only reinforces its status. The current roster is expanded by series stalwarts Anna, Lei, Craig Marduk, Armor King, and Julia Chang (as well as a guest appearance from The Walking Dead’s Negan). This issue, like a Cher impersonator at a wedding, we’re turning back time. With Tekken 3 proving one of the best games in PlayStation Classic’s lineup, we catch up with the director and producer on the Tekken series, Katsuhiro Harada, who has worked on every game in the series (he even voiced the original Yoshimitsu, Marshall Law, and Kunimitsu). What does he make of Tekken 3 being on PlayStation Classic? Why was PS1 such a magnet for fight fans? How…

MARSH, NOT MELLOW The swamplands have an ‘American South’ vibe to them and are home to the River Hogs gang and the town of Lagooney. You can pilot hoverboats in the wetlands, and some enemies here have created mech-like robots from scrap, which is resourceful, if not exactly welcoming. MEAN GREEN Nature is reclaiming things in this area. “There’s so many aspects in this where you lead the player with nature – just a simple thing to just orient yourself in the world – if you know there's a green area over there I can use that in my mind to know that's that direction,” says Nedfors. WELL’ ON EARTH Wellspring is the first city we come to in our demo, and the missions we are given there reveal the…

FINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE – 1.0 30 September 2010 Originally planned to come to PS3 shortly after the PC release, Final Fantasy XIV had to be put on hold due to technical issues and a poor reception. Changing project leads, the game had to be reborn… FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN – 2.0 27 August 2013 This release completely changed the game at its core – for the better. What’s fantastic is the way the dev worked the destruction of the first game’s world into the story of this one. It all makes sense! FINAL FANTASY XIV: HEAVENSWARD – 3.0 23 June 2015 In this massive expansion you journey to the closed-off kingdom of Ishgard and tackle an ancient (of course!) conspiracy. It added the Dark Knight, Machinist, and…

There’s a certain type of person for whom the words ‘it’s like XCOM but…’ are gaming catnip. In the case of Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics, the rest of that phrase goes ‘…but set in a World War Two where the Nazis unlocked the powers of the Old Gods’. It’s an effective setting, albeit one well-trodden by the likes of Wolfenstein, Hellboy, and Overlord. You control a ragtag squad from the Allied Forces’ own occult division, as they push into enemy territory in the wake of D-Day, discovering an increasingly historically-inaccurate bestiary of fascist monsters along the way.1 This is presented through turn-based tactical battles which handle very similarly to… you guessed it! XCOM. The biggest difference comes in Achtung!'s use of the rather old-school Action Points.2 Each unit gets 12 AP…

Lucky number 13! As a result of our meddling with time and space, we squeeze an extra issue into every year just for you. All the same, the fact you’re holding this issue in your hands now means we went to print too early to know what was in store for January’s PS Plus lineup. So feast your eyes on the very best of what we enjoyed over the 12 months of 2018. It was a year in which PS4 PS Plus subscribers saw Sony deliver a slew of hot Triple-A releases, for free. January saw DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED. In March we had BLOODBORNE, renewing our resolve to finally finish off all of those Chalice Dungeons, while April had us dusting off MAD MAX. This was just a teaser,…

Battlefield V’s multiplayer got off to a slow start, but DICE’s war on the lesser-known fronts of World War 2 is finally hotting up. The game launched with a fair selection of modes, though the new additions don’t significantly enhance the game, and none of the starting selection of maps stand out as Battlefield’s best. However, now Tides Of War is active things are changing. Fresh maps and rule variants are being added every few weeks, and there’s a livelier feel to multiplayer games. You have more rewards to earn, and more ways to grab XP – which is mainly attained through playing Battlefield as it’s designed to be played. While this isn’t the finished article yet (and DICE will tweak, constantly), the multiplayer is already a lot better than…

THE HANDLER’S WINTER SPIRIT COAT Being a Fashion Hunter in Monster Hunter: World goes beyond your character – your handler looks snazzy too, in this seasonal winter coat. PROVING GROUNDS Awaken Tiempochtl in this new series of Guacamelee 2 challenge levels located in the Badlands. This temple will test your skills to the limit to unlock new characters. JUNGLE ADVENTURE Not all Sims are homebodies; some want to get out and explore the world. And in this new The Sims 4 Game Pack they can. Jungles, temples, and treasure await! POISONED SOULS Warp-tainted drugs are an issue for the Imperium in this Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr DLC that includes a series of missions. Remember: just say no. LONG ISLAND RAILWAY When Oscar went to NYC they wouldn’t let him…

’Twas the season to be jolly, and there were luckily plenty of games to get jolly in while chowing down on mince pies and cheesy snacks. Luckily Team OPM stockpiled enough to see us through a few sessions. You’ve got to kick off the season by wrapping up warm, and that applies in-game too. It was great to see the Winter Solstice customisations return to Warframe, ensuring some elegant looks. The Overwatch Winter Wonderland once again added some great seasonal Legendary skins, which we mostly failed to track down, but were killed by. Stealing the show was the Krampus Junkrat, which made us feel all sorts of new emotions. Our questing was just as tinged with the red and whites. The wonderfully bizarre Q’s Winter Wonderland in Star Trek Online…

1 “MARRIES PLATINUM’S COMBAT TO AN OVERBLOWN PLOT THAT COULD FUEL A STANDALONE ANIME.” 2 “WHAT MINECRAFT: STORY MODE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE: A GRAND ADVENTURE WITH PLENTY OF ROOM FOR CREATIVITY.” 3 “PAID DLC OR NO, THE LEVELLING SYSTEM IS AN UNNECESSARILY CONVOLUTED BARRIER TO SQUEEZING THE MOST FUN OUT OF THIS AMBITIOUS, UNEVEN SEQUEL.” 4 “RIDE A RAT THROUGH THE SERPENT’S INNARDS BEFORE CUTTING YOUR WAY THROUGH ITS THROAT WITH A PAIR OF MAGIC SCISSORS.”…

PICK #1 LASER LEAGUE Jess Kinghorn is ready for the cut and thrust of this future sport It’s still worth dipping a toe into this neon puddle, especially if you picked it up as part of PS Plus back in October. Fast-paced and unpredictable, I’m always going back for seconds. This criminally overlooked take on tag is Team OPM’s standard method for settling any and all disputes – often cake-related. Taking up the blade once more, I can be certain that final slice will always be mine. PICK #2 FIFA 17 Oscar Taylor-Kent’s long Journey starts a few years in the past With the latest FIFA release (that’s 19, in case you’re not keeping count) closing out the fictional footballer Alex Hunter’s story, now’s the perfect time to revisit FIFA…