Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i PLAY

GAME OF THE MONTH Metro Exodus FAVE PS VITA GAME Hotline Miami The rumours of single-player games pushing up daises and calling it a day have been vastly exaggerated if this issue’s lineup is anything to go by. Our reviews section is bursting with solo fun; the first-person survival shooter Metro Exodus (p76) leads the pack, but the remade Resident Evil 2 (p86) is back and grabbing headlines and our jugulars. There’s more solo fun as we preview Greedfall (p44), an RPG with style and substance, and go hands-on with Mortal Kombat 11 (p34), a fighting series that has managed to make its story mode a major event. There’s plenty of solo play in our 19 Indies For 2019 feature too (p62), as we spotlight some of the most innovative…

BACK FROM THE DEAD Bring Arts is at it again with its highly detailed figures – this time Cloud Strife’s Kingdom Hearts form receives the posable plastic treatment. Buster sword in tow, this figure comes with plenty of hand and claw poses to boot, appropriate for whatever scene you’ll create, and will set you back US $80.99. GEAR UP, GUILT OUT The year’s 1998 and you’re hearing about Guilty Gear on PS1 for the first time. A rockin’ fighter in its own right, the team will go on to make Dragon Ball FighterZ and Guilty Gear Xrd. Well, good news! That PS1 game is being re-released on PS4 so you can shift gears back into this ’90s fighting game masterpiece. ZERO HOUR Avalanche has had a lot on its plate…

The idea of making a game, back when I was a smaller version of myself, was always so enticing I’d jump at the chance to try any CD that promised to teach me the mythical ways of game-making. The problem was, I was always rubbish at it. These days, though, it couldn’t be easier to put together your own little game projects. They might not be fully-featured Triple-A games, but there’s plenty of software out there for making your own basic text-based adventures and games right on your PlayStation, such as the upcoming RPG Maker MV and, of course, Media Molecule’s amazing-looking creative software Dreams. KEEP IT ALIVE Even though it’s easier than ever to make little gamey things, I still feel like I’m a bit rubbish, and I can…

We’ve all been there: red-faced, having to explain an embarrassing bum-dial. Maybe you call your editor at an inopportune moment but style it out into a pitch for an upcoming issue. Or maybe you  accidentally send off a garbled distress signal from a planet that’s home to some super-secret research you’d really rather the rest of the galaxy didn’t catch wind of. Happens to the best of us! The distress signal in question reaches your Captain, a person of occasionally questionable judgement who doesn’t always manage to fit the puzzle pieces together. Your companion, Ellie, tells you the sender is likely long dead judging by the message’s abrupt ending. The Captain, through a truly inspired dialogue option, can suggest the message is simply an intergalactic bum-dial. Ellie isn’t convinced by…

“THE KEY WORD BEHIND THIS NEW PROJECT IS ‘EXPLORATION’.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / DEV SPIDERS The sense of time and place is the first thing you notice about Spiders’ open world RPG. The game’s visual appeal embraces the chiaroscuro of Caravaggio, with every scene steeped in shadow. The landscape echoes the Flemish painting tradition of the 17th century. It’s romantic and violent, and it’s easy to forget this is all based in fantasy. Just looking longingly at the visual detail does Greedfall a disservice, as behind the grand views and intricate, Adam-Ant-like costumes, is an RPG that promises an open world of equally broad choices. Will you complete a quest down the barrel of a gun or with diplomacy? You can choose to do…

FORMAT PS4 ETA 22 FEB PUB EA DEV BIOWARE The thing about stepping into your Javelin – your robot armour – is that it just feels so good to pilot. BioWare has  made a name for itself crafting in-depth action RPGs, so you’d be forgiven for being surprised that the pure action elements of Anthem feel so natural. You move, shoot, and zip effortlessly around the huge, lush environments. In a lot of ways Anthem is a sidestep for the studio. While yes, upon starting the game you can check off a lot of the BioWare RPG elements you’d expect (a story steeped in out-of-the-way worldbuilding, and a hub area with characters to meet and befriend), those parts aren’t front and centre in Anthem. If you’re a hardcore fan of…

27 JAN – 2011 The existence of a successor to PSP is announced, referred to only as the Next Generation Portable, earning it the mysterious ‘NGP’ moniker. 6 JUN – 2011 At E3 Kaz Hirai takes to the stage to unveil NGP as PlayStation Vita, with a big presentation showing its many hardware features. 17 DEC – 2011 Less than a year from the announcement, the console launches in Japan. Those not mad enough to import are very jealous because… 22 FEB – 2012 …it doesn’t come west to the UK until February. Though with a stellar launch lineup and tons of features to play with, we’re satisfied. 31 OCT – 2012 While not the first portable Assassin’s Creed’s game, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation offers a truly console-like experience and…

THE BEST… RACING GAMES Small screen, big thrills, high speed – Vita’s well-stocked with arcadey speedsters WIPEOUT 2048 A colourful, smooth racer was just what PS Vita needed on launch to prove it could play with the big boys, and WipEout was the way to do it. It’s slick, fast, and so good to have in the palm of your hand. NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED Not only do racing games work on PS Vita, even well-made home console ports like this excel. SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED Celebrate Sega’s history in this fun kart racer. THE BEST… ACTION GAMES The handheld’s best action offerings slip unique twists into the familiar genre TEARAWAY The ever-playful Media Molecule was the perfect studio to make full use of everything PS Vita had…

OPM: Where did the idea for the framing narrative of the journal in Lost Words come from? Mark Backler: The game originally started from the Ludum Dare game jam with the theme of ‘minimalism’, with the intention of it being a bit like Tetris, but dropping words instead of blocks and you had a playable character too. The idea was that you’d drop words from a quote which landed vertically in ascending length order so you could climb up them with your character to reach a goal at the top of the screen. When I ran the game before I had physics on the words, though, the character dropped down and landed on the sentence which hung in the middle of the screen, and I thought that that was really…

Not everything’s black or white FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-4 DEV QUESTION While the horror genre is well stuffed, not many games capture the feeling of being among a group of teens struggling to make it through a night alive – and record evidence as proof. The Blackout Club has a team of up to four players desperately trying to survive a phenomenon in their small town where the residents all go sleepwalking, waking with no memory. Players work together to avoid The Shape, a monster that can only be seen when your eyes are closed, through procedurally generated missions.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 DEV MOGRAFI Growing up in a small town is hard enough – and then a mysterious murder forces budding detective Jenny LeClue to take on grown-up responsibilities fast. When her mother becomes a suspect, it’s up to Jenny to clear her ma’s name and save her family. With gorgeous visuals, and a very quirky, fun atmosphere, exploring and investigating Arthurton looks like it will be a delight. The town is filled with secrets, and there’s plenty to challenge Jenny’s sharp wits – and your own.…

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Smoke And Sacrifice is just another survival game, but while you do spend a good chunk of your time gathering and crafting,1 it’s woven around the framework of a good – if grim – story, set in a dark, steampunk-like world. You play as Sachi, a mother who, seven years after reluctantly sacrificing her first-born to the Sun God, has been given hope that he may still live and is transported to a bleak underworld in search of him. In this survival RPG, you progress by completing quests for the unsettling, gas-mask-wearing locals, who will then reward you with crafting recipes and items. Crafting a lantern will ward off the deadly smoke that only appears at night, but it’s not just…

Finding a room to take part in some online B-movie action isn’t a problem. The problem is how long you’ll be left waiting before you can join your host in blasting back the bugs and other alien invaders due to the padded length of average missions. Grab a cuppa and get comfy because it’s guaranteed to be a few minutes before the other side sorts out their pest control situation long enough to let you in on the fun. But once you’re matched it’s smooth sailing, offering plenty of weapons and missions you may not otherwise have gained access to in your offline game. However, Earth Defense Force 5’s online offering is still best for a short sci-fi sojourn and not a lengthy career as an interplanetary pest exterminator. VERDICT…

Mass Effect hasn’t aged well (fight me), but the rose-tinted specs are still firmly welded to my face for the second and third games. They remain amazing experiences today. I heard so many horror stories about Andromeda, though – an army of bugs, terrible design decisions – that I kept my distance. Turns out it’s not quite the disasterpiece I feared. Having created a suitably freakish Ryder, off I toddle to explore the universe. The opening few hours are, to be honest, pretty bad: dull and slightly confusing. After that though, things improve pretty quickly. “HAVING CREATED A SUITABLY FREAKISH RYDER, OFF I TODDLE TO EXPLORE.” BioWare hasn’t lost its touch when it comes to creating believable, engaging alien worlds. Even the 3D space maps are mesmerising. I find myself…

Oscar Taylor-Kent GAMES EDITOR After reviewing Resi 2 Oscar’s been on edge, unable to open any doors in the office “in case the big man gets him”. GAME OF THE MONTH Resident Evil 2 FAVE PS VITA GAME Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds Jess Kinghorn STAFF WRITER New Sekiro details this issue got our Bloodborneobsessed writer whirring. “He’s far from armless,” she giggled. GAME OF THE MONTH YIIK: A Post-Modern RPG FAVE PS VITA GAME Persona 4 Golden Miriam McDonald OPERATIONS EDITOR Our retrospective on PS Vita encouraged Mim to take Stardew Valley on the go. She’s cornfessed to loving this masterpeas. GAME OF THE MONTH Tales Of Vesperia FAVE PS VITA GAME LittleBigPlanet Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Art ed Milf can remember designing the mag’s original Resi 2 cover in…

£280 The price of the Mortal Kombat 11 Special Edition. Death’s not cheap. 39 Fighters have been announced for anime beat-’em-up Jump Force so far. 143 Millimetres – how tall Bring Arts’ new Nier: Automata 2B figure stands. 2 million Downloads were made of that one-shot demo of Resident Evil 2. 04 Heart-stealing Persona 5 figurines are in the works from Funko Pop. 500,000 People played Celeste. As a thank you, new levels will be added this year. 123 Beds in the original release of Final Fantasy VII. That’s a lot of sleeping.…

“CONSOLE AND ARCADE VERSIONS OF MOST GAMES ARE FEATURED FOR AUTHENTICITY.” Set for release 22 March, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection features over 20 classic arcade games from the legendary Japanese developer’s back catalogue. The collection is a mixture of memorable and cult releases from yesteryear. Each game has been revamped for PS4, with controls optimised for DualShock 4, the option to save at any time added, and new 4K-resolution graphics. HIT FACTORY The game roster features many of the most important titles from SNK’s early history, including the Ikari Warriors trilogy, format spin-off Time Soldiers, shooters Alpha Mission and Prehistoric Isle, and platform hits Athena and Psycho Soldier. There’s even room for ’90s RPG Crystalis and 1979’s Ozma Wars – the world’s second vertical shooter after Galaxian, and the first…

LEAGUES AHEAD The rush for cross-play continues apace as Rocket League becomes the latest game to embrace all comers on all hardware. The car-powered football sim just became even more fun. ONLY IN DREAMS Public invitation to the closed beta for Dreams went out in January, Media Molecule shared some of the best on its Twitch channel. We were impressed! OH SO SPECIAL The Days Gone Special and Collector’s editions have been revealed. We love the art book and moody statue, but the patches really are worth the fee. Your denim will thank you. DON’T THINK Not played Kingdom Hearts III yet? Then maybe the PS VR soundtrack, performed live in concert by Hikaru Utada will spur you on. This PS VR experience gives you front row seats and it’s…

Mainstream PS4 games are geared too heavily towards emotional storytelling and visual elegance instead of comedic appeal and whimsy. Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Last Of Us: Remastered, God Of War and Detroit Become Human – all of these look great but they are all too serious. We could do with more games that are stupid fun like the Yakuza series and Fist Of The North Star: Lost Paradise that aren’t developed by Japanese studios and let players laugh and enjoy themselves. We do not need cinematic-led productions because this is the medium of videogames not films. James Davie via email We reckon there’s plenty of room for both, James, and with games like Rage 2 and Wolfenstein: Youngblood coming, we’re guaranteed some laughs.…

Devil May Cry was a game I’d always turned my nose up at. Although the lure of its horror hack ’n’ slash vibe and extensive catalogue of demonic creatures had grown fierce, I simply wasn’t willing to set aside hours of my time playing catch-up across a daunting four ‘core’ instalments. Now DMC5 is one of my most anticipated games of this year, and I have the DmC (2013) reboot to thank for that. DmC modernised the series’ trademark gameplay and rebranded its protagonist, Dante, in a completely new story that required no prior knowledge of the series. Following this, DMC5 is now arguably less overwhelming. It’s clearly reconciled and balanced the nuances born of the reboot with the deep-rooted lore and well-loved characters that have kept the series buoyant…

1 RAINBOW SIX SIEGE Tom Clancy’s series has cooked up its own form of recreated duplicates. Born in Tripoli, Alibi is an infiltration specialist who can conjure up copies of herself. An expert shooter, the Italian badass has been handling firearms since she was three years old… which makes her and her copies triple the trouble. 2 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN Hideo Kojima’s stealth saga always had a wonderful sense of playfulness, and one of our fave examples of joyful irreverence is MGSV’s blow-up Snake imposter. As eagle-eyed as The Phantom Pain’s guards usually are, they can’t seem to distinguish between a human man and an inflatable doll filled with helium. 3 PREY When it comes to deception, Arkane’s shooter is the Petyr Baelish of games… or,…

“CINEMATIC MOMENTS OF FLESH-PEELING NASTINESS.” A lot has happened in the 28 years since Ed Boon first decided multicoloured ninja pulling one another’s spines through their throats would be a good thing. While this classic fighter continues to display its violent side, there’s more to this 11th outing than glossy gore. In our first hands-on, as Sub-Zero going toe-to-sharpened-forearm with a returning Baraka, we freeze our opponent and perform the classic upper, send a flurry of iced shards into our rival’s body like a card-shark dealing a hand, and break Baraka’s jaw in a graphic X-ray close-up. This last move is one of Mortal Kombat 11’s new Fatal Blows. These mini-Fatalities can be activated if your health drops below 30 per cent, enabling you to stay in the fight and…

1 You’re dispatched to the new world to find a cure for a plague sweeping across your country. This simple mission is layered with moral implications… 2 Will you befriend and unite the native tribes or join with your colonial factions to plunder the island? Each has advantages and disadvantages for your mission. 3 The colonial forces have science and technology on their side. Ranged weapons and modern tactics could mean a quick victory on the battlefield. 4 But the indigenous tribes can tap into the natural world and use the creatures of the island. A longer-term solution could be to go Dances With Wolves.…

What does Vita mean?” Kaz Hirai rhetorically asked the audience at E3 2011, as Sony officially revealed what had been codenamed NGP (Next Generation Portable), the true successor to PlayStation Portable. That first PSP had been Sony’s first steps into  the handheld market, and the company knew it could push things further. Much further. But what does Vita mean, actually? It’s something we’re still pondering all these years on. “FEATURE-RICH IS A TERM THAT GETS BANDIED ABOUT, BUT PS VITA WAS A ONE PERCENTER.” “Vita means life,” Hirai continued back in 2011, “and we’re confident that PlayStation Vita will be the first product that truly blurs those lines between PlayStation entertainment and your real life.” With production of the console ending properly this year in 2019, it’s been an eight-year-long,…

PS Vita might have been a handheld, but it was reported that the development kit version used by studios to make games had native HDMI-outs to display the games on TVs. While this never made it into retail features – possibly because it would have made it chunkier – the capability always lay dormant. That’s why the eventual release of the PlayStation TV made sense. Essentially a small box with PS Vita hardware inside it, you could hook it up under your TV to play PS Vita games on the big screen, plugging in a DualShock 3 or 4 to play using a controller. All you had to do was pop out your PS Vita memory card and put it into the PS TV to load up your data, and…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 / DEV GIANT SQUID STUDIOS Where Giant Squid’s debut Abzû took us deep under the ocean, The Pathless is a much more land-based affair. As the Hunter – cloaked, robed, and carrying a bow – you arrive on a cursed island covered in woodland and temple ruins. There you find an eagle, your only ally as you trek across the open world island, fighting many-eyed beings. “WE ARE MAKING A GIANT, CONTINUOUS AREA FOR PLAYERS TO EXPLORE.” “The scope of The Pathless is definitely larger than any game I have worked on previously,” creative director Matt Nava tells us. “We are making a giant, continuous area for players to explore without loading screens, and populating it with about a million trees. It’s a tricky balance…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 DEV TEAM SORCEROBE Forget sword and shield, a true knight isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty – fists-and-knuckles-style. Your duty is to ascend The Tower, a mysterious place where each floor consists of stolen land. This means each one you take on looks a little different, and once there you solve puzzles and fight enemies with your gauntleted mitts. Despite the retro RPG looks, combat happens in real-time. You’ll need your wits about you to dodge, counter, and use specialities to bring the knightly smackdown.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 DEV NO CODE If games have taught us anything it’s that we’re nosy. Give us someone’s private audiologs, or a collection of emails, and we love to have a snout (whether they met a grisly end or not). In Observation you do just that. You take on the role of SAM, a space station AI which can assist Dr Emma Fisher in finding out what happened to the crew of her research mission using the ship’s cameras and tools. Mess up, and you might arouse her suspicion. But you don’t deserve that… or do you?…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-2 DEV FOAM SWORD The adult world can be scary when you’re growing up, and it’s no different for Nessa and Demelza, two girls living on a fictional British island in the 1980s. In this coming-of-age adventure their compact community is in peril, and the girls must face the threat head-on and save the adults, learning new abilities as they go. Riding their trusty bikes, and fighting with the likes of Frisbees and water balloons, stomping in puddles – it’s a fantastic-looking exploration of childhood (with co-op).…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-8 DEV BILLY GOAT ENTERTAINMENT Swinging axes, spring panels, flaming fire pits… the shops in Supermarket Shriek are either the most bizarre or the trendiest. You ride down the aisles in an out-of-control shopping trolley doing whatever you can to make it through – literally screaming to survive. Because screaming is how you control your trolley. The main levels involve screaming on your own, or together in co-op (with an option to use a mic instead of a button if you want), and there are eight-player party modes to scream in too.…

Warhammer, like Twitter, is one of those things you either dedicate an unhealthy amount of time to, or ignore completely. Also like Twitter, it’s a universe with an endless supply of odious creatures where the good guys have to stick together in order to survive. A four-player co-op game such as this, therefore, makes perfect sense. Don’t worry if you haven’t played the first game, or if you have little to no interest in the tabletop roots. The paper-thin story works fine on its own, and Vermintide II will appeal to anybody who likes the idea of a first-person action game set in a fantasy world. Especially if they like tongue-in-cheek presentation, ratlike enemies,1 and seeing foes having body parts lopped off. All five available characters have ranged weapons, but…

DIVINITY: ORIGINAL SIN II Jess Kinghorn is bad luck on the high seas With Oscar doing important story things as the Red Prince, I’m playing Lohse, getting stuck into jesterly high jinks just outside of his field of view. Anyone familiar with the game will know things get off to a rough start. However, that’s not before the opportunity for some flirting with your fellow prisoners. As noticed by my scaly companion, I’m not the smoothest operator; he asks me, bewildered, “Why are you letting that scary elf lady lick your arm?” Needless to say, he finds my definition of flirting to be deeply questionable. FORTNITE Oscar Taylor-Kent’s tastes aren’t plane The last few big updates to Fortnite have shaken things up. Season 7 added a winter biome, and brought…

COSTUME PACK We love Tales Of Vesperia (p96), so the chance to dress up our party favourites in this JRPG with extra costumes for free is quite the fashion treat indeed! PARQUE FERNANDO Pumas, water buffalo, red deer, and more await in this new reserve for hunt sim The Hunter. With dead trees, steppes, and meadows there’s plenty to test your senses. CRETACEOUS DINOSAUR PACK Three new dinos to put on show at your Jurassic World Evolution park – Iguanodon, Carcharodontosaurus, and Dreadnoughtus. DISSONANCE OF THE NEXUS Explore two new stories taking place around the Snow Field in this DLC for Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. The anime’s Sachi, Yuna, Eiji, and Seven star. KAISER AXE This Dragon Quest XI axe is free for PlayStation Plus members. The runes engraved…

We’ve been spoilt the last few months with some great and fun events in our favourite ongoing games that have felt genuinely rewarding. But what do we most want to get from drops these days? Remember when lootboxes were new? They were shiny and alluring – and the promise of sparkly new things inside can still get us excited. But all in good measure. We don’t just get excited for random tat, we love to work for our goodies too. Take Overwatch’s Bastet challenge, offering some cool guaranteed item drops for reaching small milestones as well as dishing out lootboxes along the way. It’s about balance. There’s just something about an event, and mixing with the community as you zero in on the same goals, that makes everything feel special…

SMALLFOOT 18 FEB The film that spawned a million Meechee memes has an imaginative premise and a heartfelt message, but is otherwise as generic as they come. JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN 18 FEB The third entry continues to be a poor man’s Bond parody, but there’s no denying Atkinson’s comedic genius. GOOSEBUMPS 2 18 FEB 2015’s Goosebumps was a fun family-friendly horror with a great Jack Black performance as RL Stine. Sadly, he only cameos here. FIRST MAN 18 FEB It may have taken 50 years for someone to put the moon landing on film, but Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic was well worth the wait. DOCTOR WHO: RESOLUTION 18 FEB The 13th Doctor’s first series didn’t feature a single classic villain… until this New Year special, which brings back…

“INSPIRED BY A MIX OF THINGS, FROM IMPRESSIONISM TO GLITCH ART.” When it opened in Los Angeles in 2004, Gallery 1988 made waves for branding itself ‘the first pop-culture focused art gallery in the world’. Now a new exhibition featuring work by artists Alexander Wells and James Gilleard focuses on our favourite medium. We’re chatting with Gilleard, whose past clients have included Disney, BMW, and the BBC, about his featured work. Gilleard says he and Wells were approached by Gallery 1988 about doing the collaborative exhibition a year ago, adding, “We decided on the theme very quickly as we are both fans of videogames.” He says he enjoyed the freedom that the exhibition offered him as it was an opportunity to create whatever he wanted without having to adhere to…

IAN DEAN EDITOR “GOING INDEPENDENT COULD BRING BUNGIE EVEN CLOSER TO DESTINY’S PLAYERS.” It feels like the industry is swinging in favour of independent developers. Going independent could afford Bungie the creative freedom it needs to turn Destiny into the kind of game it always promised to be. That’s not to pour scorn on Activision, which clearly supported the dev, but now Bungie can own its decisions. With one eye on the next gen, with streaming and a direct engagement with us gamers likely to be important, Bungie could develop Destiny in tandem with the wants of its players. With the dev able to listen and adapt quickly, what Destiny ultimately becomes may not be decided by a publisher but by us, the players. JESS KINGHORN STAFF WRITER “IT’S GOING…

@MRTJ_808 Reading the piece on #CTR in @OPM_UK I literally can’t wait to get that in my front room local multiplayer with the girls! @KAWAIIKATSU Even though physical Vita games going to stop I’m going to support it with digital games! @REALJALLEN1981 I can’t remember the last time I read a review score of ‘1’ in your mag. What about a feature detailing the lowest scoring games you’ve ever reviewed? I think that would be an interesting read. @ATWORLDSFAULT no way! [YES WAY – ed] @THECOOLCHAY Far Cry New Dawn and Days Gone, going to be another great year for gaming. @THERBALDWIN99 Is this the right moment to mention Leisure Suit Larry? @ADAMJT74 If Battlefield V had raids and strikes similar to Destiny! Imagine you and 5 friends stealing back…

Sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror returned late last December with interactive film Bandersnatch. Beyond tracking your choices from previous runs, it played it safe with its choice-driven narrative by offering solely binary choices. That said, there’s no denying it was a big hit with people less familiar with games, and that’s not a bad thing. This isn’t Netflix’s first foray into interactive fiction – Minecraft: Story Mode debuted last year, and that was preceded by a number of similar titles in 2017. On Minecraft’s release, Netflix representatives told TechRadar the company didn’t “have any plans to get into gaming.” But with the service’s further expansion into interactive fiction, at some point, one would think, getting into games would be a no-brainer (and an incredibly lucrative one at that). NOW BUFFERING…

Call Of Duty: Black Ops The shooter’s Decoy grenades are great at making bad guys come a-calling to your last known position. Team Fortress 2 Decoy is a map in the multiplayer FPS. It centres on a quarry that’s been altered to resemble a Mann Co. facility. Enslaved: Odyssey To The West Monkey’s best pal/captor can use her Decoy gauge to stun and distract enemy mechs. Did we miss your favourite decoy? Got a brilliant In The Mood For idea? Show and tell at twitter.com/opm_uk.…

1 You’ve got to love Baraka’s commitment. Not content to pull off his foe’s face, he then stabs his rival’s brain out the back of his skull… and eats it. 2 Simply encasing his opponent in a block of ice and decapitating him isn’t enough for Sub-Zero: he then freezes the head and punches it into tiny pieces. 3 Geras’ punch is so powerful that after knuckling two holes through Shinnok’s chest he punches his brain out. Geras must have a firm handshake. 4 Keen to get in on the action, one of Sonya Blade’s Fatalities sees her blast a hole in her rival’s chest before kicking them into a helicopter’s rotor blades.…

DAYS GONE This rhythm-action throwback takes you to the bygone rave era. A surly biker refuses the rhythm of Darude’s Sandstorm but the beat will get him in the end… either that or the zombies’ surprisingly in-tune groans will. FORMAT PS4 ETA 26 APR CATHERINE FULL BODY Scratchy frills, underwires stabbing from Hell’s heart and the tyranny of limited cup sizes, Vincent takes a deep dive into the world of ladies’ lingerie in the name of his gal pals’ comfort. FORMAT PS4 ETA SUMMER THE LEGEND OF HEROES: TRAILS OF COLD STEEL Zoolander’s Blue Steel college is taking on female models and has expanded its curriculum. ‘How to tote a polearm bigger than you are’ is a popular class. FORMAT PS4 ETA TBC 2019…

1 Nero returns and has been kitted out with a nifty robot arm by mechanic pal Nico. He’s still got his trusty Red Queen sword and Blue Rose revolver, too. 2 Dante, however, is far from armless, with new gauntlets and greaves (named Balrog) allowing him to take Red Grave’s demon problem into his own hands. 3 Trish was playable in the fourth game’s special edition, slicing through demons. We’d love to see her return to playable form for DMC5 and pull her Devil Trigger. 4 Lady returns alongside Trish and was also playable in DMC4’s special edition. We’re hoping she’ll bring similar heavy artillery support to five.…

MAID OF SKER FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 PUB WALES INTERACTIVE DEV WALES INTERACTIVE You’ll wish you could challenge these Quiet Men to a bust-up but, alas, this Sker-y game is a survival horror steeped in Welsh folklore. It’s set at the turn of the 19th century around Sker House, based on a real building that still stands today and is said to be Britain’s most haunted. Very loosely based on true events, you play as a young musician desperately attempting to save the woman he loves. The success of your stealthy manoeuvres is largely dependant on sound, with some situations leaving you no option but to stop everything you’re doing and hold your breath. WARBORN FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 / PUB RAREDROP GAMES LTD DEV RAREDROP GAMES LTD…

“The Vita was the first handheld console that Drinkbox Studios developed games for. Getting up and running on the Vita was super smooth-due to its similarity to PS3 development, and the performance of the device was good enough to allow us to run our games without sacrificing any quality. We found a lot of success on the Vita, having released three games on the console, including a launch title that was designed specifically with the Vita in mind (Mutant Blobs Attack). We also made it possible to play Guacamelee! on PS3 using the Vita as a controller where the Vita screen would show the mini-map while you played. Overall, the Vita was an absolute delight to work with.”…

Even this many years since launch you can still find some reasonably priced older PS Vita models, the system has had more than its fair share of expensive limited editions, especially if you’re willing to import from Japan. The priciest we found ready to buy in the UK was an import Soul Sacrifice edition in Cosmic Red with an image from the game on the back, bundled with the game and a bunch of neat accessories. Many more limited editions also exist, including Persona 4 Dancing, Dragon Quest Builders, and even Minecraft – all of which will set you back hundreds of pounds. Add on to that the increasing rarity of high-storage proprietary memory cards, and going all-out will set you back a bit. Our tip? Grab a cheap one,…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1-2 DEV THE GENTLEBROS The first Cat Quest saw your heroic moggy saving Felingard from a dragon problem. Sprinkled around the cat kingdom was some lore about a neighbouring country of dogs. In Cat Quest 2 more is revealed, as war is brewing between Felingard and the Lupus Empire. Adding co-op to the RPG-light hack-and-slash, two players seek to bring peace to the countries that are on the brink of war – an unlikely pairing of a cat and a dog! Cat Quest was cute, but with a friend it’s about to get even cuter.…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1+ DEV FUNOMENA Quirky game dev Keita Takahashi bought a one-way ticket to our hearts when he made both Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy, so when we heard the Mayor of this bizarre town was looking for new residents, we immediately applied. A sandbox adventure, the Mayor guides you around and introduces you to the bizarre and friendly inhabitants, who include a sort of toilet with a face. You and friends can explore this world together, build connections, find secrets, and goof around.…

OPM: What do you think indie games offer that Triple-A ones can’t? Michael Angst: Because players often view indie games with a lens that prioritises individuality and innovation over scope of production, there is an implicit invitation to take chances with themes and perspectives that are under-explored in the medium. OPM: Never Alone featured a lot of documentary snippets. How is this carried on into Beyond Blue? MA: Through Ocean Insight videos that will feature original footage from the BBC’s Blue Planet II production, players will witness the diverse natural life featured in the game through stunning real-world footage and meet the scientists and explorers working on the cutting edge of ocean exploration who have helped guide our creative decisions during production. OPM: Will being set in the near future…

FORMAT PS4 / PLAYERS 1 DEV CARDBOARD COMPUTER The fifth episode of this magical realist episodic point-and-click adventure is due this year, and so is the PS4 TV Edition that collects together the entire journey. You play truck driver Conway as he attempts to make a delivery to an antiques shop, but he is waylaid as he travels from point to point through Kentucky trying to find the mysterious address. With a striking aesthetic, it’s an introspective journey that centres on storytelling rather than puzzles and needs to be experienced.…

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.…

Love 19th- and 20th-century detective fiction, especially when it’s spiced with a dash of romance? Then London Detective Mysteria should interest you. But you’ll have to look past its presentation as a fairly rigid-feeling visual novel, which in places very much feels like the port of a 2013 PSP game that it is.1 The plot follows Emily Whitely as she enrolls in what is essentially a Victorian London school for detectives. Emily’s given a ring from Queen Victoria herself, which is nice, that gives her special permissions as an investigator for the Crown, and she ends up solving a series of intriguing crimes alongside her classmates. The cases she investigates are, for the most part, self-contained episodic stories. Adding to the flavour, almost all these side characters are based on…

New Year, new you. Whether you were jumping on the bandwagon of healthy resolutions or simply welcoming the fresh start, January’s PS Plus games were right there with you. This lineup seemed to ask, “What better time to try something a little different?” Diving straight into the new year was PS4 headliner STEEP. This open world extreme winter sports game plopped you down on a mountain and gave you the choice between skis, snowboards, wingsuits, or a paraglider. With a heavy focus on online multiplayer, this title was reinvigorated from its PS Plus inclusion. Also on PS4 was fantasy-themed craft-’em-up PORTAL KNIGHTS. You partied up, with a range of classes to choose from, either online or for split-screen couch co-op across a blocky, randomly generated land. If you’d yet to…

Unlike AI riders, real people cheat, and online Ride 3 doesn’t do enough to stop them. The penalty system penalises clever corner cutters with fewer seconds than they gained from the act, which means some riders will lap four seconds faster than you even when your lines are perfect. Still, on the countryside stages and more sweeping circuits, the racing is solid enough. The few predictable, laggy connections don’t upset the experience too much, though if one person ‘forgets’ to brake, the chaos that follows can decimate the field at turn one. Voting for the next bike class and track works well, and invite-only championships with non-cheating friends are available if you set up your own lobby. You’ll probably want to. VERDICT The game plays just fine online, albeit with…

ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY – LEGACY OF THE FIRST BLADE: SHADOW HERITAGE The second of this three-part episodic adventure with Darius continues. This time you face off against Order Of The Storm’s leader, The Tempest. CELESTE – CHAPTER 9: FAREWELL What’s better than one of our favourite platformers ever made? Free extra content! This adds a substantial amount of new bits to this elegant, flowing mountain climbing game. Expect entirely new mechanics and the toughest challenges yet. SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER – THE NIGHTMARE Lara returns to her roots in this third DLC, and like preview expansions in this final game features a new challenge tomb, outfits, story and skill. The White Breath upgrade adds an area effect to Lara’s fear arrows, offering some expressive tactical fun.…

Once rumoured to be the next chapter in producer JJ Abrams’ Cloverfield series, WW2 horror Overlord has more in common with Wolfenstein and COD: Zombies than that beloved anthology series. Like those two titans of gaming, it offers ample B-movie thrills, but isn’t necessarily the sharpest blade on the weapons bench. After a tense opening in which a plane carrying American troops Boyce (Jovan Adepo) and Ford (Wyatt Russell) is shot down behind enemy lines, the pair forge ahead with a critical mission to disable a Nazi communications tower. So far, so Private Ryan. But the mission changes when Boyce discovers a research facility where a near-invincible undead army is being created for Hitler’s Thousand-Year Reich. WW2/horror movie mashups are nothing new – the very real horrors of war sit…

INFO PUB 2K GAMES DEV IRRATIONAL GAMES PRODUCTIONS RELEASED 2013, PS3 GET IT NOW PS NOW, £6.99 PER MONTH NEED TO KNOW 1 Infinite was sadly dev Irrational’s final game. 2 Use the ‘Konami Code’ to activate 1999 mode. 3 In the two years after release, it sold 11m copies. Every now and then a game comes along with a setting so evocative it burns itself into your brain forever. That Irrational’s spiritual sci-fi shooter trilogy contains two all-time amazing worlds is downright unfair to all the other blasters. While the submerged terrors of the original’s Rapture remain a bona fide watery wonder, BioShock Infinite’s astonishing Columbia matches the aquatic kingdom blow for blow. A captivating, early-20th-century city in the sky, this steampunk metropolis is an utter delight to explore.…

1 “THE MALLEABLE WORLD AND HACKING TOOLBOX ON OFFER SOFTEN THE BLOW OF THE WEAK MISSIONS.” 2 “A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE SHOOTER THAT HAS MORE PERSONALITY IN ITS TEN-HOUR RUN THAN THE LAST FOUR COD TITLES COMBINED.” 3 “A SUMPTUOUS LOOKING RETREAD THROUGH AN ICONIC SCARE-FEST. ITS FANTASTIC FRIGHTS ARE MORE THAN WORTH THE UNCOMPROMISING CHALLENGE.” 4 “HEADBUTT A BARBEQUE, SET HUMANS ALIGHT, LICK A FIREWORK AND THEN GET BLASTED UP INTO THE SKY FOR AN ACROBATICS DISPLAY.”…