Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i PLAY

“SONIC’S 2D COMEBACK HAS MY NOSTALGIA GLANDS PUMPING AT DANGEROUSLY HIGH LEVELS.” GAME OF THE MONTH Inside FAVOURITE METAL Iron Banner Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. The “they” in this instance refers to the team at Bungie. I’d gotten clean. I’d escaped the gravitational pull they’d cast on my Destiny disc. Yet now, with Rise Of Iron peeking over the horizon (p54), flaming axe in hand and wolves running around its legs, I’ve been sucked back into the shooter. And there’s one question I can’t shake: “Why did I leave in the first place?” Returning to old favourites is something of a running theme this month. Having grown up with a Mega Drive under my TV, Sonic’s 2D comeback (p6) has my nostalgia…

PAC YOUR BAGS Get ready to chomp more pills than a hospital ward full of diarrhoea sufferers: Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is coming to PS4, and it’s introducing giant Ghost boss battles for the first time. The best thing? Its September release date means you’ll play it in a matter of days. We’ll have our official review soon. LIFE IS ADAPTED Life Is Strange is getting a live-action digital series. It’s been announced by Legendary Digital Studios, which has also produced two Dead Rising digital films. There’s no release date or actors confirmed for the project just yet, but so long as there’s a 100% reduction of “hella” in the script, we can’t wait. RARE KOJ-LLECTIBLES Stopping by San Diego Comic-Con, Hideo Kojima showed off a range of figures inspired…

“OBLIVION’S CRAZY SHIVERING ISLES HAD ME SHIVERING WITH UNBRIDLED JOY.” MATTHEW PELLETT EDITOR Forget these kids to the right, I’m going so old school they were barely born. So far back that the concept of console DLC hadn’t really been invented. So long in the past that there were doubts over PS3’s ability to even run it. Such ancient history that… *checks calendar* oh, it was only 2007. Listen, time moves fast in the world of games. TES IV: Oblivion paved the way for console DLC, and its vast, madness-filled Shivering Isles expansion was the pinnacle of those early days. The highlight? The town of Split, where every citizen had a doppelgänger (one manic, one demented), and each wanted the other killed. “LEFT BEHIND IS AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT. DON’T BE…

“THERE’S ONLY SO MANY TIMES I CAN KEEP PAYING FOR THE SAME BLOODY GAME.” WRITER BIO James Nouch is a terrible hypocrite who owns no fewer than four copies of Limbo for various systems. When’s he not busy being Part Of The Problem, he spends his time campaigning for an HD Katamari collection. Ah, my first day with PlayStation 4 – the agonising wait for the DHL van, the behind-the-telly swearing during setup… and then, I fire up my new console, only to be greeted by an empty games library. Thank God for that Knack pack-in. If I’d bought myself a new PC, the situation would have been very different. The purchase of a new gaming rig isn’t just an opportunity to play new games – it’s also a chance…

“IDEAS AS OLD AS THE 8-BIT HILLS ARE DRAGGED INTO BRILLIANT 3D LIFE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 29 NOVEMBER PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV SQUARE ENIX The Mindflayer is not a new enemy; he’s been flinging his paralysing Mind Blast magic since 1987. But FFXV is the first time he has physically flayed our mind. Encountered at the end of an icy labyrinth, this cloaked figure slides Noctis’ head under his robes and, well… this is a family mag. Escape is as easy as hammering a button, but that’s beside the point – what matters is you’re seeing ideas as old as the 8-bit hills dragged kicking and screaming into brilliant 3D life. Another example: magic. Gone are the wee puffs of ice and fire, replaced with elemental vortexes that…

1 Sniper Elite 4’s sandboxes are scaled up, offering more freedom than ever. The smallest level is around three times bigger than Sniper Elite 3’s largest. 2 Nut-shots return, and kill-cams now include melee and shrapnel kills. Punch a dude so hard his liver bursts, or pierce a brain with an explosion’s debris. 3 Enemies use their noggin far more. They’re harder to shake off once alerted, and search much more thoroughly. AI’s constantly active across the map. 4 Fortunately, you can pull off far cannier stunts, too, such as booby-trapping corpses with explosives, or luring soldiers into your line of sight with a whistle.…

“INSTEAD OF BEING FETED FOR SAVING SOUTH PARK, THE NEW KID IS CUT DOWN TO SIZE…” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 6 DEC / PUB UBISOFT / DEV UBISOFT SAN FRANCISCO South Park: The Stick Of Truth is a huge favourite in OPM Towers, and with its follow-up swooping ever closer, our excitement levels keep on rising. Don’t expect sweeping changes, do expect the same ratio of fart jokes as the new story kicks off the day after the first game finished. However, instead of being feted by Cartman and friends for (spoilers) saving South Park, the new kid is quickly cut down to size. “This dork? Wearing a little crown? Does he look like a superhero to you?” Cartman exclaims off the bat. Clearly you didn’t get the memo…

FINAL FANTASY XV Spectral spirits from outer space have attacked Earth, first shrinking the population, then enslaving them. As a once world-conquering boyband who’ve stumbled upon a stash of unshrunk weapons, it’s up to you to reclaim the planet. FORMAT PS4 ETA 30 SEP REALMS OF ARKANIA A medieval fantasy-RPG. You play as Geoff, with wings for ears, or Gillian, who feels no cold. Joining you is a mysterious warrior with a magical shield, but can you trust the shield? FORMAT PS4 ETA 28 OCT DISHONORED 2 Travel back in time in a bid to save the future in this The Terminator meets The Fly crossover. One problem. You land in the body of one of the robots you’re supposed to be destroying. Conflicted emotions ensue. FORMAT PS4 ETA 11…

“THE SIREN SONG OF LOOT ECHOES THROUGH THE CORRIDORS…” FORMAT PS4 / ETA WINTER 2016 PUB KOEI TECMO / DEV TEAM NINJA Fair warning: Team Ninja’s action-RPG isn’t supposed to be nice to you. Players in Asia even complained about its first demo’s punishing difficulty. But as we dash about a bright dojo training area with our katana, golden light spilling over the tatami floor, Nioh’s feeling positively friendly. The new tutorial area is, dare we say it, delightful. Ninja opponents square off against our platinumponytailed samurai as we learn to lock on to the enemy and slash our sword in quick and strong attacks. Afterwards, it’s out into a shady zen garden. Gravel crunches underfoot while we’re taught to dodge and guard. Wind ripples across a calm pool. STANCE…

“WE WANTED A HOSTILE WORLD; A WORLD GUARDING ITS SECRETS. IF THEY WERE EASY TO FIND, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN FOUND A LONG TIME AGO.” On Tuesday 11 October, Rise Of The Tomb Raider finally launches on PlayStation 4. This you already know, since last issue we flew out to Crystal Dynamics for a world-exclusive hands-on with Lara’s PlayStation homecoming. One major thing we didn’t get to do during our time at the home of Tomb Raider, however, was tour the studio itself. Why? We have our suspicions… Between external studio Nixxes helping to port Rise Of The Tomb Raider and the fact that the main game was actually finished last year ahead of its release on other platforms, it’s fair to assume Square Enix didn’t want our eyes falling…

“THE THING PLAYERS WANTED MORE THAN ANYTHING? MORE STUFF.” OPM: What’s it like to watch people play Rise Of Iron for the first time? Christopher Barrett: It’s always exciting. You try and predict where players will get caught up, or where something will be too hard. We’ve seen it so many times, and we’ve played it so many times – it’s a way we can experience it through other people, and see their reactions. We have a user reaction lab where we bring people in and record them playing. Scott Taylor: You’re obsessed with that! You love it! CB: I mean, it’s cool! Just because it’s this opportunity to sit there and watch a video and hear and see people’s reactions, their expressions, and what they’re saying to the people…

“SURVIVAL AND CRAFTING ARE HUGE PARTS OF THE GAME – MORE SO THAN ANYONE THOUGHT PREVIOUSLY.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SONY DEV HELLO GAMES @itsJenSim Letting go isn’t easy, and in Hello Games’ 18 quintillion-planet universe, you cannot cling to anything. Whether it’s a gorgeous world you stumble upon, a unique starship you’ve grown attached to, your long-held expectations of what this game is, or even your impressions of the game itself as you press deeper into its offering, prepare your farewells. Moving forward is difficult, but vital. From the very first moments on your starter planet, this holds true. Before you can explore the procedurally-generated wonders of the galaxy, you have to master not dying. Survival and crafting are huge parts of No Man’s Sky –…

INFO FORMAT PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB AKSYS GAMES DEV CHUNSOFT With a subtitle like The Tower Of Fortune And The Dice Of Fate, Chunsoft lays its cards firmly on the table. Luck is going to play a part in your journey, and you’d better believe that the rolls are rarely going to be in your favour. Armed with the knowledge that there’s every chance you’ll be screwed over at some stage, it’s easier to accept when things invariably go horribly wrong. It plays things by the (Nintendo) Mystery Dungeon rulebook, then, but those rules are applied consistently. In randomised, grid-based labyrinths, each step counts as a turn: you move a space, and monsters do likewise. Your goal on every floor is to reach the steps, but you’re also…

“BRUT@L SOUNDS EASY, BUT – AS THE NAME IMPLIES – IT REALLY ISN’T…” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB STORMCLOUD GAMES DEV STORMCLOUD GAMES @bentyrer You’ll have one of two reactions to Brut@l’s remarkable artistic style. The first is sheer disbelief that the ASCII adventures of old have been lovingly recreated into a 3D dungeon crawler that mimics the basic look of classic roguelike games. The other is some head-scratching if you don’t recognise that minimalist style. That reaction becomes an indicator of how much you’ll get out of Brut@l. Your aim is straightforward. Choose a hero out of a gang of four and work your way through 26 levels to defeat the mythical Guardian of the Dungeon. Sounds easy, but – as the name implies – it really…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB DIGITAL EXTREMES DEV N-SPACE After playing so many modern RPGs set in relatively original, distinct fantasy worlds, it’s somehow oddly comforting to fire up Sword Coast Legends and enter the realm of Faerûn once more. It’s a setting you’ll know well enough if you’ve played Baldur’s Gate, or sat down with chums to play Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for real. Legends boasts a reassuringly familiar campaign complete with elves, dwarves, and a teetering pile of statistics, which the game is all too happy to drop into your lap at the very start. Appearances might lead you to believe that this is some simple Diablo-like romp, but the breadth of character progression options – and your ability to issue tactical commands to your party…

OVERWATCH Please, nobody let Jen Simpkins ever practise medicine My parents always wanted me to be a doctor. (Doesn’t Doc PlayStation count, Mum? Seriously?) As Mercy, I’m a medical marvel. I heal teammates, who throw themselves into bullets and off cliffs with the single-minded determination of lemmings – or indeed Lemmings – who’ve lost custody of their kids. Pharah soars; I fly too, buffing her Barrage. Quad-kill. She is the wind beneath my wings… until an ignored sniper shoots me. Angelic patience over. Time to break every bone in the Hippocratic oath. HITMAN Matthew Pellett says there’s no shame in breaking the rules Disaster! My 100% Elusive Target Silent Assassin run is at an end. The Twin did me in: feeling bad about my cheaty, multi-account ways, I decide to…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB CAPCOM DEV CAPCOM REVIEW #126 3/10 The best thing about playing online in Capcom’s ill-advised team-based shooter is that you know five other people are sharing your pain. It can be an effort just connecting to the server, but once you’ve found a match and enough people have joined, there are minimal issues, barring the obvious fact that it’s just not fun to play. Already stuffed with high level fans who are merciless to beginners, matches whiz past in a blur of chaos – especially when your zombie jammer gets shot and a stampede of the undead chase you around maps. All it’s missing is Yakety Sax. Small maps play havoc with the spawn system, the tight camera makes clocking enemies tough and there’s not all…

HITMAN: SUMMER BONUS EPISODE Fancy a few more bites of the poisoned apple? This bonus twin-pack reskins Sapienza and Marrakesh for owners of the full game. If you’re a one-episode-at-a-time player, you’ll be able to buy it later in the year after a third bonus chapter has launched. DOOM: UNTO THE EVIL The reimagined gorefest shooter’s first paid DLC includes new multiplayer maps (Ritual, Offering and Cataclysm), extra hack modules, a Kinetic Mine, plenty of new armour sets, colours and taunts to customise your Marine, and a player-controlled demon called the Harvester. RAINBOW SIX SIEGE: OPERATION SKULL RAIN Grab two new Operators: Caveira, who can interrogate foes to mark enemy locations, and crowssbow-bearing Capitão, who can shoot smoke grenades or asphyxiation darts. You’ll also get Siege’s most destructible map to…

“ THESE EXTRA MISSIONS ARE CANON – THEY FILL IN GAPS FROM THE FILMS, SUCH AS HOW C3PO GOT HIS RED ARM. ’’ MR TROPHY Iain Wilson’s PSN ID is Wilbossman, and his trophy cabinet is bigger than yours. Business as usual to begin with for The Force Awakens. As a Lego adventure, there’s the usual pile of Bricks, characters and Minikits to find, so grab as many as you can during your first playthrough. But there are new features, and you’ll soon Unlearn What You Have Learned by rebuilding your first multi-build object. Another addition is the Blaster Battle concept, and you can claim I’m Getting Pretty Good At This! by completing one of them without dying. There are, however, missable awards during these gunfights, including being Quick on…

INFO PUB EIDOS INTERACTIVE DEV IO INTERACTIVE RELEASED 2006, PS2 GET IT NOW PSN, £7.99 WHAT? A whistle-stop tour of America’s most opulent attractions and private residences, punctuated only by the occasional gruesome assassination. Ten years on, it remains one of Agent 47’s most fondly-remembered outings ever.…

“IT’S EVEN BEEN KNOWN TO DRAG ME AWAY FROM DESTINY ON A FEW OCCASIONS.” PICK #1 SMITE Jen Simpkins always returns to the altar of the godlike free-to-play MOBA Multiplayer online battle arenas. Even the name is overwhelming. But if you fancy tense, tactical 5v5 team action for diddly squat, this is the best entry point. It’s a perfect PS4 port. Controller inputs feel precise, automatic levelling and item-buying takes care of the more complex business during matches, and varied modes offer something for every experience level. PICK #2 WARFRAME The always-evolving Digital Extremes shooter is Matthew Pellett’s top F2P pick MOBAs (above) and footy games (below) aren’t for everybody, but who can turn down a fine shooter? And Warframe is one of the finest of all. It started out…

“A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER REMINDS YOU THE FIGHT HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN…” Back in 2010, there was nothing but a hazy cluster of elements and ideas. Then Halo studio Bungie took a big gamble. Codenamed Paper Tiger, this latest IP would take all of the best bits of MMOs and RPGs and wrap them in the constant appeal of a hyper-mobile, world-class action shooter. Boom: Destiny came to play in 2014. In the massively multiplayer galaxy, you’re a Guardian on a mission to protect the City, and a celestial being called the Traveler, from evil. Essentially a shiny reanimated corpse (brought back to life by your navigation system/miracleworker/best buddy Ghost), you play as either a tanky Titan, an agile Hunter or a wizard-like Warlock. You’re revived on a destroyed Earth 700…

Jen Simpkins STAFF WRITER Travelled to Seattle to play Destiny. We said to raise our profile abroad, so she climbed Bungie’s rock wall and left a mag at the top. GAME OF THE MONTH No Man’s Sky FAVOURITE METAL Babymetal Ben Tyrer STAFF WRITER Travelled to Barcelona to play PES 2017. At least the Everton fan was able to enjoy some European action this season. GAME OF THE MONTH Deus Ex: Mankind Divided FAVOURITE METAL Heavy Metal Milford Coppock MANAGING ART EDITOR Travelled to the photo studio for next month’s PS VR launch special. We’re not sure why he’s down – it was virtually a trip away. GAME OF THE MONTH Abzû FAVOURITE METAL Metal Gear Solid Justin Towell GUEST WRITER Travelled back to OPM Towers after a few months…

3x1.9m The area in front of the PS Camera you’ll need to sit inside for PS VR. 05 The number of episodes in the first season of Telltale’s Batman series. 6,000,000 How many people have played Final Fantasy XIV worldwide. 25/10 When Darksiders Warmastered Edition will bring hellfire to PS4. £24.99 How much the Destiny: Rise Of Iron expansion will set you back. 28 How many tracks you’ll find on the superb Hyper Light Drifter soundtrack. 14.5% Sony’s year-on-year game sales rise in Q1 2016, thanks to Uncharted 4. 6135 The number of air miles Team OPM travelled away from the office this ish.…

Which Tomb Raider game is your all-time favourite? 29% Believe that second really is best, thanks to Tomb Raider II. 22% Like it tough, so have the fondest, headscratching memories of Tomb Raider III. 20% Say that, sure, it might be 20 years old, but Lara’s very first outing is her finest. 13% Think the best Raider is Crystal Dynamics’ debut, Legend. 7% Love rebooted Lara over all others, and only have 2013’s TR in their sights. 9% Are still in awe of The Last Revelation’s finale. NEXT MONTH The arrival of PlayStation VR is just over a month away, so which PS4 virtual reality title is top of your wishlist?…

“TOO MANY GREAT GAMES WILL KILL YOU, SO YOU SHOULDN’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOME ‘LESSER’ TITLES.” WRITER BIO Matt doesn’t consider Dead Rising a game so much as a training mode for the forthcoming zombie apocalypse. If there are errors in this article, it’s because he typed it wearing cumbersome Knife Gloves from Dead Rising 2. Christmas pudding is fantastic. To expand, in this already tired analogy, Christmas pudding represents great games – the Fallout 4s, the Destinys, the Uncharteds. Eat too much pud and you’ll be overwhelmed by its rich mass. Sometimes you need to push the bowl away and try something else. That’s where average games come in. They’re the palate-cleansing refreshment after too much calorific awesome. I’m talking about games such as Binary Domain, Spec Ops:…

1 During battle Ignis will suggest strategies. Pull these off in the given time and you’ll earn Ascension Points, used to learn new abilities. 2 New powers can vary from techniques (such as Prompto’s precision ‘Fatal Shot’) to health boosts and mastering fancy weapon classes. 3 Pumping AP into Noctis can teach him some handy aerial dodges and the ability to perform co-op link attacks with more weapon classes. 4 Squeeze every drop of hurt out of powers – hitting a timed cue lets you perform a follow-up attack to your friends’ techniques, for example.…

“TETHER A PEEP TO A GRUB AND IT’LL GIVE IT A SOUND BLUDGEONING.” FORMAT PS VR / ETA OCT / PUB SONY / DEV SECRET SORCERY Rightly or wrongly, there are certain expectations when you’re told you’re about to see a virtual reality game from a studio founded by key members of racer specialist Evolution Studios. Tethered couldn’t be much further from the picture we had in our heads – and it turns out that’s a good thing. This bucolic strategy game is a delight, and a welcome break from the overwhelming intensity of many early PS VR experiences. It’s also a game that Secret Sorcery’s co-founders, Scott Kirkland and Alan McDermott, acknowledge has been hard to distil into demo form. This isn’t the kind of VR game that…

“UNDEAD CYBORG OPERA SINGERS SPIT LASER ORBS IN FIENDISH ARCS.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 / PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV PLATINUM GAMES Remember Nier? If you played it properly, you don’t – it erased your memory. The last of its four endings would wipe every single shred of data, every hour you’d poured into the action-RPG, from your PS3. It’s all flooding back to you now, huh? Then wrap yourself in your fuzziest blanket, rock yourself gently back and forth, and clutch your controller for dear life: Nier’s returning to riddle you with even more holes. This time, the holes aren’t in your memory, but in snowy-haired android heroine 2B. No, she’s not a pencil – she’s a combat machine deployed by moon-dwelling humans to fight against robotic…

“SPECIAL ATTACKS SPRUCE UP COMBAT, CREATING FAST AND SIMPLE SKIRMISHES.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 PUB KALYPSO / DEV GAMES FARM With Iceland’s heroics at Euro 2016, you’d think it’s a good time to be a Viking. Unfortunately that’s not the case for your warrior in Games Farm’s promising action-RPG. Drawing on Norse mythology, the game kicks off with your hero returning to their village to find it under siege from imp-like monsters and lumbering giants. Probably time to get scrapping. Fans of PS2’s Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance series will feel at home: it’s an action-heavy role-player, and an isometric camera hangs over large maps teeming with nasties. q is your basic strike button, the right stick allows you to dodge-roll away from swipes, and you’ll soon unlock special attacks…

1 Mukade is based off a bug – its name literally means ‘giant poisonous centipede’ in Japanese. Considered a symbol of evil (you don’t say). 2 The lip-licking Hinoeuma looks like she wants to eat us. That’d be the best outcome. Her wing-spins, deathly cuddles and parasol attacks hurt like hell. 3 Ah, Wanyudo – a traditional yokai with a name meaning ‘Firewheel’ or ‘Soultaker’. Take your pick – either way you’re aflame and minus a soul. 4 We met troll-like oni Onryoki and his big metal balls of doom in Nioh’s first demo. Raising his stun meter’s the way to best him, if you’re asking.…

1998 GEX During his first stint at Crystal Dynamics, Noah works on Gex. There’s hope that the gecko will become a videogame mascot to rival the likes of Sonic. Alas, it doesn’t turn out that way. 2006 TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND After a short stint at Dreamworks, where he is involved with Medal Of Honor, Noah returns to Crystal Dynamics ahead of the developer acquiring Tomb Raider from Core Design. Tomb Raider: Legend is the studio’s first title in the legendary series. 2013 TOMB RAIDER Noah plays a central role in Tomb Raider’s grand rebooting – Lara Croft’s first new adventure recasts her as a young student who’s shipwrecked and is trying to survive the horrors of the remote Japanese island of Yamatai.…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3/ PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB KOEI TECMO DEV OMEGA FORCE @JordanFarley Received wisdom has it that licensed games are unmitigated pap, but then the likes of Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Witcher and Shadow Of Mordor prove there are great games to be made regardless of the starting point. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when your starting point is the best anime series of the last decade. Or when Dynasty Warriors dev Omega Force is bringing its satisfying Titan-slaying to PS4… Though it looks like a Dynasty Warriors spin-off, Attack On Titan doesn’t play like one. Set in a dystopian future where man-eating giants have forced the last vestiges of humanity behind huge walls, you jump between four characters through 20 missions that cover…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS VITA ETA OUT NOW PUB CURVE DIGITAL DEV FOUR CIRCLE INTERACTIVE How many games can you honestly claim made you punch the air in triumph? 10 Second Ninja X does just that. It may also, however, inspire you to punch your wall, couch or nearest solid entity with unbridled fury. Such is the nature of a game that gives you a load of tiny levels and asks you to beat them in just ten seconds by defeating all the enemies. This isn’t actually the difficult part, though. Most of its 100 stages can be sailed through fairly comfortably within its denary countdown,1 and if you’re the sort of player who’s only really interested in getting to the end of a game, you may wonder…

“THE BEST DRIVING EXPERIENCE SHORT OF BUYING A £2M FERRARI.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB 505 GAMES DEV KUNOS SIMULAZIONI @CatGoneCrazy No racing game has it all. Project CARS has the best weather system. Driveclub has the best online integration. Burnout Paradise has the best damage. Assetto Corsa? The best handling. This is absolutely the best-feeling racing sim we’ve ever played. Get behind a force feedback wheel and pedals and you may as well have a supercar parked in your living room. It’s phenomenal. Its physics engine was previously sold as professional simulation technology to car manufacturers, and Assetto Corsa has been built around that tech. However, pro sims are designed to be realistic, not fun, and that industrial origin does rear its head in-game. If you use…

“IT ALLOWS YOU TO TACKLE DUNGEONS AND BOSSES IN ANY ORDER YOU CHOOSE.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB HEART MACHINE DEV HEART MACHINE @jamesnouch Style over substance sounds such a dismissive term, suggesting we shouldn’t worry about the frivolous business of how something looks or sounds, but instead engage in the lofty pursuit of figuring out what it means. Good advice, maybe, but when a game boasts as much raw style as this one, it can be difficult to follow. Because everything about this old-school action-RPG, from the satisfying sound of your drifter’s dash to the sight of landscapes littered with titanic cadavers, exudes an abundance of panache. And although Nintendo’s early Zelda games are an obvious template here, Hyper Light Drifter abandons fairytale charm for slick futuristic…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB TEAM17 DEV GHOST TOWN GAMES Deep in the Onion Kingdom – a magical place where no-one has any idea how to design a kitchen – your job is to avert apocalypse through strategic use of cookery. The end of days can be forestalled by feeding a ravenous cartoon Cthulhu, but first you need to learn how to cook. You and up to three other players each get top-down control of a diminutive chef, and each level is a new, more challenging kitchen – sometimes on an ice floe, sometimes split down the middle between speeding lorries.1 It’s where Gordon Ramsay will be sent after being flambéed by a failing American restauranteur. Your chefs need to work together: one might fetch ingredients, then pass…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ALSO ON PS3 ETA OUT NOW PUB TELLTALE GAMES DEV TELLTALE GAMES @JordanFarley Treading on hallowed ground may be nothing new for Telltale, but bringing Batman back to PlayStation a year after Rocksteady wrapped up its definitive Bat-trilogy is gutsy. Crucially, this five-part adventure series has something that sets it apart from previous Bat yarns: it’s as much Bruce Wayne’s story as it is Batman’s. You spend roughly half of this two-hour premiere episode hobnobbing with high society, helping Harvey Dent run for mayor and butting heads with crime boss Carmine Falcone as the first son of Gotham. This is where the majority of Telltale’s traditional moral quandaries come in. Already it’s humanising Bruce in interesting ways: he’s fallible, someone who can shake the wrong hand and…

The latest film from Blue Ruin director Jeremy Saulnier has a humdinger of a setup: punks vs neo-Nazis. And Saulnier delivers on the promise of his premise with a thrillingly intense siege-movie shocker that boasts one of the year’s best bad guys in Patrick Stewart’s ruthless white supremacist. When the members of young punk band The Ain’t Rights stumble across the body of a dead girl after a hostile gig in a backwater neo-Nazi club, the traumatised rockers hole up in the bar’s back room. The manager calls in Darcy – a chillingly calm Patrick Stewart – who quickly reasons the only way to keep events from spiralling out of control is if no-one leaves alive. An exploitation movie with smarts, Green Room’s genre cocktail mixes suspenseful thriller with shades…

“CRAFT STICKY BOMBS OUT OF LAWN DARTS – IT NAILS DIY DESTRUCTION.” INFO PUB CAPCOM DEV BLUE CASTLE GAMES RELEASED 2010, PS3 GET IT NOW AMAZON, £5.98 NEED TO KNOW 1 This was only Blue Castle Games’ fourth title. 2 DRII was once due to be set in a Western casino. 3 The game has two-player co-op with twin Chucks. Fortune City certainly favours the brave… or, in the case of Chuck Greene, it looks kindly upon a dude who slays zombies with an electric rake while wearing a mankini. Killing the undead in a Borat getup totally counts as bravery, right? Regardless of how you choose to dress the former motocross champ, Capcom’s spin on Las Vegas remains one of PlayStation’s most thrillingly silly sandboxes. It’s this gleeful sense…

“EVENTUALLY – PERHAPS ATTEMPT NUMBER NINE OR TEN – I NAIL IT.” Well, I’ve just punched a weeping fairground proprietor to death. After years of avoiding Agent 47 and his brand of social stealth, it’s this moment of pantomime cruelty that makes me think perhaps I’ve been wrong all this time – and perhaps OPM was right to highlight Blood Money as a PlayStation classic earlier this year. But then the tutorial ends, and I’m deposited into the game’s first real mission. My targets are Fernando and Manuel Delgado, and as luck would have it I’ve been invited to a party at their lavish vineyard. I enter confidently, scanning the area for my targets and possible points of egress. Five minutes later, I press the wrong button while exploring the…

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,…

Two years on, Destiny has grown into a far bigger game than anybody outside the studio could have predicted. Expansions big and small have increased the size of its world and filled that universe with more loot than any one person could gather up, not to mention added new game modes and dozens of single-player-friendly missions. All the while, scores of updates and tweaks have helped Destiny to continuously evolve – balancing and refining systems big and small to improve every facet of the game. As Year Three approaches, there’s never been a better time to either return to Destiny’s universe or jump in for the very first time. For existing and dormant players, the Rise Of Iron expansion on 20 September is set to totally redefine the game, introducing…

THE DARK BELOW RELEASED 9 DEC 2014 Destiny’s first ever DLC pack introduced the mysterious Eris Morn, who loaded Guardians up with new Bounties and packed them off onto a fresh set of quests to battle strengthening Hive hordes. The Dark Below added areas to the Earth and Moon environments to press the single-player adventure into unfamiliar territory, while two extra Strikes and a brand new Raid deep inside the Moon’s Hellmouth delivered high-level pain for players who completed the story. Establishing a pattern all future DLC packs would continue, it also pushed heaps of new loot and Crucible maps into the Destiny experience. ADD-ON HIGHLIGHTS The original Light level cap jumped from 30 to 32. To challenge experts, Bungie unlocked a level 33 mode for the Crota’s End Raid…

“THE GAME INSPIRED A SELECTION OF STONE-COLD CLASSICS INCLUDING DEUS EX, DEAD SPACE AND BIOSHOCK.” If you were to poll a selection of pre-eminent designers to find the most influential game of all time, 1994 PC hit System Shock would likely appear high on the list. This first-person blend of action, horror and immersive storytelling inspired an enviable selection of stone-cold classics including Deus Ex, Dead Space and Bioshock, as well as countless others. That’s why we’re thrilled to hear this oft-overlooked masterpiece is heading to PlayStation 4 in remake form. The original game cast players as a nimble-fingered hacker on a mission to disable a murderous A.I., and pioneered the use of in-game audio logs and environmental storytelling to relate the grisly history of the Citadel Space Station. Now,…

Velocity creator Futurlab is working on a PlayStation VR game and will tell more at the end of the year. A PlayStation Experience debut? A new wave of FFVII Remake content may be imminent, according to director Tetsuya Nomura. Take Two has hinted at a Rockstar reveal “soon.” Please be Red Dead. Amazon briefly listed a Metal Gear Solid V: Definitive Edition, suggesting a beefed-up rerelease… Ghostbusters: The Game’s development time was allegedly just eight months, which explains a lot (see p94 ).…

MEET, PRAY, LOVE Sony has called for a PlayStation Meeting in New York on 7 Sept, and OPM will be there. The last time Sony did that, it revealed PS4. Our 27 Sept issue will tell all… LIFE IS FREE Part of it, anyway. The first episode of OPM favourite Life Is Strange is free on PSN. Not got it yet? HURRY! GO GET IT! BRING YOUR A-GAME Joe Carnahan – director of The A-Team reboot – is now penning the Uncharted screenplay. “I’ve got this one,” he tweeted. Fine, but do be careful with it… NO MAN’S LEAK A copy of No Man’s Sky made its way into the hands of one lucky explorer two weeks before release, who promptly splashed a load of videos across the internet. At…

@PAULMOODY24 Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn is Ygritte from Game Of Thrones. I’m ok with that. @ALEX79UK Bought The Witness on strength of you guys recommending it on the podcast. Loving it! @SNAKEFANGIRL Thank you OPM for the Deus Ex treats! Glad I was home alone when I found them and squealed lol! @NOMANSSKY I think most people regret watching spoilers. Allow people to have their own experience. @KYLESINSTAGRAM Every article announcing Juri in Street Fighter V that didn’t say, “The Juri is out.” For shame. @MATPAGET Life is weird and confusing. I wish I could just be Nathan Drake and go on adventures now! @DAVERHIWLAS [Destiny] was rubbish. Worst game ever. @THERHYSCOOPER I’m loving this month’s subscriber cover guys. Welcome back to your PlayStation family Lara. @SOIACE357 Ahhh the…

“FIFA’S STORY MODE SHOULD BRANCH OUT FROM THE NORM. GIVE ME WACKY INCIDENTS, SIDE-JOBS AND SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT.” WRITER BIO Everton fan Ben Tyrer believes that a Duncan Ferguson story mode would be the best thing to happen to FIFA. Slam headers home in front of the Gwladys Street End and then apprehend burglars in your home (that actually happened). Make it so, EA. Remember back in OPM #116 where I predicted FIFA 17’s The Journey? Clearly, I have a gift. So witness the start of my origin story as the games journalist who makes outlandish predictions and wills them into reality. Here are some real-life footballing stories that will definitely make it into future FIFA tales. Well, if I get my way, that is. Let’s start with Stuart Tomlinson. The…

1 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM In the immortal words of The Simpsons’ Ralph Wiggum, we “choo-choochoose” to get oh-so-pumped for Skyrim’s upcoming special edition. It supports mods for one thing, which means the legendary Thomas The Tank tweak – that’s graced PCs for years – could be hitting PS4. Cross those digits, trainspotters. 2 RESIDENT EVIL ZERO Here’s a spot of travel advice: never, ever take a train through the Arklay Mountains. If you do, you may find yourself on the Ecliptic Express… or The Spookiest Damn Locomotive That Ever Was, as it really should be known. Zero’s runaway rail carries paranormal leeches, armies of the undead and a five-tonne scorpion. Next time, take the bus. 3 RATCHET & CLANK After landing on the planet Kerwan, our lovable twosome…

“WE MAKE A LOVELY, SPLINTERY FIREWORK OUT OF HIS SKULL.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 14 FEB / PUB 505 GAMES / DEV REBELLION Rebellion’s latest instalment of its tactical shooter series boasts a rather pretty Italy circa 1943. WWII sniper Karl Fairburne goes prone in a bush, and we “ooh” as a butterfly dances over the swaying leaves covering us. But as we admire local wildlife, something registers: Sniper Elite’s now smarter. Thanks to a serious AI upgrade, stealth is more essential than ever. Our submersion in the shrubbery is a result of firing at enemies guarding a huge bridge. They track our location swiftly from the sound of our shots, searching around our hiding spot for a worryingly long time. Once they eventually give up, we reassess. Is that…

“THE FIRST EVER STORY PACK IS BASED ON THE NEW GHOSTBUSTERS, LETTING YOU PLAY THROUGH THE MOVIE.” FORMAT PS4/PS3 / ETA 30 SEP/18 NOV PUB WARNER BROS / DEV TT GAMES This is how the toys-to-life genre should always have functioned. As we roll into Lego Dimensions’ second year, we’re not being asked to buy another base game or Toy Pad – we’ve already got the game we need, and can simply increase its size by grabbing the new models that take our fancy. Which are, er… all of them. Hello pay cheque. Goodbye pay cheque. Starting on 30 September, the Adventure Time and Mission: Impossible Level Packs (the former containing models of Finn, the Jakemobile and the Ancient War Elephant, plus a new level; the latter with Ethan Hunt,…

“HIS HANDS MOVE WHEREVER HE LOOKS, LIKE A MILK-FED ZOMBIE.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA WINTER / PUB CURVE DIGITAL / DEV NO BRAKES We’re playing Human Fall Flat with its dreamer-creator, Tomas Sakalauskas. We say “playing.” Friendly wrestling might be a more appropriate term, or gregarious grappling. The two of us are trying to move a large box through a doorway. But, like in a silent comedy, our lack of coordination means the box keeps sliding sideways and our blobby little men keep falling off the edge of the world, only to plummet back in from above. It’s unsurprising that this is a defiantly indie title. From the odd dreamscapes to the smoothly looping levels to the strange explanatory videos, it is indie writ large. The best comparisons to Human…

1 This hammer is the heavy weapon, not only capable of doing more damage, but also giving off an “I mean business” vibe. Also: breaks up toffee. 2 Why settle for a huge weapon when you can get two for the price of one? Dual-wielding axes lets you chop up Nordic nightmares at great speed. 3 The classic sword and shield combo shouldn’t be sniffed at as it’ll get the job done. Having a shield also means you’re less likely to be perforated. (Wimp.)…

INJUSTICE 2 FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2017 PUB WARNER BROS DEV NETHERREALM STUDIOS Warner’s brawler was already looking tasty, and two new roster additions have done nothing to lower our expectations. Confirmation that Wonder Woman is returning is welcome – if not surprising – news, but consider us shocked about the other fresh name: Blue Beetle, who’s making his series debut. Our favourite Amazonian Princess has a move where she lassos in her opponent before batting them away with her shield, while Teen Titan Jaime Reyes’ suit has plenty of unique features, such as a scorpion-like tail and mace-like fists. A can of bug spray ain’t gonna cut it this time. MAFIA III FORMAT PS4 / ETA 7 OCT PUB 2K GAMES DEV HANGAR 13 While most of our time…

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.…

“INSIDE’S PUZZLES DRAW YOU INTO THE FACILITY’S HARROWING DEPTHS.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB PLAYDEAD DEV PLAYDEAD @itsJenSim What a pleasant surprise. Less than two months since launching on Xbox One, Playdead’s long-awaited successor to legendary 2D puzzleplatformer Limbo suddenly hits PS4. Sorry, is that “pleasant” I’ve written up there? Silly me – I meant awful. Inside is just awful… …And I mean inspirationally so. As elegantly bleak as trotting a ghostly little lad through Limbo’s monochromatic forest of horrors is, Inside tops it on the misery scale. It’s still a 2D side-scrolling adventure, a young boy another luckless hero, but with a level of artistic mastery that beggars belief. Sheets of rain weigh heavy upon small shoulders; I wade and swim in shimmering pools and creep through…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ADULT SWIM GAMES DEV DOUBLE FINE Time was, being decapitated was a serious condition. How quaintly old-fashioned, says Headlander, a Metroidvania-style, 2.5D side-scrolling sci-fi puzzler, as its armoured noggin ricochets off two gun turrets and affixes itself to the body of a robot security guard. Losing your weak, fleshy body is the best thing that could ever happen to you here. Instead of rolling about on the floor for a few seconds, your head is placed into a special space helmet with a rocket booster in it, and your mission is to zoom through a series of neon ships and space stations, smashing into guards and uncovering a dastardly plot by a rogue AI that has seen the human race converted into placid,…

“IT’S HARD, PERHAPS EVEN IMPOSSIBLE, TO NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH ABZÛ’S ART.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB 505 GAMES DEV GIANT SQUID @bentyrer With most games, it’s the moments of ear-shattering and eye-watering action that leave the lasting impressions. Giant Squid’s debut is not most games. Here, the tranquil moments of underwater reflection and meditation cling to your memory banks long after the end credits roll. No other game in 2016 is going to make observing fish as sublime as this does. Taking place entirely in the depths of a bright and colourful sea, Abzû puts you in the wetsuit of a nameless diver who’s awoken by a mysterious signal pinging from a distance. Your immediate aim is simply to discover your purpose. Initially that’s a little…

“PRAGUE IS THE BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT, A SPRAWLING PLACE THAT FEELS LIKE AN ACTUAL CITY.” INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB SQUARE ENIX DEV EIDOS MONTREAL @bentyrer A wrench is a tool, not a human being.” The provocative graffiti is hard to miss in 2029’s Prague, and the subtext is pretty clear, too. Adam Jensen’s return feels just as relevant to 2016 as it does to its fictional future, in a sublime follow-up that fixes all its prequel’s problems but creates a few new ones. Fortunately, the foundations in Mankind Divided are stronger than ever. If you missed Human Revolution, don’t worry. The game eases you in with a training mission set in a decaying Dubai, its action successfully condensing the best bits of its systems into a nutshell and…

INFO FORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB ACTIVISION DEV FIREFORGE GAMES Nobody could go into this game with high hopes, but boy, is it uninspired. Released to tie in with the latest film, which was obviously the ultimate opinion-divider in itself, this bland spin-off makes spectacularly little effort to feel like a Ghostbusters title at all. We’re led to believe that this new rag-tag team are the successors to McCarthy and co, but other than this tenuous link, it has all the hallmarks of a generic top-down shooter. You and your friends can choose from four nameless characters, each armed with a different class of weapon. Doing as ‘busters do, you’ll respond to various client calls and investigate areas for supernatural activity, capturing the big nasties with the aid of…

August’s Instant Game Collection lineup stacked free game after free game on top of each other like delicious PS Plus pancakes. Tottering towers, total galactic control, downtown Tokyo and tiny dancing eyeball monsters made the cut this month – and we also got stuck into saving space and time. Now that’s what I call a balanced breakfast. TRICKY TOWERS was a standout addition to our PS4s (earning an 8/10 in our previous issue). The Tetris-like puzzler pitted you against opponents to build the tallest tetromino-block tower as fast as possible. The twist? Casting light magic spells on your swaying structure, or flinging dark magic at your foes’ building work to topple their dreams. Then addictive couchplay gave way to deep-space combat in PS4 RPG REBEL GALAXY. Plonked at the helm…

INFO FORMAT PS4 PUB VIRTUAL TOYS DEV VIRTUAL TOYS REVIEW N/A We don’t remember the tales of Blackbeard having steampunk pirates dashing around islands in cars and firing guns at each other, but that’s what you’ll be doing in this F2P MOBA. While fans of the genre may pick up the concepts with relative ease, the tutorials are far too brief for novices, expecting you to immediately understand its levelling up system and strategies. Even if you feel confident of grasping it, you’ll be waiting a while to get into a game. It takes up to five minutes on our count, though runs smoothly enough once you’re in. Maybe that’s because there’s a lack of AI beasts to tackle (barring the occasional spider), so games are lifeless slogs to find…

ACCESS DENIED The penultimate episode of Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode sees Jesse and co out to thwart a corrupted supercomputer’s evil plans for world domination. SPIRIT ANIMAL PACK Make Weirdbeard’s PS Plus freebie Tricky Towers even goofier by dressing up your wizard as a platypus, raccoon, toucan or a gigantic fish. Or see your local GP. THE FEY The new hero for MOBA Paragon is a ranged Support character. She uses brambles and fly traps to deal damage over time and immobilise her enemies. SHIPWRECKED In the holiday from hell, the Don’t Starve expansion plonks you on a tropical island and challenges you to survive new biomes, seasons and creatures. No paddling. JAR JAR BINKS LEGO Star Wars: TFA receives a Prequel Trilogy Pack containing characters from the first three…

WWW: THE HISTORY OF THE HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP 24/7 5 SEP Relive the maddest moments of the Hardcore title with this two-disc set. PRECIOUS CARGO 5 SEP Bruce Willis and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack from Saved By The Bell) star in this straight-to-Blu stinker about a diamond thief. OUR KIND OF TRAITOR 12 SEP Ewan McGregor’s poetry professor gets embroiled in a case of international espionage in this low key John Le Carré adaptation. BAD NEIGHBOURS 2 12 SEP Mac and Kelly (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) team up with Zac Efron’s reformed frat king Teddy to take down a debauched sorority. FRIEND REQUEST 19 SEP The mates of a Facebookobsessed student are murdered by a demonic presence. You thought your mum friending you was bad. EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! 19 SEP Blake…

DOCTOR PLAYSTATION Our console medic fixes your game woes with actual science THE PROBLEM The quasi-infinite space sim is here – but you can’t go five minutes on planet Knobnbollox without freezing or becoming some ballbag-creature’s lunch. Luckily, the Doc’s an expert in preventing senseless deaths… STEP 1 ADAPT… THEN LOOT THE PLACE RIGHT UP Nothing spoils a nice triple sunset like vomiting up a lung. No, I’m not recounting one of my moonshine-addled dating escapades, but No Man’s Sky. It’s often as brutal as it is beautiful. (Hello rain that looks like pink lemonade but is actually acid!) Look for save pods nearby. Your shield will wear out quickly, and pods can provide respite from the elements. No time? Blast a hole in the ground with your multitool for…

1 “THE BEST NAMED GAME ON PSN, AT LEAST UNTIL SCARLETT JOHANSSON PYJAMA PARTY DROPS NEXT YEAR. (IN OUR DREAMS.)” 2 “GET READY FOR THE FUNNIEST MINUTES OF YOUR LIFE! UNFORTUNATELY, THEY’RE THE TWO AFTER YOU’VE JUST SCANNED YOUR FACE WITH THE PLAYSTATION EYE.” 3 “AS YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED BY NOW, THIS ISN’T A FREE-TO-PLAY VERSION OF CERTAIN CAR PORN RACER.” 4 “28 MISSIONS OF “MUST-BUILD-LASER-NO-WAIT-SEND-TROOPS-IN-FIRST-HANG-ABOUTWHAT’S-THAT?-OHCRAP-I’M-HIT!”…

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 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…

01 NEW PLAYERS Never tried Destiny before? Your journey into the game couldn’t be easier: simply pick up a copy of Destiny: The Collection for immediate access to the full Destiny experience, comprising the original game and all four major expansions. Vast single-player questlines await, topped off with monumental co-op adventures. 02 CURRENT-GEN PLAYERS Access to Rise Of Iron requires the previous DLC packs. If you’ve already got The Taken King, you can purchase Rise Of Iron to unlock all the new content. If you don’t own the previous DLC, you’ll need to buy The Taken King (which contains The Dark Below and House Of Wolves add-ons), then get Rise Of Iron. 03 LAST-GEN PLAYERS The Rise Of Iron DLC will only be hitting current-gen, which is why Bungie has…

Step inside the Crucible, Destiny’s uncompromising PvP arena. Leave your Light level at the door: any gear advantage is stripped, leaving only the silkiness of your skills between you and competitive glory. It’s not just a sense of smug satisfaction that total domination bags you, either – going toe-to-toe with enemy Guardians is one of the best ways to score valuable loot. With nine distinct game types (plus timed events), 31 maps and private, customisable matches coming in Rise Of Iron, Destiny’s battleground is easily the most comprehensive multiplayer shooter of the generation. Grab your trusty sidearm and send up a prayer to Lord Shaxx as we thunder through all the gunslinging, Spark-dunking goodness it has to offer. CLASH As simple as you like. Gain points for your team by…

01 CONSIDER THE SPARK OF LIGHT The Taken King gives every new and returning player a single consumable item called a Spark Of Light. Using it instantly boosts one Guardian to level 25 – the minimum requirement to start playing through The Taken King’s missions. If you’re a returning player and all your Guardians are already at 25 or above, forget it: it has no purpose. If you're lower than that, it’s an easy way to rapidly boost your level. We’d strongly advise only using it on a second or third Guardian, however: first time through the game you’ll want to play every mission as intended, levelling up and unlocking class abilities naturally as you push through the pitch-perfect difficulty levels. Do that with your primary Guardian and you’ll breeze…

1 A GUARDIAN RISES Your first steps into this world are breathtaking. Resurrected from an unknown fate, you follow your Ghost, fighting Fallen in corridors that twist through the Cosmodrome’s wall. On the other side? Old Russia’s nebulous sky emerges, explosions painting the view with light. 2 THE LOST LOOT CAVE Gather round, and hear the legend of Destiny’s glorious Engram-farming grotto. Guardians could endlessly gun down respawning enemies, then frolic in the resulting sparkling sea of loot. Unsurprisingly, it was soon patched – but whispers still haunt the Skywatch cavern… 3 YOUR FIRST EXOTIC Whether it’s a Raid or Crucible drop, or a generous Legendary Engram, that flash of yellow signifies one thing: an Exotic. Each rare, iconic piece means game-changing perks and the envy of all your friends.…