Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i PLAY

Ozzy Osborne’s on the soundtrack, ogres love metal, and a dying orc gives us the finger as it sinks into lava, subverting Terminator 2’s emotional payoff; Dungeons & Dragons’ first self-published game on PlayStation isn’t taking itself too seriously. Yet its devs are taking it very seriously. “Dungeons & Dragons is the reason I became a game developer; it’s a lifelong dream realised to be able to create something that is fun to play over and over again with your friends,” says Jeff Hattem, studio head at Tuque Games, the developer behind action RPG Dark Alliance. The game is being made in collaboration with Wizards Studio. Due for release 22 June, Tuque’s co-op roleplayer builds on the complex lore of the Forgotten Realms. The videogame lives up to its nerdy…

Wall-running, gun-juggling, knee-sliding new shooter Severed Steel is targeting your desire for direct first-person shooting. If you’re tired of games laden with lore and held back by complexity, and just want to run and gun anywhere and over everything, to shoot up a room of goons and be rewarded for style, then lock and load. “It’s like Tony Hawk with murder,” jokes creator Matt Larrabee. “You’ve got to have ramps and walls in the right places,” he continues as we watch his game’s heroine slide and somersault under and over enemies. Severed Steel reminds us of lots of games, from Mirror’s Edge with its parkour play to 2016’s Doom. (Larrabee reveals there are no ammo pickups in the game; instead you need to push on to steal weapons from enemies,…

OFFICIAL RESIDENT EVIL 25TH ANNIVERSARY PREMIUM MUG NUMSKULL £14.99 JUSTGEEK.COM A ceramic mug with a metallic 25th anniversary badge, we love the fact this celebratory cup of Resi goodness puts the cuddly Mr Raccoon front and centre. It’s the theme of the anniversary collection goodies. We’re not usually into black mugs – makes it hard to see your tea-to-milk ratio – but we’d give this one a chance. Now, what’s next? OFFICIAL RESIDENT EVIL 25TH ANNIVERSARY SNAPBACK NUMSKULL £16.99 JUSTGEEK.COM Featuring a curved bill, a raised rubber Resident Evil 25th anniversary badge, and proudly 100% polyester, this ‘snapback’ cap is perfect for those sunny days lounging on the beach… oh. Like everything else in this collection the snapback is a limited-edition collector’s item and designed to tease the cash out…

1 UNCHARTED Nathan Drake goes searching for a treasure-packed lost city but discovers El Dorado isn’t a place paved with gold but rather a golden idol, which is (of course) cursed. (Okay, it’s actually a mummy containing a virus that turns people into mutant zombies. But that doesn’t sound as cool as ‘cursed idol’, eh?) 2 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT Geralt doesn’t just kill monsters and tart around sorceresses. For example, the Bloody Baron questline gives you the chance to save a dead baby – a botchling – by lifting the curse on the poor scrap. 3 SIREN: BLOOD CURSE Director Keiichiro Toyama says this is less a remake of the first game and more akin to a “movie based on a real story.” It certainly nails both the…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA 24 JUN / PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV SQUARE ENIX / PLAYERS 1-2 Many of the Mana RPGs are considered classics in Japan, but not every fan in the West got to experience them when they were first released. Following the success of Trials Of Mana, Playstation owners will be treated to a remaster of Legend Of Mana – the first time the game’s made it to Europe. “LEGEND OF MANA WAS A PRECURSOR TO MODERN RPGS.” The fourth game in the series, it’s something of a quiet revolutionary. It was the first Mana game to be developed for PS1, and to mark the occasion series creator Koichi Ishii and his team introduced some changes. While it’s still a 2D game in the series’ trademark angled…

“USING BOOSTPACKS, YOU CAN GRIND RAILS, WALL-RUN, AND HOP OVER OBSTACLES.” FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 2022 PUB TEAM REPTILE / DEV TEAM REPTILE / PLAYERS 1 Five syllables in the title. That means you can shout “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk” over the top of “Jet Set Radio” and it scans. Team Reptile has been praised in the past for preserving JSR’s unique cel-shaded aesthetic and anti-establishment graffiti-scrawled punk anarchy, and it’s all coming together in this love letter to everyone’s favourite Sega rollerblader. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is set in a futuristic, low-poly metropolis. Vending machines line the streets, billboards look down upon citizens, and large logos glow on buildings. The ultimate form of self-expression is performed by those brave enough to make the city their own, running in crews called…

“THE PS5 EDITION NOW INCLUDES 22 RIDERS ON THE TRACK AT ONCE.” FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 22 APR PUB MILESTONE SRL / DEV MILESTONE SRL / PLAYERS 1-22 Honestly, it’s rare for us to go big on a motorbike sim… but look at it! Out on PS5 at the end of this month, Milestone’s new racer is the kind of game that can break away from its peers’ niche appeal. Who doesn’t want to charge around photoreal circuits on immaculately modelled motorbikes while feeling every kerb-bump reverberate through their DualSense? As Gran Turismo 7 fades into next year we’re looking for a serious racing fix, and MotoGP 2021 is shaping up nicely. On PS5 the game boasts dynamic resolution up to 4K, at 60fps for a slick sensation of…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA SPRING PUB MERGE GAMES / DEV TEKU STUDIOS / PLAYERS 1 What if RPG Darkest Dungeon swapped its comic-book-inspired art direction for something a little more… romantic? And we do mean the 18th century artistic movement – we’re not pushing a dating sim at you. With an art style based on the works of Goya, Stone Of Madness is a real-time tactics and stealth game that follows five people incarcerated in a monastery. Some of them have their own issues to work through and whatever ails them can cast a long shadow over their bid for freedom. It’s not unlike Darkest Dungeon’s stress mechanics, where spending too much time in the company of eldritch abominations drastically affects your party’s actions and abilities.…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA TBC PUB DRAW DISTANCE / DEV DRAW DISTANCE / PLAYERS 1 If the Mafia series is about blazing a bloody trial through a mobster fantasy, Serial Cleaners focuses on what happens next. It’s New York City in the ’90s, and you’re hired by a series of increasingly dangerous and deranged criminals to set crime scenes straight. Remove the bodies and viscera and do it with a smile on your face – this game’s bloody messes have a slapstick appeal. Stealth is easy and arcade-like, and the non-linear narrative keeps you guessing (and gives us Reservoir Dogs vibes). For a small indie Serial Cleaners packs a big visual punch; inspired by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat the game feels like graffiti in motion – ’90s kids, think Living…

DEV HOUSEMARQUE / PUB SONY / ETA 30 APR “THIS SCIENCE-FICTION SHOOTER’S ACTION IS UNDERPINNED BY MYSTERY.” Finnish developer Housemarque is best known for its retro throwback shooters and bullet hell blasts that update the best of the old era of sweaty arcades in new and interesting ways. Side-scrolling shooter Resogun was a PS4 launch title, and later twin-stick shooter Nex Machina delivered addictive gameplay. Returnal isn’t straying from that high-action path, but it does show the developer embracing new ideas. This sci-fi shooter’s action is underpinned by mystery and a narrative that will unfold through found logs and playable exploration sequences that resemble PT’s horrifying corridors. RETURNAL FLAME “Narrative is a big part of the Returnal experience, though we’re telling that story in some subtle ways,” says Housemarque marketing…

DEV DAEDALIC ENTERTAINMENT / PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / ETA TBC 01 The idea of JRR Tolkien’s fish-chewing creature being PS5’s pin-up isn’t something we anticipated, but Daedalic’s adventure promises to make use of the new console’s power. “One trend that is already apparent is the increased amount of 60fps titles,” says Daedalic’s Jonas Hüsges. “This is certainly a priority for us, too. Gollum is agile and his movement is vital to our gameplay so it is very important that the game feels responsive at all times.” The game uses ray tracing to affect gameplay. Light and shadows are manipulated to guide us through the world, building on the stealthy activity by teasing spaces to hide within. “I am curious how the SSD will impact level design,” adds Hüsges. In…

DEV SLOCLAP / PUB SLOCLAP / ETA AUTUMN You stand, every muscle tense. The exit is within sight but between you and it lies a corridor full of martial artists who have never in their lives passed up an opportunity to practise. As you regard each other, there’s no sound save for the scrape of shuffling shoes. As the walls feel like they’re closing in, your arm flexes instinctively and you let your fists fly freely. “SIFU DRAWS HEAVILY ON THE CORRIDOR FREE-FOR-ALL WITH A MACHETE IN THE RAID.” Sifu’s corridor fight drew awe and more than a few comparisons with a particular movie when it was teased back in February. We asked staff at developer Sloclap where they draw inspiration from and if by any chance they were referencing…

DEV PEOPLE CAN FLY / PUB SQUARE ENIX / ETA OUT NOW People Can Fly’s new shooter is videogame mulch. It’s the best ideas of the last decade whittled down to the essentials, mashed together in Unreal Engine, and left to compost under the weight of expectation. This, after all, was one of the first games to be announced for PS5. Where Outriders succeeds is in that mush of ideas, pummelled together by typically beefy power-armoured hands. It’s a loot-shooter but without the grind. It’s a squad shooter that’s just as enjoyable for lone wolves. It’s an RPG that hides its stats and detail behind explosive elemental strikes and thunderous guns. It’s also a game that makes itself hard to love… FAR OUT, MAN “AS YOU BEGIN TO MIX IN…

Great visuals aren’t exclusively the domain of realistic games. Crash 4 running at native 4K and hitting 60fps is gorgeous, allowing us to run around the fantastic worlds and drink it all in like never before. And, thanks to the extra responsiveness, we have fewer excuses when we die repeatedly. Restarting the Crash saga from its third entry, Crash 4 is a faithful followup to the celebrated PS1 trilogy. Despite the plot that sees Crash and Coco crash(ahem)-landing across multiple time periods, it feels like no time has passed between now and 1998. Performance improvements aside, it’s very much in keeping with the style of the Naughty Dog platformers we came to love back in the day. It doesn’t slavishly recreate the PS1 experience. (That’s what the N.Sane Trilogy was…

Playing through this visual novel based on the tabletop RPG just once and calling it a slog is for chumps. Playing it until it becomes masochistically compelling and still finding it wanting is the true experience. First things first, it’s not a pretty game. Between the clunky, oversaturated scrapbook layout and the garish visual effects, it’s a bit of an eyesore (although the sound design is pretty good). The accompanying images of characters seem inconsistent with the detailed physical descriptions too,1 making them a little hard to follow. The RPG system is nicely built up, with attributes and relationships informing responses you can pick. The range of stats, such as Cunning and Spirituality, is quite impressive, and building your reputation with the wolf pack makes for interesting progression. Sadly, that…

While it’s no fun being a weird… thing with only a sliver of health in a world determined to kill you, possessing a hero’s dead body and wearing it like the most gruesome Halloween costume imaginable (that’s the ‘shell’ bit) gives you a fighting chance. Hooray for necromancy! And now, thanks to the magic of PS5, trying to eke out an unliving has a few extra layers to enjoy. As a soulslike, Mortal Shell benefits from the framerate increase more than games from other genres might. There are no noticeable drops from 60fps, which is good news for us. When a few frames make the difference between a successful parry and a humiliating whack on the nose, we’re glad of all the help we can get. It’s never been a…

Four years, four very similar Supercross games. But the 4K/60fps difference afforded by PS5 is apparent as soon as you leave the startline, making this iteration wonderfully solid and smooth. The mud hills and stands packed full of 3D people look like they’re actually there inside your TV. But this more solid feeling also applies to the bike’s interaction with the ground, and the reduction in sponginess over last year’s game causes the biggest problem here: momentum. Even when you’ve learned to shift your rider’s weight to get more air and absorb the smaller bumps, the AI is alarmingly swift over every bumpy section,1 so any issues with jump length get punished by the entire pack. Winning’s not impossible, but the ‘Very Easy’ difficulty level should arguably be labelled ‘Very…

PS5 upgrades seem to fall into two types: ones that burst into more vibrant life thanks to the better tech in the box; and ones like Yakuza: Like A Dragon. It runs better here than on PS4, but the enhancements are marginal. While it’s a free upgrade for PS4 version owners, with no save transfer to speak of there aren’t many reasons to return, as good a game as the original might be. A soft reboot of the series of sorts, in this seventh main Yakuza title regular protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is replaced by Ichiban Kasuga. While much is familiar to series fans, there are some radical changes and introductions, not least of all an RPG-style turn-based battle system and a party who can use different ‘jobs’ to unlock new…

The path of a lone samurai is one you can walk in both of these Nioh games, but expect it to be a tough one. Tricky bosses will put your skills truly to the test solo, with fights that’d make even Yojimbo’s knees quiver. But if tough-as-a-demon’s-horns soulslike combat isn’t what you crave, plentiful online features can offer some assistance. “Nioh 2 allows two players – friends or strangers – to hop into your game at once.” These remasters run and look nicer than the original releases, but both games’ online offerings are mostly the same as before. Almost every level can play home to co-op spirits you summon by offering ochako cups, which are easily obtained – you can find them hidden around levels, earn them as rewards for…

01 Tetris Effect Tetris, yeah? It might be a great game, but it’s easy to understand why you’d brush this version off as ‘just more Tetris’ at a glance. Yet Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s trippy, transcendent take on the block-based puzzler is nothing short of a masterpiece. Sure, you can play it without PS VR, but in the virtual space it really becomes next level, transforming one of the tightest puzzle games ever made into an emotional ride. 02 Hitman 3 Every mission in the World Of Assassination trilogy can be played in PS VR via the latest entry in the series. That’s a lot of murderous action. It all plays brilliantly too, with the act of puzzling through hits as Agent 47 perfectly suited to virtual reality. One of PS VR’s…

10 YEARS On 24 May 2011, Duke Nukem Forever finally went gold. Even among games with long, troubled developments this one was something special: work had begun on it in 1996 and it went through four studios over 15 years. 15 YEARS From 10-12 May 2006, Los Angeles hosted the 12th E3. Around 60,000 people attended, and the big three tech companies – Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft – were all on board too. Sony showed off PS3, which was in development and would be released later in the year. 20 YEARS Open-world racer Crazy Taxi was ported from Dreamcast – Sega had discontinued its console in March – to PS2. It’s influential to this day. Even Days Gone features a homage to it in the shape of its golf karting…

Prepare for launch! Quantum Error dev Micah Jones tells us the shooter will take us to Neptune, Jupiter, and Mars. And exploration is a big part of your journey into this new weird universe. “ Invincible save for a weak spot on the back of his neck, he’ll persistently hunt you, Nemesis-like, through the level.” “You will be able to drive vehicles in certain parts of Quantum Error, mostly the other planets,” says Jones. “There is tons of room to explore, and exploration will be encouraged and rewarded. You will need to use the vehicles to travel the larger distances in the planetary levels as things are much larger and [more] spaced-out in those parts of the game. There will also be a moment in the game where you will…

FOR THE FINAL TIME Can you honestly put Final Fantasy XI at the bottom of your list of Final Fantasies? Really? When those early ’80s and ’90s titles, with their blocky little sprites are right there? There is no comparison when it comes to graphics and gameplay. Ben Anders If FFXI were still playable, perhaps it would have earned a different place in our rankings – but we’ll always place a game that’s still playable above one that isn’t. UNLUCKY FOR SOME A Final Fantasy so good it got two sequels, and one with a female lead to boot, and you put it at number 11 on your list. What am I talking about? Your Final Fantasy feature. FFXIII deserved to be placed higher for its battle system alone, which…

“THEY CRAWL UP WALLS, OVER YOUR HEAD, AND UNDER YOUR FEET.” FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA SUMMER / PUB 20TH CENTURY GAMES / DEV COLD IRON STUDIOS / PLAYERS 1-3 That’s inside the room” – and we’re here too. Finally, there’s a reason to be excited for an Aliens game as Cold Iron Studios embraces the squad-based gung-ho bluster of the classic movie. There’s a subtle caveat, however, as Aliens: Fireteam is set after the events of Alien 3. While Hudson and the team landed on LV-426 in innocence, these marines know exactly what they’re getting into. The universe is aware of the Xenomorphs and specialised marine units are regularly sent to hotspots to surprise the creatures and uncover the collusion of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. The years have been kind…

02 months THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: BLACKWOOD Back To Oblivion isn’t just Oscar’s 2008 PSN name, it’s where you’ll go in the latest expansion of TESO. FORMAT PS4 / ETA 8 JUN PUB BETHESDA 04 months KING’S BOUNTY II Hexagon-based fights are old-school, but this offers a modern revitalisation of the tactics series. FORMAT PS4 / ETA 24 AUG PUB 1C ENTERTAINMENT 06 months STRAY The cat’s got BlueTwelve Studio’s tongue. We’re happy to wait for news. FORMAT PS5 / ETA OCT PUB ANNAPURNA INTERACTIVE…

FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA SUMMER / PUB SOLD OUT SALES & MARKETING / DEV STONEWHEAT & SONS / PLAYERS 1-2 When it’s so simple to ping witty missives back and forth online, we’re quick to forget about the humble letter. Postal workers are among the least appreciated workers of our modern age, and it ain’t easy ensuring your important packages get where they need to go – especially without opposable thumbs. “FLAP YOUR WINGS FOR ALL THEY’RE WORTH TO GET THE POST DELIVERED.” In this postal-themed puzzler, you play as one of two flightless but nonetheless talented birds. As either Jeff or Debra, you can partner up for local couch co-op or match up with buddies online. Without the benefits of hands or thumbs, you have to jump, butt…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA 23 APR / PUB SQUARE ENIX / DEV TOYLOGIC / PLAYERS 1 More than ten years after its original release, this cult classic JRPG is being rebuilt for modern hardware. Debuting on PS3, Nier originally followed a father’s quest to cure his ailing young daughter Yonah. Now Nier returns reimagined as a previously Japan-exclusive teen protagonist and his journey to heal Yonah – now his sister – has been extensively retooled. The game’s producer, Yosuke Saito, tells us, “The base of the story is the same, but the differences in setting change the style and content of dialogue, so I think that the biggest appeal is the difference in emotional experiences.” As for the other changes, Saito says, “I believe that [original director] Yoko Taro was…

FORMAT PS4, PS VITA / ETA 22 APR PUB DEAR VILLAGERS, YOOREKA STUDIO / DEV FLYING OAK GAMES, E-STUDIO / PLAYERS 1 If gaming awards were given for best hair then heroine Kyhra would be scooping up the gongs in 2021. Scourgebringer’s tiny warrior is a ball of furious white fluff that bounds around the screen delivering flurries of swift sword strikes. The setup is familiar – jump and slash your way through mazes of platforms – but the blend of enraged fantasy creatures and mysterious ancient machinery makes every new leap of faith rewarding. It’s hard to imagine what will be around the next corner but you’re guaranteed to test your reflexes. Isn’t this another pixel-art roguelike? Perhaps, but Scourgebringer’s blend of sharp combo mechanics and inventive worldbuilding shows…

FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA TBC / PUB ALL IN! GAMES DEV THE FARM 51// PLAYERS 1 This survival horror uses the 1986 Chernobyl disaster as a springboard. You are one of the plant’s ex-employees, searching for your long-lost love, Tatiana. You’ll need to use your scientific knowledge to craft things so you can fight your way through hordes of monsters from another reality. You can befriend NPCs who can teach you new skills or go out on missions for you. Banding together may well give you your best chance of surviving long enough to unravel the Exclusion Zone’s mysteries.…

Have you got a PlayStation 5 yet? It’s the gaming question on most people’s lips in 2021. The launch of Sony’s latest console has been an emotional roller coaster. From the highs of anticipation in November to the lows of scalpers snagging consoles ahead of genuine enthusiasts, it’s been a wild six months for all of us. Jim Ryan, the president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, has been doing the rounds making apologies of sorts for the limited supplies of PS5s. In doing so he’s revealed more PS5s were sold in 2020 than PS4s back in 2013. Given the world is caught up in a global pandemic, that’s impressive. To truly gauge how PS5 has fared, we’re sitting down with developers who have, and are, creating for the console to see…

01 Stay limber! Practice makes perfect – and that’s the overriding theme of this game. Just remember, youth is wasted on the young in Sifu. 02 A good offence is often a good defence. Blocking this baddie leaves him open to being slammed into the wall, thus removing him from the fight briefly. 03 Weapons can turn the tide of battle. Disarming an enemy and taking their weapon could give you the edge, but don’t get cocky about it. 04 Failure is a necessary step on the path to success. Even if you are felled by foes, it’s always important to get up again – just bear the cost in mind.…

Given this is almost a facsimile of its painfully average predecessor, it’s hard to say this is surprisingly good. But let’s do it: this is surprisingly good. What at first appears to be a basic monster truck game aimed squarely at children1 soon opens up into a competent and balanced racer. Even so, its inconsistency is amazing. During the basic and formulaic initial areas of the free-roam hub world, you’ll never guess you’ll later be racing through a geometry-fest of a haunted forest, full of twisted tree branches and good-looking fog. It veers from cheap to premium quality and back again, but it is at least always cheerful, which helps a lot. The Monster Jam trucks themselves carry the game, no question. The dual-axis steering with both sticks works well,…

Studio Koba fed Blasphemous after midnight and evolved that game’s gothic metroidvania boss-rush template into a synth-swathed homage to the 1980s. Dragged into videogame Narita Boy, you’re tasked with saving the Digital Kingdom from HIM and the corrupted Stallions by unlocking the The Creator’s lost memories, uniting the mythical Trichroma, rescuing Supervisor Motherboard… Get used to some weighty techno-babble. “A joyous celebration of the 1980s, riffing on everything from He-Man to Back To The Future.” Progress through the Digital Kingdom’s thick glossary is made by smacking a roster of inventive enemies with a massive magical sword. Familiar robo-crabs and mecha-fish are joined by weirder sights – a cancerous blob and a ghostly giant that will devour you whole. Clever attack patterns reveal weaknesses, often tied to a new power-up or…

Grab a pair of PS Move controllers, and jump into PS VR to control… two long-range toilet plungers? Well basically, yes, but it’s much more exciting than that makes it sound. In this game, you’re basically a cross between Spider-Man and a communist plumber. A self-described ‘dieselpunk’ adventure, Yupitergrad casts you as a kosmonaut in an alternate reality, where the Soviet Union has sent some wacky technology into space. What this means for you is that you’re called on to hurl yourself around a space station like a futuristic Tarzan, attaching and detaching your extendable plungers to and from surfaces for leverage. Inertia is best manipulated by swinging your arms, meaning playing while standing up is the ideal. Yupitergrad can be played while sitting down thanks to buttons for reeling…

Consider the world of miniatures. We’re not just talking about your tabletop pile of shame, sitting unpainted – think doll’s houses and dioramas too. From laying a foundation of dread in flicks like Hereditary or building a sense of wonder in animated features like The Secret World Of Arrietty, a diorama makes a compelling metaphorical stage. Graceful Decay’s debut game aims for the latter vibe and here, as in the surreal Superliminal, a shift in perspective yields surprising results. Maquette is several steps removed from that dreamy puzzler’s ‘throw it all around and see what sticks’ approach. Here, if you want to manipulate an object, you have to funnel it through a recursive diorama. For example, you’re given a golden ticket but it’s far too large to grant you entry.…

This is an approach to dialogue like nothing we’ve ever played. It’s a deck-builder where you carry out conversations by playing cards, carefully matching your card with your partner’s to agree with them, or setting down different cards to highlight your own perspective. It completely breaks away from traditional competitive card games, deciding instead to explore how we connect and communicate with others. Alongside its clever twist on deck-builders, Signs Of The Sojourner is a bittersweet adventure that follows the highs and lows of travelling life. You play as a nondescript main character; you’ve taken over your mother’s shop after her death and must travel to different locations trading goods to stock in the store. Your mother was well-known on these roads, and chatting to merchants about her escapades makes…

01 The slithery Yatsu-No-Kami is an early troublesome boss that assaults with poison and extra snakes. Spreading out its targets in co-op can create some much-needed breathing room. 02 Gyuki is a freaky, giant half-spider-half-bull that’d have us calling for help if we saw it in our bathroom. It’s so large, taking it on in co-op almost feels like something out of Monster Hunter. 03 You have to stun the enormous Daidara Bocchi by hitting its fists before you can properly damage it – a task made much less stressful when you have co-op buddies to spread out that damage.…

DOOM – THE ANCIENT GODS PART 2 The Doom Slayer’s bombastic journey comes to a close in suitably brutal style. The new Sentinel Hammer enables you to crush and stun demons with shockwaves as you rip and tear your way to the dark realm’s final bastion to seal away the nasties for good. THE OUTER WORLDS – MURDER ON ERIDANOS Halcyon Helen is dead, and it’s up to you to find out who offed the famous actress in an enjoyable murder mystery that feels very Obsidian. You’re still in overall control of the narrative, and exactly how you find the solution is up to you. TWO POINT HOSPITAL – OFF THE GRID Two Point County’s mayor has suddenly become obsessed with going green (for the positive press). Now you’re saddled…

01 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Nathan Drake’s swan song is a daring evolution. It combines series-defining set-pieces, quietly devastating storytelling beats, and sprawling levels that make you feel like a real-life explorer. This franchise finale retains its signature charm, with the wisecracks firing 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. 02 Red Dead Redemption 2 There are a lot of open-world games, but none that make you feel like you’re a part of a world in quite the same way as Arthur Morgan’s wild west adventure. Tremendously physical, an epic story, and some of the most satisfying headshots you’ll ever find. 03 Grand Theft Auto V Laughing in the face of other…

KYLIE MINOGUE AND JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME REALLY DID STAR IN THE STREET FIGHTER FILM, AND ITS TIE-IN GAME. Where’s that game, eh? Back in 2010, Capcom and Bandai Namco announced that each studio would develop a crossover fighting game. Capcom released Street Fighter X Tekken in 2012. But Namco waited. Katsuhiro Harada polled Twitter users in December 2019 asking “Let me be honest: what percentage of you are really waiting for Tekken X Street Fighter?” It’s been ten years but yes, we’re still waiting.…

“[The new PS VR controllers are] an iconic design that will change how VR games are played.” Strap a videogame to your face, and it’s unforgettable. While PS5 supports PS VR via its backwards compatibility with PS4, it’s going to get its own setup in the shape of the newly announced “next-generation VR” for PS5. Good virtual reality requires much more than just a headset. Immersion in game worlds depends upon an effective controller too, which is why Sony’s started by revealing what we’ll be holding in our hands. Inspired by the DualSense’s impressive features, it brings players into the games in a completely different way. Instead of the retrofitted PS Move controllers, the new controller is dedicated exclusively to the virtual realm. Taking the form of orbs that fit…

Just as the bruises from Dotemu’s Streets Of Rage 4 – the brilliant revival of the Sega classic – have healed, the publisher is back with a turtally awesome renewal of The Teenage Ninja Turtles. Inspired by the ’80s Konami arcade game, this newbie promises a tubular blend of retro buttkickery and modern flourishes. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge brings back the only Fab Four that matter – Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello – for an updated take on the side-scrolling brawlers of old. There’s even a new take on the heroes-in-a-half-shells’ anthem belted out by Faith No More’s Mike Patton. The setup sees mutated thugs Bebop and Rocksteady gathering technology to aid Krang and Shredder’s latest plot for world domination. This is an excuse to take us on…

It’s been a while now since pretty much all support for PS Vita was withdrawn. PS5 is launched and in the shops – so isn’t it time for Sony to bring us another handheld? When we’re finally able to get out and about again, nothing would cheer up a boring bus journey like tackling a side-mission in Witcher 3 or nabbing a battle royale in Fortnite. (And that’d be possible, because both games are already on Switch.) It’s all very well Sony bringing out a supersized home console with all the bells and whistles, but some of us have had quite enough time sitting around at home for one lifetime. When will we see a successor to PS Vita? Geoff Carney Sony’s never mentioned a followup to PS Vita, so…

01 Cold Iron Studios has nailed the tone of the films. The industrial grit of the series is here, as is the fizz and smoke of dropped flares amid alien nests. 02 In the films, the Xenomorphs are overshadowed by the greed of humans. Expect to reveal a deeper conspiracy and fight the ‘corporations’ in the game. 03 The bitch is back? Well, a boss Xenomorph is teased in Aliens: Fireteam. We’d expect nothing less than an epic confrontation with a hive queen.…

“WHENEVER YOU SWAP WEAPONS IT FEELS LIKE A DIFFERENT GAME.” FORMAT PS4 / ETA 10 JUN / PUB KOEI TECMO DEV TEAM NINJA / PLAYERS 1 Ryu Hayabusa is a ninja, but his thing isn’t so much sneaking around as demolishing huge groups of enemies so quickly nobody has time to notice. These three character action games are some of the best in the genre. Everything revolves around the weapons. When you swap it feels almost like you’re controlling Ryu in an entirely different game, as each has so much depth. Cutting off enemies’ limbs makes the combat feel visceral, and alters enemy movements so sometimes they become even more dangerous. There’s a fair share of epic boss fights to challenge you, too. The entire Ninja Gaiden trilogy is included…

FORMAT PS4 / ETA SPRING PUB ININ GAMES DEV STUDIOARTDINK / PLAYERS 1 This cute puzzle platformer follows plucky young Asha and her blue Pepelogoo friend. Asha wouldn’t get very far without them as they use their body as a shield against Monster World’s hazards. Acting as a barrier also makes a neat little platform for Asha to clamber onto but, as undignified as this may be for the blue creature, there’s no hard feelings. The Pepelogoo will come flying at Asha’s whistle whenever she’s in trouble. Deep water? The Pepelogoo is there to fish her out. Fireballs? It will protect her. A quick-freezing icy blast? The Pepelogoo will take the hit… and then Asha will push their popsicle form around and find a way to get out of there.…

FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA JUN PUB NUMSKULL GAMES DEV GROUND SHATTER / PLAYERS 1-2 Distilling Rainbow Six’s room-breaching antics into a simple arcade shooter, the original Rico was a rough diamond. Instant fun but plagued by repetition, it faded from memory. This followup, Rico London, goes some way to ironing out its predecessor’s flaws by anchoring the action to a more direct narrative and a stronger sense of progression. Detective Inspector Redfern – that’s you – wants to take down an arms deal, and to do so means breaching and clearing your way up a high-rise tower filled to the rafters with armed goons. You start with just one gun and three magazines, so stripping enemies of weapons is essential. Up against it? Ask a friend to join the…

DEV SQUARE ENIX / PUB SQUARE ENIX / ETA 10 JUN , Last year’s 10/10 reimagining of an enduring classic will make its way to PS5. The new-gen upgrade will be free to everyone who has already paid for the PS4 version, cutting loading times and presenting updated visuals you can get up close and personal with, thanks to the long-awaited addition of a photo mode. “INTERGRADE IS INTENDED TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN REMAKE AND ITS FOLLOWUP.” Here’s where things get complicated. If you picked up Remake through PS Plus, you’re going to have to pay for the upgrade. However, from 10 June the best way to play it on PS5 will be Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, an expanded rerelease that bundles in a new Yuffie-focussed chapter. Those…

Gaming in numbers 4,500,000 PS5 units had sold worldwide by the end of 2020 – more than PS4 during the equivalent period. Gaming by numbers 2022 The new release date for glossy racing game Gran Turismo 7. Gaming by numbers 18,640 Copies of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales sold in its first four days in Japan, making it the country’s best-selling PS5 game. 71% Of copies of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales sold were for PlayStation 5. Gaming by numbers 66,000,000 The number of PS5s expected to be sold by 2024. Let’s hope at least some don’t end up in the hands of scalpers. Gaming by numbers 18,607 The number of physical copies of Demon’s Souls sold in Japan within its first week of release. 16 Demon’s Souls’ chart position in the…

DEV KYLOTONN / PUB NACON / ETA 2021 OPM: What did you learn from the development of WRC 9 that you’re applying to WRC 10? “DUALSENSE HAPTIC FEEDBACK REQUIRES A LOT OF WORK, BUT IT’S WORTHWHILE.” Benoit Jacquier: DualSense haptic feedback requires a lot of work, but it’s a worthwhile investment for the immersion. We also know that players are always looking for smoother gameplay (60fps minimum) and better visual quality, so there is also another challenge in making more details and photorealism but improving the framerate at the same time. At least the hardware is helping with more power. OPM: Will you be aiming to achieve 120fps? BJ: WRC 9 has a 120fps mode already and players really appreciate it. So it’s definitely something we’ll continue to consider and…

WHAT YOU DO IN: IT TAKES TWO 17% Taking a knee to take in these small-but-big environments. 3% Stopping for a bit of fun in a simple head-to-head challenge. 5% Wondering when a level will end. It’s a meaty experience. 43% Apologising loudly and profusely as you smack into a minecart yet again. 22% Grinning at the script. Cody and May have great chemistry. 10% Working together to make a boss buckle – very satisfying. HOW TO… PLAY WITH A FRIEND There are two options for lassoing your player two. As the game’s split-screen either way, local co-op works well with two pads under one roof. Otherwise, you can share the game via Friend Pass to link up with a pal online. It’s time to learn how to…

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to explore somebody else’s dream? Playing this is as close as you’re ever likely to get. Its world and varied characters are surreal, fascinating, and often a struggle to understand. The retro graphics are often difficult to categorise, and the soundtrack reinforces the pleasingly bizarre atmosphere. The overworld cosplays as a 3D PS1 adventure, while the dungeons (which exist within characters that you meet) have the appearance of a 16-bit RPG. There are gameplay curveballs you won’t see coming, too; this is an incredibly inventive and even considerate (beyond offering invincibility and double health1 ), game. The overworld isn’t huge, but it’s a little too big for its own good given the concentration of things to do. The dungeons are a…

You might be ratcheting up a high arachnid kill count here, but arachnophobic players sadly won’t find much catharsis. If you hate spiders, this is surely unplayable. This is a game that knows exactly why spiders are freaky, and manages to cleverly leverage that creepiness while keeping the threats themselves realistically small-scale.1 Sure, you’ll eventually run up against special ’rachnids – exploding ones, for example, and radioactive ones that can revive their dead comrades – but you can’t beat the ghoulishness of the ones that, when smushed, explode into smaller spiders. It’s truly ghastly. As you explore locations such as a house, a gas station, and a barn fête, you’ll hear them skittering around. They remain still and hidden, underneath things and attached to objects, until you centre your camera…

WHAT YOU DO IN: MAQUETTE 14% Blundering into yet another banging needle drop. Tunes! 9% Hoping each side of the story’s couple sees the other’s perspective. 11% Scratching your head at messy sign-posting. 38% Wishing you could open up this diorama doll’shouse-style. 23% Wanting a bit more time with each diorama. 5% Wrapping your head around the recursive environment. THE FIRST THREE HOURS 1 An absolute tune heralds our arrival in a garden bathed in twilight, and the hits don’t stop coming. 2 Like the story’s lovebirds, we’re left wishing this doll’s house would open up more. 3 Is it all falling apart? Can the lovebirds patch things up? Should they? A shift in perspective may hold all the answers. ALSO ON PLAYSTATION 4 If you…

Even though Fenyx is the headliner of this cartoony open-world take on legendary gods and monsters, new hero Ku takes centre stage in this DLC that bucks the Greek trend. Myths Of The Eastern Realm eschews the pantheon we’ve come to know in the main game in favour of Chinese mythology. Fittingly, this DLC has been led by Chinese studio Ubisoft Chengdu. It’s nice to know that this take on China’s fascinating legends is being headed up by a team from that region, as it should ensure extra insight and authenticity. Set before the events of the main game, it takes place during a war between Heaven and Earth, when humans have been returned to the clay from which the goddess Nuwa originally formed them. That is, all except for…

Often a genre associated with PC, recent years have offered some survival games that feel great on console. Minecraft shines because of its simplicity and ease of access, and even Fallout 76 managed to merge RPG with the survival genre in a neat way (well, it did after all the updates landed). Rust: Console Edition is currently in closed beta. Despite the innocuous-sounding name it’s become a behemoth on PC thanks to the real freedom it gives players to explore and interact within its world, and we expect it to do the same on PlayStation. Everything’s on the table, from eating and drinking to making clothes, and arming yourself to contend with both NPCs and other players. “Everything’s on the table, from eating to making clothes to arming yourself.” The…

Rhythm games testing your DualShock prowess by making you follow your favourite songs, whether that’s mastering a Metallica classic in Rock Band or accompanying Hatsune Miku on the taiko drums in Taiko No Tatsujin, are certainly fun. But what if we told you that you could become a true guitar warrior, your playing destined to make the masses weep and unite the land? “Comparisons to PaRappa The Rapper are fair, though each game caters to fans of a completely different musical style.” Gitaroo Man isn’t just a rhythm game, you see, it’s the story of one magical boy’s ultimate journey from nerd to hero. U-1 really just wants to learn how to play the guitar in order to impress his crush and stop the schoolyard bullies from picking on him,…

Many count BioWare’s Star-Trek-like space adventures among the best games of all time. In them, detailed worldbuilding meets lovable characters and scenes that could have come straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. With the release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition on the horizon, let’s look back on some of the most memorable moments from the trilogy. 01 Saren kills Nihlus GAME MASS EFFECT / FORMAT PS3 / RELEASED 2012 “At this moment, events are set in motion that shape the entire trilogy.” The first Mass Effect begins with a bona fide anime-style betrayal. Saren, a soldier sworn to protect the Council, murders a Council ambassador in cold blood, then escapes on the Sovereign, a massive, tentacled ship that turns out to be much more than a mere vehicle. At this…

There was a Street Fighter ‘one’ in 1987. It’s bad but was included in PS4’s Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. 1991’s Street Fighter II: The World Warrior established the formula, but look at that tiny roster of playable fighters! We all know SFIV and V, but fewer people played the third instalment. It’s also on PS4 in the 30th Anniversary Collection. There are 79 playable characters in the core Street Fighter series. Balrog, Sagat, Vega and Bison were originally non-playable Street Fighter II bosses. The two fighters in Street Fighter II’s intro are called Scott and Max. Basic boys! Zen Pinball 2’s sweet Street Fighter II table is no longer available. Waaah! LittleBigPlanet has Street Fighter-themed costumes for Sackboy. Low point? RAM constraints meant cut features and clearly simplified animations…

FORMAT PS4 / PUB SONY / DEV SANTA MONICA STUDIO / RELEASED 2018 / SCORE 9/10 Crawl spaces rarely conceal great things. But Kratos’ hidey-hole contains something more personal than Oscar’s hidden packs of pickled onion Monster Munch. Beneath the floorboards of the house where you begin the game are the Blades Of Chaos from the original Greek series of games. Mitigating the psychological weight of Kratos returning to the past he’d sought to move on from is the simple fact that this second weapon is great fun, adding a unique twist to combat. Supplementing the Leviathan Axe, the Blades have been completely rebuilt for this reboot. But with Atreus in danger, fetching the hidden weapon is a moment far from celebratory. You get goosebumps as Kratos removes the bandages…