Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2018 i PC Gamer (US Edition)

Stealth game expert Eidos Montreal is teaming up with Crystal Dynamics for Shadow of the Tomb Raider—the final entry in Lara Croft’s origin trilogy. It’s a familiar mix of platforming, combat, and puzzling, as players head to Mexico to prevent a pesky apocalypse. While there, you’ll find that Lara’s learned some new tricks. Expect a more capable Croft, who stalks through the jungle, striking fear in the hearts of her foes. See the full story on page 36. phil.savage@futurenet.com TALK TO PC GAMER Have your say! Email us at letters@pcgamer.com PHIL SAVAGE Specialist in Stealth, quesadillas Twitter @Octaeder This month Hid in the back of a Montreal restaurant, sneakily snaffling the Mexican buffet.…

HIGHS Dragon Quest We’re finally getting a slice of the JRPGseries, with Dragon Quest XI set for release in September. Graphics cards A new wave of next-gen GPUs is almost upon us, and framerates are about to get real high. Ghost Recon It’s nice to see Sam Fisher pop up in Wildlands, voiced by an appropriately weary Michael Ironside. Filler We’ve noticed a worrying trend of games forcing you into side missions to unlock more story. Just don’t. Yakuza Sega, we’re thankful for Shenmue, but can you please release the Yakuza series on PC? Quitters If you prematurely quit a Rocket League match because your team is losing, you’re a bad person. LOWS…

BIG ACHIEVEMENT Phil Savage Editor The opening hours of Far Cry 5’s campaign feel promising, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is just Far Cry again. That’s not a bad thing, necessarily, but I’m still waiting for the sequel to do something that feels surprising enough to catch my interest. I’ve also been dipping into Sea of Thieves. I’m not sure how long I’ll last—the missions are incredibly repetitive—but I’m having fun messing around with pals on the open water. The level of coordination needed to sail a galleon leads to some entertaining hijinks. My big achievement this month was completing Metal Gear Solid V. It’s one of my favorite stealth games, and I’ve enjoyed most of the 90+ hours I spent playing it. But I’m also glad…

NEED TO KNOW RELEASE June 5 2018 DEVELOPER ZeniMax Online Studios PUBLISHER Bethesda Softworks LINK www.elderscrollsonline.com If it’s been a while since you’ve visited The Elder Scrolls Online, new expansion Summerset is the perfect excuse to go back. Just be prepared for a bit of a culture shock, what with all the high elves, vineyards and fancy, gilded architecture. It’s like returning to your parents’ town after a couple of years away to find the dingy local bar has a vegan menu and the local church holds hot yoga sessions. Of course, The Elder Scrolls Online‘s team has always delivered top-notch fantasy—it’s got more lore to draw on than a Star Trek version of Trivial Pursuit—but the couple of hours that I spent codpiece-deep in Summerset felt like the richest yet. It mines…

A MUSEUM OF DUBIOUS SPLENDOR Alternate between reading poetic snippets and exploring a surreal museum space. UNDER A PORCELAIN SUN Releasing in summer 2018, this project promises salt bandits and brass astronomers. TIMRUK Similar to Dubious Splendor, 2D storybook sections alternate with a number of 3D rooms you can look around. TUMBLR The Studio Oleomingus Tumblr offers gorgeous artwork and tantalizing tales, as well as a heads-up on new releases.…

THE ANGLO-SAXONS The descendants of Germanic invaders and settlers, the Anglo-Saxons now find themselves defending England against the pesky Vikings. This, you will soon realize, is a theme. THE GAELS The Gaelic kingdoms in both Scotland and Ireland also have a bit of a Viking problem. The water is lousy with them. Thinking of going for a dip? Can’t. Vikings have swarmed the sea. THE WELSH The disparate Welsh kingdoms are spread out as far north as Scotland, surrounded by Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. They’ve seen better days, and they’ve got some beefs. THE GREAT VIKING ARMY Also known as the Danelaw, the Viking kingdoms of England are in an extremely uneasy, peace with Alfred the Great after he whooped them at the Battle of Edington. THE VIKING SEA KINGS More…

SKIRMISHES Defend your kingdom from rival armies and earn gold to spend on upgrading Evermore in the process. COMBAT Upgrade your equipment at your kingdom’s smithy, and improve your abilities or spells at the spellworks. EXPLORATION You can also use your spellworks to research spells that open new paths and unlock new NPCs out in the world. QUESTS Complete sidequests to persuade citizens, soldiers and craftsmen to move to your kingdom. HIGGLEDIES Build a Higgledy workshop where you can create and upgrade new adorable allies who will assist you in battle. DUNGEONS Find and fight your way through all nine secret dungeons to recruit a special Evermore citizen.…

VINCENT MORETTI Age 43 Personality Total charisma bypass Strengths Laundry ruses, crane operation Facial hair 6/10 - Solid goatee Most likely to say “Calm down, Leo.” Least likely to say “I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!” LEO CARUSO Age 36 Personality Annoying loose cannon Strengths Punching, toilet unscrewing Facial hair 8/10 - Impressive ‘burns Most likely to say “I’m afraid of heights.” Least likely to say “Heights? Love ‘em.”…

Rare’s 3D models can outcharm Pixar’s any day. Here are some of the sights of Sea of Thieves ranked by cuteness 1 THIS ROCK As far as rocks go, this is one of the cuter ones I’ve seen. 2 THESE PALM TREES The spirit of Donkey Kong Country lives on. 3 CHRIS CARRYING THIS GIANT CHEST That treasure chest is a bit too big for ya, bud! 4 CHRIS SHOWING ME THIS OVERSIZED TREASURE MAP There’s no ‘pinch cheeks’ emote but there oughta be. 5 A LITTLE PIGGY I refuse to capture and sell these guys.…

QUEEN MATILDA ‘THE CONFESSOR’ Queen of Sardinia and Corsica. In possession of an infinite warchest and an unnatural spate of good luck. KING SHABSAI Married to Queen Matilda. Perhaps the only thing that they actually have in common is they hate each other. KAISER ORDULF ‘THE DRUNKARD’ Ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, and Matilda’s liege. Spoiler: There’s a reason he’s behind bars. BISHOP LEALDO Matilda’s chaplain and not-so-secret lover. He is father to her first child, and an ostensible paragon of virtue.…

LUKEWARM YAK ROAST BROTH It’s not made of yak meat, but it is one of the easiest soups to make. The sriracha kick does wonders for a sore throat. MULGORE SPICE BREAD The spices are just noticeable enough to make this bread stand out without overpowering the loaf’s flavor. GRACCU’S HOMEMADE MEAT PIE This meat pie is a fantastic teaching recipe for pie crust, and you’ll have leftovers for days. MOSER’S MAGNIFICENT MUFFINS Once you’re done, you will forever possess the secret magic of making streusel topping. JUNGLEVINE WINE The alcohol soaks into the fruit over time, so prepare it the night before if you want a more energetic party.…

If you really want to make a splash with your PC, the latest premium-build cases add a real touch of luxury to your setup. I’ve grabbed five of the most popular options to see which ones deliver on their bigger price tags. Q&A Why glass and aluminium? Because it looks good. Thick sheets of brushed, anodized aluminium and windows of tempered glass immediately make any case look and feel more up-market. But what if the glass breaks on the case? Run! Seriously, though, you will have to be careful handling cases like these. Tempered glass is tough, but it’s heavy and will break if you drop it. What else do premium cases provide? Generally these sorts of cases are larger than entry-level ones, providing ample space for components and cooling.…

ANDY KELLY Specialist in Shooters, arms This month Replayed the ambitious mess Trespasser so that you don’t have to. PHILIPPA WARR Specialist in Indie, metafiction This month Demonstrated we can also write about games that maybe don’t exist. JOHN STRIKE This month Became a father! Luckily, he has years of experience dealing with grouchy babies. (Or writers, as they’re also known.) SAMUEL ROBERTS Specialist in Management, murder This month Somehow racked up a bodycount during our Cities: Skylines feature.…

Indie studio National Insecurities was well on its way to completing its latest first-person murder mystery parody, 2000:1: A Space Felony. It had an eye-catching name, a publisher, and a rock-solid visual and thematic base it could use to play off audience expectations. There was just one problem: The centrifuge didn’t work. An astronaut jogs around a stark centrifuge, punching the air as he travels in an endless loop. This scene, from 2001: A Space Odyssey, is one of the most iconic in film history. And National Insecurities’ parody couldn’t replicate it. No matter what it did, the team couldn’t find a reliable, smooth way for the player to run along the centrifuge as it spiralled through space. Then lead developer, Lauren Filby had an idea. Rather than attempting to…

1 OVERCOOKED Work with a friend to cook up a variety of dishes in a procession of wacky kitchens. 2 KEEP TALKING AND NO BODY EXPLODES A person disarms a bomb while the other gives instructions. 3 CUPHEAD This characterful hardcore run-and-gun is only slightly easier with a friend. 4 DIVINITY: ORIGINAL SIN II A huge RPGthat supports co-op play. Let’s hope your pal doesn’t kill that NPC you like. 5 PORTAL 2 The co-op campaign for Valve’s puzzler is arguably even better than the singleplayer. Want to track your progress? Print out our checklist at www.bit.ly/pcgchallenge…

Opening the Steam Workshop, I spend a while playing with various district styles. My plan is to give each district a theme. I want vibrant, contrasting communities—pockets of cyberpunk techno-living next to medieval townships and fantasy wonderlands. But then I change my mind. After all, isn’t PC gaming one big melting pot—a confluence of community and individuality? I hope so, because using district mods is complicated, and keeps making the game crash. Instead, I just download pages and pages of buildings that will automatically construct on any residential, commercial, or industrial zones I lay. We’ve got neon skyscrapers, we’ve got classical architecture, we’ve even got a KFC. When I’m done, we’re subscribed to 528 items on the Steam Workshop. I open up Cities: Skylines and wait for a new map…

I want to extend the city in my time as mayor, and put my mark on this place. I’m going to build a new district that has high-end shopping and nice houses. I lay down some road to a quiet area of the map, and build a pentagonal region that links to the Just Dance 2018 district. The site of my new utopia for bastards. How do you connect pipes again? I’ve forgotten. Everyone needs electricity and water, and I’m not ready! I should’ve put the utilities down first. I’ve barely built my new area of the city and we’re over $30,000 in debt. I start to panic that my city is doomed to never break even, and I’ve only been mayor for two months. I don’t know how you…

This month is all about conflict, and the forms it can take. In Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, you’re a king on an island full of kings. You’ll all throw armored men at one another until you’re declared king. This is an unusual Total War game, full of twists on the formula. If you prefer a more personal conflict, Far Cry 5 makes you battle every bear, eagle, and cougar in a massive radius. Or there’s Sea of Thieves, in which you and some pals fight for your right to steal loot on a sea lightly populated with other pirates. Alternatively, there’s the conflicts of The Pillars of the Earth, which are mostly resolved through dour chats. EDITOR phil.savage@futurenet.com HOW WE REVIEW We review each game on its own…

CONQUEST This victory condition is a Total War mainstay, tasking you with gobbling up and controlling lots of territory on the map. You will ultimately want to control 80 settlements and 15 provinces for the short victory, or 110 settlements and 15 provinces for the long victory. That’s a lot of conquering. FAME Fame generates as you do… well, anything. Research tech, raise your influence, take over settlements—play the game, and you’ll get fame. And once you hit 256, that’s you done, at least with the short fame victory. For the long victory, you’ll need 532. It’s not a very engaging way to win. KINGDOM For both the short and long kingdom victories you will need to expand out and conquer a specific group of provinces, depending on what faction…

CHEESEBURGER Class: Tank Alignment: Chaotic Grizzly Perks: Draws focus, is a bear Likes: Salmon Pros: Again, he’s a bear Cons: Can’t ride in cars with you NICK Class: Air support Alignment: Neutral Yokel Perks: Drops bombs, strafes fools Likes: Quips Pros: Won’t get in your way Cons: Loves to repeat one-liners BOOMER Class: Scout Alignment: Good Boy Perks: Spots enemies, licks faces Likes: Everything (he’s a dog) Pros: You can pet him Cons: You might see him explode…

Whether it’s rewinding time, surviving a zombie apocalypse, or becoming a famous pirate, adventure games tend to hinge on a specific theme or gimmick. And that’s what makes The Pillars of the Earth so refreshing. It’s an understated adventure about ordinary people, with a rich setting based on a fascinating and rarely explored period of history. The result is a game that is, admittedly, not as immediately thrilling as some, but that rewarded my patience with one of the deepest, most mature stories I’ve ever encountered in a videogame. The pace is glacial and the mood is almost unrelentingly downbeat, but you soon settle into its steady rhythm, and I found myself wishing more games were as confident to just slow down and give the story room to breathe. Based on a…

CYRODIIL EMPIRE Picking the Empire is like choosing Britain in Empire or Rome in, well, Rome You start off well, but managing that large expanse from the off could prove tricky. THE KINGDOM OF SKYRIM The game takes place over two centuries years before the events of the fourth Elder Scrolls game, so don’t expect dragons or Thalmor. ALDMERI DOMINION They’re not quite the official ‘bad guys’ of the Elder Scrolls universe yet, but you can play them that way if that’s how you choose to live your life. GREAT HOUSE DAGOTH This is a cool touch: You can play as House Dagoth, the lost, corrupted Dark Elf house, and strike out from deep inside the Red Mountain. GREAT HOUSE REDORAN To experience that ‘everything you do being manipulated by…

“Trespasser is far from a good game, but it’s an interesting one” Billed as a digital sequel to The Lost World, Steven Spielberg’s second Jurassic Park movie, Trespasser was both groundbreaking and a complete disaster. The large jungle environments, procedural dinosaur animation, and real-time physics were impressive for the time, resulting in a lot of breathless previews and overblown prerelease buzz. But when it was finally released after a year-long delay, it was a mess of half-baked ideas, it barely ran on even the most powerful PCs, and it featured a peculiar arm-based control system that was so hilariously clumsy it came to define the game. Trespasser is set on Isla Sorna, where John Hammond’s dinosaurs were created in a secret laboratory before being shipped over to Jurassic Park on nearby Isla Nublar.…

BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES www.telltalegames.com Focusing more on Bruce Wayne than his alter ego, this adventure tells a wonderfully entertaining and original Batman story. Episode four is particularly good, taking an established relationship and turning it on its head. The first episode is currently free on Steam, so you have no excuse not to give it a shot. ROCKET LEAGUE www.rocketleague.com Cars playing football has no right being as good as Rocket League. This accessible, competitive, and wildly entertaining ‘sports’ game is something I come back to every few months and get hopelessly addicted to. And thanks to the slick front-end and volume of players, you can be in a match seconds after booting it up. ALIEN: ISOLATION www.alienisolation.com Still one of the best horror/stealth games money can buy on…

SHADOW BLADE: RELOAD A ninja action platformer with comic book visuals that evokes Strider made by Iran-based studio Dead Mage. 41148 A horror adventure with a striking shadow puppet visual style, made by an art teacher called Mahdi Fanaei. PARVANEH: LEGACY OF THE LIGHT’ S GUARDIANS A colorful action adventure fantasy by Tehran-based studio Bearded Bird. 1979 REVOLUTION: BLACK FRIDAY iNK Studios’ adventure depicts the events of Iran’s revolution.…

SUBNAUTICA Jonas Bötel, a Software Engineer at Unknown Worlds Entertainment, claims Subnautica has creatures “100% driven by physics”, and destructible terrain. These features just… didn’t fit the game. They still lurk in the code, unused. SPARTAN FIST This first-person puncher initially had boxing-style combos, mirrored based on the leading fist, but players reacted negatively to the lack of reliable input. Stances now serve as a visible way of swapping between attacks. X-COM: APOCALYPSE The alien dimension players enter during the endgame of X-COM: Apocalypse was planned as the first of many procedurally generated dimensions. However, the publisher objected to this. DEFENDER ’ S QUEST: VALLEY OF THE FORGOTTEN DX Statues connected to secret content in Defender’s Quest were supposed to be fightable. However, the cost of creating this battle for…

Beset on all sides by scheming monarchs, an assassination attempt on the king, and our closest allies implicated—in its greatest moments, Thrones of Britannia almost plays like Total War crossed with Crusader Kings II. As villages burn and warriors smash into shield walls, there’s political intrigue and betrayals from within and without the kingdom. Vikings prowl the coast, rebels stir, and everyone seems to need help getting married. It’s tough to sit on the throne. Total War Saga games, of which this is the first, are smaller standalone games that hone in on a flashpoint in history. This time it’s the age of Alfred the Great, King of the Anglo-Saxons and historical celebrity. It’s fertile ground for a Total War romp, with the British Isles heaving with people who really don’t like one another, especially…

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom has done a fabulous job of hiding its best feature. It’s an open world action JRPG, but at its heart is a building sim starring a dollhouse-like kingdom. You raise buildings, generate resources, and research tactics and sciences. Managing your realm is not just a thing to do between quests. It’s what connects Ni no Kuni II’s many systems and keeps them running. And it’s what keeps me coming back. Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, the half-catfolk prince of Ding Dong Dell, loses his crown to a coup staged by the ratfolk faction. During his escape, Evan meets Roland, a mysterious leader sent from another world. With Roland’s help, Evan resolves to build a new kingdom, Evermore, and unite the four other kingdoms under a single banner. You…

STAG The clan of the campaign’s protagonist is a bit in love with itself, but extra resources and a focus on fame make it a good one to start with. GOAT Despite the name, this clan is more enamored with sheep. They can rear them, giving them more opportunities to keep their food stockpile high. WOLF If you want to fight a lot, this is the clan for you. Its warriors generate happiness and, by killing bears and wolves, extra food for the clanspeople. BOAR The Boar Clan’s bonuses are a bit scattershot, but its penchant for mysticism means that it can research faster than other clans. BEAR Objectively the best clan because it can summon an armored bear the moment a training ground is built. It’s name is Kaija,…

I’ve always loved a good JRPG town. Those little pockets of calm where the battles stop, the heroes lick their wounds, and you learn something about the world. The best ones are more than just a random scattering of houses littered with static NPCs. It’s when they feel like they have their own distinctive history and culture that they become memorable, and one of the most recent examples of this I can think of is in the wonderful Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. Goldpaw is a city covered in neon signs, and one of the prettiest locations in the game. It’s essentially the Las Vegas of Ni no Kuni’s fantasy world, where gambling and other vices are encouraged by the government, and getting into debt is a way of life.…

THE RULES 1 Pick a leader, and give them over to computer control 2 Use console commands to help them out 3 Don’t use the console to (directly) kill anyone As much as I’ve enjoyed Crusader Kings II over the years, I’m still not good at it. Sure, I can embroil myself in drama and intrigue just as well as the next aristocrat, but when it comes to ambition—to expanding my kingdom and crushing my enemies—it almost always goes wrong. To counter this failing, I’ve devised a new strategy: Don’t play Crusader Kings II. At least, don’t play it directly. Instead, I’m going to pick a character and use the ‘observe’ console command to hand them to the AI. Then, as the computer does all the heavy lifting, I’ll offer support in the…

Pausing on a snowy Northrend cliff, the icy twist of the wind sharpens as I gaze upon the Icecrown Citadel. I can hear a distant thud of Magnataur hooves and flap of blue drakes. But none of these virtual sensations comes as close to bringing Northrend to life for me as the remembered tastes of biting juniper, smoky pine, and chilled, fresh-caught salmon. On December 25, 2016, my parents showed up for Christmas Day dinner and I, a disorganized young adult, had no plan for the turkey. In desperation I cracked open one of my Christmas Eve gifts, World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook, and flipped to the recipe displayed on the cover: Slow-Roasted Turkey. A quick skim of the ingredients (common) and the instructions (easy) and six hours later,…