Official Playstation April

Issue 121 april 2016 5.
99
gamesradar.com/opm
revealeD!
LEgO
STAR
wARS
The force Awakens
comes to PS4 with
exclusive content
WORLD EXCLUSIVE!
WE EXplOrE THE
BiGGEST GamE
EVEr maDE
n e w t o p l ay s tat I o n ?
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THE plaNETS
THE SpaCESHipS
THE SECrETS
revIeweD!
far cry
prImal
Plus we score Street fighter V,

Layers Of fear, Unravel and more
DARK SOULS III TESTED INSIDE

Batman vs superman who wIns
the comIc war on playstatIon?
DESTINy 2 + wATch DOgS 2 cONfIRmED
issUe 121 / april 2016
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eDiTorial
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THErE ArE
FEW TIME
PErIOdS ANd
COrNErS OF
THE UNIVErSE
WE dONT VISIT
THIS MONTH.
eep space exploration in No Mans Sky,

deep sea diving in Abzu, Stone Age
skirmishes in Far Cry Primal,
pavement punch-ups in Street Fighter V,
zombie-filled post-apocalyptic America and
even a plastic galaxy far, far away there
are few time periods and corners of the
universe that we dont visit in this months
Official PlayStation Magazine.
No doubt its that first one that has you
clawing this issue open, eager for info on
PS4s most anticipated game. For years
youve been telling us you want more on No
Mans Sky, and after an agonisingly long wait
weve finally ventured into Hello Games HQ
to explore the most ambitious indie game on
PlayStation. You can see how its shaping up
in Jens excellent playtest over on p52.
One place not on our map this month?
That would be Uncharted 4s Libertalia (save
for the tie-in PS4 on p12). rest assured, its
with good reason: if youre a Nathan drake
fan, were putting together a very special
Uncharted celebration for our next issue,
out 12 April. See you then!
matthew pellett
secure
your copy of
opm #122 + an
Uncharted poster
editor
matthew.pellett@futurenet.com
@pelloki
Subscribe on p60
by 25 Mar
this months space explorers
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne

Non-executive chairman Peter Allen
Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand
Tel +44 (0)207 042 4000 (London)
Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244 (Bath)
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Ben Tyrer
Jen simpkins
milford Coppock
Josh Westbrook
game of The monTh

Layers Of Fear
lmhr34
game of The monTh

Street Fighter V
Unicornia
game of The monTh

Street Fighter V
Coppopulous
game of The monTh

(Battle)born
Hello World
staff writer
OPMs resident scaredycat shocked us all when he
completed arty frightfest
Layers Of Fear. How did
you finish it, Ben? Easely.
staff writer
Fighting fan Jen wants a
new Street Fighter movie,
this time about Shadaloos
evil quartet. They can call
it the F.A.N.Gtastic Four!
managing art editor

Journey enthusiast and evil
prankster Milfs excited for
Abzu. Its fitting, because
there are no depths to
which he wont sink.
new apprentice
A warm welcome to the
latest member of the OPM
family. Hes already been
taught our main TowerFall
motto: Take Out Tyrer.
003
Contents
highlights
The big 10
006 lego stAr wArs:

the forCe AwAkens
004
With Lego Marvels Avengers out, TT Games

turns its attention to a galaxy far, far away.
pREVIEW
030 pArAgon
The makers of Gears Of War cosy up to
PlayStation with an Epic new shooter.
feature
052 no mAns sky

We bag world-, nay, universe-exclusive access
to the biggest game in PlayStations history.
feature
062 gAming on A budget

PlayStation neednt be expensive: discover
15 great games you can grab for free.
feature
068 Abzu
two of the minds behind ps3 classic journey
team up again for an underwater adventure.
review
078 street fighter v

Hold onto those butt cheeks! Capcoms nearperfect brawler suffers a bruising launch.
review
084 fAr Cry primAl

The sandbox series trades guns and elephants
for spears and woolly mammoths, but can it still
deliver the thrills in its new Stone Age setting?
April 2016
sUBsCRiBE NOW!
look at those covers arent

they gorgeous? subscribers
get exclusive covers, cheaper
issues And a free gift for
joining us. go on, turn to p60
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100
036
034
090
039
052
040
014
095
041
078
s E c T I o n s aT a G l a n c E
THE
bIG 10
pREVIEWs
006
029
Latest info, screens

and playtests
All the hottest news
fEaTuREs
REVIEWs
nETWoRk
RETRo
sTaTIon
To-the-point,
detailed analysis
In-depth verdicts on
every big new game
Max out your PS4,

online and off
Classics revisited
048
077
097
106
THE Games index

089 A boy And his blob
068 Abzu
093 ACtion henk
092 AgAthA Christie:
the AbC murders
094 ArslAn: the wArriors
of legend
089 AssAssins Creed
ChroniCles: russiA
036 AttACk on titAn
011 bAttAlion 1944
034 dArk souls iii
018 dArkest dungeon
065 deAd or Alive 5 lAst
round: Core fighters
010 destiny 2
039 eA sports ufC 2
084 fAr Cry primAl
040 finAl fAntAsy xv
067 frobisher sAys!
020 knights And bikes
088 lAyers of feAr
095 lego mArvels Avengers
006 lego stAr wArs:
the forCe AwAkens
094 lovers in A
dAngerous spACetime
048 mirrors edge CAtAlyst
089 nAruto shippuden:
ultimAte ninjA storm 4
052 no mAns sky
041 one pieCe: burning blood
042 overwAtCh
030 pArAgon
064 pes 2016 myClub
094 pixel pirACy
063 plAnetside 2
114 portAl
019 song of the deep
078 street fighter v
038 sword Art online:
hollow reAlizAtion
100 the elder sCrolls online
092 the esCApists:
the wAlking deAd
014 the wAlking deAd:
miChonne
105 this wAr of mine:
the little ones
092 tron: run/r
090 unrAvel
062 wArfrAme
010 wAtCh dogs 2
106 we love kAtAmAri
066 world of tAnks
067 zen pinbAll 2
005
Thought the movie

poster couldnt look
any more iconic?
Think again.
The Big10
STorieS everyoneS Talking aBouT
006
TT Games is swoopinG in wiTh

whaT looks likes The ulTimaTe
leGo sTar wars Game.
10 waTch This space
watch Dogs 2 and Destiny 2 confirmed.
16 superhero showdown
is Batman or superman the tie-in king?
19 deep impacT
our first look at insomniacs latest.
TheBig10
playstation
awakens the
lego Force
exclusive DlC for sony consoles as

we return to our favourite galaxy
as much as
we love star
wars episode
Vii: The Force
awakens
and we
mean really
love it we
couldnt help but sense an imbalance
in the Force as we stumbled out of
the gloomy cinema.
every star wars film has a lego
game attached to it, so wheres our
newest block party, eh? Clearly,
however, patience isnt our strong
suit, as TT Games is already
swooping in with what looks like the
ultimate lego star wars game, due
in June, on all playstation consoles.
oh, and theres more its going
to be best on playstation. Thats
not some overly cocky claim, like
suggesting the millennium Falcon did
the kessel run in under 10 parsecs
as we all know, han boasts to have
done it in less than 12 but because
both ps4 and ps3 versions will
be getting exclusive DlC. Those
playstation-only add-ons will give us
access to the Droid Character pack
01
and phantom limb level pack.

plus, with C-3po featured on the
DlC pack shot and mystery still
surrounding how he ended up with
that red arm, were hoping that
Threepios story crops up in the
expansion. Brilliantly, the only way to
find out is on playstation.
jedi mind bricks
wait, we can hear a thousand voices
scream as one: But why is this the
ultimate lego star wars game?
after all, with so many great titles to
choose from already, its a big shout.
But its one that looks justifiable.
For starters, it wont just be tackling
the events of The Force awakens
itll also show us what happened
between episode Vi and episode Vii.
writing on the playstation Blog
with a huge grin on his face, well
assume game director Jamie eden
reveals how lucasfilm has helped in
bridging the trilogies. Through a
strong collaboration with lucasfilm,
weve been able to create new
stories and adventures connecting
the star wars narrative, both before
and tying into the movie. as such
007
The Big10
huge fans of the franchise, its a

tremendous honour to have that
privilege. weve got so many
questions. how did The First order
become the new empire? how
was starkiller Base built? and most
importantly, how long has luke
been looking wistfully at the sea?
008
The Farce awakens

impressively, lego star wars: The
Force awakens will also capture the
humour that runs through both the
lego games and the recent JJ
abrams film. The announcement
trailer mirrors the movies trailer
even down to using lord snokes
dialogue but is packed with more
jokes than there are junk bots in a
Jawa sandcrawler. our personal
favourite has to be poes inability to
hit the right button in his X-wing,
while the cantina theme is blaring
out around him. Then again, watching
kylo throw a tantrum while
struggling to get his lightsaber to
work is also chuckle-worthy.
its not just all these juicy story
details and visual gags that lego
star wars will deliver, however.
There are going to be some
interesting shake-ups to the formula
weve all come to love. Tom stone,
managing director at TT Games,
promises that lego star wars: The
Force awakens will be pushing the
series forward with innovative new
gameplay mechanics. Theres going
to be a new multi-Build system, in

which youll have a variety of choices
when it comes to what you can
assemble, including the option to
break your items down and reuse
the bricks to rebuild and open up
new areas. were thinking this might
be what the empire did when it went
back to work on that ol Death star
if that isnt enough to get you
counting down the days, then how
about Blaster Battles? Youll be
taking part in firefights against The
First orders legions of troops, and
if weve deciphered TTs coded
messages correctly you can use the
environment to your advantage.
Dont worry, wannabe pilots, we
havent forgotten about the fastest
piece of rubbish in space. This star
wars adventure will let you pilot
plenty of vehicles yep, including the
millennium Falcon placing you in
battles and dogfights across the
galaxy. if you struggled to contain
your excitement at han and Chewie
getting back into the Falcon during
the film, just imagine what its going
to be like when you step into the
cockpit alongside them.
youll be able To
piloT The millennium
falcon in dogfighTs
across The galaxy.
Size MatterS Not
how popular is the lego star wars

franchise? well, its managed to shift
an astounding 33 million copies already,
and with the new trilogy only just
beginning, that number is only going
to head one way. fast.
But where will this new step into

the lego star wars universe take
you? There are only two confirmed
locations so far Jakku and
starkiller Base but were also
willing to put good money on the
Takodana hideout of wily old landlady
maz kanata cropping up. That big
screenshot down the bottom,
meanwhile, sure looks suspiciously
similar to endor.
Lego oF your haTe
as youd expect with any lego game,
the cast of playable characters is
already looking very strong, with
rey, Fin, poe, han, Chewie, C-3p0
and Best Droid ever BB-8 all
representing for the rebellion, while
moody teen kylo ren, General hux
and Captain phasma turn out for
The First order. its a very safe bet
to say theres going to be plenty
more where they came from.
with lots of new twists on the
classic lego mechanics, hilarious
riffing on the brilliant episode Vii,
plus exclusive playstation goodies,
this is one we cant wait for. luckily,
we wont actually have to for long:
with a release date set for 28 June,
well be getting our grubby mitts on
the next lego game much sooner
than expected. so get strapped in:
its time to jump to hype-speed.
need more lego goodness? read our
alternative hall of fame picks on p111.
its unconfirmed, but surely

this is a young chewie,
han and leia off ewokbothering on endor?
Kylo rens having some trouble getting
it up. his lightsaber, ya filthy animal.
let the good times roll. yes, bb-8 is
somehow even cuter than ever before.
finn and bear it: poor

chewie looks like hes
freezing. someone get
that wookiee a coat!
009
youve got all the ingredients here for a classic dogfight. The falcon, some Tie fighters and the dunes of Jakku. were already making laser sounds.
as ever, it looks superb,

combining legos charm
with an authentic take
on the source material.
watch dogs had a troubled

debut, so were hoping ubi
has fixed its issues for the
second ps4 outing.
The Big10
010
Watch Dogs 2 and

Destiny 2 inbound
Plus Assassins Creed is taking a much-needed gap year
The earnings calls
are in. Oh, fiscal
reports dont get
your motor
running, is that it?
Well, how about
this: publishers Activision and Ubisoft
let slip in their financial chatter that
a Destiny sequel is coming in 2017,
that Watch Dogs 2
will appear by next
March, and that
Assassins Creed
is definitely taking
a year out to
reconsider its life
choices. Those
boardroom chats are starting to
look much more interesting, right?
Destinys big Spring update was
announced before the Christmas
hols, with Bungie promising to give
the shooter a booster shot: a Light
increase, shiny new loot, and a
02
handful of new PvE challenges.

Activision must have sensed that
wouldnt be enough to cure our
space-shooting fatigue, however,
because the Destiny 2 bomb has
been dropped. Thats a full Destiny
sequel in 2017 and if that wasnt
enough added alien murder for you,
theres also a large expansion due
later this year.
Given that the
brief events of
recent months (the
Festival Of The
Lost, Sparrow
Racing League and
Crimson Days to
name a few) havent stopped our
passion for gobbling up engrams
from waning, a new Taken King-sized
expansion will be just the thing to
revive Guardian spirits especially if
extra story missions and raids are
as strong as Oryxs offering. Hold
our passion
for gobbling
up engrams
has waned.
tight til June: were betting we hear

more about Destinys future at E3.
dev talk
since the release
of unity, weve
learned a lot based
on your feedback.
weve also updated
our development
processes were
taking this year to
evolve the mechanics
and make sure
were delivering on
the promise of aC
offering gameplay
experiences that make
history everyones
playground.
ubisoft
developer, assassins Creed
UBI naUghty
Itll be a busy year for Ubisoft, too.
Its working on open-world shooter
Ghost Recon: Wildlands, medieval
melee fighter For Honor and new
South Park RPG The Fractured But
Whole, and now another game has
sneaked into the lineup. Its earnings
call revealed the next instalment of
Watch Dogs is on its way sometime
in the coming fiscal year: anywhere
between April 2016 and March 2017.
Aiden Pearces vigilante adventure
didnt exactly blow us away once
we got our mitts on it in 2014,
but it did shift like warm buns to
become the fastest-selling IP of all
time so its not surprising that
Ubi is taking another hack at it. Who
knows whether the grey-hatted
antihero will return for Watch Dogs
SPACE CODYESSY
dont bet on Call of duty returning

to wwii yet. activision confirmed a
new, innovative entry for 2016,
and infinity wards recent tweet
(featuring the astronaut suit from
ghosts) suggests its set in space.
The Big10
The dev promises fair

battlegrounds, with dedicated
servers, anti-cheat software,
solid netcode and more.
Battalion 1944
totals Kickstarter
Authentic WWII shooters start fighting back
Missing WWII
multiplayer
first-person
shooters? So is the
rest of the world
to the tune of
several hundred thousand pounds.
Derby-based dev Bulkhead
Interactive wants to revive the genre
for PS4 with Battalion 1944, an
Unreal Engine
4-powered
passion project.
Shoulder your
rifles: its more
than doubled its
100,000 crowdfunding target.
A cursory
glance at the
Kickstarter page reveals why; the
reams of detail on the development
is astounding. To create a highfidelity experience, Bulkheads taken
reference pictures of historical WWII
sites such as the forests of Batogne
and the streets of Carentan for
accurate physically-based rendering.
And hearing the team of former
Triple-A devs, modders, and eSports
pros talk so passionately about their
03
2: there are whispers about a new

protagonist, and rumours that we
might be leaving the gloomy Windy
City for San Franciscos fog.
But therell be no travelling the
world one rooftop at a time in 2016.
Ubisoft also officially confirmed what
weve all been suspecting, so retract
your hidden blades: theres no
Assassins Creed regeneration this
year. The company announced that
its stepping back and re-examining
the franchise. Although Assassins
Creed Syndicate delivered likeable
protagonists and a Victorian London
to die (or rather, kill) for, the
mechanics felt long overdue a
shake-up. Last issues rumour mill
seems on the money, so dont be
shocked if we end up heading to the
pyramids of Ancient Egypt in 2017
need your Creed fix? The official movie
is still due out at the end of this year.
vision for Battalion 1944 is

encouraging. Executive producer
Joe Brammer explains: We want to
design a game that goes back to
what we wanted when we were
kids, referencing Call of Duty 2s
tight maps as inspiration.
It will prioritise raw skill over
time played; unbalanced unlocks and
overpowered abilities gone in favour
of visual
customisation
such as rifle
engravings and
insignias. Lead
designer David
Jones sums it up
best: It just
seems like the
right time its
something we want to play, and
something that doesnt exist. Why
wouldnt we just make it?
With all three Call Of Duty teams
now setting their games in the
future, its clear that players are
gunning for a bit of WWII shooting
nostalgia. Take note, Activision.
unbalanCed
unloCks are
gone in favour
of visual
CusTomisaTion.
strafe on over to the kickstarter page

for more info: kck.st/1QwvgXC
011
329.99 gets you the
sexiest
Ps4
ever, a coPy of
The
Big
10
the game and a matching
grey/blue dualshock 4.
012
The Big10
Ear, Ear
Owning a sleek new PS4 and pad

not enough for you? If you want
even more Nathan Drake in your
life, Sonys also releasing a fresh
Wireless 2.0 headset with the
same steely blue effect. Want.
Go for the 70 special edition and

you get a 48-page art book and steel
StorieS everyoneS talking about
Heres Neil Druckmanns hand approving

the design for said steel case. Mmm, shiny.
meet uncharteds
Ps phwoar edition
a thiefs end gets gorgeous console bundle
so. much.
sexy. is it
wrong we
want to do
naughty
things to
sonys
limited
edition uncharted 4 Ps4 bundle? and
by naughty, we mean throw our
stupid non-nate engraved consoles
into the nearest bin, then stroke this
beauty in an extremely suggestive
fashion. it is? Prudes.
to celebrate the release of the
game you bought a Ps4 for, sony is
launching this tasteful gold and
blue-tinted console on 29 april to
help see drake off in style. retailers
are already taking pre-orders for
the bundle, and for 329.99 you get
the sexiest Ps4 ever, a copy of a
thiefs end and a matching grey/blue
dualshock 4. happily, sony is also
selling the pad separately, for fans
content with their existing machines.
youll have plenty of space for
those hundreds of share button
shots youre going to take of
naughty dogs latest, because the
04
uncharted 4 Ps4 has a helluva hefty

1tb hard-drive. and the new console
is also decorated with the phrase
sic Parvis magna. translation:
greatness from small beginnings.
our chiselled trinket-lover sure has
a silver tongue, though wed question
that small beginnings madness
blue man scoop
With the release date of the iconic
adventurers Playstation swansong
rapidly approaching, youd assume
uncharted 4 would be pretty much
done. Well, perhaps not. Jeremy
yates, nates mo-cap performer,
posted a tweet in early feb, saying:
donning the drake suit just one
last time. Previously, creative
director neil druckmann had said all
motion capture was completed last
year, so are there last minute story/
cutscene tweaks being added before
the game goes gold? or is this the
promised dlc in production?
either way, well have much more
on Ps4s biggest title next issue.
Check back on 12 April for more Nate
in our Uncharted 4 celebration issue.
013
The
the bigBig
shot 10
STorieS
everyoneS
Talking aBouT
eagle-eyed
analysis
Samira Wiley, who plays

Poussey in Orange Is
The New Black, provides
Michonnes tones.
014
Set between issues #126

and #139 of the comic, the
game examines Michonnes
time away from Rick.
Return of The
Walking
Dead
Michonne slices her way onto PS4
Heres a tricky
choice to make:
do you grab
Telltales latest
The Walking
Dead miniseries
right now or do you try and make
it to the end of the magazine
first? Be warned: if you pick the
former, we will remember that.
Yep, after a long silence,
Michonnes three-part The
Walking Dead spin-off has finally
hit PS4 and PS3. Its great to see
Telltales vividly realised world
again, even if it means ditching
05
our beloved Clem. The katanawielding wanderer Michonne is

instead joined by fisherman Pete,
and the first episode sees the
pair investigating the floating
colony of Monroe, with eps two
and three due in March and April.
The fixed release schedule is
hugely welcome after the long
stretches of time between the
studios past episodes lets
hope Telltale adopts this monthly
format for all its other series.
Well review Michonnes complete
miniseries in a future issue of OPM.
Bit too slow in grabbing

a PS4? Dont worry,
Michonnes episodes are
also coming to PS3.
number game
we do the maths
29/04
The release date for Uncharted 4: A
Thiefs End is just over a month away.
Yikes, these rotters

are popular. 50 million
episodes of TTs TWD have
been downloaded in total.
19m 38s
The current speed running record for
The Witness. Nimble brain cells!
4.7GB
12
The incredibly fitting and silently
impressive size of Febs Hitman Beta.
015
Things will get rough for

Michonne. The next episodes
are called Give No Shelter
and What We Deserve.
The number of new division titles in

Rocket Leagues second season.
10,000BC
The year in which Far Cry Primals
caveman rumble takes place.
9.6%
The rise in OPMs print sales for 2015.
A HUGE thank you to every reader.
14,995,669,168
Total bullets which were fired during
The Divisions closed Beta session.
1989
Shadow Of The Beast coming soon to
PS4 was first released in this year.
709.95
The insane amount staff writer Ben
spent on FIFAs Ultimate Team. True.
bats and supes just love to

hate just look at mortal
kombat Vs dc universe or
injustice: gods among us.
The Big10
016
Who wins DCs

gaming war?
We call the Batman V Superman battle, PlayStation-style
Later this month,
Kal-El is taking on
Master Wayne in
cinemas in a
pitched battle to
determine who has
the itchiest outfit. Supes would
probably obliterate Brucie in a
straight-up fight, but when it comes
to their tie-in
videogames, its
nowhere near so
clear cut. Join us
as we delve into
PlayStation history
to pit Batman
against Superman
on Sony consoles
Actually, it is pretty clear cut when
we look at the original PlayStation,
as Supermans action game based
on his concurrent animated series
never saw the light of day. Still, as
the Nintendo 64 version of
06
Superman is considered one of the

worst games ever made (Solve My
Maze!), we have to hand this early
victory to Batman & Robin. It wasnt
a great game, or a good film, but it
did feature an open-world Gotham,
which was pretty neat for the time.
Round two sees Kal-El coming out
swinging. His first PlayStation 2
game, Shadow Of
Apokolips, was
inspired by the
90s Warner Bros
cartoon, and as
such featured a
vibrant Metropolis.
Batmans notable
PS2 titles were the
similarly cartoony Vengeance, along
with the grungy Batman Begins,
based on the Christopher Nolan film.
It really comes down to whether you
want to be the Batman or a
goody-two-shoes alien, and as all
RumouR is,
Rocksteady
will be making
a supeRman
game next.
team talk
is this even a
contest? while im
sure theres plenty
of great superman
material that would
make for some
excellent games, the
fact is were yet to see
it on any playstation
console. meanwhile,
the arkham trilogy
sets the standard
for superhero games
across ps3 and ps4.
batman is, yknow, just
objectively better.
ben tyrer
staff writer
their PS2 games were frankly a bit

pants, lets call this one a draw.
Neither Bats nor Supes are that
well-represented on PSP, but as the
first Lego Batman received a
handheld port, its surely a clear
victory for the Crusader there? Not
so: Clark Kent stole the show in
Justice League Heroes, an
accomplished co-op brawler that felt
right at home on PSP. You wouldnt
play a handheld Lego game if you
could help it, so well hand this next
round to Kal-El. What a super man.
Round fouR ding!
There would be something wrong
with the multiverse if Batman didnt
win this one, as PS3 marks the first
appearance of Rocksteadys Arkham
series. Arkham Asylum was inspired
by the comics rather than the films
or animated series, and its the only
game to appreciate his talent for
super, smashing, greaT!

superman is coming to lego
dimensions on 31 march, with his
famous, um, hover pod, which is
apparently a thing. youll be able
to use all of his powers, including
freeze-breath and super-strength.
The Big10
info patches
update your brain
Rocksteadys arkham trilogy set a

new benchmark for tie-in games.
accomplished beat-em-ups Mortal

Kombat Vs DC Universe and Injustice:
Gods Among Us. Er, along with Bats.
thinking as well as punching. If you

werent a Batman fan before you
played it, you certainly were
afterwards, with Arkhams mixture
of investigation, stealth, and
somehow non-fatal violence bringing
the authentic Caped Crusader to life.
PS3 was particularly kind to
Batman, giving us two Arkham
follow-ups, and three fun Lego titles
that successfully lampooned Bats
brooding, sullen nature. There was
even a Dark Knight tie-in being
developed by Pandemic at one point,
though this promising title was sadly
cancelled before release.
And Superman? By this point,
developers had seemingly given up
on supplying Superman with his own
games, given how rarely they hit the
mark. Kal-El took on a supporting
role from PS3 onwards, appearing in
dreary MMO DC Universe Online,
along with the surprisingly
SupeRman goeS aWoL

Round five is a quickie Supermans
only appearance on PS Vita is in
Lego Batman. Bats wins for Arkham
Origins: Blackgate not because its
fantastic, but because Superman
gave PS Vita a wide berth. Its his
super-strength, see he keeps
accidentally snapping the handheld.
Its the final round, with all to play
for er, unless youve done the
maths and realised Batman has
already won. Rumour is that
Rocksteady is making a Superman
game next, possibly for PS4, but the
Kryptonite-phobic hero is currently
largely AWOL. Sure, hes returned
for the PS4 version of Lego Batman
3, and will soon be gliding to Lego
Dimensions, but were afraid Batman
wins this round thanks to his lead
role in Lego Dimensions and the
small matter of Arkham Knight a
fitting end to Rocksteadys series,
and a crushing final blow to the
orphan of Krypton. So Batman wins,
as we all knew he would. The least
he could do is crack a smile.
pip pip, hooray!

Fallout 4 fans, get ready for an influx of
dlc. march and april bring mod-heavy dlc
packs automatron and wasteland workshop
(custom robo-companions and creature
capturing tools respectively), but its mays
Far Harbor (sic) pack that has us excited: a
trek to a mysterious island filled with quests.
017
Tekken a Break
keep holding your breath, as tekken x street
Fighter isnt dead, but the development team
is keeping coy about any release date. michael
murray, the senior game designer on tekken
7, tells us: its still in development, but as far
as a release window we havent really decided
on that. Fingers crossed its this decade.
How about a superhero past his prime?

check out our action Henk review on p93.
Dawn of The heaD-shoT
superman hasnt had his own game

for a while could one be coming?
the free-to-play and ps4-bound Rpg H1Z1 is

being split into two games. while the original
sandbox mmo, now subtitled Just survive, will
focus on staying alive against zombie hordes,
newly announced spin-off king of the kill is
set to be a chaotic pvp shootathon. both are
due later in 2016, neither remaining F2p
The Big10
Slaughter is the
best medicine
Lose your mind in Darkest Dungeon

Durville the
Man-at-arms has
returned from the
Ruins only able to
self-flagellate in
the Abbey to
relieve his stress. He cant cope
because Dismas the Highwayman
got so anxious in the near darkness
when the last torch went out that
he had a heart attack. While
Strivelyn managed
to survive the
escape with part of
her sanity intact,
shes come back
with dacnomania
an obsession with
biting. Welcome to
Darkest Dungeon,
an incoming
side-scrolling roguelike thatll make
you question your own sanity.
No one ever thinks about how
your motley crew of fighters really
feels. Until now. Red Hook Studios
Kickstarter success is all about
juggling your carefully selected
rosters anxiety levels, and it does
by adding a stress meter on top
of an HP gauge. Hit 100 while on
a quest and your poor warrior
will become afflicted with issues
07
018
from masochism to alcoholism

but raise stress to 200 and youll
go the way of Dismas. Everything
from light levels to claustrophobia
can affect the teams fragile state
of mind, making every quest a
darkly comic nightmare.
Mind your head
Add in permadeath for your
sensitive heroes as you send them
into beautifully
Lovecraftian
environments
to take on the
disturbing horrors
within, and
Darkest Dungeon
is fiendishly
unforgiving. You
can calm your
team down with tavern drinks in
the hamlet between quests, or
even send them into the Abbey for
some contemplation and prayer.
Unless, like Mathan the Arbalist,
you see something so disturbing
in there that youll never meditate
again Ready a torch, dear
reader. Youre going to need it.
EvERYtHiNg
cAN AffEct
tHE tEAMS
fRAgiLE StAtE
of MiND
Lygophobia, plutomania
and egomania are
just a few of the grim
afflictions that await.
Darkest Dungeon will be coming to both

PS4 and PS vita this summer.
the rumour machine

our sources understand
As well as saying his new

PS4 exclusive will be a big,
extremely edgy game,
Hideo Kojima has been
reuniting with ex-Silent
Hills partners Guillermo del
Toro and Norman Reedus
A 3D animator at XPEC
studios added Knack 2
to her CV it apparently
started life in May 15.
Onimusha could Is Crash on his way
be getting a
back? PlayStation
revival,
Middle East
Capcoms
is teasing
Yoshinori
him, and toy
Ono
makers are
claims.
talking, too
Titanfall 2 could
drop onto PS4
this year, as
McFarlane Toys
is releasing tie-in
action figures in
December.
take it to the clank
If you grabbed last issue youll

know that Insomniacs Ratchet &
Clank remake is shaping up to be
exceptional. However, if you want
the Bouncer weapon, know this:
you need to pay up and pre-order.
Insomniacs latest
is a super sub
Song Of The Deep to launch shortly after Ratchet
08
There will be digital and disc versions,

but only Gamestop is selling the latter.
the month in
mouthing off
Well be able
to make the
next game at
a comparable
budget level.
Jonathan Blow
dreams
big after
office
fave The
Witness
strong
sales.
You can upgrade your

sub with gadgets,
such as a claw arm for
catching torpedoes.
Well this is a
sweet, squelchy
surprise. Here
we are, waiting
for a fluffy-eared
Lombax to make
his first proper PS4 appearance
on 22 April, assuming Insomniac
is doing nothing but perfecting
Ratchet & Clank when the dev
announces a brand new game.
Say hello to Song Of The Deep,
an utterly charming-looking
PlayStation
Thevoices
Big10
aquatic quest. Described as

a Metroidvania-style action
adventure, this huggable 2D
project came into being from an
unlikely source. [Its] inspired by
the daughter of Insomniac chief
creative officer Brian Hastings,
reads the studios official site.
The story revolves around young
girl Merryn, who builds a ragtag
submarine to find her father after
he fails to return from a fishing
trip. So basically, Finding Nemo in
reverse minus the clown fish.
As Merryn searches, the journey
takes in some eclectic action, be
it steering around gigantic sea
spiders or towing mines to clear
routes. The debut trailer already
points to a warmly told plot and
gorgeously damp exploration, so
cross those barnacles and hope
Insomniac can deliver two cracking
PS4 tales before the year is out.
Song Of The Deep will be diving
towards a PS4 near you this summer.
Im a king
and I play King.
WWE trombone
master Xavier
Woods reveals
hes all about
the cat-headed
wrassler when
it comes to
playing Tekken.
Youre yet to
see our studios
best work.
Bungie CEO
Pete Parsons
thinks the
Destiny
devs
fortunes
will go
up and
up.
019
instant
opinion
How do we know its set

in Cornwall? Because
theres a shop selling
fudge. Case closed.
strong vs
wrong
Are you Xur?
Destiny in Lego? Not

quite, but a Destiny toy
range is coming thanks
to Mega Blocks. We can
finally look forward to
building a nice blocky
Sparrow in real life.
eAT My eNGINe
Rocket League Season

2 has kicked off, with
experimental arenas
and new ranking
systems. We havent
seen Tyrer since its
launch [Because hes
fired Ed].
wITchING power
020
Were big fans of

vinyl figures, so
imagine our delight at
the news that The
Witcher 3s Geralt
is getting the tiny
statue treatment
from Jinx. R.I.P. money.
TowerBAwlING
Despite our desperate

pleas with HR to send
us, there was no OPM
representation at the
2016 TowerFall World
Championships. Next
year, though
lIGhT wAlleT
Dying Light Spotlight

Edition nets you a
chance to be in a Dying
Light movie along with
other bonuses, but
costs $10 million. Arent
we over these silly
special editions yet?
Knights And Bikes

skids onto PS4
You wont be able to Tearaway yourself
Well heres a
LittleBig surprise
youll be happy to
get. Newly formed
indie studio Foam
Sword is
Kickstarting its old-school RPG,
Knights And Bikes. With an art style
that looks like teenage Tearaway, and
couchplay co-op a huge part of the
game, were oiling the gears on our
rusty bike in frantic anticipation.
Set on the blustery Cornish island
of Penfurzy, you step into the size
sevens of Nessa or
Demelza. After a
disappointing
summer for the
island, our heroines
wake up medieval
spirits that begin to
09
were oiliNg
tHe geArs oN
our rusty BiKe iN
ANtiCiPAtioN.
SweAT code
SFVs launch netcode

lets down our favourite
fighter on PS4. After
the problems with Ultra
SFIVs PS4 port, these
issues just arent on.
take over the island. No prizes for

guessing its your job to stop them
while also tackling plenty of quests
for locals. Fortunately, youll have
help from Nessas pet goose
(Captain Honkers) and a disembodied
head called The Pickled Knight.
Penfurzy is ripe for exploration,
and thats where your trusty bikes
come into play. Like any RPG worth
its XP, both bikes and protagonists
are upgradeable. There will also be
plenty of scrapping, with Nessa and
Demelza using whatever they can
grasp: Frizbees,
wellington boots,
Power Gloves and
even videogames
It may only be a
two man team at
Foam Sword, but
Rex Crowle and Moo
Yu both have an impressive pedigree.
Crowles work at Media Molecule
includes Tearaway and LittleBigPlanet, while Yu has Ratchet & Clank
and LBP on his CV. The Kickstarter is
still ongoing as we pedal through
deadline, with Knights And Bikes not
yet past its funding goal, but were
confident this adorably British RPG
will be funded. Its far too cute to fail.
Nessa and Demelza become friends

when Demelza moves to Penfurzy.
Check out www.foamswordgames.com

for more info on Knights And Bikes.
The Big10
Nates Portrait
While were dreaming ahead,

Naughty Dog is looking to
its past, having tweeted this
early concept art of Nathan
Drake. We have to say, he looks
as roguishly handsome as ever.
pristinely
just one more question

10
the team debate this months burning issue
Whats next for naughty Dog
after Uncharted 4 retires Drake?
021
Matthew Pellett
Editor
Ben tyrer
Staff WritEr
Jen SiMPkinS
Staff WritEr
andrew weStBrook
Production Editor
Well, someboDy
has got to say it:
the last of Us 2.
Debate over, yeah?
folloWing the
traCk traDition
of Crash team
raCing anD Jak X,
i DemanD UnkarteD.
all We really
Want is a Crash
banD-reboot.
i hope the team

really tests
itself by
Creating neW ip.
is this even a discussion

we need to be having?
the answer is clearly
a new the last of Us
project. opm readers
voted the original as the
greatest playstation
game of all time in our
100th issue poll. of all
time! and while i dont
personally agree with
that result, im still in awe
of what tloU and its left
behind DlC accomplished.
really, the debate should
be about its characters (i
wont mind if Joel and ellie
are retired there are so
many more stories to tell
elsewhere in that world);
and about its name
(tloU 2? a numberless
subtitle?). obviously we all
know a sequel made from
scratch for ps4 would
be the best thing ever. n
no, seriously. after

completing its last two
trilogies, naughty Dog
turned out surprisingly
fun karting racers with
Crash team racing and
Jak X im still annoyed
it hasnt carried on the
tradition yet. so why,
barring the sterling pun,
would this work? Well,
the Uncharted series has
plenty of diverse locations
so track variety wouldnt
be an issue. its large cast
of characters equals
many racers, too. and
pinching an idea from
mario kart Double Dash,
why not have pairs racing
in Jeeps, with one person
focusing on the driving
while another is shooting?
nates quips would be
perfect on the circuit. n
When sony Worldwide

studios boss shawn
layden waltzed onto the
psX 2015 stage, clad in
a Crash bandicoot shirt,
without mentioning my
favourite jorts-wearing
marsupial, he made a
powerful enemy. i vowed
to have my revenge
by, er, writing angry little
debate pieces. What does
this mean, shawn? has
series creator naughty
Dog Crashnapped the ip?
We need answers, and
we need a 2016 Crash.
im desperate to revisit
high-definition Wumpa
islands, to smash crates,
collect fruit and bounce
plasma into Cortexs
stupid, 1080p face. sony
and naughty Dog had
better spin up something
quick, or ill be the one
putting the boot in n
hang on, hang on.

theres a lot of talk
about reboots, tie-ins
and sequels here. but
isnt naughty Dog one of
gamings most innovative,
forward-thinking devs?
rather than going for the
easy cash by extending
already-established
brands, i hope the team
really tests itself by
creating new ip just
think back to how good
it was playing the last
of Us for the first time.
maybe it would be set
in space. perhaps
underwater. even 1970s
Croydon? hey, ive got
faith they could make it
work. it just needs to
combine the characterdriven grit of tloU with
Uncharteds playability
hook. no pressure. n
rePlies
F facebook.com/OfficialPlayStationMagazine t @OPM_UK W gamesradar.com/opm e opm@futurenet.com
#120 ratchet & Clank,

Hitman, Hideo Kojimas
next move, The Witness.
We can see why they

like it andrew, even if
theyve no idea about
elizabeth and company.
Jen also sang about
her love for Bioshock in
her interview, actually.
Matts ears are still
trying to recover
can I get a Rt?

Tweet gold (and one troll) from
this months @OPM_UK timeline
@dazfink
Had a dream that my
wife woke me up and told
me another settlement
needed my help.
Generation game
022
Ourtone (PSn) via email
Indeed, Ourtone, were

happy to report that
young Douglas note
inspired a flurry of
letters from, um, more
experienced gamers.
the OPM team itself
has a good two-decade
spread, with art ed Milf
actually a veteran from
the PS1 OPM magazines.
An ode to Infinite
I wrote and recorded

a song a few years
ago that was inspired
by the Bioshock series
(mainly Infinite) and it has
become a few peoples
favourite song of mine.
Unfortunately, they dont
know what Im singing
about as theyve never
played the games! Id love
it if you guys gave it a
listen bit.ly/1mhZ7Sm.
Thanks! Keep up the good
work. Awesome magazine!
andrew Vanstone via email
Okay, Ive done my homework. Ive jogged the streets at

night figuring things out. Ive made up charts, checked
the stats, called the accountants and had scientists
check my theories. Ive compared resolutions and
stereophonic qualities and seen all the local psychics.
Ive consulted doctors and visited museums. Finally,
I purchased the last few OPMs and decided that, yes,
a PS4 will be my next console the biggest investment
I will make this year after a new pair of second-hand
Reeboks. This is a most important day.
Robert Roemer via email
Impressive research, Robert, and undeniable proof,

we think youll agree, that PS4 is the greatest
console to have existed. to reward your efforts,
heres a years free subscription to OPM. enjoy!
@robertashley
A friends hot take on The
Witness: I feel like I took
mushrooms and went
to a Google interview.
@Jonathan_Blow
At least one reviewer
100%ed the game or
pretty close, which is
way beyond finish.
Sean constable via email
the range of non-violent,

non-sporty games is
huge, Sean animal
crossing-style is trickier
though. Worth a look will
be norwind Interactives
astraea. Its due out in
the coming months.
THERE IS NOTHING bETTER

THAN RUNNING AROUND ENDOR,
bLASTER IN HAND, AFTER A
STRESSFUL DAY AT WORK.
Star letter The moment of truth
@stal_86
Great FF7 article guys,
doesnt seem that long
since I was reading
about the original.
troll of the month
Stress-blaster
Its good to hear that

Douglas [Star letter, OPM
#119] is enjoying his PS4
at the age of 56. As a
younger gamer of 46,
I find there is nothing
better than running
around Endor, blaster in
hand after a day at work
to relieve any stress.
Hi, as a 40-plusyear-old, Ive been

enjoying my PlayStation
consoles through all
the generations and am
always spoilt for choice
with games. However, Im
constantly trying to get
my wife on board. She
prefers the non-violent,
non-sporty sims, Animal
Crossing-style games.
Are there any such
games for PS4 out there?
@theRadBrad
The Division: I learned
nothing is more stressful
than extracting a beanie
from the dark zone.
@CharionnaTV
The first time I went
rogue was an accident,
but after the thrill
I love the Dark Zone!
@VirtueTanv
THE PS4 CONTROLLER
SUCKS.
Team Koj
Being the fan of Metal

Gear Solid that I am,
I worry about the future
of the franchise. If Konami
want to go down the
cash cow route then
so be it, but give Kojima
his franchise back.
@ultrabrilliant
There should be a bit in
Doom where you meet a
Witness line puzzle, then
just shotgun it to bits.
badboytommyg via the

OPM UK PSN community
@SixerMason
Just saw a photo of
Hideo Kojima and David
Cage. This worries me.
Wed love that to

happen, tommyg, but
theres zero chance
Konami owns MgS.
end of story. that said,
were very excited by
Koj working on new IP
@Davesaninja
You know you play too
much #destiny when you
stroll through missions
while reading @OPM_UK.
best comments from facebook.com/officialplaystationmagazine
Why are people talking about games not

even coming out? P.T. is over guys. Move on
and talk about No Mans sky or No Mans sky.
Who needs AAA

games when indies
are as good as this?
jesus orozco is not one for dreaming of what could have been.
jason macdonald on firewatch.
ReaDeRS MOSt WanteD

1
Which games are bleeping loudest on your radar?
Ratchet & clank
Last months cover feature clearly

caught the attention of the Lombax
fans out there, as the platforming
classics imminent remake shot
past Nathan Drake to claim its
first Most Wanted number one
spot. This ones shaping up to
be rather special, so its
moment at the top
of the pile is
well deserved.
PlayStations love affair

with Lego games can be
traced back to the very
first Lego Star Wars, so
news of an Episode VII
tie-in has us worshiping
the Force gods once more.
Roll over to p6, bb-8 style,
for all the info you need.
FORMat Ps4
eta 22 APr
Still clinging on to
the second spot as
if it were a train car
dangling over a cliff
edge, Nathan Drakes
latest adventure has
spawned a special
edition PS4. Check it
out on p12, then get
excited for next issue
023
Tell us the five games

you cant wait to play at
opm@futurenet.com
FORMat Ps4
eta 29 APr
FORMat Ps4/Ps3/Ps ViTA

eta 28 JUN
VOte
nOW!
Uncharted 4:
a thiefs end
lego Star Wars:

the Force
awakens
Dark Souls III
With this months cover story no doubt causing

jaws to unhinge all over the world, we suspect No
Mans Sky will soar up the Most Wanted charts by
the time were back next month. Race over to p52
to begin exploring your next favourite PS4 game.
The closing chapter of

the Dark Souls trilogy is
a mere month away, and
we can already see the
fear sweat forming on
the brows of series fans.
Creep forward to p34 for
our hot take but beware
ambushes on the way.
FORMat Ps4
eta JUN
FORMat Ps4
eta 12 APr
no Mans Sky
exIt
POll
Our Facebook
fans answer a
final question
Which classic
Hitman level from
Agent 47s past
is your all-time
favourite?
28% say no
to vegetarians at
The Meat Kings
Party in Contracts.
12% Want to
party in both
Heaven and Hell
with Blood
Moneys A Dance
With The Devil.
32%
Are living A New
life in the Blood

Money surburban
slaughterfest.
16% love opera in

Blood Moneys
Curtains Down.
4% Celebrate
Mardi Gras in The

Murder Of Crows
from Blood Money.
8% Prefer going
old-school in
russia at the
st. Petersburg
stakeout in
Hitman 2.
next
MOnth
Try not to cry:

its almost time for
Uncharteds final
chapter. What setpiece from Nathan
Drakes series is
your favourite?
OpiniOn
Ben Griffin
lining up elements
into well-balanced
compositions is a
gratifying puzzle in itself
pure virtual tourism.
Why screenshotting can be more rewarding than playing
024
ears before PS4 enabled

players to snap and share
high-quality screenshots
with a few button presses,
I was balancing my two
megapixel Casio camera
on a stack of Harry Potters and
pointing it towards my fingersmudged telly. Why? Because
taking pictures of games is the best.
Firstly, it gives you something to
look back on, like an old photo album.
Except that all of the pictures of your
ice cream-eating nan are swapped
for your initial steps into Fallout 4s
Diamond City, or your introduction to
Solid Snakes D-Dog. The memoryjogging stimulus provided by pictures
prevents any sensation that the hours
youve invested have been wasted.
Secondly, they can become
testaments to your gaming skill
theyre visual records of incredible
achievements. Capture the moment
you vanquish Bloodbornes Father
Gascoigne into the ether or finally
gain that hard-fought FIFA 16 league
promotion and you can relive the
glory, handing those PNG files
down to offspring if so inclined.
And lets not forget the best
reason of all to take screenshots.
The art reason. Ive a habit
of ignoring puzzles in The
Witness to wander around
wide-eyed on the hunt for
decent frames and angles,
reluctantly turning to
maze-solving when
I need to unlock new
areas. Scouting scenes,
then lining up elements
into well-balanced
compositions is a
In Assassins Creed: Syndicate and Life

Is Strange, I get around this by moving
my avatar up against the wall and
rotating the camera until they
disappear. Taking pictures in games
teaches the art of problem-solving.
snap happy
Writer bio
Ben Griffin photographs games and real life
alike, and one time a screenshot gallery of his
reached number FOUR on Reddits front page.
He was very excited. Confirm hes not lying
by viewing his collection of game and real life
shots here: photosofphotos.imgur.com.
gratifying puzzle in itself its

virtual tourism in the purest sense.
But how to take a picture worthy
of wallpaper when most games slap
a view-stealing gun in your hand or
smother you in a HUD? Improvise.
Theres no conventional way to
lower Bioshock Infinites weapons
unless, that is, you switch out
your firearm and take a picture in
the millisecond before your next
one pops up. And pausing
and unpausing to briefly
banish interfaces
works a charm in
games such as
Battlefield 4 (theres
also a small window
of selective focus
here that applies
pretty background
blur). Character
blocking the way?
It boosts a games lifespan, too.

Batman: Arkham Knights running
time doubled as I snapped landscapes
of Gothams moody architecture
from all angles before delving into
fight challenges to get more lively
portrait shots of heroes in full flow.
I still return to Journey occasionally
to cast an eagle eye over its pristine
environment, and this is an experience
four hours long at most. Multiplayer
games prove toughest. Taking stunning
sweeps of Destinys planets while
hostiles attack feels a little like being
a space-based war journalist, but
when you finally get that winning
snap, it somehow looks even sweeter.
Best about all this, though, is
learning a transferable skill. Core rules
of game photography translate into
the real world. Youll want a central
subject, and this could be an
environmental structure, character
or, if you like, explosion. Without a
subject, your eye doesnt know where
to look, so the result is often vague
and ill-defined. Youll want foreground
and background features to add depth.
If shooting a distant mountain, for
instance, get a tree in front of it. And
it sounds obvious, but youll want
everything to be level, balanced and
in focus. More important than these
general guidelines is a question only
you can answer: does the screenshot
look good? If so, nothing else matters.
OpiniOn
Ben Tyrer
Ian Dransfield
campo santo crafts a

world that feels alive, no
matter how many times you
see the same landmark.
edf is insultingly
simple, stupid and badly
made. also: endless fun
and utterly essential.
Firewatch is more than a beautiful world its a

lesson on incredible backtracking design
For once, ignore the scores. The Earth

Defense Force needs you. And you need it
acktracking is a crux
for lazy developers
who want to pad out
their games, yeah?
Actually, no, imaginary
opponent. The concept
might have a bad reputation
from games that have abused
it, the ones that force you
back through the same
location without offering
anything new or interesting,
but Firewatch shows how to
do backtracking brilliantly.
Quick recap for those who
havent played it yet. Henry is
heading off for the stunning
vistas and serene beauty of
Wyoming for a job. All he has
to do is keep an eye out for
forest fires and follow the
orders of his boss, Delilah. Of
course, it doesnt quite go as
smoothly as either would like.
Trust me, its marvellous.
hiker Grove
Firewatchs main aim is to

keep you invested in seeing
the story through to its end,
but Campo Santo also
masterfully builds a world to
which Henry and you
grow accustomed. On Day
one, you excitedly scurry
down to Jonesy Lake. By about
Day 30, however, its become
a vital point of reference in
navigating back home, or in
discovering other tantalisingly

unexplored areas. When you
backtrack through certain
areas, youre building up a
deep-rooted understanding of
the world inside your head.
Every trek adds to that pool
of knowledge. Backtracking
boredom? Not here.
Campo Santo knows how to
keep the world vast, without
overwhelming you. Like
Metroidvania games, certain
areas are inaccessible without
the right gear. Coming back
to familiar old spots, only to
have them surprise you all
over again when you have new
equipment, keeps you probing
and digging deeper into the
wilderness. With a lack of
typical first-person action,
the environment needs to be
one worth exploring and
the developer has crafted a
world that feels alive, no
matter how many times
you see the same landmark.
While the initial thrills
come from spying a meadow
or canyon for the first time,
by the games end, that buzz
comes from being able to hike
across this world without
needing the map, each area
so distinct that memory alone
is enough. Now, can we get
Campo Santo designing all
of our national parks?
very time I hear

something described
as big, dumb fun,
Im sure I can make
out a cry of EDF! in the
wind. Its an affliction that
those of us who have stuck
with the dumbass sim have
to live with, but its one that
Ive learned to embrace since
the first Monster Attack in
2005. EDF! EDF! 4 lyf, yo.
The reminders of why the
Earth Defense Force/Global
Defence Force/Monster
Attack series means so much
to me come regularly. Most
recently with EDF 4.1 a
re-release of EDF 2025, which
I loved dearly. I see its name, I
play it, I remember that, from
a technical standpoint, its hot
garbage on a summers day.
But from a fun perspective?
Its up there with the best.
bUG spray
Its been this way since the

series began. Monster Attack
ran awfully on PS2; EDFs
incursions on PS3 made a
mockery of the systems
ability; EDF 2017s re-release
on PS Vita made the handheld
look like an underpowered
PSP; and even the most recent
game, rebuilt for PS4, chugs
like it was thrown together
over a lazy weekend.
But it just doesnt matter.

This wouldnt be printed if
it did, because taking a dump
on an eternal underdog series
is no fun. Instead, I want
to remind the believers out
there as well as educate the
unknowing masses of just
how sublime an experience
EDF can be.
Its so simplistic that the
dictionary definition of
brain-off fun should just
be a screenshot of EDF 4.1.
You shoot hundreds (nay,
thousands) of aliens, robots,
giant bugs basically anything
that gets in your way. And
thats it. You ruin cities in
your quest to annihilate giant
spiders and run over your
own squadmates in a tank,
which is soon abandoned,
because its not as much
fun as rocket launchering a
fire-breathing ant in the face.
Theres been a move in
gaming of late to bring things
to a deeper, more artistic level
than weve ever seen before.
And thats fantastic. But we
should never forget that one
of the true greats of all time
takes on a wholly different
form its unpretentious
and simplistic to the point
of insult, while being strung
together by that eternal battle
cry: EDF! EDF! EDF!
Writer bio
Writer bio
Ben Tyrer used to get dragged to the Lake District on family holidays.
He hated all the walking. It therefore comes as some surprise to him that
his favourite game of 2016 so far is a walking simulator. Set in a forest.
Ian Dransfield is fond of the finer things in life. To him, however, the finer
things involve unthinking, repetitive mass destruction and forcing extinction
on giant creepy crawlies. He wants everyone to share in this unfettered joy.
025
museums
Museums
Curating and killing in PlayStations best
historical (and homicidal) institutions
1 Uncharted 2:
among thieves
026
He may have been inspired

by the adventures of Indy,
but Nate and Dr Jones have
different views when it
comes to rare artefacts.
They belong in a museum,
is not a philosophy Drakes
too keen on. He eagerly
busts into the Istanbul
Palace Museum to steal
a Mongolian oil lamp in
Uncharted 2.
2 ghostbUsters:
the video game
They may not be fraid of

no ghost, but curators
everywhere are terrified of
the Busters. And with good
reason. While trying to stop
another Great Destructor,
Venkman and co. utterly
wreck the Big Apples
Museum Of Natural History
with their Proton Packs.
3 hitman
absolUtion
What does every malevolent,

southern redneck millionaire
own? Why, their very own
penthouse/private museum,
of course. While there,
on the trail of Blake Dexter,
Agent 47 ends up
murdering the
evil-doers secretary.
Why not use an exhibit
for the hit, like a pointy
whale harpoon? Ouch.
gta iv
Forget a night at the

museum, try spending 20
minutes in one during a
diamond deal gone wrong.
One of GTA IVs best
missions sees Niko flogging
stolen stones before a
shootout erupts among
some dino exhibits. Museum
Piece also involves Johnny
and Luis the two leads
from the Episodes From
Liberty City expansions.
How very Pulp Fiction.
5
stranglehold
Never let it be said that

educational exhibits cant be
cool. Take Tequilas trip to
the Chicago History Museum,
which soon transforms into
a firefight among (you
guessed it) dinosaur
remains. But the cop isnt
there to bone up on his
palaeontology hes trying
to save his family from the
Russian mob. Cue sliding
along a T rexs spine.
6
ratchet & clank 3
The Insomniac Museum is

in several Ratchet & Clanks,
providing a window into
vehicles, characters and
features the developer cut
from its final titles. In R&C3,
you could access the
emporium by either 100%ing
the game or visiting the
museum between 3am-4am.
7 batman:
arkham city
Gotham museums do things

differently. Instead of Bats
facing a narrated tour,
he has to contend with
dino models coming to life,
Penguins pet great white
shark, plus armies of
Jokers thugs. The reason
he has to endure these
obstacles? So he can rescue
lunatic lolly-lover Mr Freeze.
Makes sense.
8
bioshock infinite
Ah, the Columbian

Archeological Society. Not
only is this virtual museum
a hub for Infinites Clash
In The Clouds DLC, it also
stores some cool character
models. Coo at Bookers
chiselled jaw, cower beneath
the Songbird, or buy models
of the Lutece Twins to unlock
a house with Voxophones.
Yup, museums rule.
9 call of dUty:
modern Warfare 2
A rare moment of fourth

wall-bending wackiness from
MW2. Wrap up the campaign
and youll be treated to an
interactive museum based
on levels from the game,
set in Encino, California.
Push the buttons on these
displays, and their models
will come to life. Best shoot
em quick sharp!
Honourable mentions
the last of Us
Lord, museums are creepy

at night. Especially the
Clicker-filled Civil War
one Joel visits in Boston.
max Payne 3
Max can both slow-mo

murderise men and admire
tarantulas in a brief museum
section set in So Paulo.
the elder scrolls v: skyrim

Silus Vesuius abode in
Dawnstar is a museum ode
to a Daedric cult. Its also
kinda just a house.
Did we miss your favourite museum? Got a great In The Mood For idea? Show and tell at twitter.com/opm_uk.
6
027
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029
36 attack
on titan
omega Force brings the anime hit to

ps4 and its a giant undertaking
contents
paragon 30 | dark souls iii 34 | attack on titan 36 | sword art online: hollow
realization 38 | ea sports uFc 2 39 | Final FantasY XV 40 | one piece: burning
blood 41 | oVerwatch 42 | unboX 46 | doom 46 | wondershot 46 | lumo 46
Preview
rose-tinted specs are firmly
on in Paragon. The map,
Agora, has a pink jungle
and is suffused with light.
030
Preview
ThErE iS a
SEnSE of argh,
ShooT iT in ThE
facE! urgEncy.
FORmAt PS4 / EtA SPring (Early accESS)
Pub EPic gamES / DEv EPic gamES
PARAGON
Epics new take on the MOBA is built

from the ground up for PlayStation 4
Surrounded by gently swaying
trees covered with pink blossom,
our enemys armour glinting as
we aim the reticule over their
head, hammering i to sink
supercharged shots: forgive
us for momentarily forgetting were playing a
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Epic Games new
franchise feels more like a traditional third-person
shooter but instead of endless grey and sprayand-pray, this ones got beauty and brains.
Paragons over-the-shoulder camera angle makes all
the difference. You feel like youre really in the battle.
Projectiles whizz past your ear and robot assassins
slide into your peripheral out of nowhere. Theres a
sense of ARGH, SHOOT IT IN THE FACE! urgency
to the tactical tussles that you dont get from the
typical top-down MOBAs on PC. In fact, very little
is typical. Classic MOBA rules remain: 5v5 teams, AI
minions, a three-lane map, levelling heroes by killing,
blasting towers, going for cores Everything else,
however, revamps the genre for consoles.
Theres no squinting at tiny sprites in Paragon:
Unreal Engine 4 works magic over ivy-encrusted
lanes, particle-tastic explosions, and every glossy
strand on heroes heads. Battles arent just directing
mere tokens inflexibly along flat, boring lanes. Were
involved: one step behind archer Sparrow at all
times, we feel like we inhabit her, pulling back her
bow and scampering up and down the verticallyengineered map to get a cross-lane line of sight.
031
Preview
Left Masked Murdock might
look tanky, but hes really
a ranger with deadly farreaching lasers.
Right whats in a name?
well, everything, actually.
rampages Ultimate makes
him grow in size and go
berserk, for instance.
032
Towers fire nasty lasers

when you get up close.
Go in with Ai minions to
redirect the damage.
Have-a-go hero
We get ganking with Paragons gorgeous roster
Sparrows our pick. wed love

to tell you its because shes
a ranged powerhouse but
its mainly because she has a totally
on-point hair-do.
Steels Force Shield causes us

a lot of problems, protecting
teammates and slowing us
down when we move through it.
Also, he hits us a lot.
Support character Dekker has

an Ultimate we nickname the
baby gate. it traps enemies
in a containment field that we can
shoot straight into. Fish in a barrel.
Missing generic white dudes

with big guns? well, heres
Twinblast. He gets a bit more
interesting once his blasters briefly
turn into rocket launchers.
Preview
Above Paragon takes place on just the one map, but like all good MOBAs its
roster is going to balloon. well be drowning in character options come launch.
inviSiblE dronE
camEraS havE bEEn
auTo-rEcording
our EvEry TriumPh
and ballS-uP.
Above Theres nothing quite like getting the last hit and seeing
the satisfying burn of a downed Tower. Flamin beautiful.
Above Steels not all smashy-smashy: sometimes he throws

out a Force Shield that slows enemies and blocks projectiles.
The unique bowl-shaped design of Paragons map

means we get a lovely view of the enemy stampeding
towards us. Squeezing i fires off sparkling shots,
and our hero begins to level up. As is the MOBA
way, you start every match a lowly sort, kills granting
you XP to power up special attacks (youre back to
square one in the next match, though). Once weve
ground through a few CPU critters, our Hail of
Arrows attack is the darling of the team: waves of
minions drop like flies under it. All the arrows in
the world, however, wont stop Tank troublemaker
Steel a big, blue, smashy brute whose Affinities
are Order and Intellect. Obviously.
Turns out ranged Carry characters dont cope well
with close-quarters shield charges straight into their
pretty cheekbones (who knew?), so we delve into the
Cards system while waiting to respawn. Like your
standard MOBAs Items, you buy Cards during the
match. First, youll be equipping low-level Equipment
cards: Health and Mana Potions used in battle via
the D-pad. Youll replace potions with weapon cards
when its time to up the damage in the final furlong.
Each Equipment card has three slots for Upgrade
cards, which boost and tweak their effectiveness
and heres where things get versatile. Differently
stacked decks change your heros playstyle. Want
all-out damage? Go for the Strike upgrades. Prefer
buffed defence? Time for a Guard upgrade instead.
HOWItZER bLASt
When we return, our team pushes the right

lane, merry band of AI minions in tow.
Paragon will support cross- We fall foul of Feng Maos sweeping staff.
play. Time to take it to those Fortunately weve got a teleporting cat in a
cheeky Pc scrubs,
mech suit on our side. For real. Howitzers
PlayStation 4 players.
artillery keeps our foes busy so busy that
2. mEmORY LANES
our team captain notices the left lane is
The replay System stores
wide open. We rotate, fly through the jungle
recorded gameplay on a
server, so youll never miss and unleash our Ultimate attack upon their
a moment.
unguarded towers. Its not long before their
3. kILLER SHOt
core crumbles and we clinch victory in the
Epic isnt letting go of its
epic and hugely tactical hour-long match.
violent past: yes theres
The cherry on top of the sweet win is
magic and colour, but its
also building a tasty Kill cam. Paragons incredible Replay System. Invisible
drone cameras have been auto-recording our
every triumph and balls-up, inevitably. Fortunately,
we can move Drone Cam to artfully avoid that
embarrassing death scene, fast-forward on, and go all
slo-mo on that final core falling. Big match moments
such as kills and tower takedowns are automatically
marked in the replay timeline. The directorial
potential is sky-high: the PS4 version of the system
is still in development, but well get the same range
of cameras as PC players for our YouTube-bound
feature films. Creative director Steve Superville
assures us: the goal is both platforms have uniform
features, so there are no second-class citizens.
The beauty of battle and brainy strategy coming
together in screen-worthy moments: thats why Epic
made this MOBA for us. Superville explains it all:
Each day in the office, we were always telling stories
about the various MOBAs we were playing. And they
were often stories that persisted over weeks. MOBAs
have this freshness where every match is unique. A
bunch of people all playing characters with weird
asymmetric abilities, inside a place with all these
strategic options. For Epic, the decision to make a
MOBA was inevitable. But the brave, borderline crazy
choice to try and make the first truly great console
MOBA? The teams called Epic for a reason
FActRIck
1. DOubLE cROSS
033
Preview
Format PS4 / eta 12 APr / pub BAndAi nAmco / dev From SoFtwAre
darK SouLS iii
An incandescent return for one of gamings grimmest
034
Grumbling about sequels that

merely give the formula a bit
of a tweak here and there is
commonplace, but in a series as
meticulously designed as Dark
Souls, the tiniest changes hit with
the force of an axeblow. From Softwares latest
outing incorporates the more fluid animations
of spiritual cousin Bloodborne, plus a little of its
ferocity, and the result is a follow-up thats much
less conservative than it seems.
The broad strokes are as before: this is a vast,
morbidly in-depth action role-player in which
caution is the cardinal virtue. Youll tip-toe through
a selection of rotting castles and crypts packed
with secret routes, learn the habits of respawning
enemies and spend souls at bonfires on upgrades.
Stamina remains as precious a resource as health,
with over-extended combos leaving your
character winded and unable to block.
Dying is once again a double setback all
FactricK
1 . H u m a n i n t e r e S t the souls youre carrying fall to the floor
the Humanity system is out. along with your corpse. Die in the process
Youll now consume embers of recovering them, and all that progress is
to boost health and become
going to be lost forever.
a host in multiplayer.
2. FamiLiar FaceS
At least one dark Souls

character returns the
beloved blacksmith Andre.
well find out why soon.
Gwyn and bear it
Faster recovery times and various new

abilities make for a more aggressive game,
however. Theres now a Soul Dart spell that
3. LaSt HurraH
can be quickfired, for instance, allowing
creator Hidetaki miyazaki
the magically inclined to chip away at
has said dark Souls iii will be
the final Souls game. can we short-range while circling for a backstab.
say Bloodborne 2?
The new shortbow, similarly, can be used
to shred foes up close. Its both a nod to
Bloodbornes duelling and a return to the pace of
Demons Souls, the game that made the studio
an international darling. And then there are the
cherries on the cake the Weapon Arts, a layer
of special abilities that can turn the tide of a fight,
but use up mana quickly. Ranging from armourcleaving uppercuts through charging spear attacks to
protective auras, theyre likely to get plenty of use in
multiplayer. As in previous games, this takes place in
the same world as single-player, with players able to
invade or summon one another using certain items.
Afraid to head online? Dont worry, Dark Souls
IIIs NPCs are cruel and calculating enough to keep
you busy. Imposing knights shut

down resistance with shield slams
and overarm chops, driving you into
corners. Ghouls in rags pounce before
you know theyre there. Candlebearing priests scream imprecations
from afar, rousing otherwise docile
mobs to do battle on their behalf.
Some humanoid foes are vessels
for even nastier entities, sprouting
oily tentacles when you approach
(best save up your firebombs for these
moments). But the worst of the lot,
naturally, are the bosses corrupted
giants and dragons, sinuous doublejointed monstrosities armed with
vicious scimitars and rolling ironclad
juggernauts, to name just a few.
LordinG it up
New foes and melee mechanics aside,

Dark Souls III fascinates because it
inherits a universe that has quite
literally lost its spark. In Dark Souls,
players fought to either stoke up or
snuff out the primordial fire that
gave rise to the realm of Lordran and
its gods. In the new games northern
kingdom, Lorthric, the flames have
finally been reduced to embers, and
the world is an ashen wasteland ruled
over by the Lords of Cinder.
In some ways this new instalment
is more of a retelling than a proper
follow-up. Certain regions directly
reference the first game theres
a variation of the Firelink Shrine,
for example, a hub space of sorts
that houses NPCs who may (or may
not) help you on your quest and
your goal is, seemingly, once again
to overthrow the Powers That Be in
order to decide the fate of civilisation.
Something tells us that a happy ending
is too much to ask for, but the journey
itself will be worth the pain. Its going
to take a lot to cast Bloodborne into
the shadows, but Miyazakis final Souls
outing could just do it.
Preview
You wouldnt go picnicking there, but the withered landscapes of the Souls series are undeniably beautiful. A shame the frame rate is still slightly uneven.
in Some wAYS
tHiS iS more oF
A retelling tHAn
A Follow-uP.
035
The old magic schools

return: pyromancy, miracles
and sorcery. Fires good
against maggoty priests.
above Youll find Hawkwood, a deserter from

Farrons Undead Legion, at Firelink Shrine. Yes,
Firelink Shrine is back excited, Souls fans?
Preview
Slicing open a creepy
colossus bags you sweet
loot or swallowed buddies
might slide out. Ew.
soldiers fly
through enemies,
getting drenched
in their innards.
036
FOrmAT Ps4/Ps3/Ps Vita / ETA 2016

Pub Koei tecmo / DEv omega force
ATTACK ON TITAN
Anime gorefest pulls no punches
If you were at all worried about the

Attack On Titan tie-in being tame and
inaccurate, allow us to set your mind at
ease. Its got grisly, three-dimensional
cannibalism cutscenes, blood spraying all over
the screen, and monster-slaying soldiers flying
through enemies and coming out the other side,
drenched in their innards. Feeling better now?
Above If youve yet to watch Attack On Titan, boot up Netflix on your PS4 and give it a go. Now!
Pain in the neck
How to take down a Titan
Using your SpiderMan-esque manoeuvre

gear, get attached to
your colossal victim. Not too
attached, mind theyll be
mincemeat soon enough.
The targeting system

highlights body parts
in red, and a distance
gauge signals youre within
slashing distance. Lop off
limbs to weaken the Titan.
Time to go for the

jugular. Well, the
nape. Slice the Titans
neck to kill it dead. Cue a
gorgeous, gory cutscene
and a screenful of blood.
Out now in Japan, the slice-em-up is set to retain

all the post-apocalyptic terror of the smash-hit
series, plus weave in plenty of smaller details. Just
like in the anime, blades must be regularly switched
out for razor-sharp replacements, and they can also
be upgraded. That passionate, fist-on-heart salute
from the show features as a way to Link (create a
combat party) with your fellow soldiers handy in
the online multiplayer, well bet.
Theres also a Story mode that helpfully covers the
animes first season, and a Free mode, in which
youll be able to hack and slash to your hearts
content as your favourite Attack On Titan star. All
are voiced by the original actors, and ten are playable.
Were looking forward to super-skilled Captain Levi
and potato enthusiast Sasha.
The real kicker? Youll also be able to play as
Titans, smashing buildings and skulls (including
those of other giants) with equal gusto. More info on
Titan-on-Titan combat would be story spoilers
Preview
on
the
box
strategic use of
your ai buddies
makes comboing
more satisfying.
judged only by
their covers
DARk SOuLS III

Die within the animes
virtual reality MMO,
and you snuff it for
real, The Matrix-style.
FORmAT Ps4/Ps Vita / ETA 2016 / pub bandai namco / DEv aquria
038
This side-scrolling
platformer has you hacking
and slashing your way
through devilishly difficult
castle levels in a tense
race against the sun. The
impending dawn will ignite
your armour, then crumble
it mercilessly into dust.
FORmAT Ps4 ETA 12 aPr
SWORD ART ONLINE:

HOLLOW REALIZATION
The latest instalment has its feet firmly on the ground

Step away from the sparkly fairy
wings, Sword Art stalwarts. Theres
a new addition to the anime-based
JRPG series, and its firmly rooted in
the franchises less cutesy origins. Set during
protagonist Kiritos very first steps in the deadly
Sword Art Online virtual reality MMO universe,
its set to be a more grounded experience.
Real-time combat action unfolds in the Sword
Art: Origin world, created on the VRMMOs
original server and designed to show the players
flashbacks of past events. The story and quests
are fresh, however, from the mind of series creator
Reki Kawahara. Whats more, the introduction of a
mysterious heroine (whose AI evolves as you play)
promises narrative intrigue that was so lacking in the
fluffy fan service of Sword Art Online: Lost Song.
DuEL puRpOSE
Gone is the power of fairy flight but there are

advantages to having our wings clipped. Running
around the wildflower-besprinkled meadows of
Heros Footpath feels far more adventurous, plus we
get tantalising glimpses of the world ahead. It beats
staring down at Lost Songs bare expanses of green:
its similar to the forested environments of Hollow
Fragment, but with richer detail.
And weve got company. As we make artful sword
shishkabob of Bump Boars (slicing and dicing feels
keener than ever), three AI allies hang on our every
button press to jump in with attacks of their own.
It places the focus on managing a

party a huge change from Hollow
Fragment. Comboing is more
satisfying than ever with strategic use
of your cohort, who can restrain or
stun enemies and leave foes open to
Kiritos devastating finishers.
If youre Kirito, that is. While you
must technically play as The Black
Swordsman, youre free to customise
him in any way you see fit (steady on,
you maniacs) including his/her gender.
That continues with the skill palette:
choose from a vast array of abilities
and items to take down trickier bosses
when raiding. Hollow Realizations PS
Vita release, meanwhile, adds a nice
touch to buffing Kirito with touch
functionality. Add in plans for online
multiplayer, and this entry looks like
the series sharpest title yet.
HOmEFRONT
THE REvOLuTION
An unfathomably odd tie-in

to the Dads Army reboot.
Half walking sim, half
shooter, you play a new
recruit based in an English
seaside town who has vivid
dreams of frontline action.
FORmAT Ps4 ETA 20 may
uFc 2
Above Big boss Bark wields a humongous

hammer. At least youve got backup.
Warm up your thighs (and

eyes), then strip to your
pants for this VR overhaul
of the rhythm-action genre.
Only break your stare-off
when the crowd bays for
blinks and leg bends.
FORmAT Ps4 ETA 17 mar
Preview
a kiCk to thE
Midriff, and PEnn
CruMPlES. fight
ovEr. With a ribShot. gloriouS.
The improved mat game

turns many bouts into
contests of patient wits
rather than swinging fists.
039
FormAt PS4 / EtA 17 Mar / pUb Ea / DEv Ea Canada
EA SportS UFC 2
A fight club finally worth the membership fee

To this day, few experiences in sports
gaming satisfy like a flash KO in UFC
Undisputed 3. The catch? THQs
octagon-set farewell has been gone for
four years, and its developer, Yukes, is unlikely to
ever make another MMA game. The time to move
on was long ago, yet EAs middling efforts to fill
the void havent provided closure.
Until now. Punches and kicks being given proper
oomph mean meaty Undisputed-style KOs finally
occur in UFC 2 yet the most joyous finish of
our playtest isnt a headshot. Controlling Hector
Lombard against BJ Penn, we deftly evade a flurry
of jabs, before aiming a kick to the midriff at the
instant when Penn lifts his arms to protect his
face. The swing is so firm, and so accurate, he
immediately crumples in pain then falls backwards
to the mat. We drop to aim a finishing blow, but the
ref steps in to block us from causing further damage.
Fight over. With a rib-shot. Glorious.
Its far from the only way in which UFC is
transformed from also-ran to prospective champion.
Practice mode includes a short-yet-detailed onscreen
summary of every action and its strengths and
weaknesses, delivering an instant understanding of
how and why youd transition, say,

from strong saddle to north south to
side mount. Once deployed in actual
bouts, these mat transitions both look
and feel seamless and the constant
limb-based chess match they trigger
makes it much more difficult for
one fighter to constantly ground and
pound. (A major flaw with UFC 1.)
thE mAt pACk
Outside the octagon, the big new time

sink is Ultimate Team. UFC takes
a different approach to that found
within FIFA and Madden: instead of
overseeing actual UFC fighters, you
build a squad of five custom characters
by collecting various types of upgrade
card, such as real combatants signature
moves. One of our early packs
delivers Bas Ruttens heavy straight
cross a promising start, to be sure,
but somewhere out there is Ronda
Rouseys armbar from mount. With
UFC 2 finally punching its weight, that
one is going to get expensive, fast.
Above Despite her recent

defeat to Holly Holm, former
bantamweight champ ronda
rousey remains the games
cover star and premier lady.
Preview
FFXVs release date now
has a release date, with its
own event and everything.
Um, thats exciting right?
040
ForMat PS4 / Eta 2016 / PuB Square enix / DEV Square enix
Final Fantasy XV
The empire of Niflheim strikes back
Last time we caught up with FFXV, it

was all about right, that fishing minigame. Sorry about that. Luckily, this
month we have bigger facts to fry. Were
talking magic spells, Magitek and super-speedy
stealth moves, not to mention that all-important
release date and a certain female dragoon.
Explosive new footage shows Noctis and the gang
putting their leathers to good use in an undercover
trip to the dark side. Sneaking into a Niflheim base
swarming with imperial troops, the fantastic four
deal out death like its a hot potato before blowing
the whole thing to Kingdom Hearts and thats not
even the best bit. Your fancy blade warp ability gives
new meaning to the word stealth, allowing Noctis to
dispose of enemies silently, then switch locations at
warp speed. Even the empires Magitek machines can
be used as walking warp points.
A first glimpse of new villain Aranea Highwind
has revealed shes a dragoon with an impressive take
on the classic Jump ability. Buxom bishoujo statue
aesthetic aside, shes the commander of Niflheims
Third Army Corps 87th Airborne Division looks
like Princess Garnet finally has some competition for
fanciest official title. Also introduced this month is
noctiS can
now diSPoSe of
enemieS Silently,
then eScaPe at
warP SPeed.
Emperor Iedolas alongside his political

wingman Chancellor Ardyn, with the
plum-coloured hair yep, everything
is going just a little bit FFVI. We like.
BlaCK MaGiC
What about spells? Fire, Thunder and

Blizzard have all been confirmed, but
you better dust off that decrepit old
Maidens Kiss according to director
Hajime Tabata, theres an enemy who
can cast Toad. Dont worry though, its
not all nostalgic nods to previous titles
FFXVs magical elements have been
revamped with a hefty dose of realism.
Depending on the environment and
weather, fire can do more than just
toast targets it can spread to other
areas, trigger explosions and even
harm allies if they get too close.
Last but not least, FFXVs release
date now has its own release date. On
30 March, a Los Angeles-based event
called Uncovered will, yep, uncover
hush-hush surprises regarding the
games release. Not long to go now
above Keep your enemies

close, but not too close: foes
can pin you down and gnaw
on your health bar if they
land a surprise attack.
Preview
Above Battles are true feasts for the eyes, though currently the specials on
u have no cooldown, meaning we can spam them over and over again.
Haki and devil Fruit

abilities migHt
sound cryptic,
but everyone
understands a Fiery
Fist in tHeir Face.
Lost one character
to a beardy brute in
a purple suit? Tag in
another to fight back.
Above Battle stages such as lawned galleon Thousand Sunny are charming.
Straw Hat Luffys Gear

Fourth state, unseen in
the anime, turns him into a
horrifying rubber man.
FORmAt ps4/ps vita / EtA 3 Jun

PUB bandai namco / DEv spike cHunsoFt
ONE PIECE:
BURNING BLOOD
Anime fighter has us hot under the collar

Eating your greens gives you flaming
hands? Thats a new one. Prepare to get
juiced in One Pieces first-ever fighting
game, in which tactically teaming up
violent pirates is vital, and getting your daily dose
of vitamin C is wildly irresponsible.
So youre not so hot on your anime. No problem.
Anyone can plonk themselves in front of the vivid
roster, pick three superpowered swashbucklers (who
get their skills from, uh, fruit), and dive into 3v3
madness no prior knowledge required. Blow-byblow onomatopoeia, comic-strip-cool motion lines
and sleek cutscenes make each match screen-worthy.
Not a fighting guru either? The tag-team system
is as simple as squeezing triggers, and normal
attacks come out lightning-fast. True to the anime,
moves come courtesy of character-specific Haki or
Devil Fruit abilities. Sounds cryptic, but everyone
understands the meaning of your fiery fist in their
face. With nippy controls and naturally chaining
combos, bouts play out to a thrilling pulse.
The match-up is everything. When our opponent
deploys a Logia Devil Fruit shield with tatted-up troll
Bartolomeo, we discover tagging in Haki character
Sabo puts paid to that nonsense. Haki for the win,
then? Not quite: Devil Fruit-munchers can unleash
powerful specials by tapping o and r, w or e.
The back-and-forth of Devil Fruit vs Haki introduces
a thick layer of tactics, producing a zesty brawler that
may just have Narutos Ultimate Ninja pipped.
Above Perona and eustass Kid are part of the roster its currently 23-strong.
041
Preview
Overwatchs cast is appreciably

diverse, with heroes (such
as South Koreas D.va) from
countries rarely represented.
042
Preview
it getS So much
right in areaS
other ShooterS
get So wrong.
FOrmat PS4 / eta SPring
Pub Blizzard / dev Blizzard
Overwatch
Why you really should be watching

the watchmen (and women)
We didnt need half as many rules
when it came to having fun in the
halcyon days of our youth. All it
took was the tipping over of an
action-figure-filled toybox and
our carpet became a theatre of
good times. Somewhere, in the transition between
playing with plastic army men and upgrading to
the virtual shooty types populating the current
crop of modern shooters, we managed to burden
ourselves with too many boring conversations.
Is it balanced? Is it realistic? Is the physics engine up
to snuff? How about the lag? All of these are valid
directions from which to fire critique salvos at a
modern FPS, but in Overwatchs case the first thing
youll appreciate is the purity of the pleasure on
offer. Blizzards first ever attempt at an FPS is that
old toybox tipped over onto your TV screen, and
its roster of characters is a digital recreation of your
wildest six-year-old imagination gone wild.
watch and learn
Overwatch is an online, team-based multiplayer

first-person shooter in which you can pick from a
pool of 21 cartoony heroes to play across multiple
modes. The similarities to the popular PC MOBA
(thats Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, natch) craze
ends at that vast cast of playable stars, though. Once
youre through the door, this a pure shooter, with
tweaked takes on familiar game modes such as Pay
Load (similar to Battlefronts Cargo), Point Capture
043
Preview
left reinhardts hammer
is most effective at close
range, but a jet boost allows
him to burst forward,
pinning would-be assailants.
right Lucio is a support
class hero who uses
throbbing soundwaves to
buff and heal his stricken
team mates.
044
The delightful roadhog

here has a chain to pull
enemies away from
objectives, Scorpion style.
watch em and weep
Four characters you need to have on your must pick list
D.vas Ultimate ability sets her

mech suit to self destruct. You
can even use a boost before
you set it off to create your very
own devastating missile.
The perfect anti-sniper,

Tracer is built so that you
never know where shell
be next. She gets three quick
recharging dashes, as well.
This ice maiden will cop it

pretty much as soon as she
gets into a scrap. Fortunately,
Mei is equipped with foe-funnelling,
ice-wall-summoning abilities.
Generous aim adjustment

makes Hanzos arrows
viable against the guns of his
co-fighters. Also, he can fire two
dragon spirits across the map.
Preview
above Great play, whether a killstreak or a well-timed ice-wall, is celebrated via

a Play Of The Game highlight at the end of each match.
each hero comeS

with an entirely
uniQue twiSt on
Shooting in gameS
aS we know it.
above Mercys healing lasers crackle about the map, so if you

see one fuzzing about a foe youll know theyre being buffed.
above every ability comes alongside excellent visual feedback,

no matter how bizarre its concept.
(Battlefields Rush) and the newest addition to the

closed Beta, Control (King Of The Hill, basically).
Each hero you take control of typically boasts an
entirely unique twist on shooting in games as we
know it. Our current favourite is D.Va, a pro-gamer
who in Overwatchs comic book-esque future storyverse takes on the role of mech pilot. Her lurid pink
power armour has personal energy shields, twin
infinite ammo shotgun blasters and a terrifying boost
pack. The last of these catapults her into the action
face-first, or allows her to give chase across rooftops
by taking to the air for a short amount of time. The
twist (and every character has a juicy one thats just
waiting to be discovered) is that should D.Va take too
much damage shell be ejected out in her delicate
human form, and youll need to take cover until she
can call in a new mech suit.
Playing as D.Va is a constant rollercoaster of
tension; within seconds you can go from dominating
up close to scarpering away from the action as fast
as your paltry human legs can take you.
reinhardt, Play hard
Rather than find one character you enjoy playing

as and sticking with them, however, Overwatch
actively rewards teams for playing off each other
and responding to the opposing bunch by swapping
out characters mid-match. Take Reinhardt.
This hulking armoured German fellow
comes with a wide energy shield that allows
Factrick
squishier team mates to survive against
1. team sPeak
the odds. Plop him down next to Mercy, an
overwatchs characters
hint at the overarching
angelic medic, replete with actual wings and
story in their dialogue
a gun that shoots healing lasers, and hes
while you play
near unstoppable.
2. Pixar this
Flick to the opposing team and you can
although the main story
actually unfolds via a series be sure players will be thinking up team
of animated films of which
compositions capable of taking down this
Brad Bird would be proud.
pair. Tracer, for example is a chipper English
3. hearth Pwn
pilot who can teleport forwards a few
the overwatch dev team
meters. In the hands of a skilled player she
shares a floor at Blizzard hQ
with the folk behind Pc and can zip behind shields and cut down both
mobile hit hearthstone.
Reinhardt and Mercy in a flash.
Despite still being in closed Beta,
Overwatch is already getting so much right in areas
where the current tangle of contemporary shooters
are consistently wrong. Its loot is perfectly pitched,
and crucially, removed from the gameplay-skewing
loadouts your characters take into the fight. You can
make your hero look or sound cooler with skins
and animations unlocked through play, but youll
still have the same weapons and items as everyone
else. The loot system is constantly being tweaked,
patched and updated to ensure it feels rewarding,
too. Particular attention is being paid to the act
of opening up a Loot Box, the explosive crates of
goodies skins, emotes, graffiti sprays, victory poses
Overwatch throws at you whenever you level up.
We initially didnt have credits dropping as an
item in the boxes themselves, says Jeff Kaplan, the
games director. Then, based on feedback, we heard
Im getting all this cool stuff but it feels like until
Ive played for a while, Im not getting the credits I
need to buy the thing that I want. So we looked at
ways of giving players more credits.
Overwatch is so refreshing to play. It manages to
feel balanced, fair and smooth, and all those other
things we use to describe the serviceable shootybang-bang affairs were spoon-fed. Here though, fun
comes first. Your inner six-year-old will flip.
045
Preview
preview
round-up
Were all about the
ultra-violence this
month: dive into an
ocean of gore in
Doom, rage through
the machines-gonebad of Hard Reset:
Redux, get murdery
with cartoony party
game Wondershot
and, uh smash
boxes in Unbox.
046
doom
Format PS4 / eta 13 May
pub BetheSda
dev id Software
during dooms new

campaign trailer, its hard
to miss the moment when
your towering soldier yanks
a dead body off the ground
and rams his face into a
retinal scanner. in case you
hadnt realised already, the
eerie atmosphere of doom
3 is out and manic action is
in. dooms return is packed
with boot-stomping, eyegouging, tusk-removing,
chainsawing and good ol
fashioned double-barrel
shotguns to ensure hell hath
no fury like a space marine
scorned and now it comes
with a robust map-making
tool, too. Brace yourself for
PlayStation 4s most asskickingly violent game yet
when it lands on 13 May.
unbox
Format PS4 / eta 2016

pub SoLd out / dev ProSPeCt gaMeS
Self-moving cardboard boxes are

both the basis of this frantic physics
platformer, and also, the greatest
innovation yet to happen. Suck it, postie!
taking control of an adorably personalised
package, unboxs single-player mode has
you exploring open-world levels in which
puzzles, races, secret areas and bosses are
all waiting to put dents in your cardboard.
theres also the chance to grab chums for
four-player split-screen mayhem, with races
and deathmatches on offer for some (un)
friendly rivalry. Lets hope it delivers.
wondershot
Lumo
Format PS4 / eta SPring

2016 / pub Leikir Studio
dev Leikir Studio
Format PS4 / eta 26 aPriL

pub riSing Star gaMeS
dev triPLe eh?
team oPM loves nothing

more than battling for
towerfall dominance, if
only to avoid the piercing
eyes of our esteemed
shaming editor, the goat
of Shame. its days as our
favourite lunchtime game
could be numbered though:
newcomer wondershot
is after its throne. it,
too, offers four-player
couchplay thrills and a one
hit and youre dead rule,
but to add spice to the
mix the environments are
constantly changing and you
can fire projectiles through
portals. with four different
weapons to choose from
and co-op modes as well,
its little wonder were so
excited for this one.
were smitten by this

gorgeous isometric
adventure game. Looking
like the most delightful mix
of final fantasy iXs Vivi and
harry Potter, the tiny wizard
at the centre of Lumo is
trapped in the bowels of a
castle, and he faces plenty
of challenges across the
400-plus rooms if he wants
to escape. footage weve
seen shows him riding on
mine carts, dashing away
from boulders, finding
secrets in beautifully
realised dungeons and
uncovering many instances
of the developers daft
sense of humour. inspired
by retro 8-bit classics, this
is lining up to become a
surprise sleeper hit.
hard reset:
redux
Format PS4 / eta 2016
pub gaMBitiouS
dev fLying wiLd hogS
an old-school, energetic
fPS set in a cyberpunk
future in which an army
of machines is attempting
to get into humanitys
last city dont worry, we
promise its not a Matrix
game. the original hard
reset came out on PC five
long years ago, so its no
surprise that redux looks
like more than a straight
remaster. along with the
obligatory performance
upgrades, therell be a
new weapon in the Cyberkatana, which is useful for
slicing open villainous tinpots, and a new move in the
form of a quick dash, for
when those tin-pots just get
too hard to handle
the OPM INtervIew Q
Inside EAs
new leap
of Faith
EA DICE general manager
Patrick Bach talks the return of
an icon in Mirrors Edge Catalyst
048
aith is back, but not as you

remember her. We first crossed
paths with the free-running
courier in late 2008 when
Mirrors Edge rolled onto PS3,
sprinted across its curves and
then took a running leap off
the other side. It was a
successful visit one that
earned her a generous OPM
9/10 and a Gold Award on the way towards
shifting 2.5 million copies but her return
was always dependent on new hardware.
Eight years on, with that new hardware now
firmly in place thanks to PS4, Faiths changed,
and so has her game. Mirrors Edge Catalyst
might only be the second mainline entry in
the series, but EA and Swedish developer DICE
are already hitting the reset button for this
long-awaited comeback evolving Faiths
character and look, and transplanting her from
a sequence of linear levels, into an open world.
Why the major changes? How will Mirrors
Edge function in a sandbox environment? We
sit down with DICE general manager Patrick
Bach to discuss the return of the series ahead
of its 26 May release.
OPM: How much does the Mirrors Edge

franchise mean to you and to DICE?
Patrick Bach: A lot. More than people might
think, actually. With the first one, everyone saw

it as something unique and something very
interesting and beautiful. I think it looked and
tasted different to all those other games. It did
in 2008, and here we are now and we have the
same feeling again. Its like were doing this
the OPM INtervIew Q & A
049
Faiths new look is less stylised

than the original games artwork
(far left) as DICe is striving for
a more grounded protagonist.
the OPM INtervIew
the combat of
mirrors edge
was not very
good. it was
based on an idea
that didnt really
hold up a
mishmash of
solutions.
050
and theres no-one else. Where are you guys?

Its a great concept and a great experience!
Ever since we started the first one, we had
this idea that we wanted to make something
unique. Weve never stopped believing in it.
The attitude within EA has not been Lets only
make the things that make the most money.
Its been Lets make things that have the most
potential to entertain people. The reason its
taken so long to make another Mirrors Edge
was probably the fact that instead of just
building on top of the first one, we had to
go back to the root concept and look at what
we wanted it to be.
The promise of the original Mirrors
Edge was one thing, and then the game was
something slightly different. Thats why weve
rethought the core design the city was not
free or open, and that needed to change. And
Faith was not a believable character in the way
that we wanted her to be.
Between Star wars,

Mirrors edge and
Battlefield, Bach
has a lot to manage.
OPM: What was the reason for that?

PB: I think there are many reasons. Storytelling
is hard, right? Faith was a bit stylised in the

first game. Now shes real, which to us is a
big shift. Also, the world was super-stylised.
It made it beautiful, but we wanted to make
it real. That authenticity was important to us.
The combat of Mirrors Edge was Ill be
hard; it was lacklustre. It was not very good,
and it was based on a core idea that didnt
really hold up because it was a mishmash of
different solutions.
I talk a lot about cleansing all the IP; cleaning
it and iterating on the core idea, making it clean
and beautiful. Even that creates challenges,
because you could argue we should throw some
guns in there because were really good at them.
Thatd be easy! (Laughs) To resist that is hard,
because you could argue that this is a shortcut
thatll get us to great combat faster, but the
IP the passion for the IP tells us that Faith
does not use guns.
Middle Leading lady and runner Faith Connors is fighting the citys evil Conglomerate.
Left Melee combats very acrobatic. Right DICe is keen to improve the series story.
Most games have shooting in it because: Its fun, lets add it. Here,
its like: No, no no. We need to make melee combat fun. How do you
make first-person combat fun? First-person traversal fun? How do you
make sure people dont die in the tutorial like in the first game?
OPM: Did that happen a lot? People didnt even get through the original
games opening tutorial?
PB: Yes. More people than you might think, actually. A lot of people love
the series. We have people that talk about it with a smile on their face
but theyve never played the game!
the OPM INtervIew Q & A

n e e d
t o
K n o w
EA DICE
DIggINg thrOugh the
StuDIOS reCeNt gaMeS
2011
BATTLEfIELD 3
n While Battlefield 2 and the
Bad Company games make

their mark on PlayStation,
Battlefield 3 really cements
DICE as a major player in
the console shooter war.
Large-scale multiplayer
matches excel, despite
some technical hiccups.
2013
BATTLEfIELD 4
n The studio gets life on
PS4 off to a shaky start

when its anticipated new
bombastic shooter is
dogged with issues. Fixes
would come the following
year, resulting in a sublime
experience for those who
decide to stick around.
2015
STAR WARS
BATTLEfROnT
n DICE trades Battlefield
for Battlefront and works

on the hottest film property
ever. While The Force
Awakens lights up cinemas,
Battlefronts shallow but
lovingly crafted tie-in fulfils
lifelong gaming fantasies.
OPM: You talk of cleansing and rebooting and

fixing a lot of the issues of the first game but,
you are still proud of the original game, right?
PB: Absolutely. When you see the reactions of
people when we said we were bringing Mirrors

Edge back, its clear that theres a lot of love for
the IP. Maybe not for the first game per se, but
I think Mirrors Edge is more than the game.
It almost turned into like a style. Its very
recognisable from an art-direction perspective.
And just the words Mirrors Edge seem to
spur emotions in people. That might or might
not be true, but its still bigger than the game,
and I think thats something that we also feel.
We want to give that emotion to you, but the
promise of the emotion needs to follow through
in the game through the product, and I think
the first game missed that a bit. Some of it
was spot on, but some of it was it could
have been different or better.
OPM: Youve moved on a hardware generation

for Catalysts development how much is
PlayStation 4 helping you to realise your vision
of what Mirrors Edge could and should be?
PB: A lot. Thats actually one of the key reasons
why we couldnt have done it before. When I

think back to the cleansing and cleaning of the
concept, I would argue that it was impossible to
build a world that is more free, and that were
able to explore to the visual quality with the art
direction that we wanted to strive for, on the
previous generation of hardware. Several things
are aligning to get to this point where we are
actually able to deliver this game.
Its a free-running game, so it needs to be
smooth and fluid. Framerate is important.
The resolution is important. The size of the
world is important. There are so many things
that are needed to go into this. There are no
loading screens its just a big world that you
can explore, and as you progress through the
storyline it opens up in many different ways.
That is something that just couldnt have
been done on the previous generations.
OPM: Weve seen the likes of Titanfall and Call Of Duty flirting with
parkour elements, but why is nobody else doing this type of game?
PB: I dont know! I honestly dont know.
OPM: There was such an outpouring of love from the fans at
Catalysts announcement that it feels like the genre is in demand.
PB: Yeah, I agree with you. We ask the same question, and sometimes
you either stop and think about it and think We must be wrong so we
shouldnt do it either. Or you think No, we are right, we just have to
prove it! Theres a risk in proving something that does not yet exist,
because you cant refer to it. You cant say As long as were better or on
par with that game then were good. Here its a case of As long as we
are on par or better than our old game But thats not good enough.
We need to be so much better. What does that mean? We dont know
we need to figure that out!
OPM: How tough has it been to adapt your level design to fit an open
world? To cultivate exciting parkour action without linear paths?
PB: Thats the challenge. If you make a game that has a linear path,
you can create a very bespoke experience. It can be amazing and we see
a lot of games that are really good where it feels open, but youre actually
funnelled through. I have a lot of respect for games that can do that right.
But removing all the limitations actually

helps you to make a great game, because you
want to achieve something bigger and different.
Getting that right? Thats a completely different
ball game. DICE is treading new ground here.
Weve not built a game like this before; not
even the first Mirrors Edge, and I think thats
the scary part. Its also the rewarding part.
People pick it up and they play it in a very
natural way, and were like: It works! Amazing!
OPM: Mirrors Edge, Star Wars, Battlefield

How do you juggle all the different projects?
PB: I dont know, actually. Ive been asked that
question before, and I think that we are not

driven by logics per se. I know were engineers
its technology and you need planning and a
lot of order to do that but the core of what
drives us is the passion for building games.
That makes us do a lot of stupid things because
we just want to, and it also makes us go into
areas where maybe no one else has been before.
We are pushing things because we want to
push them, not because data tells us that we
need to do A, B and C.
So, were not adding guns to Mirrors Edge,
period. Yeah, but data tells us that shooters
have this market share, blah blah blah If you
have guns you will attract No. It doesnt
make a better game. The same goes with adding
games to our roster: we want to do it, we have
the team to do it, we have the technology, so
we will figure it out.
Thats how we go into most things: we figure
it out. Weve been around for some time and
we have a lot of people with a lot of years
behind them making games. You just trust
them. They will say I dont know how to do
it, but I think we will figure it out.
OPM: Is it that trust factor that enables you

to push back on any external pressure and
ignore what all the metrics are telling you?
PB: Yes and no. We need to listen to data and
we need to have it so you know what youre

standing against. But because there is so much
money and people and time involved in making
a game, we need to be able to pitch and explain
to you why to use the example of the guns
its a better choice to not go with [the data],
and sell that to everyone.
Thats one of our strengths; we are pretty
good at explaining what we mean. So long as
you feel something, you know what your gut
tells you. The trick is to figure out what that
gut feeling means: how can I reverse-engineer it
into something tangible that I can describe
to people, instead of saying Just trust us?
Some people think that because DICE has
done pretty decent games we should have the
trust of whoever we want. But Im like: No!
You shouldnt trust anyone! I dont even trust
myself sometimes. I always need to decode
my emotions and see if theres something
there. And often youre right, but sometimes
youre completely wrong and what you felt was
actually you were hungry rather than it was
a great game idea! (Laughs)
051
no mans sky
052
Curious rover Jen Simpkins takes one small

step for OPM into the brave new worlds of
No Mans Sky and discovers a planet
teeming with NSFW creatures
ouil, 7.36pm. Its around

three degrees celsius.
Dusk creeps over the
never-before-explored
planet; possibility
stretches out toward the
horizon. A soft thumping
heralds the arrival of some form
of life. We hold our breath as an
octopus-headed, cushion-bottomed
ballbag with tentacle arms hops
serenely, majestically into view.
Hello Games Sean Murray and
David Ream exchange a wide-eyed
look. What is that? we ask.
Murray replies, We have no idea.
no mans sky
053
no mans sky
COLOUR US
SURPRISED
Art director Grant

Duncan on random
beautys rules
OPM: What inspired No

Mans Skys artstyle?
GD: Classic 70s sci-fi
covers. You look at these
books, art like Chris Foss,
and you think Wow, that
world looks amazing, I want
to go there. It makes you
want to explore.
054
OPM: Its all procedurallygenerated do you

sometimes see ugly clashes
on planets?
GD: Well, we did. Early on,
we clicked Generate, and
got horrible mixtures of
colours which scared me to
death! (Laughs) We added
colour theory rules in so
theres a relationship
between colours: the colour
of leaves, grass, moss, and
animals. Everythings picked
based on a created palette.
And we can stray from that
to a certain extent, so you
dont just get uniform rules.
OPM: How about
spaceships?
GD: Fighter spaceships
always have a cockpit and a
nose, two engines and two
wings. But for scientific
ships, we have a different
set of rules: they can be
asymmetrical. Insect-like. A
bit of wing, an engine, then
an extra bit of wing, then a
second cockpit on the side
Paint indicates age, and
battles. You can tell whether
a ships valuable by how
nice-looking it is. Its that
RPG thing: I want it,
because its sparkly
and shiny.
Thats the magic of indie space

adventure No Mans Sky even
this close to its June launch, its
own developers are constantly
dumbfounded by it. Little wonder: its
universe contains over 18 quintillion
planets. Even if a planet is discovered
every second, lead developer Murray
once pointed out, itll take 585 billion
years to find them all. All of them are
procedurally-generated and therefore
entirely undiscovered until you set
foot on one, whereupon the terrain
and everything on it will pop into
randomised existence. Vivid vistas;
unique plant species; six-legged
mammals; mysterious landmarks.
And evidently if youre lucky
bouncing octopus-ballbags.
Said scrotums unintentional
creators seem nervous about our
discovery. Gathering data on the beast
is as simple as pointing and shooting:
pressing w, our multitool gun scans
it as an Opsissi Lok. We announce,
gazing into its giant, glistening eyes
(those round things are eyes, right?)
that its brilliant. The developers
relief is visible.
Hello Games is taking a risk
with this experimental title, a
concept reaching far beyond
the bounds of their ironically
safe side-scroller Joe Danger.
Solar system upon solar system
springs from the finite lines of code
written in their tiny Guildford office.
As Murray zooms out through the
Galactic Map, nebulae twinkling with
stars too numerous to ever be fully
explored, he sighs, Every now and
again, it makes me think F**k! Hes
still as awestruck as we are.
COSMIC CON
So is the rest of the world. No Mans

Sky scooped Most Anticipated
Game at the 2015 Game Awards: the
It takes ten full minutes to fly from Balaki to

Louil, though you can warp between systems.
Murray wants you to fight for your

discoveries. Indeed, neither of the two
planets we visit icy wasteland Balaki
V or dull yellow Louil is instantly
charming. The formers hypothermiainducing -162.5 degree climate has us
boosting our suits shield with silicone
from cargo drops in a panic; the latter
lacks plant life and has a population
too brown and spidery for our liking.
Both we and another journalist start
on Balaki V, but Louil is ours. A totally
new world another stepping stone
to that elusive one-in-ten paradise.
There are glimpses of beauty. We
find cacti that would be dull,
were it not for their turquoise
mohawks. Murrays right: these
silly tufts feel more meaningful
than the immediate discovery of
a colour-drenched world. We cant
wait to get back in the ship and push
on that bit further, that bit closer to
the sun, to an uncharted utopia.
But No Mans Sky isnt just about
gawping at whatever multi-limbed
dinosaur or well-coiffed shrub the
code throws out. There are four key
ways to play: exploring, fighting,
trading, and surviving. Weve
already got the hang of exploring,
having planet-hopped in our starter
spacecraft (toying with the UI during
We find cacti that Would be

dull, Were it not for their
turquoise mohaWks.
prospect of discovering and making
your mark on vibrant, virgin worlds is
a palpably heady one. Thats exactly
why the team is nervous. A sizeable
chunk of No Mans Sky will not be
the acid-sweet rush of the vistas
shown on The Late Show and these
pages. A good nine-tenths, Murray
warns us half-jokingly, will be boring.
Procedural generation means
not every planet will be lush, and
the ten-minute trip) and learnt to

scan areas for interactive objects.
This marks useful crafting resources
contained in discarded tech, as well
as landmarks such as beacons. Once
youve got your bearings, markers
melt away. Its an elegant touch
which, along with the removal of the
minimap, encourages you to take in
your surroundings. Soon enough, we
find a procedurally-generated building.
You can align with NPC races

and factions, then pick fights
with enemy freighters to
disrupt their trade.
Space stations are full of

resources. Follow trade
routes white trails in
the sky to find them.
no mans sky
055
If you break into a factory, you can

steal blueprints for product recipes,
Murray explains, suggesting we use
our multitools laser on the sealed
entrance. Suddenly, were not-sogently introduced to the second key
way to play: fighting. Turns out angry
little drones called Sentinels dont
appreciate you Italian Jobbing your
way into structures. Isnt there a
stealthier way to do this than blowing
the bloody doors off? we enquire over
the buzz of robot guards and the throb
of ominous music, firing shots back at
our pursuers. The devs confirm that
with decent tech, its possible.
KORVAX BLIMEY
Hello Games founder and lead

NMS developer Sean Murray.
Slipping inside, we disable alarms by

selecting the correct option from a
menu. We scamper down a hallway,
make a left and run into an NPC.
Shocked, we turn to Murray. Hed
previously stated that No Mans Sky
would be an NPC-free game.
We didnt want to overpromise,
he explains, adding that non-playable
characters were always intended for
the adventure. Chatting with the
Every ship is of course

unique but the
observant can track
down certain types.
If you go to an explorer space
station, youre more likely to find
the kind of ship youre after,
says art director Grant Duncan.
Attacking a humongous freighter
in a dinky explorer ship wont end
well, however
Near to the sun, art

director Grant Duncan
explains, creatures have
scaly skin or spindly limbs.
no mans sky
056
Infinite multicoloured
fauna are generated
from just a few hundred
prototypes. Art director
Grant Duncan explains: With the
IK system, which is the way joints
move, we can pull creatures
around and get giraffe-like necks
on an elephants body, and it still
all holds together and behaves
how youd expect.
Korvax Scientist proves interesting;

the television-faced robo-alien doesnt
exactly speak the Queens English. In
fact, each race in the game (there are
multiple: were also shown models for
Orc-ish fighters and a diminutive birdfaced clan) uses its own procedurallygenerated language.
Were not going to be able to write
books in them, says programmer
David Ream. Theyll be simple
languages. The idea is that we want
people to learn the languages and learn
words as you go. But then also that
you can predict and infer words that
you might not have actually learned
Interacting with NPCs increases
your in-game vocabulary, translating
words and helping you align with
or antagonise certain alien races.
Interaction options evolve according
to your behaviour. Were into
gathering info and sparing the lives
of Louils aggressive dog/dinosaurs
over slaughtering them, so the more
cerebral Korvax race are perfect allies.
Theyll like you, Ream notes. Maybe
youll have less options for other races,
Lead developer Sean Murray

points out that you cant
look up a YouTube video on
planets. Theres no FAQ.
no mans sky
Creatures procedurally-generated throats

produce calls accurate to scale. For real.
becomes. In our short time with

the game, we do experience such a
reality check. One option is to give
the Korvax Scientist a gift from our
inventory surely a guaranteed
way to score a fancy new multitool.
Instead, the result is The Korvax is
confused. Its a wonderful cultureshock moment that reminds us that
were the aliens in this universe.
If thats getting a bit too real for
you, then Dont Panic theres a
trading system. The Galactic Market
is where youll buy and sell crafting
materials. If youre savvy about which
races you trade with, you can craft
tech or nab spaceships and weapons
on the cheap.
TERROR FORMING
Its essential to surviving an

unpredictable universe. What with
gargantuan mutant creatures, toxic
things get even crazier as

you journey toWards the
centre of the universe.
because youll sort of antagonise them
by being boring, not aggressive, or not
trading enough. And that will develop
thats another procedural thing.
Programmer Hazel McKendrick
clarifies. Youre making choices but
were not casting moral judgement.
You can align with whatever race
you want, and do whatever you
want. And you can rapidly
change your character if you
decide to turn against them
and they probably wont like
that very much. But its not about
choosing the good thing or the bad
thing, or saving the world.
Murray agrees: What NPCs and
alien languages are really about is
depth of exploration. The more that
we can make that rewarding for
people, the more real the universe
atmospheres and the risk involved

in stealing blueprints, youll need to
upgrade your gear to protect yourself
from harm. And things are only going
to get crazier as you journey towards
the optional end goal of No Mans Sky
the centre of the universe.
Weve tried to break the rules as
you get closer to the centre, art
director Grant Duncan admits.
We can change everything
about a planet as you get closer
we can make the terrain break
all the rules, and we can break all
the rules of atmosphere and trees
and everything, so you can arrive on
a planet where everything is unsettling
and the creatures start moving in
unsettling ways. So if you saw an
elephant moving in the same way a
dog does if you take a dog skeleton,
SPACE JAM
Audio director Paul Weir

talks noisy NPCs
OPM: How do you make
in-game sounds?
PW: Everything is either
created through synthesis
or normal, boring life things.
The jetpacks a Dyson hand
dryer; [the sound of you]
changing your weapon is a
microphone stand. In fact,
I wrecked a microphone
stand and a camera stand
simultaneously this week.
They both snapped.
OPM: How will sounds and
music generate in the
finished game?
PW: The big thing I havent
even got my hands on yet is
preset morphing. We can
take this sound and this
sound, and itll create all the
variations in between like
with animal models, but
audio. It creates an evolving
soundscape that always
feels like its changing, but
also hopefully gives you
those moments of
synchronicity.
OPM: And NPCs?
PW: NPCs are me and my
friends speaking gibberish. I
drag in some poor,
unsuspecting person and
go Speak Klingon to me!
and process it. The robot
dude youve heard is me.
Most of the game is me,
unfortunately.
OPM: How much noise does
the players avatar make?
PW: Ive gone pretty subtle.
He (or she) shouldnt grunt,
thats too much. It should be
ambiguous, but humanoid.
Seans take on it is the
player needs to relate, so
dont make it too alien.
057
no mans sky
GENERATION
GAME
Programmers David Ream

and Hazel McKendrick
explain the magic of maths
058
OPM: What makes the

maths behind No Mans
Sky beautiful?
DR: Its all based on real
rules, but exaggerated. It
goes in unexpected, but
beautiful, ways. Its a cool
challenge, to have an art
team showing you pictures
and think What sine wave
looks like this hill on this
cover of a sci-fi book?
HM: People think of maths as
this hard, dry subject, but
its not that distinct from
creative things especially
when youre building worlds
like this. We can look at
landscapes and make the
maths that does that, even if
I couldnt draw it. Thats a
powerful thing.
OPM: Can your own code
surprise you?
DR: There are lots of things
when youre building
complex layers. Grant called
me over to [show me] a load
of dead hippo things in an
underwater cave. It made
sense: they normally live in
caves, and the planet had to
have high water levels.
These are simple things, but
no one could have predicted
that happening.
HM: Sometimes bugs are
actually the coolest things
creatures becoming overly
powerful and killing off
everything, etc. Its
balancing in terms of whats
cool once, and whats cool all
the time. Those hippos
probably shouldnt have been
dead under the sea, though.
DR: Bit disturbing, yeah.
Cockpits are the only parts of spaceships

which arent procedurally-generated.
and tweak it until you basically get

an elephant skeleton you would be
like What the f**k? Hopefully, it all
adds to the sense of Urgh, what is this
place?-ness. Were trying to get that
feeling of moving forward.
Its certainly working. We cant bear
to put the pad down: the urge to keep
travelling into the unknown and seeing
more is actually overpowering. In the
spirit of curiosity, we start testing a
few more limits. We ask what secrets
No Mans Sky still has under wraps.
Are there collectibles? Unlockables?
Were still missing the point,
apparently. Murray pauses, and muses.
When you say secrets, I think of
puzzle pieces hidden in some sort of
platformer. Like the classic: You start
in a level but if you go backwards,
theres a coin back there. Somebody
placed that. So a developer knows its
there, for a start, but also probably
25% of players will find it. Its not
The Sentinel drones hate

excessive mining or creaturecide. Murray says Wanted
Levels 3 and 4 look really cool.
hopefully, it all adds to

the sense of urgh, What is
this place?-ness.
really a secret. Its not really a discovery.
Somebody put it there for you to find,
and purposefully put it there so that
you would find it, because otherwise
what would be the point?
Our trip to Louil, on the other hand,
uncovers actual secrets: scenes and
NPCs and animals never before seen
by anybody. Interacting with a runecovered monolith, completely unique
to this planet, even teaches us a new
word. Its a genuine surprise.
And I think thats more
meaningful, Murray continues.
Not that there arent more tangible
secrets to be unearthed. Theres a
massive amount of stuff were still
keeping secret, Murray confirms. So
we keep digging. Were intrigued by
that space-suited player character,

and previous hints that players never
see themselves, but that others might
clock them. We ask Grant Duncan
whether hes designed procedurallygenerated protagonists. Im not going
to tell you, the art director laughs.
Thatd be a spoiler, wouldnt it?
Is it something youve thought
about? we follow up. Oh yeah, he
smiles. Definitely something weve
thought about
THE SKYS LIMITS
And what of the long-term future of

No Mans Sky? The team has also
thought hard about that. Weve always
said that really its a game you play
solo. The universe is so huge, and we
Can we blow up planets with

death-rays? Tech in the
universe is limited, Sean
Murray says. Sorry, guys.
no mans sky
059
want people to go out and explore it.

The moment we start allowing
everyone to jump onto other peoples
planets, people will just congregate or
let other people do the exploration for
them. We dont want that initially.
But I hope that people will be
pressing the Share button quite a lot,
recording little creature GIFs and
sharing that on Twitter, Murray
says. This is already a regular
occurrence in the teams private
group chats. There will be a
Photo Mode, he reveals, where
you can just kind of chill; the HUD
will disappear, and then you can
look around and use Share.
If people are playing then we
would want to hear what they want
and be community driven. If people
want animal husbandry, land vehicles,
to share YouTube videos or link to
[planet] seeds so other people can
visit that planet Stuff like that
would be cool. But we have tried to
remain true to the idea that we had in
our heads years ago. I think success

for us will be if very few people
actually make it to the centre of the
universe, and lots of people just go off
and do their own thing. Some people
are traders, some people are fighters,
some people are survivalists, and yes,
some people are explorers. And they
dont really care [about the end]
because theyre off on their own
journey. Id be happy with that.
We think about how we
want to play, pointing out that
making our own way through this
sprawling universe could become
crushingly lonely and how thats
quite a beautiful concept. Its quite
true to a lot of sci-fi stories, that lone
explorer thing, Murray nods. Forging
your own path. Theres a vulnerability
to that. Youre just a small little speck
in this universe. I quite like that.
We sit on the floor of the demo
room, thinking, sofas long abandoned
perhaps in a subconscious attempt
to feel grounded.
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062
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Gaming doesnt have to be expensive in fact, its possible

to play for hundreds of hours on your PlayStation
consoles without reaching for your wallet even once.
Join James Nouch for a tightfisted tour of the PSN Store
ust a few years ago, it seemed as

though free-to-play was purely the
preserve of kitschy mobile puzzlers
and impenetrable Korean MMOs.
Fast forward to the present day, and its
clear that the model has not only made
its way into the mainstream its found a
home on PlayStations Store.
And since a lack of a price tag is no
reason to pooh-pooh a potential corker, we
decided to set out in search of the very best
gaming experiences that PlayStation has to
offer the player on a shoestring budget.
Armed with little more than an internet

connection and a PSN account, we began
our dumpster dive in search of the most
delectable of digital delicacies.
Rather than merely highlighting some
freebies, we wanted to figure out just how
much entertainment you could wring out
of these titles while resisting the urge to
fork out for microtransactions. So you can
put those prepaid cards and well-worn Visas
away, because there are hundreds of hours
of gaming greatness waiting for you, all for
the low, low price of nothing.
Free to play
free
Play gameS
games
you play as a space

warrior woken from
cryosleep to find a war
raging. tool up and fight.
Warframe
Format PS4 Dev dIGITal exTreMeS
what iS it?
Sci-fi third-person shooting
crossed with somersaulting
ninja silliness in a universe
of connected co-operative
skirmishes. Think Destiny,
with added bo staffs, and
youre probably pretty close
to the mark.
why play it?
Digital Extremes sci-fi shooter has
come a heckuva long way since 2013.
At launch, it felt like a serviceable
shooter that frequently fell victim to
its own ambition a doomed attempt
gunfire. Within minutes of completing

the games brisk tutorial, youll be
gleefully carving up your AI
adversaries and leaping across level
architecture like a black belt badass.
Its all incredibly fast-paced, bracingly
bloody, and feels engagingly different
from just about anything else.
Once you begin the game proper,
youll find yourself heading out on
instanced co-operative missions
with a handful of similarly acrobatic
companions either your Friends List
besties or matchmade randoms. These
excursions are usually punchy little
sprints through densely occupied
enemy territory, and your rewards
typically come in the form of crafting
materials and mods.
ITS FaST-Paced, BloodY aNd

FeelS eNGaGINGlY dIFFereNT
FroM JuST aBouT aNYThING elSe.
to bolt frantic parkour antics and
katana shenanigans onto something
that was otherwise fairly bog-standard.
Since then, however, the developer has
been supporting the game not only
with patches and content updates, but
with wholesale mechanical overhauls,
too. The result is a marriage of
systems that work in harmony, rather
than constantly fighting one another.
Melee combat in particular has been
fundamentally reworked, and these
improvements enable Warframe to
deliver on its sci-fi samurai promise,
letting you charge your way through
levels in a blur of sword-swipes and
So, you head out on a mission, dash

around collecting shinies, and head
back to base to sort through your loot.
By the time youve upgraded some
mods and tweaked some gear, youll
be itching to test your refined loadout,
thus beginning the cycle all over again.
This will sound all too familiar to
anyone whos spent much time with
the likes of Destiny, of course, but
Bungies futuristic FPS is a more
generous, and more refined, game.
Nonetheless, Warframe offers
an incredible array of content and
tremendous scope for customisation.
The games eponymous frames,
for instance, essentially act as

equippable classes, allowing a single
character to assume a totally different
role by simply donning another outfit.
Theres no getting around the fact
that Warframe presents one heck of
a grind, and the process of unlocking
coveted equipment can be particularly
protracted. But for as long as youre
enjoying the decidedly silly ninjutsu
spectacle, Warframe will plaster a
grin on your face free of charge.
how long before paywallS?

Warframe should comfortably
provide 20 hours of exhilarating sci-fi
samurai silliness to even the most
parsimonious of players, while those
with a weakness for gear-tuning and
loot will be able to extract much
more value. Once you start working
towards a specific build, or even just a
coveted weapon, however, Warframes
micro-transaction systems become
much more apparent as it attempts to
convert your interest into tender.
Feel Free to browse
Venture beyond the Store for more freebies

Your consoles web browser may not seem like the
obvious port of call when youre looking to do some
gaming on the cheap, but there are sites such as
Playboxie that provide a bevy of browser games
optimised for your PS4 pad.
You could hop into a rendition of Pac-Man or Flappy
Bird, but its worth noting that these run with a slight
input lag. Super-simple efforts such as Tetris and Snake II
fare better, and prove perfect time-wasters for those
moments when youre waiting for a day one patch to
download and want to be reminded of the good old days.
063
free to play gameS

live the freebie dream
by snatching euro glory
with bour sorry, east
Dorsetshire. yep, its peS.
from the comfort of their own couch

can put their wallets away this year
dont worry, myclub has you covered.
For everyone else, however, its
more likely to be a craving for the
full-fat Master League experience after
enjoying this freebie taster, rather than
any especially aggressive monetisation
strategy, that will see players fall away.
Planetside 2
Format PS4 Dev daYBreak GaMe coMPaNY
PeS 2016 myclub

Format PS4/PS3 Dev koNaMI
064
what iS it?
Konamis answer to FIFA
Ultimate Team, uncoupled
from its parent game. Pick
a club, collect players and
then level them up through
matches against AI and
online opponents.
why play it?
Given the lack of explanation or
fanfare surrounding the launch of
myclub as its own freebie entity, youd
be forgiven for not realising the scope
of Konamis offering here. Because this
is more than simply Pro Evos take on
trIals oF the century

try before you buy: downloadable demos
Free-to-play isnt the only way to do a bit of gratis gaming

on your PlayStation hardware. episodic developers will
often attempt to reel you in by offering the first episode
in a series free of charge, so you can currently sample
the openers to Tales From The Borderlands or Game of
Thrones for naff all. The same even applies to the first
quarter of resident evil revelations 2.
If, however, you want to get a feel for a game that isnt
even out yet, then grab the Indivisible prototype for a peek
at what you might be playing in 2018.
fantasy football. Its one part football

manager, one part collectable card
game, and one part superb soccer sim.
If youve spent much time with
FIFAs Ultimate Team mode, youll
have a sense of what to expect. You
select a team, appoint a manager and
collect players for your squad as
though they were booster packs of
Merlin stickers. Sending a scout to
search for talent has more in common
with a Lotto scratchcard than it does
professional football, and the hefty
dose of randomisation at play lends
a compulsive edge to proceedings.
Over time, the goal is to transform
a team of no-hopers into a force to be
reckoned with. But even if youre not
at all fussed with the fiddly business
of formations and training, there are
still the games themselves to consider,
and they remain fantastic. The PES
2016 match engine allows for thrilling,
high-scoring spectacle thats made all
the more exciting by the long-term
meta-game at work.
And if you cant stomach even
a smidge of actual management,
Exhibition mode enables casual fans
to dive straight into a game, with nary
a stat screen to sit through if you so
desire. Its the perfect option for those
who enjoy the occasional on-screen
kickabout with their friends a
pruned Pro Evo experience without
the accompanying price tag.
Sure, theres still all the usual PES
licensing strangeness to contend with,
and youre as likely to face off against
the Manchester Blues as you are
Bayern Munich. Those issues always
stood out like a sore hammie in the
full retail releases, but here, theyre
much easier to forgive.
what iS it?
First-person shooting in a
science-fiction universe of
endless factional strife, with
multiple classes and oodles of
vehicles. And its all played out
on the shifting battlefronts of
bloomin massive continents.
why play it?
Planetside 2 is a fearsomely
intimidating slice of sci-fi shootery,
offering new players little more than
an introduction to its menu and map
screens before pushing you out into a
world of persistent conflict. But once
youve wrapped your head around a
few of the key concepts, your reward
is a constantly shifting battlefield
in which single skirmishes can be
contested by hundreds of players.
Its occasionally bewildering and
often exhilarating, delivering conflict
on a scale that makes Battlefields
64-person showdowns look like
pub car park punch-ups. Its not
uncommon to stumble into tussles
involving dozens of vehicles and scores
of infantry, all spraying bullets, rockets
and heals with abandon. And since
most of the unlockables are optional
side-grades, theres no hard-sell,
leaving you to worry about gunning
down New Conglomerate goons rather
than fetching your debit card.

Progression slows once youve sunk a
dozen or more hours into Planetside
2, but the balanced arsenal ensures
payment is almost never needed.

Those who pick up Pro Evolution
Soccer for the sake of casual
encounters with the beautiful game
planetside 2 set a guinness world record

when 1,158 players took part in one battle.
Free to Play games

dead or alive 5
last round:
core Fighters
the GrateFul eIGht
more penny-pinchers worthy of your time, if not your cash
Format PS4/PS3 Dev TeaM NINJa
what iS it?
A truncated edition of
Team Ninjas 2015 edition
of DOA5, featuring a limited
lineup of characters and a
heaving virtual storefront
of microtransactions.
why play it?
Core Fighters is nothing if not true
to its name. Fire up this mini-edition
of the famously buxom fighting game
series, and one of the first things
youll see is a teeming character
select screen, with almost all of
the fighters greyed-out.
But what this game lacks in
characters, it makes up for
handsomely elsewhere. Core Fighters
features the full Versus, Online and
Arcade modes of its retail sibling,
as well as series staples such as
Survival and Team Fight. And all
thats to say nothing of the Training
mode, included here in all its
comprehensive glory. You basically
have access to everything barring
the Story mode, which is
available to unlock, if you so
choose, at the sort of price
that probably dwarfs the
cost of a preowned copy
of DOA5 at this stage.
So, if youre a fan of one of the
four included characters (Kasumi,
Ayane, Ryu Hayabusa, and
Hayate), youre in luck. And
additional characters are available
to purchase for the sum of 3.29,
meaning that even if your
favourite isnt on the core roster,
you can still gain access to a
whole lot of game for a very
reasonable cost of admission. Its
a superb introduction to the
series accessible, fast-paced
combat, as well as a ready source
of hours upon hours of
multiplayer laughs.
ace Combat infinity
airmech arena
Format PS3 Dev BaNdaI NaMco
Format PS4 Dev carBoN GaMeS
a fast-paced dose of aerial dogfighting

that pits lovingly recreated, real-world jet
fighters against barmy flying fortresses.
Infinity features a suitably overwrought
campaign as well as the option to engage
in co-operative sorties online.
as if the promise of piloting a giant robot

that can transform into a plane wasnt
enough, carbons action rTS also sees you
building ludicrously large armies to battle
alongside you in either 3v3 competitive
modes or four-player co-op missions.
fat princess: piece of Cake
loadout
Format PS VITa Dev oNe looP GaMeS
Format PS4 Dev edGe oF realITY
The match-three puzzler is given a

saccharine twist here, as you shuffle gems
around the board in order to protect your
pudgy princess. each successful match
launches an attack on your enemies, lending
a layer of strategy to the proceedings.
here we have a F2P shooter that focuses

squarely on one thing above all else: guns.
loadouts totally obsessed with them,
and youll find yourself crafting all manner
of weird Frankenstein weaponry in your
quest for multiplayer supremacy.
DC Universe online
hustle Kings
Format PS4/PS3 Dev daYBreak GaMe coMPaNY
Format PS4 Dev VooFoo STudIoS
create an original hero and hang out

with the superstars of dc comics canon.
or, if youre the dastardly sort, you could
sculpt your very own villain instead, and
get all chummy with The Joker.
Sure, you certainly could brave the sticky

floors of your local pub, but why spend 50p
to take on some boozed-up table-hogger on
beer-soaked baize when theres a pristine
alternative available free of charge?
Uncharted 3 multiplayer
war thunder
Format PS3 Dev NauGhTY doG
Format PS4 Dev GaIJIN eNTerTaINMeNT
It may not be overflowing with potential

prey these days, but this still represents a
generous package of polished third-person
gunslinging against some awe-inspiring
backdrops. Its well worth a revisit.
This engaging two-fer offers intense World

War II battles from the perspective of both
ground and air units, with fully modelled
tank and fighter plane combat. The intense
Simulation mode ups the realism further.

If your favourite character made
the roster, theres easily ten or more
hours of enjoyment here much
more if you can rustle up some
mates for multiplayer. If your
beloved brawler didnt make
the cut, youre looking at just
over 3 to unlock them.
065
free to play gameS

World of Tanks
Format PS4 Dev WarGaMING
what iS it?
An online shooter that
rejects the genres CODinspired conventions
altogether, offering a
more considered take on
multiplayer marksmanship
from the comfort of a
40-ton warmachine.
why play it?

World Of Tanks may be an online
shooter, but there are no teabagging
preteens or 360 no-scopes to
be found on its shell-ravaged
battlegrounds. In fact, its all rather
civil considering youre launching
whopping great explosives at one
another. Select a warmachine
and hop into a round of 15v15
multiplayer, and youll spend the
first minute or so happily trundling
into position behind a weathered
barn or choice bit of hedge.
It can all seem a bit placid
compared to the fast-paced thrills of
the COD crowd, but its partly that
unique sense of pace and scale that
beefier buddies to blitz from range.

Plus, while the early game may be
short on tension, a total lack of
respawns ensures that closely
contested matches often come
down to nail-biting showdowns.
Win or lose, youll soon find
yourself with a jangling purse-load
of virtual currency, and World Of
Tanks lives up to its name by
offering a cornucopia of unlockable
armour for military historians to
get all sweaty-palmed over. Indeed,
Wargaming has already updated the
content with new maps and a British
tech tree, with more than 40 new
vehicles. But whether youre a tank
sets this downloadable deathmatch

apart, and theres a whole new set
of skills to get to grips with when
you hop behind the wheel. Twitch
reflexes and unerring accuracy arent
nearly as important as planning and
positioning, allowing thoughtful
players to get one over on their
speedy-fingered adversaries.
If that doesnt do it for you,
its worth noting its still a game
in which a good hard ram can be
a sound tactical option. And if
the thought of careful long-range
bombardment sounds tedious, you
can always hop into a light tank and
tear around, spotting tanks for your
buff or a history dunce, the games

unique blend of strategy and action
is worth a sample, which might
explain why its racked up more
than a million users in a few weeks.
066
IT oFFerS a
corNuPcoPIa
oF uNlockaBle
arMour For
hISTorIaNS To
GeT SWeaTYPalMed oVer.

While theres not much to prevent
you from waging mechanised war for
as long as you please, the procession
of unlockables turns from pleasingly
brisk to torturously slow once
youve sunk more than seven or
eight hours into the game, especially
if youre intent on unlocking a
particular tank. Dont be surprised if
you stick around for the long haul.
Free to Play games
you can keep returning to flip out on Zen pinball 2s bumper pack of thrills as the weeks turn into months and the months into years, but only on this table for free.
Zen Pinball 2
Frobisher Says!
Format PS4/PS3/PS VITa Dev ZeN STudIoS
Format PS VITa Dev hoNeYSluG
what iS it?
Pinball wizardry across
a substantial range of
licensed tables, all available
for purchase. A lonesome
unlicensed table is available
in the free package.
what iS it?
A properly bonkers assortment
of harebrained micro-games
in the vein of Nintendos
WarioWare series, all designed
to make use of PS Vitas
myriad input methods.
why play it?
why play it?
More than perhaps any other game

listed here, Zens ball-flipping offering
is really a trial. Although the game
now plays host to more than 60 tables
in total many of which are licensed
offerings celebrating the likes of
Marvel, Star Wars and even Portal 2
theres only a single freebie.
But The Sorcerers Lair is an
excellent introduction to the grounded
physics and mechanical gimmickry of
the wider Zen offering, and its still a
PS Vita is blessed with a frankly batty

abundance of inputs, and Honeyslugs
complementary (and complimentary)
curio goes happily out of its way to
make use of just about every one of
them, often in brilliantly weird ways.
Although each of its micro-games
might only last ten seconds or less,
theyre a fabulously inventive bunch
you might find yourself using the
front-mounted camera to frown at
badgers, or you could end up
You MIGhT FINd YourSelF

uSING PS VITaS FroNT-MouNTed
caMera To FroWN aT BadGerS.
thrill to post ever-higher scores as
your skills increase. But ultimately,
its wide-eyed art cant match the
warm nostalgia evoked by those
shiny Star Wars tables.
PayInG the
ultImate PrIce
we pour one out for some of our dearly

departed free-to-play friends
067
Not every free-to-play flower can blossom into a mighty

money-spinner. look at PlayStation home, for instance
once host to red Bull logos and simulated bowling queues
as far as the eye could see. Now, tragically, gone.
Then there are the F2P fighting games: Soul calibur:
lost Swords, Tekken revolution and Spartacus legends
have all had their plugs pulled in the last year.
and finally, shed a tear for dust 514, the much-touted
FPS counterpart to MMo giant eve online. Following a
tepid launch, the shooters servers power down in May.
frantically rubbing the rear touch

panel to scratch Frobishers back.
A hand-drawn art style and an
endearingly DIY approach to sound
design only add to its quirky appeal,
but the micro-games are an uneven
bunch, with some making better use
of their host hardware than others.
Regardless, theres enough charm here
to make the 1.99 purchase of 30 extra
micro-games a tempting proposition.
Only high-score enthusiasts will want

to spend more than a couple of hours
with the included table. Buy The
Empire Strikes Back one instead.
DLC pack aside there are no paywalls

here. The wit and novelty alone will
keep you going for at least five or six
hours, chasing ever-higher scores.
batty mini-games include using a fan,

scratching a dog and starting a chainsaw.
abzU
068
I
N
K
O
S W I M?
rface?
su
s
n
ea
oc
e
th
h
at
ne
be
s
rk
lu
t
Wha
nture Abzu
ve
ad
tic
ua
aq
to
in
s
ve
di
tt
lle
Pe
Matthew
her
and discovers a Journey like no ot
abzU
069
abzU
S
070
witch on your PS4

and its highly
unlikely youre in
for a relaxing time.
Games are puzzling
or action-packed or
tense or challenging, with any
occasional moments of downtime
tending to be just pauses designed
to help you catch your breath
ahead of the next mental push. But
therapeutic? Hardly. Heck, even
browsing Netflixs vast library is
more daunting than calming, as
anyone whos felt the pressure of
picking the right film for everyone
present can attest.
kelp. Our female diver can twist

and roll and loop in the water, yet
remains easy to handle no matter
our gymnastics.
Shes also equipped with a sonar
ability, and pinging it at small
schools of fish sees the creatures
encircle us in a wordless greeting.
It has a more practical use, too:
the sonar enables us to zero in on
a small drone buried in the sea
floor. When we find it, it wakes up,
blinks, and then begins swimming
in formation alongside us like a cute
Pixar robot companion.
Soon, we brush sand off a couple
more drones, and then, flanked by
our robo-army, set off through a
hole in the rock wall screened by
kelp. It takes us to a deeper column
of dark-blue water, where we cant
help but stop and marvel at the
spectacular sight of 10,000 fish
circling a platform.
SquidS in
Labelling Abzu as an underwater

Journey is too easy. Not just
because of what you do (both
games can be described as a
silent protagonist embarks on
a mysterious odyssey through
beautiful and colourful stop-
JOurNey IS SOMethINg We
alWayS thINK abOut, but NOt
SOMethINg We WOrry abOut.
Abzu is an exception to the rule.
Due on PlayStation 4 as a consoleexclusive this spring, its a game
about underwater exploration, but one
in which everything thats scary about
the concept has been stripped away.
You neednt worry about running out
of air as theres no oxygen gauge and
no way to suffocate. You neednt fear
being snacked on by nasties, either:
theres a shark, but it wont bite.
Dying is, in fact, impossible.
So as we slowly swim through
the shallow, clear waters of Abzus
opening, skimming above golden
sand and getting a feel for our
divers controls, we feel calmness
take hold. These early minutes are
gentle, peaceful, strokes towards a
welcoming, sunlit cave filled with
schools of fish and pillars of green
From tiny red starfish to

fluorescent jellyfish and
humongous whales, abzu
constantly amazes.
and-stare environments), but

because of whos making it. The
sights and sounds of Journey
were unmistakable; its score
and its artwork etched into the
memories of fans across the globe,
which helped the game cement
itself in both our PS3 and PS4 Halls
Of Fame. And now, those sights and
sounds are shared with Abzu: art
director Matt Nava and composer
Austin Wintory are back together
again for this marine meander.
For the former, Abzu marks a new
beginning and the bold decision to
go it alone. With Flower and Journey
behind him, Matt Nava has parted
ways with ThatGameCompany and
built a new development team. As
founder and creative director of
Giant Squid, hes helming a project
that people cant help but view as
a spiritual successor to Journey.
Fortunately, that daunting comparison
doesnt faze him.
People have this assumption
that if you make something thats
successful then youre literally in
the shadow of the mountain from
Journey, chuckles Nava when we ask
about the pressure of following up a
memorable game like Journey. I think
its true to an extent, but Ive never
really looked at it that way. Journey
is something that we always think
about, but its not something that
we worry about. There are so many
ways that Abzu references Journey,
and there are so many ways that
it is really the opposite to Journey,
and that brings about a really new
experience; both for the player and
[for ourselves] as developers.
As for the latter, Nava knew
right from the beginning that
071
Austin Wintorys music had to be

a key component of Abzu. Hes an
extremely talented composer and I
was very lucky to meet him when
I was working on Journey, Nava
says. He has a very great sense for
capturing the mood of something
abzU
right off of the bat. I asked him what

he thought would be a great theme for
this underwater adventure exploration
game and he sent a beautiful cue that
became the theme for Abzu.
There wasnt any back and forth
on it. That core theme was just like:
Yep. Thats it!
Get in the SeA
Back in the ocean, we spend at least

ten minutes just interacting with
the underwater creatures and plants.
Were able to grab onto the fins of

an unsuspecting giant manta ray and
steal a ride as if we're skitching cars
in Skate. Turtles, too, can double as
underwater propulsion scooters
their turning circles are nowhere near
as small as our divers, but slicing
through the blue while clutching onto
majestic sea creatures is a glorious
moment that recalls Journeys seminal
sand-surfing scene.
Nava promises that later on well
be able to use these systems for more
072
there are areaS

Where thereS
INteNSe actION aNd
uNexPected tWIStS
things: grabbing onto a dolphin and

steering it towards dynamic schools
of fish, for instance, will enable us
to shepherd them to different areas.
No doubt this ability, coupled with a
pervasive food chain system, will form
the basis for some light puzzling to
help us access new areas.
For now, weve just got our trusty
drones to help us progress, and they
prove to be quite adept at digging in
the sand to uncover ways forward.
Sadly, it appears that Abzus great
Hitch a ride with the larger

sea creatures and you can
guide them to where you want
to go. They dont mind.
white shark doesnt share our love

for the mechanical helpers. The
relationship between the diver and
the shark is one thats pivotal to
the game, teases Nava, hinting at a
budding friendship, but the iconic
creatures introduction is far from
friendly as it crunches one of our
companions in its jaws.
Its a scene that shakes us out of
our comfort zone. As soothing and
awe-inspiring as the games beginning
may be, and as much as we liking
clinging onto that we cant die tenet,
it transpires that Abzu isnt afraid to
mix things up.
You dont have to do a lot to
create a tension in the player when
you chuck them in the water,
explains Nava. Abzu takes you to
very unexpected places and I think
073
its definitely going to surprise a lot

of people. There are moments where
we can all of a sudden take away the
things that have been secretly giving
you these cues that make you feel
safe. Im not saying it turns into a
crazy horror game or something its
never going to be that but there are
definitely areas where theres intense
action and unexpected twists; its not
necessary to have the mechanic of the
player dying to create those moments
in an adventure like Abzu.
And with no human-controlled
companions to meet and partner up
with during your swim la Journeys
magical online interactions, there
abzU
074
wont be any other players to turn

to for comfort in these moments of
heightened tension youre always
on your own.
WAve Story
Dont expect to learn a great deal

about Abzus character, its story
or later-game environments before
release theyre necessary secrets
in a game that primarily aims to
astonish and amaze. Instead, fill in the
the diver diving deeper, says Nava,

who describes his own amateur scuba
diving sessions as being the most
inspiring thing Ive ever done in my
life, and a huge source of inspiration
for Abzus creation.
Its a very metaphorical story;
diving deeper into the ocean and
diving deeper into the darkness it
really is this metaphor for diving into
yourself and discovering who you are.
This metaphor is really where the idea
of the game emerged, and then we
just went from there.
If the metaphor was Abzus genesis,
the core of the game naturally
emerged from real-world questions
about Earths oceans. After all, we
understand more about the surface of
the Moon than we do about whats
lurking beneath our own waters.
Theres so many things down
there that you dont know, Nava
muses. One of the reasons I was so
excited about making a game that
takes place in the ocean is that its a
mystery. Everyone has a connection to
the ocean; everyone drinks water, and
it affects us all. Its a powerful symbol
and a place thats just full of life.
Journey was this desert world, and
I think that Abzu is this lush, forested
sea floor with corals and so much to
discover. Every square inch is covered
with life, and I think its one of the
most fun things about the ocean; just
being amazed at how many places you
find creatures and life in the most
unexpected places.
ItS a very MetaPhOrIcal StOry;

dIvINg deePer INtO the OceaN aNd
deePer INtO the darKNeSS
blanks by considering the different
places that Journey took you to as
you set out to reach and scale its
gargantuan mountain, then picture
the possibilities if the geometry was
flipped and your goal was to instead
dive down into a deep sea trench that
nobody has ever visited before
The very first place that we came
from in designing the game was trying
to communicate this mythic story of
For all the talk of how Abzu is an

opportunity for players to dive into
themselves and discover who they
are, what has the games development
taught Nava about who he is?
Working at ThatGameCompany
as art director on Flower and Journey
was my first job in the industry
before that I had just graduated
from college. The jump from that to
managing a studio and hiring a team
there was a lot of learning to be done.
But overall, it was a fantastic
process. I think we really have been
able to hire a very strong team, and
we have a great culture here. The
Giant Squid didnt want to

worry about the technical
details of diving but capture
the magic of it.
thing that I really didnt know out of

school was the importance of a strong
team culture in making the process
of creating a game go smoothly. You
can have a whole bunch of talented
people working together, but if they
dont get along then its going to be
very difficult to get anywhere. Thats
really where theres been a lot of
growth; understanding how to work

with others and how to communicate
clearly, and how important that is.
The communication appears to be
paying off. For sure, the inevitability
of players drawing comparisons
with Journey means Abzu has a lot
to live up to, but all the indicators
suggest the team at Giant Squid (We
were just talking about how every

game we make in the future will
probably feature very good water,
Nava laughs of the devs name) is
up to the challenge of equalling that
anticipation. We dont yet know what
lurks in Abzus depths, but were
utterly convinced that finding out is
going to be an unmissable voyage.
075
VO
LU
M
E9
PRESENTS
The whole hog!

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OPM scOres
Gold
award
gOld award
awarded to a game thats

brilliantly executed on every
level, combining significant
innovation, near-flawless
gameplay, great graphics
and lasting appeal.
editors
award
editOrs 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
90 unraVel
we pull at the threads of the

gorgeous puzzle-platformer,
but does it leave us tied in knots?
more, this is for devotees only.
4
belOw aVerage
any bright ideas are drowning
in a sea of bugs or mediocrity.
3
POOr
a seriously flawed game with
little merit on any level.
2
awful
disgraceful: the disc would be
more beneficial as a coaster.
1
HOrrific
own this and youll be swiftly,
justifiably, exiled from society.
contents
street fighter v 78 | far cry primal 84 | layers of fear 88 | a boy and his blob 89
unravel 90 | the escapists: the walking dead 92 | tron run/r 92 | action henk 93
arslan: the warriors of legend 94 | pixel piracy 94 | lego marvels avengers 95
077
review
ItS a KNoCKout
StrEEt
FIGHtEr v
@itsJenSim
New entry in the Hadoken!-happy

series is down-right-fierce
078
info
Format PS4
Eta Out NOw
PuB CaPCOm
DEv CaPCOm
utting a feeling into words

is difficult. You feel Street
Fighter V. For newcomers,
its a rush: a spectacular shot
of adrenaline that has you
re-evaluating everything you
thought fighting games were.
For superfans, its uncanny: the
spine-tingling sense that youve experienced
something similar before, but never quite like
this. For everyone, its instinct and thats a
revolutionary achievement.
Street Fighter V pulls together all the best
elements of the series multitude of previous
entries with consummate flair. The competitive
purity of Street Fighter II; the technical brilliance
of Street Fighter III; the revolutionary spirit of
Street Fighter IV: theyre all here. Presented in
a hyper-stylised, glossy wrapper of acid-bright
colours, the inky, cartoony black lines of the
last full outing have melted away into thin air.
Frankly, the latest set of World Warriors look
almost too beautiful to beat up. Almost.
uPPErCut CLaSS
But well manage, because the combat system

is pure poetry. Regular jabs and sweeps feel
spot-on, feedback so blisteringly responsive
that you feel your thumbs burning in sync with
Kens flaming kicks. Timing combos and throws
is easier than in SFIV, the larger frame window
consistently hitting that sweet spot between
accessibility and stick-flicking skill. No-frills
sparring is so solid and stylish each uppercut
and roundhouse kick landing with heart-
Sfv PullS tOgether all the beSt

elemeNtS Of the SerieS PreviOuS
eNtrieS with CONSummate flair.
review
079
Street Fighter lore says Ryu

is irritable when hungry
get that man a flapjack!
review
above Each fighter has additional unique attacks:

often dashes or launchers that extend combos.
080
Necallis a biological
weapon who eats World
Warriors. Youll be eating
his command grabs.
above left Prefacelift Nash is

an unlockable
costume for the
slim Story mode.
above right
These two
whippersnappers
look fresh out of
SF Alpha.
Left Pulling off
Perfect rounds in
Survival mode will
net you extra high
score points.
right M. Bisons
Story explains
how his bromance
with F.A.N.G.
blossomed...
review
stoppingly tangible force that you may not
fancy the extras for ages.
Once youre feeling frisky, the V-Skill on the
medium attack buttons feels like the next logical
move. SFIVs tricky-to-time Focus Attacks were
similarly mapped, and could utterly redirect
matches provided you put in serious dojo time.
Not so in SFV. Every fighter gets a different,
infinitely-usable toy. Theyre easy to execute,
but risk/reward is perfectly balanced. Cammys
projectile-proof pirouette has a punishable startup time, while disrespecting F.A.N.G.s venomous
purple balls (smack him somewhere, anywhere)
nullifies their damage-over-time effect. All can
cause delicious chaos without so much as a
polite introduction.
And if you were afraid to take the V-Skill
home to mumsie, wait until you meet the
V-Trigger. When your V-Gauge is full after
youve taken some flak, hammering u and i
heavy attacks has your brawler
erupt in a kaleidoscopic
swirl of power to deal huge,
swift damage. The V-Gauge
shenanigans dont stop there.
V-Reversals let you fight
your way out of corners with
characters unique counterattacks by blocking blows,
then pushing forward and
tapping o or p. Its as instinctive as the rest of
SFVs new arsenal, often just sort of happening
in much the same way as rainbow-coated EX
moves and monstrously gorgeous Critical Arts
pop out of combos to say hello. Before you really
know whats what, youre halfway to a fightstyle.
This is Street Fighter Vs big victory. Its
flawless combat system moulds itself to whoever
picks up the pad. Beginners feel the seductive
thrill of pulling off show-stopping performances:
the sparkly, stylised animations are as dizzyingly
slick as each I-did-it-on-purpose-honest
hit-chain. Veterans chew over details, gleefully
realising that Birdies light punch headbutt is an
anti-air and hit-confirming it into his Critical
Art for beastly damage until theyre bested
by a newbie Necallis low
sweep. Get ready to be tested
if youre a fighting fan:
adapting is essential when
the tools are there, always
within reach, for everyone.
from the launch offering? More

than pretty manga stills and
one-round bouts that novices
could win with two thumbs
and a brain tied behind their
back? The voice-acting is
pretty damn good, and the
fighters personalities are
adorable: Rashids an avid
internet explorer; Laura adores
her brother (SFIIIs Sean);
F.A.N.G.s got a poisonous
manicure and hes a massive
M. Bison fanboy. Unfortunately,
you could get through every
story in one meagre lunch
hour speaking from personal
experience. Hopefully, the free
Cinematic Story update slated
for June will flesh out some of
the juicier
backstories.
Survival
mode is
robust
enough, with
Easy, Normal,
Hard
and Hell
difficulties
providing Arcade mode-esque
gauntlet runs and offering
character outfit colours
as prizes. You spend that
hard-earned high score on
Battle Supplements that last
throughout the next round
and buff up things like health,
attack, defence or V-Gauge,
handy when youre squished
up against Hell-level Zangiefs
ample pectoral cleavage.
Depending on whos your main,
you may require different buffs
for specific match-ups. (Not
really, youll pick health and
attack power over and over.)
The AI isnt absolute, but
its no punching bag. Higherlevel CPU foes rarely figure out
the subtle complexities of my
sweep-kick spam, but I raise
an eyebrow when they punish
whiffs with some tasty combos.
Its ridiculous that theres not
yet a way to go a simple three
rounds with them. Is that really
too much to ask for?
Salt in the wounds? Crawl
into the waiting arms of
Training mode and figure out
whats going wrong. Sad news
for the most diligent among us:
there are no frame, hitbox or
hurtbox data analysis options
to obsess over.
SfvS big viCtOrY iS

that the tOOlS are
there, alwaYS withiN
reaCh, fOr everYONe.
LoNG StorY SHort
But some parts are a little too

within reach. Take Tutorial mode:
SFVs opportunity to follow the
examples of BlazBlue and Skullgirls
by teaching fighting fundamentals in
an engaging way. Instead, youre told to
push forward to have a young Ryu walk
forward, and to hold back to block. Slow down
there, SFV, youre blowing our minds. More
infuriatingly, youre encouraged to jump in on
your foe. A useful tip if youre looking to get
straight-up murdered by someone who knows
what theyre doing in a predominantly groundbased game. Like all the worst throwdowns, it
lasts five minutes and is largely disappointing.
So is Character Story mode. Bison forbid
anyone expect narrative genius from a fighting
game, but couldnt we have had a little more
Below
Canonically,
Chun-Li is
nearly 50 years
old. Impressive.
FootSIE aND SWEEP
But an obsession with a

fighting game isnt built on
single-player modes, CPU or
number-crunching. It comes of
feeling connected to it. Playing

against others is where Street
Fighter V starts to show its
malleable nature and reveals
itself to be something special.
For all those hardcore
fighting fans already grumbling
about accessibility, you surely
know full well that simple
moves and shorter combo
chains do not an easy fighting
game make. Getting really,
stupidly good is more difficult
than ever. The stripped-back,
elegant approach means that
fundamentals come to the fore.
Once you find yourself
beguiled by the fluidity and
friendly feel of the game,
whether youre a fighting
newbie or not, youll be
hooked, and its time to go to
work. Flimsy Tutorial mode be
damned: competitive combat in
Street Fighter V is your sensei.
As players progress, the game
evolves simultaneously, the
combat system shifting from
sugary showboating treat to
crunchy, tense competitive tool.
If magic was real, itd be magic:
but its probably just brilliant
game design or something.
Up against human
opponents, you naturally
assimilate the knowledge you
need to become proficient not
only at this fighting game, but
at any fighting game. Every
match stresses the importance
of pinpoint spacing and
impeccable button-timing. No
getting caught in endless hitchains or insane juggles: every
player has been given space to
breathe and learn. Clocking the
range on chuckling billionairess
Karins heavy sweep is an
intuitive trigger-press away,
and match flow gives even the
uninitiated time to figure it out
as a interrupting poke or a way
into combos.
Moments of unconscious
understanding are common
in such a readable game.
Ive already witnessed
inexperienced players playing
low-level footsies using
mid-range normal attacks
to control space and baiting
your opponent into making
punishable mistakes. Street
Fighters ground game has
never been stronger, or more
graspable. It has the potential
to draw in thousands of starryeyed newcomers, captivate
even the most jaded of fighting
pros, and work with them at
their pace to develop their
competitive game.
081
review
082
right Victory
is made supersweet by a
sardonic robotlady announcing
your ninth win in
a row. Salty?
Left Birdie is a
damage-dealing
monster.
Dangerous
at range,
dangerous up
close Block!
Online functionality, then, is important. For

some, itll be the only viable way to compete
against others. Sadly, online, Street Fighter V is
not quite as iron-invincible as our Gief.
Battle Lounge, Ranked and Casual Match
modes plonk you into internet-fuelled
throwdowns. Thanks to background-enabled
fight requests, jumping in and out of matches is
effortless: no sitting in lobbies twiddling your
thumbs like in SFIV. Its a shame that actually
playing the matches is not as smooth. Where
the new rollback netcode should be minimising
lag, its going full Craig David: re-rewinding
that carefully-executed EX move like it never
happened. Plenty of matches feel off, juddery, and
a few are near unplayable. It needs work.
All the right ideas are there. Smack-dab in
the centre of the menu is the Capcom Fighters
Network. Diving in brings up a heat map of
fights around the world. But its not just a pretty
light show to make you feel like a Shadaloo
supervillain. Picked up franken-faced fighter
Nash, but not sure how to utilise his teleporting
the CaPCOm fighterS

NetwOrk iS the ePitOme Of
SfvS COmmuNitY SPirit.
V-Trigger? Hop on CFN: a

match replay might show you
a player using it with Sonic
Boom to cross up opponents,
or to dash through projectiles.
Youll be swimming in Fight
Money before you know it.
You accumulate the in-game
currency through winning
online matches, but also
when completing Character
Stories, various difficulties of
Survival mode, and levelling
up fighters so you dont
need to be a pro veteran or an
insane tycoon to purchase the
post-launch content. Blasting
through Character Story mode
will net you enough Fight
Money to nab the first DLC
character, Alex, for free when
he powerbombs into the game.
A word of warning: if youre
not logged into the online
servers while playing singleplayer, you wont earn Fight
Money. Considering the servers
take a perverse pleasure in
booting you to kingdom come,
were relying on a patch to
ensure our Scrooge McDuck

Fight Money fantasies are
faultlessly fulfilled.
Time to also temper
expectations regarding CFNs
Rival Search function. Youd
think itd allow players to pop
in a specific persons Online ID,
find them on the network, and
send them a personal invite to
fisticuffs at dawn/noon/after
work. What it actually does
is allow players to pop in a
specific persons Online ID, find
them on the network, and
just sort of eye up their stats.
Thats it. Its a huge oversight,
and like much of the online and
solo content, desperately needs
to be tweaked as a priority.
If so, the lasting potential is
more viable than ever: Street
Fighter V plays beautifully on
the PS4 pad, and even that
expensive PS3 stick of yours
works. Nobodys left out, and
everything is accessible. No
need to run to YouTube, study
endless move lists, or shell out
extra cash. The things you need
review
the opm breakdown
w h at y o u d o i n s t r e e t f i g h t e r v
22% Discovering
a new combo that
changes your
entire game.
14% gawping
(and sometimes
screaming angrily)
at psychedelic
Critical art kOs.
12% taking a
deep breath when
an online match
pops up.
above No,
youre not
tripping:
thats just M.
Bisons EX
Psycho Inferno
letting rip.
7% breaking
everything you
own after losing
a penultimate
Survival
mode round.
40%
Going just one

more round with
your mate. Until
2am.
5% getting
dangerously
distracted when
fighting Sexy
ryu. Drool.
is it better than?
right With the

CFN heat map,
its easy to find
matches globally.
yes
yes
yes
the 4 series put

fighting games back on
the map, but the new
blood pips it by being
even more universal.
make a mistake in
blazblue and youre
dead. Sfvs shorter
combos make for
more balanced fights.
Sfv has the same level

of theatricality and
technicality hidden
within, while remaining
massively accessible.
083
second opinion new challenger
to have ridiculous fun, become

better, and just revel in pure
Street Fighter pleasure (though
buried under niggling issues)
are all here, built right in.
KILLEr INStINCt
Thats the main thing that

strikes us about Street Fighter
V it feels innate. Yes, the
single-player content leaves
much to be desired, and its
online functionality requires a
lot of work before its essential
for those without local friends
for couchplay sparring sessions.
Hopefully, incoming Cinematic
Story (June) and Challenge
(March) modes will justify the
purchase for the solo street
fighter. Capcoms promising
long-term support for SFVs
ongoing development.
But lets be honest. You
shouldnt buy Street Fighter
V for solo content. Youre not
buying it for nameless, faceless
online matchups. Youre
buying it to play a fighting
game with serious spirit: to
share a couch and play against

friends and rivals late into
the night, faces aglow, fingers
alive with the most dynamic,
vibrant, metamorphic fighting
experience you could imagine.
Yes, it needs to evolve
further to rise up a little
higher. But it will evolve,
doubtless, for years to come,
both on the pro scene and the
small screen. And youll evolve
with it too, because thanks
to the best combat system
in fighting games, its always
exactly what you need it to be.
And thats why when youre
playing it, you feel deep
down like youre exactly
where you need to be, too.
verdict
the best couchplay fighting

game you can play right
now. both party-starter and
competitive tool, its sheer sense
of fun will inspire everyone to
rise up to the challenge. reliant
on solo or online thrills? wait for
the updates first. Jen Simpkins
friends & enemies

K EN
m
r.
IK a
above Rival Search lets you stalk players without fear of the authorities.
This brawler feels like the best entry point for

fighting newbies like myself. As fun as it to
hammer r and hope for the best, SFV has
plenty of depth and, with a few matches, its easy to
intuitively pick up moves and simple combos which
work. The eye-poppingly pretty flourishes on EX moves
means its as fun to watch vets scrap it out. Ben Tyrer
ryus long-time sparring bubbly wrestler uses a

partner has his own
best-friend-powered
spicy style in Sfv.
v-trigger to deck you.
.a
.
.N.G
Shadaloos new number

two stands 222cm tall.
Perfect for the job.
how to use your eX g auge

Your eX gauge fills as
you hit foes. Perform
powered-up versions of
special attacks by
tapping o (all punch) or
p (all kick) instead of
regular punches and
kicks. got all three
stocks? unleash your
Critical art with your
fighters individual input.
Why hasnt he
modded those tusks
into a bigger bow?
Missed opportunity.
review
084
It makes you feel more lIke a vet

admInIstrator doIng a headcount
than natures favourIte son.
review
Woolly Shammoth
Far Cry
Primal
@bentyrer
A trip back to 10,000 BC

doesnt hide Far Crys cracks
info
Format Ps4
Eta out now
PuB ubIsoft
DEv ubIsoft
montreal
o shooter does backs-to-thewall adaptation quite as well as

Ubis open-world FPS series.
Its at its best when your plans
are evaporating in front of
you and you let instinct and/
or death take over. Thats
why this move to prehistoric
times makes sense on paper, ripping away the
comfort blanket of guns and pushing the series
in a new direction. Unfortunately, Far Cry
struggles to escape its past.
Rolling back the years to 10,000 BC, youre beast
master Takkar, a member of the Wenja tribe.
Unfortunately, theyre on the verge of extinction
because your people are constantly finding ways
to die. So you escape to the land of Oros in the
hope of building a non-murdery home for the
Wenja while taking on rival tribes. Like Far Cry
4s Kyrat, Oros is a mix of lush forest and chilly
mountains the further north you go, with wildlife
that features old favourites youre desperate to
have that eagle peck at you again, yeah? and
some new ones. Sadly, Oros never inspires the
awe that previous playgrounds in the series do.
SPEar DiSBEliEF
Things start off slow. Naturally, youre packing

rudimentary weapons club, bow and spear
but while Primal pushes you to get up close and
personal, the melee combat pushes you away. Its
never complex enough to be satisfying. Using the
club or spear is a decision between swiping with
i or throwing by aiming with p then hitting
i. Why is melee combat an afterthought?
Swinging and stabbing with them feels more
like a last resort than something you want to
actively use, as fights fall into clumsy affairs that
have no finesse. Thankfully, snagging headshots
with the bow is as good as it always has been,
but its little consolation given the necessity of
hand-to-paw scrapping.
085
review
Theres an awful amount

of blood, sweat and spears
that went into taking this
poor old mammoth down.
086
right Meet Ull.

Hes old, scary
and wants
nothing more
than to end you.
left Okay,
petting your
wolf after an
intense battle is
incredibly cute.
In an effort to make things exciting, Primal

gives you the ability to tame animals in the wild
and then order them to attack enemies, use them
as transport or, in the owls case, deploy them
as a fluffy UAV. There are a fair few to collect,
which results in a disappointingly rote sequence:
throw bait, approach animal, hold r. It makes
you feel more like a vet administrator doing a
headcount than natures favourite son.
SaBrE-toothED SighgEr
Once you do have a loveable murder machine

tailing you around, combat becomes a touch
more manageable. Lets take a Far Cry staple,
the outpost small areas which require you
to obliterate all foes who make the mistake of
occupying them, theyre the distillment of Far
Crys tactical freedom.
So, Takkar approaches one from a hilltop
and calls on an owl to do surveillance. It flies
over, tags enemies and drops a berserk bomb
to confuse the Neanderthals underneath into
attacking each other. Then, you select a target for
Its only suPerfIcIally

dIfferent to what weve
already Played before
your boisterous beasts to ravage

while Takkar silently ghosts in
during the confusion and takes
out anyone unfortunate enough
to still be alive. Of course, it
rarely goes to plan.
That should be the joy of
a new Far Cry, but its this
entrys biggest mistake the
crushing familiarity. Replace
owl with binoculars, beast
with grenade launcher and Im
describing what works just as
well in Far Cry 4. Its frantic
and enjoyable but, ultimately,
theres rarely a sensation of
discovering something new.
Still, some elements do
improve upon whats gone
before rather than superficially
replacing them. A greater
emphasis on resource
management adds a sheen
of gloss to the checklist of
activities you must complete to
build up Takkar and his village.
Hunting animals, collecting
materials to craft ammo every
action weaves into this grander
aim of building the Wenja up
to full strength, and provides a

purpose that the narrative and
characters, sadly, do not.
The cast is an odd mix
of gravity and comic relief,
while the story is yet another
variation on the stranger
in a strange land trope the
series constantly uses. Its
predecessors may not be top
of the storytelling class, but
at least they possess two of
gamings most fascinating
villains in psychopath Vaas and
sociopath Pagan Min.
Crying ShamE
Primal, on the other hand,

cant be bothered to give you
more than a few scenes with
either of its primary villains.
Put simply, theres no intrigue
to Ull or Batari, they just want
to rule Oros and are happy to
commit genocide to do so.
When a theme like that rubs
shoulders with one character
only referring to you as Piss
Man, its hard to know how
seriously you should take it.
review
the opm breakdown
w h at y o u d o i n fa r c r y p r i m a l
5% accidentally
setting yourself
on fire and
running around.
40%
7% tutting at
urkis experiments
that you should
not try at home.
Thinking that you

could really do
with a rocket
launcher.
10% chuckling
at the rare thrill of
a carefully planned
attack working out.
above Real
Stone Age men
could not control
owls. FACT.
13% sighing as
you get caught
by a crocodile
and have to
mash buttons.
25% checking
the menu to see
what animal you
have to hunt.
s tat pa c k
300 8 184 31
right The day/

night cycle adds
an element of
danger once the
sun goes down.
Beware wolves.
Number of Wenja
tribespeople you
can recruit for
your burgeoning
prehistoric
empire.
Huts you can

The total number
build for specific of collectibles
members of your that Takkar can
clan, wholl then discover across
reward you with
the whole
upgrades.
of Oros.
Fancy being the

ruler of Oros?
Youll need to
capture all of
these Outposts
and Bonfires.
l o v i n g / h at i n g
087
above Were unsure if the Far Cry Shake will take off as a dance craze.
wolf pack
In the early stages, animal attacks

are almost certain death for you,
giving the action a stop/start feel
until you finally enlist a companion to
help fend off the wolves.
compel-o-gr aph
Oh look, a tiger.
Finally, the
credits.
Riding
said tiger.
Dj vu
kicks in.
Tumble
into Oros.
0
TiMe
20 hours
trophy cabinet
Ba
ro n
P
DDy
an
Sion
Ex
l EStat
tE
rE a
Good luck trying to shake the

feeling that most of your time
in Primal is a lazy rehash of
what you get up to in countless
other Ubi open worlds, with
only a different texture skin.
This inability to move away
from its older brothers taints
the whole game. Theres plenty
of lively mayhem in Oros, but
its only superficially different
to whats come before and
it struggles to maintain the
same addictive thrills. For every
idea thats been given care and
thought, theres one that is far
past the realm of clich. This is
less a diminishing return and
more a warning that the series
is flirting dangerously close
with creative extinction. Far
Cry seriously needs to evolve.
Big
While its disappointing that

so much of the game suffers
from familiarity fatigue, its the
brazen recycling of animations
and mission structures from
Far Cry 4 that infuriates the
most. Take the return of the
Honey Badger. When it gets
close, you pick it up with one
hand, it lashes at you and
you fling it away. There is no
noticeable difference between
the 2014 version and the 2016
one. Similarly, one level halfway
through is an almost beat-forbeat remake of a mission from
Far Cry 4. The dj vu hits
harder than a cavemans club.
Then theres the sensation
that the volume of side quests
are only masking the lack of
variety in the level structure,
with an absurd number of
missions starting with Takkar
tracking footprints until he
stumbles across something to
actually do. Its also a given that
theres an extraordinary amount
of collectibles that pop-up like
chicken pox across the map.
helping hands
your villagers will helpfully gather

random items in the world for you to
collect at the start of each day. Quite
useful when youve got loads of rival
tribes to decimate.
verdict
not as experimental as it wants

to be, as far cry recycling
hampers its endearingly silly
premise. Primal finds itself
stuck in the past in more ways
than one. Ben tyrer
bronze
tame a great bear on a

master beast hunt for
this trophy. although
its not yet the bronze
age, weirdly.
silver
sort out all the huts in

the wenja village and
youll nab this silver.
you could easily buy a
mammoth with that.
gold
your prize for ousting

foes from the outposts
across oros is this gold
trophy. when was the
gold age again?
review
Is it paint or is it
blood? To be honest,
its probably both.
thE scrEam
088
@bentyrer
LayErs oF FEar
A whole new kind of Art Attack
info
Format PS4
Eta Out NOw
Pub ASPyr
DEv BlOOBer teAm
he canvas hides behind a dust cloth;

the materials draped over to protect
both the surface and the painter. He
cant go back to it, it hurts too much.
But he must. It sits there, basking in a warm
glow and calling out for him to finish it. He
knows he shouldnt. Then again, he couldnt
help himself before, so why stop now? Even
the walls are begging him to
And so begins your latest descent into madness.
If Everybodys Gone To The Rapture was
whacked into a blender with Outlast, Layers Of
Fear would be the abomination smoothie that
crashes out. Primarily a narrative-focused walking
simulator, you step into the shoes of a 19th
century painter as he wanders his home in search
of inspiration for his masterpiece. If that sounds
a little pedestrian, Bloober Teams horror is much
more cunningly surreal than you might expect.
Youre presented with a room and four doors.
Opening one reveals a brick wall, so you try the
next. Brick wall. How about the other side? Brick
wall. Fine, it must be this one. Brick. Wall. Gah,
lets go um, why did all the lights go out? And
what happened to the door? Layers Of Fear teases
A SteAdy flOw Of dreAd

PuNctuAted By JOltS Of
whAt wAS thAt?! ScAreS.
you with a constantly shifting

environment, making it hard to
feel even remotely at ease when
the room could morph into a
360 degree carnival of terror.
Its excruciatingly tense.
Managing a steady ebb and flow
of unbearable dread punctuated
by sharp jolts of WHAT WAS
THAT?! scares, this is one of
the most accomplished horror
experiences on PS4.
art PaLPitations
One set-piece makes me put

my pad down, walk out of the
room and have a nice little
breather, which is always a good
sign. Unfortunately, it peaks an
hour too soon. Despite the final
chapter still troubling my heart
rate, it relies on too many tricks
that have already been pulled.
Layers Of Fear isnt as jarringly
obvious as Outlast when it
comes to running out of ideas,
but the repeated moments are
disappointing when compared
with the fresh jumps.
Even if scares arent your
thing, theres lots to appreciate
in this well-crafted world. The
Gothic house is beautifully
designed, with constantly

distorting classical works of
art that cause anxiety levels
to soar. When you finally rip
your eyes off the paintings,
youll pick up on the story
thats carefully unfolding in
the background: clues that
hint at the protagonists
isolation are buried deep in
the environment. Theyll
disturb you just as much as any
planned jump, even though the
atmospheres undermined by
overly hammy voiceovers.
Serious framerate drops and
crude sound effects provide
bigger scares technically this
isnt the sharpest though
dont prevent the skin-crawling
tale from overpowering you like
white spirit fumes. The dearly
departed P.T. finally has some
notable competition as your
chief nightmare provider.
verdict
A horrifying affair that will

have you flinging the pad across
the room in terror, ending any
hope of a restful nights sleep.
In the best possible way. Job
done then. ben tyrer
review
info
Format PS4 Eta Out NOw

Pub BaNdai NamcO DEv cyBercONNect2
info
Format PS4 aLSo oN PS Vita Eta Out NOw

Pub maJeScO eNtertaiNmeNt DEv wayFOrward
info

Pub uBiSOFt DEv cLimax StudiOS
Naruto SHIPPuDEN: a boY aND HIS bLob aSSaSSINS CrEED

uLtImatE NINJa
CHroNICLES:
its bean a while
Storm 4
ruSSIa
ometimes a single button command
So long, Sexy Jutsu
ou want your final strike to be the

fanciest in every fighting game, and
the last instalment in this series
achieves that. Jutsu-jousting has never
looked so sharp and despite the simple
combat remaining as blunt as a satsumashaped shuriken, thoughtful additions will
drive this one home into anime fans hearts.
though the cutscenes are flabby,
inconsistent and regularly sleep-inducing,
the action fares better souped-up moves
are swathed in impossibly gorgeous particle
effects, shinobi dashing about like liquid
death on rollerskates, as armor Breaks
scatter pieces of their fireball-crisped
clothing to the winds.
when the bouts kick off, theres more
to them. Leader Swap calls in two chosen
support characters to clobber enemies
or sub in completely, inheriting the original
fighters health. certain teams have access
to powerful Secret techniques: Naruto,
Sasuke and Sakura (aka team 7) have one,
of course. epic boss battles are back with
a vengeance,1 a welcome reprieve from
combat that eventually wanes thanks to the
One-Button Ninja Storm express still merrily
chugging along. yep, you can still pick any
cool-looking fighter from the huge roster
and pull off snazzy moves via the subtle art
of mashing e six times in a row. Seriously.
at least it looks and feels slick.
while engaging modes shake things up
when it all gets a bit shallow,2
think twice if youre looking for
a fighter with depth. But as a
series send-off for obsessives?
its a knockout. Jen Simpkins
FootNotES 1 mashing r to bomb ten tails is repetitive, but

legging it away from him? Proper tense. 2 Free-roaming adventure
modes memory fragments trigger flashback-fights.
tells you everything about a game.

take a Boy and His Blob, in which
jabbing 8 on the d-pad results in the
nameless lad reaching down to give his
gelatinous buddy a big cuddle a truly
aww-inspiring sight.1 its a gesture thats
emblematic of this heart-melting hug of a
classic game.
released on Nintendos wii in 2009, and
given a fresh lick of paint for this PS4/PS
Vita port, a Boy and His Blob is a puzzle
platformer that reimagines the 1989 NeS
original. theres only the faintest hint of
a story about a blob who flees to earth
after his home planet comes under attack.
together, boy and blob traverse four worlds
with the help of various jellybeans, which the
boy can toss.2 when the blob gobbles one
up, he transforms into all manner of puzzlesolving objects, from ladders and bouncy
space hoppers to cannons and anvils, which
can be dropped on enemy noggins.
the best thing about a Boy and His Blob
is the presentation the clean and colourful
ligne claire art style (think tintin) and sweetnatured soundtrack generating a pervading
aura of loveliness. Puzzling is also gentle
going. theres the odd difficulty spike, and an
admirable lack of hand-holding, but the game
never quite reaches its full puzzling potential.
rather than mixing things up with access
to all beans at all times, the boy possesses a
limited variety in each level, meaning theres
only ever one prescribed, often obvious,
solution to a problem. Had it offered more of
a challenge, this could have been
essential. as it is, however, its
sure to put a big smile on your
face, but doesnt entirely satisfy
as a puzzler. Jordan Farley
FootNotES 1 you can also scold the blob by pressing 2 but only a
mONSter would do that. 2 the worlds consist of ten levels, with a
bonus unlockable challenge level for each one.
the mos-cash-cow edition
nly a month has passed since our

stealthy side-scrolling trip to india, and
now were off to the the 20th century
for the most modern creed experience yet.
Hooded russian stabber Nikolai Orelov is
trying to escape the Brotherhood, but has
signed up for the old one-more-mission
chestnut. despite taking place at the start
of the russian civil war, however, this
adventure sees Orelov hunting an infamous
Piece of eden while far more interesting
events take place in the background.
Speaking of which, the environment
might feature beautifully-styled russian
propaganda with striking reds and blacks,
but the plot feels like a missed opportunity.
climax Studios has clearly been at pains
to make abilities feel fresh, but the balance
problems suffered by chronicles: india
return. Orelov has a rifle, plus a winch for
yanking off vents, Batman-style, but only
a single bar of health until deep into the
game. Stealth is clearly how youre meant
to play as you avoid vision cones, but some
sequences ask you to pick off multitudes
of guards.1 Given that combat is sluggish
and one shot will put you out of action
completely, it means lots and lots of death.
its not all bad. a surprise character
appearance leads to some seriously fun
scenes of vent-based brutality, while tricking
foes into self-electrocution2 or sniping them
from afar can be seriously entertaining.
Not very creed-like, but hey,
its the 20th century. there are
plenty of ideas here, its just a
shame its so frustrating to get
to the good bits. Louise blain
FootNotES 1 Some enemies wear gas masks so wont be

affected by smoke, while others throw axes. 2 Frazzling power
sources with Orelovs winch leads to many chortles.
089
review
Unravels folksy
score is delightful for
the most part, but
can be smothering.
090
@schillingc
Knots landing
Unravel
This indie purl wont leave you feeling fleeced
oor Yarny. Under our watch hes been

crushed by falling rocks and drowned in
icy water. Hes been pinched by crabs,
pecked by crows, buzzed by midges and
greedily set upon by cockroaches. We hoped he
might have forgiven us for that incident with
the toxic waste, but since we guided him into a
car crusher, we think he might have finally lost
it. His white eyes gaze out of the screen as if
staring into our very souls. Were a bit scared.
In other words: no, Unravel isnt the cloying
slice of indie whimsy you were expecting. Sure,
it occasionally lapses into treacly sentimentality,
but theres an edge to Coldwoods picturesque
puzzle-platformer. Its there in Yarny himself,
who sits at the intersection of the creepy/
cute Venn diagram alongside the Moomins. Its
most obvious, however, in the myriad ways he
can meet his end. If you imagined something
akin to Sackboy swinging around the Swedish
countryside, youll be surprised to learn that
Unravel has more in common with the brutal
Limbo albeit not quite as dark and violent.
Cottoning on
Several of its environmental riddles take cues

from PlayDeads monochrome adventure, too.
Theres quite a bit of dragging objects into
position to clamber up to otherwise unreachable
info
Format ps4
eta out now
PUb ea
dev coldwood
interactive
surfaces. Youll break branches

to float across water and weigh
down see-saws to create ramps.
Theres even a hair-raising
set-piece in which you must
escape a pursuing creature. And
youll regularly find yourself
dangling from ropes, shifting
your weight back and forth to
generate enough momentum to
carry you across yawning gaps.
The key difference is
that youre supplying your
own threads, with Yarny
attaching himself to loops
of red wool. This can be a
temporary measure, or you
can tether yourself to them
more thoroughly. Binding two
nearby loops will often create
a trampoline that can propel
you over obstacles, and they
double as makeshift bridges,
allowing you to ferry moveable

items towards platforms
conspicuously just beyond
Yarnys reach.
Coldwood relies on this
type of riddle a little too often,
but surprisingly squanders
one potential puzzle avenue
if Yarny is coming undone
with every step, surely his
exploration should be more
limited? Rarely are you
forced to consider a more
efficient route even if hidden
secrets encourage more
risky manoeuvring.
Its when it mixes things
up that Unravel most delights
although one early physics
conundrum involving a handle,
a well and a tiny piece of wood
is too fiddly by half, several
sequences are much more
dazzlingly pretty, its

certainly the best-looking
twine game ever made.
review
right Youll
have to think
fast to escape
the waves in
this seaside
set-piece.
the opm breakdown

w h at y o u d o i n u n r av e l
10% playing the

piano in the old
ladys house.
below As Yarny
progresses,
hell collect
memories in
his scrapbook.
20% trying
not to get killed
while admiring
the view.
30%
10% pondering
who left all these
red loops of yarn
lying around.
Wondering how
long this
particular piece
of string is
12% strongly
considering
moving to sweden.
permanently.
18% getting
killed while
admiring the
view. oops.
second opinion string master
Unravel is so much more than just pure charm.

Poignant and bittersweet, theres heart in
every sequence. I hate to talk about those
pesky feels but its got them in spades with a beautiful
score and lovely atmosphere. Challenging puzzles and
gorgeous environments tie the whole package in an
exceptionally pretty bow. Louise Blain
compel-o-gr aph
091
Beyond
the pail.
Well, well,
well
above Youll see knots in Yarnys woollen trail when its almost run out.
Lets go
fly a kite!
Shocking
behaviour.
verdict
a platform-puzzler with real

heart, unravel makes up for
mechanical shortcomings with
a world as palpable as it is
pretty. its no classic, but its
a memorable journey all the
same. Chris schilling
6 hours
l o v i n g / h at i n g
dangly bits
push it?
swinging from a thread is nothing

new, but unravel somehow captures
the nervy thrill of abseiling better
than almost any other game.
the absence of traditional visual

indicators adds to the immersion,
but sometimes leaves you unsure
of what you can interact with.
trophy cabinet
a
C le
w
o
h UP
bronze
this ones
straightforward
enough: reach the end
of the snowy stage and
grab the broken heart.
a ll
wF
sn
tC
A big part of that is the

physical sensation of simply
being in such a tactile and
tangible world. Yarny is
lightweight enough to fling
around with abandon, yet
heavy enough to feel like a
proper, solid object theres
little of Sackboys floatiness
here. And his world, rendered
in something approaching
photorealistic detail, is dazzling.
Based on the studios rural
surroundings in the north of
Sweden, Unravel has plenty
of sumptuous scenery to lean
on one stage combines snow,
time
ge
PUlling the strings
sun and ice to gawp-worthy

effect but it also finds beauty
in the mundane, with the scale
lending everyday objects a
sense of wonder. Its certainly
the best-looking twine game
ever made, no question.
If its narrative sometimes
leans towards the trite and
the predictable, it comes
across as heartfelt rather
than manipulative, and there
are some touching little
vignettes sprinkled throughout.
Much like director Martin
Sahlins charmingly fidgety
E3 presentation, Unravel
isnt always as sure-footed
as it might be, but theres an
unfakeable sincerity of feeling
behind its message.
w
time ill Ca
artfully constructed, and all

the more satisfying to solve,
given the total absence of
hints and visual cues. Sure, its
hardly string theory, but even
when the solutions are more
obvious such as rolling a
dislodged pine cone downhill to
form a snowball Coldwood
frequently compensates with
visual wit and invention.
A light
that never
goes out.
silver
tucked away within a

mountainous maze,
one of the best-hidden
secrets requires some
careful spelunking.
gold
swing away, yarny!

youll need to dislodge
the snow from every
branch in a single go to
get this gold.
review
info

Pub DiSNey DEv SaNzaru GameS
tron run/r
a tron auto-runner? is it 2012?
092
info

Pub miCrOiDS DEv artefaCtS StuDiO
info

Pub team17 DEv mOulDy tOOf StuDiOS
agatha ChriStiE:
thE abC murDErS
thE ESCaPiStS:
thE Walking DEaD
the moustachioed marvel is back
Prisoner: cell block z
hos still hankering after more

tron? Six years since we last saw
the Grid, tron: ruN/r struggles to
make a convincing argument to exist.
Split between three areas Disc, Cycle
and Stream the core idea is you navigate
your avatar1 through auto-run courses
either on foot or light cycle, vying for a high
score by using combos and power-ups.2
when youre pounding the virtual
pavement of the so-eighties-it-burns neon
of tron City at full pelt, ruN/r tasks you
with timing jumps and smashing through
obstacles with precision. while this section
does a decent job of introducing ideas
to keep courses fresh wall running
and grinds come in midway outside of
a few difficulty spikes, it never becomes
demanding enough to give you notable thrills.
Hopping onto the light cycle is little better.
these levels see you racing against the clock
and driving through time extension gates,
all while taking on enemies who are trying
to knock you off the course. Great on paper,
dull in practice. theres a criminal lack of
speed and the minimalist aesthetic looks
like youre pootling through a land populated
exclusively by bland apple products.
Stream meanwhile combines both
platforming and bike-riding in an endless
course to see how long you can survive.
alas, the combination of severe loading
times before you get onto the course, and
framerate issues when youre actually on it,
means its the most compromised of the lot.
ruN/r is never disastrously bad, it just
lacks ambition using the
unique tone of the films to mask
an overgrown mobile game
premise. this isnt the game
tron deserves. ben tyrer
ometimes you dont know you want

something until its under your nose.
ive frequently tuned into itV for a
cheeky rerun of agatha Christies Poirot, and
not once have i thought this would make
a smashing game. But then came the aBC
murders and it became clear why wouldnt
i want to step into the patent leather boots
of my favourite Belgian detective?
in this adaptation of the classic novel,
Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings must
solve several murders committed by the
enigmatic aBC. things start promisingly
as we make our way down an old english
street to visit the local tobacco shop its
owner has been found dead and weve been
called to investigate. unfortunately, problems
are evident immediately. movements are
awkward and jerky, lip syncing is wildly off,
and characters gawp at you with dead fish
eyes.1 its an unfortunate aesthetic, but if
you can get past it, the gameplays nitty
gritty lies in clue-finding and puzzle-solving.
there are plenty of interesting tactics,
such as scrutinising body language and
piecing together information using your little
grey cells.2 However, most scenarios are
simply point-and-click and youre essentially
spoon-fed this information, with icons telling
you where to look. you also dont have to
identify a clue for it to be mentioned later,
making your sleuthing feel rather redundant.
ultimately it suffers from clumsy controls
and simplicity, but the aBC murders still
boasts a solid storyline (obviously). if youre
not seeking a serious challenge,
the cosy-crime feel makes it
passable for a rainy Sunday with
a mug of hot chocolate (Belgian,
of course). rhiannon rees
FootnotES 1 in a neat touch, characters from the original film

such as tron and Sark are character skins. 2 Power-ups are
essential for high scores, but cost Bits, which you collect in levels.
FootnotES 1 more than once, inspector Japp bears an

uncomfortably striking resemblance to admiral ackbar. 2 another
nice touch is ego points, given to you for Poirot mannerisms.
FootnotES 1 wheres Carl? No, seriously. in my playthrough, he

gets eaten alive during a trademark disappearing act. 2 the
zombie-cam, showing freshly turned victims, only adds to the guilt.
ast year, the escapists gave us a

chance to indulge our overactive
imaginations. whether shanking other
inmates or donning a stolen guards uniform,
we relished acting out favourite prison
dramas in glorious 8-bit fashion. its hard
to imagine anything more satisfying, but the
bar has been raised with the release of the
escapists: the walking Dead. as we all know,
the rule if it aint broke, dont fix it doesnt
apply when add zombies is classed as a fix.
as with the original game, you follow a
strict daily routine; after all, structure is
integral to rick Grimes crumbling world.
Headcounts must be taken,1 breakfast
must be eaten and infected clothes must
be washed. even in your free time youre
bound to tasks such as hitting the gym and
reading, just so you can boost your stats
enough to take on the undead hordes. time
is never your own, which can be frustrating
(although probably an accurate reflection of
the post-apocalypse. its a raw deal).
However, theres plenty of opportunity for
fun. the role-playing format works wonders
with a story hinging on who lives and who
dies, and walking Dead fans will get a kick
out of orchestrating the survival of favourite
characters and the grisly demise of well,
lori. even in pixelated form, watching a
fellow survivor become walker chow can be
highly distressing or darkly satisfying.2
this is a welcome return to its
predecessors winning formula, with an
extra helping of blood and guts. there
are hiccups dialogue can be
random and the condensed
storytelling doesnt work but
overall its a deliciously addictive
experience. rhiannon rees
review
Thanks to its nifty fourplayer local multiplayer,

Henk should become a
couchplay cult classic.
trials & Error
@mcmeiks
action HEnk
093
Charming, childlike speed-runner is a figure of fun
info
Format PS4
Eta Out nOw
Pub curve digital
DEv rage Squid
oy Story was right: being an outdated

inanimate object can really be a drag.
If anyone ever deserved to have a
Woody complex, its poor old Henk.
The star of this warmly nostalgic speed-runner
is an ageing action figure with a sagging gut
and a wardrobe that looks like it was bought
from John McClanes Sweaty Vest Emporium.
Sounds like a recipe to break out a super sad
Randy Newman song, right?
Wrong! It doesnt matter that Action Henks
titular star may have had better days, because
in the here and now, he can still butt-slide with
the best of em. Thats right, butt-slide. This
colourful, extra nippy side-scroller may come
across as a mishmash of Trials Fusion and Sonic,
but neither those physics-obsessed bikes nor
Segas spiky speedster could ever fall back on
such a joyous use of plastic buttocks.
Broken up into 20-40 second courses, which
are usually constructed from Scalextric-like
tracks, Action Henk revels in rapid rump action.
As soon as a level begins, you sprint as fast as
Henks little plastic legs will carry him, vault over
ramps with a deft jab of q, and whizz down
itS like the bOwl Of PigS

in blanketS that yOu keeP
reaching fOr at xmaS.
chutes and through loop-theloops with the booty slide

found on p. Like Trials, this
is about mastering momentum.
Action Henk is never quite
as daunting or nuanced as
Trials, of course. Youll find
no apologetic feathering of
throttles to get you over
perilous inclines here. Instead,
this is a game of gleeful sights
that often gets by as much
on spectacle as it does speed.
Thats not to say it cant pound
you into the ground if you
dont quickly grasp its simple
control scheme, though.
bossy boots
Knowing exactly when to sprint

or slide is crucial for building
momentum, something youll
learn as you try to outrun a
series of unlockable bosses.
This is where Action Henk
reveals its true form: its
the gaming equivalent of
that bowl of bacon-wrapped
cocktail sausages you keep
reaching for on Christmas Day.
Embarrassingly, I spend 43
minutes obsessively spamming
the retry button to best
the fourth boss. Damn you,

Warrior Betsy! Still, when you
conquer Action Henks toy
titans, the rush is intoxicating.
As is dev Rage Squids love
for the 90s. Much of Henk
takes place in what can only be
described as Andys room from
Toy Story. Whether its faux
movie posters for Jurassic Park,
a nod to The Fresh Prince Of
Bel-Air, or a cheeky unlockable
Sonic suit, this indie oozes
disarming retro sweetness.
All told, theres not much
to moan about. Sure, the odd
spot of slowdown can grate,
and itll probably only take
you five or six hours to bag
all of the medals. Really
though, when a game has been
put together with so much
infectious cheer, its tough
to resist. Henk, youve most
definitely got a friend in me.
verdict
a cute and charming speedrunner that races straight for

your heart through winning
nods to childhood days and the
best damn butt-slide youll find
on PS4. Dave meikleham
review
info
094
Format PS4 also on PS3 Eta Out NOw

Pub KOei tecmO DEv Omega FOrce
info

Pub aSterOiD BaSe DEv aSterOiD BaSe
arslan: thE
Warriors oF
lEgEnD
lovErs in a
DangErous
sPacEtimE
Neither arse nor worthy of legend
One giant leap for gaming kind?
info

Pub 505 gameS DEv QuaDrO DeLta
PixEl Piracy
Scurvy looks better in comparison
his ought to come with a prenup

forcing couples and friends not to
let whatever occurs in the depths of
space come between them. Lovers trades
in stress, placing two hardy souls in a ship
designed for seven. the staff shortage
means dashing between a steering wheel,
shield and five guns, as aliens nibble at the
hull and jagged rocks scrape their leftovers.1
coordination is key, but the situations
change so quickly that polite instructions
become screams. Dead arms soon follow.
its almost tough to the point of being
unpleasant (mrs randall spouts terms
even this filthy rag wont print), only held
back from the abyss by an upgrade system
that lends a foothold. giving ship parts the
right elemental boost making your shield
reflective, say can merge offensive and
defensive functions, greatly improving the
odds. On the downside, it means new worlds
where upgrades are reset start hard
and grow easier. its a wobbly design.
theres an option for lone wolves to
head out with an ai pet, but the beast is
too dumb to pull its weight its co-op or
bust. and besides, there are sights you
want to share, from gorgeous boss fights
against star constellations made flesh, to
a range of themed systems that throw in
constant twists, such as expanding black
holes, or liquid planetoids buzzing with tiny
submarines. its hard to be cross with any
game that has you rescuing
space rabbits, too.2 So pick
up that second pad, and boldly
go straight to relationship
counselling. Paul randall
here goes the great Kerry Botosh,

the most fearsome pirate to have
sailed the pixely seas. a swashbuckler
who captured land, ships and, er, made
her riches by selling diapers. Yeah, nothing
quite breaks the illusion of commanding
the nastiest ship the oceans ever saw like
knowing youve made your fortune from
being a Pampers salesperson.
this 2D rPg-ish management sim
promises the chance to become the ultimate
buccaneer. the idea is sound, mind. Nick
ships or build them from scratch, hire
a crew and beef up their stats as you
trawl the oceans in search of adventure.1
constructing boats with materials you
plunder is uncomplicated, allowing for some
indulgent creativity it certainly has enough
intricacy to hook you in,2 but on the whole it
feels bizarrely unbalanced and oddly lifeless.
combat distances you rather than involves
you, with fights becoming a chore as you
tap i to order your crew to attack, leaving
you to wonder what else you could be doing.
Plus, after amassing copious cash from
offloading all those nappies, i quickly gain
a surplus of everything needed to keep my
crew happy and powerful, bulldozing through
anything and everything that stands in our
way. until the bugs kick in.
any good ideas lurking on Pixel Piracys
decks are made to walk the plank due to a
barrel of technical issues. Storm a legendary
vessel and the framerate plummets, while
game-breaking glitches dont allow me to
progress from encounters. its the most
broken game ive played on PS4,
making this review process even
less enjoyable than watching the
fourth Pirates Of the caribbean
film. On a loop. ben tyrer
FootnotEs 1 it touches on intriguing themes, but characters lack

complexity, being either good or evil. 2 combat is crying out for a
lock-on system, instead of just the arrow that points at your foe.
FootnotEs 1 You can buy new ships one has a rubberised hull,
but is weaker in other ways. 2 trophy hunters get quirky tasks. can
you win without crossing paths with your partner, for instance?
FootnotEs 1 You can head to ports, islands or attack ships,

but all look disappointingly similar. 2 One example is the choice
between buying food or learning to fish and cook.
he Dynasty warriors template is the

fast food burger of gaming. Simple,
easy and probably not the best for
your health (just replace clogged arteries
with gammy thumbs). and this adaptation
of the Heroic Legend Of arslan anime
clearly follows that template. Story mode
follows the titular young princes journey
as he fights to reclaim his homeland,1 with
your progress unlocking characters and
scenarios for Free mode, in which you can
tackle any level with any character.
You know the drill. Power through
crowds using combos, then finish levels
with some sort of boss fight. theres a bit
more variety than that characters have
vaguely different fighting styles but for
the most part, arslans combat is unfussy
and enjoyable. there is, however, an
overwhelming amount of one-on-one fights
that feel messy, with little precision.2
Still, there are enough rPg-lite elements
to keep you engaged. Skill cards earned
during battle give you stat boosts, or can be
combined to unlock better cards. You can
also level-up weapons and the characters
themselves. its not Fallout-grade detail, but
it lets you vary your approach to battles.
the tactical depth is somewhat let down
by an inconsistent technical quality. celshaded characters look great, but theres
an embarrassing amount of pop-in armies
appear just five feet away. So think of arslan
as a fast food joints special
seasonal range: a few flourishes
make it more appealing than
the standard menu, but it still
aint top-tier chow. ben tyrer
review
info
Format PS4 also on PS3/PS VItA eta Out nOw

PuB wArner BrOS Dev tt GAMeS
tHis montH
on Ps Plus
@itsJenSim
Decent PS Plus titles are like trains.

You wait yonks and then six come along
at once. I dont know about you, but
Februarys offering derailed my Instant
Game Collection doubts. Gunslinging,
puzzle-solving, brawling, racing and
soup-making there was a bit of
brilliance for everyone.
Brickin it
leGo marvels
avenGers
@bravelyjen
Some assembly required
ive me superheroes!
Give me Lego bricks!
Give me recycled
movie scenes
crammed with barnyard
animals! Put them all together
and what have you got? A
follow-up to Lego Marvel
Super Heroes, apparently.
An action-packed puzzler
with a slapstick centre, Lego
Marvels Avengers delivers
all the best Bam! Splat! Kaboom! moments of Avengers
Assemble and Age Of Ultron,
wrapped up in one colourful
Lego shell.
Switching from Captain
America to Black Widow
to any one of more than a
hundred Marvel characters,
you must save the world not
once, but twice, using only
your wits and the ability to
assemble you know, cars and
stuff, not misfit superheroes
that pop to pieces at the first
sign of trouble. Oh, and dont
forget your extensive range of
superpowers. Black Widow can
become invisible to security
cameras; Hulk can er, smash
stuff; and Captain America can
put out Lego fires using his
star-spangled shield not to
be confused with SHIELD.
Still with me?
This is a title that really
caters to fans of the Marvel
universe. If youre a newcomer,
dont be surprised when
characters start talking

about the Tesseract like its
everyones favourite breakfast
cereal, or when Stan Lee starts
popping up so frequently that
you want to pick up Mjolnir
and play whack-a-mole.
Banner saGa
The tongue-in-cheek humours

on top form in this entry.
Tricky subjects such as death
and the arms trade are glossed
over with big dollops of pink
plastic ice-cream and Bruce
Banner jokes. Want to see
mini-Ruffalo stand on a rake?
Hug a teddy bear? Get slapped
in the face with a wet fish?
Youve come to the right place.
The main attractions are setpieces that play heavily on the
series combat systems, with
co-op moves, stud multipliers
and special attacks key to
hitting the tough stud totals.
It makes assembling (your
team, this time, not cars and
stuff keep up!) more crucial
than ever. Sounds too serious?
Dont worry, you can always
take selfies to help Pepper Potts
place an ad for her giant Lego
bunny over in Free Play mode.
verdict
Come for the Avengers

characters but stay for
the Lego the villains and
superheroes might come and
go, but Lego chickens will
always be funny. Jenny Baker
Below Hot stuff:

Iron Man can use
his laser beam to
cut shapes out of
gold Lego walls.
Dystopian top-down
shooter HellDivers
made PS Plus worth
it last month: it got
an 8/10 in OPM #109. A triple-threat on
PS4, PS3 and PS Vita, with threat being
the operative word for this ball-buster.
Feb disappeared in a haze of panicked
co-op, peppering Bugs (and, ahem,
teammates) with scarily limited ammo.
nom nom GalaXY on PS4 restored
us with a hearty blend of platforming,
tower defence and sandbox action. the
addictive base-builder has you feeding a
universe of hungry aliens with whatever
questionable ingredients you can find on
the floor, mix together and call soup.
It was from soup
to souped-up with
PS3s realistic racer
GriD autosPort.
Codemasters knows how to do AI
competitors. theyre fiendish, with
memories of sweet interstellar
philanthropy obscured by an adrenalinespiked red mist. Afterwards, one-on-one
2D fighter Persona 4 arena: ultimaX
on PS3 was a great way to let off steam.
the spin-off stands strong individually:
crisp animations and combat make a
sophisticated brawler plus theres
an involving story. In a fighting game.
who let a unicorn on public transport?
Chugging into PS Vita-ville was the
disconcertingly titled lemminGs toucH.
this was the slowcoach of the bunch,
but tapping out a safe route for your
dopey charges is pleasant enough. PS
Vitas nova-111 had us hooked, though.
Guiding your science-ship around
obstacles in gridded levels is enough to
make anyone loopy: its turn-based and
real-time. All aboard the crazy train
095
How does Dark Souls III measure up

to the series towering reputation?
Digital version also available for other

devices visit zinio.com/edge
Find out in Edge 291, out now, featuring an exclusive

interview with game director Hidetaka Miyazaki
Try two free issues of our iPad edition

today search Edge in the App Store
You will receive two free issues (the current issue and the next issue) when you
start a no-obligation trial subscription to Edges iPad edition. Available to new
subscribers only. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc, registered in the US
and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
this month
online
dlc
movies
music
how to
trophies
on the store
100 ESO: Thieves Guild
Yes, Elder Scrolls latest expansion
is set in a new area, rammed with
new missions and items. But forget
that, theres camel riding. Camels!
097
on your xmb
102 Spectre
Could it be the final outing for the
blond Bond-shell? If so, hes going
out with an old-fashioned bang.
music
103 This months hottest tunes
online tests
Street Fighter V
98
PS4s biggest exclusive yet has arrived, but can it

wallop the competition when the fight goes online?
how to
104 Customise your fightstick
platinum
club
105 This War Of Mine:
The Little Ones
online tests
what were
playing now
multiplayer modes put

through their paces
by our team of experts
review
Destiny: the
taken king
Jen simpkins expects

headshot heaven, but
gets hopping mad
Raiding is the jewel in the
Destiny crown, so I hop in
on a friends Vault Of
Glass run. Hopping and
running turn out to be the
order of the day Destiny
is now somehow a platformer.
Vanishing pillars send me spiralling
into misadventure, and a labyrinth full
of Gorgons is bent on the destruction
of my sanity and my Kill/Death ratio.
When we eventually make it to final
boss Atheon, my trigger fingers as
itchy as a dermatitis-afflicted flea in a
mohair cardigan. He goes down easy.
Those Gorgons need promoting.
BlooDBorne
098
Matthew Pellett
becomes a hunterturned-scribe in
Froms masterpiece
Im late to the party, I
know, but what a party it
still is! The thought of
being back-stabbed by a
wily PvPing fiend keeps
me from ringing the
summoning bells for now, but Im
making up for it by liking every helpful
hint. Ive been writing some, too; the
thrill of a health-topping like in a
moment of peril is unparalleled, though
the anguish of seeing the pop-up just
after Vicar Amelia squishes me flat
hurts more than the death itself.
gta online
Ben tyrer returns to

los santos, only to
find its not quite how
he left it
Hang about, whats a
SecuroServ? And why can
I become a VIP for them?
This isnt the smooth
transition I thought it
would be. Gone is the
simplicity of just dipping into events,
replaced by a bombardment of
messages of what Ive missed in my
two years away from Los Santos.
Fortunately, I can still murder a
random player and then spend half an
hour trying to run away from their
retribution. No wait, text message,
Lester wants me to do a mission. Oh,
there are now heists too. Its too
much. Just let me kill indiscriminately!
info
ForMat PS4
PuB CAPCom
Dev CAPCom
review ISSuE #121
Street Fighter V
Bruised by a brutal launch
heres a Twitter account

dedicated to the Street
Fighter V server. At launch, it
was the saddest thing weve
ever seen, the social media
equivalent of someone trying to fix a
smashed cat with Smarties tubes,
Sellotape and prayer.
After four (mostly) successful Betas
and a solid pre-release weekend, the
online launch has been a stumbling
failure. As noted in our review,
everything in Street Fighter V feels like
its been stripped back so the
competitive elements work flawlessly.
The bare-bones launch would be
forgivable if everyone was too busy
having fun online, but its not always the
case. Street Fighter V has improved
since launch, but its still wobblier than
a jellied eel on stilts.
Its not just the obvious, essential
stuff, like fighting other players the
very framework of the online game
currently feels unfit for

purpose. The Capcom
Fighters Network lets
you pick out rivals,
search for players and
view replays, but only a
fraction is functional.
Even selecting a rival
is poorly done. You can
search for a player and
add them to your
favourites, but you
cant actually challenge
them to a match.
Apparently, rival
scrappers only stare
longingly at each other
from afar, examining

each others stats and
comparing victories,
rather than, yknow,
actually fighting each
other. Helpfully, the
Battle Lounge option lets
you set up bespoke,
password-controlled
rooms where you can
invite friends and
privately scrap away.
Theres one small
problem, though. Thats
right! At the time of
writing, Battle Lounge is
knackered as well.
STReeT FIGHTeR V HAS

ImPROVeD SINce LAuNcH, buT
ITS STILL WObbLIeR THAN A
JeLLIeD eeL ON STILTS.
CanDiD CaMMy
You can watch replays of your

favourite fighters via capcom
Fighters Network. Its a
useful tool for learning what
works, and almost makes up
for the ropey tutorial
Theres one best way

to play SFV right now
and it involves sitting
next to your foes.
earth Defense
Force 4.1: The
Shadow Of
New Despair
on a Wingdiver and a
prayer, EDF pulls it off
info
ForMat PS4
PuB XSEED GAmES
Dev SANDLoT
review ISSuE #119, 6/10
Some of these problems even creep

into local play. Get disconnected from
the server and both players are booted
from a versus game. For real. Dont
even get us started on that one
Capcom is, obviously, fixing it. And
when it works (which it will, going by
the Betas performance) SFV will
become a wonderful online game. Even
now, matches come quickly and are
mostly lag-free, and things are getting
better every day. Already it has us
getting up early and staying up late like
frazzled fistoholics, and the fight
request system is especially brilliant:
letting us potter around the solo game
while we wait for an opponent.
When its working, its an essential
purchase for anyone who wants to put
foot to face online. Its certainly far
better than it was at launch, but its still
difficult to unreservedly recommend
Street Fighter Vs online component.
verdict
When it works its sublime, but shaky

servers mean youre occasionally more
likely to find a fight at Ghandis School
for especially Peaceful Pacifists. Wait
until its fixed before getting involved.
heres no rest for the

EDF, which makes its
online offering perfect for
those who cant get enough bug
squishing. Basically, its the main
campaign, but with three of your
friends. Simple. Getting a game is
quick and relatively easy, though
the overwhelming volume of menus
lurking in lobbies is hard to digest.
But lets be honest: you dont
come to EDF for clear design,
you come for the hilarious insect
slaughter. And thats only amplified
online. The action is smooth (well,
there are no additional problems
not found offline), and you can
jump into any level on any difficulty,
though its obviously not the best
idea to take your underpowered
wingdiver into level 30 on hard.
one major disappointment? PvP
battles are couchplay only. Boo.
verdict
The main game campaign with

your friends swapped in for AI
companions makes this the best
way to sample the joyful lunacy of
big-bug-blitzing. Ben tyrer
T
Trans-Galactic
Tournament
Wannabe moBA leaves

you spaced out
info
ForMat PS4
PuB KIz STuDIoS
Dev KIz STuDIoS
review N/A
heres no denying it: this

colourful free-to-play moBAs
got personality. Jumping into
an online match to play Plunderball,
Conquest or Annihilation is instant
and slick. You ready your wacky
Champion, eager to gank some
fools. A hilarious Will Ferrell
sound-a-like announcer booms
Somebodys dreams are about to
be dragged out to the parking lot
and set on fire!
The intrigue, sadly, ends there.
matches are fast, but movements
at a snails pace. A lack of in-game
progression or levelling along with
heavy focus on pick-ups makes
it less tactical moBA and more
trigger-happy ability spamfest. It
plays like an absolute dream online
its lag-free and matchmakings
a breeze but itll neither convert
non-moBA players nor satisfy fans.
verdict
Non-existent strategy means a

potentially terrific little moBA is
hammer buttons until death
soporific. Give it a go, just dont
set aside days. Jen simpkins
099
on the store
empty your wallets

now with the latest
downloadable diversions
expansion
dlc
39.99
STAR WARS
BATTLEFRONT:
SEASON PASS
Finally, some details

on the four expansion
packs. The first, Outer
Rim, has a map set
among the Sullust
factories, plus combat
inside Jabbas palace.
Plenty more weapons,
Star Cards and vehicles
are still to come.
2,000 CROwnS
The Elder Scrolls

Online: Thieves Guild
100
5.79
Nail everything down this sneaky updates after your crowns
hats even more fun than

high-stakes MMO heists?
Riding away, cackling
on a camel, of course.
Fortunately, you dont
need to choose between them. Free of
charge for ESO Plus members (which
starts at 8.99/month), or 2,000
crowns in buyable in-game currency for
non-members, this DLC delves into the
story of the Thieves Guild. Theres a
new zone, missions, bosses and items.
Oh, and did we mention camel riding?
Humpys appearance makes sense,
as the expansion is set in an all-new
desert peninsula, Hews Bane. Our
unlucky-in-looting band of thieves are
bunkered down in Abahs Landing after
a heist gone wrong, and its up to you to
restore the Thieves Guild to its former
glory. There are hours of

new story content, with
the new Heists having
you complete quests
around the port before
shipping out for more
mischief around Tamriel.
A new passive skill line
is key to your pilfering.
Climb the guilds ranks
by using trespassing,
stealth and concealment
mechanics though we
cant promise you wont

get a slap on the wrist
from Elder Scrolls
Justice System.
The Maw of Lorkhaj
will be a particularly
humbling experience
its a tough 12-player
trial that scales to the
group leaders level and
drops powerful, exclusive
new items. Our fingers
are already twitching
ThE MAw OF LORKhAJ

wILL BE huMBLInG A TOuGh
12-PLAyER TRIAL ThAT DROPS
EXCLuSIvE nEw ITEMS.
17.99
This Dungeon Defenders II

add-on seems bare bones
for the price it gives you
3,000 gems (plus 20%
bonus), and four skellybob
skins. *shrug*
Missed out on the

pre-order DLC? Good
news: its all in this
new Assassins Creed
pack. There are new
weapons and outfits,
plus about 45 minutes
of extra gameplay in
the Darwin and Dickens
Conspiracy and
Runaway Train missions.
15.99
MORTAL KOMBAT
X KOMBAT PACK 2
also on psn
BONE CHILLIN
COSTUME PACKPS1
AC SYNDICATE:
STREETS OF
LONDON
2.49
EMERALD WEAPON
Bling up your assault

rifle (or any weapon in
your loadout) with this
sparkly Rainbow Six Siege
weapon skin. Its not
super-stealthy, but
youll look fabulous.
FREE
7.99
CRIME FIGHTER
COMPLETE COSTUME
CHALLENGE PACK 6PS1 PACK PS1 2
This Batman: Arkham
Knight add-on includes six
remastered maps from
the older games, including
Crime Alley, the Batcave
and Iceberg Lounge.
Why not fully kit out Billy

and Becs Resident Evil
Zero wardrobes? Looks
like its time to get Billy
cosplaying as Cody from
Street Fighter
FREE
MOD PACKPS1
Its worth downloading

this Farming Simulator 15
pack, which comes with
various new vehicles and
equipment, just to sing
Ive got a brand-new
combine harvester
If youre thirsty for new

blood, or even old blood,
then bolster your X
roster. Cyber-ninja
Tri-Borg, horror legend
Leatherface and an
Alien xenomorph all
feature alongside plenty
of pre-released content,
as well as klassic
Kombat gross-out kook
Bo Rai Cho. Puke
puddles incoming.
on your XMB
coming soon
14 Mar
WWe: nXt
greatest
matches volume 1
Fight-filled three-disc set
collecting the 15 finest
matches from HHHs superb
indie wrestling project.
blu-rays
Dragon
blaDe
14 Mar
East and West collide in this

Chinese historical epic about
the battle between Adrien
Brodys Roman invaders
and Jackie Chans warriors.
14 Mar
game of
thrones:
fifth season
Prepare for season six
with this bloodthirsty
boxset. Lets face it, no one
remembers what happened.
14 Mar
the
Dressmaker
Kate Winslets fashionable
femme fatale introduces a
spot of haute couture to
some uncouth Aussies in
this revenge comedy.
carol
21 Mar
Ravishing
50s-set drama about the
forbidden love between
Cate Blanchetts unhappily
married socialite and
Rooney Maras shop girl.
102
steve Jobs
Spectre
Craigs Bond gets a killer send-off
J
Spectres spectacular
Mexico City opening is an
all-time great Bond scene.
udging by some of Daniel

Craigs recent outbursts, 007s
24th assignment could be the
blond Bond-shells last. Craig
would certainly be leaving on
a high after Spectre, which embraces
the series heritage to joyous effect.
Sam Smiths title track is a total turd,
but from the much-missed gun barrel
opening to a classic ejector seat gag,
its a film that feels closer to the Roger
Moore Bonds than the revisionist,
post-Bourne Craig era. Coming hot
on the heels of the critically adored
Skyfall, a film shorn of traditional Bond
trappings, this may seem like an odd
choice, but the results are thrilling.
A hugely impressive opening
sequence set during Mexicos Day Of
The Dead festival kickstarts a globetrotting plot that pits Bond against
Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz)
and Spectre the shadowy criminal
organisation thats been pulling the
strings since Casino Royale. Craig
has never been better as Bond, his
diamond-hard edge
tempered by a pleasingly
playful approach to
the role. The action
sequences meanwhile
are superb, from a
gadget-laden supercar
chase around the
streets of Rome to a
wincingly physical train
scrap that echoes
From Russia With Love.
Compared with Casino
Royale and Skyfall,
Spectre is less radical,
valuing old-fashioned
spectacle over character
and plot. And theres no
denying the Bond girls
get massively shortchanged. But for anyone
who spent their bank
holidays with 007,
Spectre perfects the
balance between old
and new. Jordan Farley
21 Mar
Aaron Sorkin
and Danny Boyles
unconventional biopic offers
insightful snapshots of the
Apple founders life before
three key product launches.
briDge of
spies
28 Mar
the night
before
28 Mar
Steven Spielberg and Tom

Hanks re-team for this Cold
War drama about a lawyer
sent to negotiate the release
of a captured American pilot.
Festive comedy in which

three friends embark on one
final night of debauchery
before becoming
Responsible Adults.
sunset
song
4 apr
Yakuza
apocalYpse
4 apr
Lyrical adaptation of the

classic Scottish novel
depicting a young womans
love for her community and
the looming threat of war.
Bonkers martial arts horror

from absurdly eclectic
director Takashi Miike,
featuring vampiric Yakuza
bosses and kick-ass anime.
music
kano MADE In THE MAnOR

format ALBUM eta OUT nOW price 9.99
Young grime MCs such as Stormzy seized the mic in

2015. But dont forget the veterans such as Kano,
whose fifth album features ace link-ups with Wiley and
Damon albarn, plus a raw flow that largely eluded him
back in the day. facebook.com/TheRealkano
apatosaurus arlos
awkward movements
were modelled on a
baby elephant.
aluna GeoRGe
IM In COnTROL
The Good Dinosaur
format TRACK eta OUT nOW

price 0.99
Vocalist aluna Francis and

producer George reid
return with a teaser from
upcoming Lp, I remember
a mix of dreamy synths
and popping dancehall
rhythms with a guest
spot from MC popcaan.
Looks like the sound of
the summer arrived early.
alunageorge.com
Unoriginal adventure lacks rex appeal

Dinosaur. Its a boy and
his dog story with real
heart, but one where
the boy is the dog. One
scene in which the two
express their grief using
sticks and sand will leave
a beach ball-sized lump in
your throat. And as youd
expect from Pixar, its
exquisitely animated,
with raging rapids and
lush greenery that look
real enough to touch.
But these are in service
of a tale that takes far
too few risks the
supporting dinos feel like
something out of the
Ice Age movies.
Its a film of simple
pleasures, which may
be enough for some,
but given the stellar
standards Pixar is
typically held to, a more
accurate name might
have been The Okay
Dinosaur. Jordan Farley
Yuck STRAnGER THInGS

format ALBUM eta OUT nOW price 9.99
London quartet Yuck know there are few finer sounds

than a wistful melody fired through a muck of guitar
distortion. Hold Me Closer rocks with clattery
abandon, but theres tenderness too: see lilting
heartbreaker as I Walk away. facebook.com/yuckband
PJ HaRveY
THE WHEEL
format TRACK eta OUT nOW
price 0.99
Maria Mochnacz
nimation supremos Pixar

released two films in a year
for the first time in 2015.
One was Inside Out,
which received unanimous
adulation. The other was The Good
Dinosaur, which was met by a little
more indifference.
Though far from terrible, The Good
Dinosaur is a disappointingly routine
offering from a studio that has made its
name by constantly pushing boundaries.
Its perhaps the result of a troubled
production, which saw the director
and key cast members being replaced,
plus much of the story rewritten.
Millions of years after the asteroid
that should have wiped out the
dinosaurs sailed clean past Earth, the
reptiles have evolved to speak and farm
the land. Arlo, the eponymous Good
Dino, is the runt of his Apatosaurus
family. After a Tragic Event, Arlo is
washed miles down river along with a
human boy called Spot. Initially hostile,
the oddballs grow inseparably close
during the treacherous journey home.
The relationship between Arlo and
Spot is the best thing about The Good
With her 2011 album Let

England Shake, polly Jean
Harvey attained the status
of national treasure, so
anticipation for her ninth
album The Hope Six Demolition
project is high. Heres the
first single, a folk-rock stomp
dwelling on humanitarian
tragedy, fired with saxophone
blasts and squalls of guitar.
pjharvey.net
103
how to
doctor
playstation
Our console medic

fixes your tech woes
with actual science
Customise your fightstick

Punch above your weight by modding your mash-pad
1 2 3
STEp 1
OPEN IT UP
AND REMOVE
WIRES
STEp 2
REPLACE
WITH NEW
BUTTONS
AND REWIRE
STEp 3
SWITCH
OUT THE
ART PANEL
the problem
104
Street Fighter V
is here, and with it,
a whole new bunch
of scrublords out
for blood and glory.
Hadoken them back
to the Stone Age
by performing
major surgery
on your fightstick.
Operations are all about

commitment. You must
power through, ignoring the
screams of anguish, and do what
you must. Its the same with SFVs
official fightstick. Yes, it seems
drastic to crack open the First
Lady of Fighting Games like a
watermelon but look! Buttons!
Popping open a Mad Catz stick
is a painless process. Oh. Well,
maybe change is good. Simply
press the button on the front
edge of the case, pulling it open
to humanely reveal its innards.
Oh God, this is all wrong. Quick,
what can we violently wrench
out of sockets? No limbs about
wires will have to do. Theyre all
colour-coded according to the
particular PlayStation button they
control (theres a key inside).
The Doc loves a cheat-sheet.
Wiggle the wires to carefully
remove them from the buttons
youre replacing. Pliers might help.
Maybe youve got a sticky

component in a faithful
fightstick, or just fancy specificcoloured buttons. Either way,
party like its Doc PlayStations
1999 (a medical prodigy at the
age of six, of course) by ripping
out innards with your bare hands.
Alright, so its not quite that
brutal. The snap-in push buttons
mean you can squeeze the two
notches on either side and push
them forwards, out of the casing.
If your shiny new
transplantables have caps on
them, youll need to unscrew
them, put the base of the button
in place and then reattach the
cap. Got some snazzy notched
numbers like the ones you just
removed? Then its even easier.
Slip them right on in.
Reconnecting the wires is a
doddle, too. Plug them back in,
ensuring the colours correspond
to the correct symbols.
Id diagnose anyone replacing

Queen Chunners as criminally
insane, but you can change your
sticks art panel. A surgeons only
as good as her tools, so spread
the case open again and hunt for
something to jam into your
patient. No, not that. Thats how
malpractice lawsuits come about,
take it from me. Theres a small
screwdriver inside. Have at the
screws on the underside of the lid
with your weapon instrument,
I mean surgical instrument. Dont
lose the screws, else thats your
tournament season over.
Grab a flathead screwdriver
from somewhere (dont look at
me), insert it into the base of the
joystick, and unscrew the ball top
and washer with your free hand.
The plexi and bezel will come off,
and you can substitute the sticks
original art with whatever you
want. Time to cut some button
holes in my medical degree.
the verdict
next month
Your modded fightsticks talking

a big, flashy, colourful game
now (where did you get those
giant disco buttons?). The
Doc hopes youve got suitably
dramatic Street Fighter V
skills to match. Shoryuken!
Share your gaming

moments with the
Docs livestreaming
tips and drop
by OPMs Heavy
Rain remaster
stream.
Mr trophy
Trading with civilians

can provide supplies
just watch they
dont turn on you.
Iain Wilsons PSN Id is

Wilbossman, and his
trophy cabinet is
bigger than yours.
Platinum x 67
Gold x 385
Silver x 1,448
Bronze x 6,020
Platinum Club
Conflict for cups in This War Of Mine: The Little Ones
ar! Huh? Yeah!

What is it good
for? Well in
this case,
a set of shiny
silverware,
but youll need to steel yourself
for a brutal tale of survival in a
war zone and go to some pretty
dark places if you want to earn
them all. The trophy
descriptions are
cryptic, but seeing as
all of them but the
platinum are hidden,
they dont help anyway.
Thankfully, you can
use the Write My Own
Story option to make things much
easier for yourself pick your
civilians (including a child), then
select the briefest, least intense
conflict, with an early, short and
mild winter, plus the minimum
number of safe locations to visit.
As soon as you begin, start
looting all of the rooms in your
house for supplies, as youll
unlock an award once youve
Finished ransacking the building.
The first priority should be
building beds so everyone can
sleep properly, and your Hostels
open! once you have enough of
them for all but your night-time
scavenger. After that, get a stove
built, then use it to cook enough

hot meals for everyone to eat
in the same day and youll be
Shooting for five stars in
your gastro-shelter. Whenever
the option is present while
constructing items, make sure
you also teach your child how to
build them and another pot will
unlock once they know enough,
There are a few rewards for

recovering your civilians from
serious injury or illness, but the
toughest challenge is taking a
psychologically broken person
and returning them to a more
positive mental state. To bring
an adult Back from the brink,
you can get them to drink alcohol
and forget about their problems
just like in real life.
*sob* But if a child
is broken (normally
due to their parent/
relative dying), then
the only way to ensure
No more tears is by
talking to them at
every opportunity to eventually
cheer them up.
If you soldier on to the end
of the conflict with at least one
person remaining, then the War is
over for you, and if your child also
survived, you can look forward to
Our future together. Should you
manage the impressive feat of
keeping your entire original group
of civilians alive, then you can
proudly exclaim We made it! and
the platinum should be within your
reach. But at what cost..?
YOu CAN geT AN AduLT TO

FOrgeT ABOuT THeIr PrOBLeMS
BY drINkINg ALCOHOL juST
LIke IN reAL LIFe. *SOB*
as Everybody got to learn. You
can also get the kid to make a
simple toy using the workshop
to set up Our own playground.
By now, the Vexing snow
should be falling, so youll want
to construct a heater to keep the
temperature up. If you applied the
settings mentioned earlier, then
the freeze will pass quickly, and,
as long as everyone in your party
survived to this point, then We
have wintered successfully.
Likewise, if you chose a small
number of locations and
scavenged a different one every
night, then it wont be long until
Weve been everywhere.
NexT ISSue Mr Trophy dons his finest

animal skin, beats his chest and goes
hunting for Far Cry Primals platinum.
join the
club
Hey! Whats
the hardest
trophy youve
snagged? Tell
us at opm@
futurenet.com
105
Cl
as
si
C
Ga
me
t
re
t
os
o
ti
info
pub namCo
Dev namCo
ProduCtions
releaseD 2006, Ps2
get it now amazon,
22.49
neeD to know
1
2
3
106
Original title Katamari

Damacy never made it to
these shores, so thank
goodness its oddball charm
rolled over to the sequel.
original title
Katamari damacy
sold out in Japan.
easter eggs
include a rollable
lady called God.
its Japanese title
means everybody
loves Clump spirit.
retrostation
roll Playing
Ga
me
WE harDly NEED
a rEasON tO rEplay
it it has a Natural,
irrEsistiBlE pull.
after assimilating a neat row of

skyscrapers, you might wonder why
youre doing all this. dont worry, there
are reasons. sort of. Hilariously, the
success of the first game, Katamari
damacy, has gone to the alreadyoutsized head of the King of all Cosmos.
Hes eager to please his fan club, who
request katamari from down on earth.
the variety and originality of missions
is what makes We love Katamari so
absurdly brilliant theyll ask for balls
made only of sweets, or task you
with shunting about a sumo wrestler
until hes big enough to defeat his
opponent. nothing ever feels like a
chore, and everything makes a bizarre
kind of sense. Honest.
its all fun and games until some
serious challenge kicks in. if your
balls arent big enough, bashing into
si
adies and gentlemen, roll

up, roll up, and thats it,
actually. it was We love
Katamaris simplicity that
led to it bowling over from
Japan (and into our hearts)
on a glittering rainbow of
quirky puzzle-action fun. the rules?
see a thing, roll it into your ball of stuff,
repeat until the stability of the universe
is compromised. see? Whimsy abounds.
the mechanics are at once charming,
satisfying and a little terrifying.
Katamari are bumpy pseudo-balls
that magically attract anything and
everything they come into contact
with. and we do mean everything. You
roll one about the kaleidoscopic toon
world using the analogue sticks, the
Princes stubby green limbs going
like the clappers as he pushes the
katamari over a lounge floor littered
with paperclips and drawing pins.
once your ball o junk snowballs, it
can traverse trickier terrain and pick
up bigger objects. then, its up the
steps and out the front to add a handful
of carrots, the neighbours dog and
several mailboxes to your mobile haul.
as
WE LOVE
KATAMARI
Cl
Every month we celebrate the most important,

innovative or just plain great games from
PlayStations past. This issue, we roll up fire
extinguishers, cats and even entire planets
to avoid disappointing our wacky space dad
oversized obstacles will dislodge your

katamari. this can mean the difference
between high praise from your
omnipotent papa (he lobs your katamari
into space to become a new star) and
a mini-game in which you dodge lasers
firing from his eyes as he hurls verbal
abuse at you. tough time limits and
specifications ensure that its a regular
occurrence. sorry, dad.
roll witH it
But its not simply the desire to

please our goofy guardian that has
us returning to We love Katamari
time and time again. We hardly need
a reason: it has a natural, irresistible
pull. the intense strategising that goes
into rolling up an acceptable katamari
is coated in the hypnotic pleasure of
tidying up personality-rich worlds.
add in that toe-tapping J-pop, swing
and drum n bass soundtrack, and
the sensory overload is stratospheric.
When you tire of solo spins, you can
give its co-op mode a whirl an
instinctive couchplay delight thats all
about communication and wiggling
those sticks in sync with your buddy.
What puts We love Katamari on a
whole other planet to its predecessor
is that it goes further, layering in
complex and delightful weirdness. By
the time youre calmly acquiescing a
dogs request to use the earth as a
katamari to roll up the sun, you realise
that We love Katamaris simple appeal
has attached itself to you. slowly,
effectively, like so much katamari
fodder, this is an experience that starts
small and builds big until its one of the
brightest stars in the Playstation sky.
Katamari fans include Excited Baby and Nerd Boy. Even trees arent safe from our giraffe-hatted pull. Keeping a bonfire katamari going is flaming hard.
107
ti
Me
Ma
ch
in
e
Name
that game
Guess the four games,
and their scores, from
these review quotes
opm tIme mAchINe
5 YeArs AGo
LA Noire. Dead Island. Never Dead. You
can see why the cover of OPM #56
boasted that it was all killer no filler
Prague now
has a volcano
right at its centre.
which, to the
locals at least,
is Probably
Preferable to
stag-do brits.
3
the worlds
being riPPed aPart.
furious Mother
natures heMP
fliP-floPs are
actually crashing
down around you
as you drive.
Above We got murderously excited about a first

proper look at LA Noire, particularly with regards
to its MotionScan face tech. A shame, really, that
the final game simply didnt match its staggeringly
realistic jaw-work.
Below left A secret play of Dead Island also set our

if not its enemies pulses racing.
Below right Crysis 2 (8/10) led the reviews, followed
by Bulletstorm (9/10) and Two Worlds II (dont ask).
4
snared a
rock crusher on
chunks of ice?
taMe. gold Melter
on, uM, gold?
MMMM, liquidy.
1 fuel overdose, #80, 4/10
2 ufc Personal trainer, #61, 6/10
3 Motorstorm apocalypse, #56, 8/10
4 super stardust Portable, #29, 7/10
Answers
108
itll no More
teach you how to
fight than la noire
will get you
trained uP in
forensic
Pathology.
fingerPrints,
PhelPs! Jesus.
Far left Fumito

Ueda talked The
Last Guardian,
warning I still have
a long way in front
of me. Yup
Left It didnt sell
well, but the
premise of Never
Dead that of
playing on, even
after your heads
fallen off remains
chuckle-worthy.
retrostation
DoNT makE mE play!
who?
ThE wiTchEr 3:
wilD huNT
Dont like it. Never tried it. Every month we force

one of our team to play their most feared game
whaT?
iNfo
pub BAnDAI nAMCO
Dev CD PROJekT ReD

releaseD 2015
get it now AMAzOn,
32.98
one of PS4s most

critically lauded rPGs,
and an adventure
that features some of
the very finest face
fuzz youll ever find.
Sprawling, nuanced,
written with wry wit
and really sodding
hard to get into for
a certain surly Scot.
Former news editor

Dave Meikleham
likes videogames.
He also likes beardy
fantasy adventures.
Yet for some wrongheaded reason,
he cant commit to
PS4s most dashing
demon slayer.
race yourself: Im going to

give Geralt of Rivia a kicking.
Dont worry, I assure you
I wont enjoy this Okay,
thats a filthy fib. To sum up
my feelings for the cat-eyed rogue,
Ill quote one of The Big Lebowskis best
scenes namely, the bit where the
Dude gets dressed down by a miffed
Malibu sheriff. I dont like your jerk
off name, I dont like your jerk off face,
I dont like your jerk off behaviour,
and I dont like YOU. Jerk off!
On the surface, I should love The
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. I should love
it hard. Yet despite its crunchy,
limb-lopping combat and gloriously
windswept lands, I just cant get on with
it. Its too talky, theres too much of it,
and my tiny, shrivelled attention span
refuses to play ball with Geralt or his
hundreds of stupid, sexy quests.
i DonT like Your

jerk oFF Face anD i
DonT like Your jerk
oFF BeHaviour.
Whether you find The Witcher 3s scale overly intimidating or not, theres no doubt its virtual hair
and feathers are fab, be it a griffins sexily strokable mane or Geralts kickass soup strainer.
Pssst. This is the part where I let

you in on an embarrassing confession
thatll make me seem thoroughly mad.
I dont like Geralts walk. You heard me.
Yes, I know CD Projekt Red patched in
alternative controls to make it easier
to steer the randy monster-puncher
around, but Geralt still handles with
all the grace of the Titanic trying to
parallel park between icebergs.
Compare his clumsy animation cycles
to Venom Snakes slithering silkiness
in MGS V, and playing The Witcher 3
feels downright arthritic. Also, his
horse Roach is rubbish. Is there any
rock, bush or gate the hopelessly
hoofed mare wont get stuck on?
Yes, I realise Im being a petty prat,
but thats only because Im so bitter
about Geralt failing to sink his dreamy
claws into me. I want to love The
Witcher 3 badly, yet since its release
on 19 May last year, Ive played it for
all of three hours and 40 minutes.
Sorry, White Wolf, but you and your
awkward walk can jog on.
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THE dEfiniTivE guidE To CuRREnT-gEns gREaTEsT gamEs
ps4 Hall of famE

1
MeTal gear solid v:

The PhanToM Pain
Konami might try and scrub Hideo Kojimas name from the ultimate in tactical
espionage action, but itll never remove his fingerprints. 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, this is an instant classic.
grand ThefT auTo v
bloodborne
7
10
alien: isolaTion
desTiny: The Taken king
11
Towerfall ascension
The lasT of us reMasTered
12
baTMan: arkhaM knighT
fallouT 4
13
uncharTed: The naThan

drake collecTion
110
Laughing in the face of other cross-gen ports, GTA V

on PS4 is more than just a mere HD remaster. Upped
to a glorious 1080p, it weaves everything that made
the PS3 original great, with new music, more dynamic
weather and a game-changing FPS mode.
With the finest third-person melee combat in gaming,

drool-worthy art design and the most twisted
monsters imaginable, this is a gorgeously Gothic
must-have. The Old Hunters expansion adds enough
nightmare fuel to make a Yharnam return essential.
The Taken King expansion means theres never been

a better time to be a Destiny player for veterans
its a giant vat of new content thatll keep you playing
for months; for newcomers it offers the smoothest,
most complete shooter a PS4 owner could wish for.
This modern masterpiece just gets stronger with age,

like a full-bodied stilton. A starkly brutal, emotionally
honest take on the end of the world, Naughty Dogs
stealth shooter is quite simply one of the best games
ever, even if this PS4 port doesnt add much to it.
Hitting PS4 with the atomic force of a Fat Boy,

Fallouts excellent gunplay and crafting systems
can trigger a nasty case of RPG-itis. Its not without
its faults (or vaults), but the scale of Bethesdas
wasteland will keep you bunkered down for weeks.
The wiTcher 3: wild hunT
87
The wiTness
NEW!
The White Wolf himself finally rides onto PS4

and brings with him one of the most diverse and
challenging RPG worlds ever seen. Mesmerising to
look at and utterly engrossing to play, CD Projekt
REDs farewell to Geralt is a current-gen essential.
The ultimate puzzle game? Thekla, Incs behemoth

boasts one of PS4s most stylishly inviting, and
resolve-testing, worlds to explore. It then crams it
so full of secrets that even the platinum isnt the end
of the adventure. Its a true original.
97
driveclub
The premier current-gen racer leaves its rivals

for dust due to gorgeous graphics, strong social
features and great handling. Major add-on Driveclub
Bikes is also the greatest bike racing game on PS4,
thanks to making driving on two wheels fun again.
Explore Ridley Scotts original vision of a horrortinged future in startling fidelity with an attention
to detail that borders on the obsessive. Its time to
remember what made the xenomorph so scary in
the first place and then get killed by it.
You havent lived until youve enjoyed a four-player

free-for-all in this instant couchplay classic. The solo
campaign is fine by itself, but almost nothing beats
the arrow-grabbing, death-defying last-second kills
of local multiplayers mayhem.
Rocksteady sends the Bat out with a bang. A

compelling, cathartic story adds new layers to the
Dark Knight, while PS4 allows Gotham to blossom
with a truly amazing engine. The stealth still sings,
the fisticuffs are fab and the Batmobile is brill.
If you somehow missed the trilogy on PS3 then this

excellent remaster should be your next purchase.
Nathan Drake is PlayStations biggest hero, and no
PS4 owner should skip his collection.
14
life is sTrange
15
MinecrafT
The sublime writing and pacing of this episodic

narrative will have you agonising over choices,
and then marvelling at their flawless integration. To
quote heroine Maxs BFF Chloe, its hella good. Youll
wish you could play it all over again for the first time.
Bigger, better and blockier than ever before on

PlayStation, this iconic build-em-up benefits
massively from PS4s additional power and gives you
a creative playground 36 times the size of that on
PS3 in which to build. Or lob TNT around, if you want.
retrostation
16
17
18
19
20
NEW!
21
22
23
NEW!
Tearaway unfolded
Its handheld original is rightfully riding high in the

PS Vita Hall Of Fame as its PS4 remake-of-sorts
swoops onto the current-gen roster on a raft of new
features. Media Molecule makes the most of all that
extra power and strikes gold yet again.
resogun
Capturing everything that made the shoot-em ups of

old so compelling and combining it with a sumptuous
voxel-based visual presentation, Resogun should
come with a health warning that reads: This game
will consume your every waking moment.
bubbling undER
alternative picks
We dive into ps4s library for gold.
This month: lego games
P IC K
#1
lego Marvel suPer heroes
Journey
staff writer ben Tyrer loves picking up

the pieces of lokis meddling
In a gaming landscape dominated by mindless

violence and blabbering idiots, this wordless
walkabout stands tall in red robes. Its about joining
an online stranger and going for a wander, exploring
a beautiful sandy world together in quiet awe.
Marvel films are known for their fast action and

snappy dialogue, which makes them the perfect
fit for Lego-fication. The played-for-laughs plot
may be an excuse to get all of Marvels heroes
and villains in one place, but its totally worth it.
Having Spider-Man quipping alongside Hawkeye
while fighting Venom is fan service of the highest
order, as every great Lego game should be.
unTil dawn
Once destined to live its life as a PS Move curio on

PS3, Supermassive Games ode to the teen slasher
movie has emerged on PS4 with a rusty, bloody
axe in one hand and a rather nasty looking set of
consequence-based choices in the other.
P IC K
#2
lego baTMan 3:
beyond goThaM
hall of Justice-bound Jen simpkins is

batty for current-gens cuboid crusader
gone hoMe
A perfect port from PC, Gone Home is tensionbuilding masterpiece that has you slowly peeling back
layers from the games central mystery. Its short,
but theres zero padding to the exploration, making
every key discovery feel like a powerful gut punch.
sTar wars baTTlefronT
Perfectly capturing the spirit of Star Wars, this is

a complete triumph in making you feel like youre in
amongst the Empires assault on Hoth, or bringing
about its demise on Endor. Accessible and immediate,
you wont want to put your DualShock 4(orce) down.
dragon age: inquisiTion
Following closely on the action-RPG heels of Geralt

of Rivia, Biowares third trip to Thedas conjures
something truly special. Improved combat; an
ace cast of characters; a semi-open world full of
emergent gameplay; an epic story. The list goes on.
firewaTch
A game that demands to be completed in one sitting.

From the emotionally devastating opening to the
satisfyingly muted ending, Firewatch is an adventure
that lingers in the memory. It also boasts gorgeous
scenery and compelling character work.
24
guiTar hero live
25
Pes 2016
As Im Bens evil twin, Ill take DC over Marvel

any day of the week. So a Lego Dark Knight?
Yes please. This nuggets got so much under its
decidedly snug utility belt even some scrolling
shooting that the adoptive daddy of darkness is
almost overshadowed by the mammoth roster of
DC darlings. Blocky Beast Boy, anyone?
THIS nuGGeTS GoT So MuCH

unDer ITS SnuG uTILITY BeLT
eVen SCroLLInG SHooTInG.
P IC K
#3
lego diMensions
Matthew Pellett knows who hes gonna

call for the pinnacle lego experience
Playing with Lego by playing with Lego is genius
the Portal Level Pack of this toys-to-life entry is
easily one of 2015s gaming highlights. The new
Ghostbusters pack? An early 2016 highpoint,
too. Dont worry if you cant afford to buy all the
extra models, either: TT Games has now cracked
the game wide open with a patch enabling you to
rent heroes with in-game currency. Sublime.
An innovative take on the classic peripheral design

mightve been enough to convince us theres still
greatness in the series, but that would be unfair
to the beautifully designed GHTV and its constant
stream of songs. Clear the lounge, its time to rock.
Last year PES finally proved its worth with a

FIFA-beating mixture of superior mechanics
and slick gameplay. It does it again this year with a
new sense of speed, versatility and physicality thats
secured PESs place on the virtual footy throne.
The Lego Ghostbusters Level Pack contains Peter Venkman,
ecto-1 and a Ghost Trap. Slimer and Stay Puft are coming soon
111
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The essenTial collecTion of lasT-gen classics
ps3 hall of fame

1
tHe laSt Of uS
PS3s 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 postapocalyptic 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.
GranD tHeft autO v
unCHarteD 2:
aMOnG tHIeveS
10
reD DeaD reDeMptIOn
11
BIOSHOCK InfInIte
JOurney
12
BatMan: arKHaM CIty
MaSS effeCt 2
13
tHe WalKInG DeaD:

SeaSOn One
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.
A near-perfect open-world fusion of engaging

storytelling, truly compelling characters and a living
environment ripe for experimentation. No sandbox
since has got us quite so invested, and the bold
ending still resonates to this day.
This charming two-hour voyage crafts an incredible,

immersive narrative and a genuine emotional
connection using little more than near-silent figures,
marvellous sand physics and floating pieces of cloth.
A remarkable and unique experience.
While Biowares trilogy-ender sends Shepard out in

fine style, its the middle slice of the delicious sci-fi
sandwich that remains its best. A brilliantly scripted
action-RPG, the closing suicide mission provides an
incredible finale.
Only Valve could turn advanced physics, impossipuzzles and a voice cast comprised of a disembodied
AI and Stephen Merchant into such a unique and
undeniable work of genius. Hands down the funniest
first-person experience on console.
Metal Gear SOlID 4:

GunS Of tHe patrIOtS
The most gleefully playful and imaginative

stealth game on PS3. Whether youre watching a
monkey slurp soda or revisiting the site of the PS1
original, no game honours its past so poignantly.
The game that sparked a million mancrushes, with

a perfectly pitched script, crunchy combat and setpieces like no other. In three words: unprecedented,
unequalled, Uncharted.
112
pOrtal 2
Perhaps the best narrative team of the entire

generation brings one of its finest series to a
staggering climax. The original game would be
well deserving of a place, but the mind-boggling
revelations here run a whole lot deeper.
The most compelling bit of Bats action money can

buy that doesnt involve Heath Ledgers Joker.
Thanks to an acutely detailed open-world chunk
of Gotham, Rocksteadys classic just pips Arkham
Asylum to this spot by the thinnest of bat-whiskers.
Telltale has crafted some amazing stories, but the

first season of The Walking Dead stands among the
best downloadable games ever with emotional ties
and tangible consequences for your actions.
DarK SOulS
14
Heavy raIn
Call Of Duty 4:
MODern Warfare
15
lIttleBIGplanet 2
Akin to nothing else youve ever played (unless

youve already played Demons Souls). It may be as
impenetrable as a vault in Fort Knox, but persevere
and theres a brutal and beautiful challenge within
that you will never, ever forget.
Simply the finest COD ever made. From that nuke

to Captain Prices mesmerising ghillie suit stealth
mission, few games can match Modern Warfares
thrilling scripted spectacle.
From controversial purveyor of interactive cinema,

David Cage, comes this psychological thriller that
plays like no other game on the system (apart from
Beyond: Two Souls, natch). A real masterpiece of
twists, turns, cinematography and, uh: JASON!
Media Molecules second swing at the usergenerated puzzle-platformer is even more essential
than its predecessor, offering a raft of options so
deep and rewarding the only thing holding you back
are the limits of your imagination.
YOUr EVErY NEED FOr ON-thE-gO gOODNESS
pS VItA hAll OF FAmE

1
teaRaway
Peerless crafty platforming from Media Molecule,

this time using PS Vitas 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,
Tearaways papercraft world remains Vitas most vibrant title.
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.
Rayman leGenDs
Rather than losing its lustre on the

move to PS Vita, Rays second slice of
sumptuous side-scrolling is even better
on handheld. Touchscreen gestures make
this fine platformer all the sweeter.
metal GeaR soliD

HD collection
Two of PlayStations finest adventures

scale down beautifully, with enough
cutscenes to fill a transatlantic flight.
Even less excuse not to play, then.
10
spelunKy
With more than a subtle nod of its fedora

to a certain whip-wielding Dr Jones,
Spelunkys procedurally generated
dungeons and platformer/roguelike
mashup shines brightest on PS Vita.
velocity 2X
11
steins;Gate
littlebiGplanet
12
Hotline miami
supeR meat boy!
13
cRypt oF tHe
necRoDanceR
A ludicrously enjoyable puzzle/platformer

hybrid that should come with a health
warning. So joyous is the side-scrollers
twin-stick teleporting, theres a danger
youll smile your face clean off the bone.
Sackboys back, smaller but just as

lovable as ever. His platforming antics
work perfectly on Vita, and the new
control inputs complement the level
creator brilliantly. Also: dawwww.
The new music doesnt match up to the

classic tunes, but Meat Boys longawaited PlayStation debut is the finest,
fleshiest twitch platformer of all. An
essential, thumb-destroying masterpiece.
NEW!
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD

RemasteR
14
GRavity RusH
15
Two examples of JRPG royalty, lovingly

restored to their former glory for your
portable pleasure. Their new touch
controls are gasp! a welcome addition.
Use a gravity-defying cat to break the

laws of physics and zoom across the
skies of a floating steampunk city. With
stylish comic-book looks and a sassy
heroine, this is a rush to remember.
This mind-bending, tongue-in-cheek

visual novel takes something as simple
as a mobile phone and turns it into a timetravelling extravaganza thats fit to
bursting with comedy and drama.
Part puzzler, part top-down

murder-em-up thats as brutal as almost
anything else on PlayStation. Its hard but
never frustrating, with instant restarts
and lightning-fast gameplay.
Take Guitar Hero and Spelunky, then

whack them in a blender. Youll get this
gem, with its addictive soundtrack and
moreish rhythm-action monster-slaying.
uncHaRteD:
GolDen abyss
Drake proves hes just as adept at

adventuring on the go. A prequel story
plump with classic jungle action, and
crammed full of typical Uncharted charm.
GRim FanDanGo
An example of genuinely timeless

storytelling finally arrives on PlayStation.
Double Fines deft touch-up retains
the old-school adventuring for a new
generation to savour and enjoy.
113
Parting sh t
LOOk AWAY!
Celebrating PlayStations finest moments
Spoiler
alert
114
No.37
Hitting the high notes

Its not the end for GLaDOS in Portal
last
month
Grand theft
auto v
Taking a
psychedelic trip
through the
Los Santos
skies with a
drugged-up
Michael.
Format PS3 / Pub EA / Dev VALVE / releaseD 2007 / score 9/10
ouve dragged yourself

through the sort of mindobliterating puzzles that
have claimed the lives of
scores of unknown test subjects,
and been subjected to the pithy
put-downs of the maniacal AI that
has tormented you ceaselessly.
But thanks to a combination of
your wits and your Portal Gun,
youve got your chance to end this,
along with GLaDOS. Its over, right?
Of course it isnt. In one of the
wittiest the villains still alive!
twists, GLaDOS comes back to
congratulate you in a barbed singa-long, played over the credits.
Written by Jonathan Coulton,

the Still Alive lyrics are packed
with laughs, and GLaDOS belts
outthe rousing dittywith a thick
layer of faux-politeness that
makes the words just that extra
bit funnier. Howcan you not giggle
at Im not even angry, Im being
so sincere right now, when its
being delivered by the same AI
thats spent the last five hours
trying to destroy you in a variety of
different ways? You cant. End of.
Like the rest of Portal, the
ending is actually funny without
ever feeling try-hard. If most
credits sequences managed even
a tenth of the inventiveness thats

showcased in Portal, we probably
wouldnt be hammering the skip
button as often as we do. Oh, and
the fact that its a pretty catchy
tune, even with all the funny words
stripped away from consideration,
just adds to its bountiful charm.
Portals true legacy isnt in the
terrible anti-humour of The Cake
Is A Lie jokes the internet ruined
years ago, but the rich vein of
comedy that runs throughout
the entire experience. Jonathan
Coultons hilarious song is just the
icing on the ca sorry. Bad habits
and all that.
Next
month
alien:
Isolation
Heading
straight to
the top of the
nightmare list
its our first
xenomorph
meeting.
next
month
o n
S a l e
12 Apr
Subscribe on
page 60
FREE!
uncharted 4
poSter +
map
UNCHARTED 4
A THIEFS END
The time has finally come. Prepare your goodbyes for

Nathan Drake in our special Uncharted 4 celebration issue
9000
9012

Official Playstation April

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Official Playstation April

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Issue 121 april 2016 5.

Plus we score Street fighter V,

DARK SOULS III TESTED INSIDE

issUe 121 / april 2016

Future Publishing Ltd, Quay House, The Ambury,

game of The monTh

29,855 (print 26,659 Digital 3,196)

Future is an award-winning international media

eep space exploration in No Mans Sky,

this months space explorers

Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne

All contents copyright 2015 Future Publishing Limited or published under

game of The monTh

game of The monTh

game of The monTh

game of The monTh

managing art editor

006 lego stAr wArs:

With Lego Marvels Avengers out, TT Games

052 no mAns sky

062 gAming on A budget

078 street fighter v

084 fAr Cry primAl

look at those covers arent

Latest info, screens

Max out your PS4,

THE Games index

Thought the movie

STorieS everyoneS Talking aBouT

TT Games is swoopinG in wiTh

10 waTch This space

watch Dogs 2 and Destiny 2 confirmed.

is Batman or superman the tie-in king?

our first look at insomniacs latest.

exclusive DlC for sony consoles as

and phantom limb level pack.

huge fans of the franchise, its a

The Farce awakens

to be a new multi-Build system, in

Size MatterS Not

how popular is the lego star wars

But where will this new step into

its unconfirmed, but surely

Kylo rens having some trouble getting

it up. his lightsaber, ya filthy animal.

let the good times roll. yes, bb-8 is

somehow even cuter than ever before.

finn and bear it: poor

as ever, it looks superb,

watch dogs had a troubled

STorieS everyoneS Talking aBouT

Watch Dogs 2 and

handful of new PvE challenges.

tight til June: were betting we hear

developer, assassins Creed

dont bet on Call of duty returning

The dev promises fair

2: there are whispers about a new

vision for Battalion 1944 is

strafe on over to the kickstarter page

329.99 gets you the

STorieS everyoneS Talking aBouT

Owning a sleek new PS4 and pad