Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 192 i GamesTM

We’re fast approaching our 15th birthday as a magazine, if you can imagine that, and as such I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the gaming franchises that have helped to shape those years of the industry. A handful rise to the top as particularly significant; Grand Theft Auto titles, World Of Warcraft, and the series that the game on our cover derives from, Call Of Duty. Activision’s shooter franchise has dominated the industry for over a decade, rising in prominence with the release of Call Of Duty 2 at the beginning of the last generation and becoming part of the fabric of our lives, an essential annual purchase, from Modern Warfare onwards. Buying the new COD, and being there day one to join the online campaigns with your…

Things just got real for Nintendo. The Switch has been going from strength to strength since its launch earlier this year, but there’s been a lingering sense of unease when looking at its line-up. The first-party IP releases have been, unsurprisingly, fantastic, but there’s still a rather large gap to fill. Third-party publishers have been slow to adopt the console, while the lack of independent studios pledging commitment had left us wondering whether Nintendo was still yet to update its archaic approach to courting and supporting Indies. Lord are we happy to be wrong on that one. “We love the creativity, passion and amazing response that our independent developer community has already shown for Nintendo Switch,” said Damon Baker, Nintendo of America’s Senior Manager for Publisher & Developer Relations. “It’s…

FORMAT: PC, XBOX ONE | PUBLISHER: BLUEHOLE | DEVELOPER: IN-HOUSE | RELEASE: 2017 | PLAYERS: 1-100 T In August the unthinkable happened: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds became the most popular PC game in the world. With over eight million sales in just five months of early access release, Battlegrounds recorded an unprecedented number of concurrent players on Steam, 877,844 to be exact – knocking DOTA 2 off of the top spot. This coincided with the game’s first steps into the realms of esports, with ESL hosting the PUBG Invitational at Gamescom; with $350,000 on the line for the LAN tournament, it was our first taste of how the release would impact the scene, and it has given us plenty to chew over. After spending hours watching battle royal in action, we have…

FORMAT: PS4, XBOX ONE, PC | PUBLISHER: THQ NORDIC | DEVELOPER: EXPERIMENT 101 | RELEASE: 2018 | PLAYERS: 1 1 YOUR HEROIS CUSTOMISABLE The little furry critter you play as can have different genders, fur lengths, head sizes, body sizes, colouring, tail types… you can even throw on a pair of wings at one point. You can basically mutate your character in any way you see fit and it will effect your gameplay options. 2 AND YOU KEEP CHANGING Throughout the game it seems clear you will encounter new opportunities to manipulate your DNA and develop new abilities to go with it. That might mean changing your skin type altogether or growing new appendages. Frankly the possibilities are a little bewildering. 3 THERE’S A KARMASYSTEM Based on your actions and…

FORMAT: XBOX ONE | PUBLISHER: MICROSOFT | DEVELOPER: PLAYFUL | RELEASE: 7 NOVEMBER 2017 | PLAYERS: 1 1 IT’S A TRUE SEQUEL Many people think that Super Lucky’s Tale is just a re-release of Lucky’s Tale for the Oculus Rift on Xbox One - but they’re mistaken. The game is actually a full, true sequel as executive producer Nathan Rose explains to us: “It’s a much larger game, with many more open areas for you to explore as well, this should give you more fun when you’re exploring what we’re creating. We’ve also added 4K and spatial audio, too!” 2 LUCKY HAS EVOLVED “If you were to hold the current Lucky side-by-side with the original one, you’ll see some noticeable differences in his visual appearance,” Rose explains to us when…

There’s no puzzle quite like unlocking your own freedom, and much like its previous instalment, The Escapists 2 turns escaping virtual incarceration into a full on crime caper. And while it might have a new lick of sprite-based paint (including the power to customise your jumpsuited con), the same risk/reward setup is at play: serve your time, gather some tools and plan your escape. However, fall foul of the guards – or your fellow incarcerees – and you’ll be straight back to square one. It’s the one constant that makes The Escapists 2 both compelling and rewarding in equal measure. Each of the ten joints on offer – ranging from modern supermaxes to Western-themed jails and off-shore platforms – is filled with countless items that can…

THE GAME HAS AN ALMOST COMICAL NUMBER OF WAYS TO DIE That famous scene in Jurassic Park , where Dr. Grant encounters the humongous brachiosaurus for the first time, is pretty much what this game strives to be, again and again. Its world is so dense with foliage and fauna, wildlife crawling over every inch of its lush environments, that you discover new creatures every few minutes. For anyone who grew up obsessed with dinosaurs, there’s a near limitless joy to stumbling upon a creature and being able to say “Oh, that’s a such and such!” That the world is this dense with literally dozens upon dozens of different types of creatures on screen at any given time, while running so smooth, is tremendous. Doing this while…

It’s hard to believe, but it has been a decade since we were last given the opportunity to lose ourselves to the isolating, oppressive atmosphere of a 2D Metroid. While Metroid: Samus Returns isn’t necessarily new in the truest sense of the word, instead billed as a remake of 1991’s Metroid II, it is in essence a total reimagining; guided by the vision and deft touch of developer Mercury Steam – becoming one of the only studios in the world to have had some degree of creative license over both the Metroid and Castlevania franchises. Samus Aran’s return to her side-scrolling roots is great to see. It serves as a stark reminder of just how wondrous the Metroid games are, particularly in a space that has seen so many attempt…

If you’re of a certain generation then Windjammers is going to feel like an essential purchase. If you spent most of your pocket money in arcades or got your SNES with a copy of Street Fighter II, if you whiled away hours playing tennis games, then this will feel very familiar indeed. Originally being a Neo Geo release, Windjammers didn’t get the airing it deserved and yet somehow it doesn’t feel like it’s aged all that much. DotEmu has created a fantastically faithful remake of the original experience, albeit with the kind of tight, responsive controls on PS4 that we would demand in the modern era. The basic tenets of the gameplay, throwing a frisbeetype object trying to hit the wall of point-scoring goals behind your…

WHERE BOND IS UNFAILINGLY CAPABLE, PLAYERS MISS WHEN THEY SHOOT, SMASH UP THEIR ASTON MARTIN AND GET KILLED HE’S HAD DIFFERENT FACES, DIFFERENT PERSONAS AND BEEN INVENTED AND REINVENTED ACROSS MYRIAD BOOKS AND MOVIES. But for more than 50 years, James Bond has been consistently three things: tough, exotic and authoritative. Whether trading blows with the world’s wickedest villains or ordering some complex, regional delicacy, 007 is Lord and master over wherever he goes. His license to kill, combined with his superlative guile, allow Bond to accomplish his missions however he likes; owing to his cocksure attitude and innumerable sexual liaisons, he also seems to enjoy himself doing it. As videogame players, we also enjoy big spectacle, feeling cool and doing what we want. Games want us to feel strong,…

FORMAT: PS4, XBOX ONE, PC | PUBLISHER: CAPCOM | DEVELOPER: IN-HOUSE | RELEASE: 2018 | PLAYERS: 1-4 The most spectacular moment during our hands-on time with Monster Hunter World – the moment that perhaps best encapsulates what Capcom is trying to achieve with the latest entry in the cult gaming series – occurred at the climax of our pursuit of a limping Anjanath as it headed towards the crest of a steep hill. We first discovered the T-Rex-like beast that was the target of our hunt lurking in a cave. We were led there via a new mechanic introduced to get rid of the aimless wondering that you’d have to partake in to find your prey in previous Monster Hunters. You’re accompanied by a swarm of…

 FORMAT: PS4, XBOX ONE, PC | PUBLISHER: EA | DEVELOPER: EA DICE | RELEASE: 17 NOVEMBER 2017 | PLAYERS: 1-40 “OBJECTIVES GIVE THE MODE STRUCTURE, A FISHBONE STORY FOR THE BATTLE YOU’RE TAKING PART IN, AND A REASON TO WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM” Weren’t happy with the lack of maps there were for the first Battlefront’s best modes? Here comes DICE promising three times more content in Battlefront II and free updates to prevent the player base splitting. Felt that the game lacked depth and didn’t do enough to encourage teamplay? Here comes DICE again, rolling out a brand-new class system for the sequel. Disappointed in the lack of single-player options? DICE has got a full campaign mode in the works to keep you happy.…

“ To me, the Atari Star Wars arcade game is why you have arcade games ” ALBERT PENELLO, MARKETING MANAGER, XBOX “I’m a huge Star Wars fan, and my all time favourite game is the Atari, 1983, Star Wars arcade game. It took me many years to track one down and I now actually own a cabinet at home of it… and let me tell you, it’s still incredibly fun! The great thing about vector graphics is that they don’t really age and the speed of that game is pretty insane. Plus, there is no way really to play it outside of the arcade. Yes, it has been emulated and stuff, but if you don’t have that yoke… to…

INFANTRY Your essential grunt soldier, good for all seasons, particularly in offensive play. The Infantry Division is armed with an M1 Garand rifle, along with a Colt 1911 pistol and frag grenades. A bayonet on their rifle makes them suitable for medium and short range encounters EXPEDITIONARY Possibly best described as an aggressive scout force, the Expeditionary Division is built for close-range combat with a shotgun that can fire incendiary rounds and an increased resistance to explosive damage. If the map is tight and the fighting intense then this is the class you need. AIRBORNE A popular choice during the COD: World War II beta, the Airborne Division is armed with a sub-machine gun that (at least pre-launch) is incredibly effective. A muzzle on their guns and smoke grenades make…

Supermassive specialises in helping Sony understand and realise the potential of its latest technology and virtual reality is no exception. After making a splash at the launch of PSVR, delivering Until Dawn: Rush Of Blood and Tumble VR , the studio is following up with two more titles for the platform. Both are far more ambitious, demonstrating Supermassive’s commitment to growth, expansion and challenging itself to deliver all new experiences. THE INPATIENT 2017 A psychological horror game set in the world of Until Dawn; The Inpatient takes place 60 years prior to the teenage forest massacre, at the Blackwood Sanatorium, and will hopefully give us some clue as to where the studio plans on taking the series next. Nik Bowen, Graham Reznick and…

ABSOLVER SHINES WHEN IT ALLOWS YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF THROUGH THE COMBAT Look, comparing a game to Dark Souls has become a fair old cliché in 2017, where any game that has an unforgiving difficulty gets From Software’s masterpiece thrown at it, regardless of the genre. Sure, Absolver has the silent encounters with other players, boss battles and non-linear progression, as well as a few mechanical queues similar to games in the ‘Soul’s-like’ sub genre, but at its heart, Absolver is very different. Absolver has the heart of a fighting game. Absolver, like the actual martial arts that make up its core, is a journey of self-improvement. You play as a Prospect, a student who is set out into the world of Adal to learn their…

It’s a weird one, this. On the face of it, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle just shouldn’t work. The story’s incomprehensibly naff, the gameplay’s a significant departure from the platforming we know and love, the camera’s floaty and frustrating, and… well, it’s Mario. And Rabbids. Together. It should be catastrophic. You will see Mario + Rabbids described as a tactical, turn-based game in the vein of XCOM, and as irritatingly repetitious as that comparison is, without anything else to compare it to, it’ll have to suffice here, too. Dotted along a typically Mario-esque landscape – coins, pipes, Piranha plants, you know the kind of thing – you’ll take on a selection of goofy enemies by way of grid-based combat zones. The goal alternates – sometimes you need to clear the…

After showing steady improvement since 2014, last year’s Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) release was of such high quality that it immediately became a contender for best football game of all time. Its class came from its focus on the finer details of passing, shooting and player movement, making for a game of genuine diversity and palpable realism. To satisfy, then, PES 2018 need only continue and tweak the structure laid out by its predecessor. A reinvention of the wheel is not needed or wanted this season. For the most part, this is a game of continuation. Look down the list of PES 2018’s features and you’re met with tweaks of PES 2017’s ideas as opposed to entirely new in-game elements. Real Touch+, for instance, improves on last season’s ‘Real Touch’…

The premise of Nidhogg is simple. Your character has to get to the other side of the stage, past several screens to win. In your way is another character, with the same aim. With only two buttons, Jump and Stab. The formula for Nidhogg’s success was devilishly simple, and made the game a multiplayer masterpiece. Nidhogg 2 retains the same formula as before, but aims to shake it up with a brand-new lick of paint, new weapons and different stages. The main thing that differentiates Nidhogg 2 is it’s flashy new pixel-art style. The original title was basic, with ethereal backdrops and ambient music in the background. Nidhogg 2 fleshes this out, with varying results. The detailed style of the art makes the visuals a treat…

It’s actually kind of amazing; how Tiny Echo is able to communicate an entire world without ever saying a word. Mesmerising and strange, melancholic and beautiful, this latest release from developer Might And Delight is essentially a wordless point-and-click adventure that has you traversing through a living painting. As Emi, a postal courier in an ethereal world, you are tasked with delivering messages to spirits, solving simple puzzles, and investigating the mysteries of the realm around you. It’s elegant and quiet, a short and enveloping release you play to experience its tone and ethereal hold over you as much as anything else. Combined with a beautiful soundtrack, composed by Mount West, Tiny Echo succeeds as an emotionally driven game even if its intention and message is…

IT WAS AS IF INFINITY WARD HAD TRANSFORMED US INTO A CAMERA CREW, CAUGHT ON THE SETS OF SAVING PRIVATE RYAN AND ENEMY AT THE GATES Released: Infinity Ward Publisher: Activision Developer: 22 November 2005 System: Xbox 360 SOMEWHERE ON THE road to commanding the attention of idle thumbs across the western hemisphere, Call Of Duty lost its way. It’s difficult to pin down the exact date, but it could well have been when developer Infinity Ward first hung up the M1 Garand and thrust an M16 into our hands. That said, perhaps it was when Sledgehammer first fitted us into one of its exoskeleton suits, or maybe – just maybe – it was when Treyarch reset the tone of the whole series as…

“THESE WERE NOT SUPERSOLDIERS. THEY WERE JUST GUYS” DUTY BOUND 13 games in 13 years, and yet this may be the first COD driven by a very real sense of duty. We are speaking with Glen Schofield, general manager and co-founder of Sledgehammer Games; as we do, we begin to remember what it is that made us fall in love with this series to begin with – and, by extension, we become increasingly aware of where it may have lost us along the way. Were you to strip away the speed, the noise, and the furious energy that has fuelled the last decade of instalments into the unstoppable Call Of Duty war machine, you’ll find the same pattern emerge. Experiences built around tightly controlled and paced scenes of action, weaved…

PVP IS A REAL BONE OF CONTENTION, DIVIDING THE PLAYER BASE INTO THOSE WHO LOVE THE NEW 4V4 SETUP AND EMPHASIS ON SKILL AND TACTICS OVER ABILITY SPAM, AND THOSE WHO REALLY, REALLY DON’T Destiny 2 came out of the gates with a lot to prove. While the original certainly grew into its potential over its three-year run, its launch left a lot to be desired in terms of content – not a complaint returning fans would accept having to level for a second time. On paper, Destiny 2 looks to fall foul of that exact same issue, but the raw numbers don’t tell the whole story here. And while those who forego sleep will likely fairly quickly reach a point where progression slows to a crawl, there’s…

AR mechanics and overlays are overdone in games – detective modes and visual aids detract from so many titles they appear in, taking away from the game experience and becoming something of an ‘easy mode’ whenever your character uses them. Observer turns that trope on its head. The game builds itself around a series of different detective modes – cybernetic, organic and one built entirely around your observation skills. Observer is a detective point-and-click game masquerading as a horror game. It constantly pokes and tugs at your expectations, refusing to give you jump scares when you expect them and laying on the sense of foreboding thickly when you think you’re ready for a break. The claustrophobic Krakow apartment block the game is almost entirely set in summons impressions of…

Crash Bandicoot, Jak And Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Spyro The Dragon. Each of these iconic 3D action series have been graced by the touch of master engineer Mark Cerny in one way or another. After a long and illustrious career he has become something of a fixer in this industry, the person you call when some area of design needs to be improved; be it the PlayStation 4 itself, retro classics like Sonic The Hedgehog 2, or even development hell dwelling projects such as The Last Guardian – his influence is impossible to quantify. But if there is to be one task that escapes even his expertise it is bound to be this: making the Knack series resemble anything close to a success. Knack II is certainly a better…

Beneath Songbringer’s distinctly retro stylings is a game with more depth than its simple exterior suggests. This offbeat adventure offers a procedurally generated experience that presents a distinctly different layout with every playthrough. While it’s permeated with facets pulled straight from of the original Zelda, to pass this off as a mere modern rehash of classic Hyrule excursions would be doing it a great disservice. Songbringer’s narrative blend of intrigue and understated humour houses its own commendable measure of unique and often zany gameplay ideas – the most curious of these occurring right at the game’s outset. In order to start an adventure, you’re required to choose a six-letter word that generates an individual hub world and dungeons. In a feat that can best be described…

“ It was the first game that I played that didn’t have levels, instead it had a world ” MIKE CHAPMAN DESIGN DIRECTOR, RARE “Everybody has a top five favourite games of all time – for me, Monkey Island is in there and the original Halo is there too, because it was just so endlessly replayable. But the game that really blew my mind as a kid was the very first Zelda. The Legend Of Zelda on NES was, for me at that time – when I was very early into games, as a kid – it was the first game that I played that didn’t have levels, instead it had a world…

Call Of Duty 2 would give us a glimpse into what developer Infinity Ward would be capable of with multiplayer, something it expanded upon dutifully for the release of Modern Warfare. While the servers for Call Of Duty 2 often struggled with terrible issues, the maps behind the connectivity problems were some of the series’ best. They were impossibly tight, claustrophobic and tense affairs; giving players enough space to make use of the various weapon classes while still funnelling everybody together for enormous shootouts. The multiplayer is pure, focused around skill and understanding of the maps – not so pre-occupied with speed and scorestreaks like the modern releases. It’s relatively basic, but there was something special to it.…

PLANTING THE RUSSIAN FLAG Treyarch would show glimpses of what it was capable of as a leading Call Of Duty developer with World At War, but the set-piece that still resonates today comes in the game’s closing moments. Caught under heavy enemy fire with Reznov above Berlin’s Reichstag, it’s up to you to plant the Soviet flag on top of the building to declare victory. It’s a tense, manic affair that demonstrates just how capable the series is of getting your adrenaline pumping. DEATH OF MAKAROV Call Of Duty may have fully jumped the shark by the time Modern Warfare 3 hit, but its finale showed that the series could still deliver when it pulled in its focus. The Modern Warfare series came to a killer conclusion as you tear…

SNES CLASSIC MINI MANUFACTURER: NINTENDO PRICE: £69.99 THERE ISN’T A COMPANY ON THIS PLANET THAT MAKES HARDWARE QUITE LIKE NINTENDO. This isn’t some revelatory discovery on our part; Nintendo has, after all, built its reputation on driving technological advances and industry innovation through its home consoles for years now. But after more than three decades of play, the company’s design expertise and impossibly strong eye for software has resulted in what is clearly one of the best videogame packages in history. The SNES Classic Mini isn’t merely a celebration of a simpler, more expressive era of gaming, but a package that demonstrates the very best of what it can offer. This beautiful little box, designed – thank the lords – to pay faithful homage to the sleeker style of European…