Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i Gamesmaster

Standing at the multiplayer gaming buffet for any length of time reveals that certain genres are overdue a kick up the bum. Well, we’re on the brink of an incredible revolution in online play, as the likes of Overwatch, Paragon, and Doom threaten to overthrow the collapsing soufflé-esque shooters of the last decade. Tuck in to our huge cover feature over on page 40. That’s not to say we’ve naught for solo players, mind. We’ve been hands-on with the increasingly impressive No Man’s Sky, a game so huge it might just gobble up your very last slice of free time pie. There’s further cause for champagne and mini kievs over on page 20, too, as we set up a smorgasbord of tasty Resi moments to celebrate the venerable scarer’s 20th…

Just like the FPS genre in the past, open worlds have become the new trend for this generation. The Witcher and Metal Gear Solid are just two of the franchises that have gone open-world recently. Don’t get me wrong, I love open-world games – I’ve loved them since I got my hands on Morrowind. I played that game for months before I even found the main story, just exploring. But at the same time, there’s one kind of game I’ve not seen go open-world yet: horror. I love scary games, from Dead Space to Silent Hill. Wouldn’t it be great to see an open-world horror game? But the thing is; the best thing about open-world games is the freedom to go wherever you like, while the best and scariest thing…

“EVERY JOURNEY COULD SEE OLD GRUDGES REIGNITED AND NEW RIVALRIES FORMED” The worlds we’re able to explore in games today are bigger and more detailed than ever before – and yet they also give us more tools than ever to skip over what they have to offer. There was a time when fast travel was a rare luxury, usually costly, restricted, or non-existent, but now we expect it as a basic gamer’s right. The result is often a loss of the joy of travel through virtual spaces. As the open-world game becomes the dominant genre, we naturally have less time to devote to any individual title. There’s an instinct to treat each as a checklist of activities, a series of markers to be cleared out, and fast travel complements and…

“A VICTORY MESSAGE FILLS THE SCREEN, BUT WE’RE TOO BUSY STILLING OUR BEATING HEART TO READ IT” Format PS4, XO, PC Publisher Bandai Namco Developer From Software ETA 12 April Four hours, three bosses, and four huge areas into From Software’s return to its dark fantasy action-RPG, and we’ve already experienced plenty of familiar Souls-ian eccentricities. Hands up if any of these sound at all familiar to you… The ‘Aced it’ Nod: An epic sweeping sideways swipe with the returning Lucerne (halfway between a spear and a hammer – one of our favourite weapons from the original game) sees two rabid dogs and two lanky pitchfork-wielding foes felled at once. In the aftermath, as the variety of corpses ragdolls to the ground and the telltale sound of their souls seeping…

Format PS4 Pub SNK Playmore Dev SNK Playmore ETA Autumn As if the promise of no fewer than 50 playable fighters wasn’t enticing enough, SNK Playmore has gone and announced that one of them is an honest-to-goodness dinosaur – the King Of Dinosaurs no less. Just take a moment to absorb the knowledge that a Cretaceous predator turned lucha libre wrestler will feature on this roster. It’s not all brawling prehistoric beasts, however – fan favourites such as Terry, Kyo, and King will return too for this latest entry in the classic fighting series.…

Format PS4 Pub Sega Dev Media.Vision ETA Summer 2017 Valkyria Chronicles Remastered isn’t the only painterly piece of role-playing in development over at Sega – the publisher also has a sequel tucked away in its sketchbook. But this dashing follow-up eschews the turn-based system of its forbear in favour of more action-packed combat, augmented by a healthy dose of role-playing stats. The result may be faster paced, but it’s no less tense, since the looming spectre of permadeath hangs over you – fight recklessly and you could lose your favourite character.…

5 MERCY - VALKYRIE Mercy’s Valkyrie skin takes easily the least lethal character in the game and gives her a sword she can’t use. This feels a bit cruel, honestly, like throwing a ball for a dog with no legs. Still, you’ve got to appreciate being able to dress up as a Viking and as you fly around healing your mates. 4 MEI - FIREFIGHTER Don’t fight fire with fire: fight it with ice. This skin lets you live out your dreams of being a tiny lady firefighter who freezes people before punching them to death, which is definitely a dream that everybody has, right? In any case, like everything about Mei, it’s adorable and a little bit terrifying. 3 TRACER - POSH/SPORTY We see what you did there, Blizzard.…

As an addition to the fourth Doom game in Id’s legendary series (coming in May to PS4, XO, and PC), SnapMap is at once surprising and a perfect fit. The first two games, after all, have lived long past their releases due to the fact that players can create their own levels – from Alien homages, to the somehow-even-more-violent-than-the-original Brutal Doom. But what’s less familiar about SnapMap is its astonishing accessibility – creating content for the earlier games involved messing with vertices and linedefs, but here you just pick from a selection of prefab rooms and corridors and plug them together in an intuitive editor. You can quickly switch between top down and first-person views as you’re editing, instantly switching to Play mode to test the quality of your work.…

#1 80 DAYS If there’s a better game to join you on long flights or even short bus journeys, we haven’t found it yet. This perfectly written steampunk blend of Jules Verne and choose-your-own-adventure novel is an absolute delight as you make your very own way around the globe. A journey to get lost in. #2 YEAR WALK This terrifying slice of Swedish countryside will leave you begging to go back to Unravel. A combination of fiendish puzzles and motion controls, this unique adventure certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Word to the wise though: make sure to grab the free companion app so you can read up on the lore as you go. #3 GRAYOUT Want emotion, absurdly clever brain-teasing, and to learn what the word ‘aphasia’ means?…

1 Seriously, stop trying to do specials and block. Even though it’s a more aggressive game, defence is SFV’s key element. Learn to block away from your opponent when they jump over you so you avoid cross-ups, and be prepared for endless low sweeps. 2 Don’t jump in. Most characters have a crisp anti-air attack. The only exceptions are when you’ve timed it perfectly in order to counter-attack a fireball, or when you’re crossing an enemy up. Neutral jumps are also useful, e.g. leaping straight into the air to open up a fresh combo. 3 Watch your foe. Gameplan around where they are and what you’re doing. Be aware of the space between you, and use quick strikes to push into the optimum position. For instance, don’t throw a fireball…

Lace up those boxing gloves and then clumsily attempt to fish out your wallets, fight fans, because Street Fighter V’s DLC is upon us, with Alex the first of six planned downloadable characters for Capcom’s fracas simulator. You’ll have to spend ‘Fight Money’ to unlock this super-buff wrestler – who first appeared in Street Fighter III – but Capcom reckons that most players will have scraped together enough virtual currency in the course of normal play to cover the cost of their first downloadable scrapper. Sticking with digital brawling for the time-being, we turn our gaze to Killer Instinct’s third season of downloadable content. Series veterans such as Tusk, Kim-Wu, and Gargos return, alongside a cameo from Battletoads star Rash, who rocks a pair of cool-guy shades, stretchy shape-shifting special…

1 Knuckle Heads (Arcade – 1993) In the days following SFII, arcades became ground zero for 2D fighting game carnage. Namco’s grab for the bandwagon came with the weapon-based Knuckle Heads – which nobody noticed, stunted as it was by a meagre roster of six and looking a bit too ‘early SNK’ for its own good. Still unconverted to this day. It also tried to one-up SFII with simultaneous four-player matches, though it quickly became clear why SFII never did that. 2 Weaponlord (SNES, Mega Drive – 1995) Much better: a fighter devised by ex-Capcom designers for more experienced players, saturated with surprisingly deep tactics for a game populated by grimy fantasy stereotypes (but depicted in lovely 16-bit spritework). No better choice for getting your Conan on, though it remained…

“MOST GAMES WORK, BUT 8-BIT DESIGNS LIKE MARIO WORLD ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE” Fold it right there. This is a (Pritt) stick up. Just when you thought you couldn’t find any cuter ways to bring your favourite games into the world, along comes 37 year old Mark Green from Manchester, who spends hours crafting pixel-perfect dioramas of retro titles in paper and card. Each game is lovingly built one block at a time, and Green has a particular passion for old school Nintendo offerings. “During the day I’m an IT technician but in my spare time – or as much spare time as a dad of three has – I enjoy making and designing papercrafts,” Green explains, like a crafting Batman serving justice on paper at night. “Gaming models have…

PRINT 6 MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION £26.50 • It costs less than buying it in the shops! • There’ll be free stuff every issue! • Plus get two Star Wars POP! Vinyl figures! DIGITAL 6 MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION £14.00 • The cheapest way to get your GM! • Every issue is packed with trailers and videos! • Download instantly on the day of release! PRINT & DIGITAL 6 MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION £33.50 • The best value GM package! • Every print issue delivered to you! • Free gifts with every magazine! • A digital copy for iOS or Android! • New trailers and videos each month! • Get two Star Wars POP! Vinyl figures!…

Pick you disagree with and why: Invisible Inc – I’ve played it and enjoyed it at times, but it all depends on the level generation. Stages can either be challenging, or nigh impossible. Game you feel was cruelly missed and why it deserves recognition: Teslagrad – a brilliant Metroidvania game with great graphics, gameplay, and soundtrack. Punishment you deem worthy for the GamesMaster team: Attempt to beat Invisible Inc on its hardest difficulty setting. Your prediction for the future of planet Earth, as derived from videogame lore: 2046 – Teenagers find a new pastime to replace games: fighting miniature robots in super-tough cardboard boxes. [Little Battlers Experience – 3DS] Louis Moran, Staffordshire Thanks for your feedback, Louis! Invisible Inc can feel a little unfair at times, but for us that’s…

MANIAC OF THE MONTH! Nothing says “Nintendo isn’t just for kids” better than the GameCube controller. That’s a man’s A button right there! Alex Aldridge, Facebook I really wish every controller could be split into two. Bill Gardner, @GameOnGardner Alan Wake pales next to the genius of Deadly Premonition. Gavin Mitchell, @gavinmit I once spent 15 minutes swimming out to sea in Grand Theft Auto V to see if there were sharks. There were! Chris Bailey, @baildogg If South Park: The Fractured But Whole is anything like The Stick Of Truth I’ll be one happy bunny! Kimberly Fraser, Facebook My idea for Metal Gear Rising 2: Raiden fights a reborn Senator Armstrong who has merged with the moon to make a Super Metal Gear!!! Sean Mike Hollyman, Facebook No Spyro…

“THE RISE OF STEAM AND THE APP STORE HAS OPENED THE DOOR FOR INDIES AND THEIR GAMES” Campo Santo has a problem. The indie studio – comprising only around 11 people – has just released Firewatch, a game that’s been enjoyed by press and players alike. But this tight, narrative-focused game is short. Short enough that some players are completing it only to then return it under Steam’s refund policy. This isn’t just a problem for them, though. It’s a problem for our industry, because the justification for all this gleeful penny-pinching is that £15 for a few hours of gameplay doesn’t represent good ‘value for money’, a measure of worth that’s become something of an obsession within gaming. And it’s led to a dubious logic which insists that developers…

MATT’S PICK No Man’s Sky I’m a big celebrater of the current wave of new space-faring titles blasting into our consoles. Of the known crop, this number from Hello Games looks to be the most visually enrapturing, leaning on the vibrant designs of ’70s sci-fi novel cover illustrations for inspiration. The result? This is going to be all kinds of my jam. PS4, PC – 24 June ROBIN’S PICK Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Shameful confession time: I’d never played any of the Uncharted games until this month. Thanks to the Nathan Drake Collection, I’m now all up to speed, and seriously excited to see a properly current-gen sequel. What was it former editor Joel said as he walked out of the E3 demo back in 2015? “The best looking…

FIRE AT WILL 343 Industries has unveiled a scrumptious smorgasbord of free downloadable content on the way for Halo 5, including the return of a fan favourite: Firefight. This co-op mode pits four Spartans against ever-more deadly waves of alien nasties, and it’s set to return “in the coming months” alongside a number of new maps and REQ items. WAKING THE DEAD It seems that Remedy may be busy beavering away on a new addition to the Alan Wake franchise, with a trailer for ‘Alan Wake Returns’ found hidden within Quantum Break. The live-action footage makes it unclear whether it’s a new game or a TV show, or even a movie. HACK AGAIN Ubisoft has confirmed that a sequel to 2014’s open-world hack ’em up Watch Dogs is in production,…

Format PS4, XO, PC Pub Focus Home Interactive Dev Spiders ETA Autumn The red planet gets a bad rap in games, what with all the portals to hell and totalitarian regimes that seem to spring up there. The Technomancer doesn’t exactly buck the trend, presenting a vision of Mars hundreds of years after its human colonists have lost all contact with Earth. The result is a world in which water companies hold a monopoly on power, and you’ll role play your way through this hostile land in search of a secret that could change the dusty orb forever. Expect mutants, corrupt lawmen, and all manner of high-tech sorcery.…

“ Slime Rancher is the tale of Beatrix LeBeau, a plucky young rancher who sets out for a life a thousand light years away from Earth on the ‘Far, Far Range’ where she tries her hand at making a living wrangling slimes. With a can-do attitude, plenty of grit, and her trusty VacPack, Beatrix attempts to stake a claim, amass a fortune, and avoid the continual peril that looms from the rolling, jiggling avalanche of slimes around every corner. Each day will present new challenges to players as they attempt to amass a great fortune in the business of slime ranching. It’s time to try and figure out just how the heck you’ll keep these new slimes that seem to, well, explode all the time. You can play the game…

Long Bow – A silent yet deadly long-range weapon that’s perfect for hunting and clearing outposts. Spear – Takkar’s most powerful tool, and deadly from any range – a solid prodder in melee, and hurlable from a distance. Sting Bombs – Not the bees! Cover enemies in stingy insects with these buzzing projectiles.…

There are almost 20 arenas to brawl in across the land of Ferrum, and each backdrop is stuffed with detail – usually in the very appreciable form of a bunch of other Pokémon getting up to something adorable. As they tend to do. Here are our favourite spots to throw down: 1 The Neos City stage resembles Tokyo’s famous Shibuya Crossing, only with added Ambipoms. 2 In Ferrum Stadium, a Magnemite circles the action recording it on his camera like Super Mario 64’s Lakitu. 3 Old Ferrum Town is a winter wonderland. Dewgongs chill in fountains, Gurdurrs make sculptures. 4 Want to see a Pinsir raking leaves? Head to Tellur Town. It also features an autumn variant with hot air balloons. 5 Magikarp Festival is weird. It’s set on a…

“THERE’S PERSONALITY IN EVERY MOVE. KEN IS UNRUFFLED AND ROBUST, BISON A FILTHY ROTTER” Format PS4 (reviewed), PC Publisher Capcom Developer Capcom ETA Out now Players 1-2 Capcom’s marquee brawler is the easiest, hardest game to review. Easy because it’s wonderful to play. Hard because at the time of writing, it feels shockingly incomplete. There are things missing here you’d expect from any scrapper, let alone the most recognisable, venerable scrapper in all of fistory. In some respects, it feels unfair to forgive these failings (no spoilers – we know you’ve checked the score, you wag). The simple truth is that playing Street Fighter V feels amazing, and that’s how we should measure its success – not based on the extra guff that comes packaged with it. That’s an unhelpful…

“THE GAME SLOWLY PUSHES YOU TOWARDS PICKING THE SAME FEW OPTIONS OVER AND OVER” Format 3DS Publisher Bandai Namco Developer Monolith Soft ETA Out now Players 1 Picture it: the great videogame library. The Golden Goddesses alone know the decimal system that orders it, but in the spot The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen occupies in its papery parallel, there you’ll find Project X Zone 2. It’s a game where the plot is a vehicle not for character development, but a joyous excuse to smash together faces we already know. Where mechanics take a back seat while the screen explodes in a volley of references, in-jokes, and fan-fiction-baiting pile-ons. If you’ve ever wanted to see Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine team up with Phoenix Wright to pummel Street Fighter’s Juri, it’s…

SOLID SNAKE BITE Orlando’s Player 1 Video Game Bar was founded by two Florida men with a passion for restoring arcade cabinets. What better way to get your retro game on than sipping on a Nuka Cola (cherry mead and Coke) or a Donkey Kong cocktail that comes with banana bread? For more head to http://bit.ly/gm_p1 HEAVEN’S SAKE If you want to go to a bar that not only knows what a Power Glove is but actually has one, look no further than the 8bit Cafe in the Shinjuku District of Tokyo. A celebration of everything retro (especially the ’90s), this hangout is the epitome of pixelated fun. Find more at http://bit.ly/gm_8b MOLOTOV COCKTAILS You probably don’t need more of an excuse to head to the Big Apple, but the…

Net gain Hey gamers and GamesMaster, just a quick question to find out everyone’s stance on online gaming: do you think it’s been good or bad for the games industry and players? I find it a fine line between the two, as while it’s great to be able to play cooperatively and competitively with friends, I sometimes find developers seem to focus too much on multiplayer content, and the single-player seems to lack the punch that I’m after. Also I find it hard to concentrate on trying to get through a lengthy story-driven single-player game as I get friends wanting me to play online with them, so there’re loads of games I’ve started and never gotten round to finishing! Ryan Booth, Facebook Not having enough time to finish single-player games…

1 UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END Format PS4 ETA 27 April Our old mate Nate tops the charts with his upcoming fourth and final (?) entry. Not long to wait now… 2 DOOM Format PS4, XO, PC ETA13 May You lot clearly can’t wait to go to Hell and back in this revival of the classic shooter series. 3 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA Format Wii U ETA Winter Nintendo’s been so quiet on this game for so long now that we’re thinking of renaming it ‘The Missing Link’… 4 MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA Format PS4, XO, PC ETA Spring 2017 Bioware’s latest has got you all abuzz and eager to get back out into space for some guns and conversation. 5 QUANTUM BREAK Format XO, PC ETA 5 April What if…

“WE’RE PREDICTING THAT NINTENDO IS TARGETING A LATE 2016 LAUNCH” The Big N may only be months away from unveiling a brand new console, but hard and fast details remain thin on the ground. It’s no surprise, then, that rumour, hearsay, and tittle-tattle have thrived under such conditions. The trouble with rumours, though, is that it can be hard to know which ones to take seriously – so that’s why we’re sticking our heads above the parapet to make a series of concrete predictions. This is no mealy-mouthed rumour roundup or scuttlebutt summary, this is GM’s prophecy of all things NX. We recommend you cut out and keep this page, so that you’ll be able to look back on our confident predictions in one year’s time with reverence (or belly…

5 Amount, in millions, of soldiers killed in XCOM 2 so far. According to Firaxis’ official stats page 69 per cent of those were killed by the aliens, and 19 per cent by ‘collateral damage’ such as fire and explosions. 85,886 Amount of successful XCOM 2 game completions since release so far, with 58 per cent achieved on the game’s default ‘Veteran’ difficulty, and only a paltry 2 per cent on the toughest Legend difficulty. 1.9 Number, in millions, of doors kicked in by XCOM 2 troops, with almost as many windows smashed too. That’d cost over £1,000,000,000 million to repair.…

Drones These floating machines are armed only with weak lasers. End up facing a swarm of them, however, and you’ll soon regret underestimating them. Their ability to fly also means you can’t swim away to escape. Quadrupeds These walkers have a cute, almost playful appearance (we even catch one napping in the grass at one point) and remind us of Google’s early Atlas robots. We’re scared to try kicking one over, however. Bipeds These hulking things aren’t quite as cute, and mean business. You’ll have to misbehave a lot to attract their attention, but start a fight with lesser walkers and drones and you’ll soon face serious backup. Craft While not strictly bots, attacking freighters in space will trigger the release of a defensive swarm of ships out to teach…

Format PS4 Publisher Koei Tecmo Developer Team Ninja ETA 2016 William Adams from Kent is a man you should know. He was the first English explorer to reach Japan, became an advisor to the shogun in the 1600s, and according to historical hack-and-slasher Ni-Oh, was a buff blonde wielding a forever-sharp katana. It’s possibly a loose interpretation. Originally announced back in 2004, Koei Tecmo chose Team Ninja to reactivate its dormant development and pump it full of slick action-scrapping as seen in Hyrule Warriors and Dead Or Alive, albeit darker and more punishing than both. Enemy ranks rarely extend past three simultaneous foes, the obvious equalizer being any of them can drop you in a move or two. It’s all about rapid changes of pace, approaching slowly with sword raised…

Format XO, PC Publisher 8 Points Developer 8 Points ETA Autumn Wolves get a bad rap in our fiction, assaulting everyone from Red Riding Hood to Liam Neeson in an effort to satisfy their voracious appetites. It seems that a certain fear of these highly-evolved hunters runs deep, and it’s this instinctive unease that 8 Points is looking to exploit in its multiplayer survival debut. Because the Wild Eight essentially takes the premise of lupine-phobic blockbuster The Grey and runs with it, placing you in the aftermath of an Alaskan plane crash that leaves only eight survivors. With little more than burning wreckage at your disposal, you’ll be forced to craft makeshift shelters in order to survive the pitiless cold and the howling predators that roam the woods. You’ll have…

Format PS4, XO Pub Stainless Games Dev Stainless Games ETA 3 June The original game traded in deliberate controversy as much as racing chops, and this latest entry seems to be taking the same tack. Early footage of muscle cars running down wheelchair-bound pedestrians says little about the game’s handling and a lot about its edgy desperation. There’s something to be said, though, for the marriage of high speed and high explosives, and it looks set to deliver on that front. Open-world environments and a 30-strong garage round out this bombastic package.…

Format PS4, XO, PC Pub Focus Home Interactive Dev Cyanide ETA Autumn Cyanide’s spiffy stealth sequel sees players reprise the role of Styx, a diminutive master of infiltration and assassination. And the titular goblin is looking better than ever – assuming you’re into craggy green faces, that is – thanks to a significantly expanded budget and the transition to Unreal Engine 4. As such, the game’s sprawling sandbox stages, this time set in a sprawling Dark Elf city known as Körangar, look set to deliver visual flair as well as stealthy suspense this time around, with Cyanide Studios promising a greater focus on verticality and freedom of choice in its level designs. Fortunately, your gnarled avatar has a couple of new tricks up his ragged sleeves, with Styx able to…

WIDOWMAKER VOICE LINE RATING: 2/5 Allows you to say “you have my attention” any time you like when you’re playing as Widowmaker. Not exactly thrilling. KAMABOKO SPRAYPAINT RATING: 3/5 A picture of a happy sausage thinking about an egg that you can spray on walls. Points for creativity, for sure. BLUE GENJI SKIN RATING: 4/5 This not-particularly-rare repaint allows you to give Genji a blue-hued makeover. The perfect chilled-out look for a master assassin. PHARAH ‘BARRAGE’ HIGHLIGHT INTRO RATING: 5/5 Lets you blast into Play Of The Game like a Gundam with a swarm of rockets. Now you just need to get Play Of The Game……

SPARROW We spend the most time with ranged damage-dealer Sparrow (probably because we’re mesmerised by her pretty, shiny hair). Early in the game, her AoE attack Hail Of Arrows is the perfect way to clear wave upon wave of minions. Once you’ve tinkered with her loadout a little, her attacks become truly devastating, and her R1 attack and ultimate ability can pierce through multiple foes. When we get chatting to the devs, they reveal that in the right hands she’s maybe the most dangerous carry in the game, thanks to her incredibly strong basic attack power and potential to wreak havoc from afar in the late game. KALLARI The robo-assassin’s official name is Kallari, but we’ve unofficially nicknamed her Liquid Cyber-Squid Death (not quite as catchy, is it?). Paragon’s third-person…

Format PS4, PC Developer Discord Games ETA Summer Web http://bit.ly/gmchasm Oh no. Ultra-pretty retro pixel graphics at a native resolution of 384 x 216. It’s like our Kryptonite. Add in the fact that this Kickstarter success is a pleasantly tricksy Metroidvania game, which sees a young soldier arriving in a village taken over by paranormal forces, and we’re very, very interested. Chasm isn’t just another platformer though – the team at Discord has made each of the game’s six huge areas completely procedurally generated, yet still with a distinct handcrafted feel. Intrigued? You should be. “We were influenced by a lot of our favourite games of the ’90s like Symphony Of The Night, The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, Super Metroid, Metal Slug, Mega Man X, and…

0-39 Awful Avoid it as you would a bullet with your name on. 40-59 Poor Major issues here that won’t be solved with a hug. 60-69 Decent A mixed bag filled with sweets and sharp stones. 70-79 Good Some flaws, but still a very enjoyable experience. 80-89 Excellent Buy it, love it, thank us when you’re done. 90-100 Outstanding A rare and essential piece of brilliance. The small print: We rate games in comparison to what else is available on the same system, in the same genre, and for the same format at the time of release. So this year’s FIFA might score less than a FIFA from three years ago, but still be a better game. Because time, and our expectations, move on. Hey, you’re smart, you get it……

Connect to the internet when playing Adventure mode and you see other players’ Links scattered across the 8-bit map seeking assistance. Commit to a battle in their location and you notice a clear uptick in difficulty, but earn better rewards should you emerge victorious. Helping strangers might feel good, but the prizes are more valuable still if it’s a friend in need, and you also earn a bonus if they go on to return the favour. If you’re away from a wifi point, you can still join in by encountering other players via StreetPass, with similar prizes in store for successfully helping them out.…

Hero mode has become a regular Zelda feature, doubling enemy damage and removing health pick-ups for your second run-through. Usually unlocked after the credits roll, TPHD handily offers the mode from the outset so hardened warriors can dive straight in. For those feeling nostalgic for right-handed Link, the mode also mirrors the world as it was on Wii. Combine hero mode with Ganondorf’s amiibo, which further doubles enemy damage, and it’s the closest Zelda will ever get to Dark Souls. Not all the innovations are out to get you – a new Ghost Lantern makes a Poe-hunting side quest far easier. Phew!…

1 METAL GEAR SOLID V  PS4 Just got past missions 28 and 29, two of the worst slices of game design I can remember enduring. The open-world stealth is excellent, but some sections really extract the urine. Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, Editor 2 FAR CRY PRIMAL  XO I’ve now fully unleashed my inner caveman! Man vs beast has never felt more exciting, and Far Cry Primal looks visually spectacular. I feel the best is yet to come with this one. Sam Freeman, Art Editor 3 DRAGON’S DOGMA: DARK ARISEN PC This month I got to the end of this sprawling action-RPG. And then after that I got to the real end. It has to be seen to be believed… Robin Valentine, Production Editor 4 CRYPT OF THE NECRODANCER PS VITA Stuck on…

Awesome Boss! Metroid: Zero Mission Format Game Boy Advance Developer Nintendo Released 2004 Kraid, we feel, doesn’t get enough attention. It’s always Mother Brain this and Ridley that. But while NES Metroid couldn’t fully capture his skyscraping magnificence, making him look more like a stroppy Blastoise, the remake rectified that and then some. He’s a huge, fat, three-eyed crocofrog firing spikes from his three bellybuttons! And he has the best music. Where’s the love? Classic Moment! Alundra Format PS1 Developer Matrix Software Released 1997 You know how it goes in RPGs. Some NPC isn’t quite sure about you, so you have to earn their trust by going on a fetch quest for a… whoa, hold on, this Nirude guy wants you to earn histrust by legging it down a collapsing…

1 DARK SOULS PC / PS3 / 360 Combining challenge, intrigue, and desolate beauty like nothing before or since. Essential. 2 THE LAST OF US PS4 / PS3 Naughty Dog brings all of its strengths to the fore, fusing engaging gameplay with stunning storytelling. 3 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT PS4 / XO / PC An epic proposition that truly lives up to its promise. Engaging, mature, and unbelievably vast. 4 GRAND THEFT AUTO V PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360 The most comprehensive sandbox going, full of wonderful distractions and typical Rockstar humour. 5 MARIO KART 8 Wii U Reinvention is what Ninty does best, and nowhere is that more apparent than in this joyous karter reborn. 6 JOURNEY PS4 / PS3 This intensely emotional trip…

1 THE LAST OF US REMASTERED 2 JOURNEY 3 TOWERFALL ASCENSION 4 BLOODBORNE 5 RESOGUN 1 HALO 5: GUARDIANS 2 KALIMBA 3 FORZA HORIZON 2 4 SUNSET OVERDRIVE 5 ORI & THE BLIND FOREST 1 MARIO KART 8 2 SUPER MARIO MAKER 3 SPLATOON 4 BAYONETTA 2 5 SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD 1 HER STORY 2 GUILD WARS 2 3 DOTA 2 4 TOTAL WAR: ATTILA 5 KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM 1 FIRE EMBLEM AWAKENING 2 POKÉMON X & Y 3 ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF 4 LUIGI’S MANSION 2: DARK MOON 5 MONSTER HUNTER 4 ULTIMATE 1 TEARAWAY 2 PERSONA 4 GOLDEN 3 VELOCITY 2X 4 ZERO ESCAPE: VIRTUE’S LAST REWARD 5 GRAVITY RUSH 1 80 DAYS 2 FTL: FASTER THAN LIGHT 3 SORCERY 3 4 HEARTHSTONE: HEROES OF WARCRAFT 5…

THE DEFENCE ROBIN VALENTINE THE DEFENCE There’s some awkward dialogue along the way, but its story is unique in the world of games and genuinely touching. Despite its sci-fi elements, the focus is always on the believable relationships between the characters, with Max’s time travel only important in how it touches those she loves. It’s the kind of tale more developers should feel enabled to tell. THE OPPOSITION MATT SAKURAOKA-GILMAN THE OPPOSITION This mish-mash of barely strung together themes is a prime example of the low bar we set for videogame storytelling. It has no direction as it throws thematic ideas at a digital wall to see which ones stick. I appreciate that it deals with deeply personal material, but it does so with all the deftness of a blind-folded…

Go on, then. How many of you managed to complete our nails-hard quiz in issue 300? Think you got all the answers right? Now that the competition is closed and a winner of a lifetime subscription to GM has been picked, we thought you might like to find out just how well/abysmally you managed to do! Grab your copy of GM300 and have a flick through to page 88 , then have a glance below to tot up your final score. PART 01 Heroes Questions worth 3 points Q1:Kung LaoQ2:KlonoaQ3:MaxwellQ4:LinkQ5:Heather MasonQ6:A dog PART 02 Villains Questions worth 3 points Q7:M. BisonQ8:Officer Frank TenpennyQ9:DraculaQ10:LeChuckQ11:SHODANQ12:Ganondorf PART 03 Gameworlds Questions worth 4 points Q13:Dark Dark DungeonQ14:TerramaxQ15:Jak and DaxterQ16:CorneriaQ17:HillysQ18: Sera PART 04 Series Questions worth 4 points Q19:ShiningQ20:1993Q21:Golden SunQ22:HitmanQ23:Need for SpeedQ24:Quake PART 05…

0-100 Ah, you’ve yet to truly swaddle yourself in gaming’s rich tapestry. Grab some classic old hardware or download a few gems from the Virtual Console or PSN Store. It’s the kind of education that doesn’t come with detention and exams! (Well, apart from this one.) 101-200 You have just enough experience of past classics to steer you through most conversations with old-school gaming farts. But your mental trough marked ‘retro gaming’ is still far from full. Come on, get your brain in gear and aim for the top bracket when we do this again in issue 400! 201-250 201-250 Now that’s a mind well-stocked with retro goodness! Making it into the halls of the ultimate RetroMaster champions is well within your capabilities, we reckon – it’ll just take a…