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PLAY|August 2020Welcome“WE ROUND THE UP THE NEW GAMES YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO PLAY ON YOUR NEXT-GEN CONSOLE.”GAME OF THE MONTHDesperados IIIPS5 GAME OF THE ISSUEResident Evil VillageThis is our biggest-ever issue! It needs to be, as after 12 months of teases, leaks, and speculation Sony at last revealed PlayStation 5, and what a console. You can see the hardware in detail on p6, and we round up the new games you will only be able to play on your next-gen console – there are more in our Hot 53.Speaking of which, on p38, we reveal the 53 hottest games we’re looking forward to on PS4, PS5, and PS VR. There were so many we had to add three more slots to our annual Hot 50 list. From Horizon Forbidden…1 min
PLAY|August 2020THE PS5 HARDWARE REVEALPlayStation 5 has emerged from the shadow of the DualSense controller. This console is a work of art, it’s no block of unwieldy, ill-shaped hardware that will struggle to squeeze under your TV. This is a fluid, elegant box of tricks deserving pride of place.The console features a glossy black, vented inner wrapped in a curvaceous white shell that draws the eye up and out, hiding the bulk of the machine. Size-wise, PlayStation 5 is slightly fatter than a PS4 Pro but taller when on its vertical stand. The form and flow of the console is even clearer when we get in close to the hardware. The white internal ‘lapels’ of the machine are textured to the touch; the black engine of the console is smooth and glossy. The hidden…3 min
PLAY|August 202015 NEXT-GEN HITS-IN-WAITINGSOLAR ASHGravity-rushing up our most-wanted listFormat PS5 ETA 2021 Pub Annapurna Interactive Dev Heart MachineThe team behind indie legend Hyper Light Drifter is back with a surreal visual spectacle and gameplay built around gravity-defying leaps and skate-like gliding. The camera twists and spins, the ground becomes the sky, and a vast vista of purple-grassed fields and spiral mountains lies before us. Wielding an oversized needle and thread our hero can lasso and pin to platforms as they spin past and hook and swing about the world. It’s Gravity Rush meets Willy Wonka and we’re lacing up our skates for all that entails.SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTUREFits PS5 like a woolly gloveFormat PS5 ETA TBC Pub Sony Dev Sumo DigitalWe’re entering a new era of videogames, and Sony’s still pushing Sackboy. But…8 min
PLAY|August 2020number game we do the maths£49.99 Cost of the just-released limited edition Ellie’s Tattoo DualShock 4.47,000,000 Views of Apex Legends’ Season 5 trailers. It’s the game’s biggest yet.20 Years since Mortal Kombat: Special Forces launched. Is it time to revisit?37cm The length of the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla collector’s hidden blade.08 Times Oscar had a nightmare about missing E3 flights. Not this year.100mm The height of the newly announced Nendoroid Yennefer from The Witcher.288 Pages: How To Make Capcom Fighting Characters, the Street Fighter edition.£89.99 For the Iron Man VR PS Move bundle: a great way to nab the controllers.…1 min
PLAY|August 202007 Planet Coaster rebuilds on PS5Frontier Developments is planning a double dose of rollercoaster fun, releasing Planet Coaster: Console Edition this winter for bith PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.The acclaimed theme park simulator enables you to create and share elaborate rollercoasters, but with one eye on ensuring your theme park turns a profit. The game’s controls are being reworked for PlayStation.Lead designer Andy Fletcher explains: “We’ve introduced some new control options that allow console players to build more efficiently. There is a radial menu that offers a handy shortcut to the more advanced features, we’ve added a Movement Snap option for lining things up and creating symmetrical arrangements, and there’s an updated Free Camera mode that makes it easier to build interiors and underground areas.”TICKET TO RIDEThe team is working to ensure Planet Coaster feels…2 min
PLAY|August 202009 Take a walk on the space sideLet your pilot stretch their legs, won’t you? Since Elite Dangerous released you’ve been cooped up in your spaceship. Now, with the massive Odyssey expansion, you’ll be able to touch down on planets and explore in first person.“TOUCH DOWN ON PLANETS AND EXPLORE IN FIRST-PERSON.”Elite Dangerous is all about crossing the vastness of space, and what happens on the journey. Switching things up to focus on the minutiae of individual planets from a first-person view while retaining the essence of Elite Dangerous is quite the undertaking, but the devs at Frontier Developments are keen to bring the concepts that have made Elite successful into these planet-trekking journeys.Planetside activities are varied, ranging from combat missions to diplomatic ones. Whether you use stealth or go in guns blazing, combat has a tactical…1 min
PLAY|August 2020“IF THE ONLY BLACK CHARACTERS ARE ATHLETES, CRIMINALS, AND PROTEST LEADERS, WE’RE LEFT WITH VERY LITTLE TO IDENTIFY WITH.”Even as overall representation in games is making strides, in large part thanks to indie studios, it’s still as difficult as ever for me to find a black character I can identify with, due to stereotypes hard-coded into the representation of black people. It’s a cross-genre problem developers need to become aware of to do black characters justice.Stereotyping is often visual: the black characters in most fighting games in particular, with their big lips, giant bodies, and overall threatening demeanour, are racial caricatures so embedded in a large part of the public consciousness many people don’t recognise them as such. That’s where the problem starts, because once you get used to seeing a stereotype devolved from the context in which it was created, you see it as normal.The normalisation of…6 min
PLAY|August 2020“WILL I SHED A TEAR FOR AN E3-LESS SUMMER? WELL, NO, ACTUALLY.”Last year, I worked my first E3. Rocking my own case of convention flu, I did a Walgreens supply run for a suffering colleague, helped someone else back to their hotel room after one too many, saw some amazing Final Fantasy VII Remake cosplay and, as I waited to play Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne, stood mere feet away from the wrestler Asuka. Drinks, meals, germs, and perhaps too much else were shared.I’m still nostalgic about vicariously experiencing past E3s from afar as a bairn, of grainy stage demos both amazing and awkward in equal measure, and of a general failure to manage expectations. Before I acquired my professional immunity to hype, I dreamed of what could be possible on next-generation consoles in five years time, in ten years, in…2 min
PLAY|August 202053 CRYSIS REMASTEREDFormat PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Crytek Dev Crytek, Saber InteractiveYour chuntering PC gaming friends probably asked, “But can it run Crysis?” in the late noughties, when Crytek’s shooter was at the cutting edge of graphics. It was a showcase and set a benchmark for all studios to match up to.As Steffen Halbig, project lead for Crysis Remastered at Crytek reflects: “Crysis set the industry standard for first-person shooters with stunning visuals, highly evolved gameplay, and an enormous sandbox world.”“THE FOCUS IS LESS ON CHANGING GAMEPLAY, MORE ON VISUAL IMPROVEMENTS.”The game spawned countless imitators, though itself shared much with Crytek’s previous game, Far Cry. It had a zeitgeist tick-sheet of features for 2007 (the PS3 version arrived in 2011) that included an open world map and open-ended missions, but it was…4 min
PLAY|August 202049 MOONR AYFormat PS5 ETA Summer 2021 Pub Everything Is Full Of Gods Dev Everything Is Full Of GodsShiny, surreal environments are the backdrop for this soulsborne. You play as a golem created by a godlike being, sent on a quest to destroy the cult which has imprisoned your maker. Your surroundings almost pulse as you explore, with things like strange faces looming out of the colours. Developed for PS5, the bizarre geometry makes use of the cutting-edge graphics tech – all those reflections will put its ray tracing abilities to the test.The creatures inhabiting It-Ao wield massive weapons, requiring you to parry and dodge before striking out with heavy and light blows. A hyperblaster allows you to deal ranged damage before closing in for the kill (a little like in Nier:…1 min
PLAY|August 202047 FUSERFormat PS4 ETA Autumn Pub NCSoft Dev HarmonixOn our deck we’ve got pop songstresses Lady Gaga, Lizzo, and Billie Eilish vying for supremacy with a vocal-only interlude. This is the latest game from the creator of Rock Band, and with over 100 well-known tracks to choose from at launch, you can combine a variety of instrumental and vocal riffs to create a mix that’s wholly your own.Rather than feeling disjointed, the three vocalists’ dulcet tones weave together thanks to the impressive music tech bubbling away under the hood. Things like tempo are matched automatically, but more advanced options allow you to fine-tune yourmix. However, our next trick really takes the main stage by storm: we spin in Lil’ Nas X, getting the crowd going with a chorus of ‘Horses, horses,…1 min
PLAY|August 202044 PATH OF EXILE 2Format PS4, PS5 ETA Late 2020 Pub Grinding Gear Games Dev Grinding Gear GamesThe original Path Of Exile has quietly become one of the best free-to-play games on PS4, a Diablo-like with layers of complexity and customisation, packed with heaps of content, and not shouldered with the weight of intrusive monetisation. It’s simply a great time.“THE ARMOUR AND WEAPON PROGRESSION SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY REDONE.”The sequel is more of an evolution of the first game than a full-on replacement. Its seven-act story will be playable alongside the old campaign, ending with the familiar Atlas endgame. The new story takes place 20 years after the original campaign, dealing with the power vacuum now that the God Of Corruption, Kitava, has been slain. Expansion content will also be retained.ROUGH GEMThere are 19…1 min
PLAY|August 202041 CLOUDPUNKFormat PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Ion Lands Dev Merge GamesNivalis is a city that goes on as far as the eye can see. Extending for miles in absolutely every direction – including vertically – you cannot escape from this urban sprawl. Protagonist Rania is a young woman who’s just started work as a delivery driver, desperate to make an impression on this never-ending city. You follow her on her first night on the job, zipping round Nivalis in her hovercar, dropping off dodgy wares while asking as few questions as possible.Along for the ride is her eager-to-please AI companion, Camus. Rania’s trying to earn enough dosh not only to survive but also to replace his original hardware. The pair tour the towering city, the dull anxiety at being in debt…1 min
PLAY|August 202037 13 SENTINELS: AEGIS RIMFormat PS4 ETA 8 Sep Pub Sega, Atlus Dev VanillawareBusty fantasy is out and science fiction is in for cult developer Vanillaware, best known for Dragon’s Crown. Painterly visuals and a fresh mix of genre styles persist, however.Focusing on a group of 13 high-school students in a fictionalised version of 1980s Japan, the game takes place during a war between humans and a legion of gigantic, hostile kaiju. Each of the characters is playable, and you’ll learn about them during side-scrolling adventure segments where you can explore and talk to other characters.As you progress you discover keywords that are added to a cloud sync, meaning you can use them to prompt discussion elsewhere. A flowchart helps you keep track of what characters are doing, and hop around between those event…1 min
PLAY|August 202038 EVERSPACE 2“EVERSPACE 2 IS AN RPG AKIN TO THE WITCHER 3. INSTEAD OF REALMS WE HAVE STAR SYSTEMS.”Format PS4 ETA 2021 Pub Rockfish Games Dev Rockfish GamesEveryone loves a character creator, and fine-tuning all the little details of their protagonist. This space-based game is looking to channel all of that tender loving care into your ship. Using a detailed modular ship-building system, Everspace 2 hopes to avoid a generic-looking fleet of player craft. Every component is designed not only to look appealing but also so that you can tell at a glance what class a ship belongs to. Talk about exploring the the depths of the galaxy in style!Speaking of style, Everspace 2 stands out as it won’t be using procedural generation to bring its planetary system to life.We’re told that…1 min
PLAY|August 202032 LITTLE NIGHTMARES IIFormat PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Bandai Namco Dev Tarsier StudiosSix is back but this time we’re not playing the yellow-mac-wearing escapee. Instead we’re playing as new boy Mono, with Six by his side as an AI helper. You need to keep her safe, and use the pair together to jump, scamper, and escape from pursuing enemies as they venture beyond the Maw in search of the source of a mysterious signal. “The main theme of Little Nightmares II is about escapism,” says this horror game’s lead producer, Lucas Roussel, elaborating: “How people try to run away from their lives, from their hard reality through TV screens and other means that you will discover in the game.”Getting Six to behave properly, and within the characteristics we came to love in the…1 min
PLAY|August 202029 HUMANITYFormat PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Enhance Games Dev Tha LtdLet’s be real here, humans are an odd lot – and we’re not just saying that because we spent our formative years with videogame characters instead of real people. Equally quirky is this game project from design company Tha Ltd. While this isn’t the firm’s first interactive experiment, game development is far from its only wheelhouse as it’s created a variety of visually-led projects. Company head Yugo Nakamura explains, “Loosely speaking, we’re a group of designers and engineers creating a wide range of computer media, including web content, applications, installations, and video.” Talk about a unique perspective.Inspired by the flight patterns of birds and humans’ attempts to understand them, this puzzler was initially pitched as a human behaviour simulator. With its…1 min
PLAY|August 202026 TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 1+2“TONY WAS EXTREMELY PASSIONATE ABOUT KEEPING SKATE CULTURE AT THE FOREFRONT.”Format PS4 ETA 4 Sep Pub Activision Dev Vicarious VisionsFor a gaming generation and then some we’ve been lacking genuinely great Tony Hawk’s games. But with all the flair of taking some big air to do a perfect 900 flip, the Birdman’s looking to stick a massive landing as the first two games are remastered and updated for modern systems.“The team wants to deliver the game Tony Hawk and the fans out there deserve,” says lead designer Leo Zuniga. “From day one, Tony Hawk has been involved in the game. As soon as we had the game up and running in its early days, he had hands-on time and provided some initial feedback. It was great to hear from him…3 min
PLAY|August 202023 VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE – BLOODLINES 2Format PS4, PS5 ETA TBC Pub Paradox Interactive Dev Hardsuit LabsYou may well have stuck with this magazine through various incarnations and console generations, perhaps even going all the way back to the very first PlayStation. To say ‘a lot has changed’ in that time seems like an understatement. Or maybe you took a break from games, only recently dipping your toe back in. If that’s the case, you’re restarting at an exciting time. We sit down with some of the devs behind Bloodlines 2 to discuss Sony’s next console, and their next game.PlayStation 5 presents an exciting future. Hardsuit Labs’ lead creative designer, Rachel Leiker, gives us the developer perspective on using the hardware: “We kind of weren’t expecting it to go as smoothly as it has been with…7 min
PLAY|August 202020 GHOSTWIRE: TOK YOFormat PS5 ETA 2021 Pub Bethesda Softworks Dev Tango GameworksShinji Mikami, founder of Tango Gameworks (and the director of the first and fourth Resi instalments), wanted to make one thing clear as he gave us our first look at Ghostwire’s gameplay: this is a vision of Tokyo only made possible by PlayStation 5’s hardware. Conveying the feeling of the modern city is an important part of what the studio that brought us The Evil Within wants to accomplish with its new IP.There are neon lights and massive electric televisions, quiet side streets where cicadas chirp, rain falling on large pedestrian crossings, and hidden pockets of greenery and shrines within the urban sprawl. This might be Tokyo as we know it, but it’s also besieged by supernatural threats. Weird glitches shift…2 min
See Also
Here are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in September 2024How far away are we from the location of the Big Bang?The 100 Most Iconic Guitars of All Time: Complete List RevealedAI.FUND on LinkedIn: #bigbangaifestival #airevolution #aiinbusiness #aifund #smes #networking…PLAY|August 202017 DEMON’S SOULSFormat PS5 ETA 2020 Pub Sony Dev Bluepoint GamesFor too long Demon’s Souls (and its enduring fanbase) have been confined to PlayStation 3. Even more unfortunate, they’ve been confined in solitude – and so stuck with teeth-grinding difficulty – because the multiplayer servers were shut down more than two years ago. As any FromSoftware fan will tell you, these games are designed to be explored with a little help from your friends, so that was truly a cursed fate. Even without servers, PS3 is still the best way to experience the original – however, the remake experts over at Bluepoint have been quietly working away on a reimagining.That is to say, this is so much more than a simple remaster. This is a ground-up reconstruction, not a mere polishing of…2 min
PLAY|August 202014 CHORUSFormat PS5 ETA 2020 Pub Deep Silver Dev Deep Silver FishlabsGrowth is not always smooth. Take the jump from PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3: you’ve no doubt heard plenty of developers speak about how challenging it was to get to grips with the unique architecture of the latter console. Happily, early indications suggest history isn’t repeating itself with PlayStation 5.“We do have the game running on the next-gen consoles already,” Marek Berka, creative director at Deep Silver Fishlabs, tells us, “and one great feature was that we felt pretty much right at home on the new consoles. This enabled us to experiment and explore the new platform. What we’re seeing is a massive potential.”“Many limitations and restrictions are gone,” he later adds. “[Before the PS5] there [were] strict […] limits,…7 min
PLAY|August 202011 MAFIA: DEFINITIVE EDITION“SCRATCHES BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM.”Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Hangar 13 Dev Hangar 13The original Mafia was developed in tandem with Grand Theft Auto III, at a time when open world games weren’t prolific. There were no established rules to follow, and just as Rockstar North set about reinventing how we play games so too did Hangar 13, but with a focus unique to this team. With Mafia, the aim was to tell a cinematic story within a large open city, with the player free to explore but never distracted by a GTA-style sandbox. This was a game that wanted to steer you down its own bloody paths.“It set a new standard for cinematic storytelling at the time. It made quite a statement about the kinds of…10 min
PLAY|August 202009 OUTRIDERS“IT’S A HOOT – SOLID AND HEFTY, BUT WITH A STAGGERING TURN OF PACE.”Format PS4, PS5 ETA TBC Pub Square Enix Dev People Can Fly, Square Enix External StudiosLike a blast from the past, People Can Fly’s PS4- and PS5-destined loot-shooter showcases what the developer is best at: colourful, often gloriously gory, shooting. Having played it we can say confidently it’s a hoot. Solid and hefty but with a staggering turn of pace, and a roster of elemental powers to deliver flexibility when needed, Outriders is old-fashioned fun.For all the game’s comic-book violence and colourful alien vistas, People Can Fly has approached creating the world of Enoch and the game’s setup in a surprisingly detailed way, with realism at the bleeding heart of the story.“Polish culture and history has been…10 min
PLAY|August 202006 HITMAN 3Format PS5 ETA Jan 2021 Pub Io Interactive Dev Io InteractiveJust like Agent 47’s position on the World’s Greatest Killers list, the social stealth assassination series is on a massive high. The last two games took the contract killer back to his roots to deliver delightfully tuned sandboxes packed with ways to off your targets. Not only is this one of the best stealth series ever made, it’s one of the greatest puzzlers.This third entry ties up loose ends, bringing the World Of Assassination Trilogy to a close. At this point in the story Agent 47 is firmly on the hunt for Providence, a mysterious, long-established cabal manipulating human affairs from behind the scenes. The odds have never been more stacked against our sharp-dressed villain-killer, and Io Interactive promises it’ll…2 min
PLAY|August 202003 ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA“WE GET TO SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON THE MURDER IN THE LAND, THE BLOOD.”Format PS4, PS5 ETA Oct Pub Ubisoft Dev Ubisoft MontrealBest keep a bar of soap handy when you play this latest entry in Ubisoft’s history-hopping stealth sim, because it’s going: “To get dirty, it’s going to get grubby, we get to get to shine a spotlight on the murder in the land, the blood and the sweat,” in the words of narrative director Darby McDevitt. “It’s not like the old Hollywood biopics and historical epics of the ’50s and ’60s, which are very, very romantic. We try to bring it more down to earth.”McDevitt has worked on Assassin’s Creed for over a decade, having played a hand in two games that changed the course of the series,…5 min
PLAY|August 2020EDITOR’S AWARDEDITOR’S AWARDNot 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 INCREDIBLEThe kind of phenomenal experience rarely seen in a console generation.9 OUTSTANDINGUnreservedly brilliant – this should be in every collection.8 VERY GOODA truly excellent game, marred by just a few minor issues.7 GOODA great concept unfulfilled or the familiar done well, but still well worth playing.6 DECENTFun in parts, flawed in others, but more right than wrong.5 AVERAGEWhat you expect and little more, this is for devotees only.4 BELOW AVERAGEAny bright ideas are drowning in a sea of bugs or mediocrity.3 POORA seriously flawed game with little merit on any level.2 AWFULDisgraceful: the disc would be more beneficial as a coaster.1 HORRIFICOwn this…1 min
PLAY|August 2020THE OPM BREAKDOWN25% Holding our breath as we creep though Infected areas.5% Jumping out of our skin as a rogue Stalker peels off a wall.10% Wanting to just hang out with these characters in a non-violent situation.25% Keeping our heads down as bullets and arrows whizz overhead.5% Reading Ellie’s journal. She’s no Drakey scribbler, but it adds a lot.30% Exploring the ruins of Seattle and shoving rags and pills into our pockets.21 Hours: the time it took us to complete our journey – that’s even longer than TLOU 1!14 Safes to find and crack if you want to get your mitts on some of the game’s best goodies.4 Years have passed since the end of the first game. An awful lot has happened in that time.3 The maximum number of medkits you…2 min
PLAY|August 2020A FOLD APARTINFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB LIGHTNING ROD GAMES DEV LIGHTNING ROD GAMESEver been in a long-distance relationship? Or had to balance one with moving for a job? Then get out the hankies and prepare for the ugly tears because A Fold Apart doesn’t hold back from grappling with the difficulties of matters of the heart. It handles the subject with a massive amount of maturity to create a concoction that’ll have your heart in a whirl, eyes getting watery, even as you solve the blocky puzzles that punctuate the dialogue.It’s designed to be personal from the off, giving you the option to choose from (inclusive) two-character options to represent your in-game relationship – one character has gone to the big city to work as an architect for a year,…2 min
PLAY|August 2020THE OPM BREAKDOWNWHAT YOU DO IN… MAFIA II: DEFINITIVE EDITION14% Admiring the details of Empire Bay…11% …but wishing there was more to do between missions.15% Feeling relieved as that’s what the included DLC is for; side-quests and more Joe. Perfect.7% Our eyes! The framerate really chugs in certain scenes.14% Cruising through the city listening to Buddy Holly and feeling the urge for a burger.39% Holding the trigger and tearing up the scenery.STAT PACK50 Retro Playboy Playmate centrefolds to find hidden around Empire Bay. Mature.3 Radio stations featuring classic jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and standards to boogie to while you murder.159 Wanted posters to find. Each features a mug shot of original devs from 2K Czech.50 Realistic but not licensed vehicles, including sports cars and trucks. All handle in unique ways.COMPEL-O-GRAPHLOVING/ HATINGBAY VIEWThe…1 min
PLAY|August 2020DESPERADOS IIIMimimi’s real-time strategy six-shooter is the best prequel to an original you may never have played. It’s a little nonsensical: this yee-haw-’em-up is set before Desperados: Wanted Dead Or Alive, which never made it to PlayStation, and has nothing to do with the second Desperados. Luckily, despite being as complex as this premise, in-game everything gels.There’s a lot to grasp but Desperados III eases you into its systems like a plains-weary ranch hand cautiously lowering into a hot tub. Each of the five heroes, who come armed with particular skills from sniping to a knack for disguises and a dirty great bear trap, are gradually introduced over the course of the first two chapters (nine missions), enabling you to grasp their unique characteristics and how to team them up.Channeling Hitman,…3 min
PLAY|August 2020THIS MONTH’S NEXT-GENERSOscar Taylor-KentGAMES EDITORRead Oscar’s epic ten-page spoiler-free review of The Last Of Us Part II on p134. He’s been clicking on about it ever since.GAME OF THE MONTHThe Last Of Us Past IIPS5 GAME OF THE ISSUEHitman 3Jess KinghornSTAFF WRITERJess is saving up all her tears for PS5’s Goodbye Volanco High (p10). She’ll need a whole a box of Kleen-rex for this one.GAME OF THE MONTHInfinite Beyond The MindPS5 GAME OF THE ISSUEGoodbye Volcano HighMiriam McDonaldOPERATIONS EDITORMafia remake’s promise of 1930s roleplay (p96) has Mim pre-loading her drinks cabinet. That’s what we call the Bee’s Knees.GAME OF THE MONTHMafia IIPS5 GAME OF THE ISSUEBugsnaxMilford CoppockMANAGING ART EDITORHorizon Forbidden West (p126) tops Milf’s PlayStation 5 wish-list. It looks amazing. He’s Aloy’ed to enjoy this oneGAME OF THE MONTHThe Last Of Us…1 min
PLAY|August 2020Meet the familyDUALSENSEPacking haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, a battery rechargeable via USB-C for fast charging, a new lightbar, and built-in mic, PS5’s controller is a thing of beauty.PLAYSTATION 5 STANDThe console’s stand has been shown propping up PS5 vertically, demonstrating the hardware’s curvy design. Naturally, the new console can also be placed flat on its side.PS5 DIGITAL EDITIONThis is the same console in terms of power and performance, it just lacks the Ultra HD Blu-ray for those of us who have embraced digi-downloads. It means this edition is slightly slimmer.PULSE 3D WIRELESS HEADSETDelivering stunning 3D audio and dual noise-cancelling microphones, the Pulse 3D headset could be an essential purchase. The sleek, curvy design just heightens our tech-lust.MEDIA REMOTEPS5’s media remote comes with voice control courtesy of its built-in microphone, and is just…1 min
PLAY|August 202001 Epic developers reveal PS5’s incredible power“PLAYSTATION 5 IS A MASTERPIECE OF SYSTEMS DESIGN […] UNLOCKING NEW KINDS OF GAMES AND EXPERIENCES.”Last issue we brought you the first details of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5, and its playable demo, Lumen In The Land Of Nanite, running on PlayStation 5. This issue we catch up with the team behind that demo and discover what’s in store for next-gen videogames and PlayStation 5.“The PlayStation 5 is a masterpiece of systems design,” expresses Epic Games’ VP of engineering Nick Penwarden. “Not only is it driving a huge leap in computing and graphics performance, but it is also revolutionary in terms of storage and data compression technology, unlocking new kinds of games and experiences for players to enjoy.”The message is clear: Epic Games loves PlayStation 5. It’s a feeling the…4 min
PLAY|August 202006 Broken Porcelain lets horror take wingFor the last two years, Italian survival horror series Remothered has been raising eyebrows. Wearing its influences on its fringed sleeve, it sets itself apart with a pronounced commitment to realism. Yes, there be monsters but you’re unlikely to be grabbed by any fanciful ghoulies – the worst of the lot are human.“PLAYERS HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT THEY FIND [TO] SURVIVE.”Broken Porcelain protagonist Jennifer has already lived a life of hard knocks, but things are about to get far worse. With only her wits and a new, mysterious ability called the ‘Moth Eye’, she must survive long enough to escape the series’ new setting, twisted hotel the Ashmann Inn. As she’s nursing a broken arm, it’s often a better idea for her to hide or run than fight.Stormind…3 min
PLAY|August 202008 Street Power Soccer scoresDrawing inspiration from EA Big’s highs on PS3 – games such as FIFA Street and SSX Tricky –Maximum Games is bringing super-moves and arcade style back with Street Power Soccer.Set for release later this summer, Street Power Soccer is throwing out the rule book. “Forget everything you know about the sport. No regulation size field, smaller teams, and no match officials – this is no-holds-barred soccer in its rawest form,” says Shawn Cotter, communications associate at Maximum Games.It’s not about the number of goals you score but how you hit the back of the net. Your customised player can master new moves as they rise through the street soccer league, making the most of teleport, reversal, and aerial shots to win.Street Power Soccer is about bragging rights, and four-player on-…1 min
PLAY|August 2020instant opinion strong vs wrongSEEN TO BELIEVEWe’re through the looking glass now. We’ve not only seen but played a bunch of games heading to PS5. The future is happening. Stay tuned.FEELING UNREALUnreal Engine 5 is working incredible magic thanks to collaboration between Epic and PlayStation. PS5 tech isn’t just powerful, it plays smart.SUPER SAVINGSLast month’s Days Of Play sale meant we nabbed PS Plus and PS Now subscriptions super-cheap. But… we’ve already played the big games!IT’S FATETaking cues from Fortnite, Destiny 2 hosted its first live event as Rasputin crashed into The Tower. Pretty lights, but a lot of waiting around.SPOILER CITYOscar finished The Last Of Us Part II and has had nobody to talk to about the story. He’s resorted to discussing it with his Joel statue.BIGGER NEWSSeveral gaming events were postponed, but…1 min
PLAY|August 2020“STOP AVOIDING IT. POLITICS MAY JUST BE THE CHERRY ON TOP OF THE CONSOLE.”We need politics in our games. There, I’ve said it. Death Stranding is the poster child for this social-commentary-as-entertainment. Its slow drag of delivering one parcel after another across a barren landscape under a ceaselessly grey sky had me reaching for my receipt and the phone number of the nearest CEX. I feel my eyelids drooping just thinking about Koj’s Amazon sim.It’s no surprise then, that it’s taken me some time to finally play it. What I found is a game with something to say. Its plodding gameplay sheltered a political message, and the more I delivered, the closer I came to understanding Koj’s world view: teamwork makes the dream work and staying together is favoured over isolation. Those 60 hours spent delivering packages didn’t seem so daunting any more.…3 min
PLAY|August 2020HONOURABLE MENTIONSSaints Row: The ThirdThe opening of THQ’s madcap sandbox sees the Saints pulling off a heist while wearing giant novelty Johnny Gat heads.Rise Of The Tomb RaiderBig-head modes have somewhat gone the way of the dodo on PS4, but Lara has some cracking supersized skulls.Fallout 3No videogame craniums go splat in such gory style as the heads in Bethesda’s doomsday RPG. Bless you, VATS.Did we miss your favourite head? Got a brilliant In The Mood For idea? Show and tell at twitter.com/opm_uk.…1 min
PLAY|August 202052 IN SOUND MINDFormat PS5 ETA Q1 2021 Pub Modus Games Dev We Create StuffPerception is key to this mind-bending horror thriller. We awaken in the basem*nt of an apartment building, a strange, eerie light flooding in, and when we peek outside a bizarre sea rocks the structure. Darkness pools in the corridors as we search for a flashlight and a way out, and we keep catching sight of something strange out of the corner of our eye.“LISTENING TO TAPES ALLOWS US TO TRANSPORT OURSELVES INSIDE THOSE MEMORIES.”As we progress to the upper floors we finally notice that our mind is playing tricks on us. We look at an apartment; its number is 999… then when we look back it’s suddenly 42. It feels like things keep shifting around on the edge of…3 min
PLAY|August 202050 GOTHIC REMAKEFormat PS5 ETA TBC Pub THQ Nordic Dev THQ Nordic BarcelonaThis offbeat RPG originally debuted on PC more than two decades ago. Initially it didn’t find much of an audience outside Germany, but it has since steadily fostered a die-hard fanbase – and now publisher THQ Nordic is going to give those fans what they want: a full remake, coming to next-gen consoles.Known for its morally murky world, Gothic puts you at the bottom of the heap of humanity and demands you dig your way up. Trapped within a magical barrier and tasked with mining precious ore for an overly ambitious monarch, everyone – including the guards that remain – is out for themselves. As such, you’re presented with slightly more complicated choices than simply ‘Do the right thing,’ and…1 min
PLAY|August 202046 THE LAST CAMPFIREFormat PS4 ETA Summer Pub Hello Games Dev Hello GamesDescribed by the developer as a “short”, this is the story of a lost ember trying to find its way home through a dark forest and ancient ruins full of taxing puzzles, past strange beasts and exotic vegetation. You need to collect flames on your journey so you can light that last campfire, though why you want to light it, and just what makes it the “last” remain a mystery.As you progress through the stages you make your way past embers that have come the same way before, some turned to stone and others decayed into sad-looking little skeletons. (Colourful The Last Campfire may be, but this is a tale with more than a few sombre tones.) However, if you guide…1 min
PLAY|August 202043 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: GOLLUM“HE’S EVIL WITH A THIN STRAIN OF GOODNESS HIDDEN WITHIN, OFTEN FOR SELFISH REASONS.”Format PS5 ETA 2021 Pub Daedalic Dev DaedalicWe’ve now had our first look at German developer Daedalic’s take on Gollum. The studio’s interpretation of the warped ring bearer has ended up looking a little closer to the Peter Jackson incarnation than early interviews suggested, but that’s not to say that there’ll be no surprises in store with this version of Tolkien’s iconic, jewellery-obsessed character.Senior producer Kai Fiebig has previously said the team doesn’t want to disappoint those who’ve only seen the films. However, this developer is approaching things from a different angle, referencing the many complex storytelling opportunities presented by games compared to films.As a character Gollum is uniquely complex and demanding for audiences and readers. He’s…6 min
PLAY|August 202040 GOING UNDERFormat PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Team17 Digital Dev Aggro CrabYour new internship’s a real doozy. Multi-conglomerate Cubicle is asking those taking part in the Impoverished Intern Initiative to go below and beyond, cleaning out the ruined dungeons of failed start-ups beneath their currently operating businesses.This means running from room to room, clearing them of enemies (such as Joblins and the Caffiend) by using anything you can get your hands on to give them a good whack. Going Under’s a roguelike so you’ll mostly be delving in with a fresh slate of powerups and weapons, picking up new ones as you go, weighing up the risk of finding what you need against how dangerous those areas might be. Weapons break easily too, so you’ll always need to be on the lookout…1 min
PLAY|August 202036 BUBBLE BOBBLE 4 FRIENDSFormat PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Taito Dev TaitoThe other iconic gaming siblings return in this up-to-four-player puzzle platforming adventure. We are of course referring to those adorable little dragons, Peb and Pab. Joking aside, together they must team up with their similarly draconic boyfriends, Bub and Bob, as they take on the journey to the cave of monsters.This entry in the long-running series gives your bubble ability functionality beyond trapping enemies, letting you burst baddies’ bubbles to spectacular effect. Just picture it: four spiky friends filling the screen with bomb bubbles. That boss won’t know what hit it. Not only are there 100 stages to bounce through, this release includes the original arcade version of Bubble Bobble, modes and stages introduced for the PS4 launch, and mainstay villain Baron von…1 min
PLAY|August 202034 PARADISE LOSTFormat PS5 ETA 2020 Pub All In! Games Dev PolyAmorousSet in an alternate world where World War 2 never ended and Nazi Germany launched a nuclear attack on Poland, you play a 12-year old boy wandering the wintry post-nuclear wasteland. Seeking refuge in an abandoned Nazi bunker you begin to realise not all is as it seems inside these reinforced walls, which had looked like offering shelter at first.With the action taking place in first person, much of your time is spent solving puzzles as you explore the underground chambers of the maze-like bunker. The corridors and rooms of the bunker are very atmospheric. With the ambient lights and menacing, lived-in feel, it feels like a place that’s been hurriedly abandoned mid-operation.As well as offices, meeting rooms, and machinery, you…1 min
PLAY|August 202031 PROJECT CARS 3Format PS4 ETA Summer Pub Bandai Namco Entertainment Dev Slightly Mad StudiosThe racing toybox of the previous games in this all-encompassing series is becoming a little more accessible – and face it, while some of us love Meccano, often Lego can be more fun. In a bid to open up its box of car joys for all, Slightly Mad Studios is refining and adding features to make all players, of all skill levels, feel part of the club. But don’t worry, petrolheads, if you love an esports-level challenge you’re still covered.It means Project Cars 3 retains its simcade, esports-pro edge and attention to detail while enabling newcomers to feel like they have a place on the grid.“We’ve taken huge strides to make the game more accessible than ever before, without…7 min
PLAY|August 202028 NIER REPLICANT VER.1.22474487139…Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Square Enix Dev Toylogic IncThis is more than a remaster or remake of the first Nier game. For starters, it’s based on the Japanese-only version that starred a handsome anime lad instead of a gruff dad (that one was Nier: Gestalt). The number after the title shows this is a revision that takes it beyond its base number (it is, in fact, the square root of 1.5, so think of it as a halfway step).The game looks gorgeous, the environments remade to match some of the stunning vistas we loved in Nier: Automata. ToyLogic is developing, but with oversight from Yoko Taro. PlatinumGames is also collaborating, bringing tight combat to the game (which we’ll admit was a bit clunky the first time around).Now fully voice…1 min
PLAY|August 202025 SCARLET NEXUSFormat PS4, PS5 ETA TBC Pub Bandai Namco Entertainment Dev Bandai Namco StudiosThe city of New Himuka is under siege from mysterious creatures known as the Others. As they’re impervious to most forms of damage, citizens have to stay away from where they prowl. However, in Scarlet Nexus’ world – described as “brain punk”, where technology and psychic powers have collided to create an environment with sci-fi and supernatural elements – humanity is not totally defenceless.Yuito Sumeragi is a fresh recruit to the OSF (Other Suppression Force), a new unit whose members use their psychic powers to take on the Others – it’s the only weapon that works. Yuito’s ability is psychokinesis, the power to move things with his mind, and he wants to become an elite psionic just like…2 min
PLAY|August 202022 MORTAL SHELLFormat PS4 ETA 2020 Pub Playstack Dev Cold SymmetrySome games allow you to open up new avenues of gameplay by speccing up a skill tree or acquiring new weapons. In Mortal Shell, in contrast, you evolve your combat by taking control of new bodies – the Mortal Shells of the title.In a ruined world where humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction, you have to explore what remains in an attempt to find out the truth behind your own strange body-hopping existence. The rot that pervades the world has given birth to fanatical worshippers of strange gods, making every wrong turn a dangerous one.The brutal world isn’t just trying to claim your life, but those of many others, ensuring there are plenty of corpses littering the landscape. You…3 min
PLAY|August 202016 DIRT 5“THE POWER OF PS5 ALSO MEANS THAT WE WILL HAVE AN OPTION FOR 120FPS.”Format PS4, PS5 ETA Oct Pub Codemasters Dev CodemastersThere are few better ways to experience a new console than with a racing game. Testing the visual performance of a console, they can look photo-mode-ready while the simulations running behind the chaos showcase the hardware’s processing power. On PS5, it looks likely that Dirt 5 will be the racer you need to make your new console shine.“The DualSense is great,” says Rob Karp, Dirt 5’s development director. He goes on to detail how Codemasters’ new racer performs on next-gen hardware: “When we got the tech demo up and running the whole studio came around and everyone wanted a go. It offers something new and unique and we felt…6 min
PLAY|August 202013 GHOST OF TSUSHIMAFormat PS4 ETA 17 July Pub Sony Dev Sucker Punch ProductionsWith the likes of Infamous and Sly Cooper under its belt, Sucker Punch is no stranger to designing interesting open worlds, but Ghost Of Tsushima marks the first time the studio’s crafted something with this degree of realism. Guided by wind currents instead of traditional waypoints (though you still set them yourself), here you can relish the adventure of the journey rather than grind to your destination.Set in the late 13th century, you play as Jin Sakai, the island of Tsushima’s last remaining samurai, and last hope against the invading Mongols. It’s rooted in real-life history, though its story is one inspired by legends of lone swordsmen, especially as shown in the films of Akira Kurosawa. There’s even an option…2 min
PLAY|August 2020Dev Talk“As a console gamer myself the idea that we’re putting out a high-quality version now, that’s a console first and it’s gonna reach a whole new audience, is very exciting to me.”Alex Cox Game director, Hangar 13“The soundtrack is a new composition. It’s inspired by the original theme [and] composed and performed by an orchestra to a high-quality cinematic score. The running time is three times longer than the original. We also have that original theme, too.”Alex Cox Game director, Hangar 13…1 min
PLAY|August 202008 MARVEL’S AVENGERSFormat PS4 ETA 4 Sep Pub Square Enix Dev Crystal DynamicsThis first foray into a whole new Marvel game universe starts with a bang – literally. The prologue chapter introduces us to the starting roster of Avengers heroes (Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Black Widow) and how they’ll play differently to one another, all while they take on terrorists hijacking a helicarrier.They fail, Captain America dies (apparently), and San Francisco is rocked by a massive explosion. The Avengers are disbanded and Advanced Idea Mechanics takes over looking after humanity, superheroes outlawed in favour of robot justice. Led by the big-brained Modok (a classic Marvel supervillain), behind a facade of justice AIM captures, experiments on, and gains extra powers from the new Inhumans created by the explosion.E-LASS-TIC AVENGERAvengers megafan…2 min
PLAY|August 202005 RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGEFormat PS5 ETA 2021 Pub Capcom Dev CapcomHappily-ever-after doesn’t exist in survival horror. (And if you don’t like spoilers, stop reading now.) After the events of Resi VII, Mia and Ethan Winters have enjoyed a few happy years together, but now Chris Redfield – of all people – has returned to bring it to an end. We don’t know Chris’ reasons or motives, but at the end of the announcement trailer we see the former STARS operative shoot Mia dead, followed by an anguished cry from Ethan – “WHY!?”It’s this question that drives the widower to the titular village. In search of answers, Ethan trades the cramped corridors of the Baker plantation for another first-person maze of run-down, snow-covered buildings and an oppressive, almost gothic atmosphere. Obviously, a few creaky…3 min
PLAY|August 202002 CYBERPUNK 2077“THERE’S SOMETHING INTERESTING AROUND EVERY CORNER.”Format PS4 ETA 17 Sep Pub CD Projekt Dev CD Projekt RedDespite a small delay, Cyberpunk 2077 is still on track to be released in 2020. Based on Mike Pondsmith’s Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop RPG, it just feels right as a videogame. Understandably, though, bringing his complex ’80s-tinged future off the pages takes some time. But by Jove, CD Projekt Red has done it. Night City feels like a character in its own right, a real place full of people, with a unique history, its streets hiding plots and intrigues that you’ll unravel yourself as you blaze a path to glory.V, your character, is highly customisable (in keeping with the game’s tabletop RPG roots). You’re not taking on a distinct character like Geralt Of Rivia, CD…4 min
PLAY|August 2020THE LAST OF US PART IIFrom the opening moments of Part II it’s clear why this deserves to be designated Part II, rather than numbered as a simple sequel. The Last Of Us ended with a devastatingly large secret for Joel to keep, and that hangs large over the events of Part II. He ponders his decision without any regret, but even so it’s a heavy weight.Avoiding spoilers for the first game? Then you need to look away now.Ellie’s immunity to the zombie-creating cordyceps fungus ravaging humankind was the source of a potential cure, resistance group The Fireflies realised. However, formulating the cure would lead to Ellie’s death. The group planned to do so for the greater good, keeping her unconscious as they operated on her. Joel, however, disagreed. Bursting into the operating room, he…19 min
PLAY|August 2020EVAN’S REMAINSINFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB WHITETHORN DIGITAL DEV MAITAN69 STUDIOSBoy genius Evan has gone missing, and in a mysterious letter he asks for one particular young lady, Dysis, to travel to an unexplored island to find him. Nobody knows why he needs her, or where on the island he might be. Cue running from left to right across gorgeous pixelated beaches.You won’t spend all your time admiring the beautiful reflections in the crystal-blue water, however, because strewn along your path are numerous murals. These are platforming puzzles, and to solve each one and progress you need to jump over the pillar at the end.1 Some platforms on the mural stick out, while others are retracted, and generally a puzzle revolves around switching the platforms between the two states. Jumping…1 min
PLAY|August 2020MANEATEROn the water-surface level, this might just be a game about causing chaos as a bloodthirsty shark, thrashing rival marine predators and humans on beaches into pulpy red stuff. It absolutely is that, but Maneater also has some surprisingly big shark brain energy too, as it’s also a revenge quest about the cycle of violence.The game opens with you playing an unusually powerful bull shark terrorising beachgoers in true Jaws fashion. You pop inflatable rafts to get at the panicking humans, and tear up the hunters who go after you. Nearby, the titular Maneater documentary crew are filming legendary shark hunter Scaly Pete, who has a brutal disregard for all sharks (his dream is to exterminate every single one). He hunts you down and captures you, stringing you up and…2 min
PLAY|August 2020THE WONDERFUL 101: REMASTEREDStylish character action games are bread and butter to PlatinumGames, the studio whose staff worked on the likes of Devil May Cry and God Hand, and which established itself with Bayonetta. The Wonderful 101 very much follows Platinum tradition, taking you from mission to mission, scoring each battle you have, and allowing you to mix some dazzling combos, buffet-style. But also it’s like nothing else you’ve ever played.What makes The Wonderful 101 feel original is that it’s more of a characters action game. Up to 100 of them, to be exact (the extra one is you, the player). You control the Wonderful Ones, an international group of heroes with secret identities. With the world under threat, they must come together. Newbie Wonder-Red (teacher by day) is assigned leader of the…3 min
PLAY|August 2020SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD REMASTEREDCasting our minds back to 2011 feels like extending a sore muscle; thinking back to the things I thought were cool at the ripe old age of 18 makes me wince. Grand Theft Auto had gone through its own growing pains, beginning to take itself very seriously with the release of IV a few years before. A number of GTA clones followed suit with mixed results. But one series decided to take things in the opposite direction.From the second game Saints Row mutated away from its donor DNA, ending up closer to a B-movie romp than a serious gangster flick. The third of its name then leaned all the way in, almost losing its balance under the weight of its papier-maché Johnny Gat bobblehead mask.This remaster does more than just…4 min
PLAY|August 2020SKELATTACKMake no bones about it, being undead isn’t as bleak as those hunters will have you believe. In the subterranean town of Aftervale, protagonist Skully is about to undergo a rite of passage among his fellow anatomical models and remember who he once was in life when his dungeon home is raided and the town Elder is kidnapped. It’s up to you and your wisecracking bat buddy, Imber, to save him and your home.What follows is an action platformer with a few metroidvania trappings. Exploration remains the name of the game but it’s in service to uncovering smaller plot threads that reward you with new abilities. Overall, it’s a brief, Saturday morning cartoon-style romp through the underground – but that doesn’t make it a gentle, whistling breeze through your rib…1 min
PLAY|August 2020THOSE WHO REMAINWhat better way to spend sunny days than curled up indoors with a thriller? This game, unfortunately, may not quite fit the bill. Protagonist Edward has turned to drink in the face of his personal problems but is about to turn a corner. Unfortunately, the nearby town is besieged by murderous creatures lurking in the dark. As if that isn’t bad enough, a young ghost girl won’t leave him alone, demanding he judge all those who wronged her.It’s a story that shies away from breaking the mould, and is perfectly serviceable at shepherding you between areas. Edward’s journey is split between exploring wherever the light takes him, solving lock-and-key puzzles, and being chased by distinctly feminine monstrosities.1 Exploration feels very classically adventure game-y though is far from a shining example.Navigating…1 min
PLAY|August 2020Your first impressions“The console! OMG!Loving it.”TJ Marinelli“Shut up and just take my money!!!”Mike Chenery“The actual console itself gave me the horn!”Aaron Ponsford“Console looks super slick.”Matt Mills“Looks interesting, no price point, but surely digital version depends on online prices of digital downloads always seems more expensive than disc versions.”SJ“In a surprising twist, it’s the console design and it’s tech specs that have me excited, rather than the games I’ve just seen. I can now see how it’s likely to be closer to £600. It actually looks like an aspirational bit of kit.”Pete Wisdom“Also looks great when it is laying down.”KehaanSTATUS LIGHTSWe’ve only seen the status light glowing blue, but if it performs like PS4 we expect this to react to how you’re using the console.COOLING VENTSThese run down the innards in wave-like forms…1 min
PLAY|August 2020Need to knowThe custom 825GB SSD inside PS5 is the console’s secret weapon. It ensures load times on PS5 are 100 times faster than on PS4, according to Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida. The SSD ensures PS5 games will be larger, more detailed, and run faster than those on current-gen consoles. It’s a claim backed by Epic Games’ VP of engineering, Nick Penwarden, who revealed the tech giant had to rewrite the core I/O subsystems for Unreal Engine with PlayStation 5 in mind.The custom CPU and GPU are a powerful combo. At this year’s tech crunch stream Mark Cerny revealed the console delivers 3.5GHz frequencies – PlayStation 5 runs eight Zen 2 cores at 3.5GHz (at variable frequencies), compared to PS4’s eight Jaguar cores at 1.6GHz. That represents a massive, generational leap in…2 min
PLAY|August 202002 Iron Man VR takes flight“IT’S SUCH AN INTENSE AND INCREDIBLE CHALLENGE.””There is a really strange and fun and extremely challenging mission that we unlock after you finish the game,” says Iron Man VR director Ryan Payton. He’s revealing this for the first time. “[This] is only for the hardcore, and I’m very curious to see what happens with the community once they find it and see if they can overcome it because I don’t think that more than 85% of our of the actual playerbase will finish that mission. Wow.”Payton reveals he’s yet to finish this super-secret post-game mission himself. “I don’t know if I ever will do as it requires a level of mastery, that the controls do offer, that even after years of playing I still don’t have,” laughs the dev.“It’s amazing…2 min
PLAY|August 202005 Counting down to Space CrewThe sequel to Bomber Crew has its sights set on the final frontier. Brighton-based dev Runner Duck has evolved its plate-spinning strategy game, this time challenging you with keeping your spaceship flying while repelling aliens.You control the individual crew members, making sure they carry out the tasks necessary to keep your spaceship going. You don’t spend all your time staring at the inside of your ship, however: you must actually pilot it through space as you explore and scan to complete missions, in addition to dealing with invaders.Space offers even more unpredictable dangers than the sky. As well as alien boarding parties you need to make sure you’ve got enough oxygen for your crew to keep breathing, that fires are promptly dealt with, and all systems remain online.Space Crew launches…1 min
PLAY|August 2020info patches update your brainSEGA’S NOT KIDDINGFollowing Streets Of Rage 4 and Sonic Mania, Sega’s next retro revival is former mascot Alex Kidd, with Alex Kidd In Miracle World DX. The 1986 Master System platfomer is getting a visual upgrade, new levels, and added Classic mode for fans who just want to play the original 8-bit game.WARHAMMERING IT HOMETactical shooter Necromunda: Underhive Wars puts you in close contact with the weird inhabitants of the tunnels of Games Workshop’s world of Necromunda. Create your own gang and send them into the tunnels, customising specialised skills to exploit against AI and human rival gangs alike.WE RE-RECKON IT’S GOODKingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning continues THQ Nordic’s recent tradition of bringing back cult hits with a silly name thrown in. A team-up between The Elder Scrolls’ dev Ken Rolston,…1 min
PLAY|August 2020PlayStation voices the month in mouthing off“I think people are underestimating the impact that the almost zero loading time is going to have.” Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon on next gen’s use of SSD.“We’re working on many exciting new projects we cannot talk about yet, but there’s a lot going on at the studio,” teased David Cage in a livestream on Quantic Dream’s new Twitch channel.“Recognising a great idea is a skill that so many have, but creating them is [a] dark art that far fewer have mastered.” Cory Barlog dwells on the creative process.…1 min
PLAY|August 202010 just one more question… the team debate this month’s burning issueIAN DEANEDITOR“BRING BACK THE OPEN WORLD FUN AND SUN OF THE UNDERRATED MOST WANTED SERIES.”I never liked Need For Speed’s Underground years – something about the shine from the rain-soaked nighttime streets made every race unplayable. I came back to the series for 2005’s Most Wanted. Its sun-drenched open world reminded me of Burnout Paradise. Criterion’s own namesake, released in 2012, was the perfect replacement. My simple answer is: give me classic Criterion racing – a clever open world bathed in Californian sun, and a driving model that lets me powerslide for miles. Criterion is the perfect team to put the gloss back on Need For Speed’s bumper stickers.JESS KINGHORNSTAFF WRITER“IT’S TIME FOR SOME ARCADE-Y SILLINESS AND THEN SOME.”Embarrassingly, I never learned to drive. Between lessons, tests, licences, insurance, and…2 min
PLAY|August 2020“I WANT TO SEE A VIDEOGAME BASED ON A SUPERHERO THAT IS NOT DC OR MARVEL.”Ahh, it’s a no-brainer that videogames based on comic book properties have been around since the early Atari days. Recently, though, they’ve had something of a renaissance, particularly over the past decade when it comes to Marvel and DC, with the Batman Arkham series, Marvel’s Spider-Man and the upcoming Avengers game from Square Enix – and rumours of a new Batman game are constantly swirling.But sometimes it’s best to forgo the obvious. There are many comic book properties which are not Marvel or DC, which have the potential to form the basis for very exciting videogames. It has happened before – take the extremely successful The Walking Dead from Telltale Games, which is based on the popular comic book from Skybound Entertainment. There have also been videogames based on Hellboy,…2 min
PLAY|August 2020Heads1 HITMANThe most famous chrome-dome killer in games may well boast the most iconic head in the biz. Despite having a glaringly obvious, ultra-shiny slaphead, Agent 47’s victims never seem to clock the huge man with the immediately recognisable skull isn’t actually their new chef/bodyguard/personaltrainer/hired clown.2 DOOMCacodemons totally count as heads, right? These floating beach balls of death are essentially demonic flying skulls that love to pepper the Doom Slayer with lightning energy. In the Doom novels they’re known as “pumpkins”, while the Doom comic calls the blighters “big-mouthed floating thingies”. How articulate.3 GOD OF WARMímir – or ‘The Wise One’ in Old Norse – sure is chatty for a decapitated brainbox. After Kratos removes his head from his neck, Mímir is brought back to life by the witch Freya.…2 min
PLAY|August 202051 OBSERVER: SYSTEM REDUXFormat PS5 ETA Late 2020 Pub Bloober Team Dev Bloober Team, Anshar StudiosRutger Hauer returns posthumously to one of his best-known videogame roles. Set in a future when people are often as much machine as man, this title is heavily influenced by one of Hauer’s most renowned film appearances.Hauer stars as Daniel Lazarski, a detective trained to tackle a particular type of crime. If you don’t want to – or can’t – remember, that’s not a problem for an Observer. Drawn by a message from his estranged son, Lazarski heads to a block of flats only to find himself trapped in the building with a slasher. Every augmented body left in the killer’s wake is a valuable witness, though. Thanks to Lazarski’s own augments, he can plug into the remains…1 min
PLAY|August 202048 WINDBOUNDFormat PS4 ETA 28 Aug Pub Deep Silver Dev 5 Lives StudiosCaught on the wrong side of a stormy sea, you are a young woman named Kara who’s become separated from your tribe, adrift, and then ultimately shipwrecked on the appropriately named Forbidden Islands. With only the clothes on your back and the will to survive, you have to explore the islands, making use of whatever you can get your hands on.How The Forbidden Islands got their name isn’t immediately obvious, but in fairness you have other priorities. Slowly you discover that the islands’ mystery is interwoven with your quest to reunite with your community. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.The islands are home to a variety of creatures – both food and foe. But before you can even think…1 min
PLAY|August 202045 WRC 9Format PS4, PS5 ETA 3 Sep (PS5 TBC) Pub Nacon Dev KT RacingThough Codemasters makes the best rally sims on console, we have a soft spot for KT Racing’s fully-licensed FIA World Rally Championship series. There’s a no-frills approach to the sport that, regardless of flaws, always raises a smile. Now it’s coming to PlayStation 5 we’re more excited for this series returning than usual.“DUALSENSE’S HAPTIC FEATURE COULD MEAN WE’LL FEEL RAIN HITTING THE CAR.”The real-world rallies of New Zealand, Kenya, and Japan are heading to PlayStation 5 at the end of this year. (The standard PS4 edition is planned for 3 September.) The gameplay demo reveals the detail you’d expect from a racer with realism on its pacenotes – in-car views reveal lifelike dashboards based on actual cars, the…2 min
PLAY|August 202042 BOUNDARYFormat PS4 ETA Winter 2020 Pub Huya Dev Surgical ScalpelsPlaying Surgical Scalpels’ impressive zero-G multiplayer tactical FPS feels familiar yet oh-so-different. It’s doing the game a disservice to say it’s simply ‘Call Of Duty in space’ because we’ve been there, and look how that turned out. Boundary is that concept refined, its iron-sighted shooting built around a playful respect for gravity rather than treating it as a gimmick to hang a set-piece from.The controls are responsive, and the game even makes use of the DualShock’s motion sensor to enable us to smoothly tighten our aim over a floating target. It works better than you’d think and feels second nature. You don’t think about adjusting your aim, your hand-to-eye co-ordination just lets it happen.It’s just one of the ways in which…2 min
PLAY|August 202039 VADER IMMORTAL: A STAR WARS VR SERIES“WITH CLASSIC LIGHTSABERS FROM ALL THE MOVIES.”Format PS VR ETA Summer Pub Lucasfilm Dev ILMxLABVideogames are constantly finding new ways to tell stories, and PS VR is the new frontier for interactive narrative experimentation. No wonder it’s taken Star Wars, Hollywood A-list writer David S Goyer, and a slew of developers (Ninja Theory and Epic Games advised) to finesse the format.This canonical tale puts you in the Force-sensitive disembodied VR gloves of a smuggler unfortunate enough to crash on Mustafar and come face-to-face with a post-Revenge Of The Sith Darth Vader. He’s searching his fortress for a Sith MacGuffin that could resurrect the recently deceased Padmé – the credits of Episode III have just rolled as Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series begins.VR INVADEROn Oculus this game was a…1 min
PLAY|August 202035 WRAITH: THE OBLIVION – AFTERLIFEFormat PS VR ETA 2020 Pub Paradox Interactive Dev Fast Travel GamesWe’re huge fans of Fast Travel Games’ previous PS VR release, Apex Construct. One of the first full-fat releases for Sony’s headset, it proved ‘proper’ games can be made for VR. Now the dev is back with a horror adventure set in the same universe as Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse.For the first time you can enter the World Of Darkness universe in virtual reality, in the first-ever game to be based on Wraith: The Oblivion. Exploring the modern-day Barclay Mansion, you play as a Wraith on a quest to discover the mysteries that exist beyond the Shroud.Erik Odeldahl, creative director at Fast Travel Games, tells us he’s a fan of horror games Amnesia: The Dark Descent…1 min
PLAY|August 202033 CRIS TALESFormat PS4, PS5 ETA 17 Nov (PS5 TBC) Pub Modus Games Dev Dreams Uncorporated, SYCKThis visually arresting 2.5D world wears its classic JRPG influences on its sleeve. Let’s start at the beginning: your travelling companions are boy-with-a-great-big-shield Chris and fellow time mage Willhelm. Leading the party as Crisbell through turn-based fights, you can send foes into the past or future, manipulating the flow of time to deal massive amounts of damage. In one fight, we send a slimy boss into the future, ageing and weakening their defences so that our blows land that much harder. But be on your guard as not all monsters are sitting ducks in the face of your temporal powers.You encounter friendly faces too. Their fates are in your hands as you can peek between the…1 min
PLAY|August 202030 CYGNI: ALL GUNS BLAZINGFormat PS4, PS5 ETA 2021 Pub Keelworks Dev KeelworksCreated by former Pixar artists, this explosively beautiful old-school shooter looks like being the game that’ll get our trigger fingers flexing on PS5, just as Resogun did on PS4.As a member of the remaining forces camped in the ruins of the planet Cygni’s lost civilisation, you’re the last chance the planet has to repel an alien invasion. Best go out all guns blazing, then.“WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE MORE UNITS WITH THEIR OWN UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS.”“Nostalgia at first, as we grew up playing shmups since the days of Atari and Amiga,” says Keelworks’ co-founder Meher Kalenderian, when we ask what inspired the shooter’s development. “Followed by the thought of introducing a cinematic approach to the genre – because of our background – all…3 min
PLAY|August 202027 GONNER 2Format PS4 ETA TBC Pub Raw Fury Dev Art In HeartOne of the most charming roguelikes we’ve played is spawning a just-as-lovely sequel, throwing the misunderstood Ikk into another adventure. This time it’s Death herself who needs his help, a mysterious presence having taken over her lair. You need to clear the interloper out for her.The procedurally generated levels are strange and mysterious, though they look gorgeous thanks to Gonner’s hand-painted style. However, each one’s a toughie. This is a game designed to get you used to the idea of dying a lot. It’s only by making those mistakes that you start to learn exactly how the world is constructed, and those generated pieces can fit together.Part platformer, part shooter, you need to protect Ikk’s head from being destroyed while…1 min
PLAY|August 202024 GUILT Y GEAR STRIVE“EVERYTHING FEELS CHUNKIER AND MORE GROUNDED, MAKING IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND.”Format PS4 ETA Early 2021 Pub Bandai Namco Entertainment Dev Arc System WorksSince the PS1 days Guilty Gear has been the punk cousin to the likes of Street Fighter: endlessly creative, prickly to get to grips with, and gorgeous – whether the graphics were luscious pixel art or the ‘anime in motion’ style that followed the transition to 3D. With Strive, the developer has taken lessons from past entries, but has transferred everything learned straight to the drawing board to sketch out a fresh approach.What results is something that really does feel new, a blessing in a genre full of minute iterations. The endless anime combos have been retired, and the focus now is on shorter back-and-forths (which still have…2 min
PLAY|August 202021 QUANTUM ERROR“YOU ARE A FIREFIGHTER THROWN INTO A VERY SINISTER AND UNKNOWN SITUATION.”Format PS4, PS5 ETA TBC Pub TeamKill Media Dev TeamKill MediaWe’ve seen it before. Something’s gone wrong in a futuristic facility, unleashing horror, and you have to go in to sort it out. But rarely do you play a first responder, someone who realistically would have to jump into the situation with the aim of saving lives. Quantum Error’s unique aspect is that you play as a firefighter, and it could be the thing that sets it apart from its survival horror peers.“Garboa Fire District is called in as mutual aid to the Monad facility following a terrorist attack,” explains TeamKill’s Micah Jones. “The Monad firefighters have all been killed in the attack and the fire is out of…6 min
PLAY|August 202018 GODFALLFormat PS5 ETA 2020 Pub Gearbox Publishing Dev Counterplay GamesYou are one of the last protectors of the divided realm, Aperion. Now split between the elements (earth, air, fire, and water), Aperion needs its, ahem, ‘god-like’ guardians to unite their opposing forces.As a Valorian knight, the Valorplates are the tools of your trade. These 12 unlockable, zodiac-inspired suits of armour supercharge your abilities in this loot-slasher, focused on melee combat rather than shooting. Gear up and pick your way skyward through each of the elemental realms. Waiting for you at the top is the mad god Macros, and we suspect he won’t be one to just talk it out when he sees you.But that’s enough from the lore corner for now, as enticing as the battle scars on that intricate…2 min
PLAY|August 202015 RETURNAL“NO LOADING TIMES ENSURES THIS SHOOTER WILL HAVE A RELENTLESS PACE.”Format PS5 ETA 2020 Pub Sony Dev HousemarqueThe developer of Resogun and Matterfall hasn’t totally forgotten its love of retro shooters in its PS5 exclusive. The game updates the roguelike template and welds it to a fraught shooter set on an alien world that adapts to how you play.A female astronaut crashes on an alien world and is caught in a time loop, every death taking her closer to discovering the planet’s secrets. But every resurrection also changes her and the hostile planet, which alters to fit how you play.There’s a clear Dark Souls feel to the setup but the action appears rooted in bullet hell, from a third-person view, which builds on the developer’s history for delivering frenetic retro-inspired…1 min
PLAY|August 202012 WATCH DOGS: LEGIONFormat PS4, PS5 ETA 2020 Pub Ubisoft Dev Ubisoft TorontoPresenting a dystopian, post-Brexit future so close to home it may as well be just a jump to the right for us – masks and all – Legion is an ambitious followup. London’s been abandoned by its government, and opportunistic private military corporation Albion has moved in to take its place.Trapped in a surveillance state, citizens are forced to wear tech that tracks their every move. Albion has dirt on everyone and has no qualms about leveraging this to get Londoners to do its bidding. It’s up to the hackers of DedSec – including you – to fight back and loosen Albion’s death grip on the city. But here’s the twist: potentially any NPC you see on the street, from a…2 min
PLAY|August 202010 GRAN TURISMO 7“DEFINING WHAT RACING SIMS CAN BE ON PLAYSTATION.”Format PS5 ETA TBC Pub Sony Dev Polyphony DigitalNothing gets us revved up more than looking at slick, shiny models of expensive cars, and then seeing them whizz around the track with a degree of realism that makes us rub our eyes and wonder if we sat on the remote and switched over to The Racing Channel.With a seven in the title, this is a full-blooded Gran Turismo. Ever since PS1 the iconic racing series has been there in our rear-view mirror, defining what racing sims can be on PlayStation. And yes, career mode is back. The action shown off at Sony’s PS5 event included a glimpse of the hub for this, revealing the game will feature the likes of a Driving School,…1 min
PLAY|August 202007 DEATHLOOPFormat PS5 ETA 2020 Pub Bethesda Dev Arkane StudiosThe prospect of a neverending party will send introverts scurrying up the stairs under the best of circ*mstances, but Arkane’s imagining an especially nightmarish scenario where even death is not an escape.Colt the assassin has a list of eight targets that he needs to cross off by midnight. His search for each mark is restricted to Black Reef, the aforementioned 24/7 party island. But this party isn’t unceasing due to an inhuman amount of stamina but rather a time loop, with the day resetting at midnight. Colt isn’t just hoping to off his eight marks, he’s also desperate to end the loop.“COLT THE ASSASSIN HAS A LIST OF TARGETS THAT HE NEEDS TO CROSS OFF BY MIDNIGHT.”Rival assassin Julianna is hell-bent on…1 min
PLAY|August 202004 MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN MILES MORALES“WE’VE SEEN MORALES SWINGING THROUGH A SNOWY NEW YORK.”Format PS5 ETA 2020 Pub Sony Dev Insomniac GamesThere was a little confusion the day after this game was revealed, when it was suggested that it would be “an expansion and an enhancement to the previous game.” However, Sony later clarified that this will indeed be a standalone game.This is a game designed to showcase everything PS5 can do. Making use of the new hardware’s ultra-fast SSD we’re promised near-instantaneous load times during fast travel. The DualSense’s haptic feedback will be used to let us feel the tension in every web-swing, and the impact of each punch, web shot, and electrical venom blast. Naturally, Spider-Man Miles Morales will look spectacular in motion.As for the story, we know this game will track the…1 min
PLAY|August 2020HORIZON FORBIDDEN WESTFormat PS5 ETA TBC Pub Sony Dev Guerrilla GamesAloy went on a journey of self-discovery in Horizon Zero Dawn. It took her across her homeland as she uncovered the mysteries behind the Zero Dawn terraforming project, and stopped AI-core-gone-rogue HADES from destroying it all for good. It was an exhausting journey, but for both Aloy and the new humankind born into the ashes of the old, it was just the beginning of redefining their post-apocalyptic world. Now she’s got another lengthy trek ahead of her, visiting new places and tackling new mechanimals.HADES was defeated, but escaped with Aloy’s one-time ally, the technologically gifted Sylas. Fresh threats continue to put Earth at risk. Horizon Forbidden West follows Aloy as she pushes across the land, into the ruins of America, on her…2 min
PLAY|August 2020DOWNTOWN SEATTLE01 The vista as we enter Downtown is truly impressive, showing even a world ravaged by a deadly fungus can be beautiful and colourful. But where will we find some gasoline?02 One of our leads first takes us to a synagogue. After we sneak past some Infected, Ellie’s girlfriend Dina takes a moment to reflect on her faith in these difficult, ultra-violent times.03 However, there’s no gas. So we look for the courthouse. Along the way we pass a checkpoint, finding goodies and a tip-off to a nearby cache that Ellie marks on the map.04 Before we set off to the courthouse we spy a ruined music shop. Heading inside we find vinyl and instruments, including an acoustic guitar we can use to strum Take On Me.05 The cache is…2 min
PLAY|August 2020TRAILMAKERSINFOFORMAT PS4 ETA OUT NOW PUB FLASHBULB GAMES DEV FLASHBULB GAMESConstructing vehicles out of totally-not-Lego and then driving/flying/sailing them around sounds like a great idea. And that’s because it is. While there are plenty of premade vehicle templates (which you can follow step-by-step or have built automatically) in Trailmakers, this is very much a game that is designed with creativity in mind. If you can think of it, you can build and use it! In theory.Physically putting pieces together, while a bit fiddly, is very simple. Push two blocks together, and bam! They’re joined. You have to unlock some elements (mainly decoration) with coins earned in-game, but from the first second of play you have access to a wide variety of blocks, connectors, engines, wheels, and more. Naturally, you can…1 min
PLAY|August 2020MAFIA II: DEFINITIVE EDITIONStanding in the snow under the glowing sign for Stella’s Diner as flakes drift all around and Dean Martin croons Let It Snow, all Vito Scaletta wants to do is get home. It’s 1944 and we’re back from the war in Italy with no intention of returning to Europe. Our new battles will be fought on the streets of Empire Bay.The opening chapters of Mafia II: Definitive Edition, a remake of the 2010 PS3 release, reveal all you need to know. Earlier we shot up an Italian church during Operation Husky, drank whisky with old friends, and took in the city’s sights. Hangar 13 set out to create a cinematic shooter that taps into the same mobster stereotypes that De Niro has spent a career mining, and in this respect…5 min
PLAY|August 2020THE OPM BREAKDOWNWHAT YOU DO IN… THE WONDERFUL 101: RM10% Wrangling with the third-person controls.5% Deciding which upgrades to buy between missions.5% Shoving heroes into doorways and toilets to find hidden secrets.11% Taking on challenging secret missions until you emerge victorious!9% Wondering why Wonder-Blue makes you swoon. Oh wait, it’s Apex’s Mirage’s actor!60% Creating Unite Morphs and whacking countless aliens into the sky.STAT PACK100 The maximum number of heroes you can employ in each level to create gigantic morphs.9 Operations for your squad of heroes to battle through, each divided into three missions.5 Platinum coins to find, deviously hidden in each level, if you like an extra challenge.18 Hours to finish the game, and that’s without taking time to find most of the collectibles.MULTIPL AYEREach player takes control of a main character…1 min
PLAY|August 2020INFINTE BEYOND THE MINDRetro has become an increasingly big mood in games. Feeling very much like it stepped straight out of a long-forgotten game cabinet and on to modern day consoles, this effort from solo developer Emilie Coyo is a worthy pre-tender.Playing solo or co-op as one of two badass gals, it’s you against evil Queen Evangelyn and her army in this retro side-scroller. While you have a limited range of attacks, punching out waves of military personnel is tight and responsive. Dodging and dashing through stages makes for slick, satisfying action.Mercifully, each stage is broken up into smaller areas, on the whole being relatively brief, mitigating frustration upon defeat and beckoning you back for more. That said, you can easily pelt through everything in an afternoon on easy difficulty thanks to instant…1 min
PLAY|August 2020PIXEL RIPPED 1995Do you enjoy shooting people in the face with ping pong balls? Silly question; of course you do. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so here, although amazingly, that’s not the focus of the experience. You’ll be using PS VR to sit in front of a TV, playing a fake retro game. It’s better than it sounds; let us explain.You play as videogame character Dot, who connects with real-life player David, who then controls Dot. Remember the fact that you’re doing all this in VR, and things start to go a bit Inception, but it’s all presented in a very simple way. Fundamentally, you’re a child playing a game in his living room/bedroom/arcade, but with a significant twist: the on-screen action sometimes bleeds into the real world.It’s a little…2 min
