Tabla de contenidos para April 2017 en Gamesmaster

“MICROSOFT IS HOPING TO REPRESENT EVERY GENRE, GIVING PLAYERS A VARIED SELECTION” Microsoft is going all-in on the Netflix business model with the launch of Xbox Game Pass, a new premium subscription service for Xbox One. It might seem the same as Sony’s PlayStation 4 offering, PS Now, but this is a cheaper, more sturdy alternative. Where PS Now utilises the cloud to pipe games onto your console, Xbox Game Pass lets you download its titles. Xbox Game Pass will offer lag-free gaming across an initial selection of over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games, all for £7.99 a month. Microsoft will no doubt see this as a win over Sony’s offering, which is both much more expensive and at the mercy of your internet connection. Of those 100…

1 The bold interface is a breeze to navigate. It features an alternate colour theme, swapping bright whites for deep blacks, which is easier on the eyes for those who find theirs drying out easily. 2 Like 3DS, Switch has consistent save states. Power down – even mid-boss battle – and you’re there when you turn it on again; there’s no more wading through splash screens. 3 To transfer pictures off Switch you’ll need to flip the stand and insert a microSD card. Copying pictures involves selecting them individually because, annoyingly, there’s no ‘select all’ option. 4 Attaching Joy-Con straps is troublesome. We did ours upside down – easy to do in the absence of direction indicators – and jammed it. It took our amazing strength to force them apart.…

You can turn into almost any object on board Talos 1 using powers pinched from the Typhon. Become a cup and hide from scary things. Mimics in their true form look like gooey headcrabs. They leap at you and slash at distance with adjustable tendrils. The GLOO Cannon leaves behind chalky formations that can encase foes, cover leaking gas pipes, and even build staircases. Whether short-circuiting, stunning, conjuring black holes, or firing glue, most weapons do more than simply shoot bullets.…

Format PC Publisher Bandai Namco Developer Mojo Bones ETA 12 April It’s a game set after a global catastrophe sends society spiralling towards oblivion, yet there’s not a zombie in sight. It’s a miracle. Despite its heavily stylised visuals, this is a grounded post-apocalyptic survival about enduring 30 days under severe conditions until rescue arrives. Crafting, exploring, and helping strangers you encounter reduces the timer. Inside an old church turned base, you’ll build relationships with four survivors who each have their own set of skills: Blane is a hunter, endowing you with expertise to explore new areas of the white tundra known as The Void so you can reclaim his supplies from an illusive white bear, while mechanic Maggie boosts the church’s defence to hamper scavenger raids. Heart of cold…

Format PS4, PC Publisher Square Enix Developer Square Enix ETA 20 June The best MMO on consoles is about to get even bigger, with new classes, dungeons, gear, and a massive map that goes far beyond what even diehard FFXIV fans were able to predict. After ending a 1,000-year war, your attention turns to liberating an area called Ala Mhigo from the Garlean Empire, which has been conquering any nation it can with an army of Magitek war machines. That’s just the beginning. You’ll also be heading East to a new continent inspired by Japan and China. Othard is full of towering pagodas, plains visited by nomads, mountain villages, and even an underwater temple trapped in a giant bubble. You’ll spend most of your time based out of the port…

“YOU HAVE TO JUGGLE YOUR TIME BETWEEN LOOKING AFTER A MARKET STALL AND EXPLORING THE WORLD” Format PC Developer Meowza Games ETA Summer 2018 Web http://bit.ly/gmmineko We don’t want to make enemies of dog lovers (we’ve some lovely puppers on p88), but add cats to a game and it increases feelings of happiness by approximately 4000 per cent. Imagine then, an island overrun with Dreamies lovers where you have to juggle your time between looking after your very own market stall and exploring the world, collecting crafts and eating new foods. Welcome to Mineko’s Night Market. “We realised that most of our joy in gaming comes from discovery and the small moments that make you laugh,” explains Brent Kobayashi when we ask what has driven development. “We were missing that.…

 Format Switch (reviewed), Wii U Publisher Nintendo Developer Nintendo ETA Out now Players 1 “WE SURF ON OUR SHIELD THEN PARAGLIDE OFF – SO EXTREME WE SHOULD BE WEARING A GOPRO” You stand on a precipice overlooking a sweeping valley and pick out a distant Shrine. Between you and it lie miles of open terrain, some of it flat grassland, some scorched desert, some icy tundra, and some volcanic wastes so hot they’ll burn the clothes on your back. An epic adventure awaits, and anything could happen along the way: you might get electrified by your own sword in a vicious lightning storm, or creep past a dozing giant, or encounter a bard who points you towards treasure, or witness a group of Moblins hurling spears at a boar, or…

 Format PS4 (reviewed), PS3 Publisher Deep Silver Developer Atlus ETA 4 April Players 1 “IT REVELS IN THE MUNDANE, CREATING A DISTINCT, UNIQUE, AND COMPELLING EXPERIENCE” Before colour TV, people dreamed in monochrome. Black-and-white images aren’t necessarily our default dreaming state, but early television had a huge impact on the mass subconscious, so our resting brains dreamed in greyscale. Colour television left a similar footprint on our shared consciousness, making dreams pop with pigment. Perhaps now we dream in HD, compared to the static-lined trances of our ancestors. We never imagined we’d end up learning much during class in this school-set JRPG, but this strange fact is just one of many trivia takeaways from Atlus’ latest. In Persona 5 you take on the role of a mute protagonist: a high-schooler…

“YOU START FROM AFAR WITH MULTIPLE TARGETS, TAGGING ENEMIES, OBJECTS AND VEHICLES” If you see this yellow outline around your map, get out of sight, because they’re searching for you! Hiding a body by throwing it into the sea might be funny, but you risk being spotted while you’re out in the open. Remember you’re not superhuman. If you sprint too much, your stamina bar will deplete and you’ll be in trouble. As you progress, you can upgrade and unlock better ways to kill, like silenced sniper rounds. Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, PC Publisher Rebellion Developments Developer Rebellion Developments ETA Out now Players 1-4 As the high-velocity sniper bullet zooms towards its oblivious target, so many questions come to mind. Once it hits, the only one left is ‘Why am…

 Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, PC Publisher Ubisoft Developer Ubisoft Montreal ETA Out now Players 1 “IT’S A COMPLEX SYSTEM, BUT ITS LEARNING CURVE IS SMOOTH DUE TO SOLID MATCHMAKING” Duels in Ubisoft’s era-colliding, hyper-violent brawler start you at the opposite end of the battleground from your opponent. You could sprint over and kick things off with a swift attack, but any half-decent adversary will swat away such a heavily signposted charge, then strike back with a move of their own. Instead, then, most fights begin with the two of you circling, assessing each other and posturing, until someone breaks and launches the first blow. Whether it’s your first time in the arena or your hundredth, this tension never abates. Brutal combat is at the core of For Honor. Attacks can…

Your badass nomad has quite the suite of powers at her disposal. Horizon’s skill trees are broken down into three core categories: Prowler, Brave, and Forager. Seeing as there are 36 different abilities to unlock, that’s a whole load of XP points you’re going to need if you want to complete Aloy’s stabby, Machine-hacking, forage-loving arsenal. To help, may we be so bold as to point Madam/Sir in the direction of some of our favourites… For starters, Concentration is absolutely essential. This ability slows down time when firing your heroine’s various bows, and it’s a complete godsend in the heat of battle. Silent Strike should also be one of your very first picks once you’ve built up enough skill points. This stealthy, utterly lethal spear attack lets you blindside Machines…

Format PS4, PC (reviewed) Pub Brett Taylor Interactive Dev Brett Taylor Interactive ETA Out now Players 1 Brett Taylor’s relaxing puzzler feels like just what the world needs. A magical little game that takes away all your worries and transports you for a fleeting moment to a better place. Yes, it’s that good, and yet you’ve never heard of it until right now. Simplicity is key, and on a very basic level, all you need to do is get the glowing line you control all the way to the end of the course. Failing isn’t severely penalised, and only sets you back at the start of the area you are in, but each level gets progressively more fiendish and rewarding as you progress. You’ll find it hard to put down…

Format PS4 (reviewed), XO, Wii U, PC, PS Vita Publisher MixedBag Developer MixedBag ETAOut now Players 1 Exploring the galaxy is a dangerous occupation. It’s even more hazardous when you’re separated from your companions and stranded on an alien planet teeming with devilish puzzles and dangerous enemies. Forma.8 sees you navigate its vast Metroidvania-style world as a tiny floating exploration probe. Environments are exquisitely designed, with striking Limbo-esque silhouettes in the foreground and beautifully coloured backgrounds that add a sense of depth to its 2D world. From the design to the controls and story, everything has a charming, minimalist style. Don’t be fooled by its modest exterior, though. Underneath lies a game that demands careful consideration. Finding the keys and upgrades required to unlock new areas requires solving some tricky…

JAKE Dog’s Life (PS2 – 2003) This bizarre sidestep from Elite creator David Braben cast you as a lovesick pupper on an epic quest to rescue his dognapped belle. At the end of the game, Jake produces an anal vapour so foul that it kills a woman. Seriously, look it up. SMUG DOG Duck Hunt (NES – 1987) While you might remember this particular pup as a judgemental tittersmith casting scorn on your marksmanship, it was reimagined in the latest instalment of Super Smash Bros as a friend to ducks andhunters. DOGMEAT Fallout (PC – 1997) Dogs are renowned for their loyalty, but Dogmeat has gone above and beyond, serving as a faithful canine companion to Fallout players for 20 years. This fearsome warrior-dog has chewed up many an irradiated…

This month, Robin shamefully gets his ass to Mars with The Technomancer There’s something magical about C-tier RPGs. I know they’re naff, tripping over their own limitations as they ape the likes of The Witcher and Mass Effect, but I still can’t help sinking hours into games such as this one. The Technomancer’s lesser means grant it a kind of freedom – without a major publisher calling the shots, it’s allowed to be earnest and just brilliantly weird. Post-apocalyptic cyberpunk sci-fantasy Mars: that’s a setting unique enough to be worth enduring awkward combat and cringey voice-acting for.…

THE MOST DEDICATED TEAM IN THE BUSINESS Office socialising is at an all-time low as every spare minute is taken up staring down at Switch screens. Worse, Robin’s attempt to fit in by dusting off his PS Vita has made him a complete pariah. Ben Griffin Upon hearing the rumour that Nintendo Switch cartridges taste bad to keep children from swallowing them, Ben set out to investigate for himself. The verdict? Bitter, but no worse than the office toasties. Alright with a dollop of chilli sauce on the side. How would you use shapeshifting powers? Transform into that MC Escher staircase. Rob Crossland We’re starting to think our art ed’s car obsession is getting too weird for the office. “I’d give my right arm for a go on that,” he…

Star Trek Online, I think it has one of the largest game universes. You can spend hours and still not visit every world. Joseph Bowden, Facebook Far Cry 3’s Rook Islands let me live my dream of being a naturalist, roaming around cataloguing the wildlife. And by that I mean hunting and skinning. Ben Griffin, Senior Staff Writer Any of you remember Midtown Madness 3? Loved messing around that w orld looking for glitches with my mates. Stu, @odeadpoolo Gotham City is my favorite world. I am Batman! Daniel Climo, Facebook Wind Waker’s Hyrule. So much going on, Islands to find, Moblin towers to reach, and treasure to hook. Oliver Roderick, Facebook…

In space, no-one can hear you weigh up engine-to-power ratios. That’s why most films and games focus on blowing stuff to pieces instead. Galactic Junk League is a construction-based shoot-’em-up where you build and battle your own ships in multiplayer arenas and, in Leon’s case, jump to the dark side as soon as you realise they have better ships. 5 MINUTES Han Solo, Jean-Luc Picard, Neil Armstrong – the best space flying… people had to start somewhere that wasn’t a space ship. So I don’t mind Galactic Junk League’s offer of a tutorial. If you’re about to throw yourself out into the universe in a tub you built yourself it’s best to understand how to fly it. And why bits keep falling off. It turns out that space piloting is…

President John F. Kennedy was never assassinated. The attempt on his life in Dallas only made the notorious space nerd continue his NASA programme emboldened. This is a vision where America’s space race with Russia was not the pinnacle of mankind’s effort to reach the stars, but the precursor to a continuous golden age. Over 20 years the USA poured billions into a lavish research space station, one that held a dark secret: it was originally built to contain hostile shape-shifting aliens. And they’re still there. In the ’80s these organisms, Typhon, escaped. All that funding and America apparently couldn’t be bothered to install thicker glass. After that the facility lay derelict. Until, that is, mega tech-corp TranStar bought it in 2030 and transformed it into Talos 1, a cutting-edge…

“It’s the way the world evolved in the past decade or so. If you look statistically, I think we are at a very close 50/50 percent of both gendered gamers, and so it’s just a matter of representing everybody. In fact, it’s not just genders. It’s also ethnicity, sexual orientation. We believe that we’re in a world where now everybody matters equally. So it’s a good way to identify yourself. First of all in the first-person game a lot of it is about identification, so we give you these choices at the beginning.”…

“A PLACE WE FONDLY ASSOCIATE WITH EXPLORATION, SPONTANEITY, AND THE JOYS OF GETTING LOST” Format PS4, XO, PC Publisher Bethesda Developer Zenimax Online Studios ETA 6 June It’s rare to see a developer kick off a videogame presentation by listing everything that’s wrong with the game, but that’s what happened at the unveiling of Morrowind, the latest Elder Scrolls Online expansion. The fact that the developer can so candidly look back on TESO’s shaky beginnings is testament to how far it’s come since then. We speak with Zenimax Online Studios creative director, Rich Lambert, about the game’s progress since that rocky start: “When we were working on the game soon after release, with all the mixed reviews and feedback, it was a kick in the balls,” he admits. “But we…

Format PS4, XO Publisher Warner Bros. Developer NetherRealm Studios ETA 16 May Where most fighting games task you with finding a character who fits your style, and then mastering them over a long journey of combo-learning and violent, personal expression, NetherRealm’s new comic-book warriors are open to interpretation on an even more fundamental level. Find a weakness, or an attribute you don’t like? Then change it. One person’s Superman could be a defensive tank, focused on wearing down the opposition to beat them, while another’s Supes can be a glass cannon, packing devastating power but as fragile as a Kryptonian dandelion. You see, every activity in Injustice 2 will furnish delicious, Destiny-style loot drops, taking in four types of armour – with differing stats for attack, defence, health, and ability…

Format PC, Mobile Dev Buried Signal ETA Summer Web http://bit.ly/gmgorogoa The very best brain-bending challenges seem simple on the surface. Two different-coloured dimensional portals, you say? How hard can it be? Well, just like Chell’s adventures but without the sadistic AI and Schrödinger flavour cake, Gorogoa has a minimalist premise. Four beautiful hand-drawn pictures by lone developer Jason Roberts await on each screen. From gorgeous landscapes to surreal patterns and abandoned rooms, all you have to do is work out how the images interact in order to progress the animated narrative. Simple, eh? Well, no, of course it’s not, but therein lies the charm. You’ll never get more than four panels, and the solution isn’t hidden or restricted. You can zoom into each individual panel to highlight a specific part…

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA (1986) Nintendo’s top-down NES adventure sent Link questing across a continuous world to obtain eight Triforce pieces and free Princess Zelda from Gannon. Save files let you preserve your progress – a vital innovation. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST (1992) This game, which saw Link traversing Light and Dark worlds, introduced many features now central to the series: the Master Sword; Hookshot; spin attack; and the idea of parallel realities. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME (1998) Widely regarded as the greatest Zelda, this is Link’s first 3D adventure andEpona’s debut. Here he played songs to travel through time, rescue Sages, and stop Gannon getting his hands on the wish-granting Triforce. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD (2011) The last console…

 Format Switch Publisher Nintendo Developer Nintendo ETA Out now Players 1-6 “HALF THE GAME IS IN YOUR HEAD. WHY NOT GO A STEP FURTHER AND PRETEND YOU’RE AN ASTRONAUT?” There are 28 games in this multiplayer collection and they’re mostly complete bobbins. The idea is you hold either a left or right Joy-Con and learn Switch’s novel features – motion control, HD rumble, IR Motion Camera, little plastic stand, etc – via a string of bite-sized experiences. As a rough idea, Zen’s about holding yoga poses and attempting to keep your Joy-Con as still as possible; Shaver sees you pass the Joy-Con under your chin to chop away the whiskers before your opponent; and Baseball involves one person swinging their Joy-Con in an attempt to ‘hit’ a ball pitched by…

Taking Confidants on dates is important, but it gets much harder to manage the more people you meet. Bring suitable gifts for bonus points. The weather can affect activities, changing enemy behaviour in Mementos and more. Have some moist protein and do pull-ups in the rain for extra HP. You need to make sure you upgrade all your core stats in the real world too: Knowledge, Guts, Charm, Kindness, and Proficiency. If you get a bit of spare time, be sure to brew some SP-recovering coffee or make yourself a few infiltration tools for your next Palace visit.…

 Format PS4 Publisher Sony Developer Guerilla Games ETA Out now Players 1 “IT’S THE BEST EXCLUSIVE ON PS4. FORGET UNCHARTED 4, RATCHET & CLANK, OR BLOODBORNE” Guerrilla should never make another Killzone. The Dutch studio spent nine years delivering dreary sci-fi shooters. Spend nine minutes with Horizon Zero Dawn, and you’ll immediately appreciate how head and shoulders above the Helghast the dev’s new IP is. This is a sensational sandbox; a game of such beguiling quality, it’s astonishing to think it’s the first entry in a fresh franchise. An excellent compilation of combat, hunting, and stealth systems, combined with gobsmacking world-building, Guerilla’s hot new PS4 property is one of the best open-world games in years. Hell, Horizon is more than that. It’s the best exclusive on PS4. Genuinely. Forget Uncharted…

Remnants of lost civilisations litter every corner of the world, representing long-forgotten cultures, races, and religions. These coloured spheres indicate your might, speed, and intellect pools, which are used in almost every interaction, including combat. You can use these glowing portals, left behind by an unknown civilisation, to travel quickly around the Valley Of Dead Heroes. You can travel without a party, but it makes the game a lot harder, and you’ll also miss out on some interesting character interactions. “THE WRITING IS SOME OF THE BEST WE’VE SEEN IN AN RPG, MAKING YOU CARE ABOUT ITS CHARACTERS” Format PS4, XO, PC (reviewed) Publisher Techland Publishing Developer inXile Entertainment ETA Out now Players 1 Centuries ago, a legendary figure called the Changing God discovered the secret to immortality. He learned…

“MANY PROMISED FEATURES WERE NOWHERE TO BE SEEN – BUT FOR MOST THAT DIDN’T MATTER” Peter Molyneux may be an icon in our industry, but these days he has a bit of a reputation. The last few years have left a subset of gamers mistrustful of the legendary designer, sceptical that his pre-release promises won’t always be realised in the finished product. But that wasn’t always so. Back in 2003, Molyneux was hard at work on a remarkable project that would come to define the studio he’d co-founded, and was telling the press all about it… The origins Project Ego, as it was then known, was unashamedly ambitious – a fantasy role-playing game that would enable players not only to shape their hero, but also the world around them. The…

Ninja Gaiden Format Xbox Developer Team Ninja Released 2004 Team Ninja’s Xbox masterpiece is renowned for its ferocious difficulty, and Alma is arguably the single hardest boss battle in the game. Flying on periwinkle wings, she’ll harry you from on high, swooping down to deal gnarly damage to Ryu before flinging chunks of masonry at the beleaguered ninja. Don’t let her grab you; the lady’s got one hell of a grip. Aliens Versus Predator 2 Format PC Developer Monolith Released 2001 Monolith’s crack at this long-running crossover features three separate campaigns, the first of which casts you as a terrified marine up against legions of lethal Xenomorphs. Blasting your way through that skittering horde is utterly nerve-shredding, so the moment you’re handed control of one of those alien killing machines…

“TALION LEADS A GROUP OF TRUSTED FOLLOWERS AND ANONYMOUS FODDER INTO BATTLE” Going toe-to-toe with the Dark Lord Sauron can’t be easy. He’s well defended, for starters, boasting an unmatched army of vicious Uruk-Hai and a network of fortresses spread across the vast expanse of Mordor. He’s feared, too, inspiring fierce loyalty through the mere fact of his terrifying power. And he’s got that nifty black armour, as well, which is very slimming. But Talion plans to take him on regardless, mounting an offensive against Sauron on his home turf, challenging the Dark Lord’s dominance by turning his own Uruk-Hai and Orcs against him in this new sequel. And to do so, he’s forged a new Ring Of Power in the fires of Mount Doom. That might sound like a…

Well, nothing. The 2006 original spent nine years in development hell due to technical problems and engine revisions. The end product was nevertheless an innovative shooter following the story of alien abductee Tommy as he explored a strange space ship. There were portals before Portal and gravity shifts before Super Mario Galaxy. Prey 2 was announced soon after, but work didn’t fully begin until 2009 when Bethesda acquired publishing rights. Human Head again handled development duties of what was then an open-world sci-fi game casting players as a bounty hunter in an alien city. Bethesda cancelled the project in 2014. Dishonored developers Arkane then took over and scrapped all previous work, making 2017 Prey a re-imagining rather than a reboot, carrying over nothing of the original besides being a first-person…

“DIFFERENT PLAYERS HAVE TO POOL THEIR INFORMATION TO ENSURE THEIR SHIP DOESN’T END UP AT THE BOTTOM OF DAVY JONES’ LOCKER” Format XO Publisher Microsoft Developer Rare ETA Autumn Must. Resist. Pirate puns. Rare’s upcoming high seas MMO is all about swashbuckling camaraderie. Letting you pillage with pals is the number one priority. Be it hunting treasure chests, fighting rival skull-and-crossbone crews, or simply reading a map, every act in Sea Of Thieves works better with fellow rum-swigging scallywags by your side. Perhaps more than any other game currently headed to Xbox One, Rare is creating an action-adventure where you need friends to get the most out of the experience. Just look at the navigation system. No one crewmate has all the information needed to successfully sail Sea Of Thieves’…

Even the GM crew’s relentless optimism has its limits these days. If we don’t allow ourselves a little anxious speculation every now and then we’ll collectively go bonkers. Following a binge-watch of the latest season of Black Mirror, we’ve come up with our six biggest fears for gaming tech’s future – all of them based in scientific fact and, unfortunately, 100% guaranteed to come true. Read on and despair… BOT FROM THE GRAVE You may recall this strange tale from 2014. Posting in reply to a YouTube video entitled ‘Can Games Be A Spiritual Experience?’, user 00Wartherapy00 regaled readers with the story of an Xbox game belonging to his dearly departed father. Having never been entirely wiped, the console itself still contained many of the man’s old save states –…

“THIS MINIATURE ADVENTURER EXPLORES A PIXELATED WORLD” Format PC Developer Devolver Digital ETA Autumn Web http://bit.ly/gmminit What can you do in a minute? Watch a 90th of a movie? Start to sweat as you gaze at the second hand slowly ticking down to your inevitable demise? Wow. That got dark fast. Anyway… Minit has been coined a ‘60-second adventure’ by indie publisher Devolver Digital, which has teamed up with a group of developers. Jan Willem Nijman (aka Vlambeer), Dominik Johann, Jukio Kallio, and Kitty Callis have formed an Avengers-style indie team and crafted a gorgeous retro-style black-and-white adventure with a difference. “Minit is a peculiar little adventure played 60 seconds at a time," announced Devolver Digital. “Journey outside the comfort of your home to help unusual folk, uncover countless secrets,…

Trekking to each of the game’s 15 towers is a worthwhile endeavour for the emergent stories alone. That they fill your map in is a bonus. There are around 100 Shrines. They increase your heart containers and stamina wheel, and once activated they serve as teleportation points. Weather’s more than a visual flourish. Rain makes surfaces too slippery to climb, while lightning storms render metal equipment unusable. Guardians patrol the outskirts of Hyrule Castle. They’re your fiercest foe, with a ludicrous healthbar and lock-on laser. They are killable, though.…

 Format Switch Publisher Konami Developer Konami ETA Out now Players 1-8 “WHAT SUPER BOMBERMAN R BRINGS IS ACCESSIBILITY. PLAYING WITH FRIENDS IS EASY” No-one uses bombs with such reckless abandon as Bomberman, who chucks them about mazes to trap opponents while trying to avoid the same fate. He’s been doing it since 1983, and little has changed in the interim. The view is still top-down-ish, fuses again last exactly three seconds, and explosions always travel down channels, making this all about quickly deducing each bomb’s potential blast area, then running for cover between square columns. The name of the game is angles and evasion. So, what’s new on Nintendo Switch? The biggest bonus is built-in multiplayer. With the Joy-Con you’re guaranteed at least one spare controller to offer to potential…

Multiple personality Your companions each have one Persona, but you’re capable of holding many. You begin with Arsène, but you can capture enemies on the battlefield and turn them over to your side, unlocking new abilities and opening up more strategies during fights. You have limited space for holding them, but it’s a good idea to get every Persona once. Find a weak spot To recruit Personas, you need to find enemies’ weaknesses. Once you’ve found them – by using different abilities in battle until you land a critical hit – you’ll know for future fights. The weaknesses are often obvious, with fire working against icy foes and guns dropping flying creatures. Get every enemy down and you can perform a Hold Up. Have a nice chat Once held up,…

 Format XO (reviewed), PC Publisher Microsoft Developer Creative Assembly, 343 Industries ETA Out now Players 1-6 “IT SILENCES THOSE WHO CLAIM THAT REAL-TIME STRATEGY DOESN’T WORK ON CONSOLES” The idea of combining the Halo universe with a real-time strategy game makes sense, but to deliver it as an Xbox 360 exclusive in 2009 was a bold move from Microsoft. It paid off, with Halo Wars emerging as arguably the greatest console RTS of the time. Eight years later, Creative Assembly has teamed up with 343 Industries to develop a sequel, advancing on the original concept without deviating too far from its successful formula. Halo Wars 2, then, is very similar to the first game in the series, offering the general RTS fare of developing bases, gathering resources, and commanding troops…

 Format PS4, PC (reviewed) Publisher Finji Developer Infinite Fall ETA Out now Players 1 “THE CAST INCLUDES A DEER WITH A LIKING FOR PETTY CRIME AND A MOODY GOTH CROCODILE” Mae Borowski is a college dropout returning to her small home town of Possum Springs after several years off living the student life. Dropping out of education, moving back in with parents, and rekindling friendships are fairly normal activities – normal for people, that is. Mae also happens to be a small black cat, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg of oddities you’ll encounter in Night In The Woods. Possum Springs is a bustling and vibrant place, its inhabitants as colourful as its beautifully rendered backdrops. The daily interaction Mae has with her comrades, family, acquaintances, and neighbours…

Format PS4, PC (reviewed) Publisher Hollow Ponds Developer Hollow Ponds ETAOut now Players 1 Loot Rascals distracts you with bright colours, shiny ability cards, and cute owls. Then, when you’re least expecting it, a demon horse trots up to you, rips off one of your legs, and shoves it up your nose. It’s a tough-as-nails turn-based rogue-like where victory requires careful planning, both of your next action and of your eight-card deck, which sits in the background and determines your combat skills. We died frustrating deaths over and over again trying to make our way through five randomly generated levels, but the game never felt unfair. Its core systems are all so simple that death will always be your fault, and the challenge comes in working out how those systems…

You know that new Nintendo console that’s just come out? The one you can take on the go, with the controllers you can split apart, and the incredible new Zelda on it? We’re giving one away, complete with red and blue Joy-Con, to a lucky reader, ie possibly you! You can enjoy Nintendo Switch in many places: in your bed, on a train, underwater with James Cameron in his expensive submersible if it manages to withstand the immense pressure, in the queue at your favourite pop-up bagel shop, or beneath your desk at work while your boss is away. But what will you play on your new Switch, if you do win? None other than a copy of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, included with your prize!…

1 Black & White (PC – 2001) A deeply idiosyncratic success story that combines AI systems with god-game management and a very British sense of humour. The game cast you as the deity of an idyllic island and tasked you with earning the adoration or fearful devotion – depending on your inclination towards good or evil – of its dinky inhabitants. Naturally, you had a giant animal familiar to help you… 2 Black & White 2 (PC – 2005) The acclaim afforded to Black & White led Lionhead to revisit its creature-filled curio a few years later, adding a graphical upgrade as well as enhancements to its animal AI. As in the first game, your familiar would develop its own distinct personality, which you could shape through positive…

“GROWING UP PLAYING ZELDA AND ALL THE REST LET THE MUSIC SEEP INTO MY HEAD” Spoiler: this isn’t going to be one of those CultureMasters where we attempt to recreate whatever craft we cover. This isn’t perler beads, gaming with a ridiculous controller, or trying out a cross stitch that inevitably gets covered in blood. Unless you want to hear our sad (and shrill) tale of learning to play the Assassin’s Creed theme on the penny whistle, we’ll just have to report on the joys of music instead – and when it comes to that, Grammy-nominated cellist Tina Guo is in a league of her own. Thirty-one year old Guo might play on a slew of adverts as well as the Hans-Zimmer-composed soundtracks to Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 2, and…

Cruel Nintentions Inspired by the bizarreness of Nintendo Switch multiplayer compilation 1-2-Switch, with its motion-controlled sandwich-eating, cow-milking, and yoga, we at GamesMaster envision our dream assortment of minigames. We haven’t trademarked any of these, which is a decision we might live to regret. Got any Switch game ideas of your own? Get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter, or email gamesmaster@futurenet.com!…