Tabla de contenidos para September 2016 en Gamesmaster

So… Nintendo, eh? Just when many had assumed The Big N was circling the drain after the disappointing sales of the Wii U (not us, I hasten to add), along it comes with a sucker punch double-whammy. First comes The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, the most exciting and transformative Zelda we’ve played in years. Over in our special feature (p48) you’ll find everything you need to know, from hands-on impressions to in-depth analysis, plus some specially-baked behind-the-scenes insight into how the venerable series has evolved over the last three decades of games. And then there’s Pokémon Go. Just like the Game Boy versions of Red and Blue did back in the ’90s the collectable critters are reinvigorating hordes of lapsed Ninty fans and capturing the imagination of…

MAFIA III Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 7 October Quite the leap for this stunning-looking open-world effort – from number four last month to pole position. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD Format NX, Wii U ETASpring 2017 Get yourself to p46 for our massive cover feature on this upcoming gem. WATCH DOGS 2 Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 15 November Open-world hacks are back…s, and it looks like this sequel’s going to improve on the original in every way. THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 28 October Skyrim returns to effortlessly suck up another 200 hours of your life. CRASH BANDICOOT REMASTERED COLLECTION Format PS4 ETAWinter Three classics given a shiny new makeover – what’s not to love?…

Balloon Fight Bubble Bobble Castlevania Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Jr Double Dragon II: The Revenge Dr Mario Excitebike Final Fantasy Galaga Ghosts ’n’ Goblins Gradius Ice Climber Kid Icarus Kirby’s Adventure Mario Bros Mega Man 2 Metroid Ninja Gaiden Pac-Man Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr Dream StarTropics Super C Super Mario Bros Super Mario Bros 2 Super Mario Bros 3 Tecmo Bowl The Legend of Zelda Zelda II: The Adventure of Link…

EVOLUTION Turtle Rock Studios is hoping to “recapture the magic” of Evolve with a new free-to-play rethink, available on PC now. The dev has made big changes, aimed at making the game more accessible – and if you bought it first time round, don’t fear, you’re rewarded with ‘Founder status’ which includes a stack of bonuses and freebies. THEATRE OF WAR Anonymous Content, the company behind True Detective, is building a TV show based on the Battlefield franchise. It’ll collaborate with Paramount and EA, ensuring that it stays true to the game with a “commitment to robust storytelling” – and Michael Sugar, producer of Spotlight, is on board too. HELL YES Bethesda has partnered with 3D-printing company MyMiniFactory to build a life-sized BFG – so big it takes three people…

WIZARD OF OZMA You can find loads of old FF series bosses and monsters in FFXIV, but Ozma from FFIX is the most bizarre. SQUAT’S UP? You’ll find a lot of NPCs randomly exercising throughout Eorzea, but did you know they’re doing the exact same squats as Cloud in FFVII? MAXIMUM TOWER You can’t really call a massive Crystal Tower secret, but the levels inside are one big love letter to FFIII BIG LOVE Behemoth’s have always been some of FF’s toughest monsters, but here, if you’ve played the game for 270 days, you get to ride one!…

Format PC Publisher 2K Games Developer Firaxis Games ETA 21 October Unless you projected past instalments of this turn-based strategy onto the side of a building, civilisations rarely looked or felt appropriately expansive. Thriving cities were smooshed into a single hexagon, ancient wonders practically teetering on top of each other like Jenga blocks, and while territory spanned continents, it looked more like Tiddlywinks than triumph. All that’s changed as cities now spread across multiple tiles, epic wonders plagiarized from the pages of history, (Giza’s Pyramids, the Great Library) plonked wherever you decide, making long-term urban planning easier than ever. Plus a new day/ night cycle sees buildings cast individual shadows during orange sunrises and purple sunsets, giving your creations a grander look – though readability is still a primary focus.…

The main character of Nioh is based on a real chap, though we’re pretty sure the actual historical person never had flaming skull heads and poison-spewing zombies to deal with. In fact, William Adams, known in Japan as Miura Anjin, was a British sailor and navigator who found himself shipwrecked on the coast of Japan in 1598. At that time Portuguese and Spanish Jesuits had already arrived in the country, and on their advice to the local daimyo, Tokugawa Ieyasu (who would later become shogun of all Japan), it seemed at first that Adams and his nine fellow shipwrecked sailors would be executed. Adams avoided that sad fate, however, by provoking curiosity from the Japanese leader, showing him maps of the world thus far discovered, and eventually going on to…

Format PS4, XO, PC Publisher CD Projekt RED Developer CD Projekt RED ETA Winter Geralt’s popular tavern game goes standalone in a head-to-head strategy about leading forces to victory. “You can play all your cards in the first round, but that would be a mistake,” says Gwent game director, Benjamin Lee. “For example, you can bait your opponent into playing more cards than they would necessarily want to in the first round, so you can do tactics that stall and don’t give away too many of your cards.” Lose the battle, win the war. The rules are simple enough – matches begin by drawing ten random cards from your deck. You take turns slotting each unit onto one of three rows, with the aim being to have more strength points…

Format XO, PC Pub Microsoft Dev Comcept ETA 13 September Joule Adams wakes from cryo-sleep to find the world has boiled over like a bad kettle. In the ravaged wastes of Far Eden, Cores are the key to saving humanity. Joule’s grappling hook lets you rip these glowing blue orbs from enemies – hovering centipedes, mechanical spiders, that sort of thing – and use them to power Corebots, a crew of characterful helpers with distinct powers. Latch onto octopus-like sentry Seth and he’ll helpfully whizz you round platforming sections, for example. A welcome, if limited, Xbox One exclusive.…

Format PS4, PS Vita Pub Atlus Dev Atlus ETA Spring 2017 The best thing about bonkers turn-based JRPG Persona 5? Never knowing what to expect next. You’ll solve geometry puzzles in ancient pyramids guarded by a giant angel-winged lady, stealth around grand palaces trying not to attract the attention of armoured knights, battle multi-limbed banquet kings, visit a Vegas-like party town, meet a white-suited fly man in a casino, warp through portals at high speeds, and explore hub worlds ordering fast food in authentic cafes. Also there’s a cute cat. What more could you ask for?…

Arson You’re pretty much a pyromaniac in Breath Of The Wild. Anything that looks like it’ll burn – dry grass, twig bundles, the loincloths of flammable foes – can and will. Infernos blaze and can spread until areas the size of tennis courts go up in flames. Ignition comes from striking flint, launching blazing arrows, or throwing burning branches, and wind direction affects the ensuing fire’s course. During our hands-on, we box in a group of Bokoblins by setting the field behind them aflame and cutting off all escape routes. Upper-hand safely established, we’re free to charge in like a mad firebug and take them down. Truly, it’s a pleasure to burn. Bokoblin These bad tempered, bat-faced foot soldiers made their debut in Wind Waker and form your rank and…

The Legend Of Zelda Stepping out onto the first screen of the original Zelda way back in 1986 brimmed with possibility, intrigue, danger, and excitement. A Link To The Past The game’s map was already massive, so it caught everyone by surprise when they discovered they could enter a whole second, evil-tainted version of it called the Dark World. Link’s Awakening One of the most heartfelt moments in all of Zelda sees our silent protagonist chilling on a sunny beach with his romantic love interest, Marin, as she daydreams aloud to him. Ocarina Of Time Entering the Temple Of Time and turning the clocks forward transformed you into Adult Link and offered a frightening glimpse of future Hyrule, desolate and in ruins. Thankfully, you could revert back to childhood. Wind…

“Parkitect is a theme park simulator where you build the park of your dreams and then have to keep it running smoothly. Hire staff, meticulously design the greatest roller coasters you can think of, and theme them in any way you want. You’ll also have to work out a resource network for your shops, but maintain the illusion by hiding utility structures and the inner workings of the park from your paying guests. Oh, and don’t forget to provide an efficient transport infrastructure. That’s vital. Management is the key here. Parkitect focuses on that as much as park creation, so if you’re into graphs and numbers as well as theme parks, then this is the videogame for you. If you ever run out of ideas with that, the game has…

Star Wars Battlefront’s latest DLC, Bespin, should provide ample new tools and locales for more intergalactic capers. With five new maps, you’ll battle at high altitude in the iconic Cloud City, pootle about the Administrator’s Palace in a swanky Cloud Car, and take on the role of legendary heroes – Lando Calrissian and bounty hunter Dengar. In the new Sabotage game mode, you’ll destroy the Empire’s tractor beams with a bunch of fresh, destructive goodies, including the X-8 Night Sniper and the disruptive Shock Grenade. You’ll wish you had a lightsaber and a protective Wookiee by your side when facing the monstrous dragons in Call Of Duty: Black Ops III’s Descent pack. Zombie map, Gorod Krovi, sees you holding back hordes of “mechanized zombie infantry” and “aerial dragon assaults” in…

STRING ALONG Always been meaning to pick up a musical instrument instead of your controller? Don’t fret. Meet the NES Paul, a six string electric guitar built around a genuine NES console. Handcrafted by Doniguitars, you can even opt for an LED light up neck if you add £200 to the £400 asking price. It’s a strum-dinger! POWER TRIP If you don’t think it’s too sacrilegious, these authentic NES controllers from Etsy’s Tip70Designs have been revamped with a Lightning cable charger for powering Apple devices. Surely supplying electric juice for ailing phones is better than just hiding under beds gathering dust? No? Ok, we’ll just hide here with no battery. CRASH TIME RACING Time flies when you’re having fun. What better way to keep track of your day than the…

Daniel Green rocked the Fallout look at Yorkshire Cosplay Con, and even found a German Shepherd dog for the perfect photo op! Ben Redfield proves less is more with his amazing, minimalist game art! Find him on twitter at @kowai_guy. @shiiiva has made a Mario out of beads! Clearly inspired by our CultureMaster back in GM298… POLL POSITION Keeping democracy alive on our Facebook and Twitter feeds Which was the best God Of War game? Which was the best PlayStation?…

PLAY BALLET Dance your way to victory in puzzleplatformer Bound, now available for PS4. GET EX-CITED Augment your life with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, on shelves now. YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE Take a weekend jaunt to Birmingham for Insomnia, the UK’s biggest gaming festival. COM ON OVER Gamescom returns to Cologne for another year – get ready for plenty of tasty news. WOW! Back to Azeroth we go – World Of Warcraft’s latest expansion, Legion, goes live today. YAY-RPG It’s pirate ships and demonic arms galore in Tales Of Berseria, out today. WINNING FORMULA Time to race down to the shops and bag yourself a copy of F1 2016. WATCH THIS SPACE Prepare yourselves for galactic levels of gaming nourishment in GM308, out now.…

Candy crossbow Weapons group into ranged, melee and thrown. This is the former, a crossbow loaded with candy cane. There’s also a Roman candle bow, because a Midwestern diet evidently makes you quite flammable. Ice sword Weapon types sit on three dedicated buttons to allow for seamless switching. So you can shoot with RT then use X to bash zombies with the ice sword, which lets you crumble enemies into ice cubes. Chilly killy. Umbrella gun It’s raining splits and splats with the umbrella gun. Lasers emanate from eight prongs then converge into a single beam to absolutely decimate walking corpses. Think a localised version of the Death Star. Car-o-killing A cross between a catapult and a combine harvester, this jury-rigged flatbed truck sucks up undead before loading them into…

Format PS4, XO, PC Publisher 2K Games Developer Hanger 13 ETA 7 October Past games in 2K’s crime sandbox series were more about running errands than the city itself, seeing you get dirty hands for bossy higher-ups between cruising around listening to your grandma’s music and hunting dubious magazines. Can you imagine Don Corleone doing that? Flash forward to a different era, story, and setting, and you finally have the power to become a true overlord of the underworld. ‘You’ being Vietnam war veteran Lincoln Clay, who’s out for revenge after Italian mobsters murder his mates, and ‘setting’ being New Bordeaux, a take on ’68-set New Orleans faithful from smoky jazz bars to misty Bayou. As for the people you get to order about? That’s basically everyone, courtesy of three…

Format PS4, XO, PC Publisher Focus Home Interactive Developer Dontnod Entertainment ETA 2017 Newly-made vampire Jonathan Reid stares into an open grave. “I know I should feel something,” mumbles the depressed ex-doctor. “So why don’t I?” Dontnod’s dark RPG post-Life Is Strange centres on Reid’s raging turmoil between wanting to cure people of Spanish flu and feast on them, a grim premise so far removed from playing a time-controlling teenager in sunny Oregon we’re worried something sad happened to the studio, like they got into The Cure. Succumbing to urges as you freely explore Victorian London’s interconnected areas increases your power (Reid battles roving gangs of vampire hunters with blades, pistols, and conjured blood spikes, which he forces foes on to belly first), but there’s a cost. Kill too many…

Format PS4, PS Vita Pub Square Enix Dev Square Enix ETA 14 October Build and gather in this sandbox RPG that’s finally seeing a western release after launching over in Japan earlier this year. Think a third-person Minecraft driven by a plot involving your character attempting to rebuild the world of the original Dragon Quest RPG after it was destroyed by Dragonlord. Ok, so it’s unlikely to topple Mojang’s behemoth, but it does a few things well. Firstly, the zoomed-out camera facilitates construction and lets you get a feel for how your masterpiece is taking shape as you go. Secondly, a full, story-driven single-player campaign gracefully eases you into the process of assembling a few predetermined structures before letting you off the leash. And thirdly, cute and colourful visuals that…

Format PS4, XO Pub Bandai Namco Dev Bandai Namco ETA Spring 2017 Right, let’s talk roster. There’s Bob, a rotund doughboy able to curl into a ball and hurtle towards opponents; Master Raven, a dreadlocked ninja threading teleportation into mad juggles; Lucky Chloe, an otaku fond of dressing like cats; and Street Fighter’s Akuma, whose pivotal in a substantial story revolving around his feud with Heihachi. Katarina, though, is this sometimes intimidating series’ necessary beginner-friendly pick for learning new Rage Arts, Power Crushes, and how to continue combos after bashing someone off a roof.…

The Hero Of Time has humble beginnings. In 1985, as Nintendo toiled on the Famicom’s (later released over here as the NES) first Mario game, three men sketched extra puzzles and dungeons on graph paper and bound them in a folder labelled ‘Adventure Mario’. They were Takashi Tezuka, Toshihiko Nakago, and Shigeru Miyamoto, and this was the groundwork for an epic 1986 adventure called The Legend Of Zelda. It’s easy to see Miyamoto as Link’s co-dad, but he’s more like Link himself, the lifelong Ninty dev drawing from his own childhood adventures in the small town of Sonobe, Kyoto, exploring caves, rambling through fields, and pushing into the unknown. “When I travelled around without a map, trying to find my way, stumbling on amazing things, I realised how it felt…

“Why do I always pick this as my favourite Zelda? Partly it’s down to the great dungeon design and incredible soundtrack (Tal Tal Heights remains one of the best Zelda tunes ever), but it’s also because this was the first one I finished. There’s something about holding the whole world in your own two hands, along with the dreamlike themes, that makes it extra special.” The Legend Of Zelda FormatNES Year1987 Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link FormatNES Year1988 Zelda Game & Watch FormatGame & Watch Year1989 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past FormatSNES Year1992 The Legend Of Zelda Game Watch FormatWristwatch Year1992 The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening FormatGB Year1993 Link: The Faces Of Evil FormatCD-i Year1993 Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon FormatCD-i Year1993 Zelda’s Adventure…

Format PC Developer Golden Glitch Studios ETA Autumn Web http://bit.ly/gmelsinore If you’re like us and secretly thought Groundhog Day just didn’t have enough Shakespeare, then this might be the game you’ve always wanted, sweet prince/ss. Set in the four days prior to the outcome of Hamlet, Elsinore is the story of Ophelia, his doomed wife to be, who is forced to live the same days over and over to try and avert tragedy. With a full world of characters to influence, this adventure is the Bard like you’ve never seen him before. “When reading Hamlet in school as a kid, Ophelia was the only character with whom I could identify, and I felt Shakespeare was unkind to her,” explains writer and team lead Katie Chironis. “Halfway through Hamlet she learns…

We’re sick of being pushed around for being a nerdy space archaeologist, so we’re delighted to get our hands on proper weapons in a crafting game for once. Cruising through mines with our shotgun is like Terraria meets GTA. Sword Click for three quick strikes, perfect if you’re willing to risk getting up close. Axe Stronger hits, but large swings rely on enemies keeping still. They never do. Shotgun Whoa, you don’t pack that kind of heat in Minecraft. Excellent for blasting beasts.…

“MORROWIND MARKED A TURNING POINT NOT ONLY FOR THE ELDER SCROLLS, BUT FOR BETHESEDA” Developer Bethesda Publisher Bethesda Released 2002 Format PC, Xbox Get it Steam, GOG.com Oscar Wilde once said that “every single human being should be the fulfilment of a prophecy”. We can only assume that he was referring to Bethesda’s first truly great RPG when he came up with that, since it was a game that cast each and every one of its players as a long-foretold saviour on a quest of global importance. And then it let players ignore that prophecy altogether in favour of learning to punch real good for the Fighters Guild. The origins Cast your mind back to the turn of the millennium, when the dominant trends of the role-playing game landscape were…

AwesomeBoss! Starwing Developer Nintendo Released 1993 Format SNES The final boss of Nintendo’s space shooter was partly a piece of deft design and partly a technical showcase, with Miyamoto and co pushing the company’s Super FX cartridge technology to create a truly formidable ultimate adversary. The result was a slice of polygonal horror – no wonder every subsequent instalment in the series has stuck with the floating head final boss. Classic Moment! Gitaroo Man Developer iNiS Released 2002 Format PSP, PS2 This may be a deeply wacky take on the rhythm action game template – starring as it does a mewling milquetoast who learns to play guitar from a talking dog – but it has one or two surprisingly tender moments, too. Plucking out the Legendary Theme on an acoustic…

1 DARK SOULS III PS4 / XO / PC The first game might be closer to fans’ hearts, but this is Souls – and gaming – at its current-gen finest. 2 THE LAST OF US PS4 / PS3 Naughty Dog brings all of its strengths to the fore, fusing engaging gameplay with stunning storytelling. 3 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT PS4 / XO / PC An epic proposition that truly lives up to its promise. Engaging, mature, and unbelievably vast. 4 GRAND THEFT AUTO V PS4 / XO / PC / PS3 / 360 The most comprehensive sandbox going, full of wonderful distractions and typical Rockstar humour. 5 MARIO KART 8 Wii U Reinvention is what Ninty does best, and nowhere is that more apparent than in this joyous karter…

Over the years reading your reviews of them, I knew that I wouldn’t get on with the Souls titles due to the die, die, and die again nature of the games. I felt it was for the best to avoid them as I don’t handle stressful gaming very well. But it came to the point where my desire to experience these grimly beautiful worlds became stronger than my fear of any frustration I might suffer. So I decided to approach it from a different angle. Much like holding a spider to cure arachnophobia, I would play just one of these titles and use it as my own form of therapy. I chose the PS4 release of Dark Souls 2 and swore to myself I would complete it and not quit,…

I liked it first time round, but Skyrim jumped the shark for me when I one-shot backstabbed a dragon. Why not remaster Morrowind or Oblivion? I bet the Daedric Realms would look awesome in today’s graphics. Martin Neal, Facebook Just decided I want another ‘Strike’ game. I loved Desert/ Jungle/Soviet. Robbie Paul, @Bawheidbob Rocket League is still impossible to put down! A2Pro, @Elsaedpecaj I want Metroid to return to isolated, atmospheric adventure and exploration. James, @eviroboy Crash Bandicoot’s power to to spin that fast and look good in jorts would really come in handy. Dan Thomas, @Dante_151 My hacker name is ‘Trevor Kevorson with the abnormally-sized head’. I was called that when l installed Doom at college in 1994. Rob Beard, @trevorkevorson MANIAC OF THE MONTH! Zero Time Dilemma is…

60 Minutes it took BubblesDelFuego to complete Fallout 4 at charity speedrunning event Summer Games Done Quick 2016. 8 Minutes it took TheFuncannon to glitch his way through The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. 2 Seconds it took ais523 to complete a tool-assisted run of Super Mario Bros 3, taking advantage of a special bug. 1,297,924 Amount in US dollars that was raised by the event this year, a record breaking amount. Head to http://bit.ly/gmquick to watch all the impressive speedruns for yourself.…

MATT’S PICK Steep Sometimes, when I kick back on my sofa with a cool beverage in hand after a hard day’s work, all I want to do is carve up powder snow and drink in vast, mountainous vistas. That desire has gone unfulfilled since the move to current-gen, with the heady days of SSX long gone. Steep looks like my perfect unwind game – I’ve already sorted a bunch of Spotify playlists ready. PS4, XO, PC – December ROBIN’S PICK Agents Of Mayhem Sometimes it feels like I’m the only one in the office, but I absolutely adore the Saints Row series. Even though Agents Of Mayhem’s connection to the main games seems pretty tenuous at best, I’m still hopeful it’ll have the same sense of fun, humour, and pure,…

Guns Obviously. It’s a shooter after all. Everything here is very much on the side of realism but an upgraded Gunsmith weapon creation system means you can tweak and perfect every aspect of your boom tube. Vehicles The idea in Wildlands is that you can steal anything – cars, bikes, helicopters – depending on the situation. It’s a very use, abuse and forget system, so don’t get too attached to anything with wheels. Gear The Ghosts’ gear is a mix of top spec stuff and a ragtag of things scavenged in the field. We can confirm using the tiny pocket drone to scout bases never stops being fun. The world Ghost Recon Wildlands’ world is absolutely massive, adding an almost survival element to staying alive. Plus, you’ll have to do…

 Format PS4 Publisher Square Enix Developer Platinum Games ETA Spring 2017 “LUMBERING OVER THE DUNES COMES A GIGANTIC MECH, ALL PNEUMATIC ARMS AND MURDEROUS INTENT” The first Nier wasn’t exactly friendly. Take down bosses, collect items and catalogue sea life for 40 hours, and your reward? The fourth, final and true ending… the game erasing your save data before your very eyes. Fortunately, Platinum’s sequel to the action-RPG is far more welcoming – all it wants is to give you a nice, big, bullet-flavoured cuddle. No, honestly – it’s hard not to feel the warm fuzzies as we have android heroine 2B flit around a giant, robotic opera singer intent on vaporising us. She’s wearing a ball gown that gobs waves of laser balls. Orchestral music swells, and we repeatedly…

Format PS4, XO Pub Blackmill Games Dev Blackmill Games ETA 30 August Where Battlefield 1 dodges more depressing aspects of The Great War by letting you, say, shoot a blimp from the sky, multiplayer shooter Verdun embraces the sombre conflict through unapologetically authentic trench warfare. Here, like on the Western Front, you’ll scurry down trenches made slightly more homely with photographs and food tins before your commanding officer gives the signal to rush over the top. It’s as tough, slow, and unwavering as war itself – and you can’t even call a Christmas truce.…

Eiji Aonuma Manager of The Legend Of Zelda series. From Ocarina Of Time dungeon designer to either director or producer for every Zelda game since on both console and handheld. Eiji ‘The Authority’ Aonuma lives and breathes Link. Shigeru Miyamoto As well as being the man behind Mario, the peerless Nintendo designer created Zelda and remains the series’ key steward, birthing it from his own adventurous childhood and driving it on with his still insatiable curiosity. Takashi Tezuka He may be the least known of the Zelda trio, but he’s worked on every game in some capacity. He made his series directorial debut on the Game Boy’s Link’s Awakening, and he delivered expected quality in unexpected packages.…

OXENFREE More of an interactive novel, this atmospheric side-scroller pops you in the teen shoes of Alex who, along with her step brother and group of friends, has ended up on an island where dark forces are at work. Choose your witty teen speak wisely as every conversation will change your relationship with the group. STORIES: THE PATH OF DESTINIES With more than 24 endings on offer, there’s plentiful meaningful choices in Reynardo the fox’s perilous adventure. The whole thing is read by a narrator and it’s entirely up to you how the story plays out inside a literal giant book. Choose wisely though. There’re lives at stake. 80 DAYS Want to travel the world but be unrestricted in your exploration? Perhaps wander a market one day or stay in…

 Format PC Publisher Chucklefish Games Developer Chucklefish Games ETA Out now Players As many as the server can handle! “WITH THE STARS RUSHING PAST, YOU TRULY FEEL LIKE YOU’RE TRAVELLING THROUGH 2D SPACE” This ambitious indie craft ’em up is the kind of game we can imagine playing for years. We don’t even need a decent imagination – we havebeen playing it for years. It’s been available on Early Access since the ancient days of 2013 (ask your dad). Development was always going to be long when you’re promising a hybrid of space exploration, crafting, building, mining, battling, and even some subletting. But for a game that promises you the stars, it starts small. You choose your hero from seven different species (including human, if you’re…

G ah! Something that pointy really shouldn’t be introduced to the human cranium. Still, as unpleasant as Brainer kills look, learning to master this devastating axe can really give you an edge. Here are some tips for slicing up the competition… 1 First equip the Brainer. Notice it gives you a speed boost while you’re holding it – useful for getting up close. 2 Click the right stick to start hacking up zombs. Note: this attack isn’t as effective against rival players. 3 If you want to really deliver the pain to other players, charge up the Brainer for a few seconds with L2. 4 A well timed charge attack is devastating, and should drop any opponent in a single, squelchy hit. Yuck. 5 Not all Brainers are created equal.…

“FROM THE FIRST MINUTE TO THE LAST, THIS IS A BREATHLESS ASSAULT ON THE MIND AND THUMBS” Format XO (reviewed), PC Publisher Playdead Developer Playdead ETA Out now Players 1 On face value, Playdead’s new 2D adventure game is remarkably similar to its first, 2010’s Limbo: a wordless puzzle-platformer starring a fragile, defenceless boy whose only interaction with the world is the ability to ‘jump’ and ‘grab’, in a shadowy setting full of one-hit-kill tricks and traps. But scrape beneath the surface and it becomes clear that this is a much richer experience than Limbo offered, and while it’s slight enough to be wrapped up in a solitary evening, it’ll stick in your memory far longer. Your journey through Inside’s world will take you through forests, cornfields, desolate factories, and…

The Force Awakens boasts more than 200 characters to unlock, and includes enough fan favourites to delight every stripe of Star Wars devotee. Heroes and villains such as Yoda and Palpatine can all be unlocked by collecting Carbonite Blocks. And if you don’t share our determination to act as though the prequel trilogy never happened, you can also unlock the likes of Queen Amidala and Qui-Gon Jinn. No Jar Jar Binks, though. How rude. Beat the game and you’ll even unlock J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy, both of whom come equipped with a grappling hook and blaster.…

1 DESTINY: THE TAKEN KING PS4 Oh dear. All this talk of Rise Of Iron has given me the bug again. All this game needs is matchmaking for the raids and I don’t think I’d ever be able to put it down. Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, Editor 2 RIMWORLD PC This Early Access sci-fi survival effort mixes the dusty western feel of Firefly with the top down strategising of Prison Architect. It’s still in alpha but is already very, very playable. Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, Editor 3 FIREWATCH PC The opening 20 minutes had me on the verge of cry-tears, but that near enough turned to rage-tears at the end as the plot emphasised characters I didn’t care for. Ben Griffin, Senior Staff Writer 4 INSIDE PC A haunting puzzle-platformer that plays like a…

1 The Elder Scrolls: Arena (PC – 1994) The genesis of the Elder Scrolls juggernaut was actually conceived as a straightforward gladiatorial combat game – hence the somewhat incongruous name – and its role-playing trappings were only added later as development progressed. Although heavily influenced by the Ultima Underworld games, Arena was notable for the sheer size of its game world, which was randomly generated out of sets of prefabricated components. 2 The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (PC – 1996) This follow-up remained true to the open-ended nature of its predecessor, delivering another enormous randomly-generated gameworld that the dev claimed was comparable in size to Great Britain. One big change to the formula was the transition from an XP-based levelling system to a skill-based one, which saw abilities…