Table of contents for March 2016 in Gamesmaster

Along time ago, on a carpet far, far away… ok so it was back in 1999 that the Danish bricks and the interstellar fighty films first collided in toy form, going on to inspire perhaps the most instantly iconic gaming series in history. TT is about to return to the saga that ensured the Lego games lifted off to such aclaim, so we naturally tagged along for the ride, popping into the studio to get a sneaky first glimpse at Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Elsewhere we’ve pretty much let Pokémon take over. The hallowed critter collect-a-thon is a rocking 20 years old this month, so we’ve fired a special feature-shaped party popper off in its direction. Regular readers will also notice we’ve had a retool of our Game…

My reason for writing to you is regarding the price of digital download games. I shall try to keep this civilised, but the issue really irks me. Browsing through the online stores on the major consoles, I find that games are far too often ludicrously expensive. Star Wars Battlefront and WWE 2K16, for example, are over 50 quid each. I understand the cost of video game production, marketing, and such, but when they sell games digitally, they save money on packaging, disks, and distribution. They also have lower risk in the sense of not having to produce a lot of stock that may not sell. Surely this saving should be passed on to the paying consumer? I’d consider buying all my games as downloads if it was cheaper than physical…

Nick Littlefield has made the perfect Pokémonplaying machine with this hand-painted Game Boy. Find more of his work at: http://bit.ly/gmnick Keep a squid on hand at all times with this Splatoon keyring, made by Etsy seller ArlandAtelier – grab one here: http://bit.ly/gmsquid Redditor mycataccount crocheted this slice of retro gaming magic for their boyfriend. Lucky guy! GM fan Luke Riley wears his Skyrim love proudly with this amazing sleeve tattoo, featuring Alduin and Talos. Prepare for an adventure with these real-life health and mana potions available to buy from Etsy seller WhimsicalbyNature1 here: http://bit.ly/gmpotions…

“THE PROBLEM BUNGIE NOW FACES IS IT’S STRUGGLING TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF PLAYERS” Gamers are a pretty nostalgic bunch really. We may lust after virtual reality headsets and graphical whizz-bangery, but we’re also prone to imagining the past as a hallowed golden age of gaming – a halcyon era before our medium’s artistic purity was tainted by grasping moneymen. Right now, it seems as though a lot of gamers pine for the days when publishers just brought their games to market and left them the heck alone. No day one patches, no microtransaction stores, and certainly no season passes. Back then, it seemed, we were simply presented with a developer’s vision for what the game should be. £40. Take it or leave it. But as budgets soared and second-hand…

LEAP INTO ACTION A leap day is like the Gregorian calendar’s gift to gamers: 24 free hours to pump into Fallout. DIVIDE AND CONQUER Destiny lost its thrill for you? Try Ubisoft’s take on stats and shooting, The Division, out now. SAN FRAN CLAN The Game Developers Conference kicks off in San Francisco, with a barrage of gaming news. NOT THAT TWILIGHT Perhaps the most underrated Zelda ever, Twilight Princess returns in HD form today. ST PATRICK’S, WHEY! Celebrate a snake-free Ireland by firing up Metal Gear Solid and that Nokia 3210 game. YO, MOMMA It’s Mothering Sunday, so why not treat yer dear ole mam to a spot of couch co-op? THE NEXT EPISODE Agent 47 has gone all episodic for his latest excursion, and the first part’s out…

Dog It’s a pooping dog. And not just any pooping dog. This pooping dog kicks dirt over its poop like a real pooping dog. If you shoot the pooping dog, or for that matter a non-pooping dog, you even earn experience. Snow Snow is a constant. It blankets the ground and cars, and sometimes falls from the sky to obscure your vision. It even melts at points, gradually revealing patches of grey concrete and, yes, your footprints. HUD Like any good Ubisoft game (Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell), the HUD projects onto the world to save screen real estate. Take, for example, the “security wing” sign at the top of the screen. People You’ll often see neutral NPCs glumly wandering the streets. Interaction is minimal, though. You can’t shoot them –…

Sabre rattling Backstage, we smash a glass case to obtain a sabre. Unfortunately everyone hears because breaking glass is quite loud, so we have to go stabbing. It’s hard work: this level has hundreds of characters. Pint pounding You can use ‘blend in’ to stop people staring. Dressed as a bartender we mix a cocktail for Novikov himself. It’s not poisoned, since it would probably look a bit suspicious if he suddenly keeled over. Roadie running Setting off the fire alarm triggers a swarm of panicked fashionistas to evacuate. This gives us time to drop the lighting rig down with an almighty crash… but Novikov’s already left with everyone else. Mean mugging The most inventive interaction comes when you knock off the show’s lead model and take to the runway.…

One of Sega’s most idiosyncratic games of the last generation is returning with refreshed visuals, and the Japanese publisher has confirmed that its painterly strategy outing will reach the European front by Spring. And while the game’s distinctive, watercolour artwork is looking better than ever, it’s the hybrid turn-based gameplay that’ll impress first-time visitors to Gallia. In the course of a single turn, you might start out in the tactical view, managing your forces from an overhead perspective, before zooming in to assume direct control of a spunky rifleman. You dash into cover, and free-aim a headshot on an unsuspecting Imperial adversary; your feat of marksmanship accompanied by an onomatopoeic onscreen ‘ratatat’. It’s not only satisfyingly strategic – it also looks and plays like nothing else. GM Instant Reaction THRILL-O-METER…

1 If something’s in the game, it has to be possible to build it in real life too “As far as we’re concerned, we have a massive responsibility,” explains Palmer. “And what does mean? Well that means anything that you build in our videogame, anything that we let the players build, they should be able to pause the game at any time and build that in real life.” That’s assuming you’ve got the bricks and figures to hand, of course… 2 If there’s an existing set out there, that’s what you’re seeing in-game Lego has already produced most of the vehicles in the Star Wars universe, and they’re available to purchase as sets. When that’s the case, Bate and his team will simply “get assets from the Lego Company and…

#1 YOOKA LAYLEE Yep, it’s already the year of the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. After a £2 million success on Kickstarter, this ultimate buddy platformer looks packed to the nostalgic gills with fun. And it seems when the devs say it has an “arsenal of abilities” it also includes a move involving a giant fart. Mature. #2 HOME FREE It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Not literally – that would be a very different kind of game and we like the visuals for this canine simulator without any need for cannibalism. A procedurally generated city will offer multiple challenges as we learn to take on the world as a lone pup, and it unpawses in November. #3 THIMBLEWEED PARK Been craving the point-and-click adventures of old? This is bound to make your…

Fancy cranking up the difficulty level? Youtuber SethBling’s blocky matrix SkyGrid is your typical tough Minecraft survival map… had it been shoved through a sieve made of cheese wire and demons. To help your brain avoid meeting the same end, here’s our essential guide to finding your feet in particle purgatory. 1 DON’T STOP MOVING SkyGrid is relentless, so keep up. Half the challenge is in parkouring between the treacherous single blocks, so make sure you’re sprint-jumping to ensure you’re clearing those long gaps and not, y’know, falling inexorably into the abyss. The important thing is to take your time and make considered leaps. Get too cocky, and you’ll hop onto lava or bonk your head on an overhead block. Thanks for keeping us humble, Minecraft. 2 BED DOWN You’ll…

One of most striking aspects of Firewatch is how Henry interacts with his environment. Most first-person games don’t bother animating arms or legs, but Henry has a real physicality and fluidity. He’ll grab objects and clamber up walls. His animations were created by James Benson, whose early work (on his YouTube channel) includes Team Fortress 2 short Dance Fortress (http://bit.ly/DanceFortress) and a Half-Life trailer with custom animations for all of Gordon Freeman’s actions (http://bit.ly/ BensonHL). Before joining Campo Santo, Benson also worked as an animator and designer on the gorgeous Ori And The Blind Forest.…

FRANK WEST Dead Rising (Xbox 360 – 2006) Everyone prefers grumpy, rumpled hack Frank to Dead Rising 2’s Chuck or Wossname from number three. Rarely do we throw a spanner (and a lawnmower) into the works of the zombie apocalypse with such glee. AYA Oneechanbara (PS2 – 2004) Like Juliet Starling, bikini girl Aya sails a little too close to titillation over practicality. What saves the day are the Baneful Blood powers and katana evisceration skills that put her alongside the best in the corpse-dropping business. MAXIMO Maximo (PS2 – 2001) As the first level enemies of predecessor Ghosts ’n’ Goblins ran riot through an entire game, noble Maximo faced the rancid mob with just his sword, shield, and some novelty pants. Well, and a favour or two from the…

CALIFORNIA DREAMING Head to San Diego Comic Con on 21-24 July for the biggest comic con in the world. Cosplay, games, films, TV and comics combine to deliver the ultimate convention experience, where it’s weird not to be dressed up as your favourite character: http://bit.ly/gmsandiegocc GO EAST If you don’t mind the 11-hour flight, The Tokyo Game Show is a four-day extravaganza of gaming glory. Publishers and developers show off their latest games, and there’s a merchandise section so big that your wallet should already be very afraid. It runs from 15 to 18 September. Find more at: http://bit.ly/gmtokyogameshow DEUTSCH ANGLE Thankfully a little closer to home, Cologne’s Gamescom is a veritable Christmas for gamers, with hands-on access to all the big winter releases. We’ve seen the queues, though, so…

1 Sensible Soccer “An all time classic that is still addictive to this day. Proof you don’t need HD graphics to make a great game.” 2 FIFA 09 “The FIFA that took the crown back from Konami, with new modes that brought players together.” 3 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 “Improves everything that was already great about THPS2, and has the best soundtrack too!” 4 Tony Hawk’s Underground “The story mode mixed in with some great physics makes for one of the best Hawks games.” 5 SSX Tricky “This has it all. Great voice cast, awesome soundtrack, and cool tricks mixed in with brilliant gameplay.” Martin Dootson, Facebook Disagree? Why not head over to our Facebook page and let us know what your top five would be!…

MANIAC OF THE MONTH! A Fur Fighters remake would be awesome! That game is huge, with tons of stuff to unlock. Dino World was humongous! Karl Lymer, Facebook I’d like a behind-the-scenes of Superman 64, so we can see who is responsible for such an evil game. Daniel Climo, Facebook Would love to see The Warriors game remade. Craig Glasscock, @craigo_14 I swear as a kid GamesMaster used to be quite ‘edgy’… JamesTalksGames, @JamesTalksGames After I killed some enemies in Fallout 4, only their heads were left behind, just floating there in mid air. Kinda creepy… Anthony John Harris, Facebook As a Steam user, prices have never been so good. I remember when videogames used to be like $80 on PC, when floppies were a thing! B.A., @AlanDHudson I’d like…

“THE GRADUAL PROGRESS AND TRADING; THE EUPHORIA OF PULLING A SPECIAL CARD” Not sure if I want to admit this in print but… £709.75. That’s how much I spent on Ultimate Team booster packs between 2011 and 2013. EA’s behemoth of a mode is essentially Pokémon cards – just swap Charmander for Ross Barkley – but even more addictive. Unfortunately (unless you’re my wallet) recent years have seen the series blaze its efforts over the crossbar. Let’s take the latest introduction to the series: Draft Mode. It is, in theory, a Good Idea. Instead of getting frustrated over unattainable players – the likes of Messi, Aguero, Ronaldo etc – we’re given access to certain virtual footballers through a lottery. A selection of random players pop up, you choose the preferred…

MATT’S PICK The Division In recent weeks I’ve found myself floating around in a kind of content-less no man’s land in Destiny. This latest slice of Clancy looks to scratch that MMO shooter itch, while also tapping into the tactical veins of the likes of Ghost Recon. Those two things right there? The stuff online multiplayer dreams are made of, I reckon. PS4, XO, PC – 8 March ROBIN’S PICK Thumper Describing itself as ‘rhythm violence’, this game looks like an absolute assault on the senses, and I couldn’t be more into it. The visuals simultaneously look strikingly beautiful and like something out of a fever-induced nightmare, and even just in trailer form it already seems brilliantly tactile and weighty. It’s great to see such a unique take on the…

WE’RE ALL AGOG PC gaming distribution service GOG has launched an early access platform with a difference: the Games In Development program enables customers to obtain a refund on any game for any reason within 14 days of purchase. Furthermore, players will be able to roll back to previous versions of a game at any time, enabling you to disable an update if it breaks the game or simply makes unwanted changes. STORY TIME One of GM’s favourite games of 2015 is getting a sequel, according to Her Story developer Sam Barlow. The understated and enigmatic original casts you as an investigator trawling through FMV clips in an effort to piece together a mystery, and Barlow claims his sequel will once again employ onscreen actors – but to tell an…

1996 IN THE BEGINNING After six years in development, Red and Green finally launch in Japan. The response is… tepid. These Game Boy originals achieve respectable, if unremarkable, chart positions at launch, but it’s not until months later that word of mouth generates wider interest in the fledgling franchise. Part of this is down to schoolyard buzz, which takes some time to ferment, but they’re also helped along by CoroCoro Comic, a popular monthly manga aimed at primary school kids. CoroCoro runs articles on the games alongside its regular strips, boosting their profile over several months. 1997 ENTER KETCHUM By April of 1997, Red and Green have been out in Japan for over a year, and Pokémon is well on its way to becoming an industry craze. It’s arguably the…

Sitting somewhere between traditional RPG and a choose-your-own-adventure, this is a cerebral journey into Earth’s far, far future. You’re a consciousness newly born into a body discarded by an elusive immortal called The Changing God, hunted through time and space by a transdimensional force called The Sorrow. And it gets weirder from there. Torment: Tides of Numenera is a spiritual successor to 1999’s Planescape: Torment, a game that took the classic PC RPG formula and gave it philosophical purpose. It had a single question at its core: ‘what can change the nature of a man?’ This new Torment has a different query: ‘what does one life mean?’ After a fatal injury sustained in the intro, you rebuild your personality, bit-by-bit, through flashbacks and visions encountered in the recesses of your…

Q Epic as a studio is most closely associated with the shooter genre. What made you guys decide to enter the MOBA space? A When we were talking about what our next game would be, we knew we wanted it to be competitive. For us right now, the most engaging competitive games are MOBAs. We knew that we could put a different spin on that, using our experience with shooters, and create something new. Q What makes the free-to-play model a good fit for Paragon? Paragon is about experimentation and mastery, and so a low barrier to entry is great for getting people in to find their footing and into the fight. Our plan is to be respectful of our players’ time, and give them great value. Q What sparked…

Never heard of this racing sim? No? That’s ok – it just means you’re in for a treat now. Already a hit on PC, it’s speeding on to consoles this spring. We’ve played it on PS4, and it’s simply the most realistic racing sim we’ve ever experienced. The reason is simple: this is professional simulation technology turned into a game. The state-of-the-art physics engine is used by the likes of Ferrari and Dallara to help them develop real cars, and professional drivers play the game for practice. From a gamer’s point of view, that ultra-realism means super fast control response and a wonderful, solid sensation of driving. The benefit of this assuredness is that it’s easier to stay on the road than in most other racing sims, as there’s a…

Although Yu Suzuki’s much-publicised Kickstarter campaign has generated a minor series of brouhahas, it’s yet to produce all that much by way of an actual look at the game itself. And while that trend looks set to continue for the time-being, a handful of work-in-progress screenshots have emerged from a recent public appearance made by the series’ creator, and they seem to show Ryo and Shenhua exploring the Chinese countryside. More importantly, however, it looks like Ryo still has that badass leather jacket.…

It may be more than 11 years since Frontier released Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, but the game still inspires and supports a vibrant community of mad fairground architects to this day. Now, its spiritual successor looks set to make coaster creation more effortless than ever, whether you want to construct outlandish loops or burrow into the earth itself. What’s more, sharing these radical rides promises to be a cinch, since you’ll be able to pop into another player’s park at any time, and pinch their creations for your own garish nausea-world.…

1 Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005) The very first Lego videogame that Traveler’s Tales produces is a slapstick adaptation of George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, and it features the blend of gentle puzzling and block-on-block brawling that remains a staple of the series today. This assured franchise debut sets the course for TT’s development efforts over the coming decade. 2 Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (2008) The next franchise that the developer tackles is another product of the Lucas imagination, and this swashbuckling archeological adventure cements the formula while introducing a welcome dash of complexity to the puzzle-solving and a sprinkling of new platforming options to the minifigure moveset. Also: some industry-leading snake phobia gameplay. 3 Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (2010) Traveller’s Tales title draws from Rowling’s…

“The 60 second pitch for 100ft Robot Golf? The game lets you control a 100 foot tall robot to play golf in a destructible world. Done. The game sells itself just with the title! We’ve actually pitched and closed business-related things in one email thread just by saying that sentence. The twist is that not only are the robots directly controllable in real time, but they’re playing golf in a fully destructible environment. You can now destroy that pesky obstacle that’s blocking your shot to the green, or even push it in the way of one of your golfing buddies! We’re pulling out all the stops to make 100ft Robot Golf really fun to play with friends. You can tear up the town with up to four people taking turns,…

In XCOM 2, even your guns have personality. Loot parts from dead enemies, and you can install them in your soldier’s weapons, building your own custom armaments, and even giving them new names, colours, and patterns.…

From Loki’s Helicarrier escape being aided by a gun-toting hot dog to Nick Fury supping milkshakes at even the most critical of moments, nigh-on every laugh-out-loud moment in the game comes via a food- or drink-based sight gag. Black Widow and Bruce Banner share an intense conversation while making eyes at a lone chicken drumstick, Loki casually tucks into a tub of popcorn while in hiding from Captain America and Iron Man, and a furious Hulk chase on board the moving sky-fort ends with the big guy taking a wet fish to the face. They’re simple gags, sure, but a very welcome break from the game’s sound issues within cut-scenes, which often undercut the comedy elsewhere.…

Awesome Boss! Marvel vs. Capcom Format Dreamcast, PS1, Arcade Developer Capcom Released 1998 Enjoy fighting Apocalypse in previous Vs games, did you? Well, chuckled Capcom, here’s a treat! Out rolled Onslaught, a mile-high mongrel of Bad Professor X and Magneto, adding teleportation and flight to Apocalypse’s toolbox of energy bolts, ramming attacks, and an inconveniently massive final form. Who does that leave? Galactus? Surely they’d never… Oh. Classic Momen t! Jet Set Radio Format Dreamcast Developer Smilebit Released 2000 There was a lot to love about Sega’s cel-shaded skate opera, from its achingly trendy soundtrack to the joy of claiming whole districts of Tokyo-to by spraying tags onto shop fronts, moving buses, and, occasionally, people. The ability to deface the city with your own custom-designed graffiti (or comedy pics nicked…

“SONY PUTTING ONLY 500GBS OF SPACE IN THE PS4 IS A JOKE” The waiting game What’s the most excited you’ve ever been for a videogame coming out? GTA V – the trailers looked unreal, the world bigger, the punchlines funnier, and the characters more broken than ever. Rockstar has never failed to impress. Courtney Evans, Facebook Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – the hype behind that game was enormous and everyone was talking about it! It felt like a pop-culture event! Rob Manifield, Facebook The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time – as a kid I remember wanting to buy every magazine that said anything about it! The adverts on TV were amazing. Best Christmas present ever. Stanley Cohen, Facebook Team GM’s Robin remembers being absolutely obsessed with evolution…

1 DARK SOULS III Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 12 April Looks like you lot are almost as excited for this as editor Matt, who even now is building a bonfire in the office. 2 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA Format Wii U ETAWinter The magic of one of Nintendo’s best series, combined with a full open world? It’s got to be a winning combo. 3 OVERWATCH Format PS4, XO, PC ETA Summer No one does it quite like Blizzard, and this superheroic multiplayer shooter looks ready to steal our hearts. 4 THE DIVISION Format PS4, XO, PC ETA 8 March You’re never ones to turn down a good end of the world, are you? Fair enough – this plagued New York looks ace. 5 THE LAST GUARDIAN Format PS4 ETA…

100 Cost, in pounds, of the Doom collector’s edition, which includes a spiffy 12 inch Revenant statue. Out 13 May. 1/3 The proportion of Wii U owners that have purchased Splatoon. That’s more than four million copies! 5 000 000 Gross revenue, in dollars, that The Witness generated in its first week on sale – more than Braid took in a year. According to creator Jonathan Blow, this “will allow us to make more nice games in the future” – but for now he’s focusing on post-launch support for his puzzle epic. 10 Years since Bayonetta developer Platinum Games was founded. Happy Birthday, guys!…

THE MISTAKEN KING Bungie’s president Harold Ryan has parted ways with the company following a period of intense upset within the Destiny community. It comes alongside a highly unpopular set of matchmaking changes, which have since been rolled back, and the news that Destiny 2 has been delayed. SLIGHTLY LATE NO. 9 Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9 has been delayed yet again, slipping from a scheduled release date of February to sometime in Spring. In an update on the game’s Kickstarter page, Inafune explained that the delay was necessitated by bugs discovered in the game’s matchmaking, before going on to apologise personally: “We have no excuses for disappointing our fans and especially our backers once more.” SHOCK HORROR Five Nights At Freddy’s developer Scott Cawthon has removed his latest game…

POKÉMON SNAP 2000 – N64 A photographic excursion into Pokémon habitats that rewards compositional artistry (and apple-throwing) with high-scores. POKÉMON TRADING CARD GAME 2000 – GAME BOY Hudson Soft’s attempt at a digital recreation of the playground craze, bashed into the shape of an RPG. HEY YOU, PIKACHU! 2000 – N64 Though sadly never available in Europe, this Pikachu-raising game used voice-recognition technology to let players talk to the yellow critter. POKÉMON DASH 2005 – DS This super simple DS launch title saw you frantically stroking the touchscreen to push your Pikachu around a racetrack. LEARN WITH POKÉMON: TYPING ADVENTURE 2012 – DS A DS typing instructional that shipped with its own bluetooth keyboard peripheral. POKÉMON GO 2016 – MOBILE You’ll be able to catch Pokémon by wandering around actual…

“OUR BASE MORPHS FROM SPARSE ENCAMPMENT TO THRIVING SETTLEMENT WHERE SERIOUS MEN POINT AT MAPS” Central Park is a mass grave. Madison Square Garden is a field hospital. You could hear a bullet shell drop in Times Square. After contaminated banknotes spread a deadly disease on Black Friday, The Division’s New York eschews post-apocalypse for refreshing mid-crisis. Some people are looting, some are killing, and the rest have legged it. You, a sleeper agent activated by the President, are trying to help. Despite the immense promise of a present-day online RPG set inside what associate creative director Julian Gerighty calls “one of the most realistic portrayals of New York ever put in a videogame”, an “almost 1:1” recreation of the city’s downtown area which is entirely open from the start,…

If you’ve been around as long as us, there are some cultural touchstones across both anime and games that cut deep. The stark red leather-clad action and body horror of Akira? The symbolism-strewn personal drama of Evangelion? The weirdly welcoming yet equally repellent world of Nausicaa? This overhead action-RPG, by Alex Preston of Heart Machine, consciously taps into these cultural barometers as it builds its own mystical and hard-as-nails outing. Those inspirations are evident in the arresting art style, but under this welcoming veneer is a story, and a focus on masterful play, more akin to Zelda-meets-Dark Souls. Preston’s tale of a “desperately ill character in search of a cure” in a “very foreign, ravenous, ruined land” will have veterans of Lordran and Drangleic nodding sagely and salivating in equal…

Leaving the question of whether the world was really clamouring for a fast-paced, team-based take on Resident Evil to one side for a moment, it’s clear that Capcom is at least committed to delivering a distinctive spin on the competitive multiplayer shooter. Third-person traversal, brutal melee takedowns, first-person gunfire, and wacky gadgetry all rub shoulders in these 3-on-3 showdowns, which take place across zombie-strewn stages drawn from across the franchise’s storied history, including an RE4 map.…

Nailing a wedge shot onto the green may be satisfying, but it doesn’t provide the same sense of spiritual fulfilment you’d get from, say, destroying an exquisite chandelier. Fortunately, a team of former-Criterion developers has brought the two together at last, in a golf game that rewards destruction of property rather than careful club selection. You might tee off in a palatial ballroom, for instance, and drive your flaming golf ball through a king’s ransom of irreplaceable, fragile heirlooms. It’s Tiger Woods meets Burnout 3 meets a bull in a china shop.…

“THE ALIENS FEEL LIKE A TRUE OPPONENT, STRIKING BACK AGAINST YOUR TERRITORIES” For a series that stacks the odds so much against its players, that challenges you to be the underdog, it’s fitting that this sequel begins with the premise that we all lost XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The playthroughs where we screwed up, where we let our soldiers die and every country pulled out in panic, those are the canon. Now, 20 years later, the extraterrestrials, in the guise of dystopian government regime ADVENT, rule our planet with an iron fist, and a new band of alien hunters must rise to rebuild and fight back. And for some reason, they’ve put you in charge again. Despite the new premise flipping the first game’s roles, throwing an attacking human force against…

With 30 Jobs to choose from to make up your party, each boasting its own unique abilities in battle, there’s a lot to get to grips with. We certainly won’t blame you for getting overwhelmed. Here are our favourite picks – if you’re stuck, we reckon these Jobs’ll do you right.…

1 FINAL FANTASY EXPLORERS 3DS This beautiful but shallow Monster Hunter-like has me pining for a real story. After grinding for Sephiroth’s duds for hours, I switched to Tactics Ogre instead. Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman, Editor 2 LEGO MARVEL AVENGERS PS4 Another Lego game with everything I like! Combat’s a blast and I’m loving the wide variety of characters you get to play with, as well as the witty riffs on the movies. Sam Freeman, Art Editor 3 DRAGON’S DOGMA: DARK ARISEN PC It’s got a rough first few hours, but now that I’m in, I’m obsessed. Every quest feels like a real journey – exhausting, dangerous, and properly satisfying. Robin Valentine, Production Editor 4 JUST CAUSE 3 PS4 When you do this for a living it can be hard to unplug…

Although the Imperial overlords at EA are preparing to launch their paid DLC bombardment at any moment, the parade of freebies for Star Wars Battlefront continues unabated for now. This month a new multiplayer map has set down on the ice planet of Hoth, providing a frigid backdrop for games of Walker Assault, Supremacy, Fighter Squadron, and Turning Point. March, meanwhile, comes with the promise of a new map set on Endor – although it sounds as though our pleas for playable Ewoks have once again fallen on deaf ears. But if cutesy woodland critters aren’t your bag, perhaps gung-ho witches are more your speed. Super Smash Bros For Wii U and 3DS has added Bayonetta to the roster, and as ever Platinum’s action antihero comes equipped with a quartet…

1 Resident Evil (PC, PS1, Saturn – 1996) Yes, it was all thoroughly scripted, with fixed camera angles bringing out the festering best in those pre-rendered backgrounds and jump scares that only worked once, but they did work. Also a bit short on unlockables and bonus modes, but it scored where it mattered – virtually every feature introduced here would become Resi standard. Gratifyingly, Capcom still seems as reverent about this first instalment as we all were at the time. 2 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PC, GameCube, Dreamcast, PS1 – 1999) RE2 was a tough act to follow, but RE3 did it by building on two of its best ideas: survival in an infected city, and the recurring attentions of a big stalky lunatic. Framing the events of RE2 but…

FORMAT BUYER’S GUIDE Just bought a spanking new console? Configured a new rig? Or perhaps you’ve a new handheld ready to go? Whichever machine you’ve got, GM is here to ensure you’re clued in on the top exclusives 1 THE LAST OF US REMASTERED 2 JOURNEY 3 TOWERFALL ASCENSION 4 BLOODBORNE 5 RESOGUN 1 HALO 5: GUARDIANS 2 KALIMBA 3 FORZA HORIZON 2 4 SUNSET OVERDRIVE 5 ORI & THE BLIND FOREST 1 MARIO KART 8 2 SUPER MARIO MAKER 3 SPLATOON 4 BAYONETTA 2 5 SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD 1 HER STORY 2 GUILD WARS 2 3 DOTA 2 4 TOTAL WAR: ATTILA 5 KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM 1 FIRE EMBLEM AWAKENING 2 POKEMON X & Y 3 ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF 4 LUIGI’S MANSION 2: DARK MOON 5 MONSTER…