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PLAY|February 2019WelcomeGAME OF THE MONTHJust Cause 4MOST PLAYED PS4 GAMEPES 2017 (318 hours)As we go hands-on with The Division 2, Metro Exodus, and Rage 2 this issue, it’s clear that 2019 is shaping into a great year for shooters. All three games are aiming to add more depth to the genre; you can read my impressions of this issue’s cover game on p48, while Jess enters the deserts of Russia on p32, and Oscar takes a closer look at the world Id Software and Avalanche are building on p62.If shooters aren’t your thing then turn to this issue’s Big 10, starting on p6, to discover the kind of variety PS4 is known for. Leading the way is Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a remake of the classic Naughty Dog kart racer from…1 min
PLAY|February 201902 Settle problems in The Outer WorldsThis new sci-fi RPG from Obsidian wears its Fallout influence on its sleeve. Members of the development team served key roles in making that selfsame post-apocalyptic RPG series, so it’s fair enough. In a way they knitted that sleeve, and the whole jumper, themselves.“THERE’S A GREAT SENSE OF DARK HUMOUR IN ITS DESIGN.”This project is co-directed by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, who created Fallout in 1997. The Outer Worlds’ developer, Obsidian, made Fallout: New Vegas, as well as some other great RPGs, including Alpha Protocol and Pillars Of Eternity.There’s a reason so many people still hold up New Vegas as the best in the Fallout series – it captured so much of what people loved about the games: a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting, plenty of dashes of dark humour, and…2 min
PLAY|February 201905 Revealed: PS4’s biggest game…The original creator of Assassin’s Creed, Patrice Désilets, is back on PlayStation 4 with Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. This epic casts you as the leader of an hominid clan in Neogene Africa; how your species evolves over millions of years will depend on your choices. The game is based on three ideas: evolution, discovery, and survival. As you explore the world you’ll learn new skills and abilities, which can be passed on to the next generation of your clan.Now the creative director of Panache Digital Games, Désilets says: “We want to give an experience no player has ever lived before. Our small team will always seek to push the boundaries of what our medium is. The very early evolution of the humankind is an ambitious, truly immersive, and exclusive setting…1 min
PLAY|February 201907 Team Abzû is on the right pathLike Abzû, Giant Squid’s new game, The Pathless, is a beautiful exploration of nature wrapped in some of the best animation we’ve yet seen on PS4; the lead character’s elegant movement is reminiscent of Disney at its best.As The Hunter you venture to a mystical island to banish a curse that has the world in its grip. It’s a simple setup that will lead into an evocative journey as you explore the misty forests and ancient, ruined temples that litter the landscape. The way you stalk the island’s corrupted creatures lends an air of Shadow Of The Colossus to The Pathless. Defeating them – we’ve seen giant stags, a three-headed dragon, and what can only be described as a fiery, horned horse – frees their spirits and weakens the curse’s…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Star letter Off the chartI understand that everything is subjective but I’m finding it a little bit difficult to accept OPM’s judgement that Uncharted 4 is the best game available on the system. This seems to me to be patently ludicrous; Uncharted 4 seems to be the absolute epitome of a ‘good game’, not spectacular, certainly not terrible, but… just ‘good’. The shooting is ‘good’, the story is ‘good’, the driving bits are ‘good’… it is… good. Surely in the post Red Dead Redemption 2 world you have to reconsider the adulation that you pour upon Uncharted. You aren’t fooling anyone.Jonathan Bowden via emailWe reckon Uncharted 4 is much more than the sum of its parts – which are, individually, excellent. Add them all together and it’s one superb game.…1 min
PLAY|February 2019“I WISH BIGGER DEVS TALKED MORE OPENLY ABOUT THEIR WORK! WE GAIN VERY LITTLE FROM THIS PERSISTENT CULTURE OF SECRECY.”Finally I’ve spent time with The Quiet Man, and I am absolutely fascinated by it. I can’t put this no-good, very bad mish-mash down and, yes, I may even play the awful thing through twice to get the full effect of the story. It’s been a long time since I’ve engaged with a piece of media that fails so expertly at every turn and everything it sets out to do. Is this love? Or obsession?I shan’t be too mean to Human Head Studios, but I would love to know what happened during production to result in that end product. Given the studio’s relatively low profile since 2006’s Prey (and the final nail in the coffin, its cancelled sequel in 2014), the story of how it came to collaborate with Square…3 min
PLAY|February 2019Escort missions1 RESIDENT EVIL 4No longer a rookie, Leon’s charged with rescuing the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham. Kennedy and his protectee must survive waves of Ganados, the odd knife-handed loon, and more than one cranky cave troll. The best survival tactic? Order Ms Graham to cower in a dumpster. Sorry, Ashley.2 JUST CAUSE 4Rico’s latest South America sandbox plays fast and loose with the concept of escorting. Rather than ferry a political prisoner or dainty damsel from A to B, the gravity-defying agent has to protect a hurricane from troops who are trying to stop it with wind cannons. Never change, Just Cause.3 THE LAST OF USJoel and Ellie’s journey sees the Texan gun-runner escorting the foul-mouthed teen to a group known as the Fireflies, so that her immunity to the…2 min
PLAY|February 2019A PLAGUE TALE: INNOCENCE“THEY MUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO PRESERVE THEIR FRAGILE BOND.”FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 / PUB FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / DEV ASOBO STUDIOLabelled ‘that rats’ game by many, the more we see of Asobo Studio’s historical adventure the greater we appreciate A Plague Tale is much more than a pile of writhing, hungry rodents. There’s an emotional story to tell, and the visual design to match the narrative aspirations.To recap, A Plague Tale: Innocence casts you in the 14th-century shoes of Amicia, a 14-year-old girl on the run with her five-year-old brother. At the start of the game the pair barely know each other, but are thrust together as tragedy strikes their family and the Inquisition hunts for them. It’s a simple setup that raises many questions, which are…3 min
PLAY|February 2019OBSERVATION“GET TOO MANY PUZZLES WRONG AND FISHER WILL NATURALLY BE SUSPICIOUS.”FORMAT PS4 / ETA SPRING 2019 / PUB DEVOLVER DIGITAL / DEV NO CODESomething’s gone horribly wrong aboard the LOSS (Low Orbit Space Station), and doctor Emma Fisher, the only remaining crew member, is trapped inside an airlock. But you’re not the good doc, you’re the station’s AI observing her struggle.Playing on the ‘crazy AI’ trope made famous by 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL, Observation starts with an unsettling realisation you may be the game’s big bad, and runs with it. As SAM (Systems Administration and Maintenance), your first ‘puzzle’ is to free Fisher from the airlock by manipulating the nearest onboard camera and then hacking into the control panel. This kind of voyeuristic guidance, as you follow and help…2 min
PLAY|February 2019RPG MAKER MV“THE SIMPLICITY HIDES THE LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY THAT IS ACHIEVABLE.”FORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 / PUB NIS AMERICA, INC DEV KADOKAWA CORPORATIONAre you an armchair developer? Do you love to criticise games, shrug, and bellow “I could do better”? Then now’s your chance. RPG Maker MV is the latest version of the long-running PC game-making software, and it’s coming to PS4.This is no mere hobbyist set of tools, either. Genuinely great, massively successful games have been made with RPG Maker and released onto Steam. The likes of indie hit To The Moon show what can be done with this package.On PS4 you get the full software, which means thousands of pre-made assets, as well as customisation tools to craft your own worlds. There’s no need to learn code; you simply…1 min
PLAY|February 2019ROGUE AGENTSWe reach the extraction point and there’s tension in the air. Our group, four Division agents laden with gear, separate and hunker down behind makeshift cover. We choose a burned-out car, partly covered in vines where nature is fighting back. It’s not the shrubbery that’s shooting at us, though, it’s another squad of Division ‘friends’ gone Rogue. And they want our loot.At the tip of its paramilitary spear The Division 2 feels a lot like the first game. There’s a 40-hour narrative to play through, either solo or in co-op, a vast open world to explore (New York is replaced by a 1:1 recreation of Washington DC), again on your own or with friends, and the Dark Zone is still the best ‘end game’ draw going; yes, even better than…9 min
PLAY|February 2019SURE SHOTGUN CADDYYou can loot new gear from enemies. Everything appears on your character’s back. You can hot-swap between guns by quickly tapping w.SIGNATURE SHOTHolding w enables you to access your character’s signature weapon, which can be assigned in the loadout menu.DUCK AND COVERCover fire feels snappy. You can lock to cover easily by tapping q, while you can point to and highlight nearby cover to run to; it’s one of the best cover systems going.IT’S A RIOTOne of the best skills to master is the use of the armoured riot shield. Though you can only use a pistol with this, it means you can draw fire while your squad flanks.SKILFUL SHOOTEREach class of character has access to skills that you can make use of in the heat of battle including…1 min
PLAY|February 2019RAGE ON, RAGE HARDJust like a perfect mixtape, Rage 2 is best played loud. Very loud. We turn the volume all the way up as we go hands-on with a massive slice of the game’s open world, and rockin’ riffs blast into our ears as we tear through the wasteland blasting away at bandits – a stark contrast with the snowy Stockholm streets we trudged through on the way to Avalanche’s snug office.As empowering as the beats are when you get really into the flow of combat (think Id’s own Doom (2016)), that’s not all that’s loud about Rage 2.The raw energy of this game is incredible: the sound, the visuals, the attitude – it’s an over-the-top neon take on a Mad Max wasteland overflowing with things to discover, and lush areas where…8 min
PLAY|February 2019Light becomes shadowBack in November, a little over a week before FFXIV players gathered under the bright lights at its Vegas Fan Fest, fans of the long-running JRPG series had to deal with a spot of disappointment – Final Fantasy XV’s second year of DLC plans was cancelled. Of the four instalments announced for 2019, only one will actually release. That means the November-announced Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers will be holding up Final Fantasy alone for the year. But, now more than ever, that’s hardly a bad thing. It may be an online game but Shadowbringers is the next big Final Fantasy – and shouldn’t be overlooked by those devoted to the offline games.Shadowbringers ushers in version 5.0 of the game. But don’t be intimidated by that number. Just as the expansion…6 min
PLAY|February 2019OPM SCORESGOLD AWARDAwarded to a game that’s brilliantly executed on every level, combining significant innovation, near-flawless gameplay, great graphics and lasting appeal.EDITOR’S AWARDNot at the very highest echelon, but this is a game that deserves recognition and special praise based on its ambition, innovation or other notable achievement.10 INCREDIBLEThe kind of phenomenal experience rarely seen in a console generation.9 OUTSTANDINGUnreservedly brilliant – this should be in every collection.8 VERY GOODA truly excellent game, marred by just a few minor issues.7 GOODA great concept unfulfilled or the familiar done well, but still well worth playing.6 DECENTFun in parts, flawed in others, but more right than wrong.5 AVERAGEWhat you expect and little more, this is for devotees only.4 BELOW AVERAGEAny bright ideas are drowning in a sea of bugs or mediocrity.3 POORA seriously…1 min
PLAY|February 2019NIPPON MARATHONMarathons are weird at the best of times. People running even though there’s no ice cream van round the corner, crazy costumes in the name of charity, somebody (possibly) following Paula Radcliffe round with a dog poo bag and a scoop… weird. This game values – and massively inflates – the weirdness above all else, which successfully produces some laughs. The actual ‘game’ bit, unfortunately, hasn’t been given quite so much attention…The eponymous Nippon Marathon is an eight-stage race across Japan with plenty of marketable surreality. Playable contestants include a man dressed as a lobster, a woman in a narwhal onesie, an old man in a schoolgirl’s uniform, and a giant dog in a puffer jacket. You’re going to go straight for the dog, aren’t you?“VALUES – AND MASSIVELY INFLATES…3 min
PLAY|February 2019RIDE 3Ride 3’s enthusiasm for its motorcycles is infectious, and the detail of some of the loading screen reading is deliciously nerdy. It’s an enthusiast’s game, no question. But that same enthusiast will compare this riding experience to the excellent TT Isle Of Man, and wonder why that game feels so much more immediate. Ride 3 does little wrong, but just doesn’t provide the same rush as many of its peers.The gameplay is nonetheless commendably balanced. A pop-up message gently nudges you into harder difficulties when you’re winning too easily, and the usual ultra-hardcore simulation handling is there if you want it. The default riding settings are supremely playable, making for a pleasantly accessible racing sim.1 You’re still guiding a two-wheeled vehicle, though, which is much less stable than a car…2 min
PLAY|February 2019SUBNAUTICAThis is one of those games where the less you know about it, the better. Even the name of a single item could spoil a huge chunk of the experience, and that wouldn’t be fair. Well, not on our watch. This review doesn’t give away any of the best surprises. But if you have even the slightest interest in games about adventure and discovery, get this now.Subnautica starts with your spaceship crashing on an alien world. You manage to board an escape pod, which keeps you alive… at least until you reach the planet’s surface. You wake up to discover your pod is on fire. But you pick up a fire extinguisher and put out the blaze, leaving the pod damaged but mostly functional. Your pod has a health pack…4 min
PLAY|February 2019THRONEBREAKER: THE WITCHER TALESYou know how in fantasy epics like Game Of Thrones everyone’s family history is tangled and contested? Thronebreaker comes with a lineage to rival any of Westeros’ noble families. It goes back to the ’90s, when Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher novels first introduced the fictional card game of Gwent. This was adapted into a minigame for The Witcher 3, proving so popular it got its own standalone title. A spin-off that, in turn, begat its own spin-off – and thus Thronebreaker was born.The game is inextricably tied the free-to-play Gwent. There’s a link to download Gwent from the Store in the main menu, and finding treasure chests here unlocks cards for use in multiplayer matches there. But what Thronebreaker is trying to achieve is closer to The Witcher 3 –…2 min
PLAY|February 2019OVERRIDE: MECH CITY BRAWLVideogames have turned many a childhood interest into a serious affair. Space is cold and filled with fiends, no-one in the recent cowboys and robbers sim says ‘boom’ or ‘pow’, and you spend as much time solving Spider-Man’s relationship problems as you do swinging around New York. By contrast, Override, with its toy box full of mechs, evokes a sense of fun, even when mankind’s future is on the line.Like most fighting games, Override comes with a local versus mode, online matches, and an arcade campaign. In the latter, you select one of 12 mechs and set off to, er, research the alien threat by giving it a good stomping. Every mission takes place in another famous city around the world, which then gets utterly pulverised in the ensuing battles.…2 min
PLAY|February 2019GUNGRAVE VRAmazing; innovative; beautiful; compelling. These words and many more are entirely inappropriate when describing this thing. Perhaps you have fond memories of the original PlayStation 2 games, and/or the anime that followed. If so… stick with those. Trust me. This is just a shoddy shooting gallery crowbarred into PS VR in an unsuccessful attempt to hide how terrible it is.Alarm bells start ringing before the tutorial is even over, when a bug appears to prevent R2 working on V1 DualShocks (helpfully, this is the all-important ‘shoot’ button). Fortunately – or, on reflection, perhaps not – I have a V2 to hand to plough on.The idea of a PS VR shooter that offers both third- and first-person perspectives is fine and dandy. It can be helpful to change the way you…2 min
PLAY|February 2019PlayerUnknown’s BattlegroundsYou know the drill, right? 100 players dropped onto a huge map, all weapons and items must be scavenged, only one player or squad (depending on your game mode) can be left standing. Fortnite may be the game making a billion pounds a day (or something), but this is the one that first succeeded and inspired all the copycats.It must be said that rather than a dashing young trendsetter, PUBG nowadays comes across as a retired soldier who, while still fit, has been left rapidly aged and haggard by their experiences. The PC Early Access roots are painfully obvious. The graphics are rather basic, textures can take several seconds to load at the start of a match, and framerate hitches are common (the worst of which, to be fair, are…2 min
PLAY|February 2019Lego DC Super-Villains – Aquaman Level PackRemember the days of movie tie-in games? You couldn’t release a superhero movie without a tie-in back in the early noughties, and while there were the odd rays of light, more often they were complete rubbish. Some of the best tie-in games have been Lego ones, so the superheroes are welcome – being adapted as Lego DLC is a fine thing.The latest to get the brick treatment is DC’s Aquaman, which has arrived in two parts as DLC for Lego DC Super-Villains. Why is it part of this villainous package when Aquaman is, quite clearly, a hero? It’s an argument that threatened to tear Team OPM apart, but probably because it’s simply the latest main platform of delicious DC Lego content. The movie’s villain, Orm, does make an appearance as…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Fortnite’s cold shoulderThe iceberg cometh, smashing into the Fortnite island and changing things up massively for Season 7 of the battle royale. The island has updated, and now has more spots to chill than ever – and we mean that literally.Polar Peak, Frosty Flights, and Happy Hamlet are among the highlights of the new icy biome in the south-west of the map, where things can get a bit slippy and slidy. It’s not the first major addition to the island, which has become a real mix of environments providing a varied game, that nonetheless remains focused on a single core playing experience.“THE ISLAND HAS BECOME A REAL MIX OF ENVIRONMENTS PROVIDING A VARIED GAME.”Magnetic ziplines have been introduced, creating some extra ways to navigate up and down steep terrain. The X-4 Stormwing…2 min
PLAY|February 2019COMING SOONPOSSUM21 JANMatthew Holness is behind this horror about a puppeteer who returns to his childhood home with a marionette, Possum, ripped from your nightmares.KING OF THIEVES21 JANMichael Caine, Ray Winstone, and a cast of diamond geezers star in this thriller about the thieves who pulled off the Hatton Garden heist.CRAZY RICH ASIANS21 JANRomcom/cultural phenomenon about a New Yorker who discovers her Singapore-born boyfriend really is crazy rich.CLIMAX21 JANControversy magnet Gaspar Noé (Enter The Void) directs this horror about a dance troupe’s descent into hell after their sangria is spiked with LSD.A SIMPLE FAVOUR21 JANMissing person mystery – Anna Kendrick plays a mom blogger who investigates the disappearance of her friend Blake Lively.THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS28 JANJack Black and Cate Blanchett star in this family-friendly fantasy based…1 min
PLAY|February 2019THIS MONTH’S EXTENDED TIME PLAYERSOscar Taylor-KentGAMES EDITOROscar either loves RPGs, or unicorns and saucy bath times. We think we know the real reason he’s played so much of The Witcher 3.GAME OF THE MONTHPersona DancingMOST PLAYED PS4 GAMEThe Witcher 3 (91 hours)Jess KinghornSTAFF WRITER101 hours of Persona 5 and Jess hasn’t even finished it yet. Thank goodness our school days didn’t last this long.GAME OF THE MONTHThe CouncilMOST PLAYED PS4 GAMEPersona 5 (101 hours)Miriam McDonaldOPERATIONS EDITORMeanwhile down on the farm Mim’s been milking, seeding, and dating. A lot. no wonder we’ve not ‘herd’ from her in ages.GAME OF THE MONTHSubnauticaMOST PLAYED PS4 GAMEStardew Valley (314 hours)Milford CoppockMANAGING ART EDITOR“I think I left the game on pause and went to the pub,” explains Milf of his incredible 319 hours of MGSV.GAME OF THE MONTHSubnauticaMOST PLAYED…1 min
PLAY|February 201903 BioWare raises The Dread WolfNobody expects the inquisition, but Dragon Age fans were wondering if they should expect a followup to Dragon Age: Inquisition at all given BioWare’s silence about the series since 2014. It still hasn’t explicitly announced a game by that title, but we have received a mysterious tease of a Dragon Age project, accompanied by the text “The Dread Wolf Rises”.“WE HAVE BEEN BUILDING A NEW TEAM AROUND A CORE OF DRAGON AGE VETERANS.”“We have been working on a new Dragon Age game for quite a while now,” shares the game’s executive producer, Mike Darrah, in a BioWare blog post about the teaser. “We have been building a new team around a core of Dragon Age veterans […] While I have been focused on Anthem, the rest of the team has…2 min
PLAY|February 201906 Takayuki Hama revisits historyJapan’s Sengoku period has provided the backdrop to some great games in recent years, including the Sony-published Nioh and the forthcoming Sekiro. But the supernatural hack-and-slash Onimusha: Warlords did it in style back in 2001, as we can rediscover in a brand-new remaster, out this month.“IT FELT LIKE A GOOD TIME TO BRING BACK ONE OF THE MASTERPIECES.”“The Sengoku period is popular in Japan too, not just in games but also manga, anime, and so on,” Takayuki Hama tells us. The producer on this remaster, his history with Capcom goes all the way back to the original games, and its sister series Resident Evil. We’re talking about the popularity of the Sengoku era – a bloody period in Japanese history when there was constant warring between smaller states. “There are…4 min
PLAY|February 201908 The hunt just became wilderA year on from the release of Monster Hunter: World, the hype doesn’t look to be abating any time soon. Capcom is hitting January running with news that Geralt Of Rivia will be heading to the New World. (He’s getting everywhere right now.)Capcom is working with CD Projekt Red to incorporate The Witcher 3’s RPG features into Monster Hunter: World, for a unique new take on the insanely good creature-trapping series – as long as Geralt keeps his bloodied mitts off our Palico, we’re happy.Bigger news, however, is Capcom’s reveal of Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne. This major expansion is the first grand-scale shakeup of the online co-op game since its launch. It will feature a new narrative that picks up where the main game’s story ended, offering us a…1 min
PLAY|February 201910 What 2018 videogames trend should be banished in 2019?IAN DEANEDITOR“OPEN BETAS NEED TO GET BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL PURPOSE AND STOP BEING ANOTHER WAY TO HIT OUR WALLETS”Betas are fast becoming yet another way for publishers to eke out more cash from us gamers, and steer games away from genuine criticism. They used to be a way for devs to test servers, spot flaws, and do free QA testing ahead of release, but when you consider Fortnite has been in beta for over a year, and you had to pay to access it, and more publishers have followed suit, the lines are being blurred. Worse still, being in beta can be used as a pass card for criticism. Terrible lootbox levelling? “It’s in beta, it’ll change.” Betas aren’t bad, but they’re open to abuse.JESS KINGHORNSTAFF WRITER“WE’VE ALREADY GOT…3 min
PLAY|February 2019CAN I GET A RT?@LOMBAX_GIRL_94Finally got hold of @OPM_UK! Was prepared to keep buying this until I got the Leon cover, so I’m super happy I got it on my first go@HERO_OF_SKYUK tiene mejores revistas que España, aunque también son más caras. [Muchas gracias! – ed]@QUINNY_BOBSteins; Gate is finished! That’s 75 platinums and just over 2400 trophies altogether this year. I should probably give it a break now, phew...@THETATTOOEDBEAR2019 is looking killer for #PS4 ... @OPM_UK latest issue is proof of that@JENVONLEEIn PT, the radio at one point practically describes the Death Stranding trailer. They do a lot to distract you from listening, but if you do… creepy.@TROZJANPlayStation gettin sold to Apple@ROCKETMINXI met my husband through @OPM_UK’s Facebook page and we had a PlayStation themed wedding in 2016. I think that makes me #PlayStationsBiggestFan@RM_MATHESONErm...…1 min
PLAY|February 2019“MORE THAN TWO YEARS AFTER RELEASE, PLAYSTATION VR HAS FINALLY COME OF AGE.”PlayStation VR spent its first two years as an impressive proof-of-concept – cheaper than its PC equivalents, with smart use of pre-existing equipment like the camera and PS Move controllers – but it was still hard to justify dropping a significant chunk of change on it. There simply wasn’t the library of games to support it, and I’ve heard many sad stories of headsets stuck in cupboards, their lenses gathering dust.But in 2018 – right around PS VR’s second anniversary, in fact – that started to change. Last year saw the arrival of Guitar-Hero-meets-Jedi-Knight rhythm game Beat Saber, adorable mouse fantasy adventure Moss, and my beloved Tetris Effect (the best way to put yourself into a VR trance). But perhaps most important was Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, which showed how…2 min
PLAY|February 2019METRO EXODUS“IN THE DESERT WE REALLY FEEL THE DISTANCE FROM MOSCOW.”FORMAT PS4 / ETA 15 FEB PUB DEEP SILVER / DEV 4A GAMESAnna is missing. And that’s just one more thing on our to-do list that has gone wrong since leaving Moscow, though it’s pretty close to the top of it. We’d say something about our sniper getting herself into trouble but given the number of times we very nearly had our own face chewed off by Watchers, or drowned in the irradiated water, or got rumbled by crazed cultists, we don’t really have a leg to stand on.The surface, specifically the patch by the Volga we’re now scouring, is no more welcoming than the Metro was. But there’s that much more space to retreat into… not that we’re ones to…5 min
PLAY|February 2019SILVER CHAINS“THEIR TANGLED BODIES CAST EERIE SHADOWS AROUND THE ROOM.”FORMAT PS4 / ETA SPRING 2019 / PUB HEADSUP / DEV CRACKED HEADSAn old chair sits alone in a dark room, lit by the light of the moon. The sound of rain, muffled by old, thick Victorian walls, patters somewhere off-screen, in the gloom. Nothing is really happening. There’s no monster. We can’t see anything moving. But it’s absolutely terrifying.Old is always scary, and the early-20th-century architecture of Silver Chain’s (haunted) house has us on edge from the off. But there’s more here than a clever use of our fear of the dark.The setup is as classic as the jump scares lurking in the shadows. You, or rather your hapless alter ego Peter, awake in the mansion with no memory of how…2 min
PLAY|February 2019FAR CRY NEW DAWN“HOLDOUTS ARE SEIZING WHAT THEY CAN FROM THIS RECOVERING LAND.”FORMAT PS4 / ETA 15 FEB PUB UBISOFT / DEV UBISOFT MONTREALSpoiler alert: it wasn’t a Bliss-induced hallucination after all. The bombs really did drop. But they didn’t just drop in Montana. The end was the beginning of a global nuclear apocalypse, we discover when Ubisoft shows its homework to us in an underground bunker somewhere in London…The rain only returns after ten years of nuclear winter. Through it all we see the husk of the cult’s church, ravaged by snow and then harsh winds. But with the rain, a new world blossoms. The flowers resulting from a superbloom aren’t the only survivors: holdouts across Hope County are seizing what they can from this recovering land.Pitched as a “New West with…4 min
PLAY|February 2019WORLD IN CONFLICTThe Division 2’s new Conflict mode – a PvP set across three custom maps and including Skirmish, Team Deathmatch, and Domination game types – reinforces the sequel’s core shooter status.Playing Skirmish on the game’s Georgetown map – Georgetown is Washington’s older district – is intense and moreish. The map is small but crammed with nooks to hide inside, alleyways to scurry down and everything culminates in a small crossroads overlooked by two rooftops. The closeness of the combat, where you’re often right on top of a rival squad, lends Conflict a distinct Call Of Duty: WWII feel.In Skirmish mode each team has a set number of respawns, and once a team has used them all it’s game over for that team. It means you’re only as good as your weakest…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Look who’s TekkenDespite being two years old Tekken 7 remains one of PS4’s best fighters, and its latest season pass only reinforces its status. The current roster is expanded by series stalwarts Anna, Lei, Craig Marduk, Armor King, and Julia Chang (as well as a guest appearance from The Walking Dead’s Negan).This issue, like a Cher impersonator at a wedding, we’re turning back time. With Tekken 3 proving one of the best games in PlayStation Classic’s lineup, we catch up with the director and producer on the Tekken series, Katsuhiro Harada, who has worked on every game in the series (he even voiced the original Yoshimitsu, Marshall Law, and Kunimitsu). What does he make of Tekken 3 being on PlayStation Classic? Why was PS1 such a magnet for fight fans? How do…8 min
PLAY|February 2019MAD WORLDMARSH, NOT MELLOWThe swamplands have an ‘American South’ vibe to them and are home to the River Hogs gang and the town of Lagooney. You can pilot hoverboats in the wetlands, and some enemies here have created mech-like robots from scrap, which is resourceful, if not exactly welcoming.MEAN GREENNature is reclaiming things in this area. “There’s so many aspects in this where you lead the player with nature – just a simple thing to just orient yourself in the world – if you know there's a green area over there I can use that in my mind to know that's that direction,” says Nedfors.WELL’ ON EARTHWellspring is the first city we come to in our demo, and the missions we are given there reveal the corruption beneath its neon lights.…1 min
PLAY|February 2019EORZEAN HISTORYFINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE – 1.030 September 2010Originally planned to come to PS3 shortly after the PC release, Final Fantasy XIV had to be put on hold due to technical issues and a poor reception. Changing project leads, the game had to be reborn…FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN – 2.027 August 2013This release completely changed the game at its core – for the better. What’s fantastic is the way the dev worked the destruction of the first game’s world into the story of this one. It all makes sense!FINAL FANTASY XIV: HEAVENSWARD – 3.023 June 2015In this massive expansion you journey to the closed-off kingdom of Ishgard and tackle an ancient (of course!) conspiracy. It added the Dark Knight, Machinist, and Astrologian jobs to the game.FINAL FANTASY XIV: STORMBLOOD…1 min
PLAY|February 2019JUST CAUSE 4Unless you live on a tropical island year-round, you’ll be used to putting up with a spot of bad weather. And if you live in the UK, said ‘spot’ is nine months of torrential downpours briefly punctuated by a couple of semi-sunny days in July when you might be able to brave some shorts. Still, as sucky as Blighty’s climate can be, it’s got nothing on the ultra-aggressive atmospheric conditions Rico Rodriguez has to endure.Just Cause 4 has finally discovered weather is a thing. Well, cataclysmic weather, at least. If GTA V is defined by its trio of swappable crims and ambitious heists, and Assassin’s Creed by its obsession with hoodies and leaping off huge cathedrals, then this madcap sandbox separates itself from the open-world pack with its mega-destructive meteorological…11 min
PLAY|February 2019EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5There’s something to be said for the Japanese budget titles of the early noughties. Specifically, the no-frills approach of the Simple series, whose games cut straight to whatever nonsense was promised by their covers. Who among us doesn’t have fond memories of mindlessly slashing through zombies in OneeChanbara? Of course, yours truly was only in it for the hack-and-slash gameplay.Monster Attack, as the first Earth Defense Force game was known over here, released in 2004 and plonked you straight into the middle of a playable B-movie to blast away giant ants invading a city. It was cheap and cheerful cheesy goodness. With gaming looking very different today, there’s certainly something to be said for such a title released in 2018. Given the series’ purposefully dated premise, it makes sense that…3 min
PLAY|February 2019ACHTUNG! CTHULHU TACTICSThere’s a certain type of person for whom the words ‘it’s like XCOM but…’ are gaming catnip. In the case of Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics, the rest of that phrase goes ‘…but set in a World War Two where the Nazis unlocked the powers of the Old Gods’. It’s an effective setting, albeit one well-trodden by the likes of Wolfenstein, Hellboy, and Overlord. You control a ragtag squad from the Allied Forces’ own occult division, as they push into enemy territory in the wake of D-Day, discovering an increasingly historically-inaccurate bestiary of fascist monsters along the way.1This is presented through turn-based tactical battles which handle very similarly to… you guessed it! XCOM. The biggest difference comes in Achtung!'s use of the rather old-school Action Points.2 Each unit gets 12 AP to…1 min
PLAY|February 2019THE OPM BREAKDOWNWHAT YOU DO IN… SUBNAUTICA20% Worrying that the destroyed pods you find are similar to yours.17% Scanning everything, including yourself – hey, it’s fun.3% Resisting the temptation to Google how to do something. Don’t. Give. In.30% Exploring the sea floor, hunting for resources to build and fix things.25% Trying not to drown. Or starve. Or die of dehydration.5% Laughing at the names of the marine life. ‘Bladder Fish’ shouldn’t be funny, but…HOW TO… GET THE FIBRE MESHThere’s one item that seems to be needed for everything early on, but isn’t anywhere to be found, and that’s fibre mesh. You need to make the knife and then use it on the Creepvine to get Creepvine samples. Then use the fabricator to make the mesh. Easy.STAT PACK62 The number of seconds it…2 min
PLAY|February 2019PERSONA DANCING: ENDLESS NIGHT COLLECTIONAny Persona fan will tell you one thing – the JRPG series has great music. And not just your standard orchestral fantasy fare. The games are set in a (relatively) real world, and revolve around teens dealing with problems (who also can summon demons to fight battles), so their music ranges from hip hop and rap to jazz and funky beats.It’s a natural fit for a rhythm game, then – and Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection is packed full of fab tunes. It includes two brand-new games – Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight and Persona 5, Dancing In Starlight – and brings PS Vita’s Persona 4: Dancing All Night to PS4. Each is filled with music from the relevant game alongside fresh remixes and tons of fan-pleasing extras. (Though the…3 min
PLAY|February 2019BENDY AND THE INK MACHINEBuried beneath Bendy And The Ink Machine’s pomposity are touches of malevolence so effective, they’re breathtaking. When it’s not trying to dazzle you with contrived jump scares or its offensively unsubtle environmental storytelling, you can almost see what Bendy could’ve been. And that’s the scariest thing here, really; not the game itself, but what was lost somewhere in the development process.I take no pleasure in writing that, by the way; to all intents and purposes, Bendy encompasses much of what we’re looking for in contemporary horror, and that’s possibly why its missteps are so irksome. As stunning as its score and visuals are (although that jaundice-toned veneer will grate on you, too, no doubt), Bendy And The Ink Machine is a veritable masterclass in how not to design a horror…2 min
PLAY|February 2019LAST MONTH ON PS PLUSLucky number 13! As a result of our meddling with time and space, we squeeze an extra issue into every year just for you. All the same, the fact you’re holding this issue in your hands now means we went to print too early to know what was in store for January’s PS Plus lineup. So feast your eyes on the very best of what we enjoyed over the 12 months of 2018.It was a year in which PS4 PS Plus subscribers saw Sony deliver a slew of hot Triple-A releases, for free. January saw DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED. In March we had BLOODBORNE, renewing our resolve to finally finish off all of those Chalice Dungeons, while April had us dusting off MAD MAX. This was just a teaser, as…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Battlefield VBattlefield V’s multiplayer got off to a slow start, but DICE’s war on the lesser-known fronts of World War 2 is finally hotting up. The game launched with a fair selection of modes, though the new additions don’t significantly enhance the game, and none of the starting selection of maps stand out as Battlefield’s best. However, now Tides Of War is active things are changing. Fresh maps and rule variants are being added every few weeks, and there’s a livelier feel to multiplayer games. You have more rewards to earn, and more ways to grab XP – which is mainly attained through playing Battlefield as it’s designed to be played. While this isn’t the finished article yet (and DICE will tweak, constantly), the multiplayer is already a lot better than…1 min
PLAY|February 2019ALSO ON PSNTHE HANDLER’S WINTER SPIRIT COATBeing a Fashion Hunter in Monster Hunter: World goes beyond your character – your handler looks snazzy too, in this seasonal winter coat.PROVING GROUNDSAwaken Tiempochtl in this new series of Guacamelee 2 challenge levels located in the Badlands. This temple will test your skills to the limit to unlock new characters.JUNGLE ADVENTURENot all Sims are homebodies; some want to get out and explore the world. And in this new The Sims 4 Game Pack they can. Jungles, temples, and treasure await!POISONED SOULSWarp-tainted drugs are an issue for the Imperium in this Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr DLC that includes a series of missions. Remember: just say no.LONG ISLAND RAILWAYWhen Oscar went to NYC they wouldn’t let him drive a single train. Now with this Train Sim…1 min
PLAY|February 2019THE MONTH IN… EVENTS’Twas the season to be jolly, and there were luckily plenty of games to get jolly in while chowing down on mince pies and cheesy snacks. Luckily Team OPM stockpiled enough to see us through a few sessions.You’ve got to kick off the season by wrapping up warm, and that applies in-game too. It was great to see the Winter Solstice customisations return to Warframe, ensuring some elegant looks. The Overwatch Winter Wonderland once again added some great seasonal Legendary skins, which we mostly failed to track down, but were killed by. Stealing the show was the Krampus Junkrat, which made us feel all sorts of new emotions.Our questing was just as tinged with the red and whites. The wonderfully bizarre Q’s Winter Wonderland in Star Trek Online was a…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Bird BoxFORMAT NETFLIX PRICE £7.99 A MONTHNetflix horror Bird Box has an irresistible high concept – you see it, you die. Hot on the heels of A Quiet Place, which played a similar trick with sound, it’s only a matter of time before “you smelt it, you’re dealt it” is unleashed on unsuspecting audiences.A framing device sets the scene – Malorie (Sandra Bullock) is making a treacherous journey by river with two young children (called Boy and Girl), but they’re all blindfolded. The reason why is revealed in flashback. An unseen force suddenly appears on Earth and its effects are devastating – one glimpse drives you to suicide. Narrowly escaping the carnage, Malorie finds sanctuary in a suburban home with a group of survivors. But death lurks behind window, wall, and…1 min
PLAY|February 2019OPM TIME MACHINE 5 YEARS AGO1 min
PLAY|February 2019THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CURRENT-GEN’S GREATEST GAMES PS4 HALL OF FAMEUNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S ENDNathan Drake’s swan song is a daring evolution. It combines series-defining set-pieces, quietly devastating storytelling beats, and sprawling levels that make you feel like a real-life explorer. This franchise finale retains its signature charm, with the wisecracks flowing as fast as the bullets, while the new characters each justify their inclusion. With an astonishing attention to detail, it’s Naughty Dog’s best yet.RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2There are a lot of open world games, but none that make you feel like you’re a part of a world in quite the same way as Arthur Morgan’s wild west adventure. Tremendously physical, an epic story, and some of the most satisfying headshots you’ll ever find.GOD OF WARA departure in some ways but a resounding return in others, Kratos is back…5 min
PLAY|February 2019THE VIRTUAL REALITY HITS YOU HAVE TO PLAY PS VR HALL OF FAMETETRIS EFFECTTetris, yeah? It might be a great game, but it’s easy to understand why you’d brush this off as just more Tetris at a glance. Yet Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s trippy, transcendent take on the block-based puzzler is nothing short of a masterpiece. Sure, you can play it without PS VR, but in the virtual space it really becomes next level, transforming one of the tightest puzzle games ever made into an emotional ride.THE PERSISTENCEThis first-person horror roguelike offers perfectly sized chunks of survival bursts. It’s everything you’d expect from a full PS4 release, but in PS VR it’s filled with clever ideas, unique weapons, genuine jump scares, and fab looks – plus great couchplay.REZ INFINITETetsuya Mizuguchi’s vision becomes reality in PS VR. This psychedelic rhythm rail shooter has achieved its…5 min
PLAY|February 2019MOSEY WITH YOUR PS VITAI don’t enjoy being away from the things I like, which is why my PS Vita is on me at all times and why I find it so hard to leave my living room when I’m deep into a PS4 game. Remote play helps me out, letting me stream my PS4 to my Vita whenever I want. Sure, it’s not always the same as the big screen – but grinding out enemies in Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest XI in bed is a blast, and who doesn’t want to mosey around the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 as Arthur Morgan from their hotel room?…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Seeing redPARTING SHOT Celebrating PlayStation’s finest moments FORMAT PS4, PS3 / PUB DEEP SILVER / DEV ATLUS / RELEASED 2017 / SCORE 10/10Have you ever felt completely powerless? Unable to do what you know is right for fear of the repercussions? In Persona 5 you’re a teenager in a world of corrupt adults, and the game pulls no punches when exploring this theme in its opening arc.You uncover a number of abuses of power by a corrupt PE teacher at your new school. As well as being a bully, the ex-Olympic volleyball player Kamoshida keeps far too close an eye on the female students under his care, with your classmates Ann and her childhood friend Shiho both victims of his totally inappropriate advances.With tremendous guilt in her heart at Shiho’s suicide…2 min
PLAY|February 201901 A kart Crash we just can’t look away from“THE QUIRKY WORLD DESIGN FROM THE PLATFORMERS TRANSLATES WELL INTO THRILLING TRACKS.”While we loved the nostalgia trip Vicarious Visions’ brilliant Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy took us on in 2017, it felt like a little something was missing. Back in PS1’s glory days, the Crash saga wasn’t truly complete without Crash Team Racing – and happily that game is now getting its own remake, courtesy of the steady hands over at Beenox.In 1999 a lot of us spent many a day racing against our friends and family on Crash’s crazy tracks, pitting the speed of Tiny Tiger against the precision of Polar. The quirky world design from the platformers translated well into thrilling track designs; things like the Aku-Aku shield and – of course – the abundance of crates made for…5 min
PLAY|February 201904 Mortal Kombat turns it up to 11“DARK RAIDEN PULLS A PIKE; SCORPION DRAWS A SWORD.”Has there ever been a more violent reveal trailer than Mortal Kombat 11’s bloody brutal two-and-a-half minutes of slicing and dicing? Somewhere even The Last Of Us’ Ellie is reaching for the sick bucket.Billed as a return to the series’ gory heyday, Mortal Kombat 11 will again feature a cinematic narrative mode, which follows on directly from Mortal Kombat X; Dark Raiden is on the warpath and so many bones are going to be broken across time.The trailer is full of hints as to how this latest iteration of the game will play. Dark Raiden pulls a pike from the scenery, teasing more interactive stages. Scorpion draws a sword, suggesting stance changes. The pair deliver fatal blows – a broken chest bone,…2 min
PLAY|February 2019info patches update your brainBACK FROM THE DEADNews of industry layoffs is always sad; game devs work hard. When Telltale closed, its game The Walking Dead: The Final Season was two episodes into its five. We’re happy to hear Skybound Entertainment stepped in to get core Telltale staff to return and finish it, and Episode 3 is now available.PASSING JUDGMENTThe previously-codenamed Project Judge has been officially named Judgment, and given an English-voiced story trailer. It’s from the same dev as Yakuza, which has remained undubbed since the first game. Join detective Takayuki Yagami as he hunts an eye-stealing serial killer targeting criminals.A DAUNTING TASKFree-to-play Monster Hunter-alike Dauntless is heading to PS4 in April 2019. With the world torn apart, slayers come together to fight large behemoths (should it have been called Behemoth Slayer?). Loot…1 min
PLAY|February 201909 Get ready to do some shift workVideogames are fun. Moving house is not fun. But what if moving out was a videogame? Rather than the result being decidedly neutral, it looks like gaming is, in fact, so overwhelmingly enjoyable that it’s going to make the task a blast when SMG Studios’ Moving Out releases in 2019.“FURNITURE WILL GET THERE, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST.”Echoing the sort of zany physics-based fun that we so love about Overcooked and Catastronauts, you take on the role of a Furniture Arrangement Relocation Technician (yes – FART, we giggled) as you wibble-wobble furniture from one location to the other. And the furniture will get there, no matter what the cost, as you take on these training scenarios from the Smooth Move company.Spanning over 50 levels you can play with a friend…1 min
PLAY|February 2019REPLIESNo show?I read that Sony won’t be appearing at E3 in 2019. This feels like a massive let down. I love seeing the new games and demos that Sony brings to E3 and it just won’t feel the same. Will there be anything happening with Sony in 2019?Kieran Sullivan via emailWe were a little surprised that Sony has chosen not to showcase its games at E3 next year, and there’s still a lot to show – Ghost Of Tsushima, Death Stranding, and Concrete Genie are all earmarked for 2019. But we’d expect there to be a big Sony event, or two, happening in the year to demo these games.Scoreful“IN THE POST RDR2 WORLD YOU HAVE TO RECONSIDER THE ADULATION THAT YOU POUR UPON UNCHARTED.”Once upon a time, not that long…2 min
PLAY|February 2019READERS’ MOST WANTEDVOTE NOW!Tell us the five games you can’t wait to play at opm@futurenet.com1 Crash Team Racing Nitro-FueledRoaring straight to the top of your Most Wanted list almost as soon as it’s been announced, it’s the mighty Crash! Flip back to p6 to find out why we’re all going kart crazy.FORMAT PS4ETA 21 JUN2 Cyberpunk 2077These long winter nights make us hanker for long winter games – and this one should keep up busy for ages. But when can we play it?FORMAT PS4ETA TBC3 Kingdom Hearts IIICan you take the lore? CAN YOU? Square got together with Disney, and we’re anticipating a game as challenging as it is charming.FORMAT PS4ETA 29 JAN5 Final Fantasy VIIA slew of remakes have hit PlayStation over the past year, but we’re still waiting eagerly for…1 min
PLAY|February 2019“LIKE BONNIE TYLER, I’M HOLDING OUT FOR A SUPERHERO UNTIL THE END OF THE NIGHT.”Flip over to p102 and you’ll find us delving into the depths of the Lego Aquaman DLC content pack for Lego DC Super-Villains. As far as movie videogame tie-ins get, that’s about the best we can hope for these days, but it boggles the mind as to why.After all, it’s not just Lego Aquaman that’s got me thinking about the current dearth of great superhero games. To tell the truth it’s been niggling at my superhero-loving brain since E3 2018, when I was first ushered into a little room and my hands were placed lovingly around the controller that was hooked up to the new Iron Man game. Sorry, I mean the new BioWare game, Anthem.I’ve written about Anthem every way I know how in the months since – I’m…2 min
PLAY|February 2019A man for all seasons1 Ain’t no winter like a Russian winter. Crunchy snow lines the map and obscures sight lines, making stealth in the open field much more complicated.2 In spring, winter’s chill is far from forgotten. Stealth may be easier but the waterlogged, muddy environment means you’ll have to clean your guns more often.3 In summer Anna coughs and complains, while a number of your fellow rangers get heat stroke. That’s to say nothing of the sneaky, sleeping Humanimals…4 We covered the Pioneers and Pirates back in issue 153. Their base in an abandoned summer camp and is hardly the venue for a nice autumn getaway.…1 min
PLAY|February 2019on the boxFATE/EXTELLA LINKThe galaxy needs saving and only a group of colourful anime stereotypes are up to the job in this hack-and-slash adventure. There’s even a cute pink-haired girl who’ll learn to accept her flaws and value her friends. Truly revolutionary.FORMAT PS4 ETA 1 MARGOD EATER 3As a very hungry monster you like nothing more than to chew down on gods in this open world belly full of fun. To eat a deity you need to time your button presses to the rhythm and noise of slapping gums.FORMAT PS4 ETA 8 FEBLEFT ALIVEThree people are left alive in a featureless white room, and only one of them knows how to get out. Happily, he’s the one with the dirty great gun. Left Alive is PlayStation 4’s smallest walking simulator.FORMAT PS4 ETA…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Welcome to the Thunderdome1 Between the Highwaymen and the Survivors is Irwin Smalls. We stash our gear and follow him down a zip wire into a lovingly defaced tunnel.2 We meet Smalls’ pint-sized associate on the inside. They lead us through the Highwaymen’s open air gym. Weird flex, but all right.3 In the processing room, we’re asked our name. Smalls’ associate comes to our silent protagonist’s aid and dubs us ‘Lollipop.’ Well, no-one will forget it.4 Our next mission objective is simply ‘Reach the pit.’ Our time with the game ends just before we get to see just what we’ve got ourselves into.…1 min
PLAY|February 2019PREVIEW ROUND-UPAWAY: JOURNEY TO THE UNEXPECTEDFORMAT PS4 ETA Q1 2019 PUB PLAYDIUS DEV AURELIEN REGARDThis anime-styled first-person action game is brimming with the sort of charm you only get when a French developer creates Japanese-style visuals. While the cartoony world it’s set in is 3D, all the characters are 2D. Roguelite elements keep you coming back as you whack your way through these worlds, making friends and allies as you go. Light-hearted and vibrant, it seems there will be plenty of goofiness to uncover. While developer Aurelien is Paris-based, he’s teamed with Kazuhiko Naruse for the soundtrack.JENNY LECLUE – DETECTIVUFORMAT PS4 / ETA 2019 / PUB MOGRAFI / DEV MOGRAFIThe developer asks you to “embrace the choosiness” in this narrative adventure game about growing up. In the small town of Arthurton,…3 min
PLAY|February 2019KATSUHIRO HARADA1995TEKKENCreated by ex-Sega developers, the original entry in the series redefined what a PS1 fighting game should be, and was the first PlayStation game to sell over one million copies.1998TEKKEN 3Back in 2009 we got all nostalgic and called this “One of the finest fighting games of all time.” In fact, it’s widely regarded as one of PlayStation’s greatest ever – it’s reason enough to buy a PlayStation Classic.2017TEKKEN 7: FATED RETRIBUTIONA return to form for the classic series, we scored this entry 9/10 in issue #138. Tekken 7 brought back classic characters and old game modes alike.…1 min
PLAY|February 2019MAKING AN ENTRANCEHaving played the first game, we’ve got some burning questions about how the new one relates to it. We’re particularly keen to know more about our special abilities, and one returning group of baddies who we’re excited to see again. After all, the setting for Rage 2 may be anarchic, but we’re firmly on the side of the lore…OPM: Can you tell us more about the Ranger Suit your character wears? It reminds us of Doom’s Praetor Suit.“WE NEVER KNEW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AUTHORITY IN RAGE.”Tim Willits: [In the original] there was the Ark Suit. It allowed you to have your defib, your Ark Suit upgrades, and that was kind of integral [to Rage]. Magnus and I took that fiction and extended it. [...] The Rangers, they originally started…3 min
PLAY|February 2019AGE OF DISCOVERYIn Shadowbringers your “Warrior Of Light must become the Warrior Of Darkness”. But it’s not entirely clear where you’ll be doing that. The war with the Garlean Empire that’s been hanging over the game for some time is causing problems, and the conflict with the mysterious Ascians is coming to a head. The new areas in the game are very “fantasy inspired”. Beautiful concept art gives us a look at a couple of the areas early – The Rak’tika Greatwood, a thick wood with dwellings built into the trees themselves (above left), and Amh Araeng, a twistyturny desert area (above right).…1 min
PLAY|February 2019STORM BOY: THE GAMEWhen a game features a pelican called Mr Percival, you might (not unreasonably) expect it to be GOTY material. When you discover that it consists of nothing more than walking left to right and playing a handful of minigames, however, your expectations are likely to change.An adaptation of the 1964 children’s book by Colin Thiele, Storm Boy is in principle a wonderful idea. You, controlling the titular bad-weather boy, cause paragraphs from the book to appear on-screen when he hits certain trigger points in the environment. There are optional minigames1 along the way to keep young minds engaged. It’s a great concept, but the execution is terrible.Each book extract disappears from the screen when your character moves too far out of an invisible box, meaning you must literally stop and…1 min
PLAY|February 2019MUTANT YEAR ZERO: ROAD TO EDENAnyone familiar with the Mutant: Year Zero tabletop RPG may not have been filled with confidence by the promotional materials for this game. The series is known for its share of mutated bears, but… a duck and a warthog? Thankfully, instead of hakuna matata and “duck voice acting”, you get the oppressive atmosphere of fighting for your life at the end of times.The look is familiar: rusting cars, dilapidated ruins taken over by trees. Games certainly haven’t lost their fascination with the end of civilisation. Ostensibly a turn-based strategy game in the vein of XCOM, Mutant: Year Zero makes clever use of this setting in order to add storytelling and exploration to the mix.As mutants, Dux and Bormin are immune to the radioactivity that turned most humans into ghouls. They…2 min
PLAY|February 2019THE COUNCIL – COMPLETE SEASONNine months after the first episode released, and Louis de Richet arrived on an island to learn what had happened to his mother, I’ve still got my ear pressed up to that door. The conclusion of this season has long since been played but I’m still here, straining for just one more whisper.The game uses artistic licence in its approach to history, and has a tabletop sensibility, with conversational choices being gated by skill checks. Even if you go for a Jack-of-All-Trades-build when creating your Louis, you still have to contend with your conversational partner’s vulnerabilities and immunities, plus the fact you have a finite number of points to expend on skill checks. These barriers to picking the right thing to say make confrontations tense.“YOUR SOCIAL SUCCESSES CAN UNLOCK UNIQUE…2 min
PLAY|February 2019THE OPM BREAKDOWNWHAT YOU DO IN… PERSONA DANCING10% Chatting to your favourite characters in the social links.8% Dressing up your besties in goofy, stylish, and cute outfits.6% Exploring your friends’ rooms in search of hidden accessories.70% Hitting notes and jamming out with your Persona buddies to some rockin’ tunes.4% Switching on Choreography mode, then trying (and failing) to learn the moves.2% Playing on All Night difficulty and feeling like you did well. It’s just so hard!SECOND OPINION SOCIAL CONFIDANTI still haven’t recovered from the ending of Persona 3, so seeing all my fellow SEES members in a current-gen release warms the co*ckles of the cold, black Shadow I call a heart. And the in-depth, customisable difficulty options are truly Oracle-sent for someone with such a low accuracy base stat such as I.…2 min
PLAY|February 2019BORDERLANDS 2 VRTaking a game that’s over six years old (and ultimately intended as a four-player co-op experience) and turning it into a single-player PS VR adventure might sound like an odd decision, like serving up a stale BLT without the B. In virtual reality. Anyway, the idea of being immersed in an FPS in this way is an appealing one; and clearly harder to implement than you might think…Although there have been some necessary tweaks and additions, this is mostly the same Borderlands 2 we awarded 9/10 when it released on PS3 back in 2012. A quick look at the score on this page will confirm that things aren’t quite that straightforward, though, and not only because this is now a solo experience.“THIS IS A NON-VR PEG THAT DOESN’T QUITE FIT…2 min
PLAY|February 2019WHAT WE’RE PLAYING NOWSNK HEROINES: TAG TEAM FRENZYJess Kinghorn is all about the action… AND NOTHING ELSE, OKAY?This boasts all three of my requirements: cute outfits, feisty dames, and plenty of punchups. Unfortunately, some of the outfits are questionable, and the dames are feisty as they’re there against their will, but at least the fisticuffs are intense. Mechanically levelling the playing field, fights can only be ended with a super move. You’d think that’d mean hope for someone whose lack of co-ordination is so well-documented but online play brings me right back to reality.WARFRAMEOscar Taylor-Kent gets in the robotThe Fortuna update gave me ample reason to jump back into Warframe. Before I even get to Venus, I’m distracted by how good it feels to play – especially considering it’s free. There’s a lovely…1 min
PLAY|February 2019Fallout 76Now that the dust has settled from the explosion of a controversial release, what do we have? Well, it seems those who do like the game really like it, with the result that high-level players are now commonplace. The servers are just as busy as before, too. That’s bittersweet news though, because they always tended to run below capacity; and more people are going it alone, uninterested in other players.The latest patch applied at time of writing tinkers in various places, the most important change arguably being the stash box capacity increasing to 600 (with a further increase promised for the future). Sadly, nothing has been done to increase server populations or to encourage a more social experience.VERDICTA gloomy appeal remains for those willing to give it a chance, but…1 min
PLAY|February 2019DLCTEKKEN 7 – SEASON PASS 2The entire line-up for the new season of Tekken fighters has finally been revealed. Joining Anna Williams and Lei Wulong are Armor King, Craig Marduk, and Julia Chang. Rounding it out is a cameo from The Walking Dead’s Negan.DEAD BY DAYLIGHT – DARKNESS AMONG USThe tenth chapter in this 4v1 online horror survival game adds the most terrifying enemy –”normal” people. The Legion is a group of serial killer teens who kill for the thrill, and can even appear to be survivors themselves.FINAL FANTASY NT – THE YUNA STARTER PACKEveryone’s favourite, Yuna, is now available to download for Final Fantasy NT. She’s the fifth character to become available in the Season Pass. Using magical abilities she offers a distinct style, and can summon her aeon,…1 min
PLAY|February 2019The PredatorAs well as being cursed with a face that looks like someone kerb-stomped a lobster, the poor Predator’s big-screen fortunes seem to have been hexed, with a succession of sub-par sequels following the insta-classic original. Now we have The Predator, but despite the presence of the definitive article in that title, the hunt is still on for a definitive Predator sequel.Written and directed by screenwriter Shane Black with a nostalgic reverence for the larger-than-life ’87 original, it’s part-continuation, part-love letter to the series. Logan’s Boyd Holbrook stars as Quinn McKenna, the leader of oddball veterans The Loonies. When a Predator crash-lands on Earth, pursued by a hulking ‘Upgrade Predator’, Quinn and his ragtag crew become embroiled in their interplanetary civil war.As you’d expect from the brain behind Lethal Weapon and…1 min
PLAY|February 20192019 PREVIEW SPECIALTHE UMBRELLA ACADEMY SEASON 1FORMAT NETFLIX PRICE £7.99 A MONTHBased on the comic by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, this superhero series stars Ellen Page as one of seven gifted children adopted by a billionaire and trained to save the world.THE MANDALORIAN SERIES 1FORMAT DISNEY+ PRICE TBCWhen Disney’s own streaming service launches later this year it will feature the TV equivalent of a killer app in The Mandalorian – a live-action Star Wars TV series starring Pedro Pascal as a lone Mandalorian gunfighter.VELVET BUZZSAWFORMAT NETFLIX PRICE £7.99 A MONTHThe last time Dan Gilroy worked with Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo the results were modern classic Nightcrawler, so get very excited about their reunion for movie Velvet Buzzsaw, a thriller set in the contemporary LA art world.THE WITCHER SEASON 1FORMAT…1 min
PLAY|February 2019DON’T MAKE ME PLAY! GOD OF WARPlaying this year’s excellent God Of War finally piqued my interest in the original game in the series – also, confusingly, titled God Of War – after more than a decade of ignoring it. The adventures of a tattooed bald man getting increasingly violent and shouty? No thanks. I’ve spent enough Saturday nights in Wetherspoons to get my fill of that.Playing it now, though, with the modern semi-sequel semi-reboot in the back of my head, is a fascinating experience. I can see the same cinematic ambitions, albeit a little less convincing thanks to the blocky polygon characters of the PS2 era, but the sense of scale is still undeniably impressive. The opening level has me fighting a three-headed Hydra – and, after killing it, climbing down its throat like Pinocchio…2 min
PLAY|February 2019BUBBLING UNDER Alternative picksPICK #1LASER LEAGUEJess Kinghorn is ready for the cut and thrust of this future sportIt’s still worth dipping a toe into this neon puddle, especially if you picked it up as part of PS Plus back in October. Fast-paced and unpredictable, I’m always going back for seconds. This criminally overlooked take on tag is Team OPM’s standard method for settling any and all disputes – often cake-related. Taking up the blade once more, I can be certain that final slice will always be mine.PICK #2FIFA 17Oscar Taylor-Kent’s long Journey starts a few years in the pastWith the latest FIFA release (that’s 19, in case you’re not keeping count) closing out the fictional footballer Alex Hunter’s story, now’s the perfect time to revisit FIFA 17, where it all began, introducing a…1 min
PLAY|February 2019ON-THE-GO GOODNESS PS VITA HALL OF FAMETEARAWAYOne of the best platformers on the system, it makes terrific use of the entire PS Vita to create a unique experience: camera, touchscreen, touchpad: it’s all here. The PS4 version has more content, but it remains more intimate and special on PS Vita.PERSONA 4: GOLDENWhere Persona 5 went bigger on PS4, this ultimate version of Persona 4 nails the warmth of a small-town high school setting. Filled with timeless characters, the Investigation Team dig into a murder mystery and befriend demons.UNCHARTED: GOLDEN ABYSSNathan Drake proves it’s not the size of the package that counts, but what you do with it in this prequel expedition. Packed with Uncharted charm, this pulp action adventure is the biggest spectacle on the little handheld.DANGANRONPA: TRIGGER HAPPY HAVOCIf being trapped in a school for…1 min
