Gamesmaster February 2018

From his birth as tenacious carpenter Jumpman, all the way to his latest turn as a globetrotting adventurer, the story of Mario is one of the most iconic in all of videogames. The moustached mascot has seen and done it all over the last 37 years – and he’s starred in more than his fair share of the best games ever made along the way. Who could be more deserving, then, of a true GamesMaster celebration? This one glorious issue, we pay tribute to the legacy of a true gaming icon – and decide, once and for all, which are his greatesthits. That’s not all you’ll find inside these packed pages, either. 2018 is well under way now, and you won’t catch us resting on our laurels. This month we’ve been battling…

THE MOST DEDICATED TEAM IN THE BUSINESS With new staff writer Sam Greer, the GamesMaster team is finally back to full strength and ready to take on anything 2018 can throw at us! Well, any videogame at least. Robin Valentine A new team member proved the perfect excuse for a fresh photoshoot – Robin especially was relieved to replace all of his questionable headshots with much more handsome versions like this one. Oof, what a hunk. What’s your favourite Mario game ever? Super Mario Odyssey Ben Tyrer Appearing in such a Nintendo-stuffed issue is videogame treason of the highest order for a man who writes for Official PlayStation Magazine by day. If caught, he’ll receive the highest punishment – buried in a landfill of old copies of ET for the Atari 2600. What’s your favourite Mario game ever? Super…

After playing games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn and Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor, I’ve really come to appreciate the photo modes that games have been implementing. I feel like it adds a whole new layer to the game, letting me act as an action photographer! With all the tools available to use, you’re able to pause the action and really appreciate the beauty and hard work of what the developers have created in this world. I can’t count the number of times I’ve just had to stop dead in my tracks, pull up the photo mode, and just try to capture the moment at the best possible angle, lighting, and filter. I really, really love this feature as it has so much flexibility and can add many, many more hours of…

Code talker Some people like to think that cheats have ‘vanished’ from games. I don’t think that’s true, but then again what was the last game I played with cheats? It was most likely… GTA V! That game came out back in 2013 originally but then came out once more on the current-gen consoles a year later. Do you guys, or any of the readers, think that perhaps with last gen that cheat codes became taboo? I ask this as back with last gen if you used cheats, the trophies/achievements would get disabled. It felt as if using cheats was punished in a way, or that the developers were just telling us “you can’t be god and still have achievements!”. Cheats have existed for years and even though people may say they have faded…

Even as a PES fan already, this, the 17th instalment in Konami’s football series, took me by surprise. Master League, the greatest league mode of any videogame football simulation, is back in my life. It’s had a few media-focused tweaks that are pretty pointless, but mirror modern football well. It can be life-consuming, but it’s exhilarating. But what about the football itself? Master the basics, and even the most novice players will be stringing one-touch passing moves together. The key is build up play, and it’s as precise as you want it to be. Passing/crosses/build-up is everything. Like the real thing. Expect a challenge the other way, also. Defending isn’t easy with the game’s biggest gameplay issue: slide-tackling. Regardless of position, any tap of the slide button means a full-on tackle. And…

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 Format PS4, XO ETA Spring Not long to wait now. Hopefully. We’re starting to forget there was ever a time before this game started taking the top spot every single month… THE LAST OF US PART II Format PS4 ETAWinter 2019 We’ve got rather longer to wait for Naughty Dog’s latest, we fear, though that doesn’t seem to be cooling your excitement for it. NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM Format PS4, PC ETA 23 March A surprise surge in popularity on our social pages sees this charming JRPG rocket into the charts this month! KINGDOM HEARTS 3 Format PS4, XO ETA Winter We didn’t think this series could surprise us any more, but a Toy Story level where the party turns into action figures is just too bonkers. SPIDER-MAN Format PS4 ETASummer Spidey’s fighting…