Table of contents for No. 199 in GamesTM

Gaming phenomenons seem to be emerging in the most unlikely ways. Perhaps they always did, and that’s why I regard them as phenomenons rather than run-of-the-mill blockbuster releases. And perhaps a massive hit emerging from the house of Unreal and Gears Of War shouldn’t surprise me, but Epic Games isn’t the developer it used to be, and Fortnite isn’t a normal game. Following in the footsteps of Minecraft, League Of Legends and most recently its oft-compared stablemate in the shooter arena, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Fortnite represents the current state of the games industry in many interesting ways, which I can perceive as good or bad depending on whether I’ve had breakfast when you ask me. As an Early Access launch, it seemed to represent the kind of half-measure development commitment that…

“THERE’S NO STOP AND START TO ROUNDS, THE GAME JUST KEEPS GOING” FORMAT: PS4, XBOX ONE | PUBLISHER: CODEMASTERS | DEVELOPER: CODEMASTERS EVO | RELEASE: 5 JUNE 2018 | PLAYERS: 1-12 A race with no end point. Monster trucks versus bikes. Vehicles in the race only to be smashed. There’s a great deal about Onrush on paper that makes virtually no sense if you were to say we were describing a typical arcade racing experience, but Codemasters Evo is making something far from typical. Whether or not it may fall down some similar pitfalls as others who have attempted to revitalise the action racing genre, we’ll consider shortly. We’ve talked a little about the core concepts of Onrush previously, but a quick recap seems in order. First, there are no…

FORMAT: PC, PS4, XBOX ONE | PUBLISHER: BETHESDA SOFTWORKS | DEVELOPER: ZENIMAX ONLINE STUDIOS | RELEASE: OUT NOW | PLAYERS: MMO 1 ALIVE AND KICKING It may have launched in 2014 and been subject to some pretty sizable changes in the intervening years, but The Elder Scrolls Online is better than it has ever been. ZeniMax Online has quietly put in fantastic work to ESO; the servers are stable, the console optimisation is pretty incredible and there’s such a wealth of content available. Every Elder Scrolls fan needs to try it for themselves. 2 A NEW EXPANSION ESO has been supported by a large variety of content updates over the years, but it’s the sizeable expansion chapters that have truly impressed. The release of Morrowind in 2017 was remarkable, whisking…

“WE VERY MUCH WANTED TO NOT DO A RE-SKIN OF PLANET COASTER” It’s the ultimate fantasy about the ultimate fantasy – a park simulation videogame, actually done well , based on the world created by late author Michael Crichton. Jurassic World Evolution – named for the recent Pratt turn in the franchise, but owing more than its fair share to the original Park and its sequels – feels like such a perfect marriage, it’s difficult to imagine what could really go wrong with it. Maybe it will have been rushed in order to release at the same time as the upcoming movie, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Maybe it will rely too much on its celebrity appearances, like the glorious Jeff Goldblum reprising his role as Dr Ian…

There’s a period of time as a child where every venture out through the front door is an odyssey. Whether you’re fully conscious of what your true destination is or whether you have a destination in mind at all, stepping through that portal of safety and out into the world is a step into the unknown and, perhaps as a kind of defence mechanism, we turn it into something grand, bold and heroic. Or at least we did, and so did Knights And Bikes creators Rex Crawle and Moo Yu. “It was very loose,” former Tearaway creative lead Crawle says of the initial concept for Knights And Bikes. “It was ‘What would a Goonies RPG be like?’. That was the initial starting point. Although we stay true to that and…

AT THE CORE OF THIS COMPLEX TALE OF WARRING FACTIONS IS AN ALTOGETHER MORE TOUCHING STORY THAT EXPLORES FAMILY VALUES The seventh main entry in the Yakuza series brings to a close the tale of Kazuma Kiryu, a character the franchise and its players have been invested in for over a decade. For the legendary fourth chairman’s swansong, Sega has scaled back many of the series’ expanded features, such as multiple protagonists and sprawling environments, in favour of an adventure that’s more concentrated, and consequently packs a far greater emotional punch. This downsized approach effectively serves two purposes: for long-time fans, it provides a focused and fitting send-off for its popular protagonist, and for newcomers, it’s a manageable sampling that acts as a suitable introduction to the long-running series. And…

Considering how assured Supermassive Games first VR outing was, it’s doing everything it can to suggest Until Dawn: Rush Of Blood was actually a complete and utter fluke. Bravo Team has plenty of great ideas, but is bogged down by poor controls, questionable design choices and a high price point that certainly doesn’t justify the three to four hours it takes to complete. The game itself is best played with a second player online because you can at least take enjoyment as you hear them swear and curse at how poor the controls in this cover shooter have been implemented. It doesn’t matter what control system you use, all of them feel ineffective, with the motion aim controller constantly refusing to respond to your inputs,…

“I think that’s what games are all about, creating a completely alternate universe that you can just be set loose in ” JESPER KYD, COMPOSER “At the moment I really love Dishonored 2 . I still haven’t made my way all the way through it. Dishonored was such a blast and I like that world they’ve created. I mean, what’s with the whale oil anyway? I just love it. It’s so crazy. I think that’s what games are all about, creating a completely alternate universe that you can just be set loose in. My favourite games are usually more open-world type games, but Dishonored 2 is one of them for sure.”…

WIRED ICONIC CONTROLLER PRICE: £24.99 This controller is part of a range of character gamepads from PowerA released for the Nintendo Switch, and they look excellent. While we’ll always pick a wireless controller first, having a wired backup is never a bad idea and the designs on this range are particularly well done. The detail in the background artwork on this one is very good, but that’s true across the range, and the small metallic touches are very cool. We’d say these look like a smart and relatively cheap option for getting some extra pro gamepads around the house. WWW.GAME.CO.UK NAMCO MUSEUM: GREATEST HITS VINYL LP PRICE: $9.99 EACH This new vinyl pressing from Spacelab9 features 19 classic tracks from the great and good of Namco’s arcade past with a…

FORMAT: PC, XBOX ONE | PUBLISHER: MICROSOFT GAME STUDIOS DEVELOPER: UNDEAD LABS | RELEASE: 22 MAY 2018 | PLAYERS: 1-4 It’s often the plight of the people – the exploration of life and death in our most desperate hours of need – that make for the best survival stories. Videogames have often struggled in leveraging the undead as a central antagonist in these fraught settings, with most failing to recognise that it’s the people, rather than the rotting sacks of meat, that should be at the heart of these experiences. That’s been true ever since the arrival of Dead Rising at the turn of the last generation; Capcom’s near-comedic obsession with volume and violence, on raw numbers and abject body horror, had a habit of getting in the way of…

FORMAT: PC, PS4 | PUBLISHER: SQUARE ENIX | DEVELOPER: IN-HOUSE | RELEASE: 4 SEPTEMBER 2018 (JAPAN: OUT NOW) | PLAYERS: 1 The numbering has always been problematic. Of the two decade-spanning Japanese RPG franchises in Square Enix’s roster, it was always Final Fantasy that achieved worldwide acclaim and recognition. Western audiences quickly grasped – thanks, we’re sure, to the impact Final Fantasy VII had on the market – that the games were approachable, and that the numbers counted for little in the grand scheme of things. Dragon Quest has never been quite so lucky over here. In fact, in spite of it being one of the biggest game series to ever launch in the East (for real, it’s like crazy popular) it never quite replicated that success over here; the…

With a year of fantastic games behind it, the Switch is beginning to hit its stride. Nintendo was keen to demonstrate that the good times aren’t going away, taking the time to announce a slew of new independent games and third-party ports coming to the system in 2018. Thought Nintendo only cared about first party? It’s taken 12 months for the company to completely quash that bad reputation. “It’s hard to believe that it was already a year ago that I was telling you about the amazing games that we had lined up for the Nintendo Switch. Now I won’t get all wistful on you, but I do want to thank the Nindies – the content partners that made this last year one to remember,” said Damon Baker, Nintendo of…

“ It was one of those first games that made me realise that the story in a game can truly captivate you ” CORY BARLOG, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SONY SANTA MONICA “The first game that comes to mind is one that I played on the Amiga, it’s called Future Wars . It was the first game that I binged; I stayed up for almost two-days straight playing through this game, and it was on floppies so I had to keep getting up to switch them the longer I was playing it. It’s a very obtuse adventure game, but it was one of those first games that made me realise that the story in a game can truly captivate you – that a story can actually…

Much like the original, Vermintide II takes the core of Left 4 Dead and transplants it into the Warhammer universe, having you deal with Skaven and Rotbloods instead of hordes of the undead, all of which are ‘controlled’ by a mischievous A.I. director, sending huge waves of low-level mobs or huge boss monsters at you whenever it feels like doing so, keeping you on your toes and runs through the stages feeling fresh. You take up the role of one of a possible five playable characters in a team of four who have to hack, slash and shoot their way through a level before completing a final objective. The characters are all unique classes – Bright Wizard, Waywatcher, Witch Hunter, Dwarf Ranger…

JRPGs tend to have targeted audiences, be it die-hard fans of a particular series – like Tales – or those who like to strategise like an animeloving Winston Churchill – Disgaea, in case you were wondering. Ni No Kuni II, however, feels like a JRPG for everyone and, despite aiming broadly, it meets its mark surprisingly well. The story centres on Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, a half-cat boy-king who falls victim to a coup d’état from a pack of conniving rats. At the 11th hour Evan is saved by President Roland, who happens to find himself transported to Evan’s kingdom after his world (that is, our world) is hit by a missile strike. Evan and Co. then embark on a journey to establish a new realm that does away with…

IT’S NECESSARY TO SIT AND THINK ABOUT EACH STEP WITH GREAT DELIBERATION, AND THAT REALLY GETS THE SYNAPSES FLARING Spare a thought for the indie darlings. FTL: Faster Than Light, and by virtue its developer Subset Games, carries a significant weight upon its shoulders; it was a milestone in the indie renaissance, a recognisable Kickstarter success and proof that there was demand for strategy games. It is nothing short of a pioneer, and rightfully garnered an equivalent success. The problem with such titles, however, is that these history lessons play a big part in what comes next, already forging an idea of what to anticipate from the developer’s follow-up title. At best this can build hype, but at worst it can unfairly create an expectation that the developer neither…

Combining strategy with role-playing elements, Pit People reminds us that simplistic turn-based combat can be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Recruiting an array of strange species and slotting them into our party may give us the impression that we are in control, but this quickly changes on the battlefield. Here we find an unpredictable twist in which some interactions are left in the hands of our party; move them to a tile and they will decide who they attack or heal. Propelling us into a wacky plot filled with sarcastic space bears and unconventional heroes, The Behemoth has showcased its talent of making even the weirdest things look cute. Striking a good balance between action and narrative, this kept us engaged and entertained while creating sufficient…

SYSTEM SHOCK 2 System Shock 2 may never have obtained the success it so clearly deserved back in ‘99, but the game’s creative lead, Ken Levine, took steps to ensure that its legacy was enshrined in the hearts and minds of players the world over. System Shock 2’s hybrid FPS-RPG design, the environmental storytelling it helped pioneer, the manipulative narrative and open-ended world design would all serve as a backbone for Irrational Games’ BioShock. THIEF: THE DARK PROJECT Looking Glass Studios’ Thief: The Dark Project’s influence spread across the industry. Its innovative stealth mechanics – relying on visual and audio cues to aid in navigation and circumventing detection – were relatively unprecedented. While Hitman, Splinter Cell and Tenchu would all honour the game’s legacy, it was Dishonored that would pick…

“TECHNICALLY, YOU PLAY AS THE SUIT’S AI HERE” FORMAT: PC | PUBLISHER: GARETH DAMIAN MARTIN | DEVELOPER: IN-HOUSE | RELEASE: TBC | PLAYERS: 1 In Other Waters is an exploration of a great many things, but perhaps its greatest strength is in reminding us just how powerful the imagination can be in helping to fuel great game design. A great many studios are racing towards the uncanny valley in an effort to draw us into new and mysterious worlds. In Other Waters has carved out its own path entirely. It’s a narrative-driven experience that takes place largely within the mind – a considered thought piece on conservation and an exploration of both environmentalist ideology and human-AI symbiosis. It evokes the same feeling of trepidation and curiosity that you’re likely to…

FORMAT: TBC | PUBLISHER: PIXELCOUNT STUDIOS | DEVELOPER: IN-HOUSE | RELEASE: TBC 2018 | PLAYERS: 1 1 PIXEL PARADISE Despite having backgrounds in 3D game design with Lionhead’s Fable series, as well as Black & White and Movies, Neal Whitehead and Charlton Edwards (with some assists from other former Lionhead staffers) have created a gorgeously realised pixel art world for Kynseed. The lush countryside landscapes and ragid villages feel like something straight out of British folklore. It’s a nice balance between looking like a classic 16-bit RPG and offers something with its own character. 2 DARK FAIRY TALES Speaking of folklore, an element we don’t see referenced often from classic British myths and legends is the role of the mischievous or manipulative fairy. Kynseed is said to feature four magical…

Fortnite was never supposed to become a global attraction. Then again, few creations ever are, and few videogames ever do. From casual players to seasoned gamers, for school children and celebrity icons, Fortnite: Battle Royale has become something of a genuine obsession. It has reached a plateau reserved for those special few videogames that are able to confidently pierce the consciousness of the general public while still igniting a spark of imagination in the minds of players around the world. The Fortnite IP has found itself in a position that few in the industry ever imagined it was capable of reaching – and that includes its creator, Epic Games. It would be easy enough for this level of attention and success to act as a rush of blood…

YOU HAVEN’T EXPERIENCED THE BEST OF THIS GAME UNLESS YOU’RE IN A PANIC I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST ARRRGH As with any team-based multiplayer experience we would highly recommend you play with a headset of some kind so you can talk with your crewmates. However, Rare has attempted to give players without a mic some options to communicate with the squad by hitting up and down on the D-pad. Down accesses a bunch of emotes (dancing, clapping, sitting) while up offers different text chat options, with even more available by hitting X and more still if you’re holding an object for contextual options. For instance if you hold a plank for repairing the ship you’ll have messages about doing the repairs or repairs being needed. These text chat…

IT DOESN’T BRING ANYTHING NEW TO THE TABLE, BUT HOPE COUNTY IS ARGUABLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WORLD WE’VE EVER SEEN GRACE A CONSOLE There’s nothing wrong with Far Cry 5 . It delivers everything fans have come to love – fightin’, explorin’ and wrestlin’ the sharp-toothed fiends skulking in the wilderness. But there’s little that’s special about it, either. It’s like a cake that looks delicious but tastes stale, as though the ingredients have been sitting in a cupboard too long. There’s nothing wrong with it, of course – it won’t make you ill or anything. You’ve just had it loads of times before, and without any new ingredients in the mix, it’s just… well, it’s a bit bland, that’s all. And that’s…

Some things in gaming do not change, and one of them is that playing a Kirby game is like existing inside the dream of a Krispy Kreme Doughnut. Everything is bright, clean and sugary. Tasty, but sadly short-lived. We’re not sure this metaphor has legs left in it, but suffice to say, it can be a bit much, but that’s part of why we like them. Kirby as a character is almost defined by his lack of abilities, save one: the ability to suck pretty much anything into his gut. And then, in most cases, he can do whatever they did, from sword-fighting to using a magic paintbrush. Kirby Star Allies smartly attempts to mix that formula up a little. Not because the formula was getting tired though, but rather…

One of the things we love about virtual reality is the way that it can offer you an experience that you simply can’t achieve with a traditional videogame. Moss is one such game, and while it doesn’t reinvent the rulebook, it does deliver an interaction with your gaming avatar that few other games have ever come close to matching. Forget the bond you shared with Trico in The Last Guardian, or the interactions you had with Elizabeth in Bioshock Infinite – they pale in comparison with the closeness you’ll feel to Quill as you join her on epic four-hour adventure. Taking on the role of a reader (who looks suspiciously like Spirited Away’s No-Face) your task is to guide Quill through a number of single-screen locations that effectively work…

• PC and N64 versions were considered but dropped at an early planning stage. • Tom Abernathy was an off-site writer, before joining Pandemic as Destroy All Humans! wrapped. He was responsible for much of the game’s humour. • Pandemic began development on the game with around 15 staff, ending with almost 40. • Apart from the Fifties setting, influences on the game included: The X-Files, Twilight Zone, Invaders From Mars, Mars Attacks! and well-known conspiracies such as Area 51 and the Kennedy assassination. • The game featured three different viewpoints: Crypto on foot, Crypto flying with the aid of a jet pack and Crypto piloting his flying saucer. Missions usually required a combination of these in order to succeed. • The game’s villains, secret organisation The Majestic, is clearly inspired by the Men In Black.…

SYSTEM SHOCK 2 HERALDED A NEW DAWN FOR THE FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER AT A TIME WHERE DOOM AND ITS KIN STILL REIGNED SUPREME Developer: Irrational Games, Looking Glass Studios Publisher: EA Released: 11 August 1999 System: PC GENERALLY SPEAKING, THERE are two kinds of ‘Game Changer’ in the videogame industry. There are those that are widely considered to be instant classics, their impact immediately reverberating across the landscape of game creation – the Ocarina Of Times and Super Mario 64s of this world. And then there are the rare few that are considered to be so ahead of their time that their true impact and influence can only be gauged with some amount of distance and reflection. System Shock 2 is unequivocally part of the latter camp. System Shock 2 heralded…