PLAY

Want something on PS5 that’ll blow you away? Mind your phrasing, as the fighters of Tekken 8 (p46) are more than happy to send you flying. It might be a shame there’s no last-gen version, but after spending hours with the new fighter it’s clear the newer hardware has been put to excellent use. Lightning-fast rematches, gorgeous hyperrealistic visuals, and crunchy combat make this a PS5 showstopper. We also have a chat with series producers Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray about putting the tech to good use, and what they aim for with a new entry in the iconic series. It’s not the only established series getting a big glow-up. We also spent hours carving up monsters across Sanctuary in Diablo IV (p30), scratching a looter hack-and-slash itch we didn’t realise we…

Getting you closer to PlayStation’s most exciting stories, people, and culture To begin with, your team defends an area against an onslaught of dinosaurs. Our latest hands-on with Capcom’s upcoming mech shooter, which is set in a future overrun by hordes of interdimensional raptors, is an absurd experience that leaves us with a few burning questions. The fundamentals here are solid but, at a time when we’re seeing more live-service titles close every month, the obtuse central multiplayer mode and signs of aggressive monetisation could lead to extinction. Accurately conveying what exactly goes on in your average match of Exoprimal is a Jurassic task. The title of its flagship mode, Dinosaur Survival, is deceptively simple. What might at first appear to be a basic horde match is actually a bizarre blend of PvP…

After there was no sign of any kind of E3 showcase last year, digital or otherwise, there was a certain concern around E3 2023 that’s now turned out to have been warranted. Apparently due to a lack of interest from exhibitors, the plug has been pulled on both online and in-person elements of the show. In some ways it is surprising, as ReedPop took the reins last July and seemed poised to deliver at least some type of show. As the force behind most big geeky in-person events, including EGX, PAX, and MCM, to name just three, the company seemed to be a steady hand. Whether E3 landed on its doorstep too late in the day to be viable, or if other factors arose due to the games-lobbying group ESA’s continued…

There’s a lot you could read into the fact that we’re more excited for this upcoming PS4 rerelease of the 2010 fighter than updates for the latest iteration released just last year. We can’t help it. With some of the best pixel art in a fighting game ever, KOF XIII remains enticing years on. In a surprise announcement by SNK during the EVO Japan fighting game tournament, fisticuff fans were given the two words they were waiting for: rollback netcode. This system, nowadays the gold standard for fighting games, essentially makes for much more consistent online play, with less freezing or slowdown caused by lag. It joins what promises to be a revamp of the online functions overall, giving the past a chance to become the future of fighting games once…

You thought being stranded on an apparently abandoned space station was bad enough. You thought the fact that many of the ramshackle station’s systems were powered down was just the icing on the cake. You thought that finding the shiny bauble that resuscitated those systems was such a stroke of luck – only to discover waves upon waves of crystal-crunching creepy crawlies standing between you and freedom. Rock, meet hard place. The sweet release of becoming bug food isn’t on the cards for you either. As you unspool the mysteries of the station – namely, how and why it keeps bringing you back from the dead – you’re in for a heaped helping of heavily armed pest control. Playable either alone or with buddies in three-player co-op, Endless Dungeon combines tower defence…

Dreams is a seemingly endless source of creativity, talent, and quality; so much so that Media Molecule even hosts its own annual awards ceremony. This year competition was as fierce as ever, but 3D platformer Trip’s Voyage proved so impressive, it walked away with an armful of awards to itself. So, which awards did it win? Well, it was victorious in (deep breath) Creation Of The Year, Creator/Team Of The Year (Eupholace), Excellence In Art Direction, Excellence In Gameplay, and Evolving Experience. Try the game for yourself and you’ll realise why. Were it not for the faint Dreams watermark, it could easily be mistaken for a standalone indie game. Nintendo’s Super Mario Odyssey is a clear influence in terms of control and design, but Trip is no copycat. It’s a superbly…